My Trip to Say GoodBye to Daddy

After a 36 hour bus ride with Jace, we finally made it to Kansas.

Daddy's Vigil was so hard for me. 

I was doing okay until then....

and the reality hit and boy did it hit me hard.

It still doesn't seem possible that Daddy is gone

and I don't think a day will go by that I don't think about him

and feel his love.

 This is a picture of me and my mom and siblings.

  My foster brother surprised all of us and came to the services.

  It was so nice to see him again!

 Here are my Daddy's girls.

Robyn, Sherry, Stacey and Cathy.

 and it's amazing what a little wine and beer

will do to cheer up a broken heart!

and this is my sister, Robyn, who put up with me on both of my trips back home.

She spoiled my rotten too!

So besides the trip being a hard one to make, it was so nice to see my mom, siblings and my stepmom and her family.  We got to laugh together, tell stories, and cry together.  Daddy would have been happy to see us all together and supporting each other. 

I want to say a special thank you to my Stepmom, Carol,

for making sure I got to be home and grieve with my family and not here by myself.

My Trip Back Home

An angel enabled me to go back to Kansas and I can never thank her enough for thinking of me and giving me the chance to see my Dad for probably the last time.

God is Good and miracles are around every corner!

This is my Dad and my stepmom, Carol.

This is a picture of me and my Nana. I probably won't see her again either because she's 88 or 89. I'm so glad I got the chance to see her again and to laugh with her!

So besides the goodbye's I had lots of extra benefits on my trip back home. My mom took me and 2 of my sisters to a Stamping Class and then out to lunch. We had fun and I learned a lot about stamping and I discovered watercolor pencils. I think I've found a new love!

Thanks Momma for a fun day!

I got to see all of my siblings except one.

Stacey, Mike and Danny are in the back and Robyn and I are next to Daddy.

I wish Cathy could have been there too, but she went back home the week before I did.

I got a new haircut from my cousin's daughter, Sarah. I haven't seen Sarah since she was a little girl and now she is a really fun young woman!

One of the most special parts of the trip, besides seeing Daddy, was getting to know my sister Robyn better. This is Robby and her oldest daughter, Jessica. I had so much fun with them and really connected with Robyn. We had long talks, shared secrets, had fun, drank a little and just had a really wonderful time being sisters and friends. I can't thank you enough Robyn for all you did for me during my stay and I miss you so much! I think we need to live closer together so we can have more fun.....or could that be a dangerous thing?!?!

and as an added and unexpected benefit....

I got to meet Aunt Pitty Pat and her little Pitty. Look at that cute raincoat that Pitty is wearing. It was nice to finally get to meet a fellow blogger....and to prove what a small world it is Aunt Pitty Pat and my niece Jessica's boyfriend, talk on the phone everyday for work.

Thanks everyone for making my trip back home such a wonderful experience and for creating so many memories with me!

Lovin' Being Home in Kansas!

While I'm in Kansas I'm staying with my sister Robyn and we are having so much fun together! It's nice spending time with her and her kids. My dad is in such good spirits and isn't ready to quit on life yet. He amazes me! Daddy is.....well, he's Daddy......and the best one I could ever ask for. He is so weak and fragile, but he does as much as he can for himself and is in good spirits. My stepmom, Carol, is so good to Daddy and I am thankful that she is here to take care of him and be such a wonderful friend and partner to him while he's going through stage of his life and preparing for death. I am so blessed to have my family!
..........and yes, Earl I do miss you and the kids and I'll be home soon! Love you!!!

I Clicked My Heels and Here I Am Back in Kansas!

I am in Kansas! Yay! I am so happy to be here for a week.....although the reason I came home in the first place isn't a happy one. My Dad's cancer has spread and he isn't doing well. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He's been in a lot of pain and is having radiation treatments to try to help with this, but there is nothing more that can be done for the actual cancer. I'm having a really hard time with all of this....my dad is a wonderful man and it's really hard to see him aging at such a fast pace and not feeling well. So anyway, please keep my dad in your thoughts make sure you tell your Dad that you love him!

Home Again

This is a picture of my sisters Cathy, Robyn, Stacey, me and then my Momma.

Well, we're home safe and sound. The bus ride home, including layovers, turned out to be about 41 hours long. The kids were excellent which made the trip so much nicer!

It's nice to be home, but I wasnt' ready to leave my family.

It was so nice to see my family again!

During our bus travels we met a variety of "different" types of people, but all in all most people were pleasant. We did meet a very nice young man, named Cody, who helped us with our luggage from Kansas City, MO all the way to Buffalo, NY. He was so sweet! He'd watch our luggage while I took the kids to the bathroom and he would run ahead and get us a spot in line for our next bus and then rush back to help me with our luggage and gather up the kids. I wouldn't have made it without his help. I think God sent him to be my angel!! So anyway, we were suppose to get home at 1:00 yesterday afternoon and it ended up being 8:30 p.m.

This is Mallory, my Dad and me.

I'm in Kansas and Having a Blast!!!

I've been back home in Kansas since 12/29/09 after a 37 hour bus ride with Ezie, Mallory, Jace and my oldest grandaughter, Sabrina. The kids were so good on the bus! I was truely amazed with how good they were. We've been busy helping out my mom and visiting my wonderful siblings since we got here.

I LOVE being around my sisters again!!!! I will post some pictures when I get home on the 15th. As of last night I got to see all of my siblings, 4 sisters and 2 brothers. My little brother had a surprise announcement....they're having a baby!!! Yay for Danny and Deborah!


I also became Nana to 2 more grandbabies on 1/3/10. Leigha is 4lbs. 13ozs. and Liam is 5 lbs. 6oz.'s. This make 11 grandkids now.....8 of them being under 2 /12 years of age. Congratulations to Jeremy and Amanda!!!!!

I have to go help my mom now. I miss everyone so much......but I'm having the best time! I am so happy and so glad to be back home. It would be perfect if Earl was here...I do miss him terribly!

Have a wonderful weekend!!! We're celebrating my older brother, Mike's, 50th Birthday, a Christmas with my siblings and a baby shower for my niece. Busy, Busy, Busy and so glad to be a part of it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

20 Days and Counting

My mom bought bus tickets for me, my 3 little ones and my oldest grandaughter to go to Kansas for a 3 week vacation. Yay for my mom!!!! We are leaving in 20 days, Dec. 27 (Lexie's 19th BD)and arriving in Wichita at 12:30 on December 29. I haven't been home in almost 10 years and I am so looking forward to this trip!! My much older brother (hee!hee!), Mike,is turning 50 on January 7 and mom wanted all of us 6 kids to be home for his birthday party. I will get to see my 3 sisters and 2 brothers and their spouses, my parents, niece's, nephews, my Nana and hopefully lots of other friends and relatives while I'm there. We're going to have Christmas together, a baby shower for my niece and then of course my brothers birthday party. Lexie, Jake and Anthony are going to be going to, but they are flying out a week after I leave. Earl probably isn't going to get to join us (I'm pouting) because his second job, who is also our landlord, won't give him a week off to come. Hopefully they'll change their minds in the next few days.....you never know.

Anyway, I'm so excited and so thankful to my mom for giving me and the kids this wonderful trip!!!

Wizard of Oz Gala

I am a Kansas girl. I grew up and lived in Kansas until 12 years ago. My memories of the Wizard of Oz are that every time it came on we happened to be visiting my grandparents. This was definitely a coincidence, but a nice one. I remember always crying at the end of the movie. My favorite characters were Glenda, the Lollipop Guild and I thought the horse of a different color was really cool. I decided not to show pictures from the movie because I'm assuming a lot of other people are, but here are some pictures of my Kansas home and as we all know,

"There's no place like home!"

This is the house my parents built and we moved into the year I was in first grade. The name of the street we lived on was Castle Drive. As kids we always thought that was such a cool name for a street. My mom sold it a few years ago, but this house will always be home to me.



This is a picture of downtown Wichita, Kansas and the Arkansas River. If you are from Wichita it is called the "Our Kansas" river, but technically I guess it is called the Arkansas River.



This is another view of downtown Wichita.

One of the things I have hated since I moved to New York is that when you tell people you are from Kansas, especially men, they always say, "Your not in Kansas anymore" or some stupid remark about ToTo. I swear I think that's the only part of the movie that some people saw and no we don't all wear cowboy boots and live on farms in Kansas, although I do love cowboy boots!

I love the movie The Wizard of Oz and I'm proud to be a Kansas girl.

This is a cake I made for my Daughter Lexie's 9th Birthday.

Thanks for hosting the Oz Gala Twyla and Lindsey!!

My Addiction, Swaps!!

This is the beautiful magic wand and extra goodies that Gloria

sent to me for Bella Enchanted's Magic Wand Swap.

Here is a sneak peak at what I made for Gloria.

It is going in the mail tomorrow!!!

I'll show the whole thing in a few days after Gloria has received it.

I hope she likes it!! I do!

For the Fairy Tale Swap hosted by Meridian Ariel

my swap partner Jill sent me

things from one of my favorite Fairy Tales,

The Elves and the Shoemaker.

This is a little wooden hand carved boot that Jill picked up.

Isn't it cute!

Jill made this Elf that she named Leon.

She also sent me a Elves and the Shoemaker Little Golden Book

So perfect, I collect Little Golden Books!!

Then Jill added a bunch of other Fairy Tale Books.
Mallory was in heaven.
Jill also gave me the pattern for Leon so I could
make some Elfie friends for him.
Thanks so much Jill! I love everything you sent!

Here's a sneak peak at what is going in the

mail tomorrow for you.

Then for Sarah at Gypsy Mermaids Life my swap partner Kelley,

sent me this wonderful Halloween package.

I got a cute glittery pumpkin with ribbon handles.

It is so cute!!!

Kelley also got some black long formal type gloves and stuffed them and added some ribbon. They will be coming out of something very soon., as soon as I start decorating for Halloween that is! Kelley also fooled the kids with 2 of the cutest faux cupcakes. They were so excited when they saw them and then so dissappointed when they realized they weren't real!

Ha!Ha! Sorry guys!!

Here is a sneak peak at what I am sending to Kelley tomorrow.

I hope she likes my package. I had so much fun making it!! It was something very different for me but so much fun!!!

Then Last, but definitely not Least is my package from Montserrat or Cocoa as many people probably know her. This is for Shawnee's "Where I wish I could have went for my summer vacation" Swap I, of course, picked Kansas. Cocoa made me this beautiful yellow apron with pink roses (my favorite color combo) and I think the blue (for the Kansas skies) just makes the whole apron pop!

Montserrat also sent me a calender to add my own photo's to, a set of Cowboy Notecards that she made, 2 close up photos of Sunflowers that she took and a huge package of Beef Jerky that the kids and Earl snatched right away.

Thank you Montserrat so much for all of the beautiful things you sent me. She also has the notecards and the photos for sale in her Etsy shop if anyone is interested!!!

New York to Chicago and finally Kansas!

This is a painting of the Amtrak Station that is about 1 1/2 miles from our house. My daughter Alexis, her boyfriend Jake and my little grandson Anthony left from here on Friday evening to start their summer adventure.

They spent about 23 hours on a train similar to this. They did have a break a little over halfway through and stayed with my sister Cathy and her family in Naperville, Illinois for a night and part of a day. Lexie has only seen my mom and my 2 brothers in the last 12 years. So she didn't really now my sister and her family but she said they had so much fun!! Thanks Cathy for making Lexie and the boys feel welcome and showing them a great time!!!

They arrived in Wichita, Kansas this morning about 4:00 a.m. My sweet niece Jessica woke up and picked them up from the train station. Thanks Jess!

I hope you guys are having a great time visiting everyone and getting to now our family!

The Wizard of Oz Swap

I have been wanting to host this swap for awhile. I am from Kansas and lived in Wichita for the first 34 years of my life before moving to New York. So who better to host a Wizard of Oz swap but a Kansas girl. I love the Wizard of Oz and all of it's magic. So if you do to and would like to swap Oz stuff leave me your info. I am giving everybody a long time to sign up because of summer and vacations and stuff. Also you can use your summer outings as a good time to thrift shop for Oz stuff.

Did you know that August 12, 1939 was the world premiere of MGM's The Wizard of Oz and it was held at the Strand Theatre in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (why not Kansas??) It was shown through September 16, 1939. It should be noted that this is considered the "official" anniversary date for The Wizard of Oz.

So I will take sign ups through August 12 and the swap date will be September 16 (hey, that's my birthday!) Email me at sherryreneew@hotmail.com with your info and I'll get you on a list and I am going to have a list on my blog of all the people that join. I will also start a Flickr group for photos when September rolls around. I need your:

1. name
2. email address
3. mailing address
4. blog (if you have one)

Sound good. You should have at least 1 handmade Oz item and then some extra goodies are always fun!!