Spring Time...

I'm happy to report this is the second post in a row with no tissue alert attached to the top!! Yay!!

Today's post is about my nature and the camera on my phone. I'm still not sure about the camera on my new Droid Razr. It takes amazing photos but when comes to getting the close ups of nature and sunsets & sunrises... it's just really hard to beat my Kodak. As persnickety as my Kodak is, it truly has taken the absolute best color photos I have. Especially the ones that are close up. I'm not giving up hope on my Razr though. So far indoors it's done magnificent. It's the outdoor photos that give me pause. I can't tell you how many photos I took of the daffodils before I got any that were in focus. Even though I was trying to focus on the main bloom of the flower the background was always the clearest leaving the bloom slightly out of focus. The fact that the wind was blowing the flowers all over didn't help much. All the photos for today, minus the sunrise's at the end (taken with the Kodak), were all taken with my Razr.

These are the cat tails in the ditch fluffing out for Spring.

Here's my new flower box the Sailor and his brother built for me. I haven't planted anything in it yet because the stores don't have any plants yet! No I won't be doing any vegetables or plants from seeds. If I can manage to keep this box alive this year who knows what I'll do next year.

This is the non fruit bearing Cleveland Flowering Pear tree that we planted for Maggie on her birthday in 2010. Almost one year after she passed. When we planted her tree we spread some of her ashes in with the dirt. To us and all that know us this is "Maggie's Tree". This is the first year it's bloomed. We were all so excited to see it flowering. Isn't it just beautiful!! 

Lastly here are the sunrise photos from yesterday morning. These two are for my new friend and fellow blogger Robin whom you can find at Life in Queue.

I hope you've enjoyed the first tour of the Spring season.  Hopefully there will be lots more to come....once the stores stock their green houses!!  Since I don't have any idea yet of what I want to plant why don't all of you leave a comment and let me know what your favorite Full Sun garden plant is. This way I'll have some ideas of what to look for when I do buy some plants.

Thanks again for stopping in and sticking around long enough to read this far. I'm off to have breakfast with Kiera for National Reading Month. Speaking of which, Congrats to Kiera for meeting her goal of 20 books read in the month of March! Way to go Cletus!!

Love ♥ Huggs

CoreyJo

Birthday Girl #1...

 I figured I had better get Kiera's birthday post out before Lily's birthday gets here. So with out further ado...

♫♪♫ HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIERA ♫♪♫

It's a special day when a little girl turns seven. Why? you ask. Hell I don't know, but it's her birthday. Since her birthday falls on St. Patrick's Day we always try to make the day about her and not the Irish holiday (that comes later in the evening). This year is the last year we will be celebrating the girls birthday parties on the same day. Due to circumstances and work schedules the party won't be until later in April.  However we have always made sure to celebrate each birthday individually too. We always have cake, pie, or some sort of dessert with dinner and give them at least one present. The other presents come the day of their party. Anyways, here are the delicious cup cakes I made and Kieras happy face.

Butter Yellow Cake with Dark Chocolate Fudge Frosting

A 3D birthday card. Enough to cross your eyes, but she loved it.

A new night gown for the warmer season. Big hit!!

So pretty..

You'd think we gave her the world...and that's why I love her.

I was too busy taking pictures to know what, but something was obviously funny...

Thank you to the other Canning household for helping to celebrate Kiera's birthday.  

Love ♥ Huggs

CoreyJo

Bitter Sweet...

**TISSUE ALERT**

St. Patrick's Day for us this year was bitter sweet. It was sweet because it was Kiera's 7th birthday and we're Irish, well the Sailor and the midgets are at least, therefore I am too by association. Everyone had fun and the day was wonderful. I'll do a post about the celebrations later this week.

It was also bitter. After we tucked the girls in for the night the Sailor and I sat out back around the fire pit just chit chatting about this and that. It was a little after 11pm I do believe when we received the phone call. It was from the Sailors step sister. She called to inform us that at about 10:30 pm the Sailors father had passed away quietly at home.

Jason has been off from work for almost a month now spending time with his father and helping out around his house. Fixing things, running errands, just visiting, and eventually helping take care of his father when he was no longer able to take care of himself and sitting vigil.  From the moment his father was diagnosed terminal with cancer (before that if you want the truth) everyone, including his father, always joked about how he was so Irish that since he wasn't born on St. Patrick's Day he would die on it. Well the old man pumped blood & sucked air (←his words) with everything he had, holding out until then. Like I said before, he died quietly at home in his own bed just as naked and free as he was the day he was born.

There wasn't an overly emotional display of feelings like there was when Maggie Alice passed. It's been quiet and pretty calm. Mainly I believe because while an early death was always known to be a possibility (always is with heart issues, especially one as severe as hers), Maggie's death was quite sudden. Where as with Jason's father everyone had months to come to terms with the fact that this IS going to happen and there isn't a damn thing anyone can do about it.

Towards the end it became a sit and wait situation with prayers that he would peacefully slip away and no longer be in pain. I believe there was big sigh of relief from those of us he left behind because we were now glad he was no longer suffering and was in a better place. I also think there was big sigh from those he was on his way to meet because trouble was coming home. :)

As his loving wife said :  "[the Sailor Sr.] has changed ports. He has left the port of South Haven to drop anchor in Heaven. At least, that is where I hope he ends up. With a 7th fleet sailor, I'm not always sure."

You will be missed and you will always be loved.

I love you Dad

Love ♥ Huggs
CoreyJo

Would you?...

 Recently I did a post titled Tag, where I told a bunch of random facts about myself, answered some questions, and asked some of my own. I'd like to thank all of you who participated either in the comments, with a blog post of your own, or via email.  Mostly though I'd like to ask all of you a question that was asked to me at the end of Rafa's reply. It truly is a great question and one that may not be easy for everyone, including myself, to answer.

Rafa asked:
     "If you could go to a place that you never hurt, cried nor never felt fear, would you go? If yes, why and where, in your mind's eye would you find this place? If no, why?"


See? I told you it was a great question. Well for me the answer would have to be No. No I wouldn't go where I never hurt, cried, or felt fear because then that would mean that everything I have experienced in my life would be null and void. I wouldn't have felt the pain I needed to feel in order to know that I was still alive during those times I thought all was lost and this was the end. I wouldn't have felt the fear of rejection from the cute boy who sat beside me in math class. To not feel that fear would mean that I also wouldn't have felt the feeling of being special when he smiled at me. If I never cried that means the there would have been no tears of joy when I married my husband, or when I gave birth to my three beautiful children.  If there were no tears of sadness and no pain from the passing of Margaret Alice how would I have ever known the true extent of the love I have for her? If I didn't feel the pain from the void she's left in my life how would I know the joy that she left behind? If I didn't have the fear of losing my other children too how would I know that I even cared. To not feel pain, or fear is to not feel at all. For with out the lowest of lows how can you feel the highest of highs? How can you be happy if you can't feel sad? How can you feel good if you don't know what the pain feels like. How can you cherish love if you don't ever fear losing it or not having it all?  I would willingly feel all of the pain and sorrow & fears from my life over and over again if it meant that I could also feel all of the joys, happiness, and love over and over again too.  If something is a given it isn't as special as something that was a long shot or near impossible.If the not so good stuff doesn't matter then the good stuff is just stuff. It's not good, it's not bad, it's nothing. I would rather feel everything than feel nothing.

Whew! Who knew I had all that to say about one question?  I hope that all of you take a moment and think about what your answer would be and share it with us here or with me through email. Even if you don't share your answer I think that answering this question to at least yourself is a good idea. Figuring out your answer really does make you look at yourself on a different level than you're used to doing day in and day out. It can help you maybe know yourself a little bit better.

Thank you to Rafa for asking this amazing question. You can give a show of thanks too by going to visit his blog, Ramblings From My Typer, and checking out all of his amazing poems and writings. Don't forget to leave a comment letting him know what you think.

Well that's all for me today. I think two posts in one day is plenty. I'm leaving you with a photo of the sunrise here this morning...finally at a high temperature of 77° Winter is leaving us behind...Hello Spring :)

Love ♥ Huggs
CoreyJo

***Post Edit

For a better explanation of what the question is referring to please read Rafa's comment below.  : )

Bird Houses...

A while back, the last week of January to be precise, I went to Texas for a weeks vacation away from the family. While I was gone the girls had a sleep over at their grandparents house. During their stay they each made me a gift. They each painted a bird house.

Aren't they beautiful? I love them and can't wait to hang them. I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to hang them, but hang them I will. My girls are the best, when they wanna be that is... It's times like these that make motherhood special.

Love ♥ Huggs
CoreyJo

Haiku Monday...

Wow! I'm actually on time with my haiku! Aren't you so proud of me? Well, I'm proud of me :)

This weeks competition is being held by Curmudgeon over at The Curmudgeon's Complaint, and the theme this week is "Circle".  Be sure to stop over there and have a look see at what the competition is like and if you're cheeky enough drop a haiku of your own off for judgement. Better hurry though the deadline is 11:59pm Mountain Standard Time.

Circle of Love:

With this ring I pledge...

My heart is forever yours.

Never ending Love.

Haiku Past Due...

I missed the Haiku deadline this past Monday once again.  With everything 
that's been going on here with the failing health of Jason's father, and a 
multitude of other things, I haven't exactly been up to snuff on remembering 
things.  Especially deadlines. 


Even though it's too late for judgement my friend, Rafa, has encouraged me 
to post it anyway. So here it is.  Let me know what you think.


Silence:


Petals drift slowly.
Moments become memories.
Bittersweet silence...


~CoreyJo