new friends

Friday we leave for Spain.

Please remember us in your prayers.

I have written a few posts

to be posted in my absence

and hope to blog a bit 

while I am gone.

Between the time change and just me

I figure I will be awake with time on my hands.

Sleeping has not been my thing 

thanks to my friend, menopause.

On Tuesday I accompanied

Annie, Everett, and Ollie

to St. Louis for Ev's appt.

to have his cast removed.

Aubrie had a date with Grandma RuRu.

We also had the chance to meet 

some very fun people 

from blogland

Courtney and her

 Pudge and Biggs

If you haven't met them they are a hoot.

Courtney is hilarious and the "two squibs"

make me smile.

Courtney has been such an inspiration 

to Annie and our family.

Both her littles had the same heart defect

that Ollie has.

Both had surgery.

Both are flourishing.

She has given us insight and lots of laughs.

First we saw the doctor.

They removed the cast, did an x-ray and sent us on our way.

Ev loved getting his cast off.

The tech said it would tickle as he "sawed" it off.

Everett laughed the entire time.

After we were given the green light

we headed to the cafeteria 

to meet L.C., Jace and Courtney.

My pictures are not great

as I was so excited to get my hands on them.

They arrived in a little red wagon of cuteness.

 L.C. walked through the room waving at her adoring fans.

Jace wowed the ladies.

He sat on our laps and stole our hearts.

L.C. sat on the table and entertained.

She is tiny and simply adorable. 

Seriously, they had many adoring fans 

in that room in a matter of seconds.

We shared snacks and quick stories.

They had ear appointments and had to hurry off. 

The visit was short and we hope to see them again soon.

Check out Courtney's blog. 

She took great pictures of the day

and there you will see her babies' personalities.

She captures moments with her photos.

She is as adorable as the two kiddos.

You will love them all.

I pinkie swear.

Our twin sons.

 Easter is usually an emotional day for me.
Not only is it the day
that I am most thankful for,
that Jesus died for me
and washed away my sins
so that I might live eternally 
but also it is a day I remember 
with gratitude and sadness.
On April 22nd, 1984

they were born

on Easter Sunday

at Jewish Hospital in St. Louis

by an emergency cesarean.

They were 6 weeks early.

They were twin boys 

with red hair like their mom.
We welcomed

Daniel Stephen and Douglas Stuart Fox.

They were lovingly named after 

their dad's two older brothers,
Douglas and Stephen.

They were a combined weight 

of 8lbs.7 oz., and were 21" long.

You see, they were conjoined.

They shared a heart and part of their livers.
They were joined nipple to nipple
and down to their navel.
A very small connection when
you consider the size of a newborn.

It was a scary day,

with a huge team in the delivery room.

At least 25 people were present.

Some were for me, some for them.

I got to see my babies in a incubator 

before they were taken away.

A lot of it is foggy to me.

I think the drugs and stress

caused a big part of this.

 I had a large vertical incision
for their delivery

since they were so large.

It was a pretty tough first few days.

They were taken to Children's

and I was in Jewish/Barnes.

I could go visit in a wheelchair 

after a few days.

Stuart got to stay in my room which

was really unheard of in those days.

I was released after a week and

 we stayed in the Ronald McDonald House.

Finally, I got to hold my babies.

As soon as they were in my arms

they opened their eyes.
We hadn't seen their eyes open before.

They knew me.

I cry joyful tears remembering it.

The doctors did lots of tests

and consulted with

doctors around the world.

The consensus was not good.

There was no fixing the situation.

Their heart had 4 chambers at the top

but only 2 in the bottom.

Since the top does the storing and
the bottom does the pumping

this wasn't good news.

There would be no separating them.

The fact was they were going to live
until their combined heart gave out.

There was nothing anyone could do.

We visited the unit and sat with them.

It was really difficult,

because Annie was 20 mos. old

and back at home over 2 hours away.

I wanted to be both places.

Stuart and I were blessed 

to have both our moms there the entire time.

They kept us fed and kept us loved.
After our experience with Ollie Faith,
I now realize how difficult it was for them also.

We would call in the night to check on the babies.

After about two weeks,

they were having really hard nights.

We were told they were 

getting close to heart failure.

The doctors said we needed to make a decision.

We could leave them in the unit

and take the chance that

we would be with them, 

or move them to a special room

and unhook the machines

and be with them when they died.

I went in the bathroom.

I wanted to scream.

I cried out to God,

how do we decide this?

We prayed and we decided the latter,

because we absolutely wanted to be with them

when they went home to Jesus.

Our entire families came.

Everyone held them.

Everyone loved on them.

Then everyone left the room.

Stuart and I took 

our sweet sons and held them

while sitting in a window seat in the sun.

A nurse came and explained that

she would take off the oxygen.

She said they would gasp a few times 

and then they would be gone.

We kissed their faces.

We told them how much we loved them.

We promised we would see them again.

We told them how much more

Jesus loved them than we did.

The nurse came in and did what she explained.

It happened just as she said it would.

They were 17 days old.

It was my Dad's 65th birthday.

Eventually, the days got easier, 

although the grief never goes away.

However, the experience has blessed us immensely.

We had Abbie 2 weeks short of a year later.

We had Maggie 20 months after that.

We grew in our marriage

and we grew in our faith.

Our families bonded with each other.

When we couldn't find strength

Jesus carried us.

When we couldn't find words to pray

the Holy Spirit prayed for us.

We learned what is important in life

and what is just stuff.

It formed our character,

 gave us perspective, and real compassion.

I wouldn't change a thing. 

God's plan is always the best.

I am trusting God's promises.

 I am seeing my twins again one day.

We are spending eternity together.

This life on earth is short.

Eternity is a better deal.

It is the one deal I know I can count on.
You can count on it too,
 if you will give him your heart
and give him your life.

For God so loved the world,

he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him

should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

weekend festivities

The weekend went great.

I, of course, forgot to take my camera

to the wedding. 

I will post some later as I steal them from others!

I have a couple from facebook to share.

 The bride and her mom 

made all the attendants and the bride's bouquets

from wiring trogether old brooches.

Fantastic! 

It was cold, but lovely.

Truly a wedding that reflected that couple.

It was very personalized.

My Maggie is the redhead at the back.

Casey even made an adorable belt

to accent Mag's baby bump.

Sunday was a incredible day.

Church with Mom and Dad and then lunch at my house.

Gifts opened and lots of time laughing.

I have got to get better at taking pictures!

jackie and baby brother John

Butch(Judy) and Stuart

John, Cindy(John ) and David(Linda)

 They are always holding hands or touching the other's leg.*tear*

 Cindy and Judy

 David, Mom and Linda

 My yard is  still a mess...no judgement please.

Brent the CPA (or CPR as Mom calls him)

was MIA for the final tax work day.

Linda and Judy 

gathered lots of pictures

and made a file folder.

In each is one for each sibling.

Inside theirs is one for each of their children and 

inside the grandchild's are small ones 

for the great grandchildren.

Really cute.

Then Linda put together a DVD.

I cried all through it.

My Dad was so handsome and Mom was a beauty.

They still are.

To see how much the world around them

changed in 70 years

is so something to see.

Cars, fashions, Mom's hair!

It is long but I am posting it for family to see.

Thanks for allowing me into your lives with mine.

I am a lucky girl.

Hold the presses

I lost my camera last week.

I got it in November before the trip to Disney.

It is just a point and shoot.

Picture taking is new to me.

I never took pictures.

I am the mom who attended 

every HS graduation and college graduation

while leaving the camera

on the table at home.

I searched high and low

but to no avail.

I accepted fate and got this.

 A little better version but pretty much the same.

Same camera case as before,

and a new camera card.

I was over it.

Today, my predictions came true.

This is the deal now.

Yup, it has been found.

The details will not be divulged.

The guilty party will remain nameless and blameless.

I told you I thought it was a leprechaun.

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

I have 15 days to return the second one

for a full refund.

Someone's living right.

I am pumped.

I am returning it and 

spending some of that cash

on a English/Spanish dictionary.

I do not want to push my luck!

Actually, it was under a chair.

I looked under the couches, tables, and chairs etc. 

However, in my defense

I have lots of chairs.

Dern leprechauns are messing with me.

Send prayers and meds!

Oh, and maybe a keeper.

Party

It is a party weekend.

Saturday a close friend of mine

is having her first granddaughter's wedding.

The granddaughter is one of Maggie's

dearest friends.

Casey the bride -to- be, my Maggie, Miss Brittany

The wedding is at the Chautauqua Bldg.

in our local park.

It is an awesome architectural design.

We have full day on Thursday

finishing up the decorating.

Grandma and the mother of the bride 

have been at it since Sunday.

Lots of Ethel Edith furniture and

lots of vintage treasures of my friend's.

I am on board for some cakes.

Sheet cakes....Texas sheet cakes

to join in with lots of other desserts.

Then Sunday 

we have a wonderful day of celebration

planned with my family.

We are celebrating my Mom and Dad's

70th wedding anniversary.

 It is actually on the 28th but with Easter

and the Spain excursion

we moved the party up.

We are going to church with them 

then heading to my house for a lunch and 

lots of visiting .

Maybe I could get some elbow grease

on that project in the back yard...

We are surprising my mom and dad

with a bottle tree for their gardens.

Mom saw an iron one last year

at a garden and iron place, 

but it was pricey.

She has remembered it fondly ever since.

Shhhh.... surprise remember.

It holds 52 bottles.

I posted on facebook

I needed wine bottles

or colored bottles.

The little Saturday bride suggested I call the winery.

An hour later I was picking up

30 bottles for 50cents each.

Clean but with labels intact.

I only got 30 so Mom and Dad 

could get some on their own and 

my siblings could bring some 

to commemorate the day.

I soaked and soaked the bottles.

The red ones' labels slipped right off.

Who knew there were red bottles?

Aren't they pretty?

The green ones were difficult.

The blue bottles were a nightmare.

The labels were cemented on.

I need a manicure now.

But all clean and lined up

is a sight to behold.

I'll take pictures Sunday 

of the finished product.

We are having a card shower too.

If anyone wants to send a card

to them it's:

Mr. and Mrs. Howard Adkins

RR 2 Box 96
Tower Hill, IL

62571

or you can email me or 

leave a message in the comments

and I will copy them off and put them

in the scrapbook

 my sisters Judy and Linda have made.

We are truly blessed to have

our parents both still living.

You can read about them here.

They are an example of love 

for the long haul.

They are their vows in the flesh.

adios amigos

My nephew Joel is living abroad.

He is in school

and is studying in Alicante Spain.

He is my sister Jackie's youngest.

Jackie, my sister Linda,

and Linda's husband, David 

are going to visit

on Good Friday 

until the following Saturday. 

They booked the trip in February.

I wanted to go

but was waiting to

hear how Miss Ollie checked out

at her doctor visit last week.

She was doing well, 

so I set out to book it with

my saavy daughter Abbie's help.

We had me booked on the same flights.

We were thrilled.

The transaction wouldn't go through,

so I tried a different credit card.

I thought maybe my 

fraud detector wouldn't allow it.

Still it wouldn't work.

Ab called the airlines.

It seems the airlines 

were raising prices and

wouldn't accept any flights at that price.

It went up $800 right then.

I couldn't do it.

Too much $ because

it was already $400 more

than since they had booked.

I was so bummed.

Then I got over it.

 I was going to miss Easter. 

I missed it last year because

this same band of people

went to Vegas to see Jackie's #2 son.

I was going to miss the girls' EE show

that is taking place in my yard.

I had fun stuff coming up

so life was still good.

I had prayed if it is meant to be 

let Ollie's check-up be good.

 I said, well if I am meant to go,

a flight will open up at the original cost.

Jared the #1 son of Jackie

was going to fly from Switzerland 

if I was coming and make it

a family reunion.

Today I got home

and my genius daughter, Abbie

had found a flight.

I am going!

I am flying another airline.

I will be 15 min behind them

at my arrival in Spain.

I will be 4 hours behind them when 

we arrive home in Chicago.

They are going to wait on me.

I have a 6 hr layover in Oviedo Spain.

No biggie.

Language barrier, shmlanguage barrier.

I had 5 years of French.

Maybe that will help.

Jackie and I went to Mexico

for our 45th birthdays

with college friends.

One girl spoke decent Spanish.

She was interpreting

the taxi drivers advice to us

and I said, Lori you do so great.

How do you even understand what 

he was saying to you?

She replied, Janie he was speaking English.

Start praying for me now.

Camp Town Lady

 I promised pictures.

I replaced my camera tonight

and she is charging.

This picture is from my phone today.

She is pretty sweet.

She is a 1964 Layton.

I googled top names in 1964.

She is named Lisa Patricia Layton.

I am setting off a bug bomb 

first thing in the morning.

I don't want any surprises 

when I am cleaning her.

I am thinking she is getting

a new coat of pink paint.

She needs to match her sister.

  

You can see I have a lot of 

planting and rock moving to do also.

I have a busy week

keeping grandkids a couple of days,

helping a friend with a wedding,

re-doing a room 

with Annie for a client,

and hosting

an anniversary party on Sunday,

so I don't expect much progress 

to be made on either of these girls.

But next week 

it's on like Donkey Kong.

I need a name for the playhouse.

Any suggestions??

I got nothing.

Pinky Tuscadero?  No.

Remember her?

She annoyed me.

Ponder it, and get back to me.

I am off to practice my Kum bay ya

so I am ready for the campfire

when Lisa Pat is finished.

birthday recap

Well yesterday was the big day.

If you think it is the last 

you will hear of it,

think again.

I celebrate for the whole month,

and I am just getting started.

I started Thursday

for dinner and a gift exchange

with my college roommate.

Hers was in March,

and our schedules finally worked out.

I shopped with Jackie and Abbie 

on Saturday at the nearby outlet mall,

then on to Mom and Dad's 

for an evening with 

Jackie,  and Stuart and the folks.

Sunday after church,

we brought home my latest project.

It is an adorable little camper.

She needs some love.

She isn't going to travel.

Instead, she will reside 

in amongst some trees and

host the grandkids  and me

partying it up.

Then, dinner out with my kids

and an evening service at church.

A special speaker talking 

about creationism/evolution.

Check out creation.com.

Really good stuff.

My camera is still MIA.

I have searched, 

the house, my car, the yard,

the Gator, the basement,

jacket pockets, the barns, etc.

A friend suggested looking in the fridge.

What??!

In her defense, it is where 

I found my cell phone once.

I have had it since the Coopkeeper 

was here so, she is off the hook. HA

I am blaming a leprechaun.

Everett gave me the idea

and I think he is on to something.

He uses them as scapegoats

and I think it is genius.

So what if he is 3,

he knows they are sneaky little dickens.

I was working in my playhouse

and wanted to get pictures.

I wanted pics of the trailer.

I am going to buy 

another one tomorrow.

The other I just got in November,

and I am betting

I will find the missing one

soon after I purchase a new one.

Until then, I will hope

you have not been bored to death.

You all know just how epic

my photog skillz are.

Bear with  me,

I'll have pictures

of my finger and the camper 

by tomorrow night.

Let them eat cake.

Sixteen Fifty-two candles. 
Sunday is my birthday.

It is my twin Jackie's birthday too.

It is also my middle daughter Abbie's birthday.

 

And it is Stu's oldest sister Jennie's too.

It's a party up in here.
I'll be back when the fireworks are over
and the crowds clear.

Yeeha! 
I am off to tear some tissue paper
and get my flour-less, sugar-free
chocolate cake on.

  Have a great weekend y'all!