(Ok, I HOPE you are NOT like me and that you already have your Father’s Day gift(s) made, delivered, wrapped and ready to go!)

BUT, if you ARE like me and you are still working on… or finishing up… or desperately in need of… a Father’s Day gift, here are a few last minute ideas for you to consider.

(And you better hurry because you have something like 38 more hours, if you plan to give your husband/father a gift around 8 a.m. on Father’s Day.  If your husband/father sleeps in, you have maybe 40 hours.  That includes the overnight hours.  So GET BUSY!)

Ok, here we go…

1.  Make a fun MYSTERY MESSAGE CARD.  Click on over to Laura’s blog and watch the video… my seven year old is working on one of these as I type.

2.  Make a quick 4×6 size brag book album.

This one probably will take 1-2 hours to put together, and will require a quick trip to Walmart or Walgreens for photo development and a little brag book album, but I promise the Dad in your life will love it!

3.  Create an adorable Daddy’s Toolbox album, with matching toolbox.  Oh my goodness, is this ever cute!  Check out Kelleigh Ratzlaff’s blog for the template and instructions!

4.  Make a bookmark (or two) for Dad with these FREE bookmark quick pages from Dinphy’s ScrapSpot.  (Scroll to the end of the post for the freebie link).

5.  How about a really CUTE traditional TIE card for Dad?  A TIE card that you MADE!  Check out the template over at ScrapGirls:

6.  And finally… you could create a really fun, personalized tumbler! Click on over to ScrapGirls again for the template and instructions!

So, there you go… a few fun ideas… just in case!

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And you’ll want to click on over to her shop, because not only does she have this fun new kit, but she is offering a FREE quick page too!

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Really, I AM better, which tells you just how BAD it was over the weekend!

I was hoping to get caught up on a few things today, but my little guy, lil Allan… he’s definitely got the cold.  And a bit of the croup.  The ER doc said so.

Yes, that’s right.  We ended up in the ER again last night due to croup.  The GOOD news is that it wasn’t so bad that we needed an ambulance this time.  The bad news is that we were in the ER from around 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.   So sleep?  We didn’t get much of it.  But I’m trying to look on the bright side -  the fact that it only took 2 hours from start to finish for an ER visit… I shouldn’t be complaining much.

And just for the record – there isn’t anything more pitiful AND adorable at the same time as a 3 year old with a cold and the croup.  Sniffles and snuffles and gravelly voice and a little extra whining… (yep, it’s a good thing he’s as cute as a button, because the whining could get old REALLY fast for this Mama who is still sick too).

So… I think I’ll take another day to hunker down with my little ones, away from the computer.  Hopefully I’ll feel up to more blogging tomorrow, because I have an anniversary to celebrate!  And when I celebrate, I usually like to give away things.  Keep your fingers crossed that Martha doesn’t come down with the cold, because I really, really wanna celebrate!  (And keep your fingers crossed that Mama gets a nap – or two – today!)

Have a happy Tuesday, folks!

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Of course I’m not personally acquainted with the contemporary Christian singer Stephen Curtis Chapman, but the loss of his daughter Maria hit home, and brought up a few memories of loss. 

Just one day after hearing about little Maria, I stumbled on news of a blogger friend who lost his 18 year old son in a car accident, who was 3 days from his high school graduation. 

And this morning, the phone rang with even more devastating news about more loss.  I can’t even talk about it yet – I’m still in shock, and I want to be careful about what I write because the news is still new.

It’s been almost 15 years since my brother Robert was killed in a car accident.  His death came just 9 months after we lost my grandfather to cancer.  At times, those first few years, the pain was unbearable.  Sometimes now I feel it so keenly, I have to stop and remind myself how much time has passed. 

This next quote is not what I would consider a “traditional” Memorial day quote, but it’s posted in memory…

“The tide recedes, but leaves behind bright seashells in the sand. The sun goes down, but gentle warmth still lingers in the land. The music stops, and yet it echoes on in sweet refrains… For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains.”
- Author Unknown

I don’t presume to know of anything beautiful remaining after the loss of a 5 year old child or the loss of an 18 year old son… but I can sometimes remember, without very much pain, the brilliance that was my brother.  I can bask in the warmth of my childhood memories with him, and know that he is waiting in Heaven.  I can be thankful for the life that Robert DID have, even while I’m feeling angry, alongside my thankfulness, for the life he didn’t get to have.

I will be entering this Memorial Day weekend with much sadness – sadness for those I don’t know but can relate to, sadness with memories of my own, and sadness for those I was only beginning to know but will now have to wait until Heaven to know more fully.

Hold your little ones tight and say a prayer of thankfulness.  Hold you BIG ones tight and say another prayer.  May God bless you and yours this Memorial Day weekend. 

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