Life With Jules, and other stuff

Well, here we are at the end of another month and season. Well, the season ended a few days ago. Here in Florida, it still feels MUCH like summer and will for several more weeks. One of the biggest reasons I moved to this state, other than family, is for the warm temps year round. I do miss the fall color changes at times and the new crispness in the air as cool weather approaches, but nothing beats being able to wear shorts and tank tops year round, lol. But, I digress… Over the past month, I have lost my father (as many of you read about earlier in the month) and put many stitches into a few pieces. Here is my progress for the month: Medallions . I finished page #2 (I started with this page as well, so I still have 1, 3 and 4). For the year, I used 3 strands of floss instead of 2 and added a stitch between the “0” and “1” to fill in the space a little better. I will have this finished by the end of the year! Cirque des Carreaux . I am just about halfway through page #3. If I wo

The past week and a half has been somewhat surreal to me. I am having a hard to dealing with the loss of my daddy. I expect him to be here when I get home. I expect to see his face. Yet he is not here. I know that in time my heart will heal from this loss and it will be easier to cope. Right now, I am thankful that my family and friends have been there for me when I need to just chat. I am grateful to my online friends for leaving sweet thoughts and comments on my posts here and on my cross-stitch blog . This weekend has been especially hard for me. A lot of realisations are setting in. My finances aren't the greatest and I know it will be a struggle for a while, but I also know that I can weather this storm just fine. I am trying to make the home I have lived in for the past 6+ years mine, but I also don't want to take away from the fact that it was my dad's. The biggest obstacle I will face in the coming weeks and months is not a financial one but a personal one. For the

Celebration of Life ~ Michael S. Hayes, Sr. 1949-2012

Thank you for being my daddy for the last 40 plus years. You were my rock when I needed one. You were my best friend. You are now in our loving Lord’s arms and healed of your pain. Reuniting with long departed loved ones. And Mrs. Beasley too. I will miss the way you play your guitar and sing the songs you enjoy. I will miss our drives together finding new places to see and explore. I will miss you, daddy, the rest of my physical life. I look forward to the day we see each other again. Look for me running to you; into your arms. Michael Shawn Hayes March 8, 1949 to September 5, 2012 63 years young

Thank you for being my daddy for the last 40 plus years. You were my rock when I needed one. You were my best friend. You are now in our loving Lord’s arms and healed of your pain. Reuniting with long departed loved ones. And Mrs. Beasley too. I will miss the way you play your guitar and sing the songs you enjoy. I will miss our drives together finding new places to see and explore. I will miss you, daddy, the rest of my physical life. I look forward to the day we see each other again. Look for me running to you; into your arms. Michael Shawn Hayes March 8, 1949 to September 5, 2012 63 years young

Dad came home yesterday afternoon. He is now under hospice care. He decided he is done taking chemotherapy and just wants to let the cancer run its course. He’s been spending most of the time sleeping either in his recliner or in his bed. This whole ordeal has been so hard on me emotionally. I am losing my dad and my best friend all in one fell swoop. Sometimes I don’t understand why God deals hardships on people, but then again I have to believe there is a reason. I KNOW there is a reason HE does things the way He does. I lift my dad up to the Lord in hopes that he suffers little pain over these last few days of his life. He’s been telling me for a couple months now that he feels the end of his life is near. He knows his body better than anyone with the exception of God Himself. As for myself, I am tired. Exhausted. Emotional (although not really showing it right now). Trying to figure out my next path in life. One major decision I have made is that I will stay where I am and have m

What a week this has been! I have done some stitching on Cirque des Carreaux this week and I can say that I am almost halfway through the 3rd page (of 6). I am not going to put this one off like I did Coming Home for the Holidays as now I am on a time crunch to finish the latter  (more about that in a bit). Anyway, here is my progress report: The Gardeners Cirque des Carreaux As you can see, I have gotten a little bit more in since my last post a few days ago. This past week has seen the beginnings of what will be some dramatic changes in my life. My dad has been in the hospital little more than a week now. His cancer has pretty much taken over his major organs and he is now living day by day until the Lord takes him home. We are hoping he will come home this weekend to live his final days but the doctor’s still want to see some more stability before that can happen. The week has seen a little more than 2 gallons of fluid drained from his stomach. While the doctor’s gave him l