BOY HOWDY, DID IT RAIN ON BRAT!!

Yes, it rained on Brat......like a wedding SHOWER!

And, I went to it.

You wouldn't think driving five hours to the Ft. Worth area

would be that big of a deal for me.

But, you must remember that I am an old woman.

A very, very old woman, and that I made a huge mistake

in my drive north....I drove up I-35.

For you that know me, you know that I.DO.NOT.DRIVE.ON.THE.INTERSTATE.

I found myself 'talking' to the other drivers, using gestures (nothing nasty), and shaking my head most of the time.

It's the semi's.

Oh, yeah, S-E-M-I.'s.

You know the one's I'm talking about...

"Breaker....Breaker....

I'm going to pass you

now that we're approaching a hill"

"Breaker....Breaker....

This is Black Roots; can girls play?"

And, you (that'd be ME) average 40 mph a-l-l-l-l-l-l-l

the way to Euless, Texas.

Oh, my gosh, I wanted to smack someone.

(And, if you drive a semi, love someone that drives a semi, and this offends you,

just play Pass Another Semi on a Hill - you'll feel vindicated)

Okay, enough about me for a moment.

.....The shower for Brat was delightful.

The food looked amazing.

The house was beautiful.

And, it was apparent that all had a fabulous time.

This is the sign that greeted us as we walked up

to the house. When I saw it, I KNEW we were

going to have some fun!

These lovely girls met me at the door.

That's Brat, second from the left - isn't she pretty?

Oh, yeah, here I am trying out some layers

in Photoshop Elements 9 that I've just purchased.

This was an experiment and took me an entire

day, therefore, it's included.

This is a picture of the fruit that was served.

It tasted better than it looks.

THIS is a really good cupcake. Oh, my.





The room was filled with friends, family and

sorority sisters of Brat's.

Will's mom (on the right) came from Ohio

(I know) and though I didn't get but a minute

to talk to her, I hope to get to know her better

at the wedding. Brat says she's delightful.

(Just like my DIL says about me)

"Oh!!" I think Brat just opened

something that really excited

Hostess Heather!





                                                    

It's embarrassing how bad my memory is -

at the shower I introduced myself to the

same woman twice. Yeah.

But, for some reason, I remember who is in

this picture with Will's mom -

it's Jessica (in the middle)

(oh, dear, it could be "Jamie" now that

I'm writing it. SEE?? It's so embarrassing:)

and Will's aunt.

TaDah!!

                                         Now, for gift opening and, though,

I'm really not a selfish person,

I just really want to share the card

and gifts I gave her.

WELL??? It's my blog.

(Oh, hush, I'm just being sarcastic.) 

                                                  Okay, after 45minutes  of trying to get this to right justify, 

I give up and wouldn't ya know,

it right justifies. I can honestly say that I

hate blogger. The envelope I made is above.

This is the back of the envelope.     

                

The card. I loved being back in my studio!

All eyes were on Brat as she opened all of her wonderful gifts!

Brat's shower really did give me the excuse

I needed to clear off a 4" square of work space to make a wall hanging for her and Will.

It wasn't on her registry so I knew I'd surprise her!
This will be so handy on those

away games on the bus.



There's always that one gift

at every shower.....

This also wasn't on her registry,

this canister set, and Brat

was so excited to receive it.

If I could just remember who gifted it.



























Bed Bath and Beyond was a
very successful registry store.
Brat received so many great
gifts from that store.







Isn't this so cool?

I wonder if she'll give it to me

for my birthday?

 

I want to introduce you to an amazing

young lady - Jackie. She was one of

Brat's best friends (and remains so)

in college and was in a horrific

automobile accident that left her

in a coma for a very long time.

She came out of her coma and Brat

and everyone that loved her were

overjoyed! No one knows if she

knows who you are when you talk to

her, but after meeting this amazing

young woman, I know that she does.

Jackie is an honorary bridesmaid in

Brat's wedding and I think that's very

special, just like Jackie.

Y'all know what retail therapy is, right?

After two days in a row on I-35

(I didn't mean to take I-35 home, I just somehow ended up

on it. True story.)

I decided I needed some.

I stopped at my favorite shop in

Llano, Texas, and spent $75.00.

I picked up some wonderful things.

Unfortunately, it didn't help.

*sigh*

But, you know what did make me smile

after two days on I-35?? Coming home to

all of this mail. It's all donations, monetary

and art supplies, for kids that need our

love and something to take their minds

off of their problems - hopefully in JOPLIN.

My other 'little girl', Skyler, and I are 

planning a "mission" trip the first part of

July - God's plan and we're so excited!

And, btw?? I'm still smiling.

And, though it's not my usual sign-off,

I LOVE YOU, BRAT

                MOM2                                      

one more thing - if the pictures aren't spaced correctly with their text, I apologize, but I'm not re-opening this post. it's 8:45 P.M. and I'm pooped! I hope you've enjoyed reading about Brat's lovely shower.

Good Night! lol

OKAY, I PEEKED..................DID I MENTION THAT I HATE BLOGGER??

I NEED SOMEONE TO SMACK.

"Oh, Franki-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e"

ROAD TRIP TURNS INTO A MISSION TRIP!

I am taking a "random" road trip this July

with my 'little girl', Skyler.

We started planning this trip about 9 months ago

and it was simply going to be a road trip

with no agenda.

We were going to find some

Diners, Drive-In's and Dives,

take back roads and my camera.

Check out some junk stores.....

just several many days of relaxed fun.

It's not changed in that sense.

What has changed is that we now

have a mission!

I love, love, love it when God speaks to me

and I'm quiet enough to hear Him.

In thinking about the trip, He told me

that turning it into a short mission trip

would give it meaning.

It would give us more of a chance to

be a vessel for God.

Whenever I travel I always

do what I can to be a vessel for God.

I pay other people's tolls, anonymously.

I pay for other traveler's meals, anonymously.

And, I am extremely blessed each time

I do a random act of kindness.

(if you've never done a random act of kindness,

give it a try - it's the bomb.)

You've probably figured out our mission...

we are going to volunteer for two days

at a Center for Women and Families

in the eastern part of the U.S.

Basically a shelter for victims of

domestic violence or rape.

(because of confidentiality I can't tell you any more than that)

We are so excited to be a part of

the healing process of

these women and children.

We will be helping them create art.

Here's where YOU come in.

Here's where you can be a part of the healing process.

We'll be supplying the art supplies to make journals

and keepsake boxes out of cigar boxes.

We could use some help with these supplies

so if you are interested in helping with

glue sticks, patterned paper (for women and children),

fabulous embellishments,

AND/OR AN ENCOURAGEMENT CARD OR TAG FOR

THE WOMEN AND FOR THE CHILDREN,

please do what you can and

mail everything to me.

Don't sign your name on the cards/tags,

And, don't "address" OR seal the envelopes. (This is sooooo exciting!!)

and add a note of encouragement in your card or on your tag back.

I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ENOUGH CARDS/TAGS

FOR EVERY

WOMAN AND CHILD IN THE CENTER.

Those will touch these hurting women and children

more than money.

Think about it - receiving a letter of encouragement from

someone that doesn't even know you. WOW.

God bless y'all and

if you can help with some of the above,

thank you.

And, if you can't, would you please pray

that we can be effective representatives of Jesus Christ

and that the women and children who we encounter

will see Jesus in our eyes and in our actions.

Jan Vermillion-Thomason

5720 Hwy. 27

Center Point, Texas 78010