Dudley took vacation last week and Sam was able to to cover all her work days but Thursday between the three of us we were able to make sure JP was never alone. You know he is a big boy 6’2 and he was not allowed to bend, twist or pick up anything heavier than a dinner plate.

Just 3 days post surgery my Mom became ill, her Doctor told us to go straight to the ER her blood pressure was dangerously low soooo……..9hours in the ER she was admitted with PNEUMONIA!!

10 days later I can say if I have any more fast food it might just send me over the edge…lol never thought I would say that, but didn’t have time to cook.  As I type this I have a pork loin cooking in the slow cooker, a home cooked meal yeah!!.

This coming Monday JP returns to the Doctor (this makes his 3rd time since the surgery, had a couple minor set backs) to have his sutures removed and Mom is home from the hospital still quiet ill  but coming along.

Now to get on with life ….We got a wedding to plan!!!! June 2, 2012  Save the Date!!!!

P.S. Dudley and Samantha You guys rock… xoxoxo

Awesome day!!

Dudley and I are soooo very happy, we love Samantha very much she is a perfect fit for JP! I can not wait to see what they come up with for there BIG DAY!

JP and Samantha

The count down is on!!

While reading back over some of my older post I came across the post for year end 2010. I am going to re post a section  and give you an update on the out come.

“No real New Year resolutions this year, that is kinda like setting your self up for failure.  I will however try to

(Again this year no real New Years Resolutions because failure is a real option)

Get that hour walk in a couple of times a week

(didn’t happen but think I will keep this on this new years to try)

Try to keep up with covering the grey (the grey is like a wild fire)

(this one was not to hard to keep…must be a little vain, didn’t touch it the month of December so it will be one of the first things I do this year)

Work on the recipe collection (all my goodies in one binder)

(Yes, Yes, Yes this one I did and will continue to work on. I plan on having my Mother work on this also , having her write down some of her best recipes she keeps them locked away in her head and her spell of fuzzy memory the other day while she was making her chicken and dumpling made me realize these need to be written down so they my be pasted on)

I will begin to go through Melissa’s room

(Didn’t even start this one..But I have promised JP I will work on going thru her things…ugh but needs to be done)

Get back on the scrapbook of Melissa’s life

(Did maybe two pages if that….shame on me and I enjoy scrap-booking)

Read more

(did and will, got a Kindle for Christmas)

Pray more

( I prayed my butt off this last year, and will continue to pray this year because I have seen this pay off first hand!!)

Work on “Eight Days for God”.. I promise Ginny ( I need a ghost writer ……..I can’t do this by myself…help!!)

(ummm…. this one has been hard, will continue to pray about it and push on with this task.)

Take each day as it comes, and just love love on everyone “

( This one would be much easier if everyone would just take one day at a time and quit trying to do it their way just give it to God and stop the pity party, it worked for me!)

Now for this year, I am hoping for a lot and expecting  much! I truly wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year from my family to yours.

LOL This picture makes me laugh...We are a mess, but it is what makes it work!

Now lets get this year started!!!!!!

My Mother  (Mere) had moved in with us this last year and JP move out into his own house. Having Mere here made decorating for the Holidays so much fun. We started on Thanksgiving day putting up our Christmas trees as we always do , but this year we had 5 trees! Mere had two in her room the  carousel horse Christmas tree and a smaller whimsical tree in her office side. I put up a 10 ft tree in the living room a 7 ft slim tree in the kitchen and a 6ft LSU tree in our bedroom for Dudley. The inside of the house looked great!

JP thought it would be fun to have a competition with his father on decorating the outside of the houses with Christmas decoration  both boys did a great job but Dudley was declared the winner. JP did a great job, he had to start from scratch so I am guessing in about a year or two Dudley may need to watch is back.

December also brings Birthdays, JP Dec 13 and his girlfriend Samantha Dec 7  This year the Saturday between each birthdays  we borrowed the shuttle bus loaded up Samantha’s family and ours went to Copelands for dinner and afterwards dove around town enjoying the Christmas lights. We all had such a good time we are making it an annual event!

Second Wednesday  of the month we had Christmas Bunko and I was the hostess,  really even this did not stress me out well maybe for a day or two I was a little stressed but I did it to myself with these crazy Christmas top hats I was making for the girls to wear.

Dudley and I spent a Saturday At Howell Park for “Bikes for Tykes” see previous post  http://brumfield.wordpress.com/2011/12/18/bike-give-away-howell-park/ Dudley and I are so proud of JP and his heart for the poor and hurting , we had watched him work so hard on the Christmas festival collected over 1,000 brand new bikes!

Has I sit here at my computer Wednesday afternoon still in my Jammies ( my last day off for the holidays)  I reflect on what a good Christmas this was, JP and I talked about how this was the best Christmas since Melissa passed, oh we miss her like crazy and know things will never be the same but we could feel her spirit  so ever close.

Here are a few pictures  enjoy………….

Bunko Babes Christmas Picture

Some of the hats I had made for the Babes to wear

Dudley and Kimberly

Dudleys seat every Christmas morning, saddly to warm for a fire this year

JP gave is Dad an Xbox360...lol

Mere loves her frogs!!

Yes I am posting this picture oh my! (the gun a marshmallow shooter was a great stocking stuffer)

JP and Samantha (she is a real trooper came over at the crack of dawn)

Here is to a great New Year!

Yesterday Healing Place Church put on a Christmas festival at Howell Park and gave away the bikes they had collected for Bikes for Tykes over 1,000 . Dudley and I gave a bike but we had seen how hard JP had been working on this event we thought that we might drive out to take in the festival.

The traffic was crazy what a turn out ! We parked in back as we walked up first thing we saw was 4 semi’s packed with bikes, as we got closer to all the activity, we saw tents set up with face painting, nail painting, craft projects Christmas ornaments jewelry making, campfire for making smore’s, climbing wall, 3 blow up (the kind the kids jump around in) free food frito pies, cotton candy, drinks and a stage with the worship  band from HPC Dream Center.

Now it was time for the bike give away. I thought the way they handle who got bikes worked well each child as they came to the festival registered for a bike according to age they were given a color wristband which was placed on the child, the child would be matched with a bike and wristband cut off.

At 3:30 they lined up for the giveaway and can I tell you the line went on forever I really thought  no way he has enough bikes but they did

I snapped a few pictures with my phone

This little guys bike was just right!!

4 truks full of bikes

:)

All for the Glory of God

Ma Mere (Nancy Grubbs) and Diane Sabrio

However these parties are a thing of the past, but man oh man good ole fun. Diane Sabrio is the ultimate party planner and her rates are very reasonable.

Some of you may know my good friend Janie Fowler and her son Blake Fowler. Janie has been selling real estate in the Baton Rouge area for 23 years (could be longer waiting to hear back from Janie). Blake join her in the business a few years ago and they make an awesome sales team!!

Janie and Blake Fowler

Last year they had the first annual “Client Appreciation Party” but there is a catch to getting an invite to this party, you have to refer business and there must be a final sale….now not in the past but with in 12 months before the party.  I have been very lucky to make the invite list two years in a row.  GREAT FUN , GREAT FOOD , PRIZES, GIVEAWAYS  and of course LSU football !!

The Invite !!

I  need to get to work,  got 12 months to make the list for the next invite…..lol If you are looking to buy or sale call Janie and Blake with Remax Real Estate Group www.blakeandjaniefowler.com Ooop’s my link is not working…message me and I will give you the phone number!!

P.S. don’t forget to tell them I sent you!! Kimberly Brumfield !!

Chocolate cookie dough

Double stuffed Oreo's

Brownie mix

BAKE

BAKE

Just add Ice cream.............. No words for this!!

I just finished the book “The Help” and I loved it! I had wanted to read the book before I went to see the movie, I was only two pages in when the emotions and memories came flooding back.

I was born in 1956 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania , Shhhh don’t tell anyone born in Yankee land but didn’t stay  for long I was 9  months old when my Mother and I moved home to  the South and in with my  grandparents Milton and Charlotte Gooldy.

Going back the family tree the family had slaves and would always send 4 slaves with the daughter when they married when the slaves were set free some stayed on as the help and their daughters would go on with the next daughter to marry off and become the help in that household. Really cant speak much to that but those are the stories I was told.

I due remember the help from when I was a young child “Alberta”  was her name, my grandmother was a true Southern Belle never worked a day in her life. I hadn’t thought of Alberta in years until I began to read this book and like I said the memories came flooding back.

I wish I could remember more, but this is what I remember and this is how I saw it. Alberta was part of our family, I can’t ever remember  our family treating her second class or if she had something we might catch. When you fix a glass of chocolate milk from the Hershey syrup in the can, and you drink all the milk and what is left in the bottom of the glass  that was the color of  Albeta.  I clearly remember the white uniform dress she wore and on Thursdays when the Colts  played baseball in town she would come to work with pink crullers in her hair because she was going to watch the boys play ball.

On Tuesdays at 3:00 o’clock she would do her ironing , sheets I have to laugh now because I can’t imagine ironing my sheets!!  Anyway by doing the ironing at 3pm she could watch her  story because Grandma would never miss “As The World Turns” and she wouldn’t speak to me while the story was on.

Alberta was a large women and had bad knees, water on the knees well that is how I remember her telling it to me. If she didn’t leave in time to catch her bus my Granddaddy would drive her home  or if her knees hurt so bad he would drive her home so she wouldn’t have to walk the twelve blocks to the bus stop.

In 1965 or 1966 my mother and I moved to Phoenix, Arizona and Alberta’s  health had decline and she no longer worked for the family but kept in touch to keep up with me.  I believe it was the summer of 1969 I returned to visit my grandparents and my grandfather told me Alberta was coming out to see me I was so excited I ran out to the front yard to wait for her I remember I couldn’t stand still jumping up and down waiting on her. Granddaddy told me Alberta had a car now and was driving out. As she came driving up the road we must of seen each other at the exact same moment she jumped the curb and drove straight up in the yard to where I was standing and my grandfather started  hollering and she jump out of the car screaming miss kimberly, miss kimberly!!

I loved my childhood, I loved Alberta and I am so happy to grow up during the time I did I do not have any of the ugly memories of the conflicts of white and black. I was sure to raise my children not to put color between them and others.

Now off to see the movie!!

It starts early in the month, it is as if  my mind hits the replay button. Not that this doesn’t happen all through the year but the memories are more intense during the month of August. This year my mind has been dwelling on one aspect of Melissa’s character that I find hard to put into words but I think her Aunt Ginny said it best:

“” Melissa was beautiful,adorable, kind, and strong willed. She absolutely loved animals and people and picked up strays of both kind. There was no dog or person so damaged that Melissa couldn’t love them. In fact, the more hurt they had experienced the more she needed to love them. She was very social and loyal to a fault. Always coming to someone’s defense, I cant remember her ever giving up on anyone.”

On August 29,2003 at 12:12am  the events that were set forth in motion and would play out in the next 8 days would change life for more people than any of us will ever  really know. When we arrived at the hospital we were able to see and speak with Melissa which in its self was a blessing, We were then taken to a room were we spoke with the police in regards to the accident I remember the officer being very kind  and compassionate once we had finished with him the Doctor came in to go over Melissa injuries and plan of action.

They were taking her to surgery to repair a perforated Colan and in a day or two she would be transferred to New Orleans to tend to her fractured vertebra and shattered pelvis, but that was not to be the next 8 days she took 96 units of blood, punctured  lung, internal bleeding 4 more emergency surgeries, 2 cardiac arrest, dialysis and placed on life support machine.

Out of this honorific accident  the Grace of God raised us up. Melissa for-filled her destiny and her last testimony of generosity was the gift of life through organ donation. Because of all that took place and some of the drugs that were given she was only able to donate her liver.

It was about a week or so after we had buried Melissa we   received this letter from LOPA   :

Dear  Brumfield Family,

Melissa’s liver was transplanted into a 57 year old man from Oklahoma: he is married, is retired from the construction industry, has two children, and has been on the transplant list for five months. He is doing well.

LOPA

Three years later they called me to give an update He was still doing great and reminded me I was welcome to write to him. Sadly this is something I have not done, it would be much easier to receive a letter from him. (I have not)

He has been on my heart as of lately and maybe it is time to pen that letter.

If you are not an organ donor I ask that you search your soul and give it great thought.  I also know a adorable young lady that’s life would not be possible  with out the heart she receive.    I encourage you the next time you renew your Drivers license just check the box “YES” it is that simple.  I also did a little research on what Religion thought about organ donation, out of 29 Religions only one did not support organ donation.

LOVE  ……. complexity of the feelings

FEAR … almost always relates to future events

LAUGH …..  vocal expulsion

CRY …….    the act of shedding tears

I am pretty  sure that these four verbs define me, this is what I am made up of……3 out of 4 not bad. Now looking at this you might think 2 out 2 but I put cry on the good side you know like laughing until you cry, or tears of happiness. I lost my children once while in  Mississippi  had to call the police it was a nightmare but twenty minutes later Melissa and JP where found safe and sound….those were tears of joy! I think everyone knows you feel better after a good cry.

Fear, now that is another story. Fear is the master spirit that the devil uses against us this is something I have dealt with for as long as I can remember and it takes on many different forms and I am sure I can not tell you what I am afraid of, in fact  I have NO idea .

Laugh, ha ha now this is something that at times I can not control…yep I am queen of inappropriate laughter I will be the first person to laugh when someone might crash there bike or miss a step, miss a chair  you catch my drift. I would never wish any harm to anyone and I am sure this may sound a little warped but I try to see the lighter side of things. But really after a hard belly laugh have you ever noticed how happy you feel and the smile on your face lingers .

Love is huge and has so many compartments and I find compassion sometimes over runs or takes over my love and some time to a fault.

So today the cycle continues, may I Love hard, put the fear under my feet, may I laugh until I cry and may I cry today because I found the lighter side of life that made me cry because I was laughing so hard!!