Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Young Sweethearts...

I was looking at some old albums and came across some sweet photos of our three and some of their "little sweethearts".

With moving around, there are many friends that they have kept in touch with.

However, we've lost contact with these special little friends, except in memories and photographs.

...so thankful for these photos.

HEARTBREAKER >

Here is Heartbreaker with this cutie from his 3 year old Sunday school class.

...Both their daddies were attending bible school, so we were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma.


 It is so cute how she is looking up at him and he has his arm around her.


This was taken of these baby buddies at Heartbreaker's 1st birthday party.


We lived in Hawaii and both daddies were deployed, 
flying Blackhawk helicopters for the U.S. Army.


 < GIRLY~WHIRLY >

In the first photo, Girly~Whirly and her Kindergarten Kutie stand in front of their kindergarten classroom. 
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii


The second photo was taken at her 5th birthday, Girly~Whirly and the twins.

 Our friend's little boy loved to talk to Girly~Whirly and make her smile.
This was taken in Alabama.



< GIRLY~TWIRLY >

In this first photo, Girly~Twirly and her Kindergarten Krush were side by side performing in their school's Hawaiian May Day performance.

The paper flower leis on the children's heads in the foreground are called "haku leis".


The second photo was of the two of them by their kindergarten classroom.

This is Girly~Twirly (2 years old) and her favorite buddy!
We would visit family in Montgomery, Alabama and he was the son of their dear neighbors.
She loved to follow him around, and we were outside talking and this is where I find her at...


I wish I could remember what they were talking about.

 .....Oh! One more photo of childhood sweeties...
This is my handsome hubby and his kindergarten valentine.  Taken in Hilo, Hawaii. His mom was awesome at writing on the back of the photos.
..she wrote:
 "Valentine's Day, 1967
...with his girlfriend, K--- T---"



Love these photos of past sweethearts :o)

**I looked and looked for a photo of when I was little with any of my childhood sweethearts.
... hm...but couldn't find a single one!
haha...actually, the earliest memory of a krush, without finding any old photos is when I was already in 5th grade.
That is about as far back as I can recall!**

>>><<<
I am joining in with Jenny for
&
Alicia for 
>>><<<


Here are two recent art orders.

I had an email from "C" thinking of doing a military crest or logo. She had found my business card hanging in one of the establishments in downtown Savannah.  She decided on doing their college seal/logo.





Thank you so much for your quick response!
I went to your facebook page and became a fan.  You are truly talented and I shared the link with all my friends.  I'm attaching a picture of our college logo.  Do you think you might be able to do either one of these with the name "Herrington"?

This order was for C's sweetheart's birthday. Thank you for thinking of this as a gift.



This was for my younger cousin and his sweetie for their wedding.


Thank you for visiting, your comments, and I will be sure to return your lovely visit...



Signature for blog

Friday, March 25, 2011

X-traordinary, X-traspecial...


...gift of music.

****
I know that I'm Heartbreaker's momma, so am a tiny bit biased...but just saying...I could listen to him sing all day :o)
& I love to hear my hubby and our girls sing too...

This is a repost with a little change...since this repost, our son has written so many more songs, but for now, these are the same songs that I shared previously.   I added the song "Storybook Baby" set to a slideshow of our older daughter that was put together for her birthday. I should be back on track for new postings next week...Thank you for stopping and commenting and although I may be a little behind on my return visits, I will be by.
*****

For this post, I really wanted to share some of our son's music that he has created...

First a little background info:
My mom had a beautiful singing voice.
My hubby's Uncles, Great-Uncles, and Great-grandfather all played instruments and sang. (Our son is blessed with the beautiful guitars that belonged to some of them).
My hubby has a beautiful singing voice and has been blessed with an ear for music, he plays the ukelele (And he can tell you, that I LOVE when he "drums" on his djembe or anything actually...even the steering wheel along with a song on the radio! haha)

I am so thankful that our children have inherited these musical genes and are able to sing and play music. (somehow, it skipped over me from my mom and I didnt get any of this talent to rub off from my husband, even after 30+ years!.... let's just say...I like to "make a joyful noise" and I often have to get back in beat, cuz my clapping with a song...well, my rhythm sometimes gets off the beaten path...)

Here is our son when he was 7 months old, with my hubby's Kamaka ukelele.
--Hawaii, 1990--

Heartbreaker and Dad "jammin"
--Tulsa, Oklahoma 1993--

When he was about 14 years old, 
he taught himself how to play the guitar.
--at the beach on Tybee Island, Georgia--
2004
...he still was wearing the hospital I.D. band on his wrist
& the bandage on his neck from where the lymph nodes
were taken from the 2nd biopsy.

We are so thankful and blessed that this challenge is in the past. And Heartbreaker, with the love and heart for Jesus, has been a wonderful witness for what the Lord has done in his life.

Well, he has been playing ever since, and writing his own music. I would love to have all his music on a CD to listen to.  

When he was the 2007 Georgia Child Ambassador for Children's Miracle Network, he was asked to be one of the performers before a 2000+ audience, which had two of CMN's co-founders there-Marie Osmond & John Schneider, other celebrities like Lavar Burton, MaryLou Rhetton, Jonas Brothers. It was an amazing Xperience to hear him sing at the telethon being filmed in Orlando. (I'll save this & other photos for another future post).

--Photo for this magazine article was taken on the stage during rehearsal--
Orlando, Florida 2007
--he grew out his hair to donate it to Locks of Love.--

While in high school, he was part of some church dramas, like the lead actor/singer for the 2007 Savannah Christian Church's musical "Joseph & The Technicolor Dreamcoat".  He had gone to the tryouts with friends, actually as support.
1. from the posters/flyers of an Easter play (that's his image too)
2. the poster/flyer for the musical & closeup shot

For this post, I want to share three more of the (truly) countless songs that our son has written, played and sung.  These are playing on the following two video slideshows of past July 4th celebrations... The first song is titled : "you can find me Going Out Dancing"


&
This one is titled: "CANVAS"




& his song set to a past slidewshow of our older daughter Girly~Twirly (aka theluckiestmrs.)

I love this song Storybook Baby.

Our son posted a few of his songs at this site, that can be downloaded for free.

(I'd love to know if you get a chance to go there :o)

I'm joining in with:
Jenny's

&
Alicia's 
*********
Here are a few music inspired drawing orders.




Signature for blog

Friday, March 18, 2011

...Wee bit of Irish...

...Wee bit of Irish... is a repost from St. Patrick's Day last year  and my entry for Jenny'sAlphabe-Thursdays "I" post~March 2010! But I am pushing the envelope a Wee bit...for this week's "W" post, since it does have "Wee" in it :o)

...I've never reposted before, but this week has been crazy busy at work (coming home later), number of drawing orders to complete and also my hubby and I had spent a wonderful time this past weekend and this upcoming weekend with our daughter Girly~Whirly and her boyfriend.  Hope you all don't mind. Next week may also have to be a repost of some of our son's music. Thanks for your visit and comments!

One more thing...I may not have a wee bit of Irish blood in me, but through my hubby, sister-in-law...I happily claim to be linked to their beautiful heritage.

Here it is~ (With a wee bit of changes)... 

A Wee bit of Irish...

...through family, friends and experiences in my neck of the woods...

My hubby is mainly of Portuguese ancestry...but they do have Some Spanish, maybe a Fraction of French...and somewhere along the family lines... there is a wee bit of Irish.

When he was a little boy (and after getting spankings or reprimanded...which he says happened often... and that he deserved every bit of it...well...except for the times that he says he got in the way of his brother getting a lickin', so ended up getting a lickin' too :o)... he would look at some old baby photos and "know" for certain that he had to be adopted!



He had light reddish/blondish hair and was very, very fair, compared to his older brother with dark curly hair, so he thought he was an adopted child that got all the spankings.



(Too funny to think about, especially, since you take one look at him and he looks like his dad and you can definitely see he is related through and through!)
 ~Check out this late 1970's family photo ~
(does anyone else remember wearing shirts with big collars?)
(My Mr. B is in the top middle)
~~~~~~~~~~
My sweet sister-in-law has quite a lot of Irish in her blood. My brother and SIL named their little girl "Brecken", which is Irish for "freckle"... How cute is that!
Here's this little Irish/Filipino/German/Chinese/Spanish sweetie~


(These are recent photos of our niece Beautiful Brecken and nephew Cutie Crew).

          

~~~~~~~~~~
This night scene postcard of River Street in Savannah, Georgia has a bit of the green shining through...

We live in a town right on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia.  Before moving here, I never realized just how celebrated St. Patrick's Day is in Savannah! ...but an example of this... schools in the area and surrounding area are closed on Mar 17th (they gave in to having St. Paddy's day off, since a lot of students end up going to the huge parade...).  

*****Added March 18, 2011 info from my original post on March 19, 2010*****
...Unofficially, this parade was first held in 1818 and the first official parade held in 1856 (A wee bit more interesting parade facts in this 2008 copy of the Savannah Now)... And on the news, leading up to this day, I learned that the elected Grand Marshall is selected through votes behind closed doors.)

There are participants in the parade from across the United States and Ireland. Some local military units were present in the parade this year...last year many units were still in Iraq or Afghanistan.
*****

This taken from ABOUT.COM contributer Sheridan Alexander:
"The St. Patrick's Day celebration in Savannah is the city's largest annual celebration including the second largest St. Patrick's Day Parade and by many accounts the largest St. Patrick's Day street celebration in the United States. Likened by some to Mardi Gras gone Irish, the spirited St. Patrick's Day festivities in Savannah go on for several days, attracting roughly 400,000 Irish and honorary Irish visitors each year in addition to local revelers. The comparison to Mardi Gras ends when it comes to displays of public nudity, however, which in Savannah according to authorities can "get you arrested."


...A humongous crowd on Riverfront Street, after the parade.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Savannah Waterfront Association

The fountains flow with glistening green water.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee

This week is also Spring break for Heartbreaker... so with some good college friends, they'll get a chance to experience some Idyllic Irish Imagery...around Savannah. On Saturday, they arrived to our home and stopped to eat dinner on their way to the condo on Tybee Island.  And then after spending St. Patrick's Day in Savannah on Weds, they came to the house for dinner.  (Night time on Riverfront Street can get too crazy.)
(I love the last photo silhouette of the 8 boys taken on the beach at sunrise).
~~~~~~~~~
I am joining in with Jenny for
&
Alicia for 
*****Some added, recent photos of our kiddoes :o)*****

Although we would have loved to have Girly~Twirly and her hubby down by us this past week, they had a wonderful, well-deserved vacation in Florida (since he started his first year of residency and she has been a very, very busy dentist). I don't have any of those photos yet, but here is one of the two of them when they were celebrating their 2nd year anniversary in Jan 2011.


*****
And this week is Girly~Whirly and her boyfriend's spring break from dental school (He'll be a dentist this May and Girly~Whirly will be a dentist next May :o).  I will be taking photos while they are here, but for now am sharing this one of the two of them taken in February 2011.


*****
 And our son and some of his college buds didnt make it down to Savannah this year. They had to head back to Lexington after watching the basketball games held in Atlanta...so close!
One of the guys had to get back for a work interview. They had a great time.
(M, Heartbreaker, J, P, W)
I took this photo of a photo on his facebook :o)
...hm...I see a little shaving has not been done :o)

*****
Here's a Wee bit of Celtic/Irish inspired artwork.
(Click on each to see a closer view)










May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
~an Old Irish Blessing~



Signature for blog

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Vinca

These are photos of our son (aka Heartbreaker...if you have read any past posts regarding our son, you will know that it was our older daughter that gave him this name for her blog. He says he is not the "heartbreaker" but rather the heart-breakee...he tends to give his whole heart to those around him...just like his daddy :o)
...our 7 month old ukelele player and 17 years later....as a high school Senior in 2008.

Healthy, strong, a wonderful testimony to the Lord's promise of healing in His Word.

Linking up with
Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday meme of the letter "V.


& this is a Vinca
These pretty little blooms were significant to us in 2005.

***Added edit on March 11th***
Izzy, Thank you for finding my post and for commenting and letting me know about your dear friend-Dr. Beer-instrumental in extracting the valuable chemicals used in cancer cures!
Please go to Izzy's post to see photos of Dr. Beer and learn more about this amazing gentleman.

Our son was diagnosed in 2005 with Burkitt's-like B-cell lymphoma...one of the fastest growing cancers.

The protocol usually used was for chemotherapy over a period of 2 years. With the type of cancer that was diagnosed, the physicians mentioned an alternative, trial protocol. It meant a shorter time frame, but a more intense dosage and several different types of chemotherapy drugs administered at a time.  One of these chemicals is called Vincristine.

How Vincristine Works: Cancerous tumors are characterized by cell division, which is no longer controlled as it is in normal tissue.   "Normal" cells stop dividing when they come into contact with like cells, a mechanism known as contact inhibition.  Cancerous cells lose this ability.  Cancer cells no longer have the normal checks and balances in place that control and limit cell division.  The process of cell division, whether normal or cancerous cells, is through the cell cycle.  The cell cycle goes from the resting phase, through active growing phases, and then to mitosis (division).
Chemotherapy is most effective at killing cells that are rapidly dividing.  Unfortunately, chemotherapy does not know the difference between the cancerous cells and the normal cells. The "normal" cells will grow back and be healthy but in the meantime, side effects occur.  The "normal" cells most commonly affected by chemotherapy are the blood cells, the cells in the mouth, stomach and bowel, and the hair follicles; resulting in low blood counts, mouth sores, nausea, diarrhea, and/or hair loss.  Different drugs may affect different parts of the body.
Vincristine belongs to a class of chemotherapy drugs called plant alkaloids. Plant alkaloids are made from plants.  The vinca alkaloids are made from the periwinkle plant (catharanthus rosea).  The plant alkaloids are cell-cycle specific.  This means they attack the cells during various phases of division.  

For more info, you can read more from where this info was taken, here.

Or 

How does this drug work?
Vincristine is a type of chemotherapy drug known as a vinca alkaloid. It is thought to work by interfering with cancer cell growth when they are dividing into 2 new cells. This eventually leads to cell death. Because cancer cells divide faster than normal cells, they are more likely than normal cells to be affected by this drug.
(This info from the American Cancer Society.)

These are some photos during 2005. I still intend to post in the future a little more about this time frame...as well as one of Heartbreaker's scholarship essays, where he writes about this challenging time.

2005-during one of his initial stays on the Pediatric floor, playing guitar for one of the Oncologists- Dr. G.  They all became a special part of our family. 


May 2005- on his birthday, Heartbreaker gave Dr. F a mason jar of his hair, complete with labels we made for the jar of hair.
Dr. F had kept asking him when would he lose his hair, cuz it took a while longer for him to start losing his hair than some others on chemo.


He had the birthday party that kept going and going all day! These are some of the nurses and child support team... We have more photos with the residents that came all together to sing to him...and his youth pastors...and his friends...
He had to stay flat, cuz with the chemo that was administered through the spine, he had headaches.


His two sisters were able to come down for Spring Break from college.


The hospital, allowed him to have family and friends to visit any time and even some to stay overnight.


He had to be in Pediatric ICU after a reaction to one of the series of chemo. 


Dr. G, Dr. F, and Dr. V ok'd him to travel to KY for his big sister's (aka theluckiestmrs.) undergrad graduation.  He was not able to sit throughout the ceremony and had to lay down in the First Aid room that was there....but we were all blessed to be together and he gave a big smile for this photo.


Father's day 2005


His high school was so supportive...here he is with his Algebra teacher, on her own time, going over some lessons.


July 2005...some of his Hawaii cousins visiting in Georgia before we all drive down to Disneyworld.


2006 his hair is growing back...filming for the local hospital and Children's Miracle Network.


Big sis and little brother :o)

Girly~Twirly, Heartbreaker, Girly~Whirly


2006 Children's Miracle Network local telethon with Dr. F


2007 Heartbreaker at Disney World for the National Children's Miracle Network telethon.
Heartbreaker was Georgia's CMN Ambassador.


In Washington D.C. for taping with Miss America.

In Disney World, ready to perform for a live audience of 2000 or more.

Photo taken at Disney World for the National CMN telethon.
Heartbreaker grew his hair til it was over 10 inches long to donate to Locks of Love.

The chemotherapy protocol was 5 months of intense medicine, hospital stays, ups and downs, challenges, etc....It took over a year after the last cycle of chemotherapy, before he got his full physical strength and stamina.  
Isaiah 53:5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

But he started his 10th grade year on track with his peers, made the high school varsity soccer team, lacrosse, wrestling, graduated 14 out of 300 in high school, was very involved in school, church, community and cancer awareness events... I say all this to praise and honor the Lord Jesus for his hand upon our son.

We are so thankful and look forward to more amazing and awesome blessings.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
**********
Here is another recent order shipped out today. Thank you Erika and the other ladies of the First Army Division East Ladies for thinking of this for a farewell gift. & Thank you all for your support and your families' military service.

& I have posted these 3 before, but since I shared the photo of our son when he was 7 months, I  thought I would also post the drawing that I did from it and also the ones of our two girls when they were 7 months.


Girly~Twirly


Girly~Whirly


Heartbreaker

Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments. I will be sure to return your visit.


Signature for blog
Related Posts with Thumbnails