Shoes For You With Designs By ME! ;o)

Everyone loves a great pair of comfortable, casual and fun shoes! What better gift could you give yourself or someone special, than a pair of Ked’s Shoes. You can choose from 3 comfy styles and designs by me that you will only find in my Zazzle Gallery. If you like a design of mine that is not on the style shoes that you want, just leave me a note and I will add it for you ASAP. ;o) So run on over to my Zazzle Gallery and make yourself some Happy Feet! :oD


Art By LuraDee . . . . .Ked's Shoes

http://www.zazzle.com/luradee/shoes?rf=238761194675487836

My Zazzle Gallery - Art By LuraDee

Valentine’s Day is Fast approaching. So why not customize your own Card from the variety of designs that I have in my Zazzle Gallery. You can have your own personal message printed inside the card of your choice. Your Valentine will surely treasure such a personal card made especially for them.



Art By LuraDee

http://www.zazzle.com/luradee?zbar=true

Pieces of Me . . . . .

September, 1989

My mother was 46 years old, I was 23. She was my mom . . .my very best friend, to whom I told everything . . . .my touchstone. And suddenly I am lost . . . .she is gone . . . .and I no longer have my safety net.

Oh, I never fooled myself about my mother, she was no angel, and certainly was not the Perfect parent, but God knows that she loved her children and we knew it. Isn't knowing that you are LOVED the most important thing for a child? No matter her faults, I have to say that Mama instilled a very strong set of moral values in her children. Some of these values came by way of, "Do as I say, and not as I do." OR "Take it from me . . .LEARN from My mistakes." In any case, I am forever thankful for all that I learned from her.

Mama was married for probably less than a year in the early 1960s to a man who's name I do not even remember. A year or so later she married my father, who was the son of a prominent area farmer, in 1963. In 1964 they had a daughter, my sister. In 1966 I made My glorious entrance into this world. Before I was a year old . . . .my parents were divorced.

Almost immediately following the divorce from my father, my mother was married again to a man named Tommy. I don't remember very much about him, but I do remember that I loved him and his family. I believe that their marriage ended within a year or less.

Shortly thereafter, Mama was married again to a man named Ralph in 1969. In 1971 they had a son. Although my sister and I continued to visit our biological father a few times each year, Ralph was a wonderful stepfather, and the man that raised us. We finally had what seemed to be a stable happy family.

In 1984, 15 years after they began their life together, Mama & Ralph's marriage came to an end and they went their separate ways. By this time my sister and I were both in college and although we were very saddened by this news, it didn't really affect our day to day lives as we were living the "Campus" life in the dorms. It was our brother who was the most affected by their divorce. He went a little wild for a time and Mama seemed to stop even trying to discipline him. I believe that one of the reasons for this is because she was a bit preoccupied with a relationship that she had begun with a married man.

This relationship lasted for 4 or 5 years with the man leaving his wife for a time and then going back to her. I talked to my mother several times about this man and I would tell her that she just needed to forget him and find an "Available" man who would treat her the way that she deserved. She would always burst into tears and say that she believed that he was her last chance to have companion in her life. I would tell her that she was a beautiful, smart woman and that she didn't need ANY man to make her happy. The problem . . . .I was never able to convince her of this.

This man went through the back and forth over and over and over again between my mother and his wife. Each time he would leave my mother, she would go into a depression and would stay in her bed for days at a time. During one of her times of depression, I went to his office and I stood over his desk and said, "You have got to leave her alone and stay away from her. You have GOT to give her a chance to get over you because Every time that you do this to her she gets more and more suicidal." He replied by saying, "I know it, but I just can't help it. I don't want her to get over me." I told him that I thought that he was the most selfish person that I had ever met and that he was KILLING her. He burst into tears and repeated that he knew, but just couldn't help it. His words still ring out through my head to this day . . . . ."I know . . . .But I just can't help it."

During one of their splits, Mama even went to stay with a friend of hers in Florida so that she might find a job and start a new life. My poor brother who didn't know any better, told him where Mama was and he followed her there and brought her home to Mississippi.

I got married to my first husband in March of 1989. My new husband had just enlisted into the Air Force, so while he was off at basic training, I split my time between my father and my mother. Once again I spent time trying to talk sense into my mother regarding this man to no avail. In September of 1989 I was in Rantoul, Illinois with my first husband who was in Tech. School for the Air Force when we got a call from one of his superiors saying that my mother had been shot. At first I didn't understand, had someone broken in her home, was she in the hospital, was she going to be ok?

I called my sister who had been staying with my mother and she told me that this man had once again left our mother and it was obviously the last straw for her. She went on a rampage, breaking things, drinking and screaming. When she couldn't get Mama to calm down, my sister called several of Mama's friends to come and talk to her. They came and tried and then they left telling my sister that she would be fine after she got a good nights sleep. Shortly after that my sister heard the gun shot. Mama had locked herself in her bedroom and while standing at the foot of her bed she placed the gun barrel right in front of her heart and pulled the trigger. My sister and my mothers "boyfriend" broke down the door and my sister tried to stop the bleeding, all the while screaming at Mama, "Don't You Leave Me, I Love You!," over and over again.

The ambulance came and they worked on resuscitating her at the house and in the ER, but it was no use. She had hit her heart just as she had meant to. The Dr. even made a comment later that most people really don't know exactly where their heart is.

I was 23, my sister was 25 and our brother was 18. Adults? . . .You might could say we were . . . .And even though my sister and I were married . . . .I still considered us just kids who needed their Mama. OH MY GOD how lost we were.

I have gone through most of the stages of grieving . . .but I have gotten stuck in each one for years before moving on to the next. It wasn't until I had children that I moved to the anger stage, and that is where I am still at today. I was cheated of having my mother with me when I needed her, to help me with the pregnancies or to tell me what to do when the baby was screaming and wouldn't stop. I needed my Mama. My children were cheated out of having a grandmother to love and spoil them. When my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 years ago, she came to me crying and tired after one of her treatments and said, "I really need my Mama to take care of me." I told her . . ."Honey, you come stay with me and I will take care of you." She told me, "I know you would, but it's just not the same." She is right . . . .Nothing is the same as having your Mama when you need her.

It's been nearly 18 years now and I still ache, hurt & cry rivers of tears wishing for and needing my Mama. No . . .she was No Angel . . . .but Oh how she loved me . . . .And Oh How I Love Her Still!!

Lu

best_mom

Pieces of Me . . . . .

In early December, 2001 we found out that I was pregnant with our third child. Since we had not planned on having any more children, we call him our "Happy Lil Surprise!"

In January, 2002 my older sister by 2 years, (who was only 37 at the time), found out that she had breast cancer. My heart sank when she told me. She was basically the only immediate family that I had left, (and my Best friend after my husband), and now I was scared to death of loosing her too.

It was a very hard time in our family with me being pregnant and my sister going through surgery and chemo therapy and all of the side effects that go along with it. I have to say though that my sister is one of the bravest people that I know. She only cried a little in the beginning, and then she became this tough fighter, and she continues to fight today.

My sister's husband obviously couldn't handle taking care of a cancer patient. He began having an affair which continues to this day. My sister refuses to get a divorce, because she still believes that their marriage can be saved. So she and my niece live alone and her husband has visitation with their daughter.

My sister is now a 5 year cancer survivor and she will see my youngest child, Taylor, turn 5 this year. She has been through so much in her life. I pray every day that the Lord will shine his blessings down on her so that she may finally live a life of peace & happiness.

Lu

Family Introduction

With the exception of a few months that I lived in Illinois and a year that I lived near Fairbanks, Alaska, I have lived in the same neck-of-the-woods all of my life. . . .Up until November 4th 2006 when we moved about 4 hours north of our hometown. . .And We are loving it!!

I got married to my first husband at the age of 24, and for various, serious, reasons, it only lasted for 3 years. Funny though, well maybe not so funny, that 2 years after our divorce, we had a baby together. I consider my oldest to be my miracle child because he was my 5th pregnancy. I honestly did not believe that I would ever be able to have a baby. It was after the birth of my son that a very definite, clean and final break was made between me and my first husband. It was only right that boundaries were set in place so as not to confuse the baby.

H. & I lived alone together for 3 years with me only going out on the occasional date whenever his dad chose to take advantage his visitation rights. We were very happy and had a very set and comfortable routine together.

When H. was about 2 1/2 years old, I hired a friend and his son to mow my yard during the summer. One Friday evening after they had finished mowing my yard, my friend knocked on my front door to collect a check for his son. While I was writing out the check, he noticed that I had laid my crosstitching on my coffetable while I wrote the check. He looked at me and asked, "Do you mean to tell me that you have nothing better to do on a Friday Night than to crosstitch?" I said, "Nope . . .That's about it. LOL!" My friend asked me, "Would you like to meet a good man?" I said, "Sure! Are there Any Good Men?" To which he replied, "Yep, I know just the one."

Well . . .that was the extent of the conversation and I didn't think any more about it. BUT!!! . . . .The following Monday after I got home from work, my friend's wife called to informe me that we were going on a Double-Date together on Friday. I was Stunned, Shocked, Excited & TERRIFIED all at the same time. I asked her who my date was to be and she told me his name, R, and informed me that he would be calling me to confirm our plans.

R did infact call me to confirm our date and we talked for hours. As a matter of fact, we talked on the phone for hours every evening that week before we ever laid eyes on each other.

So . . . . .The big night had arrived!!! . . . .and I was nervous as a cat. It felt like I had a led ball in my stomach and my heart was beating WAY TOO FAST! Several times I contimplated calling my friends and canceling because I didn't feel well. LOL!

Then there was a knock at my front door . . . .OH MY GOSH . . .It was too late to cancel . . . .I HAD to open the door and go on this date . . . .DIDN'T I???

I composed myself the best that I could and I slowly opened the front door. OH WOW! What a Dream-Boat he was! Well . . . .No time to drool and pant over this Hottie standing in my doorway . . . .My friends arrived right after he did and it was time to leave.

We went to a very nice resturant and had a lovely time together, but being the shy person that I was, I did more listening than I did talking. This led R to believe that I didn't fancy him at all. BOY, He could not have been More Wrong!! LOL!

My friends made a conspicuous speedy exit right after returning to my house, leaving R and me all alone. We watched a little TV and talked just a little. Then R decided that it was time for him to leave. As I walked him to the door, he turned and looked at me and said, "I would kiss you goodnight if I didn't think that it would scare you to death. I played all Big-And-Bad and said, "Pfffft!!! . . . .Why on Earth would you think a goodnight kiss would scare me?" Well . . . .R took the hint very well and grabbed me and, boy-OH-boy, what a good night kiss he planted on ME!!!! I felt myself melt into a puddle! LOL!

Sooooo . . . .Now you know how we met. That first date occured in mid-September of 1997. We married on Saturday, December 13, 1997. Very quick courtship I know, and I wouldn't recommend it to most . . .but we just knew we were meant to be together. R is my very best friend and I love him even more today than I did when we got married over 9 years ago.

In 1999 we were blessed with the birth of our little girl D. and in that same year R adopted H. as his own. My older sister F. & I were pregnant with our lil girls at the same time, with my sister's daughter E. being born 2 months after D. It was so much FUN being pregnant together. . . .And the two girls are growing up more as sisters than as cousins.

We had the perfect lil family and couldn't be happier. Then in December of 2001 we were blessed with a happy lil surprise. LOL! We found out that I was pregnant with our youngest child, T. T. is 4 years old now and is ALL BOY!!! I didn't know a 4 year old could be so tough! LOL! And YES . . .he is spoiled and rules the roost! LMBO! Yes . . .he was our HAPPY lil surprise . . .but he should be our last surprise!

Other additions to our family include our 3 cats, (1 male orange tabby named Merlin, 1 male Black & Tan Tabby named Tigger AND 1 male Blue-Gray Longhair named Buddy) And 2 dogs, (1 male Yellow Lab named Duke AND 1 female Black & Silver Miniature Schnauzer named Bizzy). Can you tell that we are All animal Lovers? LOL!

Well . . .I think that takes care of all of the introductions. I will go into more detail about each of us at a later date.

Later Taters!!! LOL!