We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something!
Mother Teresa

Saturday, December 24, 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS


One of my enjoyments in life is winter and the fun you can have in the snow.  Growing up in Wisconsin, winter could get bitterly cold. To enjoy the outdoors you need the proper apparel.  Christmas 1975 my wise sister Kathy bought me these Hot Finger mittens. Just as the kathy's bags have traveled around the country so have my Hot Fingers mittens. I have lived in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Mississippi and Washington. For the past 36 years these Hot Fingers have been traveling along with me, serving their purpose keeping my hands nice and toasty on the ski hills and beyond--wherever we may be playing that day.  They will be with me along with my kathy's bag in January when Alicia and Owen return from Afghanistan for a visit and a long weekend of skiing at Schweitzer Mountain in Sandpoint, Idaho. 
I have always coveted my Hot Finger mittens and will continue to cherish this perfect Christmas gift from my dear sister Kathy so many years ago.   


These 2010 Christmas photos will also be cherished forever.


  Kathy and Erin embracing our Aunt Irene (Kathy's godmother)

May you and your families cherish and enjoy this Christmas, 
just as Kathy and her family cherished and enjoy every Christmas together.

My prayer is that you all will be touched by the prefect gift of a baby that came to this earth so many years ago to give us eternal life.  "And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love is.  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully."  Ephesians 3:18-19
Wishing you and your families a Very Merry Christmas. 

Monday, December 5, 2011

Kathy's Tree

From this day forward my little white feather tree will be called Kathy's Tree.
It seems like a very appropriate name for it now that Kathy is in Heaven and has her angel wings.  Also, each and every ornament on my little white feather tree was given to me by Kathy.  

 This tree is nothing new in my home.  Every Christmas for the past 30 years Kathy has given me a very special and unique ornament.  Most of them have been mini-ornaments, more suited to having their own tree.   If you look closely, you'll notice a common theme.  Yes, Kathy always put a lot of thought into the ornaments she gave me. 
I have always cherished these little thimble ornaments.

This little guy has always been one of my favorites.  Sewing & snow are two things that bring me much joy!
I'm pleased this year that God has allowed me to use my joy of sewing to honor Kathy with the making of kathy's bags. As of today there are 190 kathy's bags around the world.  

Now my Kathy's Tree is up and my kathy's bags are hung waiting for Santa to fill.


As you prepare for this Christmas season my prayer for you all is that you remember that we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus!
Merry Christmas!


Tuesday, November 22, 2011

2nd Pea in the Pod!

There was a reason this precious one was born Thanksgiving week.
We all had so much to be thankful for when she blessed our lives 28 years ago.
Erin has her mother's smile!
As Erin would say, "Mom was my twin, my 2nd pea in the pod, my best friend, the most amazing mother I could ask for."  No question Erin has missed her mom greatly this year.

As Christopher Robin would say to Pooh, and I will repeat to Erin,"You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think."
And I am proud to be called your Aunt Debbie

For all of you who know Erin, she has a very colorful, fun-loving personality.
She is known for her collection of scarfs and flip-flops in an array of colors.  A good day for Erin is a day when she can wear both.
When Erin asked for this custom kathy's bag it brought a smile to my face. This kathy's bag is exactly how I would describe my precious niece.  I was happy to make it for her.

The bells will be chiming from Heaven on Wednesday, November 23rd.
Let's all join together in wishing Erin a very Happy Birthday!
I love you Erin!


Happy Birthday To You!♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ 


♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Happy Birthday To You!º°♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ °º¤ø 


♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Happy Birthday Dear Erin!!!!! º°¨¨°º¤ø¸♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥


 ¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Happy Birthday To You!¤øø¤º°¨¨°º¤øø¤º°♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸


♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪


If you want to wish Erin a Happy Birthday you can reach her at,
lilriv23@new.rr.com


Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Mother To All!

You may wonder where this is going, but please hang with me throughout this entire blog entry!

It starts out on the wedding day of my son Zachary's buddy, Alex: 
11-11-11

The groom and his groomsmen spent the night before the wedding at my house.  It brought back memories of sleepovers throughout the years, but minus this:
(at least I hope beer was not involved in those earlier years).


After I returned from a long, Friday-morning run, this is what greeted me in my living room:
a playstation, now hooked up to the TV.

My initial thought was, so this is how today's young men prepare themselves on wedding days.
"Ok guys, where do you have to be and at what time?"

Alex: "I have to be dressed and ready to meet my bride at 12:30."

"Great, I'll take a quick shower and then make you all breakfast."

Alex: "Debbie, could you hem a pair of pants for me? I didn't know when you bought a new suit you don't buy the pants to length. I need them for the cruise we are going on."

"Sure, I can do that for you Alex.  I'll bring them to the church."

After my shower I returned to the living room and suggested that one of them get in the shower, too, not knowing how long the hot water would hold out.
The engineer in the group thought that was a good idea, so he trotted up the stairs.
I headed to the kitchen to heat up some quiche and start whipping up some chocolate-chip pancakes with strawberry sauce and whipped cream, one of my children's favorite breakfast dishes.

The young men were very thankful for the hearty breakfast.
Alex even thought it would be great if his new bride learned how to make my version of a quiche (I use spinach instead of flour for the crust).  They all offered to clean the kitchen, but I thought it would be better if two more of them headed to the showers.

Soon it was 11:15, and with the church a 45-minute drive from my house, I knew it was going to be hard for them to make the 12:30 appointment with the bride.  But then again, I knew others were wise enough to pad the time. Besides, the wedding was scheduled for 3:30, and 
I had one selfish indulgence...

Yes, pictures with kathy's bags!

You see, Kathy always had her children's friends at her house.
Kathy was a Boy Scout leader for years.  She attended the meetings, organized the functions, joined the camping trips and most of all taught them about the important things in life.
All the Scouts called her "MOM."
She to would have delighted along with me in having these young men at her house.
The Groom
     Best-Man and Groom
The Groom and Groomsmen
Pictures completed, I finally had them in the car pulling out of the driveway.
Now, time to hem the pants and get myself ready for the wedding.
But at 1:00 p.m., pants just about hemmed, I received a panic call form the engineer.
They forgot the 
It was inside a backpack in my basement.  I ran down 2 flights of stairs to find the backpack and locate the little red box with a beautiful wedding band inside.  I put the red box next to my purse so I would be sure to grab it on the way out the door.

Let's just say the young men were very happy to see the lady with the RING at church...
and I was very happy to have those young men strutting some kathy's bags on 
11-11-11
It was a beautiful wedding and I had a story to tell!


The last things Kathy did before greeting her Lord and Savior was witnessing the marriage of her son at her bedside on January 19, 2011
That day was packed with joy and sorrow!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Big Void


I have to say fall is one of my favorite times of the year. The crisp, cool air, vibrant colors and the sound of crunching leaves make my walks in the woods extra special. 

Maybe having a November birthday adds to my love for fall.  Later on this week I'll experience a BIG void when a package does not arrive in the mail from Kathy.  I could always count on a unique gift that she'd pick up just for me on one of her strolls through a craft fair.  Craft fairs were one of those things she enjoyed doing on the weekends.

                                                                                           photo taken by Kerri Sandaine
This year I'm going to imagine that the gift she sends me is a quartet of birds that sing a special Happy Birthday song just for me.


And don't you know Kathy is dancing with delight when she sees precious little ones like these with kathy's bags on their shoulders.

As we kick off the holiday season, I pray you will also enjoy this season of life with family and friends.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Imagine!

It was one year ago in New Bern (North Carolina) when I grabbed a scrap of newspaper and drew up a pattern for a bag while sitting at the kitchen table of my friend, LeeAnn.
I would have never imagined the journey that scrap of newspaper was about to take me on over the next year.  God took what amounted to a worthless piece of trash and turned it into a treasure. That piece of trash has given me the opportunity to share my dear sister's legacy with others.  As I have said before I am truly humbled every time I receive a request for a kathy's bag.
On Sept. 30th I was asked to join my sister's dearest friends at "Women Of Faith" in Milwaukee.  I didn't really know these women before that weekend.  First, let me say what a great bunch of ladies they are.  I could not have picked a nicer bunch of ladies to spend the weekend with. I know why Kathy put them in her friends column. As the weekend unfolded we were inspired by some fabulous Christian speakers, rocked along with some incredible singers and witnessed some amazing healing by the power of God. 
You know you're in Wisconsin when a cheesehead shows up!


We were able to laugh, pray and cry together.  Most of all we were able to celebrate Kathy's life.
We can all say she made a positive impact on our lives. In the short time she lived on this earth she touched so many lives and we are thankful for it.
We even had a "fancy-pantsy" sink in our hotel room which made a perfect 
opportunity for a kathy's bag photo op with one of the 
new fall kathy's bags.















Wednesday, September 28, 2011

"Isn't she lovely, isn't she wonderful!"

Kathy never did lose that beautiful, contagious smile.


We all miss it!



Kathy and her five dear friends were planning a trip to New York City for her 60th birthday, which would have been this Friday, September 30th.  God had another plan for her and for us.  While it's not a plan that any of us would have wanted, we must trust and have faith that His plans are better then our own.  These dear friends will not be in New York City on Friday; instead, they will be in Milwaukee at the "Women of Faith" conference, and I will be joining them.  Our kathy's bags will be on our shoulders and no doubt her spirit will join us as we celebrate her presence in our lives.  She has left her mark on us all and we are grateful.

Happy BirthdayKathy!
Enjoy your party in heaven!
We will never forget you!
























Sunday, September 18, 2011

FROM ONE WORLD TO ANOTHER!


Before Emily left on her 6 month adventure abroad,
we took our kathy's bags on a tour of downtown Spokane.
Kathy and I talked of having a mother/daughter/sister get-together 
at my new home here in Spokane.  That never happened!  Lesson learned! 
When you have that inner nudge, 
don't hesitate.  The best gift we can give others is our time.


 On the walking bridge across the Spokane River.

 Bloomsday Runners were happy to carry a kathy's bag on their shoulders 
as they run for the finish-line.   
Bloomsday is a 12K race held the 1st weekend in May in Spokane with 50,000 runners.  It's a tradition for my BFF Kerri and me to run.  This year my son Zachary joined us and left us in the dust.

The worlds largest Radio Flyer is always a fun attraction for all ages.

 Emily's, kathy's bag looks very peaceful on this door in Jaffa, Israel.

A piece of art.  I may need this picture framed for a wall in my house.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Life at the Beach

What a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon in August.
Taking a walking on the the shores of the Pacific Ocean with a dear
girlfriend and our kathy's bags on our shoulders. 
Building relationships that last even when miles separate those
relationships. Kathy was a pro at building relationships.
She knew no stranger.

This September 30th would have been Kathy's 60th birthday. She was planning a trip to NewYork City with five of her dearest friends.  No, her friends won't be in New York City on her birthday, they will be in Milwaukee at a "Women of Faith" Conference.  I have been invited to join them.

So Wisconsin here I come for the 4th time this year.  If any of you would like to join us, we would love to have you along.  Just make sure your have your kathy's bag on your shoulder.  We will be there praising our Lord and Savior and celebrating Kathy's life.  

Coincidence that Women of Faith is in Milwaukee on Kathy's birthday?  More likely God had his hand in choosing this date.

Kathy was my "star." She has made an impact on us all.


Sunday, August 21, 2011

Good Times Were Had In Wisconsin!



32 family members and friends joined together to honor Kathy at a 
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Baseball Game.
(they're a farm team to the Milwaukee Brewers)
Kathy always enjoyed a night at the ball park.



Tailgating is a must before the main event!


Girls just want to have fun with a  few of the Aunties

The gang's all here!

No event is complete without your kathy's bag!
And a little silliness from one of the grandchildren.
Why does it always have to be one of mine?

All the girls in the family. And yes, Kathy was present...
She was on everyone of our shoulders!
Mom with all of her 8 grandchildren and their spouses plus 
3 beautiful great-grandchildren
on the steps of the Bero family cottage at Chain O' Lakes, Wisconsin,
one of God's fabulous creations.
How blessed we are to have these treasures to enjoy!