Good Morning, Friends...
Yeah...still waiting on all that summer fun stuff to show up. Sorry about being gone so long. I've gotten a few things done...two quilt tops (still working on the last one). Doctor appointments...babysitting the great grands, funeral arrangements...etc., life again. You know what I'm talking about.
Hope you all are clicking along just fine! Staying healthy!
Sloane (top) and Lottie spent some evening hours here on Monday...Boy, I'm not 25 anymore! But when you're needed...you crawl! lol
Larry finished up on a project for our daughter. She loves it...
Okay now...don't get all jickey on me, this is just true life! And it's got to be done! And it isn't cheap! So be prepared.
We got all our "after life" arrangements taken care of yesterday. We'd been planning and saving towards it, for years.
It was time.
We absolutely refused to put our daughter through the Hell, that preparing one's parent to meet the Sweet Beyond, entails! Larry and I both had to make one of our parents each, preparations. Me...my Dad and Larry...his Dad. They, neither one, had made FULL preparations for their spouses. As in... going to the funeral home and paying for BOTH parents to be buried or cremated. Larry and I decided long ago that was Not going to happen to our child. We also have a son who lives in Oklahoma, but he hardly ever calls or visits so the hardship would land on our daughter's shoulders.
Our son... years ago (long story but don't worry...some of us truly understand and some won't get it) ... got into the horror of the drug world. My parents...and don't get me wrong...I love them both, dearly but...they thought it was a great idea to go against our wishes and rules and give him anything he wanted. It didn't take long for him to figure out he had a golden ticket...so a wonderful child at 13 turned into an addict by age 16. Bad went to worse and after many, many years of trying to get him help... we had to stop. He and his cohort wife had almost drained my parents of all their money (thousands) before I found out and put a stop to it. Please understand how much this tore us up...we loved him...still do... but it's a different kind of love now. Drugs will rip a family to the ground...
He and wife finally divorced...he left and moved away...instead of staying here and letting family help him work through his problems...without "the bank" being open...and since there would no longer be a source of easy money...he moved to begin again. He does seem to be doing okay...he has a common law wife, a trailer...a job and a bad Thyroid...(now on meds for it...and had to have a heart ablation (treatment for irregular heartbeats). And apparently, no drugs for several years now. The medical stuff scared him... All good. But expecting him to be in charge of taking care of our final arrangements? I don't think so, sadly.
SO... It's all done. All Crystal has to do is show up at the funeral home...listen to our pastor...visit with friends...then...go home. No long dragged-out, heart-breaking funerals for us. These funerals that go on and on for days is too sad for words; neither of us want that for her.
Now the price for cremation? Hold on to your pants and wallet...
The headstone for us both: $5725.20
Plots in Cemetery (owned for years): 2 for $800
Cremation: $12,366.00 (both)
(and that's the Basic plan!)
Includes: Basic services: a) Celebration of life at the funeral home's chapel: $2270
b) Refrigeration Fee: $300 (like a hotel! $100 a night!
c) Transport from home or hospital: $425
Wooden Container for ashes: $195
Clothing: $195
Acknowledgement Cards and guest book: $100
Cemetery Opening & Closing Fee: $650
Crematory Fees: $350
Clergy Honorarium Fee: $200
Death Certificates (10): $73
Flowers for Urn Table: $250
Robinson Cemetery Fee: $300
Death Date Lettering on stone: $175
And you thought cremation was cheaper? Well, it IS ! Funerals these days here in Texas are high, almost double a cremation fee.... everyone wants their "cut".
SO... Prepare! If you've been putting things off, Stop It !!! Get your Wills done! Your children don't have money to spend on your final arrangements... and know that if they do have to pay for it (until, hopefully, your insurance comes through)... they'll have to charge it! Funeral homes want their money Now...not later...there's no payment plans here!
We had always planned on granite...last forever and beyond. There's cheaper stones...depends on what you want. We choose this one with different things engraved on it like, a hummingbird at a rose...left upper corner..A heart with a Cross in the middle... upper right corner...Our date of marriage in the middle moving the praying hands to the left, STAAS at the very top. You KNOW you wanted to know all this...Lololol
Oh, lighten up...We are so glad to have this burden lifted from our shoulders and Crystal's!
Please...don't put things off. I couldn't bear Crystal losing her last parent and still having to take care of all the prep work and expense!
No thank you...
I think it's pretty...and we found out that if you order a two-piece stone (top and base), and the mason doesn't silicone them together...water can get under the top stone and with just a shove, the top stone can warbel off onto the ground so...make sure someone looks at the seal!
I ordered a stone flower vase to be added to the right-hand side of the headstone. They just move the top stone over to the left and place the vase.
Sad news now...Our daughter's furrbaby, Sophie, 14, has developed diabetes. Normal level is around 140...hers was over 600. They've been trying everything to get her stabilized but it's not working. They have made the decision...today at 10...please say a prayer for Sophies safe and sweet crossing over the rainbow bridge...so sad.
This makes a fun Chafel...One egg and 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Really good for locarb!!
Larry made meatloaf yesterday! Very good!
I made Crockpot French Onion Chicken...
4 chicken thighs
1 can Campbells French Onion Soup
1 small chopped onion
1 package dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Cook 6 hours on high
Longhorn Steakhouse, I had the Strawberry and grilled chicken Salad...yum...and Larry had the Taco Soup with chicken nuggets.
And then, one day, we both just had a sweet potato each! They are filling and so good!
Well sweet friends, I hope I didn't upset anyone with facing end of life with such "out there" descriptions! Things just have to be finished...and that includes EOL preparations. Think of your children and don't keep putting things off... that also includes things in the house! If they don't want your things and you know they don't want much...personal items maybe...start dumping and decluttering! Do a little every day. Tell the kids that whatever they don't want, to call an Estate Realtor and sell what they don't want. We did that with Larry's Dad's house...SO wonderful to Not have to do it ourselves! And we made about a thousand dollars, to boot! No worry's, no back breaking hauling...we Done!
So... that's it for me this time...lol...Enjoy your day...stay healthy, love each other.
Hopefully...See you next time...
hugs
Donna
PS- New project on my sewing blog...
