Just Paint It Blog

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • About
    • My Stuff
      • My House
      • My Hubs
      • My Paintings
        • Illustrations
        • Murals
  • Projects
    • How To/PIY
      • PIY – Paint It Yourself
      • Quick Stuff
      • Tutorials
      • Videos
    • Techniques
      • Antiquing & Distressing
      • Blending Colors
      • Color Wash
      • Decoupage
      • Drawing
      • Dry Brushing
      • Faux Finishes
      • Glazing
      • Highlighting
      • Shading
      • Stenciling
      • Transfers
    • Home Decor
      • Accessories
      • Furniture
      • Holiday Decorating
      • Seasonal Decorating
    • Crafts
      • Dollar Store Crafts
      • Holiday Crafts
        • Christmas Crafts
        • Halloween Crafts
      • Kids Crafts
      • Seasonal Crafts
    • Paint Types
      • Chalk Paint
      • Chalkboard Paint
      • Glitter Paint
      • Metallic Paint
      • Pearl Paint
      • Specialty Paints
      • Spray Paint
      • Watercolor Paint
    • Paint Surfaces
      • Paint Canvas
      • Paint Fabric
      • Paint Glass
      • Paint Metal
      • Paint Paper
      • Paint Plastic
      • Paint Walls
      • Paint Wood
    • Submit Yours
  • Shop
    • A.R.T. – Art Related Things
    • Original Art
    • Pet Portraits
    • ClipArt & Printables
  • Portfolio
    • Pet Portraits
  • Contact

Celebrating Hubs’ Birthday

February 2, 2015 By Colleen 3 Comments

Congratulations to the winner of the free 8 x 10 pet portrait – Brittany Owens! Thank you to all who entered!Marlon's BirthdayIt’s been nearly 3 years since my husband passed away, yet every year on his birthday I try to do something special with our grandson to ‘celebrate’ Poppy. Making cards and tying them to balloons to send to heaven has been our thing.

Poppys-Bday-20132013

I hope as Santino gets older (and wiser), he’ll still continue with this tradition.

For the last couple of months, he’s been staying with me overnight every other weekend. It was so hard after Marlon passed for many reasons, one of which being Tino couldn’t come stay with me because of Mom’s compromised immune system from her cancer. So I’d drive down to Sacramento (30-40 minutes away), take him to Walmart for a toy then to eat somewhere. Usually McDonald’s.

That’s what we’ve done for 2-1/2 years. Not great, but making the best of a tough situation.

When Mom passed in October, I looked forward to Santino coming to stay with me . . . finally. On his first visit he spent two nights. That’s when I realized I wasn’t quite as strong as I thought I was.

Phew. Seven year olds can wear you out. Fast.

So, for now, we’re keeping it to one night, every other weekend. It’s manageable for me and it also keeps it special. Marlon’s birthday fell on Sunday this year and it coincided with Santino’s visit.

I pulled out some craft supplies to make our birthday ‘cards’ but was a little unsure if Tino would want to do them after the Christmas ornament ‘issue’. I try to follow his lead when it comes to remembering Poppy. Grief is a personal thing and everyone is different. So I hope for the best and now prepare myself in case he doesn’t want to do anything, and let that be okay.

Another thing I wanted to do was draw the marlin with two hearts graphic for his wall.

marlin with hearts

 

Santino has been having me draw dinosaurs for him to color each visit and this graphic is very special to both us, and others.

When Marlon died in 2012 it was the Monday before our nephew’s wedding, which made things . . . well, awkward. Santino was the ringbearer and it was a big wedding in the Bay Area so Marlon’s services were put on hold until after the wedding. At the rehearsal dinner, my brother-in-law and niece came up to me with a surprise –

marlin with heartsThey had gone out and got matching tattoos of a marlin with two hearts. I’m not a tat person myself but I loved the image and after the wedding I contacted my friend, Brittany, to see if she could turn it into a graphic I could use for Marlon’s Homegoing program.

She did a beautiful job, emailed the graphic to me and I put them on the program. At the time Santino was four, way too young – in my opinion – to go to a funeral. So he didn’t see the graphic, only the tattoos.

marlin with hearts
A few weeks after Marlon’s passing I turned a cheap mirror into a chalkboard, painted the graphic on it and decoupaged my favorite photos of the two of them for Santino. He loved it but wondered why there were only two hearts.

He wanted a third one on there for Gramma. *sniff*

That was nearly 3 years ago and Tino was only 4. But last Fall when Mom was dying and I didn’t see him for two months, he sent me a card  –

Tino's Card 2014Three hearts.

I personally love that he labeled each one and drew arrows but I’m a tad bit biased, I know.

Anyway, last weekend I asked him if he’d like me to draw the marlin with hearts. Yes, he said. Would you like me to paint it or do you want to color it yourself? I’ll color it. Do you want two hearts or three?

Marlin-with-3-heartsThree, Gramma – one for Poppy, one for you and one for me!

Of course mine is handdrawn with a few bumps and bobbles, but he didn’t care. I’ll find someone to turn it into a vector graphic (don’t ask me what that is, I just know vectors look all clean and cool) and then I’ll be able to use the marlin with three hearts for future projects.

It wasn’t an easy weekend. Birthdays and anniversaries will always be hard, I’m thinking. But I was glad to be with Santino and was so happy that he still wanted to do the cards and balloons.

Marlon's bday 2015I had him stand in my backyard next to the angel I bought when my brother died and the ‘promise pot’ my friend made for me when Mom passed.

Marlon's bday 2015It just felt right. Hard, but right.

Marlon's bday 2015Santino only had one concern . . . since we stuck the cards inside the balloons, instead of tying them on, did I remember to write a note on the balloon to tell Poppy to pop the balloon?

Um, oops.

Don’t worry, baby, I’ll tell Poppy. I still talk to him every day.

How do you celebrate your lost ones? Do you have a tradition or something special you do? I’d love some ideas.

 

Filed Under: Just Saying, My Hubs, My Stuff

Comments

  1. Nancy Carr says

    February 3, 2015 at 10:32 am

    What a sweet story and a great way of making memories. I am so sorry for your losses. A dear friend’s husband passed about a month ago, and my friend wants me (as a minister) to do a memorial service and his ashes will be put in the ocean here off our island. I like the idea of the balloons, too. She might want to do that on following years. Peace and Blessings

    Reply
  2. Cookie17 says

    February 3, 2015 at 5:24 pm

    What a nice way keep your husband in your thought’s & prayer’s Prayer’s for you & your grandson you been through a lot last few years …Prayers………’

    Reply
  3. Barbara Ann says

    February 6, 2015 at 10:54 pm

    Santino is a very smart young man. He’s got a creative mind and a kind heart. And he has you! So many losses for someone so young. But I pray you both keep close.
    keep the best memories and share them with each other.
    Barbara Ann
    etsy.com /shop/barbaraannscreations

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    About Me

    Hi there! I'm Colleen, a self-taught artist, writer and blogger, among other things. You don't get to be old enough to order off the Denny's senior menu without accomplishing a few things in life. Read More…

    Recent Posts…
    • Patriotic Fourth of July Printables June 25, 2019
    • Camping Coloring Pages June 15, 2019
    • How to Paint Purple Iris January 28, 2019
    • How to Paint a Teddy Bear January 24, 2019
    • How to Paint Tulips January 21, 2019
    Comments…
    • D. S. Jackson on African – American Santas
    • Theresa Morrissey on African – American Santas
    • Kena on African – American Santas
    • Colleen on How To Paint a Simple Bow and Ribbon Streamers
    • Vicki on How To Paint a Simple Bow and Ribbon Streamers

    Subscribe via Email

    Get updated delivered directly to your inbox!

    Art Digital Downloads

    Archives

    Pretty Handy Girl Fun DIY Gifts!

    PHG_zazzle-banner

    Videos

    Error type: "Forbidden". Error message: "The request is missing a valid API key." Domain: "global". Reason: "forbidden".

    Did you added your own Google API key? Look at the help.

    Check in YouTube if the id muralmaker1 belongs to a . Check the FAQ of the plugin or send error messages to support.

    Instagram

    Google+

    Facebook

    Pinterest

    Etsy

    Copyright © 2021 Just Paint It!/Colleen Jorgensen · website by Houndstooth Media Group