Memory Stone for my Pet

Ever since my buddy Charlie went up to heaven last year, I've been wanting to make a memory stone.  He was more than just a dog to me. He was my baby.  I took him everywhere I could and he was a part of every family function. Because he was family. All of my close friends know this is true.  I took pictures of him like I now do to my kids. I still miss him.

I wanted something to put in our backyard to remember him because it still feels like we are missing someone when the whole family goes outside to play.  When a human loved one dies, they get a stone,  I wanted him to have one too.  So  I bought one to make and it sat under my bed for a year.  Half the time  I forgot about it and the other half we just had so much going on.

I bought this kit at Micheals with my handy dandy weekly 40% off coupon. It ended up being like $12.

It came with some stampy things and some rocks. Not too exciting or very him. Now you know me, I'm never one to just go with a pre-bought design all the way so I also bought these glass gems at Micheals. It was like  $3.99. I'm sure I can use the rest for something.

Then I knew I wanted to draw his face on it. I went on the computer and found a good picture of him. That I though was really...him.  I used Photoshop to trace a basic outline of his face and markings for a simple drawing that would look good in concrete. This is what I got.

 I went outside with my bucket and my box of stuff for Micheals  which included a bag of concrete  and a mixing stick. The instructions were easy to follow... Mix two cups of water with your concrete bag in a bucket and mix until it looked like brownie batter.  And they weren't kidding on the instructions when they said watch out for concrete dust. It was very dusty. I wouldn't let the girls stand by me while it was poured.

Then you spread it into the plastic pan they give you. This was harder than I thought because all I had was the mixing stick. But it worked out and then I leveled it but shaking it gently. It also said that if you had to move it to put it on something very hard so the mold wouldn't bend. I found some MDF in the garage and used that.

Then the girls got to work with the glass marble things. I asked them to only put them along the outside which K was great at , S, not so much. It became her job to hand the marbles to K in the order of Big Clear, small blue, Big Clear, Small blue.

Then it says to let it sit and start to set for a least 30 minutes before you can start to write on it and if water starts to form on top to soak  it up with a paper towel and wait some more.  Wwwweeelll... it kept doing that for 3 hours after! I would go outside and check on it and soak up some water, go outside and check on it and soak up some water. You get the idea. I did that for 3 hours!  The green circle shows all of the water that kept coming up. Now it  was 85 degrees and very humid so that may have had something to do with it but you never know.

At some point I got tired of waiting and worried that it would set after too long so  I started to try and sketch out his picture in the concrete.  You can kinda see it below. It was still too wet.

Here's how it turned out after five hours of drying out and 24 hours of curing.

I really like how it turned out. Now it can sit outside by the swing set and I can look over at it and smile.

The girls enjoyed making it so much  that I think I'm going to go back and let them make one of their own that they can decorate any way they'd like.  Now I know what to expect with the whole process.  Have you ever made one? Did you make it for a certain reason or just for fun?

Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY Show Off
DIY Shop - Lines Across My Face -I should be mopping the Floor
Great Fun 4 Kids

Tuesday
How to Nest For Less - Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime - Debbie Does Creations - Funky Polka Dot Giraffe
The Winthrop Chronicles

Wednesday
 Thrifty Home - Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
- Junk in Their Trunk  - Southern Lovely  -SNAP

Thursday
 Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
Loving this Crazy Life - The Shabby Cottage
The Taylor House- House of Hepworths 
Two In Diapers-Mommy Brain Mixer


Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty -  My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now
Here Comes the Sun

Saturday

Six Sister's Stuff
Polkadot Pretties
Cheerios and Lattes
Natasha in Oz -Say G'Day

Happy 4th of July!

We have drought like conditions here in Saint Louis so almost all of the fireworks have been canceled. We were lucky enough to go last week down the street from our house with our awesome neighbors. Here are my attempts at firework photography. I hope you all had fun with your fireworks.

 And of course one of my favorite pictures in the whole world of my beloved Charlie.  God love him. He always let me do what I wanted to him. I miss him.

365 Days of Missing Charlie

( If you don't think of animals as part of your family, this post might not be for you.)

If I was on the floor, so was he.

I can't believe he's only been gone that long. It feels like a million years but it also feels like yesterday. I lost my Charlie.

If I was on the couch, so was he.

God, I miss him. I still cry. Usually when I'm falling asleep in bed. It was our place.  Before I met J and before we were married for 5 years, it was just Charlie and I. At night  when I was getting ready for bed, I would tell him " Come on buddy. Let's go to bed" And he would go in and lay down in the same place every night.

He loved to smell the air.

I miss him sleeping in the bed next to me, pushing me off the bed or into J.
I miss him taking up the whole bed.
I miss having to step over him when I got out of bed.

He put up with me, weirdness and all.

After I stood up, I would say his name and watch his tail go " thump thump thump" on the bed. I miss him following me into the bathroom and making me scratch him on the neck while I was sitting. I can still remember how it felt to pet him on the head and the sound of him snoring next to me.

Look at that face.

I miss the feel of his fur between my fingers.

He was my best friend. No offense to all my human friends but he was. I've felt lost without him. Life isn't the same. No matter what I was going through he was always there with me. Even when i got busier over the past four years, he was always  there sitting by me in whatever room I had to be in.

He braved THAT for me

He thought I was awesome. He looked at me like I was his world. He was my biggest fan. I could do no wrong with him.I know he called me mom in his dog way. How could you not fall in love with that?


He would lay behind me when I cooked. He would lay under the computer desk while I designed, surfed the web, or just looked at pictures. He would sleep in K's closet while I read her stories and sang lullabies.  When I sat on the couch and watched movies or TV, He would lay right under me and even get to sit next to me on the couch when J wasn't there. If I sat on the floor, he would come up to the front of me, sit down, I would hug him and his head would rest on my shoulder. Like he was really hugging me. When I cried,  I could hold him and  I would feel better. Even my two girls can't fill the space in my heart he left. They keep that space busy but not filled.

K loved her Charlie

K  said in the car the other day....

K: Mom?
Me:Yes
K: I miss Charlie. He's up in heaven. I want him to come down here.
Me: I miss him too, honey, everyday.  But he's happy and feels better up in heaven.(tears welling  in my eyes)
K: I want him to be here with me.
Me: Me too honey. Me too. ( sniff)

K and Charlie 2009

God, It breaks my heart every time she says that which seems to have just happened randomly throughout the year.

See..he had to be next to me even unwrapping K's birthday gifts.

Have you ever  read or heard the quote from Winnie the Pooh:

"If  you lived to be 100 years old . I want to  live to 100 minus one day so I wouldn't  have to live a day without you."

My buddy

That's exactly what I thought the day he left my side.That was the hardest day of my life so far. I won't forget a minute of that day maybe for the rest of my life. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

I've never wailed before. I've never collapsed before. But I did that day.  The feeling when your body literally can't hold you up because you are crying so hard. He was my first baby.Why did he have to leave me so soon?

I cried myself to sleep for a week.  It's the only way I could fall asleep.  He should still be here. 10 years isn't long enough.  I love and you and miss you buddy.