From The Nest

Alma Martin Howie

It has been quite some time since I posted on my blog. My Mother, Alma Martin Howie(1922-2011), passed away peacefully on Monday afternoon, November 14, 2011 after a 3 month illness. She was not in any pain and she spent the last weeks of her life with her family by her side each and every day at my brother's house here in Marblehead. We lit candles for her and played her favorite Frank Sinatra tunes softly in the background. We surrounded her with our circle of love. Someone was always with her. She was a wonderful Mother, an extraordinary nurse, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. She was well liked and well loved. My Mom was kind to everyone and considered friendships especially important. Her thoughtfulness was well recorded. She would take strangers under her wing and help them. There was always an extra guest at our holiday table. She was a gracious hostess and her dinner parties were legendary. She had an inimitable sense of style and was always well dressed and well coifed! As her daughter, I have learned so much from her, both in how to live and now in how to die. She did everything with class and such grace. The last few months have given me many opportunities to talk with Mom about her life in such sweet and tender private moments...something I will always cherish. Each day we have with the people we love is a gift. Don't waste a moment. I am so blessed to have lived near my Mother my whole life and to have been able to spend such wonderful time with her both on a daily basis, on fabulous trips both here and abroad that we took with both my parents and just having her in my life to guide and love me and my girls and Kenny and now our grandchildren who all adore her. I will miss her forever, but as I told her just a few days before she died, she will be with me always because I am part of her and she will always be part of me. She liked that and so do I. Godspeed my beautiful Mother!

Continuing November

Fall continues to be a beautiful time of year in New England. The weather has been wonderful and rather warm this year, in the 60s. I love the fall. This year we are continuing our journey with Mom as we care for her during this favorite season of ours. I look out the window at the blue sky and the colored leaves on the trees and I know how much my Mother loves the fall as well. I tell her about each day and how pretty it is. Lots to think about with Mom's illness. The challenges we face each day, how difficult it is to see someone you love just fade away, yet be mindful of the fact that she is still very much here and sharp as ever. My Dad passed away the day before Thanksgiving a few years back and it was hard to deal with the holiday that year, but we did. I think though, when you loose someone you love, it makes you realize how fragile life is, yet for me, makes me hold on to those special times we love even more. Because most of us do not really pay that much attention. We go through life sort of in a robotic way, not really noticing the little things in life that are so important. Telling the people we care about how much we love them daily, not just when something happens. So while loss is sad and tragic, it is part of life and it does make you sit up and look around and greet each day as a new opportunity, a new gift to unwrap. All the trite sayings are true. Live each day to the fullest and be thankful for what you have. I told my Mom that people who are parents never really die. I like that thought and so did she. Part of them continues to live on in their children and their grandchildren... quite literally in the genetics that we pass on. The lessons that parents teach us on both how to live and how to die are also with us forever. We then pass them on to our children and then they pass them on to their children. I find comfort in that. Somehow you continue through those you love forever generation after generation. I am so grateful for this special time with my Mother. Our tender moments, special talks, sweet words and rememberings of my wonderful childhood that she and Dad created for my brother and I...... my family and how lucky I am to have the kind of parents who always put me first no matter what. Who supported me and loved me and were always there for me. There was never an event I was involved in that my parents didn't attend. Even as an adult. They flew to New York City one year to attend the Surtex Design Show at the Jacob Javits Center where I was exhibiting my artwork at so they could see me at my show. While I enjoy the Fall season with the beautiful trees and fall colors, I am making a point to look around and notice it all especially this year, since I know that soon all the leaves will fall and winter will be upon us. Another season, another time that has come and gone.

November

November.......We are so lucky to have just wonderful fall weather in New England, mild and sunny for this time of year. Mom is with us still, enjoying her views out the window to see the fall colors. Making the transition into fall and winter after the summer is always a bit painful. The boat has been hauled out of the water and put away for winter storage. All the yard furniture and lawn ornaments are packed in the garden shed for another year. The window boxes and wire baskets around the deck are now sporting fall mums and kale with those darling little pumpkins and gourds.
Actually, Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the colors, the change of the temperature, the crispness in the air. I love eating apples and going apple picking. Fall mums and gourds, little pumpkins, pressing leaves and changing my summer wardrobe. I love wearing sweaters and boots, getting ready for the winter and traveling in the fall. This year we are not planning any trips. We are staying close by to take care of my Mother. She is doing well considering her illness and I am so grateful we can be with her each and every day.
As the seasons change we realize that life is fleeting, like the seasons that come and go. Each one is special, each has special moments and events. My Mom loves the fall as well. My Mom is terrific. My biggest supporter, my friend, my companion. Her mind is sharp and she is aware of everything that is going on.
It won't be long until Thanksgiving Day. We are hoping Mom will share the turkey day with us once again. I always loved Thanksgiving. Family and friends without the pressure of gift giving. All the preparation, planning the menu, baking the pies, deciding what type of turkey to buy, designing new place cards, pine cone turkeys, all the fixins. Thinking of Thanksgiving over the years and all the memories I treasure. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was cheerleading and the Captain was playing on the football team on Turkey day as we met our big rival from the neighboring town for the annual game that everyone in town came to see. Hardy Mum corsages with a big red M made out of a pipe cleaner placed in the middle of the mum were handed out to all the cheerleaders before we marched down the field in front of the band, welcoming the spectators to the upcoming game. Then my family would gather after the game to have that traditional dinner together with my grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins etc. My Mom would spend days preparing and her specialty was her apple pie. Still is the best ever! So another year has come along and we are welcoming another wonderful fall season with lots to be thankful for.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! A beautiful day here in New England. The sun is shining, it is cool, but not too bad. I am wishing you all a fun and safe night trick or treating. I am sharing with you just a few of my new Halloween products that are out on the market now! Have fun!

I'm back......

Summer was in full bloom here in Marblehead. We were enjoying our boat,having lobster rolls, swimming, going to the beach. I was playing in my garden, we were having cook outs and parties and planning trips and all the munchkins were visiting us and then suddenly my Mom got sick. What started as a simple stomach bug requiring an intervention for possible dehydration, turned into a nightmare of hospitalization and tests and biopsies and the shocking discovery of an extremely rare form of Burkitt's non-Hodgins lymphoma. I mean less than 200 people in the entire United States have this form of lymphoma. Rare indeed! This simply took the wind out of all our sails to say the least. We were in disbelief! Mom's mother, my grandmother, lived to be 97, her sister, my Aunt Alice, went on to live to 104, longevity in our family is everywhere or so we thought. Now, we have been fighting alongside Mom, who is only 89, each and every day for almost 3 months to battle this demon. We formed a "Circle of Love" and surrounded her with our family and close friends to support her, to be with her, to love her. You have to understand how this all started. Mom lives alone, drives, works at the church thrift shop, does her own shopping and cooking and is completely self sufficient. One day she is driving her Volvo to get a mani/pedi and then the next day she has some intestinal issues....a stomach bug type of thing. And now we are battling for her life. I have not been on my blog since this happened. I haven't been able to do much of anything. I have been with Mom each and every day since the inception of her illness while also trying to maintain my own life with the Captain and keep my business going. I am a strong woman...I get that from my Mom, but I do have to say it is a challenge each day to deal with the Chemotherapy treatments, the doctors and nurses, the new medical issues that seem to crop up. Scary and tiring and overwhelming and hopeful. So while we now care for Mom at home with our "Circle of Love", I try to find some time here and there to maintain my life as well. Mom is doing well and is completely competent and alert, so we are grateful for each and every day we have with her. Each day is a gift and I intend to be with her on this journey each step of the way. I am so grateful that I live near my Mom, as does my brother, so we could support her during this time. I think it has made an enormous difference to be close by. After all, family is the most important thing and ours is wonderful! Don't hesitate to tell the ones you love how you really feel about them while they are still with you. Life is always giving us new challenges to face so we never know what the next day will bring and who will be there to share that new day. So, tell them how much you love them ! Hope is a wonderful thing! The photo of Mom and I above is from Mother's Day last year.

Happy Fourth of July!

Looks like a beautiful summer weekend coming up for us here in New England. We have the Marblehead Arts Festival, harbor illumination and gigantic fireworks celebrations which are always jammed packed and fun! We will be out on our boat the "Carol Ann", a 28' Ellis bass boat,rafting up with my brother and other friends on the Fourth sitting in the middle of Marblehead harbor playing music, having lobster rolls, potato salad, deviled eggs and all kinds of summer treats that will be passed from boat to boat as we tie up together. It is a lot of fun! When the harbor illumination starts the flares are lit all around Marblehead Harbor casting a magical red glow reflecting off the ocean, making a wonderful sight for all to see. Then the fireworks start as darkness sets in around 9 pm on the Fourth of July! Coastal Living Magazine just named Marblehead one of the top 10 places in the country to celebrate the Fourth of July so come on and visit us. It's a charming town with a lot of history and all sorts of cultural events offered this coming weekend. Hope to see you there!

Focused, designing, planning, directing...

My new "Good Seasons" design group is being printed right now, my latest fabric collection for Andover Fabrics. Really terrific, I can see all sorts of opportunities for this collection to become other products besides fabrics! Trying to stay focused and directed on tons of new projects and designs to bring to meetings in Atlanta during the AmericasMart summer gift show. I have a new line launching for Blossom Bucket this July at the show that is just darling...all beachy designs...everything from my funky "Pink Ladies" flamingoes, to flip flop votive candle holders, fish, dancing crabs, stacked sand pails, my "Girlfriends on Vacation" group and lots lots more. They just do the greatest job in coming up with the cutest products ever...a sneak peek at some of the items...



With all of this wonderful product launch and new ideas, the energy level around here is staggering. One thing really does lead to another...a new Christmas collection that started as just a tiny speck of an idea is just growing and growing with new product ideas and prototypes. It is exciting and the creative juices are flowing so it is good to keep focused and directed while planning meetings and organizing ideas. Won't be long before I will be back in Atlanta so do stay tuned!!

Launching the Carol Ann

Summer in Marblehead, our favorite time of year with the boat...we will be spending this weekend launching the Carol Ann, our 28' Ellis Bass Boat, built down Maine...first we have to empty out the boat locker that has been packed all winter with all the boat gear stored safely and out of the winter weather and put all the cushions, pillows, life jackets, mats, lines, bumpers, tools, etc back on the boat. The engine has been checked, oil filters changed, the battery charged, the zincs replaced, the bottom painted and the entire cabin cleaned from top to bottom with special cleaners. The weather is gorgeous with lots of sunshine and a nice ocean breeze is blowing today. Once they put the boat in the harbor with the giant boat hauler, we then take her over to our mooring and tie her on once again and begin the reorganizing. Then we go through the boat and clean everything, washing down the decks and scrubbing the galley and head, which always gets dirty over the long winter months just from being stored and not used. Re supplying all the gear we need for the upcoming summer, opening all the vents and organizing all the lines.
The Captain has varnished the flag pole so it will look nice once again. Everything is ship shape and in it's place and ready to go. We bought a couple of new floor mats and some fun pillows just to freshen it up a bit.
Then we pack up our lunch to take along with us for the day...like lobster rolls, chips, pickles and snacks and head out for an afternoon cruise somewhere along the Massachusetts Bay. It is always fun and relaxing and a special time for us. We love it!

Back from Michigan-Back to work

I am back from a week in Michigan with the Captain. We had a great visit with our youngest daughter Sarah and her family...lots of fun! It took some doing for us to get home with all the crazy storms they had out in the mid-west. Our flight was delayed and delayed and finally we made it home on Tuesday. I am slammed with work!! I mean it is incredible the amount of product development I have to accomplish this week. It is Memorial Day weekend. Sometimes everything hits at once and that's the case for me right now. I am not complaining at all. Just saying it will be challenging to get it all done and keep everyone happy. It is also our official planting season here in New England, so the tomatoes and other plants need to be planted along with all our window boxes and new perennials I bought to add to the garden. The above design is from my new "Four Seasons" collection from Andover Fabrics and this is part of the Fall group. I just love how this group came out and I have decided to have a quilt made out of this fabric when it is printed. Just a quick hello since I have to get back to work! Lot of new items coming out this summer at the Atlanta Gift show so I will be sure to post photos when I return.

Working on New Designs

Things are always busy here at the Carol Eldridge Design Studio. I am developing new designs for all sorts of product lines, including several for new licensing clients. This fun summer design is part of my latest fabric collection called "Four Seasons" for Andover Fabrics, debuting this week at the Spring Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. Keeping up with all the design work and life is often a challenge, but I think passion goes a long way to helping me meet those challenges and successfully continue my artistic journey. When you love something you do you tend to work at it tirelessly because it means so much to you. I wake up each day eager to get to the studio and get to work. I love what I do.