Day 13 ~ Capture Your Grief ~ Signs

Day 13 of Capture Your Grief has us sharing signs from our babies if we believe in them.

Twice the print pendant on my necklace has come off without any explanation. Nothing broke but it somehow just came off. Once it came off in Lainey’s hand and the other it just fell off. I like to think it was a sign from Carleigh.

Day 8 ~ Capture Your Grief ~ Jewelry

Day 8 of Capture Your Grief has us sharing a piece of jewelry we have in memory of our baby/babies.

I have quite a few pieces of jewelry in memory of Carleigh and one that includes both Carleigh and Jordan.

The piece that I wear most often is very special to me. The necklace is the cross necklace that Carleigh wore for her visitation and service. On that necklace is her baby ring and a pendant (from My Forever Child) that has one of her handprints on one side and her footprints on the other side. I am sad to say that the cross on the necklace fell off and I wasn’t able to find it. I have been meaning to replace it but haven’t yet. I know it won’t be the same since it didn’t touch her but a replica is at least a reminder of it.

Another piece I have for Carleigh is a charm necklace (from My Forever Child). The charms say “imagine”, “dream”, and “believe”. There is a gold star charm and also 2 purple gem/stone charms.

I had a copper necklace made (from Mama Mia) for Carleigh since it was something different than what I normally would wear. One copper disc has her name and the larger disc has “My Shining Star” and it has a gold star charm.

The square bracelet is the first piece of jewelry that I received. It was a gift from my good friend Sue at My Forever Child. I received it the evening of Carleigh’s 1st visitation and it was so, so wonderful to get it. It has Carleigh’s footprints on one side and her name and birth date on the other side.

In addition to the bracelet above, I received the Always in My Heart pins too from Sue. Sue has also given me the butterfly charm. It has Carleigh’s name on one side and her birth date on the other.

My most recent jewelry are fine silver angel wings (Sue-Ella Signature Designs). One wing is for Carleigh and the other is for Jordan. On the back of the wings are both Carleigh’s and Jordan’s names in the sand that were written by Carly at Christian’s Beach. A little bit of sand from the beach is sealed in each of the wings.

The angel pin is one my MIL gave me from Angels From My Heart. It has Carleigh’s birth stone on it.

The small baby feet pin is one that is pretty common. It is the supposed size of the feet of a 12 week gestation baby, which is when we lost Jordan. I had the pin before but then it must have gotten lost or misplaced. So happy to have it again!

The cross necklace is one I had made from The Vintage Pearl. On the back of it it is inscribed Psalm 73:26, which is the verse below my header.

Treasure in Heaven

 

I have a special necklace that I wear almost every day. It is a cross necklace that Carleigh wore during her visitation and service. On the necklace I also have her baby ring and a pendant with her hand and footprints. This necklace is very special to me.

About 2 weeks ago I noticed that the cross on the necklace was gone. I searched all around our house for it hoping that I would find it but I couldn’t. I’m pretty sure it may have come off while we went to a local museum and if that’s the case then it definitely is gone forever. At first, it upset me but after some time and a conversation with my aunt I’m feeling much better about it. First, because I’m pretty sure I can get the cross replaced and while it’s not the exact one that Carleigh wore at least a replica can be a reminder. Second, this small piece of jewelry is just a “thing”. My real treasure is not on this earth, but in Heaven.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  Matthew 6:19-20

I’m so glad that one of my most precious treasures (my children) is in a place that is safe and where nothing can be destroyed or lost. While the keepsakes I have on this earth of my daughter mean a lot to me, they will never compare to my treasure that is waiting for me up in Heaven.

Silver Angel Wings

Not to long ago Franchesca held a giveaway for a silver angel wing necklace from Sue-Ella Signature Designs. I happened to be the lucky winner of the necklace. It was such a wonderful surprise! I had been eyeing some of this same jewelry and here I had won one! It just really made my day.

I got in contact with Sue to figure out what I wanted to do with the necklace I had won. I decided that I wanted to buy another angel wing on top of the one I had won so that I could have one for Carleigh and one for Jordan. Sue suggested a different angel wing necklace where I could have the wings facing the opposite way and it sounded perfect.

Last week I got my lovely necklace in the mail and it is just so beautiful. And I just happened to be wearing my angel wing shirt of Carleigh’s that my friend Mary made me.

The angel wings are fine silver with a sterling silver chain. On the back of the angel wings are my babies’ name in the same photos that Carly took. Each angel wing also contains sand from Christian’s beach.

Then I got snap happy with my camera and decided to take a picture of the angel wings with their sculptures from The Midnight Orange. So you see Jordan’s angel wing with his yellow Sleeping sculpture and Carleigh’s angel wing with her purple Sleeping sculpture. I just love how it turned out.

Thank you, Sue, for such a beautiful necklace! I truly love it!

My new necklace

Over Christmas the team members of Grieve Out Loud had a little gift exchange. Heather was my Secret Santa and she got me a gift certificate to The Vintage Pearl. I’ve always wanted to get something from there and now I had an excuse! I use my gift certificate and a coupon code and got a great deal.

The night I went on their site looking for what I wanted was when the posted one of their newest items. It was this antique silver cross necklace that you could have inscribed with a verse on the back. Perfect! I bought it and had it inscribed with Psalm 73:26, which is the verse at the top of my blog.

Over the weekend my necklace finally arrived. I love it a lot! Thank you so much Heather!

Merry Christmas to me!!

I received a wonderful surprise from my husband tonight. I have a piece of jewelry that I wear almost every day that is very special to me. It is a gold cross necklace that Carleigh wore for her visitation and her service. It is dainty and beautiful.


On this necklace I have placed her gold baby ring. We had it sized as small as we could. On the outside of the ring it has a beautiful design. Many times throughout the day I touch her ring and put my finger through it. It's actually become a habit now and I do it without realizing that I am.

My plan was to get a small gold pendant with Carleigh's hand print on it from My Forever Child to add to this necklace. My sneaky husband apparently asked one night about what I wanted to figure out what to get instead of just appearing interested. Sue and Anthony talked on the phone and she created my pendant. Anthony even paid for it with his work credit card and had it delivered to our neighbors' house so I wouldn't know. He went over to our neighbors' house this evening to 'supposedly' tell them that we would be gone for a few days (which I'm sure he did anyway since they keep an eye on our house) and he came back and surprised me with my pendant.


I told him I felt bad because I didn't get him anything for Christmas (that's our thing). He said it wasn't a Christmas present but just something he wanted to do for me. Ok, my heart is melting!

Thank you so much sweetie for surprising me with something I wanted so much. And thanks Sue for creating it!

Carleigh's necklace

I've been wanting to get a special handstamped necklace for Carleigh for awhile now. I looked at many different sites for ideas and to see who to go with. When I found out that fellow babylost mommy and blogging friend Tina (mommy to Sophia & Ellie) created custom handstamped jewelry I knew I wanted to go with her. She even has her own Etsy store called Mama Mia, which you can find in my Helpful Links.

Tina was incredible to work with. She listened to the ideas that I had for what I wanted and helped me turn the creative juices into something real. When she didn't have the items stocked that I wanted, she sent for them. She allowed me to be a part of every step and kept me so informed in the process that I felt like I was right there making it beside her. :)

When Tina showed me the final product, you can't believe how happy I was. It was perfect!! Carleigh's necklace was exactly how I imagined it would be. Tina told me how to care for my necklace and even sent me the items to do so. I received my necklace in the mail today and I was just so excited. I held it and 'oooo'd' and 'ahhh'd' over it. Then I put it on!!



Thank you so much, Tina, for doing such a fabulous job!! I know Carleigh's necklace was created with a lot of love and care. I am so glad that it was you who made it.

Raffle for Sufficient Grace Ministries

The Saturday of the Pancake Breakfast I did something out of impulse. As I was driving a thought entered my head and before I knew it I was at Michael Ellers (a well known jewelry store in Findlay) and I bought something. I found a necklace called a captive opal (aka floating opal). It is a glass bead that has opal flakes that float in it. It is suspended on a 14K gold chain. It's really neat and when I saw it I knew I had to buy it. (Sorry about the pic-I don't have a real fancy schmancy camera.) You can also view it here. (It is the 10th pendant in the Carla line.)

When I bought this necklace I had in mind to do a type of raffle/giveaway thing to benefit Sufficient Grace Ministries. So I talked it over with Kelly and got everything finalized.

Each entry of the raffle is $2 and can be submitted by the ChipIn widget below. There is no limit to how many entries one person can have. (You can either do multiple entries separately or lump them together-whichever way is easiest for you!)

This raffle will run for 2 weeks beginning at the time of this post and ending at 11:59 pm EST on June 21. The winner will be announced at noon EST on June 22.

The goal is to raise at least $100 and it would be so wonderful to raise even more than that! So please spread the word and together let's help Sufficient Grace Ministries help grieving families!


Wondering what Sufficient Grace Ministries for Women is?

Sufficient Grace Ministries for Women, a 501 (c ) 3 non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization, was founded in 2004 by Kelly Gerken with the purpose of reaching out to women and families to offer comfort, encouragement and hope. The Dreams of You division of this ministry was created specifically to provide comfort to women and families who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. Kelly has experienced the loss of twin daughters (Faith and Grace) at 26 weeks and the loss of an infant son, Thomas who died shortly after birth from Potter's Syndrome. From her own family's journey of grief and healing, Kelly has created the Dreams of You Memory Book and other beautiful support materials to help families form a precious memory for their babies who leave this earth too soon. Her mother, Kathy Rutter, created the Comfort Bear in 2004 for grieving mothers to have something to hold to comfort the ache of their empty arms. (Although Kathy went home to heaven in October 2006, the bears are still made with a grandmother's love and prayers by the Helping Hands Ministry at Harvest Fellowship Church.) Over the years, Kelly has shared her testimony of God's comfort and sufficient grace and her gift of song with churches and women's groups. She has also given hospital seminars encouraging caregivers on the importance of creating a tangible memory and understanding the grieving parent's perspective. The Dreams of You Memory Book and Baskets are currently available at 5 local hospitals: Lima Memorial, St. Luke's, St. Charles, Henry County, and Defiance Regional Medical Center as well as Rodenberger Funeral Home. Many individuals have come to us as well through our website and word of mouth. Bereaved parents are never asked to pay for our materials. We are supported through donations from individuals, hospitals and other organizations. Sufficient Grace Ministries also provides a quarterly newsletter, The Women's Edge, which encourages more than three hundred women in eight states, through biblical truth. Our memory book is now featured in a national catalog (A Place to Remember). We are also working on expanding and completing more projects to serve grieving families.

Please visit the website and Kelly's blog to learn more! If you're like me, you'll fall in love with Kelly right away. She's a wonderful friend and a loving and caring person who always encourages me! Thank you Kelly for your ministry and your willingness to help so many families. God bless you!

Want a necklace like mine?

This post is for those of you who liked the necklace Emily got me and are interested in getting one for yourself. Click here to see mine.

These necklaces can be found on ebay. The lady's name is Tammy. If you have any questions or want more information you can go to ebay and contact Tammy or you can email Emily at erjames012082@yahoo.com.

Also, to let you know, Tammy will be giving 10% of each purchase to the charity of my choice, which will be Sufficient Grace Ministries. Just let her know that you got the info from Emily James or Holly and she'll make sure the money gets there.

Thank you, Emily, for letting me know about this!

Thanks Emily!

You know, I really have to chuckle in amazement at how God works sometimes. If you recall in a previous blog, I gave away my angel wing necklace to a mom I thought needed it more than I did. (Continue to pray for Jen's sister! And pray for my friend PJ too! BTW I sent those necklaces out today for you guys!) Today in the mail I got a necklace from my friend Emily from CM. It is a mother's necklace and it has gemstones of my 3 girls' birthdays-Hannah & Kyndra in January (red stones) and Carleigh in March (blue stone).

So in giving a necklace I got one in return!! Just amazing. Thank you Emily! It's wonderful!

Winner of Memorial Day Giveaway

Congratulations to PJ!!!

Enter a lower limit: 1
Enter an upper limit: 17
Random Number: 10

Your comment was #10 on the list and you won! How exciting!! I will get a hold of you later today. ;)

BUT it's not over!!! I have a special surprise!! After reading a certain comment I really felt led to give up my own necklace.

"my sister is on the verge of delivering her baby with T18.. this would be a perfect gift to give her.. we spent yesterday with her and are doing our best to remember the positive parts of the pregnancy and praying that we get to see little Grace Marie for even a short time. hugs to you holly!!"

So, Jen M. I am going to give you my necklace for your sister. I think she needs it more than I do. Email me at caring4carleigh@yahoo.com so I can get your info.

Let's all keep Jen's sister in our prayers!!

(If you're thinking "shucks, I didn't win", it's ok!! I do plan to have more giveaways in the future so stay tuned! These giveaways are just way too fun for me to ever stop doing.)

Memorial Day Giveaway

Happy Memorial Day to everyone! I hope you are enjoying spending time with your families and remembering those who have served and are currently serving our country. Without them, we wouldn't be enjoying the many freedoms we have today.

A lot of families also remember loved ones they have lost on this day. Anthony and I went back to visit our family over the weekend so we didn't visit the cemetery or take any flowers. But we would have had we stayed home. I do plan on visiting this week though and I'm hoping Carleigh's marker is finally up by then.

Over the weekend I did a little shopping and I got a few shirts at Maurice's. I only had to spend $10 more to get a free flipflop and I couldn't pass up on that offer. I found a necklace with 2 angel wings and I really liked it so I picked up an extra one to give to one of my readers who has lost a precious child. The necklace is a longer one and is silver in color. Each wing is about 2 inches long from end to tip of the wing.

So, if you have an angel in Heaven, whether you lost them early in your pregnancy or a little later in life, and you would like to win this necklace just leave a comment and tell me if you did anything to remember your little one today. This giveaway will end Wednesday right before midnight.

(New Reading Group post will be up tomorrow evening. Figured I'd give you all a break for the holiday.)

A few more gifts

We have received a few more gifts lately.

My friends Tara (TaraKay) and Rebecca (MylifeMylove23) from Cafemom got me a couple baby books from A Place To Remember. I told Tara I couldn't decide between a couple of them since I couldn't look through them and see them personally and I had planned to get them both and then decide but they offered to get them for me, which I really appreciate! I decided to go with the one with the light blue cover so now I just need to get the memorial book to go with it. The other book I will offer to the ladies in my ABFA group. Thank you ladies!!!
Melinda, who goes to my church, made a couple hats. One is for Kyndra and one is for Carleigh. I think you can figure out which hat goes to who. They are very cute! Thank you!!
Anthony's Grandma crocheted a blanket for Carleigh. I had told her that I didn't have one that would be buried with her so she asked what I wanted and I said a blanket that was white and lavender and not too big. The blanket is just perfect and she did a wonderful job! Thank you Grandma!!
Anthony's Mom bought Carleigh a cross necklace from Von's and also rings for Kyndra and Carleigh from there. The necklace is gold with a small diamond in the middle. Kyndra's ring is solid gold and Carleigh's has a design around the edge. It's hard to see in the picture the exact designs because since it is so close up you can't see a lot of detail. Thanks Mom!!!