8 Questions and 8 Answers: Compliments of Donna at "The House on the Corner"

Christmas at Jean's

1954

(I had the mumps!)

What is your favorite childhood memory?

I have to say ONE of my favorite memories (I have many!) was Christmas at Jean's... my grandparents' home. There were always tons of gifts, wonderful food... and the children were allowed to have a little bit of watered down Mogan David wine. Yippee!!

If you could come back as any person in history, who would it be and why?

Believe it or not, considering the way she ended up.. I would have to say Amelia Earhart. I have always admired her bravery. Some stories say that she wasn't the pilot that she was made out to be, but in my book she was!


You have 5 minutes to evacuate your house. All your loved ones are safe (both the two legged and four legged varieties). What would you grab from your home on your way out the door?

Hands down it would be my genealogy files and pictures. Which tells me I should have them on separate discs and a copy kept outside of the home.

Of the posts you have created for your own blog, which one was your favorite (be sure and link it to your answer) and why?

Oh, dear, that is hard. The postings I made about my family and relatives... which is about what most of my blog centers around.

What is your dream vacation?

I would love to spend five days in Blowing Rock, North Carolina and five days in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. I've spent time in both places but never got my fill. If you are a fan of Jan Karon and the Mitford series... Mitford was patterned after Blowing Rock.

When you know you don't have to leave the house - do you get dressed or stay in your PJ's?

Oh, dear, I can see my friend, Laura (White Spray Paint), shaking her head at me. If my hair, makeup and half-way decent clothes are not right, then it's just not a good day for me. Even sloppy, fast makeup doesn't do the trick for me. (I know... I am hopeless!!)

Do you sing in the car when you're all alone?

Wow! Doesn't everyone?? My favorite is Chuck Berry!! "Ridin' around in my automobile...."
Have you ever been to an auction and if so, what did you buy? Were you totally in love with the item - or did you accidentally, through no fault of your own, get caught up in the moment and buy something that when you later got home, wondered - "why in the world".......not that that has happened to me....I'm just saying......

I have been to an auction, but found out quickly that I did not care for the atmosphere at all. Now, I can get pretty competitive with a silent auction. I did end up with a bracelet that I've never worn. Not good!

Show and Tell Friday - Mother's cream pitcher

Spode/Copeland Creamer

This little cream pitcher has shaped my love of ceramics probably more than anything my mother ever gave me. Poor little pitcher had a broken "arm" and Mother patched it up with a glue that has yellowed with time. The bottom of the pitcher

reads "Copeland - Spode - England".

Mother tucked a little note inside the creamer that reads,

July, 2002

Dear Karen - Spode later became Copeland. "Brown transfer of a farm scene." Is one of 3 pcs. I only have this one --

Wedding gift from Bobby and Camille.

Love, Mother

I know this little pitcher is the basis for my love of

MacKenzie-Childs, MacLachlan pattern. This little salad plate alone is $145... a reason why I have none of it!

But wouldn't my little pitcher look sweet with a grouping of this pattern??

I should find a daisy and start picking the petals. "Shall I; shall I not?"

I cannot publish a picture that includes the books to the right of my little pitcher without mentioning that these are three of my parents' books.

The red book is my mother's book that is filled with interview of

decendents of early Italian settlers in the Brazos Bottom in Texas.

The white book is her written history of our family and

their adventure coming to America.

The black book is my father's which records the history and stories

of the Seventh Armored Division during WWII.

I so miss my parents!

I am linking the posting to

My Romantic Home
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

for

Show and Tell Friday

White Wednesday - Jean's white chair

Jean's white chair

If you have followed my blog in the past you may remember that we called my grandmother by her first name, "Jean"... her request as she felt that she was much too young to be a grandmother.

Oh well...

This beautiful chair was in her living room for many years and was located near the fireplace.

I loved this chair.

Jean knew that, so in later years when she was well into her late 80's, she made sure that everyone

 knew who the chair was to go to...

It's been a bit of family joke that Jean was so

insistant that I get the chair that she wrote

my name on the back of it. Yikes!!

I need to have the chair recovered but all

joking aside... I can never bring myself to have

my name removed from the back.

I guess if you really believe in something,

it's best to have your thoughts cut in stone.

I'm linking to

White Wednesday at

Faded Charm

                              http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/

"Three or More" with my guys!

Ryan, Lance, Daren and David

Recently all of my men were together for the first time in nearly two years. It was only for two hours, but we relished every minute of it.

I remember my mother saying that the best sound

to her ears was to listen to all of her children

under one roof talking.

I truly know what she means.

Lance is our oldest son and lives in Mexico.

Daren is our middle son and he lives in La Jolla, California.

Fortunately Ryan, our youngest, lives nearby

and we see him fairly often.

I'm not sure when we'll have the same opportunity

to be together, but for now, I'm just reflecting on

that wonderful visit.

I'm linking to

Three or More Tuesday

                                                  The Gypsy Corner

                                          http://www.thegypsyscorner.com/

Mosaic Monday - Our Carmen goes to first grade

Carmen

Our granddaughter will enter first grade
on Monday.
I remember my first day of school so vividly.
Look to the right on this blog and you will see
my picture that first day.
Carmen will be full of self-confidence.
She has been attending school since she was two years old. She is our oldest son's first child. They live in Mexico. Carmen has attended an English-speaking
school and because of the bilingual home she has
grown up in, she understands English and Spanish very well... and can read a little in both languages.
She will be dressed in her school uniform,
new shoes, backpack on her back and
a snack for breaktime.
She will also carry her purse which she
will have organized with all of her favorite
things... an old cell phone, pencils, lip gloss, note pad,
an old set of keys, and Kleenex. All very similar
to her mother's purse.
I wonderful what she will think tomorrow?
Will she know that this year will have
a few more demands on her?
Classes start at 7:30 A.M. and end at 1:30 P.M.
I just talked to Carmen on the phone and she
is so excited.

I hope the world is ready!!

I'm linking to
Little Red House
for Mosaic Monday
http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/

Summer Sundays - At Rancho Don Pedro, Mexico

Sundays at Rancho Don Pedro, Mexico

Right now, there is nothing I would like better than to be at our ranch in Mexico with our grandchildren.

These pictures were taken at our trip down there a few months ago.

Sundays at Rancho Don Pedro, named after my husband's father, "Pete", would mean a couple of

hours with the children and then our son

and his wife joining us later to barbecue.

There is usually some swimming and sometime

the trampoline is set up.

There is plenty of room to practice bicycling

and my ever-so-patient husband spends a lot

of time with the grandchildren teaching them

things children just love to do!

Here he is pictured with our granddaughter.

Our grandson loves these little toys that

need no motor to run. There is plenty of area

to just go and go.

Can't wait for our trip back down there in November!

I'm linking to

Summer Sundays

Which will be changing to Seasonal Sundays

after Labor Day!

The Tablescaper

http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/