~It's My Life~

It's My Life is hosted by Julie of Tattered Threads and Willing Hands

1. What did your home look like? Was is a house or an apartment? What color was it? Was it one story or two? We lived in what was called a foundation back in the early 50's, my dad built it, a one story. It had livingroom kitchen and 3 bedrooms and bath. When I was 12 he built a house, ranch on top by borrowing a little bit from Federal Credit, gee, try doing that today:0 It had 3 bedrooms, livingroom, kitchen and bath. The foundation was then a basement.

2. What was your neighborhood like? We had a great one, I had two best friends back then I can't even remember meeting them and we would play together in the spring, summer, fall and winter. Summer's were hot back then and winter's were cold and the snow lasted until April.LOL

3. Did you have a lawn? Did you have flower beds? Did you have a garden? Did you help care for the flowers or garden? My dad had a huge garden right beside the house...corn, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, potatoes and green onions...nothing tastes like my dad's garden and what I wouldn't give to have one of his tomatoes again. He did the gardening hisself I guess it was his relaxtion and hobby:) Mom had flowers all over, I remember morning glorys growing on a string to the top of the porch roof and me popping them. They both had green thumbs!

4. Did you have a front stoop or porch? We had a stoop I guess and on the house dad later built we had a porch on the front and patio off the back.

~Finally Get to Decorate and Our 4th~

Well, finally huh? It's been a long time, about 2 months since we started... more if you count putting the floors in:) I'm just glad it's over and now the FUN part has begun...Decorating!!! I'm going for a less cluttered look and what I don't want I'll sell but it's time to clear out, I know that I loving the homes that have that less cluttered look and I'm following Janae's advice that she gives on The Primitive Place stop by to see her beautiful home!
Here is the mantel, wish I had the time to do before and after pics but these will have to do...I painted the mantel blue then stained with dark walnut stain, it came out just how I thought it would, looks so much better than the poplar wood that was there and sure updated it. I don't think Stush was to thrilled about me painting it but I told him "trust me, it will look great". It's a long mantel but I only did the middle part of it I also used my Bennington batter bowl and put my patriotic pears in it. The clock looks great, so glad I bought it and painted the green blue! Ta Da!!! Can you imagine how thrilled I was yesterday when Stush brought the step back in? Look at my collection of yelloware, I think it looks so pretty on it, excuse the hanging light in the hallway we just haven't had time to go to Lowe's yet to by one, I want the same one that I have in the entryway.

Here's a picture of the entryway and I put the stepback to the left of the TV. I'm just loven my new look! The walls in this photo look white but there not you can tell by the ceiling which is white and the walls Country Beige from Wallmart:)

I moved the stand from the right of my sofa to the left and you can see in the trunk that I put in the keeping room...I still have alot of putzing to do what with hanging my shelf above the sofa but that has to wait for Stush to get to.

My wood bowls that I bought on ebay I put on this one narrow wall:) Love them there!

I also dug out my patriotic dishes but you can't really tell on this pic, I sure missed them...did the top of the hutch different and hung my blue Amish apron from the side. And my GW wood candle holder too.

Okay, here is a year later...Buster, Stush had to take him home because he was just shaking all over from the noise of the fire crackers, he's 3 now and is the sweetest dog so layed back and loves kids. When he does wonder off while we are working in the yard or garage we know just where to look...the playground.LOL

Stush and I as you can see my hair is longer, the wind was blowing so it moved my bangs straight down which I always have to the side. Maybe one day I'll take a good picture.:)

Michele and the girls plus Chris were with us, Sydney loved swimming in the river...

plus we watched the fireworks that the Legion put on for everyone:) I hope you had a great one too:)

~Happy 4th Everyone~

Just wanted to stop by real quick and wish everyone a happy 4th, I hope your are all with the people you love today and the food is out of this world.:)
These pictures are from last year, down at the docks I'll get more today and compare and see what has changed.
The first is our flag, not just mine but every one's and I pray that it never changes!!! Buster is bigger than this picture shows:)

My hair is longer (thank goodness) and I'm smaller in the waist area than I was here, you see how I gain around the waist and stomach area? Of course the horizontal top doesn't help,LOL

Stush...my soulmate, took me 51 years to find him please don't ever change hon:)

Happy 4th you guys!!!

~Whatcha Working on Wednesday~

Hi blogging friends!!!

Boy, is it pouring here...just bouncing off the sidewalk in the back and the pool looks like it has a zillion bubbles in it, that's what the weather has been like the last few days sometimes sunny then a downpour!

Stush and I were busy yesterday trying to get everything done he finished painting and I painted and stained more trim and yes, I did the mantel...I don't know if I should put more stain on it or not, I think I'll wait until I do the doors on either side of the fireplace first:)

I haven't been able to do to much crafting lately but I did manage to do the stacking boxes that I bought at Michaels, I did them in a Colonial Blue then a coat of dark walnut stain...after everything is back in place I think I'll be putting them on top of the hutch in the diningroom:)

July 3rd is Cory's birthday so I'm giving her this cutting board I did in the burgundy, I tied a black and beige homespun piece on it plus one of the pig cutting boards that didn't sale and a weed basket, Michael gave me a $100.00 to go to the Country Store to buy her some prim things he said "it all looked the same to him and that she liked everything I had " Boy, I'm glad I'm not a man:) I'd had fun though picking things out for her, I'll take pictures and try to post them tomorrow:) Oh, he bought her a sofa table too at The Country Store and I bought prim things to go on top of it:)

The picture of the cutting board was taken in my entryway BTW:)

Lastly...would you look at that African Violet!!! It sure listened to me when I told it I was going to throw it out didn't it.LOL I should transplant it to a bigger pot but frankly I'm afraid to touch for fear I kill it somehow.

Hopefully it doesn't rain for the 4th, we will be on the docks and river, everyone is bringing a dish of something to eat so we will be well fed:)

Have a great evening, I think I'm going to read and stitch some, I'm still working on the sampler that I posted last Wednesday:)

~My Life~

This is a picture of my mother's mom, the one I was named after, she was born in 1900 and I think she was 16 here, at the bottom of the picture you can see the pansies that her parents raised and sold...mom always loved pansy's:) She passed away at the age of 46 of a cerebral hemorrhage. Gee, notice the long dress? She had red hair and blue eyes, she met an Irishman named Danial Tolen boy, I bet there were fireworks over that one!

Good Morning friends:)

It's Tuesday and time for the family history project:) BTW I love doing this...it makes you think if you know what I mean:) ~ If you want to join in you can, just go to Julie's Tattered Threads and Willing Hands and sign up with Mr Linky!

This week's project is a little hard for me because I never really knew either set of grandparents...something I've always regretted in my life. I never had that special feeling the grandchildren feel or have knowing that your mom and dad's parents thought you were the best ever! I'm sure this has effected me somehow but I just don't know how, so I'll answer the questions as best that I can, okay?

1. Was yours a religious family? Not when I was little but I was baptized Catholic. When Michele was born we baptized her Russian Orthodox... before that my dad had went back to the religion he was raised with and so did I. I would take my kids every Sunday they were all baptized and confirmed Russian Orthodox and my oldest son Nick was married in the church and still attends with his wife and Alex.

Were Sunday's spent together with family? My mom's mother died when my mom was in her 20's and her dad died when I was about 4 or 5, I only remember seeing him once and my mom looked just like him. I think there was bad feelings with my parents and him.

2. Did your family take vacations? Yes, we would go camping, my dad was an avid hunter and fisherman, we would go to the Allegheny River with other families and have such a good time, I would sleep in the brand new Chevy station wagon on air mattresses ( remember now this was in the 50's ) I think my parents slept in a tent or I slept with my mom and my dad and brother Mike slept in the tent:) You see my parents had what you might say two sets of kids...Dave and Judy were born before WWII and Mike and I were born after so there was four years where my dad was gone. My older brother and sister were either married or had jobs where they couldn't go with us. We went every summer and would stay for weeks!

3. Do you remember any special stories your grandparents told you? Did you sit on a lap when you heard these stories or did you hear them when you and your grandparent would walk hand-in-hand, taking a stroll? Do you tell any of these same stories to your children? Sadly no!

4. Did your grandparents live nearby? My dad's mom lived near but she didn't speak

English only Russian, I remember my dad trying to talk to her, trying to remember the words in Russian, he could understand her but he had gotten away from speaking it. She wasn't a grandmotherly type or maybe she wasn't allowed to be...it was rumored that she liked to tip the vodka bottle to much:) My dad was one of seven and poor, his dad died when he was 16, dad only got to go to the 8th grade then had to go to work in the mill here (where my husband lost his job) but back then it was booming. My dad was very smart and I think it bothered him that he couldn't have graduated and went on to be something more. So I don't think there was good feelings between his mother and him...it was the 50's and you just didn't talk about things like you do now.

Back then in Pennsylvania during the 30's, 40's and 50's you were separated, so to speak, by your heritage...dad was Russian...mom was English and back then you just didn't do that, so I think there was bad feelings on both sides about them being together...how sad and how stupid!!! But that's the way it was back then, I do know one thing they loved me very much, maybe they tried to make up for us not having any grandparents, I really don't know, I do know

...Christmas's was so much fun, dad loved Christmas and always shopped with mom, oh, how he loved to shop, I've never found a man like that.LOL I think he loved it because he had been so poor and didn't want us ever to feel that way.

Well, that's it, I could write so much more but we would be here all day... and I think this is why I really try to be the best Grammy in the world because I missed all of that and I want them to feel that special kind of love that can only come from grandparents:)

~Mom Would Be Proud~

I found this cute idea from Cherry Hill Cottage , you will have to look thur her posts to find it, I tried and couldn't, she had gingham ribbon around it and hung on a door. Mine is tied with homespun and it didn't look to good on my door so I looped the rusty wire over the opposite side of my light post, my hanging basket of pink petunias is on the other side:) Just wrap wire around the mouth of the jar then homespun and you can really hang it anywhere you would like:)

Dark pink impatients hang on a hook and my garden sign I made a few years ago is weathering well!

I've even tried this year to plant flowers in a basket that I found at GW and painted black...so far so good with it. This is from someone that hated to garden...I used to think geraniums were ugly...mom loved them but I remember she always bought the pink ones:)

This is the window box under my keeping room window it's a little longer than the one under the kitchen window. I have a tin herb sign in there but now the flowers are really starting to grow and hide it:)

This one is under my kitchen window, I love looking at it first thing in the morning, I'll have my first cup of coffee standing at the sink just looking at how well they are doing. That is a tin garden rack in there supposed to hang it but I thought it looked cute in there instead.

I wish mom were here to see the flowers that I have planted, both my parents had green thumbs me? nada!!! But at least I try, I know she would be so proud of me, sometimes I feel her right there with me...that's how much she loved to garden. God gives us pleasures here on earth so I know that in heaven she is gardening amongst the most beautiful flowers... ones that we humans can't even imagine and I know she is so very happy!

~ Around the Top of My Cupboards ~

Good Friday morning!
It's gloomy here...I wish it would just go ahead and rain already:) No sun yet this morning but will be 84 and humid!
I went to my daughter's yesterday to turn the filter on for her pool and it was so hot that I decided to go for a swim...the water was so warm that I could just walk in, love it when it's like that, usually I inch my way in:0 A little bit later Nick and Alex came to swim than after a while Chris and his friend we had a good time until Chris went in the house and opened the refrigerator...came outside to tell me that the frig was broke!!! Oh, no!!! That was my late afternoon chore cleaning out a frig that we think had broke on Monday and here it was Thursday, you can just imagine the smell plus ants were there because of melted ice cream. Nick and I cleaned and thur out everything...thank goodness it was garbage night there, when I got home I could hardly eat because I still smelled that smell...yuck! BTW this frig is only a year old, she still doesn't know, I guess I'll tell her tomorrow they will be coming home then I just couldn't see calling and putting a damper on their vacation! At least they won't have to clean it out when they get home just get it fixed.

Here is the top of my kitchen cabinets...as you can see I'm keeping things simple up there...this is the cabinet right above the frig so we are going left to right:) I love the blue canning jars up there. Above the counter where I keep the coffee maker , bread box and cookie jar!

This is above the stove/microwave.

Corner where I have my lamp and kitchen utensils in crocks.

One cupboard over...

Then kitchen window and single cabinet:)

Stush got the ceilings done in the livingroom and diningroom and yesterday did the wall behind the TV and on over past the fireplace. So all that's left to do is about two more walls then painting the trim and doors and I really want to do the mantel too. Today Stush works so nothing will get done today, then we having a wedding to attend tomorrow:) This is taking longer then I ever thought it would but at least now I do see an end in sight.lol

Feeling a little sad too, to lose Ed, Farrah and Michael, Ed will always be part of my childhood and Farrah part of my 20's with Charlie's Angels...Michael's genius with his songs and dancing and the videos... a great entertainer, I always loved his music...so sad!

Have a great day and a big hello to my followers...I do plan on having a giveaway when all this work is finally over to just my followers and blogging friends