Chocolates and Diamonds~

Chocolates and Diamonds are a womans desires~
This year for Christmas,LaMarr gave me "Chocolate Diamonds"

Gift wrapped in iced chocolate~ And from "Jared the Jewerly Store".
LaMarr, is a romantic at heart~I think he is a "Keeper" smile~

My Daughters Jewerly Boxes~Childhood Memories~

Christmas was wonderful this year, I was able to find a gift for my daughters, that actually made them both tear up..Kristy was really crying, made my heart almost stop I was so upset/happy~

Both my daughters had these little pink ballerina jewerly boxes when then were about 8 and 9.
Over the years the boxes were worn,the ballerina stopped dancing, but I kept the boxes in a cedar chest, for memories mostly~

Last year they both were looking in the Memory Chest, the dolls they played with as children, were snuggled in with trophies of baseball,cheerleading.

They both were so happy to see their old childhood play mates, they sat in the floor exchanging memories - what each doll,reminded them of.
As I was sewing, I listened and watched my grown daughters talk about their childhood, my heart was so full of love for these beautiful women that are my daughters,

Then one pulled out the old ragged jewerly boxes, one said "I wish we had been more careful with these".
One said "I would love to sit them on my dresser today~

So the journey began for the "Jewerly Boxes". and I found the exact boxes at a Vintage Store on line..the store had 2..still in the original boxes,Be still my heart~

I had to have those jewerly boxes, I could not wait till UPS delivered them.
I opened the package and years flew by- I could see my daughters, sitting in the floor dolls all around, plastic jewerly cluttering those pink jewerly boxes.
I knew I had my Christmas Gift~ for my girls~

I ask them "If" they wanted all their childhood things.
Both said,"We will wait mom".~~

Day After~

The day after.
Whirlwind month, all the cleaning, decorating,shopping cooking, preparing food for the family was exhausting,but worth every moment~

My mother was with us this year,she is very frail,she managed to be here for her family,even though I could tell it was exhauting for her.
32 family members gathered this year at my home,missed my sister, "Mary" and her family,she is too ill to travel.

Lots of laughter,good food,and reminiscing of days gone by~
Troy,(Angie's husband), put his heart in the blessing this year, more than a few tears were shed, which is good to remember our loved ones that are gone~

Laurie,(my sister in law), lost her dad a week before Christmas,a sudden death is always hard.Our faith leads us~


32 family members gathered around the warmth of the fireplace, a few snoozing,the children excited,we give thanks to you Lord~ for the many blessings that is bestowed on our family.

Another year is passing~ With it we close the book on another chapter in our lives..

Changes happen,Life goes on~

Good news,Sad News.. but positive~
We finally sold our other homestead..wow, it was a journey.
2 years on the market, we had many people wanting the place, but the banks were just not lending.

Of all people to buy the homestead was my mother's heart doctor.
Guess its true Doctors have all the money~ smile~
We closed Monday~ The house is no longer ours..

Sad that another family homestead is gone..we sold ours in 2006 to Wal Greens..
The 1st. thing they did was bulldoze the 152 year old house.
I cried for days.. we had no choice but sell.
NO privacy.

I love the house we live in now but it doesn't have the history that our old homestead had..LaMarr's family had owned the land before the house was built, the old victorian was 152 years old, nooks and crannies I just loved, the high ceilings were a little hard to heat in the winter, the old red cedar sun porch was my favorite place to sit.. well I guess I better get used to this new fangled house,smile~

We had purchased land many years ago 4 miles up the road, we built the place we live in now.

Lots of memories and history~
It does have its good points, the verandahs/porches are nice you can almost see forever on the top porch, I spend a lot of time here

I write in my jourmal while enjoying the wildlife, and they are unaware I am even there.
The old barn is has its own creatures, the barn owls, and our barn cats that love to nap there,
The meadows are abundent in wildflowers in the Spring

We have the same street name just a different number,the same phone,just a different place ~

Once a small town was now, becoming a Huge Place to build a business.
They were building all around us, across the street ACE hardware shoved, Barn Owl Farm Supples to the curb'

The drugstore in town was replaced with CVS,

The family Dr. we all had went to for years, was shutting down.
The Ooltewah Medical Clinic was the new place to go.


To this day I cannot walk in that Wal Greens.
It would be like walking on hallowed grounds.

Changes happen,Life goes on with or without our worldly possessions..
Main thing is: Family. Faith. Love~

1943 Love Lost,Memories Last~

While looking through one of my cedar chests today, for a quilt I wanted to give my daughter Kristy for Christmas, an heirloom from my grandmother.

Sitting in the floor,I gathered lost memories.
I had not thought of my grandfather in years,

I have no memory of him, the war took him from us in 1943.
His photo was in a oval frame in my grandmothers bedroom, black and white in his uniform,he was a handsome man.

I remember granny once sat with me, as she told me of her love and how they met.
She worked in a drugstore, soda fountain girl,in walked this tall lanky boy that made her swoon~ her words.

Love at 1st. site. They were married for a few years,the children came-- then the war began.

As the years passed the letters were all that held them together,

Post cards sent from way across the world from Japan,a silk pillow case in pretty stitching with "All My Love",
Mementos of a life that never lived out its days here on earth.

Old photos of happy times tied with ribbons,

Then the time came when the letters just stopped arriving, she said she waited for the knock,
How can you endure the wait? How do you go on? They came one day, she knew without a word spoken, she would go on without him, her love would wait for her on golden shores.
The letter arrived informal, reading I am sorry to inform you..

Then the brown paper box was delivered..a folded flag, just a name.
Granny said it took her a long time to open that old plain paper box.

Was this all that their was?
Memories~~ December.12.2011 Storming today, the mountain is smokey with haze, piddling in the house, cleaning our home office dusting the memories LaMarr has on his shelves. 2 grandfathers and a father served in the war, dusting these treasures makes you feel the presence of these men~ A grandfather that never came home from the war. All that remains is his memory~ The purple heart.

The letters tied with tattered ribbons,

Memories on the dresser,granddads old pocket watch,the glass cracked and worn.

a key that once opened the door to his farm..a silver framed photo of long ago..

it must have been winter, the flower boxes are empty...the land barren..I see an old mason jar by the doorway,

Wonder what it was used for.

Great Granddads Navy hat from World War 1

Memories last a lifetime, 3 American Flags sit on these shelves, all from men that loved and served our country, 1 a prisoner of war,1 that never came home, 1 that loved his country dearly till the day he died.

When I lay my hand on these old flags,there is a sadness but also a proud feeling that touches my soul.

Weeks passed another brown paper box from the United States Army.

Grand Dad's Purple Heart.

He lived and died for his country.
She still wished for the man she fell in love with till the day she died...no one never took his place~

Ginger Bread House Forgotten~

This year I am going to build
The Forgotten Ginger Bread House~
3 years ago my daughter Ben, said. "Mom let's build a gingerbread house".
I bought the ginger bread kit,called her and said we have our gingerbread house to build,
All the extra candies were throw away the 1st year.

3 years later the gingerbread house still sits on the pantry shelf~
She never has the time to sit for a moment, no let me say she does not take time for "herself".

Brenda at 17 years old

As the years pass you see things in your childens's lives, they think you overlook.

The weakness in her husband is taking her life a little at a time, family matters are personel to me, but my heart hurts for her.


The ones you think will be the strongest sometimes are the ones that need you the most~

Brenda 6 months old

Brenda was always the serious one, knew what she wanted in life,

I wonder at what point in her life her dream became just that "a dream."
We don't have control over who we fall in love with.

Have you ever just wished you could turn back the pages of your "Life" and your childrens, tear a page from the book and add another one in it's place?

Today I wish I could rewrite her "Life's Story".

Decorating the Tree

Doll tree in the foyer~

Our Childhood Christmas Books

Vintage Elfs family treasures

Pet Presents under the tree

pencil santas

Winter Berries Yard Clippings

Many years ago I helped my granny and mother gather greenery,pine cones,red berries.for our "Fancy porch wreaths". baskets sitting on the porch filled with nuts and walnuts~...

Times haven't changed over the years...we stll cut and stack our wood for winter,
The wheelbarrow will be filled with "Gatherings from Nature"~
The porch railing will have branches from the fir trees,tied with jute string.. magnolia branches,red berries...pine cones in old baskets,
a bird nest here and there..

Iron Skillet Cheese Bacon Egg

Iron Skillet Cheese Bacon Egg

1 cup grated cheese
1 pound bacon,cooked,crumbled
2 cups frozen hash browns
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg
salt,pepper to taste
combine in large bowl potaotes,onions,cheese mix
add to a well oiled Iron Skillet
the potatoes,onions and cheese

mix the beaten egg and milt together and pour over mixture, add crumbled bacon on top
bake at 350 55 to 60 minutes or until golden brown
I love to cook prepare new dishes
~

Iron Skillet Peach Cake

Farmhouse Iron Skillet Cake,served warm wonderful

This cake 'needs' that old iron skillet. Don't even think "cake pan" the taste,texture just will not be there.

Add 3 tablespoons oil in iron skillet heat in oven, iron skillet needs to be good and hot before adding cake mixture.

1 box yellow cake mix
1 stick butter melted
3 eggs beaten
1 can comstock peach pie

do not use a mixer,blend by hand,all ingredients except peaches.
gently stir in peaches after blending the cake mix,butter,eggs
remove iron skillet from oven,add cake mixture while skillet is hot.
bake about 35 minutes or till golden brown, cake crust will be crunchy.

Oh The Days Of October~

Chilly morning,the frost on the pumpkins,the cats wearing their sweaters,kicking the frost off their paws,
noses in the air sniffing, soon they will be "thinking" BRRR,too cold we will stay in this time.

October,came and went so fast,White Oak mountain ablaze with autumns glory,the wood smoke has already scented the hollow,
soon the bareness of the long winter will be here.

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.
-- L. M. Montgomery

We have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by.
But some of them are golden only because we let them slip. -- J. M. Barrie

Whiskey From A Teacup~

Cast Offs-Treasures and Daughters

I love to shop with my girls, each one has a different taste,together we can whip up some great outfits.
My daughter Kristy gave me this coach bag..LOVE it~

The boots are from Kristy.

she is a boot addict. but when she tires of a style..Mama gets them..I love cast offs,Krisy changes her mind as often as the wind.. Brenda is more a Keeper for life daughter.

This beautiful soft poncho coat

is from Brenda, it feels like soft cotton, not to mention my favorite color... I know I will be wearing these very often~