Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

(These are cards that I made for my Mom and Mother-n-Law with Creative Memories Storybook Software. I used a few of the images from the software and others from vintage cards/postcards.)

My Favorite Things Saturday!

Home Sweet Home

Our recent move has driven me to reflect on my past homes. My hubby and I have owned a total of 3 homes. We have built one, and purchased 2 new construction or spec homes. This move has caused me to realize how much "home" really means to me. Given the recent natural disasters it has not escaped me how much a home means to all of us. I have been blessed with always living in a house with a yard and in a good neighborhood. I don't think I truly reflected on this until I moved away for the very first time.
Being able to define a space allows me a creative outlet that I have taken for granted. I love being able to create rooms that reflects not only myself but my family. This is truly one of my biggest and life defining favorite things. From the blogs I have been following I know this to be true for so many people.


Here is my first house (well not mine, and not my very first - couldn't find a picture of that). This is the home I lived in for most of my childhood. These two pictures don't do it justice. It was a wonderful home. It had two very large boulders in the front yard with a rose bush and beautiful dogwood tree. To top it off it had an in-ground pool in the backyard complete with screened porch and a large boulder for drying off in the sun. The screened porch had a tin roof which I can still hear the sound the rain made on it!

My second home was in Texas. We purchased it before we were ever engaged. At that time rent prices were more expensive than home mortgages and it made financial sense to purchase. So yes I did "shack-up" before I was married. Not a choice for everyone but it was a right choice for us. We used Texas limestone for facade and fireplace. We watched this home be build from the foundation up it was so exciting and rewarding.


My third home was in Richmond VA and very much a typical Colonial in every sense. I plan on doing a complete home tour sometime soon to showcase it. We were there 10 years and I LOVED this house. Probably because the length of time I was there as much as the life events that happened while I was in the home. If I could hug a house I would have given this home a big bear hug. I will humbly admit that I did hug a wall or two prior to leaving!

My fourth home and current home is wonderful too. I am just discovering some of the things I love about it. It is in some ways so different from our previous home and then in others very similar. I am sure others have found they have new hobbies or interests once in a new home. I am discovering my green thumb. The Richmond house had hardly any shade. This home has a great position, it has a great mix of both sunny and shady spots. In the previous home I had to turn to a landscape architect to know what to plant where. Now I know what I want and where to put it. Well I am 10 years older and wiser so I guess that helps!

I hope that no matter where you are everyone reading this blog has a sense of home sweet home!

My Favorite Things Friday

I had a very close relationship with my paternal grandfather. He gave me this letter to my father (Cecil) from Santa when I was in college. My mother had it framed for me and I have cherished it ever since.

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Here is the text:

Mr. Cecil Tate.

Dear Cecil:

Your letter received and I like to hear from and write little boys like you.

Depend on me boy to be at your home the night before Christmas. I will be there just as sure and the sun arose this morning and you depend on me. Will have lots and lots of toys and games for the boys in and around Seaford and if the roads are clear I think I will use the new truck, should it snow you be sure your father has the paths clear and that your mother has a good warm fire.

Be good boy, don't eat too much, always look both ways before you cross the roads as we don't want any sick or injured boys on Christmas or any other day.

Take good care of your brother, mother and father and I will be on the job.

Until Then,

your old friend

Santa

North Pole

Dec. 15 1940

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I especially love the typewriter that drops the letters. The fact that it came from my grandfather whose picture is in the dictionary next to cantankerous is even better!

Enjoy! I have two more favorite posts and then some great posts for next week!

My Favorite Things Thursday!

I have had this dresser ever since I could remember. It was my mother's and was in her room and in mine ever since. It was a piece I never thought too much of until I moved out of the house. Funny how that is but I absolutely love it and it wouldn't feel like home unless this was in my house. It dawned on me one day that the top looks like a crown. No wonder I felt like a princess at times growing up (and I am sure acted like one at times too)!

I don't know its value nor its age but it will always be a very special piece to me.

Happy Thursday!

My Favorite Things Wednesday

I have had the privilege of belonging to a group of women from the time my daughter was 6 months old. We formed a playgroup. The story of how I got invited into this group is nothing but God's work. We have been able to keep our friendships strong and have been witness to so many major events in each others lives. In has truly been a blessing to call these women my friends. So leaving Richmond VA to move to TN was hard for a variety of reasons. Leaving family, and friends was very overwhelming. A couple of nights before we left town we all got together for a dinner and they surprised me with this beautiful platter.

It was created by one of my dear friends and executed by each member. I have it proudly displayed in my kitchen. It reminds me constantly of our friendship and that God is good. A reminder that I absolutely need each and every day.

My Favorite Things Tuesday

I decorated my daughter's room in dragonfies and ladybugs. Ever since then dragonflies have been my signature. I recieved a beautiful necklace on my 2nd Mother's day from my husband. I adore the necklace for so many reasons. It reminds me of being a Mom, of what a wonderful gift it is. It will always remind me of my daughter and how much being a Mom has changed me.



I hope you have enjoyed seeing my favorite things. I am thinking of doing a link party where you all can share yours. Stay tuned!

My Favorite Things Monday

Day 2 of my sharing favorite things. I should have prefaced the first post that my first and always favorite "thing" is my family! Which actually is a great segway into today's favorite thing which is Creative Memories software StoryBook and Memory manager. I have used both pieces of software for many years now and absolutely love them. I probably use the software if not once a day at least several times a week.
I have used the memory manager to catalog digitally all my photos. We have used it to create a slideshow of our beloved Nina when she passed. It made it so easy to do as I could pull up all photos within seconds of her that we had!
The Storybook software I use to create cards, scrapbook pages, pieces of Art, gift tags. . I could go on. I especially love using vintage cards and postcards and with this software I can digitally cut these up without harming the orginal. I know that I could use photoshop or some other software but these are not as easy to use. The software is so user friendly and makes it easy to alter photos that might take someone with more experienc to excute within a program like Photoshop.

Here is a sampling of some of the projects. You can also find some projects I have posted here, here, here and here and here. Okay I won't go on!

I should also mention that I am not a Creative Memories consultant! I just really love a good product. If you have questions specifically on the product I am sure you can find a creative memories consultant within your area but would be more than happy to answer them!