Picket's Place

For Such A Time As This...

2009-12-09T10:20:00.014-05:00

Hey guys....hope everybody has their lights plugged up by now and got most of your baking done...if not for goodness sakes go get you a box of chocolate covered cherries or at least slap some flour on your face so the family will think you have been slaving away preparing to give them that glorious day they all are waiting for!!!!! lol

I don't know about you guys but these last few days have been such a mixture of emotions for me...

I am so happy yet tears just flow when I am talking to the kids....You remember last year I finally passed the torch to the girls in the family cause I just couldn't keep doing all the cooking like I had been doing all my married life ( I know...I know...nobody does that!) But it was always inportant to me to do everything so the family could just come and enjoy themselves...I always wanted them to feel special and loved....

so last year baby girl Jen had Christmas at her house and it was wonderful...but I have to tell you I cried inside cause all at once I felt like a time in my life was over...Now here it is that time again and I have carried such a load with all that has gone on with my precious parents...it is like I have been holding my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak....

you see I have always had my kids come home for Christmas...I grew up that way with my grandparents and my parents....I always wanted my kids to have that memory....even though they are grown men and women...in my heart's eye I see my sweet little babies just like when they were little running thru the door with their arms outstretched yelling 'Hey mom....we're here!!!'

So I have called them and told them I wanted them to come here for Christmas...no I won't be doing all the cooking...everybody will bring a dish (but the Burlys have requested that I do cook some of their special things and NOT let the girls cook them!!! lol lol)

It will be crowded..some will have to scatter to other rooms to sit and eat....babies will be everywhere...counter space is not a luxury here....no elbow room will be found at the table....

But my house will be filled with all the 'treasures' that are most dear to me...my precious hubby...my babies...my grandbabies....my wonderful daughter-in-laws and son-in-laws...my parents.. ...my sister and her family....

There will laughter and love flowing thru these rooms....lots of pics taken and lots of stories told from Christmas past..way to much food eaten...

But I will rejoice as we bow ours while daddy says the blessing...and I will silently praise the Lord with my heart overflowing that once again we have all gathered and lived to see such a day....once again my babies will have come home....

Enjoy this beautiful season.....even though things may be hard...even though there may be grief and hurt...look around you...don't let the darkness of a moment overshadow the light of a lifetime...whatever it is...it shall pass and you will laugh again....God wil bring light even out of the deepest darkness..just hold on....change those things that are within your power to change and turn the rest over to God...He will make a way for you.....have a great week you guys! ~Picket~♥

Glitter Graphics

My Beloved Lane Cake Recipe Again.....

2009-12-07T13:08:00.002-05:00

Hey guys....it's that time again...time when we are going thru our old family recipes and remembering old memories of days gone by...for me it is the precious memories of my beloved grandmothers..in my eyes they could do no wrong and make magic of eggs....milk and flour...they could cook up a holiday spread that would put 'Martha' to shame...ohhh it didn't have fancy dishes or even fancy displays but the food...ohhhhh the food!!! No one could outcook them...we didn't have just a meat and two pretty little veggie sides....lordy no..we have a spread fit to feed Moses and the whole gang when they crossed the Red Sea...

and family...ohhh my word I think we had the largest family in the world...so many cousins and aunts and uncles and best of all love...I remember feeling love all around me all my life....to me my grandmothers were my heros...they ran an entire household...always cooking and cleaning and making clothes and quilts..plus tending the garden and canning and freezing vegetables...and always...always being there for their family no matter how small or large the crisis....and they always made me feel like I was their 'favorite'.

So now that I am all teary eyed and need a hankie..I better go.....but here it is a repost from last year...I do hope you try it....it may not bring a rush of precious memories to your heart like it does mine but it sure is good! lol Merry Christmas you guys...get those lights plugged up!!!!

Ok guys...see that beautiful..moist...just the most fantastic tasting thing ever to me..will not have Christmas without it...my grandmother made it every year...and you better never eat the last piece up from me..LANE CAKE!!! Yes I am gonna tell you the recipe....but this could very well be my last post seeing as how my own sweet sister has threatened to delete my blog if I posted this!!! "I, Picket being of a somewhat sound mind do decree that if you don't hear from me after Christmas put out an APB on my SISTER!!!!"

This is my own Semi-homemade version of this old timey cake that my grandmother made...I don't do from scratch stuff and I don't use HER secret ingredient (each year she would send me next door to "borrow" something from little Mrs Hamner..it would be in a little brown bag and I was given strict orders to never open the bag & to bring it straight to her..we ain't talking Vanilla Flavoring here folks..no I never peeked in the bag..what kind of disobedient child do you think I was...besides Mrs Hamner stood on her back doorstep and watched me like a hawk!) Ok let's get started...it's almost daylight here and maybe a few of you will get to read this before sister has time to find out...this is the cake part..yep...let's keep this simple people...get a moist yellow box cake mix and follow it's instructions and bake in two 9-inch pans.. These three ingredients are all you will need for the next step..while the cake is baking...you will take 1/2 cup butter...8 egg yolks & 1 1/4 cup sugar...and 1/4 teaspoon of salt (I don't know what it does people just put it in there) and mix together in a non-stick boiler and heat for about 8 minutes on medium...we don't want scrambled eggs here people...keep it stirred with a wooden spoon until thick and you can tell when the sugar is disolved and everthing has changed. Like I say it takes about 8 minutes....take you cake out to cool just a minute..you still want it kinda warm when you put the topping on.... Ok...now for the good part....You will use one cup of each of these...I actually use 1/2 each of golden raisins & black raisins and I just use the whole little jar of cherries chopped up..just add these to you egg sugar mixture... Ohhhh look how pretty that is !!!!! ok now for my 'Secret Ingredient" So far this icing recipe has been the original from my grandmother...here it is.. This picture has been blurred to protect the innocent ( actually the camera went haywire) But there it is...my secret ingredient..yep just use 1/2 can of this little beauty and the icing is perfect! I made this recipe up many many moons ago back when my body could still squeeze into my girdle..I was making cakes for Christmas one year in my younger days and I had some of this coconut pecan icing left over from making a German Chocolate cake...so I figured it had pecans and coconut just like my lane cake icing so why waste it and I added it in and Mother of all Creatures it was the BOMB!!!!! I had to pat my own self on the back for that one! Ok back to business...like I said you want the cake to still be alittle warm...place one layer in a cake plate that has kind of a lip on it...trust me you have to have it..now spoon 1/2 of the icing on the cake...it will spread out almost by itself....don't try to spread to the edges just put it in the middle and gently spoon it alittle...this cake will frost itself... Oh my word...oh sorry..where was I...ok put the second cake layer on and add the rest of the icing in the middle of the cake....see how it oooozzzzes down the sides...it ices itself! Now it will slowly spread out like a mountain slide and some will topple off to that cake plate that better have a lip on it...but if toooo much starts toppling off that means you have the cake alitle too warm so just gently spoon it back on top....this cake will be so moist and so full of flavor and yumminess...it is really so easy to make...

Sorry if I make it look difficiult..it's not..I put the cake plate lid on and wrap the whole thing in aluminum foil and put it in the freezer and Christmas morning I take it out and it is thawed and ready to eat by dinner time...keep it in the fridge...I always....always have to have the last piece the morning after Christmas...it is just the end of a perfect holiday season for me..besides a girl has to have one last meal before the dieting starts!

Lane Cake

1 box Yellow cake mix..bake according to box instructions in two 9-inch pans

Icing

1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 egg YOLKS only....mix all these in a nonstick boiler and heat over medium heat for about 8 minutes stirring constantly

Add to Icing

1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup chopped marachino cherries
1 cup raisins (I use 1/2 cup each of the golden & black ones)
1/2 can of coconut pecan frosting in a can

While cake is kinda still warm but not hot....put one layer in a cake plate with a lip on it...add half the icing in the middle of the cake and let it slowly spread to the edges...add other layer of cake..

add the rest of the icing in the middle of that layer and gently spread alittle and just let it slowly spread out and drizzle down the sides...the cake will 'ice' itself basically...cover with the cake plate lid and keep in fridge or you can freeze it until you are ready for it...the sides are meant to be without icing just the drizzle!

I do hope you try this.....it is my all time favorite cake and I have only gave this recipe to a few family members...so like I said..if I come up missing please send the troops out to look for me! lol lol

This will be my last post til after Christmas..so from my home to yours I want to wish each & everyone of you all my love and heartfelt thanks for letting me be a part of this wonderful neighborhood called Blogland..

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!

I Do Believe In Santa!!!!!

2009-12-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

Morning guys!!!!! I know everybody is busy these days getting those Christmas lights up and replacing old bulbs...slinging tinsel everywhere...ohhhhh I love this time of year!!!!! Just to see the excitement in the grandbabies when they come over and watch their expressions as they go from room to room seeing all the decorations (following little 2 yr old Maddie closely because some fo the decorations 'seem' to be traveling with her as she wonders about! lol)

But I just had to share my latest treasures with you....I was putting up some more stuff in the living room the other day...I even brought my old wooden santa in that I usually use on the front porch....love him with the stockings like that....

Even found my huge stocking I bought at Woods & Water one year (Hey don't laugh...when you got 3 Burly Boys you will eventually have to go up in there amongst that stuff!) Anyway like I was saying I was in my element all happy and everything when there was a knock at the door...

It was early and I was still in my frogie...but I was so happy I opened the door anyway....would you just look at that huge box!!!!!!! SANTA?????

OH MY WORD!!!!! Would you just look at the treasure trove of goodies that was in there!!!!! It was from my sweet friend Sue over at Our Really Empty Nest!!!!!!! Is she a keeper or what!!!!! I have known Sue ever since our RMS days (she was Mammawags) those of you who were on RMS remember the time she met Carter from 'Carter Can' on HGTV!!!!! She posted a pic on her space that she had made of him and her and lordy she was so close you couldn't even squeeze a hair between them(the shameless hussy!) but she posted that pic in amongst all the thousands of 'decorating' pics and it was like wildfire hit that site!!!! lol lol

Where was I..oh...back to my treasures! It was filled with a set of glorious paper mache ornaments and these beautiful little wooden skates....and the sweetest little handmade ornament and a snowman jar top for decorating my candy jar....

Well I hung the little hanging treasures here for a minute while I played with those set or ornaments....Sue I really did try to make 'pretty' with them..you know how some folks put some greenery on the chandelier and have pretty balls hanging from it with beads...wellllll.....lets just say after several attemps....and almost snatching the whole light fixture out of the ceiling and it still looking like Santa over dosed on eggnog and ran his sled thru a Christmas tree...that didn't work!!!!

So I left the little wooden skates hanging on my old hutch...love them with their sweet little leather laces....

as for that precious little ornament....do you see what I see...

Ohhhhhh I couldn't resist putting him in the jar with the snowman topper!!!!! How sweet is that!

I mean besides...I just couldn't have chocolate stains all over my treasure with me...uh I mean the grandkids...opening the lid every five minutes getting the candy out! Now I took those paper mache ornaments all over the house....I had to have a special place for them..

Just as I was about to give up and eat another chocolate covered cherry (hey those things help me think) my eyes ventured over to the fireplace.....OH MY WORD!!!!!! THAT WAS IT!!!!

I already had the old window frame and the little vine on it...I draped a few on it and stood back...yep..the chocolate covered cherries had come to the rescue again...let me do my best thinking in a crisis!

with each one I added it just seem to say 'home'. I told you I don't just walk to the beat of a different drummer...I think I walk in a different parade altogether! lol

Look Sue!!!! They are perfect here.....it is soooooo me!!!!!! I love my treasures you sweet little Toot and I love you for being so kind and sending me such a gift! If you have never met Sue please take a minute and go by and visit her....just click here....she is the sweetest soul and I know you will come to love her as I have...tell her you saw her ornaments all Picketfied! lol lol

Gotta go get some more done....have fun with that decorating you guys..let this be a happy time for you....make a new page for this beautiful chapter in your life....love you guys! (Now where did I put that box of Chocolate covered cherries) ~Picket~

Glitter Graphics

Bring On Christmas!!!!!

2009-11-29T16:27:00.020-05:00

Hello Hello Hello everybody!!!!! Hope everyone is having a fantastic Sunday...and if your Thanksgiving was as good as mine then you are one happy camper! Ours was filled with babies...Burly Boys...beautiful daughters and daughter-in-laws and......MAMA & DADDY!!!!! Yes Yes Yes...mama and daddy made their first outing!!!!! You talk about hugs and kisses and tears and more hugs and kisses...ohhhhhhhh glory it was the best Thanksgiving ever...I still get choked up just talking about it! Ohhhh..Ohhhhh and guess who just now left my house!!!! MAMA & DADDY!!!!! LOL LOL They surprised me and came over to visit..my heart is overflowing!
Ok back to posting....here we are guys..time to get ready for the 'big guy' himself....time to break out those pretty blog backgrounds..Put on some Christmas music and get yourself up in that attic and drag down those Christmas lights!!!! Here we have for your viewing pleasure an old silver tray that I spray painted black....just added a napkin..a tiny tree....some old cookie cutters and tiny kitchen utensils....little reindeer plates...got from ebay years ago....and those candy canes are glass from 1973...they were mama's. You can do this people...just use a tray...a wooden dough bowl ..get a tiny tree at the dollar store...use any old plates you love...some old ornaments and your counter is ready for the holidays!

Now guys I tried to do 'pretty' on the table....I really did! But me and 'pretty' just don't mix! After several tries with fancy table runners and pretty things...I just took it all off and ran to the closet and grabbed some of the fabric I had left over from making my curtains...folded it a few times and instant table runner...

added old wooden spools,,,an old garland that has seen better days and some old rusty tin ornaments...

put some candles on the spools ( oh sorry I forgot to light them!)...added two 'old as time' red candy dishes....
You know old ornaments just look good in anything!

There is my Christmas table!!! Nothing fancy..but it is so me..you can do this...you don't need crystal...and expensive linens.....you can buy fabric for a couple dollars...added some fresh pine branches and cones from the woods and use anything for candle holders...cups...goblets...and throw in some of your mama's old bowls...just try it you may surprise yourself! You might just be 'country' after all! lol

So go ahead..bring on the decorations,,give us some inspiration....plug up those lights and go through those old ornaments remembering years past and getting teary eyed as all those precious memories flood your heart and if you are just starting out in life...by all means start your Christmas tradition....add a new ornament each year....watch that tree fill up thru the years as you mark each special occasion...first year...first house..baby's first year and then the precious memories of your kids growing up...gather with family...if you have no family invite neighbors...take the time to show love and kindness...the rewards are beyond measure....

This is the most wonderful time of year....our hearts are filled to the brim with thankfulness as we rejoice in knowing we have a risen Savior who gave His all for us....as we watch in amazement at the wide eyed innocence of our sweet babies as we in our way give our all to them...one of the greatest gifts in this life is to love and to have been loved...

Now....let the games begin!!!!!! Love you guys...can't wait to see your Christmas lights!

Glitter Graphics

Moving Right Along.....

2009-11-14T18:49:00.016-05:00

Hey guys...it's the weekend already and it has been great so far....with each passing day I get to be home more....still working my way thru the boxes but I just am so happy being here that it doesn't even bother me that I have rooms still unfinished and pictures waiting to be hung...

Just seeing the change in mama & daddy this week has been a double portion blessing for me....

They celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary this past Thursday (the 12th)...we had a wonderful time going down memory lane as the three of us sat in the living room and talked about their 'courting' days! lol It is so good to be able to spend more time with Bill when he is off...knowing that mama & daddy can do some things for themselves now...below is Bill and I's comfort zone!

Ohhhh and lookie here what we got sneaking in....can you say 'Santa'!!!!!!! lol

Oh yes....I ask Bill to find one of my Christmas trees...'to air out' I explained to him! He busted out laughing and said "Hon, you don't fool me one bit! You know good 'n well that tree will be decorated and plugged up before nightfall!!!!" lol lol (Does he know me or what!!!!)

Ohhhhh glory look at the sweet little painted stocking that youngest Burly Boy made in Elementary school!!!!! This tree is loaded with old treasures! The sight of all them was more than medicine for my soul!

So there you have it...the latest in Picketville...next week I'll be cooking for Thanksgiving and putting things in the freezer.....this is such a glorious time of year....gathering with families...memories from days gone by stirring in your hearts....excitement knowing you'll make new memories and see new loved ones that God has blessed us with.....

I know for some this is a hard time of year...having lost a loved one or suffering themselves not knowing what tomorrow might bring...yes these are hard times and yes bad things happen to good people...but there is hope...it may seem like your darkest hour.....but look hard....there is a tiny flicker....the slightest blink of a light way in the distance...it is your deliverance..it is your answer....stand stedfast dear one...God has not forgotten you....from my heart to yours...take care you guys...~Picket~ ♥

More 'Little" Things....

2009-11-19T16:30:00.005-05:00

Hey guys!!!!! Well here we are a week away from Thanksgiving....and believe you me I have a double portion to be thankful for this year....mama & daddy are doing so good and today they informed me I don't have to come over every morning and fix breakfast for them any more! (Actually daddy has been getting up early for awhile now cooking his biscuits and fried eggs...but I think mama like the 'pampering'! lol lol) They have finally 'graduated and are on their own again!

Yesterday Bill & I unpacked the very last box in the house!...dance with me!!!! lol lol Now I just have to decide where to put things and because I know some things have to be stored...it is hard for me to choose what to leave out to decorate with...

But because I know me...it always comes back to the little things....things that have no meaning or value to anyone else but me....

things that make me smile when I look at them because of the memory they hold for me...things that take me back to a certain place and time in my life...

I knew in this house I wanted to be surrounded by such things so that each day during all this emotional time with my parents I could be surrounded by the comforts of my heart....

You don't have to be rich to have beauty around you....you don't have to have the latest trend to make yourself happy.... You don't need the finest china made to fill a cabinet...look at me...I have mine packed full of old Hulls brown dishes and the old Wheat dishes from the Duz detergent back years ago....oh I could go out and buy 'real china' but it wouldn't do a thing for me....these call me

...these let me see another time and place in my life...these let me see my cousin Peggy when we were young brides and mothers ourselves trying to always find ways to feed our kids and just survive when times were hard...and she loved my old brown dishes so much I gave her the whole set and then years later bought me another set at a trade day sale....sweet Peggy was only a year older than me...she passed away a year ago....these let me see my Aunt Odell setting the table with her Wheat dishes when I was a little girl and use to spend the night with her and Uncle James and my 3 cousins...You don't have to have custom made curtains to make a room look complete...you don't have to even have skills for this easy treatment....I just grabbed some left over check fabric and hemmed the tops and bottoms (seriously you can do this....use stitch witch and iron the hems....I used those magnetic rods that you can put on steel doors...no screws...and once I got the top hems done I just pulled the bottom of the fabric tight and held it where I wanted it on the bottom rod and stuck a pin in it for measurement and then took it off the rod and made my hem...no skills needed for this at all...then just drape a napkin over the top!)

Ceekay here is the front of the fireplace just for you girl!

I am starting to decorate the bathroom little by little.....

Here is the huge window over the tub..I knew I didn't want a curtain in here cause I love the light....so I just put some old things up here and I can change them out during the year.....So here we are turning another page in this new chapter...holidays are almost here...Bill is putting up the outside Christmas decorations this weekend...I told him I didn't want to wait til after Thanksgiving....

I just know that with every little thing I hang up or set out...I feel more and more at home here...You don't have to live in the biggest and best mansion to feel love and peace...you don't even have to own your own home for a place to be 'home' to you....we are only here for alittle while...we are just caretakers of whatever place God blesses us with....whatever you do surround yourself with love....of your family and of your life...there is no price tag for the happiness of a peaceful heart filled with thankfulness and joy....you can make your home a haven...you can't control what goes on outside your door but you do have a choice about what goes on inside and where ever you go remember this saying.....it has been our Motto since we first got married...LEAVE EVERYTHING A LITTLE BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT.

Love you guys....have a fantastic weekend and get those ovens heated up for all those pies and turkeys and casseroles!!!!!

Glitter Graphics

Slinging Fabric...101

2009-11-11T11:49:00.011-05:00

Hey guys!!!! Happy Wednesday to you! It has been a fantastic week so far...more about that later....but first some of you had ask about my 'fabric slinging' methods for making curtains...so here is a quick little class..don't bother getting a paper and pencil..you won't need it! lol This is a no brainer for sure and remember guys...this is me we are talking about...I have never been one for prim and proper and I am not a fancy kind of girl..just so you know.

Now this window is about 60 inches wide so I just cut my fabric about 1 1/2 times the width like 90 inches (maybe even close to 96 inches...doesn't have to be perfect..

I use fabric that is 45 inches wide right off the bolt..see in the above pic..you fabric is folded in half on the bolt...I just let that be the length and slide my little tensoin rod right between the fold where the fold line is...that way I have double thickness of fabric and I don't have to line it....

all in the world I did was scrunch me some fabric on both ends kinda making it even in scrunches..yes this is the way I talk!!!! lol then you will see you have straight fabric in the middle...place your tension rod in the window (no nails...no brackets...no nothing!) Now make even scruches on both ends leaving the middle good and tight....

After that I just took a little 3 ft berry vine..one of those easy bending ones and started close to one side of the scrunches..went under and come back over and under again and just bent it at the top and it holds itself...that's it..plain and simple...it just makes the little swags automatically..I'm sure you could use grapevine..or ribbons..anything you like..this is just what I choose cause this is what I found in the closet! lol

Now my side toppers were a bugger to decide on....I tried a half version of the big window....UGLY!!!!!! I tried to just make a little balloon valance....wasn't working for me! So I just cut my fabric twice the width of the little window...then cut on the fold and that gave me two 22 1/2 in pieces...I then just draped each peice over a tension rod...that gave me a 11 1/4 in valance all double fabriced like the bottom...I loved it! This was the easiest and cheapest window treatment ever!

In the above pic you can see the true color of the walls and curtains...it is Deer Path by Benjamin Moore...but I had it made at Lowes in their Valspar paint in the eggshell finish...the fabric was from Hobby Lobby $1.99 a yard!

Yep slowly but surely this place is turning into Picketville......

Day by day I notche out little corners that make me smile....the sun comes in so bright in the morning flooding the kitchen...it is hard to get a good pic with this old camera but this is my little work area...even found room for the little island Bill made me....yes it's small and cluttered and has no sense of reason...but ohhhhh it is so me!!!!!

Now for some fantastic news!!!!! Monday I talked to Daddy's doctor...He told me I could take daddy off all those strong meds from the hospital and could take him off the oxygen...all his test results were great! As soon as I got off the phone I drove over to mama and daddy's...they were sitting at the kitchen table...I told them what the doctor said and I told daddy..'you can take the oxygen off now'....he took the tube out of his nose and set it on his head like he had been doing when he was doing his breathing treatments...I said 'No...daddy..you can really take it off for good'...

What happened next was the most emotional moment and one I will never forget...for over 6 weeks daddy has been hooked to oxygen....his body weakened and frail from the damage to his lungs...his spirit crushed as he had been confined to a bed for so long and then confined to home...harnessed to this loud machine that seemed to control him and his actions....slowly he lifted the tubes from his head and set it on the table...tears flowed down his face..no words had to be spoken..it was as if shackles that had enslaved him had been broken...he lifted his hands and begin to praise God as me and mama cried and rejoiced with him..oh happy day!!!! This day had been a long time coming.....my heart is overflowing!

I hope things are just as blessed on your side of the mountain and again I can never tell you enough how thankful I am for your love and prayers....Have a great week everybody! ~Picket~♥

The Sign Says It All...

2009-11-07T23:01:00.004-05:00

Hey guys....had a fantastic day today!!!!! I got mama & daddy settled with a good breakfast...ran home to find Bill putting the first coat of paint in the bathroom ( he never told me he could paint!!!!! lol lol) Just as I was giving him a big ol hug for such a sweet surprise...baby girl Jen & little Sofie drove up....we three went to town to pick up some more paint and some odds & ends I needed for the house....Ohhhhhhhh it felt so good to be out..it has been so long....

They have Christmas stuff up everywhere!!! I literally had a joyful moment and cried in Lowes when I saw some old timey looking bubble lights....it don't take much to make me happy! lol

You see the pics....that is just fabric slung over a tension rod...no sewing...no stitch witch hems...no nothing!!!! I took a little berry vine and made the top swag alittle....I am gonna make little swags to match on the side windows...seriously...left the fabric folded just like it was from the store and cut the width I needed to make it full and slid the tension rod right under the fold...that automatically made it the length I needed and that was what I worked with....

When I was staying with mama while daddy was in the hospital...I drew a picture of what I wanted the bay window area to look like...it turned out better than the picture! Slowly but surely I am adding my furniture in there....I will find all my treasures one day! lol But seeing it come to life and reflect who I am.....well let's just say I had another moment and was so overcome with emotion it took awhile to dry my eyes...

This old house has been neglected for many a year and needs alot of work...but I can truly say I am so happy here and have such a peace just being here...I will gladly 'love' it and care for it as long as the Lord lets me call it home. I am thankful for this new page in this new chapter of my life...it has alot more smiles and laughter....it is one of the hardest things in life to see your parents aging and to become frail...the ones you always leaned on...the ones you always ran to and could always rely on them being there for you...to pick you up when life had knocked you down...they were like mighty oaks and in your eyes they were invincable...but time waits on no man...and you turn around and life has went by...now you step into a new role..one where things are starting to reverse...it is scarey and you want to run and you pray it is a bad dream and you will wake up...but you know better....so you take a deep breath and you ask God for more wisdom and mercy and you hope and pray that you can be just half the mighty oak for them that they have always been for you......Have a great weekend you guys....take time to give thanks for your family....if you have been blessed to love and be loved then you are blessed indeed...love you guys!!!! ~Picket~ ♥♥♥

Still Working On It!!!!

2009-11-02T08:58:00.013-05:00

Still working on it!!!!!!! Ohhhh look I found a chicken! lol

Morning guys!!!!! This is a new week and a new month!!!! It's almost Thanksgiving! Yahoo! Got alot done last week....unpacked 6 more boxes and put up a couple of more new light fixtures ( can't live with just a bulb hanging from ceiling! lol) But my biggest project was this...... remember this when we moved in...

Now don't get me wrong...I love wallpaper...always will...but this was just the wrong pattern for me and the wrong colors..and it was glued on TIGHT!!!! It was not coming off like the bathroom one did....soooo what is a girl to do.....when in doubt PAINT OVER IT!!!!!!!

Ohhhhh I am loving it! You can't even tell it has wall paper under it! This is call Deer Path...it is a Benjamin Moore color but I had Lowes make it for me in the Valspar paint...no smell...and in the eggshell finish....remember I used Deer Path at my other home...but it had more of a brown tint....when the lady mixed this formula it had more of a blonde tint and it is like it was made for the colors in the kitchen! lol Sometimes goof ups are the best!!!!! I just have to get behind the fridge and under the cabinets and it will be done!!!!

Ohhhhh my old wheat dishes....just waiting for me to organize them......But for now I am off to mama & daddy's....he has a doctor's appointment this morning....he had new x-rays on Friday and the doctor called that afternoon and said the improvement was amazing!!!! Oh I am so thankful..they both are just getting better and better with each day....that's it for now guys...have a great week and remember somebody in Alabama sure does love you!!!!! ~Picket~ ♥ ♥ ♥

...Finding Bits & Pieces of Me....

2009-10-29T09:07:00.009-04:00

Hey guys..just wanted to pop in and say Happy Halloween to everybody and let you know I am working my fingers to the bone trying to find pieces of 'me'! (wish I could say working my fat hips to the bone but they ain't going nowhere it seems! lol)

I am still going back and forth between here and my parents house 3-4 times a day checking in and fixing meals but it is getting better each day...again thank you so much for all the love you guys have given me...

I am slowly but surely working thru the boxes....this house is more square footage than our old one but it has some smaller rooms for some reason...especially the living room...it has no foyer just walk right in so I 'made' a foyer and this time I am going back to my old ways of having alot of stuff around me...hey... I need my comfort zone right now! lol Here is what I got so far...

The walls are soft yellow and the carpet a light blonde (which is more than I can say for my gray roots at the moment...oh sorry...focus!) I gave little Sofie all my Cherished Teddy collection and I am using that curio to hold some family photos...

I just put a lace curtain over the window and don't have to have any blinds in here because I don't have to worry about privacy at the back side of the living room so I love that!

The ceilings in here are very tall in the middle but I love how it looks...I have the two leather recliners on the opposite wall but haven't found things for the end tables yet....

I also have painted the front porch posts white and the front door entrance surround and the shutters on the front porch are now painted black...gotta paint the front door next...

Now see this horrid fixture down below...exactly!!!! That was the first thing to go!!!! I couldn't bare to even go in the kitchen because of that thing...who could even use water from that thing..I would drink water from a rusty old pipe over an artisian well before I used that thing!!!!

Here is what my sweet hubby replaced it with one day while I was at my folks house...ohhhh glory...no I don't have the glorious white sink from my old house with the beautiful faucets..
But this suits me just find seeing as how the old sink is stainless steel....I did this one in black & white so the wall paper wouldn't distract from the pic...now I can go in the kitchen!!!! lol lol

It's alot to get use to around here...it's different for sure renting a house but I am so thankful for it and for the peaceful feeling I have just being here..I will make it our home and care for it in this new chapter of our lives...take care you guys and have a safe and happy Halloween...love you so!!!! ~Picket~

I'm Home!!!

2009-10-21T17:00:00.013-04:00

I'm home!!!!! I'm home!!!! I'm home!!!!! Oh sweet Lord I am home...daddy is home from the hospital..still on oxygen and alot of medicine for two weeks but he is so happy and mama is doing so much better so last night I came home for the first time to sleep in my own bed in three weeks....I can't begin to describe the emotions...anxious about leaving mama and daddy alone for the first time since this begin..yet overjoyed to see the expression on Bill's face when I met him at the door when he came home from work...I still will be going over every day to fix meals for mama and daddy and give all the medication and taking care of their affairs but I get to come right back to my new little home.....

and lookie here what I came home to...my new porch lights!!!!!! For those of you that don't know it yet...Bill and I have leased a home just across the highway from mama and daddy so I could be here for them...we had just moved in when all the drama begin...mama fell and daddy got double phnuemonia...all my treasures are still sitting in boxes....but sweet Bill already put up new light fixtures for me on the front porch...

the glass is textured to look like a screen....ohhhhh glory!!!!!

remember the shrubs that were as tall as the house?????

well they are all gone now....

remember the wall paper in the master bath?
ohhhhh lookie here...Bill has removed it all for me...ohhhhh glory!!!!!

Oh I am so happy...I feel like we have all turned the page in this newest chapter of our lives and I am loving what I am reading so far!!!!....I was up at 5:30 am this morning and I went out on the back porch and looked up at the stars...they had said you could see some shooting stars last night...boy did I ever!!!!! The heavens were alive with stars and within 5 minutes I saw 6 shooting stars zip across the sky...oh my heart like to have exploded...I stood there praising God for all His love and mercy and for this time in my life....

Today I got to go to town for the first time in three weeks...I just had to get these sweet little napkins and look at the napkins rings!!!!!! Little forks and spoons!!!!! How cute is that....now I feel like the old me again!!!! lol I gotta alot of work to do around here but I am at peace...love to all you guys for all your precious prayers and love....your caring support literally came thru the screen to me in a time when I needed uplifting...I can never repay you for your unconditonal love for me and my family....there are no words to express my heart...

I am home and my porch light is on.....

You Guys Are The Best!!!!

2009-10-18T20:23:00.004-04:00

Hey guys...just a quick note to say how touched I am by all your love and prayers and support....sister and I are still living here with mama...she is so much better but still needs help getting around...it is daddy that really needs a touch..he is still in the hospital...they say he can come home with an oxygen tank. His lungs were just so coated that he couldn't breath easy on his own...it has took such a toll on him.. actually on the whole family emotionally...it is so heartwrenching to see a loved one suffer...but I am so thankful for the power of prayer...God has really been good to us thru this whole ordeal..

Poor Bill & Terry come by each day after work to see me & sister...yes I cry..it is hard to be away from Bill and not in my own home...I remember one morning getting up before daylight and crying and praying and sweet Gloria (Happy to Be)..had sent me an email and in the sweet note she was actually praying for me and it touched my heart and soul to the very core...I could just feel her love and it meant the world to me. I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for the love you have always freely given me and my family....I know this too shall pass.

Oh a lighter note our little Sofie marched in the Alabama Homecoming Parade last Saturday..I didn't get to go cause I can't leave mama but Jen sent me the pictures...lordy look how that sweet baby has growed...Bill has been busy at the new place fixing things and even tearing down wall paper!!!! I can't wait to be home with him again...hope all is well on your side of the mountain...always remember as long as there is breath there is hope..never ever doubt God's unfailing love and power...love you guys so...they don't come no better than y'all!

This Is Where I Stand...

2009-10-05T03:00:00.001-04:00

Hey guys....here it is nearly 3;30 in the morning Monday and I just don't know where to begin...it has been a whirlwind of things so here goes...

Daddy had double phenumonia right before we moved...he was just getting weaker and weaker and we knew he wasn't healing right....we kept on at his regular doctor until they finally set him up with a lung specialist for last Thursday...but last Wednesday they were all excited to come see the house...so I run get them and just as we go to step up on the porch mama lost her balance..it was like watching a slow motion horror movie and no matter how many times I grabbed for her I could not get a grip on her..she fell flat of her back in the flower bed wedged between the porch post and a hedge stump that had just been cut and hit her head on the concrete..sounding like a melon busting open...

there are no words to describe the horror and the fear that hit me in the pit of my stomache churning like a sickening wave...I dropped to her side...expecting to see blood pouring from her head...hearing her screams of agony saying her arm was broke..a neighbor came running calling 911....there was no blood not even a cut...oh sweet Lord...we get to the hospital...calls are made...I can't even tell you what you what I was telling eveyone....kids come pouring into the ER from all over...Jay thought she was dead....I thought the poor thing was gonna pass out when he realized she was okay...x=rays and cat scans....waiting....crying so uncontrolable blaming myself...daddy so weak he can't stand....little did we know his oxygen level in his lungs had dropped down so low he was headed for heart failure...

the whole family holding on to each other and doing the one thing we all have believed in and stood by thru the years...called on God for a miracle.....the x=rays come in...NOT A BROKEN BONE....NOT A FRACTURE..OR CRACK....NO CUTS....NO CONCUSCIONS...NOTHING!!!! Said she would be sore and brusied and even dizzy for a few days but would be fine....need I tell you I stood there with tears of joy praising God with everything within me!

Helen & I come home with mama to take care of her...she will not let me leave her side...she is sore and bruised and has muscle spasms in her back...she cannot walk without helping her and the dizziness was pretty bad at first but it has tapered off...sister and I keep her laughing as much as possible and she is always threatening to tell daddy on us...

You see daddy was admitted to the hospital...his lungs was half full and they started oxygen and antibiotics immediately (the lung specialist went into high gear with him) within hours he made a complete turnaround....I have never felt such agony in my heart with the pull of what to do knowing I couldn't be in two places at the same time for the two most precious people in my life...once again my kids stepped in and reminded me of the true treasures they are....they have went around the clock nonstop taking turns staying with daddy..even the older grandkids running errands and going from the hospital to mama's house seeing to the needs of everyone...sister sleeps on the floor on a pallet next to me and mama's bed...we laugh and cry and pray together thru out the night....daddy stays in contact over the phone thru out the day and night..we hope to have him home in a couple of days...

So here is where I stand today....thankful for the love and mercy in my family's life...thankful for God taking a horrible darkness and turning it around...thankful for my sweet babies that become more of a treasure to me with each passing day...thankful for a loving husband that is the very heartbeat of my soul...thankful that an all seeing God that has lead me to come this way....thankful I can sit here this morning knowing that if I left this world today I would leave knowing that I had been blessed among women and that all is well with my soul....so here is where I stand...the boxes can wait and the decorating can wait...I love you guys and miss you something awful...I am so thankful for the love you have always shown me...please call me and my family's name when you pray....this too shall pass.

We're Moved!!!

2009-09-29T15:13:00.015-04:00

Hey Guys!!!! Were moved!!! Oh happy day...it is all over with and the utilities are transfered and on and boxes are everywhere and I haven't seen a chicken in days..the carport it packed to the ceiling...the Christmas decorations are throwed everywhere...the the 3 Wise Men are slung in amongst the reindeer and look like they've all been in the eggnog....I think every faucett in the house leaked...but ohhhh I am so happy!!!!!!!

Have you ever seen a more pitiful looking mailbox???? That will be one of the first things to go!

Look at the size of those bushes...I could give jungle tours on that front porch..they will be coming out!!!

Here we are on the right side of the house...those shutters will be going..have no idea what color that is...

Down below you see we are in the backyard....not a bush not a tree NOT EVEN A MARIGOLD WEED!!!!!!!

Flashback to the 80"s!! We have wallpaper people!!!!!!

Here is the lovely masterbath....more wallpaper....can't wait to see what I can do with this!
Here's our little kitchen...DOES THIS LOOK PICKETVILLE...BLACK AND COUNTRY TO YOU!!!!!
Yep that was just a little peek at our place we now call home....it is just a rental and it needs a lot of work.....but I lay down at night talking to God and praying and crying tears of joy each night because I am so happy....there are no words to even tell you guys how full my heart is...mama & daddy are just a couple of minutes from me....three of my kids live just up the street from me...I have gone from living 30 minutes from town and stores to just getting in the car and riding out of the subdivision and finding every kind of eating place grocery store and the bank....gas stations...just within a couple of minutes from me....

I cannot praise my kids enough for all their love and help getting us moved in....they have cleaned and scrubbed and just been a blessing to me (even baby daughter-in-law Angie scrubbed all my kitchen cabinets just so I could put my dishes in them!!!) Y'all know how Bill loves the yard to be clean and cut all the time and this yard was knee deep in the back...well middle Burly Boy (Andy) came over and cut and cleaned the yard for Bill as a surprise just before we moved in...ohhhh you should have seen Bill's face!!!!!!

This is the one thing I brought with me from our old backyard that I just had to have out front as a reminder...it is a little ivy that has lived for years in this old birdbath...it reminds me of the life we gave to the backyard at the old house that like this one had nothing...not even a weed...it gives me hope that this too will change from a 'house' to 'our home'...I miss being up the street from Jen and Little Bailey and Sofie but I know soon a new chapter is coming for them too..so here I sat surrounded by boxes and a mess...barely could get to the computer...and usually I would go nuts until everything was put away in it's place..but not this time...this time I just smile all day and rejoice...my heart is so full.....I have come home and this is where I am suppose to be at this time in my life...I think I'll go sit on the front porch and wait for Bill to get off work...have a great week you guys....look forward to sharing more updates with you...~♥~

UPDATE!!!!

2009-09-19T22:11:00.002-04:00

Oh my word guys...I don't know where to begin!!! It has been a great day...thunderstorms all day off and on and showers of blessings make for a glorious day. I started out packing and Jen came up after Johnny & Bailey headed out for the Alabama football game (Roll Tide!!! We won!)and really set things in fast motion...(if I even hesitated about an item it went to the 'out' pile!!!) lol

We decided to go ahead and put the sign out so I had Jen to take it to the front of the subdivision right before lunch...by the afternoon my house was leased and deposit and first month rent was paid and the young couple just fell in love with the house!!!!! Is that not just fantastic....ohhh Happy Day....I can just see the hand of God moving in this whole thing...my heart is running over! Hope everyone has a blessed weekend...got to grab an Oreo and get back to it! lol

Naked Walls In Picketville!!!

2009-09-17T17:41:00.003-04:00

Hey guys!!! I'm buried up to my eyeballs in boxes...I truly think I have found the cure for all of us...uh..I mean you 'dishaholics'!!! Be forced to pack every dish ...just once...that'll do it! lol I have been packing for 3 days and it hasn't made a dent! But look...naked walls in Picketville...ohhh I might need medication before this is over!

We took one of the bedrooms and turned it into a 'holding room' for the boxes...can you see how high and deep back in there they are & don't dare say that is just my chickens!!!! lol lol I cannot believe how much stuff I have and I gave so much of it away 2 years ago and even gave the girls alot of stuff Saturday! Everytime Bill would look in a new cabinet he'd find more dishes and he just kept saying."Hon...have we ever even ate out of these!?" lol lol

We have looked at several houses..and let me just say "OH MY WORD!!!!!!!! The prices these people want for leasing a house is outrageous and the condition of some of those houses are...well..let's just say I had to put my shirt over my nose to keep from gagging and actually ran out of one crying as a roach ran across the floor..they wanted $ 875 a month..and when Bill took the key back to the real estate office he ask the lady do they ever actually look at the houses they rent! lol But everything is going for $800-$1500 a month....But we really want to live within 5 minutes of my parents..so we started driving thru the neighborhoods...some folks don't advertise down here they just put a sign in the yard cause houses rent so fast.

See my folks live about 30 minutes from me now but it is 6 lane traffic and depending on the time of day can be hectic to cross over....me and Jen live in the same subdivision on the south side of town...but my parents and 3 of my kids live on the north side all within a mile of each other...there is two big subdivisions right across from each other where they live with the newest schools and shopping area all right there..so that would be our ideal area...so we drove thru and low and behold there was a sign!!!!

We called and the lady came right out to show the house...they were asking high dollar for it and a year's lease...it needs some TLC but has lots of potential but I knew I couldn't pay that and still keep my home here...so we told her what we would be willing to pay each month and that we would do the fixing..she just said she couldn't go any lower..so we thanked her and left..

The next day Bill is talking to a guy at work that has some rental houses and he ask if he happen to have any on the northside....he said he did!!!! It was his mother-in-laws and they just put her in the nursing home so his wife was handling the rental....when he begin to decsribe the location..IT WAS THE HOUSE WE LOOKED AT!!! THAT WAS HIS WIFE WE TALKED TO!!

He asked what Bill was willing to pay and he told him and he said he'd talk to his wife and tell him the next day but couldn't make any promises..weeellll...he didn't wait til the next day he called her from work and then came and found Bill before he left work and said she would come down and we could fix things like we wanted..ohhhhh happy day!!!!! This house is just across the street from mama and daddy's subdivision and just up the road from Tracy and Daniel and Andy...3 of my kids and their families!!!!!! Then even more goodness.....Jen puts her house up for sale yesterday!!!! lol lol The whole family is about to go into a new chapter of life and I love it!!!! Ohhhhh God is so good.....ok breaktime is over.....empty boxes are calling my name....don't forget me guys...I'll be around just not as much as I'd like to be for awhile...we haven't even started in the shed yet! lol lol Have a great week everybody...love ya! ~♥~

Changes Are Coming....

2009-09-12T20:35:00.005-04:00

Hey guys....wow it has been awhile since I been up in here! Hope all is well with everyone....it has been busy around here and even today the house was full off and on...Baby Girl (Jen) was painting Bailey's bedroom and Youngest Burly's wife, Angie said she'd come down and help and Oldest Beautiful daughter Tracy (who just move back down here from Oklahoma...ohhhh joy joy!!!) said her and Randy would come also...

So they all agreed to meet at the football game this morning where our grandson's team was playing (they won yeah!!!) Now Angie is a sassy little thing and think's she is my long lost 'adopted' daughter!!! She called and ask if I would make her some of my chicken salad and crossiants if she stopped by the store and got all the ingredients (oh yes she did!!!) So while they painted...I made the chicken salad and then they all came up here for lunch with all the babies...poor Tracy...she has lived such a sheltered life in Oklahoma!!!! It will take her awhile to get back use to this rowdy bunch...I ask her if she needed some Aleve before she left! lol lol Oh it is so good to have her home again and have all the family just gathered around all the time...I had cleaned out a few things from the house and when they left I loaded them up with some treasures.....I will be loading them up with lots more in the next few weeks....

Here is my favorite pumpkins..remember seeing them a few weeks ago on the dining table...I love them there..they look good there...they fit in so well with their surroundings....
But then take a look at them here...I moved them to the top of the entertainment center...Ohhh I liked it immediately...totally different room and different surroundings...but they just go so well. I said all that to say this...sometimes we keep things in the same spot...thinking that is the only place it will 'fit'...the prettiest place for it....the best place for it..afraid to try another place...afraid it will throw the whole feel of the room off....not realizing that we are the ones that made the surroundings fit the object...

Life can be the same way....you see I am that pumpkin arrangement...I loved the location I am in..the little house is my home...the beautiful yard where I sit and watch the birds and see the flowers bloom thru the seasons.....the walls that I fill up with my treasures...the walls that holds my love and laughter and memories safe inside from the world...surely this is the only spot for me..

But just like that pumpkin arrangement..I made the surrounding that 'fit' me...this house was an empty hull...we filled it with love and laughter and memories...we planted every tree and ever plant in this yard...and when I leave the love and laughter and memories will go with me because I keep them deep in my heart....

But life changes and our hearts grow heavy as we see situations change and knowing that we always want to be there for our family...oh we tried to make a change here while back...even put the house on the market...but I backed out..afraid I would only 'fit' in this one place...but I knew better...I have lived in many homes in my lifetime and each one different but each one 'fit' at that time in my life because we make a home...the home doesn't make us.

See my mama & daddy are getting older....and my heart longs to be closer to them more than it longs to stay here....I have cried and I have prayed for the last few weeks...not knowing what to do...then the other night Bill and I were talking about it again...and he ask me to just tell him what I wanted to do in my heart....I started crying so hard and told him that if the truth be told and I had the money...I'd be packing tomorrow and looking for a house next to mama & daddy...he jumped up and with that big old grin on his face & shouted out..."now that's what I want to hear!!! Something definite!!! I'll get some boxes!!!!" (yes, he is that good to me)

So here I sit...so happy and feeling like a load has been lifted...we are gonna find a place to rent as close to mama & daddy as we can and we will rent out our house here..maybe even sale later on...I spent the day with them yesterday and when I got up to leave daddy had tears in his eyes as he told me how happy he was and mama is just beside herself she is so happy...they make houses everyday..but there is only one mama & daddy....so for the next few weeks I will be packing and looking and just like that pumpkin arrangement...I will fit just fine in my next place..

Take care you guys...pray that we find a place quicker than expected and pray that God will send a family here that will know and feel the love we have felt living in this sweet little home....Have a great weekend...love you guys! ~♥~

Saying My Goodbyes To Summer!!!!

2009-08-31T15:02:00.009-04:00

Happy Monday to you guys!!!!! We had rain all day yesterday and woke up this morning to cooler temps and beautiful sunshine...this is the last day of August you guys....tomorrow officially starts Fall season for me!!!! lol Yep I have already got the foyer ready...
You know I am loving all my amber treasures this time of year...my old lamps that youngest Burly was gonna throw in the trash (yeah...I know...sometimes I think he was switched at birth!!!!) My amber cloche given to me from our very own sweet Gloria @ Happy to Be..and the mini table runner she also sent a few weeks ago...

My beautiful amber chicken dish....oh how sweet is that...from my friend Mary Jane...My Mother's Day pitcher from Baby Girl (Jen) that I filled from some Fall flowers I had out in the shed (sister if you recoginze these don't faint...yes I took them out of the pumpkin arrangement you gave me..the pumpkin has been fine for the last few years but lately I just don't want anything toooo orangey...sister???? You still with me???! lol lol You can have the pumpkin back!!!!!)

Those are some old Bibles I have had for years....I just love going thru them and seeing the notes and dates written from years ago by me or Bill during different church services and even at different churches thru the years...notice I am still using my little doilies I got in my give away from Christine @ Christine's Home and Travel Adventures

Just added a few grapevineballs and little berry vine and it works for me....You don't have to spend a fortune to decorate your home..look around you..look in the closets..use the things that mean something to you ..stop just packing them away..what good does that do anybody? Surround yourself with beautiful memories of friends and family....trust me you will be a much happier person for it...

So there you have it....something to talk about today...Picket has started her Fall decorating! Yep..and pretty soon the Fall stuff will go on the porch....this is it you guys....come on let it go...Kids are back in school...we'll have that last summer BBQ On Labor Day then it's " Hello Holidays...here we come!!!" Ohhhhh Glory I can almost smell the turkey and the sweet potatoe pies!!!! lol Oh sorry..got beside myself there for a minute! lol At any rate..whatever you do...do it with all your might and find your happy place....have a great week you guys...love ya~♥~

It's The Rooster Party!!!!!!

2009-08-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

It's here!!!! It's here!! The day all of us rooster loving.. hen cackling....gotta em all over the house...can't get enough of em...chicken loving bloggers have waited for!!!! THE ROOSTER PARTY!!!!! Ohhhh glory....my eyeballs will be wide open for every little feather! I have been so slack on my blog visiting and didn't think I'd get the time to join in but I just had to throw a few of my little eggs in the basket so to speak....The fantastic parade of feathered beauties is hosted by our very own Barb over at Bella Vista... Just click on the rooster below and it'll take you start to her....

Y'all know how I feel about chickens...they are such a beautiful part of my memories from my childhood....they say country....they say a simplier time in life....they say Sunday dinners at grandma's house....they say soft fuzzy little doodies running around the yard hiding under their mama as you try to catch one and hold it ever so gently as if it were a magical treasure....they say love as you hear the soft clucking of the mama hen as she calls to her baby chicks....they say life...as you remember all the beautiful people you loved and who loved you that have long since gone on...no they are not just a what not to me...they are a sweet reminder of who I am and where I came from....So sit back and enjoy the party....I am sure you will not be disappointed...as you go from house to house here in blogland neighborhood...I'm sure some may be formal parties..black feather only....some will be more casual...pot luck style..bring your own egg that sort of thing....I choose to just do a little 'parade' of some of my favorites...

I have chicken what nots....chicken plates.....

They are literally tucked in everywhere...

I have metal ones...ceramic ones....new ones...old ones.....

I love deviled egg plates with chickens...especially the old ones....

I love my amber candy dish, thank you Mary Jane..actually I just love amber!!!!

I have old tin signs with chickens.....

I love the old Royal Copely chickens.... now I don't like everything that is a chicken,,,,the new cartoony or fancy ones are not for me! lol

I painted these myself back in the 70's....yes I even had the golden harvest appliances in my kitchen and I loved it! lol

I have old post cards framed with chickens on them... ohhh Sally look..it has some blue in it...there is hope for me yet! lol

Ohhhh I adore the old black checkered hens...my favorites!!!!

They are way up high on the cabinets....

They are sweet and small in some cross stitching I did years ago....

They are on my dishes and bowls...

Even on the precious purse that sweet Sherry made for me...I still love it girl!!!! But I love even more that I got to meet you in person!
They are tucked in china cabinet cabinets..(what???? you thought those things were made for china only!!! lol)

Some I paid a good price for and some I got for nearly nothing....

I actually scaled back and got rid of a carload a few years ago in a yard sale.....I have to be careful and not 'clutter' my kitchen up (yea right! lol)

These pretty whites ones are a house warming gift from mama when we moved in to this house..I love them..they have a glazed crackled finish...

I love Rooster lamps....wish I had more! loLove the little burlap lampshade! lol

and of course you know the only artwork that would suit me has to be chickens!!!!! Look at these made just for me by our own Jeanette here in blogland...ohhhh sweet!!!!

I bought these beauties at a country store in the mall years ago!!! They just speak to me so.....

So there you have it....hope you enjoyed the little Rooster parade...now run quick and check out all the other great roosters who are joining the fun event...thank you so much Barb for hosting such a fun party...I can't wait to see what everyone has!!! Take care guys and thanks for coming by..have a great weekend....this is the last one for August....can you believe we are headed for September already....no more white shoes after Labor Day and get those Fall ideas flowing!!!!! Love you guys! ~♥~

Just For You!!!!!!

2009-08-21T18:00:00.012-04:00

Hey guys....hope everyone has had a fantastic week...if you are like us it's too much to do and to little time to do it in! But I did want to share with you my latest little treasure...you have got to get you a pair of these....They are featured in the September issue of Country Sampler magazine...they are from Terry's Village and I just love them!!!!!! They are little resin gourd looking geese...they will make the sweetest centerpiece with some fall pumpkins and corn and little odds and ends!!!! I am very pleased with my set!!!

In the mist of the busy day I had to make a big batch of chicken salad for baby girl to take to the ladies encounter at church.....well I have not made these in months and it flung a craving on me so we interrupt this post to bring you the following end to a perfect day ..(I had to have some for myself!!!!) First we head to the store to get ingredients...look at those golden little mini crossiants...ohhhhh glory..they smell heavenly!!! You will find the recipe to my chicken salad HERE...or just click on Chicken salad on the side bar under my recipes....this is the only chicken salad I will make...the taste is unbelieveable and they are so quick and easy to make...perfect for any occassion. I just make a batch and keep them in the fridge for the kids to grab when they come over.

Ohhhhh just look at that...I wish I had a scratch and sniff for y'all...just to show you how much I think of you guys...I thought it only polite that I offer you a little dessert to drool over also...but what in the world would make the perfect one...then it hit me...I ran and dug thru the cabinet to find my little candle holders I bought over a month ago at Big lots....are they not tooooo cute!!!!

I remember I had just bought a little pack of those mini pecan pies at Wal-Mart...you know the ones with the 6 little tarts in them....lucky for you Bill and I left a couple!!!! Then I thought how sweet it would be if I had a mini scoop of vanilla ice cream on top...( I know..I amaze myself at how wonderful my brain works...that was what you were thinking right!!!)...Man all the ice cream was gone from the last invasion of the kids! Oh wait!!! way back in the back were some of those tiny little cups I keep for the little grandbabies...so I grab one and scoop out a tiny little bite for photo purposes only...I can carefully pack it back in right!!!!! lol lol Ohhhh the lengths we bloggers go to for our friends!!!!! LOOK HERE AT HOW CUTE THAT IS!!!!!! Bill came in from cutting grass just as this took place..eye contact was exchanged but no words spoken as he slowly backed his way out of the kitchen!!!!!

There you have it....the perfect end to a perfect day here in Picketville....take care you guys and have a great weekend...much love and happiness to each and everyone of you!!!!

It's Friday!!!!!!

2009-08-14T06:40:00.011-04:00

Good morning guys....IT'S FRIDAY!!!! This week has flew by...actually this month has flew by...do you realize it is the 14th already! It has just been a fantastic week...I cannot even begin to put in the words the way I feel when I drive up to Tracy's place and see her come out the door...she told John yesterday..."mom is gonna cry everytime she comes over now!" lol Yes..I cry! I just can't help it....there she is...home at last...right next door to two of her brothers...youngest Burly lives beside her and middle Burly lives across the street...oh and little Maddie and Hunter are loving it!!!! You should see them make a bee line across the yard running to see Tracy! lol lol (You better believe Angie is loving it...I told her yesterday she wasn't fooling me..I knew she opened that door every morning and told them two little dumplings..." Oh look!!!! Tracy is up....go see her! lol lol)...

Well as you can see I am already starting to add Fall to the inside...starting in the kitchen first...got my black tray and pumpkins on the table again sitting on my sweet little table quilt that our very own Gloria @ Happy to Be sent me last year ....

I took out the little table and added the little island back in....I keep the wheat juice glasses that Debbie over @ Pink Roses and Teacups sent me on a lazy susan for the grands and my little candle holder is sitting on one of the checkered napkins that sweet Sue from The Cotton Patch sent me...I just love all my treasures from my blogger friends being out and around me where I can see them each day!

Oh the fridge I got mama's little pumpkins and horn of plenty that she was gonna throw away back when she went through a moment of ( this is not my mama Lord!!! ) temporary doodleness and thought she wanted to get rid of everything and sell the house and move into a tiny apartment and then had to move her back home within a month cause she came to her senses....we won't tallk about that anymore! lol lol
went to the shed and found this little shelf..painted it black of course and added some of my California USA pottery things with a couple of little pumpkins and vine.....

THEN......came home yesterday after a fantastic day of visiting the kids and mama & daddy and found a package at the front door...it was from that sweet little toot Gloria!!!!! the card said she wanted to help me get started on my Fall decorating!!!!! lol lol

Look at this sweet little mini wreath with the chickens!!!!!!! Ohhhhhh how cute is that!!!!

and look at those beautiful colors in those two little table runners...oh it is perfect!!!!! I love these colors and I LOVE YOU GLORIA!!!!!! The perfect end to a perfect day....then as if that wasn't enough joy...late yesterday afternoon Tracy's two sons came by just to spend a few hours with us...can you imagine...two young boys that could have been out having fun seeing the town choose to just come sit with their Maw Maw & Papa and talk and laugh....where is my hankie!!!!!

Have a great weekend you guys...don't let this day go by without telling someone you love them...you will never know the effect that just a simple word can have on one's spirit...love can move mountains and cover a multitude of sin....someone may be at their lowest point...reach out and give them hope again....love you guys so....I can't thank you enough for the love you show me with all your beautiful comments and time....~♥~

Joy Has Truly Come In The Morning.....

2009-08-10T19:05:00.013-04:00

I think I am on the right blog....it has been so long! lol lol Hey guys...ohhhh joy joy my heart is so full...I can hardly contain myself....It has just been a glorious day filled with tears of joy and laughter....It is like things have come around full circle...a new day ...a new season in nature and in life...

The yard is starting to change so fast...flowers are fading and like I said on the last post you can feel a change in the air...I believe we will have an early Fall..

I went out to just get a few pics of some of the last blooms...roses are still doing good and crepe myrtles....
I just love going out back...my clematis vine Sweet Autumn is loaded with buds...hundreds of them.. the blooms will be snow white and smell heavenly..so I ease on around the lily bed to get a good look at the vine and OH MY WORD!!!!!!!!! DO YOU SEE THAT?????????...OH YOU BETTER GET CLOSER TO THE SCREEN...TELL ME YOU CAN SEE THAT!!!!! Right down there in the next picture!!!!!!

Here I'll give you a close up.....ohhhhhhhhh eeeewwwwwwww....beam me up Jesus!!!!!! Look at what I found living in my vine!!!!!! Ohhhhhhh heeebbbeeee jeeebbbeees!!!!!! You don't even want to know what kind of spasm dancing I was doing while trying to take it's picture!!!! lol lol

He is huge!!!!!!!!

Ok enough of aliens from another planet....remember back at the 4th of July when I did the cloche with the CrackerJacks that I found at Wal-Mart in the old vintage looking boxes? Well a sweet reader of the blog named Mary Jane couldn't find any in her Wal-Mart so I just ran to town and got her some boxes and sent to her....

Well the other day a box came in the mail and would you look at what that sweet thing sent me!!!!! Oh my word...it's amber...it's a chicken...the best of my favorite things...is it not glorious!!!!! I love it! I mean come on people...all she got was some CrackerJacks....they can't even compare to this!!!! You know I got the best end of that deal! Thank you so much girl...that was just awesome!!!!

This has just been a wonderful day for me...6 years ago this very month I said goodbye to my oldest beautiful daughter and her family...6 years of just short visits and craming life into a few days here and there...6 years my heart has felt like is was being squeezed as if something had it held captive...but today...today was a new day...today I stood at my kitchen window and watched as my beautiful daugther and her family came walking up to the door...today we laughed and cried as we all sat around the kitchen and I cooked breakfast ...knowing that it wouldn't be like before...fast fleeting moments of playing catch up on what life had brought our way..then all too soon saying goodbye and crying so hard you thought your heart would burst...surely this time it would burst...how much more could you take...how many more times could you do this...but today....today...was the beginning of many a long sweet visits...with no time clock and no far away place calling...today I cherished my sweet baby and her family knowing that from now on she is just right up the road...I can see her...touch her.. talk to her...any day of the week and I don't have to say goodbye anymore....oh sweet Lord..my cup runneth over....

O Happy Day!!!

2009-08-05T11:03:00.001-04:00

Good Morning...Good Morning....Good Morning!!! Man I have missed blogging...and I have missed visiting all of you.

Farm work is a full time job! lol It has been busy around here with this large family....school is getting ready to start back...the grands are having to get their supplies and football practice has started for one and one is in the band and had to go meet early with the teacher....two are moving up to new schools...one is getting transfered from Oklahoma (yahoo) speaking of which...youngest Burly Boy and his whole family left out last night...with his big flatbed trailer to help Tracy & John get the last of their big outside stuff moved down here...all loose ends are being tied up and they are finally gonna be all moved back!

I already can feel a change not only in our family but in the seasons as well...I know it is still Summer and we will have some warm days left but there is just something in the early morning air and the change the trees have started taking on that let's me know Fall is coming. We'll have our last official big Summer BBQ for Labor Day (with Tracy and her family here this time for the first time in 6 years..Joy!!!!) then it is offically the start of a new Season for sure...vacations are over and we head full blast into my favorite time of year...the family gatherings...lots of laughter and good food...sharing memories of the past and making memories for the future ...house filled with fantastic smells and the back door opening non-stop with all my sweet blessings running in and out yelling "Mom where are you?"

Yes there is a change coming and I for one can't wait...I have waited 6 years to have my family all together again...families are never perfect..everyone comes with their own baggage..we all face problems that life throws at us...tears and heartaches come to even the closest families...but if we look to God and love and forgive we can overcome anything....so I sit here today with tears of joy as my heart is about to burst from happiness and I am choking with thankfulness not even having the words to describe how blessed I feel at this very moment..

Never give up believing...sometimes it takes awhile for things to come back full circle... but if we stand strong and do all we know to do...God will do the rest....if you never remember another thing I say..please remember this...God will move for you...you are not just another face in the crowd....so many people make the mistake of thinking they can keep God bottled up on a shelf and take him down only when they need him....or that having their name on a church book will get them to heaven...it doesn't work that way...you must have a personal relationship with God yourself...when your time comes to leave this world you want to be able to say "God knows my name"...I know you think well that's crazy cause God knows everybody and even the very number of hairs on our head....but be very sure there will come a judgement day and the 'book' will be opened and He will say "depart from me..I never knew you"

Take care guys and have a glorious week....today is a new day...can't change a thing about yesterday...so stop tormenting over it...can't do a thing about tomorrow...it's not even promised....but today...today you can have a choice....love you guys!~

Waiting...

2009-07-27T14:33:00.000-04:00

Hey guys...we got a new week started...as I sit here looking out the window...(oh by the way those are the red toile curtains and sheers I got here while back on clearance at Penney's..never did show them to you after I put them up..well they're in the study! lol) anyway...as I was saying...I am just 'waiting'....this weekend is when Tracy & John are moving back home after 6 long years of being away...6 years and my oldest grandson has went from a young teenager to a wonderful 20 year old man....6 years and my oldest granddaughter has went from a giggly young girl to a beautiful young mother of our first great grandbaby....6 years and our little grandson has went from a freckled face little rascal to a tall adoring 14 year old....

I can't believe it has been 6 years...yet at times it seems like 20....During this time we have had to pack every minute we had with them at holidays to the very rim...only to have our hearts wretched from us as we would cling to each other saying goodbye...as a mama it is hard for me not to be around all my babies..although I know in real life God has a plan for each of us and I always want my children to be where God wants them to be....

Their coming home will be bittersweet..especially for Tracy...they all gathered together with John's family last weekend to say goodbye...Randy & Sean will be living back here with them ...but Ashley...Doug and Little Eli will be staying in Oklahoma...Tracy cried all day Saturday...I know that kind of hurt as my own heart has carried it for her for 6 years...

What do you say....how do you pray....my own heart is rejoicing as her dad & I along with her grandparents and brothers & sister are waiting on her coming home like a child waits on Christmas morning....but my mother's heart grieves along with her as she makes the choices she makes and moves on.....so I wait.

Random Acts Of Kindness

2009-07-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Morning guys! Here it is Friday again and this month is almost gone! Now y'all know I am a simple person and it doesn't take much to make me happy...I love my family...I love the things around me that take me back to a place in time filled with memories of family....

I love things that remind me of a slower pace of life when people took the time to sit on a porch and reflect on the days happenings and wave to the neighbors to come on up and sit a spell with them...I love mama's old Lance sugar jar..it takes me right back to the big old house we rented in 1964..right off main street...I could walk to the local Five & Dime store and buy a little what-not for pennies....I'm sure mama hated those little bird figurines I kept buying her but she would act like they were beautiful art masterpieces...

I love having daddy's old hunting horn hanging where I can see it everyday...years of memories of him and my uncles that have long since passed on are in that one simple piece....the beautiful little bluetick pup that was to be his top winning trophy dog...she also became the love of our hearts....

I love the memories that I have been given in this life ...when I started this blog I never imagined the memories it was gonna add to my heart...I never imagined that these beautiful random acts of kindness from a 'family' of friends that I have never met would touch my life in such a strong way....

See this here little package...this is one of those 'random acts of kindness' I am telling you about..

This came from our very own Fern & Fran over @ Twice As Nice ....They have their own business of making beautiful custom signs...well here while back I had ask them about a sign for the house here...I told them the date we bought the house and I wanted to know if they could do something kinda country...

welllllll....the little toots were sneaky and alot of time went by and they were suppose to send me a drawing of what they thought I might like....but God had other plans.....He knew what my heart was trying to describe and thankfully their hearts knew the voice of God...cause lookie here what those two sweet precious little sisters custom made just for me and gave it to me as a GIFT!!!!!! Oh my word!!!!!!

Is it me or what!!!! The pickets and the rooster and the old whitewashed chippie paint and the date of when they placed the keys to my sweet little house in my hands.....ohhhhhh my heart is so full I cannot begin to express my joy!!!!!
Look at it over my other precious random act of kindness gift from sweet Jeanette...I LOVE IT!!!!!! Thank you girls...thank you ...a million times thank you...it is perfect! If I should stop blogging tomorrow I would have enough memories from this experience to last me the rest of my life...I love you guys so...I cannot tell you the richness you have added to my life..to each and everyone of you that takes the time to come by and whether you comment or not..just to know you took time out to even visit...I am truly grateful....take care you guys and have a glorious weekend. ~♥~ Picket