Smile Because It Happened

Don't Cry because it is over.(Dr. Seuss)

                                                    Dasko 5-28-03  10-30-13

Tuesday Treasures

Come on in and have a cup of coffee. Kona is just soooo good, isn't it? I am copying my friend Trace over at Granny Trace Scraps & Squares.
She did a post called Tuesday Treasures  and I followed. If any of you bloggers decide to do this, give Trace credit. I think I will until Thanksgiving.

This is a little cabinet, built by Sam,(who ran the cabinet shop, my dad owned) that my Daddy used in his Shanty. The shanty was a little bitty house on wheels, that my Dad took to the well drilling sites with him. He kept lard, coffee, salt and pepper in it. He had a little laundry heater stove and would cook his lunch. I have treasures in it now. The letter in the upper left hand corner is a handwritten note from Gladys Taber. Underneath is a pin with my name on it, Daddy had made for me. The blue pig was my Maternal grandmothers tape measure. The white pig was hers, also. The lower left hand bear is a wind up and behind that is a string bound book dated 1832. The pin keep was sent to me by a former blogger, Lori Triplett. The first thing I ever received from a blogging friend.
We all know things aren't the real treasures, but on Tuesday's for a while it will be things
I consider those of you who come Through My Back Door a treasure
betty

Home Is Where The Heart Is

What a beautiful fall afternoon and the coffee is on. Guess what? It is Kona!!
       

 I haven't been able to find any and Saturday, my wonderful  neighbors, Jackie and Phil, (remember he walked over here in the snow when she read I was out of milk, to bring me milk) brought me some! She found it at Krogers. On sale! Does it get any better than this! Of course I had to get some. I love Kona coffee it is just the best. I admit it, I love coffee period. Anyway, I  have been reading a lot of post on the FB decorating pages I belong to and I have discovered everyone loves their home. Home is where our hearts are. All of us. We all decorate differently. The sizes of our homes are all different. Some big, some small, and some in between. Some of us decorate with lots of stuff. some of us are minimal. Some of us are in between. The one common thread is we all love Home. I feel so good when I have been away and I come down my road and see this

When I turn in I see this.

When I walk in Through My Back Door, the sights and smells of home greet me. Right now it is the smell of Cinnamon Pumpkin in my Bath and Body plug ins. In a few minutes the smell of coffee will be here too. Ahhhh Home.
I am happy to be home. Whether I am gone for weeks, days, or a few hours, I am always happy to see home. I know you all feel that way too. Home is where life is lived. Food is eaten, coffee drank, books are read, TV is watched, and love flows. It can also be the source of discord, hopefully not for long, It is our home, our refuge, where we go when we are in need of peace.
In my little house I am the boss! Since there is no one but me, I don't have anyone to boss.I would have loved for Curtis and I to grow old together, but it wasn't to be, so being the boss isn't necessarily the best thing, but it is what it is.     This sign was made for me by Pam and Frank Hendrix, because I said this so often.  It hangs on my kitchen island and if I want to have a pity party, I just read it.

            I have made some mistakes being the only one to make a decision too. This is one                    
     

Yes it is prim and yes it is pretty, BUT it  is sooooooo hard to keep clean. I won't change it but it was a mistake.lol
At my house I realize I have too much stuff. Just too much, but I don't want to get rid of anything. Are you that way? Most of what I have now, is full of memories. Wonderful memories. Things I enjoy having around me. I don't want every inch of every wall full. Some people like that and would think I don't have enough. If I have a collection I like for it to stand out, not just fade into one big pile. Other people like lots of whatever they collect. I guess red ware and pewter are my biggest collections. I have packed a lot of things away. I throw my pewter into the corner cupboard and display some through out the house.  Redware is the same.

I don't have to tell you I use my pewter and my redware. I love it and especially in the fall and winter. I happen to think hot mulled cider is best served from pewter mugs. My imagination, maybe. Try it, then tell me what you think. (Make sure it isn't old pewter with lead base.) I have some really old, but prefer the new for serving.
When I come into my little house I see this.

I am home. Life is good and I am happy. I am happy you came to my little house today for good coffee and a wonderful visit. I always am happy when YOU come Through My Back Door where life is good.
betty
PS: To all my readers, who I know personally, please don't think this blog is a place to brag about what I have. It isn't. It just started out as a sharing and decorating blog. Nothing to boast about here
PSS:Please continue to pray for little 10 year old Livvy Glenn
PSSS: You all know how much I love Susan Branch and her books. The Autumn Book I found in a little shop in Bar Harbor, so it is really special. Well there is a poem about home in this book that I thought you would enjoy. If you don't have  the book, go get it. It is full of good warm fuzzies.

I  want to thank Susan Branch for permission to use this.
Susan Branch - Heart of the Home | Main Page
Also Susan Branch. Com.       I can't get it to link you to it, but you can also get her on FB

Ahhhh October

Good morning and come on Through My Back Door. It is raining but not to worry, Pumpkin Spice coffee is waiting on you.  It is not going to be a pretty day, but know what? I don't mind. I love these days, especially when it is cooler and you can make a pot of soup, have friends in and visit. That is exactly what is happening here tonight. It seemed like my leaves were never going to turn, this year, but they did.

Not a lot on the ridge yet, but in a day or two they will be popping. I love to sit on my porch with hot chocolate or mulled cider in the fall and look over at the ridge. My house sets down in a little valley with ridges all around. The color is just gorgeous and I say I have a fall and Christmas house. Somehow those two seasons just fit my little house. 
Like so many of you fall is my favorite season. I love preparing for the winter months and then snuggling in to read, watch TV(which I don't do much of) and just be. Of course the dominoes and card groups continue on, there is always family activities, and church, but we have the sense of nesting. I like to cook more in the fall and winter, making fudge is such a pleasure, and ah the cups of mulled cider. Fall is just perfect and I love the month. I love pumpkin squares and my Mother's caramel icing, these are guilty pleasures.lol I have another thing I love and that is to hear the call of the geese in the morning and evening when they go directly over my house.  There is nothing like that sound and it always makes me smile.
If you have been coming Through My Back Door very long, you know I love to reread Gladys Taber books in the fall through January/February. Why?Because they are so uplifting and encouraging. I also adore Susan Branch. I enjoy all of her books and I love her illustrations. Her book Autumn is out now.

Something about old friends that make it home. These books are old friends and I enjoy them over and over. That is not the only Gladys Taber book I reread. I am also reading the Country Wife, and it is good, written back in the 40's. It was recommended by a FB friend.
Aahhh October, don't you love it? I love you coming Through My Back Door where life is good.
betty
PS: Oh my please, blogging friends pray for litttle Livvy Glen, 10 years old and battling cancer. Her aunt said they were treating it aggressively, so that means chemo is strong. Please pray for her whole family. God has put this little girl into my heart for some reason.If you read my last post you know the story.
PSS: The Clinton Festival was Saturday. I put some of Barbie goods booth on my FB page. She knows how to do fall
PSSS: I am home for the winter except for one more trip. The card group always does a get away in the fall. What fun awaits us!

A Bit Of Fall

Good morning and welcome Through My Back Door. We are having pumpkin spice coffee and there are orange cranberry muffins. I have never liked flavored coffee for breakfast, but had a pound of caffeine PS that my friend Dottie had given me last year left over. SO  one morning I found I was out of caffeine coffee and decided to open that and use it. Well, I love it of a morning. I have always just liked flavored of an afternoon and evening. Not anymore. It has just been a delight every morning. Deb and I drank it at the beach too for breakfast.
 Fall is on its way and has peaked in some places. Not here yet. The trees on the ridges around me are just turning. Hopefully after the torrent of rains yesterday they will get a move on. I have finished decorating inside and haven't done a thing outside. I am going to get on that this afternoon.  I will share a bit of fall here.

If you have been coming Through My Back Door very long you know I have trouble with two areas of decorating. My mantle and vignettes. They just cause me grief as I don't have an artist eye. Some people have the knack of putting things together, that I would never think of. Anyway here are few of my fall vignettes.

I know you have seen the mantle before but here it is again.

This little salt crock has goat smilk soap in it, in the bathroom. Linda Stinson made the little j-o-l and the acorn.

Well I am so happy you came Through My Back Door where life is good.
betty
PS: I did something today I have never done. Accepted a friend request from someone on FB I had no mutual friends with. However when I visited her timeline I saw she had a grandaughter fighting cancer. Her name is Olivia. As you know I have an Olivia, who is pretty special to me, and Amanda fought breast cancer. SO I immediately accepted. Will you all join me in praying for this little girl?
PSS: This was at Andrews ball game this past week.

I am so thankful to God for healing her and I want to pray for anyone who is fighting cancer.
PSSS: If you haven't liked my FB page, maybe you will visit it and like it.

This Is What Is Happening

Good evening and welcome Through My Back Door. The coffee is on and there is no sweets, as I just got home from vacation. If you have been coming Through My Back Door very long you know I love the beach. I have been blessed to go to several, not out of the country, but in the US and I have none I like as well as Seagrove Beach in the Panhandle of Florida. It is just the most beautiful,peaceful place I know. When I walk in the door of my friend Carol's condo, it just gives you a peaceful feeling. This was the first time it was cool enough a couple of mornings to have coffee on the balcony.

The water this past week certainly made it live up to it's name of the Emerald Coast.
Seagrove is not as commercialized as a lot of beaches. No franchise places, just nice places to eat and not a lot of shops. You have  to go to a nearby beach or into Destin if you want to shop. We just like to do a bit of shopping and a lot of eating.lol

I took this picture at the Back Porch I think. We like to eat there too.
Anyway we had a good time, I read books, we played cards and just visited. Deb and Michael needed a rest and they got it. Of course we ate at Dewey Destins.(more than once)

We also hit Stinkys and Nicks. We antiqued but didn't find a thing. I am not looking for anything but some pieces of my red ware, which I am beginning to collect. Didn't find a piece.

It is Safe Harbor, by Royal Staffordshire. Again if you have been coming Through My Back Door very long, you know I love all things New England, especially Cape Cod and Barr Harbor, Me. When we were looking at red and white transfer ware and when I saw this I got so excited. It reminds me so much of NE,  Well I think I have made a mistake, as you can't find it, but am not willing to give up yet.lol I love the ships and hopefully will be able to add some pieces along. I will enjoy the hunt anyway.
Just before we went on vacation I took my car through a car wash. I have been told not to, but I did. Well it malfunctioned and put a huge dent in my trunk. It shook so bad I thought we were having an earth quake.

Now isn't that pretty? I will have to say the insurance company has been very nice and are paying to fix it. I hate to have my car banged up, don't you? I won't be going through any more of them, I will tell you that. Oh well, live and learn.
Fall has come to East Tn. It is really cool today and supposed to be cold tonight. I met Dodd, Renda, and my beautiful granddaughter Olivia tonight for dinner. We ate at a Thai restaurant and it was delicious. I was telling my FB friend Nina Meachum I am not much for the ethnic foods but would love that again.
Well this is what is happening Through My Back Door where life is good.
betty
PS: I will show a bit more fall next post
PSS: Please continue to pray for our friends and our country
PSSS: I want to show you my favorite football player. My little buddy is growing up too fast. This is as you know Andrew. He is following in the footsteps of his Daddy, who was an awesome football player. I just keep thinking how happy Curtis would be to see him playing, as he too played, as well as both our boys.

p