Autumn Tag Swap

The first picture is the tag from my new friend in California and the next two pictures of tags is the one I made for her.
What a fun time I have had participating in the Autumn Tag Swap over at It's A Very Cherry World. Some of us had no idea what we were doing, like me, but we tried anyway. Thanks for your ideas.

I was so excited to be making an autumn tag. This was my first try, but I'm sure it won't be the last. First I looked for something stiff enough to make a tag out of. Well, I was in luck because I had just decided to bake a cake and when I emptied the cake flour box there it was, the perfect piece of cardboard. I cut out the tag and proceeded to find something to go on it when I remember that my tag was going to a bear lover. I found a picture of The Three Bears strolling thru the woods, so with a little paper, some glitter and some old buttons from my collection I was in business.

My tag would be going to Linnea in California at Neabear's Sewing and Craft Mess. It has been so much fun learning to make tags. Can't wait to see what everyone has created.


When the mail came on Monday my tag arrived from Linnea in California. I love my tag. It is soooo sweet. I love the colors. I can't wait for the trees to be turning all the oranges, browns, and reds we see here. Then I will take some pictures to share.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week and go over to see all the tags that were made for the autumn tag swap at It's A Very Cherry World. Thanks Sue, you are the greatest.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Til we meet again,
Jo

Part 3 The rest of the story.......

They told me before I left home to bring clothes for cool, rainy weather. Well I didn't really need my rain gear for it only rained one day the entire two weeks we were there. We traveled everyday to someplace special. I really can't say which day was the best because all of them were fun.



We saw several of the cathedrals, and all of them were beautiful. We saw Stonehenge, King Arthur's roundtable, the ships in Portsmouth, London Bridge, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the beautiful countryside, shopping at Harrod's Department Store, Windsor Castle and many more places and things. This picture was made outside Windsor Castle.


Yet, still the best part of my trip was spending time with my mother and getting to know her and my half sister. We would stay up late at night and just talk. She had planned to come to the states several different times but everytime something would come up so they couldn't make the trip. I was so fortunate to get to go see her.




My half-sister and her husband ran a pub called The Coach and Horses. We would go there and meet with some of their friends and just sit and talk and eat some of the best English cooking. My sister was the chef and everything was so delicious.




My new friend at the pub..... She was so friendly.

You see I could just ramble on and on about my trip. When I think about it the memories just come flooding back as if it were yesterday but this story must come to a close.

When we left for the airport that morning there were a lot of mixed emotions. I really didn't want to say goodbye not knowing if I would ever see her again, but I knew I had to.

We ran into alot of air turbulence on the way home and it made the trip a little rough. It was a long trip, but I was so glad to see my family and friends. I took so many pictures and the memories will be with me forever.

Well you see, that was the last time I got to see my mother because she got sick in November of that year and died in December. I will never forget the wonderful times we had together.

All I can say is "THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES".

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Til we meet again....
Jo

On my way to England

And the story continues.......
I decided to make the trip in September. I had a friend at work that love to travel and he said he would fly over with me and then fly on to Germany for the second week of our trip. I had to get a passport and after that we got our tickets. I was so excited about going. Things were finally coming together. They did a story in our local newspaper about my trip to see my mother. You see it had been nearly 50 years since she had seen me. I was very nervous and excited at the same time.

We boarded the plane in Atlanta, GA and flew all night. Not only was I nervous but also excited about the trip. I was scared about flying for you see I had only been on a plane one other time, it was much smaller and a 3 hour trip. Some of the people aboard the plane slept including my friend so I had plenty of time to think and get more nervous. I think that is what probably made me a little sick. A stewardess saw that I was not feeling well and ask if I needed something. I told her I was nervous and felt a little sick. She carried me to the back of the plane and got me something to drink and some crackers to eat. We decided it was only a case of nerves after I told her why I was going to England. It wasn't long before I was calm and ready to go back to my seat.
We had a good flight over and by the time the plane landed everyone knew why I was going to England. When we landed at Heathrow airport in London it seemed like it took forever to get our bags and go thru customs. And then the long walk to where people were waiting.They were suppose to be holding a sign up with my name on it but they forgot it but we had no trouble recognizing each other. The tears began to flow as we ran to each other. It was as if we already knew each other. She was so easy to talk to. At the airport along with my mother was a half sister and my mothers' husband. They had only been married about 2 months.

So here we are. Our first picture together. Peter on the left, my mother,Jean, in the center, my half sister Jenny in the background and I am on the right. As you can see we are very happy. They had planned a wonderful 2 weeks for traveling over the countryside.

More to come....

Have a blessed day.
Til we meet again...
Jo

In a land far away

I have a story to tell. It may take me a while you see. It starts in a land far away across the sea and then it comes home to stay.
I was born and raised in Alabama though I was conceived in England. My mother came over on a ship when she was about 6 months pregnant and was only 18 years old. She almost lost me at sea, so there was a possibility that I would not have been here.
After she was here and I was born not long after she became pregnant again and she had my baby sister. We are only 14 months apart. Now you would think what a happy little family we had, but that is not so true. For you see my mother was here in a strange land far away from her family in England and she missed them very much. Well as time went on she and my daddy didn't get along very well and she made a very tough decision to return to her homeland across the sea.
She left behind her two little girls and thought she would never see them again.
Our grandparents raised us and our grandmother keep in touch with her for a long while. Our grandmother would send pictures and we would get letters and cards from her and our other relatives in England.
As time went on her little girls grew up, married and had families of their own. It would be years before she would see only one of her babies again.

I wrote her letters for over 2 years, sending pictures of my family and her only grandson. During our writings I ask her if she had a telephone and could I call her. My next letter came and had a number. On Christmas day, 1996 I made a phone call that changed my life forever. When she answered the phone we could hardly talk for crying. I had sent her a homemade pound cake for Christmas and she had just cut it when I called. We talked several time for the next few months. I wanted to go to England so bad, but knew it would be almost impossible to do.

Then on Mother's Day 1997 in church that Sunday our pastor said there was someone in the congregation that was going to make a trip and see someone they had not seen since childhood. I had never told anyone at church about my situation or wanting to see my mother but I knew then that he was talking about me. So soon afterward I started making plans to make the long trip to England.

More to come......

Hope everyone has a blessed day.

Til we meet again....
Jo

Where are you?

Are you out there somewhere?

I've been blogging for over a year now and when I reach 100 followers I will have a drawing for something wonderful. Don't know what it will be right now but looks like I have a long way to go and plenty of time to decide.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Til we meet again....
Jo

Man's Best Friend

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours,
faithful and true to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

Author Unknown

Hope you have a blessed day.
Til we meet again....
Jo

A New Day

This is the beginning of a new day.
You have been given this day to use as you will.
You can waste it or use it for good.
What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever;
in it's place is something that you have left behind....
let it be something good.

Author unknown

Hope you have a blessed day.
Til we meet again....
Jo

Happy Easter

Well hello. I would like to stay and talk but my chair awaits and I must go.





I just love having my picture made but they tell me I have to share my chair because there are others who want to have their picture made, so I must hurry.



I have my Easter bonnet on, do you?



Now let's see if our picture will turn out good.



Look at me, you have to behave because someone else wants our chair. We have to hurry.







Alright, we did good, now who is next?
Look what a pretty little girl.



Is is alright if I get in the chair now?



And now there is only one more little girl to have her picture made.



Can I bring the cat.





Well picture time is over and we all need to get ready for the Easter parade.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and let's remember what we are celebrating.
Not all the Easter eggs and bunnies, but that Jesus arose from the grave.
Have a glorious Easter.

Have a blessed day.
Til we meet again.
Jo

Rescued from the storm

We had some strong storms come through today. Cut these just before the rain began. I have them in the craft room and it's like a sweet perfume in the air.






Have a blessed day.
Till we meet again.
Jo

Another package

Another package has arrived in the mail by way of a neighbor. It was left at her house the week before and she had an emergency and went out of town. When she got home she remembered the package and brought it over this week. My long awaited gift from a giveaway from Debbie@Debbie-Dabble. She is such a talented lady. I love it. It will go perfect in my bedroom.



Don't you think it will go with this picture?



And this picture?



She also tucked in a little surprise. A beautiful handmade Christmas decoration? Think I will just keep this one out in the craft room in a special place to remind me of sweet Debbie.


They are both beautiful. Thank you so much Debbie. I will cherish them for years to come.

Hope everyone has a blessed day.
Till we meet again.

Jo

Two little playmates

While walking in the yard late yesterday afternoon I came upon these two playing under the big oak trees in the side yard. They were having such a good time until they saw me coming. As you can see one didn't want to stay around so he scurried off and up the tree, but the other one stayed for a bit.


As you can see he had something else in mind. He showed me his acorn. I had interrupted he evening meal.


So he settled down to eat.


I was able to get just a little closer to him before he decided it was time for him to turn and go away, so....


He disappeared up the tree completely out of sight.


Who knows, maybe he has a family up there somewhere.

Hope everyone has a blessed day.
Till we meet again,

Jo

Look what came in the mail today!!!

When I went to the mailbox this morning I found the package I had been waiting for. It is from Vicki at http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.com.I couldn't wait to open the box for I knew what was inside but I didn't know how beautiful it would be.




She had it wrapped and with a beautiful handmade hang tag.


The paper had birds nest all over it, just a hint of what was to come.


She had paper stuffed inside so the nest would not be crushed and the little eggs would not be broken


Once it was out of the packing all I had to do was fluff it up just a little.


The details are so beautiful. It had 2 little blue eggs and a lot of nesting material. Vicki said it would be "to die for" and it is.


The beauty almost took my breath away...... I just couldn't wait to find that special place to put it so that everyone who came in would see it. First I tried the curio cabinet but decided that it would not be seen there unless I keep the light on all the time so next I tried the dining room table. What do you think?


I put it on a ceramic cake plate and it almost covered the entire top.


Thank you Vicki. I will think of you everytime I pass by. It is just a beautiful breath of spring right in the middle of my dining room table. Vicki you are the greatest.

Hope everyone has a blessed day.
Jo