Home of the free....because of the brave

Memorial day is upon us....I have been thinking a lot of the men and women who did so much for our country.

We have the greatest nation on the planet....

I wish for one day that all political parties could just be happy about what a wonderful country we have!

Above is my newest sign ...."Home of the free because of the brave".

It is part of this lovely treasury on Etsy!

In Honor of Memorial Day

 

This gorgeous painting!

The cutest outfit ever!!!

Pretty pendant....this would be great for the fourth of July too

Cool card...I wouldn't want to give it away...lol

Great home decor

Americana prints

Wonderful wood pallet art....classic!

Awesome photography!

Love these tags!

Fabulous frame...perfect for your military photos

These are just some of the great items in this Etsy treasury.

Please check these artists out...support these wonderful items!

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All gave some, some gave all!

 

Come to the Pin me linky party and the Party Bunch!

Scottish Valentine & memories

I love this Scottish Valentine....

reminds me of dad...who came from Scotland 63 years ago....and is very happy to be here in America.

When he first came...he was so unhappy.

Everything was different and he felt very out of place.

As the years went by, he became accustomed to America.

He loved my mother until the day she died, even though they had been divorced when I was 2....they were very good friends.

He still has an accent and is VERY THRIFTY....

but he has always been EXTREMELY GENEROUS to me....

and his one and only grand-daughter Selina.

He now takes care of his long time girlfriend who has Alzheimer's.

He has more patience than I would ever had thought.

Love him!

The warmth of home is calling....

OMG.....Christmas is only a week away.

It seems like all of a sudden ....it is here!

I just wanted to share with you....my new painting

"The warmth of home is calling".

I used old book pages...pretty papers, paint, ink, chalk, and all kinds of layering.

IT was so much fun to paint.

This is a 16" x 20"....so bigger than my usual.

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I LOVE HOME.

Wherever it has been....I have made myself so very happy there. 

I also love to think of the home my mom made for us when growing up...and even though my parents were divorced....my dad was always welcome....and he would always come.

They had a better friendship than love story.

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Enjoy the little things!

JOY

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE CARDS IN MY COLLECTION!

I love how the letters are candy canes.

The tinsel is so sweet.

Love the ornaments too!

Here is the same card with vintage appeal.

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Makes me think of my mom....all those trips to Kmart!

We would go there just to watch the weird people while we had a banana split (pop the balloon for a deal on it...the price would be inside on a piece of paper) or a pudding....we were desperate for fun I guess.

People probably thought our large family was nutty.

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My mom made fudge every Christmas...it was a very good recipe.  It made a huge pan full which was great for our family.

One year we stupidly left it on the coffee table...the next morning the pan was licked clean.

Our dog "Sugar" ate the rest of the fudge....we were worried, but she was fine.

 

Happy Thanksgiving ....don't forget the dressing!

I had to have some fun with this!

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving....

and don't forget to have FUN!

We can get caught up in the preparations, the "have to get done"s, and all.

Enjoy each other and let loose!

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Don't forget.....my BIG SALE is still going on...

40 % off everything in my etsy shop!

For more details....click here

SORRY...THE SALE IS OVER :(

Back in the day...1982

Good Saturday to you!

This is me and one of my sisters.....back in 1982.

My sister is on the left...her name is Angie  (Angie baby...if you sing the song to her..lol)

I am on the right.  She is four years older than me.

We have had some seriously fabulous times...laughing so hard our mom would yell at us to be quiet for the millionth time.

We would play old computer games like digdug and remote control....with a  Kahlua shake.

Watch the "Kids in the hall" until our ribs would ache with laughter.

She would make a string contraption all across our room so she could pull it and turn out the lights.  She would also fall asleep with gum in her mouth...to find it stuck in her hair....lol.

We would cover our walls with tiger beat pictures of Shaun cassidy, leif erickson, and elton john.....and also that hunky guy from the blue lagoon.

 

Anyway...I could tell a million stories...but she has serious back pain right now....gonna see her next week. 

I hope she gets better soon....I know back pain can come and go.

She also has arthritis now...so that is bad too.

 

She should have a Kahlua shake...I think I will text her that!

Missing my wonderful mom

16 years ago today.....I lost my mom to a lung disease.  Yes she smoked....the one thing she did to cope with a hard life.  She also had Rheumatoid arthritis.  She was devoted to us five children and was a great inspiration.  She wasn't perfect, but she was close.

 

I must confess....I hated the smoke when I was a kid....me and my sister would bury our heads in our shirts for a filter.  We all had a lot of secondhand smoke.

I wish she would have quit smoking like my dad did.  My dad is fine and healthy....he quit drinking 43 years ago as well.  She did quit, but it was way too late...she was terminal.

 

I would give anything to have one more carefree day with her....maybe shopping, having one of her meals, talking about just about anything would be great.

 

As I have said before on the blog...my one and only daughter was just born 20 days before my moms death...I do believe her will was strong....and she willed herself to see my baby.

My mom was a navy vet, a fabulous Morse code operator, a terrific secretary, a wonderful story teller, was soooo darned smart, she could play anything on the piano, she was a great cook, sewer, crafter, made every holiday really special, and sooo much more!

 

If you still have your mom with you...consider yourself very lucky!

 

Watcha doing this labor day weekend?

Hey....beautiful weather here in Eastern Washington.

Watcha doing this Labor day weekend?

So far we have been doing some tasks around the house....taking walks....making smores in our fire pit....going out to eat.

 

We used to go camping every labor day(the whole big family together)....but things have changed...most of the kids have grown up and moved away....kinda sad when things change.

My daughter will soon be Sweet sixteen (she is the youngest cousin) and I have been planning all that.

I thought you would enjoy this boy fishing.....getting a nibble.

It is from an old coloring book.

We always could catch fish on Labor day weekend....so relaxing....especially with a drink.

 

Have a great rest of the Weekend!!!

Summer.....Oh the good old days

Wow....it has been hot in Spokane Washington.....and next week it will be hotter....upper 90's. 

That is me on the right....in 1972.  I have "Sugar" my dog next to me, and my sister Julie on the left. I have 3 sisters and one bro.

We are at deer lake....north of Spokane.

Remember the good old days....when you just played all day long.....everyone was safe....and there were no worries?

We went there many times....good memories.

 

When we were kids ....our family did not have enough money for chips, pop, snacks.....etc.

When we were hungry my mom told us to go eat a nice piece of toast.

There were never left overs and we went out to a fast food restaurant about 3 times a year.

You only got milk for your cereal and at school.

We had great holidays though....food and gifts a plenty.

I was my father's only child and the baby of the family.  My mom raised us well and my father has been there for me all through the years...and still is!

 

Sometimes it seems like I have already had five life's worth of fun....and I will have a lot more.

Do you feel that way?

 

Merry Easter to all - freebie design tag

Easter is sneaking up.....very fast!

This is a tag I made...just copy and save it....print and glitter this baby up!

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Come to Whipperberry's friday flair

All I need to get back in time....

 

All I need to go back in time....are my record albums!!!

My mom has been gone for 15 years now...I miss her so much...to get a little bit of her back...I play my old albums.  We grew up playing these in our house...over and over.  The cover at the top was my all time favorite album...loved it!!

I grew up in the 70's....wow is life different now.

 

WE loved the carpenters...her voice was amazing!

Just hearing it gives me an instant great feeling.

My sister Angie hates "Merry Christmas darling" ...so I sneak it in on her to get her...lol.

 

This one was my brothers...mom didn't care for it , but it is funny.

Nothing groovier than this one....they still are hip

 

Ok...anything Johnny sings is magic!

 

 

Angie loved Amy and then I hated to admit...she was right!

WE had this....it was before the day of video tape....the album basically was the whole show on record...it was still fun.

 

Gonna miss Andy....he passed away this year.  We used to watch his Christmas specials.

Now days we watch Michael Buble.

 

I loved these because there was a good variety of stars singing.  Barbara Streisand is at the top with black hair...strange.

 

I thought this angel was pretty amazing....so gold.

 

I also just loved this one....it was so cool all the pictures on these candles.

It is funny what stays in our memories.

Music is special and I love the beautiful memories...it is priceless.

 



Take the good with the bad

 You've got to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you've got, and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. Learn from mistakes, but never regret.

The above picture is my mom when she was a teen...she is on the left. She grew up in LaGrande Oregon.  She is gone now, but in her place I got my daughter...my mom died 20 days after my daughter was born. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad :(

On the shelf with my mom is this cute lil skunk my daughter bought at a thrift store....she couldn't pass it by.  All these pics are of my shelf area in my livingroom....gonna take them down and redecorate.

Here is my mom with another pal...I made the memory heart from fabric she left me.... I added a yo-yo she made and some buttons and such.

My daughter gave me this....cute huh!

This is a huge kitty planter from goodwill.....this time it was me who couldn't pass it up.

Corny....but I love corny!

This baby is sweet....a little kitty pitcher with strawberries my friends Sue and Renee made.

I want to decorate for fall really badly....but it is so darned hot still....98 today...yikes!

Later in the week the weather man says we will get 82 degrees...I say ...yeah right!  I will believe it when I see it or when I feel it!

Thanks to all the vets!

This is a beautiful Vietnam Veterans memorial statue in our city park of Spokane Washington.

I want to thank all the veterans who served...giving us this wonderful country that we live in.....without them....who knows what would have happened.  My grandfather...Chester....fought in WWI on the beaches of Normandy.  He was born in 1895!  He had passed before I was born (our family always waits to have children)  My mom was born is 1931 and I was born in 1967.  I had my daughter in 1997.  My husband and I are vets....so was my mother and other relatives too.  My father was a vet for the British Royal Air Force.  He loves America and would never live anywhere else!

Boy am I rambling.....Please have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Happy Easter...so let it be written!

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter...we are going to have a fun day with family.

I watched "The Ten Commandments" last night....one of my all time favorite movies.  I usually end up talking like the characters after a while.  I love it when the queen calls Moses a ..."stubborn splendid adorable fool"!

She is right....Moses could have become Pharaoh and then freed everyone.....but no.

When we were kids we would watch it on Easter Sunday night....we would be chopping away at all our candy and having the time of our lives.  This was when you had to wait for something to come on TV....and if you missed it, it was too bad.  Good times!

Saturday in Spokane WA

Today my daughter Selina, my hubby Dana, and I went out and about...all day.  WE checked out home depot and Costco (samples) and then hit the Spokane Public market.....check out the site.

The Funky Junk Show will be here on April14 & 15....10 am-4pm......this is a very fun show....full of unique antiques and crafts...I always have a blast!

I love strawberries.....these looked so good.

Yummy baked goods from Morning sun baking company.

Focaccia bread!!!

Lots of vendors!

Later we went to a pet store...these guys are BFF's.

What a cutie!!!!  He says "Take me home now!"

This one was giving the sad eyes.

His brother took the other route...and was showing how fun he is!

We did alot of exploring and even went in this Tudor House that was for sale.....it was to die for.

So I bought a lotto ticket and I am wishing upon a star too!

Salem Witch- digital print

Hi Everyone.....I just want to show you my new digital print...."Not every witch lives in Salem".  I love this saying!

It is available for $3.69 on my Etsy.  I Love creating for Halloween, it is like being a kid again.  When I was a kid (the 70's) we had no Halloween decorations (so unlike today) and my mom gave us a pack of construction paper to make Halloween decorations each year.  We would work endlessly on these....making witch silhouettes, moons, owls, cats, pumpkins, loads of bats, and such.  We would glue and cut for hours.  They would cover our windows and eventually would fade.  It was so much fun though!!!