I am a Victorian Soul, who lives in a small townhouse that was built in the mid 1970's, not a huge Mega Mansion!! I just recently lost my Hubby Joe, who was a Retired Letter Carrier. I worked night shift as an RN on a Hospital based Rehabilitation( Physical Medicine) Unit for 37 years before I had Knee Replacement Surgery and officially Retired in 2019 after 41 years working in Direct Patient Care ... I am so glad that we retired at 62 years of age and got to spend that time together before he passed....I still do love Retirement!!!!

I DABBLE IN A BIT OF THIS AND THAT!!!!

" IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN"
George Eliot
George Eliot was actually a pen name for a woman named Mary Anne Evans......

BLOGGING FOR FUN AND FRIENDSHIP!!!!!!

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Day My Life Changed.....

 Feb. 26th, 1987

26 years ago , my life changed forever on that day......

Life , as I knew it, would NEVER be the same.....

Below is what I posted last year about this day.....

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On Feb. 26th, 1987, My Dad passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack.

He was 67 years old. I was 29 years old.

My Dad, was a Master Sargent in the Army during WWII

He woke up that morning to see my Mom off to work. Dad was retired. He waved Good Bye from the Living Room picture window to her as she pulled out of their drive way. Shortly afterward, my sister would call him and there would be no answer. She would call me, who just got home from work, to tell me there was no answer.
Both of us knew what she would find as she would be the first one to reach my parent's home as she lived closer.While waiting anxiously for her call back, I would then call my husband at work telling him to be on stand by to leave and come and get me ( we only had one car at that time) because I knew my sister would find that my Father had passed away.
She found him laying on his back on the bed as if he had just sat down and fell backwards.

Dad, Me and Mom


I remember that day as if it was yesterday. Joe and I were the ones who went to where my Mom worked to tell her that the Love of Her Life was gone. When she saw us in the office of the Dress Factory where she worked, she knew....
She was never the same......
My life changed forever that day. My HERO and my ROCK was gone.
3 months later my Mom would sell the home in which I lived in since the age of 4. The home that my Dad built. Every tradition that we had was gone , along with my Dad.
We all would go on , including my Mom. 18 years later, she left us to return to his side, where she belonged. They both would have been 92 years old this year.

The last picture taken of my Dad shortly before he passed away...

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him. I still hear his voice and words of encouragement and he is forever in my heart.
I am proud to say that I am a Carpenter's daughter. I only wish he could have passed on his vast knowledge to my sons who were only 3 and 5 years old at the time. How ever, that was not meant to be........

Frank Kolojejchick
1919 - 1987

If you would like to read my first tribute to my Dad that I did on this Blog, please click HERE

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Now it is 26 year later........

I lived with regret for several years after my Dad passed away.

I was doing Private Duty that morning and had the thought that I should go and have a cup of coffee with Dad as I was not far away from my parent's home.

But I decided against it to go home.

For years, I thought that maybe if I would have gone to my parent's home that morning, I could have saved him.........


Or at least, maybe I would have got to say Good Bye and tell him just how much I loved and adored him....

It took me a long time to realize that "What is Meant to Be , is Meant To Be"  and "Everything Happens for a Reason".

That day happened exactly as it was supposed to happen......



It was God's plan and I have learned to except that.....

As I said in last year's post, not a day goes by that I don't think of my Dad.

He was the first Love of My Life......


And I still miss him.....

He taught me many things but most important of all was "To Never Let Anyone Use You as a Door Mat" .

You may not all pick it up from my Blog but in my life, I speak my mind , I fight for what is right and for my beliefs and someone may take advantage of me once but they don't get a second chance to do it again.

I have passed these ideals on to my sons......

If your Dad is still living, please give him a hug today and tell him how much you love him.

In a fleeting moment, he could be gone so say what you need to say to him now.....

Before you can no longer do that....

And give him a kiss on the cheek and remember me and my Dad.....

I am linking up to these parties;

What's It Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Wednesdays Adorned From Above Linky Party
HOME Party on Wednesdays
Welcome Home Wednesday Party
  Show and Share Party

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday
Treasure Hunt Thursdays
Show Off Your Stuff Party on Thursdays
Home and Garden Party Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Vintage Thingie Thursday
Time Travel Thursday
 Open House Party
 Everything But The Kitchen Sink 
The Busy Bee's Blog Hop
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

Home Sweet Home Friday
Simple and Sweet Fridays
 Be Inspired Fridays
Tickled Pink Party
Favorite Friday Party
 What To Do Weekends
Homemaking Weekend Link Up Party
Flaunt It Fridays
The Feature Friday Linky Party 
Anything Goes Linky Party 
 Grace at Home Party

Weekend ShowOff Party
Saturday Nite Special
 Strut Your Stuff Saturdays

Seasonal Sunday
Sunday's Best
Sunny Simple Sundays
Clever Chicks Blog Hop


Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and every day that you take the time to visit with me!

Hugs,
Debbie

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

A Tale of a Tea Pot

Winter is still not letting go here as we have had freezing rain and more snow over night.
Here is the Pocono's of Pa., this is a big Holiday weekend with lots of vacationers coming in for the weekend planning to hit the Ski Slopes.....

I do love to take pictures in the Winter because I think the snow and ice make everything look so pretty....




 I just love how the trees in my little back yard look coated with snow and ice.....

I want to Thank Kathy over @ Life on Lakeshore Drive for featuring my post
Live @ 55 and Wreath Re-Do as the Most Viewed from last week's Bouquet of Talent Link Party!!!


Thank you so much, Kathy!!

Today, I am going to tell you Tale........

I will be sharing some things in my Bedroom that I love and that bring me great  JOY while I spin my Tale.....

A Tale  about a  Tea Pot

About 15 years ago, when I was really into going to yard sales and would hit about 20-30 yard sales on a Saturday morning, I started collecting vintage Tea Pots.....


One of the first Tea Pots I bought for my Collection was a mere $1.00........


 I really liked it so I put it on display in my hutch in the Dining Room.....


It caught my fancy because it had Roses on it.....

It stayed in my Dining Room Hutch for several years.....


 Until I started to collect Moss Rose Dishes......


 And displayed them in the Hutch....


I then moved the Tea Pot and displayed it in the Den.....


About 5 years later, Joe's Mom was cleaning out some things in her attic.....



She told Joe that she had a few things that she was going to give to me that were her Mother's......



She had taken them when her Mother passed away, the year before we were married....


Packed them away and had not even looked at them for about 20 years!!


When Joe brought home these things that were his grandmother's, I was so excited and could not wait to unwrap them.....


I quickly realized that one item was a Tea Pot!!!


When I unwrapped it, I almost dropped it........


I was shocked!!!!!


It was the SAME Tea Pot as I had bought about 5 years earlier at a Yard Sale!!!!


I could not believe it!!!


I called Joe's Mom and told her that I had an identical Tea Pot!!


You may remember this table looking like this.....


It now looks  like this


What is even more shocking is that Joe's Mom told me the Joe's Grandmother kept her Tea Pot proudly displayed in the Hutch in her Dining Room.......


The exact SAME Hutch where I had kept the identical Tea Pot for some time.......


We had inherited Joe's Grandmother's Dining Room Furniture....


And Joe's Grandmother's name was......

ROSE!!!!


Rose and John Wasielowski


Rose came over from Poland @ 18 years old to join her Father who was already in America.

Rose was from the same town as Pope John Paul II.


She married a man who was much older than her, who was a widower with 3 children, which she raised as her own.


Rose later had 4 children of her own , 2  were a set of fraternal twin girls, one of which is my MIL.



Joe was Rose's favorite Grandchild and when she passed away the year before we got married, a note was found, written by her ,that Joe was to chose anything that he wanted in her home first, even before her own children.



We chose the Dining Room set and later found out that the note was found in the drawer of the Hutch!!!

Again, the same Hutch!!





I spent very little time with Rose before she passed away , unfortunately.


 We would pick her up and take her to church on a few occasions on a Saturday night while we were out on a date.




Rose never learned a word of English, only spoke Polish,  so I never understood her....


But I guess there was a connection between us.....


The Tea Pots were made by the Arthur Wood Company from England.




When and Where Rose bought her tea pot, we do not know.....


But somehow, both of my sons will inherit something from their Great Grandmother....

 Joey's Graduation Picture


 Jim's Graduation Picture



Two Great Grandsons ,that Rose never got to meet , will have something , identical, to remember her by..........

Joey and Jim


Do I know which Tea Pot was actually Rose's.......

 
No.....

But does it really matter????????

I think not!!

I have been lucky enough to have been given several other things that belonged to Rose by my MIL and I am very happy to have them......

Rose was affectionately known to her family in her later years as Ba Ba Washy.  Ba Ba , being Polish for grandmother and Washy was short for Washielowski.

One other thing I would like to share with you that I have in my Bedroom is from Joe's other Grandmother, Ba Ba Barna.


This was bought in Italy as a gift from her oldest son, George.....


It is nicked a bit but I love it......

The detail in the faces are amazing and these pictures do not do it justice......

I am a firm believer in the Philospohy of  "What is meant to be, will be "and "Everything happens for a Reason".

I think my little Tale about a Tea Pot is a prime example of this Belief!!

Have you entered my 3rd Blog Anniversary Giveaway yet?

If not, please click HERE

I want to THANK everyone for thr huge response to this Giveaway!!

I am linking up to these parties: 

Seasonal Sunday
Sunny Simple Sundays
Bouquet of Talent Linky Party
Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Masterpiece Monday
Blue Monday
Mod Vintage Mix Monday
Metamorphosis Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
Mop It Up Mondays

Cowgirl Up! Creative Linky Party
Knick of Time Tuesday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesdays 
 Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Tea Time Tuesday
Tabletop Tuesday
Tweak It Tuesdays
Show Me What You Got Tuesdays
 Twirl and Take a Bow Party

What's It Wednesday
Wow Us Wednesdays
Winter Blues Wednesday Party
Wednesdays Adorned From Above Linky Party
Primp Your Stuff Wednesdays
HOME Party on Wednesdays
Welcome Home Wednesday Party
  Show and Share Party

Delightfully Inspiring Thursday
Treasure Hunt Thursdays
Show Off Your Stuff Party on Thursdays
Home and Garden Party Thursday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Vintage Thingie Thursday
Transformation Thursday
Time Travel Thursday
 Open House Party
 Everything But The Kitchen Sink 
The Busy Bee's Blog Hop
  Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

Home Sweet Home Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Be Inspired Fridays
Thrifty Things Friday
Simple and Sweet Fridays
Tickled Pink Party
Inspire Me Fridays
Favorite Friday Party
Finding the Pretty and Delicious Party
 What To Do Weekends
Homemaking Weekend Link Up Party
Flaunt It Fridays
The Feature Friday Linky Party 
 Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party at Jennifer Rizzo's 
 Grace at Home Party
 Anything Goes Linky Party

Weekend ShowOff Party
Saturday Nite Special
Pink Saturday
 Strut Your Stuff Saturdays
One Great Idea Saturday Party 

 Sunday Best


Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by today and every day that you take the time to visit with me!

Hugs,
Debbie

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