After the Storm

If you've seen the national news today, you'll know Prattville, Alabama was hit hard! The path of destruction was about 3 1/2 miles wide and only about 2 miles long but it caused a real mess. The local news stations warned about what was coming all morning long yesterday and you only had to step outside in the 70 something degree weather to know....when I told my son it was hot, he said yes, and the storm will be bad! The sirens started going off around here and the weather channels were tracking the storm, keeping us advised of where the tornados were touching down. My best friend lives in south Alabama (Covington County) where they had some very damaging winds. She called to let me know they were okay.

I didn't want son and his family to travel back to north Alabama because the tornados were all up and down in that area so they waited it out here at home.

The news on Sunday night was full of pictures of damage and destruction but in the light of day on Monday morning, it's just unbelievable! Below is the parking lot of the Wal Mart shopping center in Prattville with an overturned car. They said that cars were just flying through the air!

Below is the Wal Mart shopping center complex showing roof damage and other stores that were damaged (from the WSFA TV web site)

You can see on the bottom of this picture all the warnings and areas affected by the storms. Thank God no one was killed!. Someone interviewed said that "things" can be replaced, but not people!

Thank You God for keeping us safe!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hubby sent me these beautiful roses today and I wanted to share them with all my sweet blogger friends! Can you smell how sweet they are?

Nanny's Cabbage

Tonight we had one of my all-time favorite dishes - fried cabbage! This is an old family receipe which was handed down from my grandmother to my mother and now to her daughters and granddaughters. BUT no one can cook it like my mama! Can I get an amen to that?!?!?! This is different from boiled cabbage because you cook it in a black skillet - kinda like stir fry. No self-respecting southern girl is without a black skillet in her kitchen. We serve this on the stove right out of the skillet....a little messy but worth it!

First chop up a head of cabbage

Now wash it real good...be sure to leave some water on the cabbage (in other words, don't pat it dry)


Fry up some bacon in your black skillet, getting it good and crispy...

After the bacon is cooked, take it up and crumble it on a paper towel, add to the cabbage after the cabbage is cooked just before you serve it

My sweet mama at the stove (don't pay any attention to those ol' cabinets, they are getting replaced real soon!)

She didn't like my electric stove!

A plate full of wonderfulness - cabbage, blackeye peas and pork chops! Add a little onion on the side and you're in heaven.

Mary Baldwin House

Once upon a time the downtown area of cities was the "hub" of activity. That is certainly true for our historic downtown area here in the heart of Dixie. I had the pleasure of working in an old restored Victorian home a couple of years ago. The home has a wonderful history. In addition, it was haunted!



The home is one of four Victorian houses built right next to each other. They were built for four sisters in 1879 by their father, a prominent doctor. He sold them to his daughters for $5.00 "paid in love and affection" in 1880. The Mary Baldwin House stayed in the family for several generations. However, as happens in a lot of homes, it eventually passed out of the family and was used for other purposes. It was restored to its current condition to serve as a Bed & Breakfast. The building is now occupied by lawyers.



James Hale, a former slave, was commissioned to build the homes for the sisters. Another home was built for a son a few blocks away from the sisters' homes. Mr. Hale was looked on as a family member. The doctor "freed" him after the Civil War but Hale loved the family and stayed on throughout his lifetime.



Hale's craftmanship has been beautifully preserved. The arched entryways are still lined with thick moldings and fireplaces. A solid wood handrail was discovered during the renovation and has been put back into place. Hale's most obvious touch is the matching doors that still adorn the front of each of the homes.

A photo of how the Mary Baldwin home looked years before its restoration



Mary Baldwin House all decorated for Christmas

View from dining room into grand living area. Look how thick the arches are. They say it took 5 workmen to hang the chandelier in the dining room!

Side view of Mary Baldwin House

View from across the street. You can see the adjacent home has not been preserved like her "sister".

My office was the middle window upstairs

Mary Baldwin House in all her spendor! Can you imagine the history that front door could tell about all who walked through her doors?

Now for the ghost story....I was coming back from lunch one day. The employees entered from a back door, going through a small sitting room and into the kitchen area which leads to the foyer and staircase. At the foot of the staircase is a niche where a large picture hangs that was commissioned to be done of the house. Standing at the foot of the stairs, looking into the niche, (like you might look into a mirror) was a woman in an old-fashioned dress tying on her bonnet! She was very clear to me...her hair was in two plaits on the sides of her head, she had on a long-skirted calico dress and was tying the ribbons on her bonnet under her chin. She was gone as quickly as I saw her. Another co-worker was walking in front of me who lived in a lower level apartment in the house. I had just started working there and knew nothing of the history of the building. I said "did you see that"? He said what and I said "that girl standing there". He said no but said he had seen her there before.

There were many instances of "sightings" other supernatural occurences. There was a portrait of a man in the house kept under the stairwell. They said the eyes on the man followed you wherever you were in the room. At one time, some previous owners of the home had used it as an art gallery/antique shop. A woman came and bought the picture but brought it back shortly thereafter. She told the owners she didn't care if they gave her money back or not but that the picture was "evil" and she was leaving it with them!

One day I got to work and found another co-worker standing outside. She was shaking and said she was not going back inside alone....she got to work about an hour ahead of everyone else and had many strange things happen while she was there by herself.....lights flickering off and on, ceiling fans turning on by themselves, and at other times, she said she'd hear voices! Now before you think we're all crazy or superstitious, let me say that we did not go around sharing these experiences with each other...it was not until I found her outside that morning scared to death that we started sharing things that happened to each of us.

There is nothing like the beauty and craftmanship of these old homes. I would imagine it's hard for some of the past inhabitants to leave as well!

Have you ever had anything "strange" happen to you like this?

The Letter

Two years ago my mom's bachelor brother died....he was 90 years old. He had never been married but had decided early in life to live with his parents and take care of them. Uncle Charlie was retired navy and had traveled the world. He was at Pearl Harbor the day it was bombed and my mother's family did not hear from him for 3 weeks....I can't imagine how they felt not knowing if he was dead or alive. Thankfully, he had survived.

When he passed away, my mother and my siblings and I were his only heirs. He lived in a small town in North Carolina where my mother and her family grew up. At 90 years old, he was in pretty good shape for someone that age ~~~ a few problems but nothing alarming. He had given up driving but got around on his riding lawnmower! One day he had a doctor's appointment, drove himself to the doctor on the lawnmower, and had a stroke at the doctor's office. My brother rushed to be with him at the hospital but there was really nothing that could be done....he died on January 11, 2006 (which happened to be my grandmother's birthday and my mom and dad's anniversary date). I know he finally went "home" to be with his parents.

It took several days to go through 90 years worth of stuff. Uncle Charlie loved antiques and over the years he had collected quite a few. Many homes today cannot accomodate the type of antiques he had as they were quite large and bulky. Uncle Charlie lived in a big older home where the antiques fit right in.

One of the things I came across was a letter from my mom to Uncle Charlie who was about to be sent to Toyoko. The first page of the letter is dated September 8, 1951 and continues on pages 2-4 dated September 11, 1951. The envelope is postmarked September 12, 1951 - the day I was born! It felt so strange to hold something in my hand and read words my mother had written about her pending delivery some 55 years ago!

Here is the letter:

Saturday, September 8, 1951


Dear Charlie:

Not much in the way of news to report - mostly just sitting around waiting, waiting. Been feeling today like it can't possibly be much longer.

Dad & Mama were up here Wed. to get the windshield fixed. We ate lunch downtown and they did a little shopping. It was so hot down there that we didn't stay long. Came back to the house and hit the sack. It was 4:30 when they finished with the car. (time out)


Tuesday (11th)

I'm back after a 3 day intermission. Haven't finished partly because of lack of news but mostly due to negligence.

Dad and mama were up again Sun. Ate dinner at Jim's.

I've still been trying to get that Miss Roland to stay with me but I haven't been able to get any satisfaction from her. Joyce's baby is almost a month old now and she has Maple staying there too. (NOTE: Joyce was a family friend who had had a little girl - this little girl and I grew up together! Maple was the family nanny - remember this was in the 50's and was typical of that era)! Mama said she called Miss R. and asked her about staying with me. She said she didn't know when Joyce would be thru with her but would let her know. I told Mama just not to contact her anymore - if she's interested okay - otherwise just drop it.

My time is up one week from today. Don't feel like I can drag it out that long but you know how nature works. Going to the doctor tomorrow. (NOTE: When my mom went to the doctor the next day he immediately sent her to the hospital - I was born later that afternoon). Maybe he can tell something by then. Turner (my dad) won't let me go in a theatre anymore (except drive-ins). Says he's afraid my water will break or something. I'm still driving tho' it's all I can do to get under the wheel.

Suppose you all are not too far from your destination by now and know you'll be glad to get your feet on land again. A girl I know just came back from Tokeyo (?) and says they just loved it. They sent her husband back here for discharge and he is going to try to get reassigned back over there. She says the place where you are going is really beautiful.

I'm trying to get up the energy to dress and run over to that dime store on Forrest Ave. I need a few things and that will be safer than venturing downtown. If anything should happen over there I'd be near the hospital.

I'm gonna have meatloaf tonight. Don't you just know Turner will be thrilled no end. He had to "count heads" in the mess hall yesterday and didn't eat anything at home. Thought I'd really give him a treat(ment) today. (Note: I think my mom was being a little naughty by giving my dad something for supper that was not his favorite food - ha)!

Well, write when you can and stay as cheerful as you can.

Love always, Kat


Everytime I read this letter it's like holding history in my hands. To think I'm reading the words my mom put down in a letter within hours of my entrance into this world.

The postmark on the envelope is September 12, 1951 8:39 p.m. (I was born that day at 4:30 in the afternoon!)

Look how well preserved the letter is. The paper it's written on is tissue-thin!

The letter is written on front and back

What beautiful handwriting - my mom always had great penmanship but now that she's 87 it's a little shaky.

I hope you've enjoyed this little trip down memory lane with me as much as I've enjoyed sharing it with you all!

Valentine's Day Art Contest

Dawn at The Feathered Nest has a piece of her wonderful art entered at Charming Sam's Studio for a Valentine Day giveaway. Dawn has asked that you cast your vote and then let her know that you have done so. For more information on how this works, you can visit Dawn's blog. Voting ends on February 13, 2008. If you vote for Dawn's artwork, please contact her by e-mail and she will enter your name in the hat for the drawing of this beautiful art.



Good luck Dawn!!!!

A Blessing To All Blog Friends

The idea of the blessings award is a game of tag with a difference~~rather than look inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for 3 blog friends. By participating in this endeavour we not only make the recepient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We're going to see how far the blogging blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed. Recepients of a blogging blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. Since I can't choose any one single person, I am sending out this blessing to all who visit here. Let's keep the blessings going round the world!

Blessings to You All!

Finally Got the Chandelier Hung!

Sometime back I posted my husband's bathroom on Rate My Space. Most of the feedback was postive but I did get some pretty "goofy" comments and/or suggestions. I wish my camera took a better picture of this bathroom or better yet, I could get a shot of the entire room. The walls are chocolate brown and I've used white and brown towels with a little bit of leopard thrown in. This bathroom is pretty small but I've managed to put in 2 lamps and now a chandelier! The little sconce on the wall between the mirror and wall mounted cabinet is fake and just for show. The mirror came from a thrift shop....my sister and I fought over it in the store (I tell her I'm still the boss of her) and it was only $4.00!


I actually stood in the bathtub to take this photo. Someone made a comment about that they did not like my dog picture (whatever) but Mary at Little Red House loved it and I love her taste!

Here's the shabby chic chandelier hubby hung today. It was a flea market find. The lady was asking $35 for it (which I would have paid)....it included all the shades with little crystal dangly things. I got her down to $20 and walked away a happy camper!

The chandelier could not be wired into the ceiling but was on this long cord-covered chain which we swagged over to the corner.

I was worried hubby would think it a little girly for his masculine bathroom but he walked by at one point and said he really liked it! That means it stays up (or until he hits his head on it coming out of the shower) I did make him walk under it for clearance.

Show and Tell

Friday I went "shopping at home" as my husband likes to say. My kitchen is painted red and I've been decorating with a rooster theme but I'm getting a little tired of the roosters. Don't get me wrong, I think roosters are so very "in" but I'm wanting a little change. I don't want to repaint the walls or get rid of all the rooster stuff, but I've been adding some transfer ware and other things to move it away from a totally rooster theme. Since I have a little booth at a local antique gallery and I just took my happy little self down there to "shop". As you can see, I am gravitating toward greens, toiles and bunnies (nothing wrong with that) and I found quite a bit of stuff to get started in that direction.

Forgot about having these plates in my booth - I think they are so pretty

Angel plaque I also got from my booth - I'll paint her and hang her up somewhere

Got this fake topiary for $5.99 in another booth ~ quite a steal!

Cups and saucers out of my booth - I have a plate rack I'll use these on with some dishes I already have

Bunny lamp has missing ear on other side but for $3.00 I thought I could turn him "this way" so you could not tell.

I added a white shade I already had and taa-daa, a bunny lamp is born. I want to tone down his green color a bit so I'm open to any suggestions on how to do that. I'm not sure I like this shade but if I keep it on the lamp, it will get some kind of trim. What about the white shade? I'm thinking of covering the shade in a toile fabric.

Now for some kitchen pics:

This is an old marble top sewing table in my kitchen. BJ from Sweet Nothings had seem my rooster kitchen on Rate My Space and asked that I post some of those pics again. This is for you BJ!

I found this plate rack a while back at the flea market and put my red toile plates on it. (There's baby McKinley to the right of the plates).

Corner cabinet

Someone called these my "roosters with attitude"!

View from dining room doorway

Now for some neat things I've received from some blogging buddies:

Sherry at Prairie Home had these tees on her blog a while back and I ordered one. They were back ordered but mine came in Friday. It's a dark charcoal gray with Vintage Chick in white - very "chic"!

Got this cross from Heather and Denise at Basiques Boutique . They showed it with a multi-strand pearl necklace and I ordered the necklace too but it got broke in shipping so I went out and bought two different sizes and lengths of necklaces to imitate the way theirs looked...it's really cute on.

Ain't it purty? (no, I don't talk like that)!

Looks great with my tee shirt

Bling! I plan on wearing this with my dark charcoal (almost black) denim jeans, boots and silver hoop earrings. Sherry has other tees arriving in a short sleeve and I can't wait to see those.