All aboard!

Seems like it is always raining at the train station. I have my rain jacket,  but the removable hood has been removed; not sure, but I think it is on top of the dryer, at home.

I spy an umbrella on the back seat, for whatever good it will do ; it's more pretty than functional. So I board the train, damp and chilly from the rain and the platform's dripping overhang. 

A woman in front of me is calling for the conductor; the roof of our car is leaking!

There is water everywhere. From my window I see that the streams are swollen and the ground is flooded.  Pollen covers the water with a green film.

A pasture full of cows. Hmmm, no one puts blankets over cows like they do horses. Aww, baby calves.

Wild turkeys.

I am chilled. If this were a British train a tea trolley would have already been down the aisle.

It looks like winter now. The trees are bare and the sky is trying to snow. It's finally time to put up the Christmas tree,  once I'm back home in a couple of days. Yes, I am one of the last people to put up a tree. Not only did I grow up putting up the live 8 foot tree the week before Christmas,  but now I don't like putting up any Christmas when it still looks like fall out my windows.  And fall is my favorite season. So, when the winter solstice arrives, up goes the tree to brighten the dark.

This is a different approach to Richmond today,  along the Shiplock Park and a narrow canal of the James River.

A former factory boasting a fading Old Dominion Hide and Fur painted ad. Brick smoke stacks. Warehouses converted into loft apartments and condos. A stop at Main Street Station.

The industrial scenic route around the capital city. Junk, graffiti - rain makes it even more depressing. A second Richmond stop at Staple Mills. I am anxious to see Ashland decorated for the holidays.

Amtrak rolls along beside Main St. in Ashland, straight through town. Impressive Victorian homes line both sides of the tracks, but set back beyond broad green lawns and walkways. With expansive porches and multiple balconies there are numerous wreaths and garlands, inflatable figures and one life-sized nativity announcing the holiday.

Back into the rural countryside.  I feel a nap coming on, the train motion  lulling me to sleep. 

'Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg! The next stop is Fredericksburg.  If this is your stop ..."

Well, it's not. From the brief stop at the station I can look down Caroline St. lined with festively decked lamp posts. 

I have not been to downtown Fredericksburg to shop for a while.  Caroline St. is filled with antique shops, specialty shops and boutiques; it takes all day to shop, plus stop for lunch. But today we roll on toward and Quantico and Occoquan, over rivers and by marinas. Folks continue to get on at every stop: the Quiet Car is full.

And then in the distance I see the towering George Washington Masonic National Memorial,  Alexandria. Before the conductor even begins his 'look around you and make sure you have all of your belongings' spiel, I am up and headed to the door - there are two precious little blonde headed boys waiting on the platform for Grandmama, and I can't wait to see them!

Wait!

Hang on! Hold the phone! I haven't said 'happy' and 'thanks' yet!

Well, November was a blur; non-stop go-go-go until I hit a brick wall and then spent the last half of the month under the covers, under the weather.

And now it feels like everyone is acting as though Christmas is tomorrow. It's not! 

If you are in the throes of decorating for the holiday, wrapping presents and trying to stuff stockings, enjoy every minute! 

I have a fall wreath on my mantle along with several decorative pumpkins. The leaves in my 'woods' are still turning. We have barely finished with turkey sandwiches. So, I want just a few more days of Thanksgiving.

I want to remember the old family dinners when we squeezed around the table laden with turkey and gravy and a dozen sides scattered down the center. We passed every china bowl of goodness plus the gravy boat and bread tray. I need to be able to smell Thanksgiving, not just inhale it. 

I need to hear the chatter around the table, the clink of the crystal, the jokes that Grandmama shouldn't hear. And please be careful when you run your finger through the candle flame. 

What I don't need is to relive washing the dishes, that was the worst chore. I would rather iron the 120 inch tablecloth than rinse and wash every dish and piece of silverware used for dinner. Oh, and pots and pans. There was no double sink ...

So after remembering that horror, I can get on with the change in the season. 

Often the day after Thanksgiving was one to visit the family that did not eat at our house, cousins and aunts and uncles. Luckily it was usually a pretty day for a drive  and ramble outside - I love our mild Virginia Thanksgivings. 

I sincerely hope that you had a lovely Thanksgiving wherever you were, whatever you were eating. I am delighted that you are reading this now and that you share my Stampin' Up! world. 

I am looking forward to the Christmas holiday and all of the traditions and food and songs and flowers that say "Merry"! 

I will share some of that here with you in the next few weeks. Please keep reading.

Enjoy the upcoming holidays!

The Thanksgiving card above was happy mail I received from a sweet stampin' friend and fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. 

 

Don't wait for Christmas!

Making Christmas cards from the Frosted Gingerbread Suite of stamps and dies sent me looking for my favorite gingersnap cookie recipe.

 

Southern Living Magazine was a staple in my home and I relied on it heavily once I married and began cooking for a family. I purchased the annual cookbooks and any special series like The Southern Heritage Collection, copywrite 1984.

When fall rolls around it is time for pecan pies, pumpkin bread and gingersnaps. I still use this recipe and have offered it to anyone asking: 

Gingersnaps

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. molasses

2 c. all purpose flour (I added another 1/2 c.)

1 t. baking soda

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. ground ginger

1 t. ground cloves

additional sugar

Cream shortening; gradually add 1 c. sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses; beat well.

Sift together flour, soda and spices. Add to creamed mixture, mixing well.

Shape dough into 3/4 inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place on greased baking sheets; lightly flatten balls.

Bake at 375° 8 - 10 minutes or until browned ~ tops will crack.

Place on wire racks to cool.

Store in airtight container.

Yield 6 dozen.

I love using my old cookbooks. The best ones are those that can be read and thumbed through, with history and anecdotes. The Southern Heritage Collection contains old photos, events, period illustrations, vintage advertisements and stylized pictures of the food, and my handwritten notes. They have been loved and used for many special occasions.

The volume that includes Gingersnaps is titled Family Gatherings. The table of contents reads: "Reunions & Homecomings", "Home for the Holidays", "Special Days", "Once in a Lifetime", "Just Family".

There are seven or more entire menus in each chapter so no special gathering goes without mention.

There are recipes for Dressed Eggs, Pineaple Pie, Krum Kake, Christmas Eggnog, Individual Liver Pate on Toast Rounds, Noodle Kugel, Bar Mitzvah Brownies with 

Chocolate Bourbon Frosting, Grits Souffle, Sally Lunn Bread, Old Fashioned Cheese Straws ...

I have just ordered some fresh pecans for Thanksgiving; Company Sweet Potatoes is a recipe that is always requested of me at family gatherings in November. All the girls in the family now have their own copy because we can't eat together at Grandmama's anymore, but we can all have the Company Sweet Potatoes, and remember.

I hope you have and make sweet holiday memories this season.

Sugar and spice and ...

Oh, the sweets of Christmas. Know how I knew Christmas was coming, and soon, at Mama's house?

Ribbon candy, vanilla creme drops, gum drops, wedding cookies, cheese wafers...

Mama had quite the sweet tooth and she believed hospitality meant,  'what would you like to drink?'

During the week or so before the holiday she began shopping for the expected family and company: cheeses,  party crackers (Sociables), Pepperidge Farm Party Rolls, pecans, walnuts, rum, bourbon, eggnog.

For the life of me I cannot remember where she bought the Christmas candies. But it was not Christmas without thin, I mean almost sheer, ribbon candy. She had a particular dish for it and it was always placed on the sideboard.

I preferred Peanutbutter Pillows and Peppermint Straws.  They had their candy dishes as well.  The Peanutbutter Pillows were golden brown satiny, sweet puffy hardened squares filled with soft peanutbutter. 

The Peppermint Straws were traditional red and white striped hard candy that melted immediately into a smooth minty filling. They looked like miniature bed pillows dressed up with festive pillow cases.

Sugar coated gum drops of all colors were poured into its designated candy dish, with a quantity reserved to craft gumdrop trees from green styrofoam cones, toothpicks and candies.

All of the candies were kept in the Butler's Pantry, along with the alcohol.

Mama did not bake much, only her rum cake,  but rather shopped at the local bakery for holiday treats which included her favorite, cheese wafers. Mrs. Erkert's bakery was an institution on Colley Avenue for specialty cookies and bread, birthday cakes and wedding cakes.

Fortunately that bakery hung on long enough for me to be able to walk my children up there for gingerbread men during their toddler Christmases.

These memories and more came rushing forward as soon as I saw the Gingerbread and Peppermint Suite during the July - December Mini Catalog preview back in June. Needless to say, I pre-ordered it immediately (always a perk of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator!). And now it is finally time to start whipping up a few holiday cards and gifts with the items in the suite. See them all on pages 8 - 10 in the Mini Catalog.

Just like a pastry chef, you can 'pipe icing' on your cards using Embossing Paste (see Annual Catalog page 128), Snowy White Velvet Specialty Paper (p. 37 in the Mini), White Stampin' Ink  (p.129 in the AC); put on your white apron and toque and start mixing!

Order any or all of the items right from Shop Now on this website.

AND, order the entire suite before October 31 and I will treat you to a gift of gingerbread goodies  ~ I  will deliver or mail!

Please use this month's Host Code for your orders: MBKPGVWA.

The card above, inspired by SU Demonstrator Brian King, will be included in November's Christmas Card Buffet on Monday and Tuesday 8 and 9; to-go options available, as well.

Let's stamp!

And tell me, us, some of your favorite holiday goodies. 

 

 Nuts for Autumn!

Hooray! And not just for the pumpkin pie (remember Over The River and Through The Woods - last verse?)

Is Autumn your favorite season? Or are you already over the mentions of pumpkin spice and everything nice? With all of the social media posts, I feel for you if crunchy leaves and snuggly sweaters and apple cider donuts don't agree with you; it's going to be a long couple of months.

Sometime during late September, the wind changes and I can smell the sycamore leaves and bark. Their autumn coloring is a brilliant yellow; the leaves grow to six and seven inches broad. It is a massive tree that provides cool summer shade and then shakes off its yellow canopy and sheds its bark. What a magnificent tree. 

It's then that I am ready to bring out the Hall Autumn Leaf dishes to herald in the season.  It's a ritual, a family (mine) tradition. I am ready to think about chowder and soups, casseroles, apple butter and maple cream cookies. 

a bit of my Autumn Leaf collection

It's time to hit the road in search of flea markets and antique shows, hunting for treasure (perhaps another piece of Autumn Leaf). It's time for the leaf-peepers on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

It's time for me to re-organize my stamp collection. I will pack away most of the spring and summer stamp sets and accessories, or at least clear them off the work tables. Out come the new fall and winter product featuring cute ghosts, playful penguins, prancing deer, scattered leaves, forests of pines, woodland cabins, and spools of elegant ribbons and trim. And I am re-invigorated. 

I have developed new classes to share and I am offering a new 12 Weeks of Christmas holiday email program, just for my email subscribers, like you!

Beginning next week you will receive weekly emails with holiday projects and instructions, so keep an eye out. These exclusive emails will be sent only to you. If you have friends that might enjoy them, please ask them to sign up for my newsletter  ~ it's right here on my blog. 

To all you Autumn Souls out there, Hooray! Shuffle through the leaves, bring out the plaid scarves, steep a pot of spiced tea, enjoy a pumpkin scone, celebrate the season.

Top card was created with Stampin' Up!'s Nuts About Squirrels, p. 49 in the Mini July - December 2021 Catalog.

Images from Stampin' Up!

Shop right here!

Let's stamp!

 

 Will Work for Chocolate

It's Labor Day and I am willing to labor for you, for free, or for chocolate.

Have you been to a thrift store or a flea market and seen wooden mounted stamp sets in a basket or bin for $3, or even less? You may have thought what a deal, but I don't know how to stamp, but what cute stamps ...

If you come across stamps that are cute, neat, or sweet but don't buy them because you've never stamped ~ buy them and I will teach you how to stamp, free! Seriously. I love teaching this craft.

These stamps are older Stampin' Up! sets that I have found online and in sale piles from other demonstrators. 

I bought the new born/nursery set for myself to use in my scrapbooks with pictures of my grandchildren. Speaking of labor! I was lucky enough to be close at hand when my four grandsons were born. I can remember those nights, the first cries announcing their arrivals. The labor corridors of one hospital were decorated with storks as directional signs! I needed that stork stamp. 

When my first daughter was born, I designed her birth announcements with a drawing of a pram, similar to the one in this set.  And when she had her first son I designed an announcement for me to send to my friends, using a pram again. So,  I needed that pram stamp.

I bought the cute Christmas stamp set as an inexpensive holiday project to introduce children to stamping. I happen to have it left over.

I think sometimes (speaking from experience) we buy craft kits and supplies thinking we can teach ourselves with the instructions provided, how hard could it be? Or, as we have all heard by now, check YouTube. Often we don't do either and that bag of craft goodness gets shoved to the back of the closet just to end up in the church bazaar in a few years. 

So, I am offering a free stamping lesson to anyone who would like to try it out; even if you tried stamping years ago and have done nothing with it since, I'll help you! 

My next class is on Monday, September 13 at 10 AM. You are welcome as long as there is room around the table, and if the class is full, we'll stamp later that afternoon at 2 PM. Or at ... my schedule is a bit flexible thanks to retirement. Contact me to make a reservation; make a reservation for two and bring along a friend.

I am currently working on fall cards because I love leaves and my favorite color is Autumn and there are many easy techniques to produce gorgeous designs. 

Of course, if you are one of my Stampin' Friends and have not already registered for Monday's class, please do. This is my favorite time of year for designing and creating cards.

I am including a shopping list of some of my favorite autumn stamp sets from the new July - December Mini Catalog. Take a look: 

https://www.stampinup.com/shared-lists/d0cb5d3d-c26a-4c29-b39f-eb1ce94f0393?

 

The entire catalog can also be seen from the website. just click on the Mini Catalog pic.

Let's stamp!

 

The Fruits of Summer

So, yes, I am a Nite Owl. 

I am starting this at midnight. The Man in the Moon is barely visible from the window over my kitchen sink; he's risen so high. Most of the living room lights in the neighborhood are out. 

I am putting away the remains of my tomato sandwich supper.  I was thrilled, absolutely thrilled when offered a few garden tomatoes yesterday from a stamping friend. My husband has purchased some from the market and made sandwiches already, but those were just not real tomatoes; they did not grow in Rich's garden. They were not picked by Rich's hands once they had ripened after the watering and the staking. They just were not real tomatoes. (Rich, by the way, is just a name. I do not know who grew my tomatoes; they came from a New Jersey garden, though.)

One disadvantage (perhaps) to being a Nite Owl is that I am not up for the sunrise very often so I do not get to the farmers markets before they close or the orchards before the sweltering southern summer heat and humidity makes it impossible to function.

So that ripe, juicy home grown tomato and mayo sandwich was so delicious. The simplicity of white bread (stick to the roof of your mouth white bread), slathered with mayonnaise, stuffed with thick slices of tomato generously salted and peppered is summer paradise.

If prepared correctly, you don't even make it to the table to sit and eat it; most of the time you don't even cut it in half and you just may have to eat it standing over the sink. Now, if you think I have lost all of my manners and sense of decorum, you are wrong. This is just how you do tomato sandwiches.

Sorry for a stock photo, but I was already finshed before I even thought about taking a picture. And upon closer inspection of this photo, it appears as though the bread has been toasted! Heresy! Do not toast your bread, please. If you want to add other ingredients and make a different sandwich toast away, use artisan bread and gourmet dressing even.

There was one occasion just a couple of summers back in which the tomato sandwich rules were broken, but for the best of reasons. It was a girls weekend away. We traveled to the mountains of North Georgia. A cozy family cabin was home base for our daytrips. We brought only breakfast foods because we were planning to eat locally all along the way. 

Our hostess supplied fresh tomatoes, mayo and bread. Breakfast! And I added the chips.  We sat around the kitchen table all morning long catching up over tea,  sandwiches and chips. Of course, I was always the last to the table because even though we chatted all night, they still got up with the sun. Someone always has to be last, and I am ok filling that role.

One of the nicest things about our girls get aways is that there aren't any rules.  On our last morning that trip we ate ice cream cake for breakfast. We eat whatever and whenever; we buy whatever. We stop along the road whenever one of us spys an interesting shop or hole in the wall, or food establishment.

Besides tomatoes, I have been thinking about peaches lately. I have not been peach picking; it was on the summer to do list and I thought the grandboys might like to go along. The grandboys start school this week! 

I have been busy crafting peachy cards, though. Perhaps that's driven my appetite. Oh, no; we're coming into everything pumpkin season, I am in trouble!

This card design reminds me of a vintage kitchen tablecloth.

And this reminds me of picking in the peach orchards on Rt. 17

If you haven't had your fill of peaches yet this summer, the You're A Peach Suite is available in the 2021 - 2022 Anual Catalog; see pages 60 - 61 and the gorgeous Designer Series Paper is shown on page 134.  Click on the Shop Now button on this website to shop, or contact me to order. 

You know, that peach stamp could serve as a tomato...

Let's stamp!

 

 For the Beauty of the Earth

If you are around about my age and spent much time in a Methodist church, or probably any church for that matter, these pictures are probably familiar:

Our Sunday worship opening hymn was always one of Praise and Thanksgiving; often one you knew by heart or at least knew it was in the front of the hymnal. And of course the hymn board with its large numbers indicated the number and order of the hymns. The hymn board was a good reason to get to the sanctuary early; book mark all the hymns and readings for the service so you didn't have to fumble around while the organist was already into the first stanza. (Or if you stopped for coffee and donuts you had the prelude during which to book mark the indicated pages.)

If you started your morning worship with "For the Beauty of the Earth", "When Morning Gilds the Skies", or "This is me Father's World", it was goingto be a great day!

I have always been partial to "For the Beauty of the Earth"; the references to nature, to family love, to divine love.

When I read the title of Beauty of the Earth as one of the new Designer Series Papers from Stampin' Up! in the Annual Catalog, what do you suppose was at the top of my first order? That DSP! Along with the stamp bundle of Beauty of Friendship stamps and Beautiful Trees dies. 

It there is a tree stamp or a leaf stamp, it/they are on my list! As Autumn is my favorite season I want to color and stamp and die and cut leaves in every shape and size and color. I am thinking Bumblebee, Cajun Craze, Rich Razzleberry, Cherry Cobbler, Mossy Meadow, Cinnamon Cider (getting a little hungry now) ... use the Stampin' Blends and watercolor pencils. Oh, and the reinkers with baby wipes: fold up a layer of four baby wipes, making a little ink pad if you will. Squeeze a few drops of fall color reinkers randomly onto pad; it will look like a giant mud puddle. Ink up a leaf stamp, or stamp of a tree canopy and then stamp onto your card or scrapbook page ~ magic! So many techniques for coloring...

I wasn't going to start in on the fall stamp projects until the end of the month, but a friend of mine just left for a week in the woods. She has a vintage log cabin in a state park and is planning hikes and lake meanderings and bird trails. I created a journal for her Walden-like experience.

I had been watching demonstrator Kelly Gettelfinger create journals and memory books from paper bags and Designer Series Paper. She even included the clear medium envelopes as photo pages. Journals, like any other kind of paper, call to me. You can find Kelly on Facebook: Always Stampin With Kelly Gettelfinger

So in the middle of several other projects I cleared a space on my work table, pulled up Kelly's video and started in on a journal with a recycled paper bag that I begged off a server in Panera Bread - recycled, brown and green, perfect.

The light and coloring here is terribly dark, sorry. This design from the DSP Beauty of the Earth is dark and rich in Mossy Meadow and Old Olive inks, with touches of Bumblebee. I also used a dark design from the Hydrangea papers which is now retired, as are the lovely stamps.

Tucked away inside in various pockets are journaling cards and photo mats crafted from Stampin' Up! papers and products, several are stamped with nature images. There are four clear envelopes attached by their adhesive flaps. She can add memorabilia or photos,  pressed leaves or journaling inside to display and document her adventure.

It was fun to create! I won't stop with just one. But, I also need to get back to those projects I pushed aside. And I really need to play with all of the elements in the Beauty of the Earth Suite. Check the new Annual Catalog pages 10 -11 for all suite items. In the beginning of the catalog, just like those joyful hymns in the front of the hymnal.

                                                                    Stampin' Up! images

If these products have your name written on them, you can certainly order right here on the blog, just check for Shop Now; or contact me and I will be happy to help you with an order. 

I have more fall ideas coming, so please stay tuned; if you have not subscribed to this blog, please do so. I would love your company.  

And if you know the tune:

For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,

for the love which from our birth, over and around us lies;

refrain

Lord of all to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night,

hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon, and stars of light;

refrain

For the joy of ear and eye, for the heart and mind's delight,

for the mystic harmony linking sense to sound and sight;

refrain

For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,

friends on earth and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild;

refrain

For thy church, that evermore lifteth holy hands above,

offering upon every shore her pure sacrifice of love;

refrain

For thyself, best Gift Divine, to the world so freely given,

for that great, great love of thine, peace on earth and joy in heaven;

refrain

United Methodist Hymnal. Tennessee: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989

Words: Folliot S. Pierpoint, 1864

Music: Conrad Kocher, 1838, arr. by H. Monk 1861

 Ain't no cure for the Summertime blues ...

Not one to wish time away, but summertime is just not my favorite time of the year. Bees around the picnic table (but horay for bees, seriously), mixed up smells of cotton candy and funnel cake and hot dogs at the carnival, sunburn...

I am not a baseball fan, nor a golf fan, at least not watching on TV. I am not even much of an Olympics fan (gasp! Is that un-American?). The older I get the less I enjoy the drama of sports - not the thrill of victory and agony of defeat drama, but all of the political drama. Enough said. Let's move on (to Autumn!) ...

I do think there is something to summertime blues, just like cabin fever and spring fever. And I think I've got it. So, how to be rid of it? 

Perhaps the best way for me is to jump right into the blue, the blue ocean. Not literally, I can't swim! I would prefer the view from an ocean liner, but that's not going to happen for me this summer, 

Strait of Messina, off the stern of Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas   

so I will take the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina. Or the Bay, or the rivers, any water really.

Rodanthe, NC

    And one of the best features of those waters? Blue crabs! 

     just had to share this ~ beach combing and beach boys imitating their crab

But seriously, dipping those blue crabs out of the blue-ish water under sunny blue skies, or at high tide during a blue moon.

🎜Blue moon, you caught me standing alone. 🎜

Music and song! Sing along, I can't hear you and I hope you can't hear me!

🎜Song Sung Blue  *  Forever in Blue Jeans  *  Blue Suede Shoes  *  Blue Bayou      Blueberry Hill  *  Crystal Blue Persuasion 🎜

Blues Brothers, Delta Blues, Ol' Blue Eyes, Moody Blues

Blueberries! Blue Ribbon winner Blueberry pie with the Blue Plate Special, not the Blue Light Special.

Blue Angels, Wild Blue Yonder

Blue Ridge Mountains, bluegrass, blue bird, blue jay, bluebells, blue bonnets, 

Blue Bunny Ice Cream, Bleu Cheese

Blue whale, blue heron, blue fish, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

Bluebeard, Blue Bloods, Blue Collar, Kelly Blue Book

and ... Balmy Blue!

 Did you think I would forget about Stampin' Up!

I am definitely a blues girl!

Balmy Blue, Bermuda Bay, Misty Moonlight ...

Blue Blends, blue ink, blue cardstock... what's your favorite blue?

Another great way to kick those summertime blues ~ let's stamp!

Sentimental About Stuckey's

I witnessed a true slice of Americana last year on the Fourth. Down on a beach on Hatteras Island the warning "Fireworks Are Illegal in NC" didn't seem to mean much to those wishing to celebrate. There were some pretty impressive displays after the sun went down. My husband and I had a prime viewing spot from the top deck of an ocean front beach house.

What was more endearing than the pop and boom of the fireworks was the scene just a few houses down. Out in the driveway were two young girls with sparklers ~ remember sparklers?  They were making circles in the air with their sizzling fire sticks and they were singing "You're a Grand Old Flag." I was a bit amazed that they knew it, because I hadn't heard any of my young grandchilden sing it; hopefully it is still taught in music classes in school.

Of course it was dark, but I imagined those little girls were dressed for the occasion in blue shorts with white stars and a sleeveless, ruflled red shirt with white polka dots. Happy Birthday to the USA.

For safety, boxes of sparklers were kept in an ill fitting drawer in the kitchen pantry. That was as lock proof, safety proof as our house was when I was growing up. But, I knew they were off limits unless Mama was with me. Although my middle brother was some years older than I, he typically did not count as an adult. If you have older brothers, you might know what I mean. 

There was only one place where we bought sparklers, Stuckey's. 

I loved visiting Stuckey's when I was little and on a road trip, so much I am told, that once we were close to a store Mama would suggest I lie down and take a nap in the back seat. Perhaps I would be sleeping as we passed by that roadside icon of America.(Yep, slept in the back seat with no seat belt and am living proof to tell about it.) 

Original stores were free standing and advertised Texaco gas, snacks, food, souvenirs and bathroms.

Stuckey's was known for their pecan roll bars, and other sweet confections. It was not those sweets that enticed me, but rather the souvenirs; silly souvenirs, really, that would like get lost in the car before we ever made it home. Why, as a girl, I made a beeline to the blue and gray Johnny Reb caps and flags I am not sure; perhaps it's the same as my youngsters always wanting a tricorn hat when we visited Williamsburg. 

I was allowed sparklers. And a Coke. And sometimes Magic Rocks. 

On the Fourth and on New Year's Eve I invited my neighborhood friends over in the backyard to light sparklers and draw with them in the air, many years ago.

I read a recent article that a descendent of the founder Sylvester Stuckey, Sr. is reorganizing the company and expects to expand the number of stores, reclaiming as many original buildings as possible. Stuckey's first location was a roadside stand in Eastman, GA selling local pecans. His wife Ethel made the pecan logs and that was the beginning of their family saga.

If you have never been to a Stuckey's or if I have recalled nostalgic memories, you can visit stores on the Virginia/NC line on route 168, in Mappsville on Eastern Shore Rt.13 (original building with grill), on Rt. 460 in Ivor or Roanoke Rapids off I-95. Go ahead, try a pecan log and walk around through the tee shirts and plastic alligators and keychains.  Buy breakast for $1.99 (maybe) and take home some sparklers!

Stuckey's at Border Station on 168, NC ~ in survival mode, many Stuckey's stores are sharing retail space with other stores and in cluster complexes.

Stuckey's has a great website with its history, a blog, pecan logs for sale, merchandise for sale and a store locator. 

This was going to be a lead into grown up's sparklers, all the sparkly and glitterly accessories that Stampin' Up! offers, like Wink of Stella. But I want to wander further down Memory Lane tonight, so excuse me, I am going to go sit out on the porch for a bit and gaze up at the stars and listen to the ocean. Happy Birthday America!