Sunday, October 21, 2018

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS!



 I just read a really old post on someone’s blog where the writer was talking about some of her favorite things.  So….since I yet again haven’t had anything worth writing about….I decided I’d go on a photo shoot among my belongings to see what some of my own favorites were.  (OK….so I’m bored and needed something to do today😊 …and besides, maybe it will be fun!)     (WARNING:  PICTURE HEAVY!!!)

HOUSEHOLD FAVORITES

We have quite a few antique family pieces in our home….things we’ve inherited from our parents or grandparents.  This antique ICE BOX  is definitely one of my favorites.  You would not have believed how this thing looked when we got it!  In fact, nobody else in the family even wanted it because it looked SOOO BAD.  But I have to give my husband credit…he saw a diamond in the rough!  We had it restored and we just love it.  The ice box actually belonged to an elderly farm hand that lived in a little shack on my husband’s grandparents’ farm.  She was like part of the family and always helped Grandmama with the cooking, cleaning, gardening, or whatever else needed to be done.  She was loved and affectionately called DUMP (don’t ask me why!!!)



This antique PENDULUM CLOCK was a gift to my husband and me from my stepfather shortly after we were married.  It was his passion to find old clocks and restore them.  I love to hear this one BONG the hour, but my husband doesn’t, so (sadly to me) it remains silent.  It is sitting atop an antique PIE SAFE that belonged to my husband’s grandparents.


One more antique to show is this beautiful HALL TREE that belonged to my husband’s other grandparents.  My husband would sit on the seat every year on Christmas Day as he grew up opening presents at their house, so she wanted him to have it.  For years it was ugly & black because we thought it was supposed to look like that (seriously????)  Then my husband decided to refinish it and what beauty was lying underneath!!!


These two LAMPS are not antiques but I like my “Tiffany wanna-be’s”!!!  The first one was a gift from my mother-in-law and the second we bought at auction.  I love how they look at night when they are turned on.



This little GREEN CHEST has really seen better days but it’s a favorite because it was my first (and only) attempt at painting with chalk paint!  I found it (all blue and ugly) in a thrift store.  It now holds many of my craft supplies.


And one last antique is my IRON BED.  Long story that I won’t go into about how I came to have it, but I do love it.  This is in what we now call my granddaughter’s room where she absolutely loves to spend the night!


THIS  &  THAT  FAVORITES

My PORCH is probably my favorite part of our home.  I have spent many hours sitting in my swing reading, watching the rain, or just pondering on things.  The CANDELIER hanging from the ceiling also has a funny story.  Found it in a consignment shop in FL on one of my girlfriend trips.  You should have seen me pack our vehicle (which was carrying 6 ladies and all our luggage) so that it would fit!!!


This is an ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING done by…..a second-grader!  Years ago it was a gift to me from one of my students.  His mother is an artist and evidently he inherited some of her talent.  It is displayed in my kitchen.


These sweet  TEDDY BEARS are just 2 of my collection.  I don’t really collect them anymore as they were beginning to take over and multiply!  But I do love them all.  These two were gifts from my sweet husband. 


Years & years ago I was going through a very difficult period of grieving and would sometimes just take off for day trips on my own.  One such day I discovered this precious TEA SET in an antique store.  It just called my name and so I HAD to bring it home with me!


Can you guess what this is?????  Well, I couldn’t for many years.  However, through lots of research I finally found out it is a…….WINE BOTTLE…..and it is an antique as well.  It was given to me by a very sweet and special elderly lady (in her 80s) while I was her Sunday School teacher.  She actually thought it was a RABBIT and since she knew I loved rabbits she wanted to give it to me.  Turns out it’s really a SQUIRREL…but I never told her that😊  She told me it belonged to her late husband…..I later found out he was….well, let’s say he wasn’t a tee-totaler!


Although I’m omitting a lot of my favorites, I couldn’t leave out these….all the LOVE LETTERS from my husband while he was away at National Guard Training Camp for 4 months (way back in 1971); and the little stack is LOVE NOTES from high school….yes, I said HIGH SCHOOL.  How could I ever throw those away???


FAVORITE  CLOTHES  (shoes are a whole different post!!!)

I love, love, love CLOTHES and probably have more than I should.  And yet I often look in my closet and say, “I don’t have anything to wear!”  Is there a woman anywhere that has never said that????  I don’t really get to shop a lot since my little town is 70 miles from a decent shopping site.  And another thing….I’m NOT a CLOTHES SNOB.  If I like it, it doesn’t matter to me if it comes from Nordstrom or Wal-Mart!  I’m an equal opportunity shopper! My style now leans much more toward casual since I am retired and spend most days at home or doing something with the grandkids, but here are some of my favorites right now…….

Give me polka dots, tassels, & pompoms and I’m a happy dresser!  The NAVY POLKA DOT SWEATER is new from Old Navy.  The colorful TASSELED TOP I have enjoyed all summer and it came from Goody’s.




I love both of these SWEATERS from last year.  The first one is RUBY RD. from BELK & was a gift from my husband last Christmas.  The other also came from BELK last year….since it’s my college colors I wore it to a GEORGIA SOUTHERN alumni party😊



These 2 TOPS are new & I “think” I got them both from BEALL’S (or maybe it was TJMaxx).  Neither was very expensive but really look cute with jeans.



I love to wear these sleeveless INSULATED VESTS, and I have several.  They are often all I need when I run to the grocery store or do errands during the cooler months.  This was also a Christmas gift from my husband but you can find them in many places online.


Well, I told you this post would be PICTURE HEAVY and sorry it’s so long.  Maybe it at least helped my readers to get to know me a little better…and it will be something my granddaughter can look at in years to come (and probably laugh)!  I did another post on some of my favorites back in 2012 if anyone is interested....go here

So, what are some of your FAVORITE  THINGS…..besides raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens?????

17 comments:

  1. Hi Cheri! Sharing favorites around the house and in your wardrobe is a great idea! There are lots of bloggers who do this every Friday...I've considered it. :)

    I am loving several of your wardrobe pieces! Seems like people find the best things at Old Navy but I never go there. Might need to change that.

    Your pieces of furniture have sweet meaning. I can understand why they are favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for stopping by, Stacey:) I was hard up for something to write about!!! Hope it wasn't too boring!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing your favorite things! They are so pretty and I love your iron bed and, like your Granddaughter, I would love that room too! It does give us a deep clue to you to see what makes you smile. Your home looks very inviting and your porch does look like a haven of peace and a great place to sit and chill. I can see you're a southern gal with good taste and charm! I'm glad you made it through that hurricane OK and hopefully it will be the last for centuries! Take care and have a good week! I just might have to show a few of my favorite things soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for such a nice comment, Yaya. I will look forward to reading about some of your favorites. And I too hope we won't see another hurricane here in my lifetime!!!

      Delete
  4. I loved seeing some of your favorite things. That painting by a 2nd grader is AWESOME! Thanks for sharing and it gave me an idea for an upcoming post. Have a blessed day dear Cheri, hugs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Theresa! It's hard to come up with posts that (I hope) are interesting:) And,yes, I've always been in awe of my painting. Brian was such a joy to teach...so smart & talented!

      Delete
  5. Loved all your memories and special pieces, as well as the clothes. You have super nice things. What a great idea to share.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you SO much! I enjoy learning more about the people whose blogs I read, so hopefully I've let my (few) readers learn a little more about me:)

      Delete
  6. I love those old antiques, sadly not everyone does. My brother is downsizing and his large home is full of fabulous stuff. His kids don't want any of that "brown furniture."

    The house that I was forced to leave along with my dog due to marital differences had a large front porch similar to yours. I really miss that porch...the ex, not so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Joeh, so sorry you lost your porch and your dog! My husband loves the antiques more than I do but I do like the fact that they are heirlooms. Wonder if our son will want them some day!!!???

      Delete
  7. This was a great idea for a post. I love your porch. Such a great place to sit. And I too love those insulated vests. I have a few and am wearing them every day right now as it has gotten cooler here in Michigan. I noticed yours is monogrammed -- I love it, so very Southern! xo Deborah

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deborah, thanks so much for stopping by. I got to wear one of my vests yesterday as it has finally decided to get a "little" cool here...yeah!!! And,yes, we Southern gals do love our monograms:)

      Delete
  8. What an enjoyable post, it's always fun to know others favorites, be it a product or something in their home, etc. Love the old ice box, beautifully refinished.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lea, sure wish I had a before pic of our icebox. UNBELIEVABLE transformation.

      Delete
  9. Cheri, thanks for that peek around your house, in your closet and into your heart. Those letters are just the best. You have so many lovely treasures and I adore the fact that so many of them have a story. To me, that's always the best part of a special treasure!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kim, I agree. I love heirlooms and the stories behind them. Thanks for stopping by for a chat:)

      Delete

Please stop and "chat" with me...I love hearing what you have to say!