Special " Blue Dress"

Michelle in her "Blue Dress"

Genavive in the "Blue Dress"

Lily Ryann in the " Blue Dress"

When Michelle was five years old, I made an heirloom dress with French lace and the best material that I could find.  It was the prettiest dress she ever had. I took her to have her picture taken in it and I think she wore it that Easter for her Easter Dress.  The dress got hung in the closet for years and years.  When Genavive was born, I couldn't wait to have her picture taken in the " Blue Dress".  When she was five, I took her to have the picture taken.  The two pictures of my girls in the " Blue Dress" have been on my dresser for years now.  Since Lily Ryann was the right age  to wear the "Blue Dress", I showed her how Aunt Shell and Genavive had their picture taken in the "Blue Dress" and that I would like a picture of her in it for my dresser also.   She was ready to put the dress on for a picture.  So now, I will have all my Grand daughters in the "Special Blue Dress" on my dresser.  Once Vivienne Pieper turns five, we will take her to have her picture taken in it also.  I never dreamed when I was making the pretty heirloom dress, that all my grand daughters would be wearing it.  Something so special for a  Gramdma to have!

Alabama Smores

Lily Ryann eating the best smore she has
ever had!

We had melted snowmen on our smores

Alabama smores consists of marshmallows, peanut butter cups and graham crackers.  You put the peanut butter cups around the edge of the fire so they will melt while you are roasting your marshmallow.  You put the melted peanut butter cup on the graham cracker then your marshmallow and another graham cracker.  TA DA!!  The best smore you will ever eat in your life!!!  Everyone had a great time around the fire pit, making their first time Alabama smores.  ( all but Michelle...she has had them for 5 years now)  They were invented over at one of  the BNOE annual camp outs.  Haven't made regular smores since.

Brambly Pines Christmas

Michelle/Genavive squishing oysters
for the family dressing recipe at 6:30 am 

Everyone helped with the meals clean up
.....even Lily Ryann

The  gang in their matching hats that I made.

Our pretty Grand daughters

Genavive, Lily Ryann and Ian 

Lily Ryann in the heirloom Christmas
dress that Michelle made for Genavive ten years ago. 

Presents!!!!

Lily Ryann and
Ali ( from Alabama) from Oona
and Papa.

The big girls got Initial Bracelets

Something Special from Michelle

My Mom's signature....bracelet 

Craig gets tools and a tool box

Guess who this was from.......Michelle!

We had the best Christmas we've had in years....( and years) even though we had to wait a couple extra days for it.  Ryan and his gang came up from Florida on Dec 26.  Michelle and Craig came from Nashville by the way of Atlanta since they spent Christmas with Craig's family.  That made nine of us.  We found room for everyone to sleep in the house, but Chuck took his sleeping bag and went to Studio 22 each night.  When it came to meals....everyone helped. Even Lily Ryann.  That made it so much easier since we had to wash all the dishes by hand each meal.  ( no...I don't use paper plates.  I hate them!!...what's 9 plates to wash when you have the rest of the dishes any ways.)  Our Christmas morning started out at 6:30 am with making the family recipe oyster dressing.  Once we got the turkey in the oven for 4 1/2 hours, we all dressed so we could open presents.  Lily Ryann wore a pretty dress that Michelle had made for Genavive when she was 5 years old.  We kept her hair out of her face with a headband with a big red bow on it, that was Michelle's when she was little.  Oh how pretty she was!  There were tons of presents to open as we took turns opening one.  It seems the popular present was bracelets for the girls.  Michelle took a picture of my Mom's "signature" from a card that Mom had written and was in a scrap book that I had made.  Then, she sent the picture to a lady on the Internet and she made a silver bracelet out of my mom's signature.  I LOVE IT!!!  Yes, I cried when I opened it.  After opening presents, our Christmas dinner was ready.  Everyone spent the afternoon playing with their presents.  What a great day it was!!!
 

Real Guest Room

Quilt cabinet to hold some of my quilts that I've made
since we moved up here.  

Dresser given to us by Lady Melanie......
Chair I found at a Thrift store and Chuck
painted and we had recovered. 

Bed side table which was Chuck's Mom/Dad's

1940's Bed

Blue/white Christmas tree which I hope
some day of having blue lights on.  

Yes, Virginia....there is a real guest room at Brambly Pines now.  It took a lot of dreaming and a lot of work but it finally happened.  It just took building a studio to house my sewing room and scrap booking space.  A lot of paint and a little bit of sewing.  Now, when we have company, Chuck doesn't have to give up his bedroom to our guest.  They have their own room....any time they want to come to Brambly Pines to spend time in the country.

Studio 22 Upstairs

The big desk, computer table with lavender chair

Matching chandelier...to the one downstairs.
just smaller

Scrap booking supplies....there will be a white shelf above
the two windows, in the near future.  

The only wall to hang things since the side walls slant.

Half wall book case for scrap books

great container for punches

Wire baskets for ribbon storage 

The upstairs of Studio 22 is just as wonderful as downstairs.  It separates my sewing area from my scrap booking area.  All my black/white furniture, etc goes so well with the pretty lavender walls.  There is a little work left upstairs also.  A white shelf to be made for over the double windows and the skinny shelves on the back wall to hold all my rubber stamps.  My first project upstairs was making our 2014 Christmas cards.  It was great having all my supplies at hand as I sat at my big desk and listened to Christmas music on my radio.  The perfect way to break in the upstairs of Studio 22.

Something Special

One day about a month ago, I received a package in the mail.  There was no card or anything telling me who it was from.  A pure mystery!  In the package was this breath taking beautiful stain glass of a quilt block.  It said the name of the block was " The White House Rose".  It's made with the prettiest purple and lavender pieces of glass. ( the picture doesn't show it's true colors).  When the light shines through it, it is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen.  I just makes me smile.  Well, back to....where did it come from?  I have some amazing friends who would have sent this to me, so I set out calling them and I found her!  It was Kathy,  who lives in Maine.  Kathy and I have been friends since first grade...all the way through high school.  We have kept in touch through the years to where now we email each other almost every day.  She said she wanted me to have something really special for Studio 22 and she sure picked the right thing!  It's one of my favorite things that I own.  Every day, that I spend in the Studio and look at the window by the stairs, I think of Kathy and our long time friendship.  I wish everyone could have a friend for 58 years and counting.

Studio 22...Downstairs

Built in that Chuck made to hold my bolts of fabric
and some of my toys. 

Our old dining room table/chairs 

Pretty Chandelier 

Book cases....thread racks..1800's sewing rocker.....ironing board.

TV...fabric cabinet....embroidery machine on antique sewing
machine. 

The landing for the stairs.....my poster
from the Paducah Quilt Show....and
my thimble collection 

Wing chair for hand sewing....with
my President's quilt.

window by the landing.....antique
sewing machine drawers. 

Well, I'm moved in.  Both upstairs and downstairs.  Of course things aren't totally finished in Studio 22 but it gets closer every day.  The pictures don't do it justice.  The walls are a pretty lavender and the trim is white.  I love having our old dining room table in the middle of the room, which holds four machines.  My embroidery machine is on my antique sewing machine.  I like standing up to embroider.  There is still some painting of the trim to do and the bath room door.  We are still working on the kitchenette also.  I've already worked on a couple of projects in the new studio.  It's wonderful!!!!!  I think I'll be spending the long, cold winter having fun in Studio 22.

President's Quilt

1930's President Quilt

It says :
Happy Hearts Quilt Guild
Barbara Peterson
President
2014.
It's one of the corner blocks on the
front of the quilt. 

It says:
Made by Women of Happy Hearts Quilt Guild
Decatur Alabama December 2014

Each member signed their block they made. 

Raggedy Ann and Andy 

At the end of the year, the Quilt Guild gives the President a quilt. .....that would be me, this year!  They all knew my favorite fabrics are from the 1930's so, each of them made a block out of the 1930's fabric and in the middle, they each signed their name.  This is one of the most "special quilts" I will ever have.  Right along beside the "real 1930's fabric quilt that my great grandmother made".  It was an honor for me to be president for a group of wonderful women who all have become my friends.
   One of the women in the guild, makes " Raggedy Ann and Andy" dolls.  They are absolutely amazing.  Yes, they each have the embroidered heart that says " I Love You".  She made me one of each and used the scraps from the quilt for their clothes.  How sweet was that!!!!  It was an amazing quilt guild year for me and the ending was the BEST!