we spent a few days at my great aunts looking through photo albums and reading old letters….VERY old letters…some from her parents when they were courting. it was so much fun to go through all of it!
she had boxes and boxes of old magazines….she also had LIFE and LOOK and the Saturday Evening Post.
this is my aunt when she was seven…the same age as annie.
what an adorable ballerina!
the original text message.
this was the family busines…and an open letter of complaint to the owners.
and she kept it!
she had chairs and footstools like this in her home.
we found this quilt and her daughter in law got very happy and remembered her mother helping her mother in law work on it.
and we were in awe of the detail.
hundreds of circles…HUNDREDS…and each little fold of white on all four sides of each piece is sewn by hand.
truly a masterpiece.
and it was in plastic and had never been used.
amaaaaazing.
she made felt ornaments with teeny detail forever.
each one was so sweet.
we found an article written about her church mice she made that was in the paper.
i have a set of christmas church mice…mary and joseph and baby jesus mice.
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in her jewelry box… :)
this is my aunt liza in a fur lined coat…looking very swanky.
her bathroom had gold wallpaper.
and this was her typewriter that she used for everything.
i came across this photo and knew right away that it was my grandmother and we are guessing it was her daughter….the first of five babies.
i loved this picture but no one knew who it was.
this was an aunts home in beverly hills.
and then there were bunches of pictures of this baby.
no lables of who it was and nobody recognized anyone in the pictures.
but a baby in a wicker high chair in the hollyhocks is always precious…1912 or 2012.
this baby was adorable!
i just wanted to reach in and squish those chubby cheeks!
no one knew who this was but he has character and personality…you can see it.
and this one cracked me up!
no labels again so i have no idea who it is ….but it reminded me of something.….
ha ha haaaaaaaa!!!
i am home now safe and sound.
miss that i won't go back there again but happy for her to not have to be a 101 year old body anymore.
she was a special lady.
the words "strong woman" came up with almost everyone who spoke about her.
everyone who knew her knew what that meant.
i will miss her.
thanks for all your sweet words this week…you are the nicest blog readers!
what's on your plate this weekend?
i hoping for a campfire with s'mores sometime.
but we'll see…
there about a billion things going on for us….relaxing doesn't sound like it is on the list.
Vicki - Ok. I know this is a completely inappropriate question, but I must ask: What kind of bra do you wear under a dress like that?? I love thin straps and summery dresses, but at a 36D, I can’t find a strapless bra that works. I can’t figure out how to wear that stuff without ugly bra straps hanging out!
Holly - what an awesome fourth! We spent ours on the beach which was great as well!
Library Momma - Cute hair!
Jenny B - I love the pretty food and the cute turtles!! I’m a little jealous of the fireworks. We have burn bans pretty much EVERYWHERE in Arkansas, so did not get to shoot off any this year. It was strangely quiet. Fourth of July is my favorite holiday, so it was a little depressing! Plus, our kids are alternating time with their grandparents this week, and the fourth ended up being the day we drove to drop off one child and pick up the other. Oh, well… I’m still thankful for our freedom! 🙂
di - Thanks for all the great pics, Meg! So glad your fam could be a part of our annual tradition. You were adorable in your cute dress (she is for REALS, folks!) NOW about that last piece of blueberry buckle you were hiding…that would have been a tasty treat for a certain running buddy, hmmm?
Angela - You are beautiful – do you know that? I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, but I don’t think I’ve ever commented. Anyway, love the blog. 🙂 I did nothing on the actual 4th, but my church small group went to a town nearby and watched the fireworks show around their town square! It was a great time and we got to celebrate with a friend who just found out she and her husband are expecting their first!
new jersey landscape lighting - this is such a cute blog, thank you!
Han - I live in the UK so the closest we get to that many fireworks would be NYE. I wish our community was more like that – we all seem to keep to our thing and don’t speak to each other.
Crystal Swoverland - The box turtles are amazing! I can’t get them around here…we grew up with them and I am trying to get one for my family but no luck! Can you ask your friend where she got them? I really, really am desperate to find one for my kids! Thanks Meg!
Ashley - You look gorgeous! The shot of the three of you is so pretty…one to use at her wedding one day. Can you send me some blueberry buckle? I will make it this year. Gonna do it.
katey - Those turtles are so cute! My brother had (and at 46 still does) a turtle pen and so we had baby turtles like occasionally and it’s amazing to watch them grown. Thanks for sharing. Brought back lots of great memories.
karen - it’s amazing how much sean and annie have changed!!
A Facebook User - my 4th of july started with a bang….I got a phone call that my 16 year old son passed out/had a seizure and fell while at his job. so, we spent the morning in the ER getting X-rays of his nose-broken-and getting a heart monitor to wear for the next 24 hours. 24 hours later, he has the biggest bruised/scraped nose and the worst headache ever, but we now are fairly certain we can blame it on his new medication for ankylosing spondylitis. I don’t want to repeat this again next year…..
April R - Happy 4th! 🙂
Thanks for sharing – again!
That celebration looks like fun for everyone.
And I totally agree with Mindy about the bathing suits – Annie and Talby look so beautiful 🙂
Jen Brandt - Love the picture of you, hubby, and Talby. You look beautiful! Looks like a great day.
We were in a HOT, HOT, HOT parade, Wendy’s frosties on the way home, changed and headed to our friends house for pool time, delicious food, and fun!
seriously sassy mama - We enjoyed our towns parade, then spent some time and the lake. We finished the night out with some awesome fireworks. We just moved back to out hometown, so for my husband and I it was fun to reminisce.
Brandi - So jealous that you can have your own fireworks. What a great day!!
Carol S. - So is that what running almost every day does to a gal? Like the others have said, you look FAB and are radiant. I want that look (but not looking forward to running, wah, wah). We went to a local festival and were late getting to the fireworks, so watched them from the road in different directions and enjoyed baskin robbin ice cream to end the day. Happy July!
Jessica Johnson - Annie with the turtle?! And the patriotic nails?!! DYING! Frame that. Also, I want buckle. And your haircut. Goodbye.
joyce - looks like an amazing day! I so want one of those turtles, they are so cute!
Mindy Harris - can i just say i love that your girls wear modest bathing suits?
so refreshing.
annie is so tan. what a doll.
i love your 4th outfit! cute cute.
we went back home to chanute and swam alot. wilder didn’t like the loud booms so we honestly didn’t really see fireworks this year…
Tiffany - Summer looks good on you, you are looking so young, what is your secret!!!
Samantha Bayer - looks like so much fun and yes, i’m sleep today too!
Juliane - What a good 4th! I love how fireworks are really celebrating with light and with color. I like to bring that celebration indoors as well with the bright hues I’ve been able to find in wall art.
Lorie - I’m so jealous! Your grass looks so green. We have such a drought out here, our lawns are the color of wheat fields, and there was a ban on fireworks. Seriously. Some very stupid men went ahead and did it, and started a 2 acre fire between houses, and are now in jail. Not a very fun 4th. 🙁
jessicakiehn - That blueberry buckle cake is my FAVORITE type of dessert…thanks to that fabulous streusel top!!!
shannon - So fun! Love the 4th of July and all the festive red, white and blue foods and decorations. I am always tired after a great day celebrating 🙂
Kristin S - Meg, you have a stunning family and I’m not sure you can take a poor picture. You are so pretty!!!
Jessica @ MyArdentLife - Cutie-cute-cute-cute hair, Meg! If I thought I could do short hair, I would so be taking this pic to my stylist. Maybe after I lose all these post-baby pounds and my face looks thinner. Since my baby just turned ONE, I should step it up, huh?
Logan - Looks like such a fun time. Makes me wish we had a 4th like that! We used the day to work on projects at the house and stopped mid-afternoon to grill burgers and hot dogs with our daughter and her boyfriend and another close friend. I am wondering if you have ever tried your Blueberry Buckle recipe with a different fruit? Would it work with peaches? What do you think?
Thanks!
Leslie - What fun!! Love your fireworks!!! In our part of Calif we can only do the ones on the ground.
lindsey - Looks like you had fun! You looked so cute! My 4th was so uneventful due to the fire danger (no fireworks) and a sick kid.
thehandmadehomemaker.blogspot.com - LOVE that picture with you, Talby and Craig!! Looking so pretty and the dress is FAB!
Debby - Al and I drove through the night on the 3rd back from Arkansas, so we were too pooped to go to Joel and Jess’. Ended up watching just a little from the back deck. These south neighborhoods really light up! Went to bed early and didn’t hear a thing after our heads hit the pillow. Meg, do you know you just get prettier with age? Thanks for showing the photos from your neighborhood!
sara @ it's good to be queen - your dress is amazing. love it. also, rad firework show!!
Jennifer - great 4th! cute dress!
Leah - Love your pictures! And your dress is so cute! Dress Barn? I love July 4th. Here’s a quick glimpse of some of our patriotism: http://leahsthoughts.com/2012/07/04/wordless-wednesday-red-white-and-blue/
Rachel J - We haven’t had rain in soooooo long that they cancelled all fireworks due to the danger. So that was a major boo! But, we had a BBQ at my parents, ate ice cream while driving around town and had a slumber party. Who says adults can’t have fun? 🙂