I am so blessed to have had a childhood full of so many wonderful memories, especially of time spent with my Grandparents.  Though we lived 12 hours away from them, Wayne and Helen Bloomingburg had an unbelievable way of being involved in our lives and making sure we (both me and my younger brother Troy) knew how much we were loved.  We were able to make the trip to Arlington, Virginia every summer and every other Christmas to pay them a visit.

Other than his war time and his college days, he never lived anywhere else.   They were magnificent people, truly members of the greatest generation.  They were hard-working folks that always put God and family first, and raised their children to do the same.

I am one of 7 grandchildren, so you can imagine we had quite a grand time when we were all together.  There was a big side yard at my Grandparents’ house that hosted all of our wiffle ball and badminton games.  This same yard happened to be a fantastic hunting ground for lightning bugs, and Grandma always had a jar ready for us when we arrived.  We begged grandma to tap dance for us and jump rope in the kitchen.  There was a cookie jar that sat on the corner of the counter that you could help yourself to whenever you wanted.  Can you imagine a cookie jar with no rules?  (I learned later in life that this was less about the grandchildren and more because Grandpa had a serious cookie addiction!)

There was a big basement that was great for playing hide and seek, and it also hosted many a ping pong tournament.  The whole family would not fit in the small dining room so there was always a designated “kids” table in the kitchen.  Even as adults my cousins and I much preferred to sit at the kids table. 

The summer before my senior year in high school, I decided to live with my grandparents and get a summer job.

Grandpa was born a natural tour guide and loved showing off “his” city.  He could give a tour of D.C. like no one else.  I loved talking with them in the evenings and learning about their childhoods.  Grandpa loved to tell history stories, though we could rarely get him to talk much about the war.  He and his twin brother were combat medics in WWII.  My Grandpa earned a bronze star and a silver star.  Grandma would tell marvelous stories of growing up in Selma, Alabama, what it was like to lose her mother at a young age, and how much she loved her “daddy”.

I didn’t fully appreciate these experiences at the time, but I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for the summers that I spent with my grandparents. 

As I have decorated my little house, I have found myself filling it up with pictures of family!

I love to be surrounded with memories of my loved ones. As I get older and am starting to lose members of that generation of my family, I count myself lucky to have been so loved by those two special people!  It is wonderful to be able to call on such happy childhood memories as I try to navigate this crazy world as an adult!

Keeping old family photographs in your home is a great way to give your décor a little character and it will serve as a great reminder to you every day to remember where you came from.  I am filled with warm feelings of nostalgia and happiness every time I look at the sweet faces in all those frames in my home.

Below, I have shared a few ideas on displaying some of your special photo’s in your home.  

Click HERE to see a great selection of frames and other useful tools you can use to show off your family!

I have been very blessed in this life to have been influenced, mentored, and spoiled by some pretty fantastic women. These generous women have given wonderful gifts, as well as the priceless gifts of their time and love. I am proud to call these women my Fairy Godmothers.

As a kid, my first fairy godmother lived next door.

The simple gift of a bike ride or a “sip up” (juice box) after school made my brother and me feel like a million bucks. She loved to give us little things that we considered wonderful treats. We felt like a king and queen when she picked us up and took us to McDonald’s to get a Happy Meal. This was a treasured prize as we rarely ate out, and when we did, we were not allowed to splurge on such things. Can you imagine a Happy Meal qualifying as a splurge! She moved when I was in middle school but has always kept up with us. In high school she would swoop in with the J. Crew catalog and order me some new clothes. When I headed to college she shipped me off with a small TV. and a rug for my room. She would mail me cards every few weeks with $5.00 in them. It was great to have a little guiltless mad money in my pocket!

As an adult, I have added to my Fairy Godmother collection. I have been showered with shopping trips, linens for my new home, money to go towards the renovation of my new home, help with cleaning, help with events at The Shoppes, weekend getaways... the list goes on and on!

These women have been such a blessing to me and have contributed so much to my character and growth as a person. As a result of the love they’ve given and the time they’ve spent with me, I have had a great lesson in the art of being a fairy godmother.  

 I am the proud fairy godmother of many fairy godchildren!

These are fabulous young people that I have become incredibly attached to over the years. I have been blessed to watch them grow up and become young adults. We’ve celebrated birthdays, and high school and college graduations. I’ve made too many prom and homecoming bouquets to count and have had the honor of helping with and celebrating a few weddings!

It has been so fun and rewarding to watch them become adults and grow in their faith and character. I have learned many lessons from these special people and I can’t imagine my life without them! I also LOVE to spoil them! (That is, after all, the best part of being a fairy godmother)

I am so richly blessed to have fairy godmothers and children to love and add to my “family”. I cannot describe the happiness and joy it brings me to know that I am loved by them!

I can’t tell you how many times I have started this post and then deleted and started over. It has been so difficult for me to narrow down my memories of my mom to a short but sweet little blurb. I think most of us, if we spend some time really sitting and thinking about our mothers, would find it difficult to choose what to say. Most of us would need to write a novel to express our love and appreciation for our mothers, not just one short blog post.

I have chosen a couple of my favorite pictures to share with you that I think embody the spirit of my mother. She was always very encouraging of my creativity and imagination. She would play with my brother and me for hours, whatever stupid game we wanted to play, whether it was candy land or something we made up! She loved for us to brush her hair and put make up on her. For some reason she actually found this relaxing!

 She didn’t keep us on a full schedule of lessons and ball games. We were encouraged to play in the back yard and ride our bikes (or roller skates) and just be kids.
My mother truly enjoyed her children. She loved playing with us, cooking supper for us, reading to us at bedtime.   

She couldn’t wait for school to end so she would have the whole summer to play with her family. I can tell you that my mom has never stopped enjoying her kids. When I was in college, she and my dad would drive almost four hours on a Sunday morning just to go to church with me and take me out to lunch, and then drive four hours home. Just because they thought it was fun! Now that I live next door to her, she is always ready at a moment’s notice to go antiquing or run errands with me. She is so sweet to help me with things at work and at home.

She has never “mothered” us out of obligation or guilt. She has enjoyed being our mother and it shows! What a blessing to know that you are loved and enjoyed by your mother!