FAMILY FRIDAY- MY HUBBY

Time to join Lori @Family Friday and see what everyone has posted about members of their families.  Today I'm featuring a story of my husband Gary.

Gary born Nov 4, 1944.  The youngest of 6 children.  Born in St. Louis, MO.  When Gary was 4 years old his Mother moved to Kansas City, his Dad left the family so he never knew his Dad.

His Mom Hazel went to work in a factory to earn money to take care of the six children.  She bought a home and made a good life for their family.  In 1951 there was a hugh flood in Kansas City and wiped out hundreds of homes, theirs being one of them.  All of the photos at the time were destroyed so the earliest picture of Gary is when he is about 7. 

First pic Gary and his brother and  a friend are going fishing with their cane poles. Gary is in the middle.

Next pic his Gary and his Bro. Kenny playing cowboys-got his holster and guns.   Gary started playing guitar when he was about 14 or 15 years old.  This is a pic of his frist guitar-Sears & Roebuck for $6.00.           The one on the sofa must have been taken in Jr. High with his letter jacket on with a friend.  During his teen years he was a competitive dance roller skater.  All those pictures have been lost.  He loved to work on cars, played  neighborhood football and go to teen-town, where he often played guitar.  When he was older he was in a rock-n-roll band. 

During the Viet Nam war he was going to be drafted so he enlisted in the Air Force, this was right at the same time we were dating, so we got married between basic training and technincal school.

We spent 4 years during the Air Force in Albuquerque, New Mexico,  We traveled everywhere in the south and really had a wonderful time.

Here is one of Gary and one of his favorite cars.  The other pic is our second Wedding Anniversary.

After the Air Force we moved back to Kansas City.  Gary went to college and receieved two bachelors degrees and a Masters in Emergency Medicine.  We also had two children, he coached little league baseball for both kids and went to plenty of Father-Son and Father-Daughter activities all through school, including their college days.    He went to work for the Fire Dept.-started on the first Emergency Unit (Para Medic) .  Worked for 32 years for the Fire Dept., became the Chief of the Emergency Care Unit here and managed 40 employees until he retired.  He spends his days now collecting and shooting fire arms, going to a woodworking club, being a faithful Church member, playing his guitar and being a wonderful Papa spoiling his four grandchildren.

This is a picture right before he retired.  Hopefully you have gotten through my story, it's a little long but I could probably go on forever.  Ann

BUNNY SWAP REVEAL

It's time to reveal what our partner's in the Bunny Swap sent to us in our Easter Baskets.

Miz Mollye @ down home with mizmolley...shesadoozey was our gracious hostess for this special event.  I had the most fun picking out special things I thought my person would love and so anxious to get mine from my partner.

My bunny swap partner was Gwendolyn @http://acharminghome.blogspot.com/.  If you haven't become a follower yet you are really missing a great opportunity to visit a wonderful gal. Gwendolyn  is a woman after my own heart, mother, grandmother, christian and homemaker.  She loves musicals and anything vintage. Be sure and visit her blog.

My gift came in a beautiful white wicker basket with blue easter grass.  Here it is all together.

To highlight each one of my lovely gifts, I have taken pictures of them individually.

My little bunny is all dressed up with a lace scarf and lovely antique pin. Her ears are the lovliest pink sparkles.

I asked Gwendolyn and she said she made these potholders. So cute.

My sweet little blue girl bell, with pink flowers no less.

This adorable bird in a box frame.  Looks great in the sunroom with all my birdcages and ceramic birds!!

These are going in my cutting garden as soon as it's May 8.  Can't wait.

Sweet little Easter Egg picks. I sat them in one of my flower arrangements.

This darling little jar filled with sparkles and topped with a little silk bird.

This was so much fun-if you ever get a chance to participate in a blog swap please do so.  YOU WILL LOVE IT.

Ann

VINTAGE THINGIE THURSDAY

Time to display all the vintage thingie's that we cannot live without!!! Miss Suzanne is our host @http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/

Today I want to show all my friends one of my collections--I'm always looking for birdcages--don't have a bird just love them.

I'm also a collector of "Wizard of Oz", don't you think this birdcage looks like a hot air balloon?  My sister Lori received 

 this in a Christmas White elephant swap.  She did not want it and gave it to me.  Ofcourse I love it.  I have some doves that reside their now.

The next birdcage I bought several years ago at a Lawn and Garden Center-stuffed in the back behind a storage shed.  I did have to remove all the rust, and I painted it white.  It's just so proud to be sitting in my sunroom.  I usually keep little porceline birds and nests in there.

Again the next birdcage was given to my by one of my sisters.  Deb was at a garage sale last summer and saw this blue birdcage.  The seller wanted quite a bit for it but Deb says she got it at a reasonable price-although she never told me how much.  It's great to have such giving sisters.

I like this one in the living room against the rust-cream background.

This one sits on top of my printers cabinet in my workroom.  It has quite a bit of wear--I'm not sure of it's final destination.

I think what I enjoy the most about birdcages is the beautiful workmanship in them.  They can't be turned out on a conveyor belt.  I'm also a lover of anything garden style so they are one of my special possessions.

Have a super day--enjoy all the spring sunshine.

Ann

Outdoor Wednesday

There's a feeling in the air that Spring has Sprung!!!!! I'm so excited to be joining Susan@ http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/  for today's post.

I have hosta and ornamental chives peeking out but I desperately wanted to show some color. Yesterday my flowering plum tree bloomed and I'm so excited.

Hopefully the rest of the country has risen from the winter snow and started to come alive in all our gardens. Hope you all have a wonderful Outdoor Wednesday.

Ann

Blue Monday April 5, 2010

Blue Monday has blown in here today.  We had a spring storm this morning with heavy rain, wind and a little hail.  So glad it waited until this morning instead of yesterday.. We had a nice dry yard for my grandchildren and great nephew's Easter Egg hunt in our yard.  So fun to see 5 kids 8yrs and under running everywhere with their eggs filled with candy and money.

I'm linking up with Sally @http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/for this Blue Monday post.

Visited my favorite thrift store last week and they were having a 50% off sale. Whoo Who.  I found a few blue items I liked.

This little tin coaster set was $1.25.  I think they are really cute.

A blue enamelwear coffee pot.  I'll probably set this out on the patio this summer.

I had to pick up this blue Peacock to set in the sunroom.  He's now just hanging out with one of my plants.

This picture hangs in the entry way.  We picked up this signed picture a few years ago at Marti Gras.  This was the official poster that year.  I had it framed with a blue border. 

Hope you all had a blessed Easter and are going to have a great week.

Ann

Pink Saturday Easter Special April 3, 2010

Today's post is a special PINK SATURDAY post.  Join Bevery @How Sweet the Sound for Easter Pinks.

All my Easter Buddies are here to wish you Happy Easter.

Thought I would show you another pink.  I made this for Olivia for Easter, she wanted pink and black.

Hope you all have a blessed Easter.  Enjoy your church services and have a wonderful time with all the Easter Egg Hunts and Easter Dinners.

Ann

Family Friday's 4-2-10 My Father

Our party is hosted by Lori @ the Peterson Family.  Check out all the other posts and read about their families.

Today I'm posting about my father Ralph Earnest born 2-5-1924 and passed away 6-7-1992.

Dad was born in Missouri and is the youngest of 8

 children.  The earliest picture is one of him taken around 1926, he is outside with his dog Jack.

This sibling picture shows Dad with his brothers and sisters taken in around 1931.  Dad is the youngest on the right.

My Dad worked on the farm and went  to school through the 8th grade.  He had to quit school the next year and help out on the farm.  This is a picture of him at age 8.

In 1943 he enlisted in the Army/Navy to fight in World War II.  He was going to be a pilot but was grounded because of a heart murmer.  He was so dissapointed but the military trained him to be a radio tower operator.  He served in Alaska most of his tour in Anchorage AFB.  The following pictures of him during the service.While he was in Alaska he got to ski, one thing you could never do in Missouri.

He met my Mom in 1946 after his tour.  It's so funny, he was dating my Aunt Ruby at the time and my Mom walked in and he thought she was beautiful.  He started dating my Mom and they were married only after a few months.  Guess who my Aunt Ruby married--my Dad's brother Uncle Floyd.

My Dad could build anything, this is a picture of him next to a barn he built on the farm.

Looks like Dad was taking a break and goin fishin in this pic.

My Mom and Dad left Missouri in 1951 and moved to Kansas City. I was born in 1947 and my sister Kathy was born in 1951.  Dad went to Electricans school and became an electrician and co-owned an Electric Company until he retired.  They also had 2 other children Debbie born in 1952 and Lori born in 1961.

This is a favorite pic of Dad and me.

Dad was always active in church as a deacon and loved the lake.  We had a cabin at a lake resort that he built in the late 1950's. 

He worked until he was 65 and retired from the electric company.  My parents retired and moved to the country.  This picture was taken in 1991 a year before he passed away from lung cancer.

He was a sweet soul and loved his girls (all of his children were girls).  He would loved to have lived much longer but  was  called home to Heaven at an early age of 69.  My Dad was given a full military funeral and I was given the flag that draped his casket, being the oldest child.  The case sits atop of my china cabinet.

Hope you all enjoyed the history of my Dad.

Ann