Backyard Neighbor

TIE DYE SHIRTS FOR MY GRANDS - BLUE MONDAY

Please visit Sally at Smiling Sally for Blue Monday.  If you are in love with the color blue, don't miss a visit to Sally's blog today.

Thank you Sally for our Blue Monday fun.

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TIE DYE FUN FOR MY GRANDS

Most of you know our grands were here for a week and they all left today. Silence is golden and if you have a bunch of grands you know what I mean.  We had the best time on Friday tie dying Tshirts.  It is kind of a tradition and this year's "tie dye" was especially fun.  I didn't get a photo with everyone wearing their shirts because they didn't have time to all put them on at the same time.  Sigh!

Anyway, there was quite a variety of colors and blue is one of them.  I hung them on my entertainment center so I could take a photo for Blue Monday.  Not a great photo...I was tired. Imagine that with 11 people to feed three times a day. HA!

 

 

Some closeups.  Kind of cool aren't they. My daughters helped the grands get ideas for the dye process. I have no idea how to achieve such designs as these but I think they look awesome.

 

The swirl pattern was popular. This is a great blue.

 

Lots of folding and rubberbands are needed for the designs.

 

They did some neck/head scarves too.

 

This one had blue in it and I think it is so pretty.

 

One of my grandsons put his shirt on for a photo to please me.

 

This is Caleb .He is 15, plays the piano and is a very good student.

Thank you for posing Caleb.

Happy Blue Monday

Love,

JEANNE

 

 

 

BEVERLY'S 60TH BIRTHDAY PARTY ON PINK SATURDAY

 Click here for lots ot pretty pink "How Sweet the Sound"

A very happy hello to all of you Pinkies out there in blogland.  Beverly is our wonderful hostess and she is the reason we have so much fun on Pink Saturday.  Be sure and visit  Beverly today and wish her a happy 60th birthday

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CELEBRATING BEVERLY'S 60TH BIRTHDAY ON THE BEST BLOG PARTY IN BLOGLAND

THANK YOU FOR BEING THE MOST GRACIOUS HOSTESS BEVERLY

There's a party going on right here and it starts with the decorations.

 

Banners

 

I made these myself...NOT silly! It is way too hard.

 

We have to have balloons.

 

And we can't forget the napkins.

 

Do you like this cake Beverly?

 

confetti...YAY!!!

 

'SIXTY YEARS YOUNG'

Because we have been dearest friends for fortythree years I am giving you these...

With much love to my forever friend,

JEANNE

 

 

HELEN, GEORGIA ON BLUE MONDAY - Diana's birthday

Please visit Sally at Smiling Sally for Blue Monday.  If you are in love with the color blue, don't miss a visit to Sally's blog today.

Thank you Sally for our Blue Monday fun.

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We celebrated our daughter's birthday on Sunday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DIANA

 

Your birthday was very special and so are you Diana

We love you

Mom and Dad

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Welcome to Alpine Helen & White County, Georgia

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattahoochee River, this Northeast Georgia village has a rich history linked to the Cherokee Indians and Indian burial mounds as well as early settlers who arrived to mine for gold and cut virgin timber for a thriving lumber industry in the early 1900s. Helen is a re-creation of an alpine village complete with cobblestone alleys and old-world towers. We've got shopping, camping, both rustic and luxury mountain cabins, restaurants, bed and breakfast inns, mountains, theater, recreation, romantic getaways, beautiful scenery, family activities, waterfalls, museums, history, art, fishing, tubing, golf, and more. Something for every member of the family.

While we were camping we took a day to visit the Alpine town of Helen, GA. I am sharing a couple of photos that show how charming this town is in a very quaint way.  We shopped and enjoyed buying great fudge and having an ice cream treat.  The town takes great pride in their beautiful town with lovely flowers and the many fun activities that are offered to one and all who are fortunate enough to visit there.

 

 

This was taken on my daughters I phone.  The waterfall was stunning in person.

 

Another I Phone photo from our dtrs. phone.

This photo was taken from Google

Another google photo.

Tubing in Helen looked like a grand time in the mountain stream.

German food is also available and delicious as well.

Happy Blue Monday

Love,

JEANNE

A MASTER GARDENERS TOUR FOR PINK SATURDAY

 Click here for lots ot pretty pink "How Sweet the Sound"

A very happy hello to all of you Pinkies out there in blogland.  Beverly is our wonderful hostess and she is the reason we have so much fun on Pink Saturday.  Be sure and visit  Beverly today.

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Our Garden Club went on this tour.  The photos speak for themselves.  This is just a fraction of the photos I took that day.  We toured 7 homes and the tour was stunning.  I am sharing a few pinks with you today.

 

Yes, we were in the mountains all day.  These were private homes that volunteered for this tour.

 

 

 

 

 

I am closing with this waterfall which is in the yard of a private homeowner.

There is so much more to share.  Do you think I was thinking of Pink Saturday when I took these photos?

HA!

Happy Pink Saturday

Love,

JEANNE

COFFEE CENTRAL AND VINTAGE LOVE

Suzanne at, Coloradolady, is our host for today's fun event.  Be sure and visit Suzanne's blog for lots more vintage fun.

MY KITCHEN COFFEE CENTRAL

The first thing I do every morning is have a cup of coffee with my husband. In the past we shared the duty of making our coffee in the morning. Making our coffee was a chore that both of us tried to get out of until one of us would give in and get the job done.  My husband found a great excuse to get out of making coffee.  He would make a deal to take our pup Cheri' out for her morning business if "I" would make the coffee. 

CHERI'

Something new has changed our morning coffee ritual and now we "can't wait" to make our coffee.  Have you guessed what that could be?

The magic machine is called a Keurig  The best purchase we have made for convenience ever. 

TA DA

Nope, this is not vintage.  This is a modern convenience that makes a delicious cup of coffee in seconds.  I talked Bill into buying it and he loves it as much as I do.  I want to thank my dearest friend Beverly at How Sweet the Sound, for introducing me to her Keurig and the best cup of coffee ever.  She is the reason I bought this coffee pot.

Coffee Central coming up...

Now the vintage.  First my very old bread board under the  drepression glass sugar bowl and spooner in my favorite color green. .  The bread board is vintage as well as the spooner and the sugar bowl.  The Polish sugar bowl is collectible but not old. I keep  loose granulated Splenda in the Polish sugar bowl.

The vintage salt box is well used and it was a gift grom my father.  The chicken sugar package holder is not old and the little pottery dish is where we put our spoon after we stir our coffee. There you have it... our grand Coffee Central.

See that little K-cup in the lower right part of the photo.  That is what you put in the coffee maker to make the coffee.  My favorite is the Coffee House K-cup but there are dozens of flavors on the market.  If you shop wisely (Costco) it costs about 50 cents a cup. It is worth every penny.

A vintage Closeup

I know, the' bread letters' are upside down.  Did you even notice.? HA!

Don't think twice, just run right out to the store and get yourself a new Keurig.  You will be glad you did.

This is NOT a paid advertizement.

Love and hugs,

JEANNE

NEWS FLASH RE: CAROLINA MUSIC AWARDS

THE CAROLINA MUSIC AWARDS WAS HELD SUNDAY NIGHT JULY 15, 2012

The focus of the Carolina Music Awards is to recognize Carolina artist in Rock, Hip Hop, Country and R&B.  We are excited to add Darius Rucker as a supporter of the CM Awards along with the legendary Co-Founders Roberta Flack & Randy Travis.  Every year we look to make this event more and more beneficial to Carolina artists and support the great music made right here in the Carolinas.

HERE'S THE SCOOP

This photo was taken at the CMA awards.  These pretty talented girls walked the red carpet for the CMA awards.  On the left is Lizzy, winner of the CMA Rock Female Award. On the right is our granddaughter Molly, Lizzy's band mate.  Lizzy is 13 and Molly is 16 .

Congratulations Lizzy.

Love,

JEANNE

 

CAMPING AT VOGEL STATE PARK - Blue Monday

Please visit Sally at Smiling Sally for Blue Monday.  If you are in love with the color blue, don't miss a visit to Sally's blog today.

Thank you Sally for our Blue Monday fun.

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HOME FROM CAMPING SURE FEELS GOOD

I have missed you very much.

We have been gone for a week without a connection to the net. We were told that there would be WIFI but it was broken.  I was expecting to post while we enjoyed our children and grands but that didn't happen. Sigh!!!

We camped at VOGEL STATE PARK in Blairsville, GA.  A beautiful park in the North Georgia mountains.  Our daughter took some great photos and I am sharing them with you for Blue Monday. I will say it rained a lot but we all still had a great time.  Our RV was grand central.  Our grandchildren loved hanging out when it was raining playing card games and playing their guitars and singing.  We loved our time with them as well as two of our daughters and our son-in-laws. We were blessed to have this time together.

OUR WEEK IN PHOTOS

 

Heart shaped Knot hole. A big attraction in the park

Caleb, Logan, Jacob, Ashley, Molly and Cody

 

Logan Caleb and Garrett (grands and son-in-law)

Ashley is tall and can jump!

The beautiful lake where swimming kayacking and fun prevaliled.

Having fun on a biking trail. 

Logan, Jacob, Molly, Ashley, Cody and Caleb. Cousin Love.

A few photos to enjoy.  As you can see in spite of the rainy days we did fit in some fun times.

Happy Blue Monday

Love,

JEANNE

 

A GREAT NIECE GRADUATES AND SHE IS A PINKIE - PINK SATURDAY

 Click here for lots ot pretty pink "How Sweet the Sound"

A very happy hello to all of you Pinkies out there in blogland.  Beverly is our wonderful hostess and she is the reason we have so much fun on Pink Saturday.  Be sure and visit  Beverly today.

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GRADUATION PARTY TIME

My great niece Maggie graduated from high school this year.  She lives in Atlanta and her parents gave her a lovely party to celebrate.  I was lucky to be able to go to her party with my sister Jane Anne.  I am sharing a few photos of the pre-party. (before all the guests arrived.)  When you see these photos you will see that Maggie is a bonifide Pinkie.

 

Maggies graduation photo. 

She is as sweet as she is beautiful.

 

My lovely niece Abbyjane, Maggie and Larry...Maggie's parents

 

Maggie and my sister Jane Anne...Maggie's grandma

 

Great Aunt Jeanne, Maggie and her grandma Jane anne (my sister)

 

Maggie showing us her delicious 'to die for' chocolate cake.

 

This wonderful food was from Publix.  I so miss Publix where I live in our small city of Franklin.

IMaggie has an older sister Sarah who was unable to attend because of her job.  I want to share Sarah's high school graduation picture as well.  Beautiful great nieces and we are so proud of them.  Sarah is in college and Maddie will attend college starting in Sept. Their mom, my niece Abbyjane is a concert pianest and she teaches piano as a career. Sarah is following in her mom's footsteps.  Maggie is deciding on which path she will take with her college education.

Meet Sarah my other beautiful great niece.

 

I admit to a lot of bragging but I bet you won't blame me.  With so many bad things you hear about teens these days I am lucky to have such lovely young women who  I can claim as my family.

You are loved Maggie and Sarah along with your mom and dad.  We are so very proud of you all.

Love and blessings,

Your Great Aunt Jeanne

Happy Pink Saturday

 

 

 

 

AUCTION WINNER AND MY CIRCLE JOURNAL PAGES.

 

 

GONE...

I was at the auction with my sister on Monday night and I  bid and won a beautiful painted piece of furniture.

It might be called a Demilune or buffet but I call it fabulous.

See for yourself.

 

I love this so much.  It is over 5 feet long, perfect for my 20 foot wall.

It is made by Habersham Plantation.

 

Did you notice the pottery on display.  This is a gift from my dearest friend Beverly at, How Sweet the Sound.  I think it looks beautiful on my new cabinet.

A closeup.  It is so pretty.  Thank you Beverly.

 

Another view.  It has three drawers and storage on all three sides.

I bet you want to know what I paid for this beauty.  It was a steal at $350.  It came from a million dollar home and estate.  I'm so Luuuuucccky.  Ok, i'm smart too.  I had to out bid another bidder and it was scary but I won.  I love auctions.

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Many of you know I am in a Circle Journal group of ten.  I just finished my two pages for Kay Ellen. Her Theme is 'Travels by the Sea'  It was fun to do beause I love the Sea. I hope she likes them.

 

 

A closeup of the first page.

 

A closeup of the 2nd page.

This has been the most lovely idea and it is so much fun to see the completed pages that the members of the circle have done.  By November we will have completed 10 journals and we get our own back.  I am anxious to see my completed journal but I have to be patient and wait.

I am thankful for the many blessings blogging has brought me over the past four years.

Love,

JEANNE

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA

HAPPY INDEPENDANCE DAY AMERICA

 

POINTS OF INTEREST ABOUT THE 4TH OF JULY

 

Observance

An 1825 invitation to an Independence Day celebration

• In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired in salute, once at morning and once again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.^[13]
• In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.^[14]
• In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.^[14]
• In 1781 the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.^[14]
• In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held a celebration of July 4 with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled "The Psalm of Joy".
• In 1791 the first recorded use of the name "Independence Day" occurred.
• In 1820 the first Fourth of July celebration was held in Eastport, Maine which remains the largest in the state.^[15]
• In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.^[16]
• In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.^[17]

 

HAVE A WONDERFUL 4TH OF JULY FROM MY HOUSE TO YOURS

BLESSINGS TO YOU AND TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

LOVE,

JEANNE