Thursday, June 18, 2015

In Honor of Fathers



Daddy with Anita and me on Anita's birthday - early 70's.  Can you tell by the decor?
 I am on the right.  :-)

In honor of Father's Day I am re-posting a piece I wrote about fathers several years ago.  We were so blessed to move home this past year.  Living across the street from my father and seeing him each day has been wonderful!  I am so thankful that Seth is able to have such a close relationship with Papa!  Seth and I are also blessed to have Jon!  He is a wonderful husband and he is also Seth's hero!  Happy Father's Day to all the Dads, Fathers, "Daddies", Grandfathers and Papas everywhere!! 

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.

~ Sigmund Freud


A few weeks ago I started this post about my father.  It was supposed to be ready for Father's Day -  obviously, you can see that I didn't quite meet my goal; however, I have been blessed with a wonderful father who I treasure so much so I decided to continue with this post even though Father's Day has come and gone. My daddy's name is Terry - sometimes his brothers and sisters call him Buddy.  (Remember I am a southern girl.  We all call our fathers "Daddy" even when we are approaching middle age!  Also, just about every southern family has a "Buddy".)  He and my mother were sweethearts from a very young age.  They married just a few short months after my mother graduated from high school.  My sister was born a year later and my parents embraced parenthood.  My dad was the sole provider in those early years.  He worked so hard driving a truck to earn money to provide for his little family.  My sister and I both learned a strong work ethic from our father.  Daddy was, and continues to be, a wonderful role model for our entire family.

I learned what true love looks like by observing my sweet parents.  My dad was by my mother's side for almost 44 years of marriage.  He stood by her through thick and thin - good and bad - sickness and health until they were parted by death.  My dad never left the house without kissing my mother goodbye - even for a quick trip to the store.  Devoted would be a true description of my father - devoted to my mother and to his girls. 


My mother and father - around the time they were  married. What a wonderful couple! 

My dad has always been supportive and encouraging.  He knew when to cheer us on (band activities, piano recitals, etc.) and he knew when to cheer us up - through heartaches and disappointments in the teen years and other trials that have come as we moved through life. He and mom encouraged us to pursue our dreams with regard to our careers.  I was a teacher when I graduated from college.  I obtained a master's degree after I had been teaching a few years. Daddy was the first to suggest that I go back to school and pursue a doctorate.  I achieved that goal in 1999 with both of my parent's cheering me on!  I remember thinking how great it was that Daddy wanted so much for his girls.  He may not have had the opportunity to go to college, but he wanted his daughters to further their education as much a possible. 

I learned from my dad that things may not always go as you planned, but you must "keep on keeping on".  He and my mother faced some challenges through the years, but their love for each other never wavered. My mother's death shook my dad to his core.  He definitely struggled after her death; however, he has become his old self in the last couple of years. He has found his way back to the daddy I have always known and loved with all my heart.  


I love this picture of my daddy.  It was taken when he was around 18 months old.  He is wearing his daddy's cowboy hat and holding his grandfather's pipe.  

Good fathers always seem to know when to help out and when to let their children figure out things the hard way.  That is true of my daddy.  I think that is a tough thing for parents because we always want to fix things for our children. Daddy was always ready to step in and help when needed - and he still does - but he also knows when his children must learn a lesson.  I admire him so much for that quality. 

I always knew that my daddy was there to protect our family.  That is still true today.  Even though my sister and I are grown, we still believe that Daddy will always be there, waiting in the wings to help us when we falter.  I believe he is my safety net.  Like my heavenly Father, I know that my daddy will love me regardless.  

As a father and a grandfather, my dad knows it is okay to spoil your children just a little bit. We did not have an extravagant childhood, but we had what we needed with special treats thrown in :-).  We did not get brand new cars as soon as we were able to drive.  We did get older cars that were perfect for us!  He and mom wanted us to appreciate the things that we were given.  I will tell you though that when my parents became grandparents, all of these ideas about moderation went out the window - They quickly realized it was okay to SPOIL the grandbabies!!!  In fact, my sister used to say that Santa Claus couldn't compete with Granny and Papa. My daddy, aka "Papa", still spoils Paige, Spencer and Seth.  He just treated Seth to a week of baseball camp at South Alabama and purchased him a new set of catcher's gear - perfect for our budding baseball star.  

My daddy will tell you that my mother played the biggest part in raising Anita and me.  In fact, I have heard him tell a story of someone saying that he had two wonderful daughters. My daddy's reply was "I can't take credit for them, Janell (my mom) raised them."  That could not be farther from the truth.  While it was true that my daddy traveled a lot with his job, and my mother did most of the day to day duties that come with raising children, my dad was a crucial part of our upbringing.  He and mom were united in their desire to raise us in a Christian home where we were taught the values they embraced.  My father modeled his belief that family comes first, hard work is a good thing, it is important to be generous, to help others, and to treat all people with respect. 


This was taken about four years ago (about seven years ago now) Spencer, Me, Nini, Seth, Paige and Papa

Jon and Seth - This is a recent picture.  It is amazing to see how much Seth has grown!! 

To sum it up, amazing fathers just seemed to instinctively know when to praise and when to punish, when to save and when to splurge, when to cheer their children on as they follow their dreams and when to encourage them to show restraint.  I am so blessed to have an amazing man as my sweet  father.  I am so honored to call him Daddy!  I am also blessed to have married Jon.  He is a wonderful father to Seth and to his "big boys", Matt and Drew!


I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart. 

Adabella Radici

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. 

Jim Valvano

This week I am joining the following parties:

 Grace at Home @ Imparting Grace


Thank you for visiting Buttercup Bliss,
Lisa
Saturday, June 6, 2015

Guest Bedroom Renovation



You may remember that we have been renovating/refreshing our home since we moved in late last summer.  Today I am sharing our guest bedroom.  It is one of my favorite rooms in our home.  I love the peaceful color - Sherwin Williams Rainwashed. We added crown molding to add character to the room.  Our guestroom is usually the only "prissy" room in the house.  I live in a house of boys so "girly" is not something I get to do very often (which may explain why I adore clothes, jewelry and purses.) In the past I had a guest bedroom that was pink and green, so this one is definitely toned down a bit. 

Just for fun, let's look at the "before" picture.  This was taken right after we bought the house. The color was a bit bright, and I am not a fan of ceiling fans in bedrooms.  


The monogrammed pillow shams and the Mississippi pillow are two of my very favorite pieces.  The shams are simple, white quilted Shabby Chic shams from Target, but my sister's friend, Katie, of Mississippi Stitches, made them gorgeous when she monogrammed them for me.  She also made the wonderful Mississippi pillow.  I am a proud Mississippi girl! 

The Euro shams and the duvet cover (folded at the foot of the bed for a pop of color) are both from Pottery Barn.  The fringed burlap bed-skirt (shown in another picture) is from Ballard Designs.  

I firmly believe that beautiful art doesn't have to be outrageously expensive.  The two pieces by the window are pages from a calendar that I had framed.  The calendar featured original art that was auctioned to benefit the University of Mississippi's Children's Hospital.  Obviously, I couldn't purchase the original, but the prints from the calendar are wonderful when framed!! 



The chifforobe was one of the pieces we purchased AK (After Katrina!)  I still love it!  The sewing machine side table was a Valentine present from my husband a few years ago.  This room is filled with other things I love such as McCarty bunnies and art from Mississippi artists.  The print above the small table is by Mississippi artist, Wyatt Waters.  

Of course, a prissy chandelier was needed to make dress up the space. 

The beach painting is an original that was painted for me by my good friend, Diane.  I distressed the simple brown frame so it would better suit the beach scene.  

 Old family photos are hung to the right of the bed.  Baby pics of my mother, father, and grandmother are so special to me! 


I hope you enjoyed "visiting" our cozy guest bedroom.  Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that this bedroom has a walk-in closet!  It is perfect for storing my "alternate season" clothes and decorative items, and various other items too special to be stored in the attic.  

I am excited to be featured by Kris of Junk Chic Cottage on her Saturday Spotlight Series: Life Behind the Blogger.  I would love it if you would hop on over @ 
Junk Chic Cottage: Saturday Spotlight Series


I am also joining  the following parties:

Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings
Show and Share @ Coastal Charm 
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Share Your Style Block Party
 Grace at Home @ Imparting Grace

As always, thank you for visiting Buttercup Bliss! 

Lisa 

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Spruced Up for Summer



The calendar may not indicate that it is summer yet, but in Mississippi the weather says summertime!!  We have made a few changes to our front entry-way and our back patio to cheer things up for the warm summer months.  I wish you could visit! We could sit in a rocker and sip ice-cold lemonade. Yummy!

I switched out the cotton wreaths that had been up since January with these cheerful floral arrangements.  These are made of burlap and chicken wire - too cute!  I wish I could say that I made them so you would be impressed, but.... I did pick them out :-)

I love these cheerful pillows that I found at one of my favorite stores in Jackson.   

This rocker belonged to my mother.  Jon painted it a cheerful shade of green.  We also switched out the pillow in the wicker chair we already had.  I love the combination of pink and green! The wind chimes are a sweet addition too.  I love to hear them when the wind is blowing.

This little fountain creates a peaceful, soothing sound of water. Sipping coffee and reading a book while rocking in my rocking chair may be my favorite summer activity. 

 This little spot is the perfect place to have breakfast while it is still cool.  



Our back yard is small - I like to call it cozy!  We've had large lawns before in some of our previous homes.  I know my husband is loving the fact that this one doesn't take hours and hours to maintain!

The lights look so pretty at night.  

 This is one of Jon's early birthday presents.  He has always wanted a Japanese Maple.  They are typically a beautiful burgundy color - This was  a day or two after it was planted.  It may be a little distressed right now because of the replanting process.  I am hoping it returns to its normal color soon. 
My mother's favorite flower was a yellow rose.  Jon just planted this rose bush for me in memory of my mother.  So pretty!

The area surrounding our crepe myrtles was freshened up for summer as well.  We removed the pansies and replaced them with begonias and caladiums.  Begonias and caladiums remind me of my sweet grandmother.  She always had a gorgeous garden at her home in the Mississippi Delta.  

 The knockout roses are blooming now too.  I love them because they are pretty and low maintenance.  My husband's next project is to decide what to plant beneath the large trees/shrubs (I think they are Ligustrums.) that flank either end of the house.  Any suggestions? We have Vincas by the front door so I was hoping for something different.  

Thank you for visiting our "spruced up for summer" outdoor space.  I am off to sip coffee in my rocker. 

Blessings from Buttercup Bliss,
Lisa

This week I am joining the following parties:

Tweak it Tuesday @ Cozy Little House 

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings 

Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style 

Share Your Style Party hosted by Dixie Delights 

Show and Share @ Coastal Charm