TEA TUESDAY!!

I am back after a few weeks off from blogging after the passing of our sweet dog, Savanna.
Our new life style without a pet is taking some time to get used to as we have had a dog in our home for over 20+ years.

Once again, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for all of your kind words of comfort and understanding during this time of loss in our lives. To read Savanna's Story , please click HERE

Today I am rejoining the Blogging World for Tea Tuesday.

Please visit Martha and Terri for Tea Cup Tuesday
and Sandi for Tea Time Tuesday
and Wanda Lee for Tuesday Tea For Two

Today I would like to share with you a tea cup that is part of my Moss Rose collection but with a different twist to it.

This is where it finds a home in my Dining Room....


It has the Moss Rose pattern but is done in the Luster Ware finish with a pretty sage green trim


I just love the look of this sweet tea cup which was a flea market find for $5.00 some years back!!


Love that cut work detail around the rim of the saucer!


And the shine of the inside of the cup....


The cake plate in the above photos was from Salvation Army and I loved the saying on it and the below picture frame has 2 photos of women in my family...

The one on your left looking at your computer screen is my maternal grandmother and great grandmother.
The one on the right is my mother as a young girl and my grandmother.

Now I know where I have inherited my large body shape from..... LOL!

August 27th would have been my Mom's 91st birthday..... I know that our Sweet Savanna is with her now and Mom is once again petting her head and whispering in her ear like she used to....

Thanks for stopping by today and every day that you take the time to do visit me!!

Many Hugs to all of you!!

Debbie

A Very Sincere THANK YOU!!

How do you call someone your "friend" when you have never met face to face or even heard the sound of their voice?

How do you tell someone who lives across the country or is even from another country whom you have never"met", how much their words of comfort and understanding have meant to an entire family?


How do you tell these "friends" that they have done so much to ease your sorrow and lessen the pain of your grief?


How do you tell them that they have played such an important role in helping one small family get through such a tremendous loss in their lives?

All we can say is THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!!!!

Your words of comfort , sympathy, and understanding and your stories of your own grief or fear of losing your own beloved pets have touched our hearts and helped to heal them a bit.

And to those that took time out of your busy day to email me with your own stories and words of encouragement, You have made me realize how truly blessed I am to have friends both out there in Blogland and in real life!

This past Monday, my oldest son Joey brought Savanna home to me one last time. Her remains are in a beautiful wooden box craved with flowers on top. As you can see from the pictures above from just a few weeks ago that she loved being outside in the garden amongst the flowers.

She now is "living" with Joey who plans to create a little Memorial to her on a shelf in the Dining Area of his apartment.

How are we all doing you ask?

Joe and I are adjusting to our "new" life. At times, I think I catch a glimpse of Savanna sitting on the steps , looking out the front door. The hardest thing was coming home from work that first time in the morning and not having her there , waiting by the door with one of her toys in her mouth. At times, I think I can still hear the sound of her footsteps through the house.
But now, we can smile and even laugh about some of the wonderful things she did and the beautiful soul that she was.
We did celebrate Joe's Birthday this past Sunday and the boys are getting used to coming home to a " a quiet" house.
It is easier for them since they no longer live here and I am grateful that their pain is eased a bit.
Joe is still having a hard time especially in the evenings when he is alone as I am sleeping before I have to go to work.
But we are getting used to it...........

Once again, THANK YOU!!! to all of you for all of your kind and encouraging words! I cannot begin to tell you how much they have meant to us!!

I hope to return to Blogland some time next week. Until then.........

The RAINBOW BRIDGE

Much hugs to you all,
Debbie

Savanna's Story

The house is very quiet.......

We no longer hear the jingle jangle of her tags on her collar....

Joe and I are once again alone... just the 2 of us.... as it was when we first got married on August 12th, 1978

On August 16th, 2010, we had to say Good Bye to one of the loves of our lives..

Our Sweet Savanna



Savanna's story starts with the one that came before her........

Our Darling Cassie

Cassie was an abused dog that we rescued . She was an SPCA dog. We had her for 9 wonderful years before lung cancer forced us to make one of the hardest decisions we ever had to make.
On that day in May 2001 , all 4 of us were present when her suffering ended and she drifted off into an eternal sleep. The last thing she saw was the faces of the family that loved her more than anything.

It was hard to think of getting another dog but the hole left in our hearts was to big to fill so once again, we went to the SPCA and found our sweet Savanna.

She was about 2 years old and was completely house broken and well trained.

So once again , we opened our home and our hearts to another wonderful gentle dog.


Savanna ,modeling one of her Bandana's


Once again, we had been blessed with a sweet and gentle creature who had free run of our entire home and NEVER bothered anything and you all know from photos of my home that I have wall to wall things all over.

Here she is napping by the Christmas Tree and the platform that holds one of my villages.


She was Mommy's girl and seldom left my side. When the boys were still living at home, she was never alone as all 4 of us worked all different time schedules and there was always someone home with her.


She did not like to be left alone and would get quite upset when we did.

The sofa was her favorite place......


She was with us for 9 years but once again, cancer would take our beloved pet.
On August 16th, I came home from work in the morning as usual. She had been ill for the past several days with some vomiting, she wouldn't eat, was drinking vast amounts of water and was panting terribly, trying to catch her breath. I knew we would have to make a decision soon.


Here she is with Joe.....

Both of us , Savanna and I went upstairs to bed as she always did when I came home from working night shift.
In about an hour, something woke me.....
My sweet girl was convulsing on the floor bedside my bed....
I called the boys.....
My Joey left work immediately and my Jimmy walked right out of Target where he works without even telling his boss ( he did later )
Joe could not leave work as he car pools and he drove that day . But he had told me before that he would not be able to take her when it was time. He could not go through that again.....

When both of my sons came home, She seized one more time.
Our decision was easy to make as we could not bare to she her suffer like that again.

So my 2 boys and my daughter in love, Danielle ( Jim's Girlfriend) and I took her in the car one last time.

Once again, the last thing this sweet animal saw was the loving faces of her family.

August 17th was Joe's birthday......

It was our first full day with out our sweet Savanna. It was Joe's regular day off and instead of the Birthday celebration we had planned, we spent the day crying and cleaning the house and packing up her things to donate to the SPCA.
We will celebrate his birthday in Sunday........

She always welcomed us home.......


She missed the boys terribly when they moved out but she did get to visit Joey at his apartment...


She particularly liked this chair in his apartment..

Joey paid for a private cremation and the urn with her ashes will be placed in a Place of Honor in his apartment.

He said that he always wanted to her to live with him and now she will.......


Joe and I have decided that we will now be true Empty Nesters. Just the 2 of us....
She was our last dog as we cannot go through this again......

I will have another stone made and placed in the back yard along side this one dedicated to our Cassie.
I hope to be able to find a Doggie Angel Statue to place between the 2 stones.....



And so the house is quiet........ It is just the 2 of us.......

The sorrow we feel is unbearable right now but we know it will pass and we will be able to smile again when we think of our beloved little "girls".

Thank you for all of your kind words. I appreciate them greatly.

I need to take some time off from blogging so I will not be around for a bit. I hope you all understand. I am going to link this post up to my usual parties just so you all know that I will be gone for a bit.

Take care my wonderful friends!

Hugs,
Debbie

Sleep Well, my Sweet Savanna!

Today is one of the saddest days of my life....



We had to put our sweet beloved Savanna to sleep. I know she is at peace and not suffering any more.


She will live forever in our hearts.

Please read The RainBow Bridge

I need to take some time off from blogging so I will see you all soon.

Hugs,
Debbie

Some New Treasure Finds!!

Hello!

It has been a busy week so I haven't had the time to "be around much". My apologies!!

I am linking up to these great parties this weekend:

Show and Tell Friday

Garage Salen Partay

Pink Saturday

Here are some of my recent treasure finds:

I found this pedestal at a flea market and the planter on top of it is an old yard sale find for $3.00. I did a new arrangement for it using silk greenery. I have it standing along side my hutch in my Living Room by my front door.

I hope to do an antique finish on the pedestal when I find some time.


This cute throw rug is one of 3 that were brand new and found at a flea market. I am now using them in my Kitchen.


I just love these sweet pictures. They are going to find a home in my bedroom

I fell in love with this sweet tin planter.
This is one of a few great things I found in a new Dollar Store called Dollar Surplus! I bought 4 of these.




This cute little photo from with the cherubs on it also came from this new Dollar Store. I am putting it away to use for Valentine's Day decorations.


I love this plate.....another flea market find


These 2 cuties I bought at the monthly 50 percent off sale at my favorite Thrift Shop, Volunteers of America. At 50 % off, they were 30 cents each!!


They are in perfect condition!!


This is a set of 3 storage boxes. They are actually quite large and were found a flea market. And I need all the storage that I can get!!


And now I would like to show you some things that I have been working on.

This Guardian angel creation is now in my Booth at lark Mountain Market Place, which has filled all of their vendor spaces and now has leased the adjacent retail space so they will be doubling their space!

Since I had all of my inventory in my booth, I need to start making things that I will be taking to 2 Craft Fairs in November.
This is a set thst I just finished.



I have been a bit under the weather lately with a few aches and pains so I decided to have something checked out that I had put on the back burner for a few years because of more pressing medical problems. I now have to see a Rhuematologist because my blood work is indicating the possibility of Lupus.
This is no surprise to me as my sister has Discoid Lupus. My grandmother had Rheumatoid Arthritis and was in a wheelchair for 11 years before she passed away 50 years ago. My sister, who is also a nurse, and I suspect that our grandmother most likely had Lupus also but back then, I am not sure they even knew what Lupus was.
So once I can actually get in to see a Rheumatologist, I will know more.

I have had to take a muscle relaxant which is leaving me feeling a bit washed out and with working night shift, I pretty much have not had much energy. So my apologies for not being able to make my rounds through Blogville lately!

If you missed my tour of the Stegmaier Mansion that was featured in Victorian Homes magazine TWICE this year, please scroll down to the previous post!! You will not be disappointed!!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Thanks for visiting me today and every day that you take the time to do so!

Hugs,
Debbie

STEGMAIER MANSION- VICTORIAN MANSION

I know that I have blogged about the Stegmaier Mansion in Wilkes Barre ,Pa. before but I am just so proud to say that I know the owner , Joe Matteo , who has been honored to have the Stegmaier Mansion grace the pages of Victorian Homes magazine , not once but twice!!

First in the Feb. issue, see on the cover "Stegamaier Mansion Revealed"...


And in the August issue. The cover photo is the Ladies parlor inside the Stegmaier Mansion.


It is unheard of to be featured in this magazine in 2 different issues.
So to celebrate, Joe Matteo and his staff were at hand at our local Barnes and Nobles signing issues of the magazine.

Joe is all smiles at the large turnout!


This is Jody Klocko who is the chef at the mansion. Jody was a chocolatier ( spelling) for Godiva Chocolates and has been featured on the Foot Network. He brought some of his delicacies for all to sample....


And this is my good friend Lisa Lewis, Victoriana Lady! Lisa is the tour guide for the mansion. Lisa also is a Living History Actress and presents numerous programs on Victorian and Edwardian Fashions and Life Styles. All Fashions and Items that Lisa displays, showcases and wears during her presentations are AUTHENTIC. She carries no reproductions!
Lisa's web site is www.victorianalady.com


Here is Joe signing my issue!!



This was a photo from the signing back in Feb.



And now I would like to show you my personal photos of the Stegmaier Mansion.
I belong to the Victorian Friendship Society of Northeast Pa. and we are lucky enough to have some of our meetings at the mansion.




The mansion was an 11 unit apartment building only a few years ago until Joe Matteo bought the mansion in 2001 that he once lived in as a tenant!


He has restored it inside and out to the elegance of the Gilded Era.




This is Victoriana Lady conducting a tour of the mansion.

Words can not express how fantastically gorgeous the mansion is. Joe Matteo has poured his heart and soul into the mansion's restoration and has done a lot of the work himself.
I will let the photos do the talking.......

The Gentleman's Parlor.....









In the Dining Room....







The newly Finished ceiling in the Library.....









The Ladies Parlor......



Yes, that is Joe Matteo playing the piano. Joe was a music director for the Norwegian Cruise Line Company.








All of the magnificent stained glass windows...


This is actually looking up through the staircase to the skylight on the roof of the four story mansion!!



The stained glass windows in the Ladies Parlor


This is the Amelia Suite...




The bathroom in the Amelia Suite..






The stained glass windows in the sitting room of the Amelia Suite...


The amazing artwork through out the mansion....






If you would like to learn more about the mansion which ( I saved the best for last ) is a Bed and Breakfast, please visit www.stegmaiermansion.com You can also read the article in the Feb. issue of Victorian Homes on the web site.

This is a wonderful piece of the history in my area that has been loving restored.
When you visit the mansion, the most amazing thing is that nothing is behind a rope as it would be in a museum.
You can walk anywhere, sit anywhere and touch anything. It is a home like atmoshpere as if the Stegmaier's were going to walk through the door in the next minute.

Stegmaier Brewing Company was a famous Beer Company in this area.

I hope you enjoyed your tour!!

I am linking up to :

Show and Tell Friday

Pink Saturday


The link to more photos I have of the mansion in an online album is on my sidebar.

Please visit A Debbie-Dabble Christmas for details on a new Blog Party starting in September, Christmas Collector's Alley.

Thanks for stopping by today and every day that you take the time to visit me!!

Hugs,
Debbie