Sunporch Chat ♥ With Betty of Through My Back Door ♥

Oh boy, are you in for a treat today! For those of you joining me and don't know what's going on......Ms. Betty Crowe of Through My Back Door joined me for buttermilk pie and coffee (well she had the coffee; I enjoyed a cool glass of lemonade) for my very first Sunporch Chat. Just as I already knew, Ms. Betty is a special person! She is charming; She is bubbly…..full of life; And she is a friend to all. She loves the Lord and lives her life accordingly! So sit back, grab you a piece of pie and coffee, and enjoy our chat as you get to know her a little better.  :) 

Words from Betty: I am so humbled that Tammy asked me to be her first chat guest. I love Tammy’s blog, but most of all I love her witness. It is evident in everything she does, not only her, but the entire family. I had the privilege of meeting this family and immediately fell in love with all of them. Joy and Luke, what can you say. You all know and love them. Jason is so sweet.

1) How long have you been blogging and what/who gave you the desire to blog?

It will be 2 years in Oct that I started blogging. Before Linda Rudman, Behind My Red Door, I had never heard of a blog. I followed hers and My Colonial Home, as well as others before I started my own. The reason I started it is sort of embarrassing, but I have to answer Tammy honestly. It was to aggravate my daughter, Deb. She made me start my own Picture Trail and I was protesting loudly, that I couldn’t do it. She assured me I could and in the process I came across How To Start Your Own Blog. So I followed the directions and my blog was born.

2) How did you choose the name of your blog and why?

The first question was what is the name of your blog? Name? I had to have a name? Well, I was sitting in my chair in the reading nook and looked up and saw my back door. Everyone who comes here enters through the back door, so thus the name.

Reading Nook:  Where the blog was born.

3) What variety of topics do you post on your blog (examples - home decorating, family, gardening, recipes, adoption, homeschooling, crafting, etc....)?

In the beginning I blogged only about décor, now I blog about whatever hits my fancy. I have shared my family, my pets, and my collections with readers. I do try to keep it happy and up beat(that is just the way I am ) but rain falls into each of our lives. I consider it a privilege to get to pray for a fellow blogger I don’t know, so I assume they all feel the same. As I said I share whatever is going on in my life now.

4) Tell us a little about yourself and your family.

Tammy wanted me tell about me. I am many things. First of all I am a sinner saved by God’s Grace. I’m a wife, a mother, mother in law, grandmother, grandmother in law, and great grandmother. I am a friend. I am loyal to a fault. I love people, good, bad, or ugly. I can usually find good in everyone. If, for some reason, I don’t like someone there is a good reason,(in my opinion anyway lol). There are very few people I don’t like. I love animals. I am who I am. No airs for anyone. Never. I am in the 4th quarter of my life.(you may have read that post), but the game is far from over.

Betty (far left) with her daughter, Debbie,  and son-in-law, Michael.

5) How would you describe your decorating style?

My decorating style, or the one I am striving to attain, is Colonial/Prim. People interpret this style in many ways. I am not a dark no color prim. I am not brass and glass colonial. I love antiques from pre Civil War until about 1870. Most of my furniture is from this period. I love wood, especially walnut and cherry. I salivate over TN or southern pieces. Love them. I like pewter, tin, all the things that go with this style. Yet, I will take farriers boxes, other beat up treen and use them.

6) What's your favorite color and why?

Red is my favorite color! Followed by mustard. Just can’t have too much of either.

7) Tell us a few of your favorite things (collections, things that make you happy, etc.).

 It is funny you ask about my favorite things. One of my favorite things is an old cracked yellow bowl. Several years ago I was at a yard sale, held by an older couple. There was a yellow ware bowl that was cracked, that I picked up a dozen times to see if I thought it would resell. I decided I didn’t want to put a cracked item in the show and left it. When we got in the car, the old gentleman ran over to the car and handed it to me. He said we want to give you this. He thought I couldn’t afford it. I keep that bowl to remind of the kindness and generosity of that couple. I will NEVER let it go.

The cracked yellow bowl.

Another is a mirror that hung in my grandparents home forever. A sunbonnet made and worn by my paternal grandmother, a chair made by my great, great, great grandfather.

Grandma's Bonnet....made from a feedsack.

A flat iron used by my great grandmother. A pitcher used in the springhouse on my maternal grandparents farm. Too many to name. An egg basket made by my husband’s great grandmother.

The egg basket 

Also I have a hand written note from Gladys Taber, that I value. All of these are priceless to me even though there is no great $$$ value. I also have some plain, walnut picture frames made by Curtis before his illness. These are extremely special.

8) What do you like to do in your spare time (hobbies, etc.)?

As most of you know I am not a crafter or maker of anything. I made my sister in law a quilted throw one time and it took me 3 years.lol She says I tried to give it as a Christmas gift for 3 years too.lol I have done a bit of Cross stitch. I have to admit I loved hand piecing that throw. I just do not enjoy making things. I love to play games, and belong to about 3 different groups. I love to read blogs, look at Picture Trail, and love good books. I like mysteries, don’t care for just romance books, and I absolutely LOVE children’s books. Like Tasha Tudor, Gladys Taber, and Susan Branch. I love to write. I enjoy getting together with friends and like antiquing.

9) What does your dream house look like? (Describe and/or include photo).

My dream house would be a small salt box with a big fireplace, a tiny yard with room for Dasko to run, and paned windows. It would be painted red trimmed in brown, or brown trimmed in red. It would have a boarded front door, (made with boards, not boarded where you couldn’t come in) onion lights and a walk made with bricks I would take from here. I know exactly what each room would be painted.

10) If you could visit anywhere, anytime, where would it be and why?

Many years ago, through Gladys Taber, I fell in love with New England and Cape Cod. I would visit Cape Cod or Barr Harbor Maine every year if I could. It makes me smile thinking of those visits.

11) Would you share with us a favorite homemaking tip or recipe, etc.?

I love to keep house. I love home and all that goes with it. I firmly believe God wants us to open our homes to others and to be hospitable. So my only “housekeeping tip” is, make your home happy, comfortable and open to visitors. That doesn’t mean it has to be spotless or in order, just welcoming. Make it you, let it reflect your life and love that is in those walls. I am one of the few that love drop in company. It is my opinion that drop in company really “do” come just to see you and not how you live. Make them welcome. My philosophy is and has always been, “If people can’t come and visit a while, like I live all the time, they don’t need to come at all.” I want them to feel as one friend told me about my house one time, ”It just wraps its arms around you.” Can you tell I love “home making”, but not into “house cleaning.” LOL

12) Tell us something about yourself that we might not already know from reading your blog…. (something unusual, etc…).

Tammy has asked me share the something my blog readers don’t know about me. That is hard to come up with. A few things: My husband built and raced stock cars from the 60’s-80’s. I have driven a race car, and used to love riding motorcycles until an accident about took my left leg. I have done some commercials, been on a couple of TV shows years ago, with antiques. I hate flying. I have flown and will again I am sure, but I don’t like it. I would rather drive. I have a sense of humor and look for humor in most situations. I have friends of all ages and I absolutely love them all. I can listen. People are always coming up to me and telling me their problems. Whether it is waiting in line, the waiters at a restaurant, even on the trolley at Disney. Where ever we are it happens and my kids just roll their eyes. I can keep a secret forever if I need too. If you don’t want me to tell I won’t. One more confession. I LOVE shoes! Yes, I do. Could care less about purses, as long as I have a good Coach, but shoes. I also LOVE bracelets. Can’t have too many and I lost a lot of good ones in my robbery.

13) What's your favorite quote?

My favorite quote was given to me by a dear friend (saint) who is now in Heaven and has been for a while. She was my Mothers age but we were very close. She told me, ”They have to answer for how they treat you. But remember, Betty, YOU have to answer for how you treat them.” You have no idea how that simple statement has helped me over the years.

14) Tell us a way God has blessed you and/or your family.

Tammy asked me to share some ways God has blessed my family over the years. There are way too many to count. I will share two of the most devastating things, not to mention deaths in the family, that He has gotten me, as well as my family through. One of them, if you read my blog, you have all shared in: My granddaughter Amanda’s fight with breast cancer. We are so eternally thankful to God for hearing all of the prayers that were said for her and healing her. It is the ONLY way we have gotten through that.

Betty's family.  That's Amanda, her granddaughter, in the center with the headband.

The other is my husband. Several years ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson disease. A very high percentage of Parkinson patients also suffer dementia. Unfortunately he is one. I took care of him at home until the dementia became a safety issue. When the time came to let go, God took over. Completely. I won’t tell you all of the miracles He performed during that time, but He was in control. I don’t want to bore you. We had 5 miracles one after another that got him into the care he has today. I assure you they WERE miracles. The day he went into the Nursing Home was one of the darkest times in my life. The children and I decided we could all get into the fetal position and cry, or take the lives God has given us and live them with love and laughter. Hard as it was, we chose the latter. God does take care of us. Always.

15) Share any words of wisdom you'd like to leave with us.

My only words of wisdom would be: Have only the people and things around you love. Life is short and to follow the quote from my dear friend.

Words from Betty:  Thanks again Tammy. I am not very exciting but again humbled that you invited me to visit. Can’t wait to see the other visitors you have. BTW, the coffee and pie were fabulous, but the company was even better.    Betty

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Thank you Ms. Betty for being such an awesome guest! I loved your visit.  I treasure your friendship.   And thanks for all the smiles and laughs! I appreciate you being so candid.  Next time you visit, I’ll make us some peanut butter pie.  And I disagree with your statement above.....you ARE a very exciting and interesting person.  :)  Blessings to you and your precious family! 

Thank you all for stopping by today and joining us for Sunporch Chat! I so enjoy reading your comments here, but I also know Ms. Betty would love it if you would stop by Through My Back Door for a visit and say hi too! (She always has coffee waiting). 

♥ Tammy ♥