♥ Mother/Daughter Sunporch Chat ♥ with Angela of Thru Nana's Window and Holly of Holly's Hobbies and Darbee Days ♥

Hi and welcome to my sunporch!  I'm serving some of those chocolate chip brownies that I shared a couple of weeks ago.  I've got coffee on because Angela is a coffee drinker and I've also got hot chocolate because that's what Holly and I prefer.  :)  You're in good company today and in you're in for a double treat!  These two ladies have a special place in my heart.  I've always been close to my mom and Joy and I are close as well.  These two bloggers are mother and daughter and they share a very sweet close relationship.  I picked up on that right away as I visited both of their blogs.  I know you'll enjoy them!  So grab yourself some coffee or hot chocolate and a chooclate chip brownie (or two) and make yourself comfortable and enjoy!

We're going to start with mom,  Angela of Thru Nana's Window..........

 

Meet Angela...

 

 

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

Thanks Tammy for having us over to visit with you on the sun porch. It is such an honor to be here. I started blogging 2 years ago this month. Holly, my daughter, had been blogging for a while and kept on at me to jump in and have my own blog. With her help and guidance, blogging has been a rewarding experience for me.

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

When I began blogging my granddaughter, Darbee Rae, was 3 years old. We would sit on the front porch and swing and peek into the windows of the great room. The same swing where I swung her Mama many years before. Thus the name, “Thru Nana’s Window” was created.

 

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

The blog was created for me to share my love of country and prim decorating and to become friends with those with the same interest. As it has progressed, I tend to share a variety of topics. Sometime nothing more than what has gone on in the life of a Mother, Wife, and Nana. My love however will always be my home and decorating.

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

I have been married to my best friend and childhood sweetheart for 39 years. God blessed us with a daughter, Holly, after 9 years of marriage. She was born two months early and weighed in at 3lbs. 7 oz. The day I found out I was pregnant in the doctor’s office, I said a prayer and gave her to God. I fully believe to this day, God heard my prayers and after 1 month in the hospital, we brought home a tiny but healthy 3lb. 15 oz. baby girl. Holly and her husband have blessed us with a wonderful granddaughter, Darbee Rae.

Here is Mr. P. The love of my life.

Here are my two girls, Holly and Darbee Rae.

 

 

 

5) How would you describe your decorating style?

I don’t guess there is a name to my style of decorating. I love primitives and have prim accents throughout my home. I have a few antiques and several family pieces that have been handed down that are priceless to me. I would love more antiques. I also love the country farmhouse style. If I see something that speaks to me, I buy it and worry about how to display it later.

6) What's your favorite color and why?

My favorite color is red. It is a bright and happy color to me. I want something red that I can see in every room. Red makes me smile!!

 

 

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

When my feet touch the floor in the morning, I am happy and thankful God has given me another day. I try to start each day as a new beginning with a smile on my face. A favorite day is one that I have spent with my girls and/or friends shopping and junking. I love collecting redware, old boxes, whisk brooms and country/prim coffee mugs. The latter being so hard for me to find.

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

I spend so much time during the week with my girls while Mr. P is working. So, when he is off, I love doing things with him. A day trip out of town junking and ending the day with a quiet supper is so much fun. A night at home snuggling in front of the fireplace and just sharing the day’s events is comforting. He also has a woodshop here at home. Love it when he makes me something and brings it in for me to use in my décor. I love making bowl fillers, stitcheries, and am learning punch needle. Here are Darbee Rae and Papa working on a project together.

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

This one might surprise you. Here is a picture of my dream home. It is on the national register of historic homes here in town.
 

 

No, you don’t have to go back and make sure I said I love prims and country. Ha! This is totally Victorian. There is a long story behind my love for this house. It might be a good post on my blog one day. Although it is a private residence, at one time it was a bed and breakfast. Mr. P surprised me and took me there for the night for an anniversary getaway. We had the whole house to ourselves. My dream would be to own it, return it to the bed and breakfast and Holly and I run it. There is a cute cottage behind it that Holly and her family could live in. Sounds perfect don’t ya think?


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

Traveling is definitely an interest of mine. I would love to say I had visited every state in the U.S. I would start on the eastern side and my first choice would be to visit New England in the fall.


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

I love changing and playing house. But…as most, I have to be in the mood. My advice to anyone, make your home comfortable for you and your family. Surround yourselves with things you love. The best compliment I ever received was when a visitor said, “I could stay here forever. It’s like going to my grandmother’s home years ago.”


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

I have a terrible fear of flying. I have never flown in a plane and have no desire to do so.


13) Tell me a little bit about the special bond you share between you and your daughter, Holly. (You can tell us this from any angle…..special memories, etc…. anyway you want to do this, Angela!)

Holly and I have always had a wonderful relationship. I think her being an only child, growing up and surrounded by adults made her more mature for her age. Our relationship was never one we had to work on. As she grew older, our love and companionship grew closer and closer. We were always honest and open with her and let her see the good and bad in all situations. I thank God daily for the relationship I have with her and she shares with me and her daddy.

 

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

God has truly blessed me and my family in more ways than I could express. There have been many rough times during our 39 years of marriage. One time that comes to mind was during the building of our home. Our contractor went bankrupt and left us with nothing. God provided and we struggled, but finished our home with the help of family and friends. I can’t imagine a day in my life without God by my side.


15) Share any words of wisdom and/or a favorite quote you'd like to leave with us.

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” –Abraham Lincoln


I have so enjoyed my visit with you on the sunporch, Tammy.   Thanks again for the invite.

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Words from Tammy:  Thank you so much for joining me today, Angela.  We have so many things in common.  I can tell that we're both very sentimental and have deep love for family.  I'm looking forward to being a grandma one day....love your relationship with Darbee Rae and Holly.  :)  You know I'm with you on the red....in my book, it just can't be beat!  I have red in just about every room also!  You already know it, but you are truly blessed!  :)

 

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Now meet daughter, Holly.......of Holly's Hobbies and Darbee Days.....



 

 

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


I have been blogging for 3 years. I started blogging as more of a journal to document my days at home with Darbee. I wanted a way to remember all of the “little” things we did and all of our fun adventures. I use a site called Blog 2 Print each year and have my blog posts and pictures for the year published into a hard bound book. These are priceless keepsakes to me. They will be something that Darbee Rae will treasure one day.



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

I do not claim to be a crafter. I “piddle.” I like to try and learn how to do new things. Therefore, I have many hobbies. I also write about my days with Darbee who also likes to “make things.” I wanted something catchy and cute. Thus the title… “Holly’s Hobbies and Darbee Days.”

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

My blog is pretty much a hodge podge of everything. I do some posts about my home. Some of my decorating, yummy recipes, and my craft adventures. I also share our adventures and the fun times we share as a family.


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

I am an only child. I have always strived to do good and serve the Lord. I am a quiet person until I get to know you. Then watch out. I will sit and chat for hours! I have always been a people pleaser. I have been married to my hubby, Stacy for 9 years. He is my perfect match. Here is one of hubby hard at work. Notice his little helper in the background. Ha! Our family is small, but we are all close and I cherish that.

 

 

5) How would you describe your decorating style?

My decorating style is whatever I like and whatever makes me happy. I have some prim items in my home and some things that I just like. I don’t have one style throughout my entire home.


6) What's your favorite color and why?

I guess it would be black. LOL. Nothing gothic or anything. I just like it. When you wear it, it goes with anything and makes you looks slimmer right?  My car is black. Black is a good prim color also! I am trying to convince myself to paint my kitchen cabinets black! Hehe. See this hall tree? It has been passed down through our family and I am so proud to have it.

 

 

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

I don’t really collect anything. If I did, it would be old jars. I like old mason jars and neat old bottles. I have a purse/bag fetish and could probably open my own department store with all of my bags.  I like cute ink pens and funky socks too! This is just a sampling of purses and bags. Trust me….there is LOTS more!

 

 

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

In my spare time, I mainly like to shop! LOL. I am a Pinterest and Facebook addict. I enjoy making stitcheries and have been trying to learn to sew a bit. I am by no means an expert. One of my favorite hobbies is photography. I would dream of one day owning my own photography business. I keep a camera with me wherever I go. Here is a picture of a sunset I took near our home.

 

 

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

Oh wow. Let me see. My dream house would be a big white two story house with a wrap around front porch. It would have a full finished basement and my mom and dad would live with us. It would sit on many acres of land and have a huge workshop out back for my dad. I would have a dream craft room too! It would look something like this…

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

This is hard. I have never been on a plane and have no intentions to, so I don’t know… I would love to visit heaven. I would love to have just a glimpse. Just a peek to be able to answer all of Darbee’s questions about the afterlife. Let me explain…by visiting, I mean like we would go and visit with a friend. The purpose being to answer all of Darbee’s questions. When God sees fit, my goal is not to visit but to live there eternally.


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

Make it yours. Do what you like with what you have. Don’t worry about having a perfectly clean house all the time. Enjoy it. Live in it. Be proud of it. Here is a pic. of our home.

 

 

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

My hubby is 20 years older than I am. It’s a funny story how we met. I worked at Chick-fil-A. He came in alone all the time and I felt sorry for him. After getting to know him, I had a bright idea to set him up with a lady from my church. Well…without going into all the details, it backfired and turned out he liked me instead. We dated for 2 years and were married in December of 2003. He had never been married and is a perfect match for me. God knew what he was doing when he put us together.

 

 

13) Tell me a little bit about the special bond you share between you and your mother, Angela. (You can tell us this from any angle…..special memories, etc…. anyway you want to do this, Holly.)

My parents and I are extremely close. BUT..besides my hubby, my mom is my best friend. People often laugh at me for the relationship I share with my mom. I am so thankful and proud of it. I can only hope one day Darbee Rae and I are as close as she and I are. She is my shopping partner, crafting buddy, listening ear, advice giver, shoulder to cry on, and so much more. I love her to death.


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

This is a hard one because God has blessed me and my family beyond measure. I could write forever. One way is with Darbee Rae. Hubby and I had tried for two years to get pregnant. I had just about given up. I had been to fertility doctors and nothing had worked. Finally, I gave up on all the medicines and put it in God’s hands. I knew if he wanted me to have a child, he would give one to me. During that time, my grandmother’s condition got worse and she was no longer able to stay alone. She was put in a nursing home. This was a very difficult time for our family, especially my mom. Right after all of this, Darbee Rae was born. Boy does God like to teach us lessons? I learned that things will happen in HIS time, not mine.

 

 

Here is a picture of Darbee Rae with “Nanny.” Darbee met her when she was 3 days old and didn’t miss many weeks in her life visiting her each week at the nursing home. Nanny was blind and was never able to see Darbee. One of her favorite things was for Darbee to sing Jesus Loves Me to her. Darbee Rae sang it one last time for her at her funeral. How special.

15) Share any words of wisdom and/or a favorite quote you'd like to leave with us.

 

 

Words from Tammy:  We also have several things in common.  I loved reading how you and your hubby ended up married.....that's so sweet and I just love your deep love of family!  Darbee Rae is a little sweetheart and love her RED hair!  You are truly blessed.  Thank you for joining me.  I sure did enjoy your visit, Holly!

 

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Thank you, to faithful blogging friends and new ones alike!  I'm so glad you joined us on the sunporch today!  Of course, I love reading your comments here too, but be sure and stop by for a visit with Angela on her blog here, and with Holly on her blog here.  They would love to "meet" you and have you follow along too!  And have a great day!  :)

 

♥ Tammy ♥