Good morning friends!  Welcome to my sunporch!  I'm so glad you stopped by.  I have a sweet guest here today.  Mildred (of Maple Lane) is a very sweet lady whom I've enjoyed getting to know this past year. 
 

 
 
Mildred loves lemon chess pie (which is also my brother's favorite) and coffee so that's what I'm serving today. 
 
So grab yourself a hot cup of coffee and a piece of lemon pie, and enjoy your visit!
 
Meet Mildred.....
 
 
 
1) How long have you been blogging and what/who gave you the desire to blog?
 
 I began blogging in 2008. At the time, I was caretaker to my mother who had been diagnosed with dementia. I discovered that blogging allowed me to make friends and visit interesting places without leaving home. God has truly blessed me with prayerful, loving and supportive blog friends from all over the country.
 
One of the very first blogs I read was 'Spot On Cedar Pond' by KathyB. Kathy was very supportive/encouraging of my desire to start a blog and she and her family hold a very special place in my heart. Kathy lives in Washington and spins the wool from her very own sheep.

 
2) How did you choose the name of your blog and why?
 
I came up with the blog name, Maple Lane, because Autumn is my favorite season and maples are so colorful in the fall of the year.

 

3) What variety of topics do you post on your blog (examples - home decorating, family, gardening, recipes, adoption, homeschooling, crafting, etc....)
 
Most often, I blog about family members; beloved pets; Georgia places of interest or restaurants we visit; gardening; and favorite old hymn lyrics.

 

4) Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
 
My husband, John, and I have been married for twenty years. I am 55 and John is 60. 
 
 
 
We are blessed with several nieces and nephews and 4 great nieces!
 
John with great niece, Ellie.
 
 
During my college years, I was a church pianist and taught children's Sunday School. I also worked as an Administrative Assistant before staying home to be a full-time caretaker to my parents and husband.

 

5) How would you describe your decorating style?
 
I love many styles of decorating and enjoy when blog friends share their home interior photos. I would describe my decorating style as traditional. I am blessed to enjoy many vintage keepsakes from family members and I try to showcase them in our home.
 
 
This maple china cabinet belong to my mother and displays her china, Wembley Harmony House.  Both the cabinet and the china are from 1947.
 
Inside our last home, Nalley Valley
 

 

6) What's your favorite color and why?
 
My favorite color is purple. I especially love brilliant hues of purple in the garden: azaleas, lilacs, roses, irises and glads. I spent many happy hours with my grandmother in her garden when I was a child. I developed a love of flowers from her. 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 

7) Tell us a few of your favorite things (collections, things that make you happy, etc.).
 
I collect vintage china and Italian porcelain. I have tea sets, coffee sets, lemonade sets and chocolate sets! John and I also have collected cookbooks from places we've visited over the years.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

8) What do you like to do in your spare time (hobbies, crafts, etc..)?
 
When I was younger, I enjoyed baking; counted cross stitch; hiking in the north Georgia mountains; and gardening. These days, I enjoy reading; blogging; browsing antique and thrift stores; watching home and garden television; and playing with our pets. John was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago, so I am learning to plan healthier menus. I receive helpful advice via email from the American Diabetes Association.

 

9) What does your dream house look like? (Describe and/or include photo)
 
I especially enjoyed the serenity of our last home, Nalley Valley. We were surrounded by woods and the screened-in porch overlooked the creek below. We had a wide variety of plants and wildlife to enjoy year round.
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

10) If you could visit anywhere, anytime, where would it be and why?
 
I do not like to travel. I've always had a tendency to get motion sickness. If I could blink my eyes and land any where, it would be New England in Autumn.

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

 
My helpful tip is for organization and maintenance of daily medication. As we have grown older, the number of prescription medicines we take has increased. We were constantly dropping or turning pill bottles over when filling our weekly reminder boxes. I bought a plastic storage drawer to store pill bottles in and we fill up the weekly reminder box inside the drawer. The drawer "catches" any pills that we drop and we don't have to crawl around on the floor looking for pills that could potentially harm our pets.
 

12) Tell us something about yourself that we might not already know from reading your blog. (something unusual, etc..)
 
I am afraid of water and never learned to swim.


13) Mildred, I know you’ve told us that you downsized from a larger home.  Would you share with us any words of wisdom/tips/advice/suggestions/thoughts on downsizing and how to make the  transition smoothly?  I think this is something that a lot of folks are looking at these days.  (Feel free to share this in anyway from any angle you’d like….include pics if you want). 
 
Our last home had lots of steps that were difficult for both of us. We made the decision to search for a smaller home all on one level. John and I gifted some sentimental treasures to friends that we knew would cherish them. We had a couple of yard sales and we also donated a lot of household items to our local Humane Society Thrift Store. The proceeds from the thrift store help buy food/medicine for homeless pets.
 
14) Would you share with us your furry family members? I know how dear they are to you as they make frequent appearances on your blog.  :)
 
 
We have 5 cats (Kaboodle, Ditto, Magic, Trixie and Blue) and a wire-haired mini dachshund, Harriet. Four of the cats are rescues. Physical limitations keep us home much of the time and our pets provide us with entertainment and laughter.
 
 
 
 

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

 
One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 4:6:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

God has blessed us in so many ways.  We are so thankful that the Lord led us to a compassionate and skilled surgeon to operate on John last summer.  We are thankful for the earnest prayers of our blog friends and appreciate the opportunity to pray for each of you and your family's needs.

We thank God for the new home He has led us to near the north Georgia mountains.  We are thankful that our present home is a perfect fit for the family moving in and their special needs child.  Thank you, Lord, for answered prayers. 

16) Share any words of wisdom and/or a favorite quote you'd like to leave with us.
 
I love this quote by Helen Keller:
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart."
 
 
Words from Mildred:  Tammy, it has been a pleasure getting to know you and your precious family through blogging. May God richly bless you all.
 
 
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


 Words from Tammy:  Thank you so much Mildred for joining me today!  One of the things that I've always loved about my visits to your blog is your sweet close relationship with your hubby.  I love all the outings you two share and make a date of.  :)  We also share the common bond of being church pianists.  I was for years also!  Thanks for sharing your life and home with us!  And may God richly bless you two as well!  :)
 
Thank you to all who joined us today on the sunporch!  Of course, I love your comments here, but be sure and stop by Mildred at Maple Lane for a visit too.

Ya'll come back anytime!   And God bless you all richly too!  :)
 
♥ Tammy ♥