Curley's Celebrating Kid's Graduation --Part Three

Kristin

Kristin #2

Trevor and Gabby

Curley's Celebrating Kid's Graduation --Part Two

Olivia took the camera and therefore there's photos of the photographer--me! She actually took several of these...of me getting down to the great old rock and roll Don had blaring for us yesterday. I love old rock and roll and will just boogie down shamelessly! And with no alcohol either! Let's all try to dance like no one is watching!! It's so liberating!

Just enjoying these special kids.... how I love them! How they give me hope....

MICHELLE!!! This one is for you! A very honest picture of Kim with all her wrinkles and flaws for the cyber world to see! Clearly demostrates how much fun I had with these kids yesterday. Ah--the good times!!

I embrace my age. I'll be 50 this coming Friday. So very much in my head and heart about aging. I'm planning a cathartic post hopefully later this morning that reveals a journey from painfully lived teenage angst to middle-aged contentment. I love what I am today and have recently just so happened to have the need to dig out my journals from my teen years and haven't read them in probably 20 years. Wow. The Journey. The Growth. More to come on this--hopefully there will be time in next day or so.....

Curley's Celebrating Kid's Graduation --Part One

Pam Curley, Aly's mom holding one of their pets. We gathered at the Curley's yesterday, Mother's Day (May 11, 2008) to honor Aly Curley and friends graduation from their first four years of formal education. Olivia is not among them as she has another semester to go and will finish in December. Olivia and most of her pals all plan to go on for further education, Olivia hopefully going to Boulder, Colorado (can't recall the name of this school right now) to get her master's in Art Therapy and Aly is going to Western Carolina for a master's in social work, Kristin is going to Pennsylvania for...hmmm....something to do with being a RA or something....she'll have to fill me in better. Trevor is moving to NYC in September for theatre and I think he's planning on some more education as well as working full time in theatre. These are very smart, very grounded, purpose-driven kids! I salute them!

We had a great time yesterday in spite of the dreary weather. Grilled fabulous hamburgers and took a spin around the lake on the Curley's pontoon boat. We sat around and listened to the kids stories and their teasing each other. It was just great fun!

Don Curley, Aly's dad.

My Livvie....

Pretty little thing on the left is also named Kristin. I told her she reminds me of Izzie on Gray's Anatomy. Just classic beauty! And that's Kristin in the middle and Trevor on the right. And of course that's our Gabby watching the water go by....

A very cute Kristin. I did not know until yesterday that she was a sex educator! (Livvie tells me that Kristin has taken three levels of sex ed classes for her involvement in RA at UNC-A) I thought her major was journalism! Shows how much I listen! I just loved hearing the kids talk yesterday about sexuality. They are so open and accepting. Just amazing how frank and honest they are...no hangups there. None of that Victorian/religious crap to contend with. Ah! How far ahead they are of me and my peers at the same age! It's such a good thing....

Photo of the Day--An Oldie

Wow!!! This was taken so long ago! It was 1979 and we were gathered at Jim's when he was living in Wilkesboro, when he was living on James Street--down from Wilkes Farm and Garden, in the cutest little cabin.

To identify.... that's Dawn (Gardner, my aunt, my mother's sister) holding Adam (Kerley--my nephew, Suzy's son), then from the left, that's Mel, my sister with her Basset, Mitzi, then Jody Gardner (Dawn's son), then me, Kris Gardner (Dawn's), Suzy, my sister, Mindy (Jim's daughter), Alan, Suzy's son. Then the back row from the left: Richard (Dick) Fluke, my grandmother Mindy Lovette, Peg Fluke (these are Jim's in-laws), then their daughter Nancy, then Rod Kerley (Suzy's husband) and last is Becky, then Jim's wife. And off the the right are my parents Smith and Gladys.

No one's aged a bit...we all are just as young as we feel!! And I feel fabulous!!

Rambling and Ruminating...My Parents....

One of my favorite photos of my mother--Gladys Irene Lovette Hudson. Wasn't she pretty? Mama was born the first of six children February 8, 1929 to Austin Henry and Minda Eulala Higgins Lovette. She had four sisters and one brother. She married at 18 to James Earl Trivette and had my (half) brother Jim and sister Suzy. They divorced, gosh--guess about 1954?? Then she married my father in 1957 and I was born in 1958 and Mel in 1960.

Mama left us in 1990--been so long ago now but I still miss her so much. I don't think a day goes by even today that I don't think of her. She, as I guess all mothers do, had a profound effect on my life. How I wanted to please her!

This photo was taken by my brother Jim at a cookout at my aunt and uncle's Alton and Madge Absher (Mama's sister) about 1974. Best I can calculate, she'd be about 45 years old in this photo. It's a rare good picture of her--few were taken back then and if it weren't for Jim taking a photography class and acquiring a camera in college we wouldn't have any, period! This is also rare because she looks so good--happy--like life was good and she was content--also rare. I have a copy of this photo at my desk and I like to think Mama's here with me seeing and loving me and my children. She never even met Grant but she sure loved Olivia. And fortunately Livvie was five when Mama died so she does have memories of her--Mama keeping her while I worked and giving her a piece or two of her costume jewelry which tickled little Livvie.

How do I miss her? Let me count the ways....anytime I'm gardening how I'd love to be able to ask her what I should plant where--she had so much knowledge here. She loved wild flowers and worked very hard in her wild flower garden and she and Daddy spent many a happy weekend scouring the mountain sides hunting for those elusive blooms. And cooking--man, could she ever cook those simple southern, country meals! Sewing, knitting and any type needle work--Mama was a paragon of talent in this area. She won many ribbons for her work. Science--especially astronomy--this fascinated her and she studied it and watched every special on TV. She was an avid reader and could easily read three or more books a week. She was an exceptional, what was called back then, secretary. She typed at least 80 wpm and was a whiz at dictation. Grammar, punctuation, spelling--expert. I ALWAYS had her edit every paper I ever did.

In so many ways and every day, I miss my mother.

Another memory from Mama's last years--Olivia sticking her gum up her nose!!--seems like Mama had given her gum and Olivia didn't want me to know (?) and to hide it she put it up her nose? Days go by and while I'd noticed her nose was stopped up and just assumed it was a cold--just happened to see something in her nose while she was lying down and thought it looked odd and asked the stinker about it and she confessed her mischievousness! Did Dr. Gulden ever have a time grabbing hold of it!!

A fairly good pic of my father, Smith Richardson Hudson, taken about 1974 or so. He was the baby of eight children and was born February 12, 1933. So he'd be about 40 here. Daddy died so young--he was 54. It's taken me most of the last twenty years to come to a place of forgiveness for him (and him for me, posthumously, of course) and LOTS of introspection, examination, and analysis. Daddy had the disease of alcoholism and it affected every aspect of his life. It was an evolution, a coming together of several different forces at work in me--Al-Anon, family of origin work, a spiritual journey, journaling, maturing, finding compassion, understanding the disease concept of addictions, etc. for me to be able to say: my father was a good man with a bad disease. He never set out to be a bad father nor to hurt us in any way. Instead, he was gripped by his disease and it dominated every thing in his life.

Many years ago, at least ten, something unknown to me now, motivated me to do some work on forgiving my father and I composed a list of his qualities/attributes/assets. It was cathartic and a huge first step in the process that ultimately got me where I can think of him with fondness and not bitterness. He was kind and (overly) generous. He was a great story-teller and joke teller. He loved nature of all kinds but was also an avid hunter and fisherman. Loved sunsets. He was a gifted artist like his mother and late in his life did some good water colors. He was also a gifted dentist--there are still many a folk in Wilkes walking around with crown and bridge work my daddy did in the sixties! He had a very tender heart--I remember many times watching shows like The Waltons and Little House on the Prairie--gosh, even Bonanza and he and I both would be crying! He had SO much potential. Imagine taking four children--two of which were babies, packing up and moving to Chapel Hill and going for four years to dental school--what an accomplishment! And they had NO money, living like paupers but ironically Mama always said the Chapel Hill years were her happiest years. So he had drive, ambition, courage, tenacity and obviously smarts about him. Potential crushed by his disease. Daddy, blessedly, had three years of sobriety and my memories from those precious years, I cling to. It's the five years after that lead up to his death that haunt me. And the reason I had to do a lot of hard work spiritually to feel he'd forgiven me for treating him so miserably. I was so angry at him! I was sick--as sick as him and had no professional support at the time--just doing the only thing I knew to do--try to manipulate him into quitting drinking. I've forgiven myself and know he forgives me too. A good man. A good man with a bad disease. Simple.

The Vintage Home Part Ten

Michelle at work!

What a journey we've had together! What we have learned from each other! It's been a spiritual journey together in which we've both been given a blessed opportunity to have that very special friendship with another woman. I've always wanted a best friend like Michelle! We challenge and push each other to strip off the next layer of our emotional, psychological coverings and with each diminishing layer we just love each other more and the trust builds beyond what I would have ever imagined! It's intimacy! I've known it with my husband and my sister Mel and now with Michelle. We both share journeys in very spiritual (but not religious) 12-step programs and we both know how much these programs have contributed to our abilities and mental health! Doing the store together was challenging for us both--fun, rewarding but nevertheless challenging. Michelle's so much better suited to it than I am--just the facts, ma'am! And that's a fact! I'm an introvert and while it did invigorate me initially, I did find that eventually it just exhausted me. Jug and I intended to step up and get her started but we all thought that I would be able to remain a partner longer than five months! But we navigated through this additionally challenging time too! We arrived on the other side of the partnership only loving each other more! Isn't that just amazing? So The Vintage Home is all Michelle's on paper but we both feel I still belong there! She runs much by me just to get my opinion and then she does what she damn well pleases! Just kidding, I'm just a sounding board. I love watching her and watching the store flourish. She's an astounding talent--truly she is, I know I've said that so many times but it's so true. She just has an eye and a style. And I don't challenge or question it anymore! I love you Michelle!!! Give you five to one odds that Michelle's crying right now!! She's such a softie!! And considering how much we laugh, a little crying now and then is okay!

Let me end this little saga saying that I know The Vintage Home is a fabulous store. Women love it! Michelle has congregated quite a following of very loyal customers that just love her. And more are added every week. The store is a success. That said, realistically, we live in Wilkes County. (Wilkes-By-God-County, thank you very much!!--this is a local saying Michelle and I have pondered over and wondered where it came from!) And Wilkes County, well, there just isn't the population necessary that's sees the vision; that "gets it" as Michelle says. If this store and Michelle were in, say, Blowing Rock or Asheville, well, she'd have ten employees by now! You know, especially considering the economic climate we're enduring, the store does extremely well. She's tough and she's tenacious and she has a ton of energy and I believe she'll stick it out and endure through the challenging beginnings. And it's beautiful to watch!

The Vintage Home Part Nine

Not much to add to these photos...just more good pics depicting the loveliness of the store....

The Vintage Home Part Eight

Vintage alarm clocks. Such a statement when grouped together like this. Love that lamp too!

An absolutely fabulously inspired pillow! Love it! Made by Michelle, of course!

Kim's favorite pillow! Kinda hope it doesn't sell...then I can buy it! That brings up an interesting point about retail. You hesitate buying for yourself the fabulous stuff because you don't want to take anything from the store that adds so much to it! Hmmm....I got a birthday coming up, Michelle...hint, hint!!

Michelle actually did not make this cute little dolls...they're handmade but I can't remember who she said made them. Just precious!

The Vintage Home Part Seven

Another vintage-y item Michelle makes: towels--with scanned vintage image (she scans it on the computer, prints it out on cloth especially made for printers) sewn on and then often adds a vintage button. Wahlah! Very popular too.

There's another post with a close up of that fabulous yellow pillow--my all time favorite Michelle's made. The framed piece beside it is new, just arrived this week as are the bird houses.

The Vintage Home Part Six

These are old vintage medicine bottles that we embellished with pretties--old lace, old buttons, etc. The woman's face and the frame are actually polymer clay pieces I made. They sell well too. Michelle, and occassionally me too, often make things for the store. She makes a LOT of pillows and we've lately been making aprons made using vintage tablecloths--hmmmm....think I forgot to take any photos of them! They've sold very well and Michelle and I planning an apron making day for this week.

A "paper wall". Michelle got this idea from one of her online retail mentors: Curious Sofa (I think). Don't recall the gal's name but Michelle devotedly checks her blog everyday and is so inspired by her. The paper walls Michelle has made have ranged from scanned botanicals to music sheets to vintage post cards. They are just fabulous and a great way to display vintage art and create a seperation in a room. Note more of Michelle's pillows.

The Vintage Home Part Five

All taken May 6th 2008--make note of all the pillows--Michelle makes these. She learned to sew as a child, her paternal aunts taught her. With her great sense of style and sewing talent--wonderful things happen!

Cottage style bed set with original finish. A great find.

The Vintage Home Part Four

Posts "Part Three" and higher are all of the store now--just took these photos yesterday, May 7th. The above is of the "Jelly Cat" line. Very cute, soft and snuggly stuffed animals for young and old alike!

I just love how the store dipicts old with new. These are more Jelly Cats and the figures in the old vintage basket are "Ugly Dolls". They're very squishable and kids love them.

Just beautiful! What great Mother's Day gifts! This is a Gianna Rose line. It's done very well in the store.

The Vintage Home Part Three

On the street front--Main Street, Wilkesboro the opening day.

Two excited and proud partners!

The Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting.

Michelle and Joan McCord around the time of the opening...are they pretty (and single, available), prime of life women!?!