Congratulations Graduate!

Last week my oldest Dear Step-Daughter graduated from Temple. We were so proud of her. She's going to be a nurse, hopefully helping to deliver babies! How exciting.

Here she's anxiously awaiting to receive her degree. The long hours of studying, attending class, and working her internships were now over. She's thrilled!

A proud, happy moment. Her whole life is standing before her. A special time I hope she cherishes.

Congratulations! You've earned it!

Pink Saturday - Still Celebrating

Welcome to my Pink Saturday post. Today I'm taking a look back at very rosy day.

Since this year is our 5th wedding anniversary...I'm going to keep celebrating it throughout the weekend!

Here are some pink things I had at my wedding five years ago. Who knew I'd be showing them off on my blog for Pink Saturday?

Who knew I'd have a blog?????

Here is a close up of my bouquet.
The gal who did my flowers (Queen Bee Floral Design) knew exactly what I wanted. Pink roses mixed with other pastels and a big pink satin bow.

And here is an extreme close up!

My Dear Step-Daughter wore a pink dress. Here I am helping to tie her bow.

She looked adorable!

She and a friend handed out the programs and wedding bubbles.

The centerpieces were gorgeous and were a mix of pink and ivory roses. It looked springy and elegant. Every other tablecloth was pink, too!

My bridesmaids carried all pink rose bouquets.

That's my cutie pie nephew giving me a hug before we walked into the reception.

He's not pink, but I thought it was too sweet!

Hope you enjoyed my wedding walk down memory lane checking out all of my pinks!

Check out more pink things over at Beverly's blog...How Sweet the Sound.

It was Africa Hot

Five years ago today, I married my best friend. Here I am on the day of my wedding.

I didn't realize I had white knuckles until I saw the photos later.

The photographer was very observant!

And when you take the plunge toward marital bliss you are concerned about a few things.

We had a lovely wedding. It started out a gorgeous, sunny day. We had everything in place. Vintage cars lined up to take us from the church to the outdoor reception. We had a tent, a caterer, a cake, and a DJ.

What we didn't have was a breeze. You see, what I was mostly worried about when planning our outdoor wedding reception was ....would it be a chilly day or would it do the unthinkable....rain?

What I didn't factor in was extremely hot weather!

Like Africa hot.

I for one, actually like hot weather. But some people aren't able to deal with it too well.

Dear Hubs was at one point in his Tux setting up a fan to help beat the heat inside the tent. Who would have thunk it in the middle of May in Pennsylvania? Not me.

It was still a fabulous day and no matter what else went wrong (and things did go wrong) I didn't let it bother me. The day was going to be wonderful no matter what.

And you know what. It was. And it's five years later ....

I'm still glad I married my Dear Dear Hubs.

Happy Anniversary, honey!

Busy as a B

Hello! This post is going to be brief...there is a lot going on at the Jillian's Pages household. We have my oldest Step Daughter's college graduation coming up. She's going to be a nurse! Congratulations to her and for all of her hard work. Here she is with Dear Bebe a few months ago:

Then we have our anniversary this Friday. FIVE YEARS! Whoo hoo! We still have to decide where we're going to celebrate...but I'll try to bring you all the details. Well, not all of the details. Ha!

In the meantime, I am working on a "memory" video for my Dear Step-Daughter. So we'll be back soon!

Pink Saturday ~ Rock Springs Park Souvenir Creamer

While I normally like to show very pink items for Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound, this sweetie has just a hint of magenta pink roses on it...and it is adorable.


Last summer Dear Hubs came home from his travels with this sweet little pitcher/creamer.

Thank you, this has SOLD!

It surely looked old but at first glance, I didn't know exactly how old. On the bottom is a little piece of tape with this written on it:

"G. Grandma Byerly 1900"

Well that's pretty darn old in my book.

It also has "Rock Springs Park" printed on the side as though it were a souvenir.

Being the curious type....I did some research. I believe I have found where it came from.

Here is some history:

Rock Springs Park was an amusement park located in Chester, West Virginia, located just across the Ohio River from East Liverpool. (The town where many Ohio Pottery companies were located.) It operated from the late 1800s until the late 1970s when it was closed by a federal highway condemnation.





THE MERRY-GO-ROUND AND ROCK SPRINGS PARK

The Merry-Go-Round and the Cyclone were the two most popular rides at old historic Rock Springs Park which had its beginning as an amusement park in 1898 under the late Jim McDonald. Prior to that, the park had two different owners and was just used for picnics or family outings. The bridge construction moved the park forward swiftly.In 1900, C.A. Smith purchased the park and added many new rides. Mr. Smith purchased the horses for the Merry-Go-Round from a well-known company in Philadelphia. The carvings of these horses made them very valuable to antique dealers. Many people living here today can remember when as small children they tried to grab the brass ring to get a free ride. In addition to the large number of rides, the park had beautiful grounds, a swimming pool, a lake, a small zoo, and even live shows onthe midway.Rock Springs Park may be gone from the area but the memories of those happy visits to it will never be gone. There were often crowds of over 20,000 people at some of the larger picnics. People would come by excursion boats, trains, or automobiles. On special picnic days or important holidays, the park had giant fireworks displays. The Golden Star picnic was especially popular because ice cream was given away.





Here is a photo I found on a website about Ohio pottery....it is yet another souvenir !





I believe it was made by the same company TS&T that made my favorite dinnerware, LuRay. But I can't make out the marking on the bottom. It could be Homer Laughlin, another Ohio Pottery company. Either way, I discovered Taylor Smith and Taylor did make some of their souvenirs.




And the cool thing about that is.....the park and this company were in THE SAME TOWN!


TAYLOR, SMITH AND TAYLOR COMPANY:

The pottery was formed originally at Taylor, Lee and Smith in 1899. It began operations in 1900. Lee sold his interest to Taylor in 1903 and the Smiths purchased the Taylor interest in 1906. A West Virginia charter was granted to Smith in 1907. At one time,this pottery was the world's largest pottery under one roof. It had been expanded to 17 kilns by 1913 with over 400 employees and a payroll of over $140,000. At its peak, it employed over 800 workers. It soon became one of the leading dinnerware companies in the world. It was famous for many innovations it brought to the industry. The Smiths, both C. A. and W. L., upon retiring, passed the control to their sons who later passed it on to their sons. The Smiths sold the plant to Anchor Hocking Glass Company who operated it a very few years until it was closed and the property sold.

How cool is that? Not only did G. Grandma Byerly get to go the park and enjoy herself that day, she brought home a souvenir for us all to enjoy! (And she was somebody's mother....a Happy Mother's Day to all!)

I would love for it to find the home of a Rock Springs Park collector or someone who collects Ohio Pottery items. SO, the creamer is available for sale on my website,

Bella Rosa Antiques.

The Big 21

Look at that smile. Somebody turned 21 recently....

This is a picture of my Dear Step Daughter. Did we all look this happy when we turned 21? It's been so long now, I forget! I'm sure we did. She's been working very diligently while she's been away at college so she was really enjoying the moment.

Last night Dear Hubs and I took her out to a really neat Spanish restaurant. They serve small portions (called Tapas) and you order as many as you want so everyone gets a chance to sample a little bit of each. I think we ordered too many. We couldn't decide which to order because they all sounded delicious! And they were!

And the dessert in front of her with the sparkler? Fabulous.

So it's going to have to be a low key weekend as far as the meals go. I've been trying to lose the last -- pounds since having Dear Bebe and this didn't help! Summer is just around the corner...and so are bathing suits. Ut oh.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

Yesterday I went to a M.O.P.S. meeting. No, it is not where we learn how to become domestic goddesses and wave our magic brooms. It stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. Twice a month we get a chance to get some "mommy time" and hang out with other Mommies.

Yesterday was the first time I brought Dear Bebe.


As soon as I brought her to the nursery and the ladies started to take her out of the car seat, she started crying. Oh this broke my heart but they insisted they would be fine and that I should go to the meeting.

Well, it didn't last very long. Dear Bebe would not change her mood until I came back.


I'm thinking it's because we have too much fun here at home:


She LOVES this jumpy swing, hung in the living room doorway.

Mommy plays her vintage (1968) Disney's Merriest Songs album. Bebe's favorites are the "Tigger Song" (cause I'm the only one) and The Jungle Book's "I Wanna Walk Like You."

Unfortunately this is not my original record, nor is this photo. But, I found one on ebay that isn't too scratched...the only song we can't play is Alice in Wonderland's "I'm Late."

And when Dear Hubs feeds Dear Bebe it is always fun...I've never heard her laugh so much! And yes, this is a rare glimpse at Dear Hubby...let's see if he'll "allow" this photo to stay on the blog. Afterall, it's just a profile.

And here she is with a friend over...she was so thrilled to have a playmate.

She's getting so big...and I'm having just as much fun as she is!

Dining Al Fresco

I have to admit, this is my favorite time of year. From now until the leaves start to fall is the best! Forget the pumpkins, the turkeys, the snowmen, and pretty snowflakes...there is nothing like green green green and warm weather to lift my spirits.

And last night we had two other couples over for dinner. I've been waiting a long time to eat out on the deck. Or should I say "Al fresco." Sounds more exotic! Ooh la la.

We did have my family out there last weekend when my Dad was here from Maine, but the leaves weren't out yet (yes, this lush green background happened in less than a week!) so it didn't quite have that summer feeling .

Although I didn't want to admit this to Dear Hubs, I think the new outdoor table really helped. I was totally against getting a new one since we just bought one two years ago. Well, after trying to squish guests around it (it only fit four) we were much happier setting a table for six last night! I'm sure they were much happier, too.

Then out came the barbecue goodies. I like to use our plastic Coca Cola plates instead of paper. We get a lot of fun comments about them and they fit in with Dear Hubby's love for vintage things.

I'm looking forward to more wonderful days and nights outside. When the sun goes down we turn on the teeny tiny white lights wrapped around the deck railing which makes it really cozy.

This works out in more ways than one for us right now. We can save money on gas, restaurant, and babysitting bills!

Getting Blown Around or Sailing Straight?

This devotional was written by Robin Dugall ....but I liked it so much I wanted to post it for Spiritual Sunday:

Years ago, I took a sailing class at a local center for “Oceanic Arts” (fancy name for a Sailing Center). The class was designed to get us sailing like the pros within a few months. Going into the class, I am now sad to admit, I had a pretty arrogant attitude. Having been a person with a lifelong love for the ocean, I thought I would have this sailing “thing” down quickly.

The second class, I got in my trusty 14 foot Lido boat, hoisted my sail like the best of sailors, lowered the rudder into the water and eagerly pushed off from the dock. Within moments, though, I started to panic. For some reason, the wind was blowing my boat sideways across the water, very quickly pushing me right into a significantly larger craft. I quickly checked all the necessities and still was confused, beginning to panic at the thought of having to face a huge lawsuit for putting a “ding” in a very expensive yacht. Then, I heard it; it came from the bullhorn of our instructor, “put your centerboard down.” Well, everyone in the class looked at me as if I was some sort of idiot. You see, you cannot sail a boat that has NO centerboard. It is what gives you the opportunity to maneuver. Without it, you are at the mercy of the winds and your own incompetence.

In life, it doesn’t take long to realize that we all need a centerboard when it comes to navigating the ever-challenging and difficult winds of our lives. There are winds blowing in all sorts of directions, trying to take us here and there in our culture. We constantly hear messages to “buy that, do this, take advantage of people, live for yourself, and indulge your every appetite…” Frankly, the list of messages we see and hear every day is too long to even summarize. Without a centerboard, without a set of values that guide our lives, we are certainly lost. God’s Word provides us with the values that can give us the stability and sense of confidence to navigate the most challenging of life’s seas. God’s Word is readily available to speak to wandering and confused souls who desperately long to live by their God-given design.

Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra

When I am sitting with Dear Bebe in her nursery rocking chair...there's one lullabye that gets me teary eyed everytime. It's an old Irish song written in 1914. I don't know what it is about this tune...maybe it's my distant Irish heritage awakening or maybe it's just the sweet sounds of the gaelic tune. Either way, it's beautiful. I looked up the words and I wanted to share them with you today.

Over In Killarney,

Many years a go,

Me Mither sang a song to me

In tones so sweet and low,

Just a simple little ditty,

In her good ould Irish way,

And I'd give the world if she could sing

That song to me this day.

[Chorus]

Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral,

Hush now don't you cry!

Too-ra-ra-loo-ral, Too-ra-loo-ra-li, Too-ra-loo-ra-ra-loo-ral,

That's an I-rish lul-la-by

[Verse 2]

Oft, in dreams I wander

To that cot a gain,

I feel her arms a-hugging me

As when she held me then.

And I hear her voice a hum-min'

To me as in days of yore,

When she used to rock me fast a-sleep

Outside the cabin door.

That's when I realized it's about a memory of a Mother's love...longing to feel it again. The safe secure feeling you can only get from your parents. Especially your mum.

And what I've learned from being a mom, is that when you give your love away, it comes right back. Truly a blessing I would have never known without my Dear Bebe.