Flashback Friday - A Baby

This week, for Flashback Friday, I decided to share a very special event...A Baby Boy Was Born.  On April 6, 1970, at 11:41 am this precious child entered our lives.  We Named Our Son, Stephen Craig.  The Oval Picture was his 1st Birthday and it was done by a professional.  I took the other pictures...and see how cutely he smiled for me?  He was such a good Baby.  No fussing, slept well, potty trained by 14 months of age and he was always smiling!  This is his Photo Album.  He was a good boy...did well in school, is very personable, quite the talker, creative, works hard and has inherited
his good looks and personality from me, of course.  *tongue in cheek*  He's turned into a fantastic man, who cares about people.  He planned his wedding to Lindsay!  And it was absolutely beautiful. 

This is his Family

Stephen is in front on the right...

Younger Brother Jeffrey on the left...

Dad in back on the right...

and

Mommy on the left.

By now, you've probably guessed,

This is my Son, Stephen.

He has made me so proud to be his Mom.

I love you, Son.

Stephen on the Front Porch Steps at His Great-Grandmas House

with His Younger Brother, Jeffrey {14 months younger}

Stephen's growing up here, as you can tell,

Scouts, Webelos, with His Grandmother, Young Boy

and Young Man.

How time flies.

One year, he gave me this hand-written Mother's Day Card.

It meant more to me than just about anything 

else he could have ever given to me.  

I kept it all these years.

Stephen, the Cub Scout

Here, Stephen is standing shoulder deep in a snow drift in our driveway!

We had only shoveled a path up the driveway after a huge snowstorm.

Good looking young man, wouldn't you say?

All dressed up...

Here he is on his Wedding Day, on June 24, 2010, when he Married Lindsey.

You may remember the Post I wrote about their Wedding Day.

The Happy Couple

You may also recall another Story by Stephen...

About his wife, their 2 dogs and him going Christmas Tree Shopping.

You have to read the post... 

A New Family Christmas Story

I certainly don't feel old enough to have a son who is going to be 44 on Sunday!  Stephen and I are alot alike.  We're determined, thoughtful, outspoken, driven, hardworking and he's a terrific son.

Stephen, 

...Sending you love, hugs and kisses

and Lots of Happy Birthday Wishes...Have a wonderful Day!

Love,

Mom, Tom & the Pups

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My Childhood Home - West Allis, Wisconsin

This house tour is slightly different than most of my Tours.  First, it's a much lower priced home...it has a mattress on the porch, standing against a window...and it's in an older suburb of Milwaukee, called West Allis.  It's only 2 blocks away from the Catholic School I attended from 1st through 6th
Grade.  It's the house my Grandmother owned until she went in a Nursing Home and eventually passed away.  My mom, dad, sister and I lived on the first floor, while my Grandmother lived upstairs.

 The first floor had 2 bedrooms, large living room (which was actually the living room and dining room combined), kitchen and the only bathroom.  Off the kitchen was a screen porch, which had storage benches all around it, that my dad built.  Upstairs consisted of 2 rooms.  The room at the front, where the 2 windows are, was the bigger of them.  It was the living room and sleeping room.  The other, which was at the top of the stairs, my grandmother used as her mini-kitchen, with a hot plate and food storage for packaged goods.  There were closets and attic space storage too.

The picture above shows the door from the kitchen, which now exits directly outside, to a deck...and alot of garbage.  This is now a foreclosure property.  On both sides of our home when I lived there were old people.  One was an older couple and the lady had a huge garden, occupying the entire back yard - all flowers.  The other were 2 single older brothers...quiet and very nice. 

Here's the living room, with a wacky - looks like metal - front door...dirty carpet and some type of painting technique on the walls.  To the left in the top photo, the door was my parent's bedroom.  In the bottom photo, the doorway there on the right, was my sister's and my bedroom.  Straight ahead through the door, on the left, is the bathroom, to the right is the kitchen, basement doorway and back door.  Straight ahead, you see the stairs to my Grandma's rooms. 

This kitchen doesn't look any better than it did before it obviously was remodeled.  It used to have aqua metal cabinets and stove.  It also had 4x8' sheets of vinyl looking tile to the middle of the window on the walls.  If I remember correctly, it was black and white.  Across from the sink is where the door to outside is and next to that door on the window side, was where the refrigerator stood and on the other side, is the basement door.     

The bathroom had the vinyl sheets on the walls and the same floor that's there now.  Different tub, obviously and had no shower.

There was a wall-hung sink, so that's been updated.

The one-car garage, held my dad's precious and current car.  An Oldsmobile, a Mercury, a Ford and then when I was in high school, his Model A Ford, which he was about to restore, sat there, until he was ready to bring it to our new home, which we moved into in 1965.

Where you can see all the weeds in the snow, was where my mom planted a vegetable garden and rhubarb.

Here's a map of the location of the house.

Vinyl sided Bungalow with side drive to a garage. There is a deck in front and in back.

There is an updated bath with a whirlpool tub.  

1347 South 90th Street

West Allis, Wisconsin 53214

MLS #1350440

3 Bedrooms
1 Full Bath

1,056 square feet

1 Car Garage

$93,500 

General Information
Bedrooms 3
Baths Full: 1
 Est Total Sq Ft 1,056

Room Dimensions
Living Room    10x20   Main

Kitchen8x10Main 

Master Bedroom11x16Upper 

Bedroom #29x10Main 

Bedroom #38x10Main 

Other Room #18x12Upper

Listing courtesy of: 

Century 21 Affiliated-Wauwatosa 

Celestina Marie Designs

You all know how much I love shopping on-line...it's so easy to do...no need to get "prettied" up...no need to get in the car and travel to a shopping mall...just look at pretty things right in front of you, decide you want it and order it and it gets shipped to you!  So, today on I ♥ Shopping I want to introduce you to a Wonderful Creator of Beautiful Things!  Her name is  Celestina, from Celestina Marie Design.  Celestina has an Etsy Shop we'll visit today.  This is Celestina!  She's pretty inside and out.  I've shopped her Etsy Shop for years now
and have many beautifully painted and designed pieces.  Her painted Roses are just so pretty.  And Celeste has some of the most beautiful pieces she paints.  I have several Vintage Sewing Machine Drawers that she's painted.  Now for a look at a few of the "Pretties" Celestina has available in her Etsy Shop.

These are just a few of the items I've purchased from Celestina over the years!

Welcome Friends to my etsy shoppe sharing decorative design painting, vintage accents and hand created decor. My name is Celestina Marie, friends call me Celeste. My boutique is located here on Etsy and I have been a designer for over 30 years.

Studying business, interior design and staging, display and decorative painting, has placed me on an exciting journey. Redesigning vintage and new treasures, junk hunting trips, interior decorating and all things shabby, rose romantic and farmhouse style is my passion. Studying with decorative artists over the years and designing Christmas ornaments for the White House twice, are among my special memories. I am thankful for my journey, but my greatest thanks is to my God who has blessed me to create in the decorative arts that I love.Thank you for stopping by. My studio/shoppe door is always open. 

Blessings Be Yours, 

Celestina Marie

Several More "Pretties" from Celestina - I LOVE them all!

Nesting Top Heart Box

Springtime In Paris Blocks

Farmers Market Embellished and Hand Painted Bee Bowl

Pedestal Nest in Blues Harmony

One Dozen Hand-Painted Easter Eggs

Burlap Wreath with Roses

Sail Boat Wood Hanger Set

Paris Box Set

Memories Dress Form Note Holder 

Vintage Sewing Machine Drawer, Painted

Daydreams from: CelestinaMarieDesign.com

If you'd like to view Previous I ♥ Shopping Posts, click HERE.

Each week, we take a look at things I shop for as well as places or shops I do my Shopping.  Sometimes, it will be an Etsy Shop or Boutique, an internet store...or even a Brick Store, like Lowe's, where I shopped for tiles.  You just never know where I'll be shopping or what the item is that I'm shopping for.

Flashback Friday - the 70's

Fashion styles in the 70's were "far out", but we loved 'em! 
Some fashions, like bell bottom pants and tie-dyed shirts from the 60's, joined with the 70's and found their own way.  Wild prints, wild colors, platform shoes that added an extra 3-5" to your height, short shorts - or hot pants, the mini, midi and maxi skirts (3 lengths popular at the same time - quite unusal, and of course the polyester suit, were all part of the 70's fashion.  Dresses, Skirts and even Coats were available in three lengths – mini, midi and maxi – so women could build their wardrobe in any length they preferred.  I personally, loved
the mini and the maxi - the midi, not so much. 

70's Pants
For both men and women, bell bottoms were still popular.  There were hip huggers, embroidered or studded jeans for the women while men were wearing tight velvet or lame pants.  Leisure suits were a hit.  And of course, they were in lots of colors and made of polyester fabric.

By the late 1970s, men and women squeezed into jumpsuits, one-piece outfits that zipped up the front and were usually worn with a wide belt. If you weren't slim, you were advised NOT to wear them!  My husband at the time was very slim and wore a black velvet Jumpsuit that I made just for him, a pointy collar white shirt and a huge macrame tied belt ...remember I love to sew, to his high school reunion.  I wore an outfit that I made for myself - Black Hot Pants and Gold Lame Top and a Burgundy, Green and Black Floral Maxi length vest...platform shoes and we both looked very mod. 

70s Shirts

Loud prints with long, pointed collars and the Leisure suit were hot!

Ladies shirts ran the gamut from peasant-style, flowy tops that had become popular in the late 1960s to skimpy halter tops that were pared with equally-skimpy shorts known as hot pants. 

Here's a pattern I used to make myself a pretty Peasant Top and Skirt - which I loved!

Sequined bra tops were also a common trend and, later, tube tops – a strapless sleeve of stretchy fabric that pulled over the head and covered the upper torso – were all the rage.

I also made a Peasant style, flowy top and skirt, that I absolutely loved. 

70s Accessories

Belts went the way of beads or handmade macrame creations. Large peace sign necklace or surfer’s crosses were worn around the neck on heavy chains, attesting to the importance of peace to those who were growing up during this era following the Vietnam Conflict.

The most notable accessory of the 70s had to be the platform shoe. Worn by women of all ages and some men as well, these shoes were in every hip store in the country and some not-so-hip shops as well.

Later in the 70's the extreme opposite of the Platform shoe was produced, called the “Earth Shoe”, a product of Scandinavia...very plain. 

What do you have fond memories of from the 70's?

* * * * * * * * 

Do you remember Peplums?

They were popular in the 40's and again in the decade after the 70's - the 80's.  It was one of my favorite styles.  Perhaps one day we'll visit the 80's on Flashback Friday!

Meanwhile, here's a photo of a 2 piece dress I made for myself.  I wore it to a good friend's wedding!