Tag Archives: memories

blogging, Christmas, Christmas Memories, family, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, Home, memories, Natural World, southern living

A Sprinkling of Christmas Memories

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When my son was much younger, he loved sprinkles. We literally put sprinkles on everything… cookies, ice cream, cupcakes… anything he deemed sprinkle worthy. I had a specific kitchen cabinet where the bounty of sprinkles were stashed away, ready for a quick, special treat. We had multiple flavors and colors to select from and it was such a joyful experience for him.

One of my favorites… B in front of the tree. Christmas memories in picture form from so many years ago… the sweetest treat of all

Christmas memories are very much the same way, a sprinkle of sweetness in our hearts and minds of a very special Christmas moment. Luckily for us, these moments can be recreated and fondly remembered by establishing traditions that are repeated year after year during the Christmas season… like the sprinkles of sweetness on top of a very special treat. Memories are simply timeless treasures of the heart.

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service… some of the best Christmas memories

Sometimes as I am working inside the hardware store, I often remember glimpses of these special Christmas memories from interactions and conversations with our customers, or even stocking the shelves with products. Yes, even the endless search for new product offerings we might bring to you, can create a sense of nostalgia of Christmases past. So here’s a small sprinkling of Christmas memories through my eyes as I wander through the hardware store. I hope you will enjoy this mini series of blog posts centered around one of the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas.

Wishing y’all a wonderful Christmas season in 2023, make some lasting memories with family and friends

The Tree

Let’s get right into this one. Typically, each Christmas season begins with the decision of the Christmas tree. The joy of the holiday season launches once your tree is up, leaving you to find splendor in the glow of the Christmas lights and glistening ornaments.

Picking out the perfect Christmas tree … my boys 💕

I have so many wonderful memories of Christmas tree shopping with my boys, and decorating the tree each year… like the Christmas tree full of ornaments that B made in preschool, ornaments handed down from family members, all of these memories are sprinkled into my heart each year as we begin with the tree and the decorations.

But, one memorable tradition from my childhood was the search for the kid-sized Christmas tree that was put in our bedroom each Christmas when my sister and I were younger.

Dad would grab his hand saw, and axe… no chain saw was needed for this small task… He would tell my sister and I to find our coats and off to our woods we would go seeking the perfect small-sized Christmas tree.

Stop by Wilkes County Hardware for your hand tool needs and repairs.

I think we probably skipped all the way into the woods. Dad handled all that endless child energy bubbling over… always smiling and redirecting our silliness towards our purpose, finding the best Christmas tree.

Often times, my sister and I would select a small 3 foot cedar tree that was abundant in our woods.

I must admit, as I reflect back, my sister and I were always so excited about our own special Christmas tree that we selected ourselves and decorated with our own ornaments. These ornaments never went on the family tree. Mom made these especially for our kid-sized tree. The love and care modeled by both of our parents in creating a bit of extra special Christmas magic with this wonderful gift of the tree each year probably wasn’t fully appreciated until reaching adulthood.

Our trek in the woods often brought us to a patch of tiny sized cedar trees. The aromatic scent of the cedars was pleasant and the size was appealing to our “smallish” eyes. As a result, the cedar tree was our typical “go to” little Christmas tree that we selected each year. The cedar tree was cut down, giddy girls in tow, and we carried the tree back to the house from our journey into the woods.

A walk in the woods always brings back memories of the treks I took with my parents into our woods behind our house… looking for the best sticks, or even wading in the creek.

That cedar tree might not have been great for hanging our ornaments, as cedar branches are not as sturdy as a Fraser Fir, but we didn’t care. Mom, of course always helped us in decorating the “pint sized tree” so that our ornaments had the sturdier branches.

Battery operated trees are available in “pint size” versions at Wilkes County Hardware

The delight of spending time with our dad, and hanging the ornaments that our mom made especially for us are memory sprinkles of joy from past Christmases. My sister and I enjoyed the beauty of the Cedar Christmas tree lights every night…providing us the opportunity to experience the Christmas season in our little corner of the house.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!
Autumn, Fall, Fall photography, finding inspiration, Hardware Store Life, memories, Natural World, seaonal change, southern living

Fall 2023 Photography Favorites

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Photography has enabled me to capture a moment in time via the camera lens. I don’t have a sophisticated camera. I use my camera from my phone. I have it wherever I go, and it’s easy to use. If you’re an avid reader of my blog, you may recall, that Photography is a goal for my personal growth this year.

Most of my photos that I share on my blog or in other social media sites are purely everyday places that I have been blessed to see and share with you as my readers. I hope you enjoy the season of Fall through my everyday life “camera lens” in “the hardware life”.

The Fall Leaves

Fall Leaves are dropping everywhere! Here’s a few favorites featuring leaves as the centerpiece of the autumn season.

Vibrant Fall Colors

Vibrant Fall Colors are simply abundant this Autumn. We are so blessed to live in an area with such amazing color everywhere we look.

A Day at the Lake

This year I decided to look for Fall colors in unusual places. The Blue Ridge Mountains are an amazing place to find beautiful views and fall colors. Instead of trekking up the mountain, I wanted to check out some local areas to see how the Fall colors were coming and I wasn’t disappointed! These photos were captured a week or so before peak in our area at W Kerr Scott Lake.

Unusual Finds in the Fall

Sometimes a walk around the neighborhood or just being outside brings us face to face to with the unusual and unexpected. When I find those things, I often take a snapshot of my findings.

Tree trunk covered in leaves
Acorns.. finding an abundance of acorns according to old weather folklore, forecasts a colder winter. Animals will need the acorns to survive the long, cold winter🥶.
Cotton field “leftovers”
Moving bales of cotton, that’s just ONE!
Feather 🪶 in the grass…
Persimmon Tree… old winter folklore tells us that the shape of the persimmon seed can predict the type of winter that is coming. A fork shaped seed inside the persimmon means a milder winter, a spoon shaped persimmon foretells a snowy winter, and a knife shaped seed means a cold, wind biting winter 🥶!

The Pines

This pine is dropping its needles beneath the tree, Pines drop their needles heavily during the Fall months .
Long leaf pine needles
Pine cones nestled in the fallen pine needles

Sunrises

As you may already know, I love a good sunrise or a beautiful sunset. I’m often up to see the sunrise. Sun chasers, here you go… my 2023 Fall sunrise captures.

The Fall Moon

There is simply nothing more intriguing than a full moon. As an educator, teaching during a full moon cycle brought unique challenges. Medical professionals and others have also attested to the Full moon impact upon human behavior. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to capture the moon behind all those clouds after Spooktacular.

“The night walked down the sky and brought the moon to the forefront “.

Foggy Morning Breakdown

The fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife!

Seeking Warmth…

First fire in the wood stove the morning of October 16th inside Wilkes County Hardware.

I hope you enjoyed a small sample of my Fall favorites. Look for your everyday moments and capture them through your life lens, whether you use your camera or not. Happy Fall Y’all! 🍂🍂🍂🍂

The sunlight was just in the right spot, to capture all those beautiful fall colors… one I couldn’t resist.
flowers, Hardware Store Life, Home, memories, Mother’s Day, Natural World, southern living, Spring, Summer

Flower Power

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“The Earth Laughs in Flowers”

The garden centers in May see a frenzy of activity. The Spring season has brought enough warmth and heat to keep those blooms beautiful. Do you find yourself buying the same annuals or planting the same flower seeds each year??? At the hardware store, our flower seeds are selling quickly as well as potting soil.

WCH Recommends: Using a composting soil builder along with a great potting soil mix creates a fantastic base for growing plants and flowers.
WCH Recommends: Zinnias bloomed all summer long with butterflies abounding! Stop by to pick up some seeds now for blooms later this summer.

I began to think about this the other day, my personal connections to flowers and what I plant is deeply rooted… linked to my personal life experiences and memories of those who I love and those who are no longer with us.

Hydrangeas are a favorite flower memory. I have a large snowball hydrangea that I planted several years ago based around my childhood home. These beautiful blooms here are from my granny’s garden.

I have a few favorites that I love to plant each year. The striking colors, the scents, the aesthetics, and durability(long lasting nature) of the plant definitely impacts my purchasing decisions. But, many of the reasons why I pick the same type of flowers each year is due to my associated memories with these flowers.. past celebrations, or memories of strolling through family gardens.

Aunt Mary and Pat always had their window boxes full of red geraniums every year. I always try to have a couple of red geraniums each year.

If you and I did a walk through in my garden areas at my home, it would be a definite literal story of sharing plants.. who gave them to me to transplant, or maybe the why I chose the blooming beauty for my garden and the personal connection to each flower. My question to you today, do you relate and link flowers that you plant to your cherished loved ones too?

My mom always had beautiful roses at home. I love this ketchup/mustard variety in my front garden area. Many of the varieties I have chosen are as a result of our conversations about the care of rose, heartiness of the variety.
WCH Recommends: If you have roses, this is a great product to use!

My final thought to share with you today, flowers hold power… not only the outward beauty for your home, hope, resilience to bloom even in difficult circumstances.., and cherished memories of those you love. Let’s get planting!

blogging, finding inspiration, Hardware Store Life, writing process

Blogging About Blogging

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This topic is seemingly double talk to most of you today… Blogging about Blogging. I think it is worth the time to explore the methods to my blogging journey.

Since I began my blog in the summer of 2018, I have gotten these questions more than once:

1. How do you put together a blog post?

2. What inspired you to write about this topic?

3. Do you have a list of topics that you write about?

My blogging experience is not vast. I blog simply because I enjoy the creative aspects of blogging. I don’t think my blog will ever become a viral sensation. My blog started out as a way to chronicle our new journey into hardware store ownership. After my retirement from the education world of work, it became a way to continue my creative interests.

My first blog post was extremely short and I used the picture that was generated from the blog builder website, meaning my skill set knowledge of the new blogging techniques was limited. I just recently changed that first photo from that first blog post.

Looking back, at the first several blog posts that I created, I don’t think I included any pictures at all . I simply hadn’t thought about including those! If you look back at my first blog posts, they still don’t have photos and I think I’ll leave them that way so I can visualize my own personal growth.

Pictures add a visual for the reader to enjoy and adds connections between content and images

Over the last few years, pictures have become a greater feature in my blog posts and I have grown to love them as part of the story behind the blog and a nice way to break up large pieces of content within the blog to give the reader a visual break.

When it comes to blogging, I’m a novice. I have completed and published approximately 109 blog posts… and I blog when I have time and the inspiration. I don’t have a huge following but I do have a few, sweet, loyal fans.

A well known blogger once said in an interview, that her biggest fans were not her friends or extended family. I’m not really sure why that is the case. Sometimes folks may not fully understand or appreciate the purpose of a blog’s intent, how to navigate the technical side of a blog, or take the time… well the list is there.

But, in my own personal experience of blog creation/writing, I have found that to be somewhat true, with the definite exception of my Mom and sister-in-law. They are both consistent readers of my blog and are always there to support me and give me a boost when I need it the most. Thank you so much for always taking time to read my blog and sending me feedback Mom & Kimberly!!! It is much appreciated! Love you both dearly! 💕

I am also very lucky that I have dear friends who read and comment on my blog regularly. Thanks for your support! Y’all make my efforts worth the work.

But when it come right down to the nitty gritty of writing, and getting a blog post together, my process of writing has definitely evolved over the last few years. When I first started blogging, I would finish my blog post in one sitting.

Work… not usually the place where I can write. Home is my favorite place to think and create.

Typically now, that is rarely the case. I will write for a brief period of time and then return to that same blog piece later on… it could be weeks between writing sessions or a matter of a few hours. Most of my blog posts are written over a period of a few weeks due to the time consuming nature process of writing and editing. Sometimes it takes a few months to finalize a blog post.

Here’s where most of the magic of my blog happens… in my notes section of my phone. The unfinished drafts, the list of topics in my queue.

The writing is only step ONE! Once that is done, I add in the photos. The photos are selected carefully from my vast collection of photographs on my phone matching the content to the images. I do use stock photos occasionally in order to make the images and content of blog interconnect.

My handy blog tool… my phone. I very rarely use my computer anymore to complete a blog post from start to finish,

My most productive time for writing and editing tends to be in the mornings. I’m more of a morning person and my brain shuts off as the day progresses.

My pups tend to pile into my lap as I work on the blog… my helpers 🐶

The longest span of time that has elapsed for writing /editing a blog post was ONE year! I began writing Women in Entrepreneurship and I didn’t actually publish it until a year later.

I almost didn’t finish this one! I’m so glad I left my draft copy going! If you haven’t read about Women in Entrepreneurial roles in Downtown North Wilkesboro, please check it out!

My topics for a blog post are chosen. They maybe seem random but often it is just things I’m thinking about, discussion topics from things happening inside our hardware store, or I may write about items that I think my readers might enjoy. And yes, I now have topics in queue for a future time.

In the queue… pound cake

Ultimately, I write and create because I simply enjoy it. It is a great way to convey a small piece of our lives to a greater community often sharing a bit of insider knowledge with my readership.

I just read today that the shift is starting in the blogging community to a more focused content approach. I very thankful that my blog is still going strong with a mix of personal insights, thoughts, and a lot of our hardware life. Thanks for sharing and supporting me in this blogging space.

Splashing into 2023 with new personal goals y’all .., stay posted!
Hardware Store Life, loss, memories

Dark Skies and Beautiful Light

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“Only in darkness can we catch a glimpse of the fullest light“

We lost a dear friend late last week. It has been extremely difficult for me, Richard, and our entire staff to digest this loss. Monty was truly an amazing person. Those of you who also know him, will absolutely agree with me on that. His joyful laugh was infectious and he brought a lively nature into every conversation.

Monty has been a significant part of our team for the last few years. Monty’s work ethic, and life experiences was a model that other staff members noticed and worked to exemplify his success. Monty had the heart of a true entrepreneur. He was willing to take risks, try anything new, and discuss the potential and possibilities of “the what ifs”.

Monty came to Wilkes County Hardware during the Covid years. We couldn’t have been more blessed by his steadfast presence each day. His business experience was invaluable to both of us.
Monty was always the first one to acknowledge a customer who needed assistance. He also would step in and help out with any task… pictured here, Monty is helping Richard with measuring rope.

I’ve tried to wrap in my mind the impact he has left upon all of us… mentor, friend, and most definitely “hardware store dad” and dear friend to all of our staff. As a good dad model, Monty always had a kind heart, offering food those who were hungry, and even advice when you needed it. I’m not sure that I can fully grasp, and vocalize everything Monty has done for us. His daily life impact will be long lasting. Monty’s actions demonstrated that he truly cared for all of us and wanted only the BEST for every single staff member at Wilkes County Hardware and everyone he encountered in the surrounding community.

When the Smithey’s building burned last summer, Monty and Diane spent several hours with us as we watched and waited to see if our building would be impacted by the fire. We appreciate your friendship and love.

Grief is hard. I ask that y’all send prayers to Monty’s family, as the journey of grief is beginning. Monty loved his family. We also covet your prayers as we grieve and try to transition to life without him inside our store. Monty will remain a key part of our heart inside Wilkes County Hardware and we will carry his love with us forever.

Thank you Monty for bringing beautiful light into our world. We will miss you dearly 💕.