The Tour of Homes in Madison, Georgia...or..."America's Prettiest Small Town"

This weekend, I went to the annual Christmas Tour of Homes in Madison, Georgia. You may not be familiar with Madison, but in my neck of the woods, it is very well-known. It was voted the "Prettiest Small Town in America" by Holiday Traveler Magazine and is also called the "Town that Sherman Refused to Burn" during the Civil War. It was saved because there was an important Northern sympathizer who lived there. That was really lucky for Madison since over 100 Antebellum homes are still standing. We started our tour at Heritage Hall. It was built in 1811 by Dr. Elijah Evans Jones for his wife and five children. In 1912, the house was moved on logs by teams of horses and mules to its current location to make way for the Methodist Church. It is now owned by the Morgan County Historical Society.

When you enter the home, you are greeted by this wonderful garland on the banister. Isn't it gorgeous? I love the pheasant feathers in the arrangement! This is the only time of year that I wish I had stairs. Remember that you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them!

This organ is located in one of the parlors. I thought it was beautiful! However, the lady in the portrait, even with the glare, looks very unhappy, doesn't she? Maybe they made her take piano lessons like I had to...hmmmmmmm.

This is, of course, the dining room. It's really hard to get a shot of an entire room with all of those pesky tourists getting in the way. Look...there are plates on the wall! You can get a little peek into the parlor, too.

Here's a close-up of the centerpiece on the table. Isn't the silver urn gorgeous? Most of the homes used fresh fruit in their arrangements. The docent told us that was typical of the period. (Here I must add that I just learned that word from Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. I am really glad I did because I then heard several of the guides answer when asked if they were the owner..."No, I am the docent." I don't know how I managed to live this long without knowing it, so I thought I would share it with you just in case.)

This is one of the bedrooms and it had quite an interesting story. They call it the Ghost Room. The doctor's daughter died here, apparently due to difficulties in childbirth, and the baby died as well. Now the room is believed to be haunted by her ghost. The docent showed me a series of cracks in the hearth which are in the shape of a woman holding a baby. It seems that several attempts to repair it have failed...it always returns. The image would not show up in my photos, but I have found an article about the ghost and her story, including an excellent photo. If you would like to read more, click on this link:
http://www.friendsofheritagehall.org/FallLakelifestory.pdf

This beautiful little lamp was beside the bed in the Ghost Room. I knew I had to get a photo of it for the lamp people out there! Isn't it gorgeous?

I am so pleased that this showed up so well in the photo. It seems that there are seven windows in the house that were etched by the children. Isn't this amazing? However, if you ask me, they had waaaay too much time on their hands! They should have had a Wii or something!

This is a little bed in the children's bedroom. Isn't it cute? It's a miniature of an adult bed. I really hadn't thought about it, but we don't make tiny beds for our children.

These beautiful little dresses were also hanging in the children's room. I love all of the lace!

Next, we went to the Edmund Walker townhouse. It was built in1838 by Mr. Walker, who had extensive land holdings and resided on a plantation called "Walker Rest." Like many of the planters of that time, he built this home in town so that his wife and children could take advantage of the educational opportunities and the social life in Madison.

I loved the kitchen fireplace! The mantel is decorated with a simple string of real apples.

Here is the dining room, of course. Isn't the centerpiece gorgeous? As you may know, the pineapple is the symbol of hospitality. And...look at that wonderful collection of flow blue plates! I was salivating!

This is the master bedroom. The current owners stripped all of the paint to give a more authentic feel to the room. The docent told us that the original owner, Mr. Walker, had his coffin made before he died and kept it in the attic. He would go up on a regular basis and lie down in it to make sure that it still fit!

Isn't this an interesting piece? It's an old cabinet removed from a local hardware store. It originally had a large stand underneath with drawers and a rod down the center so that it would turn. We actually saw a complete piece in another home, but were not allowed to take pictures there. :-(

This home is called Thurleston and was built around 1800 as a plantation home. It was moved into Madison in 1818 to serve as a town house. The front portion of the house was added in 1848. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph inside, but the outside was so beautiful that I wanted you to see it.

The home was surrounded by beautiful gardens. I love the way they used the teapot as a garden ornament!

Ahhhh...now...my favorite home on the tour and you will see why! This is the Starke-Hunt-Freisen home built in 1837 by John W. Starke. Like many of the homes in Madison, it has gone through a series of owners and changes. The original home was L-shaped and had 3 rooms upstairs and 3 rooms downstairs.

Look at the amazing garland of natural greenery and the massive wreath! I love magnolia leaves in Christmas decorations. They add such an elegant touch.

Here is the parlor. I love the fireplace and those stockings! I bet you're beginning to think that there wasn't much that I didn't love and you'd be right! Now....hang on to your hats, because you are about to see why I love this house.....

You guessed it!!! PLATES! If you have seen my house, you know I love blue and white plates on a yellow wall. But wait...it gets better!

Here is the dining room. I'm lovin' that chandy! Kristen, Lynne, Melissa and Vanna...are you starting to see what I am going to show you??? I'm sooo excited!

You're getting a little peek. Here's the gorgeous Christmas tree as well.....and.....

Look...there are your drapes!!! Well, almost....a smaller pattern, but very similar! And look how wonderful they look with those Old Britain Castles plates! Ohhhhhh....I am keeping a secret that I will soon reveal in another post.

This is the master bedroom. Isn't it beautiful? Notice that there are more plates!

I took this shot without the flash so you could see the Christmas tree. Imagine waking up every morning in this room!

This is the Rogers house which was built by Reuben Rogers in 1809. It was the first home in Madison. He bought the lot for $100 and built the home for $400 and then sold it in 1812 for $1000...quite a profit, huh? Significant changes have been made to this house over time. It now belongs to the City of Madison.

This is the parlor. I love the fireplace. Look at the rug in front of it...it's painted canvas.

Here is a close-up of it. It does not date from the period, but it is typical. The details are incredible!

This is the dining room. Of course, I loved the colors!

Another beautiful natural arrangement was on the sideboard.

Here's a shot for all you tablescape people!

Here is a bed dating from the period. A feather bed would have been placed on the ropes, which had to be tightened occasionally.

I loved the fireplace, but I especially loved the decorations.

Can you see? It's the little segments of a yo-yo quilt strung together and finished with little buttons! Isn't that clever?

Here is the mantel in one of the other bedrooms. Ooops...a little sideways...sorry! Notice the figurine....

I later saw it in an antique store. It's a Staffordshire piece from 1870 called "Harvest Festival." Isn't it beautiful? I makes me think of that scene at the end of Jane Austen's Emma.

And finally....yes, I know, I got carried away....this is the Rose Cottage, also owned by the City of Madison. It has an amazing history. It was built in 1891 by Adeline Rose, a lady born into slavery. She was earning her living by taking in washing at 50 cents a load. She paid $10.50 for the lumber. Imagine how many loads it must have taken for her to save up that much money! Remember, she was having to live and feed her children from that money, too.

Here is her portrait which hangs over one of the mantels. You have to admire her determination and her gumption. She lived in the house for 68 years!

Here is her ironing board. Notice that it is simply put between two chairs.

Here is the iron that she actually used. Hot coals would have been put inside to create heat. Isn't it incredible to think about the amount of work that she did for 50 cents? I think this home tugged at my heart more than any of the others.

Well...that's the end of our tour. I don't know about you, but I need a little something after all of that walking! Ohhhhhh! How about a big ol' piece of caramel cake and a mocha cappuccino? You know it's low fat and good for you, too! lol I hope you enjoyed the tour. Thanks for sticking with me 'til the end. Now if you'll excuse me....snarf, snarf, snarf....

Plate Paradise Found...or... Come to Mama!

I was Christmas shopping at the outlet mall when I came upon a sight that made my heart stop...plates edged with grapes! Now if you read my very first post, you may remember that my whole addiction came from a beautiful set of Limoges china that I had to leave behind when I left France. And while these plates are not identical because the grapes and grapevines are larger, it's the closest I've seen. Even better, they were on clearance AND I had a 15% off coupon. So these babies jumped in my trunk before I could stop them!

They are Oneida "Chardonnay" from their casual settings. I bought two sets, so I now have 8 dinner plates, salad/dessert plates, soup bowls and mugs. I only paid $72...that's $9 per place setting! Pretty good, huh? My old stoneware is hitting the storage closet and making room for my new babies!

Now, I'm not claiming that this is a tablescape, so don't judge it by those standards. This is more like show and tell. I 'm not very talented in the tablescape department since many of my plates wind up on the wall. At last count I had 59 of them up there and I'm looking for a place for #60 so I'll have an even number. That doesn't even count the ones you see in the hutch. But...I digress...let me show you the detail on my new babies...

Here's the soup bowl...lovin' those grapes. That's my mom's silverware..."Silver Flutes" by Towle. My service is pewter because that was the style when I got married. I'll show it to you sometime.

Here's the dessert/salad plate. See...I told you this isn't a tablescape. I think I'm too much of a purist to excel in that department. I'm going to have to learn to be less matchy-matchy.

And here's the dinner plate. Don't you love them?

I just love grapes! I think I'd buy almost anything if you put grapes on it.

Look at the leaves! You can even see the veins.

And look at the little tendrils! They even go down onto the plate. I tried to take a picture so you could see, but it didn't work very well. Can you see?

I think part of my love for grapes comes from this...my mom's soup tureen. It was always on the dining room table when I was growing up in the '50's. Isn't it beautiful? I have since seen one in an antique market, but it didn't have the ladle.

I love how the knob looks like a bunch of grapes. Isn't it wonderful?

And look at the handles...they look like grapevines! Don't you love it?

I have saved the best for last, but I am sure you saw it coming...look at how my new babies match my mom's soup tureen!! I am so excited! These guys are not going on the wall...we are going to actually eat from them. As my friend who was with me when I bought them said, "What a novel idea!"

A Package!...or...OK, So I'm a Big Fat Copy Cat!

When I realized that I had a package coming, the little wheels in my brain began to turn. Several of the ladies here have recently done posts about opening packages. Cami at Creating Myself got a beautiful package that even had a paper doily on top when she opened it . Sheila at The Quintessential Magpie got that cute rag doll that keeps popping up in her posts. Ann at Life at Ann's Place even kept us going for two days with her package! So I've been dogging the UPS man waiting for mine to come. Wait...let me sweep the porch...drag the begonia out of the garage...here it is! Oh...pooh! It's written on the side. So much for the element of surprise! It's the free discs of coffee that came with my new Tassimo. My sweet daughter and son-in-law gave it to me ...just for no reason.

Well...let me bring it in and put it on the table. Maybe I can at least make a big production out of opening it. Isabella...! I'm trying to take a picture!

Now I'm opening it...now you can see inside...it's..... Hey! Baby Kitty! You're in the way!

Oh... Baby Kitty! You're in my shot again! This was supposed to be my fabulous package-opening post! Oh, dear! This is turning out to be a disaster!

Now you can see that I got an assortment of discs of coffee. Ozzie...what are you doing?? You never come around when I have the camera out! Of all days... This is my tortoiseshell with "tortietude." She despises the paparazzi.

Here's a close-up of the coffee discs..see...all kinds. Hmmm...I don't know what Nabob is. It says it's from Canada. Maybe our Canadian friends can tell us about it. Oh...Isabella...your tail is in the picture!

Ahhhhhh! At last! A cat-free picture! These are the discs for making cappuccino. It takes two discs for that. I don't know about you, but I need one right now. Can I make you a cappuccino? Please say yes, or the rest of my post can't happen....yes?....OK, then.

The disc on the right is the espresso and the disc on the left is the foaming milk creamer. They have...what?...it's written on the disc?...oh pooh! This post is going nowhere fast! Ahhheemmm... Now I guess I just peel off the foil.....what?....you leave it on? Ohhhhh! I see! The bar code! You need the bar code!

Ok...maybe I'd better read the directions. " Open the brewing unit..." Hmmmm... OK ... Now, let's continue. You pop the little disc in upside down and there is a bar code reader inside the machine! Isn't that cool? That's what tells the machine how much water...oh...water....

Oh...I see... this is where the water goes. Hmmmm...I guess it keeps a little supply in there so you don't have to fill it each time. Now I understand.

Push the button... Ohhhhhhhhhh! Look! The espresso is coming out! It smells so good! OK, that's done...take out that disc and put in the "foaming milk creamer'" disc...

Here it comes ! Oh, it's kind of splashy! Good thing my cup is a little large!

And....voilà...cappuccino! Now let's add some cinnamon on top. Whew! I hope this gets easier! Well...enjoy! Just put the cup in the sink when you're done. Come back any time and we'll make some more! And...thanks for your help!

An Award and A Tag

I got my first award as a blogger! It's from my cyber friend and fellow cat lover Sheila at "The Quintessential Magpie." If you haven't visited her blog, be sure to stop by. I especially loved her recent post about the adventures of her new friend ...a rag doll named Autumn Annie who can even drive a car. Oh oh...watch out! Remember Toonces the driving cat?
I am supposed to name 5 things that I love...so here I go.

1. I love sunset at the beach. I love the way it goes down so gradually until the very end when it seems like it switches into light speed and then..zip...it's gone. You can almost hear the water hiss! It also helps if you are with a good friend and you have a margarita to sip on. Ahhhhh!

2. It is no secret that I love my cats. This is the only picture that I have of all 4 of them together. I had to entice them with catnip to get them to be that close to each other all at the same time! They pretty much just tolerate each other...it's a cat thang! That's the remnants of my grandson's chalk drawing on the patio. Three of the four were literally picked up off of the street. I love my babies!

3. I love the artist Van Gogh. Here I am in his bedroom!... lol ... They have a 3-D mock-up of this painting in Arles, France, where he did much of his work. Unfortunately, his house was bombed in WWII. This room is in a tiny museum near the arena. It is located up a narrow staircase and there's only room for about 5 people. My friend and I were alone up there, so we hopped the rope and took pics...lol... Doesn't it look real?? I'm looking somewhat the worse for wear because we had walked all over town for the Van Gogh tour.

4. I love the little town of l'Isle-sur-la-Sorge, France. It looks like a picture post card. It is actually built on the islands where the 5 branches of the Sorgue River come together. There are also numerous water wheels left over from the silk industry. One of the best antique and flea markets in France is held there every Sunday. If you have ever read Peter Mayle's book Hotel Pastis, this is a picture of the bank that the bungling burglars attempt to rob. If you haven't read it, you're in for a treat!

5. And finally....I love cheese! I love it better than chocolate. Roquefort cheese is my favorite... I love to eat it straight. Unfortunately, it's really expensive ... something about a retaliatory tax involving where the French get their bananas. I don't care where they get their bananas...I want my cheese!

Now I am supposed to pass this along to some more cyber friends. But... since it's nearly Christmas and everyone is very busy, I'll let you decide whether or not you want to take this one on. If you do, please let me know. I would love to see your response!

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My good friend Ann at "Life at Ann's Place" has done me the honor of tagging me! I was also recently tagged by my friend Gloria at "Happy to Be." I am going to see if I can think up 6 more random things. Hmmmmm......

1. I have been making "artistic improvements" on my hair for about 15 years. Let's just say I can't remember what I started out with and I'm sure it doesn't look that way any more anyway.

2. I grew up in paper mill town. I know...you are saying "peeeeeew." But when you live there you don't smell it. ..just like those people who work in Yankee Candle Company.

3. I have never broken a bone...thus far. One time I flew off the sink and landed on my head when I was trying to fix the faucet. I was really happy when I woke up and realized I had not cracked my head wide open. That's about as close as I have come.

4. I am near-sighted in one eye and far-sighted in the other. It has come in pretty handy until lately. Now I have to wear bifocals.....wah!

5. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 17. I was a huge chicken. Even when I took the test, the state patrolman felt sorry for me because I was so nervous.

6. In high school, my chemistry teacher told me I was the worst lab student she'd ever had. Now I was a teacher...I know you're not supposed to say that kind of stuff to the kids. But it must have been true. Well... gosh darn... she'd always tell us all about how we might blow ourselves up or burn ourselves with acid! What was I supposed to do??

Well...Those are my 6 random things. I'm not going to pass these along either for the same reason. However, once again, if you decide to participate, please let me know so I can read your post. I love to read these things. You find out all sorts of, well, random things about someone!