Fred and Pearl

I haven't had the easiest time in my quest to find out more about the people that lived in this home before me.

There's been little bits and pieces found here and there, but nothing concrete.

And in fact, my previously found information might not even be true, due to a mix up of the area.

Of course, I'd done a lot of research and I knew a few names, but there was a change of address when they put more houses on my street and the historical society here only keeps records past the 1970s, unless you live in the historical district.

Of which I only live one street over.

Funny, my house is older than some of the ones they keep records on.

But because of location... ugh.

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

So frustrating!

I worked backwards from the people I bought the house from and this is what I came up with...

The Morses'

The McShanes'

Faye Gibbs Bagby

Fred Gibbs.

Some of the information on that piece of paper came later.

Let me explain.

It all started one day, out in the backyard with the dogs, and came across a little brown bottle.

That lead to a little digging expedition, which uprooted a lot of broken glass and a few more bottles.

Turns out that there was an old burn pile.

Of course then I was intrigued and went to town for hours pulling up bottle after bottle... 

All from between the 1940s to the 1950s.

Including odds and ends like Christmas bulbs, a regular lightbulb from the 1940s, a pull from a filing cabinet, an old oil can and lots of toothpaste tubes.

From all that digging, I found out that Fred drank whiskey and beer on occasion, that Pearl knew how to sew, that they celebrated Christmas, that someone like to draw with ink, that they used a lot of bleach and brushed their teeth a lot, that Fred could work on cars, that children lived here and so much more.

Then, the information I'd been looking for popped up out of the dirt.

Boom!

A gas card with Fred's name from the 1950s.

Proof for a better idea on the time frame that they lived here.

Sunnyslope is the name of the development on which I live and the name matched the information I found at the recorders office.

I didn't notice the information below in the green square that says 'est of Pearl Gibbs to Faye Bagby' until I uploaded this picture.

I found Pearl's name via a search on the internet for her husband and happened upon this...

Pearl Gibbs 1894-1970

She's buried with her son John and her daughter Faye, the one she left this house to.

I also found all sorts of information on her husband Fred Gibbs, b. 1892 d.1987, including a picture of him on a passport from 1920.

He was well traveled being in the military during and after WWI.

I found the picture below in the root cellar about a year ago and now I'm wondering if the man in it could also be Fred.

Later, he was an important miner in this area and there's all sorts of articles and documents about his pursuits, including one with the old address for this house.

Via the 1940 census and these papers, I figured out that he lived at a previous address a few months prior, that happens to be across town. So, I've surmised that he and Pearl bought this house in 1942 and lived here until 1970 when Pearl left the house to her daughter or the 1980s when Fred died.

After that Faye Gibbs Bagby owned the house and she or her family sold it to the Marshals' in 2001 or they listed it and sold it to the Morses' then. I can't be sure at this point.

She died in 2005.

By some miracle and using the old address, I found a picture of the house when it was for sale at that time.

It looks a lot different, doesn't it?

For one thing, I noticed that it had more bushes in front.

A LOT more.

For another, I noticed the windows had already been replaced back then, so I can no longer blame the previous owner that I bought it from for that travesty.

Also, the listing says there's a 3 car garage on the property, which I can't find evidence of, so it must have been on the land that was sold off before I bought it. Not to mention that it lists a dark room somewhere in this house, which I also can't find evidence of.

The most fascinating thing, to me at least, is that I know who put that wallpaper in the bathroom and I hope that Pearl is happy that I found it underneath all that drywall.

More about that project soon ;)

Fred and Pearl.

I think they loved this house as much as I do and I'm so happy that I get to be the one to care for it now, as they did back then.

xo

rue

Sometimes

As a blogger, sometimes I need a bit of time away.

I focus on my home, my life, my family, my other relationships, and sometimes just me.

Other times, something is keeping me away.

It could be a family issue, a tragedy, a lack of time, or it can be as simple as my mood.

Then there is something I would like to call "Bloggers brain freeze".

That's when I simply cannot think of anything to blog.

I can have ten projects done around the house, lots of trips traveled, and 500 photos, but for some reason I can't bring myself to post.

During these times, visiting blogs also seems to take a backseat.

Well, I do visit here and there, but I rarely say anything.

I guess that would be called "visitors brain freeze".

Then there's the whole "If I post, I must comment back or repay the visit." thing, because if I don't, I feel bad.

That, my friends, is a vicious circle.

Right now, I'm so far behind with visiting and commenting back, I don't know if I'll ever catch up.

Ugh.

So, all this to say...

I'm still here.

And I promise that nothing tragic is going on. 

I've just been focusing on other things, like the ones I mentioned in the beginning of this post.

Some of it I'll be keeping private and some of it I might share in future posts, because I think it might be helpful to some of you.

For right now though, I'm just going to share these wildflowers with you and hope you can forgive me for being an imperfect human.

Please know that I truly appreciate all of you.

I really do.

xo

rue

PS

I'm praying for all those affected by the hurricanes in Texas and Florida.

My heart goes out to you.

My Etsy shop

I haven't really talked about my Etsy shop, because I don't want you to think you have to buy anything.

 But since I added some items today, I thought you might want to take a look.

If you see something you like, great!

If not, that's okay too!

Anyway, things are still busy around here, so I've been a little neglectful.

I'm sorry about that.

I'll be around more as soon as I can though :)

The first picture?

Part of why I'm busy ;)

xo,

rue

My Irish bookcase

Recently (or not so recently), I was inspired by the sweet (and patient) members of Havenly, a wonderful online interior design company, to write about a beloved decor piece and how I highlight it to fit into my home decor.

Well, as most of you can guess, it was a very hard decision.

I'm a sentimental fool and it would be easier to pick a favorite of just about anything else.

Walking around my home for days, I tried to think of a piece that I've had to style differently in order to make it work and I finally decided that my 1800s Irish pine hutch would fit the bill.

"Why did you move my toy basket, mom?!"

Sidenote: 

I thought it was English all these years until I went to take a picture of the receipt that I've kept all this time and nope, it's Irish!

Until recently, it was used as a dining room china cabinet, since my mom purchased it for me about 25 years ago, for my second home.

It was found at a place in Santa Barbara called the Pine Trader, where it was sitting there sadly without any glass in the top doors. 

I fell in love.

They told me it was originally a library bookcase, but I wanted it for my dining room at the time, so I had them put dividers in the two drawers for my silver. 

For the missing glass in the top doors, I also asked them to mimic the diamond design that was carved in the corners.

I found pictures of it in a few different homes, but it's been in a total of 7 and traveled with me from California, to Virginia, then Ohio, and now it's with me in Arizona.

Sadly, all I have is a glimpse of it, to the far right, in the first house it resided in, circa 1991:

This is me decorating it for Christmas, two houses after that:

Both of those were taken pre- blogging.

Also, can you believe I had white walls?

In two different homes, no less!

But I digress....

Here it is in the my last home:

Today, in this home, it is used as originally intended...

A book case.

A very messy bookcase that has become a catchall, which reminds me that I need to reorganize it.

With a bit of china underneath...

and silver in the drawers ;)

Also messy.

Tsk... tsk...

Anywho...

How do I fit it in to my home decor?

Simply by only loving the things I have and making it work.

I suppose I could have put it in my office with all the other bookshelves, but I wanted it to be the first thing you see when you walk in my front door.

It deserves that kind of honor after traveling here from Ireland and back and forth across the United States, don't you think?

Toy basket replaced, Bubba.

It's seen a lot over the years and I'm sure it could tell quite a few of my secrets.

Thank goodness, the old girl can't talk.

Well, at least about me ;)

xo

rue

PS 

I was not compensated for this post.

A day in my life

It's 6am when my alarm goes off.

I wipe the sleep out of my eyes and stretch a little.

Reaching for my phone, I see my good morning text from John and I wish him a good morning too.

Then it's time to open the gate to let Mini and Bubba downstairs to go outside and maybe snuggle a bit. 

As I head upstairs, I'm reminded that I need to finish up my hallway project.

When I get to the top, the sun is rising.

Soon, it'll rise before I even think about waking up and I'll miss it.

 I contemplate this as...

 I feed the pups, 

brush my teeth, 

and start up the percolator.

While it heats up, I watch and listen to the birds happily chirping away outside at the bird feeder.

Within minutes my first cup of coffee is ready.

I take it over to sit down in my little breakfast nook and notice the sunlight changing in my kitchen.

Afterwards, 

I hop in the shower, 

get dressed, 

and it's time to call my mom for our morning chat.

We hang up eventually and by this time the sun is shining brightly.

It's time get on with my day.

I might snap a few pictures around the house...

turn on the news, 

check my email, 

visit some blogs, 

and maybe post something myself.

Then it's time to eat my breakfast...

and wash the dishes.

After that, 

I run downstairs to put on my makeup, 

make my bed, 

and throw some laundry in the washer.

Then it's back upstairs to check my list of chores to see what else needs to be done.

As I get to work, Bubba and Mini do their jobs of barking and sleeping ;)

 Around 11:30 or so, I eat my lunch...

and then get back to my chores.

This time of year, I like to go for an evening walk in my neighborhood with Bubba.

Poor mini has to stay home these days, because she's too old now.

She doesn't seem to mind though.

I think she enjoys the peace and quiet of not having to listen to Bubba bark at everything ;)

Anyway....

Before I know it, it's time to start making dinner.

There might even be a cocktail poured ;)

And as always, my ever faithful companion is staring at directing me.

I clean up the dishes and then I settle in with Bubba to read a book or watch a movie.

Sometime around 10:30 or 11pm, it's time for bed.

I pour myself a glass of water, brush my teeth, kiss the pups goodnight, turn off all the lights, go downstairs, set my alarm, get cozy under the blankets and fall fast asleep.

It's not always the same though.

The next day might involve...

 going to the grocery or hardware store, 

visiting with one of my friends, 

or with my family down south. 

Annie, my very busy daughter, could actually be home for once ;)

Alex, my son, could be coming home for a visit.

Sadly, it might end up being a day filled with tragedy.

Although, I certainly hope not.

But perhaps, it's just a regular day, like this one.

There's one thing that never changes though.

I'm always grateful to wake up in the morning and go to bed, alive and loved.

Isn't that all that really, truly matters?

I think so :)

xo

rue