[AND THE WINNER IS…Lorrie Davids! Congrats, Lorrie!]
I know, I know… It’s Thanksgiving week and I’m already talking about Christmas. I promise I won’t skip over Thanksgiving in my heart—it is one of my favorite holidays and gratitude is an attitude I truly want to foster in my own life.
That said, I put our Christmas tree and decorations up last night so I’m in a Christmasy mood, plus I want to give away a copy of a beautiful new Christmas novella collection to one of our Inspired by Life…and Fiction readers so you’ll have it in time for Christmas reading.
I especially love the cover of this book because it reminds me of the barn on the farm I grew up on in Rice County, Kansas. I couldn’t find a photo of the farm before the barn was torn down, and as you can see, there are clearly no mountains where “my” barn was in the middle of the Kansas prairie, but still, that barn brings back so many warm memories for me! (And if you look carefully to the far left in the photo about one-third of the way up, you’ll see the little barn my dad built on the site of the old barn as a playhouse for the grandkids (with a place for his lawnmower and garden tools in the back).
One of my favorite Christmas memories is the year my parents’ twelve grandkids created a nativity scene with the little barn’s deck standing in as a stable. Tiny Baby Jesus was played by my nephew who’d been born December 17 that year. That “Baby Jesus” got married last summer. ♥️
Our four kids are, left to right, the littlest angel on the top step, the king looking at baby Jesus, and Mary and Joseph, who were teenagers at the time and good sports to participate. I crack up every time I see this photo at how seriously my little nephew took his role as a sheep.
P.S. A very happy birthday TODAY to the little angel second from left, my niece, who now is a missionary in Thailand with her husband and their three children.
On a trip to Kansas this past summer (on our way to the wedding of that “Baby Jesus,” in fact!) I snapped the photo above of the farmhouse where I grew up. The farm is no longer in our family and it doesn’t look as neat and tidy as my parents always kept it, but it still holds such a special place in my heart and truly made me who I am today.
The farmhouse was built by my maternal great-grandparents (that’s my great granddad and my granddad in the photo, and my mom and her little sister to the right by the fence in the photo). My parents bought the farm from Grandmother and Granddaddy when I was about three. It’s the only childhood home I have memories of.
Is there a certain home from your childhood that holds the most precious memories? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And your comment is an entry for the drawing for a copy of Love’s Pure Light. I’ll name a winner in the comments here tomorrow evening so be sure to check back and find out if it’s YOU!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and before we know it, I’ll be wishing you Merry Christmas!
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My grandmother’s home will always be special to me. My grandfather built it and there is beautiful crown molding, a stained glass window and a large window seat. My sister found pictures of the inside of the house and we had such fun reminiscing about our many childhood visits there for holidays and summer vacations.
Love following your excursions! Most of my childhood was in one home. One memory is that it was a work in progress with several updates. Thank you for the chance to win!
The house I was born and raised in on the southeast of Chicago. It’s where I went to school, our birthday parties were held with all our family and friends attended and the parties were in the basement. My sister and I always looked forward to Sunday’s when our aunt and uncle would come over and they had 5 boys that we could play with. Such fun times celebrated there. Thanks for your great generosity.
I love the picture of the children in the nativity scene. Just beautiful. I remember my son as a Wiseman in our church play Love to win a copy. The book cover is beautiful.
Debbie – I remember the barn, also, the little barn playhouse.
Wonderful memories in that house. Please remember your friends at Ebenezer. You were our children’s story teller. Happy Thanksgiving.
Evy Hoyt
Oh that would definitely be my grandparents farm! It is actually the house my grandmother was born in! It’s been in my family for close to 110 years. I have so many wonderful memories there, childhood and as an adult! My grandparents passed away 4 years ago, within 6 months of each other, but as of right now we still have the farm. It’s for sale, but when I get there I love to just go in, wander, remember, and smell. I love the way it smells! I’ll be sad to see it go!
One house I will always remember is the first house my family lived in until 8th grade. It was tiny but full of character. It was built around 1901 and had the original door with the skeleton key slot still in it (clearly it had a regular lock added). When I was young I found the Skelton key somewhere in the house and still have it. The floorboards creaked, the rooms were small, the windows were fragile but it was home and full of stories. Ours and the families that had come before us.
I grew up in Michigan, and the first home I remember was located directly across from our elementary school. We used to go over there all the time to play on the playground. One year, the snow got so high that we could climb a snowpile to the school’s roof! This sounds terrible, but my sister and I loved to play school, so we’d dig in the school trash to try to find unused worksheets to do. It was a simpler time back then!
Everyone has moved around, changed cities/states so often, however…my grandparents old house with green shag carpet, green-striped, velvet wallpaper, & a huge pecan tree in the back yard will always stand out. The excitement of gifts, amazing love between mamaw & pawpaw, storytelling, & performances my sister & I would give were the best times of the year!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Being an Army brat, I was thankful when my Dad had a stabilized assignment at Fort Ord, CA for a few years. Fondly remember the quarters on base. The temperature stayed pretty much the same all year meaning decorating for Christmas meant to mow the yard and get it tidy as well as having the flower beds full of blooming flowers. I can remember fondly all the friends that came and went as they were transferred out. Christmas morning was when friends (including their parents) went to each other’s homes to see what Santa had went and to go around the goodies spread out for folks to enjoy. Is it any wonder that Christmas dinner was late with all that nibbling and tasting! Fondly remember getting my first small TV one Christmas that actually had earphones you could use with like 12 feet cord although there was no remote and you still had to get up to change channels.
Also remember with great memories my grandparent’s mom in the country of southwestern Arkansas and summer vacation time spend there. It was where this city gal got to be around chickens, horses and cows, see vegetables grow and found our how much better than tasted right out of the garden than from the store and got to see fireflies and have contest to see who could have the most in their jar.
My favorite childhood was my grandmother’s house(which my dad later bought). There would be two tables to accommodate all of my aunts, uncles and cousins for the holidays. Of course there was the kids’table..which I sat at….we thought it was neat to have our own table.
I love the family Nativity scene! We moved a lot as I was growing up, so we didn’t have one main home. But some of my earliest memories took place in my grandfather’s house. We lived with him for a few years. I don’t remember much about the house itself, but he had a distinctive laugh and loved to tease. My biggest memory there was when my brother was born when I was four. He came too fast for them to get to a hospital, so he was born at home. I wondered at the commotion and couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t let me in. My grandfather came to check on me. I don’t remember what he said, but he must have reassured me that everything was all right and I could go in in a little while.
Another memory just popped up–when my brother was a little older, we slept in bunk beds. My bunk up top didn’t have any covering over the springs beneath. My little brother below told my parents he had dreamed that a snake was in the springs. But he was always having vivid dreams, usually involving animals, so they thought that was the case this time. But when they came into our bedroom–there WAS a snake, only on top where I was asleep! Our neighbor came over and killed it: she said it was probably after the eggs in the nest in my window. I remember the snake still writhing after she chopped its head off. I don’t remember her face, but she often wore a bonnet and a long skirt, looking like someone from Little House on the Prairie.
Well, now you’ve set off a cascade of memories. 🙂
I grew up in a house on a lake in Memphis, TN. It was a lovely neighborhood where everyone knew each other, but weren’t in their business. A lot of kids my age, so never a dull moment.
From shortly after my birth until I was in second grade my family lived in a big cape cod style house in Wisconsin. My earliesr childhood memories include that home. I remember the address still – over 55 years later. I remember the simpler times, the gatherings and my 7 imaginary playmates who lived with me and among the trees lining the street. Good, innocent times!
When I was little we all gathered at my grandparents house for Thanksgiving. It was a nice time to visit with my cousins as we didn’t all get together that often. Her house held a lot of great memories for all of us.
While I was born and lived the first five years of my life in Grand Ledge and Grand Rapids, Michigan, my family moved to Richmond, VA, where my father’s new job was located. It is the house on Grove Avenue that I grew up in and remember from 1953 to 1967 or so before my parents moved. We lived 2 or 3 blocks from a little shopping area containing a grocery store, a hardware store, a movie theater, and some specialty shops. We could easily walk to many convenient locations including our church, which was several blocks in the other direction. The street on which we lived had a bus line that took us to downtown department stores, the city library, the YWCA, museums, and other movie theaters. So, I grew up a city girl. We loved our location.
I loved the house too. It had a red brick exterior and two stories with three bedrooms and a full bath upstairs and the kitchen, dining room, living room, and a half bath downstairs. There were many treasures in the attic including Christmas presents for us girls–3 of us in all–locked in the suitcases up there. We even had a basement, where Mother did the laundry and ironed and Daddy had a workbench with tools.
I have many happy memories of family meals, relatives who came to visit, summer picnics in the back yard with neighbors, summer games played outside, roller skating on the sidewalk, and outings after dinner to the ice cream store. What a great house and neighbors we enjoyed!
Growing up, my parents moved a lot so the best memories I have of Christmas was after I married, my husband and I bought a small home on Twin Lakes Blvd. We raised our three children there, with lots of memories for the 37 years we lived there. Every Christmas the kids would stack up In the hallway, waiting until we were set up with our camera to capture their faces as they came into the living room . Having those pictures, as they grew are the best memories I have. My son now lives in that little house with his family. And I hope he experiences as many wonderful memories as we did.
Deborah, I love the photos and the history. I only remember one home because I was there between ages 4-17. It was a modest rental home in town where I remember at least seven of us kids crammed in three bedrooms with myself the youngest. My favorite part was playing in our yard where I learned to use my imagination and where we were mere steps from our small Episcopal Church that was left unlocked. I often slipped away there to be alone and when I was older my excuse was to practice on the organ.
My parents home was a few hours away from where they were raised, so at Christmas we always went to my two grandparents houses. My Dad’s side of the family had a noisy kid-filled Christmas Eve celebration. There were so many grandkids and we filled every room of the small house. Such fun! Grandpa wouldn’t get off work until mid-night and would always dress in a Santa suit and pass out gifts when he got home. None of us caught on that Grandpa usually showed up right after Santa left. The next day we celebrated with my Mom’s family. It was a lot more peaceful, but always a beautiful celebration…and that’s where Santa left my gifts….
Seeing this picture of the Kansas prairie makes my heart happy as I was born in Salina, KS. Love those flat wide-open spaces.
Love this post and your memories! I am fortunate to have three homes of my chilhood with special memories. First I’ll mention my grandparents home, a large two story brick home in Richmond, Virginia. It also had a dark basement that was somewhat scary for a child to enter, but it held my grandfather’s tools and floor finishing equipment and my grangmother’s (we called her nannie) wonderful canned goods. Every Sunday, their six children and their children (all of my cousins) had Sunday dinner there after church. My nannie was a master gardener who was a much sought after speaker at garden clubs. Her yard was amazing, my mother got her love of gardening from her mother, and I from both of them. This house was several blocks from a huge park where we had picnics in spring and summer, and went sledding down a huge hill in winter. There was also a charming stone house with a children’s library in the basement, the first public library that my father took me to, which encouraged my love of reading. Sadly, I lost my nannie when I was in 3rd grade and my granddaddy six years later.
The second house was the one I grew up in until I was 12 years old. It had an upstairs attic where we played and a wonderfully big yard, both front and back. There was a mysterious stone pedestal in the front yard which we jumped from. Nobody in the neighborhood knew its origin, but it was speculated that it was an old road marker. In the backyard we had a swingset underneath which we tried many times to dig to China and also made mudpies. The fabulous thing about this neighborhood was that all of the children met and played outside – such games as hopscotch, jumprope, tag, mother may I, red light, and many more.
My parents built the third special home that we moved into when I was 12, my brother 10, and my sister 4. I mentioned that my granddaddy was a floor finisher, and he did all the floors in this home, a tri-level. This was the home of my teen years, where I had pajama parties and dance parties on a rotating basis with other teens on Saturday nights. My brother owns this home today. As you can see, I had a wonderful childhood.
Your opening reminded me of a very special pastor, who always implemented what he called an “attitude of gratitude’ during the months of May and June, for special giving to honor our parents on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Can’t wait to see pictures of those Christmas Decorations!
Deborah, I enjoy reading about other peoples’ lives: their homes, cities, etc.
I was born overseas, a missionary kid (MK) and, in our family’s situation, we moved every one to two years. In my third and sixteenth years, we moved to a new city in Brazil.
In school, I was part of the intramural sports team, volleyball. We would play against other American schools throughout Brazil and Argentina. One year we played in the last city where I lived, Campinas, São Paulo. I stayed in a missionary’s home for the intramural weekend. That same home is where I ended up living for my junior year in high school. Small world. That’s my “home” story.
Thanks for the opportunity to receive your novela. You are one of my favorite authors. 👏
When I do a giveaway, I don’t comment on the posts, lest it look like favoritism. (I choose winners in a random drawing.) But I just wanted to let you know that I am LOVING hearing all your stories and I read every one! Such memories! And wonderful to get to know a bit more about each of you who’ve posted!
Such beautiful memories. I am 68 and until 1980 when I married my husband,who passed away very unexpectedly on Jan19,2019,I have moved many times. From the time I was 3 my dad was a United Methodist pastor. We lived in small towns so a lot of good memories of playing outside till dark.
I lived in one house for 14 years before we moved to another state. We lived there for 4 years. Both places hold special memories. However, my grandmother’s home is where my most special memories exist. We always spent every holiday there. I never spent a Christmas anywhere but her house until she passed away when I was 28. My parents own the property but it’s an hour and a half away. It’s in rural part of the Delta and no one wants to live there. Most of my relatives have moved away or passed away so I rarely visit. But, even now it’s hard to explain the peacefulness I have when I step foot on that property and walk through the ruined down house.
Definitely my Grandparents trailer. When everyone for together or was full of laughter and fun.
I lived in the same house from age 2 to 14. I remember when we got electricity and we never had running water! It was pretty primitive but the majority of farm houses were the same. It was four miles to town and, I think, we went once a week to shop and again most Sundays. My grandparents lived in town and I think we sometimes made a quick visit while in town plus saw them at church. None of the running back and forth like people do today. Besides, there was too much work to be done on the farm to waste time. I was too young to do much field work but I remember lots of gardening, canning and butchering chickens.
Thank you for the chance to win! We moved quite a bit so I don’t really have a place that absolutely feels like home. I enjoyed seeing your pictures though, and hearing your story.
My parents bought their house when I was a toddler and oldest of four. Daddy farmed it for many years. My mother lived there until she passed away this summer at 88. We have many holiday and other memories over the years that have included great grandchildren in the last several years. Farm life was a great life, although as a teenager I didn’t always think so.
My grandmother’s house holds a special place in my heart. I loved visiting her and spending the night. She always had time for me and gave undivided attention. We played lots of games and had lots of heart-to-heart talks. I cherish her and those memories and can’t wait to see her again in heaven.
Love the picture of the kids posing for the nativity. My son played 2 year old Jesus in a church play years ago. So precious to see the kids get involved with the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks for sharing.
What a wonderful place to grow up! I think one reason I gravitate toward “ranch” and “farm” romances is because I would have loved to be there as a child, chasing chickens and riding horses. The suburban home I grew up in near (but not in) Seattle was a great place too, with a large yard and endless woods and trails behind our house, and great bike-riding streets, but alas, no animals. I lived there from about 4 years old to 19. Thanks so much for sharing your family history. It’s nice to see those pictures as you give the information. And those grandkids – how delightful it must have been to be part of that group!
Deb, Your decorations are so beautiful! Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
The only home I lived in was a beautiful three story stucco house, in Connecticut, which my parents bought in 1933. I was brought home from the hospital in 1940 and lived there until 1961 when I graduated from nursing school and moved west. The house is across the street from Elizabeth Park and throughout my childhood it was my front yard, where I learned to ski, play tennis, ice skate, feed the ducks, marvel at the beautiful roses, and take walks around the park.
I love the nativity picture. I remember my 1st grandson playing the littlest Angel in our church pageant one year. Such precious memories. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
I love my parents’ home where I grew up and still visit on a regular basis, but my Grandma Irene’s house will always hold a special place in my heart and in my memory…my sister Patricia, my brothers, John and David, and I were all born in that house and spent our early childhood days there until Daddy bought our “home place” where I did most of my growing up.I remember endless summer days of playing 1 2 3 Red Light, Going Through School, Mother May I and other games on Grandma’s long sidewalk and front porch steps…learning how to draw at Grandma’s feet and cutting paper dolls from old Sears & Robuck catalogs…where I also learned to ride a bike and stopped myself by running into my uncle’s car. Christmas was coconut cake and coffee brewing in a little tin percolator on an old wood stove and cousins running all over the place. Several years ago Grandma’s house fell victim to an arsonist and burned to the ground but the memories I cherish will live on as long as I do.
I was a big city girl, born & bred but have learned to apptrural –
America as a adult. My favorite childhood home was the one my husband & I bought from my parents to raise our family in 🙂 Though we embarked upon a military career and lifestyle a few year later, that house still holds a special place in my heart & memories.
Please excuse my typo above. I meant to say “…I learned to appreciate rural America as an adult.”
My grandparents’ farm in Reno County, Kansas. While they were never rich by the world’s standards, they loved their family deeply. Despite having four teenagers of their own, they took in my six month old brother and me (age 2 1/2) when our mother abandoned us and our dad was off serving in WWII. We never were made to feel like we were a burden and we were loved, loved, and loved some more. The memories of living on that farm are many: the smelly chicken house, the barn full of hay and grain and always a litter or two of baby kittens, fields and pastures to roam, cows who we liked to pretend were horses, however, they had other ideas and didn’t take to being ridden out of the barn after milking time. Food was always plentiful as were hugs and kisses. When I think of the sacrifices they must have made to take us in, I am overwhelmed by their unselfishness and love. They have both gone to their heavenly home now but I know God must have a special place for people like them.
That is such a wonderful memory!
Since we moved several times no one house sticks out as a precious memory. Although times were simpler during my childhood years and that is what I remember most!
Yes we lived in a two story house when I was a little girl and I loved it there then we moved when I was in first grade All the wonderful memories in that house when I was little!
Growing up in a military family, I moved around a lot. The one constant place I could call home (and that felt like home) was my grandparents house in the foothills of Tennessee. <3
The house where you grew up is very similar to the craftsman style house on the farm where I grew up in the Arkansas Ozarks. My dad is still there. He and the house came into existence in the same year, though he did not grow up there. We moved there one month after my 8th birthday. That house is where most of my memories are centered.
All of my Christmas memories are in my childhood home. We always stayed home,our grandparents came to our house. My mom’s parents were divorced, but had remarried,but they all came on Christmas Eve. Everyone got along,which made the holidays special. Plus I had ‘extra ‘ grandparents!! I have many great Christmas memories!
I grew up in a four room house. Two rooms were used for bedrooms. We 5 kids slept on old jail house metal bunks in our parents bedroom. As we got older I had a daybed in living room. My brothers used roll away beds. My grandma had the second bedroom. When she passed on I got half the bedroom and oldest brother had other half – curtain decided it. We had living room and kitchen. Loved the big cooking stove – wood. Had a lot bellies stove in living room. Had an out house. But we had a large yard both in front and back fenced in. At Christmas we decorated with other people’s throw a ways. Every room in the house was decorated. Dad splurged on a real tree. It had bubble up lights. We put lights around window. We kids each got only 1 gift plus stocking of Apple, orange, nuts and candy. But recently my oldest brother passed away. A lot of Mom’s stuff and memories from our childhood he had. We’ve been walking down memory lane.
What a wonderful place to grow up. I remember my grandparent’s house as a special place, especially around the holidays. They built it in the 1930’s just after my dad was born, and my grandma lived there until just before she passed away at age 94. It was in Pasadena in a unique area called Bungalow Heaven with other houses from the Arts and Crafts era. Lived with her while I finished nursing school, so it holds special memories for me.
I was about 3 years old when we moved to the farm where I grew up. So I don’t remember any other home. I had a wonderful life on that farm and have many fond memories. I was always in the Christmas program at church and at my one room country school.
We didn’t have much but lived in a beautiful place.
Deb, my parents rented our homes until I was a junior in high school. Dad could never scrape together enough money for a down payment. But kids don’t care about that numbers stuff. They just know home is where the heart and parents are. We lived in several places because often the landlord would suddenly need the house back and tell us we had to move. Since we lived in a small town I still kept the same school and friends. One year it was our cat that had a hard time with moving. After we moved into the house my parents bought he went back to our rental several times which was a few miles away, before he understood that wasn’t our home anymore. The houses of my childhood I remember were my grandparent’s homes in Ohio. They lived in one house until I was about six and then moved to another in a semi-rural area outside of town. The first house my strongest memories are of the fragrance of Nasturtiums that were all around the back yard and also chickens that lived down the alley. At their new home, my cousins and I were able to put our hand impressions in the sidewalk behind their walk out basement, I often wonder if they are still there. Farther down from the house was a creek where they would have church picnics and cookouts and my grandfather hung a swing from one of the trees. Wonderful memories.
No special home since what makes a building is the people in it.
No not from childhood because we had to move around a lot.
Thanks for sharing your memories with us.
My grandparents’ farm…it had a big porch that we would sit on in the summer time.
AND THE WINNER IS…Lorrie Davids! Congrats, Lorrie! Send me your snail mail address to debraney@mac.com and I’ll pop your copy of Love’s Pure Light in the mail!
Deb, I pass your childhood home frequently on my way to Ellsworth or Lindsborg. It never fails to remind me of your mom’s sweet spirit and your dad’s mischievous grin. Loved the Thursday evening prayer group that met there on occasion and the gleaming hardwood floors. Max and Winifred were wonderful custodians of that farm and home. I miss them.