About

Welcome! My name is Sharon and I am delighted that you have decided to stop in for a visit. I hope you will visit with me often and I hope that somehow I can brighten your day as I share with you some of the "samplings" of my life.

First, a little about myself:

With my granddaughter Lydia Grace who is now 5

I am 55 years old and have lived in Tennessee for over 22 years. I am originally from West Virginia, where I grew up on a farm and I am a coal miner's daughter. I am mother to 2 grown daughters, Jennifer and Allison, and "Mimi" to 3 grandchildren, Lydia Grace, Eli and Caleb. I work part time as a legal assistant at a law office and have been there for 14 years. I enjoy spending time with my family. I enjoy the outdoors, where I take long walks with my dog Cece. When the weather is mild, I can be found hanging out on my deck, where I have been known to watch and listen to birds and nature, work with plants, read, knit or crochet. I also enjoy doing counted cross stitch, sewing and painting ceramics and watching sports such as professional tennis, basketball and football. Of course I am an avid Vols football fan and Lady Vols basketball fan. I am also a fan of West Virginia University Mountaineer football and basketball.

I attend church most Sunday mornings. My "About me" page would not be complete unless I include that I am a faithful reader and believer of the Bible and it is my faith in Christ that keeps me grounded and gives me hope through all of the situations of my life.

This is my Pomeranian Cece

I was married to my husband, Joey, for 30 years. We lived what I would call a pretty normal life until one day in May 2012 "normal" changed drastically when my husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and then 5 months later on October 10 he lost his earthly battle.

A hospital wedding: My husband Joey and our daughter Allison 4 days before he passed away. 

About this blog:

I decided to call this blog "samplings" because I hope to blog about various topics, such as:

-  Sharing some of my recipes that I have accumulated over the years, including porcupine meatballs, baked spaghetti, my Thanksgiving pumpkin pies, my Christmas Punch and friendship cakes, also called brandied fruit cakes where I brandy my own fruit and I will share with you how I do this;

- Sharing some of my craft projects, such as knitting, crocheting, possibly an occasional sewing project or cross stitch project;

- Generally sharing a few snippets of my life as a mother, grandmother, homemaker, and the challenges of coping with being a widow. I may even tell you a little about my adventure trip to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, where I learned that Ireland is a beautiful place but I didn't like the flying part of the trip.

Whatever recipe or topic that I share on each post of this blog, my hope is that you will find something that interests you or inspires you to return.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you will come to visit often. Please feel free to make comments or to send emails.