Vintage Christmas Monday, Parade Highlights....and the Kitchen Sink

Wow! What a busy Weekend...and an equally busy post today.
I plan to have slideshows up by lunch time (Monday) to share over on my Photography blog. I have spent a good bit of time with Santa over the past week at both  the neighborhood of Old Cahaba Christmas party as well as at my friend Diva's home, where she welcomes Santa every year.  And finally at a reception for the city. Photographing young ones with Santa for their parent's Christmas albums. is something I could never tire of in the literal sense. I love to see the magic of Christmas on the faces of those young ones. From time to time, there is fear too...but for the most part it's all joy. And I have to admit, I love working with Santa!

On Saturday the City of Helena, my hometown, hosted it's 39th annual Christmas parade. I serve on the Christmas parade committee, therefore Saturday for me began early and ended late. Bo Bice was the grand marshall this year and did a masterful job. The citizens of Helena were delighted to welcome home their hometown "son" and his precious family.

Although the parde occupied much of my day on Saturday, I  did get home just.in.time.  for kickoff. I made certain to see my TIDE take Gators and become the SEC Champions.
ROLL TIDE! 
I was shocked to find myself so emotional, for one knows there is no crying in football, but after cheering on the Alabama teams for as long as I have known,  and going back  to a few years ago when my family made the  trip to Tuscaloosa to welcome in then new coach Nick Saban freshly off a plane and  be totally committed and excited about his being there and for feeling a even more vested interest this year (my son "Bama" is a freshman Alabama) I was so overcome. I felt like those football players could've been my son's! And I couldn't be any more proud if they were. They have worked so hard and are so deserving. Now, our eyes and GPS systems are locked onto Pasadena, California to play in the National Championship game.

Following the game, it was off to my friend Sweetness' home, where she and her husband hosted the "Clematis Club" Christmas party. There is nothing like good friends and good food. It makes for a good time, and that it was! Husbands and children joined the Club members this year in celebrating the season together. This year, instead of giving gifts to one another, we decided to donate to a charity in the name of our "club". We picked Safe House. SafeHouse is a full-service domestic violence and sexual assault center that provides emergency shelter and comprehensive support services to victims. It's a incredible organization that is needy of donations of many kinds. If you are looking into giving back this Christmas, you might be interested in reading more by clicking...Safe House.

My friend Joan over at The Potting Shed-Anything Goes Here is hosting a carnival taking place Monday's from now until the end of December, It's Vintage Christmas Monday. This party is a great way to share and showcase some vintage Christmas decorations. And in case you aren't aware, Joan has a fabulous blog! I just LURVE her! She is always putting together fabulous vignettes with her vintage finds. She and I both have featured some of them on Thrifty Thursday's. I cannot wait to see what her Christmas vignettes will hold!

My vintage Christmas decor I have to share are these three little Christmas elves.

I remember my mother would set them up in the foyer of my childhood home when the Christmas decorating commensed. I loved to play with those elves, I would make up elaborate tales using those elves. When my mother asked me a couple years ago to take anything of her decor that I wanted, one of the things I grabbed for myself was those elves. I look at them and I  think, "Christmas" and all the memories attached.
Be sure and check out Anything Goes Here and all of the participants of this vintage Christmas party.


Below is a look at this past weekend's City of Helena Christmas Parade and Grand Marshall Reception

Off the subject, I am having some blogger issues, perhaps someone can offer advice. In uploading pictures, blogger says that I have exceeded quota for my space. So, I went to blogger and purchased another 20 GB of space, it said is should take 24 hours to show. That was Friday, and still I cannot upload pictures. Help? I used slideshow to share these pictures today because blogger woldn't allow me. Help? Anyone? I logged out and back in as suggested and still cannot figure it out. And for the love, there is not an actual place I can find to email for assistance. If you can offer some advice, I'd love to hear.

I am posting this as well for Outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan of Southern Daydreamer.
Be sure to come bakc on Thursday for Thrifty Thursday+ a Tablescape and on Friday for Leigh's Gifts to Give. Monday is it the Tour of Homes- you won't want to miss. Be sure at link up at Nester's blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by Bloggeritaville today!  I truly appreciate your visit!
Have a wonderful week. Hope to "see" you tomorrow.
Leave me a roadmap.....
HUGS!

La Reunion Coffee Shop

There's a new kid in town. Well sorta. It's not a "kid" per-say, but a coffee shop! It is La Reunion and it's located in my hometown of Helena. And it is my business spotlight today. July 3rd I gave you a tour of this fine town I live and introduced you to some of the retail businesses as well as the citizens that make this town the wonderful place it is.
Today I would like to take you to the new coffee shop, La Reunion.

The owners are Del and Robin Howell. It's not their first time in the business, they have owned and operated successful coffee houses in the Liberty Park and Forest Park areas of Birmingham.
I asked Robin about the name, La Reunion, and she pointed me to a sign about the history of La Reunion, which is actually an island in the Indian Ocean owned by the French. History says that 100's of years ago, 100 coffee trees were transported from Africa to the island. Only 2 trees survived the journey. The government of La Reunion, then called the Isle of Bourbon, made every inhabitant plant coffee trees which initiated the export of coffee to Europe. From those two initial surviving trees, the islanders started a species known as Bourbon Arabica, which is still grown around the world. Reunion Island no longer grows coffee, but instead is a surfers paradise.

But at La Reunion, it's all about the coffee. Be sure to try one of the Signature Hot Lattes or Frozen Frappes. Whether you prefer a coffee drinks hot or cold La Reunion has it all, Be it Latte or Cappuccino. For me, who is not a coffee drinker, it's the hot tea from their gourmet selection of loose teas that peaks my interest. And if you really want a treat try one of the coffee's with flavored syrup, or one of Del's signature Smoothie's. My personal favorite!

Hungry?

Everyone likes a little something to dunk in their joe and you can find a wonderful assortment of breakfast breads, muffins, bagels and croissants. Dieters will be pleased with the wise choices of organic granola, yogurt and fresh fruit.

The Lunch Menu is Superb! A great selection of deli style sandwiches served up on white, whole grain, croissant or foccacia breads with Miss Vickie's chips and crisp dill spears.

May I recommend my favorite sandwich, the Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella on Focossia bread. Ask to have it "Bloggerita style", which is with a side of balsamic vinegar dressing to drizzle over top. Hallelujah! Amen!

Another favorite, which is the house specialty is the Asian chicken Salad Sandwich, or served as salad. Speaking of salads, you may opt for one of the many different crisp lettuce salads topped off with delicious dressings.

You will enjoy the atmosphere as you sip and feast. The coffee shop is located in the historical area of downtown Helena. With the plank floors and exposed brick and ceilings, you will find the building is as steeped in charm as the coffee is flavor.

Bring your laptop and surf the Internet while you sip on a nice hot cup of java, that's right WI-FI, mi BLOGGERS!

The cozy furniture arrangements are perfect for carving some private space or can also accommodate a group for meetings.

On Friday or Saturday evenings, enjoy listening to some live music!

There is even a gift area featuring coffees already packaged for gift giving and cards too!

I just know you are going to love La Reunion!
Now, let me tell you about something exciting about the coffee shop. The shop features several local artist, who each designed their own table, such as this pretty one below:

AND. Call me FONZIE!
I have my own table!!

Ok, It's really OUR table. Yours and mine.

Really!

And I invite you to sit there.

In fact, I would be most honored!

But I have to tell you, I feel a bit like Fonzie from Happy Days at the thought of having my own table. LOL! Pretty cool.

Robin and Del were kind enough to give me a table to design and paint for the shop.

I got some professional help in the assistance of my brother in law, a talented artist who works for the Tuscaloosa News. Together we came up with a feeling and theme for our table. Coffee in Bloggeritaville.

"The Artist" began sketching my ideas onto the table and it began to come alive as we both painted and discussed the mood of the table.

The Bloggeritaville table has things that relate to the blog.

The luggage tags on the suitcase refer to things in my life: The Clematis Club are my group of friends. The Virgin Islands, where I long to sink my toes in the sand, the name of the hotel is actually a hotel in Sarasota, Florida that was really "old Florida", my husband used to comment on it often and joke about it, and of course I had to have a luggage tag for my hometown of Helena, my little oasis...and home of La Reunion.

And here it is....La Reunion's Tales from Bloggeritaville table!

It's the place to sit, relax and enjoy your time at La Reunion!

I want to thank Robin and Del for allowing a bit of Bloggeritaville at La Reunion.

Two Islands converge at one place...La Reunion Coffee Shop.

I hope to see you there!

La Reunion
Privately Owned by Del and Robin Howell
Located in Historic Helena
4085 Helena Road
Helena Alabama 35080
lareunioncoffee@aol.com
(205) 358-3000

Business Hours
Open Mon 6:30AM-6PM

Tues-Thurs 6AM-8PM

Friday 6:30AM-10:00 PM

Saturday 7AM-10PM

closed Sunday

The Monkey Basket

The sweet scent of Tyler candles alone might lure you into The Monkey Basket, but don't think that is all you will find in the tiny historic building that is big on charm.

In fact you will find a plethora of different items in the store. Always in stock, aside from the wonderful smelling Tyler candles, is something else equally wonderful... an assortment of packaged food mixes that includes,Wind and Willow variety cheeseballs, shrimp and grits (which my girlfriends and I oohed and ahhed over on our recent girls beach trip), savory breads, and soups. And that's just the beginning of gift items found at The Monkey Basket.

Judy Ellington is the owner of The Monkey Basket, which is a sister company of Sisters Two, which most was recently located in Bluff Park. Judy closed Sisters Two several months ago and challenged herself to an early retirement. However, she soon found that was not for her. She missed being in the business. She decided to open a new store, The Monkey Basket, which is a smaller version of Sisters Two. Judy also knew she wanted to be back in Helena, her hometown. She found just the place in Old Town Helena, on the main drag of town, "right in the middle of it all", says Judy.

That it is, as we discovered as we attended a July 4th celebration at Judy's store, the Monkey Basket. Judy had a band, The Overalls, that played until 9 PM and was followed almost immediately by the city fireworks display.

The Monkey Basket is ready for all your outdoor grilling preparations. Please stop by and check out all the good foods to make any party a success. Judy just returned from Market in Jackson, Mississippi with new BBQ sauces and rubs just for the guys. It is very good and she even has some tips to cook your own.

The Monkey Basket-Gift baskets, gourmet foods and good times in Old Town Helena.

Brought to you by Sisters Two.
So check out the Monkey Basket in Old Town Helena for all your party needs. Tell you heard about it at Bloggeritaville!

You can shop The Monkey Basket two ways...

At the Shop:

4075 Helena Rd

Helena, Al 35080

(205) 664-2542

Or online:http://www.monkeybasket.com/

My Hometown Tour, Helena Alabama

Welcome to Helena, Alabama!

Pronounced Hell-eeee-na. Not Helen-uh or Helen-er.

(Depot)

One should pronounce it as if you were to say the name, Celine, but with an H on the front and an (short) A on the end.

It's where my family, who I so lovingly refer to as the family circus and I reside. Helena is a wonderful little sleepy town. I like to say it is a bit like Mayberry (Andy Griffith Show) on steroids. It's small town with big city ties.

(Magnolia Manor)
Geography
Helena, located in North Shelby County, is synonymous with rapid but controlled growth. The pace at which we are developing has allowed us to maintain our small town charm, yet gives us the resources necessary to provide the services that our citizens and businesses need and deserve. Helena has grown into a city that offers a lot of the conveniences of larger cities yet still maintains its family-oriented atmosphere.

(Incahoots-restaurant building)

Helena is considered a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Greater Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan area. It is also one of three cities, along with Alabaster and Pelham, that make up the area known as "North Shelby" or "North Shelby County".

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.1 square miles, of which, 17.1 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square miles of it is water. The Cahaba River and its tributary Buck Creek run through Helena. Buck Creek is dammed upstream of Alabama State Route 261 in the Old Town area to form Lake Davidson which was used for recreation and water wheel power at the turn of the 20th century. Fishing, wading, and canoeing are popular uses of both waterways.

(Buck Creek)
Helena sits at the foothills of the very southern extent of the Appalachian Mountains as they descend into the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain. The area is largely rolling hills with numerous small streams, undeveloped areas are primarily mixed woodlands. The climate of Helena is typical of the Deep South, with long, hot, humid Summers and short, relatively mild Winters.

Safety
Helena is highly regarded as a place to live and raise children; Business Week named Helena the 13th "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in 2007. It has the eighth lowest crime rate per population in the U.S., and the city was ranked in Money Magazine's 2007 list of "Best Places to Live: Top 100" in the U.S., placing at number 91. The Alabama League of Municipalities awarded Helena the 2008 Municipal Achievement Award (population 10,001 to 20,000). It's something that Helena and it's residents are proud of. Helena is a place where we know our officers by name. We can depend on them to protect and serve our community.

(Old Jail Sign)
History
The community that would become Helena started in 1845 as the town of Cove. In 1856 the town changed its name to Hillsboro, at the same time as a rolling mill was built. This rolling mill would produce arms for the Confederacy and would later be destroyed by Union raiders at the end of the Civil War.

(Civil War Reinactment)

During Reconstruction, railroads would be extended through Helena as part of the post-war development of central Alabama’s mineral resources. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad sent an engineer named Pete Boyle to survey a route south from Birmingham to Montgomery, Alabama. The station established near the town of Hillsboro was named Helena after Boyle’s sweetheart, Helen Lee. After the area around the station developed and encompassed the town of Hillsboro, the community incorporated to become the City of Helena. The City's first mayor was M.H. Williams, a railroad agent.

(The Depot Grill)
The steel mill was subsequently reopened and the City flourished during the late 1800s and into the early 20th century with numerous industrial facilities such as steel mills, a cotton gin, a grist mill, coal mines, and a rail yard, along with residences, stores, and hotels. Fire swept through the city in 1895, destroying many structures in the downtown area and along Buck Creek.

(Masonic Lodge-Boy Scouts)
Around 1920 the boom ended with the closing of the coal mines and the relocation of the steel mill. The population declined as residents moved in search of jobs. The Great Depression dealt Helena another blow, as did the devastating 1933 tornado which killed 13 and destroyed 110 homes.

(Old Town)
Helena remained a small town in the largely rural county until suburban growth from Birmingham reached Helena in the late 20th century. Numerous residential and commercial developments spurred improvements in City facilities and services.

(Was an old Dairy building, now home of Wildflower Wax Store)

By the early 21st century, Helena was experiencing large population gains, and growing pains, as a result of its convenient location and high quality of life. That's about the time I made my move to Helena. I became a resident in 1999 and continue to call Helena my home today (until I get that beach house, that is...).

(City Hall)
Notable Helenian's
On February 19, 2002 Vonetta Flowers became the first African American women to win a Gold Medal in any Winter Olympic sport. She was also the first American woman to win a gold medal in bobsleigh. At the time of her win, Flowers called Helena home.

During 2005, Helena gained nationwide notice as the hometown of singer Bo Bice who was a finalist in the popular Fox program American Idol. Bo continues to make regular visits back to the city he loves.

Points of Interest
Major points of interest in Helena include the Cahaba River, Old Town Amphitheater, and the Old Town district which includes the 1800s jail and railroad freight depot as well as commercial structures from the 1800s.

(original Old Town buildings)

(The Monkey Basket Store)

The City of Helena Welcome Center is housed in a Louisville & Nashville Railroad caboose in Old Town next to the CSX S&NA Subdivision tracks.

(Helena Welcome Center)
Helena's Outdoor Amphitheater located in Old Town Helena, is an outdoor concert hall, festival grounds, movie theater, wedding destination and special event location all wrapped up in one.

In the Spring and Summer the amphitheater brings us the following events (just to name a few):

The Annual Buck Creek Festival (click here to see my post on Buck Creek)
Sundown Cinemas
Helena Summer Concert Series
July 4th Celebration featuring Elvis in Concert
Helena Market Days mid May-Labor Day

The Fall and Winter Months bring us:

Three on a String Concert
Civil War Re-enactment

Helena is home to me and my family. It serves us well. It is a place where I feel safe. My children enjoy playing in our neighborhood daily.

Helena is a nice mix of city and country life.

(Homes in Helena)

We have fabulous schools, that are the pride of our town. We are hard workers and we enjoy lazy days chatting with our neighbors. I know many of our city employees by name. They are dedicated individuals who I account to preserving the charm of the city in which I live and love. But most of all what makes Helena so terrific is the people. The people is the real essence of Helena.

(The faces of Helena)

It's a place to raise families. Helena is a city of pride and possibilites, and I feel lucky to call it my home.

Helena, Alabama, my hometown.

For more destinations on the Great American Hometown Tour visit Huckleberry Prarie

*Much of the history and numbers came from Wikepedia, as well as the City of Helena Web Site.
All photos, with the exception of Vonetta Flowers were taken my myself and can be purchased through my web site through Smug Mug.

For more information on Helena visit these links:
Sights and Sounds Clip of Buck Creek Festival
Tales from Bloggeritaville post on Buck Creek Festival

No Sleep in Helena Blog

Hewy's Podcast

I invite you to come on down to Old Town Helena on July 4th for an old fashioned Independance Day Celebration! Fireworks will begin at sundown. We have some great new shops in Old Town as well. Check out my friend Judy's store, The Monkey Basket, Jennifer at Wildflower Wax and Vintage Boots, and finally Del and Robin at La Reunion Coffee Shop for their opening Day today!

Do not to forget to click on the Marshall's sign link of the sidebar to sign up for the Marshall's giveaway! Contest ends tonight !