In the photo above, you will see my great~grandfather's gold pocketwatch, my grandmother had put on a little gold stand when he passed away and I inherited it... the old box camera belonged to my grandfather, then my daddy, then me... the book is my French Bible dated 1904, and sitting on top of it are my Chevalier opera glasses from Paris circa 1900... these tresors are priceless to me... 
Le monsieur on the left in the photo above is my great~uncle Pierre Seraphin Vicknair and Le monsieur on the right is his brother, my grandfather, Jules Arthur Vicknair, Sr... the epitome of French gentlemen, non? I do think they look quite debonair!... my daddy's name was (is,... I have said before I still use the present tense for my family who have passed on... they are always close by my side, that has not changed... ) Jules Arthur Vicknair Jr. and I was named after him and my grandfather, with my middle name "Marie" after all of my French grandmothers, great~grandmothers... way back... my niece Elizabeth shares my middle name Marie as well... carrying on our family tradition... my mama spoke fluent French, even though her side of the family was only a small portion French... I wish I was more fluent in the beautiful French language... it is so soft and romantic... I want to take a class one day... as little girls, my mama would take my sister and me into the Paris Department Store in Salt Lake City... the Paris is now closed (so sad, malls have taken over what once was a beautiful downtown Salt Lake City)... my mama was a model for the Paris when she worked there before she met my daddy... the store had the most beautiful clothes and the store itself was simply stunning... mama would take us to the candy counter in the store and buy us all Nonpareils... (which means unequalled in French)... if you have never tasted Nonpareils, you must try them... a chocolate lovers dream!... some of my ancestors were from Normandie, France and most of them were from Soual, Tarn France... the photo below is of Soual...Soual is located in the south of France in the countryside (I want to visit there one day... even more than Paris!)... and see where my family lived...
In the meantime, I have several favorite shops I love to visit who carry beautiful French tresors. The "Petite Marie" bottle is from My Petite Maison...my sweet friend Tracie's shop... I custom ordered it from Tracie... each one she makes is one of a kind... mine has sand from Nice, France in the bottom of it... the gorgeous Parfum tin behind it I purchased at another dear friend's shop, Janet at Shabbyfufu... I also purchased a beautiful vintage French pincushion from Janet, which I am saving to show in a future post... Both of these sweet ladies travel to France and bring back the most wonderful tresors for their shops... and are so knowledgeable about everything French...
In true French style, I love my cafe au lait... I purchased this beautiful cafe au lait bowl from another friend, sweet Lidy at French Garden House... Lidy travels to France often as well and offers so many lovely French items too... my cafe au lait bowl is from 1900... and yes, I do use it!... 
My birthday is in the month of May and my birthflower is one of my very favorite flowers as well... Lily of the Valley, or "Muguet" in French... I plan on planting even more of these in my garden this Spring...
So, this post was written full of love for my family... even though many have passed on, not a day goes by that I do not think of them all, and miss them so very much... and so to you, my dear family... Je t'aime mon amours... Bisous...
26 comments:
Well Julie Marie you sure have warmed my heart with this lovely lovely post. Such debonair gentlemen, I wish men still dressed and behaved like that! Your mama sounds delightful and how exciting to have been a model, You must look like her, you are so beautiful! (I love your haircut). It is so sad to not have all of our loved ones in our lives, I hold on to everyday that I still have my mom and dad, they are 65 and 73. I think of my grandparents everyday and miss them so much. Besides my love for my gadgets, I really am an old soul and just prefer simpler old fashioned times, like going on picnics. I love looking back on pictures of my family , such lovely memories!!
Your are a treasure to our blogging community
xoxo
Dear JulieMarie...
1st...I have your Sachet finsihed! Whoot Whoot!
2nd...Since you are French and I have French in me, too...I thought MAYBE we are related. How cool would that be?
I'm claiming it. France isn't that big, is it?
Love to you~Rebeca
Hello, dear friend,
A beautiful post in tribute to your beautiful family!! I loved every part of it!! Your French treasures are wonderful! How blessed you are to have inherited them. I also love the French perfume bottle and perfume tin. They are so very romantic! I hope you have a blessed, happy week full of laughter! Vicki
Julie, I really loved this post!! I am so glad you shared all of this with us! I know wo many people love french stuff. It is neat to hear from someone that IS French and actually knows so much about it! I LOVE the keepsakes you have of your grandfathers, they are beautiful!! Thank you for sharing your memories with all of us!!
Love you sis,
Amy
Hi dear Julie Marie. Did I ever tell you that one of my daughters middle names is Marie:-)?. Anyhoo....thank you for coming over and purchasing something from me today. I have been deeply ensconced in packing peanuts and bubble wrap...lol...will have that out tomorrow. Thank you for the lovely story on your ancestry, which I truly enjoyed reading! I hope that you get to go over to France someday....in fact, I KNOW that you will. ~xoxo~ Janet
Hello Julie,
I always enjoy reading about your family and seeing your lovely photos.
A beautiful post as always.
((Hugs))
Marsha
Bonjour Julie Marie,
This post speaks to my heart! Nonpareils are a treat I haven't thought about in some time, thank you for bringing that back to me. My great-grandma would always ask for them at the candy counter when I was a kid, "five please"... I can remember how sweet they taste as I type this to you. Petite Marie looks smashing right next to your beautiful French items (in good company!). The cafe au lait bowl is cute too, have you tried Chocolat en Poudre? Let me know if not & I'll send you a pkg w/your petite pots ~ delicious, just like nonpareils!
This was fun, merci! Could talk about France all day :) I agree w/Janet... you will definitely get there for sure.
xo~Tracie
This was enchanting....I am so sure you ancestors watch over you :)
My Mom's side is from Normandie.
I live in Utah right now.
My daughter was born mai 1rst. So i always think of my Mom giving Muguet to my Mamie that day.
I grew up in Paris France.
Would love to get to know you more.
Gros bisous!!!
www.lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com
Marydon, I appreciate your comments, however I am not "down"... I am actually very happy these days! Julie Marie
Hi Julie,
I only *dream* of France, but one day I hope to go there. If not then I will continue to go in my dreams. lol
I love learning of my ancestors too . Makes life that much more interesting!
Love Tracies goodies and her. She is a sweetheart!
Blessings~
Oh Julie...I love all of your posts but I really love this one! I don't have a drop of real French blood in me...I'm a 100% wanna be French!
I adore all of your french treasures and how special they all are!
Love the photo of your grandfather and his brother, gosh I wish men still dressed like that!
You have acquired some lovely treasures from some very talented blog pals! One day my friend we need to go to France and soak up all that we love!
Hugs,
Karyn
Julie Marie, A very sweet post indeed with so much history! You certainly have a knack for this. What dapper gentlemen! I hope you'll be planning a trip to France soon. xo Roberta
p.s. Jeanne is on her way ~
What a wonderful tribute to your family and your French heritage! I really loved the story.
I recently found a pair of the mother-of-pearl French opera glasses. I can't wait to set up a little vignette with them. Precious!
Judy B.
Hi Julie Marie ~
The little town of Soual is what I think of when I think of France. So quaint. Nested in the French countryside. I would love to see that town someday. You know so much more about your heritage than I do of mine. Also, I love your new photo. Your new haircut is perfect on you! xoxo Amy
Good morning Julie Marie,
It's so wonderful to read all about your family...And it's wonderful that you so lovingly keep and treasure their beautiful items. I keep and treasure dearly items that belonged to my grandmothers and great grandmothers...Helps me keep them close to me and my heart always. Thank you for sharing all your beautiful French treasures as well. Have a wonderful day my dear friend.
Hugs and Kisses,
♥Ana
I love how important family is to you. You are a wonderful girl.
Hi Julie Marie!
Hubby's convinced he's gone. I'm convinced if he got inside in the first place, he (and his friends!) can do it again. My sanctuary has been invaded and I'm soooooo uneasy! Truth be told, I'm sure he's somewhere laughing at us - 3 big humans vs. a 12-18 inch reptile and he's winning!
Hugs,
Tammy
Julie Marie, I love how you honor those in your family who have gone before. We owe them that esteem. Without them and their sacrifices to be here, our lives may well be very different. Good I'm sure, but very different. There are so many beautiful people and places in this world and I long to go visit where all my family came from. Maybe someday.
hugs
Julie Marie........Thank you for sharing your family story with us. It is truly amazing how our ancestors influence us during all times in our lives. I know mine do!
Blessings,
Jo
Hi Julie Marie,
How interesting was this ?1 I learned alot about you, and France !! My Grandma was french, and Papa was Irish , Crazy mix, but they had 16 children together and their life was never boring .. I know why I LoVe you sooo much, we share the same birthday month .. Mine is on the 5th (cinco de mayo).. yippee skippee for that .. Well sweet one, you have a relaxing,beautiful full of French stuff kinda week ~
hugs to you
~tea~xo
Hi Julie Marie,
I just love reading about your family history and the gorgeous treasures you cherish.
It is beautiful to honor one's family by enjoying and loving the treasures they have long left behind. I do the same with my family heirlooms. Love the old pics too. Such a different time and place back then, but so romantic and interesting.
I hope you do visit France one day and the area where your family was from.
Beautiful post my friend.
Love to you, Celestina Marie
Hi, its me Bunny stopping by again...I'm sending you a Marie Doll next week!! They are not in the best condition, many of their heads have popped off, but I will try and assemble one and get it out to you next week..Sorry to be a pain, but can you email me your address again, I know I have it, but I don't know where I put it?? I try so hard to be organized but I still misplace things all the time :)
Have a wonderful night sweetie
xoxo
My darling Julie Marie I enjoyed reading this beautiful story about your family. Your uncle and grandfather are so handsome. I love the way men and women dressed back then, so elegant and classy. Your treasures and everything else that you purchased are lovely indeed, enjoy them and thanks for sharing your family story with us.
Love & Hugs
Duchess
Wonderful memories to remember wonderful people.
Ulrike
Post a Comment