story telling

This post has been compensated by Uncommon Goods however the opinions and stories are 100% my own.

My Dad had a ridiculous sweet tooth. He loved all sorts of sweet treats and baked goods. Milkshakes, doughnuts, cakes, and cookies. He had a particular fondness of pie.

My Dad who was also a hardworking and genuinely great guy had come home from a long day at the office. Most days after work, Dad would go for a run, do some lawn work, or if it was one of our many sports seasons he would end up having to head right to coach us. I think the physical activity would help him unwind. However, on one particular day, no amount of physical activity was going to help.

There was one day when I was about 10 and we had a gorgeous and fresh blueberry pie in the house.

My Dad had walked in the house and had seen the pie sitting on the counter he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t even change his clothes or exchange pleasantries with anyone. He grabbed a fork and plate with an almost ‘Hello, old friend’ look in his eyes, and helped himself to a slice. My brother, Kevin, and I were looked at each other wide eyed knowing that dinner was soon, and Mom wouldn’t be happy to see a slice of pie missing. It must have been a particularly rough day for Dad at work, though, because he got up from the table again and helped himself to another slice of blueberry pie. He wolfed it down as fast as the first, this time topping it off with a glass of milk. He went to the counter for another slice. Then another. Kevin and I’s eyes widened with every gigantic slice of pie that was eaten. Until, finally, there was only one slice left. Kevin and I looked at the pie plate, then at each other.

We had just witnessed a stress eating session of epic proportions.

We thought he was finished when he had cleared his mess from the table, the only evidence of the insanity was the one slice of pie left in the pie tin.

Until…

Dad walked to the counter grabbed the entire pie plate, and dug in with his fork and finished the entire blueberry pie.

I guess he figured there was no sense in leaving just one slice. Looking back, I kind of agree. What’s the point?

When I eat pie, I think of my Dad and that last slice of pie every time, and I always laugh.

For those that read my blog on a regular basis, you know that when it comes to gifts or things in my home I like to surround myself and decorate with things that are sentimental, remind me of something, or possibly have a history, and have a lot of heart. When Uncommon Goods reached out to me and asked me to write about their beautiful line of products I was eager to pair up with a company that is sentimental, personal, and has a lot of heart.

Uncommon Goods supports artists, most of them living right here in the United States by selling handmade items such as home decor, wall art, kitchen and housewares, and even jewelry. Many of the unique items Uncommon Goods sells use recycled or up cycled materials which show their commitment to our planet. Also, as a part of their mission, and this was my favorite part, Uncommon Goods employs all of its workers for a fair wage. In fact, their lowest paid seasonal worker receives 50% more than the local minimum wage. If that doesn’t show heart, I don’t know what does.

Uncommon Goods asked me to browse around their wall art line which you can find here or home decor line which you can find here, or their adorable line of decorative pillows which you can find here. Then, I was to find something that I liked for our home. Let me tell you, it was not easy as there are so many adorable and beautiful items to choose.

As my list of items to choose got longer, I saw this adorable watercolor entitled The Last Slice by Kendyll Hillegas in the Wall Art section, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Hillegas paints ordinary every day objects, and this ordinary everyday object was perfect.

It immediately made me think of my Dad and the blueberry pie story. I knew it would look adorable hanging in my dining room, and it would bring me back to the moment not just when I am eating a slice of pie but every time I sit down in my dining room.

Not only is the watercolor itself so cute and a perfect addition to any kitchen, but I am loving the natural wood tone of the frame.

It arrived perfectly packaged. Safe and sound.

And it is hanging for all to admire. I am looking forward to someone asking me about it, so I can not only share where I got such an adorable piece of art, but also share a funny family story.

If you would like more information about Uncommon Goods or to shop, visit the website. For news or information about new items follow them Uncommon Goods on Facebook or Twitter.

Brian and I met almost exactly nine years ago this week. I had just started a new job as the alumni coordinator at my old high school. With my new business management in technology degree from John Carroll University (BLUE STREAKS WOOT!) and a new suit from the LOFT I started my first day BEAMING! I was excited about my first real job, with my first office, and my first work computer and email address.

A very tall, dark and handsome man walked into my office to help me set up my email and my network account. As he was setting up my computer and talking me through where my printer was (I felt like I was listening to the teacher in the old Charlie Brown movies WAH WAH WAH) all I could think was, I know this guy from somewhere, he looks so dang familiar. So he said, “ok, well, you are all set-up.”

He started to walk away, and suddenly like a bolt of lightening it came to me. I chased him down the hall, and I said, “Oh my gosh, is Joe your little brother? I graduated from here with him. How is he doing? Are you the tech director? What year did you graduate? Do you remember me? I used to go to parties at your house and took pictures at your house before dances.” I was talking a mile a minute for two reasons: a.) I thought he was cute, and I remembered he was a senior when I was a freshmen in high school so I was a little nervous by the older, cooler, and did I mention cute guy and b.) I was so happy that there seemed to be someone around my age that could show me the ropes.

We became really fast friends. My job entailed attending a lot of school events to talk to alumni and Brian went to a lot of school events because often they needed technology set-up. One night while we were both working late, Brian plucked up some courage and asked me out for a beer. Our first date turned went from a beer, to dinner, to going to see some live music. It was a great first date. I guess you could say we were high school sweethearts, without actually being in high school.

After a few years, I ventured out into a new career. Once I left the high school we spent more social time together going to concerts in the city, movies, and out to dinner. We even started attending mass together in the city at our favorite church Old St. Pat’s. The more time we spent together, the more we started to talk about getting married. I figured he would pop the question when he was ready, but really did not want to know when or where or any of that. I figured there are so few surprises in life, I wanted to be surprised for sure.

So, along came the weekend of the Old St. Pat’s World’s Largest Block Party. This is aa two day concert event where all the proceeds go to all the programs of our church (Guster was playing that year!). Brian and I had finished a hard HOT day of volunteering and were sitting on the steps of the church looking up at the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower), and just talking. This moment is important because, Brian later told me that this was the moment he decided he was going to ask me to marry him. He had bought the ring and asked for my Mom for “my hand” months before, but he said this moment was so perfect, and he wanted to propose in the place we would be married. So, after a few minutes of talking Brian said, “let’s go, we have another long day of volunteering tomorrow.” So we left.

The next day, Brian picked me up and we drove into the city for our second day of volunteering. He had orchestrated how he was going to propose with our good friends, Jaclyn and Chris (my second born’s godparents and who got married the weekend after us). He asked them to somehow get me in the church.

After volunteering for what seemed like forever, Brian, Jaclyn, Chris, and my friend Nanci headed over to the church to get the historical tour that was given to people visiting the church. Jaclyn and Chris got Nanci to walk around and Brian grabbed my hand and said, “Have you ever seen the alter up close? It is really pretty and is original to the building built over 100 years ago.”

He took me up to the alter and it was just him and I. There was silence. Brian says that he was praying I would say yes. I remember praying for him to ask soon (I didn’t know it would be in 2 seconds). Then, I started to walk away, and he said, “Erin, wait.”

I turned around, and he was already down on one knee, holding a box, teary eyed and shaking a little (he was so adorably nervous in that moment). He said, “I love you so much, please will you marry me?”

I cried and said “YES!”

The rest is history.

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The Last Slice: An Uncommon Goods Story

Anniversary Week: Our Story