Thursday, October 1, 2009

She's All That - Debbie Peavy

Name: Debbie Peavy

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia


Debbie in Dinan, France in front of the old city walls


A brief history of your fabulous self: I grew up with dreams of becoming a veterinarian, but when my own vet let me observe a few times, I decided I would just have lots of pets! I became a teacher instead and taught high school French for 34 years. I tried living in France for a year in the Lorraine region, but discovered that I can’t be that far away from my family. I am now retired and live with my four cats who act as my staff on my blog. I am a divorced mother of one daughter, 29 years old, who is married to a wonderful man. I have a 9-year-old grandson and another little grandson on the way! I love gardening, reading, blogging and “Goodwill hunting” for thrifting finds.

What’s on your To Do List: My grandson and I have a trip to France planned for his 11th birthday. The highlight will be a visit to Monet’s garden in Giverny. He has been a big fan of Monet’s work since kindergarten thanks to a wonderful art teacher! I can’t wait to show him Monet’s water lilies in person!

We never would have guessed: My home is decorated in French country style…probably not a surprise…but you might be surprised to know that much of it came from bargain shopping and thrift store finds. I have found beautiful chairs, hand painted pottery, old ironstone pieces, wonderful table linens and antique flatware. It is unbelievable what people give away!!

What would you tell your 20 year old self: I would tell myself to relax and stop being such a little people pleaser. Turning 50 gave me permission at last to stop worrying so much about what other people think of me and to enjoy my life!

Favorite childhood memory: My mother took my sister and me on a wonderful picnic…in our backyard! I still remember the apple print on what would now be considered a vintage tablecloth with grass peeking up through a little hole. My mother taught us how to identify the birds nearby from their songs. It felt like we were worlds away!

Last book read or movie seen: I recently saw the movie Julie & Julia! Of course, the scenes in France were wonderful, but I loved seeing Julia Child reinvent herself later in life! I think that is something that we women have the ability to do…turn our lives in a new direction and continue to live life to its fullest!


Debbie & pal Ozzie

What’s your favorite time of day: My favorite time of day is dusk. I love to walk around in my garden, enjoying the fragrance of my favorite flowers. I especially enjoy the heirloom flowers that I saved from my mother and grandmother’s gardens. I feel connected to them through these special plants. I have shared them with my sister and daughter and I hope that the tradition will continue.


Debbie doesn't call her blog Confessions of a Plate Addict for nothing! Here's a playful excerpt from her very first post...

Hi all! My name is Debbie and I am a plate addict. I used to be a relatively normal person...I used my plates for eating just like everyone else. It never occurred to me to hang them on the wall. I had no particular fascination for faience or transferware or Quimperware...I don't know if I knew what they were. Then I made a life-changing decision...I moved to France. It seemed the natural thing to do for an aging French teacher...LOL! That is where I discovered PLATES!

You can also follow Debbie on Twitter!


14 comments:

  1. Oh Bonnie! You are such a sweetie to feature me! And I alwyas love it that you know my kitties by name! lol Thanks so much for thinking of me. I appreciate it more than you know! Enjoy your walk with Sadie...hugs...Debbie

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  2. I put a link to your blog from mine! And...oops!...that should be "always"...I am so excited that I can't spell!

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  3. I love the BHIVE and reading about you featured friends. Keep it up :)

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  4. What a thrill that you featured Debbie. She is definitely one of the neatest ladies in the whole world. I love her wonderful sense of humor too. Her home is every bit as lovely as she is. I really enjoyed your blog today. Thanks. Hugs, Marty

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  5. Deb is all that, I had the pleasure of meeting her this summer in N.Carolina and I felt like I had met my soul sister.If you read her blog you know what an amazing sense of humor she has and she is the best story teller, You should see her expressive face. she has a face that smiles all over. I loved my time with her and she a woman to be reckoned with and admired. Great post!! Kathysue

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  6. Bon,
    You've managed to find yet another interesting woman worthy of the Bhive! The women you've posted have been inspiring. Kudos to you for starting the new blog, and to Debbie Peavy for leading an interesting life!

    Cheers!
    Gina

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  7. Bonnie! I finally made it! What a great write up on this wonderful lady! Is she the Prof en retraite? Thank you for celebrating us "plus agee"women....sorry, no accents possible from this computer! Have a great day, Bonnie!

    Fondly, Anita

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  8. Thanks so much for celebrating this fantastic lady! Deb is one of the warmest, funniest and most caring people I've ever had the pleasure to know. She is the reason I started blogging to begin with. Of course, little did she know she was creating a monster lol. Because now I can't shut up! Kathy

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  9. I loved the post on one of my favorite blogger friends! So well done, love your blog! Cindy

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  10. How nice to learn more about Debbie when I thought I already knew her so well (including The Staff!). She really is a sweet and funny gal.

    I am snooping around your blog if you don't mind. Love the sagging knee problem...universal it seems. Now all I need is some cold, hard cash to get that knee lift!

    xoxo
    Jane

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  11. How wonderful that your spotlighted Debbie. She is one of the first friends I made in Blogville. Debbie was so generous to me, helping to guide me as I began my own blog. She gave me such encouragement. I always enjoy her posts with the amazing photographs and especially love her sense of humor. Thanks for sharing this delightful post about Debbie, the plate addict. ~ Sarah

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  12. I think I'm going to like it here :) Loved browsing through your posts and loved the profile of Debbie! I'll be back!

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  13. Hi, Debbie. As you will see elsewhere, you and I have met before. I wonder if you have read POSTCARDS FROM FRANCE by Megan Mcneill Libby. As a 16-year-old from CT in '94, Megan went to France as an exchange student for her junior year. She published this book on her experiences. I own it, which is good, as it is no longer in print (Megan is on Facebook, and I found this out after sending her a message). You may be able to find it in the library. It is short and very interesting. She is now married with 2 children and living in Chicago. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

    Cindy

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  14. Bonnie,

    Mdme Peavy is a former teacher of mine, and I was wondering if you could forward her my contact information. I would very much like to reconnect with her. My name is Michael Ashley ("Antoine" in class), and she can reach me at michael_ashley41@yahoo.com.

    Michael

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