Here we are!
Family, Life, and Laughter, Triumphs and Failures, Projects and Crafts,
Fun and Games, Work and Play, Cooking, Eating, Fixing, Cleaning.
This is Brackett Manor …
Where Life Comes Home.
Hi There! My name is Juli Brackett.
I used to be Poor, seriously, Juli Poor.
Thank goodness I got married!
Family has always been a part, if not all, of my life.. just as it is for, oh… EVERYONE!
As I have lived through each year of my life, my family has grown and extended well beyond the traditional definitions of family. I grew up in Illinois, a real city brat that was shipped out to “Grandma’s farm” in the summer. After I was finished with high school, I became a hairdresser, but not before earning my rank in the Auburn Street Taco John’s Alumni! Hairdressing, or Cosmetology for those who need a refined title, was a wonderful life and vocation. After 25 years of hairdressing and moving to different states, I changed my vocation to become a nurse. A decision I am grateful to have had the support in completing. There have been so many connections through the years, so many people touched my heart. They became part of my family, and my family became part of theirs. The stories, the recipes, the adventures… I will be sharing these through the pages yet to come.
This is my husband, Don Brackett, with Isabella.
He is our personal “Mr. Fixit” and my number one supporter in all we do.
Don grew up someplace in “up state” New York. He joined the Air Force following his high school graduation. After completing his enlistment, Don worked in various fields of employment, honing his skills and experience, to become the business man he is today. His business as a home inspector, and home maintenance and repair specialist has been of great value in providing our community with service and advice to keep their homes, and Manors, in great shape!
Don truly enjoys his work. While not out on scheduled projects and inspections, he is home at “The Manor” working in his shop or maintaining the grounds on our 5 acre retreat away from the cities.
Don will be sharing tips on maintaining your home, various DIY projects, and the products and tools to “get the job done.”
This is my mom, “Grandma Jean.”
She was born in 1932, the oldest of 5 children, on a sharecropper farm in rural Minnesota. In 1943, during World War II, Mom and her family moved to Minneapolis for 14 months while her mother and father worked in defense plants. They returned to the sharecropper’s farm and resumed their life as before, with the children attending the tiny little one room schoolhouse. (Yep, just like Little House on the Prairie!)
Jean moved to Rockford, Illinois after graduation where she met and married Dale Poor, my dad. Together they had four children, (the best of course was me!) 10 grandchildren, and a growing number of great-grandchildren. They worked hard all their years and finally retired, moving back north to a small town in South Dakota. They enjoyed their retirement, sharing time with many friends along the way. In 2012, after 58 years of marriage, Dale (Grandpa, Pops) passed away. We miss him everyday. Forever in our hearts!
Grandma Jean loves to cook and bake. Many of her recipes have been handed down for generations. We are working on determining true measures for many of these recipes as she still measures most everything “by hand” or “by feel.”
Grandma Jean has been doing ceramics for more years than I have existed. I still learn something new each time we sit to paint a new set of something! She is also an avid reader. From romance novels to mystery who-done-its, she reads on average one book a day.
Grandma Jean and her Border Collie, Ben, joined the Brackett Family at Brackett Manor in 2017 where she continues her love of baking, reading, and creating special gifts through her fine talents in the Art of Ceramics! Grandma Jean will be sharing some of her special treats from time to time!
The Brackett family has always made life about home and home about life.
We hope you enjoy the recipes, projects, programs, and moments that make the Brackett home the Brackett Manor.
July 19, 2024
I have chosen to not edit any of the above as it is what made me… me. I have not contributed to the blog site in over four years and honestly, it took some time to figure everything out again.
The evening of February 9, 2020, I cam home from my job at the hospital; I am a nurse. It was as expected very dark outside. My husband Don’s truck was home and I thought, “oh good! he’s home from wherever he must have went.” He had not replied to my text message when I left work, he always does. The lights in the shop were out so he must be in the house. He was going to make chili for dinner, but nothing had been started. Maybe he changed his mind and we would go out for a late supper. Grandma Jean (my mother) said she hadn’t seen him all day; not since he was blowing snow sometime around 2 pm. I looked everywhere for him. I finally went out to the work shop and turned on the lights. He was gone. Nothing I did revived him. I failed. A seasoned nurse and I couldn’t save my own husband.
It has taken these past 4 years to get beyond what they call grief. I still do not know what label fits this… this loss… this altered reality. However, it is time. It is time to pull my self up and move… any direction but backwards will suffice. It has taken a little time and retraining to even access my blog page, but with hosting support, I made it back in. And now…. I ask myself, “What would Don do?”
I’m sure in time I’ll edit the “about us” page and remove some of this post, but for now …. I am here.
I’m back in the kitchen cooking, baking, prepping. Back in the office trying to balance a budget and maintain this home, and I’m out in the work shop playing a new game of “name this tool.”
Please stay with me as we carry on…. More to come this fall!
