Scents With A Story: House Rules

While dating Tumpie’s granddaughter Brenda, the first time I met her, Tumpie asked me what some of my hobbies were.  I told her I like to fish, play sports, and play cards. She asked me did I liked to play Gin Rummy, I told her that was my favorite card game.  She laughed and told me that was her favorite card game too.  So, she challenged me to a game of Gin Rummy.  She was pretty good and sly.  When we got towards the end of the card game and she threw down a card and shouted Gin Rummy, I politely told MawMaw you still have a card left, you can only call Gin when all your cards are gone.  Tumpie looked me square in the eye and told me “when in my house we play by my house rules' .  That is one of my first memories of Tumpie and that is the story of House Rules!

This is Mitch Ward’s (Brenda’s husband) signature scent.

Scents With A Story: The “R” In Shirt

To understand the heart and the essence of TumpiesⓇ Candles, one must understand the inspiration for the name.  Southern communities were full of Rhetts and Beaus, Daisies and Belles, but the name Tumpie was a rare find, just like the woman who bore it.

Tumpie Gardner Johnston was born Tumpie Florence Gardner in 1909 in Montgomery, Alabama.  She married Lee Roy Johnston on December 17, 1927, and was a stickler for her new last name to be correctly pronounced.  On more than one occasion a stranger would refer to her as "Mrs. Johnson".  Quick as a whip, with a sparkle in her eye, Tumpie would retort, "It's Johnston, with a "t", and the "t” in Johnston is just as important as the "r" in shirt."  This kind of quick wit made time with Tumpie both memorable and entertaining.

She was a divine seamstress who designed and sewed for people in her community, and when she had finished her work for the day, you may very well find that she had slipped off down to the pond behind her house to satisfy the yearning to fish, which she not only enjoyed but was also quite accomplished.

There was nothing droll about Tumpie. She had a delightful wit that was so sharp it would have cut clean through a barbed wire fence if it were a knife. She could always make you laugh and keep you wondering what was next.

Nevertheless, Tumpie also had a soft side. She adored her family and friends, and she always put God first. She raised her children with a strong love of God and country and expected the highest of morals and values from them. She was an honorable woman and put her heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into everything she did.

One of Tumpie’s greatest delights was to spread joy to her family and friends.  TumpiesⓇ Candles was created to keep her spirit, quick wit, and love for others alive and in her memory, we give all the glory, honor, and praise to God.

Alabama Bougie is a signature scent for TumpiesⓇ Candles.  Today when people think about bougie they think about fancy or extravagant but bougie in French means candle.  Much like Tumpie’s personality, Alabama Bougie was created with a blended fragrance that is robust and hardy, yet it has a touch of warm and cozy.   “It’s not fancy… just common scents” just like Tumpie was.

TumpiesⓇ Candles- Her Legacy and Ours

TumpiesⓇ Candles started out as just an idea, an idea that became a passion.  Tumpie was my grandmother’s given name, and it is such a unique fun name it seemed like it was made to brand something.  The notion of using her name also came with some responsibility, the product had to be quality and we wanted to ensure that we presented her name in a way that would honor her memory and in honoring her memory we want to give praise and honor to God.  Then the thought came about that we could use this to tell stories about her and our family and to continue her legacy.  After all, leaving a legacy is the art of something that is transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor from the past.  Legacy is fundamental to what it is to be human.  Research shows that without a sense of working to create a legacy adults lose meaning in their life. 

Telling the stories of Tumpie and our other family members allows us to share her legacy and the legacy of our family with those in our family and those who never knew Tumpie, and it give us a chance to share with the world some wonderful memories and hopefully initiate those who never knew Tumpie to share stories of their family members to keep their legacies alive. 

In remembering stories and time spent as a child and an adult with Tumpie and other family members we have found that most of our memories, at least the most memorable ones, are about incidents, events, traditions, and happenings that we experienced and not so much about objects or material things. 

It is also true that when we think about the idea of a legacy that it may remind us of death, but it is not about death.  It isn’t always a bad thing to be reminded of death because it gives us a perspective on what’s important.  Legacy is really about life and living and it helps us determine the kind of life we want to live. 

When we think about our own legacy it allows us to take stock of our memories and possessions , as well as of our accomplishments and disappointments.   We think about what we’ve done in the past, what we are doing in the present, and what we hope to do in the future and in doing so we are reminded of those who have given our lives meaning.  With that in mind we want to share our understanding of life by leaving a legacy.  If we do not leave a legacy the wisdom we gain through years of learning will melt away as our physical body wears out. 

So TumpiesⓇ Candles is a joyful way for us to share the legacy of Tumpie and our family and we hope that you love the scents that we have created and that they will invoke a sense of nostalgia and bring some warm memories of the past and will help you create some great memories to be shared in the future.  Hopefully TumpiesⓇ Candles will also make us all consider the legacy we are creating.

Scents With A Story: Christmas Eve Gift

Just like most other families, we have had a tradition that I think may have started right after God turned the lights on. Ok, probably not that early, but I’m not sure that any of us know the true origin.

The Jones/Gardner/Johnston family had just a touch of a competitive spirit about them, and as Christmas Eve rolled around each year, there would be schemes being planned as to how each person would win the illustrious game of “Christmas Eve Gift”. You see, the goal of this game was to be the first person to say said phrase to anyone else in the family.

If you got a phone call on Christmas Eve (back before caller ID) then you could rest assured it was someone trying to catch you not paying attention because there would be no friendly, “Hello” on the other end of the line, but a bolstering “Christmas Eve Gift!” In your ear.

There were many methods of getting Christmas Eve Gift on unsuspecting family members and as new spouses joined our family over the years, they too were subjected to our crazy competition.

With the advancements of technology, there have been many debates as to whether or not electronic forms of communication are acceptable or not, but nonetheless it’s all fun and games.

Now, you may have been wondering what on earth could the prize be for someone to go to such great lengths to play this game. And one would think that there would be something worthwhile for the athletic abilities to scheme and plan like this. Legend has it that whoever wins the game is supposed to give the other person a gift, but I’ve never seen that happen. But I can tell you that we’ve had many a laugh and good time with trying to be the winner.

So if you’re reading this on December 24, I must say to you, “Christmas Eve Gift!”

Scents With A Story: Alabama Bougie

It’s not fancy…. Just common scents and this describes Tumpie to a tee.  When people think of the word bougie they think of fancy or uppity, but in French, bougie means candle.  Tumpie, who we knew as MawMaw, was anything but fancy; she was a witty, kind, resourceful Alabama lady who loved her family and who loved to spread joy.  Alabama Bougie was created to tell her story and share her legacy.  This fragrance is a bit nostalgic and brings back memories of a Sunday afternoon visit to her house where we might go fishing, go pick vegetables in the garden or play in the barn.  It brings many wonderful recollections of summer days and happy times spent at Tumpie’s house. We hope that Alabama Bougie gives you a nostalgic memory like it does for us.