Harrington House

Bedside Bouquet

The other day, I decked out the bedside table with some white roses from my two Sombreuil bushes.  The Sombreuil roses I have are tea climbers with the most beautiful white blooms with tons and tons of petals, and they smell fabulous!  Thankfully, there are blooms throughout the summer, and it is very easy to grow.  I use organic methods of pest control on my flowers (or nothing at all!), and these have done just fine!  The blooms look incredible as a bouquet or all alone...like this one sitting in a tiny glass salt shaker in the master bath...

Right now, these two bushes are in the front flower bed, but this fall I am going to move them so that they will be growing on a fence and arbor on the side yard.  I can't wait to see them in all their climbing glory next spring!

Fiesta Chicken Bake

This dish is in regular rotation here at our home.  It's one of those quick and easy meals, and I almost always have all the ingredients for it.

After you cook your chicken, shred it and put it in a bowl with:  1 can Cream of Celery soup, 1 can Cream of Chicken soup, 1 can Rotel, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. chile powder, and a small onion that has been sauteed in butter.  Mix all that together.

Then, crush up some tortilla chips.  (I just crunch them in the bag after I open one corner of the bag to let the air out.)  Spread a layer of the crushed chips into the bottom of a 9x 13 dish.  Then, spread you on a layer of the chicken mixture.  Follow with a layer of shredded cheese.  Repeat layers once.  Top it with the last of the chips and another sprinkling of cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees till hot and bubbly!

Grab a fork, and y'all come eat!

Daddy's Hands

I remember Daddy's hands
folded silently in prayer,
and reaching out to hold me
when I had a nightmare.

You could read quite a story
in the callouses and lines.
Years of work and worry
had left their mark behind.

I remember Daddy's hands,
how they held my Mama tight
and patted my back
for something done right.

There are things that I've forgotten
that I loved about the man,
But I'll always remember
the love in Daddy's hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind
when I was cryin'.
Daddy's hands were hard as steel
when I'd done wrong.
Daddy's hands weren't always gentle,
but I've come to understand...
There was always love
in Daddy's hands.

Do y'all remember this incredibly sweet Holly Dunn song?  I know my sister and I used to sing it all the time.  We love our Daddy.  And, yes, he is still "Daddy," and we hug his neck just like we did when we were little.  He'll probably never know how much he means to us.

You know how they say a girl looks for a beau that reminds her of her Daddy?  Well, my husband is every bit as sweet as mine.  In the past year, I've watched him grow into an incredible father.  I'm sure one day, Amelia will hear this song and feel just what I feel when I hear it.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Daisies

These are some of the Becky daisies that are growing right off the front porch.  Don't daisies just look so happy?  I love my Becky daisies...they are so tall, and blooms are always in abundance throughout the summer into the fall.  Even though they aren't fragrant, they still look pretty to me.

I found this glass bowl and frog at an antique store in Kentucky.  I have seen a blue million of these floral frogs but have never seen one of these little bowls with them.  Have y'all?

 

Into the yellow guest bathroom they have gone...

Happy weekend, y'all!!

I Need Help...Please

I'm gonna need somebody to drive down here to Georgia and take these pecan rolls away from me.  I bought a bag full of them on my way home from Kentucky last month.  I have darn near polished off the whole bag.  They are entirely too delicious.

On second thought, I'm gonna need you to just stop by the Old Kentucky Candies Co. and pick me up some more.

Life's a Beach

Today, I took Amelia over to a local summer spot...Sun Valley Beach.  It's a giant pool with sand all around and slides and more in the pool.  Amelia had so much fun playing in the sand, sun, and sea (pool).  I don't think I got a single picture of her face the entire time...she was just...too....busy!

Mama was on constant "Sand To Mouth" patrol because handfuls of sand were getting shovelled in her mouth.  Oh my!

Amelia playing with her friend Leslie...

One of the nice things about this place is you can bring your own food.  So I packed us up a lunch and, of course, hauled it in my picnic basket.  (I'm always looking for a reason to take it with me somewhere!)

 

This is the sunscreen I am using for now.  I really wanted to order the California Baby sunscreen, but it is on backorder and will not be here in time for our vacation.  I will probably still order some.  I want something that is organic and chemical-free.  This particular sunscreen did a fine job (we were only out for just over an hour), and it smelled really good.  But I'm not sure about its ingredients yet.  Has anyone had experience with this kind or the California Baby sunscreen or any other kind of baby sunscreen that is chemical-free?

Silverware Affair

One of my favorite things to collect is old silver.  I love it.  LOVE it!  Especially antique silverware.  I love the look of it and the weight of it in my hand.  Here is the silverware that we use here at home...

I keep them out like this instead of in drawers simply because I enjoy looking at them...plus it's super-handy when I need to eat a piece of cake right then and don't have the energy to open a drawer.  :o)

I'm always excited when I find pieces that are monogrammed or engraved with names, dates, and hotels.  Typically, I pay very little for these pieces since I buy them a piece at a time.  Very few of my pieces match each other, and that's just the way I want it.  It's more interesting, I think. 

This is a basket of pieces waiting to be polished.  When I polish them, I always leave a little bit of tarnish in the creases and engravings so they stand out more.  Now, y'all know I wouldn't want anything to look too new! 

This "Hotel De Soto" ladle and the "Mary" spoon are in the to-be-polished basket, but I thought they were pretty to show.

One of my all-time very favorite pieces...my "Rhoda" napkin ring.  These napkin rings made of real silver are so hard to find (or at least for me they have been), so I am always keeping an eye out for them.

If you want to use silver for everyday use...go ahead!  You don't have to polish it near as often because the frequent use keeps the tarnish away.  I never put my pieces in the dishwasher, though.  I just wash them by hand in the sink with a non-citrus dish soap, and then I dry them off before putting them away.

If y'all want to see more people sharing their favorite antique collections, you can visit antiquetherapy.com .   

Playin' Catch-Up!

Phew!  We've been busy the past couple of weeks!  But it's been the good kind of busy.  So, I am going to try to catch up.... (Warning!  Long, random, and rambling post ahead...)

Last Monday was my birthday...I'm 28!  Twenty-eight, y'all!!  It's so funny how I still feel like I am college-age.  (Sigh...)  Do you want to see what I got?

A clothesline!!  YEA!  I have had this on my wish-list for about three years.  I love it!  There is nothing like line-dried sheets.  I have been using indoor drying racks to hang-dry a lot of our clothes and everything of Amelia's.  I am so excited about my new outdoor line.  Mike had to dig through the rock-hard Georgia red clay for the posts.  I refrained from re-enacting a scene from my favorite movie (Gone With the Wind) with this handful of Georgia clay...."That's all of Tara you'll ever get!"

Amelia was daddy's little helper...

Thank you, Mike and Amelia, for my birthday present!

I hung some of my brown transferware dishes in the dining room...(The top dish was a gift from Momma for my birthday.)

I've been scrubbin' in the house.  Can you see the difference in my windows?  I know...not the most exciting of news, but I love having sparkly clean windows!  So I have to show them off.  "...I can see clearly now..."

Ta-Da!  I don't keep the screens in my windows because I certainly am not opening them...not in this 90-plus heat!  Even though, I do love to sleep with the windows open... 

Just for fun...a silly sleeping picture of Amelia...hehe!...

Now, for the best part...  We got to go to church this past Sunday. 

Let me give a little background, so that you'll know how truly exciting this is for us.  Several years ago, I had signed a contract to work every weekend, save four a year...night shift, that is, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.  At first, I thought I would be able to stay awake in order to go to church on Sunday.  Then, we moved even further away from our church, making our drive an hour each way.  I just couldn't stay awake.  When I was pregnant with Amelia, I would get migrains if I tried.  And after having her, phewwww, I was too tired to even think about it.  We knew we wanted to go back, we just didn't know how we could at that time.  We tried churches that were closer, but there was just something missing.  And without family close by, I needed to be home during the week to take care of Amelia, and Mike could watch her on the weekends while I was at the hospital working.  After a lot of thinking and praying (and financial figuring), we decided that I would come home, and just work a couple nights a month.  This past week was the first weekend I didn't have to work.  We spent all day Saturday together as a family, instead of me having to sleep to go back into work that night (we felt so normal!!!), and we got to go to church on Sunday morning.  I am beyond thankful for this, more than I can say.

We ate lunch on Saturday at Bugaboo Creek.  Have y'all ever been there?  The animals talk.  And there was a giant buffalo directly over our table.  Amelia was completely enthrawled...

For the remainder of the meal, she kept an eye on him, waiting for him to come back to life and ask for a cookie...

After lunch, we went to the fabric store where Amelia made the rounds, with Daddy trailing closely behind...   (I might add, these ladies are strangers to Amelia, but ladies at the fabric store are always the good kind of strangers, right?)

Note to self:  Now that Amelia is walking, shoes are a must!

But, c'mon, it's summer!  And grungy toes aren't nearly as cute when your older.

Then, it was church on Sunday morning!  :o)

This little sailor dress was mine as a baby.  I know I've said it before, but I am so happy Momma saved so many of my baby clothes and dresses.  Isn't it sweet?

Oh, mercy!

Such a big, big day for a tiny girl...

Oh...and this is a lizard that was on our front porch the other day.  I asked Mike why he was taking a picture of it, and he said he figured I'd want to put it on my blog.  Sooo, here he is.  At any given moment, I can go outside and find no less than ten of these little guys. 

Y'all have a great week!   

Twenty Things I Will Never Do

I will never...

1.  ...be good at math.  Remember how you learned to count on your fingers?  I still do that.  Every time I count.  Every time.

2.  ...stop antiquing, junking, and thrifting. 

3.  ...have a gorgeous, glowing tan.

4.  ...give up on having said tan.  (I am the Queen of Mystic Tan.  And I have never objected to slathering on baby oil and iodine and frying soaking (who am I kidding?) frying in the sun.

5.  ...stop drinking sweet tea, a.k.a. Champagne of the South.

6.  ...drive a mini-van.  Never. Ever. Ever. Ever. Never.

7.  ...like olives.  They taste like formaldehyde.  Not that I've tasted formaldehyde, mind you.

8.  ...forget the first moment I saw my baby.  I will relinquish every memory I have, but not this one...ever.  It would be impossible.

9.  ...live in the north.

10.  ...again put Amelia down for a nap wearing only a diaper.  There's a story there.  I'll leave it to your imagination.

11.  ...stop loving carbs. 

12.  ...tap dance like a professional.  But that doesn't stop me from donning my real tap shoes and busting out in Rockette chorus-line fashion to "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" like I, in fact, know what I am doing. 

13.  ...outgrow my desire for a pair of majorette boots. 

14.  ...stop wanting to have kids.  At least, I don't think I will.  I want a whole litter.  How many do I have now?  One.  You just told me to wait and see, didn't you?

15.  ...wear skinny pants. 

16.  ...say "No, thank you" to gravy.  Or chips.

17.  ...forget where I came from.   

18.  ...find the "K" ring I lost in Greenbo Lake on a fishing trip with my Papaw.

19.  ...golf.

20.  ...stop loving God.

I swiped this idea from my new blog friend Lindsey.  What about y'all's "I'll Never..." list? 

Married Up & Settled Down

That's what we did five years ago.  FIVE years ago...wow!!  We were married in the evening on May 24th, 2003 at an outdoor tent ceremony with all our friends and family.  We had met for the first time when I was sixteen years old, and I knew I was going to marry him one day.  Really.  I came home and told my Momma.  I had known his parents for several years before I met him at church one Sunday when he came into town.  But something inside me told me that that wasn't the right time for us.  (There is almost 8 years between us, and, at the time, that was a lot of difference between a 16-year-old and a 23-year-old.)  So, when I was in my sophomore year of college, his mother gave him my email address, and he used it.  He was living in Charlotte at the time, so we wrote each other every day for a month.  Then, he came into town (Nashville) for Thanksgiving that year, and we had our first date.  The rest is our history!  So, since it's our five year anniversary, I wanted to share some of our wedding pictures, because it was a perfect day when I married my best friend...

I loved my wedding dress.  I still love it.  And I love that Mike wore his blue suit.  They are both hanging in our closet now.

The bride-elect and future bridegroom in an engagment photo... (Gosh, we look so young!)

The girls...Brooke, Lisa (Mike's sister), Anna, and Kelly (my sister)...

The guys...Duane, Tom, Mike (Lisa's husband), and John...

Mike's dad married us.  It was so special for us. 

This is my mother (Momma).  Don't we look alike?  We laugh alike, too.  She helped me so much in preparation for our wedding.  We really did have a lot of fun with it.

I carried a bouquet of gardenias.  The fragrance was incredible, and they were just gorgeous!  But breathe on them, and they'd bruise...so I had to be so very careful.

I was so fortunate to have aunts and cousins and more from both sides of our families help with the food!  We didn't use a caterer, but we had tons of food!  In the months before the wedding, I stocked up on glass platters and compotes and footed dishes and silver service from antique stores to use for our food.  This picture is of some cheesecake bites.  Sooooo good!  (They are from Sam's.)

I couldn't decide on my cake...so I had three!  Three small ones, anyway!  :o)  The white one on top was strawberry cake, the pink cake to the left was classic white, and the green one with the white dots was chocolate.  For us, the green cake represented the groom's cake since I thought the white dots on green was like golf balls on grass!  Now the cakes were one thing we did not do ourselves!  They came from Sweet 'N Sassy Bakery.  Isn't that a great name for a bakery?

In keeping with the very simple theme at my wedding, the centerpieces on the tables were small white paper sacks with a sweet bouquet of baby's breath.  And we had bought all those white table linens and napkins (at a very good price, of course!) and folded all those napkins on the table. 

This was our second kiss as Mr. and Mrs.

We left in a shower of rice.  If you look closely, you can see that we have our eyes closed.  And we were sorta running.  That's because the rice kinda hurt!  Haha!  We couldn't stop laughing!

   

And off we go!  We honeymooned in the Mayan Riviera, and it was a wonderful, unforgettable trip!

So how did we celebrate this big five-year anniversary, you ask?  With a GI bug!  It was horrible!  But, thankfully, it is over now!  I had just gotten back Thursday from a two-week trip to my parents with Amelia.  We were both sick all weekend!  But I have lots of goodies from my trip and pictures that I will post later this week!  It was such a nice trip, but it is so nice to be back home, too!