My Photo

These are a few of my favorite things...

  • Old quilts
  • Antique Linen
  • Coin silver
  • Peonies & Hydrangeas
  • Vintage tablecloths & napkins
  • Vacations at the beach
  • Picnics
  • Brown transferware
  • Ironstone
  • Baskets...especially from England
  • Baking bread...& cakes!
  • Vintage matelasse & eiderdown
  • Nursery rhymes
  • Church camps
  • Old black & white photos
  • Old ticking pillows
  • Hymns

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May 2008

May 30, 2008

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? 

May 26, 2008

Married Up & Settled Down

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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...

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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!)

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

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.)

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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?

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Reception

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. 

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This was our second kiss as Mr. and Mrs.

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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!

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

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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! 

May 10, 2008

Praying for Children

"Don't nobody pray over you like your Mama!"

I have often heard this, and I am sure many of you have as well.  So, in honor of Mother's Day, I wanted to post this list that guides us in praying for our children.  I hope you find it as helpful as I do.  (Unfortunately, I do not know where this originates, so if you know, please let me know, too!)

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I pray...

...that they will know Christ as Savior early in life  (Psalm 63:1, 2 Timothy 3:15).

...that they will fear the Lord and serve Him (Deuteronomy 6:13).

...that they will have a responsibile attitude and excellent spirit in all their ways and relationships (Daniel 6:3).

...that their lives will bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

...that they will honor their parents so all will go well with them (Ephesians 6:1-3).

...that they will live by the Spirit and not gratify the flesh (Galatians 5:16).

...that they will respect those in authority over them (Romans 13:1, Exodus 20:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, Ephesians 6:1-3, 5-7).

...that they will accept responsibility for their sins (Psalm 51:1-4, 9, 10).

...that they will have quick, repentant hearts (Psalm 51:1-3).

...that they will be teachable and able to take correction (Isaiah 54:13, Proverbs 13:1).

...that they will have a hatred for sin (Psalm 97:10).

...that they will be caught when guilty and gratefully receive discipline (Psalm 119:71).

...that they will desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong friends and those who would corrupt them (Proverbs 10, 11, 19).

...that they will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one (2 Corinthians 6:14-17).

...that they, as well as those they marry, will be kept pure until marriage (1 Corinthans 6:18-20).

...that they will learn to totally submit to god and actively resist Satan in all circumstances (James 4:7).

...that they wil trust in the Lord for direction in their lives (Proverbs 3:5-6).

...that they will be hedged by God so that they cannot find their way to wrong people or wrong places and that the wrong people cannot find their way to them (Hosea 2:6).

...that they will be single-heartedly and wholly committed to the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2).

Happy Mother's Day to all y'all!  To those who are mothers now, it's time to pray up and train up, for we have been handed the calling to raise new disciples of Christ! To those who are patiently waiting, your blessings await you.  God bless each and every one of you this day! 

May 07, 2008

Little is much when God is in it...

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Thank you, Shannon!

I am so flattered!  The other day, I received my very first award...an Arte y Pico award from Shannon. 

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I am all the more excited that she was the one to give it to me.  I found her blog, Bless Our Nest, about a month ago and just love her!

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We love so many of the same things...God, our families, antiquing, decorating our homes, and um, Nature's Own Honey Wheat bread (yeah, I saw it in your pantry.  Haha!).  She has a beautiful home and very inspiring ideas.  I am so happy and thankful to have found a new friend and sister in Christ!  Thank you, again, Shannon!   

May 02, 2008

Yellah

That's how we say "yellow."  It's one of my favorite colors, because it looks so happy and cheerful!  Here are some pictures of it in my home for Angela's latest color challenge.

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This is a basket I got the other day.  I may leave it on the porch and put some potted plants in it.

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I love these little vintage batiste dresses.  They are so delicate and sweet!

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Oh, Ping!  Do y'all know this story?  Mama always used to tell it to me and my sister, Kelly, when we were at the doctor's office.  So now, when I am sitting in the waiting room with Amelia at the pediatrician's office, what do I whisper in her ear as she plays on my lap?  Yup, Ping.  (Oh, and look at that cute pair of vintage glasses for a child...I couldn't resist bringing them home with me!) 

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More gold than yellow, I realize, but I still wanted to include my collection of Little Golden Books.  I love them!

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While we are talking about books...

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Here's another picture of Amelia's bath basket.

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How sweet is this vintage card for a new baby?  I have a small collection of them propped in an old glass toast caddy on a table in Amelia's nursery.

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This is a doll my Aunt Kathy made for me when I was little.  Isn't she pretty and unique, with her "K" eyes and floweredy cheeks?

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Here is the yellow guest bath upstairs.  (more pictures here)

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I love this old set of linen handtowels Momma sent me as an early birthday present.  They are the perfect color for the guest bath.  I am always on the hunt for Mr. & Mrs. linens.  Thanks, Momma!

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This is some fabric I am going to use for the shower curtain for the guest bath.  I will be finishing it up the week after next.

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A good rule to live by...

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OH!  And our house, of course!

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Chicken Braid Recipe

This recipe is one that is in regular rotation at my home.  I think it is a variation of a Pampered Chef recipe, but I am not sure where I got this one.  It's been one of our favorites for years!

After I cook my whole chicken, I chunk up the white meat and grind the dark.  Then, mix in some mayonnaise (Duke's, of course!) until it is moist.  Add in some shredded swiss cheese.  I think I usually add about a cup to a cup and a half of cheese.  Spread out a can of crescent roll dough and just pinch the perforations together so that it stays in a rectangle.  Form a loaf with the chicken mixture in the center.

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Then, I use a pizza wheel to cut strips on each side, making sure I have equal numbers on both edges.

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Then, just pull up a strip from each side and twist once and return the strip to it's original side.

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Bake at 350 degrees till the dough is done, about 25 minutes in oven. 

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Have a Seat!

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This is Amelia's new chair she got for her birthday!  Isn't it ADORABLE?!?!  Grandmama and Grandpa (my parents) sent it to her.  It's the Anywhere Chair from Pottery Barn Kids.  It has a handle on the back, a big ol' pocket on the back for books, and it's very lightweight.  We are lovin' it!

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I love the red and white gingham!  So classic!

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Thanks, Grandpa and Grandmama!!

p.s.  When she gets a bit older, we'll practice a more graceful, lady-like entrance and exit of the chair!

May 01, 2008

A May Basket

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I was inspired this morning to make a May Basket with daisies and roses from my garden.  Thank you, Kelli!

Happy May Day!