I'm delighted today to bring you photos of our recent trip to the beautiful Huntsville Botanical Gardens in Huntsville, Alabama! My two daughters, my son, and I went to visit my sister and her family a couple of weeks ago. After having to cancel travel plans for The Biltmore Estate in March, and then for Virginia and DC in May, we were all thankful to still be able to get in our summer trip to my sister's home--a tradition we've kept since even our oldest children were just little ones. One of our favorite excursions while there has always been the Botanical Gardens. When we were just young mommies to babes in strollers, my sister and I would push our little nappers around while we ... Read more
Fluff the Nest Friday: Rub a Dub Dub, There’s Some Yuck in My Tub!
Around here, Friday is the day to fluff the nest, which is just a much cuter way of saying “clean the house”. Am I right? So my Friday posts are all about tidying up and getting the house fresh and in order for the weekend. Some weeks my nest-fluffing comes more easily than others. I need motivation each Friday. Today I want to share a cleaning product that has been a game changer for me. When we bought our current home, I was so excited to get a soaking tub. My then 8-year old daughter called it the DREAM TUB! Cute. The only thing that wasn't too dreamy about it for me was the fact that it was jetted. I wondered what grew inside the jets and how I could be sure they were clean since I ... Read more
Spring 2020: Counting Every Blessing
Spring 2020 was a doozy. These days just the mention of 2020 comes with sighs and eye-rolls. Covid-19 has brought hardships, stress, and loss to many. Our family has dealt with the heaviness as well in a number of ways, but the Lord has also showered blessing upon blessing on us. I love the song "Counting Every Blessing" by Rend Collective and have had that song in my head since The Rona hit. So today I'm counting every blessing of Spring 2020! And because there were so many, this is an incredibly long post, but mostly photos. Blessing 1: The Great Outdoors Not a single day passed during all of isolation where the sun did not rise! And with each sunrise came new mercies and ... Read more
Hello, Instant Pot!
Any Instant Pot people out there? I may be way behind on the trend, but after having absolutely no interest for the last year in purchasing and making room in my cabinets for another appliance, I finally took the plunge and got one! What finally won me over? Well, besides learning that I could cook frozen meat in an hour, and dried beans in less than an hour without presoaking, what really stopped me in my tracks was hearing about the EASY PEEL EGGS!!! WHAT?! I love boiled eggs, egg salad, deviled eggs, you name it. But I absolutely loath peeling the eggs! So much so, that when I ask a hostess what I can bring to a meal, I’m secretly saying in my mind, “Please no deviled eggs, please ... Read more
Butterscotch Pie
Hello, friends! Earlier this week I attended my cooking club and the theme this month was “Family Favorites”. I took Cottage Pie and Butterscotch Pie. The Cottage Pie is a scrumptious meat and potatoes dish which I posted Tuesday. Butterscotch Pie is nothing less than a sweet dream on a plate! Butterscotch Pie has been a favorite at our house for more years than I can remember. In just a minute I’ll tell you where I got the recipe from. It’s kind of cute, so stick around. I already have a few pie plates in my cabinet, but none of them were ideal for pudding pies. I had been looking for a new one that was deep, but with a good slant to the sides so the crust would not sink down. I found ... Read more
Cottage Pie
I’m in a cooking club that meets every other month with a different meal theme each time. Our group is called The Mixing Bowls. Isn’t that cute! I told my kids I must be getting older now that I’m in social clubs that have cute names like that. Haha. And I’m totally embracing it! It’s so much fun getting together with the ladies to eat, talk, and laugh for an entire evening! I love these women and I always come home with a full tummy and lots of great new recipes! We met last night and our theme this month was “Family Favorites”. I took Cottage Pie because, not only is it a favorite meal at our house, but it represents a favorite destination of ours as well: Disney World! We’ve eaten this ... Read more
And The Sun Rises Again
Good morning! Isn’t that sunrise breathtaking! I got to witness that particular sunrise in person earlier this week. Sunrises are one of my best motivators for rising early and hitting the ground running (or maybe just walking briskly!). I’ve been a little MIA here the last couple of weeks. I planned to get in a few posts last week, but a 3-day migraine derailed those plans. This week has been back-to-homeschool so I’m just getting around to hopping back on here and saying hello! During the summer months my kids all sleep later—a perk that comes with having older kids (hang in there young mamas!)—but I continued to rise with the hubs at our regular 5A, which not only allowed me my usual ... Read more
Kitchen and Bath Faves and Finds
Good morning! It’s a fresh day with some fresh new faves and finds for kitchen and bath! These are just a few items I’ve been enjoying lately. ***** KITCHEN TOWELS & SOAP To go with the lemon placemats I found earlier in the season, Dollar General now has these lemon tea towels. They are just $3.50 for a pack of two, making them $1.75 a piece! I also picked up the lemon hand soap there as well. I got one towel/soap set for myself, and another set to take to my sister (She gave me that teapot in the photo!). The kids and I are leaving today to spend a few days with her family and we are so excited! Allison, if you read this before I get there, just act surprised! My sister-in-law gave ... Read more