I pray all of you have been safe from the destruction caused by the hurricane over the weekend. It has been so heartbreaking to see the news footage and hear the ongoing reports of more lives lost. It was a sad ending to September. September passed so quickly, I didn't even take many photos of daily life. I'll need to be more intentional in October. But here goes anyway. I did a lot of bread baking in September but still haven't gotten back into sourdough other than just keeping my starter alive. What you see pictured in these photos is yeast bread using my milled grain. It's my family's favorite. On Labor Day we stayed home, did a little work in the morning, and then ate a ... Read more
Elegant Woodsy Wedding
My daughter is married! She married a wonderful guy in a lovely ceremony two weeks ago and it was such a happy day for all of us. Shortly after the proposal, my daughter began pinning photos and ideas for the big day, but it wasn't until she selected her wedding dress that a clear direction for the style of the wedding developed. Having an appreciation for the history, art, literature, and music of the Middle Ages, one particular dress with a subtle Medieval flare caught her eye! With additional nods to the groom's Scottish roots and the bride's Irish lineage (we actually have some of everything in our family--Irish, English, French, Cherokee, etc.--so she had her pick!), the wedding ... Read more
Our First….Rock?
My daughter is getting married next week. NEXT WEEK! We are neck deep in wedding details, so I haven't had time to blog about all her showers and parties but will do so after the wedding. For now, I want to share something funny that's kind of an inside family joke but related to the upcoming marriage. There are lots of "firsts" for a newlywed couple: "our first house", "our first Christmas", "our first pet". But here's a first you probably don't know about unless you've seen a certain movie--a movie that is a family favorite of ours: The Long Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Because we love this movie so much and have laughed and laughed over one particular line (actually, ... Read more
Spring Barn Wedding
My nephew got married this past weekend! He married a precious girl he met at college in their church's campus ministry, and it is a match made in heaven. Their wedding venue was pretty heavenly as well! The couple selected a picturesque barn situated on a rolling hill with a little pond, and it was just perfect. The reception tables inside were so elegant! My sister worked with a wedding coordinator, who happens to be a long-time friend of our family, to pull these together. My sister potted ferns and other green plants for the centerpieces. The gold lanterns, candles, and soft blue runners were provided by the coordinator. The bridesmaids wore light blue dresses, and the ... Read more
February Feels
Good Monday morning! I'm just jotting down a few simple blessings from my weekend. Just some sweet tidbits.On Friday, what started as "Mom, can you please look over my essay with me?" turned into the picture you see below! My girl and I often make tea when we go over her assignments for her composition course, so we decided to make some tea first, and since it was raspberry truffle tea, we thought chocolate raspberry chocolate chip scones would go perfectly with our tea. One thing led to another and viola! Friday afternoon tea party--delicious! Saturday night, my husband and I went on an early Valentine's date! It's really hard to work in date nights these days, but we've ... Read more
This Little Hand
I'm taking down Christmas decor today and, as with every year, I’ll be enjoying a little trip down memory lane as I pack away each of my children's keepsakes. I've always especially cherished their handprint art, knowing their little hands would never be that tiny again, and wondering where the Lord might lead them in life. The little Santa trivet below was made by my oldest when she was just 5 years old!And now?... And now that hand has a ring on it!! We are thrilled that God has led her to a wonderful man who proposed on Christmas Eve-Eve, and will soon hold her hand in marriage. I will post more in the coming days from our Christmas holiday but wanted to go ahead and share our ... Read more
Anniversary Trip: And We’re Off!
This month my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! To mark the occasion, we took a quick two-night trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, one of our very favorite places. Our kids were excited for us and encouraged us to take the time away for ourselves while they took care of things back at home. Our girls did a lot of managing schedules and household tasks, and even planned a couple of surprises for us while we were gone which I’ll tell you about later. Joel and I two very blessed parents, let me tell ya! I’m sharing some photos from our trip in three posts, one for each day we were gone, starting with our first travel day. We enjoyed a gorgeous day of ... Read more