Hi, friends! We've been busy around here finishing one month and beginning another. Here are a few snapshots from our week. Birthday Trip! January ended with our son's 12th birthday and a special overnight trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, Georgia to enjoy their indoor water park and slides! More on this adventure next week but here's a sneak peek. We all got complimentary wolf ears at the lodge which my son just had to torment the poor cat with. But I must say, it was pretty hilarious how long Floyd left those ears on Our cats put up with a lot! ***** Blogiversary Also at the end of January was my blog's 4th anniversary! You can read my very first post ... Read more
Cook by the Book: Three-Cheese (& Ham) Quiche
(Friends, I was not able to finish the adoption post planned for today because we were busy celebrating a birthday yesterday! So, instead I’m plugging in a recipe post that was ready and waiting and I will be back Thursday with the adoption post.) Last year I set out to use my cookbooks more often and to give my reviews here on the blog, and I have a few new ones to share this week! Today's recipe is a Three-Cheese Quiche from Joanna Gaines's Magnolia Table. My daughter and I served this at our Winter Wonderland Tea. I made the crust, and she made the filling. It was our first time making it, but fortunately, it was a hit! Three-Cheese Quiche 6 large eggs 1 cup heavy cream ... Read more
Snapshot Saturday: January 2023
I did not keep up with my weekly "Snapshot Saturday" posts during January so here's just a quick summary of the whole month. These are in very random order. I'll start with the pets. King Kat Floyd has a way of lounging on our beds with this expression of confident ownership. When he does this Joel calls him "King Kat". If I Fits, I Sits My daughter says this is Pumpkin's life motto because she tries out everything to see how it "sits". I had just emptied this basket in my bedroom, and she did not hesitate to fill it up with herself. Partners in Crime I left the linen cabinet open one morning while I was getting ready, and the cats couldn't resist jumping ... Read more
Winter Lodge Wedding
My nephew and his precious bride got married a few weeks ago and it was one of the sweetest and prettiest weddings I've had the pleasure of attending! Family weddings are just so much fun, and even sweeter when they're for people you've watched grow up. These two are perfect for each other and I believe my nephew was the happiest groom I've ever seen. They chose the Lodge at Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville, Alabama for their wedding venue and it could not have been any dreamier! They had a lovely vision for the wedding and with their ideas plus my sister's event-planning skills, it came together so nicely. My sister, Allison, recruited her friend as director and decorator, and then ... Read more
Winter Overnight Getaway
We took a quick overnight getaway to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia for my husband's birthday. His New Year's Eve birthday has always been a fun family time for us spent at home, but since our married daughter would be gone this year, we decided to do something a little different for everyone to look forward to. We were gone for just about 24 hours, but it was just perfect! Callaway is only an hour and a half away from us, so we usually just make it a day trip, however, last year we stayed in one of their cabins for a weekend and this year we decided to try their Lodge. We loved it! My daughter said this place had serious Hallmark vibes! Wouldn't you agree? It was nice ... Read more
Christmas Memories 2022
Happy New Year!! I can't believe it's 2023! We had a wonderful December, and everyone in our house stayed well this year! Last year we had Covid, so we were home for most of December, which was pretty cozy and a different kind of blessing, but this year we were able to get out, keep all our plans, and enjoy fun activities. I have an embarrassing number of photos, so I'll try and keep my comments brief. We kicked off the beginning of December with our favorite peppermint milkshakes from Chick-Fil-A. Our first Christmas party of the season was with our field trip co-op, and you can read about that here. The next day we moms had a special field trip planned just for our teens ... Read more
Winter Wonderland Tea
I hope you're all having a lovely holiday! I'm working on a Christmas recap post but for today I'm just going to share some pics from a little tea lunch my daughter and I hosted. We have a yearly tradition of sharing a holiday teatime with my sister-in-law and niece and another friend and her daughter. The girls don't get to see each other much during the school year so it's a sweet time to catch up with everyone while munching and sipping on delicious holiday yummies! We actually had this Winter Wonderland-themed tea planned with this group for last January 2022 but illness among half our group cancelled those plans. Since my girl and I already had most of the supplies gathered, we ... Read more
Wooden Clothespin Nativity
Hey there! I want to quickly show y'all this sweet clothespin nativity we made last week. Last Friday our dear little neighbor friends and their mama came for "Cookies, Cocoa, and a Craft"! I'd been seeing different versions of these clothespin Nativity crafts all over the internet and came up with my own version. I really wanted to do them with our co-op kids, but it just wasn't going to be doable with the number of kids we had and the short time frame to work. If we'd used wood glue, it wouldn't dry in time to take them home, leaving me only with the option of hot glue which I NEVER use with a crowd of kids. Those things are hot! I remember in one of my elementary art ed classes in ... Read more