How Do I Love Thee

It seems like yesterday we were standing in the resort on our honeymoon. Fresh faced twenty-somethings excited to build our lives together.

And then again, my heart doesn't count the years, the months or even the days. It's been full of love since I met him and my love grows deeper every year.


Sonnet 43 - How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.


May we always feel the excitement and love we felt on our wedding day!

Fall Flowers Make Me Happy

I love fresh, beautiful plants and dressing up my planters and urns for each season.





It just makes me happy.





And makes my whole house look warm and inviting.





And it was so easy to get it done quickly now days, y'all. Cause you know, we're all busy. Regardless of what our days are filled with, they are all filled.





I made a quick trip to my local home improvement store the other morning and was impressed with all of the variety available for autumn months.








Granted, I'm here in Georgia where we have mild weather, but I am impressed with the home improvement and garden supply stores for keeping selections you can easily move from their plastic pot into your own more decorative container. 

Within just a little while, I had all of my geraniums from the summer replaced with gorgeous new plants.

And hopefully any visitors we have surely won't suspect I am lacking in the green thumb department.  So, sshhh, don't tell them, okay?



What are your favorite plants for fall?

Last Days of Summer

We're drinking in the last drops of summer, ripe with sunshine and seasoned with thoughts of cooler evenings and shorter days.




Planning those last jumps off the dock and wondering what to do with the gum.






And thinking surely Mom won't mind holding it.


NOT! Yuck! Ick! Ewwwwww!


I can't even stand to touch my own chewing gum.





Catching those last of summer swims.





And end of day swings.


What are you doing to enjoy this last week of summer?

Friends in Need

I've been thinking a lot this past week about how quickly things change in your life. One day you believe your life will always be the same, that tomorrow will be a definite, and then in a blink of an eye, it's not.





And those thoughts brought floods of memories of my Grandmother and her generation. I remember staying with her in the summer and having to be really quiet starting at about 8 o'clock in the morning until the funeral hour was over on the radio. As soon as it was over, her phone line was busy as she called friends and neighbors to organize a meal plan.

I never really understood why they had to call one another, you see, they were connected and knew of any sickness within the area. They would have taken flowers from their cutting gardens and vegetables from their vegetable gardens for some time already.

But occasionally, there was the one situation where even my Grandmother would have been caught off guard.

As I thought of my Grandmother, I remembered her baking cakes, pies or fixing a pot of soup when a neighbor had a "rough spot" of the kind a little girl just might not have understood at the time.

And I especially remember the night our neighbor's house caught on fire and quickly spread to their barn. The men rushed to help put the blaze out while the women gathered blankets and jackets and brought the wife and children to our house for the night. It was what neighbor did and I sure hope that kindness to others hasn't died with my Grandmother's generation. I'll admit though, I am not as quick to help as she was. I wish I weren't.

Which brings me to Erika, her family's house burned to ashes this past week. Her post of the event had me weeping for her loss and praising God for her blessings. She's fortunate for all of her family to be alive. The situation could have been so much worse. And thankfully, her friends have rallied around her with immediate help. They've established a site and allowing us to help as well. Even though we are many miles apart.

If we were closer, I'd certainly want to do more physically for her family. But for now, this is the best way I can help her.

Will you keep Erika's family in your prayers?

My Kitchen Drawer

My kitchen drawers can get away from me quickly if I'm not careful. Utensils and whatnot turned topsy turvy and not as well organized as I'd like.

Full of gadgets I just knew I had to have and would use regularly, and now, they sit somewhere mixed in with all the other gadgetry I've felt the same about.



I have a "go to" kitchen drawer that I definitely use more than others. It holds my ramekins filled with different types of salt, fine and course {Because different dishes definitely require different types!}, measuring spoons and cups, and such.

If you have the space, I highly recommend a drawer or space next to your cooktop equipped with the items you use the most. It definitely works for me and I love it!

Do your kitchen drawers get in a tangle, too? How do you organize them?

What We're Reading Now

Little Buddy has started a new series of books, Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riordan.

He's started with Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief, the first book in the series. It's a great series for boys. It's full of adventure, excitement, and I love that it ties into the Ancient History lessons we had last year.

The first book isn't in these photographs, Little Buddy has it stashed under his pillow with his reading light. I know not to disturb that setup.

While he's reading the series, we're discussing plot, character development, and foreshadowing. I love it when he is eager about reading and I have to remind him to turn his reading light out at night.

That's when I know we're on to something.



What books have you found lately that your child loves?

Josh Turner and Memories

When Little Buddy was two years old, his favorite song was Long Black Train by Josh Turner. He'd try his best to make his voice hit those impossibly low notes as we replayed the song over and over and over again. And if he ever caught a glimpse of a black train, I knew singing was about to commence.

I hadn't thought of those moments in a long while until my husband and I recently attended a charity event where Josh Turner performed.





And when he began singing the lyrics of that song made so famous in my house six years earlier, tears slowly rolled down my cheeks. A lot of growing up had taken place since those days and yet the memories were flooding in just like it was yesterday.

Do you ever catch yourself doing something like that? Seeing a favorite book, find a long lost toy from when your child was younger, or hearing a favorite song. Please share. 

Football Pads and Jagged Nerves

My nerves have been shot. Completely. I'm not entirely sure they will be back to normal anytime soon. You see, Little Buddy started football. And I started biting my fingernails and wondering what in the world I had agreed to.





He's been asking to play football since he was four years old. Football is a big deal in the south. Well, at least it is around where we live.

Friday's are all about the big game, who is starting and who is going out for pizza afterward. That's how it was when I was a young teeny bopper. Now, I have no idea what the kids are all thinking about, but that's still what I'm thinking.

Anyway, we waited until Little Buddy was eight to sign him up for football. My brother-in-law is a high school football coach who played college ball, his recommendation was to wait until this age to begin so he had proper protection since they are just starting light tackle.





Well, I think it was my brother-in-law that made that suggestion. But honestly, it could have been anyone. Whoever made the suggestion when Little Buddy was five, I held onto those words like they were golden. Three more years I didn't have to worry about him playing football and getting hurt.





That's silly, I know. I now sort of realize the error of my ways. Had he started at five, he would know all of the plays by now. He would be one of the seasoned players.

But you know what? I don't think my nerves could have stood it then. They are barely holding it together now.

My Trip to Martha Stewart's Party

A few weeks ago, I received an email invitation to attend a cocktail party at the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia offices while I was in New York City.





I have to tell you very honestly, I don't believe my feet touched the ground as I flew out of my chair and began doing the biggest happy dance I can remember in a long, long time.

An invitation to visit the Martha Stewart offices is right up there with an invitation to visit Santa's Workshop at the North Pole. It just doesn't get much better than that in my opinion.

I remember Little Buddy asking, "Mama, are you okay?" My response was breathless as I giddily replied, "I'm going to Martha Stewart's!" Of course he thought that meant her home and asked me if I would be sure to take a look at her chickens for him. Does that tell you how Martha Stewart has been invited into our home and family?





I stood outside my hotel waiting in the line for a taxi. I got there early since my friend Kristen gave me a tip that the taxis were a bit slow that night. Forty-five minutes later, I was nothing if not nervous. The party started at 6:00 P.M. and it was 5:50 P.M. already. I was on 57th Street and the party was on 26th. Taxis were breezing past and periodically stopped to pick up people ahead of me in the line. One by one, the front of the line got nearer and nearer to me.

Finally, I noticed a car with a family getting out of it right at the end of the spot where taxis were to pickup and drop off passengers. I quickly asked if he could assist me and get me to 26th Street for a party. Next thing I know, I'm loaded into the car and am being driven off to the party.

As I'm talking to the driver on my way, I learn he actually is not part of a car service but a private driver. He laughed that he thought my accent was neat and I looked like I needed some help. So he decided to help me.

Yes, this very sweet driver helped me get to the party on time! The funniest part? When we arrived, I asked him how much I owed him. He told me, "whatever you think, but you don't have to pay me anything. I was just trying to help you. Here is my card. Tell me when you want to be picked up and if you need any other help this weekend, call me."

Can you believe it? We quickly began sharing all kinds of great stories of his family and how long he'd been driving for the family he'd dropped off when I saw him earlier.


Now I'd like to share with you about the actual party.


As we entered the actual party, there were beautiful stations setup sharing delicious drinks, appetizers, and beautifully decorated tables.


 
The first of which was the champagne table.




Just look at these cakes that were part of the Weddings section of the party.




And yummy mini cupcakes.




And gorgeous attire. Oh, the folks at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia sure know how to make everything beautiful.



Pictured L-R: Alexis Stewart, Robyn, Jennifer Hutt

Speaking of which, after getting all nervous about seeing Alexis Stewart and Jennifer Hutt of WhateverRadio.com. I finally got up the nerve to walk over and introduce myself and ask them for a photo.

Let me tell you something, these two ladies are drop dead gorgeous. Ubber-slender, perfect skin, and extremely friendly. I wish I'd gotten a photograph of their shoes. They were amazing. Take a look over at MattBites for a glimpse at Alexis' heels.



 Pictured L-R: Robyn, Hannah Milman, Gail Norwood


Earlier I mentioned Santa Claus, and I have to tell you another quick story about the night. At one point in the evening, I turned and introduced myself to a super sweet lady. She introduced herself by saying, "I'm Hannah and I work in crafts here at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia." I know my eyes had to nearly pop out of my head. I said, "Are you Hannah Milman?" Her shy reply was, "Yes." And then, I said, "Saying Hannah Milman works in crafts is like saying Santa Claus works in toys!"

She was absolutely one of the nicest, most gracious ladies I have met. She shared a couple of crafts with us and then we chatted for a while longer. I felt as if I had known her for years.




Just look at this cake made of Oreo cookies. Genius! Although, I was constantly afraid someone {namely ME!} was going to bump the table and cause this beautiful creation to come tumbling down.




And S'mores may never taste the same after having them at Martha Stewart's offices.



And these confections from One Girl Cookies were out of this world!


It was an amazing night and I am so very thankful to have been invited and able to attend. My trip to NYC was absolutely a fairy-tale from beginning to end!

5 Minute Floral Arrangement :: Crepe Myrtles

I love the look of fresh flowers. They immediately make the room look better. Almost as if the room has on its best dress ready for a party.






Sometimes, there just isn't time to run by the florist or even the grocery store to pick up a bunch of fresh flowers. And that habit can become a bit expensive, too.

As I sat on my back porch the other day, I could smell my Crepe Myrtles. Their sweet smell was just so refreshing and clean smelling.

I grabbed my snippers and a large glass vase and threw together a floral arrangement in five minutes.

Yes, five minutes.

Here's how I did it.




Start with a large, clean vase. I also recommend you make this arrangement outside to chase away any little friends that might be hanging out in these blossoms.





Remove bottom leaves from the stem so they are not in the water and begin arranging your stems of blossoms. Arrange the stems so they intertwine with one another for additional stability of the arrangement.





Continue arranging stems until the arrangement has reached the size and look you like. I included stems of blossoms that had yet to bloom. They add interest to the arrangement.





Fill your vase with fresh, clean water.







My kitchen now smells beautiful with the light scent from the crepe myrtles. The blooms do tend to fall easily, so be ready to pick up a few each day. But the result is so worth it.


And even better... my kitchen now is all dressed up for the weekend.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Darling.

I'm not sure what I've done for God to grant me the blessing of you as my husband and Little Buddy's Daddy. I knew from the moment we met you were going to be a special fella in my life --- or at least I was praying you would. Thankfully, God heard my prayers.

And just look at what God is sharing with us!




The gift of raising this precious little boy together. He's been our Little Buddy from the start. Never too far from your side.





And you never far from his.






There to give him the balance, security, and just a little push when needed.





And sometimes, a ride when his legs have traveled too far and he needs a better view.





Or a little coaching.





But always giving of yourself for those special moments to last a lifetime.





While giving us the world.


We love you, Daddy!