30 March 2017

Happy Birthday Andrew

I can hardly believe that today Andrew turns 22!  I really have sat around thinking how on this earth did these years just fly by.  The first moment I laid eyes on him I thought he was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen(sorry John) and still do!


Andrew is such an incredible young man.  He has just applied to nursing school and we wait with baited breath!  He is compassionate, brave, friendly, looks to help others.  He also loves SEC football & basketball, coffee and is an early riser(thank God for this)!

There is no doubt that Andrew along with his brother are the greatest gifts I've ever been blessed with.


Happy Birthday Andrew!



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29 March 2017

Honor Society and College Visits

We've been pretty busy the last few weeks with school activities with John, I've enjoyed all of them!

First there was the induction into the National Technical Honor Society.  Auburn High School inducted around 150 students which happened to be the largest number in our state.  Requirements were to maintain a gpa of at least 3.75, have completed 3 classes that are in the realm of technical, John had taken several business classes with plans for more next year, along with community service/volunteer hours.  Many students have taken classes in engineering, culinary arts, along with ROTC, I'm sure there are more I just don't know what they are.



In addition to the National Technical Honor Society John was also inducted into the National Honor Society.  The requirements were pretty much the same.  I know these photos are terrible but I was far away and the lighting wasn't great.

I'm so pleased to say that there were 236 students that were inducted that night!  John has around 625 students in just his junior class.



I snapped a few pics with some of his friends.



Then last week on our cold and positively dreadful spring break we went on John's first college visit.  Stop...Wait... how did that happen?!




I'm oh so glad that we have plenty of time before we have to make this decision!!!

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28 March 2017

Spring Styling A Bar Cart

Today is just the best day!  If you have made your way to the blog today through our Share Your Spring Thyme Recipes and Style Blog Hop,  I'm so glad you are here!  Confetti Style has long been one of my fav bloggers, she always has the most informative and creative posts!
Remember when I mention that I had challenged myself to step out of my comfort zone  and be bold with colors?  Well ya'll how is this for bold colors?!

The first time I saw a beautifully styled bar cart I knew I'd need  to get one!  Last Christmas I styled my tea cart as a bar cart and was hooked on bar carts, you can see that post here.  When I finally decided it was time to finally get one I knew exactly which bar cart I wanted.  We had had one at Pier 1 where I work(to support my antique habit)that would work just fine.  My luck it had gone clearance!


After I asked a few friends to pop over for coffee one morning I decided I'd "fru fru" the new bar cart with a few sweets!




 I'm delighted to say this beauty is sitting in the dining would be an understatement.  I'm already planning other ways to use it.

Now Ya'll be sure and hop on over to Totally Tailgates where I know that my friend, Heather is dishing up something incredible!

These amazing bloggers just happen to be some of my dearest friends.  Make sure to visit them and see what inspiration they have for us today!


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27 March 2017

A Blue Willow Tablescape

Each New Year's I very quietly make resolutions...that I share with only one person...my friend Karen.  She holds me accountable without going all...you haven't lost 25 pounds yet but keep up the good work accountable.  In addition to my no more lamps resolution(see Instagram for that)I also vowed to be more bold with my decor.  To stop playing it safe with colors.
Blue Willow Tablescape

My love of Blue Willow is hardly a secret.  It always amazes me with what inspires a tablescape.
Last summer at Pier 1 we had this pretty flamingo plate that I simply adored.  It sat on top of a very simple, pink, round placemat.  Ya'll we had a ton of those left going into the fall, I'd look at them and think if I knew what I could do with those I'd get some.  As ya'll know my house doesn't lend in the direction of pink. Then those very placemats went super duper clearance like 18 cents each clearance.  I might have bought way more than 6!  Then it hit me...like a truck.  What if I paired the pink placemats with some Blue Willow?!


 The tall blue and white vase was a find over in Pine Mountain, Ga.  Adding florals really makes it seem like spring.  Here is a little tip when adding florals, to keep them from flopping over(which these did) I use scotch tape that I place in a grid on top of the vase to keep them standing up.


The pair of Double Happiness jars long with the single candlestick holders complete the look.

Double Happiness Jars with Blue Willow

 The napkins are paper, I've had them for years.  The colors in the napkin play so well with the dishes and the placemats.
doublehappiness jars with blue willow

Ya'll get ready....I'm already working on some bolder use of color elsewhere!!

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Savvy Southern Style

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22 March 2017

Antique Shopping in Fairhope, Alabama

A few weeks ago I made a trip to Fairhope Alabama to help a friend pick up an antique table she had found in one of the delightful antique shops there.  This was my first trip to Fairhope so we made sure to make the rounds in and around all the shops in their quaint little town.  If you've never been there are several charming little antique places there.
We started out at a warehouse to pick up my friend's table, ya'll the antiques there were a site to behold!


These concrete urns were headed to Louisiana.  It is possible that they were some of the prettiest outdoor pieces I've ever laid my eyes on!

After our stop at the warehouse we then headed into the downtown part of Fairhope.


As I've refined my style I've come to adore Imari.  No doubt this is the largest collection I've seen in one place.



This oyster shell lamp was a sight to behold.  Now everywhere I go I find myself looking for a lamp that I could encrust with oyster shells!  This has landed on my to do list as soon as we head over the the Georgia coast where I have high hopes to collect more oyster shells!



Should you find your way to the darling coastal town of Fairhope, I hope you can pop into a few of these little stores.  My fav was Crown and Colony followed closely by Aubergine Antiques
 More to come on my friend's antique table soon!
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21 March 2017

Share Your Spring Thyme Recipes & Style {Easter Tablescape}

I'm so delighted to be partnered with amazing food and home bloggers to bring you some of our fav Spring delights!  If you've popped over from Life at Lydia's House, I'm glad you are here!  Today, I'm sharing our breakfast table for Easter morning.


As soon as I saw the cabbage leaf placemats I knew there would be a tablescape for Easter.  The pops of orange with the napkins and carrots makes for the perfect punch of color.


The chargers are an old fav, that have been used in numerous table settings.


The table is set relatively simple.  Since we will be heading out to church shortly after breakfast I opted for something I could put away quickly to make room for the lunch table!



I hope you are able to hop on over and see what the other ladies have added to our Share Your Spring Thyme Recipes and Style Blog Hop!


For more Easter and Spring inspiration head on over to LindaG Loving Home.  Mark your calendars for March 28 as we will come back with even more ideas to help you bring spring and Easter into your home!

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20 March 2017

Happy 1st Day of Spring

Seems like it has taken forever for the first day of spring to arrive.  It was sure worth the wait!


I'm heading outside to take my first day of spring walk?  What are you up to?

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17 March 2017

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Wishing everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day!



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01 March 2017

The Tornado 10 Years Later

Today marks 10 years since an EF4 tornado hit my hometown Enterprise, Alabama.  That day not only changed the landscape of Enterprise but more importantly the lives of countless people.  The loss of life in Enterprise that day was nine, eight of those were students at Enterprise High School.

It is a tremendously sad day for those of us with a connection to the city, the school and those that perished. Each year when I make the decision to share this event on the blog(you can read my account of that day in last year's post here) and begin the process of writing this post I take time to sit and remember the good along with the sadness.  I flip through photos on the internet and I see the school as it was that day with destruction abounding.  I close my eyes and recall the fun times that I had at EHS some 33+ years ago.  With eyes closed, I see my friends walking down the halls, in the lunchroom, the pep rallies in the gym, the tennis courts, the picnic tables in front of the school where so many would have their lunch, the parking lots and our football stadium.  These images get dimmer with each passing year, maybe it is because they are all gone with the exception of the stadium. Sadly, they no longer stand as physical reminders.

The site of the former EHS.


In June of 2007 I was allowed to go into my high school one last time.  While I walked the halls of EHS one last time I took these photographs.

When I drove into Enterprise months after the tornado had hit, the one memory I will always take with me were the trees. So many of them were broken or damaged and then there were the ones that stood without a single leaf.  The photo below was taken looking into Bates Memorial Stadium.  The trees you see in the forefront appear untouched, yet as you look past them you see numerous ones that had taken a hit from the storm.  So many fun times took place in that stadium, my mother was in the first graduating class, my senior year we won many games in that stadium and it landed us in the state championship game, my first kiss took place there and I walked across that field in my cap and gown.


The greenhouse below is a place I spent many hours.

This was the classroom for Agriculture.  I took AG all through high school, I loved it!  Considering it was right beside the greenhouse it didn't appear to be as damaged.  
My locker was one on the end my sophomore year.


This view is from what we referred to as Second hall looking out to Third hall.

 The day the tornado hit the students had been in the hall for safety reasons.  That is what you do...you put the kids in the hall thinking it is the safest possible place, it just wasn't that day.

This is an interior view of  Third Hall.


What I knew as Enterprise High School was torn down.  The new high school was built on a new location, the new school is spectacular...all the bells and whistles.  The only problem with the new school for me is it isn't MY high school, that school is gone.    On the site of the former EHS stands a memorial to those that lost their lives.


Each brick column represents the students that lost their lives on that fateful day.



We Will
Never Forget
3/1/07

Many thanks to my cousin, Melissa for snapping the photos of the Memorial.
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