It's Fall Ya'll!

It's time for hearty soups,

tall boots (wishing these were in my budget!),

and hanging with friends around the bonfire!

What are you looking foward to the most?

is it fall yet?

so is fall here yet? i need cool crisp air to breath...

my best friend just found out she is having a little girl...

(her first! she has two little boys already!)

i've been a little under the weather here lately, no good!

and had to call in sick on my 2nd day of work at my new job!

(mortified! b/c i'm NEVER sick!)

don't you just love the fox and the hound...

long, hot, summer

Jimmy Rodgers: Long Hot Summer

August has arrived, with it brings one long, hot summer her in the Carolinas. In some ways I wouldn't mind just skipping this month, ya know? Kids go back to school {near the beginning!}, summer vacation is over, people start shopping for fall wear... yet it is still hot as BLAZES! And so all I can think about is lounging near cool water instead of being productive. With that said, I vote to skip August this year and go straight to September. All in favor say Aye! :o)

let freedom ring

Source: workofheartphoto.com via Linda on Pinterest

Today Shane and I are headed back home for my small town's annual hot dog supper & 4th of july parade. ah yes, I love growing up in a small town. Everyone have a happy 4th of july weekend. I'll be at hospital all weekend but excited to be off monday for the 4th with my hubs! This country is so blessed, let freedom ring!

Officially Summer

Well folks, summertime is here officially. I'd say unofficially, summer arrived weeks ago. But officially, the calendar tell us those hot, dog days are here to stay.

Summertime: Billie Holiday

After a day of working this past Sunday, Shane and I made our way through the thick evening heat to mom & dad's for a small & quiet impromptu father's day celebration {officially my fam is celebrating his special day this coming weekend because my siblings were scattered}, but my oldest sister decided to surprise him by driving down and cooking him a steak dinner just to show some extra love {since officially it was father's day}. So Shane and I decided to make a slight detour after picking me up from work to get in on the little celebration. We arrived in time for dessert: blackberry cobbler, one of my families all time favorite.

The blackberry cobblers my mom makes are special in that each one holds special memories. Memories of my childhood summers when the time was just right to head across the pond to the "coastal field" {as we always called it} for some blackberry picking. I can remember mom waking my 4 sibling and me up just before daybreak {usually with a frown and a grumble on our breath}, explaining she'd thank us when we were through. So groggily we'd pull on our old jeans and tennis shoes and head to our field where the wild blackberries grew. After giving us each a small container we'd start a'pick'n just as the sun came over the horizon. Sometimes the bushes would be heavy with large plump fruit, other years when it had been very dry they'd be slim pickin's literally. I especially remember my inner competitor coming out in seeing if I could fill my container the fastest or how many times I'd empty it into the larger bucket usually sitting close to mama. And of course there was the shouts of triumph to the group as one displayed an especially large and juicy berry prior to popping it into our mouths without remorse. But we'd always walk away a couple hours later with a few scratches, a couple bug bites, many stained fingertips and a sense of accomplishment. Then it was back to the house to wash them and, for the majority, pack them away in the freezer for another time.

Its been many years since I've been blackberry picking. And our coastal field no longer holds our wild back berry bushes but large chicken houses built by my uncle. So when mama explained that she'd used her last berries from the freezer on this pie, there was a little tug on my heart as I realized that I was eating the last bit of fruit from our labors. At that moment I wished mom had gotten me up early a couple more summer mornings. But my heart and memory thanked her too, as I she said we would & have many times over, as I took another bite, this one perhaps even sweeter than the last.

a shy season

*****

It rained all weekend long here in the upper state of South Carolina. But is was a spring rain in my opinion, slowly, misty, soaking the earth. So I didn't mind. Everywhere I turn there is new growth springing to life; the browns of the winter are turning into the greens, yellows, whites, and pinks of spring. Don't you think spring is a shy season? She shyly enters her season until suddenly she comes into her own with a flood of color. How I love the coming of a new season! I do hope Jack Frost has left us for good so I can plant my tomato bushes! :D Happy Monday!

Spring is Springing

Ok, so all of us southern girls have gotten a taste of spring the last few days. I think Friday is supposed to be a high of 72! Its been loverly! and I just entered a giveaway over at the little red house to win one of these cute Shabby Apple dresses!

Snowed In

******

With snow still on the ground here in SC and some roads still very slippery, my sister and I had a lovely day at home yesterday. My sister, a high school english teacher, has been off all week {and has probably been more excited about that fact than her kids}. Every afternoon after getting the recording from her school district that school has been cancelled for the next day, she does this fabulous little dance and laughs loudly {probably at all of the workers out there that have the misfortune of not getting snow days} in absolute delight. "I feel as though all this snow has been a kiss from Jesus to me! BAHAHAHAHA!!! I LOVE IT!!" she explains. I love that she still can appreciate this time off and has enjoyed this week of quiet and rest.

Tuesday and Wednesday at work, I got a glimpse of the frustration Jesus must feel with us sometimes. Over the weekend all everyone could talk about was the snow and the possibility of the waking up to a winter wonderland. You could feel the excitement in every ones voices and praying that the weatherman was really correct. Everyone was so excited about the snow! And we got it. All night Sunday night and all day Monday... inches and inches! I can't remember when we got this much. And it was so beautiful. But come Tuesday, when I was back at work, the complaining over the snow had begun. "Ready for this snow to be gone!" & "You can't do anything with all this snow turning to ice!", "Cabin fever" and "Rather it have never come at all"... blah blah blah.

While listening to these comments I was struck with how so many people are never satisfied, even after getting what they really want! It got so old hearing my coworkers complain about the inconvenience the snow brought while just a couple days ago just the thought gave them great excitement! In some ways I wanted to say, "Sorry Jesus. The snow was beautiful. Please ignore all the complaining..." Because the fact of the matter was, it was a great snow! We didn't even once lose power!

So when I heard my sisters excitement about being snowed in another day, to say the least, it brought me great joy! And it made me check my own attitude about being greatful for what one wishes for!

Dear Snow

Dear Snow,
Thank you so much for coming down and curing my serious case of spring fever.
Sincerely
Snow Lover of the South

Snow Day

It actually snowed Christmas Day here in SC!! The flurries began Christmas night so we actually were able to enjoy a nice dusting the day after Christmas. My siblings and I had such a fun time playing in the snow{You'd think that we were all 10 years old}! From building a huge snowman to a fierce snowball fight, it was a Christmas gift we will always cherish and remember.

I'll have a blue Christmas...

*****

Is everyone's front door decorated with Christmas cheer? Mine currently is not... My Love and I have not had a chance yet to get a Christmas tree so I haven't officially decorated for the special holiday season {sad}! And he's going camping with his boys and I'm working all weekend so it looks like it will just have to wait till next week. I definitely wish I had this beautiful front door to welcome me during the Christmas season {where can I get that wreath!}! Really love it! I'm generally a red front door kind of girl but this blue may just be changing my mind! Happy weekend to you all!

Gobble On...

{*****}

to find joy in the common things,

to do our best with what life brings,

to trust that God will lead the way,

to count our blessings day by day,

to love by sharing and forgiving,

this is the secret of thanksgiving.

~Esther F. Thom

happy thanksgiving to you all! gobble on!

the best is still to come

****

I am reminded this morning by Town & Country Mom of the truest meaning of thanksgiving. Isn't it a true test of thanksgiving to still be thankful during the harsh times, the valleys... She explained, "It was faith, courage, and bravery that brought us to the first Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving came after leaving home, after suffering, after sickness, after grief. The celebration came after hard work, after toil, after struggle, after compromise. And still after such hardship and loss, people gave thanks and were grateful to God not so much because the worst was over, but because—in their faith, they knew the best was still to come."

I hold tightly to that faith, the best is still to come! And I do have so very much to be thankful for. God is good, through the valleys & the peaks! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Owl Pumpkin Love

Have you carved your pumpkin yet? Its that time! Everyone have a wonderful and safe Halloween!

(Yes, I totally carved an owl! I love owls, but they're almost becoming too popular these days! But I did it anyway! What's carved in your pumpkin this year?)

Fair Season

Its officially fair season in our neighborhood and I'm SO excited! When I was young my mom would always get us in the mood every autumn by watching State Fair (1945 version) then make a day trip to our own state fair! This movie always put me in the mood and introduced me to some classic songs (by Rogers & Hammerstein) like "Our State Fair" and "Its a Grand Night for Singing". So its already on my calendar October 15th: "to State Fair!".... very exciting! So I must watch the movie before next week, its tradition.

There is another fair coming to the south as well that I just stumbled upon: the Country Living Fair. I was in B&N recently checking out all the magazines and while looking at the CL magazine there it was! And its coming (Oct 22-24) to Atlanta, GA which isn't too far from me! I'm determined to go even though it lands on a weekend where I'm supposed to work. I know I can work it our somehow! I looked a couple vendors that will be there and I think its going to be fabulous! Here some of them below:

Willow Nest Farm

Silhouettes and More

Red Door Antiques

So... I'm off to the Fair! (in a couple weeks anyways)

Dan In Real Life

Have you ever seen this movie? No (I hadn't either)? Well, I was surprised a couple years ago when I found it in My Love's movie collection but was even more surprised at how much I loved it! This is the perfect movie to get you in the mood for fall, the holidays, and family. And a sweet love story too! I love that its set in Rhode Island and a couple scenes are set in this sweet New England harbor town... its precious and I want to go there! The fact that Dan meets Marie at a bookstore makes it that much sweeter! How precious to meet your future sweetheart at a charming harbor town bookshop. The large family dynamics and love triangle is a delight to watch! Check it out, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

the welcoming of fall...

“I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self respect. And it's these things I'd believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be. I love her and it is the beginning of everything.” -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

I've blogged before that with the welcoming of fall comes the celebration of my big sis's birthday. And this year was a big one, saying goodbye to her 20s and welcoming in her 30s. Yep, she turned 30! And she couldn't be more fabulous! Had a wonderful weekend celebrating!

Clemson Vs little bitty PC

So I am a little bummed that I have to work today and missing all the fun football festivities that my whole entire family is participating in, including My Love... my whole family that is, except me. Yep, they're all headed to Tiger Town, aka Clemson University, for some tailgating, birthday party fun, and to watch the huge blowout that is going to commence at Death Valley when little bitty PC takes on the Clemson Tigers (yes, it's true... I hope none of my little PC Bluehose actually do die, thank the Lord my brother already graduated and isn't on the field, maybe it's a blessing I won't have to watch). However, I've decided instead of pouting I'm ready to find some cute football attire to wear to the next game! Sugar Boutique was a great place to start!

I know this is a little summery but how cute is this sailboat dress!

Fried Green Tomatoes

yummm**

Last night My Love and I enjoyed a night full of fried green tomatoes. After spending some time in Belk's, spending some hundreds of dollars in gift cards that we had consolidated from wedding presents/returns, we stopped in at our ultra charming Southern Fried Green Tomatoes restaurant. I love this place. It is a great family restaurant full of warm southern hospitality and delicious comfort foods. While we nibbled on hot biscuits and cornbread, we started reminiscing over the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes and I couldn't believe how little I could remember about the movie! I could remember, "Tawandaaaa!" and the basic plot, but I loved this movie growing up and couldn't remember the last time I'd watched it. So it was decided, while eating my fried green tomato BLT, homemade apple sauce and green been casserole we'd stop by our blockbuster on the way home & watch it that night.

This movie is such a classic because it ultimately is about friendships and the value they add to our lives. These characters hold such debt that you really feel their emotions while watching, and I especially love watching the strong loyalty that develops because of these strong relationships. I had forgotten Chris O'Donnell was in the film and what a major crush I had/ still have on him! And Big George was always one of my favorites in this movie! And I could always relate to Idgie because I was a bit of a tom boy back in the days and I loved her sense of fashion!(*sigh, if you haven't seen this movie in a while, hurry and watch it before the hot weather leaves because it is definitely a sweltering, hot southern movie!)

boys of fall

There are certain seasons that impale your senses full on. Like you cannot only see, taste, smell that season arriving but it puts your senses into overload, without remorse. Christmas is one of them. Fall is one of them. But Football season is also one of them. Luckily its practically knocking on our doorsteps. There is something strikingly different that this football season holds. There will still be tailgating, painted faces, hot scorching days, then blustering cool days, fun, food, rivalries. But this year will be the first year I no longer will see my brother on the field. I've mentioned before that my brother has played football almost as long as he's been walking. Honestly, I can hardly remember a year not watching him on the field in his shoulder pads, jersey, and helmet. I've learned the game and learned to love the game because of him. But this year my #82 will not be on the football field, he graduated from college this past may. When he graduated I didn't think about how much I'd miss that emotional tug that has always been associated with seeing a loved one sweating, fighting, winning and losing on the field. But now that football season has arrived, I am missing it. Missing my boy of fall! It sure was fun seeing him play!