Everyday Living

8 Favorite Autumn Tablescapes

~ Everyday Living, Faith, Tablescape Tuesday

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭

Hello sweet friends. It is Wednesday evening as I am writing this while the states of Louisiana and Texas are bracing for a catastrophic hurricane. I am praying for all those who are in harm’s way. I hope you will join me in praying not only for those impacted by the hurricane, but also for those affected by the wildfires in California. I pray for our nation!

It is my desire to enjoy every moment, every day, and every season, whether the seasons of life or the seasons of nature. I have to admit by the end of August I begin to look forward to autumn. Our summers in the South can be extremely hot and humid. With that in mind, I thought it was the perfect time to revisit some of my favorite autumn tablescapes!

To view the original post, click the highlighted link.

Celebrating harvest time in the garden!

A charcuterie board made from old European barn wood was the base for a simple centerpiece!READ MORE

Simple + Southern Sunday No. 303

~ Everyday Living, Faith, Family, Outdoors, Simple + Southern Sunday

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭143:8‬ ‭

The local cows are often grazing on this hill at sunrise! 

We were able to take a river walk yesterday while the temp was still pleasant. Nice to back off from all the rush and stroll along in no hurry. One of us struggles to relax and take it slow, but managed a little while! READ MORE

Chasing Swallowtail Butterflies

~ Everyday Living, Faith, Gardening, Outdoors, Summer

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭‬‬

Happy Thursday sweet friends. I hope you are well and having a wonderful week. Tuesday morning I went out to our small cutting garden to cut back the spent zinnias and tidy up everything. Much to my surprise, there were butterflies all over the zinnias, lantana, and sunflowers. I ran back inside to grab my camera, thinking they would all disappear in the meantime. I couldn’t believe more butterflies had joined the party. The next thirty minutes were pure bliss as I stalked them. I discovered that if I stood still and was patient they would come really close.

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
-Maya Angelou

Last year my Renaissance Man added a raised bed on the other side of our driveway near a wooded area. We planted zinnias and a couple of rows of sunflowers for a late summer harvest. The butterflies were also enjoying our garden, but they much preferred this area.

Butterflies are always flitting about in the garden and the raised bed, but never like they were on Tuesday morning.

I made a couple of observations while photographing the butterflies. They never landed on any color of zinnia but pink. I have purple, yellow, red, salmon, orange, lime green, and white zinnias that the butterflies never once landed to drink their nectar. Note in all the photos, they are on pink zinnias (perhaps Ella Mae told them that pink and preferably hot pink was her favorite color). Second observation, they preferred the zinnias that were losing petals. I am guessing they prefer those because it is easier to reach the nectar!READ MORE