Everyday Living

Simple + Southern Sunday No. 262

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

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:19-21‬ ‭

One of Charleston’s many beautiful churches. And the sky this day was incredibly blue. Maybe we create a new word…incrediblue!

Our maples at home are not very showy this season but this one nearby is attempting to make up for those that are struggling!READ MORE

An Autumn Dough Bowl Centerpiece-Monday Morning Blooms

~ Autumn, Everyday Living, Faith, Monday Morning Blooms, Outdoors

“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:24‬ ‭

Hello sweet readers! It is the first Monday of the month and I am joining my blogging friends for Monday Morning Blooms. But, first a little story behind the scenes of this post!

When attempting to accomplish a task with a deadline, have you ever encountered one obstacle after another?

Most of you know that I keep my two precious granddaughters three days each week. I try to be organized and prepare my blog posts on Thursdays and Fridays when I don’t have the girls. On Thursday morning I ran to a couple of grocery stores and found some flowers that I knew would work. Returning home, I got busy making my arrangement and setting up a vignette on the French chest in the family room. But, the clouds rolled in suddenly and it became very dark and gloomy that afternoon. I set up the lighting umbrella and made all of my pictures!

There was only one word to describe them…horrible.

It then rained the entire weekend and it was useless to try again. By now the flowers had passed their prime!

Due to an upcoming late week trip, last Monday would now be my only opportunity!

The forecast was sunny with the highs in the 70’s. I checked with the grocery store and they were expecting fresh flowers by noon. Seth picked up the sweet girls early and I ran out the door only to discover my SUV wouldn’t start. I called my hubby and he was able to make it home within an hour.

We rushed to the grocery store and there was another unexpected surprise…all the fresh flowers had been dyed!

Why, oh why do they do that? It was time to panic. I looked over in a corner bin and almost hidden were fresh spider mums! I grabbed all they had and hurried home. I had to rethink what I was going to do. The forecast was for rain all day on Tuesday and Wednesday and it poured on both of those days. We were leaving early Thursday morning for a getaway to Charleston. I had this brief window to come up with a plan and photograph an autumn dough bowl centerpiece! Life is definitely not always “picture perfect”!

This is a favorite spot of mine…picnic table…split-rail fence…woods!

A simple dough bowl is often used as a centerpiece for the popular farmhouse style!

You will find the beautiful links for Mary and Lidy at the bottom of this post!READ MORE

Amazing Autumn

~ Autumn, Everyday Living, Faith, Outdoors

“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭96:11-12‬ ‭

Happy Thursday sweet friends! You have heard me say over and over again how much I love the autumn season. Seems it has a beauty and glory all its own. We are unsure if our Appalachian Foothills will be ablaze with the brilliant colors of autumn due to lack of rain and extreme September and early October temperatures. Just in case, I dug into the archives of past fall seasons when nature was putting on quite a show. This is what we are hoping for in the coming weeks! Butch was traveling in north Georgia this week and noted some nice color showing up in a few places which brings encouragement! And let’s be honest; the Creator always provides us with an amazing autumn! 

 

“The time of the falling leaves has come again. Once more in our morning walk we tread upon carpets of gold and crimson, of brown and bronze, woven by the winds or the rains out of these delicate textures while we slept…

…How beautifully the leaves grow old! How full of light and color are their last days! There are exceptions, of course. The leaves of most of the fruit trees fade and wither and fall ingloriously. They bequeath their heritage of color to their fruit. Upon it they lavish the hues which other trees lavish upon their leaves…

 
…But in October what a feast to the eye our woods and groves present! The whole body of the air seems enriched by their calm, slow radiance. They are giving back the light they have been absorbing from the sun all summer.”
– John Burroughs, “The Falling Leaves,” Under the MaplesREAD MORE