Outdoors – Page 75

My Favorite 7

January 4, 2016~ Decorating, Food & Entertaining, Music, Outdoors, Recipes, Simple + Southern Sunday, Tablescape Tuesday, Travel

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves”
Philippians 2:3

When we started blogging almost 18 months ago, we had no idea what we were getting into. All I knew was that we wanted to share our everyday living with you through the things we love! I knew that probably meant tablescapes, the occasional travel post, and maybe a music post here and there. The next thing I knew, I was blogging four times a week, meeting new blogging friends, and I had found a creative outlet that would become both my new favorite hobby and a journal of sorts for me and my family!

Last week, I shared the Top 5 Tablescapes of 2015 and The Top Ten Posts of 2015, and there is no doubt that my love for creating warm and inviting spaces in our home is one of the main themes here at Everyday Living. But, my favorites are those that might not receive the most views or comments…they are the stories and pictures that are dearest to my heart! They are the ones that are linked to the sweetest memories, the story of how the post evolved, and the ones that remind me of the goodness of God in our everyday living.

Come along with me while I reminisce on the year in blogging as I share my favorite 7 posts of 2015! Click on the picture to go to the original post.

7. Simple + Southern Sunday No. 54

The Sunday post is usually our week in photos. However, this particular one was a day in photos…how I requested to spend my birthday!

6. The Perfect Blend

An afternoon of conversation, lattes, and sweet nibbles provided “the perfect blend”!

5. That Time I Was A Professor

What an amazing afternoon spent teaching the art of tablescaping to 37 ladies at the University of Alabama, Gadsden Center!

4. A Mid-Summer’s Evening

Butch bought this fun, pagoda-style umbrella, so it demanded, of course, another alfresco dinner in the garden …while enjoying the beauty of God’s creation and the blessings He has provided! A perfect evening!

3. Zoom In!

We love to travel and we “zoomed in” on some of our favorite places around the globe!

2. Sentimental Journey

Sharing my journey of music that has spanned three generations was a joy!

1. Just Like Mama Made

A precious childhood memory of a sweet and salty snack that I still enjoy! As you can see, 2015 was a fun year in blogging for me! I cant wait to see what 2016 holds! Thank you, our faithful readers! Collage Linking with Pieced Pastimes , Silver Pennies , Life on Lakeshore Drive , Thoughts From Alice , Coastal Charm , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , Dwellings-Heart of Your Home , Savvy Southern Style , Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage , From My Front Porch To Yours , Stone Gable , Confessions of a Plate Addict , Worthing Court , Between Naps on the Porch , Cedar Hill Farmhouse , A Stroll Thru Life , The Charm of Home , Cornerstone Confessions , A Delightsome Life , Imparting Grace , Posed Perfection , Katherines Corner , Rooted In Thyme , Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, Rustic & Refined

Signatures Of Autumn

September 24, 2015~ Decorating, Outdoors

“Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!”
Psalm 72:19

I guess I can now officially say Happy Autumn! Summer 2015 is off the calendar, and although not in its full glory yet, the signatures of Autumn are on their way! With every seasons change come new graces…God gives us new sights, smells, tastes, and weather to remind us we have entered into something new and refreshing. One of the most notable changes we experience as summer gives way to autumn is the glorious leaves and the rich, deep colors that are so pleasing to the eye! Today, we are revisiting some of our favorite autumnal scenes from the most recent years. Come along as we travel the roads of the deep south and we will even make a stop by our home in the Appalachian foothills! “By all these lovely tokens September days are here, with summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer”
Helen Hunt Jackson

^“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so”
Genesis 1:14-15
A simple vignette graces our kitchen island! “Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves”
Humbert Wolfe
The rustic barn where Seth and Allison were married! “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever”
Isaiah 40:8
The sweet hubby made the pumpkin topiary on our kitchen porch! “Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree”
Emily Bronte
Mixing porcelain and real pumpkins for an autumnal tablescape! “No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face”
John DonneMy cute little wheelbarrow with a bounty of autumn’s goodness!
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale”
Lauren DeStefano Seasonal color is making an appearance in our courtyard! “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”
Anne of Green Gables
We love to picnic – even in our yard!“Autumn, the year’s last loveliest smile”
William Cullen Bryant What better place to enjoy a steaming mug of hot chocolate…under the rose arbor!
“He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding”
Daniel 2:21
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Our three-wheel bicycle is perfect for hauling pumpkins!“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”
Albert Camus

Linking with Pieced Pastimes , Silver Pennies , Life on Lakeshore Drive , Thoughts From Alice , Mod Vintage Life , Coastal Charm , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia , The Dedicated House , Dwellings-Heart of Your Home , Savvy Southern Style , Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage , From My Front Porch To Yours , Stone Gable , Confessions of a Plate Addict , Worthing Court , Between Naps on the Porch , Cedar Hill Farmhouse , A Stroll Thru Life , The Style Sisters , The Charm of Home , The Winthrop Chronicles , Cornerstone Confessions , A Delightsome Life , Imparting Grace , Posed Perfection , Katherines Corner , My Romantic Home , Chic On A Shoestring Decorating , Rooted In Thyme , Share Your Cup, TheEnchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl, Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, The Turquoise Hom e, My Flagstaff Home, In The New House, Natasha in Oz, Vintage Refined, Rustic & Refined, Must Love Home, Grammie Time

Our Garden Is Growing!

July 16, 2015~ Outdoors

“‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭32:17‬ ‭

A few months ago, it started off as simply ideas from a Pinterest board. Then, before we knew it, landscapers filled our backyard space for weeks to lay the foundation. Next came many hours of tedious labor by both the workers and my hard-working husband, and we were able to show you the finished work! And you, our readers, have been right there with us, generously commenting on our new garden space with so many requests to post updates! After a few rain showers and a whole lot of sunshine, we are excited to show you how our garden is growing! Please join me as we take a little stroll!

I am contemplating putting a swing under the arbor -but I enjoy using the space for al fresco dining! I had planned to use my rusty iron statutes in the garden but decided to keep them here, instead.

I am loving the picket fence that Butch installed!

The feathery plumes from ornamental fountain grass..if only it was a perennial!

Rusty ornamental butterfly contrasts the vanilla strawberry hydrangeas!

The apricot drift roses continue to bloom! Love the color!

Limelight hydrangeas showing off their lime color!

As the limelight bloom matures, it becomes more white!

Our okra is growing and needs thinning! Okra likes hot temps, so it should be happy!

Sage and lavender are doing nicely! Can’t wait for the fragrant lavender blooms!

My sweet friend, Janice gave me a set of herb garden markers several years ago! Don’t you just love them?

The color of the sunshine ligustrums adds a great contrast to the other greens!

Our resident owl keeps moving around all over the place!

As the blooms mature on the vanilla strawberry hydrangea they change colors! Amazing beauty!

Delicate bloom!

The bloodgood Japanese maples in the rear corners of the garden provide a nice contrasting color!

The thrift planted around the bronze statue is filling in…soft touch hollies will provide green all year. The lantana has struggled and has provided little color so far!

The zoysia sod is thick like a carpet and is a bright green. I would love to do the entire backyard space-maybe next year!

You can see a few lantana blooms here!

The extreme heat and little rain for the past two weeks has required much watering to keep the garden growing!

View from the patio!

Our side porch referred to as the “kitchen porch” with a pair of asparagus ferns on each side of the door and a pot of petunias on the step. Do you see the flag’s reflection in the door?