Everyday Living

Simple + Southern Sunday No. 27

~ Simple + Southern Sunday

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭23-24‬sss24 “The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin”
-Frederick M. Lehman
1A lovely church with English Tudor style architecture! 2Unusual sunrise with a misty fog on our pasture!1A red barn-always demands a photo!IMG_8269Little birds on the loropetalum outside our dining room window!  Can anyone identify them?IMG_8273 Deacon is so proud of his new friend, Mr. Turtle! 2This beautiful old two-story mansion (near our home) was built in 1842.  Five thousand acres were purchased from the Cherokee Indians for the plantation!IMG_8494 Risotto with asparagus, Black Forest ham, mushrooms, and parmigiana-Saturday dinner at home!4 The world-renowned Fox Theatre was originally conceived in 1928 as a Shriners’ headquarters! Quickly it was sold to William Fox (movie mogul).  The 3,622-pipe Moller organ was the crowning addition when the theatre opened its doors on Christmas Day in 1929.  Butch and I have attended several plays and concerts in the splendid movie palace.  However, the most memorable concert was taking my Daddy to hear Johnny Mathis with a full orchestra performing a Christmas show in the storied Fox!!IMG_8444 New York City’s got nothing on our little downtown hotdog stand! barnMiniature log cabin completely handmade by my late uncle!flowerWe love sharing our week in pictures with you on Sundays!

“I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’”
Psalm 122:1

final-closer-both-1Linking with Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Pink When, 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, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl,  Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, The Turquoise Home

Simple + {Natural} Southern Sunday No. 26

~ Simple + Southern Sunday

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” ‭Psalm‬ ‭67‬:‭1-3sss24 It has been a challenging week to be out and about due to the monsoon season in northeast Alabama.  Well, we obviously don’t have monsoons, but I can’t remember so much rain…day in and day out.  On the flip side, rain does make for bright green grass and foliage!  There is always the  beauty of God’s creation in our country style of everyday living!  Many of the photos below were taken on our fourteen acres of property in the Appalachian foothills!One of Gadsden’s prettiest and most historic buildings is the Forest Cemetery Chapel built in 1936. It was constructed of rough cut sandstone quarried from nearby Lookout Mountain. The Gothic Revival style chapel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places! A vintage pair of rusty and mossy cast iron statues have lived at our home for a long time!A walk into our woods!Humpback whaler hosta with its blue-green foliage! Boys will be boys…but, why do they love to throw rocks into a creek?A perfect spring dinner-garganelli primavera with spring pea ragu, Benton’s bacon, wild mushrooms, and pecorino at Chef Frank Stitt’s Bottega Restaurant!The tiniest of detail on the hibiscus bloom before it fully opens!We found a pot of gold right here at Noccalula Falls!  You’ve seen the falls many times on our blog and it proves to be impressive from every angle!The fan-shaped leaf of the ginkgo tree!
 An old pot…broken and chipped…but with much character stands in front of our detached garage!Several years ago we threw out a dead floral arrangement into our woods and months later the bishop’s weed came back to life and has since climbed several trees. It is considered a menace and very hard to get rid of, but we are trying!  Stay tuned!
The splendor of a sunset!A budding knockout rose!Little dirty hands that love insects!The mate to our statue

“I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’”
Psalm 122:1

final-closer-both-1Linking with Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Pink When, 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, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl,  Cozy Little House

Simple + Southern Sunday No. 25

~ Simple + Southern Sunday

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.'”
‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22-24‬ sss24

Each week, on Simple + Southern Sunday, we share a church, usually
because it caught our eye with it’s beauty!  But this week, it’s a little
different.  The church below was founded in 1829, and this particular
building was built in 1903, but has been maintained immaculately!
And I would love to let you all in on a little story that is so very dear
to my heart!

church

  A couple of weeks ago I took my Daddy to visit his sister, my Aunt Jean.  She lives an hour from us in the town where Daddy grew up.  On our trip home, we decided to take our time and drive by this special church that holds precious memories for him.  As we did, my Daddy was able to share with me a couple of stories that I will now forever cherish!  When he was about ten years old, he walked to church early on Sunday mornings during the winter months in order to build a fire in the pot-bellied stove.  This was an important job, because it was their only means of heat!  The congregation paid him fifty cents each week, which was a lot of money in the late 1930’s!  As he shared another precious memory with me, his voice cracked and tears welled up in his eyes.  When my Daddy was wounded in the Korean War, this congregation had a special prayer service for God to heal him and bring him home safely!  God answered their prayers!  That detour was well worth hearing those two stories that I had never heard from my sweet, Godly Daddy!  I would love for you all to read more about his life here:  Living Legacy.  IMG_7933 Ahh, the serenity of a stream running through a gorgeous farm on a
spring morning!  2 A sunset with its unusual light on our pasture caught my attention
from the kitchen window!  I had to run out with my camera to
snap this photo!5 “Uh-oh, hope I don’t get stuck this way!”4 Butch captured this rare site in rural Northeast Alabama-a covered
bridge built in 1934!
11139413_10102871653585061_2215673156831901919_n Ada and Harper are ready for a bedtime story in their matching pj’s!6 Seth and Allison went on a ten mile hike this past weekend to the
highest point in Alabama, Mount Cheaha.  God’s beautiful world!asparagus Dinner at home…poached egg over bacon wrapped asparagus,
parmesan brown rice, and rosemary focaccia bread!7Katy captured this old tractor sitting just off the side of the road on
the way to Georgia-very simple and southern!8 An artist painting Noccalula Falls on day one of the 7th Annual
Southeastern Plein Air Invitational4 You talk about airing out dirty laundry!
Our friend who is on mission in England (where there are no clothes
dryers) has no choice but to hang his laundry out to dry!
bridge We love how Butch captured the diamond-patterned light shining on
the tracks inside the covered bridge seen earlier! 

“I was glad when they said to me,
‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’”
Psalm 122:1

final-closer-both-1Linking with Pieced Pastimes, It’s Overflowing, Be Different Act Normal, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Pink When, 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, Craftberry Bush, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, My Romantic Home, Chic On A Shoestring Decorating, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, Alabama Women Bloggers, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Oh My Heartsie Girl,  Cozy Little House