Everyday Living

Tablescape Tuesday: Snowballs in Spring!

~ Food & Entertaining, Tablescape Tuesday

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable”
‭Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭28

Last weekend, our snowball bush was in full bloom and I knew I had to take advantage!  After a little brainstorming, I was able to use what I had on hand (many elements on this table have been seen on the blog before) and in my yard to pull this one together!  Repurposing items such as the ice cream/sundae glasses can show creativity and no cost is involved!  I do know that setting a table can be intimidating, but hopefully today’s tablescape will inspire confidence to use what you already have to set a simple but elegant table!   So today is a good time to give it a try! You never know, you might just have snowballs in spring on your dining room table before you know it!   Happy tablescaping!


Dinner for six!


As the saying goes-less is more-well, sometimes!READ MORE

Pass The Biscuits, Please

~ Food & Entertaining

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst”
John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬

Biscuits…I can’t think of any other food that evokes such vivid memories!  My pretty Southern Mama was the certified “queen of biscuit makers”!  Every morning of my childhood, she was up before anyone else preparing home-made biscuits!  She would have never served canned or frozen biscuits, and had no recipe that she followed. I watched her over and over make her lighter than air biscuits, but I never mastered her technique!  She kept a large bowl of flour covered in her cabinet for the sole purpose of making biscuits.  She made a well in the center of the flour…added shortening and worked it in by hand…whole milk was added and mixed by hand…the dough kneaded three or four times…patted out by hand…and cut!   She never used a spoon or rolling pin, simply made by hand!  They were small, never thick, and the lightest and fluffiest I have ever eaten.   Perfection is the best way to describe them!  I use the exact ingredients and mine are good (according to Butch), but still no comparison to my sweet Mother’s!  After Butch and I married, we ate at my parents’ house at least once a week until my Mother passed away.  One of our favorite meals and definitely Seth’s favorite was her country fried steak, creamed potatoes, and biscuits with gravy!

There were several options that Mother offered with her biscuits……plain with real butter & grape jelly……home-made sausage gravy……Golden Eagle (soppin’) Syrup…to just name a few!

 What I would give today- just to sit at Mother’s kitchen table and eat one of her melt-in-your-mouth biscuits made by her loving hands!

Last spring, Katy and I made a wonderful discovery in the form of Alabama Biscuit.  Who knew that you could take the simple Southern biscuit and elevate it to gourmet status?!  As soon as we walked in, we could tell this place was gonna be great–it was packed!  It only took that one trip to make this a part of our Birmingham day trips!  We have been looking at their latest menus and planning our next trip there!  You can follow their Instagram here:  Alabama Biscuit
The Alabama with maple butter sauce and soaked roasted pecans! Crispy pork belly, green onion-ginger jam, farm egg and cheese, daikon and red cabbage slaw, mint, cilantro…etc! Strawberry shortcake! The apple pie biscuit!Sweet potato pie with house marshmallow creme! Pancetta, pears, and Belle Chèvre!  Peach cobbler! Peppercorn brisket, butternut squash, ginger-scallion relish, and sherry vinegar BBQ sauce! Fresh peaches, cardamom mascarpone cream, ginger maple butter sauce, and powdered cinnamon!

Katy and I on one of our many trips to Alabama Biscuit!

Since I am a food enthusiast (aka foodie-especially of our Southern cuisine) when I ran across Callie’s Biscuits on Instagram, I knew she was a must-follow!  The next time I am in Charleston, I know where I will be for breakfast!  Look at some of what she has to offer…

Shrimp and grits!Shortcake biscuit with sprinkles and house made icing! Blueberry biscuits! Pimento cheese!

 And this is my spin on a gourmet biscuit…and how I enjoyed mine on Sunday morning… Nutella biscuit!

How do you prefer to eat your biscuits?  The above examples are beyond amazing!  But perhaps, you are like Butch, a home-made biscuit with butter, does it get any better!!

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” 
‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭51‬

pam closing

Linking 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