The Story Behind the Announcement Pictures

The story behind the announcement pictures:

A picture is worth a thousand words and for the most part, a thousand laughs for that matter.

I love how a picture can take you back to a certain memory and feeling.

Some bring happiness and some do not.

When I look back at these pictures, this is what I remember:




Picture it: A very full Saturday with a celebration of a handsome man's 80th birthday and a hospital visit to celebrate a godmother's everyday victories.

Somewhere between the two was a nap that caused a mad dash to catch the setting of the sun.

So in that mad dash, a wife grabs her husband's crisp, white shirt for him to put on in the field right before the big smile for she knows his not so much love for pictures.

She also grabs the bag of photo props to make it picture perfect.

Upon arrival, Middle sister instructs the happy couple about where to stand only to look down and notice the husband is all pretty fly for a white guy.

Apparently rushing to put on a crisp, white shirt, may cause one to forget to zip it and cause a burst of laughter that sets the tone for the said pictures.

Next up for a laugh would be the scrabble words that were really scrabbled. The planner wife had thought she had work out every little detail, but in fact was gently reminded that God does have a sense of humor.



The actually saying the couple was holding in their hands read, "For these cildren, we payed."

Oh, how true that was!!!

Thank goodness her sister is a Photoshop Queen and was able to make it more religious.

And then there was the beloved dog, Tootsie, who had been holed up in the house all day.

No one thought she would be buck wild out in a fall field.

She sure showed them.

In fact, they began to call her Sha-na-na and did their best to have her sit for the celebratory pictures including have the photographer, her aunt, to pick up a stick in order to get her to sit.

Aunt did not realize Sha-na-na's love for sticks.

Aunt held the stick long enough for Sha-na-na to sit in the perfect dog pose.

As soon as the pose was perfected, Aunt proceeded to put the end of the stick in the side of her mouth in order to snap the shot.

Sha-na-na saw that the stick was at rest and suddenly took two leaps and jerked that stick right out of her aunt's mouth.

Thankfully, her aunt laughs at pain and her mother did not tinkle on herself due to the hysteria of the situation.



Notice the bigger smiles?

The photographer managed to get a few pictures of the happy couple as well as celebrate a joyous day, full of lasting memories.

That my friend is the rest of story. 

Being a Country Girl ...

This past week, I caught a glimpse of one of our dreams.

It involved lots of land, junkin', and berry pickin'.

One of my new found friends who shares the same soul as I do invited me for lunch and junkin' in her shed.

We drank from mason jars and pulled leftovers out of her fridge to make a meal.

We finished with chocolate cobbler.

She is a woman after my own heart.

The hospitality and friendship that was shared at that table makes my heart soar.

We then changed into tight blue jeans and went out to the shed.

Summer makes tight blue jeans you know.

She is not afraid of snakes, but is of roaches.

I am the total opposite.

We found lots of treasures that I will be excited to use as displays at my next craft fair.

The deal of the day was a large farmhouse sink with a metal cabinet. I can't wait to see what she does with it!

I was so far out in the country that I had no cell phone coverage which completely freaked my husband out.

I love when I think we have conversations and he doesn't.

He was already looking for me and figuring out what he was going to tell the police, when I finally received text messages and phone calls, and was able to call him back.

We were finally reunited and it felt so good.

Bless him.

Maybe he will pay attention next time.

Not.

We then picked up one of our favorite neighbors to pick wild blackberries in a little sliced of heaven.

It was fabulous picking in a peaceful, quiet place while watching the sunset.

One day all of this will become a reality.

Until then, I will just pretend my little acre is a few more acres and grow, grow, grow!

Bliss ...

Today we are celebrating 4 years of wedded bliss 

We started last night as I was working on signs and suddenly remembered that I had not written in my card. 

So I look over at my sweet groom and asked, 

"Have you gotten a card yet?"

He replied, "Card?"

And this is why God created women. To assist the man in all aspects of life. 

 "You know, our anniversary tomorrow."

"Have you gotten a card?" he asked with bewildered eyes.

"I do, but you will not get it in the morning. I haven't written in it yet."

and then he sets an alarm on his phone. 

Because that is where we are in this season of life. Barely remembering the traditional moments, but living in the real life moments. 

I would not have it any other way. 

I sent him a text last week that I really wanted to wait to write in our card, but sent it anyway because life is short and you might as well say what you want to say.

It read:

You brighten my life. 

You lift my spirits. 

You hold me when I need it. 

You support my dreams and you dream with me. 

You make me laugh. 

You cook awesome pancakes. 

You are my best friend, my sweetheart, my husband. 

I adore you and feel the same adoration from you. 

I am so glad we are on this journey of life together! 

Hallmark worthy, there. 

And, yes, I did rewrite in Ken's card, and I would not be surprised if it was written in mine. 

Happy Anniversary, Ken! May we be blessed with many, many more! 

Weekend Highlights - Celebrations

This weekend involved dividing our household. 

The Husband went North for a bachelor's party. 

The Wife went west for a celebration of Middle and Mama's birthdays. 

Its a good that that husband went North because I had to make a pit stop at the Goodwill in Corinth. They have the best bathrooms and $.99 handkerchiefs. I would hate for him to roll his eyes at the cleanest bathroom in Corinth. 

Before I go any further let me briefly explain birthday celebrations in my family.

They are actually food marathons, and its a good thing that we have been training all our lives for this particular feat. 

Ken is still trying to get in shape for the food marathons. 

Wimp. 

Friday involved presents to help in Middle's balcony makeover and delicious, hot pizza from Lost Pizza Company in Southaven. If you add spinach to it, that makes it healthy, right? 

Middle's BFF came over to visit and join in the food marathon. 

As luck would have it, we also found a long lost caramel pie in the freezer. 

Remember, though, we did have spinach on our pizza. 

Saturday involved some wet yard selling, junking, and having to rearrange the car at every stop.

By the time we were done, nearly everyone was holding something in their lap and was leaning forward due to the full sized head board in the back.

That is what I call a successful junkin' day. That and breakfast at the Arcade in downtown Memphis. 

What better to end a successful junkin' day than with a 24 oz steak at Como Steakhouse where


(I did not eat all of this in one setting. I did save some for the next day.)

Some people do not share well ... :)

If you ever get a change to go to Como, there is more there than scrumptious food.

There is also a quaint downtown that is hopping on a Saturday night as well as streets and streets of beautiful old homes. 

Sunday involved coffee and conversations on the newly redecorated balcony. 

Which caused us to be late for church, and on top of being late, I had to get gas. 

Middle went on ahead in her car and walked in where the congregation immediately started singing Happy Birthday to her. :)

I luckily snuck in late and learned that Jesus was not my co-pilot, but really more my pilot. 

The sermon reaffirmed that my guardian angel was my co-pilot that morning as I was driving fast to see Jesus at church.

We finished out the day by eating at Taylor's Buffet in New Albany. 

It was a fabulous weekend with family, friends, and food. 

I would like to thank my family for footing the majority of the food bill this weekend. Without you, I would not be eating cereal for the majority of my meals this week. 

A Glamorous Rustic Wedding ....

This weekend involved a little glam with a touch of rustic bling.

For there was a wedding in a field.





There were church doors and a gorgeous chandy against blue skies

and some



in a beautifully lit barn.





There was the tool inspired groom's table



and the blushing bride's table



Delicious apple butter favors were surrounded by vintage happiness



along with the gift table.



Then there was the food table



and delicate flowers in mason jars gracing vintage hankies and burlap table toppers.



And a grandmother leading the Harlem Shake



(Most of these pictures are from my cousin's Instagram and the mother of the bride's Facebook since I did not get a chance to take many pictures.)

It was a day to celebrate this sweet couple.



and to be mesmerized by lanterns







There was much work involved. A barn had to be cleared and platforms built. Many family members and friends work effortlessly for many weeks to make this day special - aka we worked out tails off, but unfortunately for me, mine is still following me around.

I got to bond even more with more people I knew and now have partners in crime wedding decorating for life.

My husband was my rock. He smiled and did everything that was asked of him, and even told someone with his very best smile, that I made him more productive. :)



My aunt and cousin not only helped our team set up the barn for the reception but also managed to bring tears to the eyes of the congregation with a gorgeous rendition of "The Rose" as the bride and her father made their appearance.

It was a beautiful day for a beautiful couple and their new family.

I got to meet new people and celebrate with others.

I especially enjoyed sitting around the breakfast table for 4 hours with these two ...

Easter Weekend

Easter Weekend was slam packed of going here, there, and yonder. 

Then mother nature decided to bless me which made this girl weepy, hormonal, tired, and cranky. 

Thank goodness that the Americans created the Reese Egg for Easter. I seriously tried to live off them right after I had my meltdown in the Walmarts. 

Friday night, Middle had her Sierra Leone photography displayed for Trolley Nights on South Main Street in Memphis.





If you live in the area, Trolley Nights happen the last Friday of the month. You can peruse shops, boutiques, restaurants, and art galleries while snaking on treats and sipping on beverages.

It is a unique experience even if every time we walked in an art gallery, my daddy would say, "What am I looking for?" 

Can't take him anywhere sophisticated. 

Mama, the always trying to make connections with others every where we go, found someone she taught with from the Delta over 30 years ago. 

So if you decide to go to Trolley Nights, you can find a little bit of everything there - goodies and people. 

Saturday was wet, wet, wet. I was suppose to hunt Easter Eggs with my adopted nephew, but after grabbing a bag of Reese's eggs, I decided to just limit my interactions of large crowds for the afternoon. I did visit my grandparents and my in-laws before finally taking a nap. 

Later on, we went to hear Middle perform a monologue at church before topping the night off at Huey's. 

Sunday, the Home Alone airport music played in my head as we scrambled to get lunch prepped before church. My parents normally host both sides of the family for Easter. We had 39 people, an indoor Easter Egg Hunt, tons of delicious food, and of course Reese's Eggs. 

(Doesn't everyone have an uncle that naps on a Sunday afternoon?)



There was also "snow" in the shop that my sweet adopted nephew found ...








Tootsie also showed off her acrobatic jumps from the dock ...













Such grace ...

Easter weekend involved many irons in the fire much like the rest of the month of April.

I have over-committed and just want to stick my tongue out at the whole month. 

There is a wedding, a craft fair, some birthdays, and school along with all the domesticated stuff one must do to make sure the family is clean and fed. There is also a garden to plant and flowers to buy. 

Life is beautifully busy, and I need it to be, even if I feel the need to breathe in a brown paper bag. 

Otherwise, I would just hibernate. 

A Rather Long End of the Year Post

I do realize that today is the beginning of a new year, but I have being trying to get my house in order before it auditioned for an episode of Closet Hoarders. 

The presents have been unwrapped and put away, thank you notes have been written and are in the mail, and we have been spending some much needed R&R with each other as well as catching up on Scandal and other TV shows that we have missed. 

~

Christmas seemed to have been fast and furious this year. 

It started out celebrating a first birthday ...

with this handsome man. 

I also broke a Pyrex dish that was full of hot potatoes and was an accomplice to knocking off the smoke detector from the ceiling. Apparently, if you pull a hot Pyrex dish from the oven and set it on the stove, it shatters. If you sweep really hard, the broom may just some how hit the ceiling. It happens. Especially as the house fills with birthday guests. Thankfully, I found refuge in a corner with the smoke detector hitter. 

~

We then went on a five-Christmas-party ride, where we brought a plate on the way in, grazed with family members, and left with a plate. There was so much food in the two fridges, at my parents, that it was hard to put a dent in the food. 

I also pulled a pottery dish out the fridge, and it broke. 

I was one lucky girl this holiday season. I am already working on next year's gift list. :)

Like most Christmas parties, ours was filled with family, food, and a lot of laughter. There was also presents or a filthy, filthy game of Dirty Santa. 

I must say that Ken and I put the dirty in Dirty Santa. We came with Lowe's gift cards, and after much strategy, left with the same gift cards. Bless that poor family that witnessed such filth. 

I may have smiled a little. 

~

As requested, our Christmas was a little smaller this year. I really appreciate that when putting things up when I got home, and honestly, there was no more room in the car. If we had children, I don't know where they would sit after Christmas. Tootsie barely had a breathing hole. 

We received a lot of nice things. My mother was all about what could fit in a stocking, and she set a new record. Most of it involved bling - new shirt, scarf, rings, candy, Burt's, and my always favorite - nail clippers. Ha! I also got a few serving pieces that where not in the stocking as well as some new pottery and household items from friends and family.

Some of my favorite things that I got where books from Ken and from the sisters. 

(Ken loves Legos and received this fun little jet from yours truly)

Did you notice the bottom book? I will have to post more on that later, but I was over the moon about this one. Middle and Baby Sister know exactly how to make my heart smile! 

I love this towel that Middle really snuck in. She totally went with me to get a few things from a local business. We discussed the tea towel for our mother, and I was upset that it was the last one. Little did I know ...

My favorite part, The "W." 

Christmas was great as well as New Year's. 

Ken and I have been together all week and have enjoyed every minute. We conquered the house, spent many days with junk all over, but now it is back to this ...

We also went to the movies, ate our share of take out, jammed out in the PJ's, checked off our lists, and stayed up later than normal. 

We still need to crack these babies and put them up. 

(Thanks Lea Ann! I really appreciate your father-in-law shaking your tree for us!)

One last thing. As we were taking down Christmas, I noticed that this went from saying this ...

to saying ...

Wonder what elf did that?

~

May your 2013 be full of courage, challenges, laughter, tears, and more blessings than deserved. 

~

I may be taking a little hiatus from blogging for a few weeks. No worries. Every little thing will be alright. I just need to quiet down my life, focus on what really matters, and find new things to do besides so much social media. 

Praying for big blessings!!!