Night of Bela and Bruce

It's been a hot minute since I last posted and I want to apologize. My schedule has been a bit hectic and that leaves less time to post adventures. One adventure we did have recently was a concert at Chastain. Now, let me start by saying I have never been to Chastain Ampitheatre. That is where I have messed up because it is by far the best venue in Atlanta. Not only is the location great, the parking easy, and the outdoor scene awesome, but you can bring COOLERS! D-I-E!

The husband and I packed a picnic of drinks, turkey sandwiches, chocolate chip cookies, and chips and salsa. To make it special I covered our cooler\table with a great 1950's table cloth I have.

We got there early because we both came straight from work and set up our "appetizer" of chips and dip on our "table." We laid back at this point and just waited for the show to start.

Soon Bruce Hornsby began. His attitude and humor along with his ability to tickle the ivories in the most magical way was amazing. Later Bela Fleck and the Flecktones came on stage and just jammed all night long. The moonlight that sparkled all night, the tunes, and the night with the hubby was oh-so-good!

My man

It has been SOOO long since I blogged but I had to share pictures from my most recent visit to my family farm to visit with my parents. My sister and her husband came as well with their beautiful son, Caleb. I love my nephew Caleb so much and was so happy to see him since I had not had the opportunity since April. Let me tell you how much he has grown!! He is so smart, so cute, and these pictures don't do him justice. Hopefully I can take some better pictures at his first birthday at the end of September.

What my weekend looked like:

Sunflower seed extraction from my monster sunflower that has now dried up

Paining an old rusty hamper a retro color

Preparing for a yard sale

Attended a neighborhood concert

And, dog sat a neighbors sweet doggie

4th of July

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. We surely did. Spending time on the lake with family was just what we needed!

Books, books, books...

I know this is the cleanest spot, but this morning I woke up and looked over at our combined stack of books and magazines and thought how cool it was that the husband and I climb in to bed almost every night about an hour or so before we fall asleep and read our latest book. Our collection is strung across shelves around the house, but we always have a sport on and around our nightstand for our newest literary interests. Some serious, some funny, and some (especially mine) very elementary and fun.

Nothing is better than crawling in a made bed ever night and reading beside the husband!

Ginkgo Project

Ginkgo plants are very special in my family. We use them as a symbol of remembrance. The shape, coloring, and grace of a ginkgo leaf is such a beautiful part of nature. A year or so ago I pressed some golden yellow ginkgo leaves in a book and recently found them and began another weekend project. All I needed was glue, good paper, pressed leaves, and a $17 Ikea frame. Check out what I did via pictures:

Reunited and it feels...

As cheesy as it sounds, it feels SO GOOD. I have yet to post about my most fabulous trip to see my old roommates from 6 YEARS ago (by the way, that makes me feel super old). The trip was a sequence of flying into Tampa where Melanie and Diana live, being picked up with sunflowers in hand, staying at Melanie's adorable house, then traveling to Boca Grande island south of Tampa and relaxing and laughing it up at Diana's family's beautiful and grand beach home. We fished for tarpon, took gold cart rides, watched Golden Girls, went to dinner and out for drinks, and laughed till our ab muscles were stiff. I am so proud of the ladies that my friends have turned in to. They were the best hostesses and the funniest friends. Not much had changed with them except they gained maturity and beauty over the years. Otherwise, it was the same great friends I remember. I can't wait to host them in Atlanta!

First of the Summer

Yesterday had to be the craziest and day for me at work in a VERY long time. It was a whirlwind of things going on and after that long day of course I was looking forward to coming home and relaxing with the husband. One thing I didn't expect was to see this:

But first it started as this:

What a great end to a busy, crazy day! I love Summer!

Weekend Projects

This past weekend I attempted to do a couple of projects that were actually already done and were really more re-purposing items I have had since our wedding. It is always nice to do a bit of a change-up and make old stuff new.

This chalkboard frame was used at the wedding (almost 3 years ago...WOW!) and is really a hard board painted with chalkboard paint and then framed with an old wooden frame. At the time of the wedding it was used to let our guests know to hang wish tags on gardenia bushes we had. The sign read "Hang you wishes for Will and Liz onto the bushes."

I saw this image on Pinterest (only one of the best sites out there! I recommend anyone with in interest in decor, food, or DIY check it out!) and immediately got the idea to hang my lanterns on my side fence of my yard. My mom made around 60 for my wedding and we hung them on the wire farm fences. Unfortunately, I have had them in a box in our storage shed since then and never knew what to do with them. Now I am able to play a round of horseshoes with the husband or enjoy a cool drink at dusk with these babies lit up and twinkling in our backyard! I didn't use brackets for each light due to the expense and nails looks just as good!

Happy Summer Everyone !!

Rocky Top You'll Always Be Home Sweet Home to Me...

No, not Tennessee. Rocky Top is the name of my family's farm due to the large amount of stones that were found while building my parents home at the top of the hill.

Nothing is better than the farm. It is the oasis for the husband and I and is the place where family meets for Thanksgiving, long holidays, and just for a weekend visit. There is an abundance of things to do-- cook in my parents great kitchen, fish in one of the two stocked ponds, ride the golf cart and explore the farm, take long peaceful walks on the dry dusty roads, or lay by the pool and catch some sun. I did almost all of those things this past Memorial Weekend and it was so relaxing. Everyone needs a "spot" that they call home, serenity, and magical all in one. The farm is that for me.