♥ Weekend Fun ♥

After a couple of weekends of working on the staircase and around the house in general, we welcomed a little weekend trip to Alabama to my brother and sister-in-law’s house, along with mama and daddy.

We got lots of hugs and kisses from those two littlest nieces of mine……..Sydney and Ellie. My oldest niece, Laci, rallied the little ones together for this photo for me.

Luke, Sydney, Ellie & Laci

I sure wish I had gotten a picture of Ellie doing the "hambone". My daddy taught her.  She was so cute doing it with all her heart in her skirt!  :)

The men were able to fit in two fishing trips….one Friday night, which was their best night, and then again for a little while Saturday evening. They didn’t get out on the water until 7:30 p.m. or so on Friday night and didn’t make it home until well after midnight. They had a really good night for fishing. I think between the three of them that night, they caught 174 lbs worth of fish.

Jason caught his biggest fish ever...........a 20 lb. catfish. It sure does look bigger than that in this picture, but that’s what the scales said.

My brother’s record is a 29 lb. catfish also caught there in the Tennessee River, so he didn’t beat his own record that night. But he still got a big one!  He’s always on a quest to beat that record though.  :)

Pop (my daddy) caught a big one Friday night too.  Can't remember just how big but I believe it was somewhere around 14 lbs.

The women and kids did a little bit of shopping and a lot of eating and just hanging around the house so the kids could play.

We always sit up way too late and never get enough rest, so I’m sure as soon as we leave, they probably crash, because I know we do when we get home!

It was a wonderful weekend! And who would have thought that MY brother would have five kids! I love it!

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I have another treat for you tomorrow! I have another long time blogging friend that will be my guest for a Sunporch Chat! I’m going to just let it be a surprise. She is a kindred spirit……..I know you’ll love her!  Be sure and come back tomorrow!  You won't want to miss it!

Thank you for stopping by today! Have a great day!  :)

♥ Your Place of Simplicity ♥

We all have that place that we would love to go for our place of simplicity. It’s the place where we are happy to do nothing, relax......take in the beautiful surroundings, and just have our place of peace and rest. Of course, home is my favorite place to be (as I'm sure it is yours too), but realistically it’s not always calm and peaceful. I’m talking more about that vacation or get-away spot that would fit the above description.

That brings me to my question. For you, which one would be closer to your place of simplicity………the beach or the mountains?

I know for some it’s that cottage on the beach where you kick back and listen to the waves and walking the beach feeling the sand between your toes. Looking out as far as you can see and seeing the water gives some a sense of God's presence.

Beach Cottage Pic taken from Google Images

For others, there’s just something about the mountains that bring that peaceful feeling and sense of awe.  Looking at the handiwork of God's Hand in carving the mountains seems to make them feel closer to God.

Cabin in the Mountains pic taken from Google Images 

I’ll start.

For me, it’s most definitely the mountains. And if it's a cabin in the mountains, all the better!  I don’t have a thing against the beach and love to go every once in awhile, but the mountains are just beautiful to me.  The ocean can make me feel a little lonely.  I'm not sure why, but it sometimes does.  However, looking out over the mountains just gives me a peaceful, calm, restful feeling and makes me feel the awesomeness of my God. I remember one vacation, we were sitting on the front porch of our cabin in the mountains during a thunderstorm and it was the most beautiful thing I think I’ve ever seen…..simply majestic! If I could just take my house and plant it in mountain country, I would be completely living my dream!  And if there was a lake in that scenery or even a creek nearby, it would be heavenly!  :) 

So now it’s your turn…….I can’t wait to hear yours!  Would you share your preference (beach or mountains) and why it's your favorite?

Thanks for stopping by today! I’ll have Pinned it Made it Monday ready for linking up sometime Sunday evening! I’d love for you to join me!

Have a great weekend! 

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Our Ouachita Mountains Trip (Part 2) ♥

Are you log cabin lovers ready for another tour?

The Wilderness Cabin, which was located in close proximity to our cabin, was loaded with lots of rustic charm and character too. Only it’s much bigger, boasting two bedrooms downstairs and a loft upstairs with a twin and full bed.  This cabin also has two bathrooms.  I could live in this one, folks.    

Bedroom 1 Downstairs

Bedroom 2 Downstairs

This was a little blurry but I wanted to show you the distressed tin on the staircase.

The loft

View from the loft

Hope you enjoyed the tours of the cabins!  Come back tomorrow and see what all of this inspired!


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Oh and for all of you that are longing for fall days to arrive, I thought I'd let you in on a sale, just in case you didn't know!  If you love the soaps from Bath & Body Works, today is the day to order!  They have them on sale 5 for $15 or 7 for $20, plus $1 shipping when you spend $25 or more for TODAY ONLY. To get the $1 shipping for an order over $25, use the code SHIP25.   I wait for these days to stock up!  They have the lovely cinnamon pumpkin and warm apple cider smells for fall! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great day!  :)

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Our Ouachita Mountains Trip (Part 1) ♥

My favorite style of house is most definitely a log one, or at least rustic. My heart leaps at the sight of one.  I always wonder what it might look like inside…….if it reflects the same character and charm on the inside as it does (for me) on the outside. And I always hope that it would!   Speaking for me, I couldn't bear the thought of a "modern decor" in a log cabin.  For me, it would be disappointing.

Well, the little cabin we stayed in most definitely didn't disappoint. It wasn’t overdone but was simple and sweet. And it was definitely rustic and charming oozing with character. I thought you might enjoy a tour, because YOU KNOW I took pictures! As a matter of fact, I'll just warn you.....this post is very picture heavy!  Feel free to scroll quickly.  :)

So here we go……..

The outside of our cabin:  The Newlywed Cabin

Come on inside!

The bed was on a platform.  It was beautiful!

Wasn't that sweet and romantic?  :) 

Just look at all of that wood!  Ahh!

See that basket on top of the armoire?  That's a picnic basket and it was provided and loaded with dishes for us to use for our outing.

Oh my goodness I loved that cabinet door! 

Loved all the little details and touches like the shutters on the windows!  So charming!

The back porch:

And the view from the back porch at sunset:

And just for fun, here are a few pictures taken from the back of the 4-wheeler on our ride. We rode 80 something miles on the 4-wheeler on Saturday. Most of it was down backroads leading to the ATV trails. I didn’t get pictures of the actual ATV trails because I had to hang on to Jason on those if I wanted to stay on the back of the 4-wheeler! Lol!

With our map strapped on.......heading out.

I so enjoy scenery like this.  These are my kind of roads!  There was so much of God's beauty to take in and enjoy!

There was a much bigger cabin across from us that the owners graciously let us tour. We hope to come back and stay in it in the fall and bring the kids. I’ll be back tomorrow with pictures so you can tour that cabin too!  Oh boy was it pretty!  You're in for a treat if you like log cabins!

If you're looking for a peaceful get-away, I highly recommend these cabins!  Email me if you'd like information on them and I'll be glad to share the info with you!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed the little log cabin tour! And thank you for joining me for Pinned it, Made it Monday yesterday too!

♥ Tammy ♥

♥ Christmas in July ♥

We’re back home! Jason and I had such a great time. Probably way too much fun for folks married 30 years! We went 4-wheeler riding on the ATV trails which were full of hills and rocks and let’s just say that we didn't take it all that easy and.....well......I’m sore. I think we acted a little like spring chickens when we’re inching closer to the older hen and rooster. But was it worth the soreness? You bet.....we had so much fun! I'll come back one day next week with more pictures from our trip.

Okay, on to this post....I decided I was going to pop in here today and join Sara and Betty for a little Christmas in July. Yes, I know it’s August, but that doesn’t count because we were honeymooning the end of July, so I’m late. Would you bear with me while I catch up?

Here are a few radom pics from Christmas in our home from 2011:

I’ve already been in the fall mood, which is by far my favorite season. I love the cool crisp air and the cozy feeling inside that it evokes. Not to mention that it’s followed by Christmas! So thank you for joining me today as I revisited Christmas!

Speaking of getting in the mood for fall, I want to share my Apple Crisp recipe.  It's so easy and so good.  I'm linking up with Lois of Walking on Sunshine and her Foodie Friends Linky Party.

Apple Crisp

6 large tart cooking apples
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter

Place peeled and cubed apples in a greased (11 x 7 x 2) baking dish. Pour orange juice over apples. Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over apples. Combine flour, remaining sugar and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Spoon over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is brown.

Serve warm or cold with ice cream or milk. (We love it warm with a scoop of ice cream). Enjoy!


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And don't forget to join me for Pinned it, Made it! Monday. The post will be on later Sunday night if you want to link up early.   Also linked up with Sunny Simple Life for my Christmas decor.

Thanks again for stopping by and have a great weekend! :)

♥ Tammy ♥