Tree Bonfire

Every year we watch as some fun-loving 20-somethings grab our discarded Christmas tree on the side of the road. The kids freak out that someone is stealing it, then I explain what fun they are about to have. "They're going to light a bunch of trees on fire-I wanna do that!-we can do that at Pops' Farm!"

We scheduled it the same time that Daniel was there picking us his dog, so the kids were double happy. John stayed back with Lark while I got to take the truck and the three big kids on this adventure. 

As we pulled off the paved road and onto the gravel road that cuts through the woods, the kids noted the change. This is Pops' road! It was a normal, cold winter day, but still they want to celebrate our almost-arrival. "Mama, can you roll down all the windows?" "Yeah, and turn on a song and turn it up? A fast song so we can dance!" Loud dance music I took care of, but the windows stayed up.

We had a little bit of daylight left to roam around before we ate our hotdog dinner. Then the fun started. 

Here's the thing about Christmas tree bonfires: they are no joke and we were surprised. All it took was my dad lighting a few branches on fire with his lighter, and next thing we know, WE.IN.TROUBLE.

For a reference the tree standing up in the fire (pictured above), is 7-8 feet. The flames were enormous. Immediately my dad pulls out his hose, and immediately we realize that it's frozen or busted or both. 

My dad goes for buckets and the flames calm down. Daniel and I rearrange some things and have a decent bonfire going that is covered by the skeleton trees. There were too many sparks, so my dad put out the fun fire. We headed inside, the kids made hot chocolate that they didn't drink, and we passed the time like true locals-TV on the big screen!

With not nearly enough experience, Dad and I already declared this a annual tradition! Christmas Tree Bonfire, or as my dad called it, Meet Your Local Fire Department. 

Cuban Pete

The pool. The moves. The confidence. The vibe. This boy get Summer. 

This movie inspires me. TRUE INSPIRATION.  

Local Happenings

I can't help but share these Chattanooga happenings: 

I just learned about the Peach Truck that travels around small towns and sells delicious peaches out of their jeep. For locations/More of their story and blog. I'm hoping to catch them today or Monday in my town! (photo cred here.)

I came across this gorgeous wedding that took place at McDonald Farms, a farm I grew up going to as a child when they hosted our church's picnic. One of favorite shops and florists, The Clay Pot, helped with it. Photography and photo cred: Jac & Heath. Click on their link for more amazing pictures!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love my city for its amazing outdoor scene, but I also love its cute split-personality. We're the biggest small town you'll find. Read a little bit more in Southern Living's most recent article on us. 

Some Hootenanies by Ten Bartram just released. These are two sisters who I actually know. They're tall, they're cute, and they have a great sound. Even though I don't know how to talk about music, I can say these two things: it's good windows-down-summer-anthem music and the first line of the whole CD is "Mama kicked us out the, See the beauty, it's ready to be explored." So there, the music is perfect.

S&J by Homeland

A beautifully styled event + stunning videography = four and half minutes you'll want to keep on repeat. 

S+J from Homeland on Vimeo.

I adore any Homeland video that Molly composes, and isn't this one dreamy?

She's available for weddings, contact her if you're up looking for someone creative.

Picnic & Flowers With Fern

Noah is to the ark, as I am to cold weather. Hunker down and wait.

Noah is to a dove with an olive branch, as I am to unseasonably warm days. A small sign of hope.

(Feeble attempts at a self timer picture with Fern.)

While Burl was at school, Fern and I had a special day downtown to celebrate the warm, flip-flop weather. We did two notable things that I would like to share with my Chattanooga friends. 

Fern always wants to pack a lunch on Burl's school days to be like him. This week, we packed her own lunch in her bag and had ourselves a picnic. She took her time eating and enjoyed one-on-one time with Mama-we had nowhere else to be.

Chattanoogans: The pavilion in Miller Plaza is open during the day throughout winter. They have tables, chairs, and heat. It's the perfect solution to cold winter picnics. 

Right there in the plaza is an adorable, cute flower shop. It's teeny tinny, but they sell by the stem and wrap purchases in brown paper. After our picnic, I asked Fern if she would like to go buy a flower stem, and of course she said yes! What did that girl pick? Pink roses, which happen to match perfectly with her hair bow. 

Even though my mom believes it's so wrong to put pink on a red head, I just love it and I tell her that I didn't have a girl for nothing-bring on the pink and red hair. (This coming from the girl who loves the sage/aqua combination!)

Little Fern is such a treat to have on her own, and I really enjoyed spending this warm day being outside with her. Also, that girl is so proud of her flowers that she has in a jar in her room.
Little girl, little ways.

Chattanoogans: The Daily Flower is a great little spot. They are opened 10-6, Monday through Friday. John particularly loves it because he's not too far from work, and after 5 there is plenty of on the street parking. Take note!

Christmas Fun

Let's say it's summer. And I told you not to go swimming. Or grill hamburgers. Or wear flip-flops.  Or grow tomatoes. What if I told you that doing these things would make you miss the point of summer? In order to really enjoy summer, you would need to slow down and stop and not do much. That's crazy right? I don't do those things in order to enjoy the purpose of summer. I do those things because it's summer and it's fun and there's only one season to go swimming. 

That's how I feel when people tell me to slow down at Christmas. It just seems like crazy talk. The motto "do less. be more" makes me feel so guilty for wanting to gather/celebrate/make/enjoy during the Christmas season. While the purpose of summer (not sure what that is aside from berry and home-grown tomato season) is far greater than the purpose of Christmas, I still am captivated by the hype that this season provides. I'm so excited that this morning I planned a Christmas party complete with a real Santa Clause for the kids. We've got our must-have's on the calendar. And I'm in full excitement mode all.the.time. I enjoy the season by doing. It makes it feel like MORE to me. 

If you live in the Chattanooga area and you love this time of year and you love hype and you want to do fun things, then here are our top three things to do that don't cost any money (in order that they happen):

1. Visit Santa at Warehouse Row. This is our local mall that has amazing boutiques. Last year, they offered free pictures with Santa and it was the most beautiful arrangement. I'm not a huge fan of Santa because he dwarfs Jesus' gift in the eyes of kids, but I love Santa because the kids get so excited about him! {Mixed message much?} I have no problem with Santa, actually, and I have no problem if you do. For me and my household, we will visit him and get a fancy free picture.

He'll be there for one night only this year. Thursday is the open house for the mall, and we will be there!

2. Mainx24 Parade. This is a huge event in Chattanooga's Southside. Several local stores enjoy so much support on this day, with happenings lasting day and night. Our favorite is the parade and we will be going again this year!

3. EPB lights & free shuttle. This was our favorite thing that we did last year. We went three times, because it's so much fun to watch the kids enjoy the displays-they're at the perfect stage for this stuff. We like to get pizza at Lupi's, then ride the shuttle a few blocks to EPB. It's the perfect family night out! 

If you're not local and need some ideas, then here are my favorite things to do at the holidays: order some cards from this great site, take lots of pictures, make thumbprint cookies, and have people over for dinner. We love cooking with and for friends during this time of year-steamy old windows just means that we're making some good food.

If you're like me and want to participate in Christmas hype, then please be free to pump it up. It only comes once a year, and there are many exciting things happening all around us.

May this be your best Christmas season yet. Be free. 

My Favorite Homemade Detergent

First things first, I got a little earthy and made my own laundry detergent today.  Someone teased me about being granola or getting back to the earth or something like that, but I told them that I started wearing more makeup so it balances all out.  That's right.  I've added one more thing to do before I walk out the door, but what I'm really trying to say is: I made my own laundry detergent today.  Stay with me here.

There are certain things that I just don't think we should have to pay for.  Toilet paper, fast internet, haircuts, and detergent are all things that every person deserves as their part for waking up and joining the human race.  Unfortunately, I've not received any of those for free.  I have, however, started making my own detergent.  The last batch that I made was in July.  It cost less than $20, maybe even less than $15 and it's lasted me this long.  Over seven months.  I add Bizz (a bleach for colors) to the white loads, but it still works great.  

I highly recommending going and getting the recipe and saving some money.  Don't forget to pat yourself on the back for feeling like one awesome, earth loving person.  

Best Christmas Tags Ever

It's a Christmas miracle!  

If you're my friend in person or have been a reader for a while, then you know that I am one girl with two brothers.  Neither have married {yet}, so there are no other girls in my family to dish over the cutesie little things that I love doing, especially when it comes to wrapping gifts.  Most of my brothers' wrapping is "close your eyes" as they pull out our gifts from a big shopping bag and hand the presents to us naked and raw.  Even though I love to wrap a gift and my mom's spiritual gift is flamboyant wrapping, our efforts go un-appreciated.  Until now.

Mom, are you sitting down for this?  I showed Joseph my gift tags, hoping that just maybe he might take interest.  He picked them up and looked at them and said, "those are cool."  Not only did he take half a second to glance at them, but he liked them too!  A Christmas miracle.  

It was a simple quiet statement that didn't have a lot of enthusiasm, but it spoke volumes.  I might have done it.  I found wrapping that my brothers will notice and like.  Appreciate and enjoy are too grand to expect.  If one of these gift tags make it to the dashboard of their car or becomes a bookmark, then I might pop the bubbly.  

Last night, I was armed with green tea and Parenthood on Netflix, so I started tagging all those presents.  Sometimes, I stay up past everyone's bedtime and enjoy the house {sort of} to myself. Night time is where I do my best work.  During this time of year, pair that nighttime high with Christmas cheer, and I'll get stuff done.  

Feeling excited now?  Want the coolest tags ever?  Want to impress the men in your life with your wrapping?  Go here for free vintage mountain tags.  I printed mine with my normal printer and cut them out with my own two hands.  Whether you're working late or early, hard or not at all, may you enjoy the process of gifting to others.  

4 Books That Changed My Life

This year has been the best yet.  I'm 31.  I have a great marriage.  I have two wonderful children.  And I have a lot of junk.  I've tried to pack up my life and myself in a nice little package so that I'm able to check things off the list and work towards a person who is emotionally accomplished.  I've worked hard to manage everyone's opinions of me so that I appear to be the best at everything.  

That's not the case anymore.  I am striving to feel uncomfortable in my views of life, and I'm craving change and brokenness.  I'm so ready to be wrong and take responsibility for my actions and apologize on a regular basis.  (If you have beef with me, this is a really good time to bring it up-and I would love it if you did.)  The Lord has used relationships, a wonderful trip, my church, and four books to bring on this transformation.  I would like to share them here.

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller.  While on the trip to Belize, I read this book about stories.  Some of our stories include ending each day in front of the TV; stories that revolve around spending time and effort accumulating things; or stories that are manly focused on our household, picking and choosing what relationships and organizations we join based on comfort.  My story was a small buffet of all of those things. We are all living stories, and the stories mean something.  It had me asking what my story was?  What story am I creating for my kids?  What story am I shaping for my household?    

Every Body Matters by Gary Thomas.  I hate to talk about this one.  I wish I didn't have to put it out there.  Food.  Exercise.  It's important.  The sin of excessive eating and laziness is not mentioned much in the church.  In fact, it's not mentioned in the Bible much, but what is mentioned is gluttony.  I (and several others in the church) have a problem with it.  We don't talk about it, we ignore, and instead we point the finger at other sins.  We go around pointing out specks in others' eyes, but we don't see the plank of gluttony in our own eyes.  (A great example of this is going out in droves to buy fried chicken, waffle fries, and milkshakes to support traditional marriage under the banner of Christianity.  What was that!?!)  I shouldn't bring Chik-fil-a into this.  This book was about me and pursuing holiness, and my eating habits were in the way.

7 by Jen Hatmaker.  (Not pictured, loaned to a friend.)  I've said it before: I think the biggest struggle of being American is learning to say "no" to all the excess.  Food. Expectations. Clothes. Stress. Scheduling. Media.  I started feeling this when I saw this on Wall E, felt it more when I went to Belize, and even more after reading this book.  I'm starting to take a different look at time, efforts, and money and think of it in terms of something larger.  Saying "no" is my new favorite thing to do.

Grace For The Good Girl by Emily Freeman.  The tag line is "letting go of the try hard life." Hallelujah  Amen. Preach it, sista. Sock it to me.  I could write forever about this one. I talked about it so much, a few of my friends read it too and I get texts quoting the book and talking about which character we relate to best, and just how accurate this book is.  If you want to be the best, have it all together, never let anyone down, never be wrong, and have strong feelings of guilt and prideful achievement, then this book is for you.  We're got.to.let.go.of.trying.hard.  Even on the second read, I was being blown away by how much of my heart was being revealed.  Also, I just re-watched the first video on the link that is above and I cried. Again.  Please, read it and find freedom.

I'm not great at writing book reviews.  If we were sitting face to face, then I would talk your ear off until you waved your white flag and yelled, "ok, ok, I'll read it if you'll just stop talking!"  Please know, that even though these brief reviews are not lengthy or well written, they have a lot of heart behind them.  If one of these books stirs up your life like it has mine, then I would love to know about it.  Also, I'm always up for a good, heart-felt recommendation as well.  The written word is a beautiful thing.

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This post was written a while ago, but I'm joining Jones Design Company today as we talk about books.  For more people, click on the picture below:

Kinfolk Magazine

"...a simple reminder of why we cook--traditions, friends, memories, family, community."

The Kinfolk Blog is a great one to follow.  Not only are there great recipes, but they focus on celebrating those five wonderful elements that we all enjoy when we share a meal with others.
May your weekend be filled with them all.  

Read the full article HERE.

A Freeing Invitation

Do you ever find someone that inspires?  The person that they are gets you so excited about things, and it's so freeing.  Sure, there are the times that we look to the cool people and think, "Man, I want to be like them."  That's never fun.  That's not what I'm talking about.  I'm talking about women that we meet that are having fun doing their thing.  With their expression and excitement, you find yourself invited into their pattern of life.  

Blogs sure help with this.  Pictures do too.  Face to face is even better.  I have three people this week that have each written a post about something that they do well.  In order of how I met them, here they are:

Laura.  We go to church together.  John and I went on a mission trip with her husband and her son.  She encourages the heck out of me.  She takes pictures with me on the women's retreat.  And she's intentional about learning new things.  One summer I asked her of her plans and she said, "well, I want to learn Hebrew and go on a hike every week with my husband." And just like that, she reshapes me on how to look at summers, learning, and being intentional.

(this is not her...just a cool pic that she took)

Cameron is Laura's daughter and I don't have a lot of interaction with her.  Whenever I see her, we hug, she coo's over my babies, and I soak up her joy and zeal.  I'm friends with her on facebook and get so excited whenever she adds new pictures.  Her pictures are full of life and fun and joy and people.  She's recently married, and her mom told me that she and her husband enjoy being married by being hospitable.  It shows in their faces and in their pictures.  Good stuff.

(this is not her OBVIOUSLY...just a cool pic that she took)

Molly is the one that I've never met.  But, I heard through the grapevine she's friends with Cameron.  Small.World.  I've never met or talked to Molly, but I've enjoyed her blog.  She makes me want to go on adventures.  I'm not talking about backpacking through Europe, which I'm sure she's done.  No, I just want to fit adventure into my life and routine and little bit more with John and the kids.

The next three days, they have a little something to say.  It's just an invitation to be energized by these ladies lives.  've already read it and it's going to be good.  I hope that you enjoy!

WanderLost

Recently, I came across a new blog, WanderLost.  I loved some of the videos, posted a link on my facebook, and quickly learned that we have mutual friends.  Then, I learned that Molly started making videos called Homeland.  They have me hooked and have me longing for braided hair, the smell of campfires, and some raw adventure in the outdoors.  This video was filmed in Red River Gorge, where we were about a year ago, and possibly my favorite woods I've ever been in.  

This video is called Pression.  Enjoy:

Pression 

I have pressed myself; 

Shoulderblades and footbones 

Levered between a rock 

And a hard place.

 Like a canary in a coal mine, 

I have sensed the closing in, 

Felt the pressure, 

Sang, 

And flown away with a flash 

Of yellow wings.

Super Journaling

I've got this new thing that I do.  It makes me feel so cool and so hip.  Like, major cool in my book.  I've picked up journaling, yet again.  I've been journaling off and on since I was in elementary school.  I still have that first journal with that first journal entry about riding my bike and stepping in dog poop, which is very noteworthy to a 10-year-old.

Today's journaling is not just any journaling.  It's super-journaling.  What's super about it?  Well, I kinda have to be in the mood for it.  Sometimes, I make myself be in the mood for it because it's so rewarding when I'm done.  It's like being on a journey that I take myself on without knowing where I'm going, but not as serious sounding as that.  

Super journaling is what I call it, but the practice has been around for a while.  I was first introduced to it in 7th grade.  I loved it!  English was my worst subject, but journaling was my jam.  Doesn't everyone love to say they journal, verb not noun.  I admit, that sometimes I like the idea of journaling instead of actually doing it.  Except super journaling.
 


English was my first period class, to which I was usually late, and we would start off the class with 10 minutes of journaling.  We could write whatever we wanted to write, but the only rule was that we couldn't stop writing.  We had to keep that pen moving.  Even if we wrote, "I have nothing to write about.  The walls are khaki.  What should I write about."  

Just a few weeks ago, I tried it again.  It's great.  I don't think that I'm ever going to go back to plain old, thoughtful entries.  No, I want it on paper.  Everything.  Without screening myself.  Without editing.  I want it all.  

As I mentioned in an earlier post, sometimes I get a little time to myself every so often.  I don't need much.  In fact, time to myself is still a little awkward.  Being an extrovert, I've never needed it until now.  I just need a little space to stop and think.  A few weeks ago, I packed a Meg-Bag, and headed to the river.  I took some pictures, walked around, but mainly I just sat on the dock and spent some time super journaling.  It was wicked.  

I've done it a few times since then.  It usually has to happen outside.  Late at night or early in the morning are the peak times for good thoughts.  If I'm feeling overwhelmed by what I have to do and what I want to do, this little exercise seems to help me have just a brief escape while I recharge.  If I'm having a hard time collecting thoughts to write a post, talk with John, or explain things to Burl, a quick 10 minutes of writing can help me hone in on the subject at hand.  If I just want to feel cool, then sitting outside on my 3 little steps with a journal does just that.  

To my 7th grade teacher, thanks for letting there be no rules except the most important one:
Don't stop writing.

Coffee At Jenny's

"I just potted some colorful plants on my porch.  Ready for a coffee date!"

-read a text message that I got from my friend Jenny a few weeks ago.  

And just like that Monday-Funday made an appearance again in my life.  I outsourced the kids to their grandparents' house and went to Jenny's porch for coffee.  We used to get coffee semi-regularly on Mondays, but that faded out.  We both use Mondays as get-stuff-done days, and squeezing in a coffee date can get challenging.  Except for the summer.  In the summer, we are both extremely dedicated to Monday-Fundays.  Because we meet a bunch of friends at the pool.  And tan.  And lounge.  There is always time for that.  Other friends have joined in and somehow we all gravitate towards Deb's pool on Mondays.  And I've even heard a rumor that one friend is going to start taking Mondays off this summer with all of her extra vacation time.  {Wink, wink, Keri!}

Pools and lounging are great, but I'll be honest: I love a good girl coffee date with a friend.  Especially, Jenny.  Where I am simple and classic, she is colorful and vogue.  She turns cute into a verb.  She totally cute-d the coffee date and set out a turquoise set for our cream and sugar.  

To set out that cute little set for just the two of us makes our coffee taste better.  I think I tipped up my shoulder and said, "oh, this is so cute.  Love the color!"  To which she replied with an excited, "just a little somethin-somethin' I picked up in Europe."  Isn't so fun to use a line like that.  Not in an arrogant way, but in a fun I-know-this-is-cool kinda way.  We can all do.  Read those "made in ______" labels in your clothes and drop it conversations.  "Oh, just a little somethin'-somethin' from Taiwan."  

Ok, now that we all know ways to hint to world travel without actually travelling the world, I'll get back to coffee at Jenny's. 

Now, I could take this deep and talk about our conversations.  We have only known each other for a few years, but we are really close and know a lot of each other's stories.  We can go deep quickly or keep it surface-y, whichever we want.  And I know that everyone has a friend or friends like that and it's all great.  

But, what's extra special about hanging out with Jenny is her flair.  She loves color and pattern and fun pillows and cute things.  She didn't even mind that I brought my camera to take pictures of her house, because she gets it.  She not only likes pretty things, she understands that taking pictures of pretty things is cool too.    

The coffee and talk were great as well, but come-on, what girl doesn't like coffee and talk?  I just loved these pictures and wanted to share them.  Whenever I see what Jenny's wearing or am at her apartment, it always makes me want to maker bolder choices.  



Pattern and colors and designs are so much fun and looks so cute.  I need help remembering that.  Jenny's place does just that: reminds me to break out of my solid-colored rut and put the fun back in Monday-Funday.