The front porch

I worked some more on our front porch this weekend, too.  This summer has just been too hot to enjoy the porch but fall is coming!!  I ordered our tickets to see Alabama at the fair in October yesterday and I really cannot wait.  I haven't seen them since 2006, I think, when they had their Farewell Tour and it was there in Perry that I saw them and I cried thinking I'd never see them again and would never see them with Larry.  After all I had experienced in my crazy running-after-Alabama days, it broke my heart to think I would never get to share any of that with Larry.  Well, they're coming back and we're going to meet 'em there.  Sans Mark, of course, and to me, Alabama without Mark just ain't Alabama.  But like Patty Loveless taught us, life's about changin', nothing ever stays the same.  I'll go see Randy, Teddy and Jeff and I'll scream my fool head off and I'll show my husband a side of me he ain't never seen.  :)

So, back to the porch.  I went to an estate sale with a coworker Friday and I picked up two little metal tables for five bucks a piece that I thought would look cute on our porch.  Here's a pic of them before, in the picture from the sale.  I circled 'em in pink!

 

Here they are now, after I painted them and put some flowers on 'em!

 Here's some more flower pots I've collected and the man I collected, too.  :)

We got this rug this summer for $10.  I just love it.  

At the estate sale of artist Audrey Hunnicutt in Fort Valley a few weeks ago, I got a bunch of baskets and I don't know what that jug thing is but I liked it and it was $2.  It's really heavy and really cool.  

I went to the grand opening of our new HomeGoods store today and got this boho wooden bead birds and bells garland.

 

It was made in India and is really, really pretty.

Another estate sale find that found its way to our house.  I think I paid a quarter for it.  Its message is priceless, though.

So long, February!

This month is gone already!  Shortest month of the year and probably the coldest one we're gonna get.  I hope!  We missed the snow by about a hundred miles and I am not mad.  It's been cold, though.  Stupid cold for me and I'm ready to welcome March and a little sunshine! 

We have been very busy around here!  Larry got a new job (thank you, Jesus!) and right now, it's six days a week.  We are grateful, though he is tired.  If you think about it, say a prayer for him please. 

Larry's birthday was the 24th and we celebrated pretty much all week.  Starting on Sunday, the 22nd, in Atlanta with Rhiana, Juan and the girls.  They threw him a surprise party and I played my part, telling him we were going up there to fix a few things around their house.  He did fix a couple of things but he also had German chocolate birthday cake, strawberry shortcake ice cream, blue and white birthday balloons, an awesome gift of an in-ground basketball system and all the hugs and squeals he could stand from his girls.  Since I couldn't actually tell him we were having a party, he made plans to meet some old friends while we were in Atlanta so after we left the kids, we drove to Cumberland Mall to The Cheesecake Factory for a reunion and another birthday celebration.  I had never been to The Cheesecake Factory so when Larry asked me to pick the place, it was an easy choice!  I got a slice of heaven in their Lemon Raspberry cheesecake and when we sneaky-sneak asked them to come out and sing "Happy Birthday" to him, I ordered a slice of their German chocolate for them to put the candle in.  Them folks know how to make cheesecake!

On the night before his actual birthday, I baked him another German chocolate cake (it IS his favorite, after all!) and decorated the living room with streamers, balloons and I even got a small pinata and filled it full of candy and hung it up with a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner.  He was genuinely surprised when he came home because we'd said no more cake and no more party, blah blah blah.  Sneaky-sneak.  That's what you do, right?  I played along and then did what I wanted to do anyway. Ha!

I was sick with a sinus headache on his birthday (but NOTHING LIKE LAST YEAR OMG) but after swallowing a handful of sinus medicine and Excedrin, I was feeling pretty good by noon so we went to Lowe's and got a couple of white porch rockers for our front porch.  Larry had those things together in 20 minutes!  They look so nice on the porch.

I can't wait to get some hanging baskets of pretty flowers and ferns and a big old bowl of peas to shell.  :)

Since tomorrow is March, I took down my Valentine tea cart and started putting together my Easter one.  This is what I have so far.

I just love this little guy.