Last Friday afternoon, I picked up my good friend, Bonnie, and we set off on an adventure.  It has been a while since we had been able to get together.  We wanted get away this summer, but life just didn’t cooperate.  So, she suggested that we go to Rosemary Beach, Florida and tour the Coastal Living Magazine’s Ultimate Beach House.  Well, I thought this was a great idea and so we put it on our calendars.  It so happened that the planets aligned and good luck was with us, because nothing came up to spoil our plans, we went, we saw it and it was beautiful!

Of course, that’s not all we did.  I mean, why waste a perfectly good trip to the beach and not do but one thing!  Silliness!  We went out to eat when we got there on Friday night and then we discovered we had just enough time to shop one store before closing time.  What did we choose?  A shop jam packed with wonderful clothes for babies and children!  Oh, such fun.  We both managed to leave there minus some cash!  Then, we sat up talking till the wee hours.  Bonnie is the director of the school I taught at for 20 years.  She is still there…they will NEVER let her retire!  So, I had to catch up on each and every one of the teachers. (Girls, were your ears burning?)  Then I had to find out the goings on at the school.  And she had to find out about the people and things in my life.  Then we got onto our families and there was much to discuss there.  She has a yummy grandson named Cal who is 2 weeks older than Levi.  We had to talk about all the wonderful things they each were doing!   And, we wore ourselves out and headed to bed.

Up early the next morning, we headed to THE most delightful old highway that runs along the coast…30-A.  Along this highway are the beach towns of Seaside, Watersound, Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, along with others all the way to Destin!  We made Seaside our first stop and had breakfast at an open air cafe.  It was divine!  And, then we felt that it was only right to explore some of their shops as well.  And, once again, we helped out the economy of this small village!  There are such wonderful little walkways and gardens and galleries to explore there.  We posed for a few pics and then made our way back to the car.

On to Rosemary Beach where the ‘house’ was located.  I had never driven back into this area before and it was wonderful.  We finally found the show house and eagerly went inside.  It was unbelievable!  Already sold for 2.7 million dollars before it was even built, it was indeed the ULTIMATE beach house!  It was impeccably furnished with flooring and furniture and art…most of which has been bought by the new owners as well.  We went from room to room exploring the upstairs and downstairs and the most wonderful courtyard.

Yes, we really enjoyed that courtyard and pool area!  Here are a few more pics of that area.  Notice the unusual open window cut into the side wall.

And some inside the house…den/dining…lovely linens…..beautiful bedrooms….and a cute little web footed mirror that I can not get to turn right side up for the life of me…

I just tried again and it will not budge.  Just ignore the sideways lady in the mirror and look at the cute feet!

Anyway, if you would like to see more of the house go to the October issue of Coastal Living magazine, and prepare to be wowed!   But, the pictures do not do the house justice.  It is much better in person!   (We know the twin sister of the decorator.  She lives in Dothan, and her children went to our school…the sister, not the decorator).  Or, if you are near the area, hurry down and see it.  I think it is only open a few more weeks!

We stopped at an interesting place or two on the way out of the area and then set our sights toward Dothan.  Ran into ugly rain off and on, but made it safely.  It was such a lovely trip with a dear, sweet friend.  And, I, for one, will not let it take as long for us to set off again!

When last we talked (Friday evening), I was on my way to begin setting up for a very special wedding that was to take place on Saturday afternoon.

As it turned out…there was an early change of plans.  We were not able to do any decorating on Friday evening…it all had to be done on Saturday morning…wedding, reception inside, reception outside…before pictures which were slated to start at noon.  I arrived at the venue before 7:00 am Saturday.  There was no one else there.  Oh what a beautiful, quiet and peaceful few moments I had to take in the beauty of the grounds here at M’s Vineyard.  I’m sure in this great and wonderful world there are thousands of gardens grander than this…but in our little town, this is grand.  It makes me wonder how our Lord decides where to take a morning stroll with such beauty to choose from…for I’m sure He was walking with me Saturday morning.  What an unexpected blessing to have a few private moments to praise Him for His goodness.  Following are some of those early morning pics…

Don’t you agree?  It is just so lovely!  And, the jasmine and the honeysuckle and the roses were in full bloom and smelling divine!

Here was my other view when I arrived…

…much to be done!  (Notice the vineyards in the background?)

We bagan by moving all of our ‘stuff’ to the tent from our cars and from the house and from around the grounds.  We had one of the groomsmen who kindly came to help us.  Tina and I have all this stuff at our houses…stuffed into garages and storerooms and used in our decor from time to time.  To do this type of decorating you really need to be a collector.  You could never find all these things at one time…they are just not available.  It has taken years of collecting to gather most of these.  And, we have lots more we didn’t bring.

So we got everything unloaded and spread out and then went back in to get the tablecloths.  Coming back across the lawn, we heard something we had not heard previously…sort of a whirring.  And, then, all of a sudden, the SPRINKLER SYSTEM CAME ON IN FULL FORCE!!!  And, guess where 2 of the sprinkler heads were?  UNDER THE TENT!!  Yes, 2…right in the middle of our tent…wetting supplies, tables, EVERYTHING!      Quick thinking Tina threw 2 of the large tree sections on top of the heads, forcing them into the ground.  This kept the water off the tables…but it caused 2 large puddles on the ground instead!  It took about 20 minutes for us to get the water turned off.  This gave the puddles plenty of time to turn into lakes.  Which is also why my shoes are sitting out in the sun!

Barefooted, I continued to work…I would do what I could on one table and Tina would follow behind me retouching and putting all the extras into place…she is such a wonderful detail person.  It is a delight to work with someone who can catch the same vision you have for a project.  It takes so much of the stress out of a job…unless the BLASTED SPRINKLER SYSTEM COMES ON AND MESSES UP EVERYTHING!!!!.  Hey, we are nothing if not flexible!

(Those empty Mason jars would hold the floating candles that are sitting on the tables)

Working as quickly as we could, we managed to finish under the tent by 11:00.  We went inside and decorated the food table, the 3 drink tables, the gift table, the groom’s table and the mantle.  Whew!  Here are a few of those pics…

Finally, we finished…But, there was still much to do.  The pew (row) markers had to be placed.  Adam needed help with the pics until Suzanne could get Levi situated and get there,  and 101 things that popped up at the last minute.  The bride and groom arrived…an hour later than their scheduled time,  but what bride is ever on time?  Pics inside of her and her mother dressing.  Then out they come.  And, they looked so sweet and beautiful and handsome…and so in love.  They braved the elements…baking sun, no breeze, and a horde of gnats like unto biblical proportions!  And, I’m not exaggerating!

Note the cute cowboy boots!

Danielle and sweet Lucy Jane!  Lucy Jane (Addison) is the daughter of Danielle’s brother, Justin.

Cowboy boots for the bridesmaids, too!

The men in the wedding party…

And, finally, all is ready…Let’s have a weddiing!  Is this sweet Lucy Jane not the cutest thing you have ever seen?  She followed all instructions and did a wonderful job.

Danielle and her Father…

And, it’s over!  Now, let’s party!

Danielle and her stepfather, Patty’s husband, Mike.

My Pop and Danielle have had a long relationship.  She calls to check on him several times a week and they even go out to dinner occasionally.  She honored him so kindly by including him as an honorary grandfather in the ceremony.

What an honor for me to be asked to coordinate and plan this sweet day.  I loved every minute of it.  Well, except the gnats…and the SPRINKLERS!  Otherwise, it was a beautiful day with so many friends that I love.  It was a new beginning for Danielle and Zach.  And, it was a bigger celebration of the goodness of our Heavenly Father who binds us together in Christian love, and causes our hearts to turn to one another in marital love.  For through it all…’we love others because He first loved us!’

Patty is such a dear friend to me.  I loved being a part of this special day in her daughter’s life.  Thanks, Patty for including me!

Beautiful Danielle!  She was such a lovely bride!  And, she is now enjoying a cruise in the Caribbean with her new husband.  Blessing to them both!

These are pictures that I made and some that Patty made.  So, they are not professional, by any means!  I’ll share some of Adam’s when he gets them together and ready to show!

You are all familiar with ‘show and tell’ day, from kindergarten, I feel sure.  At my former school, this meant to bring something to show and then tell something about it.  But, here…the lesson comes first…then the picture.

When I first went to Hawaii, I think I was 15, I bought a big piece of ‘tapa cloth’.  And it hung on my wall both at home and at college.  But, somewhere between getting married and moving and moving and moving and moving…it got lost.  Or someone threw it away…not knowing how special it was.  I have always searched for more each time I have been back, but all I could ever find was in galleries and it cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars, or it was made into some silly trinket instead of just the plain cloth.  But, when I went last year, I ran across some small pieces that were more reasonably priced and snapped up 3 pieces as quick as I could.  I kept those pieces rolled up in tissue paper while we travelled and I made it home with out any creases in them.  I then stretched then on canvas.  And, they are now very prized possessions.

The Lesson:  Tapa cloth (or simply tapa) is a bark cloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji.  It is made from the inner bark of paper mulberry trees or breadfruit trees, and can also be called kapa.  It was once of great importance to the islanders, being used for clothing,rugs, blankets, etc.  It was even traded with other islands, or given as gifts.  It is produced by strip long area of bark, then boiling and separating the fibers.

Then the softened fibers were pounded to make one large piece of cloth.

Several layers of these fibers would be glued together, then allowed to dry.   Traditional dyes of black and a rust-brown were used to decorate the cloth…primarily by use of stamps or stencils…with geometrical patterns of the native culture.  Each island group had its own special symbols.  These are still used today on decorative items, and often are the ‘tribal markings’ you see tattoed around the bicep or calf muscle of brave islanders!

Though strong when dry, tapa cloth would lose its strength when wet and fall apart.  Nowadays tapa is still often worn on formal occasions such as weddings and funerals. Another use is as blanket at night, or for room dividers. It is also highly prized for its decorative value and is often found used to hang on the walls as a decoration.  It is still used in ceremonial masks, and to wrap sacred objects.

Here are the small pieces that I bought…stretched and hung on the wall leading into our library.

The areas around the birds are actually a little lighter than the rest of the picture.  I am so happy with these pictures, they truly add to the beauty of the home. (I hope that doesn’t sound boastful.  I don’t mean it to be, I just love it here so much.)  I am so, so proud of the artistic eye that Adam has, and his ability to put the things he ‘sees in his mind’ onto actual paper.  This grouping delights me every time I pass it!  Thanks, Adam!

My husband told me one time that he didn’t think I’d ever rest easy until I had knocked holes in all the walls in our house and hung pictures in every blank space available. Well, of course I won’t.  What are walls for, after all?

Just a few images to share…they make me happy and remind me of the blessings that I have…..

Chillin’ in the pack and play…..look at those sweet leg rolls!

Trying to eat a new Christmas Ornament…..

Playing with Lucy Jane…….

Looking cute in shirt Lulu painted for him…

Making friends with Snowman….

Beautiful, beautiful boy………

Some scenes of the wooden bridge leading to my house….it is on the only road we have, about halfway down…..it is lit up with tiny white lights for Christmas!  Such a welcoming sight when returning home after dark……  I tried to get some pictures at night….but they didn’t do too good.  Adam tried a little earlier in the evening and got some fairly good ones.  The first ones are his…..

The one above is mine…with some ‘doo dahs’ added ….fair…and below, is a much better picture of the Glory angel…Adam said mine was not clear enough…and he was right…

And, so the Thanksgiving Weekend comes to a close.  It’s been a sweet one for the Owens’.

On Thursday, we celebrated Thanksgiving…..of course, I told you, Joy was in charge of the feast….

It was wonderful, as we knew it would be, and we all enjoyed it!

Sweet Tara came bringing John Thomas, who is into everything and talking a mile a minute!  So precious!

And we were all joined by our friend Danielle and her fiance, Zach.  It was great to have them with us, as well.

After lunch…Joy cleaned the kitchen…and we set about decorating Pop’s house for Christmas.  That was the part I was in charge of…lest you think I was a slackard and just let everyone else do the work!  And, as you see here…I managed to put my whole self into the job…

This is not finished, by the way…but I pretty well was by the time I did this cute little trick two times!!!

While we ladies, including Suzanne and Tara worked…Tommy tried to keep John Thomas corralled…

And, Don tried his best to entertain Levi….

Lori came in a little later she had to work at the hospital today…  She helped Joy divide the food that was left…

I struggled to get one picture with Sweet Levi….  Isn’t his shirt cute?  His Lulu made it for him…:-)

But all he wanted was his Mama…

And all Pop wanted was another piece of pumpkin pie!

As you can see…after the fiasco with John Thomas and Levi (last post) we didn’t even try any more posed pictures.

Posed or not…the family was together and these pictures show us working together…all doing our part…(Ian got the things out of the attic…Adam will put them back…Will was hunting  a deer for another feast)…having fun just being together.  All the things a family is supposed to do.  What a blessed day!

AND—HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET DAUGHTER IN LOVE!  WHAT A BLESSING YOU ARE TO US ALL!  I LOVE YOU, MY DEAR!

AND, THEN…on Friday evening, Ian announced that he was cooking a meal for us.  He snagged Adam to help him and they went to the grocery store and the butcher shop…they got all the ingredients they needed…and came home to begin the creations.  He informed us we were having Roast Pork Loin stuffed with Rosemary, Bacon and Onion…..Spoon Bread…..Pear Crostata and Apple Crostata.  And, cook it, he did.  Yelling to Adam and Alex to ‘stir’ or ‘turn the heat down’ and to Don to ‘hurry up and grate that cheese’.  And, my only contribution was to set the table and fix the glasses of tea.  Why, friends, we could have been eating in the fanciest restaurant in Anytown, USA.  It was delicious!  He did a wonderful job at preparing all three.  Just look at these……..(and that was no store bought dough, either)

What was left…

And this was all that was left of the roast pork…

I know you are not used to seeing pics of good food on my blog…but, this was too good not to share!

On Saturday, Ian and Adam did computer work.  While Suzanne was out he called and asked her to cook some hamburgers.  She adds ‘magical ingredients’ when she mixes up her hamburgers and they are so good.  Of course, WE didn’t get to sample them this time!  🙂

Sunday was a sweet time at church, and Ian headed out to Birmingham early.  This is Monday and Joy and Pop have gone to Birmingham for his first check up since his eye surgery.

Life is full of blessings for us, but we were so sad that Alex could not be with us on Thanksgiving, but he was able to get up for a while to help Ian with his feast.  Alex’s health continues to be a matter of prayer for us, and we are content with the fact that God’s hears our prayers.  He continues to give us all strength…and we are ever hopeful that we will discover help for him at some point in time.  God is good…all the time.

Now…let the countdown to Christmas begin!