New Life in Cast Iron

As I was going through my kitchen the other day searching for items to put in my yard sale, I came across this old cast iron pot my grandmother had given to me about 5 years ago. I have never used it once and frankly, I have never really known how to use it. I was thinking I could get $5 for it, but just for kicks decided to look up the branding name on the bottom (Lodge). In my research I came across several websites not only claiming the suggested value of my pot being $80-100 (!!) but also teaching the value of a good cast iron pot.

My pot had spots of rust all over it, but with a simple solution of sea salt and cooking oil was able to buff them right out. I cleaned it up, seasoned that bad boy and now it sits proudly on top of my stove to add some rustic ambience to my kitchen! I now use it for everything: stews, sauces, stir fry, skillet meals and more. It is FABULOUS!

Some benefits of a cast iron pan are that foods glide out of it as from no pan made with Teflon; it goes from stove to oven; no special utensils are needed to cook in it; it won't warp, and cleanup is a cinch. A well-seasoned cast iron pan will only get better with age, and will last you for a lifetime.

So if you have an old cast iron pot stowed away somewhere, I would encourage you to bring it back to life and give it a place in your family for years to come- to one day pass down to your children's children.

discoveries.

One of the sweetest parts of my morning is when I am still fast asleep and my alarm clock- otherwise known as my sweet baby Preson- goes off. My husband goes and gets him from his crib and brings him into bed with us. I nurse him and then he is off into his own tiny world of imagination- exploring through the sea of covers and mountains of pillows! Not to mention the grand canyon between my husband and I. But his all time favorite thing to do is to peep through the little cutout square in our headboard that looks into our backyard through a window. It is so sweet! He climbs all over us and our pillows, grunting and as determined as ever, while grabbing handfuls of his daddy's hair to gain leverage to hoist himself up to the little window that was specifically design for him. Once he gets there, he grabs the string of the blinds and shoves the little hanging wooden bobble into his mouth. He is at that time totally content for an all time total of 3 minutes! (Thats a long time in baby-time!) Needless to say that despite my attempts to finish off those last few z's, I cant close my eyes as I embrace every moment of this first year of discoveries.

autumn lover

I love fall. Doesnt everyone?- especially us Floridians despite the late start. The first whiff of crisp dry air sends me weeding through my winter clothes in search of a light sweater to cozy up in. The air gets turned off and all the windows and doors come open and Tommy turns on his bluegrass.

I get slightly giddy over how Seminole Heights (our little historic urban neighborhood) comes to life in the fall. Everyone is almost magnetically drawn outdoors for a walk with their loved ones and puppy dogs. The parks become flooded with children playing tag and the Starbucks on the corner becomes unusually busy. It's probably just me, but it feels just the slightest bit like a northern town.

One of the things I look forward to most are the long drives my husband and I make a point of taking every few weeks along

the countryside. Dade City and Tarpon Springs are usually our destination while stopping off along the way at antique shops and fruit stands for some hot boiled peanuts. The sounds of Anathallo, Devendra Banhart, Jon Foreman and Cocoon bring back these wonderful memories.

I recently was researching local pumpkin patches and came across Sweetfields Farm-an organic pumpkin patch up in Brooksville. Later this month, when the weather cools down a bit, we will take a day with close friends and family for hayrides and pumpkin pickin'!

Hopefully this fall we will be able to take a trip to the mountains at some point. I dream about bundling Preson up in his knitted teddy bear beanie and putting him in his sling for a hike. I cant wait to share with Preson all the fall activities that I grew up with and begin giving him some wonderful memories to take with him in life!

God is so good- he draws my undivided attention to him as he changes the seasons. I sense Him in nature and he renews my spirit each year at this time.

Apartment Therapy

One of my favorite and most inspirational decorating websites strikes a cord with me once again. Apartment Therapy never ceases to put an tingle of creativity in my fingers and gives me an itch to do my own version of their ideas with existing pieces in my home. Before and Afters to come!

How To: Create a Visual Vignette

Any lackluster wall of your home can become a masterpiece when you know how to group objects for impact. Here are a few tips for creating a potent display out of your random collectibles and thrift shop finds…

1. CREATE A THEME
It can be as general as an idea — "travel" or "vintage" — or as specific as a color OR the object itself — clocks, mirrors, teacups. But having an identifiable motif keeps the grouping from appearing too arbitrary. Once you have placed 3 or more objects that tie into your theme, you can accessorize with more loosely related items.

2. BEWARE OF FLOATERS
Objects don’t have to be perfectly equidistant or arranged in a grid, but clustering objects in close proximity heightens the visual drama whereas items with too much space in between them have the tendency to look random and lonely. To create a collage-like effect, overlap a few pieces (as in the first photo).

3. LIMIT YOUR NUMBERS
While it’s easy to go overboard, the strongest statements are usually made with less than 15 items. Our friend Grace, who has a special talent for visual vignettes, created a rich display with just a few aptly placed nostalgic pieces: a coat tree rack, a picture of an antique sewing machine, and a silhouette portrait.

Growth Spurts

My baby boy is 6 months now and I am overwhelmed with how many changes are happening at once. He is on the verge of crawling- he is scooting everywhere! It is exciting, but my house is in no way babyproofed! No longer confined to his play blanket on the floor, I blink and he is across the room and attempting to eat dust bunnies under the couch. He is a quick little bugger and I am fearful of the curiosity of this little one.
His top two center teeth are here! It changes his face from the baby I am used to, into a peek of what he will look like when he becomes a little boy. It is almost too much.

He started eating solids- first organic whole grain rice cereal and now he is very reluctantly eating apples. Next week- sweet potatoes.
I sold out and bought him his first artificial source of entertainment-a Johnny Jump Up. He is addicted and cant stop bouncing in it once he gets going. Today he fell asleep in it and was still jumping!
All this energy of a 6 month old along with eating some hearty carbs has put him into a deep sleep into the night and thus he is now sleeping through the night. 8pm to 8am.
He is my sunshine and my life and I never anticipated this child bringing me this much joy.

Photo Credit:: Rachel Copple

All the Pretty Little Horses

I always thought lullabies were just quaint little cute songs for quaint little cute babies. Its amazing how a lullaby really DOES work when putting our little ones down for the night! haha! Every night at the end of Preson's bedtime routine, I go to nurse him one last time before putting him in his crib for the night. He is, without fail, always restless and anxious and not ready to go to bed- so he thinks. The moment I begin softly singing this classic lullaby, he calms down and dozes off every time! It leaves me with a warm fuzzy at the end of every night and I will treasure this sweet little memory always.



All the Pretty Little Horses

Hush-a-bye don't you cry,
Go to sleep-y, little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Blacks and bays, dapple grays,
Coach and six white horses.
Hush-a-bye don't you cry,
Go to sleep-y, little baby.

mama sara- her namesake, I am.

Pristinely dressed in her suit with that signature silk scarf tied perfectly around her neck. Red lips with a soft spritz of Chanel No.5. Proper and classy, yet never snobby. A warm smile and cheerful spirit. A genuine love for those less fortunate than herself that always inspired one to be a better person. Unconditionally loving, with a genuine desire to know her grandchildren for who they truly were. The list goes on and on.

If you can imagine such a woman- my grandmother.

The loving woman of whom I am proudly named, recently passed earlier this year. It was a bitter-sweet time for me as it happened right in the midst of the birth and homecoming of my first baby boy. I was able to laugh and cry with her in her last days as well as introduce to her, her first great grandson. Though unable to speak in her final moments of life, a beautiful picture is engraved in my mind of her touching her fingertips to her mouth and placing them on her great grandson as representation of a kiss. I am so happy he was able to meet such an amazing woman in my life.

I was very close to Mama Sara- especially in my childhood through my tween years when I lived close to her. Every other weekend, it was "off to grandmother's house we go". Her home was a large, traditional home in Atllanta, reminiscent of a beautiful southern plantation. I was recently given some of the artwork that once adorned it's walls. I will always treasure them and remember her through them.

Those weekends on Hillswick Court, we would wake up to the smell of eggs and bacon. Always served up with warm buttered toast and orange marmalade with a small glass of orange juice served in her special "grandchildren cups".

She would give us little chores to do around her home, but somehow had a way of making them fun and always infusing life lessons along the way. When we completed our chores, she rewarded us with a small allowance and always allowed us plenty of playtime. There was a fantastic swingset in her back yard and the most magnificent magnolia tree in the front. Both perfect for climbing all over and swinging from. She always taught us to be polite and engage the neighbors in small talk.

Later in the afternoon, she would load us up in the car for an afternoon of meals on wheels, where we would deliver meals and spend quality time with the elderly. Helping and loving the less fortunate and displaced, was among the highest priorities in her life and was her way of being Jesus to others. A lesson she always made clear through her life.

After meals on wheels, she would take us on a journey of our favorite consignment shops. This is where I originally developed my addiction for cheap boutique clothes and a stubborn unwillingness to pay full price for anything. It was always the highlight of the trip for a young granddaughter. Ill never forget one consignment store in particular called "Reruns". It was a quaint bungalow with lots of rooms and windows - and full of the most beautiful little girls' dresses! Anything I batted my eyelashes at, she would swipe up and add it to the tab...of course after explaining to me the importance of proper saving- A penny saved is a penny earned!

There were many occasions I bonded with Mama Sara on a very personal level. I will never forget the time we sat in her sunroom. I was at a place in my life where I expressed myself through rebellion to my parents and all authority. I wore my hair over my eyes and didn't smile much in those days. I can remember her conversing with me about her own life as a teenager and her struggles. That day, she broke through the hard barrier and from that time on I have always known I could talk to her about anything. She would relate and then lovingly point me in the right direction. She was one of the few I felt I could talk to and I will always remember that particular day that I poured my heart out to her and she loved me all the more for it.

She was a dream grandmother to grow up with. Though many years have passed since these childhood memoirs, my treasury of memories make it feel like it was yesterday.

As I sit here with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, I hear her voice as she introduces me with the utmost pride and a warm smile, as her namesake.