Natchez, MS Trip

Bryan and I went to Natchez, MS to the spring pilgrimage. We had a very nice weekend get away and enjoyed the history of the homes in Natchez. I enjoyed it a lot more than the last time I went (spring break, 9th grade with the fam!!!) You can imagine how excited I was about that! Now that I am older and appreciate the history behind the homes, Bryan and I decided to go. It was a good trip and I wish I could share all of the pics, but I will share some.

More Natchez

This home had the most beautiful collection of silver. There were two more sideboards with more. It completely sent me over the edge! I was drueling over this silver. I now am on the hunt for a sliver tea service. It is on my Wish List!

This is the Children's room at Rosalie. It was so sweet, complete with a doll's bed, stroller, mini tea set and youth bed.

This photo was taken at Rosalie. This beautiful antique piano was on display in the home's music room. Our guide asked if anyone played the piano, and I raised my hand (not knowing she would call me out to play on the piano) and the next thing I knew, I was playing for our group.

This is Longwood. It is a beautiful octagonal home started in 1860 by a wealthy cotton farmer. It was to have 6 stories and a rotunda in the center of the home. After only about 1 year of construction, his northern workers fled to join the Union army, leaving Mr. Nutt (the owner) to have the basement finished quickly so his family would have a place to live. The family lived in the basement while the war continued. Shortly after the war ended, Mr. Nutt died of pneumonia. Rumor has it that he died of a broken heart over the loss of his dream home. Longwood is still unfinished today, only with the basement completed. Mrs. Nutt continued to live in the basement of her home until her death in 1897. This home was beautiful yet the story behind it is SO SAD! You can only imagine how exquisite the home would have been had Mr. Nutt been able to complete his dream. What a sad story.

This is the view of the rotunda from the foyer. Can you just imagine how wonderful this would have been?

I love these stairs built into the sidewalk. This home always had carriages arriving and the stairs were there permanently to help the ladies in and out of the carriage.

This home had a beautiful garden in the back yard and Bryan and I decided to snap a photo of each other.

Weekend in Atlanta

This weekend, I went to Atlanta to hang out with some of my pledge sisters and it was great to see everyone. We enjoyed a relaxing Friday evening together and Saturday, we enjoyed the "Tour of Kitchens" followed by a great dinner at Soho. It is hard to believe we have known each other for 15 years! What a fun time!

I couldn't be in Atlanta without a trip to see Candace and Caroline. Caroline is about to be one year old and she was walking all over the yard. She moves pretty fast, but I was able to get a few pictures of her.

Noah and Nic

This afternoon, I went to the Botanical Gardens with Tara, Robby, Noah, and Nic to snap some pictures of the boys. I think it went very well. This was my first time to really get to play around with my new lens and I love how the pictures look. I wanted to share a few with you all.

Learning How to Edit Photos

Okay, while I am still figuring out my new lens (which may take a while), I decided to learn how to edit and enhance photos. These are a few of my first attempts. I just took old pictures, uploaded them to the photo editor and went to work. This took FOREVER to figure out..but after a while, it began to come together.

Just Doing What They Do Best

I came home from work today and the "kids" were not on the screen porch. It was beautiful this afternoon and I figured they were out in the sun....and they were. I found them in the back just laying around. Casey and Basil are not good at much, but they are very good at being lazy. Basil loves to lay in the monkey grass in the sun and Casey loves to gather sticks and chew them to shreds. Man, I wish my life was that simple!

Finally....Home Improvements are FINISHED!

After many long weeks of hard work and mess, the home improvements are finally complete. I must say that it would not have been possible without the help of my Dad and Mike Williams. They came to Birmingham on Friday and helped Bryan complete the rotted eve. It was a big job that needed to be completed for numerous reasons. I am pleased to show how much better it looks and to know that the rotting has STOPPED!

The completed basement-new paint and new curtains. This room is not a decorator's dream but it is the room where all of the odds and ends are. I spend many hours down there doing my Novo paper work.

Last but not least...the Floors! I will just let the pics speak for themselves. It just looks so much better!

Happy Anniversary Mama and Daddy!!!!

Today, my parents have been married for 40 years! Wow! They came to Birmingham today and we went to lunch and The Club to celebrate and then made a trip to the Summit. Daddy got my Mom a new, much needed purse and Bryan and I treated Daddy to a new pair of jeans. Kind of odd, but that what he wanted. I am very blessed to have such wonderful parents who love me more that I deserve. Happy Anniversary Mama and Daddy. I love you!