Friday's Letters

Dear Salt and Pepper Shakers,
   I didn't need you but I had to have you. You fit right in with the rest of my little retro family of shakers.  So go ahead and make yourself at home because I think you will be in my life for  a while.

Dear Nate Dog,
   Your Honey told you last week that I would catch you walking.... and I did!!  You little ninja baby!  You are walking just in time for your first birthday!  Your whole world is about to open up to you in ways you could never imagine...Lord help your parents with keeping up with you now.  At least for your sake, you'll be able to run away from your big sisters now!  They love to smother you to death....but it's because they love you so much.  Always remember that.

Dear Ian and Eunice,

  Thank you for making me such an amazing custom stamp for The Honey Pot.  I couldn't be more pleased.  Y'all rock!   I hope your shop myrubberstamp gets so busy y'all have to close up shop and run off to Hawaii or something.  :)

Dear Disgusting Dark Roots,
  Y'all gotta get outa my life.  You hear me?  Your days are numbered just so you know.  Come Wednesday at 12pm you are history. So enjoy these last few days of making me look skanky.

Dear Longino Baptist Church,
   It was so exciting to be a part of what God is doing in your midst. This week was just the beginning and I pray that y'all continue to seek God for true revival.  Y'all blessed me and Nick so much being with y'all.  Even though the week was long from getting home so late each night...we feel refreshed. Y'all loved on us and encouraged us as you were hungry for the Word each night.  And when y'all gathered around and layed hands on us to pray for our ministry, well...that meant more than y'all will ever know.  Thank you so much and we are already looking forward to Spring when we will be with y'all again!

Dear Bro Matt, Leslie, and Audri Ann,
   I am so glad to finally meet y'all in person.  I honestly can say that I feel as if we've known y'all for a lifetime. We are blessed to call y'all friends.  I'm so tickled Audri Ann took a liking to me so much this week.  It did this old Honey's heart good to get such sweet hugs each night from such a sweetheart.  I hope it's not spring til when we see each again. (and I forgive y'all for being Mississippi State fans.)

Dear Rosalyn,
  Thank you for wanting to call your Honey as often as you do.  I could talk with you for hours...about absolutely nothing.  I love you so much and am so proud of the wonderful big sister that you are.  And so proud of you working so hard when you and your momma have school.   

Dear Pepsi Next Commercial,

I've seen you a hundred times and yet you still crack me up.  Thank you for that.

Dear TOMS Catalog, 
  Curse you for showing up in my mailbox and making me want to own another pair of you.  Especially the bottom left ones.  I like you a lot and think you'd look really cute on my feet. 

Dear Madisonville and all my family and friends who live there,
  It breaks my heart to see your streets flooded in such a way.  As of me writing this, no one has been reported hurt there and I am so thankful for that.  I will continue to pray as y'all clean up after Hurricane Isaac.

Dear LSU T-Shirt,
    I bought you in the beginning of summer.  Your sleeves were long and football season seemed so far away so you have hung in my closet for months.  Well, I'm so tickled I got to pull you out this past week and break you in. I'll probably wear you again tomorrow...for the game! Woo hoo! Geaux Tigers.

Dear Funny Sweet Jules,
  Thank you for the harmonica concert. It made my week.  Your skillz rock...you never dropped your paci not one time.  Amazing.

Dear Lauren,
   Thank you for studying hard and making me smile with this text you sent me after your very first test you took in college!!   

Dear Dear Marcus,
  Thank you for making my daughter deliriously happy.  That makes me happy.  Well that and the fact you trimmed down that small bush you had growing off your face.

Dear Briggs Chapel Family,
I have missed y'all and I can't wait to see y'all Sunday!!  Woo Hoo.  

Sincerely,

 Stephanie :)

Lace Hoop Art {tutorial}

Well it's been a little over two months since Lydia's wedding.

When it's a diy wedding from start to finish and everything in between, a momma's gotta take a little break afterwards you know?

I still haven't printed their wedding pictures..

or started creating their wedding book....

 and don't even get me started about the big gorilla I still have sitting on my shoulders... 

editing their wedding video.

 It's coming though.

 I have so many projects and tutorials I want to share with ya'll .

Perhaps to help some other momma cut costs (cuz y'all...we were on a serious budget)

And hopefully give inspiration to some who have special events coming up.

I'm creating a page at the top of the blog that is designated for all things wedding related.

So today, I give y'all the first of many

wedding tutorials and tips and I'll be sprinkling a little behind the scene fun along the way.

************************************

Lace Hoop Art

I received the most emails and requests about this project...

 and y'all....

it was the easiest of all.

If you want a big impressive focal piece with minimum to little work, than this is the project for you!

It's only as expensive as the fabric you choose to use.

We wanted lace to tie in with the rest of Lydia's theme but you could use any kind of fabric for any kind of party.  

Unfortunately I didn't get step by step pictures of the assembly process because we put it together at the reception venue and taking pics of each step just wasn't on my mind!

But basically, just purchase your hoops in various sizes.

The quantity would depend on what size space you're making it for.

This would make a great permanent wall hanging too...not just for an event.

We bought our hoops at Hobby Lobby.  We waited until they were half off.

We used some lace we already had and we bought a few small pieces...not even an entire yard. 

The pink polka dot fabric is actually from a dress I found at my favorite store, Dirt Cheap.  The dress was as tacky as they come but I loved the fabric overlay on top and it was only $1!!  Way cheaper than buying fabric.  So don't get boxed in to just thinking you have to buy brand new fabric for this project.  You could use old tablecloths, napkins, handkerchiefs, blouses....the possibilities are endless.

It really is like a piece of  art.

I put the fabric in the hoops first and then kept moving them around until I had them positioned where we liked them. 

Then we used hot glue to glue the wooden hoops to each other to make it one big structure.

(actually my awesome son-in-law glued mine together for me.)

Then we hung them up with fishing line.

I loved the way it turned out!

The way the light shone through the lace created such a beautiful look.

Most of all, Lydia loved it to pieces...

and that's what I was going for.

Stephanie :)

Porterville Night

Many of you who follow my family on Instagram and Facebook are well aware of Porterville Night.

I've had so many ask what is Porterville Night?!

Where is Porterville?!

And my favorite....

I want to come to Porterville !!

Well, I'm gonna fill you in on a secret...

Porterville is a teensy little town in mississippi that is so small if you blink you will miss it.

We are officially in the Boon Docks.

There is no theme park here or any form of entertainment that would attract the masses.

(unless your form of entertaining is hunting... that's another story)

So what's all the fuss of Porterville Night?

Well for my family it's more of a state of mind than it is a place on the map.

Porterville Night represents contentment. 

It represents the fact that we have resolved to carve out time for being together.

It represents the fact that we have committed to make our time together a celebration.

You see, in recent years our family has evolved.

We have always been tight knit.  We've always done everything together.

And we like it that way.

But life has happened and kids have grown up, gotten married and moved away.

We can no longer all be together for ALL things that take place.

As a momma, I could box with God on this issue and stay miserable..

pining away about how it used to be.

But by His grace He's done such a work in my heart.  

Learning how to love what you do have instead of whining about what you don't have is a  freeing thing.  FREEDOM y'all. Liberty.  

So instead of being sad that we can't hang out all the time, I've chosen to be estatic over when we do get to hang out.  And that's what our Porterville Night is all about.

Now this is the season I'm in...having grown kids branching out..learning to do "family" a new way.

But so many of y'all  are dealing with the same stuff....just a different season.

like...

• the momma who had to send off her little love to kindergarden and is learning to adjust to them being gone 6 hours a day, 5 days a week being shaped and molded by someone else when up to this point that sole person has been you.
• or the one who is having to deal with their kid who has hit the teenage years and you as a mom, who was once their best friend that they wanted to do everything with, suddenly gets put on the back burner to new friends and new activities.
• or the dear one whose older parents are now in poor health or have recently passed away and you are learning how to do life with the biggest void you've ever experienced.

When we find ourselves in these new seasons that honestly, we'd prefer the old way of doing things...

it's then we have a choice to make.

We have to choose to embrace the new way of doing things and discover the joy awaits.

We can waste precious time dreaming about what used to be or..

we can have ourselves a Porterville Night!

I hope you choose yourself a "Porterville Night"!

Here are some glimpses of the "crazy" that takes place  during our Porterville Nights..

 Dominos!

We get a little competitive.  Just a little.

We usually sing and dance...

We play with our food...

And we "make our own music"....

It's never fancy..

No make up..

No fixing of hair..

No getting dressed...

But we are making memories.

I couldn't ask  for anything more.

That old saying "Life is what you make of it" is truth.

Many that actually drive through Porterville, Mississippi will only see trees, cows and the houses of those who have lived here their entire lives...  

But for us, we see #funcity.

It's kinda like our Disneyland.  :)

Stephanie :)

ps. for the record, I do own other clothing besides the  green sweatshirt you see in all these pictures. But for some reason, it has unintentionally become my Porterville Night Outfit. 

 Classy.  

Go visit my dear friend Jami and soak up all the encourage you will find there.

Redemption

My family has this favorite thing they love to eat...

German Pancakes.

My husband grew up eating them.  It's a thing on his daddy's side and everyone in the family loves them, craves them and wants them.

Only problem is...I can't cook them.

It drives me crazy because I love to cook and can usually cook pretty much anything. 

But not these turds.  They have gotten the best of me.

Ms Dianne, my mother-n-law who could give Paula Dean a run for her money and I'm totally serious when I say that,   has tried to teach me several times over the years.

It has become one of those mental things with me now...

I automatically expect failure and get intimidated from the very mention of them.

There are two other things that cause me to react the same way.

Math of all types and having to give someone directions.

I clam up and shut down with all three things.

Both my sister in laws have conquered the German Pancake thing so I knew it was gonna live on down their branches of the family tree but I was so concerned for mine.

But alas...God is good.  He in His sovereignty (and mercy) saw fit to raise up one from my crew who could carry on the Holden tradition.  Praise Jesus.

Elizabeth sent me this text this weekend..

"I just made the most perfect German pancakes I have ever made. #mawmawDworthy"

I think I heard the angels singing in heaven as I read it.

MawMaw D worthy means something y'all. 

It means a lot in fact.

I've been redeemed.

The Nick Holden clan can hold their head up with pride.

Thanks Elizabeth.

 Here are some of the pics she sent me from the weekend.

They are paper thin and you spread them out on the entire plate....

Which is what makes cooking them a pain in the butt.

The consistency has to be SO paper thin...then it's hard to flip.

I would always use up half the batter before I got it right and would only end up with like 2 pancakes.

Then I'd have to start the whole process over....hence the frustration.

Anywho, you spread them out on your plate like this..

 Then you spread syrup on them and roll them up like this.

And then you slice them with a fork and gobble them up.

Here's the recipe if you're interested.

And if yours turn out great... don't tell me about it.

German pancakes

Mix in the blender on blend cycle

 
3 eggs
1/4 cup of oil
1/3 cup of sugar
A dash of salt 
Then add milk to blender. Just fill blender half way with milk and blend it all together. 

Then add and blend 1 1/2 cups  flour (all purpose). Add more flour or milk as needed. 

Use your spoon to check consistency.... thicker than milk but not much. 

Add a little oil in skillet and pour 1/4 to  1/3 of a cup and tilt pan to have a thin layer covering skillet. Brown one side and flip.  It takes shorter time on other side. 

Once cooked, fold and put in covered dish and start serving when you have a few made. 

Happy Monday Y'all

Stephanie :)

Friday's Letters....on Saturday

Dear Carolyn,

  Thank you for being you. For always praying for my family.  For specifically praying for Lauren's first day of college when you prayed for the offering last Sunday night.  You make me smile and I love you so much. 

 Dear Lucas,
  I'm so excited for what the Lord is up to these days in your life. Wow...getting your relationship in order with Jesus... Being obedient in getting baptized...in a cold river taboot...  Getting married soon to Brittany, the girl our whole church thinks of as our own. I loved meeting your family and look forward to the days ahead.

Dear Hot Water Heater,
  I hope you got whatever it was worked out and you've decided not to break down on us anymore. I'm mean you're only a year old.  But I do appreciate the timing you chose this time way better than the last time you broke...as in the day before Lydia's wedding with a house full of company!   So yeah, I hope you got all your kinks worked out and you'll running for a while cuz I really enjoyed that hot bath that I was able to take after six days of cold water.



Dear last chick in our nest,
 Thank you for getting up early and making your parents breakfast on our anniversary.  You are one of the most thoughtful people I know.  I'm glad we have a little more time before you spread your wings for good.

Dear Mr Skunk,
  Sorry we had to exterminate you. You were getting a little too close for comfort coming up to the carport and stuff.  We think you stink and you had to go. Hate that for you... not really.

Dear Sherry,

 Thank you for texting me the pics of Alexis' Hunger Games Party.  They made my day and Rhonda totally nailed Effie. The only bad thing is the fact y'all didn't invite me.  I forgive y'all though. 

Love, 

The other S.

Dear Guest Room,
  I can finally see you becoming you. And I really like you.  A lot. I still have lots of work to do hanging pics and stuff but you make me feel happy and comfortable when I hang out with you.  I think I may be falling in love with you in fact.

And to the other half of the room, my studio,
  I love you too.  You are  not as organized as I had hoped you would be but hey, we are making major strides.  We've been spending lots of time together lately and I must say..I like you much better than the kitchen table.

Dear Kim,
   Happy 2nd Bloggiversary..here's to many many more years of Cuppa Kim and mug swaps. I love your cute lil self and your big ole heart for Jesus.  I love my Nebraska friend you hooked me up with.  Now I get me a daily dose of sugarmama every time I use my cup....and I love it. (and her! love. her.)  

To My Pastor,
  Thank you for teaching me the Word.  Thank you even more for living it out before me. Thank you for being one of the most genuine people I know.... you're the real deal and I'm blessed to sit under your preaching Sunday after Sunday after Sunday. 

Dear Fall,
  Hurry up and get here already.  I'm ready to pull out my cute boots and I've already started making stuff to wear with my favorite sweater.  Plus, my husband gets really frisky when you arrive. For him it means college football and the crank up of hunting season.  For me it means cute sweaters,  bonfires and smores with my family, caramel apples and Thanksgiving (which means family).  You  bring a bunch of good stuff so hurry up and get here already!!

To my shop, The Honey Pot,
   I'm enjoying getting back into the swing of things after the long break from you during the wedding. You and I have SO much work to do in the next couple of weeks.... baby shower corsages, flower girl headbands, wedding garters, custom jewelry..... I hope we get time to just "create" for the fun of it.  Like when we did these two little beauties together....   So thankful for all the work you and I do together and so blessed to get to be a small part of these special events.  So lets roll up our sleeves and get busy!

Dear Blakey-Poo,
  I'm so proud of you and your new bling-bling.  I mean, not everyone earns a state championship ring playing the game they love so much.  God is using you in such tremendous ways and I'm looking forward to seeing the journey He's taking you on.  So blessed that in His sovereignty He chose to connect you to the Holdens.  You encourage me daily with your life to not be afraid to stand out in the darkness.  love you.

Dear Mrs. Linton, my dear middle child,
   I'm super sad we don't see each other as much anymore. Both of us being pastor's wives and business owners now kind of keeps us both busy. BUT, I'm super glad when we do get to hang out like last night.  I love doing nothing with y'all. And what makes me even "gladder" is getting text like these 5 minutes after you pull out the driveway saying "Marcus just said, "you and your momma are just alike. Like just alike. In every way."  Oh boy.  yep. You may resemble me at times but you ACT like me most of the time....the good, the bad and the ugly.  Tell Marcus I'm sorry about the bad and the ugly part.  We can work on those together.

ps. In his words he said we are just alike. In every way.  SO...I got to thinking.  Y'all keep saying how much I'm just like Marvin lately....well.. what does that mean for you?!  Hmmmm..... just a thought.

Dear Baby Girl,
  You accomplished what you've been dreaming of for years....you went and grew up and started college. I'm super proud of you and how disciplined you are to study.  Sorry you have to get up so early to get there on time since we live so far out in the country.  I can't wait for you to get your hands up in my hair and practice what you've been learning.  You're momma's waiting....

Dear Julia Rose,

  I'm so glad I just happened to be face timing your momma when you decided to pee pee on the potty for the very first time.  Your Honey loves it when she can be a part of such monumental milestones of y'alls.  I mean...just look at my face!  That right there is probably what scared the pee right out of you.  I'm so proud of you my sweet Jules...you are so "independent" and when you got it in your head to do this thing...well... you are dominating the potty training.  Honey will be sending you some brand new big girl panties in the mail to you real soon!

ps.  I even got to be there when your momma took a picture of how proud your were of yourself.  Woo Hoo!!  Celebrating good times is #funcity!

Dear Little Nate Dog,
    I witnessed you take one little step and you haven't done it since...not for me anyway.  Apparently you like to walk best for your big sis, Rosalyn.  Your Honey will catch you again!  That's a promise you little ninja.  

Dear Elizabeth and Christopher,

  I know I tell you this all the time, but I'm so proud of your leap of faith and following through in obedience to what the Lord has called your family to.  Chris, you know how awesome you are in my book, but I will tell you again....thank you for leading my daughter and grand babies in the way that you do that leads them closer to Jesus.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  And Elizabeth, I'm like crazy proud of you with all your schedules and stuff...potty training youngins....hitting the gym...taking seminary classes... Wow.  You are amazing Babylady!

Dear Brand New Week that is coming,

 I'm looking forward to scratching off some more of my to-do list ok?   You know...stuff like actually mailing the thank you notes I've already written pertaining to the wedding that was 2 months ago.  And like unpacking my suitcase from the beach that's been sitting there in my room for a week now.  And if I get really get wild...I might actually walk in the mornings next week.  Hmmm...we shall see.

Stephanie :)