Decorating the Southern Home…

imageNo matter what the budget is, Southerners love to decorate their homes at Christmas! A beautiful Christmas tree, a wreath on the door, family heirlooms or sentimental ornaments gathered throughout the years and fresh poinsettias are particularly well suited to the Southern home. The very best holiday decorating includes the home’s year round décor worked in with special holiday touches. Pine is a particularly Southern fragrance, they grow prolifically in the South, and we all love to gather pinecones. I personally love Loblolly Pinecones- perfectly formed or Longleaf pinecones- huge and beautiful. Gathering pinecones to pile in a basket feels just right at Christmas.

The beautiful photographs represent two homes where budget is not a consideration, however we all love to be inspired by Southern beauty wherever we find it.

I hope it puts you in the I’ll be Home for Christmas Mood– if only in your dreams. I am so proud to tell you that my sister supervised the decorating of the gorgeous tree in the top photograph I enhanced her photograph- and the rest are from her very own home! Also edited and enhanced by me…now, really y’all- it sure is pretty! She is an amazing decorator with impeccable taste in her home and beyond and the epitome of a sweet, spunky, smart Southern Lady!

Love y’all, Camellia

*The photograph of the Longleaf Pine may be subject to copyright, the sized pinecones photograph is from http://www.mr.lsu.edu -*please note a Longleaf Pinecone is very large often up to 9 inches in length, the Loblolly pinecone photograph is my own photograph. The personal photographs should not be used without permission!

Alabama Backroads Beauty…

 

 

75BEC44E-B2E7-4316-ABFA-802C59978E7FAlabama is a beautiful and unique state- we have mountains, rivers, lakes- all the way down to the most beautiful beaches and bays you can imagine! In the Fall, folks like to take a Sunday drive to see the colorful displays of autumn beauty or stay beside one of our Lakes, hike through the woods to see a Waterfall or stop at a Roadside Stand. When Mother Nature shows out and throws down carpets of gold, green and red and happily reaches her arms up to the sky with brightly colored leaves– it’s breathtaking when we have a beautiful Fall, y’all! Let’s get going on our Road Trip- through the Backroads of Alabama…

Off we go!

Let’s get over to the Rivers and Streams…

And take a look at these close ups!

And stop at a road side stand…jeremy-fall-30-marketYou can almost hear the singin’…. ‘For the Beauty of the Earth…’ ringing out from the churches!jeremy-fall-27-church

 

How thankful we are for the enormous talents of Jeremy Miniard and his generosity in sharing these beautiful photographs of Alabama the Beautiful! Enjoy!

Love y’all, Camellia

find Jeremy at jeremy-miniard.fineartamerica.com

photographs may not be reproduced without express permission from Jeremy!jeremy-fall-26

Happy Halloween, y’all!

 

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From the backroads of Alabama, a precious scene, harvested just in time to wish all of the little Trick or Treat-ers a Safe and Happy Halloween!

Love y’all, Camellia

I’ve been saving this adorable photograph by Jeremy Miniard for your viewing pleasure during Fall Festivals and Halloween! The photograph is the sole property of Jeremy and not to be reproduced without permission.  Please visit Jeremy’s site at http://www.jeremy-miniard.fineartamerica.com  He sent me more beauties we hope to share with you soon!

Haunted Houses of Alabama?

Step inside if you dare…

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Alabama has always claimed to have some hauntings…Lord knows I’ve been some places that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck! So, just for fun, I scanned through some of Jeremy Miniard’s wonderful photographs of Alabama with ghosts, goblins, squeakin’ swings, creakin’gates, swingin’ doors or rundown chairs in mind! I found peeling paint, rusted out roofs and ominous clouds over old montrous mansions and scary broken down houses for some spooky and frightfully good fun! Enjoy!haunted-house-10

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                                                                                     Boo!

Don’t plan on going trick or treatin’ at these places! And make sure you have your face pot in plain sight to scare away the evil spirits! Camellia’s Cottage has one that seems to be working so far! imageBut there’s this fella playin’ his guitar upstairs- sounds like he’s singin’ Long Black Limosine…whew I’ve got the shivers …IMG_0596

Love y’all, Camellia

as always we are so thankful to our resident photographer, Jeremy Miniard- all the good photos are his- the face pot and the guitar picker photos are mine. Find Jeremy at http://www.jeremy.miniard.finartamerica.com  ‘Long Black Limosine’ is an old song by Bobby Bare- I have to admit it always makes me cry…

Christ the Redeemer…

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Cristos  Redentor, Mount Corcovado, Brazil

As the 2016 Summer Olympics close in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil- I will always remember among all of the inspiring competitions- that one of the most dramatic scenes of the Games was from high above the city, where stands the Statue of Christ the Redeemer. It is one of the new wonders of the world- standing 98 feet tall, with an arm width of 92 feet since 1931, this is the tallest statue of Christ in the world. With His Cross in His Right Hand and His World in His Left Hand- this is a constant reminder that He is on the side of humanity; with all of its flaws. He loves and embraces us all in victory or defeat.

It seemed fitting for our Sunday Inspiration to listen to the ever inspiring Cuban born immigrant to the United States- internationally famous Jaimie Jorge, as he plays his violin in Brazil; 1924 Gold Medalist Eric Liddell’s last requested song…Be Still My Soul’.

Ain’t that pretty? Hope you’ve had a blessed Lord’s Day!

Love y’all, Camellia

Christ the Redeemer

Jaimie Jorge