At home on Music Row.

Now hanging this New Years Eve in my friend's parent's condo on Music Row in Nashville.

There might've been times we didn't use our own manners around them, but it wasn't cause we weren't taught them. It was cause we were punk high schoolers.

The Trot Line: On library books

My December post, On library books, for the Trot Line is up. Read her before 2011 slips away.

Fatwood from L.L.Bean

I'm a sucker for a story.

Yesterday we drove up to Freeport, ME, to spend a day out of the house. There wasn't any snow up that way yet, which was surprising, but the clouds were threatening and it felt a lot colder than the 28° the mercury claimed it was.

Of course, you can't go to Freeport without going in LLBean. It isn't illegal to do so, but I would say it's frowned upon. But this isn't really the post to praise Leonwood, so I'm going to leave that for another day. As we were leaving though, we came upon a burlap bag that was about the most simple and practical thing in the whole store. So we picked it up, paid our $22.95, and drove back south.

The Line well north of the other line, which is the US border.

This beefy frame and print find themselves reminding Canadians in Winnipeg where home is.

The Great Frame Up

 

One thing that I think is funny is when a site has a FAQ section. Mainly cause those questions get real specific and I can't imagine that they are questions that are frequently asked. "Hey, I live in a maximum security prison in Arizona, can you ship your blades to me?" C'mon, that was asked more than once? Doubtful.

But I will tell you, the Q that we get FA'ed is, "Where do you reckon I should get some frames? Since these are an odd size, and the harvest wasn't good this year and I don't have unlimited money to get a custom job done."

So we took it upon ourselves to research it for y'all. Keep reading...

At Home in Philly and Baltimore.

A double batch of prints going home this beautiful Christmas Day.

A Line on the wall of a home in Philadelphia, and a Manners print under a tree in Dallas headed back up to Baltimore for the wall of another babe who will soon be wrapped in swaddling clothes.

God Bless ya'all. God Bless us everyone. 

Mexican Christmas Train.

Last night: Friends and neighbors over, celebrating the season and the birth of a Savior, on the eves of their plane flights home. Their flights overseas. Their drives north. 

Skyline Chili (homemade). Mexican Train Dominoes (not racist). Sweet Cupcakes (now I'm jsut name dropping).

Here's to you and yours. To spending time laughing and growing this holiday season.

Unto us a child is born.

At home in State College.

 Just on the other side of the Line in Pennsylvania courtesy of a well read Wahoo.

The Wandering Wahoo, it turns out.

Pretty sure that book on top there is Roy Blout Jr's biography of Mr. Lee.

Have barbecue, will travel.

I'll do a proper post on Blue Ribbon Barbecue at some point in the future. Cause it sure is worthy of its own.

But this post is to say that last night we did what the holidays are for: we invited friends (one Ole Miss, one Tufts) out to the house to get the best 'cue in Boston and just had a good old time getting to know each other.

And since we found out Marianna can't eat gluten anymore, we made our own cornbread. We don't need your wheat in our bread, folks. So, expect in the future to see more posts on eating Southern while having an allergy.

Ruffled Welcome

This wreath has been pinned on my Pinterest board for quite some time, so I was excited to actually make it.  I originally found it on Design*Sponge and thought it looked really cute.

Since we're making an effort to spend more time with people this year (and less on gifts), I thought it would be fun to add a new Christmas decoration to our home.  A fun welcome for people when they arrive for dinner (or drinks or a football viewing).

Make me a Christmas cookie, clown.

Christmas Cookie Cocktail!

For when you want to fancy up Christmas. Which should be always.



BITS
Chocolate sauce
2 oz. White Godiva Vodka
2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream
1/2 oz. Peppermint Schnapps
1/2 oz. half and half

Give it away.

Cause y'all bought our cards, we're sending $240 to dig wells this Christmas.

Thank you so very, very much. From us, those who will benefit, and the whole of the universe.

Put the Lights on the Tree

A great little Christmas ditty from the good man Sufjan.

Matchless.

 

Found ourselves matchless for our holiday candles this weekend. Went to the store to pick up some.

Found just about the most beautiful package on the bottom shelf. Ignored, pushed aside – while someone was looking for the more fancy-pants matches. It said DD Bean & Sons. Made in America. Heck, made just up the road in New Hampshire. $1.59 for 1,000 strikes.

So I did some digging and some photographing and I got the story right here. Found on the internet with no author's name but one heck of an interesting story (the match collapse of the 1980s?) for something as simple as a match that costs .001 cent.

At Home in Franklin.

You know, just kicking it by a lamp in Franklin, TN.

I love lamp.

At Home in Lexington.

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care at this fine home in Kentucky.

And yeah, that's Garden and Gun there in the foreground. Mighty fine taste, friends. 

The Christmas Story.

Giving the Gospel of Luke an update from Down Under.

This makes me so happy. Child like faith is what we as Christians are called to have. And hearing the story of the birth of the Savior told by kids warms up this cold heart.

I hope there were glow sticks on that heavenly night of old.

Writing for the Trot Line.

Hey friends.

I started writing a little bit for The Trot Line in Atlanta.

In their words.

We are a collection of writers, photographers, outdoors enthusiasts, foodies, and more who are in love with Southern culture located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Trot Line's mission is to promote the local lifestyle that surrounds this special region. No one does it quite like us, and we like it like that. Drop a line with us and see what is going on in the South.

Head over that way, have yourself a read. I'm going to try to get to at least one a month.

This month's is On Firewood.

U.G. White's

 

I got a postcard (okay, two postcards) from a fellow who lives in my hometown of Athens.



He'd sent an email asking for an address to, get this, actually write something down and mail it in the post.

Still waiting on the snow to fall.

This here video became my favorite last year.

When you're still waiting on the snow to fall, it just doesn't feel like Christmas at all.

Have a great weekend.

At Home in Alexandria.

A Georgia on the mantle of a well decked house in Alexandria, VA.

Tis the season, y'all.

Bowties & Boatshoes.

I grew up in the Deep South. Marianna in the Old North State in the South. And the upper East coast has always seemed worlds away. Indeed, it's probably a fifteen hour drive from North Alabama, and is North of the District, and might as well be Boston. And I didn't ever think I'd know folks there.

Deck the y'alls.

 

One heck of a holday gift guide.

Flat Slim Wallet $120 // Subscription to Garden and Gun Magazine or Oxford American $17 // Soft Cove Wool Vest $225 // Mustache Tie Clip $35 // Birdseye Wool Tie $70 // Silver Lab $1500 // Manhattan Whiskey $45 // Orvis Wool Ball Cap $14 // Dog Mustache Ball Toy $16 // M.H. Bertucci A-15 Series Watch $80 // Old Try “To Dixie with Love” T-shirt $20 // Jack Spade Bag $295 // Hawkins McGill Felt Buck Shoe $78 // Trunk Club custom clothing box varies from $75-$500 a Garment // Squirles Holdell Large Tote $1000

Yeah yeah. We're sharing cause we are on this gift guide put together over at Georgia-James.com by her hubby.

At Home in Little Rock.

What a bang up framing job! That's a good looking beadboard wall, too. And the drawing. Man, all of it.

Note the amazing type book by Robert Bringhurst on the top of the stack there. Best book in the biz.

Remnant.

Remnant sitting on our old porch in Somerville

I just got to say I love our friends at Remnant.

They are married and they make magic and I've known them since Atlanta and we're working with them to make a bag for Old Try, and it's going to be cotton (waxed?) and leather and it's going to be so amazing and I just go to their blog and I see the things they make and whether it's for the company or their church or their friends it's all so, so good.

At Home in Iowa.

Have I ever been to eastern Iowa? No. But I'd feel welcomed coming into this guy's house.

Until I tried to steal his brick wall. Then I'd be banished from the state.