the house where love is home

Gilligan. #sweetbabywade

LOVES the water. #sweetbabywade

Late afternoon post-nap smiles.

Recently adored things…

Love this mix & match style from Garden & Gun magazine online. It’s no secret that I love textiles. Everything about this makes me happy. There is something about this combination that is such a beautiful balance of masculine and feminine styles at the same time.

I loved this article from Design*Sponge on the four different categories of wine production: Sustainable, Organic, Biodynamic, and Natural. I’ve recently gotten back into drinking wine and am out to learn everything I can about it. This article was both informative and filled with beautiful photographs.

I am currently reading this book called Love & Respect. It will change your marriage and the way that you look at communication. Get it. Read it. Love it.

Y’ALL! These skinny jeans from Target are fabulous. So comfortable, chic, and fun. Just a pop of color with no effort- makes all the difference to have a classy/easy piece for your wardrobe when you’re bouncing around town with a babe on your hip. I’m seriously ordering another pair or two of these.

I seriously dig this tee. And this scarf?! PLEASE. I’m all about the USA lately. I don’t know what it is, but I’m seriously in love with Old Glory. Any time I see a soldier coming home video, I bawl. Any time I see a flag hanging from the front porch of a home, I instantly want to be their friend. Any time I see a business displaying The Colors, I want to purchase things from them. It’s a THING, y’all. 

Until next time…

I am forever obsessed with Southern hospitality. I am a Texan girl, so I’ll always be a little bit of a firecracker, but Texans are friendly at heart and I find that living in the South has only allowed me to mesh friendliness with everything good that southern hospitality has to offer.

The way I see it, there are two types of Southern hospitality: the kind you see (i.e. “the extras”- OR forms of hospitality that are often material objects and are found in elegant homes/B&Bs) and the kind you feel (i.e. the warmth that a Southern home exudes to its guests upon their arrival). On great occasion you can encounter both in the South. There are some homes where you see and feel the hospitality (dare we say love?) present.  In my opinion, the places where you experience this are few and far between. In my experience most often when both are found, it’s magic. It’s all about extending the love of Christ to everyone who enters your home and providing the utmost environment for them to experience it in. One of the chief goals of my life is to have a home that offers this type of environment- a warm, nurturing, safe, and loving haven for my family, friends, and guests. It’s a work in progress, but a goal nevertheless.

It’s what women do here. We love Jesus, we love our families, and we fill our homes with a little bit extra of everything for our guests. Extra linens in the bedroom, extra wine glasses, extra silverware, extra bath robes, extra books on the bedside table, etc. We want our guests to feel loved, to see that we’ve put in the extra effort for them, and to feel a little bit more relaxed when they leave than when they came.

I think that it really boils down to a lovely little equation: 
Southern Hospitality= Faith + Love + A Little Bit Extra.

We really can’t go wrong if we love Jesus and love others. Christianity really boils down to that. Going the extra mile with material things for guests may seem ridiculous to some people, but in reality it is just the southerner’s way of making guests feel at home. It’s not meant to be flashy, materialistic, or prideful. It’s no secret that most southern guest rooms are far nicer than the actual host’s master bedroom. Creating a comfortable, inviting, and relaxing place to visit is a southerner’s way of sharing the blessings that they have been given. It’s as simple as that.

So if you’re in the South and you find yourself a good spot where you can experience everything Southern Hospitality has to offer, don’t hesitate to take a little extra home with you to share with someone else. Because after all, y’all, that really is what we women in Dixie are all about.

After a fun evening with our bible study friends and playing with his babyfriend Emmaline, this little guy is OUT! #sweetbabywade @farrellfam Hope Em sleeps this well tonight too!!

Love rocking him to sleep in our spot in the nursery. #sweetbabywade

And pecan bars for dessert. #thedateproject

Sweet angel baby & his sleepy pouty lips. #sweetbabywade

Waiting for our to go order. Why not?