Twenty four years ago today we said I do, and we did and we still are!  

It never ceases to amaze me how each year I love you more.  You make me laugh until I cry and that alone cures so many of life's ailments.
You work harder than I can even fathom and care so much about your work and I love you for that.
The way you provide for us doesn't go unnoticed, although I don't think I show you enough gratitude.  

I love you more than I could ever say,
#1
​
​

Whenever my Daddy would visit us or when we would visit him in Tennessee, he would make us his fresh squeezed lemonade. It was truly his specialty and he would squeeze bags and bags of lemons. Not with a juicer either, by hand! As soon as one pitcher ran out he would just make more.

His lemonade is the sweetest, best thing you could ever taste. Foolishly, I never asked him write the recipe down for me so I squeezed up a version that is spot on. I knew I had an exact match when the sugar in one gallon reached 4 cups. YES: FOUR CUPS.

​
​My Daddy's Lemonade

Ingredients

• 1 large bag of lemons
• 4 cups of sugar
• Water
• Ice

Directions

• Bring a saucepan of water and 4 cups of sugar to a simmer to make a simple syrup. (just enough water to cover the sugar will be fine).
• Squeeze about a dozen lemons.
• Allow sugar mixture to cool and put in a gallon size pitcher along with lemon juice and a few of the squeezed lemons and add lots of ice and then fill to the top with water. ​

This Summer I flew to Asheville to visit with my baby girl and her babies!

Emma lives just outside of Asheville in the cutest apartment and has made the sweetest home for her and her (crazy) cats!

I love visiting Asheville!  The weather is always so much milder than home and there are so many great things to see.  However, this visit was so nice and low key because we didn't feel like we needed to see and do everything.  I made my tomato basil soup and grilled cheese for Emma and her friends the first night and stocked her freezer full of meals for when school started back.  It was really a very relaxing time if you don't count Toulouse terrorizing me every second.  😂

We spent one day getting her classroom back up and running and I loved leaving Asheville knowing that she was all squared away!  It's hard leaving your babies behind after visits but you have to trust that you did all of the right things to prepare them for life and hope that they are safe, happy and planning for their future; the future that they want!

It's bananas to think that at the age Emma is now, I was married with TWO kids!  🤯.  I absolutely love that she is living her life on her terms and she knows that while being a young married mom was my dream, it doesn't have to be hers!  

Love,

I chose Granny's Oatmeal as my first recipe to share on the blog because it's one that isn't only delicious, it's very sentimental.  My Granny Little (My Dad's mom) used to make this for me each time I would visit her.  At risk of sounding cheesy, one bite of it wraps me in warmth and love! I loved making this for y'all when you were little on a cold rainy evening.  Breakfast for dinner was always a hit!

This recipe is about as far from healthy as it gets but it's so good and definitely one to make when you need a little comfort food.

Granny's Oatmeal Recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of oatmeal (quick or whole oats work just fine)
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tablespoons of salted butter
• 1-2 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of light or dark brown sugar
• Optional:
• 1/2 cup of milk
• Raisins

Directions

• Bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan. 
• Add in oats and turn heat down stirring frequently.  The oatmeal will thicken quickly. 
• After about 3-4 minutes stir in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. 
• Transfer to bowls and add milk and raisins if desired.

I would be remiss to share this recipe and not share the story that I ALWAYS tell when I cook this.  
Once I was staying with my Granny and she made me oatmeal and topped with milk as usual.  She wasn't eating any herself so she didn't realize she had poured sour milk on top until later in the day when she went to get a glass of milk.  She immediately realized it was rotten and remembered I had it for breakfast. She felt so bad and went on and on about it and how she couldn't believe I didn't say anything.  It was pretty awful but I didn't want to hurt her feelings or embarrass her at all.  That was me as a kid in a nutshell, I wanted everyone to be happy even if it meant drinking sour milk.  I definitely grew out of that and will never forget her telling me I should always speak up!

I hope you enjoy making Granny's Oatmeal!
​Love,