A Time to Celebrate!!!

It is a time to celebrate for this Farmer! A Time to Celebrate will be out September 1, 2015! I am thrilled! Cooking, recipes, entertaining and Southern stories will all meld together in this thrilling opportunity for publication! I am so thankful to have a publisher and audience willing to print and support these books – it is so flattering and inspiring!

The theme of this book is to “let us continue the feast.” I have always loved this line from the Book of Common Prayer and simply cherish saying the line during communion. I feel that as Southerners, we “continue our feasts” throughout the year – give us a reason to celebrate (and eat!!) and we are ecstatic. We as a people are known for our hospitality, which I truly believe is an extension of our graciousness and hallmark of our culture.

Whether we are celebrating the union of marriage and thus two families becoming one or perhaps the first birthday of a darling child, we love to have a party… especially if there is a cake involved! Retirement, showers, birthdays and the seasons all give us reasons to celebrate. Even a Sunday night at home too is reason enough to unwind and refuel for the coming week.

May we ever be known for such graciousness and hospitality and parties! In turn, we as a people end up feeding folks both body and soul – a feast truly worth continuing! Y’all enjoy some behind the shots from our photo shoots! Trust me, they are a ton of fun and the leftovers aren’t so bad either!

{Throwback Series}...Farmer Family Christmas Card!

Proverbs 31 describes a woman of high character, a wife, a homemaker, a cherished lady and so amazingly too describes a beloved mother. This particular verse from Proverbs 31 kept running through my mind this past holiday season – our first without our Mama. But a thought kept running through my mind – a thought that pierced the chaos of the holidays, work, travel and life in general. It was a thought that the “Proverbs 31” woman was blessed – by her children. What a comfort and joy!!!

In the wake of losing a parent, kind words, delicious meals, warm thoughts, fond memories, heartfelt letters and cards and flowers and calls and texts and emails pour in after the fact. Then, there is the melting of the ice that packs around our mind and heart and you realize a month later, a few months later, a season or two later – whenever – that your parent is gone. And you are faced without the shield of shock with the brutal reality of your loss.

The “firsts” are the toughest I feel. The first birthdays, holidays, events and even simple life happenings without your Mama just wind your heart and soul into knots. Yet, you get through them. Peace finds its way amidst the disorder and disarray. Even your faith grows stronger too. Friends and family remember to call, write or simply send a text. Those notions mean the world you. And, somehow, you want to thank them all – thank them all from the bottom of a broken heart… but thank them nonetheless. You want to be as good a friend as they are to you – and you have refined their friendship like gold through a fire.

So, as Christmas came zooming at lightning speed towards us, I realized I just could not pull it together and send a card this year. Then, that verse in Proverbs kept pummeling through my mind and onto my heart. The Proverbs 31 woman is glorified by her duties, actions and love. So much so that even “her children rise up and call her blessed.” Blessed is the life – however it ends – for the children to rise up. That I feel is our honor, our duty and joy.

From the 2015 side of the holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year y’all! And thank you for all your love and support! Trust me, it means the world to us!

  

Thanksgiving Throwback!!

Fall is my favorite season – I say it over and over and love it just the same each year. I love too that fall is capped by a swansong holiday like Thanksgiving – a time set aside to simply give thanks.

Setting the table is probably my most enjoyable task for family gatherings, dinner parties and events. When you set your table, you get to quell all the design-desires at once! You pair linens with coordinating flatware and stemware. China and dinnerware and silver and flowers are all integral. Food and flavor and scents for the senses are all brought onto one tableau. When decorating a client’s home, it takes time to layer all the elements together. To set and decorate a table doesn’t usually involve such a process as an interiors project. To decorate my home takes nerve medicine. But that is another post, y’all!

When setting a table, instant gratification is achieved. That design “itch” is scratched and one is forced to dabble in all realms of aesthetics. As Mimi always said, “We eat with our eyes first.”  Before we have feasted, we must feast visually. So I relish in the chance to set the table. Whether it be grandly or simply, I love bringing together the home, kitchen and garden onto a level playing field.

Invite the generations to the table with your heirloom plates, silver and stemware. Bring in the fall bounty from outdoors. Add a new element or even element of surprise! (It is no surprise anymore when I place a piece of taxidermy as a centerpiece on my family’s table… oh well!) Get your fix for decorating by setting the table. I know it is my favorite part of the holidays and entertaining.

Here is my Thanksgiving table from 2014 and some food and family shots too! Nothing like talking turkey well into the New Year, y’all!