Baby Napp's Birthday!!

“My wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call.”

Oh, Mr. Conroy. Your words about our Southland are inked perfectly. And perfect words for many an occasion – Baby Napp’s second birthday notwithstanding.

When you are a child of the Low Country, and Bluffton’s marshes, rivers and light all ebb and flow daily, Pat Conroy’s entre into his novel, The Prince of Tides, is all too apropos.

“I grew up slowly beside the tides and marshes of Colleton; my arms tawny and strong from working long days on the shrimp boat in the blazing South Carolina heat…  I was born and raised on a Carolina sea island and I carried the sunshine of the low-country, inked in dark gold, on my back and shoulders. As a boy I was happy about the channels, navigating a small boat between sandbars with their quiet nation of oysters exposed on the brown flats at the low watermark. I knew every shrimper by name, and they knew me and sounded their horns when they passed me fishing in the river.”

With those words, I reflect back on this child’s little life – yet a grand one in return. William Napp Yelton came to us at a perfect time. Not just a perfect time but as a “good and perfect gift.” God knew that we would need Napp – thus boundless joy, hope springing eternally, the precious love of a child for us all to bask in and the never ceasing delight this child brought to us – for what was in store in the coming months.

What would be better than celebrating this Low Country boy than with an oyster roast and fixins too from his Georgia roots too! Every day, I wonder with selfish hope if Maggie and Zach will call and say, “Guess what, Brubbs, we’re moving back to Perry!” And every time I am in Bluffton, I see the sun set over the May River, watching the cadence of light and sky over the marshes turning light into liquid. I taste the salt air as it fills my lungs with sulphurous perfume delectable only to us Southerners soulfully surrendered to the Low Country’s spell. And, I know these salty airs rise from brackish waters filling our bellies with jewels of the river and sea. I taste and see and inhale the Carolina Low Country and know that particular call from my sister and brother-in-law is not coming anytime soon.

So… we must go to them. And gladly do so. And roast oysters, pile chicken salad upon platters, fill bowls with barbeque and serve pans of pimento cheese. As Mr. Conroy also said, “There are no ideas in the South, just barbeque.” I couldn’t agree more! Ha!

Y’all enjoy a journey to Bluffton with these pics of Baby Napp’s second birthday. As in true Southern tradition, we’ll probably keep calling him Baby Napp well into his forties. We can’t help our ways down here, we’re wounded by geography. Happy Birthday, Baby Napp! Uncle Brubbs loves you to the moon and back and back again! And then back again and again!

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!

TODAY show y'all!

How much fun was the TODAY Show!!! It was such a treat for this Farmer to talk to Kathie Lee and Hoda about a Southern-style holiday table! From mixing and matching dinnerware, linens, flatware and stemware to the décor of the tablescape itself, each and every part was memorable.

JTF, HK, and KLG chummin' it up at Studio 1A

With help from my friends at Southern Living and their great collection of tabletop items from Dillards, I was able to create a tablescape with true Southern flair. First off, a trio of cake stands served as the main centerpieces that dotted down the center of the rustic wood farm table. For the center stand, I chose the classic Southern Living white cake that is proudly featured on the December cover each and every year. For a nod to Fall, I used ribbons of orange peels, pecans, walnuts and pumpkin seeds that all paired nicely with the red fondant ribbon on the cake.

Serving as sentries on either side of the cake were stacks of clove studded oranges – which just may be one of my favorite scents! The pomanders look great in the Fall and on through the holidays and even into wintertime. With citrus coming in this time of year from Georgia’s southerly neighbor, Florida, citrus has always found its way onto Southern tables and into our recipes too. Apples, oranges and handfuls of pecans were scattered in between the cake stands – all anchored with a burlap runner – so Southern chic if y’all will!

Full array of Flower, Fruit, and Foliage -- 3 F's for strait A tabletop

Mason jars are a stemware staple and glassware must in the South. If we are not using them to drink our sweet tea from, then they might as well be holding some flowers! Orange roses in varying hues and sizes and white hydrangeas were casually arranged and placed amidst the cake stand trio – giving a floral note to the table. Flowers don’t always have to be the centerpiece proper, but they sure do make a table ever so lovely!

Magnolia leaves arranged as chargers brought the garden to the table – literally! If y’all have never traveled with magnolia leaves from Perry to NYC, then rest assured that they travel beautifully in Ziplock bags with some dampened paper towels. Ha! I love white dinnerware for its neutral aptitude throughout the seasons. Here, a stack of white dinner plates and salad plates are layered with the napkins – another classic white shade but monogrammed appropriately for a Southern table and in a seasonal shade. As I told Hoda and Kathie Lee, “If it sits still in the South, we monogram it!” I love the “fishtail” style monogram for myself, for it is fancy enough to be a monogram but not too frilly for a gentleman Farmer.

And, y’all, the table isn’t the only part that got all gussied up for this appearance – yours truly knew just where to shop for this segment! Being a tall drink of water, I sometimes have a hard time finding shirts that don’t “Gus Gus” on me – you know, roll up over my tummy when I raise my arms like Gus the mouse on Disney’s “Cinderella.” Thankfully, Mr. Doyle Johnson at A.D. Mathis in Gainesville, Georgia, has tailored and custom made shirts for me for so long. The larger scaled gingham shirt is plenty long to prevent and “Gus Gus” type of wardrobe malfunction and, of course, sports my monogram on the cuffs.

My friends at Onward Reserve in Atlanta suited me up the handsome Barbour vest and Bird Dog Bay tie, jeans and Luchesse boots too! I love a one-stop shop like Onward Reserve – they know how to dress the gent for any occasion! Hoda even complemented my boots, so I know she has good taste too! Ha!

After wrapping the segment, I scooted off to lunch with my fellow Southern Living Editor-at-Large Jenna Bush Hager to grab a bite at Todd English’s “Food Hall” at The Plaza. We gabbed and laughed and simply caught up with one another, ate a delicious lunch and even made sweet tea – add simple syrup from the bar to your iced tea and voila! From lunch, I had to zip on to the airport and catch a plane to Dallas. A fun trip – a quick trip – but still so much fun nonetheless. I could not have done this segment or anything I do without Team Farmer keeping me in the saddle and on track. Stacey Byrd – I had to twist her arm – my PR gal flew up ahead of me and prepped and gathered everything just in time for our rehearsal at Studio 1A. I cannot thank her and my team enough for all they do!

JTF and JBH teachin' folks at The Plaza how to make sweet tea

Team Farmer #orangeroomselfie

So, y’all enjoy some of these snapshots from the day and know that it is such an honor for Southern Living to have me on board and a privilege to share some Southern style with our friends in NYC. Happy Holidays y’all!

Just in case y'all missed it!