When Mockingbirds Sing: My Recent Trip to Mattingly (and a giveaway!)
I first became aware of Billy Coffey a few years ago through a link to his blog on another site. I read his work (at that time through blog posts only, as his first novel Snow Day had yet to be released) and it stuck with me like few others' did. He had, and has, a writing style that captures the very heart of a matter and holds it, like a lightening bug in a mason jar, for further examination. It's both simple and profound, and always, always rich. In short, it floats my boat. I have loved both of his novels - Paper Angels was the second - and both offered wonderfully developed characters who live in the fictitious small town of Mattingly, Virginia. So, even though I don't typically do...
The Splendors of Love
I woke up this morning singing a song. It was from an old movie by the same name, and all I've ever really known of it was the title lyric, the way it opened big and sweeping... Love is a many-splendored thing So, that's the only part that's been playing on the stereo of my mind. I thought I'd look into it a little further. Love is a many-splendored thing It's the April rose That only grows in the early spring Love is nature's way of giving A reason to be living The golden crown that makes a man a king Once on a high and windy hill In the morning mist Two lovers kissed And the world stood still Then your fingers touched My silent heart and taught it how to sing Yes, true love's A...
Wearing Jesus
I love cute little shops. My town has quite a few darling little stores, many of them filled with antiques, some with children's clothing, and many with gifts, home decor and women's clothing. I live in Texas, and in an area where the cowboy is not just a throwback, or a 50's old western TV character, but someone who actually lives and works. We're proud of it out here, so you'll find a lot of western-themed home decor around, and anything you can think of has been made "rustic" so as to fit a little more nicely in your homage to the cowboy way of life. Even the clothing gives a nod to western-wear, but is amped up with rhinestones or silver beading; "Texas Glitz," if you will....
He’s Sweet Like That
When Kevin and I first moved back home to Texas, it was a corporate move, and we were put up in a furnished corporate apartment for the first four months, while we made arrangements for a more permanent living situation. At first we looked at houses, but nothing was striking our fancy, so we started considering purchasing a lot and building a house. It was nearing the end of the four month period, and we still were not close to being settled on a plan, having already had one lot fall through, and a builder flake out. So, we ended up having to move to a different apartment, this time on our own dime, and rent a bunch of furniture to fill it because all of ours was in a storage unit...
What’s Left Behind
It's been mighty quiet around here since the little princess has returned to her own kingdom. M I G H T Y Q U I E T. I'll be honest, some of that quiet is welcomed with open ears. But some carries with it a tinge of lonesome, an air of wistfulness for the name "Mimmie" to be uttered with a question mark every two minutes. The day after I returned from Florida, I set about restoring my home to its former empty-nest, two-adults-live-here, glory. I put the car seat away, and returned the booster seat to the closet. I took the bath toys out of the tub after they were good and dry, sorted through the blocks, Tinker Toys, and Fisher Price Little People and put them in the correct...