Glory days.....

No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one Autumnal face.
~John Donne

~Happy Monday sweet friends!!~

Ham & Cheese Croissant Bake

Here's a yummy little dish to warm you right up! It is from my most recent Southern Living (I adore that magazine)!

This is such a great recipe because you make it ahead AND you can have it for breakfast or dinner!!

Get everything ready....croissants, ham, cheese, eggs, half-and-half, dry mustard (ok, so I didn't actually have this), honey, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

First, cut the croissants and place them in the bottom of a greased deep-dish pie plate (10 inch).
I got this little pumpkin one at Kohl's! Top with the chopped ham and grated Swiss cheese.

Next, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, dry mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl.

Pour the egg mixture in to the pie plate. Make sure it covers all of the croissants.

Cover tightly and chill for 8 to 24 hours.

~The next morning you'll be loving yourself for putting this together!!~Bake this at 325 degrees, covered, for 35 minutes. After that, uncover and bake an additional 25-30 minutes. Let it stand 10 minutes before serving!!

With some fresh fruit and hash browns, this can't be beat ANY time of the day. Hope you enjoy!

Hope everyone has a wonderful, wonderful weekend!!

Ham-and-Cheese Croissant Casserole

3 (5-inch) large croissants
1 (8 oz.) package chopped cooked ham
1 (5 oz.) package shredded Swiss cheese
6 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)

A history lesson, don't worry, it's the fun kind!

My grandmother was known for several things. She was generous, forthright, and well....hmmm, she was quite bossy. That seems a little harsher than I intended....let's say she was an excellent manager :)

She would very willingly, tell anyone anywhere exactly what they were doing right, and, of course, what they weren't.

She grew up in a very wealthy family. Her father and grandfather started several textile mills in Georgia. This was the home she grew up in.


My grandfather always cooked for her because when she was growing up they had a cook in their home. In all her years she never learned how to cook....I guess she never needed to. I never saw her clean or do laundry either....it's funny what you remember.

She and my grandfather were married over 50 years.

50 years!

At times, you were sure they were going to kill each other if they had to live in the same house for one more moment. But I guess after 50 years you're allowed to get on each others nerves every now and then.

We never doubted they loved each other.

I saw my grandparents all the time. They lived in our family's 120 year old farm house right across the street from me. They were always there.

My great-grandfather (grandfather's father) was a gentleman farmer. My grandfather was a dairy farmer for many years.

These are the registry certificates for the cows that he had. My mother still remembers them from their names. I have these framed in my kitchen....I love the feel and the quiet whisper of family they bring.

My grandfather was a navigator on bombers in World War II. His plane was shot down over Germany.

He was a prisoner of war for 18 months. The war ended.......that's how he got to come home.
He said they woke up one morning and there weren't anymore guards...they had all left.

He is on the bottom row, second from the right.

I have things from him and my grandmother all over my home.

This photograph sits at my desk.

That's him again with two of my aunts. I have been told that this picture if from a photo shoot that Southern Living did of the farm house back in the 60's.

All the things you see in that picture, the coffee pot, the cake stand, the silver floral ring, even the Audubon plates in the background are all still around and in use. Each one of the 7 granddaughters now has one of the plates. You can find them on ebay from time to time....(there's one here).

There were always fried pancakes on mornings we would spend the night...and hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream. He was a great cook, he made everything taste so yummy...you know, lots of butter, salt, cream.....

Not sure if you can see this but it's a recipe of my grandfathers that my grandmother wrote out. It's Griffin's Date Nut Cake. I framed it and put it in my kitchen. She had beautiful penmanship...and it has his name on it...I love that.
They passed away less than a year apart.

They have left me with a deep and unique family heritage that I treasure, traditions that will continue, and a sense of self that is unbending.

Roots and wings...

The winner is......

Kim, from Daisy Cottage!!!!

Thanks for the comments :o)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and Kim will you please email me your mailing address?

Wishing you happiness this weekend!

.....I'll tell you all about this photo next week!

From drab to fab!!

I wanted to share my cute, little chair with everyone today....

I am so very excited about her :o)



My super talented friend, Elizabeth, seamstress-extraordinaire, made these slipcovers.
Didn't she do a wonderful job!?!

The chair was a hideous teal green before, and the ottoman was an old and faded plaid.

The striped material is actually bed sheets from the Simply Shabby Chic line at Target. The floral was from a discount fabric shop. They both can be thrown into that washing machine for a quick clean up.


Here is a close up of the skirt she added at the bottom....it just looks cozy doesn't it?!

I would love to have them professionally reupholstered, however it's not in the budget or particularly practical at the moment.

This is my favorite spot in the whole house right now. When you walk in my front door, THIS is the happy chair the greets you!! I love to sit and read a book here after the little ones have gone to bed.

It is a very blustery day here in Georgia, but I hope you are warm and cozy!
Have a wonderful, wonderful week!!

2 for 1

I found this great rug while shopping at Walmart. I am using it in my bathroom. It is the perfect rug because it has the no-skid back, plus it is machine washable.....a must if you have little ones that tend to spill all kinds of crazy things!!

So, do you want to know the very best part about this rug (other than the super affordable price of $18)???? It came with a full year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens!!!!

That's one of my favorite magazines!

The rug had a little card on it that you added your info to, detached and sent on it's way.

Here is the link on the Walmart site...however, it may only be the in-store ones that come with the subscription...sorry, not sure about that!
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10880881

Hope you enjoy your weekend!! Please see the below post to find out about a giveaway!!!

I love a giveaway!!!

Here it is!! Fun, fun, fun :o)

....my camera is giving me a tad bit of trouble, but I wanted to go ahead and tell you about the giveaway even though I don't have an actual picture to show you.

It's "Seasons for Sharing" from Gooseberry Patch!!!

I saw this book and loved all the darling ideas in it. There are little inspirations for every season of the year.

It's a fun book for recipes, craft, and gift ideas. They even give you templates to use!!

~The Malt Chocolate Waffle Mix recipe and the fun section for Every Day Celebrations are my very favorite. It almost made me want to keep this, but I know you'll love it.~

Sooo, if you'd like a chance to win this little cutie just leave me a comment below. If you get a chance to mention this giveaway in your blog, let me know, and I'll double your name!

I'll pick a winner next Thursday night, Oct. 29 (because for some reason I just love Thursdays!).

Have a wonderful week!!

P.S. The spacing on this post is a little odd...can't quite seem to make it right...I'll have to work on that!