Hangout Music Festival

Do you like crowds? Loud music? Sunburns? Sand in your swimsuit? Then you will L-O-V-E the Hangout Music Festival this weekend in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Voted one of America's best vacation destinations, Gulf Shores has been a family friendly oasis for decades. This weekend, keep the kiddies home. Gulf Shores will be rockin' for the big people.

With a lineup of over 80 bands, including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the one and only Stevie Wonder, it's going to be a party. BIG PARTY. Tickets have sold out and good luck finding a parking spot or even finding the beach.

The owners of the Hangout not only set up several stages right on the Gulf of Mexico, but also bring in Palm Trees (which everyone should know, these types of palms are NOT natural to our Gulf beaches - just a pet peeve of mine.)

VIP ticket holders can also take a dip in a temporary giant swimming pool if the Gulf of Mexico is too hard to find.

This festival has grown to become one of the major tourist weekends of the year. Businesses love it, and locals have the same choice residents of New Orleans have during Mardi Gras.

Join the fun, or hit the road.

Do you like concerts like this?

Click here to visit the web site of the Hangout Music Festival.

Charming Southern Kitchens

I once painted my kitchen - okay my HUSBAND once painted our kitchen - almost this same color in the late 90's. Remember when "sage was the rage?" This one has a little too much of the color for me. I think I would have left the island neutral or chosen to paint just the upper or lower cabinets. But even with all the painted surfaces, it's still beautiful.

Who doesn't like a good - looking kitchen? My Grandmother had a grandmotherly sign in her kitchen that said,

"No matter where I serve my guests, 

it seems they like my kitchen best."

True, but do we really need a little sign on the wall to tell us that? Glad I didn't inherit it. At least it was better than a horrid plaque a college roommate insisted on hanging in the kitchen that said,

"Kissin' don't last - cookin' do" 

It was so condescending, grammatically incorrect and ignorant that it boiled my blood every time I saw it.

But I digress . . .

Anyway, you can have the most beautiful home on the block, but if your kitchen is uncomfortable, people won't feel at ease. Even if the food is good.

Southern Living, the anointed authority on Southern style, has a story on their web site that highlights kitchens they have featured over the past few years.

This is one of my all time favorites. It first appeared in Southern Living over a year -  perhaps two years ago, and I remember tearing out the page to file away. You know, "the file" we all keep for . . . what is it we keep that file for again?

Even though the doors open into the cabinets, it looks like such an old, cozy cottage. The sun porch, shutters, fan coral and good looking people make me think of the many cottages here in Fairhope. (Just seeing if you were paying attention with the good-looking thing).

This retro style kitchen is charming and the old stove reminds me of Rachel's at The Trammell House. 

I think plate racks are so cool.

I'm searching for an island like this. Anyone know where I can find one?

The look of this kitchen is warm and inviting, unlike the angry man standing guard. 

Maybe he's the brooding type. 

"Aw, kissin' don't last baby. Cookin' do. Now fix me some vittles!"

The light fixture, stove hood, pull-out side cabinets for small items . . . all make this a place where we want to hang out (and eat fruit)!

Thanks for the tour of kitchens, Southern Living.

You can find these lovely kitchens and many more by clicking here.

Find this story linked to these wonderful blogs: Mockingbird Hill Cottage, My Romantic Home, Common Ground, Funky Junk Interiors, Six Sisters Stuff

National Bike to Work Day

Seriously?  You didn't know this Friday is Bike to Work Day? Where have you been?

Get the bicycle out of the garage. Dust it off, and put some air in the tires. Find the helmet, in the bottom of the basket full of bats, balls, and shin guards.

Now, get on that bike and RIDE!

Rush hour.

Fairhope Supply Co. has many readers who dwell in other areas of the country and may not live in a bike-friendly community. But here's your chance to get things going in the right direction wherever you may live.

A year or so ago, The City of Fairhope brought in experts in traffic planning who installed bike lanes in the downtown streets. These lanes were not only beside the car lane,  but in some cases, allow the bikes to merge and share the same lane.

Some loved it. Some hated it. But we all became accustomed to the nicer, slower, friendlier traffic.
I for one love it, and try to be a good neighbor to all cyclist.

The downtown flowers and trees are planted in a way that purposely slow traffic, so bikes are more easily integrated into the flow.  Painted lines on the streets are wider than usual, to trick the drivers into thinking there is less room to pass parked cars, again slowing traffic.

Now, after saying all of this, and telling you I love living in a community that values pedestrians and promotes cycling, I have to admit  . . . I don't own a bicycle.

I'm a klutz. If I have on a helmet, I'll still manage to land on my knees, face, elbows - whatever. It's a sure thing. I can be very elegant when I stand still, but moving has always been a challenge. Add wheels, and there's a hospital bill in my future. But I love the idea of cycling around town so much, I may have to actually get some training wheels and practice. 

This seersucker sundress is what I've decided to wear when I ride my bicycle. 

Katie and Joe at Pro Cycle and Tri have just the light blue bicycle I need. I'll put a wicker basket on the front, ride downtown to get coffee at Latte' Da, fresh bread at the Windmill Market, and deep red tomatoes from our dear Tomato Lady.

The Tomato Lady, always on the corner of Church Street and Fairhope Ave.

Do you want to meet me downtown Friday?  Hop on your bike, and it's a date.

Visit Pro Cycle and Tri by clicking here.

When We Dream Too Little

Because of our mild climate here in South Alabama, Mobile Bay is full of sailors year round. But now that spring has arrived and summer is around the corner, there will be even more of us out enjoying the beautiful water. Here is a prayer I found years ago, and have thought of it every time I see a beautiful boat sail by on the bay.

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to shore. 

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly to venture on wider seas where storms will show Your mastery; where losing sight of land we shall find stars. 

We ask You to push back the horizons of our hopes; we ask You to push in the future in strength, courage, hope, and love." 

  Sir Francis Drake  - 16^th century English sailor

Linking this story to: Savvy Southern Style, DIY Dreamer, Mockingbird Hill Cottage, Common Ground, Six Sisters Stuff

Downtown Flowers

"I will be the gladdest thing under the sun! I will touch a hundred flowers and not pick one."
- Edna St. Vincent Millay

Come visit Downtown Fairhope to see them for yourself!

A Fabulous Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms everywhere!

Now, THIS is a great gift to all women!

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald may have been born in Minnesota, but like many other Northern gentlemen, had the good sense to fall in love with and marry a woman from Alabama. This deep devotion to a Southern Belle is what I believe was the muse for such amazing talent. But that's just my opinion.

My Yankee husband (wisely) agrees. 

The Great Gatsby is undeniably Fitzgerald's most famous book, and has been made, for better or worse into film versions several different times. This time, I'm hoping they get it right. Opening in theaters May 10th, I'll get to see one of my all time favorite stories on the big screen.  

Other than "Gone With The Wind," "The Great Gatsby" is one of the few books 

I've bothered to read more than once. 

Oh yeah, and the Bible. Girls from Alabama love that one the most!

Here's a clip from the newest movie version.

The 11th grade Advanced Placement English-Literature class at Fairhope High School was required to read The Great Gatsby this past year. Much to their surprise, I think they actually liked it. Most of their interest is due to the skill and motivation of their teacher, Mrs. Anna Hardy. I actually heard teenaged boys discussing the book, and it wasn't even homework! 

I just love good teachers, and a good story, and I hope I love the new movie too. 

Here's the link to the official site for the new movie, "The Great Gatsby."

Oyster Shell Craze

Oyster shell home decor items are all the rage. At first I thought it was a cute coastal craft. But then I got a glimps of the price tags. $450 for a mirror edged with oyster shells? $340 for an oyster shell topiary? $2,000 for a chandelier covered with the common bi-valves?

Really?

I guess to the rest of the USA, oyster shells are exotic and coastal looking. Around here, it's like gluing grass or dirt on something. Oyster shells are everywhere you look along the Gulf Coast. We literally pave our streets with them. We crush them and scatter them along dirt roads to keep the rain from washing the topsoil away.

And if you look in the dumpster behind any seafood restaurant . . . well - oyster shells. (and flies).

Here's just one of the hundred of piles of oyster shells over in Bayou La Batre. 

 (Click here to read about my trip to Bayou La Batre.)

But all the hoopla over the lowly oyster shell made me see it in a new light. Maybe we have been too hasty to shun the rough looking oyster in favor of more elite shells like conch, sand dollars and scallops.

Anytime you see something plain with a big price tag attached, it causes you to rethink and revalue.

So after a few nights of eating oysters, both grilled and raw, I saved the shells, and after thoroughly cleaning them, (which I think is where the high price must come in to play) made my own oyster shell creations.

The mirror turned out okay. I may add some additional small shells to cover the inner rim.

I bought the base mirror for a steal at Hobby Lobby, (love H.L.!!!) and got my 

big ole hot glue gun out . . .   bang-bang-bang  . . . done. 

I can't decide where to hang it, so this is a photo of it laying flat, out on the back patio. 

And here's my topiary I made. Kind of a coastal creation of oyster shells and spanish moss. Two things for which my grandmother would have said, "Get that out of my house! It's nasty!"

But now, oh Grandmother, it's worth $$$.

Oyster shells?  Why not peanut shells? 

I know, let's glue pecan shells all over a chair! Pretty! 

(ouch)

I know, decorating is a crazy world. 

Both creations are heavy as a Buick. But I think they must be worth around $2,000,000 each. Including the cost of all that glue.

In my opinion, eating oysters is more fun than crafting with them.

What do you think? Do you like the oyster shell craze? Do you want my topiary?

I'll give it to you for free, but you have to pay the $800 shipping fee.


Sharing this story at: French Country Cottage, Sincerely Paula, My Turn for Us, Mockingbird Hill Cottage, Six Sisters Stuff, Coastal Charm, Savvy Southern Style, Tilly's Nest, Embracing Change, Funky Junk Interiors

Pretty Things at The Antiquery

Glide the summer away in this retro-glider set. 

My Grandmother had a blue glider like this on her front porch. My cousin stuck her hand underneath the arm and found a huge wasp nest. Chaos ensued. 

Such happy childhood memories!

Just in time for Mother's Day, our newest sponsor at Fairhope Supply Co. is loaded down with good ideas. Fairhope Antiquery is the perfect place to shop for Mom, Grandmother, Aunts, and (especially) yourself.

Although quality antiques are the focus, the large shop also carries items suitable for any gift or decorating need in all price ranges.

Mother's Day idea!

These metal urns are so beautiful in the garden. 

Owner Jennifer Schmidt is always accommodating to locals and the many tourists who visit Fairhope. This favorite shop is always changing merchandise, and the many vendors all seem to have different styles and change items weekly, so Forrest Gump had it right, "You never know what you'll get."

You'll spot the fleur-de-lis pattern every now and then, giving a 

nod to the owner's Louisiana background. 

This metal cross, blooming with deep pink flowers 

would be beautiful indoors or out.

What I like about the gardening accessories here, is that many of them don't require extra effort to make your garden look great. Rustic metal benches, planters, bird cages, all make your garden or yard look great by just plopping them down!

The primitive wash wringer would look great displayed in a laundry room, 

but take my Motherly advice, and don't give it as a gift this Sunday. Something about manual household labor doesn't sit well on Mother's Day.

Circle E Candles, massive vintage doors, primitive quilts, and even a gorgeous old piano - you just have to come in and see it all for yourself. 

Fairhope Antiquery is just a phone call away and is always glad to ship items out of town. Jenny and her staff are experts at helping you locate an item you've been pining for, so give them a call and see what they have!

It's just one more nice place to visit in Fairhope.

Give Jenny a call at Fairhope Antiquery at 251-990-7997 or visit her web site by clicking here.

Linking these pretty things to the awesome blogs: Savvy Southern Style

Mother's Day Peanut Butter Toast

This was last year's Mother's Day breakfast in bed.

Carried in to me on a tray by a skinny little 12 year old boy.

Lining the tray was a kitchen towel he had first used to carefully wipe the counters, topped with: yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, scrambled eggs, iced coffee, newspaper and heart shaped peanut butter toast with M-O-M written with a knife (or his finger).

How will he ever top this?

If he gives me diamonds this year, I'll still love the toast best.

Forever.



This story will also be shared at: The DIY Dreamer, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage, The Dedicated House, Mockingbird Hill Cottage