Today is the wedding anniversary of my Nana & Granddad (1954) and my Granny & Grandpa (1962). So to celebrate, I thought I'd show you one of my Granny and Grandpa's home movies circa 1969.
Grandpa
William Harold Smith
b. August 4th, 1924 d. 1999
married on December 12th 1962 to
Granny
Veronika Ortrud Heier
b. December 27th, 1938 d. December, 2010
Thank you. To any of you who take the time to read my blog, or watch my vlogs. I enjoy seeing how other people live - and we all have one thing in common, we like to remember these little moments, because maybe, just maybe the little moments are what matter the most.
Maybe its just me, but the weeks up to Christmas somehow seem faster. When I sit with my cup of coffee and a teeny piece of Cadbury's chocolate to upload our pictures and video footage, it makes me grateful that I can be anywhere (with internet connection) and recollect previous memories.
I think it is something you have to be intentional to do - to capture, and then preserve. Sometimes, I feel bad if I haven't put together a newsworthy post within 72 hours of the event, but then I see social media posts that make my heart skip a beat;
"I lost all the first 2 years of -'s baby pictures off of my phone."
&
"Another years gone by and we haven't been anywhere again."
My heart brakes for them. I hope they'll learn from this years mistakes and try to be more intentional for next year.
Our 3rd annual Thanksgiving at Biltmore.
One of our favorite places on the Biltmore Estate to eat - especially during the holidays - is the Deerpark Restaurant. The restaurant has a large food hall, which serves up traditional southern style food.
Afterwards, we went to see the Christmas decorations inside the Biltmore.
The decorations - blue and silver - were to showcase the needlepoint tapestries. My pictures don't do it justice. It was simply magical with Christmas music being played on the organ and watching little children walk into the room and exclaim "wow".
Later that evening we went to the Inn on Biltmore. Its a good place to people-watch, as usually the more affluent of guests stay here. But for us its a warm and cozy spot, to sit by the fire, and listen to the pianist play Christmas songs.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 107:1
There's an abundance of things I'm thankful for, but my darling hubby, is who I'm most thankful for.
Thank you. To any of you who take the time to read my blog, or watch my vlogs. I enjoy seeing how other people live - and we all have one thing in common, we like to remember these little moments, because maybe, just maybe the little moments are what matter the most.
We come to Old Salem every year and there's good reason. Its as if you step back in time to the 1700's and 1800's for a day. 🎔 Who wouldn't want that?
Lunch in The Old Tavern.
Cory ordered the bratwurst and I ordered the pot roast. Both were delicious.
The cemetery, affectionately called God's Acre, has scripture and sayings on all the gates and arches.
The house with the mustard yellow door used to be the doctors house.
One of the Moravian gift shops. Isn't it darling?
The sun peeking from behind the houses...
...and coming through the leaves was beautiful.
Below is our video diary (vlog) of our day trip to Old Salem, as well as weeks 9 & 10 of building our farmhouse in the 🎔 of the Carolina countryside.
Thank you. To any of you who take the time to read my blog, or watch my vlogs. I enjoy seeing how other people live - and we all have one thing in common, we like to remember these little moments, because maybe, just maybe the little moments are what matter the most.
Although autumn may not be one of my favorite seasons, mostly because of the shorter days, and early evenings, it is still in my top three. And there's no more beautiful backdrop to our farmhouse than the autumn glow.
As you can see from the pictures, our farmhouse has now finished being framed - yay! They have also installed our windows and exterior doors, and the roof.
Because of the shorter days, it means its usually too dark to go see the progress after my hubby comes home from work, so we usually go on the weekends, when nobody's there to go peek and see the progress.
We went yesterday, and they had poured the concrete on our wrap-around porch, and on three other stoops around the farmhouse. The wood columns are just temporary, we have white columns and a porch rail that will be added a little further down the line.
From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the LORD is to be praised.
Psalm 133:3
See what I mean about autumn glow? We are fortunate our windows overlook acres and acres of uninterrupted forest views.
Last Sunday afternoon we went out for dinner and I took my yellow leather-bound-notebook, and pen along. I like to plan - way in advance - so I started 3 lists; Current home projects, order of moving, and phases once we've moved.
So far our planning has saved us thousands and thousands in picking out and selecting furniture in sales. Not a penny has gone onto a credit card, and I think in todays world, being 100% debt free and owning our current home outright, is an anomaly. We still have a few more pieces we'd like to get, but we'll get them little by little so when its time to move all the big pieces of furniture will be picked out and ready to move in, or have delivered.
To say we are excited is an understatement!
Thank you. To any of you who take the time to read my blog, or watch my vlogs. I enjoy seeing how other people live - and we all have one thing in common, we like to remember these little moments, because maybe, just maybe the little moments are what matter the most.
For many years I would read the daily news online. Eventually, the days news stories would creep into my nightmares and affect my sleep. Nowadays, I don't intentionally read the news, I know it may seem ignorant, but it really is bliss. Whenever I go onto social media I usually find out what the event of the week day is, and take a moment to pray.
Where do you get most of the decorations for your home?
Since we are eight weeks into building our dream home, I have been a busy bee planning out the interior design and decoration. For those who may not know, I graduated from design school which has helped me gain an eye for both style and function.
What are you interested in that most people aren't?
For as long as I can remember I've always been interested in how other people live. I like hearing about someone's else's day-to-day routine. Maybe that's why I read blogs and watch vlogs.
What problem are you currently grappling with?
Those who've followed my blog for awhile know we've had unexplained infertility for a few years now. We took a year or so break and got distracted with buying land, and building a farmhouse, but are starting to think about and plan on our next steps. We've also had a lot of problems with family who think we're the only infertile people in this world, and show little to no empathy or support.
If you were moving to another country, but could only pack one carry-on sized bag, what would you pack?
My list may have changed a little, but I did just that in 2005. I moved to the US to attend college with two suitcases and sixty dollars. I still have my original packing list and it was one page long.
Now you know a little more about me, maybe too much.
We have been doing well in our little corner of the world. Building a home so far has made us feel extremely grateful for God provision, and humbled that we get to dream, design, and build a home to create memories.
Last weekend we went on a day trip to Pinehurst, NC. We had high tea at Lady Bedford's, shopped for books at the Given Book Shop, and crushed on all the cute cottages in the neighborhood. It's also where we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary a few years ago.
We've also had a lot of progress on our farmhouse. Last weekend, they finished the framing and we were able to see our plans come to life. With the time change, it makes it harder for us to see the weekday progress in daylight, so we've been going every weekend, which never fails to build suspense!
