Fertilizer Friday 7.29.11

If you would like to see what everyone else is flaunting for Fertilizer Friday click HERE

40 Years of Magic!

My parents recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, and we had them a small little get together to celebrate. I dug out some old photos to share with all of our guests, and I thought I would share them with ya'll also.

This was before they were married. They were going to some dance at their college.

This was at my grandma's house, and it was probably my Dad's birthday

This picture makes me laugh because my Mom looks cold....but yet she has on a mini skirt! Even worse....look at my Dad's pants!!! A little short huh!

I loved my Mom's wedding dress. It was beautiful.

My Dad's pants appear to be longer here.

Mom and my Paw Paw

This picture just makes me laugh out loud...literally! You see, both of those women are my aunts. How in the world either of them got their hair to do that is beyond me. My aunt on the right has CURLY CURLY hair...and so that is really straight for her.

I love this pictured

This is after they were married.

This was right after my brother was born....you can't tell but my Mom is holding him.

And here I am!

I set up a table on the back porch with some of those photos and more. It rained the day of the party for the first time in weeks! Go figure, as soon as you have an outdoor party planned, it rains!

I regret not taking more pictures, but I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off!

We fried fish and drank sangria!

I made arrangements for each table that had love quotes tied to them.

My brother and his wife entertained us

My Dad surprised my Mom with a ruby ring for their anniversary. I stuck it in a cupcake for him to give to her. By the way, the cupcakes were really cute....but I didn't get any pics.

I am over this heat. The dog days of summer and getting to me. I am ready for some cooler weather! We have been getting showers here almost everyday. After it rains it is like a sauna!

Hickory Ridge Lodge

After I meandered around the antique store and the bed & breakfast, the owner told me he also owned a lodge that was on the back of his property. He told me to go down and look at it and see if I liked it. "Liked it" was an understatement! I LOOOOOOOOVED IT!

You drive down a dirt road, back down into the woods...

and the lodge sits across a pond. There was a rear entrance in the back for loaded and unloading.

It was absolutely gorgeous. After a hurricane several years ago, the owner had several acres of trees that were damaged from the storm. He had them cut down, and sent to a lumber yard. He built this entire place from trees off of his land.

We were lucky enough to have the whole lodge to ourselves.

They rent it out by the room or you can rent the entire lodge.

Everything about it was spectacular. Since the owners also own the antique shop, they had some amazing things inside this lodge. One of them was that door....ya'll know I love old doors.

The view from the front porch steps

The porches were huge. I could just imagine having all of your friends and family gathered around that porch enjoying a barbecue.

Or just enjoying the serenity

Look at this little cart and that birdhouse. I loved the birdhouse. Come to find out that my cousins, boyfriends, uncle lives in Andalusia and makes those birdhouses!!! I have to get one.

When I walked inside, I was flabbergasted.

I just had to stop, stare and take it all in. But I never really did. By the time I left the next day, I still hadn't taken it all in. This room was the center of the lodge. It was a huge, open room with the living and dining area combined with the kitchen.

EVERY window and EVERY door in the lodge are old windows/doors that the owner has collected. No two doors in the house were the same.

The kitchen cabinets were old file drawers. The owner said he has them for years and never could sell them, so when he built this place he decided to use them for the cabinets.

All of the sinks were old cast iron sinks. I loved them. I would love to have sinks like this. He sells these sinks at his antique store. He sells pretty much about everything you see here in his antique store.

The laundry room also had a sink it in along with an oven.

You could bake a cake and wash clothes at the same time.

Each bedroom was different. I wanted to go around in sleep in each one!!!!

There were several huge old signs throughout the lodge. This one was in one of the rooms.

This was my bathroom. I was sold on this sink....sigh...I lust love it. I loved that stained glass window in the wall above it even more. There was a claw foot tub and a shower in this bath as well.

Love Love Love it!

Lets go upstairs now...

I'm already liking what I see.

A whole loft up here!!!! And another awesome birdhouse. There were 4 rooms upstairs.

Down the hallway were 3 more bedrooms. Notice the light in the hallway!!!! An old train light.

I know ya'll are tired of hearing me say this...but I love these doors!!!! Wait to you see those windows!

These windows came out of an old church that was torn down.

They completely make this room if you ask me.

Mantles were used quite a bit for mirrors over the lavatories. Pretty neat idea!

This is on my "Must Have" list!!! I think it is an storage piece from a doctors office. It was completely metal and worked great in this bathroom!

This bedroom just seemed happy to me. However, I noticed there were no blinds in any of the rooms upstairs. So I don't know how "happy" I would be when the sun started to come up and I was trying to sleep!!! Other than that....the room looked happy.

Look at that old weathered door!!!! It looks happy in this room.

This is the bathroom. Most of the rooms had a shower & a tub or just a shower.

I loved the simplicity of this headboard.

Its just an old railing and columns. Simple!

Out on the back porch there were two more large dining tables, and a big red bench to relax on.

A nice little sink, and a screened porch.

When I got ready for bed that night I noticed this....and it just made me smile....

I thought it was sweet. I am definitely going back soon, and this time I plan on taking the entire family.