Fried veggies

It's not every day you can have fresh corn, okra, and tomatoes. I love fresh fried corn, fried okra, red, ripe, tomatoes...and, of course, fried peach pies. YUMMY

Us southern folks have to have our fried foods. I also love fried squash, fried green tomatoes, and fried potatoes.

I'll eat healthy some day...but for now, give me my fried veggies.

Mama's Chocolate Pie

Chocolate pie happens to be my all-time favorite dessert. It's also my son's. I make it often and it's gone in a snap. I dedicate this post to my mother who made it for us when we were growing up. She didn't have a recipe...she had made it so many times she just started putting it all together and came up with the best chocolate pie known to man. After I married, I was learning to cook and asked her for the recipe. She just laughed and told me she had never measured anything. So, we set out to create an official chocolate pie recipe. She started out as usual and when she thought she had enough of any one ingredient, I would measure it and write it down. We finally came up with Mama's Chocolate Pie. I've had that little index card for 40 years now. A few years ago my son emailed me one day and asked for the recipe. I shared it with him thinking I might have a surprise waiting for me soon.  NOT!!!!

LOL

So, I'm still making chocolate pies for my family and friends...thanks to my mother and her special recipe. I hope she's making chocolate pies in heaven.

 Thanks mama

History of the Oakview Cottage

We never know what God has planned for us. Several years ago, hubby and I decided to move back to our hometown. We had left a few years before to live closer to work. We found out that the long drive came in second to being close to family. So, one day we decided to look around for land for a modular home. We soon found out how difficult the process is and didn't want to spend that much time on it. We went to a local real estate office and while looking over their listings one of the agents walked by and said there had been a new listing, just that day, of a cute little house in the downtown area. She asked us if we wanted to look at it. However, she couldn't let us go inside because the owners were planning an estate sale and didn't want it shown until after the sale. We decided to check it out. We found the address, walked around the yard, looked in the one and only window we could see in and I fell in love. I wanted that house. I had to have that house. We made an offer that day and after a couple of phone calls we had the house!!  Can you believe it? Buying a house practically unseen.  We wouldn't be able to see inside for another month....after the estate sale. (What a crazy rule)  We were 3rd in line waiting for the estate sale to start on a rainy Saturday morning. The moment I walked in I knew I was home. I didn't want to leave. I wanted everybody out of my house...don't  touch anything.......

Someone asked..."Are they going to sell the house?"  I yelled, "Yes, we bought it."

I love my little Oakview Cottage. It's small..just the way I like it. After we moved in, we painted every room, removed old carpet, replaced the kitchen floor, removed old wallpaper, painted the kitchen

cabinets...you name it...I've shabby chic'd it.   God didn't want us in a modular home..He wanted us in our Oakview Cottage.....Thank You Lord

Little bronze shoes

Does anyone do this anymore?  I never see bronze shoes advertised these days. These are my son's first shoes.  Aren't they adorable?  Of course, I thought everything he had was adorable.

Recent centerpiece

I am forever changing the centerpieces on my dining room table. I never can decide what I like best. This is my current one.

My china cabinet sits in a corner of the dining room and holds many of my prize possessions. During one chapter of my life I had a complete set of beautiful china.  However, it was never used. I think that's the case with a lot of people.  I now use my cabinet for special "one of a kind" dishes, glasses, and candles. The cabinet was once a cherry color until I got my faithful paint can and brush out and spent two weekends turning it into shabby chic.               

A few of my favs