The Langham Project

The Hartley Wedding Invitation

2012-01-28T23:00:00.001-06:00

The Langham Project (TLP) - DIY Printable Invitations/Stationary request the honor of your presence at the viewing of one of its favorite DIY printable creations -- the Hartley wedding invitation.

Judd and I had the pleasure of creating a wedding invitation and custom monogram for our dear friends Hartley and Andrew. They were kind enough to share a few photos with us of their special day to include in this post. We were so honored to be asked to create such an important component of their wedding celebration that we named this invitation after the GORGEOUS bride. Hartley and Andrew’s wedding was absolutely beautiful! I love the idea of sharing photos of the actual event when revealing a new invitation or stationary creation. I hope that it will make this post and all future posts for our TLP - DIY printable invitation/stationary business more pleasurable to read. Let us know what you think. Thanks so much for sharing your photos, Hartley and Andrew.

The image above is a sample of the final product that we send to our clients. Because our business is designed for do-it-yourself printing, we offer our clients the opportunity to print their invitations with no minimum or maximum quantity for their order. They simply receive the final order of their invitation design and are then free to print the invitations any way they prefer. Additionally, our business approach allows our clients to print on the paper/cardstock selection of their choosing. Once we send the final design to the customer, he or she can print the order on his or her own or have a professional printer do it. If the client decides to have a professional print shop print their order for them, all they have to do is take the file to the print shop.

I snapped a quick photo of the printed invitation from our sample book (see below).

The happy couple’s color scheme for their September wedding was eggplant and gray. The Hartley wedding invitation features a custom monogram with gray font. Although, we can design the Hartley with any color font that is desired. The invitation is 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”. The invitation will fit in any envelope that is 5 3/4” x 8 3/4”. The invitation is intended to be printed on off-white/cream cardstock. Although, you could print it on white cardstock if you prefer. We offer the Hartley wedding invitation for $45.00.

The final order can be sent in two ways. It can be emailed to you, the customer, in its exact size or we can send it to you designed to fit two invitations on one piece of letter sized cardstock/paper. We recommend that you purchase cardstock from the vendor of your choosing that will be the exact size of your invitation so that you do not have to do any cutting. In this case, you would just simply change your printer settings to fit the exact size of your invitation and feed each piece of cardstock through your printer. However, if it is easier for you to print two invitations per one regular 8 1/2” x 11” page that is also an option. If you request your order this way, we will include a very faint guide line down the center, between the two invitations, to assist you when cutting.

Hartley and Andrew also requested a file that contained a customized combined monogram that we designed. They used this file to add their monogram to the ceremony programs that they created themselves (shown below). A custom monogram can be used to make a multitude of wedding crafts and future projects for the rest of the couples life together. We offer a custom monogram for $20.00. Although Hartley and Andrew chose to design their program themselves, if you are not up for that task, we also offer wedding program design for $45.00.

We plan to get an Etsy shop started to sell our one of a kind invitations and stationary very soon. For now, if you are interested in ordering the Hartley, please leave us a comment on this post or send us an email at langhat@gmail.com.

Let There Be Two Lights

2012-01-21T21:38:00.001-06:00

So, the lamps that I ordered at the beginning of December finally arrived.

I ordered two Julian apothecary lamps with an antique brass finish from Ballard Design.

They were intended to go on either side of our sofa. That's where they are in the pictures. Honestly, the wall between them looks a little bare now that they are in place. Maybe if I add some framed art pieces that whole side of the living room will come together.

What do you think so far? I imagine that I will be buried in a sea of research underneath them pretty soon.

How To: Make a Live Christmas Garland

2012-01-09T20:21:00.001-06:00

As you may have seen in this post, we hosted our family for Christmas this year. Judd and I really enjoyed decorating our home to celebrate the birth of our savior with the ones we love. I made several live fir (yes, Charles, “fir” not “fur.” LOL) garlands, wreaths, and swags in the process. This post explains how to make a live garland.

(Note: I was snapping pictures on the iPhone while working. I apologize in advance for the photo quality).

Here are the things that you will need.

Wire Cutters
Floral Wire
Fresh greenery
Pruning Shears
Measuring Tape

I highly recommend making your garland outside or on your porch because the fir tends to shed.

First, measure the length of the area you wish to cover. I didn’t have a measuring tape handy; so, I measured using an extension cord I already had out for Christmas lights. Use your pruning shears to cut the tree branches in lots of straight pieces. Make a pile of straight pieces as you cut. Keep the wooden stem ends all going the same direction. This makes it easier for you as you are piecing the garland together.

Next, bundle together approximately three stems of the straight pieces that you cut. Wire the stems together. Cut the excess wire with your wire cutters.

Take two bundled pieces and join them with wire where the first bundle’s brown stems are underneath the second bundle’s green branches.

Continue this layering process until you reach half of your desired length. Make a second long strand that is also half of the length you want to cover. You will then join the two strands together with the exposed brown stem ends facing each other. Wire in a way that only a minimal amount of the stems are visible. The two strands will be joined together in the middle so that both outside edges have nice finished end points.

Next, gather a separate bundle that has greenery going in both directions. Wire it together in the middle were there is no stem showing.

Place this smaller bundle over any exposed stems that are showing on the center of the garland where the large half strands were joined. Wire it in place.

Your garland should now be one long piece with two nice green branch ends. Wire leftover greenery on top of any other exposed stems. Add a few extra pieces of wire where needed for support to keep your garland together as you move it to its desired location.

We placed our garland over our mantel. It took two of us to carry it in the house.

Once the garland was in place, we added white lights and tucked in white and red nandina berries, holly, and silver ball ornaments.

What do you think? You could decorate your garland to be in keeping with your own home or Christmas decor. Greenery looks nice with pretty much anything or any color scheme.

I have no training or real expertise in flower arranging or garland making. That should show you that anybody is capable of making a garland on his or her own. You can do it!

We Saw Fireworks

2012-01-04T21:37:00.001-06:00

I know what you are thinking.

And yes, we really did see fireworks.

Judd and I joined some our FAB friends to ring in the new year. At the beginning of the evening everyone gathered at our house to watch our Auburn tigers triumph over the UVA cavaliers at the Chick-fil-a Bowl. After the game and after watching Dick Clark and Ryan Seacreast conduct the Eastern Time Zone countdown, we drove over to the childhood home of our fab friend Jamie to experience a real life Central Time Zone countdown.

I’ve mentioned before that we always go there on New Year’s Eve. Her parents, the Rome’s, throw a fantastic annual party. They are originally from New Orleans, LA so it is no surprise that any gathering at their house is always a good time. Our group of friends has literally been going to their New Year’s Eve party together for over a decade. Jamie’s dad always does an amazing job assembling a real, better than most municipalities, fireworks display. Also, he meticulously decorates their home with lights. No, this is not a scene from the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie.

This year I shot a few short videos of the fireworks display. I wasn’t quick enough to capture the actual ball drop. Yes, the Rome’s have an actual countdown complete with ball drop each year. We always have a blast. There were so many spectators this year who walked up from all over the neighborhood to watch the show. Our friend Chad commented that next year we should sell them all glow sticks and funnel cakes. Hey, that’s probably not a bad idea.

This was supposed to be a picture not a video. My phone was apparently still in video mode when it was taken. It is tradition for us FAB girls to take two pictures in the same place each year—one on the stairs and one with the ball drop/year sign. Jamie just had a precious baby boy so she wasn’t able to attend the party this year. We wanted to include Jamie in spirit since she couldn’t be there in person. After the fireworks her mom told us to go get Jamie for a picture. She said, “She is right above the gumbo.” I walked in to get her picture and when I was taking it off the wall one of our former high school teachers who also happened to be a guest at the party questioned my intentions and asked my name. I think she thought I was getting wild and taking things. I got so tickled. I felt like she was about to give me detention.

Here are the rest of our photos from the night. The Rome’s hand out eye glasses with the new year on them at each party. I particularly liked the ones this year.

I think this year was the smallest FAB turnout yet. There were only three fab couples in attendance--The Bridwells, the Hellers (and future baby Heller), and the Langhams.

Merry New Year!

2012-01-02T22:21:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year, Y’all! Did your 2012 get off to a good start? I hope so.

Judd and I had a great time ringing in the new year with our friends. In fact, we have had lots of time for visiting with friends and family this holiday season. We hosted Christmas for the first time ever at our house. In six years of marriage, Judd and I had never had a Christmas morning where we woke up in our own home. We usually travel to his parents’ home, my parents’ home, or my grandmother’s house. We were so glad to have both sides of our families together this holiday. We understand what a blessing it is to have in-laws who are willing to spend the holidays together and that they actually enjoy each other’s company. It was also so special to have my big brother, Bryan, home this year. He spent a few holidays away from us due to military deployments.

Front row (L to R): Judd, Abby, Carole (Abby’s Mom), Mary Evelyn (Abby’s Grandmother), Laura (SIL), Dot (Judd’s Mom), Brenna (SIL)

Back row (L to R): Del (Abby’s Dad), Bryan, Terry (Judd’s Dad), and Colby (Judd’s younger brother)

Cole was thrilled to have all of his favorite people under one roof. It’s hard to tell, but trust me, this is his excited face. I know it doesn’t seem that much different from his happy face, sad face, or tired face.

Judd and I had a lot of fun preparing our home for our special guests. We lucked out when purchasing some pine garland for our front door from a local Christmas tree lot. I asked the workers what they did with the leftover branches from where they trimmed the bottom of the trees when making our purchase. They told me that they threw them away and that I was welcome to take as much as I wanted. And, that I did. Luckily, we were in Judd’s truck so I was able to take home a good bit. I spent the next two weeks making live wreaths and garlands. I’ll do a post on how to make them soon.

Outside, we added the purchased pine garland and some white lights around our entry. A live fir wreath hung on our door with a large deco mesh bow. Our porch and porch swing were decorated with fir, magnolia, nandina, and holly.

I wrapped our usual blue RH outdoor pillows in burlap and tied them like presents. I wanted a no sew project that would help our pillows fit in with the Christmas décor. I cut two squares of burlap and folded them over the pillows like an envelope. The ribbon helped to keep the burlap in place. I also picked up the little pieces of tree trunk that the Christmas tree lot was cutting off of the trees. I used them along with some greenery to decorate our front porch table. Judd added a red bell that was his late grandmother’s.

I mentioned in my last post that I got a camera for Christmas. It is basically the same camera my sister-in-law Brenna already had. She and I enjoyed taking pictures together. I was glad to get a few pointers from her.

Our mailbox was draped with a fir garland and a bow made from two different sizes of deco mesh, one solid and one striped.

Our living room held our tree and a live garland over the mantel made of fir. The garland had red and white nandina berries and holly tucked in throughout. A double sided live fir wreath was hung over our mirror.

Our tree was decorated with burlap ribbon, brown, cream, tan, and mercury glass ornaments and balls, and pinecones. We also incorporated some ornaments that are special to us. Our tree skirt was a long piece of burlap folded in half and gathered around the trunk. It was another quick no sew project.

Our dining room was adorned with live garlands over the china cabinet and above our corner cabinet. The table was set with our Opal Innocence by Lenox China with our Lisomore Tall Waterford Crystal. My mother loaned us her King Richard by Towle silver flatware to use during the holiday meals. We used this table setting three times. Judd and I hosted a Christmas Eve seafood feast on Saturday night. On Christmas Day we had brunch and Christmas dinner.

Eating seafood on Christmas Eve is a tradition with Judd’s family. They live in a small town in south Alabama that is near the gulf coast. His parents drove to Mobile , AL the day before coming to our house in order to fetch the freshest catch from our friends, the Atkins family. The Atkins’ are third generation owners of Southern Fish and Oyster in Mobile. Our buddy, Tripp Atkins, even packed a surprise in the cooler for me to use when decorating—beautiful oyster shells. We added them to our centerpiece which consisted of clementines, apples, fir, nandina, holly, and assorted nuts. The arrangement sat on a half barrel with some burlap underneath it.

I found a clever way to display Christmas cards from Brenna’s blog. I think she got the idea from Pinterest. It was so simple. I just cut ribbon the appropriate length and gently taped it to the top and bottoms of the backside of each cabinet door. Clothes pins held each card in place. It was so fun to view the cards and pictures from the folks we love the most everyday in our kitchen. Our back door which is located in our kitchen held a live fir wreath with another deco mesh bow.

Judd’s mom, Brenna, and I had a lot of fun rolling and cutting out sugar cookies.

Cole decided that watching us bake was too much work for him. He went outside to take a nap in the sun.

I can’t seem to find the appropriate words to tell you all how much we enjoyed having our family together. We had a lot of great quality time together. We visited with my grandmother, played photo shoot with the new camera, worked a puzzle, ate 3 delicious meals, drank warm beverages by the fire, attended our church's Christmas Eve service as a family, and opened gifts together. We couldn’t have asked for a better time as a family.

We had fun passing the new camera around. I especially enjoyed it when viewing the photos for the first time. It was fun to see the holiday from the perspective of others. Bryan is a military broadcast journalist. He took the next two photos.

Dot, Brenna, and I made gift tag place cards to put on each person’s glass. I wrote a different question on the back of each tag that was to be answered at dinner. The questions consisted of things like “what is your favorite Christmas memory or tradition, or movie, or song, etc.?” I think it gave us all something “Christmassy” to talk about while dining.

The guys were outside most of Christmas Eve frying our delicious seafood feast. Our friend Hunter came over that night to eat with us as well. The meal consisted of gumbo, fried popcorn shrimp, fried jumbo shrimp, coleslaw, and seafood gumbo. YUMMY!

From L – R: Bryan, Hunter, Terry, and Colby

Opening presents was a lot of fun. Cole especially enjoyed his gift from his Aunt Brenna and Uncle Colby.

Mommy and daddy had a gift for Cole too. He had a good doggy Christmas.

Judd and I both planned special gifts for our mothers. My mother finished her doctorate in 2007 and never had her dissertation bound. I surprised her with a hardback copy of her work. She had no idea. I’m pretty sure those were happy tears.

Judd watercolored some Christmas cards of a Cardinal, his mother’s favorite bird, for her to use next year.

That pretty much sums up our Christmas 2011. Goodbye until next time.

Season’s Greetings

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000-06:00

Notice I didn’t specify which season considering Christmas passed before I could get this posted. December was a busy month due to final exams and papers and due to hosting our family for Christmas for the first time ever at our house. I had hoped to get this on the blog before the holiday. Oh well, better late than never.

Although it is a few days late, Judd and I wanted to make sure to thank you all for your continued readership and support this past year. We are truly thankful for you, our blogging family and friends. Thanks for sticking with us even though our posting this year has been infrequent. We wanted to send you a Christmas card over the blogosphere. The one we included happens to be the same one we mailed out this year.

We’ve also included the same Christmas newsletter that was inside our cards.

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. We feel so blessed to have friends and family like you. Despite all of the stress and craziness that is life, we are mindful of the real reason for the season, and we are so thankful for Him and for you.

Probably just like the rest of you, we’ve had our share of stress over the last year; in fact, we even failed to mail our Christmas cards last year because of it. As a result, we are attempting to catch up with you this year.

All is well at the Langham household. This year Judd became a principal/co-owner of 2DStudio, a landscape architecture firm that he started here in Birmingham. Additionally, over the past year he had the pleasure of adjunct teaching in the Masters of Landscape Architecture program at Auburn University.

Abby is approaching her 4^th anniversary at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as the Coordinator for Institutional Research in the Office of Planning and Analysis. She continues to pursue her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership/Higher Education Administration full-time while also working full-time.

Together, we started our own DIY printable invitation and stationary business—The Langham Project. We enjoy working together to create something useful and beautiful for others. We hope to get an online shop for it soon.

As you can tell by the cover Judd drew for our Christmas cards, Cole, our black Labrador retriever is such a joy to us. He is so sweet and gentle. It’s hard to believe that he is already eight years old.

We are so thankful for the opportunities and blessings that God presented before us this year. We hope that you are all equally blessed and well.

Merry Christmas!

Abby and Judd Langham

Visions Of Dog Bones Danced In His Head

2011-12-29T11:08:00.001-06:00

I felt so spoiled by my husband this Christmas. He got me an iPhone and a wonderful new camera. I’m still figuring out how to use them both. I have a feeling our blog will benefit greatly from those two gifts.

This was a photo taken on my iPhone 4s using the instagram app. I know I am probably a little late in the game, but I LOVE instagram. It’s so fab. Have you tried it?

And Another One Down…

2011-12-28T12:25:00.001-06:00

Well, as you might have guessed from my prolonged blogging hiatus, I’ve been busy with school and work and Auburn football this fall. I can finally attempt to catch up now that the semester is over. Expect a few more posts this week and next.

So far I’ve managed to keep a 4.0 grade point average over the three year duration of this degree. I had one with my Master’s too. I hope I can continue that record for one more semester. This spring (2012) will be my last semester of coursework. I know that your GPA at this level doesn’t matter at all; however, it matters to me. This coming spring will be VERY busy. I will be taking three classes, writing my dissertation proposal (the first three chapters of my dissertation), taking my comprehensive exams, getting institutional review board (IRB) approval, getting admitted to candidacy, and working full-time. Wish me luck.

Then, starting in the summer I will be ‘all but dissertation’ (ABD) and will become a dissertation writing machine. I am beyond EXHAUSTED from school. I have never been so tired of anything in my entire life. I cannot wait for this phase of my life to be over. Because of my Ph.D. everything else in our lives feels like it is on hold. I’m sure Judd can’t wait for me to be finished as well.

Sorry to post about school so much. I know that it is not that fun to read about. I prefer my decorating and craft posts too. School is such a big part of my life right now. I have a hard time doing anything without it being on my mind at the same time.

We did squeeze in a little fun this semester. We attended many Auburn University football games this year. We tailgated as usual at my in-law’s house in Auburn, AL. I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this on the blog but it is the same house that Judd and I rented when we first got married. His parents bought it when we moved to Philadelphia, PA from Auburn after grad. school.

Here is one of the few pictures I managed to take during the season. Judd bought me a new camera for Christmas so hopefully the frequency of our picture taking and our picture quality will improve.

I think this was Iron Bowl weekend. These are some of my FABulous friends and their spouses.

(From left to right: The Myers, The Nichols, and The Langhams)

Thank You, Veterans

2011-11-11T10:36:00.001-06:00

Hi all,

My how I have missed you. I have been meaning to post for quite some time. As you know, I am in the midst of earning my Ph.D. full-time, working full-time, and trying to survive it all. It was important to me to make sure to post this Veteran’s Day, no matter what, to say thanks to our service men and women.

SSG. Bryan Tull (a.k.a. my bubby)

Last year, I wrote this post about thanking a veteran. I offered you all the opportunity to thank my brother if you did not know a veteran to thank. I am going to extend that offer again this year. I know it never hurts to be encouraged and to know that others believe in you and care about you. Just leave a comment on this post. I’ll be sure to share your kind words with my brother, SSG. Bryan Christopher Tull (210th MPAD and 314th PAOC). Bryan is a current Army Reservist and an undergraduate student at the university where I work—UAB. In fact, he recently re-enlisted for another six years of military service (after having already served his first six years of service—including two year-long Iraq deployments).

Over the past few months, while reading a periodical that circulates through our office, The Chronicle of Higher Education, I have come across several articles pertaining to student warriors. I shared these articles with my brother in hopes that they would help him to realize that he is not the only current military member with active duty time under his belt who also happens to be a college student. I believe that higher education administrators need to lead with policies in mind for our nation’s student warriors. They need to be thinking about what kind of support this unique group of students need and how to identify student vets. This country has been at war my entire adult life (literally, since I was 18). Just take a moment to think about how many service men and women have enrolled and even graduated from institutions of higher learning in the past 10 years.

If you would like to read the articles I sent to Bryan you can access them via the links below.

“A Student Veteran Moves On”

“Why I Can No Longer Teach US Military History”

I shared these articles with Bryan in hopes they would let him now that he is not alone as a student veteran. Do you know any student warriors? What do you think universities can do to support these students?

I’d also like to thank my other family members who are/were veterans.

(Note to family: I tried to document a brief synopsis of your military history. Please help me to add to it or to revise where necessary. Also, send me pictures and I will add them to this post. I would love to have a picture of everyone in uniform):

Specialist 5 Delos Lawton Tull [Daddy] (71st Supply Battalion) (Cold War - Germany)

Sergeant Robert Franklin Braden, Sr. [Maternal Granddaddy] (102nd Infantry Division) (WWII – Netherlands, France, Germany)

Private First Class Elmo Delos Tull [Paternal Granddaddy] (Army Air Corp) (WWII – North Africa, Italy, Sicily, France, Germany)

Sergeant Robert Franklin Braden, Jr. [Maternal Uncle] (4th Infantry Division) (Vietnam)

Major Dan Bowdoin [Paternal Uncle] (1st Cavalry Division) (Vietnam and Europe)

Colonel Carol Tull Bowdoin [Paternal Aunt] (Army Nurse Corp) (Europe)

Captain Libby Bowdoin Fouch [Paternal Cousin] (Army Nurse Corp) (Stateside)

Warrant Officer Zach Fouch [Paternal Cousin] (Missouri National Guard and Airborne Ranger, Helicopter Pilot) (Iraq)

Sergeant George Allen Payne [Paternal Uncle] (Chemical Corp) (Stateside)

Additionally, my paternal grandfather’s 5 brothers served as well as 2 of my maternal grandfather’s brother’s and my husband’s grandfather, Aubrey Lee Langham (Marine, WWII-The Pacific), and Daddy, Terry Martin Langham (National Guard).

Thanks to everyone mentioned above and thanks to all service men and women on this Veteran’s Day.

Cousins Libby Bowdoin Fouch and Zach Fouch (and Andrew)

Aunt Carol Tull Bowdoin and Cousin Libby Bowdoin Fouch

Uncle Dan Bowdoin, Aunt Carol Tull Bowdoin, and Cousins Libby Bowdoin Fouch, Andrew Fouch, David Bowdoin, and Beth Trotter Bowdoin

How To: Make A Burlap Wreath

2011-10-04T17:40:00.001-05:00

Have you all seen these DIY burlap wreaths? I first caught a glimpse of these kinds of wreaths at a gift shop/antique store near our home a few months ago. Then I saw the images below on Pinterest. I decided I liked the look of these for fall. I thought I could probably make one myself.

Source: The Newly Wares

Source: Etsy

Source: Classy Clutter

Here is what I needed to get started.

Supplies:

Scissors
Measuring Tape
Burlap
Wire Coat Hanger
Hot Glue Gun

First, I separated the twisted part of the hanger that connected the end of the wire from the hook. With my hands, I shaped the wire into a circle, leaving the hook in tact and the twisted edge loose.

Second, I cut several 4” wide strips of burlap approximately a yard long. I folded the burlap accordion style and strung it along the loose wire edge.

I continued weaving the burlap strips onto the coat hanger until I felt that it look full. I’ll be honest, this project used a lot more burlap than expected.

When all of the burlap was strung through the coat hanger, I placed small dots of hot glue on the wire sporadically around the wreath. This kept the strips from sliding.

I left the hook part of the coat hanger in place and I attached the loose end to the hook using a rubber band and hot clue. I didn’t have any pliers on hand. If you do, you may be able to twist the loose end back on the hook. Otherwise, the rubber band and hot glue method seemed to work just fine.

I used the hook to hang the wreath on my door. I took the pictures at night on an iphone. The photo quality is not the best, but you get the idea. I will probably make a bow or add some dried flowers for seasonal color.

After hanging the wreath, I trimmed the strings. However, if you like the look of the strings feel free to keep them. I waivered back and forth on this one. I kind of liked them; however, I decided to cut them off in the end.

Voila. Instant burlap wreath. Luckily, I already had everything I needed to make this at home. In my opinion, this is a great look for only a few bucks.

What do you think?

Burlap Walls

2011-09-26T12:05:00.001-05:00

My brother, Bryan, and sister-in-law, Laura, moved into Laura’s Pawpaw’s house last weekend. We got to go see it last night. It’s a lovely home that Laura’s Pawpaw built himself. While taking the tour we walked into a room that will be used as an office. This room has many built-in shelves and has burlap on the walls. My guess is that the burlap has been there for years. I immediately said, “oh, I love the burlap wall treatment.” Neither Bryan or Laura seemed too enthused about it. I thought I would put this post together so that maybe they might be able to see a vision for the room that consists of keeping the burlap. Either way, I’m sure they will make the room look great. I just thought it might be fun to throw some inspiration photos together. Congrats on your new abode, Bryan and Laura.

Burlap seems to be so, dare I say, trendy at the moment. I hate to even say that because burlap has been used for a long time for many purposes. Below are some images I found in a quick Google search of burlap and/or grass cloth used on walls.

What do y’all think? Can you picture a space in your own home with burlap on the wall? I think, given the right space, burlap on walls can be very attractive.

Source: Sage Going On Green

Source: Velvet and Linen, photo taken at Boxwoods in Atlanta, GA

Source: (Flickr) Design Services of Charlotte

Source: Odie Et Amo, design by Waterleaf Interiors

Source: Whitehaven

Pinecones, Dissertations, Parties, and Football

2011-09-09T13:06:00.001-05:00

What do the things listed in the title of this post have in common? Well, nothing. This post is an attempt at a final recap of our summer. It will be in mostly pictures.

We had a big storm one afternoon that knocked down several tree limbs in our neighborhood. With the limbs came these beautiful green pinecones and sweet gum balls. I once again walked up and down our street collecting them. At this point, I know our neighbors think I am crazy. But y’all, they were so pretty in vases and hurricane glasses with candles. I placed them all around our house. They lasted for a few weeks but eventually turned brown. Aren’t they pretty?

Also, this summer, we helped decorate Judd’s studio for a 90th birthday party for Judd’s business partner’s mother. Did you get that? :) The party was actually across the street from the studio. It was held in a meeting room adjacent to the historic Alabama Theatre. The studio was used for a pre-party cocktail hour for closest friends and relatives.

And, speaking of relatives, guess who just happens to be married to Bob’s nephew.

Yep, Melissa Joan Hart.

Also this summer we had a get together lunch with some of the Fab and Fab husbands. While we were there we got to play with this cute little fella.

We also celebrated my 27th birthday. Judd bought me a yummy cake from Publix and some beautiful spider mums. They really went great with the green pinecones. :)

No, we do not have a paw print rug in our living room. That is Cole’s blanket. He drools and sheds too much to let him lay down without something underneath him.

Speaking of dogs, Cole also had surgery over the summer. He is doing fine. Thanks for asking. :) We are terrible parents because we found his cone to be SO funny and photographed it at his expense. I’ll admit, I cried the first night he had it on because he was so pitiful and was running into everything. Eventually, he got used to it and we got a kick out of it.

Additionally, over the summer, 3 of my friends from my doctoral cohort and I decided to be accountability partners for each other to ensure we are on track with our dissertations. Our professor (middle) referred to us as her dissertation divas. Hence the title in the photo. We started calling her Dr. Diva. I know it seems silly but we are all so constantly stressed. It is nice to have something to laugh about together.

Last but not least, it is now time for SEC college football. Woo Woo. I sure do love this time of year. I have noticed several folks stumbling onto our blog looking for Auburn’s 2011 schedule. So, here it is. I thought this was so great. It was a magnet that came in the mail with our season tickets. They used jersey numbers to indicate the dates. What a clever idea.

Well, that’s a rap on our summer. We are wishing a happy fall to all of y’all.

War Eagle!

New Orleans, Louisiana - The Secret Trip

2011-08-10T16:50:00.001-05:00

You might have guessed from my last post that I would write about this next.

As a part of our 6th anniversary celebration, Judd planned a vacation as a surprise for me. I knew he had something up his sleeve because my anniversary card from him indicated that there would be travel in our immediate future. He didn’t tell me where we were going. In fact, he wasn’t going to tell me when we were going either.

Except this happened……

Two weeks prior to Independence Day, while walking our dog one evening, Judd mentioned to me that he wanted to go to Brewton, AL (his hometown) two weekends in a row. As you all now know, I was consumed by school at that point. When he mentioned the plan to go home I questioned my ability to travel two consecutive weekends. You see, we already had plans to visit Brewton for Independence Day. When I said that, I noticed Judd hesitate. I could tell he was thinking about something. We continued the rest of our evening as normal.

The next morning, Judd asked me if I really would be unable to travel due to my course load. I said that if there was something important he needed to do in Brewton or if it was really important to him to go that weekend, that I would go, but he needed to let me know in advance so that I could get all of my readings, papers, homework assignments, etc. finished ahead of time.

Basically I ruined a major part of my surprise--The fact that he was going to take me on an amazing, and much needed, surprise vacation. He proceeded to tell me that he had a surprise trip planned for us that weekend and that Brewton was not our destination. He also told me that he had already called my office and asked for me to have a day off in order to make it a three day weekend. What a sweetheart. I, of course, said that I would do everything in my power to make sure I would be available. He still wouldn’t tell me where we were going though.

He tried to trick me all week. He would “accidently” drop clues like boat, or plane, or beach, etc. Eventually, I had a feeling it was a car trip because I knew he wouldn’t really slip up and tell me. He is too good at keeping fun surprises a secret

In turn, I wanted to do something special for him since he went well out of his way to plan something for me. So, I packed us a travel basket filled with his favorite goodies (and a few of mine too). Since he usually gets home from work before me, I left it on our kitchen counter for him to find with a note that said “open me”.

We grabbed the basket and our luggage and hit the road. Oh, we grabbed the dog too. At this point, I was pretty sure we were headed south in order for Judd’s parents to doggysit for us while we were away. Sure enough, I was right about the first leg of our trip. We drove to Brewton to spend the night.

The next morning we got an early start. At this point, I thought we were headed to the beach. But then our car turned for Mobile, AL. Naturally, at that point, I thought that Mobile was our destination. Judd, in an attempt to throw me off of his trail, even faked a call to our friend Tripp (a local Mobilian) to see if he wanted to have lunch. You can imagine my surprise when instead of taking the Mobile exit off the interstate we headed for Mississippi.

Around lunch time, we stopped in the beautiful town of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. It reminded me so much of Fairhope, AL. Both cities are lovely, up-scale, artsy retirement communities. We had a tasty seafood lunch at McElroy’s on the Bayou.

At this point I figured we were either going to Biloxi or New Orleans. NOLA it was. We arrived at our hotel and immediately headed for the French Quarter. We stopped in at Harrah’s Casino first. We lost a total of $20 and called it quits.

Then, we walked down to Jackson Square. Gosh, that place is so beautiful. Don’t let the overcast sky fool you, even with the breeze of the mighty Mississippi it was hotter than you know where in New Orleans in June.

Afterward’s we cooled off with a few Abita’s (Louisiana’s premier craft beer) at one of Judd’s favorite NOLA bars, Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar.

We decided to walk with our drinks and take a tour on foot to see the beauty and details of New Orleans. We soaked up as much as we could. Everything in that city has such charm. The weathered and aged patina everywhere we looked combined with the sounds and smells of a port city caused true sensory overload. I LOVED it.

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Judd wanted to make sure I didn’t miss out on my first hurricane. After our walk, he took me Pat O’Brien’s to cool off yet again.

We then walked back to our hotel to get dressed for dinner. Judd took me to Antoine’s. Gosh, it was delicious.

We spent the rest of the evening walking in the French Quarter and on Bourbon Street. Bourbon Street, as expected, was a little crazy. We quickly moved on to other parts of the French Quarter.

The next morning, Judd took me to Commander’s Palace for Sunday Jazz Brunch. To say that this was the best atmosphere, food, and service I have ever experienced at a restaurant would be an understatement. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!!

We captured a video of the fantastic Jazz musicians who played tableside during brunch. They found out were from Birmingham and played Tuxedo Junction just for us.

The chefs made our already amazing dining experience even better by writing a special note on our dessert plates. Also, catch a glimpse of Judd’s to-die-for bread pudding.

To burn off some calories after brunch, we took a pleasant trolley ride to Audubon Park where we walked and enjoyed the splendor and serenity of the park. I was amazed when we stepped off the car to see that Loyola University and Tulane University were literally next door to one another. Both were just across from the entrance to the park.

While walking through the park (and pretty much during our entire trip) we photographed more of the New Orleans vernacular and style including lanterns, landscaping, and homes. I even found a little DIY project while I was there. Isn’t this sign with house numbers amazing? I think part of an old door or old cabinet front would work well when making this on my own. I wanted to share it so that you could make one too.

I still can’t get over these lanterns.

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Seriously, look at these homes. They are all so beautiful. Also, Fab look at the largest image below. Do you see what I see? I’m thinking Fab compound for sure. (Faithful readers, if you don’t know what I just referred to you can catch up with this post.)

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Check out this stunning landscaping.

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Here are some other fun things we did while we were in The Big Easy. We peaked through the gates at a historic above-ground cemetery, shopped on Magazine Street, ate macaroons and gelato at Sucre, drove around the Superdome (the home of Judd’s favorite NFL team), and played a few rounds of Bananagrams in our hotel room. Judd won.

On Monday morning, before heading back to Brewton to pick up our furbaby, we stopped in at Cafe Du Monde for some delicious beignets and French roast coffee.

After devouring our beignets in what seemed like seconds, we took one final look at the Mississippi, jumped in the car, and headed down the road.

We had a blast. I highly recommend each restaurant and attraction mentioned in this post. Have you ever been to any of the places mentioned? What do you recommend?

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six

2011-08-08T10:43:00.001-05:00

Don’t let my last post about the worst semester of my life fool you, we did manage to squeeze in a little fun this summer. Actually, my husband managed to squeeze it in for us entirely on his own.

On May 14, 2011 we celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. We are so lucky to have a happy and successful marriage. These past six years (or eight if you count the year we dated and the year we were engaged) have truly been the best of my life. I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone but Judd. God sure did have a great plan when we picked the two of us out for each other.

As you all know, I was in throes of two statistics courses by the date of our anniversary. Judd, knowing that I needed a little pick-me-up, made our anniversary so special.

We had already decided to keep things simple this anniversary. We bought two Groupons for $50 towards $200 worth of merchandise at a local retailer to put towards a major furniture purchase. We agreed that the furniture Groupons would be our presents to each other. Or, at least, that was what I thought.

After a long week at work and school, I awoke on Saturday morning to find a chocolate cake from the same bakery that made our wedding cakes (Olexa’s) and a card (made on stationary Judd created just for the occasion) on our kitchen counter. I also found these two in the kitchen waiting on me.

The envelope read, “To my darling “Gail” on our 6th Anniversary.” This probably could go without saying but my full name is Abbygail, so that’s where he got Gail as a nickname. See the card he designed for me. I loved it.

The inside of the card had check boxes for coming gifts he had planned. He noted that I should use the card to check off when each occurred. One box noted a surprise trip…

Judd truly is an amazing husband. He loves me unconditionally. I am so thankful for him. He made our anniversary really special.

Thank you, Dear.

My Summer by the Numbers

2011-08-03T16:56:00.001-05:00

Can you guess who submitted her last final paper for the semester today???

ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The end to this summer semester could not have come any sooner. I. AM. EXHAUSTED. The good news is I just simultaneously finished the last two statistics courses of my life. Wow, that feels really good to say. Of course, grades haven’t been posted yet, but I am hoping for the best.

I’ve missed keeping up with all you through the blogosphere. To catch you up to speed on my life over this summer, here is a recap by the numbers.

Number of weeks in the semester: 12

Number of classes: 2

Number of graded assignments due over the 12 week semester: 69!!!

Yes, you read that correctly.

Number of pages of reading material: 1000s

Seriously, more than I can calculate. Some weeks there were 300+ pages in addition to 3 or 4 graded assignments.

Number of statistics final exams: 1

Number of final papers due: 3

Number of pages for the first paper: 17

Number of pages for the second paper: 59

Number of pages for the third paper: 28

Number of jobs worked full-time while taking these two classes: 1

Number of blog posts written over the summer: 1 (wow, that is so pitiful. Do you forgive me?)

Number of times tears were shed: I am embarrassed to comment on that one.

Number of days until fall classes begin: 13 (a.k.a. – not enough)

Ugh.

I read an article not too long ago in The Chronicle of Higher Education about how doctoral students often develop anxiety and paranoia complexes as a result of the constant pressure and judgment they face every day. I whole heartedly agree with that claim. To read the article click here. It was pretty interesting. Also, what the article describes is me in a nutshell at this particular point in time.

Also, the article mentioned this really great comic strip website for Ph.D. students. I included an example below because it is really fitting for this stage of my life. What this comic strip expresses is SO true. For those of you who are experiencing this or have experienced it, does it make you want to laugh or cry because I am not sure? Source: www.phdcomics.com

How To: Make Your Own Old Glory

2011-07-01T17:11:00.002-05:00

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Hello dear friends,

My how I’ve missed you. I have had so many posts in my head over the past few weeks that I have really been wanting to share with you. I wanted to get this one in before Independence Day. I’ll try to quickly crank it out. Here goes…

This post is a little project I’ve been working on for probably a month. I have only had snippets of down time here and there between work and class assignments. Lately, I’ve been filling them with painting.

Last summer I did a post about some items from Pottery Barn that I thought would be cute for Judd’s parents’ farm. One of them was this.

I thought it would be so cute to paint a true-to-scale flag to hang on the porch. I think the PB one was made of wood. But, I knew we had lots of old tin stored in the barn from when the roof was replaced. I asked my father-in-law if he would mind for me to take a piece home to paint. He thoughtfully obliged and even helped me to pick out a piece that was already cut to the right size.

I used the following items to create my flag.

tin
f0am stars
Rustoleum white spray paint
red, blue, and white acrylic paint
painter’s tape
small paint brushes

Luckily, the tin and paint were things I already had. I found the stars and painter’s tape at Wal-mart. I created this whole project for only a few bucks.

First, I cleaned the tin with a damp cloth and let it dry. Then, I took the tin outside and spray painted the entire front side with a few coats of white Rustoleum paint. When the paint was dry I brought it back in and put it on my dining room table. It’s just way too hot in Alabama to do anything outside for very long. :)

Next, I measured the flag in order to make sure I could fit 13 even stripes from top to bottom. My stripes were about 2” apart. I put down painter’s tape over the stripes that I wanted to remain white. I started from the bottom because I knew I needed six stripes underneath the stars.

Once the bottom stripes were marked off, I began using my foam stars as templates to make sure I could evenly align and fit the 50 stars. The stars had a peel-off sticky backing. Because the tin was corrugated the stars didn’t stick down perfectly; however, they did adhere enough to stay in place while I held them down and painted around them one by one.

When the stars were in place I added some tape along their right edge. Then I carefully painted several layers of navy paint around each star.

Once the navy paint was dry, I removed the stars. I used a small paintbrush and some white paint to touch up just a few little areas. Voila, 50 white stars. Note, this picture was before the touch-ups of white paint.

Then, I taped off the rest of the stripes and filled in the untaped areas with several layers of red paint.

This was after the first layer of paint.

This was after about 4 or 5 layers of paint. Just call me Betsy Ross.

What do you think? I can’t wait to put it to good use.

Judd and I wish you and yours a very fun and safe Independence Day.

School Is Definitely Not Out For The Summer

2011-06-08T13:08:00.001-05:00

Hello friends,

This is just a quick post to let you all know that I haven’t given up on blogging. I love it. I miss it. Most importantly, I miss you. It’s been three weeks since I last posted.

Why haven’t I posted, you ask?

Here’s why.

I’m simultaneously taking the two highest level research methods courses (a.k.a. statistics) offered in my program this summer while working full-time. These courses have already caused tears to shed and have created hours spent reading, researching, writing, calculating, interpreting, and analyzing. Frankly, I’m exhausted and it’s only June. My classes started May 10. Unfortunately, they last until the first or second week in August.

It’s going to be a long summer. Please add me to your prayer list this summer. I’ve come to the realization that I can’t do this on my own and without God’s help. It seems as though I’ve tried that lately.

I haven’t posted an update about my school progress in a long time. This semester is the beginning of my third year in my Ph.D. program. I plan to finish all of my courses, write my first three dissertation chapters, have my proposal meeting, take comps, and get admitted to candidacy this school year.

Once I am admitted to candidacy (which happens after passing comps) I will get IRB approval and will then be allowed to begin collecting data for my research. It’s going to be an important and stressful year.

I hope to spend the following year collecting data, interpreting data, and writing my results (i.e. finishing my dissertation).

If all goes according to plan I should be able to finish this ~~nightmare~~ degree in two years (this year and next). Hopefully, I can have my dissertation public defense either spring of 2013 or summer of 2013.

Please don’t lose faith in my blogging capabilities. I hope to post at least a few times over the summer. Blogging is my stress reliever. It is my time to think about fun things and pretty things and things that DON’T involve focus and concentration.

I sure wish this is what my professors mean when they tell us to study.

Pinteresting

2011-05-13T12:57:00.001-05:00

I spy with my little eye…..

lots of posts about Pinterest.

The first one I saw was on Nest Egg. This post was the first I’d heard about it. I almost requested an invite that day but decided against it.

Then, the very next day, I saw another post about Pinterest on Blueprint Bliss. I considered it a sign that I couldn’t seem to escape this thing. So, I asked for an invite on day two of my Pinterest sightings.

Boy am I glad I did. It is amazing!!!! It is like one giant virtual inspiration board for everything from design, to kids stuff, to entertaining ideas, and much more.

As you may have already figured out, you have to be invited to join (but it’s free). If you would like an invite to Pinterest just leave a comment with your email on this post and I’ll send you an invitation.

Here are a few things I have “pinned” the last few days.

University of Alabama Law School - Tornado Relief Fund

2011-05-09T11:32:00.001-05:00

The very serious and grim reality of the devastation felt from deadly tornadoes by the citizens of my home state of Alabama over the past week or so has prompted my last few posts to have a much more serious tone than the usual fluffy discussions on decorating, family, dogs, crafting, etc. Over the past several days, Judd and I have been reminded time after time of how fortunate we were to have escaped the wrath of the storm and how in need so many in our state truly are at this time. Please bare with us as we discuss topics that really matter and that may offer ways to help during this difficult time for so many.

This morning I received an email from a friend I’ve had since middle school. She is one of the FAB. This friend, Susan, is a law student at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa (a city that suffered widespread damage from a tornado with at least an EF4 rating on April 27, 2011). Her email noted a relief fund set up by the students in the Law School at UA. If you have been looking for a way to help, this is an option for you.

I cannot even attempt to articulate to you the situation in Tuscaloosa. I have not seen it with my own eyes. Susan, however, was there when it hit and has remained there to help with the clean up efforts. Her boyfriend’s apartment was destroyed. Thankfully neither Susan or her boyfriend, Charles, were harmed.

Since I cannot relay the message from my own account I will share Susan’s words with you instead. See the message from her email below.

“My dearest girlfriends,

First of all, please know that I'm not asking any of you to donate to the following relief fund, as I know you have many other expenses to worry about. I thought, however, that you might be able to forward to employers or others that have the means to contribute. I realize that disaster relief might not be getting much publicity, given the recent capture and killing of Bin Laden, but what you have heard and what I've told you is absolutely true--the devastation is widespread and total in many areas. We helped an old couple the other day who had been in their home for 58 years--and now its gone. Yet, our residents' spirits are high and almost everyone has a good attitude about rebuilding. The faith of these people is amazing and awesome. But the fact is that these people need help.

This fund we've set up at the law school has three purposes. First, the funds will be used to help our students and staff who have lost their homes, property, etc. And it will go only to those in true need. As I told some of you, Charles's apartment was destroyed, but he's just fine, and won't need assistance. Rather, it's for those who have literally lost everything, and those who cannot access insurance payments either because they don't have it (lots of us students don't have renters insurance) or it will just take forever to come through. Second, the funds will be used to support the law school's general volunteer efforts. We have been out everyday since the tornado hit helping each other and the community. The poorer areas of Tuscaloosa were not as fortunate as many of us were to have so much help and financial support. We have been buying garbage bags, boxes, tools, etc. to help people salvage their belongings, and food and water to sustain the volunteers and to pass out to victims, and even gift cards to give to people to buy the necessities. Finally, the residual cash will be donated to the Red Cross who will probably be here for the long-term recovery.

My friend, Will Booher, is Student Bar Association Treasurer, and he is in control of the money. I vouch for his integrity, as I know misuse of funds is often a concern of donors. Again, please don't feel like I'm asking you to give. I'm just trying to spread the word. I attached a picture, too, just to give you an idea as to what happened. That used to be homes, and that picture is what it's like in a lot of different places. Remember in Twister when Helen Hunt says "You've never seen it skip that house and skip that house, and then come right after yours"? That's what happened. Some places just have a few branches in the yard, and other entire little communities have been literally wiped out. And this is not to evoke sympathy or make you think that everyone is dead...most people are alive by the grace of God, and now they need our help to rebuild.

The link below is to a Paypal Account (UA Law SBA) where anyone can pay via credit card. Having a Paypal account is not necessary to use this method of donation. Here is the link:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7PMDWKD3SQYUE

Thank y'all, in advance, for passing this link on! And thank y'all for checking on me after the tornado hit. I am so glad that all of y'all that were in the tornado's path are safe as well!

Love,
Susan”

I hope that by posting this I am helping to aid in the relief effort by spreading the word about this organization. Please continue to pray for the victims of this storm.

Raining Cats and Dogs???

2011-05-04T09:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the first day it has rained since the deadly tornadoes swept through Alabama. As I mentioned in my last post, we found debris in our yard from the storms. It was heart breaking to think about the fact that the insulation, shingles, plastic, foam, and wood we picked up were parts of someone’s home, business, or place of worship. During the storm, our across-the-street neighbor actually saw a whole door floating past her house. We are so fortunate. So many in our state are suffering in a way that we cannot even grasp.

All of that debris makes one wonder. What else landed in our neighborhood? Could a cat have landed there? Sadly, over the course of the last few days people have been found miles away from their original locations. Therefore, it is highly likely that, indeed, a cat could have landed in our neighborhood too.

You see, last night, the cat question became particularly pertinent. As Judd and I walked towards our house from the driveway with groceries in our hands we spotted a little and very dirty calico cat sitting on our front porch trying to get out of the rain. I am a sucker for animals. Judd is too. However, the last thing in the world we need is another pet. Judd promptly said, “Don’t feed her” as he walked in the door.

I dropped off the grocery bags I was holding in our kitchen and immediately went outside to check on the kitty. She very quickly started loving on me. She was so sweet. As soon as I stepped outside she started rubbing her soft head and boney body against my legs and hands. She felt so thin.

When I sat down on our porch swing she jumped right into my lap. I motioned through the window to tell Judd that she seemed hungry.

My husband, Judd Langham, who is allergic to cats and who also told me not to feed her, quickly came outside with some of Cole’s dog food for her and some water. He brought the food out on a Tupperware lid. We crushed it up into smaller pieces. Gosh, I sure do love that man and his compassionate heart.

As soon as he put the dish down the kitty frantically started eating. She must have been starving. It seemed to me that she was someone’s cat at one time and not just a wild stray. She was not afraid of people and she knew how to “love” a human. I wish I could have sat in that swing all night holding her. She seemed so content to finally have a lap to sit on.

Sure, she could really be a local stray. However, we’ve never seen a cat on our porch or in our yard until now. She also really could be a storm victim. We’ll probably never know.

She broke my heart when I finally went inside. She sat outside of our front door all night meowing. I took the photo below while looking through the window on the front door.

I know it is a long shot, but if anyone recognizes this cat please let us know. We will do our best to return her to her owners.

Prayers Needed For Tornado Victims

2011-04-28T12:18:00.001-05:00

Hi all. I am just checking in with you. Judd and I, as well as our families, are fine; however, so many in our state are not. As you have probably heard by now, powerful storms rolled across Alabama yesterday.

We are so fortunate to have been spared from the storm’s wrath. We did find debris in our backyard. We think it was from the city of Tuscaloosa. What we found was mostly housing insulation and chipped wood. The same system that swept through Tuscaloosa wreaking havoc also came through Birmingham. It was just a few miles north of where we live.

So many people in our state and throughout the southeast are hurting today. Please keep them in your prayers. The death toll continues to rise. It is horrific. The university where I work (UAB) is the only level I trauma center in the state. The UAB hospital took 134 patients during the night. As I sit here at my desk today I hear ambulance sirens every few minutes. We know so many who were affected. Please, please, please pray for the citizens of Alabama.

We are so thankful to our friends and family who continuously checked on us throughout the evening and who provided us with updated news. We love you and appreciate your thoughtfulness and concern.

I have attached a news article from NPR on the devastation here in Birmingham. Click here to read it.

Also attached is a video from CBS news of the devastation at first light this morning. Click here for the video.

Currently the death toll for the city of Tuscaloosa alone is 36 dead. 600 others were injured.

The death toll for the entire state is so much worse and continues to rise.

Click here to see a list of ways you can help the tornado victims.

Rest

2011-04-25T09:58:00.001-05:00

How did you spend your weekend celebrating the resurrection?

We spent ours in Judd’s hometown—Brewton, AL. It is such a lovely place. I’ve posted about it many times. It is a small town where no one ever seems to be in a hurry (which is such a nice reprieve from my everyday life). Maybe in actuality the locals do feel the same stresses that I feel at home. But one thing is certain, I am not a native Brewtonian, so when I am there I leave my work, course load, professional and scholastic pressures, and every day stressors at home.

I don’t have any pictures to share for this post because I did not pick up my camera one time while we were there. Instead, we rested. It. Was. Nice.

We spent good quality time with Judd’s parents, brother, sister-in-law, and grandmother. We went to the farm two days in a row. We all worked on a few tasks; however, it was pleasurable work. We worked with our hands to make a place that we love and share even better. We played a little too. Our time at the farm consisted of boat rides, fishing, sunbathing, watching the dog swim, alligator spotting, rattlesnake spotting and killing, porch swinging, four-wheeler riding, and work that involved firing up the old blue Ford tractor.

On Sunday morning Judd and I attended Easter worship service with his parents at their church. It is a quaint rural church. There were eleven people in the choir. The simplicity of it all was refreshing to my soul. The congregation does not have the same “amenities” that are found in our Birmingham church.

They don’t have a state-of the-art sound system, or special lighting, or an orchestra, or a large screen and projector to display the scripture and the words to hymns. Instead, they have a passionate pastor and a God-fearing congregation. They sing from actual hymnals while Judd’s mother plays the piano and they read scripture by holding His Word in their own hands. It’s a no frills way to worship and I LIKED it. After all, worship, praise, and learning the Gospel are all we are supposed to be there for anyway.

On our drive home to Birmingham I reflected on our weekend and on our worship experience there. It was a back to the basics time for us. It was so refreshing to to really hear the sermon without audiovisual distractions, without having to worry about filling out the sermon outline, without having to listen to the pastor’s voice via lapel mic., and without having to squint to see the pastor from a balcony view. Instead, it was an up close and personal experience. I was hanging on every word.

I’m not knocking the high-tech outlets that larger churches use to reach their members. Like I said, our home church has all of those things too. It was just nice to have a reminder of what is really required to worship: You and God.

Coincidently, this morning my cousin sent me today’s Girlfriends in God e-newsletter sponsored by crosswalk.com. It contained the following prayer. I felt it was so appropriate for me. Maybe it will be fitting for you as well.

“Father, forgive me for the arrogance that keeps me on the run, trying to prove my worth. Teach me how to rest in You, Lord. Help me learn how to say “no” to those things that keep me from sitting at Your feet. Give me a hunger and thirst for You that can only be satisfied by time alone with You. I love You, Lord.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.”

How To: Make A Burlap Bulletin Board

2011-04-14T12:41:00.002-05:00

As you may know from some other posts, my husband, Judd, is a landscape architect. Recently, he expressed interest in having a few bulletin boards to put in his studio. And, since I love a project, I volunteered to make them for him. I wanted to use something with a natural feel given his profession. I thought burlap would give just the right amount of texture and earthiness.

The bulletin board project was really easy. However, make sure to iron your fabric before you get started. I forgot and had already stapled a good bit before I thought about it.

Other than an iron, here are a few things you will need to get started.

cork board (I used an old one Judd’s mom sent with him to college)
fabric (in this case, burlap)
scissors
staple gun
staples
tape measure

To measure your fabric, lay it out so that it covers a few inches past each side of the board. Make sure you will have enough fabric to pull around to the back side and staple. Then cut where needed. If you want to be really exact or particular use your measuring tape to make sure you have the same amount on each side.

In an attempt to “keep it real” here at TLP I’ve included the picture below. Things are not always as pretty as they appear in blogland. As you can see here, I work best when sitting on the floor, between our dog and my husband, in our living room. We were watching a movie in our less than spotless house. My apologies for the shadow in the pictures. Cole’s dog fanny was casting a shadow on my project. You would think that the sound of a staple gun in use would be enough to wake him. Nope.

The next step is to staple the fabric to the back side of the wood frame starting in the middle of each side. Make sure to pull the fabric taut. Save the corners for last.

Fold each corner to ensure that it is sharp and flat. Play with the fabric until you get each corner just the way you want it. You can think of wrapping a present when folding the corners. It is kind of the same concept.

When all staples are in place, trim the excess fabric from around the corners and along each side.

It should look a little neater when you are finished.

Flip the board over to make sure it is smooth.

Now you have a few options on how to dress up the board a bit. You can keep it plain, just the way it is, if you like a more simplistic look.

Or you can use a piece of the fabric that you trimmed off of the back to make a burlap bow. I attached the bow with a flat push pin.

Or you can use the same piece of trim to add a stripe down your board. Although I thought the bow was cute, I’m pretty sure that was not the look Judd was after. :) Below is what I decided on for his pin up board. There were four flat push pins left in the board from when Judd had it in college. I decided to re-use them as nail heads running down the strip of fabric. I stapled each end of fabric on the back of the board and evenly distributed the “nail heads” on the front.

He can use this little detail to wedge in photographs, notes, etc without having to poke a hole in them. I hope he likes his board. What do you think?

Round ‘em Up, Move ‘em Out, Raw Hide

2011-04-01T10:24:00.001-05:00

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You may remember that back at the beginning of time (just kidding, it seems like forever since I’ve mentioned any of this) we started our own DIY printable invitation/card business. Guess what it’s called…The Langham Project. Ha. No surprise there. :)

Well, recently, Judd and I were contacted by this sweet lady.

She is from Judd’s hometown and just happens to be one of our sister-in-law’s besties. Her name is Erin. (We are also designing Erin’s wedding invitation; however, that deserves a post of its own. (That’s just a little hint of what is to come.)

Erin commissioned us to make celebration circles for this little man’s cowboy themed fifth birthday.

Isn’t he precious?!?!? His name is Herrington.

What are celebration circles you ask. Well, in this case they were to be used as cupcake toppers. But, you could use them in many ways for any party. Judd thoughtfully designed each one to help customize Herrington’s party. The circles ranged from a personalized sheriff's badge to cowboy silhouettes.

All of our products arrive to our customers via email as a high resolution one-page pdf. Then our customers, in this case, Erin, can print as many pages of their personalized order as they want on cardstock. There is no minimum or maximum order because our customers print their products on their own.

For the celebration circles, Judd designed the center circle to say a personalized message or to show an image that was in keeping with the party theme. He added a background color and/or pattern just outside of the circle. Using a 2’’ circle craft punch, Erin was able to easily cut out each celebration circle with some of the background showing just around the rim of each cutout. We recommend this craft punch because it allows you to see and easily align what you are cutting. The celebration circles come with 12 circles to a page. One page of celebration circles is $15.

Erin thoughtfully sent us some pictures from Herrington’s party. Below are some examples of the celebration circles.

At this point in time, we are only able to accept orders via email. We are still developing an Etsy shop. Eventually we will be able to accommodate orders placed online.

If you are interested feel free to email us (langhjm@gmail.com) or leave us a comment with your contact information. We can create customized celebration circles for any type or theme of party.

You’ve Got Deals

2011-03-30T12:09:00.001-05:00

Hello friends,

“You’ve Got Deals” is what my computer should say every morning when I log on to my email.

This morning, I took the plunge and purchased my first Groupon. In case you don’t know, Groupon is an online coupon group for your city. I’ve often lurked on Groupon, but today I bit the bullet and purchased my first great deal.

Straight from their website, here is how Groupon works.

“1. Get It

Check your email, Facebook or Twitter feeds for daily deals on cool local businesses.

2. Share It

Groupons are more fun when used with friends. Pass along deals by email or broadcast them to your social networks.

3. Enjoy It

Print the voucher or bring it up on your mobile device, then present it at the business to get your deal.”

So, today’s deal was from one of my favorite local stores, Harmony Landing. This store has these chairs that I have been swooning over for the past 2 1/2 years.

Yeah, I know, I move at a snail’s pace.

Anyways, the deal was to purchase a $50 Groupon with a value of $200 at Harmony Landing. Wahoo.

Maybe using this coupon by its expiration date of October, 2011 will be the little push I needed to take yet another plunge and order the darn things. I plan to order two chairs and an ottoman.

Below is the picture Groupon used for today’s deal. It is of some merchandise currently at Harmony Landing.

Click here to get today’s Groupon Deal.