Remember That “Women of Homecoming” Taping I Told You About..? (Also– Some Other Stuff.)
They just released the first little preview of it, and I wanted you guys to see it!
It was such an amazing night. I don’t care if you are a fan of gospel music or not, the sheer vocal ability and emotional delivery of these women’s performances has to be experienced to be believed– gospel women can SAAANG, ya’ll! I’ll post the clip at the bottom of this page, but first, here are a few random PHOTO PHRIDAY pics to delight and amaze you:
**I’m totally embarrassed to admit this, but the number of cats who have now taken up residence on our front porch has climbed to 3.
I know, I KNOW.
The good news is, we now know that two of them actually have a home (sort of– it’s currently empty and up for sale, but the owner still stops by to feed them. They, of course, neglected to tell me that because they are basically fur-covered LIARS.) Those two, Porch Cat (the original interloper) and Beecie (stands for B.C. which stands for Rhymes-with-Witch Cat, because she totally is) have been joined by a true-to-Taff-form starving stray we have named Norman because he slightly resembles the writer Norman Mailer in the face– you know, that kind of aging pugilist/deep thinker look. He is distressingly mangy, frighteningly thin and almost feral (in other words, just our type.) We are slowly but surely convincing him that we are safe, primarily because a) we FEED him every day and b) humans have that whole nifty opposable thumbs thing going for us which translates into really good head-scratching and belly-rubbing. So he’s starting to rethink his position about People = RUN AWAY!!!! Here are a couple of lovely pics from Norman’s latest photo shoot: 
Was I kidding about the starving waif part?! We should have named him Kate Moss. But he also kind of has an air of faded nobility about him, too…
**One of my new favorite discoveries is a beautiful pick-your-own-fruit farm about 10 minutes away in Wartrace called Valley Home Farm. They are famous for their strawberries, but they also have absolutely gorgeous blueberries and blackberries, as well as a little farm store that offers honey from their own hives, fresh eggs and homemade cakes and pies. The five-generation family farm is absolutely charming, with a big ol’ white farmhouse, greenhouses, rolling fields, chickens, goats, and cattle. They make it so convenient and easy to pick that I have even managed to entice my “why-can’t-we-just-buy-them-already-picked?” slacker daughters into grabbing a basket and joining me. TWICE! For blueberry picking, they give you this fashionable, handy-dandy little canvas bag that fastens around your waist so you can pick with both hands, which is brilliant. Blueberries are gone for the season, but the blackberries are in full swing. I have actually managed to entice Russ into checking it out– I waved a heaping basket of juicy black beauties under his nose, and now we have a hot date to go picking tomorrow! Here I am engaged in some serious pickin’ during the blueberry season: 
**And for those of you who have kindly inquired as to the progress being made on the house, here’s a couple of kitchen pics. I found a wonderful cabinet making place in Nolensville, TN called Country Cottage Farm Tables and Furniture, located in the big barn next to the Amish Country Market Feed Mill. Since I really needed more kitchen cabinets and I didn’t want to try to matchy-match the existing ones, I commissioned a couple of pieces from them. They turned out really well, were very reasonably priced and fit in perfectly. I’m obnoxiously thrilled with them. I also found a weirdly charming light fixture for the island, and a couple of used bar stools that Russ just picked up for me yesterday. (By the way, what the heck is the deal with the price of barstools, anyway?? Especially painted wooden ones– they just seem stupid expensive to me! REALLY, eBay? $500 for a dang stool? WHO’S WITH ME ON THIS?! *sound of peasants gathering torches and storming the gates*)
All right, enough of all that. As promised, here is the preview of the upcoming Women of Homecoming video– if it turns out to be even remotely as powerful as that evening was, it will be a not-to-be-missed one! (And yes, I was doing the Big Ugly Cry during “Amazing Grace– My Chains Are Gone,” but hey– if you were there, you wouldn’t have blamed me.)
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WOW, my resolve to cut back on spending just went out the window. =) Days Elijah with Angie Primm is worth the price of admission all by itself!!! (She was fabulous at Family Fest) The whole thing looks samfrantastic!! Ooooooohh, just noticed there are two volumes…as Bill says…This is gonna be goooooood!!!!!!! Woohoooooooo!!!
*of…Days OF Elijah…dad-burn auto-correct!
Women of Homecoming was a brillant idea…I love it! My only complaint is that Tori Taff is not one of the singers. I know you could have been. That’s not idle chatter..but a solid fact.
I’m crazy about those new cabinet additions. It keeps getting better and better all of the time.
For heaven’s sake, Tori, you have enough descriptive labels…and now, the Bell Buckle Cat Lady.
I have a sneaking suspecion that you bribed Russ with a cobbler.
I love your new furniture, new cats, and new news! (Can you tell that I’m not a writer?) I can’t wait to get ‘Women of Homecoming’. What took Bill so long?
That wasn’t a ‘Big Ugly Cry’. You’re too pretty and any tears shed over the mercy of God is a beautiful sight to see! It not only touches our heart, more importantly it touches His heart. *heavy sigh* I so love the Lord and how He blesses us through others.
“*heavy sigh* I so love the Lord and how He blesses us through others.”
I don’t think anyone could have written it better
For some reason, while reading about the horribly over-priced bar stool situation, I heard a few people screaming ‘Burn the bar stool sellers, burn the barstool sellers,’ in a British simpleton, village idiot type voice :/
The berry picking place sounds GREAT !! One thing I love about living here in the land of a thousand lakes is all the berry and mushroom picking that goes on here
And thanks for the pics of Norman. Love all your animal up-dates; and still miss Pip !!
Thanks for the house up-date as well !! So happy for you guys and your new home, community, and pets <3
Sounds wonderful!! Bless you for taking care of God’s furry critters I’ve had cats for years; even ran a rescue years ago, you might want to check, Norman may have/had worms.
I don’t do bar stools; but yours are very pretty. Someone asked me when I got back from St. Louis how I’d sit @ my bar w/out a stool; then it dawned on them, that might explain why there is no island/bar in my kitchen just a round table w/ big comfy captains chairs.
The kitchen looks fantastic; and the new pieces will work perfectly. Have a great week,
Cynthia
Good grief–it was a brief snippet–but I got teary eyed when I saw your tears!! I LOVE when God’s spirit is so Awesome that the tears just flow!
“Good grief–it was a brief snippet–but I got teary eyed when I saw your tears!! I LOVE when God’s spirit is so Awesome that the tears just flow!”
Yep
Frances: You are absolutely right– Angie brought the house down!
Momma Lloyd: I keep telling the girls I do NOT want be the “crazy cat lady”– but I’m not sure at what point it crosses that line… Three? Four? I think I am teetering dangerously close to the line!
DonnaMariePatterson: That’s so funny, because Bill said the same thing- “Why didn’t I do this a long time ago?!”
small j: Aw, man- I LOVE going mushrooming, too! But only with an expert, because I can’t tell they yummy ones from the poison ones.
Cynthia: Yeah, that’s one of the reasons it took so long for me to find barstools– they all felt too tall and rickety. AND expensive!
Gramma Jac: Well, Mom had died just a couple of weeks before the taping, and I was definitely kind of tender around the edges…
You know, Tori, I’ve been thinking about your contentment in your new home and town: perhaps you have gone back home. Back where everyone knew everyone and there was a feeling of love, warmth and safeness surrounding you all of the time. Back to small-town living in a little town, seemingly hidden away from all of the goings-on all over the world. (Long about here, Russ is supposed to be singing “Going Home.”)
Sweetheart,when you come back please bring either a doctor’s slip or some form of identification.
Love you dearly.
Oh my gosh, I almost forgot….bring an up-to-date shots record, too. One can’t be too careful these days….even if it is a reigning queen.
Momma Lloyd, you are making me laugh out loud! I’m coming back soon, I promise!