grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Lucy and Annabelle go to Dallas

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It had been over a year since Lucy and Annabelle visited Dallas, but they traveled back for Christmas. Oh, there’s nothing quite like a holiday road trip, and the girls know when they queue into their crates, an adventure awaits. An adventure greater than a schnauzer hair appointment a short trip to the veterinarian. Thankfully, our trip was uneventful, and Annabelle didn’t get carsick (which sometimes she does). They snoozed all the way through Oklahoma, I managed to drive the speed limit, and we didn’t stop until we crossed the Red River into Texas.

Lucy and Annabelle go to Dallas

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Christmas 2015, so far.

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Christmas 2015 isn’t quite over. Today marks the 6th day of Christmas—the six geese a laying day. There are no geese laying eggs around our house but there are two schnauzers warming my feet, and that’s a good thing because, baby, it’s cold outside.

So how’s your Christmas going? Do you declare it over after the gifts are opened? I’m celebrating through Epiphany. No matter your tradition, I hope your Christmas (so far) has been filled with whatever makes it perfect for you. The best part of mine is getting together with family. It’s all about family.

Christmas 2015

And the coconut cream pie from Del Frisco’s Grill was pretty wonderful, I gotta say. Continue Reading

Merry Christmas from St. Patrick’s Cathedral

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Merry Christmas to all my reader friends! I thought I’d share a few pictures I took a couple of weeks ago at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Christmas in New York is gorgeous and visiting St. Patrick’s was a definite highlight for me. In the midst of such traffic and congestion and holiday hustle and bustle, directly across from the madness of Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral provides a place of peaceful sanctuary.

The building is beyond stunning. Incredibly, it was built entirely from donations from poor immigrants and $1,000 pledges from 103 prominent residents.The cornerstone was laid in 1858, construction was stalled for five years during the Civil War, and the doors opened in 1869.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

According to cathedral history, Archbishop Hughes’ original construction proposal was ridiculed. The site was considered to be in a “near-wilderness” area too far outside the city. Archbishop Hughes persisted in his vision of building the most beautiful Gothic Cathedral in the New World in what he believed would one day be the heart of the city. Neither the bloodshed of the Civil War nor the resultant lack of manpower or funds would derail the ultimate fulfillment of Hughes’ dream. Continue Reading

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