Babies, blackberry french toast, and BRRRRR!

After waiting out the tornadoes and apocalypse-esque rain yesterday night, I arrived in Madison, AL around 10:00 PM. I made the journey to visit with the lovely Stamps family and take part in the Hunstville March of Dimes "March for Babies". I always welcome the opportunity to stay at Casa de Stamps. A visit there promises good food, good conversation, and plenty of fun. They're such gracious hosts and treat me like one of their own when I'm with them.

We headed to Huntsville early this morning for the March for Babies. We marched for this little fella, and in memory of his twin brother, Graham.

You can read Will's story of resilience over at Anna Claire's blog.

As you can probably tell by the picture, Will was not pleased with the weather at start time. The morning was gray, cloudy, windy, and COLD. Not freezing cold, mind you, but colder than any of us was prepared for. Unseasonably cold. And unnecessarily windy.

Will made no bones about voicing his displeasure and, since we were all going numb, ended up bailing on the Baby March about 15 minutes after the start. "A" for effort, though...at least we showed up and walked for a while!

(We were trying to show how cold we were. I clearly missed the memo that we were supposed to look cold but still human. Egads.)

Once back at the Stamps homestead, we enjoyed a multitude of breakfast casseroles and fruit. Mrs. Rhonda made a blackberry french toast casserole that required a moment of silence to regain my composure. I forgot to get the recipe, but this one sounds close. Definitely leave off the maple syrup...you won't need it.

Kate and I spent the afternoon wandering around Madison and Huntsville, in search of all things old and artsy. She showed me a house (1850s Greek Revival) she recently discovered through her job.

(Respectful of private property lines, we took creeper shots through the trees. 'Cuz that's not weird or anything.)

We strolled past these beauties in downtown Madison:

I'm pretty sure I need to live in an old house when I grow up. If you know of a low-maintenance, inexpensive, front-porched, lace-curtained, ghost-free historic home, you be sure to let me know. This little area of Madison is just perfection. Huge old trees, white picket fences, wraparound front porches...made this girl a happy camper.

To cap off this cold, windy day, we drove to Lowe Mill in Huntsville. Kate explained that it's an old textile mill that's now used as studio space/stores for local artists. Very cool concept.

Inside, we found a treasure trove: painters, sculptors, musicians, jewelry makers, quilt makers, photographers, glass blowers...

(The floors. Look. At. The floors. Holy heavens. They were worn and creaky and just delightful.)

The trip to the old mill made me think about what it must have looked like when it was filled with workers and machines. It brought to mind one of my favorite books by Rick Bragg. If you're looking for something new, this is a great, if gritty, read.

After bidding everyone farewell, I had to stop and take a picture of the sweetest spot along the interstate between Birmingham and Huntsville:

(This pretty barn and the rolling pastures around it never fail to make me smile.)

This time away was good for my soul. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends!