Simple Soup Dinners... and a Giveaway! - Lemons, Lavender, & Laundry

Like many of you, I fell in love with Chip and Joanna Gaines… I mean, who doesn’t love “Demo Day” and shiplap? When their magazine, The Magnolia Journal, came out, I jumped at the chance to get even more inspiration from this amazing couple. I figured the magazine would be filled with home inspiration and decor ideas, but what I wasn’t expecting was how much inspiration it would bring to my soul.

I was a little behind in subscribing, so my first copy was their fall 2017 edition, and in it I found this little article titled “Share the Warmth”, and it spoke to the very depth of my heart.

For years, my husband and I talked about inviting people into our home more often, but with busy lives, we never actually followed through… plus, I always stressed about what to make for dinner and who we should invite. But this one article made me realize that opening our home wasn’t supposed to be about creating the perfect meal and inviting the right people, it was about sharing life together.

I hung that article up on a barnwood framed piece of chicken-wire (wouldn’t Joanna be proud?) and told myself that this was not something to put on the back burner for “some day”. This was something I needed to do now.

In September I wrote a Facebook post telling people about my plan. I would be making soup on the last Saturday of every month, September through May, and all they had to do was show up. Everyone I was friends with on Facebook was invited. I had no idea if anyone would come… but every month someone has shown up at our door for warm soup and conversation. Last Saturday, we hosted our largest soup dinner to date, with 28 people popping into a home we’d occupied for 3 weeks. These simple soup dinners have brought friends I haven’t seen since high school, as well as neighbors we’d just met 2 weeks beforehand. We have had friends and family, young and old, all pour through our doors to enjoy, what we call have come to call, Simple Soup Dinners.

It’s nothing fancy. There’s soup and bread and crackers; plus dessert 🙂 These Saturdays have blessed my heart and soul. So this month, I want to share the inspiration with one of you.

Every month, all those on my subscriber list are entered into a giveaway, and every month I give away something different. This month I want to share the gift of The Magnolia Journal with one of you. On April 30th, I will draw one name from my subscriber list and gift that person one year of The Magnolia Journal. So, if you are not yet a subscriber (and would like to be), you can sign up here. (Make sure to confirm your subscription, or your name will not be on the list).

For additional entries, follow along on social media by entering your information below. (Please note, you will need to be a subscriber for the additional entries to count).

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Blessings-