Encouragement

I do not advise that we end the year on a somber note. 


The march, not the dirge, has ever been the music of Christianity.


If we are good students in the school of life, there is much the years have to teach us.


But the Christian is more than a student, more than a philosopher.


He is a believer, and the object of his faith makes the difference, the mighty difference. 

Of all persons the Christian should be best prepared for whatever the New Year brings.  He has dealt with life at its source.


In Christ he has disposed of a thousand enemies that other men must face alone and unprepared.


He can face his tomorrow cheerful and unafraid because yesterday he turned his feet into the ways of peace and today he lives in God.


The man who has made God his dwelling place will always have a safe habitation.

A.W. Tozer - The Warfare of the Spirit

The Cookie Thief


Today I enjoyed a Christmas Cookie Exchange with the ladies from my church.  Aside from the enjoyable company and delicious breakfast, we heard a cute poem that reminded us to think kindly of others FIRST!

A woman was waiting at an airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight,
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bough a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.
She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
That the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene.
She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,
As the gutsy "cookie thief" diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, "if I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye!"
With each cookie she took, he took one too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he'd do.
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.
He offered her half, as he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought, Oh brother,
This guy has some nerve and he's also rude.
Why, he didn't even show any gratitude!
She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate,
Refusing to look back at the "thieving ingrate."
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise:
THERE were her cookies in front of her eyes.
If mine are here, she moaned with despair,
Then the others were his and he tried to share!
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!

by Valerie Cox


Here's a picture of the platter of cookies that I took to the party.  They are Molasses Cookies, a recipe  (link) I got from a co-worker in 1979!

Gustava (Gustie) Amanda Daniel Jordan

Today is my paternal grandmother's birthday.

Born in 1896 -  December 11

Died in 1959 -  March 4

when I was only ten months old.

I have a few reminders of her ~

a pastel-colored baby quilt featuring a kitten

several tried and true recipes like Garlic Cream Cheese, 1-2-3-4 Cake, and Cranberry Shrub.

Her just-older sister, Beulah Naomi aka Baba, lived in Atlanta near us, visiting at holidays and occasionally inviting me and my sister to luncheon at Rich's Magnolia Tea Room. Knowing her gave me a tiny bit of insight into my grandmother's personality.

Here's a link to the story I wrote about her four years ago.

But that's not very much.

Guess that means it's time to contact relatives and gather more details about this important lady in my life.

Thanksgiving 2011

Roasted Turkey
Cornbread Dressing
Cranberry Sauce
Mushrooms 'n Onions
Shannon's Green Beans
Roasted Cauliflower
Sweet Potato Souffle

Not Pictured ~
Sister Schubert Parker House Rolls
SJ's Homegrown Lettuce 'n Apple Salad
Four different wines compliments of Bert

Piece of Cake Fresh Coconut Cake

Coffee


Around the table we numbered nine:

BaaBee and DanDan
Shannon and Bert
Dana and Ken
PeggyDee and Mark
Vivian

We gathered together to ask the Lord's blessings.

He fails not.

For me the best holiday moment happened around our kitchen table on Wednesday night before the main event.

I was cooking.  DH was eating a sandwich for dinner.

Our 21 y o daughter read aloud to us ~

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving
written by Eric Metaxas
illustrated by Shannon Stirnwels

Thanks, PeggyDee!!

Grace and Providence

Almighty King!  whose wondrous hand
Supports the weight of the sea and land;
Whose grace is such a boundless store,
No heart shall break that sighs for more.

Thy providence supplies my food,
And 'tis Thy blessing makes it good;
My soul is nourish'd by Thy Word,
Let soul and body praise the Lord!

My streams of outward comfort came
From Him who built this earthly frame;
Whate'er I want His bounty gives,
By whom my soul forever lives.

Either His hand preserves from pain,
Or, if I feel it, heals again;
From Satan's malice shields my breast,
Or overrules it for the best.

Forgive the song that falls so low
Beneath the gratitude I owe!
It means Thy praise; however poor,
An angel's song can do no more.


by William Cowper
English Poet and Hymnodist
1731 - 1800


Illustration compliments of USHistoryImages.com

Top Ten Reasons to Join Weight Watchers

1)   I have never tried their plan(s) before.
2)   I want to jump start my metabolism and loose some weight.
3)   I like the vast array of resources and information.
4)   I think the accountability will help my ability to exercise will-power.
5)   I hope to relieve some major indigestion by making better food choices.
6)   I want to use regular food, not packaged meal shakes/protein bars.
7)   I like the online version and mobile application (read no meetings!).
8)   I have a friend who signed up and encouraged me.
9)   My doctor (DH) thinks it's the best diet of all.
10) It changed what I ate for dinner tonight!






Wish me luck!

PS  Photo of homemade Blackeyed-Pea and Sausage Soup and cheddar cheese toast.  Recipe for soup will be posted sometime next week.

Ten Things


After listening to a speech given at a recent tea party rally, I have distilled the message into ten words.  The heart of the message is a prescription for saving not just America but freedom - both political and religious.

1)   Believe
2)   Act
3)   Pray
4)   Discern
5)   Support
6)   Vote
7)   Join
8)   Subscribe
9)   Testify
10) Persevere






I plan to write a vignette about each of these action words.

In the meantime, let's examine the landscape and renew our commitment to culture.

The following quote is from one of my college professors, Russell Kirk.  The garden metaphor gives me more direction and is a huge encouragement.

A culture is perennially in need of renewal.

A culture does not survive and prosper merely by being taken for granted; active defense is always required, and imaginative growth, too.

Everyone is involved.
This is a link to an artist who supports the cause.

Whether you like it or not.

Whether you acknowledge it or not.

Be a force for Good.
This is a link to a expositional sermon on Psalm 111 where the LORD is praised for His Goodness.

Make sure it lasts.
This is a link to an essay about Steve Jobs who died this past week.

Island Kiss Meets Pumpkin

Never would I have thought to put together pink and orange, but that's how the Fall Palette is giving me courage and confidence.


I happened upon this lightweight, pumpkin-colored (read emberglow) tote in the gift shop section of my hairdresser's studio.

Only because I was actually wearing the scarf around my neck at the time that I picked up the tote did I realize the two accessories would go together.

Then once at home I remembered the yellow (read bamboo) rosebud from an old sweater.

Voila!

Fait accompli!



I feel like an artist who has just finished a painting.

Now I am ready for Fall.

How you are tackling the changing weather?

Fashion on Friday:Fall Palette

I saw the first pear
as it fell—
the honey-seeking, golden-banded,
the yellow swarm
was not more fleet than I,
(spare us from loveliness)
and I fell prostrate
crying:
you have flayed us
with your blossoms,
spare us the beauty
of fruit-trees.

The honey-seeking
paused not,
the air thundered their song,
and I alone was prostrate.

O rough-hewn
god of the orchard,
I bring you an offering—
do you, alone unbeautiful,
son of the god,
spare us from loveliness:

these fallen hazel-nuts,
stripped late of their green sheaths,
grapes, red-purple,
their berries
dripping with wine,
pomegranates already broken,
and shrunken figs
and quinces untouched,
I bring you as offering.

by H.D.

Orchard is the title of this colorful verse by a poet new to me ~ Hilda Dolittle (1886-1961).  Her Imagist style sent me running for the Pantone photo I carry in my pocketbook, the one posted above.

They seem to talk to one another.

Without knowing

they are related

and

have adopted me.

Fashion on Friday

Meet Island Kiss!

She first graced my wardrobe this past Spring but quickly retreated because it was plainly too hot for wraps, or anything around the neck.

Months ago I chose the Island Kiss pattern because it highlighted the 2011 Spring Palette.

Now cooler temperatures have lured this lightweight scarf out of the closet.

As Summer turns into Fall I'm planning to use her as my transitional piece.

Clearly she has the umph to keep the Color of the Year alive and well in my closet.

Furthermore she's tempting me with Bamboo!

Overall I've been quite amazed at the way just  a little color knowledge has helped me feel more fashionable and more organized.

What about you?

Fashion on Friday:Honeysuckle

Meet the Pantone 2011 Color of the Year ~ Courageous, confident, and vital!

Over the summer I tried to incorporate this color into my wardrobe even while recognizing that *pink* is not one of my favorites.

It can easily make me look washed out and tired, unless I'm wearing the right foundation and blush. So in an effort to stay fashionable and not look fatigued, I tended to accessorize with honeysuckle.

For example, OPI's *Party in My Cabana* rescued my toenails.

.

Cover Girl *Rose Pearl* on my lips coordinated the look and made all the other pink shades in my closet reflect Pantone's selection.

Finally, here's how I pulled it together for the annual photo shoot.

The blouse is *OLD*, so much so that one of my daughters suggested I not wear it.  I reminded her that seersucker never goes out of style  ;-)

Now that Fall is fast approaching, Honeysuckle remains on the palette.

I look forward to the challenge of making it work in my winter wardrobe.

Larry McDonald Memorial Highway

All we need do is return to the fine highway we were once on.

There is a stretch of Interstate Highway 75 from the Chattahoochee River northward to the Tennessee state line that I have traveled all my life, but that I want to call to your attention today.

In 1998, the Georgia General Assembly designated this thoroughfare,
the Larry McDonald Memorial Highway.

Thousands of people pass this sign daily.

I suspect that most ignore it.

Today, on the 28th anniversary of his death, do I especially remember
this family friend, former employer, and dedicated American
by calling attention to the principles he dedicated his life to teaching and preserving.

The above quote comes from the first chapter of his book,
We Hold These Truths: A Reverent Review of the U.S. Constitution,
and tells us how to reclaim our freedoms. 

The complexity of social organization does change.

 Our technologically sophisticated industrial society is more complex than the agrarian society
 of the eighteenth century. In this regard, that was a "simpler world."

But the complexities of politics (politics here meaning the science of governing)

  do not change much.

The basic political problems confronting the Framers of our Constitution

  were as complex as our political problems today -
 perhaps more so, because they were striking off into the dangerous unknown, whereas

all we need do is return to the fine highway we were once on.

Skip watching the Republican Presidential Debate next week.

Read Larry McDonald's book and use it as a guide to assess
a political candidate's worthiness of your support.

He explains the *free way*.

CWAC Thanks

Dear BaaBee and DanDan ~

Recently I blogged about Cousins Week at Callaway not being over until we gathered again around the dinner table and recounted our stories about the week, but I think there is more.

Truly, the annual reunion is not complete until you two have been thanked in person and in writing for this irreplacable gift of time, talent, and treasure.

As I have continued to think about about each of the days spent at Callaway this year, I came up with an host of nouns that describe this recurring favorite event in my life.

Then I used some of my pictures to illustrate these ideas ~  like


family,
friends,
food,
fellowship,
fun,
feats,
features,
fotos,
fireworks,
fields trips,
and
flowers.







I know others have pictures that showcase these things (like Os's fireworks), but here are mine for a start.

Thank you very much for making this all possible.

We are very much looking forward to next year.

Love, Dana


PS I can already see that I left out my Circle Time photo ;-( Thank goodness for software that allows for easy editing ;-)


Added next day ~ Circle Time


 

CWAC Review


Back home from our week-long family reunion at Callaway Gardens, the celebratory week is really not complete until we've recapped the festivities around the Sunday dinner table.  Here's the only photo I remembered to take that day ~

of my tablescape.

I'm kicking myself for forgetting to photograph the food and the people  :-(

Any who.....

On Friday (the last full day of our reunion), I started thinking about Sunday's menu when touring the Jenny Jack Sun Farm in Pine Mountain, GA,

That's when I made my purchase of:

Green Beans, Yellow Squash, Sweet Onions, Purple Peppers, Tomatoes, and Cantaloupe.

A veggie plate was formulating on my taste buds, but once I got home I realized that I had miscounted the number of guests.

So, I added a smoked turkey breast to round out the meal.

Here's the menu ~

Bloody Mary Cocktail or White Wine Spritzer (while I rolled out the biscuits)

Bates Farm
Smoked Turkey Breast (a 2010 Christmas gift from my brother &his wife)
Brown Rice en casserole
Steamed Green Beans
Sauteed Yellow Squash 'n Onions
Whole Wheat Biscuits

Sweet Tea or Water

Blueberry Crisp a la mode
Coffee

We told lots of stories, shared photo memory cards, and made plans for next year.

Yup, that's right - already talking about next year!

CWAC 2011

Cousins Week at Callaway

For the twentieth time we will gather in Pine Mountain, Georgia for an annual family reunion, complete with photo shoot. We actually started gathering in the early 80s at my parents' home, but we quickly outgrew that.

There are a total of 29 first cousins.

That came from 6 siblings.

That came from 1 mother.

And 1 father

Whose father would be the 123 years old today.

Let the festivities begin!!

Much Depends Upon Dinner*

Children in our culture learn manners at the dining table, and not manners only.


It is believed that falling away from the cultural custom of eating with others at table three times a day can cause backwardness in all of a child's speaking skills.

pg 13




Cultural anthropologist, Margaret Visser, has intrigued me for a long time.  Ever since I received her first book* as a gift.  And while I have not finished reading this one, the two-sentence excerpt above covers a lot of ground when it comes to rearing a family these days.

I think many make the task out to be harder than it really is.

Just remember ~

Eat together often.

Visitin'  happens.

A Home-Concealed Woman

Having attended a funeral this past week for a dear family friend, I was reminded of an obituary found in the Afterword of one of my favorite books.

Magnolia Wynn LeGuin's death was deeply felt by all who knew her, as her obituary in the Henry County Weekly Advertiser (12 November 1947) proclaimed with simple elegance.

On Thursday, November 6, 1947, in the usual quiet of Autumn dawn, a stillness we seldom know seemed to hover over New Hope Community.

Our hearts were pierced with pain and yet, relief mingled together when word came that Mrs. G.G. LeGuin, familiarly know as "Miss Mag," had moved to the "Home not built with hands," a reward she so richly deserved, for such a beautiful life she had lived!

She was a loving mother, devoted wife, friend to humanity, a good, kind neighbor, and indeed a true and faithful christian, if there ever was one.  We know nothing too good to speak or write of her.  To know her was to love her.  These words were equally fitting for her while she lived as they are now.  No one knows just how many lives were enriched nor how many blessings she rendered.

Mrs. LeGuin was before her marriage, Magnolia Wynn, and spent her life at old Wynn's Mill where she was born.  She was in her 79th year.  She loved people, loved to talk and loved old New Hope Methodist Church where she will be missed as the oldest member and where she has been a pillar.  Many think of her as their "second mother."


This book is shelved in my genealogy section not because I am directly related to Mrs. LeGuin but because her diaries offer insight into the lives of my great-grandmothers.

Spiller, Filler, and Thriller

Gardening is not my forte, but I do love a pretty view when looking out the kitchen window.

So, I'm practicing by working with containers on my back deck, before I venture out into the big, bad world that is our half-acre plot here in hilly, rocky Cherokee County, GA.

After reading a newspaper article detailing a formula, I put together this rendition last Saturday afternoon just in time for Sunday company.

A varigated ground cover whose name I forgot, spills over the sides of this black metal chair. 

Petunias fill the bed or seat of the chair.

The pink Calla Lily is supposed to grow taller and be my *thriller*.






Platform feeder on the right where cardinals, titmice, brown thrashers, and chipmunks feast.

Bird bath on the left where I see squirrels, birds and insects drink and bathe.

Here's another view from the kitchen windows which shows a basket of thyme (which happens to be flowering right now) and three orange zinnias.

Look to the left down the deck for my *herb garden* which includes basil, chives, cilantro, mint, sage, and dill.

Toward the end there is a pot of mixed chrysanthemums held over from this past Fall. They are about to bloom. We shall see what colors are mixed. I'm expecting white and yellow.

Then some liriope aka monkey grass.

Then a pitiful hyndrangea purchased for color at Valentine's Day.  Can I find a place for it in the landscape before the hot sun burns it up?

The blue bucket contains four tomato plants waiting for a better home.

Finally, take a peek to the right down the stairs.  The delphinium is joined with some creeping jenny and presides over half a dozen pots of zinnias.

I guess the real test comes later during the long, hot summer.

Will I be able to keep these babies alive?

The garden hose is poised to help  ;-)


What does your garden grow?

Mother's Day Menu

Beef Stew Gaston
Steamed Cauliflower
Multi-grain Roll

2006 Cotes du Rhone Red Wine

Apple Pie a la mode
Coffee

The fun thing about this menu is that I prepared enough to send each of my guests home with leftovers - enough for another meal.

Photo of my nephew with his grandmother.

Yes, grandfather was there.

And KSJ.

Le Cadeau Ideal?  NCIS Season 3  ;-)

Sunday Sermon at Chalcedon Presbyterian Church was delivered by Guest Pastor Donald D. Crowe, author of Creation Without Compromise.

The Fatal Conceit

The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

F. A. Hayek
Austrian Economist
1899 - 1992


Not generally a fan of rap, I am do recommend watching these videos using this new type of music to explain economics.  Link to Econstories.tv




FWIW - I had the distinct opportunity to have dinner with Professor/Doctor Hayek in 1977, when I was a student at Hillsdale College.  I was just 19 years old and failed to take the opportunity to ask good questions while sitting on his immediate left.  The main thing I remember were his manners ~ when the meal was over, he politely asked if I minded, if he dipped  ;-)