Counting Down…

Y’all know Christmas will be here before we know it, right? It’s just over 100 days from now and that will pass in the blink of an eye! I’ve been working on Christmas cards off and on for a couple of weeks now and they’re almost done so I didn’t mind taking a break from them this weekend and working on something else Christmasy. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to some friends and the subject of an advent calendar came up. We concluded that it was either a regional or cultural (based on religion) thing when we were growing up since a couple of us didn’t have them then, but others did. I did them with my kids though so maybe it’s something that became commercialized? I have one that I’ve used for years. It’s a Santa with little pockets for candy or whatever you want to put in them. I’ve been wanting to change it and do something different for several years but haven’t. I have, however, had an idea rolling around in my head for a while and after that conversation the other day, I decided it was time. And this weekend was a perfect opportunity since KB was out of town for a ham radio event.

I pulled out all of my Christmas stamps which was many more than I expected since I don’t use but one stamp a year for my cards.  There was a little worry in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t have enough to make 25 different pockets. Ummmm, that was NOT a problem! In fact, I was shocked to discover that I had enough Unity stamps to do the whole thing without duplication. I’ve been a fan of Unity since I discovered them several years ago and have quite a collection started. So, I started stamping them up and then coloring them with my Copic markers. I fussy cut them and mounted them on different Christmas papers along with numbers 1-25. I used small kraft bags from Hobby Lobby as the base for all of them because you know, candy! 

I used a 17 X 23 bulletin board, also from Hobby Lobby, as the foundation. I covered the cork part with red wrapping paper and the frame with plaid Christmas ribbon. I used Scor tape to adhere the wrapping paper and glue dots and score tape for the ribbon. I stapled the ribbon hanger to the back.  Plain old clear push pins with a green ribbon tied into a bow around them hold each bag in place. The bags are big enough for 3-4 Reese’s miniatures or a couple of Snicker’s minis. Or maybe an activity suggestion for the day.  We’ve done that before, too. 

I am so, so happy with the end result. I love it when an idea transfers from my mind to reality so well. It’s a rare thing around here.  Now, I’m all ready for the Countdown to Christmas starting December first!

Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious. Beautiful Christmas, upon which the entire kid year revolved. A Christmas Story

Snail Mail

You know how sometimes when you think of certain people a memory comes to mind that is so clear and precise that you can almost reach out and touch them?  That happened to me yesterday. I was thinking about my grandmother and how she was the family ‘coordinator’ (for lack of a better word). She was an only child but grew up with lots of cousins and married into a big family. The matriarch of our family, she stayed in touch with everyone and passed along information from one branch of the family to another. Between the telephone and her kitchen table, she kept us all up on what was happening with everyone. She kept cards, stationery, and stamps right there at hand on her table and wrote notes almost every morning, passing along news and letting us know she was thinking about us. Her stamps were on a roll in a little wooden mailbox that a friend had made for her. Yesterday morning, I had the sharpest picture of her in my mind sitting at that table and writing a letter, the sunlight filtering through that big ole oak tree on her patio and coming through the window onto her.  I soooo wish I had a photo of her sitting there or was artistically talented enough to draw that picture I had in my mind.  Just some good memories there. 

She was born in the time before telephones were commonplace and letters were still the main way of communicating with others. Writing was a habit she developed early in her life. However, when telephones did become common place, she utilized it, regularly calling and receiving calls from family and friends all over the country. She never talked long because, at that time, those calls were long distance and cost more but family and staying in touch with them was important. Back then you paid per minute to talk on the phone, unlike today when you can talk two minutes or two hundred for the same cost.

Anyway, she would get the news from my great uncle’s family in California and pass it along to my great uncle’s family in Oklahoma when she talked to them a little later that day. Or, more often, unless it was time sensitive, she would relay it by letter within the next few days. Of course, it would take a week or so for the letter to arrive and essentially be old news by then, certainly by today’s standards. No one minded, though, because that’s just how it was. Important or big news such as a death in the family or the birth of a child would certainly be shared by telephone, but details and things such as an engagement or pregnancy might be revealed by mail.

Her address book was kept up to date continuously and if you needed an address for anyone, she was the one you asked. They were all written in pen and when it changed, she would mark through it and make a new entry. She remembered birthdays, anniversaries, doctors appointments, and pretty much any big event because she wrote it all down in a big calendar (we’d call it a planner today) she kept on that kitchen table with her letter writing supplies. Now, we have all of that info at our fingertips in a phone the size of one of the envelopes she would mail a card in back then.

She loved getting mail as much as she enjoyed sending it. Just like a kid, her eyes would light up when she spotted a hand addressed envelope and a fun stamp in her mailbox. While she usually used the flag stamps that came in a roll, she would also occasionally buy a sheet of fun stamps to use on her letters because it made them fun. I loved getting mail from her with unusual stamps on the envelope. She loved stationery and pretty note cards but would just as easily write you a note on a piece of notebook paper if that’s what was handy. One thing that I never realized until I started thinking about this today is that she didn’t care that her stuff was out on the table and not put away out of sight. She wanted it accessible so it was easier for her to write every day. It was right there where she ate all of her meals within easy reach and she made it a habit that she didn’t give up until she had to because she couldn’t write anymore. She was a smart woman and knew how to get things done!

With the technology that we have today where we can send a text or an email and get a reply in a matter of seconds, letter writing is fast becoming a lost art. My cousin said something on Facebook the other day about missing writing and receiving letters. (I’m sure he was the recipient of many a letter from my grandmother, too!) It motivated me to sit down and write him a letter…granted, it was typed on my computer but it was a letter. That I put in an envelope and mailed. With a fun stamp. I enjoyed it and think I’ll do it again soon! I also think I’ll find me a basket and put my letter writing supplies in it and find a place to put it where it will be handy for when I have a few minutes to jot a note to someone. I may even pull out my old fashioned address book and update it!

Letters are visits when friends are apart.

Choosing JOY in 2021

For the last several years, I have chosen a Word of the Year. It’s a word that you focus on all year long, using it to help guide you, to make changes or, in some way, improve you physically, spiritually, or mentally. It’s an intentional effort to make it a part of your daily life. 

Last year’s word was GATHER. Here’s last year’s post about it. I feel like God must have snickered when I chose it knowing what was to come in 2020! I may not have gathered in the way I thought I would when the year began, but because of the way the year unfolded, GATHER became a really important word for us all. Despite all of the restrictions and challenges, I managed to gather with friends, neighbors, and family more than I thought I would. I was able to really work on getting out more and being more social, even if it was via Zoom! I gathered my thoughts much more often and actually put them on paper. I gathered memories in the form of photos and stories. But, most of all, I learned to treasure the ability to gather and being together with others more than I ever have. So, although, at first glance, it was a bummer of a word for the year, it was actually a blessing instead. 

My word this year is JOY. I didn’t really choose it; it chose me. Some years I really struggle with what word to choose, but this year, this one hit me full in the face. About a month ago when I started thinking and praying about what word I wanted to choose, joy, joyful, and joyous kept popping up all.over.the.place. I mean seriously, EVERYWHERE, and multiple times a day. I was still toying with several words and then I got asked to write something about joy for our advent devotions at church. I knew then it was no longer a choice.

What is joy? That’s a good question and one I’ll ponder often in the coming year. Some would say it’s the same as happiness, but I disagree. I think you can be joyful without being happy. In fact, I think you can be very sad and still be joyful. Joy is something that is deep inside and only rises to the surface when we have the Holy Spirit within us. Happiness is contingent on circumstance, but joy… Joy is an emotion that we can tap into intentionally in all circumstances. I want to be able to find that joy-true, deep, soul abiding joy-in everything, most especially in the hard, tough times and think it can only be found in our relationship with God. Sort of like the peace that surpasses all understanding. 

 I have never really documented or journaled about my words of the year other than maybe a note in my journal or a blog post about what it’s going to be but this year I’m going to try to be more diligent about noticing it and recording in some way how I’m finding joy throughout the year; probably my journal, maybe in my scrapbook, possibly here. I bought the sign in the picture it sits on my kitchen island so I’ll see it off and on every day. I also wrote it on an index card and put on my bathroom mirror and on the first page of my 2021 journal. I want it in my face multiple times a day to remind me to look for JOY in all things. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13)

Opening Day of Dove Season

Saturday was opening day of dove season in Alabama. For our family, it’s a tradition that we look forward to almost as much as football season or even Christmas.  It’s a tradition that started a lot of years ago when my brother-in-law invited a few friends and family members over for an opening day shoot.  It was very casual and laid back and everyone had a good time. We didn’t attend those first few years because we lived too far away to come for the weekend.  We had to reserve our trips for holidays and summer when we could stay longer. 

My father-in-law loved the dove hunt. He loved having the family together and sharing something he enjoyed with his sons and grandchildren. He passed away in 2010 and now we dedicate the hunt to his memory every year.  I think KB managed to get back a couple of times and hunt but our whole family didn’t start attending until 2012. That was the year that we moved to PA and were close enough to go for the weekend.  All or most of of us have been able to go every year since. 

We all converge at my brother-in-law’s house early and have lunch. Then we head over to the dove field and spread out  along the edges and wait for the doves to fly in.  That’s where I was as I was typing this. I didn’t get back to good internet until today to post it.  This was my view most of the day.

Over the years the hunt became bigger as all of the kids grew up and invited friends. The last several years it’s become more family than friends but we still have a couple of close family friends that come.  This year we have two little ones that really made the day even more fun than usual.

Unfortunately, this year my kids weren’t able to be there due to work and a sick fur baby but things happen in life…that’s just how it is. We really hated that they weren’t there but we all had a good time anyway and almost everyone got their limit.  The first year I attended, I took my camera because I would rather shoot pictures of people shooting doves than shoot the doves themselves. Every year since, it’s sort of been my thing. We’re already looking forward to next year!

“The memories we make with our family is everything.” – Candace Cameron Bure.

Football is right around the corner…

It’s no secret that we’re all big Alabama football fans at our house. We’ve followed the Crimson Tide pretty much all of our lives and instilled a love of the sport (and team) in our kids. So much so that both of them attended school at the University of Alabama.  This made KB very happy and proud as he is an alum himself. 

Alabama football has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the Bear Bryant era, suffered through the ups and downs of the long, mediocre years, and held my breath for a year or so after Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa.  It’s safe to say that he has rebuilt the program to the standard that Alabama fans were accustomed to for so many years. The anticipation of the start of the season begins as soon as the last game is played in January.  I try to keep myself from getting too excited and looking forward to it until August. That’s when things really amp up with preseason polls, practices and scrimmages start, and all of the pundits begin to predict all the winners and losers. 

About six or so years ago, I started putting the schedule on a blackboard that I had hanging in my kitchen. It’s become a tradition to do it every year in mid-August, about two weeks before the first game. This year, with things being as they are, I debated on hanging it up but decided that the tradition should not be broken just because the season is scheduled to start later.  So, last weekend, I got it done and hung it on the laundry room door. It looks a little different this year with an all SEC schedule and it’s not fancy but I like it! Now, I’m just praying that the season actually gets to happen! 

Family Treasures and Peach Cobbler

I’ve been wanting some gumbo for several days. Today, when we woke up to a rainy, gray, dreary day, I decided it was a good day to make gumbo but I needed to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things first.

As soon as I walked in, I saw this big ole display of Chilton County peaches. Chilton County, Alabama is known for their peaches and having grown up in Alabama, I am quite familiar with them. I grew up eating them and although I’ve had some wonderful peaches all over the world, there’s just none like the ones from Chilton County in my mind. Anyway, when I smelled them, I had this overwhelming craving for peach cobbler. So, of course, six of them found their way home with me.

I have this old, somewhat beat up pan that belonged to my great-grandmother. It was her cobbler pan. Now, I was so blessed to know three of my eight great-grandparents and this great-grandmother is one of them. She lived with my grandparents and I have such wonderful memories of her. She had this jar of buttons that she would let me play with, stacking and matching, and counting them endlessly. I’d pick one out and she could tell me exactly where it came from. What dress, skirt, shirt, or jacket it had been on. That always amazed me. She would let me lie down on the sofa next to her and put my head in her lap and she would count my ribs. It tickled and I would giggle and squirm and she would get tickled at me. Such sweet memories!

Although I don’t use that pan very often, I decided to use it today. Not too long ago, I came across a few recipes from my grandmother that I had forgotten about and one of them was her peach cobbler recipe. I pulled it out and got busy. I peeled those peaches, and put them in that pan and made the crumbly topping. Then, I sprinkled it on top of those peaches and put it in the oven. Y’all…..that is the best cobbler I’ve ever made. Even KB was impressed. He had his with vanilla ice cream on it and he hummed when he took that first bite.

I love that I have these family treasures; the pan and the recipe, and the wonderful memories that they bring to mind. There’s something about using a decades old pan and recipe that brings comfort and hope, and just makes you feel good, knowing that you’re carrying on a tradition that ties you to the generations that went before. One day, I’ll pass that pan down to my son or daughter. I have a feeling that pan has a lot more cobblers to be made in it!

Nanny’s Peach Cobbler

6 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

1 stick of cold butter 

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

Put one TBSP of melted butter in the pan. Layer the sliced peaches in the pan. Mix the rest of the stick of butter with the flour and sugar. Crumble it all together. I use my hands to mix it, smushing the butter into the flour and sugar until it’s sort of mealy. Then sprinkle it all on top of the peaches. Do not stir. Bake in a 350 degree oven until done, about 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream if desired. 

Food is the ingredient that binds us together.

Taps

Day is done, gone the sun, 
From the hills, from the lake, 
From the skies. 
All is well, safely rest, 
God is nigh. 

You may not know the words, but I can assure you, you know the music.  It’s only 24 notes long and it brings chills every time I hear it. Bet it does for you, too.  These are the words to Taps, the bugle call that is played at military funerals and memorials.  It’s also played at the end of the day in US military installations all over the world, and is known to military personnel as ‘Lights Out’.  This weekend we are celebrating and remembering those that have given their lives for this country. If you’re paying attention or watching the news at all, you’ll hear it played at least once this weekend. 

Do you know where Taps originated?  According to several official sites (and the History Channel), we owe it to a Union General during the Civil War.  General Daniel Butterfield didn’t particularly care for the melody that was being played at the time; he felt it was too formal. So, he wrote some notes on the back of an envelope which were a revision of a current (at the time) bugle call called Tattoo, and then had his bugler try them out. They tweaked them a bit and that night, Oliver W. Norton, the company bugler, played it for Light Out. 

The first time it seems to have been used for funerals seems to have been during the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia (Civil War). A captain was worried that the traditional three volley shot would renew fighting with the nearby enemy troops, so he ordered Taps played instead to honor the fallen man.  It wasn’t until 1891 that it was officially adopted as the tune to be played at military funerals. 

Although the above words are not the official words -there aren’t any-they are the most popular version of words put to the music.  To me, the words aren’t the thing I remember about Taps. It’s the melancholy sound of the notes floating across the air. It’s the amazing way that instrument can produce such feeling. It’s the pride and respect it conveys for the fallen. It is a final goodbye that lingers in the ear and on the heart. 

Tomorrow at 3 pm (your time zone whatever it is), buglers all over the country will step out of their front door and play Taps to pay tribute to fallen service members.  I will step out on my front deck and listen. I sure hope I have someone in my neighborhood that will be playing!