A Southern Sunday Post…Does It Really Involve Anna?

Anna Karenia! And a Fabrege' Egg! One of my most favorite dreams is to go to St. Petersburg and research these fabulous Eggs! 
You can read up on them right HERE!

Jim's sweet parents brought us these wonderful Christmas ornaments so many years ago after a trip to Russia! I've always treasured them! But now, much more so after studying Anna Karenia! Who cares if they are just a replica…they represent the Fabrege' egg to me!

So, today when I was thinking about this past week and what I wanted to share with you, I also looked at my fellow bloggers and what they had posted…I've always heard of Anna Karenia…but I've never read or watched anything about her..until tonight! Thank you, Scott Meacham Wood! We are now watching the 1935 version with Greta Garbo…trust me when I say I am having to kick Jim to keep him awake! But we are making a memory! And the ending was wonderful!
If you can overlook the entire Middle! The whole story is about a love affair…not the kind I would recommend for my children or any of my friends for that matter….

The best thing I took away from it is that is tells us that we need to  ask forgiveness from one another and to never, ever harden our hearts! Wow! I'm surprised I'm not crying! I suppose I will be when I see the new movie at the theater! 
Moving right along…this was a great week with Miller and his first time to be HOME for an extended period of time! I know I have many friends out there that experienced this as well! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! 
So, here goes my Southern Sunday Post!!

 For this Sunday's post….I must make you understand that having my youngest son home from Auburn for his first Thanksgiving break was one of the greatest joys ever and one of my most favorite memories ever! On top of that, Holly and Brad were here for Thanksgiving and to even top that off my precious Mitch and Britney and Layton were all able to spend this wonderful holiday with us this year!

However, Miller woke up Thursday morning with the worst stomach bug I think I've ever witnessed! He is convinced that Holly brought it with her from New Orleans since she had been sick only days before they arrived here…I truly don't know what I think except that I am so thankful it's over! But, because of that gosh awful bug, we were able to spend more time than usual with Miller and also with sweet Sarah! 

I ran to Tom and MaryAnne's house for our Thanksgiving lunch and was glad to get a few pics in before I had to leave to care for my patient!

Layton was in such a good mood which meant we were in for some really good pictures!

(are they not the cutest family, EVER??)

Even if that meant a silly picture every now and then!

I did my best trying to photograph MaryAnne's beautiful table, all the while trying to not fret too much over my sick one at home!

At some point, someone photographed the table…and then took a pic of Holly, Brad, Tom and MaryAnne! I'm so glad! I had gone home with Sprite in hand, thanks to my sweet mother in law! Of course she would take the time to send something home for Miller even in the midst of serving Thanksgiving Lunch!

And on Friday night…after we had nursed Miller back to health…and after I had to miss left overs at my own parent's house and cried some about that…my sweet husband took me out to dinner.  We had such a great time at Gian Marcos!

Finally, Miller was truly well! Just in time for Sarah's birthday celebration! I cannot believe Sarah is 18 and I really can't believe this year is half over! this year that they have dreaded..the year of separation! It's been great, it's been hard, and yet it's been so wonderful for them!

 I'm so incredibly impressed with the way they've handled it! I try not to talk about it much…I truly do! I know it can change in an instant! But for now…I'm very proud of them!

Now, I sit here….trying to be through crying those crocodile tears that always come when he heads back to Auburn…the same tears that well up when Holly heads back to the "swamp"…oh, I mean New Orleans! Those tears do not come back void! I feel God's arms around me through all of this! We are truly blessed and I am really not complaining…just stating the facts! And so looking forward to going to see the new movie, Anna Karenina!
Much love and many thanks for reading this silly blog!
xoxo,

I know we are wanting something truly yummy…even after all of this turkey and dressing! So, if you are wanting a really great Chili recipe! Here it is!

Carolyn's Chili

2 1/2 lbs. ground round or Extra Lean Hamburger Meat

2 packages Chili O Seasoning Mix

1 T chili powder

pepper to taste

2 (15 oz.) cans Tomato Sauce

2 cans stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

2 cans Chili Hot Beans in Mild Sauce

1/8 C Dale's Seasoing

*water if too thick!

brown the meat and drain well. add the chili O seasoning, pepper and chili powder and stir well. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and stewed tomatoes. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add the chili beans…simmer for 30 minutes. Add the Dale's Seasoning and simmer for another 30 minutes. Serve with corn bread, cheese to top, or whatever you like!

Happy End Of November!

A Southern Sunday Post, Indeed! I'm In My Southern Comfort Zone…..

I just keep hearing the lyrics from Brad Paisley's song….and he's trying to reassure me that I am indeed, in my Southern Comfort Zone…

And you know, he's got a great song! It almost made me a believer! Until I remembered exactly where I've been and where I am now!  I don't ever want to leave where I am now!  But that's ok! Because just like Brad sings….I certainly understand missing my Tennessee roots! Yes, I'm really from Memphis…or you could even say Southaven, Mississippi…"OH, Dixie Land, I hope you understand…."

Just a stone's throw from each other…

I'm headed there in three weeks for my Grandfather's 90th birthday celebration…I can't say I'm just thrilled to be going…I haven't lived there since I was 6! But all of our family is there! And all of my children and extended family are coming with me! WOW! Just think of the blog post that will follow that! But, it really does feel like home…even if I had to find home all along my way in my journey through life! We moved every year of my life while I was in elementary school…a new school every year until we finally stopped for good when I was in 6th grade in Birmingham, Alabama! There is no better place in the whole wide world!

This was the view from Jim's grandparent's house on top of Red Mountain!

I've lived in Southaven, Memphis, Denver, Pleasonton, and
 San Francisco…our next stop was either going to be Los Angeles or Birmingham! Go figure! 

Don't get me wrong, LA would've been fun! But my parents wanted to be back home…close to our Tennessee roots! Where we could be close to family since they had basically had to raise us without being close to grandparents or cousins…you see, my dad was in Medical School and then in the Navy since they helped pay his way…let me just tell you, my whole life is a wonderful adventure and one that I wouldn't trade for anything! The days of spying on the Navy Base with my best friend April Gill, as the Officers walked in with their spectacular uniforms on and the glamorous women…I felt like I was watching a Hollywood premiere! Trust me! 

But sure enough I envied all of my new friends that I quickly got to know once we landed in Birmingham and realized these kids had never left or moved away a day in their life! They literally grew up in a bubble…and I intended on invading that bubble! I wanted my kids to experience this feeling of home…of always being in one safe place...and I can truthfully say, they have! I've always been so glad for that! And even though  I was moved one more time, to Briarwood Christian School…I couldn't have asked for anything better! It was the best thing that ever happened to me! 
And, as hard as it's been to have my daughter be moved around so much lately, God has been more than faithful! We are having a great time on this adventure with them! But they love their Comfort Zone just as much as Jim and I do and we live and pray for them to be back!
Which is why I loved "My Southern Comfort Zone" today! Can you guess what it stands for?
It's simply LIFE! It's everyday life…it's grocery shopping at Publix...

It's the life I've come to know and love! I was blown away today by how full it was and by what I witnessed! I talked to my pharmacist, the bakery lady about the cornbread for the dressing I'm making next week because their cornbread is the best! Then I talked to the butcher and then the precious cashier and the even more precious "sacker"!  I know she has to be a Christian but of course I'm thankful that my brain was thinking about our "I Share" program we've been studying! What a great incentive plan…just asking someone where they stand on Eternity? What better Southern Comfort could you ask for?
On top of that, it was filled with women in fur coats because that's what you do when it is in the 50's in Birmingham if you are a Southern woman! I guess they feel like they don't get to wear them often so you better wear it while it's chilly outside!

But it was familiar…and it was full of eager shoppers…women who greeted each other on every aisle as if they had been their best  friends for their entire life! I loved it! I kept seeing the same women as I turned up each isle and they were just as friendly to each other as the time before. I actually got "stuck" behind a sweet lady that was passing an elderly couple that had obviously had a serious illness…they thought that I minded standing behind them and having to wait to get past them…I didn't. I was soaking it all in…it was My Southern Comfort Zone!

I simply smiled at the wife of the man that had been just released from the hospital..I wanted to reach out and hug her but that would have been weird! But my heart so went out to her! I pictured me there in years to come! Who knows where we will be? As long as I'm in My Southern Comfort Zone…with friends and family, I will be ok! As long as I know where I'm going to end up in Eternity!

Truth be told, I'm wondering if this post, these "musings" if you will haven't been spurred on by the fact that two short days ago I walked into my shop, heavy laden with the usual bags I carry into work…(most importantly, my lunch!) And my nails were still wet! Only to be greeted by none other than one of my most favorite people in the whole wide world! If you were to ask me who it was that has had the biggest influence on my life in high school it was this woman…but most of you didn't know me back then…I wish I could tell you and explain it! I wish my children knew! But there she was and I was so taken aback that I couldn't fully enjoy it! It was almost an out of body experience! It's been a lifetime since I've seen her and a lot of that is a good thing because I've changed and I've grown and I don't want her to remember me for who I used to be! I've only seen her twice since high school and each time I've just want to run! Even at 48 years old! My children are grown! My daughter actually bears her name! I am so thankful for that! Now, our youngest sons are at Auburn together! Even as I type this I can't believe it! I've never even told her how much I love her! Not that I can remember, anyway! Oh, how I loved her!  Part of me remembers a letter that I wrote her but who knows if I actually sent it 29 years ago? She was my idol, my role model and the one that I needed acceptance from and she gave it freely! I spent the night with her and her sweet family all of the time and babysat for her two oldest children..I took my church clothes with me and got ready just as if I was their own child…I never felt as if I didn't belong…she made me feel that loved! 
( she was my dance team sponsor that I was captain of and I loved every minute of ever getting to know her!)

So, what am I running from? My past! Yes, that's it! I don't want to remember the bad parts…I don't want her to remember it for sure! I want my Southern Comfort Zone!
Romans 8:1-2 says, " Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set men free from the law of sin and death!"
What a comfort! This is my true comfort zone!
Praise the Lord I can have the comfort that only He can give! No need to look anywhere else! And I'm so thankful for a woman like Holly Leachman! I praise the Lord that He chose to put someone like Holly into my life so that at this point in my life I can look back and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt…that I was loved! By my Lord, by my parents and by Holly! I have loved seeing her this week! Do you have someone that made a huge impact on you growing up? I sure hope I am that "someone" for at least one person! 

I hope you all have a very blessed Sunday! I for one am looking very forward to Thanksgiving, Miller being home for 9 days and Holly and Brad arriving as well! What a blessing! I can't wait to have all of my chickens under one roof! Sure wish we could coax Mitch, Britney and Layton into spending the night one night! We shall see! If you want to check out my Thanksgiving Table blog on Vintage Mulberry you can see it HERE!
If you want to see the Twinkie post you can see it HERE!
 Love you all dearly!

My favorite verse since I can remember…
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake". Psalm 23:1-3

It's Not Just About The Twinkie!

It is so, so much more! It's a family that lives for Christmas, a family that thrives on traditions and a family that celebrates Christmas Eve with the best dessert that was EVER made!! The Twinkie Dessert! Which you can see HERE!

I truly don't know how other's don't know of this…I am 48 years old and I have NEVER, EVER experienced a Christmas Eve without my mother's famous Twinkie Dessert! 

I've been catching bits and pieces of the Twinkie disaster on Rick and Bubba but hey, I know they love Twinkies so truth be told…I didn't take it very seriously!! 

Until today on my treadmill! After 30 minutes of dying…I changed the channel to try and find 'Earth Wind and Fire' or 'Michael Jackson' to get me through the hills and then I  actually heard this same news on a boring, ALL news station! Now don't get me wrong, the news that I trust comes from Rick and Bubba and I'm more than proud of that fact! They boil it down to the bare bones and I know I can trust what they have to say! But to hear something about Twinkies on another station made for a phone call to my mother…it was something like this….

Me: Mom, have you heard about this Twinkie thing?
Mom: Yes, I did and I meant to stop by the store and get some. I can't believe I forgot to do that. 
Me: Mom, really? They are auctioning them on Ebay right now…we are in big trouble!
Mom: Well, while y'all are out tonight just stop and get some!
( Me, in my head…oh, really? I know what this will be like…it will be just like the beany baby craze that we all went through and I found myself in parts of town that I would NEVER go to now just to get a McDonald's Happy Meal so Miller could have the latest beany baby toy! This won't be good, Mom!)

So guess what, Jim and I found ourselves at Target only to find empty shelves of Twinkies…

But we found the game I've been dying for! Thanks to hearing it played on Rick and Bubba we are planning to do this soon! Sounds like fun!

And then we were at several gas stations since Jim ALWAYS needs gas…at that point we began calling all of our local grocery stores only to be told by breathless store clerks who ran up and down the isles looking for the beloved Twinkie that they were indeed out of them or that they thought they might have one box left…well, I knew that was no good so I made one more call to the Winn Dixie on Valleydale Road! I haven't been there since carpool days…it almost made me sad to go back and see everything! 

ALMOST!!!

Then, no lie…after 3 minutes and 98 seconds a sweet cashier named Renae came back on the line and told me on speaker phone ( since I'd been perusing the shelves at Chevron all the while!) that they indeed had 3 boxes of regular and 2 boxes of Chocolate Twinkies! I was stunned!

Me: I'll take the three boxes

Renae: The regular or the chocolate?

Me: For the Love….the regular…we will be there in less than 5 minutes!!

I frightened even myself!

Then, I met Kevin! And my whole night changed for the better! He was reluctant at first to get his picture made but after the cute cashier told him to smile…smile he did! 

I will always love this Chick Fil A ad! It is by far my favorite!

You have to love our world! We are reckless and careless about the really important things…but by golly, you mention the end of Twinkies and I'm on fire! 

ONLY and Simply because it is my families' longest standing tradition for Christamas Eve Dinner!

Can you blame me? Please try this dessert! IF and only If you can find Twinkies! Good luck!

I hope you all have the best Thanksgiving ever!

Here is the original recipe! I am dedicating this to my precious niece, Kathryn!

Twinkie Dessert

Please check it out!!

Just promise you will remember that I posted this ages ago! Not just tonight when the world is going crazy over Twinkies!