The View From My Kitchen Window: February 4, 2014

After the thaw and before the next storm.

Winter drags on...

 

 ...but there's hope!

 

Childhood Traumas

My friend Rixie did a great post recently about why she does not wear lipstick.

She asked the question what traumas we mothers had unknowingly inflicted upon our children.

Boy, do I ever have a doozie!

When Mr. Marvelous Jr. was a very little guy the movie Lion King came out.  We took his best friend to the theater and watched it up on the big screen.  I hustled them out for popcorn at the crucial moment (they were only 4 at the time).

Lion King became the overwhelming passion at our house.  We had a stuffed Simba (and still do), a Lion King plastic glass from Burger King (and still do).  We had Simba this and Mufasa that and every Happy Meal at every fast-food joint had LION KING toys.  That birthday and Christmas were all about the Lion King toys.  One of his favorites was a little Pride Rock that opened up and had the characters stowed away inside that could be placed in appropriate places around the Pride Rock.  The house was filled with Lion King toys and music.

One day, little Junior came out of his room, walked over to me, looked me in the eye and asked, "Mommy, what's pride?".  Oh joy, a teachable moment!!  I don't think I pulled the Westminster Confession and Larger (or even Shorter) Catechisms off the shelf, but I dove into the theological nuances and Biblical references of that sin.  Throughout the discourse (which seemed brief to me and overly long to certain other folks in the house), his little eyes got bigger and bigger.  The understanding of the seriousness of the sin seemed to be settling in to his little heart.  I could see that my vast wisdom and insightful instruction were paying off.  I was overjoyed!  I was doing my job!  And doing it really, really well, I might add.

As I wrapped up (can you see where this is going?  because I couldn't at the time), I utilized that strategy that we professional teachers and mothers know to use because We Have A College Degree In Education.  I asked him if he understood and if he had any questions. 

"Oh.  So Pride Rock is bad?" he asked, with tears in his eyes. 

And he never played with that little set again. 

Walkabout Wednesday: 2013 Totals

November and December brought a series of unexpected challenges.  I had much more important things to think about than tracking walking data.  Family First! 

While I always, always wear my pedometer, it only holds a week's worth of totals at a time.  If I don't write those totals down, they are lost.  It is tempting at times to just average out totals and figure, "Oh, I must have walked x.xx miles that day" (and I may even have done that once or twice).  However I try to keep from doing that.  It's not accurate and ~ for me anyway ~ it's not honest.  I have an annoying tendency to over-state.  So while I probably put in well over 100 miles for the month of December, I only wrote down 24.14 miles.  Since I haven't shared the November totals yet, that was a more respectable 101.45 miles.  My grand total for 2013 was 974.18 miles (remember that I did not track until April) and my grand total is therefore 1939.04 miles.  Yippee!! 

Keeping track of this gets me into a cycle which makes me want to keep track of this.  It's an "auto-reward" kind of loop.  I did fair with keeping up with January and so far have not missed a day of February. 

So where am I?

I made it to the Grand Canyon and have been walking through there.  I am currently west of the Colorado River and more than half-way between the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (Grand Canyon Village) and the Hoover Dam.  My plan is to walk/raft down the river to the dam, once I get to the vicinity of South Bay where the river broadens out. 

I'm hopeful that the auto-reward-loop will kick in for 2014.  Pacific Ocean, here I come!

The View From My Kitchen Window: January 28-29 2014

Winter Comes to Alabama!

  

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Memories: Winter Surprise!

I have always lived in the southeast.  I like it here.  I wouldn't mind living someplace like Wyoming or Montana (for some reason those states have always appealed to me, both the geography and my perception of the philosophy of the people who live there) but I have always lived in the southeast.  Because I have always lived here, I tend to get excited about winter.

A couple of weeks ago we had a surprise here in Alabama.  On Sunday Mr. Marvelous took off to fly to Northern Wisconsin for a week of company training.  We anxiously watched the weather forecasts for that area and quickly ordered a balaclava for him (the beard doesn't cover the whole face).  We packed all his warmest clothing and he packed a small suitcase with things like hat, scarf, gloves, and very warm (and very bulky) coat for him to put on once he got there.  Then we looked at the forecast for our area.  Being Mr. Marvelous, he was distressed that the weather was going to be cold and I would have to take care of the outdoor animals on my own.  I reassured him that all would be well, thanked him for his concern, and sent him on his way.

I started watching the forecasts for our local weather.  I noticed that while the local forecasting guru was predicting a few cold days with maybe a dusting of snow, Accuweather was consistently predicting 1-3 inches of snow.  Hmm.

Tuesday morning Mr. Marvelous Jr. got up and drove in to work.  I was sitting here minding my own business when I glanced out the window: SNOW!!  Yippee!  We were going to get our dusting after all!

My little bunnies didn't quite know what to think of it....

....but the chickens got into the spirit of things.  They kept chasing the flakes and eating them.

 

They maybe aren't the brightest, but they know how to have fun!

It kept snowing.

And kept snowing.

And the temperatures stayed in the 20s, in spite of what the local weather guru said.

And it kept on snowing.

And our little road began to look like this.


That's a VERY steep hill by the way; my little truck can barely make it up in 2nd gear if I get a running start.






In a little while it began to look like this

And before too long our little road started to look like this

Uh-oh.  Mr. Marvelous Jr. was still in town at work!











He called me that afternoon.  They started sending people home from his office a little after 11.  He was going to try to get to the house.  It took him almost four hours to drive not quite a mile.  In the end, he had to abandon the jeep in a parking lot (along with most everyone else who didn't just leave their cars on the road...and most people did), and walk 2.9 miles to his uncle's house.  Who was delighted to have his company because his aunt was also stranded.  For two days!

He did manage to get home late Wednesday afternoon but that's another story.  Let's just say I was surprised.  And his jeep was sad.

Poor little jeep just couldn't quite make it the last few feet!  

At the end of the snow, and before things started melting Thursday (only to re-freeze Thursday night of course), I did manage to grab a few more pictures.

 

The chickens had gotten tired of running around trying to eat the snow by this time.  Plus the bunnies were making fun of them.

Our neighbors from Michigan had no trouble parking at the bottom of the hill and walking up.  Bless their hearts, they were a little confused by all the fuss!

 We discovered some visitors.

 And to me there is nothing prettier than a cedar in the snow.

Oh yes, Mr. Marvelous?  Well it did get VERY cold up there.  It snowed a little bit.  The folks there yawned and kept on going.  He had a time getting to the airport Saturday morning though.  They had near-blizzard conditions and since they had to be on the road around 3 am, the plows and trucks hadn't gotten out to do their thing quite yet.  But they made it safely to the airport and got home Saturday noon.  By which time we had absolutely no snow on the ground at all.  Because this is Alabama!

The View From My Kitchen Window in December: Catching Up!

December 4, 2013

Nana's Scone Recipe (For Rixie)

Our culture has changed so dramatically over the past twenty years.  While I often fuss about Modern Technology and the way we seem to be so wired-in to our technology, there are some terrific benefits.

There is a lady in North Georgia who is my friend.  Rixie has been a great friend to me since we met in a Yahoo! group ~ yes, that's on the computer ~ about eight years ago.  We have met in person one time.  We correspond via facebook almost every day.  I have watched her children grow into some pretty impressive young folks.  She and I pray for each other through our similar health issues.  We share some common quirks and interests.  I have quoted her and linked to her blog several times.  I am always impressed with her gifts as a mother, a supportive wife, and an encouraging friend to more folks than I think she realizes.

So while I am not often a huge fan of technology, I am thankful for the technology that has allowed me to meet and get to know this lady and her family.

This is the scone recipe I promised her:

Nana's Scones

2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/2 c. Crisco
1 egg
1/4 c. milk (more or less)
as many raisins as make you happy

Sift together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.  Cut in fat with a fork or a pastry cutter until mixture is nice and crumbly.  Add well-beaten egg and raisins.  Mix in "enough" milk to make this the consistency of a biscuit or slightly thinner (don't you just love directions like that?!).
Roll out to about 1 inch thick and cut out.  You may bake at 375 for about 15 minutes (keep an eye on them), or you may cook in a lightly greased skillet on the stove on medium heat for about 10 minutes on the first side and 5 minutes on the second side.

This is making me hungry; I'm off to the kitchen to make a batch!

I realized after posting that it has been a while since I have made these so I thought I ought to do a quick run-through.  Here are a few notes.  1.  I added more sugar.  What can I say?  I like things a little sweeter   2.  The dough really does need to be the consistency of biscuit dough.  While I don't roll biscuits out (I just pat them into the size and shape I want in my hand), if they are too thin they are sticky and take longer to cook.  3.  I bake biscuits and such on a cast-iron skillet in the oven.  If you do this, you will need to turn them about half-way through the cooking so that they don't burn on the bottom ~ remember that cast-iron gets pretty hot in the oven!  4.  Lots of butter when you pull them out of the oven.  That's a must!  

NOTE: I realize that folks in the UK tend to make their dough for scones thin to the point of almost pourable. Mom's family were all from Canada so I suppose that explains the difference.  The kind that are poured into a scone mold are completely different; more of a pancake than a biscuit.

Culture of Fear?

My sister and I were talking via email this morning about the latest stories about General Gates' new book and the fall of Fallujah.  It got me thinking...

I keep thinking about the difference between our generation and our parents' generation.  In our parents' day ~ WWII ~ the country mourned when a city that "our boys"  had fought so hard to take and keep fell.  I really thought that after 9-11 we had finally recovered from Vietnam and learned to support and love our protectors again.  But when we have such a lack of leadership in government, I guess we shouldn't be surprised.  Yeah, I'm pretty upset about it.  Angry and sad.  I wish I could say that I'm confused by all this but I'm too cynical to be confused. 

It was interesting reading the news this morning; I had a bit of an epiphany.  I make myself at least look at the headlines on Drudge Report and then read through the big stories on Fox News once a day.  I don't enjoy the process, but I do it.  I realized that not only have we become a culture who allow the media to shape our views and our emotions, we are allowing the media to generate desired emotional responses in us and thus create a culture of fear.  Think about what you hear and read on the news.  There are so many stories that we would have been ignorant of 20 years ago.  Not that they are not important, we just did not have access to this volume of news.  These news stories are being reported in a way to create fear even among educated Christians.  Interesting to think about.  If I allow myself to have fear as my primary emotion, what does that do to me?  Not that I think I need to be an ostrich and go stick my head in the sand and ignore what is going on around me, but how much do I allow the emotions that are created in response to these things to control me?  The media ~ even the conservative media ~ uses news as a stimulus to create a desired response from their readers/listeners.  I think ~ I know! ~ I need to stop allowing them to have that kind of control over me. 

Don't get me wrong; I'm still pretty furious about the Gates story that is coming out.  I think that the way our military is being used by the current administration is wrong.  I think that the things that are happening to them are tragic.  I think that we are losing many, many good people in not backing them up, and through leaving them unprotected.  I think that the way they are being treated is keeping some terrific young people from deciding that this is how they want to spend their lives.  When the military (and law enforcement) becomes a political tool instead of a group of folks committed to protecting and serving those who need help, their purpose changes and they are weakened as an institution. 

 

How do we respond, then?  How are God's people supposed to react to these things and keep our responses controlled by HIM instead of by someone else?  It goes back to focus and priorities and world view.  I have to filter all of this news through a perspective that is founded on Biblical truth.  I know that sounds like empty Christian-ese but let me explain how that has changed me over the past few months.  

 

I spent the fall reading through the histories of the Old Testament; Joshua, Judges, Samuels, Kings and Chronicles.  I re-discovered that the world is not that much different now than it was several thousand years ago.  God's people had horrible, depraved men in political control.   This was God's country designed to be a theocracy and it was totally corrupt.  In many ways it was worse than what we see around us here and now.  The remnant of those who were faithful to God did not have the comfort of the Old Testament to read, let alone the New Testament.  I wonder how often they spent their days putting one foot in front of the other and with grim determination making themselves remember "Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, The Lord is One"  

 

When I spend more time each day reading and studying "news" that is fashioned by men and women, and less time reading and studying "news" from God, then these men and women are shaping the way I think.  They now have control not only over my thoughts but also my emotions.  However if I spend more time in studying my Bible and talking to God and listening to Him, then He controls how I respond to everything else that I hear and see.  Instead of being fearful about the state of the world, I am confident that God is still in control.  More than that, I am even more aware of His power over all of it!  When that happens I can read the news and go from being someone who is bowed down by the fear and depression of the times to someone with her head up and confidence in the goodness and authority of God.

 

My friend Tammy characterizes this so well.  Tammy is very well educated about what is going on in the world but I never come away from a conversation with her thinking about what is going on in the world. Instead I come away with a renewed sense of Who God Is.  Because Tammy is diligent in her obedience to what God tells her to do, she is able to be an incredible encouragement to everyone she meets.

 

 

That's what I want to be like.  May God give me the grace to focus on HIM today.  May He use me for His glory to encourage, help and strengthen His people.

Monday Morning Memories: Snow Days!

My memories are my memories.  I'm sure that there are inaccuracies and that others remember the same event differently than I do.  But these are the stories as I remember them.

Photo Courtesy of City Data: Taylors, SC

It seems that every year was a snowy year when I was growing up in Greenville, South Carolina.  Every snow day started the same way.  There was the breathless anticipation as we sat by the radio listening to the news and the weather report.  Surely we wouldn't have to go to school; didn't the superintendent see that it was a BLIZZARD out there?!  Mom insisted that we have breakfast while we waited and there was a certain protocol to snow day breakfasts.  We grew up with Mom in the home.  Furthermore, Mom was a retired nurse of the old school.  Therefore, nutrition was a big deal in our family.  So snowy days we always had hot cereal (cold cereal was reserved for the week at the beach in the summer when the rules were relaxed), either oatmeal or Cream of Wheat.  Trust me, it tasted worse than it sounds.

Eventually the call would come over the radio: NO SCHOOL!!  Hurray!!!!

As soon as we were done with breakfast (and not a minute before!), the cage doors were opened and away we went out the door.  Coat? check.  Hat?  check.  Extra socks? check.  Boots?  check.  Gloves?  Gloves??  Mittens???  Anything?????  OK, grab a pair of Dad's socks, pull them over the hands and let's get going. 

First we had to walk through the yard, leaving our tracks.  Of course we had to lay down while we were leaving tracks, so that we could make some snow angels.  Then the five of us would grab the sled and take off.  For a while we would be content to use the sled down the driveway beside the house.  It was one of those old-fashioned kinds of driveways made of two parallel strips of concrete.  The hill wasn't that steep, but it worked.  When we got bored with that hill we would trudge a few doors down to Elm Street and then we would take off.  If we did it just right, we could ride all the way to Grove Road.  Then we would hop off and line up tallest to smallest (I was always at the end of the line) and march back up the hill with the sled on our heads.

As the day wore on, we would venture into other snowy day activities.  Snowman building, snowball fights, face washing, etc.  There would be frequent trips into the house for refreshment.  We were the envy of the neighborhood because our mother made real cocoa; not just envelopes of hot chocolate mix. 

I don't know what West Prentiss Avenue looks like these days, but when we were growing up the tree was lined with oak trees on each side.  You could stand at the top of the street up near Augusta Road and look down and it was as if you were looking through a tunnel of immense, stately trees.   When the trees were snowy and the road was snowy, it was a picture that Thomas Kincaid could not replicate. 

Sometimes these days, when I find myself wishing for snow, I start a search on the computer for pictures upstate of South Carolina in the snow.  I always seem to be looking for a snowy road that is lined with a tunnel of trees.  I've found a lot of beautiful, amazing pictures.  But none of them ever quite match the pictures I carry in my heart of West Prentiss Avenue, Greenville, South Carolina.

Merry Different Christmas!

Christmas this year is a bit different for our family. 

Back in November my sister-in-law and I mentioned to each other several times that we just didn't have the "Christmas Spirit".  Many friends were saying the same thing.  Mr. Marvelous and I talked about it several times.  We wondered how much of it was the cultural climate and how much of it might be the media's choices of stories about hard times.  I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to put my thoughts into words and share them here on the blog, and I just couldn't quite get it. 

Was it because of the political situation and all the folks affected by the fiasco-of-the-week?

Perhaps a spiritual problem with me personally that kept me from "feeling" Christmas-y, or was I being overly dependent on my emotions?


Was it just because we are in that awkward season of life between empty-nest and grand-kids?

We never could quite figure it out, but Mr. Marvelous and I did decide that this year we would have a quieter Christmas with less of the trappings. 

Oddly enough for someone who delights in the celebration of Christmas, I was very happy with that decision.  As I was finishing studying II Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, I was struck by the situation of God's people in the centuries before the coming of the Messiah.  I thought a lot about the four hundred Silent Years. 

I did not get carried away with list-making, blogging (sorry!), gift making, or decorating. 

Last week my sister-in-law and I discovered why not having our usual "Christmas Spirit" was God's good choice for us this year.  We discovered that she would be spending Christmas at the hospital, rather than at home or at her daughter's home.  I would be at home but going back and forth to the hospital to do what I might for her and for my brother.  Our gifts from God this year are different but they are good, as they always are.  This year we are thankful for the gifts of redemption, of God With Us, of appreciating the things we take for granted ~ like ice chips! ~ of God's people who surround us when we are in need, of surgeons who pray over and with their patients, of opportunities to speak God's Truth to many, many more people than we would have imagined, and of PEACE.  We are aware that there are so many of these good gifts that we don't even see all of them. 

I sent the following to some very dear and long-time family friends to let them know about my sister's illness.

Christmas looks a little different for us this year; a little quieter and a lot less filled with the trappings.  Our minds are turned a little more to thinking about the first Christmas: how it came after 400 years of silence.  How it came during a time of precarious political upheaval and capriciousness.  How it came during a time of dark evil to bring the light of atonement and redemption.  This year we are very conscious of Christmas being God with us.  As we wait for Christmas morning, we eagerly wait for His return.  Until then we take the opportunities to share the peace and comfort we have with those around us who so desperately need that peace and that comfort. 

Thank you for your prayers for our family over the past week.  We are asking that this week as you pray for us, you thank God for His goodness to us in getting my sister through the surgery.  Please continue to pray for us over the next several months as God brings us to your remembrance.

May His grace, mercy, comfort, and peace be with you and all those you love, both now and forever.

Most of all, 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Twenty-Four Days of Christmas: Day One

It doesn't always happen this way, but this year the first Sunday in Advent is December 1.  After a little research, I have discovered that this is the first time this has happened since 2002  (there's your bit of useless but slightly interesting trivia for the day).

Today is one of those "forced rest" days.  We all have them periodically; a day when we are dealing with an injury or illness and just can't quite get going.  I have learned that if I change my perspective just a little bit, I can see them for the gift that they are.  There is a choice to be made; sit and have a pity party, or take the time for quiet reflection and prayer. 

Today we will certainly be lighting our Advent Candles at dinner.  I will probably pull a few Christmas books from the basement to enjoy (Ruth Bell Graham's "Our Christmas Story" is a classic).  We will be reading in the Old Testament prophets.  And we will slow down and spend time thinking about Advent.  As we prepare for the coming of Christmas, we will have the usual struggle of not getting caught up in the distractions of the season; the battle to redirect our gaze ~ and hopefully point others ~ to Jesus.  He came as an infant.  He struggled through life.  He suffered and died for US.  He rose again.  The celebration of His birth is doubly exciting when you understand the WHY of His coming. 

Then we remember.  He's coming back!  Today we are closer to His return than we were yesterday!!  So we keep doing the work that He gives us to do each day.  We keep watching because we know that at some point, "The clouds will be rolled back as a scroll". 

May He find us engaged in doing what brings glory and honor to Him.  May He greet us with a "Well done!"

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Get Ready:

The Christmas that Mr. Marvelous and I were engaged, I was introduced to a family tradition in his mother's family.  All brides and brides-to-be were given Spode Christmas Tree china for Christmas. 

 

I was thrilled!  I have always loved that pattern and looked forward to one day having a set to use on my own table.  I remember how happy I was to unwrap that first dinner plate and have my future mother-in-law explain the tradition.  Several years later I inherited a full set from my mother-in-law. 

One of our traditions from my side of the family is the ceremonial "Getting Out The Christmas China" that occurs the weekend right after Thanksgiving.  I'll be getting mine out today or tomorrow.  I'll be giving thanks to God for my mother-in-law and Aunt Mimi and the many, many graces they extended to me as I blundered my way into their family. 

This is the first step I take to get ready for Advent.  The word "Advent" translates "Coming".  Advent is the time when we celebrate the coming of Christmas.  We are preparing to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus into our world.  We also look forward to His coming back.  Our traditions include things from the mundane to the serious; getting out the china, lighting candles each week, putting up the decorations, reading Christmas books, etc.  I will also continue my tradition of blogging The Twenty-Four Days of Christmas, starting December 1. 

Join our family as we celebrate.  Get ready to get ready: Christ is coming!

Thanksgiving Proclamation

 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
    Tell of his salvation from day to day. 
 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples! 
 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and he is to be feared above all gods. 
 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and joy are in his place.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 

 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; 

    tremble before him, all the earth;
    yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 

 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
    and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” 

 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    let the field exult, and everything in it! 

 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
    before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. 

 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

     

I Chronicles 16:23-34                                                             

 

 

Tradition!

Thought I would share a few family traditions from both our nuclear family and our extended family.

1. The big gathering of as many people as possible.  This year we will only have about 13 around the table.  There will be another 10 or so wandering in and out of town as the weekend goes on.  We are incredibly thankful that we will be 13 and not just 12 this year.  When a family member survives having a tree fall on him, we celebrate God's mercy!
2. The menu?  Turkey, dressing (not stuffing) (unless Nana has her way) (she probably will), corn casserole, green beans, mincemeat pie (Nana makes her own mincemeat), some kind of pumpkin something or other (haven't decided yet whether that will be pie or cheesecake).  By special request of Nana, we will be adding a couple of smoked rabbits to the menu this year.  I just realized I did not list fruit jello.  That is such a tradition that I will be going to the store in a little while to get stuff to make it.
3. All throughout the day, there will be a lot of giving thanks to God by various folks for both the big things and the little random things.
4. Lots of family tales.
5. Lots of eye-rolling.
6. Lots of laughing.
7. I'm hoping that the next generation might be big enough to want to watch parades.  I enjoy doing that; I'm a kid at heart!
8. Tongue-biting?  Of course!  We're a family!
9. Saying something out loud that should probably be kept in?  Probably.  
10. Loving each other enough to overlook such things?  Definitely!
11. Missing those who are too far away to make it.
12. Hugs.  Kisses. I love yous.
13. Fish fry the day after.  Dad and Robert had a good fishing trip last month.  They almost always do which is why this is a tradition.
14. Spending Friday and Saturday getting the Christmas china out and putting up the every-day stuff.
15. Cutting some greenery from the cedar trees.
16. Lighting the first Advent Candle on Sunday.

What did I miss?  What are some of your traditions?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

God's peace to your homes. 

The View From My Kitchen Window: November 26, 2013

Early morning.  Cold drizzle. 
Tantalizing hints of snow.

Dogwood flaming

Sun rising

Oaks clinging

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday Morning Memories: Two Stories

1.  Granny's Toys

Many years ago before she had any children of her own, my sweet Granny Reed used to babysit for a family.  She came up with all kinds of clever ways to entertain these children.  This was pre-internet, pre-video games, pre-cable, pre-television and even pre-radio.  Therefore, entertaining children on rainy days took a bit more creativity and imagination.  In those days even coloring books and crayons were a luxury.  What would you do with a family of young children on a rainy day in those circumstances? 

My Granny was a very resourceful woman.  She would take clothespins and make little pilgrims.  The children would create scenes of the Pilgrim Feast and be happily entertained for hours.

A few years ago my Dad was preaching in Bakersville, NC.  A woman introduced herself as the daughter of one of the children my Granny used to baby-sit and shared her memories with my Dad.  The next night she came and had a gift in her hand for my Dad.  It seems that when they had cleaned out her mother's home, they had found these little treasures.  These had been made by my Granny!  Now every November they have a place of honor in my kitchen.

2.  Andrew's Giving Heart

My nephew Andrew is a remarkable young man.  He is almost as tall as his Dad.  He has one of the most infectious grins you will ever see.  And he is one of the most loving and giving young men I know.  Andrew is not afraid to hug his Mom, his sisters, his aunts, his cousins.  He is not bashful about telling us that he loves us.  Andrew loves to make people happy.  He once found out that I like B.J. Surhoff of Atlanta Braves fame.  I still have the picture with his stats that Andrew gave me!

Andrew's school would take the children on a field trip to Cherokee, NC when he was in late elementary or Jr. High school.  While he was there, he found this little teepee and spent some of his own spending money to buy it for me. 

To me, this is a picture of Andrew's loving and giving heart.  It reminds me of the sweet rascal who cares a lot about his Aunt Virginia.  It reminds me to pray for him as exam season approaches.  It reminds me how blessed I am!  And it has a place of honor in my kitchen as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!