Freak of Nature

I stole this video from Clifford who posted it earlier today....it really freaks me out.
Do you think it could be real? If it is, I hope this poor guy didn't do all these flips in one day, but even so his abs have got to be so strong!
More fun posts to come...I'm way behind!

How Firm A Foundation

This song is perhaps my new favorite. I would love to have this play at my wedding someday.
Isn't it so beautiful? Truly, Jesus is a firm foundation...unshakable.

How Firm A Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

In every condition, -- in sickness, in health,
In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth,
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea, --
The Lord, the Almighty, they strength e'er shall be.

"Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

"When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flames shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

"E'en down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never, forsake!"

Text: Isaiah 43:1-7
Author: "Keen",1787, alt
Composer: Bernhard Schumacher, 1931

Mama Mia!

Are you wondering who this beautiful woman is pictured above? You may be surprised to find that she is my Mama. We look nothing alike (but Sara Jane definitely resembles her!). In honor of Mother's Day (I realize that I'm two weeks late doing this), I would like to list a few things about my Mama that I appreciate, fond memories we've had, funny things she does, and things that I admire about her.

1. Like I've mentioned before, I am a bargain shopper to the core. Sara Jane and I both have had a lifetime of experience searching through racks of clothes marked "Clearance" with Mama. We are very blessed to have parents who can and do provide for all that we need, and also we have been very blessed to learn the art of bargain shopping to pinch pennies whether we "need" to at the time, or not. I recall times as kids when Sara Jane and I practically threw ourselves on the floor complaining that we were out shopping while Mama tried on some dress, or suit that was on sale and then decided not to get it because it "didn't do anything for her". Even though as children we didn't like going bargain shopping (which takes longer because it requires hunting for the best deal!) now, we appreciate the thrill of the hunt for a deal, the value of a dollar, and the high quality products found at the lowest possible price.

2. Some things I remember about childhood may not seem extraordinary because they are just the everyday, but those are the things that I remember more than anything else. For instance, I fondly remember when we lived in Shawnee how Mama used to sit at the telephone desk (pre portable phone era) between the laundry room and kitchen talking to one of her old friends whom she has kept in touch with for decades. As she talked on out tanish cream telephone with the long curly cord that reminded me of a group of squishy Cheerios, we inevitably would need her to do something or answer something, or just pay attention to whatever unimportant thing we were doing while she tried to enjoy her few moments of adult/peaceful time. Whenever we would pester her, she would shoo us away with her hand and say "scram!" You may be thinking...wow, that is not a sweet memory. But, I say, au contraire! The older I get, the more I can identify with Mama and understand that to maintain sanity one must have adult time. Apparently children don't get that part and demand that their mothers pick which Barbie has on the better outfit while said mother is on the phone...hypothetically speaking of course.

3. My Mama is not one of those women who tells everybody exactly what she's thinking all of the time (too bad I didn't inherit that trait!), but when you ask her for an opinion or advice, she will not tell you what you want to hear. I can always count on Mama to sift every decision through a responsible and practical filter which I am missing sometimes, and will give me her advice and opinion based on that, but will never expect me to do what she thinks is right. I can't tell you how much I value that about her! She taught me and Sara Jane to make our own decisions, to consider others and be responsible but to ultimately be grown-ups and do what we know to be right and good and not just what someone else thinks is right. For instance, even though Mama did not think it was a good idea for me to move to Atlanta and stay in my sorority, when I made the decision that I wanted to do it anyway, she was supportive and has never said "I told you so" if life handed me a lemon or two. That is not to say that she didn't state her disagreement, but she gave me the opportunity to have her love and support and make a decision which took sacrifice (I had to pay for certain things for myself), and I would never trade the lessons learned and experiences I've had a result of her loving support and parental guidance. She is not afraid of tough loving us even when we just want her to say "yes you can do that" and I think that is invaluable in parenting.

4. These days when I come home for a weekend visit, Mama, Sara Jane, and I all pile on a sofa or bed somewhere near a TV and watch "What Not To Wear" together on TLC (PS. Highly recommend the book by Stacy and Clinton!) We have a great time laughing at all of the snappy one liners, visual puns, and usually we eat ice cream too. It's a very laid back, low pressure evening that is much needed for all of us at the end of a busy week and is a great way to spend time together. I know TV isn't usually a great conversation starter but more of a conversation stopper, but for us, this show does the trick! We usually follow that with walking Tater around the neighborhood to "work off" the ice cream.

5. Mama is one of the most loyal people I have ever met. I learned from her not to be fake, look down my nose at anybody, pretend to be somebody I'm not, and she has held loyalty and keeping her word in a very high position. Mama would never say she would do something for someone and then back out, speak ill of a friend, or quit anything just because it is difficult. I wish I could say that I've learned to be just like her in this respect but sadly I have much to learn and to grow in this area. She is a role model for following through on a commitment and being dependable.

6. Mama is a great storyteller...or reader. She is a children's librarian (media Specialist), in fact the media specialist of the year for the county last year! She whole heartily does her job and deserves every last bit of recognition for her hard work that the school. Growing up, she would read us stories every night (except those which Daddy made up stories of the rug on our bedroom floor...more to come on that on Father's Day) and even if she was dead tired, she would read to us with enthusiasm until she fell asleep once and said "but he wont make me any more pies!" in her sleep...we still can't figure out what she was dreaming about. She always used funny voices for the characters in the books and each story seemed to come alive and left us hanging on the edge of our beds waiting for the next page. Even in everyday things, Mama makes them fun. She is very clever and makes really cheesy, but hilarious jokes all of the time and still often uses the funny voices particularly when Tater is involved. She is a calm, reserved, and sophisticated lady around everybody, but at home she comes out of her shell and all while maintaining her ladylike standards she becomes a hilarious goofball. I love Mama very much and hope to be a Mama like her someday.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of why I love my Mama. Sorry if I've embarrassed you, Mama.

What fond fun memories do you share with your Mama?
What do you admire about her?

Sweet Gear

Recently, Clifford let me borrow his really incredible camera. We've bonded over our love for taking pictures and have flooded facebook with albums of pictures taken mostly in Piedmont Park competing for more picture comments (he always wins), and thankfully, he keeps up with technology to my benefit. I use a Canon Powershot which I bought from Clifford a few years ago (his first real camera, after the famed dinosaur camera). I love the camera, it takes great pictures and is somewhat easy to tote around because it is smaller although not a purse camera. Although I love my camera, I have become increasingly obsessed with Clifford's new(ish) camera...a Nikon D40x. I feel like a professional when I take pictures using this camera, but with not the best results. My favorite type of photography is manual right down to developing my own film and making my own prints. Getting my hands in the process, manipulating, and even though disappointment with bad film, poor lighting, etc. comes with the territory, photographing and developing manually is second to none. I desperately want to be great at digital photography, but alas, manual I can do...digital I have less successful results. I leave you with a photo of this fabulous digital camera which makes me want to try harder to be successful, and a photo I am in love with by Clifford which he gave me as a gift. I LOVE this photo...he is so good at taking beautiful pictures!
And while I'm posting these pictures, I should also mention that this yellow linen wrap dress is a JCrew item I got on sale for $30. I seriously love bargain shopping...could that be hereditary?

Marmy's Day

For Mother's Day this year, Sara Jane and I made Sunday dinner for Mama and Grandmama. I would like to share these recipes and some easy and thrifty ideas for entertaining. The picture below is a hot chicken salad with wild rice added to make it more of a main course. The recipe can be found here: This next recipe is a squash casserole, recipe by Paul Deen. It was DELISH! You should definitely make it. Here's the recipe. We made it with all yellow squash.
We also made roasted asparagus. Super easy recipe, take a bundle of asparagus, saute in about 2 tbsp, 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. I love eating asparagus because you can eat it with your hands and be socially acceptable. :)
Sara Jane made these adorable napkins and bought the napkin rings for Mama and we set the table with them, attaching a tag to the one at Mama's seat at the table. We set a flower in a pot as the centerpiece, which was also Grandmama's gift.
This flower is growing in a pot on Mama and Daddy's back porch. It's called an Amaryllis. Isn't it beautiful?
Other recipes and photos in a post to come.

Preparing for Mother's Day

This is the yellow squash we used for the casserole mentioned in the earlier post. We diced and cooked up 10 smaller squash rather than 6 large, I don't know if that is equal, but there was a nice amount of squash in the casserole.
For dessert we made a lemon raspberry trifle. It was SO good! You can find the recipe here. This was my first time making my own whipped cream, and I am itching to do it again! It was so fun! We served the trifle in one of our great-grandmother's old punch bowls and even thought the shape isn't perfect for this type of dish, I think the cut glass looks so pretty with all of the bright color in this dessert.
Tater even did her part cleaning up (pieces of chicken that made their way to her bowl, she happily cleaned up!)
I am a big fan of packaging design, which you probably know by now, and I love the clean simplicity of Publix packaging. Even if it wasn't cheaper than the national brand, I'd still be very tempted to buy their products.
This is Georgia caviar, and if you haven't tried it, it's high time you do now! It is very yummy and keeps well in the refrigerator to serve whenever you like.
Since our dog, Sweet Potato, will not leave the rug in the den, except to come to her bowl and go outside, she was stranded by herself in the den. This is proof of her sad little eyes...it'd difficult to go anywhere in the house besides that rug! Who could resist this face? I highly recommend looking at Sara Jane's post about Tater!

At last....

Here's a little taste of the package design project I just completed. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. Any suggestions to make it better? Any parts you like best? I got the plates, bowls, mugs, and centerpiece from Ross for a great price! The napkin rings are from @home Vintage General in Savannah, I highly recommend checking the blog for cute style ideas and going to the store and buying things! The cloth napkins are on loan for the project from my dear friend, Charlotte. We dyed the white napkins with coffee to go with the vintage/cream motif. I drew the pattern you see on the paper and designed all of the packaging for this series. Sara Jane calls it "Bird's of a Feather". I wanted it to have a fun, feminine, chic and somewhat vintage appeal. I hope that I've succeeded. Please leave your thoughts, I'd love to have feedback.

Yummy!

Since I haven't taken my package design pictures just yet that are high quality, I decided to give you a little something to snack on until I get around to those better pictures (for both of you reading this, I've got some baked already you're welcome to have some).

While I love cooking and making up recipes, I am not all that great at baking...I once made cookies that bounced (I was also in elementary school at the time, but I fear I will never live it down). I've got two super-easy, delicious homemade desserts that require baking but that do not bounce.

My Signature Oatmeal Raisin Cookies:

1 c. Margarine or butter, softened
1 c. Sugar
1 c. brown sugar, tightly packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1 1/2 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. raisins
* optional to add in chocolate chips also or instead of raisins

The secret to this recipe is the two different types of oats. It makes a better, less cake-like texture for the cookies. They are still soft, but not floppy!

Preheat over to 375degrees. Cream butter and sugars until smooth; beat in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine and blend thoroughly flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; beat into creamed mixture. Stir in oatmeal and raisins/chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoon fulls onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 min. Makes 6 dozen delicious cookies.