New Year's Eve - Hoppin' John

On New Year's Eve I always look forward to taking time to reflect on the past year.  On my blog I focus on the blessings that we count.  It's so much more productive (and can be more challenging) to count your blessings. 

Not long ago, I received an email with a quote.  I loved the quote and sent it on to several people.  David IV replied that it is from the first CD that he ever owned and is from a song by Will Smith called "Just the Two of Us": 

"Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too."     Will Smith

The truth is revealed in so many ways.

Each New Year's Eve I remember John Boggs' sermon at Central Methodist Church.  John had set up a big bowl of water at the front of the sanctuary and there were other bowls with rocks of all sizes available.  He invited everyone to come pick up a rock, assign it something that needed to be let go from our lives and to drop it in the water. 

Some of us had to go back several times.

Last year we threw our negative thoughts into the lake.  This year we are at home so we will write them on paper and watch them burn in the fire.  Better to burn negative thoughts in the fire than to let them burn in your heart.

We'll toast the old year with all it's experiences and look forward to a fresh New Year.

Happy New Year's Eve!
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The following recipe is a repost (December 2010) from Katie Lee on the Early Show. This is similar but a healthier version of the way I learned to cook Hoppin' John. The main difference is seasoning with pork instead of with olive oil. Happy New Year's Eve!

Hoppin' John (Katie Lee)

Serves about 6 people

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil (Mama Crowder would use bacon or fatback grease)
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced (I use garlic powder when I don't have fresh garlic)
2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (We would use water or ham broth)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
Cooked rice
Shredded white cheddar
Hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in black-eyed peas, broth, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low; cook 10 more minutes. Stir in green onions and parsley.

3. Serve on top of cooked rice and garnish with cheese. Add hot sauce, if desired.

Christmas 2012

As Christmas approached I was excited to have David IV coming in on a sleigh from Dallas and Jay coming in a sleigh from Atlanta.  This year we would have four days together and we were grateful for every second.   

  

 

 

Jay and Devin took a beautiful carriage ride in Uptown Shelby.  They invited us to come along and join them for dinner.  It's a fun way to spend a Friday evening and way cheaper than a trip to NYC! 

 

 

 

GWU played several home basketball games before and during the holidays.  One night before all the students left they held a Silent Night.  This is when the entire gym is totally quiet until the 8th point is scored and then they break out into wild, loud cheering for several minutes.  It was hilarious and it worked too.   When the 8th point was scored and the cheering broke out GWU went on a 17 point scoring run! 

 

Coach Holtman and the team won their game against Spaulding and then all the boys went home for a short break.  They are already back from the holiday and practicing for regular season.

 

Mom, Dad, Sister and Gene got together at the Cabin for the Company Lunch. How precious is this?

 

I love the landscape at the cabin any time of year.

 

Dad says that Gary has the cows in the best shape they have ever been.  They really are pretty and there are sweet new babies dotting the pastures.

 

Harry and the Elves came to the cabin to fix the Company Lunch.  Fried Catfish, fresh cut french fries, homemade hush puppies and banana pudding.  Nobody does it better.

 

David thanked everyone for their contribution to the company and for what they each mean to him. 

 

Mary Elizabeth's vase decked out in Nature's Christmas beauty.

 

Some special things that always show up on the kitchen windowsill at Christmas.

 

 

Christmas Eve at MawMaw's with the Mabry Girls.  Sister makes Oyster Casserole, Layered Salad, Beef Tenderloin and all kinds of goodies.

 

 

 

We missed the Roaches, Burgins, and Saleebys but even when everyone isn't able to come on Christmas Eve the Mabrys and Roysters can fill up a picture.

 

 

 

Christmas Morning in Lattimore started out with a little (or a LOT) of picture taking! Then breakfast casseroles, livermush, sausage and gravy, grits, oranges and, of course, Ham Biscuits.

 

 

Mama and Brycen enjoying Christmas morning.

 

 

We played the Christmas Game and Hanse drew #1.  He quietly picked the ribs and dashed back to his seat.  They were stolen but he worked a deal to end up sharing them with Hayes and Jackie. 

 

 

Elizabeth came up with something homemade in a jar but she didn't wind up with it.  I'm sure Rachel was very happy about that!

 

 

David and Jay were the official statisticians and had to consult the document several times.

 

Kai and Paul watched carefully but I think Melia may have doubts about the present game.

 

 

 

Dad wanted to play two counting games this year including how many people were in the family.  With all of the weddings, engagements and babies we can't even keep count.  He finally gave a prize to everyone who guessed 34 or 35! 

 

 

Dad's other counting game was for everyone to guess how many Knock Out Rose bushes there are on the fence line around the farm.  Mary Beth came closest to the stated correct answer of 156.  I may have to make a special trip out to count them myself.

 

 

 

After Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fun, we had one more night with David IV home so we decided to do something different and throw a pizza party.  The first step in a great pizza party is to ask Brian to bring over his pizza-oven-on-a-trailer.  Brian can make a pizza party happen. 

 

The second thing to do is watch the weather and if it looks like 100% rain call Lloyd for help.  They helped by arranging the perfect tents and then we set out all kinds of toppings.  Susan was helpful with toppings advice, Beth was helpful with chopping and Carol was helpful with clean up! 

 

Add in a whole bunch of cousins and neighbors and let the pizza roll!  It's a fun thing to do and as David IV observed it's very conducive to a variety of conversations.  

 

 

"The best Christmas gift of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up with one another!"

 

Merry Christmas Everybody!

The Power of Love - Dad's Graduation Day

 

Dad graduated again this week.  At the age of 90 he's graduated several times already. 

 

He graduated from Lattimore High School in 1939 and there are stories galore of those early school years with 'Fessor Blanton.  And schoolboy pranks with Carl and Donald.  And singing in the school play  'I'm a lonely little petunia in the onion patch'.  I've never seen a picture of him as the petunia in an onion patch but the visual in my mind's eye is pretty hilarious.

 

He graduated from Wake Forest College in 1943 with a Batchelor of Science Degree.  He has always loved the sciences and the medical community.  There are plenty of stories about those years at the old Magnolia Campus.  And his version of "War of the Worlds".  And hitch hiking all the way over to Raleigh.  

 

Then he graduated from Emory University Dental School in 1946 following in the footsteps of his father to become a dentist. 

 

But Dad's a life long learner and has gotten an education along the way in many other ways.  Like serving as a Major in the Army and serving in many capacities in the NC Legislature, and serving on all kinds of boards and committees.  And starting the Round Up Store and running a dairy farm and raising cows.  When you live to be 90 there's a lot of ways to learn. 

 

For sure he's gotten an education by being married to Ruby for 66 years.  Ruby is a very good educator.

 

No doubt he's learned a few things from having five daughters, eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.  Because we all learn from being challenged and I'm pretty sure there have been a few children challenges.  I might have even been party to a challenge or two. or three.

 

He's taught a good bit too.  To family, friends, politicians, farmers, co-workers and just people he meets standing in line at the DMV office. 

 

I have a lot of favorite lessons he's taught over the years.  Like 'nothing good happens after 11:00 at night'.  Followed by 'and be home on the 10:30 side of 11.'  Mama sometimes has to reinforce this one even to this day. 

 

And 'don't look at the world through a peephole in the fence'.  And of course the one his father taught him about facing challenges, learning, and moving on -  "Tiz what Tiz and can't be no tizzer." 

 

But his all time favorite is that 'when the Power of Love overcomes the love of power, the world will be a better place'.   

 

The power of Love.  A lesson of a lifetime.

 

This week Gardner Webb University conferred to Dad the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree.  A well deserved honor.   His Wake Forest and Emory degrees focused on the natural sciences - the physical condition.  The Humanities focus on the social sciences  - the human condition.  For 90 years Dad has served people and loved people and worked to improve the human condition. 

 

Congratulations Dr. Dr. Hunt!

 

 

 

 

Mom and Dad on the way to Graduation.  We joked that he looked like a cross between Harry Potter and The Wizard of Oz. 

 

Graduation at age 90 at GWU.  The choir sang a song based on Psalms139 - "Search Me O God and know my heart".  An appropriate reflection at any age.

 

It was touching during graduation to see young ladies take turns signing and singing with this young man so he could experience commencement.

 

Friends and family gathered in the Tucker Student Center to celebrate Graduation Day with

 Dr. Dr. Hunt.   For graduation and his birthday we gave Dad his very own iPad.  And the life long learning continues! 

 

 

 

 

Katherine and Ian - December 1, 2012

 

 

 We celebrated the marriage of Katherine and Ian on December 1, 2012.  And what a celebration it was. 

 

I love the way wedding plans begin and evolve and then truly take on the personality of the couple.  Katherine and Ian have fun together.  They wanted a small wedding with a big wedding party and they really brought the party with them.  

 

Both Katherine and Ian have large extended families.  And they have a lot of friends.  When Katherine and Ian make friends it is evident that they make friends for life.   So the wedding party itself was full of friends and family who have loved them throughout the years from childhood, through school, college and in the working world.

 

I took a lot of pictures and wish I had taken more because it was such a happy occasion in a beautiful setting.  The entire weekend was spent with everyone gathered together at the Berry Hill Plantation in South Boston, Viriginia.  Being at the Berry Hill was like coming to the old family homeplace for a reunion.  And even though we were meeting many of the people for the first time everyone was united in joy for Katherine and Ian.  

 

 

 

The weekend was kicked off with a bridesmaid's luncheon in the historic Berry Hill mansion that was built in the early 1800s.  Here is the beautiful bride with her equally beautiful mother-in-law, mother and grandmother.   Someone at the luncheon pointed out that, with this group, the Berry Hill hardly needed decoration.

The luncheon hostesses paused for a group picture with Katherine and Lynn.  As a hostess from afar, I wasn't much help with details and planning, but friends from Raleigh helped in a big way and the luncheon was a great start to the weekend.  Betsy provided a thoughtful devotional and then each guest toasted Katherine with a Bible verse that Jeannie had written on each placecard.   It was a very sweet way to include everyone in wishing Katherine well in her new journey.    

 

Ian's parents hosted a really fun BBQ, Brew and Reggae party after the wedding rehearsal.  It was a fun way to get together.  The reggae band came up from Charleston and they started off the night with Share the Shelter.   Which is possibly the most perfect of all reggae tunes for a wedding -  "I wanna love ya - every day and every night."    Many personal and sweet toasts were made from friends and family and then Will presented everyone with a commemorative Kat and Dogg Wedding Tradition Scarf sported here by Sister and David. 

The grandmother, brother, nephew and father of the bride at the rehearsal party.  I loved it when Tommy presented Katherine with a special pair of pjs for her honeymoon. A onesie! 

 

 

It was wonderful to take a picture of David, Lynn and Sister at such a happy occasion.  The wedding was held in a pretty methodist church in South Boston and was a beautiful and holy ceremony. Lynn and Tommy hosted the wedding reception at the Berry Hill with elegant flowers, tasty food including shrimp and grits and of course a really good band if you happened to have happy feet. Which most of us did.

 

It was fun to celebrate the weekend with Quinn and Wil.  They had let MK and Robert spend the weekend with family in NC.    Our boys were not able to come to the wedding either and I'm thinking Quinn and Wil may have missed their sweet children as much as we missed ours. 

Love this picture of Julia, Sister, Katherine and Quinn. 

 

Will, Anna, David, Laura and Thomas at the reception.   With Tradition Scarves!

 

 

.It was a touching moment when the groom danced with his mother.  I loved the song they chose - "I Hope You Dance".  After getting to know this family a little bit over the weekend I can see why this was a special song.  They are a fun family and a joy to be around.  When given a choice to sit it out or dance there's no doubt the McCullen family will dance.

 

 

Katherine, backed up by Thomas, surprised everyone with a song at the reception.  She has a powerful voice and nailed it with her rendition of Angel of Montgomery.  She is just pure joy in this picture.

.Sparklers were a festive send off at the front of the BerryHill.   It was a spectacular weekend and as Lynn quoted from Ephesians 3  "immeasurably more". 

 

Here's to Katherine and Ian for a lifetime of joy and happiness!