New Year's Eve - Hoppin John'

It's the official ending of 2010.

Yesterday I caught up at the Round Up for a while. I had to smile at the Christmas Card (included with this post) which has been on the bulletin board over my desk for years. It was taken on the Roller Coaster at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion in the mid 90s. The caption reads Merry Christmas "Business as Usual at the Roysters"!

This was a great roller coaster that made you scream as it took your stomach away and then soaked everybody when it plunged into a pool of water at the end. It was a thrill.

In looking back on 2010 and on life in general I guess we could all say it's a roller coaster ride. But with all the ups and downs, life really is a thrill. As the saying goes, "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

And the best part is when friends and family dance together.

So on the last day of the year we will work for a while, then we head out to GWU for basketball. The GWU Women play UNC-CH while the GWU Men play Liberty University. This is the first home game since the pre-season and we are happy that Jay and both teams are at home. Can't think of a better way to spend New Year's Eve.

It was actually nice to be back in the office for a change yesterday. On the way to the Round Up, I stopped at Hamrick Produce to look for our New Year's Day lunch. They had fresh collard greens and streak o'lean as well as fatback and hog jowl. This sounds horrible but it is really tasty and as Daddy pointed out "you just need to eat a little piece". Streak o'lean is my choice over fatback because like the name sounds it has a little streak of lean pork that gives it alot of texture and flavor.

So for luck, prosperity and health we'll cook black eyed peas, collards and streak o'lean tomorrow for New Year's Day. In Lattimore, we typically had fatback, black eyed peas and collards with hot cornbread. Mama usually fixed corn also. I plan to fix the traditional collards and streak o'lean, but I'm makin Hoppin' John which is black eyed peas with peppers served over rice. I love beans and rice. Plus, I'm hoping to have a lot of good luck in 2011!

The following recipe is from Katie Lee on the Early Show this week. 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.

The Christmas Decoration Chaos

I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to Christmas holidays.

When to put away the decorations is a moving target at our house. Most years I try to find any minute to pull it down and throw it helter skelter in the attic.

I asked David if he would miss the Christmas tree if I took it down yesterday and he nodded and said, "Don't you usually do that New Year's Day?" I called Sister to offer to help taking her decorations down and she had already done it the day before. Libby has taken some of hers down, but Carol waits until after New Year's.

So, of course, I called Mama. I asked if she needed help with her things and she said she wasn't really in any hurry. She said, "I have taken the Santa Claus things and the upstairs stockings down because you know, Santa has already come."

But, Mama says she likes looking at the decorations so everyday she just takes a few things down and puts them away and she keeps a little Christmas up to enjoy for the next day. Mama takes her time and enjoys the process. And her decorations are organized for next year. Like the tortoise and the hare, she doesn't get in a hurry but she finishes strong.

Jay is already back at school for basketball practice which started the day after Christmas. He called my cell yesterday and I told him about the conversations about when to take down the tree and Jay said, "Mom you'll know when it's the right time."

Yesterday just didn't feel like the right time.

So, I looked around the house and took the Santa Clauses away and packed away a few things from the kitchen and den to minimize the clutter. The apple tree on the dining room table was ready to go but I kept the tree and mantles and outside lights on to enjoy for a few more days.

When I went to the attic to find the Christmas boxes to pack away a few decorations, I realized that it was probably past time to organize the attic. Mainly because there was no where to walk without tripping over something.

Most years we have not packed away the Christmas decorations as well as we should. This is quite the understatement. I made a feeble attempt last year by buying some see thru tubs to replace the dusty, torn orange fruit boxes I had used for 20 years. Unfortunately, I didn't get rid of most of the boxes, but just left them in the attic with one or two broken ornaments in them.

David IV is home to help and so yesterday's goal was to tackle the attic and the Christmas decoration chaos. David knows how to work and he also knows how to hook up a trailer to his truck. So he pulled the truck and trailer to the front door and we began the dusty task of going through the attic. Talk about a trip down memory lane. We found pictures, plaques, furniture, lamps, luggage, halloween costumes, baby beds, a few special toys, and a few Christmas things that I couldn't find earlier.

David hauled away a trailer full of things and we stored the things we are keeping into an organized chaos. It's wonderful to have a good helper.

So - Hallelujah! - there are plastic tubs waiting for the ornaments and lights when it's the right time and even a space to put them back into the attic. We may actually be able to find everything next year.

Snowy Day - Ham and Bean Soup

After the pretty White Christmas Day, we needed to rest and regroup. The cold weather kept the snow on the ground and it was a good time for a fire in the fireplace and some homemade soup. I wanted to use up some leftover ham, but we were also in the mood for something a little more lean and healthy after all of the Christmas gatherings. So I followed the Cowboy Soup framework but used ham broth, leftover ham and great northern beans. And of course a can of Rotel for a kick.

This soup got better and better everyday!

Ham and Bean Soup

Remove most of the ham from the bone. Leave a little bit to flavor the broth.
Chop Ham (I used about 2 cups and saved the rest for ham sandwiches)

Cover Ham Bone with Water (probably at least 2 quarts)
Add Bay Leaf, and a few pinches of salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes or longer

Remove Ham Bone and strain the broth into another pot

Chop Onions, carrots and celery and add to the broth. Bring to Boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

I used about 1 cup of each vegetable. Mostly Mama and Daddy think it's important to chop the vegetables the same size for soup so they will cook uniformly.

Add:
Chopped Ham
3 cans of Great Northern Beans
1 can of Rotel (the wonder ingredient)

This is good served with saltine crackers or hot cornbread.

Christmas Surprises Over the Years

On Christmas Eve, in the Hewitt House in Lattimore, I remember sitting with Cindy at the top of the staircase in my footy pajamas waiting to see Santa Claus. I fell asleep before he got there. It was such a surprise when I woke up, came flying down the steps, turned a flip over the bannister, raced into the den and there were five little groupings of gifts draped over chairs. The groupings were always left to right in birth order - Judy, Penny, Libby, Cindy and me. Sometimes something was kind of in the middle and that meant it was for everybody. One of my favorite everybody games from the early 60's was a Hippopotamus Puzzle Game. It was not Hungry Hungry Hippo but a really funny game when players compete to put their hippopotamus together first. The game used new fangled electronics that lit up and maybe even beeped when you got your hippopotamus put together. I guess you had to be there, but I just remember how hard everybody laughed while players were trying to be the first to make our hippopotamus light up.

Coming down the stairs for Christmas surprises turned into going UP the stairs in the 70s on West Warren Street in Shelby. We opened presents in the basement back then and one year everybody kept telling me to go upstairs to get something. I didn't want to leave the fun, but finally headed toward the stairs and when I turned the corner, there was the cutest little puppy in the world. She had a red bow around her neck and I picked her up and ran back to the den where everybody was laughing because they had all been in on the surprise. I named her Taffy and she was one of several sweet cocker spaniels that I loved over the years.

In our Lattimore house in the later 70s, I came down the stairs to find a 5 x 7 index card with a stick drawing of a horse. And then written in pencil underneath the drawing was the word HORSE. Just in case I couldn't tell. I went to the barn and there was a big quarterhorse named Lady. Lady was a good quarterhorse, but she wasn't quite as easy to deal with as our Tennessee Walker, Bud, or the little Five Gaited horse, Blackie. Lady had a stubborn streak and that made it hard for us to see eye to eye on things.

When I was a senior in high school, I came down the steps and there was a water ski with a note saying "Santa got the wrong Season". I was going off to ASU in Boone and would be taking snow skiing as a PE course. Santa meant to bring snow skiis but in the hectic pace of Christmas had brought a water ski instead. Santa did make it possible to make the exchange later.

We have had our share of Christmas surprises with the boys over the years. 'Mote control cars and trucks and power rangers that transformed. A play fort arrived in the driveway once with glitter sprinkled all around. Once Santa had stored bicycles in Mrs. Sarazen's storage building for the boys. Santa's helpers nearly froze to death riding bicycles home at 2 am.

Several years ago, David, the boys and I were asked to become special secret agents on Christmas Eve to deliver some packages to Frank and Virginia's house for a Christmas morning surprise. We went all out late that night dressed in black with walkie talkies to carry out our secret mission. Hopefully that explains one of the pictures on this post.

Christmas surprises, fun and laughter continued this year. We enjoyed Christmas Eve at MaMa's house with Sister, the Mabrys, Bobby, Quinn, Wil and Mary Katherine. Mary Katherine is a joy to watch and no doubt she is in for many happy surprises to come!

Christmas morning we opened presents and then headed off to Lattimore for Breakfast and for a family picture. My sisters and I each made a breakfast casserole, Daddy fried ham, sausage and livermush and Mama made ham biscuits and Christmas Pear and Pineapple Salad. For Christmas, Mama uses red AND green cherries and she alternates pineapple rings with pears for the salad. It's tasty, healthy and pretty. Not a surprise.

Several people joined the Hunt family for Christmas breakfast this year - Frank, Gary, June, Mrs. Peacock and Ann. We love having people join in the food, fellowship and fun. We have drawn names over the years but for the last several years we do a Christmas gift exchange - some call it Chinese Christmas, others call it Dirty Santa. It's fun and funny to watch the dynamics of this game.

Daddy adds in another game that he makes up every year. One year he wanted everybody to guess how many cabinet knobs were in the house. Once he had everybody guess how many red birds Mama has in the den, kitchen and laundry room. Mama has many many red birds. This year he wanted us to guess the price of a used car. Still making up our own fun in Lattimore.

We were in for another big surprise this year because for the first time since 1947, snow started falling on Christmas day and it turned into a real White Christmas. Everyone headed off to their own homes and then we got a text message from Jackie, Judy and Hanse that they were not able to make it back to Blowing Rock. So instead of being snow bound in the mountains, they were snowbound with us in Shelby. We enjoyed a spur of the moment dinner and good conversation. Later the boys enjoyed poker.

It was a beautiful sight to watch the snow coming down and we were lucky that it was a powdery snow not an icy one. Susan called it a Colorado snow. Hanse said he felt like he was in a Hallmark Card. Everything looked magical outside and I loved the nandina bushes with the bright red berries covered in white snow.

Every Christmas, I find time to sneak off by myself and watch the movie White Christmas . I have always loved it even though it is predictable, outdated and silly at times. I always think of Kathie when Danny Kaye does a song about what's happened to the theatre. Bing Crosby sings about Christmas and snow. But my favorite is Bing singing that when he can't sleep for worrying about things, he starts to think about all the good things in his life. He sings in that deep, smooth Bing Crosby voice, "Then I fall asleep counting my blessings".

Even though I can't sing like Bing Crosby, I can fall asleep counting my blessings.

Merry Christmas to All! Love, The Roysters

Books, Music and Magi

Visions of sugarplums dance in our heads. Actually I don't really remember ever seeing a real sugarplum, but I always liked this line in Twas The Night Before Christmas.

Mama used to read Twas the Night Before Christmas to us and I read it to the boys. My friend, Marie, gave us a pop-up version that is kind of tattered and doesn't pop up in all the places it used to, but it is still a favorite Christmas book. Books of many descriptions are a Christmas tradition. Mama read to us from Ruth Bell Grahams book about living in China and eating Oyster Stew for breakfast on Christmas morning. I loved reading Polar Express and The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper. Julia gave us a scratch and sniff book called The Smells of Christmas. It has lost some of the scent from overuse over the years, but still has a little peppermint, orange and hot chocolate in there.

One of my favorite short stories at Christmas or anytime is The Gift of the Magi written by a Greensboro native who used the pen name O. Henry. This is a true love story. Google it and you can read it anytime. It is so short it can be read in minutes, but if you are like me you will want to read it slowly and read it over and over. The O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro has the entire short story written around the ceiling in their beautiful lobby. I have never stayed in this hotel, but have been there for various occasions and I always take a few minutes to look up at the ceiling and read the story. I love it everytime.

Besides books, music is a huge part of the Christmas tradition. Music is magic all of the time, but more so than ever at Christmas. This year, I enjoyed hearing an amazing group of high school students perform a concert they arranged and named The Trans-Shelberian Orchestra. Talented students and teachers put a tremendous amount of energy into this performance at the Don Gibson Theatre. It was wonderful and I couldn't stop thinking about Kathie and about how magical it is when teachers and students connect to create such a performance.

A few days later we enjoyed stringed instruments a different way in a garage with guitars, fiddle and upright bass. Harry and friends were frying fish and fries again and we had a down home time there. Music is magic in every kind of setting.

At our house we have a music tradition as well. When we moved into our house 15 years ago, Mama and Daddy gave us the grand piano from their house. They bought this piano in the 1950s because as Daddy said, "We thought Judy was a prodigy." We had a Christmas card picture taken around this same piano back in about 1960. We all took piano lessons and turns out none of us would qualify as a prodigy. But we all love to hear music and especially at Christmas. Fortunately, some people do have musical talent and so this year we had a combo of Jackson on saxophone, Keith on piano and Uncle Frank on trumpet. It is amazing to watch musicians come together, play together, split off to do a solo here and there and somehow wind it all up together again.

We have Christmas songbooks from Aunt Burnette who taught music in Charlotte and who really enjoyed coming over to direct the music at Christmas. I always think of Aunt Burnette when I pull out the songbooks and the pretty silver punch bowl. So, we use Aunt Burnette's songbook and a few others so the rest of us can join in to sing secular and sacred songs. We sing all kinds of things from Frosty the Snowman to Silent Night. With a little Georgia on My Mind or I Can't Stop Loving You thrown in if the mood strikes. We never have been too rigid. Frank can really make a trumpet growl when he does Georgia. Some years Muff played his own version of Jingle Bells and we all loved it a few years ago when Darrell played Robert Earl's Merry Christmas to the Fam-i-ly. Once the entire Honk Band showed up and played a set. Many others have dropped in to play or to sing from time to time and all have been such a gift and such a warm memory.

One of the main music traditions is when we get out the Twelve Days of Christmas ornaments that Geneva brought one time and everybody in the house groups with others as a "Day". Mama and Daddy are traditionally "A Partridge in a Pear Tree". This year they needed to leave a little early because Daddy had a board meeting which is code for another kind of gathering. So, I have included a picture in this post of Mama and Daddy doing their part in 2009. Even though we missed them this time, we had a rousing Twelve Days of Christmas with everyone participating, lots of laughter and a little dancing thrown in.

There are so many visions of Christmas that dance in my head, it would be impossible to post in a single blog. But one that couldn't be left out is the nativity scene. As a child, I remember how I loved to put nativity scenes together - the little animals in the barn, the angels, shepherds, wise men, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in the manger. When David and I were married, we recieved several gift cards from Gilliatt's, a locally owned gift store in Shelby. When someone called me to come redeem the giftcards, I saw the Nativity Scene and I knew it was what I wanted for our first Christmas together. The nativity scene is not fancy, very plain and humble with a light that shines on the manger and a music box that plays Silent Night.

We enjoy and hold on to many Christmas traditions. Some we have to let go as things change. Some we have to let go as we change. But one thing that doesn't change is the message in the manger scene from Luke 2. Hope, Joy. Love. Peace. Goodwill toward men.

Christmas Decorations and Anticipation

We put the finishing touches on Christmas decorations at our house by putting nandina and a sprig from the Christmas tree in the vase I bought at Mary Elizabeth's (Chuff's) auction. The last decoration is always making an apple tree for the dining room table. I think this idea came from a Southern Living show years ago. We have a green, wooden cone shaped base with nails that we hang apples on and then fill in the empty spaces with boxwood from the yard. I love the look and also love that it stays pretty for a couple of weeks.

In Lattimore the other day, I took a picture of the fence and barn with garland and red bows. The wooden fence was built after Mama saw fences in Kentucky and thought they were pretty. Then she had seen a magazine picture with garland and bows and had dreamed of decorating their fence for Christmas. So several years ago, Daddy wanted to fulfill Mama's dream and we went on a hunt for garland. We were lucky to find Christmas garland from a local decorator that was a bargain. Now every Christmas, Abel and other helpers pull out the garland and the red bows and arrange them on the fence like the picture in Mama's magazine. Mama keeps magazines with ideas she likes of all kinds of things. Some she keeps for years and years. Some dreams are fulfilled and some are not. She shows us things she loves but she never begs or whines for anything. Mama might be the most patient person I know.

Patience has never been my strong suit. Especially at Christmas. There is a reason people say "It's slow as Christmas". One time Daddy and I were talking about patience - which doesn't come naturally to him either - and he said, "you have to practice patience everyday". Which makes me think of Advent. Because Advent requires practicing patience. It's a time to reflect on sadness and happiness. And on Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, Unity.

As a child, I don't remember learning about advent, but in recent years it is something I have enjoyed studying and practicing. This year we recieved a booklet from Gardner-Webb with wonderful descriptions of the season of Advent and daily devotionals written by various people from the university.

There is a quote from Frederick Buechner comparing Advent to a concert about to begin. "The house lights go off and the footlights come on. Even the chattiest stop as they wait in the darkness for the curtain to rise. In the orchestra pit, the violin bows are poised. The conductor has raised his baton.. the extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment."

Advent is a season of anticipation, but the trick is to anticipate while honestly reflecting. "Holy reflection, appropriate longing and meaningful confession that then leads to joyous celebration" is the way one GWU professor describes it. Wow. Holy, appropriate, meaningful, joyous. Reflection, longing, confession, celebration.

So the last decorations are in place, the boys are out of school, friends and family will be gathering, there will be many things to do. And I am glad to use GWU's booklet to carve out a a little time everyday to practice patience and to reflect on the season.

Christmas Gatherings - Breakfast Casserole

The Christmas gatherings are in full swing at other people's houses, at our house, at the Cabin.

Harry's crew fixed BBQ, homemade french fries and hot hush puppies at the cabin for lunch one day. There is nothing better than a real potato sliced with the skin on and deep fried outside by Harry's crew. Unless it is Harry's hush puppies with a touch of onion.

It was a beautiful December day in Lattimore and I took a picture of the cows grazing on the other side of the fish pond. David Martin and I laughed remembering several years ago when Pinky Archer was at the cabin for some kind of event and she remarked that the cows across the pond looked liked they had been perfectly placed. David had bowed up real proud and joked, "Thank you. I placed every one of them out there early this morning!"

So we enjoyed lunchtime fellowship with co-workers, Harry's BBQ and trimmings and the picturesque view of the cows at the Cabin.

The next day there were Roaches in the house. The Good Kind as Linda pointed out. It's always fun when the Roaches are in town from Raleigh. So we had BBQ again, this time at our house and we laughed because the number of people was a moving target. Jay couldn't be there because GWU was playing basketball in Kentucky, but David planned to come home from a ski trip. Jennifer, Jill, Hanson, Quinn, Wil and MK couldn't be here, but Bobby came. Tripp and Susan stopped by to say hello but couldn't stay for dinner. Sister, Will, Julia, Thomas, Lynn, Tommy and Maggie were here but little Will got sick so Anna needed to stay with him. Then it snowed and David couldn't ski until later, so he didn't get here either. Braxton wasn't coming but plans changed so he came and we enjoyed meeting Ian who came with Katherine. Lynn and I had some good laughs because everytime I counted how many people would be at the dinner table it was 12. Not always the same 12 but always 12. It was a good time not to use place cards.

We also had the joy of Julia and Braxton's baby, Maggie, in the house overnight. Is there anything sweeter than a baby in soft, cuddly Christmas pajamas with bright eyes reaching for a Christmas tree? Pure wonder.

The next morning Sister made breakfast casserole at her house before everyone headed off in different directions. Breakfast casserole is great for holidays or anytime there is a crowd in the house because you put it together the night before and then bake in the morning. It serves a crowd and the clean up is easy. My favorite breakfast casserole recipe came from my neighbor Sally. She was sweet to bring one over in a time of need and I had shared it with Sister and Lynn. This recipe has less bread and more eggs than the one I used to make. It also has a lot of sausage and we laughed because we sure have had a lot of pig this weekend.

Mama Crowder would have loved it.

Neighbor Sally's Breakfast Casserole

1 1/2 lbs sausage browned and drained (I use some regular and some hot sausage mixed together)
9 eggs slightly beaten
3 cups milk
3 slices bread, cubed
1 1 /2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I grate an 8 ounce block)
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste

Layer bread, sausage and most of the cheese in 9 x 13 pyrex dish. Mix milk, eggs, mustard, salt pepper together and pour over. Top with rest of cheese.
Refrigerate overnight then Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour uncovered.

Christmas Stockings

In the 1950s, Mom and Dad started sending Christmas cards to friends and to Dad's dental patients. They did this for years and people are always mentioning these cards to all of us and sometimes giving us copies of them. Just a couple of years ago, someone rang the doorbell and handed me several Christmas cards that he had found while cleaning out his mother's house in Cliffside. That was really a thoughtful gesture and I am thrilled to have them.

In most of the Christmas cards, we are dressed in our pajamas standing under our Christmas Stockings. Mama made alot of our clothes back then and she also made our Christmas Stockings.

The stockings are made out of red outing trimmed at the top with little white balls. Our names are written in white rick rack. She sewed on a green wreath, a green Christmas tree decorated with sequins and on the toe she had sewn Frosty the Snowman. She still has these stockings hanging over the basement fireplace in Lattimore. They stay up all year. Truly.

Sometime in the late 1980s, David and I were driving home from a Carolina Football game when we stopped in Burlington at an outlet mall. I wandered in to an Eagle's Eye outlet and saw a rack full of identical Christmas pajamas. Without any hesitation we bought five pairs of pajamas and headed home. I called each of my sisters with an idea to have a picture of us in the pajamas standing under our Christmas stockings as a gift to Mama and Daddy for Christmas that year. Everyone was on board immediately and someone came up with the idea to try to do it in front of the fireplace in our old house in Lattimore. Never mind that we didn't know the person who lived there. After much discussion, we also determined that the only day we would all be together to take this picture would be Thanksgiving Day.

We found out that our old house was owned by a guy named Chris Cook so one of us called him and asked if we could do it. He said sure. Then we asked if we could do it on Thanksgiving Day. Miraculously he agreed. So someone called professional photographer Steve Martin and asked if he would take the picture on Thanksgiving Day. Miraculously Steve also agreed. These guys were good sports.

We wanted to keep this little project a secret from Mom and Dad so we could surprise them on Christmas Day. So on Thanksgiving Day, all five of us were at Mom and Dad's house and then we all disappeared to go take the picture. Daddy cannot stand to be left out and word had it that he was pacing around asking where everybody went! And of course, Mama had no idea where we were either. Our husbands knew but they weren't about to let on.

To add to the drama, it was raining and thundering and lightning that day. Oh, and Chris Cook was in the middle of renovations and only had spotlights for lighting. So Chris and Steve left their warm, dry homes on Thanksgiving Day to come into a cold, dark house and take pictures using spotlights of 5 girls in their pajamas. Steve joked that the Sheriff might show up any minute.

Libby and Penny had borrowed our stockings from Mama's and also a few candlesticks and some greenery to try and duplicate the setting from the 50s.

So the picture was taken and we had it framed with two of the original Christmas cards. We presented it to Mom and Dad on Christmas day that year and they loved it. Dad had an office at the Round Up and he wanted to hang the picture there. Shortly after that the Round Up burned to the ground. The building was destroyed and we lost a lot of inventory. But the first thing Daddy thought of was that picture and he was very emotional that it was gone.

Thankfully, Steve made another copy of the picture, we found more copies of the original cards, had it all framed and gave it to them again. Those stockings that Mama made long ago really are the gift that keeps on giving.

Winter Comfort Food - Chicken with Rice and Gravy on Toast

Gardner Webb's basketball team has had a really long away schedule playing at Elon in Burlington, then flying to Oklahoma to play OU and then on to Phoenix to play Arizona State. We drove to the Elon game loaded with a trailer full of Christmas Trees to deliver to Will and Tommy for a charity project. We didn't go to Oklahoma or Arizona, but Pleasant City Grill found the Oklahoma game on Direct TV so we enjoyed watching it there. The Bulldogs have had some tough games and tough losses but Jay said that being in Oklahoma and then getting to spend some time in Phoenix was a great experience.

Both Jay and David came home on Sunday night for a little R and R before heading back to school for exam week. I made comfort food - homemade biscuits, pork tenderloin, baked potatoes and Mama's homecanned green beans. Dingo and Mr. Cat and a warm fireplace provided comfort as well.

It's been really cold and snuggling in front of the fireplace is a favorite winter past time. Mama and Daddy love a fireplace too and light a fire nearly every day in Lattimore. When they built the current Lattimore house, Mama went to the library and checked out books about fireplaces. She researched the best designs for the best draw and then designed the fireplace for their house. When they built the cabin, she designed that one too. Both fireplaces are beautiful, put out a lot of heat and draw perfectly. Mama keeps a very appropriate book by her fireplace called "Sitting by my Laughing Fire".

Since it's been so cold, I wanted to take something warm to the guys at Santa's Finest Christmas Trees. These guys come to Shelby every year to sell trees and they are so sweet and helpful when it's time to pick out our tree. I joked with them that they have probably saved our marriage because when it comes to a Christmas tree I am pretty particular. We used to go up to the mountains to cut a tree and bring it home. Then David would get out a chain saw, saw off the lower limbs and put it in a tree stand. On a couple of occasions this was pretty nerve wracking. For both of us. Now we take our tree stand to Santa's Finest where they have a tree shaker and all of the right tools to get it straight and securely into the stand. In about ten minutes. Without any stress. So you can understand why I want to take them something warm to eat.

The night we picked out our tree, we took Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup and Hot Cornbread. To make this soup, I put stew beef into a crockpot with salt, pepper and maybe some other spices and leave it in there for 7-8 hours. Crockpots are wonderful. Then I make Cowboy Soup (October 6, 2010 post) and add the cooked stew beef. One of Santa's Finest took a bite of the soup and he paid the highest of all compliments. He said, "This tastes just like my mama's".

So we got our tree home and David IV helped decorate it before he left for exams. We use both white and multicolored lights and we have various shapes and sizes on there. There is no theme to our tree, but just a mixture of all kinds of things. There are ornaments we have bought on trips, ornaments that were gifts, ornaments the boys made over the years and even a few that we found after the boys collected trees for the New Year's eve bonfire. Every ornament on the tree is a trip down memory lane.

So, when we finished the tree it was so pretty that I wanted to take Santa's Finest another warm meal to let them know how much we appreciate them. The weather was about 15 degrees so I made a huge pot of Chicken and Rice Soup and took it on over to the christmas tree lot.

Then I came home and had one of my all time favorite meals - Chicken Rice and Gravy on Toast. I think this dish started out as a way for Mama to use up leftover chicken and rice. Sometimes she served it to us for breakfast. I don't know if anyone else ever eats chicken and rice for breakfast, but it is great. It's great for lunch too and always good on a cold winter's night.

Chicken Rice and Gravy on Toast

Chicken was on sale so I cooked about 8 breasts in the crockpot. I added celery, onion, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, celery seed and some chicken broth and cooked on low all day while I was working and running errands. Gotta love a crockpot. Then I removed three breasts and shred with two forks like Susan taught me. I saved the rest of the chicken for another meal.

In another pot, cook about 6 servings of rice. You may not use all of the rice.

For gravy, put 1/2 stick butter and about 3 tablespoons of flour into a pan and cook until the flour is slightly brown. Then add broth a cup at a time and whisk. I probably used 2-3 cups of broth to make the gravy.

Mix chicken, a few cups of rice and gravy together and add more broth if you want it more soupy. I usually add rice and broth until I get it the consistency that I want. You can always add more but you can't add less.

When ready to eat, toast several slices of loaf bread. Put toast on a plate and ladle your desired amount of chicken, rice and gravy on top. Then curl up in front of a fireplace and take a long winter's nap.

Taking a Breather - Russian Tea

As some seasons rev up other seasons come to a close.

The Holiday season is definitely on the up swing. Everything is decorated except for the tree and we plan to do that today. The first of the Christmas gatherings started on Friday and it was a joy to take a breather from our regular routines to enjoy fellowship in a variety of settings. Conversations are different at the holidays with some happy and some sad memories shared this week in offices, homes, shops and the grocery store aisles. I think what makes the conversations different this time of year is because while things are very busy we take a breather from routine and share a little more.

For the first time in my life, I have completed Christmas shopping in one day. This was partially due to the fact that I didn't have much time and partially because our Christmas shopping list is short, simple and streamlined. Not surprisingly, our big families on both sides get together for fun, food, and fellowship during the holidays, but we have minimal gift giving. This has been a good change in tradition.

Changes are always coming and a big one came yesterday as Wofford played in the quarterfinal FCS playoff game against Georgia Southern at Gibbs Stadium. Carol, Jim and Jamey were coming from Shelby to watch and to meet the Wofford tailgate crowd. We were excited to have a home playoff game and we were lucky that our friend, Harry and his cooking crew were available to come do a post game fish fry for the tailgate crowd. Harry's fish fry menu includes fresh fried fish, fresh cut french fries, homemade slaw and homemade hushpuppies. Everything is breaded and fried on the spot and it is wonderful. Harry is a lot like Santa Claus with a twinkle in his eye and a sweet disposition as he goes about making miracle meals in a quiet and unhurried way. His crew are like the sweet elves who make Santa's workshop run like clockwork.

We needed this miracle meal because at the end of the game the score was Georgia Southern 23 - Wofford 20. Wofford had a rocky start but had made a huge comeback in the second half. The sweet gentleman sitting on my left said he had been watching Wofford football since 1945 when his parents brought him to games. When the whistle blew, he said, "Well they didn't really lose this one. The time just ran out."

True to the excitement of playoffs, time ran out on the 2010 Wofford season. But these senior players have had a tremendous run over four years with 2 championship rings and three visits to the playoff series. And we all had a tremendous run with life long relationships that were built between players, parents and families. As David pointed out it was a real treasure for our family to enjoy football, food, fun and fellowship with such a wonderful group of people. Our sons brought us all together and we are proud of them and proud of their hard work and dedication.

So we accept the passing of time and the changes that come with it. And we are grateful for all of the blessings.

In several conversations this week, as people acknowledged life changes that are tough to handle, the conversation has ended with someone saying "well, it is what it is". Daddy told me that his father (Pawpaw) used that phrase a lot to say that there are some things you just have to accept and move forward. The big thing is not to let the changes stop you in your tracks. I laughed when Daddy quoted PawPaw in the Lattimore vernacular saying, "Tiz what tiz and can't be no tizzer!"

Russian Tea

It's a cold rainy day and that makes me think of Russian Tea. This is a hot spiced tea that Mama or Judy always made in the winter or when somebody needed to rest and regroup. The warmth, the smell and the flavor are magical. Try it when you need to take a breather and remind yourself "Tiz what tiz!"

This takes two large pots and is done on the stovetop.

In First Pot:

2 Family Size tea bags (or 6 regular ones)
1 Quart water
1 or 2 sticks cinnamon
1 Tbsp whole cloves

Put tea, water, cinnamon and cloves in a pot and bring to a boil. Steep 20 minutes after boiling starts.

In the meantime, in another large pot mix together the following:

1 cup of orange juice
1 Tbsps liquid artificial sweetener like sucrose
(with the diabetes gene in our family, we always used artificial sweetener)
Juice of two lemons
1 quart water

Strain the first pot into the second pot and heat. Relax and enjoy.