Southern Life – Page 2 – Zuzu and Papa

November 26, 2012June 1, 2021

My Sister’s Home

I took a little “Mama Break” a couple of weeks ago and spent two days with my sister. Just reading, relaxing, reviving… I highly recommend “Mama Breaks”! I haven’t taken one in years and desperately needed to just get away from laundry, cooking, etc. My family did survive. They were certainly glad when I came home, though, especially Victor. It really does take the two of us to keep a happy home, one that runs somewhat smoothly, with everyone fed, clothed and in their right mind. I am going to start taking a couple of days away throughout the year, though. I don’t need to let myself get into that overwhelmed state of mind again.

My sister was so gracious (Brad and Millie, too!). Her home was welcoming and so relaxing. I am always a little surprised by how much our tastes are alike. We have the same love for shabby and comfy homes. We both love old photos, vintage anything, and splashes of color. The side door to my home is apple green. She has painted the swing on her front porch a bright blue. I loved seeing the similarities in the way we think. A couple of years ago, we both showed up at Christmas with the same exact wrapping paper.

Here are some of the neat things that I loved in her home:

Pretty touches everywhere

Rusty things

Shane, my bud while I read my book, drank my coffee and snapped his picture

Urns and milk glass..love, love.

Old floral pictures and yummy wallpaper. Triple love.

Really, perfect. I’m needing one of these…

A kitchen table and chairs fromt the 50’s…or 40’s, not sure, but love it.

This is her butcher block island in the kitchen. I need this, too…

Old tables rock

We both love chenille

November 20, 2012June 1, 2021

Another Boomer story…

We have a coon dog, Boomer. I’ve written about this wily dog before. He was the dog Will picked out at the animal shelter when he just HAD to have a dog. We love him, most of us anyway, but he is a problem child. Very strong willed and sneaky. He actually smiles, curling up his lips and showing his teeth when he has been caught doing something naughty, like stealing eggs from the hen house, or shredding shoes, or digging in the mulch.

Boomer and our lab, Butch, have learned to dig out of their pen. We have tried, very unsuccessfully, to fix it so that they cannot dig out, but they are so determined that after an hour or so, they end up back on the porch covered in dirt. It’s not a little, confined pen, either. It’s big with nice dog houses and a lot of running room. They have tasted freedom, though, and want no part of it any more.

Butch is not a barker, but heaven help us, Boomer has that coon dog howl that will drive a person mad, especially at night when all the ‘critters’ of the woods come out. In my weak, sleepless moments, I have resorted to stuffing a hot dog with sleep aids and feeding it to him in the middle of the night. A mama’s got to do what a mama’s got to do.

For the past few weeks, we have been able to catch the dogs and put them in the feed room of the barn. It’s nice and comfy and has a door that they cannot possibly squeeze out of. Boomer has caught on to the plan now, though, and will not let anyone catch him when it’s time to go up for the night.

So, last night was a fiasco. The moon was shining brightly and he could see everything in the fields and woods. His howling started at 10:30. I had been asleep about an hour. Well, Victor was snoring in one ear and the dog was barking in the other, so I looked for an alternate sleeping place. I went to the couch in the family room – in the back of the house where I thought I couldn’t hear Boomer. We have a huge barn fan that we turn on at night that should drown out all noises, but nooooo.

Around 2:30, I just couldn’t take it anymore. Boomer was going crazy in the back yard. I called him to the door, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him into Victor’s office and shut him in there.

Victor woke up about that time and I said, “Boomer is in your office. So help me, if you let him out and I hear him bark in the wee hours of the morning, it will be all your fault.” Now, that made no sense, but I was losing it by then.

So, Victor got up about 4ish and found Boomer comfortably snoozing in his prayer chair. Papa was not happy! Boomer does not have a fresh aroma to say the least. He runs far, far away when he sees that we are going to give him a bath. The chair is airing out on the porch. Poor old Boomer was hauled out to the barn so Mama could have a couple hours of rest.

What a night.

November 3, 2012August 6, 2013

Chipped Plates

This is one of those blessings that you have to go all around the circle and as you’re coming back around, you realize that you can be thankful for it.

I registered for Wedgwood, Queen’s Shape everyday dishes when we got engaged. I received about 12 place settings. We don’t use them every single day, but I do bring them out quite a bit. I like using the salad plates for our breakfast because they’re the perfect size.

Yesterday, as I was washing the ones we had just used, I noticed that every single one of them has a nasty chip on the side. I am assuming that these chips came from slinging them around too hard when they were being washed. I also noticed that one of my big serving platters has a crack almost all the way across. Now, I’m not placing blame on anyone here, but some people in the family wash dishes like it’s a race at the speedway – slinging them here and there, smacking them on the faucet and throwing them into the dishwasher.

How in the world can this be a blessing?

I’m thankful for:

~ the nice plates, chips and all ~

~ food to serve on them ~

~ a husband and children to wash them ~

~ a family to sit around the table and eat from them ~

This is a thought that could just keep on rolling along. I could talk about how I am not the same glossy plate that I was 22 years ago and how I’ve gotten chipped up along the way, but that all those chips mean I’ve lived a good life and have had tons of battles and blessings, but I’ll save that thought for another time!

Blessings to you today!

August 24, 2012June 18, 2013

High School

I went to open house at the high school last night. I had such a nostalgic feeling as I walked through the halls and smelled the science lab and the gym. Do you remember the smell of the gym? That floor wax smell? It hasn’t changed a bit.

There are all kinds of new gadgets and gizmos that weren’t around 30 years ago when I was in high school, but basically, kids are the same. They’re trying to find their place. They’re trying not to stand out or be different. Well, most of them anyway.

I got a little excited as I walked from class to class to meet the teachers. What was my teacher (my daughter’s teacher) going to be like? Should I sit in the front or the back? I found myself sending my daughter a text when I found out that she was having two tests today. “You’re having a Spanish test! Are you studying?”

And another text, “Oh, my goodness, sweetie! You’re having a vocab test in English! Are you studying?”

The reply: “Mom. Yes.”

If I had to go back and ‘do’ high school all over again, with the wisdom I have gained through the years, I would tell myself to branch out some. I wouldn’t be so afraid of the ‘potheads’ or the kids who smoked outside. I would get to know more people.

I would most definitely put a little more effort into my work. I made good grades, but I could have made better. I could have pushed myself more.

I would tell myself to not worry so much about fashion or style or where my friends bought their clothes.

But, all that stuff was important then and it’s still important now to teenagers. It may take them 30 years to realize that what really mattered was how they treated people. That’s what they will remember.

August 21, 2012June 18, 2013

Hannah’s Horse Paintings

I was cleaning my daughter’s room yesterday and found these paintings.

She was working on them last week.

I know because I saw her washing out brushes in the kitchen.

But, she never showed me the paintings.

To my quiet, reserved, humble middle child…

I will find your talents and show them to the world!

June 29, 2012June 18, 2013

4-H County Livestock Show

The county livestock show was today. We had one steer and two heifers. Here are some highlights…

Nanny and Violet came to watch!

Backcombing the tail! It needs to be really fluffy.

“Fitting” the heifer includes adhesive, conditioner, combs and even spray paint.

Getting ready to go into the ring for the first time with a heifer. He did a great job!

Campbell’s friends came by to watch and support him!

Father and Son

June 27, 2012June 18, 2013

Pictures from Haiti

I’m still trying to get my busy teenager, Hannah, to sit down and write a blog about her mission trip to Haiti. Last week, she was at a horse show in Shelbyville and this week, she’s taking some riding lessons and preparing for the 4-H Livestock Show. She was on the radio yesterday morning promoting the show and I was so proud of her. She wasn’t nervous at all!

So, for now, I will share some of the photos. Her stories are so sweet and touching and I can’t wait for her to share some of them with you.

The ShowHope group. If anyone is thinking about doing a Haiti mission trip next year, I would highly recommend this group. The leaders were so kind and Christlike. The facility was very well run and I was so impressed with the stories Hannah told me about how the orphanage is operated.

The Hands and Feet facility. Hannah and the group painted one of the buildings one day as part of their ministry.

My Hannah. They spent a lot of the time just loving on the kids.

This is the aquaduct where their water comes down the hill into the town. They were taking a hike up the mountain.

The top of the mountain. Look at that view!

Taking the kids swimming in the beautiful, clear Carribbean! They also had a beach-side church service.

May 10, 2012June 18, 2013

Carnton Field Trip

What a fun day we had! Well, I just stayed for the first leg which was Carnton. The kids then went on to the Carter House. Campbell informs me that most of these people are not in his class, but they were so cute, I couldn’t resist making pictures. The lunches were put in these little pails, covered with a red bandana. The temperature for the day was perfect ~ around 72 degrees. The kids were all so smart and knew the answers to all of the questions that were asked by the guide, much to Ms. Bugg’s relief!

March 5, 2012September 18, 2013

Behind the Scenes

I seem to do my best work behind the scenes.

My husband gets all the “Volunteer of the Year” awards and I am happy to have dinner waiting when he returns from wherever he’s been volunteering.

I have everyone’s clothes washed and freshly pressed so that they may go out with pride to their next adventure. Actually, I’m sure they never really even think about it – their clothes being clean, that is, until something is needed and is in the hamper.

I have the house ready on Friday for all the teenagers I know will be hanging out on the weekends…sheets changed, pizza ordered, blankets ready for sleeping over, pantry full of snacks. They think it just happens, I suppose, or don’t even think about it at all.

So many little behind the scene things take place in the household to keep things running smoothly.

When you go to church, do you ever stop to think about all the behind the scene things that have gone on to make the two hours run smoothly? Hours of music and choir practice, hours of studying Sunday School lessons, hours of prayer, someone paying the bills, someone coming in and making sure the lights and heat are on, someone scheduling nursery workers, someone cleaning up after us all. I can’t even begin to name everything. Just suffice it to say, a whole week’s worth of work and preparation has gone into those two precious hours.

I had the privilege of working behind the scenes for a beautiful wedding this weekend. How many hours, days, weeks, months go into planning a wedding? For maybe, just maybe, two hours of celebration.

So, my point in writing this is to ask…is it worth it? All the planning and preparation to make an event, a home, a worship service the best it can be? In the midst of the behind the scenes, I might be tempted to answer no, but always, when the end result is reached and you see the good in all the work done, the lives touched, the people blessed, the bride happy, the family content, my answer is yes.

Behind the scenes is where it’s happening! Usually, it all goes unnoticed, but wouldn’t this be a good day to find someone who works behind the scenes and tell them they’re appreciated?

I made a few pictures behind the scenes as we prepped the food for the wedding this weekend. Unless someone stuck their head in the kitchen, they may never even have thought of the world of activity that was going on in there. We had fun, all the busy kitchen fairies.