Articles
The not-so-caring care package
Generally speaking, I’m a good Mom. My children have always been well fed, clothed and somewhat protected from the elements, at least while I was watching. I only lost one of them once, but in the end, he was found at an elderly neighbor’s house watching cartoons and eating Jell-O, so the police forgave…
Read MoreMy 16 year old trainer
As a teenager, I had the burdensome task of helping my clueless parents understand everything from how to dress to what they should be eating. In college, I took a nutrition class and came home and cleared out their refrigerator of any hydrogenated oils, nitrate laced meats and fake dairy creamers. I helped my Mother…
Read MoreHospitality lives on and on
This past week, I delivered not one, but two 7-Up Cakes to friends who were suffering from one kind of affliction or the other. Now, in and of themselves, 7-Up Cakes have no proven healing qualities nor have they ever claimed to cure a single thing, but we all know that like the salt water…
Read MoreBetter than a chick-flick
With my college son working at a camp in Mississippi during the summer, I’m home all day with my dear husband, who works most of the time in his home office and son #2 who works on being a teenager. All day. ALLLL DAAAY. Not that I don’t love every second of being surrounded by their…
Read MoreFind your Steinway
“If you could have any power, talent or ability, what would it be?” This was the question asked by friends over dessert one night. After thinking for a moment, I decided that aside from having the power to time travel (hello, young Elvis) I would like to be able to play the piano like Harry…
Read MoreThe Greatest Love of All
It’s often said that food equals love, and there’s no more powerful proof of God’s love and downright favoritism for the South than in his ultimate gift of “Dinner on the Grounds,” but half the excitement in the gift is knowing how to accept it graciously, and with that in mind, I think we’re not…
Read MoreFirst, you make a roux . . .
A church to which I once belonged assembled a cookbook and asked all members to contribute their favorite recipes. Knowing the longevity of such books, my Mother wisely warned me not to submit recipes that contained the phrase, “open a can of . . .” She said it would haunt me for the rest of…
Read MoreWhy I teach Vacation Bible School
This story can be found in my book, The Majorettes are Back in Town and Other Things to Love About the South The word, “Vacation” in Vacation Bible School is a trick that makes sweet church ladies volunteer for the king-daddy of all summer spectacles. No longer a quiet week of coloring pictures of Moses…
Read MoreBack in Black
A few months after a cheerful parade celebrating her 100th birthday, complete with a ride in a convertible Corvette, my Great Aunt passed away, and I was thrown into a tizzy trying to find a dress to wear to the funeral. Or should I say, a “proper” dress to wear to the funeral. I searched…
Read MoreOperation Lawrence Welk
This story is included in the book: The Majorettes are Back in Town. When we’re home on a Saturday evening, and everyone is scattered around the house doing their own thing, I like to slip over, grab the remote control and turn the TV to the PBS station and crank up The Lawrence Welk Show.…
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