I’m Out of Chanel

I was never one to wear perfume or cologne as I grew up. My father was terribly allergic and went into a hay fever sneezing frenzy if we wore it. No, no perfume or cologne in our house. But then, over the years I liked the scent of sweetness, musk, rose or lavender. I remember [...]

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Peace, Love, Hope, Joy

I love Advent and the anticipation of lighting each candle each week. Advent begins this November 27. As the Advent light increases, our own readiness for the Christmas season increases. God has already given us Peace, Love, Hope and Joy. All are renewed and will be born again in our lives this Christmas time. We [...]

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Traditions

This was a letter I wrote to my grandson earlier this school year to help him with a school project on Traditions. Dear A, Thank you for such a wonderful letter. It was so well written. I am so proud of your handwriting and the beautiful sentences you wrote. You asked me to write you [...]

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There are Vegans in the Family

There will be 25 to 30 at my mother’s for Thanksgiving. And, as we celebrate Thanksgiving in just a week, I want to remember there are vegans in the family. So this is just a continuation of my post on serving up the perfect gravy. For some, the perfect gravy means no meat drippings. For [...]

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A Family Secret: How to Make Gravy With No Lumps

In memory of Allie Karine Sullins We love gravy in my household. My mother liked au jus, my mother-in-law made it thicker adding flour and milk (or stock). But how to make it without getting those lumps? When my mother-in-law shared with me her secret, I felt I had won the cook’s lottery. I watched [...]

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Caption This #7 Winner

Reblogged from Notes from Africa: We have a winner for Caption This #7 which you, the reader, voted for. To see who won go to Caption This #7. Also see the previous winners at the Caption This Winners Gallery. Thank you to Lisa for hosting this. Please visit Lisa’s site. In addition to a beautiful [...]

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11-11-11

How often does this happen that the month, date and year coincide? If my reasoning isn’t flawed only at the beginning of centuries this can occur since there are only 12 months in a year. That means we have only one more year to observe another same month-same date-same year, 12-12-12. But there is only [...]

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“What is Class?” II

I met him because he approached me. He walked into my room in August as I got ready for another school year. Who is this likeable, unassuming stranger who just walked in making himself at home in my room? I had just given birth to Daughter #1. I felt torn to be at school and [...]

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“What is Class?” I

“Class never runs scared. It is sure-footed and confident in the knowledge that you can meet life head on and handle whatever comes along. Jacob had it. Esau didn’t. Symbolically, we can look to Jacob’s wrestling match with the angel. Those who have class have wrestled with their own personal angel and won a victory [...]

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The Ship Captain and the Finger Bowl

As I have mentioned before, my Dutch grandmother used to visit our family once a year. It was never during the summer, and always during the school year. As I think back on it, perhaps the prospect of being around four children all day long during the hot Southern summers was not as inviting as [...]

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