Talk About Imagination & Creativity-Using What You Have~

Clarence Turner

[Photos /all Mobley first cousins-]*
Another blogger's post has prompted me to challenge my recall of our long ago simple  uncomplicated  way of life- dishpans not dishwashers, egg beaters and forks instead of KitchenAid modern wonders, brooms not sweepers and vacuum cleaners, wash pans  that had to be filled for each use then the water thrown out- not sinks where the water drained away out of sight. Aprons were appropriate attire about the house especially with meal preparation. And building imaginary playhouses in the sand under the huge sycamore trees..building materials? We had a ready supply of twigs, pebbles, rocks, leaves, perhaps bottles, jars or tin cans & a lively active IMAGINATION.  By the way- the empty tin cans served other purposes..a major use was for early evening game of TIN CAN HIDE AND GO SEEK.  I can hear it in my head now: "Coming, Ready or not! [" Does that mental picture call to mind "To Kill A Mockingbird"..the movie? ]

Then the sound of Mama's voice calling us to come in and the whining response:  "Ahhh Do we have to.?"

If this sounds vaguely reminiscent of The Waltons...yes many similarities depending on exactly which decade  and precisely what part of the country we harken back to as we test our long term recall.

Indeed it was another world...less complicated, sometimes harsh  but we can assemble a long list of good things which would include people having time for each other. Imagine That!

Calton /Carl w Jonell Center

*postscript: Years later when our boys were middle school into high school..Deanna trailing behind; lots of kids gathered over in another neighborhood  before dark  &  beyond dark thirty for a huge game of what they called KICK THE CAN..pretty much the same as our TIN CAN HIDE AND GO SEEK FROM DECADES EARLIER.

Three first Cousins: Ivis, Audrey, Glenda

*Not many of our Mobley Cousins lived far away from South Georgia and even those who did managed to visit regularly. when my family  moved away we were still there for reunions, holidays and spent some time together during the summer.  Has this turned into a Cousin Post?  Let's just call it a Random Post then ..a random post containing rambling recollections of another time. [Somebody remind me to find more Cousin pics to post here]

Where Ideas, Inspiration & Clarity Often Find Me~

Some Crafters, Decorators, Designers, Stagers have dedicated spaces where their 'magic happens'. I find  my inspiration basically in the outdoors and most often that would be at home. *Welcome to my Creative Spaces~*I hope you can linger for 'a while.' [image: Posted by Picasa]

Please join with me for Home and Garden Thursday  at Delightsome Life -

Save a Few Spaces for Simple, Understated Decor Choices

 PLEASE JOIN HEATHER FOR CHRISTMAS IN JULY AT STRINGTOWN HOME

In the midst of all the glitz, shimmer and shine and over the
top decorations it's always good to dedicate a few spots for
Very simple, Understated scenes. Too heavy in every room
and your message gets lost. btw those are COFFEE BEANS
AROUND THE BARGAIN CANDLE.  ..



Which Do I Love More-Bargains or Vintage?





I always find a place to use naturals even as ordinary as PINE CONES
unfinished, sprayed/glittered,large or small-The Green Christmas Tree
Candles came from Cracker Barrel about 5 yrs ago..Yes, you guessed
it..January 1/2 price sale. They are such perfection I am torn between
lighting them and not. OOPS I almost forgot - If you absolutely love the
"little people" now is the time to start hitting the antique, flea mkts,.etc
to find them. I try to add a few really Vintage if not antique ornaments
or other distinctive decorations every year..
CHRISTMAS IN JULY AT STRINGTOWN HOME

Grandparents, Empty Nesters- It May be Time for Changes at Christmastime



Traditions - Life - Change

By the way I finally learned about this thing we call Traditions- not too many years ago either.
Traditions are not really things we decide to make a tradition`
Traditions are what we see as we look back over the years..
seeing those wonderful, fun, silly things we did or tried our best to do 
Over and over again and again.



Christmas Morning Brunch 2011- 

As the years pass families change with the children growing up & marrying, Grands coming then becoming teenagers, college, work, marriage and moves.

This sometimes requires that we make changes & this is not always easy. This new tradition of Christmas morning brunch "happened upon us" last year-Christmas Day was on Sunday-I knew we would  not  enjoy  a special meal even in the nicest restaurant   in town.  With no real fuss I dressed that table in a flash with all the FANCIES and [to quote my friend Heather  Graham ] Viola~magically there appeared a festive, colorful and frivillous holiday brunch that was so beautiful there was no way TP could experience that without comment. 

Girls remember: Just use what you have
Note: By way of explanation, Our children and their families have not abandoned us. We have another new Christmas tradition we fell into just three years ago that is working  for all of us. Our children and all available of the grands gather in Brundidge at our home on the 23rd of December, the day BEFORE Christmas eve for Christmas festivities..then all who can, stay overnight and  Christmas Eve morning each group leaves as they need too, leaving the house empty except for the two of us by around noon. ..time for last minute various group pictures before they take off. Last year the make do breakfast was Crispy Creme Donuts..easy no big fuss. 

You all know how these younger family members dilly dally. This arrangement allows every family to be free for whatever schedule or obligations/plans they have that may include travel or their other relatives and I don't have to feel guilty for keeping them away from other things. This arrangement requires that Gramma have an attitude adjustment [ I won't suggest that is easy either]..and it also allows an opportunity for some quiet, thoughtful, relaxing yes, even romantic  choices for the balance of your Christmastime. Be Creative!



*postscript:  Just in case I don't get to share this anywhere else with you..When our youngest was about 6 yrs old [1972] we began to have Christmas Eve Buffets-just our family. That continued as long as the children were home. Remember things begin to change. At some Point [after we had no more Santa Believers] Mom initiated the RULE OF LAW..on Christmas morning no one was allowed to tackle the Christmas tree until Mom said Ready, Set,Go! That meant Mom had time to make homemade hot chocolate and get decently dressed. No more "come as you are" Christmas photos of this Mom.  Somewhere along the way I began to make FRENCH MUFFINS..I will find and post this eeeeeeeeezz, fast and fancy recipe -Soon.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY AT STRINGTOWNHOME

Old Friends Day-Life is Good~

A Whole day set aside to visit with TP's old high school friends, Dean & Peggy. We are lucky ducks to get to stay at their B&B when we go to Jackson. All three are of the Jackson High School class of 1955..and omy do they have 'stories to tell.'

I suppose you want to know the menu for this elite gathering of four? I thought so-just for you:

~Homemade Chicken salad 

{ w thin slices of Chicken on Romaine Lettuce}

~ Creamy-Dreamy Deviled Eggs

~Cold Teeny Tiny English Peas/cold

~Pop's Sweet Pickle Slices

{ circa 2012}

Southern Sweet Tea/ Lemonade

Dessert:  [Buttermilk] Vanilla Ice Cream

 [atop shortbread crumbles-sprinkled w cinnamon and topped with a shortbread cookie.-in a pretty glass of course.]

-Dean and Peggy were high school sweethearts [before my time] and TP and Dean were 'good buddies', played football and a whole lot of other fun things back in the fabulous fifties. Actually I think TP claimed Dean as his friend because it gave him dining privileges at Dean's Mama's table. There were not many cooks like Gladys and the big guys always found their way  to Dean's house to eat. During their senior year their class had about 50 class parties of some sort. 
I feel truly blessed to be accepted into this exclusive club..after all I've only been connected for 53 years now.
What a wonderful day we had. Our travelers tried to 'eat and run' but we had decided we were having none of that..discovered they had working headlights on their car so we just refused to unlock the door and let them go early.

"As they say" all good things must come to an end so the best we could do was load them up with some of TP's homemade fig preserves and sweet pickles and some fresh from our tree figs..then insisted Peggy take a bag of some of the  custom blend of 'natural potpourri' we put together on the spot with dried rose petals, eucalyptus leaves, rosemary and hydrangea. Yes, Life is Good!

Wait, There's More~

Sneak Peek into our WISTERIA PROJECT  - It began about 5 years ago in a new home [2006]with new 'yarden' challenges and TP's installing electrical outlets and faucets strategically throughout the entire outdoor living area. The WISTERIA  was planted about that time [adjacent to faucet & outlet]  awaiting the vision to magically appear-'Tis the season -the time is NOW-stay tuned in-Wait, There's More  will share one teaser photo -  many many more on Opening Day [old folks have a sense of humor]

 

[follow us to Jenny Matlock's Saturday tradition  

 http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/ 

Wait, There's More~~

~jh

What Do We Do With A Day Like This?

We Praise the Lord, Anyway! What do we do with a day like this ? It's a day that does not bring good news, only confirmation of what we anticipated/feared. It's a day with a lot of questions without answers, potential problems without a lot of solutions. It's a day with lots of confusion & doubts and not enough faith. It's a day with space left for [quoting the late Paul Harvey] "the rest of the story."

As the words confusion and doubt leave my lips I am reminded God's Word tells me God is not the author of confusion, therefore; this is satan  trying to defeat me. I choose for that not to happen.

So what does one do with a day like this? Take a long deep breath -   

That's  a PRAISE THE LORD ANYWAY day.

Obviously this post is a call for prayer warriors to circle around.  My silver fox is facing this battle and he is the strong one at this point, not me. The bottom line is: We serve a Mighty God-no matter what the day brings. jh

Try to Re-member~A Cane Grinding

Try to remember ....the days of September~~~ No, no, this is not to be a music quiz, however I do want to challenge our [collective ] ability to recall from waaaaaay back when.  Come along with me.

• What in the world is/was a CANE GRINDING? My recall is from the 1940's & '50s. A cane grinding was several things. First was the grinding of  locally grown sugar cane. The first result left you with a juice. Next the cane juice was cooked in a large round iron pan resting atop an enclosure with a roaring fire beneath. The cane juice was turned into sugar cane syrup.
• Next, this was an evening  social gathering with the neighbors in a rural area. My point of reference is rural south Georgia. The men mostly handled the syrup making. The ladies sat around visiting catching up on family, church and community news. 
• The young children just scattered, ran to and fro both inside & outside the building playing , creating their own fun and games in the dark except for perhaps a campfire outdoors.
• That leaves us with the next group, the teenagers. Surely they didn't hang around for such a boring part social, part work event? Surely they did!! Teenagers looked forward to showing up for these, meeting their friends both boys and girls. It was indeed a party, a social occasion. Why, you may ask would the teenagers hang around much less look forward to such a thing. This was an occasion where the teenagers made their fun by specific games like "spin the bottle" that offered the reward of being able to pair up and amble off for a romantic 'walk down the lane' with your fella or girlfriend or a sweetheart 'wannabee.'  That was basically the whole motivation for attracting and keeping the teenagers' interest and presence. Sometimes this might be the only significant boy-girl dating actually sanctioned.  If a pair were not given their parents' blessing to date they often could arrange to get together  respectably attending a neighbor's cane grinding.
• Next: Your memories. We will move on to other social events like this after I get some feedback from some of you. Please add your memories by leaving a COMMENT. JH

What's for Dinner-

To Market To Market??? No, to our little garden patch in the back yard. When

you  start with fresh picked  Organic corn like this and continue with Mama's 'fried"

corn in the iron skillet it doesn't matter too much what else you finish off with.  It's

Yummo [  Quoting Rachel Ray ]  Maybe it does matter-Let's include some country fried

cornbread. Not to worry-it's not drenched in oil-minimal-still good food. It doesn't take

 much for just two people. 

Borrowed-

I am sharing some encouraging words I found today. It was meaningful for me when I stumbled upon this blog..a timely stumble.  Here's hoping someone else can use it. The author is Neil and you can find him at: http://neilshead.blogspot.com/  [Neil's Notes] I have read no further. Explore  if you wish. JH

 ..when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner.(The Message) . James 1:2-4: Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (The Message). Passages like these press us, they force us to ask the hard questions, like, "Am I really committed to God or am I just playing?" They ask us to look deep within our hearts to make sure that we love God, even when our roses have thorns! I know that in time all things will work out, but getting there is uncomfortable and irritating, can I praise God when I'm mad at life? I think so...I just have to do it by faith:)  Neil's Notes

Happy Independence Day America

Blog readers and followers want details so here's FYI : I honestly cannot spot a thing in this
setting that was not obtained from either a yard sale, flea market or bonafide JUNK STOP/
SHOP! Even the red fiesta plate was a cheap shopping trip ..a steal! I think the goblets [set
of 6] were about $2.00.  And the wonderful [empty] pot in the background was reduced way
LOW..[.LOWE'S]

Join me at  Kellys Korner Blog  www.kellyskornerblog.com  on the front porch, of course-

Everything you see here is resale shop, yard sale, etc. The little primitive  from
"The Heart of Things'" shop  Jasper, Tx made from wide old, old  boards.com





Yes I did ..drape my oldest most prized [antique-really]
quilt over this front porch table..not to worry it's temporary.
Gramma's old but not dumb~

Tablescape Thursday at BNOTP

Tips & Tricks

Welcome Back, Party Animals!

How cute is this necklace?  She revamped some cheap costume pieces, and made something that screams "WOW!"

Love it!!!!  Thanks for sharing, "Twelve-O-Eight"!

Oh, my!  How delicious does this look?!!  My husband saw this, and has been devising a way to make it since then.... Yumm!  Thanks for sharing, "A Lettered Life"!

I have been on the hunt for a cheap planter since I saw this one linked last week!  99 CENTS?!  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!  What a bargain, and NO ONE would have known, if she hadn't told us!  Thanks for linking it up, "Shoestring Elegance"!  I always love seeing your posts!

I must say, you guys rocked last weeks' party!  I can't wait to see what everyone links today! 

Link up as much stuff as you want - and whatever you wish - just nothin' that would make your Mama blush... :)

We would love you forever if you would,

-Follow Stringtown Home

-Follow our cohost, Like Gramma's House

-Grab a button on your way out, or give us a shout out somewhere on your post

-Play nicely... visit some of your fellow linky party participants, and let them know you saw them here.... :)

All in all - thanks so much for joining in on our party!  You are all wonderful, and I'm so honored to have you share your talents with my readers... 

AND!  Happy 4th of July!!! Be safe, and enjoy your friends, family, and FREEDOM!! :)

Grand, Old, Tattered Flag

I had to share with you all my 4th of July bunting I made using grosgrain ribbon and vintage print scrapbook paper.  I wanted it to remind my guests of an old flag - tattered by the years....

Happy 4th of July everyone!  I'm so thankful for Patriots that had a dream that saw "beyond the years..."  For men and women "who more than self their country loved..."

How blessed are we, that we can call this great nation home?

Hugs to you and your family.... eat barbeque, pop fireworks, but don't forget the grand, old, tattered flag, and what she represents...

-Heather



Figs Are Ready in South Alabama

I love them fresh and my hubby makes
Fig Preserves-so you see our experience
is limited-We can learn together.

What to do with your freshly picked figs: Ten Quick Recipes http://localfoods.about.com/od/summer/tp/QuickFigs.htm

Words and the WWW-

Philippians 4:8  ...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. NIV

Philippians 4: 8-9  Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. [The Message]

Changes-Coming, Ready or Not

Change comes whether scheduled or not.

We may keep a detailed datebook and filled in calendar on a door even pencilling in a lot of "maybe" things just to be better prepared.

We can assume the habit of never planning or scheduling anything.

No matter Changes are ahead.

We sometimes have the blessing of choice as to how we handle those changes. We can give in and allow it to change, even defeat us or we can grab onto the pillars of everlasting support available, weather the changing times, maturing.

Dear God, please help us to meet the challenges that Change brings with dignity instead of drama, with Grace that only You can supply...that points others to You.

And O Lord keep our hearts tender and spirits still joyful.