Traveling South: A Family Affair

After a 2-week stay in New Orleans that heralded Anne Kathryn’s arrival in June, it was time to make a return trip to see my grandbabies. It’s hard to fathom that our sweet Anne Kathryn is already two months old and even Ben is changing so fast at 5 years old. Rhyne had an out-of-town conference, mom had not met Anne Kathryn, and Collin couldn’t go because of work.  The plan came together and Mom and I headed south last week.

It was a short visit to begin with, but Harvey prompted us to be cautious and come home a day earlier than planned so that we didn’t get stranded by heavy rains.  We still were glad to see our family and had a good visit.

After some delay from car troubles (another story for another day) and an unexpected trip to the dealership, I picked up mom and we left on Thursday around 10:00.  We had a good drive down and stopped at the Batesville Cracker Barrel for lunch.  Simple pinto beans with corn bread is hard to beat.

We arrived about 6:00 and Anne Kathyrn got to meet her great grandmother for the first time.

It was love at first sight.

We had a great visit on Friday and Saturday.  We had no special plans except to hang out, visit, and enjoy our time with each other.

We enjoyed some great meals together.  Over the course of a few days, we enjoyed roast, broccoli and cheese soup, and meatloaf with veggies.  We had a good time in the kitchen when it was lunch or dinner time.

Saturday afternoon, Micah and I hung some pictures and a few other little projects.  While we had planned to stay Sunday and hear Rhyne preach, the weather prevailed and it seemed best to head home ahead of the predicted heavy rains and possible flooding.

It was a great joy to take Mom to NOLA.  She loves her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. She was thrilled to see this newest little angel that has been added to our family and to hold and love her for a time. She would hold and love Ben but he isn't still long enough. Does this photo give any indication?

She is looking forward to Thanksgiving when she can have all the family together for the holiday. So are we all.

Sometimes we plan, but there are unexpected changes that arise.  When life occurs, we adjust and recognize that God is in control. Nothing catches Him off guard and we trust Him in everything. Even our delay in leaving home was divinely orchestrated as was our coming home.  In confusion or disappointment, I’ve learned to look for the blessing.  We still marked precious moments seeing our family, visiting, sharing laughter and meals.  God blessed, we had a great time, and we were kept safe in His love.  What better way to . . .

Live Simply

Marcia

Eyes to the Skies

Our adventures at the end of July have taken us to the skies—EAA AirVenture 2017.  We spent 10 days including travel time to Osh Kosh, Wisconsin.  We hooked up, once again, to our RV, left home on Thursday at 4:54 a.m. and arrived just a little under 13 hours later at 5:35 at Camp Scholler for a week of planes, helicopters, and all things related to flying.  The annual event is always slated for the last of July is one of the largest airshows in the world.   This is huge—550,000 people were in attendance during the week.  Enthusiasts like ourselves travel from all over the country and internationally to enjoy this week-long event.  You meet some great folks here who love looking up into the clouds just like us.

Collin has always been mesmerized by flying and most may not know that he has his private pilot’s license.  It was always his dream and he reached his goal a number of years ago when we were younger.  He has never gotten over his fascination and wonder of aviation and love for flying.  He is a member of a local EAA chapter and we were there with a number of like-minded friends.

Collin made this journey for 15 years.  I traveled with him the last 5 years of those 15 and come to love the trip and look forward to it with anticipation just as he did.   When we headed home in 2010 we had no idea or even a thought that God would change our life’s plan and that I would become the administrator at Ridgefield Christian the next year.  With that professional change of lifestyle, there was no way I could take a week off with school at hand.  I was too busy hiring staff at the last minute and trying to finish details to open the school doors in early August.  I begged him to go anyway, but he wouldn’t hear of it.  He said after I had traveled with him for 5 years, it just wouldn’t be the same. God surprised us and changed the plan again.  With my retirement and new-found freedom, we were thrilled to discover we could plan for the trip once again and here we were—6 years later.

Finding a camping spot and setting up, we spent Friday-Sunday watching camper after camper come in and we spent time relaxing and renewing acquaintances.  Friday evening, we went out to eat pizza at Christianos with the Dennis and Regina Jaynes and it was delicious.  It didn’t hurt that the temperatures were predicted to be 10 to 20 degrees cooler than what we had left at home in Arkansas.

Sunday, we ventured out to a huge warehouse that reminds me of Peterson’s in Jonesboro.  They had everything imaginable in this antique, rustic store including huge life-size statutes some of which were hilarious.

We capped off the day with burgers from Culvers.  It was fast food, but tasted like the burgers were real beef and made on the spot.  It was excellent. I had fries that were good, but Collin had onion rings, and oh my goodness they were incredible.

Monday was the opening day of the air show.  We began perusing the fly market.  You can find tools, household hold items, yard decoration, bags and wallets of all styles, etc.  We also toured the Ford hanger and looked at models of new cars and trucks.  Additionally, we began moving down the flight line.  Doc, a WWII B-29 bomber was a feature of the week which had already landed.  While we were on the outskirts of the runway, Fifi, it’s counterpart landed.  It was incredible.  These two planes dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which virtually brought WWII to an end. What a fun way to incorporate a history lesson.

Tuesday dawned beautiful and chilly; about 60 degrees.  The projected high was 74.  As we drank coffee early morning, we could watch paragliding.  We had a fun day.  We toured three of four huge hangers which housed exhibitors of plane related items or services along with other unique varieties of merchandise.  Additionally, we returned to the Ford hanger, a major sponsor of EAA and AirVenture, where we did several activities and picked up our souvenir caps for the year.

We also took a spin in a Ford Model T

and a turn on the Ford ferris wheel.

Not only was it a great ride, but it provided a spectacular view.

In the FAA building, we saw several exhibits and had our photo made with Orville and Wilber Wright.  Collin stayed a little longer to watch the air show from the runway area, but I came back to the RV, grabbed a snack and drink since we really didn’t have lunch and watched B-29 bombers and stunt planes from the comfort of my easy chair and the shade.

Wednesday was a rainy day.  I hung in close and enjoyed reading and looking at magazines.  Collin went to the flight line during the afternoon several hours.  After the dinner hour, we headed back to the flight line for a night-time air show.  All the parachute jumpers and stunt planes were equipped with LED lights and the show was sensational.  To complete the evening festivities, a fireworks display was scheduled and I’ve never seen one more beautiful and spectacular.  The funny part was that a rain storm came in that was unexpected and we were soaked.  There was not a dry thread in our clothing.  We had a tiny umbrella in our backpack and we hugged up walking to stay under it and keep our head dry if only somewhat.  We just laughed as we looked like drowned rats and our shoes were going squish, squish, squish.  That was a first and a new adventure for us in our 38 years, and we were having fun.  You are either crazy or sold out to brave the torrential downpour we experienced.  Back at the RV, we threw all our wet clothes in the dryer.  Luckily, I had another pair of tennis shoes, but Collin had to dry his out the next morning with my hair dryer.

Thursday, we took a break from airplanes and Collin spent the day shopping with me.  We traveled to Fond Du Lac and shopped at a Christmas store.  What fun! I love these specialty shops and found some ornaments.

We traveled back to Osh Kosh and shopped an outlet mall across the interstate from Camp Scholler.  I found some great bargains on clothing.  That evening, we drove back to Fond Du Lac with our friends and had dinner at Sunset on the Lake Grill.  The restaurant rests on the shore of Lake Winnebago and we did see a beautiful sunset.

Friday was our last day and we backtracked to see some sights, make a few purchases, and see one last area of planes, the ultralights.  Regardless of the different styles, varieties, and eras of planes, my favorites are always the war birds.  They fascinate me.

There are also a large number of vintage aircraft and barnstormers.

This is 5 o’clock Charlie from the TV series, MASH.  Those who remember this successful sitcom set during the Korean War including Hawkeye, B. J., Radar, Frank, Hotlips, Colonel Potter, Klinger, and a host of other great characters will also remember this plane.  It is a Ryan PT-22 built in 1942. We know the pilot that now owns the plane and who lives in Memphis.  Several years ago, he took me for a ride in this little jewel and we actually did a barrel roll. (Check that one off my bucket list.) I’m living to tell about it.  It was an incredible experience.

Friday afternoon, we watched the Blue Angels and throughout the week a number of stunt planes and groups flying in formations.

Saturday morning, we were packed up and it was time to head home.  We left a little before seven and this was our sendoff.

The balloons were beautiful and we’d never seen them at the show previous to this year.  It was a great week, but we were glad to be headed home.

This is a beautiful area if you’ve never traveled through Illinois and Wisconsin.  This is corn country with rolling hills and these windmills are so graceful as they gently rotate in the breeze.

They are also much taller and bigger than you realize. Touring the countryside and taking in the sights is what I love.  This is why Collin and I love RVing so much and hope when he retires to stay on the road and tour the 48 states.

As we reminisced on our drive, we’d seen a lot, visited with friends, rested, and best of all, relaxed in a pleasant environment.  Once again, we were. . .

Living Simply,

Marcia

Southern Cooking: A Tribute to Some of the Best Cooks I Know

All the district schools in the county forged the opening of another school year today.   As I have retired and am enjoying my new lifestyle to the fullest, I wasn’t among the teaching force this morning.  Oh what bliss!  I pushed the alarm off at 7:00 thinking I would get up, but went back to sleep and didn’t wake up until 8:00.  I lingered over my coffee and spent an hour or so in quiet time. This is a blessed life.

I began some daily chores of laundry, kitchen cleanup, and a garden run.  Once finished, I decided I would spend the afternoon in the kitchen cooking.  This was a carryover from spending Saturday in the kitchen.  I put beef stew in the crock pot to simmer for the day, cut watermelon, and baked cupcakes to take to church for the special luncheon to be held the next day.  Later in the afternoon, I finished up icing the mini confections.  I really enjoyed this time and it made me want to do more of the same today.

I love cooking; I’ve just never had the time when I wasn’t exhausted and cooking was for survival, not enjoyment.  As I went about today, I reminisced about three of the best southern cooks I know, how they loved to cook, and what I learned from them—my mamma, my Aunt Sis, and my grandmother, affectionately named Nanny when I began to talk.  I want to tell you about these dynamic women. Now I’m sure everyone can speak to a relative they have that could hold their own in the kitchen, but I’m telling you, I come from a long line of great women who could cook up a storm.

My grandmother put on a spread like nobody’s business and she was determined to make everyone’s favorite.  Nobody would leave her house hungry or disappointed that she didn’t have their special dessert.  She loved her family and even in the darkest, poorest days of the depression, she knew how to utilize every resource, make everything stretch, and no one went hungry.  Now for the holidays, you could expect every flavor of pie and cake, Red Velvet was a must at Christmas and is still a tradition for my family today.  Coconut was sure to be included.  If you wanted pie, you could find pumpkin, pecan, minced meat, coconut, chocolate, fruit pies, and her specialty, Scorched Cream Pie. Today, this would probably be called a butterscotch pie and by no means was the cream scorched. The cream filling was delicious, creamy, and would melt in your mouth.  The fact is the flavoring factor of the pie was the “scorching” or lightly burning of sugar to create the caramel or butterscotch base.  It was magnificent and only my Nanny knew how to make this pie. It was her signature creation. I have the recipe and am going to try to recreate it one of these days.  I didn’t even mention all the salads she made in addition to a variety of meats and vegetables.  This little, fiery, woman was a bundle of energy.  She might remind you of the Tasmanian Devil whirling around her kitchen and she could dirty every dish she had creating all of her confections.  Let me just say, this was before the dishwasher.  She didn’t know what it was to have one in her kitchen and many a pot and pan went through her sink filled with soapy water.

My mom is a great cook.  I’ve heard Collin say a number of times that my mom could make gravel taste good, and he’s telling it right.  Her favorites were baking sweets and breads.  We have a family recipe called “Jeneen’s Bread”, and right out of the oven with butter, it is sure to melt in your mouth.   My mom’s signature dish is “dressing.”  She’s known for it by the family and even by the church folk.  For years, we traveled to Illinois for Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with my Aunt Sis and her family.  While my aunt could put on a spread (and I’ll get to her in a minute), she’d always say, “Bonnie, you do the dressing. I just can’t do it like you do.” and my mom would take over that dish for the day.   For years, she’s made dressing for the Harvest dinner at church where some 350 people or so would come on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving for the traditional turkey and dressing fellowship meal.  Scores of folks would come by and say, “Bonnie, did you make the dressing? It sure was good.”  A couple of tips for the best dressing ever.  Don’t put sugar in your cornbread for this dish, there’s magic in getting the sage measurement just right, and don’t overcook it.  You should never be able to cut and serve it as though it were a piece of cake.  I’ve learned all this from my momma and I’d put her dressing up against anybody’s.  Collin has taken over now smoking the turkey for our Thanksgiving celebration, but rest assured, Mom will have made the dressing.

Now my mom’s sister, Huetta, and my aunt, which I call Aunt Sis (because my mother and the entire family simply called her “Sis”) was no slouch in the kitchen either.  She could put on a spread just like my grandmother.   She had the gift of hospitality and she loved everyone she ever met.  I believe she was the most caring, loving soul I’ve ever known and she always wanted everyone to feel welcomed in her home and a part of the family.  She saw to it that there was plenty of food. She cooked and served friends and family and cooked many a dish for church affairs.  She, too, like my grandmother could dirty every dish in the kitchen and when we all jumped in to clean up and store the leftovers, I can still hear her say, “Oh, let me get a smaller dish for that”, and then you guessed it, we had even more dishes to wash.  It became a joke.  She didn’t know anything about a dishwasher either and all the girls in the family would gather to wash and dry dishes together.  What wonderful memories I have of laughter and conversation over the sudsy water that would get dirty and we’d run it out and start over with clean water not to mention all the drying clothes we went through.  When we finished the dishes, we usually need to run a washer of towels.

A favorite recipe that came to me from Aunt Sis is Navajo Fry Bread.  I made it today and that’s what made me begin to look back with fond memories.  This is a tostada flat bread of sorts and I’ve spoiled my family by making it when we have tacos.  They do not want the pre-shaped, fried, and bought taco crispy shells.  We only do that in a pinch.  It takes a bit to make this bread/shell, but is it ever good with the taco meat and fixings on top.  We never order tacos at a restaurant—mine are better at home.  Now there is an art to making these shells.  Yes, I have the recipe, but watching Aunt Sis make them was an art and some dishes can’t be made by simply following the recipe.  You have to learn the intricate moves and learn how to handle the dough.  This can be the case in many a cooking endeavor.  I might also mention she made a mean Danish pastry and her fried pies and pecan tassies were incredible.

I also made Mississippi Mud Cookies today.  They are one of Collin’s favorites and they are pretty simple.

As I was thumbing through my cookbook of family favorites, I came across some pictures and remembered spending time with my kiddos in the kitchen.  It’s good for children to learn cooking skills.  Everyone is hungry at one time or another and needs to know their way around the kitchen. Micah has some great food when we visit at her house,

and Bryan can hold his own, too.

Even Ben helped me make a cake one day when he was at my house.

Anne Kathryn will be a little bigger one day and I hope I can make some memories with her.

I hope I can continue to find more time for cooking and making some tasty delights for my family. I’m even hoping to find more time for entertaining and hosting in my home.  I think old-fashion visiting and fellowships are becoming a thing of the past and that saddens me. When I was a little girl, we always had guests at our house on Saturday or we were visiting in another family’s home. We also had lots of Sunday night singing after church at someone’s house that had a piano.  There were always refreshments.   We live in a world that is too busy and I want to make some time for sharing meals with friends, enjoy some casual conversation, make some new memories and. . .

Live Simply

Marcia