At This Year's End

There’s a fire burning outside my window

With leaves of red, orange, and gold.

There’s a fire burning outside my window

That tells me the year has grown old.

There is a coldness in the morning air

Bare limbs mark the pale blue sky.

Fruits and flowers of the summer fair,

Have withered brown and finally died.

And I am melancholy, heart and soul

Paralyzed by this year’s regrets, mistakes.

I cannot shake their strong grip and hold

Mired down in doubt, with time too late.

But with Christmas and Christ’s sweet birth

Comes the chance to start all things anew.

With His forgiveness, love, and worth

The old year I can bid adieu.

Lord, do not leave me; hold me tight

And by Thy mercies guide my steps

Into this new year, dark as night

Made crystal clear by Your precepts.

And when the fire outside my window

Burns again at this year’s end

Help me with certainty to know

I was in your path, your purpose, dear Lord, Amen.

Love ya'll,

Shelli

Sweet Christmas Tradition

Everyone has Christmas traditions. My dear friend, Lisa Cheramie, bakes decorative iced cookies with her daughter, and now grandchildren, each year. Many families holiday traditions center around football games and tailgating. And then there are hunting, caroling, church services, and more. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is captured in Truman Capote's fruitcake saga, A Christmas Story.

My dad was recently invited to participate in a tradition held this time each year in his neck of the woods that echoed back to the old days....

Dad was instructed to meet friends at an area outside Florien, Louisiana known as Devil's Branch. Directions led him down to the end of Jungle Club Road to a field of freshly cut, stripped sugar cane.

Next to the field, a Christmas syrup-making tradition was in full swing. Modern technology, a riding lawnmower, had replaced the mules of yesteryear, but the process was still the same.

The cane was  ground down to fill two 55 gallon drums of juice. The juice was then poured into a metal cooking pan.

Wood had to be chopped to keep a steady fire burning. If the fire was too hot, the syrup would scorch; if the fire wasn't hot enough, the juice wouldn't thicken. During the cooking process, wood was constantly being added or removed from the fire to keep the syrup at the optimum temperature.The syrup made that day took about five hours to cook, which was about 1 1/2 hours longer than the day before because the weather was much cooler.

As the sugar cane juice began to boil, a foam formed on the surface and had to be skimmed from the top.

As time passed, the juice began to thicken and its color began to darken. Then it was time to pour the finished product into half-gallon jugs.

When Dad broke open the seal on one of the jugs, I was instantly transported to Grandma Wig's kitchen where butter was melting on a pan of her homemade biscuits that were about to be swimming in delicious pure cane syrup!

The best thing about this sweet Christmas tradition is that on Christmas morning we will all sit down to Oakdale biscuits, Pleasant Hill sausage, and Devil's Branch syrup. It doesn't get any better than that. Thanks, Tom!!

Love ya'll,

Shelli

Christmas....

that magic blanket that wraps itself about us,

that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance.

It may weave a spell of nostalgia.

Christmas may be a day of feasting,

or of prayer,

but always it will be a day of remembrance...

a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.

-Agusta E. Rundell

Gardener's Night Before Christmas

‘Twas the night before Christmas at the gardener’s house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

Tulips bulbs were placed in the refrigerator with care

 To be planted in January that soon would be there.

The ferns and tropicals had been moved inside

So, that during a freeze they’d not wither and die.

The gardener removed gloves and worn, floppy hat

To settle down for a long winter’s nap.

When out in the flowerbed there arose such a clatter

The gardener sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

She threw on her jacket, torn and grimy from wear

And sturdy rubber boots to see what was going on out there!

When what to her wondering eyes should appear

But a miniature wheelbarrow pulled by eight tiny reindeer

With a little old driver, all dressed in tweed

She knew in a moment it must be St. Seed!

His eyes- how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!

As he unloaded holly bushes loaded with berries.

Daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, and more

He planted the yard with bushes and bulbs galore!

 

He pruned the summer’s muscadine vines

Curving them into festive twig wreaths divine.

Then out to the hothouse he ran in a rush

To clean the garden tools with a stiff wire brush.

From his wheelbarrow, he grabbed a bag of 10-10-10

And fertilized the whole yard with the strength of ten men!

He dug up azaleas that weren’t getting enough light

And moved them to a sunnier spot to bloom big and bright.

Out of his gift sack he pulled the best gift,

Two cold frames so large he could hardly lift!

He placed them on the south side, vegetables to hold

Where tender plants could grow despite the cold.

His work almost done down the chimney he slid

And into the gardener’s stocking he hid

Gardening catalogs filled with varieties of seeds

And everything else a gardener could need.

Then out of a pocket in his green tweed coat

He retrieved for the gardener a very special note.

“With every seed, be reminded of Jesus and His birth

A promise of new life for all who are on Earth.”

“We need earthly gardeners to spread the news far and wide

Gardeners to nurture the grace that God’s covenant provides.

Sow heavenly seeds among people everywhere;

The Savior is born and all sin He will bear!”

Then he sprang up the chimney, to his reindeer gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down on a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,

“Happy Gardening to all, and to all a good-night!”

We Gave Thanks!!

We had a fun Thanksgiving here at Turkey Creek Garden.

The weather was perfect

and

    we... 

Love ya'll,

Shelli

Another Dog Hair and Potato Peelings Project

One fall, many years ago, I was happily decorating my house and set a little pumpkin atop a stack of favorite books on a side table in the den. It added a sweet, casual touch. Several weeks later a noticed  that sweet little pumpkin looked a little smaller than it had originally. Upon closer inspection, it was smaller because it was rotting and its insides were oozing all over the back of my books. Yuck!!

That's about the time Hobby Lobby started selling fake pumpkins and I quit using real ones in certain places. It was a great investment. Today I still use many of those same pumpkins, but a few of them have faded in the sun or gotten nicked and scratched so that their white foam insides are showing. I decided I should just throw them away and buy new ones, but then I went to Mama's.

Out on her front steps sat this beautiful pot of fake pumpkins. I asked where she had bought such pretty ones and she said they were old ones she had painted!!! She used plain craft paints and then sprayed them with a clear coat.

She painted a base coat with one color and sponged another color on top to get a more realistic result.

They are fabulous!!

Another great dog hair and potato peelings project!

And the best thing about the dog hair and potato peelings approach to projects is that you love the results so much more than something you just go out and buy.

Repurpose! Reuse! Recycle!

Love ya'll,

Shelli

Think left and think right and think low and think high.

Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!

~Dr. Seuss

Sunday Schoolisms Plus #29: After the Election

After the election many people have been left awash in emotions accompanied by a desire to "do something". Let's remember that intercessory prayer is a powerful "something" that you can do immediately while you figure out the rest.

"Finally, intercessory prayer allows us to invest ourselves in God's design for his kingdom among people and nations.....praying for others will bring you to love them. Loving them will lead you to serve them. Serving them will be the open door through which God can move in to save, heal, and make whole."

                                               Maxie D. Dunham

                                               Irresistible Invitation

Waxing Camellias

The moon waxes, we wax our cars, and at homecoming you can wax nostalgic, but we are going to talk about waxing camellias! These lovely, cool-weather beauties should begin blooming soon and waxing the flowers will add a new dimension of enjoyment to camellia season.

Waxing camellias is taking the bloom and literally dipping it into paraffin wax to coat and preserve the flower. The flower takes on a porcelain luster and remains fresh looking without water for about a week. Waxing works best on the white, pink, and variegated varieties (red petals seem to look too waxy). Several people have asked me about waxing sasanquas, and I certainly think it’s worth a try, but the sasanqua petal is often thinner than a camellia petal so it might not work as well.

Some of the most beautiful waxed camellias I’ve ever seen were done by the Camellia Club of Mobile, Alabama, so I went straight to their website, www.mobilecamellia.org, for directions. Their site also has great photographs so check it out before you get started. Also, be careful! Paraffin wax is very flammable so do not heat it over an open flame and working with hot wax requires caution.

Materials

• paraffin (Gulf Wax) wax (canning section of the grocery store}
• mineral oil (grocery story or drug store)
• large bowl of ice water (get it cold and take out the ice)
• clock with a second hand
• candy or digital thermometer (accurate temperature is critical)
• fresh, dry camellia blooms

Note- A crock pot and a fry daddy will not work because they get too hot. For best results (if you plan to do this a lot) buy a pot (similar to an electric frying pan but deeper) with a temperature control. Rival makes one.

Process

1.  Heat the wax and mineral oil to 140 degrees. Temperature is CRITICAL.  If any cooler, the wax will become the globby (scientific term) and bead up on the petals. If any hotter, the wax will scorch the bloom and petals will turn brown.   Digital or candy thermometers will work. Don’t even think about using a meat thermometer. It is not accurate enough.

2.  Apply the wax - Holding the stem, with the leaves pulled back, and cupping the base of the petals with your fingertips, gently dip the bloom into the wax Using a side-sweeping motion rather than pushing it straight in. Keep in only a couple seconds - just enough to coat it and then remove it.  Give it a couple gentle shakes to eliminate excess wax.

3.  Set the wax – Immediately dip the bloom into a bowl of ice water (take out the ice cubes).  This sets the wax and cools the bloom. Move the bloom in from the side instead of pushing straight down in the water. If you push straight down, it makes the petals fold back and looks unnatural. It also helps if you hold the outer petals down with your fingers to keep them in place as you put the bloom in the ice water. Leave mine in the ice water for about 20-30 seconds. You can let them float in the ice water until the time is up. Make sure you periodically remove the small glops of wax from the ice water. They will stick to blooms you put in later.

4.  Place the bloom on a newspaper and allow to dry and harden.

Wax and oil - You will to need to mix enough so the wax mixture is deeper than the largest bloom you put into it. Once you do this, you will probably be hooked and want to mix up a lot. It is habit forming! You can keep the pot ready and use it anytime by reheating it. Here is what you will need for specific amounts of wax:

.5 lb. wax .25 c oil	1.0 lb. wax .5 c oil
2.0 lb. wax 1.0 c oil	3.0 lb. wax 1.5 c oil
4.0 lb. wax 2.0 c oil	5.0 lb. wax 2.5 c oil

Narcissus, tulip tree blooms, and roses work well with the waxing. Hang narcissus upside down to harden.

Election Day

Well, it was inevitable..... Election Day has arrived.

A good friend suggested that we take a clothes pin with us when we go vote. Placing one on your nose, she says, will be the only way to handle voting for either one of these candidates. But another friend added that we must keep in mind that it is our privilege and responsibility to vote. They're both right.

Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be. 

~Sydney J. Harris

Politicians and diapers should be changed frequently and all for the same reason. 
~José Maria de Eça de Queiroz

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?  ~Author Unknown

Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
  ~Richard Armour


Good luck,
Shelli

CCA Soup for the Soul

The October event that I enjoy most is CCA's Soup for the Soul. This is the fall fundraiser for Christian Community Outreach held at the Civic Center. The churches from Lincoln parish prepare soups, breads, and desserts while civic organizations, friends, and individuals decorate tables with "tablescapes" that adhere to a chosen theme. This year's theme was Hobbies and you are going to love the creative, clever designs!

Quilting

by P.E.O.

Philanthropic Educational Organization
(They quilted their placemats!!)

Collecting Vintage Toy Cars

by

James Quayhagen (my sweet, long-suffering husband)

Reading

by Amy Stegall

(See the little houses? They are whiskey bottles!)

Bee Keeping

by

Shelli Quayhagen

(I don't keep bees! I did this one in honor of my mom who we all call Honey Pot.)

Golf

by

Ellen Watson

for

Temple Baptist Chruch's In His Grip golf tournament

Bird Watching

by

First Presbyterian Church

(Thank you, Betty Jo Fagan!)

Play in the Sand

by

Family Counseling Center

(They decorated with all the materials they use in their sand therapy work with children and families.)

Here's a closer view.

Woodworking

by

Jerry Drewett

(Jerry makes the awesome birdhouses, and Duddy Garrett decorated the awesome table.)

Cooking

by

Jeanette Matlock, Notary Public for Lincoln Parish

(Jeanette carried her theme a step further by donning an apron and serving her own homemade cornbread

to the folks sitting at her table.)

Tennis

by

Sole Sistesr Tennis Team

(They made the placemats with white tape and astroturf like matting. Clever!! I snapped this picture early in the day; they had added much more to their table by kick-off time.)

Recycling Old Books

by

Emmanuel Baptist Church

(Marsha Armond decorated this table. She is the retired librarian from Ruston Elementary so this title was fitting for her. When she told me her title, I thought she meant repairing worn books, but she meant crafting with old books. Everything  on her table was made out of old book!!)

Here's a close up of some of Marsha's crafts.

Needlework

by

The Wednesday Morning Stitch Group

(The framed work is Ruston!!)

Golfing

by

Mount Olive Outreach Baptist Church

(Loved the flowers coming out of the golf bag!)

All Dressed Up

by

La Tech's Fashion Merchandising and Retail Studies

(Toward the end of the night a sweet little girl asked if she could go sit and play at this table.)

Bird Watching

by

Lee Smith, CCA Volunteer

(Everyone loved these interesting bird houses!)

Horseback Riding

by

Methodist Children's Home

(You know those flower things they hang on the horse's neck when they win the race? Well they had one hanging on the back of each chair!)

Reading is Fundamental

by

La. Tech Family and Child Studies

(This table was a crowd favorite!)

Gardening

by

North Central Louisiana Master Gardeners

(A beautiful fall gardening vingette.)

Preserving the Bounty

by

Ruston Farmers Market

(Cheryl Maxwell does such a great job and makes it look so easy.)

Crafts

by

Chris Hamlin Foundation

(This foundation awards music scholarships to young people.)

Cooking

by

Mays Chapel C.M.E. Church

(Filled with vintage cooking equipment and homemade baked goods!)

Sewing

by

McConathy/Hall Sunday School Class from Temple Baptist Church

(So many details! Loved the vintage patterns!)

Reading

by

Diedra Smith and Annette Warren

(With it's written-page table cloth and reading glasses as napkin holders, this one was over the top!!)

Travel

by

Good Shepherd Sunday School Class

(So much travel memorabilia and even a clever way to display magnets!)

Cooking

by

La. Tech Nutrition and Dietetics

(La. Tech dietetics work at CCA each summer planning healthy meal option for the food pantry.)

Raising Chickens

in honor of

Women of Grace Sunday School at Trinity United Methodist

Reading

by

Grace United Methodist Church

(Don't you want to put on those readers and pick up where you left off!)

If you have enjoyed these tablescapes and thought to yourself, "I could do that" then please join us next year! We would love to have you!!

We'll end today's post with the real reason we cooked soup and decorated tables.....

Love ya'll,

Shelli