Turkey Feathers and Turnip Green Soup

Fall is my favorite season. I love the changing color of the woods, cooler days, and the anticipation of Thanksgiving. I  have so much to be thankful for. I am blessed with wonderful family and friends, special memories, and an awesome God, who makes all this possible.

 It's always a  fun challenge to bring the Fall inside as we decorate for Thanksgiving. This year, all the turkey feathers laying on the ground inspired me and I went a little "turkey crazy"! I washed  them in Dawn and went to work.  Add some oak limbs, corn, pumpkins, pine cones, and leaves, and you have a festive, unusual,  and inexpensive decor.

Feathers at the Dinner Table

  The limb was recycled from an oak that was cut down for firewood. The turkey feathers were arranged around the wood and candlesticks and then embellished with some other treasures found in the woods and around the house. So many possibilities.

For the kitchen table, a 2 inch slice from the tree was used to hold the pumpkin filled with turkey feathers and Fall flowers and berries.  I love the addition of a cute little bird,



Feathers on the Porch

The wreath is my favorite. It added a nice touch to the front porch.

Turnip Green Soup 
   After all the decorating, there is nothing quite like a hot bowl of soup to warm you up. I promise this will become one of your Fall family favorites (if you like turnip greens, that is). All you do is add all the ingredients below into a large pot, heat to a boil and simmer for 30 mins.   Add a skillet of cornbread and you have a hearty southern meal. 

1 pkg of conecuh sausage (cooked under the broiler and sliced)
2 cans of rotel
1 pkg of Knorr or Lipton Vegetable soup mix
2 pkgs of turnip greens
2 cans white northern beans
32 oz Swanson Chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Happy Thanksgiving!
          "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.Worship the Lord with gladness;come before Him with joyful songs...enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name "Psalm100 :1-4

Scrapbooks : In Case of Fire, Grab These First

We all laugh about this, but in our house we all know that in case of fire, we should all grab a scrapbook on the way out.  The memories are invaluable , despite the investment of time and money. Since I started scrap booking over 10 years ago, there have been many new things to make it even more fun and easier.  There are numerous online tutorials and workshops, as well as free page ideas and printables. The big change is the move toward digital scrapbooks. I usually like to be on top of all the new technology but for me, paper scrap booking is still the way to go. I find it relaxing and therapeutic.  I am a sucker for stickers and I love cropping! I hope to encourage everyone to get busy saving those memories.

My thoughts:

*  Organize your pictures. You can buy inexpensive photo boxes at most craft stores. Label either chronologically or by event.  I wanted to do a scrapbook for both of my daughters so I started with 2 boxes and labeled the tabs ( i.e.  Birth,First birthday, First Christmas, etc. ) This will make it easier as you work on pages. 

*  Whether you choose paper or digital, just get started!

*  Pages do not have to be perfect! I used to obsess over every page but I learned quickly that sometimes "simple" is best. Everyone is different. Do what works best for you. 

* Use good, acid-free album pages and products. Have you ever picked up an old album, only to find yellowed photos that are stuck to the pages? Heartbreaking... We want our memories to be preserved for  future generations to enjoy, don't we? My favorite products are Creative Memories but their are many options at your local Michaels or other craft stores.  

* It REALLY is okay to crop a picture! This was hard for me at first but now I am hooked.  If you choose not to trim or crop your picture, that is okay too.  

* Journal, Journal, Journal... This is what makes the scrapbook pages so personal and meaningful. Documenting who, what, when and where ... I confess  this is not my favorite part to DO but is my favorite part to READ. 

* Start small. You may want to begin with a "Vacation Album"  or  "Christmas Album"  so that your focus is on one particular event. You can then add to these at next vacation, etc.

This is how I used to save my photos : in plastic sleeves that were not acid-free and often caused yellowing of the photos...There is also no room for journaling. Years from now, will I remember the names of these cute little puppies ?

Ideally, a special  workspace is recommended so that you can have all your scrapbook materials close at hand when you have a few minutes to work on your books. If not possible, there are many options such as a closet or a rolling organizer.

These are a few of my "spreads". Some still need journaling. Even though my handwriting is not perfect, I think it is very personal to have at least some of the album in my own handwriting.

One of my favorite albums was the one I did for my daughters, using the words from Max Lucado's book Just in Case You Ever Wonder.  We made a copy of the words and transferred it to the pages of the album. Just be sure to give credit to the author!

Another great idea for kids and for teachers is the ABC book. I can tell you about that if you are interested. The ideas are endless!

Until next time... Crop 'til you drop!

Granny Grapes : Muscadines and Scuppernongs

Here in the South, muscadines and scuppernongs are a special sweet treat enjoyed by many. These "grapes" grow wild and some folks (like us) plant their own vines to enjoy. The don't usually make it into the house because they are eaten on the way.  Ever since the girls were young, we have called them "Granny grapes" because Granny had a huge arbor that was loaded with scuppernongs. 

Scuppernongs on our vines

There is a difference between muscadines and scuppernongs. I have always heard "All scuppernongs are muscadines but not all muscadines are scuppernongs". "Scuppernongs" are from the muscadine family and are a greenish brown color when ripe. The typical "muscadine" is dark purple in color. 

Muscadines from the  local Farmer's market 

Fun fact- How we eat a muscadine: Place the grape with the stem scar facing upward in your mouth and bite the grape. The pulp (with seeds) and juice will burst through the thick skin into your mouth. The thicker skin is discarded. Many love to eat the skin as well ( we don't). 

Whether it is straight off the vine or in homemade jelly or pies, these are a true southern treat.

A Quail Tale: Early Days

Raising  bobwhite quail has been hubby's hobby for over 3 years. I always look forward to those early days when they are tiny and cute. He does all the work and there is much involved to make sure they are kept warm, fed, and watered. The babies grow up quickly and our German shorthair pointers, Lucy and Lizzy  anxiously await that day. My husband does too but admits his favorite part of quail season is watching his dogs work... and hopefully getting a chance to brag on them a bit !

There is nothing quite like 500 baby quail all at once. Here are the babies just a few hours old

This is the brooder and coop  my hubby built and now the babies are 1 week old! They stay inside the small, temperature controlled brooder until they are older and then they move out into the larger area.

They won't be this small long! Too bad we can't keep them all.

Knockout Roses...the New Azalea ?

I hope my southern brothers and sisters will not kick me to the North for this. Don't misunderstand. I love all that is southern, including the beautiful magnolias, amazing dogwoods, and of course, the gorgeous flowering azaleas. Here on Turkey Creek, however, the deer are the only ones who have enjoyed our azaleas. They actually nibbled them down to twigs and we finally gave up after multiple attempts. We tried all the tricks but I really think those deer were looking over our shoulders with their mouths watering, just waiting for us to throw the last shovel of dirt on the mound! That isn't the end of the story though...

 We discovered knockout roses and decided to give them a try. We found out just how hearty and beautiful these roses can be. They have wonderful varieties , just like the southern azaleas. We planted our first rose about a year ago and have been so happy with the results. They grow quickly and need very little attention.  The warm ( and even, hot) southern climate encourages blooming all summer and often longer. The best thing is...the deer haven't seemed interested in them ( not yet anyway). We have found that a few crazy squirrels had been digging and hiding acorns in the dirt but atleast they haven't eaten the plants!

We learned that putting newspaper around the plants not only keeps the weeds and grass out, but also has deterred the squirrels. We placed the paper, wet it completely, and covered

it with mulch. The results were perfect! I would love to hear from others with knockout rose experiences ...

Put Your Party Pants On ! Guest Blog

*I have a special treat for everyone! I have the greatest daughters ever and today I get to share them a bit with you . Our family always has fun together and to tell the truth, my girls always have their Party Pants on ! Enjoy!!  
*Cheryl* 





 Hi everyone!! I'm so excited to be guest blogging for my mom today!! I'm normally chatting about interior design on my own blog- but I'm excited to branch out a bit today! 

As I get older and start thinking about the idea of having children, I am always taken back to my own childhood. Not to sound cocky- but my sister and I had the best childhood ever. Life as a child was full of smiles, barbie dolls, dress up clothes, glitter, and amazing parties :)

My mom has always had a gift of hospitality and a flare for entertaining (a quality I hope she passed down to me!) She has a knack for knowing exactly what to do to make a party a success... People- this is harder than it sounds! Here are a few of our favorite parties growing up! 

(Get excited- you're about to see some really embarrassing pictures.) 

1. Summer in January

I am one of those unfortunate January birthdays... who always wanted to have a pool party- but naturally, January is not the best timing for summer sun. So, one year, my parents actually rented an indoor pool at a hotel so I could finally have a summer birthday. Now that's love :) 

cute right... if there's hope for me- there's hope for us all. :)

2. The show MUST go on...

I love competition... be it the Bachelor, a football game, or an old fashioned talent show- I love it all! One year, we decided to host a talent show... and my mom decided that the perfect venue was a riverboat!! Seriously! It was amazing! We videotaped the party and all of the talents- hours of hilarious footage. :) 

This is my friend Valerie, and me (we had lots of joint parties together as kids.) You can see the boat in the background here!

I love my sister. Yall- she sang "Jesus- what a wonderful child" for this talent show--- and wore this vintage sequin top- as a dress :)  (I hope she doesn't kill me for this picture but it really takes me back!)

3. A day at the zoo.
From a young age, my sister had a love for animals! One year for her birthday, we had her party at the Zoo... it was so cute! The best part- She was allowed to choose one animal for the zookeeper to bring out during the party for the children to get a closer look at. Imagine all of the fun choices! What did she choose you ask? a FERRET. This is real life folks... :) 

no zoo party is complete without animal noses and zookeeper hats.

I. love. this. picture. This is how to delicately hold a ferret :) 

4. Paint me a picture
I have always loved to paint, draw, make a mess, etc. One year, my mom thought that the perfect party venue would be a painting party at an art studio! In addition, at the time- I was also obsessed with cabbage patch dolls. Yall- she actually incorporated the dolls into the party! 

Please note that there are MINI cabbage patch dolls on the cake... haha.

5. Just one more...
I'm not quite sure which birthday this came from- I just know that it's one of my favorite birthday memories. My sister loved dinosaurs at some point in childhood- so here she is with a dino cake. What you can't see is that right about the time she blew out the candles- her hair caught on FIRE. Ya know how tasty birthday cake smells? Well- try mixing that with the smell of burnt hair. I have never laughed so hard!!

So did we have it good or WHAT?! Between creative birthdays and endless fun as a child-life was definitely good! 

The world has changed so much since I was a kid. It seems like four year olds have cell phones and sixteen year olds have babies. The idea of attempting to raise a child in our shaky society scares me to death. My parents made it look effortless. I just pray that we have the same wisdom and confidence when we raise little ones (and that they are willing to help a whole lot!) 

Thanks for reading! 
Until next time, let your light shine!!

jessica