The Art of the Southern Grin

A grin is an art form in the South. Everyone (yes, even the Yankees) knows that smiles can have all kinds of meanings. The movements of the mouth can convey happiness, anger, love, unhappiness, coyness, etc. It can be used to sustain happy times or to endure hardships.

You know you are a master of the grin when you can use it to convey a message and not speak a word. My great grandmother was a master. Her grins could knock you flat with charm or surprise. Most people didn't even know what had had hit them... if they realized it at all! The Southern Grin can be a weapon, so it must be used with caution!

For example, you walk into the grocery store or church (can see everyone at both places) and see someone you know or think you know. This person comes up and speaks to you. You have three scenarios and options on how to use the "Southern Grin.":

1. If you do know the person: Be prepared to laugh and swap stories. If you are at church you only have to stay and talk for the time in between the services. If you are in the grocery store be prepared to stay there for a while. You are likely to run into at least 3 people and have a least a 30 minute conversation with each (I like to get in and out -- now you know why I avoid the grocery store). This is why it is an unspoken rule to always get the milk last. No need for it to spoil!
2. If you don't care for the person: It is very rude, even if you don't really care for this person, not to smile. Glue on that smile and just as sweet as sugar say hello. You can do it. Chances are that person may not like you  much either.
3. If you can't place where you know the person from: It is never fun when this happens and the person acts like they have known you for life. It would be rude to say, "I'm sorry, I really have no clue who you are." If the person offers to refresh your memory, this is the best path to travel. If not, smile and listen until his or her name dawns on you.

Please do know that the Southern Grin is not a bad thing. Most times when Southern women smile they do mean it. If you understand how the Southern Grin works it is pretty easy to tell if it is a real smile or a fake one. I smile a lot and that is just part of me. Yes, I have an arsenal of grins, but generally they are good ones. Learn how to use the Southern Grin well and stick with the social graces.

It's Your Life... What Are You Going to DO?

Many of you know that one of my favorite songs is "It's Your Life" by Francesca Battistelli. One part of the song speaks to me particularly:

It’s your life
What you gonna do?
The world is watching you
Every day the choices you make
Say what you are and who
Your heart beats for
It’s an open door
It’s your life

Whether we like it or not, everyone really is watching you (that sounds a tad stalkerish -- sorry). It may not be an  intentional observation, but between family, friends, and coworkers you have a lot of eyes on you. I grew up in a smaller town and I was always scared that if I put one toe out of line the town would know it before I did. Don't get me wrong, I love my town but that's just how life works sometimes. And, I wouldn't change it for the world.

Choices reflect who you are. Your character, decisions, and behavior all reflect who you. I realized this at a young age and decided that the way I wanted to appear to others better show through my actions and choices. I am not perfect by any means and no one else is either. Please keep in mind that if you don't want to to be seen as ____ don't act like _____. Sigues?

There is a path in front of you. What are you going to decide?

With social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, it is easy to forget that you are spreading your information around for all to see. Yes, you can have privacy settings. I have mine on what I call "lock down," because I had strange people requesting to be my friend. Guess what? If someone wants to see your information and their friend, Sally Jo, is friends with you, all they have to do is ask Sally Jo to keep them updated. Kind of scary, right? What if a prospective employer also finds a way to see what is on your site? It would really suck if you didn't get hired, because of those pictures of you doing God-only-knows-what last Friday night.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, be careful of the image you project. Don't walk on egg shells all the time (that would bore me out of my mind), but be ready to take responsibility for the result(s) of those actions, good or bad. Complacency won't make you happy, but having a good reputation can add to your happiness.

As a Christian, remember that choices reflect who you are on an even bigger basis. In a later post I talked about how you may be the only Jesus someone will ever know. Do your choices show that you are a child of God or are you all talk and no walk?

Throwing a Hissy Fit

Yep, if you aren't from around these here parts you may not quite understand this sayin'. A hissy fit is not a temper tantrum. If it was a temper tantrum it would be called that. A hissy fit has its own level. I have been know in the past to throw one a time or two... okay, maybe more than that. Another way to describe this is, "she had a fit and fell in it." I know, it sounds kind of silly.

For those of you who don't know what a hissy fit is, let me put an image in your head. Imagine a child having a complete meltdown. You've seen these children in the grocery store. It is past their nap time, they are hungry, and mom is only on aisle 3 of 8 (her list is probably longer than her arm). Whining leads to crying and crying leads to the great meltdown. Brace yourself. Uncontrollable crying ensues and everyone stares. Some children hold their breath and others flat out scream. Some do that thing where their body gets really tense and bows up as they fall on the floor (quite entertaining as a spectator, mortifying for the parent -- just walk away!). As a younger child (-6 years), I didn't really do those these things. I, of course, had to put my own style on the hissy fit. My parents have told me that I would get so angry that they were preparing for my head to spin (imagine The Exorcist). This was usually due to me being extremely tired or hardheaded... maybe both. If I didn't stop the hissy fit I was threatened with a "bathroom trip" or the car being pulled over to have my leg fried. Heaven forbid! From what I have heard I would usually calm down, followed by snubbing/crying. While I don't remember these, I don't doubt that I did this. I was and still am pretty strong willed.

Source: Google Images
Don't judge her. She had a rough day. :)

Now, you won't actually catch me having a hissy fit. No adult should have one of these, even though I have witnessed quite a few. It is time to put on your big girl panties and get over it. Sadly, we all have to grow up at some time. LOL

You may catch me threatening to throw a hissy fit if I am really mad. I am only kidding!  I have really made an effort over the past couple of years to work on patience (that is almost a curse word to me). It wouldn't be a good idea to push me until the avalanche of fury explodes. Most of my friends have never seen me "ream [someone] a new one".... I guess that's a good thing. I have to remember that after all... tomorrow is another day!

Chewy Flourless Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are to die for. Guess what? They're gluten free, too! My great aunt found this recipe in a magazine and clipped it for me. The first time I made them I was scared they weren't going to turn out well. The consistency looked all wrong and I thought, great, I've made chocolate glue. Not true! They are some of the best cookies I've ever eaten. Here is the recipe:

Chewy Flourless Chocolate Cookies

1 ¾         cups powdered sugar

½             cup Dutch process cocoa

2              teaspoons cornstarch

¼             teaspoon salt

2              egg whites

1              cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

1.       Preheat oven to 300 F

2.       Mix together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt (if you want a smoother looking cookie you can sift the mixture). Gradually add egg whites, stirring with a spoon until mixture forms a dough. (Mixture should be thick enough to form into balls; if not add more powdered sugar and cocoa.) Add nuts; mix well.

3.       Form dough into 15 balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 16 to 19 minutes, until glossy and crackled. Cool completely. Makes 15 cookies (duh! Did they think they would multiply in the oven?).

This is one recipe where you REALLY need to follow the directions. If you don't, you are going to wind up with a pure mess.

Today was the first time I have sifted the flour when making the cookies. I don't usually do that, but the sugar had too many pieces stuck together to just mix in.

When you mix in the eggs it is going to look like you don't have enough liquid in the mixture. It takes a while to mix, but DO NOT add any water unless you really think you need to. I've had to do that a couple of times when I didn't measure correctly. LOL. Anyway, the mixture is going to look like glue. It is even kind of hard to stir. Then add in the toasted nuts.

To make sure I end up with exactly 15 cookies I scoop out the dough with a tablespoon. It doesn't have to be perfectly measured, I just don't like to eyeball measurements when baking. Cooking is another matter.

Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper and put out the cookies. Make sure ahead of time that you put them where you want them... they don't really slide like other cookies do, as you can notice in the picture below.

You end up with shiny, crackled cookies. Don't be alarmed if the inside of your cookie looks raw... it isn't (especially if they cooked for 19 minutes). Even when they cool they are still going to seem a little moist, hence the chewy part in the name. They aren't really chewy though, more soft.

If you have a large family or plan on sharing (hard to do with how good they are), make a double batch. They go very quickly! Enjoy!!! :-D

Aprons and Cooking

The women in my family cook A LOT. We have never been the tv dinner type of people. I am talking GOOD southern food like corn bread, country style ribs, cabbage, fresh peas, corn pudding, and anything else homemade you can think of. Don't get me started on the amazing desserts! Sometimes I am thankful for my food allergy, because if I didn't have it I would still be eating these wonderful desserts and probably be about 50 lbs. heavier. LOL. We don't eat like that all the time, but it is so good when we do. I guess you could say my comfort food is southern food... especially homemade mash potatoes :) yum.

My Nannie started giving me aprons a few years back. It has kind of become one of our "things." If they go somewhere I ask her to bring me back a pretty apron if she finds one. Sometimes they are so pretty I can't wear them to cook in... I'm scared to get it dirty!

I have grown to love cooking. With a food allergy I have to be creative, but I'm learning! When I  see a recipe I like, I take it and experiment with it and make it my own. My favorite things to make are desserts that I know I can eat. I really don't mind cooking things for people when I know I can't eat them. Sometimes people in my family feel bad if I can't eat the cake or casserole they made. I've reached the point that foods that I can't have may smell good, but I don't CRAVE them. Foods that have wheat in them make me so sick (side effects lasts for days and medicines do not work) that I have no desire to eat them or even "cheat". It would kind of be like the average person seeing something they want to eat, find out it has poison in it and STILL eat it. That would be insane.

The one thing I don't like to touch when cooking is raw chicken. I refuse to touch it without gloves! I have these pretty pink ones with polka dots. Everyone makes fun of me for it! I love to eat chicken, but there is something about how raw chicken looks that totally grosses me out if I have to touch it. I don't mind any other meats to cook with it, just chicken. One day I will deal with it, but at the moment I guess I'll just have to stick to my gloves and pretty aprons. Fiddle-dee-dee!

With Love, Belize

I got home from my Belize mission/service trip this past Sunday at about 3:30 AM. This trip was more than I ever expected. I got on the departing plane with absolutely no nerves... just excitement. I felt so prepared for this trip. From the time we landed to the time we took off a week later,  everyone we met was kind and patient. No one likes being asked a million questions. One lady said she didn't mind, because "how else can you learn?"

The pastor and his family that lived behind the church we did construction in were so gracious and humble. They go without everyday, but they are so joyful that they have a place to worship and a roof over their head. They are wonderful witnesses. In the church we did all kinds of sanding, painting, staining, some did sawing and roof work, too. Now I want to buy an old house and "flip" it. HAHA

The school we worked in was so special. All of the children are starving for attention. Many of them have lost parents and some live with aunts and uncles so they are able to attend the school. Almost every one of those children were well behaved. This may sound a little cheesy, but they were just beautiful children. I will never forget the sound of the little voices saying, "Miss! Miss!" and all of the big smiling faces.

Room assignments were picked perfectly. I loved my roommates. I hit it off really quickly with one of them. She is a wonderful Christian woman and I'm really glad I got to meet her. I saw her yesterday and it was nice to talk to her... even though it was only for 10 minutes! I hope we can have more chats soon :-)

The only downside of the trip was that my suitcase was lost for 5 days. The airline had absolutely no clue where it was. One was delivered to me, but it wasn't my suitcase. It had been mislabeled and was a guy named Patrick from Illinois. They later found it in the Dominican Republic. My suitcase has now been there and I haven't! When I received it almost all of my "unmentionables," as my grandmother would say, were stolen. I know, I am convinced this stuff only happens to me. LOL. The flight back to home was even more interesting. That is a whole other story!

I have so many wonderful things that I want to say about this trip, but I don't have the time to write it all out in one post. I feel like I can't even express how special it was to me. Over the next few weeks I may have a focus picture and talk about some of my experiences in Belize.

Prayer request: the son of the pastor that we worked with, Jeremiah, is in the hospital with a terrible infection. They aren't really sure what is wrong with him, but it does not sound good. He is only 6 years old.  Please pray that the doctors are led to the problem and that Jeremiah will heal.

Life With a Solid Foundation

An old Sunday School song I learned when I was little was "The Wise Man Built His House." It is based on Matthew 7: 24-27. I shortened it a bit, but this is how it goes:

The wise man built his house upon the rock

And the rain came tumbling down...

And the floods came up

And the wise man's house stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand

And the rain came tumbling down...

And the floods came up

And the foolish man's house went splat!

Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ

And the blessings will come down

As your prayers go up

So Build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ.

When you are little it is honestly just a fun song to sing. I remember riding in the car with my cousin when we were little and singing it. I sang one of the lyrics wrong and she corrected me. Me being stubborn said that I DID sing it right and she had it wrong. I think we both ended up having the song backwards that day. Oops.

As an adult I look at the lyrics and see the meaning behind the words that I sang as a child. It is so easy to build life around yourself and THINGS: our homes, our jobs, our friends and family. I love all of the above, but I need to put God first. I am not saying it's okay to be lazy and just wait for God to rain down blessings. God gave us a brain. What I am saying is that a life built on your own makings, the sand, will fall apart in front of you. It will fall through the cracks just like sand running through your fingers. A life with solid foundation, the rock, will stand. It won't necessarily be easy to keep your life on the rock and you may even feel some earthquakes. Choosing the "rock" doesn't guarantee a perfect life. 

The power of prayer and faith can bring more than you could ever create for yourself. Life on the solid foundation of God will come with its own trials and tribulations, but isn't it a wonderful feeling to know that you aren't on your own?


If you are interested in what I think is the "grown-up" version of this song, listen to American Dream by Casting Crowns.