Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Merry Christmas and welcome back to the porch! Thursday has
become my favorite day of the week because I know you all are
dropping by.
I was hurrying to a Christmas party yesterday when I thought of
something I wanted to run by y'all. It was a quote that said,
"southerners don't stop with just putting up a tree--they decorate
themselves!" When I thought of it I smiled. I couldn't help it;
I was dressed in a red velour blouse and dark green slacks!
Although the quote was kind of offensive the first time I read
it, the more I've thought about it, the more I agree. We're
guilty as charged and proud of it!
Southern women do love to dress up and shine and we've shown
a willingness to resort to Ever-ready batteries to make it happen!
We love miniature gift box earrings, Santa Claus watches and holiday
sweaters with embroidered Christmas trees and flashing ornaments.
Okay, so maybe you haven't personally done the light thing, but
tell me you don't own a showy Christmas sweater or two for those
holiday parties.
We know sweaters don't come wired for lights up north--but we don't
care. Let 'em wear black again, all we need is an excuse for a
costume! Maybe our fondness for over-the-top dressing is
tied to our nostalgia for the Old South; southern girls dressed
in big old hoop skirts, fluttering their eyes above heirloom
fans while dozens of beaus vie for the next waltz. And while we
realize the image isn't politically correct anymore, we just
can't help ourselves. There's a little bit of Scarlett left in
us all...
See ya' next week.
Hugs,
Shellie
P.S. To those of you who have read my books and expressed interest
in helping get them placed in your local gift and bookstores, I've
put this information, (three easy steps), in a separate link to
avoid cluttering the emag and offending my other readers. Many
thanks! http://www.allthingssouthern.com/help_market.html
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"Chuckles"
In all fairness it could've happened anywhere, but the news
bulletin puts it in Nevada.
"DID I SAY THAT?"
Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who
just couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives
asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words, "Give me all
your money or I'll shoot," the guilty man shouted, "That's not
what I said!"
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"A Taste of the South"
Sometimes it doesn't pay to cut corners, but you have my word,
this one is every bit as good as the "stand and stir the day
away" recipe your grandmother used.
MICROWAVE DIVINITY
•4 cups sugar
•1 cup light corn syrup
•3/4 cups water
•dash of salt
•3 egg whites
•1 tsp. vanilla
•enough chopped pecans to suit your taste
Mix first four ingredients in glass dish. Cook in microwave
for 19 minutes, stirring every five. Should reach 250' on
candy thermometer. Cook to hard ball stage. Beat egg whites
very stiff in large bowl. Gradually pour hot syrup over egg
whites at high speed. Continue beating for 12 minutes until
candy loses its gloss. Add vanilla and nuts and drop in
bite-size pieces.
(A personal disclaimer: I've even been successful with this
one on an overcast day, though the cooks in my family always
admonished me not to even think about making divinity if the
weather wasn't clear and dry. If you choose to ignore their
tried and true warning, too--well, you're on your own. ~smile~)
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"Spotlight on the South"
SPOTLIGHT ON MAX LUCADO
I "discovered" Max Lucado's writing years ago when my kids were
small after picking up a beautiful book called "Tell Me a Story."
Many years and many books later I remain a devoted reader of
the gentle and inspiring words of this part-time pulpit minister
from San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Lucado made national news most
recently with his post 9/11 prayer for our nation. "Do It Again,
Lord." Click here for a printer friendly version of his eloquent
words: http://www.maxlucado.com/read/do.it.again.html.
Max's best-selling Christmas book, "The Christmas Cross" is a
story about finding your way home for the holidays, told in the
context of one man's journey in a small Texas town. Unique
interactive elements inside this book, including envelopes
with pullout letters and surprises, makes this a one-of-a-kind
Christmas treasure. Click here to order:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0849915465/qid=1008132121/sr=8-1/allthingssout-20
I could take the time to list all of Max's literary awards but
if you're not familiar with his beautiful, lyrical style, I
doubt you'd be interested. Instead, I offer you a link to
http://www.maxlucado.com, Max's official site where you can hear
a daily audio message from Max himself. You might find you
want to bookmark it and check in regularly.
One of my favorite things about Max has to be his assertion that
his greatest accomplishment in life is finding a one-in-a-million
wife in Denalyn and having three unbelievable daughters: Jenna,
Andrea and Sara.
~Shellie
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"It's Been Said..."
"The North isn't a place. It's just a direction out of the
South."
--Roy Blount Jr.
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Christmas shopping? My illustrated gift book, "'Twas the Night
before the Very First Christmas" is now available in the ATS
Bookstore, http://www.allthingssouthern.com/books.html. While
you're there be sure and browse our great food and gift items!
Got a mila-second for a testimonial? Tara Williamson writes:
"Hey Shellie. I got my signs today from your giftstore
and they're great! A lot more than I expected for $14.99.
Thank you!"
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"Southern Comfort"
Take a deep breath. The closer we get to Christmas, the busier
we become. This shouldn't be.
In spite of our desire to keep Christ foremost in our
celebrations, too many times the pace of the season makes it
increasingly difficult to get to God's house, or to spend time
with the One that matters. Speaking for myself, sometimes it
seems it'd be easier to just give in and skip my daily
devotionals. But I can't, I won't, because I've learned that
my time with Him is life to my spirit and strength to my body.
Let's encourage each other to hold tightly to the following
verse from Isaiah. It comes with a promise-- and a warning:
"For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; in
returning and rest shall ye be saved, in quietness and in
confidence shall be your strength; and you would not."
Isaiah 30:15
He is offering us a release from the stress, a place to sit
still and regain our sense of peace. I know it's hard to hold
onto the spirit of Christmas amidst all the "duties" of
Christmas. But let's all make the effort, we'll be glad we did!
~Shellie
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"Southern Exchange"
(This "Mom Moment" comes to you from the "Sportsman's
Paradise" State -- Louisiana!)
My seventeen-year-old son, Jake, is into duck hunting with his
best buddy, a black Lab named Doc. Early one morning, several
days ago, they loaded his four-wheeler in the truck and trekked
to the duck blind to set out decoys for that weekend's hunt. He
assured me he'd be back before school at 8:00.
At 7:15 I called his cell phone to check on him, no answer.
I tried again 10 minutes later, no answer. Thus began the battle
between "Letting Him Grow Up" vs. "Mom To The Rescue". By 8:00
we had a winner: "Mom To The Rescue"!
Horrible thoughts assailed me as I drove to the field. Forcing
myself not to worry, I called out to my Heavenly Father in prayer.
Arriving at the truck, I found no sign of the "duck-hunting duo".
The only way to get a view of the area was to drive to the top of
the levee. Off I went, quickly! Holding my breath, I rounded the
curve to see the most precious sight in the world--my son, dressed
in hip waders, dragging a bundle of decoys and scattering them
randomly, while his dog patiently watched his master from the duck
blind. Unfortunately, my relief came out looking like anger as I
unleashed my emotions on my son, who in turn unleashed his. Later,
after we calmed down, I learned he had slid his four wheeler into
a ditch and it had taken a while to get it out.
We both learned some lessons that day. I learned I have much to
be thankful for...I have a wonderful son. A son who slid a four-
wheeler into a ditch because it was a muddy day -- not because
he was drinking and acting foolish. He was late for school
because he was committed to finishing a task, not because he was
playing hookey. And he was hanging out with his dog, who he has
spent many hours and much of his own money on, and not with the
"wrong crowd" wasting time and money.
Shellie, if any of your readers have kids who need a distraction
from computer games, MTV, peer pressure and temptations, this
Southern gal strongly recommends a dose of the Great Outdoors!
If you don't want to shoot a gun, take a camera. Nature is one
of the most awesome gifts our Creator has given us. Enjoy it!
God Bless,
Rhonda Perry from Louisiana
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WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL THEIR DAUGHTERS...
About hygiene: "Always wear clean underclothes, you never know
when you're going to be in an accident!" Do you remember your
southern mom's advice about love,marriage, relationships and
life in general? Then join the fun; this project is exploding!
Write me at tomtom@allthingssouthern.com to have your mom's advice
memorialized in my new book: WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL THEIR
DAUGHTERS...
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Please forward ALL THINGS SOUTHERN to your friends and family!
(You can also email them the parent site by going to
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says "email this site to a friend.")
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