“Mom.”
“Mom! I gotta this time!”
“Richie, I told you not to drink that damn Big Gulp! You had your chance when we pulled over at that truck stop for your sister. This car is not stopping until we get to Grandma’s.”
Just My Cup of Tea
Tonight my friend Susan and I enjoyed one of our favorite monthly events, the A Taste of India Fundraising Dinner for The Learning Tea at Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party.
The Learning Tea is a non-profit organization, created by the owners and staff of Dr. Bombay’s, dedicated to providing housing, tuition, clothing, food, opportunities and a supportive family environment for young orphaned women in India.
Why do we love these dinners so much that we mark them eagerly on our calendars and snap up our tickets the second the first email invite goes out?
First of all – it’s an amazing deal. A delicious 3-course vegetarian Indian meal for $20. While I certainly like vegetables, I do like meat as well, especially for dinner, when I’m expecting something substantial. The Indian food served at A Taste of India is freshly prepared, flavorful without being too spicy and varied enough in texture and flavor that you never “miss the meat.” With appetizers, entree and dessert included, I always end up leaving stuffed and quite happy.
Secondly, they throw in a glass of wine (or two) along with the dinner. Plus they’ll let you bring in your own bottle – tonight we were celebrating Susan’s birthday, so I brought a favorite rose sparkling wine.
Thirdly (do you still need reasons at this point?)
Thirdly, Samosas.
It’s a warm and charming atmosphere, filled with a good-natured, happy bunch of diners. Seating is community style, on long trestle-style tables, so you are surrounded on all sides by groups of friends, often celebrating occasions of their own.
But most importantly, with each bite, you know you’re helping someone create a life for themselves, against the odds. The girls helped by The Learning Tea “life scholarships,” come from a world of extreme poverty. Without the safe home and educational opportunities provided by the non-profit, they would at best be consigned to a life of unskilled labor, carrying bricks, breaking rocks for concrete or rolling cigarettes – at worst falling victim to child trafficking or prostitution.
So why do we love these dinners so? It’s simply, “our cup of tea.”
“Where there’s tea there’s hope.”
~Arthur Wing Pinero
Weekend Coffee Share: Sunday November 29, 2015
#WeekendCoffeeShare was created by Part Time Monster. I’m so happy to participate again! I made an extra pot and I hope you’ll join me.
If we were having coffee…
I would tell you what a wonderful time we had in Birmingham, spending time with my family for Thanksgiving. There were years after my grandmother died when we were estranged and barely spoke, so it means even more for me to have their love around me today.
How was your Thanksgiving? I hope you spent it with people you love and I’d love to hear all about it.
We got home from Birmingham yesterday and started decorating the house for Christmas. David’s been working all day today to get the wreaths and garland up to decorate the outside of the house.
I go into work tomorrow and into a month of Holiday Hell scheduling everyone else’s Christmas parties, but I’m holding on to the thoughts of wonderful holiday times we’re planning for ourselves, and that will see me through it.
If we were having coffee, I’d ask if you did NaBloPoMo this year, and what were your experiences?
I’d tell you that I participated for the third year this month and have made it all the way (well, there’s tomorrow’s post, but too late to drop the ball on that one!
I’d tell you how much, once again, it meant to me to be a part of such a warm, engaging and supportive group of bloggers. I’d tell you how lucky I felt again, this year, to be a part of Team Tiny Peppers (Nanopoblano) and I hope, work allowing, to still enjoy their writing and thoughtful comments and encouragement once November passes. They have a “value beyond rubies,” and have brought a lot of happiness to my life.
If we were having coffee, I’d ask you to be sure to come back next week! There may be cookies!
I’ve greatly enjoyed your company and look forward to many more coffee times together!
I’d also like to thank Nerd in the Brain – I’ve enjoyed her “if we were having coffee” posts so much, it inspired me to brew up a pot and join you all! I hope you have a wonderful week!
Dressed in Beauty
A repost from last year’s NanoPoblano for this weekend’s Moonshine Challenge over at Yeah Write. These are some of the most amazing sunset photos I’ve ever taken – and by now you may have realized that I’m a sunset junkie 🙂
A sudden moment, walking around a bend in the road near my Mom-in-Law’s house in Augusta, spellbound while magical flights of clouds and colors cloaked the sunset with twilight, as the chill of evening settled in.
A sky-flung veil of heliotrope brocade mirrored cloth of gold in the narrow lake
trimmed with the black lace of trees and buttoned by a diamond moon.
A Thanks-filled Thanksgiving
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday with my family.
I am so thankful that I got to see my sister-cousin, Patti!
I am so thankful for the very grand dinner…
A Honey-baked ham, roasted turkey, crawfish dressing (and plain cornbread dressing), mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, squash casserole, praline sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberries, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, cheesecake and brownies.
I was grateful to enjoy all of my favorite foods!
I was blessed to be able to spend time with my little niece, Livvy.
I had the pleasure of playing with Betty, the Boston Terrier.
I was extra-thankful that David’s Mom Skyped in so she could join the festivities!
And I was truly thankful for all the laughter and joy that filled the day.
My dad creates an elaborate ceremony of dubbing visitor Grace an honorary Ferguson
Grace was very good-spirited about the whole thing (or maybe she’d mustered her courage with some good spirits). Anyhow, perfect Ferguson material.
“I dub thee Gracie Ferguson!”
Newest turkey in the crew!
Mostly, I was overwhelming thankful for the outpouring of love and acceptance from my family. It’s there on Thanksgiving as well as the other 364 days each year.
I am a very thankful girl!
I hope you all had a lovely day filled with the things you are thankful for.
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My Thanksgiving is perpetual.”
Henry David Thoreau
Three Things Thursday: November 26, 2015
I borrowed this concept from the lovely Nerd in the Brain, who encourages you to steal this “exercise in gratitude” with “wild abandon” by sharing three things that made you smile this week and “fill your blog with the happy.”
Thing #1: All-day brunch with friends last Sunday
We hadn’t had a dinner party in a while and I was missing my peeps all together in one place.
I suck at selfies.
There was tons of really amazing food: Paul and Laura’s Homemade Butter Chicken (which is to die for), Ben’s Famous Bloody Mary Chili, Hawk’s Legendary Superbowl Mac N Cheese, B&B Casserole (baked eggs, Gruyere and ham) and Paula Deen’s Hashbrown Casserole (hashbrowns, cream of mushroom soup, 2 lbs of cheddar cheese and a bucket of sour cream, topped with crushed sour cream and onion potato chips) from me, baked to order scones from Susan and some delightful bottles of Cabernet and bubbles from The Bear of Doug (plus mimosas and bloody marys).
Most importantly, there was lots of catching up and talking and laughing and being grateful for all of our years of friendship and how it was even more important to us today.
Thing #2: Heidi’s Going Away Party on Tuesday
My awesomely amazing friend, Heidi, is leaving us for greener pastures beaches and relocating to South Florida.
She had a going-away gathering at Varuni Napoli, a swanky pizza joint in Midtown for 30-40 friends.
This pie was named “The Angry Sicilian.” Why do I never listen?
Group pics with the gang.
Amazing tiramisu.
I will miss Heidi and our ambling walk-about dinners and her always positive and radiant self, but I will have email and phone calls and a new place to stay in Florida, so I’m dealing with myself and wishing her all the luck and fortune in the world as she makes the transition.
Thing #3 Getting Ready for Thanksgiving!
We’re at my parents this week, planning for a big family meal today and really enjoying relaxing, cooking and eating!
We’ve been setting up chairs and tables and finessing stuff since about ten this morning, with the big dinner is still to come later this afternoon.
For now, I’ll leave you with some turkey hats
and some turkeys.
May you have a Thanksgiving bursting at the seams with love and happiness.
And there you go! Three things that made me smile and brought joy to my week. Thanks as always, Nerd in the Brain, for the inspiration!
Wrangled
Annie smashed the Mustang’s gas pedal, deliberately cutting off the swaybacked old Bronco as it lumbered doggedly towards the one available parking place in front of Macys.
Barreling neatly into the spot, she smirked as she flipped off the ignition.
“Yippee ki-yay!”
SHARE YOUR WORLD – 2015 WEEK #47
Brackets ( ) Brackets always come in pairs ( ) and are used to make an aside, or a point which is not part of the main flow of a sentence. If you remove the words between the brackets, the sentence should still make sense.
While I don’t come as a pair (well, technically, I guess I do since I’m married, but I’m not sure David would want to be volunteered). However, I frequently make “asides,” and the majority of the time, they are not part of the main flow of the sentence. Should you remove my little “asides,” the sentences being spoken by others would most likely still make sense.
The above paragraph is a great example of one of my little snarks.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Sister-cousins Patti and Christa and my sister, Jenny.
Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?
Both. I am studying Spanish, guitar and digital marketing right now (as hobbies) although I never have enough time to really study/practice. I love barre classes, but I haven’t taken one in about two months. Hoping desperately for some down time in December.
List at least 5 things that makes you laugh.
My fur kids
Pictures of my friend Amy’s kitten, Mr. Butters. He’s a ball of fuzz with bright blue eyes and a perpetual look of surprise.
Sir Terry Pratchett’s books, especially the Tiffany Aching series (Wee Free Men)
Christopher Moore’s “Lamb, The Gospel according to Christ’s Best Friend, Biff”
My Daddy. He’s a funny guy.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful for the wonderful gathering of friends we had on Sunday and I’m looking forward to a wonderful gathering with family on Thursday!
Thanks, Cee, for such a fun challenge this week!
Early Thankgiving
It’s never too early to start celebrating!
Southern Quotes
Re-posting some of my favorites from my research for “A Hellacious Belles’ Guide.”
“In the South, as in no other American region, people use language as it was surely meant to be employed; a lush, personal, emphatic, treasure of coins to be spent slowly and for value” — Time Magazine
“Summer in the deep South is not only a season, a climate, it’s a dimension. Floating in it, one must be either proud or submerged.”
― Eugene Walter, The Untidy Pilgrim
My parents won’t let me have a motorcycle, but they give me all the guns I want. I asked them for a motorcycle last Christmas and they told me I’d only kill myself. They got me this twelve-gauge instead.”
― Scott Thompson
“Growing up Southern is a privilege, really. It’s more than where you’re born, it’s an idea and state of mind that seems imparted at birth. Its more than loving fried chicken, sweet tea, football, beer, bourbon and country music. It’s being hospitable, devoted to front porches, magnolias, moon pies and coca-cola, and each other. We don’t become Southern, we’re born that way.” -Anonymous
“Magic of Southern expressions? Similes and metaphorical allusions. They are the yellow highlighter of conversation.”
― Tim Heaton
Drunk on Life 