Mama Mia!

Last week I saw Mama Mia and I found it quite uplifting. There were things I didn't like about the movie, but overall the music left me with such a feel good mentality, I've had ABBA songs running through my head for six days. Of course the Dancing Queen Sequence was my favorite followed by Take A Chance On Me. While in the theater when all was quiet I blurted out "they shouldn't allow Pierce Brosnan to sing" more laughter ensued than during most of the movie. Apparently some of my friends thought I could relate to Tonya as she stumbled around the island in her high heels, lugged around a full wardrobe and had a face cream that cost $1000. Maybe ;-) All I can say is "heels, pills, thrills & $1000 face cream- SOS! Let's get off this island and see the world!" Mama Mia, here I go again...My My, how did I let him go?" Perhaps my prayer will be answered and a certain someone will invite me to the island, so I can start seeing the world...Go see it, take a chance on me, I'm the dancing queen :)

Tick Tock

Time flies when you're having fun, I'm definitely a victim! I haven't been still long enough to blog not to mention since I am somewhat technologically challenged, I've had some difficulty learning out to utilize my new wireless broadband connection. The move to Birmingham has definitely been a positive step in learning more about my life, my feelings and my plans for the future. I've learned a bigger city is still a very small town. I've learned to appreciate all types of people and have met some wonderful new friends along with reconnecting with several old. As I've looked inside myself I realize that I can be happy pretty much anywhere. Highlands is the new Firehouse; Bottega has replaced Hunts. Life in the sorority house is interesting to say the least and always entertaining. I enjoy having something to do all the time for about 14 days then I love coming back to my new little place in Headland and being surrounded by small town living and the people I love. I know this is only a short update but I hope to return to at least a weekly update if not more. Just wanted to let you know I'm "bringing blogging back" to my life. Thanks to all of you who read and have let me know that you've missed my posts.

Taking A Break

Sorry I have not been able to update my blog...My life is crazy right now as I'm trying to pack up my house in hopes to move to Birmingham. I'll keep you posted when I have free minute or when I find a place; do forgive me until then...I'll ramble on eventually ;-)

Ella Turns 3

My niece Ella- daughter of Will & Holly Woods turns THREE on Friday, March 14th. Her signature cupcake was lemon filled with tiffany blue icing and an E monogram thanks to OoohLa herself :) Unfortunately I did not make it to Nashville due to my relocation issues but I wanted to say a special Hello to this little princess!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLA! Love, Nana

ThirtyFaBuLouS

I started this blog as a piece for FaBulouSiTy but decided after a few sentences that it was indeed a rambling and not ab-fab enough to fit the other page. I'm actually going to use this as a soapbox for 'thirty-something' year old women around the world. I had a conversation this weekend with a male friend (who shall remain nameless FfeJ J, not coups) who floored me a bit (if you will as I wasn't offended per se). We were talking about my upcoming move to Birmingham (and I am still excited about it all in spite of any comment made by this person or any rambling in this passage that might make one think otherwise, I'm simply blowing off some single female steam).

We were talking about ways to meet 'singles' and of course the ever popular Bible Study topic came up. I am definitely all about a Bible Study as my Beth Moore Stepping Up is in the morning and I cannot wait to attend with women of all ages from the Dothan community. However, I've never quite found a Bible Study as a great way to get a date; sometimes a Singles Bible Study is nothing more than a meat market, I prefer "meet & greet" but I typically call a spade a spade. Call me crazy...or just plain weird-That isn't exactly the point of this conversation either.

This friend mentioned to me that when I move to Birmingham I would need to meet people in church, in particularly a singles Bible Study at this The Church of the Highlands (or as I call it, the church of the Starbucks, something I doubt I'll ever get accustomed to as a good Methodist girl who appreciates more traditional worship). Indeed I think meeting other single Christians in church is a wonderful thing and where I plan to attend a church more suited to me (sans the Starbucks) I had entertained the thought of going to COH to a Bible Study to meet Christians my age. At the same time, I am not of the opinion that a Bible Study is a good dating service as others seem to believe; that's just my personal opinion. Not that I wouldn't date somebody I met in one, that just isnt my main goal of it. In my after college single past I found it a better place to meet other single females who are in the same boat who like to shop, eat dinner, travel and look for 'boys' (now men) in other places.

So anyway...this guy starts telling me that I wouldn't want to go to the Bible Study that he attends. I would certainly need to go to the 30+ something Bible Study as he (age 37) goes to the 20something to early 30s Bible Study- we would 'hardly' be in the same class (though he IS a year older than I) because as a 'thirtysomething' year old woman, I would want to be in the other class where the fortysomething year old men were because those were the men who would be interested in me. O_O He wonders why some women our age seem bitter and I might add, I'm not terribly surprised that he's still single, though he is a great guy- he's knocked a wonderful segment of the female population out of the running without giving us a chance.

Okay, I've finally picked up my jaw. Keep in mind the premise 'is' a Bible Study...? Right? Wrong, it seems. Also, I am in fact a year younger than this guy and he basically told me that he (a person my age) along with other males in my thirtysomething age group would be interested in the 20something year old women and the 40something+ year old men would be more interested in someone my age. O_O Yeah, this guy dropped over 1000 points on my meter as he basically wiped out an entire bracket of datable men MY AGE because I am TOO OLD FOR THEM!!!...!!! Granted, we 30s know that men are usually interested in younger women...But I'm no old maid and I'm not 'Older' than these men. I'm in the same generation!

Granted, I feel am too old for some people...The 23yr old hottie who continued to ask me if "I'd ever warm up to him" (I wish, but no, he was a Sr @ Auburn...I am a dozen years older and I didn't feel comfortable; guess I'm discriminating myself...just didn't want to be known as a Cougar)and several other 20somethings who have YES hit on a woman of "MY AGE" (me). It's interesting how women who date men five years + younger and we are called "COUGARS" where it's normal for men to marry someone five to ten years younger than they. Now I have to say I think anything over is a bit much. Sorry if I offend anyone (family especially) but I am not attracted to men who are my father's age and I think that's unnatural though I realize not everyone agrees. I'd like to say "it's wrong on so many levels" but that may sound a bit harsh...Though I'm putting it out there and again my apologies if I offend others, it's just my opinion and this is my personal forum.

But I am not too old for a guy in his thirties. Thankfully not all men think the way my friend does...as a matter of fact a guy I went out with some last year always made me feel more than comfortable about my age. He is three years younger than I am and he always assured me that he did not think of me as older than he is at all. I think he was the one who coined the phrase ThirtyFabulous for those of us in our 'thirties'. Merci mon ami! I've also had many younger guys 'come on to me', ask me out, etc; guys IN THEIR 20s. I actually like guys around my age and into the early forties but I don't want some guy randomly pawning me off and casting me out as part of the dating community of people in my own age group. I guess I'm telling him right here in this blog that one of the reasons he has never been married is that he has ruled out a pretty terrific part of the female population by disregarding women in his own age group. Perhaps he's insecure or simply immature, probably...idk. I'm not sticking around to find out either. I've got a host of men in and around my age group to meet and prove that women who are in the midthirties are young, vivacious, and full of life, who love ourselves and love the Lord. Our experience in life could be intimidating to this guy...It is probably the best thing about a woman my age when given the opportunity (poor misguided fellow, what he's missing ;-)!)

In closing I will remark again that this was all spoken in the text of going to a "Bible Study". My mind is still trying to wrap around that one. Why don't they just call it what it is?!?! A SINGLES MIXER...It's a way for Christian people to meet each other in an environment that's not a bar. I guess I'm more floored that a fellow Christian cast me out of the desirable, datable public. If I'm not for him, that's one thing...but don't speak for the rest of the people my age !!!

My apologies- I'm not bitter, just a bit frustrated with SINGLEHOOD. I'm usually a happy bubbly person! I hope you find the humor in this in some way...I'll probably tweak it several times to make it more funny, I just wanted to get my initial thoughts on paper. I will say I'm THIRTYFABULOUS and I'm sticking to it...I wouldn't go back to my teens or twenties. I like where I am and hope that when I'm fifty I'll say the same thing. God is good; Life is good...and women my age are AB-FAB! :)

**This piece is for all the 30Fabulous women out there; especially those pictured in the photo above!!! And for a guy five years older than I am, Salut!**

Had A Bad Day...

I've been waiting for Daniel Powter to appear from a cloud and start singing...two days and counting. Where is he??? Well, I decided to add him myself.
Where is the moment we needed the most? My blue skies have faded to grey, my passion has definitely gone away; of course I'm carrying on; Unfortunately I'm just in one bad mood...

Lyrics...Sing aloud if you will ;-)
BAD DAY (blues)
Where is the moment we needed the most???
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
You tell me your blue skies fade to grey
You tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

(Oh.. Holiday..)

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeeeah)

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

(Oh, yeah, yeaaah, yeah)
Had a bad day
(Oh, had a bad day)
Had a bad day
(Oh, yeah, yeah, yeeeeah)
Had a bad day
(Oh, had a bad day)
Had a bad day...
Had a bad day...

The Greatest Love Story Of All...

So I've rambled about Lent and a keg at the Episcopal Mardi Gras, talked a little about mimosas, cupcakes, and fabulousity. I wasn't planning to write again today until it struck me while I was sitting at the Praise Service at First United Methodist tonight that the Episcopalians have nothing on us and for Methodists we were almost evangelical this evening at our February "Praise and Graze" where Promise, our almost famous rock-style band sang things from "Givin It Up for His Love, Everything, I'm giving it up for His love right now" (in honor of Lent, of course) to a Christian remix of "Love Train". We ate everything from ribs & other comfort food to dandelion dip and chocolate desserts. Our praise service usually moves me but tonight was particularly powerful as I am in this phase of reflection. The theme was 'Taste and See' and as Sterling Boykin read our scripture lesson from Psalms and John, I realized as I was invited to do this, I was hearing the Greatest Love Story Ever Told in a completely different way. I'm sure countless true Biblical scholars have called referred to it this way but tonight my heart (that has felt a bit empty and broken as I spent another Valentine's as a single person)is overflowing and overwhelmed by the thought of God's love for us and me specifically.

As a small child I memorized John 3:16 but heard it tonight in a completely different context for some reason. Tonight as I listened to everything we were singing, saying, praising, worshiping, thinking and praying I understood this Valentine's season that God's love for me was not just 'love' (a word I haven't liked very much over the last few years for other reasons). Not an empty "I love you" politely said just because. God's love for us is indeed a LOVE STORY, a romance, a passion for His children. It is a love thats "Deeper than my view of grace, Higher than this worldly place, Longer than this road I travel, Wider than the gap You filled..." (jami smith) to quote another song. It is amazing and beyond my understanding but a love that will fill me up and never let me fall.

The passion of our Lord is told throughout the Bible. It can be found in the story of Christ's birth, death & resurrection. It is backed up in the Old Testament by the way we can see God's plan as told by the prophets. Everything unfolds from start to finish and one day will be wrapped up as when the Bridegroom returns to earth. In a passage that I've heard all of my life I find the greatest gift and greatest love of all. What Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3:11-17 sums it all up.

"I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven- the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him."

If that didn't have me thinking enough, Promise shared a Bob Dylan classic earlier. I've heard Dylan, Garth Brooks, Billy Joel and others sing it but again I've never heard it quite like Adam Jones and the band sang "To Make You Feel My Love" tonight. I remember them singing this last year but again, I was hearing with new ears and listening with a whole heart. They said when thinking about Valentine's Day and that as we lift our songs of worship up to God that they wondered what song GOD might sing to us, his children of today. "To Make You Feel My Love" was perfect. Tonight I allowed the Great Physician to heal my heart from some earthly wounds that I've been holding onto for a few years, I have felt His love tonight on an even higher level. Thanks be to God!

When you read the lyrics below I encourage you to feel them as though our heavenly father is saying, yes singing this song for you, gently reminding you what He has done, what He will do, that He gave His life FOR US TO FEEL HIS LOVE...

TO MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

Time Out Of Mind
-Bob Dylan

*I dedicate this post to my parents...Thank you for your love and Christian foundation and for always believing in me; to my Mother who is with my heavenly Father and to my Daddy- I love you!

The Cupcake of Life...

It's funny how life speaks to you...
Someone told me they read this and laughed, made fun if you will, especially "From the girl who has her very own cupcake". I laughed with her and honestly expect no less and was happy someone actually read it. I started this and named it Ramblings because I hope it's funny and enjoyable. My profile says "I don't take myself or life too seriously." However, that hasn't always been the case and perhaps it isn't the entire truth. I've had some pretty significant, serious things happen in my life that have changed my whole outlook. Some I'll share, some I won't... Today I am prompted to share my heart.

The truth is my life/health has been dire several times and has hung from the balance due to an extreme illness I was diagnosed with when I was 22 yrs old, just starting to "live life". MY life plan was altered considerably and because of many painful experiences at one point I became miserable, bitter and bedridden by 29. I was told my disease was so severe I wouldn't live to be thirty. Somehow I overcame that hurdle but was later told I had less than 12 months to live when I was 32. Thanks to GOD, a wonderful supporting family, friends & loved ones who cared for me physically and emotionally, getting out of a terrible marriage that had left me with no will to live, and a special thanks to the Dept of Immunology/Stem Cell Study at Northwestern University in Chicago (God used them to play a huge role in saving my life), ...I turn 37 in July.

When I use the term "from the girl who has everything" I mean it but in a totally different way others might think. Financially I've been blessed. My family means more to me than I think they will ever know. I have been given some of the best friends who have come for "Seasons, Reasons & Lifetimes". Though I don't have a "significant other" at this time and often feel very lonely in that aspect, I trust God will provide that when my heart is ready. I've gone through one bad marriage and that's enough to show me you cannot count on another person to make you happy. God has filled my life with many wonderful people.

Do I have every THING in the world, heavens no! Sometimes I wonder how I make it through the day with my airheadedness but I always do somehow. I often wonder how I'm going to scrape up enough cash to pay my taxes. My hips, leg and Crohns have been killing me lately but I try to smile and say thank you God for letting me be here to feel the pain...and thank you for darvocet and lomotil to ease it a little. The guy I've been hoping to go out with cancelled on me (twice). I struggle with rejection, lonliness and all sorts of self esteem issues. Sometimes I think I can't scare up a date but can chronically perpetually be everybody's friend. My wonderful family is quite dysFUNctional!!! I miss my Mila everyday. But when I look at how far I've come and think of all the REAL problems in the world, I have it all. I am rich because God gave me life...not once, not twice but he has brought me back several times and through those experiences in the bigger picture, I have it all. So many times a day I ask if some things really matter. It's best now just to live, FORGIVE, be happy, have JOY, receive the good with the bad and thank God for ALL He gives. Because at this point in my life, THE REST IS GRAVY! I didn't expect to make it here!

I can have my cupcake and eat it too because it has taken 35+ years to realize that it's God that makes this possible. I might be one of the world's most compulsive shoppers but I have learned that all the stuff I buy is not what fills me up. Money is not what makes a person rich. A Mercedes Convertible is not a soulmate, it won't give you a goodnight kiss, a hug or a Valentine. But God IS GOOD! He allows me to look at life in such a different perspective. Granted, it has taken some pretty rough times to show me this but He has certainly shown me that HE will fill me up and HE WILL CARRY ME THROUGH.

Right now I feel that I'm being called out of my comfort zone. I'm a bit scared but quite frankly I am ready to take the challenge and "Get Busy Living" (thanks J.A.M.) because it looks like He's keeping me here for a reason and it's my honor to keep my eyes & heart open to find out why and how I may use all this to glorify Him.
As usual I'm starting to ramble...but I wanted others to know why I feel so blessed. At this time in my life it is ALL because of the gifts that God has given and for the chance to glorify Him here in some way before eventually He does call me to be with Him.

*And Thanks Val, I dedicate this to you, for being the most wonderful sister and for your gift of friendship! And to you & Mike for allowing me the priviledge, the most precious gift of sharing in the experience of all that is Maddy. That has given me the something I needed to start living again, I will never be able to thank you enough!

I conclude with a poem that many of you know. It reminds me of my grandmother Edith; she had it framed beside her bed and she passed it along to me. I didn't know when I was a junior in high school what a role it would play in my life.

Footprints In The Sand

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was
walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the
sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he
noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one
belonging to him, and the other to the Lord. When
the last scene of his life flashed before him, he
looked back at the footprints in the sand. He
noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed
that it happened at the very lowest and saddest
times in his life. This really bothered him and he
questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, You said that
once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all
the way. But I have noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life, there is only one set
of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed
you most you would leave me." The Lord replied,
"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would
never leave you. During your times of trial and
suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it
was then that I Carried You." -Mary Stevenson

Honorable Mention

I would like to dedicate my new blog FABULOUSITY to a handfull of people who've encouraged me. JT, JCW, Thad& Matt- My Atlata Boys-whose fabululousity goes without saying. ECH-you are always encouraging me to write, no matter what. KathiKing- thanks for finding this somewhat entertaining. Allen, Jeff & Paula, my fellow bloggers, I appreciate your guidance; coups for harassing me (not really) about starting a Blog ;-). Oohlah for my cupcake- I'm still relatively speechless :). Prettyboy Brady and the Patriots, what can I say??? The Manning Brothers win two years in a row! Their Mississippi football camps will be full by tomorrow's end but Brady, you're still the best looking in my book anyday! And a faraway someone who always encourages me with his kindness. Quite frankly fabulous...Now that's a wrap.

Groundhog Day: Facts And Fictions

Do we brace ourselves for six more weeks of wintry weather or do we spring ahead this year?

Once again it's a battle between the North and South. Do we rely on Punxsutawney Phil or side with General Beauregard Lee? According to the top-hat and tuxedo wearing Punxsutawney Groundhog Club of Pennsylvania, our rodent-friend Phil saw his shadow today. Each year, thousands decend on this small Pennsylvania town of approximately 6,100 to celebrate what is essentially a German superstition. The tradition is that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on February 2nd- the Christian holiday of Candlemas- winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early.

General Beauregard Lee is Punxsutawney Phil's counterpart in Lilburn, Ga. Beau did not see his shadow on Saturday morning. MSN says "this marks the third year that the groundhogs have had different predictions. " However groundhog.org (the official site of punxsutawney phil) and Wikipedia both state that in 2007 they both predicted an early spring but differed in 2005 and 2006.

Apparently General Beauregard Lee is not the only groundhog who disagrees with forecaster Phil this year. Balzac Billy (Balzac Alberta), Jimmy the Groundhog (Sun Prarie WI), Sir Walter Wally (Raleigh NC), Wiarton Willie (Wiarton Ontario), Malverne Mel (Malvern NY), Shubenacadie Sam (Shubenacadie Nova Scotia), and Staten Island Chuck (NYC NY) all agree with the southern springseeker. West Indies Wilbur is the only other groundhog who predicts six more weeks of winter in 2008. All this lends me to the words of Hank Williams, Jr "If the South would have won, we'd of had it made!" No protest, just go with General Lee and Spring has sprung!

Groundhog Day proponents state that the rodents' forecasts are accurate 75% to 90%. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, a study for 13 cities in the past 30 to 40 years puts success rate level at 37%. Also, the National Climatic Data Center reports that the overall predictions accuracy rate is around 39% (petloveshack.com).

The groundhog itself is a member of the rodent family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels. It seems the earliest account of Groundhog Day in America can be found at the Historical Society of Berks County in Reading Pennsylvania. The first reference was made in storekeeper Jame Morris' diary on February 4,1841. It has been claimed that Groundhog Day is a widely celebrated event in Middlesbrough, England since the turn of the millennium and continues to grow within the surrounding area. This however seems rather unlikely given that groundhogs are limited to North America (Mammal Species of the World, Wilson&Reeder).

In the United States the tradition derives from a Scottish poem:
As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and snow
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop

It will be interesting to see which groundhog is right this year. Southerness aside, my personal hope lies with Beau as I'm anxious to see our beautiful Spring. However, if Phil is the one who is correct, I'll have another six weeks to diet & exercise before I even have to think of putting on a swimsuit. I guess either way, according to legend, it's a Win-Win(ter) situation :)

Mardi Gras, Mimosas & Me

Considering that I don't live in Mobile, AL, or N'Oleans, LA, I have certainly had my share Mardi Gras festivities this year. It started with our annual Thalian Ball and will end with a "Fat Tuesday" dinner of some sort, perhaps a Pancake Supper in honor of Shrove Day. I attended a Mardi Gras Festival at our local Episcopal Church on Friday evening; wonderful food, fun and fellowship; a keg and wine in the fellowship hall complete with jambalaya and dancing. All the hoop-la has caused me to ask questions and seek answers regarding Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent and its place in the Christian Church.

At Brunch, while sipping my mimosa, I was quizzed on my knowledge or in this case lack of knowledge of Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent & the Lenten Season. Often we see the party-fest associated with the Mardi Gras season and have no idea that it has Christian origin. When asked "why give up something for Lent?" "How does giving up something honor what Christ did for us on the cross?" I stumbled for answers. The latter question and the thought of "trivializing" Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross urged me to dig deeper and find out why we celebrate this time and what correlation it has with Easter. This is some of the information I acquired...

Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday & Carnival
Wikipedia states: Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday and is also called "Fasching", "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". Mardi Gras is the final day of Carnival, though the term is often used incorrectly to describe the days and weeks preceding Fat Tuesday. Carnival begins 12 days after Christmas, or Twelfth Night, on January 6 and ends on Mardi Gras, which always falls exactly 47 days before Easter. Perhaps the cities most famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations include New Orleans, Louisiana; Venice, Italy; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Many other places have important Mardi Gras celebrations as well. Carnival is an important celebration in most of Europe, except in the United Kingdom where pancakes are the tradition, and also in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

My home, Dothan, AL, however, is not known for its elaborate Mardi Gras Celebration. We do have the Thalian Mardi Gras Society (a band party at country club women ages 29-50) and "BIG GIRL MARDI GRAS" (for lack of better words, women 45+ another country club party). The Episcopal Mardi Gras Celebration Supper as well as a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper and the Catholic, Episcopal, & Methodist denominations hold Ash Wednesday Church Services. Dothan might be more infamous or notorious for our Mardi Gras parties than anything.

Today Carnival or Mardi Gras it is celebrated in many places with parades, costumes, dancing, and music. Many Christians’ discomfort with Lent originates with a distaste for Mardi Gras. In some cultures, especially the Portuguese culture of Brazil, the French culture of Louisiana, and some of the Caribbean cultures such as Trinidad, it has tended to take on the excesses of wild and drunken revelry. There has been some attempt in recent years to change this aspect of the season, such as using Brazilian Carnival parades to focus on national and cultural history. Many churches now observe Mardi Gras with a church pancake breakfast or other church meal, eating together as a community before the symbolic fasting of Lent begins (crivoice.org).

Another term used is 'Shrove Tuesday' (aka Fat Tuesday-in French, Mardi= Tuesday; gras= fat, as in "pate de foie gras", which is liver paste and very fatty), because on that day a thrifty housewife uses up the fats that she has kept around (the can of bacon drippings, or whatever) for cooking, but that she will not be using during Lent. Since pancakes are a standard way of using up fat, the day is also called Pancake Tuesday. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom. To shrive someone, in old-fashioned English is to hear his acknowledgement of his sins, to assure him of God's forgiveness, and to give him appropriate spiritual advice. Shrove Tuesday is considered a day when many Christians make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth in which they especially need to ask God's guidance.

Ash Wednesday
According to the Western Christian calendar, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs forty-six days before Easter. It falls on different dates from year to year, according to the date of Easter; it can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10. At worship services on this day, ashes are imposed on the foreheads of the faithful. The priest, minister, or in some cases officiating layperson marks the forehead of each participant with black ashes, in the shape of a cross, which the worshiper traditionally retains until washing it off after sundown.
This tradition comes from the ancient practice of placing ashes on worshippers’ heads or foreheads as a sign of humility before God, a symbol of mourning and sorrow at the death that sin brings into the world. It not only prefigures the mourning at the death of Jesus, but also places the worshipper in a position to realize the consequences of sin. Ash Wednesday is a somber day of reflection on what needs to change in our lives if we are to be fully Christian and a time for repentence. Biblical passages that show examples of using ashes to express penitence are found in Job 42:3-6, Numbers 19:9, 17, Hebrews 9:13, Jonah 3:6, Matthew 11:21, and Luke 10:13.

Some Christians do not celebrate Ash Wednesday and say that the practice is not consistent with Scripture. They usually cite Matthew 6:16–18, where Jesus gave prescriptions for fasting: "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites...Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (NRSV) These groups argue that Jesus warned against fasting to gain favor from other people and that he also warned his followers that they should fast in private, not letting others know they were fasting. For these reasons, some Christian denominations do not endorse the practice. Others, however, point out that this very passage is the one, not coincidentally, that is appointed by the Revised Common Lectionary to be read on Ash Wednesday.

Lent
Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, where he endured temptation by Satan. Different churches calculate the forty days differently. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial—for the annual commemoration of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, as celebrated during Holy Week, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Western Christianity, Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday until Holy Saturday. The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter", a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death. In those churches which follow the Byzantine tradition (e.g. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics), the forty days of Lent are calculated differently: the fast begins on Clean Monday, Sundays are included in the count, and it ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting.

During my quest for answers I came across a website, crivoice.org/cylent; what Dennis Bratcher wrote on The Season of Lent spoke to me and explains best the answers to many questions I had and was asked about The Journey of Lent:

Reflections on Lent
We enjoy celebrating Palm Sunday and we all love Easter Sunday! It is a happy time, with flowers, new clothes, and the expectation of Spring in the air. BUT, it is too easy and promotes too cheap a grace to focus only on the high points of Palm Sunday and Easter without walking with Jesus through the darkness of Good Friday, a journey that begins on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a way to place ourselves before God humbled, bringing in our hands no price whereby we can ourselves purchase our salvation. It is a way to confess our total inadequacy before God, to strip ourselves bare of all pretenses to righteousness, to come before God in dust and ashes. It is a way to empty ourselves of our false pride, of our rationalizations that prevent us from seeing ourselves as needy creatures, of our "perfectionist" tendencies that blind us to the beam in our own eyes.

Through prayer, we seek to open ourselves up before God, and to hear anew the call "Come unto me!" We seek to recognize and respond afresh to God’s presence in our lives and in our world. We seek to place our needs, our fears, our failures, our hopes, our very lives in God’s hands, again. And we seek by abandoning ourselves in Jesus’ death to recognize again who God is, to allow His transforming grace to work in us once more, and to come to worship Him on Easter Sunday with a fresh victory and hope that goes beyond the new clothes, the Spring flowers, the happy music.

But it begins in ashes and it journeys though darkness. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that I am convinced we must make one way or the other for genuine spiritual renewal to come. I have heard the passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted a lot: ". . .if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." This usually is quoted in the context of wanting revival or renewal in the church, and the prayer is interpreted as intercessory prayer for others. But a careful reading of the passage will reveal that the prayer that is called for here is not intercessory prayer for others; it is penitential prayer for the faith community, for us. It is not to call for others to repent; it is a call for us, God’s people, to repent. It is our land that needs healed, it is our wicked ways from which we need to turn, we are the ones who need to seek God’s face.

Perhaps during the Lenten season we should stop praying for others as if we were virtuous enough to do so. Perhaps we should take off our righteous robes just long enough during these 40 days to put ashes on our own heads, to come before God with a new humility that is willing to confess, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." Maybe we should be willing to prostrate ourselves before God and plead, "Lord, in my hand no price I bring; simply to the cross I cling." That might put us in a position to hear God in ways that we have not heard Him in a long time. And it may be the beginning of a healing for which we have so longed.

O Lord, begin with me. Here. Now."

Researching this has been an eye-opening experience for me. I will go into this Easter Season with an attitude of renewal, humbly bowing before God and thanking him for my salvation. When I 'give up something for Lent' I will do it with an entirely different attitude, knowing that nothing I give up will come close to Jesus' giving his life for my sins. I will acknowledge this symbol of my commitment to Christ and use this period of self-denial and prayer to prepare and remind me of Christ's death on the cross and ultimately His ressurection at Easter, knowing that He lives.

I must confess that Easter has brought mixed emotions for me for the last 8 years. In 2000, my mother Mila died on Maundy Thursday and we buried her on the Saturday before Easter. Thursday-Saturday of Easter is a painful time for me. My heart is heavy, I miss my mother and feel an even stronger emptiness than I do throughout the year. Yet every year, on Easter God has given me peace & a sense of rejoicing like I haven't known in earlier years. I feel His presence even stronger. I know that His death was to save me from sin...my own. It is like the heavy black cloak on the cross is lifted and beautiful blue skies lie ahead, for He Has Risen! I can rest assured in the Lord that one day I will see my mother again..."I Can Only Imagine!"

In an attempt to conclude my ramblings on a lighter note- this is a Season of Celebration; a time to reflect, repent and praise the Lord for sending His Son.

I always enjoy a good party...So to kick things off I have chosen a basic pancake recipe that one might use to celebrate "Fat/Shrove Tuesday". It's a staple, of course. I have also added some variations on my favorite cocktail, The Mimosa.

Many Blessings and ENJOY!

Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday Basic Pancake Recipe:
2 cups all-purpose flour, stirred or sifted before measuring
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
PREPARATION:
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine egg and milk; add to flour mixture, stirring only until smooth. Blend in melted butter. Cook on a hot, greased griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until brown on one side and around edge; turn and brown the other side. Recipe for pancakes serves 4.

To add a little sparkle to your pancakes, I've included the basic Mimosa recipe and several variations that you might consider trying. Once you do, you may no longer be happy with the standard version, although it is very good, too.

A Mimosa is a cocktail recipe having two parts of thoroughly chilled orange juice combined with three parts champagne. It's just that simple, easy and delicious!
The basic Mimosa recipe was first created at a hotel in France about 1925. I do not know who invented it or even what the occasion was. It may have been the bartender was just experimenting.

Often the drink is served in a tall champagne flute, but I think you will want to use a large wine glass if you like ice in the drink (like I do) or if you are making the delicious Mama Mimosa (aka "Big Mama").
Traditional Mimosa
Ingredients:
Champagne
2 ounces of cold orange juice (fresh orange juice is a special treat)
Crushed ice (optional)

Instructions:
Pour champagne into a champagne flute
Add champage to fill the glass

*Garnish with a slice of orange or a strawberry if using a glass other than a flute
Occasionally I use crushed in wine glass and pour 3 parts of champage in the glass and then add 2 parts orange juice.

Variations of the Basic Mimosa Recipe
Add a tablespoon of Grand Marnier and you'll have created a Grand Mimosa...
Use cranberry juice instead of orange juice and you have created a Hibiscus or a Poinsettia
Use pink grapefruit instead of orange juice and enjoy a Lilosa
**My Personal Favorite is the PomPom or Pomosa...
Fill half of an 8 oz. champagne flute with Champagne and add another 4 oz of Pomegranate juice.
Garnish with a strawberry, orange or lime twist for a finishing touch.
Remember Pomegranate is a wonderful antioxidant...there's nothing like a little bubbly for your health ;-)

For a Mimosa with FLARE...
Take your traditional Mimosa recipe and add a delicate splash of an orange liquer topped with crushed raspberry ice - the MamaMosa or Big Mama

INGREDIENTS:
Champagne (1 Bottle)
Orange Juice (1 Bottle)
Orange Liquer
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
PREPARATION:
Fill half of an 8oz. glass with chilled champagne and add another 4 oz. of chilled orange juice, gently stir. Next add 1-2 tablespoons of orange liquer and mix thoroughly. For the final touch, add raspberry ice (for directions, see below) just before serving.
* Raspberry ice - crumble fresh raspberries and place the crumbles into ice cube trays, fill with water and freeze. Adds a very nice touch to any Mimosa!

**NOTE: I prefer using Prosecco(Italian sparkling)instead of champage for its sweeter, lighter flavor in all variations. You don't have to use an expensive champagne, Cristalino ($9), Cava ($12) or Zardetto ($14) make excellent mixers.

Special Thanks for "Couture Cakes"

From The Girl Who Has Everything-
Including HER OWN CUPCAKE...

THANK YOU to "OohLa", the girl with the Million$$$ Dessert$-
http://half-bakedbaker.blogspot.com/ for her friendship and
THE Couture Cupcake.
All of her creations are "OoooohLala"!
Not everyone can have their cupcakes and eat them too ;-)
I'm Speechless, which is unusual;
Let Us Eat Cake!!!

A Pie By Any Other Name...???

Apparently there's a current family dispute over whether or not Key Lime Pie can be made with typical 'grocery store limes' (aka Persian Limes) or if you actually have to make it with KEY LIMES...Is there a difference and if so, what is it? After making 2 pies today (one with Key Limes & another with Persian Limes), resident family LIME PIE EXPERT Jeff "crockasac" McClendon feels that 'its a wash'. Gourmet cousin MajorA asked me to do a little research on the topic. If "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" would A PIE by any other LIME taste as good? That is the question Mr. Shakespeare!

Mistakenly many believe that the term KEY LIME only refers to limes by which one makes these pies or limes that only grow in Key West Florida. The key lime is indeed a very specific kind of lime that is not exclusive to the keys. The Key Lime lime, Citrus aurantifolia Swingle, also referred to as a Mexican Lime, is a thin-skinned, greenish-yellow lime. This juicy lime is known for its distinctive aroma high-acid content. There is a distinct size and color difference between the more common Persian lime and the Key Lime. Much smaller than the Persian lime, the Key Lime ranges in size from a ping-pong ball to a golf ball. The skin is smooth and yellowish in color when ripe. The flesh is greenish yellow and full of highly embryonic seeds. They have a distinctive aroma which makes them valuable for culinary use.

Key Lime Pie originated in Key West, Florida, by the local residents referred to as "Conchs". The original version was made before the days of refrigeration. There were no cattle in the area so the only milk available was canned milk originally brought in by ship, later by train. This is why the recipe uses canned milk and not fresh. Also, the traditional key lime pie would not be cooked. The acid from the lime juice would set and thicken the egg yolks. Because of the potential of Salmonella bacteria it is best to cook the dessert and bring the yolks up to a temperature of at least 110 degrees.

The answer to the question actually lies within personal preference but the TRUTH is

"A Pie By ANY OTHER LIME would NOT BE AS SWEET; it would definitely be more tart..."

CrockasacPies might want to corner the market on PersianLime Pies???

In search for the perfect Key Lime Pie Recipe I turned to the experts at Gourmet Sleuth...

This is a recipe for "real" Key Lime pie. Real Key lime pie is not green and it does not have a soft "pudding" texture. The pie gets its true pale yellow color from the egg yolks that predominate the ingredient list. And the texture is a "firm custard". Be careful that you don't over-bake the pie or it will be "rubbery". For best results use fresh Key Limes, not bottled juice. The traditional preparation does not put any meringue on the top of the pie. This is a very simple recipe and only takes a few minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to bake.

KEY LIME PIE

I N G R E D I E N T S:

Crust

16 graham crackers crushed

3 tablespoons sugar

(1/4 lb) margarine or butter

I N S T R U C T I O N S-

Mix the ingredients and press them into a 9" pie plate.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 10 - 12 minutes until lightly browned.

Place on a rack to cool.

I N G R E D I E N T S

Pie:

4 large or extra large egg yolks

1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh key lime juice (approximately 12 Key limes)

2 teaspoons grated lime peel, green portion only

Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake at 350 for 12 minutes to set the yolks and kill any salmonella in the eggs.

Whipping Cream For Garnish:

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

I N S T R U C T I O N S-

Use an electric mixer and beat the egg yolks until they are thick and turn to a light yellow, don't over mix. Turn the mixer off and add the sweetened condensed milk. Turn speed to low and mix in half of the lime juice. Once the juice is incorporated add the other half of the juice and the zest, continue to mix until blended (just a few seconds).

If you are using the whipping cream garnish, prepare the cream.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

*If you dare use the Persian Lime here's a tip for substitution:

You can also use the more common Persian lime.

You will need fewer limes, approximately 4 to 6.

They are much more tart.

*If you can't find a fresh KEY LIME, try using Nellie & Joe's Key Lime Juice as recommended by our expert chef the Half-Baked Baker. :) Check out her Key Lime Cupcakes! Add a margurita and you'll feel like you'll be in heaven! For another twist on Key Limes ask for my recipe for KeyLime Cheesecake with Strawberry Butter Sauce :) HmmmmHmmmm...Just another day in Marguritaville with the Southern Socialite as I search for that lost shaker of salt ;-)

For more information about Key Limes go to Keylime.com

Heath Ledger Is Dead, And I Don't Feel So Well Myself

I remember the first time I saw Heath Ledger in Knight's Tale, I was an instant fan. What a tail he had indeed! Golden Years- (bop bop)- Ohhh Woahh (bop bop)! Today the headlines tell of his death due to an accidental or not-so accidental overdose @ the home of Mary Kate Olsen. WTH? Where was Michelle Williams? Did she read about this on a blog posting or any other internet report the same way I did? Perhaps. What about Baby Matilda? All these and other questions run through my Dayquil laden brain...

Let's try to get our facts in order. Said Ledger was found naked after overdosing on Rx sleeping pills while waiting for a massage @ the home of one of the Olsen twins. It must be a hard life after Brokeback for the young man. Granted it was on Blue Monday (the day when there are more reported suicides than any other); but was this suicide? What did our handsome young knight have going on that he didn't want to face tomorrow? Another movie? Not being nominated for an Oscar this year? Depression over the fact that the Golden Globes were only an announcement? Or was he worried about what Joan & Melissa Rivers were going to say about what he chose to wear to the Academy Awards? Afterall, the stressors of everyday Ledger Life were impending as he was awaiting a massage & apparently he wasn't sleeping (thus the need for sleeping pills in the first place?!?!).

None of this quite makes sense to me YET certainly over the next few days we're going to hear all about the woes and joys of our handsome fallen hero Heath. Think about it... Our Presidential Candidates are outshined by our Hollywood Heretics. I know I'm guilty for my love of Celeb-Reality. Admittedly, I know much more about the lives of Britney Spears, K-Fed, Paris Hilton, Mr. Ledger & the gang than I do Mike Huckabee, Barak Obama, Rudy J, Ms. Clinton or anyone else who might run my country next year. I can also tell you more about what's happening in Hollyweird than I can tell you about the War in Iraq, potential school vouchers, social security, foreign or domestic policy and stem cell research (and I've had a stem cell transplant).

What does this say about me and our society as a whole? I say- we're not feeling so well ourselves. We desire to be entertained rather than search facts, truth or knowledge about our world. My personal reason for ignoring "News" is that it has become so depressing I'd rather not know about it. I'd rather stick my head in a hole in the ground and only deal with/think about "Shiny Happy People (and/or) Shiny Happy Things". I've dumbed myself down by religiously watching E, MySuper Sweet Sixteen, America's Next Top Model and countless other MTV Reality (or not so reality) TV Marathons. I honestly don't have any answers, just thoughts on societies obsession with Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous vs. REAL Issues. Perhaps we will sit back and watch Dubai take over as our economy continues its downward spiral? Idk. Perhaps that's in the overall plan? I think back to Heath for a moment...RIP my friend. Your death is indeed a tragedy; however, I don't think it should receive top headline over global issues. Maybe if we paid more attention to what's really going on in the world than we do to you and who has custody of Britney's kids this week, you might still be here? Sleep well tonight. I know I'm going to rethink the things in which I'm placing the most value.