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A Night to Remember, Your’s FREE!
7 Nov
Keeping Traditions and Memories Alive!
20 AprKeeping Traditions and Memories Alive!
I had worked all week doing laundry and bedding to pack into our camper. We loaded our little camper with all the necessities that we thought we would need for an entire week and off we went to one of our favorite camping places in North Georgia, where we met up with my nephew, his wife (my niece) , and two small children.
My husband and our boys are lovers of fishing, so I knew what the week would hold for them and my nephew. The guys fished practically every night, and on two separate occasions went on excursions to fish for trout and finally hit gold the last day. Rainbow trout was what was for supper the last night along with smoked sausage and sauerkraut for those of us who are not necessarily fish lovers! As the guys finally found their little pot of gold, so did my niece and I.
My niece and I on the other hand always go scouting for different kind of gold nuggets. We love to visit unique little towns full of antiques and thrift stores. This year we found a wonderful little southern town that played out like a fairy tale. The people were very genuine and exceptionally friendly. They asked us if we had visited their natural springs, and suggested that we take water containers to the springs and get all the pure spring water we would like. No charge of course as it was a free resource that the little town was thrilled to have and was built upon! We ate at a little hole in the wall restaurant which immediately became a favorite. This little town so left an impression on us that we returned with our families with water containers in hand, and of course revisited the little shops and yes you guessed it, even the little hole in the wall restaurant that had real southern foods, for example: a bowl of pinto beans, cornbread and collards, plus a drink for a whopping $4.99. This was a town that I will frequent as my family only lives about an hour and a half away from it. Amazing how little nuggets of gold are right under your nose, but if you do not look for them, you probably will not find them.
After dinner, each night we would all gather around to play card games such as Canasta, Skipbo, Uno, and a fast favorite Monopoly Deal. As we took turns gathering in each of our campers, it gave us a great sense of satisfaction as we know that we are creating wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. We hope that we are instilling a love for simplicity and tradition into our children and possibly into their children’s children as this is what our parents instilled in us. The most wonderful memories were of my parents taking us on trips such as these and simply spending time with us. Oh how I wish they were here to see how their grandchildren and great grandchildren love the family traditions that they began with us way back when we were just children.
So what is my point of telling you all about my vacation or why that I thought you would possibly be interested? Simply to encourage you to create memories with your children, grandchildren, and possibly even great-grandchildren that will shape their future family vacations. Create times that will spark beautiful and happy memories in them as they too sit around a camp fire, or gather around a picnic table, or possibly like my family get in a late night of card playing and tell wonderful stories that keep my parents with us and their memories alive!
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Christine Gilliam Hornback
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Paying Traditions Forward!
9 JulPaying Traditions Forward!
Blackberry Cobbler
In the fast paced society that we now live in, I as a parent want to leave something to my children and to their children’s children that money cannot buy! My husband and I want our children to know that we believe that the Lord provides us with all things, but that it is up to us what we do with the provision! In my family, I am really trying to keep some past traditions alive! Both of my parents were from large families and so was I as there were eight of us which included both my parents and six daughters. We grew up on farms in Lewis County, Kentucky. I treasure the memories of growing up as a little country girl, but also the traditions that were passed down to me.
Proverbs 13: 22 A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just
Because we lived on a farm, we raised huge gardens and other crops that helped to sustain us throughout the year or years. Of course we raised our own meats as well. A cellar was a valuable thing for families to have as it was an ideal place for root crops especially. My mother knew how to preserve foods by canning or freezing them. She taught us by observation how to cook, run a household, and how to preserve foods as well. I regret that when both my parents were alive that I didn’t pay closer attention. I sure wished that I would have known to jot down little shortcuts that my mother made up on her own to help her feed not only her own family of eight, but usually hired hands who helped work our farm as well. My Mom would sling some of the best food on the table without a recipe and do it so quickly, but it tasted as though she spent hours on it! I’ve learned so much from her, as I am a decent country cook, and thank the Lord I am trying to preserve many of the traditions that I have kept in my memory by watching Mom and my grandmother! Also my Dad prepared the grounds for the crops, raised animals for sale as well as for our own use. He also hunted and would take us fishing which we loved to do. He taught us how to use common sense to be self-sustained.
I remember as a child that we always had some kind of berries at our house. One of our favorites was Blackberries. As a family we loaded up on the back of an old Ford pick-up truck with baskets, buckets and pails to go pick berries! We picked on our own property, but a lot of folks that we knew also had berries that never used them, so we would pick berries on different farms all day long. My Mom would then make jams, jellies, cobblers, and yes even Blackberry dumplings which were my favorite. She would also put a lot of them in the freezer as we would pick huge containers full of them!
Recently, at the edge of one of our own fields in Georgia, we have had several Blackberry bushes to begin to produce. My boys, ages fourteen and ten had discovered them several years ago, however this year was the first year that we have had enough to actually preserve some by making Blackberry jelly and freezing some of them to make cobblers or homemade ice cream! The first day they picked them I made a Blackberry cobbler just to reward them and let them know how precious their find was. I also told them about their Granny, which was my Mom making these when I was a child. I love baking the cobblers because it really makes me feel like I am connecting with my parents and especially my Mom. I also get to pass down a treasured tradition to my own children. As we ate the warm gooey cobbler with a big dollop of whipped topping, I found myself smiling as it brings back such sweet memories of my family gathered around each other enjoying my Mom’s sweet creation!
As my children are getting older, my hope is that I am instilling traditions from past generations. Although my children may not have gotten a chance to meet their ancestors I want them to appreciate the valuable gifts that were passed down from generation to generation. My hope is that they will continue to pay it forward to future generations!
Fall is here and so are PUMPKIN ROLLS!
9 Nov
I suppose everyone has their traditions if you celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas…One of our family’s traditions is to bake pumpkin rolls! The house smells wonderful with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla….the smells alone will cause your mouth to water! Hope that as you celebrate this year, that you have lots to be thankful for!
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Christine Gilliam Hornback
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