Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Hello porchers and welcome back! I haven't been home that
long myself. I took a short trip to see my big sister, Cyndie,
and her new cabin in Conway, Ark. That's right there around
Picklesgap and Toad Suck--and I am not making those names
up. ~smile~
I'm going to have to ask you Texas porchers not to tell
my Dallas sister, Rhonda, and the other
member of the Bull Run Road Gang , about my little trip. I
owe Rhonda a visit, too, and if she finds out I went to Cyndie's--
she'll be jealous for sure. Speaking of jealousy, I am not the
least bit jealous of Cyndie's two-story cabin in the woods and
that stinking, beautiful view off her back porch or that dadgum,
sparkling clear creek running down the mountain right in her back
yard. I swear I'm not!
On a totally different subject, I was wondering if it's
getting warm in your neck of the woods. Here in Louisiana, we
Southern Belles are beginning to glisten. (In other parts of
the world, women sweat, don't you know?)
I hope you enjoy this week's emag. I had fun getting it
together for you.
Hugs,
Shellie
P.S. After much trial and tribulation I've got
the new All Things Southern T-Shirts in the
online store along with Randy's Prewitt's cookbook just like
I promised. Now, be a good little porcher and check 'em out. :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~Chuckles~~
"Wedding Memories"
A woman awakes during the night to find her husband isn't in
bed. She finds him downstairs, sitting at the kitchen table
with a cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be in deep
thought, just staring at the wall. She watches as he wipes a tear
from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee. "What's the matter,
dear?" she whispers as she steps into the room.
The husband looks up from his coffee, "Do you remember 20 years
ago when we were dating, and you were only 16?" he asks solemnly.
"Yes, I do," she replies.
The husband pauses. The words are not coming easily. "Do you
remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car
fooling around?"
"Yes, I remember..." says the wife, lowering herself into a
chair beside him.
The husband continues. "Do you remember when he shoved the
shotgun in my face and said, either you marry my daughter,
or I'll send you to jail for 20 years?"
"I remember that too," she replies softly.
He wipes another tear from his cheek and says, "I would've
gotten out today."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~A Taste of the South~~
"Cake Mix Make-Over"
• 1 box butter recipe cake mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 3 eggs
Someone shared this little trick with me several years ago.
Just add all the ingredients one at a time, stirring slowly,
to your standard butter recipe mix; mix well. Bake in your
favorite bundt pan at 350' for thirty to forty-five minutes.
Ta-da! One Bakery Quality pound cake coming up!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Please forward ALL THINGS SOUTHERN to your friends and family!
(You can also email them the parent site by going to
http://www.allthingssouthern.com and clicking on the link that
says "email this site to a friend.")
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~~Spotlight on the South~~
SPOTLIGHT ON CONTRABAND DAYS
April 30th-May12th
Legend has it that pirates once terrorized not only my hometown
of Lake Providence, La., but many other parishes dotting the
Mississippi River. That could be why this festival caught
my attention. Maybe I'm just a sucker for shipwrecks and
pirate stories but it's not hard to see why "Contraband Days"
has been awarded the 2002 FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR award by the
Louisiana Association of Fairs & Festival.
Once a year during the first two weeks in May, the city of Lake
Charles, Louisiana, returns to rollicking, swashbuckling days
of the pirates and buccaneers who once sailed the area's lakes,
rivers, and bayous. Legend has it that the French gentleman
pirate Jean Lafitte buried his contraband treasure somewhere
along the Southwest Louisiana's plentiful waterways. The
celebration of this historic figure and his adventures has grown
into a twelve-day extravaganza of unmatched festivity--Contraband
Days!
There is just way too much about this festival for me to include
it all here, but I'll give it a try. There'll be Beach Volleyball,
Tennis and Golf Tournaments, Stage and Animal Shows, and Concerts
with entertainers such as "Foghat", "Kingfish", and "LA Express
with Percy Sledge". (I'm just getting started.) There will be
exciting rides, a Cajun Days Dance, and a Fireworks Display, a
Petting Zoo, Water Wars, Teen Street Dance and Souvenir Booths.
You want more? Okay, there'll be a Climbing Rock Wall, Ejection
Seat Ride, 5 Mile Run, Naval Reserve Display, Classic Car Show,
Spitting Image Contest, Pirate Costume Contest, Crawfish Eating
Contest, Lighted Boat Parade and Sailboat Regatta. (She takes a
deep breath!) Now, do you see what I mean? And that's just a few
of the events. If you need more info, I'm posting their website
below--I've got to go make travel plans. See you in Lake Charles!
www.contrabanddays.com
~Shellie
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
~~It's Been Said...~~
"What I have learned from my long affair with Mississippi is
that America's greatest strength, and its greatest weakness,
is our belief that we can always start over, that things can
be made better, transcended."
--Anthony Walton
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
~~Southern Comfort~~
I used to know a lady who was always moving from one church
to another. The truth is, the churches weren't the problem.
She was just miserable. You see, she knew too much about the
Lord to be happy outside of church--but her unwillingness
to give in to God's will for her life caused her to be miserable
inside church, any church. Poor lady, she was stretched so tight
trying to hold onto her world with one hand and the church with
the other that she was always prone to losing her grip--one of
them, anyway.
Can you identify with the lady in my story? I can! For years I
wanted Jesus to be my Savior, (for eternity), but I wasn't willing
to let Him be my Lord, (here on earth). Can I be honest? Trying to
live the Christian walk can be the most miserable experience in the
world --if there is no Christ in your experience. It's true and I'm
not trying to split hairs. I just want you to see that the power to
live the Christian life comes from a relationship with Jesus, not a
church building.
If you've never given up and given your whole heart to Him, what
do you have to lose? Instead of trying to "be good", (which is
way outside our capabilities), you can enjoy dwelling on how good
He is. Instead of trying to "live for Him"--you can enjoy living
with Him, talking to Him every day just like you do everyone else
around you.
How about it? "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed
is the man that trusts in Him." Psalms 34:8
~Shellie
~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~
~~Southern Exchange~~
Your letters:
Hello to you and everyone else on the porch from Hickory
Valley, Tennessee. I was raised to be proud of my Southern
heritage. I love The South and the way God touched it with
His beauty and charm.
In Hickory Valley we know a little bit about being Southern
and being just plain countrified. I work in Memphis but wouldn't
take a million dollars for my little corner of the country. My
only neighbor is an eighty year old man and his wife whose family
has been there for over 150 years. He still does things the old way
(the right way) and I cherish the time spent with him talking
and learning. Hardeman County, TN has a lot of interesting
history and Southern heritage. With Shiloh battlefield only
30 minutes away, the area is busting at the seams with Civil
War relics and folklore. Many of the families of this area have
been here since the Revolutionary War and they, like all Southern
folks, love to tell the stories.
That's enough about me. Thanks again for a great site and for
letting me join you on the porch.
Sincerely,
Don Harris
Hickory Valley, TN
(You're so welcome, Don! I'm happy you're with us. Thank you for
your wonderful poem and your permission to let me share it with
the porch! ~Shellie)
Readers, click here to read Don's poem about the South. You'll
enjoy it:"Just a few Things I love about
the South"
__________
Dear Shellie,
Hello from someone "very" north of the Mason-Dixon line!
Our wonderful USA has so changed since 9/11. There's so much
tension, sadness and anxiety that it's next to impossible to
sit down and really enjoy anything any more. Our wonderful sense
of freedom and carefree living diminished along with The Twin
Towers.
Your Magazine gives us a bit of that back when you talk about
happy times and fun things on the porch. Our Country needs more of
what you're offering: hope and an escape from day-to-day pressure
and stress. All Things Southern helps me believe things will improve
in the future.
Thanks for all you're doing to give us back "the good life".
Warm regards,
Cinnamon Carlson
Oswego, New York
___________
Dear Shellie and fellow porchers,
I know this isn't a typical letter to the porch but I thought
y'all might be able to offer a solution to my family's problem.
We're wanting to go to Myrtle Beach for a weekend in July but
we're on a very limited budget, (with a daughter in college),
and can't pay the outrageous amounts that hotels/motels are
charging. Does anyone know of someone that has a small beach
house, etc to rent that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I'd love
to hear from you.
Linda Roach
Six Mile, SC
honeebunee45@yahoo.com
(Linda, I don't put a lot of stock in "typical" anyway. ~smile~
I'm hoping this posting helps you out. Shellie )
_________
Dear Shellie,
If you never had to hide under the house for hours to escape a
switchin', you might have been a "girly girl"! And--if you never
put a straw in a "doodle bug" hole, and sat forever trying to catch
one, you might have been a "girly girl".
June Ivy
Farmerville, LA
(June, you're right on the money! You know, we need to come up
with a catchy name for us non-girly girls instead of tomboys--it
just doesn't "say" it all. Anyone out there have a good idea?
Hugs, Shellie)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
ATS NEWS:
After much trial and tribulation I've got
the new All Things Southern T-Shirts in the
online store along with Randy's Prewitt's cookbook just like
I promised. Now, be a good little porcher and check 'em out. :-)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~~A Southern Definition~~
"If you don't know that green tree frogs will stick almost
anywhere...you could have been a girly girl."
--Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
(pssst) I'm hard at work on WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL THEIR
DAUGHTERS...If you've been thinking about sending in your mom's
wisdom, it's time to quit procrastinating. You know she wouldn't
like that. :-) Here's the project description again:
WHAT SOUTHERN MOMS TELL THEIR DAUGHTERS...
About love and marriage: "It's just as easy to fall in love
with a rich man as it is a poor one!" 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...
===========================================================
To SUBSCRIBE :-) send any email with SUBSCRIBE in the
subject box to: tomtom@allthingssouthern.com
To UNSUBSCRIBE (Please don't go, we'll miss you!) send any
email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject box
to: tomtom@allthingssouthern.com
===========================================================
Home
Advertise • Archives • Policies • Terms of Use • Email Shellie and All Things Southern • Link to All Things Southern • Eternal Help • Email Promotion and Sales
