Waiting to Exhale - Hurricane Sandy

I haven't written since Saturday evening.  When we moved back to Coastal Georgia from Northern Virginia, I knew we would have potential hurricanes.  After all we're right near the Atlantic and hurricanes happen.  What I didn't know was Georgia's geography has the coast kind of tucked in and out of danger for the most part.

So the last 48 plus hours - I've been holding my breath.  Not for Bill & me but for my daughters, sister and friends in Virginia.  As well as families of my former students in the Northeast.

As I watched reports on Facebook, followed Twitter, watched the news and The Weather Channel, I found myself looking for any news of what was happening in the lives of those I hold dear.  I watched for and read the blogs of my new found blogging friends for news as well.  I prayed a lot.

While I don't have news to report here other than it's colder and windy.  I am thankful to be able to exhale and I'm thankful Sandy has passed on out of sight.  I still pray for those recovering from Sandy's visit.

This is me now saying, "Whew!"

Now I can go back to happier thoughts and posts.  Thanks for visiting...Reia

FL Gators vs GA Bulldogs

Game's over so I can write now.  Whew!

My parents started taking me to the University of Florida Gator games when I was in Junior High.  They kept season tickets until my Daddy died in 1990.  You'd think we were die-hard Gators and we were until...the FL - GA game each year.  At that point my Atlanta born & raised Southern Belle Mama couldn't deny her Georgia roots.

Of course Mama and Daddy always attended the FL - GA game every year.  Mama even had signs made for the car.  A Georgia Bulldogs sign for her side and a Florida Gators sign for Daddy's side.  That's just the way it was in our family.

My first husband graduated from U of F and I attended for one year after we married.  When the girls came along...yep, we started them off right.

My Traci at a Gator game - sitting with her Papa Frank (my Daddy)

My Ginger (of www.literallyinspired.com) at a Gator game - sitting with her Papa Frank (my Daddy) & me 

Now we can't leave my Atlanta born & raised Southern Belle Mama out of this.

Just before Ginger was born (one month to be exact) we visited my dearly beloved maternal grandmother in Atlanta.  I guess you can see what my Atlanta born & raised Southern Belle Mama is wearing.

All I can say is...it's in the blood - Southern blood at least.

This fall my nephew (my Gator sister's son) crossed the "great divide" and left their home in the Atlanta area to become a freshman at...Georgia.  

I'm very proud of him!  With us surrounded by Red & Black GA Bulldog everything living in Coastal GA - I'm secretly delighted because I can cheer for the Bulldogs every now & then - you know, for my nephew's sake.

Hope you're having a Super Saturday!  Reia

Bloggers and Their Amazing Blogs - Part 1

I've spent the last 24 hours discovering wonderful blog after wonderful blog.

Some were funny, some were informative, some were touching and all were unique because the writers are sharing their lives with us - their readers.

Thank you bloggers for enriching my life!  I'm looking forward to another day to find more blogs to follow.

Some of my discoveries were:  

• Literally Inspired - my daughter, Ginger, and my inspiration to start a blog

• Creative Carmella

• A Little Nosh

• Blissful Days Ahead

• The Empowered Momma

• Making Time for Mommy

• momto8blog

• Pretty in Pink

• Frugal Foodie in WV

• Pretty (Squared)

• Pushing on a Rope

• sheislovely

• Mom on the Run x2

• Mama's High Strung (TM)

If I forgot anyone, I apologize and I'll include your blog next time.  I'm determined to explore every blog I can find.

"Thanksgiving Thursday" - 4 Weeks to Go

Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday of the year.  No one's expecting a gift - not even me.  We just get together with family and friends to spend time together and be... Thankful!

One of my dreams for Thanksgiving would be to have a family reunion at The Dillard House in Dillard, GA.

  by  parityytirap 

Since Thanksgiving is only 4 weeks from today and The Dillard House won't be providing all the fixings for us this year, I guess I'd better do some planning.

The next step is to pull out the Cookbooks and figure something out.  It's just the two of us now - "Empty Nesters" that we are.  Shouldn't be too difficult to come up with something, right?

Wrong!  There are so many delicious sounding choices!  I've already added 4 pies to my wish list.

  by  museinthecity 

Walnut Fudge Pie, Mystery Pecan Pie (a mix between Pecan Pie and Cheesecake), Bourbon-Chocolate Pecan Pie and Sweet Potato Pie.  

Now, you know Bill & I can't eat 4 pies but don't they sound wonderful?

Hmmm....I'd better think about it some more.

The Cookbook I've been looking through today is 

Best Kept Secrets of the South's Best Cooks: Family Secrets & Test Kitchen Tips Revealed Plus Over 350 Recipes - by the editors of Southern Living.  

What plans do you have for Thanksgiving?

Thanks for visiting!  Reia

"I Actually Accomplished This" - Wall Painting

I've always had a "To-Do" list.  I'm just a "List" person.  My "Lists" have categories ranging from "Absolutely Must Do - Today" to "Sure Would Be Nice To Do Sometime in Life".  

I realized today that I have another category - "I Actually Accomplished This".

One of the things I wanted to do and "Actually Accomplished" many years ago when I was a new mom was...create a playful wall painting for my little girls' room.  (Please don't judge me about the crib - this was early 1980s and that's what we had "way back" then.)

How I did it...1st - I painted the wall "sky blue" for the background.  2nd - I'm not an artist so I drew the best tree I could and then used pages from a coloring book for the Bird and Bunny.  3rd - I traced the animals onto the wall with a pencil.    

Last - the fun really began as I painted each animal (as well as the tree itself) to bring them to "life".

 

I chose these animals because I loved the bright liveliness of their eyes.

  You can see that my little girls liked what I'd created.

Ginger of www.literallyinspired.com

So - in the midst of all the things I haven't accomplished - it sure was good to re-group and remember something that

"I Actually Accomplished".

Thanks for visiting today.  Reia

Today's Southern Journey - Pembroke, Georgia

Today I was able to visit one of my favorite local Southern towns - Pembroke, Georgia.  About 25 miles from our home and yet I feel like I've entered a different era each time I visit it.

Pembroke is the county seat of Bryan County.  According to http://pembrokega.net/history.html - "As was true for so many small towns of the rural South, Pembroke's inception was dependent upon the railroad.  It was one of the lucky sites, inasmuch as the 'train stopped there.'"

I was able to get a photo of the caboose that sits in the city park downtown.

    

I also took photos of a painting I love. 

Every time I visit Pembroke and see this painting, I smile.

Thanks for letting me share Today's Journey to Pembroke, Georgia with you.

Reia

Ok, I have a blog - Now What?

While I'm not a newbie with websites, I am a newbie with writing blogs.

So far I have:

1 - A Name for my blog.  I love my Deep South!  (See below - one of Savannah, Georgia's many beautiful squares.)

  by  Ken Lund 

I wanted a title that would allow me to meander with a lot of different topics.
The thought of my "South Country Sides" makes me smile.  I can write about a lot of different things with this title.

2 - A much better Look to my blog.  Thank you, Ginger, for "prettying up" the header and the hand holding you've done for me already.  If I can have half as much fun with my blog as you have with your www.literallyinspired.com blog, I'll be satisfied.

3 - Topics - I have a long list of topics I'm interested in and hope that you will be also.

4 - Pictures - Now What?  I came to a screeching halt with this thought.

What can I use without infringing on copyright laws?  Pictures make a big difference in a blog and I'll need to use some that I haven't taken personally.

Thank you, Google!  I searched for help on what was legal, allowed, etc.  I found this wonderful website with great information and how-to steps to accomplish just what I want to do...legally.

http://www.doncrowther.com/social-media/how-to-findpictures-online

So - here's my blogging tip for the day.  Check out the website above and type on.  The world's full of wonderful people with interesting things to share and I'm jumping right in with them.

Happy Blogging!

Reia

Clues along an ancestor's trail

While researching my Southern ancestors on www.ancestry.com this week, I discovered an interesting piece of history and hopefully some future good genealogy leads.  

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Anything dealing with the Civil War is thought-provoking to me.  However, I really hadn't considered what daily life was like for my Georgia ancestors after the Civil War was over.  I knew it was a time of re-building and acceptance but I hadn't thought of some of the practical things that would have to occur to heal the rift of a country divided in two.  

This week I discovered the "Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869" and it opened my eyes to those practical matters.  I have a lot of new clues to explore to further piece together the puzzle that created "me".

I thought you might be interested in what the records contain and the history behind them.

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	Georgia, Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath Books, 1867-1869
	This database contains records related to voter registrations in Georgia in 1867 and 1868 that met requirements of the Reconstruction Acts. This is the part I found interesting and had never thought of...   Historical Background:  The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 required Southern states to ratify the 14th Amendment, draft new state constitutions, and register voters, both black and white.  In order to vote, men had to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States, and some were disqualified for their participation in Confederate government posts.   This database contains books recording those oaths of allegiance and returns listing qualified voters registered in Georgia in 1867.  It includes both black and white citizens.

This is just a glimpse of the valuable information available to us.  I hope you enjoyed this short historical moment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Reia

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Last Update: 10/17/12

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