Recycle Your Old Toothbrush

 Guest Writer:  Ruth Morse

What to do with old used toothbrushes? Of course you save them! Here are some suggestions, in case they are piling up and getting dusty. I cannot vouch for all of these ideas. I did not inherit the compulsive cleaning gene, but other people seem to find great delight in scrubbing with these worn out things.

What can you do with an old toothbrush?.....

In This Place: An Interview with Author Kim Abernethy

Third in a series

I read missionary Kim L. Abernethy's In This Place pretty much straight through on three carefree sunny days alonside the Atlantic.  I thought it would be light reading, a great book for the beach.  Kim lulled me into her world so completely that I felt like I had gone to Africa with her, that she had tucked me in her suitcase, had kept me by her nighstand and whispered secrets about her day every night before bed.  Upon closing the book, I knew I'd catch up with Kim one day, curl up beside her and gather more pieces of her story.   I didn't know it would be so soon.

20 days and 175 miles later, Kim and I curled up in a Starbucks corner so I could hear more.  I figured I wasn't alone in my reaction to In This Place.  So many things about this book touched me, "Kim," I started, "What are you hearing back from people who have read your book?"   She smiled slowly, gazed off and answered me in a hushed tone.  "Testimonies.  By cards, facebook comments, more than I expected.  From missionary ladies, young moms, retired missionaries, co-workers, strangers...."  She turned back and looked me straight on......

Holden Beach, August 2011

We spent the week at Holden Beach, NC and were chased out today by Hurricane Irene.   She is precisely why you can get a good deal on beach houses at this time of year.  But anyhoo....  Two days before Irene was to hit, the waves started getting awesome and we had a blast.    Here's Tucker and Laura, whitewater rafting on the Atlantic.  Enjoy.

Cocky Supports Midlands First Responder Memorial

It's nice to see Cocky out and about, hob-knobbing with Columbia's movers and shakers.  It's even nicer when it's a fund raiser and Cocky reveals his generous, compassionate side.  Cocky attended the SC First Responder Memorial fundraiser along with USC's baseball coach, Ray Tanner Thurs. 8/25.

“The First Responders memorial is one of the single greatest things happening in this area since I’ve been here,” Tanner said as he spoke to a crowd in excess of 350. “We have so many heroes, and in our world, we sometimes make mistakes on who our heroes really are,” Read more: Tanner Talks Real Heroes, The State

Tommy presented Tanner his hand-etched black granite gamecock etching at the fundraiser dinner last night......

Flashback Friday: Best Friends Forever

Once upon a time, back in 1968 or '69, I met a neighbor girl (top left corner of photo with the big mouth) named Rene'.   We quickly became F's (Friends) and soon, BFs (Best Friends).  We went to school together, spent the night together, played ball together and swam together.  Sure, other friends came and went, but Rene' and I, we remained true.  And when my dad moved me and my family 800 miles away, Rene' gave me an awesome "goodbye" party (pictured below) and we did all kinds of pinky swears to remain BFs Forever, thus was the moment we became BFFs.

Now, Rene' and I often came up with some wild ideas and crazy schemes.  We have a tendency to over-do whatever we do.....

SC First Responders Remember 911

You may have noticed some work going on next to the Convention Center in the Columbia Vista, right in front of the famous Adluh flour building.  This will be a first responders memorial in honor and memory of the generosity and dedication of first responders in the nine county SC Midlands area.  The memorial will feature the names of  first responders from the nine county SC Midlands area that have died since the 9/11 terrorist attack.  The Wagener Salley area will have more first responders on the memorial than any other city in the nine county area.  No other town has sacrificed more than the Wagener Salley area.  Those from our area that will be memorialized on the monument include Jason Moski, Jeffrey Swartz, Albert Gunter, Sgt. Jason Sheppard, and CPL Matthew Dillon.....

One Grand, Sweet Song

Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.

~  Ronald Reagan

Finding Fort Fisher

Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Kure Beach, NC, near Wilmington
Excellent Beach
Nice hike - for Spring or Fall temps, skip it in August.
If you go to Fort Fisher, plan to spend an hour or two in Historic Southport.

On Day 3 of Summer Vacation 2011 on the NC coast, we decided to take the ferry to Fort Fisher and check out the old fort, picturing something like the old fort in St. Augustine, FL, right?   It was a three hour excursion in nearly 100 degree temps.  I never saw anything like a fort.  I'm so glad I caught it on video for you.  Enjoy.

Carte Blanche: 007 Book Review

Bond has been given a new lease on life.

Again.

My favorite author is giving life to my favorite character.  Wait, it gets better.  The book was published at the onset of my Summer '11 vacation.   That's some hot karma.

Poor Bond.  He's had 4 previous authors commanding his life.  Nobody compares to the original, Ian Fleming.  But of course that's like nobody can cook like mama.  Comparison is really an unfair advantage.  So now Jeffery Deaver (The Bone Collector, The Burning Wire, etc etc) has decided to tackle the 007 series.  Carte Blanche is the first in the series.  And if we all beg real hard, it will be a Jeffery Deaver series...

Holding My Breath

Sitting there in your pajamas & all the time in the world & if I could keep any moment it would be this: watching you & holding my breath with the wonder of it all.

~ Brian Andreas, Storypeople 

Cupcake: Take 9

Salted Caramel Chocolate

I thought I had sampled all Cupcake had to offer.

I thought they were stumped.

Fresh out of new ideas. 

Then me and the Cool Yule were walking down to Starbucks and saw this blazing beauty through the pink and white windows of Cupcake.  "Come here, my sweet pretty," it beckoned.....

Mat Kearney: Young Love CD Review

The delightful ladies at the One2OneNetwork recently sent me a copy of Mat Kearney's new CD "Young Love" to review and I nearly squealed with delight the morning it arrived at the post office.

I popped that baby in my car CD player and found it so incredibly wonderful that I carried it around with me, car-to-house, house-to-car for three days straight, listening on repeat, driving, perhaps, some folks crazy.......

Phillip's Restaurant, Washington DC

So we went to Washington DC in the Spring around the popular Cherry Blossom time.  I think we were a pinch too early for the blossoms, but they were still beautiful!

We dilly dallied around the capital and the Smithsonian for the day, attended a NASA Tweet-Up at the NASA HQ and found ourselves starving, ready to eat at 6pm and all the local restaurants closed.  Closed!  At 6 pm.  How odd!

So I asked the NASA HQ security guards where we could find a place to eat......

Buy Local

Guest Writer: The Cheap Sr. Citizen

With summer in full swing, it's great to be able to buy local produce.Do I sound like a salesman? Or, worse, a politician?

We have a local politician who came up with a catchy slogan: BUY FROM THE BACKYARD. They even have this zippy website to help you locate farmer's markets and produce stands in your area.

These blueberries are fresh off the bushes at Miller's farm......

Bittersweet

being as careful as possible because even though he's not sure exactly where he's going, he knows there are some parts of it he's just going to hate

~ Storypeople

Candor - My Tepid Friend

Candor - my tepid friend -

Come not to play with me -

The Myrrhs, and Mochas, of the Mind

Are its iniquity -

~ Emily Dickinson

Flashback Friday: Missionary Remembers War that Sent Her Home

"I woke up at 6:30.  Jeff was staring down at me, 'I need to tell you something,' he said. 'We're under attack, there was been a coup.'  I had slept through the whole thing due to tremendous jet lag.  The rebel forces had taken the city during the night, Lauren woke up and saw the tracers, she thought it was volcanic activity.  She was only in 6th grade.  Jeff prayed under his breath 'Oh, Lord, not again.'  Civil War hit the Ivory Coast and the rebels had taken 3 strategic cities, one of which we were sleeping in overnight and one of the others was the city where our home and ministry was in.  Within 7 days Abidjan was back in control of the government and it took 3 more days before we could safely to out of our room and buy tickets for our trip back to the states."

I recently caught up with missionary and author, Kim L. Abernethy in Charlotte, NC, the home of her new ministry – CBFI (Campus Bible Fellowship International) at UNCC.   We discussed this story and more that will be shared in her second book, In Every Place......

Patti's Big Day

I ended my previous post explaining how I savored every single minute of my daughter's wedding day.  I knew it would go fast.  I knew it could easily be swallowed up in dramatic superfluous events.  So I savored each minute with great intention.  Until.

My sweet little punkinhead started down the aisle.

Then?

I lost it.

I have almost no memory after that.

Something about love, honor, cherish.

I do, he does, she will.....

Savor Every Moment on the Wedding Day

In the months prior to the wedding, several people warned me to enjoy the day -- live in the moment -- when the wedding day finally arrives.  "You'll get busy with emergency things and get stressed over details and the day will pass fast," they warned, "Try to stay in the moment and experience every minute."

So I did.

I issued girly-girl squeals over the bride and bridesmaids adorable robes they wore ALL DAY on the wedding day.  I laughed as they wore them around town.  I waggled my eyebrows as the slits revealed a lot of thigh.  I did silly faces when we had hair and makeup complete....

In Which Mr. Kimball Hooks Us Up to the Internets

"This was the moment I'd been dreading for the past six months.  Well, actually for the past 25 years."

"Who presents this woman? This woman?  But she's not a woman. She's just a kid. And she's leaving us....."  

We're in full blown wedding mode.....

Black Bean Salsa, Tasty Tuesday

My sister-in-law Nancy will be coming down this weekend for the wedding and perhaps that's why one of her recipes is in my mind for this Tasty Tuesday.  She made this salsa last time we visited her.  It's incredible!!

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 can diced tomato and green chili

½ red pepper, diced

½ red onion, diced

Big swirl of olive oil.

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp cumin

½ bunch cilantro chopped

Salt and pep

Oh, girl, just mix it all together and dip your nachos in it.  

Yum!!