Enough Was the Dream All Along

Gosh...where is all this nostalgia coming from? Am I in a sentimental state of mind?  Perhaps it was a recent phone visit with my very favorite uncle....Funny how one conversation can open a hundred little doors in your heart....

A facebook friend posted this writing yesterday on her facebook page.... Thought it was worth sharing....

 Your great-grandmother was not trying to manifest a beach vacation. She was not curating an aesthetic. She was not optimizing...anything. She had a list, and the list was short, and the list was sacred.

A full pantry. Healthy children. A roof that did not leak. A husband who came home. A garden that produced. A few good dresses. A reliable stove. Sunday dinner with people she loved. Enough flour for the week and enough kindness for the neighbors.

That was the whole dream. That was the whole life. And by the standards of most of human history, achieving that list was a roaring success.

Then the twentieth century happened, and somebody figured out that a woman who is content is terrible for business. A woman with a full pantry is not running to the store. A woman who is satisfied with her kitchen is not redoing it every four years. A woman who knows what enough looks like cannot be sold the next thing.

So they got to work. They made the small house embarrassing. They made the old car embarrassing. They made the home-cooked meal embarrassing, and then when nobody knew how to cook anymore they sold it back as a meal kit with a celebrity chef on the box. They raised the cost of living until both parents had to work, and then they sold daycare and convenience food and weekend therapy to fix the exhaustion that working both jobs created in the first place.

They took your great-grandmother's list and called it poverty. They took her life and called it limited. They took her contentment and called it a lack of ambition.

And then they sold you ambition. They sold you a bigger house you cannot clean, a car you cannot pay off, a wardrobe you do not wear, a calendar you cannot survive, and a vague constant feeling that you are still falling behind.

You are not falling behind. You are running a race that was designed to have no finish line. The race itself is the product.

Go back and read her list.

author unknown:

 Before life became a race to have more, our grandmothers and great-grandmothers often measured wealth in much simpler ways. A stocked pantry, children who were healthy, a home filled with love, a garden that fed the family, and neighbors who could count on one another—that was a life well lived. 

Somewhere along the way, we were taught that “enough” wasn’t enough. Bigger became better, busier became admirable, and contentment somehow became mistaken for settling. But perhaps true abundance has never been found in owning more. Maybe it’s found in gathering around the dinner table, baking bread in a familiar kitchen, hearing laughter echo through the house, and ending the day with a grateful heart.

How beautifully freeing it is to realize that the richest life may not be the one with the most things—but the one with the most peace. 🌿💛

Old Hand Written Recipes

 There are recipes…

And then there are handwritten recipes.

You know the ones I’m talking about. They’re tucked inside an old recipe box, folded into the pages of a favorite cookbook, or carefully stored in a kitchen drawer that’s been opened thousands of times. 

The paper is stained with vanilla, butter, or flour. The corners are curled. The ink has faded just enough to remind you of the years that have passed.

Yet somehow, they’re more valuable than any cookbook money could buy.

A handwritten recipe is never just about the food. I am so happy to have several of old recipe cards that were my moms...It’s about her hands that wrote it.

Maybe it’s your grandmother’s careful cursive, flowing across an old index card. Maybe it’s your mother’s hurried handwriting on a scrap of notebook paper. Maybe it’s a recipe your aunt scribbled down during a family reunion because everyone wanted to know how she made that pie.

You can almost hear their voices as you read each ingredient.

“Don’t over-mix.”

“A pinch of this.”

“Bake until it looks right.”

No timers. No exact measurements. Just experience, instinct, and love.

Some of the best recipes were never written with perfection in mind. They were written to be shared.

Long before recipes were saved on phones or pinned online, they were passed from one kitchen to another. They traveled in greeting cards, Christmas letters, bridal showers, church cookbooks, and family reunions. They carried stories along with the ingredients.

Sometimes the recipe card is even more precious than the dessert it makes.

I love it when I see familiar loops in the handwriting. I also love the little smudges where someone wiped away flour with the back of their hand. Maybe there’s a tiny grease stain from the hundredth time that recipe sat on the counter while cookies baked in the oven.

Those little imperfections tell a story.

A digital recipe can show you how to make a cake.

A handwritten recipe reminds you who made it first. ❤️

One day, someone may hold your recipe card the same way you treasure one from your mom or grandmother. They’ll smile at your handwriting, laugh at your notes in the margin, and remember that every holiday, birthday, or Sunday dinner somehow tasted like home.

Perhaps that’s why we should keep writing recipes by hand.

Not because technology is bad.

But because love looks different when it’s written in your own handwriting.

So the next time you make that family favorite, write it down. Use a real recipe card. Add a little note at the bottom. Tell where it came from. Share a memory. Include the story behind the dish.

Years from now, someone won’t just be grateful for the recipe. They’ll be grateful they still have a piece of you.

Do you have a handwritten recipe that has been passed down through your family? Is there one you’ll never part with?  I am making sure that my daughters, granddaughters and granddaughters-in-love have copies of my hand written recipes.....

I would love to know the story behind it—we all know that sometimes the memories are even sweeter than the dessert.

Shug.......

Celebrating Pink and Blue

 Good Monday morning from a very warm East Texas! ☀️

The summer heat has definitely settled in, but so has a heart full of gratitude after such a wonderful weekend spent celebrating family.

Our first celebration was a gender reveal for Trey and Savannah… and it’s a BOY! 💙

The theme could not have been more perfect as baby Rowan's parents (Trey and Savannah) are both big time Duck hunters!!  🦆

We are already counting down the days until little Rowan Allen makes his arrival on October 31st. The moment they announced his name, my heart smiled. 

Rowan was my great-grandparents’ family name, so hearing it chosen for this precious little boy made the day even more meaningful. Some family names have a beautiful way of finding their way back home.

Then we traded blue for pink as we celebrated our sweet granddaughter, Tori, with a bridal shower. 💗

The day couldn’t have been more perfect. Tori was absolutely radiant, and the home where her shower was held was simply breathtaking. Every room, every flower, every little detail created such a warm and elegant setting. I'm sharing a couple of photos because this beautiful home deserves to be admired.

This weekend reminded me just how quickly life changes. One family is preparing to welcome a tiny new life into the world, while another is preparing to begin a life together. 

Babies, weddings, laughter, hugs, happy tears… these are the moments that fill our hearts and become the memories we treasure forever.

Now it’s Monday, and while East Texas is heating up, my heart is still glowing from a weekend filled with love, family, and countless blessings.

Shan and Mylee.....celebrating Tori.

Christmas tree that stays up all year long..

Wishing each of you a beautiful week ahead. May it be filled with reasons to celebrate the people you love. ❤️

Shug 💙💙💙

Find Gracie

 ** Update:  Gracie HAS BEEN FOUND 

If you’ve been on social media lately, you’ve probably seen the newest Texas celebrity… Gracie the Giraffe! 🦒💛

Gracie, a 3-year-old reticulated giraffe, wandered away from Cedar Hollow Ranch in Real County and has been giving Texans quite the adventure ever since. While search crews continue looking for her in the rugged Hill Country, the internet has been busy imagining what she’s been up to.

Apparently, Gracie has:

🦷 Stopped by the dentist for a cleaning.

🚤 Enjoyed a relaxing day on Lake Tyler.

🌊 Floated the Frio River in sunglasses like a true Texan.

🚒 Even signed up for the local volunteer fire department.

At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone spots her ordering brisket, dancing at a country dance hall, or browsing Buc-ee’s for snacks.

One thing Texans are especially good at is finding humor in almost anything, and the Gracie memes have certainly delivered some much-needed laughs. It’s amazing how one adventurous giraffe has managed to bring smiles to people all across the state.

Gracie even stopped by to join us in one of our OLD Classroom photos...

Behind all the funny photos, though, is a real giraffe who is far from home. The Texas Hill Country is a beautiful place, but it’s no place for a giraffe to be wandering alone.

Here’s hoping Gracie is found safe very soon, reunited with the people who care for her, and can finally put an end to her Texas sightseeing tour.

Until then… keep your eyes on the horizon. Around here, you never know what might be sticking up above the cedar trees. 🦒🤠💚

Prayers for Gracie....

Shug.....