Wednesday Ode

Wednesday’s Ode #27

/ The WheatandTares

I love celebrating LIFE! This week, we celebrate so many birthdays in our family, and it makes for a very busy but fun time!! 

My son’s special day comes first, and he turns 14 this year. It is so exciting to watch him grow into a young man; yet, it is with tearful eyes that I smile, because I reminisce of days gone by and look toward days without him home. He is an incredible young man. You can read a little more about him in my post from yesterday. I am definitely a proud mom! 😊  

Next, we celebrate my dad’s birthday. He is a great guy! He is actually my “stepdad,” but since the tender age of 12, he has been my dad. He loves outdoors, wildlife and the mountains. He is gentle spoken, a deep thinker and a diligent study of history, nature and all things photography. He is a great listener, incredibly patient, and smiles easily. He means so much to me, and I am thankful to call him dad.    

*Please, forgive the “picture of a picture” here! These are two of his photos, which are my favorites, and I don’t have a digital copy; yet, I wanted to try to share his talent. 

 Finally, we celebrate my husband’s birthday. He means the world to me, and I am so thankful to be his wife. He is my best friend, my confidante and my love. He encourages me, helps me to see truth when I need it, and loves me, regardless, of my many faults and failures. No, I don’t put him on a pedestal; I know he is human, and I see His flaws. However, I do believe God placed him in my life to show me just a little bit of His love, and I feel privileged He did! There are so many wonderful things I could say about him, but it would take way too long to post; so, I will simply say, He means the world to me, and I love him deeply!  ❤️ 

So, I say, Happy Birthday to some of my favorite men in the world! I am so proud to be able to celebrate life with you!! 💗

Wednesday’s Ode #26

/ The WheatandTares

  
I love pottery! I think pottery is awesome, and I’m trying to acquire more and more of it. I guess, I am a little picky on the kind I get. I’m not crazy about just any ol’ piece. 😉

 However, I love uniquely crafted pieces, especially those that are created for a specific purpose, like utensil bowls…    

Or spoon rests… I love this one…how the artist created it mostly one color, yet, was able to get a streak of color through the center…and if you’ll notice, this matches one of my utensil bowls!  😉
  

As I shared in one of my earlier Wednesday Odes, these are my favorite pottery mugs. These have special meanings to me, because these are places my husband and I love to visit. I also love these for their shape and appearance. 

 

The picture at the top of the page is of a beautiful pottery necklace I found in Dahlonega, Ga., at a local craft fair. This is my first piece of pottery jewelry, but I hope to fine a few more of these! 😊

Wednesday’s Ode #25

/ The WheatandTares

          I love candles! I really do!   
I have actually tried to moderate this particular “love.” I’ve tried to restrict myself from buying so many, because I can just get overrun with the quantities. The candles do take a certain amount of time to burn completely, and I don’t really need a closet full. However, when I run into a deal, I am so stinkin’ weak! I’ve bought too many from time to time, and, often, I just have to turn them into gifts for others! Lol!  

I love scented candles and not so much the unscented kind. I think I love the autumn and winter/Christmas fragrances the most, and that’s probably because those are my most favorite seasons (and holidays) of the year. I do like some of the more “summer” smells, too…especially anything with a coconut smell!! Mmmm, makes me want to grab my towel, flips and shades and head for the surf! 😉 

I think I love candles, because they can simply set the mood and, even, change the mood. Candlelight softens the mood of any room, and we all know fragrances can mellow or uplift any mood. I find that when I’m feeling down, or maybe a bit melancholy, I can light a lemon or fruity scented candle, and in just a bit, I will be in a much better mood. Or maybe, the kids are being loud and a little crazy, I can go light a candle scented with vanilla or even balsam fir, and in just a little while, they’ve kind of settled down in a calmer atmosphere. 

So, there’s my “ode” for today. I love fragranced candles. Care to share a love of yours, or maybe your favorite candle scent?? 🙂

Wednesday’s Ode #24

/ The WheatandTares

I love hats!! I love them in all kinds of styles and colors. I’ve always loved hats, and I have grown quite a little collection. I have hats designed for fancy meals and hats for the hot stadium seats at the ball field. I have hats for winter time, spring and summer. I’ve got hats that can get drenched in the rain and other that… well…not so much. Lol. 

One of the best things about hats is the ability to cover up a really bad hair day! You can have not wash your hair, or you’re just having one of those, “Can we just have a do-over, please?” kind of hair days, and a hat can make you feel so much better. No one has to know about that cow-lick that just won’t lay down, because you’re wearing a hat! 

Hats are so fun!! Some of the most fun ones I’ve seen, which I don’t currently own, are The Cat in the Hat and the court jester hats. These are quite fun to look at and to wear! (I’ve tried them on before 😉) Some of my other favorites were worn by Audrey Hepburn. She wore them so gracefully and so beautifully! One of my all time faves was the big, black one she wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

   
  I do wish I could be that bold as to wear a few as she did…maybe one day. 

I have ball caps and toboggans, beanies and visors. I have bucket hats and cloches, newsboy styles and even a Gatsby. I’ve worn them all, and I love them all! Hats are great. Hats are fun. and hats are a part of me! 🎩👒   

 

Wednesday’s Ode #23

/ The WheatandTares

I love coffee mugs! Yes, I collect them, and I have a ton! I probably have way too many these days, but I am always wanting to have one as a souvenir from the different places we visit.

I’ve been collecting these since I was in middle school or high school; so, the collection is rather large. I keep many of them packed away, hoping one day to have the space to display them all. I have one from Colorado and the Smoky Mountains, and one from Panama City, Chicago and Myrtle Beach. I even have one from the Bahamas.


I have some from the Kim Anderson collection and several from Walt Disney World. I have some from places I’ve worked and restaurants I. Which I’ve eaten. I’ve even got one or two from certain causes I support.  

A few of my all time favorites are a Brasstown Valley mug my husband gave me and a Smoky Mtn one my boys have given me. I also really like a handmade pottery one I picked up in Ellijay, Ga. I drink hot tea from it quite often.  

As many as I have, I really should stop getting so many, but I suppose now, it could be chalked up as a “hobby.” I don’t pick up “just any ol’ kind” these days; I do try to be a little more selective. I just wonder, maybe one day when I’m long gone, if my great grands might sit around the table, drinking cups of coffee and hot chocolate, reminiscing about all of granny’s old coffee mugs, all the things she loved and all the places she’d been. 😊

Wednesday’s Ode #22

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

  I love trees!! I am enthralled by trees. I find myself even mesmerized by trees sometimes. They are big, breath-giving and beautiful! I love them in all colors of green in the spring and all shades of golden, orange and red in the fall. I love trees that lose their leaves in the fall, and I love great big evergreens that seem to hold down the forest through the winter. Trees are simply breathtaking.   

Notice above, I said they are life-giving? I love trees, because they breathe in the toxic gases I breathe out, and they give off the oxygen I need to live. They seem to sing their own song with the winds of spring, and they bristle and pop in the storms of summer. They are the musical instruments of the woodlands.   

I love the tall, quick-growing pines, and I love the thick, slow-growing oaks. I love the fruit trees which yield delicious delicacies, and I love hearty and wholesome hemlocks. Some of the favorites, though, would have to be the big, beautiful live oaks of the South. I am probably partial to these, because I grew up around them, but I think these are simply some of the most majestic trees around!   

I even love twisted, gnarled and old trees. Broken and dead trees make me a little sad, but I think the images they create can be quite amazing.    

 I like to think of trees kind of like people…there’s never two exactly alike! 😉

Wednesday’s Ode #21 – Oops!

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

My apologies for this late Ode! I have been sick over the last week, and yesterday, I just simply forgot to schedule this post. Ugh. I couldn’t believe it when I finally remembered late last night! Now, this was supposed to post earlier today, and I’ve had one technical difficulty after another! …the new update doesn’t seem to be so great. 😁 I’ll try to not let that happen again!  

So, what I’d like to give ode to today is dates with my man. 😊 Ok, now, don’t tune me out thinking this is going to be a mushy-gushy post. I promise, I’ll stay focused (or at least try 😉) on the dates themselves and not how much I love him…I really do love him! Ok, focus…  I absolutely LOVE dating my husband! I know, that may sound silly, strange, or even quite foreign for some marriages, but for us, we just love being together. We love going places together, exploring new things, hanging out and even going on “old, been there, done that” adventures together. When I say he’s my best friend, it’s actually for real. We just LIKE each other…even more than we love each other. 

We will go to little country towns and shop for antiques, or we can go to the city and enjoy a fancy meal and the theater. We love to go to Highlands, NC and Ellijay, Ga., and Atlantic Station and the Marietta downtown square. We love to travel to places we have visited often, and we even love to find old gravel and dirt roads and “off road it” for a while. We’ve found all kinds of beautiful sights and new areas this way.   One of our favorite little towns to visit is Dahlonega, Ga. I told a little bit about this in my Wednesday’s Ode about North Georgia. This is a great mountain town filled with lots of character (and characters from time to time, too! Lol). We love to pick from one of our favorite restaurants, like Bourbon Street Grill or The Oyster House, and then walk over to Paul Thomas’ Chocolate shop for dessert, then, just meander through town, looking in all the shops. We always have to include a trip to the General Store to kind of culminate the day. It’s a great little town.   We love going on hikes and exploring new trails, finding waterfalls or just sitting beside a stream. We love finding great new restaurants and trying out any yummy new dish or dessert. We have even been known to just go for a drive to look at houses at Christmas time, looking for beautiful light displays or just going out for a quick little lunch date. Some of our most fun times have been when we’ve had an unexpected moment to have a date! Those are some real adventures.  We just love being together, and that’s how a good relationship should be. If you’re the kind of person that can’t wait to get away from your spouse, I challenge you to ask yourself, “Why?” Now, I know, we all need a little space sometimes, and we need to enjoy an activity or two with the girls (or guys, respectively). I know we can’t spend 24/7 by our partner’s side; that might just lead to a little bit of codependency. However, if you can’t stand to be with your husband or wife, or you just can’t wait to get with the girls/guys all the time, or you’d rather be with you friends more than you are with your spouse, that’s when you need to step back and reevaluate some things.   Marriages come and go too quickly in today’s society, and I think, often, it’s because of self-centeredness and a lack of remembering “why you got into this thing to begin with.” There was a reason you fell in love, and sometimes, you just need to remember why. Now, if it was simply out of lust, and you don’t care anything for that person now, that’s a whole other issue, and you might need to go back to the beginning and make things right with each other. However, too often, a man and woman just need to put away the petty issues, step out of the busyness of life, and take some time together to remember why they fell in love. I challenge you to try it. You might find I’m right! 😊   

Dating is one of the biggest reasons Joey and I still have fun together. Our boys have asked us about our dating from time to time, “Why do you date?” “Why can’t we come?” “Why is it so important?” Our answer has always been, “It’s important, because it helps me love him/her more, and in turn, it helps us be better parents for you guys.” You may not know it, or even understand it, but the best thing you can do for a child is to love that child’s mother (or father, respectively), and that’s the truth!    

So…let me go find my man, and see if we can schedule a little date for tomorrow! 😉  

*just a few pics from the wonderful dates we’ve had…

Wednesday’s Ode #20

/ The WheatandTares

 I am so thankful for machines which help those who are disabled. I know, I personally do not benefit from these items right now; however, I was sitting poolside at a hotel today, and what I saw caused me to start thinking…  As I sat in my chair looking at this machine operated chair that is designed to help someone who cannot easily walk into the hot tub, I just simply thought of how thankful I am that someone had the knowledge to invent it. At this hotel, on the eastern side of Georgia, in this busy little town, there is going to be a young man, an elderly woman or even a little girl, who by all other means, would never get to experience the pool or hottub by him or herself. Yet, now, he can make his way into this power controlled chair and be lowered into the pool for a nice leisurely swim, or maybe into the hottub to relax and wash away the day’s stress.  She will be able to experience the freedom of movement that I, too often, just take for granted. She will be able to enjoy the weightless abandon which only comes within the confines of water. 

 If you’ve never experienced a pain which is dibilitating, and if you’ve never had a family member who is dependent upon a machine or a mechanism that helps them to have a higher quality of life, than you may not quite understand why I’ve chosen this particular item for my Wednesday’s Ode; however, if you’ve ever been even remotely close to one of these situations, I do hope you would agree: the people who make these machines and mechanisms deserve our applause. I thank each and everyone one of them who works hard to make someone else’s life just a little more enjoyable. 🙂

Wednesday’s Ode #19

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

  Shrimp and grits at Madison’s Restaurant, Highlands, NC

I just love shrimp and grits! I know, I know, this is really just a Southern thing, but I am a Southern girl; so, I guess it fits. I have to say, if you haven’t tried shrimp and grits, you must give it a try. Actually, you must give it at least two tries, because shrimp and grits can come in so many different styles, and it takes a bit to realize which style you might like. 🙂

There are two main preparations for shrimp and grits. What I will call the Louisiana-style usually has a lot of sausage, spices sauce and tomatoes added to the dish, and, what I will call the “Southern” style, has more grits and shrimp. My favorite style is a little less Louisiana-style and a little more Southern style. Both are really good, it just simply depends on your personal preference. For this post, I will be referring to more of this Southern preparation. 

If the restaurant we visit has shrimp and grits, you can just about bet that it will be part of my order that day. It is very rare that I won’t order it, unless it is a restaurant at which we often eat, we will be visiting again soon, it’s not the style I prefer, or it’s just an “off” day for me, and I plan to try them later. I love shrimp and grits that much!!

My favorite preparation is the kind in which the grits are freshly stone ground, cooked to perfection with a texture which is both creamy and gritty with just a touch of cheese. The shrimp are blackened just a bit and sautéed in a sauce of just the right amount of buttery sauce and spice. …Mmmm, this post is making me hungry! 

Now, yesterday, I had a new kind of shrimp and grits, and the grits just won me over! The menu read “pimento cheese grits,” and when the plate was set before me, I was surprised to see the grits had a fried batter around them! Oh. My. Word! They were delicious!! These grits had actually been cooked thoroughly and then “pattied” and fried to a yummy perfection! I am sorry that I didn’t take a pic of them before I devoured them! At another restaurant, several weeks ago, in Charleston, SC, I had a dish of shrimp and grits that was also scrumptious. This dish I did capture a pic, and you can see it below. The chef prepared it by sautéing the shrimp in a lobster butter sauce. Oh. Wow. It was yummy! 

So, as you can see just by the two photos I have included, as well as, these different descriptions, shrimp and grits can come in a variety of ways, but you will never know which you like best until you try it! So, be adventurous. Try a new dish, and, if at first, it isn’t so wonderful, just simply try, and try again until you have reached the plate you just can’t live without!! Lol. 😉  

Shrimp and Grits at The Oyster Room Restaurant at Foley Beach, SC (near Charleston, SC)

Wednesday’s Ode #18

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

  I love unique doorways…

  or maybe I should say entryways…   Either way, I love openings that make me wonder what is beyond…    Who has stepped beyond the door?   Who has entered there?

  Who might be coming back?