Hankie Full of Tears~ Joy, Grief and a Reminder to Pray

"Let your tears come.  

Let them water your soul."  

~Eileen Mayhew

credit: suzanneduda's photostream

Although I grew up in the "Kleenex" generation, the beautiful handkerchiefs stacked up in my grandmother's dresser drawer were always precious to me.  I would admire their dainty, feminine fabrics trimmed in colorful patterns and lace and consider it a pity that they were left alone in the drawer.  They seemed to long to be a companion for a character out of a Jane Austin novel~ one who waves her hankie as she swoons over a man!

Handkerchiefs represent all things feminine paired with practicality~ at some point, no matter your level of elegance, dabbing the perspiration from your brow or wiping tears from your eyes becomes a necessity! 

Here are three precious ways to bring those beautiful handkerchiefs out of the drawer:

1. Give the mother-of-the-bride/groom a handkerchief for the wedding.

I love this photo!  I gave my dearest friend, Mary Charles, this little hanky right before the rehearsal dinner for her son, Trip and his bride Jessica.  As they began to share precious stories about her boy after dinner, the tears began to flow and she reached for her pretty hankie~  Their fabulous photographer Elizabeth Jayne captured this tender moment 

(take time to enjoy the wedding pictures, as well ~ they're amazing! You can see them here).

Mary Charles wipes tears of joy with her hankie

2. Enclose a handkerchief in a sympathy card for a grieving friend.  

My friend, Lee Ann Odom, shared that her mother has adopted the practice of including a pretty handkerchief in the sympathy cards she sends.  What a tender and sweet gesture!   Carol Pauley, a grief counselor for Christian Works, shared that "tears are the bodies way of getting the sadness out."  Wouldn't a pretty handkerchief be a sweet way to capture the sadness of a grief-stricken friend.  It would serve as a constant reminder that as the tears flow, they are not alone in the process. 

Be sure to include a verse to remind them of God's faithfulness:

  "He will wipe every tear from their eyes..." Rev. 21:4

3.  Give a handkerchief to your teenaged son to tuck in the pages of his Bible.

I learned this little treasure in a book called Celebrations of Faith by Randy and Lisa Wilson.  When Blake graduated from high school, I gave him a beautiful handkerchief that I had bought in Belgium when I was traveling in college.  I showed him how beautiful and dainty it was; the lace was hand stitched and elegant.  I challenged him to put it in his Bible and ask God to help him be a man who guards and protects the women in his life and as a reminder to pray for his future wife.


Bet you can think of some other ways to bring out the hankies... 
would love your feedback and ideas!


If you don't own any handkerchiefs, scavenge through your grandmother's house, purchase them at CUSH, or Two Sisters Old and New, or hit the flea market in Canton or Round Top 

Want More ideas on decorating, framing and using handkerchiefs?

Check out Pretty Quirky's post Hankerin' for Hankies~ precious!

Spread Some Love~ Red Dinner and FREE Valentines!

“Love is just a word until someone 
comes along and gives it meaning.” ~unknown

The table is set for the "Red Dinner"

What gives meaning to the word "love?"  

chocolates and roses?

paper doilies and hearts?

Valentines day has always been one of my favorite holidays.  But for those who are longing for romance, it can be another reminder of love lost or love longed-for.

Instead of waiting for love, why don't you spread some love around?  Check out the  links below to precious valentines that you can download free.  Spend some time pondering who might be blessed to receive a little love in their mailbox...

 Grandma, the mailman, your hair dresser, housekeeper, your nanny, pastor, Sunday school teacher, friend who is a single parent, your college roomate, a favorite aunt....?

"Vintage" red dinner...
three of these kids are in college now!

Embrace this sweet day and invite some

friends over for a "red dinner."  

We started the tradition when the children were little.  My daughter, Emily, is a freshman in college and when she left after Christmas vacation, she said she hated to miss our "Valentine's Red Dinner!"  I'll have to send her something red in the mail! 

For dinner, simply eat "everything red" by candlelight, of course, with love songs for dinner music~ its magical!  
Include the kids in planning the menu and brainstorm RED...

Spaghetti, Jello, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, red peppers and red velvet cake!

For free Downloadable, printable Valentines...Simply click under the images below...

From Syle Crush

The following link from Living Locurto has a collection of  precious Valentines!  
I will be printing some to send in my college care packages!

From Living Locurto


Don't know what to get as a gift?  Get the perfect Movie Night Coupon below!

Precious Movie Night Coupon

Craft your Valentines and include something sweet!

Or craft your valentines out of match boxes!

  

Over the Fence~ Dryers, Chicken Soup & Park Benches

"Love your neighbor as yourself; 
but don't take down the fence."~Carl Sandburg

The quintessential chain linked fence...

Chain link fences separated the yards 

in the neighborhood I grew up in.  

These marvels of engineering worked 
like a webbed ladder for 

tiny toes to grab on to as children clamored over the top to go play in each other's backyards.  

Neighbors smiled and waved to each other over these "chest high" fences, drooled at the smell of their neighbor's steaks cookin' on the grill and passed cups of sugar to the cook next door.  Chain link fences did nothing to create privacy, they simply marked the property line and kept the dog at home. 

Today we have tall, solid, cedar stained fences that keep the dog in and the neighbors out.  So it was refreshing when, a few days ago, my neighbor and I breached the privacy fence and entered each others worlds. 

A container of soup for Kate...

After 23 years of faithful service to our family, our clothes dryer died.  When my neighbor, Beth, heard about it, she called to tell me, "Help yourself to our dryer...come on down, the door's unlocked."  While using her dryer, I discovered that Beth's daughter, Kate, was sick with strep throat.  Since I had a pot of Dana Pugh's "Feel Better" Chicken Noodle Soup on the stove, I took some down to Kate to sooth her scratchy throat.    

You never know when your dryer will go on the blink or your neighbor might need a little comfort food, so I thought I'd share Dana's "oh, so easy"  recipe with you... it's yummy!

Dana's "Feel Better" Chicken Noodle Soup

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

2 Tbl. butter

Large carton of chicken broth

1 small bag of egg noodles

2 Chicken breasts cooked and diced (or use meat from a rotisserie chicken)

1 can cream of chicken soup

salt and pepper

Saute celery and onion in butter until soft.  Add carrots, noodles and broth and simmer until carrots and noodles are tender (about 10 minutes).  Add chicken and soup, salt and pepper.

Dana's "Feel Better" Chicken Noodle Soup

See how some folks in Atlanta 

are reaching out to love their neighbors:  

Benched from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

Bubbly Beverages Make Everyone Feel Loved and Celebrated!

"Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words." ~Plautus

The Congratulatory Sparkling Wine

Glasses were raised and sweet words were spoken last night as three of my blogging buddies celebrated the first anniversary of a wonderful blog called The Hidden List.  Make sure you check out Kelley Copeland's  blog~ it is chock full of all things exceptional~  I can't get enough! Kelley cheered me on to start Bless Your Neighbor, and as hard as it is to get started blogging, it is even harder to keep going~ Congratulations, Kelley!


Dana Pugh of The Tattered Style, and Kelley Battaglia of The Healthy, Happy Eater joined us as we consumed  pretty cupcakes, luscious chocolate truffles, and cheese, swimming in raspberry sauce~  excellent pairings for our sparkling wine.

I used to think that champagne was reserved for the rich and famous, or the bride and groom.  But my friend, Laura Hemberger, helped me see the importance of marking life's accomplishments with long stemmed glasses and bubbling beverages~  Nothing makes you feel more loved, celebrated and oh, so fancy!  


Several years ago, I invested in some inexpensive champagne glasses from Garden Ridge ($1.50 per stem, but you can also get them on line), and we have been celebrating ever since!  Why don't you swing by the house and borrow mine for your next celebration?


Laura also has a love for all things "French," including champagne.  But a good French champagne can be expensive. 

Dana's Chalk Board Pantry Door said,
"Welcome!" to the bloggers.

For every day toasting, Laura recommends:

• Gruet, a sparkling wine for about $14.00 per bottle 
• Cristalino, a sparkling wine for about $11.00 per bottle

Note: REAL French Champagne will cost you $30. or more~ some occasions are worth it, however, and you can find information about them here.

Important: Always offer a festive non-alcoholic option for your under-aged friends and adults who don't drink so everyone feels "bubbly!"  Something like:

• Sparkling Cider or sparkling water with a splash of cranberry juice.

Dana's fun Hint: Make sure to keep the cork from your bottle of bubbly, use a marker to write the occasion and date on it, throw it in a jar and begin a collection.  Over time, you will end up with a "Cork Diary" that helps you remember all the events that deserved a toast! 

Here are a few of our bubbly-beverage-worthy events...

Cheers! Champagne and Chocolates ~
Mr. Wonderful finishes his degree!

Cheers! Make every birthday special~
Gretchen turns 50!

Cheers!  Trip and Jessica arrive for the weekend
and announce, "We're engaged!

Show Me Some Love~ Just Because!

"Most people need love the most when they deserve it the least"~ Sheri Rose Shepherd

A "Just Because" Gift

I am always amazed when someone loves me in spite of myself.  

There are times when I'm not very lovable, 

but there are people in my life who keep loving me anyway.  

God's grace is like that~ undeserved and still given freely.

That's the way it is with a "Just Because" gift.  My friend, Pam, told me that she would occasionally buy her kids sweet little gifts, that weren't based on their performance, or because it was their birthday,  but simply "just because she loved them."

As I adopted this gift-giving practice, our family began to affectionately call the gifts "JB's."  Blake, Emily and Austin have been recieving "JB's" for years~  little undeserved gifts that help them understand, in a very  simple way what God's grace is like; a love that keeps raining down on them... even though they do nothing to deserve it.  Why don't you start the "JB" tradition with the ones you love?  

A "JB" is a gift of unconditional love.

• A fashion magazine that your daughter would love catches your eye at the news stand
• While ordering your latte' at Starbucks, you decide to pick up a gift card for your college-aged son 
• Select a new Matchbox car to add to your little boys race track
• Pick up new hair bows from the drug store for your grand-daughter
• Grab your candy lovers favorite treat from the check-out line at the grocery.

When you give a "JB," add a little index card or shipping label note that affirms your love for them.  When your loved one asks "why the gift?" simply remind them that a "JB" is just like God's grace, an undeserved gift "just because!"

Welcome, Neighbor!

The bundt cake is out of the oven~ 

Just imagine its warmth seeping through the 

bottom of the plate...

the scent of cinnamon wafting up through 

its wax paper hat. 

Oh,  how I wish we could brew a pot of french roast coffee and share a slice!

The summer of  my 13th birthday,  our family piled into our green Impala and moved 1,500 miles away from the small Texas town I knew as home.  With each rest stop on that long trek across the country, fresh tears erupted from my 
13 year old broken heart. 

The day after we moved in, our new neighbor, Nan, in her perfectly quaffed hair, manicured nails and cheerful flower garden walked over with a beautiful smile and a bundt cake. It was a warm, spongy cake, splashed with powdered sugar icing that tasted delicious; the perfect antidote for my homesick heart.

I don’t have Nan’s original recipe, but Mrs. Botsford (one of my mom's dear friends) made a simple, yummy cake that I have always loved.  It is a wonderful bundt cake that would bless any new neighbor, welcome a baby, or bring comfort to a sick friend~

Add your names and phone number to the back!

Wrap it in cellophane from the dollar store, tie it up with raffia and a sweet "blessing" ribbon, and tie on a standard shipping tag with a greeting (make sure to add your name and phone number to the back as a courtesy).  
  

Sweet, simple, and packaged with love...

"Bless Your Neighbor" Bundt Cake

1 cup oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 t. salt

1 t. soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. vanilla

1 cup coconut

1 cup pecans

Combine all ingredients in the order listed.  Bake in greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. After it cools, dust with powdered sugar.

Rather Cater than Cook?  Head to Nothing Bundt Cakes~ They'll do the cooking and packaging for you!