Charm of the Carolines

It's a special day...

"Some of the Lord's followers think one day is more important than another.

Others think all days are special.

But each of you should make up your own mind." 

Romans 14:5

I've always loved this scripture because it tells me to keep an eye on the big picture... Love, Grace, Faith, Spirit...and not on the minutia of details that separate some Christians from other Christians.

My friend Debbie's sense of humor is gift. Here is a snippet of the scripture from her perspective...

"God made all the days special
- I get it -
but He knocked it out of the park when He created Wednesdays
- 99 cent day at GoodWill.

 (It's actually proof God loves us and wants us to be happy, I think.)"

 

Shop at the GoodWill? It never occurred to me. I had to check it out. As it turns out only clothing is 99 cents on Wednesdays, but I did find some other treasures to share with you today.

 

The monogrammed flatware was only $3 at the Goodwill. The chicken plates were about $3 each at TJ Maxx. The daisy pfaltzgraf was the first set of dishes my parents purchased as newlyweds nearly 50 years ago, and I cherish the pieces that remain. The wicker chargers were found at Wal-mart. The maroon runner is from my mother's linen cabinet. 

 

Notice the sweet, little wicker valise in the window seat? It was found at the Goodwill for about $6. I love it. It doubled as a small picnic hamper earlier this week for a picnic at Arrington Vineyards.

 

 
The piglet salt and pepper shakers were a gift. I love puppies and pigs. And donkeys.

 

I purchased this beautiful sunflower for only 75 cents from the most engaging 11-year-old vendor at the farmer's market this morning. The $1 hobnail vase is from Ikea.

 

The flatware I purchased from the Goodwill is monogrammed with the letter G, which doesn't happen to be any of my initials. My sweet friend Laine kindly brought this to my attention, so I told her presentation is everything. If anyone asks I'll just say it's my grandmother's initial, and I inherited the flatware from her.

 

After thinking about it, I didn't want to say G was my grandmother's initial because that isn't true. After some consideration another response became obviously clear. G is my initial because I am a child of God.

 

Either that or it stands for Goodwill, the actually proof God loves us and wants us to be happy. Now that is true.

 

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Charm of the Carolines is sharing a little linky love today with ...

Spiritual Sundays

Happy to Design

Under the Table and Dreaming

Fresh Mommy

Notes from a Cottage Industry

Southern Hospitality

Between Naps on the Front Porch

Its so very cheri

Second Hand Treasures

Never Growing Old

House in the Roses

Making the world cuter

All things related

A stroll through Life

Coastal Charm

Twee Poppets

Silly Little Sparrow

Three or More at the Gypsy Corner

Inspiring you to save

Pumpkin Patch

Blue Cricket

Tales from Bloggaritaville

Jenny Matlock

Unequal marriage

Shabby Chic Cottage

Fireflies and Jellybeans

Home is Where my Story begins

Chic on a Shoestring

Lit and Laundry

Shabby Nest

Surprises in the Garden

 

Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there. 

~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732

 

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Photo provided by Shawn Aswad at Snooty Giggles and Silo Studio Art

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Charm of the Carolines is sharing a little linky love today with...

Notes from a Cottage Industry

Fresh Mommy

Tootsie Time

 

Summertime

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.  A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world."

 ~Ada Louise Huxtable

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Notes from a Cottage Industry

Fresh Mommy

Sue Loves Cherries

Chivalry with a Southern Accent

 

I highly recommend a new website I discovered while researching Chivalry and the Southern Gentleman. It’s called Confederate Colonel, the new life of the Old South, and it’s an on-line community of those striving to live the life of a southern gentleman or lady. According to the website, it’s about chivalry with a southern accent and a heritage exemplified by gracious southern living.  Just writing these words makes my chest swell with pride.

The article regarding the definition of the southern gentleman was so well written, that instead of using pieces of it as research and writing my own article, I’ve instead printed it below in its entirety.

Enjoy!

 

 

Defining The Southern Gentleman

On June 25, 2010, in Southern Gentleman, Stephen Clay McGehee wrote:

Since the The Southern Gentleman is what Confederate Colonel is about, I guess it’s appropriate to try to define what that means. Before we start with that though, it’s good to point out that the title of “Southern Gentleman” should be thought of as a goal, and not a destination. I suspect that even Robert E. Lee would have seen room for improvement in his own life. It’s kind of like growing up – even though I’m in my 50′s, I still see myself growing and maturing. We never really “arrive” at that destination.

Here is what I found in the book, 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About The South:

Daniel Hindley was a Harvard-trained lawyer from Alabama who wrote on the subject in 1860. He described the Southern Gentleman as having “a natural dignity of manner” and “the utmost self-possession – that much coveted savoir faire, which causes a man to appear perfectly at home, whether it be in a hut or a palace.” He is “remarkably easy and natural, never haughty in appearance, or loud of voice – even when angry rarely raising his voice above the ordinary tone of gentlemanly conversation.”

I like that part about “in a hut or a palace”. It makes the point that being a Southern Gentleman has absolutely nothing to do with wealth. Any Southerner who has paid any attention to such things has met men with dirt and grease under their fingernails and grease-stained cloths, who are truly Southern Gentlemen. At the same time, there are plenty of “wannabes” who think that having money somehow qualifies one as a Southern Gentleman. The only association between Southern Gentleman and wealth is that the qualities that make one a Southern Gentleman are the same qualities of responsibility, duty, and the absolute drive to do what is right, that is valued in any society. In most situations, that translates into a higher salary or other financial compensation.

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Take it from me

Happy Birthday USA!

" If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace. "

   ~Hamilton Fish

 

"And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me."

    ~Lee Greenwood

 

"If you are ashamed to stand by your colors, you had better seek another flag."

   ~Author Unknown

(The photo above is of the Memorial Day field tribute in Murfreesboro, TN.)

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Sharin' a little linky love today with ...

Notes from a cottage industry
Happy to design
Fresh mommy
Blue Monday
Sue Loves Cherries
Southern Daydreamer

The Power of Red High Heels

"Even at 2, the innate intelligence of a woman 

knows the intoxicating power of red high heels and matching handbag." 

~ Susan Jones,

Lifestyle Philosopher and Accessories Enthusiast

 

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Notes from a cottage industry

Happy to Design

Writer's Follow Friday

FreshMommy

TweePoppets

Timeless Tuesday

Never Grow Old

Sue Loves Cherries

For the Joy of it

 

Happy Father's Day!

 
"A father is always making his baby into a little woman.

And when she is a woman he turns her back again." 

~ Enid Bagnold

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Notes from a Cottage Industry

Happy to Design

He loves his country best...

He loves his country best who strives to make it best.

~Robert G. Ingersoll

These ladies from Columbia, TN, demonstrate both their patriotism and their service to the Red Cross. Thank you to Bob Duncan and the Maury County Archives for permission to share wonderful and historic county photos.

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Notes from a Cottage Industry

Colorado Lady

Sparkle from within

 

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”  

~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

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Notes from a Cottage Industry

Spiritual Sunday

We're that Family

Love of an old dog...

"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog."

~Sydney Jeanne Seward

 

Thank you to Bob Duncan and the Maury County Archives for the use of this fabulous old photograph.

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Notes from a Cottage Industry

Happy to Design