TANGY CRANBERRY BARS

This recipe can be found in my Volume 5 cookbook, Mama Sue and Her Boys.

A WEEK AWAY

Hello everybody!

I hope you have noticed my absence this week. The day after Easter, Harold, Scout and I got up early and headed to Louisiana. Chris’ baseball team started the playoffs this week, and we wanted to be there for that.

Us with Chris (and his "special"mustache for the playoffs).

If you’re new around here, you may not realize that Harold and I are also homeowners in Louisiana. Well, kind of. We bought a camper that stays at Chris and Amy’s. We had a pole barn built and the camper stays underneath it. It’s a perfect home away from home for us. I have my own kitchen to cook in; I don’t have to mess up Chris and Amy’s. We even have a washer and dryer in the camper. When we went down last month, Harold and I stayed in the camper, along with Shawn and Amy, Griffin, and Mason. We have plenty of room!  It has also been perfect for family members to use. Last year Griffin and some friends drove to Chris’ to go to some LSU baseball games. They were able to stay in our camper. This just makes it easy for everyone.  

The living room area. This couch makes out into a bed, and both recliners go back all the way for sleeping areas as well.

Harold and Scout

My camper kitchen. I have a kitchen with a full size refrigerator, gas oven and stove, and even a pantry (behind that door).

Our camper bedroom has a king sized bed, a walk in closet, and a washer and dryer.

We have a camper that we store in Gulf Shores as well. We found that it’s more convenient for us (and ends up being cheaper and easier) to just store it there, since we only use it at the beach. We rent a lot at our favorite campground for the whole month of June. Harold and I will stay for 2 weeks, and Shawn and Amy pay for the other 2 weeks and use it then. We love camping!

We’re back home now, so it’s back to normal this week. Shawn and I are going to plant the big garden, so I will bring you along with us on that journey. Thank you for taking the time to interact with me here. I love seeing how many people read my words, and seeing where you are from. Please leave me a comment and tell me something about you. Where are you from? What are you doing this week? I am thankful to have you in my life. Remember to be salt and light!

EASTER TRADITIONS

This weekend brings one of my favorite holidays of the year. Easter! As a Christian, Easter is the time that we commemorate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. That alone is worth celebrating! Jesus is the reason that we celebrate Easter.

Easter also brings some traditions that we hold dear. For as long as I can remember, my mama made sure that we celebrated Easter. Each year, I would have a new Easter dress, complete with white gloves and patent leather shoes. Easter Sunday was a day that we wore our best, and I loved it. When Amy and Chris were small, I always made sure that they had something new for Easter Sunday. The sweet lady that kept Chris before he went to school and her daughter were master seamstresses. They sewed heirloom clothes and smocked the most beautiful pieces. While Amy was still young enough to wear smocked clothes, they always made her Easter clothes. Chris didn’t wear smocked pieces very long. To be honest, I can only remember him wearing one smocked thing, and it was for his first Christmas. I did make sure that he was dressed in a little shirt and tie though, even if the tie was a clip on. 

This was a mid 80's Easter! Paige made Amy's dress, Chris was wearing his clip on tie, and Harold still had hair.

Easter lunch is also a tradition. We typically have ham as the main course, and that will be the case this year as well. In addition, I am also making a hash brown casserole, English pea and asparagus casserole, pineapple casserole, candied sweet potatoes, rolls, strawberry pretzel salad, carrot cake, and banana pudding. When the kids were younger, we would dye eggs and hide them after we ate. I can remember my sweet mother making sure that the Easter bunny stopped by for me every year. Mama didn’t have a lot of money at all, but somehow, the Easter bunny always brought me a special basket with eggs and some candy. I did the same for my kids, and they now do it for their kids as well. 

Some precious Easter cookies that I bought from a local baker.

Another tradition that goes along with Easter weekend is the planting of the garden. My Aunt Rosa Lee lived to be 92 years old, and she farmed for a good 88 of those years. She taught us that you don’t plant your garden until Good Friday. Harold, Shawn, and I have been getting the garden ready to plant, but we haven’t dropped any seeds yet. That will all happen on or after Good Friday.

What are your plans for Easter weekend? Does your family have any special traditions? I would love it if you left me a comment and shared them with me. I love reading all of your comments to me. Remember that Jesus is the real reason that we celebrate. Don’t let the Easter bunny overshadow the cross. Be salt and light!