The Old Lady Next Door

30 Posts in 30 Days

2008-11-30T22:13:00.003-06:00

Gracious alive! I have had such a wonderful time during National Blog Posting Month.

I even earned this little ditty:

What a good 30 days it has been. I have enjoyed having all of you over everyday for the past month.

I hope you'll continue to drop by for tea, coffee or another beverage of your choice. I keep my fridge stocked for friends and family that like to pop over on a moment's notice.

Today I have chocolate mint cookies and vanilla ice cream to celebrate. I love dipping my cookies in the vanilla ice cream so feel free to do the same. Eat all you want. I have more in the oven.

The Old Lady Next Door is going to have an extra cookie or two right along with you.

Vulcans Buns Recipe

2008-11-29T23:34:00.004-06:00

You may remember my Wordless Wednesday post a couple of weeks ago of the Vulcan Statue in Birmingham, Alabama. This recipe contains a dash of Southern humor with a twist on your usual yeast roll.

Vulcan's Buns

Ingredients:

1 package of dry yeast
Dissolve 1 package of dry yeast in ¼ cup warm water.
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar.
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped dried tomatoes
1 cup milk
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup dry yeast
Olives or feta cheese

Directions:

Cream 1/2 cup butter and 2 tablespoons sugar. Mix in 2 eggs, plus 1 yolk, beaten. Add 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup chopped dried tomatoes and 1 cup milk. Sift and add 5 cups flour (sift 3 times) and 1 teaspoon salt.

Dissolve 1 package of dry yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Knead 5 to 8 minutes on floured board; place dough in a greased bowl, covered; allow to rise 1 hour (in a warm place) or until doubled.

Stir down risen dough; turn onto a lightly floured surface; form into smooth loaf; divide into approximately 36 balls, each the size of a large walnut. Punch hole in each center; put one pimiento-stuffed olive, ripe olive or chunk of feta cheese in each hole. Pinch closed.

Place 2, pinched side down, in each cup of a greased muffin tin. Mix extra egg white with 1 tablespoon of water; brush tops of buns. Allow to rise 45 minutes to 1 hour, until almost doubled; heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 7 minutes; brush again with egg mixture; bake 7 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown.

Aloha Friday: Shopping in a Bad Economy

2008-11-28T11:25:00.004-06:00

Happy Black Friday to you brave souls who go shopping today. Even with this ugly economy staring us in the face, I hear so many people saying they're not changing their shopping plans.

I am one of those gift-givers who isn't crossing anyone off her list. I am so blessed to have wonderful family and friends so I will be sticking to my original shopping plan. My Christmas gift is seeing those beautiful smiles when my loved ones open their presents.

Will you be changing your original gift-giving plans because of the economy?

Visit An Island Life for more Aloha Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving Neighbors

2008-11-27T08:47:00.001-06:00

Oh goodness. It's that time of year again already. Where do the minutes of our lives go so quickly?

I hope you are enjoying the company of loved ones on this Thanksgiving. I am spending the day with my family and I know we are going to stuff ourselves silly.

We have a few family traditions we always share together on Thanksgiving. A few of us get together so we can start cooking the night before. We spend the night at the house of the person who will be hosting Thanksgiving that year.

We nibble on our works in progress where appropriate. A good cook always tastes what she or he will be serving.

We then start our Thanksgiving morning with a cup of hot cocoa. It's the one time of year I gladly give up my cup of tea because we sit in our pajamas and swap stories like teenagers around a campfire.

We turn our attention towards the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade next. By the time it's over, a few family members who chose not to cook with us wander into the kitchen wanting to know where their Thanksgiving feast is. I can think of five people right off the top of my head that get shooed out of the kitchen every year.

We set the table and squeeze everyone in. We did away with a kiddie table because they always wanted to sit with us and we didn't like having them feel excluded.

We say the blessing and with a wink and a smile, someone always tries to sneak a bite of stuffing or steal a green bean before we get everyone served. We carve the turkey with a knife from a set my Daddy won at the national fair when he was a young man. It's my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner because I can close my eyes and see my Daddy holding that big knife from the time he had dark brown hair until it turned gray and eventually fell out. It's like a slideshow in my head that brings back so many warm memories.

The men, boys and a couple of our girls who are sports fans head into the den to watch football. The women who cooked go to the living room to gossip about what they'll be getting their other loved ones and friends for Christmas. The women who didn't cook and a few men who are recruited against their will go into the kitchen to clean up and gossip about what they'll be getting those of us in the living room for Christmas.

This is my Thanksgiving year after year. I'm very thankful for that.

Tell me all about your Thanksgiving and please take some of these leftovers home with you.

Not My House

2008-11-26T08:22:00.001-06:00

This isn't my house but it's just about 30 miles from my own home in Alabama.
My house doesn't look anything like this, just so you know!

The End is Almost Near

2008-11-25T13:05:00.004-06:00

Now that's a scary title for the Old Lady Next Door. What I really mean to say is that National Blog Posting Month is almost over.

I am so happy I heard about this little get together. It has been a fun exercise in writing.

I have to admit, I can't think of a single thing I've done for 30 days straight except breathe. I do love my cup of tea but I've even been known to skip a day when coffee entices me away from the teapot.

I know there are a few of you out there listening to the ramblings of an old lady and telling me what you think. I don't know if there are more of you who are reading along but just being shy. I appreciate all of you so don't feel like you have to speak up.

Now you really are letting an old lady just ramble on endlessly. For being so patient with me, I have a raspberry parfait for you.

Today is National Parfait Day so enjoy this while you answer a simple question:

What types of hobbies or habits have you done for 30 days straight?

This Economy Ship is Sinking Fast

2008-11-24T15:32:00.010-06:00

Oh my! I thought yesterday's post would inspire you to speak your mind. Perhaps you are indulging the Old Lady Next Door into thinking that you actually enjoy hearing her jibber jabber.

Today let's talk about this economy crisis. I am wondering when all of these bailout talks will end.

The mortgages, the autos and now Citigroup. I just don't understand it and, quite frankly, my ears and eyes are tired of this news.

When I was a young girl, my family owned a grocery store. We were the only store in town for over 20 years. Everyone knew each other and everyone didn't just come to shop, they came to visit.

We spent our summers and days after school restocking shelves, working in the store and sneaking an orange or two from the produce bin. My daddy was proud to offer credit because he knew we were in a struggling economy and not allowing customers to run a tab would mean some of our neighbors couldn't eat supper that night.

People paid when they could. A little here and a little there. We weren't going to get rich from our country store but we were happy.

As the big grocery stores made their way into our city, we knew what was about to happen. Daddy couldn't compete with all of the brands they offered so on a sad day in October, he switched our store sign in the window from OPEN to CLOSED one last time.

We had neighbors coming to settle up their tabs years after the store went out of business. Daddy wouldn't accept their money. He just didn't feel right about taking their money after all those years.

Now, I don't think my daddy with only family for employees should have run up to Washington and asked for money so we could keep selling canned soup, self-rising flour and grape soda pop. I just can't help but wonder where all of these corporate bailouts at the expense of my wallet and yours will stop.

In my time, a failing company gracefully closed its doors when business was too bad to continue. It didn't expect both customers and non-customers to keep it afloat just so big shots could keep receiving high salaries and pensions.

I'm not completely set in my ways. I can understand the need for automakers to try and save jobs. I just don't understand how the big three in Detroit go begging all at once. Surely they saw this coming. Yet, I continue to see these national ads for the companies during my favorite prime time programs.

Why does the government need to tell people how they should run their business? How many mom and pop shops have gone out of business because there's no one there to help them? How many people lost their homes because they were given more credit than they could actually afford while corporate honchos padded their bank accounts? The Old Lady Next Door has too many questions and no one is bothering to give us any of the answers we deserve.

Don't get me started on Citigroup. I just saw several commercials for that company over the weekend. I have a hard time swallowing the fact that Citigroup is now in its second government bailout.

Dear friends, correct an old lady if I'm wrong but it appears the boat is sinking and you are I the only ones holding the pail.

Bend My Ear

2008-11-23T12:16:00.000-06:00

Look what I have for you today. Carrot cake with a hint of pineapple:

You are always so sweet to come listen to me just jibber jabber. Today it's all about you.

What's on your mind?

Are you worried about the economy, an upcoming doctor's appointment or even what you're going to wear tomorrow? I want to know what you're thinking.

Have a slice of cake. I'll pour the tea or hot cocoa, if you prefer, and take your time. I've got nowhere to be but here.

Don't worry about coming up with something witty. Just speak your mind.

The Old Lady Next Door wants to hear a voice other than her own today.

Bookworms Unite

2008-11-22T16:59:00.005-06:00

Wrighty is a very nice visitor who always makes time to drop in to see me. When she said I had been tagged, I had to look up the meaning. The Old Lady Next Door is always quick to point out how she's more comfortable with her hands in dough than on a keyboard.

So it seems I am to open the closest book to me to page 56. Then I write out the fifth sentence as well as the next two to five sentences before passing this on to five blog friends.

I don't think I have five blog friends so if you would like to participate, just let me know so I can add you in. I want you to get credit where it's due and maybe I'll make a new friend in the process.

For my own book, this little post I made on the Irondale Cafe being the inspiration for the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" motivated me to get my Fannie Flagg books out again. This excerpt comes from the book that shares the same name as the movie:

Evelyn had been forty when her mother died, and after that, the fear started. Now, when she read the morning paper, she turned immediately to the obituary column, even before she read her horoscope. She was always pleased when the person who had died had been in their seventies or eighties, and she loved it when the dear departed had been over ninety; it made her feel safe somehow.

I can't tell you how many times I've read this book. It's not my favorite Fannie Flagg book but she just hasn't written enough books for me to only read them once or twice.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

Aloha Friday: Holiday Marketing

2008-11-21T14:43:00.002-06:00

Oh dear! It's Friday again and I know that is good news to most but for me it means old Saint Nick will be banging down my door before I get all of my shopping done.

Today's Aloha Friday is all about the holidays. If you read my Did I Miss Christmas? entry, you know how I feel about all of the holiday marketing. Now I ask you:

How do you feel about early holiday marketing?

Visit An Island Life for more Aloha Friday.

The Unfinished Baby Books

2008-11-20T20:17:00.004-06:00

Hello friends. The Old Lady Next Door is taking a break from sweets today but I have a nice platter of cheese and crackers for you to enjoy for our conversation. My children always love cheese and crackers so it's fitting for our visit.

You see, when my children were small enough to be held in one arm, I bought each one of them a baby memory book. I started off with the best intentions. I filled out all the information about their birth date, their first days at home and even documented the day they got their first tooth.

As little feet got bigger and started to run through the house, the baby books got put up on a bookshelf to keep them safe from curious hands. They were pushed out of the way and out of my mommy mind.

All these years later, I look at the empty pages of the baby books and wish I had written down every moment I had with them. I would love to give these books to my grandchildren so now the mission is to go back and try to stir up these old, wonderful memories so I can complete the books.

My children are encouraging me and are excited to see what I can remember. It has been a while and the Old Lady Next Door is not as sharp as she used to be. Oh, but I am remembering some wonderful times about each one of them and this is shaping up to be a lovely little project, even if it is overdue.

For those of you with children, how are you doing with keeping your baby books?

Vulcan Statue in Birmingham, Alabama

2008-11-19T00:00:00.001-06:00

This 56-foot tall Vulcan statue has been "greeting" people in Birmingham, Alabama, for more than 100 years. It is the largest cast iron statue in the world and the largest metal statue ever made in the U.S.

Vulcan used to hold a torch in his hand as part of a traffic safety campaign. The torch would turn from green to red if there were traffic fatalities in Birmingham.

That's right, folks, he has no pants. There was even a novelty song called "Moon Over Homewood" written in 1981 that refers to the backside of Mr. Vulcan "mooning" the neighboring suburb of Homewood, Alabama.

In 1999, Vulcan was taken down for repairs that took five years. Vulcan returned back to his 124-foot tall pedestal in 2004 and was slightly tilted to give the people of Homewood a little break from seeing his bottom everyday.

Stop Campaigning and Start Cleaning

2008-11-18T16:12:00.010-06:00

The Old Lady Next Door doesn't like clutter. My mother used to keep everything. By the time she was my age she couldn't even use her two car garage because it was filled with boxes.

Her house was a shrine to memories of yesteryear. She just couldn't bear to part with the mementos she had accumulated over time.

That is why I am the opposite. I like my house neat and clean. If I haven't used something in a year, I throw it out or donate it to charity.

Oh, I do enjoy my souvenirs of times gone by but I don't hold on to everything. I like order.

I want my city streets to be clean too. What an ugly sight my fellow residents and I have to face everyday when we leave our homes.

Here we are two weeks exactly since the election and there are still political signs plastered all over town. Our city has ordinances that say candidates should pick up their political signs after the election is over but wouldn't you know it, that's just not happening.

Is the winner keeping his or her signs in place to gloat? Is the loser keeping his/her signs in place out of denial?

It's enough to frustrate an old lady who's proud of her Southern town. I ask you, dear neighbor, are you still seeing political signs in your neck of the woods?

Be On My Blogroll

2008-11-17T20:53:00.007-06:00

Hello there! It's so nice to see you today. I know tea isn't everyone's, well, cup of tea so I've made a fresh pot of coffee for you all today and there's lemonade in the fridge if you'd rather have that. I love lemonade all year round even though it's quite cold outside.

Anyhoo, a little birdie told me I should have a blogroll. "A what?" I said. I'm still learning all this fandangled internet language so I thought this was some sort of food at first. I do love cinnamon rolls so I try to be open-minded.

I'm sure you all know what a blogroll is and I want you to be on it. Even if you just peek in the windows to see me sitting all by my lonesome on the couch but you haven't come in to sit and talk yet, that's perfectly fine with me.

Just knowing you're out there means so much to an old lady. Wouldn't now be a nice time to introduce yourself so I can add you to my blogroll?

Oh! I feel so modern saying that.

Do leave me a comment to tell me where I can find your blog and I will add you. As long as you don't have a dirty blog, that is. I'm not a prude so I can handle the cuss words to an extent but, oh my goodness, this old lady's eyes start to burn when she sees naughty pictures on her computer screen.

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

2008-11-16T23:01:00.005-06:00

The Old Lady Next Door has a devil of a sweet tooth. This recipe warms me up in the winter with the hot cake and cools me down in the summer with the cool ice cream.

You can also try different cake flavors and different ice cream flavors too. One of my favorite combinations is yellow cake and chocolate ice cream with half the fudge sauce. I told you I have a sweet tooth.

Enjoy the recipe!

1 package dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1/2 gallon brick vanilla ice cream
Fudge Sauce
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1-1/4 cups sugar
4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream and maraschino cherries for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 13×9×2-inch pan. Prepare, bake and cool cake following package directions.

2. Remove cake from pan. Split cake in half horizontally. Place bottom layer back in pan. Cut ice cream into even slices and place evenly over bottom cake layer (use all the ice cream). Place remaining cake layer over ice cream. Cover and freeze.

3. For fudge sauce, combine evaporated milk and sugar in medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Add unsweetened chocolate and stir until melted. Beat over medium heat until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in butter, vanilla extract and salt.

4. Cut cake into squares. For each serving, place cake square on plate; spoon hot fudge sauce on top. Garnish with whipped cream and maraschino cherry.

The Love and Annoyance of Family Members

2008-11-15T21:32:00.003-06:00

Today my sister came to town and, let me tell you, we are not the best of friends. Oh, I like her fine but we're worlds apart in both looks and personality.

She's also much older than I am. We were never giggling girls sharing secrets or fixing each other's hair. We're close enough to want to see each other and spend time with each other but we have a mile-long list of differences if you put us side by side to compare us.

Well, today she came over to help me fix some baked goodies for church. I wanted to surprise her with a nice gift bag of some of the cookies we baked so before she left I told her I had something for her and to wait in the kitchen.

I was so excited putting ribbon around clear sacks with cookies and a couple of little other gifts for her to enjoy. She's nosey, God bless her, and just had to walk into my craft room to ask me if I needed help but in that annoying sister tone that tattled to say she just wanted to know what I was doing. The look on her face when she saw my beautiful gift bag I bought was nice but I wanted to surprise her and she ruined it.

I told her to go away in my own sister tone. She did but it was just five minutes later that she came back again to tell me she wasn't looking but she wanted to come in and see what I was putting in the bag.

Dear neighbors, what is it about family members that can rub us so wrong?

Aloha Friday: Feeling at Home

2008-11-14T09:46:00.007-06:00

Good morning, afternoon or evening wherever you may be in the world. Today is Aloha Friday so I have a question for you.

What is the one creature comfort that makes you feel the most at home?

I love getting out and about but there's nothing like coming home. My one creature comfort that makes me feel most at home really is a creature named Mr. Higgins.

Mr. Higgins is actually a girl. She's a sweet old cat that keeps an old lady company. When I come through the door Mr. Higgins always greets me and my home just wouldn't be the same without her.

You may be wondering why Mr. Higgins is not a Mrs. Higgins. My granddaughter was visiting when I brought a young, unnamed kitten into my home.

She blurted out, "Mr. Higgins" and pointed at my little furball. The name stuck and Mr. Higgins hasn't complained yet.

Visit An Island Life for more Aloha Friday.

Lipstick is Safe in a Bad Economy

2008-11-13T06:49:00.002-06:00

Hello there. Today I've got a nice pot of almond-flavored coffee and fresh cinnamon butter cookies for our visit.

Don't worry about smudging your lipstick ladies. It looks as though there will be plenty of shades at your disposal no matter how bad the economy gets.

I just read an interesting article that says lipstick sales always go up when the economy starts to slide. Leonard Lauder, from Estee Lauder, noticed the trend and that's how the term "Leading Lipstick Indicator" was born.

It seems that lipstick sales doubled right after September 11 too. Right now lipstick sales are up 40% and neutral colors are the top sellers.

Whenever I'm having a bad day, lipstick always makes me feel better. It puts me in such a foul mood when a lipstick I've been using for years is discontinued.

Did you know that many makeup companies have a program that allows you to buy up their discontinued lipstick? I've never been so in love with a lipstick shade that I went as far as buying it from the manufacturer but apparently this is an obscure tactic to get rid of those warehouses full of discontinued items.

I do find it interesting that lipstick sales shoot up when sales of other items start to go down. I like to think it's because we women know we can always count on a tube of lipstick to help us feel refreshed.

Why do you think lipstick is so popular when the economy starts to look bleak?

Alabama Cotton Field

2008-11-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

Tell a Veteran Thanks Today

2008-11-11T13:32:00.005-06:00

Well, hello there. Today I've got coffee and tea for you on this Veteran's Day.

I just want to take a moment to thank all of our veterans for their commitment to this country. It must not be easy getting on a bus and saying goodbye to your family. I've had to kiss quite a few of my loved ones as they left in uniform.

My relatives have served in all of the wars and we've lost some of them along the way. I think those men and women must be the bravest people in the world.

Can you imagine being in another country in war time and praying every night that you will be able to return home safely? This is what our soldiers are going through daily.

I live in a military town and I see these handsome men and beautiful women in their uniforms almost every day. Many nights I see these families on the news hugging as one of them steps on a bus to leave for a tour of duty.

It breaks my heart to see stories of forgotten veterans. They are the reason we are able to be here together today. I'm writing this because of a stranger who is out there fighting for my freedom.

We are so lucky and yet we take the sacrifices that are made for us for granted. I get myself into a tizzy over silly little things and a story on an 18 year old boy who lost a leg in the war will bring me back down to earth very quickly.

Just when we think we have a problem, we realize in the grand scheme of things that they are just minor annoyances. The real problems are out there in the world. Now I'm not saying this is always the case because, goodness knows, I've dealt with my fair share of big problems. It's just easy to get wrapped up in things that are not that important, such as rude people, a flat tire or even a bad tasting cup of coffee when there are bigger things going on around us.

Just be sure to tell a veteran how much you appreciate them today or any day you see one. It doesn't matter if he's 90 years old or if you're talking to an 18 year old who has just enlisted. Every one of them has done so much for us.

What is the Internet?

2008-11-10T13:07:00.003-06:00

This is the question I asked the young lady next door many years ago in the days before I had to be reminded I asked such a question. She tried to explain it to me back then but I just didn't understand.

She even showed me her fancy typewriter box with a screen that she pulled out of a backpack. I'm now "hip" enough to know it's called a laptop. See, the Old Lady Next Door can learn new tricks.

I've known the young lady next door since I stood on her doorstep with a homemade chicken casserole to welcome her family to the neighborhood. I rang the bell and when her mother peeled the curtain back to take a look at me, she was absolutely glowing.

She decided the Old Lady Next Door didn't look too threatening and opened the door. That is when I realized why she was glowing. Her tight house dress revealed that I was actually looking at two people.

The next time I saw the young lady next door's mother, she had my casserole dish tucked under one arm to return it and a beautiful baby girl in the other arm. I've watched the young lady next door grow from a tiny baby to a lovely young woman.

Along the way, I've taught her a song or two. She has graciously listened to too many of my stories about life when I'm sure she would rather be doing something else.

Now she is teaching me. This young lady is in college getting her degree in computer science. I don't exactly know what that means but she assures me she'll have a good career when she graduates.

You may think the Old Lady Next Door knows what she's doing but that is not the case. The young lady next door has written tutorial after tutorial to tell me how to publish pictures and type in a box before clicking on the publish button.

She's spent hours with me showing me how to check e-mails and follow online etiquette. The first lesson I learned was not to write in capital letters because that is seen as shouting. Well, I just love capital letters because my eyes are not what they used to be anymore. I do not want to shout at people so I'll be good.

I wanted to give up many times but the young lady next door told me that was not an option. She's spent her whole life hearing my silly stories and she thinks I need to share them with you.

So my dear young lady next door, you are one of my first stories. I do not know how you have been so patient with me but you are a peach for trying to make me look like I know what I'm doing.

I know all of you are computer experts by now and I am so new. I may be asking you to reach way back into your mind but I have a question for all of you.

How did you first learn about the Internet?

Second Christmas Book Giveaway Winner

2008-11-09T20:02:00.004-06:00

I have enjoyed this week's book giveaway carnival so much. I hope you have too.

I have one final book to give away. Just like with the first, I put everyone's name into a hat and drew one out.

The winner of "All I Have to Give" is:

Jesica from Washington

Jesica is a wife, mother of three, Christian and an ovarian cancer survivor. Good for you Jesica! We are happy you are here with us and admire your humble attitude about beating cancer.

I have been able to visit so many beautiful people thanks to these book giveaways. If you entered either one of these giveaways, I'll be stopping by to visit you soon since you made time for little ole me. If you have a website or blog that you didn't post with your entry, please leave me a comment if you don't mind an Old Lady Next Door dropping by your home on the internet.

First Christmas Book Giveaway Winner

2008-11-08T17:46:00.001-06:00

My stars! Over 75 of you wanted to win this one book I'm giving away. I do wish I could send you all a copy.

I put all of your names into a hat and drew one out. One of my neighbors told me there's an easier way to do this on the internet.

The Old Lady Next Door is old fashioned so I politely ignored the advice. I enjoyed writing each name down on a piece of paper. You took the time to stop for tea so I enjoyed the connection of pencil to paper to get to know you by name.

Without further adieu, I present the winner of the "One Perfect Gift" giveaway:

Janna from the Cornhusker Academy blog

I wanted to write a little something about our winner so I visited her blog. On my trip, I noticed Janna is a Christian homeschooling mom of 6. She also has a bookshelf with A Mile in My Flip-Flops by Melody Carlson on it. That is the same author who wrote the other Christmas book I'm giving away tomorrow. I just love ironic moments.

Janna, I hope you enjoy your book and do tell me if you like it so I can pass that along to the sweet people who came by here trying to win the book. It would just tickle me if you like the book enough to take your picture with it so the Old Lady Next Door can show our good neighbors you holding your prize.

Thank you all so kindly for entering. You still have time to win the second Christmas book so don't forget to enter before Sunday night.

Be sure to visit the Book Giveaway Carnival. It's so nice to see so many wonderful books going to new homes.

Before you go, I saved you a slice of Mississippi Mud Pie. You're always welcome to more.

Another Christmas Book Giveaway

2008-11-07T07:26:00.005-06:00

Good day! I've got homemade cinnamon rolls and another book giveaway to share with you today.

Go ahead and take two cinnamon rolls. Calories only count if you add them up and I've never been good with math.

Over there on my end table is the other Christmas book I promised to give away. It's another beautiful cover that makes my toes cold just looking at it.

The book is called "All I Have to Give" by Melody Carlson. Just look at that pretty little box resting in those gloved hands. I don't know what's supposed to be inside but I just love tiny boxes wrapped in shiny red paper.

The book description says Anna wants the perfect Christmas but nothing in her life is cooperating. It's a Christmas love story and I picked it out about a week ago for myself. It's a brand new book I haven't had the chance to read yet so you can consider it a tiny red box in my hands that I want to share with you.

Just let me know if you would like to win this book. You can enter all the way through Sunday and I'll announce the winner Monday.

This is part of the Book Giveaway Carnival that's going on this week. I'll announce the winner of the other book giveaway tomorrow so please stop by for that.

Have a nice day and a third cinnamon roll. I won't tell.

Update Sunday November 9 - Entries are closed and the winner will be announced tonight. Thank you so much for entering.

Did I Miss Christmas?

2008-11-06T12:04:00.000-06:00

Have you noticed how early Christmas arrives nowadays? On the first of October, I visited my favorite department store. Three holidays hit me all at once.

There were plastic Halloween pumpkins, ceramic Thanksgiving turkeys and artificial Christmas trees everywhere. It looked like my attic exploded right there where the housewares department used to be. While ghosts booed at me as I walked by, a choir belted out Silent Night on CD one aisle over.

Even a full 30 days before October 31, all of the Halloween decorations were 50% off. Thanksgiving decorations were also 50% off. This wasn't a sale. It was a holiday clearance.

Just this morning I revisited that department store. All traces of Halloween had already vanished. The two shelves of Thanksgiving items were now marked 75% off.

Here we are two months away from Christmas and all Christmas items are now 50% off. Did I blink and miss Christmas?

When I was a little girl, my family would travel downtown after Thanksgiving to look at the Christmas decorations in the department store windows. They magically appeared overnight, replacing scenes of mannequin families enjoying fake turkey meals in their brown and orange matching sweaters.

Now Christmas marketing is arriving earlier and earlier. It's enough to confuse an old lady who has a hard enough time keeping up with what day it is.

I ask you, dear neighbor, has holiday marketing gotten out of hand?

Irondale Cafe

2008-11-05T06:21:00.001-06:00

Fannie Flagg based her book "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" on the real Irondale Cafe. This cafe is located in her hometown of Irondale, Alabama, and has an 80 year history.

I have eaten here many times and the inside is filled with movie memorabilia, autographs and pictures from the 20s. It is a lovely little cafe where no one is treated like a stranger. The trains still run several times a day and you can't find a better deal on a homecooked meat and three vegetables plate.

Christmas Book Giveaway

2008-11-04T05:38:00.004-06:00

There are two things the Old Lady Next Door has always relied on: the love of her family and a good book.

When I saw there's a Book Giveaway Carnival going on this week, I just knew I wanted to share two books I recently bought. I have not read these books yet but I want to pass them along to someone else in the spirit of giving. Maybe the Old Lady Next Door will get a second copy from Santa Claus if she's really nice and promises to behave in 2009.

So, my good neighbors, I have two nice Christmas books to give away. The first one is called "One Perfect Gift" by Kathleen Morgan.

This book cover reminds me of going out with my family to chop down a Christmas tree when I was a little girl. It also makes me want to buy a new winter coat.

The book description says the story is set in 1933 with a mother and her six-year-old daughter stepping off of a train with no place to go. If you win it, you can tell me if it is any good so I'll know before I buy it again.

All you have to do to play along is let me know you would like to be entered. How does that sound?

Update Saturday November 8:

The winner has been announced!

You can also enter the other Christmas book giveaway, which ends Sunday.

A Word About Our Country

2008-11-03T12:17:00.001-06:00

I'm so glad to see you today. Have a seat on this Election Day eve.

I make it a rule not to talk politics. I've squabbled with many dear friends while chatting it up about one candidate over another.

If everyone agreed on everything we would certainly be a very boring society. Don't you agree?

What I really want to talk about today is not Mr. Obama or Mr. McCain. I want to talk about our country.

She's going to be fine, you know. No matter which man becomes our 44th president, the good ole USA will survive.

I have lived through many devastating events in my life. There are some I experienced that you probably learned about in textbooks.

We can all remember a recent tragedy that attempted to destroy our country. Those terrorists that tried to take down our country with our very own airplanes thought they could shake our faith and our economy.

We came together in that terrible time and I am certain that we will come together to support our next president. It's the American way.

I'll share a little confession with you since you've sat there so nicely and let me chatter away. I have never voted for one particular political party. I've always voted for the person, their policies and their plans.

I grew up in a house with a father who was a dedicated Republican and a mother who secretly voted Democratic. Even though they had their own beliefs, they always encouraged us kids to vote the way we wanted to vote.

I'm so inspired by all of the passionate campaigning I've seen from people just like you and me. Young and old are out there spreading the message to vote and let your voice be heard.

I do hope you go to the polls. Voting is such an important right we must exercise.

You certainly can't complain about your tea not having any sugar if you don't ask for it, can you?

You Earned an Extra Hour Today

2008-11-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

My goodness, how the time does fly! Time to turn your clocks back one hour already. Of course, some of my visiting neighbors from Arizona and Hawaii don't have to worry about such nonsense.

That Mr. Benjamin Franklin was the first person to suggest we needed to extend the daylight hours. In 1784, he sat down and wrote a paper saying daylight should be longer to save candles.

Now, before you go thinking I knew old Ben firsthand, let me tell you I'm not that old. Benji didn't pull my pigtails in grade school. Some days I feel more than 200 years old but he was way before my time.

In 1918, daylight-saving time became a national law to help conserve electricity during World War I. When the war ended, daylight-saving time became a local option. This was also before my time, in case you were wondering.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt put the daylight-saving time law back into effect for World War II in 1942. Daylight-saving time was known as "War Time" for the next three years. An old lady never admits her age but I can no longer deny that this was before my time.

It wasn't until 1966 that Congress passed the Uniform Time Act. States had the option of following daylight-saving time but the act established a beginning and end date for daylight-saving time.

The time change has moved around a month or two here and there. In 2005, Congress passed the Energy Act of 2005 that moved daylight-saving time one month earlier in the spring and one week later in the fall, which just began in 2007.

Oh dear. I'm afraid I have gone off on a history lesson.

Instead of talking about the past, let's talk about today. I always change the batteries in my smoke detector when the time changes. An old lady can never be too careful. I'll reward myself afterward with a second cup of tea and a cookie or two with my free hour of time.

What are you going to do with your extra hour?

National Blog Posting Month

2008-11-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

My momma always told me not to be afraid to try new things. For the next 30 days I'll have a fresh batch of baked goodies ready for you every day so we can enjoy November's National Blog Posting Month together.

There's nothing more relaxing than a nice cup of tea, a sweet cookie and lovely conversation to brighten up the gloomiest gus. Won't you join me?

How Do You Do?

2008-10-30T22:46:00.000-05:00

Aren't you sweet taking time out of your day to drop by and see me? I do love having company.

I'm so happy to be all moved into the neighborhood. You know that final box is always the one that takes the longest to unpack.

What's that? You want to know more about little ole me? Well, bless your heart.

I live in the Heart of Dixie and this is where I'll be proudly pushing up daisies long after I'm gone. I am a born and bred Southern girl. Oh my, I haven't been called a "girl" in ages.

I've lived more years than I care to count. One day I woke up and said to myself, "No more counting," and that was that.

I have diapered quite a few fannies in my life. They do grow so fast but, oh, the beautiful memories they leave behind.

I always have a story to tell. Gracious, I've even been known to have an opinion or two. That's why I enjoy our tea time together.

You can leave your shoes on. I don't mind. Do wipe them off on my welcome mat, if you please. That's what it's there for.

Now come on in and make yourself at home. I'll pour the tea. You take the sweet treat of your choice. Let's talk.

I'm the Old Lady Next Door. How do you do?