Warrenton Garden Club's Flower Show

Warrenton Garden Club's 2012
"Inside-Out and Upside-Down Garden on Main Street"

Blue Ribbon Winner

This past Saturday, the happening place to be in Warren County was The Warrenton Garden Club's "Small Standard" Flower Show. I went to see the show, and help my college friend, Jane, who is President of the Warrenton Garden Club. 

There are a lot of rules and regulations that have to be followed in order for a show to be sanctioned by the Garden Clubs of Georgia, and National Garden Clubs. Three teams of accredited judges scored and judged the entries.

The Cultural Center provided an ideal location for showcasing both arrangements and horticulture entries. The committee was delighted to learn that they had more horticulture entries than a much larger show in Augusta the week before!

Horticulture Entries

Oak Leaf Hydrangea

The flowers were beautiful, and artfully arranged. The table settings were lovely. The decorations and backdrops were first class. 


A good time was had by all! Well done, Y'all! Looking forward to your next show, in two years!

Best of Show

More Photos in Flower Show Photo Gallery

V.V.B.C. Killing LIncoln by Bill O'Reilly

Vicarious Virtual Book Club
(V.V.B.C.) 
Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly


UPDATE: I am in the process of launching a new website that will be a resource for finding and sharing family traditions. Please sign up to be notified when it launches!
Thank you!
www.traditionplace.com


NOTE:
For those of you who are new to the Vicarious Virtual Book Club, or V.V.B.C: This is an online "book club" that follows the reading selections of my "real" Sisterchicks book club. This group allows anyone to have a book club experience without actually having to GO to book club! You can enjoy the books, the discussions, and sharing comments, wherever you are--no traveling to meetings! If you want to read the blog while in your pajamas, no worries! No membership requirements! No rules! The V.V.B.C. is simply an opportunity to share your love of books with like-minded individuals. Anyone is welcome to join in.

The Sister Chicks will choose our books for the next six months in May. Feel free to post your book suggestions, and I will share them with the group. I never post any discussion about the books for the Virtual Book Club until after my "real" book club has discussed the book on the third Monday of each month. 

Even though our group of ten Sisterchicks was smaller than usual, Pam led us in a stimulating discussion about Killing Lincoln. Several people mentioned enjoying the fast pace and short chapters of the book.

We figured that Bill O'Reilly's background as a history major enhanced the book, and made it more interesting. We also felt that for the most part, the book gave a "fair and balanced" view of the events surrounding Lincoln's assassination.

Sandy had Googled about the well-publicized controversy surrounding errors in the book, in anticipation of Pam's question on the subject. Sandy shared her research. The book's co-author apparently did most of the research. Bill O'Reilly maintains that the errors were minor, were corrected in subsequent printings.

National Geographic is making a two hour movie of Killing Lincoln. It should premiere early next year.

The majority of us were not well-versed on Abraham Lincoln's Presidency, and the conspiracy theories put forth in the book. We agreed that the conspiracies, as well as personal perspectives taken from diaries, made the read more engrossing.

We discussed the role of President Lincoln's wife in the book; how she must have felt guilt because her husband was at the theater at her urging. We talked about how difficult Mary Todd Lincoln's life must have been. She lost three children and endured the Civil War, with her husband serving as President. We also discussed the difficulties of her life after her husband died.

The detailed description of the actual assassination, and the young doctors heroic attempts to save Lincoln, intrigued most of us. We have several medical professionals in our group!

We talked about the scope of injury and death in the Civil War--and the illnesses that killed so many. We lamented the conditions in prisoner of war camps, such as Andersonville, and the tragedy of those soldiers whose families never knew what happened to their loved ones.

We thought it was interesting reading about officers who trained together at West Point. The officers knew their opponents strategies, strengths, and weaknesses, since they had fought together in Mexico prior to the Civil War. Ultimately, friends found themselves on opposite sides in the Civil War--or "the Silver War," as Pam's son thought it was called, when he was in 4th grade.

My husband and I listened to the Audible version of Killing LIncoln, read by Bill O'Reilly, while we were traveling. It was very well done. We both enjoyed it, EXCEPT for my extreme annoyance at Bill O'Reilly's continued mispronunciation of "Calvary" when the correct word for mounted troops is "cavalry!" I played a brief audio clip for the book club, so they would understand why I was chagrinned by Bill O'Reilly's use of the wrong word throughout several chapters of battlefield narrative.

I found it almost impossible to believe that someone who promotes a new vocabulary word each broadcast would make such an elementary mistake! I sent Bill O'Reilly a pithy comment about the matter via his website. To date, I have not received a response.

One person had not quite finished the book, but planned to. Someone joked that we wouldn't give the ending away to her in our discussion! In a slightly unusual unanimous vote, everyone at book club enjoyed Killing Lincoln.

I recommend Killing Lincoln for anyone who'd like to learn more about President Lincoln's assassination. The Sisterchicks are looking forward to the release of Bill O'Reilly's next book: Killing Kennedy, since we all remember that assassination.

(Click on the Audible Links on the right side of the page for discounts on audio books. Click on the link below to order from Amazon.)

V.V.B.C. Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff

Vicarious Virtual Book Club:
Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff


UPDATE: I am in the process of launching a new website that will be a resource for finding and sharing family traditions. Please sign up to be notified when it launches!
Thank you!
www.traditionplace.com


I've been waiting to post my review about Cleopatra, by Stacy Schiff, until I finished the book.I persevered through almost 14 1/2 hours of listening to Cleopatra via Audible.com, and finished today.

Bottom line--I didn't like Cleopatra. It was hard for me to follow when reading it in book form, so I decided to try listening to it, since I knew I had some upcoming trips, and would be in the car. I usually LOVE listening to Audible books. I had to force myself to listen to Cleopatra. It was boring to me! It made me sleepy while driving! Cleopatra was undoubtedly the worst book I've ever listened to. The NARRATOR was good. It was the content I didn't enjoy. The book seemed to me like a high school term paper, for which the author didn't have enough material, so they had to add extraneous filler!

Sister Chick Member, Tracy, struck a chord with her Facebook 

post: "I've made it through chapter 3 in Cleopatra. I don't know 

what the manic first 2 chapters were about, and half of chapter 3, 

but I felt like I was finally understanding something once I got to 

the description of Alexandria (basically Las Vegas with a good 

library), and Caesar & Cleopatra's luxury cruise down the Nile. 

Great descriptions without the buckshot approach to history. Let's 

see if I sink or swim in chapter 4 now...." 


And another message from Tracy: "On Amazon.com

there's something called "Quicklet On Cleopatra....it's like 

Cliff Notes for the very book we're reading. A list of the characters 

(who all have the same names), and summaries of the chapters. 

You download it to your Kindle for $2.99. I really want to like this 

book and I hope soon I will. Not meant to discourage you! Maybe 

it's just me?"  

I talked to Gloria after I missed Book Club. I was out of town when the Sister Chicks had the discussion on Cleopatra in March. Gloria is the Sister Chick who recommended the book, and led the discussion. Only four members had actually finished the book before the discussion, while maybe a dozen attended the meeting. She said it was pretty much universally agreed that the book was difficult to read, and the dates and names were confusing.

Gloria said that people enjoyed the background and historical  information, descriptions, leaning about the richness of the culture, etc. They felt as I did that the book was more like historical fiction than biographical. According to Gloria, and a couple of other Sister Chicks I spoke to who read at least part of the book, they didn't think it was that great.

It bothered me that the author continually made statements, that could in no way be corroborated. She speculated that Cleopatra studied more poetry than prose. She speculated on how Cleopatra acted, and what she did. Sometimes the author would say that someone during that time period would have probably done thus and so. But, many times, speculative, obviously non-factual information was presented pretty much as FACT. I found that to be annoying and misleading.

Some of the comparisons between different authors was informative and interesting, but it was done so much that it became source and footnote overload. I also thought that the book was at least twice as long as it needed to be. 

On the positive side, I didn't realize Cleopatra was such a shrewd and powerful ruler. I didn't have any concept of the complexities of the region covered in the book, of the interaction of the rulers and dynasties, and of the politics of the region, before reading the book. I'm still not CLEAR on these things, but at least now I have a smidgeon more knowledge!

I did not know about Cleopatra's "colorful" lifestyle, and had no idea how she died. As the book mentions in a derogatory way, my impression of Cleopatra, like that of many others, is largely based on Elizabeth Taylor's film portrayal. I'm not convinced that Ms. Schiff's portrayal is very accurate, either. I do not recommend reading--or listening to--Cleopatra.

However, if you do want to read Cleopatra, and present a contrasting view in the comments, there's a link to the book on Amazon below. If you'd like to try listening to Cleopatra, or any other books, see the links for special offers from Audible on the righthand side of my blog. Many V.V.B.C. books--which you can search on this blog--have WONDERFUL Audible versions!

I welcome comments, corrections, and contradictions in the comments
section! What did YOU think?

V.V.B.C Hunger Games & Nearing Home

Vicarious Virtual Book Club:
Hunger Games &
Nearing Home


UPDATE: I am in the process of launching a new website that will be a resource for finding and sharing family traditions. Please sign up to be notified when it launches!
Thank you!
www.traditionplace.com


(I've gotten behind on posting reviews for  the V.V.B.C., so I'm going to at least "catch up," with a short overview, on our last few books in the next couple of days. PLEASE feel free to jump in with comments!)

Hunger Games

Hunger Games was pretty much universally enjoyed by the Sister Chicks Book Club. Subsequently, movie goers from the book club thought the movie did a better than average job of interpreting the book. (I haven't seen the movie yet.)

When I finished Hunger Games, I was a little frustrated to find that the story just stopped! It did not seem like an appropriate place to end a book. I immediately went on to read the next two books, and enjoyed them. However, it seemed to me like the author broke one story into three books, for the purpose of selling more books! This series did not seem to be so long that it required more than one book.

Since Hunger Games was the first book of a trilogy, those of us who had read the entire trilogy were unable to discuss Hunger Games in full context, since many members had not completed all three books. With the permission of those who had not completed the book/series, we did "let a few cats out of the bag" for the purpose of sharing and comparing what we particularly enjoyed, or thought interesting. Those of us who had finished enjoyed the entire series.

This book was "different" from what we usually read, but we thought it was entertaining. We discussed a lot of the "what ifs" that the book brought forth. Someone wondered if the drawing for Tribute might have been "fixed" as a warning, since Katniss was an independent and resourceful person, and thus a possible "threat" to authority. Something I never considered!

I recommend Hunger Games, along with the trilogy. Considering the realities of life after a cataclysmic event is of interest to me, and I thought Hunger Games it made for entertaining reading. (I read it on the Kindle program on my iPhone.)



Nearing Home

The Sister Chick's Book Club all enjoyed Billy Graham's Nearing Home. It was a quick read, that is classic Billy Graham: Easy to read and understand, inspirational, and thought provoking.

Billy Graham writes, “All my life, I was taught how to die as a Christian, but no one ever taught me how I ought to live in the years before I die.” He talks about the difficulty and frustration of no longer being able to do what you want, because of his body's declining. He looks through a positive lens at the issues caused by the inevitable aging process, because of his belief that God is is Sovereign, and in control. He wonders,"if God in His sovereignty allows the eye sight of the aged to cast a dim view of the here and now so we may focus our spiritual eyes on the ever after.”

Readers are left with the challenge of living our lives with eternal purpose, with the ultimate goal of "finishing well." This book will be especially meaningful for Christians, and serves as a gentle reminder of what is really important. Another book I recommend. I read it on the Kindle Program on my iPhone. 


The large print version below would be a great Mother's Day gift for Mothers, Grandmothers, or other friends who are growing older!
  

The JOY Dare: I DARE You!

UPDATE: I am in the process of launching a new website that will be a resource for finding and sharing family traditions. Please sign up to be notified when it launches!
Thank you!
www.traditionplace.com



Many of you know that I've been speaking/sharing for a number of years about the "JOY on the Journey" of Life, which is found through Jesus Christ. In light of that, I was THRILLED to find The JOY Dare, based on Ann Voskamp's Book One Thousand Gifts. The "Dare" is to record 1,000 gifts from God in a year. Get your family and friends involved in the Dare! What a GREAT way to share JOY!

I wanted to do a quick post with the link for The Joy Dare for March, so those who are interested can jump in! I just downloaded the "One Thousand Gifts, A Thousand Thanks" ap on my phone, too!

My response to Today's (March 15) Dare "Three gifts given away:"

My friend, Dick Bowley's book, A Journey In The Light

Christmas Pajamas, (and dinner, and memories) given to Family and Friends

A beautiful Bird of Paradise for a friend's birthday! 

I DARE YOU to focus on the JOY in your life! Please take a moment to post a comment below and let me know if you're going to take the Dare! I hope you will!

P.S. For more information, and inspiration, I highly recommend Ann Voskamp's blog, A Holy Experience. On Mondays, I will be joining her link up to share my list of JOY-filled gifts!


  

National Weather Service Water and Weather Forecasting

National Weather Service

Water and Weather Forecasting

The first stop for First Baptist Church of Peachtree City's Adult JOY trip for February was to the National Weather Service's Water and Weather Forecasting Office in Peachtree City, GA. We got "up close and personal" with the meteorologists and other employees, learning about forecasting, tracking storms, launching weather balloons, and interesting details about watching weather and river data on the weather service's website. Weather Page. 

Several days after the tour we had tornadoes in our area. It was interesting knowing more about the background and preparation that goes into the tracking and warnings! It was fun actually seeing and holding a weather balloon. (It was a little disconcerting, though, to find out the cost of sending them up twice a day--more in inclement weather!) 

Our second stop was at the new facilities of the Midwest Food Bank in Peachtree City, managed by Ken King, (also a member of First Baptist Peachtree City.) Midwest supplies food for non-profit ministries that feed the hungry.

Our last stop was for a delicious Mexican lunch at El Ranchero at Westpark Walk in Peachtree City.

JOY on the Journey Cruise

JOY on the Journey Cruise

Hey, everyone! I'm WAY behind in blog posts, but hope to get back on track with regular posts soon. It seems like life's been on "fast forward" since December! (Thanks to those of you who have asked  about my blog! I still plan to do some updates on recent events asap!) In the meantime, here's a brief recap of the "JOY on the Journey" Bahamas Cruise Retreat I led the third week in February.

Our group of fifteen traveled from Georgia via different routes, and converged at my Mother's home in Fernandina Beach, FL, where I grew up. That gave us an opportunity to get better acquainted, and enjoy some light snacks before our seafood supper at the Marina Restaurant.

We spent the night in Jacksonville, and arrived at the port in time to meet for lunch on the ship. Betty and George Burger arranged the trip, organized some of our excursions, and accompanied the group as "full service" travel agents! The "Bon Voyage" gifts below, compliments of George and Betty, were in each cabin when we arrived, along with a coupon for a free photo, and a $25.00 credit to our shipboard account! 

Nylon Carnival tote bag, Sparkling Cider, Chocolate covered strawberries
with assorted candies, and gift certificates. 

Our "JOY on the Journey" Cruise was multi-purposed. Our goals, in no particular order: 

1. To refresh body, soul, & spirit. (Matthew 11:28-29 The Message "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." 
2. To build relationships inside and outside of our group, as we "loved our neighbors as ourselves." Mark 12:31. (Matt 5:14-16 The Message Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
3. To enjoy focused Bible study and prayer. (Matthew 4:4 NIV Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'  I Thessalonians 5:17 KJV Pray without ceasing.) 
4. To prepare to fulfill our God-given purposes with renewed passion.(Acts 3:20 NLT Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.)  

After breakfast, we began each day with stretching, and light cardio, to praise music. Our location, usually in the Library, just outside the dining room, attracted new participants each day, who were drawn by our music and enthusiasm. (Not everyone rose early enough to attend this optional event!)

Stretching and toning to Praise Music!

Devotional time focusing on Biblical lessons relating to God's Creation and other insights gleaned from cruising. One resource I used was Every Breath a Prayer, by Kimberli Ayers. (We also followed the February church-wide devotion guide from our church.) Each day's session included a token "surprise gift" to serve as an object lesson or reminder of Biblical truths relating to the day's subject matter.

Daily "prayer challenges" encouraged everyone to try new ways to enrich our prayer lives. Topics included praying for strangers, Scripture-based prayers, praying for ourselves, journaling, and "Praying in Color" (based on creative ideas for using colored pens and drawing or "doodling" while praying, as discussed in Sybil MacBeth's book Praying in Color.)

Getting ready for morning devotions and prayer time.

In anticipation of reaching out to others in friendship, each person in our group brought a variety of ice cream toppings on board. On our first afternoon at sea, we set up a "toppings buffet" near the ice cream machines, and invited everyone in the vicinity to join us. We met lots of nice people! Click HERE for the photo gallery from the Sundae Party! 

We had just set up our ice cream topping buffet.

Passengers enjoying our Ice Cream Sundae party. 

One evening, after a long day in port, we had a "Pajama Party" to discuss our adventures.  We enjoyed hot chocolate, herbal tea, and hot cider, during our prayer and Bible Study time. (We always welcomed fellow cruisers, who expressed interest, to enjoy our sessions with us.)

"Pajama Party" devotion time.

Food and mealtimes were an integral part of the cruise! Pizzas, ice cream, and sandwiches were available 24/7 on the Lido Deck, as was "Room Service" dining, delivered to your cabin. The group enjoyed some breakfasts and lunches together, and dinners together most evenings. My roommate, Diane, and I enjoyed "breakfast in bed" in our cabin each day, then lunch in various places on the ship. We also enjoyed several "room service" snacks!

The Carnival food was WONDERFUL. The menus were varied and creative, and each evening featured an exotic item to try. Escargot and alligator were two of the featured items. (Here is a link to a separate "Food Photo Gallery" from the trip. NO, I did not eat all of this food! These are a sampling of dishes enjoyed by members of our group!) With all the exercising, walking, and other activities, I was pleased to have only gained 2 pounds during my week of travel, especially since I had dessert at least once a day, usually twice!

For lunch one day, I had this German Chocolate Cake,
along with an order of Low-calorie Lemon Mousse. (Yes, TWO desserts!) 

Our Amazing Headwaiter, Chandana, followed by Betty Burger,
in the Conga line moving through the dining room. (I was right behind Betty!) 

During the trip, everyone had plenty of time to pursue their individual interests. Onboard activities included everything from Bingo to Spa appointments! Each day, we had organized devotions and a group meeting time. We also scheduled optional group activities for those who wanted to participate.

In the evenings, we enjoyed Broadway style entertainment, a passenger talent show, karaoke, and strolling the decks. I was excited to be able to do some "Dancing on the Journey!" when I participated in a Country and Western group line dance lesson! In case you can't tell, in this photo I'm wearing cowgirl boots and twirling a pretend lasso!

Grand Bahama Island was our first port of call. Ten of us took a shopping tour, which included The Perfume Factory. It was interesting seeing how fragrances are combined. A couple of people in our group designed their own signature scents, which they named and registered!

The Perfume Factory

Four of us had a parasailing adventure on Grand Bahama. Reflecting on her first parasailing experience, Kathy Malone said, "Now I know how the angels must feel flying above the earth and looking down!" I agree with her.

Parasailing at Our Lucaya Resort

In Nassau, I was able to renew my acquaintance with Bahamian friend, Dr. Marlene Huyler, whom I met over ten years ago in Atlanta. She and her sister founded the New Providence Classical School in Nassau, where she serves as Dean and Counselor. 

Marlene treated six of us to a Bahamas feast, complete with conch fritters made by her father, at her Aunt Brenda's home. 

Marlene gave us a V.I.P. tour around the island of Nassau. She introduced us to a number of members of her family, and we learned about the historical influence of Marlene's relatives in various venues of the Bahamas.  

We went to The Historic Clifton Heritage National Park and visited "The Sacred Space." This area commemorates the history of the bluff as the place where ships landed bringing cargoes of slaves and indentured servants. The location also has a history of pirates, and battles that left cannon ball scars in the cliffs. 

Sign on top of the Bluff

In the Sacred Space

Female figures carved by artist Antonius Roberts from Casuarina Trees. 

Close-up of Carvings

One of our tour highlights was visiting the Junkanoo museum, and learning about the celebration that is similar to Mardi Gras, in costuming and parades. We tried on some of the headdresses, made from cardboard that is painstakingly and meticulously painted and decorated.The competition to win is fierce best individual costume and best group, among the local groups! 

We went places most tourists never visit, and had a wonderful time!

Thanks for everything, Marlene!

Trying on Junkanoo headdresses, made from painted and embellished cardboard.

Our 6 day cruise flew by! Excellent, friendly service, "beyond the call of duty," was the norm for most of the employees with whom we dealt. Our servers and stewards knew our names and offered numerous personal touches that went the extra mile toward making our Carnival Cruise an excellent experience.

Jamie with Steward Extraordinaire: Issara Chaipila

The photo below shows our group at dinner on our next to the last night. As you can see, we were having a good time! We're looking into doing another "JOY on the Journey" Cruise next year. In the meantime, I would love to lead your group in a prayer, or other themed, retreat--on land or at sea! Contact me at: rockhavenw@aol.com

"Wait, we aren't ready for our cruise to end!"

Additional Photos and Resources:

Trip/Cruise Photo Gallery: Days 1-3

Trip/Cruise Photo Gallery: Days 4-5

Photo Gallery from Ice Cream Sundae Party

Cruise Food Gallery

Video tour of Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach

This book, mentioned above, which I introduced on the "Joy on the Journey" cruise, inspired me to start "drawing" my prayers in color!

This Book inspired me in preparing Daily Devotions for the Cruise