Southern Woman - November | December 2021

FAYETTE | COWETA

It's not how much we give, BUT HOW MUCH LOVE WE PUT INTO GIVING. -MOTHER TERESA

SOUTHERN WOMAN

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PUBLISHER

'

S

LETTER

S

eason’s Greetings, y'all,

What a year it has been! As we end 2021, my wish for you all is to focus on all the wonderful things that we may all take for granted. Family, friends, and most importantly, our health.

This is always my favorite time of year! The holiday decorations and cooking up old recipes from generations gone. It brings me great joy celebrating with my family and friends. My heart always weighs heavy during this time of year for the ones who may not have food or warm clothes… I try to give what I can to help those in need. I am steered by the Lord, and so where he leads my heart, I follow.

I am anticipating all the wonderful moments that the new year will bring for us all. Our family here at Southern Woman Magazine would like to thank you all for your kindness and support, and we wish all of you health and happiness for the new year!

Merry Christmas!

Blessings,

Melanie Denney-Haas Publisher, Owner

4 SOUTHERN WOMAN

TABLE

November

20

COUNTRY NIGHTS

Life on the Road with Mica Roberts

December

28

SUGAR, SPICE, AND EVERYTHING NICE

Sweet Kaki’s Pies

40

AZURE FARM’S

Holiday Recipes from the Homestead

OF

CONTENTS

Features

70

OH, SO COZY…

Handmade With Love From the Handcrafted Home

November/December 2021

5

TABLE

In

OF

CONTENTS

This

Issue

Food

&

Table

Home

&

Garden

2 REFLECTIONS

A Moment of Pause

32 A GATHERING PLACE

Your Holiday Table

64 HUNG IN A ROW

4 PUBLISHER’S LETTER

from Melanie Denney-Haas

34 STIRRING THE POT WITH SCARLETT

Holiday Brunch

65 HOMEGROWN

10 MEET A SOUTHERN LADY

38 A SOUTHERN CLASSIC

66 IT'S A PORCH THING

Lauren Mitchell (Mama Lo) Arts

&

Bread Pudding

Other Places to Hang Stockings Magical Magnolias with Holly Cellini

Culture Holiday

12 NANCY DUNSON DESIGNS

Resin Floral Preservation

13 SOUTHERN WOMAN BOOK SOCIETY

Soiree and Book Exchange

14 SENOIA BOMBER GIRLS

Sending Holiday Cheer to Our Military 17 LOCAL LUXURY

Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee 19 MEDIUM MELISSA BRYAN

The Outlaw Psychic

Health Special

&

Style

24 HAT DESIGNS

from Kali Handcrafted

6 SOUTHERN WOMAN

Wellness

74 THE MANY BENEFITS 45 THE BIG GIVEAWAY

Win One of Five Great Gift Cards 46 HOLIDAY LESSONS

Teaching Gratitude During the Holidays 48 HOMES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Holiday Tour Benefitting Fayette Humane Society 52 TOPPED WITH A BOW

Wrapping Ideas to Try This Christmas 56 CAST IRON HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

Beauty

&

Section

of Bygone Days

60 GET INSPIRED

Tips to Create Elegant Holiday Floral Arrangements

of Ginger Tea

76 OUTREACH ANGELS

With Miss Georgia United States Courtney Kelleigh 78 HEALING THE BODY WITH TEA

Southern at Heart with the Healthy Well You

Only Senio r Living Communit ies in Georgia to be Direct Prov ider of Covid-19 Vaccine

all is th a t arn ed le n ess e ll e ’v I w bout a “W hat lk a t n itie s u t th e y commu ialization…b enter, c and so the wellness c ls, i ve a h ’t in g tr a don e, walk ffing that c a p s ta green n , and s m m in g a s . N o o n e c a a r g o r p h s e s t e s ta t E s ta zalea E ts. My Azalea w hat A en h c d t i s a m ir r e for the ng at Azalea s e d i v pro r iv i s a r e th ill too.” p aren t ours w y t e b … s e t E s ta n S. - S usa

ully ents F Resid ated Vaccin

For Open s y Visit Famil

s unitie Comm ree F Covid

ew For N Open urs ent To Resid

105 AUTUMN GLEN CIRCLE - FAYETTEVILLE - AZALEAESTATES.COM

770-461-0039

FAYETTE | COWETA

Publisher Melanie Denney Haas melanie.southernwoman@gmail.com

Managing Editor Kim Antell kim.southernwoman@gmail.com

Creative Director Mandy Inman mandy.southernwoman@gmail.com

Editorial Contributors Bonnie Helander, Scarlett Inman, Holly Cellini, Lori Duncan, Kathryn Litton, Emily Evans, Annette Thurmon, Nicole Quevedo, Mary Ann Cruz

Cover Photography South Atlanta Photography Stephen Wilson

Cover Styling Lori Duncan, Blue Fern

Web Designer for SouthernWoman.com Country Fried Creative

For inquiries about, or to be added onto our distribution list, please email southernwomanmag@gmail.com

For advertising inquiries please email southernwomanmag@gmail.com

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2021 by Melanie D Publishing, LLC

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

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SOUTHERN WOMAN

Southern Woman is a magazine for and about women living in the South.

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eet M

Do you know an amazing Southern Woman you’d like us to meet? Get in touch to let us know: southernwomanmag@gmail.com

Are y’all ready for some positively beautiful energy? Meet Mama Lo! Lauren Mitchell, affectionately known as Mama Lo to her friends and followers, is an absolute ray of sunshine. The Macon mom of one-year-old Haizlee is spreading love and encouragement on her Instagram and TikTok platforms that everyone needs to hear.

Lauren went viral earlier this year for a post about “Things I Wish I Knew Before I Was a Mom,” but the videos we love even more are her daily affirmations. Most of them start with a cup of coffee in hand and a “What’s wrong with you, baby? Let’s sit down and talk about it.” Her advice focuses on being proud of, and comfortable and content with, who you already are. And she shares words of encouragement for improving your attitude and conquering the day.

Originally from Adel, Ga., and a graduate of Fort Valley State University, Lauren comes from a military family and is immensely proud of the work both of her parents did with the military, and proud of her father’s service. She works for the government now supporting our military as well. “It’s come full circle!”

She was a fifth grade ELA and social studies teacher for seven years and has a huge love for young people and preparing and lifting them up. “Most of the time I didn’t even feel like I was teaching. It was just getting to know my babies and helping them through. We spent a lot of our time just building up our mental and emotional health.”

Lauren started making TikToks to help other women. She had postpartum depression, and coupling that with the loneliness of Covid, she wanted to do all she could to pass on words of encouragement, with a lot of humor thrown in, to other moms who might be feeling the same. “I’ve received so many comments and DMs that have made my heart full. If I can make an impact like that, that is exactly what God has placed me to do.”

Are you having a bad day or is it just a bad moment?

Give Mama Lo a follow. She’ll talk you through it!

10 SOUTHERN WOMAN

@hi_imlo blog: mamalotribe.com

The Joseph Sams School, located in Fayetteville, Georgia, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and life skills development of children

and young adults who are

intellectually, physically or developmentally challenged.

The school, now in its 38th year of operation, currently serves children and young adults from birth through 22 years of age from 8-10 different Georgia counties. For more information on the school or how to get involved, contact us at

770-461-5894 or visit www.josephsamsschool.org.

The Joseph Sams School would like to thank our 2021 “Southern Flair” event supporters!

Silver Sponsors

Presenting Sponsors Allegiance Homes Allison-Smith Company Helix Group Premier Site Improvements, Inc. Ruby Collins, Inc. Strack, Inc. The Glennie Group Thompson Trucking

Gold Sponsors Brad & Kristen Gosdin Dan Hobson & Ambika Burda First Georgia Physician Group Dr. Christiana Muntzel Integrated Science & Engineering Jeff & Lana Holt Jensen's Concrete Pumping & Pressure Grouting MEJA Construction, Inc. NewSouth Construction Peachtree City Orthodontics Sanderson & Sanford, LLC SRC Ventures Sterling Seacrest Pritchard Strickland & Sons Pipeline

AcousTech Music Anna Ferrell Homes Ben & Lisa Weaver Mr. & Mrs. Billy Page Blalock Heating & Air Coggins Consrtuction Company Kimberly Chambers Fletch & Melissa Sams Forza Group, Inc. Harbin Insurance Jena Power Properties, Inc. Pace Lynch Corporation Precision Pipe and Products RDJE, Inc. The Trammell Firm Wright's Hydroseeding

Special Thanks First Amendment Tees Erika Shamrock-The Farmhouse Justin Dukes LaGrange Grocery JSS Board of Directors, Staff and Parent Volunteers Michael Johnson Minuteman Press Presley Electric Stephen Walker Strack, Inc. The Cooking Crew Woodhouse Meat Market Zac Brown's Camp Southern Ground

Your Hosts for the Evening Amber & David Phillips Anna & Joe Ferrell Ashley & Keith Brownlee Ashley & Jim Sams Brian Cooper Brittany & Jason Rainwater Carrie & Mark Gallacher Cicely & Trent Foster Danielle & Matt Clements Jenn & Jonathan Montoya Jessica & Brandon Miller Katie & Christian Lauter Kristen & Brad Gosdin Leslie & Bo Davis Melissa & Fletch Sams Miranda & Brandon Harp Randi & Patrick Finley Summer & Ralph Costley Trey Bradbury

Let us preserve your most precious memories!

I'm Nancy Dunson, the owner and artist of Nancy Dunson Designs. I offer one of a kind, modern, floral preservation created from wedding bouquets, memorial flowers, birthday, anniversary, or any occasion you'd like to keep close.

Nancy Dunson Designs was founded in 2021 and specializes in epoxy resin floral preservations. My very first floral preservation piece was for a friend who had lost her mom. I made a block and three small dishes for her and her two daughters.

It made my heart so happy to know they could look at these pieces and remember the good times, not just the loss. And now, being able to do this full time is beyond words. My biggest hope is that each piece brings back the best of memories or helps heal a broken heart just a little bit more.

You can choose from a wide range of shapes and sizes that reflect your personal style. We will work together to create a floral keepsake that will last a lifetime. Just one look will bring back a flood of special memories.

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She’s a wife, mother of five, and Nana to three precious grandbabies. When she’s not drying flowers and pouring resin, you can probably find her in the car rider line at school.

12 SOUTHERN WOMAN

Nancy Dunson Modern Floral Preservation nancydunson.com Instagram and Facebook: @nancydunsondesigns

YOU'RE INVITED The Southern Woman Book Society is hosting an evening out for anyone who loves to read! Come out to snack on tasty hors d'oeuvres, meet local authors, buy their books, and exchange some of your own!

oman Book S W n ocie r e h t ty u o S The Venue at Daisy Hill 1048 GA-54, Fayetteville, GA 30214

Wednesday | December 15 | 5–8 p.m.

Drop off gently your gently used books at one of these three locations, and we will create an open library at the event from which you can select new titles to read. Any books that remain after the event will be donated to local shelters, and children’s books will go to The Bloom Closet. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! *books must be dropped off by Monday, December 13* Blue Fern 5 Greenville Street, Newnan Tuesday–Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Pascal’s Bistro 217 Commerce Drive, Peachtree City Monday–Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–9 p.m.

Bloom 150 Marquis Drive, Fayetteville Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

MEET THESE WONDERFUL LOCAL AUTHORS!

Sharon Marchisello | Annie Singh-Quern | Connie Jones Lorraine Hillman | Patricia Cruzan | Lee St. John | Angela McRae

TH SOU Book

ERN

ty Socie

BOMBER GIRLS LADIES RIDING CLUB

D I N N E G S

HOLIDAY CHEER T

O

O U R

TA I L M I

R

Y

BY KIM ANTELL THE SENOIA BOMBER GIRLS ARE REVVING UP FOR THEIR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CARD SIGNING, AND THEY WANT YOUR HELP! EACH YEAR, THE LADIES RIDING CLUB SENDS HUNDREDS OF CARDS AND CARE PACKAGES TO OUR TROOPS OVERSEAS TO GIVE THEM A PIECE OF HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

arts AND

Some years, they’ve sent up to 700 cards signed by members of our community, says Chapter President Jackie Delisle.

“It’s amazing!

They spend hours.

People aren’t just signing their names. They’re writing a heartfelt letter to those in the military.”

The club’s biggest mission is raising funds to send care packages to our military, with each box costing $18 shipping and roughly $25 for all the items inside. And with the club sending anywhere from 50 to 150 boxes each December—depending on the number of addresses they have—it really adds up.

“We could not do what we do without the community,” Jackie says.

CULTURE

Fire up your ovens to send the troops some lovin’,” is the motto, and the community shines for this event, Jackie says. “I’m talking like 10,000 cookies. We sent over 200 boxes one time in a mailing. And once again, the kids sign cards to go along with them.”

In addition to sending love overseas, the organization helps veterans right here in our community, working closely with the Coweta Veterans Club, from cleaning up a yard to helping out around the house. They support anything that has to do with the military including riding in the Veteran’s Day Parade and hosting and sponsoring other riding events in the area.

The Bomber Girls 501(c)3 was formed in Savannah, Ga, in 2007

by Shannon Haddox and has since added chapters in Senoia and Phenix City, Ala. If you’re interested in becoming a member of the ladies riding club, it goes without saying you have to own your own bike, and you’ll have to put in some time with the group so the ladies know you’re truly dedicated to the cause. “You need to express an interest in what we do, and become what we call a “hangaround,” so you’d come to our events and see what we’re doing to see if you’re a good fit and you like what we do. Because a lot of it is time; it’s not just hopping on your bike and going for a ride. It’s how much time you can invest in the club volunteering.”

After some time, and some heart-to-hearts with the other members about your intentions, a hangaround starts a sixmonth minimum prospecting period and wears a prospect patch on the vest with only military insignia and the American flag. When you’re patched in as a member, you wear the official Bomber Girls patch, its logo reflective of the Greatest Generation.

“Holidays are the hardest times for the troops, so we like to send them a little piece of home.” The care packages are filled with stockings with different candies, Christmas items like lights and small trees, and cards. “Anything to bring them some cheer,” Jackie adds.

“The elementary school kids make cards that’ll just break your heart sometimes.”

The event will be held on November 13 this year, and everyone is welcome to join in. “It’s amazing to see,” says Jackie.

“It’s really intimate. We put Christmas music on, and everyone has a really good time!”

The Bomber Girls also have a cookie drive each January to send sweets to the troops in time for Valentine’s Day.

November/December 2021 15

arts AND

CULTURE

“We’re not exclusive and we don’t try to turn people away.

We just want to make sure that your heart is instituted in our mission,” assures Jackie who has been a patch holder for five years.

After the group sends the care packages and cards each year, they get letters back from the guys, says Jackie. “It makes me really proud when we get letters back, or they’ll email us, and tell us how much it meant that people back home are thinking about them. That’s the reward, right there. That’s what makes you want to do this.”

Follow @BomberGirlsSenoia on Facebook to keep up with their latest events.

he t n i Jo noia Se ber Boms for a Girl

Saturday, November 13 3:00 p.m.

Coweta Veterans Club 130 Veterans Club Road Newnan

Items being collected for care packages include:

Jerky, Trail Mix, Snack Bars Water Enhancer Packets Gum, Sunflower Seeds, Gummies

16 SOUTHERN WOMAN

Sponsored Content

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There isn’t anything like a good road trip to discover gems along the way. Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee is an outstanding find in Greensboro, Ga. Full of beautiful scenery with a breathtaking lake, the area lures you in and makes you part of its master plan to be one with nature.

The Ritz-Carlton is luxurious and, at the same time, comfortable. My second floor lakeview room was just perfect with a beautiful view from the terrace. The resort is pet friendly so the fireside terrace-level ground floor rooms with fire pits have walk out access to the lawn. The cottages are a wonderful and spacious option for families. (Ask me for more details so we can find what works best for you.)

There are so many wonderful yet simple things to do here like sitting in swing chairs by the creek flowing down to the lake or enjoying a spectacular sunset from the Linger Longer Steakhouse’s outdoor terrace. A sunset ride in a beautiful “hacker-craft” boat, similar to boats you would find on the Italian Amalfi Coast, are available to take you around the lake in simple style. I particularly love the unforgettable lake-side bites for dinner with “fireside flavors,” accompanied by a private fire globe and Adirondack chairs for two, or up to six, guests—perfect for a couple or group celebrating a special occasion. You can order from a special menu with things like caviar and a variety of seafood, namely lobster tail, oysters, and handheld lobster rolls. Delicious sweet treats Lemon Verbena Panna Cotta, macaroons and gourmet cookies round out the menu. S’mores around the campfire each evening is a nice complimentary experience.

Children love taking a train ride in the Linger Longer Express around the grounds of the resort. The Ritz Kids Lake Adventures, designed for kids ages five to 12, is an amazing program with sparkling new Ritz Kids Clubhouse offering different themed experiences daily in a spacious, bright atmosphere.

Many guests choose to get out on the lake where water sports activities, motorized and non-motorized, are available. Kayaks, canoes, stand up paddle boards, and fishing are all included in the $53 daily resort fee. One of the resort’s beautiful pools is located next to Gaby’s lakefront restaurant, which has the best spinach and artichoke dip ever.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa is my favorite way to relax and get some pampering time.

And five Championship golf courses offer a variety of challenges.

After one stay, I am sold on this luxury in the heart of nature resort. Everyone should experience The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee at least once. Call me on 201-522-3414 to plan your lakefront vacation.

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The

outlaw psychic

Medium Melissa Bryan

“I am cut from the cloth of the Old West.

It flows in my veins. I am the blood relation of the West’s most notorious names who have guided me and have been my rock.”

Melissa Bryan has had quite the ride as “The Outlaw Psychic.” As the Owner/CEO/COO of Outlaw Life Psychic Enterprises and Golden West Paranormal, she has 43 years in the field and up to (not exceeding) 90% accuracy.

Her most newsworthy cases were The Kit Carson Co-Op Robbery Case, The Holy Cross Convent Fire and Murder Case, and the Allsup’s Gas Station Murder Case, out of Taos, New Mexico, all listed in The Taos News. She has assisted with the Gabby Petito/Brian Laundrie case as well.

“Unfortunately, more often than not, I had to go to law enforcement with my info, rather than them coming to me. Nobody believes me because I am not well known enough to really get any attention for my work. The only thing I can count on is my accuracy,” she adds.

“At an earlier time in my life, I really didn’t believe in all this stuff. I wasn’t ready to step into or accept my truth,” she says. “My Ancestors came from Spirit when I turned 21, and explained everything to me. Color me shocked!” They were training her as a Shamanic Worker, as her Ancestral lines had proven to be. Melissa has a book on the subject available on Amazon: Born Into Shamanism, (Kindle/Amazon).

Holding two Masters degrees, one in Shamanism, and the other for Metaphysical Healing, Melissa has many other certificates in the paranormal including a certificate in astrology/parapsychology, certificates from International Ghost Hunters Society, (where she is a Life Member and Class Course Instructor) in Paranormal Studies, as well as my only current affiliation, and an Associate of Arts in Santa Clausology.

While she is still somewhat unknown, she is building her career working on investigations and helping with other aspects of people’s lives like their careers. She also helps others with the same abilities she has.

“The pros of this line of work are the satisfaction of seeing your work validated,” she says.

She shares her advice on working missing persons cases: “First, go to law enforcement, and if that fails, the FBI is a resource. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children is another one. You may choose to hire a private investigator. If all else fails, hire me or someone like me.”

Visit Melissa's website for more info: www.olpsyent.com

November/December 2021 19

Life on Tour country nights

country nights WITH MICA ROBERTS

By Kim Antell

Mica Roberts

might not be a household name, but we’re almost positive you’ve heard her voice before... She's been singing alongside Toby Keith as his right-hand girl for almost 20 years, accompanying him in the studio and on the road.

“I don’t ever remember there being a time when I wasn’t singing,” she says, mentioning the cassettes she has of herself singing hymns when she was two and three years old.

“I think that—as long as I’ve been in this business—it has to be who you are and not what you do. When people ask how long I’ve been singing, I say, ‘Since I was who I am,’ you know? It is who I am. If somebody told me I couldn't sing anymore, I’d probably lay down and die. It’s like breathing to me.”

Mica’s whole life and career has been all about the hustle, working her way up the ranks, getting to know the right people, and putting herself out there to be heard. And she’s gotten where she is today with “a lot of freaking hard work. I waited a lot of tables, I bartended, I detailed cars, I cleaned planes, I refurbished leather, I have decorated the Opryland Hotel at Christmastime years and years in a row. Anything and everything that you can do to make money, to allow yourself to stay in a city where you hope to be able to get a job that can pay your bills...that’s how you get to where you need to be.”

“When I moved to Nashville was in the late ‘80s. It was a lot different then.

The community was smaller and more loyal. It wasn’t crazy like Nashville is now,” she says. “Back in the days when I was coming up in this business, everybody really did kind of know everybody. Everybody had everybody’s back. It was a different business then.”

She got a job in the Bullpen Lounge at the Stock-Yard—at the time, one of the hottest places in town. “All the stars and artists used to come in there, and I realized fairly quickly that I could make more money waiting tables and bartending than I could singing there. But I’d get up and sing as a special guest, and people would say, ‘Oh, that’s my server!’ and they’d tip me to sing songs.”

During that time, Mica wasn’t keen on going on the road on a tour because she was really trying to get vocal studio work to pay the bills and build a career. However, when a friend

The Oklahoma-born-and-raised singer/songwriter grew up on her family farm just outside of Tulsa, but she left home when she was 15 to work in a country music show at an amusement park in Arkansas. She made her way to Branson to work the club and theater circuit while she was still in high school, saving enough money to buy herself a Holiday Rambler trailer which she then pulled to South Texas to perform. “I rolled around all over the country just working in steakhouses and different things, just to get enough gas money to move to the next place and do it again,” she reminisces.

When Mica initially moved to Nashville, she lived in her sister’s college dorm room because she couldn’t afford her own apartment and got a job waiting tables to start making her own way. In the meantime, she tried to get studio work and tried to meet as many people in the music industry as she could.

November/December 2021 21

And Billy Bob came through and invited her onto Willie’s bus so she could meet him. While visiting with Willie, Mica’s old friend Toby Keith walked onto the bus and barely recognized her with her rocker look (“You play the part of whatever band you’re with,” she explains). Mica had met Toby previously while working at the Bullpen, and the two were buddies but had lost touch.

Upon reconnecting, Toby invited Mica to go on tour with him as soon as her tour with Billy Bob was done, and she’s been traveling with him ever since. “I’ve been with Toby for almost 20 years, and we’ve been friends for 25, and sometimes I look over at him and I’m like, ‘Damn dude, you’re so frickin’ awesome!’ I just love him so much. He’s just such a great guy and just loves what he does. It goes back to: It’s who he is, and not what he does.”

encouraged her to audition for Faith Hill’s This Kiss tour in 1997, she gave it a shot, even though she didn’t think her voice was “country enough.” To her surprise, she was offered the gig. She stayed on the road with Faith until July 2001, when Faith took her maternity leave. (She also went on tour with Martina McBride for about six months during that time.)

Eventually, Mica ended up on tour with Billy Bob Thornton and his band, The Boxmasters, for about three years, and the band were in Oklahoma in 2003 performing at Willie Nelson’s 70th birthday bash. A massive fan, Mica drove from the show to her family’s farm to pick up her coveted favorite album, Stardust, in hopes of getting her idol to sign it. “I always will get starstruck when Willie Nelson’s in the room. Always,” she adds.

22 SOUTHERN WOMAN

Life on the road is no easy gig. The hours are grueling, the constant travel is taxing, but because Toby’s crew has, for the most part, remained the same for many years, the group has become a family. And Mica is the only woman on Toby Keith’s road tour, with anywhere between 50 to 100 men on the tour at any given time.

“You have to be able to adapt to change because everything is different every day,” she expounds. “The only thing that’s consistent is I ride on a bus with a whole bunch of boys, and thank God, because I cannot imagine riding on a bus on a tour with a whole bunch of girls. I love my boys so much on that tour.”

They’re family to her, like brothers who take care of her with no fuss and no drama, although she admits that the video games and messy back lounge drive her crazy sometimes. “I love that we don’t have to worry about being politically correct out there because we’re

every night, there is no time for tourism. “The glamorous part of touring is the hour and a half I’m on stage every night, and that’s about it.”

Most weeks, the tour is Wednesday through Saturday, then Mica heads

"We go to sleep

songwriters looking to sell tracks, singing backup vocals for other artists, and more. “Every single job that I have challenges my mind and my vocal chops in a different way. I think it keeps me on my toes for whatever’s next. I mean, I don’t see me not working anytime soon.”

and we wake up such a close family that you don’t have to worry about what you say to each other. The boys know that I’m not going to get offended if they say something crass or off-color, and I love that they’re comfortable knowing I’m not that person.”

Mica admits that it’s hard with the hectic scheduling and the amount of work required in the industry.

“When you’re a woman in this business, it’s so hard because it takes you away from home a lot. And even if you have a gig in town, there’s stuff you have to do all night.”

A typical day on the road, according to Mica? Wake up, get coffee, try to figure out where catering is to get breakfast, find the bathroom, find a changing room or a hotel room, sound check, hair, makeup, band meetings, rehearsals, show. The work never stops. But because she rides with the crew, and not the band, she gets to the bus after a show way before the guys, cleans up, showers, and is in her bunk before they even get back. She’s thankful for the extra privacy and girl time.

“We go to sleep, and we wake up somewhere else. People say we’re so lucky, but really we wake up backstage. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Idaho or Seattle or Alabama. It’s backstage somewhere,” she adds.

Unless the crew has a hotel for the night, they rarely get to see anything outside the backstage area, and because they travel almost

SOMEWHERE ELSE."

back home to sing backup for shows at the Grand Ole Opry. She’s always floored by the artists she runs into when she comes off stage. “I’m really fortunate to be able to sing out there quite a bit when I’m not on the road,” she says. “It’s like a walking exhibition. There’s Ricky Scaggs dragging a guitar, or Jeannie Seely or Connie Smith. All those legendary people that I grew up listening to that made me want to do this, like the Gatlin Brothers. I’m reminded every night at the Grand Ole Opry what it was like before it got crazy here. I hold onto and cherish every single one of those nights because every day we’re losing those older artists, the legends.”

“If it fulfills my soul and it makes me happy, then that’s what I do,” she continues. “These days, I sing songs, and I do projects, and I go on tours that make me happy and that give me joy.”

LISTEN TO MICA’S HOLIDAY SINGLE

ON SPOTIFY!

Mica doesn’t consider herself “lucky” to be in her position. She contributes everything to a lifetime of hard work and dedication to her craft. And she never takes what she does for granted. And she’s still got a few bucket list artists she’d love to perform with one day, including Tina Turner and Dolly Parton and, of course Willie, who she sang with several times when he was on tour with Toby. “I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been around a lot of the legends that I grew up listening to, and continue to when I’m working at the Opry,” she says. “I’ll get that Dolly thing eventually.”

Mica continues her session work on her at-home days, writing jingles for companies, covering songs for

November/December 2021 23

efiW repuS

a t s u j t o n "A hat is t is the hat. A ha of a n expressio oul." s s ' n a m o w Doche -lily

moM repuS ster i S r e p u S

Super Aunt

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15 Barnes St. Suite 1B | Senoia, GA 30276 770-727-9017 | pinkchairboutique.com

SPICE, and Everything Nice

By Kim Antell Photography by Amanda Duke

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Sweet Kakis is serving up slices all over town, and the only thing sweeter than her pies is her giving nature. Otherwise known as Caroline Bowen—at least, that’s the name her mama gave her—Kaki, a nickname given to her by her younger brother, is building an empire around sugar and spice.

Originally from Darlington, a sweet little town in South Carolina, Kaki grew up with her mother cooking every

meal. “My mother was the best cook ever, and we didn’t go out to eat. We sat around the old oak table for a hot meal, and there was always a dessert.

You didn’t want to miss her meals.”

Kaki, however, did not share her mother’s love for preparing food. “I hated anything related to the kitchen,” she laughs, “and it just worried her to death because she wanted me to be a good cook.”

cooking. She remembers calling her mom to ask her how to bake a potato in the microwave. “Needless to say, it took me a while to learn how to do things, and I called Mama probably about every day saying how do you cook this or that. Bless her sweet heart, she was always there with a nice patient ear on the other end and walked me through everything.”

When she graduated from college, Kaki’s first job moved her to Atlanta, and her mom worried she’d starve to death. She worked for a large packaging company and didn’t know anyone. She says, “I was a small town girl in the big city of Atlanta.”

Being young and nervous about going out alone, she tried her hand at

November/December 2021 29

Soon Kaki met her future husband, Curran, and they moved into and renovated the Newnan home that has been in his family since 1832 to get back to small town life after living in Atlanta. On their wedding day, her mother gave her a handwritten cookbook full of all the favorite family recipes— the best gift she’s ever gotten, she says. Having the cookbook prompted her to look through the recipes and try them.

EKG. Kaki was taken to the local hospital where another EKG was done, but there were no signs of a heart attack. Dr. Benz, who Kaki prays for every single night, asked to have an EKG run again on the right side of her heart and discovered that she was in active cardiac arrest. She was then lifeflighted to Gainesville; but they weren’t sure she would make it since the episode had been going on all day.

One day, their son, Kirby, wanted a dessert, so Kaki started practicing her grandmother’s apple pie recipe from the cookbook. “It was a flop for a long time,” she says, “and then finally I kind of mastered it, and it was something my family started asking for.”

“It was a 19-minute flight,” says Kaki, “and it was probably the most surreal moment of my entire life.” She remembers hearing the paramedics' kind voices telling her to stay with them, and all she could think about was her children and her husband. She pictured both of her children, Kirby and Mary Martin, and kept looking for her angel baby, Burris.

In September 2007, Kaki and Curran had a healthy baby boy who passed away unexpectedly at only nine days old. “As a mother, you can imagine it’s a nightmare. It’s the worst thing that can happen to you, and it’s kind of like a life sentence of just sadness that you have to live in this world without one of your children,” Kaki says. “Kirby, at the time, was three and I had to keep going for him, so I started cooking.”

Kaki would cook all day and all night, and it became therapy for her. “That’s when I really mastered the apple pie because I didn’t want to drown myself in my sorrow,” she admits. “We all have things that we do in life that help us get over things.

For me, it was cooking. After that horrible loss, cooking was kind of like my ministry to help me not go absolutely crazy.”

Her church family at Central Baptist was a big help to her. “I was lifted up with love and prayers from my church family like you can’t imagine,” she recalls. “It’s all about being in the right community and being part of a loving church family that really helped me be a person again. And cooking an absurd amount of food every day. I had to buy an extra freezer just for all the casseroles and pies.”

People began to notice Kaki’s pies when she started giving food away to friends, neighbors, her kids’ teachers, and her church family. Her family and friends encouraged her to start selling her pies, but she felt like she was too busy. She was a wife, a mother, and had a full-time job. “I thought ‘I would love to do that. It would be a dream, but I can’t.’”

But then a couple of years ago, Kaki and her family were on a Memorial Day family vacation at Lake Rabun, and after lunch, Kaki began to feel unwell, as though her food was stuck in her chest. Her husband told her to take an aspirin, and they continued on with their day. But while she was cooking dinner, the feeling got worse. She became overheated and had horrible, paralyzing chest pain. Her son called 911, and paramedics arrived quickly to perform an

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“The next thing I knew, I was in a room and I was alive. I didn’t die, I was alive. And you know... God saved me, and he saved me for a reason. It was not my time. He spared me to do something,” she declares. But her recovery was difficult.

She had no energy, and she struggled to get daily tasks accomplished.

In her exhaustion, she had a conversation with God, full of anger, thanks, and laying out her regrets. “We have regrets about things that we wish we had done in life and we didn’t do,” she says, “and my pie business was on the top of the list.

And I said, ‘God, if you ever give me my strength back and I become Caroline again, I’m going to start my pie business.’”

Kaki jumped into it feet first a year after her heart attack with the encouragement of her friends and family. “I started and I never looked back, and Sweet Kaki’s was born right before Easter last year.”

She secured a cottage license so she could work from home and offered porch pickup for the first year. Kaki has six freezers in her house—she converted her children’s play room into a freezer room— to hold all the pies she bakes. “I was blessed with so much business as word spread. By that Easter, I had to make 247 pies, and it just kept going.”

People came from all over Georgia to pick up pies. And soon she was working with local businesses doing large pre-order “pie drops” in Newnan and Thomaston, Peachtree City and Athens. “It was just crazy all the pies!” she laughs.

When using spices, be careful not to use too much.

A little goes a long way! And I always mix spices with butter. It seems to disperse better in butter. In my opinion, fat is great in transferring flavor!

She soon branched out from just making apple pie to making peach, blueberry and cherry pies, with each flavor having its own freezer in her home. And her expansion into local boutique stores wanting to sell her pies prompted her to get her commercial license and to rent a commercial cooking space in a shared kitchen in Newnan. Rescue Me Market in Thomaston was the first location that sold her pies commercially. She also stocks freezers in Coweta County at both Cleaver & Cork locations, and her pie is served by the slice at The Cellar restaurant.

“Every bit of this pie business, I promise you, is a God thing. This is what God wants me to do, I just know it. It’s all just been a blessing.”

And she feels honored to have her pies on people’s tables. “What’s really been great is how the community embraced me. Every business in downtown Newnan would host me for pie drops, and they would cheer me on; the churches would cheer me on; the people in Newnan would cheer me on. Even the community I was raised in, Darlington, they couldn’t even get my pies but were cheering me on, and being a part of the community means the world to me. I wish everybody in the world could experience the love of being in a community. It just makes my heart happy.”

Kaki still calls her mom, who is incredibly proud of her, at least once per week for cooking advice. They cook Thanksgiving meals together, and even though Kaki’s own daughter doesn’t care for the kitchen, Kaki is hopeful that she will turn around one day as she did.

If there’s one thing Kaki wants her story to teach people, it’s that “if you have a dream, go ahead and do it! Don’t wait until something happens to follow your dream.”

Contact Kaki for your holiday dessert on one of these platforms! sweetkakishomemade@gmail.com | sweetkakis.com Facebook and Instagram @sweetkakis

Kaki bakes pies every single day and is planning to make hundreds for the holiday season. She’s got a record of 572 pieslast year’s November tally- to beat!

November/December 2021 31

A Gathering Place In this holiday season, fashion a tablescape that welcomes your guests to sit and stay a while.

Create a centerpiece with natural elements like evergreen boughs dotted with pinecones and berries. String fairy lights among the branches and set each place with clean, white dishes and linens.

Keeping it simple, light a few candles in glass jars to add warmth to the room, and tie linens with twine or leather cording popping in a bit of greenery for color.

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November/December 2021 33

tirring THE POT

S

WITH

carlett

HOLIDAY BRUNCH

As the holidays approach, I start getting ready for family and friends to visit. I have learned over the years to keep things simple! If your family is like mine, you never know how many will show up, or when, until the last minute. So here are a few recipes for a good hearty brunch before everyone heads out for holiday shopping or heads back home. These are all easy and can be prepared ahead of time so you’re not in the kitchen all morning long!

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The Cream Cheese Danish is a tried and true recipe that we have been making for more years than I can remember! I actually found it in my sister’s sorority cookbook over 30 years ago. After your brunch, a great way to send someone off as they head back home is with a container full of leftovers! I’ve learned to make a double batch so the grandkids won’t have to fight to take a box back to school with them.

Oh my gosh, Tater Tot Casserole is so easy, so good, and can be put together the night before. And who doesn’t like tater tots? I’m not an egg person, and this casserole has eggs in it, but it’s not eggy at all. It is also a good way to use that leftover ham. I like to bake it long enough to get crisp on the bottom and around the edges.

Ahhh granola, so good, but so expensive. So I decided to make my own a couple years ago. This one is effortless, and you can adjust the portions as you like.

If you don’t like one nut, add a little more of another.

Me, I like them all, and that little bit of coconut just adds something extra. It’s great by the handful or even better as breakfast or snack over a cup of yogurt.

food AND

cream cheese DANISH

TABLE

shopping list eggs sugar cream cheese lemon juice vanilla crescent rolls

⅔ cup sugar 2 egg yolks (save whites) 2 packages cream cheese, softened 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. vanilla 2 packages of crescent rolls

almonds, pecans, walnuts sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds

coconut

cinnamon oatmeal

honey vegetable oil craisins butter whole milk yellow cheddar cheese monterey jack cheese diced ham onion tater tots salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add cream cheese and sugar into a bowl, beating with a mixer until creamy. Add yolks, lemon, juice and vanilla, again mixing well.

Open one package of crescent rolls and flatten them out into a 9x13 baking dish. I line mine with parchment paper to make clean up easier. Pour cream cheese mixture over the crescent rolls.

Open the other package of crescent rolls, flatten them out a little, and lay them on top of the cream cheese mixture.

Beat egg whites with a fork, then spread a little on top. You will not use all the egg whites. Sprinkle the top with a little sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely before you cut them. Store in the refrigerator.

November/December 2021 35

food AND

TABLE

homemade GRANOLA

½ cup almonds ½ cup pecans ½ cup walnuts ¼ cup sunflower seeds ¼ cup pumpkin seeds 1 cup coconut ½ tsp. cinnamon 2 ½ cup oatmeal ½ cup honey ¼ cup vegetable oil Craisins Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the first eight ingredients together, and drizzle honey and oil over nuts and oats. Mix well. Spread onto a large parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes then toss all nuts and oats and place back into the over for another 10–15 minutes. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn but gets golden brown. Let cool and add craisins.

tater tot

CASSEROLE

2 Tbsp. butter 2 eggs 2 cups whole milk 2 cups yellow cheddar cheese, shredded 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 1 cup diced ham 1 small onion (optional) 2 lb bag tater tots, thawed Salt and pepper to taste

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x13 baking dish with butter. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk, adding salt and pepper. Add one cup of each cheese, ham, onion, and the tater tots. You don’t want to break the tots up.

Mix well. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for about 40–45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

If you like, you can also make it in two 9-inch pie plates.

food AND

for more recipes from Scarlett!

@southern woman magazine

TABLE

If you’re needing a few more sides with your brunch, throw on some bacon and cheese grits! For those of you who don’t like to cook bacon because it makes such a mess try this easy method: Line a large cookie sheet with foil, and lay the bacon out (as neatly as possible).

You should be able to lay a pound of bacon on a 15-inch cookie sheet.

Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until it is as crispy as you like.

And to make those grits extra creamy, add a little cream cheese and, of course, butter and plenty of salt and pepper. Be sure to stir them constantly while they are cooking for that extra creaminess!

from 10 am - 12 pm at the

1st Annual

SOUTHERN HOLIDAY MARKET November/December 2021 37

food AND

TABLE

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I

food AND

f you’ve got kids, you know what it’s like to open the pantry to find the bag of bread left untied and stale. And what happened to that twisty-tie after they opened the bag anyway? It’s most likely hiding wherever all the lost socks have ended up...but I digress… Don’t fret. It’s nothing a little sugar and spice can’t remedy!

cranberry bread pudding

If there’s one thing Southerners know how to do well, it’s to cut down on waste in the kitchen. And that stale bread turned into bread pudding is a perfect, and delicious, example!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with baking spray.

Once upon a time in England, where bread pudding’s roots lie, every kitchen had a “pudding bowl” that collected all the scraps of stale bread which would later be used to make bread pudding, a custardy dessert made with eggs and cream. Today’s bread pudding is more extravagant, with ingredients from chocolate and bourbon to fruits, molasses, and coffee. You can truly mix and match whatever sweet and savory flavors you like!

Layer all the bread and cranberries evenly. (1/2 bread, 1/2 cranberries, etc.)

Try our Cranberry Bread Pudding recipe topped with Vanilla Orange Sauce for a great holiday-inspired dessert!

In a large bowl whisk together melted butter, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract and orange zest.

Pour over bread mixture. Let soak for 15 minutes.

Ingredients

, cu b ed d, day old a e r b h ic , thawed) sandw (if frozen 16 ounces s, ie r r e b cran 1 cup fresh r, melted lted butte sa n u 1/4 cup gs 8 large eg ole milk h w 4 cu p s gar 3/4 cup su tract vanilla ex n o o nge zest 1 teasp rated ora g n o o sp 1 table u ce range S a ar Vanilla O rown sug b t h g 1/2 cup li on flour 1 tablespo nam on round cin 1 pinch g lted g utter, me 1 large eg nsalted b u s n o o 2 tablesp ole milk 1 cu p w h e range juic 1/4 cup o lt 1 pinch sa extract on vanilla o sp le b ta 1

TABLE

Bake for 60-70 minutes until custard is gone and the top is slightly browned.

vanilla orange sauce

Whisk everything but the vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat constantly for 10 minutes until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and add in the vanilla.

Serve over the pudding.

November/December 2021 39

Azure Farm’s

HOLIDAY RECIPES from the Homestead

BY KIM ANTELL AND ANNETTE THURMON

Sixty miles north of Atlanta, outside the small town of Adairsville, Annette Thurmon and her husband, Jared, started Azure Farm to embrace slowing down to enjoy the simple things in life and getting back to the basics. The homestead— home to several charismatic alpacas, a mixed flock of fowl, cats, and donkeys—has given the family a sense of peace and a perfect place to raise a family outside the bustle of city life.

One of Annette’s passions is creating and sharing garden-to-table vegan recipes that anyone can incorporate into their meal planning. She’s co-written several cookbooks that are available on the homestead’s website (azurefarmlife.com).

And for this issue, her favorite holiday recipes are gracing our pages, and our tables, this gathering season! Classics like homemade hot cocoa and pumpkin pie from scratch are staples, while her Cast Iron Olive and Lentil Pie and Skillet Vegetable Pot Pie are new to most of us, so give them a try and let us know what you think!

Pumpkin Pie Ingredients 1 can pumpkin puree (Farmer’s Market organic brand, which comes with some seasonings and sweetener already) 1 ¼ cups organic coconut milk (full fat) 1 cup raw cane sugar 6 Tbsp. of cornstarch 2 tsp. vanilla extract ½ tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. salt

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Ingredients 1 13.5 oz. can low-fat coconut milk 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk ¼ cup cacao powder ¼ cup dark chocolate chips

¼ tsp. ground ginger ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make sure coconut milk is mixed well before using.

Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.

Fill your favorite 9” pie crust (a favorite here is a pecan crust!) with pumpkin mixture.

2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Bake for about 1 hour until the crust is golden and the

3–4 drops pure peppermint extract

pie is set.

Whipped Cream (plant-based)

Pie will still be soft and needs to set more once baked.

Crushed peppermints and fresh mint to

Place in the refrigerator overnight before serving with

garnish

Directions In a small saucepan, slowly heat milk until warmed.

Add chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and remaining ingredients except whipped cream and peppermints.

Once chocolate is all melted and blended well, pour into a mug and top with whipped cream, crushed peppermints, and some fresh mint!

Serves 2–4 Prep Time 5 min.

Cook time 5 min.

your favorite whipped topping.

Cast Iron Olive and Lentil Pie Ingredients

For Pie

For Crust

½ cup plant-based butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

1 medium sized pepper, chopped

½ tsp. salt

2–3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup full fat coconut milk

1 ½ cups of cooked lentils, or desired protein

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

½ cup Kalamata olives

1 Tbsp. onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. smoked paprika

Optional 1 cup of plant-based cheese

Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a cast iron skillet, melt butter.

Sauté onions until translucent, then add peppers and garlic.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix crust ingredients and form a batter.

Add batter to skillet and mix with the peppers and garlic.

Evenly scatter lentils around the top of the mixture.

Top with olives.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 30 minutes, let cool a bit, and serve.

Prep time 10 minutes | Cook time 30 minutes | Serves 6

Spinach and Apple Salad with Coconut Bacon

Ingredients 1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped

Dressing

8 oz. spinach

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tiny apples, sliced

2 Tbsp. balsamic reduction

Seeds from 1 pomegranate

¼ cup honey

1 cup coconut bacon (see recipe below)

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

½ tsp. salt

½ cup roasted salted pepitas

½ tsp. garlic powder

¾ cup caramelized pecans

1 small shallot, minced

Coconut Bacon 2 cups unsweetened coconut (the large flakes) 1 Tbsp. liquid smoke (you can add up to 1 1/2 if desired) 1 Tbsp. liquid aminos 1 ½ Tbsp. maple syrup ¼ tsp. smoked paprika Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread evenly onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-14 min. Watch closely after 10 minutes as it can burn quickly. Let cool completely before using. Store in an airtight container.

Directions for salad You can make the dressing ahead of time! Mix all ingredients together. Add dressing and toss. Place apples on top and sprinkle with extra pepitas, nuts, and drizzle with dressing. (If desired, soak apples in a little lemon juice prior, keeping them fresh and from browning.)

Serve and enjoy every bite! It’s super yummy!

Prep Time 20 minutes | Serves 6

Vegetable Skillet Pot Pie Ingredients 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced ½ cup vegan butter 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 ribs celery, finely diced 2 carrots, finely diced 2–3 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 ½ cups) ¼ cup corn starch 2 cups vegetable broth 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk 1 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley 2 tsp. thyme leaves 1 cup frozen green beans 1 cup peas 1 Tbsp. garlic powder 1 Tbsp. onion powder Salt and black pepper, as desired 1 (8-count) tube of refrigerated canned biscuits (flaky kind)

Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the biscuits from the refrigerator and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 9 minutes (or half of the time required on the package).

Heat a large oven-safe skillet or saucepan over medium heat and add in the vegan butter. I love to make this in a cast iron skillet! But if you don’t have one, just have an oven-safe baking dish ready. Melt the vegan butter and then add in the onions, garlic and celery. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add in the diced potatoes and carrots and cook for about 5–8 minutes.

Gradually mix in the cornstarch, a tablespoon or two at a time, until fully combined. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add in the broth, coconut milk, parsley, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper, and then cook for about 3 minutes. Lastly, add in the frozen green beans and peas, and bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for an additional 3–4 minutes. Season with salt to taste. (Ensure potatoes are done before continuing.)

Remove the half-cooked biscuits from the oven and arrange them onto your hot skillet, but don’t press down too hard. Let them barely sit on top so they don’t get soggy. (If you are using a baking dish, transfer the cooked mixture to the baking dish and then place the biscuits on top as directed above.) Immediately put the dish into the oven and bake for the remaining biscuit cooking time, which for us was 9 more minutes, or until golden.

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken as it cools.

Prep Time 10 minutes | Cook Time 45 minutes | Serves 4–5 *If you are making this for someone with a gluten-free diet, you can easily turn it into a soup!

Omit the corn starch and add a total of 4 cups of broth to make it a soup! Serve with glutenfree bread. You can also add any veggies you’d like.

FOLLOW @AZUREFARM ON PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM FOR MORE RECIPES AND INSPIRATION!

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Palmer's *Winners will be chosen randomly on December 1, 2021 and notified via Instagram.

FAYETTE | COWETA

November/December 2021 45

sn

a y d i l l o esso h

Teaching Gratitude

During the Holidays

By Emily Evans

The question was posed to me about how I might teach my children to show gratitude and giving during the holiday season. To be honest, it wasn’t something on my radar for this year; my littles are four and two, so the concept of giving anything away is very foreign. My two-year-old is great at saying the obligatory “thank you” when something is handed to him, but my four-year-old acts like we are asking the moon of her when prompted to say “thank you.” But it got me thinking about how important that part of this season really is and how our children can never be too young for those topics.

There are so many wonderful resources out there for teaching young ones how to be grateful, from books and journals for kids to blogs for parents. I like Five Little Thank-Yous, by Cindy Jin, as a starting point. It is a simple rhyming book centered around the Thanksgiving holiday.

(And if you like to do crafts, you can do the hand-print turkey at home for a visual reminder as well.)

Now when it comes to having my children do a gratitude journal, I was a little overwhelmed by all the options. The 3 Minute Gratitude Journal stood out to me in how simple it was to use. We already talk every night about what was good during the day, and we mention those things in our nightly prayers. But this is a more concrete way for my

46 SOUTHERN WOMAN

four-year-old to see why we do these things. Some days it can be a struggle for her to come up with three unique things, so we help a little. As we draw closer to Christmas, we are using this tool as a way to show her all the wonderful things she already has, and it might help when her gifts do not include every toy she has ever seen.

The website verywellmind.com has a wonderful article that speaks about how to teach gratitude to children, and why it is important. It mentions different studies and how children who are taught to be grateful and show gratitude are happier children. There are several practical applications for how to model this and how to incorporate different activities as a family that show gratitude to people outside their small circle. Writing letters to first responders, volunteering at a local food bank, or even helping a neighbor are all ways we can involve our children in showing gratitude.

The last piece to this puzzle is how to teach my children to give, and not just the last bite of a meal they no longer want, but to actually give something away they might like or have an attachment to. If you have a small child, you have probably heard of the show Bluey (and if you haven’t then take five minutes to find out why it is the best children’s show on tv).

There is an episode of Bluey that tries to teach gratitude, and it starts with the parents saying that it is time to get rid of the toys the kids no longer play with.

You probably know how this ends, with every toy being declared special and they can’t possibly get rid of it. Every parent has probably gone through this. A toy sits untouched for months, and just when you go to donate it, all of a sudden your child can’t live without it! There are a few ways to approach this so your playroom doesn’t end up overflowing. You can

pick two toys for your child to choose between and donate the one they do not want anymore. In our house, we try to live by the “one in, one out” rule where we get rid of one old toy for every new toy we buy, but that can be hard. Lastly, you can teach your child about organizations like Toys for Tots, where you buy a brand new toy to give to another child.

Though none of these things are particular to this time of year, this is a time when we tend to reflect on the blessings of our lives and how we might be able to help those around us. It is important that we teach our children these things as well, and these are just a few ways that have helped our family. So when you are looking at Christmas lights and see the wonder in your child’s face, maybe also take a moment and be grateful that you get the chance to teach them why it is so special at this time of the year.

November/December 2021 47

FOR THE HOLIDAYS

By Mary Ann Cruz

Fragrant greenery, beautiful bows, and a 12-foot spruce resplendent with heirloom ornaments: These are just a few of the memorable images you can expect on the Christmas Tour of Homes presented by the Fayette Humane Society with Harry Norman, REALTORS. “Visitors will drive to five homes from arteries off Peachtree Parkway and through Cresswind,” says Lucy Hess, who co-chairs the event with Penny Molis. “We hope to inspire them for the holidays as well as help them discover a wonderful common cause that ties these neighborhoods together.”

True to her word, the unity of the tour is more than the easy reach and flow of it. It showcases homes draped in holiday finery where lots of fur babies live.

Take the iconic Charleston-style gem belonging to Sandy and James McCullough. Once inside, you’ll immediately fall in love with a Santa Claus right out of a Thomas Nast illustration sitting comfortably in the corner—often with two adorable Yorkshire terriers.

To expand on her vision for the holidays, Sandy is enlisting the help of Crichton Bentley from The Nest.

Together they are complementing her home’s architectural details with cluster centerpieces of exquisite figurines and garlands composed of magnolias and dried hydrangeas from her garden.

“It’s about taking the best from all worlds,” says Sandy, and a telling sign of this kind of sensibility is the way she takes interesting pieces collected from the McCulloughs’ world travels—including gingerbread houses and blueand-white porcelain—and combines them in the festive harmonious way a master chef fuses cuisine.

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From Sandy’s house, it’s then a quick jaunt to Sherry and Terry Scarborough’s lovely home, which was designed with the help of Mary Teagle of Lasting Impressions. It features traditional holiday accents of holly wreaths, twinkling lights and red-and-gold ribbons and balls against an elegantly urbane backdrop of museum-quality fine art and animal prints.

Other stops on the tour include the home of Jill Clark Gardner and Rusty Gardner, reflecting many of designer Susan Thompson Deusenbury’s sophisticated organic holiday décor ideas with prized art deco influences, and still another the home of Kim and Mike Leedy, which sits on the shore of Lake

Peachtree. Kim is collaborating with Samantha Pieroni of Zemek Design on high-end yuletide luxe pairing muted silver with textured layers of cream and white.

Finally, there’s the “Christmas in Connecticut” home of Sally and Dennis Odle, where the couple’s love of the season is reflected in their holiday collections: a bevy of traditional Santas and ornaments decorating 14 trees, including many treasured keepsakes handed down from Sally’s grandmother.

As always, 100 percent of the funds raised through the Christmas Tour of Homes will be used to benefit the Fayette Humane Society’s spay and neuter program and pay for the medical treatment of animals in its care. Since its beginnings in 1973, this local nonprofit animal rescue group has been staffed entirely by volunteers. It does not have a shelter, so the animals live in temporary foster homes until they are adopted.

Come to the tour to support the animals in our community, and then go away with festive ideas for you and your own home—and maybe the kind that suit your fur babies, too.

what

Christmas Tour of Homes presented by the Fayette Humane Society in concert with Harry Norman, REALTORS.

when 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on December 5, 2021.

where Five homes in four

Peachtree City neighborhoods, including North Cove, Lake Peachtree, Pleasance Grove, and Cresswind.

cost $35 per person. Tickets are available at Harry Norman, REALTORS, Suite 110, 665 Highway 74 South; and at The Nest, Suite 1050, 310 City Circle, PTC.

For more information on the event, visit the FHS website at www.fayettehumane.org.

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1st Annual

SOUTHERN HOLIDAY MARKET

NOVEMBER

27

|

10:00

-

3:00

599 ADAMS ROAD, FAYETTEVILLE 30+ local artisans and crafters!

Find the perfect handmade gift while supporting Small Business Saturday!

...AND MANY MORE!

Scan me for directions!

Topped

WITH A BOW Holiday Wrapping Ideas

The crisp crinkle of paper, the zip of the scissors, the smooth pull of the ribbon…

There’s something about wrapping gifts that inspires and brings back warm holiday memories each year. The thought of giving special treasures to those you love is only elevated by the care you put into the surprise package itself, choosing the perfect paper, ribbon, and flourishes. You might be a gift-bagger for the simplicity of it, but you can apply some of these ideas to a bag, too. If you’re feeling extra creative this year, give a few of these ideas a try for added sparkle and joy!

CLASSIC BLACK AND WHITE Keep it simple with black and white paper with a basic twine to tie around it. Add a frosted pinecone for decoration.

POPS OF COLOR When using butcher block paper as the wrapping, bring in color with a bright wide ribbon and colorful adornments like this live pine sprig and candycane.

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r Blank Slate Butcher Pape Using butcher paper wrapping leaves room for creativity in accessorizing! No need to worry about matching paper and ribbon when you have a blank canvas to decorate.

Things to try: candy cane twine, cinnamon sticks, fresh pine sprigs, felt wreaths, snowflakes stamped with white ink.

Brown Bag It! Rather than a standard gift bag, fold over small brown bags for little gifts.

Tie them with pretty ribbon and hide them within the boughs for a special surprise!

November/December 2021 53

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STEP OUT OF THE BOX Wrap a stack of gifts in an unexpected color. Christmas isn't just red, white, and green!

PERSONAL TOUCHES Make paper snowflakes with the kids to glue to your packages, or have special stickers printed with recipients' names for a personalized touch.

CAST IRON

OF BYGONE DAYS

by Kathryn Litton

56 SOUTHERN WOMAN

A

n antique cast iron skillet tells of the traditions in many families of rural America—including my own. We had one in our family, when I was a small

girl in the rural Mississippi Delta, that had legs on it for open fire cooking, having been handed down from generations earlier, when most cooking was done in the fireplace or on wood stoves in the kitchen. And my mother could create amazing delicacies for us kids that came forth from this black iron creature.

It was a must to bake the annual fruitcake we had at Christmas.

Around Thanksgiving, steps got under way to start the tradition of baking the cake so it would be “cured” by Christmas. The process required care and diligence.

Baking fruitcakes, for much of America, is a dying art as the modern generation does not eat this sort of thing. In the old days, the ingredients for making fruit cakes did not come in the plastic containers one now sees a small display of in grocery stores. Instead, the holiday tradition was so popular that old fashioned grocery stores had all the ingredients displayed in large bins lined up like vegetables and other items. Different candied fruits in large separate bins were purchased by dipping out the amounts desired, weighing them, and paying by the pound. Stores sold out quickly as everyone made the delicious concoctions back then.

When I was young, our family was very poor, so we could not purchase the fine ingredients in the stores but made our own. In the summer months, we dried figs, made fig jams, and saved all the peelings from oranges we might be lucky enough to purchase along the way.

The orange peelings were cooked

and candied in syrup to be included in the cake.

We gathered pecans from the wild trees that grew all around and kept them through the winter for cooking and eating. Raisins were the one thing we purchased. They did not come in boxes like today but were hung on a cluster displayed in big wooden boxes to be bought in bulk. They were a certain type of dried grapes hanging on the stalk with seeds still in them, so we ate them seeds and all.

Our flour came in 25-pound sacks, or by the barrel if we had a good corn crop and my father could trade some of the extra corn being ground into meal for a barrel of flour from the mill. The printed flour sacks were chosen for enough like designs to be sewed into dresses or made into pillow cases for the beds.

Nothing was wasted.

There were no cookbooks in our house, but my mother cooked from memory recipes handed down in her family and from neighbors who shared. So this fruitcake recipe was from memory of bygone generations. Flour, eggs, some sugar, and by all means molasses to make the dark brown batter to hold all the fruit that was carefully chopped and prepared to go in.

Churned butter came from the cow we kept for milk and cream. Eggs were from the chickens in our yard.

Spiced up with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a smidgen of cloves for distinct flavor finished off the ingredients for the cake.

large cans were called) lined with a brown paper bag cut to fit in the bottom, greased again on the paper and lightly dusted.

After the cake was finished, it was allowed to cool, then whiskeysoaked cloths were wrapped around it to keep it moist and cure out for a few weeks until Christmas. From time to time, the cloth was removed and moistened with some more whiskey. Wine could have been used, but we did not have this fancy stuff at our house. Wrapped tightly and sealed in a container, it stood on a shelf in the pantry as we waited eagerly for Christmas to come, so we could have some of it.

"There were no cookbooks in our house, but my mother cooked from memory recipes."

It was quite an art to build a soft, warm fire in the wood cook stove that did not overheat so the cake could cook slowly and be moist. The heavy iron skillet was prepared by greasing heavily with the lard we kept in 50-pound stands (as the

November/December 2021 57

The coconut cake was another favorite tradition.

The coconuts were piled high in the stores with their fuzzy brown hard shells and the three eyes on one end that made it look like a monkey face to this child’s curious eyes as she looked over the piles in the large wood display bins.

My brother and I had the chore of taking the coconut out into the yard and hitting it just in the right way with a hammer to break the hard shell, not spilling the coconut juice inside the white ‘meat.’ The juice was carefully saved to help make the cake moist. The next step was to trim off the brown lining that was on the coconut meat before we grated it into a pile to use on the cake.

Again my mother baked the layers of cake in iron skillets that we used for other cooking, usually making a three layer cake, watching the wood stove carefully so the cake layers would not burn. A white divinity icing was made to frost the cake, and the coconut that had been grated lavishly piled all over the top. Wow, was this another treat to look forward to at Christmas!

Cake pans for this purpose were not in our house until we got a little more stable financially and could afford them when I was a teenager. Also, we managed to get a gas stove, and I no longer had to worry about the wood stove when trying to help cook on it. Things were looking up!

This cast iron skillet was used for many other things when I was small.

During the winter months when the wind and cold was howling outside, we gathered by the fireplace and the trusty iron skillet was set in coals so my mother could pop corn and make popcorn balls using molasses (also cooked in the skillet) to make the sticky syrup to hold the balls together. Another pleasure was making taffy out of the molasses we always had and cooking peanuts in it over the fire to make candy. It was such a delight as we watched diligently and helped stir the pot over the hot coals to keep the syrup from boiling over as she put her pinches of baking soda in the hot syrup. We never knew what the soda did, but it is always necessary in these kinds of cooking.

What memories abound for this little country girl as she looks back nearly seven decades and remembers the warmth and love that surrounded our family as we celebrated and carried out traditions that had been in our ancestral line for generations. Everyone should have memories like this to look back on. Everyone should have a cast iron skillet with legs.

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November/December 2021 59

GET INSPIRED by

B

onnie

H elander

Tips to Create Elegant Holiday Floral Arrangements

Story by Bonnie Helander; Photos by Bonnie Helander and Hills & Dales Estate

Sitting regally on a hillside overlooking 32-acres of lovely gardens, Hills & Dales Estate is known to locals simply as the “Callaway Home.” The estate was completed in 1916 and encompasses 13,000 square feet with 30 rooms on three levels that served the needs of many Callaway family members over the years. In 1998, the family bequeathed Hills & Dales Estate to the Fuller E. Callaway Foundation, and the estate formally opened to the public in 2004.

Hills & Dales Estate sparkles in autumn and at Christmas. The home is filled with classic, vintage holiday ornaments, fragrant Fraser firs and beautiful fresh arrangements, using elements from the estate’s garden. Understated Southern charm abounds.

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To get inspiration and tips for creating beautiful fresh arrangements that can transition through the whole holiday season, I met with Peachtree City resident, David Brown, Greenhouse Manager and Floral Designer at Hills & Dales Estate in LaGrange. David is responsible for designing all the fresh arrangements at the mansion that are changed out weekly and is in charge of decorating the estate for the holidays.

I met David in the basement of the estate where his “office” is tucked away in a former laundry room. Here, you find David’s array of vases, floral supplies, and fresh materials spilling across the room.

While David creates a more classic, formal look to match the elegance of Hills & Dales Estate, he adds a bit of modern flair with asymmetrical design. In this technique, the two sides of an arrangement don’t match. Plants are placed in different positions, but balance is reached by ensuring equal visual weight on both sides. According to David, “asymmetrical design is more interesting, but you still have to obtain balance through the lines, angles, and curves of the plants as they lead your eye to a focal point right above the lip of the container.”

David creates arrangements that can transition from fall to Christmas, with just a few adjustments throughout the holiday season. Here are some of his professional tips for great design.

When choosing plants for your

Use good

arrangement,

mechanics

consider color, texture, height, fragrance, seasonal interest, vase life, and personal preference. Don’t just select flowers. Evergreen plants and deciduous trees and shrubs add interest through foliage, twig line, berry clusters, and leaf color.

when forming the base of your container. Secure the green blocks of floral foam with floral tape inside the container and make sure nothing moves around. The foam holds water, and the stems of the arrangement are placed in the foam to keep hydrated and fresh.

All your plant

To create a classic,

materials

Southern style,

should be properly conditioned the day before you make your arrangement by hydrating the stems in water overnight.

use plants right from the garden, including Southern magnolia, camellia, arborvitae, smilax, pittosporum, and boxwood for your green fillers. For color in a Thanksgiving arrangement, add branches of autumn leaves, dried hydrangea blooms, American beautyberry with purple berry clusters, and orange spider lilies.

Stand back and look at the entire structure of your arrangement each time you place something.

Add a bit of whimsy or the unexpected with embellishments like peacock feathers. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your design.

November/December 2021 61

Transition your container from

Thanksgiving to Christmas by removing the fall colors and adding some gold spray paint to evergreen leaves, berries, Bosc pears, and other ornaments. You can cover the leaves with paint or just dust with the gold for a more subtle look. David recommends 24K Pure Gold by Design Master because the color is soft and warm, not garish.

Hills & Dales Holiday Happenings

Children’s Christmas Celebration Saturday, December 11, 10 a.m.–1p.m.

Children will delight in creatively icing Christmas cookies, crafting ornaments, and visiting with Santa.

This event is free and open to the community.

Estate Holiday Tours

December 3–31, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

This December, the Callaway family home will be decorated for Christmas both inside and out, using fresh plants and greenery complete with a grand vintage-style, tinsel-laden Christmas tree.

Those who tour the house will enjoy the fragrance of real Fraser fir decorations, the grandeur of the 1940s-era Christmas tree, and the melodies of classic Christmas carols.

Specialty tour prices apply.

For more information, go to hillsanddales.org.

For added color,

purchase commercial blooms at your local florist or farmer’s market. David added red roses to his Christmas holiday arrangement.

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November/December 2021 63

Hung in a Row Stuffed stockings at Christmas are a hallowed tradition, but the above the fireplace isn’t the only place to hang them. Try a new spot this year, hanging the stockings in one of these unexpected places: On bedroom door knobs Along a coat rack From a wooden ladder On the stair rail In the window On an old shutter On a bedpost or bed frame On a coat tree Along a branch or evergreen bough hung on the wall On the knobs of a dresser

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home AND

GARDEN

home

grown MAGICAL MAGNOLIAS Right outside your door, or perhaps your neighbor's door, there’s bound to be a magnolia tree. Here in the South, they’re everywhere, and all year long, the evergreen varieties bless us with sturdy, green and golden brown leaves that are perfect for holiday decorating.

Try putting together a wreath for a simple project. Using a grapevine wreath as the base, hot glue individual leaves in an circular pattern all the way around, making sure to flip a couple of the leaves bottom side out for pops of color and dimension. Add a few berry stems or some evergreen sprigs among the leaves. Hang your wreath outside or in without worrying about sweeping up needles.

Drape your mantel or banisters with magnolia, weaving in thick, velvety ribbon or clipping in faux poinsettia or magnolia flowers, or simply arrange several small branches in a vase with a big red bow. Another fun twist is to add a bit of color! Paint the leaves to match your holiday decor, be it red and green or blue and silver.

Cut a few branches from the bottom of a magnolia tree, and you’ll have plenty of leaves for decorating your mantel and more. And the cut leaves will look fresh for four to six weeks!

See your work in Southern Woman!

Tag us on Facebook and Instagram with your magnolia wreath creations!

We will feature our favorites in our January/February 2022 edition.

November/December 2021 65

home AND

GARDEN

IT’S A

Porch Thing

By Holly Cellini | Photography by Michele Mabie

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah are right around the corner. I don’t know about you, but it seems that once Halloween passes, time seems to fly by. This means that your porch will be transitioning between holidays quickly. Don’t despair; here are some helpful hints and ideas to assure success.

When Halloween is over, don’t throw out all of your uncarved pumpkins. Remove all of the spooky stuff and give your porch a fall refresh. Keep your eyes on your neighbors houses. They may be tossing their pumpkins in the trash. You can rescue them and make your porch even prettier! If you decide that you don’t want to keep your pumpkins you can split them open and keep the seeds. I have plenty of clients that plant them for their own little pumpkin patch next year. itsaporchthing.com

66 SOUTHERN WOMAN

@itsaporchthing

home AND

GARDEN

Even though it is getting cooler, you can still enjoy your porch. I like to keep a large basket on all of the porches that I design. It is there for two reasons: It is the perfect place to drape a beautiful, warm blanket, and it is also there so when the weather is bad you can quickly toss your pillows in and bring them inside. It’s a pretty and useful item to have on every porch.

Remember in all of the hustle and bustle that is sure to happen this time of year, take some time for yourself. Sit on your porch with a cup of coffee and a book. Cherish each day that you have with your family. Remember, your time is the best gift that you can give anyone. Inflation and shipping delays don’t affect that.

November/December 2021 67

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November/December 2021 69

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It starts with a stitch, then a chain, then a row.

In the small town of Duffield in southwestern Virginia, Rebekah Polder is creating some of the most luxurious and beautiful handmade throws and layette items we’ve seen.

collective brand, Polders Old World Market.

There’s a lot that goes into running multiple businesses, but with 12 siblings in the family from ages seven to 34, there are a lot of helping hands. “We love it, working together as a team.

It’s pretty awesome!” says Rebekah.

The family homestead is nearly 30 acres, home to Jersey cows, ducks and chickens, hogs, and beehives. And a host of talented humans each creating items to add to the family business.

“There is something that each family member can contribute,” she says. “Everyone has different skills, some baking, some sewing, some doing candles and honey. It runs in our family. We’ve always loved artisan-made goods. It was always kind of a dream to have a family business.”

The entire Polder family is committed to craftsmanship, and Rebekah is no exception. She helps her family run two businesses: her own brand, The Handcrafted Home, and the family’s

November/December 2021 71

While working for that family business, many of the kids have branched out with their own enterprises, including Rebekah’s crochet work as The Handcrafted Home. Her grandmother taught her the basics of crochet when she was seven years old, making scarves, hats, and washcloths. For a while, Rebekah let it fall to the side while focusing on other projects, but has picked it up again over the past few years, and has honed her skill, creating beautiful patterns and designs.

“I wish she could have been around long enough to see me actually use what she taught me to turn into a business. I would have loved that,” she says, remembering her grandmother who passed away last year. “Now I’ve kind of taken it to the next level and expanded my skills, and turned it into a business that I can pour my creative ideas and skills into. Handcrafting has always been important to our family, so I wanted to embrace that.”

Each Handcrafted Home Scrunchy Throw takes from eight to 12 hours to crochet, and since she’s always busy helping her family farm and running their social media accounts, she sets aside a few hours each day to work on her orders.

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Rebekah has created her own patterns and incorporates a signature popcorn fringe that she created on a whim. And her soft-as-a-cloud Baby Scrunchy Throws are a mimic of the larger versions. She uses 100% cotton yarn and suggests hand washing. ”A good rule of thumb is if it’s handmade and you want it to last, handwash!”

She is thrilled with how the business has thrived and is excited to see it grow and expand over the next year. She has aspirations to expand her line of products beyond her throws and baby throws. She also makes hand-crocheted lace, which started her online business, and would like to do more hats and baby items like socks. She’s taking custom orders for hats and more. She would also like to support other small American businesses by partnering with other brands and carrying their products that flow with her brand. “The home embodies all kinds of things so it makes sense for The Handcrafted Home to carry other products for the home,” she adds.

Follow The Handcrafted Home on Instagram @the.handcrafted.home and visit her website thehandcraftedhomeshop.com to see all of her designs and to get your hands on one of her amazing, cozy throws.

And check out Polder’s Old World Market for the family’s handcrafted wooden Dreamware kitchen products @poldersowm on Instagram.

November/December 2021 73

Ginger Tea for Immunity Boosting What better to drink on a cold winter morning than a cup of hot tea? Get your day started with wellness in mind with a hot ginger tea.

Fresh ginger is known to have antiinflammatory properties and is loaded with antioxidants, and both of these qualities lead to immunity boosting for the body. In addition to easing seasonal maladies like the common cold, ginger can help with digestion, metabolism, and improving hair and skin.

Try this recipe for homemade fresh ginger tea: Bring a pot of water with thinly sliced fresh ginger root to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes.

If you like a stronger flavor, up to 10 minutes.

Strain the water through a sieve to remove any pieces and stir in a dash of turmeric for an extra boost.

Sweeten with honey or maple syrup to cut down the spiciness, and drink up the benefits!

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November/December 2021 75

health AND

WELLNESS

Angels “I just wanted to engage people and prevent them from feeling lonely in this very lonely time.” -Courtney Kelleigh Miss Georgia United States, Courtney Kelleigh, is relentless in working on her platform of mental health.

The Thomasville, Georgia, resident has recently opened Project Sunlight House, a home for mentally challenged women in need. “We are going to be accommodating only women, ages 18-24 who need post-adolescent nurturing, experiencing homelessness, have mental health issues and who need a healthy family-like environment.”

Sunlight House officially opened on September 23, the birthday of her father who passed away. “When my father became very sick,” says Courtney,

“i really felt like i needed a big sister.

I was the oldest and I never got that, so we’re going to be kind of like a big sister program.”

Courtney, who is an MD, was inspired by her dad.

When she was 13, her father became very ill with a fatal brain condition that doctors couldn’t solve. Three days into her attendance at medical school, her father died.

She felt her identity crumbling because her entire 76 SOUTHERN WOMAN

mission of becoming a doctor was about helping find a cure for him. In her struggles, she says she found the Lord and met Jesus Christ, and in her Christianity, found the resolve to start medical school again. “I knew then that I wanted to go into mental health, healing and mentoring, and nurturing people.”

She will be starting a residency program next year to become a licensed psychiatrist. Though her schooling is not complete, she did not want to wait to start the program because she recognized that the need for mental health help is now.

health AND

Courtney is also the founder of Outreach Angels, a community mental health outreach non-profit in Thomasville. Sunlight House will be a physical location with offices and a meeting ground for all of the organization's thoughts and ideas, as well as housing for three selected women in need. Courtney will also be living on the premises so the women have access to her and her helping hands at all times. “To be able to have the Sunlight House to meet for our work is going to be wonderful and also to be able to transform lives on a continuous basis beyond just hosting a single event. An event for a nursing home or an orphanage is one thing, but to be able to house someone and help them for a period of weeks and months, that’s huge. You can change someone’s life with that.”

She was doing an internship at Georgia Pines in Thomasville, was finishing medical school, and was working with a former football player turned addictions counselor (Chris Sheffield). “He and I just really wanted to be able to engage patients at the next level beyond what we were seeing at Georgia Pines, so we created this auxiliary agency that would allow us to do that under the umbrella of a charity because private citizens cannot necessarily go to mental health facilities, or jails, or nursing homes to engage people without following all of the protocols that are required of nonprofits.”

WELLNESS

They developed a plan that would allow them to reach out to their patients outside of work and to be able to offer services for free. “We all saw a need and wanted to fill it by the abilities of our own hands. We didn't feel comfortable waiting for another agency to fill in the gap.”

Being in the Albany area of Southwest Georgia, they have access to much of the gulf coast region and have links in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.

Learn more about the program at

outreachangels.org

November/December 2021 77

health AND

WELLNESS

southern at heart:

T H E healthy

W I T H W E L L

HOW TO HELP HEAL THE BODY

WITH TEA By: Nicole Quevedo One of my favorite things to do is curl up with a good book and a nice hot cup of tea, or sit on my porch first thing in the morning when it’s nice and crisp with a cup of tea in hand, or sip on hot tea when I have a sore throat, but now that I’m a little older and a whole lot wiser, I like to make my tea count. You see, I like for my tea to do double duty, to nourish my soul and my body. I try to drink teas that have great benefits to my skin, my liver in helping to keep it working in tip-top shape, or to increase my brain power. As we all know, as we grow older our bodies need just a tiny bit of extra help to function at their best. Here are just a few of my favorites and a rundown of what they can do to help your body heal and function at its best.

78 SOUTHERN WOMAN

Y O U

One of my favorite healing teas to sip on is dandelion tea. Dandelion is a French name that means “lion's tooth” and is very rich in vitamins A and C and rich in iron and calcium. Dandelion tea comes from the dandelion flower. Those pretty little yellow flowers that grow in your yard that you think are just another weed happen to be a powerhouse health booster when eaten or drank as a tea.

Some of the benefits include: bone health, liver health (detoxifying), improved digestion, blood sugar control, urinary health, weight loss, cancer fighting, decreased constipation, anemia prevention, lower blood pressure, and reduced cholesterol. This tea has a very mild flavor, not too strong but right for sipping and healing.

Lemon balm tea is another favorite healing tea. This plant’s leaves look like a peppermint leaf but have a sweet lemon scent to them. It is so easy to grow and harvest and can be used in teas, flavorings, herbs, and as an essential oil for aromatherapy. This tea is another mild flavor but packs a big health punch, too. This easy-to-grow tea can reduce triglycerides, treat heart palpitations, is a natural antibiotic, reduces blood sugar levels, decreases anxiety, reduces insomnia, improves cognitive function and focus, decreases ADHD in children, fights the herpes virus, fights cancer, reduces inflammation, manages overactive thyroid, decreases constipation and reduces PMS symptoms. If you’re not someone with a green

health AND

WELLNESS

thumb, do not fret, as you can easily find this at your local supermarket. Heat eight ounces of water to a boil and steep your tea bag for three to five minutes to get the full flavor and benefits of this lovely lemony plant.

It’s no shock that my next favorite healing tea is another flower. Calendula is a beautiful orange flower that is known for its medicinal properties. This little beauty is well-known for its benefits and is not uncommon to find it in salves, lotions, and even soaps as it has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties. Calendula is high in nutrients and phytochemicals, as well as fatty acids and antioxidants such as lutein, lycopene, beta carotene, quercetin, rutin and many more. When sipped as a tea, it has enormous eye health benefits, as well as reducing inflammation, preventing heart disease, regulating blood sugar, digestive benefits, immune support, promoting wound healing, stimulating menstrual flow, stimulating bile and aiding digestion, and it stimulates the lymphatic system. As before, if you are not a grower, no worries, you can find this flowering beauty at your local supermarket as well. So set the kettle, get out your tea pot and sip to heal!

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80 SOUTHERN WOMAN

y o J g n i d d A One Wreath At A Time IG~ @vivscustomwreaths | FB @vivscustomwreaths Etsy and Pinterest @vivscustomwreaths TikTok: @vivscustomwreaths.com