Green Country Living — Holiday Edition 2017

Holiday Edition 2017

Celebration

Season Inside

 FAMILIES OPEN DOORS TO HOMES FOR FUNDRAISER  AREA RESIDENTS DECK OUT HOMES FOR HOLIDAYS  ARTIST UTILIZES MANY MEDIUMS TO TELL STORIES

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CONTENTS A smoked Greenberg turkey from Tyler, Texas, is the centerpiece on Sean Barney’s and Kevin Igert’s Thanksgiving table.

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22 Jo Ann Clark plans to decorate three Christmas trees in her home.

Phil and Shannon Bridgmon decorated their Tahlequah home with touches from Alabama.

32 A ceramic Nativity scene, accented with soft lighting, is one of the first things visitors see when they enter Connie Dupont’s home.

Lauren Deatherage’s favorite room in her home is the kitchen.

50 Becky Lucht’s creativity is inspired from ordinary items.

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Issue 44

PUBLISHER Dale Brendel EDITORS Ed Choate, Elizabeth Ridenour ADVERTISING MANAGER Stephanie Elswick

ADVERTISING SALES Erin Shriver, Therese Lewis, Angela Jackson, Debbie Sherwood, Kris Hight WRITERS Mike Elswick, Cathy Spaulding, Travis Sloat, Melony Carey, Heather Ezell.

PHOTOGRAPHERS Mandy Lynn Lundy, Von Castor, John Hasler, Cathy Spaulding.

LAYOUT & DESIGN Josh Cagle Green Country Living is published quarterly by the Muskogee Phoenix. Contents of the magazine are by the Muskogee Phoenix. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the Muskogee Phoenix. Green Country Living, P.O. Box 1968, Muskogee OK 74402. email echoate@muskogeephoenix.com - Editorial: (918) 684-2933 email adjackson@muskogeephoenix.com - Advertising and distribution: (918) 684-2813

Kevin Igert and Sean Barney pay special attention to every detail for their dinner party.

Photo by Mandy Lynn Lundy

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STAFF

ON THE COVER

74 Consider the entree when selecting a wine for the holidays.

Holiday Edition 2017

Vickie Greer Berner prefers the traditional pumpkin pie, but enjoys dressing it up with a garland of leaves cut from extra pastry.

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Making

Memories

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ne of the most those memories. enduring memKevin Igert and Sean Barney o r i e s I h av e opened their home to share a of Christmas holiday meal, including recipes, involves waking up very early on with all of you.

Christmas Day to travel to my Wonderful Wine columnist grandmother’s house in south- Heather Ezell tells us how to pair the correct wine with Thanksgiveastern Oklahoma.

My dad would get up and open ing or Christmas meals. Cook’s the door to the room I shared Pantry columnist Melony Carey with my brother. visits with Vickie Greer Berner, of Dad would make a Mattie Jane’s on Main, pot of coffee and get to share recipes for the holidays. ready for the two-andone-half-hour trip.

We take you into the I would lie in bed — homes of a few of those the bottom of the bunk who open their homes beds — and watch as to you for a good cause.

Christmas tree lights The Christmas Home danced on the Tours of Muskogee benefit the wall outside my door. I could Kelly B. Todd Ed Choate Cerebral Palsy hear Christmas & Neuro-mussongs playing from the stereo in the living room. cular Center, and we give you a (To this day, I love Christmas sneak preview of the prize that trees, lights and music.) awaits your eyes on the tours.

My great-grandmother used to This edition also includes three cut down a tree from her property additional homes and a story on and put it in a big bucket filled area artist Becky Lucht.

We are very grateful to all who with rocks to stabilize it.

There were a lot of children open their homes to us for each in that house. A pile of presents edition of Green Country Living. always seemed to reach halfway There are many people who put in a lot of hours to bring up the tree.

There were cousins and aunts Green Country Living to you. and uncles and a big meal after There are writers and advertising we unwrapped presents. executives and editors and designThe holidays mean something ers involved in the process. different to everyone.

On behalf of all of those who But most of our best holiday make Green Country Living posmemories are cemented by visions sible, we hope that you make of family, friends and food. many new memories this holiday This edition of Green Coun- season and cherish the ones of try Living magazine is inspired by old.

From the Editor

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A toast to the holidays and friends seems an appropriate way to kickoff a holiday dinner hosted by Sean Barney, left, and Kevin Igert, at the other end of the table. Guests, opposite, include Matt and Heather Hiller and Joel Cousins; nearside, Rebecka and Tom Wright.

PICTURE PERFECT THANKSGIVING PARTY Hosts up to challenge of planning, pulling off multi-course meal

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picture perfect table setting deserves a picture perfect dinner.

It’s not every year Muskogee’s Sean Barney and Kevin Igert prepare a Thanksgiving dinner

at their home, but when they do, guests can expect every detail to be planned, from brainstorming the menu to preparing the meal itself, they enjoy the challenge of preparing the unique.

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The Menu To Savor

Mayflower Martini Cranberry Chutney Baked Brie with Roasted Pecans To Favor

Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque Pear Arugula Salad To Crave

Greenberg Smoked Turkey New England Stuffing Wedding Potatoes Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Zucchini Dinner Rolls with Whipped Butter To Indulge

Pumpkin Cheesecake Caramel Dutch Apple Pie

New England Stuffing Ingredients:

• 16 cups of 1-inch bread cubes, white or whole wheat (Sean uses a mixture of bread types) • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick) • 2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 large) • 2 cups medium-diced celery (3 large stalks) • 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and large diced • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley • 1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves • 1/2-teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 1 cup chicken stock • 1/2 cup sliced blanched pecans, toasted, optional • 2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1/2 cup dried bing cherries • 1-1/2 cup mushrooms (not called for in original recipe, but Sean thinks they make a tasty addition) Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 1. Put the bread cubes on a 13-by-18-by-1-inch baking sheet and bake them in the oven for seven minutes.

2. In a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onion, celery, apples, parsley, rosemary, salt and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes until the mixture is soft.

3. Combine the bread cubes and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and add the chicken stock, bing cherries and pecans, if desired.

4. Place the stuffing into the main cavity of the turkey and into the neck of the bird. I cook a

Attention to detail was evident in the Thanksgiving table setting prepared by Kevin Igert and Sean Barney. English Queens Majestic Beauty china and Waterford crystal on the table are accented by the Federal Blue walls. Centerpiece provided by Old America Antique Mall.

Upon entering the Georgian Colonial-style home, with its symmetrical design, classic columns and proportions and decorative elements, guests are welcomed with the scent of apples and cinnamon, and soft background music help to set the tone for a casual, relaxing evening with friends.

The cocktail hour features Kevin’s Mayflower Martinis accented with a cranberry garnish and served with hors d’oeuvres of cranberry chutney and baked brie with roasted pecans.

While they both contribute to preparing the meal, Sean said the highlight of their Thanksgiving feast was not something they whipped up themselves. But that does not mean it was not without

thought or a part of tradition.

“To me, the highlight of the meal is the turkey,” Sean said. “It’s a Greenberg Smoked Turkey from Tyler, Texas. They smoke these for four or five days.”

The smoking process turns the fowl’s skin almost black with a leathery consistency. But as the carving is done a smoky aroma rises, teasing the senses with anticipation.

“You can smell the smoke, and its just as red as can be on the inside,” Sean said.

While the birds can be heated, Sean recommends serving the centerpiece bird at room temperature.

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12-pound turkey for 2-1/2 hours at 350 degrees in a pre-heated oven. Make sure the stuffing in the cavity is secured by wrapping the legs tightly with string. Or, you can place in oven-proof baking dish and cook for 35 minutes.

A smoked Greenberg turkey from Tyler, Texas served at room temperature was the centerpiece for the holiday dinner.

Roasted Carrots, Parsnips and Zucchini Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley (optional) • 1 teaspoon sea salt • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted • 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 3-inch-by-1/2-in sticks • 2 pounds zucchini • 1 pound parsnips Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• Line a large jellyroll pan with aluminum foil.

• In a medium bowl, mix together the sliced carrots, zucchini and parsnips, melted butter and salt.

• Spread out the carrots, zucchini and parsnips in a single layer on the jellyroll pan and roast until tender, stirring once, 25-to-30 minutes.

• Toss with the chopped herbs, if using them, and serve.

Whipping up the pear arugula salad required shopping for some hard-to-find ingredients.

A bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau from France was found locally in USA Liquors’ wine selection.

Butternut Squash Bisque Ingredients:

• Three 2-to-3-pound butternut squash, peeled and seeded • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • Nutmeg to taste • 8 tablespoons smoked paprika • 1-large onion, chopped • 6 cups chicken stock • 2 cups heavy cream Directions:

1. Cut squash into 1-inch chunks.

2. In large pot, melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.

3. Add squash and stock. Bring to simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15-to-20 minutes.

4. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in blender and puree.

5. Return blended squash to pot.

6. Add heavy cream.

7. Stir and season with grated nutmeg, paprika, salt and pepper.

8. Serve.

Signature Cocktail: Mayflower Martini

Butternut squash bisque started with about three pounds of fresh butternut squash.

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• Vodka • White Cranberry Juice • Garnished with fresh cranberries

Rebecka and Tom Wright smile while visiting and enjoying a Mayflower Martini before dinner.

Place cards on the Thanksgiving table direct guests to their seats at the table.

“My grandfather used to buy from them and give them as gifts when he owned his own company,” he said.

“It’s one of those things, I remember just about always having a Greenberg turkey,” Sean said.

When his grandfather passed away the family’s traditional smoked turkeys stopped coming, but he rediscovered the source and has made the smoked birds a part of his holiday tradition again in recent years.

The recipe for New England Stuffing was handed down from Sean’s mother and has been modified by her and probably others over the years. Sean’s basic change, and one that mushroom aficionados will love, is the addition of mushrooms to the mix to give the baked stuffing an earthy flavor.

Unfortunately, Kevin and Sean had to travel out of town to get some of the more unusual ingredients like arugula used in the pear arugula salad. But the extra attention to detail helps make the meal one that stands out.

The wedding potatoes recipe used comes from a popular television cooking show.

“You cut up the potatoes into small squares and then add heavy cream, cream of chicken, butter, cheese and bake it with a crumb topping,” Sean said.

Among the wine offerings for dinner was a Beaujolais Nouveau from France’s Georges Duboeuf winery, which was found locally at USA Liquors.

The vintage has gained a following for the Gamay grapes, which provide a fresh cherry-red vintage from freshly harvested grapes that go through a quick fermentation process.

The table setting for the dinner includes English Queen’s Majestic Beauty china from a design off an original copper engraving, Sean said. The crystal stemware is from the Waterford Lismore line, known for its clarity and craftsmanship.

Ralph Lauren table linens in a rusty red serve as the base for the setting with a centerpiece from Muskogee’s Old American Antique Mall. The antique crystal dessert cups also came from the mall.

The silver serving pieces were borrowed from guest Joel Cousins who acquired them from the estate of the late Martha Griffin of Muskogee. Joel said visiting the home rekindles visions of his own

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Guests & hosts share thanks

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Joel Cousins — I’m glad and thankful I’m still here. There were a few years ago when I lost several really good friends all in a short period of time, and that makes me thankful for each day when I wake up.

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Matt Hiller — I’m thankful for family of course. But I’m really thankful our daughter is on the President’s Honor Roll at OU.

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Heather Hiller — For family, good friends, good health and fun.

Rebecka Wright — I’m mainly thankful for my family.

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Tom Wright — It may sound like a cliche, but I really am thankful for family and friends.

Kevin Igert — I’m thankful for family and for friends that are like family.

The Muskogee residence of Sean Barney and Kevin Igert has undergone major renovations in recent years. The home was built in the early 1950s by Nancy and Bill Durnil.

childhood when he would come visit the home built in the early 1950s by Bill and Nancy Durnil, who operated the city’s Durnil Department Store for years.

“About 52 or 53 years ago I used to ride my bike over here to visit Sally Durnil, who was my girlfriend,” Joel said.

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Joel said when built the home had what were then all the latest modern conveniences, including a rarity in the day, central heating and air conditioning. Sean has owed the Boston Street home for about 10 years.

Recent projects have included repainting the dining room from

red to Federal Blue. The dark blue is accented with white wainscoting on the lower walls and set off with a ceiling painted with nine layers of gold paint. One of the main focal points of the formal dining room are a pair of chandeliers that came out of the old Muskogee Golf and Country

Sean Barney — I am thankful for the usual things that are easily taken for granted; family, friends, job, health, etc. But I am also thankful to be living in a community that 10 years ago took me in, made me a part of it and has treated me like I have lived here my entire life .... love the volunteer spirit Muskogee has.

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Club clubhouse, Sean said.

Another chandelier from the club hangs in the foyer, which recently has had mirrors added to the walls.

“It’s a work in progress,” Sean said of the ongoing effort to remodel, update and redecorate the stately residence.

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An open, airy look Jo Ann Clark applies decorating expertise to every space of River Oaks residence

High ceilings and an open floor plan helped Jo Ann and David Clark achieve the look they were striving for in their River Oaks home.

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ABOVE: Seen from the backyard, the Clark home’s covered patio adds additional living space to the residence.

RIGHT: Front doors covered in wreaths give a clue Christmas is right around the corner.

hen Jo Ann and David Clark moved into their new River Oaks residence two years ago they had one main criteria — an open and airy look and feel.

“She loves an open floor plan and high ceilings,” David said.

Jo Ann has an eye for decorating, he said. She operated The Loft home decor shop for years and has always enjoyed the challenges of helping interior space live up to its full potential.

“I’m a decorator, but an S.T.I.D. decorator — self taught interior designer,” she said. “I love decorating and sometimes stay awake at nights coming up with decorating ideas.”

The backdrop serving as her personal canvas to get creative with is a 4,000-square-foot custom-built home with soaring ceilings and custom touches in nearly every nook and cranny. The couple moved in two days before Christmas just two years ago.

Landscaping was a priority for Jo Ann and David Clark in giving the north Muskogee residence a welcoming feel.

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Decorating is second nature to Jo Ann Clark who uses the River Oaks residence as a canvas for seasonal touches.

A stone-encircled fire pit with outdoor seating and covered patio help extend the livable space the Clarks enjoy.

When darkness falls, exterior lighting of the River Oaks home comes on to accent architectural details of the structure.

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A colorful wreath on the front door give a welcoming touch to the seasonal decorating done by Jo Ann Clark.

Casual seating in the upstairs living space makes for a comfortable evening of television watching, reading or listening to music.

ABOVE: Jo Ann Clark’s decorating style is seen in every room of the 4,000-square-foot residence, including this guest bedroom.

The trickle of water from the front yard fountain can be heard from by strollers walking the River Oaks neighborhood of David and Jo Ann Clark.

LEFT: The master bedroom is accented with a unique ceiling treatment and a stone fireplace with a mantle made from aged and recycled wood.

As one might guess, Jo Ann’s decorating ideas move into overdrive during the lead up to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The home will be decked out with three Christmas trees for the season, but her decorating expertise can be seen elsewhere in the community.

“I usually decorate about 12 trees every Christmas,” she said. Her eye for design can be seen in a Christmas tree she decorates at church and in trees she continues to decorate for friends and longtime acquaintances, as she has for years.

Her holiday decorating touch can be seen throughout the home, including the two fireplaces.

While only 2 years old, the home has the aura of being on the spacious corner lot for decades. Careful attention to landscaping, planting that includes 21 taylor junipers,

200 boxwoods and creeping jenny ground cover tiptoeing over the sidewalks gives the feel of a long-established home.

Jo Ann’s sister who lives in Lawton is a landscape designer and provided tips on helping the couple gain the exterior look they strived for.

David said they took the basic plans from a home they saw on a parade of homes tour in 2011. The couple reversed parts of the layout and added numerous custom touches, including many during the construction phase.

“We were here nearly every day while the house was under construction,” he said.

“We were very hands-on as far as construction was concerned.”

In the original plans the second floor space was walled off from downstairs. In order to achieve the openness the couple sought with 9-foot ceilings in the upstairs

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RIGHT: This living room view with a 20-foot-tall stone fireplace looks upstairs toward the mezzanine room located off the stairway landing to the right and the family room/television room seen upstairs on the left.

BELOW: One of several Christmas trees in the Clark home will be a visual focus in the main living room during the holidays.

ABOVE: A guest bedroom gives a glimpse of the attention to detail that Jo Ann Clark, former owner of The Loft home decor shoppe, pays to each space of the River Oaks home.

LEFT: While neither of the Clarks are hunters, Jo Ann said she likes the old European feel that mounts on several of the home’s walls provide.

living area, the ceiling of the main living area had to be raised.

That resulted in a grand foyer leading into the living room with a soaring 20-foot ceiling and an oversized floor to ceiling limestone fireplace. Dark wood-beamed ceilings throughout much of residence add a feeling of warmth.

Hand-scraped, dark-stained hickory flooring with a distressed look adds to the home’s

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ambience.

“I love different ceilings, and I have 15-foot, 16-foot and 20-foot ceilings to work with,” Jo Ann said.

In order to keep things in perspective, that required additional design changes like increasing the height of cabinets in the kitchen up to 10 or 12 feet.

“Otherwise, it would look like you just had a bunch of blank wall above them,” she said.

Including the huge kitchen island, the home features three areas that can serve as dining areas.

Jo Ann likes to spend a lot of time in a room off the ground floor.

“This is my favorite room,” Jo Ann said of the mezzanine located half-way up the open staircase leading up to the family room, complete with large screen television and oversized seating. “I did this in chocolate-cherry, because

ABOVE: From ornamental arrangements to carefully placed leather-bound books and accent lighting, Jo Ann said she enjoys the challenges that decorating each space of her 2-year-old home provided.

LEFT: Jo Ann and David Clark pose at the foot of the stairway leading up the mezzanine, an upstairs family room, a guest bedroom and a bathroom.

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ABOVE: Beamed ceiling and custom cabinets and a custom vent hood help make the Clark kitchen an inviting space for meal preparation.

LEFT: A large walk-in shower is part of the master bath suite.

A high octagon ceiling and walls with plenty of windows provide the breakfast nook located off the kitchen with an airy look.

Jo Ann’s walk-in closet is part of the master suite.

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I just love rust and copper colors.”

She loves to sit in the room and look out the spacious windows. The mezzanine is octagon shaped with beamed ceiling and dark stained woodwork and is home to her baby grand piano and a travertine table that can be used for games or reading.

“I love to come in here, sit and just stare and lose myself in thought,” Jo Ann said.

At the top of the stairs is David’s favorite space, an informal living area.

“This is where we come in the evening to watch TV and relax,” she said.

Located off the family room is another guest bedroom complete with a private bath and a sink that resembles a piece of furniture.

The downstairs master bedroom ceiling has reclaimed, aged stockade fencing with a mantle on the bedroom fireplace that also is constructed of recycled fencing. The master bedroom walls are a grey-purple with dark trim with an oversized bed specially constructed from the combination of a king- and queen-sized bed.

“I love stuff that is different,” Jo Ann said.

The master bath displays that touch of the eclectic with white marble floors and a painted barrel ceiling with touches of cut

glass sprinkled in the paint to give off a sparkle.

The master bath also has a coffee bar and a huge walk-in shower. Off the master suite is a walk-in closet that opens onto the laundry room.

The kitchen features a huge granite island serving area with seating.

“My most favorite thing in the kitchen is all the drawers that hold pots and pans, dishes and bowls,” she said.

While the cabinets soar far above Jo Ann’s reach, the utility drawers keep things used often within reach.

“The guy who did our cabinets was so good. You just love someone who loves what they are doing, and he loved his work and I love the craftsmanship.”

Mercury glass lamps hanging from the ceiling give off a golden glow over the granite counter. A breakfast nook area is octagon in shape with soaring ceilings letting in plenty of natural light.

Wildlife mounts are a common decorating item used throughout, although neither David or Jo Ann are hunters.

“I like the old European look they give to the decor,” she said.

ABOVE: An oversized bed is a focal point of the master suite with white marble floors, lush area rugs and custom walls of a grey-purple color accented by dark trim.

RIGHT: The master bath features a custom tub and painted barrel ceiling with flecks of cut glass embedded in the paint to give off a star-studded night-time sky effect.

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SWEET HOME Tahlequah

Couple’s home incorporates Alabama touches

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hil and Shannon Bridgmon leave no doubts when it comes to where their hearts are.

The Alabama couple

— who are both professors at Northeastern State University — recently laid down roots in Tahlequah.

Shannon said the house was special to them both because of style elements

brought in from home and because the couple helped design it.

“We built this house in the style of who we are, where we’re from and our heritage,” Shannon

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Holiday Edition 2017

said. “We’re both from Alabama, so we tried to incorporate a little of that style, because we weren’t really finding that on the market here. We lived in various houses in the last

ABOVE: A porch swing was missed — and later added — at the behest of Shannon, who said she loved sitting outside in it late at night, and has been known to fall asleep in it, also.

LEFT & BELOW: The Bridgmons’ neatly manicured lawn and bright red door set it apart in Greystone Estates.

five years, but we really wanted to build. I also never would have considered myself homesick until we moved here, so we have some things that remind us of home.”

Their 2,800-square-feet home was finished in 2016 and has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and sits at the end of Cambridge Circle in the Greystone Estates addition in Tahlequah.

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ABOVE & BELOW: Bridgmons said they haven’t had a formal dining room dinner since moving to Tahlequah, and as such, their dining room functions as a room of conversation and musical entertainment.

Phil and Shannon Bridgmon are both professors at Northeastern State University. The couple helped design their house to alleviate Alabama homesickness.

Neat landscaping along the front of the house draws your eye to the front door, which is a bright shade of red set between four columns, indicative once again of the Bridgmon’s Southern culture. Dormer windows light the roof, but the Bridgmons said having a two-story home was never really an option.

“Phil hates stairs,” Shannon said and laughed. “He told the builder that he didn’t care if it was two-story, but he wasn’t going to go upstairs.”

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When you walk in the front Tahlequah in particular are very door, the first thing that captures laid back,” she said. “I can’t think your eye is the unique architec- of one dinner we’ve been to ture of the ceilwhere we’ve ing, which is a eaten in a whiskey-barrel formal dining Oklahoma, in so this construction. general, and Tahlequah room, T h e a rc h e d is where we in particular are foyer branches sit and visit off at the forwith comvery laid back mal dining pany. It’s a Shannon Bridgmon room, which nice place to Shannon said be. It’s very has yet to be used for dining. calm.”

“Oklahoma in general and Another feature of both the

“

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dining room and the entire home is the sheer amount of natural light provided by a plethora of windows. Shannon said it was another insistence they worked out with the builder.

“Phil and I wanted it as light as possible, and we wanted as many windows as possible,” Shannon said. “We typically don’t even turn any lights on in the house until sunset. When we moved here, it’s traditionally Oklahoman to have rich wood, and that’s beautiful, but we wanted

The erudite Bridgmons prefer books over television, and their living area shows it - in the form of an enormous bookshelf loaded with titles the whole family reads.

The kitchen is well-lit and features cabinetry to the ceiling, as well as a rolling butcher block that doubles as a kitchen island.

TOP: The living area of the Bridgmon home features an orange couch, just one of several items belonging to Shannon’s grandmother that she said she “rolls with.”

LEFT: The informal dining room — the one that sees the most food — has a uniquely trimmed window, and also sports an eclectic mix of wall art, including a blessing written by Shannon’s great-grandfather.

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something a little more our style.”

Walking into the living area brings you face to face with a scholar’s dream; a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf loaded with reading material is the first thing to catch your eye. Seating is arranged in such a way to encourage more reading and conversation, and features an orange couch that Phil said belonged to Shannon’s grandmother.

“If I had to point out what’s precious to Shannon, aside from her grandmother’s chandelier, it’s this sofa,” he said. “You’d probably look at this sofa and say, ‘Oh it’s just an orange sofa,’ but it’s had a good life.”

“I hate orange, honestly,” Shannon chimed in. “And it’s kind of beat up, but I still get on to the boys if they’re climbing on it.”

The couch is just one of many older possessions that have worked their way into the simple decor of the home. A generationally handed-down chandelier — which Shannon said will go with them wherever they move, and a hand-written blessing framed and posted next to the kitchen table — spoken by her great-grandmother, and written down

to hang shelves “forWehishadprojects, and then

we had to hang them higher so his little brother couldn’t touch his Lego creations.

Shannon Bridgmon

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by her great-grandfather in 1891.

The kitchen features a rolling butcher block as well as lighted cabinets that extend to the ceiling. Just off the informal dining area there is a laundry and mud room, which Shannon said she uses to “hose off the boys sometimes.” There is also a spare bedroom which is used by their children for play and television.

Shannon said each of the three boys could have their own room, but the two youngest have opted to be bunkmates for now. Twin beds rest on hardwood flooring, again an insistence in the build to make cleaning easier.

“I’ve mentioned that I hate orange, but our middle son loves orange, so that’s why this wall is painted that color,” Shannon said.

“Our little one’s favorite color is green, so we were able to make a compromise in order for them to coexist. They each have their own space, but it’s a little boy’s room.”

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ABOVE: Alabama is represented, but a wall painted orange offers a compromise for Oliver, who loves the color.

RIGHT: The youngest two Bridgmon boys gave up solitude in favor of sharing a bedroom.

The Bridgmon’s master bedroom contains a comfy poster bed and plenty of light from five windows.

The oldest son’s bedroom is a shrine to construction.

“He loves Legos and building things,” Shannon said.

“We had to hang shelves for his projects, and then we had to hang them higher so his little brother couldn’t touch his Lego creations.”

The master bedroom contains a poster bed, five windows, two reading chairs and a few pieces of art. Stepping into the master bathroom is almost like stepping into another home, its expanse eclipsed only by the detail with which it has been decorated.

Again, much of the lighting is provided naturally, with additional luminescence coming from a fixed sconce on the mirror and recessed lighting in the ceiling.

Shannon mentioned several

items she “rolls with,” and last but not the least of those is her porch swing, which hangs where the tour ends — the back porch.

“I needed a porch of some sort where I could hang out,” she said. “People really don’t do front porches here, it’s more of a backyard culture. We’ve embraced that. When the builders were done, bless their hearts, I told them there wasn’t enough room for my swing. So our builder came back and built this swing stand for me.

“On days when it’s nice and not 87 degrees in October, you can open the French doors, and we hang out back here,” she continued. “It’s peaceful and we enjoy it. The sun sets on this side, so it’s nice in the late fall and the winter. I’ve been known to fall asleep out there.”

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Santa’s Favorite Local Shops

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Christmas Home Tour For many Muskogee area residents, the holiday season means it is time to get a glimpse inside some of the city’s homes decked out for Christmas.

The Christmas By Candlelight Tour benefiting the Kelly B. Todd Cerebral Palsy and Neuro-muscular Center is set for 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dec. 1. The Christmas Home Tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 2 and 3 also will benefit Kelly B. Todd Center this year.

The Friday evening candlelight tour will feature the homes of: David and Sue Vanderford, 3404 Severs St. Dr. and Mrs. Gary Lambert, 3700 Country Club Drive.

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Holiday Edition 2017

Les and Connie Weese, 3201 Park

Place N. The Saturday and Sunday tours will feature the following properties: Connie Dupont, 1005 N. Anthony St. Marilyn Hinshaw, 3506 University St. Cheryl Scott, 2821 Kimberlea Park Drive.

FORT GIBSON: 109 E. Maple St., Fort Gibson State Bank.

Nash Historical Home; Jim and Susan Thompson, 1501 Darlene Lane.

Dusti and Joy Calavan, 1489 Hilltop Drive (Spurlock Estates)

Information: Betty Honea, (918) 682-3947.

Tiny lights add a soft glow to a Nativity Scene in Connie Dupont’s front hall. She fills her home with beloved holiday collections during the Christmas Home Tour.

D U P O N T

H O M E

Couple shares their blessings

C

onnie Dupont gets to work when she decorates her home for the holidays. She said it’s worth the effort.

She clears shelves and counters to make room for ceramic village scenes.

Portraits of Santa go on her walls. Santa rugs add warmth to a living room and office. A photo of her grandson with Santa takes top position on a living room side table.

Visitors are greeted by a door hanging with pine cones, holly, and boughs that look dusted with snow.

Even the laundry room carries a Christmas theme.

Her dining room features Nikko Christmastime place settings — white with green trim. She said the Christmas tree pattern on the plate features a Teddy bear.

In the kitchen, red Christmas trees top a breakfast area, set for two.

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“I love my little breakfast table. That’s one of my favorite spots,” Dupont said.

She said she also loves all her collectible items. She said many are gifts from her family and friends.

Some gift decorations are unique. A pair of mice, dressed in warm Christmas duds and sitting in an office chair, was a gift from her daughter.

Other items, including a narrow wooden Santa hanging, were prizes Dupont won in bunco games. She said she and her friends play bunco and contribute money for a prize pot.

Dupont said Christmas is a special holiday for her.

“I guess I have to go back to the beginning, with the birth of Jesus,” she said. “There are so many blessings.”

A ceramic Nativity scene,

A bright garland and ornaments adorn Connie Dupont’s mantle.

the benefit “Ioflove the Kelly B. Todd, that’s why I’m doing this.

Connie Dupont

Even typewriters show festive spirit at Connie Dupont’s home.

Santa looks down from a painting in one corner of Connie Dupont’s home.

Connie Dupont says a breakfast table is one of her favorite spots. A wreath brightens Connie Dupont’s Nikko Christmastime tea set.

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accented with soft lighting, is one of the first things visitors see in her entry.

Dupont said she likes to entertain during the holidays.

However, she could not pinpoint any main holiday memory.

“Any time with my family is special,” she said, adding that she’s happy they live close by.

She said her son and daughter-in-law live south of Muskogee with their two daughters and two sons. Dupont’s daughter and son-in-law have a daughter and live in town.

Dupont said she’s “very honored” to be a part if this year’s home tour.

“I love the benefit of the Kelly B. Todd, that’s why I’m doing this,” she said, referring to the Kelly B. Todd Cerebral Palsy and Neuro-Muscular Center.

Connie Dupont’s chalkboard announces it’s Christmas time.

A small tree glows with lights and ornaments.

Snow families find a spot on a shelf.

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Trees, garlands and all sorts of Santas reflect the Christmas spirit for Connie and Les Weese.

W E E S E

H O M E

Christmas means spending time with family, couple says

L

es and Connie Weese work together to decorate their home in the Park Place area.

After all, they have seven Christmas trees to put up in different rooms — including the garage. They also have a massive Santa collection, including Santa pillows in the bedroom and a life-sized one in the living room Les, who is retired from Reasor’s Foods,

said he’s the manual part of the team.

“I do the heavy lifting and she does the decorating,” he said. “I put up all the trees and get them ready for her.”

Weese said his office has a Soonersthemed tree, the garage has Route 66 decorations, a grandson’s room has Corvettes, the back porch has a woodlands theme and the living room is traditional. He said he bought the life-sized Santa from Reasor’s.

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Holiday Edition 2017

Connie, who owned I’m a Basket Case, said she loves putting up decorations and she loves the festivity of Christmas.

Connie said items in her Santa Claus collection are her favorite Christmas decorations. Many are hand-painted ceramics by Fitz and Floyd that her husband buys her each year.

“I have a pretty good collection of them,” she said.

Les Weese said he has his favorites in that collection. He said his favorite decorations are a musical train, “The Saint Nicholas Express” and a Santa on a motorcycle.

“I’m a Harley rider,” he said.

The Weeses’ favorite Christmas memories center on their grandchildren.

Les said one grandson was

LEFT: Santas fill the Weese’s shelves.

RIGHT: Santa collection features a train.

do the heavy lifting “I and she does the decorating ... I put up all the trees and get them ready for her.

Les Weese

”

born October 2003.

“For Christmas that year — I’m a big Corvette guy, so I bought him a Corvette pedal car when he was 2 months old,” he said. “We moved here in March of ‘04. I remember pulling him. I put a strap in front of it and I pulled him around.”

Connie recalled Christmases when their grandson was 2 and 3 years old.

“He would just be so excited,” she said. “He loves that big Santa Claus that we have. He always called it ‘The Man.’” Les said Christmas means family and friends.

“The birth of our Savior, a time of renewal, rededication,” he said.

Connie said Christmas indeed is a special time.

“It seems like everyone’s heart is different,” she said. “It’s a time to give and to be together with family.”

One of seven Christmas trees in the Weese’s home.

A life-sized Santa guards the Weese’s fireplace.

Christmas elves hitch a ride on a bike.

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Part of the fireplace mantle decorations remain in place year-round and are easily given a holiday seasonal touch.

H I N S H AW

H O M E

Residence takes on a glow steeped in tradition

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uests visiting the home of Marilyn and Bud Hinshaw will be greeted with antiques, collectibles and traditions spanning at lease three centuries.

The couple’s University Street home features furnishings that have been in the family and handed down since the 1800s. More furnishings came from

Bud’s grandfather, who operated a new and used furniture business in the early half of the 1900s, and his mother, who ran an antique shop for years.

Then there are the hand-me-down heirlooms from other family members on both sides of the family collected over the decades. Their home is among those on display for the 2017 home tour.

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Holiday Edition 2017

A small Christmas tree sits in a corner of the Henshaw home decorated with ornaments that have been in the family for years and accented with antique toys from Bud Hinshaw’s extensive collection.

Antiques, including many family heirlooms, serve as a backdrop for Marilyn Hinshaw’s extensive holiday decorations.

The old blends with the new throughout the holiday season for the Hinshaws.

Bud and Marilyn Hinshaw relish the links to their families past their collectibles and antiques bring to their home.

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In the present century, Bud has occasionally added a new find to his extensive antique toy collection. Marilyn said getting ready for Christmas is an important part of the couple’s lives and a long-standing tradition.

“I love Christmas and decorating,” Marilyn said. “It takes me at least a week to put up my tree.”

Antiques like an ornate sideboard from the mid-1800s and a china cabinet filled with Thumbprint and King’s Crown crystal and glassware serve as backdrops or accents for Marilyn’s decorating touch.

A 12-piece place setting of English Spode in the Indian Tree China pattern is among her china cabinet display.

“It has everything in there, the egg cups, the demitasse cups, everything,” Marilyn said.

While some of the decor has traditional roots, she likes to change things up.

“I do something different every year,” she said of changing things up each holiday season.

One of the newer additions to her holiday decor Marilyn is using this year is a brass deer vase serving as a centerpiece on the couple’s dining table.

“We love deer and birds, and you’ll see those themes throughout the house,” Marilyn said.

“We tend to do something like the table that really means something to us like for our daughter.”

Light fixtures that were once oil lamps are throughout the home and fit with antique dry sinks, handcrafted tables and cabinets.

Part of the Christmas tradition stays up all year long on the mantle above the fireplace.

The decor includes Russian ornaments given to the couple from their son, who spent time in Russia.

One of the smaller trees that have gone up for the holiday season is focused on children with ornaments with some of Bud’s antique toy collection.

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The front door to the Hinshaw home is among the areas getting a seasonal holiday treatment.

This Saint Nicholas is one of many holiday decorations Marilyn Hinshaw brings out during the holiday season.

Marilyn Hinshaw said she changes up her holiday decorations each year.

ABOVE: Bud and Marilyn Hinshaw relish the links to their families past their collectibles and antiques bring to their home.

LEFT: Seasonal canning projects find a functional home in one of the many antiques in the Hinshaw home.

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Joy is proclaimed from atop a stairway.

S C O T T

H O M E

Decorating sets tone for holidays P

am Cantwell and Cheryl Scott pack a lot of holiday cheer in a small space.

A townhome the two own on Kimberlea Park Drive brims with nutcrackers, Santas and long stockings for the Christmas Home Tour.

Cantwell said decorating for and participating in the Christmas Home Tour helps get

her in the mood for Christmas.

“It kind of sets the tone,” she said. “Sometimes, you go along and you’re like, ho-hum about Christmas time. If you start decorating and doing that, it kind of gets you in the mood.”

Cantwell said her favorite decoration is the fireplace. Long stockings hang by the mantle.

Four candles top sticks spelling out “NOEL.”

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Holiday Edition 2017

TOP: Three Santas make up a centerpiece in the Cantwell/Scott townhouse.

Holiday cheer fills a small kitchen.

BOTTOM: It’s not too warm for a pair of snowmen to spread joy on the Cantwell/Scott’s back patio.

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“I like it because it’s kind of whimsical,” she said, adding that the colors and whimsy remind her of the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

“It was just fun, a lot of fun,” Cantwell said. “And the kitchen, I just like the way it turned out.”

She said most of the decorations were items she and Scott had.

Cantwell, a Muskogee native, recalls fun holiday times growing up with Scott.

“I was a late child in life, so I actually grew up with my two nephews and my niece,” Cantwell said. “They were like my brothers and my sister.”

She said her favorite memories include Christmas dinners and a Christmas train that used to stop in Muskogee.

“It would stop there in front of Hunt’s Department Store ... and Santa would be on it,” she said. “One year, my nephew, Johnny, told Santa Claus that he wanted a set of encyclopedias for Christmas. And I was totally humiliated. I was two years older.

How can you do a set of encyclopedias. Santa didn’t do encyclopedias, he did toys.”

She said she loved window shopping in downtown Muskogee. A favorite store was Kress.

“The stores were open late,” she said. “I could remember it being so decorated downtown and so beautiful.”

Cantwell said her children made her favorite ornaments.

“When the kids would make decorations at school, those were always my favorites,” she said. “I would pull those out and I would remember ‘that was first grade’ or ‘that was fifth grade.’”

She said Christmas means the birth of Jesus, “first and foremost.”

“It’s a time to just be spent with family, friends and family, but family especially,” she said.

It’s almost a family reunion time.”

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ABOVE: Holiday cheer adorns this intimate outdoor setting.

BELOW: Even the bathroom counter reflects Christmas joy in the Cantwell/Scott townhouse.

ABOVE: A garland lines a bannister in the Cantwell/ Scott townhouse.

Santa goes rustic in this outdoorsy holiday setting.

Pam Cantwell and Cheryl Scott pack holiday cheer in a small townhouse.

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Lynette Lambert said memories of Christmas past are an important part of the holiday season, and she still enjoys adding holiday flair touches to the Country Club Drive home.

L A M B E R T

H O M E

Decorating, food, memories an important part of season

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ynette Lambert says tradition is an important part of the family’s Christmas holiday.

Area residents who share that love of links to the past will have an opportunity to glimpse what she and husband of 27 years, Dr. Gary Lambert, share with their youngest daughter Alaine at their home on Country Club Drive.

“I love to decorate and share the traditional things we do,” Lynette said.

Over the 23 years the couple have been in their Muskogee home they have

graciously participated in the Muskogee Candlelight Tour benefiting the Kelly B. Todd Cerebral Palsy and Neuro-Muscular Center several years.

“I just love thinking about Christmas and everything that comes with it,” Lynette said.

This will be the 43rd year for the tour of local homes decked out for the holidays.

Lynette’s earliest memories of Christmas growing up in her hometown of Wilburton with siblings and parents include fond thoughts.

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Holiday Edition 2017

While the Christmas tree remains a focal point, Lynette Lambert likes to spread a touch of the holidays throughout the Country Club Drive home.

Miniature Christmas trees and other holiday touches can be found throughout the Dr. Gary and Lynette Lambert home.

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TOP LEFT: The Christmas trees holds more than two decades worth of memories for the Lambert family.

TOP RIGHT: Entertaining for family and friends is an important part of the holiday tradition for the Lambert family. A large kitchen island sometimes serves as place not only to grab holiday treats, but also to visit.

“I remember the chaos of Christmas morning with an older sister and twin older brothers,” she said.

Lynette remembers her mother trying to hide presents from the children. That tradition was shared as the couple’s three children grew up.

“All three of my girls have Christmas dishes that my husband’s mother gave them,” Lynette

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said.

Christmas trees also have been an important part of the holiday season, too.

“We used to have two or three trees every year, but now we’re down to one small one,” she said.

Different wreaths with Lynette’s decorating touch can be found welcoming guests when the couple does holiday entertaining.

“For me, it’s just fun to have as

many people around here as we can,” Lynette said.

Part of the holiday tradition is getting out the family’s Spode china. Lynette said if that part of the family’s tradition was not shared when they all come together, the Spode would be missed.

“It’s just a great time to spend with family and friends,” she said of the holidays.

Served on the china may be a

favorite family holiday tradition of a meal of chicken and dumplings created from a recipe handed down from Gary’s mother.

While having family and friends visit in the Lambert home over the holidays is something Lynette relishes, the highlight of the season is spending Christmas Eve at the family’s church home, St. Paul United Methodist Church, for the Christmas Eve service.

ABOVE: Holiday china patterns and evergreen boughs of holly with red accents provide this china cabinet with a festive flair.

RIGHT: Family portraits and other decorating touches remain in place during the holidays while hints of Christmas are scattered throughout.

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Santa’s

Little Helpers

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Holiday Edition 2017

Santa’s

Little Helpers

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ART OF THE MATTER

B E C K Y L U C H T:

Artist with

many

facets B

With horses, dogs and abundant wildlife, animals are an important part of artist Becky Lucht’s life on the acreage she shares with husband Darrell north of Fort Gibson.

ecky Lucht sees art all around and says it has stories to tell.

Art may come from a piece of driftwood, a hunk of rock, a vintage photograph found at an antique shop, molten metal or a colorful dab of paint on her palette. Diversity not only identifies the mediums she has applied her artistic talent to, but it also applies to subject matter.

“I’m kind of a jack of all trades,” she says. “I jump around a little bit.”

In the past, her art has taken the form of bronze casting, stained glass and jewelry making. Currently, she is working on watercolors, soapstone sculpting and mixed media.

Her sculpture studio is carved out of a horse stable, tack and bridle room that also can serve as a party space, she said. The stable/studio is decorated with heirlooms like a bicycle that belonged to her father, chicken crate, old fireplace mantle and snow sleds from her childhood days in Iowa.

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Holiday Edition 2017

ART OF THE MATTER

Artist Becky Lucht, left, visits with others in the new home of the Muskogee Art Guild where she serves as workshop coordinator.

Lucht said gets “gets in the moment” when working on artistic projects with a keen focus on what she’s creating and what she wants the final piece to look like.

“The soapstone sculpture is quite a departure from my watercolors, but I get to use power tools and get really dirty,” Lucht said with a grin. “Sometimes, it’s like I never grew up, but it’s fun.”

Each soapstone sculpture requires an investment of several hours of planning, grinding, sanding and polishing, Lucht said.

“I usually have music going and have various types of music for various media,” she said. “My stone work music is usually hardcore blues.”

When working on a project, Lucht said she “gets in the moment” and becomes engaged and focused on what she is doing.

“The sanding can be very labor intensive,” she said. “I can get very obsessive when I get involved in a project.”

A recent project included a bear sculpture, and she points to a slab of elongated soapstone where her imagination sees a sculpture of an iguana taking shape on her workbench in coming weeks.

“They just look like plain old rocks, but when you polish them up they really pop,” Lucht said.

She looks at each hunk of stone for the unique veins of color that can be accented when the piece is worked and finished.

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“Ideally, the stone will suggest something to you,” she said.

During her time of doing bronze casting in a previous chapter of her artistic journey, she focused on wildlife, antelope, horses and birds.

“I’m really an animal lover, and a lot of time when I paint animals it’s on a whim,” Lucht said. “That’s probably because I don’t

“

I’m really an animal lover, and a lot of time when I paint animals it’s on a whim...

Becky Lucht

”

think I can do them justice, especially with horses, because I just love them so.”

More recently she has ventured into artistic collages with a message.

“With mixed media I like to take old family photos or go to antique stores and get other people’s family photos and make them into storytelling kind of pictures,” Lucht said.

“I like art that tells a story,” she said.

“Sometimes, it gets a little busy because there’s so much going on.”

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Lucht’s variety of art forms varies from painting to working on collages and soapstone sculptures like this bear she was recently shaping.

She also has done recent pieces on the suffragettes and the women’s movement to gain rights, and separate pieces on Native American tributes.

“I’m not Native American, but I find them to be romantic, tragic and compelling subjects,” she said.

She is a graduate of Minnesota State University - Mankato with a degree in art education, but spent most of her career in the newspaper business.

After growing up on a farm in Iowa, majoring in art education in college, living in Tulsa, fulfilling her role as a mother and a

completing a career in marketing and advertising, Lucht says she relishes the time she can now devote to art. She is retired from the Muskogee Phoenix where she served as marketing director and advertising director.

“But I’ve always dabbled in art, even when I was so involved

with career and family,” she said.

She and husband Darrell Lucht live on acreage north of Fort Gibson where wildlife is abundant and there is room for her other passion, horses and riding. The property with a home built with rocks collected on the property by a previous

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When it rains, Lucht enjoys hearing the sound on the corrugated metal roof in her sculpture studio.

Lucht’s stable studio space has a rustic aura with an iron wood stove, pieces of driftwood that may eventually end up in one of her creations and a sign appropriately proclaiming the space the “Brush and Bridle Lounge.”

owner who was a master stone layer has been their home for about 29 years.

“It’s restorative and calming,” she said of life in the country.

She likes the solitude the country life provides and also finds inspiration by kayaking on nearby Ranger Creek.

“It’s so quiet and peaceful,” she said.

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Ropes, bits and bridles in Lucht’s stable studio space remind her of horses nearby.

not Native American, but I find them to be “I’m romantic, tragic and compelling subjects... ” Becky Lucht

“I’ve been obsessed with horses my entire life” she said.

“I started drawing horses in third or fourth grade with enough success that my friends said I

should be an artist. From such humble beginnings, the seed was planted.”

An avid equestrian whose early childhood artistic memories

are of sketching horses, Lucht has stretched her artistic talents in the years since.

“I’ve always dabbled, even when I was so involved in other things I still did art like for the Azalea Festival banners,” she said.

When not creating art, Lucht might be found volunteering with the Art Guild of

Lucht has honed a lifetime love of art into her passion of expressing her creativity in a variety of mediums, from a painter’s canvas to transforming a rough piece of stone into a sculpture.

Lucht’s paint brush has been used to capture her image of wildlife, livestock, pets, Native Americans and a variety of other subjects over the years.

Muskogee. She’s been associated with the organization about four years and serves as workshop coordinator.

“That’s fun because I get to line up artists to do workshops and get to know the artists fairly well, and they’re always inspiring with their own stories,” she said.

The guild also hosts an event called Art & Fun in evenings

featuring a variety of art forms for aspiring artists.

“That is aimed at people who like arts but aren’t very experienced,” she said.

Among other projects that continue to capture her artistic attention are doing banner art for a variety of local nonprofit groups who auction them off as fundraisers.

Volunteer work for the Muskogee Art Guild provides Lucht an opportunity to be surrounded by the work of others while sitting in on educational workshops and taking in the techniques of other artists.

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Shop Fort Gibson First

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When planning their home, Lauren and Cody Deatherage said a priority was the functional but attractive kitchen where a lot of family time is spent.

Kitchen Kitchen focus focus

Lauren, Cody Deatherage seek functionality while paying close attention to aesthetics

A

focus on the kitchen was a priority for Lauren and Cody Deatherage when they started planning their Dawson Ridge development residence east of Fort

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Gibson.

Now that the couple and their growing family have been in the home more than two years, that planning and attention to detail is paying off.

By Mike Elswick • Photos by Mandy Lundy Holiday Edition 2017

ABOVE: The Deatherage home in Dawson Ridge, east of Fort Gibson, features interesting architectural details inside and out.

LEFT: A holiday wreath is one of the welcoming details when guests approach the front door.

The fact Cody is a custom builder helped ensure the kitchen and every other detail of the 3,400-squarefoot home was just what the couple wanted. With two children, a daughter, 3, and a 1-year-old son, preparing and serving meals is an important part of their lives.

“I’m a kitchen person,” Lauren said. “I wanted a nice stove, a big island and wanted to be able to pick the countertop.”

The couple chose quartzite for the island work and serving space.

Cody said the material is more durable than other types of stone while having the solid, easy-tomaintain and functional capabilities of many other types of counter material.

The kitchen features a 60-inch commercial-grade six-burner DCS range and oven by Fisher & Paykel with a grill on the side. Built into the back of the stainless vent hood is an infrared heat lamp and rack to keep dishes hot while the finishing touches are put on a meal.

An oversized sink built into the island work space makes cleaning up pots and pans a more manageable task than trying to maneuver them in a smaller cleaning area, Cody said. Both Cody and Lauren said they enjoy cooking and spending time in the kitchen.

“We do a lot of cooking,” Lauren said.

Among the family’s favorite recipes are Lauren’s rosemary lamb and

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The stockings are hung by the chimney with care while a large Christmas tree serves as a living room focal point during the holidays for the Deatherage home.

ABOVE: Lauren said her mother serves as a lot of the inspiration for decorating during the holidays.

LEFT: A sunroom off the kitchen continues the Christmas holiday theme with a separate tree and other holiday touches.

In decorating, Lauren Deatherage said she favors a clean, uncluttered and sleek look, which is a theme she carries out with holiday decorative touches.

The kitchen island has ample space for its own holiday decorating touches.

chicken tetrazzini.

“The kitchen really is my favorite part of the home,” she said.

When Cody takes over the kitchen and the grill, usually for breakfast, he turns out a “killer fried egg,” she said.

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addition to providing plenty of storage for non-perishable foods.

The open floor plan for the living, dining and kitchen offers ample opportunity to visit while cooking, setting a table, entertaining or watching television.

Cody said among his priorities in planning the home was for ample garage storage with

the convenience of being able to walk out to his shop workspace without having to go to a detached building. The fourcar garage and heated shop area meet that criteria.

Coming off the garage entry into the home is a guest bath and mud room with space for hanging coats, storing school backpacks and shoes that may

need to be removed before entering the main living areas.

Also a priority for Cody was an outdoor living area he and the family could enjoy in their leisure time.

“The big patio area with a fireplace and TV was what I wanted,” he said.

The finished product includes those amenities along with

Lauren and Cody Deatherage, seen with their two children, like the open floor plan of the main living area of their Fort Gibson area home where the living room, kitchen and dining room all merge in an attractive but functional space.

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Even the covered patio of the Deatherage residence gets decked out with holiday cheer during Christmas as a centerpiece, snow sled and “Merry Christmas” banner provide decorating accents.

ample casual seating, a stained concrete floor, an outdoor ceiling fan to keep air circulating and a large hammock.

As far as design and architectural details inside the home, Cody wanted to include a barrel ceiling.

In the finished product, the

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entryway foyer has a minibarrel ceiling while the living room’s 14-foot tall barrel ceiling runs the length of the room with recessed LED strip lighting. The colors of the lighting can be changed to fit the desired mood and can be faded in or out.

“And if we want, we can even make them strobe,” Cody said.

The recessed lighting most often comes into play for use as night lighting, he said.

The home consists of four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths with a children’s playroom, a small sunroom off

the kitchen and dining room with a bonus room upstairs. As the backdrop for the furnishings, artwork and decor, Lauren selected light gray walls accented with white trim.

“I like the clean, sleek look of the light gray and white,” she said.

ABOVE: The master suite features a large bedroom, bath with his and her sinks, a walk-in shower and an oversized tub.

BELOW: Bright red chargers set off the Christmas china, holiday runner and colorful centerpiece on the Deatherage dining table.

For the holidays, a large tree sits in the corner of the living room with Christmas decor accenting many other areas of the home from dining table and kitchen island to pillows on the couch extending the seasonal theme. “ M y m o t h e r s e r ve s a s

inspiration for all the Christmas decorating,” Lauren said.

“Probably more than half of our decorations are from his mom and my mom.”

The home has four Christmas trees. In addition to the main one in the living room, there is a second one in the

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A backyard playhouse brings a smile to daughter Evelyn’s face while brother Luke and the family dog look on.

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sunroom with one in each of the children’s rooms.

Lauren’s mother, Rebecca Harris, has been involved in participating in holiday home tours in Fort Gibson over the years. For the Christmas season, a seasonal decorating touch can be seen throughout the main living areas.

Festive red plate chargers offset the holiday china pattern and crystal vase filled with ornaments on the dining table.

From dish towels with a Christmas message on the oven door to arrangements on the kitchen island, dining table, fireplace mantle and dining room sideboard, the holiday touch is evident. Even the patio area carries a “Merry Christmas” banner on the fireplace with greenery and a snow sled decked out with a holiday wreath — just waiting for a good snowfall.

The children have their

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separate bathroom, and a guest bedroom also features a private bath.

The master bedroom suite features separate his and her closets, a beamed ceiling a with a double-stack crown molding accenting the light gray walls.

The master bath features his and her matching sinks, a large 6-foot garden tub and separate walk-in shower.

The custom built home sits on a 2.4-acre lot that extends halfway through a pond separating

the Deatherage’s property from the adjacent 2.6-acre lot next door to the west. Cody has built several homes in the Dawson Ridge development, and lots are available for more home construction.

Behind-the-scene amenities include encapsulated foam on the attic ceiling with plenty of blown-in insulation helping to minimize utility bills. A tankless hot water heating system provides a neverending stream of hot water, Cody said.

ABOVE: Each of the Deatherage children have their own Christmas trees in their rooms.

BELOW: Set off with cool gray walls and white accents, the master bedroom carries the clean and sleek look that Lauren likes to achieve.

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ABOVE: Like the rest of the Deatherage home, the guest bedroom continues the functional but clean look.

BELOW: The newest addition to the Deatherage household, 1-year-old Luke, has his own room complete with his own Christmas tree.

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You’re Invited . . .

Christmas on Main Thursday, November 30th Friday, December 1st Saturday, December 2nd

Open 10am-8pm Thurs. & Fri. Sat. 10am-6pm* *Shop hours may vary per location.

Main Street Shops will keep their doors open longer to let Christmas shoppers browse, sample goodies, paint and find unique one-of-a-kind items. Most importantly, you will be Shopping Local!

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Christmas on Main

*Shop hours may vary per location.

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Ch r i s tm a s on M a in

*Shop hours may vary per location.

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Christmas on Main

*Shop hours may vary per location.

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FOOD & DRINK

Red, White, RosĂŠ and Sparkling ...

Pairings for the holidays

A warm toast.

Good company.

A fine wine.

May you enjoy all three.

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FOOD & DRINK

H

Wonderful Wine Heather Ezell

appy Holiday season! Tex-Mex, deer roast, duck, pork tenderA recent informal loin, clam chowder, vegetarian fare, beans online survey con- and fry bread, and even chili. cluded that the “traThat doesn’t even account for all of ditional holiday meal” the side dishes and desserts. Clearly, does not mean the same to everyone. “traditional” is relative, which begs In fact, it seems to be as diverse the question, as it does each and as we are as people. every year, what wine should The wine For some, turkey was served be served at the holiday is there to only at the Thanksgiving table meal? Simply put, drink white enhance not overpower the and only ham at Christmas. wine at Thanksgiving, red at food.

For others, both turkey and Christmas, sparkling to usher ham at Thanksgiving, rib roast in the New Year and rosé is so at Christmas. A few serve all three versatile, drink whenever. VOILA’! at both holidays. Responses also included Makes sense and easy to remember, right? goose, leg of lamb, pizza, Chinese food If only it were that elementary. Techni(Does “A Christmas Story” have any cally, it could be used as a (very loose) relation to this?), chargrilled oysters, guideline.

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White wine is a wonderful selection for Thanksgiving gatherings.

A Rosé or a Riesling both go well with ham, a much-loved entree during the holiday season.

Yet, after expending tremendous energy, money and time in preparation, why not serve THE wine that makes your beautiful meal, perfect? When matching food and wine, as a general rule, the wine is paired with the main dish and the most dominant flavor(s). Either complementing the sapidity or finding a contrasting balance.

Herein lies the challenge. During the holidays, many tables have an extraordinary amount

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of food with a torrent of tastes. turkey be oven roasted, smoked, Take heart, there are numerous or fried? Will your ham be baked, wines that are quite versaspiral-cut or smoked? The tile, food friendly with same goes for rib roast, an assortment of cuiduck, lamb or whatServing sines and suitable ever the headliner the for your holiday may be. If your appropriate meal. table is laden with wine will help Before you more than one to accentuate determine which primary course, wine to provide, elect to present the meal. consider not only the one, two, even three main entree(s) but also wines in varying colors/ how it will be prepared. Will your styles for your guests. Serving

the appropriate wine will help to accentuate the meal.

Turkey Roasted w/ dressing, cranberry sauce, etc.: Unoaked Chardonnay — Lucinda & Millie Chardonnay/Kermit Lynch Chevalier Chardonnay or Oregan Pinot Noir — Lady Hill Eola Amity Pinot Noir.

Smoked: Rosé — Belle Glos Pinot Noir Blanc.

Fried: The Chook Sparkling Shiraz.

When matching food and wine, consider the entree when making your wine selection.

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Ham Baked: Chateau St. Michelle Eroica Riesling or Beaujolais — Kermit Lynch Chignard Julienas.

Spiral-cut: Rose: Miraval Rosé Provencale.

Smoked: Cava — Perelada Brut Reserve.

Tenderloin: Pinot Noir — Crater Rim Pinot Noir.

Rib Roast or Leg of Lamb Bordeaux — Domaine de Compostelle.’

Chateau Teyssier St. Emilion Grand Cru. Napa Cab-Darms Lane Fortune 1621 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Deer Bordeaux-La Confession St Emilion, Syrah-Petrichor Syrah, Burgundy-Latour Pinot Noir.

Duck P i n o t N o i r — R a p t o r, RidgeShea14, Bourgogne.

Chinese Food Alsatian Gewurztraminer — Trimbach Gewurztraminer.

German Riesling — Dr H Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Kabinett.

Tex-Mex Rosé — The Ned Pinot Rosé.

Don’t forget about dessert!

Many people anticipate for months in advance the tasty treats served during the holidays. Dessert wines are heavenly on their own but elevate those scrumptious sweets to dizzying heights when combined.

Apple Pie Late Harvest Riesling-Hogue Late Harvest Riesling.

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Pecan/Pumpkin Pie Tawny Port — Fonseca 10yr Tawny Port.

Chocolate Pie M o s c at o d ’ A s t i - Ke r m i t Lynch Tintero Moscato d’ Asti.

Appetizers seem to be the universal preference for New Year’s Eve with breakfast, brunch and black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Luckily for us, they happen to be a great match for Champagne or sparkling wine, which ranges from very sweet to incredibly dry. In fact, there isn’t much that doesn’t marry well with sparkling, so it is generally a favorable option. A marvelous way to ring in the New Year is with a glass of bubbly, but once again, I reiterate, it should be consumed often ALL throughout the year.

New Years Eve Argyle Brut, Domaine St. Vincent Rose, Marquis de la Tour Rosé Sparkling, Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque, Hillersden Legacy Sauvignon Blanc Sparkling.

New Years Day Chandon Brut Champagne, Schramsberg Cremant, Verdi S p u m a n t e, To a d H o l l o w Risque.

Whether red, white, rosé or sparkling, there is something for everyone. There actually isn’t one color of wine that mates exactly with a particular holiday because our preferences for meals aren’t all alike. Food and wine are a partnership,

After expending tremendous energy, money and time in preparation, why not serve THE wine that makes your beautiful meal, perfect?

RosĂŠ sparkling wines go with a wide range of main courses.

ideally bringing out the best in each other. The wine is there to enhance, not overpower, the food. Keep that in mind when making your selections.

Another added benefit, they

both bring us together to enjoy one another. As you share time with those that mean the most this season, raise a glass and enjoy!

Cheers!

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C AT E R I N G Yo u r g u i de t o s t re s s- f re e holiday entertaining.

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SCENE AND BE SEEN MAD HATTER TEA PARTY Proceeds from a Mad Hatter Tea Party at the Papilion will pay for Christmas presents for children at MONARCH’s halfway house. The event included characters dressed as Alice and the Mad Hatter. In addition to sandwiches, the menu included homemade cookies, cupcakes, tea and lemonade.

Photos by John Hasler

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SCENE AND BE SEEN

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SCENE AND BE SEEN ART GUILD GRAND OPENING The Muskogee Art Guild celebrated its grand opening reception at the new studio, 211 W. Broadway. The reception featured a display of members’ art. The recent move enabled the guild to double its space and have a more visible location. The Guild also anticipates hosting additional classes, workshops, painting parties and art shows to increase awareness and appreciation of the visual arts in Northeastern Oklahoma.

Photos by Cathy Spaulding

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SCENE AND BE SEEN STATE OF THE CITY About 350 people attended the State of the City Address, a Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce fundraising event. Mayor Bob Coburn said Muskogee’s downtown landscape is changing, and other projects under way all over the city are creating a buzz among residents.

Photos by John Hasler

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SCENE AND BE SEEN ART CRAWL The Downtown Muskogee Art Crawl brought artists, musicians and food vendors to downtown Muskogee’s Katy District. Restaurants, antique dealers, art galleries and other vendors also greeted visitors.

Photos by Mandy Lynn Lundy

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SCENE AND BE SEEN

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SCENE AND BE SEEN GRAPE STOMP Pecan Creek Winery’s annual Family Grape Stomp Fall Festival included a Grape Stomp Contest and an “I Love Lucy Look Alike Contest.”

Photos by Mandy Lynn Lundy

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Guide To Area Restaurants

On The Menu

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On The Menu

Guide To Area Restaurants

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FOOD & DRINK

Vickie Greer Berner prefers the traditional pumpkin pie recipe from the Libby’s can embellished with a garland of leaves cut from extra pastry.

LEGACY OF FOOD Family memories find a new place on Main Street

The Cook’s Pantry Melony Carey

M

emories of the holidays always include recipes handed down through generations by grandmothers, mothers and aunts. Such is the stuff of Vickie Greer Berner’s childhood memories, so much so that she named her lunch spot on Main Street in downtown Muskogee after her great-grandmother, Mattie Jane.

With a long family tradition of providing quality foods, Vickie has carried that legacy forward in her eatery. Her father, Mahylon Greer, opened the first My Place Bar-bque on Gibson Street in the mid-60’s. She worked with her brother, Kenny Greer, who opened the successful Mahylon’s Restaurant on Chandler Road 22 years ago.

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Vickie Greer Berner’s pumpkin pie is among the dishes she prepares at Mattie Jane’s on Main. She also serves panini, croissant sandwiches, quiches, soups and salads on antique plates.

“I have been around excellent cooks all my life,” Berner

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says. “I especially learned to cook from my mother, and she learned from hers, and she learned from hers. It is a legacy of love for my family.”

That love extends to Berner’s new venture, Mattie Jane’s on Main. Nestled between a

beautiful floral shop and an antique store, Mattie Jane’s serves up lots of fun, vintage atmosphere, while Berner serves sweet and savory paninis, croissant sandwiches, flavorful quiches, soups and salads on antique plates. Berner says she wanted to create a happy place where people could get away for lunch.

“I love the vintage feel of the old stores here. This is just a fun place to be.”

With the holidays approaching, Berner looks forward to creating more memories.

“I love cooking for my family,” she says. “The holidays are a time when we can all be together and share our passion for cooking with each other.”

Vickie Greer Berner brings food and people together in a fun, vintage atmosphere at Mattie Jane’s on Main.

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A filleted turkey breast stuffed with spinach, feta, and cranberries makes a beautiful presentation for the holiday table. Rosemary, chives and basil are homegrown at Mattie Jane’s.

Vickie shares a few recipes that will grace her table this season.

Stuffed Turkey Breast Roll 5 lb. boneless, skinless turkey breast Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 cloves minced garlic 1/2 stick butter

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1/2 cup feta cheese 1 bunch whole fresh chives 1/4 cup fresh rosemary 1 - 2 cups fresh baby spinach 1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse turkey breast and pat dry.

Fillet it out flat on clean surface and rub both sides with salt,

pepper and garlic. Mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl. Lay stuffing along long, right side. Roll breast up starting with right side and tuck the ends in so the cheese doesn’t cook out. Wrap tightly in foil to hold shape. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, then peel back foil and

rub with more butter, returning to oven and baking until top is golden. Remove from oven and let rest about 20 minutes for easier cutting. Transfer to platter, slice and serve.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2 packages fresh Brussels sprouts

TOP: Tiny pumpkins provide pops of color to the Thanksgiving dinner table.

BELOW: Pumpkin crunch topped with caramel latte sauce will be a hit at any holiday gathering.

1 red onion, cut in strips 1/4 cup olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced Salt and pepper 6 strips bacon, fried crisp 1/4 cup feta cheese

Wash, clean and trim Brussels sprouts. Combine sprouts, onion, garlic and olive oil in bowl. Salt and pepper to

taste. Refrigerate overnight to marinate for best flavor.

When ready to prepare, roast sprouts on baking sheet at 350 degrees until desired doneness, approximately 25 – 30 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl and top with crumbled bacon and feta.

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Roasted Brussels sprouts marinated overnight in olive oil, onion and garlic add rich flavor to any holiday meal.

Pumpkin Walnut Crunch with Caramel Latte Sauce

I box Pillsbury Golden Butter cake mix 1 can evaporated milk 3 eggs 1 can pumpkin 1 1/2 cups sugar Pinch of salt 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

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2 cups chopped walnuts 2 sticks butter, softened Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix milk, eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and spice together in large bowl.

Pour into 13 x 9 baking dish.

Sprinkle cake mix on top of pumpkin mixture. Top with chopped

walnuts. Pour melted butter over top of cake. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. To serve, sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with caramel latte sauce, recipe below.

Caramel Latte Sauce

1/2 bag caramels, unwrapped

2 tablespoons milk or heavy whipping cream International Delight One Touch Latte creamer

Mix caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until melted, stirring often. Mix well. Add several squirts of latte creamer and stir.

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