A Day of Rest: Part Four, Food Prep

Welcome back to the fourth and final installment of my series, “A Day of Rest.” In Part One we talked about why your family may want to consider a day of rest, once a week, every week. (You can can catch up on part one HERE.) In Part Two we talked about preparing ahead of time for a day of rest, so that it actually happens. (You can read that post HERE.) In Part Three we talked about ways you could spend your day of rest. (You can read that post HERE.)

Today we are going a little further in depth on preparation for your day of rest, which we talked about in Part Two. Specifically, we are going to talk about meals, food, and preparing ahead of time for them. There’s something special that happens when we wake up on our day of rest and everything down to the very meals has already been taken care of. I feel like it makes it exciting and holy to know that when you wake up, no work needs to be done. Kids may get excited to wake up on Christmas Day, but I get excited to wake up on Sabbath. (By the way, you can prepare your Christmas meals with a Sabbath/Day of Rest frame of mind as well.) Read more: Exodus 16:23-24

Day of Rest meals must be planned out ahead of time in order to be successful. We don’t want to be filled with frustration or anger on the day we are supposed to be resting. Remember, you are not simply creating a day of rest for the people around you or in your household, it is also FOR YOU. Planning our meals and prepping for them can be done the day before. As I mentioned in my previous post, I do my cleaning on Thursdays, grocery shopping and errands on Fridays, and meal prep on Saturdays. If your Sabbath is Saturday, just back that schedule up one day to put you on track to be prepared.

What does it mean to have my meals prepped for our day of rest? It means that I have already done the shopping. I already know what we’re going to eat. And I have done everything ahead of time to prepare the meals, except for maybe putting them into the oven or getting the food out of the refrigerator.

Here are some ways that you can prepare your day of rest meals:

  • Select what your family will eat ahead of time.
  • Shop for all of the ingredients you’ll need.
  • Consider freezer meals, the crockpot, or make ahead meals like casseroles.
  • If you’re eating something cold, like sandwiches or salads, cut and slice all of your ingredients ahead of time.
  • Consider a “potluck” meal with other families, where each family contributes a few things (made ahead of time.)
  • Consider using paper plates to serve meals to avoid clean-up. Some people even like to use disposable aluminum bake ware.

Even if your family plans to do something like grill out, it is really easy to prep everything the day before.

Be sure to follow my Pinterest board where I pin make ahead meals and ideas.(Below) If you’d like to share a recipe that makes a great make ahead meal, please leave a comment below.

If you need to catch up or want to re-read the other installments, you can find the links below:

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A Day of Rest: Part Three, The Day

Welcome back to the third installment of my series, “A Day of Rest.” In Part One we talked about why your family may want to consider a day of rest, once a week, every week. (You can can catch up on part one HERE.) In Part Two we talked about preparing ahead of time for a day of rest, so that it actually happens. (You can read that post HERE.)

Today we are going to talk about what a day of rest would look like. We want a day of rest to actually be restful, beneficial, and something joyful that you have to look forward to, not dread, each week. In today’s world we have an addiction to “busyness.” Busyness does not define a successful day, especially one when the goal is rest, so we are going to avoid busyness. Our Rest Day goal is to avoid the association of accomplishment with a completed to-do list. Instead, we’re going to focus on our Day of Rest as though it was a gift, which it is. (Read: Matthew 11:28-30 and Mark 2:27-28 and Hebrews 4.)

When you first start observing a day of rest, one day a week, every week, it’s going to feel like the world is working against you. It is. Be strong, be patient, be persistent. It’s going to be worth it. Your goal for the day is rest, so if including others in your plans is counterproductive to that, don’t.

Today I am going to share a few ideas of how to spend your day of rest. Remember, we are going to avoid work. So if you see something on this list would leave you feeling exhausted, frustrated, or defeated, then that’s not going to be the activity for you. Or maybe, in order to do it, you really need to do some planning and preparation ahead of time. For example: a picnic. A picnic!! Sounds like a fun, relaxing activity, right? Tell that to every mom that’s been responsible for getting their young kids to the beach and making sure they had a blast/got fed/made memories while they were there. That’s not a vacation for most moms; that’s a trip. So what if you are packing a picnic, bringing the Frisbees, hiking 10 miles in, and rounding up the cranky kids to get back home? Alter your plans by packing the picnic the day before, keeping the hike to a minimum, and keeping your expectations lower. If that still doesn’t work, then that is not something you want to add to your Rest Day activities.

Rest Day Activity Ideas

  • Worship with Others
  • Visit a Museum
  • Walk Outside
  • Use a camera to take photos
  • Go on a hike
  • Read a book
  • Play an instrument
  • Do a puzzle
  • Needlepoint
  • Play with a pet
  • Journal your gratitude
  • Color in a coloring book
  • Listen to a podcast
  • Take a relaxing bath
  • Diffuse oils
  • Write a thank you note
  • Facetime with long-distance family or friends
  • Deliver Baked Goods
  • Take a nap
  • Brew a special tea or coffee
  • Learn a new board game
  • Look at photo albums or books
  • Spend time with an elderly family member
  • Visit a nursing home
  • Watch a nature documentary
  • Go on a picnic
  • Eat by candlelight
  • Sit by a cozy fire
  • Play a card game
  • Watch the sunset
  • Go to the library
  • Visit a loved ones grave
  • Arrange flowers
  • Enjoy a hobby
  • Go for a train ride
  • Do a crossword puzzle
  • Listen to records
  • Stargaze laying on blankets
  • Visit a local waterfall
  • Plan random acts of kindness
  • Memorize comforting scriptures
  • Try a new restaurant
  • Deliver a meal
  • Tell your kids about when you were young.
  • Ask your parents about their childhood
  • Play charades
  • Research your ancestry
  • Watch family home movies
  • Meet with a small group Bible study
  • Look through an old hymnal

You can download a printable version of Day of Rest Activity Ideas HERE. A pdf file will open in a new tab. You can either print it or save it to your computer.

If you’re looking for more ideas, I have saved a board on Pinterest with even more ideas for how to spend your day of rest. You can follow that board HERE. Side note: many different types of faiths (religions) observe a day or rest, or Sabbath. Jewish, Mormon, and Seventh-Day Adventists are just to name a few. My family does not personally identify with any of those faiths, and observing a day of rest does not mean that you do or do not either. I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on how a day of rest would benefit your family’s mental and physical health, reading scripture that supports a day of rest, and spending time in prayer to see what the Holy Spirit leads you to do. You might see Pins on my Pinterest board that mention some of those religious faiths. Don’t let that be a distraction from getting ideas on how to spend a wonderful, relaxing day with your family.

Next week I will be sharing Part Four, Food Prep and Recipes. I feel like that this topic that falls under Preparation (part two in this series) needs more detail, because it ends up taking up a big portion of our day. When one person, or multiple people, in the family spend a large part of their rest day cooking and cleaning up from meals, then they are not able to fully enjoy the rest aspect of the day. See you next time! In the meantime, if you need to catch up or want to re-read the other installments, you can find the links below:

Day of RestDownload

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A Day of Rest: Part Two, Preparation

Last week I shared my thoughts on a couple of reasons why it is so important to take a day of rest. One day a week, every week. If you missed that post, you can click HERE, to go back and read it.

So have you decided that A Day of Rest is something that you want to try? Let me begin by confessing something: sometimes (okay more than sometimes) our family’s day of rest fails. As I mentioned in the last post, I am not sharing about a day of rest to give you “rules” or to be legalistic about what can and can’t happen on your day of rest. We do our best to prepare for a day of rest, but if something happens or comes up to derail it, it doesn’t ruin everything. (Read: Mark 2:23-28) Our salvation doesn’t depend on whether or not we observed a day of rest.

Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let’s get started!

Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.

Confucius

In order for you to be successful with a day of rest, one day a week, every week – you’ll need to prepare ahead of time. What happens when we find ourselves with time on our hands (restful, leisure time), and we are not accustomed to it? We start thinking of all of the things we need to get done: the towels we left in the washer, the yard that the HOA is going to send us a letter to cut, the groceries that need to be purchased. Often we use our day of rest as the day to prepare for the week we have ahead, instead of actually resting. That’s backwards. Think of how much better you will be the rest of the week if only you can spend an entire day of rest.

What does it look like to prepare ahead of time for a day of rest? There are a few things that will be common to all of us, but there are some things that will be unique to you and your family. What are you normally doing that day? What would you be tempted to do that day instead of resting? The areas a lot of people focus on when preparing for a day of rest are: cleaning, shopping, and cooking.

If you are working full time, or you have your hands full with kids, you may need to jot down things you normally do on the weekends, and do them throughout the week. If you find yourselves making a list that you cannot possibly get done, and also take a day of rest each week, then you might want to consider that you may be overscheduling things. Maybe you have too much on your plate and you haven’t asked for help. Maybe you need to hire a few things out, or trade some time with a friend so that you can get things done.

In order to prepare my house for a day of rest, I begin preparing on Thursdays. I clean the house (bathrooms, floors, etc). I do all of the laundry that is currently dirty. (There will be more later in the week, and I will do it then.) On Thursdays I also plan out my meals for the week, and on Fridays I do the grocery shopping. I start thinking about our plans for the weekend, and see if there is something special that our family wants to do together on our day of rest. I am also trying to anticipate what work my husband and kids might be dealing with that would interfere with their day of rest. For example, if I don’t think my husband will have time to cut the grass, I’ll take care of it for him. In addition, on Fridays and Saturdays I will start to prepare our meals as much as possible ahead of time, so that all I have to do is put something into the oven to finish it, etc.

Preparing for a day of rest doesn’t need to fall on one person. Different members of the family can help with different things. Maybe your teen wants to plan the meals and create a grocery pick up order. Maybe your elementary kids can fold towels. It’s a group effort, and you’ll all benefit from the day.

If you’ve never observed a true day of rest before, it can take a while to get used to. It can also take time for your family to get on board with you. Don’t give up! Give yourself some grace, and keep tweaking things until they work for you. Once you get into the swing of things, you may want to take steps to make your day of rest more special, or sacred. In that case, you’ll want to set aside time during the week for those extra steps, too.

“Be brave enough to be bad at something new.”

What’s next? You’ve prepared for your day of rest, now what? Come back next week, and I’ll share some ways to spend your day of rest, without crossing over into the work zone again. (Further reading: Hebrews chapter 4, Matthew 11:28-30)

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A Day of Rest: Part One

Somehow we’ve gotten to a point where resting and recharging is looked down upon, as though it is a sign of weakness. We’ve given people (family, friends, clients) 24 hour access to our lives through social media notifications, texting, and email. Who are we kidding…of course, we got the email because we don’t set our phones down for 2 minutes. Right?

Or what about “the hustle”? Now a 40 hour work week is somehow less than “full time.” It’s not enough to have one job, you’ve got to have a side hustle, too. Between work, constantly checking our phones, and the bombardment of “news” media, our brains and life in general never stop spinning.

We weren’t meant to live like this. It’s no wonder that more and more people are suffering from mental health issues. And our immune systems become weaker when we don’t take time to care for ourselves. Worked to the bone? Yikes, not good.

“If you’re tired, learn to rest, not quit.”

So what’s the answer? How do we fix this? A day of rest. Simple as that, a day of rest. One day a week, every week, where you unplug from distractions. One day a week of no working on emails or working around the house doing laundry or yard work. A day to do nothing but rest!

Many people do this because their faith calls them to do it. A Sabbath day is one to worship and to abstain from work. Some people get half-way there by going to church to worship, but then they fall short of the rest portion. The best part! (Read: Deuteronomy 5:12-14 and Hebrews chapter 4)

Even if your faith doesn’t call you to take a day of rest, there’s no denying that it’s a good choice for your mental and physical well-being. But, it’s easier said than done, right? I mean, something always comes up. It’s true, and I am not sharing to be legalistic in any way. In the next few weeks I’ll be sharing blog posts on taking a day of rest. I won’t be sharing “rules” for observing a day of rest, or Sabbath. I’ll be sharing a starting point: How to prepare so that you can truly rest, Suggestions for how to spend your day, Recipes I like to use, and so forth.

If you weren’t raised observing a day of rest, this might be completely new for you. I hope that you’ll come back for the rest of the series. In the meantime, spend some time thinking (praying) about all of the benefits a day of rest would mean for you and your family.

Further reading: Isaiah 58:13-14, Exodus 20:8-11, Hebrews chapter 4

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Celebrate Epiphany

We all sang The Twelve Days of Christmas carol as children, but many people don’t know that the 12 days of Christmas mark the time beginning on Christmas Day and ending on January 6th, Epiphany. I want to share with you how our family celebrates Epiphany and why.

Epiphany is the day to celebrate the wise men arriving to visit Jesus. It is celebrated by Christians all around the world. Epiphany is sometimes called Twelfth Night or Three Kings Day. In Louisiana it marks the beginning of Carnival season.

Why does our family celebrate Epiphany?

I’ve noticed that people are decorating for Christmas earlier and earlier. It seems like most of my friends decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving this year, some of them as early as the day after Halloween. By the time Christmas Day rolls around their trees and wreaths are brittle, and they’re tired of all of the Christmas decor. One of my friends posted that she was taking all of her decorations down Christmas night! I always wait until the day after Thanksgiving to put my Christmas decor up because I know we’ll be leaving a lot of our decor up until Epiphany. But why?

One reason to celebrate Epiphany is that you’ll notice how you are able slow down and actually enjoy Christmas as a season, and not just one day. All of the shopping, baking, parties, and wrapping leads up to one climactic morning on Christmas. What a downer when December 26th comes around! If you continue to celebrate during the 12 days after Christmas you’ll notice that it is no longer about the presents, but more about presence. The time spent together as a family or with friends during these 12 days is the true spirit of Christmas.

Another reason to celebrate Epiphany is to keep Christ the focus of your holiday season. It’s another opportunity to read a scripture lesson and to celebrate finding a Savior, not receiving items from a Christmas list.

I also love participating in traditions. Traditions bring people together. They give us something to look forward to and memories to look back upon. Traditions connect generations and give us something in common.

How does our family celebrate Epiphany?

We celebrate Epiphany very, very simply at our house. First, we share a King Cake. We buy our King Cake from Publix, but it would be a snap to make one. A King Cake is used all around the world. Inside the King Cake a tiny baby figurine (the baby Jesus) is hidden. In some countries whoever finds the baby Jesus in the cake hosts the party the next year. In the U.S. tradition says you will be the person to bring the King Cake the next year.

We also celebrate Epiphany with Christmas crackers. (Since Epiphany is technically after Christmas, you can usually find them on clearance.) Most Christmas crackers have a crown inside them to symbolize a king or wise man. They usually have jokes inside them, too. Christmas crackers are just something fun to sit around the dinner table and do together.

Lastly we read the passage from the Bible that tells the story of the wise men finding Jesus. You can find this in Matthew 2:1-12.

I hope this post will inspire you to celebrate Epiphany with your friends and family! Let me know in the comments below if you have special Epiphany traditions. I’d love to hear them!

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Christmas Place Setting and Christmas Fun!

I really can’t believe we’re about a week away from the last Christmas of the decade! I’m thankful to be done with work for the year, although I am especially thankful for the work days, too. I set our Christmas table several weeks ago, but haven’t had a chance to blog pictures of it yet, so here are a few:

Click the photo above to find everything you need to recreate this look.

This year I have once again used a mixture of Blue Willow and Spode Christmas tree. If you follow me on Instagram, you may remember that last year I used these same two patterns, but in reverse. I’ll post a picture below to remind you. I am a lover (hoarder?) of all things Blue Willow, so inevitably it shows up in my holiday decor.

Click the photo above to find everything you need to recreate this look.

This year I have come up with some fun things to do with our kids now that they’re older. We obviously aren’t doing things like visiting Santa or writing him letters. But teens can be especially reluctant to spend quality time together, which we joking call, “Forced Family Fun.”

Click the photo above to find everything you need to recreate this look.

I don’t want our holiday time to actually feel forced, though. I want them to be excited. They have worked really hard this semester in school (one in their first official year of college, and one in their first year of high school), so I want them to blow off some steam and enjoy their break. I’m also cognizant of keeping up with Christmas fun for our younger teen who is still living at home. She deserves the same years and experiences as her older brother. I don’t want things to just “drop off” because our family dynamic has changed.

Click the photo above to find everything you need to recreate this look.

Here are a few things we’ve got planned for the coming week:

  • Gingerbread House Contest (with prizes! i.e. motivation to participate and have fun!)
  • Cookie Baking
  • Outdoor Fire-pit Time
  • Shopping and Wrapping Presents for each other
  • Christmas Lights displays
  • A Christmas Puzzle (We do one each year, and this year I found the cutest one. Follow me on Instagram to see it.)
  • Christmas Eve church service, followed by late night Waffle House
  • Christmas Movie time together with snacks.

I’d love to hear how you make the season fun with teens and young adults! Please feel free to share in the comments below. Goodness, I can use all the help in that department that I can get!

Merry, merry Christmastime to you and yours!

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Advent Wreath and Devotional

I am excited to share a few of our family Christmas traditions with you over the next few weeks. Growing up I had never heard of an Advent wreath. However, when my children were very small I took them to a free workshop our church was having where we could make an advent wreath for our family and learn more about it. Fast forward, and the wreath we made long ago with faux greenery, Styrofoam, and wired ribbon is gone. But we still use the worksheet we were given with the suggested prayers and Bible readings. I’d like to share with you the Advent wreath we now use. And I’d like to give you a printable version of something you can use as a family each week as you light each Advent candle. Just a note that the type on the Advent devotional is small because I felt it was important to fit it on one page. It makes it easier for you to copy and share with friends and to keep track of over the years.

Right after Christmas of 2017 our old Advent wreath fell apart. It was about 10 years old and the Styrofoam couldn’t hold up any more. I made up my mind that by the time Advent came around in 2018 I wanted to find something affordable but of heirloom quality. I searched Etsy and Amazon and many other stores for months but couldn’t find anything I liked. Two days before Advent began in 2018 I stumbled across a candle holder at Target that was perfect. It wasn’t labeled “Advent Wreath”, but that’s what it is. It’s heavy and solid, and it’s something that I hope to use with my grandchildren one day. This (2019) is our second year using it, and I thought I would share it with you.

Advent wreaths are made of a wreath of evergreen branches. In this case I am using Magnolia clippings. If you aren’t familiar with Magnolia trees, they are evergreen trees abundant in the South. Whether growing or cut, the topsides of the leaves are green, and the undersides are a velvety brown.

Also in an Advent wreath you will need 3 purple (sometimes blue is used), 1 pink, and 1 white candle. Each week of Advent, which begins 4 Sundays before Christmas, an additional candle is lit. Finally, on Christmas, the white Christ candle is lit. I go into detail which candle to light and the meanings on the weekly devotional that I will provide below.

I want to pause and say something loudly and with love: The wreath? Just a symbol. The candles? Symbols, too. In the end, when you are worshiping with your family, the quality doesn’t matter. Goodness, you could be using paper candles that a child colors a flame on each week. What matters is the worship, the gratitude, the acknowledgement of the Son, the acceptance of love and peace.

Here’s another thing: sometimes we Mamas forget things. If Sunday goes by and it’s Monday, and you suddenly realize you forgot to light the candle the day before…show yourself some Grace, and just do it Monday. Your kids aren’t going to remember if you did it on a Monday or Tuesday. They’ll remember the words spoken and the candle’s glow.

Here is a printable version of the devotional we use each week during Advent. I have added some additional details such as candle color and an introduction at the top. But for the most part this writing originally came from “An Advent Service for the Home” by Pat Floyd.

Advent Weekly Devotional christmas-advent-devotional-and-instructions-1Download

I hope you have been inspired to celebrate the Advent season with your family and friends. Let me know how you find ways to celebrate our Savior throughout Christmastime.

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Southern Traditions (that Y’all Should Know About)

Seven years ago I wrote a blog post about 10 southern traditions that everyone should know about. Since then I have heard a few people say how some of those traditions are ridiculous. But our traditions are what bind us as a southern culture. They unite us and give us a common link to each other. I think the world could use a little more of that – looking for what we have in common, instead of how we’re different.

I wanted to repost those southern traditions and share them again. Even if you’re not southern, these are traditions anyone can enjoy and participate in.

Southern Wedding Traditions

Cake pulls have been a tradition for southern weddings that date back as far as Victorian times. A tiny charm with a ribbon attached is placed into a cake and the bridesmaids pull the ribbon and receive their fortune.  Southern wedding tradition also says that if a bride and groom go to the site of their wedding exactly one month before the wedding day and bury a bottle of bourbon, then it will not rain on their wedding day. The bottle should be completely full and buried upside down, or so tradition says. To learn more about cake pulls and their meaning, visit Southern Living.

Photo via Southern Living

Bottle Trees

Southern gardens traditionally have a “bottle tree.” Bottle trees were believed to attract evil spirits at dusk. The spirits were supposedly trapped in the bottles, and when the sun rose and shone on the bottles, the spirits were destroyed. Tradition says that as the wind blew across the bottles you could hear the spirits moaning. 

Photo via Big Country Iron Works

Church

Churches in the south aren’t just worship centers. They are a hub for social gatherings and community outreach. You can find churches throughout the Bible belt hosting potluck dinners, selling smoked pork butts as fundraisers, and stocking food pantry shelves to help those in need. The easiest way to see what southern holidays are like, is to find a southern church. Easter, Trunk-or-Treats, and Christmas pageants are all big events. Whether you join the Methodist, Baptist, or Presbyterian church in town, finding a “church home” will fill your social calendar.

Football

Football in the South is not taken lightly. Friday Night Lights in the local high school stadium will bring out the whole town. Even those who do not have a high school student take supporting the local team seriously. Local businesses take pride in the hometown high school football teams, too.

If you think high school football is big in the South, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve met a SEC college football fan. Getting married? You better not schedule that on a game day! College football is almost a religion unto itself. Your neighbor might be a perfectly nice person, but if they cheer for the wrong team, you’ll always deep-down hold that against them. (“She’s nice and all, but she likes Alabama.”)

Tailgating before the big games is almost as big of a deal as the game. Serious tailgaters don’t just serve the basic burgers and dogs. It can get fancy and decadent. Ladies find ways to create the perfect outfits using their school colors. Just because it’s a football game doesn’t mean that pearls can’t go with it! Some men wear polos, button-ups, and even bow ties with khakis on game day.

photo via Pinterest

Food

In the south we will find any excuse to get together, especially for food. A low country boil is an event in itself. Sometimes called Frogmore Stew, a low country boil cooks corn on the cob, sausage, potatoes, and some type of shellfish, whether it’s shrimp or crayfish, in a big pot. Once it’s cooked, it is dumped out onto tables covered in newspapers.

Only the best barbecue comes from the south. We like to cook any kind of meat low and slow with smoke. Add a side of Brunswick Stew, and your BBQ meal is complete. We even eat a meal for good luck on New Year’s Day. It doesn’t matter who your mama is, what neighborhood you’re from, or what you look like, in the south collard greens, cornbread, fried chicken, and mac and cheese are traditional staples.

photo via Epicurius recipe

Manners

Southerners don’t use manners “just for show”. We use manners because it shows respect to others. We joke that saying “bless your heart” is really a nice way of saying anything from “that poor girl” to “you fool”. But the point is, even if we don’t like someone or we disagree with them, we can be respectful and simply say, “bless your heart” before moving on. We teach our kids to saying ma’am and sir to show respect to anyone older than us, because we realize that with age comes wisdom. We hold the door open for the person behind us, because why not give your fellow man or woman a hand? Manners are not demeaning; they show human compassion.

In the South, some children and young adults attend cotillion, which is etiquette training that teaches manners, basic dancing skills, and ways to be a conscientious and courteous member of society.

Haint Blue Porch Ceilings

Haint Blue porch ceilings are a long-standing tradition in the south. Haint is the combination of the words Haunted and Saint. In other words, a Haint is a ghost or an evil spirit. Haint Blue has been said to repel evil spirits from entering a home. Some people also believed that it kept the bugs away, which can be bothersome on southern porches on summer evenings.

Haint Blue is a hue that can vary depending on who you’re asking. It can also vary regionally. For our ceiling we selected one of the most popular Haint Blue colors, Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue, HC-144. To see more about our Haint Blue porch ceiling, click HERE.

To summarize, in the South we are proud of our culture, history, and traditions. We love people, food, and football. To read more about Southern Traditions, here are a few other posts that might interest you:

Haint Blue Porch Ceiling

Southern Easter Traditions

The Southern Easter Menu

The Southern Thanksgiving Menu

The Southern New Year’s Day Menu

Southern Hummingbird Cake with Tupelo Honey Creamcheese frosting

Dressing with Southern Class and a Little Bit of Sass

10 Southern Traditions that Y’all Should Know About (original post)

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Haint Blue Porch Ceiling

We recently painted our porch ceiling Haint Blue. Haint Blue porch ceilings are a long-standing tradition in the south. Haint is the combination of the words Haunted and Saint. In other words, a Haint is a ghost or an evil spirit. Haint Blue has been said to repel evil spirits from entering a home. Some people also believed that it kept the bugs away, which can be bothersome on southern porches on summer evenings.

Haint Blue is a hue that can vary depending on who you’re asking. It can also vary regionally. For our ceiling we selected one of the most popular Haint Blue colors, Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue, HC-144. Southern Living agrees that Palladian Blue is one of the best choices for a Haint Blue ceiling.

Popular Porch Ceiling Colors from Benjamin Moore’s website.

Palladian Blue is a blueish-green. It looks different shades on our porch throughout the day. A lot of the accents on our house trim are beige, so a baby blue color like Clear Skies might’ve looked garish. A color like Clear Skies would also look better on a porch ceiling in a coastal region of the South.

This porch ceiling from Bless’Er House was an inspiration point when I was picking out a color.

We recently refreshed our whole porch, but painting the ceiling was my favorite part.

To learn more on other Southern Traditions you should know about, you can read my post HERE.

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Southern Hummingbird Cake with Tupelo Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

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Do you have a favorite cake? Funny enough, I associate a specific cake with each of my siblings. My sister, Tara, is without a doubt “Pineapple Upside Down Cake.” It’s one of her faves and I enjoy making them for her when I can. My twin bro, Ty, is Coconut Cake. We grew up with a sweet little Southern neighbor named AnnieBelle, who adored Ty so much that she made him a Coconut Cake all for himself. I’m not sure if he likes it as an adult, but there’s nothing he can do to change my mind that Coconut Cake = Ty. And my biggest bro, Stephen, is Baked Alaska. It’s a long time running joke that he would, of course, request one of the most difficult desserts to make from his wife on his birthday. Poor Dawna.

So what cake am I? I don’t know…I’ll have to ask them what they think. Samantha thinks I am “Carrot Cake.” And I do love it. But for my birthday I decided to make a Southern cake staple, the Hummingbird Cake. The density and icing is totally something you would like if you are a carrot cake lover.

I’m making a few changes. First of all, no nuts for us – Both because of food of allergies and because I don’t like a crunchy cake. Secondly, I am using Tupelo honey in both the cake and the icing. My sister gifted me with a jar of my favorite Tupelo honey from the Savannah Bee Company.* Tupelo honey has a buttery flavor and it’s going to pair nicely with the bananas, pineapple, and coconut in my recipe. (Recipe at the bottom.) *This isn’t a paid advertisement. I just really like their honey.

To get started, mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl whisk the eggs and oil. I whisked the honey in at this point, too. But next time I’m going to add it at the same time as the bananas.

Time to add the bananas, pineapple, and coconut.

So rich with the yummy Tupelo honey cream cheese icing…Disclaimer: I am NOT a cake decorator. Not pretty, but oh so good!

Southern Hummingbird Cake

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: medium
  • Print

A traditional southern cake recipe.


Credit: BelleAntiquarian.com

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 3/4 cups of sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cups very ripe chopped bananas
  • 8 oz canned crushed pineapple, undrained
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • (optional) 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • softened butter and flour for greasing pans

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350*
  2. Grease and flour two 9-inch baking pans
  3. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, sugar
  4. Beat eggs and oil in a smaller bowl; add to flour and stir with a spatula.
  5. Stir in bananas, un-drained pineapple, coconut, and honey. (And nuts if you are using them.) Mix well.
  6. Pour batter into pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cakes are done when a tester comes out clean.
  7. Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes and then cool completely on wire racks.
  8. Ice with honey cream cheese icing and top with toasted coconut and/or nuts.
  9. To toast coconut or pecans spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350*.
Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 8 oz. softened cream cheese
  • 2 tbs. room temperature butter
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3-4 cups of powered sugar
In an electric mixer beat the cream cheese, butter, honey, and vanilla until it is smooth with no clumps. While the mixer is on a slow speed, gradually add the powdered sugar until you get the consistency that you like. The more powdered sugar you add the thicker the icing will be.


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