High Tide and Tailgating

"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time. " Ecclesiastes I am always in awe of the beauty of high tide! Just had to share a picture of "high tide" this morning. Later today we'll be tailgating before the Gamecocks kick-off against Florida Atlantic at Williams Brice Stadium.

I've been wanting to make this Cornbread Salad for a while now. This seems like a great opportunity - hope it will be a crowd-pleaser!

The recipe is an adaptation from Cornbread Salad in one of our favorite local cookbooks: Full Moon, High Tide. Begin with a layer of chopped lettuce and mixed vegetables. I used tomatoes, corn, bell pepper, cucumbers, green onions, and black beans. Many of the recipes I scanned called for pinto beans - I just like black beans better. Take your pick! Then there is a layer of crumbled cornbread. Use your favorite recipe. I used "always dependable and quick" - Jiffy Cornbread. Baked, cooled, and coarsely crumbled. Next is a layer of dressing: This one is a bit fat-laden. 16 oz. reduced fat sour cream, 1 cup mayonnaise, and 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (original). Last, but not least, grated cheddar cheese and crumbled crispy bacon!! (Layer everything twice.) Refrigerate!!

ENJOY!!! GO GAMECOCKS!!

Little Cabin in the Woods

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend!! We were able to spend some time in Cashiers, N. C. in this little cabin in the woods . . . (That song we learned in kindergarten kept popping into my head . . . "Little cabin in the woods . . . little man by the window stood . . . saw a rabbit hopping by . . . frightened as could be. Help me! Help me! Help! he cried . . . or the hunter will shoot me dead. . . Little rabbit come inside . . . safely to abide." Pretty heavy plot for preschoolers. Anyway . . . we had a great weekend. Philip and Amanda came on Sunday. Philip was our personal trail guide. We had a nice hike after lunch on the Chatooga Trail in the Nantahala Forest. We hiked down to the river and looked for trout. A few were sighted . . .but we had no fishing tackle. Our trail guide . . . and his assistant . . . A wildflower . . . amidst curled up rhododendrun leaves . . . A little sewing was also accomplished. Baby daygown number one has been smocked! It was really fun to smock again. It has been years since I've smocked. I was fortunate to be able to get "Ready to Smock" gowns from Susie's Ready to Smock. The smocking is done in ecru and adapted from "Heirloom" by Julia Golson. One more to go!! Today I will finish the baby crib skirts!! Another big cheer!! I love the fabric that Ashley picked out. It has a nursery rhyme theme with pictures of all our favorite nursery characters. It is called "Over the Moon". (Margarita Cushing - 5th Avenue Designs for Covington) And yes, the knitting continues . . .but those blankets still have a way to go!! I still can't imagine where the summer has gone. I'm never quite ready to give it up. One more burst of bloom from some of the plants . . . like this bottlebrush . . .

I do admit that it's exciting to watch some of the camellias begin to put on flower buds. The weather is a little cooler. As you can see, I'm having to convince myself that this is a good

thing. . . . I can't wait 'til next summer!!