Umbrella Etiquette

The only thing that is keeping me from melting here in Middle Georgia is that it pretty much rains everyday.  I have a lot of cute umbrellas and of course I like to match them to my outfits.  The 'Checking In' print is one of my all time favorites and it looks cute with hot pink, turquoise, and lime green.

  Tonight I'm carrying it and wearing a 'Shorely Blue' outfit by Lilly Pulitzer.

Mama always said to never leave home without an umbrella.  Just make sure you practice proper umbrella etiquette:

• Use an umbrella that is in proportion to your size.  Also, keep in mind that golf umbrellas belong on the golf course, not on the sidewalk.

• Look around before you open your umbrella. 

• Be prepared to maneuver your umbrella on a crowded sidewalk or when you encounter another person.

• Close your umbrella before entering a building if possible or immediately after you are inside.  Always close your umbrella before entering cars/trains/buses.

• Offer to share your umbrella with someone who left their umbrella at home.

A GIVEAWAY TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL ICED TEA MONTH!!!

The lazy days of summer are upon us! You might be enjoying sunny days at the beach, at the lake, or taking in a movie at a nice cool theatre. Well, I'm relaxing on the porch...with a good book and a goblet of iced tea!!!

June is National Iced Tea Month
In 1904 a gentleman by the name of Richard Blechynden was trying to sell his hot tea at the World's Fair in St. Louis and because there was a heat wave, no one wanted any, so he added some ice and iced tea became popular.

Like most Southerners, I began drinking iced tea at a young age. Iced tea is considered the beverage of hospitality, the table wine of the South, and sometimes referred to as the champagne of the South.

Take the heat out of your summer, slow down, and join me in sippin' some great iced tea! Today, I'm enjoying a longtime Southern favorite--Lipton Iced Tea. I'm browsing through this darlin' book "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea," looking at all the recipes and tales from a Southern cook. As a Southerner, the title and the cover photo make this a must-read for Miss Janice!

What goes well with iced tea in the summertime? I can't think of anything tastier than saltines and some 'Comeback Sauce.' I fell in love with this sauce as young girl. When mama & daddy and my brother J.D. & I would make our trips to Jackson, Mississippi to visit daddy's family, the entire Sessums family would get together for dinner at Dennery's in Jackson. The 'Comeback Sauce' was served as a complimentary appetizer with saltines. Years later, as an adult, I would drive four hours to Jackson, Mississippi just to eat at Dennery's and enjoy the saltines and sauce. Many a Southern hostess has served this sauce in crystal bowls and a plate of saltines. It's good with all kinds of food...chilled shrimp, a green salad, french fries, fried dill pickles, and other Southern favs.



It's The Table Sauce of the South...there is a fab recipe for the sauce in the book or you can buy the sauce online at TheMississippiGiftCompany .

I'm enjoying this Southern fav...on the porch, at "The Roost."

Saltines and "Comeback Sauce!"

To celebrate National Iced Tea Month, I'm hosting another giveaway!!!

Here's the prize:
My mama, Miss Pauline always taught me that it is more gracious to give than to receive. Along with the book, "Screened Doors and Sweet Tea", I'm adding a bottle of 'Comeback Sauce.' I'm also including this absolutely precious monogrammed iced tea pitcher and tumbler set, I KNEW that one of my readers should have it...it's just too cute!!! Good Lord, I want it myself!

So, along with the book and the 'Comeback Sauce, the winner will receive the pitcher and tumbler set, with your monogram--in the font and color of your choice.

Here's the rules y'all:

~To receive one entry--you must leave a comment.
~To receive two entries--please let me know if you are a follower of my blog or if you are a new friend and proper follower.
~For a third entry--please let me know if you posted about my giveaway on your blog/or Twitter.

The winner will be announced on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Good luck y'all!

HAPPY MAY DAY AND RUN FOR THE ROSES!

Tomorrow is May Day & The Kentucky Derby...a huge day in the South! However, there will be no pretty 'May Day Baskets' or mint juleps in my day! Beginning at 6:00 tonight and ending tomorrow at noon, I will be participating in the Cancer Society's Relay for Life to honor and support my friend Jan Taylor, who is battling liver cancer. You can read more about this story here. This time tomorrow, I will hopefully be resting my poor ole feet and snoozing!

I thought I would show y'all a previous blog post I did about 'May Day Baskets' and the Derby...

~May Day Basket~
I think it's such a sweet tradition (bringing in May) to create a May Day Basket and leave it on someone's door handle--just ring the bell and scoot! You can give them to friends, family, or elderly neighbors. The basket can be of any shape or style and contain flowers, cookies, candy, or maybe even tea and scones. For my basket, I used a green toile container, added some fresh spring flowers, and a green gingham ribbon to tie the basket to the door handle...very simple, very Southern.
~ Run for the Roses~
And they're off! Tomorrow, at 6:24 p.m. E.S.T. it's post time for the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby. In the world of sports, there is not a more moving moment than the one when the horses step onto the track for the Kentucky Derby post parade and the band strikes up "My Old Kentucky Home." Those ladies decked out in their spring outfits and gorgeous hats, what a fashion parade!

On Derby Day it's time for mint juleps*. It's not surprising that mint juleps are popular in the South, mint is a symbol of hospitality and this drink brings forth the ideal image of genteel gatherings sprinkled with that sweet Southern drawl...

It is considered proper to drink mint juleps with a sterling mint julep straw/spoon. Simply use the spoon to stir the julep and sip your beverage through the tiny hole at the end. This is one of the very few times a lady should use a straw to drink a beverage. It's also acceptable to use a straw when you are drinking a coke out of a can or when you've "taken ill and are in the bed."

A sterling mint julep straw/spoon...stir with one end and sip from the other...Could you possibly get more Southern?

*Recipe for Miss Janice's Mint Julep
1 tblsp. granulated sugar
8 mint leaves
1 tblsp. water
4 oz. Kentucky bourban
Crushed ice
Sprig of fresh mint

Place sugar and mint leaves in a small bowl. Bruise mint well and muddle with sugar until they form paste. Add water and stir well. Add bourban; pour into julep cups (which have been frosted in the freezer) and fill with crushed ice. Insert sprig of fresh mint and silver straw. Each julep should be made separately.

~Derby Party Hostess Gift~
Y'all know Miss Janice always likes to take a gift to the hostess. I found this Mint Julep mix at TJ Maxx. I kind of like the package, but that thing attached...and that tacky ribbon. No ma'am, it's cute, but not cute enough for moi...
I took the julep mix out of the package, placed it inside a silver mint julep cup, made a gift card with several recipes printed on the back of the card, and attached a silver mint julep straw/spoon with a green dotted ribbon. I wanted it to be Southern...and Memorable.


Thank you so much for stopping by today. I'm off to get ready for the Relay for Life event. If you are my friend on Facebook {Janice Sessums Gibson} or Twitter {www.twitter.com/socialgraces101}, please chat with me tonight...I'll be UP ALL NIGHT, y'all!

Remember, it's the little things that you do for others that makes the day special and memorable.

Happy May Day!

Fewer and fewer people celebrate May Day anymore. I think it's such a sweet tradition (bringing in May) to create a May Day Basket and leave it on someone's door handle--just ring the bell and run! You can give them to friends, family, or elderly neighbors. The basket can be of any shape or style and contain flowers, cookies, candy, or maybe even tea and scones. Here's one of my May Day Baskets. I used a green toile container, added some fresh spring flowers, and a green gingham ribbon to tie the basket to the door handle...very simple...very Southern.

Since it's the first day of May, I thought I'd also show y'all my "Friendship Gifts" for the month--Mint Julep teabags. They are inside the cute little thatched-style, cottage boxes and wrapped in cello, then tied with spring-ish gingham ribbon...definitely Southern.
Thank you for stopping by today. Remember, it's the little things that you do for others that makes the day special and memorable.