Sweet Tea
There is a saying “In the South we don’t hide crazy, we parade it on the front porch and give it a glass of sweet tea”. We drink our tea with real sugar and lots of it. If you ask for a glass of sweet tea, and they say, “All we have is unsweet,” you just respond, “I’ll have a water.”
Homemade Jam
Teach your children how to make jam, if you need to learn yourself, startpracticing. There is no better hostess gift than a jar of homemade jam.
1 box Sure-Jell Fruit Pectin
4 c. sugar
2 c. crushed strawberries
3/4 c. water
Mix strawberries and sugar thoroughly. Set aside 10 minutes.
Stir Sure-Jell with water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Stir mixtures together until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy. Pour into plastic containers; cover. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator or freeze extra containers. Thaw in refrigerator.
Makes about 4 (1 cup) containers.
Grandmother’s China
She used it, why shouldn’t I? Some only bring out the fine china for special occasions. I say dinner with my family and friends is a special occasion, even on a Tuesday.
Front Porch Sitting
In the South we spend a lot of time on our front porches. Make your front porch your happy place. Sit, wave hello, read a book, chat with friends, hang a flag, enjoy the season, watch your children play, and make memories.
Hospitality
Southern hospitality in particular. You can google it. In the South we practice kindness. We open doors and ask, “How are you today?” We bring meals to our neighbors, be it a new baby coming home or the passing of a loved one. We want to make people feel welcome and never want anyone to be hungry.
Pecan Pie
You can never go wrong with a good pecan pie. Everyone will agree on pecan pie, they just may not all agree on how to pronounce it.
Manners
Yes Ma’am and no Ma’am is second nature, and if we ever forgot that, our parents would quickly remind us. It is the same with “please” and “thank you”. In the South, we mind our manners.
Monograms
Nothing says Southern like a good monogram, especially on our children. When it comes to dressing our children if it does not have a monogram, it’s because it’s smocked.
Fresh Flowers
There is just something about fresh flowers that make a home feel like home. Even if just daffodils picked from the yard, fresh flowers add a little extra love to a good Southern home.
Handwritten
Thank You Notes- Write them and mail them. They will always mean a lot to whomever receives them. Thank you notes are a must in the South, always.
Sunday Mornings
We head to church to praise The Lord who blessed us with his precious son Jesus Christ. After church we gather with our families for Sunday lunch, some good sweet tea, and a little front porch sitting.