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In my own life, once I realized this concept, I could see how God had brought me through and into different seasons. In the same way that summer relieves into fall, I have had times of intense pressure finally break into peace and calm. Like the way winter turns into spring, I know God has given me something new to look forward to when I feel my life has become dull or tired. Recently, I have felt stuck or even misplaced at times as my life has become a conglomeration of multiple seasons. When Chris and I got married, our idea was to have our children when we were young so that we could enjoy life together even after they were grown, and so that we could be young enough to enjoy our future grandchildren. As I’ve said before, God must have laughed at us and our plan for the 12 years between our two oldest boys (Seth & Caleb) and Perry! Perry has certainly been a blessing we never even knew we needed, but I have suddenly been thrust into raising two teenagers and a toddler, which can be a bit overwhelming at times! Since I was a stay-at-home mom when the older two were toddlers, I have also had to learn how to navigate being a working mom, even if it’s just part-time at The Shoppes. Fortunately, my mother has been a lifesaver, keeping Perry three days a week for me, so I haven’t had to worry about childcare. For the last year and a half, I have also spent my Thursdays at Paulk Vineyards with Perry in tow, working on blogs and newsletters, planning events, and helping out with the winery as much as possible with a nursing baby or into-everything toddler! For those of you don’t know, Paulk Vineyards is my family’s muscadine vineyard and winery. You can read more about how I became a part of the Paulk family by reading my blog Muscadines, Grandma, & a Husband. I have been pulled in so many different directions that I really haven’t felt like I was doing a very good job at any of my roles. There has been a feeling of discontent in my heart for a while that I know from past experience is God’s sign that I’m ready for a new season. Not discontent with anyone or anything in my life, but more of an unsettledness with my circumstances. That, coupled with some changes out at Paulk Vineyards, has led me to a difficult decision I honestly wasn’t sure I’d ever make. With a heart full of mixed emotions, I will be leaving The Southern Mercantile and The Shoppes at Fourth and Cherry to work full-time at Paulk Vineyards. I’m excited (and a little nervous!) about my new role and working with my husband, but I’m sad that I won’t be spending my days with my co-workers friends here. I’ll miss seeing regular customers who have become friends, as well as meeting new people and introducing them to the best chicken salads and pimiento cheese you could ever taste! Perhaps I’ll cook more at home now that I won’t be cooking at work; but, I still won’t want to wash dishes! Thank you all for the many wonderful memories of working at the best job I have ever had! Thank you for encouraging me throughout so many seasons of my life! Thank you for reading my blog posts, for praying for me and my family, and for supporting our online community!
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![]() Here in the South, we love to call a dish a "salad." Think about it - Watergate Salad, pear salad, chicken salads, congealed salads, frozen salads, ham salad - what really makes a salad a salad? Maybe it just makes us feel better about eating it? Possibly the most confusing "salad" we serve at our Cafe is a dish called "Hot Chicken Salad," which is really more of a casserole. Adding to the confusion is the fact that we keep these Hot Chicken Salads in the freezer for sale for customers to bake at home! It may be confusing, but one thing is for sure - it is delicious! Creamy chicken and rice, dotted with celery, boiled eggs, and almonds, all baked together makes for comfort food at its finest. Its ingredient list is simple, making it perfect for a weekday dinner or covered dish supper, but it can also be dressed up for company with a few extra almonds on top. Pair it with a green salad (meaning one made with lettuce, but no judgment if it's a Watergate Salad), or green beans for an easy meal just about anyone will eat! Since it is a comfort food dish that almost anyone will eat, it's perfect for taking to a church potluck or to someone's house who's just had a baby or death in the family. In fact, the recipe is enough to make two large (9x13) pans, so you can bake one for your family and one to share! Tara's blog post, A Little Food Goes a Long Way, tells just how much sharing food with our neighbors really means! If you love the carved wooden spoon and cotton trivet in the picture above, you're in luck! Both are available to purchase in The Southern Mercantile Kitchen category.
![]() I don’t recall ever reading the Oscar Wilde quote on our latest t-shirt design until Katelyn showed it to me, though I’m sure I’ve come across it before. In any case, between wearing my shirt throughout the summer and seeing it on our chalkboard every day when I walk in to work, it has stayed on my mind. “With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?” In getting ready to send my older boys back to school, I began to think about what it’s like to grow up in the South and in particular, my favorite summer memories. I can recall riding my bicycle up and down our little country road over and over all summer long. Of course, I grew up in the country, so I had no real neighborhood to traipse through or many friends’ homes to hang out. My grandparents lived up the hill, and just past their house was my grandfather’s cousin’s house. “Uncle Merle” and “Aunt Margaret” lived there, and at some point in my childhood, their daughter’s family, Margie, Ron (aka “Rooster”), and Melissa moved in with them. Although Melissa and I were not closely related, we were very close in age, and became fast friends. We would meet in the mornings at the pomegranate tree in my grandmother’s backyard, then make a plan for the rest of the day. We took turns spending our nights at each others’ houses and our days riding our bikes all over my grandparents’ farm. Our mothers allowed us to get in the kitchen and make our own breakfasts and lunches, scrambling eggs and making peanut butter, jelly, and cream cheese sandwiches - don’t knock it till you try it! :) When I wasn’t riding around with Melissa, I was attending Vacation Bible School at one of our local churches. My friends and I had quite the VBS circuit, sometimes even attending one in the mornings, and one in the evenings! I also had the opportunity to go to a couple of different camps, Woodmen of the World at Camp Glynn and 4-H Camp at Camp Fulton. When there wasn’t anything else to do or anyone to play with, I spent quite a lot of time in my room reading. One summer, my brother actually built a platform in a tree for me to climb up and read there. It became one of my favorite places outside because I was enveloped in the leaves of that oak tree and surrounded by the scent of the jasmine vine growing up the trellis nearby. I felt so “outdoorsy” and almost as if I was in heaven, even though I was no more than 20 feet outside the back door! Those summer memories helped make for a happy childhood, and even recalling them now gives me a happy feeling of nostalgia. I had freedom (limited, of course), books, even flowers and the moon, which are simple, everyday things we take for granted. You know, so many people chase happiness all their lives, but are never satisfied. They fill up with what makes them happy at the time, then when that no longer makes them happy, they become depressed or turn to something else to try to fill that void. At times, I’m sure we’ve all been there; I know I have. Happiness is a result of our circumstances, while joy can be found no matter our circumstances. That is what I’ve learned to focus on, that I can choose to have joy in spite of whatever is going on in my life. The simple things in life can bring happiness, even in the midst of trials. On busy days, a flower or joke from one of my boys puts a smile on my face; when someone passes away, remembering time spent together brings laughter through the tears; during tough times, a song can life my spirits. Although happiness can be short-lived, those moments remind us to focus on others rather than ourselves and bring us back to our true joy. I’m reminded of an acronym I probably learned in one of those Vacation Bible Schools I attended. JOY stands for Jesus, Others, Yourself. I know it seems a bit cliche, but if we live our lives with our priorities in that order, we can find true joy instead of just trying to be happy. Isn't it funny how simple summer memories can have a lifelong impact?! It's not too late to order one of our Southern Merc T-shirts featuring original artwork by our Katelyn! Let our favorite Oscar Wilde quote help you remember to find your joy in simple things! They are on sale right now for $19 so grab yours while they last!
![]() By the time Perry was about 6 months old, I already knew what his First Birthday Party theme would be. Little Blue Truck is absolutely his favorite book, and he has shown a preference for it long before I thought he should be able to. As we read the book to him, he would lean around the page to see what was coming next as he turned the page. And, when we finished, he would cry for us to read it again, even pushing other books out of the way! I had never even heard of Little Blue Truck before one of my teacher friends gave it to us at Perry's baby shower (side note, the other book she gave me, Pete the Cat's Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star is also among his favorites!). It's a sweet story of Little Blue Truck who makes friends with lots of farm animals as he rides down the road. When a rude dump truck gets stuck in the mud, no one comes to help until Little Blue Truck shows up and get stuck himself. When all his friends hear his "Beep! Beep! Beep!" they show up and do what it takes to get both trucks out. Since it's not a very well-known book, there aren't a lot of party decorations readily available, so I had to get creative. In the back of the book, there is a link to download a party kit that includes party hats, cupcake toppers, coloring sheets, and a "Pin the hat on Blue" game (which was a lot of fun for the older kids). That gave me a good start, but I knew I needed more, beginning with an invitation. So, I got to work using some of my favorite online tools! I got on Pinterest and created a board for Perry's birthday party to get some ideas. I was surprised and very pleased when I searched Etsy and found several invitation options! I finally settled on a digital version I could send electronically and print myself. Of course, once I started looking, I discovered lots of Little Blue Truck items made by people who are more creative than I am. I found decorations for centerpieces I could also download and print myself. I ordered a onesie embroidered with Little Blue Truck and his friends (which I managed not to get a good picture of him wearing). I even found fondant characters to put on the cake, which is one thing I could do myself. I'm pretty proud of how the ombre icing turned out, thanks to tutorials I found and Tara's help! If you like the idea of ombre, but aren't sure about tackling the icing, check out Tara's tutorial for ombre cake layers. I also saw several high chair banners people had made, and I realized that I could do that myself, too, and I did for half the price I would have paid. After Perry's party, I used it as a backdrop for some of his 1-year pictures. Didn't it turn out cute? While looking at all the things I could order from Etsy, I saw the cutest decorated sugar cookies that reminded me of cookies I had seen from a bakery in our neighboring town. I sent the picture to the bakery and asked if they could make some similar? Not only could they, their cookies were actually less expensive! I love Etsy because you're purchasing from a small business, but I love supporting a small business in my local community even more! Amazon and Oriental Trading were my sources for paper goods (plates, napkins, tablecloths, etc.) in blue and white gingham, which matched the invitations and color scheme for the party. If you're planning a party and want the look of being crafty without too much work, my recommendations are to check out Pinterest for ideas, then look for what you need locally when it's possible or Etsy when it's not. Fill in whatever can't be made (by yourself or someone else!) from your local dollar stores, Oriental Trading, or Amazon.
If you don't already follow us on Pinterest, we'd love it if you check out our boards! They are full of great ideas and resources, like our "Soiree" board that has wonderful ideas for parties and gatherings! ![]() Last year, I shared with you all my worries about being pregnant again so long after my first two boys and at such “advanced maternal age” in my blog, Pregnancy Worries. I’m happy to finally announce that Perry Jacob Paulk made his appearance on June 12, 2018! I know it’s a bit late to make it an announcement, but we’ve had our hands full ever since he arrived! I had been having contractions off and on since April, so my midwife really started encouraging me to back off at work. With my first two pregnancies, I actually went into labor prematurely, which meant my doctor’s office was keeping a close watch on me. By the end of May, my contractions were getting stronger and more regular. When I made it to June (which was my goal!) my Fourth and Cherry family allowed me to stay home on unofficial bedrest, until Perry was born. Nobody wanted me to go into labor in the kitchen making sandwiches and salads! Let me just tell you, there is a big difference in having a baby when you're almost 40 compared to having them in your twenties! My delivery went as smoothly as possible, with lots of personal attention at our small local hospital. My nurse was quite in tune to me and noticed Perry’s heart rate dropping during my contractions. She notified my doctor, who quickly delivered Perry and discovered that he had his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. It’s a common occurrence, but scary when it’s your baby! I’m so grateful for experienced medical professionals like those who took care of me and my baby! We came home the next day, excited to get to know this little bundle! I have to say, adding a newborn’s schedule to our already busy and set routine was more difficult than I thought it would be. Fortunately, my Mama spent the better part of the next couple of weeks helping us all get acclimated to our new life. I’m so grateful for her, and honestly don’t know what I’d do without her! I’m also thankful it was summer break for our older boys, which meant we didn’t have to immediately start getting up early to get ready for school every day. I stayed home with Perry, Caleb, and Seth throughout the summer, returning to work when the big boys went back to school. When Seth and Caleb were little, I was a stay-at-home mom, and even though I’m grateful to have had all that time with my boys, I didn’t feel like God was calling me to do the same this time. My Mama is retired now, so she keeps him three days a week for me to work at The Shoppes, and Perry just goes to the office at the farm with me on Thursdays when I work there. Again, I don’t know what I’d do without my Mama! Perry is 11 months old now, crawling, pulling up on everything, and getting into every cabinet and drawer that doesn’t have a lock on it! He’s learning when he's not supposed to do or have something, so when he does, he just looks up and grins! I think my age and experience has helped me to be more patient, and I’m hoping that will continue as he grows. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely moments (maybe even days?) that I’m not sure I can handle another baby! That’s when I’m so, so grateful for my family and friends to be my support network. And, then he shoots me one of those adorable smiles that just melts my heart and makes me think that maybe I can. The sweetest thing has been seeing my older boys learn to love and take care of their little brother. Watching them, I know that one day, some girl is going to look at Seth and another at Caleb, and think to herself, “He’s going to be an incredible Daddy one day!” because that’s what I think about each of them now, just like I did with their Daddy. Perry has been such a blessing that none of us expected or even knew we needed! When I was pregnant and even after he was born, Chris and I would look at each other every so often and say, “We’re too old for this!” Lately, though, we just look at him and look at each other and say, “Isn’t he precious?” or “Look at that sweet baby!” I have always tried to enjoy each phase of my older boys’ lives, but there’s something about having a baby at my age that just makes each moment sweeter, knowing how fast time flies. Perry is a constant reminder that God’s plan is always better than my own.
![]() When we learned that I would be having another boy, so many people were disappointed that we wouldn’t have a little girl. I, for one, was not. Don’t get me wrong! I absolutely adore all of my nieces, and the idea of having a child who might actually enjoy shopping or someone to get pedicures with would certainly be fun - and expensive! And, I know for a fact that Chris would never be able to tell her no! After having two boys already, I feel like I know what I’m doing, even if so many things have changed since they were born. Between balls, Legos, superheroes, and anything with wheels, I think I’ve gotten the hang of this #boymom thing! (Please note, I am also fairly certain this child will be totally different than my first two, and I will have to eat my words!) When it came time to choose how to decorate the nursery for our little boy, I decided that since we were starting over on a new adventure to incorporate that into the theme and use maps. First things first, I started my Pinterest board of Nursery Ideas. I couldn’t find any bedding I really liked, so I searched Etsy and discovered this beautiful handmade bedding set from Hagar in Israel. After talking to my sister, Leigh, about how much I loved the fabric and wished I could find curtain panels to match, she coordinated with my other sisters and my Mama to order the bedding, and Hagar even made the curtain panels too! We planned a date for all of them (plus my dear Aunt Wanda) to come over and paint the walls. Originally, this room was Caleb’s nursery with bright green walls to go with the green gingham and frog bedding we used for him and Seth. Over the years, it’s been a play room, a guest room, my father’s room when he’s had to stay with us after surgeries, and most recently, a bedroom for my sister, Latacha, and niece, Kasey. Once they found a place of their own, my boys and I set to work priming the walls to cover the bright green so we’d be ready when everyone came over to do the real painting. Since it has been so long since my other boys were born (14 and 11 years!), I had given away all our baby gear, including furniture. I found out that my cousins were selling their nursery furniture, which was beautiful and an incredible deal! Slowly, but surely, we’ve added to the room to make it functional and fun. The futon will give my Mama a place to take a nap when she's babysitting or if she wants to stay overnight sometime. The glider-rocker was my Mother’s Day present from Chris and the boys, so now we have a place to rock baby Perry to sleep. The little rocking chair was mine when I was a little girl, and the wooden toy chest was Chris’s, for a touch of sentimentality. Tara covered Perry’s initials with maps as part of the decorations for my shower, and they’re perfect for personalizing this room into his space. Wire baskets underneath the changing table hold burp cloths and blankets, like the one Roxie quilted for Perry. I even found baskets with map fabric to hold all the baby essentials, and a matching photo album that will get filled with photos of all our adventures together! Pick out something special for your own little or for a friend from our online store! Maileg Bunnies are some of our favorites additions to any nursery are treasured for many childhood years to come.
![]() My husband, Chris, has always wanted another baby. I’m the one who proclaimed we were done, especially once my boys were old enough to start taking care of themselves. Of course, in the back of my mind, I felt that maybe we weren’t completely done with children, but I really thought that God was leading us toward a path of fostering and potentially even adopting down the road. Our family and friends always joked with us that we needed to try one more time so I could have a little girl for Chris. He’s such a fun uncle to all our nieces, but I knew if we had a baby girl, he’d never be able to say no to her! l’ll always remember how he would play and make faces with all babies and little kids while we were dating. It didn’t matter whether we were at church or with family around children we knew, or if we were complete strangers to a child in a store or restaurant, kids seemed to be drawn to him. I knew he would make an incredible father, thanks to moments like this, and that’s one of the things that made me fall in love with him. I was right; he is an incredible father! With our first two boys, I was a stay-at-home mom. I’m grateful to Chris for making that time work because I know it wasn’t easy for us financially. Although teachers don’t make enough, losing my salary and insurance was quite a blow! Once Caleb started pre-school, and Seth started first grade, though, I began to toy with the idea of working outside our home again. I took a couple of long-term substitute teacher positions, which made it clear to both of us that I shouldn’t go back to teaching. Soon enough, Roxie and Matt talked to me about coming to work for them in The Cafe, which is how I joined the Fourth and Cherry family in 2011. Fast-forward six years. By this point, I’m shuttling Seth and Caleb to school and extra-curricular activities, while working in The Café and as part of The Southern Mercantile team. I truly enjoy my job and feel as if I’m not only helping my family achieve their goals, but am starting to realize some of my own dreams. And then, I find out I’m pregnant again at 38 years old! (By the way, I turned 39 in March.) I must admit, I freaked out a little bit - my mind was reeling with thoughts of “I’m too old for this,” “My boys are old enough to do for themselves,” and “I don’t have time to have a baby!” When I revealed the news to Chris, I couldn’t tell if he was going to cry or pass out from the shock! The first person I called was my sister, Marcy, who is a nurse practitioner in a maternal-fetal medicine practice, which means she deals with high-risk pregnant mothers. She has been such a valuable resource and voice of reassurance throughout my pregnancy - once she stopped laughing! Because of my “advanced maternal age,” I knew I would be referred to her practice, which was just fine with me. I trust my sister and wanted her to be as involved with my pregnancy as possible! Once the initial shock of being pregnant wore off, my mind turned to worry and fear. I worried that I would miscarry early on, as I figured out I was pregnant around 5-6 weeks. Then, I worried I would have a later miscarriage, even into my second trimester. I worried about my baby having Down’s syndrome or some other chromosomal abnormality due to my age. There was a possibility that I could deal with Intrauterine Growth Restriction. And, the fact that Chris had a cerebral hemorrhage and seizures when he was born was a concern for the doctor, which made me worry about that. You should know that I am not normally a worrier. When I do have irrational thoughts that flit through my mind, usually I can talk myself out of actually worrying about whatever is going on. With this pregnancy, though, I found that hard to do. I have had so many friends and family struggle with miscarriage, still birth, and infant loss, that it became a real fear for me. I had this horrible feeling that something terrible was going to happen to my baby, and then I would not only deal with grief, but also guilt over the fact that I felt so overwhelmed when I found out I was pregnant. For some reason, I had this irrational fear that I would never meet my baby, and I felt like it would be my fault. At some point, after being reassured by my sister (and multiple test results) that my baby was growing as he should, with no signs of any abnormalities, I began to worry that my fear meant something terrible would happen to me instead. This made me worry more about leaving Chris, Seth, and Caleb behind to raise our baby boy. Instead of blaming me for losing him, would they blame him for losing me? No one really knew how I was struggling. I’ve never understood how someone could be so paralyzed by fear and worry, but now I do. It is mentally taxing, and I see now how it can even be physically crippling. I prayed and prayed for God to grant me peace somehow, but it didn’t come. Until Easter Sunday. I don’t remember much else about our Easter Sunday service, but I remember singing “Because He Lives.” And, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit about me like I never have. I’ve always loved that hymn, even as a child. When I sing this song, I hear my Mama’s sweet soprano voice singing it along with me. If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the chorus: “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, He holds the future. And, life is worth the living, just because He lives.” Such simple words, but so powerful. I’m wiping tears even now as I recall trying to sing along that morning. I was emotional then, but could still sing until we began the second verse: “How sweet to hold a newborn baby, and feel the pride and joy he gives. But, greater still, the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days, because He lives!” By this point, I was a blubbering mess, just trying to hold it together, hoping no one would notice! I felt God’s peace washing over me, a “calm assurance,” and “all fear is gone.” Somehow, no one else saw me falling apart, or at least they never said anything. I’ve told very few people about this experience so far, but felt compelled to share it with y’all. I want you to know how powerful God’s peace truly is, if you can allow the Holy Spirit to work in you. As Philippians 4:7 states, it really does surpass our understanding. I left church Easter Sunday feeling so much lighter, even though my belly didn’t show it! And, wouldn't you know, God had already placed a reminder around me for when I would begin to fear again? A couple of years ago, my mother-in-law was cleaning out cabinets and found a plaque someone had given her when Chris was born. She passed it along to me, and somehow, that plaque ended up on the desk in the foyer of our home. What’s on the plaque? A copy of the hymn, “Because He Lives.” As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always loved this hymn, and as it turns out, this hymn brought great comfort to my mother-in-law when Chris was born with a cerebral hemorrhage and faced surgery once his seizures stopped. (That’s a miraculous story for another time!) The week after Easter, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes; no surprise, given my family history and the fact that I had almost every risk factor on the list. This means I have to keep track of my blood sugars, and if I don’t keep them under control, my baby could grow too big, which could mean I would have to have a C-section. I’m now on medication, which has a slight risk for stillbirth, so I have to go to the doctor twice a week to monitor his heart rate, while I make sure he’s moving throughout every day. While these are valid reasons for me to be scared, I don’t worry like I did before, “because I know, He holds the future.” And, whatever happens, “life is worth the living, just because He lives!” A big thank you to Summer Laurel Photography for our new family portraits.
![]() As much as I love muscadines, I’ve never been a fan of a muscadine hull pie. I must admit, I’ve only tried a couple of slices, which weren’t all that bad, just not all that good either. It’s the concept that didn’t really appeal to me: squeezing the pulp and seeds out to cook down the skins of the muscadines to make a pie out of them? Of course, I believe the idea came from what Southern cooking is best known for: making something delicious out of what you have on hand! Many folks make jelly out of muscadines, using only the pulp, leaving the skins behind. I’m sure what happened was some smart Southern woman decided she had worked too hard separating the skins from the pulp to just throw those skins away, so she made a pie out of the muscadine hulls! The idea must have caught on, because there are multiple variations on the same basic recipe. Now, I’m all about creatively repurposing leftovers, but since I don’t have to separate the muscadines by hand to make jelly, I’m certainly not going to do it just to make a hull pie! Recently, a magazine contacted my husband, Chris, and asked for a recipe using muscadines with apples for a special piece featuring apples in North Georgia. Of course, he turned to me and asked, “Any ideas?” Although this was during our harvest season and fresh muscadines were abundant, I thought how much easier it would be to use one of our products made from muscadines that are available year-round. My favorite muscadine product is Paulk's Pride Muscadine Sauce. Maybe I could even combine it with apples to make a modern version of a muscadine hull pie? So, I did what any good Southerner would do - I invited my best friends over for dinner and got to work! Chris took care of grilling steaks and vegetables I marinated while I chopped apples and made homemade ice cream. At least we’d have something delicious if the pie was a flop! After dinner, I proudly uncovered my creation and began to slice and serve it to raving reviews. Roxie declared it the best pie she’d ever eaten! Good thing, too, because I had to email the recipe later that week! Paulk’s Pride Muscadine Apple Pie recipe was printed in the Fall 2017 issue of Georgia Connector magazine and is also available at www.paulkspride.com. We’ve also made it into one of our Southern Mercantile recipe cards if you’d like to print it! I sure hope you enjoy Paulk's Pride Muscadine Apple Pie as much as we have - we even served it in our Cafe during "Muscadine Week" in September!
![]() Almost every southern cook I know has a recipe box or binder full of cards and slips of paper collected over the years from family, friends, and magazines. This is in addition to a cabinet full of cookbooks - from beautiful glossy picture-filled hardback books to spiral bound paperbacks filled with covered dish supper favorites and the name of the cook. My Mama had a dark wooden recipe box with a cornucopia painted on the top. She would pull it down from the cabinet above the stove, and we would know something delicious was about to happen in that kitchen. When I got married, I received a recipe box, a couple of binders, and plenty of blank recipe cards. At the time, I had no recipes of my own to write on the cards and put in the binders or box! My mother-in-law gave me an old binder full of her and her mother’s recipes. This binder has become precious to me. Over the years, I have learned to make a few of those recipes, including my husband’s favorite - fresh peach cake for his birthday. (I shared this recipe in my blog Peach Cake.) Last year, my Mama gave me the sweetest birthday present - her wooden recipe box! She included the card for my favorite meal as a child - Chicken Spaghetti! She’s also been working on typing up her other recipes to add to my collection. Of course, those in her own handwriting are the ones that are so dear to my heart. I have such sweet memories and feelings of home every time I look at that box. Now that I have learned how to cook, I have lots of recipes in my everyday repertoire, and love gathering more. My problem is I have not organized all those recipes. I have a shelf full of cookbooks I’ve collected and lots of recipes scribbled here and there, but I don’t really have a system to organize them all. That’s one of those goals I’ve always hoped to get done, but never have! So, I’m trying to get my act together now, starting with our favorite recipe box from Rifle Paper Company. Choose from three different designs to match your kitchen and personality. We also have a cute Berry Basket Recipe Box you may prefer with its open top. And, all our recipes in the Recipe Archive are available in a printable format perfect for 4”x6” recipe cards to fit! I look forward to organizing all my recipes - both old standbys and new favorites. Of course, I will still use recipes found online and in cookbooks; but, there is something nostalgic about reaching for a full recipe box. You can almost feel a connection to the cooks who have shared those recipes with you as well as the many southern cooks who have come before. And, what a wonderful gift for those who will come after us. One day, perhaps I can pass on a full recipe box to my daughter-in-law to help her become a great southern cook.
In 2002, Chris Paulk came home to start a new venture on his family’s farm and muscadine vineyard: creating products made from muscadines that would highlight their flavor and health benefits. Today, Paulk’s Pride is a line of dietary supplements, juices, and jellies, and Chris employs 8-10 people year-round at his manufacturing facility located in the middle of Paulk Vineyards. People are always amazed to see what’s hidden away in our rural county. Driving through 600 acres of muscadine vines makes folks feel as if they’ve been transported to a southern version of Napa Valley! Processing such unique fruit requires some impressive equipment, beginning with presses which separate the juice from the seeds and skins, to a state-of-the-art bottling line to fill bottles with that juice, to many other machines which turn the seeds and skins into dietary supplements. Making the jellies has become a joint effort, as The Southern Mercantile actually produces Paulk’s Pride Muscadine Jelly, Sauce, and Preserves, and they’re available in our store! If you’re interested in Paulk’s Pride Muscadine Juices or supplements, visit paulkspride.com. You can learn more about the Paulk Family and Paulk Vineyards by going to paulkvineyards.com. And, yes, Chris is Jorjanne’s husband! You can read more about their story in Jorjanne’s blogs "Muscadines, Grandma, & a Husband" or "Faithful in the Little Things".
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