Jerusalem Jackson Greer's Blog, page 33

Praise Bag Winners!

Congrats to the  Praise Him  Bag Winners:
#4 - Hedy King who said I was that weird kid who wouldn't leave home, so camp was out. But as an adult I have been to many, many workshops, conferences, confabs that were just big old camps for big old kids. I love the warmth of sharing my thoughts with other women and lilies listening to their unique experiences. And there is always a tote bag....and that one rocks. Thanks for sharing. PS, I gotta get to Arkansas someday. Beautiful pictures.
#14 Life with My Sweeties who said Went to girl scout camp when I was very young and had a great time! And now my oldest baby is going off to camp! Can't wait to hear about her adventures!
Send me your address (jerusalemgreer at gmail dot com) and I will get these bags sent to you pronto!!

For my father

Me and my Daddy.
From my father comes my love of words, my love of music, my love of movies and books. The ability (and desire, truth be told,) to be alone with my own thoughts for hours on end. I can trace my sweet tooth back to him, as well as my impatient tendencies, and my desire to have the dishwasher loaded correctly.  His ongoing belief that I am capable of thinking for myself and choosing my own path is perhaps the greatest gift he has ever given me. 


I love you Daddy. Happy Father's Day!

(PS-I apologize for any and all grammatical errors.)

when it is about something more

First, here is a little glimpse into the  Homemade Year tent area -all set up and ready to go.Crafts from the book all on display.

Palm Sunday Apron


Books for Sale!

Box of crafting supplies for deomonstrations



Michaelmas Bunting

Easter Paschal Candle

New cards stand at attention

Holy Cross pillow, Old Joseph Cards...

Patchwork Wreath, Lenten Sampler Tote
One of my little helpers

Tension holding things together

Sunflowers from my sweet hostess

Southern Voodoo Punch for thirsty shoppers and vendors

Grateful Mobile waving in the breeze
A few things I am grateful for

Eva, my little helper drew pictures of things she was grateful for.This is a picture of Bread.Love it!

My constant companions

Paper chains left over from the Homemade Hootenanny
And then, just like that, it was over.************************************************
Last weekend was my last stop on the Homemade Book Tour Spring '13.I cannot say that I am sad.Like pretty much everything else related to the birthing of A Homemade Year, book events have been a huge learning experience for me. After doing just about every sort of even-speaking, signing, craft demonstrations- I have figured out what suits me best. What works well in conjunction with my daily life.Which activities are life-giving, and which ones are mostly just time consuming.Which ones make my heart full, my skin tingle, and my hair stand on end from shear joy and which ones just leave me exhausted and depleted.
Going into all of this I thought that all of the events would be equally fun.I also thought that the crafts and recipes were what people would enjoy the most when they read AHY.
Turns out I was wrong on both accounts.
What I have found, through all this trial and error and success, is that what most people seem to love the most about the book, is the same thing that gives me goose bumps when I talk about it:The stories.The need to share our stories. The blessings that come from connecting our stories to the stories of others and then to God's story.The common threads through all of our stories-   joy, disappointment, redemption, love, failure and hope- that binds our hearts together, and helps to erase the false belief that we are alone, that we are the only ones who have ever felt this way.
I thought I was writing a book about cute crafts, yummy recipes, and fun parties with some messy faith stories mixed in.
As it turns out, it is the other way around.

Berry Yummy Peachy Keen Crisp

Let me begin by saying that I have never been good at following directions.
Everyone in my family can attest to this.
Luckily, I am pretty good at improvising. Most of the time.
I don't get lost or turned around easily.
I can adjust.
 Tim Gunn would love me.
(I make it work, people.)



This habit applies to my cooking as well.See, I want to follow the recipe to the letter, I really do.But I tend to just sort of jump in without really getting all my ducks in a row.For instance.On Monday I wanted to bake something using the canned peaches I brought back from Amish Country,So I dug through my cookbooks till I found The Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe for a Peach Crisp.Perfect. I dove in.


First I made the crisp mixture.But in my food processor instead of by hand. (Already, I have gone rogue.)The ingredients were as follows:1 stick of cold butter cut up1 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup light brown sugar packed (I used dark brown sugar.)1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamonDash (oh more than a dash) of Nutmeg1/4 salt (I used fine sea salt)

Next I cut up my peaches (6 peaches in all,)And mixed them in a bowl with:Zest and juice of one good size lemon (double the recipe suggestion)2 tbsp of peach juice (my addition since I didn't any pure maple syrup...Or regular syrup. Apparently we are syrup pour at the moment.)
Next, I poured the peach mixture into a butter-greased casserole dish.But there was an issue (of course.) My peaches where already cooked and P-Dubs were raw.Which meant they did not cover up the bottom of my baking dish as they should have.


So I added a frozen berry mix I had in the freezer to round things out.(At this point I am pretty sure Julia Child would have voted me off the island.)((Who I am kidding? She would have kicked me out as soon as I went off book.))(((And my apologies to Ree. I am sure her original recipe is truly yummy. I pinkie swear to attempt to make it properly someday.) 

After I got the fruit settled in, I spread the crumble mixture evenly over the top.Then I baked the whole thing at 350 degrees until it bubbled in the middle.

We ate it with vanilla ice cream.I may have licked my bowl.And the serving spoon.And the pan.
As good as all the maple touches (from the original recipe) would have been, I think the berry addition made it a perfect summer treat.
At least that's my story.
And I am sticking to it.

what I saw-some hobnob market eyecandy

I am still attempting to get unpacked, and tackle all the chores that have piled up around here during the book tour. So instead of trying to put together a coherent stream of deep thoughts -or even just original thoughts-I have decided to take the easy way out and just post lots of  pictures of vendor booths from  the Hobnob Summer Market last weekend. The market was held at the Kennekuk County Park, iu Danville, IL, a park that  is packed with amazing restored buildings, huge green fields,  and was the  perfect backdrop for an outdoor summer fete, and the weather was lovely. It did get hot in the sun at times, but the breeze was wonderful. And the heat was nothing compared to a deep Arkansas summer.
But enough about the weather, here are some of my favorite bits and pieces:


































Here are some of my favorite vendors from the day-or at least the ones I managed to grab cards from!For more info on vendors and upcoming markets you can check out the Hobnob Market FB page. 
DorceysAlmost GeminiJenstyleRose VintageHot House MarketRemix of BellaMichelle VolanksyThe Path Less TraveledSparkly Star CreationsInspiring Joy StudioUnderground Vintage Studio
Holly and Scott Snelling, whose baby Hobnob is, did a great job putting this event together.I think we need them to come do this in Arkansas and bring all their vendor friends with them, don't you??

make-do {and make lovely} monday - ribbons, and aprons, and hobnob, oh my!

Well Mom and I made it back from Illinois in one piece.We  loved road tripping together-just the two of us- and I have SO many pictures and stories to share.But first I have to recover from all the fun and all the driving (9 hours each way!) And get the car unpacked. Oy.On Saturday, during the Hobnob Market, Mom and I wore our tea-towel aprons .We also wore our scrappy prize ribbons that I made for us. Each one had our names and the book title.The black sweater flowers were purchased in the clearance aisle at Michaels, the little bitty crochet flowers were in the $2 section and the rest of the materials came from my stash.I stitched all the bits together starting with the layered mini-flowers and buttons, then adding the ribbons and fabric strips last (the back is NOT pretty, trust me,) I thought about adding a broach-back, but I don't find them to be particularly sturdy, so instead we just  attached our ribbons  to our aprons with safety pins. Cause we are fancy that way.

The ribbons were a bit of a last minute project, but I am super happy about how they came out! I actually can't believe I got them all done and didn't forget to pack a single thing for this trip.I have to give  props to Jeanetta for helping me pack ahead of time, and for giving me the idea for the ribbons. I also have to give a huge shout out to my momma who made this trip possible by being my wing-woman. I could not have done it without her, and it would not have been half as much fun without her.
OK, it is back to unpacking for me.I hope you are all having a lovely Monday.I will be back soon with more road-trip tails and some thoughts on alternate routes.
xoxo friends.

Sunday's Challenge- Be generous with your lives

Matthew 5:14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

when in doubt, go with the chicken

So I finally got around to printing up some new business cards.Racked with indecision and faced with a time crunch I went with my go-to image. The pink chicken. Because I needed them done so quickly, I whipped these up in Microsoft Publisher (yes, I am old school that way,) and had them printed at a locally owned print shop.I just love an old school print shop. The way the air smells of hot ink chemicals, the constant whir of non-stop copy machines. Also I love that they know me. And that they are quick. Design these in the morning, pick them up in the afternoon. For someone (ahem, ME) who seems to be always living a little too close to deadlines this arrangement is perfect.I got them because this weekend I am going to my biggest event yet on the Homemade Year tour.


Friday night and Saturday, I will be selling and signing books, as well as doing demonstations of various Homemade Year crafts at the  Hobnob Market in Danville, Illinois.
This event is different than any of the others I have done so for and I am both excited and anxious to see how it goes.My sweet mother is going with me and Jeanetta has be a huge help in getting me organzied (so me details to think through!) I am so very grateful for Team Homemade - everyone who has helped launch this book into the world and everyone who has taken care of me in the process. I could not do any of these without them. 
The Hobnob Market is my last official appearance (golly that sounds pretentious) for a couple of months, and I am very ready for a break, for some lazy hazy days of summer. But I am excited about getting to kick things off with a road trip with my momma. I can't remember the last time we got to spend so much time just the two of us. 
So those are my weekend plans- what are yours? Are you coming to see me in Danville? 
(PS-Don't forget to enter my giveaway from yesterday- I am LOVING hearing about all your favorite camp memories,) 

summer church camp for grown-ups {and a GIVEAWAY!}

Last weekend I got to do something I love.Go to church camp.But not just any church camp.Church camp for grown-up ladies.{Well, gals  who masquerade around as grown-up ladies by day anyhoo.}In theory I was there because I was leading A Homemade Year workshop.In reality, I was there because it was exactly where I was supposed to be.

And where was there? Camp Mitchell on Petit Jean Mountain that is where.That is where I joined the most wonderful mix of women  for the annual  Arkansas Episcopal Church Women's retreat- Women's Institute.

Camp Mitchell sits on a ridge that overlooks Ada Valley, which is dotted with small farms and pastures. The view is amazing and beautiful. I loved standing near the edge, imagining what it would be like to receive smoke signals from the ridge across the valley. (Yes, I watched a lot of John Wayne with my Grandaddy as a child.)


But even when we were fogged for a full day-and pelted by rain and shaken by thunder rolling over the valley-camp was still beautiful.
All the main buildings sit on the edge of the cliff (or hang a wee bit over it) and there were times when it felt as if we were eating, or singing, or walking in the clouds.

I was extremely glad to have brought my old faithfuls, my Ariats. I was able to stomp all through the grass and mud and rain without a care in the world.I love that feeling that really great boots give me- especially post broken foot.Walking in them I feel stronger and more confident, as if I can take on anything that crosses my path.

The entire time I spent at Women's Institute was refreshing, encouraging, joy filled, thought provoking and filled with laughter and kindness. And there was beauty everywhere- both inside and out.
My favorite moments where the ones where I got to just sit and listen.
When I was able to listen to someone other me - or my nervous, chattering mind- talk.
Listening to other peoples stories, their jokes, their hearts, was water on parched land.


 I don't know if this is true of Episcopals world wide, but the ones in Arkansas have a very strong bent towards the arts, design and things handmade. Even the dining hall at Camp Mitchell is beautiful.


But not everything there is tall ceilings and glossy finishes.
Simple beauty is celebrated around every corner as well.

Remember what I said about the Episcopal love of handmade things? All over Camp Mitchell, in all of the cabins and lodges, are handmade quilts. (Handmade by ECW gals is my guess. And why again do we fuss again about women leadership in the church ? It has always been there. Will always be there. Why do we need  to hide it under the disguise of sewing or cooking or teaching children or other women? Who do you we think those blankets cover, those bowls of soup nourish, those children grow up to be? Why can we not have both? Women teaching and women stitching? Why must we always choose?)
These quilts are such a practical ministry, such a tactile way to experience and share faith- quilting together scraps of fabric to cover campers of all ages and phases of life as they sleep far away from home.This was my quilt, look how perfectly it went with my Holy Cross Day pillow. If it hadn't been church camp I might have just stuffed it in my bag.So cute.
The workshop I led went just lovely, though I can never remember exactly what I say.I tend to get very wound up and passionate when I speak about living at the intersection of beauty and mess. About faith, and grace, and authenticity and finding them all  in the most unlikely of places.About the importance of telling our stories- to each other, to our children, to the world. Every one's story can help erase someone else's aloneness.Everyone's story can be connected to the story God is telling.If we stop telling our stories then we stop creating connections, which in turn breeds the very isolation that comes from believing that no one else has ever faced or felt or failed or fought the things we face, feel, fail and fight for daily. Which is bad. God created the world because he wanted to keep company with us. And he created more than one of us, so that we could keep company with each other, and with him.Sort of like a big southern summer porch gathering.And like any great southern summer porch gathering, storytelling is an integral part of what makes the gathering so special, so unique, so memorable.
(did I mention that I tend to get wound up and passionate???)

In In addition to my workshop where I got all wound up the retreat also included a lot of laughter, new friendships, yummy food, sweet worship, and wonderful teaching.  There was also a lot of old fashioned church camp fun, including silly skits, silly songs (just imagine women of all ages- yes ALL ages- singing AND doing the motions to Pharaoh, Pharaoh -so, so funny,) and craft time.When camp was over I felt as if I should go home and immediately start writing letters to each of my new friends, just like I did after camp during my junior high years.

These linen totes where given to each camper when we checked in. I just love mine. So classic looking, and the shoulder strap is just the right length-I have been carrying it around ever since.Every time I see it I start to hum "Praise him, praise him, all you little children. God is love, God is love..." Which could pretty much sum up the whole weekend.


Even though I really wish I could have brought you to camp with me, I did the next best thing-I brought home TWO BAGS to give away!
To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite camp memory or favorite camp song or just any old thing you feel like chatting about.
(The contest will stay open through Sunday, June 9. I will announce the winners the following week.)

on a scale of 1-10, how Southern do I sound?

What a still-shot. Ha! Glad the whole thing looks better.

Watching myself {and hearing} myself is always weird.
Luckily Judea and Paraclete worked their magic once again.
However, I am still wondering... How Southern do I sound?
Is it weird for you to hear me talk?

Okay enough about me.
HUGE thanks to Judea for shooting this footage and for Paraclete for putting it together!
They are such a lovely team.

xoxo
J