It's Kind of a Hobby of Hers

Mama started makin' cakes years ago...she has gotten quite good at it! Here recently she has asked me to help her with a few of them. I have helped her with anything from a Gilligan's Island Cake (which was my birthday cake 2 years ago), a John Deere Boot Cake and her latestaddition a Topsy Turvy Sweet 16 Cake. I have become quite the fondant queen! Even though I do not like the stuff very well! Thehobby that started out as a her makin' cakes on occasion for family members has now hit the halls of Aiken Electric Coop. She spends her weekends bakin' cakes and comin' up with designs for her customers. So I decided that I would make the Logo above for her to use. I keep tellin' her that she should start a business on the side and name it Tira's Tasty Treats...in honor of her Mother and my Nanny, Tira Day. Mama's first cake was made in the kitchen of Nanny's house which makes the name perfect for her signature cakes.

Who know's maybe you yourself one day will have the honor of tasting a cake from Tira's Tasty Treats! :)

Erika's Rules - Learn 'Em, Live 'Em, Love 'Em!

Because of my love for a certain actor on the TV Show NCIS, I decided that I would make my own set of rules just like Leroy Jethro Gibbs! I wanted 50 or so but I could only come up with 21.

Rule #1 --> Erika is ALWAYS right...in certain situations.

Rule #2 --> Never turn your back on Cordell Walker.

Rule #3 --> Never touch Erika's MacBook...that is without gettin' permission first!

Rule #4 --> Never screw over your friends...God gave 'em to you for a reason.

Rule #5 --> Never take anything for granted. (Stole this from Gibbs)

Rule #6 --> Always bring your Bible to Church...cause after all you can't learn His Word without it.

Rule #7 --> Things happen for a reason...no matter how good or bad they are. Because these things are a blessin' from God.

Rule #8 --> Never go on long trips without your iPod and MacBook. They may come in handy.

Rule #9 --> Never harm Erika cause Ernest Cody Rish will beat your butt!

Rule #10 --> Never ever do anything embarrassin' around Jimbo because he will just use that information against you!

Rule #11 --> Cordell Walker and Leroy Jethro Gibbs are the two most awesomeness fictional characters ever! And no one should try and tell me any differently.

Rule #12 --> No matter how bad life can get...count it as Joy cause things could always be worse.

Rule #13 --> George Strait is the King of Country Music and don't try and tell me any differently!

Rule #14 --> Never skip a song on Erika's iPod, only she is allowed to do that...all other's will be dealt with,

Rule #15 --> Good thangs happen to those who wait.

Rule #16 --> Never mess with a Country Gals Pops...especially when she know's where he keeps his rifles.

Rule #17 --> Deer meat is the best meat around...so don't try and tell me other wise.

Rule #18 --> Never go anywhere without your knife...it may come in handy.

Rule #19 --> Never touch my water bottle...I don't drink after anyone!

Rule #20 --> Get your facts straight first, never assume anything.

Rule #21 --> Sometimes you're wrong (I stole this from Gibbs' Rule #51)

And as you can see Yeller already broke one of these rules!

That Little Booger is Fast

Sunday a week ago my Pops came in the house and hollered upstairs to me to tell me he had a pet for me...he said it's even in a cage and everythin'! When I got down stairs to my amazement the pet in the cage was none other than a little baby squirrel. Redneck done caught a squirrel in a Corn Bin!

This surprised me for two reasons:

#1 --> David Williams hates squirrels...he says that they are pest. So I said to myself why on earth does he want his daughter to have one as a pet!

#2 --> I wondered how on earth did he catch the little booger! Cause them thangs are fast! But then again I guess nothin' is a challenge for a Redneck.

Now I have another pet...he's a cat and his name is Yeller. He spotted that little booger right off the bat! He would just sit there and stare at him! Of course all the while thinkin'...what is that and why is it in my house? Yes that's right Yeller is the king of the house...and I don't think that he's too happy that another animal has takin' over. But who know's maybe one day they will become best friends!

Now I told my sister about this little squirrel that is occupyin' the space above the sink in our kitchen. She told me as soon as I found out wether the squirrel was male or female I better let her know because she wanted to name it! So Pops finally told me the squirrel is a female. So Marci named her Ellie Mae, that's a good name for a squirrel caught out of a Corn Bin by a Redneck.

Naturally Marci wanted to see this squirrel so Ellie Mae ended up takin' the trip with us to Florida for our Easter Weekend. There she got to meet two new friends...Lucy Nell and Toby! Ellie Mae spent a good portion of her time on the balcony of Marci's apartment AKA "The Barn". That is where Toby and Lucy Nell first spotted her. And naturally they wanted to play with her, but seein' as how she's only about 5 inches long or so I wouldn't have it! So they stayed blocked behind the slidin' glass door where they could watch in amazement at the little creature.

So I figured that havin' Ellie Mae as a pet ain't such a bad idea at all! It's actually kinda fun feedin' the little booger! She goes crazy over that bottle of milk. Oh and she loves her Strawberries!

So the next time your wonderin' around a Corn Bin look in it you may find some of Ellie Mae's family! I mean come on you can't pass up that little cute face!

Oh I Love The Bunny Bunny!

EASTER IS UPON US!

I remember as a little kid livin' for the day that the Easter Bunny would come to my house to leave me chocolates and presents! It was like Christmas in April! And of course the present entailed Stuffed Bunnies, Movies of Easter and the Gospel of Jesus. I

always found it strange that the so called Easter Bunny would leave me a stuffed bunny...seein' as how he's a bunny himself. But it didn't matter to me.

As I got older of course I found out who the Easter Bunny was...so now what do I get? A big huge chocolate bunny! It's just a little ritual me and my mama started about 3 years ago. She would get me a big bunny...and of course I would commence to singin' that song from Veggie Tales Rack Shack and Benny, "The Bunny The Bunny oh I love the Bunny Bunny." But of course last year she bought me Peter Rabbit. She fussed cause I didn't eat it I just let it turn white. My response to her madness was, "Mama I can't eat Peter Rabbit!" So maybe this year she will learn her lesson and not buy me a Peter Rabbit Chocolate Bunny. PLEASE!

As much as I love the Big Chocolate Bunnies on Easter I always have to remember the real reason for Easter. It's a reflection of what Christ did for a sinner like me. He took on my sins just so that in God's eyes I would be washed white as snow. He came to fulfill the prophecies told in the Old Testament.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

~ John 3:16-18 ESV

Everyone Needs A Code They Can Live By

So if you know me well you know that one of my favorite TV Shows is NCIS. And on that show is my favorite actor Mark Harmon AKA Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Through out the shows Gibbs tells us his Rules! And as he tells Ziva the first day she works for him that they're are about 50 of 'em. I researched this little topic to find out all of Gibbs rules. Oh and did I find them all!

Rule #1 --> Never let suspects stay together.

Rule #1 --> Never screw over your partner.

Rule #2 --> Always wear gloves at a crime scene.

Rule #3 --> Don't believe what you're told. Double check.

Rule #3 --> Never be unreachable.

Rule #4 --> If you have a secret, the best thing is to keep it to yourself. The second-best to tell one other person if you must. There is no third best.

Rule #6 --> Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness.

Rule #8 --> Never take anything for granted.

Rule #9 --> Never go anywhere without a knife.

Rule #10 --> Never get personally involved in a case.

Rule #11 --> When the job is done, walk away.

Rule #12 --> Never date a coworker.

Rule #13 --> Never, ever involve lawyers.

Rule #15 --> Always work as a team.

Rule #18 --> It's better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.

Rule #22 --> Never, ever interrupt Gibbs in interrogation.

Rule #23 --> Never mess with a Marine's coffee if you want to live.

Rule #27 --> There are two ways to follow someone. First way - they never notice you. Second way - they only notice you.

Rule #38 --> Your case, your lead.

Rule #39 --> There is no such thing as a coincidence.

Rule #40 --> If it seems like someone is out to get you, they are.

Rule #44 --> First things first, hide the women and children.

Rule #45 --> Clean up your messes.

Rule #51 --> Sometimes - you're wrong.

Now the first thing I noticed about this little list was first of all Leroy Jethro Gibbs doesn't know how to count, second he sure does skip a lot of numbers, and third there are two #1's and #3's!

Come on Gibbs you're suppose to be my HERO!!!

The Things of This World are Sometimes Not Fair

I have always been told things happen for a reason...

Sometimes these reasons are beyond our control. Does a child abuser deserve a punishment? How about a man who assaults his own step-daughter in ways she can't even imagine? But now I ask, does an innocent man deserve to be punished for something he didn't do? You hear everyday in the news of the many people who get off with doing things that by law should sentence them to just a few years or maybe even life in jail. So how does an innocent man get time in jail?

I take offense when it hits close to home...and in a time like this the only place I can turn to or better yet the place I always turn to is God and His Word. The first thing that came to my mind was Integrity--> the quality of being honest. So I set out to find scriptures on integrity.

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found

out."

-Proverbs 10:9 ESV

"The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them."

-Proverbs 11:3 ESV

"Whoever walks with integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall."

-Proverbs 28:18 ESV

So why can't people just have integrity and be honest and own up to what they did? Instead of puttin' it off on someone else. Just a few more parting words. I just want to tell that family member, I love you and we will get through this...all of us.

With God's help that is!

Could It Be Christmas Time Again?!

Growing up in the South is awesome! You always get to learn about truck drivin', fishin', huntin' and best of all how to drive a tractor! But a day on the farm can be quickly ruined when Pops favorite tractor breaks on him and that bad day can quickly turn into a bad couple of weeks and soon a bad couple of months when you can't find the right parts for the broken tractor.

Why? You may ask! Cause Pops got a tractor from an old friend Gene Garvin and unfortunately that tractor was a victim of an assembly line change so findin' parts for it was darn near impossible! This made my Pops very sad...cause he likes nothing more than to ride his tractor.

But his sadness quickly changed on this very cold rainy day...yes that would be today!

His tractor part came in! He opened the box like a little kid at Christmas Time. All the while sayin', "Could be my part? Could it be my part?! It is Erika! It is! Oh boy! The only part left in the whole world! Erika take my picture!" And so I did...

Look at the Joy on that Southern Man's face!

You would never think that a tractor part could make one person so happy! But when that one part was the last part needed to fix the Farmall that has been out of commission for nearly a month. Well I say...

THAT'S ENOUGH TO PUT A SMILE ON ANYONE'S FACE!

Just Sit Right Back...

In a way I remade the Gilligan's Island Theme song a long time ago...I found it on Facebook but I decided in light of current events that I had to make a few changes. So here it goes!

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip that started from this tropic port aboard this tiny ship.

The Mate was a mighty sailin' women,

The skipper brave and sure.

Five passengers set sail that day for a three hour tour, a three hour tour

The weather started getting rough, the tiny shipped was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew the Minnow would be lost, the Minnow would be lost.

The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted dessert isle

With....

Gilligan

The Skipper too,

The Millionaire

and his wife,

The movie star

The Professor

and Mary Ann,

Here on Gilligan's Isle.

So this is the tale of our castaways, they're here for a long, long time, they'll have to make the best of things, it's on uphill climb.

The First Mate and His Skipper too, will do they're very best, to make the other comfortable, in the tropic island nest.

No phone, no lights, no motor cars, not a single luxury, Like Robison Crusoe, as primitive as can be.

So join us here each week my friends, you're sure to get a smile, from seven stranded castaways, here on Gilligan's Isle!

Left Behind!

So I started this little collection of the "Over 50,000,000 Sold In Series" books known as the Left Behind Series! It all started with my sudden interest in the Book of Revelation lead on by the famous Jimmy Steen. He did a study in our youth group on the Book of Revelation from chapter 1-22 and that's where it all began! I now own every book from Left Behind to Kingdom Come. And now I found out there are yet 3 other books the awesome writers of "The Left Behind Series" went back and wrote! So now begins my journey again...

Some people may think it seems strange that I have such an interest in "The End Times". But if you were to ask any of my friends or family members what my favorite book in the Bible is they would answer, "Well that's easy Revelation". That would be true! I don't know why it has become my favorite book when many would say that it's the scariest book in the Bible. But to those of you out there who think it's the scariest book in the Bible you would be right and wrong...Revelation is all about Jesus coming back to take his Church or His Believers to Heaven with him. Now on the flip side those left behind will experience what the writers of "The Left Behind Series" would call Hell on Earth. I for one will not be one of those! So I guess that's why you could say I find the book of Revelation as a Glorious Book. It's a promise to those who make the commitment to follow Christ it's a promise from our Lord Jesus Christ that he will one day soon come again and take us with Him. I for one can't wait until that day comes!

Are you ready for His return?

It All Started With A Whiteboard & A Marker

If someone where to ask you, "If you could pick anyone in the whole world to be like who would you pick?"

Well those of you who know me would probably say that I would pick...Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS, Jimmy Steen, Captain Bobby, Rhonda Pippen or my favorite Chuck Norris. Those of you who say that would be completely WRONG!

I found this in my room today as I was finishin' cleanin' it and the person who wrote this would be the person I wish to be most like.

Yes I know what you're thinkin'! She's a silly person! Why on earth would you want to be like her?!

My sister Marci wrote this for me long years ago...I kept it cause I thought it described her as a person.

1. Lucy is the Queen of Comedy --> Marci is a huge Lucille Ball fan and always dreamed of becoming a comedian herself. I always admired that in her.

2. Reba is the Queen of Country Music --> Marci has always said that

she could be one of Reba's back up singers...but poor thang she can't carry a tune in a bucket! But at least she try's :)

3. God is the Ruler of All --> God has always been a priority for Marci...the one thing she told me when she got back from basic trainin' in Texas was that one way she survived basic was the fact that she kept her Faith Strong.

4. I'm the Boss of You --> She use to tell me this quite often...cause the sad reality is she really did think she was the boss of me. Poor thang she knew no better!

So I'm gonna answer the question that y'all are probably dyin' to ask me...why would I want to be most like Marci?

She has always been a person that I looked up to no matter what. She's got a good head on her shoulders and she's not afraid to speak her mind. She knows how to stand out in a crowd and be noticed for who she is and not someone she wishes she were. She's a fighter and my favorite Senior Airman in the US Air Force.

I LOVE YOU SENIOR AIRMAN MARCI WILLIAMS!!

BANANAGRAMS!

Yes I know the name sounds a little cheesy! But it's actually a really good game! I first played this game at my Pastor's house one night with him and his wife. So I decided why not go out and buy my own Bananagrams game...so I DID! I lured my Mama into playin' the game with me and then my cousin Lynsey. We all three were purdy much hooked for an hour or two on this game! Not to mention my Uncle Petey thought is was purdy funny watchin' us form words that weren't really words at all...It's not as easy as you may think cause you have to form words and for a country girl like me that was pertnear hard! Cause they have to be actual words...no redneck words aloud! So that thar just purdy much through out most of my vocabulary! Next I will concur playin' Bananagrams with the Pops...of course we will have to make our own rules up and use only redneck words. Anyways I learned one thing from a night of playin' Bananagrams with my family....

I'M A BEAST AT THAT GAME!

And next time Lynsey remember that it's t-u-r-d not t-e-r-d!

Patience...

It's never been something that I was ever really good at! As a youngster I was always told to be patient...but come on I'm 22 years old now! And my patience is still very very very slim!

I had to be patient for my very first iPod, my very first car and my very first MacBook! But now this! Come on! There is nothing you want more than when someone tells you to be "patient for

a little while longer" it has the reverse affect on me...it usually tends to make me very impatient. So I decided to turn to the ole trusty Bible for my guidance with this inability to be patient.

"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land." - Psalm 37:7-9

So now after my fixin' from the Lord...I think it's safe to say that I am good to go! Those who wait upon the Lord to do things that you have asked for or have dreamed about or even for that matter have waited on for what seems like forever! Know that the Lord knows what he's doin'....so the best thing to do is wait PATIENTLY!

Everything Is Possible

I have always been told that God never gives you more than you can handle at one time....

These past months or so I have felt like I hit rock bottom. I have literally been turned in many different directions. God used a pretty awful trial to put me back on track...it wasn't as if I strayed far from Him but maybe I just lost sight of what God truly wanted me to accomplish in life. Between that and new people entering into my life not knowing my rocky past it terrified me. I have come to realize that the past I'm so afraid to talk about actually made me the person I am today. I have to totally Surrender it all to God...not just peaces but all of it. Because at the end of the day God's got my back!

It's like the song Surrender by Hank Murphy Band says, "It's all yours everything I am I understand Surrender and I've come to hand it in. It's all yours your spirit in me means I belong to you My King, it's not about me."

Southern Life

How do you describe growing up in the South? Well there is no other way of putting it other than it's pertnear awesome! Who wouldn't like livin' within walking distance of a nice pond or growin' up knowin' how to drive a tractor before the age of ten? It was the first thing on wheels that I learned how to drive...ahhhh the memories. But it's not as glam as you may think...you see when you learn how to drive said tractor you then directly sign yourself up for a life time of driven that tractor from then on. Which I can't complain much driven a tractor can put your mind at total ease...no wonder my Pops can always be found on one.

Speakin' of livin' in the South...I've been up North. Cause you see there is one thing that you may not know about this Country Girl from South Carolina...she has Yankee relatives that moved from this peaceful land up into the hustle and bustle of New Jersey. It's bout near close as you can get to New York with out actually livin' there. But it's too crowded for my taste. I like the peacefulness of a small town. All I can say is thank God I'm a Country Girl!

It's Been Along Time Comin'

Well it's been a while since I've done this my last blog post was from 2008. I haven't got much to say...but I found this small piece of paper in the bottom of my closet from years ago it was written by a man who I have grown to Love more and more each day, a man who inspires me daily to become all that I can be...that man is non other than my Father, David Williams. I think it paints a purdy picture of how a simple Country Hic portrays people from the North.

Yankee's Down South

Have you ever asked yourself why in the World was there a war between the North and South? We all wanted live down here and they up there buy they just keep coming down here more and more of um. About five years ago a whole family of um came down here and got kinda friendly with me and my family, wanting to see how and what I grew in my garden. They'd never seen taters dug before, I think they thought they grew on trees like apples or something. Oh, and when I sliced one to show then how french fries were made, they really looked at me funny.

Well the next thing you know, them Yankees wanted to go fishing in my pond. At first they tried fishing my pond like a 9-5 job. Any of you southern folk know when prime fishing is and it ain't banking hours. They came out and fished with all the fancy, pretty lures that I call "tourist lures". Like the worm lure with a hook on each end, one in the middle and the little twirely propeller at the front with red beads. I had a little fun with them one day I was fishing. I'd catch a bass, bring it to the boat and pretend to take it off the hook. I would the let the fish swim away again and again reeling it back in every so often as if to be catching another "new"fish. They started to follow me around the pond. It was kinda difficult for them you see cause I had a trolling motor and them Yankees were paddling. Just about the time they would try and get close enough to see what type of lure I was using I'd move. After a while, I thought the poor guy who was paddling was gonna have a heat stroke so I let um catch me, but before they got close enough, I change lures. I took something out of my tackle box I'd never caught nothing with.

You know, the next time they came fishing, you'd thought they'd bought stock in the company which manufactured that lure. Like I said, I had a little fun with them.

Being the the kind of a southern guy I am, you know, help anybody, do anything for ya, I decided to show them how to tie on a worm and fish it right. Wouldn't you figure it, just this past spring one of them thar Yankees caught a 9Ib. 8oz. bass out of my pond.

Enough is enough, I'm drawing the line, I ain't gonna show em nothing about deer hunting.

Signed Country Hic