Yule was fantastic

The annual Yule gathering was smaller than past years, but there were many cameo appearances and many new faces.  Everyone had a wonderful time and Miss Sandra once again has gone above and beyond to make the Yuletide a very memorable experience.  So much good food, so many great experiences, I lack the words to really re-cap it all and do it justice.

Some had inquired about the banana bread recipe, so here it is:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

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Ingredients:

2 cups self-rising flour
(or 2 cups all-purpose flour w/ 1 teaspoon salt & 2 teaspoons baking soda)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
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Directions:
Mix or sift together dry ingredients, stir in oil and eggs, then mix in bananas.  I used a pastry hand blender for this, but you could use electric mixer or just a spoon.  Make sure all ingredients are mixed in well (about a minute with an electric mixer). Ok if the mashed banana is still a bit lumpy.

Pour this batter into a greased & floured 9" x 5 " loaf pan. I like the glass ones, but any loaf pan will do.  Bake approximately 60 minutes, until top is split and golden and toothpick comes out clean.   (Less time may be required in metal pans or ovens that tend to run hotter than average - like mine.)

Allow to cool in pan so that it pulls slowly away from the sides and pops out of pan in a pretty solid loaf.  Serves at least 4 - 6 folks in hefty servings.

This is a very "plain" recipe, but would be good for folks with nut or milk allergies.  Feel free to spice it up as you like or try replacing flour with rice flour if you are gluten sensitive.  (I have not tried this yet, but I have faith it would be just fine.)

If you have a recipe or memory from Yule that you would like to share, be sure to send it in to GardenSourceSC@gmail.com. It will either be featured in our upcoming newsletter or here in our blog.

And don't for get to keep an eye on our website for upcoming events. Don't look now, but the Jolly Old Elf is visiting tomorrow night - I can't wait!

Rolling right along

The Saturday Social slowed down a bit for the 8th, but the Council meeting was well attended on the 9th.  Dates were set for the next 6 months of Fellowships and special Saturday events and have been posted to our website GardenSourceSC.org.  All of us are gearing up for our Yule Celebration on the 22nd.  If you would like to attend or want more information, please contact us through our website.  Come out for a cup of coffee on Saturday the 15th, if you would like to get to know us before attending a larger event.

Hope this finds you all well and warm.  

Kentucky Proud

So, I heard an advertisement on the radio about Kentucky Proud products and this website, http://www.kyproud.com.  So, I had to check it out for myself... now I have to share it with you.  This has a search feature to find Kentucky made/grown products in your county or town.  Or, if you have Kentucky products, you can get your farm/business listed on the site.  And there is even a place to look for recipes (and everyone likes a good recipe).

So, support your local farmers and artisans and look for the Kentucky Proud sticker on products at your grocery.  [Tucking soapbox away.]

Hoping this all finds you in good spirits on this sunny Wednesday.  Be sure to check out our website for upcoming events.

Saturday Social Success!

Our first Saturday Social in December was very well attended.  We had to pull out the extra table from Thanksgiving to accommodate everyone.  If you didn't get a chance to come out, there will be at least 2 more opportunities this month, the 8th and the 15th.  Yule falls on a Saturday, so that will replace our Social on the 22nd, and we are still in debate about whether or not to take off the 29th.

If you are interested in coming to any of our activities, please contact us thru our homepage GardenSourceSC.Org.

In other news, one of our affiliates has recently updated their website.  So, if you are interested in any Pagan-esque supplies, books, or music, check out Paganopolis.Com.

It is a little rainy outside in Kentucky today, but I do hope you find sunshine and warm breezes in your heart.
Until next time...

Upcoming Events in our area

Of course, the Garden is having a Saturday Social tomorrow at 7 PM, but here are a few other non-Garden activities that may be of interest for this holiday season (and not everyone reads the newspaper, so hopefully I'm helping to spread the word):

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Parades

Lexington Christmas Parade, Thursday, December 6th.  Starting at 7:30 PM at Main Street and Midland Avenue and traveling down Main to Mill Street.  Food and drink vendors will be at Cheapside Park, Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza, and Phoenix Park.

Richmond Christmas Parade, Friday, December 7th, starting at 7 PM.  I believe this usually runs from Alumni Coliseum down Lancaster Avenue, then up Main Street, ending near Collins Street.  (Has been a while since I have been, but I'm planning on going this year.)  We usually try to find a parking spot along the route well in advance of the roads closing so that us old grumpy people and our littles don't freeze and can watch the parade in relative comfort.

Winchester and Georgetown Christmas Parades, Saturday, December 1st, starting at 6 PM. (Sorry, I don't have more info about these, but of course, I will be at the Social.)

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Nativities

There will be an open exhibit of Nativities from around the world at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2459 Sir Barton Way, Lexington.

This will be on Sunday, December 9th, 2012.  Admission is free, All are welcome.

4 - 5:30 PM:  Nativity Exhibit & Children's Activities

5 - 7 PM:  Nativity Exhibit, Live Nativity, & Music

7 - 8 PM:  Concert

8 - 9 PM:  Nativity Exhibit & Refreshments

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Southern Lights

November 16th - December 31st, the 19^th Annual Southern Lights returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.  The Kentucky Horse Park Foundation presents Southern Lights annually in support of the Kentucky Horse Park - not only is this event a successful fundraiser benefiting the KHP, but it has become a beloved holiday tradition for families from around the Bluegrass and beyond! 

Admission 

Personal Vehicle (Sunday - Thursday) $15.00

Personal Vehicle (Friday and Saturday) $20.00

Complimentary Passes will be accepted Sunday – Thursday ONLY

For more info, check out kyhorsepark.com events.

Personal Note:  Santa Claus does not appear there after a certain date.  You may want to call in advance to see when that is.  We found out, sadly, by arriving on the last day Santa worked last year, and he left early that night... so no pics of the littles with the Jolly Old Elf.  I was upset (to put it politely).  So, if your heart is set on seeing Santa, be there early and as early in the month of December as possible.

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There are way too many events to list here, but I hope this helped you find a little fun for the holidays.

If you are looking for an event in the Bluegrass Area, I can highly recommend checking out the listings at LexGo.com. 

If you know of anything overlooked, please post it in the comments of this blog.

On the eve of December, I bid you all a fair night and a beautiful and love-filled holiday season!

Still Recovering from an Abundance of Food and Blessings

This is our Thanksgiving update. Below are a handful of pictures from my cell phone (not the greatest quality) and I may have more later (or they may just go on our main website), but I wanted to share what I have.

The day was filled with blessings.  One of our precious little ones decided to go on walkabout to explore the neighbors' festivities.  This, of course, was a panicked and frightening moment, but the blessing of good neighbors meant she found her way back to us safely and in good time.  Nothing like a reminder that we are here to give thanks.

Our second blessing was the sheer number of people who shared the day with us.  I believe there was around 24 adults and 7 children (my count could be skewed by a few, as people flowed about at their leisure).  And the third blessing was the scrumptious food!  Even after a couple days, my tummy is still in a proverbial foodie heaven.

Here are a few of the smiling faces:

 What a shame more of the children (and adults) wouldn't hold still for such a nice, clear picture.  Maybe I'm just not quick enough on the draw.  (Or I *could* have been too busy eating.)

I'm enamored of the spirit of true joy these faces share with us.






And the day could not be complete without at least one picture of  "Hey, watch me walk! Pay no attention to the person pretending to hold my hands."

So many reasons and so much to be thankful for was evident on Thursday.  The next event on our schedule is a Saturday Social on December 1st.  Hop over to our website GardenSourceSC.Org to "contact us" for address and other information.  (As I mentioned before, our events are in private homes, so we don't want to just post someone's private address all over the internet.)  I, personally, am looking forward to a more relaxed gathering and time to just chat and get to know one another better.

Save the date, December 22nd, for our Yule Celebration!

Until next time, may the sun keep shining on your smiling face.

Welcome to The Garden and Happy Thanksgiving!

Greetings Programs!

Welcome to our adventure in creating community and our first effort into the blogging world.  You can find out more about us by visiting our website http://gardensourcesc.org.  If you have questions, please feel free to leave a message there in the guestbook, or comment here.

Thanksgiving is upon us, and it being the holiday season, we are celebrating in lieu of a more formal fellowship service.  Our celebration will be tomorrow, November 22nd, anytime after 3 PM.  This will be at the home of a member, so if you are interested, please contact us thru our website for more information on the location and how to contact us.

Sadly, we do not currently have a brick-and-mortar presence, but we are very small (15 active members) and have plenty of room to grow.  We enjoy each other's homes and thus have a "floating community" of sorts.  This can make it a challenge to get the word out to more people who may want to join us; so, as Community Coordinator, I'm taking this opportunity to spread the word in the electronic world.

After Thanksgiving, upcoming Garden-specific events include our next Saturday Social on December 1st at 7 PM and a Yule Celebration on December 22nd after 4 PM.  We are trying to have socials on every Saturday that we are able, and I will update those dates here.  Our next Fellowship Service will be in January, date yet to be determined, and our next Council meeting will be December 9th at 2:30 PM.  Confused yet?

We are not trying to replace anyone's specific path of spirituality, but wish to enhance their community.  That is really hard to explain in just a few words, but we try to schedule events that generally don't conflict with most people's work schedules or religious observances.  Therefore, many activities take place on Sunday afternoons or evenings.

Until next time, have a blessed evening and a joyful day of Thanksgiving with those you love!