Things are really heating up in Conservative politics here in the South. We’ve created a new blog to update, educate and discuss all things political.

Please visit us at Belle on Politics.
~susanne

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

……Abraham Lincoln

~susanne

From the book A Southern Belle Primer:

Fallen Belles

Even belles from the loveliest of Southern families sometimes move away. They go to places like New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles and they get caught up in a world where ladies are called women and nobody wears pantyhose in the summer. Before you know it, these belles start to like the idea of wash-and-wear hair and throwing away their eyeliner. They even open their own car doors and pretend that “red eye” refers to a late-night plane flight and not a gravy that goes with ham.

But there’s something about Southern upbringing that never completely goes away. Here are Ten telltale signs that a girl is truly a belle:

1) She calls the refrigerator the icebox.
2) Even if she’s ninety, she calls her father “Daddy.”
3) She would rather walk down Fifth Avenue naked than wear white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day.
4) She refers to a handbag as a pocketbook.
5) She doesn’t have a couch. She has a sofa.
6) She drinks iced tea in the middle of a blizzard.
7) She will march for women’s rights for twenty miles but she would rather die than walk two feet with a lighted cigarette.
8 ) She dyes her shoes to match her cocktail dress.
9) All her parties have themes.
10) She has a deviled egg plate.

Even though I didn’t grow up in the South, I do have a pocketbook. I don’t open my own car door. I own a deviled egg plate. Yummy! I also use a buggy at the grocery store and my children say “Ma’am?” instead of “What?”. I’ve learned that the S word is something different than I thought it was. You should have seen my face when my little, innocent niece told me, “You just said the “S” word!”. I was new to the family, had not even started my Belle training and we were at my now-niece’s 1st birthday party. I wanted to crawl into the floor in mortification thinking I had said a really naughty word by accident. Thankfully I found out she meant Stupid and not…. well, you know. It can also mean “Shut Up” in certain families.

I am not a fallen belle. I’m not technically a Belle at all. But I’m trying! And every now and then, I will get a look of approval from Magnolia and I will know that each day brings me a little closer to the Promise Land.
~susanne

I think I’ve already established that I love makeup. I love trying new products, buying new products, oohing and aahing over the pretty little packages… just about anything to do with makeup. And when I find a product I love, I stay loyal to it. I just hate when it gets discontinued! My absolute favorite powder has been discontinued. I used to be able to find it online but now I can’t. My favorite lipstick is no longer easy to find. It’s so frustrating!!!

Right now, I have two mascaras that I absolutely adore. One is a great every day mascara and the other is so amazing but expensive that I save it for special occasions or those days when I just need a boost and pretty eyelashes are just the ticket.

CoverGirl Lash Blast

What an awesome mascara! I love it. I love the fat orange container and the big brush. The brush lets you get every little lash and it doesn’t smudge. It washes off easily and makes your lashes look amazing. And amazing lashes means you look beautiful, awake and ravishing. What more can a girl ask for? Oh and did I mention it’s not expensive? Love me some LashBlast!

Yves St. Laurent Faux Cils

This mascara rocks! It gives you unbelievably long, gorgeous lashes that really do look like false eyelashes. And it comes in a really cool gold tube. I feel fancy just putting it on! I don’t know how it makes lashes look so great but here is what their website says:

Its secret: the triple-film complex. A coating film for intensity, a conditioning film for curve, a fixing film for long-lasting effectiveness. Even the brush applicator combines nylon fibers of varying diameters for volume enhancement as never before.

All I know is that it works. It is kind of expensive and not always easy to find locally but I promise, it’s worth it!

Have a favorite mascara? I’d love to hear about it!

My friend Bitsy sent me this and I thought it was very funny and very true.  So proud to be a member of the female population!

Behold the Woman

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater.  If you give her sperm, she’ll give you a baby.  If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home.  If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal.  If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart.  She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of poop.

I took the liberty of changing the last word since the word that was there would get me a lot of trouble with Magnolia. But the visual is the same!

My political career begins….

I’m so excited! I was recently appointed to be a State Coordinator for South Carolina for Team Huck. Team Huck was founded by Mike Huckabee in an effort to bring conservative Christian values back to our country. I will be one of four state coordinators organizing and rallying the Republicans of our state to come together and get this country back on the right track. We are tasked with organizing the grassroots in our state of South Carolina but every state has a team. Our goal is to have a Group of Volunteers form in every county in the country.

 Quick Note: If you are a Democrat or generally not a supporter of the Republican party, you can just bypass this post altogether. I’m not interested in debating. What makes our country so great is that we are allowed to have differing opinions and a passion for our beliefs. These are my beliefs and I am passionate about them. And as this is my blog, I can express them here. If you are passionate about your own beliefs and they are different from mine, that’s fine with me. I would never presume to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t believe in. That’s a personal choice. This is mine and I hope it will be respected. Anyway…. back to me being excited!

Here’s what we are doing:

 Team Huck’s mission is to elect strong, common-sense Republicans who support the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, lower taxes, fiscal sanity and a strong national defense. Huck PAC is founded on the principles that make America great: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Our Republican Party embodies these ideas and is best suited to lead America forward.

Huck PAC is committed to helping Republicans regain control of the House and Senate, and regain a majority of governorships and supporting conservative principles around the country. Huck PAC will support Republican candidates who are passionate advocates for tax reform, a strong national defense, real border security, life, the family, less government, and individual liberty.

As part of our effort to support strong Republican candidates, we have formed Team Huck. Team Huck is a grassroots volunteer organization devoted to helping Huck PAC find, endorse, and elect Republican candidates who share our principles. Huck PAC will identify candidates who hold firm to these principles, promote their campaigns and financially support their efforts. Our goal is to identify and support candidates in every state in the country. You can see which candidates we have endorsed by clicking on the candidates section of our website, or by clicking on your home state image in the Team Huck headquarters section of our website.  Huck PAC endorsed candidates must be pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, a fiscal conservative and a strong advocate for lower taxes.

Let me know if you have a candidate you would like Team Huck to endorse.

I decided that the direction my country is headed in is not where I want to go.  In fact, it’s so far off track that it’s starting to be hard to recognize our country anymore. Between the multi-billion dollar bailouts, attacks on religious freedom, the war against traditional marriage and freedom in parenting and many others, I was getting more and more frustrated. I’ve always voted. People who know me know I have always been a big supporter of my party and my beliefs. But it’s not enough. I made the decision to get off the sidelines and become more active in protecting my rights as a Christian and a parent and in promoting candidates who share my values and beliefs. If you would like to join us, please go to www.teamhuck.com . Go to the Headquarters and click on your state to see what is happening there.

If you would like to make a donation to HuckPac and Team Huck, please click here. All money collected will be used to support  local candidates and strengthen the effort in your local community.

Next Thursday I have the opportunity to attend a private reception in Charlotte for Team Huck and meet Mike Huckabee in person. From what I understand, many of the major Republicans in North and South Carolina will be there along with some other celebrities. I can’t wait! If only Jon Bon Jovi weren’t a democrat….

My only concern now is finding the perfect outfit. I’m all for traditional values but a girl has to look good too! And I’m pretty sure I need new shoes…

Oh, joy! The Humidity is back.  We’ve had a really wonderful Spring…. unlike most years. It’s been fairly cool but even better than that: we’ve had low humidity. My hair has looked good. I’ve been able to breathe. I haven’t started sweating at 7 in the morning. It’s comfortable to sleep at night. But all that is over now because my enemy Humidity has returned to taunt me for another summer. It’s currently 91% humidity.

Instead of  just spending the next several months cursing Humidity and trying to avoid him, I’ve decided to make an attempt to understand him a little better and maybe come to a truce. Here are my findings:

Humidity is the amount of water in the air.

Doesn’t sound that ominous, does it? But I’ve learned that Humidity is a sneaky little bugger.

As the relative humidity increases, hair becomes longer, and as the humidity drops it becomes shorter. On very humid days, your hair actually becomes longer and this extra length causes the frizziness that gives us bad hair days.

So my hair is getting longer when Humidity comes to visit and that’s why it is frizzy? All I know is that I have curly hair and it doesn’t get longer, it gets bigger. I guess maybe it is getting longer but not vertically. It’s getting longer horizontally and I can promise you that it is not a pretty site.

This is not me but does demonstrate my hair nicely when Humidity is attacking it.

Asthma and humidity should not be put together. For medical reasons, these two things can really damage your body.

As an asthma sufferer, I can personally vouch for this.  Humidity makes it difficult to breathe … period. Your lungs feel heavy. Your nose feels stuffy. It’s like breathing underwater and that is not fun.

Heat and humidity causes acne flare-ups because the skin “swells” from the cardiovascular system kicking in. When you get hot or exercise, two things happen at once. Your skin swells from the freshly oxygenated blood sent to the surface to feed the muscles that are “working” and then you start to perspire producing acids and salts to “cool” the body off. This combination of swelling skin with acids and salts irritates and dries the skin and can cause ZITS to get worse and become larger.

Big, fuzzy hair and zits. Just perfect….

Okay… I have spent a lot of time searching the internet for good things about humidity. It’s seems to be futile. I know some people love summer. I am not one of them. I hate being sweaty. No one looks good sweaty. Well, maybe Jon Bon Jovi or Hugh Jackman but only if it’s a good sweat and not a stinky sweat. No one smells good sweaty which is a real problem for me in the summer because I have a very good sense of smell. My husband says I should work for the DEA sniffing out people’s luggage at the airport. I have a lot of friends that just love to hang out at the pool and watch their children swim. Yuck. Sitting in the stifling heat, sweating, and counting the hours until I can go home is not my idea of a good time. It’s total misery.

So I’ll be waiting for Fall and for a phone call from Magnolia. I just remembered that “sweat” is not a word I’m allowed to use. It’s “perspiring”. Sorry!

A Southern Belle’s Ten Golden Rules

1) Never serve pink lemonade at your Junior League committee meetings. It has communist undertones.

2) Always wear white when you walk down the aisle (even if it’s for the third time).

3) Never wear white shoes before Easter or after Labor Day. The only exception, of course, is if you’re a bride. Bridesmaids, however, must never wear white shoes. Bridesmaids’ shoes should match the punch.

4) It doesn’t matter if you marry a man who doesn’t know the difference between a shrimp fork and a pickle fork. You can always teach him. Just make sure he can afford to buy you both.

5) Never date your sorority sister’s ex-husband until at least three years after the divorce. You might need her to write your daughter a Kappa Kappa Gamma recommendation one day. Just remember it’s a lot easier to find a new man than it is to get your daughter into Kappa.

6) Never marry a man whose mother and grandmother owned silver plate instead of real silver. He’s not used to quality and he’ll try to cheat you on the divorce settlement.

7) It’s never to soon to write a thank-you note. Some belles take the notes and a pen with them to party. In the middle of the evening they go into the ladies’ room and write a thank-you describing how much they enjoyed the dinner (naming specific items). They then put the note in the mailbox as they leave. The hostess receives it first thing in the morning. Sure this is compulsive, but you’re going to have to be compulsive if you want to be president of the Junior League.

8 ) Never show your bosom before evening and never wear and ankle bracelet before anything. Girls who wear ankle bracelets usually end up twirling batons. There has never been a baton twirler who became Miss America and there’s certainly never been a baton twirler in the Junior League.

9) Never chew gum in public and never smoke on the street.

10) Buy low. Sell high.

       ~ from A Southern Belle Primer

I’d like to think a lot of this is tongue-in-cheek, but unfortunately I’m not so sure. I absolutely believe the Rule about thank-you notes. It’s exaggerated but so true. Thank-you notes are a wonderful thing. Magnolia writes the most beautiful thank-you notes. Not only are they long but they are extremely detailed. She will mention each item you served for supper in such glowing words that you will start to wonder if she meant it to go to someone else. There have been times that I have hardly recognized my own cooking. However, in this world of texting and emails, getting a hand-written thank-you note in the mail is a treat.

I do have one little issue with thank-you notes though. If you have just had a baby, gotten out of the hospital, lost a loved one, or sick enough to need a meal, do you really feel up to writing a thank-you note? I really, really appreciated all the wonderful meals we received after the birth of our children and when I had pneumonia last year and was recovering from a hospital stay and surgery. But none of those times did I feel up to writing a thank-you note. Why can’t a very heartfelt verbal “thank you” be enough? If you’re sick enough (or exhausted from having just brought a new life into the world) to need a meal, you should be excused from having to write a thank-you note. Unfortunately I’m in the minority on this idea, so I’m just going to keep it to myself.

So to everyone that I owe a thank-you note (and I’m sure the number is many), please accept this public acknowledgement of your thoughtfulness and caring. THANK YOU!!!!!!! And please keep in mind that I am still a Belle-in-Training and I’m bound to make some mistakes along the way.

My friend Jackie, an absolutely hilarious Belle, shared this with me today. It might be a teensy bit exaggerated in spots but overall, it’s right on.  And since it’s my blog and I can do what I want (gotta love a dictatorship!), I’ve added my own personal thoughts.

THINGS I LEARNED IN SOUTH CAROLINA…

1) A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

~ This is absolutely true. Plus we’ve had more than a few possums at my house over the years that had decided to just move on in. And we do not live out in the country. Fortunately my neighbor has a possum cage so we “relocated” those possums to somewhere else. I didn’t ask where and I didn’t care as long as it wasn’t my house. My son wanted to keep the last one as a pet, but my husband nicely told him that possums are mean and stink. Thanks, Cole!

2) There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in SC.

~ I hate snakes. I don’t care if they are the “good kind” and wish people would stop telling me that. All snakes need to vacate the earth. I think Genesis was pretty clear about how God felt about snakes. I concur.

3) There are 10,000 types of spiders, and all 10,000 of them live in SC.

~ I actually like spiders so I have no problem with us one at all!

4) If it grows, it’ll stick ya. If it crawls, it’ll bite cha.

~ Enough said.

5) “Onced” and “Twiced” are words.

6) It is not a shopping cart, it’s a buggy.

     ~ Doesn’t a buggy just sound more fun? I also love pocketbook instead of purse.  My 4-year old is always going to get her “pocketbook” which is usually an Ariel backpack or something she’s stolen from me.

7) “Jaw-P?” means, “Did y’all go to the bathroom?”

8)  People actually grow and eat okra.

~ When I first moved to Atlanta way back when, someone asked me if I wanted some okra. Sadly, I thought it was some kind of seafood. I guess I had Orka and okra confused. And knowing me, I probably let everyone know that I had thought that. If you haven’t had okra before, make up some fried okra. Yummy!

9) “Fixinto” is one word.

~  Yes, it’s true. Southerners are always fixin’ to do something and right now, I’m fixin’ to look at #10.

10) There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there is supper.

11) Iced tea is appropriate for all meals, and you start drinking it when you’re two. We do like a little tea with our sugar.

~ Southerners do drink sweet tea for every meal and with everything all year long. And it’s sweet, sweet, sweet. I used to order a Coke when I was a brand new “newcomer” and people would look at me and say “You ain’t from around here, are you?” In Atlanta, everything is a Coke. They would ask, “What kind of Coke do you want? Pepsi, Coke, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper…”   Obviously Coca Cola being headquartered in Atlanta has had a profound effect on the drinking habits of that city.

12) Backwards and forwards means, “I know everythin’  bout you.”

~ Uh oh.

13) The word “jeet” is actually a phrase meaning, “Did you eat?”

14) You don’t have to wear a watch, because it doesn’t matter what time it is. You work until you’re done or it’s too dark to see…

~ Maybe… but I can assure you that I do not subscribe to this theory. I don’t wear a watch but it’s not because I’m working until it’s too dark to see. Now playing is another matter entirely!

15) You don’t PUSH buttons, you MASH em.

~ My husband is also always asking me to “Cut off the lights.”

16) You measure distance in minutes.

17) You switch from heat to A/C in the same day.

~ Today is the perfect example of that. Woke up to 45 degree BRRRRRRR weather and this afternoon, it’s in the high 70’s. And it’s the middle of May which is really unusual for this time of year. But I will say that I have LOVED this Spring. Normally we go from 40 degree days to 90 degree days. We have had absolutely glorious weeks of 70 degree weather this year and I for one am a happy girl about that.

18) All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

~ Drive around the South and you will see Coon Dog Days, Catfish festival, Rockin’ Ribfest, the Mosquito Festival (I’ll pass on this one), Pigs and Peaches BBQ festival, and any number of small town get togethers. All of these come complete with good food and usually great music. Love it!

19) You know what a “Dawg” is.

~ And this is not the Randy Jackson “Dawg”.

20) You carry jumper cables in your car – for your own car.

21) You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Texas Pete ,Tabasco and ketchup.

22) You find 100 degrees “a bit warm.”

~ Unfortunate but true. Humidity was obviously invented in the South.

23) You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.

24) Going to Walmart is a favorite past time known as “goin’ Walmartin” or “off to Wally World.”

~ I have always refused to patronize Walmart but it does seem to be a popular past time. Along with hittin’ rummage sales. Walmarts have long lines and kind of creepy people. But then a little Walmart (by Walmart standards) opened down from my house… by the Country Club no less. You can imagine the outcry that occured during that planning phase! It’s actually not too bad. I only go if I absolutely do not feel like driving over to the local French store, Target.

25) You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good hog killin’ weather.

~ I describe it as perfect porch-sitting weather, but whatever…

26) Fried catfish is the other white meat.

27) We don’t need no dang Driver’s Ed…  If our mama says we can drive, we can drive dag-nabbit.

~ I’ve always wondered how to spell dag-nabbit. Now if I only knew how to spell that other Southern beauty… dad gummit. It’s the closest thing to a cuss word I’ve ever heard my husband say. He’s one of those Sophisticated Southern Types. Not to mention totally handsome. Yes, I’m a lucky Belle!

Some things I love about the South:  My husband stands up when I leave the table and when I come back.  He opens my car door… every time. My children say “Ma’am”  and “Sir”  out of habit. I can be treated like a lady and it doesn’t mean I’m weak. Strangers invite me to church. And they hold the door for me, even if I’m empty-handed. It only snows a few times a year and then only lasts a day or so before our beautiful weather returns. And if it is going to snow or ice or be ice cold, it’s a several-week worthy news story full of excited anticipation and much grocery shopping. The world is green and blossoming most of the year but we still get to see the beauty of Fall. There are 3 churches on every corner. If you are hurt, sad, have a nasty cold, or your Great Aunt Sally died,  you will end up with more meals than your refrigerator can hold.  People hug. Family traditions and stories are revered and passed down from generation to generation. We eat a lot of deviled eggs, pimento cheese and BBQ.

I could go on and on. I love the South. I love the people here and I love majesty that God saw fit to put here. In my eyes, it is Heaven on earth. I’m so lucky to live here.

I have a beautiful friend named Tanya.  She recently celebrated her 15th wedding anniversary with her sweetie. Hopefully most of you have a friend like Tanya. A sweet, kind, gentle person who sings like an angel and always has a smile on her face. A person who faces adversity with grace and strength and is a constant example of what a Christian really is. I know if Tanya is reading this, she’s probably shaking her head at me for exaggerating, but that’s just because Tanya is pretty humble. A few months ago I was looking around during Communion (I know… I know… my husband has already lectured me about that so no need on your part). I saw Tanya in a pew a few rows up and she had the most glorious and peaceful look on her face. I remember thinking, “I want to be like that.”  It’s not the first time that Tanya has been an inspiration to me and I know it won’t be the last.

For the last several years, Tanya and her husband have been faced with a situation that would have brought most of us to our knees.  Tanya’s husband (and my friend!) has been battling a very serious medical condition that has taken a lot of twists and turns. They have three small children. I’m sure at times the future seemed very scary and uncertain, and it probably still does. But you wouldn’t know it by talking to them. Not only has Tanya been a shining example of trust in our Lord, she has also been a constant source of strength for those around her. Faced with one challenge after another, she has always remained positive and prayerful. God has a pretty amazing soldier in that one. I’m so proud to call her my friend.

Below is an article that Tanya wrote for the website Build Up and Sharpen. I just love it and thank Tanya for letting me share it with you. Love you, girl!

Love
Written by Tanya Coggin

Isn’t interesting how the meaning of a favorite scripture can change with time and still remain the same?

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7).

Isn’t it interesting how the meaning of a favorite scripture can change with time and still remain the same?

1 Corinthians 13. The LOVE chapter! When I was 16, I spent part of my summer as a camp counselor for abused and neglected children. One evening, a leader gave a simple devotional about putting your name in place of the word love …. Tanya is patient, Tanya is kind …. Uh oh. I had some work to do! Still do …. this devotion opened my eyes to God’s design for me.

Five years later, I was blessed enough to meet my future husband. Before I started planning for our wedding, I knew THE chapter to include. Holding hands at the altar, I remember that perfect moment, the feeling of security in His love and Mike’s love for me. The sweet looks on our family members’ faces as we declared our love for one another.

Years pass and love grows. Meanings change. Flash forward to age 26, holding Mike’s hand as he recovers from major surgery. A few more years, to age 34, holding hands during more medical treatments and tests. Listening. Loving. Wondering “Why us, Lord?” Waiting.

When appearances change and the white picket fence needs mending (or at least a fresh coat of paint!), what do we hold onto?

That same simple love! His love for us … so much LOVE that He would send His son to die for us. Our love for one another and our love for others drives us.

I still hold onto His promise of love and each day try to make Tanya more patient and kind …. His work in me continues! Thank God for His spiritual gifts!

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13)