Why Sweet Tea?

     For my flagship post, I guess it would be best to tell how the name came about. I was born in the South. Tennessee to be exact. But, moved even more south when I was very young. However, most people don't think Orange County, CA as being south. Funny, if you look on a map it is quite a bit more south than Tennessee. With that said, I am a southern girl at heart but, am also a California girl. Strange combo but, it does make me who I am. My whole family is southern and I was raised by a very twangy TN girl. I actually had to learn that I was saying words the wrong way. Words like GREAZY, don't really mean anything to normal talking people. And when you order Salmon in a restaurant, don't pronounce the L. You will get giggled at. 

     In CA nobody drinks "sweet tea". Most people aren't even sure what it is. They think putting one of those packets of chemicals makes it sweet tea. I have to inform them that it truly isn't. Not too long ago a Chick-fil-a moved in near our home church. You suddenly noticed all of the transplants from the south that had moved here. All of them drinking there sweet tea like it was an afternoon martini. A guilty pleasure. Yet, I'm not sure why they thought it a guilty pleasure except they lived in Southern California now and sugar is BAD. People here like sugar free and diet. Although even that is going out of style. You can drink coffee here without a sideways look. Otherwise, you should probably drink green tea. It is much better for you. YUCK! O.K. I have been known to sip some green tea if I was desperate for something warm to drink. But, how is a caramel machiato better for you than a good old fashioned sweet  tea. I have decided I will make it fashionable to drink sweet tea here. I have been seen walking across our terribly large and hot church campus with a mason jar filled with crushed ice and homemade sweet tea, to share with a friend that had worked all day. Funny how a mason jar makes it all the more desirable. Others will ask, "Where did you get that?!" The next question is, "You know how to MAKE sweet tea???"

       I have a friend who thinks it is funny when she talks to me and I will say, "Oh just have a nice glass of sweet tea and you'll feel much better." She says that she thinks maybe sweet tea can cure anything the way I say it. I don't know if it can cure any real ailments but, I know it makes me happy and able to face the next obstacle more easily. 

       My blog will be about me, my family (I have 4 children and a knight in shining armor), and our lives. I will have lots of tips about parenting, home schooling, raising a teen-ager as well, as toddlers. I will share recipes (including how to make a proper cup of sweet tea the way my Grandma does). Basically, this will be a place where I can share with whoever wants to read, how we get through life with a boat load of kids, and keep our sanity most of the time. Just remember, if it gets too tough to navigate that boat, stop for a second and sip your sweet tea with me and your prospective will change. It will be more pleasant for sure.