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	<title>casual Archives - Diana Derringer</title>
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	<title>casual Archives - Diana Derringer</title>
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	<item>
		<title>Potluck</title>
		<link>https://dianaderringer.com/potluck/</link>
					<comments>https://dianaderringer.com/potluck/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Diana Derringer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:48 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[banquet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[casual]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[church]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coworkers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[devotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diana Derringer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fellowship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heaven]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[high hopes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idioms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[informal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jesus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Lessons from English Expressions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neighbors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pot luck]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[potluck]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[take a chance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uncertainty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[unknowns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Words Wit and Wisdom]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dianaderringer.com/?p=10375</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Do you enjoy potluck meals? If you grew up in a large extended family like I did, you understand potluck. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends from everywhere bring food. Lots of food. Stick to your ribs food. Attend church potlucks, and you get a little taste of heaven on earth. Dishes that weigh down tables, plus fellowship with other believers, fill both body and soul. Friends, co-workers, and neighbors also create great potlucks. Food and fun abound. Potlucks may be...</p>
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]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Potluck.jpg"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-10376" src="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Potluck.jpg" alt="Potluck--table with lots of food" width="366" height="550" srcset="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Potluck.jpg 366w, https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Potluck-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Potluck-180x270.jpg 180w" sizes="(max-width: 366px) 100vw, 366px" /></a>Do you enjoy potluck meals? If you grew up in a large extended family like I did, you understand potluck. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends from everywhere bring food. Lots of food. <a href="https://dianaderringer.com/stick-to-the-ribs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stick to your ribs</a> food.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Attend church potlucks, and you get a little taste of heaven on earth. Dishes that weigh down tables, plus fellowship with other believers, fill both body and soul.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Friends, co-workers, and neighbors also create great potlucks. Food and fun abound.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Potlucks may be inside, outside, or on a hillside. We once invited neighbors to a potluck picnic on top of the hill behind our house. A farm wagon served as our table. Everyone enjoyed the scenery as well as multiple plates of country cooking.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Potluck refers to a shared meal with dishes brought by those who attend.</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">You bring whatever dish you desire. Although unplanned, the meal usually includes plenty of everything. No one stresses, because the meal is casual and everyone helps.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Potluck (sometimes written as pot luck) means to take a chance on an uncertain outcome. </strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">Of course, if you attend a potluck meal, you take your chances on what you get to eat. However, this also refers to other unknowns, including:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Shopping</li>
<li>Travel</li>
<li>Work</li>
<li>Any situation with little information but high hopes</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>You have one certain outcome available to you. </strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you <a href="https://dianaderringer.com/about-2/my-faith-journey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trust Jesus as Savior and Lord</a>, you never have to guess. You never have to face unknowns alone. Plus, God has planned a banquet for you and other believers in heaven.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">“Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 14:15 NIV).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Thanks to Brad Leverett for the suggestion. Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.pexels.com/search/potluck/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pexels</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://ow.ly/XX0U50JTr3Z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email</a> and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”</p>
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			</item>
		<item>
		<title>This Here</title>
		<link>https://dianaderringer.com/this-here/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Diana Derringer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 May 2022 23:00:01 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Animals/Nature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Self-Improvement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Southern Expressions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wisdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brighten someone's day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[casual]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[devotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diana Derringer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[frog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gracious words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honor God]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idioms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[informal conversation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kindness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Lessons from English Expressions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[point out]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[this]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[this here]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[truth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[words]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Words Wit and Wisdom]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dianaderringer.com/?p=9512</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>This here frog stared at me from outside our kitchen window. I stared back in amazement. He was so tiny, and he stayed in that same spot for hours. He appeared out of the blue around the same time and place the year before. I don’t know where he stays between his yearly visits. He does not know I used to be terrified of frogs. They gave me the heebie-jeebies. Yet, his visits brighten my days. “This here” points out...</p>
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]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/This-Here.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9513" src="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/This-Here.jpg" alt="This Here--small frog inside a flower looking in a window" width="550" height="352" srcset="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/This-Here.jpg 550w, https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/This-Here-300x192.jpg 300w, https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/This-Here-422x270.jpg 422w" sizes="(max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px" /></a>This here frog stared at me from outside our kitchen window. I stared back in amazement. He was so tiny, and he stayed in that same spot for hours. He appeared <a href="https://dianaderringer.com/out-of-the-blue/">out of the blue</a> around the same time and place the year before.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I don’t know where he stays between his yearly visits. He does not know I used to be terrified of frogs. They gave me the <a href="https://dianaderringer.com/heebie-jeebies/">heebie-jeebies</a>. Yet, his visits brighten my days.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>“This here” points out someone or something.</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">It is an informal way to say &#8220;this&#8221; and refers to a specific person or object.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Other examples of its use include:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>We are going fishing on this here boat.</li>
<li>I want to buy this here phone.</li>
<li>My family loves this here farm.</li>
</ul>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>I usually hear this expression spoken in casual country conversations.</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">However, I have not heard it for a long time.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>Whether I say “this” or “this here” matters less than the rest of my words.</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">Are they true and kind? Do they honor God? Like my frog friend, do they brighten someone’s day.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">“The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight” (Proverbs 15:26 NIV).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Thanks to Catherine Nicholson for the suggestion.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/xP7HL">Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email</a> and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.</p>
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		<title>Shoot the Breeze</title>
		<link>https://dianaderringer.com/shoot-the-breeze/</link>
					<comments>https://dianaderringer.com/shoot-the-breeze/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Diana Derringer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Nov 2021 00:00:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Peace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Problems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wisdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[casual]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[devotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Diana Derringer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friendly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[front porch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idioms]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[informal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Lessons from English Expressions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[light-hearted]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[peace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[porch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[porch sitting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rocking chairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shoot the breeze]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[talk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Words Wit and Wisdom]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://dianaderringer.com/?p=9017</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Our family loves to sit on the porch or under a tree and shoot the breeze. Like Mom and Aunt Ersie always did, we enjoy time together. We talk almost constantly. However, our conversations usually focus on fun. We get serious when we must, but we rather not. To shoot the breeze refers to casual conversation. Talk stays: Friendly Informal Light-hearted We chase rabbits rather than discuss world news. With no plan, we talk about whatever comes to mind and...</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://dianaderringer.com/shoot-the-breeze/">Shoot the Breeze</a> appeared first on <a href="https://dianaderringer.com">Diana Derringer</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Shoot-the-Breeze.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-9018" src="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Shoot-the-Breeze.jpg" alt="Shoot the Breeze--two women in rocking chairs on a porch" width="450" height="359" srcset="https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Shoot-the-Breeze.jpg 450w, https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Shoot-the-Breeze-300x239.jpg 300w, https://dianaderringer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Shoot-the-Breeze-338x270.jpg 338w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /></a>Our family loves to sit on the porch or under a tree and shoot the breeze. Like Mom and Aunt Ersie always did, we enjoy time together. We talk almost constantly. However, our conversations usually focus on fun.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We get serious when we must, but we rather not.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>To shoot the breeze refers to casual conversation. </strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">Talk stays:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li style="text-align: left;">Friendly</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Informal</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Light-hearted</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: left;">We <a href="https://dianaderringer.com/chasing-rabbits/">chase rabbits</a> rather than discuss world news. With no plan, we talk about whatever comes to mind and seldom <a href="https://dianaderringer.com/lock-horns/">lock horns</a> in debate.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>When conversations slow, we relax in one another’s company.</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">Occasionally, we must rest our vocal cords. If that happens, we  find pleasure in the wind’s breeze. Quiet time prepares us for another round of conversation.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Or we eat. Of course, we usually talk while we eat. After all, food is one of our favorite topics.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><strong>We cannot shoot the breeze forever.</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;">Although we love fun times, we must still <a href="https://dianaderringer.com/tackle-it/">tackle</a> life’s hard issues. A few moments to rest and shoot the breeze help prepare us to deal with life’s problems and sorrows.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">“There is a time for everything, a time to weep and a time to laugh” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4 NIV).</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Thanks to Janna Babak for the suggestion.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://eepurl.com/xP7HL">Subscribe to receive my weekly posts by email</a> and receive a free copy of “Words of Hope for Days that Hurt.”</p>
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