The 5th Street Candle Collection - Stories
The Esther Mae's Southern Sweet Peach Tea Candle has a photo of my mom by the new brick planter my Dad had just built in the summer of 1972. My mom had planted it with beautiful flowers. She loved gardening. Growing up in the south...she was an iced tea expert too. We always had sweet tea around our house. The fragrance of this candle will make you feel like you are surrounded by a peach orchard on a sun filled day. Get some ice ready, you'll want to make the Southern Sweet Peach Tea recipe with the candle.
The story behind...Esther Mae's Southern Sweet Peach Tea
Sweet Tea, Sweet Words…’I Reckon’ - Taken from the book 'Heart of a Warrior'
By Shelly Thompson
In case you’ve never been south in the United States…they like their tea SWEET, y’all. I mean really, really sweet, like sugar literally coats the bottom of the glass type of sweet. I am not sure if southern sweet tea actually quenches thirst, or if that’s why there’s a pitcher of tea on every porch in all photos taken in southern states. Perhaps all of that sugar only makes them more thirsty…and chatty…
There were no chattier women then my aunts when they came to visit. My mom’s family was ‘born and raised’ in the south and those southern belles loved them some sweet tea in the afternoons on the old back porch on 5th Street. Their conversations continually accentuated by ‘y’all’, ‘sugar’, ‘bless her heart’, ‘she was fixin’ to’, ‘I reckon’, ‘druthers’, and one I didn’t understand for years…‘madder than a wet hen’. I didn’t understand half of what they said, but I did get called ‘sugar’ a lot when they visited. I often wondered who Carter was and why he needed so many pills! But I knew he did because they would say often say, ‘More than Carter’s got pills’…poor Carter!
Their words to each other were sweet. Living in separate states they didn’t get together often. When they did it was always special. I often wondered if they had lived closer to each other, if the afternoons of sipping tea and talking southern slang, laughing, and truly soaking in life on the back porch, would have been such treasured times.
When I see a glass of tea I often think of those afternoons. Their kindness, generosity, and love towards each other was beautiful. They showed us the gentle heart and words of a Warrior. Those southern belle’s unforgettable example of precious and sweet words slowly sipped down with sweet tea are still a fond memory. While the sugary tea may not have quenched their thirst, the sweet words quenched their hearts desire as they enjoyed God’s gift of priceless time together.
Putting this into action-Is God asking you to be a gentle Warrior on behalf of someone else? Has God placed someone in your heart that could use some sweet fellowship? An elderly relative, a widow, a new mom, a grandchild, a family member or friend? The Lord loves it when Warriors use sweet words that encourage and draw others closer to Him. Get your calendar and make a ‘sweet tea’ date with someone the Lord places on your heart. ‘I reckon, sugar, y’all will have a great time!’
My mom (Esther Mae) and aunts have each went home to be with the Lord. I have no doubt that their just as chatty as ever in paradise…and while they may continue to use most of their southern slang, I am sure they’ve quit fussing over their friend Carter and his pills…their minds are set on the things of heaven. They don’t have a worry in the universe, sugar!
Instruction Manual How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103
By Shelly Thompson
In case you’ve never been south in the United States…they like their tea SWEET, y’all. I mean really, really sweet, like sugar literally coats the bottom of the glass type of sweet. I am not sure if southern sweet tea actually quenches thirst, or if that’s why there’s a pitcher of tea on every porch in all photos taken in southern states. Perhaps all of that sugar only makes them more thirsty…and chatty…
There were no chattier women then my aunts when they came to visit. My mom’s family was ‘born and raised’ in the south and those southern belles loved them some sweet tea in the afternoons on the old back porch on 5th Street. Their conversations continually accentuated by ‘y’all’, ‘sugar’, ‘bless her heart’, ‘she was fixin’ to’, ‘I reckon’, ‘druthers’, and one I didn’t understand for years…‘madder than a wet hen’. I didn’t understand half of what they said, but I did get called ‘sugar’ a lot when they visited. I often wondered who Carter was and why he needed so many pills! But I knew he did because they would say often say, ‘More than Carter’s got pills’…poor Carter!
Their words to each other were sweet. Living in separate states they didn’t get together often. When they did it was always special. I often wondered if they had lived closer to each other, if the afternoons of sipping tea and talking southern slang, laughing, and truly soaking in life on the back porch, would have been such treasured times.
When I see a glass of tea I often think of those afternoons. Their kindness, generosity, and love towards each other was beautiful. They showed us the gentle heart and words of a Warrior. Those southern belle’s unforgettable example of precious and sweet words slowly sipped down with sweet tea are still a fond memory. While the sugary tea may not have quenched their thirst, the sweet words quenched their hearts desire as they enjoyed God’s gift of priceless time together.
Putting this into action-Is God asking you to be a gentle Warrior on behalf of someone else? Has God placed someone in your heart that could use some sweet fellowship? An elderly relative, a widow, a new mom, a grandchild, a family member or friend? The Lord loves it when Warriors use sweet words that encourage and draw others closer to Him. Get your calendar and make a ‘sweet tea’ date with someone the Lord places on your heart. ‘I reckon, sugar, y’all will have a great time!’
My mom (Esther Mae) and aunts have each went home to be with the Lord. I have no doubt that their just as chatty as ever in paradise…and while they may continue to use most of their southern slang, I am sure they’ve quit fussing over their friend Carter and his pills…their minds are set on the things of heaven. They don’t have a worry in the universe, sugar!
Instruction Manual How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103
Welcome to 5th Street.
Welcome! If you've purchased a candle from the 5th Street Candle Collection, I personally, hope you are enjoying it. Welcome to something different 'The 5th Street Candle Collection' from our family to yours...tied with apron strings...faith in God’s plan...and love. These candles were created from the book 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith', now in it's 4th printing. 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith' was written after the passing of my mother. It's about my years growing up on 5th Street, a quaint little neighborhood tucked in Highland Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Our neighborhood was like the fictional Mayberry. There's so much of my history, my roots, on the big hill of 5th Street. It's where my story begins. If you can, visualize the tidy well manicured lawns of 5th Street, with small cozy homes lining the big hill...porches where you were always welcome and the neighbors visited over coffee and sweet tea as flags waved in the breeze...you're in the right spot, welcome to my childhood neighborhood.
In my book 'Heart of a Warrior' - A Legacy of Faith, I had the amazing honor to introduce readers to the ‘Warrior’s’ of 5th Street. A special place God planted a group of elderly women, mostly widows, that helped raise two young girls, as my mom was misdiagnosed and finally, even institutionalized. Among these faithful sweet women (I refer to them as the Aunt Bea’s of Mayberry in ‘Heart of a Warrior') was my sweet grandmother (Millie McKeever-Stout) and grandfather, four houses away. As my Dad spent time at the hospital with my mom, my grandparents, and God’s faithful Warrior’s of 5th Street...the Aunt Bea’s, helped raise two young girls. Each devotion in ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith, introduces you to these Aunt Bea’s of 5th Street sharing their story in a tiny version of a real life Mayberry, where God moved mountains...in the ordinary small acts of His Warrior’s
The 5th Street Candle Collection was created to share the stories of the women of 5th Street from the book ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith. These one-of-a-kind unique candles bring the devotions in 'Heart of a Warrior' to life. The simple brown tag on the candles have their favorite recipe (often the very scent the candle was created from) and part of their encouraging story. These candles light the flame of hope and encouragement, passed down from the 5th Street Warriors to you. A flame of love and devotion to God that will not be snuffed out from generation to generation.
The candles are made locally in Walnut, Iowa by a candlemaker. They are hand poured one at a time with pure soy and exceptionally high quality ingredients made only in the USA. These special candles tell a story. They're different. Just like the neighborhood on 5th Street, when you light the flame, you'll remember...a place where your memories and 5th Street intersect and your home is filled with the scent of cherished memories, laughter, and happiness in simpler times.
These candles are special...because they've been created to honor real people, real lives, and real women who had a story to tell. Welcome to 5th Street, relax sweet friend, you've found a place that is warm, welcoming, and filled with hope.
Blessings, Shelly Thompson
Author and Publisher of The Notebook Cafe - Inspired Words for the Journey
Welcome! If you've purchased a candle from the 5th Street Candle Collection, I personally, hope you are enjoying it. Welcome to something different 'The 5th Street Candle Collection' from our family to yours...tied with apron strings...faith in God’s plan...and love. These candles were created from the book 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith', now in it's 4th printing. 'Heart of a Warrior - A Legacy of Faith' was written after the passing of my mother. It's about my years growing up on 5th Street, a quaint little neighborhood tucked in Highland Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Our neighborhood was like the fictional Mayberry. There's so much of my history, my roots, on the big hill of 5th Street. It's where my story begins. If you can, visualize the tidy well manicured lawns of 5th Street, with small cozy homes lining the big hill...porches where you were always welcome and the neighbors visited over coffee and sweet tea as flags waved in the breeze...you're in the right spot, welcome to my childhood neighborhood.
In my book 'Heart of a Warrior' - A Legacy of Faith, I had the amazing honor to introduce readers to the ‘Warrior’s’ of 5th Street. A special place God planted a group of elderly women, mostly widows, that helped raise two young girls, as my mom was misdiagnosed and finally, even institutionalized. Among these faithful sweet women (I refer to them as the Aunt Bea’s of Mayberry in ‘Heart of a Warrior') was my sweet grandmother (Millie McKeever-Stout) and grandfather, four houses away. As my Dad spent time at the hospital with my mom, my grandparents, and God’s faithful Warrior’s of 5th Street...the Aunt Bea’s, helped raise two young girls. Each devotion in ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith, introduces you to these Aunt Bea’s of 5th Street sharing their story in a tiny version of a real life Mayberry, where God moved mountains...in the ordinary small acts of His Warrior’s
The 5th Street Candle Collection was created to share the stories of the women of 5th Street from the book ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith. These one-of-a-kind unique candles bring the devotions in 'Heart of a Warrior' to life. The simple brown tag on the candles have their favorite recipe (often the very scent the candle was created from) and part of their encouraging story. These candles light the flame of hope and encouragement, passed down from the 5th Street Warriors to you. A flame of love and devotion to God that will not be snuffed out from generation to generation.
The candles are made locally in Walnut, Iowa by a candlemaker. They are hand poured one at a time with pure soy and exceptionally high quality ingredients made only in the USA. These special candles tell a story. They're different. Just like the neighborhood on 5th Street, when you light the flame, you'll remember...a place where your memories and 5th Street intersect and your home is filled with the scent of cherished memories, laughter, and happiness in simpler times.
These candles are special...because they've been created to honor real people, real lives, and real women who had a story to tell. Welcome to 5th Street, relax sweet friend, you've found a place that is warm, welcoming, and filled with hope.
Blessings, Shelly Thompson
Author and Publisher of The Notebook Cafe - Inspired Words for the Journey
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‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith
Now in its fifth printing, this special book shared so many of those cherished moments from 5th Street. With the guidance of the Holy Spirit, buried in between encouraging and inspirational posts on The Notebook Cafe Facebook page, I’ve shared the words God has put on my heart about my family, growing up on 5th Street, a legacy of faith handed down from generation to generation, laughter and joy a family celebrated life with, deep grief and loss including saying goodbye temporarily to my mom until the great reunion in heaven...and so much more. In His beautiful design...God shared the ordinary lives of 5th Street, and expanded the neighborhood to include so many people across the United States...thousands have ventured back to 5th Steet through the pages of ‘Heart of a Warrior’ - A Legacy of Faith, and became part of our story. Seriously, I am so overwhelmed and humbled by all that God has done. So much more than I could have asked or imagined (Ephesians 3:20). Click here to learn more...the book ships free. Heart of a Warrior |