Well, I just decided I would continue the previous post as I way to finish out the year. I'll have you know that one of my New Year's goals is to blog more consistently. It's so easy to get out of the habit and I sure have.
Let's see, where did I leave off . . .
6. On Friday, the 9th, E and I spent the whole day shopping, eating and just plain having fun. I don't know when I've enjoyed a day more. You know we went out on Black Friday but that just comes with it's own set of issues. So going shopping on just a regular day was just delightful. We started off with our traditional breakfast at Chick-fil-A and then did all of our shopping within about 3 square miles of where we started. We had to laugh; we kinda kept going around in circles until we got it all done. Well, not done completely but done for that day. We had the best time.
7. D and I got up bright and early the next morning and made our way down to Statesboro to see our boy. The GSU Eagles were playing in the football quarterfinals that day and that sounded like as good as excuse as any to go see G. We met for lunch and then gathered up our things and headed to the ballgame. Yes, they won but I was more focused on the blessing of sitting between my two favorite men in the entire world for 3 1/2 hours. We went to G's house after and hung out with lots of his friends who were in town for the big game. It was fun to be in his environment and a great way to spend a Saturday. We left bright and early the next morning to get back home. Our church's annual Christmas Presentation was that evening and we made it just in time to change clothes and get there. The sounds of the season are just so wonderful - adults and children singing about our Lord's birth. Loved it.
8. On the 14th, we attended our Christmas Communion at church. Traditionally, our whole family goes together but this year G and N couldn't be there. We sure did miss them. I love this service. It's so beautiful and meaningful. I always do supper afterwards at the house and this year's selection was chili and BLT wraps. Quick and easy. Check.
9. On the 15th, the Birthday Girls got together for our Annual Cookie Swap Extravaganza. Oh, this is so much fun. Seriously, food, gifts and cookies with your best girlfriends - what could be better? It's a blast every year. Every one's cookies were amazing. My contribution - Toffee Chocolate Chip Shortbread. I'll have to post the recipe for you.
10. On the 16th, D's immediate family gathered - D's sister and husband traveling from Tennessee and their children coming from the Atlanta area. D's mom has been experiencing some health problems so we opted for dinner out at Red Lobster and then went to their house. We had such a good time but we had a big ole hole - G was missing. He has gotten a job in Statesboro and his schedule wouldn't allow him to be home. First time in 22 years that we haven't all been together. Made this momma's heart a little sad but in the big picture, it was okay. G did get home on Christmas Eve eve and for that I was grateful.
11. On the 17th, E and I worked our final wedding of 2011! This was kind of a last minute, 2-week-before-the-wedding panic call from the bride's mom in need of some day-of assistance and we were happy to help. Let me just say that a Christmas wedding is just gorgeous. The church and reception site were already beautifully decorated. It was just lovely.
12. My birthday present from D this year actually allowed me to check something off of my bucket list. In the 70s one of my favorite bands was Pure Prairie League (or PPL as us cool kids called them back then). I first laid eyes on their new guitarist in 1978. Let's just say it was "love at first sight" or the best it could be on an album cover. I wanted to know all there was to know about this handsome guitarist who could sing as smooth as buttaaah. This little known talent (at the time) was Vince Gill. I have followed his career ever since but had never seen him in person. So you can imagine my thrill when I opened my birthday gift and it was tickets to see him and Amy live at the Fox Theatre for their 12 Days of Christmas Tour. So on Monday the 19th we headed that way. I was mesmerized from the moment he took the stage. The man is so incredibly talented that I just couldn't take my eyes off of him. That Amy was pretty good too but honestly, I could have cared less that she was there. Aren't I terrible? Just honest. Although, she did provide quite the interesting fashion show. She changed clothes four times and all equally gorgeous choices. So for that, I was glad she came. :)
13. The next day, we hosted the store's Operations Staff and their spouses for a Christmas Open House. We had never done this before and now I'm wondering why. It was so much fun. We honestly enjoy these folks so much and loved having them in our home. I had a blast cooking for this party. I'll have to post the menu in the next couple of days.
14. On Christmas Eve, G and I went to the 5:00 service at our church. What a powerful and meaningful service it was. And I was so thankful to be there with G because it seemed as though he had missed most of what had gone on during the season. This service was a great remembrance through baptism and communion about what Jesus' gift of life really means. I was moved to tears and held on to that boy tightly as we left. That moment will be with me for a very long time.
15. Ahhh and Christmas Day! Joy to the World, the Lord has Come! It was a great one. I woke up with all of my family under my roof. What a great thing! D fixed breakfast and I fixed lunch and in between we opened more presents that we really deserved. I am never happier than when all of my family is in my house. It is a thrill I will never tire of. Thank the good Lord that He provided that blessing on that day! We had a great day!
Well, that was kind of an abbreviated version of a very busy month. I'll post some recipes in the next few days and then we'll start thinking about the new year. Have you made any goals for 2012? I've already been evaluating those from 2011 and refocusing on the new. I'll be sharing.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
What I Love about December 2011
Well, good gracious, what’s not to love about December? It is the most Wonderful Time of the year. So let’s just jump right on in:
1. On Thursday night, December 1st was our annual J&J Foods Christmas Party at the Gainesville Civic Center. Actually, annual may not be the correct word because we didn’t hold our Christmas party in 2009 or 2010. Those were hard years for our stores as well as the country as a whole and D made the decision that only “mission critical” (as he called it) expenditures would occur. The Christmas Party? Not mission critical at that point. While we are adjusting to a new normal way of doing business, D decided that it was necessary to honor this our 35th year in business with a little holiday cheer. One of the highlights of the party for me is the presentation of the service awards. For a company of our size, it is amazing that we have several employees that have been with us 10, 15, 20 and 30 years. While those are all impressive, we honored one employee who had been with us 35 years. J&J opened in June of 1976 and this gentleman came to work that August. He’s a fine one to be sure. He are honored that he chose to work with our company for all these years.
2. On Friday night, the 2nd, D and I headed down to Emory University where our niece is in school. She was participating in the Choral Concert through their Department of Music. While she is not a music major, she has a beautiful voice and was selected to sing in their 100+voice choir. Now if an old church, with beautiful stained glass windows, lit by candlelight, filled with Christmas trees isn’t enough to get you in the Christmas spirit, add to that a choir singing like angels accompanied by a full orchestra. It was fabulous.
3. That afternoon before the concert, D and I got to thinking that if we were going to Emory in Decatur for the concert then back to Atlanta on Saturday, perhaps we should just stay in the Atl for the evening. So my every economical husband goes on the Priceline app on my phone to find us a hotel. I’m sure you’re familiar with the whole Priceline procedure, bidding on a hotel without prior knowledge of the actual hotel. So the thing about that is that you never really know what you’re going to get as far as quality of hotels go. You get to pick the number of star rating that you desire but let me just say that a four star hotel say in New York City is a little different than a four star hotel in Statesboro Georgia. No offense to Statesboro but it’s a fact. Believe me, I know. Anyway, D put in the info and out came our hotel. Well, this time we got lucky because for a whopping $69 we stayed at The Westin at Perimeter. It was fabulous and I just wished I could have slept in that bed for longer than 7 hours. This bed was so good that D and I might have pulled off the sheets to see what the brand was. Okay, we did. It.was.that.good. oh my word, I didn’t want to get out of it. Except for the fact that if we didn’t get to that Dome in time, we wouldn’t get to see the BULLDOGS PLAY IN THE SEC Championship!!! And if you can’t tell already, I was just little bit excited about the whole adventure.
You know, after looking at the length of that above paragraph, I probably should have devoted an entire post to this but oh well, too late now. We dragged ourselves out of the One. Fabulous.Bed, put on our red and black, loaded up the car and headed downtown. Now, I love the Bulldogs and the energy on this particular game day was enough to cut with a knife. It was great. Oh and the best part, we realized from talking with one of D’s employees that we had two more tickets than we originally thought. So who can we call that could come last minute? Oh yes, E and N. Yay! I think before D could get off the phone with her she was already in the shower getting ready. I honestly could go on and on about the great time we had at Fan Fare because who wouldn’t when there was complimentary fried macaroni and cheese and an appearance by the Red Coat Band and Hairy Dog (who I hugged by the way). And that was all before the game even started. We had fabulous seats in the Dr. Pepper suite. Now I usually don’t name drop because well, I don’t have any names to drop, but I will say that there are perks for selling 50,000 cases (give or take a few thousand) of Dr. Pepper every year. The folks there were so gracious to invite us to sit with them and we could not have enjoyed it more. You know the absolute best part about sitting in a suite? The private bathroom. Oh yes. Thank you Lord. This made the fact that we lost the second half of the ballgame a whole lot more bearable.
On a totally unrelated note, I love to go to events like this and just people watch. Oh at the cute fashions you see. I’ve never seen the like of cute dresses, boots, sweaters, sweater dresses, tights, scarves, etc. I could go on and on but the highlight for me (and I so wish I would have taken a picture) was the LSU fan with the gold-sequin encrusted cowboy boots. Boy, howdy, those were a classic I tell you. You just wonder where she might have bought those or was this a do-it-yourself project with an industrial strength Bedazzler. We’ll never know.
4. On Monday night, the 5th D and I had another great music opportunity. When D opened his music store in 1984, one of his first employees was a very talented trumpet player. So talented that he had just come off a 4 year travel gig with the Christian music group, Truth. I loved Truth. Still do. I always dreamed of singing with them because they always had the best looking guys in their group. (I was very spiritually mature). I was and still am, a sucker for a good-looking man who can sing. Oh, I digress. Anyway, I had Truth’s albums (and they were actual vinyl albums) back in the day. Then I had their 8 track tapes in my car and then I had their cassettes. This year Truth is celebrating their 40th anniversary. They actually stopped traveling back in 2004 but decided to tour one last time for this, their anniversary year. And on Monday night, they came through Gainesville to Blackshear Place Baptist Church. And our longtime friend, the trumpet player, was invited to play in their trumpet section. It was a very special evening.
5. On Tuesday, the 6th some girlfriends and I headed out for our annual trip to see another good-looking man who can sing, John Berry. I won’t go into once again how much I love John Berry but I will say that he has a new gospel CD out and it is awesome. You should get it. I have it in my car and cannot stop listening to it. We had a great night of music, laughter, and Mexican food. And, in my humble opinion, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
We’ll friends, I’m going to stop there for today. There’s lots more to tell but I’ll save it. I think that’s all the rambling one person should be subject to for one day.
1. On Thursday night, December 1st was our annual J&J Foods Christmas Party at the Gainesville Civic Center. Actually, annual may not be the correct word because we didn’t hold our Christmas party in 2009 or 2010. Those were hard years for our stores as well as the country as a whole and D made the decision that only “mission critical” (as he called it) expenditures would occur. The Christmas Party? Not mission critical at that point. While we are adjusting to a new normal way of doing business, D decided that it was necessary to honor this our 35th year in business with a little holiday cheer. One of the highlights of the party for me is the presentation of the service awards. For a company of our size, it is amazing that we have several employees that have been with us 10, 15, 20 and 30 years. While those are all impressive, we honored one employee who had been with us 35 years. J&J opened in June of 1976 and this gentleman came to work that August. He’s a fine one to be sure. He are honored that he chose to work with our company for all these years.
2. On Friday night, the 2nd, D and I headed down to Emory University where our niece is in school. She was participating in the Choral Concert through their Department of Music. While she is not a music major, she has a beautiful voice and was selected to sing in their 100+voice choir. Now if an old church, with beautiful stained glass windows, lit by candlelight, filled with Christmas trees isn’t enough to get you in the Christmas spirit, add to that a choir singing like angels accompanied by a full orchestra. It was fabulous.
3. That afternoon before the concert, D and I got to thinking that if we were going to Emory in Decatur for the concert then back to Atlanta on Saturday, perhaps we should just stay in the Atl for the evening. So my every economical husband goes on the Priceline app on my phone to find us a hotel. I’m sure you’re familiar with the whole Priceline procedure, bidding on a hotel without prior knowledge of the actual hotel. So the thing about that is that you never really know what you’re going to get as far as quality of hotels go. You get to pick the number of star rating that you desire but let me just say that a four star hotel say in New York City is a little different than a four star hotel in Statesboro Georgia. No offense to Statesboro but it’s a fact. Believe me, I know. Anyway, D put in the info and out came our hotel. Well, this time we got lucky because for a whopping $69 we stayed at The Westin at Perimeter. It was fabulous and I just wished I could have slept in that bed for longer than 7 hours. This bed was so good that D and I might have pulled off the sheets to see what the brand was. Okay, we did. It.was.that.good. oh my word, I didn’t want to get out of it. Except for the fact that if we didn’t get to that Dome in time, we wouldn’t get to see the BULLDOGS PLAY IN THE SEC Championship!!! And if you can’t tell already, I was just little bit excited about the whole adventure.
You know, after looking at the length of that above paragraph, I probably should have devoted an entire post to this but oh well, too late now. We dragged ourselves out of the One. Fabulous.Bed, put on our red and black, loaded up the car and headed downtown. Now, I love the Bulldogs and the energy on this particular game day was enough to cut with a knife. It was great. Oh and the best part, we realized from talking with one of D’s employees that we had two more tickets than we originally thought. So who can we call that could come last minute? Oh yes, E and N. Yay! I think before D could get off the phone with her she was already in the shower getting ready. I honestly could go on and on about the great time we had at Fan Fare because who wouldn’t when there was complimentary fried macaroni and cheese and an appearance by the Red Coat Band and Hairy Dog (who I hugged by the way). And that was all before the game even started. We had fabulous seats in the Dr. Pepper suite. Now I usually don’t name drop because well, I don’t have any names to drop, but I will say that there are perks for selling 50,000 cases (give or take a few thousand) of Dr. Pepper every year. The folks there were so gracious to invite us to sit with them and we could not have enjoyed it more. You know the absolute best part about sitting in a suite? The private bathroom. Oh yes. Thank you Lord. This made the fact that we lost the second half of the ballgame a whole lot more bearable.
On a totally unrelated note, I love to go to events like this and just people watch. Oh at the cute fashions you see. I’ve never seen the like of cute dresses, boots, sweaters, sweater dresses, tights, scarves, etc. I could go on and on but the highlight for me (and I so wish I would have taken a picture) was the LSU fan with the gold-sequin encrusted cowboy boots. Boy, howdy, those were a classic I tell you. You just wonder where she might have bought those or was this a do-it-yourself project with an industrial strength Bedazzler. We’ll never know.
4. On Monday night, the 5th D and I had another great music opportunity. When D opened his music store in 1984, one of his first employees was a very talented trumpet player. So talented that he had just come off a 4 year travel gig with the Christian music group, Truth. I loved Truth. Still do. I always dreamed of singing with them because they always had the best looking guys in their group. (I was very spiritually mature). I was and still am, a sucker for a good-looking man who can sing. Oh, I digress. Anyway, I had Truth’s albums (and they were actual vinyl albums) back in the day. Then I had their 8 track tapes in my car and then I had their cassettes. This year Truth is celebrating their 40th anniversary. They actually stopped traveling back in 2004 but decided to tour one last time for this, their anniversary year. And on Monday night, they came through Gainesville to Blackshear Place Baptist Church. And our longtime friend, the trumpet player, was invited to play in their trumpet section. It was a very special evening.
5. On Tuesday, the 6th some girlfriends and I headed out for our annual trip to see another good-looking man who can sing, John Berry. I won’t go into once again how much I love John Berry but I will say that he has a new gospel CD out and it is awesome. You should get it. I have it in my car and cannot stop listening to it. We had a great night of music, laughter, and Mexican food. And, in my humble opinion, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
We’ll friends, I’m going to stop there for today. There’s lots more to tell but I’ll save it. I think that’s all the rambling one person should be subject to for one day.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving to One and All!
Happy Thanksgiving Family and Friends!
I love, I mean I LOVE Thanksgiving. Honestly, what could be better than spending the whole day with your people talking, laughing and eating? Nothing I can think of.
Today already D and N have run the Annual Half-Marathon Turkey Trot; 13.1 miles of beautiful Atlanta scenery. Both finished in less than two hours. Seriously, 13.1 miles in two hours? It would take me two days. I'm so very proud of both of them really. I'll just say that the best part about running that far on Thanksgiving is that you can eat absolutely anything you want the rest of the day. And according to them, they plan to.
After getting home from the race, I made a bee-line for the kitchen. I have two assignments for supper. 1. Crunchy Cranberry Salad. I've made this salad every year for as long as I can remember. I'm not a fan of the jelly-ish substance than comes out of the can so I had to come up with a suitable substitute using cranberries. It's a congealed cranberry salad involving strawberries, pineapple and pecans. And oh, this is so very good. I actually made it yesterday and have it chilling in the frig. It's better the second day anyway. 2. Sweet Potato Casserole. I'm not sure I've had the sweet potato assignment before but I am all about it. Actually, I've probably been a little bit of an over-achiever with my assignment. I've made not one, not two but three sweet potato dishes. They would be as follows: a. The Traditional Casserole, baptized in butter, brown sugar and pecans; Praise Jesus. b. Sweet Potato Tart I: pecan/graham cracker crust with an interesting combination of sweet potatoes, whipping cream, butter and honey for the filling. For the topping, Tart I will have pecans, coconut and marshmallows. c. Sweet Potato Tart II - same as Tart I with just marshmallows. Oh at the goodness.
One down side of going to the Turkey Trot is that I don't get to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But my trusty DVR should have it on the queue so I'm not too upset. I'll settle in this weekend sometime with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy every minute of it. I've also recorded Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Classics, you just can't miss them.
Another Thanksgiving weekend tradition I'm so excited about is Black Friday shopping with my girl. After supper tonight we will get all of the ads together and make a game plan. One thing we do know is that you have to have a plan. We will not be starting at midnight tonight by the way. Although our start time is not confirmed yet, I will tell you that we will have breakfast at Chick-fil-A. Oh and get this. My girl got us some sort of deal on the internet where we have priority parking at the Mall. And every body said amen.
I've always considered it a blessing that I was born and married into a family that doesn't fuss when gathered together. Granted there have been some tense times because let's face it we are just as human as we can be. Some more than others.:) But overall, I love the people God has put in my life. And I am so thankful for each and every one of them. I have the best husband, children, parents, in-laws and friends a girl could possibly have. It's a marvel really. But the thing that I am most thankful for is that God loves me and wants a relationship with me. I feel so unworthy. So very unworthy. But so very thankful. This verse has been in my head all morning: "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34
So I'm giving thanks to the Lord for He is Good! His Love endures Forever!
I love, I mean I LOVE Thanksgiving. Honestly, what could be better than spending the whole day with your people talking, laughing and eating? Nothing I can think of.
Today already D and N have run the Annual Half-Marathon Turkey Trot; 13.1 miles of beautiful Atlanta scenery. Both finished in less than two hours. Seriously, 13.1 miles in two hours? It would take me two days. I'm so very proud of both of them really. I'll just say that the best part about running that far on Thanksgiving is that you can eat absolutely anything you want the rest of the day. And according to them, they plan to.
After getting home from the race, I made a bee-line for the kitchen. I have two assignments for supper. 1. Crunchy Cranberry Salad. I've made this salad every year for as long as I can remember. I'm not a fan of the jelly-ish substance than comes out of the can so I had to come up with a suitable substitute using cranberries. It's a congealed cranberry salad involving strawberries, pineapple and pecans. And oh, this is so very good. I actually made it yesterday and have it chilling in the frig. It's better the second day anyway. 2. Sweet Potato Casserole. I'm not sure I've had the sweet potato assignment before but I am all about it. Actually, I've probably been a little bit of an over-achiever with my assignment. I've made not one, not two but three sweet potato dishes. They would be as follows: a. The Traditional Casserole, baptized in butter, brown sugar and pecans; Praise Jesus. b. Sweet Potato Tart I: pecan/graham cracker crust with an interesting combination of sweet potatoes, whipping cream, butter and honey for the filling. For the topping, Tart I will have pecans, coconut and marshmallows. c. Sweet Potato Tart II - same as Tart I with just marshmallows. Oh at the goodness.
One down side of going to the Turkey Trot is that I don't get to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But my trusty DVR should have it on the queue so I'm not too upset. I'll settle in this weekend sometime with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy every minute of it. I've also recorded Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Classics, you just can't miss them.
Another Thanksgiving weekend tradition I'm so excited about is Black Friday shopping with my girl. After supper tonight we will get all of the ads together and make a game plan. One thing we do know is that you have to have a plan. We will not be starting at midnight tonight by the way. Although our start time is not confirmed yet, I will tell you that we will have breakfast at Chick-fil-A. Oh and get this. My girl got us some sort of deal on the internet where we have priority parking at the Mall. And every body said amen.
I've always considered it a blessing that I was born and married into a family that doesn't fuss when gathered together. Granted there have been some tense times because let's face it we are just as human as we can be. Some more than others.:) But overall, I love the people God has put in my life. And I am so thankful for each and every one of them. I have the best husband, children, parents, in-laws and friends a girl could possibly have. It's a marvel really. But the thing that I am most thankful for is that God loves me and wants a relationship with me. I feel so unworthy. So very unworthy. But so very thankful. This verse has been in my head all morning: "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34
So I'm giving thanks to the Lord for He is Good! His Love endures Forever!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
What I Love about November 2011
Last night about 9:00 my sweet girl sent me a subtle little text message that simply said "going through blog withdrawals." Well, as sweet as that was, I knew I had to get back in the blog saddle. Because truly if she were the only one who read it, it would be worth it. That's why I blog. Someday, maybe she and some other family members might look through all these ramblings and catch a glimpse of what I'm all about. Which is a scary thought in itself.
I know I'm a little behind but let's talk about November.
1. The month started off with a great trip to Atlanta to the Cash and Carry Mart. Honestly, it's a bunch of women (and I mean a bunch of women) surrounded by scarves, jewelry, pocketbooks, bags, house accessories, gifts and tons of other very good things as far as the eye can see. We shopped til we dropped.
2. The first weekend of November was Marketplace at the Civic Center benefiting our medical facilities here in Gainesville. I met some friends there for a little bit of walking, talking and shopping and then we added a few more girlfriends and headed for the hills. Yep, you guessed it - it was Girls Weekend!! yay and woohoo! We headed up to one of the girl's beautiful family home where we sat by the fire, talked, ate and enjoyed the most beautiful display of God's fall version of creation. It was magnificent! The whole weekend was awesome. A great time to relax and recharge.
3. Last Wednesday night, D and I headed down to Atlanta to have dinner with my adopted sister and her precious son and daughter-in-law. Just a reminder that this is the son who we saw marry this darlin' girl last April in the middle of the ocean. We just love them so much and it was great to lay eyes on them. We laughed, cried and laughed some more all in the course about three hours. Oh, and we ate at the Cheesecake Factory and we had cheesecake and it was the Turtle cheesecake and we ate every bite of it and it was delicious. The end.
4. Last Thursday, I attended the Challenged Child Brunch and Fashion Show with some very special ladies: my momma, my girl, my girl's mother-in-law, and the ladies in the Operations Division at the store. What a great group of women to enjoy food and fashion with! I had two epiphanies at this event: 1. if I were about 5 inches taller I could wear anything and look good in it and 2. the chocolate dessert we had should be illegal.
5. On Saturday, one of my best buddies and I decorated the office for Christmas. It was great to spend the day with my friend and by the time it was all said and done, we had just about got ourselves in the Christmas spirit.
6. This decorating has to be done early because tomorrow night is the annual Jingle Mingle on the downtown Square. There's food and drinks and the stores are open late. I love strolling around the Square hand in hand with my sweet husband surrounded by the Christmas lights.
7. And guess who will darken our door this Friday afternoon? My big ole boy! I'll have a little over a whole week to spoil him. This momma can hardly wait.
8. Saturday the Party Girls (our unofficial name) and I will be loving on some very special women at New Beginnings. Perhaps I should explain the term Party Girls. A group of ladies from our church get together and provide birthday cake and ice cream; hair cuts and spa treatments for hands and feet to about 50 ladies who are in a transitional home. Therefore, we have a big ole party with these ladies and they love it! This ministry is near and dear to my heart for many reasons. I'm so looking forward to getting up there and throwing some birthday fun around and pampering these ladies. Love them.
9. There will be more to come about this but on Thanksgiving Day, N and D will be running the Turkey Trot half-marathon in downtown Atlanta. E and I will take the opportunity to do something not related to running 13.1 miles.
10. Thanksgiving - there's so much to say about this day. I'll share more later.
11. Black Friday. Yes, E and I will once again brave the day with the crazies. We love it. The key to enjoying this day is to just not take it too seriously. If you do, then all the fun is lost. I just go to spend time with my girl and because that is the primary goal, we have a great time.
I'm going to end with 11 because I'm just liking 11 right now. So there you have it. November in a nut shell. Which reminds me I toasted a bag of pecans last night because I made a Pumpkin Pecan Pie (which was about an 11 on the delicious scale). These make such a great snack. I think I'll have some right now.
Have a great Wednesday.
I know I'm a little behind but let's talk about November.
1. The month started off with a great trip to Atlanta to the Cash and Carry Mart. Honestly, it's a bunch of women (and I mean a bunch of women) surrounded by scarves, jewelry, pocketbooks, bags, house accessories, gifts and tons of other very good things as far as the eye can see. We shopped til we dropped.
2. The first weekend of November was Marketplace at the Civic Center benefiting our medical facilities here in Gainesville. I met some friends there for a little bit of walking, talking and shopping and then we added a few more girlfriends and headed for the hills. Yep, you guessed it - it was Girls Weekend!! yay and woohoo! We headed up to one of the girl's beautiful family home where we sat by the fire, talked, ate and enjoyed the most beautiful display of God's fall version of creation. It was magnificent! The whole weekend was awesome. A great time to relax and recharge.
3. Last Wednesday night, D and I headed down to Atlanta to have dinner with my adopted sister and her precious son and daughter-in-law. Just a reminder that this is the son who we saw marry this darlin' girl last April in the middle of the ocean. We just love them so much and it was great to lay eyes on them. We laughed, cried and laughed some more all in the course about three hours. Oh, and we ate at the Cheesecake Factory and we had cheesecake and it was the Turtle cheesecake and we ate every bite of it and it was delicious. The end.
4. Last Thursday, I attended the Challenged Child Brunch and Fashion Show with some very special ladies: my momma, my girl, my girl's mother-in-law, and the ladies in the Operations Division at the store. What a great group of women to enjoy food and fashion with! I had two epiphanies at this event: 1. if I were about 5 inches taller I could wear anything and look good in it and 2. the chocolate dessert we had should be illegal.
5. On Saturday, one of my best buddies and I decorated the office for Christmas. It was great to spend the day with my friend and by the time it was all said and done, we had just about got ourselves in the Christmas spirit.
6. This decorating has to be done early because tomorrow night is the annual Jingle Mingle on the downtown Square. There's food and drinks and the stores are open late. I love strolling around the Square hand in hand with my sweet husband surrounded by the Christmas lights.
7. And guess who will darken our door this Friday afternoon? My big ole boy! I'll have a little over a whole week to spoil him. This momma can hardly wait.
8. Saturday the Party Girls (our unofficial name) and I will be loving on some very special women at New Beginnings. Perhaps I should explain the term Party Girls. A group of ladies from our church get together and provide birthday cake and ice cream; hair cuts and spa treatments for hands and feet to about 50 ladies who are in a transitional home. Therefore, we have a big ole party with these ladies and they love it! This ministry is near and dear to my heart for many reasons. I'm so looking forward to getting up there and throwing some birthday fun around and pampering these ladies. Love them.
9. There will be more to come about this but on Thanksgiving Day, N and D will be running the Turkey Trot half-marathon in downtown Atlanta. E and I will take the opportunity to do something not related to running 13.1 miles.
10. Thanksgiving - there's so much to say about this day. I'll share more later.
11. Black Friday. Yes, E and I will once again brave the day with the crazies. We love it. The key to enjoying this day is to just not take it too seriously. If you do, then all the fun is lost. I just go to spend time with my girl and because that is the primary goal, we have a great time.
I'm going to end with 11 because I'm just liking 11 right now. So there you have it. November in a nut shell. Which reminds me I toasted a bag of pecans last night because I made a Pumpkin Pecan Pie (which was about an 11 on the delicious scale). These make such a great snack. I think I'll have some right now.
Have a great Wednesday.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Food Friday, The Vendor Party and a Wild Thing
This girl is trying to get back on some sort of blog routine and I vaguely remember that Fridays were all about food around here. So, I thought we would talk food for a few minutes because it is after all, one of my favorite subjects.
What have you been cooking? Last Sunday evening, D and I hosted our small group from church at our house. So I had the pleasure of cooking supper for these fine folks and if you know me, there is nothing I enjoy more than having family and friends in my home for a get-together that involves food.
This was my menu: Easy but Elegant Pork Tenderloin; Cranberry Chutney; Sweet Potato Tart; Black-eyed Peas; Slaw; Corny Cornbread Muffins; and Fresh Apple Pound Cake with Caramel Icing. If Jesus asks me what I want to eat when I get to heaven, this will be my first choice. I think I've posted all these recipes on the blog before but if not, they are What's for Supper? recipes that can be found on the store website, http://www.jandjfoods.com/ if you're interested. All except the Sweet Potato Tart which I'll post very soon. It was to.die.for.
So last night, I had a hankering for some seafood but just couldn't decide what and how. Then I remembered a recipe for Baked Coconut Shrimp. I had all of the ingredients on hand with the exception of the shrimp so I ran by the store and picked up a pound of raw shrimp and two bunches of asparagus for roasting to accompany the shrimp. Came home and whipped that up quick as could be and D and I ate like little pigs. So today I'll share my Baked Coconut Shrimp recipe.
Baked Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
3 egg whites, beaten until foamy
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl; pour coconut flakes in a separate shallow bowl.
3. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll it in the coconut, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp.
4. Bake the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center and the coconut is browned, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the shrimp halfway through.
Okay, so if you remember a couple of weeks ago, we hosted J&J's Vendor Party at the farm. It was a blast! Here's a few photos from the evening:
God gave us this view from the deck.
What have you been cooking? Last Sunday evening, D and I hosted our small group from church at our house. So I had the pleasure of cooking supper for these fine folks and if you know me, there is nothing I enjoy more than having family and friends in my home for a get-together that involves food.
This was my menu: Easy but Elegant Pork Tenderloin; Cranberry Chutney; Sweet Potato Tart; Black-eyed Peas; Slaw; Corny Cornbread Muffins; and Fresh Apple Pound Cake with Caramel Icing. If Jesus asks me what I want to eat when I get to heaven, this will be my first choice. I think I've posted all these recipes on the blog before but if not, they are What's for Supper? recipes that can be found on the store website, http://www.jandjfoods.com/ if you're interested. All except the Sweet Potato Tart which I'll post very soon. It was to.die.for.
So last night, I had a hankering for some seafood but just couldn't decide what and how. Then I remembered a recipe for Baked Coconut Shrimp. I had all of the ingredients on hand with the exception of the shrimp so I ran by the store and picked up a pound of raw shrimp and two bunches of asparagus for roasting to accompany the shrimp. Came home and whipped that up quick as could be and D and I ate like little pigs. So today I'll share my Baked Coconut Shrimp recipe.
Baked Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
3 egg whites, beaten until foamy
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bowl; pour coconut flakes in a separate shallow bowl.
3. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll it in the coconut, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp.
4. Bake the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center and the coconut is browned, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the shrimp halfway through.
Okay, so if you remember a couple of weeks ago, we hosted J&J's Vendor Party at the farm. It was a blast! Here's a few photos from the evening:
God gave us this view from the deck.
D conquering the mechanical bull.
This is totally unrelated but I shared last week that I had ordered a pair of booties. Well, look who arrived at my door this week. And even better news, they are my birthday present from my momma. I was talking to her on the phone last week, sharing my joy about finding these beauties, when she said, "well, honey, I'll just get you those for your birthday. I always want to get you something that you really want and it sounds like you're pretty excited about these boots." Seriously, who wouldn't be excited about these?
Thursday, October 13, 2011
A Day in the Life
I thought I would go back and see when the last time I wrote one of these "Day in the Life" posts and would you believe it was last November? Well, it's high time we did this again.
1. Outside my window . . . I'm at the office typing this so I'm not absolutely sure what the weather is like outside right now but when I came awhile ago it was overcast and my iphone weather app says is 69 degrees. Loverly to me.
Oh, speaking of the iphone, guess who walked right into that AT&T store and ordered herself a brand new iphone 4S. I've been due for an upgrade since February but the new iphone rumors had been swirling and I thought I might wait for the new iphone 5. Well, when that got the no-go, I just decided to get the new 4S. When I ordered it a week ago, they said it would be delivered to the house in 14 to 21 days. E on the other hand, ordered on line, and hers should arrive tomorrow. Go figure. Doggone if I'd known that I would have just saved myself the time and gas and stayed home and ordered on the world wide web. But I told her last night that I'm really kinda glad that she is getting hers before I am because that way she'll know how to work it by the time I get mine. Really helps this old woman's learning curve when your precious daughter can just tell you how to work stuff.
2. I am reading . . . a bunch of different things. Two new books that I just ordered for my Kindle are Max Lucado's "God's Story, Your Story" and "Untangling Christmas." My sweet sis-in-law sent me an email to tell me that Max's book was free (as in costs 0) on Amazon for 24 hours. Well, because I love Max Lucado and I love free, I quickly got this downloaded. Just started reading it and it's great so far. I haven't started "Untangling Christmas" so I'll have to let you know. Our couples Bible study group (and our whole church) is reading "If God is Good" by Randy Alcorn. Great day, this one can quickly go deep and be way over my head. But it definitely gives me pause to think about some subjects I've never thought about before and that's always good. And of course, my chronological Bible. Looks like I might be about two weeks after the end of year finishing this but that's okay. I need to give myself permission and be okay to read the Bible through in one year and two weeks.
3. I am watching . . . well, you know we discussed tv a few days back and I was just super excited about the return of the sit-com for television, i.e. no more reality shows. I've checked out a few of these sit-coms and have been disappointed. It seems there is a central theme of sex in most of them that frankly is inappropriate and offensive. One that I do like although it's not a sit-com is Charlies Angels. On a purely girly level, I love these girls clothes, shoes and hair styles. That may be the best part although the plots have been decent. Oh and because I believe in full disclosure, I have been sneaking a peek at Dancing with the Stars. Yes, I know, I vowed not to watch but J.R. Martinez just won my heart. And last night was the best results show ever because Blake Shelton was on there singing the "Footloose" song from the new movie by the same name. And just guess who was back on the dance floor cuttin a rug? Yes that would be our girl Julianne. She's also the lead female in the new "Footloose" movie. Which leads me to my next point.
4. Movies I want to see . . . obviously the new "Footloose." I have watched all the trailers, been on the website, and read the background about this movie. First of all, "Footloose" was one of my favorites back in the day. Love Kenny Loggins and Kevin Bacon. So as soon as I heard this movie was about to cut loose (sorry), I had to know all about it. And did you know that the whole movie was filmed in Georgia - Atlanta, Covington, Senoia and Acworth. To me, this is the best dance movie of all time. I know I know, Dirty Dancing and Momma Mia were good too.
Second, I've been wanting to see "Courageous." Everyone says it's awesome.
5. What I'm wearing . . . to be honest, I'm a little overdressed for the office today. I'm wearing a black jacket, black tank and black pants. Wow - that couldn't be more boring could it? Well, I did add some pizzazz with jewelry. D and I are going to that event in Atlanta tonight and I have no idea what the dress code is so I'm playing it safe with this ensemble.
I'm cracking up reading what I wrote in that last Day in the Life post from last November. I wrote in this section about my love for boots, particular the bootie. Well, some things never change. What is it about boots/booties that I love so much? I've got to tell you a little secret. I've been wanting a leopard print pair of booties for well over a year. I've searched the stores and the internet with no avail. Well . . . yesterday I was reading a fashion blog (imagine that) and she mentioned something about some Aeorsole riding boots. They were really cute so I followed the link to these boots and low and behold sitting right next to these riding boots were, you guessed it, leopard print booties and they're Aeorsoles. So that means they're comfy too, right? I ordered those in a big hurry and they should be at my front door in a few days. What if they come the same day as my iphone? That truly will be too much to take.
6. What I'm listening to . . . you probably aren't going to believe this and think you're reading somebody elses blog but I am listening to more and more talk radio. Now, I don't get too political around here but I am super interested in this upcoming election and super intrigued by Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 plan for America. So, go figure. But you know there is only so much of that a girl can take so I plug in Luke Bryan's new CD "Tailgates and Tan Lines." It's really good but I'm a country music nerd.
7. What I'm thinking about . . . that's a loaded topic. There's so much going on around this pea brain that some days I think it might explode. But besides the obvious upcoming weddings and assorted business ventures, when my thoughts go deep, I'm pondering one of our memory verses for our study at church. Boy oh boy this spoke volumes to me.
"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. " 2 Corinthians 5:21
God made Jesus for the purpose of taking on our sin. That's right - my sin and your sin. He took it all. Paid the price. Secured the debt. For us.
So that we might become the righteousness of God. So that we can become through His goodness, in relationship with Him. Honestly, the words righteous and righteousness have always thrown me just a little bit. It kinda sounds unattainable. So this is what I'm thinking about. How do I become the righteousness of God? Because if I'm reading this verse correctly, that's why Christ died for us. See - told ya this was a lot to think about. I want to understand this because it sounds pretty important if you ask me.
And that, my friends, is a day in this life.
1. Outside my window . . . I'm at the office typing this so I'm not absolutely sure what the weather is like outside right now but when I came awhile ago it was overcast and my iphone weather app says is 69 degrees. Loverly to me.
Oh, speaking of the iphone, guess who walked right into that AT&T store and ordered herself a brand new iphone 4S. I've been due for an upgrade since February but the new iphone rumors had been swirling and I thought I might wait for the new iphone 5. Well, when that got the no-go, I just decided to get the new 4S. When I ordered it a week ago, they said it would be delivered to the house in 14 to 21 days. E on the other hand, ordered on line, and hers should arrive tomorrow. Go figure. Doggone if I'd known that I would have just saved myself the time and gas and stayed home and ordered on the world wide web. But I told her last night that I'm really kinda glad that she is getting hers before I am because that way she'll know how to work it by the time I get mine. Really helps this old woman's learning curve when your precious daughter can just tell you how to work stuff.
2. I am reading . . . a bunch of different things. Two new books that I just ordered for my Kindle are Max Lucado's "God's Story, Your Story" and "Untangling Christmas." My sweet sis-in-law sent me an email to tell me that Max's book was free (as in costs 0) on Amazon for 24 hours. Well, because I love Max Lucado and I love free, I quickly got this downloaded. Just started reading it and it's great so far. I haven't started "Untangling Christmas" so I'll have to let you know. Our couples Bible study group (and our whole church) is reading "If God is Good" by Randy Alcorn. Great day, this one can quickly go deep and be way over my head. But it definitely gives me pause to think about some subjects I've never thought about before and that's always good. And of course, my chronological Bible. Looks like I might be about two weeks after the end of year finishing this but that's okay. I need to give myself permission and be okay to read the Bible through in one year and two weeks.
3. I am watching . . . well, you know we discussed tv a few days back and I was just super excited about the return of the sit-com for television, i.e. no more reality shows. I've checked out a few of these sit-coms and have been disappointed. It seems there is a central theme of sex in most of them that frankly is inappropriate and offensive. One that I do like although it's not a sit-com is Charlies Angels. On a purely girly level, I love these girls clothes, shoes and hair styles. That may be the best part although the plots have been decent. Oh and because I believe in full disclosure, I have been sneaking a peek at Dancing with the Stars. Yes, I know, I vowed not to watch but J.R. Martinez just won my heart. And last night was the best results show ever because Blake Shelton was on there singing the "Footloose" song from the new movie by the same name. And just guess who was back on the dance floor cuttin a rug? Yes that would be our girl Julianne. She's also the lead female in the new "Footloose" movie. Which leads me to my next point.
4. Movies I want to see . . . obviously the new "Footloose." I have watched all the trailers, been on the website, and read the background about this movie. First of all, "Footloose" was one of my favorites back in the day. Love Kenny Loggins and Kevin Bacon. So as soon as I heard this movie was about to cut loose (sorry), I had to know all about it. And did you know that the whole movie was filmed in Georgia - Atlanta, Covington, Senoia and Acworth. To me, this is the best dance movie of all time. I know I know, Dirty Dancing and Momma Mia were good too.
Second, I've been wanting to see "Courageous." Everyone says it's awesome.
5. What I'm wearing . . . to be honest, I'm a little overdressed for the office today. I'm wearing a black jacket, black tank and black pants. Wow - that couldn't be more boring could it? Well, I did add some pizzazz with jewelry. D and I are going to that event in Atlanta tonight and I have no idea what the dress code is so I'm playing it safe with this ensemble.
I'm cracking up reading what I wrote in that last Day in the Life post from last November. I wrote in this section about my love for boots, particular the bootie. Well, some things never change. What is it about boots/booties that I love so much? I've got to tell you a little secret. I've been wanting a leopard print pair of booties for well over a year. I've searched the stores and the internet with no avail. Well . . . yesterday I was reading a fashion blog (imagine that) and she mentioned something about some Aeorsole riding boots. They were really cute so I followed the link to these boots and low and behold sitting right next to these riding boots were, you guessed it, leopard print booties and they're Aeorsoles. So that means they're comfy too, right? I ordered those in a big hurry and they should be at my front door in a few days. What if they come the same day as my iphone? That truly will be too much to take.
6. What I'm listening to . . . you probably aren't going to believe this and think you're reading somebody elses blog but I am listening to more and more talk radio. Now, I don't get too political around here but I am super interested in this upcoming election and super intrigued by Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 plan for America. So, go figure. But you know there is only so much of that a girl can take so I plug in Luke Bryan's new CD "Tailgates and Tan Lines." It's really good but I'm a country music nerd.
7. What I'm thinking about . . . that's a loaded topic. There's so much going on around this pea brain that some days I think it might explode. But besides the obvious upcoming weddings and assorted business ventures, when my thoughts go deep, I'm pondering one of our memory verses for our study at church. Boy oh boy this spoke volumes to me.
"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. " 2 Corinthians 5:21
God made Jesus for the purpose of taking on our sin. That's right - my sin and your sin. He took it all. Paid the price. Secured the debt. For us.
So that we might become the righteousness of God. So that we can become through His goodness, in relationship with Him. Honestly, the words righteous and righteousness have always thrown me just a little bit. It kinda sounds unattainable. So this is what I'm thinking about. How do I become the righteousness of God? Because if I'm reading this verse correctly, that's why Christ died for us. See - told ya this was a lot to think about. I want to understand this because it sounds pretty important if you ask me.
And that, my friends, is a day in this life.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
What I Love about October 2011
Well as we all know, this should have been posted a lot closer to the beginning of the month. But it is what it is so here we go:
1. October started out with a bang with one of our brides getting married at Montaluce Winery. You know, we have grown quite fond of this place and oh, at the beauty this time of year up there. The weather was perfect, although it leaned to the chilly and windy side. The wedding was out by the water and was perfect in every way. Her colors were chocolate brown, greens and purples. Gorgeous.
2. We also assisted from afar with another wedding in St. Simons Island on October 1st. The family is from Gainesville and just needed our help putting all the details together from this end. It sounded fabulous and I loved every little detail of this bride's day. I heard from the mother of the bride that it was quite the beautiful affair.
3. Can you believe on Sunday the 2nd that I, along with some other wonderful friends, threw a bridal shower for a long-time friend's daughter at our church? Let me tell you when you are planning three events in one weekend, it takes some detailed to-do lists. I think my list was about twelve pages long but it all came off without a hitch. Thank the good Lord.
7. Tomorrow night, D and I will attend an event that we have wanted to go to for years - The Taste of Georgia held at the Depot in downtown Atlanta. Anything that sounds like there might be food involved - we'll be there. Should be fun.
8. This Saturday, we will be assisting with another one of our precious brides. We have had the pleasure of working with her throughout her complete planning so it's always fun to see how everything comes to fruition. Her colors are navy and hot pink. This combination is super hot right now and while I wasn't a fan at first, it has really grown on me. We do story boards at our office for each of our brides and to see hers with these colors, it is just gorgeous.
9. Oooh, then on Sunday, the 23rd the daughter of some of dear friends is getting married at the farm. I just cannot tell you all of the fabulous details this bride has chosen but it is very vintage and beautiful. She'll get married out in the field then we'll move up to the deck for the reception. Lots of burlap, quilts, old books, trunks, vintage plates. So pretty.
10. By the time this month ends, E and I will have completed six events/weddings in the last eight weeks. To celebrate this, D and I are going to head down to Jacksonville for the Georgia/Florida game. This will be a welcome break and honestly, I can hardly wait.
So there you have it. Isn't October the best month ever? I love fall. Enjoy!
1. October started out with a bang with one of our brides getting married at Montaluce Winery. You know, we have grown quite fond of this place and oh, at the beauty this time of year up there. The weather was perfect, although it leaned to the chilly and windy side. The wedding was out by the water and was perfect in every way. Her colors were chocolate brown, greens and purples. Gorgeous.
2. We also assisted from afar with another wedding in St. Simons Island on October 1st. The family is from Gainesville and just needed our help putting all the details together from this end. It sounded fabulous and I loved every little detail of this bride's day. I heard from the mother of the bride that it was quite the beautiful affair.
3. Can you believe on Sunday the 2nd that I, along with some other wonderful friends, threw a bridal shower for a long-time friend's daughter at our church? Let me tell you when you are planning three events in one weekend, it takes some detailed to-do lists. I think my list was about twelve pages long but it all came off without a hitch. Thank the good Lord.
4. On October 10th my boy had a birthday -22 years old! This child brings so much fun and laughter into my life. He's a pleasure and a treasure. We hadn't seen much of him since he left for school in August so it was great to lay eyes on this boy. We had birthday lunch on Sunday and it was great for our whole family to be together.
5. The Monday night Bible study girls are now the Tuesday night Bible study girls. This is like a paradigm shift for my brain. For maybe five or six years we have met on Monday nights at my house. Well, we decided that Tuesdays might work well for a season and we started our study last week. Boy, was it good to be back around the table and in the Word with these ladies.
6 . Last Saturday, our family along with the J&J Foods management staff hosted our Vendor Party at the farm. We have this event every other year in order to thank those fine folks who supply our stores and all those who basically, allow us to do business every day. This year's theme was western and the star of the show was the mechanical bull. Everyone in my family gave the old boy a go. Except for me. I know my limits. I'll post some pictures - you'll want to see, trust me.7. Tomorrow night, D and I will attend an event that we have wanted to go to for years - The Taste of Georgia held at the Depot in downtown Atlanta. Anything that sounds like there might be food involved - we'll be there. Should be fun.
8. This Saturday, we will be assisting with another one of our precious brides. We have had the pleasure of working with her throughout her complete planning so it's always fun to see how everything comes to fruition. Her colors are navy and hot pink. This combination is super hot right now and while I wasn't a fan at first, it has really grown on me. We do story boards at our office for each of our brides and to see hers with these colors, it is just gorgeous.
9. Oooh, then on Sunday, the 23rd the daughter of some of dear friends is getting married at the farm. I just cannot tell you all of the fabulous details this bride has chosen but it is very vintage and beautiful. She'll get married out in the field then we'll move up to the deck for the reception. Lots of burlap, quilts, old books, trunks, vintage plates. So pretty.
10. By the time this month ends, E and I will have completed six events/weddings in the last eight weeks. To celebrate this, D and I are going to head down to Jacksonville for the Georgia/Florida game. This will be a welcome break and honestly, I can hardly wait.
So there you have it. Isn't October the best month ever? I love fall. Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
It's Soupy!
Have you ever heard that? It's soupy outside. Just exactly what does that mean? I think it means it's rainy and foggy. So, we just have the rain. But believe you me, we are not complaining. We need the rain like the Bulldogs need a win. I would never say this out loud because I'm just funny about those things but it might be possible that if the Dawgs keep up their current "situation" that Mark Richt might just get to keep his job. That would be just awesome. I heard him being interviewed on the radio the other day talking about Jesus, mission work and while he's been on several mission trips, that his primary mission field is the football field. He's a keeper. But good gracious in the morning, the football family is a fickle one. They'll turn on you in a New York minute.
So, I have several things I want to talk about like what I love about October, my boy's birthday, the Vendor Party but I'll get to that in the next couple of days. I just have a minute so I'm going to share a couple of soup recipes. It's Soup Week on the What's for Supper? radio segment and this just happens to be perfect soup weather. So let's all pretend we are sitting around the table sharing a big bowl of one of these. I posted this on Facebook yesterday and love it.
"Troubles are easier to take with soup than without." -- Ancient Yiddish saying
Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 Cups Chicken Broth (2-16 ounce cans)
1 onion, chopped
4-5 Russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cubed
1 cup smoked chopped ham
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup instant potato flakes
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup whipping cream
Suggested toppings: Bacon, sour cream, cheese, green onions, croutons.
Directions:
1. Pour broth in a stock pot over medium heat.
2. Peel and chop onion and potatoes.
3. Add to broth along with ham. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for ten to fifteen minutes or until potato is tender.
5. Remove lid and stir in potato flakes.
6. Add in cheese and cream and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until just heated through.
7. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
8. Serve immediately and top with your favorite toppings.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
Directions:
1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted.
3. Mix in half and half and garlic powder.
4. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.
So, I have several things I want to talk about like what I love about October, my boy's birthday, the Vendor Party but I'll get to that in the next couple of days. I just have a minute so I'm going to share a couple of soup recipes. It's Soup Week on the What's for Supper? radio segment and this just happens to be perfect soup weather. So let's all pretend we are sitting around the table sharing a big bowl of one of these. I posted this on Facebook yesterday and love it.
"Troubles are easier to take with soup than without." -- Ancient Yiddish saying
Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 Cups Chicken Broth (2-16 ounce cans)
1 onion, chopped
4-5 Russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and cubed
1 cup smoked chopped ham
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup instant potato flakes
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup whipping cream
Suggested toppings: Bacon, sour cream, cheese, green onions, croutons.
Directions:
1. Pour broth in a stock pot over medium heat.
2. Peel and chop onion and potatoes.
3. Add to broth along with ham. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for ten to fifteen minutes or until potato is tender.
5. Remove lid and stir in potato flakes.
6. Add in cheese and cream and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until just heated through.
7. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
8. Serve immediately and top with your favorite toppings.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
Directions:
1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted.
3. Mix in half and half and garlic powder.
4. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
I Know This is Random
Over on Beth Moore's website yesterday, she started this blog conversation about finishing the sentence, "I know this is random but . . . " I think I spent an hour reading all of the fascinating responses to this post about all of the random things that people love . . . smelling their dog's breath (really?), reading when raining outside (love that too), baby's feet (oh yes, without a doubt), office supplies (agreed) and hanging out at a book store for hours (done that). Well, I think I'll play along. Random things I love . . .
1. When my big ole boy calls me "momma" and calls my girl "sister." Melt my heart.
2. Any text message from my husband that begins with "hey babe" or from E that starts, "I've just got to tell you this . . ." Again, melt my heart.
3. When I'm reading God's Word and have one of those "ah hah" moments. When I finally put the pieces together about something and get insight into what God's trying to reveal to me.
4. When the fall issues of magazines come out. What is it about the fall? I want every magazine I see that has fall fashions, fall colors or a pumpkin on the front. I have a stack a foot tall right now that I can't wait to get into.
5. When one of our brides says with tears in her eyes at the end of her wedding day, "thank you. It was so much better than I ever imagined." Oh.my.word.
6. A scone from Panera. That's all I'm going to say about that. And maybe a caramel apple latte from the coffee shop at Books A Million. Trust me.
7. When every single time I see my mom (every time) the first thing she says to me, "honey, you look so pretty."
8. The caramel apple hand soap from Bath and Body Works.
9. When my house is clean.
10. When my jeans aren't tight.
What about you? What random things make you smile?
1. When my big ole boy calls me "momma" and calls my girl "sister." Melt my heart.
2. Any text message from my husband that begins with "hey babe" or from E that starts, "I've just got to tell you this . . ." Again, melt my heart.
3. When I'm reading God's Word and have one of those "ah hah" moments. When I finally put the pieces together about something and get insight into what God's trying to reveal to me.
4. When the fall issues of magazines come out. What is it about the fall? I want every magazine I see that has fall fashions, fall colors or a pumpkin on the front. I have a stack a foot tall right now that I can't wait to get into.
5. When one of our brides says with tears in her eyes at the end of her wedding day, "thank you. It was so much better than I ever imagined." Oh.my.word.
6. A scone from Panera. That's all I'm going to say about that. And maybe a caramel apple latte from the coffee shop at Books A Million. Trust me.
7. When every single time I see my mom (every time) the first thing she says to me, "honey, you look so pretty."
8. The caramel apple hand soap from Bath and Body Works.
9. When my house is clean.
10. When my jeans aren't tight.
What about you? What random things make you smile?
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
We're all a-Twitter about TV
Okay, I few quick things . . .
This week begins the new fall tv schedule and premiers all of our old favorites. Well, you may well remember that I am huge (did I mention huge?) fan of Castle. I adore this show. I'm really not a fan of most murder/crime solver/police dramas but this one is different. Well . . . last season's finale left us sick at our stomachs because our main girl, Kate, was shot, square in the chest, with lots of lots of blood and ooh and ick while speaking at their captain's funeral. Which is a whole other story. Anyway, Rick professes his love for Kate as she's laying on the ground bleeding. Yes, he does. Says he loves her and everything right to her face. Well, this is a long story and you really need to watch it but thankfully, Kate recovered all in the season premier last night and low and behold tells Rick she doesn't remember anything about the shooting . . . but she was telling a fib. Because at the end, when she's talking to her counselor, guess what? She tells him she remembers everything which means?? Yes, she heard Rick say he loves her. But remember she told him she doesn't remember anything. Oh.oh.oh. Kids, this is going to be good. Good I tell you.
So since we're talking tv, D and I were total nerds last night and set our DVR for all the new shows that we want to check out as well as some old favorites. I'll take you through our line up. Now, keep in mind, we will pick and choose between all of these because after all, we have set a new tv goal to go back and watch all of the seasons of the now-ended series, "Friday Night Lights." I've heard for years how good this show is but sometimes when you come into something in the middle, it's a little overwhelming. So our NetFlix account is now queued up for all 47 seasons. It may take us awhile.
Okay, the new season highlights according to the Wileys:
Mondays: Castle, of course. The Sing-Off (love this show); By the way, Dancing with the Stars - no thank you, not this season.
Tuesday: Slow night for us. We'll check out Biggest Loser but if that doesn't excite, we'll keep the tv off this night.
Wednesday: We'll bounce back and forth between Up All Night (this looks good, we'll see), Modern Family and The X Factor. The X Factor just intrigues me. I want to see what Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul have been up to.
Thursday: Ohh . . this is a Big night at our house. D has been just giddy about the premier of the new Charlies Angels. Having grown up with the original angels, I'm kinda curious myself. Of course, The Office has a new boss (can anyone really replace Steve Carell?) and we've got to see how that plays out. Also, love The Big Bang Theory on Thursdays. This has to be the quirkiest, quickest, well-written sit-com on television right now. The ensemble cast is one of the best. I always say that any show that makes me laugh out loud is a keeper. Now, a disclaimer. You either "get" this show and like it or you don't. E and N don't like it so I can only guess that they don't get it. Honestly, it's a strange kind of humor. That's us - a strange kind of humor.
Friday: Okay, a couple of thoughts here. D loves Chuck. I can take it or leave it. But the fact that they have moved Extreme Makeover: Home Edition from Sunday night to Friday night presents a huge problem. However, D and I got out our DVR manuel last night and guess what? You can actually watch one show and record another. Well, there you go. Problem solved.
Also, I've been wanting to watch Blue Bloods. I think this is the second season but I keep seeing that the main character is played by Tom Selleck. I'm sorry but I don't care how old he is, the man is so handsome and I just like him. Is it because I watched every single episode of Magnum P.I. from 1980 til 1988? And then the final season of Las Vegas? And then him and Monica on Friends? Yes, yes it is.
Saturday: Reserved for SEC football. End of story.
Sunday: Okay. Like I said, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and Undercover Boss have always been staples here. However, time marches on and things change and now, well, we're a couple without a show. Oh yes, there's always Sunday night football. :) Again, the tv will probably stay off this night.
Okay, so that's the DVR schedule for the 3 major networks but you know that there's always The What Not to Wears and The Say Yes to the Dresses on our TLC channel. And of course, the Cake Boss. Oh, I watched The Cake Boss, Baby Edition last night. I'll swan, Mrs. Cake Boss looked like a movie star giving birth to the baby boy and when Mr. Cake Boss sobbed when he held that child, well, I did too. And that man, as a surprise to the Mrs. for her baby shower, made a cake the exact (exact I promise) replica of the baby's new nursery. I have never seen anything like it. He's incredibly talented. He likes to act all tough and stuff but the man's a teddy bear when it comes to his family. Gotta love him.
One more thing . . . since we've been away from each other, I did something big. I have joined Twitter but I don't tweet. I just stalk everyone else just like I do on Facebook. E says because of our business that we need to be tuned into these social media-type things. I try not to spend too much time on them because honestly, if you aren't careful, you can waste some serious time on there. But I did see one of Rick Warren's tweets for today. I know this because I follow him on Twitter. While he tweets. Okay, seriously, this is good. You might want to give it some thought.
We want intelligence. God wants obedience.
We want confidence. God wants dependence.
We want relevance. God wants reverence.
And that my friends is good stuff. Lots better than any ole television show will ever be.
This week begins the new fall tv schedule and premiers all of our old favorites. Well, you may well remember that I am huge (did I mention huge?) fan of Castle. I adore this show. I'm really not a fan of most murder/crime solver/police dramas but this one is different. Well . . . last season's finale left us sick at our stomachs because our main girl, Kate, was shot, square in the chest, with lots of lots of blood and ooh and ick while speaking at their captain's funeral. Which is a whole other story. Anyway, Rick professes his love for Kate as she's laying on the ground bleeding. Yes, he does. Says he loves her and everything right to her face. Well, this is a long story and you really need to watch it but thankfully, Kate recovered all in the season premier last night and low and behold tells Rick she doesn't remember anything about the shooting . . . but she was telling a fib. Because at the end, when she's talking to her counselor, guess what? She tells him she remembers everything which means?? Yes, she heard Rick say he loves her. But remember she told him she doesn't remember anything. Oh.oh.oh. Kids, this is going to be good. Good I tell you.
So since we're talking tv, D and I were total nerds last night and set our DVR for all the new shows that we want to check out as well as some old favorites. I'll take you through our line up. Now, keep in mind, we will pick and choose between all of these because after all, we have set a new tv goal to go back and watch all of the seasons of the now-ended series, "Friday Night Lights." I've heard for years how good this show is but sometimes when you come into something in the middle, it's a little overwhelming. So our NetFlix account is now queued up for all 47 seasons. It may take us awhile.
Okay, the new season highlights according to the Wileys:
Mondays: Castle, of course. The Sing-Off (love this show); By the way, Dancing with the Stars - no thank you, not this season.
Tuesday: Slow night for us. We'll check out Biggest Loser but if that doesn't excite, we'll keep the tv off this night.
Wednesday: We'll bounce back and forth between Up All Night (this looks good, we'll see), Modern Family and The X Factor. The X Factor just intrigues me. I want to see what Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul have been up to.
Thursday: Ohh . . this is a Big night at our house. D has been just giddy about the premier of the new Charlies Angels. Having grown up with the original angels, I'm kinda curious myself. Of course, The Office has a new boss (can anyone really replace Steve Carell?) and we've got to see how that plays out. Also, love The Big Bang Theory on Thursdays. This has to be the quirkiest, quickest, well-written sit-com on television right now. The ensemble cast is one of the best. I always say that any show that makes me laugh out loud is a keeper. Now, a disclaimer. You either "get" this show and like it or you don't. E and N don't like it so I can only guess that they don't get it. Honestly, it's a strange kind of humor. That's us - a strange kind of humor.
Friday: Okay, a couple of thoughts here. D loves Chuck. I can take it or leave it. But the fact that they have moved Extreme Makeover: Home Edition from Sunday night to Friday night presents a huge problem. However, D and I got out our DVR manuel last night and guess what? You can actually watch one show and record another. Well, there you go. Problem solved.
Also, I've been wanting to watch Blue Bloods. I think this is the second season but I keep seeing that the main character is played by Tom Selleck. I'm sorry but I don't care how old he is, the man is so handsome and I just like him. Is it because I watched every single episode of Magnum P.I. from 1980 til 1988? And then the final season of Las Vegas? And then him and Monica on Friends? Yes, yes it is.
Saturday: Reserved for SEC football. End of story.
Sunday: Okay. Like I said, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and Undercover Boss have always been staples here. However, time marches on and things change and now, well, we're a couple without a show. Oh yes, there's always Sunday night football. :) Again, the tv will probably stay off this night.
Okay, so that's the DVR schedule for the 3 major networks but you know that there's always The What Not to Wears and The Say Yes to the Dresses on our TLC channel. And of course, the Cake Boss. Oh, I watched The Cake Boss, Baby Edition last night. I'll swan, Mrs. Cake Boss looked like a movie star giving birth to the baby boy and when Mr. Cake Boss sobbed when he held that child, well, I did too. And that man, as a surprise to the Mrs. for her baby shower, made a cake the exact (exact I promise) replica of the baby's new nursery. I have never seen anything like it. He's incredibly talented. He likes to act all tough and stuff but the man's a teddy bear when it comes to his family. Gotta love him.
One more thing . . . since we've been away from each other, I did something big. I have joined Twitter but I don't tweet. I just stalk everyone else just like I do on Facebook. E says because of our business that we need to be tuned into these social media-type things. I try not to spend too much time on them because honestly, if you aren't careful, you can waste some serious time on there. But I did see one of Rick Warren's tweets for today. I know this because I follow him on Twitter. While he tweets. Okay, seriously, this is good. You might want to give it some thought.
We want intelligence. God wants obedience.
We want confidence. God wants dependence.
We want relevance. God wants reverence.
And that my friends is good stuff. Lots better than any ole television show will ever be.
Monday, September 19, 2011
What I Love about September 2011
Remember back in the day, when I used to blog on a regular basis, before my life turned into a big ole whirlwind of activity, that I used to post about what I love about a particular month. Like on the first day of the month. Well, here it is the 19th day of September but I'm not going to let that stop me so here we go . . .
What I Love about September 2011
When you start on the 19th, you have to look at some things in the rear view mirror so that's what we'll do with the first few . . .
1. The Labor Day weekend was anything but restful for E and I as we were in Athens assisting with Sarah and Daniel's gorgeous day. Hey, one advantage to doing this two weeks in, their amazing photographer has already posted some of their pictures so if you're interested, you can have a sneak peak at this beautiful wedding.
http://melissatuckblog.com/
2. A certain young woman who is special to our son celebrated her birthday on September 7th. The Big 21! Happy Birthday to a beautiful girl - inside and out!
3. The second weekend in September, D and I made a whirlwind trip down to Savannah and back up through Statesboro for visit with our boy. Savannah was as beautiful as ever, what little we saw of it. This trip was quite the experience for a variety of reasons but always a fun time when D and G are involved.
4. Okay, so this past Friday night D had his college reunion. Oh yes he did. I knew three people in the whole room of 75 but that's better than not knowing anyone I suppose. This event was so special to D and I loved that he could reconnect with old friends. Since this was a reunion of the folks from the Baptist college he attended his first two years, this wasn't the typical college reunion. It began with a time of Praise and Worship; followed by a little preaching/inspiration from one of the classmates and then a share and prayer time. It was amazing. I actually loved it and even though I didn't know hardly anyone, I came away from there truly uplifted by the whole experience.
5. E and I completed about 9 months worth of planning with one of our precious couples when they married this past Saturday at Montaluce Winery outside of Dahlonega. This was an outdoor wedding down by the pond and the weather could not have been more beautiful. This was such a fun wedding! There was a Mariachi Band during dinner; a great dance band called Str8 Pipe for the reception; then a DJ for the post reception. To say that these folks had a par-tay is an understatement! They partied so late into the morning that I finally crawled into bed about 3 a.m. E drove home and I don't know if we were overtired or just wound up tighter than a string, but we talked non-stop for the 30+ minute drive. This wedding was executed by all vendors flawlessly. I by no means am taking credit for that but when you have some extremely talented folks coming together, you get an amazing event.
6. Okay, so now I am caught up to current. Tonight I get to go out with my Birthday girls and I am pumped! I had to miss last month's get together and I have mourned that for the past four weeks so I just cannot wait to see these girls. They are some of the coolest women on the planet.
7. On Friday, I'll be heading on over to the FBC Gainesville for the Hearts and Hands Emporium. I love this shopping event. Admission goes to a great cause, The Gateway House and the shopping well, it's awesome. I'm considering beginning my Christmas (really? Christmas? Ahhhh!!) shopping this weekend at this event. Can't wait!
8. On Friday evening, D and I are looking forward to attending the John Jarrard Concert held on the Brenau University campus. This is always a fun event and this year it will be held two nights, Friday and Saturday. Again, proceeds go to some mighty fine organizations. Music and dinner under the stars - yes, please.
9. On the 27th, my hubby will have a birthday and much fun will be had. Still ironing out the details for this special time so more to come here.
10. Our church is having a church-wide study right now, called "If God is Good." This study is based on the book by the same name by Randy Alcorn. We have joined a small home group for this study that meets on Sunday evenings and while we've only been once (last night), let me just tell you, it was blessing.
Well, that's the highlights for September 2011. More to come . . .
What I Love about September 2011
When you start on the 19th, you have to look at some things in the rear view mirror so that's what we'll do with the first few . . .
1. The Labor Day weekend was anything but restful for E and I as we were in Athens assisting with Sarah and Daniel's gorgeous day. Hey, one advantage to doing this two weeks in, their amazing photographer has already posted some of their pictures so if you're interested, you can have a sneak peak at this beautiful wedding.
http://melissatuckblog.com/
2. A certain young woman who is special to our son celebrated her birthday on September 7th. The Big 21! Happy Birthday to a beautiful girl - inside and out!
3. The second weekend in September, D and I made a whirlwind trip down to Savannah and back up through Statesboro for visit with our boy. Savannah was as beautiful as ever, what little we saw of it. This trip was quite the experience for a variety of reasons but always a fun time when D and G are involved.
4. Okay, so this past Friday night D had his college reunion. Oh yes he did. I knew three people in the whole room of 75 but that's better than not knowing anyone I suppose. This event was so special to D and I loved that he could reconnect with old friends. Since this was a reunion of the folks from the Baptist college he attended his first two years, this wasn't the typical college reunion. It began with a time of Praise and Worship; followed by a little preaching/inspiration from one of the classmates and then a share and prayer time. It was amazing. I actually loved it and even though I didn't know hardly anyone, I came away from there truly uplifted by the whole experience.
5. E and I completed about 9 months worth of planning with one of our precious couples when they married this past Saturday at Montaluce Winery outside of Dahlonega. This was an outdoor wedding down by the pond and the weather could not have been more beautiful. This was such a fun wedding! There was a Mariachi Band during dinner; a great dance band called Str8 Pipe for the reception; then a DJ for the post reception. To say that these folks had a par-tay is an understatement! They partied so late into the morning that I finally crawled into bed about 3 a.m. E drove home and I don't know if we were overtired or just wound up tighter than a string, but we talked non-stop for the 30+ minute drive. This wedding was executed by all vendors flawlessly. I by no means am taking credit for that but when you have some extremely talented folks coming together, you get an amazing event.
6. Okay, so now I am caught up to current. Tonight I get to go out with my Birthday girls and I am pumped! I had to miss last month's get together and I have mourned that for the past four weeks so I just cannot wait to see these girls. They are some of the coolest women on the planet.
7. On Friday, I'll be heading on over to the FBC Gainesville for the Hearts and Hands Emporium. I love this shopping event. Admission goes to a great cause, The Gateway House and the shopping well, it's awesome. I'm considering beginning my Christmas (really? Christmas? Ahhhh!!) shopping this weekend at this event. Can't wait!
8. On Friday evening, D and I are looking forward to attending the John Jarrard Concert held on the Brenau University campus. This is always a fun event and this year it will be held two nights, Friday and Saturday. Again, proceeds go to some mighty fine organizations. Music and dinner under the stars - yes, please.
9. On the 27th, my hubby will have a birthday and much fun will be had. Still ironing out the details for this special time so more to come here.
10. Our church is having a church-wide study right now, called "If God is Good." This study is based on the book by the same name by Randy Alcorn. We have joined a small home group for this study that meets on Sunday evenings and while we've only been once (last night), let me just tell you, it was blessing.
Well, that's the highlights for September 2011. More to come . . .
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The Blog Story
Before we talk blogs (I promised yesterday that we would), I've just got to say how excited I am about the beginning of football season! Some compare it to the anticipation of Christmas. Not sure I would go that far, but I am pumped! Love love some high school and college, i.e. Bulldog football. This weekend will be quite the whirlwind in that E and I are working a wedding on Sunday night in Athens and I'm attending a wedding on Saturday. Yes, that's correct - someone decided to get married right smack dab in the middle of the Georgia/Boise State game. Just for the record, when we are involved with the planning of a wedding in the fall, we always check the football schedules. It's just what you do in the South. D swears he's wearing all red to this wedding because it is "spread the red" for the game. We'll see. As long as his ensemble doesn't involve silver britches, I'm okay with it.
Okay, blogs I follow. I'm just going highlight a few because I follow alot of blogs. I'd love to hear your favorites.
So, you know there are tons of fashion blogs out there. People who chronicle what they wear everyday and post it. Whew - that's alot of pressure if you ask me. I've thought that might be fun but then I'm just not sure I have the commitment level for it. But this girl does and she is so adorable. She is no celebrity, just a normal girl with an affordable wardrobe and photographer husband. Yes, I can imagine that comes in handy.
http://kendieveryday.blogspot.com/
My favorite celebrity fashion site that I follow. This girl is gorgeous. The world may agree.
http://whatkatewore.com/
I'm a house lover and a chronic peeker. So when I can see inside other people's homes, I'm pretty much content.
This is a great one for celebrity, movie and popular homes:
http://hookedonhouses.net/
This blog follows an every day single girl fixing up a run-down house into something adorable. Inspiring.
http://bradfordavenue.com/
Okay, I could talk about wedding blogs from now til Tuesday and there are tons, and I mean tons of fabulous ones but I think this is my favorite. Well, today it's my favorite.
http://iloveswmag.com/
One of my favorite cooking/baking blogs:
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/
For a solid word, I'll click on over to the following:
http://lysaterkeurst.com/
http://blog.lproof.org/
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I just looked at my favorites list and probably 80% of them are blogs. Oh, I do love the internet for this reason.
Happy Wednesday!
Okay, blogs I follow. I'm just going highlight a few because I follow alot of blogs. I'd love to hear your favorites.
So, you know there are tons of fashion blogs out there. People who chronicle what they wear everyday and post it. Whew - that's alot of pressure if you ask me. I've thought that might be fun but then I'm just not sure I have the commitment level for it. But this girl does and she is so adorable. She is no celebrity, just a normal girl with an affordable wardrobe and photographer husband. Yes, I can imagine that comes in handy.
http://kendieveryday.blogspot.com/
My favorite celebrity fashion site that I follow. This girl is gorgeous. The world may agree.
http://whatkatewore.com/
I'm a house lover and a chronic peeker. So when I can see inside other people's homes, I'm pretty much content.
This is a great one for celebrity, movie and popular homes:
http://hookedonhouses.net/
This blog follows an every day single girl fixing up a run-down house into something adorable. Inspiring.
http://bradfordavenue.com/
Okay, I could talk about wedding blogs from now til Tuesday and there are tons, and I mean tons of fabulous ones but I think this is my favorite. Well, today it's my favorite.
http://iloveswmag.com/
One of my favorite cooking/baking blogs:
http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/
For a solid word, I'll click on over to the following:
http://lysaterkeurst.com/
http://blog.lproof.org/
This is just the tip of the iceberg. I just looked at my favorites list and probably 80% of them are blogs. Oh, I do love the internet for this reason.
Happy Wednesday!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
This, That and a Blog
Good morning, sweet friends!
I just woke up in the best mood this morning which is highly unusual given the circumstances. Let me explain. My husband decided to stay at the farm last night. We are in high gear up there preparing for an extremely busy fall. Beginning this weekend, we'll be hosting two weddings and the store's Vendor Party, all in the course of about eight weeks. D's parents have been super busy preparing the house and land for these events while D, E and I have been busy with all of the event planning details. While some parts of event planning are glamorous, D's part this evening was anything but. Bless his heart, he hauled tables, chairs and miscellaneous sundry items up there and unloaded them. But since he was already there, he decided to stay and ride the 4-wheelers. I really can't blame him. He's also going to work with the farm crew to install new lighting over the deck this morning so I think the man deserves a little ride through the woods! I hate I missed that part because I really like riding 4-wheelers especially at night, except for the bugs in your teeth but really D only gets those because I hide my head behind his. He's quite the protector.
Actually, I was at church until almost 10 last night helping with a regional training event that our church hosts every year. I told D to just go ahead and have all the fun. E and I are headed up to the farm this evening to meet with the bride who is getting married there in October, her mom and the caterer for a tasting. Now, I will just have to admit, tastings, whether cake or dinner, are one of our favorite things to do. On several occasions, E and I have been the pleasure to sit in with our brides who are getting married at Montaluce Winery in Dahlonega. Can I just say, Montaluce tastings rock! Not only do you have the opportunity to taste their exquisite food but you also get to taste their wines. After all, we are there to assist our bride in all possible ways. It's our job. Yes, it is. Somebody has to do it.
Okay, where was I? So all of that to say, I usually don't sleep well when D's not beside me but while I didn't go to sleep until after 1:00 a.m., I did sleep like a rock til 7. So, rise and shine, let's get this day started!!
One of my early morning rituals is reading several blogs. Actually I read lots of blogs throughout the course of the day. I love them, what can I say. But lately, I've been in like with one in particular. I've just got to share it in hopes that you will be as blessed as I have by it. It's called "Bring the Rain," written by Angie Smith. I guess I'm a little behind in that I knew Angie was a gifted speaker as she tours regularly with Women of Faith. But I had no idea what a gifted writer she is. Oh.My.Word. When any one's written word, brings me to tears, I am smitten. So I am smitten with Angie and her powerful message. I'm linking a couple of her amazing posts. Let me say, please don't be tempted to rush through them. They are deep and moving. Love them.
This one, entitled The Stone had me at hello.
http://angiesmithonline.com/2011/08/the-stone/
And I think you'll love this one, too. I've included the follow up article which involves our own Atlanta Braves.
http://angiesmithonline.com/2011/06/honeysuckle-and-fireflies/
http://goodguysports.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/norris-the-atlanta-brave/
Tomorrow, I'm going to share a few more blogs I love. I think you'll like them too because if you read this one, anything is a step up. Thanks for reading - I love both of you!
I just woke up in the best mood this morning which is highly unusual given the circumstances. Let me explain. My husband decided to stay at the farm last night. We are in high gear up there preparing for an extremely busy fall. Beginning this weekend, we'll be hosting two weddings and the store's Vendor Party, all in the course of about eight weeks. D's parents have been super busy preparing the house and land for these events while D, E and I have been busy with all of the event planning details. While some parts of event planning are glamorous, D's part this evening was anything but. Bless his heart, he hauled tables, chairs and miscellaneous sundry items up there and unloaded them. But since he was already there, he decided to stay and ride the 4-wheelers. I really can't blame him. He's also going to work with the farm crew to install new lighting over the deck this morning so I think the man deserves a little ride through the woods! I hate I missed that part because I really like riding 4-wheelers especially at night, except for the bugs in your teeth but really D only gets those because I hide my head behind his. He's quite the protector.
Actually, I was at church until almost 10 last night helping with a regional training event that our church hosts every year. I told D to just go ahead and have all the fun. E and I are headed up to the farm this evening to meet with the bride who is getting married there in October, her mom and the caterer for a tasting. Now, I will just have to admit, tastings, whether cake or dinner, are one of our favorite things to do. On several occasions, E and I have been the pleasure to sit in with our brides who are getting married at Montaluce Winery in Dahlonega. Can I just say, Montaluce tastings rock! Not only do you have the opportunity to taste their exquisite food but you also get to taste their wines. After all, we are there to assist our bride in all possible ways. It's our job. Yes, it is. Somebody has to do it.
Okay, where was I? So all of that to say, I usually don't sleep well when D's not beside me but while I didn't go to sleep until after 1:00 a.m., I did sleep like a rock til 7. So, rise and shine, let's get this day started!!
One of my early morning rituals is reading several blogs. Actually I read lots of blogs throughout the course of the day. I love them, what can I say. But lately, I've been in like with one in particular. I've just got to share it in hopes that you will be as blessed as I have by it. It's called "Bring the Rain," written by Angie Smith. I guess I'm a little behind in that I knew Angie was a gifted speaker as she tours regularly with Women of Faith. But I had no idea what a gifted writer she is. Oh.My.Word. When any one's written word, brings me to tears, I am smitten. So I am smitten with Angie and her powerful message. I'm linking a couple of her amazing posts. Let me say, please don't be tempted to rush through them. They are deep and moving. Love them.
This one, entitled The Stone had me at hello.
http://angiesmithonline.com/2011/08/the-stone/
And I think you'll love this one, too. I've included the follow up article which involves our own Atlanta Braves.
http://angiesmithonline.com/2011/06/honeysuckle-and-fireflies/
http://goodguysports.wordpress.com/2011/08/29/norris-the-atlanta-brave/
Tomorrow, I'm going to share a few more blogs I love. I think you'll like them too because if you read this one, anything is a step up. Thanks for reading - I love both of you!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
It's Me Again Margaret
Well, I could try to explain where I've been and what I've done but that would take too long and frankly, I would be exhausted and so would you. There's a lot in the my life right now that requires energy, time and truth be told, more smarts than I've got some days. But you know, if God gives it to you, I figure it's in my best interest to just go with it. All of that to say, that there's a lot on my plate of late. But you blog friends have never been far from my mind. I've missed you.
So let's go forward and discuss a few important subjects:
1. D and I went to see "The Help" and it was phenomenal. I had read the book last summer so I've been anticipating the release of this movie ever since I heard it was going to happen. Oh so very good. Let's just assume that we all know that the story line is awesome and discuss the fashion. The movie is set in the early 60s and let's just say, I should have been born in that fashion era. I adore everything these girls wore. I even like the hairstyles. You know big hair never gets old. Big hair and tiny waists. These girls had the tiniest waists of anybody I've ever seen. And you know that the camera adds 10 pounds so I can't imagine what their waists look like in real life. On second thought, maybe I am glad I'm not wearing the 60s fashion. I don't have the waist for it.
2. Our precious boy is back in Statesboro at Georgia Southern and couldn't be happier. We got him all settled in last Friday and he was just beside himself to be back with his buddies and to get on with school. We sure do miss him around here! My mother's heart yearns for this boy but I know that he is doing what he needs to be doing right now. I'm left here to pray for and encourage him. You better believe, that's what I'll be doing.
3. I get to see my Birthday Group girls tonight! Well, Yay and WooHoo! It's been a while since the whole group has been around the table together so I couldn't be more excited to catch up with them. These women mean the world to me and I am beyond blessed to have them in my life.
4. On Saturday, a group of us will go up to New Beginnings to love on those precious ladies. This is a quarterly trip for us to celebrate the birthdays for many whose birthdays don't even get a mention. We'll have cake and ice cream and then set up a little mini-salon and spa for hair cuts and hands/feet pampering. This is a blessing for all of us. I just cannot tell you how much more of a blessing we get by being in their midst. If you have time, please say a prayer for us as we go. For many reasons, I firmly believe that God has something big and huge planned for this Saturday. He has gone to great lengths to get us all together for this day specifically. We would appreciate your prayers.
5. While Mother was in the hospital (she's fine now but we had a rough couple of weeks), I read "The Noticer" by Andy Andrews. I highly recommend this book. It will blow your socks off.
6. We are having a giveaway on the What's for Supper? segment this week. This is only the second time we've done this and I just thought that it was time to share some more fun with the listeners. And it's a great giveaway - Southern Living's 1001 Ways to Cook Southern Cookbook. It's just over 900 pages. It was on my Christmas list last year and I have enjoyed it so much the past few months. Fabulous recipes and tips in this cookbook!
Well, how was that for a list of the most random things you've ever heard? I'm a little overwhelmed at the amount of things I could talk about since I haven't blogged in weeks so that was just what came to mind first. But no worries, I'll not stay away so long. I've missed you.
So let's go forward and discuss a few important subjects:
1. D and I went to see "The Help" and it was phenomenal. I had read the book last summer so I've been anticipating the release of this movie ever since I heard it was going to happen. Oh so very good. Let's just assume that we all know that the story line is awesome and discuss the fashion. The movie is set in the early 60s and let's just say, I should have been born in that fashion era. I adore everything these girls wore. I even like the hairstyles. You know big hair never gets old. Big hair and tiny waists. These girls had the tiniest waists of anybody I've ever seen. And you know that the camera adds 10 pounds so I can't imagine what their waists look like in real life. On second thought, maybe I am glad I'm not wearing the 60s fashion. I don't have the waist for it.
2. Our precious boy is back in Statesboro at Georgia Southern and couldn't be happier. We got him all settled in last Friday and he was just beside himself to be back with his buddies and to get on with school. We sure do miss him around here! My mother's heart yearns for this boy but I know that he is doing what he needs to be doing right now. I'm left here to pray for and encourage him. You better believe, that's what I'll be doing.
3. I get to see my Birthday Group girls tonight! Well, Yay and WooHoo! It's been a while since the whole group has been around the table together so I couldn't be more excited to catch up with them. These women mean the world to me and I am beyond blessed to have them in my life.
4. On Saturday, a group of us will go up to New Beginnings to love on those precious ladies. This is a quarterly trip for us to celebrate the birthdays for many whose birthdays don't even get a mention. We'll have cake and ice cream and then set up a little mini-salon and spa for hair cuts and hands/feet pampering. This is a blessing for all of us. I just cannot tell you how much more of a blessing we get by being in their midst. If you have time, please say a prayer for us as we go. For many reasons, I firmly believe that God has something big and huge planned for this Saturday. He has gone to great lengths to get us all together for this day specifically. We would appreciate your prayers.
5. While Mother was in the hospital (she's fine now but we had a rough couple of weeks), I read "The Noticer" by Andy Andrews. I highly recommend this book. It will blow your socks off.
6. We are having a giveaway on the What's for Supper? segment this week. This is only the second time we've done this and I just thought that it was time to share some more fun with the listeners. And it's a great giveaway - Southern Living's 1001 Ways to Cook Southern Cookbook. It's just over 900 pages. It was on my Christmas list last year and I have enjoyed it so much the past few months. Fabulous recipes and tips in this cookbook!
Well, how was that for a list of the most random things you've ever heard? I'm a little overwhelmed at the amount of things I could talk about since I haven't blogged in weeks so that was just what came to mind first. But no worries, I'll not stay away so long. I've missed you.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Food Friday - 4th of July Edition!
You know, writing a blog and talking on the radio are a weird thing. Because you can't see your audience, you somehow think that no one is really reading or listening. Then you run into one of your friends and they say "okay, so why haven't you been posting on your blog more?" Or even weirder, someone you barely know who says "did you have a good time at the beach? I heard you say on the radio that you had been over the weekend." I'm not sure I'm really very comfortable with that but it's the nature of the business I guess. But when it comes to the blog, I really don't worry too much about putting myself out there because let's face it, there's about 20 of you sweethearts who read this on a regular basis. But I really do have to smile to know that there are those of you who have stuck by me through the random and ridiculous. So thank you to my little circle of blog friends. I'd give you a hug if I could.
That has absolutely nothing to do with food but before I get started on that do you realize that it is July 1st!! That this year is officially half over. I will say there are some things in my life that I'm thankful have came and gone but honestly, where does that time go? My children are 25 and 21 years old for goodness sake. I don't really think about my age until I think about theirs. So Happy Half 2011 to You!!
And that makes me think about something else. If you think I'm an over-obsessive party planner now, you should have been around when my children were little. Get this - we had "1/2 Birthday" parties! like at 6 months. 1 1/2, etc. Oh we had the traditional round number parties too but we (I) just added to all of that 1/2 s. So when E was 6 months old, we had a 1/2 of cake; and 1/2 of a candle; you get the picture. Okay, weird right? You'll be glad to know that I don't do that anymore not to say I don't think about it.
Well, I'll finally get to the point: food. One of my favorite subjects. All this week my recipes for the segment have been about building a great menu for the 4th of July. When preparing for this I stumbled upon one of the best recipes for roasted corn I've ever tasted. We've had it twice this week. We use the grill a lot in the summer and this is easy and awesome. The first night we had it with filet mignon steaks, shrimp and sauted zucchini, yellow squash and vidalia onions. Last night, we grilled chicken and I made a caprese salad to go along with it. Just thought I'd mention that to maybe spark a few menu ideas for you.
Parmesan Roasted Corn on the Cob
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
5 ears corn, husk and silk removed
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate.
2. Brush a thin layer of mayonnaise on each ear of corn. Sprinkle the corn with the Parmesan cheese, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Wrap each ear with non-stick aluminum foil (or spray foil with cooking spray) and place on the grill.
3. Grill, turning occasionally, until the kernels begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
Note: I forgot to get parmesan cheese and made it without it both times. Still delicious. The first time I just sprinkled the corn very lightly with the chili powder. The consensus was that the corn should be thoroughly covered with the chili powder. Good move. All of that to say, don't be afraid of the chili powder. It will be your friend in the end.
Enjoy and have a great weekend!
That has absolutely nothing to do with food but before I get started on that do you realize that it is July 1st!! That this year is officially half over. I will say there are some things in my life that I'm thankful have came and gone but honestly, where does that time go? My children are 25 and 21 years old for goodness sake. I don't really think about my age until I think about theirs. So Happy Half 2011 to You!!
And that makes me think about something else. If you think I'm an over-obsessive party planner now, you should have been around when my children were little. Get this - we had "1/2 Birthday" parties! like at 6 months. 1 1/2, etc. Oh we had the traditional round number parties too but we (I) just added to all of that 1/2 s. So when E was 6 months old, we had a 1/2 of cake; and 1/2 of a candle; you get the picture. Okay, weird right? You'll be glad to know that I don't do that anymore not to say I don't think about it.
Well, I'll finally get to the point: food. One of my favorite subjects. All this week my recipes for the segment have been about building a great menu for the 4th of July. When preparing for this I stumbled upon one of the best recipes for roasted corn I've ever tasted. We've had it twice this week. We use the grill a lot in the summer and this is easy and awesome. The first night we had it with filet mignon steaks, shrimp and sauted zucchini, yellow squash and vidalia onions. Last night, we grilled chicken and I made a caprese salad to go along with it. Just thought I'd mention that to maybe spark a few menu ideas for you.
Parmesan Roasted Corn on the Cob
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
5 ears corn, husk and silk removed
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate.
2. Brush a thin layer of mayonnaise on each ear of corn. Sprinkle the corn with the Parmesan cheese, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Wrap each ear with non-stick aluminum foil (or spray foil with cooking spray) and place on the grill.
3. Grill, turning occasionally, until the kernels begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
Note: I forgot to get parmesan cheese and made it without it both times. Still delicious. The first time I just sprinkled the corn very lightly with the chili powder. The consensus was that the corn should be thoroughly covered with the chili powder. Good move. All of that to say, don't be afraid of the chili powder. It will be your friend in the end.
Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Breakfast, Lunch and Bar Stools
Edited to add: I wrote this last night and fell asleep before I hit the publish button. ha! So this is old news, as in yesterday's.
I like to have never dragged myself out of bed this morning. I think when you spend three or four days at the beach where you don't have a worry in the world, it ruins you for about a week when it comes to getting back in the swing of normal life. Oh at the woe.
My day started with breakfast bright and early at Panera with one of my favorite people. I serve on the Board of Directors of a great local non-profit, the Gainesville Care Center and was privileged to enjoy the company of their Executive Director this morning. What a great way to start the day. We chatted about several topics concerning the Care Center but the highlight was sharing several matters on our hearts. She is a great encourager and somehow I just needed that this morning. Thank you, Lord for such a special blessing.
When I left there I met our sweet intern, Allie for a couple of meetings. Some very busy but truly gracious ladies were kind enough to give Allie a few minutes of their time to help her with some information she is gathering for her school project. It has truly been a joy to have Allie helping us the past couple of weeks and she will be greatly missed when she's gone. I tell her all the time that I wish she could stay but I know that her parents would like for her to have a "real" paying job one of these days. I just hate that (but understand it, believe me).
After that, we met with E for a marathon meeting about an event coming up in October. Well, that may seem like a long way off but we have several weddings and other events going on during the next few months so things have to get moving on this. We accomplished much in a short (well, not so short) period of time. I do so much enjoy planning special events for people. It brings great joy to my life. The fun thing about this was that in the middle of the meeting, we decided to go to lunch. I had planned to meet G for lunch so an impromptu gathering of both of my children along with Allie was beyond enjoyable. I felt truly blessed to have that time as part of my day.
After that, I ran to the radio station to do the show and then stopped at a friend's house to pick up my bar stools. There is quite the saga to go along with these bar stools. I'll give you the short version. I got them at our yard sale a couple of weeks ago. If you remember correctly, this is the yard sale where we all just pretty much just traded stuff. Now, I did get rid of a bunch of things but that's not to say I didn't bring a few treasurers in the house. One of my treasures were my friend's barstools. The ones I had were super heavy and really no one used them because of that. My new ones are smaller and lighter and just better for the space. But you know me, I can't leave well enough alone and asked my very creative friend to work some of her magic on these stools. They were great before but they are even better now. I'm not exactly sure what she did to them - glazed/distressed/painted/whatever, I just know I like them. And I had cute little pads made for them. in a great plaid fabric. with little box pleats. So my yard sale treasures are now quite lovely.
Whew. Okay so then after all of that, I changed clothes super fast, grabbed my husband and jumped in the car to attend a little soiree on a big ole houseboat out on beautiful Lake Lanier. Well, this was just a delight. Great food and great friends. Great end to a great day.
So, how was your day?
I like to have never dragged myself out of bed this morning. I think when you spend three or four days at the beach where you don't have a worry in the world, it ruins you for about a week when it comes to getting back in the swing of normal life. Oh at the woe.
My day started with breakfast bright and early at Panera with one of my favorite people. I serve on the Board of Directors of a great local non-profit, the Gainesville Care Center and was privileged to enjoy the company of their Executive Director this morning. What a great way to start the day. We chatted about several topics concerning the Care Center but the highlight was sharing several matters on our hearts. She is a great encourager and somehow I just needed that this morning. Thank you, Lord for such a special blessing.
When I left there I met our sweet intern, Allie for a couple of meetings. Some very busy but truly gracious ladies were kind enough to give Allie a few minutes of their time to help her with some information she is gathering for her school project. It has truly been a joy to have Allie helping us the past couple of weeks and she will be greatly missed when she's gone. I tell her all the time that I wish she could stay but I know that her parents would like for her to have a "real" paying job one of these days. I just hate that (but understand it, believe me).
After that, we met with E for a marathon meeting about an event coming up in October. Well, that may seem like a long way off but we have several weddings and other events going on during the next few months so things have to get moving on this. We accomplished much in a short (well, not so short) period of time. I do so much enjoy planning special events for people. It brings great joy to my life. The fun thing about this was that in the middle of the meeting, we decided to go to lunch. I had planned to meet G for lunch so an impromptu gathering of both of my children along with Allie was beyond enjoyable. I felt truly blessed to have that time as part of my day.
After that, I ran to the radio station to do the show and then stopped at a friend's house to pick up my bar stools. There is quite the saga to go along with these bar stools. I'll give you the short version. I got them at our yard sale a couple of weeks ago. If you remember correctly, this is the yard sale where we all just pretty much just traded stuff. Now, I did get rid of a bunch of things but that's not to say I didn't bring a few treasurers in the house. One of my treasures were my friend's barstools. The ones I had were super heavy and really no one used them because of that. My new ones are smaller and lighter and just better for the space. But you know me, I can't leave well enough alone and asked my very creative friend to work some of her magic on these stools. They were great before but they are even better now. I'm not exactly sure what she did to them - glazed/distressed/painted/whatever, I just know I like them. And I had cute little pads made for them. in a great plaid fabric. with little box pleats. So my yard sale treasures are now quite lovely.
Whew. Okay so then after all of that, I changed clothes super fast, grabbed my husband and jumped in the car to attend a little soiree on a big ole houseboat out on beautiful Lake Lanier. Well, this was just a delight. Great food and great friends. Great end to a great day.
So, how was your day?
Monday, June 27, 2011
It was a Trip!
Well, I was just typing away a minute ago answering emails and my husband looked right over at me and said "are you blogging?" Which got me to thinking, doggone, I might should do that. How in the world are y'all?
D and I just got back about an hour ago from the land of the Atlantic Ocean. Now, neither one of us is a beach snob so we don't care which way we go, Atlantic or Gulf, or Pacific for that matter, as long as it has sand and sun (and a pool for me).
This was our long weekend away for our anniversary. This trip kinda evolved but long story short, we ended up going to Myrtle Beach. We stayed at a great resort and basically had a delightful time. We think we hadn't been to MB in maybe 20 years and yes, it had changed just a little. I'm not sure I have to go back anytime soon but all in all, we had a great time. So what did we do?
1. We sat in beach chairs, under umbrellas and read. Now, I think that maybe what we get to do in heaven during the summer months. Our view of the ocean was unobstructed and I pretty much could have sat there for days. It was hot but the breeze was steady and it felt fab.u.lous. I could just feel the worries of the world melting away. I got to finish Dorothea Benton Frank's new novel, "Folly Beach." It took me awhile to get into it and understand the formatting but once I got that, I loved it. I also read several publications about canning . . . because I'm canning things this year. Oh yes I am. We have an abundance of produce especially from my father-in-law's garden and I'm just going to teach myself to can. So there. I'll let you know how that goes.
2. We went shopping which was really kinda an accident. We were looking for something else and the GPS took us to a great shopping area. Well, score for the GPS! I got some new make-up and could not be more pleased. I've heard from every friend, neighbor and internet blogger how wonderful Bare Minerals make-up is. Well, I've been a little on the hesitant side because I've always used liquid foundation. Bare Minerals is powder and honestly, I just wasn't so sure. But since I was on vacation and my husband was in Dick's Sporting Goods, I decided to sit down and let the expert experiment on me at the make-up counter. I could not believe my eyes when I looked at my face in the mirror. I have a little (a lot actually) problem with redness and rosacea so I've always wanted a product that covers that up. The ones I've used would cover it up when you first put it on but after you've worn it for awhile, the coverage was long gone. Not this. It's great.
3. We went to the movies and saw "Cars." Yea, I know what you're thinking. Kids movie. I've never laughed so hard and so many times as I did in this movie. Honestly, I don't think kids would get half of the jokes. But you do have to have some appreciation for Tow-Mater, aka Larry the Cable Guy and his brand of humor. I thought it was cute as could be.
4. We decided that we wouldn't eat at any chain or mass-market restaurants. We aren't fans of those and if we go to a new place we like to eat at the hole-in-the-wall restaurants that don't have long lines of tourists waiting at the door. We found two of these and come to think of it, I might go back to MB just for these two restaurants. The first was Sun City Grill. Shrimp tacos and salsa to die for. The menu was very limited but the food was just great. The second was River City Grill.,very similar in name to the first but not menu. River City Grill was all about burgers in every shape, form and fashion. And the onion rings were the size of your fist. Honestly, where do you get onions that big? This food was amazing.
5. We visited grocery stores. I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows us because that's what our family does on vacation. We have to walk through as many stores as possible and analyze everything about them. We've gotten pretty good at it. I just usually stand in the produce section and drool because honestly, is there anything any prettier that a bunch of fresh produce. Just think about it. Fruits and vegetables are every color of the rainbow and come in every size and shape. It's just amazing to me.
6. We went to Hubbard Georgia on the way back. Why Hubbard? Well, I asked the husband the same question. He said there was something in Hubbard he wanted and I should say there was. Little known fact I'm sure, but Hubbard is the home of Bubba Grills. Apparently, these grills are famous in some circles. I guess I don't happen to run in those circles. But my husband is a Bubba Grill groupie wanna-be. You see, he has caught the smokin/grillin bug. Mr. Bubba said that might happen. You see we met the Mr. Bubba of Bubba Grill fame and he was a delight to be sure. I just might be wrong but if it weren't for Mr. Bubba I don't think anyone would ever hear about Hubbard. It has one flashing light and is home to about 700 people plus Bubba and his family. They live just north of town on Hwy. 129 (yes the same Hwy. 129 that runs right through Gainesville) and once we finally turned off the main highway and onto their dirt road, we found the Bubba Grill factory (looked like a barn to me), pretty as you please, right behind Mr. Bubba's house. He sure was glad we came and he said that he sure would be happy to build us a smoker/griller. He told us when we were leaving that we could just circle that there Pee-Can tree in his back yard and head on home from there. I just loved him plus he had a bull dog puppy that was just precious. Of course he did.
Well, that's all I know for today. It's 11:15 and this girl is tired from all the vacationing and riding in the car I've been doing. But I do know that my precious eldest child will be knocking on my door at 6:30 in the morning so I've got to get some rest.
Good night all.
D and I just got back about an hour ago from the land of the Atlantic Ocean. Now, neither one of us is a beach snob so we don't care which way we go, Atlantic or Gulf, or Pacific for that matter, as long as it has sand and sun (and a pool for me).
This was our long weekend away for our anniversary. This trip kinda evolved but long story short, we ended up going to Myrtle Beach. We stayed at a great resort and basically had a delightful time. We think we hadn't been to MB in maybe 20 years and yes, it had changed just a little. I'm not sure I have to go back anytime soon but all in all, we had a great time. So what did we do?
1. We sat in beach chairs, under umbrellas and read. Now, I think that maybe what we get to do in heaven during the summer months. Our view of the ocean was unobstructed and I pretty much could have sat there for days. It was hot but the breeze was steady and it felt fab.u.lous. I could just feel the worries of the world melting away. I got to finish Dorothea Benton Frank's new novel, "Folly Beach." It took me awhile to get into it and understand the formatting but once I got that, I loved it. I also read several publications about canning . . . because I'm canning things this year. Oh yes I am. We have an abundance of produce especially from my father-in-law's garden and I'm just going to teach myself to can. So there. I'll let you know how that goes.
2. We went shopping which was really kinda an accident. We were looking for something else and the GPS took us to a great shopping area. Well, score for the GPS! I got some new make-up and could not be more pleased. I've heard from every friend, neighbor and internet blogger how wonderful Bare Minerals make-up is. Well, I've been a little on the hesitant side because I've always used liquid foundation. Bare Minerals is powder and honestly, I just wasn't so sure. But since I was on vacation and my husband was in Dick's Sporting Goods, I decided to sit down and let the expert experiment on me at the make-up counter. I could not believe my eyes when I looked at my face in the mirror. I have a little (a lot actually) problem with redness and rosacea so I've always wanted a product that covers that up. The ones I've used would cover it up when you first put it on but after you've worn it for awhile, the coverage was long gone. Not this. It's great.
3. We went to the movies and saw "Cars." Yea, I know what you're thinking. Kids movie. I've never laughed so hard and so many times as I did in this movie. Honestly, I don't think kids would get half of the jokes. But you do have to have some appreciation for Tow-Mater, aka Larry the Cable Guy and his brand of humor. I thought it was cute as could be.
4. We decided that we wouldn't eat at any chain or mass-market restaurants. We aren't fans of those and if we go to a new place we like to eat at the hole-in-the-wall restaurants that don't have long lines of tourists waiting at the door. We found two of these and come to think of it, I might go back to MB just for these two restaurants. The first was Sun City Grill. Shrimp tacos and salsa to die for. The menu was very limited but the food was just great. The second was River City Grill.,very similar in name to the first but not menu. River City Grill was all about burgers in every shape, form and fashion. And the onion rings were the size of your fist. Honestly, where do you get onions that big? This food was amazing.
5. We visited grocery stores. I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows us because that's what our family does on vacation. We have to walk through as many stores as possible and analyze everything about them. We've gotten pretty good at it. I just usually stand in the produce section and drool because honestly, is there anything any prettier that a bunch of fresh produce. Just think about it. Fruits and vegetables are every color of the rainbow and come in every size and shape. It's just amazing to me.
6. We went to Hubbard Georgia on the way back. Why Hubbard? Well, I asked the husband the same question. He said there was something in Hubbard he wanted and I should say there was. Little known fact I'm sure, but Hubbard is the home of Bubba Grills. Apparently, these grills are famous in some circles. I guess I don't happen to run in those circles. But my husband is a Bubba Grill groupie wanna-be. You see, he has caught the smokin/grillin bug. Mr. Bubba said that might happen. You see we met the Mr. Bubba of Bubba Grill fame and he was a delight to be sure. I just might be wrong but if it weren't for Mr. Bubba I don't think anyone would ever hear about Hubbard. It has one flashing light and is home to about 700 people plus Bubba and his family. They live just north of town on Hwy. 129 (yes the same Hwy. 129 that runs right through Gainesville) and once we finally turned off the main highway and onto their dirt road, we found the Bubba Grill factory (looked like a barn to me), pretty as you please, right behind Mr. Bubba's house. He sure was glad we came and he said that he sure would be happy to build us a smoker/griller. He told us when we were leaving that we could just circle that there Pee-Can tree in his back yard and head on home from there. I just loved him plus he had a bull dog puppy that was just precious. Of course he did.
Well, that's all I know for today. It's 11:15 and this girl is tired from all the vacationing and riding in the car I've been doing. But I do know that my precious eldest child will be knocking on my door at 6:30 in the morning so I've got to get some rest.
Good night all.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
A Little Catchin Up To Do
So, you know all that stuff about writing a little bit every night. yah, blah, blah.
I've been so busy with the following that I haven't been here on the blogesphere too much. I apologize for writing everything in a list. I think it's my personality. Or my need for order. Or my lack of sentence structure skills. Or all of the above.
1. My house looks like it has been ramsacked by some sort of masked man. Everything is in an upheaval. And it's just not one room, it's multiple rooms. There is stuff here, there and yonder. Stacked in chairs, piled in corners - oh, the disarray. I can hardly stand it. We are undergoing just a very small extreme home makeover at my house. You know how you look around one day and say - we really should paint those doors, and that really needs a touch up and then before you know it, you've painted four rooms, have decided you need a new rug to go with the new paint color, rearranged the furniture, and then one thing calls for another and now your house is in a great big mess and you aren't sure how to stop it. Now, granted, I will have to say I am beginning to like how eveything is looking but I can't stop that little twitch until everything is back on walls, in drawers and on floors like it should be.
2. We have a wedding this weekend. Wedding weeks are crazy. There is so much to do that you aren't sure what to do first and you're praying like nobody's business that you don't forget this or that detail and that everything goes off without a hitch. When they get hitched. Oh my bad, bad joke.
3. E and I are on a major exercise plan. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings she arrives at our house at 6:30 for a 45 minute walk around our neighborhood. E's got this app on her phone that talks to us and tells us the time walked, the distance and mile rate. Well, we are just competitive enough that we can't stand for her to tell us anything negative. We really just want to yell at her and say "LISTEN HERE, GIRLFRIEND, WE ARE DOING THE BEST WE CAN AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT WELL, YOU CAN JUST . . . " You get the picture.
4. And did you know that Sunday is Father's Day? And of course, we have to do something wonderful for the men in our life, do we not? So planning is underway for a get together Sunday night at our house. Thus one of the reasons everything has to be back in its appropriate place asap.
5. There is a dress sale at Belk. It's a good one. All dresses are 50% off, take an additional 30% off of that. And I had a 20% off coupon which could or could not apply to some. You know, that is always such a weird thing to me. Some items are not permissable for the coupon. I never do quite understand that so I just take my coupon and hope that they take pity on me and let me use it. (Lawd have a mercy, this is mindless stuff, isn't it?) But the bottom line is that I got 6 (yes I said 6) dresses for $125. Get this, two of them were $14. You know how the salesperson says how much you save when she hands you the receipt, she said, "Mrs. Wiley, you saved $536." I really wanted to record her saying that just in case I needed verification of my savings for my husband. He didn't even ask.
6. Well, Mary Kay Andrews could not have worse timing with the release of her new book, "Summer Rental." I am a huge Mary Kay fan and had pre-ordered her book several weeks ago and wouldn't you know, it came pretty as you please, delivered to my Kindle last Tuesday. Well, since I'm a little obsessive when there's a new book to read, I couldn't think about anything else hardly. Long story short, I've already finished it and it's great summer reading.
7. I've gotten in the habit of watching marathon sessions of "Say Yes to the Dress" every night before going to sleep. D is usually finishing up a Braves game and I have to have a break from that (have I mentioned that before). So I head to the bedroom, punch the buttons on the DVR and voila! - SYTTD appears! Last night, I had 59 episodes yet to watch. Now granted, some of them are repeats but there are new ones in the mix. Last night this little Dallas Cowboy cheerleader was a size 2 and fell in love with a size 10 sample dress and oh, at the drama that ensued when it was unsure if the dress could basically be cut in half. In case you can't stand the suspense, yes the Kleinfield's worked their magic and all was well with the world.
That's it for today. The End.
I've been so busy with the following that I haven't been here on the blogesphere too much. I apologize for writing everything in a list. I think it's my personality. Or my need for order. Or my lack of sentence structure skills. Or all of the above.
1. My house looks like it has been ramsacked by some sort of masked man. Everything is in an upheaval. And it's just not one room, it's multiple rooms. There is stuff here, there and yonder. Stacked in chairs, piled in corners - oh, the disarray. I can hardly stand it. We are undergoing just a very small extreme home makeover at my house. You know how you look around one day and say - we really should paint those doors, and that really needs a touch up and then before you know it, you've painted four rooms, have decided you need a new rug to go with the new paint color, rearranged the furniture, and then one thing calls for another and now your house is in a great big mess and you aren't sure how to stop it. Now, granted, I will have to say I am beginning to like how eveything is looking but I can't stop that little twitch until everything is back on walls, in drawers and on floors like it should be.
2. We have a wedding this weekend. Wedding weeks are crazy. There is so much to do that you aren't sure what to do first and you're praying like nobody's business that you don't forget this or that detail and that everything goes off without a hitch. When they get hitched. Oh my bad, bad joke.
3. E and I are on a major exercise plan. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings she arrives at our house at 6:30 for a 45 minute walk around our neighborhood. E's got this app on her phone that talks to us and tells us the time walked, the distance and mile rate. Well, we are just competitive enough that we can't stand for her to tell us anything negative. We really just want to yell at her and say "LISTEN HERE, GIRLFRIEND, WE ARE DOING THE BEST WE CAN AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT WELL, YOU CAN JUST . . . " You get the picture.
4. And did you know that Sunday is Father's Day? And of course, we have to do something wonderful for the men in our life, do we not? So planning is underway for a get together Sunday night at our house. Thus one of the reasons everything has to be back in its appropriate place asap.
5. There is a dress sale at Belk. It's a good one. All dresses are 50% off, take an additional 30% off of that. And I had a 20% off coupon which could or could not apply to some. You know, that is always such a weird thing to me. Some items are not permissable for the coupon. I never do quite understand that so I just take my coupon and hope that they take pity on me and let me use it. (Lawd have a mercy, this is mindless stuff, isn't it?) But the bottom line is that I got 6 (yes I said 6) dresses for $125. Get this, two of them were $14. You know how the salesperson says how much you save when she hands you the receipt, she said, "Mrs. Wiley, you saved $536." I really wanted to record her saying that just in case I needed verification of my savings for my husband. He didn't even ask.
6. Well, Mary Kay Andrews could not have worse timing with the release of her new book, "Summer Rental." I am a huge Mary Kay fan and had pre-ordered her book several weeks ago and wouldn't you know, it came pretty as you please, delivered to my Kindle last Tuesday. Well, since I'm a little obsessive when there's a new book to read, I couldn't think about anything else hardly. Long story short, I've already finished it and it's great summer reading.
7. I've gotten in the habit of watching marathon sessions of "Say Yes to the Dress" every night before going to sleep. D is usually finishing up a Braves game and I have to have a break from that (have I mentioned that before). So I head to the bedroom, punch the buttons on the DVR and voila! - SYTTD appears! Last night, I had 59 episodes yet to watch. Now granted, some of them are repeats but there are new ones in the mix. Last night this little Dallas Cowboy cheerleader was a size 2 and fell in love with a size 10 sample dress and oh, at the drama that ensued when it was unsure if the dress could basically be cut in half. In case you can't stand the suspense, yes the Kleinfield's worked their magic and all was well with the world.
That's it for today. The End.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Yard Sale Weekend
By yesterday afternoon at 3:00, I was exhausted. Sweaty. Stinky. But it was well worth all of those things because (drum roll please) we made over $600 in our yard sale that will go to missions in Guatemala!!!
You have never seen all of the stuff that was stuffed into my garage on Friday night. I so wish I had taken a picture. You couldn't walk in there. Thank goodness the weather cooperated and most of it got moved to the driveway by sale time on Saturday morning. Keep in mind, this was four girls collection of cast-offs but let me just say, these were some seriously good cast offs. The funny thing - we were our own best customers. We each had our own pile of each other's stuff just inside the garage door of my house. We had so much stuff that we could hardly walk around it. I will share that I scored some new bar stools, two fabulous bunny prints (that I think will go great with the new colors I've picked for our living and dining rooms) and some great earrings. So, all in all, not too bad!
The best part was hanging out with these girlfriends for the day. And we just had the nicest people stop by and shop. It was a lot of work but well worth the effort! An added bonus was that I feel lighter with all my clutter cleared.
After I recuperated from the sale and D got home, we decided to go out for the evening. You are probably going to think we're crazy but we have found this great little Mexican restaurant over near Hammonds Crossing and 400 that we love! So much so that we make the drive over there on a fairly regular basis. We got there and much to our delight, they had live music. Just a young man and his guitar outside on the patio but it was beyond enjoyable. It was a perfectly relaxing ending to a very busy day.
Today has been relatively uneventful. Church this morning was awesome as usual. I have read a book and done some things around the house. I just finished Debbie Macomber's newest "A Turn in the Road." Very light and easy reading. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon.
A busy week will start off early in the morning with E arriving at my house at 6:30 for our morning walk/jog. She sure is a great accountability partner as well as an inspiration to me. Looks like D is throwing some steaks on the grill. I better go see if there is anything I can do! TTYL! (for you non-texters that's "Talk to you later")
You have never seen all of the stuff that was stuffed into my garage on Friday night. I so wish I had taken a picture. You couldn't walk in there. Thank goodness the weather cooperated and most of it got moved to the driveway by sale time on Saturday morning. Keep in mind, this was four girls collection of cast-offs but let me just say, these were some seriously good cast offs. The funny thing - we were our own best customers. We each had our own pile of each other's stuff just inside the garage door of my house. We had so much stuff that we could hardly walk around it. I will share that I scored some new bar stools, two fabulous bunny prints (that I think will go great with the new colors I've picked for our living and dining rooms) and some great earrings. So, all in all, not too bad!
The best part was hanging out with these girlfriends for the day. And we just had the nicest people stop by and shop. It was a lot of work but well worth the effort! An added bonus was that I feel lighter with all my clutter cleared.
After I recuperated from the sale and D got home, we decided to go out for the evening. You are probably going to think we're crazy but we have found this great little Mexican restaurant over near Hammonds Crossing and 400 that we love! So much so that we make the drive over there on a fairly regular basis. We got there and much to our delight, they had live music. Just a young man and his guitar outside on the patio but it was beyond enjoyable. It was a perfectly relaxing ending to a very busy day.
Today has been relatively uneventful. Church this morning was awesome as usual. I have read a book and done some things around the house. I just finished Debbie Macomber's newest "A Turn in the Road." Very light and easy reading. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon.
A busy week will start off early in the morning with E arriving at my house at 6:30 for our morning walk/jog. She sure is a great accountability partner as well as an inspiration to me. Looks like D is throwing some steaks on the grill. I better go see if there is anything I can do! TTYL! (for you non-texters that's "Talk to you later")
Friday, June 3, 2011
Food Friday
I'm having a conundrum today. Isn't that just the funniest word? To be honest, when I first had the thought of using that word I didn't have a clue how to spell it. And do you know how difficult it is to find a word when you don't know how to spell it?
Conundrum: anything that puzzles. Well, I'm puzzled and I really wanted to use that word. Wow - aren't you glad you stopped by today. :)
So, here's the conundrum. I can't decide if I should post the recipe for Summer Squash and Chicken Pasta or the Blackberry Slab Pie. See, I told you, it's a conundrum. So, I'll just post both. After all, I'm a week or ten behind posting on Food Friday. So here you go.
By the way, the Blackberry Slab Pie is in the newest edition of "Taste of the South" magazine. Love that magazine.
Summer Squash and Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 yellow summer squash
1 small zucchini
2 Roma tomatoes
3 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
Directions:
1. In medium saucepan, cook pasta noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil once chilled.
2. Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil and red wine vinegar until garlic begins to golden (about 1-2 minutes). Add a few dashes of salt and pepper too.
3. Dice the yellow summer squash and the zucchini and add to the garlic mixture. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and saut̩ for 1 Р2 minutes.
5. Add vegetable mixture to the cooked pasta.
6. Chill the summer squash pasta salad for at least 2 hours in the fridge, if you wish to eat it chilled.
7. Grill chicken breasts over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the middle.
8. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add to pasta mixture.
9. Serve chilled.
Blackberry Slab Pie
Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated pie crusts
8 cups fresh blackberries
¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15 x 10 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 pie shell disk into an 18 x 13 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, pressing into corners and allow dough to hang over the sides.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine blackberries, ¾ cup sugar, flour and salt. Spread mixture over chilled pie shell.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining pie shell to a 16 x 13 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick; drape over the filling. Fold edge of bottom shell over the top shell. Pinch edges to seal. Cut three diagonal slits across top of pie. Brush crust with cream and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
5. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 50 to 60 minutes.
6. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 3 hours before serving.
Conundrum: anything that puzzles. Well, I'm puzzled and I really wanted to use that word. Wow - aren't you glad you stopped by today. :)
So, here's the conundrum. I can't decide if I should post the recipe for Summer Squash and Chicken Pasta or the Blackberry Slab Pie. See, I told you, it's a conundrum. So, I'll just post both. After all, I'm a week or ten behind posting on Food Friday. So here you go.
By the way, the Blackberry Slab Pie is in the newest edition of "Taste of the South" magazine. Love that magazine.
Summer Squash and Chicken Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 yellow summer squash
1 small zucchini
2 Roma tomatoes
3 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
Directions:
1. In medium saucepan, cook pasta noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drizzle with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil once chilled.
2. Meanwhile, saute garlic in olive oil and red wine vinegar until garlic begins to golden (about 1-2 minutes). Add a few dashes of salt and pepper too.
3. Dice the yellow summer squash and the zucchini and add to the garlic mixture. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and saut̩ for 1 Р2 minutes.
5. Add vegetable mixture to the cooked pasta.
6. Chill the summer squash pasta salad for at least 2 hours in the fridge, if you wish to eat it chilled.
7. Grill chicken breasts over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the middle.
8. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and add to pasta mixture.
9. Serve chilled.
Blackberry Slab Pie
Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated pie crusts
8 cups fresh blackberries
¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 15 x 10 inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 pie shell disk into an 18 x 13 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, pressing into corners and allow dough to hang over the sides.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine blackberries, ¾ cup sugar, flour and salt. Spread mixture over chilled pie shell.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining pie shell to a 16 x 13 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick; drape over the filling. Fold edge of bottom shell over the top shell. Pinch edges to seal. Cut three diagonal slits across top of pie. Brush crust with cream and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
5. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 50 to 60 minutes.
6. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 3 hours before serving.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
June 2, 1984
Today is our 27th Anniversary. We were married June 2, 1984 at 2:00 in the afternoon at First Baptist Church in Marion, Illinois. It was a big beautiful old church that has since been torn down and replaced with a big beautiful new church. The wedding was pretty simple because that's the way things were done back then. The pastor whom I had known all my life married us. My three best friends stood by my side. D's dad was his best man along with two other good friends.
We had our reception on the church lawn under a big oak tree with wedding cake and nuts served. Times have changed. But one thing that hasn't changed: my love for this man. I'm so glad I chose him.
This photograph hangs on the wall in our office upstairs and I just smile every time I see it. First of all, that hat. Remember it was the 80s, after all. And how about D in all white? Wow. I do still love this dress. I really don't know what I was thinking wearing long sleeves in June with an outdoor reception, though.
A lot has happened in 27 years but I would marry this man again. Happy Anniversary, honey!
We had our reception on the church lawn under a big oak tree with wedding cake and nuts served. Times have changed. But one thing that hasn't changed: my love for this man. I'm so glad I chose him.
This photograph hangs on the wall in our office upstairs and I just smile every time I see it. First of all, that hat. Remember it was the 80s, after all. And how about D in all white? Wow. I do still love this dress. I really don't know what I was thinking wearing long sleeves in June with an outdoor reception, though.
A lot has happened in 27 years but I would marry this man again. Happy Anniversary, honey!
What I love about June 2011
What I love about June 2011
Well, let’s just say it’s summertime and the livin’ is easy. And just for the record, it is hot. For those of you who are in the South that comes as no surprise to you but great day at the hot and humid. Thank you, Jesus for air conditioning!!
1. Well, the best thing about this month is celebrating being married to the love of my life for 27 years. TODAY is our anniversary! We will go away on a unique little getaway later in the month. I can’t wait to tell you about it. It’s going to be pretty great – no normal for us this time.
2. This Saturday, June 4th, we are going to enjoy the hot and humid and do what everyone loves and have a Yard Sale! Well, if this wasn’t for such a good cause I might just not be as excited about it. There are a bunch of girlfriends getting together for this sale of mammoth junk proportions and we are hoping to sell ALL of our stuff because ALL of the proceeds go to Guatemalan missions!! So, if you’re in Gainesville this Saturday come by my house and see us!!
3. This Friday I’ll be doing a live remote with George and B.J. at the Limestone Store from 4 until 6. This is in conjunction with J&J’s 35th Anniversary Sale (which started June 1st) and our very first What’s for Supper Customer Recipe Contest. The three of us will be taste testing the entries and then declaring the winners during the show. You know it’s a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it. There are five categories so there will be five winners. They receive cool prizes and their recipes will be featured during the show the week of June 20th. We just have the best customers in the whole world and needless to say, they are great cooks. So, this is going to be so fun. I’ve already checked out the recipes and yum – I can hardly wait!
4. On Saturday, June 18th we will be assisting with a wedding at The Foundry Inn in Athens. This is just the coolest wedding. Love this bride and groom. I’ll share details later.
5. Wonderful Events is honored and privileged to have an amazing intern, Allie Harrington, working with us this summer. Allie recently graduated from Georgia Southern University and we just couldn’t be more excited to have her helping us! She has already survived her first wedding and did a great job! Immediately after that wedding, she left the country. Ha! Seriously, though for the next two weeks, Allie is doing mission work in Africa so we are missing her. Please say a prayer for her safety. She’ll be back right in time for our next wedding. Good timing!
6. This month we’ll start a new Bible study, “Made to Crave” by Lysa TerKeurst. This study is all about craving God instead of food. I’ve read the book but I’m excited about doing the study and having some accountability with the other ladies. I need it.
7. Our summer Bible study at church is “Seed” by Priscilla Shirer. I sure am a fan of Ms. Priscilla to be sure. So when I saw that this brand new study of hers was being offered I was so excited. It’s a six week study which like the other, makes it doable for summer. I just felt like I need to be the “student” in the class instead of always being the teacher. I have so very much to learn and I am so excited to be sitting under a good friend and amazing woman of God for this study.
Well, that’s pretty much what’s going on around here. It’s kind of a slow month and that suits me just fine. I’m looking forward to the pool, the lake, the sun and a good book. And I am ready to go with the good books - I’ve already pre-ordered some summer reading for my Kindle. Two of my favorite authors – Mary Kay Andrews and Dorothea Benton Frank both have new books which will be coming out in the next few days.
Happy June!
Well, let’s just say it’s summertime and the livin’ is easy. And just for the record, it is hot. For those of you who are in the South that comes as no surprise to you but great day at the hot and humid. Thank you, Jesus for air conditioning!!
1. Well, the best thing about this month is celebrating being married to the love of my life for 27 years. TODAY is our anniversary! We will go away on a unique little getaway later in the month. I can’t wait to tell you about it. It’s going to be pretty great – no normal for us this time.
2. This Saturday, June 4th, we are going to enjoy the hot and humid and do what everyone loves and have a Yard Sale! Well, if this wasn’t for such a good cause I might just not be as excited about it. There are a bunch of girlfriends getting together for this sale of mammoth junk proportions and we are hoping to sell ALL of our stuff because ALL of the proceeds go to Guatemalan missions!! So, if you’re in Gainesville this Saturday come by my house and see us!!
3. This Friday I’ll be doing a live remote with George and B.J. at the Limestone Store from 4 until 6. This is in conjunction with J&J’s 35th Anniversary Sale (which started June 1st) and our very first What’s for Supper Customer Recipe Contest. The three of us will be taste testing the entries and then declaring the winners during the show. You know it’s a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it. There are five categories so there will be five winners. They receive cool prizes and their recipes will be featured during the show the week of June 20th. We just have the best customers in the whole world and needless to say, they are great cooks. So, this is going to be so fun. I’ve already checked out the recipes and yum – I can hardly wait!
4. On Saturday, June 18th we will be assisting with a wedding at The Foundry Inn in Athens. This is just the coolest wedding. Love this bride and groom. I’ll share details later.
5. Wonderful Events is honored and privileged to have an amazing intern, Allie Harrington, working with us this summer. Allie recently graduated from Georgia Southern University and we just couldn’t be more excited to have her helping us! She has already survived her first wedding and did a great job! Immediately after that wedding, she left the country. Ha! Seriously, though for the next two weeks, Allie is doing mission work in Africa so we are missing her. Please say a prayer for her safety. She’ll be back right in time for our next wedding. Good timing!
6. This month we’ll start a new Bible study, “Made to Crave” by Lysa TerKeurst. This study is all about craving God instead of food. I’ve read the book but I’m excited about doing the study and having some accountability with the other ladies. I need it.
7. Our summer Bible study at church is “Seed” by Priscilla Shirer. I sure am a fan of Ms. Priscilla to be sure. So when I saw that this brand new study of hers was being offered I was so excited. It’s a six week study which like the other, makes it doable for summer. I just felt like I need to be the “student” in the class instead of always being the teacher. I have so very much to learn and I am so excited to be sitting under a good friend and amazing woman of God for this study.
Well, that’s pretty much what’s going on around here. It’s kind of a slow month and that suits me just fine. I’m looking forward to the pool, the lake, the sun and a good book. And I am ready to go with the good books - I’ve already pre-ordered some summer reading for my Kindle. Two of my favorite authors – Mary Kay Andrews and Dorothea Benton Frank both have new books which will be coming out in the next few days.
Happy June!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Mindless Entertainment
Okay, let’s talk mindless entertainment for awhile.
1. Have a told you how much I loved American Idol this season? Well, in case you missed it, I loved everything about it including the two semi-finalists. I honestly would have been fine if either Lauren or Scotty won. Although I will say that Scotty had the edge with me after that hometown visit. The boy worked in a grocery store after all.
We have to talk about the finale show. I have about 20 things I could say about it but I will whittle it down to three:
a. I am ashamed of AI for allowing Lady Gag (yes, the last “a” was intentionally left off) to sing. Her performance was totally inappropriate but what did you expect AI? This is a family show for heaven sake;
b. I’m sure that you will not be surprised to learn that I about flipped when Steven Tyler sat at the piano and sang “Dream On.” I told G that this song was played at every single high school dance I ever attended. The song was on their 1973 album, which was a real record. Wow – I don’t want to be reminded that that was almost 40 years ago.
c. Did you see Carrie Underwood’s legs? I don’t mean to sound weird here but I couldn’t stop looking at them. They were amazing.
2. I also loved Dancing with the Stars. Of course, Hines had me at hello because he is a former Georgia Bulldog. And when Kim got hurt it about tore him out of the frame. He was the winner, hands down.
3. The new Bachelorette. I don’t know what to think about this show. I watched the first one, which is my normal and then make a decision as to whether I will go further. To tell you how that has gone in the past, I have not watched a single full-season Bachelor or Bachelorette ever . This one is intriguing. The man in the mask is just weird (or quirky – E that’s for you) enough for me to continue to watch. I’ll let you know. Honestly, it’s not looking good.
4. Did you see the season finale of “Castle?” Great day in the morning! I had to walk away from the tv twice while watching this. I thought what in the world? It was like a version of “The Fugitive” all nestled up in my comfort zone of Rick and Kate. I couldn’t decide if I hated it or loved it. If Kate is dead, I will never get attached to another tv show ever. I can safely say that because who in their right mind would kill off the main character especially one who has that kind of chemistry with Rick? I sat three feet away from the tv when Rick was professing his love for her with huge tears. Honestly, this show about does me in. I’m glad I don’t watch much tv. Although it sure sounds like I do after this list.
5. The last Oprah. Couldn’t tell you. Didn’t watch. Have you ever heard so much hype in all your life?
6. However, I do watch every.single.Braves.game.on.television. Did I mention I watch ALL of them? Because after all, they only play 952 games per season and if we missed one, we wouldn’t know who pitched and caught and hit and slid and stole and popped and did that can of corn thing. Oh, I kid, love the Braves. :)
7. I have four shows that I am looking forward to catching over the summer:
America’s Got Talent (Premieer: Tuesday, May 31st) – love the talent but the judges, not so much.
Cake Boss (Premier: Monday, May 30th) – I don’t know what is more entertaining the works of art they create or Buddy or the staff of Carlo’s Bakery. The mixture of all of it makes for great entertainment.
The Next Food Network Star (Premier: Sunday, June 5th) – this show rocks! Usually food reality shows make me nervous for some reason but I love this one.
Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (Premier: Monday, May 30th). This is a brand new show and it looks great.
8. Have you ever watched “American Pickers” on the History Channel? It is a hoot and a half. These two guys travel over the US looking in peoples barns, basements, old houses, everywhere, going through mounds of junk, looking for old stuff to refurbish and resell. Trash to treasure for sure. Its fascinating.
9. Is it just me or is there nothing new and fresh on HGTV? I just keep seeing the same old rerun of “House Hunters” and “Holmes on Homes.” The only thing I really like right now is “Sarah’s House” but I can’t ever seem to catch it. I’m not giving up on you, HGTV but I sure would like to see something new and fresh.
10. And as you might expect, I must end with the wedding shows. Have you noticed how many wedding shows are on television these days? I do still love “Say Yes to the Dress” and David Tutera’s “My Fair Wedding.” Occasionally I will watch “Four Weddings” but those brides can get snippy and I’m not a fan of snippy.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
The End.
1. Have a told you how much I loved American Idol this season? Well, in case you missed it, I loved everything about it including the two semi-finalists. I honestly would have been fine if either Lauren or Scotty won. Although I will say that Scotty had the edge with me after that hometown visit. The boy worked in a grocery store after all.
We have to talk about the finale show. I have about 20 things I could say about it but I will whittle it down to three:
a. I am ashamed of AI for allowing Lady Gag (yes, the last “a” was intentionally left off) to sing. Her performance was totally inappropriate but what did you expect AI? This is a family show for heaven sake;
b. I’m sure that you will not be surprised to learn that I about flipped when Steven Tyler sat at the piano and sang “Dream On.” I told G that this song was played at every single high school dance I ever attended. The song was on their 1973 album, which was a real record. Wow – I don’t want to be reminded that that was almost 40 years ago.
c. Did you see Carrie Underwood’s legs? I don’t mean to sound weird here but I couldn’t stop looking at them. They were amazing.
2. I also loved Dancing with the Stars. Of course, Hines had me at hello because he is a former Georgia Bulldog. And when Kim got hurt it about tore him out of the frame. He was the winner, hands down.
3. The new Bachelorette. I don’t know what to think about this show. I watched the first one, which is my normal and then make a decision as to whether I will go further. To tell you how that has gone in the past, I have not watched a single full-season Bachelor or Bachelorette ever . This one is intriguing. The man in the mask is just weird (or quirky – E that’s for you) enough for me to continue to watch. I’ll let you know. Honestly, it’s not looking good.
4. Did you see the season finale of “Castle?” Great day in the morning! I had to walk away from the tv twice while watching this. I thought what in the world? It was like a version of “The Fugitive” all nestled up in my comfort zone of Rick and Kate. I couldn’t decide if I hated it or loved it. If Kate is dead, I will never get attached to another tv show ever. I can safely say that because who in their right mind would kill off the main character especially one who has that kind of chemistry with Rick? I sat three feet away from the tv when Rick was professing his love for her with huge tears. Honestly, this show about does me in. I’m glad I don’t watch much tv. Although it sure sounds like I do after this list.
5. The last Oprah. Couldn’t tell you. Didn’t watch. Have you ever heard so much hype in all your life?
6. However, I do watch every.single.Braves.game.on.television. Did I mention I watch ALL of them? Because after all, they only play 952 games per season and if we missed one, we wouldn’t know who pitched and caught and hit and slid and stole and popped and did that can of corn thing. Oh, I kid, love the Braves. :)
7. I have four shows that I am looking forward to catching over the summer:
America’s Got Talent (Premieer: Tuesday, May 31st) – love the talent but the judges, not so much.
Cake Boss (Premier: Monday, May 30th) – I don’t know what is more entertaining the works of art they create or Buddy or the staff of Carlo’s Bakery. The mixture of all of it makes for great entertainment.
The Next Food Network Star (Premier: Sunday, June 5th) – this show rocks! Usually food reality shows make me nervous for some reason but I love this one.
Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (Premier: Monday, May 30th). This is a brand new show and it looks great.
8. Have you ever watched “American Pickers” on the History Channel? It is a hoot and a half. These two guys travel over the US looking in peoples barns, basements, old houses, everywhere, going through mounds of junk, looking for old stuff to refurbish and resell. Trash to treasure for sure. Its fascinating.
9. Is it just me or is there nothing new and fresh on HGTV? I just keep seeing the same old rerun of “House Hunters” and “Holmes on Homes.” The only thing I really like right now is “Sarah’s House” but I can’t ever seem to catch it. I’m not giving up on you, HGTV but I sure would like to see something new and fresh.
10. And as you might expect, I must end with the wedding shows. Have you noticed how many wedding shows are on television these days? I do still love “Say Yes to the Dress” and David Tutera’s “My Fair Wedding.” Occasionally I will watch “Four Weddings” but those brides can get snippy and I’m not a fan of snippy.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
The End.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Happy Memorial Day
How could this have happened? How could I have gone almost an entire month without checking in here on the blog? I sure have missed you. Writing a blog is kinda like exercising though. It unfortunately gets down on the list when life gets hectic. But just for the record, I sure do like writing a blog better than exercising- which would explain why I'm sitting here writing instead of walking right now. :)
I'm going to try to have a new philosophy about the whole blogging thing. Instead of waiting until I have a substantial amount of time to write something thought-provoking and with correct grammatical structure, I may just write a little something every night. Oooh, but I may still have to attempt correct grammatical structure. Mrs. Greer, my 7th grade English teacher, still haunts me just a little bit. I will never forget her. She was in her late 20s, tall, dark skin, blonde hair and was always dressed impeccably. I was just in awe of her. And she was so sweet. You know how you are in 7th grade - very impressionable. I loved her so much and she always wore the cutest shoes. Anyway, this may explain my command of the English language . . . or lack of.
Okay, so what have you been up to? I feel like I could probably ramble on for oh, about two hours about what I've been doing but you'd doze off three times and I just can't stand the thought of that.
I'll hit the high points:
Weddings - we have had them. And they have been great. I will say one of them was a learning and growing experience but you know, that's probably always good. So here we are at the end of May and there is a great sense of accomplishment. Our next wedding is June 18th so there is no rest for the weary. We'll start working on that tomorrow.
I don't know about you but I'm gonna rest for a few hours this morning. Friday and Saturday, we put in two long days at a wedding. Yesterday, we went to church; then attended a wedding reception at the Walters Barn in Lula and then to Atlanta for dinner with some friends. I am t-i-r-e-d. And I need to clean my house which after exercising, is what I should be doing right now. Can you tell I'm feeling a little bad about just sitting here? Maybe that will pass in a minute.
Bible study - there is a sense of accomplishment here as well. We completed Priscilla Shirer's "One in a Million" study this month. Let me just say this, I have never been so intrigued, amazed, confused, and awed at the Scripture as I was during this study of the Israelites journey to the Promised Land. I have to admit something right here and now. Throughout most of my early Christian life I thought less of the Old Testament than the New (well, maybe with the exception of Psalms and Proverbs). I thought it was antiquated and boring. How wrong I was!! About ten years ago, I literally fell in love with the Old Testament Scriptures. Wow - is it awesome. God has opened my eyes to the richness and beauty of these books. I can hardly get enough of it. There is so much that God can teach us through it if we'll just let Him. But isn't that true of alot of things?
What is God teaching you today? What is He challenging you with? I'll admit of late, God and I have been struggling a little bit. Ha - I just had to laugh out loud when I realized what I just wrote. I doubt that God is struggling. He's probably up there looking down at me wondering why I am having so many doubts and fears when He is nothing but confident in the plan for my life and the life of my family. So, let me just rephrase that - I have been struggling with some things and have just been crying out to God for some answers. The other night, I was so out of sorts I was practically beside myself. I thought the only thing, the ONLY thing that will make this better is if I read God's Word. I'm a little behind on my chronological Bible reading so I started on that. I found myself right in the midst of Psalms where David is doing guess what? Crying out to God for some answers. Now, while on the surface it might appear that my problems and David's are quite different, maybe just maybe that aren't. David is afraid. David is doubting God. David is feeling alone. Hmmm.
After reading, I felt so much better. No, I still don't have the answers to the questions I have. No, I still don't understand half of what's going on. But you know what? I have a peace. I have a calm. Psalm 145 specifically spoke to my heart. Here's just a snippet:
"The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation.
All of your works will thank you, Lord,
and your faithful followers will praise you.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness."
One more thing and I'm done for today . . .
Since this is Memorial Day, I just have to mention how much I appreciate the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country. My precious Daddy served in the Army during WWII. He would never talk much about it to me. While I wish he had, I understand it. I just don't think we can imagine the impact war has on the human mind and body.
Lee Greenwood might have said it best:
"I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free. I won't forget the men (and women) who gave that right to me . . . God Bless the USA!"
Have a wonderful Memorial Day!
I'm going to try to have a new philosophy about the whole blogging thing. Instead of waiting until I have a substantial amount of time to write something thought-provoking and with correct grammatical structure, I may just write a little something every night. Oooh, but I may still have to attempt correct grammatical structure. Mrs. Greer, my 7th grade English teacher, still haunts me just a little bit. I will never forget her. She was in her late 20s, tall, dark skin, blonde hair and was always dressed impeccably. I was just in awe of her. And she was so sweet. You know how you are in 7th grade - very impressionable. I loved her so much and she always wore the cutest shoes. Anyway, this may explain my command of the English language . . . or lack of.
Okay, so what have you been up to? I feel like I could probably ramble on for oh, about two hours about what I've been doing but you'd doze off three times and I just can't stand the thought of that.
I'll hit the high points:
Weddings - we have had them. And they have been great. I will say one of them was a learning and growing experience but you know, that's probably always good. So here we are at the end of May and there is a great sense of accomplishment. Our next wedding is June 18th so there is no rest for the weary. We'll start working on that tomorrow.
I don't know about you but I'm gonna rest for a few hours this morning. Friday and Saturday, we put in two long days at a wedding. Yesterday, we went to church; then attended a wedding reception at the Walters Barn in Lula and then to Atlanta for dinner with some friends. I am t-i-r-e-d. And I need to clean my house which after exercising, is what I should be doing right now. Can you tell I'm feeling a little bad about just sitting here? Maybe that will pass in a minute.
Bible study - there is a sense of accomplishment here as well. We completed Priscilla Shirer's "One in a Million" study this month. Let me just say this, I have never been so intrigued, amazed, confused, and awed at the Scripture as I was during this study of the Israelites journey to the Promised Land. I have to admit something right here and now. Throughout most of my early Christian life I thought less of the Old Testament than the New (well, maybe with the exception of Psalms and Proverbs). I thought it was antiquated and boring. How wrong I was!! About ten years ago, I literally fell in love with the Old Testament Scriptures. Wow - is it awesome. God has opened my eyes to the richness and beauty of these books. I can hardly get enough of it. There is so much that God can teach us through it if we'll just let Him. But isn't that true of alot of things?
What is God teaching you today? What is He challenging you with? I'll admit of late, God and I have been struggling a little bit. Ha - I just had to laugh out loud when I realized what I just wrote. I doubt that God is struggling. He's probably up there looking down at me wondering why I am having so many doubts and fears when He is nothing but confident in the plan for my life and the life of my family. So, let me just rephrase that - I have been struggling with some things and have just been crying out to God for some answers. The other night, I was so out of sorts I was practically beside myself. I thought the only thing, the ONLY thing that will make this better is if I read God's Word. I'm a little behind on my chronological Bible reading so I started on that. I found myself right in the midst of Psalms where David is doing guess what? Crying out to God for some answers. Now, while on the surface it might appear that my problems and David's are quite different, maybe just maybe that aren't. David is afraid. David is doubting God. David is feeling alone. Hmmm.
After reading, I felt so much better. No, I still don't have the answers to the questions I have. No, I still don't understand half of what's going on. But you know what? I have a peace. I have a calm. Psalm 145 specifically spoke to my heart. Here's just a snippet:
"The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation.
All of your works will thank you, Lord,
and your faithful followers will praise you.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
No one can measure his greatness."
One more thing and I'm done for today . . .
Since this is Memorial Day, I just have to mention how much I appreciate the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country. My precious Daddy served in the Army during WWII. He would never talk much about it to me. While I wish he had, I understand it. I just don't think we can imagine the impact war has on the human mind and body.
Lee Greenwood might have said it best:
"I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free. I won't forget the men (and women) who gave that right to me . . . God Bless the USA!"
Have a wonderful Memorial Day!
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