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?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
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.
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