Do You Need This?

Maybe someone else besides me needs this verse this morning:

"The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

Happy Monday!

Happy Father's Day!

I hope you and yours had a great Father's Day! I sure do miss my sweet daddy on days like this but then again, I miss him pretty much every day. I just wish he could see this beautiful girl and the wonderful man she married!

And this good-looking boy. I know my sweet momma sure does miss him too.
The boat's technical difficulties had been resolved so we were back to plan A for the Father's Day excursion on the lake. E and I fixed up a fine meal and we docked at a local park and had a picnic. E and Nana ready for some lake time!

Poppa got a new toy.

Here we are enjoying our boat ride! The lake is finally at full pool and wow, is it gorgeous.

My boys are never happier than when they can take the jet ski for a spin and "accidentally" spray all of us on the boat with the rooster tail.

The ruffle in the water is G on the jet ski. I didn't realize that when I took this picture I was getting such a great picture of Harbour Point's dock and hilltop homes.

The grandmothers and their hats.

D just told me that he had a great day. And that's what it's all about.

Food Friday

Well, it's Friday night and I'll be doggone I almost forgot the Food Friday post. D and I just enjoyed our Netflix delivery for this week, "My Life in Ruins." Pretty good movie, especially the scenery of Greece. Now we're watching "Crossroads" on CMT with Keith Urban and John Mayer. Those boys can sure sing and play those guitars. I love the combinations they have on "Crossroads." The last one we watched was with the Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett. Awesome. The next one is Kenny Chesney and The Steve Miller Band. Aren't we exciting on a Friday night? I can't believe I'm actually documenting the line up for "Crossroads." Oh dear.

Okay, our recipe for this week is one I made last Sunday night. I'm not a huge fan of ribs but these were great. The rub and sauce are both delish. I actually added a little bit of minced garlic, garlic powder and Mrs. Dash to the rub mix. So feel free to customize to your taste.

Caribbean Ribs
Ingredients:
For Rub:
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 ½ tablespoons of paprika
1 ½ tablespoons of salt
1 ½ tablespoons of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 ½ - 3 pounds baby back ribs
1 cup pineapple preserves
¼ cup fresh lime juice

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients for rub and pat firmly into all sides of the ribs. For best results, let rub set on pork for an hour or up to overnight.
2. Heat oven to 275 degrees.
3. Place the ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet and cover tightly with foil Bake until tender and the meat easily pulls away from the bone, 2 ½ to 3 hours.
4. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the preserves, lime juice and ½ teaspoon of salt. Simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Heat grill to medium-high. Grill the ribs, basting with the sauce and turning occasionally, until just beginning to char, 4 to 5 minutes.

Thankful Thursday

Are you like me today and dreaming of a vacation? Today I am thankful for vacations past and future. I was looking through some old photos and these just brought back some great memories of a trip we took in 2002. All ten of us went to Europe for ten days. It was amazing.
Here I am up high in the sky in the Eye of London. I must tell you that I am not a fan of heights and wouldn't go near the edge of this thing. I saw the beautiful scenery of London quite fine sitting perched right there in the middle.

Something about this that makes me smile. It may be the all-too-familiar look on G's face that says "are you really taking another picture of me?" Oh how he loves to have his picture taken. Tower of London in the background.

Not sure about this. I'm sure somebody said wave to the camera and we followed orders. Again, it made me smile.

D hanging out with George H. W. Bush and Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of Great Britain. George and Tony are wax. D is not. (Madame Tousseau Wax Museum)

This may have been the most fascinating place I have ever been. The ruins of Pompeii, Italy.

Palace of Versailles in France.

E and G with Miss Mona Lisa. The Louvre in Paris.

Venus de Milo. The Louvre.

The family at the Trevi Fountain in Rome. (Don't know the guy on the right)

So here's to vacations! I hope you are taking a good one very soon!

The Biz of Beauty

Okay, girlfriends, have you ever thought about the amount of hair care and beauty products you own? A couple of weeks ago when D and I went out of town overnight, he put everything he needed toiletry-wise in one of those leather cases which is really about the size of a standard shoe box. Everything. I promise you, I had a huge tote bag full of stuff. This whole thing has been on my mind since. This morning I was taking inventory in the shower - shampoo, conditioner, Dove soap, body wash (both have their distinct purposes), razor, two exfoliators and some "body silk" that has the same scent as my perfume. Okay.

Then I get out of the shower . . . I put on deodorant, self-tanner (still trying to maintain that fake tan you know), body lotion, face lotion, foot lotion (thicker) and perfume and that is all before I put on my underwear. Have mercy. I use four different products just for my teeth. And I haven't even started with my make-up. I counted. I used 12!! (that's a dozen) different products to put my face on. Then I have about five to take it off at night. No wonder this is a gazillion dollar business. Then there is the hair. Oh the hair. Since mine wants to curl up and frizz like the devil with all of this humidity, I have to have products to control such. I use Frizz Away, Frizz Ease or something such as that. Then I have the styling foam, the spray shine, and of course, the hairspray. Not to mention keeping the hands and feet looking presentable. That is a whole other product category. Oh, I just gotta tell you, I am getting risky these days - I tried a new nail color on my fingers: Tropical Punch. I think I liked the name as much as the color. Kinda makes me feel like I need a drink with an umbrella in it.

Is it just me or do you feel this? I think I single-handedly keep the beauty business afloat and I do not use all of the things that are available. If you've ever gone up and down the aisles in a place like Ulta, you know what I'm saying. It is mind boggling. Now, I will tell you that if I had an endless supply of money, I might just buy one of everything and give it a try. Except those lip plumpers. They scare me.

What I love about June 2010

Well, I am all out of whack and off schedule but since that's never stopped me before, I'll just proceed. Let's talk a little about what has gone on and is going on in June.

1. My 26th wedding anniversary. I was blessed to marry one of the most amazing men I know on June 2nd, 1984.
***edited to add: When I read this statement later it sounded like I know lots of amazing men. While I'm sure there are a'plenty, in my heart, there are three others: my son, my daddy and my father-in-law.
2. Since this has been quite the topic of discussion on the radio program, I will fully admit to my blog audience as well, that I got a spray tan last Tuesday. Yes, I did. My very first time. It was quite the experience. If you've never had one, everyone should at least once in their lifetime. I mean what other time would you stand practically nude in front of a woman you just met two minutes earlier? Oh dear.
When I went into the room, she gave me a shower cap with a baggie inside of it. Hmmm. What is this? I asked. Those are your "paper garments," she said. Oh really. If I had laid them both side by side they would have been the equivalent of the amount of paper in one standard size Bounty paper towel. I am not exaggerating. And these are supposed to cover me? You've got to be kidding. And, get this, the bigger of the two "garments" went on the top half of my body. I told her straight up that that was completely backwards for this girl. Could I just switch them? Well, if you've seen them you know that the answer to that question would be no. So I put what little paper I had been given on my body and prepared for the humiliation.
I stepped into the tent and these are her exact words, "you really have too much loose paper in your top; you are going to get funky lines if you wear that. Let's just throw that thing in the floor." Okay. So now I'm standing there with half a paper towel covering me. Here we go - I think I'll just close my eyes and soon it will be over. About ten minutes later, I stepped out with a deep dark tropical tan. Not really. Not when you start with the body the shade of ivory soap. I did come out a little darker than I went in. After all, I didn't want my fake tan to look fake. It's a fine line you know. No pun intended.
3. This Tuesday night, D and I will head down to Atlanta to a fundraiser. This should be fun. It will be held in the "antique car barn" of one of our grocery friends. This idea was spurred by Butch's "car barn" fundraiser back in the spring. In both cases, the word "barn" is a gross understatement about the quality of these buildings and it's contents.
4. Next Sunday is Father's Day! The original plan was to go out on the boat in the afternoon for a leisurely stroll around the lake. This has been our Father's Day tradition for the past several years. However, the boat is experiencing technical difficulties so we may have to go to plan B. Not sure what that is just yet but as long as the family is together, it will be a good thing.
5. On Tuesday, the 22nd, I'm going to begin my first ever online Bible study. I've seen these in the blog world the past few summers but never participated. This one is through Precept Ministries with the study on Hebrews 11. I'll be posting more about this very soon.
6. Okay, I've told you before that I love Dorothea Benton Frank's books. And that she has a new one scheduled for release Tuesday (I think) titled "Low Country Summer." This is the sequel to "Plantation" which I just finished. Guess what? She's doing a book tour and coming to Discover Mills on Saturday, June 26th. Well, I'm there. I can hardly wait.
7. Our family is going to load up like the Griswolds and head down to the Stone Mountain Laser Show the end of the month. We haven't been in years and it is high time we went back.
8. I've got to admit I'm a little sad right now. For the past 20 years, I have been involved with Vacation Bible School at our church. It begins Monday, and I won't be there. Throughout those 20 years, I have been in the classroom with every age (teaching in my children's classrooms), worked in crafts, snacks, and music. It's alot of work but I loved every minute of it (almost - :)). VBS is one of many worthwhile outreaches of our church. Both of my children accepted Christ during VBS. Both of my children served as helpers long after they graduated from the program. Our family has a very special place in our hearts for VBS. Time goes on, seasons change and I will miss it dearly but I will never, ever forget the impact that it had on our family. I will be praying diligently this week for all of the children, parents and volunteers who will be involved.
9. While scheduled activities are at a minimum this month, plans for the late summer and fall are in high gear. We have so much in the works, my head is swimming. I will give you a couple of teasers: 1. The "What's for Supper?" concept will be growing and expanding. And it's going to be fun.
2. Wonderful Events will be partnering (along with others) for a huge event in August held here in Gainesville to benefit an organization I can't believe I just found out about - Brides Against Breast Cancer. Oh, this is going to be fabulous. I'll be giving you a date to mark on your calendar very soon. Even if you aren't a bride-to-be, you will want to come to this event to support this very worthy organization.
And that's just two things in the mix. There are more.
10. Summertime and the living is easy. (thanks George Gershwin) Cut a watermelon, make some homemade ice cream, put on that swimsuit, go to a baseball game, see some fireworks, bait that hook. Don't miss what the season has to offer.

Food Friday

Happy Friday! Any big plans for the weekend? Not us. We (mainly me) are thinking about maybe a movie one night and then a drive with the top down one afternoon. It's almost reaching the boiling point here in Georgia so you have to schedule your drives for just the right time. Otherwise your makeup drips right off your face and your nose get sunburned. Not that I would know.

Okay let's talk about food. I am totally consumed with shrimp right now. I am eating them for lunch and supper. This is what I do: I buy about 2 or 3 pounds of fresh shrimp at a time; peel, devein and de-tail; throw them in the grill pan with just a dash or two of Mrs. Dash (garlic flavor is my favorite) and about a tablespoon of olive oil ; then cook them until they turn pink (that's about 5-7 minutes). I just put a few on a salad for lunch or with some veggies on the side for supper. Oh, I just can't tell you the deliciousness. Just fyi - J and J has a fresh seafood counter at all of the stores. I happen to know for a fact that the seafood is extremely fresh and good quality.
Please don't be intimidated by the whole peeling and deveining process. It is not that difficult. It may take a few minutes if you are doing a few pounds at one time but it is well worth it for the fresh flavor. There is natural break in the shell on the back of the shrimp. Just put your thumb nail in the break and pop off the shell. Then grab ahold of the tail and pull the meat of the shrimp away from it with the shell. The veins are obvious so they are easy to get out.

This week on the "What's for Supper?" segment we have been talking about salads: black eyed pea salad, fruit salad, taco salad, and the ever-popular chicken salad. This chicken salad recipe has a twist and good one at that. All of the recipes are available on the J and J Foods website; http://www.jandjfoods.com/; just click on the What's for Supper link. The current day's recipe will appear and the previous recipes are archived.
This Shrimp Salad is just amazing. It's good on toasted bread, crackers or of couse, just with a fork. I've served this for occasions such as showers and parties for years.
You really need to make this. You do.


Shrimp Salad

Ingredients
• 1 pound large peeled and deveined cooked shrimp; cut in half
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. In a large bowl, gently toss the shrimp, celery, carrot, onion, eggs, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Chill until ready to serve.
3. Serve alone, on toasted bread; with crackers or on a bed of romaine lettuce.