(Un)classy Cook

For the past 30 hours I have been husbandless and childless.  My dear husband and daughter are visiting his parents, and giving me a glorious break!  More to come about that...

This post is for those skeptical that a stay-at-home mom needs an occasional break.  I present to you what I like to call "What Happens Everyday at 5:15pm". 

Yum!  Looks good...pan fried shrimp.  No, that is not red wine.  Just Welch's grape juice.  Sometimes I wish I could be that classy cook that stirs with one hand and delicately sips from the wine glass in her other hand.  Lots of problems with that scenario.  One, I don't like red wine.  Two, my body can only handle about two sips of red wine.  Then it turns bright red and falls asleep, which is not good for cooking.  So, Welch's it is for this cook.

I digress...Everything is looking good and smells great.  Oh wait, why does my leg feel 20 lbs. heavier?  What is that tugging I feel at the end of my apron?  And what is that horrendous sound?

Oh yes, my 18-month-old in all her glory.

And now you see why I am relishing this break.

Airplane Bathrooms, McDonalds & the Pope

I lamented to a friend at lunch yesterday that my memories of Europe are from the mind of a six or seven-year-old child.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that I had the chance to go the Europe, just that I wish I could go there again now, as a 29-year-old, and experience it again.  And maybe bring Matt along.

I pulled out an old journal my mom had me keep of my time in Italy.  Luckily, my mom was a former elementry school teacher who taught me to spell phonetically, so I was able to interpret my scribbles below by means similar to the game, Mad Gab. 

Oh, and I learned something else about myself by reading this.  My addiction for McDonalds started at a young age and had an international appeal.

Enjoy Italy through the eyes of a 6-year-old:

"I got to sit with Azure on the airplane.  I ate dinner on the airplane.  When I went to the bathroom it was crowded.  I didn't like that so I just went in the bathroom!  Yuk, yuk, yuk.  I went to Europe (Italy) to play my violin!"

"I took a taxi to the Sistine Chapel.  I saw the beautiful ceiling that Michaelangelo painted.  It was so pretty.  Then I rode a mile to go shopping.  I ate lunch at McDonalds."

"I woke up early.  I went to the Vatican to play for the Pope.  He pat my head and kissed me.  I went on a bus.  I saw the Trevi Fountain and threw in coins to make a wish.  My wish was that I would get married and come back to Rome.  I saw the Colleseum where the lions and gladiators used to fight.  I went to St. Peter's church."

It's touching to think my wish I made as a 6-year-old came halfway true so far.  Anyone out there willing to help me make the rest of the wish come true???  :)

SOS

Jackson, here.

As many of you know, I was the only child for a good couple years before my sister came along.  Don't get me wrong, I was excited for her to come along.  I gave her kisses from the beginning.

But then things changed.  And we went from this...

...to this.

Mommy and Daddy got so tired that they didn't even get mad at me for napping with my head on their pillows.

They told me that having a sister would be fun, but do I look like I'm having fun?

So, I do this a lot during the day.  Mommy says she can't walk me because she's too weak to hold me back when I see another dog coming my way.  She just doesn't understand that I'm just trying to show off my male dominance to the neighborhood.

I mean, you have to put a little bite in your bark if you were once made to parade around like this:

So, please come over and play with me!

Thanks,

Jackson

Letters

I am one proud mama...thought I'd brag a little on my baby :)

Stuff Christians Like

Stuff Christians Like.  Hilarious.

That's about all I can say about this because I am laughing so hard I think I peed in my pants. 

Check it out.

What I'm Reading...

"Modern thinking encourages us to find ourselves, to heal our shame, and to pursue self-fulfillment.  And as a consequence, we value healing for our pain more than pardon for our sin; we view God's kindness as more appropriate than surprising, more immediately helpful than deeply humbling." (Crabb, Finding God, p. 59)

Produce & Root Beer

We live about 10 minutes away from an amazing farmer's market.  This picture does not do it justice, but all I had was my phone to snap a shot while we were there.

I figured that it would be a good idea to go this morning for the first time in about a year.  Abigail and I went a little early and strolled around, listening to all the NC accents and graciously accepting every peach sample that was offered to us.  At the end of our time there, we had accumulated this:

Oh, and this too:

Who doesn't love a good root beer?  And we had a cheese pretzel stick from the German bakery stand that was eaten before I had time to take a picture.  In conclusion, it was a perfect visit to the farmer's market.  Root beer, pasteries, and produce that makes me feel way more organic than I really am.

Word/Feeling Association

I have been trying to teach Abigail to identify feelings such as happy and sad.  Today I took her in for her 18 month check-up.  So, here's a feeling association excerise for y'all based on real life events this morning:

Yes, Cafe Blue Cupcakes from Cafe Carolina will make everything better.  Even if it is 10:00am.  That's just the kind of mom I am :)

Wordless Wednesday

Thank You, Rachael Ray

For the 6 years that I've been married, I've left the grilling up to Matt.  There are many reasons for that, the main one being that I've been terrified of the grill.  The sheer thought of cooking something over an open flame was quite traumatizing for a control freak that likes to know exactly the right formula to make edible food.

So along comes my first issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray (free, thanks to Swagbucks!) and to my horror it was a grilling issue.  That's right, every single one of the recipes involved the monster on our back porch.  So, the therapist that I am, I told myself I needed to confront my fears.

How?  By grilling chicken legs, of course.  I scrutinized the instructions and probably read and re-read them 200 times.  And to my shock (and Matt's) they came out wonderfully!  Here's the recipe from the magazine for the scrumptious sauce:

White Barbecue Sauce
Stir together 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon each yellow mustard and poultry seasoning, and a generous pinch of celery salt.  Brush on the sauce during the last 10 minutes of grilling.

So, in conclusion, thank you, Rachael Ray, for your thorough instructions and forcing me to grill by putting out a 100% grilling issue.  The monster on the back porch is looking a little friendlier these days.

Wisdom Passed Down

I've officially been a pastor's wife for three years.  Interestingly enough, it's everything and nothing that I'd thought it would be.  During our time in Little Rock, preparing for church planting, I was given some advice from two wise women who had been pastors' wives for decades.  Here are snippets of what they handed down to me:

1. The best pastor's wife is a wife that develops her own spiritual life.
2. Follow your giftedness, not everyone's expectations.
3. True friendships are premium.  It is a hard balance between being vulnerable and being guarded.
4. Your husband felt a call to ministry.  You felt a call to marry him, so the Lord has called you to a unique helpmate role unlike any other profession.  You can help him soar or be a thorn in his side as he accomplishes all God wants to do through him.
5. Receive what's been given, and don't take into account what hasn't been given.
6. Remember that God is more interested in your response to circumstances than He is in your comfort in the circumstances.
7. Praising God changes your perspective.
8. Your husband is on, more than off.
9. Eyes are always on you - see it as an opportunity.
10. Realize the profound role you play in how well your children will follow their father and Christ - and their attitude toward the church.

Thank you, Carolyn and Judy, for your both encouraging and convicting words.

Summer Visitors

Summer is almost over and I haven't gotten any of my summer posts up! We've had a busy summer, but have enjoyed having visitors in town, traveling, and seeing family. My parents came in town in July and had a blast with a more communicative granddaughter.  Here are some snapshots of our time together:

Waking up, checking email, and drinking coffee with Gung-Gung

Reading, one of our favorite things to do!

Singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with Paw-Paw and giggling because it's so much fun :)

Playing, playing, and more playing...

Going to the outlet mall, of course :)

We celebrated both Mom and Dad's 60th birthdays with dinner out and a cake made by my cousin, Kaitlyn.