Friday Fave Five
Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts Friday Fave Five in which we share our five favorite things from the past week. Thank you Susanne for hosting this inspirational sharing game!1. Sunday I went with Amanda & Luz to Dave & Busters. We had a great time, but I had a little snafu. When I went to buy my "card" to play the games with, instead of purchasing ONE $35 dollar card, I accidentally purchased FOUR of them! Normally this would not have been a BIG issue -- except I paid for it on my debit card instead of my credit card and I only had $79 IN my checking account! LOL! Which meant if I didn't work FAST I was going to be overdrawn! And I hate that! So I ran around to the desk and explained what happened, and the manager came over and said he would TRY to credit it back, but that it didn't always work, and that sOMetimes you have to call the corporate offices to get it fixed. So, he did his thing, but I wouldn't be able to tell if it had gone through until I got home - and being that it was Sunday, I just decided I wasn't going to worry about it - I would just enjoy myself and have a good time! When I got home I checked my account and sure enough it had NOT credited back. *sigh*... So Monday morning I called corportate and I have to admit that I was anticipating a "problem" or having to fight with somebody -- but I prayed the Holy Spirit would keep ME calm and Christian... I got to the legal dept. and explained what happened. Do you know those people had the problem solved in about 15 minutes!? I was soooooooooo happy! I LOVE it when that happens!
2. I found some heavy duty grass seed... I've mentioned once or 50 times on my blog that we can NOT grow grass in our front yard. I mean there IS some - but there is MORE bare patches than there is greenness. We've tried seed, we've tried sod - nothing ever lasts! As a matter of fact, we are thrilled to have thistle growing under the bird feeder - because it's GREEN! But anyway, I found this stuff... it's called a PATCH and I tried it on one of the bare patches about 3 weeks ago just to see if it would work - it's almost like green concrete when you put it down! Apparently it has it's own glue to hold it in place -- and now we have nice green baby grass in that spot! I'm so excited! Tuesday I "patched" about half the front yard! I can't wait til about 3 weeks from now! I doubt it will stay forever ... but I'll be happy if it lasts the summer!!!
3. Wednesday night Luz had her first EVER soccer GAME! A REAL game! With team shirts and everything! All my kids were there! We were all cheering for her and her whole team! Amanda is the coach, so she wasn't cheering - she was coaching! It was grrrrrrreat fun! I am SO excited to have a grandkid in soccer!!! I LOVE this game! Her team came in 2nd! LOL! They had a great time though! :)
Is there ANYthing cuter than 5's playing soccer???
4. After the game Krysti, Mathew & I went out to eat - we went to Green Turtle and I just got a buffalo chicken salad. It was good -- the company was better! I love hangin' out with my kids!
5. I got to pick Luz up off the bus yesterday. We came back to the house and she had her snack and "now what can we do Nana?" ... LOL! That kid keeps me on my toes, I tell ya! We got out our hula hoops and went out in the front yard -- being careful not to step on the "patches" and I WOWWED that little girl with my hula-hoopin' skills! She was very jealous, I tell ya! Neither one of us had done it in soooooooooo long that I was sure I was going to have to practice for awhile - but I didn't. I fell right back into it like it was just the most natural thing in the world! Whoooo hooo!
Random Dozen
1. Have you ever been so lost that you were really afraid? No. When I'm lost, "found" is just around the corner. The key is to not panic. Either stop and ASK someone how to get back to "found"... or just keep driving until something is recognizable. And if you happen to find the "end of the earth", turn around and go the other way! The only time LOST really becomes an issue is if there is a time frame involved. I hate to be late for anything, so I may get annoyed if it starts looking like I won't make it on time. But no... lost is not scary - it's just part of the adventure!
2. Have you ever been to an island? Hmmmm... South Padre' Island? Solomon's Island? They are the only two -- oh... and Tilghman Island. That's 3 I guess! But no BIG islands like Hawaii or Bermuda or Jamaica... Just ones you can get to by crossing a bridge!
3. Are you more of a thinker or feeler? I think I'm more of a thinker. I say that because I am not always aware of what I'm feeling... but I'm always aware of what I'm thinking.
4. Do you tend to see issues or situations in life as black and white or shades of gray? I used to be SO black & white that there were NO shades of gray. God has really been working on me with this in recent years. I do still lean heavily toward B&W... but gray is at least now an option!
5. If you were stuck on an island, what book would you hope to have with you (Let's pretend the Bible is already there, so you can't say that.) LOL! Well... since that one's there... then I guess the only other one I need is a good Concordance! Honestly - I can not think of ANY book in the universe that I would read again and again - I am a ONE TIME reader - that's it. I don't think I've ever read a book twice - other than children's stories to my kids or Luz. Oh! Okay! I'll have Winnie-the-Pooh with me, please! I LOVE that book! A bear of very little brain - but of GREAT philosophy!
6. What are you most afraid of? Losing one of my children. I used to be horribly HORRIBLY afraid of it - TERRIFIED! But I know now that God would get me through it... but I still pray to never have to experience it. Especially because I'm counting on Him to bring each of them TO Him, and if one should die before that happens, it would truly break my heart!
7. Would you rather lose all of your old memories or never be able to make new ones? Oh Lidna! This is a horrible question! I'm going to say I would rather not be able to make new ones. I have lost a LOT of my old memories... but I still have enough to know that who I AM is due to where I've been. I'm afraid if I didn't have my memories, I would no longer SEE how God has worked in my life, and I might forget just how important He is. I'm SURE he has some fabulous new memories ahead for me too -- but I think I need the old ones to keep me grounded and KNOW that He IS God!
8. Pretend I'm looking at a scrapbook page about you. There are three spaces for you to drop in individual pictures. What are those pictures of, and why did you select them?
Oh, I was going to go actually FIND 3 pics to plop in here... but I just didn't have time... so I dunno... probably, since you happened to choose the number 3 - I would place pics of the day my FOUR children were born! (the last two being twins, it would only take 3 spaces!)
9. If you were re-doing your wedding, what would you do differently? (If you're single, tell me one thing you would do if you were planning a wedding OR huge party.)
Everyone said we had the BEST wedding ever, so I probably shouldn't change a thing ... but I have always felt that I missed something by not wearing that long white dress... so I probably would do that.
10. Tell me one thing you know/believe about forgiveness. Nothing can heal a relationship like it!
11. You're waiting in a doctor's office. What is your favorite way to pass that time? Reading a book.
12. If there were a clone of you in a parallel universe what is one way you hope she/he would be the same as you and one way you hope she/he would be better? I hope she would still have complete faith in God - the God of the universe! And I would hope that she had more self-control than I have... in many areas.
Glory in the Artichoke Days!
Yes... I'm dubbing my 50's the Artichoke Days. When I was 35 I had neither money, time, nor inclination to sit down and eat an artichoke for lunch... nor hardly ever for dinner for that matter. But reverse those numbers, and at 53 I have finances, time AND the inclination to spend 45 minutes preparing one lonely little artichoke for my noon-time consumption. And spending another 30 minutes to ENJOY the eating of it!
One fabulous little petal at a time... artichokes are NOT fast food. Eating an artichoke is actually a dance with God. This is another one of those things that you look at it in all its intricacy and you KNOW that this could NOT have happened by accident! And the first person to EAT one had to have special directions from God to get it done! LOL! Well... first of all...
what IS an artichoke? It's a thistle! A GIANT thistle! It has sharp pokey pricky points that HURT if you're not careful! WHO would attempt to eat it? If I were walking along in the Garden of Eden, I would have stayed far away from that thing! I would have run for the sweet red juicy apple too! (or whatever fruit it was...) And you're definitely not going to eat it raw! Eve's introduction to the "steamer" is not mentioned in the Bible ... but I'm sure Adam didn't think of it! Artichokes aren't for eating "crisp"... suggested cooking time is 25-45 minutes! I like mine on the 35-45 minute side! All the books and websites recommend snipping off the ends of each of the outer leaves - and whacking about a half inch off the top ... I don't do any of that! I rinse the artichoke well, and then I cut off all but about 1/2" of the stem, I have a little metal dish that I set it in inside the pot, and then I add water up to the top of the dish. MY version of a steamer! *shrug* It works. While it cooks you want to make up some kind of yummy little sauce to dip it in! You don't want a strong sauce - just something light. Today I used 2 tbls. fat free sour cream with 1 tbl. light mayo and 1 tbl. light ranch. Mind you that gave me 1/4 cup of sauce -- out of which you only USE about 1 tbl!
Once it's
soggy done, you just peel off the outer leaves - ONE AT A TIME - and dip them in the sauce -- JUST A LITTLE - you don't want to overpower the flavor of the artichoke - cuz it's waaaaaay to YUMMY for that! Then you gently pull it between your teeth to pull off the fleshy meat on the bottom half of the leaf.
See?
Mmmmm... it's sO good!
DON'T eat the leaf though - they are very stringy!
When you get down the the end of the leaves - they get really little and not worth eating toward the end. Just peel them all off and you will see the choke.
The choke is sorta "hairy".
I think they call it the choke cuz it will CHOKE you if you try to eat it! It is inedible! And another reason why I'm sure the eater of the first artichoke had Divine Guidance! However you do not want to STOP here! You want to take a spoon or a knife and scrape all of the choke out of there. Because behind the choke... is the HEART! And the HEART of the artichoke is REALLY what makes this whole procedure worth all the time and effort it took to get there!
The heart...
Once you achieve the heart, cut it into pieces and make it last as long as you possibly can because when it's gone you are going to want MORE! And this I promise you... Canned or jarred artichoke hearts taste NOTHING like the warm fresh ones you get from cooking your own! The first time I saw a jar of artichoke hearts in the grocery store I thought I had hit PAY DIRT! But not even! I don't waste my money... there is NO comparison.
So... if you've never had an artichoke... set aside a few hours one afternoon -- or evening... and treat yourself! Dance with God! And enjoy every minute of it!
Fun Monday - The Coffee Version
So last week
Gattina (who is hosting Fun Monday this week!) let us know that on Monday we would need to reveal not only what we like to drink in the morning - but also the particular vessel that we like to drink it out of. I immediately informed her that my vessel was too boring and besides that it has already been featured on my blog once upon a time, though I can't find it NOW. She immediately wrote me and said this was the PERFECT opportunity for me to go out and buy a NEW drinking vessel this weekend! And that was my plan! (because you know if there is ONE thing that a melli can not stand to be it is BORING!)
So after church yesterday I called Amanda to see what she & Luz were up to and to see if they wanted to go down to downtown Annapolis to look around in the little artsy stores so I could find a new coffee cup. Of course Amanda asked why I needed a new coffee cup and I assured her she did NOT want to know! (she really didn't, you know...) But she pressed so I said I need it for a BLOG picture! Why? She asks... I say because Gattina wants us to feature our morning drinking vessel and mine is BORING... so I need a new one! WELL! Darling Daughter got ALL indignant and said Noooooooooo! I was NOT allowed to buy a NEW mug because the point was to find out what I already DO drink out of and not to go out and buy an INTERESTING one! She said "MOM! You don't CARE about coffee mugs - and that is why you drink out of a BORING one!" Well, that's all true - but still - I explained that I told Gattina my mug was boring and that SHE encouraged me to buy a new one - but Amanda would have NO part of it! If SHE were running Fun Monday I would NOT be allowed to BUY a new mug! Period! So I told her she was absolutely right and that I would NOT go shop for a new mug - instead I would simply borrow Krysti's Eeyore mug - which is my 2nd favorite drinking vessel and has NOT been featured on my blog -- and that I would relay this entire story! BUT she owed me! Why did she owe me? Because she stole my fun day looking for a new mug! So instead we took Luz to Dave & Buster's and played games and ... well... I'll tell ya the rest about that in a minute! For you Fun Monday people -- here is my MUG!
Actually... the Eeyore mug which I am drinking from today.
The blue mosaic mug is my 3rd choice mug - which used to be my
first choice up until I bought the one sitting IN it - which is my
current first choice mug -- along with the various coffees and
creamers that I use. Actually I use many other creamers too
but not when I'm dieting... So now you know! The TRUE story!
(boring though it may be...)
But THIS was not boring! While we were at Dave & Buster's yesterday -- do y'all know what Dave & Buster's is? It's like a much bigger, much better Chuck E. Cheese - without the floor show! Anyway... we didn't go there to eat - just to play games! But we played many, although Luz MOSTLY opted for riding/driving cars and motorcycles - which do NOT give coupons. So by the time we were almost ready to leave, she had not really accumulated enough coupons to GET anything. But Amanda told her she could play ONE MORE GAME. (you knOw what's coming don'tcha?) She chose this big wheel that you spin -- sort of like on the Price Is Right - you know the one! Well... she slid her card and played hers and got 40 tickets! Except the machine was out of tickets, so we had to wait for the man to come and fill it up and give her her tickets. While we were waiting... Nana slid HER card and pulled the handle and Nana hit for
500 TICKETS!!!
whooo hooo!
Luz & Nana dance!
Nana keeps playing a few more times, and then Luz wants to play Nana's machine, so she does - and she keeps hittin' for 70 tickets, 60 tickets, 40 tickets... and then the man comes and he's fillin up the other ticket dispenser, and Nana says "Luz, let me give that handle a GOOD spin!" And Luz says "Let's do it TOGETHER Nana!"... and so we did!
And Yesssssirreeeeeeee!
We DID hit for that 1000!
Absolutely AMAZING!!!
Luz said "that what happens when you use teamwork!"
I could gobble that baby up!
Needless to say... Luz had PLENTY of tickets
to pick something with!
She picked 3 little things and took the rest home to save for another day!
(there were NO coffee mugs! Just for the record!)
Just WAIT until Amanda hears that Gattina chose this subject
because SHE had just BOUGHT a new mug!!!
Gattina is gonna be in SO much TROUBLE!
Weekend Reflection...
A little Puddle Person
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I moved and spread 11 LARGE bags of cedar mulch yesterday... it was a GREAT workout! I'm a weeeeeee bit sore today though! I've taken a muscle relaxer and will be in and out (of consciousness) today! I'll get around as I can...
Labels: Weekend Reflections
Friday's Fave Five
Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts Friday Fave Five in which we share our five favorite things from the past week. Thank you Susanne for hosting this inspirational sharing game!
Ohhhh it has been such a busy and delightful week!
1. Most of my readers - but not the FFFers - know that I spent last weekend in the mountains of Virginia, with my friends Sue & Cordell, enjoying a story telling festival! My first! It was fabulous! I WISH I had a mind that remembered things from my past and could tell about them with such eloquence! Or even make stuff up like they do! It was SO much fun! Mom was with me and she just LOVED the stories! She DOES love stories anyway - even if I'm reading Luz a book, as soon as Mom starts to hear a story, she comes into the room -- and she will sit and listen just as intently as Luz does! It was a very good weekend for Mom!
2. I got to visit a different (very different) church on Sunday. Went with my friends - from the festival, down to Lynchburg to The Kirk! This was Cordell's brother's church. I had to ask the Pastor if "The Kirk" is Biblical -- I had never heard of it! He told me it was Gaelic for "The Church". Oh. I got a new brain wrinkle! It was and it wasn't "my" kind of church. (mostly it wasn't) They had some GREAT praise going on though!!! LOTS of great praise music! But not much liturgy at all. One verse of scripture... no confession of sin, no confession of faith (creed), no Lord's Prayer... and no communion. (they only serve communion once a month) I missed home! But I DO love visiting other churches and SEEING how other people worship! And I enjoyed their lively service VERY much! And I enjoyed meeting Cordell's brother and his wife and daughter -- they were LOVELY people! Just beautiful hearts!
3. On the way home from Lynchburg, I stopped in Fredericksburg to spend the afternoon at Krysti's Rescue Squad - I took lots of pictures that I haven't posted yet - but plan to soon! Fortunately (or UN for me) it was a very quiet day at the Squad, so I didn't get to see any trucks leave with lights and sirens! But on the other hand - I didn't have to just hang out at the Squad by myself while Krysti went out on a call either! LOL!
4. When she got off, we went to a wOnderful little restaurant - oh, I wish I could remember it's name -- it was vegetarian - which Krysti didn't realize when she took me there - apparently she has friends who LOVE vegetarian because they had RAVED about this place! Krysti is a meat and potatoes girl. But I LOVED it! I wanted to try everything on the menu! Sadly, I'll probably never get her to go back there... Anyway - after all the JUNK food up in the mountains it was great to have something HEALTHY! (the french fries with sour cream were not too healthy though...) LOL!
5. I have gotten most of my vegetables planted -- I had to go buy "plants" for most of them... my seed efforts were an Epic Fail! More about that later too... But I was able to find plants and now have peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini squash, cantaloupe, and radishes -- oh, the radishes DID come from seed! I'm sO excited! Now mind you - all of these things are growing in CONTAINERS on my deck!!! :)
Soooooooo... how was YOUR week? I'm comin' around to find out!
Lost?
As I was traveling down the road last weekend, I got tired of the freeway, and so got off onto route 11 which runs parallel to the freeway and is a little slower paced and a bit more scenic. However... when I went past THIS I thought I miiiiiiiiight have gotten lost!
I actually had to turn around and go BACK because I really couldn't believe I had just seen what I had just seen! I didn't remember crossing an ocean... and yet, if memory was serving me correctly, STONEHENGE wasn't built in Virginia! (or even in America for that matter!)
But there it was.
Big as life!
I was soooooooo confused!
Until...
I turned around...
and saw the sign.
I wasn't lost after all.
:)
Random Dozen
1. Ever had any run-ins with the "library police?"No... not really. OUR library police LOVE me because I keep them in business! I ALWAYS have overdue fines!
2. Do you have a special organizational plan and place for wrapping paper, gift bags, etc., or do you just purchase whatever you need as you give gifts?I have a box of Christmas wrap and tags - but for birthdays and other occasions I usually buy as they come up.
3. Have you ever been in (first-hand witness) a natural disaster?Like an earthquake or a tornado? No... A few good hurricanes though. I LOVE them!
4. What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?You would think
Mandy since my eldest is Amanda - but since we've NEVER called her Mandy, I will go with
Copacabana.
5. What's the best costume you've ever worn?Probably an angel the year I was 3!
6. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?Thesaurus. Definitely.
7. What's your favorite breakfast food?Eggs and toast. But I usually eat oatmeal with blueberries. (which is awfully good also!)
8. Have you ever purchased anything from an infomercial?I don't think I've ever even WATCHED an infomercial. Back in the day when I quit watching tv we still had commercials! LOL!
9. Have you ever crawled through a window?Of a car!
10. Do you believe in love at first sight?No. I believe you have to know a person to truly LOVE them. I believe in lust at first sight!
11. How man pairs of jeans do you own?Ummmmm... 2 blue pair (long) and one black pair, and then 2 pair of blue capris.
12. If someone were going to bake a cake to honor/represent you, what would it be? (Think creatively, like Duff and Crew on "Ace of Cakes.")
Well! I had to google Ace of Cakes ... and I can't imagine being HONORED for anything! But... I guess for a birthday or something - I dunno - something adventurous! Maybe a roller coaster cake! That would be fun!
Story Tellin'...
... So... Mom & I made it back -- in time for the stories! And by the way - I read y'alls comments yesterday and I appreciate that you THINK I tell stories! All I tell is what happens day to day in my life. The fact that y'all find my piddly existence to be of any interest at all astounds me daily -- but these people TELL STORIES! Wonderful stories! Ohhhhhhh my goodness! And true... their stories often DO come from the life that they live -- but OH! What LIVES they have LIVED!
This fella is Alan Hoal... he and his wife founded the
Sounds of the Mountains festival. He is a wonderful story
teller... very soft spoken with a dry wit and a twinkle in his eye!
I was really surprised on Friday night that the 4 story tellers we got to listen to were the 4 MAIN story tellers that were at the festival! By the way... when it comes to story telling the word festival is used rather loosely. This was not a festival like you think of a festival - I had pictured it (because I knew it was at a Summer Camp) as being separate stations with a different story teller at each station, and maybe time slots where you would choose to go see this one and then that one and inbetween stop and see this fiddler or that blue grass band, with each having a stall set up to purchase their stuff -- plus other artisans with you know - the standard jewelry and scarves and dream catchers and what-have-you's! This was NOT like that! This all took place in ONE building with ONE stage and everyone listened to the same person at the same time! I don't know if this is how ALL story tellin' festivals go because I honestly didn't ask! I was having too much fun listening to care! It just wasn't what I "pictured" and so I wanted you to know - in case you decide to GO to a story tellin' festival and you picture festival like I pictured festival! :) Sooooooo anyway... Friday night we heard the 4 main tellers! And they were WONDERFUL! WOW! I wish I could remember all of their stories... fortunately I did buy a few cd's so that I can hear sOMe of them again ... but you know... story telling is just SUCH an art! And it's a gift! And these people who were "performing" at this festival are using their God given GIFT to the very BEST of their abilities!
Beth Horner
This one -
Beth Horner - she told a story on Saturday that was not only TRUE - but was just amazing! She started out talking about a story her father used to tell HER when she was a little girl about a "sad" little girl (Minnie) who's daddy went off to fight in the civil war when she was only 4, and as he walked away all the little girl remembered was the spurs on his boots jingling. They were special spurs - they had been given to him the night before by a friend... And as she grew older she heard a story about "another Minnie" and her friend - two teenage girls (bad teenage girls!) -- and she LOVED those stories because she related to this child - Minnie! Well, she brought out a soldier's diary and read some excerpts and wove her story in and out of it in the most fascinating way. The soldier of course, had died in the war, but they didn't know where he was buried. But in the end, she brought out pictures... and it turned out that Minnie was her great great grandmother (or such) and through some amazing twists of fate, she was reunited with those spurs which were stolen off her father's boots... and of course, the diary was his too! Now, this was about a 45 minute story when she told it -- so virtually NONE of the charm is included here and only a few of the minor details! But I was soooooo glad I was where I was and that I got to hear that story! And at that moment, all I could think was
if Sue hadn't asked for prayers... I wouldn't have been there! But I knew God wanted me to HEAR that story! He KNEW how much I would enjoy it, and how it would touch my heart. And He just wanted me to have that pleasure.
And there was another story! Yes!
Bill Harley
HYSTERICAL!!!
Bill Harley is both a musician AND a story teller. (well, so is Beth Horner actually) AND he writes children's songs and stories too! I actually bought Luz one of his children's books about a pirate -- Dirty Joe, the Pirate! I'm sure you can find it online! I listened to this man tell stories allllll weekend long ... and he was without a doubt, my favorite! Every story he told touched me in one way or another, but NONE so much as his story of Mrs. Ammons and The Boys Room... in which he tells about looking forward to the LAST WEEK of 4th grade because he had the BEST teacher in the whole school - maybe in the whole world - maybe on the planet -- and the LAST WEEK was going to be SOOOOO much FUN... right up until her dumb baby came a week early! (AAAAAAGH!) And then the SUB came... and not just any sub... the WORST sub... the one who thought "fun" was spelled with two n's making it a 4-letter word! Well... I'm not tellin' his story! But I laughed so hard I thought I might stop breathing, and all I could picture was MY SON MATHEW -- doing the same things this man did - in 4th grade! I had already bought 2 of his cd's before this story was told, and I reached into my purse to make SURE that THIS story was on one of them, because if not, I was going to have to buy another cd! Fortunately it IS on one of the one's I bought and I can not WAIT to share that story with Mathew! I just can't WAIT! He is SO gonna GET it! I spoke with Bill Harley after this story and I told him ... I said "I have been so taken by your stories all weekend long, and I didn't know WHY until you told this one... but now I realize it's because I RAISED you!" And he laughed! He really IS a very very funny man - but he is also a very "good" man... he has a sweetness... um... an innocence... Oh! If you ever get the chance to hear him, DO IT! And you MIGHT have the chance -- these people travel allllll over the place tellin' there stories! He's gonna be in Kentucky later this month, and NY, CO, RI, and NV in May! Check out his website - see if he's coming near you! Or just buy a cd and have a listen! It's WORTH it! I promise! Do you REMEMBER back in the days when we all used to sit around the record player listening to BILL COSBY tell his stories? Think about it! Listening to stories is sooooooo way better than WATCHING them on tv!
Accoustic Endeavors
(the blue grass band that played for us)
Saturday's entertainment also included a little blue grass! Just the one band - but they were good! Very lively! Of course blue grass IS lively! I like it! You're definitely going to think I'm NUTS - but I got hung up watching their mouths. Yep... you read that right! Mouths. Of course, sometimes they were singing -- then it wouldn't be "too" unusual I guess. But that's not when I was watching their mouths. I was watching when they were just playing. And MOSTLY when they had a solo! I found that when the have a solo, their mouths work almost as quickly as their fingers! And I noticed it wasn't just ONE of them! LOL! I first noticed it with the banjo player -- when he solo'd his mouth (though closed) wiggled constantly! And then I noticed the mandolin player did it too... and then so did the fella playin' guitar! I thought
what a strange phenomenon! They must be countin' or something! But that was my oddball observation for the weekend!
And speaking of oddball.... the last of the 4 main story tellers! I didn't get a picture of him! I don't know how that happened! I think it must be because ya had to listen QUICK to him!
Kevin Kling! Number one, he's from Minnesota and so he speaks quickly -- but I used to live in Minnesota and so I don't have a problem with that! I understand Minnesota-ese. But this guy has a BRAIN from as far out in LEFT FIELD as you can get! And he's the first to admit it! He is handicapped -- both by birth AND by accident! He was born with deformity to his left arm/hand, and then he was in a motorcycle accident about 8 years ago which he might NOT have returned from - but by the grace of God he did. It left his right arm completely limp though and so now -- as he puts it, my poor left arm that used to do NOTHING now has to do it ALL! He's very open about it all and he is both hysterically funny AND very poignant. You do NEVER know what he's going to say when he gets up there! He actually has a spot on NPR called All Things Considered. I don't know what hour it plays or when -- but you can check out his website too!
You know, the one thing that really struck me about this festival was how amazingly entertaining each of the players were... and there was never a foul word spoken! NOT ONE! Not the entire time! I have NO idea what these people's religious beliefs are -- that wasn't really an issue -- well, one woman's story WAS about a religious event - her childhood attempt to try to MOVE Stone Mountain after hearing her pastor speak on having the faith of a mustard seed! LOL! That was a good story too! But I'm just saying - faith wasn't an issue here -- I am pretty sure Kevin Kling is a Lutheran because he put out some pretty good jokes about the Lutherans -- but Minnesota is FULL of Lutherans - so it could just be THAT as well! I don't know. All I know is that I thoroughly enjoyed every story I heard this weekend -- and I heard a LOT of stories! I really think each of you should google and find a story telling going on near you -- and go!
Have fun!
A Melli Story ...
This weekend was fabulous! I was down in Troutsville, VA! (yessssss... there IS such a place!) My friends, Sue & Cordell, go down every year for this festival -- and every year they come back and I hear "oh we were down at the story tellin' festival this weekend! It was WONDERFUL! You should come one year!" ... and every year I think "awwwwwww man... I woulda liked to been there!" So, this year, it just happened they asked for prayers for safe travels at Monday night's Bible study last week - and VOILA! My decision was made! So yea... I did it again. Invited myself! *shrug* ... I've come to the conclusion that if I don't invite myself places I don't get to GO! And I WANT to GO! So... Sue & I emailed back and forth all week - I got all the info - Sounds of the Mountains Festival, Friday & Saturday - food & drinks available... good deal! But ya know... I FORGOT to ask if God wanted me to go on this trip! It was one of those things where it simply slipped my mind... I wanted to go, and I knew I COULD, and I just didn't THINK to ASK if God WANTED me to or not... I think He was
okay with it though... However... I did question it a few times along the way!
Sue & Cordell got a room at the Holiday Inn Express. I couldn't even FIND the Holiday Inn Express by GOOGLIN' it! It just wasn't THERE! (apparently it's BRAND new!) So anyway - I tried to get into the Comfort Inn, but it was booked. So I just really went on down the list and the Red Roof Inn offered continental breakfast and internet in the rooms... even had an indoor pool... so I booked into that one! It didn't matter we weren't in the same hotel! You're only in 'em for sleepin' anyway! BUT... when I GOT to the hotel... and AFTER I was IN... my room... I called them and they were resting from the trip - it's about 4.5 hours... and where I had THOUGHT the first event started at 4:30 or 5, in reality it wasn't starting until 7:30! (my bad!) So, I opened my lap top! NO SERVICE. I called down to the front desk. "
Ohhhh we're sorry. The internet to the ROOMS is DOWN right now... but you can come down to the LOBBY and use it down here! (with mom?) No. (is this the story of my LIFE, or what? i am not meant to have internet service in hotels, am i???)
Cows... stream... railroad track... what more could ya want?
(you certainly wouldn't want the cow that HAD been standing
right next to the fence STARING at you, to STAY there and
pose... no... you wouldn't want that!)
So, I grabbed Mom, decided we'd go on an explore, and we headed back up the road to see a grand event that we had passed not far away called
Natural Bridge! (exciting stuff, this!) I linked to it because ... ahem... when we got there Natural Bridge was CLOSED! So was Natural Bridge's WAX Museum! And I couldn't even entertain notions of taking Mom down into CAVERNS even if they HAD been opened! But it was OKAY - cuz I was just wastin' time until we got to the FESTIVAL - and dinner! So, we just drove around a bit and enjoyed scenery... I took some pictures of cows and mountains and things... (see above!) Oh! And then there was THIS!!!
Parked right outside the Natural Bridge gift shop!
How Exciting!!!
Soooo, with all that excitement, it was hard to pull myself away - but I was REALLY excited about the festival, so even though the first story wouldn't start until 7:30, I showed up at 6:30 -- just cuz! I wanted to get GOOD SEATS! So I bought our tickets - for the whole weekend - and Mom and I walked into the building/room that the stories would be in. And there were tables set up with food. *nods*... Cake, cookies, candies... every kind of SWEET known to man - oh, okay - some nuts too! And even a bowl of apples down all the way at the end because nobody wants the anyway! And I looked around... and I wondered where the "dinner" food was? And then I asked! Cuz I'm not DUMB! And I learned. There would be NO dinner food on Friday night. But TOMORROW there will be "all kinds of food!"... oh dear. I did not eat. Mom did not eat. We were HUNGGGRY. The stories would go on until around 10 or 10:30... I could NOT wait until then to eat! And I wasn't sure I could find anywhere TO eat if I waited that long! LOL! Soooo... executive decision! Mom & I left! The people said there was a little place "about 5 minutes from here" -- country minutes are soooooo much longer than city minutes! But we found the place... a little gas station with a deli. I walked in and started lookin' at the menu and the girl behind the counter said "Ma'am! Our deli closed at 7:00 - but we still have some Pizza we could sell ya." And now I'm hungry and this is only the first day and I'm trying NOT to blow my diet to smithereens... and now I'm wondering... God, were you OKAY with me coming on this trip this weekend? I didn't cry. I bet I looked like I wanted to though. But I did just sort of in that whiny sighing type way explain that I just wanted something HEALTHY and I wasn't sure I could FIND it in this town... and get back to the festival ... before it ended! And the very very VERY kind girl said "what is it you want ma'am? I'll make it for ya..." BLESS YOU CHILD! She was soooooo sweet! She made us up two turkey & cheese sandwiches ON WHEAT with lettuce and tomato and just a very very small amount of mayo! I LOVED that little girl right then! Indeed I did! And we got back in time for the stories... and tomorrow I will tell you about THAT!!!
ROAD TRIP!
ROAD TRIP!
Mom & I are takin' off for the weekend!Headin' toward the mountains --Internet connectivity is doubtful!seeeeeya!
Where She Speaks of Kitchens...
Barbara had this meme on her blog the other day, and what Barb meme's, I usually meme too! And this case is no exception! So... my rendition of... The Kitchen Meme.
1. Do you have magnets on your fridge? I do. I keep trying to get rid of them -- just like all the mismatched mugs... but they just keep accumulating! (they're a bit like bunnies, i think...)
2. Do you have a calendar in your kitchen, if so, what’s the theme of it?
I no longer have a calendar... anywhere. I got rid of it when I re-did my kitchen... and that's when life went HAYWIRE! lol!
3. What is your favorite kitchen gadget? NOT my can-opener! Probably a spatula... I use them a lot! Barbara said her wire whisk - and I do like that too! I just bought 3 more of them because I like it that much... could be a wire whisk... but I don't wanna be a copycat!
4. Are you lucky enough to have a pantry of some kind? Indeeeeeeed I am!
5.What is your favorite appliance? NOT my can opener! I'm thinking the only appliance that I like at all is my coffee maker. It's a horrible coffee maker - but I have to love it. It gives me coffee... faithfully... every morning. And it will continue to do so until it gets too slow because of our hard water and I throw it away and buy another cheap coffee maker to replace it. I bet if we had paid for a water softening system 23 years ago we would have saved a fortune on cheap coffee makers (and other not so cheap appliances like washing machines) ... probably enough to have PAID for the water softening system!6. Do you have an eat in kitchen (table in it)? Yes we do! What we DON'T have is an eat-in dining room! Or any other kind of dining room either.
7. Do you have a bread box? Sssssshhhhh!
no... i threw it away a long long time ago. hubby's uncle made it for us... but he didn't know i don't like bread boxes... I do wish I had a bread DRAWER though... but i don't...
8. Do you have a picture of your kids on the fridge? No. It's on top of the microwave!
9. Do you ever cook breakfast in your PJs? Sure! I cook breakfast, lunch and dinner in my PJs!
10. Do you have a favorite cookbook that you use? No. I have about 20 cookbooks. I never use ANY of them! Ohhhhhhhkay... maybe once a year.
11. Are you lucky enough to have recipes that were passed down from your mom or grandma? I am not sure that would classify me as "lucky". I do make the few dishes that my mother really made well the same way she made them. HER potato salad, meatloaf, turkey stuffing... I think that's about it. And honestly, I've improved upon the meatloaf. I actually learned MORE about cooking from my older sisters and women I babysat for. And then as an adult, I learned even more from friends!
12. What’s your favorite food? Seafood. Mostly crab. Or any other seafood stuffed with or topped with crab.
13. What’s your favorite thing to cook? Not a thing! I love to eat... I hate to cook. Sad... I'm a very GOOD cook though!
14. Is your coffee pot electric or stove top? Electric. (what's a stove top? I thought that was stuffing mix!)
15. Do you ever make your own bread? Ahhh! No. Back in the day I used to make ALL my own bread! That was back BEFORE bread machines! My eldest child never tasted store bought bread until she was 4 years old. At that point I had returned to work and needed some bread... I stopped at the store to get some and she was AMAZED that you could buy bread at the grocery store! I think she told every person she met for the next two weeks that we had STORE bread! LOL! Now I intentionally do NOT own a bread machine even though I would dearly love one, because I know if I did own it, I would USE it... and then I would EAT it... and then there would be NO hope for my diet... I have looked at them. I have coveted them. I have put them IN my shopping cart, and removed them again. I have come [this close] to asking for one for Christmas and then stopped myself... it would just be waaaaaaay too dangerous for me to have a bread machine!
16. Name one thing that you have hanging on your wall in your kitchen: A life sized mermaid.
17. Is there a clock in your kitchen? My kitchen was built AROUND my clock. Well, okay, not built - but decorated. Remodeled.
18. Do you have a bowl of fruit sitting on your table or counter? Yes. A couple of them. One for clementine oranges, and one for various apples.
19. What type of canisters do you have? None. No cannister "set". I have a container for sugar, and a container for flour -- just Rubbermaid things -- but no cannisters.
20. Does your kitchen have a theme? BEEEEEEACH!!! My kitchen is my tropical paradise!
21. What’s for supper tonight? Well, I'm typing this last night - and last night it was steaks on the grill, homemade mac & cheese and broccoli. But tonight? I haven't gotten that far yet!
22. Do you have enough cabinet space? I have a LOT of cabinet space. But is it enough? I don't believe there IS such thing as "enough" cabinet space. I once lived in a kitchen that had only 2 small cabinets. That was it. Just two. I don't mean two DOUBLE doors. I mean one, two doors! I thought after that I would NEVER want for cabinet space again! Now I have 23 doors including a turn style, and they are packed! AND I don't keep food in them! FOOD is in that pantry that I am so fortunate to have!
23. Does your family use paper plates? Yes! For lunch daily. Almost never for dinner.
24. Do you have a good set of china? Hahaha!!! Yes! Would you like to SEE my "fine china"? I have blogged it before! Here it is!
All hand painted - by me or Mom
I did the big plates...
she did the small ones!
We're up to service for 12!
25. Do you wear an apron to work in your kitchen? I have been looking at aprons lately... but I think if I bought one it would probably just hang on a hook and look cute! I can't imagine being comfortable cooking in an apron.
26. Name one thing, if anything, that you would like to change about your kitchen. I would LOVE a new stove!
Random Dozen
This picture is a clarification for question 1:
1. How do you feel about "Gladiator" sandals, also called "Roman" or "Jesus" sandals? A fashion yea or nay?
I think if Jesus wore something that looked like that, He probably had a good reason for it. However, they will never see the light of day on MY feet! They're hideous! And I'm just going to die a thousand deaths when Luz shows up here with them on her little 5 year old feet...2. What is your favorite pizza?
Pizza Hut stuffed crust veggie lovers! OR Sbarros Spinach & Mushroom... OR Sbarros Spinach, broccoli & tomatoe! However... I can not TELL you when was the last time I tasted either of these favorites because lately IF I eat pizza at all, it is Pizza Hut THIN crust veggie lovers... and thin crust pizza tastes like cardboard, so why bother.3. There are plans in the works to sell roughly 1,000 items from
Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. This means you could buy Picard's chair for your family room. If not a Star Trek item, what prop, background, set, etc. from what TV or movie would you buy if you could?
[Ex: Hurley's "I Love my Shih tzu" shirt from LOST, the plantation home "Tara" from Gone With the Wind, or Tracy's tambourine from the Partridge Family.]
It has been so long since I've watched television that I honestly can not THINK of ANYthing that I would love to have. But if I could, it would be a beach house from something!4. Name a local food or restaurant that your area is famous for.
LOL! Are you KIDDING me? This is MARYLAND! Crab cakes! Duh!5. What is your current favorite snack?
Planters Heart Healthy Nut Mix - but it does not come in 100 cal. paks! It comes in 260 cal. paks! And there are not enough nuts in it... :(6. Hypothetical: You are required to be a reality show contestant. Which show would you choose based on your probability of success? (You cannot choose "none.")
A. Dancing with the Stars
B. Biggest Loser
C. Survivor
Too many TV questions this week! I have never even WATCHED a reality show... Good grief... Well, since I'm fairly successful at dieting, I guess I would choose Biggest Loser. But I wouldn't! I would NOT appear on a reality show for ANYTHING. (okay, if Jesus stood before me and asked me personally to do it, I would... but ONLY for Him!)7. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being uninhabitable and 10 being cleanliness that meets the standards of OCD, how clean is your vehicle's interior?
ROFL! Right NOW I would say it's about a 4! It neeeeeeeeds to be cleaned out! And washed!8. It doesn't feel like Spring until _
I can wear shorts!_.
9. Something that made you laugh really hard recently is _
Mom, trying to get dressed_. I can't help it! Sometimes I just have to stand back and watch... it is sO amusing!10. Tell me about a goal you're working toward.
Physically? I'd like to lose a lot more pounds.
Mentally? I'm trying to read and comprehend the entire Bible this year - on some level.
Emotionally? I would like to do more than maintain the status quo. I would like to dare to be supercharged!
Spiritually? I would like to be humble. Humility is hard for me! According to the Bible God thinks I should be humble. He would LIKE me to be humble. But according to the BOLD and outrageous personality He gave me... I'm not sure I can EVER satisfy that desire... Fortunately there is forgiveness. There is ALWAYS forgiveness!11. Share a thought-provoking or inspiring quote this week.
People cannot discover new lands until they have the courage to lose sight of the shore. ~Andre' Gide
12. Name one thing that you do as a parent that you absolutely know will make your kids happy. If you're not a parent, feel free to substitute "friend" or nomenclature that works for you.
Make myself available for them? Cook macaroni and cheese on every holiday? This is one of those questions that easier to answer when they are younger and still live at home!
I WON! I WON???
LOOK!
It SAYS so!
Right THERE!
JUST announced over at
Poetry PlayingI won the Limerick contest!
This was my limerick...
There was an Old Man of Limerick
Who’s legs were as slim as a toothpick
He barely could stand
though he played in a band
Using his legs for his drumsticks!
~mcl~
Thank you to those who voted for it!
Around the House...
There is truly not much I don't like about Spring! I do freely admit to not caring for pollen when it gets in my nose... but other than that... I like all things SPRING! And I especially love when God surprises me with stuff!
Like this! Maybe I'm the most unobservant
human on the planet - but I swear I have NEVER
seen a pine tree DO this before!
This tree gets fabulous pinecones on it!
But... what the HECK are THESE???
I'm not kiddin'!
I have NEVER seen these!
(I think God is playin' tricks!)
My poor pitiful little primrose...
I had about a dozen of them, but this rough winter
must have really taken it's toll..
only 3 have come up
and VERY
pitifully.
They should be huge!
The Astilbes are poppin' up!
This one is red.
(i know... it looks green to me too!)
And this one is white!
(pretend!)
It also needs to be weeded!
(actually I took care of that right
after I took the picture)
The azaleas are fixin' to bloom
but this year I'm only gettin' about a dozen blossoms!
I trimmed it over the winter. A lot.
A new philodendron.
(you can always tell the new stuff - they're pretty!)
Since we have a hard time growing grass in our yard, we
have decided to plant THISTLE! LOL! This is the patch
of
never grass that is right under my thistle feeder. The
birds make a MESS ... and it grows! I bet if I sprinkle it
out about the yard, it DIES! (or never sprouts) Bet?
Heather!
Isn't she pretty?
(yes... new)
Calla Lily!
(not EVEN in the ground yet!)
Hibbie!
Hibiscus don't really "grow" in my neck o' da woods...
so this is just a high priced annual for me! She's
sprucin' up my deck - waitin' for the vegetables!
An orange dahlia...
I was going to plant in the ground, but
then thought I could kill it as easily in a pot as in the ground.
And her cousin - Red Dahlia!
The beautiful RED crepe myrtle that I bought last year and had the garden center PLANT for me so that I would be assured it would live did NOT survive our drastic winter. *sigh* It is guaranteed... however, Garden Center Man was supposed to stop by yesterday OR today to do his OWN scrape test on it "just to be sure"... but has NOT shown up. I really want this little garden center to honor their guarantee with NO trouble because I really LIKE them, and I don't want to get angry and refuse to use them again. And so I'm praying that when I call GCM tomorrow he will come out right away ... and see that she is DEAD... and replace her. You may pray too, if you'd like! God DOES think my relationship with the garden center is worth praying about! :)
Susanne at Living to Tell the Story hosts Friday Fave Five in which we share our five favorite things from the past week. Thank you Susanne for hosting this inspirational sharing game!
Is there ANYthing cuter than 5's playing soccer???
