Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening Muscle Shoals

Today was the ribbon cutting and grand opening in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. I was really proud of the staff. They worked really hard last week making calls and lots of legwork passing out flyers and inviting people. It really paid off. There was a steady stream of people in all day and around 20 people became members, with three people wanting information on corporate deals. We brought the kids and they sat on the couches and did school work, enjoyed the food, and then hung out with their grandparents at work. The girls went with MawMaw at the Art Gallery/Frame Shop and the boys went with PawPaw and rode the 4 wheeler behind the plant and made a tool box for a scouts engineering badge. Homeschooling is awesome on days like today! They even made it to their soccer games in Tupelo tonight. Maybe our life is getting a little more sane?

Gourmet cooking with my boys

We were at the library last week and Robert saw some Bon Apetit mags for sale for ten cents. He got a few and wanted to cook a meal from them, so Saturday night that's what we did. He and Jonathan and Cameron and I all in the kitchen together. Since we were planning such an elaborate meal, I decided to share it with our new neighbors. Everything went great. Robert enjoyed helping plan the menu and I was just there to show him how to do things and speed things along. Jonathan got to try everything as well and Cameron was a great "stirrer". Well, I don't know what went wrong - if the chicken was frozen or if I looked at the time wrong, but we were sitting down to eat and our neighbor turned to me with his eyebrows raised and asked if I thought the meat was cooked through. OH WELL it was red raw - not just mushy undercooked! Not even close to being done. They were very gracious (and hungry) guests and got to taste the gourmet chicken as there were left over drumsticks from the kids' table. No one was very confident that those were cooked through, though. Eberything else tasted good. Here was the menu:
Oven-Baked Chicken
Walnut Asaparagus Risotto
Broccoli Tomato Salad


Here is the breading for the chicken:
3 cups bread crumbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
4 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper

Mix butter and dijon mustard (recipe calls for 3 sticks butter melted and whisk in 9 tbsp dijon mustard, I used 1 stick butter and 3 tbsp mustard).
brush on chicken and coat in crumb mixture. Bake on greased cookie sheet 1 hour or until done. This will cover 12 servings of chicken (24 drumsticks).

Puppet Show and Celebration of Cultures

This morning I took Cameron to the Zany Zoo, a puppet show to benefit Regional Rehab, a free rehabilitation campus in Tupelo. Jonathan takes speech therapy there and we LOVE Regional Rehab. The puppet show was great fun - I loved seeing Cameron laugh when the puppets did something silly.

This afternoon Mark and I ran over with Robert, Jonathan, and Cameron to the Celebration of Cultures at Ballard Park. It is the same principle as an international festival, just on Tupelo scale. We stayed for 30 minutes, wheich was ample time to see the few small booths set up manned by individuals who live in Tupelo Some of the booths were selling food native to their country, so I got to have authentic tmales! YUM! Something I wouldn't expect to find readily avaiable in Tupelo. There is supposedly an awesome place to get tamales in Clarksdale, or is it Greenwood? Neither of these places are on any route I frequent.

It was a good day!

Introducing Buster!

Meet the newest addition to our family! The above pictures show CJ and Buster with our kids and the Milne kids. CJ needed a friend (or brother, as little Vanessa H. corrected me) and it has been great for them. They keep each other company and play great. Our friend, Malia Milne, thought of Buster's name. A few hours after we named him, he busted his head trying to climb under the fence. What a great fit (not his head under the fence, his name)!

I is for ice!

Here is a fun activity Cameron did today. When she learns a new letter, she does an activity for the sound. We don't cover the alphabet in order, we learn sounds as they are introduced in the 100 Easy Lessons book I use to teach her to read. Ice doesn't technically fit because it was the short i sound. I meant to have her make an igloo after she used them, but they were too melted. She filled the mini muffin tin with water and added a few drops of food coloring and a toothpick. After it froze, she got to paint with them. The ice was bright and colorful!

Hurricane Ike, No Power, and the little things you might not think about....

Well, Ike did go through Houston. He did thaw out some of the freezer meals I made for my sister Kimberly. I didn't have the heart to ask how many meals survived in the scope of the situation. I am thankful that they had a generator to keep their refrigerator going. She had her IV treatments which needed refrigeration, so everyone was thankful that the generator sustained them. Gas and ice were in demand and with so many people out of power, food was also scarce. My sister Denise commented that all they had left were frozen veggies. They had grilled all of their meat and she just couldn't stomach the veggies. They drove to the other side of town that night (which was night 4 without power) to find an open restaurant. My sister Kimberly who had just gotten out of the hospital just wasn't up for venturing out to say the least! I have some comfort to think that they could use the food. There was a cool front that moved in so they were spared the uncomfortable Houston heat that can get so intense. I thought you all would enjoy a glimpse into the little details you might not think about with the power losses. Stale frozen veggies. No running water for many. Oh yeah, no coffee either! Gloomy! I am glad to announce that yesterday both of my sisters in the affected area had their power back on. FINALLY! My sister farther northwest did not lose power at all. A few of my friends are still without power.

Luke and Kerrie's Wedding

Beautiful wedding! Kerrie, the bride, seemed so happy! So did Luke, but we all know that weddings are about the bride. Cameron and my niece Angela were the flower girls. It was so nice for me to visit with my family some. This is the second wedding for my sister Karen, and they sure know how to throw a good party! We have a large, close knit family. I have four sisters and there are 16 grandchildren. It's always fun when we get together, and what better time to celebrate, than at a wedding! My dad's toast at the rehearsal dinner was GREAT!

LUKE MILES KULBETH
AKA COOL HAND LUKE
ONE THING IS FOR SURE
LUKE AIN’T NO FLUKE
HE IS THE REAL MCCOY
SHOT HIS FIRST DEER WHEN HE WAS JUST A BOY
CAUGHT HIS FIRST FISH WHEN HE WAS A KID
PLAYED BASEBALL AT AGE 5
AND COOL HAND LUKE CHEWED
TOBACCO WHEN HE WAS JUST 10
HUNTING, FISHING, BASEBALL & TOBACCO.
BUT POOR OLD LUKE NEVER KISSED A GIRL
POOR OLD LUKE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HE WAS MISSING.
BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE
LUKE AIN’T NO FLUKE
HE IS THE REAL MCCOY

LUKE MEANT WHAT HE SAID
AND SAID WHAT HE MEANT
HE IS DEPENDABLE 100 PER CENT.

BUT LUKE HAD NO TIME FOR GIRLS
THEN ONE DAY, OFF TO COLLEGE, HE WENT
GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TO COOL HAND LUKE
HE SAW A GIRL HE COULDN’T FORGET
YES, LITTLE KERRIE LYNN CAUGHT HIS EYE
BUT POOR OLD LUKE NEVER KISSED A GIRL
LITTLE KERRY LYNN SAID,
HOLD ON BIG BOY, YOU AIN’T KISSING THESE SWEET LIPS
WITH THAT CHAW OF TOBACCO IN YOUR MOUTH.
ADIOS TOBACCO, SO LONG FISHING, GOOD BYE BASEBALL
HELLO KERRY LYNN.
LUKE FOUND OUT WHAT HE’D BEEN MISSING.
BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE
LUKE AIN’T NO FLUKE
HE IS THE REAL MCCOY

LUKE MEANT WHAT HE SAID
AND SAID WHAT HE MEANT
HE IS DEPENDABLE 100 PER CENT.
NOW ITS TIME FOR THE ADVISE OF THE AGES
WRITTEN ON THE WALLS OF THE GREAT TEMPLE
IN THE FORBITTEN CITY OF BEIJING IN THE YEAR 1200 BC
IF MAMA AIN’T HAPPY
AIN’T NOBODY HAPPY
THIS IS DEPENDABLE 100 PERCENT

If Mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy was the "line" my dad used in his brother, Mike's toast, which made it so funny! Mike got married in March.

Here is a poem that Luke wrote for Kerrie:

It's finding someone that you will always miss.
It's holding your breath when you share that first kiss.
It's sitting on her couch drinking a beer
While you patiently wait for her to find something to wear.
It's that moment in time when you finally know
That she's the woman you will never let go.
It's that look in her eyes when she says yes.
It's that tear in yours when you see her in that white dress.
It's knowing in you heart God made her just for you.
It's slipping that ring on her finger and saying "I do!"

Shalom

Today during the sermon, the pastor was talking about the way Shalom was used in ancient times. We are all familiar with shalom as a greeting of hello, goodbye, and peace with you, but Shalom was much more of a heart felt greeting, meaning peace (shalom) with you and peace (shalom) from all of my wholeness to all of your wholeness, peace to build you up even if it costs me my shalom. I really like that greeting especially the ancient authencity that seems to surround it.
The Israelites were a people who had to self contain their culture and had such a drive to protect it. I can see how that was such a deep, personal greeting for them. I was reflecting about how Mark and I are like that, and we live that out to each other on a daily basis. It is seen very evidently in our business where I work to help him, and he works harder so I don't have to work as much. Last week was a great example of Mark pouring his Shalom into my life. The sermon continues as I revel in the awesome relationship I have with Mark and how much we love each other. Mush, Mush, Mush.
Then I trip right there in my thoughts. The pastor then made a paralell on how we as Christian are to pour our Shalom into other people. And that's not just sweet Christian jargon to help us go out of our way to ask someone a brief "Hey how are you?" greeting in passing then feeling good for reaching out for the week. I was still OK, though as I think about a few people God has put in my life that I "minister" to. He kept going. He took the verse from Jeremiah 29. You are probably thinking what I was - oh, Jeremiah 29, the verse about God having good plans for our future "I know the plans I have for you...." Not that one, one above it.
Jeremiah 29:7. The word welfare means shalom in the greek. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile. And pray to the Lord on it's behalf; for in it's welfare you will have welfare.
I am to pour my wholeness, my peace, my shalom into people outside of my culture. I was doing just fine in the confines of my family, church, and homeschool group.

Clean Transformation

While I away, my husband took care of the kids. The kids learned to pick up after themselves. Everyone straigtened the house before they went to bed. When I got home, I arrived to see a spotless house. I had gotten calls though the week on how much work they were having to do. All they did was school and work, work, work. Precious teenage daughter didn't have time to play with friends after school. Boys were tired. What a transformation had occured when I got home. I was met with a barrage of do you know what we do now? It's so much easier to pick up if you keep it clean. I don't like messes! I can clean all by myself! The dishes go in the dishwasher as soon as they get dirty! You can't leave shoes lying around. I don't keep my room messy anymore. Cameron kept dry panties every day (unless she snuck them in the laundry room). They were so eager to show me everything they had done while I was gone. I was thinking about all of these things because it has truely transformed our house. I think my kids depended too much on me and I let them get away with too much. After keeping on them with school work, I didn't feel like keeping on them to pick up after themselves and they had really gotten neglectful. Then I would get stressed out and lay into them. Not healthy. Now we have had the house clean three days. Do you remember in an earlier post, labeled Too Busy to Share, when I mentioned that I never sat down to play with the kids without running around in between cleaning house? I have played games two nights with the kids, them having my full attention. This has been revolutionary!

We Love Mrs. Farmer!

So I was gone for a week and had someone come in and teach my kids for 3 days while I was gone. I knew my kids were in good hands because I really like the lady that came in to teach. Her name is Jane Farmer and she is a natural teacher and relates great to kids. I didn't worry about how the school day was going because she is just that good! Here are what my kids had to say about Jane:
She sounds really suprised when Cameron reads a word and Cameron really likes that. -Jonathan
She's really fun. -Jonathan
I like her - Cameron
You should hear her read out loud to us. -Robert
Mark followed up with, "She has a dramatic reading voice, she has the knack. You and I couldn't do it that good if we tried and tried."
Mrs. Farmer really knows how to make school fun. - Raeley

How blessed my kids and I are to have someone like that to come in and help teach.

I'm home. Home sweet home. My week of silence is over. I think I will miss it. I call last week my week of silence because I spent so much time listening to the thoughts in my head. It has been so long since I spent time alone that the silence gave me time alone with myself and I realize how much I needed to get reaquainted with myself. It was a little scary and with trepidation I peered into the mirror of my mind. I tried to drown the thoughts with tv and other noise, and only listened with one ear, if you know what I mean.

Freezer meals

I'm Home and I left on a good note. Kimberly is doing much better, and with Ike headed toward Houston, I am glad I was able to leave. I was able to leave my sister with a freezer full of a few additional meals. Hopefully Ike won't come and wipe out power, thawing all the frozen meals out!



Here are some recipes I like to freeze:

Meatballs (because of their versitility)

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1 cup bread crumbs
1 pkg dry onion soup mix


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, and bread crumbs. In a small bowl, mix together water and dry soup mix. Add to meat mixture. Roll into small meatballs.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once.



Chicken Pot Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, boiled
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of potato soup


Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a 9 inch pie dish with pastry.
Blanch frozen mixed vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.
Dice chicken and place in a large bowl. Add vegetables, thyme, celery soup and potato soup. Stir together.
Pour filling into pastry lined pie dish. Arrange top layer of pie crust, seal and flute the edges. Cut slits in the top of the crust to allow for steam to escape.
Place pie on cookie sheet. Put aluminum foil around the pie crust edges. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes and then serve.

Lasagna Casserole

1 box spaghetti noodles
1 lb ground turkey or ground beef, seasoned with salt, pepper, italian seasoning
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (24 ounce) container large curd cottage cheese1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix cottage cheese,parmesan cheese and 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese with egg, salt,pepper and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Set aside.
Cook meat - season to taste, drain and add spaghetti sauce to meat.
Cook and drain spaghetti noodles al dente according to directions.
Butter a large casserole dish and layer noodles, cottage cheese mixture, and meat mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly. Place under broiler to melt cheese and slightly brown on top if you desire.

To Laugh

I forget how important it is to laugh. I just saw some old pictures from college that made me laugh and it felt so good! The pictures are of a summer I spent with Campus Crusade for Christ in San Diego. Adam Shopshire and Corby Stephens are the guys I am still laughing at over 15 years later!

I have been introspective since I've arrived in Houston and saw Kimberly. Her attitude and perspective are great. She's happy to be alive. This trip has been intense for me. I stay too busy to take note of where I am in life - even on weekends and vacations. I have witnessed my sister walk near death. I have been alone. I have no agenda and I am not busy. I have silence so I can hear the thoughts I have been hiding from. So I laughed a few minutes ago and my heart stirred. On this trip, I am surrounded by silence. I am facing things about myself and about my life that I want to change. I feel God is telling me to loosen up and have more fun. Among all the struggles I find within myself in this silence, I seek to grow closer to God through the silence. And I hear the thoughts in my head telling me to laugh a little more.

Too busy to share, too busy to help!

We keep our life so busy. Sometimes it is hard to fit in extras like serving others. My sister Kimberly is in the hospital again - you can read part of her story in the post the brevity of life. When I first realized that I needed to go be with her, the biggest thing holding me back was the imposition I was placing on others so I can serve my sister. And even while I am here, it is hanging over my heart like a dull shadow.
REVOLUTIONARY ACTIONS
I have left my hectic life to be sitting in a hospital room having a great visit with my sister. I have had a great evening playing games with her kids. Two things are hard for me to accept -One is that I am enjoying myself so much while others are having to go out of their way for me. The other is that I am haunted by the cold fact that I have not taken the time to have a game night with MY kids in SO long, despite their attempts to plan one. And our last game night, I caught myself stealing away every spare moment to clean house and tidy up. Did they really have me like my nieces had me tonight? I am so relaxed and non stressed just being with these precious girls, away from my busy life. I feel like I am getting to know each of their personalities so well just through this one night. I have had so many little arms thrown around my waist and heads rested on my shoulders. There is such strength in that. How can I take that back to my house? It could be revolutionary.
PRIDE AND SELFISHNESS
It is hard for me to accept that so many people are having to help me so I can help someone else. I am sorting this out, but it seems I am not that generous if I am holding back so fiercly to the reigns that no one should help me. The reigns of pride and selfishness (ungenerous).
FUNNY STORY
My nieces wanted to lay under the stars in the front yard before bed tonight. It was in the middle of a subdivision in Houston, so I think we could see about 4 stars. Something so funny happened. Angela, 5, was pointing and excitedly exclaimed that she saw where Santa lives, she saw the North Star. Evelyn, 7, chimes in, me too! me too! The North Star is the brightest star, and that's where Santa lives! (For those of you who don't get it - north star instead of north pole)