A Joyful Noise

Most mornings I decide on a song that I carry in my mind and my heart through the day.  In a recent conversation with one of my sisters-in-law, I learned that she does the same thing.  Sometimes we tell each other what the song is so we can both focus on it; sometimes it's enough just knowing the other is singing.

Yesterday, a bible verse sang out to me.

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 3:27

What a lovely reminder that we aren't the only ones singing!

The Lord is at Work

We've had a few rough days as we awaited biopsy results for my mother-in-law.  The news came yesterday, and it wasn't what we wanted to hear.  She is diagnosed with lung cancer.

While waiting for the tests to be read and for the doctors to get in touch with us, I often had periods of frustration and irritation.  What's taking so long?  When are they going to call?  How can we handle the situation when we don't even know what it is?

Yesterday I was reading a devotional* that spoke right to me.  It's main message was that God is in the reconstruction business.  Of course He is!  Things change - reconstruct - all of the time.  People fall in love, move to new cities, have babies, change jobs, get parking tickets -- lots and lots of things.  And sometimes people get sick.  But God is right there with us during all of these times.  It made my heart lighter to remember that despite the disruptions and seeming chaos in our lives, the Lord is at work.

So now I will begin learning what our new "normal" is.  I will be looking for all of the new blessings and opportunities that He is placing before me.  I'm ready to find out what my job is.

*(The Upper Room. March-April 2012.  "A Highway for God" by Gerald McCann. pg 65.)

Georgia Aquarium

Today's outing was to the Georgia Aquarium. We arrived at 10 am, and there was already a line to get in. We eventually made it through the line, and we enjoyed the fishy sites for about 3 hours.

When we left, we noticed that the line to get in was very, very long. It had been getting crowded inside and we figured out why: lots of people were coming in, but very few were leaving! But, it was Saturday and we expected it would be busy.

Here are a few photos. Colorful fish:

Really big fish:

Waxy Monkey Frogs:

Is it disturbing that we left and went to Legal Seafood for lunch??

Welcome!

Installment #5

The Living Room

Here is our seating area:

The entertainment area:

And the doors by our chair! The weather has been so nice that we often open one of these doors. Cool air, and even though there are no screens, there are NO BUGS! So far, at least!

Apartment, sweet apartment!

Welcome!

Installment #4

The Dining Room

The column is just to the left of our front door, so this is the left side view when you walk in the apartment.

We were anxiously awaiting the dining room chairs. They were the last things we received. But now they are here, and we love them. Much more comfortable than the folding chairs were!

We use the table for a desk more than for eating! But, back to the chairs:

The front of the chairs have a velvet-like feel with a peacock-colored pattern over a brown background. The backs are a creamy yellow color with an embroidered design pattern. I couldn't get the pattern to show up well on the photos. Guess you'll have to come see it in person!

We are using this console as a catch-all bookcase copy machine table. I haven't put any books in yet, but we do have some to put away. And there is Ruby -- patiently awaiting her next vacuuming assignment.

When you come in our door and look straight ahead, here is what you see:

I thought Atlanta would be a good time to get more serious about learning to play the keyboard. I haven't done it yet, though.

Next up, the Living Room.

Welcome!

Installment #3

Here's the bathroom:

Notice the granite countertop!

There's a nice, roomy shower.

And a closet plenty big enough for our bathroom things.

Next up, the dining room!

Welcome!

Installment #2: The Kitchen

Again, don't blink. This goes fast!

The sink area:

The stove area:

The best part:

Next up: The Bath

Welcome to Our Apartment!

Installment #1: The Bedroom

Here is the bedroom in one quick glance. Don't blink or you'll miss it!

That's it. A bed, two night stands, a dresser, a TV, two windows and a photo of the grands.

Here is another shot of the bed portion of the room:

Now the dresser. BTW, the TV is not very big -- the dresser is very small!

The grands!

And finally, the closet. That's all of the clothes we brought, except for our coats. And it looks like I got a little compulsive with color coding in there! :)

Next up: Kitchen!

Jake and Sue Wyatt

When I was a young teenager - probably back in '69 or '70, I met and became friends with a boy from church, Johnny Wyatt. We were close for several years, spending a good amount of time together. An offshoot of being Johnny's friend was that I also became friends with his parents, Jake and Sue Wyatt.

Mrs. Wyatt died several years ago, and Mr. Wyatt recently joined her. I have lots of memories of them, and I thought I'd share a few of this couple that have a piece of my heart.

When I think of Mr. Wyatt, I see a man with a big smile on his face. I remember him happy, laughing and joking, and with a twinkle in his eye. He was a fan of music, and I remember him enjoying being with his friend Coy Moses, playing on their guitars. I remember Jake as a generous and sincere man. He worked hard at his job with the newspaper, and he liked sports.

I was closer to Mrs. Wyatt - it was probably a girl thing. She lived in a house of men (even the dog, if I remember that right!) and she enjoyed my girl company. I don't remember her loving to toil in the kitchen, but I do remember her making crunchy bread sticks out of hot dog buns, putting butter and garlic on them and baking them in the oven. Yum! I also remember she made really good iced tea. And it was instant! I've not had good instant tea since I had it at her house.

I credit the Wyatt's with my love of going out to eat! My family didn't eat out much, but the Wyatt's did, and I was often invited to go with them. I enjoyed being included with their family, and loved going out to lots of different restaurants!

As the years went by, Johnny and I went in different directions to different locations, and I didn't see his parents again. Mom kept me up-to-date from her visiting with the Wyatt's at church.

The news of Johnny getting married was fun to hear. There were lots of reasons that I liked the idea of Johnny marrying Kathy Hall, and one of them was because I could easily see Johnny's parents loving her as much as Johnny did. I never talked to Mrs. Wyatt about it, but I just know that she loved having Kathy as her daughter-in-law.

And I just know that when their grandbabies began coming, they had love in their hearts that they never could have dreamed of.

Mom told me several years ago that she had seen Mr. Wyatt at church. She said he asked about me and told her he'd love to see me sometime. It breaks my heart that I didn't go by to see him on one of my visits back to San Angelo.

I'm sad that I missed an opportunity that will never come again.

Are you missing one right now?

(In loving memory of Jake and Sue Wyatt)

Currently

Current guilty pleasure: The Daily on my ipad
Current nail color: hot pink toes!
Current playlist: Leanne Womack mix on Pandora
Current read: Cutting for Stone
Current drink: water!
Current food: fruits and vegetables ~ especially avocado
Current favorite show: Damages
Current wish list: warm days
Current needs: strength
Current triumphs: I'm living a healthy lifestyle.
Current bane of my existence: I won't name names.
Current celebrity crush: Well, I think Ryan Reynolds is cute...
Current indulgence: brown rice macaroni
Current blessing: new opportunities
Current outfit: blue jeans, purple shirt, blue sweater
Current excitement: Noah's basketball team played a super first game
Current mood: good
Current link: www.pintrist.com

Want to Look Better?

Noah: Grammie, what's that black around your eyes?

Me: It's eyeliner. Do you like it or do you think it looks weird?

Noah: It's fine. But if you put more of it on, you would look like a skeleton. That would be really cool!

Herbs and the Queen

The appropriate number of days have passed for my basil and rosemary to dry.

Today I crushed the leaves and am a proud owner of some freshly dried herbs! The basil:

The rosemary:

What should I cook first? When I decide, I'll cook it in this pot. It's my go-to pot right now.

Mitch's mom gave it to me several years ago. Before that, it belonged to his grandmother. There's a lot of history in that pot.

Can you see that it's called Range Queen! Don't you just love that name? I've been wanting to buy a Le Creuset Dutch Oven but the $$$ scares me away. I ask myself why cook with Le Creuset when you can be a Range Queen?!!

Plus I can't pick a color.

Family, by the numbers

A friend commented the other day that I came from a small family. Well, I didn't argue but I certainly don't consider that to be true. Here's the count:

1 husband

2 parents

2 parents-in-law

2 daughters

1 son-in-law

3 grandchildren

1 sister

5 brothers-in-law

4 sisters-in-law

8 nephews

3 nieces

3 aunts

3 uncles

13 cousins

That's 49 family members that I see and/or correspond with, most quite often.

Then there are spouses, children, and grandchildren of my cousins. And many of them have spouses and children. And on it goes.

So, I have a small family?

I don't think so.

Childhood Memory

I was recently asked two questions about Christmas past. The first was about a favorite memory and the second about a favorite carol. The answers are wrapped up in one memory.

On Christmas Eve, the family would load in the car and drive to Eola to celebrate the holiday with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We all had eyes to the sky, on the lookout for Santa and his sleigh. We would sing most of the way there, and we always sang Up on the Housetop. When we came to the chorus, Dad sang Santa's Ho Ho Ho in his beautiful bass voice. We LOVED it. And him.

Still do.

Christmas Entertaining

It was my year to host the neighbors for our annual Christmas Party. Christmas Cheer at our house, then Christmas Dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Here's what the cheer part looked like -- without people. I didn't take any people pictures. Sorry, because everyone knows that the people are the most interesting part.

Anyway, here goes.

Welcome! Come in!

Entry. Notice the Winter Rose Poinsettia.

Dining room. (Unused for the evening.)

Bar. (Also unused. What? A party with no bar? Can it really be called a party?) Yes.

Living area with rearranged furniture.

More poinsettias. Isn't the green one pretty?

Chairs. The only seating used.

And now for the food!

Appetizer: Honey, Walnut and Brie Tartlets. Easy. And delicious. This was my favorite. You can make it, too: http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/11/10-holiday-appetizers-to-whet-your.html

Appetizer: Pepperoni Pizza Puffs. Also easy. And delicious. They were the group favorite. Could have been served with pizza sauce on the side, but they were good without it. And I didn't want spilled pizza sauce anywhere. :) Go here for the recipe: http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/2010/07/annoying-habits.html

Drinks: Reindeer Bubbles. This was my favorite part for two reasons: 1) lots of compliments and 2) they were delicious! It's green sugar on the rim with pomegranate seeds and pomegranate syrup in the bottom. When the champagne was poured in, the pomegranate seeds would bounce up and down with the bubbles. Recipe here: http://www.hgtv.com/holidays-and-entertaining/celebrity-holiday-homes-recipes-reindeer-bubbles-festive-cocktail/index.html

I have no more entertaining planned until Christmas Eve. Warning: if you are here (and you are always welcome) you may see some of this again!

And it will be delicious!

Abracadabra

I woke up this morning and decided that this was a good day to to perform some kitchen magic! So I turned this:

Into this:

(Banana bread with mini Reese's PB cups)

And this:

Into this:

(Buttermilk pie)

After a taste test, I decided that the pie is the best!

Turns out that I'm a banana bread purist. I love Reese's PB cups -- but not in my banana bread.

Who knew?

Herbs

I have had a bumper crop of basil and rosemary this year, and I loved having the fresh herbs on hand. Mary Lou showed me some dried herbs that her friend had done at home, so I decided to try it for myself.

I was careful to cut the basil at 10 o'clock in the morning. The internet tells me that 10 a.m. is the time of day when the basil leaves contain the most oil; therefore, basil clipped at 10 will have the best flavor and smell. (I hope the recent time change doesn't mess this up!)

I washed the herbs in the sink to remove dirt, picked off leaves that just didn't measure up, bundled it up, tied it together with a string, and hung it from a clothes hanger.

I picked a dark, cool, non-drafty location for it to dry: the upstairs powder-room -- Mary Lou's recommendation. :) That location is available because Mary Lou has no plans to visit me and stay in that room right now. :(

Isn't it pretty?

It will take a good 4 weeks until it's nice and crunchy and crumbly. Then I'll be able to do all sorts of things:

• mix my own potpourri
• make a sachet
• flavor my olive oil
• flavor my vinegar
• scent steam

But I'll probably just cook.

The Last Five Books I've Read

Okay, it's six. Here goes:

6. The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli. Bottom line is that Marilyn was a sensitive and desperate woman. Taraborrelli interviewed many of the people in Marilyn's life and used newly released documentation to present is well written biography. If you're a fan of Norma Jean, you'll find this story interesting. My rating: ***

5. Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope by Don & Susuie Van Ryn, Colleen Newell and Whitney Cerak. After a motor vehicle accident in Indiana in 2006, the wrong girl was identified as the lone survivor. Five weeks later, she awakes from a coma and the error is discovered. This is the story of how the families used their faith to cope with the extraordinary circumstances they faced. My rating: ****

4. Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts. Rowan Tripp is a special breed of firefighters - a smoke jumper. Last season her jump partner died in a fire, and Rowan is still coming to terms with his death. She's not one to mix business with pleasure. Until she meets Gull Curry, that is. And then the murders begin. My rating: ****

3. 10th Anniversary by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. This is the 10th novel of Patterson's Women's Murder Club series, and I've read them all - so these girls are my friends and of course I care about what is going on in their lives! Lindsay is getting married; Yuki is prosecuting the biggest case of her life; Cindy is falling in love; and Claire is... well, not much is going on with Claire. I guess her baby is keeping her busy. None the less, it's an interesting chapter of their lives and I'm ready for what comes next (which is rumored to be a crossover book with his Alex Cross character). My rating: ****

2. Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins. This 6th novel written about Lucky Santangelo is the first I've read in the series. It's full of Hollywood, Vegas, Italian Mafia, sex and violence. Ah, to be one of the Beautiful People! My rating: ****

1. The Island by Erin Hilderbrand. Four women come together to spend a month at their family beach house on Tuckernuck Island, near Nantucket. The two sisters, their mother and their aunt use the time getting to know each other - and themselves - better as they wrestle with their own internal demons. My rating: ****

What I'm reading right now:

1. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. Continuing the story that began in Shanghai Girls, See tells the story of Joy returning to China to find her true father.

2. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. Hoffman's first book is about 12-year-old Cecelia Rose Honeycutt's childhood. Her mom is crazy and her dad is mean, but Aunt Tootie is a godsend and the housekeeper Oleta is wise, wise woman.

So, what are you reading these days?

Bountiful

Julie and I hit the Farmer's Market in Fort Worth this morning!

back: orange honeydew melon

middle: peaches, fairy tale eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes

front: okra

I think dinner tonight will be a fruit and vegetable plate!

Overload!

Question: What happens when you start with chocolate chip cookie dough --

-- layer on Double Stuff Oreo cookies --

-- and top with Fudge Brownie mix?

THIS:

Answer: The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar!

Of course.