Recipe (yes, I know those are muffins; just do it)
Habitats & Hard Hats
One thing I have always wanted to do is work on a home for Habitat for Humanity. After this weekend, I can cross it off my list. Thanks, Revolution, for getting my booty out there!
T-Paw would probably have wondered who that hammer-wielding gal was; I know he taught me better than that. I still felt pretty productive, though.
Something I hadn’t planned for, or even thought of, that turned out to be the coolest part of the whole experience was working with the homeowner.
She and I visited, and she shared part of her story with me. In the fall of 2012, she felt called to pay rent for a friend. March of 2013, she received approval for a home through Habitat for Humanity. She was elated at all God had done for her and her family through that opportunity. It was so neat to get to work with her.
I loved learning more about how Habitat for Humanity works and seeing all the homeowners throughout the neighborhood helping build. I walked past one of their landscape classes, too. I had no idea. Not only are they providing homes, they are equipping the homeowners for success.
Slidin’ In!
We hosted a baby shower for LC yesterday afternoon. (I have a cameraful of photos; if you’ve been reading long, you know how that pans out for me. Come back later this week.)
I took the sliders that Aunt B introduced me to, which are quickly becoming my go-to. Several people asked about the recipe–here you go!
Tons of these recipes are floating around the ol’ internet, but this is the one I use most frequently. I don’t use the poppy seeds, and I add turkey to mine (either alone or half-and-half; I’m not much of a ham eater).
Some recipes (including this one) call for refrigeration between topping the sandwiches with the butter, and others don’t. I’ve made it both ways, and I don’t taste a difference. I refrigerate if I make them in advance, and I don’t if I’m making them all in one fell swoop.
If you use the mini-subs instead of the regular rolls, you don’t have to slice them in half horizontally, which is helpful. I just cut the mini-subs in half (to match roll size) if I’m serving for a crowd. I leave them whole for the three of us at home.
There you have it, way too much information about super simple sliders.
King of the World
Sometimes when you’re king,
you just want to play in the rain
and celebrate all the holidays.
At once. In July.
Hey, when you’re king, you make the rules.
Caught in the Toss Up
Sometimes the ending of seasons is harder than the beginning. Even if it’s not a particularly good season, sometimes we get comfortable there. Comfort and complacency are good friends.
Other times we don’t even realize the season is ending–or that we were still in it–until something changes. We’re just going on about our way–until we’re not. Then we’re just wondering why that came to a halt when nothing has been done to change it.
Seasons of grief, seasons of friendship, seasons of faith, seasons of hope, they ebb and flow. They overlap. We don’t always see a definite beginning and end. There are times we don’t even notice the melding of the seasons.
As I drove Monday, I watched as the clouds turned from dark to light, taking us from total downpour to gorgeous sun. A dividing line was present in the clouds.
I think I know why God doesn’t give us such a dividing line in life: we’d spend our time waiting, watching for the clouds to change, wondering when the rain would stop, rather than living and learning the lessons He’s giving us.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” –Ecclesiastes 3:1
Takin’ it Back
Let’s all pretend this is Myspace and this is a Myspace survey. Old school, here we come–ABC style!
Attached?
Yep, to the one and only, Mr. Gray!
Black or white?
Mostly white. Black has its place, though.
Cake or pie?
Cake!
Day of the week?
Friday, it makes me want to dance! We used to have Fun Friday Dance Party in my classroom. Bring it on, Miley!
Essential item?
Chapstick. I prefer Burt’s Bees, but I’ve been exploring others as of late.
Favorite color?
Pink!
Gummy bears or gummy worms?
I have great memories of gummy worms in brown paper bags at Craven’s when I was little; I thought I was hot stuff because I’d charge them to my dad’s account. These days, though, I usually go for gummy bears instead.
Hometown?
The birthplace of Texas Independence.
Favorite indulgence?
Sweets at naptime!
January or July?
I like both for different reasons; I think January wins out, though.
Kids?
Baby Gray
Speaking of old school… look at that hair! It’s one of my favorite photos, though.
Life isn’t complete without?
A Savior
Marriage Date?
June 10, 2006
June 10, 2006
Photo: Sledd Weddings
Number of siblings?
Two older brothers
Orange or apples?
Apples; no oranges for me!
Apples; no oranges for me!
Phobias?
Heights, but I’ve gotten better.
Quotes?
It used to be, “It will all be okay in the end; if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” That’s not it now, but I don’t know what is.
Reason to smile?
God’s promise of an abundant life, Mr. Gray, Baby Gray, friends, family–lots of reasons!
Season of choice?
Football (no, really)
T is for?
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Unknown fact?
I hate to pump gas.
Favorite Vegetable?
Mushrooms
Mushrooms
Worst habit?
I rarely empty the lint from the dryer. That’s probably not the worst, but it’s all I’ve got for now.
I rarely empty the lint from the dryer. That’s probably not the worst, but it’s all I’ve got for now.
X-ray or Ultrasound?
No, thank you.
No, thank you.
Your favorite food?
Shrimp. Dessert.
Shrimp. Dessert.
Zoo animal?
Okapi
Thanks for the idea, Chelsea!
Challenge: Date Night Dinner
You know those people who claim they never have time to date their spouse? I don’t want to be one of them. So, after much searching, we have found a couple to trade date nights with. Every other Thursday night either we take their kids, or they take ours, and the other couple goes out to paint the town red. We aren’t the first to implement this idea–as a matter of fact, we didn’t even think of it ourselves, we just piggy backed friends who also care about their marriage. It’s been great!
There was one trick, though. I needed to figure out some things CP and BP would eat. I made pizza rolls (Baby Gray loves them) for their first visit, and that was a no go. It could have been that it was their first time here, or they could just not like them, but either way, I was determined not to let it happen again. Mama P mentioned they liked spaghetti one day, so I set some parameters and got to work.
Last week I was on a “need new dinners” kick, so Thursday was no exception. I heard someone talking about ravioli casserole one day and did a quick search. The first few things I found weren’t quite what I had in mind. Then, there it was. Just what I needed for CP and SP to eat and to satisfy my need to explore ravioli casserole.
I used the freezer sauce I keep on hand, added some Feta (you’re not surprised, are you?), and baked it in my French oven since I already had it out to boil the ravioli. Also, I’m sure I used way more cheese than it called for–that’s a given, though.
It was a hit. CP and SP each ate two bowls! I win at dinner!
Party, Party!
You know those times when you just need to make your own party? Turns out $1.50 on a package of party hats is just the fix.
At Baby Gray’s insistence, we took our own hats to Shooby’s birthday party (and subsequently left them in the car until the party was over).
We’ve had several kitchen parties.
And sometimes one party is just not enough.
Also, it’s imperative that when others come over, you make them wear a party hat as well. It doesn’t matter their age or hair status. In the door, hat on. I wish I had captured all the faces that were in these hats this week, but these will have to do. Besides that, this week was either really boring or really busy ’cause this is all the fashion we got! (Note: he is wearing a full football “uniform” in the last photo; that’s gotta count for something.)
Field of Dreams
One of Baby Gray’s favorite things to do is go to sporting events; he loves football games, rodeos, baseballs games, and the like. We made a trip up to Round Rock for an Express Game, and starting from the time we were eating before the game until the last firework popped, he was in heaven!
Then… womp, womp… he couldn’t go on the field. He was so brokenhearted. Like, saddest thing I’ve ever seen.
It took some appeasing in the parking lot and a player’s batting glove (thanks, Uncle Clay), but he was a happy camper again before we headed home.
We did find out kids can run the bases on Sundays, so we’ll head back one Sunday evening for some base running!