The Party of 1981

March 14, 2015March 15, 2015 / apronsandappetites.com / 4 Comments

Her name is Dymisha. One of those friends that settle into your heart, make it their home, and will always be there whether you see them again or not. That door in my heart has been opened recently, and those wonderful memories came flooding out, balloons floating into the sky bursting into lovely fireworks.

It was 1981. We went to church together and were doing a Paul/Timothy study. We would meet; Dymisha would make me an egg and cheese sandwich with an ice-cold-over- ice Coke (she had Pepsi); the kids would play. These sessions drew us close, taught us who the other was, and bound us together as sisters, sisters in Christ.

She was the one that turned me on to those delicious egg sandwiches that are to this very day my go-to comfort food. Whenever I’m tired and hungry, I make an egg and cheese sandwich. Whenever someone at the house is hungry right now, they get an egg and cheese sandwich. And I always, always, always, every time I make one, think of her, Dymisha. I put this recipe (if you want to call it that) on one of my blogs way back in the beginning, but I will put it on here again because it is just that good.

My Most Favorite Egg Sandwich In The Whole World

2 eggs (mix with a fork in the pan) fried in a T. of unsalted butter, no salt, better flip once, maybe fold them over some to fit on the bread

2 slices whole wheat bread, butter lightly one side, lay one piece butter side down in the same pan after scooping up the eggs with a pancake turner, then plop the eggs onto the bread

1 slice of cheese, whatever cheese you like, parceled over the top of the eggs, then place the other piece of bread on that, once again lightly buttered

flip to melt the cheese until it’s gooey and oozing out the sides and the bread is all crispy.

serve with an ice-cold Coca-Cola over crushed ice

Double Yum!!

It was my birthday, June 17, 1981. Dymisha had invited me to go out to eat somewhere, and I was so excited. Mom was going to keep the kids; a girls’ day out. But first, she said, we had to make a stop at a lady’s house for some buttons or some kind of sewing stuff.

Okay. I was good with that because we were out for the afternoon!

Well, first I have to tell you that Dymisha could do anything. Really. Anything she set her mind to, she could do it. If she decided she wanted to wallpaper her living room, the next day it was done. If she wanted new curtains, get out the sewing machine and make some that afternoon. If she needed shelves built, well, where’s the drill. She amazed me!

So I never thought anything at all about going down the street to the park for her to pick up something she needed to make.

Was I ever surprised!!

(to be continued)

They’re Driving Me Crazy!!!

March 8, 2015 / apronsandappetites.com / 5 Comments

Never start with I. But in this case I have to because it is I who cannot wrap my raised-on-paper brain around all my computery gadgets. It exhausts me even now just writing about it.

My motto “Never Give Up” (which I might add I have had since high school although I didn’t know that I had it since high school until right now actually) has kept me going and learning and surviving all these long years of my life. Even when trying to master my computery gadgets. I have a real love/hate relationship going on with them: Kindle, MacBook Air, HP, iphone, Diamante and Case Catalyst, Roku… I’ll even include the DVD player for the girls.

Today I’ve been trying to get the Amazon Prime music on the Roku. Grrrrrrrr It sounds so easy when I read about it on my Amazon page: if you have Amazon Prime, you get all this cool music (gist of the Amazon music page). The Roku has a music icon on my Amazon station because, yes, I did subscribe to Amazon Prime. No problem. Well, no problem after I figure out how to download-upload-inload-outload-whateverIneedtodo to get it on the Roku and get my yet another password going.

If it weren’t for my good friend, Google, I would never be able to get anything accomplished. Even then, it’s a slow, slow process.

Traveling Gently

February 24, 2015February 24, 2015 / apronsandappetites.com / 2 Comments

My love for driving fast is well-known around the little circle I call home. So are the results of that fast driving: speeding tickets.

But the thrill of taking those curves, the quick arrival time — well, that last one is a bit of an oxymoron. I realize that. Me… quick arrival time. That seems to indicate that I arrive in a timely fashion.

Therein lies the problem!! Or joy!!! All in the perspective. My love for the furious and fast delivery has been predicated by my lack of punctual ability; therefore, I must go fast. Ah, yes. That sounds so much better than, “I’m always late because I can’t get it together.”

Back years ago there was this little number that I drove around. A fun little ride.

But now, post-Steve, I have come to appreciate the joy of traveling gently. Driving casually down the road, enjoying the view, noticing my surroundings. He has helped broaden my horizons, to see the forest instead of the tree.

I like that. A lot.

Don’t Teach Your Children To Go To Church

February 23, 2015February 13, 2017 / apronsandappetites.com / 3 Comments

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about church attendance: why people go or don’t go to church.

It dawned on me this past Sunday, as I listened to our pastor preach about John the Baptist, what the answer was. He talked about the way John the Baptist lived, eating locusts and honey and wearing rough clothing because all he cared about was bringing the message that God had ordained him to bring to the world. He cared for nothing but the job set out for him. His love and focus was to do that job well because he loved the God who had called him to do it.

And that, my friends, is why we steadfastly attend church. Unless, of course, you are a Sadducee or a Pharisee. If that is the case, then you are attending church to be seen and let all your “good” works be known to the world, whether your world is large or small.

But for the Johns (hmmm)(I should rephrase that)… but for those John the Baptist church attendees (much better), it is because you love love love God and cannot stay away from the place Jesus brought into being, the church. He went every week, and so that is what we want to do. He set the example, and so we want to follow that example. He is our focus, our engine, our sheep herder. He is the reason we love to go to church.

So don’t teach your children to go to church because they will quit going to this social place their parents seem to like. Teach them Jesus.

Because once you fall in real love with Him, you never want to leave. Because once you learn who Jesus is, you want to be closer and closer. Because once you really understand what it all means, you will always have it in your heart and soul and mind.

Nehemiah 8:8

⁸They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.

Maybe, just maybe…

February 17, 2015 / apronsandappetites.com / 4 Comments

For the past few weeks I’ve been responding to articles and posts about churches and Christians being judgmental and cold. Because I don’t think they are. I’ve tried to explain why I feel the way I do, but either I’m not expressing myself well, (happens a lot) or I’m flat out wrong.

Maybe I have my head stuck in the sand. Maybe all these things are true, and I’m just not noticing it. Because the truth is I’m pretty busy on Sunday mornings. I play piano for my little church, so as soon as Sunday School is over, I go straight to the piano. After church is over, I’m back at the piano. So I’m a bit out of the loop, I guess. Perhaps all this negativity is going on around me that I don’t even know about.

But maybe, just maybe, we’re all too sensitive. Maybe, just maybe, I am too sensitive about these posts.

In defense of my sisters and brothers in Christ, though, sometimes we just don’t know what to do because no matter what one does, it’s going to be wrong. We were too pushy; we were too cold; we didn’t look at a person properly; we asked someone to do something. I have heard all the excuses. On the other end of that spectrum I’ve also seen some of the older members (most have died out now) protect their pew with a vengeance. And I remember the dos and don’ts of my mother’s era.

It boils down to Do you really want to be in worship with a bunch of people JUST LIKE YOU? Because that’s what it is. People full of faults trying to overcome those faults because they love Jesus and want to be more like him. Imperfect people saved by grace. People with personalities that sometimes clash, sometimes mesh, and sometimes seem distant due to circumstances in their lives.

I’ve been to many, many churches. I’ve seen people so happy they dance in the aisles; I’ve seen people so heartsick it was all they could do to muster up the energy to be in God’s house; I’ve been hugged, really hugged, by the best huggers in the world; I’ve been encouraged by the best encouragers ever; I’ve prayed with the mightiest prayer warriors. I’ve stepped over and talked to the quiet people, and I’ve joined the rowdy ones. That’s only a few of the personalities.

Jesus set the example for church attendance. Every week He was in the synagogue. I’m fairly certain there were quite a few people who did not like Him and were more than downright rude. But He went anyway. Maybe, just maybe, He had the option of several synagogues to choose from when He attended. But, unlike us, it probably wouldn’t have mattered to Him where He went. His mission was His priority.

Our country, my little town, is full of churches that are full of personality. Go until you find a church that is just where you belong. Hopefully, without bashing the one you just attended. There is a church personality to fit your personality, a church in tune with your thoughts and behaviors, a church that will feel like home.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s not the church folk who are cold and hard and judgmental. Maybe, just maybe, it’s you.

The Amazing Pixie Find

February 16, 2015February 16, 2015 / apronsandappetites.com / Leave a comment

As we sat in the bed and eyed the pixies, Ava whispered, “They’re asleep.” I, of course, agreed. So we continued our whispered conversation about why they were here.

“I think they came back for Valentine’s Day,” says the caught-off-guard Gigi.

“Maybe they came to watch us,” says the spied-upon-by-Elf-on-the-Shelf Ava.

Since that was not my intention at all with the pixies, I insist they are not here to spy but to make Valentine’s Day fun. So we whisper some more about the pixies and how we think they must come for every holiday (groan), and then we whisper reading our books because we don’t want to wake them, and then I finally say, “They aren’t waking up; let’s just talk normal.” Whew

Probably, knowing that Ava is a lot like her Gigi, she would have forgotten all about the Big Pixie Find by the next day, but I couldn’t chance it. I had to drag out the heart stickers and the glue and the markers and the stamps and stamp pads (good thing because Kate showed me how to use them) and we made Valentines for people.

Yep. That Kate is pretty slick. She said, “If you would let us use your stuff more, I could show you how to use all of it.” (Because I have a treasure trove of goodies in the basement.)

She also said, “I think you do all the stuff for the pixies.”

Eight… and she’s already way ahead of me.

The Amazing Pixie Find

February 3, 2015February 4, 2015 / apronsandappetites.com / Leave a comment

My sweet, little Ava who is five this year, soon to be six as she reminds me quite often, loves to come over and play. Kate has already left me. After all, she is eight now! Her playing with Gigi days are now a thing of the past, replaced with the evil ipad. She would much rather make rooms and animals and other odd-looking creations on Mine Craft or construct homes and make families on the Simms. I have to say, she has me looking pretty buff and in a very nice home in the Simms village. Occasionally I get a tour.

It started with Maddy actually, the playing that is. I think, somehow, I didn’t get the playing thing out of my system as a child which is the catalyst of my love of playing now. So when I met Maddy so many years ago, we played and played. Sometimes we would let her uncle in on the fun, but mostly it was just us girls.

not-so-little Maddy

It was for Maddy that I started the Sunflower House. Now they have become a tradition for those that follow in her footsteps.

Kate, Ava, Maddy

There was Brittany, Brooke, Jack, Sam, Kate, Ava, Owen, Maci, Emily and the other “church kids” and several pop-in-and-outs. I have had a ball with all!!

Of the regulars, I am down to Ava with her big imagination. So this past Christmas when the Pixies (click on Pixies to see the story) happened upon Gigi’s house, she and Kate loved them. Since Ava is the one who is over here quite often, she kept track of when they were flying around looking for things for us to do and people to cheer or help. I had hidden them away when I took the tree down, but had them lying on a dresser in my bedroom ready to put away in the Christmas tubs when Ava spied them.

We were sitting on the bed, reading, when her eyes got big and round and she pointed and whispered, rather reverently, “the Pixies!”

Oh no!

(to be continued…)

Little Will and the Clan

February 2, 2015 / apronsandappetites.com / Leave a comment

Momma and newborn Will

Just because I think he’ll have to be a wrangler to handle those wild animals that this little guy has been adopted into, I got him a pair of baby cowboy boots and a bandanna bib. He was only 5 pounds and some ounces when he joined us, but I’m expecting the little guy to grow… and grow fast.

He was graced with some mighty tall and fine looking parents. Good parents that just couldn’t quite take care of him, so they searched and searched and found just the right set of parents they wanted their little boy to know as his very own. And this set of parents came with a herd of youngins that would love him and cuddle him and play with him, and, I would suspect, even someday fight with him. A family. A good family who had prayed for just the right son to bring into their fold.

cousins

One of these days, sooner than we like, he will be sitting on the couch with the Illinois cousins and his two sisters and big brother. But for right now he’s very content to be snuggled by whoever wants to grab hold and snuggle.

snuggling

one happy Daddy

Our little guy is just that right now: little!! We have been used to his big sister who also comes from tall genes and looks four instead of barely two. And she has been used to the limelight and the attention, so when Mawmaw asked her if she wanted little Will, her answer was a firm “No!”

just fine without a baby smaller than me, thank you very much!!

The three-turned-four-child household will be going through a lot of changes this year. A big part of those changes is from our little Will joining the clan.

What a great change!!

such a cutie!

Rejoice!

December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 / apronsandappetites.com / Leave a comment

My friend, Amy, has this great blog. If you look over to the right under finds from my blog foraging, you will find her site at the top. Check it out

For the moment I have made it easy for you. All you have to do is click on Rejoice!

Enjoy.

Rejoice!.

CHRISTMAS PIXIES

December 2, 2014December 4, 2014 / apronsandappetites.com / 1 Comment

This Christmas we are going to be visited by three very cute, very small, Christmas Pixies. I got the idea from the blog the imagination tree. Click on Kindness Elves and you can see what I’m talking about.

Since the girls already have Elf on a Shelf at home, I wanted something different than an elf but the same concept of kindness. Without something watching them all the time! When this blog popped up on my News Feed on Facebook, it was perfect!

So the search began for the just-right pixies. They had to be able to fly and be cute as buttons. They had to have a sweet, caring face as well as a mischievous look… because, after all, pixies are full of fun and want to spread joy. I finally found the little darlings on Amazon, ordered them, and now they are waiting to leave their notes for the girls, full of kind ideas and activities they have planned for us to do this Christmas season. Each day they fly around the neighborhood, seeing the needs of people, and come back to tell us things we can do to bring joy and happiness throughout the month. Of course, they pretend to be toys if we get near them. They immediately stop their whispering and giggling and become hard toys.

JOY

HOPE

The little stinkers!

Each of them has a job to do. Joy looks for things to make the girls happy during the Christmas season.

FAITH

Hope looks for ways to bring hope to the lives of people in need, sad, worried, alone… you get the idea.

Faith has the job of telling the story of Jesus. She has already gotten Bibles to give away and is planning on having the girls read the Christmas story.

All the pixies are excited about Christmas, and the girls are excited about them. We have already found a note from Joy to start the season off right. Since the girls love making gingerbread houses, Joy found a whole village for them to make. It was a little harder than the big ones, so next year I’m putting in a request for bigger houses. But we had a great time making the little ones.