I am a picky eater. I don't like many green veggies, I don't eat meat that is served like it lived on earth, I don't like white butterbeans, picky I tell you. Several years ago though, I found myself in Llangollen (pronounced Clan Glocklyn),Wales at the Kings Inn. It was a delightful town and so, we went down for breakfast. All week long we had toasts, cereal, Irish soda bread, jams, and juice and occasionally fruit for breakfast. Not a big breakfast eater...at breakfast time...I would grab a couple pieces of toast, some hot tea, and throw a piece of fruit in my bag for later. Imagine my surprise when...sitting on the table was a new type of toast. It was bigger than a piece of Melba Toast...and looked divine. Also, sitting right beside the toast things was some Braeburn Applesauce...the chunky kind....my absolute favorite. I got two pieces of the toast...smothered it in butter and applesauce, poured my tea and sat down with our tour guide to enjoy my breakfast. Adam Buckmaster peered at me over his morning paper as I took a big crunchy bite of the toast and asked, "is that how you eat them in the states?" I knew I had goofed and needed to save face...so I replied, "of course...how do you eat here?" He replied, "with a spot of warm milk and some sugar." I continued to crunch my new found delicasy with delight...even though I was mortified. My friend, Cindy, came down and looked at my plate and said,"what in the hell is that?" "Breakfast" I said smartly. When I was finished and left the dining area...I stopped the waiter and asked him what the toast things were...."Wheetabix" he said. "Wheetabix? what is that?" I asked. He smiled and told me it was similar to our Shreaded Wheat...only more compact. I could have died. Buckmaster loved my blunder...and brought it up several times throughout the trip...who would have thunk it. Wheetabix...the perfect looking toast like thing...was a shreaded wheat square...made to be eaten like cereal...and here this crazy American tourist was eating it raw with butter and applesauce. Only in America. I will say this...Wheetabix are good with butter and jam on them....and they taste like cardboard (just like shreaded wheat) smothered in milk and sprinkled with sugar. The Brits just don't know a good thing when they see it. Have you ever had one of those embarassing moments...when you did something that seemed to make sense...and it was the stupidest thing ever...tell me yours in a comment...I would love to hear about it. It might make me feel better. :-) Happy Tuesday to all!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Only A Silly American Tourist....
I am a picky eater. I don't like many green veggies, I don't eat meat that is served like it lived on earth, I don't like white butterbeans, picky I tell you. Several years ago though, I found myself in Llangollen (pronounced Clan Glocklyn),Wales at the Kings Inn. It was a delightful town and so, we went down for breakfast. All week long we had toasts, cereal, Irish soda bread, jams, and juice and occasionally fruit for breakfast. Not a big breakfast eater...at breakfast time...I would grab a couple pieces of toast, some hot tea, and throw a piece of fruit in my bag for later. Imagine my surprise when...sitting on the table was a new type of toast. It was bigger than a piece of Melba Toast...and looked divine. Also, sitting right beside the toast things was some Braeburn Applesauce...the chunky kind....my absolute favorite. I got two pieces of the toast...smothered it in butter and applesauce, poured my tea and sat down with our tour guide to enjoy my breakfast. Adam Buckmaster peered at me over his morning paper as I took a big crunchy bite of the toast and asked, "is that how you eat them in the states?" I knew I had goofed and needed to save face...so I replied, "of course...how do you eat here?" He replied, "with a spot of warm milk and some sugar." I continued to crunch my new found delicasy with delight...even though I was mortified. My friend, Cindy, came down and looked at my plate and said,"what in the hell is that?" "Breakfast" I said smartly. When I was finished and left the dining area...I stopped the waiter and asked him what the toast things were...."Wheetabix" he said. "Wheetabix? what is that?" I asked. He smiled and told me it was similar to our Shreaded Wheat...only more compact. I could have died. Buckmaster loved my blunder...and brought it up several times throughout the trip...who would have thunk it. Wheetabix...the perfect looking toast like thing...was a shreaded wheat square...made to be eaten like cereal...and here this crazy American tourist was eating it raw with butter and applesauce. Only in America. I will say this...Wheetabix are good with butter and jam on them....and they taste like cardboard (just like shreaded wheat) smothered in milk and sprinkled with sugar. The Brits just don't know a good thing when they see it. Have you ever had one of those embarassing moments...when you did something that seemed to make sense...and it was the stupidest thing ever...tell me yours in a comment...I would love to hear about it. It might make me feel better. :-) Happy Tuesday to all!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sodderbug Giveaway
Today is Monday and we started back to school today after a week off for Spring Break. I am not feeling creative....I am feeling blah....I need some sunshine and warmth....I am all over winter. Today the high is barely hitting 40. Groans...warmth I tell you warmth....not much to do but catch up on past blogs...when...I got hit with an Oh wow...if you are a jewelry lover...and of course I am...you need to check out the giveaway on Tatertots and Jello. It is an easy enter....and Janelle from Sodderbug has offered up an awesome prize. Janelle is a mother of two and awesome crafter. Check out her block Sew Blessed. She is really crafty! I wish I could be totally selfish...and just keep this quiet...but I can't. I am not made that way. You need to go on and check out the giveaway! Are you still here? What are you waiting for....Good luck and Happy Monday!
A Yo Gabba Gabba Celebration (Yikes)
“Happy Birthday, Natalie,” I said on Friday morning when I went to get her up.
She ignored me.
“You get some presents,” I tried again.
This time her eyes flew open.
The night before I had set up downstairs in anticipation for her birthday. Her theme? Yo Gabba Gabba. I know. Tres scary. (If your child also likes creepy Yo Gabba Gabba, I bought everything here.)
I even put pictures of the Yo Gabba Gabba characters against the wall. Brobee is already ruined. Natalie took it off the wall and tried to sleep with him. Poor Brobee got stuck to her and she flipped out.
“BROBEE SICK!” Natalie had hollered.
RIP Brobee.
Natalie came downstairs and opened some presents.
She also got a bike. She can’t pedal yet so this is pissing her off. Lots of shouting is coming from our household.
Later, she had some friends come over for some cupcakes. We passed out Yo Gabba Gabba gift boxes. Yes, Natalie got one, too. She’d have never let me hear the end of it.
She picked Olive Garden for her birthday dinner. I find it amusing that my children prefer to go out rather than have me make something. I don’t mind though. Because hello, it means I don’t have to cook.
Then it was CAKE TIME. Yes, I changed Natalie. Didn’t want her ultra adorable white shirt get stained. We do not have good luck with white shirts over here. Tom wonders why I keep buying white shirts then and I’m all, “What can I say, Gymboree keeps making cute white shirts.”
As Natalie gobbled her cake down, I thought back to her first birthday.
She was NOT amused by the cake then. She was insulted when the frosting got on her precious fingers. I was all, “Lick it off!” and this infuriated her even more. I remember thinking, “Whose child is this? Why is she not respecting the frosting?”
She definitely respects frosting now. In fact, that’s usually the only thing she eats from a cake.
All in all I think she had a good birthday. Thank you all for the birthday wishes.
I can’t believe that she’s THREE. Here comes the sass! (What am I talking about, the sass has been here since she was born..)
She ignored me.
“You get some presents,” I tried again.
This time her eyes flew open.
The night before I had set up downstairs in anticipation for her birthday. Her theme? Yo Gabba Gabba. I know. Tres scary. (If your child also likes creepy Yo Gabba Gabba, I bought everything here.)
I even put pictures of the Yo Gabba Gabba characters against the wall. Brobee is already ruined. Natalie took it off the wall and tried to sleep with him. Poor Brobee got stuck to her and she flipped out.
“BROBEE SICK!” Natalie had hollered.
RIP Brobee.
Natalie came downstairs and opened some presents.
She also got a bike. She can’t pedal yet so this is pissing her off. Lots of shouting is coming from our household.
Later, she had some friends come over for some cupcakes. We passed out Yo Gabba Gabba gift boxes. Yes, Natalie got one, too. She’d have never let me hear the end of it.
She picked Olive Garden for her birthday dinner. I find it amusing that my children prefer to go out rather than have me make something. I don’t mind though. Because hello, it means I don’t have to cook.
Then it was CAKE TIME. Yes, I changed Natalie. Didn’t want her ultra adorable white shirt get stained. We do not have good luck with white shirts over here. Tom wonders why I keep buying white shirts then and I’m all, “What can I say, Gymboree keeps making cute white shirts.”
As Natalie gobbled her cake down, I thought back to her first birthday.
She was NOT amused by the cake then. She was insulted when the frosting got on her precious fingers. I was all, “Lick it off!” and this infuriated her even more. I remember thinking, “Whose child is this? Why is she not respecting the frosting?”
She definitely respects frosting now. In fact, that’s usually the only thing she eats from a cake.
All in all I think she had a good birthday. Thank you all for the birthday wishes.
I can’t believe that she’s THREE. Here comes the sass! (What am I talking about, the sass has been here since she was born..)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
I Am the True Vine
Today's sermon, delivered by our Senior Pastor Bill Etheridge, at the Arbor came from John 15:1-"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. My official title at the Arbor service at First United Methodist is Arbor decorator. I put together the altars for the service every week. It has been an amazing, and to begin with expensive, process. When I first started doing this about 5 years ago...I bought what I needed. I had no clue that there was an account for such as this. I looked at it as my ministry....so I never asked for money back. I love getting the sermon topics during the week...and then praying over what the altar will look like on Sunday. Many times I have one idea...and change my mind when I get to the Arbor to put the altar together...other times the altar comes into my head...and stays there. I have scavenged through thrift stores, junk stores, antique stores...looking for just the right element to make it come to life. It wasn't until this year...that someone actually realized...I put the things together...and that they are never the same. Do I photograph them...keep a file on them? Nope! I just do them(my friend Billy took the picture I have attached today.) It was kind of funny. I have never wanted to take pictures of my altars...but this week I was singing Shackles...and had this post idea. Putting the altars together is my alone time with God. You see, I go to the Arbor...usually late in the afternoon on Saturday....don't even turn on the lights...except for the one in the storage room...and the altar comes to life. It is amazing sometimes and definitely humbling. Do I do this? Heck No! This is a God Thing...it is time that God and I spend alone. I am not a interior decorator...but somehow (it's God)...there in the darkness of the Arbor (again...it is God)....an altar comes to be...under my non-artsy hands...when I step back...it never fails (and I don't know why it surprises me...after all it is a God thing)...there it is. The altar...just as I envisioned it. God is amazing...and no matter what your talents are....or aren't....He can use you. BTW...for those of you who read my sermon earlier in the week...it went over well. Hummmmm....is there another calling there? Who knows...we will just have to listen for the whisper and see! Happy Sunday and God Bless You All Real Good!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Colonial Kitchens, Gingerbread, and Old Salem
,
Old Salem's Moravian Gingerbread
Just posted a a tour of Colonial Kitchens and of the buildings at Old Salem, a mid-18th century Moravian village in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on my It's About Time Blog. Also posted the Moravian Gingerbread recipe.
The Moravians were featured on this blog in the story of arist Johann Valentin Haidt. Please come visit the other blog for modern depictions of the restoration.
The Single Brothers House, 1769, Old Salem, North Carolina.
Old Salem's Moravian GingerbreadJust posted a a tour of Colonial Kitchens and of the buildings at Old Salem, a mid-18th century Moravian village in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on my It's About Time Blog. Also posted the Moravian Gingerbread recipe.
The Moravians were featured on this blog in the story of arist Johann Valentin Haidt. Please come visit the other blog for modern depictions of the restoration.
The Single Brothers House, 1769, Old Salem, North Carolina. .
Saturday Morning Charm
I love photographing tablescapes. This morning I was planning out a birthday party for my friend Debbie. She will be 50 tomorrow. I wanted my table to be cheerful and happy so I got out a incomplete set of yellow dishes my mom had up in her house and went to work. My Charm glassware is green and sits in the hutch so I wanted the yellow to kind of blend with it. I had found four green striped placemats in the hutch at mom's house too, the yellow daisies I purchased at the Dollar Tree. It took four bunches to get the right amount and the yellow pail I picked up at the Mission Thrift Store for twenty-five cents. What a find! The glasses are just a set of Walmart glasses. I think at one time I gave somewhere around $7.00 for them. The photograph is where Debbie will sit and it is a picture of she and my dad at an Old Fashioned Sunday. The white little ginger jar is going to be her gift. I bought it at Big Lots for less than 10.00. I hope she likes the presentation. I seem to be all about presentation since I started checking out Mid-Atlantic Martha, Edie Marie's Attic, and Tales of Bloggeritaville's Thursday Tablescapes. I never knew setting a table could be so much fun. It has become a treasure hunt trying to find just exactly what I am looking for, for the perfect table. As you all know I have Blue Garland China and when I did my last tablescape I used Crystal I bought in Ireland. What I am looking for is some smoky blue glasses...I think Fostoria makes a set...they would really enhance the blue flowered garland on the dish. Oh well. I am hitting some antique/junk shops/thrift stores today...looking for booth items....but maybe I will luck out and find something for me. Happy Saturday!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Happy 3rd Birthday, Natalie!
Dear Natalie,
Here’s the thing, sweetheart.
You cried.
A lot.
I don’t think you liked me very much in the beginning.
Our relationship back then could be summed up with these pictures:
First you’d be all, “WTF? I’m entrusting my life to THIS woman?”
Then you’d be all, “I don’t think I like this. I demand a replacement.”
Then you’d cry. For like an hour.
Then you’d resemble a pissed off old lady. You thought again, “I’m entrusting my life to THIS woman? Where is the damned replacement?”
And the whole thing would start all over again when you realized that there would be no replacement.
I tried my best! You’re lucky that you were my second child. You’d have been incredibly ticked off had you been my first. Your poor brother had a mother who had no idea what she was doing. You at least had an experienced parent.
At least I thought I was experienced.
Then you came along and WOULDN’T STOP CRYING and I started to fear that I had no idea what I was doing all over again.
You cried.
And you cried.
And oh yeah, YOU CRIED.
I think I know what upset you so much. It was the fact that I sang to you, wasn’t it? Because when I sang to you when you turned one, you covered my mouth and went, “Shhhh.” You do that even now. Were you crying because that was your way of saying, “Jesus woman, could you SHUT your yapper? You are NOT the next American Idol.”
It also could be that I was always putting stuff on your head. I couldn’t help it, Natalie! I had a boy first, I couldn’t decorate his head. Then you came along and I was all, “Yay, hair pretties!”
Apparently you didn’t like the hair pretties.
At around six months, you cheered up. I think it’s because you realized that I was the best you were going to get.
Sure, you still had an attitude. At a year old you informed me that you were mad. You followed this up by, “No.” Soon it was, “No this,” and “no that.” No, no, no.
You keep things interesting though. You give me a lot of write about in my blog and for that I am appreciative.
I cannot believe that you are three.
I cannot believe you enjoy watching a creepy show called Yo Gabba Gabba. One of the characters looks like a diseased male appendage, darling. And should I be concerned that he is your favorite?
Thank you so much for allowing me to dress you up.
Thank you so much for keeping me on my toes.
I wouldn’t change anything for the world.
Happy Third Birthday, Natalie Elizabeth!
Love,
The one you love to torture the most
PS. I’m sorry, but you probably won’t be able to date. Ever. Blame your father.
--------------------
I made a video of Natalie and the outfits that I put her in. It is just for fun. The song is "Material Girl" and I usually always get a note saying that material things aren't important, blah blah blah. I GET that. It's just for FUN.
Here’s the thing, sweetheart.
You cried.
A lot.
I don’t think you liked me very much in the beginning.
Our relationship back then could be summed up with these pictures:
First you’d be all, “WTF? I’m entrusting my life to THIS woman?”
Then you’d be all, “I don’t think I like this. I demand a replacement.”
Then you’d cry. For like an hour.
Then you’d resemble a pissed off old lady. You thought again, “I’m entrusting my life to THIS woman? Where is the damned replacement?”
And the whole thing would start all over again when you realized that there would be no replacement.
I tried my best! You’re lucky that you were my second child. You’d have been incredibly ticked off had you been my first. Your poor brother had a mother who had no idea what she was doing. You at least had an experienced parent.
At least I thought I was experienced.
Then you came along and WOULDN’T STOP CRYING and I started to fear that I had no idea what I was doing all over again.
You cried.
And you cried.
And oh yeah, YOU CRIED.
I think I know what upset you so much. It was the fact that I sang to you, wasn’t it? Because when I sang to you when you turned one, you covered my mouth and went, “Shhhh.” You do that even now. Were you crying because that was your way of saying, “Jesus woman, could you SHUT your yapper? You are NOT the next American Idol.”
It also could be that I was always putting stuff on your head. I couldn’t help it, Natalie! I had a boy first, I couldn’t decorate his head. Then you came along and I was all, “Yay, hair pretties!”
Apparently you didn’t like the hair pretties.
At around six months, you cheered up. I think it’s because you realized that I was the best you were going to get.
Sure, you still had an attitude. At a year old you informed me that you were mad. You followed this up by, “No.” Soon it was, “No this,” and “no that.” No, no, no.
You keep things interesting though. You give me a lot of write about in my blog and for that I am appreciative.
I cannot believe that you are three.
I cannot believe you enjoy watching a creepy show called Yo Gabba Gabba. One of the characters looks like a diseased male appendage, darling. And should I be concerned that he is your favorite?
Thank you so much for allowing me to dress you up.
Thank you so much for keeping me on my toes.
I wouldn’t change anything for the world.
Happy Third Birthday, Natalie Elizabeth!
Love,
The one you love to torture the most
PS. I’m sorry, but you probably won’t be able to date. Ever. Blame your father.
--------------------
I made a video of Natalie and the outfits that I put her in. It is just for fun. The song is "Material Girl" and I usually always get a note saying that material things aren't important, blah blah blah. I GET that. It's just for FUN.
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