Pleasantly exhausted...

This is kind of an odd concept to me.  Usually I'm either one or the other - pleasant or exhausted.  However, I'm so excited right now because I feel both.  It is no surprise to those who know me to hear that I didn't sleep well last night.  I've suffered bouts of insomnia for as long as I can remember.  To top that off, I had to get up early due to some vehicular problems. 

All in all I was set up to be quite cranky and have a generally bad day (especially when you add in the allergy/sinus problems everyone in New England is suffering from).  However, I'm happy to report that even after some minor bumps, I've had not just a good day, but an AMAZING day!

I spent most of the day with a new and very dear friend.  She taught me so many things!  We worked with several different types of dough and made 2 loaves of bread, 2 loaves of 'cinnamon roll' bread, bagels, and orange rolls - all from scratch!  And to add to the joy, she gave me a knitting refresher while we waited for dough to rise or bake.

Once again, those who know me, know that I'm not a cook, or much of a baker unless it comes from a box.  And I will admit that I didn't do a whole lot myself, but I did learn and I was able to enjoy a great day full of fun and true Christian fellowship!

I really hope that I'm able to work on these skills some more.  It was so much fun and we have such great things to show for it, but even if I don't, it will be okay.  I will still carry with me the joy of today and the memories we've created.

Btw, in can anyone is interested, here are a few photos of what we made:

This is one loaf of the bread.  This stuff is amazing.  I haven't cut into my loaf yet, but I've had it before and I LOVE it!

These are the Cinnamon Roll bread.  I had this tonight for dessert and I am in love.  It is incredibly yummy and really hard to stop after just one piece.

These are the Orange Rolls.  Imagine cinnamon rolls, but with an orange zest filling and orange glaze on top.  I'll admit that I ate one of these as soon as we got home and then proceeded to eat another!

One of the things I find coolest was making these bagels.  They may not look great, or even really like bagels, but they taste great AND once again, they are made from scratch.  I cannot even believe we did that.  I've never heard of that before in my life.  I think I may have scared my friend just a bit when she saw how excited I was that we were attempting these.  :)

Steadfastness...

This word has been on my mind a lot lately, especially in the last few days.

I'm currently in the process of memorizing the book of James, which is an extremely daunting task for someone who has trouble memorizing the smallest of passages.  However, it is going well (8 verses down!) and I think the Lord is blessing me in it.  I'm memorizing this as part of a study of the book and I LOVE it!  However, this word - steadfastness - has stood out to me in the past couple days.  

"Count it joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  And let steadfastness have it's full effect that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

- James 1:2-4 (ESV)

I've had a lot going on in the past couple weeks.  More than I want to think about or dwell on or prattle on about on the internet.  However, I'd be remiss not to mention how God has used this.  I've been busy and worried and stressed and hurt and sick.  I'm calling that a 'trial of various kinds.'  My faith is tested.  But I have to decide, is this 'stress' going to build me up... or tear me down?  Will I count it joy?  Or throw a fit and be selfish?

With God's help, I'm working to count it joy and let it build me up, that I might truly be steadfast (firm in purpose, resolution, etc.) in my faith.  I'm learning bit by bit (and God is showing me bit by bit) where to put my trust and how to trust Him more.

So, I'm not very good at this blogging thing...

Yeah, it's been a while.  There is a very good reason for that.  Not much has been going on.  I find it weird to think of blogging my day to day life.  I know people do it, and for some, I'd read it.  But the thought of doing that myself seems... silly.  I cook, do housework, occasionally help Chas with homework, go to PWOC board meetings, and Bible study.  As a family, we go to Chapel and have family night every Friday night.  I mean, really, would you want to read extended descriptions of that?

We did move in November.  I'd like to blog a little bit about our new home because it's pretty awesome (a renovated cotton mill).  We also went home to MO for Christmas, which was a blessedly quiet and happy trip.  Those are the highlights from the past months of the blog blackout.

I'll go ahead and admit that I've been a little... uninspired lately.  I'm still checking out pinterest, but I haven't done any projects (cooking, crafting, etc.) in a while.  I'm hoping this will be remedied soon.  Maybe it is just because I feel a little like I'm still in transition.  We will be moving again in 5 months or so, so it is a little hard to get completely settled here.

In any event, I'm hoping that things will even out soon and perhaps, I'll even have something to blog about. 

I LOVE food...

I can't help it.  I really do.  It tastes so good.  And there are so many great things to try.  I've just recently started to really experiment with cooking.  Before my main experiences were just in restaurants, which I still love.  I'm actually involved in a 'dinner club' up here so I get to try new restaurants frequently.  One of the best things about living all over and traveling is trying out new restaurants and new foods.

To share just a quick story of this, a few weeks ago, my fam and I went on a short trip to Troy, NY.  As I've said before, when traveling, we like to find a local restaurant to try.  This time, I found a cute little polish restaurant called Muza.  (Seriously, if you are ever in Troy, NY, you should really stop in here)  The place isn't fancy or ornate or anything of that sort, but it definitely felt cozy and homey.  There aren't many tables, so there can be a wait, I'm told.  This actually works to an advantage because it really makes the restaurant feel as if you are dining in someone's home.  Everyone was at different tables, but we all kind of conversed as if we knew each other.  It was quite fun.  The restaurant is owned and run by a family.  The couple does all the cooking and their older daughter waits the tables.  It makes service a little slow, but the food is well worth the wait. 

Chas, NGD, and I all got different dishes and each were great.  Chas went with a pretty basic chicken and pasta dish.  NGD and I were a bit more adventurous.  I really can't remember what NGD's dish was called, but it was a traditional polish dish that he LOVED.  I got the chicken marsala, a personal fave.  It was served with delicious mashed potatoes and cole slaw.  Now, the cole slaw was an odd addition, I'll admit.  However, I was at a POLISH restaurant.  I had to have something with cabbage, right?  And I'll just go ahead and say that not only was it different than any other cole slaw I've ever eaten in my life, but it was also the best!  All in all, it was a great experience.  Oh, and did I mention that the restaurant itself is nestled into the side of a mountain?  :)

Here is a pic of NGD's dish, sorry it's so dark.

Now, I've also mentioned that I'm getting into cooking more and more.  I've always cooked, but I'm trying new things and experimenting with some recipes.  I've become a bit addicted to Pinterest, which has been great for finding and trying new recipes.  I've also been taking some pics of the food I make, as well as a few of the process.  I hope to add those along with a few words here soon.

Birthday Bash, Part 3...

An interesting thing that I really like about my birthday is the fact that my sister's birthday is exactly one month later (11 Aug & 11 Sept).  Because of this fact, this year, my mother decided to plan a fun family outing jointly for our birthdays.  I'm not sure how she came to the decision, but we decided to go to a ballgame.  I remember going to see the Cardinals play as a family when I was young and I loved it, so I was excited to go back and especially to take Chas with us.

Friday evening, Mom, Dad, Chas, and I drove up to STL.  It started to rain about the time we got to the hotel.  This did not bode well for our outdoors evening activity.  We stayed at a hotel right by the stadium, so we could just walk over to the park.  It appeared that everyone going to the game decided to stay there as well.  It took us a bit to check in and then a little while longer to stand in the line for the elevators, but we had a great room and a few hours to kill before heading over to the stadium.  We rested and watched TWC to see if the rain would stop (it did) and then we had a little family photo shoot.  Go ahead and scroll past if you want, it won't hurt my feelings...

Of course, I also have a few gratuitous pics of the stadium...

I haven't followed baseball in quite a few years, but I had a blast and enjoyed getting to talk baseball with my dad and Chas.  I think even my mom had fun.  We had great seats and the Cards won!!  Though, admittedly, Fredbird was one of Chas' favorite things about the game, which earned him a Build-a-Bear Fredbird during the 7th Inning Stretch.

 Mom was taking the pic, so she didn't get in this one.  Resulting in the pic below of the quintessential  sporting event pose...

Birthday Bash, Parts 1 & 2...

You see, this is another reason I'm not a good blogger.  I don't space my blogs out enough.  However, I wanted to post a few things about my birthday this year and it's already been almost 2 weeks.  I'm not a huge fan of birthdays (my own, at least).  This year, I was a bit sad because I was going to be away from Nathan, for my bday.  The up side was that I was going to be able to celebrate with some friends and my family.

 Part 1

Blessedly, it started with two of my peeps taking me out for the afternoon on the Tuesday before my birthday.  We went to one of my all-time favorite restaurants, Cheddar's.  Then we went to do one of my favorite activities - Bowling.  I know that it doesn't sound exciting, but I find if fun.  Especially with a couple good friends.  However, Stacey and Tammy went a step above and we didn't just go bowling, we also played mini-golf and spent some time in the arcade.  After that, we grabbed some ice cream at one of my favorite ice cream places - Maggie Moo's.  As you can see, it was a GREAT time and I didn't even mention the presents!  I'm pretty sure there is some photographic evidence of this outing, but I don't currently have it (might be for the best).

Part 2

Since my birthday was on a Thursday, we didn't really plan much.  My dad barbequed, which is one of my most favorite things, ever, and my mom made me a cake.  

When my Dad barbeques, it goes something like this, you have a hamburger with a hot dog as your side and then a couple ribs for dessert.  Needless to say, it was AWESOME!

And of course, the ribs get a big thumbs up from me!  They were super good.  Though, I have to admit just about everything was good.

Mom made me my favorite cake, chocolate with white icing.  Chas helped decorate with my favorite color.  The cake was unbelievably good (even with the sugar-free icing).  I regret that I didn't get to have more of it while I was there.

After all of this wonderful food was when Tammy and I walked around town to take pics.  As you can tell, I really needed the exercise!  It was a great day and pretty low-key.

The 'Dell...

So, anyone who has read my facebook or knows me very well, knows I'm from a very small town.  I recently visited my family and while there, I thought about what the town looks like now compared to how it looked while I was growing up.  I had long wanted to take pictures and I realized I should probably do it soon.  Already I had missed the opportunity to take pictures of what my childhood home looked like, the old movie theatre, the Western Auto building, and so on.  Here is a bit of what I captured on my trip...

This is my high school - North Pemiscot

The Mighty Mustangs!!

Our campus was a bit spread out.  In this one, you can see the Principal's building, the band building, and where the old gym used to be.

This old boarded up building may not look like much, but at one time it was a booming business - The Mustang!  I don't really remember it ever being open and operational, but I do remember getting off the bus from the Elementary school and my sister having a candy bar or a Jolly Rancher stick ready for me that she had bought at the Mustang.

The New Mustang

The town's only gas station.  It has a convenience store and some pretty good pizza.

 

Every town has to have one.  Here's ours:  City Hall and the Fire Station.

 

Ah, Wardell's own plaza (or shopping center, whatever you want to call it).  It housed the Post Office (still operating), a movie theatre (now burned and demolished), and a happening little drug store called Mrs. South's.  I remember going to Mrs. South's and getting a soda from the proprietor herself!

Ah, the other business district.  This one housed Bill White's, another little store (which sold the best candy bars - super cheap!), the town tavern, and the auction. 

The Stoplight - the town's one and only

This is also home to the Stoplight Cafe, which has been a great many businesses even in the course of my lifetime.

And last, but not least, we have the old Cotton Gin, not to be confused with the new and still operating Cotton Gin.  :)

Oh, there are so many things that I didn't quite capture!  We do still have another operating grocery store, The Food Center.  There are also still several houses, though many are currently for sale.  There are also several churches that are still going strong.

Wardell may not be a town that I want to live in currently, but I do have many fond memories of it.  Riding my bike all over town, meeting friends at the Food Center for a soda, playing on the playgrounds, etc.  Small towns aren't for everyone, but I did enjoy growing up in one.