Chicken Pot Pie

I made one of my favorite meals for myself this evening.  Very easy, very homey, very delicious.  I got this recipe from Mary Reedy and tweaked it a bit.

• 3 large chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 1 can of cream of potato soup
• 1 can of cream of broccoli soup
• 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas, and corn)
• 2 frozen pie crusts

Mix the first 4 ingredients and pour into a pie crust.  Top with the other pie crust.  I cut a few slits in the top.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.  I bake it on an cookie sheet so its easier to get in and out of the oven.  It also reheats really well!  Thanks, Mary!

Halloween in my Hood

Y'all, apparently James Island goes ALL OUT for Halloween!  On my drive to and from work each day, I pass several houses that are decked out.  The house below is a block from my abode.  They must have a thing for holidays because Christmas looked like Santa's workshop.  And Halloween is pretty festive as well!

Evening:

Daytime:

Blast from the Past

So this past Sunday in small group/Sunday school, I walked in to find some friends from high school that I hadn't seen high school.  Now, I have to admit, sometimes seeing folks from the past isn't all that awesome.  Fears of them not remembering me, me not remembering their names, awkward amounts of time have passed, etc. have caused me to turn the other way or duck behind the nearest kiosk as quickly as possible.  What?!  That's never happened to you?  Hmmm...  But seeing these girls was so fun!

Beth came over tonight and it was fun to hang out, catch up, hear what's going on in her life, and watch some Modern Family (best show on TV right now).  It's cool to see how the Lord uses people in our lives, and has them come in and out in different seasons.  

Stompin' the Divots!

I was invited to a polo match this past Sunday in Ravenel, SC.  Polo?  Who, me?  You better believe it.  All I know about polo I learned from Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. 

 

The most challenging thing: what to wear?  My white pumps have been put up since it's after Labor Day (yes, I do own white pumps).  My polka dots were at the cleaners, so I settled on a brown strapless dress, cowboy boots, and an orange scarf. 

 

I must say, it was an absolute GORGEOUS day in Charleston!  We showed up with some inexpensive red wine, champagne, and some treats...that were mostly prepared by Publix and a diet coke cake (still in the pan).  Talk about classy!  Well, let's.  Talk about it.  Because that is exactly what the tailgate that we ended up frolicking at embodied. 

 

Wait, you think serving out of sterling silver on bone china and linen napkins is a bit much for a tailgate?  You think having copias bottles of not-so-cheap champagne is extravegant?  You think bringing a coconut cake from the Peninsula Grill is over the top?  Really?  So do I!  But I loved every minute of it. 

 

All in all, it was a great Sunday!  I even saw some old friends from Presbyterian and high school that I hadn't seen in a while years.

But single ladies, one thing you should note: polo matches aren't the best places to find a date.  Unless you need a shopping partner...if you know what I mean.  At one point I said, "I've never been around so many gay men at one time; I've never been to a gay bar."  Amy replied, "Me neither...well, I have been to a gay bar: G spot."  A gentleman sitting next to us overheard and said, "Oh, me too!  The bar, not the other!"

Strong Women, Soft Hearts

I purchased this book with the intention of reading it before I heard Paula Rinehart, the author, speak at Windy Gap.  Welll, that didn't happen; my mind was more in the mood for sudoku than reading about my heart.  But I loved Paula at Windy Gap and so I read the back after the women's weekend.  It's a great read

 

 

What God asks of us is both simpler and more profound than adherence to a system of beliefs or following a set of rules.  He asks us to walk with him through the blood and guts of our real experience in an honest pilgrimage where we let him show us what real strength, and real love, are all about (17).

 

Between your longings and the demand for their fulfillment is a place as real as any in the tangible world.  But it is uncharted and uniquely tailored to your own personal story.  Youwill only know you are there when you feel a little on the edge of your chair -- and et strangely at peace.  Getting there, sometimes, feels like a miracle itself.

 

It is the place of trust.

 

Trust hangs somewhere between knowing what your heart longs for and trying to dictate the shape or timing or outcome of your heart's desire.  It lies in the willingness to accept the particulars fo how and when and where God chooses to intervene.  it waits in the cool shade of surender (76 & 77).

 

So there is such a thing as healthy fear.  We should fear the King, and especially, we should fear evil.  If you ever think about having an affair, for example, and you feel fear -- listen to your fear.  Part of wisdom is learning what to fear, and thereby, to keep your distance (165).

French Toast

I had some bread that needed to be used and so I decided to make French Toast with it for breakfast on Saturday.  Now, I didn't grow up eating French Toast at home (I don't think mom's ever made it).  Don't get me wrong, we had plenty of delectable treats, but FT wasn't one of them.  I've seen my Aunt Dean make it at the beach, but that's about it.  So I thought I'd try my hand at it.  Rather than Googling a recipe, I figured I could wing it...

I'm pretty sure you usually mix milk with the egg, but I didn't have milk, so I used orange juice.  

I dunked the bread in that mixture and put it in a frying pan with canola oil.  Flipped it a time or two.  

And it turned out like this:

Then I added the needed accouterments: powdered sugar and maple syrup.

I have to say, for my first go at French Toast, I think it turned out really well.  The orange juice added just enough of a citrus kick that I really enjoyed.  It was a good balance of toasty and soggy; it wasn't too eggy.  As I'm typing this, I realize that you usually put cinnamon in French Toast.  Well, there's always next time.

The Bluest Eye

Today I finished reading Toni Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye.  Sure, I'd seen Toni on Oprah a time or two, but had never experienced her for myself.  This is a book full of issues, full of pain, full of growing up.  It is told in unique and beautiful writing. 

Here are some quotes: 

Long hours she sat looking in the mirror, trying to discover the secret of the ugliness, the ugliness that made her ignored or despised at school, by teachers and classmates alike (45).

Here was an ugly little girl asking for beauty. A surge of love and understanding swept through him, but was quickly replaced by anger. Anger that he was powerless to help her. Of all the wishes people had brought him - money, love, revenge - this seemed to him the most poignant and the one most deserving of fulfillment. A little black girl who wanted to rise up out of the pit of her blackness and see the world with blue eyes (174).


I thought about the baby that everyone wanted dead, and saw it very clearly. It was in a dark, wet place, its head covered with O's of wool, the black face holding, like nickels, two clean black eyes, the flared nose, kissing-thick lips, and the living, breathing silk of black skin. No synthetic yellow bangs suspended over marble-blue eyes, no pinched nose and bowline mouth. More strongly than my fondness for Pecola, I felt a need for someone to want the black baby to live - just to counteract the universal love of white baby dolls, Shirley Temples, and Maureen Peals (190).