Random May

Here is a random catchup of our month - stuff that hasn't made it to the blog any other way.  :D

I was making communion bread for church when I noticed that the loaves just wouldn't finish baking.  I couldn't figure out what was going on.  I thought perhaps the weather had something to do with it - but after an hour I realized it was more than weather!  That is when I finally realized that, duh, the stove just wasn't heating properly.  In fact, the bottom coil in the oven was completely cold.  Great.  Not only did I have to throw out all 5 loaves of bread, my oven was kaput.  However, when my dear parents heard about this dilemma, they surprised me by taking me to pick out a brand new oven for my birthday (coming up next month).  Wasn't that the sweetest thing?  I just love my new oven!  And now that I have used it a couple of days I am realizing that the stovetop on the old oven didn't even work well.  Perhaps this has been some of the cause of my frustration these last months at my inability to cook anything correctly?

out with the old...

... and in with the new!  Thank you so much Mama and Daddy!!

Julie, Marvin, and I decided it would be nice to have dinner together at King's Buffet with all our 'kids'.  A very nice evening together.  Love all of them so much!

Jonathan, Marvin, Julie, Matthew, Anna, Rojina, Jackson, Brianna

I convinced Marvin to buy a new western sport coat for the wedding.  He is going to look so nice!  :)

A few ladies gathered for lunch to celebrate Chris's birthday (a few days late).  It just so happened that Jeremy was also having lunch there with some folks so he had the opportunity to wish Chris well.  :)

Ally, Elizabeth, Susie, Laura, Jasmin, Gwen, Chris, Maddy

and some of us went for dessert afterward...  :D

Memorial Day was filled with much family time and time for reflection.  We always remember...

Rojina's first BBQ - a veggie burger and
lots of traditional side dishes.

Our first grill out of the season.

And finally, these ladies are tremendous!  What a blessing to have friends like these.  :)

Rojina, Julie, Alicia, Deb, Kelly, Susan

The amazing Susan 'just throwing together' a tasty lunch.  :)

Big

Well, it is finally time for me to face the reality of what has been literally staring me in the face for the last several months.  I won't be able to fix it by July 18.

I'm going to be big at my son's wedding.

sigh

There is no one to blame except myself.  What started as a difficult recovery from a hysterectomy turned into a loss of will.  By the time I felt like I was strong enough to resume working out, my body didn't want to cooperate.  Then I pulled a hamstring which further hampered my efforts to get back into shape.  The fact that I comforted myself with food throughout this process was something I was willing to overlook...  ;)    (ugh)

So, here I am.  Much larger than I ever wanted to be, again.  I have to admit that the thought of all the upcoming wedding photos makes me want to hide.  I am already envisioning a fat photo of me on a wall for the next few decades.  And after I had fought so hard to lose weight a few years ago.  I had promised myself I would never 'go back'.

Yes, I'm going to be big at my son's wedding.

But, you know how God meets you right where you are?  And nothing is too small or insignificant for Him?  He has been talking to me... reaching out to comfort me.  And to help me put things in the proper perspective.

I AM going to be big at my son's wedding.

I can already feel it.  My heart filled to bursting with joy and love and happiness.  I can picture it.  Surrounded by so many that make our lives full and complete.  Loved ones sharing this great joy with us; coming together to love and support Jackson and Brianna as they embark on this marvelous journey together.

I am going to be SO big at my son's wedding!

My arms will be full of hugs to both give and receive. My smile is going to be huge - in fact, I am already smiling!

So watch out world.  I AM GOING TO BE BIG AT MY SON'S WEDDING!  And I just can't wait for you to see!  :D

Ladies Trip

Julie, Anna, Rojina, and I took a quick trip together.  We enjoyed way too much yummy food along the way and also had the opportunity to see our good friend, Juan.  What a treat all the way around.

It was such a lovely morning and the flowers were blooming so prettily that we took lots of photos before we even left town.  

Rojina in front of Julie's house

with some of the flowers in town at Anna's house

Rojina at Anna's house

Anna and Rojina

There were even lovely flowers at our lunch stop - Olive Garden.  :)

Yummy Indian food for dinner!

Rojina, Julie, Anna

Laura, Juan

Over dinner we discovered that Juan had never had a Krispy Kreme donut!  We knew that Rojina had never had one, but we were shocked when we learned about Juan!  :D  We decided that we had to remedy that situation immediately.  Luckily, we got to this Krispy Kreme just minutes before closing time.

Juan and Rojina

 It was while standing in the Krispy Kreme shop that Juan said, "They don't look any different than Walmart donuts to me."  Oh my... sacrilege!  :D

Cool chairs in the hotel lobby.  :D

a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts... bliss!

Juan is still not believing that this will be a moment he will remember.  :D

we decided to microwave them for a few seconds since they were cold

Juan's first bite...

ummmmm!!

Oh my!

slurp

UMMMMM!   

Rojina liked them, too.  

Juan realizes that he has been missing out all this time!  :)

Lunch at a Japanese/Sushi place

Julie, Juan, Rojina

Ice cream cones as big as their heads at Braums.   :)

Nepalese food  at Everest Cafe in Jefferson City, MO

What an interesting restaurant this is!

Cream Corn

Here is another creamy corn recipe.  This one is easy to whip up in a skillet and should go well with just about anything.  We served it with smoked turkey and green beans.  Yummy!

Cream Corn

INGREDIENTS:

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed 1 cup half and half 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a skillet over medium heat, combine the corn, half and half, salt, sugar, pepper and butter. Whisk together the milk and flour, and stir into the corn mixture. Cook stirring over medium heat until the mixture is thickened, and corn is cooked through. Remove from heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Serve hot.

Couples Wedding Shower

My dear sister, Julie, hosted the first wedding shower for Brianna and Jackson.  It was a couples/family shower and included people that Jackson has known for most of his life.  These special people have all had such a strong influence on him (and on our family).  We love and appreciate them deeply.

Many of the ladies brought a couple dozen homemade cookies in ziploc bags for Brianna.  We are storing them in the freezer to use at the wedding reception for a 'cookie bar'.  This is such a helpful gift and will definitely lesson the amount of cookies that we Moms and Grandmas have to make right before the wedding.  Plus, it is wonderful to see the cookies each lady makes and to get the recipe for Brianna.  Thank you all so much!!

We are so blessed by each of these people in our lives.

Many photos are included below or you can see an entire album of photos by clicking here.

Brinda and Brianna

Brianna and Kathy

Brianna and Chris

Alicia and Brianna

Melina, Brianna, and Brenda

Rolena, Dane, and Brianna

Adrian, Jackson, Jonathan

Shonda and Jeremy

Tim, Brinda, Julie

Loved this!  Brenda and Shonda had on
the same shirt - different colors.  :)

We all enjoyed a time of fellowship at the beginning; sampling some of the food available and enjoying Julie's delicious hot tea.  

a lovely table

tea party reception

cookie table

Mama, Master Bill S. and Kathy enjoying the back deck.

Then we got down to the business at hand... watching Jackson and Brianna open their gifts.  :)  What fun!

A true heirloom - hand stitched pillow cases by Grandma Sue.

Adorable stocking holders with their
childhood photos from Shonda.

Jackson was SO excited to see that drill!!  :)
It was pretty cute, actually.  

Poor Adrian - what a great best man!

Bride to be journal

what wonderful people!

Marvin, Alaina, Jeremy

Jackson and Brianna with 'The Moms'

Jackson and Brianna

Adrian, Jackson, Brianna, Alaina
Best man, groom, bride, maid of honor

Jonathan and Cody added in - they are also groomsmen.

Jackson and Brianna with the S. family

Carlos and Chris

Marilyn and Mama

Keith

Chris, Rojina, Alicia, Deb

Laura, Rojina, Julie, Shonda

Julie, Brianna, and Jackson

Brianna, Jackson, Laura, Marvin, Jonathan

Jonathan and Adrian - brothers at heart

Marvin and Rojina

Brianna, Jackson, Grandma and Grandpa