Baptist Chiclets or Catholic Wafers

So, I know this is probably totally wrong of me, but I admit that during communion on Sunday I couldn't help but have a few thoughts regarding the "bread" - the "body of Christ, broken for me". Now before you go thinking that this is some sort of moment of divine inspiration, please think again. If you are going to be offended by my ADD and child-like curiosity, just stop reading because I promise you that what follows is missing a whole lot of linkage to divinity.

I grew up in a Baptist church. For communion, we always used these things that my friend Michael refers to as "Baptists Chiclets" (mostly because they look like the Chiclets gum that we used to buy). Well, at the Nazarene church, we used said Chiclets for a while and then switched to what Kate refers to as "Catholic Wafers". I have always been disturbed by these. They taste funny and they have an iridescence about them that is disturbing. Call me crazy, but I don't think anything I put in my mouth should look blue from one angle and purple from another.

So, during communion I decided to investigate said bread a little further. Did you know that when you break a Catholic Wafer in half it looks like styrofoam inside. NOT KIDDING! STYROFOAM!  So, curious me thought...hmm, let's lick it and see if it disintegrates. Nope! Didn't even start to lose it's form and I licked on it for quite a while.

I am disturbed and thinking of mounting a campaign against Catholic Wafers! What's wrong with some real unleavened bread, people???

Tuna Casserole and Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars

Here are 2 recipes for you to try out.

Tuna Casserole


Ingredients
• 6-7 T butter, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked medium egg noodles (I use whole wheat)
• 1 pkg. frozen mixture of celery, onion and green peppers
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cans of tuna, drained and flaked
• 4 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat (or cooking spray works just fine). Stir in the onion, celery, and peppers, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Increase heat to medium-high, and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

4. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, veggie mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl, mix with bread crumbs, and sprinkle over the casserole. Top with cheese.

5. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.


Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars


Ingredients
2 pkg. cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 pkg. crescent rolls
2 Tbs. cinnamon
2 cups of sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Roll out 1 pkg. of crescent rolls in an ungreased 9x13 pan (glass works best).

3. Mix both packages of cream cheese with 1½ C sugar until smooth. Smooth this mixture over the layer of crescent rolls in the pan.

4. Roll out the 2nd pkg. of crescent rolls on top of the cream cheese mixture.

5. Melt a stick of butter and pour over the top of the 2nd layer of rolls in the pan.

6. Combine ½ C sugar with 2 Tbs. cinnamon and sprinkle on top of butter.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Allow to cool for 20 minutes. Place in refrigerator overnight for best taste.

cheers

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name.....and sometimes you're glad that someone doesn't know your name.

The security guard at school doesn't seem to remember my name. I know this because he keeps asking me my name. Am I offended? Heck no! He only remembers the names of teachers who require his escort services. I am perfectly content to keep reminding him of my name.

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a little GM product 'trick'

Last night I did the usual Sunday night routine: Women's Prayer Group (awesome therapy!), church service, dinner with Ronnie's family...

However, I forgot to get gas, so before I could go home, I had to run back into town. I was TIRED!!!!  Well, that really isn't anything new or different. I am pretty much always tired (anyone with me?)! I pulled up at Casey's, shut off my car, pumped my gas, got back in the car and when I tried to start it.....NOTHING!

Some of you may remember that on Friday, the 10th, the same thing happened at school. I had to have my car towed to my local repair man (Ronnie's uncle), who said the car "started right up" when he tried it! UGH! So, fast-forward and here we are again. So I call Uncle Jason AND Ronnie and they try everything they know to do. Uncle Jason decides it's something to do with the anti-theft system. We send Ronnie to get the spare key thinking it may have something to do with the chips in my key.

In the meantime, savior Bruce arrives on scene. Bruce is a friend of Big Brother Brad and works on cars. He shows me how to reset the stupid anit-theft system that has apparently decided to go haywire. If your GM piece won't start, turn the key 1 click to the on position. The Security light will flash for about 10 minutes. When it stops flashing and stays on, turn the key off. Wait 5 seconds and try to start it again....amazing!

Today I am praising Jesus that my car started and that even if it didn't, I would know how to fix it!

Wedding: Would you change anything?

Ok, ladies. As we begin to plan our wedding, I am getting helpful suggestions from women who have 'walked a mile in my shoes', so here's your chance.

Is there anything that you would change about your wedding? Things you wished you would've done, but didn't? Things you did and now regret it (i.e. playing the entire song so you had 5 minutes to stare lovingly into the eyes of your beloved)? Or, perhaps something you just wish you would've done differently?

Help me out here. I'm looking for helpful suggestions.

Ode to Alex

I think anyone who has experienced the loss of a dear pet can understand why someone would be upset by this sort of loss.  This is special for Crys who lost her sweet Alex this morning. Find some dirt to roll in buddy!

Ashamed

My friend Kate says according to the Pioneer Woman you should blog everyday....

The Pioneer Woman obviously doesn't have my schedule, but I am making a commitment to attempt to blog at least 3 times a week for now. While I have NO idea what I am going to write about. Today a friend said, "How is that we are so busy yet when someone asks us what's new we have nothing to tell them?" My response, "Probably because I spend everyday doing to the same stuff!" Get up (not in a good mood and not happy to be up). Take a shower (hoping that will help my disposition). Make-up and hair (which takes a LOT longer than it should because its 6AM). Fix breakfast (because on this dumb diet I can't just grab cereal - a real shame because I LOVE cereal!). Rush to gather all of my things (that I should've gotten together the night before but I didn't because I was way to exhausted). Go to school and try to impart knowledge to students (some days are more successful than others). Go to the studio and teach. Eat dinner with Ronnie. Go home. Fall into bed.

There you have it - my cycle of a day. Next day? Repeat.

So, today I left school early because I was feeling like crap! I decided to make the most of my day. I went to Verizon to get help with my phone (which is a piece!). No luck. Went to Best Buy (where I actually bought it). Since I have the insurance plan I inquired about how to make a claim. He told me to flush my phone in the toilet and drop it from a high building then bring it in. I asked about running over it with the car. He thought that was too obvious and since the insurance only covers "accidental" damage.....I'm thinking a can of Coke and my phone may meet in the near future.

Then I went to Hobby Lobby where I had a really great "God" moment. So, I'm finishing up shopping for reception decor. I want fall decorations and what Hobby Lobby has now is all you get because they won't be getting anymore. I have been waiting for candle rings to go on sale, but they haven't. So, I decided to suck it up and just buy them ($10 each - ouch!). I got to the register and asked the girl if they were to go on sale next week could I bring them back and get a price reduction. She said yes. We talked a little bit and I told her they were for my wedding and I was just afraid that if I waited until they went on sale, I wasn't going to be able to find what I wanted. She rang me up and the total was far less than it should have been. She handed me my receipt and said, "so you don't have to come back I just gave you 50% off.' I thanked her and cried when I got to the car (I'm a little hormonal AND I don't feel good). I was overwhelmed by how God takes care of us even in things as small as getting a sale price on candle rings that weren't actually on sale.

Right now, I am at the point in my day where I go home, fall into bed and get ready to repeat. Hopefully tomorrow will bring another "God" moment. I pray I never miss them when they come!

A Long Weekend

I am so thankful for an extra day off any time that I can get it, but this weekend has been quite productive! Ronnie and I completed Round 1 of our guest list. On Saturday, Kate called and mentioned a possible reception site, so when mom and I went to get groceries, we decided to go and look for it. We knew the general location, so with my handy-dandy smart phone we were able to find it. And boy am I glad we did! It is stunning! I am taking my dad, Ronnie's parents, and Crys & Kate to see it tomorrow! Ronnie and I love it and are pretty much settled on using this place as our reception site: http://theeditionat315.com/.

So, today we went to church, had lunch with a new couple visiting at church (super individuals), and then after a brief nap, Kate met Ronnie and I. We went to the park in Vienna to meet Ronnie's parents, Sandy, Jason and Crystal. We watched Aunt Sandy roast hot dogs 'rotisserie style' and we made smores.

If you haven't met my friend, Kate, you have NO idea what you're missing. She's a funny girl! Here a  few Kate quotes from this evening:

When talking about Kate's dislike for touching raw meat, but deeply desiring to be the Pioneer Woman when she 'grows up'..."I LIKE MEAT! I can't be vegetarian. I don't like many vegetables!"
(Definitely a problem, friend, but to be like the Pioneer Woman, you must cook like her raw meet and all!)

When talking about how Wyclef Jean is no longer running for President of Haiti (apparently someone decided they didn't like the idea, complained about the way the paperwork had been filed...I don't know! Long story short - he's not gonna be President and while I don't live in Haiti and shouldn't have an opinion, I think the people of Haiti are losing out!). Kate said it was a shame because she would like to see who the US would send to a world leaders summit when Haiti sent Wyclef and Ireland sent Bono. She speculated "Steven Tyler". HA!

On her way home, she called me again and wanted to know if "weasels were native to this area". WHAT???? We ruled out all obvious possibilities and finally decided on mink...we think she saw a mink!

Oh, Kate...how I love you!!!!

Night, all! More to come on wedding prep later.

Best Part of My Day

So, I wasn't having the greatest of days until my 4th grade class.

In the middle of our music lesson, one of the girls in the front row says (rather loudly), "Ms. Sheena...ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED???" (she was excited and proud of herself for noticing). I said, "Yes." It was followed by a question of when to which I replied, "next year sometime...I need time to find a dress." I thought that would be a perfectly accepted response by 4th graders. Well, it was only questioned by one student who said she she would be happy to make me a wedding dress. She asked what color I wanted and said if a wedding dress what the only thing keeping me from getting married sooner, she would make me a "beautiful dress".

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