Oklahoma!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I love (insert gagging sound) - I'm totally lying - Rogers and Hammerstein. However, when I was invited to attend a local high school's production of Oklahoma!, I gladly said I would attend. Mostly because I adore two of the girls who are performing.

 

So, Ronnie and I attended their opening performance last night and this is my review of the Revere Players performance of Oklahoma!

The orchestra was quite honestly the best I have heard at any high school production. After asking questions, I was told that first chairs from the high school band have the opportunity to perform and the remainder of the members are from the community. A good pit makes all the difference in a production and your orchestra was wonderful.

The set was well-designed and worked very well with their choreography and over-all performance, allowing for efficient scene changes.The lighting was perfect for this production and there were very few glitches with sound (which is amazing considering the number of mics in use).

The choreography suited their performers abilities very well. Keeping chorus numbers fairly simple allows for numbers that look tight, clean and polished. My favorite scene in this show (and by favorite, I really mean the scene I loathe the most) is the Dream Sequence, however, the great choreography and the execution of said choreography made it quite tolerable. They had 4 girls who dance Pointe and they utilized them well, especially during this sequence.

The acting was superb. Keeping high school students in character for an entire production can sometimes be a daunting task, but they did it well. And these kids have great comedic timing! The audience responded well to all of the funny moments because of their timing.

The girls chorus had beautiful, blended harmonies, so props to whoever worked ensemble vocals. The entire cast numbers were spectacular, as well. 

Curly, Aunt Eller, Jud, Ado Annie, and Will Parker - spectacular acting. It was so fun to watch you. 

And last, but certainly not least - Laurey (Brittany Sigsworth) - BRAVO! You captivated the audience from the show's beginning to the curtain call. They adored you! I bought your story - hook, line and sinker - to the point that, at intermission, even though I know how the story ends, I decided that if Laurey and Curly didn't end up together I was going to be really upset!

Revere Players, you are a special, incredibly talented group and I would just like to thank you for a very lovely, entertaining evening. You did a fabulous job!

If you didn't go last night, you still have 3 more chances to catch this show: Friday and Saturday at 7PM or Sunday at 1PM.

Meddling in God's Business

So, this week I have been BORED and I have publicly complained about it, but in the women's group I attend at church, some things were pointed out to me that I hadn't really thought about.

I have ALWAYS worked - and not just one job, but several most of the time. I am used to being really busy. This only adds to my seeming inability to BE STILL and enjoy this season of my life. Now don't get me wrong, there are really good days...Tuesday was a REALLY good day (other than the fact that it felt like flippin' July outside!). I went to Target to get a few things, then I drove around town and found a new place to eat at (for my IL readers - it's a lot like Harbaugh's in Cdale). Sweet Pea Cafe. It was so pleasant and relaxing and YUMMY. THEN I went to my new favorite place (move over Blake's there's a new cupcake place and it's closer to my house and their cupcakes are better!). It's called PureDelite and it IS nothing short of delightful. If you come to visit me we ARE going there! Just sayin'!

That was my "SQUIRREL!" moment. Now back to regularly scheduled programming.

How do we know if we are following God's will? For instance, I am wanting to work. I would like a new car (which means I need a job). However, everything I have applied for, looked at, thought about, checked into (you get the point) has yielded no job. What does one make of this?

I know that I have a problem with the BE STILL part of Be Still and Know That I Am God. I could assume that much of this has to do with the fact that it isn't time for me to work or the job isn't ready for me and God is using this season to torture me into teach me about being still. (We keep going back to this lesson. I am thinking I may be a little slow.) However, I feel lazy. I feel like I should be DOING more. I look for jobs, but I honestly feel like when it's time, it will be incredibly obvious. Yet knowing that doesn't help me be still. Do you see my dilemma?

I think alot of times I am tempted to meddle in things that I have no business meddling in because I feel like I need to DO something. I know it's an exercise in futility and it will only lead to dissatisfaction yet my flesh thinks that God needs a little assistance.

Crys is trying to ack-sen-choo-ate the positive and I am going to follow her example. The ladies in my group pointed out a few good things that are coming out of this season and I have since thought of a few more.

During this season, I have made some great friends and have had time to invest in relationships with people...time to sit across from a table and actually talk to someone without doing 15 other things. I have most certainly taken that for granted. A lot of people move to a new place and have no time to develop relationship and end up feeling very lonely and isolated. Not an issue here because I have a lot of awesome people who love on me constantly here.

I have been able to drive around Northeast Ohio and find cool, fun places (and delicious cupcakes!) that I would have never found had I been working.

I have time to make dinner almost every night and sit down and spend time with my husband because I have gotten all of the housework and grocery shopping done while he is at work.

And there is no way that I would've made things like necklaces and scarves when I was working all of the time. Who has time for that crap? Oh wait - I do. And today I'm thankful.

What I've Been Up To

I've been sewing. I know. Laugh it up. It IS pretty darn funny.

For those of you who don't know me and are asking, "Why is it funny?", you should ask my high school home ec teacher. Awful! I was AWFUL at sewing. My square pillow looked like a zig zag on one side and a half moon on the other. Not kidding.

However, about a year ago I decided to try again and recently, a lady from church let me borrow her machine so that I could make her a Nook cover.  This is a big deal! I made one for myself, but it was with mom's help AND I had a pattern for MY Nook (Nook Color). She has a Nook SimpleTouch - not.the.same.size. So, I made a new pattern and HOLY COW - it worked!

See?

I know, right?!?!?!?!

I like hers much better than mine. I did a few things differently and it worked better.

I also made a passport cover:

I'm gettin' crafty I tell ya!

I am going to try to make more passport covers and checkbook covers to sell on Etsy. What else can I make?

Oh, I've also been playing with my Silhouette CAMEO. A couple of months ago, I sent a picture of an apron to my friend, Casey (fabulous chef!). However, it was WAY too expensive, out of stock and in an ugly color. So, I made one for her:

And by the way - I am IN LOVE with my CAMEO! More projects coming soon.

One Day at a Time

I hate that I wait so long to blog that I don't know where to start - or even if I should.

Today was a good day. It was productive, but this has been one emotional week.

Monday, about an hour from where we now live, Chardon High School became known around the world. Seriously, people in South America and other countries have been sending words of encouragement to them. I sat and listened for 2 days and I finally had to turn the TV off. I bawled my eyes out. I remember the Heath High School shooting. It happened the year after I graduated from High School - about an hour from where I lived then. 3 girls died. 5 people were wounded - Missy Jenkins was the worst. She was paralyzed from the chest down.

This week, as 3 students died at that school, I've sat an wondered about their families. I've thought about the kids who had to walk back into the school today. I've thought about the teachers and the parents. And I have thought alot about the kid that did the shooting. He's 17. What makes a 17 year old carry a gun to school and randomly open fire? I made some really STUPID choices at 17. No one died because of them, but I can look back now and know that I was young and dumb. He has been charged with 3 counts of aggravated murder, 2 counts of aggravated attempted murder, and 1 felony count of assault. His life will most likely be spent in prison because of a choice at 17. I simply can't imagine.

Then Tuesday, an EF2 tornado destroyed some homes and buildings in the county where I lived in Illinois - it ripped the roof off of my high school. Much worse than that - an EF4 tornado ripped through a town about an hour from where I used to live. It killed 6 people. It flattened homes and businesses and injured so many people. I have cried over that too.

Like I said - emotional week and I've just kinda been beside myself. When did I start having feelings? Geesh!

Authenticity

What answer do you expect when you ask someone, "How are you doing?" Do you really want to know the answer to your question, or are you asking out of social obligation? If they reply with more than one word, do you suddenly become uncomfortable? Or, are you disappointed or frustrated when you only get a one word answer?

What answer do you give when someone asks you the question? Do you reply with "Fine", "Ok", "Alright", or is your response honest and a little more descriptive than a simple "Fine"?

It bugs me when someone obviously isn't fine, but says that they are. I typically don't ask how you are or what's going on in your life if I don't want to know, but I am guilty of asking at times that don't allow for adequate time to respond in an honest manner. And I am totally guilty of answering a quick "fine" or "good" in response to someone's question, but get frustrated when that's all I get from someone else. I think I do it because I feel like sometimes people only ask out of social obligation. At other times it just feels plain awkward to give a genuine, honest response (probably because that isn't the 'norm').

Why do we do these things? Do we not have time to stop and listen (or talk - depending on which side you're on)? Are we really so busy that we don't have time for people? Or is it just strange and awkward to talk about what's actually going on in our lives? It is easier to say, "Fine," than to be transparent?

Last Sunday our Pastor talked about authenticity and the importance of it in the body of Christ. When we give the answer of 'fine', we're pretty much not doing anything to build a relationship with another member of 'the body'. Authenticity is one of those things that we could all stand to work on a little (or a lot) - mostly because we aren't that great at it on a consistent basis. We don't always accept people for who they are. Society has this habit of wanting people to fit some mold and sometimes, the church does the same thing. But the truth is, God designed us to be uniquely different. As the body of Christ, shouldn't we embrace those differences and build on individual strengths?

An authentic life is a transparent life. Transparency can leave you feeling vulnerable - naked - but the truth is, you're pretty naked before God already. He knows that you don't have it all together. I am finding that it's liberating to admit I don't have it all together (which requires my being a little more transparent when asked questions that I'm so tempted to just give a one-word response to). Relationships grow and the body of Christ is strengthened through authenticity.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Gnocchi: delicious little dumplins typically made from potato (although they don't takes like potato)

I didn't take a picture this time...this is one I found that looks alot like my soup.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
1 to 1 1/2 C of cooked, diced chicken breasts (NOTE: I used actual chicken breasts - boiled them and then sauteed them with McCormick's Rotisserie Chicken seasoning. You could use Tyson's Diced Chicken Breasts from the frozen food section - that would make it super easy, but I would suggest boiling it to unfreeze it before you add it to the soup.

Base:
4 TBS (1/2 stick) butter
1 tsp EVOO
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
4 TBS flour
1 quart half and half (or if you forgot to look at the recipe before you went shopping you can use a pint of half and half and a pint of buttermilk - super healthy!)

Put EVOO and butter in pan - melt. Add garlic, celery and onions. Saute until onions are translucent. Add flour. Stir for a minute or so. Add half and half (or whatever you decide to use).

Gnocchi:
There are 2 types. I used the one found in the pasta aisle. There is also a frozen kind, but I was told this was better. Just cook it according to package directions. It took 4-5 minutes. You basically cook it until it floats.

Soup:
28 oz - chicken broth
1 cup shredded carrots (I used matchstick carrots from the store because I HATE shredding carrots)
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp parsley

Add carrots and chicken to the base you created. After it thickens, add chicken broth. Wait for it to thicken again, then add spices, spinach and gnocchi.

Let it simmer until spinach it wilted and thoroughly mixed in soup.

Serve with parmesan cheese. YUM!

Hey, It's Ok

I am linking up with Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time. The object is to list things to be okay about. I have been a blog slacker lately, so I needed something fun to get me rolling again.

To be sad about Whitney Houston passing away

To think that Kelly Clarkson's hair looked a LOT less stupid at The Grammy's than it did at the Superbowl (it was a mess)

That I arrange my day so that I can watch Ellen

That I LOVE having guests (or boarders - as my hubby calls them. Seriously, who's coming next?)

That I am growing to detest Facebook - stop posting every five seconds. Your life is NOT that interesting!

for me to HATE to go to the grocery store

to be SUPER excited that I found THIS cast iron wok at the 2nd hand store for $4.50: