I See What You're Saying!

Linda @ 2nd Cup of Coffee is hosting a carnival so that we can all kind of virtually meet each other. Please join in if you have time today. You can click on the icon above to go read all about it.

Personally, I debated back and forth on whether or not to do this. For some crazy reason, I decided to do it. I'm still not quite sure why.

OK... disclaimers:

* It was really late Monday evening when I recorded. So, please for give the hair, no make-up, etc. Just look at it this way, you're getting the "real" me.

* Everything that I said sounded way more interesting in my head. It really did. So I apologize for the content.

So, now, without further ado,

Take 3...

... aaaaannd....

.... ACTION!

In need of some fashion help.

We had a busy, and yet kind of relaxing weekend. House cleaning, Aggie football, soccer, haircuts, shopping, normal church stuff on Sunday... whew. And yet we did just spend some time hanging out. How about you?

Like I said, one of the things I did was to go shopping. You've got to understand, first, that when I say shopping, it may not be what you're imagining. I don't do malls. Or, at least I try not to. If I'm shopping for clothes for me, my most likely first stop is Stein Mart.

Oh how I love Stein Mart.

We had gone to get Sarah's hair trimmed up and it's pretty much on the way home. So after what seemed like 3 hours that we spent at the kids hair place (really more like 1 1/2 hours), we went to Stein Mart before heading home because mama had some birthday money to spend and I've been so completely OUT on my wardrobe lately.

I have actually had my eye on this pair and this pair of Naughty Monkey shoes that I was convinced I was going to buy. However, the Lord was faithful and smiled upon me as I went the more frugal route and got 2 pair of shoes plus a handbag, 2 blouses, a sweater, a pair of jeans, a necklace + earrings and a bracelet that will be a Christmas gift.

No, I have not taken to buying my own Christmas gifts.

It IS for someone else.

But these are the shoes I bought.




No, they may not be as completely AWESOME as the NM's, but they are cute none-the-less. And they are what I have been looking for. I wanted a little pair of flats to wear casually with jeans and these are about the cutest ones I've seen in a while. They have a ballet pointe shoe look to them and I love the detail of the little bow. I've also been looking for the right pair of red heals for a while now and these are as close as I've gotten to finding it. And since I didn't spend as much on the shoes as I would have otherwise, I got a lot more other stuff. Like this purse.

Here's where I need y'alls help. I had a sinking feeling yesterday that may buyers remorse over this purse. So what I need to know, BEFORE I take off the tags... Is it cute? or is it my GRANDMA'S purse?

I NEED your opinions and please be HONEST.

***

And completely unrelated, I posted below some of my favorite posts from the last year. So, feel free to look through them if you like. I'm going to post a like on my top bar to them later.

My Favorite Posts

At Way More Homemade, we hand craft our blog posts and like to keep you guessing with a pinch of "this" and a dab of "that". Then throw in a little bit of "you never know what you're gonna get" and chill for 1 hour.

Following this recipe, here's a sampling of what you might find around here:

Food related challenges I participate in (I love almost all of these posts):
Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge
Flavor of the Month



2009

Faith:
The Perils of a Safe Nesting Place
What is Jesus' Middle Name
Challah - The Spiritual Side of Bread (I wasn't sure what heading to put this under)

Family:
13 Years
Baptism
A little about me... apparently...

Food:
Butterfly Garden Cake & Cookies
Firetruck Cake & Cookies
Marshmallow Fondant

Funny:
My Bloody Valentine
Is there a meeting for this?

On the more serious side:
Images
The Spirit of Aggieland - looking back at Bonfire



2008

Funny:

An Ode to DQ
Foodie Friday - An Apple a Day and Central Market
The Potty Training Chronicles (Part 5) - Standing Up
Lessons learned from an evening at the ballpark

On the more serious side:
Wordless Wednesday - A Newly Coined Word
Three year old theology
Who is the child here?
The time has come... to say goodbye
missing




2007

First Days

Soup's On Saturday - Tortellini and Sausage Soup

My sweet friend Tiffany at But I Had A Tiara is hosting a blog carnival for soup recipes since they "heart soup" so much around her house.

My submission for this week is Tortellini and Sausage soup. You can see it on my recipe blog.

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be used as a base for a really good spaghetti sauce. Just thicken it up a bit with some diced tomatoes and tomato paste.

For those of you who are experiencing more fall-like weather than we are currently, enjoy your soup.

Personally, here in the Great State of WARM, we'll wait until it finally cools off.

In November.

If we're lucky.

Foodie Friday - Banana Bread

Did you ever watch Seinfeld back when it was on? WAS? What am I thinking? Hello... syndication!

Do you have a favorite episode? I do. I actually have a couple of favorite Seinfeld episodes. They are my favorites because they relate to my life in a real way.

The first is the one about the wedding invitations. Remember that? George was getting married and to save money (while also trying to get out of the wedding at every turn), he ordered the cheapest wedding invitations he could get his hands on. Then, while sealing the envelopes, his fiance, Susan, passes out and later dies because of toxic glue.

It really is hillarious.

In a Seinfeld sort of way.

And this relates to me how?

I send out a lot of client correspondence in my real "9-5" job. There was one day recently, in particular, that after about the 15th letter I was sealing that day, I was afraid that was going to be me. I could picture nothing else in my mind other than this poor woman barely licking that last envelope and then keeling over.




Favorite episode # 2... drum roll please... The Muffin Tops.




So who here agrees about the muffin tops? Aren't they delicious? With that crunchy crumb topping on them?

Well, it was with the muffin top inspiration that I developed my own version of banana bread... with a crumb topping.



I must say... it is quite deeeelicious.

I started with the recipe out of my old standby, Better Homes & Gardens "New Cookbook" (copyright 1989 - oh yeah, the pictures, they are snazzy). After a while, I began to monkey around with it a little.

(Get it? Monkey around... we're talking about banana bread here people.)

(Yes, I hear the collective *groan* out there.)

I decided to standardize the amount of mashed banana to 3 bananas, regardless of size, rather than the listed 1 cup of mashed banana. A) this was easier to remember, and 2) like you're really going to mash up a bunch of banana and then only measure out one cup and ditch the rest. I also find that this amount gives a powerful banana flavor to the bread and keeps it from drying out.

Oh, and the bananas... they have to be really ripe. I mean so soft the skin tears them apart ripe.

I also added a "muffin top" to it with just a simple crumb topping. It really gives it a little something extra, don't you think?

To see the recipe head over to my recipe blog here.

I also want to open up the floor. Are there any food related topics that you would like for me to talk about or cover? A particular recipe you're looking for? Maybe a question about kitchen tools and gadgets? Ask away. I'm certainly no expert, but I'd love to hear if you have a question. And I can do my best to find an answer.

Email me at waymorehomemade (at) yahoo (dot) com

And let me know when you make some banana bread and I'll sit down and share a virtual slice and glass of milk with you.

And apparently Star Wars

Hello peeps in blog-land.

This has been one of those weeks where there has been so little and so much going on all at the same time that I find myself quite speechless.

Shocking... yes, I know.

Today I mainly wanted to let you all know that I've been busy rewriting my "About" page. It is done and up. You can link to it above or see it here.

I am also working on a list of favorite posts to give anyone new here a feel for what this blog is about... which in a Seindfeld-esque sort of way is "nothing."

So, if you have a particularly favorite post that sticks out in your memory, please leave a comment and tell me. You don't have to remember a title or date or anything. You could describe it like a Friends episode title... "The one where..."

I seriously need to stop watching re-runs.

Have a great day and may the force be with you.

Wordless Wednesday - A newly coined word

"Sunlashes"

Coined by my 7 year old.

Find other Wordless Wednesday posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

All thinking aside, I have some feelings on the subject

I was asked to participate in a leadership class on Sunday nights at our church over the next few weeks. In fact, it was really weird how it happened.

I got a note about it from our worship pastor in the mail. It was addressed to me, but it read, “Dear friend,…” and proceeded to tell me that he had submitted my name for this class. Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to it figuring that he had sent this same letter to a bunch of people in the worship ministry. And, I’ve never thought that he considered much about me at all… much less that I was a leader in the worship ministry.

But then, I also got an email from our children’s pastor that she, too, had submitted my name for this class.

OK, o-KAY. I get it. I’ll go.

We’ve talked about several aspects of leadership so far including hard skills (what a leader does) and soft skills (who a leader is). The hard skills include: crafting a vision, building a team, being an agent of change, executing/getting things done, communication, and inspiring others. The soft skills include: life long learning, authenticity, having emotional intelligence, possessing key character traits, people skills, and social intelligence. We are only about half way through this list and still have several topics to go, but this is a nice point for me to stop and take inventory of what I’ve learned so far.

I found it interesting that the same week that we talked about authenticity was the same week I had lunch with my bloggy friend at Notes from the Wall. One thing we recognized while we were at lunch was that some of our online relationships are more authentic than those in real life.

This was evidenced this past sunday when a dear woman who I have considered to be a mentor for many years came up to me and said, "My daughter says she knows more about you than I do now... she found your blog."

I find it interesting that at church we can walk around with the beautiful mask on and let everyone think that everything in our lives is just peachy. But on our blogs, we tend to tell the truth.

Why is it easier to tell the truth to people whom you do not necessarily see day to day?

For me, personally, I have such a hard time completing a thought when I speak that writing allows me to form my thoughts in to coherent sentences without being interrupted. With as long as it takes me sometimes to complete a thought verbally, I am assured to be interrupted as some point.

But this past week, we talked about emotional intelligence: understanding the emotional world in general, properly managing our own emotions, and properly responding to other people’s emotions. This is where I had a personal epiphany this week.

I took several personality profiles throughout college. The main one indicated that I respond to things from a feeling perspective rather than from a thinking perspective. I’m a feeler.

Well, I found out pretty quickly in the real world of business and banking that I couldn’t expect to be taken terribly seriously in business matters if all I talked about what how I felt about a topic. So, as a conditioned response, I began speaking about things as a thinker. “I think (this or that)” versus “I feel (this or that)”. This became such a habit that it is still with me today. I think I might even be considered a closet feeler at this point.

So, in the discussion this past week, we were instructed to respond to “head” (thinking) statements in kind (with “head” statements) and to “heart” (feeling) statements in kind (with “heart” statements). And it was at this point that I realized where some of my frustration has come from in dealing with other people when they do not respond to me the way I think (or feel? I’m so confused) they should.

I am putting statements out there externally as head statements, and yet, internally for me they are heart statements. They are being responded to as head statements, when really what I’m looking for is a heart response.

I’m putting one thing out there, and expecting something completely opposite in return.

It definitely keeps my hubby on his toes.

It really was quite an epiphany for me. And hopefully a moving forward point.

I feel better having said all that.

I also feel very itchy… still.

And I feel like the itching will never end.

But I also feel like the internet has shown me that there is always a worse situation than what I am in.

Miracle Monday - Praying for a Miracle

Today’s Miracle Monday post is not so much about a miracle that has happened, but a miracle we are praying for.

If you didn’t know, my parents are missionaries in South Asia. Their names and exact location cannot be published for security reasons.

They are overseas with a 2 year mission program designed for retirees. They are sent over and paid a salary for jobs that they do within our mission organization for our denomination. Along with their job responsibilities, they have involved themselves with several groups and put themselves in the position to minister to people in the country where they are currently living. It all keeps them very busy.

Recently violence and persecution toward believers has increased in the areas outside of their city, and it seems to be getting closer and closer to them. From reports we are hearing pastors have been murdered, homes and churches burned and many families displaced as they flea for their lives.

It is a serious situation. One that would not have come to my attention were it not for my parents’ presence in this area.

Right now we are praying for a miracle. For divine intervention on behalf of these believers as they follow the Father’s leading. For peace as they face horrendous atrocities. Wisdom on when to stand and fight and when to run.

Pray with me, friends. Pray for my parents and their safety. Pray for them as they minister to locals in their area who have been personally affected in these attacks.

Pray, believing.


You can find further information at the go2southasia.org website and specifics are located here.

To find other Miracle Monday posts, visit A Mom's Life.

Foodie Friday - Resources

It's possible that this may be my most random Foodie Friday post to date.

I got some bumps earlier in the week that I wrote off as bug bites. But then more and more showed up and began itching. So I called Thursday morning and was able to get in to see my doctor that afternoon. I also called my mom to confirm whether or not I'd had chicken pox.

So I went to the doctor... I had to step on that dreaded scale... and I had to get a shot.

Now, I'm currently known around my house as "Queen Itchy." If you'll remember from the Pixar movie Monster's Inc., the abominable snow man relays to Mike and Sully how big foot wore poison ivy on his head and called himself King Itchy. Well, now I'm the one with poison ivy. And here's the culprit:




My beloved herb garden. I was working in it and the rest of the flower bed on Sunday and don't at all remember seeing anything that looked like poison ivy or poison oak. It's stealthy. And vicious. Much like the devil himself.

So after the doctor and getting the kids shipped off to soccer practice with their dad, I headed to the grocery store to get a steriod cream perscription filled (which is NOT working by the way). While I was waiting, I wandered around the store, just enjoying being in the grocery store without kids. Because if you have kids, you most likely know that grocery shopping ceases to be any fun with them around.

And as I was wandering, I picked up a few extra things. You know, for the sake of research...




Which leads me to my topic for today. Resources. Specifically cookbooks.

Now, as you can see above, they come in many shapes, forms, and fashions. I find that having a variety to pull ideas from is helpful in my kitchen.

So many of what used to be considered gourmet restaurant type dishes are making it into the home kitchen these days. There is such a greater appreciation now (as opposed to in the past) for cooks and chefs. Evidenced by the crazy popularity of people like Emeril Lagasse and Tyler Florence. So with this rise in popularity has come an influx of cookbook resources on the market.

1. The Periodical

Even the periodical comes in many forms from the Rachel Ray magazine, to Southern Living, to Food & Wine and Gourmet. While I have used recipes out of almost all of these publications, I do not subscribe to all of them. I may pick one up in the airport for plane reading material or at the grocery store on a lark. But they do not serve me well on a regular basis. What I want from a periodical is methods and explanations to help me learn. Therefore, the one I do subscribe to is Cook's Illustrated. You've probably "heard" me sing it's praises before, and I'll do it again.

This is the magazine version of the public television program, "America's Test Kitchen." They take no advertising, so when they do food or product comparisons, I feel like they are giving unbiased opinions. Also related is Cook's Country which is similar and includes quick fixing recipe cards that you can punch out of each issue.




2. The Specialty Book

This is definitely not your mother's cookbook. There are entire cookbooks dedicated to variations of a single food, cooking method, or dish, like Risotto as pictured below. I also have in my library specialty books for chocolate, and baking. These are wonderful resources for really honing your skills in a certain area or giving you ideas for branching out beyond the way you might normally prepare a dish.

3. The Theme or Celebrity Book

This is different from the Specialty book as it may have a collection of recipes from many different genres of food but they are tied together by a theme or celebrity personality. Take, for instance, the Today's Kitchen cookbook pictured above. There are a lot of different types of recipes from a lot of different celebrity chefs, but they are tied together by the personalities of the Today Show cast. Or, for instance, in my library, I have several books based on the "French Classics" theme. Another variation of this might be the fundraiser cookbooks that we all have in our collections. These books are good to just see a variety of different recipes from a variety of sources.

4. The Old Standard

It never goes out of style, does it? It's the same cookbook your mother used... maybe even your grandmother... just a slightly updated version. Mine was up to date (kind of) when my dad gave it to me in college. I could never get rid of it, even if it is out of date, because there's something so familiar and down-home about it.

So what does one look for in buying a new cookbook? Well, obviously it depends on what you're looking for. This is something that you have to try several kinds of books and see what you like.

If you're anything like me, you'll choose books with beautiful pictures. I love pictures, especially beautiful pictures of food. But for a periodical, you would love the utilitarian no frills just give me the right information look.

Or, maybe you're like my friend Lolly and your favorite resource is the phone book.

You know, whatever works.