Nolan's 6th birthday!

The water slide was a HUGE hit with all of the kids!

The Foils' were nice enough to let us borrow their jumping castle!

Nolan had a Wall-E birthday cake and he EVEN let us sing happy birthday to him this year!

Nolan putting his name on the back of his cape.

Pictured from left to right - McKenzie Owens, Sara Crotts, Wyatt Shoaf, Chevy Davis, Ayden Crotts, Nolan, Kaitlyn Foil, Grant Wilson, Averi Wilson, Abby Boger, Patrick Foil, and Avery Taylor. (Elijah is in the background pouting!) They all were so proud of their capes that they actually cooperated to let us take a picture.

Yesterday was Nolan's 6th birthday and this week he began the 1st grade. He is growing up. I know it sounds cliche, but I still remember the day he was born so clearly and it seems like it was just a few days ago! Nolan is growing up to be such a wonderful young man and I know that God has big things in store for him! We had a party for him on Sunday afternoon complete with a water slide, jumping castle, and triple slip n slide. We gave all the kids a super hero mask and my mom even took time out of her VERY busy schedule to make them all a super hero cape. The kids really seemed to have a good time! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family! Nolan loved all of his birthday gifts! Again, we are so blessed! We celebrated his actual birthday yesterday by having pizza and cupcakes with his class at school and then going to Mr. Gatti's to eat pizza last night with Grandad, Mimi, Chris, Andrea, Chevy, Brandon, Kelly, and Maddy. We love you Nolan and I hope you have a wonderful year!

Tortuga Rum Cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Aunt Grace surprised me by making me my very OWN homemade tortuga rum cake. I was so excited when my dad gave it to me last night. I had never had her cake like this before until this past Saturday night. I casually mentioned...about 10 times...that I wanted one of those cakes for my birthday. Aunt Grace had already said that she was out of tortuga rum and would have to go on another cruise to get some more since it isn't available in the US, so I really wasn't expecting to get one. Not anytime soon anyway. This cake is very similar, but I think BETTER, than the tortuga rum cakes that are sold in the Bahamas and Caribbean. I think that it is one of my new favorite things to eat! Thank you so much Aunt Grace!!! You are the best! And where did you get the rum??

Swimming with friends...

Last week we got to go swimming with Nathan, Patrick, and Kaitlyn. We had a fun time together. Brent has taken the slide from the playground and made it into a pool slide. The kids have really enjoyed it this summer. Elijah has gone from not wanting to get in the pool at the beginning of the summer to being able to swim by himself with his swimmy suit.

Fun with the boys

This summer Nolan has been asking to "do something fun" periodically. My mom and I have been wanting to do something with him and his brother but it seems like things just keep on interfering with our plans. Last Sunday we decided to do something with them. We took them to Fun Station 2000 in Statesville. It is similar to Chuck E Cheese with an arcade but it also has 3 indoor rides, a huge indoor play area, and a restaurant area. It wasn't too crowded or too pricy, and we had a good time.

Vacation Bible School Program

Last Wednesday night, the children from our congregation presented a program to let us know what they have been learning about on Wednesday nights this summer. Nolan was asked to read a part in the program, and he agreed to do it. I wasn't sure if he would go through with it but he never acted like he was worried about it or nervous. He even invited Nana and Papaw to come watch him. Just as he promised he stood up, took the microphone, and read his part with no problems. He didn't even seem nervous. I was SO proud of him. I didn't ever expect him to do something like that...he is so shy and has so much anxiety about things. Since I forgot my camera, as soon as Papaw sends me the pictures, hint hint, I will post them here!

Michael Phelps

I'm sure that everyone knows who Michael Phelps is after this year's olympics. I, like many other people, think that what he accomplished during the Olympics is both fascinating and amazing. He is going to be a person that gets a lot of focus now because of his new superstar status.

I recently read about 2 things related to Michael that I thought were interesting and worthy of posting on my blog.

First, he recently bought a condo in Baltimore, according to tmz.com. Here are pictures of what the inside of his new place might look like. These are pictures that are supposed of a model in the same building as the condo that Phelps just purchased.

Second, I found this article from a LA Times blog about Phelps' new sponsorships. It brings up a good point - here is this guy who is going to be able to influence thousands of people - including children and teenagers - and he is choosing company's such as McDonalds and Frosted Flakes to promote. I know that money is what makes these deals, but I wish that he would consider that he could play a big role in helping to fight the obesity epidemic here in the US. As the article also points out - do these sugary and high calorie, high fat foods help to create an Olympic star? I'm not saying that my children don't eat foods such as these at times (moderation being the key), but I don't think that he needs to promote them either. I hope and pray that he will be a positive example for all of the world that is watching him.

I am a member of several list serv groups for dietitians. Mostly through these list serv's I can network with other dietitians to get tips, advice, learn about continuing education, etc, but every once in a while someone shares a link that is just for fun. Today someone posted a link to a blog called Very Good Taste. I haven't had time to look at it much yet, but I wanted to do the following actvity as suggested by these bloggers. Following is a list of 100 things that they think that all omnivores should try at least once in their life. First, I included the instructions for participating.

Here’s what I want you to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I only bolded the items that I've had...it looks like I have a long ways to go before I get even close to finishing this list. I must say there are several on the list that I definitely will NOT be trying. Okay, all you foodies who read this blog - have you tried any of these weird things? The ones that are underlined are items that you can look up on wikipedia.com.

Angel Food Ministries

I help to coordinate Angel Food Ministries at our congregation. I haven't been overly excited about the menu lately but the upcoming month has some new things that I am excited about. First, the regular menu is good, I think.

Second, there is a new main box option - called the senior box. It is similar to the recent special that they had called the senior convenience meal special. Basically, for $25 you can get 10 individual microwave meals that have no added sodium, is low in fat, and has 3 oz protein, 2 vegetables or fruit, and 1 starch. What a great idea for several reasons - 1st - people like me can get 10 different meals for work for $2.50 each; 2nd - people that live alone, such as seniors, can buy these reasonably priced and healthy, balanced meals to have. Or, family members can buy them for individuals in their family that are alone or unable to prepare food for themselves. Being a dietitian and working with senior adults, I think this is exciting! Here is a sample of one of the meals that is included - Chicken Cacciatore Quarter, Creamy Rosemary Red Potato Quarters, Italian Green Beans, and Diced Peaches.

Also, new to Angel Food a couple of months ago, is a special that includes fresh fruits and veggies. This is one of the specials that can be added to the regular package for only ~$20.

I just love Angel Food Ministries and am so thankful that the Wingo's thought of this idea. If you want to learn more about Angel Food ministries or find out where you can participate in your state, just go here.

Jacob's List by Stephanie Grace Whitson

I haven't been doing as much reading lately as in the months previous, but I did read this short novel in the past few days. It is a book that I picked up at a recent yard sale, but it turned out to be very appropriate for me at this time in my life.

This book is about a couple who loses their son in a car accident. The couple's marriage wasn't so good prior to his death and continues to go through troubles in the months following his death. The mother struggles with depression and both the mother and father have to learn to embrace their son's faith in God.

This was a nice, short book but it was very appropriate for me at this time in my life. I don't think I've read a book by this author, but she has a non-fiction book "How to Help a Grieving Friend" that I would like to read sometime. Other fiction by her that I would like to read includes A Garden in Paris and A Hilltop in Tuscany.

Now, I have moved on to a book that I have had for about 7 years and have never read. Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres. It is completely different from my typical reads, but it was recommended to me by a fellow reader friend years ago. I bought it at that time but never read it. The movie has been put out since then and I haven't seen it yet either. I can't wait to read it when I complete the book.

I love this song...

During my times of struggling with depression, I love to turn to music to help lift my spirits. This is a great one...

Bible Verses

About a month after Michael was killed I wrote out this list of verses that I had planned to send in an email to my dad. I found the list today in my Bible and I thought I would list some of the verses that have helped to comfort me since his death -

I Peter 3:17 "It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

I Peter 5:7-10 "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast."

Romans 5:3 "...but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

John 16:20 "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." - - Even if life is difficult now, one day we will rejoice. Keep your eye on the future and God's promises!

Phil 1:6 "...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - - I used to tell my brother that I knew God would carry what He started in him to completion but I never expected how God was going to do that in him.

Phil 4:6,7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I Cor 12:26 "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." - - There are so many people who have suffered with me and my family in the months since my brother has died. Even though we are forced to go on about life as if nothing so BIG has happened, we are still hurting and trying to figure out how to keep on keeping on and how to make "sense" of it all. I am so thankful that there are people around me to suffer with me and hurt with me. I am also hurting with my father and mother when they are hurting on the days when they are hurting more than I am.

2 Cor 1:9,10 "Indeed in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us" - - During times of suffering, we turn to God and realize our own powerlessness. God is our source of power, and we receive his help by keeping in touch with him. With an attitude of dependence, problems drive us to God. We need to learn to rely on God daily and not just during the worst times of our lives.

Psalm 4:1 "Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer."

Psalm 4:8 "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 6 "O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave? I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail me because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace." - - If we will be honest with God, he will help us turn our attention from ourselves and to him and his mercy.

Psalm 13 - "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and everyday have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him, and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me." - - This song by David expresses that he will continue to trust God no matter how long he had to wait for God's justice to be realized. This Psalm reminds me to be patient in God's unfailing love during times of suffering.

Praise You in This Storm by Casting Crowns

During the ups and downs of my life in the last year or so I have really loved to hear this song on the radio. It is one of those songs that I just love to sing out in the car and it really talks about how I feel a lot of time. Here are the lyrics -

I was sure by now
God you would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

Recipes

I haven't shared any good recipes lately but I've got some new ones that I really like so I thought that they would be good to share.

Corn Salad
4 ears corn - Cut corn off cob and boil on high for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Rinse with cold water to cool off a little.
Mix corn in a bowl with the following -
1/2 - 1 package of cherry tomatoes (quartered)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 oz feta cheese
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

This is a great summer time recipe and it's nutritious. It is good right when you mix it up or served cold.

Bruschetta Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
~1/4 c. flour (to coat chicken)

2 tbsp melted butter or margarine
~1/4 cup bread crumbs
1-2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

store bought bruschetta or make your own with the following:
1 medium diced tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2-3 teaspoons dried basil
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
dash of red wine vinegar

Coat chicken pieces with the flour. Put chicken in sprayed casserole dish.

Mix the bread crumbs, melted butter, parmesan cheese, onion powder, and garlic powder together. It will be moist and crumbly. Place this on top of chicken. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-30 minutes depending on how thick your chicken pieces are.

If making your own bruschetta -
Dice the tomato and garlic. Mix them with the basil and olive oil and vinegar.

After the chicken is done put the bruschetta on top of the chicken and bake another 5-10 minutes just to warm it up.

This is a yummy recipe! It would be great to serve with a salad and french bread. This recipe is good too because it uses a lot of recipes that you probably have on hand. In the summer this is a great recipe to use your tomatoes and fresh basil.

Hope you enjoy these!

Thoughts...

I really enjoyed last Wednesday night's Bible study class led by Roger Warner. There were 2 verses that I especially appreciated hearing again. I want to meditate on them in the next few days and think about applying them to my life.

"I know O Lord that a man's life is not his own. It is not for man to direct his own steps."
- Jeremiah 10:23

I think this verse is a good reminder that I need to let God lead my life in the direction that He wants it to go. God will show me what to do/where to go if I will just follow His lead. There is NO reason for me to spend so much time WORRYING about choices to make and the future if I put my trust in God to lead me and guide me to that place that He wants me to be.

"Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
-2 Peter 1:2-4

This is another verse that tells us to rely on God. He will give us EVERYTHING that we need and he has promised us great things.

I need to meditate on these verses a while so that I can be assured that He will take care of me and provide for me what I need if I will rely on Him and follow His Word. I should be so relieved of the burden that I don't have to figure out everything by myself. Sometimes when I have something on my mind I feel like I can't sleep/relax until I get it solved. These verses give me assurance that I should trust God to take care of me and not feel like I have to do them on my own.

Any thoughts?

Coming up -

It will not be many more weeks until Nolan's 6th birthday and the beginning of 1st grade. I am just starting to plan his birthday party and just beginning to think about the start of a new school year. I know that he will be happy to see his friends again and it will be good for him to be back into the learning routine.

Chevy's birthday is only 3 weeks earlier than Nolan and this weekend will be his party. I always know that I need to start planning Nolan's party when I get the invitation to Chevy's party.

Also, I'm looking forward to seeing some of my aunts and uncles in a few weeks when my dad and Karen have a get-together. One thing that I've been thinking about lately is all of the cousins that I have and probably have lots in common with that I hardly know. I don't even know how many 1st cousins I have on my dad's side of the family. I wish that I knew them better and had close relationships with at least some of them. It is sad to me that I could pass some of them on the street and not even know who they are! Anyhow - I will be glad to spend some time with at least part of that side of the family in a few weeks.

More Summertime Fruits and Vegetables

This past weekend my friend Leeann and I went and picked blueberries. Someone that she knew of was offering them to whoever wanted to come and pick them. We had a lot of fun picking them together and talking while doing so. (Although we initially had trouble figuring out what a blueberry bush looks like!) We went back today and picked more. I've been enjoying blueberries and yogurt for lunch the last couple of days. I've got a couple of recipes that I want to try with the blueberries and, of course, now I want to plant my own blueberry bushes so that I can have fresh blueberries all summer long.

We also have been getting green beans and okra from our garden now. I made up my own recipe of oven fried okra and they were a hit. I cooked some green beans for supper last night and they were okay (not as good as other people's though...SOMEONE please tell me how to make green beans taste yummy!) We are still getting some cucumbers but not nearly as many as a few weeks ago.

I am so thankful for the wonderful foods that God has given us. We are so blessed!

A Cleaning Project

Last Thursday through Saturday, the boys were out of town with Grandma and Papaw while camping at Dan Nicholas Park (they had a great time - thank you Grandma and Papaw!) While they were away I decided it would be a good idea to clean their room. If you've seen it lately, you would understand why! There were toys everywhere and you couldn't even see the carpet. So, I took most of the stuff out of the room and cleared the way for Brent to shampoo the carpet. Then, I sorted the items into several piles - keep/put away, get rid of/donate, sell on Ebay, and trash. I was proud that I was actually able to come up with some things to give away this time. In the past when I've cleaned their room I couldn't bring myself to get rid of much of it. Maybe it helped that I was listening to The Dave Ramsey Show while working. It reminded me that, according to Dave, you should "get rid of/sell so much that your kids think you might get rid of them." I cleaned out the closet in their room (that mostly had my stuff in it!) and made space for more of the bulky toy items. I even put their shoes in the shoe holder pockets! I was so excited because when I finished and replaced everything you could still see the floor. Now, if the boys should WANT to play in their room, they can. You know what else? They've been more entertained in the past few days because they've found toys that they haven't seen lately!

Quick Beach Trip

On Sunday the boys and I drove down to Holden Beach to spend a couple of days with Grandad, Mimi, Chevy, Maddy, and Richard and Betty. We really enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with them. Elijah especially enjoyed the boat ride with Grandad and Papaw Richard. Nolan enjoyed getting to spend time with Chevy...they get along so well together. They played Nintendo DS's together and played on the beach together. We all enjoyed getting to play with Maddy. She's the best baby that I've ever been around and one of the cutest too! I really appreciated the time with my dad and Karen. I don't get to spend as much time with them as I would like and it was nice to get to spend some relaxing, unhurried time with them. Grandad and Papaw Richard tried to help the boys and I fish from the side of the boat while it was docked. Nolan, Elijah, and Chevy all caught fish...I never did catch even the smallest fish. So, Dad had to show me how to reel in the big fish.

What do you think about his BIG catch?? The sad thing is that I couldn't even catch one of those!

Dad and Karen - thanks for letting us come down and spend time with you. The three of us had a great time and appreciated it very much! We love you!