no more tears

Recipe for Vidalia Onion Spread

1 pair swim goggles

2 cups Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped

2 cups Hellmann's Mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 teaspoon Paprika

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Wear swim goggles as you chop the onions. Combine onions, mayo and cheese in a medium bowl. Pour into a 1 quart baking dish and smooth the top;bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove cheese spread from oven and blot excess oil from top with paper towels. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve spread warm.

It is Vidalia onion season and my dad brought me a bag back from south Georgia. I love to make the spread recipe above, but I absolutely cannot stand to chop onions. My eyes water and sting profusely to the point that I am blinded! Alan says it's because my eyes are blue and that he doesn't understand how I can see out of them anyway. He thinks brown eyes are dominant or something.

Anyway, I digress...I have tried almost every internet remedy to prevent the watery eyes. I have chopped onions before with a slice of bread hanging out of my mouth (whoever came up with that one should be ashamed of themselves). I have chewed gum while chopping only to end up with onion-spearmint flavored gum...AND watery eyes. I have used serrated versus straight blade knives. I have tried almost everything and this weekend I found the remedy that does the trick.

Swim goggles.

Yes, I chopped my onions with swim goggles on and not a tear in sight. I had nice little circle marks around my eyes afterward, but I'll try anything to get through the onion chopping.

So for those blue-eyed onion choppers out there, get those goggles on for crying out loud!

The Hot Seat with Alan Owings

Five questions with my hubby Alan on our thirteenth wedding anniversary, May 28:

1. Why didn't you ever talk to me in high school?

Because you were from Belvedere.

2. What do you remember most about our wedding day? Keep it G-rated.

My beautiful bride walking down the aisle.

3. What advice do you have for newly married couples?

Do not force your expectations on your spouse.

4. I am the funniest person you know, aren't I?

Well, you are the funniest when you are mad. But of course it makes you madder when I laugh.

5. Would you marry me again?

Again and again and again.

gas pain

Most of us are experiencing some gas pain...AT THE PUMPS, not the other kind. I know that I have tried to be more efficient in my errand-running, by knocking it all out in one trip instead of going back and forth and wasting so much gas. An internet article that I ran across compared gas prices to some commonly used products converted to gallons. At an average price of $3.15 per gallon, maybe gas prices aren't too bad.

Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz for $1.19 = $9.52 per gallon

Starbucks Tall Breakfast Blend 12 oz for $1.66 = $17.70 per gallon

Evian (water) 9 oz for $1.49 = $21.19 per gallon

Vicks Nyquil 6 oz for $8.35 = $178.13 per gallon

Whiteout 7 oz for $1.39 = $254.17 per gallon


The way I see it is...It costs me $3 in gas to travel about 18 miles. I would gladly pay the money than walk those 18 miles!

sequels

This summer is loaded with movie sequels to the third power. On the big screen are Spiderman 3, Shrek 3, Ocean’s Thirteen, Rush Hour 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, and Bourne Identity 3. TrueNorth Church is also celebrating a sequel…a third anniversary in August. Unlike movie sequels, the years at TNC just keep getting better and better. God continues to bless us like crazy!

Speaking of crazy…

I remember Steve sharing his vision for this new church, which at the time had no name but would soon be called TrueNorth. Alan and I began praying and this is how the conversation went:

Us: God...Steve is crazy. He is out of his mind! Are you going to let him do this?

God: Yes, he is crazy and so are you. Go help him.

Us: (looking over our shoulders) You talkin' to us?

God: Yeah, I'm talkin' to you.

Us: Why us, God?

God: Because you are my risk-takers.

We found ourselves on a mission with a small group of families to start a church that would be a place where people could experience God in a real and relevant way. As risk-takers, we stepped out of our comfort zone and ignored any negativity that we encountered. We prayed together, studied together, and dreamed big dreams. Being a part of growing God's church has been a blessing of a lifetime!

Fast forward three years...you can read here about the new vision God has placed on Steve and the leadership of TNC to start another campus in Columbia County. Once again, we are out of our minds for the sake of God. And this is an opportunity for another clueless, but passionate group of people to lead others in their community to have a life changing experience. If you attend TNC and live in Columbia County, ask God what he desires for you. You may be surprised to hear Him call you to be His risk-taker.

It will be better than any blockbuster sequel you have ever seen.

get your caff on

North Augusta has finally made the big league with a new Starbucks that opened last weekend. I usually order a tall regular coffee with a shot of flavor. But I would like to venture out and explore some other coffee drinks. Leave a comment here and let me know what I should try. Come on...hook a sista up!

no comprende

WU?
NM. Just HW.
ZZZZZZ.
POS 2.
OMG.
BRB.
K.

Unless you are a middle or high-schooler, you PROLY don’t know WAT this is. Our kids are using this language as shortcuts in their virtual conversations. Most of the shortcuts are acronyms, others are just vowel-less. Do they use these abbreviations because they are LZY? Because they don’t want the RENTS to know what they R saying? Or is it showing off? Maybe all of the above. But the bottom line is, you have to know the language to be part of the conversation.

Such is the case in Christian culture. How can we reach nonbelievers when we are speaking what seems to be a foreign language? As Christians we assume that some of these words are obvious. Words such as salvation, accepting Christ, repent, calling, Holy Spirit, blessed, or even the word Christian can be obscure and result in us getting the whatchootalkinboutwillis look.

We have a responsibility to be authentic and real in our conversations with nonbelievers. We should put ourselves in their place, speaking with love and patience. The words we choose may make the difference in a person’s willingness to be part of the conversation.

G2G…TTYL!
K?

american idol poll

As I have said before, I don't watch American Idol. Maybe because I watched too much Star Search growing up (remember the cheesy Spokesmodel competition?). So I don't know what is going on except that there are two finalists left. Who do you think will be the overall winner? Check out the polldaddy on the right and pick a weiner...I mean a winner!

Whaaa???

Britney has a new outlook on life. I just can't figure out what it is.

From her website main page:

"The reason for this letter is to let everyone know that their prayers have truly helped me. I am so blessed that you care enough about me to be concerned and will continue to live in this brighter state with all of you by my side during this trying time. We are all the lights of the world and we all need to continually inspire others and look to the higher power. You are all in my prayers. Godspeed. Love, Britney."

purge

I was recently asked by several friends why I have not blogged lately. It's nice to know I have been missed!

Lately there have been about 25 channels playing in my brain at all times, so it has been hard for me to put down the remote and stick to one channel. And this is a sample of what's going on up there:

1. Kacie is graduating from high school in a few weeks.

2. Allison is graduating from elementary school.

3. Matthew is graduating from kindergarten.

4. I need to stock up on more tissue for the graduation ceremonies. Especially when Matthew's class sings "Friends are Friends Forever".

5. I have been researching holding boys back a grade. I am not popular with the grandparents right now.

6. Everytime I want to write a blog post, someone else posted the same thought ten minutes ago.

7. I have seen or heard the word 'perseverence' at least fifty-eleven times in the past month. It's my new word.

8. We went to see Spiderman 3 this weekend. It was okay. It just seemed to lack focus and direction with too many plots going on at one time. Too many things unexplained too.

9. David Crowder is coming to Columbia in November!

10. I am helping plan Facedown (communion service) for this Sunday night. It's going to be great, but I will be at the baccalaureate service.

11. I am trying to find a hotel to stay at in New York City. This is harder than I thought.

12. Occasionally I will read a book just for dumb fun. Even though it's taking me a long time to read it, the one I am reading now is "Stop Dressing Your Six Year Old Like a Skank" by Celia Rivenbark.

13. Yesterday's sermon at TrueNorth Church was about being a peacemaker. I have always considered myself a peacemaker. But now I'm not so sure. I should work on this.

So that is my purge...I feel better now.

sang it girl!

This is my niece singing "You Are My Sunshine"...check out her spaghetti beard and south Georgia accent.