We are...Making Sushi!

Two weekends ago (I know I'm way behind on posting this), I had the opportunity to get together with a group from church and learn how to make sushi and spring rolls. So fun!  Our new friends, Robb and Pam Chandler, have become very good friends with these two sweet young women:

Sisters Ruby and Daisy are from Vietnam.  Using the Bible in a small study on Sunday mornings, Robb is teaching these ladies English.  He and Pam minister to these women in a way that just amazes me. 

After several people had the opportunity to taste the spring rolls these ladies brought to a July 4th party, Pam decided it would be fun to have a get-together at the church where Ruby and Daisy could demonstrate how to make sushi and spring rolls.  I was not going to miss that! (Unfortunately, Joshua wasn't feeling well that morning, so he was unable to attend).  There was a great group of folks in the church kitchen that morning, each of us eager to test our culinary skills... and even more excited to taste the end results!  We had a lot of fun, and everything was delicious! And, I'm telling you, Ruby and Daisy make the absolute BEST tasting spring rolls I've ever had. 

Robb and Pam sent me home with some of the leftover ingredients, so I treated Joshua to homemade California rolls for dinner and that made him happy.  I also attempted the spring rolls.  This didn't go as well as the sushi...  :-)

Rolling them up was easy.  However... I have no idea how to fry anything.  So... they looked... well, disgusting.  I also melted a nylon spatula in the process, and had to open the garage, some windows, and every door in the house to air out the smell of the crispity-crunchity unidentifiable charred remains of what should have been something delicious.  Thankfully, I only attempted to fry four of the twenty or so that I had rolled.  The rest are  now in the freezer, waiting for someone to come over and teach me how to deep fry something.

I refuse to embarass myself (any further...ahem) by pretending to fully remember the How-To's well enough now for this to be any kind of Instructional post.... so I'll just leave you with some pictures of the day and of some of our sweet new friends!

The World Famous Pineapple Whip

So Missouri is definitely different from the South. Since our first visit to Springfield, we have noticed many differences.  The types of trees and flowers commonly seen? Different. The grass is different too.  The roads are DEFINITELY smoother than the Jackson area - (and even though the heat has been incredible here lately, I haven't seen any buckled parking lots - but I bet the roads are made of different materials).  Most people here don't say words like Y'all. 'Accent' is not pronounced 'Ack-sent.'  People think the day is too hot when the thermometer hits 80. Sweet tea is NOT served at every restaurant. And the Fair takes place in the summer! If the Mississippi State Fair took place any earlier than October, I'm fairly certain that people would die.    

Some new friends gave us free Fair admission tickets, so last Friday night, we decided we'd check out the Ozark Empire Fair.


The truth is that neither one of us has been to The Fair in years and years, and without the free tickets (Thank you, Judy Foley!) we probably would not have bothered. Especially since we assumed that since it was just a regional fair (not the State Fair) that it was going to be somewhat rinky-dink.  We were totally wrong!  We were so very surprised to see the size of the fair and the size of the crowd. It was pretty big for being just a regional fair.  

We checked out the midway, enjoyed some really bad karaoke (score!), and stumbled across something we had heard rumors of in the past few weeks: 

The World Famous Pineapple Whip. 

Evidently this is THE favorite fair treat of Springfield locals.  Truthfully, I had no idea what to expect, but it was another pleasant surprise! It's a pineapple-flavored frozen/ice-creamy-ish treat.  And it was delicious!  Joshua decided to go against the flow and get a Grape whip instead - and it was also very good!

Then...while we were walking along, taking in the sights and sounds of the midway, enjoying some pineapply goodness, we came across this sweet-treat reminder of home:

 It was a good night.

New fave fabrics!

I am so crazy about this new fabric collection by Michael Miller!  It's called Grand Bazaar and it's by designer Patti Young. Love love love!!!


And the Heirloom line by Joel Dewberry is awesome! I've been drooling over it for months. I don't think I could ever choose a favorite between any of these colorways.  <sigh>  So pretty! And the truth is I love anything by Joel Dewberry.



 

We Are… in Springfield

So at this point, anyone reading this knows that in June, Joshua and I moved to Springfield, Missouri.  In April, Joshua accepted a call to be Minister of Music at National Heights Baptist Church in Springfield, and we immediately began preparing for the 500+ mile move.  We were really excited about where God was leading us, but at the same time, it was a tough situation!  I moved to Jackson, Mississippi for college and I never left – so I had been there for ALL of my adult life.  So there were many, many tears for several weeks after we made the decision to move.  Some tears were reasonable.  Some...not so much.

Tears make sense when you’re saying goodbye to certain people...

Tears are just plain silly when you’re driving by places like... Kroger in Pearl.

Yeah, I did that. I can promise you I didn't cry because I knew i'd miss their fabulous selection of fresh veggies. Ahem.

Also not fun to say goodbye to your house. Especially when it’s a pink house. With parquet flooring.  And dark pink azaleas.  And a perfectly shaped magnolia.  Oh, I love the smell of magnolia blooms. 

And this sweetheart will be staying with Joshua's parents until we sell the house and can move somewhere with a backyard. 

Sweet Lucy, how we miss you!

BUT – we were excited about the move to Springfield and National Heights.  We have been so blessed by this new church family.  They have taken such good care of us!  From the welcome/housewarming party, to the Springfield Cardinals tickets, homegrown veggies, and the constant lunch and dinner invitations, we have been just blown away by the generosity of these people and the constant out-pouring of God’s love through them. 

Oh, and we were even given the opportunity to rent a duplex owned by a church member.  We did downsize a bit from our 3 bedroom home to a 2 bedroom duplex, but we’re so very thankful that this home was available for us here!  And it’s so nice! We LOVE having a two car garage, a large open kitchen, huge master bath, and ENORMOUS walk-in closet. And our guest room has a large enough closet, that it is now known as The Sewing Room. LOVE!

Here is a pic of the new place:

And we can see the church from the backside of the house

 – which is great for Joshua.  It was incredibly convenient our very first Sunday here too.  As we were getting ready for church that morning, a transformer blew on our street.  Uh, bummer.  No electricity =  no hairdryer or curling iron for me.  (On the bright side, I got to shower by candlelight… on a Sunday morning. J )  Also, we had no idea how to get the garage door to open without electricity.  Thankfully, we had one vehicle in the driveway.  So Joshua left the car for me to drive when I was ready, and he just walked to church. 

Well, that’s all for now!  More updates and stories coming soon.