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.