Really Good Things that Have Happened in the Past Couple of Weeks
I totally missed Seven Quick Takes on Friday, so here’s a kind of make-up session of that. Only I can’t promise I’ll hit seven on the dot, I’m not sure how quick I’ll be, and this entry is going to be all about the awesome.
Awesome Thing #1: I found a church I like! To show you God’s sense of humor, it happens to be a church I avoided visiting for years because it meets in the same high school cafeteria my old church met in, and the pastor is my mom’s old pastor. And remember how I said I was feeling drawn to the Catholic church? Yeah, this place is an Evangelical, non-denominational fellowship. So not where I was expecting to end up. And it may not be where I end up - I’ve only visited twice, so who knows? It may not be my cup of tea for the long term, but for right now I’m enjoying it.
Awesome Thing #2: I baked a loaf of bread yesterday! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am about this. I’m really intimidated by baking, because I’ve had a couple big “oops” moments. Cooking is so much easier than baking, because you don’t have to measure or worry about things turning out just right. Bread especially scared me because it requires lots of waiting and kneading and holy crap what if my yeast it bad, etc. Well, I found a recipe for Two-Cheese Batter Bread in my Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook, which did not require a whole lot of kneading and waiting and worrying. (Apparently, that’s the whole point of batter breads, and I think it’s ingenius.) The bread was so, so yummy, and I felt wildly accomplished when I pulled it of the oven.
I also felt inspired! You know what I might actually be up to trying? Pie crusts. That’s right, y’all, I’m gonna walk on the wild side. Let’s hope I won’t cry if they don’t turn out flaky and nomalicious the first time around.
P.S. The Good Housekeeping cookbook, along with Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and Betty Crocker’s classic cookbook, which my mother gave me when I married my first husband, are the three books I visit over and over again for new recipes and challenges as well as old favorites. Favorites like Betty’s chocolate chip cookies, which I made yesterday as well!
Awesome Thing #3: Last weekend my friend Anika visited with her husband and 2.75-year-old daughter. We had a blast! Their daughter LOVED our dogs and cats, which made me happy. One of the best things about having pets is that they’re not just a blessing to us, but to other people as well. Also, I don’t have to be that interesting or funny, because folks are usually quite entertained by my kitties being silly. All I have to do is answer the door and serve something edible. Score!
Awesome Thing #4: My friend Kerry has generously offered to help me overcome my fear of sewing. Y’all, once I figure out that dammit, I AM smart enough to figure out making pretty things and yummy foods, I will be a domestic force to contend with! We picked out some really pretty fabric to make purses for myself and my brother’s GF. They’re both gonna be pink on the outside, but Chrissy’s will be lined with a saucy tattoo-style graphic print, and mine will be lined with a Care Bears print. THAT’S RIGHT, Y’ALL. FREAKING CARE BEARS. As soon as I saw the Care Bears fabric, something broke inside my brain and I HAD TO HAVE IT.
Awesome Thing #5 Remember how I said that I don’t feel very domestically gifted? Well, either I’m more gifted that I thought I was or I’ve got everyone fooled. Kerry told me this week that she thinks my house is “immaculate” (!!!) and when I relayed this craziness to Jill, she agreed. “Your house is ALWAYS clean.” Shut up! Don’t you see the three pairs of shoes piled by the front door? The dog toys strewn about the living room? The stuffing leaking out of every pillow on the sofa, because apparently our furniture is ALSO a dog toy? The crumbs and sticky stuff on my stove? The pile of dishes in the sink?
But then I stepped back and thought, “Yeah, they’re kinda right. I do try to keep the clutter to a minimum, and frequently succeed, and I’ve learned to stay on top of little things like wiping the bathroom sink clean and sweeping the floor.” Those little things make a HUGE difference in how the house feels, and I love it.
Maybe there is hope for me on the domestic goddess front, eh? And isn’t it wild how we often think we’re terrible at something only to find out that everyone else thinks we’re doing a great job?
Awesome Thing #6 I hung out with Jill yesterday at the childcare center she directs, where we stenciled her school’s core values on the freshly-painted walls. It was great day - I love having girl talk with Jill, and it felt good to do a favor for her and her kids. Unfortunately, I had take off in a hurry because I remembered at 3 p.m. that I was supposed to deliver a meal to one of the families from Coastal Community Church that’s going through a hard time. I raced to the store and then back home to cook, and managed to deliver a chicken pot pie, salad, fruit and cookies just an hour after I’d promised to do so!
Awesome Thing #7: I haven’t smoked for 1 month, 2 days and 16 hours. That’s 404 cigarettes not smoked for a savings of $106. BOO-YAH.
Look at that! I did manage to end up with Seven Things of Awesome. Tell me, what awesome things have happened to YOU this week?
