Sunday Hymn: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

Today was Christ the King Sunday, so I played my favorite hymn My Shepherd Will Supply My Need.  This simple, gorgeous arrangement is from Mark Hayes' book Hymn Settings That Touch the Soul. 

I have played this arrangement too many times to count, and it's always a huge hit with our congregation. 

Enjoy! 

The 12 Days of Cookies!

Okay, I've entered my Aunt Kay's best cookie recipe into "The 12 Days of Cookies" contest.  Public voting will take place online November 16-25 to determine the top 24 recipes, and the panel of judges will then narrow the list to 12 winners. The first recipe will be published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on December 13th, and another recipe will be featured on each date leading up to the Christmas Day.

Not only do the 12 winners win a feature in the newspaper, but they also win a year's supply of milk from Hiland Dairy! 

Out of 95 entries, we are currently in 15th place!  Not bad, huh?  If anyone out there actually reads this, I'd sure appreciate your vote!  It takes just a minute to sign up to vote on the website, and once you do, you can vote ONCE A DAY! (Subtle hint)  Just click here to get started. 

And in case you feel like you should taste-test them first, here's Aunt Kay's recipe:

Aunt Kay's Oatmeal, Chocolate-Chip, Toffee Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. light-brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 3/4 c. old-fashioned oats
12 oz. chocolate chips
8 oz. toffee bits
1 c. pecans--chopped, toasted, & cooled

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a microwave-safe, large mixing bowl, melt the butter on high for 1 minute.
4. Add brown sugar, white sugar, salt, and vanilla to melted butter. Stir to mix well and remove lumps.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Mix flour and baking soda together in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in large bowl.
7. Stir in oatmeal and mix thoroughly.
8. Add chocolate chips, toffee bits, and pecans, stirring to mix into dough.
9. Drop scoops of dough onto lined baking sheets and bake in oven for 13 minutes.
10. Cool on wire racks until completely firm

Firecracker 5K

For the 4th of July, my friends and I ran in Little Rock's Firecracker Fast 5K. This race has been held in our capital city for the past 37 years, and believe me--it is a fast 5K! The race starts in The Heights and ends down by War Memorial stadium. The course is almost all downhill, so it's a great race for improving speed. I was super excited because I set a new PR--I finished in 36:13:59, my fastest 5K yet! And, I almost ran the entire thing. I walked through the hydration station, and I walked the last turn of the race because it was uphill. I will definitely be running this race next year, and I WILL run the entire course! My goal is to be able to run a 5K in 35 minutes or less. I'm almost there! 

I was so glad that Katherine and Beth could join me for this race. I made our tutus the night before. (I've become a tutu guru : ) I can turn them out pretty quick now.) We decided we're also going to run the Watermelon 5K for the Hope, Arkansas Watermelon Festival, and we're going to make tutus for our "watermelon costumes." Woo hoo tutu party! 

Beth was the first in our group to cross the finish line and was interviewed by Channel 7 news. Her interview and our 3 tutus were featured on the 6:00 news...umm....AWESOME! 

Superhero 5K

This past weekend, I ran in Russellville's Superhero 5K.  As you may know, I love costumes, and there's no better way to get me to run than to tell me I get to dress up.  I decided to go as Wonder Woman (because honestly, it's summer and too hot for the all-black Cat Woman getup, and we girls have fewer options than the boys).  It was so much fun making my Wonder Woman costume:  I made a no-sew tutu out of blue tulle and bought the sticky-back foam stars from Hobby Lobby.  I made the wrist cuffs, headpiece, and emblem (which fell off my shirt--I was too lazy to sew it on!) out of glittery gold fun foam.  I added a plain red t-shirt and my white compression sleeves to resemble boots--I wish I'd had them in red.

I love that the race also had a backdrop.  That was fun.  You really get the full Superhero effect, no? : )

I.Am.Wonder.Woman!

Playing with filters : )

Supporting the Cause.  It's always fun to dress up, but I also wanted to participate in this 5K for the cause is supported.  All proceeds were donated to the family of Carter (who loves superheroes--his favorite is Batman!).  Carter is the 4-year-old son of a Russellville police officer and was recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  Carter is currently undergoing treatment through UAMS and the AR Children's Hospital.  The family is still searching nationwide for alternative treatments.  Donated funds will help the family with medical bills and travel expenses, so I'm happy to join the cause.

Adam comes to most of my races, but his band had a show in downtown Little Rock late, late, late Friday night.  I was nice and decided to give him the morning off : )  I was thrilled when my brother & sis-in-law (who live in Russellville) decided they were coming to the race.  They met me at the finish line, and afterwards, we all went to Stoby's for breakfast.

Eli (on left), also ran in the race.  He must be a pretty fast runner since Andrew
talked to Eli for at least 5 minutes before I made it to the finish line : )

My sis-in-law Norma & me.

After breakfast, I went to Clarksville, where Norma's coworkers hosted a shower for Baby Noah.  Noah will be here this August, and I'm super excited to fill my role as the crazy aunt : )

Baby Shower with Norma

This was such a neat place--it's a coffee house/radio station in one (hence John Lennon in the background).  They also have a stage for live musicians to perform on the weekends.  If I didn't live so far away, I'd definitely be checking it out one weekend.

They had the cutest cupcakes at the shower!

DC Adventure, Part 1

A couple months ago, my friend Sarah told me about some bus tickets she had found.  Megabus had a great online deal--$10 roundtrip from Knoxville to DC.  Umm....sign me up!  We didn't really have a plan, but we decided a spontaneous trip to DC would be a fun way to kick off the summer.

I spent my first week of summer in Knoxville visiting family, and that Friday, Sarah and I loaded the bus.  We loaded the bus at 10:00pm. 

Sarah and I think this should be an ad for Megabus.
We might also be a little biased : )

Sitting in the front seat on the top deck.
We're still smiling because we don't know what's coming....

This was why we chose the front seat, top deck (as suggested to us by a friend).
We did have a wonderful view.

This was the point we realized we would be exploring DC on 0 hours of sleep.
Not exactly what we had planned.  

About an hour into the trip, Sarah and I noticed a few problems.  First of all, her seat was broken and would not recline.  Mine did, so I offered her my neck pillow, but neither one of us was comfortable.  Second (and by far the worst part of the ride) was the broken windshield wiper.  There was a rubber piece, about 6 inches long, that had separated from the wiper.  The wind would catch it, and it would whack against the windshield.  VERY LOUDLY, I might add.  Thump, thump, thump...all through the night.  It might have been a little more bearable if it had been keeping a steady beat or maybe some kind of rhythm, but no.  It was a very long ride.

The bus arrived at Union Station around 7:30am.  I'm very thankful for my Google Maps app.  If we didn't have a blue line to follow, we would have been even more lost! (Yep, I left the map of DC at home.) We had already planned on walking to our hostel because Sarah had read it was "close" to Union Station.  We definitely got in our exercise that morning because it was a "close" 25-minute walk to the hostel.  It did feel really great to stretch our legs after a 9-hour bus ride.  

The hostel was actually in a great location.  It was 8 blocks from the Capitol, 4 blocks from Chinatown, and 1 block from a taxi stand.  And if we had known...only a $7 cab ride away from Union Station : ) Most importantly (for we were starving when we arrived in DC) our hostel was just down the block from a little French Crepe restaurant, where we definitely indulged.

Nutella, banana, coconut crepe.  Um...yes, please!  

Any place that has a Nutella display in the window....is all right with me : )

Ireland: Day 5

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday. We had a very busy agenda. One of my favorite stops was the Giant's Causeway. Here are a few pics. More to come later!

The Craic Will Be Mighty! Ireland, Day 4

Our tour director Elva taught us this new word today.  I decided to look it up on Urban Dictionary to make sure I was using it correctly : )

Craic:  Irish word for fun/enjoyment that has been brought into the English language, usually when mixed with alcohol and/or music.  Fun doesn't really cut it though. General banter, good times had by all. Also, a person who is good fun/great company.

Try using it in a sentence......

It was great craic. She's great craic when she gets going. He's great craic when he has a few pints on him. What's the craic? How's the craic? The craic was mighty. 

Tonight, "the craic was mighty!"  A few of us visited a local pub called O'Donnell's.  There was live music, and it was quite entertaining great craic!  Today, I decided to come up with 10 things.  I guess I'm feeling ambitious (or really, the coffee hasn't worn off yet.  I'll probably regret that in the morning when I'm falling asleep on the bus!)

1.  There was too much shopping involved on today's trip.  Expensive shopping.  And of course I had to indulge....you're supposed to buy these things when you're in Ireland!

2.  I really like Australians.  We typically sit with them at dinner.  They were great craic at the pub tonight!

3.  I don't think I like whiskey.  I drank my complimentary Irish Coffee.  But honestly....after the cream was gone, I lost interest.  

4.  I definitely don't like whiskey.  I tried a local drink that Elva suggested, a Patty's & Red (I think that's right....).  It contains whiskey, of course, and a red/pink lemonade.  Not my cup of tea.

5.  I do, however, like Guinness.  I a small sample for the first time today.

6.  I need to brush up on my Irish folk songs.  I know many of the tunes but not the lyrics.  And I'm sure no one would have been impressed if I had sung them in solfege at the pub.

7.  I try to get in some exercise each day.  Today, I rock-lifted.  Adam was not impressed.....

8.  "What's the definition of a bachelor?      Someone who hasn't made the same mistake twice."

     "How can I miss you when you won't go away?"  Just 2 of the great lines we heard in the pub.

9.  Johnny Cash seems to be really popular over here.

10.  We went in search of our pot of gold......unfortunately, there was none to be found.  That's really going to put a damper on my shopping!

Ireland: Day 3

My blogging time is very limited. So for now, I will leave you with 5 things. I promise to write a more detailed account later : )

1. "Keys, Teeth, Husbands," is what our tour director says each morning before we depart for our next destination. Check, check, check!
2. We found the perfect church--if we'd had our wedding in Ireland.
3. Signs are not only practical, they're entertaining.
4. It's getting increasingly hard to stay awake on the bus. We're the youngest people on this tour and the first ones to fall asleep!
5. Adam is on a geological field trip. "Man, I wish I had my rock hammer!"

Pictures are in random order (thanks Blogger app!) Can you match the correct picture to the correct number, haha? (Note: not all 5 have a corresponding picture.)

Greetings from Ireland (We DID finally make it!)

We have now been up for 31 hours.

We literally hit the ground running. I wish I was exaggerating. Since our flights were delayed, we ended up starting our tour a day late. We were crossing our fingers hoping we could catch up with our tour director and group before they left for the next destination. (We don't often stay in the same town for more than one night.)

It turns out that Shannon Airport is a LOT smaller than I expected--nothing like flying into Heathrow! We were the only incoming flight that early, so we were through customs and had our baggage within 10 minutes. I also was able to call my tour director for the first time and found out we had time to meet them in Limerick before they left.

Oh, and our Irish taxi driver, Patrick, was way friendlier than any London cabi I've ever met.

We got to our Limerick hotel in time to meet Elva, our guide, put our luggage on the bus, grab a coffee, and then we were off.

I can't give a full recap right now--I just couldn't give it justice. Here are a few pictures so y'all can see what we've been up to : )

Cliffs of Mohr
Rathburn Farm
Connemara Marble

And let me just say, there has been a lot of geology mentioned on this trip. It made Adam super happy!

Greetings From Chicago!

Let me just say that our honeymoon trip to Ireland.....hasn't gotten off to a good start.  Yet.  I'm hoping we can turn this around or at least make some good stories out of it.  Currently, it's too soon to say.

We arrived at the airport at 8:00am, grabbed coffee with Adam's parents, and were through security by 9:00.  Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10:21, so I had time to buy a new book and eat my pre-flight bagel.  We had not been seated at our gate for very long when the girl at the United Airlines desk broke the bad news:  the plane we were to board for Chicago had been delayed, and there was no way of knowing for how long. Turns out, there was a mechanical problem shortly after the plane took off from the Chicago terminal, and they were forced to turn around.  Not what we wanted to hear.....

Stephanie was the United Airlines representative at our gate, and she was doing her very best to get passengers accommodated on other flights.  Those of you who have flown in and out of Little Rock know that this airport is so tiny--there's only one United Airlines gate. We stood in line at the desk for an hour and a half! The next available flight?  6:30pm.  We were supposed to make a connecting flight in Chicago before departing Newark at 7:30 for Shannon Airport.  Stephanie was able to get us on an American Airlines flight that put us in Chicago by 5:30, but we had to reschedule our other flights. We found United Airways representative when we landed, but it took us a while to get to the correct terminal. This airport is huge!
The worst part?  United only has ONE flight departing for Shannon each day, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow evening before we depart for Ireland.  

It looks like we'll be staying in Chicago tonight. United has put us up in the Hilton and gave us vouchers for dinner and breakfast. We depart Chicago at 3pm tomorrow and leave Newark at 7:30pm. This will put us in Ireland at 7:00am on Day 2 of our scheduled tour.   The problem with this is that our guided tour will be leaving Limerick (our first stop on the tour) that morning for the next city on our itinerary. And the likelihood of us making it through the airport and on the bus before they leave.....isn't looking good.  We might be renting a car to catch up with our tour group....did you know that they drive on the wrong side of the road in Ireland?!? I'm thinking Adam and I will have to flip a coin to see who has to brave the left side of the road. Say a little prayer for us please!

We are off to dinner now. I'm hoping for some Chicago-style pizza! (Trying to stay positive about all of this!)

We also have "Flat Michael" with us on this trip. I'll have to give y'all the story in that too!