somebody sent me flowers

Recently, my friend sent herself flowers.  And that blog post happened to be about how great my friends are.

Yesterday, another one of my friends sent me flowers.



She just did it out of the goodness of her heart, to send me a happy.  Talk about making my Thankful Thursday even better!

Earlier in the day another one of my friends called just to tell me that she loves me.

And I repeat: I have the greatest, most encouraging friends.  Ever.

It seems there's always one who's stepping up and loving me in a tangible way, who's lavishing generosity just because, or who's calling me just to check in and say "hi."

This week has felt like a personal lovefest.  I hope that this weekend y'all feel the love, too!

thankful thursday #28

On Tuesday afternoon, my co-worker noticed this on my car ...



... (although it wasn't really that bad).

And he sent me off to Jack's Shell Station (it's kind of sweet that they even have a website, yes?), in Crestline Village, where they will plug and air your tire for $10!

I'm so thankful this week that I didn't need a new tire, and I was more than happy to spend the best $10 I've spent a very long time.

Brotherly co-workers and small-town gas stations make for a very grateful day in my world.  What about you?  Go on, be grateful!

knockoff salad

Last month I dove head first into the season of salads with a very delicious orzo salad, compliments of Cooking Light.  After two batches, it was time to move on.

Last week, I ate lunch at a little dive in Vestavia, and I ordered a salad that was very tasty.  And more importantly, very achievable in my own kitchen.

This isn't a technical recipe, and it's not identical to the restaurant version, but it's oh-so-yummy, and worthy of sharing.

Bistro V Knockoff Salad, the Way You Like It

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bunch of asparagus
1 package of spinach tortellini (in the fridge section of your grocery store)
1 can of cannellini beans (aka, navy beans, white beans, or Great Northern beans)
1 can of quartered artichoke hearts
1 jar of sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 bag of romaine lettuce
Balsamic basil vinaigrette (prepared in a bottle)

Preparation steps that can be done ahead of time:

1. Grill up your chicken the way you like it.  I did some simple seasonings -- salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper -- and just used my grill pan.  Whatever works.  Let the meat rest for a few minutes, and then dice it up into bite-size pieces.  Set that aside.
 
2. Prepare your asparagus the way you like it.  I steamed mine, although grilling or roasting would be very tasty as well.  After it cools, chop the stalks into 2-inch pieces.  Set that aside, too.
 
3. Prepare the tortellini according to the package directions.  Drain, and rinse in cold water.
 
4. While any of the above are in the works, use the down time to drain and rinse the can of beans, and drain and blot the artichoke hearts.  (The artichokes have a serious water-retention tendency, so dry them out extra well.)
 
5. Chop up the sun-dried tomatoes, and set those aside.

Assembly steps, for when you're ready to chow down:

1. Place some romaine lettuce on the plate, and top with tortellini, grilled chicken, asparagus, beans, artichokes, and sun-dried tomatoes.  Just use the quantities you're feeling.  The way you like it!
 
2. Dress it up with basil vinaigrette, and you're ready to go!

Other notes:

1. The restaurant used Kalamata olives, not sun-dried tomatoes.  Either is delish.
 
2. I think a homemade basil vinaigrette would be extra-special, but I just wasn't that ambitious this weekend.
 
3. Store each prepared ingredient in its own container, and it's a super-fast lunch prep all week long.

Eat it up, y'all.  And be creative with your own variations!

still here

The Rapture didn't happen.  I didn't think it would, but had it, I'd have been excited.

While we're still hanging out on earth, we might as well soak up faces like these ...





... and savor tastes like these ...





I had a weekend filled with people and things I love.  I hope you did, too!

thankful thursday #27, the 100th post edition

Who knew I'd ever write 100 blog posts?  That's crazy.

And since I love celebrations, and commemorating milestones, why not be like everyone else and write the "100 Things About Me" post?

Not gonna happen, people.  (I'm pretty sure I just heard a collective sigh of relief.)

One hundred random facts?  I'm just not that interesting.  And who would really read that?  Now that's crazy.

In other, less glamorous news, today does mark my 27th Thankful Thursday!  (Who decided that 100 is cause for pause, but 27 isn't?)  That's about half a year of embracing gratitude, and intentionally giving thanks.  A good six months, I'd say!

I've had a lot of nuggets of thankfulness this week: progress on the house sale (which I refuse to share quite yet, for fear of jinxing it); the previously referenced "LORD, I'm unworthy" moment; the second round of immunizations completed.

But seriously, can I just get a witness, praise be to God I'm not walkin' in the shoes of Maria Shriver this week?  God love her.

I never promised Thankful Thursdays to be serious business all the time, y'all.  Just saying.

Now.  Tell me what's making you feel legitimate appreciation this week.  Please.  Go on, be grateful!

knees to the earth

God has a way of taking me off at the knees sometimes.

Today was one of the sometimes, where the goodness He showered on me was so unexpected, and so generous, I could only say in response, "LORD, I'm so unworthy."

What is an appropriate response, anyway?  When words just don't properly express your gratitude?

Throughout the scriptures, acceptable and pleasing acts of worship occurred in a variety of ways: shouting and clapping; standing and lifting of hands; lying prostrate on the ground.

One of the Hebrew words for worship that's used commonly in the Old Testament is shachah, and it means "to bow down."  Psalm 95:6 perfectly illustrates that posture: "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."

I don't know if it's this way in your place of worship, but we don't usually sit when we sing, when we offer our physical praise to God.  (And for the record, that's all fine and good.  God's certainly honored when we stand in reverence.)

Sometimes, though, His holiness and perfection generate a gravity intended to pull us to our knees, to humble us where we can only say, "LORD, I'm unworthy of Your love and generosity, but I accept You and all that You are."

That's when we worship with our knees to the earth.  And that's an appropriate response when we feel unworthy of His goodness.

Beautiful Jesus
How may I bless Your heart?
Knees to the earth
I bow down to everything You are
Beautiful Jesus
You are my only worth
So I will embrace You always
As I walk this earth
 -- "Knees to the Earth", Watermark

i sent myself flowers

I have a slew of great friends.  I've mentioned some on occasion, and how they're very cool people, because I'm only friends with cool people.

One of my childhood friends sends me hand-written thank you notes, Valentine's cards, Easter cards regularly.  And she doesn't just sign her name, either.  There's always a cherished note that's she's taken some time to write.  I just opened one from her in the mail today, in fact.  It gave my Monday a little lift.

Another one of my friends calls me sometimes for shoe advice.  I mean, I love shoes, but I am no fashionista. Or she'll tell me, "I wish you were here to help me decorate."  She says that to me, the girl who will wait months to make a furniture purchase, and only for the perfect bargain.  She's a good friend, to make me feel like I'm way more sophisticated than I am.

I have a spontaneous friend who has never run a half marathon in her life, but is traveling to Providence (yes, Rhode Island) this summer with me to do it.  How fun is that?  I love a little adventurous spirit, don't you?

And this other friend I have, she told me tonight she sent flowers to herself.

Let that sink in, people.

She sent flowers to herself!

Is that not the most fantastic thing you've ever heard?  She has done what single girls think about doing, but never really do.  I love her for it.

Now, this isn't a direct quote, but trust me, I'm accurately representing the train of thought here:

"Well, it's been a down week, and no one else is going to do it, and I can afford it, and I had a coupon, so why not?  They're coming to my office on Thursday, when I will have probably forgotten I even ordered them, and they will make me happy, and I can enjoy them all weekend.  And they are red, so they will look great in my remodeled living room."

I'm telling y'all.  My friends are keepers.

worth a thousand words

At some point when I was transitioning into the life of an adult with a career, my dad gave me a piece of advice I'll never, ever forget:

"Keep your mouth shut.  Most of my problems happen because someone has opened their mouth and shouldn't have."

Dad works in the world of a merciless media, so it's not surprising that he is hypersensitive to a careless or untimely slip of the tongue.

Even still, I've always believed in the wisdom of his counsel.  To a large degree, I think our society has devalued the spoken word, and is desensitized to the power therein.  Too often we say too much, at the wrong time, with a hurtful tone, or without a moment's consideration of how we will impact others.

My accountability group and I had the pleasure of reading through Proverbs this past week.  Ah, Proverbs.  The art of the unsaid.  The picture of brevity.  The definition of "short and sweet."

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then so is a proverb.

But they sure do pack a lot of punch!  And as Dad has shared his little proverb with me over the years about my words, so does our heavenly Father:

Less is more.
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint,
and a man of understanding is even-tempered." (17:27)

Wise words are precious.
"Wise words are more valuable
than much gold and many rubies." (20:15)

Contemplate, don't pontificate.
"The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things." (15:28)

Listen well.
"Fools have no interest in understanding;
they only want to air their own opinions." (18:2)

A convicting week, to say the least.  Do I talk too much?  Are my words empty?  Do I speak before thinking?  Am I more interested in sharing what I think, rather than hearing what others think?

God of all wisdom, may I speak words of kindness, encouragement, and understanding.  May You find them precious and valuable, and shared only after careful consideration.  And above all, grant me increased wisdom that only comes from You.

And thanks, Dad, for instilling in me your own personal interpretation of godly wisdom. J

thankful thursday #26

For my trip here this summer ...



... I needed a plethora of vaccinations.

I haven't had shots in quite awhile, and this is about what I was feeling about the whole situation:



Praise be to God, I had the most gentle, sweet-spirited nurse practitioner you ever did meet!

I'm also very thankful that the Typhoid vaccination is available as a pill.  I will be running happily to have that prescription filled, to avoid another sticking.

So, one round down, two to go.  Getting excited!

What're you feeling glad about today?  Go on, be grateful!

homage to city bagel

I’ve been burning up the roads between Birmingham and Starkville this past week, playing realtor.  (Well, only twice, but it feels like much more than that.)

In between house showings, I’m frequenting my most favorite cafe of all time, City Bagel Café.

Besides my house, and the great people of Starkville, this is the one place I miss more than any other establishment.  I can't tell you how many meals I've eaten here.

The owners Joe and Mary run such a relaxed place, where the food is fresh, and where they know your name when you come often enough (which I did).

Its familiarity is mutual.  They know that my regular order changes with the seasons; I know the system well enough to know exactly how to order, so they don't have to ask me the prompting questions:

Pastrami and provolone on focaccia, toasted and steamed.

Mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and a little bit of onion.

A bag of Zapp's, and tap water.

That'll be for here, and my name is Robyn. 

Their menu is varied, and perhaps overwhelming for the rookies, but you really just can't go wrong.  Breakfast sandwiches, delicious muffins (their chocolate chip is the best ever!), homemade focaccia bread for sandwiches, freshly made soups and quiches, and the list goes on!

And then for special occasions (or let's be honest, just because you feel like it is reason enough), they bake up these sinful glories called “energy bars,” which are certifiably terrible for you.  They’re like Hello Dollies, but better, because I think they use more butter and sugar to make their graham cracker crust super thick and chewy.

So, if you're ever in the neighborhood, do stop in.  You won't be disappointed!  In the meantime, bake yourself some Hello Dollies, but just know this recipe will not -- I repeat, will not -- do justice to the City Bagel Energy Bar.

Hello Dollies

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 can condensed milk
2 c. chocolate chips & butterscotch chips, combined
1 1/3 c. coconut
1 c. chopped nuts

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter.  Press into bottom of greased 9 x 13 pan.
2. Pour about 1/4 can condensed milk over crust.
3. Layer chips, coconut and nuts on top.
4. Pour remaining condensed milk evenly over top.
5. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Happy Monday, y'all.  Hope your week is sweeter than that Energy Bar I just enjoyed.

thankful thursday #25

Yesterday I spent the day in Starkville, where my tiny house sits ...



... and I was there to be sure this new little (big) piece of equipment was working as great as it should be ...



... and to put a sign like this in the yard ...



So that's my big news of the week.  We'll see what the Lord has up His sleeve!

Maybe He'll want it sold, and maybe He won't.  I'll be thankful either way, for His provision.

And on another note, I'm so relieved that sign was easy to stake into the yard!

What's your heart happy about today?  Go on, be grateful!

senses (and nonsense) of spring

After the tornados, the Royal Wedding, and the Osama bin Laden drama of the past week, is anyone else feeling like a mental break?

I sure am, and am pleased to share these nonsensical spring senses as a little breather.

sight/feel of the month

One of the biggest tragedies of spring and summer for me, is the fact that it's just too hot to wear my Dansko clogs, and my happy feet become a little bit less happy.



Have y'all heard of these?  Antelopes?  They are proving to be the heaven-sent answer to the summer shoe dilemma.

These babies have some height, some support, and a slew of styles and colors from which to choose (in fact, I can't even find a photo of the ones I bought, so that one up there is only a representation). 

Hold on to your checkbooks, though, friends, and think long term investment.

taste of the month

Other than the delicious summer salad from the weekend ...



Since the popcorn is only 100 calories, I prefer to actively defeat the purpose of a low-cal snack and add some flavored melted butter.

I zap a couple of tablespoons of butter with a couple teaspoons of spices in the microwave, drizzle it over the popped kernels, and voila, my popcorn gets some pep in its step!

My favorite seasoning right now is cayenne pepper (just a smidge) and cumin.

sound of the month

I could do without the tornadoes, but opening my balcony doors and hearing some of those spring showers outside, rustling the leaves?  That's music to my ears!

scent of the month



This is burning regularly in my office these days.  It's citrus-y and bright, inviting inside some of our pretty spring sunshine.

May's made herself at home already, so enjoy her stay -- she'll be gone before we know it!