Christ United Methodist Church

 

I wonder if my ancestors would agree with this quote.  I hope that they would as that would be the Christian thing to do.  I'm not so sure though.  I grew up in a Baptist family and the further back I look into the family tree, the more Baptist they were.  Ah, well.  They were who they were, and I am who I am, and nothing will really change that. 

After searching for a long time, I am becoming a Methodist.  I began attending Christ United Methodist Church back at the beginning of June.  I absolutely love it.  Everyone there has been so nice and welcoming.  I enjoy the services and actually pay attention to the sermons.  I told one of the pastors that I've become someone who actually takes notes during the service.  And they have a good music program, which is important to me.  I used to feel that was a silly requirement for a church home, but I have come to realize how important that is to me. It is one of the ways I feel that I can serve in the church.  But I really love what this church stands for.  It is very community and service oriented.  They are out all the time helping with many community organizations.  And everyone is welcome at the table here. They really do seem to be guided by the teachings of Jesus.  Can't say that about many places of worship these days, sadly.

So, at the end of this month, I will officially be joining the church, and I am quite excited about that. While I think some past generations of my family may be rolling in their graves, I am happy with this decision.  It feels right.  And I'm taking Dolly's advice! 

Quote of the Week

 

A Bushel and a Peck - Faith Prince

 Stephanie and I went to see Guys and Dolls last night at UNCG.  It was so much fun.  My 4th time seeing the show onstage. The score is full of so many wonderful songs.  The cast did an impeccable job with the show.  Afterwards, we were discussing the film version.  A Bushel and a Peck is Miss Adelaide's first number.  This song was became very popular and was recorded by many artists yet was cut from the film.  Interesting. Here is Faith Prince and company from the 1992 Broadway Revival. 

The glass butter dish

 If you know me at all, you know that I love dishes.  I can't help it, I just do.  I give credit to Mom and Grandmother for that one.  Along with the love of antiques they instilled in me, a love of nice dishes goes along with that. And that goes hand in hand with entertaining.  I love to set the table, as you should have figured out by now LOL To me, that sets the mood for a meal.  The food just enhances that mood LOL

I have several sets of china.  I admit it.  I am addicted to it.  But I also really like to collect different serving pieces.  While it's fun to have the table laid out in one pattern, I like to add to that with different serving pieces.  This butter dish is one of them.  I found it at the Golden Antiques shop in Summerfield, NC.  It was one of those I just turned around and it was there experiences.  I have several different butter dishes, but I was drawn to this one for some reason.  I did not have a glass one yet. 

Glass butter dishes are not hard to find, and they range from reasonable to relatively expensive depending on the age, pattern and quality of the piece.  I love the fact that most antique glass butter dishes are round.  It's a reminder that people used to make their own butter and then mold it into shapes.  You don't often find round butter in the grocery store.  I don't think I've ever seen it actually.  Anyway, I was drawn to this particular one because of the simplicity of its design.  And most butter dishes are flat on the bottom, but this one has a small foot on the bottom. I love any dish that's footed, so that was a plus.  And it's versatile because it can go with all kinds of sets of china.  

While I haven't churned my own butter, I have made some herb butter which goes nicely in this dish.  Like most of what I buy, I love to use these kinds of things and look forward to having this on my table for years to come.

Recipe of the Week - Mazetti Casserole

 Apparently, this recipe (and its many versions) has been around for years. I have no idea how I missed it.  We didn't have it growing up and I don't recall anyone else serving it to me.  But when I saw this on an episode of Cooking with Meme on YouTube, I thought I would give it a try. I really did enjoy it.  It is not something I would want to make all the time, but every now and then it will be a good dish for Sunday Dinner!  If you have never tried it, let me know what you think.  If you have or have your own version, I would love to hear some of the different things you add to it.

Mazetti Casserole

12 oz package of egg noodles

2 lbs ground beef

1 lb ground pork or pork sausage

1 pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 Tbsp garlic powder

2 cups chopped celery

2 cans tomato soup

1 jar of sliced mushrooms

8 oz cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325.  Cook noodles as directed.  Drain and set aside.  Brown meet.  Drain.  Sauté vegetables in butter.  Add garlic powder.  Toss meat and vegetables together.  Add noodles.  Add soup and mushrooms.  Pour into casserole.  Top with cheese.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour. 

Enjoy!

One Drawer at a Time - Back into the kitchen

 One of the downsides of this process is that when I am working on one room, another room starts to get out of control.  This is not something to feel badly about, it is simply the reality of the process.  And that is happening to me.  While I have been working in my den going through everything, my kitchen is getting somewhat crazy.  I realized this the other day when I went to get a pair of tongs out of the drawer and had a hard time getting the drawer opened because it was so full.

The kitchen is an easy place just to stuff something in a drawer or cabinet because it's convenient in the moment.  That's where my issue is, I believe.  That and the fact that plastic containers seem to be able to multiply when no one is watching.  It is just starting to get out of control and I don't like that.  Overall, I am probably using my kitchen more than any other room in the house, so I need to have it organized better.  That is why I am going to ditch my original plan and get back into the kitchen.  It's the heart of my house, so once it is in good working order I believe everything else will fall into place more gracefully.  That is the plan, anyway.  We shall see.

You're a nice guy but...changing how I deal with rejection

 

Taking rejection personally is a natural emotion.  I hate it when people say, "don't take it personally".  How else is one supposed to take rejection?  Of course it's personal.  But it does not have to control how you handle rejection unless you let it.  That has been one of my biggest problems in any kind of relationship, be it a partner or a friend.  I have spent years believing that I was not good enough for something or someone.  Years of rejection will do that to a person.  And in the past, I have always let those feelings dictate whatever followed in my life.  Eventually life would even out, but until then I was fueled by the feelings of not being good enough.

I have been working on that very hard over the past few years.  I have not always been successful, but it is getting better. One of the reasons that I am single now and will be for the foreseeable future is because I do not want to put myself in realm of rejection right now.  Yes, I know that if I don't get out there and take a chance, I could be missing something.  You have to risk being hurt to find happiness.  Blah, blah, blah.  I have told myself that over and over and yet here I sit alone in my house.  

I read this quote today online and it struck a chord in me.  I realized that I have been giving others control of my self-perception.  I believed that no one would want me because one person didn't want me.  I know in my heart that is not true but it's something that is going to take a while to process and work through.  There isn't an overnight solution to these feelings.  But I know now that the person I am working on becoming will eventually be able to get back out there and see what or who I find. It is just not time for that yet. 

I am enjoying getting to know myself again.  I am enjoying the growth that has occurred over the last few years.  Well, not the growth as far as my stomach goes, but oh well.  The relationship that I am building with myself is going to be the foundation of any relationship, partner or friendship, going forward.  It is exciting to want to improve my life for myself and not because I think someone else is going to like me more because of it.  Yes, rejection sucks but it is a part of life and the bottom line for me is that I am learning to cope with it in a healthier, more productive way.