My Cabana Ministry

The cabana at my house USED to be an efficiency apartment. I've rented out almost 15 years of the 17 years I've owned the house. There have been more than a few tenants who moved in as an emergency situation and settled there while they straightened a few things out. (and one that never did, but he left anyway, thank the Lord!)

Anyway, I was at my Crown Financial Bible Study last Thursday and there is a young married couple there. They have an apartment on Miami Beach that they've been in for over a year. Long story short - it's time to renew but they are really having doubts due to the neighborhood, landlord, finances, etc.

I offered them the cabana, so they could take their time making a decision about where to go if they really didn't want to stay where they are now. They are moving in on Thursday, and plan on staying through December.

Isn't God amazing? I have space, they need space.....

OUR school has a caterer!

This was the memo regarding the menu for our "gala celebration" to celebrate the new artificial turf and stadium lights on our Upper School football field: (I'll try to find the photos of the halftime fireworks display and post them later.) The food was GREAT, but I don't even know what half of this stuff IS!


A Cocktail Gathering…

upon entering the gymnasium,
the guests are lured by…

Blue & Green Specialty Cocktail Bar

…a made-to-order selection of
classic & modern cocktails including…

the “blue margarita”
( gold tequila, fresh lime juice, gran marnier & a splash of blue curacao )


the “mojito”
( a cuban blend of rums, lime juice, fresh mint & sugar poured over ice )



servers move through the crowd with tempting trays of…

Butlered Hors D’oeuvres

mini “takeout” of pad thai

jumpin' honey-seared lemongrass shrimp

baby artichoke with chèvre,
black olive tapenade & sundried tomato

rustic pizzetta with
chorizo, manchego & romesco

cowboy slider

nantucket mini lobster roll

Cocktail Stations

Mezze

turkey shwarma in pita
offered with fresh cucumber, roasted eggplant,
red cabbage, shredded carrots,
harissa, tahini & tzadziki

fresh mint cous cous flecked with cashews

lemon tabbouleh with sweet tomato, onion & parsley

grilled eggplant, fire-roasted peppers
& marinated artichokes

feta, cucumber & tomato salad
with fresh mint

garlic hummus with baby vegetables

vegetarian dolmas

kibbeh

sesame breads

Bistro

citrus & spice braised short ribs
with creamy mushroom dolce polenta

salt roasted bosc pear & roquefort salad,
toasted walnut relish, lolla rossa lettuces
&
port vinaigrette


pissaladerie niçoise

a tart of caramelized onion & niçoise olives



Sushi Bar



sesame seared petals of tuna

sashimi of
tuna, salmon, snapper & white tuna

edamame

dancing eel roll, salmon rolls, vegetable rolls,
tekka maki rolls, california rolls
& popeye rolls

wakame seaweed salad
with yin yang sesame

asian vegetable soft spring roll
with soba noodles & shiitakes

peanut ponzu,
soy, wasabi & pickled ginger


Butlered Sweets

key lime buttercream cupcake

miniature blueberry & kiwi fruit trifle

grasshopper “milkshake”

miniature gelato cones
of pistachio & vanilla

miniature chocolate volcano


RE-laxation Lounge

… cushiony creamy couches rich with pillows
combine with elegant mahogany coffee tables …
flanked by side tables & cabaret lamps
in an elegant, yet bohemian style
offer a tranquil escape…

My kind of dog

God's smiling today

Welcome to Middle School Boy Behavior

This was an actual e-mail exchange between me and the parents of one of my new 6th graders. They both teach at the high school so I know them well. This is their only child, so mom is not quite versed on middle school boy behavior yet:

E-mail from me to them: We’re sitting outside in concert band today because the air is out in the band room and it’s stifling. I told them to take a study hall. The boys are all teaching each other how to make animal noises instead. Your precious one came to tell me/show me how talented he is at making fart noises with his armpit.

You are SO in the bell curve of normal 6th grade boy behavior. Isn’t middle school AWESOME!

Dad's response: Tooting sounds and bathroom talk are forever funny if you’re a guy. Humor always gravitates to 5/6th grade level.

Mom's response: Oh my GOD! He really needs to learn appropriate/inappropriate behavior for the situation. I know that he’s pretty competent at the flatulent noise, but we have talked about where it’s ok to do that – and where not. SO SORRY!! How do you stand them all day long?????!!!!!

Then I saw Dad after school. He just shook his head and said "Yeah. Mars. Venus. They really DON'T understand each other."

That's definitely a story worth re-telling.

Darwin was right!

Just plain stupid! Repeat after me: "Tropical Storms and Hurricanes are NOT playmates."

Ear Candy

David Byre and Brian Eno just finished a new collaboration "Everything that happens will happen today."

Enjoy!

TRUE worship

One of the reasons I left my previous church was that the new worship/music director preferred to work with professional musicians as it made rehearsals easier for him. Membership to the church or even belief in Jesus was not necessary. Meanwhile, members of the church with lesser talent (including myself) were left with nowhere to serve.

I've been attending my new church's Wednesday night service lately. The worship leader has his two girls (ages about 9 and 7) playing in the band. The pastor's 14 year old son is playing guitar, right next to the adults. The older little girl is playing piano and is growing more confident in her beginner technique. Meanwhile, the littlest one looks like "Little Miss Sunshine" and plays a MEAN shaker while singing her heart out. The band sounds awesome - if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't know the kids were there.

THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is what worship should be!

Tropical Triple Threat

I'm not sure if it's a record, but Gustav just hit, and now Hanna, Ike and Josephine are lined up like airplanes on a runway. Those folks at the The National Hurricane Center are MIGHTY busy these days.

I may just put the shutters up this week and leave them up until December.

The BBQ Song

The Mayor and La Fleur (from Georgia - Go DAWGS!) always say that a BBQ and a cook-out are two entirely different things. This little ditty should clear it up.

Psalm 23 for the Work Place

The Lord is my real boss, and I shall not want.
He gives me peace, when chaos is all around me.
He gently reminds me to pray and do all things without
murmuring and complaining.

He reminds me that He is my source and not my job.
He restores my sanity everyday and guides my decisions
that I might honor Him in all that I do.

Even though I face absurd amounts of e-mails, system
crashes, unrealistic deadlines, budget cutbacks, gossiping
co-workers, discriminating supervisors and an aging body
that doesn't cooperate every morning, I still will not stop---
for He is with me! His presence, His peace, and His power
will see me through.

He raises me up, even when they fail to promote me.
He claims me as His own, even when the company threatens
to let me go. His Faithfulness and love is better than any bonus check

His retirement plan beats any 401k there is!
When it's all said and done, I'll be working for Him a whole lot longer
and for that, I BLESS HIS NAME!!!!!!

Now THAT'S a dog!

Techno-Clown sent me a link to something I might like, since I've been considering getting a new dog.

It doesn't seem very cuddly and affectionate to me.

Wildlife in Peril

Wildlife conservations are concerned after seeing this photo.


Animals that were formerly self-sufficient are now showing signs of
belonging to the Democrat Party... as they have apparently learned to
simply sit and wait for the government to provide for their care and
sustenance.

Not THAT kind of weird

Tonight's bible study was about Psalm 1 and how we're supposed to stand clear of the non-believers; in the world, not of the world, etc. First, I love that when my pastor was trying to describe "delight" he used Divinity candy as an example. He described them as "sugar shaped like a biscuit." He also said he "delights" in them like Jesus "delights in us." (Remember, this is the man that said God gave us taste buds so we can enjoy tiramisu!)

Then he talked about Christians who say they are more comfortable around non-believers because Christians are weird. He said (I loved this part) "DUH! We're SUPPOSED to be weird. Not, like, FROOT LOOPS weird."

I think I've finally found a church that feels like home!

What NOT to wear!

I saw these T-shirts for sale recently. I didn't buy any, but that's only because I"m on a budgget and already have more shirts than I can possibly wear.

"It's not a complex. You really ARE inferior."

"I can't remember if I'm the good sister or the evil one."

"Wait a minute. I need to put on my 'Gosh. I really care' face."

Celebrity Deathmatch - Idol Edition

If you've never seen the irreverent MTV2 show Celebrity Deathmatch you should. It's a Claymation parody/fantasy of two celebrities in an unltimate fight to the death.

I don't know if they've done this match-up yet, but I would love to see the American Idol edition of William Hung vs. Sanjaya Malakar.

The Boy Wonder

We had a band director meeting yesterday and when it was done, I went to a favorite watering hole with 3 of my favorite directors: Mary Poppins (who has a huge purse with anything you could ever need in it) and "The Georgia Rejectors" (husband/wife team who thought moving to Georgia might be a good idea, then thought better of it a year later). The Rejectors son "The Boy Wonder" was there as well.

After lunch, Mrs. Rejector and Boy wonder came back to play in the pool. She told me a few HI-larious stories about Boy's first day of school: (He's in 3rd grade)

1. The teacher was telling the students the rules and expectations of the class. She turned around and Boy was kicked back in his chair, his feet on the desk and his hands clasped behind his head. Evidently he is VERY confident about starting 3rd grade!

2. Again, her back was turned and when she turned around, she found that he had taken the tennis balls from the bottom of the chair legs (placed there to prevent scratching of the floor, etc.) and placed them over his ears.

She also told me a story about how the family was out shopping and she and Mr. were trying to decided which to buy for the Boy for Christmas: a Wii or an X-Box. They figured they would take him to the store, let him play with both and see his honest reaction to each.

As he was playing with the Wii, he suddenly threw the controller on the floor and announced, "I have to go to the bathroom!" which was immediately followed by "Oops. I just did!"

The Wii wins. If it can hold his attention stronger than his bladder's urge, it must be good.

This Just In...

Just released from PEZ USA is the new
Disney Fairies Series.

The first three characters released
are Fawn, Tinkerbell and Silvermist.

More Fairies are scheduled to be
released over the next year.

The unique iridescent wings are soft.

The set of all 3 Disney Fairies is $9.95,
sold MIP.

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PEZ USA also just released 2 new Pez
characters for the Winnie the Pooh
series - Buster and Darby.

Buster and Darby will soon appear in the
new TV show "My Friends Tigger & Pooh."

These two new characters are sold as
a set of 2 for $8.95, MIP.

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You can see pictures and order at:

The Burlingame Pez Museum

Food on a Stick

Sometime, somewhere I saw a list for "Food on a Stick" available at the Minnesota State Fair. Not sure I'm game for any of these:

Teriyaki ostrich
Corned beef and cabbage (yes, ON A STICK!)
Gator
Spaghetti/meatballs/garlic bread (Deep fried on a stick)
Deep fried Spam curds (even if these WEREN'T on a stick, it'd be interesting!)

Schoolhouse Rocks, old school means new

I went to an "end of summer" celebration for a summer school program that my school hosts. I was amused by two original musical selections there:

One was about algebra and was sung to the tune of Y.M.C.A.:
"It's fun to graph using Y=mx+b"

The other was a science tune. The hook was:
"D to the N to the A"

I still wanted to hear a little "Conjunction Junction" but alas....