Croutons

It's probably part of the OCD - I hate serving too much store-bought stuff to my company. One evening, last summer, I promised to make dinner for my friends Tom and Olivia. They're college students, so obviously they're not too picky about non-campus food. But I wanted to make a good impression and felt guilty that I was dumping prepared salad out of a bag to serve as part of the meal. Add to that the pre-shredded cheese, the imitation bacon bits, and I started to feel like they were just getting the same thing they'd get in the dining hall!

So I set out in search of a good crouton recipe. I love croutons, but I hate the ones you buy in the store because they almost break your teeth when you bite down on them!! I knew I could find something easier on the jaw AND something that would make me feel like I'd actually spent some time on that salad!
I found this recipe on the bestsimplerecipes.com site - which is the website for the Taste of Home/Simple and Delicious etc. magazines. I made the croutons and did not bring home even one of them that evening. What we didn't use on our salads, we ate just for fun - like they were chips! Since Olivia loved them so much, I always make sure I serve salad if she's going to be a guest. She told me last time I made them that I could just make a batch of these for her birthday - and skip shopping for anything.

The Recipe:

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 slices of bread cubed

Combine the butter, seasoning, and garlic powder. Add bread cubes and toss to coat. Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes.


I use wheat bread for my every day bread, so that's always what I have on hand. I think the croutons taste just as good made out of wheat as they do out of white, but you can use whatever you have on hand. If the bread is not super fresh, it will cube better.

I mix up the butter, Italian seasoning, and garlic in a bowl. I just melt the butter in the microwave and then add the other two things to it.

I cut the bread a couple of slices at a time to save time.

You can make the cubes however large you like. I make mine about an inch square - because I prefer them bigger than the ones that come in the bags at the store.

I pour the butter over the spread of bread - that way I can control how much goes where and 5 cubes of bread don't end up soaking up all the good stuff.

I spend a little bit of time mixing the bread around to try to make sure every cube has SOMETHING on it. Granted, some are still going to be the "good" croutons with more butter and seasoning, but I can usually get the whole batch pretty saturated with the flavoring.

I spread out the croutons on a smaller size cookie sheet. I also shuffle them around on the sheet once or twice during the baking process to keep them from burning and to more evenly bake them.

Here's the finished product! Nicely browned croutons. I just store them in an airtight container until they're gone!

Card Night!

MAKING cards, that is. Not playing them. :)

This little group gets together every couple of months to cook together...or make jewelry...or make cards...or whatever else we decide to do, I guess!

You know that little game people play before a meal...the one where you stick your thumbs up and don't have to pray out loud? Well apparently there's a similar game for who gets to be in the back of the picture. Look who lost!!

The girls perusing all the card samples, trying to get ideas before they started creating....

Rachel made a "You Grow Girl!" card for someone who is having a baby...and then she used her own baby as the display table! :)

Amanda's super cute glam girl card.

Amber's precious card for her brand new nephew.

Me? No time to make cards - but I was writing one!! :)

Bits for Sunday, February 22, 2009

I’ve been sitting here for about 45 minutes, staring at the screen (while randomly surfing the web) trying to think of what to say today. I spent 2 ½ days in the fat chair, getting up every four hours to take the next round of cold meds…perhaps those moments would have been better spent thinking of a topic! Then again, the cold meds gave me some pretty strange dreams, so perhaps it is better I didn’t think of something to say while my brain was on sick leave.

I told you a couple of weeks ago that I’ve been reading this Women of Faith devotion book this year – and my friend Lynnette is reading it too. We email back and forth a few times a week offering our thoughts on the topics and learning more about what’s happening in each other’s worlds while also sharing what we’re learning from God.

The book covers a different topic every week, and the last topic was about friendship. Reading about the value of friendship reminded me to be very thankful for my friends. Thankful for those who have been a constant part of my life over the last many years, and thankful for those who have come back after life had a way of pulling us apart for a time.

This quote from one of the readings stuck with me: “It costs something to be a friend: It takes time, patience, affection, strength, and love. But the blessing of a lasting friendship is more than worth the effort it takes, and the friendship gives back to us far more than we can imagine.”

This morning in our Sunday School class, we talked about the Proverbs 31 woman. All the men chuckled and looked away and all the women breathed a collective exasperated sigh. The mere mention of that chapter normally brings about such a response. Women find Ms. 31 to be ridiculously exasperating with her before-sunup-to-beyond-sundown flurry of buying, selling, cooking, sewing, planting, harvesting, nurturing – all without breaking a sweat.

The conversation prompted me to come home and find one of my favorite books written on Proverbs 31 – Beautiful in God’s Eyes. Elizabeth George, who wrote the book, has a great way of taking this impossible character sketch of a woman and bringing it into a manageable idea to attempt. But she says in the first chapter that it’s daunting…that the idea of becoming a woman of this caliber is like trying to climb a mountain – you just have to do it one step at a time.

Friendship (when done right) can be kind of like that Proverbs 31 persona too. It can be a very daunting task. Very costly, as the quote said. To be there when you’re needed, to sit through the exhausting times, to be joyful for the other when you might not be feeling it yourself, to love when you’d rather chuck a book at someone’s head, to extend strength when you really have none to spare…that’s true friendship.

It’s not something I have perfected at all. Sometimes I’m an admittedly terrible friend. But I’m thankful that I have understanding friends who are willing to extend the costly kind of love right back, and they allow me to stay on the friend roster despite my shortcomings.

The couple of days I spent home in the fat chair this week did rest my body and helped me feel better (actually sounding better must be yet to come…) but it also made me miss my friends terribly. I was ready to go to church today to get a hug or two (true friends don’t care if a hug might give them germs) and I’m ready to get back in the real world tomorrow to see more of these sweet people who call me friend.

Because for all the hard work it can be…the smile and hug of a friend is beyond reward enough.

On the Mend

I've been sick. I HATE being sick. In recent years I've been pretty vocal in thanking God for keeping me on the mainly healthy list because I hear of so many people who struggle with everything from little to big, and I both hurt for them and don't know how they do it.

One of the perils of working on a college campus is being saturated by all the college germs. I have decided that campus is second only to kindergarten in the number of germs it can breed. I'm guaranteed one cold a year out of the deal. This year I got two.

I'm a TERRIBLE patient. Being single for so many years has taught me to be pretty self-sufficient. All these things I "never thought I could do" have come to be pretty easy to do, and generally I hate asking for help, so I just figure out a way to take care of stuff on my own. And as any woman will tell you (single or not), being sick doesn't give you the luxury to sit. Dishes still need to be done, laundry still needs to be gathered, washed, dried, and folded, meals still have to be cooked...and on and on it goes. I normally push through sickness with great determination because I can't afford to miss a beat.

But when I do finally give in...I give in. And at that point I become the world's biggest six month old. I sit in my chair and want to be waited on hand and foot. I want someone to sit beside me at all times, hold my hand, feel sorry for me, and bring me food - and the more sugar involved, the better. (And I'm good at returning the favor, so I don't feel bad about it.)

Unfortunately this round...there wasn't anybody here to do that. So I sat, randomly getting up for more to drink....more medicine...and last night even a trip to the Sonic because leftovers sounded horrible and a burger sounded incredible.

In all of this I missed two days of work, which literally NEVER happens. I don't know that I've missed two days in a row ever in my entire working career. Maybe early on. I just sacked out in the fat chair listening to the TV because to watch it was too painful.

Today, at last, I began to feel better. I dusted most of the house and dragged out the stepstool to hang up some new pictures I bought over Christmas break. Yes....I must be on the mend.

Chicken in a Packet

That chicken...it hides everywhere, doesn't it? In a garden...in a packet. It's the Where's Waldo of my recipe collection!

This recipe came to me from my sister, and it is one of my favorite things to make when I'm a.) feeling the need to be "healthy" or b.) not feeling well. Though you could certainly add whatever seasonings you like to give it a kick, the recipe itself doesn't call for any particular extra flavoring, so it's good to eat when you're somewhere between chicken in a noodle soup and chicken in the KFC bucket.

This also warms over very well for leftovers - but do remember to remove it from its packet before sticking it in the microwave, or you'll be finding chicken all over the neighborhood where it exploded!

Though not a casserole, this is a good "meal all in one" kind of dish. And did you notice?? A VEGETABLE LURKS WITHIN IT! Let the record show....

The Recipe:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves or tenders
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2/3 cup water
1 cup broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place each chicken breast or tender in the center of a double thickness of heavy duty foil. In a large bowl, combine rice, soup, and water. Spoon in equal amounts over the chicken. Place broccoli on top. Fold foil securely around the mixture and seal tightly. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear and rice is tender. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.


A chicken breast certainly makes this a much bigger meal - but meatatarian though I am, I have a hard time eating that much chicken at one meal. I find the chicken tenders to be much better suited for me in this recipe. I also use whatever kind of cheese I have on hand - even if it isn't cheddar.

The soup, water, and rice mixes together very quickly. Don't cook the rice first. Just toss it in the bowl as it is.

It was hard to get a good picture of the little foil boats - but I just took about a foot long piece of heavy duty foil, folded it in half, and curved the ends and sides up like a little bowl. The chicken nestles down in the bottom.

This is the soup/rice/water mixture just divided as evenly as possible among the four "boats" of foil.

Also let the record show...I use more than a cup of broccoli. I try to put a pretty decent serving on top of each one.

If you don't seal up each foil packet tightly, you will have soup guts that leak out onto the baking pan. Not the end of the world, but kind of annoying.

And by "sprinkle with cheese" I mean "douse with cheese. Sometimes I wait for this step until I heat up the leftovers. That way it's freshly melted cheese.

Bits for Sunday, February 15, 2009

I will readily admit I’m an overgrown kid. I sleep in until ridiculous hours on the weekend, love to get presents as much as I love to give them, have no issues being on the phone for hours at a time, and think that animation (and any technologically updated version thereof) makes for a great movie. Without lists, I’d forget to do standard life chores like put gas in the car and do laundry. I work best when rewarded (chocolate is preferable) and am quite surprised that I haven’t resorted to chore charts with stickers to accomplish basic tasks.

And so it has come about that I am pursuing a new approach to prayer. Prayer has been one of my needs improvement areas of life’s report card this year, and I’ve been studying it both in my Bible study and in books that I’m reading. And of course, at church it has been the topic of both sermons and the midweek Bible study for the past few weeks. Note to Bekah: time to learn!

Last week I subbed for the midweek Bible study, and since my day planner list said I had too many chores to put hours and hours into preparation like I normally would, I turned the night into a discussion night. I figured in a group that size, surely people would have ideas and questions and we could foster quite the little discussion for an hour – and we did!

My question was this: what advice do you have for finding a way to pray more consistently over all areas of life? Imagine my joy when one of the ladies said she divides her prayer requests among the days of the week and focuses on certain topics on certain days. My mind immediately filled with visions of index cards (prayer and index cards are the perfect duo, I have decided)…and patterns…and maybe even alliteration. I was ready to walk out of the discussion on the spot, spread out at a table and begin my plan. But since I was “in charge,” I stayed and nudged the conversation until the appointed ending time, and then I began my mental plan.

I share the plan with you today for two reasons. One, it always helps if I have people randomly check in on me. (Overgrown kid checking in again.) Secondly, I figured maybe one or two of you out there might like a new idea if you’ve been feeling the same sorts of frustration that I’ve had.

Monday: Marriages and Ministries. For several years I prayed for marriages according to the day of the month; for example, if you got married on the first of the month, I prayed for you every month on the first. That worked out really well, but I got out of the habit a while ago and haven’t reinstated the policy. In the meantime, I figure Mondays are good days to pray for those who might be struggling or new in marriage…or about to be married. And it’s a good day to pray for ministries – organizations, specific events, opportunities in my own world – whatever is at hand.

Tuesday: Tune and ‘Tude. Tuesdays are just far enough away from Sunday that it’s easy to forget that “Sunday surge” and slide into a ho-hum week. It’s a good day to pray about staying in tune. And of course the ‘tude can always use help.

Wednesday: Work and Wellness. Halfway through the week is a good time to pray for those in the work place – pray to survive the next two days with them. (Just kidding!) And it’s the day I’ve decided to pray for people struggling with their health.

Thursday: Thoughts and Thugs. The thought life probably needs to be hit every single day, but I’ve decided to take one day and focus on the things that consume my thoughts. And since the Bible says to pray for your enemies…well…the thugs made it onto the list. Perhaps I should pray for them first and then tackle the thought life.

Friday: Friends and Family. It could be a long list – those two categories – so Friday works out well as a day to focus on them. After all, I’m allowed to stay up extra late that night!

Saturday: Sad and Sabbath. I have lots of extra time to think on Saturdays, and those end up being the days that I can easily become sad – because I think too much! So when those feelings hit – better pray about them! And quite a while ago I used to be good about praying in preparation of Sunday. I’ve not done well with that lately, so now is the time to return to praying about my own heart and the work of those who prepare for Sunday’s services.

Sunday: Sullen and Sundry. Sunday is typically the day I catch up on news – whether it’s something I see on TV or something that I read in the newspaper or online. It can make a person sullen. So I figured that would be a good day to pray about the gloomy parts of life and the world. And sundry…all the extra stuff that didn’t fit in anywhere else…the Sunday potluck, you could say.

So there’s my list. I’ll try it for a while and see how it goes. And like I said – feel free to check in on me!

Just When You Think You've Seen It All...

...you so haven't.

Mom gave me a copy of Indiana Nursing Quarterly today, because someone at her church gave it to her. And lookee here!

As soon as she handed it to me, I said, "That was SUCH a bad hair day." And she said to me, "I told the person who gave it to me that you'd say that. And you probably worked on it for three hours that morning." I hate to admit it, but she's right.

Hugs

I thought about posting this week...but I just wasn't in the mood. I mean, I had a lot to say, but it was better left unsaid.

But tonight I found the remedy for a rough and tumble week-of-the-heart. Hugs. They are the BEST.

After work, I went over to my friend Faith's house to take Valentines to her two daughters. When I asked earlier in the week if this would be a good day, she not only said yes - she invited me to stay for dinner. YAY! So we had a great couple of hours, hanging out together, eating pizza and salad and sugar cookies with heart sprinkles.

I got a big hug from Hannah - and my favorite part was during dinner, when (around a huge bite of pizza) she asked, "Can Aunt Bekah play after dinner?" And play we did - the three of us. We played Dora Candy Land and blew bubbles - and then watched Hannah "ice skate" a towel over the bubble puddles she'd spilled.

Kaylah, who is just over a year old, gave me lots of smiles and giggles, and proved (only once) that she has learned to say my name. We begged her to say it more but she just smirked and shook her head no. How in the world do they learn to be stubborn that early?

When I left Faith's house, I went over to see Liam and Savannah...who gave me tons of hugs. Liam wasn't feeling so well when I got there, so he just climbed right up in my lap and snuggled in. He also threw a plastic frog down my shirt. What a combo of sweet and all-boy! He ate the frosting off one of the sugar cookies I gave him, and told me he wanted to come to my house to see my puppy. I reminded him it was all kitties at my house - and didn't remind him they never make an appearance when he's there.

Savannah (as a good princess girl does) complimented the Valentines Day nail polish I was sporting and oohed and aahed over the card I made her. I got lots of hugs and stories about school. She showed me what a great reader she's becoming by treating me to a few pages of Dr. Seuss.

I came home from my rounds armed with a bag of Hershey kisses, a rose, a hand stamped valentine, a bunch of great pictures, and a fresh supply of hugs and "I love you, Aunt Bekah!"

And so the week has been redeemed.

Valentines Day....

My Sunday post yesterday was about Valentine's Day...so here are some pictures for you.

This is me with my Valentine's Day gifts from Mom and Dad. They actually gave me a gift card to Hobby Lobby (oh how I miss it) and I went shopping! The red thing is a glass plate that I put on my coffee table to hold the cards and spare Hershey Hugs. The Love sign is hanging on my bedroom door, and the little frogs are in my bathroom. It is about to get a princess makeover, so I thought the frogs would fit in well.


Mom and Dad with their Valentine's gifts from me. I always give the gift of food. LOL.

Another of my Hobby Lobby finds. Chris, this is my answer to Planet Lo-Carb vs. Planet Porky.

Gift number one for my parents - and I'm making more later this week - probably for work. They are the long skinny pastry like cookies dipped in a chocolate/peanut butter mixture and covered with chopped peanuts.

And gift number two - which turned out almost exactly like the magazine picture. A brownie - with many embellishments. :)

Bits for Sunday, February 8, 2009

Valentine’s Day has overtaken my house. I consider this a significant improvement over the days of yore when I all but protested the holiday with a sandwich sign. Today my kitchen table houses neatly stacked treats and cards, my kitchen contains the still-cooling round two of baking, my coffee table has cards ready to mail – addressed and in a rubber band, and there’s even an extra candy dish of M&M’s and Hershey Hugs, left over from the baking.

My parents are the proud recipients of a very beautiful (yet crispy) chocolate brownie decked out with hugs, kisses, and white chocolate drizzle. I’ll post a picture on my blog – because it was a bit of a magazine moment.

My nails are currently drying in a lovely shade of Red Hot, and the plans for the actual holiday include sparkling grape juice, chocolate covered strawberries, and a heart shaped pizza. Yes, I have come a long way from the days of wearing all black and staring at the Grow-A-Date.

If you didn’t know me in the Grow-A-Date years, allow me to explain. A friend gave him to me as a consolation one year. He’s a little red sponge man wearing boxer shorts and a bow tie, carrying a bouquet of carnations and a heart shaped box. His feet stick straight out sideways, and his hair resembles an unfortunately overgrown mop. You drop him in water and he “grows” – which really just looks like a bad case of bloating – moppy hair and all.

I’ve retired the Grow-A-Date and have decided to just enjoy the opportunity to give to others (and indulge in pizza and sparkling grape juice) despite the lack of an actual living date. However, in Grow-A-Date’s absence, I found another substitute, actually also given to me by the same friend. It’s a poster with a picture of a charming mannequin dressed in a suit, complete with a rose on his lapel. At the top, it says, “Man of My Dreams.”

Here are some of his best qualities:

Always knows just what to say: nothing.

You’ll never have to make his dinner, do his laundry or pick up his dirty socks.

He’ll never outgrow you intellectually.

He’s a good listener.

You won’t have to meet or impress his mother.

He can’t answer your phone or borrow your car.

He’ll never ask you if you’ve gained some weight.
And at the very bottom of the poster, it says:

He’s cute, he’s quiet. And if he ever feels the need for “space,” take him apart limb by limb and give him some.

Yes, it’s all true – some of it temptingly so – but he also doesn’t give very good advice, he can’t truly understand a bad hair day, and he doesn’t look very cuddly.

So I think I’ll just put Mr. “Man of My Dreams” in the same category with moppy-haired “Grow A Date.”

The last couple of years that I’ve determined to really enjoy Valentine’s Day and make it a day of celebrating other people and how much I appreciate them, I have found the day is not all that awful after all. So even if you aren’t a huge fan of the mush and ridiculousness that the day sometimes is, take it as an opportunity to love a friend – who might just need a hug. The real kind. Not the kind on my coffee table.

Leave the Menu Alone!!

You all know that change isn't my favorite thing in life, although I handle it now with considerable dignity compared to days of yore. Don't believe me? Ask my friend Lois. She'll tell you.

Anyway, until recent days when our Burger King got new management and went down the toilet faster than anything I've ever seen, it was my favorite place in life to eat and I went there often. I always ordered the same combo meal (whopper junior with cheese, minus onion) by number. One day I went in, ordered my number, and the lady hesitated, looked at me and said rather quietly, "Are you sure?" I glanced up at the menu. All the combos had been switched around, and I was about to order a triple whopper with cheese. God bless the lady who knew I didn't mean it!

But I've noticed lately that any business I call begins the automated answer with "Please listen carefully as our menu options have recently changed." Really? You've said that for the last six months. Can't you find an order you like?????

Whew...okay. I feel better now.

Life is Good...

...I had a day off work today. I was super-spoiled in December, between random days off for holiday preparation and then the time off for Christmas...working full time again had taken its toll on me! Today was the first day I felt I could afford time away from the office, so I scheduled my vacation day and loved every moment of it.

(Oh!! And I got the greatest card in the mail today - my first Valentine's Day card. Totally made my day. Thank you!!)

But even before today, I had a very fun weekend. A fun weekend of relaxing and hanging out with friends...and enjoying every moment of that, too!

Saturday night, my friend Olivia came over for hot chocolate, brownies, and a movie. We watched Sarah, Plain and Tall, which she had never seen. Great feel-good sort of movie. Here I am, all sacked out in the fat chair, with Braeya's favorite blanket. Ahhh....the good life.


The night before that, I drove to Alexandria with my friend Marie...who kindly put up with my need for a road trip so I could make my Vocal Band Reunion DVD purchases. We had dinner there and then the lady made (not even kidding) one of the top three best tasting caramel frappuccinos I'd ever had in my entire life. It was AMAZING.



And now that I've seen the DVD's approximately 1800 times (kidding) - here are my picks for the faves. From Volume 1 - well, I loved the old standby songs that make me cry every time I hear them: A Few Good Men and I Bowed on My Knees. And then there some great vintage ones that I'd never heard actually performed by the Vocal Band, because it was before my time. Your First Day in Heaven and No Other Name But Jesus. Steve Green knocked that one out of the park. And then of course - a couple of David-extraordinaire moments in He Touched Me and Let Freedom Ring. And on Volume 2 - two songs I was so glad they did because I'd not heard them in their entirety before: Dream On and I Walked Today Where Jesus Walks. There were some fun ones on this one: Temporary Home and Build An Ark (which, incidentally, scared me to death when it started playing while I was eating at the Gaither store. I was not quite expecting the interesting beginning sounds...) And then of course, more David joy in O Love That Will Not Let Me Go and The Love of God. And one of my favorites from Steve Green - Find Us Faithful. And for the first time ever on their DVD's - I actually stuck around for almost all the commentary between songs.

So if you happen to be driving beside me during the next month - you'll be likely to hear any one of these blasting from my car. :) And I won't even apologize 'cause I'm not sorry!

Bits for Sunday, February 1, 2009

Adventures in Bekahland would not be complete without a snow story. More specifically a driving in snow story. And so…

Allow me to begin by giving you some background information. First, I hate winter. Secondly, I’m not a stellar driver on icy/snowy roads. And finally…I live on a road that may see a plow once a season if said plow is bored. And you can imagine in the winter we’ve had…the plows have not been bored.

Part of the reason my road never sees a plow is because one end of the road is occupied by multiple apartments of college students, so there are about 18 cars crammed into that half a block. They park on both sides of the street and a regular car can barely squeeze between them. A plow would have no hope. Occasionally a kind hearted civilian with a plow on his pickup will drive through and push aside the snow on my end of the street – where the area is actually clear.

Wednesday morning, I awakened to fresh snow. From inside the house, it didn’t look like that much, so I opted to drive to work rather than walk. About 2 feet into my commute, I realized the snow was about 8 inches deep. And I was the first to traverse my block. I managed to get through and I arrived at work no worse for the wear. At lunchtime, I came home and found the road to be badly rutted. I fishtailed my way through the tunnel of messily parked cars, narrowly missing a couple of them, pulled into my driveway, and promptly got stuck. I spent the next hour, in my work clothes and shoes, digging my car out. While I did that, a car at one end of the block spun for 15 minutes before being pushed out by two occupants of a passing SUV, and a pickup truck got stuck not far from my house.

With my car dug out at last, I parked it and walked back to work. No way was I messing with this road until a plow arrived…or April. Thursday morning I peeked out to see if a plow had happened by. Not so much. So I walked to work again. On the way, I noticed the many cars that slid through the day before had packed down much of the snow, so I determined to drive back after lunch. As I carefully approached the end of the road, with hands firmly gripping ten and two, I realized the intersection was a mess.

The main road where I was about to go was clear. But in between my seat and clear was a big fat mess of slush and ruts. I stayed way back, waited for the way to clear from both directions, and gunned/slid my way out into the main road.

All afternoon I dreaded coming home, knowing I’d have to pull that stunt in reverse, and this time I’d have to watch out for haphazardly parked cars in my path. I considered leaving my car at work and walking home, but I decided to be a big girl and drive. I waited for “rush hour” to pass and headed for the car.

As I walked toward my car I called my parents. Got my Dad. I said, “I hate winter. I’ll get stuck. I just know it.” He said in that soothing Dad tone, “Now, honey, it’s not bad out. I’ve been out all day and I’ve not gotten stuck one time. You just have to go slow and be patient.”

Patience is NOT my virtue.

I got in my car, carefully made my way toward my road, veered cautiously off the lovely cleared road onto my rutted mess of a street and BOOM. Stuck. In front of my somewhat sideways and sliding car was a somewhat ill-parked car. Behind me was a string of traffic. And under me were spinning tires. I tried several times, but my car was not going ANYWHERE.

I waited for traffic to clear behind me (quite a wait) and put the car in reverse. I prayed for big time mercy and gunned it. The car cooperated and sped backwards into the main road. I drove around to find a clearer path home, located a semi-suitable one, and pulled safely into my driveway.

I’d only been home about 5 minutes when the phone rang. It was my Mom. She said, “Well, your Dad just called. The van is stuck.”

REALLY!

I said, “Did you ask him if he was being patient? Because I hear if you just go slow and are patient, you won’t get stuck….”