Sweet Onions!!

I am so tired of trying to undo whatever I did to make my blog mess up??? I have a ton of pictures that I have taken of some really great recipes but because it is all messed up..I can't! Anyway...I'm going to give you one of my favorite summer time side dishes....I will write it all out and then put a few pictures to follow.

Start with a nice sweet onions...Vidalias are my pick here in the south! Cut the top..peel the onion leaving the bottom in tact. Use your knife and scoop out the top. Put onion on a piece of foil...drizzle top with olive oil. Put about 1/4 pat of butter on the top...garlic salt and pepper. Put a small piece of beef bullion or a small amount of granules if that is what you have. Wrap foil around onion and twist at the top. Place onion in a baking dish. Bake for 1 hour at 350. These are great to take to cookouts...they pull apart so easily and are so wonderful!

OK..I hope these are in order??? If not you will have to figure it our...cause once I put them in I can't change them!!!
Nope they are backwards????

So what happened at AMTC?

This is a picture with Carey Arban and Lindsey on the last day.

Lindsey and I got home after a very long delay at the airport.....we got home at midnight and I had to get Benjamin packed and ready to leave for elementary camp the next morning. Lindsey slept in her bed then started repacking to go to Washington for 4 days with SLU.....It has been crazy to say the least. I have been decompressing for over a week!

I have lots to share over the next few days...but Lindsey did amazing...she received 3 call backs from NY 1 from Atlanta and she won a $1000 scholarship to the NY Conservatory! The proof is on the next month or so...she has already been contacted by some of the agents....where will it go now...well we will see. She hopes to get some work here in the Atlanta market with print work or commercial type stuff. She would LOVE to do something with Sherwood films...we will see what the Lord has in store! She is open...she made Eric and I very proud with the way she represented us but more importantly the way she represented the Lord! Weather she was interviewing with a big wig from NY like Barry Shapiro or signing autographs she didn't miss a chance to talk about Jesus and encourage others. And yes it was very weird to see her sign autographs!!

Bus pictures

Lindsey and I walked about 7 miles yesterday so today we decided to try our hand at public transportation. It was great. It is a great place to people watch...Lindsey made me use antibacterial stuff as soon as we exited the bus. She is funny! And you have to scroll to the next blog post and see her funny video! I look like I have been hiking in the hot sun all day but I thought it was funny of her. Have a great day!

Bus Stop

Lindsey and I ventured out on our first ever public bus ride. She wanted to shop a little this afternoon. She keeps me laughing and this is an example of her off the cuff.

AMTC Saturday

Below are some random photos..for your enjoyment. Our long walk. The beverages we have enjoyed this week! Me looking at an incredibility busy schedule. Lindsey looking cute as usual! Tomorrow is the big day for speed networking with the agents and managers..pray for us! And for those of you praying for the ministry....Eric spoke this morning at a mens prayer breakfast and a 60 year old man who is the father of one of his HS buddies was saved! He also had the joy of leading his cousin to Jesus while he was here visiting! And we got paid this week! :)

Movies

Lindsey was in 3 competitions today...great job! She doesn't seem nervous at all! We will know about call backs tomorrow night!

I want to tell you a little story....

I walk into a very crowded room alone....people are very quiet and the speaker stands to speak....He is funny at times....angry at times...sad at times...but every time he wants to show any emotion he uses Lindsey's name as his choice of words...now he doesn't know her personally but he continues to use her name in ugly profane ways. Out of the corner of my eye I can see her standing in the back of the room...listening...watching to see what I will do....will I leave...will I just listen to it even though I know she can hear it..I know it must hurt her feelings...what will I do......Now of course that is NOT a true story but if it was...you would all think I was a really bad mother for not leaving the room! And you would certainly think I was wrong if I KNEW that her name was going to be used that way and yet I still went!

This is why we do not go to see movies that use GD or JC in them....I find these words so profane...offensive. I love the Lord so very much...I believe that he hears and sees everything that we hear and see and I can't sit idle by while His name is being tossed around. I do not say this to be judgemental....everyone draws their line somewhere. I know some who will not even sit through shows that say..OH MY GOD...if that were our conviction...we couldn't even see children's movies. That isn't a slam on the families that have different convictions....just sharing where we are! Just food for thought!

Also I wanted to let you guys know that the Lord is continuing to supply. Eric is starting to book his speaking engagements in the schools and we couldn't do it without you all and your prayers!!

AMTC Thursday

Ok...so as you know we ended up leaving the Gaylord...for a little step down...to the Super 8.....The lady and her daughter who were supposed to room with us...left to be with someone else in a free condo....which is all fine except we do not have a vehicle. She assured us that she would come and get us and take us back to the hotel and she has a few times but she runs late and we do not like to be late.....so we have been walking...it is about 1 1/2 miles..which isn't bad but in Orlando in July...need I say more?

Now for the great part! Today as we were walking and sweating...for the 3rd time..Lindsey and I had an amazing conversation about how far people in other countries walk to hear the gospel and how this is an acting competition for pete's sake! Lindsey also told me about how she has been praying that the Lord would help her to remain humble through all of this and believe me this is an atmosphere full of egos. She told me that she is glad we were walking because it has built character and what satan probably meant for evil..the Lord meant for good! Worth it..you bet!!

AMTC

Oh my word....it has been a LONG day!!!well I am just going to tell you that in my very humble but accurate opinion...as my pastor says...Lindsey was outstanding!!!! She stood with such confidence and expression and did her monologue. She got huge cheers and whistles....after she was done we were sitting in the hall with hundreds of others and one of the judges from NY walked right up to her and told her what a great job she did and then just walked away. She was so sweet to the other girls who were nervous or girls who came up and wanted to talk with her....I was very proud! I was not allowed to take pictures while she was preforming but I did take one of the competition hall....and I might have accidentally on purpose filmed her performance....I felt like a rule breaking spy...but a mama's got to do what a mama's got to do!

AMTC Day 1

The pictures below are actually in reverse order....thumbs up from Lindsey because we are in a clean hotel! Pitiful face because of the horrible hotel along with a picture of the room that does NOT do it justice! And she and I on the plane!






Oh my goodness...you would not believe our first day here!!! We started at the Gaylord Palms Resort..yesterday...after flying in for free!!..thanks RD. We met our roommates for the week....very sweet mother and her 13 year old daughter. We were relieved because when you are sharing a room for a 8 days with someone it could be really awesome or awful! the Gaylord was over the top beautiful...but we are ignorant "high end" travelers! We were getting a "deal" because of AMTC for $149 a night off of the normal $340....so we go to check in and they start adding things like....spa fee..now this may sound good because there is an amazing spa at the Gaylord..but the spa fee is for the use of the gym and the pool...thing about it is it isn't optional! Then there was the fee to have a teeny tiny refrigerator in the room..again it comes with the room it isn't optional....a fee for the transportation to and from Disney...we are NOT going to Disney! After they were done it was $200 a night!

This may not seem like a big deal but for 8 nights on a shoe string budget it was HUGE! We found out that we didn't have to stay at the Gaylord although they would like for you to...so we decided to leave....I wish I could go into the whole story but it would be really long...but it is really funny! We started changing hotels at 11 this morning...we were briefly at a scuzzy Days Inn...Lindsey was in tears...we changed hotels in the rain lugging 3 HUGE suitcases across 6 lanes of Orlando traffic...long story but we didn't have a car...Now we are in a very clean..save hotel for less than half of the other one and we even get free breakfast in the morning :)I am thrilled to have this time with Lindsey! Pray for her tomorrow is her biggest competition!

crazy mama tip

Ok...I know of two of my closest friends who read my blog and I know that they are going to just die that I would write about this.....you know who you are!.......but here goes!

About 3 years ago...I accidentally bought my son the wrong kind and size of underwear...this has turned out to be one of the greatest discoveries in my wardrobe life! I accidentally bought men's..boxer briefs...well time passed and I didn't return them so I thought I would try them out myself! Oh my word! They are amazing! They are over the top comfortable but the greatest thing for those of us who have birthed children and have that little or big(as in my case!) bulge but you don't want to wear a girdle....these are awesome! A little extra support without the tightness of a girdle.

Yesterday to my utter despair I only had the regular granny panties in my drawer because of all the packing that I am doing...I was forced to wear them all day..yuck! It was awful...give my my "man panties" any day!

Now for those of you who have birthed babies and and still wear a size 2...well this is not advice that you might need! And you should for sure make sure that your husband isn't going to have heart failure if you show up with them on! :)

Blessings part 2

Let me first back-up 30 years ago...I was a freshman in HS..yep that makes me 44..I was a bold witness for Jesus even then....and as the Lord would have it I was assigned a seat next to a guy that I had never met before named Richy...it was first semester of freshman year. It didn't take long before I was talking to him about his faith. He quickly informed me that he was atheist..gasp...I had never actually met an atheist..Oh boy...I was so excited for the challenge!

We became fast friends....who would have thought...complete polar opposites....he respected me greatly....I found him to be a true friend....sadly more of a friend than some of my "Christian" friends at times! We have always kept in touch over the years. He has a sweet wife and precious little girl and he travels all over the world designing and building golf courses. I am very proud of him...still quite lost...I'm still praying for him 30 years later. I know that the Lord had a perfect plan 30 years ago in assigned seating!

OK now back to AMTC...I had asked the question on facebook.....did anyone know a site that I could bid on last min. plane tickets..I got lots of response and tips. But one was from my HS friend....."when are you going, returning and how many tickets" long story...he bought Lindsey and I round trip tickets! What a blessing! I was thrilled...Lindsey was blown away! There have been so many God stories relating to answered prayer and AMTC.

Please continue to pray for the ministry...as of today we do not have health insurance...we had to make a decision either to pay our bills and buy groceries or pay the huge premium for insurance. I have to trust the Lord...but it is hard sometimes! Actually we technically are covered for 30 days.....so you never know what might change!