But a Breath

Birmingham, Ala. April 27, 2011

Dear Father - please help us to remember that our lives are but a breath; we are not promised tomorrow. Teach us to focus our attentions, affections and energy on that which truly matters.

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." ~James 4:13-17

Easter Brunch

We enjoyed Easter brunch at my humble abode on Sunday. Though I didn’t get a ton, here are a few pictures from the holiday. Our spread included zuchinni muffins, cobblestone cake, Whitney’s grits pie (recipe featured at bottom), breakfast casserole and fruit salad.

I learned a very important lesson – the way to this man’s heart is in biblical commentaries. He looks like a kid on Christmas morning here.

GRIT'S PIE

Courtesy of Whitney

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1 9-inch frozen pie shell

Place the pie shell aside to thaw.

3/4c water, a dash of salt, 1/4c quick-cooking grits, 1/2c butter (1 stick)

Bring the water and salt to a boil. Add grits and cook approx. 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the butter and cook an additional minute or until liquid is absorbed. Set aside to cool.

3/4c sugar

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 lightly beaten eggs

1/4c buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir these five ingredients together; add to slightly cooled grits. Pour all into the pie shell, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until set/firm.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream (the real stuff) and strawberries.

*I prefer the pie served slightly warm with a small dollop of cream. I don't like warm strawberries, so I usually just serve fruit on the side. :) Enjoy!

With His Stripes We Are Healed

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53

Yummy as a Clam

The seafood section at Whole Foods Market gets me in trouble. After five years of living in landlocked Birmingham, I forget fresh seafood exists. Then, as I’m leaving the produce area, the aroma of lobster bisque and gumbo drifts from the seafood counter luring me to come hither. Before I know it, my cart is loaded with salmon steaks, Maryland crabcakes and seafood salad.

Friday night I was itching to try out a new recipe. After searching MyRecipes.com for a bit, I came across a seemingly simple Linguine with Clam Sauce recipe from Cooking Light. Not only was this recipe simple, it called for only a few ingredients which were not already in my cupboard. Here’s my modification that makes more than enough for two people.

Ingredients

1/3 package linguine – I used capellini instead because I prefer a thinner pasta.

2 TBSP unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces clam juice or chicken broth

1 (6 1/2-ounce) can minced clams, undrained

14 littleneck clams, scrubbed (these were only 37 cents each at WF)

½ cup finely chopped parsley

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain in a colander and set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook three minutes.

3. Stir in wine, salt, and clam juice. Drain minced clams; add juice to pan (reserve minced clams).

4. Simmer for five minutes. Add littleneck clams; cover and steam four minutes or until the shells open. Remove from heat, and discard any unopened shells. Add reserved minced clams, parsley, and lemon juice.

5. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add clam mixture to pasta, and toss well. Serve with salad and warm bread.

Sweet Fruit

But the fruit of the Spirit is:

Love,

joy,

peace,

patience,

kindness,

goodness,

faithfulness,

gentleness,

self-control;

Against such things there is no law.

~Galatians 5:22-23

Elbow Grease

Each morning the journalistic nerd in me shivers with excitement to retrieve the day’s A.Word.A.Day. The simple truth is I. Love. Words.

I love stringing words together in sentences (syntax); I love learning the history/origin of words (etymology); I love studying the pronunciation of words (phoenetics). I confess that I would love to be in a perpetual linguistics class. Please sign me up. Yesterday.

There is a wealth of knowledge that can be derived from language, and I believe that we should be constantly enriching and broadening our understanding of it.

Por exemplo, did you know that thistledown is the soft feathery material that protects the fruiting part of a thistle? And that it’s often used in bedding and nightgowns?

Or that the word druthers is a jocular formation of “I’d” and “rather.” That it is an American term created in 1895 meaning one’s own way, wish, or preference?

Hopefully I haven’t lost you with my cerebral ramblings before I can impart today’s word.

Our gal Rosie the Riveter serves as the perfect ambassador for this kicky term – elbow grease.

PRONUNCIATION: (EL-bo grees)

MEANING: noun: Hard work; vigorous exertion.

ETYMOLOGY: Originally elbow grease was a metaphor for manual labor, as in elbow grease is the best wax for polishing furniture. Now in an extended sense it can refer to any effort, physical or mental. Earliest documented use: 1672.

From here on out, in all my noteworthy endeavors, I hope they will be executed with ample elbow grease!

Do you have a favorite word? If so, please share so that our linguistic banks may be aggrandized.

Mobile Bound

This past weekend Rollins helped load up the Trailblazer so we could take a little trip to Lower Alabama for some sunshine, family time and the Azalea Trail 10K. Thanks for this pic Kat!

34th Annual Azalea Trail!

Due to Matt’s need for Hart’s ice water as well as some sluggish traffic, we got a late start at the race.

Even so, Kat and I cranked out a pr:

RANK NAME AGE TIME PACE

                          7    Jones Kat      30  41:17  6:38

                          6    Womble Laura K 27  41:17  6:38

*To maintain the integrity of On.a.Whim, I may need to clarify that Kat and I ended up running the 5K race due to lateness. But, our 10K bibs credited us with a 6:38 pace! I wish we were that fast!

Mr. Johnson let us take his sweet ride for race day.

Back at G&G's the family enjoyed a sunny day outside.

Uncle Mark served as Grill Master with his custom burgers as well as chicken, dogs and Conecuh.

Trixie couldn't help herself from licking up the grill ash and walked away with a singed 'do on top of her delicate head.

At the end of the day, we were all stuffed, satisfied and shared Toby and Trixie's longing for naptime!