Babies... and Pink

This past weekend, I co-hosted a baby shower for my dear friend Kelly! She is due on April 27 and expecting their second baby, Molly Jean. Lauren and I had the absolute privilege of making this shower fun and PINK! Everything about this shower was cute, and feminine, and girly. We had about 30 (+) ladies attend the shower for Ms Molly Jean and Kelly! Several friends traveled from Texas to celebrate with Kelly, while lots of her Shreveport/Junior League friends were able to join too.

This was definitely a shower where if you left hungry, that was your own fault. We had 'spa' water, complete with lime slices and floating raspberries, and beautiful flower arrangements/displays made by Lauren! There was a coffee bar with an assortment of flavored coffees & creamers, and three types of cake: vanilla on vanilla, cheesecake, and pound cake. We also had brownies, cream cheese/jelly with wheat thins, m&m's, meat pies and other chocolate goodies. The punch was divine (if I do say so myself) and of course, pink!! We had a huge pink wreathe, and decorated her fireplace with pink bows, and cute clothes for Molly! Kelly got so many wonder gifts.

I love baby showers, and I love pink. Hopefully it will be my turn soon enough *wishful thinking* :) Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

 

Feeding My Soul

This picture describes yesterday. Everything about this picture makes me smile. I love this city, and I love these people. I know there are hot political debates about homeless, but I love them. I fully understand that people are not perfect and we make mistakes. I also understand having grace and showing love too!

The SBRM's Youth Council, made up of 13 youth from 7 different Caddo/Bossier Parish private/public high schools - held THE BIG EVENT. It was a culminating event for their efforts of the past two weeks having drives go on in their schools. El Chico's catered the event, and the SBRM volunteers made homemade desserts for all the clients to enjoy with their free Mexican food! We also had plenty of donated Pepsi and coke products too.

Anyone able, could come and enjoy the food and music of this event. It was outside and absolutely beautiful weather. I actually got sunburned on my face!! There is a low income apartment complex not too far from the SBRM, and we saw that there was some surplus food, so we went over there to let the tenants know there was free food for anyone who wanted to come over and get it. Over 200 were served yesterday.

There was one guy that really stuck out to me. On my way over to the Fairmont, there was a guy who was diving in the dumpster (literally) for food. I walked over to him, (in the dumpster) and let him know, he could get a hot meal right around the corner if he wanted. He acknowledged what I said and kept going through the trash. I went on in to the building to let others know. When we came out of the building, he was still there and had found a piece of sandwich that had been thrown away, and was eating it. I told the guy I was with (had to have a 'body guard') I just might lose it seeing that guy. I told the man again to come over and eat. He lifted his hand to wave at me, and I realized he didn't have a hand. I have no idea why this man didn't have a hand, but I don't care. My heart broke. I was struck by who this person was. All I could think about was Jesus saying, "what you do to the least of these, you do to me." We walked back over to THE BIG EVENT and I told Randell (my body guard - who is actually an amazing board member), if I got food would he walk back over there with me to give it to that guy? Of course he didn't mind. I gathered two trays, some desserts, and drinks and we were on our way back over to find my new friend. He was walking down the street, and I called out to him, "hey! we have food!" He stopped and turned around. He was covered in trash, and stench, but that didn't matter. I was determined to get my friend something to eat. My friend couldn't hardly talk, but his smile lit up his ebony face. His eyes sparkled, and he was grateful. He took the food and kept bowing his head. As we walked away, my eyes were filled with tears.

I know I saw Jesus yesterday.

Power of a Cookbook

Spring Market is the Junior League of Shreveport's biggest fundraiser of the year, and funds the many community projects that are done throughout town. Just imagine a huge room (Bossier Civic Center to be exact) filled with all kinds of shopping venues. Let me just say, it is what I envision heaven to be like. :) I love it. However, this year I didn't go to shop. Instead, I took Thursday off from work to spend my day working a shift at Market. This is one of my (many) JLSB obligations that I have had to fulfill this year. Regardless, I absolutely LOVE the Junior League, and I loved this shift.

I took the 9:30am-1:30pm shift. Two of my friends had signed up for the same shift, thinking we would be together during this time.... of course, we were separated and didn't get to spend hardly any of our shift together! No worries though, we made up for it afterwards. :) Anyway, that morning before the Market opened, there was a sustainer breakfast. In the Junior League once you turn 35 or give 10 years of service (which ever comes first), you become a sustainer. Naturally, this breakfast is filled with blue hairs that are just as sweet as they can be! Once the breakfast is over, the sustainers are free to go and shop as they please.

Ok, so I was asked to man the cookbook table. I know that the JL has cookbooks, because I had to buy some to fulfill my ways & means obligation... but I really didn't go and study them... So, when I was asked to go and fill in at this table, I was kind of lost. I quickly got the scoop and was left by myself. I have to be honest, I was kind of disappointed since my friends and I had planned to spend the next four hours together, and now we were all separated, but as the sustainers came in, my disappointment diminished.

The JLSB has finally reprinted "A Cook's Tour" Cookbook that was originally printed in 1960. Don't you know every single one of those sustainers came by my table and would pick up that cookbook (the JLSB has 2 other cookbooks too) and would flip a couple of pages and then point out their recipe. Of course, each recipe came with a story. It is incredible to me the power of a cookbook, and the recipes it contains. I have "A Cook's Tour" and "Mardi Gras to Mistletoe" cookbooks and coming home, I couldn't wait to look through the books to review the recipes so many of the ladies had told me about. I am excited to cook using these books now, because they have become personalized. I have a very special cookbook that my 2nd cousin made that has all my family recipes in it, and I use it all the time. I feel like these ladies gave me that same since of 'family' with my new cookbooks from the JLSB. Each one of them were so sweet and genuine. I feel so honored to have been able to sit at that table for four hours, and learn the stories (and recipes) of the dinner parties thrown for the governor, or husband's getting promoted because of the recipes those ladies used that night. How cool? In some weird way, I feel like those elite women have passed the torch allowing us to be a part of their memories but use the same recipes to make our own. One precious women said her mushroom dish was sure to get any girl pregnant, while another told me her dish was always 'good luck'! I told them all I would promise to try them, and I can't wait. Also, there were several samples from the "Mardi Gras to Mistletoe" cookbook out for customers and the pineapple mango salsa, olive cheese balls, and spicy cashews are all to die for!

If you are interested in purchasing your own little piece of Shreveport, please visit http://www.jlsb.org/.

living in this season

David starts the first day of his spring quarter today. He is taking a bear of classes (well at least in my opinion.) He is enrolled in Monetary Economics, Upper level Managerial Accounting, Finance something-er-other, and Business Calculus. Yikes! However, he is excited. I am glad. That just means he is smarter than me, and I am completely OK with that!! I am so unbelievably proud of him. He is really doing it. Each quarter he starts and finishes, is just one step closer to graduation. I am not sure either of us thought we were really going to get through this season, but we are! One step at a time, we are slowly, making our way through. And yes, there will be a HUGE party once we are done! :)

Now, I do have some randomly exciting news... I joined the adult readers book club at the Bienville Parish Library. I did drop the average age down 40 years, and while I know you are disappointed in my news (because I am sure you don't think it is that exciting), I am! All you have to do is read twelve books by May 18, 2012. I totally got that. I am still keeping up with reading at least one book a week! So I know I can accomplish that goal. LOL. Yes, things are JUST that exciting in Arcadia! Arcadia is growing ironically, they have a new little strip center that has opened - it contains a bank, pizza place, tanning/clothing boutique, and a Mexican food place. Again, while you may not find this as exciting as I do - it is because you live in a populated area that everyone doesn't stare at you when you walk into ANY public building (restaurant, library, court house, church, gas station, etc.) I am not upset about this, because my husband now knows everyone in Arcadia, and while I still get blank stares towards me - they all chum it up with him, so some how - "I am OK" because I know him... gotta love small town USA!

I know one day, David and I will look back over 'the time we lived in Arcadia, Louisiana' and just laugh. There are so many things that still shock the socks off of me, and all I can do is laugh. I had a guy the other day tell me Arcadia was a little piece of heaven.... HA! I simply smiled and looked at him and thought, "my God is WAY bigger than Arcadia and calling this place ANYTHING but heaven!!" Too funny. I do believe that at one time, it was the most idealistic mayberry.... but those times are about 40 years gone... Like I said, now we just smile, and nod, and try to laugh about this place called Arcadia.  :)