A Bunch of Burts

This week, Works-For-Me-Wednesday’s edition is what does NOT work for you. (Doesn’t-Work-For-Me)
I was not sure if it meant to post about things you do not like and how to fix them, or ‘hints’, ‘helps’, recipes, ect…. that turn out to be not so helpful or do not live up to their claims.

I am going with the later.

I love recipes. I love to bake. One of my favorite things to check out of the Bookmobile (mobile library for those of us who live waaaay out in the sticks,) was cookbooks. I especially like the cookbooks that give small snippets of info regarding the history of the dish, ingredients or country of origin.

One of my favorite cookbooks is one I found in the Mission Barrel while we were in Bible School. It is called The Heritage of Southern Cooking by Camille Glenn.

Fun, fun, cookbook. Great old pictures and anecdotes all the way through. To be honest, I only make a couple of things out of the book, one of which is Chocolate Finale Cake, which we renamed Chocolate Sin on a Plate. It is soooo good. But the book is great fun for me just to look through every once in a while and think about making something else from it.
The drink section is a riot. With perhaps one exception, all the recipes call for alcohol of some kind, and the ones that don’t, list it as optional.
I knew several ladies from the South in our years of training, and when I teased one of them about the drink recipes, she quickly retored, “How do you think we are so hospitable all the time!?” Hahahaha, ummm, you were joking, right?

But I digress.

I try to make a hot breakfast each morning for the family, but tend to get stuck in the same dishes over and over.

Searching for new ideas, I saw a tasty sounding recipe for cheese blintzes and having had them before at a restaurant, really wanted to try them out.

Not the actual crepes I served, but tasty looking don’t you think?

The family lliked them, they are healthy, give a good mix of dairy, protien and bit of carbs, low sugar too, but… I am NOT making them again.

2 hours they took me to make. 2 hours!

Making the little crepes on my sort-of non-stick pan. Filling the little darlings with the cheese mixture and then baking them. I can only do one sheet at a time in my miniature oven, and so by the time I was done, it was nearly time to think about making lunch.

No ladies, cheese blintzes do NOT work for me. At home anyways. Maybe someone out there has a tip to make this easier, but for now, they shall remain restaurant food in our family.

Head over to Shannon’s at Rocks in My Dryer for other warnings and caveats today, they may save you a headache, money, time, or all three!

Today was the first full day of our month without Greg.

Yesterday Greg left to begin his term at CDM (Church Development and Missions), a bible school in Maesariang, about 4.5 hours from Chiang Mai. This is a chance for him to gain a new level of conversational Thai, build relationships with Thai Christians, learn the high language used for Scripture and teaching about the Lord, to sit under the teaching of two very good teachers and go through the main stories of the Old Testament, from Creation to Christ.

The kids and I will follow in a month, after the school year is done at Grace. That seems like a long time. At least for me.

I know that military and government wives are often separated from their husbands for very long periods of time. But I have been spoiled over these last few years, and have grown accustomed to having my dear husband around every day. It is one of the perks of being a missionary team, we see each other all the time and work together.

So for this spoiled wife, a month sounds awfully long. To date, in our marriage of 15 years, we have only spent 2 weeks at the most apart. (When Greg first came out to Thailand while we were still in training with NTM).

I just got off the phone with him as he was getting into bed. He gave me the rundown on what his days will look like at bible school. Very long. Starts at 5:30 and ends between 10 and 11 each night.

And this will be all in Thai. He will be the only English speaker until we arrive in June. Immersion, the best way to learn language, right? That is our plan.

So if you think of us, please pray for Greg. That he would be able to understand as much as possible, retain the new words he will be learning and recall them for use when appropriate. When he grows frustrated or discouraged, that he would lean on the Lord, and not rely on his own strength and understanding. Also, that this time would be one of blessing for him and that he would be a blessing to the other students there.

And for us too? I rely on Greg for so many things, ferrying kids back and forth from school and activities, paying bills (remember, no check to mail here, all is done in person.) and of course taking out the trash. Please pray that we will diligently finish our studies here in Chiang Mai before heading out to join Greg, and to take care of all that needs to done to leave the city for a few months.

Thanks!

Staying up late because I do not like to go bed alone,
Tina

Update. Yes, already. I am hearing all sorts of creeping and crawling noises that I usually do not hear. We have had a HUGE amount of rain these last few days and I am thinking it has washed creatures out of their lairs and they are looking for a dry place to ‘hang out’.
So far we have not had any snakes or other beasts in the house, beyond the normal little lizards, cockroaches and ants, but are we taking bets that now that Greg is gone I will have the pleasure of their company? eek.

My friend Kathy just sent me a most exciting link!

The City of Ember is being made into a movie!

We read this book several years ago and foisted it upon several of our friends claiming it was one of the best read-alouds we had found in a long while. We liked the second book, The People of Sparks, just as well. (disclaimer: We did not care much for the third book and supposed prequel The Prophet of Yonwood –FYI)

Can I say again that we loved the first book?

It is slated to come out in October this year. Yay! We will be back in Chiang Mai at that point and may have a chance of catching it in the theatres. We are eagerly waiting. If you have NOT read it yet, you MUST before the movie comes out.

On my friend Kathy’s blog, she has a list she found of all sorts of books that are being made into movies. I did not know many of the titles, (and just from some of those titles I am glad I am not familiar with them,) but did see The Giver listed among them.

The Giver by Lois Lowry, another one Leah and I highly recommend. Maybe we can make that one our next evening read-aloud since Leah and I are the only ones who have read it in our family. Again, you really should read that one before even thinking of seeing the movie. Another we are excited about the possibity of seeing.

Taking the family to the movies in Chiang Mai is relatively cheap and so we have gone several times in the year and a half that we have lived here. But there are so few movies that we are even willing to take the kids to see. Nearly every Thai movie is some kind of ghost story with dead people coming back or horror-style movies. Or a movie completely laden with shall we say people being much too friendly with each other.
Umm, not appropriate.

I cannot speak for the spiritual condition of either Jeanne DePrau (The City of Ember), or Lois Lowry (The Giver), but their books were clean, entertaining and encouraged some good discussion at our house with some of the issues being talked about in the books.

Bring on the movies!

I know, I know, many of you are still trying to coax spring to arrive much less thinking summer. Well, maybe at least you are thinking summer, longing for it to arrive.

One of our favorite parts of hot season is the wonderful fruits we have available.
I had never been a huge fan of mango until we moved to Thailand, and now we love them. All kinds, and even unripe green mangos.
Oh yes, a bit of green mango is so yummy and refreshing! mmmm.

One of the problems I had with said mango though is how to get them off thier pit. When preparing ripe ones especially, the process can be messy and frustrating.

We just recently visited our friends in Mukdahan and I saw her cutting mango so efficiently and I wondered how I had never done it this way before.

Simplicity. Brilliant.

OK, here goes with the photo tutorial.

Step one.
Peel the mango. No picture necessary right?

Hold the mango broad side up.

With a knife make diagonal cuts down to the pit along the length of the mango.

Please ignore the dishes in the sink. Lazy children.

Now cut diagonally the other way.

Starting on the side nearest you, cut horizontally along the top of the pit over a bowl and the cut mango morsels will drop neatly into your bowl.

Of course take care of your finger tips, or it will be even harder the next time to hold the mango still. haha

See how close you can get the pit? Slick and easy.

Repeat on other side.
Sometimes there is a bit of mango left on the side of the pit. You can slice that off too, now that you know where the pit boundaries are.

There you have it!
Yummy.
Tasty.
Delirous.
( Do you know that movie reference? )

Here is a completely free bonus mango-eating idea.

Stir one container of plain or vanilla yogurt with a 1/4 tsp of ground ginger. (Add vanilla too if using plain yogurt) Coat mango pieces and enjoy.
As we travelled home from the NE this week, I found PEACHES! at a roadside stand. They were so tasty with the mangos in this cool and sweet ’salad.

For more tips and tricks, visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer

Just have to say, I have NO idea how all you ladies are able to post so quickly! I am amazed. I have been watching Shannon’s site for the last 40 minutes or so, but I am still # 36. You all are amazing.

We had more pictures to share of the this holiday, so here is a montage of sorts.
Note, you do not find me any of them. This is on purpose. Not only are wet clothes clinging to me unattractive and not fit for posting, someone has to volunteer to remain relatively dry and take the pictures.