Fried Cabbage

A friend of ours recently made us this side to go with steaks. It was fantastic. It is a nice change to a bland boiled cabbage recipe. My husband loves this because of the flavor.

Start by heating 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan.

Shred and wash one head of lettuce.

Place the shredded lettuce into the hot skillet. Add at least one tablespoon of each salt, pepper, and garlic. Then, add more to taste. We like a lot of flavor so I usually just pour it all on generously.

Cook the cabbage for 10-15 minutes until all of the cabbage has cooked down completely.

This is Us

A random text conversation between Bobby and I today:

Bob - I'm miserable. I'm ready to go home.
Mel - I'm ready to go too! And, I need a coke and I don't have any change
Bob - I'm miserable cause my whole face hurts and you need a coke
Mel - Awww. You are miserable b.c I need a coke and can't get one?
Bob - You are mean
Mel - I was asking a question
Bob -Nevermind. Your not following this conversation
Mel - oooh. so you were saying like you are miserable and your face hurts but all I’m thinking about is my coke?
Bob -Yeah. Something like that
Mel - I found some change

Today's really beats Tuesday's random moment:

Bob - "I don't like you anymore."
Mel - "Well, that's not good."
Bob - "'What's for dinner?"
Mel - "Spaghetti"

The Adventure Begins

Yesterday, Bobby was voted by the members of our church, New Century Independent Church, as our new Associate Pastor. I was so proud to hold Bobby's hand and kneel beside him as our church family gathered around the altar to pray for Bobby and thank God for this new opportunity. I am so very excited to begin this new journey with Bobby. He has such a passion for our church and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for our lives.

For anyone who knows Bobby, he is usually very quiet and can sometimes be quite a cut-up. It is so fun to watch him preach because he almost becomes another person. You can see the excitment pouring out of him as he speaks. He can't even stand still. I love it.

We have a strong passion to work with youth and young adults. Maybe we will see Bobby's ministry service and our ideas meld together in the future.

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

House Renovation - Guest Bathroom

A few weekends ago, Bobby and I finally started on our long awaited house renovations. Basically, we are giving it a giant makeover. We started with the smallest room but one of the most significant - the guest bathroom.

I was scolded by my cousin for not taking before pictures so my descriptions will have to work for now. This room was not one we spent a great deal of time on when we first moved in. The walls were supposed to be a steel gray and ended up much more like a violet or a bright blue. We really never put any accessories or anything in it.

In our house we have two bathrooms except our master bathroom only has a garden tub with no shower. So, the guest bathroom is used for the shower and then of course guests use it. Before, I was so embarrassed for anyone to use it...I would say "just keep the light off" or "shut your eyes while you do your business." I know...crude.

We painted the walls a tan/light brown color called "Delta Sandbar" for Lowe's Vaspar brand paints. We also replaced the aging, off-white plastic blinds with white faux wood blinds. I couldn't find any at Lowe's so I actually bought these at Walmart for less than $25. They are light weight and really easy to clean. The true white looks SO much better than the off-white plastic ones did.


I had originally found a great shower curtain from ABC Distributing but was VERY disappointed when it arrived. I thought I was going to have to give up my black and white theme until we went to Target. I got this great shower curtain from Target for around $25. It is heavy material and very soft. It is also not see-thru which happens with white fabric somtimes.

This bathroom has a shower with large sliding doors. I hate these doors (they are the frosted kind and I think they are unattractive) but there is really no other option so a shower curtain works great to cover the doors.

We LOVE Hobby Lobby. Well, I probably love it way more than Bobby but he goes in order to ensure that won't end up with extremely girly home decor. We were browsing for a basket or something to hold extra toilet paper and/or wash clothes. This bathroom is tiny and there is no extra floor space. We found this awesome little box that matched perfectly.

Bobby is very much into black metal/iron pieces. That was his job at Hobby Lobby. He said he hates that part of the wall and insisted on covering it. I think he did a great job especially since we didn't have any measurements with us. The box was originally supposed to go on the counter top but it turned out to be just a tad too large.

Hobby Lobby has great sales and by great I mean like 50% off. All the time! Unfortunately neither of these pieces were on sale but they were perfect and still not very expensive.

The frame was a gift from Michelle. She saw my original idea for the bathroom and bought this for my birthday specifically for the bathroom. It says "Live graciously, Love generously, and Laugh often."

We chose chrome for the hardware - shower curtain, towel racks, and toliet paper rack. I really liked how they went with the color. We decided on black and white towels and I think they work really well. We bought the towels at both Target and Walmart...no idea why we did that.

The only thing we have left to do is finish up with painting the trim white and Bobby plans to outline the mirror with a small decorative trim.

I think for our first project this room turned out fairly well.

Worst Blogger Ever

I am seriously the worst blogger ever. I am lazy and don't want to stop what I am doing to come up with witty things to say about our life. But, here I am recommitting to this monster. Here are some random stills from the Armstrong life -

I love this girl. Ava Brooke.
Her parents are pretty alright people too.

My cousin and I through my grandmother a surprise 70th birthday party. She was so surprised. My cousin made 65lbs of baked spaghetti and I decorated everything in the backyard that stayed still. And, there was karaoke. It was fabulous.

I am teaching Sunday School/Small Group now. Young Adults/Couples. This is frightening.

We start a new study called "Heart of a Renegade King" from 1 & 2 Samuel. I am terrified.

We helped move Jim and Ashley into their new house.
And, we had Japanese with Jim and Ashley.
And, we spent a long Sunday afternoon playing board games.

They are having a baby girl in December. Her name is Ella Kate and she will love her Aunt Mel more than anybody else.

No explanation needed.

Other news:
We bought a new, beautiful television. I know nothing expect it is 46' and beautiful and its a Sony and it came with a free blue ray player....and I wrote the largest check ever to Best Buy.

Bobby will preach again on October 4th and maybe the 11th. I am excited.

I bought new pots and pans/utensils/plates. But, since I came down with the virus from the bad place, the only thing I have been able to eat on my new plates is a chicken patty sandwich. Sad. The pots and pans are from the Paula Deen Collection and the plates are square.

Lastly, I bought an iphone. I love it. I adore it. I don't know how I functioned without it. It is way better than Bobby's (it is the exact same except for my super cute pink cover).

Haley

My cousin's little girl loves to sing and last week she caught Haley singing in the car. I don't know the song but Haley's rendition is hilarious.

See below for the video!