A Bunch of Apples or The Apple Bunch?

THE PIE IS FINALLY FINISHED! I attempted to let it cool, but that didn't go so well. (As a means of passing time, I even re-wrote the lyrics to the Brady Bunch theme song. That only took about five minutes though.) Since then, I've eaten a slice... or two, and I can honestly say that the pie is delicious! It's a wonder why I have never baked a pie before. I've always loved to bake. Matter of fact, I learned to bake long before I learned how to cook, and yet somehow I've never baked a pie... until today!

In a way, successfully making this apple pie makes me think on the days to come when I will be able to cook large family meals. Oven baked chicken, macaroni and cheese, string beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, hot-water cornbread, and mama's apple pie! Yes, siree! I can picture that... I can almost taste it... 

So, what's your favorite type of pie? 

Here's the recipe that I used - Mama's Apple Pie. I followed the it fairly closely, except for a few minor changes, i.e., the use of brown sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and nutmeg. 

The Brady Bunch An Apple Pie

Here's a story of a bag of apples,

that this lady did not like that much at all.

The skin of them was gross,

quite like plastic.

They weren't good apples at all.

Here's a story of a girl named Lisa,

who was wondering what she'd do with those apples.

There were six left, 

in the 'frigerator,

And they sat all alone.

Till the one day when this lady had an idea! 

And she could not just let it sit and die!

So she went right,

to the grocery store,

And bought things for a pie!

An apple pie! 

An apple pie!

That's the way she agreed to make a pie!

No, Not Homesickness - GROCERY SHOPPING!

For those who keep up with me on other social networking sites, you've probably noticed that I've been mentioned my hometown quite a bit lately. I'm slightly homesick. (NOTE: Slightly homesick should not to be confused with homesick. There's a enormous difference!) Earlier this week, I began writing a blog post about being homesick; however, it became rather depressing. I figured that since there is already more than enough saddening stories reaching news headlines, magazine articles and political discussions worldwide, then I should always strive to blog about fun things, happy times, and good news. (I may occasionally post something distressing, but I'll be sure to point out the silver lining as well! I promise.)

I mentioned all of that as an introduction to the new topic of my current blog post. It's about grocery shopping, a topic of which many of us are familiar! I can remember standing on the back of the grocery cart while my mother whisked me through the store aisles as a child! I can even remember the few times when my mother made me sit in the large basket of the grocery cart whenever I was sick or sleepy. Back then, grocery shopping was akin to an amusement park! It had rides (the cart), lots of people, and candy! For me, grocery shopping is just as exciting now as it was back then, but for different reasons of course. Today, grocery shopping is exciting, first and foremost because it means that I've been blessed with money to buy food! Everybody loves paychecks, gifts, and blessings, right? Secondly, I get to meet new, interesting people! (Now, understand that I don't go to the grocery to meet people, but I typically leave with a smile on my face from some wonderful conversation that I had with a cashier or customer. Yes, I've acquired the habit of speaking to people while waiting in line. My father should be the one to blame for this. If you know him, then you know exactly what I mean. I love you, dad!) Finally, seeing as some things never change, candy and snacks is another reason why I get so excited about grocery shopping!

I didn't want to spend much money on this trip, and I'm working on eating more healthily. As a result, I didn't get any candy this time around, but I did grab a few snacks to enjoy for the next few weeks. Hiding behind the container of jelly is a carton of ice cream! I LOVE ICE CREAM! Ice cream can be purchased while grocery shopping, which means I LOVE GROCERY SHOPPING TOO! Hence, for future references, if you're going grocery shopping and you want a bit of company, ask me to go with you! 

Disc Golf and Other Things

Have YOU ever heard of disc golf? Well, I didn't know about it until Sunday afternoon. 

Three of my new friends here in Illinois asked me whether I wanted to join them in a game of disc golf. I didn't understand what game they wanted me to play - mainly because I thought the were saying diskov, which isn't a word in the English language - but I went anyways. When we arrived at the field, I saw a sign that read "Disc Golf." It wasn't until then that I knew the actual name of the game. We drew sticks to pick teams fairly and began. My teammate and I ended up losing horribly. By the time the game was halfway over, we were so far behind that it would have been nearly impossible to catch up. I did get to see a toad though‼ Since I've never seen a toad before, it kind of delayed the game for a few minutes. Overall, I learned a lot about the sport, and I figured out why I've never drawn sticks or straws before. Rock, paper, scissors is much better‼‼

Here's a small list of a few other things that I learned this week: 

• Google+ is great‼ The hangout feature on this site is utterly amazing‼
• I really enjoy both of the jobs that I have right now.
• I'm excited to begin law school next month. I'm even more excited to write case briefs, which is a bit weird.
• I really, really, really like grapefruits. I think that it may be because they remind me of my grandmother. She used to eat occasionally when I was a little girl.
• The month of July is whizzing by rather quickly.
• Trying to understand the motives of another person is the equivalent of trying to fly a hot air balloon with cold air. It's useless and will most likely be a big waste of time. It's usually better to simply be open and hope that that particular person will tell you the truth.
• I should take my own advice more often‼‼‼

FRUITS AND VEGGIES‼

Growing up, I didn't like most fruits and vegetables. When I say most, I don't mean a little over half either. I didn't like about 70% of all fruits and vegetables‼ Really‼‼ I had my first real salad as a freshman in college and my first strawberry just last week‼ (Although the list of foods below may make it appear as though I ate plenty of fruits and vegetables prior to college, do not be deceived.  After all, potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes aren't the most healthy vegetables on Earth and they're still on the list.) So, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, I'd like to present a list revolving around my fruit and veggie expansion‼

Bananas, cauliflower, plums, coconut, eggplant and a variety of other fruits and veggies will one day make their way onto this list as well. For now, I'd only like to reflect on how far I've come...

Have you eaten a healthy portion fruits and veggies today?