I got engaged

I got engaged last September 6th. My fiance proposed to me at the Southeast Lighthouse on Block Island.

Skillet Cornbread

Skillet cornbread is a delight because the skillet is the best place to cook cornbread. The warm skillet will give the cornbread a rich flavor. This will make a great addition to a Thanksgiving table or a summer picnic!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups coarsely ground cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a 9-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and eggs. Whisk in almost all of the melted butter, reserving about 1 tablespoon for the skillet later on.
3. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of the hot skillet with the remaining butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve.

The recipe is found here: Food Network

Queen of Hearts Necklace design by Heidi Hermreck originally published on Beadwork Online, 2007

Materials:

1. 5 light topaz 4mm Swarovski crystal bicones
2. 1 rose 4mm Swarovski crystal bicone
3. 7 rose AB 6mm Swarovski crystal bicones
4. 11 light Siam AB 6mm Swarovski crystal bicones
5. 4 blue zircon AB 6mm Swarovski crystal bicones
6. 2 light topaz 6mm Swarovski crystal bicones 1 clear 6mm Swarovski crystal bicone
7. 3 rose 8mm Swarovski crystal bicones
8. 1 Siam 8mm Swarovski crystal bicone
9. 1 light topaz 8mm Swarovski crystal bicone
10. 1 light topaz 8mm Swarovski crystal round
11. 4 clear AB 8mm Swarovski crystal round
12. 5 pink 8mm glass pearls
13. 2 peridot AB 6x12mm Swarovski crystal hearts
14. 2 Siam 6x12mm Swarovski crystal hearts
15. 3 clear green-lined 8mm cane-glass cubes
16. 5 clear red-lined 14mm cane-glass triangles
17. 5 teal 12mm Venetian glass rounds
18. 2 pink/silver swirl 14mm Venetian glass rounds
19. 2 red/gold 18mm Venetian glass rounds
20. 1 red/gold with pink flowers

This necklace combines a detailed chain with an 25mm Venetian glass hearteye-catching centerpiece, and vivacious charms.

1. 4 gold vermeil 4x6mm rondelles filled with Venetian glass beads, Swarovski 11 gold vermeil 12mm bead caps Sterling silver infinity lobster clasp crystals, and American-made cane glass.
2. 9 gold-filled 6mm jump rings
3. 57 gold-filled 8mm jump rings
4. 38 sterling silver 8mm jump rings.
5. 9 sterling silver 20mm rings
6. 5 sterling silver 2" head pins
7. 19 sterling silver 3" head pins
8. 10" of 20-gauge sterling silver wire

(A) String 1 light topaz 4mm bicone, 1 rondelle, 1 Venetian glassWire cutters 14mm round, 1 rondelle, and 1 light topaz 4mm bicone.Round-nose pliers Repeat to make two.Flat-nose pliers (B) String 1 glass pearl, 1 cane-glass triangle, and 1 rose AB 6mmChain-nose pliers bicone. Repeat to make two. (C) String 1 light Siam AB 6mm bicone, 1 bead cap, 1 VenetianFinished size: 16" glass 12mm round, 1 bead cap, and 1 light Siam AB 6mm bicone. Repeat to make five.Step 1: Chain. Use 2 gold 8mm jump rings to link 2 silver (D) String 1 rose 8mm bicone, 1 red heart, 1 green heart, and 120mm rings; repeat to connect each of the silver 20mm rings blue zircon AB 6mm bicone. Repeat to make two.with pairs of gold 8mm rings. Continue using pairs of gold rings (E) String 1 clear 8mm round, 1 Venetian glass 18mm round, andto connect pairs of 8mm silver rings for a total of 6 gold pairs 1 clear 8mm round. Repeat to make two.with 5 silver pairs off the first 20mm ring, and 14 gold pairs (F) String 1 rose AB 6mm bicone, 1 cane-glass triangle, and 1 rosewith 13 silver pairs off the last 20mm ring. Use 1 silver 8mm AB 6mm bicone. Repeat to make two.ring to attach the clasp to the last gold pair on the shorter chain. (G) String 1 glass pearl, 1 cane-glass cube, and 1 light topaz 6mm bicone. Repeat to make two.Step 2: Form a wrapped loop at one end of the 20-gauge wire; (H) String 1 rose 8mm bicone, 1 cane-glass triangle, and 1 rosestring the light topaz 8mm bicone, 1 bead cap, the heart, and 1 AB 6mm bicone.blue zircon AB 6mm bicone; form a wrapped loop. Use a gold (I) String 1 glass pearl, 1 cane-glass cube, and 1 light topaz 8mm8mm jump ring to attach the wrapped loop to the center round.20mm ring. Step 5: Use 6mm jump rings to attach 1 charm per ring to theStep 3: Link 3 gold 6mm jump rings and attach the first one to 20mm rings as follows: 1A to the first ring; 1B, 1C, and 1D tothe bottom wrapped loop. Use a 2" head pin to string the Siam the second ring; 1E to the third ring; and 1F, 1C, and 1G to6mm bicone; form a wrapped loop that attaches to the bottom the fourth ring. Repeat, reversing the order, for the remaining6mm jump ring. Use a 2" head pin to string 1 light topaz 4mm 20mm rings.bicone and the rose 4mm bicone; form a wrapped loop thatattaches to the middle 6mm jump ring. Use a 2" head pin to Step 6: Use 1 silver 8mm jump ring to attach 1H, 1I, and 1C tostring 1 blue zircon AB 6mm bicone; form a wrapped loop that the free end of the 26-link chain.attaches to the middle 6mm jump ring. Use a 2" head pin tostring the clear 6mm bicone; form a wrapped loop that attachesto the top 6mm jump ring. Repeat, using 1 light Siam AB 6mm resourcesbicone. Check your local bead shop or contact: Swarovski crystals: BJ’s Crystals, (949) 338-8093. Snapeez jump rings, VeeO rings,Step 4: Create charms by using 3" head pins, stringing beads as and all other materials: Via Murano, (877) VIAMURANO,follows and forming wrapped loops: www.viamurano.com. Stringing magazine has more how-to project designs than any other beading magazine, expert instructions, PLUS a wide range of wireworking techniques to enhance your stringing projects. Take advantage of this risk-free offer at stringingmagazine.com/go/bdst If not completely satisfied, please keep your FREE issue and return the bill marked “cancel” and owe nothing. ORDER TODAY!Heidi Hermreck’s Queen of Hearts Necklace presented by 23 Basic TechniquesThese basic instructions are adapted from The Beader’s Companion (Interweave, 2005).Don’t have this popular book? Call (800) 272-2193 or visit interweavestore.com.S I M P L E LO O P OPENINg JuMP RINgS COILS To form a simple loop, use flat-nose To open a jump ring, To make a coil, use one hand to hold the end of pliers to make a 90° bend at least ½" from grasp each side of its opening your wire against a mandrel. With the other hand, the end of the wire. Use round-nose pliers with a pair of pliers. Don’t pull wrap the wire around the mandrel in tight loops. to grasp the wire after the bend; roll the apart. Instead, twist in oppo- To remove the coil, slide it off the mandrel and cut. pliers toward the bend, but not past it, to site directions so that you can Add vertical loops on either end to use the coil aspreserve the 90° bend. Use your thumb to con- open and close without dis- is, or cut the coil at certain intervals to make jumptinue the wrap around the nose of the pliers. Trim torting the shape. rings or split rings.the wire next to the bend. Open a simple loop justas you would a jump ring. W R A P P E D - LO O P B A I L SW R A P P E D LO O P Wrapped-loop bails turn side-drilled beads, usually teardrops, into pendants. Center the bead on a 3" or longer piece of wire. Bend both ends of the wire up the sides and across the top of the SPIRALS bead. Bend one end straight up at the center of the To start a spiral, make a small loop at the end of a bead, then wrap the other wire with round-nose pliers. Enlarge the piece by To form a wrapped loop, use flat-nose pliers to make a wire around it to form a few holding on to the spiral with chain-nose pliers and90° bend at least 2" from the end of the wire. Use coils. Form a wrapped loop pushing the wire over the previous coil with yourround-nose pliers to grasp the wire after the bend; with the straight-up wire, thumb.roll the pliers toward the bend, but not past it, to wrapping it back down overpreserve the 90° bend. Use your thumb to con- the already formed coils.tinue the wrap around the nose of the pliers. Wrap Trim the excess wire.the tail tightly down the neck of the wire to create acouple of coils. Trim the excess wire to finish.D O u B L E S I M P L E LO O P To form a double simple loop, make the 90º bend at least 1" from the end of the wire. Make a simple loop and con- tinue wrapping the wire around the round-nose pliers to form two com- plete loops. make wire easy Create beautiful wire jewelry in less time and with less money with the new special issue Easy Wire, packed with 60 fun and affordable wire-jewelry designs. Order yours today at interweavestore.com/EasyWire2009 Stunning jewelry can be simple to make and easy on your wallet. interweavestore.com Basic Techniques presented by 24

My Own Foolishness

I know that ever since I was a child, I have always wanted to get married and raise a family. That has been one of my obsessions. The problem for me has been that I never knew how to go about finding a husband. I didn't know how to have a romantic relationship. How do couples interact at home? I grew up in a single-parent household, with my father living far away and offering no contact. My Aunt Charlotte lived with my mother, sister, and I and was like another mother, but she could not fill the father figure role.
I blame being raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church for a lot of my problems. I was raised in a very conservative home and church, and I was told to follow many rules. I was therefore determined to find a Nice Adventist Guy to marry. I had it all planned out. I would find my Nice Adventist Guy who kept the Sabbath, believed in Ellen White, who was most likely a vegetarian like myself, who didn't expect me to dance with him, etc. We would go to church every weekend and raise nice Adventist kids who would attend Adventist schools and youth groups. I also wanted to spend some years in the foreign mission field, writing mission stories to SDA magazines.

1. First, there are few Adventist singles out there when you are not attending an Adventist university as a traditional student.
2. Even when you are attending a SDA school from the ages of 18-22, most students these days are not looking for husbands or wives, they are focusing on their education and having fun.
3. At least 3 out of 4 Adventist youth and young adults leave the church.
4. There are also criteria that people have such as age, ethnicity, education level, interests, and more that narrow things down more.
5. It is also difficult for some people with disabilities to find love because most people don't want to date someone with a disability.

I had the problem of being obsessed with someone quite often. Ever since I was about ten years old, I would meet a guy, decide I liked him, and then develop an intense crush on him. I would think about this person constantly, and I would do anything I could to keep in contact with this person. I would follow this person around, and when I finally got on the internet in 1999, I would cyberstalk this person and find out all the information I could on this individual. Such behavior was so foolish, because those men did not even bother with me much, and I was not able to see them often.
Fast forward to Korea in 2005 when I was obsessed with W*****, who had a Korean girlfriend. He had only been dating that woman for a short time, and despite the fact they had many disagreements, W* was hell-bent on marrying this woman. He made it clear to me that he was intent on marrying Yoon Young, even though she criticized him constantly. She was a Buddhist and W* was sure she would become a Seventh-day Adventist for him. They married in the Fall of 2005 and their son was born in June 2006. Their second son was born in Fall 2007. About 5 or 6 years into their marriage, they split up, leaving W* to raise two sons by himself in Korea. Yoon Young stopped attending church a few months into the marriage (no surprise). W* came from an abusive home, had no contact with his father, and his father-in-law died when the children were young. He only had his mother-in-law to lean on for support. The sons will be 19 and 20 years old this year and I hope they are doing well.
When W* left Korea to be with is new bride in the USA for a while, I decided to have a crush on R*. He was from New Zealand, but originally from South Africa. I did everything I could to follow him around. I kept hanging out with a friend at the school he taught. I spent Friday and/or Saturday nights over there so I could see him. I kept using this friend so I could get close to him. It was foolish. After six months (He previously spent a year in Korea), he went back to New Zealand to see his ailing father. Later, he married a woman he met there also from South Africa and married her. They now live in Virginia, USA where her family now lives.
In 2008 I went back to Korea for another stint, this time for two years. I decided I liked someone else this time, another man from South Africa. I had met him briefly at a retreat in Fall 2006. I followed him around for two years, even though I knew he wasn't interested in me. I thought I could get him to change his mind about me at first, but even after I realized that wasn't happening, I still followed him around anyway because I loved his company so much. I also thought I would forever regret not hanging out with him. I was wrong. I now regret my actions and I wish I had left him alone. I wonder how much things could have been better for me had I not followed him around.
Women should not pursue men. That was a hard pill for me to swallow. No matter how much I liked a man and how much I wanted to be with him, if he did not feel the same way, there was nothing I could do about it. Men also want to be in control. They feel emasculated when a woman is in hot pursuit of him. I felt angry at such things, because I felt that it wasn't fair at all. But we must accept things we cannot change. Men and women do not think the same way.

Rain

It has been raining hard for a long time.

Lasagne

2 boxes ww Lasagne. 1 recipe pimento cheese or 2 packages of tofu. 1 pot of sauce 12-15 vegeballs (crumbled) 1 bunch of steamed fresh broccoli cut in bite-sized pieces. Layers---- Sauce, lasagne, pimento cheese, vegeballs, broccoli... Bake in over at 350 F until done.

Eggplant Casserole

Slice eggplant very thin. Roll slices in breading mixture of cornmeal and garlic salt. Place breaded slices on cookie sheet in very hot water (450F-500F) for about 15 minutes on each side. Make a sauce, and 1 recipe of pimento cheese, 1 recipe vegeballs cut onions and bell peppers into rings. Arrrange layers, Sauce, eggplant, onions, and peppers, vegeballs, pimento cheese, sauce. repeat until dish is full. Bake in oven at 400F until done.