Author Archives: Rachel

What do crawfish, BBQ, auctions, and Jesus’ love have in common?

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They’re all helping to send a mission team to Ecuador! This weekend, the Wilmer UMC Ecuador Mission Team is holding a crawfish boil and silent auction to raise money for the trip. I was tasked with making the flyer:

Crawfish Boil and Silent Auction Flyer

Doesn’t the crawfish with a chef’s hat just crack you up? Last weekend Roger and I hauled all of our auction items down to my parents’. Then Mom and I put together baskets for each item. We learned that working with cellophane is NOT FUN. Sure, we laughed plenty, but a lot of it was out of frustration over what we dubbed the cello-PAIN.

However, we managed to finish a few baskets. This one is full of fancy hair products donated by Rick and Leslie (thanks guys!). I almost kept the Green Tea shampoo for myself, because it smells so good.

Auction Basket

Mom bought shrink wrap this week and reported that it was much easier to deal with. So the rest of the baskets won’t cause the drama we experienced late Saturday night.

If you’ll be in town May 2, check out the auction and food. It’s for a good cause, and the company will be great. If you won’t be in town, but you still want to help out, you can send donations directly to the church:

Wilmer UMC
P.O. Box 156
Wilmer, AL 36587

Be sure to write “Ecuador Mission” on the check. Or you can give donations to me and Roger, and we’ll get it to the right place. Thanks for everyone’s support!

A Hometown Play

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Last weekend Roger and I went to a play version of To Kill a Mockingbird. The play is presented in Monroeville, Alabama, Harper Lee’s home town. The town puts on the play each year, and I’ve wanted to go forever. If you haven’t read Mockingbird, go out today and get it. It was one of my favorite books as a kid, and I was lucky enough to teach it to a class of high school freshmen – and they actually LIKED it. I knew it was special then.

We got to the courthouse early to grab seats and then explored the town a little.

Roger and me at MockinbirdMom and Dad at Mockingbird

The play is fun. It starts outside the courthouse with a small set of house fronts. Then it moves into the courthouse for the trial and final scenes.

To Kill a Mockingbird set

My only criticism is that the play version is a little preachy (the book is more subtle about the issues of classism and racism), and they leave out most of the Boo Radley stuff. So anything dealing with Boo later seems really forced. But that being said, I still had a great time.

Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

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I love pulled-pork sandwiches, and my aunt swore to me they were easy to make. All I needed was a crockpot and about 6 hours. I’m all about slow cooker recipes, because I can put the stuff together before I head out to work and then come home to a great-smelling house and food ready to eat.

Lately I’ve been cooking recipes from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, and almost every recipe I’ve made has been a winner. (Only one recipe was a total failure, but at least Roger and I figured out we don’t like lentils.)  So I turned to their website for a pulled-pork recipe.

Pulled-pork sandwiches

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Golfing for Ecuador

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This weekend Roger and I worked at a golf tournament hosted by my parents’ church, Wilmer United Methodist. The tournament was organized to raise money for the Ecuador mission team, of which Roger, my mom, and I are all a part. My dad organized the event, and the team gathered sponsors and teams. We worked for about 2 months sweet talking restaurant owners, store workers, friends, and family into sponsoring. We set a goal to get 50 sponsors, and we ended up with 46 – not too shabby!

Checking teams into the tournamentPicture display of past Ecuador tripsGetting organizedMom and I at the church before heading to the tournament

But then the weather struck. Continue reading →