5 Things on a Friday: A Time to Dance

Hey, Friends!

I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off this week, so it's taken me awhile to get to 5 Things on a Friday because there were 7,436 Things on a Monday - Thursday.

So, let's get to it because you know that the Good Book says that there is a time for every matter under heaven. And based on the fact that we are officially on Spring Break and that we don't have to set any alarms or pack any lunches for a whole entire nine days and that I get to see Third Day in concert in two days and that the NCAA tournament has started and also THE EMPTY TOMB, Y'ALL (!!!!) and

(Deep Breath. Pause for reals, please. Because that risen Savior thing is really important. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. And the people said Amen.)

Well, I'd say all that good stuff means that it is TIME TO DANCE! Bring it on Northern Iowa or Illinois or other Northern I State - I can't actually remember who we play! WooHoo!

(I just drank a huge cup of coffee at 6:00 pm if you can't tell because my game doesn't start until 9:50 PM Eastern Standard Time. Just so you know. Here we go.)

1. Mad Moments During March Madness.

This is the best day of March Madness because the Horns haven't lost yet. They are completely undefeated. Like I said, they don't play until 9:50 pm so this bliss will go on for at least several more hours.

I love watching the recap of the day's madness on ESPN. In my opinion, this was the best clip from Day 1 of the tournament. I LOVE the response this player gave. Often, I hear coaches yelling at even very young players with the same type of ridiculous question as this reporter is asking. What were you thinking? How could you have missed that? How did that team out score us?  I would never want my kid to be disrespectful of anyone, especially a coach, but as this is a reporter and not a coach and as this is somebody else's kid and not mine, I found this answer to be delightful. I laughed my tail off.

2. Ham and Cheese Party Sandwiches

Before we proceed with my offering of a recipe, I think in full disclosure I should show this evidence of my Holiday Cooking Skill. Sister and I both adore us some St. Paddy's Day. Sister shared these adorable shamrock pancakes that she made for her people. Isn't she just precious? I also had plans to make THESE pancakes. Well, things didn't turn out as well for me as they did for her. Apparently, when a recipe says that the pancakes will cook for 4 minutes total one must divide by 2 since a pancake has exactly 2 sides. That's 2 minutes per side. I think that should have been expressed more clearly. (And yes, I have made pancakes before. These had cake batter in them and I think maybe they cooked faster. Or maybe I should have been watching them. Whatever.)

Alas, I did some quick math and then paid attention to my skillet and these came out better. Still Sister wins. It's so annoying.

All that brings us to these yummy little sandwiches. At our first JV baseball scrimmage last week all the baseball moms were so happy to see each other. We laughed and talked about all manner of things since we'd not seen enough of each other in the off season. These sandwiches came up and everyone raved about them. I think they'd be perfect for Easter brunch. (Sidenote: I have made these before. They are very difficult to mess up.)

30 Hawaiian-style rolls or other 2-inch bakery-style rolls
2 pounds shaved deli ham
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I think you could use any type of cheese you like)
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
(I feel like one mom mentioned honey, too, but my recipe doesn't call for it)

Slice the rolls in half. Place the ham and cheese on the rolls to make sandwiches. Arrange the sandwiches in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Pour evenly over the sandwiches. Cover and chill overnight. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese melts. (Serves 30 - and if you are having that many people for Easter then may the Lord be near you, friend.)

3. Thief by Third Day

Well, you know I'm going to throw out a Third Day song because I always do and also I get to see them in concert for the fourth time with my people on Sunday night. THIS SONG is the story of the thief who hung on the cross next to Jesus and is told in his voice from his perspective. It is hauntingly beautiful and is a perfect description of the grace of a God who bled and suffered and gave His life for every last one of us. For the least and for the greatest. I usually try to make it a point to listen to this each Good Friday. There has not been a single time I have heard this song that my breath does not catch in my throat as I am again reminded of how deeply and completely I am loved by my Savior.

4. An Easter Dress (Or Just a Dress)

I actually do not think of red as an Easter dress color, but I just ordered this Flippy ShirtDress from Loft because it was 40% off and then I got some other percentage off until basically I felt like I stole it. It is as comfortable and as relaxed and as fun to wear as you might imagine something called a Flippy ShirtDress would be. So, I think I might wear it Easter Sunday because Jesus loves me no matter what I wear.  Therefore, as Hebrews says I will approach God's throne of grace with confidence in my red dress even though I don't think I've ever worn red on Easter in 47 years. Amen.

5. This

Well, I found this to be hysterical because it was absolutely true for me. I was pretty certain that there was a good chance that somebody I knew or I would suffer death by quicksand. And I find it odd that I have yet to hear of anyone who has met their demise in this manner. Dear Land of the Lost: Thanks for the nightmares.

That's all, folks. I won't be blogging next week because I'm going to try to spend the week focusing on my people. I'm even planning to take Facebook off of my phone (GASP!).

Have a very, very blessed Easter.