Soup and Baptisms

Wow! What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been! Sometimes it seems like life comes at you from all sides, and you don't really know which way to turn. So you just do your best and hope that it is good enough.

First of all, I have been very fortunate to have my book, Pumpkin Guts, Tater Eyes, and Other Tasty Treats, chosen for this year's Kentucky Book Fair. I was so excited to be invited as one of the featured authors at this year's event. The Kentucky Book Fair is held each year in Frankfort to showcase the year's new and best literature in Kentucky. The reading public gets to come and meet their favorite authors and get copies of their books signed.

But the best part is that the profits that are made by the Kentucky Book Fair go to help public and school libraries in the state of Kentucky. I am so honored to be able to help school libraries in my state. This is especially true since I am a teacher. I only want what is best for the schools. Did you know that SMS received a grant for $800 from the Kentucky Book Fair last year? That is great! If you all can make it to the fair on November 7th in Frankfort....I would love to see you there! Stop by my table and I will sign a copy of my book for you!

Another good event in my life is the fact that my dad, Lonzo Fugate, got baptized last weekend. Honestly, I never thought that I would see the day. However, he started attending church services with my mom a few years ago. Now he has taken it to the next step. Mom and Dad go to Eldon Miller's church. Eldon was the one who baptized my dad. I am very proud of both my parents and wish them all the happiness!

In case you haven't read my article before, my wife Lisa and I are still in the process of trying to adopt. We have had our papers in to adopt for almost 2 years now. Our program is through Children's Hope International. We are trying to adopt from Vietnam because we feel that we are meant to do this. Unfortunately, the Vietnam program has shut down for the moment. The United States and Vietnam are still trying to work things out. Meanwhile, the orphanages in Vietnam are overflowing with unwanted babies.

It just breaks my heart that Lisa and I are able to give a child a good and decent home environment but are unable to do so because of politics. We have everything for the baby. We already have two cribs, changing table, high chair, tons of clothes in all possible sizes, stacks of baby toys, and a variety of bibs, rattles, bottles, etc. We even bought a minivan! LOL! It is like...everything you need...just insert baby. Now, we play the waiting game. It looks like things may open up sometime in late 2010. Until then, we just wait...and wait...and make sure that our paperwork doesn't expire.

Finally, Lisa and I have been doing a lot of home cooking lately. A couple months ago, we went to see the movie Julie and Julia. Well, being the nuts that we are...lol...we went and bought Julia Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Well, of course, we also had to have a Dutch oven to cook in...red and white...just like Julia's. And we have been trying out different recipes. We have made...so far....potato and leek soup, beans, vegetable soup, and chili. This weekend, I tried another Julia Child recipe...cream of butternut squash soup.

I had a nice, fat butternut squash that Mom and Dad gave me. I roasted it in the oven until the skin just popped right off. The flesh was nice and tasty....the roasting brought out the sweetness of the squash. Next, I combined onion, carrots, and squash with butter in my Dutch oven. I cooked them until the onions started to turn soft. Then I added both chicken and vegetable stock. The soup cooked for 30 minutes until all was soft. Then, I puréed it and added half 'n half, white pepper, and nutmeg.

The soup was very warming...the spices really added a kick. I served it along with corn muffins in the nice Longaberger soup bowls that I ordered off of Connie Hale. She sells the best Longaberger in the world! I invited Mom, Dad, and Uncle Robert to lunch. I liked it...and I think Mom liked it. I wasn't too sure about Uncle Robert or Dad. Lisa said that she did NOT like it...but she doesn't like cream of anything soup...LOL. Oh well....better luck next time!

I will close this article with a thought. If you don't do your best and fail....you've truly failed. If you do your best....you may not succeed....but you will never fail.

Until next time...class dismissed!