Sunday Dinner, July 20, 2008 ***EDITED BELOW***

Before anybody asks, NO, that is not a self portrait that I'm using for my Sunday Dinner button this week, although it does bear an uncanny resemblance to me. And I think the girl (guy??) in the button is just a little better looking than me.

I decided to use that button because Sunday Dinner this week is going to be entirely vegetarian. It's not because of my efforts to eat better, but because I don't have enough of any one meat to serve to a crowd. Not that we'll notice the lack of meat, I'm thinkin'.

Also, due to the generosity of family and friends who shared the bounty from their gardens almost everything I'm serving for Sunday Dinner was given to us.

I've got a Dutch oven full of garden green beans already cooked and in the fridge. I also have a big pot of fresh blackeyed peas cooked. I shelled the peas and strung and snapped the green beans this morning, then cooked them both so I'd have that much done in preparation for Sunday Dinner.

When we get home from church I'll peel and fry a big cast iron skillet of potatoes and make a big skillet of cornbread to add to the meal. I also have garden ripe tomatoes to slice and cucumbers and refrigerator pickles to serve with the rest of our vegetarian feast. The only things not given to us are the potatoes and the cornbread.

I just noticed how much I've used the word "big" in this post. When you're feeding a crowd it takes big amounts of food and big pots and pans to prepare it.

So, I'm serving garden fresh green beans, fresh blackeyed peas, fried potatoes, cornbread, sliced fresh garden tomatoes, cucumbers and my refrigerator pickles.

What's on the menu at your place for Sunday Dinner? If you'd like to play along this week, just share your menu/plans in the comments. I love to hear what you're cooking and where you're eating every week.***EDITED***

I was in the shower when I suddenly realized that I hadn't mentioned the CBO BLOGROLL as I'd promised BIGDADGIB that I would. I scurried back in here in my robe to edit this, hopefully before many of you find this. So you wouldn't have even known that I edited this if I hadn't told you, hmm?

BIGDADGIB is introducing CHRISTIAN BLOGGERS ONLINE, a new blogroll of Christian bloggers, strangely enough, and if you're a Christian blogger you're cordially invited to join. Read through THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS and if you decide that you'd like to join, SUBMIT YOUR INFORMATION HERE.

If you're one of the first 20 members you'll be a charter member. This is a brand new blogroll and GIB is expecting great things to happen with it. There will be monthly giveaways and contests on the site and best of all, it will be a great place to find Christian bloggers with family friendly content.

We're up to 19 members now! I'm excited to see that many of my Christian blogging friends have joined the CBO.

Click on the button or any of the bold links to check out the new CHRISTIAN BLOGGERS ONLINE BLOGROLL.I haven't mentioned it here on my blog but lightning struck my outside air conditioning unit last Saturday night and killed it graveyard dead. My spare room where my computer is set up is at the back of our apartment, and only the wall is between me and the AC unit. It's a distance of only about 10 feet.

It was just an ordinary Summer thunderstorm, not anything severe, and I only noticed about a half-dozen lightning strikes, nothing spectacular at all. The only reason I noticed the strike that fried my AC unit is because it also caused a power surge that tripped the circuit breaker strip that I keep my computer plugged into. The power went off for about 5 seconds and came right back on. It was off just long enough to mess up all the digital clocks in the house and cause me to have to reset them all, and my computer had to reboot.

I was worried that the lightning might have damaged my computer but believe it or not, it seems to be fine, and nothing else in the house was harmed. I never thought about the AC unit being damaged. But about 30 minutes after the power surge I noticed that I was getting a little warm, which is unusual lately. Most of the time I've got a fleece throw over my feet and legs, as I do even now as I type this.

I checked the thermostat and noticed that it was over 80ºF in the apartment. I keep it set on 76ºF so I knew I was in trouble. It reached 98ºF last Saturday and the showers had cooled it off a little bit by evening, but the rain also made it muggy and miserable.

Just then the outside AC unit froze up and threw the circuit breaker in the utility room. It was almost 10 pm by then and I knew I was in for a miserable night. I raised all the windows (I only have 3 in the whole apartment; one wall is shared with another apartment so no windows on that wall, and the outside wall has no windows) and called my landlord. He said he'd be here first thing Sunday morning to take a look at it, but I didn't glean much comfort from that.

It was 82ºF at 2 am last Sunday morning. I know because I was still awake, and even with a fan I was so miserable I didn't think I'd ever get to sleep. I took a cold shower that morning before getting ready for church and it actually felt good!

Oh ye of little faith! My landlord drove up a little after 8 am Sunday morning and apparently he believed my diagnosis of the situation, because he came prepared with a brand new AC unit still packed in the crate.

After he inspected the old unit he said that it was completely fried. What's amazing about the whole thing is that nothing else was harmed by the lightning strike and power surge. Nobody else reported any damage and nothing else here in my apartment seems to have suffered from the surge.

The new unit was installed and working when we got home from church on Sunday afternoon but it took it a while to cool off the apartment. It's working like a charm now, praise the Lord!

I am so spoiled to my AC. We never had air conditioning when I was growing up and I never did until Lamar and I married and I moved into the apartment here with him. I am so thankful for my AC and I have the deepest sympathy for those who don't have it or can't afford to use it.

So anyway, if you asked by comment or email about my AC problems that should bring you up to date, and thanks for your concern. :o)I just updated MY AWARDS PAGE. I hope I didn't fail to acknowledge any awards or fail to recognize anybody who gave me an award. If I did it was purely unintentional and I ask your forgiveness.

I want to pass on one award that I've been given lately.

I appreciate everybody who leaves comments for me here, and if you're a regular reader and comment on my blog, I'd be honored if you'd like to take this award and pass it on, with my blessing.

Or not; your choice, no pressure.Well, this is long enough, or rather more than long enough for one post, so I'll close by wishing everyone a wonderful Sunday.

May God meet all your needs, and may you have enough to share is my prayer for each of you.