King Solomon Takes on Pinterest

I think sometimes we are too hard on King Solomon. True, he was rich, was probably spoiled, but was also very human, meaning that he too, had those days.

 You know, where his gold rimmed chariot developed a funny rattle and his two hundred talent sandals tore a strap and where the chef served roast fowl when he had specifically ordered fried.

 We have those days where we could write our own Ecclesiastes. And so I wonder about him. Was he really as dour and negative as his only biblical book suggests? Or was he uncannily wise with some hunch about the future? He kind of reminds me of C.S. Lewis' PuddleGlum who would go out of his way to find something negative to say about everything. PuddleGlum is a favorite character of mine, not because I admire negativity, but because I like the pluck and enthusiasm with which he carried out these ridiculous quests. He was enthusiastically negative, which I find compelling in the literary sense.

And I kind of have to wonder if Solomon could foresee the Pinterest of 2013. Would have that impressed him at all? Remember, he says, "there is no new thing under the sun." And so I wonder what he would think of this: 

 

It's a used dryer sheet wreath, in case you can't tell. I pinned it onto my "create" board on pinterest. You basically tie a couple hundred used dryer sheets onto a bent wire hanger that is shaped in a circle. 

Try not to be too impressed.

And all the other useful, resourceful things out there that are being showcased.

But he was sort of right. 

I get all excited about a neat idea or recipe or tip and go show my mom or tell my grandma and they just nonchalantly say, "Oh, I've been doing that for years." And then I feel small and all 2013ish again.

It's interesting watching life cycles. Ten years ago home decor' was all about cow themed kitchens and everything matching just perfectly. Now it's all vintage and eclectic and DIY.

Blogs are abuzz with chevron everything and ruffles and shades of grays and yellows and appliqued mustaches on little boys onesies and healthy eating and trim and healthy mama. And it feels so modern. But then those cow themed kitchens did at the time too.

Which just goes to show that these things really don't matter. In 50 years, these babies are going to look back at instagram pictures of themselves lying naked in a brown bowl with a crocheted hat and are going to roll their eyes and say, "that was so 2013."

I always get amused at old tattered books that boast titles such as "Modern Medicine". Each generation's besetting problem is their idea that they have it together, they have attained and silly 'ole previous generation.

So I think Solomon had it right. Things come and go. In the light of eternity, they really don't matter, and even narrowing it down, in 50 years they won't matter. Which  proves his subsequent point; that there is no lasting meaning in them and those who place all their energy into them at the expense of what's truly important will live very empty lives.

So I'm thinking he was sort of wise, even though at that point he didn't know that you could clean your headlights using toothpaste.

Vicki

 

 

:On my bedside table:

Have you ever read a book that has left its mark on you so indelibly that you can't stop thinking about it? Those books are few and far between for me but this one has:

I read Andrew's Heart Mender months ago, loved it, and promptly got my hands on as many others as I could. I have an amazing library system here that can get me books from all over the state so i usually go that route and then buy from there. The Noticer  is about Jones, a man who has always been old and shows up in time to help people in dire needs. He meets up with Andy, a young homeless man who lives under a pier at the beach and invites himself into Andy's life and they start talking. Andy spreads a meager supper out on the sand and the two start talking and eating. Jones asks Andy, "So what are you eating right now?" Puzzled by such an obvious question, he replies kinda bitterly, "I am eating sardines and vienna sausages out of a can on the beach." Jones then looks at him and says, "Well, I am dining on surf and turf with an ocean view." He then talks to Andy about perspective and how that can change one's life. He leaves a few books for Andy to read and then goes on his way. The rest of the book is about his encounters with other people, a workaholic businessman who is neglecting his family, a suicidal man in despair, a couple who is on their way to get  a divorce, intertwined with his further encounters with Andy. The key to his success in working with difficult situations is his careful attention to detail and perspective.

It's a different sort of book, which I happen to be partial to. I keep thinking about that surf and turf bit and wonder what all would be different if we could see things from other perspectives.

Other books on my bedside table:

 

A review of some of them:

• When Jesus Came to Harvard by Harvey Cox- I haven't finished this one. I got half way through and then stalled. Cox started an undergraduate class at Harvard on the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The book tells of his experiences in the class. It's thick stuff and somewhat interesting but since I didn't finish it I can't review the whole thing.
•  
• The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis. He fluctuates between random and brilliant in his writing. His style is distinct and if it wouldn't be for those one liners every couple of pages that leave me going, "Wow!", I probably wouldn't keep reading.
•  
• Desiring God and Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper. I haven't read a whole lot of these yet but the whole Christian hedonistic concept is mysteriously intriguing. I don't know how I feel yet so please don't ask :)
•  
• The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I just finished the first chapter here and love it because I know what these views and beliefs cost this man (the movie about him is really good!).
• Finding an Unseen God deserves its own picture:

What drew me in initially to this book was the great design and layout. Seriously! A crossword puzzle title?! It even has a crossword puzzle inside to fill out. This is not a story book. It's a book about a former atheist's life and her journey to the Lord. Interwoven in this too is practical tips for dealing with nonbelievers and a condensed course on apologetics, which happens to be one of my very favorite subjects. I highly recommend this book to anyone who rubs shoulders with nonbelievers and feels like there is no way to connect. All the chapter titles are in crossword puzzle form too which I love. 

And lest you think I spend all my time wallowing around in this deep, thick stuff, I may or may not have just read a Karen Kingsbury book about autism. I typically don't care for her work; it's too fluffy and the plots too predictable, but this book was good. 

And then there's O.Henry. How I love that man!  Reading a chapter in his book is like eating a slim piece of cheesecake. Rich, delicious and filling. You can't read too much without feeling all full but he is always a treat and never disappoints. One of my favorite O.Henry stories is A Cosmopolite in a Cafe.

Have I mentioned on here before how much I like Chris Fabry's books? June Bug in particular is great. A friend thought it ended a bit anti-climatically which is true. However,  I would rather have a sad sort of ending that leaves you reeling, then a happily ever after ending that you saw coming after the first two paragraphs. 

So those are what are gracing my table. What are y'all reading?

And this is just a bit of nonsense to finish this off. If O.Henry in desserts is a cheesecake, what would these be?:

• L.M Montgomery
• Karen Kingsbury
• Francine Rivers
• Harold Bell Wright
• Louisa May Alcott
• Dr. Seuss
• Jerry Jenkins

Utterly silly I know, but kinda fun too, huh? :)

So tell me, what are you reading? And list a dessert that embodies one of the authors, just for fun :)
 
Vicki

Family times

A lot of my posts are my ponderings, what goes on inside my brain, and what I am reading and so consequently I have very few pictures on my posts. You wouldn't want to see my brain insides or ponderings in photography so that is something to be thankful for :) I come to you today with a post full of pictures. Now, I'm no photographer. Most of these were taken by Kelly and my cousin Melanie. Kelly did the editing so most of these photo credits go to them.

I present to you:

:My family:

from Australia, Arkansas,Turkey, Georgia, Florida

My uncle Jason and his wife Melody, and their youngest five children, came back to the U.S. recently for a short vacation and to attend a family wedding. They live half way around the world in Australia so their visits are far apart and very precious. We stay in touch via email and etc but there's just nothing like being together in person. We dearly missed their girls and the spice they add to our reunions. There are five girls, then four boys, and then God decided to add some icing to the cake in the form of another baby girl. Charis (Greek word for grace) is 14 month old and was not intimidated at all by her position of only little girl at our get together. Quite the contrary, she enjoyed lots of cuddles and love.

 

We missed others as well and the circle was far from complete. David and Toni couldn't make it from Florida, Doug is in nursing school in AR and couldn't come, and Kenneth is in Turkey. We missed everyone and yet understand that as life moves on, it will be harder and harder to make things like this work for everyone.

We rented a beautiful house in the north GA mountains from Friday through Sunday morning. This place happened to have a heated pool that was enjoyed all weekend.

 

 We are a big, happy, loud family when we get together. At the breakfast table one morning, there must have been 4 conversations going simultaneously. We'll chalk it up to the fact that we live so far apart we have to talk fast to get everything said :)

When Kauffmans get together there is often a good bit of reminiscing from the siblings of things that were done in their childhoods and there is much ensuing laughter. What's as funny to us grandchildren is watching them laugh. They laugh almost silently, faces all contorted as they gasp and hold their sides.

 We also enjoyed games, mini-golf, discussions of various and sundry subjects, eating and a fun ladies' time in the hot tub. The children kept the pool occupied every chance they got.

  We had to be out of the house on Sunday by 11:00 so after breakfast and a worship service we headed over to a nearby state park for a picnic lunch before heading to our various destinations.

We wanted some pictures of the little boys, who were a big part of the group. What's with boys and pictures? Is it like girls and snakes? There is a very real distaste for it so the biggest deal that can be made out of it is certainly the best, even though it takes twice as long as it would have needed to thanks to this:

Alex is going for the cool four year old snoot while Christopher looks on in patronizing amusement and Josiah pretends to not be related.

 Meanwhile Matthew is seeing how many cameras he can see with crossed eyes and Jeremy looks on in disturbed consternation. Matthias is rubbing his eyes with the tired hand of an 11 year old remembering what it means to be six and woefully immature.

 Jeremy's cuteness merits it's own snapshot and we then notice Matthew has ditched the crossed eyes and is beaming benevolently at the world.

And after forty eleventy two pictures, we end us with this and call it good enough:

And then we add a beautiful baby girl to the picture, just because we can. Precious little thing, her! And to these boys' credit; they are a great bunch of little gentleman. I loved to see how careful they were with the baby and how they liked to hold her and take care of her. They are going to be amazing dads one day, once they outgrow the snoots and crossed eyes. Bless them all!

   

"And I'm just like, what's going on? I've barely known these girls two days and they are all six inches from my face making these stupid kissing sounds. Dumb Americans!"

There is a good chance we spoiled her in those two days. She got lots of cuddles, was followed around by her ever present picture taking cousins which meant we got a ton of cute ones:

  

 Other snapshots:

 

 

Photo- bombing uncles.  RuthAnne had no idea until I showed it to her :)

 Trying to duplicate the 2003 look, you know, the chic little head bump pose. Nailed it totally! :)

This sums it up well:

 
I love my family and can't be thankful enough for them. In a world of pain and broken relationships, hurt feelings and rejection, healthy families are a gift. I'm reminded of that when I see pain first hand, or when I see the homeless man who wanders the streets, or read stories of little children who don't know what love looks like. I am blessed beyond measure and am also accountable for this gift. Am I making the load a bit lighter when I can, to some struggling soul who needs help? Do I begrudge my time to those less fortunate, or even look down my nose at them?

On a lighter note, it's been a good Saturday. The house is clean, I caught up on my sleep, and my stomach is full of a good, home-cooked meal of Swedish meatballs and baked potatoes. What more could a girl want? :)

Vicki

Mr. Right, Peanut Chicken and Apologetics

Whoa, right? Exactly what's going on in the title? Sounds like a philosophy and cooking show casserole with a little romance for garnish. That's how I roll, which is why this makes me smile: 

   

Here are a few online thingies I've been enjoying lately:

This brave lady tackled a subject that few people dare touch. I read her post "My-husband-is-not-my-soul-mate" and enjoyed it hugely. She makes the claim that there is not necessarily a Mr. Right for you. We've been taught that all of our lives but there could be a bunch of different spouse options that could work. God, in His foreknowledge, knows who it will be, if you get married, but He didn't create someone especially for you; He created a number that could work. It's radical, but I like it in some ways. It explains a little why, in our culture, divorce is so accepted. With our push for finding Mr/Mrs. Right, and finding the Perfect One, it becomes a hit or miss situation where if you happen to marry the wrong one, the quest can continue for the perfect one. We value Perfection over Commitment and hearts get trampled in the process. I can't say I agree with everything she says, but she makes an interesting point.  Her blog went from almost obscurity to over 1,400 comments on that post alone. Go read it and come back and tell me what you think!

And now let me tell you about the beauty that is Thai Peanut Chicken. I just finished a big, yummy plateful. I developed a taste for savory peanut dishes when my aunt Lois made us Peanut Chicken wraps. I was dubious, at first, because PEANUT BUTTER? In SAVORY dishes? do dosh net the ross kumma havva epp epp! (Kelly's homemade mangled Pa. dutch phrase that she created to mean "You've got to be kidding!) However, I humbly confess my narrow-mindedness and  I now crave it.

 So today I made some peanut chicken to eat over rice and I am a very happy woman.

Basically you mix small amounts of peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder and sugar together, marinate it with some chicken pieces, simmer it with broccoli and carrots, and eat it over rice. I can't give measurements cause I'm a stir and dump cook. I tweak and add as I go along.  But do try this, your taste buds will thank you!

(if you want a recipe: this recipe gave me some inspiration for the dish I created)

And one final thing that I'm enjoying:

A lecture by one of my favorite apologists, Michael Ramsden. If you have a heart for reaching out to our culture in meaningful ways, and trying to understand them and their questions, you will enjoy this lecture. He's funny, has the beautiful British accent, and auctions off a question in this talk. I want to finish the second part tonight but I can certainly recommend the first.

So that is what marriage, peanut chicken and Michael Ramsden have in common. They all occupy spots in my brain simultaneously :)

Vicki

 

Yet Another DIY Recipe

  Hi all!

I'm at home today.... enjoying the quiet joys of cleaning and organizing and thinking. We've been extremely busy at the deli this week  and so these quiet days at home every couple weeks give me a chance to relax, recharge and enjoy thinking. I like to think..... am I weird?? :)

So I've been all domestic this morning and decided to show you how to make:

HOMEMADE FOAMING HAND SOAP

I don't know about y'all, but we go though a lot of hand soap, and we don't even play in sandboxes and mud puddles either :). I don't particularly care for the cheap antibacterial soap you can buy and I also don't care to spend $2-$3 dollars on a bottle of good smelling stuff that will last about a week so I make my own :) Once again, I found this  here and promptly tried it and loved it. That website is amazing for all kinds of DIY cleaners and laundry soaps, etc. 

Your first stop will be a grocery store/Walmart/whatever. You will need to buy a bottle of dishwashing detergent. I got mine at WalMart and the options are endless:

I use mostly Dawn, simply because they have good scents and the soap isn't as strong as Palmolive and as weak as Sun or whatever else. This is going on hands, not dishes, remember, so don't get anything too powerful :).

On a whim, I picked up Great Values knock-off of Dawn's Olay with Hand Renewal and I like it. I paid $1.97 for the bottle and have no complaints.

You will also need an empty hand-soap bottle. NOTE: you MUST buy a foaming soap with the special pump in order to have your soap turn out foaming. I bought a Dial hand-soap awhile back, used it, and am now using the bottle to make my own.

Pour about an inch of dishwashing soap directly into the empty bottle. 

 Fill the rest of the bottle up with water from the tap, and then shake well. It will result in looking like this:

If you like a stronger soap, use more dishwashing soap; if you like a more mild kind, use less. I've seen suggestions for adding food coloring to give it a boost of color but I never do that. I'm scared it will stain my hands plus I just find it unnecessary.

I love making soap this way.... it literally takes seconds to make, smells really nice, and is a whole lot cheaper than buying new bottles every time you run out. After I made this bottle, I estimate that I can make at least ten more batches after this. Probably closer to 15 but if I can only make 10, that will be a cost of $.20 a bottle. Not bad, compared to $2.00 for just one bottle that would last us a week.

I was telling my grandma about this a couple months ago and she told me she's been doing this for years. Ha! And I thought it was a new pinterest thing :). Goes to show Grandmas are more valuable than Pinterest, because what is now in vogue to do has been done for years and years by the older generation.

Catch ya next time,

Vicki

Book download!

Hi all,
I'm interrupting this series of posts to tell you about a book written by a friend of ours who is a missionary in Liberia. We met Nancy Sheppard and her husband Mark and their family when we lived over there.

 Amazon describes the book this way:

When Mark and Nancy Sheppard began missionary service in Liberia, Nancy had no idea what God would ask of her. Their idyllic first term was followed by the Liberian Civil War and a nightmarish year working among Liberian refugees in the Ivory Coast. Conditions were difficult, expectations overwhelming and the tensions of the war at their doorstep. Fear, self-pity, resentment and depression haunted her. God used Nancy's difficult decision to follow her husband's leadership and remain in refugee work to begin an amazing spiritual journey—one that led to a clearer understanding of biblical womanhood as well as a deeper relationship with the Lord and with her husband.

The book chronicles Nancy's journey to true peace in the midst of very difficult circumstances. As God teaches her about genuine service, submission, sincere prayer, reverence and humility, she is totally and completely transformed. The scenarios are unique to Nancy, but every seeking Christian can fully identify with the spiritual lessons.

A unique reading experience, this interactive eBook contains many full color pictures as well as links to pertinent YouTube videos. This Kindle edition of "Confessions of a Transformed Heart" will not disappoint!

I snatched this book right up when it was released and it really is a good read. And the good news right now is that you can get a free ebook download from amazon for the next couple days. Here is the link:

and if you read in spanish here is the link:


 Each download improves the amazon ratings of the book so download away and help bless the Sheppards in their ministry in Liberia. Feel free to pass the word around as well. It's a wonderful book and I know you will enjoy it.

Their son, John-Mark also wrote a book about Liberian English and it's on its way to my house now. I can't wait to read it!

Thanks!
Vicki

Homemade Fabric Softener

Okay, so here I am again, with a frugal DIY tip. I love being frugal and spending my money wisely so I love new tips on better ways to do it.

And so I present to you:

Homemade Fabric Softener

And giving credit where its due: I came up with this formula after seeing a couple "recipes" floating around and combined what I liked best about each. This is where I got the base.

It's quite simple and actually kinda fun because you can experiment with different scents. The cast of ingredients:

6 cups hot water

4 cups vinegar

2 cups hair conditioner (any scent)

2 Tbsp. Purex crystals dissolved in hot water

I usually just pick up the cheapest brand of conditioner. Suave has good prices and a good variety of scents so that's what I use. It's really simple. I just pour all the ingredients together in an empty fabric softener bottle, shake really well to mix and then its good to go. The purex crystals are optional but I like to use them to calm down the vinegar scent of the mixture. It's not very strong but the crystals do make it smell more like Downy. If you wait to get them till they're on sale it really shouldn't be too expensive, considering that you only  use two tablespoons per batch.

I haven't done any calculating but I think homemade softener is cheaper than buying especially expensive brands like Downy. This recipe mostly fills up the following large Purex bottle. ( don't go by the half-full amount on the picture).

So there you go! It works great, is fun to make, and what's not to love about it? 

Coming up: 

Homemade Foaming Hand Soap,

A Great Alternative to Glade and Febreeze Plugins

A Book Sale From My Very Own Collection of Books

Stay tuned!

Kindness Drives a Black Truck

We could hardly have figured out a worse predicament. We had just left a lovely weekend with Liberia friends at a reunion and were 25 minutes down the road when our engine light came on. It was pouring rain, on a Sunday evening, in a town whose name we could hardly pronounce and our power was going out. The windshield wipers were going slower and slower so we pulled in to a small gas station. On my dad's way in to see what he could do, he happened to ask 3 country boys standing around outside if they knew where he could find an alternator, since he was fairly sure that was the problem. They told him there wasn't much around so we decided to keep on going and see if we could make it to a place with more options. We had hardly started when he figured out we wouldn't make it so we pulled into a nearby bank parking lot to make some calls. My dad went back to the same gas station to see what he could do and the aforementioned boys were still there and remarked that we hadn't gotten very far. My dad soon came back and we waited in the pouring rain, trying to figure out what to do, when they drove up in their big, black truck. They jumped out and said they had been talking among themselves, trying to figure out how they would feel if they were traveling through GA and got stuck with the same problem, so they decided to come see what they could do. Turns out one of them works for a junk yard, so he thought he could get an alternator for us. They roared off and returned 15 minutes later with two alternators. They grabbed the second one last minute in case the first didn't fit and it turned out to be a smart move. They labored away in the pouring rain, bent over our van, taking the old alternator out and putting the new one in, while we sat in the van, slack-jawed that these people were taking time to help us (and we weren't even in the South!) The Lord heard many bits of thanksgiving and beseechings of blessing for these men as they toiled away. They got the alternator put in, jumped off the van for us and made sure it was working properly. We paid them well, and thanked them profusely for their labors but they kinda shrugged it off and said maybe if they are ever in the same shoes, someone will return the favor.

It's easy to get jaded in a world full of murders and rapes and kidnappings and suicides. World events are hostile and uncertain. But because of three unselfish young men, goodwill and compassion reigned supreme and became proof that they really do exist. Kindness is a universal gift, and sometimes it drives a black truck.

The Art of Dining Out

My family owns a deli/sandwich shop in a beautiful, Southern town. We thought we were busy when we opened two and a half years ago but we are busier than ever now. That is, if you call making 200+ sandwiches and 15 gallons of soup a day, busy. Our food prep line is similar to that of Subway, so folks get to watch us make their food, and chat in the meantime. There are six of us that run it and it keeps us all busy most of the time. So we have definitely learned a lot about food service, customer service and how to keep customers happy. And trust me, we have the best customers a person could wish for. We talk about it constantly, how blessed we are. In spite of hastily serving a couple hundred people every day, we have managed to get to know a lot of our customers on a first name basis and are privileged to call them friends. We have folks who eat with us almost daily. Fine, fine people. In fact, for every disgruntled, demanding customer, we probably have 50 super nice, friendly and obliging customers. And since we've been in business now, and have developed a kind of routine, we have learned a few things, which has changed some of our mannerisms of eating out. So I've compiled a list of things that hopefully can help you be a better customer when dining out:

As a customer:

-Be friendly.We have customers who can just walk in the door, and we all sorta smile and perk up because they are just so funny, or upbeat, or happy. That would have to mean shutting off the cell phone. We try to provide fast, friendly service because many of our customers are on lunch breaks. When you are on the phone, we can't be fast or friendly because we don't have your attention. If the call is urgent, finish it before stepping in line or ask the other person to hold so you can answer our many questions about bread and cheese and veggies, and all that good stuff. I realize that this friendliness thing is not always easy as a customer, particularly if the one serving you is not friendly or chatty or helpful. But be as friendly as you can.

-Don't take advantage of free. We provide complimentary cups of water to our customers. Free water is great for those trying to lose weight, or pinch pennies. Please don't fill your cup with lemons provided for paying customers, and dump in the Splenda. It might be poor man's lemonade but it's not considerate to the restaurant. We do have cost in the water, the cup and everything else, not to mention the time it takes to cut up all those lemons. This might not be illegal, but I deem it unethical- along with taking extra packs of taco sauce from Taco Bell with the intentions of putting it on your homemade burritos at home. And making cutesy DIY crafts with paint chips from paint stores. Google it once and you'd be surprised at how many projects promoted on Pinterest and other places demand huge quantities of these paint chips. One I saw was for decorating a dorm (since you aren't allowed to paint) by gluing hundreds of these paint chips to a wall for a splash of color. Don't try to tell me too that it's free advertising for the paint companies. Half of the finished projects don't even have the paint names on them. And who's going to look at a cute little homemade paint chip bookmark and say, "Oh, I want to paint my room that color!" Probably not happening.
-Be aware of what's going on around you. If you have finished eating and are just chilling, while others are leaving the restaurant because of no free tables, it would be considerate to think about leaving. We aren't going to ask you to leave, obviously, but we do appreciate when folks give up their tables for people waiting to eat.

-Leave a clean table. Especially if you are doing fast food, or don't have a waitress to clean up after you. A few crumpled napkins on the table and floor can make a dining area appear very messy. We try to keep the dining area clean but crowds of people and limited tables don't always let it happen. And speaking of dirty tables, please don't choose the only dirty table in the room and ask us to come wash it when you are surrounded by clean ones. Seriously! And when you are finished, push the chair up neatly against the table. These are little things that can make big differences!

 And now,even when we eat somewhere where we have a  waitress, we still try to tidy the table. Put all the trash together, stack the plates, etc. It shows the waitress that we care about their job and appreciate all that they have done for us. Trust me, we have learned a lot through this experience :)

-Be aware of the dynamics of the business. For example, we serve long lines of people and try to do it quickly because people are on lunch breaks. Therefore, if you want your veggies cut up finely, ask for them on the side and then do it yourself. In a busy food prep line, we are chefs, not food processors.

- Be honest with your experience. We hope you enjoyed your stay with us. But if you have a complaint, do tell that as well. We can't fix what we don't know about.

This wasn't written to incriminate anyone or put anyone on guilt trips if you have or have not done some of the things I mentioned. We were ignorant of  a lot of them too, because we had never been on the other side of the line.

And once again, here's a big shout-out to all the wonderful, funny, friendly souls who grace our tables. They have become friends and we couldn't make it without them!

I should probably do a follow-up post on The Art of Making Dining Out A Good Experience-- in other words, to the folks on my side of the line. We certainly aren't perfect and make many mistakes in customer service. The responsibility of not only providing good food with a smile, but of representing Jesus is huge and we feel it.

So now.... you out there. Yes, you! What think ye? What do you do as a customer to make eating out a win-win situation all the way around? Or what are pet peeves of yours as it relates to those making your food and serving you. This could be really interesting :) 

Vicki