Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Ms. Nancy Retires

It isn't what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.
- Author Unknown



This week we are celebrating Ms. Nancy. After 24 years of working with Dr. Sain and the Smile Team, she is retiring. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to work with her for those 24 years, starting one month after she did.


Nancy has always had a smile for everyone that walked in the door or called on the phone, and usually some laughter to go along with her smile. She truly has a servant's heart.


My favorite thing about Nancy is that she always has a story to tell. A long time ago, we used to call her “Rose” from the “Golden Girls” because she always had a St. Olaf story to tell. One of my favorites is when she was younger. It was her sister's turn to run the vacuum cleaner, but she wouldn't do it. Nancy ended up running the vacuum. At that time, her sister had very long hair. She happened to be laying on the floor watching t.v. with her hair spread out behind her.... some how, it got in the way of the vacuum and Nancy vacuumed it up. Oops! I have a feeling that her sister wished she had done her own chores. Being one of 6 children and having 3 sons, she has so many stories to tell, most of them being pretty hilarious.

Nancy not only uses her voice for telling stories & laughter, but to sing, too. She is a member of “Southern Lights”, a Southern Gospel trio. God has given Nancy a beautiful voice and she uses it to sing praises to His name. Not only has she brightened our lives at the office, she brightens the lives of people who get to hear her sing. At Christmas, she and Ms. Shelli will sing Christmas carols for us, only they use a microphone that makes them sound like chipmunks... once again, much laughter follows!

I love the funny side to Nancy, but she also has a very kind side to her, too.
Nancy and I have been through so much together through the years. She has been a friend through thick and thin. We have celebrated weddings and births and mourned deaths together. She has a very caring spirit. She loves her God and it is truly evident in everything she does.


I am going to miss not working with her, but am excited for her, too. Those grandchildren of hers are going to enjoy all of the time she will be able to spend with them, spoiling them rotten, and loving them while she is doing it. I am sure that Avery, her boys and daughters-in-law will enjoy having her home more now, especially if she is cooking for them, which, by the way, she is very good at, too!


I'll also miss it when Dr. Sain walks by and fusses at us for talking. Of course, it is always work related ... we would never just stand around and chat ... not us.

Well, Nancy, we all wish you the best of luck with your retirement. The office will not be the same without you here. It will definitely be quieter, but we will miss you and the laughter that you bring with you where ever you are.


- Holly

www.smileteam4u.com

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Recipe of The Week: St. Patrick's Ice Cream Sandwiches

  


St. Patrick's Day is quickly approaching, and soon, people will be strolling the streets of Middle Tennessee, and all over the country, adorned in green. Did you know that St. Patrick's Day was not a widely celebrated holiday until the 1970's? Irish-Americans used St. Patrick's Day as a way to celebrate their Irish heritage. Now, those that are not of Irish decent partake in this celebration, perhaps even you.

So, what better way to celebrate this Irish holiday than by eating St. Patrick's Day inspired ice cream sandwiches? That's what I thought; there is no better way!!



What You Need:
- Cake Mix (I used Devil's Food)
- Ingredients on back of cake box (it is best to follow the recipe for a pound cake. This will make your cake more dense allowing it to be easier to cut and form the sandwiches)
- Mixing Bowl
- Mixer
- Cookie Cutter (I chose a shamrock shaped cookie cutter, just to be festive)

*Serving Size: 6



ingredients
 

What You Do:
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Bake cake as instructed on box (following the pound cake recipe)
- Remove cake from mold and allow to cool completely
- Slice cake into two seperate layers (lengthwise)
- Place in freezer
Only do the following steps if you would like to cut the ice cream in the same shape (I just scooped the ice cream on with a spoon and used a knife to smooth)
- Take a pan or cookie sheet and line with parchment paper, then empty carton of ice cream on to cookie sheet
- Cover with a layer of parchment paper
- Smooth out ice cream so it is evenly distributed (I used a glass dish to help me) and freeze (for at least 3 hours. I left mine over night)


Let's Start Baking!

place ingredients into mixing bowl (*being sure to make the pound cake recipe)
                                                                             
                                                                              MAGIC!

bake/cool/cut lengthwise

empty carton of ice cream on to cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper)

place second piece of parchment paper on top of ice cream and smooth

FREEZE!!

How to Assemble:
- Remove cake from freezer
- Cut out shapes in cake (be sure to cut an even number)
- Then either spoon out the ice cream on to the cake cutout or if your ice cream is hard enough you can cut the ice cream into shapes and then place onto the cake cutout
- Place another cake cutout onto the top of the ice cream and VOILA'!


cut out shapes in cake (being sure to cut an even number)

layer ice cream and place top piece of cake to make sandwich

Yum! Now, take a big bite!
(or if you are being "good" freeze again until ready to be served) 




                                           Happy Eating - Chalice
www.smileteam4u.com

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

You Live Where?

Have you ever wondered how towns get their names? While watching news coverage of storms the other night, meteorologists kept zooming in on little towns some people have probably never heard of, which made me a little curious.


Some towns are named after animals like: Little Crab, Squirrel Flat (did someone run over a squirrel and decide to name a town after it?), Frog Pond, Gnat Hill (this is Tennessee; I know there are plenty of gnats), Possum Trot, and Beaver Hill. Some are named after hills and valleys like: Minor Hill (is there a Major Hill somewhere?), Middle Valley (what is it in the middle of?), Happy Hill (that sounds like a nice place to live).


Mt. Pleasant is located near Mt. Joy. There is also a town called Friendship (those all sound really idealic, don't they?). There is a town called Bible Hill (now that sounds like a really good place).


Here are some others that caught my attention: Yell (is that located in a holler?), Moss, Only, Prospect, Lick Skillet (did you know this town got its name after hungry campers made a dinner and one camper showed up after all of the food had already been eaten? So he licked the skillet, thus the name, Lick Skillet), Wheel, Sharp Place (is there a Dull Place?), Speck, and there is even a town named Nameless (Nameless has several legends about where its name originated from. One of those legends is: when the residents applied for a post office, they left the place for their town name blank and the post office sent the application back stamped "Nameless". The name, or lack there of, stuck).


Now, I know you usually do not sit around thinking about unusual town names, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered, "Where did these names come from?". I looked up a few on the internet, to see if there were stories behind their names, but did not have much luck. Maybe you will be able to find some more silly town names if you decide to do a little research of your own. Have fun!

-Holly


www.smileteam4u.com