Lisa Carter's Blog, page 23
February 19, 2015
The Wild and Wacky World of #MarchMadness in the #ACC
The Most Glorious Win Ever
It is a real thing���the madness, I mean. Every March as the basketball championship playoffs begin, North Carolina goes crazy. Business stops; schools stop teaching and turn on the the classroom televisions on Thursdays and Fridays during this month. Why? To watch the ACC baskeball teams slug it out.
Duke Blue Devils
We all have our favorites. Ask a North Carolinian about his/her favorite ACC team and be prepared for passion. And nowhere is the cross county rivalry more intense than the competition between beloved NC teams like Duke, NC State and UNC.
Cradle Fans
The love for a team in NC���which borders on religious fanacticism���begins early. You are raised from the cradle to be a Wolfpack fan or Blue Devil fan.
Carolina ��� Nuff Said
And everyone hates Carolina���unless of course Carolina is your team of choice.
Three rules I was taught as a child���
1. Always support your team.
2. Always support an ACC team if your team doesn’t have any skin in the game.
3. Always cheer for whoever is playing against Carolina.
Shock and Awe
Yes, in hindsight, I’m not proud to admit it, but I once cheered for Czechoslovakia to whup Carolina in a basketball game. A then-communist country against an American team. But this is how it goes in the ACC and in North Carolina. Especially if it’s March.
My children never even considered applying for college at a certain NC university which I shall leave unnamed���they were both seriously afraid they’d be excommunicated from the family if they did. We, I whispered to them when they entered kindergarten, don’t go to that other university . . .
A House Divided
And then there are those poor unfortunates who fall in love with someone of a different basketball persuasion. We warn our children about the inherent hardships and struggles of those kind of mixed marriages.
Let’s be honest. It happens in North Carolina. Nobody’s proud of it. But what are you going to do about young love? None of these deluded ones are stupid enough, however, to try and pull off a wedding during March. That’s just asking for trouble most people don’t need. And for those who take this path less traveled, NC yards sport these signs, warning others of the folly of violating ACC loyalties.
Only thing during March all North Carolinians agree on? That the national title should always belong to an ACC team. Although, it hurts me to put Carolina in that category.
North Carolina is a beautiful place to visit���from the mountains to the sea. The food is great. The people are truly everything you’ve ever heard about the South���warm, friendly and hospitable. Except during March.
It gets obnoxious
You’ve been warned.
This has been a public service announcement from a concerned North Carolinian.
For more photos from Vines of Entanglement, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/vines-of-entanglement/.
February 18, 2015
Why I Wrote Vines of Entanglement
Hebrews 12:1-2
So then let���s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let���s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith���s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God���s throne.
I wrote Vines of Entanglement for those who���ve found themselves ensnared in entangling sins and encumbrances. For all who���ve struggled to overcome fear, loss, and guilt. You and I both���if we’re honest���have our own entangling sins and encumbrances to overcome with God’s help. I wrote this book for myself and for all who need to hear that no one is beyond God���s grace and mercy.
Here’s what I’ve learned���the Christian life is not a sprint. It is a marathon.
Each of us have our own, individual race to run. My race will be different than your race. But each race will be full of peaks, valleys, bends, and pitfalls in the road. And there are no shortcuts in life���s amazing journey of faith. Detours will only derail and delay us from reaching the stadium of faith���s crowning hope.
I���m so thankful for the cloud of witnesses who���ve lined my path, cheering and encouraging me along life���s journey. I���m thankful for Jesus, beside me every step of the way.
I want to thank all of you for reading my books and being a blessing to me along this stretch of my race. When we cross life���s finish line I pray we will each hear Jesus say, ���Well done.���
Until then . . .
Because of the joy that lies ahead if we���if I���endure: let���s throw off what weighs us down; run the race; and fix our eyes on Jesus.
I hope you will enjoy Vines of Entanglement���one woman’s journey from lies to truth.
For more photos from Vines of Entanglement, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/vines-of-entanglement/.
February 17, 2015
February 16, 2015
The Yearlong #SouthernGarden from #VinesofEntanglement
On my porch summer through frost in autumn���red geraniums
Enjoy the lushness of a Southern garden���inspiration for Laura’s North Carolina garden in Vines of Entanglement.
Winter Color���Camellia
Spring Color���Azaleas
Guaranteed Summer Color���Crape Myrtle
Summer Crape Myrtle Beauty
Crape Myrtles���The Glory of a Southern Summer
For more photos, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/vines-of-entanglement/.
February 13, 2015
My Grandmother’s Southern Coconut Cake #Recipe from #VinesofEntanglement
Be careful���this rich dessert could send you into a diabetic coma.
Cake Ingredients:
Yellow Cake Mix���that uses cooking oil
Icing Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1.5 cups granulated sugar
dash of salt
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
Assembly Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut milk
Frozen coconut flakes, thawed
Directions:
1. Follow directions on cake mix box. Bake in 2 (9-inch) pans.
2. Mix all icing ingredients, except for vanilla, in top of a double boiler.
3. Cook icing and beat with handheld mixer over boiling water approximately 7 minutes until icing holds its shape.
4. Remove from stove. Mix vanilla into icing with mixer.
5. Sprinkle or pour coconut milk on bottom cake layer to make it moist���about 1/4 cup.
6. Spread 1/3 of icing on layer and top with thawed coconut to cover.
7. Add 2nd layer of cake, coconut milk, icing and coconut flakes.
8. Use remaining third of icing to ice outside of cake.
Enjoy.
For more recipes and photos from Vines of Entanglement, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/vines-of-entanglement/.
February 10, 2015
November 18, 2014
Christmas on the Navajo Rez
My favorite ornaments and nativity sets from the Navajo Reservation
Storyteller Dolls
For more photos from Under a Turquoise Sky, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/under-a-turquoise-sky/.
November 4, 2014
You may think this could never happen to your child, but . . .
Warning Signs for Gang Involvement—3 Minute Must-Watch #Video
This could save your child or grandchild’s life. Gang recruitment and victimization doesn’t just happen in the ‘hood.
What parents can do to prevent gang involvement: http://www.campussafetymagazine.com/article/What-Parents-Can-Do-to-Prevent-Gang-Involvement.
October 21, 2014
Sights and Sounds of New Mexico from Under a Turquoise Sky
Golden cottonwoods
Mesa
Canyon arroyo
A bosque—a ribbon of water through a forest
A mushroom-shaped hoo doo
Shiprock
A fight to the finish
For more behind-the-scene photos from Under a Turquoise Sky, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/under-a-turquoise-sky/.
October 17, 2014
#Recipe���Green Chile Stew���Under a Turquoise Sky
Prep Time: 15��minutes
Cook Time: 1��hour
Total Time: 1��hour, 15��minutes
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 pounds of cubed pork
1 pint canned tomatoes
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 TBSP minced garlic
2 cups roasted, peeled, chopped green chile
Preparation:
1. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, boil 6 cups of water and meat until done.
2. Add the cubed potatoes and simmer about 30 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt to taste.
3. Warm some tortillas to use as a “sop” bread while you eat your stew.
New Mexicans are particular about their chiles and will only buy fresh roasted chiles from the markets. If you must buy canned chile, try to procure Hatch’s Whole Green Chiles, available at Walmart and grocery stores especially in the Southwest. Enjoy.
For more recipes and behind-the-scene photos from Under a Turquoise Sky, visit http://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/under-a-turquoise-sky/.
