Moving

My most recent post can be found here -

Food For Your Soul

A new year is almost upon us and I am going to try and spend more time on that site, so if you like, stop in occasionally and visit. There is no comment board like my blog but there is a guest book that you are always welcome to sign. :)

Maxine Monday

Merry Christmas!!

God sent us a Saviour

If our greatest need had been knowledge,
God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness,
SO GOD SENT US A SAVIOUR.

This Christmas may you see and know anew how great His love is toward you!

Wishing you a Merry & Blessed Christmas!

On the road again

Well, at least my car is. Total was only about $300, but at this time of year that is a lot of money. Well, any time of the year for me! Oh well, at least it's fixed and I have 4 good tires. All I need now is a brake job and a friend of my daughters is going to do that for me. Other than that things are ok around here.
We have snow on the ground and some forcast for the next few days. Not a lot, but enough that we will probably have a white Christmas. Christmas this year is not going to be quite the same. First, my oldest son is not home. He will be leaving for Afghanistan the day after Christmas. Also I have to work Christmas eve and Christmas day. I will only have a few hours with my other two children that morning. It is Christmas's like this when it's important to keep the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts so that the spirit is still alive.

Car trouble blues

Oh my, what a day. I finally had a doctors appt for my thyroid. Had an ultra sound and blood work done a few weeks ago, and was going to get the results today. When I got in my car to drive to the appt, which is a ways away, my car started acting up. It wouldn't accelerate and the check engine light was on. I was lucky to get it up to 30mph. So I turned around and called a local garage and then took it over there to have it looked at. Had to call and cancel my dr. appt. Of course when I got back in my car it drove fine. At the garage he hooked it up to see what codes came up. It appears to be a faulty sensor that works with the transmission. Thank God it's not the transmission itself! He suggested I take it to a Hyudai dealership to have it repaired. I am taking it in the morning first thing. It looks to be about a $300-$400 dollar repair. I'm glad I've been working overtime and put some money aside, but it is SO despairing that I was finnally getting ahead and then something like this happens. Well, as I said, I guess I should be grateful that it's not the transmission. Now I have to reschedule my doctors appt. First I want to wait and see what's up with my car. Oh well, I am going to try and focus on the things that I should be thankful for. Hope your day was better than mine!

Maxine Monday

Two posts in one day!

First Snow

First winter snow, Christmas tree glow
Frost on the glass, Winter came way too fast.

As I sit writing this post the snow is falling softly outside. It's only going to leave a dusting but it shows the season is here.

Well, I officially don't have a life. How do I know? My daughter told me so. I have been working a lot, taking the overtime that I can while it is available. After the New Year it will end but in the mean time I am getting caught up on a few bills and finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm working on raising my credit score and I really think this will help.

My big news is my early Christmas gift. The guy that I have been with for a while now (I'm too old to have a "boyfriend") bought me an iPod Touch. It is way too cool! It is the 64G and I'll never fill it up. I have almost 150 songs on it already, the apps that come on it plus a few I have added, including facebook. I have also subscribed to some podcasts, even though I'm still not sure what they are, but they look cool. I subscribed to some recipe ones. It connects to the internet where available. So I can connect here at home, at work and anywhere there is WiFi. I can download books, games, movies, tv shows, etc....I can post to facebook and even this site when I am away. I even downloaded a text app and I can text to anyones phone! Cool huh! I'm sure I will find many more uses for it.

Well about time for a nap. I start back on the midnight shift tonight. It has it's pro's and con's.

Hope this post and the Holiday season is finding all of you well! Wishing you all the best!

Biorhythms Blues

CHART MY BIORHYTHMS

I am not one into astrology and horoscopes but this chart can't be ignored. My mother introduced me to biorhythms many years ago. At first I did it for entertainment and really didn't put a whole lot into it, but over the years I have come to realize that my good days and bad days followed my chart too closely to be a coincidence. It's funny though because now when I have a bad day I can write it off to my biorhythms. Just yesterday I posted on facebook that I was down and depressed and blamed it on my biorhythms without even looking at them. Well, my sister must have, and told me I was having a critical day. This morning after reading her comment I went and looked at my biorhythm chart and sure enough (not to my surprise) I was crossing the critical line yesterday. It NEVER fails that when I am having an exeptionally bad day or good one for that matter, I can look at my chart and it shows exactly what I am feeling. This can be a useful tool in many ways. Mainly, I can look at it and know that things will be getting better. I can plan ahead knowing what my physical, emotional, or intellectual levels are going to be. Go ahead, try it yourself! I'm sure you will be amazed at the results.

Happy Veterans Day

This is in honor of all past and present veterans. Thank you for helping to preserve all that we have! Special thoughts go out to my son, now serving in the states and getting ready to leave for Afghanistan next month. My thoughts and prayers are with you always!

Maxine Monday

We are already into the second week of November and it's supposed to get up to 70 today! Woohoo! And I have to work...ugh. Enjoy!

Maxine Monday

We think so much alike it's scary! :D

Blue Ribbon Chili!

We had our annual chili cook-off at work and guess who won?! Yay! There were about 10 different entries and I won first prize. 2 tickets on Spirit Air any where they fly. Now to just figure out where to go! Everyone has always loved my chili, but I didn't really expect this. I was pretty excited.
They also had a costume contest, but I didn't enter that. Maybe next year. Well, it's late and I have to get up early for mass and work. Have a wonderful day!

Coincidence?

"Coincidence is God's vain attempt at remaining anonymous"

Just yesterday I went to send my sister a birthday card and went to get my address book, but it wasn't in the drawer where I keep it. I looked all around with no luck. The only thing I could think of was that my ex had taken it to get addresses and numbers of mutual friends and family. I couldn't get a hold of him. I thought to myself if he didn't take it the only other place it could be would be a post office where I may have left it. Anyway, this morning I get a call from the local post office asking if I had lost an address book! They had called a number from my book to try and track down who it belonged to and it happened to be a friend of mine who gave them my ph#. It seems I left it there 2 months ago. I just haven't needed it since then so had no reason to notice it missing. I told her she was an angel for going to the trouble to find me. Amazing, huh? I just don't believe in coincidences.

Souper Tuesday

There are many reasons I love Autumn - the colors of nature, jeans and sweat shirts, cool crisp air - but it also means I can start making my winter dishes. I love soups and chowders and gumbo's but only in cool weather. I am surprised I hadn't shared this one in the past. It's one of my kids favorites! I hope you enjoy. I usually double the recipe.

Southwest White Chili

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast; cut into small cubes
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chicken broth
1 can (4oz) chopped green chilies
1 can (19oz) white kidney beans (Cannellini beans)
2 green onions; sliced
Montery Jack cheese; shredded (optional)

Southwest Spice Blend

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cilantro
1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Heat oil in large saucepan over med-high heat. Add chicken and onion; Cook 4-5 minutes.
Stir in broth, green chilies and Spice Blend; Simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in beans; simmer 5 minutes. Top with green onion and Montery Jack cheese if desired.

Martha vs Maxine

Martha Stewart vs Maxine










Martha - Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Maxine - Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete’s sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!


Martha - To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

Maxine - Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix. Keeps in the pantry for up to a year.


Martha - When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won’t be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

Maxine - Go to the bakery! Hell, they’ll even decorate it for you!


Martha - If you accidentally over salt a dish while it’s still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant ’fix-me-up.’

Maxine - If you over salt a dish while you are cooking, that’s too bad. Please recite with me the real woman’s motto: ‘I made it, you will eat it and I don’t care how bad it tastes!’


Martha - Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

Maxine - Celery? Never heard of it!


Martha - Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Maxine - The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust, so I don’t.


Martha - Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Maxine - Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink! ALL your pains will go away!


Martha - If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dish washing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Maxine - Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.


Martha - Don’t throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Maxine - Leftover wine???????????HELLO!!!!!!!

Maxine Monday

I have developed a true appreciation for Maxine. She is my hero! I am going to dedicate my Mondays to her and this will also give me at least one thing to post each week. This cartoon seemed perfect to begin this theme....I'm sure you'll agree.



Have a wonderful week!

A pinch of this and a dash of that

Hi dear blog friends, those of you that may still be around. I have many times started to post but just didn't have the...desire?...motivation?...interest? I really don't think it is any of these but I can't put a finger on it. Almost like a blog burn out. Since the time I started this blog many of my blog friends have gone their own way and not many have come to take their place. I know I enjoy blogging, I enjoy writing, sometimes I'm just more in the spirit of it than at other times and when I hit those slumps I feel my writings lack any feeling. I'm not trying to make exuses, just sharing. Any whooo......
I am still in the house and still looking for somewhere to go. I am going to look at some condo's next week. A definite downsize for me, but that may be a good thing. My daughter is looking for more hours at work and they just don't seem to be giving her enough. Last week she interviewed for a job as an assistant where I work. It would actually be good for her and she would be good at it, but there were a number of people that interviewed. She will know something early next week.
My son is still working at KFC/TacoBell. He continues to show an interest in going into the NAVY but I think he is scared of making the commitment. He says he's wants to continue working where he is and go in the Navy in a few months but he doesn't really have a reason for delaying it. I'm trying to get him to see that there is no good reason to wait. If nothing else when he gets out the military will pay for school. He's going to be a tough one to push out of the nest, my daughter on the other hand can't wait to get out on her own as soon as she can afford it. She is still going to school, but is having second thoughts about nursing. She is thinking along the lines of communication. We shall see.
Well that's pretty much it in my little corner of the world. Hope everyone is doing great and I'll be by to visit.

Blog? What's a blog?

Oh my! Didn't realize so much time had gone by. Not that I have been that terribly busy, but didn't mean to be so neglectful. One thing that I wanted to mention was my youngest son's bd gift. He turned 18 and ever since we moved up here there is one thing he has been wanting to do. Just down the road from us in a small airport that is known for skydiving, and ever since Aubrey saw that he has wanted to jump, but you have to be 18. So what do you think he wanted to do for his 18th bd? Yep! You got it, but it's not cheap. So his brother and I chipped in and bought him a jump. He had the absolute time of his life!! It was a tandem jump, which means you jump strapped to an experience jumper, but the thrill is there all the same. He wants to do it again. They did a free fall for a bit, through clouds, then the shoot opened and they glided for quite a while. He said it was beyond words. I'm happy for him, but to be honest, it is not something I have ever wanted to do. The only thrill thing I dream of doing is white-water rafting. Maybe some day.

Things are pretty much the same. House is still on the market. Have not had any interest in it at all. Market is really bad. My daughter is now waitressing at her job (as opposed to being a hostess), and she starts back to school this week. Well I've had this started since last week so let me post it and see if anyone is still around...lol. Hope everyone is doing wonderful and finding blessings in their life!

Good Times

Family is one of the most precious gifts any of us are given. This past week I got to spend time with all of mine. We had a birthday/family reunion celebration. It was my mothers 70th BD and we all got together to celebrate. Other than my youngest sister and myself, the whole family lives in the Atlanta area, but even so, they still find it difficult to spend much time together. With jobs and family and other obligations everyone stays pretty busy. So this was a special day for all of us. My sister drove up from Tallahassee with her family (minus the 2 oldest boys), and I drove down with my three + 1 (my daughters bf who is like a part of the family). It was wonderful to see everyone and see how much my nieces and nephews had grown. I only wish it could have lasted longer. Thanks to the generosity of my sister, we met out at her lake house. She did a super job coordinating everything, from the date of our get together to the food. The kids had a wonderful time down at the dock swimming and tubing and the adults and older kids went water skiing. Yes, even yours truly! I do have to confess though that I had to use two ski's. I do believe that my slalom days are gone, never to be seen again. It took all I had to stay up on two ski's much less one. I seem to forget how much it takes to ski. It uses muscles I haven't used in years!

Below is a group picture of all of us. (ignore the date, I still have to learn how to reset that and turn it off) Missing is my sisters two oldest boys due to other obligations, my brothers son who is on a Europe trip, and my sister-in-law and her two little ones, due to illness. With a group this large someone is bound to be sick. We missed you Linda! Hope your feeling better. Also not shown are my daughters bf and my nieces bf, who are loaded down with camera's taking this picture. Thanks Lucian and Jason!

Tooth Fairy inflation

I went to the store today, CVS, and the lady in front of me paid with her debit card and asked for $10 back, in 2 $5's. She made a comment about the Tooth Fairy paying a visit. I wasn't quite sure I heard her right and asked "Did you same something about 2 $5's and the Tooth Fairy. She said yes and I must have looked like a fool with my mouth hanging open. I told her the Tooth Fairy left the kind of money that jingles when I was young, and she said "yes, well inflation". Inflation!! Good golly Miss Molly! I may have to pull out a few teeth and make a few extra bucks. I don't know about you, but $5 a tooth is a bit excessive if you ask me. I do hope I haven't offended anyone. Have any of you heard of this much? I couldn't afford to have anymore children!

Pat the Plumber returns!

As you can tell, I haven't had a lot of time for blogging. I'm sorry if I haven't visited in a while. I will make it around soon. I've been busy, busy getting this house in order to put on the market. There is finally a sign out front. You can see it here - http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7856-Clinton-Macon_Clinton_MI_49236_1110707850 Now if I can just keep it looking like this! It's time to do yard work again. The faucet up in the master bath was leaking so my project today was to fix that. One more thing crossed off on my list.
My oldest son is home from the service visiting. He will be going with us to Atlanta then fly back to NC from there. He is doing well. It is so good to see him but I haven't been able to spend a lot of time with him. He's off seeing all his old friends. Right now he is off to the airport to get his luggage. Delta lost it! Well, they found it and got it to Detroit Metro. Poor kid has been in the same clothes for 3 days. Weather has been nice, finally! So nice to have some 80+ degree temps! Hope everyone is doing well, and I will be around to visit soon!

Fathers Are Wonderful People

Fathers are wonderful people
too little understood,
And we do not sing their praises
as often as we should...
For, somehow, Father seems to be
the man who pays the bills,
While Mother binds up little hurts
and nurses all our ills...
And Father struggles daily
to live up to "his image"
As protecctor and provider
and "hero of the scrimmage"...
And perhaps that is the reason
we sometimes get the notion
That Fathers are not subject
to the thing we call emotion,
But if you look inside Dad's heart,
where no one else can see,
You'll find he's sentimental
and as "soft" as he can be...
But he's so busy every day
in the grueling race of life,
He leaves the sentimental stuff
to his partner and his wife...
But Fathers are just wonderful
in a million different ways,
And they merit loving compliments
and accolades of praise,
For the only reason Dad aspires
to fortune and success
Is to make the family proud of him
and to bring them happiness...
And like Our Heavenly Father,
he's a guardian and a guide,
Someone that we can count on
to be always on our side.

Helen Steiner Rice


Dad, thank you for always being there for me and believing in me. You will never know how much that has meant to me through my entire life.
I love you Dad!!
Your #1 daughter ;)

Can you identify this flower?

My flower finally blossomed! Ok, now can anyone tell me what it is?

Home for Sale

My goodness, it's been a little while. Well, nothing spectacular has happened, but mostly I've just been busy. Today is the start of 9 days off though! WhooHoo! But don't envey me too much, I took the time off to work on my house. I absolutely HAVE to get this house on the market! So I am going to spend this time cleaning and packing. I don't have the money to put into it, so no painting, tiling or anything extreme, but just enough to get it in shape to show. Just thinking about it makes me anxious. I have quite a job ahead of me. But by the end of next week I WILL have a 'for sale' sign in my yard!

I noticed the quote of the day on my sidebar, and I thought I would change it slightly.

"If you have faith, let others light their candle at it."

Please Keep Your Hands Out of My Cookie Jar!

There are a few things in life that I can't tolerate. Some things, like foul language, gossip, and inappropriate jokes I really don't like, but stealing is over the line. Taking something that does not belong to you, something that someone else has worked hard for, or means a lot to someone is unexusable. It's violating. This past week I had my 4-wheeler stolen. It was taken out of the back garage. I didn't ride it a lot, but it was mine and it was worth more than I can afford now to replace it. It's just the fact that someone took it. It stinks. I've reported it to the police, but there is not much hope in recovering it. Hope your week is going better!

The Last One!!

My little boy graduated today! Ok, maybe at 6'4" he's not so little but he'll always be my little boy. Sitting there in the seats here are some of the thoughts going through my mind....

...no more late night runs to the store because he forgot he's having a class party tomorrow and needs to bring something

...no more phone calls from school "Mom I forgot my homework! Can you bring it to me?"

...no more looking and seeing that he left his lunch sitting on the counter so I run it up to the school for him

...no more trying to determine if he really is too sick to go to school

...and of course..."He's not my little boy any more" (wipe a tear)

They grow up so quickly. If you have little ones, enjoy them every second and soak it in. If you ever find yourself saying "I can't wait till they are older..." Bite your tongue. You can wait.

Congratulations A.J.! I am so very proud of you and the young man you have become. I know in my heart you will succeed in life and live it with passion to it's fullest. There are great and wonderful things waiting out there for you. I love you!

WHAT IS SUCCESS?

SETTING GOALS
BUT NOT IN CONCRETE

STAYING FOCUSED
BUT TURNING ASIDE
TO HELP SOMEONE

FOLLOWING A PLAN
BUT REMAINING FLEXIBLE

MOVING AHEAD
BUT NOT TOO FAST
TO SMELL
THE FLOWERS

TAKING A BOW
BUT APPLAUDING
THOSE
WHO HAD A PART
IN YOUR SUCCESS

A belated Memorial Day Honor

Today I had the distinct honor and privilege of meeting two of America's great hero's. They are American Veterans, very special veterans. Don't take me wrong, I think all of our service men/women are hero's, but these two gentlemen beat more odds and overcame more obstacles than most. They not only fought in the war over seas, but also had their own war here at home. See, these two men are two of the original Tuskegee Airmen. They were part of a group of dedicated young black men to become the first African American pilots during WWII. They had to fight the war of racism and segregation and prove that they were just as intelligent, skilled, courageous and patriotic as any American. They proved they were as qualified as any to defend their country. My thanks, admiration and respect go out to them and to all who serve our country.

Summers here!! BBQ time!

Ok, I'm going to share my secret recipe with all of you. I have ulterior motives here. See, I went to go prepare my ribs for grilling and I couldn't find my rub recipe. I thought for sure I had posted it before and looked through my past posts and couldn't find it, so I'm posting it here for posterity in case I ever lose this recipe again. By the way, I did find it. Anyway, this recipe won 2nd place at the St. Mountain BBQ Festival a number of years ago. It isn't so much the rub recipe but also the method of cooking. I guarantee you won't find/cook better ribs!

Rub Recipe

1/4 c. MSG or unseasoned meat tenderizer
1/4 c. salt
1/4 c. chili powder
1/4 c. paprika
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/8 c. black pepper
1/8 c. white pepper
1/8 c. garlic powder

(this is for a large amount of ribs. I use 1 Tbsp for 1/4 c. and 2 Tbsp for 1/2 c. and 1/2 Tbsp for 1/8 c.)It stores in fridge for a long time!

Rub ribs generously with rub the night before or at least many hours before grilling. I ALWAYS use babyback ribs, but I guess spareribs would work.

When ready to grill get grill good and hot. Sear ribs on both sides until color changes (not too long). Remove from heat and turn heat down to low. Wrap ribs in heavy duty aluminum foil with 5-6 ice cubes. Be sure NOT to puncture foil. Place on grill over low heat so that ribs are arched. Put lid down and cook with out turning for about 2 hours. You can check them at about an hour and a half. When done (meat will be falling off bone) remove and unwrap. Place back on grill and baste with favorite sauce. I have found that KC Masterpiece is the best. Turn once or twice carefully with long tongs so ribs don't fall apart. Cook till sauce is sticky. Enjoy!!

I get rave reviews when ever we grill ribs out. I am going to be cooking them this afternoon so I will post a pic when they are done. I would love to hear from anyone if they ever try this and let me know what they thought.

HAPPY GRILLING!!

What's Your Weakness?

Come on! You know you have one. We all have our weakness's. A friend mentioned on her blog that when it came to ice cream on a warm evening, there was nothing like it. I told her my weakness was Turtles. She asked me "What's a Turtle?" OMG! (Oh My Goodness) A Turtle is the next best thing to heaven! It is definitely my weakness. It is so hard to drive by the local ice cream stand, Frosty Boy, and not stop and get one. Especially when the sign says they are on sale! Ice cream, caramel sauce, hot fudge and pecans.....I'm tempted to go get one now! What is your one thing that you just can't say NO to?

Dandelion revenge

Well, for those of you wondering how my Wednesday golf day went, I wish I had better news. It was not a pretty sight. I don't know my final score, I didn't stick around long enough to add it all up (they were still looking for a calculator when I left), I had to get to work and I didn't want my day depressed any further. Oh well, at least I'm starting with a high handicap! I think I like my new driver, but it's going to take a little getting used to. It was nice to get out, but the weather was not what I would have liked. Still a bit chilly and I had to start out wearing a jacket. I can't swing a golf club wearing all that extra clothing! Sounds like a good excuse to me.

Yesterday I got out and sprayed my yard. I've wanted to do this each year but never got around to it. I hate dandelions! You can mow your lawn one day and two days later because of the weeds it looks like it needs to be mowed again! I bought the stuff that you screw onto your hose and it mixes as you spray it. Today those little yellow demons appear to be wilting. I hope this works. I'm not particularly meticulous about my lawn, but if I can at least get it green without a bunch of yellow polka-dots and plant a few flowers next to my steps and I'll be happy.

OT = paying Uncle Sam to work + recipe

Sorry for the lack of posts. Well for one I wanted to leave the last one up for a while, but also I have not had a lot of time. I've been working a lot of overtime, but I have come to the conclusion that it is not worth it! I worked 19 hr ot last payperiod and I only saw a little less than 2/3's the amount I made. It seems if I work much more than 12-14 hr ot then I get kicked into the next tax bracket. I don't completely understand all this, I only know I should have made more than I did! So, I won't be doing as much of that any more.

My womens golf league starts this Wednesday. I'm excited. I've been out a few times. You can tell I'm a little rusty from not playing all winter. The joys of living up north. I was given a new driver for an early bd gift. Watch out ladies! That's ladies on the holes next to me...lol. I've been known to have a slice, and an occasional hook. With this new driver I'll just slice it further!

I've posted a new recipe on my other blog. It's awsome, but needs to be made ahead of time. Take a peek!

Have a wonderful week and I'll try and get around to all my blog friends in the next few days.

The End of the Beginning

I've been working on a project the last few days that I'm really excited about. I don't really know how to go about doing this but here is a start. A friend of mine started his own recording company in Florida. One of the first artists he recorded is a young man named Zachary Smith. He is amazing! He recorded a CD and my friend shared it with me. It is one of my favorite! He then gave me a whole box of his CD's with the opportunity to sell them at $15 a piece. $10 would go back to him and the rest was mine. He knew I was financially hurting and this was his way to help me out. I honestly can't think of making a profit from this but what I would like to do is donate my share to a charity that I learned about at my church. A lady was on vacation in India and came upon this small, very poor village. A couple of sisters had started an orphanage for girls but it was not much. Simply a safe haven from what the girls had come from. She wanted to make a difference and started on a mission to help these people. I was truly touched by what she has done and would like to help in some way. Anything I make from the sale of these CD's will go to this organization. You can visit their site here - Home of Hope. I am going to contact someone at my church and see if I can sell them there also. Here is a video I made to go with one song from the CD. For an additional donation I will also include a copy of this video. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to share this site with your friends. Thanks and God bless!

Is it a northern thing?

Beep, Beep, Beep - I interrupt your regularly programed blog for this important message. Okay, I can sit here quietly no longer! There are many words in the English language that are mispronounced, and I'm no English major but this one word is driving me nuts! I can handle it when you say "idear" for idea, I let that one slide. I'm sure there are others, but this one makes me cringe! And I've only noticed it since I've moved up north. People get it straight! It's - as' fawlt!! You know, the stuff used to pave roads. The word is asphalt. The 'ph' comes after the 's' sound. It is NOT ashfalt. It's 'as' like a donkey, then 'phalt' like to blame or a crack in the earth. AS-PHALT!! Got it?! Good. You may now return to your regular programing.

Bidding a Fond Farewell

It's been fun. We've had some good times and times I didn't even feel like getting out of bed, but you were still there. But all good things must come to an end. I'm finally saying goodbye.

GOODBYE WINTER!!!

I think I've finally seen the last of it! At least for the next 5-6 months. The sun is shining, trees are blossoming, flowers are blooming. Life is good!

My daughter has her car back again. It's still a little dented up, but my dear ex got it running for her. Needed a new radiator and headlight and a little pounding here and there, but it will get her to school and work. My son especially is happy because he gets the truck back and doesn't have to depend on mom and sis driving him around.

Work has been offering overtime that I am scooping up. Not sure how long it will last but because of it I may be able to afford a golf membership this year. Woo hoo!! Have a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious week!!

When it rains, it pours!

Ironically, the title does not describe this day. It is going to be a beautiful day! Sunny and in the 60's. Spring has finally sprung. Other news is not as bright though. Yesterday it struck in 3's.
I have been struggling with my insurance company to pay some medical bills I have from my thyroid condition, hypothyroidism. It was diagnosed about 2 years ago, maybe a little less, but after my divorce I didn't have medical coverage, so didn't see the doctor for treatment. Although he didn't want to see me without the medication so he continued to extend the prescription for me. As much as I appreciated that, it seems it is coming back to haunt me. My new insurance company with the company I work for had said that it would not cover a pre-existing condition that I had seen the doctor for in the 6 months prior to my employment. Well, although I had not seen the doctor, because I am taking the medicine they consider that my pre-existing condition. I found this out yesterday. Then around noon my dautghter calls to inform me that the tuition assistance she has been receiving is only for the Fall-Winter semesters. The Spring and Summer semesters won't be covered. And to top everything off, she called me again last night after she had hit a deer in her car. It had to be towed home. She didn't get hurt, for which I am very thankful, but her car is undriveable. The fender got crunched in, one light is smashed, the bumber is bent in. Apparently the radiator got punctured so the engine was overheating. That is the only reason she couldn't drive the car home and had to have it towed. I don't know how bad the radiator is damaged. But there was a good thing that happened. Apparently where my daughter had her accident was right in front of some really nice people. They were "well-to-do", if you know what I mean. VERY nice home. Well, it seems they have AAA and used it to call the towing company and have my daughters car towed home. That was very kind of them. (By the way, the deer in the picture wasn't hurt, just got to go for a little ride) So I don't know what we are going to do about that. I don't know what I am going to do about any of this. I can't afford to keep paying for medical coverage for my thyroid condition out of my pocket. Heck, I don't know how I'm going to pay the bills I have now that the insurance company is not going to cover. My ex and I have a little set aside for the childrens education but it won't go far. Ugh. I can't help but think of my favorite quote at times like this - "I know God won't give me more than I can handle, I just wish He didn't trust me so much."

Happy Easter

Wishing each of you a Blessed Easter!


...

Too harsh of a punishment?

One of the hardest things about being a parent is disciplining your children. There were times I had to take something away from my child or ground them when a special event was coming up, and it killed me to do it. But I still think they learned something. They are not perfect kids, but I think they have turned out pretty good. Anyway, this leads me to a story I heard on the radio this week. I know there may be more to this story than what was told but I was blown away none the less. It seems this 12 year old girl (barely 12) had sent some, lets say, revealing pictures of herself over the internet. She had used a friends computer. She lived with her father, her parents being seperated. Because of her inappropriate behavior the father would not sign a permission slip for the girl to attend an upcoming field trip at her school. This was something she said "was really important to her". But this was her punishment for what she did. Well it seems this child went to her mothers attorney (I don't know if the mother was involved, but I imagine she was) and turned around and sued the father. You'll never believe this, but she WON! She got to go on her field trip because it was "really important" to her. Now, what kind of a message is that sending to this child? I'm sorry, but I'm on the father's side of this. Am I the only one that feels this way? Let me know what you think.

Will the real Pat please stand up?

I'm sure most of you have heard horror stories about identity theft, well I'm living the nightmare. It all started about 15 years ago. I started receiving letters and phone calls for a Patricia Smith. It was debt collectors trying to collect their money. I would simply tell them they had the wrong person. Most of the addresses they had on file were in south Georgia or north Florida. That is also where most of these businesses were. After this went on for a short period of time I got a copy of my credit report. It seems this person had used my SS# and had applied for credit to buy a computer, jewelry, furniture, two cell phone services and other misc. items. I'm not sure but I think they acquired my SS# through a dumb fault of my own. See, the state of Georgia had this brilliant idea of using your SS# as your drivers license number so that you wouldn't have another number to remember. It is also common practise that when you purchase something by check you have to write your drivers license # on the check. Well, I'm sure you see what a HUGE mistake this was. I corrected that ASAP, but not before it was too late. Now time for damage control. I had to contact each of these places and explain the situation and I finally got that taken care of, and had a red flag put on my cedit file. This means that any time anyone tried to use my SS# and a credit report was run, a red flag would go up and I would immediately be notified and the credit report would not be released without my authorization. I remember getting one call and then no more. I figured she had finally given up since I had taken those precautionary steps. I thought that this was all behind me. Oh, was I sadly mistaken. After moving here to Michigan I gradually started getting collection letters for a Patricia Smith and the phone calls began again. One of them interesting enough was a letter about a bounced check written in Georgia. I called and explained everything to them and got that taken care of, but I have an address. I don't know if it is a legitimate one, but next time I get to Atlanta I'm going to find out! Also it seems she has changed the SS# by one digit, but why I am still getting calls I have no idea. I don't know how my Michigan telephone # ever got mixed up in all this, or my address. This morning I received a call from a debt collector for a Patricia Buggs. Well, at least she is being a little more inventive with names. I'm not a vengeful person, but I wouldn't mind seeing this person do time for the pain she has caused me. She's probably living it up better than I am! It seems the red flag I put on my credit file only lasts for 3-6 months then you have to reapply to have it done. So now I have to order reports from all 3 credit bureau's. I'm afraid to see what they will show. I know that I have been late on a few payments, but my credit shouldn't be as bad as it is. I certainly hope none of you ever experience this. It is truly a nightmare!

Lions & Tigers & Bears...Oh No!

Well, no lions and bears but there was a tiger on the loose. Tiger Woods won the Arnold Palmer Open this weekend. Again. It came down to the last putt on the last hole. He sank a 16 footer for the win. Now, don't take me wrong, I think Tiger is an awsome player, but personally I'm not a Tiger fan. I was hopeing to see the other guy win. It's nice to see others win occasionally. He almost did. At one point he was 10 under par and Tiger was only 4. I don't know what happened. Yes, that's a great come-back, but I like to see others take that big win. My personal favorite is Phil Mickelson, but he wasn't playing in this tournament.
It's almost warm enough for golf here. I probably could have played Sat but I had something else I had to do. I really can't wait. I really do love golf, I just hate playing in cold weather. I can't swing a club wearing a winter parka. Have I mentioned that I need to moved back down south?

Going once, going twice....GONE!

Just a quick post. I just spent time posting on my other site (here). I'm trying to spend more time there. I am on my days off and enjoying them tremendously. Went to a farm auction yesterday. Not real exciting but interesting and enjoyable. I'll never know how someones mouth can move so fast! I could hardly understand him. I could see the subtle gestures being made by some of the buyers and it made me afraid to scratch my itchy nose, for fear I'd be going home with some farm gadget that I had no idea what in the world it is used for! I like to watch people and see them having a good time. Lots of smiles and laughter. I don't care where I am, that is always good to be surrounded with. The weather was decent. Cloudy and chilly, but at least it didn't rain. That field would have been a huge mud mess!
Watched a cute movie this morning - Swing Vote with Kevin Costner. It was cute. All about the presidential race coming down to the vote of one man. Not a great movie, but like I said, cute.
The weather is getting better, but I'm still anxious for some sunny warm days. Golf weather! Won't be here soon enough for me! Have a great week everyone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Top o' the mornin' to ya! I'm a headin' out the door to the local pub for a bit o' green beer, but didn't want to leave without wishin' each of ya a Happy St Patricks Day! I leave with this Irish prayer for all of you! ~



and a little Irish Jig ~

Choices

I do apologize. My postings have been anything but interesting and exciting. This must account for my low readership. I have a creative talent for many things, but writing isn't one of them. (And you don't want to hear me sing!) It doesn't help that not much is going on in my life except for work. As much as working 4 days on and having 4 days off sounds great, it has it's dissadvantages. On a typical work day let me break down 24 hr's for you. 12 of them are at work, that leaves 12. A good nights sleep is supposed to contain 8 hrs. 12-8=4. It takes me approx an hour to get to work and another to go home. This includes stopping for coffee, gas, milk...etc. Ok, so...we are down to 2 hrs. It takes me about an hour to get ready for work and this leaves me with 1 hour to clean up the kitchen, throw in a load of laundry, check email, blogs, facebook, etc...As you can imagine I don't normally get the recommended amount of sleep. So by the time my days off come around it takes me at least 2 days to recuperate, then get caught up on everything I needed to do. Well before I know it, it's time to go back to work. So as you can see I'm in a bit of a rut. An opportunity has presented itself that I initially thought I would hate, but the more I think about it, the more it may not be so bad. My new 'swing' shift is changing to a 10a.m - 8 p.m. shift Mon - Thurs. Every Fri, Sat and Sun off. At first hearing about it I could do nothing but think how awful it would be, but seeing as how I won't have much of a choice I decided to try and see the better side of it. I could mope, complain and choose to be miserable, or I could choose to take advantage of what it does have to offer. I would have the same days off so I could participate in a regular activity if I choose. Weekends are nice. Fridays give me a business day to get things done. Every Friday at a nearby golf course they have a couples deal where you play alternating shots or best ball. I could go to the church I like regularly and get to know people and participate in things. It may not be so bad at all. It always helps to look at things from a sunnier side, and I do believe most things have a sunny side. You just have to choose to see it.
How do you choose to see it? Take the poll at the right. :)

Time Change??

Oops, yep I forgot. I knew it was coming. Many of you even posted reminders for me, but Sat night I just fell asleep without even thinking about it. Luckally a friend called and woke me up in time to make it to church on time. At least I didn't have to work.

(take the poll)
Speaking of church....I have been going, or trying to go, to a different church than I originally started going to when I first moved up here. I live near two towns. My address is for one town, but phone# and school district is for another. So, kinda in the middle. I started attending St. E's when I first moved up here but about a year or so ago started attending St. D's. I like it better because it is smaller. When I first started at St. E's I taught religious ed and got to know some of the people. Now going to this other church, when I can, I don't know a lot of people. I couldn't attend every week because of my work schedule. Often when I worked the mid-shift I stopped at another church on my way home in another town. Now that I don't work that shift any more (more to come on that), I hope to attend St. D's more often. One of the ladies there this morning was kind enough to invite me for coffee after mass. The ladies group put's on a coffee morning once a month and the mens group does breakfast once a month. I accepted her invitation and she introduced me to a few other people. It was really nice. I'd like to get more involved in church activities. That's it for now....have a wonderful week!!

Taxes

WHOO HOO!!! Got my taxes back!!
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BOO HOO :( My taxes are gone.

I've joined a rockband!

This looked like fun! -

What's Your Album Cover?

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read More”
or click here
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click here
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click here
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

Mine is:

A Twitter of this and a Twitter of that

Not to be left behind and called an old fuddy duddy, I have joined the Twitter crowd. Haven't a clue what it is, but I joined. I do hope I haven't unwittingly joined some NeoNazi organization. Since adding a facebook page I am lucky to check it once a week. I'm never going to be able to keep up with all this modern, communication networking. I feel advanced to have a cell phone, but I don't text. I'm lucky to keep up with blogging! I'm still working on tweaking up my blogs. What ever are my grandchildren going to think of me for not having a MySpace?!!

Just call me Pat the Plumber

What a week! Sorry for the delay in posting, but I have been extrememly busy. Just finished my latest project today. I replaced the faucet in my kitchen sink. The one in there was an off white color and had gotten chipped, marred and was just an eye sore! I replaced it with a stainless steel that has the sprayer as part of the faucet nozzle. I'm sure most of you know what I am talking about. The hole where the old sprayer was, now has a liquid detergent dispenser. It was a little more of a job than I anticipated, but I did it! Getting the old one out was tricky. I almost gave up until I found the tool I needed. It was $22 but worth it. I'm saving it as a trophy...lol. In putting the new one on, I take after my father. When I tested it I had the hot and cold water reversed. So back under the sink I went to fix that. It works like a charm. Ended up with a few pieces left over but it works so I'm not going to worry about it.
I also repaired a hole in the wall. We won't go into detail about how my sons foot got stuck in there but needless to say he helped me with that repair.
Well tomorrow is the beginning of Lent, and that means today is Fat Tuesday and I lived up to the name! It may not seem like much to you, but I ate two Paczki today. You can read the tradition here.

Most of us think of Lent as a time to "give something up" It is also a time of new beginnings. I've kept you in suspense long enough. Let me tell you about my change. I have started a new blog. This is something I've wanted to do for a while and if you read the first post it will explain a little more. I had thought about just ending this one, but I've decided to keep it going. For a while anyway. We'll see how this goes. I may eventually merge them. In the mean time I am going to be doing a little change to this site so please be patient with me. I'm not sure exactly what is going to happen but I am changing it to the new blogger format and it says it may lose some of my formating. So feel free to visit my new site and I hope many of you become regulars there as well as here. Welcome to my New Blog

Flushing blogrolling!

I have finally given up with blogrolling. My Coffee Breaks list on the side bar is a bit outdated and I am using blogrolling for that list and they have been down for quite some time now. So this morning my one accomplishment is going to be updating that list and putting it into my template. If any of you have a better way of doing this I'm open to suggestions! I have a couple of new readers that I would like to add to that list, so if you don't see your site on there and wouldn't mind me adding you to my Coffe Break list please let me know and I'd love to add you. This is not the Big Change I was referring to in my earlier post. That is still yet to come. Next week. Come on, you can wait one more week! Patience is a virtue. (I have been quite patient with Blogrolling and will possibly use it again once they are up and running again)Have a wonderful week everyone!

Snow, Snow, go away.....

....come again another day! (In about 10 months!) I can't believe I go to bed with all the previous snow melted and wake up to a blanket of white! I had no idea this was even coming. I have to admit that it is beautiful, it really is, and I'm thankful that I don't have anywhere to go. This is what I actually look forward waking up to on Christmas morning, but not Valentine's Day. By now I'm ready for sunshine and warmer temps. Oh well.
Speaking of....Happy Valentines Day! to each of you. I hope your day is filled with little surprises and affection overflows.

This is the start of 5 days off for me. This past week was my training week. Although I have been in my job for almost a year now, a new training program has been developed and we each have to go through it. It was actually quite informative. Showed me where to smooth out some edges and gave me some new tools to use to make me more efficient at my job. I'm kind of excited to get back to work and use all that I was shown.

T-Day

Yes, it's that day for me....Tax day. I'm taking all my information to the tax guy today. I'm actually looking forward to this because I should be getting a nice refund this year. I could sure use it!
On another note, there is a change coming soon. I'm not going to reveal anything yet, but I'm working on something that I'm really looking forward to. I will share it with you in a couple of weeks. No hints, you'll just have to wait.

Super Bowl XLIII

I'm not a big football fan. I mean I like football, don't have anything against it, but I'm not a die hard fan. But hey, this is the Super Bowl! It's un-American to not get a little fired up about it. Even if it's just for the commercials (hey, that's why I watch!). I have no predictions, except that some guy will throw the ball, another guy will catch it, sometimes miss it. Some guy will kick it a few times. A bunch of guys will tackle and be tackled and a few touchdowns will be scored. I missed my calling - a sports commentator...LOL. OK, but if I have to pick a team.....GO STEELERS!! (They are playing aren't they?)

Wal-Mart Scam

Ladies,
This is something I felt was important enough to post on my blog. Please read and take heed. (You can click on image to enlarge) I would hate to see any of you fall victim to this horrific scam. Please share with your family and female friends.







Well let me run, I need to go to Wal-Mart to get some dog food! Really!!

Comfort food

Lately I have come across the term 'comfort food' a lot. What do you think of when you hear that term? Some may think of chocolate, or ice cream, something to comfort you when you are down. My first thought is a little different. It's a comfort of warmth and familiarity. I'm sure everyone has their own comfort food that conjures up memories, and a peaceful feeling. So I stopped to think, what would my comfort food be? I didn't have to think for long. In fact I think I'll fix it for dinner tonight. I wouldn't be surprised in years down the road if you were to ask my children what their 'comfort food' was, they may give you the same answer. It is truly scrumptious and I encourage you to try it, I'm sure it will become one of your favorites.



CORN CHOWDER

8 oz. salt pork diced (I use 6-7 slices of bacon diced)
2 onions, chopped
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/2 bay leaf crumpled
2 Tbsp flour
4 cups water
3 c. diced potatoe
2 c. cream corn
2 c. evaporated milk
salt, pepper, parsley, paprika

Cook pork till brown & crisp. Remove and pour off all but 3 Tbsp. Add next 3 ingredients & cook for 5 min. Blend in flour. Add water & potatoes. Boil & simmer covered for 15 min. Add corn & milk. Heat well. Season and add pork. Makes 2 quarts.

To make it easier, I use 2 cans corn and 2 cans milk. I increase flour, water, and potato by 1/2. This makes for a larger amount, but I have NEVER had the left overs go to waste. They are usually eaten by the next day. Hope you enjoy.

Happy New Year!

Ok, ok, so I'm a little late. Better late than never. I'm off to a terrible start on my New Years Resolution. That was (I repeat "was") going to be to post at least once a week. Well, I guess it's not too late to start.
The new year started off good for me. We had a lay-off at work and I was spared. At least for now. There are no plans for a future lay-off any time soon, but you never know. So for now, I still have my job. This Winter has been an absolute BEAR! I mean COLD!!! My sister called me from Tallahassee, FL to tell me how freezing she was at a low of 24 degrees. PLEEEEZE! I'd be happy with a high of 24. Our lows have gotten down below 0 and highs in the single digits. Yesterday was the first time we went over 32 since Winter has started. Lots of snow and wouldn't you know it the kids snowmobliles are broken and no money to fix them. I really feel bummed for them.
I am trying to stay motivated and get things organized and packed around here to put my house on the market. The payments, insurance, taxes, and utilities are just more than I can handle. There's no extra for anything and no getting ahead. I think I am going to find a place to rent for a year or so and then think about moving back down south. We'll see, only time will tell.
Well, I hope everyone is off to a great start, and I wish each of you a Happy, Heathly and Blessed New Year!