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!