Merry Christmas!!

As I'm sure most of you have been, I have been extremely busy. Working, baking cookies (7 different kinds and at least 4-6 dzn of each), last minute shopping, etc.....

But I did not want to miss wishing each and every one of you a very Merry & Blessed Christmas!

"Glory to God in high heaven, peace on earth to those on whom His favor rests"

Mt 2:14

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Some of you live here in Michigan and can see for yourself the weather we have been having but I thought I would share it with some of you not as fortunate enough to experience it. I do suppose that is relative though, depending on how you look at it. Personally, I am loving it!! Not real fond of driving in it, but I guess everything has it's pro's and con's. A friend invited me this weekend to do something that I would think is the ultimate in Christmas spirit. She is going caroling. But not just any kind of caroling. They are going caroling in the snow on horseback! That would be one of the most delightful things in my life I could ever do! Unfortunately, I have to work. Double bummer and fiddlesticks! At least my son gets to go. I'm sure he'll have a wonderful time!

Speaking of work, I have been putting in a lot of hours and haven't had the time to post a whole lot. For some odd reason it seems to be really busy these last couple of weeks. Huh? Wonder why? And to be perfectly honest, I don't know that I could come up with something to say if I tried to post daily. I either have a boring life or I just don't have the talent to find interesting and fun ways to write about even the little things. I also have to try to find time and thoughts to post on my other site. So I do what I can and I am so grateful for those of you that return here daily looking to see if I've updated. You are true, faithful blogging friends.

I hope this finds everyone doing well, I do know there are a few of those I've haven't heard from in a while. Let me know and I will make a snow angel for you if you like!

A Coke by any other name is still......a Coke

There are a few things that give me away as a true Southerner. The first one is using the word "y'all". That's a true give away. The other is my word for carbonated beverage - Coke. (for purposes of political correctness I will refer to these as c. b. ie carbonated beverage for the remainder of this post) I sometimes say soda, but NEVER, EVER pop. I don't even call my dad pop. Pop is the constant sound going off at work at this time of the year, when the kids are all playing with the wooden pop guns. But to be honest it doesn't bother me, you get used to it and don't even notice it.

Any way.....Jeff Foxworthy tells an amusing story of the southern take on c. b. Goes something like this:

You know your a Redneck if you've ever been a part of this conversation.....
Hey! Want a Coke?
Sure!
What flavor?
Dr Pepper (or Sprite or whatever your preference may be)

Everything is a Coke down south. I have lived up here for 3 years now and still can't get used to the word 'pop'.

I try not to buy too much c. b. My kids get it at friends houses, at work, and plenty of other times so I don't feel I need to keep a stock of it here at home. I will buy it occasionally if it goes on sale, but it seems to disappear over night. We have a couple ghosts in our house I have named "I don't know" and "Not me". It seems when the c. b. or anything else seems to disappear, I ask the kids who drank it all and they all rat out on poor "Not me". Sometimes it's "I don't know" They seem to take turns. They can't get away with a thing. But I don't feel too sorry for them though because they have been known to leave a mess in my kitchen/breakfast room. Coats scattered all over, gloves tossed on floor, shoes strewn all over the place, cups left on the counter, etc..... Again, the kids tattle on "I don't know" or "Not me". I'm considering an exorcism to rid my house of them. They are getting to be a real nuisance.

Y'all let me know if you have any suggestions! ;)

The reason for the season

*addendum at bottom*

Many of you have posted your Christmas rants so I figured I'd throw in my $.02 worth.

Oddly enough one of my favorite parts of Christmas is sending Christmas cards. There are some old friends I only hear from at Christmas time, but that is ok. I am not complaining, I am glad we have this time of year when we think of others and send greetings letting them know they are still fondly thought of.

Sending/giving cards has always been a very personal thing for me. I have been known to go to 1/2 dozen stores and card shops before I find that "right" card. Christmas time is no different, although I do buy the box of cards instead of individual cards for each person. But I still have to find the "right" card. I have been to many stores looking for cards to send this year, but I had an extrememly difficult time. It seems over the years there seem to be less and less spiritual cards and more Santa, humor, and simply 'Happy Holidays' cards. There was the card that showed Santa and his sleigh of reindeer on an outhouse that said "Rudolph, I said the Schmidt house!" Then there's the scene of a bunch of cute little animals standing around a Christmas tree lit up in the forest. Or how about the ones with a beautiful winter scene of a farm house and a horse drawn sleigh in the snow. I enjoy humor and cute as much as the next person, and if there is no snow in Miami, FL does this mean it's not Christmas?

My point is this - What do any of these have to do with Christ being born? I'm sorry people but this is the Christmas season and that is what I am celebrating. That is the day that gives us the holiday. Without Christmas there would be no holiday.

I came close to choosing a card that said "Happy Holidays" and cross out the 'i' and make it a 'y'. I bet that would have made my point. Well, I finally found some today and I will sit down and make them out tomorrow. I certainly wish I could send each and every one of you a card. Please feel free to email your mailing address if you feel comfortable doing that. I would love to send you one.

The inside says "May His name renew your spirit and bring blessings of peace and joy to you and those you love throughout the coming year. Merry Christmas"

We should be celebrating Christ's birth and not the holidays generated with this special day.

Well, that's my $.02 worth. But who can put a price tag on Christmas?

***I almost forgot.....Today is a special day in the Catholic Church. It is the celebration of the Immaculate Conception. You can go here to read more.

Confession time

I want to apologize for not posting for a few days. It has been a difficult last few days for me. I feel I can tell this to you.....I have an addiction. This past weekend I have been suffering from an increased heart rate, uncontrollable shaking, pacing the floor....all the usual symptoms of the DT's. I didn't realized it had become this bad. Controlling my life the way that it has. I am openly admitting it now.

See, for the majority of this weekend I lost my ISP. No DSL. I was cut off. Cold. It was a terrible experience, but I am back now and doing much better. If Verizon dares to do this to me again they will have to deal with my wrath! But on the upside of things, I was able to get some things done around here that have been neglected. So, bite my tongue, it may have been a necessary evil, or a blessing in disguise, how ever you may choose to look at it.

The weekend end started out just as bad. Friday night when hubby and I were supposed to go out to dinner....well, that never happened. No big surprise. Then Sat., lost the internet. Temps have dropped into the low teens, so it is cold as the dickens! We did get a pretty snow out of it though. :)

I will try and catch up on all of your pages soon. Hope everyone had a better weekend than I did!

What a week!

I finally got the lights on my tree. I never did find the lights I was looking for so I just used what I had and spread them out a bit more. You really can't even tell, so I am happy. Then got it decorated and put up Christmas knick-knacks around the house. Still haven't put up any outdoor lights but I WILL! Temps have fallen but I'll just bundle up.

A lady from my church called last week and asked if I would be willing to facilitate a bible study group. I have felt that something has been missing in my life lately and I feel this was the Holy Spirit at work. I agreed and went to a meeting Thurs night about it and classes will start in Jan. I am really excited about it and looking forward to it. It's adding more to my plate but I need to make room for God and he will make room for everything else.

My poor husband has been working 12 hour days since he returned to work but the new schedule begins next week and he will return to a more normal work week with rotating days off. To top it off he also has military drill this weekend. Seems we don't get to spend much time together and he is so tired, but we are going to go out to dinner tonight, so I am looking forward to that.

My daughter is going to a Christmas dance tomorrow and we found a beautiful dress that we had altered to fit her perfectly. It is a strapless dress though, so mom, ie: me, will be up tonight making a matching shawl to wear with it.

I'm sure there is more but I have to run for now. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

X%@$&*# Xmas lights!

Well, I suppose I shouldn't complain. I've had these lights for close to 10 years. I have 5 strands of these certain lights I use on my tree. Each string has a knob to control the speed at which the lights blink in sequence. After being placed on the tree, being ever so carefully spaced (which some years has taken 3-4 try's), the result is a beautiful display of blinking lights. Well, yesterday after putting up my tree, I pulled out my lights and at least had the sense to test each strand before putting them on tree. One strand was not working properly. One color is not lighting. I tested each bulb, carefully pulling each one out to be sure it was making solid contact and replace each with a known working bulb. All to no avail. Still no yellow lights. I can't use just 4 strands, the tree will look all wrong and bare. My biggest problem is that I have not seen this type of light sold in quite a while. Ugh! What a dilemma. I am going out first thing this morning in search of a new set of lights. I REALLY don't want to change these! Wish me luck.

After solving this challenge I will return home to hopefully get my lights up outside. That is, if the weather cooperates. Although the temperature will be near 60 (snow has melted), the warmer temp has brought rain.

My Thanksgiving day was wonderful. Had the whole family together to sit down at a meal! Won't see that again for a while. Worked Fri & Sat. Retail is SO much fun the days after Thanksgiving! (Can you hear the sarcasms? *wink*) And Sunday got my tree up. Yes, I have an artificial tree, but if I can get the bloomin' thing decorated, you can never tell. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Things I'm Thankful For

Firstly, I would like to thank all of you for your kind compliments on my last post. Some of you made comments of a talent I have for descriptive writing. It is not MY talent, it is a gift He has chosen to share with me on occasion. For that, I am thankful.

Of course I am thankful for my family- a devoted husband, 3 wonderful children, a loving mother and father that have raised me with the values that I have, and 7 truly wonderful, special brothers and sisters.

I am thankful for all my friends. Blog friends included!

I am thankful for my health, my talents and my ability to love. I pray that I can use these to help others and bring them closer to God. May I never forget these are gifts from Him that created me.

I am thankful for my faith, which I have sometimes failed, but it has never failed me. I am thankful for prayers that He has answered and for unanswered prayers.

My list of thanks could go on and on, but I'm sure you have other blogs to read. So I am going to end this with something I received from a friend.

I am Thankful :

FOR THE WIFE WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT, BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBANDWHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO,BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT THE BARS.

FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES BECAUSE IT MEANS HE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED.

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG BECAUSE IT MEANSI HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH..

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION .

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MUCH E-MAIL BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

Happy Thanksgiving !

A rare bird

So, that's where they get these turkeys with the pop-up timers!

Fall fades away

It seems like just yesterday everyone was welcoming the golden and crimson colours of Autumn. Days of brisk winds have brought Winter knocking at our door a bit early. I have a regular routine of waking with a steaming cup of hot coffee first thing in the morning and my favorite place to sit enjoying it is on my front steps. Even on cold mornings I bundle up in my robe and let the heat radiate from my cup into my hands and the warmth of the coffee fills my body. There's just something about fresh morning air that wakes me up. (Then again, it might be the caffeine.) This morning as I sat outside the sky was clear. It was not yet light but the sun was tucked just below the horizon giving a hint of a glow of the day to come. Looking to the west I see a line of clouds, like a military formation, moving rapidly in my direction. Behind it was the dark, gray sign of Father Winter on the way. The first real snow of the season is hidden in those clouds soon to start falling upon the earth. Looks like a white Thanksgiving Day is coming. We are only expecting 1-3 inches but it is the first of the year (accumulated anyway) so that makes it special. Kids are anxious to get out the snowmobiles, but I think that is still a few weeks away.

Well, I have the day off, so I need to scoot. Think I'll start my spinach balls for Thanksgiving dinner. Tomorrow I'll post my "Things I'm Thankful For". Till then....stay warm!

Busy, busy weekend

Weekend? What weekend? These past few days seem to have flown by. Friday night went out with a friend to a local country bar. There were some amateur strippers but seeing as how my mom reads my blog I won't comment on them, but if I was to comment it would only be to say that they were young, skinny and pale; definitely not my type, mine is more broad shouldered, muscular arms and mature, kinda like what I already have at home ;). But the company was great, we enjoyed the music for the most part and just enjoyed chatting all night. All in all - a good time! (Thanks again Ches! I really enjoyed it!) Got home and to bed about 1:30. Had to get up at 6 Sat morning and open at work. Worked till 4:30, came home, cleaned up a bit, threw some laundry in the washer, neighbor came over to chat for a bit over a beer then hubby and I went out to dinner. Got home about 7, I was pooped and ready for an early night. Got comfy in my pj's then the phone rings....it is my boss from the golf course. They were playing euchre (they play every other Sat night) and needed one more person to make 5 tables. He begged me to come play.....I'm such a sucker, especially after he offered to buy my beers. So I threw on some clothes and up to the club house I go. Ended up having a good time and home and in bed by 11, so not too bad. Sunday morning I had to get up at 6, shower and be at church by 8 then immediately after church be at work by 10. Worked till close and got home about 7. And here I am. Maybe tonight I'll get to bed early. So how was your weekend?

Snow & deer & male strippers

Well, we got our first snow of the season. Nothing big, just a few light snow showers but a bit was drfting on the sides of the road. I understand further up north and west though they got 9+ inches. Wish we got that lake effect snow here. Would make for much better snowmobiling.

Last weekend at work was a flurry of last minute hunting gear and licenses. Tuesday was opening day here in the Great Lakes state and they are out there in droves. This will be the first weekend of the hunting season and apparently it is a chance for hunting widows to do their thing. My husband enjoys hunting and still hopes to get out there this year but with things being as chaotic as they have been he hasn't yet had the chance. So I'm not officially a 'widow' but that doesn't mean I can't take advantage of the opportunities. A friend and I are going to a local honkytonk where it seems a few men may be removing a few garments for the widows in mourning. Hah! That'll teach these guys to leave their wives at home while they go gallavanting through the woods chasing 4 legged creatures.

That's about it for me. I finally posted to my other site if you would like to take a peak. Sorry about the lack of recipe updates. Will get to that maybe this weekend. But do take advantage of my Chili recipe with the cold weather here. You'll love it! Have a wonderful weekend!

Eh? What's that you say?

I would like to thank all of you for sticking with me during these past few unimaginative posts. And thanks to those of you that have mapped yourself. It's nice to put a blip with the name. Even nicer when you can put a face with a name, but I suppose it isn't practical to meet all my blogger friends when we are so scattered around. I have been fortunate to meet a few though and they are just as wonderful as their blogs! (You know who you are ;)...).

I thought I'd share a little something about myself that some, namely my children, seem to think is fairly amusing. No smirks from the peanut gallery! As most of you know (If you read my 100 things), I am deaf in my right ear. This was a permanent result of having a brain tumor removed 5 years ago. So this was an overnight thing for me. It's not as if I was slowly losing it over the years. This has it's pro's and con's.
Let me first share the con's with you....
1) I have an extremely difficult time locating where a sound is coming from. This is where my children find it funny. I will be standing in the kitchen and my cell phone or even the cordless house phone will ring. The phone may be sitting on the counter right next to me but I can't tell that is where the ring is coming from. I will turn in circles and walk around trying to locate the origin of the ring while my dear family watches in amusement. The other day I could not find my cell phone so I dialed the number from my house phone to locate it and I heard the ring but for the life of me could not locate it! I would walk around till the ring got louder then as is diminished I would turn around and start back the other way. I would go to the stairs to see if it was ringing upstairs then to the basement door. I finally located it in the mudroom in the pocket of my coat. You can't imagine how frustrating it can be sometimes!! My children have learned when we go to a large, crowded place and they call me they will holler out their location based on the position of the arms of a clock. "Mom! Over here! 3:00!" So I know to look 90 degrees to my right. Sounds funny, but it works. For the most part it doesn't really interfere with my life except for the fact that many times I miss a phone call because I can't find the phone in time. Thank goodness for caller ID. I just call them back. I really need to get an old fashioned, corded phone put on the wall.
2) Another disadvantage is hearing things in a loud room. When you have both ears you don't realize it but one acts as a filter. You can focus on your conversation and everything else is filtered out the other ear. There really is something to the old adage "In one ear and out the other"! Having only one good ear ALL the noise goes into it and is mixed up with the conversation you are trying to have.
3) And talking on the phone you can't listen to someone else in the background trying to say something to you because your one good ear is in the phone. I have to share this with you also....I have always been right eared, meaning this is the ear I used to talk on the phone. For quite a while after my surgery I would still answer the phone with my right ear. I would answer "Hello"...."Hellooooo!".....after no response I would hang up only to have it ring immediately again. It took a few times but I finally learned to answer with my good ear. At work we have 6 or more phones, each with a different extention, lined up behind the counter spaced about 15 - 20 feet apart next to registers. The only way I can tell which one is ringing is by looking at the light to see which one is blinking.
4) Lastly, and I think this is the most frustrating, driving in the car. When sitting in the drivers seat my good ear is on the side of the window. So anyone sitting in the passenger seat (or the back) has to practically holler for me to hear them. Forget having the radio on and trying to carry on a conversation. It just ain't gunna happen.

Now for the advantages (yes! there are some!)
1) When I happen to go to bed at the same time as my husband (which doesn't happen often because of our work/sleep schedules) and he wants to watch tv, I can just lay on my left side and put my good ear into the pillow and the tv doesn't bother me.
2) When my husband snores, same thing, turn to the left and zonk right out. This becomes a disadvantage in the morning though when I don't hear my alarm! Oops. Think work will accept that excuse?
3) And last, if ever I forget to do something someone asks me to do or just don't get around to it ie: kids or hubby, I can always say "Oh, I'm sorry, I must not have heard you. You must have been on the wrong side" Ok, bad excuse, but what the hey!

Power Color

Your Power Color Is Teal

At Your Highest: You feel accomplished and optimistic about the future. At Your Lowest: You feel in a slump and lack creativity. In Love: You tend to be many people's ideal partner. How You're Attractive: You make people feel confident and accepted. Your Eternal Question: "What Impression Am I Giving?"

What's" Your Power Color?

I must be at my low because I'm not feeling very creative about what to blog so this is it for today!

Where's Waldo?

I came across a neat link this afternoon on Texas Oceanlover Laments blog. It is a map page where you can plot your location and leave a little comment/shout out. I would love to have each person plot themselves and see how many I can get. Plus it's fun to see where everybody is from. You can plot a city or I think you can get as detailed as your home address if you wanted. Personally I think city is enough information. Don't know how many wierdo's there are out there that may show up at my front steps! You can find the link to the right under Just for Fun.

Normalcy returns

Things are finally back to normal (well, kind-sorta). Husband has returned to work. His schedule is for 12 hour days right now, but we can use the over-time since funds have been depleted the last couple months. This will only last for a month or so then back to rotating days off. I will continue working. He has had to take quite a pay decrease so my income will make up for that. Besides I'm really loving my job. Things are coming together.

Now to start thinking about Christmas. "Christmas!" you say? Apparently so. As I was driving down the road the other day I was going through radio stations and found one playing "Winter Wonderland". At first I thought it may have been a commercial, but no, the whole song played. Then another came on. It seems this radio station started playing Christmas music 24/7 on Nov. 1. It's funny how just listening to that music can give you that "all over good feeling" At least is does for me. I love Christmas and I'm going to make sure I do up the outside lights and decorations this year. I neglected that last year and I really missed it. It just felt like something was missing. And luckily my Christmas fund is still intact so I need to get started shopping. Got your wish list made? (If it's not at the $1 store your out of luck!)

Charades-the universal language

I wish my dad was a blogger. You would get a kick out of his stories! He is the best story teller, especially humourous ones, of anyone that I know. Anyway this story was told to me by my mom, but seeing as how it happened to my dad I could just hear how he would tell it.....

It seems my parents have a new family that moved in across the street. They have not had a chance to "officially" meet them but have waved occasionally. They are from Korea. It is the parents, some children and an older mom or maybe aunt that live there. Both parents apparently work and the grandmother (aunt?) stay with the kids. Apparently this older woman was outside and saw my dad and waved for him to come over. She does not speak english. She motioned to her porch light, which was not lit, then motioned to the neighbors light, who's was lit. My dad understood that her light was not working. After looking into it he got it fixed for her and she was very grateful. A couple days later she was out raking her leaves and saw my dad again. She had seen him before raking his leaves and liked his rake much better. Hers was not doing a very good job. So she, using only hand motions, asked to 'rent' my dad's rake. She was very insistent that she rent it and not just borrow it. I think she offered $2. Then she continued. She acted like she was raking then sleeping then raking again. My dad finally realized she wanted to keep it for an extended time because she had a large back yard. I think this is so cute! Come to find out my dad had to go to Home Depot and he bought her a new rake - just like his. I haven't heard yet how she accepted that. Many of us have neighbors that do speak english and have lived next door to them for years and never spoken. But this exchange has made a friendship that I think added something to each of their lives.

I lived in Korea for a year while I was in the service and communicated like this quite often. I will never forget going out fishing in a local stream. We had poles and all the tackle we needed. I'm not sure where we got our bait but I think we just dug up some worms. We were out there for a couple hours without a bite. We finally gave up and started walking down stream. We came across an older man fishing who was catching fish left and right! We showed him that we had nothing. He looked to see what we were fishing with. He laughed at our worms, then showed us his bait. He was using maggots. Ugh! But he offered some to us and we gave it a try and sure enough started catching some. He was very pleased with himself. We thanked him by giving him some of our American beverage - a few beers. He was THRILLED!

Body language - The Universal Language ~~~isn't it great!

Happy All Saints Day!

For those of you not familiar with All Saints Day, you can visit my post on my other web site. I think one of my favorite Saints has to be St. Anthony. He is the Saint of lost things. It's not that I lose a whole lot of things, but when it has been really important he has never let me down. My whole family has depended on him one time or another. When it comes to finding a needle in a haystack, he's your saint! Just last night I couldn't find my digital camera. I looked everywhere! I was sick when I went to bed. It's not a cheap camera and I have an expensive photo card in it also. I said a prayer to St. Anthony and this morning looked again. Still, no camera. Later in the morning I called a friend and when I told her about my missing camera she asked if I had looked in my car. I had no reason to have looked there because to the best of my memory I had not put it there. Anyway, while we were still talking I walked out there and guess what I found under my seat?! Say what you want, but St. Anthony had his hand in this.

The kids had a great time last night and came home with plenty of candy. Thank goodness I had the forsight to buy some low carb candy for myself to help curb any temptation to steal theirs!

Things will start returning to normal around here. My husband went back to work...Whoohoo! Not sure of scheduling details etc...but he may be working quite a bit of overtime till things settle down a bit. At least I think he has the weekends off, which will help with the kids, seeing as how I will be working most weekends.

I'll leave you with this quote I got yesterday at lunch out of a fortune cookie:

"Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit"

A last minute Halloween

We (read: mom) pulled it off! My daughter decides she is going to go trick-or-treating with her boyfriend and his mom and little sister. The two of them traded roles. He wore one of her short bluejean skirts, t -shirt, black fishnet hosiery, and a pair of my black zip-up boots. He also wore a wig and make-up. She just really bummed out, put her hair up and wrapped a bandana around her head and wore a pair of her brothers baggy jeans and a big jersey. Also colored in a mustache and gotee. She was terribly disappointed with the results though, said she still looked like a girl. I told her she was too pretty to NOT look like one. Well that was all their work. Now the youngest wants to go with them (this was all decided just last night). We decide he is going to go as a puppy-dog. He wears his brothers brown sweat pants and a brown sweat shirt. I went by Wal-mart today and bought 1/4 yd of some brown furry material, and a cute hat that is suede patches on one side and brown fur on the inside w/a pair of matching gloves (Brittany wants these after he is done, double duty-yea!). I cut out a set of floppy ears and pinned them to the hat (turned inside-out), used some black shoe polish on his nose and presto! - cute puppy-dog! Add a leash and off they went.

We also had not gotten a pumpkin as of today and my son insists we have to have a pumpkin. So I picked up one on the side of the road (leave your money in a tin box) and he carved it when he got home from school. I cleaned up the seeds and just finished roasting them and am snacking as I type. Also sipping on a cup of hot cider spiked with a tad of rum. It all came together.

Happy Halloween to all and watch out for ghost's and goblin's!

Goodness shines through

I'm not sure if I'm am naive or if it just my nature to see the good in things.....but as a whole I think most people are honest and good. There have been a few instances at work that have shown this. One gentleman made a return for a $40 something item but I inadvertantly circled the one above it for $100. I did the return, gave him his change and he left. Only to come back and tell me that I returned the wrong item and gave him too much change. Another guy was making an exchange but at the same time told me that there was an item that got placed in his bag at the register without being rung up and he hadn't paid for it. When I shared this with others on my break they told me similar stories. People are good. Bad things happen and there are those that may not be as honest, but I like to think that most people are. I also believe that sharing these stories and even being a part of them will spread to others and in the end make this a better world.

I believe that everyone is born with goodness. Hatred and evil are learned things. Things that are learned can be un-learned, but the goodness we are all born with will always be there waiting to come out. Just a little something I wanted to share.....a little goodness to spread your way. Let your light shine on others today!

Warning! Warning!

Said like the robot on "Lost in Space", waving his arms wildly! (Or is it "Danger! Danger!"?)

As you may have noticed I no longer have music videos on my site. I have noticed when I go to those pages I tend to get oodles of pop-up boxes and as soon as I close one, two more pop up. I knew this couldn't be good. One site was worse than another. I'm also computer suave, and smart enough to know that you don't get something for nothing. The financial backing for these sites comes from advertising and the smart advertisers have learned how to take over your computer. Anyway, the last time (yesterday) I went to one of these sites my computer really started acting up and I couldn't even get into Explorer. Needless to say I was quite p***....uh....(shame on me).....perturbed. I just reformatted my computer a couple of weeks ago and thought I was going to have to do the same thing, but luckily I had the sense to use my "restore" feature and just restored it to the settings of the day before. This solution worked (whew!).

So just a heads up for those of you using music videos or considering it.....don't say I didn't warn you!

You asked....100 things about me...

1. I have to copy Cheryl here…I’m a Christian..(hope you don’t mind Cheryl)
2. I am Catholic and love my faith.
3. Mother of 3 wonderful yet challenging teenagers. (Is there one that isn’t?)
4. Married to my husband of 19 ½ years.
5. I was in the Army for 4 years.
6. That is where I met my husband.
7. I spent one year of it in Korea.
8. I loved country (music) when country wasn’t cool, when I was in high school.
9. My husband taught me to 2-step.
10. Can’t sit still when I hear oldies, especially Motown.
11. I’m most comfortable in a pair of blue jeans
12. But I do like wearing skirts too.
13. And I love wearing boots in the Fall and Winter.
14. I had a brain tumor removed in 2002.
15. Because of the surgery I am deaf in my right ear
16. And the right side of my face is partially paralyzed.
17. I wear a patch over my right eye occasionally because it doesn’t blink and gets dried out.
18. I am the oldest of 8 children
19. Have a wonderful relationship with all my brothers and sisters.
20. Was born in Louisiana but lived most of my life in Georgia.
21. In my heart I’ll always be a Southern Gal no matter where I live.
22. Love Cajun food (it’s in my blood)
23. Love seafood
24. Love Mexican food
25. Love….ok, lets just say I love food!
26. I need to lose a few lbs,(Hmmm, wonder why?)
27. I tan easily and stay dark almost all year
28. My favorite color is purple.
29. Before having kids I was an Air Traffic Controller.
30. My hair is light brown, but I always wanted Auburn hair.
31. I wore braces as a teenager.
32. Took out my bottom retainer with a pair of needle-nose pliers.
33. I like large dogs.
34. I have a Doberman and a Rhodesian Ridgeback.
35. My first car was an MG convertible (have I mentioned I miss that car?)
36. I’m a terrible flirt. Not really, actually I’m pretty good at it. ;)
37. I was paralyzed from my waist down for 2 ½ months when I was a little. (I felldown some basement stairs)
38. I go to church every Sunday and have only been late once but that doesn’t count because the priest was late too!
39. Taught CCD (Sunday school) for 8 years
40. I love to sing but I’m terrible! Can’t carry a tune in a bushel basket.
41. My favorite mixed drink is a Pina Colada but I like most anything
42. I like my Margarita’s on the rocks, not frozen.
43. I like beer too.
44. I can eat with chopsticks
45. One of my favorite things in life to do is camp
46. and my favorite smell is a campfire.
47. Some of my favorite memories are backpacking the Appalachian Mt.s
48. and camping with my family at Lake Lanier
49. I almost always see the glass as half full
50. One of my worst faults is procrastination
51. I got my belly pierced this year with my teenage daughter
52. I like to play euchre
53. I enjoy cooking
54. and I’m pretty good at it if I say so myself (my family does)
55. I’m pretty easy going
56. I want my tombstone to read “No big deal”
57. because that’s how I live life.
58. I’m a very patient person
59. until you put me behind the wheel of a car.
60. This is my 2nd marriage.
61. My first was right out of high school but only lasted 7 months.
62. Let’s just say he had a wicked temper.
63. I get very nervous whenever I fly.
64. I like driving, even long distances.
65. I admit it – I’m an American Idol fan
66. I like to stay up late
67. and sleep late in the morning (but don’t get the chance very often)
68. With out coffee first thing in the morning I can’t function
69. I play golf fairly decently
70. I enjoy shooting skeet
71. I was once called Annie Oakley
72. I enjoy fishing, even when I don’t catch anything
73. I can get up and water ski on one ski.
74. Never went to college
75. but wish I had
76. Got suspended from school on my 16th birthday for smoking behind the school
77. Used to shoot pool on a Busch pool league
78. Met Paul Newman at a race in Atlanta
79. He even offered to buy me a hotdog.
80. I’ve ridden in a car at ATL motor speedway at 100 mph.
81. I’ll go to 4 or 5 card shops if I have to, to find that ‘just right’ card for someone.
82. I’m a ‘ham’, for those of you that don’t understand that – I have my amateur radio license.
83. My favorite holiday is Christmas.
84. I love giving much more than receiving.
85. My two favorite Christmas movies are “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
86. and “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus”
87. I still believe in Santa
88. One of my most memorable presents I got was 2 Tom Jones Albums.
89. I’m a sucker for tear jerker movies and songs. I’ll cry at the silliest of things.
90. I don’t like to wear make-up except for lipstick occasionally.
91. I like canoeing down a river.
92. I have a very crooked 2nd toe on each foot. It’s a family trait.
93 I wear a size 13 slim shoe (that’s a men’s 11 narrow)
94. I have very few regrets in life
95. but one is that I did not stick with my golf when I was a teenager.
96. I can ride a motorcycle.
97. I like doing jig-saw puzzles.
98. Have to have lots of blankets on me at night.
99. Organization is definitely NOT one of my strengths,
100. But being compassionate, thoughtful, and caring are.

These boots are made for walkin'

I came across this today and it nailed me right on!

You Are Western Boots

Your boots can sure walk a long mile - but they're still chic!

What Kind of Boots Are You?

Things still going well. My daughter got the job that she wanted and tonight was her first night and she really liked it. Said it was a lot of fun. I'm sure she'll do great! Today was a day off for me and I got some things done around the house. Tomorrow back out to the golf course...last day for the season. I'll miss it.

Weather is starting to cool off. Had frost on the windshield this morning and my friend says her horse's hair is getting thick early this year. Could that mean an early, cold winter? As long as there is snow I'll be happy. (I say that now...somebody refer me back to this post 3-4 months from now....LOL)

Think I'll wear my boots tomorrow......so long!

Not enough hours in the day

I'm going to have to make this short and sweet. I am BUSHED! My new job at Cabela's really has been wonderful, but I'm not used to being on my feet for such a long time. I've gotten comfortable on the register and can do most transactions, but still need a manager for a few things. And still have a lot to learn I'm sure. Tomorrow they are moving me back to customer service where the fun really begins!

I apologize if I'm only able to get a couple posts in a week, but until I get the hang of 'time management', they will be few and far between. I expecially feel bad about not being able to post to your sites as often. Please don't think I have forgotten about you, I at least try to quickly read my blog roll and a few others, but I may not always have the time to comment. I hope after I get adjusted to this work schedule I will be able to handle things better.

Tomorrow is another double shift. Golf 8-3 then Cabela's 4-10. Ugh. But that is the last of those. I will do one more day at the golf course and then my season with them will be done. I am actually going to try and get to bed by 10 tonight. It's been a LONG time since that has happened. I still have a few things that need to be taken care of around here, so, for now, I will wish you a fond adieu.......

*Meatloaf video back by request

Tagged again

Okay, it appears I've been tagged - again. Thanks for thinking of me Pirate! New game though. This time you count back 23 post's (or closest to it) and then count to the 5th line (or closest to it) and write what it says and comment on it. Here's what I came up with:

"Damn you NWA!" Geez, has the strike been going on that long? Still affecting our life. Hub still out of work, but negotiations seem to still be going on. He is still, in the mean time, looking for another job that will not take him out of state and something that combined with my job now will help up pay our bills. It's starting to take it's toll. I can only put it in God's hands and have faith that things will work out.

Now I'm supposed to tag 5 others. I only have maybe 5 people that visit my site and I don't want to lose them! Tell you what I'm going to do....you know who you are. If you are up to doing this feel free, otherwise I'll be jinxed for life. Can you live with that? (Don't answer that). For those of you that do...thanks and have fun!

A Great Start!

My first day at my new job was great! I think I'm really going to like this. The people are wonderful and it's a really cool store. Plus I get to wear jeans. I've never been one to dress up. Put me in a comfy pair of jeans and a flannel shirt or sweat shirt and I'm happy.

One thing I miss is my clothes line. Down south I had this clothes line that ran from my back deck out to a tree in the back yard with a pully on it. I could stand on the deck and hang all my clothes just by pulling the line. Blue jeans dried by the sun are the BEST! Stiff and crisp. I've thought about putting one up here but the warm season just doesn't last as long and I'm not sure if it would be worth it. Another one of those projects that I may get around to one of these days.

Cooked up some of that butternut squash and it was SO good! Didn't need to add any sugar, it's sweet enough all by itself. Cheryl mentioned some soup, I'll try that next....perfect time of the year for it! I'll let y'all know how it turns out........


If winter is slumber and spring is birth, and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection. It's a time of year when the leaves are down and the harvest is in and the perennials are gone. Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it's time to reflect on what's come before.
Mitchell Burgess, Northern Exposure, Thanksgiving, 1992

The good old days.....

Had a really neat thing happen to us today. An older gentleman came knocking at our door and introduced himself. (I feel bad that I've already forgotten his name). It seems he is a retiree from Ford Motor Co., or Ford's as they would say it, and knows our neighbor who is also a retiree from the same company. He says that he understands that my husband is a mechanic with Northwest Airlines and is currently out of work. We confirm that and he replies that he has some fresh squash, butternut and spagetti, and onions from his garden and asks if we would like some. Now, I have to tell you, quite a few thoughts ran threw my mind. And I am embarrassed to admit the order that they came in. My first thought was "Geez, we're not poor, and how do I tell this nice man this" but then I realized the nice thing to do would be to accept this man's generous offering. We are not struggling, at least not yet. There may come a day when I may be praying for strangers to come to my door to offer me food. I'm not afraid to tell you that I am terribly ashamed with myself. There was a time when one family fell on hard times, neighbors pitched in and provided what they could. Be it food from the garden, milk from their cow, or eggs from their chickens (those that LAYED eggs...hee...hee...*personal joke*). I don't know how or when I put myself up on some pedestal thinking that I am too good to need or accept help from others. Thinking back on this event I realize that this older gentleman, not knowing me from Adam, may have been offering me what he might be selling to support himself and his family. What ever his circumstances, it was a truly thoughtful, selfless, act of kindness that has made me take a second look at my life, bring me back down to earth and thank God for all of the blessings I have.

Autumn

Got my computer running smoothly again. So far the only repercussion that I have suffered is probably a blessing in disguise. I have a way of letting my emails pile up. I don't delete them after I read them, unless it is spam or some advertising of some sort. I think to myself that 1) I might need this in the future (which sometimes I have), and 2) I have plenty of room on my computer so it's no big deal. I think I was up to somewhere close to 500-600. And that's just my Inbox. So anyway.....I had saved (or so I thought) my email messages on a CD. Well, somehow in trying to copy them back onto my computer I lost them. The File is blank now. No telling what I did. Oh well.....Life will go on. Now if I can do the same thing to all the "stuff" I seem to have accumulated around my house!

The days have cooled and gotten shorter, leaves are turning colours and crops are being harvested. I love this time of year. I like throwing extra blankets on the bed and crawling in to stay warm, hot coffee on a cool, crisp morning, and steamy soups, chowders and stews on a brisk winter day (Great recipes and more coming!). There is just something about this time of the year that makes me feel calm and peaceful. This afternoon I went to another fall festival. This one is called Appleumpkin. Again, many craft booths and food vendors but a specialty of this particular fest takes place just outside of town at a local orchard. More booths are set up but they have wagon rides out to the orchards where you can pick fresh fruit, and tables of different varieties of apples. Another sure sign of the season.......apple cider. I splurged just a bit and bought a cup of hot apple cider. The moment that warm liquid touched my lips I knew that Autumn was here. It was a cool day, a brisk breeze teased the sun, but the warmth of that liquid entering my body, purged every chill throughout. A day like this leaves worries and troubles behind, like a distant past, and you can't help but rejoice in reverent silence at this wonderful gift of life.

Oh...uh...okay.....sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to get carried away in a babble of poetic nonsense. Go jump in a pile of leaves, take a hayride, carve a pumkin....anything to make you feel young and alive! I know today I do!

Time to start over again

Well, I'm not sure when I will be able to post again. I have been saving info onto CD's and it is now time to reformat my computer. I've done this before, but my main concern is being able to reconnect online. Shouldn't be a problem, I have DSL and Verizon told me I shouldn't have to download anything to start it up. Wish me luck. Must be time for me to go to confession again.

I am going to leave you with this story I received in an email from my father. Cute story and definitely something to think about:

Mexican Village
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them. "Not very long," answered the Mexican. "But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American. The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs . I have a full life." The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat." And after that?" asked the Mexican. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise." "How long would that take?" asked the Mexican. "Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American. "And ! after that?" "Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!" "Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican. "After that? Why after that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking, singing a few songs and enjoying your friends." And the moral is:



“Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.”

A Truly Wonderful Day!!

I had my interview this morning with Cabela's and.....GOT THE JOB!! I am so excited. Out of all the places I applied this is the one I really wanted and there is a bonus to it....the pay is actually the best out of all that I applied for. Cool huh? I start in about 2 weeks. They first have to run a background check on me. Other than knocking off the cookie jar when I was 5-6 years old, I should have a pretty clean history. And just for the record, that was never proven! The evidence of chocolate smeared all over my face was strictly circumstantial!

Today brought another blessing.....I found My Faith...WAIT!!! before you click over to it, let me explain a little. Before I got into Blogging I created this website. But due to technical difficulties (and me not knowing what the heck I was doing), I lost the site. I thought it was gone forever, lost out in the wide world of cyber space. Well, I found it. I don't know how but I am so grateful that I did. So I will discontinue posting recipes here and put them in their proper place on that site, and I will discontinue my new Blog "Food for your Soul", since that is the main essence of my web site. It is a bit outdated (last post was just after Christmas) but I will try to update it soon. Feel free to browse the archives. I hope you enjoy!

Also, my daughter, who applied to a few places yesterday, got a phone call today from her top pick and has an interview on Monday. I'm sure she will do fine. It is at a local little pizzaria type place in town. Really good food.

Still waiting to hear something for my husband but I have faith the right thing will happen. He is starting to feel the stress of all this, so I hope for his sake something happens soon. I know he wants to jump on anything he can right now, but he is capable of SO much! He is a smart guy and can do what ever he sets his mind to. He can do so much better than just 'settling' for something. He could certainly use an Angel in a black leather jacket. But I know God works in His own ways, in His own time. We just have to be patient and have faith.

Not much new....

Not much new going on so I haven't had much to write about. Hubby still out of work and looking. He's been able to get a few driving jobs here and there but nothing steady. I think he is still holding out that NWA and the union are going to reach an agreement, but I honestly don't see it happening. I have had a number of interviews and job offers. The one thing that makes it a bit difficult for me is that I need the hours now but come Spring and Summer of next year I want to continue working at the Golf Course. I love that job and the people. Target seems to be my best bet right now, and I like that store and think it would be fun, but I do have an interview tomorrow that I am excited about. It is with Cabela's. For those of you that don't know what Cabela's is, it is a HUGE outdoor, hunting, fishing, camping etc....store. I love it and would love to get a position there. I'm hoping the pay is right and it is flexible enough for me to do what I want next golf season. Wish me luck!

My car has finally lost the skunk smell, thank goodness! I hope that doesn't happen again. Spent the most of yesterday canning more Salsa. This time we did a HOT batch and I think it is going to taste awsome. Can't wait to try some. I do believe that was the end of all the canning. The garden is finished.....no tears here. As much as I enjoy the rewards of my hubby's hard work and green thumb, the canning and freezing can get to be a pain. But I guess it will make the salsa, relish and veggies taste that much better.

Well till something a little more exciting happens around here, I will continue reading up on everyone elses Blogs and enjoying your joy's, disappointments, funny stories and the scary ones. I suppose I should be thankful there is nothing TOO exciting to write about.....I may be asking for more than I want! LOL

Pe'pe' la' Pew Strikes

I have lived out here in the country for 3 years now, and even down south drove frequently down country roads populated with wildlife for near 10 years. The only critter to this point that I can recall ever hitting is a squirrel. No opossum, no raccoons, no deer (knock-on-wood). So what do you think I finally run into this past Friday? Pe'pe' la Pew. No, I didn't kill him. I just ran right over him, right between my two front tires, and must have scared the bejezus out of him because he got me good. Not only does the outside of my car smell, but the interior as well. For a couple days you could smell my car if you were standing within 20 feet of it, but that seems to be disappearing. The interior is still reeking. I have hung up one of those car scent things in the hope of ridding the foul smell, but it just seems to be making it worse. Now my car smells.....flowery/fruity/piney/skunky. I've been told that when your dog gets sprayed, the 'cure' is to bath them in tomato juice or tomato soup, but I don't think this is a practical solution for my car. I welcome any suggestions.

The Fall Festival was enjoyable. Seems to grow every year. Went with my two sons and one of their friends. The two older boys went their way and the youngest went his and left mom to stroll around all by herself. I guess it's not 'cool' to be seen with mom when your a teenager. I try to find the positive in any situation......well I found the positive side to my husband being out of a job - I wasn't even tempted to spend any money at the festival! And I didn't need any of that greasy/fattening food anyway, but boy did it smell good!!

Had a job interview yesterday at Linens N Things. I love that store! It went well and I'm pretty sure I'll get the job if I want it but I have another interview this afternoon and told the manager at LNT that I would know which I wanted by late this afternoon. Never got a call from the store I really would have liked to work at......Cabela's. That would have been cool, but I don't have the luxury of waiting for a particular job. Need to start getting some money coming in, even if it's not that much. Oh well....anybody need some towels?

Fall Festival

Just a quick update.....washer is still working good (did you expect anything less?!), and luckily no more major appliance breakdowns.

This weekend is the annual Clinton Fall Festival and I am looking forward to taking my younger son tomorrow. I always enjoy walking around there and looking at the creativity of others. Not to mention the good food! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Washer update

Now I know why appliances cost so much. They use more hardware and other doodads than they need. After taking this machine apart and making some minor adjustments (at least that's what I like to think I did by shaking and moving it around) then reasembling it, it works fine! Minus a few screw's and a couple plastic thingy's. Not to mention that my butt is soaking wet from the drain pipe laying on the floor and....well....the water had to go somewhere. Okay, so I learned something. My hubby should be so proud!

Now for those of you thinking that I just had too much laundry in there to begin with and didn't distibute the weight properly.....well...go eat a banana. (Don't ask me where that came from but it was the nicest thing I could think of at the moment).

Not just a pretty face! Now, let me go finish my laundry.......

Washing machine woe's

Jimminy Cricket, Fiddlesticks and Fudgesicle!!!! Just what I needed right now. My handyman is out of town and my washing machine goes on the fritz. I'm trying to get caught up on laundry and I hear this terrible racket coming from the laundry room. Now there have been times when the clothes just aren't distributed quite right and it gets off kiltered and does a little waltz across the laundry room floor, but this was much more! I tried rearranging the clothes a couple times then it occurres to me that the tub is not sitting quite like it is supposed to. It's almost like it has dropped out of the grooves or what ever holds it in place. So when you turn it on, the tub is wildly rotating in the metal casing surrounding it. Ok, I have one of two choices here.....1) being the somewhat self sufficient woman that I am, and fairly good with tools, I can try and take this apart and fix it myself, or 2) wait for hubby to get home at the end of the week and in the mean time go to the laundry-mat (I hate that!). Hmmm, I think I'll have a drink and think about this one. (It's 5:00 somewhere!) I'll continue this later and let you know how it turns out.....

Another afternoon at the Emergency Room

3:45 p.m. the phone rings...."Mom, you need to check me out and meet me at the emergency room!" This was my 17 yr. old. I asked him what happened and he tells me that his younger brother had gotten hit on the head by another student with a book. He then tells me he had a seizure and his eyes are bloodshot. (I can hear shaking in his voice) My first thought was that my younger son had been transported to the hospital, but when I ask him where his brother is he tells me he's right there in the office with him. I ask him if I have to come there to check him out and he says he is going to leave right then to get him to the hopital as soon as possible and the office is telling him they are going to suspend him if he leaves. I tell him to give the phone to the secretary. I ask her if what my son is telling me is acurate (thinking he might be over reacting). She says that he appears to be fine and his irises look normal. (I'm thinking 'Irises? What do the irises of the eyes have to do with anything? Don't you look at pupils?' ) She says the bell is going to be ringing in 10 min. I tell her to just allow my children to be checked out now but to come immediately home so that I can look at him and see his condition.

I wait 10 min or so and call them on their cell to see where they are. Oldest son answers and says they are on the way to the hospital. Younger son is fading in and out of conciousness and is acting really weird. I tell him I'll meet him there.

When I get to the hospital he has already been admitted and doctor and 2-3 nurses are all over him. They are looking at his eyes, checking vitals and about to hook him up to an IV. They ask me if he is allergic to anything? Now I am beginning to worry. "No, he's not allergic to anything" "Is he on any medication?" I tell them one medicine he is on. My son is panicking because of the IV needle and is making no sense what so ever. The nurse says when he first came in he didn't know where he was. He thought he was still in the car. He can not follow the direction of her finger, or answer any questions coherently. Just looking at him you can tell there is something wrong. They finally get the IV in and we get him calmed down a bit. He says that he is cold and I comment that it stays warmer longer in GA. The nurse asks if that is where we are from, then asks my son what city? He has this blank look on his face. I ask him again "What city did we live in down in GA?" He still just stares. After asking another time or two he answers...."Redneck" I crack up! "Yes, honey, we are GA rednecks but what city did we live in?" He says "Near Alex" (this was his best friend in GA) Well at least I know he is thinking. I remind him it was Fayetteville, and he seems to acknowledge that.

They now take him to get a cat-scan. I take this opportunity to talk to my other son about what exactly happened. It seems they were messing around in the hall before class and my older son grabbed his brother and held his arms behind him and said "Ok, who wants a piece of him?" Brothers being brothers. My youngest sons friend takes his Geometry book and bops him on the head. Everyone tells me it wasn't that hard. But that's when my son just collapses. His brother had to hold him up. They get him to come around and he at first seems to be ok. He pushes his brother away and they all go to class. Shortly after that a boy from youngest sons class comes into older sons class and tells him that he needs to come get his brother. This child is apparently familiar with some medical training and tells him that his brother is exhibiting classic signs of a concussion. Older son gets his brother and they go to the office.
*side note here.....teachers, aware of what has happened, are trying to discipline these kids rather than take a concern for my son

concussion
n 1: injury to the brain caused by a blow; usually resulting in loss of consciousness 2: any violent blow

My son returns from the cat scan. He is acting better and we sit and wait for the results. While waiting we talk and he slowly begins to act more and more like himself. I think the fluids from IV helped, along with some rest. Anyway, the results come back normal and they say he has a concussion and just needs to be watched. I have to wake him every 3-4 hours tonight. But he should be ok. Thank you God.

So that was my afternoon. And the weekend has just started!

Recipe time again - Not just 'grilled pork chops"

Okay, time for another recipe. Tried this yesterday and not quite sure what makes it so good but it makes all the difference in the world. I despise dry pork chops, but these come out so moist and tasty I don't think I'll fix them any other way again. I've marinated meats many times but this is a brine. Don't ask me. I just followed the recipe and they were great!

Brined Grecian Pork Chops

1/2 c. kosher salt
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 c. hot water
12 crushed black peppercorns
1 lg. onion, unpeeled and quartered
3 bay leaves
3 cups very cold water or ice
4 bone-in pork chops at least 1-inch thick
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
(or 1 Tbsp. crushed dried)
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1. Dissolve salt and sugar in hot water. Add peppercorns, onion, bay leaves and cold water or ice.
2. Place pork chops in a large nonreactive container or extra-large resealable plastic bag. Cover with brine and allow to brine at least 1 1/2 hours but not longer than 3 hours. (Thinner chops will require less time.)
3. In a small bowl, combine garlic, lemon zest and juice, pepper, rosemary and olive oil. Mash together with the back of a spoon.
4. Preheat grill to high heat.
5. Remove chops from brine. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub with lemon-herb paste allowing some to adhere. Grill 2-3 minutes per side to sear. Reduce heat or move to cooler section of the grill and continue grilling 8-10 minutes per side.
6. Remove from grill and tent with foil. Allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.

I honestly didn't think that something like this would do a whole lot, but they really were good. You just have to try for yourself. Hope you enjoy as much as my family and I did!

Nothing Exciting

Sorry about the lack in posts. Not a whole lot going on with me these days. Hubby still out on strike and no perspective jobs in sight. He has been home 24/7, and I just haven't had much time to sit at computer. At least for the next two weeks he has something to keep him busy and get his mind off of things a bit. Doing some military duty this week and this coming weekend and then going out of town next week for a military excercise.

I have been putting in applications at a number of places, so I'll be working more. At least for a while till we get our feet back on the ground. Things will work out. This is just a little bump in the road. I've got great shocks and strong faith!

Labor day weekend

Well, we ended up going to Buffalo after all. First time I have ever left my kids alone for an extended period of time. But being 17, 15, and 14 Hub felt they were old enough to take care of themselves for 2 days. I have neighbors on both sides and they assured me they would keep an eye on the house and be there if the kids needed them. All in all they did good. One small incident but no one ended up in hopital or jail, and the house didn't burn down so I guess it was a success?

We left Sat. morning. It was about a 6 hour drive and made it on one tank of gas. Not too bad. Spent the afternoon sitting around talking, then played some horseshoes till dark then ate some dinner and then played Euchre till midnight or so. Honestly didn't drink much which really surprised me because usually these are our "drinking" buddies! Guess I just wasn't in the mood.
Oh, and I went to mass Sat afternoon so I wouldn't have to wake early next morning.

Sunday, still woke kinda early, 7 a.m.,....old habits die hard. We enjoyed coffee and hung around house till noon then drove into Buffalo for the National Wing Festival. Walked around and looked at a bunch of old cars. There was a car show going on. I guess it's a guy thing. Then went inside bought tickets and proceeded to try wings from around the country. A bit pricey though. They charged $.50 a wing. Tickets were $1.00 so you got two wings per ticket. And actually you got 2 wing 'sections'. But I enjoyed walking around enjoying the perfect weather and some good food. My favorite was from a place in Buffalo and it was a smoked jalapeno flavor. The hottest was supposed to be from Larry's called "Scary Larry", yea, it was hot but I told them they needed to work on it and I'd be back next year. Also had a stuffed hot wax pepper that was really good and gave me a great idea for something to use my peppers in the garden for.

After enjoying a nice afternoon there we headed back to our friends house for more horse shoes, dinner and euchre. Dinner was awsome!! We had brought them some zucchini from our garden so Cindy and I made our own recipe and we had stuffed zucchini that turned out fantastic! I'll have to post the recipe we kinda came up with. Oh, and day 2 still only had a few beers. I must be coming down with something!

Left about 9:30 Monday morning, drive back was good, not much traffic at all. Not too surprising with the cost of gas these days. Got home and kids had the house looking fairly good. I'm proud of them, but I did miss them!

I am going to leave Billy Ray Cyrus on but this is a newer video. I really like this one too, although I've never heard it on the radio. Really sweet song and video with his daughter.

Hope everyone else had an enjoyable holiday weekend!

I was tagged

okay, well no intructions came with this so I'm guessing I was just supposed to answer the same 7 things with my responses. Here we go......

7 things I plan to do before I die:
1) forgive anyone who has ever hurt me
2) finish my quilt
3) travel to Germany
4) shoot a par game of golf
5) learn a foreign language
6) spend time with my grandchildren
7) travel in an RV

7 things I can do:
1) cook well
2) ride a motorcycle
3) water ski on 1 ski
4) wallpaper a room
5) dance a 2-step
6) decorate cakes
7) write poetry

7 things I can’t do:
1) sing/carry a tune
2) ride a unicycle
3) function in the morning without coffee
4) speak a foreign language
5) miss Mass on Sunday
6) take a fish off of the hook
7) sit still when I hear good music

7 things that attract me to the opposite sex:
1) easy-going nature yet strong belief in his values
2) good sense of humor
3) eye’s
4) dedicated strong worker yet knows there is a time for fun
5) someone good, kind and patient with children
6) respects me and treats me special
7) plays a sport

7 things that I say most often:
1) no big deal
2) Well? (with a high tweek to it, like Bewitched)
3) Close enough
4) I wish
5) Y’all
6) It’ll still be there tomorrow
7) No biggie (is that the same as #1?)

7 celebrity crushes:
1) Fred Dryer
2) Billy Ray Cyrus
3) Steven Seagal
4) Tye Pennington
5) Michael T. Weiss
6) Hugh Laurie
7) Keith Anderson

7 people I want to do this:
1) Navyguy
2) Durn Yankee
3) Chocamoose
4) Trishaanne
5) Rebecca
6) Chica
7) Sublime

Sorry 'bout the video.....I just had to play it! I LOVE this song and he is SO HOT!!!

Pace Schmace!

After allowing my salsa to sit I tried it again and am thrilled at the final results. Pace picante sauce has nothing on me. I may not be from Texas but I know a good salsa when I taste one. Now if I could just learn to cook some really good Mexican dishes. I'm good with Italian, Jamaican, Seafood, Cajun, Southern, Chinese, even some German but Mexican is not something I have been able to pull off. Other than taco's or box mix burrito's my Mexican is nill. I can however make a mean Margarita. I prefer mine on the rocks as opposed to frozen.

I found this video and really liked the music. I don't know a lick of Spanish but it sounds pretty and she has a beautiful voice. If any one can tell me the lyrics I'd love to know what they are.

Well time for me to go take my siesta. Adios!

One more test

Sorry for all the test posts everyone. I am working on resolving an issue on my Yahoo 360 profile page. Thank you for your patience!

This is a test

testing site feed

ok, I think I have this figured out....YAY!

Fiesta means......

Salsa! Today spent the afternoon in the kitchen canning salsa. All garden fresh veggies. Hands burning again from jalapeno's.....I just don't learn. At least didn't rub my eyes! I'm a little concerned how this turned out though. Didn't really follow any kind of a recipe. Just put in it what I wanted and made it the consistancy I wanted. Tastes kinda tomato-y. Yea, I know it's supposed to, but.....well.....I don't know. Maybe after it sits for a while and flavors have a chance to blend and it is cold it will taste better. I put a little in fridge and tasted it later and it tasted better. So we will see. This put me in the mood for Mexican so we went out and I had a wet burrito for dinner. Yum!

Well, it looks like I will finally get my quiet day tomorrow. Kids will be at school and hub has to hit the picket line. If any of the kids call because they are sick....well...too bad, suck it up. I miss my walk in the woods, it will be nice to commune with nature again.

Mom, this video is for you. I liked Kimberly too and hated to see her voted off. When I first heard this song early this year I fell in love with it, still do. Carrie Underwood has a new song out now that I really like too. I'll see if there is a video for it and maybe put it up next.

Thoughts and prayers are with all of my family and everyone else affected by Katrina. And may God bless and protect all of those going to help.

Katrina strikes home

This goes out to John, Bill, Jean, Ken & Karla and family in LA, and to Ken, Kenneth & Jennifer in Biloxi.....Our thoughts and prayers are with you. I pray that your material losses are minimal but mostly that everyone makes it through Katrina safely.

A peck of pickled peppers

So it was hub that picked them and not Peter Piper, but I have spent the better part of today pickling them. Neighbors grandmother gave me a really good recipe for a tomato type pickling sauce that is really good. Sweet & tangy, with hot banana peppers. Yum, yum! I did learn a lesson though....even though these are not extremely hot peppers I still need to wear gloves. My hands are tingling. You would have thought I would have learned my lesson a few years ago.....we had habernaro's in our garden down in GA, and we picked them and put them in the food dehydrator to dry. After drying I used my bare hands and crushed them. I did think to rinse my hands off but not scrub them. Then I went to rub my eye. BIG MISTAKE!! I would rather go through natural child-birth again than the pain I suffered that day. I'm not one to use foul language, but that day I used every word in the book plus some. I was totally blinded and hub had to lead me through the house to the bathroom sink to rinse my eyes out, but that didn't work so he took me outside and I just stuck the water hose to my eye and sat there for at least a good 15 min. When working with hot peppers - wear gloves!

Tonight is Euchre night at the club house. It has been a while since we have played. With Summer here, people have been out of town and doing other things. So, looking forward to that. There may be a little drinking involved (just a little) hence the video that's playing. I wanted to play Gretchen Wilson"s new one "All Jacked Up", but couldn't find the video code. I may add to this post after I play tonight. See that hand to the right? That's what I want tonight!

Well, I suppose I better go clean up my mess in the kitchen. Just needed to take a break. I love cooking, baking, canning, etc.....but hate the cleaning up part....ugh! Later everyone!

Addenum: Didn't quite get that hand but did have one good loner. Still didn't take all the points though...:( .....Oh well, sometimes your dealt the cards and other times not. Tonight was a "NOT". I also have to share with you what another luminous starry night is was! Absolutely stunning! The Milky Way stood out like a show of her own, and another shooting star streaked brilliantly through the sky.
p.s. speaking of stars.....yes, the alphabet song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same tune. ;)

So far so good

The kids first week has just about finished and things are going well. At least they have all started the year doing their HW. We'll see how long this continues.....My youngest joined the golf team. He is on JV but apparently he is the best JV player (and he's only a freshman) and the coach is encouraging him to 'challenge' one of the Varsity players for that position. They had their first tournament/match yesterday and they won. He was one of the top 3 but didn't play as well as he would have liked. I thinks he tries too hard sometimes.

Although the weather up here is perfect for golf right now, the season is certainly slowing down quickly. Leagues are winding down and it's been pretty slow out at the course. I guess it's time for me to start looking for another job. At least till Spring. I am not giving up this job, I love it! I'll work 2 jobs if I have to!

Hub still out of a job and still considering what he wants to do. Doesn't look like strike is going to settle, so........He's looking torwards getting his CDL (commercial drivers license) and driving a truck. But the money is on long hauls, so he may be gone during the week. (this is not a bad thing). .....see, everything DOES happen for a reason. LOL

I may be offline for a while. My computer is really starting to act up, so I think I am going to have to reformat the hard drive again. Fun, fun! First I need to save everything I want onto disc's. A computer savvy person could probably to this in a couple hours. It's going to take me a couple days! Ugh. Oh well, it needs to be done. But not quite sure when I will get around to it. Procrastination is my middle name.

Sorry no sweets today. Zucchini cookies were good but not great. Kind of a sombination of zucchini bread and chocolate chip cookies. Although they did get eaten awfully quick around here. Maybe everyone else liked them a lot more than I did. I might post recipe tomorrow. It's late and I'm tired. But this is about the only time I can get on computer

Not what I had planned

I have been looking forward to this day for weeks! Why? My first day off after the kids go back to school and hub at work. Well, at least he's supposed to be at work. Damn you NWA! God only knows when I am going to get my day to myself. All I can say is it better dog-gone well be before the snow starts flying or I would have long since lost my sanity.

Some of you may be surprised at the video I have playing. It may seem a bit out of character for me but I have always liked Meat Loaf. That guy is incredibly talented! Like his music or not he is good. In my younger days, my first car was a white MG convertible. I would love to put the top down, put in my Meat Loaf cassette, "Bat Out of Hell", crank up the volume and cruise. (Don't tell anyone, but I still do occasionally, just don't have the convertible any more....have I mentioned I miss that car?) And this particular song has some awsome symphonic accompaniment. Oh well, it's my blog.....so either sit back and enjoy it or see that little red X up in the top right hand corner, feel free to click and return in a couple days when my taste in music is a little more "me".
***I just finished watching this video for about the 5th time and I have to say IMO this has got to be the absolutely best video ever made! Truly awsome!

"Until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change, things will remain the same"

Night Golf & Strike

Played night golf last night for the first time. That was a blast! Following this little glowing ball around and then swinging at it blindly in the darkness. You just have to trust your swing. Actually didn't do too bad considering......These balls don't hit quite as far and it's almost impossible to lose one. My biggest problem was depth perception in relation to how far the flag was. They are going to try and do one more in the fall. Count me in!!

I'm trying something to eliminate spam posts. I have activated 'word verification', which means when you post to my site you will have to type in some letters you see. It will only take an extra second or two, but hopefully this will eliminate all this spam clutter. Any comments deleted by me (site administrator) are spam comments.

Update on hubby's job. As most of you know, he is now on strike. We don't know how this is going to play out, he may end up permanantly out of a job. I don't normally support unions, but I happen to know what is going on and the company is really trying to screw these guys. They weren't left with an option. Not sure what my hub's plans are, I'm not sure he knows. I just know we are in for a bumpy ride.

Well, that's if for now. I have to go use up some more of this zucchini (yea, the 'Z' word as it's known around here now...LOL). Going to try some 'Z' cookies. If they come out good I'll post the recipe. Hope all is well with everyone.


"If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans" Van Zant, Help Somebody

Okay, Murphy is messing with me again. Here it is the end of golf season.....I golfed my last Wednesday morning league game today.....and wouldn't you know I hit the ball better than I have all summer long! We played a best ball scramble and we were the only 3 person team so we were at a disadvantage, but wouldn't you know it we WON! I got the longest drive on one hole and would have had the longest drive on the other hole except for the fact that Murphy again interferred. My ball flies down the fairway and wouldn't you know it hits the marker in the middle of the fairway marking the previous persons longest shot. Do you know the odds of hitting this thing?!?! It's a skinny little stake that only stands maybe 20" high and my ball hits it and ricoshays to the left. Had it passed it I would have also had that longest drive and in the middle of the fairway at that! AGH! My putting wasn't the greatest but still I felt good about my game. Now I have the whole winter to lose it only to start rusty again in the spring. Oh Well.....blame it on Murphy.

Since this was our last day we had a luncheon and there was an awesome dessert served that I have to share with you. So this is an early 'Sweet Thursday' Don't know what it is called so I am going to call it "Oreo Dream"

(Later tonight) I am going to post another recipe I fixed for dinner tonight. My husband actually commented on it and liked it. It's been a while since that has happened....he either A) really liked it....or B) He's hoping to get lucky tonight.
Here's the sweet recipe first....

Oreo Dream

1st layer: 1 large package crushed Oreos minus 1/3 cup
1 stick butter, melted

Combine and press in 9 X 13 pan

2nd layer: 8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powder sugar

mix, then fold in 12 oz. Cool Whip

3rd layer: 1 lg Package instant Chocolate pudding
(prepare using chococate milk)

4th layer: 8 oz Cool Whip

5th layer: 1/3 cup crushed Oreos; crumble on top

Refigerate after each layer.

Enjoy!!


Pat's Chicken & Rice

3 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
a/2 tsp pepper
3-4 boneless chicken breast
1 1/2 Tbsp margarine
1 med green pepper; chopped
1 cup uncooked rice
1 1/2 cup water
2 tsp chicken boullion paste or 2 cubes
1 tsp Accent or seasoned salt
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chili's ( I used regular, use mild for less spicy)
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

Put flour, salt, pepper and paprika in bag and mix. Add chicken and shake until well coated. Brown chicken in margarine on med-high heat. Push chicken to side of pan; place green pepper, rice, water, boullion, and Accent in pan. Mix well with drippings. Place chicken on top of rice mixture. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover and simmer 5 - 10 min. more. Serve and enjoy!

When I get my hands on this Murphy guy!

Why is it when your budget has no more room to budge the costly unexpected happens?! Seems this happens all too often. Can you say.....Murphy's Law? I hate this Murphy guy who ever he is. I say we all gang up and have our revenge on him.

As some of you may know my husband is in jeopardy of losing his job. He is a mechanic for a major Airline. We won't say any more.....any way....he has been working a lot of overtime and we have been trying not to spend unecessarily (this has caused some interesting discussions). Last night my son comes home and tells me the truck is driving weird. Apparently it's not shifting into 2nd and shifting hard into 3rd (automatic). So I tell my husband about this this morning and he goes out to check it out and it won't shift into reverse. Seems the transmission needs to be fixed/replaced. This is not a cheap repair! UGH....but we do agree that it has to be done. So I follow my husband to the transmission shop (praying it makes it or else I will have to tow him). It will take about two days and $1500. There goes a good chunk of change. Then of course school is about to start and I have yet to take the kids shopping for clothes or supplies. I have told them not to expect a ton of new clothes, just some basics until we are on solid ground again with the job situation.

Well, got to run and register two youngest for classes. Will write more later......