Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe new year! I, for one, am glad to be leaving the drama and chaos of 2008 behind! I am encouraged to think that 2009 is going to be better for our family and for our country. Don't pop my bubble of obliviousness and tell me differently! LOL

We don't have any exciting plans for the evening and will be staying in to watch the Ball drop. Hopefully I can stay awake that late. If not? Well... I'm sure 2009 will ring in just fine without me!

I do wish you all a very blessed New Year and I hope I can continue to entertain you with the antics and misadventures of my life, well... mostly of my kids!

I can hope that the drama in our house will end, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's only just begun!

Happy New Year!


**Update on the Pig** - She weighs a whopping 87 pounds and is very eager to have her belly rubbed and led around on the lead rope. I promise more pig stories and pictures are coming your way, go ahead - you can tell me - you're really not interested in seeing and hearing more about the pig. I know these things! LOL

Only My Daughter

Would want a PIG for Christmas! But yes, Bailey asked for a **pig**!!! Not as a pet, so to speak, but more as one to learn to show in the 4-H events in our area. She's never done this before, but we have very close friends that are pros at this and they are going to help her all along the way. This should be a learning experience for all of us! This is not just any ordinary pig, it's a blue butt pig? See those spots? That makes her special.... as special as any pig can be? I guess? After we had already bought and paid for the pig I asked just what was going to happen to this precious little animal, and my husband quickly informed me that she would be bacon by Spring! OY!

It's do or die time....

I must buy christmas gifts for my children!

From the looks of our tree, you might think the elves were on strike - NOT A PRESENT TO BE FOUND!

I attempted the mall on my lunch break today, but it was just horrid. No parking spaces, and absolutely no selections - so I suppose this means that I will have to drive about an hour out of my way to the 'rich folk mall' and shop on Saturday. I do have a general idea of what each girl wants, so maybe I can focus and just get through it? I do have a list for each girl and I keep looking at them hoping that it will just magically get done. No luck yet?

We only buy gifts for our three girls and my mother and grandmother, you would think that I could have this knocked out wouldn't you? NOPE... I am not a shopper and I am most definitely not a mall wanderer, so this really is a taxing and challenging time for me.

I wish you all the best of luck in finishing your shopping and for those of you that are finished and have been for several days or even weeks - well - I don't want to know! Good for you... you big NERD!! LOL

Christmas Music?

What's your favorite?

I've been listening to an online radio station that is playing Christmas Music and I'm slowly getting into the spirit of the season.

I also realized that I really only like the 'ole' guys Christmas music... such as Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, and Nat King Cole? I also like the traditional songs as sung by the popular artists of the 50's. I wonder why that is?

Maybe it's because that is the music I grew up listening to. My parents had RECORDS (remember those?) of the old time original favorites of the 50's and 60's and since we had music speakers all over our house (a hobby of my dad's) and we had a fancy schmancy stereo (another hobby of my dad's) we had wall-to-wall music going on in the house - most of the time. I never really realized how unique that was until I tell that to someone else and realize that it wasn't the 'norm' to have in most homes? Hmmmm???? We were surround sound and didn't even know it? LOL

What is your favorite Christmas music and/or artist?

Migraines....

Oh how I hate thee, let me count the ways.

I must apologize to my blogging buddies for my sudden disappearance - it was a Migraine!
Not just any migraine, but one of those that sends you to the ER in so much pain that death would be a welcome change!!! I ended up at the ER TWICE, once on Saturday in Houston while I was visiting my BFF and then again on Monday, after I attempted to go to work - like a big dumby!!! I finally got into see the Neurologist on Wednesday.

The most wonderful Neurologist that came to my rescue has discovered that I've been having anxiety attacks and thus I have developed severe muscle spasms in the back of my head and neck/shoulders. Thus the feeling that someone was stabbing my head with a hatchet -for 8 days STRAIGHT!! Did you know that not being able to stick your tongue out is a huge indicator of bad stuff? Let me tell ya' - it's not good if you voilenty throw up with a turn of a head or a sneeze! HUGE WARNING signs that something is wrong!!!

Oh well.... I'm on the road to recovery and really loving the pain pills and muscle relaxers that I've been prescribed! Who knew?

Maybe I can bring some fun back to blogging ? Right now I'm just trying to relearn to READ!! LOL

Plum Giddy

I'm just plum giddy... I am going to spend the weekend with my long-time childhood bestest friend in the whole wide world. I can't wait....a weekend with just the girls! Woo Hoo......
I'm leaving for Houston in the morning, just as soon as I drop my rugrats off at school in the morning, I'm hitting the highway!

This is going to be great! Hopefully I'll remember to take plenty of pictures and not incriminate myself! LOL

Stay tuned for the good stuff!

Have a wonderful weekend!

I'm back on Digital Scrapbooking

It's just scary how much fun I have doing my digital scrapbook pages and I've rediscovered the colors and fun of the Christmas season - so consider yourself warned! :)

AND.... I just found some really cool websites with Christmas digi-stuff..... Wooo Hoooo....
This is quite addicting!

Stale Blog

There's just nothing worse than a stale blog.... and I've got it!

However, I'm on a mission to find something new and cute to put on my blog - maybe I can do something for the holidays? Who knows? I'm inspired to sorta redo and shake things up a bit.

I have fallen behind in my picture taking and I desperately need to update pictures of the girls. Not to mention I just need to find some fresh graphics and do a little scrap booking along the way.

Stay tuned for changes to come - I need a new obsession....i.e...hobby... or just something new to play with for a while.


We all know, I'm easily distracted by shiny things.... so this should be interesting.

Alfredo Sauce

Now don't die of shock, but yes I'm posting another recipe. A GREAT recipe, if I do say so myself. I have no idea where this originated, but it was passed along to me from a co-worker and it was so easy and tasted wonderful.

*1 stick of salted butter (NOT MARGARINE)

*1 quart of heavy whipping cream

*2 eggs yolks, beaten

*1 1/2 cups of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

*1/8 cup of fresh chopped parsley

*1 tbsp of garlic powder

In large skillet melt butter with heavy whipping cream, then when the butter is melted add the 2 egg yolks and stir until the consistency starts to firm up a bit.

Next sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, parsley and garlic powder. Continue to cook over low heat and stirring occasionally.

This entire process only takes about 10 minutes and then it is ready to pour over your cooked fettuccine noodles. I also accessorized my own personal plate with a few slices of fresh tomato from my back yard, and it was awesome!!!

I had hoped that there would be some leftovers for me to bring in for lunch today, but NO.... not a drop was left! I guess it met with everyone's approval?

Try it... it beats the pants off of those bottled versions you can buy at the grocery store!

Doritos Casserole? Anyone?

See this evil grin, I was beginning to think we were all going to be poisoned by Doritos?

Let me start this story off correctly..... Yesterday Brit announces that she has learned to make a Doritos Casserole and she wanted to prepare dinner for us. Hmmm??? Okay? I'm surprised, pleased and a bit worried, but I'm not going to show my emotions - I don't want to ruin anything that might work out in my favor! (Wink... Wink)

So.... Brit gives me her list of ingredients, which luckily I keep on hand anyway and all I had to pick up was the bag of Doritos.

**Before you even give this recipe any considerations, let me first warn you.... this is a typical college student - comfort food - casserole. It is HIGH in sodium, HIGH in fat, HIGH is calories, and HIGH in Carbs....this is NOT for the weak or the dieting!! LOL **

(I'm an equal opportunity brand shopper - I buy whichever brand is on sale!)

• Brown about a 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef and season with garlic, onions, salt, and pepper. I usually saute my onions and garlic with my beef, but I just let her do her thing and she used the powdered version. Worked out just fine.
  
• Heat up the two cans of cream-of-whatever


• Grate about a pound of cheese


• Open one can of ranch style beans


• Crush and entire bad of Nacho Cheese Doritos.
  
• Layer the casserole dish with half of the crushed Doritos and next layer with cooked ground beef, then the cream of whatever soups, next comes the ranch style beans (NOT DRAINED) and finally use the rest of the bag of crushed Doritos and top with a Mountain of grated cheese.


• Bake in a 375* oven - covered with foil - for about 40 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Then... Eat up! Oh, and for added flavor you can use some ranch dressing to top it all off with (Bailey and Brit said it was great) or you can use hot sauce. Briley and I just ate it plain and we thought it was great that way. Your choice!

You can see by the pictures of Bailey and Briley that they were very happy with their sister's culinary skills... well, okay.... it was just a one dish wonder, but we aren't going to argue over semantics!

Brit's come a long way from boxed mac n' cheese! LOL Maybe this is the beginning of something bigger to come... maybe she'll start experimenting with other dishes. You can bet that I'm not going to do anything to discourage her at this point, I welcome the help in the kitchen!

I had to capture this moment on film because no one really knows if we will ever see her standing over a stove again? Seriously... this is huge novelty in my house - she's the TV Dinner Queen!

Wednesday Rant... Whimpy kids... UGH

Last night at Bri's tumbling class one of the little girls (maybe 9 yrs old?) stepped 'wrong' off of the mat and twisted her ankle just a bit - I mean - seriously - I saw the whole thing - it was just the fact that she stepped wrong off of the 3" mat - (huge eye rolling thing for me).

So her mother, her dad, and her younger sister all run out to see about her and interrupt everyone else's tumbling time for about 7 minutes or so. Now... first of all.... does is take the entire family to watch her tumble for an hour? I mean really - do you ALL need to go and sit and watch her LEARN to do a cartwheel?

Next, why in the world did it take ALL of these people to go out and pick the kid up and move her to the side of the mats? The way she and her parents were acting - you would have thought that a bone was sticking out of the skin? HONESTLY!!! So, after the entire class is interrupted and the coaches have to stop and go round up some ice for this kid, the mother is just doting on this kid like nothing I've ever seen. Asking her if she wanted to continue with tumbling? Asking her if she felt like she could do this or that... I mean... seriously - at the most her ankle might have been stinging just a bit - but we aren't talking about a significant injury! Good Grief.

To top it all off - this goofy mother says to the 9 YEAR OLD whiny baby, "Only you know your body and if you think you can't continue tonight or put weight on your foot, then do you want us to take you to the Dr.?" OH..... MY!!!! These people need to get a grip! She's a whiny kid, anyone can see that from just observing her in class - and how in the heck does a 9 year old KNOW HER OWN BODY YET? Give me a BREAK!

So after about 6 minutes - at the most- the girl gets up and walks over to the mats and starts tumbling again... like nothing is hurt. Go figure?

And we wonder why the youth of tomorrow is so dependant and needy? It's this type of parenting that builds big whiny babies!

I've had my kids slip off the mats before or land wrong and the most they get is a quick look and I send them back out to tumble. There have been times when they may have really strained their ankles or wrists, but that just means they get a Tylenol before bed and we are good the next day. ** No blood loss.... No bone protruding... no puke... then you're just fine! I'm paying this guy by the hour - get to tumbling! **

Update on the purse calling my name...

I went to Dillard's bright and early Friday morning, fully prepared to lay down my $275 for THE purse I just had to have. However, when I found it and tried on my shoulder it was awful. The straps were too short and it was just awful... I was totally devastated, UNTIL the nice helpful little old lady mentioned that there were some NEW Dooney and Bourke purses that I might like.

Now how did she know me so well???

Yes, yes she was right - I did discover there were a few of the D&B purses calling to me - it was some what spiritual! :) (You should be reading this with sarcasm.) Not to worry...I found a very wonderfully comfortable shoulder strap on a chocolate brown suede D&B that just happened to be ON SALE!! GASP!!! Well - now you know me - I can't pass up a sale! It was meant to be... duh!!

Of course since I found a purse on sale - I had EXTRA money to spend! Woo Hoo.... Yep, you guessed it, I just had to have a new wallet to match. How could I not? It would have been a horrible fashion mishap.


So now I've got a new purse to sooth my wounds while we visit my in laws for the holidays. Okay, so I really didn't need a new purse to survive, but I'm sure going to feel better - even though none of my hick town in laws will really care one way or the other what kind of purse I carry - I will know.... WINK WINK!!!

**Disclaimer: I'm really NOT a name dropping purse feign.... but... I do have my moments when the little things I can afford for myself, make the rest of my life bearable!**

(Stay tuned for the latest in my husband's skanky text messaging softball mamma/girlfriend - this is getting good!)


Here's the link to a picture of this totally fab purse... Brown Suede Fredrica Bag
I really like the 'feed bag' style also... hmmmm????? Maybe?

LAWSUIT ABUSE!!!

You know the kinds of people that are just lawsuit happy... well I've had the unfortunate luck of being the next on their hit list. In March of this year I was involved in a traffic accident wherein I was REAR ENDED by another car. The other driver is denying any responsibility, although the police report clearly states it was HIS fault, NOT MINE! UGH....

So fast forward to now... yes we have a court date set for OCTOBER 2009 and I've just received back the discovery information from the Plaintiff, (a passenger in the other car) or who I shall formally refer to as the skank that is suing me.

Get this... this woman is an admitted meth addict (clearly documented in the discovery papers) and has served time in the Alabama State Prison system, where she sued the State of Alabama because she said she was abused by the prison guards. Okay... my mouth was hanging open in shock after I read all of this in the discovery papers. Additionally, she has been diagnosed with Bi-polar disorder... uh hello? Does anyone see any red flags going up here?

To top it all off, her account of the accident is so far stretched from what actually happened and is recorded on the police report. My question is this.... How in the world can this type of bogus claim/suit get through the judicial system. I mean really now - common sense is desperately needed at this point.

If your State Farm Insurance premiums increase, it's because people like this are abusing the system and our money is paying to defend such utterly stupid claims. Oh and get this... the damage on my car was estimated at $637.oo the other driver's car damage was $5,000 and the plaintiff's medical bills are over $12,000 (for which she didn't have any health insurance, but she continued to return to the ER for various testing and they found nothing wrong with her?)

Now the poor skank is unable to contine working at the Black Eye Pea restaurant because she is in soooooo much pain! O.M.G!!! GET A LIFE!

Veterans' Day

I go along for YEARS and never shed a tear or even let myself think about how much I really do miss my daddy. However, with today being Veterans' Day and also my Dad's birthday, I have had a hard time emotionally today.

I found this sampler in one of my favorite catalogs and just started bawling like a big ole' baby... what is wrong with me? LOL My dad would have been 70 years old today if he had lived. However, his life was taken much too soon when he was only 55 after suffering with Leukemia. I don't think this is a wound that will ever heal for me.... I was a HUGE Daddy's girl!

Of the many things my dad taught us, the most prevalent of all his passions was his patriotism and the honor that he felt having served during the Cuban Crisis in the US Air Force. He was of course, my Military Hero and will always be the first person I think of on Veterans' Day... if for no other reason than to whisper him a birthday wish, because I KNOW he's still with me.

Okay, I've done it again... :) I've made myself cry.... please excuse me while I get a tissue.

Happy Thanksgiving Gift?

I realize you probably don't give a rats patootie what I want, but I'm going to share with you anyway... I WANT this purse!! It's calling my name! One small detail is that it is almost $300... YIKES.... I wonder if I could justify it as a Thanksgiving Gift, you know.... for all of the hard work and cooking that I'm REQUIRED to do. Not to mention that I need a little bribe here and there to be pleasant around my in-laws over these upcoming holidays.

See... just give me time... I'll justify my needy and selfish wants. I will have this purse... I tell ya'! It's calling my name - I know you hear it too!

Too bad they don't have a trade-in sorta deal... where I could trade in my 'old' (last season) Coach Bags for some sort of discount on the newer models? Hmmmm?????

And yes, I completely understand that I'm paying for the name only, but I'm okay with that!