Short Update

Since I went off the low carb diet last fall, I have gained and my eating is out of control. Last week I went to an OA meeting. I used to go years ago when the kids were little, and I'm starting back.
I know for me, diets don't work long-term. I have to do something drastic. I'll let you all know how it goes. I haven't overeaten since last Wednesday. That's a big thing for me, the queen of binges.
We got a new printer. Ours konked out a few weeks ago. I didn't know how much I used the printer until I didn't have one. My son came over last night and installed the new one. We can use it wirelessly from both laptops. I'm always amazed by technology.
My granddaughter will soon be two. My husband and I were talking about it last night and we were both amazed it had been that long since she was born. Seems like just yesterday I had called him to come get me so we could rush off to the hospital. She is growing so fast and looks more and more like her mom did at that age every day.

Trekkies, Roses, and Diamonds

Yesterday we went to see Star Trek for my husband's birthday (last week) and he loved it. I'm not a trekkie but I have to admit it was a very good movie.

We went by the book store and met Elizabeth Bettina, the author of It Happened in Italy, a book about prisoner of war camps in Italy and how much better the Jews were treated there than in Germany. She signed a copy for me, noting it was the second book she'd ever signed in a bookstore. Of course, that is every writer's dream, to be sitting at the little table in the bookstore signing copies of your latest book. She was very nice, and gave us some of the stories behind the pictures in the book.

My son came by and brought me some roses for Mother's Day. They are beautiful flowers. My daughter sent me the funniest e-card. My youngest son will be calling later, I'm sure. He's a very late sleeper since he works the night shift.

Speaking of the youngest, he bought his girlfriend an engagement ring this week. He special ordered it, so it hasn't come into the local jewelry store yet, but since they had been looking at rings together, the proposal won't be a total surprise. However, she doesn't know he bought the ring. She wanted a certain look, and he found it in something he could afford. I'm happy for him. I like her a lot, and will be glad to have her as a daughter-in-law and future grandchildren's mother! (Yes, I'm getting ahead of myself.)


So to all you mom's out there, Happy Mother's Day. Kiss those babies.

Prostitutes and Frostys

Busy, busy week. Three family birthdays, two doctor's appointments including the ol' annual physical, consoling a friend, a ton of laundry I never got to over the weekend, and on it goes.

I made a decision to turn off my computer and television every morning so I could make myself get off my butt and clean my house. So how is that going? I get up, work hard for about thirty minutes, and then collapse on the couch with BOTH the computer and the television on, and argue with myself over how lazy I must be, why can't I get this done, etc. etc.

I only had the cleaning lady once before she had knee surgery, and I really want to get EVERYTHING here clean at one time like she did, but the part of me that used to be able to clean the house from top to bottom in one day seems to have gotten lost somewhere through the years.

My friend called to tell me that she's a horrible person and all the reasons why, and I consoled her telling her how she's awesome (and meant it) and how she should stop beating herself up. All the time I'm beating myself up about all the things I should have done this week but didn't because I have no willpower, instead of being glad for all I DID accomplish this week. I also realized my grandmother is talking in my head. For instance, I haven't put away the last load of laundry yet, although it is folded in the basket. My grandmother's voice in my head says, "You haven't DONE the laundry until it's put away."

Lightning hit our internet box last weekend, so instead of taking that as a gift from God to get me to clean my house, I start searching frantically for an unsecured connection in the neighborhood I can use until my son comes over to hook up the new box.

My friend was complaining about her house being so cluttered, and how a lady from her church reminded her that "God is a God of order." I told her if he loves prostitutes and tax collectors, he surely loves us in spite of our messy houses.
So I have the best of intentions, really. I just lack motivation or energy or gumption or something. I am so jealous of people who start projects and finish them.

The doctor says I have Roseacea, and gave me this fantastic stuff called Metrogel that, in less than a week, is helping take away the redness. I add that to give hope to anyone reading this with Roseacea. He also said I had lost five pounds since I was there a month ago. That is a miracle. As I was talking to my friend, she said, "Hold on...I'll have a large Frosty." She was in the drive-thru at Wendy's. All I could think of was going to get me a Frosty so I would feel better, too. But I had a piece of strawberry cake instead.

Look at My "NEW" Table!

My hubby moved my grandmother's table downstairs and it now takes one end of my kitchen. Everytime I look at it, I remember sitting at that table at my grandmother's house eating hot oatmeal with raisins. I'd love to add more vintage or vintage-look items to my kitchen as the budget permits. I really like the way it looks. I can see myself sitting there copying recipes or writing my short stories.

My son moved out into his apartment and I miss him something awful. I have to admit I enjoyed having someone here to fuss over and to cook for besides just me and hubby. I got up everyday and made his lunch. He said I'd have to come over to his apartment and make lunch for him everyday. ha. I hate empty nests. You get used to being needed for something and then you aren't anymore. (Honestly, I know that's not true, but that's how I feel today.) I miss my kids being little and running around while I made dinner.
I am making a strawberry cake today from a Paula Deen show. Here is the recipe:

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

* 1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
* 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
* 1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
* 4 large eggs
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/4 cup water


Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
* 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
* 7 cups confectioners' sugar
* Freshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth.

Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.

I am not going to make the strawberry icing exactly as it called for, as I couldn't find strawberry extract. I am just going to make cream cheese icing and add a bit of the strawberry puree and a couple of drops of red food coloring to pink it up.

Musical Chairs, Oz, and Cheerios

I've been paying homeowner's dues here since 2000, and it's only been in the last few months that I've actually taken part in any activities. I've never been in the pool, never used the tennis courts, never had family members use the playground. I did rent the clubhouse for my daughter's baby shower, but since I had to pay a fee to use it, I didn't look at that as a perk of my homeowner's dues, not really. So when we started playing cards at the clubhouse, I figured maybe I'm reaping some benefit of all those dollars.
Well, we had glass top tables and some pretty comfortable dining chairs, and that's what we've been using for cards. Our president decided that we really shouldn't be using those tables for our card-playing group, and she got WalMart card tables and folding chairs.
Well, I don't care what kind of table I sit at to play cards, but I'm pretty picky about what kind of chair I'm going to sit three hours straight in, and the new chairs suck. Some of the others figured that out pretty quickly, too, and so when we arrive to play, there was some musical chairs, or shifting of chairs. Last night our dear homeowner's president (drippy sarcasm there) announced that we must use the folding chairs and not the dining chairs, because the dining chairs are fragile. One lady immediately stood up to her and said she could not sit in the folding chairs because the seat was too short and they were uncomfortable. Pres lady said they are not shorter, etc..and on it went. So Pres lady leaves and chairs start moving all over the place. Seems no one wants her to tell them where they can sit. I can feel a fight coming on.
I don't like fights, and I don't like arguing, but I doubt this one can be avoided. I sat there last night thinking I probably won't get to play cards much longer, because I don't want to be there when the darts start flying. (Now as for me, I'm sitting there last night thinking what chair I can bring from home to avoid the whole question of which of the clubhouse chairs to use)
My question is, since I pay dues, and that means I own as much a chunk of those chairs as Pres lady, who is she to say what chairs we use. And if the dining chairs are fragile, what is she saving them for? Someone to rent the clubhouse only to have their guests dumped in the floor when the back breaks off the chair?
None of this may sound that interesting, but hey, it's the most excitement I've had around here in awhile.
So Dr Oz was on the View yesterday, saying we should all be prepared with food and water to be quarantined in our homes in case the Swine Flu gets out of control. My husband said he thought he'd run by the grocery and buy a little extra food to tuck away. He brings home three boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios and six cans of Mini Ravioli.
ha. I swear that's what he bought. And no milk for the cereal.
I figured out why I don't get much done in my house. It's because I'm addicted to tv and my computer. I decided to get up in the morning and check email, then turn off both until noon. I've managed to throw out three garbage bags of unwanted stuff and clean (and I mean CLEAN) two rooms, ceiling to floors and everything in between. And that's just yesterday and today.
At noon, I make lunch and watch All My Children. Then I get busy again. My house smells like Pine-sol. (NO, not the lemon kind!) I figure if I keep this up, I'll have the whole downstairs decluttered in two or three weeks. Now if I can just figure out how to keep my husband from going through the garbage bags. Maybe I can just distract him with some cheerios.

50's Chicks, Baby Chicks

I found this blog where a lady is living as if she is in 1955, dressing, using vintage appliances, avoiding all radio or television after 1955, etc. She's doing it for the whole year, and other than the posting on the computer (which her readers supported!) she's being authentic. I'm sure there will be a book forthcoming from this at some time, but I think it's a fascinating idea. For one thing, I recognize so many of the things she is using, the patterns she is sewing with, the vintage frig she bought, the dishes. She's the one who tipped me off to the rip off with lemon Pine-sol.

I think I would make a great fifties housewife. I like cooking, cleaning, laundry. I don't mind staying home all day. I like fifties television and cookbooks. I even think the clothes and hairstyles are so cute.

We drove out to see my dad the other day. He was having a good day and even recognized my husband by name. My step-mom was at church, so he was able to talk to us freely, and his number one topic was my mom. He asked about her several times, how she is, does she live alone, etc. My mom has said if my step-mom dies before he does, she will go out and marry him again. At first, we thought she was kidding, but she's repeated it so many times, we have concluded she's serious. And from the way he talked, he'd have her back in a heartbeat.

He also talked a lot about visiting his funeral plots and having all his arrangements in place. That worried me and I thought about that a lot after I got home. I hope he's not trying to tell us he hasn't got much longer, because he's been doing so much better lately.

He also said one of his hens hid her nest so they couldn't find the eggs, and has hatched ten baby chicks. He put her and her chicks up so they could stay warm, and seemed excited by them, but angry at her for hiding those eggs.

The spaghetti sauce I made the other day from my ex's ex's recipe had too much red pepper flakes in it. I should have known better when I read how much....But, we've decided with a few tweaks, it could be a very good sauce, so I'm not giving up on it yet.

I made a cheese strata to take to card playing yesterday. It turned out well.
I bought some cute chicken recipe cards and a big wooden roll-top recipe box, and I'm redoing my old recipes for it. I like handwritten recipes, and have kept a box for most of my married life, but my box got too full and was bulging. I'm having a good time remembering recipes, ones I received from old friends and boyfriends (One said, "This is my mom's chocolate cake and fudge icing recipe. She doesn't share it with anyone, so I had to beg her to email it to me. When you meet her, don't tell her I shared it with you or she will kill me.")

I have one dear recipe I got from a older Southern lady, handwritten. She was telling me how to make good fried okra. She began, "I fry my OKREY a little at a time." There is a recipe for brownies from my childhood playmate's mom. A recipe handwritten by my daughter when she was eleven or twelve called "Do-Do Cookies". My boys giggled all the time about that one, but loved those chocolate, oatmeal bites that looked like do-do. I'm having a lot of fun.

I have my grandmother's formica top table with the chrome band edging, and red and green flowers, and her icy green chrome chairs in my upstairs bedroom. I have decided to bring them down and use them. A few of the seats are split, and since I'd never find this green ice vinyl to cover them in that looks authentic, I'm thinking of clear tape, duct tape, something. Any ideas? I can put those chairs at the back, and maybe even make some skirts for the seats or something. I loved that table. It was always the one my grandma used. I should be using it instead of hiding it away in the attic.
I'll post a picture of it soon.

And Another Thing....

Another thing..this time about PINE-SOL. Both my grandmothers used Pine-Sol to clean their bathrooms, mop, and whatever else needed disinfecting in their homes. I grew up thinking Pine-Sol equals clean. I even know one woman who doesn't clean but just pours some Pine-Sol in her toilets when company is coming so they THINK she cleans. ha.
Well, I found out none of the scented Pine-Sol, including lemon which I switched to some years ago, have any pine oil in them, therefore having no disinfecting quality whatsoever. So it basically just takes the germs, mixes them around on the surface, and makes 'em smell like lemons.

Paper Towel Saga Part 2

Hi Kathy,

We appreciate your feedback about the change in the number of sheets in some of
our Bounty packages.

We try to keep our manufacturing costs as low as possible so we can offer our
Bounty towels at an affordable price. Sometimes, though, costs of ingredients
or packaging materials increase, and we're faced with a tough decision.

We can either raise the price of our towels, or we can change the amount in the
package, as we did in this case. I’ll share your comments with the rest of the
Bounty team.

Thanks for writing.

Barb
Bounty Team

Incredibly Shrinking Paper Towels

What the heck happened to my paper towels???!!! I've bought Brawny paper towels for years-- big, soft, fluffy rolls of Brawny. This week I went to the grocery and my Brawny rolls have shrunk by half, they should be called the Un-Brawny. I started looking at other brands, after years of being a Brawny customer, and you know what? They've shrunk, too. Scott towels are weasly looking rolls, Bounty is not bounty anymore but more like the 90 lb weakling at the beach. I was so frustrated, not just because I would have to buy two rolls now to do what one used to do, but because my soft, swiggisy rolls of paper towels now feel like skinny bricks.
So this tells you how small the circle of my life is. Other people are complaining about the stock market and I'm complaining about my paper towels. Not only am I complaining on my blog. I wrote the Brawny folks.

So I was talking to my friend, Dawn, and as she always jumps on my soapbox with me (what are friends for?) she started on washing machines. She said, "Don't you remember when you used to buy a washing machine or refrigerator and you knew you'd have that sucker 20 years or more until you finally just had to have a more modern-looking one. But that refrigerator would not die, oh no, it would still work just fine. With strong medal shelves (NO PLASTIC) and a solid sounding door. No more. Now they are hunk of junks that last five years tops, if you're lucky." With my refrigerator making this weird clunking every time the ice maker comes on, I thought maybe paper towels aren't going to be the worse thing I have to deal with...

Then I said it. I couldn't believe it when it came out of my mouth....."They just don't make things like they used to." And immediately I saw my grandmother saying it, my grandfather, my dad. Why is American junking down on what we sell? And why do I sound like old people?

TARGET is the DEVIL !!

I got into a tussel with Target. The store here had a sewing machine on display with a price of $49.99, a Singer. I thought it sounded too good to be true, so I got an employee to come check. He scanned it and said no, that's their regular price, and although they are out of them right now, they do have some more coming in, or he can check other nearby stores. I said, "That's not a sale price? Do I need a raincheck?" "No, that's our regular price for that machine."

Ok, sounded good to me. He checked the store in Huntsville, and they had two. He asked them to hold me one. (You know where this is going, don't you?) So I sent hubby by there after work, they ring it up, and it says $299. So they called the store here and then tell us that it's our store's closeout price, but they are not closing it out at their store, so it's three hundred bucks.

I was very upset, but hubby did not want to argue with them so he left. He did stop by the store here and let the manager know how upset I was, but all he said was he would find out why the employee told me that (don't think he believed us) but his hands were tied. I swore I'd never go to Target again, but of course I will. How can you NOT go to Target?

No, I didn't really need a new sewing machine, but my old one needs repairing (my daughter is using the embroidery machine) and I figured if I could get one for that price, it would be cheaper than a repair. It all worked out, as I ended up finding a great deal on one from Amazon and used my gift certificate, so it ended well, despite Target.

My son got the job he'd been interviewing for in Huntsville. He was concerned because his third interview didn't go as well as the first two, but he got an offer. He starts a week from Monday. He's so excited; he went out and bought a new razor. ha.

I made Madeleine's today. I even bought the little shell-shaped tin to make them in. Very good to eat, very bad for a diet. I was just trying out a batch so I could make them for our card players Monday night.



Tomorrow I'm making a big batch of spaghetti sauce by my ex's ex-wife's recipe. (Following that?) All the time we were married, which wasn't long, either time (married him twice, confused yet?) he raved about this sauce, best he'd ever had. So I got him to ask his daughter to ask her mom for the recipe for HIM (she wouldn't have given it to me) and I've had it ever since. I never tried it. Ran across the recipe this week when I was sorting through some old papers copying recipes for my recipe box, and I decided to try it. It has a lot of spices in it, so who knows how it will turn out. Nothing like experimenting on my hubby and son. Neither complains, as long as it's edible.

Home Again

My son and I arrived home last Friday after eight days on the road. We drove from Seattle down to Bakersfield, CA and then across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and then to Alabama. We went through California because this time of year, it's not easy to find all the roads open through the Rockies. We had to load the UHaul trailer. He had moved all of his heavy furniture into a storage unit, but had not packed any of his kitchen, baths, closets, etc, so had tons of boxes still to be loaded (and he lived on the third floor).
There were times both he and I were ready to give up. Taking the stairs that many times was killing us, we were both exhausted, and there seemed to be no end in sight. Add to that the fact that the landlord's husband came by while we were still loading the trailer to "inspect" the apartment. He kept walking around saying he "couldn't see the carpet because of the boxes." Well, duh. We finally convinced him to come back the next morning so we could have everything out.
My son had a huge deposit, so he's hoping he gets it all back. He was super careful with the apartment.
We figured out quickly on the road that we could not drive above 45-50 with the trailer before it began to fishtail all over the road, even though we did our best to distribute the weight on the wheels, and we put all the heavy weight on the hitch. So it was a long, slow trip.
We were exhausted when we got home, but it was a good trip. We saw the Grand Canyon, the Sequoias, Meteor Crater and The Mystery Spot. We had a long time to talk, and did very little arguing. He was a very easy person to travel with.
We had one bad motel experience (when he found a clean pillowcase over a bloody pillow!) and after that, we got a lot more careful about where we stayed. I came home even more of a germ-a-phobe than I was when I left.
When I got home, I had a new living room floor waiting. Yes, folks, after all that time of griping about hating my living room carpet, it's gone! I have a Trafficmaster Allure Oak floor, and I love it. The boy that helped my husband put it down said it was a horror to put down, though. I was hoping to get it throughout the house sooner or later, but I guess I'll have to be happy with the living room and hall for now. I really like it.
We are going to the Baptist church near our house for Sunday School and church. The lady who teaches my Sunday School class is also one of our neighbors and plays cards with us, as does her husband who is my husband's SS teacher. We have a big class, mostly women older than me, a truly senior class. Each week I go, I leave angry. This week, the lesson was about how to be saved and how there is only one way. I know how Baptist's believe, so I was not surprised by the lesson, even though I have broader ideas of God's mercy. But during class, they began to talk about Judaism, and how the Jews still take sacrifices to the temple every Sunday (what?), how there are a lot of stereotypes about Jews (then the Jew jokes came in, but only as an example of what we should not say, of course.....). Then they switched to Mexicans, Buddists, on and on. Basically how they feel uncomfortable around those foreign poor, misguided people who don't know the truth, or are different from us in other ways.
By the time class was over, I was exhausted, mostly because my emotions were raging and I kept my mouth shut. (I've seen people try to disagree with this teacher and it wasn't pretty.) I asked my husband if we could go home and just skip church, and we did. Then I came home and started wondering why it is that I seem all gung-ho on going to church when I start; then I always start finding things I don't like until I end up quitting completely. Of course, I figured the problem has to be with me, as nothing could possibly be wrong with the SS teacher, as everyone just loves her.
Then I tried to think last night where I feel comfortable with God and religion. It was standing underneath one of the Sequoias, looking into the Grand Canyon, watching a mother with her baby, holding a newborn puppy. That's when I feel God and when I feel closest to God. I don't feel him at all in that church building where we go. I can't seem to box up my image of God into a neat little package like they do at church. I feel "different" which is uncomfortable for me.
Ok, I used this post to vent, because this has been bugging me. Is it me? Is it them? My husband doesn't agree with everything they say, but has not problem going along. I am not good at going along with things I don't agree with.
Well, I'm glad to be home. My daughter and grandbaby are coming up next week. I can't wait to see them. So far, it's been a good year.

Teaching Mrs Madoff About Macaroni

I'm through with all the antibiotics and steriods and I still feel yucky. I go back to the doctor tomorrow to have the chest x-ray repeated. I just feel like I need some major vitamins, an oxygen bar, a personal trainer, energy drink, something!

I finished Twilight and New Moon and am reading Eclipse. Again, I still can't believe I like these books, and I LIKE these books. No, you won't see my running around in a "Bite Me" t-shirt (ha).

I've pared my packing list down to the necessities, and I am still debating whether to check one bag and take a large purse on the plane, or try to carry on my bag. I hate dragging luggage around in an airport, especially with a long layover, but while I've never had luggage lost, this would be a very bad time for that to happen with me leaving Seattle for good two days after arriving.

My son had a very promising phone interview (two actually) yesterday with a company in Huntsville. It would be good if he found a job here soon. I think he'd feel better about moving. They want to interview him in person as soon as he gets here.

My husband plans to put down the new floor in the living room (along with help from my friend's son) while I am gone. I will be so excited to come home and it already be done, and thrilled to say bye-bye to carpet.

I stayed up late to watch Amercian Idol (we Tivo'd it, is that a verb?) and, although I love that black fingernail polish guy's voice, he must have been smoking some heavy duty something to get up and sing "I Walk the Line" in a sitar-type arrangement. It sounded like a guru on crack.
The little blonde who sang "Jolene" was pretty bad. I was pleasantly surprised by the Indian guy and the girl with the flu. So if you don't watch Idol, none of these comments make any sense at all.

Now for my take on the Madoff scandel. I don't feel as sorry for the rich folks as I probably should, but I really don't. However, I would love to see his wife have to shop at K-Mart like the rest of us, and see her excited over a blue light special. I've had my "living on mac and cheese until payday" times, and I know how to cook a million hamburger dishes to stretch a five pound chub pack. I could teach her a thing or two.

The Pups New Do's

Bedroom Re-do

While I was out and about yesterday, killing time while the cleaning lady was here, I decided to re-do my bedroom. I went to Walmart and found a $79 comforter set, marked down to $40 (King size, too!), found two pillows that look like silk for $5 each, bought black out curtains ($16 a panel, four panels). Then I went to Hobby Lobby and found a poster I liked, bought a frame for it (17 and 25) and then picked out flowers to arrange in a vase to match (22). I ended up with a new bedroom, which I really like much better than the stuff I had in there (black and cream toile with dark red drapes, too goth). So here are the pics.

Taco Soup and a Tot

I've been in a cooking mood this week. Today I made taco stew. I will post the recipe below.
Tomorrow, our new cleaning lady comes for the first time. I am going to get up early and take the dogs to the groomer so they won't be underfoot. Then I plan to go to the library and have lunch with my friend.

I'm reading Twilight. I never thought I'd like a teenage vampire book but I'm actually loving this. I sat up late last night reading in bed with my book light.

My granddaughter is getting so big. I couldn't resist posting her vacuuming photo. She looks less baby and more little girl. She is very active now in playgroups, so she's quite a social butterfly. It's hard to believe she will be two in a few months.

My husband and I celebrate our sixth anniversary the end of this month. I'm so glad I finally found a good one. There are a lot of frogs out there.

Taco Soup:
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck, browned and drained
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cans beef broth
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
2 cups salsa
1 medium diced onion
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Hidden Valley ranch salad dressing mix

Simmer all day in crock pot. Then add:
1 can creamed corn
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 lb Velvetta cheese, cut into chunks

Continue to simmer until cheese melts. Stir well and serve.

Looking Forward to Spring

I sit and look at the screen, and I think I really should do a new post. What about? Let's see...What has been happening around here lately? Nothing. Well nothing interesting. Well, what is on my mind? All My Children coming on in a little while, highlight of my day since I've been sick, but no one wants to hear about that either..Hm...My life is awfully boring.

Does anyone else do that? Sometimes blogs can be so much fun, but they can also be one more thing on my "Would-a, Should-a" list to do.

Ok, I finished World Without End and The Reader. Started The Curing Season. Trying to figure out what to read next. I went to the beauty shop and that girl swears by the Twilight series, even though she's not into Vampires. So maybe I'll give that a go.

I went "inactive" on Facebook, because I was getting so much email from them everyday and I couldn't figure out how to do most of the stuff on there. Then several people actually missed me being on there, so I reactivated. I also linked my Associated Content material to it, I think, so maybe that will help my page views.

I hate daylight savings time. My internal clock does not like being tampered with. I found this in an article this morning that comfirms that it's a bad, bad idea. ha.

"There's a spike of 5% in heart attacks during the first week of daylight saving time, according to another study published last year. The loss of an hour's sleep may make people more susceptible to an attack, some experts say. When daylight saving time ends in the fall, heart attacks briefly become less frequent than usual."
See?

I'm feeling better post pneumonia, but am still weak. I get up doing things in the house and get winded and tired, but each day I'm able to do a little more.

I am a real germ phobe about motel rooms, and since I know my cross-country trip with my son may end us sleeping in some cheapo places, I decided to get a sleeping bag to lay on the bed to sleep in. I found one and had it shipped to his house. He called today and said, "Geez, it's pink and has fur. I'm glad the UPS dude didn't see it and think it was something I ordered." Hey, the price was right.

I'm still trying to pare down my packing list to only the bare essentials. I ordered three pair of yoga pants that are super comfortable to wear on the trip, so I can just take shirts to swap up. Of course, I'll have to have my Kindle and cell with their chargers. I'm still debating makeup. Who am I going to see anyway? I cut my hair so it's quick and easy to do. I want to maket his trip as easy as possible.

Our governor has decided not to accept the stimulus money for Alabama. I hope he has plenty of his own to kick in when things get worse, which they will. My youngest son is worried about losing his job. He said they are getting rid of people left and right at his station and other stations they own. We may end up with both boys back home before this is all over. I'm so glad my husband works for the government. Job security means so much right now. So does having our mortgage paid off. Still, we are thinking much more seriously about purchases. I guess that is just a sign of the times.

I miss my granddaughter. I'm going to have to take a baby day and go up for a day visit before my trip. I wrote and reminded my daughter to post more pics and video. Maybe I just need to catch them on Skype soon.

I won that writing contest back in October, and since it was more than 600, they sent us a 1099. But they didn't send it until the middle of February, which is the first time I even remembered that money, and after we had filed our taxes. So my husband is busy at the kitchen table today amended both state and federal returns. No matter what, it seems the "extra money" I earn ends up causing us tax problems of some sort, either putting him into a higher tax bracket or something. Still, when a little check comes in, I'm happy. I'm now making an average of $62 a month from Associated Content for past articles and their page views. $62 in mad money is a lot to me. Buys a lot of Kindle books, especially the .99 up to 3.99 ones. Hey, as long as I have books, I am happy.

Dawn Rises on a Whole New Day

Yesterday, the rolling pin thing seemed like a really big deal, and today I don't care as much. I think blogging is a great way to vent and put things in perspective.

I went to the dr today and I have pneumonia, but it's "early" and he loaded me up with yet more medicine. I'm sure it will knock it out this time around, because I have to be well for my trip to Seattle and the drive back to Alabama the 24th of this month.

I'm finishing World Without End, and trying to decide on my next book. I watched the Oprah show today and ordered the Simplicity workbook the girl there had written. I found out it was illustrated and had dividers, and they had me at sold.

I can't seem to sleep without coughing, so I'm sitting up for awhile, hoping I will eventually get really sleepy and then be able to sleep later tomorrow.
We actually got snow on Saturday night, and woke up to white rooftops and yards. It melted off by noon though, but was pretty while it lasted.
Well, i'll make this one short, as I feel crappy and am going to try to go to bed again.

Duck! Here I Come With a Rolling Pin!

Ok, so I did a whole post on how healthy I've been emotionally, how far I've come. Then God showed me to have some humility and that I don't know everything.
I have a rolling pin that belonged to my grandmother. It's old, wood, with red handles, worn and weathered from many years of use. If you had asked me a few days ago, I would have said my grandmother gave it to me, because I thought she did. She gave me a dish towel, an apron, and the rolling pin, I think. Many, many, many years ago.
My niece has a cooking blog, where she posts family recipes and the stories behind them. It's really good. In one recipe she posted recently, she said her mom visited me, and I mentioned having my grandmother's rolling pin, but my sister was shocked. She said Mom had given her a rolling pin, and said it was my grandmother's. So she confronted Mom, and Mom said she didn't want us to not each have one, so she bought an extra from an antique store. Who has the real one? That was my niece's question. I could have been happy from now on, just contently using my rolling pin and thinking of my grandmother. But no. It was not to be. Now I'm wondering if my Mom did give me the rolling pin at some point, and not my grandmother. And it bugs me. REALLY bugs me. I feel hurt, and I wish they had just left well enough alone.
So, you see, they can still hurt my feelings no matter how much therapy I had. I haven't come so far after all. One visit to my house from my sister and I'm back to feeling like a little girl that lost her dolls to her sister during the divorce, because Mom left in such a hurry with me in tow.

Heaven and Heaven, Too.

HEAVEN......


HEAVEN, TOO.

You like me? Good. You don't? That's fine, too.

My sister came, my mom took her on a tour of our home (very short tour to see it all. ha) and then we went to Hobby Lobby. Sis decided not to make snide comments about me, so she made them about others. First she started on my mom. We were in the check out line, with several other people, and she started talking about how my mom got lost in a store the other day, and couldn't figure out how to find her way to the front. She told it in a long, "this is hilarious, Mom is getting really old" type of way. My mom looked embarrassed at the strangers listening to it. I looked at my mom and said, "I do those same kind of things, Mom, all the time." So my sister took it up a notch and told one that was even more embarrassing, so much so I won't repeat it here.

We went to lunch and she talked about her mother-in-law hiding her teeth in her bra when she took them out in a restaurant (it's an old Southern woman thing--My granny used to hide money there, and I have been known to stash cash there myself). Then she talked about my step-mom and what she hopes to get from the house when they die. She talked about her daughters..it just went on and on.

When she started on Obama, and used the "n" word, I actually spoke up and said, "I don't use that word." My mom looked at me like I had two heads, then collected herself and said, "I guess none of us should." My sister just continued to count my heads.

She also said, "Since you went to college, you talk funny." That was because she said, "I ain't got no reason to put out cabbage plants this year, because mama grows more 'n enough for all of us" and I replied, "I don't have a reason to plant them as long as we have a Krogers." Bad English is common in our family, and anyone who speaks differently is "weird." I admit mine is not perfect, but if you met my family, you would see I've come a long way.

I honestly feel nothing she can say to me at this point is going to affect my opinion of myself, which I guess is what emotionally healthy means. I know I just felt so much better yesterday around her, not having to worry about dodging arrows.
I didn't feel nervous when they were here. I felt comfortable to be myself. If my sister had left and not wanted to come back, I would have been disappointed but it would be fine.

As things are, I think we can see each other and be family, and it will be fine now. I don't have unrealistic expectations, and don't need her approval anymore.