Busy, busy, busy....

Hey guys! Just a quick note to say where I've been lately. I took a trip to Oklahoma City to visit my dad. I also managed to get in two very wonderful lunch dates with two very wonderful people. On Friday, I met with Annie (My Life as Annie) at the Cheesecake Factory. I'd never been there before and boy, have I been missing out!! What a great place. I'll go on and on about it later. I'd love to show you pictures, BUT I FORGOT TO TAKE ANY!!! Can you believe that? Talk about a missed opportunity! Anyway, after I left my dad's house Sunday, I met up with a dear friend for lunch at Santa Fe, a nice little restaurant there close to Dad's house. Penny is someone I went to junior high school with and I don't think we've seen each other in over 25 years! You have no idea how great it was to see her. And sitting there talking to Penny was just like it was way back in junior high and high school. She's still the same sweet, funny, all around wonderful person she was then. And I have to tell you, the years have been extremely kind to Penny. Her hair has turned this gorgeous, envy-inspiring shade of white. Everything about Penny just glitters...you know what I mean? She's got a sparkle about her that no amount of make-up or artifice could ever give. I can't believe it's been so long since we've gotten together. It's amazing how so many of us let things go for whatever reason...too much distance, too many address changes, life gets too busy, your butt gets too big...the excuses are endless, aren't they? For any of you out there who have been contemplating getting in touch with an old friend, but have put it off, STOP PUTTING IT OFF! Go for it, contact that friend and enjoy each other! Oh, and by the way...I'd love to show you pictures of Penny, but again, I FORGOT TO TAKE ANY!!! I'm so ticked at myself for that. I guess I need to wear my camera around my neck, just so I can remember I have it. (Penny, the next time we meet, remind me to take some pictures!!! Please!)
I have to get ready for a shopping trip I'm taking with my daughter this morning. This is going to be another busy week. I can feel things stacking up already. I think I need to buy a planner or something, just so I can keep track of life for the next few weeks. I know I'd be better off if I could at least feel like I was more organized. lol
Hope everyone is preparing for a fantastic Thanksgiving! Right after you call those old friends you've been meaning to get in touch with the past decade or three, get out there and buy those turkeys, eh? And pick me one up while you're at it. I can't seem to remember to get one and if I don't start remembering soon, me and mine may be dining on Progresso soup for Thanksgiving. LOL (Yes, Kari, you DO need to buy yourself a planner...add that to the Wal-Mart list!).

Life's Most Embarrassing Moment and There's an Elephant in the Room (believe it or not, these are two totally unrelated subjects)

Kat, from over at Just a BeachKat, has challenged us to speak of our most embarrassing moment in life. Well, geez...my list is long and varied so it's hard to pinpoint one. Unsurprisingly, most of my such moments have occurred because I tend to speak as I'm thinking. Some times, a person really should just wait a moment and let their thoughts fully percolate before they express them. Here's a case in point:
About 7 1/2 years ago, Randey and I were looking to buy a house. We hired a realtor who came up with a list of homes for us to view. In one such house, we were walking through the place, checking out the amenities, when Randey spied the microwave oven. It was placed in a low cabinet, maybe 18 inches off the floor. Randey remarked how cool that would be for the kids - they could use the microwave without our help. He said it would sure be "convenient". I took one look at it and said, "For who? A midget?" Then I turned around and...yeah, you guessed it, the homeowner, a midget, was standing in the doorway. Who could have known? Nothing else in that house gave a clue that the owner was a little dude. I was so embarrassed, I couldn't wait to get back in the car. That house could have been the house of my dreams, and I never would have stepped foot in it again. (Luckily, it was over-priced for our budget anyway so that wasn't an issue. For once, having a lower budget came in handy!) The moral of this story: Think and look before you speak, Kari. Think and look!!
That may not be my most embarrassing moment in life, but it's got to be in the top 5.
Now I have to address a comment left here by Jeanne. Jeanne, an Obama supporter, had this to say about my post-election post:

"Sen. McCain was much more gracious than you all are. This election galvanized the people of this country who till this point felt they had no voice. It would be for the good of ALL for everyone to unite and truly make these the United States of America."

I actually have two things to say about this. The first being that I think Jeanne may have totally and completely misunderstood my aversion to Obama. I wasn't opposed to him because he was a Democrat. I wasn't opposed to him because he has a funny name. And I wasn't opposed to him based solely on the fact that I wanted John McCain to win. I was opposed to him because I think he's a believer in Socialism, which is one step away from communism, which is the exact opposite of everything our country has ever stood for. I don't want my government to "spread the wealth". I want me and my fellow countrymen to earn our own wealth. And while that's one of the biggest issues I have with Barack Obama, it's just the tip of the iceberg. If his "world view" didn't scare the t-total hell out of me, I probably could rest a little easier with the thought of him leading our country. But be "gracious" about him being president, knowing all I've seen and heard from him? No. Not without seeing how he does. I don't give blind allegiance to any human being on this planet, regardless of their "position". You know, I was "gracious" when Texas whupped Oklahoma's butt in college football this year. I was "gracious" when the waiter walked up to our table and promptly tumped a full to-go container of hot spaghetti in my lap. I was "gracious" when my sister and I spotted the same beautiful red jar in an antique market and I backed off because I knew she wanted it more than I did. But be "gracious" when I think a socialist has been put in charge of our government and our military? No. I don't think so. But as I said in that post-election post, I will continue to pray that I am wrong about the man. I will keep an open mind. I will learn all I can about any given subject or decision he makes without jumping to conclusions. I will try to look at things from every angle possible. To do any less, would be remiss of me.
As to the part about "This election galvanized the people of this country who till this point felt they had no voice." I think that's pure bull-hockey. Let me just say here, publicly, what many people are saying quietly amongst themselves...Obama was elected in large part because he's black. (I can say this, you see, because I've already been called a racist, based on my opposition and questions regarding Obama.) Those "galvanized" people of which you speak weren't galvanized because of Obama's greatness or his demeanor or even his high-falutin' speeches. They were "galvanized" because he's a black man. All of those people had a "voice" before, they just didn't use it. Why? Because they didn't care before now. If these people felt disenfranchised, certainly in the last 30 years, it was as much their own fault as anyone else's. I get how exciting and thrilling it must have been for the black community to see a black man elected president. After Sarah Palin was nominated, I let my mind wander to the future possibilities. I thought to myself "Wow! If McCain wins, in four years, this country could probably have 2 women at the top of the presidential tickets. Hillary Clinton for the Dems and Sarah Palin for the Republicans.". And yeah, I felt exhilarated at the thought. A woman president. Woo-hoo! It was a "We've come a long way, baby!" moment. But had Hillary received the Democratic nomination this year instead of Obama and if McCain had selected a man for his VP, I still would have voted for McCain. As much as I would have liked to see a woman shatter that glass ceiling, I wouldn't have voted for Hillary Clinton because she and I don't have enough in common with our political views. Just by virtue of the fact that she's a woman would not have been enough to win my vote. Many people voted for Obama because of his skin color and for no other reason. I saw interview after interview of people supporting Obama with absolutely no clue as to what he stood for. That does not sit well with me. Now I'm not saying that everyone voted for Obama because he's black. I know of people who voted for Obama because they loved his "rhetorical ability" (that's a quote from Colin Powell). I know of people who voted for Obama because they just plain, ol' hated George W. Bush. And I know of people who voted for Obama because they believed in all his promises. But far too many people voted for Obama because of his skin color. Those people who just now "found their voice" should be asking themselves why a person's skin color "galvanized" them into action and why being American with the right to vote wasn't enough to "galvanize" them in the past.
Okay, people, now you can bring on the charges that I'm a racist. I know it's coming. I'm "white", therefore, in this country with all it's political correctness, I'm not allowed to state the obvious or state any sort of view on race, for that matter. I regret that I will be viewed as a racist by anyone. I have long held the belief that none of us is black or white or yellow or red....but rather, we are all just different shades of brown. That naivete' has been stripped away, however. I've come to realize that the "melting pot" reputation of our country isn't as true as I had been taught. It's obvious that our country suffers from great racial division and, as a "white" person, I'm not supposed to talk about it. Anybody ever heard that saying "There's an elephant in the room"? It means there's something very obvious sitting right in front of us but nobody will acknowledge it. How do we progress if we are afraid to talk openly with each other? I've stated a viewpoint and I fully expect to be skewered for it. Isn't political correctness grand?


P.S. It is with a heavy heart that I click on the "publish" button. I know I will have cast the dye that will cause so many to think ill of me. I can hear the gasps now. I guess I'm just tired of dancing around this subject. I hate racism. I hate that every person in this country, heck - in this world, doesn't believe that we truly are just different shades of brown. I have never, ever understood why skin color is so important. Why does it matter? If more of us, of every shade of brown, dismissed skin color as being a "defining characteristic", wouldn't the issue of racism become a thing of the past? Isn't it incumbent upon all of us to work towards that ideal? As long as it's okay for any segment of society to define itself by skin color, racism will never go away. And until we face up to and talk about how and why people focus on skin color with such fervor, we'll never be able to get past it.

The Silver Lining of Hurricane Ike (for me anyway!)

I found out last Thursday that one of my blogging buddies, Jayme, from down near Houston was evacuating to get away from Hurricane Ike. And where, oh where, do you think she and her family evacuated to? My little town, that's where! We were able to meet Friday for lunch. Here we are at Applebee's, just finishing up. And if you read my previous post, you'll remember I mentioned a shirt that I will never, ever, ever wear again because I've now seen this picture and come to realize that my honkin' arms are ginormous and probably shouldn't see the light of day again!! I mean, hel-lo! I really must speak to Randey about letting me leave the house dressed like this. He should know better (ha!). Anywho, lunch was great fun - Jayme and I seemed to be able to talk like we'd known each other for ages! Then we did some shopping together. You all know how I hate shopping, right? But...I'm a good friend so I soldiered on along through store after store in order to show an out-of-towner a good time when they're visiting our fair little hamlet. Oh the sacrifices I make for others...(heavy sigh). Here's Jayme at Ross. We found these baskets and, for some reason, we both thought they were quite funny. They're "labeled". Wonder if the basket police will come take you away if they find you've put "books" in the "stuff" basket or vice-versa? And what's with that "laundry" basket? Laundry for who? Little, bitty, tiny smurf-like people? Here's Jayme and I at On the Border the next day. Yes. We enjoyed lunch a couple of times. So sue us. I have to say, I really enjoyed lunch this day. I luvs me some Mexican food, yessir I do. I love it so much, in fact, that I really, really need to just keep clear of it or I'll undo all the good I've done with Weight Watchers these past four months. lol Cheese and onion enchiladas..... ahhhhhhhhh. Here's a picture of Jayme's daughter, Saira, playing Randey's X-Box (and that's a whole other story we'll call The X-Box Debacle. I'll tell you about that at a later time). Jayme brought Saira over to our house when she came over to use the computer. Saira is a perfectly charming little child with the most wonderful accent and speech patterns. If you could hear her in person, you'd know what I mean. I really enjoyed talking with her. She's great. I also met Jayme's husband Chad and her son Ryan (who has perfect teeth, just let me say that. I know, it's a weird thing to mention, but his teeth were that good! lol). I know that Hurricane Ike was not a happy event by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm grateful that it allowed me to meet Jayme and her family in person. That's my little "silver lining" for this particular natural disaster. By the way, her house and property sustained very little damage by all accounts, although they are still without power and water, etc. Their little town did take a huge hit and I know it'll be a long road ahead of them before they are anywhere near normal again. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers, if you would.
Here's what else I've been up to. Last year, my daughter-in-law Jodie, decided to do a fall themed tree to celebrate Autumn. This year, I decided to do one, too. What do you think of it?
Here's a full shot of the room. As you can see, it's a small tree. Just enough to make the room glow at night. I love it. Just looking at it puts me in a better frame of mind (geez...does that mean I'm easily influenced? Yeah. Probably. That's okay, though...I can deal with that knowledge. lol).
As some of you know (and thank you so much for your kind words about it!) Friday was my birthday. My son Kaleb, got me this:
House, Season Four! Yay! I love that show. My daughter got me a pair of sandals and a kitchen clock, both of which I need to take pictures of. I liked the clock so much, I hung it up right away and then forgot to snap a photo of it when I was preparing for this post! I'll fix that soon.
Then I got this in the mail yesterday from Annie. I was so touched by her kindness. I was sort of pouting about how I didn't hear from either of my parents on my birthday and was feeling kind of down about it when Randey walked in carrying the mail. Thank you, Annie. Talk about great timing. (I should clarify that I didn't really expect to hear from my parents on my birthday. My mom and I have issues and my dad's memory isn't what it used to be so not having either of them call was not a surprise. I was just being moody about it, that's all!) Anyway, I appreciate the gift and will get good use out of the book, I'm sure.
This is what I woke up to Friday morning:
Roses, a card and a gift. I was kind of surprised because the laptop was our birthday present to each other (Randey's birthday is 6 days after mine). But oh man, aren't these flowers pretty? I love them. And the card was just wonderful, too. By the way, the card says "Happy Birthday Sissy" because everyone in my whole entire family calls me Sissy, including my husband. That's because we were introduced to each other by my sister and his brother, who are married to each other. If Randey ever called me "Kari", I wouldn't know who he was talking to. lol Just goes to show you, people...you can get used to being called darn near anything. I've been called "Sissy" for so long, it doesn't even phase me anymore. :)
Want to know what was in the package from Randey? This thing:

A Jim Shore Halloween cat. I adore this cat. It's so perfect for this time of year and just makes me happy to look at it. I discovered Jim Shore stuff last year. I don't like everything out there that's made by him, but certain things just really appeal to me, for some reason. Like some of the cats. The ones with words like "freedom", "patience", "vigilance" and "curiosity". Love them! I also have a little chihuahua (in honor of Sydney the Wonder Dog, of course!) and a Jiminy Cricket with the words "Let your conscience be your guide!", a saying I've long been fond of, across the bottom of it and a Little Red Riding Hood "Granny" figure. I get a lot of pleasure from just looking at those figures. Don't know why, so don't ask. lol Anywho, my beloved daughter-in-law Jodie, knows of my love of some things Jim Shore. So...being the great gift-giver that she is, she found this to send me (and yeah, I just know she was the one responsible...Nick would have bought me a Star Wars thing instead! ha!) by the way, I'd have loved a Star Wars thing, too! Nick does know his mother pretty well. lol :
Isn't this witch and cat adorable? And doesn't it just put you in the mood for autumn and Halloween and cooler weather??? I love it. I don't think I'd actually seen this figure before. It's totally cool and I'm so glad she picked it out. (Check out the face on the broom. Cracks me up!) But the absolute most awesomely wonderful Jim Shore item ever made is this:
I had actually seen this in a Hallmark store here in town and came so close to buying it for myself. But I didn't. I've been spending way too much money on just "me" lately so I talked myself out of it. (See? I can exercise self control occasionally!) Then I received it from Jodie and Nick. Talk about being all smiles!!! I have spent more time just staring at this beautiful cornucopia. All the little details, the colors, the workmanship. I, quite simply, love love love this thing. Click on the picture to enlarge. You'll see what I mean. It's just darn cool to look at. Thank so much Jodie, Nick and Kara. I'm totally pleased with these two things. You spent too much, of course, but well heck...I'm thrilled with them anyway. Thank you guys! And thanks also to Susan, my BFF, for the gift card. I'll let you know what I end up getting with it. Decisions, decisions.

I guess that's about it for today. I have my weigh in tomorrow at my Weight Watchers meeting. I'm tired of agonizing over it, though. I've decided to take a totally radical approach this week. I'm gonna wear jeans and a heavier shirt and I might even leave my shoes on when I hop my butt up on that dreaded, evil weight measuring device those people call "scales". I know it'll make those scales say I've gained at least 3 pounds, but just think of how virtuous I'll feel next week when I wear my normal (and not nearly as heavy!) regular clothes. Yeah, so it's cheating. I don't care. I need to shake things up a bit and this seems like a perfectly harmless way to do that. I hope to get around to some blogs again soon. I've read a few, but need to go back and leave a comment now. But first I have to cook dinner for my dearly beloved. He's headed out of town Thursday so it's looking good for dinner out tomorrow night. But tonight, it's just me, slaving away in the kitchen (another heavy sigh). See you guys tomorrow!

Political Correctness Be Damned and More WW Recipes (how's THAT for a strange combination of topics?)

What qualifies as "Politically Incorrect" these days? Lots of things. Lots and lots and lots of things. More things than I could possibly count. Personally, I'm so damn sick of being told what's correct and what isn't, that I could just scream. People don't want you saying "Merry Christmas" anymore because it might offend someone. Instead, you're supposed to say "Happy Holidays". I've got no problem with saying "Happy Holidays". But rest assured that if and when I do say that, it'll most likely be followed up with a loud and hardy "Merry Christmas Everyone!". Why? Because December 25th is a celebration of the birth of Christ, that's why! So while I surely do hope that any and all holidays you may experience be as happy as can be, I further and most assuredly hope that your Christmas season is full of joy, love, merriment and laughter. And I hope my saying "Merry Christmas" to you gives you just one more reason to reflect on the whole entire meaning of life and what we're suppose to accomplish while we're here in it.
Another Politically Incorrect thing these days is "racial profiling", specifically at airports. Yeah. We're not supposed to be suspicious of anyone of Middle Eastern descent simply because they are of Middle Eastern descent 'cause it might offend an innocent person of the same race. Huh. See the thing is, each and every one of the murdering jackasses from 9/11 were of Middle Eastern descent. Sorry, but that's a fact. I darn sure wouldn't want to offend an innocent, really I wouldn't. But then again, I don't want to be taking a header into a national monument while snugly encased in a 747 just because no one had enough cojones to eyeball the terrorist sitting 6 rows ahead of me. You know when I flew to Florida from Texas in 2005 for the birth of our grandson, I was pulled out of line and searched. Why? Because I had a one way ticket in first class and only carry on luggage. All red flags. Cool. They "wanded" me, they patted me down, they took my shoes, they searched my luggage and my purse. No problem. I understood. I mean I was only in first class because it was the only ticket I could get and I only had a one way ticket because Randey and the boys were following by car so I was going to ride back home with them, but okay - I got that I met certain parameters that said "SEARCH THAT PASSENGER". But if I'd been wearing a burka, do you think they would have searched me then? I honestly doubt it. Why? Because I might have screamed "Racial Profiling!" and no airline wants to be accused of that...simply because it'd be Politically Incorrect. HORSE. PUCKY. Middle Eastern people tried to kill us. I hate that for us and for the innocent people of Middle Eastern heritage. But screw that "racially insensitive" crap and keep us all safe, if you don't mind too much. And if saying that induces you to call me a racist, then you're calling me a racist only induces me to call you a willfully blind and woefully ignorant idiot.
One other example of Political Incorrectness...all these people out there all across America who are going through foreclosures. They all blame Bush, the economy, the oil companies, the 3rd phase of Venus, whatever. And yes, some people truly have been victims of circumstances beyond their control, i.e, those who lost their jobs, etc. But I know for an absolute fact that a number of those people who have lost or are losing their homes to foreclosure are suffering because of their own damn stupidity. Back when real estate was booming, many of these people took out larger mortgages. They suddenly had all this equity in their homes because home values skyrocketed. So they borrowed against the "new" values of their homes and lived high off the hog. Woo-hoo! Ain't life grand! Then that "creative financing" that they were so thrilled with earlier became unaffordable. They found themselves with ginormous mortgage payments and no way to pay them. Well, I hate like all get out that those people made poor financial decisions based on current conditions without so much as considering the future, but that's hardly anyone's fault but their own. And yeah, I know it's extremely Politically Incorrect to say things like that, but I. don't. much. care. It's simply stating a fact. And by the way, I'll go even further to say that those ill-planning, whining ass bunch of morons who got greedy without giving one thought to the future have made it even tougher for those who genuinely have suffered because of the downturn our economy is experiencing. And for the love of Pete, stop your crying because you've lost your home due to your own greed. Suck it up, start over and learn from your mistakes. Thank God Randey and I have never lost a home due to our own idiocy, but we have suffered through financial hardships in the past brought on entirely by a syndrome known as "Living Above Your Means". It's a syndrome that affects a lot of people in American today. And it's not a condition that can be cured by the federal government.
So - why the big rant over "Political Correctness"? Because...I want you guys to understand that I know what that term means. And I'm as fed up with it as the next person. Truly I am. I could rant and rave about it for the next 24 hours solid and never even begin to scratch the surface of just how much it irritates me that we are supposed to tip toe around everyone's feelings because it'd be so flippin' horrible if we offended someone. I received several e-mails from very well meaning friends telling me that I had done nothing wrong when I "reviewed" the movie Tropic Thunder and I didn't need to apologize to Michelle like I did. I beg to differ. The reason being this...a person of a different religious persuasion can express those beliefs to me if they get offended by my "Merry Christmas" greeting. They can tell me all about how it offends them because they don't believe in Jesus. And I can tell them to get over it. Why? Because they can actually get over it. A person of Middle Eastern descent can get all kinds of ticked off at me for thinking people who look like them should be given extra scrutiny at the airport and I can also tell them to get over it. Why? Because they can. A person who's driving a Hummer that they bought with the proceeds of their home equity loan before that loan went belly up can get indignant and cry because I've expressed my belief that they've brought their tragedy upon themselves and they, too, can get the heck over it. None of these people have to agree with me, none of them have to accept what I say without debate. They can all fight back, in other words. The mentally handicapped can't. They are a segment of our society who are totally and completely innocent and free of guile. When I said that people who are "easily offended" should skip that movie, I lumped people who have no control over their condition into the same category as those who do. And that was wrong. I still say that was a funny movie. But I hate the thought that something that gave me so much laughter could, at the same time, cause pain and humiliation to innocents. I wish to heck that Ben Stiller had used a more worthy target for his lampooning. There's plenty other segments of our society out there who could use a little poking fun at. Again, I don't think that Stiller and company set out to make fun of the mentally disabled, but rather they used language that is hurtful to the mentally handicapped, as well as those who love them, in their efforts to illustrate the ridiculousness of Hollywood itself. That hurtful language was unnecessary and uncalled for. And that has nothing to do with being Politically Correct or Incorrect. It has to do with being a caring and thoughtful human. Michelle did not try to pressure me into retracting my endorsement of the movie, nor did she chastise me for being insensitive. She merely made a comment on my review because she felt that we were good enough friends to do that. I'm so very pleased that she was comfortable enough with me to express herself without fear of being snubbed or mocked. Her comment was well thought out, it came from personal feelings and experience and it was a point of view I hadn't truly considered. I felt terrible after having read it. Why? Because I knew that she was right. Yes, it was a funny movie, but it was also hurtful to the innocent. The defenseless innocent. That's why I answered her comment as I did. Because it came from the heart. NOT from any pressure to be Political Correct. I thank all of you for your kind words regarding this issue. It's been very much appreciated. It's one more reason why I love being part of this community!!

Now - to lighten up a bit - how about telling me some of the "Politically Correct or Incorrect" things that drive you insane?? I'd love to hear about them. It really gets my blood pumping. LOL

TODAY'S RECIPES

Finally, here's a great idea for a low point Weight Watchers breakfast. This comes from Joan over at Joan's Journeys. Joan has been eating 3 egg whites (just the whites, people!) every morning and has been adding vegetables like mushrooms and broccoli. Three egg whites count for only 1 point on the WW system and in fact, if you were feeling particularly hungry, you could have six, count 'em SIX, egg whites for just TWO points. Not bad, eh? And of course, small portions of most vegetables don't garner any points. Joan says you can even add half a bag of the WW shredded cheese for only 1 more point. She also enjoys a half cup of Sunfresh Del Monte Red Grapefruit because she says they taste so sweet (can't wait to me some of that up the next time I go to the store - I luvs me some sweet grapefruit!). Great breakfast ideas. Remember everyone, it's very important that you eat breakfast every morning. I know it seems like the less you eat, the more weight you'll loose, but if you don't eat on a regular basis, your body starts storing absolutely everything you do eat because it thinks it's starving. So feed your body regularly and do it with mostly healthy stuff. Also remember this: A treat isn't a treat if you give it to yourself everyday! Save those special things for special times. Fuel your body with the healthy foods day to day. Your body will thank you!
Here's a little factoid that surprised the fool out of me...did you know that a "normal and healthy" portion of chicken breast is only 4 ounces? The average chicken breast (raw) is 7 to 8 ounces. I was appalled when I saw that most WW recipes called for only 1 pound of chicken for 4 servings. What the heck? Who could live off that? Well, apparently - anyone! It's the size we should be eating. While I don't always adhere to this portion size (but I try!), it's truly not a hardship to adjust to eating healthier. And I promise you, it gets easier over time, too. Now check out this recipe which is made with only 1 little ol' pound of chicken breast meat:

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan
4 servings 6 points per serving

Ingredients:
Olive Oil spray
6 Tbsp seasoned bread crumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 oz reduced fat parmesan cheese
1/2 cup egg beaters (or 3 egg whites)
1 cup Paul Newman marinara (if you use a different brand, check it for calorie, fat and fiber count!!!)
2 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese
16 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Spray bottom of crock pot with olive oil Pam. Combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Dredge chicken in egg beaters or egg whites and then dredge in breadcrumbs mixture to coat chicken. Place chicken in crock pot. Sprinkle chicken with mozzarella cheese and pour marinara/spaghetti sauce on top of chicken. Cook on low 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

This is a fantastic recipe. I've never made chicken parmesan in my life until I used this recipe. It's so easy - and my family was so impressed - I darn near declared myself a good cook after the first time I served this. (And before I get an e-mail from Aunt Sandi, let me state that calling myself a "bad cook" is no exaggeration nor am I putting myself down by saying it. I don't normally like cooking, I'm not terribly good at it, and I'd just as soon leave the cooking chores to someone else. I have no shame and/or embarrassment about my lack of cooking skills. It's just how I roll.) Anywho - this recipe almost made me change my mind about the Joys of Cooking. It gave me hope that I could make something quick, easy, healthy and full of good taste without resorting to carry-out or a nervous breakdown. I serve this with a side portion (2 ounces) of Ronzoni Smart Taste thin spaghetti (discovered through my friend Susan! Check this stuff out - it's even better for you than whole grain pasta!) and a 1/4 cup of marinara - for an additional 4 points. I also make a lettuce, tomato and cucumber salad (o points). This meal is a lot of food for 10 points, and it's one my family thoroughly enjoys eating.

Here's one more recipe, courtesy of Vee over at A Haven for Vee. In her own words, no less!

Peel slices from one apple into pan with artificial sweetener of choice and cinnamon to taste and water. Stew until apples are softened and water is nearly evaporated.

Place one slice of American cheese (lowfat, if you insist) on one slice of whole-wheat toast. Add apples on top and broil until cheese melts. Yummy!
(I've been eating this for forty years whether dieting or not.)

I ran this thru the WW Recipe Builder and it comes to only 3 points. Yippee!

Please, Let Me Explain!

I have a huge mea culpa to issue here. It's regarding my review of the movie Tropic Thunder. I enjoyed the movie - thought it had a lot to recommend it. That part is fine and I, of course, stand by my right to express that opinion. However, (and this is a BIG however) I was insensitive in the extreme to a certain aspect of our society. When I said "if you're easily offended, skip it", I carelessly trivialized the feelings of people who either are or know someone who is mentally handicapped or disabled. God help me, I don't even know the proper term or if there is one. Please, if I've said the wrong thing, correct me. I'm willing and able to learn from my mistakes. Like now. With that "easily offended" statement. I received this comment from my good blogging friend, Michelle @ Big Blueberry Eyes. It was an eye opener for me, to say the least.

I guess you can count me among those easily offended :) I admit I haven't seen the movie, but that scene between Stiller and Downey Jr talking about why Stiller didn't win an Oscar playing Simple Jack? That scene offends me. In particular Downey Jr's character saying "you went full r*tard. You never go full r*tard" offends me. That phrase is already on shirts being sold online, kids will probably be wearing it in school, and I dread the day Kayla will have to see something like that. I've heard Stiller's response that it wasn't meant to offend, it was a satire poking fun of Hollywood and other actors etc, and taken in the context of the movie it's supposed to be funny. Regardless of what the context is, and that it was supposed to be funny, it just isn't - at least not for me. Ditto with the scene between Stiller and his agent talking about Stiller's plan to adopt. His agent saying "at least you get to chose your son" and then showing a picture of him with his son who appears to have a disability.
Anyway, just my opinion coming from a different point of view of why it offends me :) Hope you don't mind my long comment in response!

I truly did not mean to minimize or dismiss anyone's feelings over this movie. But I did. The truth is, the movie contains offensive language and references to mentally disabled people. That is a fact that I cannot deny. As Stiller said, I don't believe the makers of the movie specifically set out to make fun of mentally disabled people, rather I think the purpose was to show the ridiculous lengths Hollywood and, more pointedly, actors go to for their "art". This is something I agree with so whole heartedly, that I lost sight of the hurt those particular scenes could cause the innocents in our society who least deserve to be subjected to that sort of pain. I mean heck, I was laughing my butt off during most of the movie and, while I found the parts referring to the mentally handicapped to be in poor taste, I took them as a poke at Hollywood, not a poke at the disabled so I skipped right over them in my review of the movie. And honestly, I didn't understand the reference about the agent's kid when he told Stiller "at least you get to pick yours". They just showed a picture of a kid, a kid who looked like a million other kids out there. (Which may show that not only am I insensitive, I'm dense as well.) But the point is, it was real easy for me to laugh at certain things and dismiss others because I haven't had to endure the agony of knowing a loved one who is living with the realities of a handicap. Michelle, Joe and Kayla, if I live to be a hundred years old and apologize to you all every hour on the hour, I will never come close to expressing exactly how bad I feel for my total and complete lack of empathy for your feelings. I still think the movie, apart from the horribly unnecessary language regarding the handicapped, was funny, but (A), it would have been immeasurably funnier without those parts and (B) I never, ever should have even thought, much less said, "easily offended" in reference to anyone's feelings. It belittled what is obviously a very real and true emotion and one that, as a person who hasn't lived with this reality, I could never have any true grasp of understanding. If I had to do it all over again, and knowing what I know now, I believe I'd skip that movie. Sure, parts of it were hysterically funny. But 2 hours of laughter just doesn't measure up to the thought of hurting your feelings and I ache with every fiber of my being just thinking of little Kayla having her feelings hurt by this. I promise you now that I will work towards improving my empathy and sympathy and will be much more mindful of these things in the future. Thank you for your very kind and gentle reminder to me that there's a difference between being "politically incorrect" and being just plain wrong. I hope you'll forgive me my ignorance.



One other thing, today is my oldest son's 28th birthday. Happy Birthday, Nick! Sure wish I could talk to you and I hope you can at least read your birthday greetings. I miss you like crazy and think of you every moment of the day. You're my baby, my "Elvis", my pride and my joy. I love you, son.

P.S. Look one post down for the Weigh Out of Fat Recipes

Finding a Weigh Out of Fat, Volume III

Some of you guys really came through with your recipes! Thank you. You came through so well, in fact, that rather than try to post them all in one day, I think I'll try to break it down to maybe 3 to 5 a post because, wow! my typing skills may not be up to doing it all at one time. lol

This first recipe came from Mary @ Bookfan-Mary. I actually tried to make this myself and it was my own poor planning that prevented it from coming out as intended. I'll explain more on that after the recipe:


Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

4 svgs 8pts/svg

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 pkg reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream


Add chicken to slow cooker (sprayed with PAM)
Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken
Pour salsa and soup over chicken
Cook on low 6-8 hrs
Remove from heat and stir in sour cream
Serve with rice or baked potato (add pts for this)

Notes:I don't use the whole pkg of taco seasoning
Soup is right from can, not mixed with anything
I use it with brown rice
You could use fat free ingredients and that might lower the pts value/svg


When I went to try this recipe, I knew that I didn't have the taco seasoning or the salsa so I made a special trip to the store to get those things. By the time I made it home, it was too late to put it all in the crockpot so I decided I'd just cook it in the oven, instead. So, a few hours later, I start dinner and realize that, despite my firm belief to the contrary, I had no cream of anything soup in my pantry and my reduced fat sour cream was woefully out of date. Great. Now what??? Well seeing as how it was so late in the day and I couldn't handle another trip to the store (once in a day is quite enough for me, thank you) I went ahead and made the recipe without those things. I sprayed the dish and lightly sprayed the chicken with Olive Oil spray, I lightly sprinkled the taco seasoning on the chicken, I put about 1/2 the contents of the salsa jar (approximately 11 oz) on top and poured about 3 ounces of vegetable broth in the bottom of the Pyrex dish. Slapped it in the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees and hoped for the best. And wouldn't you know it? The boys and I thought it was fantabulous! Randey liked it quite a bit, but would have liked it more if I hadn't used such a spicy salsa (he's never been one for the jalapenos, etc.). I can just imagine how good it'll be if I manage to follow the recipe correctly. LOL (FYI for those of you doing WW, my Kari, the Bad Recipe Follower version came out to 6 points per serving).

Next we have Teriyaki Burgers from Joan @ Joan's Journey's:


Teriyaki Burgers

4 servings 5 points per serving


1 pound 93% lean ground beef (or turkey or turkey/lean beef mixture)
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
4 English muffins
1/4 cup ketchup
4 lettuce leaves
1 large beefsteak tomato
1 red onion


In a large bowl, combine beef (and/or turkey) and teriyaki sauce. Mix together and shape into 4 patties. Grill or broil until cooked through. Arrange lettuce on the bottom half of an English muffin. Top with burger, ketchup, tomato, onion and top half of muffin.


I can't wait to try this one. I've never been a huge fan of homemade burgers, but I can't afford the points for eating them out anymore (ha!) so these should be a good alternative for me.

Here's a recipe from Jodie @ Mommy of a Princess.


LEMON CHICKEN PASTA TOSS
Prep:20 mins Cook:20 mins Makes: 4 servings

2 cups dried multigrain penne
12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot (3)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons capers, drained
3 tablespoons snipped fresh Italian parsley
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Return pasta to hot saucepan;cover and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl toss together chicken and flour until chicken is lightly coated. In a large skillet cook and stir chicken in 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan; set aside.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to skillet. Add garlic and shallot; cook and stir about 1 minute or until tender. Carefully stir in broth, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced to about 2/3 cup. Stir in chicken, capers, and parsley; heat through.

4. Toss pasta with chicken mixture. If desired, add parmesan cheese.

Per 1 1/2 cups: 339 calories, 9 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 50 mg chol., 589 mg sodium, 36 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 29 g protein.

I'll have to do this one soon, but first of all, could someone tell me what capers taste like? lol The whole recipe sounds delicious, but I'm a little leery of those caper thingys...Also, I haven't run this through my Weight Watchers Recipe Builder yet so I can't say how many points per serving. The calorie count per serving looks pretty good, though.


Now we have a soup recipe from Lynne over at Lynne's Little Corner of the World:


TACO SOUP

(makes around 15 cups, 1 point/cup)

1 large onion chopped (I use frozen chopped onions, about a cup)
1 package taco seasoning mix (low sodium)
2 cups frozen corn
1 can chicken broth, fat-free
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can white beans, undrained
1 can refried beans, fat free
1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained


Put all ingredients into a big pot, stir well, simmer about an hour.


I was able to run this recipe through my Weight Watchers Recipe Builder and, using the ingredients (brand names, etc.) I had on hand, this came out to 2 points per 1 cup serving instead of 1. Which brings up what I think is an important point. Not all foods are created equal! Long Grain Brown Rice, for example.The calorie total for one serving of Uncle Ben's rice is 170, but the calorie total for one serving of Mahatma is 150. The fat and fiber contents also differ from brand to brand. It's important to read your labels and chose the product which offers the best nutritional balance. By the way, this recipe would be great to serve with the Salsa Chicken for a Mexican food themed night. Add in a tossed salad and those of you on Weight Watchers can have a great meal for around 7 to 10 points (depending on your ingredients and how badly you can screw up a recipe - I'm referring to my "version" of the Salsa chicken, of course. lol).


Finally, here's a chicken recipe that Randey practically begs for whenever he sees that I've gotten chicken out for supper. Which is often. Why you ask? Because chicken is good for you! And so is fish, but I don't eat seafood, therefore, I don't cook it either. 'Cause YUCK! I know that some of you may be thinking that you just can't eat chicken every single night (and really, who could, besides me? ha!) but if you cook it enough different ways, it doesn't seem to get old. It's all about the flavors! And this recipe I'm going to give you has some of the best flavor out there. Trust me on this!


Honey Balsamic Glazed Chicken Breast
4 servings 7 points per serving (and worth every one!)


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar


Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle thyme, salt and pepper over chicken. Add chicken to skillet, cook 7 to 8 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. (You can also cube the chicken prior to cooking, which is what we've been doing). Transfer chicken to plate, cover with foil to keep warm. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vinegar and honey to pan. Simmer 1 minute or until glaze thickens; stir constantly. Pour glaze over chicken (do this quickly and, if your chicken is cubed, stir the glaze around on it a bit because the glaze will "set up" - and you most certainly want it "set up" on the chicken and not the plate!).
I told my friend Susan about this recipe and she said she didn't think she'd like it because she doesn't like balsamic vinegar. Like I told her, though, you don't taste the balsamic. The combination of it and the honey gives the chicken an almost oriental sort of flavor, but very light. It's so darn good. I feel like a gourmet every time I make it. Also, the original recipe called for 1 1/2 tsps of thyme, but I reduced that amount because thyme is such a strong spice to me. Feel free to add more, if you'd like to, however.

Okay, that's enough recipes for one post, I think. Stayed tuned, though, as I'll try to post more throughout the week.
I had good news at my Weight Watchers meeting this afternoon. I lost another 2.4 lbs. for a total of 31.8. I can't tell you how much it boggles my mind to think that I've actually been able to lose that sort of weight. I'm thrilled silly and just knowing what I've accomplished thus far has empowered me to believe I can continue on this path and lose even more. How about you guys? - tell us some of your successes. I've found that hearing about others weight loses is a huge inspiration for me! It tells me that all of us are capable of doing this...and we're capable of helping those who are struggling with it, too. And speaking of helping, how about giving us your best snack tips. This was a suggested topic for next week's post and I think it's a GREAT ONE! Tell us what you eat to tide you over between meals or for those times when you feel like you'll eat anything that doesn't move fast enough - what are you eating instead of the potato chips or ice cream or whatever? Here's one of my favorite snacks: frozen grapes. Ohhhhhh, they are soooooo good. And since they're frozen, it takes longer to eat them so I end up not eating as many. lol You just pop one in your mouth and it sort of melts just a bit and then it's like eating an awesomely flavored bite of fruit Popsicle. Give 'em a try if you haven't already discovered these. And then share with the class your favorite snacks. This is a great way to help each other out. I look forward to reading what you've got to say!

Blogger Meetings and the Florida Trip

Here's some overdue business that I've been wanting to take care of...first of all, I'd like to show the sweet gifts Annie from My Life as Annie gave me when we met almost 2 weeks go in OKC. See the little red purse Christmas ornament? How cute is that? And the BELIEVE cross! I love it. Thank you so much, Annie. These are wonderful gifts (and so nicely packaged, too!!). I'll always think of you when I see them (which will be often as I'm hanging the cross in the living room and I generally put up my Christmas tree no later than November 1st. LOL). Remember I told you that I'd gotten to meet Kat from Just a Beach Kat when I went to Florida? Here's a picture of us together down at Dewey Destin's Seafood.

I've got to tell you guys, Kat is every bit as nice in person as she is on her blog. I can't say enough good things about her! She's beautiful, she's sweet natured, she's kind-hearted, she's funny...I felt like a country rube next to her. lol (I even stepped on her toe when we first met - how's that for giving a good first impression??). After having met both Annie and Kat in person, I'm kind of torn about meeting any other bloggers in real life. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. But I'm going to have to require just a little bit more imperfection in my blogging buddies from here on out, okay? These two are just such all around good people - it was hard not to feel every single one of my social shortcomings after meeting them. (Note to self: You may want to sign up for that refresher course down at the local Charm School if you intend to keep meeting new people. LOL) Anyway, to Annie and Kat - thank you both for taking the time to meet with me. I certainly appreciate that! Oh, and check out the shell that Kat gave me:
It has The Lord's Prayer printed on it. I adore this. I've put it on the shelf in our living room next to the angel Randey brought me back from Italy years ago.

After my lunch with Kat, I visited mine and Randey's grandson's grave site. It's such a peaceful place. This was my first time going alone, though. I was kind of surprised at how poorly I handled this particular visit. I guess it's just easier when I'm with other people. I cleaned the grass off that was growing over the edges of his marker and straightened up the toys we've all left him over these past 2 and 3/4 years. I wish I'd thought to bring some new flowers for the flower pot his mommy had made him. I left him a picture of his sisters, though. They're wearing their super hero costumes - Maddy was dressed as Bat Girl and Kara was dressed as Spidergirl. I barely made it back out on the road when I had to call Randey for a little moral support. I think I'll be sure to have someone with me the next time I go there. I need someone to talk to during the visit. Otherwise, it's just too sad.
Here's a picture of a car we saw on our way to Florida. Randey thought it was cool so he had me take a couple of pictures. (I almost didn't want to do it. Didn't want to give Nick, Kaleb and/or Jacob any ideas!).

And here's a sign from a pest control company down in Florida. I had forgotten about this company, although I did use them once or twice when we lived there. Their slogan always makes me pause. I can't decide if it's creepy or just funny:

Here's a picture of Maddy Moose with Grandpa in front of Cracker Barrel. They love to play checkers together. I swear, Maddy loves Randey best because he truly is a great grandpa to her. I love watching them together.
Here's me holding Randey's brother's newest granddaughter. Little Brooklynn was born the week we were there. She's such a tiny little thing. Weighed in at 6 pounds 4 ounces. I love little newborns. Holding Brooklynn made me crazy thinking about holding Kara. I've missed so much of Kara's life already.
(Hey, but check out my gray hair in the picture. I'm about halfway there to having all my old colored hair grow out. Woo-hoo!)

And here' a picture of THE finest steak in the world. The peppercorn New York Strip steak from McGuire's Irish Pub. My gosh, how I love these steaks. I had two of them. One in Pensacola with my sister, her husband, my niece, her boyfriend and Randey. And then another one in Destin with Susan (my BFF) and her husbandTerry, and Randey. I did so good with them, too. I only ate about a quarter of each one, which was plenty. No morning-after guilt over failed Weight Watchers moments for me! lol Well...I did partake in 2 Raspberry Wheat beers on both nights, which wasn't too smart. But what can I say. I love McGuire's Raspberry Wheat beer. They were worth the guilt!
And finally, here's a picture of my niece, Megen and her boyfriend, Taron. They were sharing a "Wake" from McGuire's. I'm not sure what it has in it, but suffice it to say, it's potent. They both look like they're totally toasted. Which they were. I'm sure they'll thank me for posting this. LOL
Don't forget, the Brenda Photo Challenge, hosted by Sharon @ Funky Fairy Frolics is August 9th. The theme is PLAY! So get your playing photos up and going! I'll be out of town again, but I hope to come check out everyone's pictures Monday, when I return!

Weight Stuff and I MET A BLOGGING FRIEND IN REAL LIFE!

I just want to post a note about the Weight Watchers information and experiences some of you have sent me via my previous post about my recent weight loss efforts. Thank you to everyone for your encouragement!! It really is helpful to get a few "atta boys" every now and again. I'd keep plowing ahead with my determination to lose weight regardless, but it sure eases the way a whole lot to hear someone say something positive about it, you know what I mean? Anywho, I would love to answer all of you personally who shared something about weight loss successes and woes, but if I don't get my bags packed soon, I won't have anything to wear next week while I'm in Florida. And while I'm in Florida, I probably won't get much opportunity for blogging. When I get back, however, we have got to get together - me, you and you and you and yes, even you, the one over in the corner, trying to look invisible! And anyone else who wants or needs some support with losing weight. How about we do something every Wednesday where we talk about what we did that week to make a change? Anybody else up for that? Say YES! It could be fun and it could even be helpful to share the struggle with someone else (well, hopefully, a bunch of someone elses! lol). I'll start it August 6th, the first Wednesday after I get back from this next little trip. Anyone wants to comment or share, feel free to jump right in, okay? And Lynne, did you get started on that walking, by the way? Come on - I know you did! If you didn't, brace yourself 'cause I'll be nagging you until you do. GET TO STEPPIN', WOMAN! LOL

One more thing before I go, I had a most pleasant lunch today with someone very, very special...Annie from My Life as Annie! I'll write more about that later when I get back from the trip (sooner if the hotel has a decent internet hook-up!) but let me just say this....it's a good thing that Annie is as nice and as sweet as she is because otherwise, I probably would never would have been able to survive lunch next to her. People, this woman is GORGEOUS. Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. It's bad enough she's tall and blond (I felt like one of those troll dolls standing next to her - no lie!! lol) but she looks like she's maybe 24 or 25. Sheesh! It was tough to realize she really isn't that much younger than me! Some things just aren't fair. I mean, she's got 4 kids, just like me. And she's from Oklahoma, just like me. And she has a wonderful husband and marriage, just like me. So why in the heck does all of life's hardships that one experiences throughout the course of time show on every square inch of my face while Annie glides through life looking like a flippin' fashion model? Lord knows Annie has had more than her share of tough times, but you'd never ever know it to look at her. Ever. (Sigh. Heavy, heavy sigh.) Luckily, however, Annie is nice and funny and lively and an all-around great person to meet. It seriously makes up for her being so dang youthful and pretty. LOL Lunch was awesome - pretty good food, but even better company. She got me the nicest ornament and Believe cross, too. Can't wait to post a picture of that. I'll treasure both of them always. Thanks, Annie.

Now I'm off to pack that bag...(geez, I hate packing). Ya'll be thinking about that "Weight Discussion Wednesday" idea and let me know if you're interested in doing something like that, okay?

Not enough hours in the day....

Hey everyone! Thought I'd better make the time to do a post before you thought I'd forsaken blogging (again). lol Things around here have been crazy - I got a wild hair and decided to redo our bedroom and Randey got a wild hair and decided that we needed a new car. (My wild hair set us back considerably less than his did!) I've been painting our bedroom for what seems like forever, although I guess the actual painting only took 2 days. I've been adjusting bedding and swapping out blankets and lamps and everything else for about 3 days. And curtains! I can't even begin to discuss curtains right now. Just you wait until I do a post about them, though! Curtain manufacturers are NOT nice and/or smart people. Nor can they measure worth a flip. But we'll talk more on that at a later time. For now, I'll show you what I've been doing. Our room went from this color scheme: to this one:

I'm pretty sure I like it, but it'll take some time to get used to. It feels lighter and cooler than the old look did - and I'm all about feeling cooler. (Have I mentioned my aversion to hot weather???). You can see the new nightstands in this picture, too. See? Not one single ass in sight!

Now on to some serious bragging...I recently won 2, count 'em 2, giveaways. I'm feeling pretty lucky about that - I may just head to Vegas this month (HA!). First, I won Mary's giveaway for naming her "new cat" (I picked the name "Basil", which just struck me as funny for some reason). This is what I got:

I love, love, love the "sailing" bag - I know I'll get some good use out of that and the broaches are just lovely (made my Sarah, Mary's daughter). The white Battenburg lace style cloth in the bottom right corner has actually come in handy already. I managed to buy the world's brightest alarm clock for my side of the bed (hey - it was blue and it matched. Who knew you could land an aircraft with the stupid thing?!). Anyway, at night I drape that cloth over the front of my alarm clock to "mute" the brightness. And (and this is a big one!) it's pretty enough that I can leave it out on my nightstand during the day. Thank you, Mary, for doing this wonderful giveaway and thank you, Sarah, for making the broaches AND for mailing the package!!

Then just last week, I won Lynne's giveaway, which was a copy of this book:

I cannot wait to get busy reading it. I just finished the 3 Stephanie Meyer books (Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse) and I'm starting The Notebook (N. Sparks) that my daughter-in-law gave me for Christmas (I'm lagging behind, I know) and then I will be reading The Book of Bright Ideas. I think I've got lots of good reading ahead of me.
I wanted to share this little item with you guys, too. When we went to Montana last month, Randey's niece (and my friend!) Dawn gave me one of these:

It's a wickless candle burning system called Scentsy. It contains a little light bulb that melts bars of wax as it heats up - the wax, of course, is scented and as it melts, it releases the most wonderful aromas into the air. I've had things like this before, but the wax bars from this company are really quite aromatic and give off a great scent that lasts a good long while. If you're reading this Dawn, I just want to thank you again and tell you I have truly enjoyed my Scentsy!

I also want to thank Jayme for the beautiful 4th of July greeting card she made (shown on the left side of the picture below). I love Jayme's cards. They make me smile everytime I get one and I love keeping them out for company to look at. I also got a sweet card from Lynne when she sent The Book of Bright Ideas to me (pictured center). I love getting cards - nothing says "Hey - I thought about you today" like getting a nice card in the mail. I also got THE cutest card from Joan today (thanks, Joan!) which isn't pictured here because I took this picture last night before I got it (which just goes to show that trying to be efficient doesn't always pay off. I should have waited a day!) lol). I really wish I'd waited now because the card is so funny. I hope to use the picture on a future post soon, though. The third card pictured below is from an anonymous neighbor. This neighbor, whomever she may be, left us this sweet card in our mailbox because she wanted to tell us that she liked the "flag lights" Randey hung on the fence for the 4th of July. She said she thought they looked awesome and she appreciated the effort. How nice is that? It really made our week to read this. Randey was especially pumped up about it - he's the one who put the lights up so he was pleased to know that his efforts had been recognized (by someone outside the house, that is). Sweet neighbor, huh?
Now - I guess I should mention who won my giveaway, shouldn't I? I drew the name on Saturday, the 5th, I just didn't get a chance to post it! I'm so sorry about that. (Note to Self: Never start painting a bedroom until you have everything else caught up and finished.) Anywho - the winner is VEE! Yay, Vee! I'll get your package off in the mail right away! Thank you all for entering and, more importantly, thank you for sharing your lives with me. Blogging has opened up a whole new world - a world that I have enjoyed more than I can possibly say. Which brings me to a point I should have made when I posted about my "Blog-iversary" a week or so ago; thank you, Aunt Sandi for getting me started with blogging. I never, ever would have done it, but for you. I thought it was kind of silly for me to even start a blog, although I sure did enjoy reading yours. And then I did start one and one thing led to another and now look where I am...sticking my nose into dozens of other people's lives on a daily basis and enjoying the fool out of myself while doing it. lol Thanks for getting me started - it's been a blast!

P.S. Thanks to everyone for their kind words about my beautiful son, Nicholas, deploying again. I'm not too good at talking about it while he's gone, though. I do better if I pretend it's just not happening. (Picture me sitting in a corner somewhere with my fingers in my ears, singing "la,la,la,la,la,la" at the top of my lungs - that's what I will be "mentally" doing until he gets back.) But thank you, all the same, for writing of your appreciation of his service. It means the world to us.

There's a Giveaway Afoot!

Check out Cookie's giveaway over at The Cookie Sheet. She's giving away 6 prints that would look adorable in a little girl's room. Head on over there and sign up!

A Day in the Life

I have been struggling with trying to find something to blog about. I've come to the inescapable conclusion that I just don't have anything to offer right now! I thought I might do a few meme's that I've been tagged with (some as far back as the first week in December!), but I'm coming up blank. In fact, Vee at A Haven for Vee tagged me way back on December 5th, I think, as did Lynne at Lynne's Little Corner. More recently, Jennifer at Dust Bunny Hostage tagged me for a "Give 7 Random Facts About Yourself" meme. Here's the problem, though. I blab so much on this blog that there's just nothing that I can tell you that you don't already know. Seven things is a lot! Really. I mean, I could mention that I watch MXC at night, but that might not mean much to some of you. And for those of you who know what MXC is, well heck...I'm hanging my head in shame that I've exposed that particular secret about myself (she said, blushing furiously). For you higher class folks who don't know what MXC is, let me just assure that it's nothing you should concern yourself about. In fact, forget I mentioned it, okie-doke? I could talk about the fact that I have 6 toes on my left foot, but why would I? First of all, that's just freaky and second of all, it's not even true. I only bring it up because I almost did put it on the list because I just couldn't come up with anything else. (Hey, desperate people can and will make things up and/or lie, you know!) The truth of the matter is, I'm in a boring phase of my life. I'm rather hoping it's just a phase anyway, and not an actual lifestyle. Take today, for example. What'd I do? I went shopping. First I met Randey for lunch. Okay, so I met him for lunch because I needed to switch cars with him...I had that stupid, loud Dakota truck that he loves so much. I hate driving that thing. He had those "Flowmaster" mufflers (or whatever you call them) put on it so now it sounds like something a 16 year old boy would drive. I swear, I get in it, start it up and people turn around to see what young, punk whippersnapper is polluting their air with all that noise and they see me...a rather robust figured, 40+ year old woman trying to scrunch way down in the seat so nobody will see who's actually driving the beast. Anywho, I called Randey and arranged to meet him for lunch (which, as it turns out, may have been a waste of time. I say that because this evening, when Randey went back for seconds after dinner and I said something about it, he said he was starving, having not eaten lunch that day. What the flip? He can't remember dining with his wonderful wife a mere 6 hours earlier? But that's another story. I'll not dwell on it at this time....). So...we switched vehicles and I was off to shop. Why? Because I just didn't have anything better to do. I went to Marshall's, bought Kara another outfit (that kid's going to have a fuller wardrobe than the Queen of England and she's three months away from birth still!). I also found Maddy Moose the most wonderful faux fur blanket. It's furry on one side and velvety on the other. And it's WHITE! (Don't panic, Jodie. I checked and it's machine washable. lol). I found a bunny for Easter to set around the house and a resin, shamrock embellished top-hat to use for a candy dish for St. Paddy's Day. I went to Kirkland's afterwards and then Bed, Bath & Beyond (a store that is sorely in need of a lesson in how to discount Christmas merchandise! Good grief, people - it's over a month since Christmas! Anything Christmas themed should be about 90% off, not 50%! Sheesh!). Then I tootled on over to the mall. Found some earrings at the Brighton store. Got a latte at Starbucks. Checked out the stuff the Disney store was offering. Cruised thru Hallmark, where I found a birthday card for my step-sister and a Batman ornament for Nick and Jodie. I also got a Jim Shore figure featuring Jiminy Cricket and the saying "Let your conscience be your guide", which I've always considered to be primo words to live by. Then I hit Macy's, where I found another loud shirt that almost begged me to buy it. However, at $60 (and that was the discounted price), I left the little darling hanging in the store. But man was it purty! Bright colors and sparkly thingys sewn into the neckline...it was hard to resist. I was a rock, though. Okay. So my checkbook was a rock. I'd already spent enough to ....well. Let's just say I was fairly generous in my efforts to single-handedly jumpstart the Ft. Worth area economy and leave it at that, shall we? I did squeeze out enough to pay for 4 books at Half Price Books, however. Hey! Reading improves the mind, right? Of course it does! So anyway...that was my day. Mindlessly walking and shopping and spending and thinking. At one point, I was hit with the knowledge that I. am. lonely. I am as lonely a human as you're ever likely to find. It's my own doing, of course. (I feel I'd better say that so you know I'm not looking for sympathy here.) I can remember years ago, my kids teasing me because they said I only had one friend (Susan) and my response was that was because "friends are such high maintenance". I was only half-kidding. But I used to not feel that way. Really. I was out-going and happy and friendly and loved having friends. I look back now and wonder what changed, how did I get to be so self-contained in my real life? When did I stop making friends? I don't think there's any one incident that I can point to and say "Ah-ha!". It was a combination of things. When Randey and I got married, he was very jealous of any time I spent with people other than him. I put up with that for awhile, but actually that got real old, real quick. After much "discussion" between us, he got over that feeling. In fact, I'd say that Randey got waaaay over it and has now reached the point of feeling totally and completely secure in our relationship. Which is a good thing. Still...it was a tiresome battle and struggle to get him to that point and it took its toll. Then there was family. Whenever I'd go somewhere to visit family (in another state or town), I was always made to feel like I was doing something "wrong" if I wanted to take time out to visit with friends who lived in the area, too. There was always that "you need to be focusing on your family" thing. Family guilt can really twist you up inside, you know it? But, as a result, I tended to let friendships slide. It was easier, I'm ashamed to say. And then the worst thing in the world happened. My friend, my best friend at the time, committed suicide. Yeah. That rocked my whole world, as you can imagine. I'd failed my friend on some level, that much was obvious. Hell. I'd failed her on every level. I mean a part of me knew that I was not responsible for her death, but another part of me knew that I should have been a better friend to her. Maybe if I'd done something different, she wouldn't have felt whatever it is she was feeling that caused her to take her own life. I saw a therapist afterwards, to deal with the nightmare of it all. She told me that, as evidenced by the method my friend used, it was plain that she meant to die. She wasn't asking for help, she wasn't hoping to be "saved", she just wanted out of her life. How could I not know that? I had moved to another state, true, but I was only 3 hours away from her! How could I not know? Well, I never found an answer to that question, but I did find a way to not feel that sort of horror again. I quit making friends. Except for Susan. Susan and I just "clicked". There was no effort involved. And she's a rock. She's solid, she's smart, she's together. I couldn't have not been friends with her because she and I always seemed to understand one another. But that's pretty darn rare. Everybody else I met required that I actually work at the relationship if I wanted to be friends and, like I said, that's just too high maintenance for me. So the result? I often times find myself lonely. Again, it's my own fault. I know that. Susan lives 5 states away so our "time" together has been reduced to phone calls and maybe one visit a year. (Although, the beauty of a friendship as intense as the one Susan and I share is that we know how the other feels. Distance doesn't change that. That's a comfort.) However, other than Susan, I have no "real life" actual friends. I have a rocky relationship with most of my family...for reasons too numerous to mention here. I have great kids and a great husband, great neighbors, great bloggin buds...great everything! But I don't have anyone to just bum around with, you know what I mean? I read about some of you and your "circle of friends" and I feel envy. I wonder what that's like. And I wonder how you get that. I can't remember. My days of making up close and personal friends are gone. Sometimes I miss those days. But then sometimes, when I think of the pain of losing a friend, I'm grateful for my Rock, Susan (who I feel safe and confident in never losing because she knows my faults and loves me anyway! lol) and I feel content with the knowledge that, if I don't put myself in that position, then I can't let any other friends down. I guess it's a trade off. I just don't know anymore if I'm trading up...or trading down...by not getting involved with other people. I know there's a lot to be said for being alone. But damn...there sure isn't a whole lot of good to be said about being lonely, is there?