Archive for December, 2009

Random Procrastination Post.

{ December 26, 2009 @ 10:13 pm } · { RANDOM DAILY BLOGGING }
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Some of the bests books I have read, its sad to say, came from watching the movie. I would, as most readers I know,  rather read the book first, but simply by accident I happened to see the movie and then searched out the book. One of these being, To Kill a Mockingbird. Somewhere around 1987, or 88, I was sitting up at 3am rocking a baby with an ear infection, and the movie came on. For fear of moving and waking a screaming child, I did not move to change the channel or search for the remote. I loved the movie and subsequently the book. The same goes for Lonesome Dove.  Stretched out on the couch, I could not find the remote and was thinking I don’t like Westerns and found myself engrossed in one of the best movies I have ever seen. Robert Duvall was superb. The story was amazing. Never reading Larry Mcmurtry before, I , none the less searched out the book. One of the very few times, I think I like the movie the best. Simply because of Robert Duvall  Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Robert Urich  and a host of great actors. The story of retired Texas Rangers on a cattle drive to Montana. Awesome.

Tonight, I was playing on the computer when Revolutionary Road came on. I was not intending to watch it but found it interesting. I have, of course, heard of the book, but have not read it. Maybe, I will love it too. Tune in next time and I will let you know.

Christmas Eve Memories, Daddy, Cancer, and a Million Dollar Quilt!

{ December 25, 2009 @ 10:54 pm } · { DADDY }
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Oh wait!!! I didn’t tell you my dear journal about the best part of Christmas. Did I say in all the ranting and raving about all I had to do before Christmas that I was also finishing a quilt for my Dad. I made a John Deere quilt, and if I could figure how to get WordPress to cooperate, I would post a pic. It is really beautiful. It has its faults, and anyone with an eye for quilting could see, but worth millions in sentiment. I gave it to my Dad last night, and I had made a fabric tag with an inscription on it, that went something like this:  This quilt was lovingly made for my daddy, (his name) by (my name)  Christmas 2009.   If anyone ever did read my blog (they don’t, not one hit in days), they would know,  I think it is writ, that my Dad was diagnosed with the Big C this year. Doc’s did not give us a lot of hope. That rocked my world. But, evidently they were not counting on my family and our prayers, and he is now in remission.  So,  I presented him with the quilt last night, and my Dad, who I have only seen cry, maybe 2-3 times in my life, burst into tears. Of course, so did I.  He was thinking, like we all did, that he would not even be here this year. He said, ” I have the best kids in the world”.  

Thank You God, for one more year. 

 It was a great Christmas.

Daddy's Quilt

 

“Moments that take your breath away”

{ December 25, 2009 @ 9:41 pm } · { FAMILY }
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“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away”

Another Christmas is almost gone. I always have a little sad moment right about this time every year. I told the hubby this morning, that all we do for these  several weeks, and the only thing I truly enjoy is when the kids come over on Christmas Eve, spend the night, get up early, open presents, and eat a huge breakfast. As I was cooking this morning, I listened to them laughing and my eyes filled with tears of gratitude and joy. I am so blessed. Life is good. Thank You, God for your son, and the love in our hearts.

Never stand between a Southern Woman and her Fried Chicken!!

{ December 22, 2009 @ 3:03 pm } · { Customer Service, FAVORITE FOODS, southern humor, writing }
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     We had a meeting at work yesterday about improving our customer service. There is a survey that is mailed out to our customers/patients about their stay and how they were treated at our facility. Basically, they are trying to find out how we are doing, and any problem areas that we can improve so consumers will choose us over our competitors. This got me to thinking about some of the experiences I have had, and I copied and pasted one. I most likely will put it in its own category on my site and add to it. I have several. Most people find it funny how things just tick me off, because I am normally an extremely laid back, slow to anger, kind of person. In my defense,  I am choosy about where I spend my money, and if I choose you, then treat me right and I will come back. Although, the story here is humorous, I promise you, I found nothing funny about it that day. LOL

 

Grocery store and fried chicken

     I went to the grocery store one Sunday at noon. They fry the best chicken there. If you don’t get there early, you don’t get any chicken. Who knew that this small town grocery store, when they built it would need a much larger kitchen? Us Southerners did. But, they did not ask us. No surveys were done on how much fried chicken could a small southern town after church on Sundays eat? They also did not realize not only were they hiring cooks, but some of the best women/Mothers/Grandmother cooks in this town. Man, can they fry up some chicken! Never, I repeat Never stand between a southerner, after church on Sunday, and his/her fried chicken! If you want the fried chicken in this store, you better place an order early or they run out of chicken. I knew the importance of this, and my entire family, cousins, creek kin, and all were coming for Sunday dinner at my Dad’s after church. And who, you may ask is to provide all the fried chicken for this clan? You probably guessed, smart readers, that would be me. Knowing the importance of this, I, not only called ahead, I went to the store in person, the day before and put in an order for several buckets of chicken. They were to have it ready just before lunch the next day. Ok, move forward, Sunday afternoon I go to pick up my chicken, told them my name, and the sales clerk, who I could tell right off, did not want to be there that day said to me. “We aint got no order for no chicken with your name on it”. Obviously she did not have my ticket. That was the end of that. (She thought). Seriously, she just went back to what she was doing, obviously not realizing the seriousness of this situation. I then said, where is my chicken? She looked at me, like, “are you crazy”. “Maam, I don’t have your chicken.” I said, “someone in this store, will tell me what happened to the chicken I ordered”! She then asked me, would I like to see a manager, in which I so eloquently replied. “Duuuh”????? So the dep’t manager comes up, asks me, in a way like I am really bothering her, “can I help you with something” I attempted to explain to her that I had placed my order the day before and now they don’t have my chicken, what’s up with that. She said, well we place the order, writing it on a piece of paper, like this, she showed me the paper they wrote it on, and stick it to the clipboard, over here, she demonstrated, (like she is having to explain to an idiot about ordering chicken) and then had the nerve to say to me. “I don’t see it there,  do you”?  It was at that point whereby I start, as my husband says, talking through my teeth. It is a barely restrained rage, and I feel as if I open my mouth, I will say things that Jesus will remind me of one day at the pearly gates, he will say to me “do you remember that time up in the middle of the Piggly Wiggly that you called my name, not in prayer, but in vain? So, I keep my teeth clenched, afraid if I open my mouth, I will start spouting out a string of curse words, like a person with Turrets. Then, very adeptly talking through my teeth, I explained to her what the paper looked like that the clerk the day before had written on, that it was a different size and color all together. My visual memory could see it in my mind as she wrote down my name and phone number. She then told me that they do not even have paper like I was describing to order on. I reached behind the counter where she was standing and picked up a blank one and showed her what it looked like. She then said, Oh well, I guess when we were closed anyone could have came back here and reached on that board and took it off that the order board. I then suggested to her that some of her staff probably took it off said order board so they would not have to fry so much chicken. She was about ready to talk through her teeth at that remark. I then proceeded to tell her, still through my teeth, that a better way to do things would be for them to make out a ticket, give me a copy, or a tab, or a signature, number, anything to link me back to that order. I surmised by her expression that she was not really open for suggestions on how to run her department. So, I asked for her manager. She said he was on vacation, she was in charge, but she would get on the phone with the assistant manager. She proceeded to talk to him, and all I could here her say, was “No, Yes, No, Not really”, and a few mumbled words I could not make out. God only knows what she was saying about me. When she put the phone down she said “Maam, I don’t have your chicken, we are backed up here and all I can offer you is fried chicken strips. I will let you have it for free, would you like for me to do that”, I agreed, and she boxed it up. As she was handing it to me, she said. “I am sorry this happened”. That’s it. Three little words. Do you see what I had to go through to get those three little words. All this time and not once did anyone say that to me, until I was leaving. That’s all I wanted in the first place. If the person, I talked to had just said to me, “ I am sorry, I don’t know how this happened, how can I make it right for you, this is what I will do, and this is what I will do different here to make sure this does not happen again”,  I truly, may have been outdone, but I would have accepted it, because everyone makes mistakes. Just make it right. If you are in customer service, place yourself in that customer or consumers position and look at it from their point of view, whether you feel you are right or not. It is not personal. It’s not about you. It’s about the customer. It’s about your job. How hard is that to understand?

BTW, names have been changed to protect the innocent. The innocent here would be Piggly Wiggly. I shop in a small town grocery store very similar to Piggly Wiggly, but it is not actually, “The Pig”.

Also, if Ms. Pat is working, she makes the best mac and cheese. It’s  the bomb. But, if you ever were to go there, don’t mention my name. LOL

“Let them Eat Brioche”

{ December 21, 2009 @ 10:55 pm } · { RANDOM DAILY BLOGGING, southern humor }
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I know, its crazy. If anyone out there actually did read my blogs, they would say, “What the Hades”, 2 postings in one night. The thought did cross my mind to type it in my word program, and copy and paste it to here tomorrow, therefore alleviating one more chore tomorrow. But, I do not need that witch of an inner voice, to tell me that would be cheating.

OK, yesterday, I made this absolutely stunningly beautiful gorgeous RED VELVET CAKE. It was white as snow with piping around the edges and pecans (peeeeecans, is how you say it here in the South, not puhcans, repeat over and over to yourself until you get it right) on top, and  crimson red inside.  I wish I had taken a picture to show you.  When I finished, I had a discussion with my husband about would we have enough food for the masses (his family) coming for dinner. He said, should be plenty. I said, “sure as Hades better be, because I am not cooking anymore today.”  Then, with my overly dramatic self, white icing and red food coloring all over me, and a butter knife in my hand, I held it up like a sword, and shouted,in a sing-song voice,  ”LET THEM EAT CAKE”
Well, thats a statement I make a lot, or a least every time I bake a cake. I could not remember where I heard that from, or who said that. So, I consulted a couple of geniuses I know, maybe you’ve heard of them, Google and Wiki, Pedia that is. This is what I found. Contrary to popular belief, Marie-Antoinette did not say this. No one knows who did, it is derived from the French, and it translated literally means, “Let them eat Brioche”.  Sometime in the 1700′s in that far far away land, laws required bakers to sell fancy bread, or brioche (similar to bread) at the same cost as plain breads  if they ran out of plain bread, and rumor has it, some princess (not Marie) remarked to a servant when they told her the poor had ran out of bread and were starving,  to let them eat cake or brioche,  and as one website said. Let them eat warm, soggy, eggy, bread, just wasn’t as catchy as my phrase, “Let them eat cake.”  Ha Ha, you have had your history lesson for today.
As for my brioche, I mean cake, it was as tasty as it was beautiful. I intend to make another sometime this week for a dear sweet friend. (Note the word intend in the previous sentence). If I do make this cake, I will take a picture, and I might just change my phrase to, “LET THEM EAT BRIOCHE”.

The road to Heaven must be paved with my good intentions.

Who said that?

Me.

My critical voice!

{ December 21, 2009 @ 10:09 pm } · { RANDOM DAILY BLOGGING }
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     The perfectionist in me thinks I am cheating at WordPress. She says, “wait a minute, here, dummy, are you not supposed to be writing something creative?” “Was that not the idea of this blog site?” I constantly have to remind her that, if I remember correctly, I just promised to write, I did not say what. Then I tell her to shut up.  Did anyone catch her calling me a dummy? She is harder on me that anyone else. The dummy part is way calmer that what she calls me when I mess up.
     Wow, reading this sounds like I have multiple personalities. When, in all actuality, I am no more crazy that any other hormonally unstable woman out there (lol).   Seriously, I will write something later, when I do have time to be more creative, instead of thinking about how many Christmas presents I still have left to wrap. But for now, I am posting something, everyday. So I quell that inner voice that always pesters me, and make bargains with myself until after Christmas. Someone hold me to that, will you?

December 19th, 1989

{ December 19, 2009 @ 11:10 am } · { RANDOM DAILY BLOGGING }
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December 19th 1989, I was in a car accident.  I have always remembered the date.  Yesterday on December 18th it was as cold and rainy as is was on December 19th, 1989. That is what reminded me of the wreck. At that time, my three children were ages 1,3, and 5. My daughter was 1-year-old. She was sick with a cold and I had taken her to the Doctor. After leaving the Dr. I picked up the 5-year-old from school. I had gone by my Mothers before and strangely my 3-year-old threw a tantrum to stay with my Mother. Very different for him. First of all he was my only quiet child and rarely threw tantrums. Second of all, he had been very clingy to me during that time. He was going through some sort of Mama’s boy stage and would not stay with my Mother, his Daddy, or anyone, but me.  So, he had a fit to stay with Mama. I let him, and told her I would take the baby to the Dr. then to school and pick up my son, plus my two young cousins my Mother was going to babysit for that day. Because of all that she told me to take her car, instead of my truck.  I did. I put the baby’s car seat in the front passenger seat beside  me because she was extremely fussy. Now, in 1989, it was not a law against front seat car seats, and no one thought much about it like they do now. So, I had left  the Dr.’s office, had the baby in the front seat and three other children strapped in the back seat. As I was going down the road, the 5-year-old undid his seat belt, and said he felt sick, like he was going to vomit. I turned around to look at him, to help him out and then as I was looking back, It was like an explosion. I had no idea what happened. All I remember was the car spinning and spinning, someone screaming (later found out was me), and I could not see. And of course seconds seemed like eternity of noise,screaming,blindness, and all I could think of was my babies. I had to get my babies. Finally stopped spinning. I was somewhat stuck, but easily wiggled out, stepped out of the car in the middle of a four lane hwy and attempted to spin around to get my babies, and a wave of dizziness along with intense sleepiness stalled me for a split second, and then the adrenaline kick. The three in the back were crawling out, baby is screaming, 5-year-old pouring blood from nose and mouth and heaving. I ran to the other side to try to get the baby, and she and the car seat were wedged into the dashboard.  With a God-given strength reserved for Mothers concerned for their children, I pulled the car seat out and layed it in the middle of the hwy, gently pulling my baby out. She was bleeding from the forehead and it was running in her eyes. The other two children were OK, both crying, one holding her hand and one holding her arm, but I knew they were alright. I actually was near the hospital and could see it in site. In a frantic state of mind, I started walking towards the hospital in the freezing pouring down rain, that was my only goal. People were stopping and attempting to help me. They told me to stay still an ambulance was coming. I screamed at this man, “I am not waiting on an ambulance, I can get there quicker, look at my children”. So I am walking in the direction of  the hospital with all these children in tow. Then he said. “If you are not going to wait on an ambulance, please let me give you a ride.”  Of course, I did. What had happened, I found out later, was I had gone into the other lane right into oncoming traffic, when I had  looked back at my son.  Another vehicle had hit us head on, doing approx 55-60 miles per hour. They never saw me either. So they never even hit the brakes. The force of the impact had literally bent the axle of the car straight  up into an arch, before it even started spinning.  Me and the baby were wedged into the dashboard. My knees were bruised. My chest was a bruise the shape of a steering wheel and I had burst the windshield with my head. The baby was pretty much protected by the car seat, with the bar in front, but her head had gone into the dashboard. She had a deep scrape and goose egg knot on her head. You can still see the ridged scar today if you are looking for it. The 5 year old was the worry of the ER doc, but he only had a bit lip and busted nose. The others were fine. Still in my frantic state, I would not let them look at me, until they looked at the babies. I felt no pain whatsoever. The other car had 3 or 4 people in it. One of them a pregnant woman. They all eventually ended up just having cuts and bruises. I felt so incredibly guilty. I took my babies home, and that night when they were all in bed, I started calming down, and I remember slowly from my toes to my head, the numbness slowly wore off with every minute that I relaxed, then came this incredible pain over every inch of my body. I had to take pain killers for a couple of days. But all in all, everyone was alright.  When my Mom saw the car for the first time after the accident, she cried. Not for her car, but OMG! it was mangled. If you saw it and did not know, you would say, no one could have made it out alive.  OK see the miracles here?  I have always wondered, no not wondered, but knew God was looking out for us that day. First of all, my middle son, I don’t know why,  stayed with my Mother. I was in my Mothers car instead of my old truck, that was also different. It was amazing no one was seriously hurt. I was charged of course, but that was the least of my worries. I did not care about that. I knew I was at fault.  I always look back on December the 19th as a miracle. God spared me and my children that day. He just blesses me like that!

writing, cooking, sewing, dog’s yeast infection and other random stuff!!

{ December 18, 2009 @ 8:41 pm } · { RANDOM DAILY BLOGGING }
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My writing is just like everything else I do. A work in progress. Ha, thats funny only to me. When I am doing anything, sewing, quilting, decorating, cooking, or writing, I start off with a plan, or a pattern, or a recipe. As I progress, no matter how I try, I stray off the beaten path. I will promise myself that I will follow the plan of action, but then I will try something else, another spice, another color, another turn of the square. Even with blogging, I don’t know where it is going. I will not add the title, tags, or  category until I am finished. I will usually delete the first paragraph and pick up somewhere about 1/3 away down the post, where I find my point. Backwards is me. I am one of those annoying people who start at last page of a magazine and flip forwards. I don’t know why, and don’t care. It’s just me. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Most of the time it works with cooking, that new spice or twist is usually awesome. You can’t  skimp on cooking if you want  it to taste good. My family, especially hubby, will say. How can you take a can of something and make it awesome. It’s easy, I say, “If you add enough fat, and salt to something, it’s always going to taste good. The cooking just comes from experience and not being afraid to try. The writing is so much harder, because I do not have a pattern to begin with. If I could go somewhere online and find a recipe or pattern for a book, I would excel at that. It’ the not knowing where to start that gets to me. Because of these characteristics of mine, I have never described myself as creative. But, I guess I am, because I guess the definition of creative is to create. No one said it had to be good.

I am now totally flipping to a different subject. Just the way my mind does. The dog has yet another yeast infection in his ears. Vet visit today $147.00. Having someone to help me hold down a squirming 100 lb golden retriever who hates to have his ears cleaned. PRICELESS!

To whom it may concern: I did finish this blog without cutting away anything or straying from my subject, probably because there was no subject in this meaningless post.

as the years go flying by…..

{ December 17, 2009 @ 8:42 pm } · { Firstborn }
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My Grandmother always said,  that when you look back on your life you will realize that the best days were when your children were small enough to sit on your lap.

I would agree with that. My oldest son crawled in my lap until he was about 10.  One of those nights as he crawled in my lap, I asked him. “Do you think you will ever get too big for my lap.”  “Nope”, he said.  He was wrong.

 He was born just a few weeks before my 20th birthday. A product of a teenage pregnancy. His father and I married immediately. For seven years we tried to make it work. The guilt I feel for failing at that will be with me until the day I die.

I was 19 when he was born.  I had no idea you could love someone so much. I beamed with joy. He had an awesome personality the minute he was born. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, not once, did I regret having him. Unlike some teenagers or young people who have an unplanned pregnancy, I never felt I missed out. It was like, OH MY GOD, this is what I was born to do. There is nothing out there I would rather be doing.

At 18 he went away to college. He is  a people person, scared of nothing, never met a stranger, an extrovert in every  way. Vivacious, Loud, Loving, Kind, excels at everything. That day he left for college, he just said, “Bye Mom” I will see you later. My life for 18 years just walked out the door, happy as could be. And I fell in the floor. Devasted. I cried day and night for two weeks. He never knew. I would not dare put a damper on his moment. For me, it seemed I had a beautiful baby one day, and the next he was gone. Where did the time go?

When he finished College, he called me, saying, “Mama, your baby boy is graduated” I beamed with joy. He settled back in this town. He started seeing his high school girlfriend again. I always thought they would marry. But, tragedy struck and she died in a horrible accident. It is the only time I have ever seen him so down. I never knew pain until I knew my children’s pain.

  He is now 25 and still my baby.  He has dated a beautiful girl for five years now. I wondered would he ever give his heart again. He called me yesterday and said. I am looking at a diamond, what do you think? He gave her a diamond today. And again, I couldn’t be more proud.  

When he was four, he gave me a plaque with a mold of his small hand on it ,that he had made in Bible school. It says:  Here is my hand so tiny and small to hang somewhere upon the wall, to watch as the years go flying by, how we grow my hand and I.  I reflect on that tonight and think, the years did go flying by.

Now, he is  grown, and Grandmamma was right.

 I still say the same prayer I did 25 years ago, Thank you God for choosing me to be the Mother of this child.

 What blessings I have!!!

“I never knew pain until I knew my Childrens’ pain”

{ December 16, 2009 @ 9:07 pm } · { RANDOM DAILY BLOGGING }
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I never knew pain until I knew my Childrens’ pain

Who said that?  I said that. Yep that would be me. I mean someone else may have at one time or another, but that is actually a true statement of mine.

I am sad tonight. I came in from work sad. 

For one, my middle son told me a few months ago, right smack in the middle of dealing with the diagnoses of Daddy’s Cancer, that his girlfriend was pregnant. Being an intuitive person, almost to the point of psychic, I would have thought I would have known on some level. Floored me. Did not have a clue. If it had been my oldest or even my youngest, maybe would not have been a surprise. Anyway, the day he told me, I did not fuss, nag, preach, or say any of the expected remarks. What do you do at this point? I told him we would support in every way. I love him, and somehow we will deal with this. I kept thinking, with the thought that I would lose my Dad, there could be worse things than having a baby.

Jump to a few months later, the first ultrasound. I was like getting excited. I told him,  Call me the minute it’s over. I emphasized, call me the first chance you get. My phone rang that night, I saw his number on caller ID. I jerked up the phone.

Me: What’s up? What was it like? Are you excited? Anyway to tell the sex?

him: “No, too early for that, but, Mama something is wrong with the baby.” 

Again, I was shocked. Their baby has a condition called gastroschisis. When the baby formed its intestines formed on the outside of its body. Normally when forming the abdomen closes pulling the intestines in. With Gastro babies, for some reason the intestines don’t pull in, the abdomen closes and the intestines are left on the outside. I had heard of it, but it is not as rare as I thought. 1 in every 5000 births. The best case scenario for our baby is major surgery time it is born, to make an incision to place the intestines back in the body. Approximately 6wks in a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), being fed through IV fluids, it will not eat for two to three months. Or, I should say he. We have found since it is a boy. That is the best that can happen. Other things about gastroschisis are: these babies tend to have more complications, greater chance of infection, still birth, low birth weight, and premature labor. Also, when the intestines are on the outside of the body, they get irritated from amniotic fluid and may be swollen and the surgery take place in several stages over several months. If the intestines become twisted and part die, the may have to remove part of them. He may or may not have to have a colostomy which may or may not be closed later. As the pregnancy progresses over the next few months this condition could go in any direction.  If you google gastroschisis, prepare to be shocked by the pics. I am in healthcare and have seen a lot. It is graphic for me to look at, much less two young parents with their first baby. Any prayers that are thrown up in our behalf and most especially for this dear sweet baby will be much appreciated. Because, my family sure needs prayers.

They met with the pediatric surgeon today, and toured the NICU, where they were approached by a lady whose baby is in NICU with the exact same condition. She told them things to expect. That was a blessing. The hospital also set them up to stay at the Ronald McDonald house when the baby is born. I say them, but they told my son, he would not be able to stay. That broke his heart, because the hospital that specializes in this is approximately  100 miles away from where we live.   

That is probably why I am sad. I know, it is a good reason to be sad. But, none of this is new news. We have known this. I usually have faith and deal with it better. But, not today. My Big old blonde hound, knows I am sad. He will not leave my side tonight, with his adorable self.

The other two kids had other news for me today. I will save that for another weepy day.

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