Busy beyond belief... just living

I'm still around and read your blogs on occasion when I have time, but have been neglecting to fill you in on anything here.

Pretty much the same old same old going on here. Went to NOLA this past weekend for my cousin's engagement party.

Here are some pics from the weekend. The city is definitely different. About 25% of the businesses were open and many restaurants have limited hours due to lack of staffing.

Email Archives

This one came today from her. Laughed my butt off. I wish.

Martha Stewart vs. Maxine

*Martha's Way*
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

*Maxine's Way *
Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!

*Martha's Way*
To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

*Maxine's Way *
Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix, keep it in the pantry for up to a year.

*Martha's Way*
When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

*Maxine's Way *
Go to the bakery! They'll even decorate it for you.

*Martha's Way*
If you accidentally oversalt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix-me-up."

*Maxine's Way *
If you oversalt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad. Please recite with me the real woman's motto: "I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!"

*Martha's Way*
Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

*Maxine's Way *
Celery? Never heard of it!

*Martha's Way*
Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

*Maxine's Way *
The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust so I don't.

*Martha's Way*
Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

*Maxine's Way *
Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink!

*Martha's Way*
If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

*Maxine's Way *
Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.

*Martha's Way*
Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

*Maxine's Way *

Leftover wine???????????

The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.

Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?

Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than in a Hyundai.

Drinking makes some husbands see double and feel single.

Living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.

After a certain age, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead.

As usual, if you don't forward this to 10 of your friends within the next 5 minutes, your belly button will fall off. Really... it's true! Have I ever lied to you?

So not those kind of people

So awhile back, I mentioned that I got a new car. When we bought this car, both Hubby and I worried that people would think that we, gasp, had money. We have some money so to speak as in, we live day to day, but we do not have MONEY, despite the car I now drive. When we bought the car, at a great deal because the guy was leaving the country, the key fobs were not in the best of shape, but hey, no big deal. When I say not the best of shape, I mean one key really works well and is taped together so the keyless entry works.

So today I decided to call the dealership to find out what a new one would cost.

$271.86 + tax and then $45 service charge to program it to the vehicle. Huh!?

We are soooo not Lexus people. We can't even afford to buy the key. ;-)

Picture Meme

You asked, you shall receive.

Beth asked to see my sock drawer. It's a little scary, but here you go. I think the pantyhose are about to go in the trash, now that I don't have to go into an office. Yippee!!! RIP Pantyhose.

Meeta wanted to see the contents of my fridge and my kitchen table. Behold the organization.

Cori requested itsy-bitsy piggie Savannah toes! Behold the cuteness, ignore the sock fuzz.

Leah wanted to see Savvy's room, which is actually done except we don't have a mattress for the crib yet.
JuJuBee wanted to see Savvy herself in all her glory! Here she is next to the giant Pez her Winna got her.

Happy Monday

Yesterday was one of those days where you want to crawl into bed and go to sleep in hopes of waking up in the next day. Savvy got some shots on Friday and was a crab most of the day, refusing to nap and screaming whenever I put her down. Normally she is a very happy baby and only cries when she is hungry or tired. That behavior makes it very hard to do anything at all.

I took her for a walk and she liked that. Getting the stroller out of the car, I managed to open it on my finger. Like, I got my pinkie caught between one pole and another as it tried to open almost breaking it, my finger, not the stroller. I jumped around the driveway in a manner that made the neighbors look at me funny -- the kind of little dance you might use to bring forth rain. Later as I tried to adjust the walker, I got another finger caught in between one part and another and couldn't get it out at all without a little maneuvering. At this point I just looked up at the ceiling and asked God for a little break as tears streamed down my face.

I am also dealing with a breastfeeding issue that I won't go into detail on, but let's just say that I cry when she feeds on one side.

Add to all this that I have had a cold sore for the last two months. I haven't had one in like 5 years, so I guess God thought I was due. I'm sure it has something to do with the stress of being a new mom, but good grief, I adjust pretty well. I miss kissing my baby and my husband. A lot!

I have also been dealing with a family matter that has caused many a bad dream and has to be resolved after two months. I'm tired and emotionally drained, but hope to deal with that this week and move forward towards a resolution that will work for both of us.

This morning looked like it was going to present another day of awfulness when I went to shake the creamer and the top opened, spraying vanilla creamer all over the floor. Add mop to my list of things to do today.

Savvy is in her crib crying because she has yet to nap today and needs one badly. I am working or so it appears.

May today be better than yesterday. Happy Monday.

Politically Correct

This one was too good not to share before I deleted it from my inbox today.

Politically Correct Expressions

Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading America, Kentuckians, Tennesseans and West Virginians will no longer be referred to as "HILLBILLIES." You must now refer to us as APPALACHIAN-AMERICANS.

And furthermore...

HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT WOMEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1. She is not a "BABE" or a "CHICK" - She is a"BREASTED AMERICAN."

2. She is not a "SCREAMER" or a "MOANER" - She is"VOCALLY APPRECIATIVE."

3. She is not "EASY" - She is "HORIZONTALLYACCESSIBLE."

4. She is not a "DUMB BLONDE" - She is a "LIGHT-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY."

5. She has not "BEEN AROUND" - She is a"PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION."

6. She is not an "AIRHEAD" - She is "REALITY IMPAIRED."

7. She does not get "DRUNK" or "TIPSY" - She gets "CHEMICALLY INCONVENIENCED."

8. She does not have "BREAST IMPLANTS" - She is"MEDICALLY ENHANCED."

9. She does not "NAG" you - She becomes "VERBALLY REPETITIVE."

10. She is not a "TRAMP" - She is "SEXUALLY EXTROVERTED."

11. She does not have "MAJOR LEAGUE HOOTERS" - She is"PECTORALLY SUPERIOR."

12. She is not a "TWO-BIT HOOKER" - She is a "LOW-COSTPROVIDER."

HOW TO SPEAK ABOUT MEN AND BE POLITICALLY CORRECT:

1. He does not have a "BEER GUT" - He has developed a "LIQUID GRAIN STORAGE FACILITY."

2. He is not a "BAD DANCER" - He is "OVERLY CAUCASIAN."
3. He does not "GET LOST ALL THE TIME" - He"INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS."

4. He is not "BALDING" - He is in "FOLLICLE REGRESSION."

5. He is not a "CRADLE ROBBER" - He prefers"GENERATIONAL DIFFERENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS."

6. He does not get "FALLING-DOWN DRUNK" - He becomes"ACCIDENTALLY HORIZONTAL."

7. He does not act like a "TOTAL ASS" - He develops a case of RECTAL-CRANIAL INVERSION."

8. He is not a "MALE CHAUVINIST PIG" - He has "SWINE EMPATHY."

9. He is not afraid of "COMMITMENT" - He is"RELATIONSHIP CHALLENGED."

10. He is not "HORNY" - He is "SEXUALLY FOCUSED."

11. It's not his "CRACK" you see hanging out of his pants - It's "REAR CLEAVAGE"

Another Cleaning out the inbox find... Virtual Bubblewrap

http://www.virtual-bubblewrap.com/popnow.shtml

Pop away!

Cleaning out the inbox

I told you there would be no specific day for these, so here you go with the next installment of "cleaning out the inbox." Now remember, I didn't write and I don't necessarily agree with it all. This email reminded me of when I used to visit my Mom in New Mexico as a kid, other kids would ask me if I rode a horse to school. At that time I had never even ridden a horse period.


Sent: Fri 3/1/2002 12:57 PM
Subject: FW: TEXAS PRIDE

When you're from Texas, people that you meet ask you questions like...."Do you have any cows?"

It's nice to be able to say yes.

They ask you, "Do you have horses?"

Yup.

Bet you got a bunch of guns, eh?

Of course.

They all want to know if you've been to Southfork.

They watched "Dallas".

Have you ever looked at a map of the world? Heck, yes you have.

Look at Texas just for a second.

That picture, with the Panhandle and the Gulf Coast, and the Red River and the Rio Grande is as much a part of you as anything ever will be. As soon asanyone anywhere in the world looks at that they know what it is. It's TEXAS.

Pick any kid off the street in Japan and draw him a picture of Texas in the dirt, and he'll know what it is. What happens if I show you a picture of any other state? You'll get it sooner or later, but who else in the world would? Even if you do, does it ever stir any feelings in you?

In every man, woman and child on this little rock the Good Lord put us on, there is somewhere in them a person who wishes just once he could be a real live Texan and get up on a horse or ride in a pickup or dance at a dancehall.

Did you ever hear anyone in a bar say, "Wow....so you're from Kansas. Cool. Tell me about it."?
There is some bit of Texas in everyone. Do you know why? Because Texas is Texas. Texas is the Alamo. Texas is 183 men standing in a church, facing thousands of Mexican nationals, fighting for freedom, who had the chance to walk out and save themselves, but stayed.

We send our kids to schools named William B. Travis and Bowie and do you know why? Because those men saw a line in the sand and they decided to be heroes. John Wayne paid to do the movie himself. That is Texas. Texas is Sam Houston capturing Santa Anna at San Jacinto. Texas is Juneteenth and Texas Independence Day. Texas is huge forests of Piney Woods like the Davy Crocket National Forest. Texas is breathtaking mountains in Big Bend. Texas is shiny skyscrapers in Houston and Dallas.T exas is the uniqueness of Austin. Texas is a world record bass from places like Lake Fork. Texas has the best colleges around. From College Station to Lubbock and everywhere in between. Texas is Mexican food like nowhere in the world, even Mexico. Texas is larger-than-life legends like Willie Nelson and Buddy Holly, EarlCampbell and Nolan Ryan, Denton Cooley and Michael DeBakey, Lyndon Johnson and Presidents George Bush, father and son. Texas is great companies like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer and Compaq. Texas is huge herds of cattle and miles of crops. Texas is skies blackened with doves and fields full of deer. Texas is the best Barbecue anywhere. Period. Texas is the nicest people you'll ever meet. Anywhere. Not to mention, the prettiest girls. Texas is a place where the streets are deserted during church. Texas is the best music, with the best musicians in the world. Texas is beaches, deserts, lakes and rivers, mountains and prairies.

If it isn't in Texas, you don't need it. No one does anything bigger or better. By federal law Texas is the only state in the U.S. that can fly its flag at the same height as the U.S. Flag. Think about that for a second. You fly the Stars and Stripes at 20 feet in Maryland, or California, or Maine, and your state flag, whatever it is, flies at 17. You fly the Stars and Stripes in front of Pine Tree High in Longview at 20 feet, and the Lone Star flies at 20 feet. Do you know why?
Our capitol is the only one in the country that is taller than the capitol building in D.C. We signed that and the flag height in as part of the deal when we came on. That's the best part right there....when we came on, Texas was its own country. The Republic of Texas.

Aren't you proud to be a Texan?

You should be.

Cleaning out the inbox

I decided to hop on BlogExplosion just to see what I might find and came across a blog where she had posted something she found while cleaning out her inbox. It triggered something and since I post so rarely because my brain has been fried by my dear daughter, I thought I would try something. Each week, I am not going to specify a day because then someone might hold me to that, I will pull something from the depths of my email and post it. So for the first installment of CLEANING OUT THE INBOX, here you go:

Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 01:01:58 EST
Subject: something worth reading

The Awakening
A time comes in your life when you finally get it. When in the midst of all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying or struggling to hold on. And, like a child quieting down after a blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice, you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening.

You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince Charming and you are not Cinderella, and that in the real world there aren't always fairy tale endings (or beginnings for that matter, and that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you. And in the process, a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect, and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are -- and that's OK. (They are entitled to their own views and opinions.) And you learn the importance of loving and championing yourself, and in the process, a sense of newly found confidence is born of self-approval. You stop bitching and blaming other people for the things they did to you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don't always say what they mean or mean what they say, and that not everyone will always be there for you, and that it's not always about you. So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself and in the process, a sense of safety & security is born of self-reliance. You stop judging and pointing fingers, and you begin to accept people as they are, and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and, in the process, a sense of peace & contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and needing, and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with, and in the process, you learn to go with your instincts. You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. And that there is power and glory in creating and contributing, and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life. You learn that you don't know everything, it’s not your job to save the world, and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility, and the importance of setting boundaries. You learn that the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry, and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. Romantic love and familial love. How to love, how much to give in love, when to stop giving, and when to walk away. You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a relationship. You are not important because of the man or woman on your arm. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You stop trying to control people, situations, and outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change, so it is with love, and you learn that you don’t have the right to demand love on your terms just to make you happy. And, you learn that alone does not mean lonely. And you look in the mirror and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size 5 or a perfect 10 and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your head and agonizing over how you “stack up."

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over, and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of entitlement are perfectly OK, and that it is your right to want things and to ask for the things that you want, and that sometimes it is necessary to make demands. You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love, kindness, sensitivity, and respect and you will not settle for less. And you allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you, to glorify you with his or her touch, and in the process you internalize the meaning of self-respect.

And you learn that your body really is your temple. You begin eating a balanced diet, drinking more water, and taking more time to exercise. You learn that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear, so you take more time to rest. And, just as food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul, so you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, in life you get what you believe you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for, and that wishing for something to happen is different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success, you need direction, discipline, and perseverance. You also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it's OK to risk asking for help. You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber baron of all time, FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears, because you know that whatever happens you can handle it, and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your terms. And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn't always fair, you don’t always get what you think you deserve, and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things. You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your prayers. It’s just life happening. And you learn to deal with evil in its most primal state-- the ego. You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy, and resentment must be understood and redirected, or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about; a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower. Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself, by yourself, and you try to make yourself a promise -- to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than your heart's desire.

And you hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind. And you make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility. Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can. To every wonderful possibility. Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

Picture Meme

A while back, like before I had a kid and my memory was wiped clean, there was this thing called a photo meme. I am resurrecting it here. This is how it works. Leave in the comments what you would like to see a picture of and I will post one. Your wish is my command, well kind of. Keep it clean and give me some time, a week or so and I will post your requests. Be as creative as you like, I need some excitement in my life!