The Greenbriar Patch

Two Weeks and Counting

2010-04-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

That is the amount of time until we can move into our home. The last few weeks have been long, hard and then long and hard again. Laverne, my wonderful dog LIVED. I had a cyst on my right ovary and I thought I would croak. In all seriousness, I was sure I was dying for about two or three days. I have never had one of these before and let me just say they suck. I had no idea and I wouldn't wish one on anyone; or at least not many people. We have had lots of exciting things going on around the family. My husband was named as the SBA Business Man of the year for our state. He is going to DC to accept the award and speak on a panel to a bunch of pencil pushers about whatever it is they do. I was invited to the State Capitol to participate in an environmental education program for our State. I have no idea where, who, when, or how my name ended up on the list. But I am going, I am ashamed to say I have never been to our dreaded capitol. I may make the paint on the wall peel off as I am just way too liberal for the political climate in our state.

I have finally started re-establishing my exercise program. I think I have finally gotten tired of seeing my ass spread in the mirror. My fav is yoga and I have been practicing 3 times a week and want to be practicing 6 times a week. I will. My long term goal is to do the teacher training through a Yoga Alliance approved school for the first level CYT-200. I would love to teach out at the mountain at some point in time, but really want to add more value to my personal practice. I have no freaking clue when I am going to find 500 hours to do the required training!

I have been on a recent war against HFC. What is an HFC?? High Fructose Corn Syrup, big nasty curse word in my house. It.is.in.everything. For reals. In my house we found it in the following things: bread (WTF???), ketchup, maple syrup, salsa, ALL sodas, yogurt(unBElievABLE), most cereals, granola bars; I could continue forever with this list but I think you get the idea. Why? What purpose? Yes I do know sugar is sweet too, but the HFC are handled differently by the body. Do me a favor, read all that you can by HFC and the clean out your cabinets. By or grow real food. If you don't have time to make real food, then read labels and purchase the stuff that is healthy for your family.

Why is it that the headline new on CNN tonight is about Cameron Douglas was sentenced to five years in prison for being a drug dealer? And? Aren't there more pressing issues to cover; things that actually have a affect on society? I could give a rats you know what about Cameron Douglas and his sorry excuse for a human being self. Todd bad daddy couldn't buy him out of this one. What about all the hungry people that will go to bed without a meal tonight? Or the trees that will be plowed over in just one day to feed our hunger for not easily replaceable fossil fuels. No, it's not important to discuss the not rate making issues of teaching our citizens to grow food so we can began to heal the earth we have destroyed over multiple generations. No, that is not important and doesn't affect the tomorrows of anyone, certainly not as life-altering as Cameron Douglas' being forced to finally act like a man.

Yummy recipes coming tomorrow; empanadas with a dipping sauce and sweet treat too.

Ciao Bellas.

I Will Be Back Online Tonight!

2010-04-16T15:19:00.000-05:00

I will be back online tonight. I have much useless information to report. Sorry for the MIA stunt, had a little medical problem.

Laverne and Shirley, the Greatest Dogs and Squirrel Chasing Professionals

2010-03-29T22:08:00.000-05:00

My dog is dying. I have wanted to type this for three days now and have just now had the stomach to type it. I am not sure how imminent this is, but I do know my dog and I know that the vet is totally clueless. This pisses me off. However, ultimately he cannot turn back the hands of time and make her younger. From our best guesstimates, Laverne is 13 years old. She thinks she is 3. She is a fine dog. She is our baby. She is my husbands best friend. Laverne had chased a caught more squirrels than any dog I have ever known. She is very sick. It is supposedly pancreaitis. I think it is more. She has labored breathing, oh I can't type all the details. I just want you all to know what an important part of our family she is. Laverne is the worrier. She is the family protector. She is the family groomer. She is the family snuggler. She LOVES the kids. She is the hunter and the gatherer. She is the one with the sixth sense. She saved my son's life. She has on many ocassion, thought she is a boy dog. She is both tender and tough. She is gentle, yet not delicate. She loves love. She is a superior communicater. She is expressionate. She thinks she is human; yet to us she is, just a thumb short. She is smart. She is gracious. She is a constant companion. She thinks she is going to one day catch a deer. I let her chase them. I have not the heart to discourage her. She has infact caught the following animals and accidentally killed many of them, her goal is always only to play and not realizing the power in those jaws, that never happens; squirrels, mice, cats, birds, snakes, lizards (super funny story on that), opossum, mole, fish (don't ask), turtle, and countless humans (though we all have survived). She most importantly has captured our heart. My heart wishes she will miracously get better. My heart realizes this is the beginning of the end and I can't help but to feel selfish beacause I am not ready to let her go. I keep telling myself that I want to protect the kids from experiencing a loss when really it is me. Larverne knows more secrets and knows just how to cure my bad days. She gives that best love; it is unconditional. I don't want her to suffer, it makes me sick to think she could be in pain. I hope she is not. I am told she is not, again I think the vet is clueless. I know I am not the only person in the world to to face with the prospect of losing a dog, but I am the only one faced with the prospect of losing my dog and I am heart-broken. My husband has yet to accept this reality and that makes this tougher. Oh. Laverne how I love you and I promise I will sleep with you on the sofa as long as you need me too. In honor of my big mama....

Black-Eyed Peas and Cornbread Please

2010-03-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

As I was putting the kids to bed last night Alex asked for black-eyed peas for dinner on the next day. Madalyn chimed in that if we were having black-eyed peas could we have cornbread please. I love this. I spend so much time making sophisticated foods and I truly love that we can get back to simple foods prepared well. So, for dinner tonight we had black-eyed peas, lima beans, sauteed carrots and cornbread. Everybody cleared their plates and Alex and Madalyn had seconds. It is hard to find 'good' vegetarian black-eyed peas, imagine that. A vegetable not being vegetarian; it is always prepared with ham or ham hocks or bacon here in the south. Below you will find my simple recipe that always leaves clean plates behind. I prefer fresh peas when they are available, otherwise dried peas soaked overnight in water will work great. Do NOT use those horrid imposter's out of a can. Not only are they loaded in sodium but they are mushy and have lots of extra preservatives that you do not need.

One cup of dried black-eyed peas, picke over and soaked overnight
1 small onion chopped
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
chicken broth (i use un-chicken broth to keep it vegetarian)
olive oil

In a saucepan add the peas and the water they were soaked in with the onion and 3 sprigs of thyme. A lot of people will not agree with this, but I rinse my peas really well before soaking them so my water is not all that icky. Is that a word, icky? Anyhow, add a glug of olive oil and then enough of the broth to cover the peas. Bring to a rapid boil on medium high heat and then reduce to a low and simmer until tender. You will need to add water several times, I usually alternate between adding the broth and the water. In the last 10 minutes I add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. These are delicious, simple and crowd pleasers in my house.

Have a good night!

Cupcakes and the hubby is 40

2010-03-23T21:31:00.000-05:00

I love cupcakes. I really love cupcakes. My husband will be 40 tomorrow and he has requested a pineapple-upside down cake. I would love to make this in cupcakes. I bet the taste would be even better. I have to go bake....a cake. Good night.

What is a Friend, like for real??

2010-03-22T20:13:00.001-05:00

That is the question my sweet 6 year old daughter asked me on the way to gymnastics today. My little girl has been having a tough time a school lately. She has been purposely excluded from group activities by a group of 'mean girls' because she is Jewish. No this is not second hand information. No I am not making it up. No I did not rely on my 6 year old to tell me about it. The teacher overheard this during class and the school immediately called me and have been aggressively trying to coach these other little rats to more acceptable behavior. The thing is that these kids were taught this type of hate. I do not believe that a 6 year old is capable of hating because of difference. I believe this is learned. The families of these girls are well to-do educated people. They really don't care. One family contacted me directly and all they were worried about is what we thought. They never inquired about how hurt Madalyn might feel or what we could do as parent's to partner together to give our kids the tools to work through a difficult conflict. They simply wanted to save face. Well, they didn't. I would like to smash their face. That is what I would like to do. My sweet girl wrote letters, on her own, to the girls that wronged her and told them that she loves them even if they are different than her and that she hopes they will learn to just love everybody. Can you believe that? She is so wise in her young years. I am so proud of her. So to answer the question today I told Madalyn that a friend is someone that loves you always, even when they are mad at you. A friend will hold your hand in your darkest hour. A friend will make you laugh until you nearly pee in your pants. A friend will never judge you for not agreeing with them. A friend will love all your hairstyles, no matter how crazy they look. A friend will always take your phone call. A friend will finish your sentences for you. A friend can feel your pains without you ever having to say a word. A friend will walk through a fire storm to give you her last drink of water. A friend will always accept your apology. A friend will always welcome you into her home. A friend understands why you must have another pair of red shoes. A friend understands your heart and soul.

Going through all this with Madalyn lately has made me really look at myself and my friends. I have always believed I am a good friend. I love my friends deeply. I call them to see how they are, not because I am obligated but because I really do care. I am a champion for my friends. I want them to have happiness and to be successful in all endeavors. I love hearing about all the joy in their lives. I have an available shoulder for the times there is no joy. I however, am dismayed and saddened because I do believe I have a dear friend that just does not feel the same anymore, but can't or won't tell me. This person doesn't take or return my phone calls. This person has really hurt my feelings by abandoning me. That sounds drastic, but I really do feel that way. So with that, I told Madalyn that sometimes for some reason you have to love your friends enough to let them move on. It's okay to still want the best for them from a distance. It's okay to still care. It's okay to have a hurt heart, but that will heal soon. And from that experience you will grow and you will one day cherish the time you spent with those friends; yes, even as a 6 year old.

Homemade Toothpaste

2010-03-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I am even pondering this...homemade toothpaste. But, I am. I will purchase the ingredients today and try to whip up a batch. I am also making homemade deodorant. In more exciting news and less about bodily hygiene, the hubby will be 40 on Wednesday. I think he seems to still be 20 something. Life seems to feel normal this morning. I have no fever, no aches, no chills, no sweats, no nausea, not dizziness. This all means I have to make the bread dough for the week and buy groceries for lunches. Here's to real food and nothing out of the can. Have a great day.

France; Paris the Real Deal

2010-03-20T15:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, to pick up where we left off. We did finally make it to France. We flew into Charles DeGaulle Airport. We then rented a car and drove to Upper Normandy. We were in a small town called La Haye Du Puits. Small as in only 1800 people live there. It is in the French countryside and I LOVED IT. It was charming, beautiful, had fresh clean air was only 15 minutes to the beach. A non commercialized beach, there were no sounds of cars, car horns, trains, scooters...just nature. The kids did amazingly well travelling. They too, love La Haye Du Puits. I can not explain how magical it was. We stayed, compliments of our business hosts, in a charming town called Doville. Doville has roughly 300 inhabitants. We stayed in a beautiful manor that you can visit the website for at this link, Manche vacation chateau / country house. Alex developed a severe ear infection by Sunday afternoon. On our visit to the Dr. prior to leaving the states, the Dr. would NOT write a prescription for a broad based antibiotic for 'worst case scenario' sickness travels. Well, boy was I mad at the Dr. We called a local Dr in the town of La Haye Du Puits on Monday morning not knowing what to expect. We had an appointment that day at noon. We left with two prescriptions and the most pleasant experience at a doctors office in my life. The entire visit wast 22 euro. No insurance, not a French citizen, that's it. The cost for the two prescriptions was the equivalent of 2 usd. Can you believe that. Boy do we have health care screwed up in the US, truly we do. Oh, let me note that this post will have terrible grammar and bounce from subject to subject because I have the flu. I can't seem to focus on any one thing for too long. We left the magical haven on Normandy on Monday night for Paris. We arrived to the armpit of the world late Monday night. Yup, I HATED Paris. Yes, Paris was a great place maybe 100 years ago. I found it a hassle, too many people, too much sameness in the city, too much gray, and just a miserable place. Parisian's don't smile. Not because they are not happy, it is just not part of the culture there. They were gracious hosts and generous, but man oh man is that city NOT for me. You don't hear birds chirp. There is no sound of life except for the man made sounds created by us destructive humans. Every solitary inch of Paris has been built on. It is all concrete and stone. Even the play parks are filled with dirt instead of growing things. We did all the obligatory sight seeing, but to be honest I am sorry I spent one night there. I will post pictures later and update more information, feeling a little nauseated.

France Interrupted....And My Perception of the French

2010-03-17T03:38:00.000-05:00

We started on our journey to France on March 11th. We were to arrive on the 12th at 8:30 in the morning Paris time. The flight being only 7 hours, this would be a quick flight; this was the thought we had since we were traveling with kids. The first delay happened and pushed us back 2 hours. We made it to Atlanta to only miss our flight to Paris. There were no more flights with seats available for 5 days. Yup, 5 days. Our luggage was gone, on a plane to Paris. We had no clean clothes, no toothbrush, nothing! We flew the next day to JFK and had an 8 hour layover. Is France really worth all this???? Finally we board a plane to Paris. We began to taxi to the runway and you get the picture. A delay for another 11/2 hours. I am being pulled out the door to be a tourist. I will return and finish this later.

No Heat, Not Hot Water, Homemade Pasta and A Mouse

2010-01-31T20:54:00.000-06:00

Today I slept late, very late. It was awesome. Once I decided to crawl out of the bed, my husband,who had already been up for hours came home and fixed me a beautiful breakfast. This I could get used too. I decided to do a little cooking today. I made Vegan Nacho Cheese Kale Chips. Can I tell you how delicious they are? I mean crazy delicious. One pan of these never made it into the container. I also had a craving for homemade pasta. There is not much better than the taste of fresh pasta; pure, decadent yumminess. Home made pasta is best unadulterated. I like it hot out of the water tossed with a little olive oil and fresh grated parmigiana. I love it. I realllllly love it.

I also had some not so fun things happen today. I discovered today that one of my bee hives perished in the cold weather. After much preparation to prevent this, it happened anyway. One of the colonies was clearly weaker than the other two and the poor guys froze to death. I am just sick about it. Madalyn thought we should bury the bees and have a funeral. So we did. Very strange, a bee funeral if you have never been to one. Madalyn put a little honey in the hole with the bees. The propane tank behind this darn rental house also ran out of gas today. We are on the check and refill circuit of a local gas company and they are supposed to refill when we are down to 20%; well apparently they did not do this. What this means for us is no hot water and no heat. As I am trying to convince the kids to sleep in their flannel pj's tonight I saw a four legged fury creature run across the kitchen floor. It's official, we have a mouse. With that, I will have my shot of tequila to warm me and go crawl in the bed. Ciao.

One Month and Counting....

2010-01-18T16:46:00.000-06:00

We are officially one month away from moving into 'the mountain', as the kids say. A mountain of stuff is exactly what we have left to do. We opted to stucco the house inside and out. For many reasons, one is the vapor permeability, the other is the durability...and it's incredibly sustainable. Other sustainable features on our house are many...the most important is that it is passive-solar in design. Our water source is from rain water reclamation and well water. The hardwood flooring is salvaged from a regional cotton mill in Alabama. We are also using marmoleum and cork which are also sustainable. Our roof is metal which is reflective and helps with the solar-passive design. We are not relying on traditional HVAC, but a mini-split unit that heats/or cools zones so we are not altering the temperature in the whole house when we are not but in one area of the house. Perhaps the most sustainable thing we will be doing is growing food. We are planning to grow as much as we reasonable can and still have full time jobs. We planted an orchard area 2 years ago and hope to have our first fruits in 2011. We are also working very hard as a family to eliminate packaged foods from our home. Here is a list of things we are starting to make at home instead of purchase. Crackers (wheat thin style, chezz-it style, graham style, three seed style, ritz style), homemade potato chips, pop tarts, catsup, breads. We will certainly add and delete from this list. Currently we make yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise (not often enough), salad dressings. Have a conference call this evening. Have a good night. I will post a recipe tomorrow for Italian Sausage Soup....yummo!

Haiti and Homemade Pop Tarts

2010-01-17T15:52:00.001-06:00

My sweet little Madalyn has just the biggest heart. At the tender age of 6, she is just old enough to understand destruction, heartbreak and pure sadness. She does not quite grasp the finality of death and the toll it takes on a family. But she does comprehend separation, and the thought of being separated from her family petrifies her. She is very aware of the situation in Haiti. This morning when she got up she was very busy. When Scott and I have change we always split it between the kids. They save it up and we take it to the bank about every 6 months. Both of the kids have two piggy banks. One bank is for the bank and the other bank is for using for whatever they want. Madalyn has named her "my choice" pig Jefferson. This morning she sorted all the coins in Jefferson and asked if I could help her count it. We counted twice and she has $12.12. She was thrilled. Exact words, 'mom, I need an envelope so I can send my money to Haiti. President Obama said those other President guys would make sure it is spent wisely. Can I send all my shoes that don't fit too?' I was so touched by her sentiment and proud of her compassion. I told her we would match whatever she is sending and make sure her money gets to an organization that can help in Haiti. Through talking we have decided to launch a small fundraising effort in our business called Hurry for Haiti. Madalyn suggested that we still match all the donations, and I will.

Now on to less heavy subject matter. Pop-tarts. You either love them or hate them. I am a hater. Mainly because the ingredients are just full of things that you can't pronounce and high fructose corn syrup. My kids love pop tarts. I only let them have them on the weekends about twice a month. This made me think, I could make a homemade pop tart, or breakfast tart. So I did. Here is the recipe below. Enjoy and be creative.

Tart Crust:

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup butter (softened)

1/4 cup shortening

3 tbsp. of very cold water (i let mine sit in ice until i need it)

Filling:

Favorite Jam or Jelly or any of the below ideas:

lemon curd, cinnamon sugar mixed with melted butter, fresh fruit boiled with a little tapioca, eggs, eggs and potatoes, eggs and breakfast sausage or bacon, etc.

Preheat the oven to 375. Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry blender or a fork. Mix in the cold water a little at a time until it is incorporated. Depending on the weather and what brand of flour you are using you may have to add more water to get your dough to come together. It should form a dough ball. Don't overwork it and warm it up toooo much. I usually pop mine in the fridge for a few minutes. Roll the dough out to be about 1/4 inch thick. You could go a little thinner, but not thicker. Cut your dough into rectangles about the size of an index card. When I am feeling lazy, I just cut them round with a biscuit cutter. For pieces that will be the bottom spread about 1-2 tsp of your filling. Place another piece on top. Crimp the edges with a fork and bake for about 15 minutes. It will not brown. At this point you can throw it in the toaster to brown or freeze it for 2 months. If you want to put icing on it. Do it prior to toasting and freezing. Mix up a little glaze out of confectioners sugar and milk. You should only use enough milk to let the mix drizzle. I start with 1 tbsp of confectioners and go from there. Sometimes I add vanilla and sometimes I don't. If you are feeling mighty fancy, shake a few sprinkles on top. Now, see aren't you proud of yourself? No high fructose corn syrup and you can pronounce and even spell all the ingredients.

In Which A Chimpanzee Attacks Me While In Iraq

2010-01-05T21:40:00.000-06:00

I am totally nuts. This I have known for years. We accidentally stumbled across this program on television called Lucky I Am Alive, I think; something about being alive. I truly don't care what the damn, yes I cursed in a blog, program is because I will NEVER watch it again. Do you hear me? N-E-V-E-R. This program is about people that have had near fatal encounters with animals. Most of the encounters featured on the program seem to be about snakes, which I am deathly afraid of. Dead ones, alive ones, fake ones, imaginary ones....all snakes. Late in the program was a feature on an encounter with a chimpanzee named Bruno in Sierre Leon. This incident happened in a habitat for chimpanzees that had lost electricity and therefore there were 34 escaped very large, angry, hungry chimpanzees. One individual, of the human kind, did not live. The chimp pulled off both hands, both feet, the entire jaw, genitalia and then proceeded to disembowel this poor man. I was incredibly disturbed. Make no mistake, I do not think that chimps are cuddly wonderful little creatures we should interact with, let alone have as a pet; like the crazy lady in the North East. I don't think the chimps should be locked up in cages that electrocute them either. I have a healthy, love of nature kind of respect for chimps. I am in awe of them, but I also fear them. I had no idea that chimps are capable of the kind of voracity in this incident. I couldn't fall asleep. I was disturbed. Finally after 3 hours and 2 big glasses of wine I was sleeping peacefully. That is until I began dreaming I was in Iraq being hunted by chimpanzees. I will not go into my views on the war here but let's just say the soldiers were not there to help me. This was one of those dreams that you can kind of think outside of the dream. I remember thinking that I was nuts and that I should just wake up and the nightmare would stop. Impossibility, wasn't happening. I find it odd that just mere hours earlier I was begging to sleep and now I was begging to wake up. I finally did at 5:30 am. I checked to make sure all my parts were attached. I am happy to report I am not in Iraq being chased by chimps and I can confirm that I am still nuts. I have exciting house news to report but I am waiting until tomorrow. I want to go out and take a few photos to post in the morning. Nite.

Salamander Popsicles

2010-01-04T19:44:00.000-06:00

The kids started horseback riding lessons yesterday. I have promised for nearly a year. Finally, I gave in to their relentless begging. Really, it is Madalyn's relentless begging, Alex is just along for the ride. I was amazed at how well they did. They were able to maintain control of the horses for the entire lesson. Madalyn sobbed when we left. It didn't matter that she could no longer feel her toes or fingers from the cold 30 degree weather. It didn't matter that the snot on her face was frozen. (gross isn't it, yeah the joys of being a parent) It didn't matter that her precious little face was chapped from the wind. Nope, no sirree, she just wanted to ride. I have never seen Madalyn with a bigger smile than the very moment she saddled up. It made me feel so happy that she was getting to experience something for the first time that she really longed for; and she LOVED it. I loved watching her and Alex. When we were done I was promptly informed that we needed to go hunt for salamanders under the logs so they wouldn't freeze and die. The kids told me that salamanders are amphibians and mostly water and it was so cold that the salamanders were sure to become Popsicles. 'Mom, we have to save them, all of them. It's dangerous.' This I did not give into. I am sure the salamanders will not become Popsicles and I am sure that under the logs is exactly the very best spot for the salamanders to be.

House update. First and foremost, I cannot wait to get out of this dreaded rental. I certainly appreciate it's proximity to the property and the convenience it has afforded us, but it is simply not home. It is a sad place. The weather is causing a major delay. We cannot stucco when the weather is below freezing. In a normal Alabama winter this would be of no issue. Well, we are not having a freaking normal Alabama winter. Putting in the cabinets is such a big moment because it usually mean 4-6 weeks before finishing.....cabinets are in limbo. UGH! Brighter news is that Dwell magazine is interested in doing an article on the house when we are finished. I was going to upload a cute pic of a salamander we found in the fall, prior to it becoming a Popsicle, however, my internet is not being to friendly tonight. I have to go stop the kids from fighting over the dictionary, again. Have a lovely night.

Inspiration...what moves you?

2009-12-01T19:35:00.000-06:00

Inspiration. To be inspired. What inspires you? What moves you? I am easily moved. I cry at sappy movies. I cry at commercials sometimes. Totally cheesy, but that's okay. I sometimes say it's because I am a girl. But really I just feel deeply connected to my surroundings, be it nature, friends, family, etc. I am moved by smell, color, sight, sound. I am inspired by laughter, risk, happiness, creativity. I crave inspiration. I flock towards the feel good movies. I think this is also why I prefer non-fiction books. This is not to say that all non-fiction is earth shattering inspiration, just the books I tend to choose. I am also inspired by learning. My grandpa has always told me to never be too old to learn or to smart to learn. I have always kind of snickered when he says that last part of the statement. I mean, what does that mean? Really? Too smart to learn. That doesn't even make sense. But, as is the case with me, boy am I wrong. It makes complete sense. So today I am inspired by my Grandpa. He is in California. I miss him. I love him. Today, he has been in my heart and on my mind. I am going to see him in February and this makes me smile. Katie M. said comforting breakfast....I'm thinking savory. So here is a recipe that I make for Alex on weekends. It is one of his favorites. I just call it Mommy's Yummy Alex love...kinda corny!

Cast of Characters

5 left over dinner rolls

3 sausage patties (i use vegetarian but anything will be equally delicious)

shredded cheese of your choice (i shred muenster because it's Alex's favorite)

5 large eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. fennel seed

dash of pepper

butter for coating the pan

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Saute your sausage patties and let cool. Butter an 8 x 8 casserole dish. Tear the rolls into bite size pieces and dump into the casserole dish. Beat all the eggs with the salt, pepper, fennel and a touch of milk if you want. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the mixture. Bake for 25 minutes or until set. Enjoy!

Groovy Shoes and All

2009-11-29T20:37:00.000-06:00

I do believe the fog of sickness has cleared from our house. Madalyn had fever for 6 days. Not just wimpy fever, serious stuff. I have heard stories about mom's doing crazy things when they are in protect mode of their kids. Well let me tell you, I get it. I totally understand. I won't go into the details here as it will get me all frustrated, but let's just say that I am switching pediatricians, after 6.5 years in the same practice. Today, was a good day. The weather was pure perfection. We were able to go outside and play. I totally beat the kids in a game of hide-n-seek. I am such a mean mommy, I beat them from time to time...gotta learn how to loose because you can't always win at everything. We spent a lot of time at Green Mtn. today. I got to crank the sewing machine for a small amount of time. We went to a movie this evening as our last hooray before going back to school tomorrow. Old Dogs with Robin Williams and John Travolta...so stinking cute. We all loved it and laughed out loud; okay so I snorted, not once but 3 times. T-H-R-E-E times, as Alex was telling me on the way home. I couldn't help it, it was really good clean humor. The most exciting part of the day was for Madalyn. She got a pair of new 'groovy' shoes. She's in love, smitten, can't quit looking at them; she broke out in song and dance. Song of choice, YMCA...Madalyn style. Which, I must tell you could be a big seller for a remake. I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. My only regret is that I did not video it. I did, however, get a picture of the very important groovy shoes. I will post a new recipe tomorrow. What do you want to cook?

Easy Peasy Roasted Vegetable Stock

2009-11-28T20:37:00.000-06:00

This recipe is so easy I am not going to give too many exacts on it. The main thing to consider is that you want to use vegetables that develop really deep earthy background flavors. For example, carrots not squash.

2lb of dice onions

2lb diced carrots

2lb diced celery

7 smashed cloves of garlic

3 bay leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley

6 fresh shitake mushrooms

1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns

1/2 tablespoon minced ginger (yup, it's good)

*1 smoked chili pepper-optional if you want some spice

3.5 quarts of water

Toss all vegetables (minus the shitake mushrooms) and ginger with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Tuck the smashed garlic and the bay leaves in with the vegetables. Place in a 400 degree preheated oven. Roast in the oven for 1 hour. You want the vegetables to have a dark caramelized appearance. Once you have roasted the vegetables. Place them in a dutch oven or other large pot. Add the shitake mushrooms, parsley, thyme and tablespoon of peppercorns. Add 3.5 quarts of water or just to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add salt to taste; simmer for 2 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning to make sure you are getting a deep flavor. Let cool. Strain, saving only the stock. You should have roughly 3 quarts of homemade vegetable stock. Use within 7-10 days or freeze. It freezes very well. Enjoy!

Wild Berry & Cranberry Baked Turnover's

2009-11-28T19:44:00.000-06:00

Madalyn has had the flu all week. She has pretty much had fever since Monday and the lowest it has been until today has been 102 degrees. She loves to help in kitchen. Since we didn't get to celebrate Thanksgiving we have a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit that need to be used. Here are a few pictures of the little "hand pies" (that's what I have always called them) we made today. They are tart and sweet...we then froze all of the pies for a rainy day. The nice thing about these little pies is they are sooo easy. You can also use other fruits. One of my favorite combinations is diced peach and blueberry.

Cast of Characters

3/4 Cup fresh cranberries

1 1/4 cup mixed fresh or frozen berries

1 teaspoon fresh grated orange zest

1/4 raw sugar (you can also use agave nectar)

1 egg (for egg wash)

pastry dough (see note)

Mix first four ingredients and let sit for 15-30 minutes. In the meantime prepare your dough and cut into 5 inch rounds. Place 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of mixture in the center of each round. Fold over each pastry round matching up the edges. Crimp the edges with a fork so each pie stays sealed. Prepare the egg wash by beating one egg with half tablespoon of milk. Brush each pie with egg wash. Be sure to vent the pies by slitting in the center. Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until the tops are golden. Enjoy!

I'm Back

2009-11-20T20:15:00.000-06:00

I think I have blogged this very statement before. I'm back from blog absence. I have had big plans for my blog to track the progress of our homesteading adventures; I still have those plans. I have lots of pictures to post, which is part of the delay. I am overwhelmed by the amount of information I need to post to bring thins current. I will bring you up to speed in words here now.

We broke ground on our 33 acres in June. We are building a passive-solar home that is also sustainable. We are using a building product called FasWall. It is actually very cool and the technology behind it was born out of the 2nd World War. After all the destruction in Germany, there was a lot of wood waste as a result of that destruction. Well, the Germans invented the technology that allows our product to be created. It is essentially remineralized wood; the wood is chipped up and the sugars stripped out. There are other 'secretive' processes that happen as well. But as a result, or the important stuff for us is that it results in a virtually termite proof, super sustainable product. All the wood used in FasWall is waste wood and is not from virgin trees. It is considered and ICF as it has insulation built into it.

Since we are building passive-solar, the main living area of our home will have stained concrete floors so we can have adequate heat gain during the winter months. All our water supply is coming from rain water reclamation and well water will be a back-up. We will be using grey water to irrigate all above ground edibles and flowers. We will be doing solar hot water as well. All the lighting in our house is LED and the wood flooring, beams, stairs, and doors are constructed from locally reclaimed wood. Wheww, still more to go. Are you bored yet? We will be using dual flush toilets in all the bathrooms and low flow fixtures. We will be using stucco on all the external and internal surfaces. We will be doing a venetian plaster style finish on the interior of the home. All of our paints are ZERO VOC. In the kitchen we are using an induction cook top which is incredibly energy efficient.

All of the mattresses are natural and the fabrics for window coverings and bedspreads are natural fibers. We will also be using marmoleum in our basement area. This is a super cool natural floor product. Google it and learn about it. I will add pictures soon. To date we are two months away from being completed and being able to move in.

Other things we are doing to be sustainable is growing our own food. We put in roughly 70 fruit trees, bushes, vines, etc. two years ago. We have planted apples, pears, figs, mulberry, plum, pomegranate, persimmon, blueberry, blackberry and of course muscadine (it is Alabama). We will be using raised bed planting for our seasonal vegetables. We currently have three active bee hives on site and we grow shitake and oyster mushrooms. I will be raising hens for eggs and do have plans to raise meat chickens within the first 18 months. More later...crying child with fever.

Shrimp and Grits For Heather

2009-11-15T19:13:00.000-06:00

Heather here is the recipe you have requested. I am sorry I have taken so long to post it; I have been terribly busy, distracted, lazy...oh pick your adjective. I personally love my shrimp and grits and have changed the tweaked the recipe over the years. I hope you enjoy!

Cast of Characters

Serves 4 for dinner

3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion diced finely
2 stalks celery diced finely
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
1 shallot, minced
2 green onions, sliced
2 bay leaves
Thyme, basil, oregano, cayenne and paprika, to taste
1 pound Gulf Coast shrimp (26-30 count), peeled and deveined if necessary
½ cup fish or shrimp stock, or clam juice (you can also use veggie stock)
4 ounces white wine
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons butter
Parsley, basil and green onion, all chopped

For the Grits

2 cups water

2 cups of whole milk, cream, or half and half
Salt
1 cup organic, stone ground yellow grits (preferably McEwen & Sons)
2 tablespoons butter
Freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan

To make grits, bring water and milk to a boil with salt. Slowly add grits, stirring with a wooden spoon until thickened. Bring the grits back to a simmer and continue to cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Finish with butter, salt and pepper to taste and shaved parmesan.
To make shrimp, in a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and sauté vegetables for 5 minutes over medium flame. Add herbs and cook another 5 minutes. Remove and set aside in a bowl until needed. Wipe out pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, heat and sauté shrimp until almost done (about 2 minutes). Add vegetables, seafood broth, wine and tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Swirl in butter. Taste and adjust seasoning.
To serve, place grits in center of warm bowl and ladle shrimp around. Garnish with parsley, green onions and basil.

***Note, you can optionally add mushrooms in step 2 when you are sauteing the vegetables. If you do so you want to add sliced crimini's or chanterelles. I add about 5 mushrooms sliced.

My Site Is Live!!

2009-10-27T18:34:00.000-05:00

I am so excited I can't stand it!!! My new site design is up and looks super spiffy. I am now officially motivated to blog. I will post information in just a bit on what we have been up too and who designed my blog! Ciao. Kathy

Chickens, Chickens Oh How Shall They Roost?

2009-09-15T20:57:00.000-05:00

In a coop? In a chicken tractor? This is the question I have been pondering over the last few days. As we get closer and closer to making our dream a reality, I can't stop thinking about chickens. I have wanted chickens for a long time, mainly for farm fresh eggs. Fresh chicken eggs are hard to beat. The yolks are deep, intense hues of orange and yellow that you would normally associate with a sunset. The flavor is amazing, nothing like a commercial egg. I love eggs. I really love eggs, especially dipper eggs. In my house dipper eggs are a real treat, except for the Green Machine. Dipper eggs are just eggs over easy. We then take whole wheat toast and dip into the gooey, drippy yumminess. The new dimension that is added to our chicken adventure that has yet to start is I have now officially decided to raise meat chickens. I know, I know dear reader, you are gasping at the thought of what that means, yes the chicken has to die. But I guarantee you that my chickens will be happy, well fed (none of that crazy chemical crap that you can't pronounce) and they will only eat foods and grains that would be part of a natural diet. My partner in crime, Katiebug, will have to lift me off the ground after the first slaughter, I just know it will be horribly difficult. My husband has agreed to build my chickens home. I want a chicken tractor so I can constantly move the home. A coop will be nice too, but I am starting with a small flock, so I want a small mobile home, ha a mobile home, how appropriate, it is Alabama! So I show Green Machine a tractor online and he says yeah, that is great, except I do not like the idea of building it out of wood. Too much upkeep. WTF? What other material is a coop or tractor built of? Stainless steel or galvanized aluminum? WHAT! I am not having a metal chicken house...no way...a butler building for my chicken homestead. Remember, I am going to have HAPPY chickens, not precooked chickens. We have several conversations about the chicken house, in which I get the last word by saying, "Are you going to slaughter a chicken?, I don't think so, and until you slaughter a chicken, your vote is void." So, I will have a nice wooden chicken tractor.

Corn, Good or Evil?

2009-09-13T14:02:00.000-05:00

Howdy...so this is the first post on my semi-new blog. The blog will have a new look soon. I am super excited about looking official. As we continue down our road of sustainability, I often think about corn. You hear so much from the media about how bad corn is. If we don't watch it, we will think corn is responsible for all things bad in the health world. I personally don't buy it. We eat a lot of corn in my family. Crisp, sweet, organic corn. I sometimes don't even cook it. Yup, you heard me, try it. When I was a kid my granddaddy grew corn, the best corn. He taught me to look for the ear with the worm in it. I can hear him saying, 'that will be the best piece of tcorn if the worm went after it.' I am not sure if he was right or not, but I still go for the piece with evidence of a worm. Wonderful documentaries, such as King Corn, will clue you into what is bad about corn and all the products in which it hides. I am anxious to grow my own corn next season. We will grow a variety that is organic, GMO free, and delicious. Corn loves Alabama soil, you can almost find a corn field in every town. We currently by our corn from a variety of local organic farmers. If it is not available there, I do give in and buy from Whole Foods and try to make sure it is at a least from our region. So in celebration of the last ears of summer corn, here is a fantastic recipe to help use up your last ears of corn. Oh, by the way I will blog soon about the decision the raise meat chickens..very exciting and scary. I can't even step on a bug, how am I going to slaughter a chicken?

Corn Chowder Recipe

Cast of Characters:

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 strip of bacon or 1 teaspoon of bacon fat (substitute 4 drops of liquid smoke for vegetarian option)
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups), cobs reserved
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat
1 medium Yukon Gold potato, or Russet, peeled and diced
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Script:

1 In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip (skip this step for vegetarian option) and saute until the bacon renders its fat, but doesn't begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.
2 Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a slight simmer. (For vegetarian option add the drops of Liquid Smoke). Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.
3 Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.
4 Raise the heat, add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Optional: To bring your corn chowder to levels of sinful luxury add butter braised lobster meat to the corn chowder in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Oh heavenly bliss.

Serves 4.

Can't shut the blog down.....

2009-09-12T22:48:00.000-05:00

So, I was going to shut the blog down. I was. Pinky promise. Then, you guessed it, I started reading old posts and I love them. I really love them, whether someone reads them or not. So, my new and improved blog with fun subject matter will just start here on this blog....tomorrow. So you will find me in the same place....tomorrow.

Shutting down the blog but excitement awaits you...

2009-09-12T16:39:00.000-05:00

I am so lame. My blog is lame. I haven't posted in nearly a year. I have had plenty to write about; lots of good juicy stuff too. But, as I said, I am lame. If there is anyone out there...I am shutting the blog down. I am starting a new blog. It is a blog about our homesteading adventure which includes all sorts of craziness. I will let you know when it launches. I will also have to do a lot of writing of past activities to get us current on the homestead....

How Our Thanksgiving Started out Great and then.....

2008-11-27T19:37:00.000-06:00

Today was beautiful!! Scott ran in a 10K first thing this morning; justifies all the crap he ate later in the day. I cooked, read, cooked, read.......and then went to lunch with my family. We had a great time, our visit was nice and peaceful. We went to Green Mtn. and began spreading the seeds from flowers already spent...to make sure they come back next year. M wanted to dress in a fancy dress because we were going to her Aunts afterwards. She had on fancy shoes, she calls them church shoes; we don't go to church we're Jewish. But I think it is so cute when she says it. Church must be pretty special to warrant those fancy shoes. M wanted her daddy to carry her to keep the mud of her church shoes. I love that she still wants that at 5. She will wrap her arms around his broad shoulders and just squeeze; oh how it makes his heart melt. He just loves it. A was sleeping in the car the whole time. We finally made it to Lisa's. Dinner was great and the company was great. Then the shouting match started. My father in law and brother in law got into a fight unlike anything I have ever heard. I mean loud. Hurt my ears kinda loud. The stuff they were saying was awful. F you...you piece of gd sh-t. That is the nicest stuff they were saying. I am so bothered by this. Not just because it was Thanksgiving, but because it is just hatred. They also did this in front of my kids. Can you believe that? My kids were petrified. Petrified. We had to quickly leave. My kids can't process that kind of behavior, hell I can't process it. So for Thanksgiving, we have this rule you must name three things you are thankful for. so here it goes: 1. I am thankful for my family and the happiness that fills my life. 2. I am thankful for my business and the life it provides for my family. 3. I am thankful for my ability to vent, breathe, and walk away...it is just much better. Here are a few pictures from the last few days.

The Countdown Is On!!!!

2008-11-22T11:02:00.000-06:00

It's the biggest countdown of the year. I look forward to this every year. It is my favorite holiday. Yes it's a holiday and I love it. Is it Christmas? No, while I love Christmas decorations and the scents and just general cheer for Chirstmas; it is not important to me because I don't celebrate it. Could it be Hanukah? Nope. Even though I do celebrate Hanukah, it is really not an important holiday to most Jews; it has only gained recognition because Westerners felt a need to have an important winter holiday like Christmas. The holiday I am talking about is MY BIRTHDAY!!! Oh yeah, this is major. I celebrate for a full 24 hours. I love birthdays!!!!! I am making my list now.

For My Friend Mandy

2008-11-20T20:23:00.000-06:00

Now that I am gone,

remember me with smiles and laughter.

And if you need to cry,

cry with your brother and sister

who walks in grief beside you.

And when you need me,

put your arms around anyone

and give them what you need to give to me.

There are so many who need so much.

I want to leave you with something--

something much better than words or sounds.

Look for me in the people I've known

or helped in some special way.

Let me live in your heart

as well as in your mind.

You can love me most

by letting your love reach out to our loved ones,

by embracing them and living in their love.

Love does not die, people do.

So, when all that's left of me is love,

give me away as best as you can.

--Author Unknown

Mandy,

I have not the right words to say. I just know that you have been heavy on my heart and I want to share with you what my grandaddy did when someone he cared about left his side. He always told me that from death comes life. I thought he was nuts. But now I get it; now that I have finally decided to grow up. My grandaddy left me when I was in 4th grade, so I have had a lot of years to think about it. In my family, when plant a tree in honor of loved ones life. I think, for me, it serves many purposes. First, the very basic, and it is a stretch, but with death there is life. I think it is also a way for me to see something beautiful grow from something so painful. I see the tree serve as shade for the surrounding plants. I see the tree serve as a resting spot for beautiful wildlife. I see the tree dance in the wind. I hear the tree whisper sweet nothings to the sky. I see life; beautiful life in death. Mandy, I love you and wish that there were words that would help your heart find a peace, but this I cannot. My arms are open to hug you, or to just be. In honor of your mother, Charlotte Self Lovell, we will be planting a strong, sturdy Oak tree and Green Mountain; I look forward to watching it grow and become an ever present hub of life.

My Experience At The Susan G. Komen 3 Day Atlanta

2008-10-27T19:26:00.000-05:00

Thursday night I was anxious and found it hard to relax so I had a nice glass of wine. I was up Friday morning at 4 am and ready to rock. I looked out the window and my worst fears were realized. It was pouring rain. Not to be discouraged I quickly dismissed the meteorologists report on the news; 100% chance of rain. Surely he was wrong. They are usually wrong about most weather reports. Let me tell you, not only was he right. He was 100% right. It rained the entire day. The temperature was 41 degrees (with the wind chill) and we had lovely 20 mph wind gusts. I have to be honest. I was VERY discouraged and thought that there was no way I was prepared for that. I then met this wonderful man that was walking alone. I thought he was crying, but I was unsure...it could have been the rain on his face. Now sit down. This is a true story, I tell you. Astounding. Robert was his name. He was in his early to mid fifties. He and his wife signed up in January to walk the 3 Day together. They had a friend that lost her battle to breast cancer 2 years ago. In May, Robert's wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was determined to walk anyhow. She continued training with her husband until about 4 weeks ago, when she got really sick. The prognosis was not good. The only thing she wanted Robert to promise her was that he would still walk if she died prior to the event. Robert's wife died the day before the event started. He was there keeping his promise. He told me how his family was upset that he was off walking instead of at home planning a funeral. Robert said to me that his wife wasn't in that body back home but on that walk with him. Let me tell you that at this point it is taking every single ounce of self control I have to not sob and hold it together. This man was amazing. From that moment, the rain did not matter. The 41 degrees was no big deal and the wind gusts were just secondary. I knew I had to finish this walk. I had to finish for all the reasons that I signed up and more. I finished day one, wet, tired, and joyfully rejuvenated. The 3 day crew was amazing! They truly made the day seem to go quickly. We slept inside an empty office building that night, due to inclement weather. 4000 warm bodies in one building made for a hot stuffy night, but who really cares, we were dry! Day two was simply beautiful and perfect. I walked this day a lot with the people I trained with in Birmingham. It was just joyous. At this point I was feeling just awesome. My feet were blister free and I was having FUN!!!!! I did however decided to have Scott to pick me up and sleep in a real bed instead of camp out. Go ahead call me a weasel.....I can take it. This decision proved to be huge for me. Day three I woke up with a mission to finish and finish fast. I was finished with day three by 1 pm. I was number 133 out of 3800. This left me with 4 hours of free time prior to closing ceremonies. I had a nice dinner, a little leg massage from my hubby, and play time with the kiddos. The short of this now really wordy post, I was transformed. I did the walk with all of us in mind. Breast cancer is evil and non-discriminatory. It has touched many people's lives. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That is astounding. It gives me chills to just acknowledge it. We all know someone that will be diagnosed. My dream is for my daughter to never have to know what breast cancer is. My dream is for your families to not have to experience the pain that breast cancer has caused for so many....I walk for you. Here is one of my favorite pics from the event. I will post more pics later. Be well.

The Breast Cancer 3 Day

2008-10-27T11:25:00.001-05:00

I am back and have lots to post, but right now I will leave it at AWESOME. Truly AWESOME!

The I am copying Katie Post

2008-10-15T18:23:00.000-05:00

My friend Katie comes up with the best ideas. She really is nifty, smart, funny, adorable.....blah, blah, blah. I hope she knows it. Anyhow, she is posting a what not to get me for Christmas on her blog. Since I don't celebrate Christmas, and in my book, my birthday is the second best holiday (see previous post) and it is in December; I will post a what not to give me for my birthday. I must mention I have a general rule that I will not accept anything that plugs in as a gift. Nope, that is usually associated with domestic obligations and I have enough of those already! So, my first what not to give me for my birthday would have to be this thing. The description says it is a Willow Tree. I say what the hell is it??? Oh my...it looks like the head of the alien creature in the old Predator movie with Arnold Schwarmathingybob.....you know the Governor of California. Don't worry, I know not how to spell his name nor how to pronounce. I am sure I could Google, but that would take effort. While we are on the subjects on mayors....at least he is one with a BRaiN. If you have to ask who I am talking about, then you are obviously either a). not watching the new or b). clouded by your judgement because you are on the opposite position than I am...which is totally acceptable....NOT. Lots of excitement going on around my camp. I am putting my house on the market in the next 4-6 weeks. YES I HEAR YOU. I am crazy. I anticipate it will take forEVeR to find a buyer which is why I am listing in now. I figure by the time we actually have a serious contract, our other place will be ready.

On to more news, I will be walking the 60 mile walk in 1 week. If you haven't donated, click the little link in the upper left of my page. I still need more money to reach my goal. Yes, I am ruthless...but the cause is not. More terrible birthday presents to follow later......

I have Been Tagged Again

2008-10-14T08:46:00.000-05:00

So KATIE has done it again. She is determined to bring me back from blog death. I have just been in a funk lately....but I am back and I am determined to post, post, post......so I am supposed to tell you eight things about me. Hum......

I want this rooster off of Etsy... how cute is it???

1. I am freaked out by high bridges...totally NuTty. My palms get all sweaty just driving over them. My heart skips a few bates and a get a huge lump in my throat. When I was a kid and we had to go over high bridges, I would hide in the floor of the car until we had successfully crossed the bridge.

2. I LoVe OLIVES. To me this is a food group all by itself. I could honestly put olives in or on anything and love it. Green? Black? I don't care....yum-ooo.

3. Like Katie, I LOVE HALLOWEEN. It is my favorite holiday. My favorite part of Halloween is candy corn (which is really year round for me) and Charlie Brown's The Great Pumpkin Patch.

4. The smell of Apple Cinnamon anything makes me voMit. I have no idea why, but it is pretty instant. Which really stinks. I love apples and cinnamon, but together they just don't jive.

5. I am a Snow White fan. No, that doesn't seem serious enough. I am a Snow White nut case. I want to be Snow White IF I ever grow up. The only thing I would change, is I would not stay home and do all that cleaning and cooking for 7 little men. I would HiRe someone to do that.

6. I hate plastic. Yup. I really do. All plastic. I do my darndest to not buy anything in plastic, which is nearly impossible.

7. I love to cook for other people, kinda contradicts #5 in part. But I do. My secret dream has always been to attend culinary school, just for the heck of it.

8. My dream want right now is one of these scooters. s1600-h/GasCardPromotion_02.jpg">

aND NOW who to tag:

sHE doesn't have a blog but she is nifty and cool:

http://www.stacyshafritzart.com/

Stacy is my uber cool sister-cool............

I'm TaGGeD.....

2008-09-09T21:48:00.000-05:00

I have been TAGGED by my super duper, awesome, fantastic friend KATIE BUG. If you don't know her, you should really go read her HIliaRious blog. She keeps me in stitches. So, I have never been tagged B4. I am wondering if I will get one of those nifty plastic piercings through the cartilage on my ear, kinda like cattle. Some days I feel like a cow...herded around. I don't get the luxury of grazing though. I need to perfect that. I have been very busy sewing lately. I am currently making M. a darling pleated skirt for the fall. Here is the skirt:

I am making view D. All I have left to do is add the waistband and hem it. I is so darn cute. I am using the exact fabric in the main picture on the front of the pattern. The fabric with the apples. M. is very excited.

Okay, onto other things. My walking has been going great. I have really long walks this weekend. I have a 15 walk this Saturday and 18 miles on Sunday. I am not sure whether to look forward to this or not.

The kids LOVE being in the big K. They tell me constantly how big they are and profess their love for their new friends. M., my drama queen, comes home and loads me up on the gossip of whom is marrying whom, etc. A. tells me who ran the fastest and could make it across the monkey bars the quickest. Their worlds are completely polar opposite. It is so refreshing to see their differences every day.

The kids are both taking gymnastics at Ms. Ingrid's Gymnastics in Birmingham and we, the whole family, LOVE it. They are progressing well and fast!

Before I get to wordy, I think I am supposed to tag some other kind people....but since everyone I would have tagged has been tagged, I will tag ONE FANTASTIC person. Check out Mandy on her blog for some of the funniest stuff you will ready anywhere. One day she needs to PUBLISH her stuff. Not only is she funny, she is just down right adorably likable, creative, crafty, smart, did I say FuNNy. I mean lay down in the floor and laugh funny.

School Has Started!!

2008-08-18T20:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been MIA for a bit. Where have I been you ask? No, I have not been buried under buckets of sour cream, ketchup, or batches of failed goat cheese. I have had a migraine, been attacked by a pack of mean dogs, rehabbing an injured shoulder, walking an average of 25 miles on the weekend, baking bread, eating bread, relishing those last days of summer with my kids, did I see eating bread. Gosh I hate that, but I do love bread. Especially homemade. Yum. It never lasts long around here. Today was the first day of school for the kids. They are so excited to be in "big" school. I am torn. I love watching them grow up, but where are my babies? Here are a few snapshots of my grown up kiddies with their backpacks that weigh nearly as much as they do! Onto news of plastic. I am loving the sour cream that I am making. Ketchup is in the works. I have the flavor down, just not the thickness. I have recently made a big batch of Muscadine Jelly...simply heaven! On the list for the next few weeks, goat cheese (succesfully, and I have discovered my problem), cheddar cheese, canned salsa. Talk to you soon!

I will be back tomorrow.....having CrAZy week.

2008-08-13T21:27:00.001-05:00

YuMMy Sour Cream

2008-08-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

So, I went to the market the other day to buy the ingredients to make this totally delish Onion Dip, and I was having this total plastic breakdown. I needed sour cream. Yummy, creamy, delicious sour cream. It never occurred to me that sour cream is not available in a glass jar. What to do??? Well, I remembered that I had a little plain yogurt at home that would suffice. I then came home and poured through cookbooks, websites, blogs; was it possible to make sour cream? I cannot, will not, give up sour cream. Why yes it is possible to make your own sour cream. I have successfully made my first batch of sour cream. Scrumdibblyiscious! YUM-O! Fantastico! It was the easiest thing I have ever done. Here is the recipe. You will need 1 pint of cream. You can use light or heavy whipped cream. I will be trying with fat free half and half too....anyhow. Pour the cream into a glass container, I used a clean mason jar. Make sure your jar is clean. Let the cream sit for about an hour to warm up to room temp. You will also need 2 tblsp. of cultured buttermilk. I used the non-fat. Put the buttermilk in a glass container and let it warm down to room temp. Once both ingredients are at room temp, pour the buttermilk into the cream. Stir to mix well. Cover the jar tightly and let it set in a warm area for 24 hours. At the end of 24 hours you will have Beautiful Sour Cream!!!! Place in the fridge and let chill for another 24 hours before using. Now how stinking easy is that???? Next week, I am making goat cheese!!! I will keep you posted!

Closer To Yogurt

2008-08-06T23:12:00.000-05:00

Those of you that know me, know I loathe yogurt. I want to like it. I feel healthier when I pretend to eat it. My friend Mandy shares this dislike with me. My kids love yogurt. When I told them that I probably wouldn't be buying yogurt my precious son, a yogurt lover, told me that I am just a mean mommy. So in an effort to win back his good graces. I am going to make homemade yogurt. I hear it is quite easy. I am into things you kind of throw into a container and forget about it until it is done. This seems to be the case with yogurt. So I will make it plain, and then add fruit and agave nectar or honey to the individual spooned out portions. I have nothing else exciting to post today; well yes I do. Can I just say I have a certain male family member that is just like a whiny spoiled brat that just is obnoxious when he does not get his way? No, not my hunk of burning love hubby. He makes my heart throb. So love him. I discovered his cologne on the net the other day after we thought is was no longer produced. Well, it is, just not sold in the 'Ham any longer. I ordered it...and can I say he has been smelling mighty fine.

SaFety RaZor GirL

2008-08-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

So I received my nifty safety razor along with enough blades to last me, oh, 400 years. My shiny new razor weighed enough that it could conceivably count as a work out when I use it. Really, all jokes aside, I love it. I am surprised with this discovery. I have not really looked forward to the change. I really have believed all the marketing that the toiletry companies have sucked me into believing. I really thought I needed 4 blades at a time for a good close shave. I need all those scented moisture strips. Well, I am here to say NO I DON'T. I was pleasantly surprised with the ease of use of this old fashioned shaver. I was surprised how smooth my skin was after using it. I was surprised that I did not have one nick! It is worth the investment, and no plastic!!! My razor is the one in the center of the picture. I purchased it from here.

Plastic Dilemma Today

2008-08-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

So today I had to take M. for a checkup for her allergies. Precious child. Oh how I love that little monkey. She had to have a blood panel done today, which I assumed was a finger prick. Boy was I ever wrong. They took an entire vile of blood from my 34 lb, 42 inch, 5 year old little angel. And let me tell you it was not easy. She did not squirm, she did not wiggle, she barely blinked. She did scream, and holler, and squeal, and cry like I have never heard before. They missed her vein and were digging around in her little arm. I cried and I am crying just thinking of hurting her like that. If I didn't know it was for her own benefit I would have smacked that doctor and his entourage of nurses. Who am I kidding, I still want to slap them. I took her for ice cream afterwards which seemed to sufficiently ease the trauma. We then went for lunch, yes after the ice cream, at her very favorite place to eat; Holey Foods. I decided to pick up a few groceries while there and had a huge challenge. Whole Foods does not have mayo in a glass jar. How crazy is that. Mayo has ALWAYS been in glass jars. We also need sour cream, which is in a plastic tub. Hummm, what to do. Well, we did not by the mayo, I came home and whipped up a small homemade batch. We did not buy the sour cream. I decided the plain yogurt that we have would be a perfect substitute. All this caused an epiphany: I am going to have to make a lot more than I realized. I will need to make our sour cream, yogurt, cheese....when do I expect to work? I have made cheese before and it turned out pretty yummy. As I walked through Whole Paycheck, I got a little disgusted. Disgusted that they preach this holy message of sustainability, yada, yada. There is so much plastic in that store that it should be criminal. For every great item they offer there is one that negates the other. Amazing, who do they think they are fooling??? Don't get me wrong. I love shopping in Whole Foods, but I really would rather support local farms such as these amazing guys. Totally off the subject, but I just totally love my husband. He rocks. Love you honey, on the off chance you are reading this.

Check out my veggies

2008-08-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

Today was a fun day with my kids. I had to leave work early because my little M. still has a fever. I came home and decided to print out worksheets for M. and A. to do to get into the swing of school work again. We had a blast. They were both super proud when they could complete an activity. A. played with this little electricity kit he was given for Chanukkah last year. He totally loved it. We picked tomatoes and cucumbers to use in our dinner tonight before the 'surprise'. Pardon the bad photography in the blog today. My camera and I are at war right now. So back to the surprise. We took the kids to Virginia Samford Theatre to see a production of Beauty and the Beast. It was fantastic. The hubby even enjoyed it. I too had a blast. Plastic questions to answer...so here are a few answers to some of the questions that I have gotten from a few people: 1) Why are you so worried about plastic when you can recycle? You are right and I am a big fan of recycling, but for me, there are many reasons. A biggie is that we are in an oil crisis; this is a world wide problem, I would even call it an epidemic. It is so easy to look at the shiny, functional, easy to clean plastic and forget it is a child of oil. I personally feel that as a nation and a HUMAN citizen we have got to rid our oil habit. I do not expect to be 100% plastic free, that is simply not possible. 2) What are you going to do with all the plastic in your home now? Use it up, recycle what is used and NOT re-purchase it. 3). You mentioned not buying prepackaged foods in plastic, what about condiments? My long term plan is the either a) find alternatives in glass or b) make them and can them myself. I can get mustard in a jar, may, jelly, peanut butter, the one we will have an issue with is ketchup. 4.) What is your beef with commercially baked bread? I LOVE BREAD. I have no beef with bread. I do not like the fact that bread is packaged in plastic. I will buy most of my bread from Continental Bakery and request paper sacks. I will also be baking a lot of bread. 5) Isn't your toothbrush plastic? Why, yes it is. Once my current toothbrush has passed it's limit of good use I will use it to clean cracks and crevices around the house. Once it has passed it's limit for that life it will be recycled. I will by a toothbrush made buy Preserve for all future brushings. Thanks for all your interest. Continue to ask questions. It helps me figure out what I am doing. I am going into this with no real plan except to eliminate plastic. First tech free day will be August 10th! Ciao!!!

UPDATE: Here is the link for the TOOTHBRUSH mentioned above.

Migraine

2008-07-31T18:37:00.000-05:00

I have a MiGRaIne the size of Texas. I hate Texas. Did I ever tell you I have yet to find very much redeeming about the state of Texas. Now I know that is not fair. But really, my first experience with Texas was as a small child on a road trip from Alabama to California. Texas took forever to drive through. It was flat, dirty and HOT. Sorry Texas. I have high hopes of visiting Austin one day, or San Antonio. I think I might reconsider my lack of love for the Lone Star state. Until then, I am blaming Texas for my migraine; for many reasons way to political to go into right now.

No Plastic Step #1

2008-07-31T09:36:00.000-05:00

I have made the first step of eliminating plastic. I ordered a safety razor to shave with. No more disposable plastic refills. I am a little nervous about this, but I will figure it out. I also ordered 100 blades, they will probably last me forever! The blades can be recycled when they are no longer usable. The next step I have taken is buying a vintage set of Pyrex Refrigerator Dishes to store leftover food in. I am excited about this. No more plastic chemicals leaching into my food. I am also glad to have bought an old used set. The old Pyrex is just prettier than all the new stuff. The lids are glass too and they stack so neatly. The one area I think I will struggle with is freezing food. I have not yet figured this one out. Please give me a shot out if you have any suggestions. Here is a link to Pyrex Love if anyone is interested. This is a comprehensive site of all the old patterns. It will link you to what is available on Ebay. Happy looking.

Life Without Plastic

2008-07-30T22:05:00.000-05:00

Is it possible? To live a life without plastic or with very little plastic. I have been pondering this question lately...in a effort to continue to 'green' up my life; no pun intended. My husband has always said that I have a plastic bottle addiction. He is referring to my countless bottles of hair products or skin products that fill every nook and cranny of my bathroom. I would like to do away with the following plastic in my life.

1. Pre-packaged foods.

2. Bottled water.

3. Bottled soda.

4. Shampoo (i'll explain in a later post)

4. Conditioners

5. Skin care (later post)

6. Commercially baked bread.

7. Plastic grocery bags.

8. Ziploc baggies

9. Cleaning bottle containers.

10. Yogurt containers.

11. Reducing garbage bags by recycling, composting, etc.

12. Plastic plates.

13. Plastic forks.

14. Most consumer products made of or packaged in plastic.

15. Toilet Paper packaged in plastic.

16. Toothpaste packaged in plastic.

17. Plastic razor blades.

19. Make-up

20. Plastic Hangers.

21. Glass jars with plastic lids.

Now, I know I will fail and fail often. I have not totally figured out how I am going to eliminate some of the above items, but it will be a work in progress. I will keep you updated on how I am doing.

On to other extreme things that I am doing....twice a month I will have a full day that I will not use modern technology. No cell phone. No computer. No ipod. No television. No radio. NOTHING electronic. Now there will be exceptions. I will have to keep my options open when my kids are not with me, I need to be that phone call away. So I will answer my home phone and I will answer my cell phone when the "special" ring happens. Good nighty all.

I am still here....

2008-07-29T21:52:00.000-05:00

I have just been bonkers. I guess that is a good thing. The alternative is to be bored stiff. I don't do well bored. The short list of updates go something like this....I have been walking like a mad woman. I am walking roughly 26 miles a week right now. I am doing YOGA again. This I am uber excited about. I have a child with a kidney infection, a dog with a kidney infection, another dog with the onset of kidney disease, and it rained today. Oh yes, it finally rained. Can you believe it? M. was hanging out on the sofa with me the other evening and the dadio passed out, as he often does if he is still for more than 2 minutes. M. innocently said, in a drunk, i am about to pass out voice, "mommy, who carries daddy to bed when he falls asleep?" How stinking cute is that? Have you guys being following the eat local movement creeping through our nation. This makes my heart warm. If you want to know more about it read here. I try to make effort to by foods that are as "regional" as possible. I also try to only eat at independently owned local restaurant's, as these guys usually support the Slow Foods Movement. If you ever need GREAT local ideas of places to dine, check out Birmingham Menus for information our our city's latest and greatest. You can also buy gift certificates to all these places from this same site! I am thinking of taking the Growing Challenge. I invite you all to join me for this. I am planting beets for the fall and a few other things that I am still researching. Well, I am going to sign off for now. Ciao!

My Nana

2008-07-08T16:49:00.000-05:00

Born June 21, 1920.
Deceased July 8, 2008 at 11:00 pm surrounded by her family.
Sounds so final. Yes, I know it is. I have pondered what would her obituary say if I were writing it. Would it say she had the most beautiful legs I have ever seen? Would it say that she has not recognized me in 3 years? Would it say that she loved ham sandwiches? Would is say she has no memory of ever meeting my kids? Would it say that she loved roses? Would is say that she never recalls meeting my husband or that I am even married? Would it say that she loved to dance? Would is say that she didn't know my name? Would it say she was loved by her family? Would it say that she was lost inside and that we couldn't find her? Would it say that she suffered? Would it say that she was afraid? No. But that is what I want it to say, all the simply beautiful and incredibly painful things surrounding her death. My grandmother had Alzheimer's. I was not a huge part of her life these last few years. I simply could not handle not having the bond we spent so many years building. I could not handle the loss of "our" memories. But as much as I did not want her to suffer, I was not prepared to watch her die. My mother needed me at her side. I would have not chosen to be anywhere else, ever. However, I can't erase that picture in my mind. The lighting in the room. I can still smell the room. I watched her struggle not to stay alive, but to die. 3 hours. That's how long it took once I was there. I sang to my nana. Nursery rhymes. It was the only thing I knew all the words too. I read to her. The readers digest, somehow I think the informational current events did soothe her. I hope I never have to watch someone suffer and struggle to die again. It was not peaceful. I do not feel at peace. I feel turmoiled. I feel awful. I have cried and sobbed. I was waiting for my nana to die; for a long time now. I did not want her suffering to be prolonged. While I am saddened by her death, I am more disturbed by her suffering. It was sickening to watch. The nursing home gave her nothing to ease any pain that I KNOW she was feeling. I wanted to tell her how sorry I am because she would never have wanted to feel that, NEVER. Nana, I hope the glory of being with grandaddy again. I hope you dance like you have never danced before. I hope you know that I loved you. I am sorry you are gone. I know I lost you years ago, this is just the final step. I will miss you. I will make sure my kids know you, I promise. You will take with you a piece of my heart. All my love. Kathy

Happy Fourth of July

2008-07-05T13:27:00.000-05:00

We had the BEST 4th ever. Why? Was it a big party? A grill out? The pool? The beach? No, no, no, and no. I got up at about 6:30, did a spin tape. My butt hurts so bad I can hardly sit. But it's a good thing. Scott went for a ride....50 miles I think. His butt hurts too. We then packed up not enough water and headed to Green Mountain. We did a 6 mile hike to a swimming hole and it was just fantastic. Alex biked a large portion of the way, and can I tell you he is just studdly. How many 5 year olds can do that. He is one tough kid. Madalyn did her share of hiking, but she was mostly carried in the backpack. We had so much fun! The temperature was about 10-15 degrees cooler at the water hole. The water was crystal clear and COLD. I did not swim, but the kids and Scott did. We found all kinds of little fresh water clam/mussel shells. We were totally alone...we could hear nature. And it was beautiful. On our hike back, it was super hot. 94 degrees! I was out of water and could not get to the top of Green Mountain quick enough. Our well has been drilled and is working with a solar pump that Scott installed. We all stripped nude turned on the water hose and bathed outside in 60 degree water. It was the fastest my core temp has ever cooled down. The water was so cold it took my breath; aaahhh but so refreshing. These are my favorite days. The days we spend as just our family...not because we don't love everybody and their brother; but because we NEVER have those days...or rarely have them. Hope your fourth was a fantastic as ours.

Happy Dependunce July Day

2008-07-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

Real Conversation at the Greenbriar Patch:

Me: So do you know what holiday is tomorrow?

M: Thursday?

Me: No.

A: Friday.

Me: Well, yes, but is Friday a holiday.

M: No, you cannot buy holly on Fridays.

A: It is dependunce July day.

Me: Oh, and what is dependunce July day?

A: It is when you get a sword and knock down all the people who don't like free things, like free ice cream, free candy, free cars, and it is dependunce in July.

Me: What is dependunce?

M: It is not dependunce! It is deeeepunder July.

Me: Deep Under??? What, that is the craziest thing I have heard.

M: Well July is deep under everything and it is hot and it never rains and I don't like it.

Cough, Cough, Hack, Hack, Weeezzz, Gasp

2008-07-01T20:25:00.000-05:00

I have had this cough thing for two weeks now. It is really annoying. I really feel like sometimes I cannot breathe. I cannot get through a meal without offering a lung for an entree. It is truly painful. My ribs are all sore from coughing so much. I will go ahead and warn you that this is WAAY too much information, but every time I cough, I nearly pee in my pants. Now how do you think it feels to be 3o something and peeing yourself. Man does that feel good.

Common Ground

2008-06-28T20:11:00.000-05:00

What a blast we had. We were invited to the Common Ground land party this year. Lucky Us! Common Ground is an AmaZINg community in Blountsville, Alabama. The community is made up of 6 (i think) families that purchased 88 acres of land 34 years ago. The land is in a trust to protect it from development. All the homes are on "lots" that have been granted life-time leases. The homes on the lots have to be earth friendly. We along with about 200+ other people went to celebrate the land on Saturday. Can you imagine a potluck with 200 people???? Well it worked, perfectly and beautifully. The weather was perfect and the company amazing. Being there just made me want to start on Green Mtn. that much quicker! We saw two snakes at Common Ground and I was flipping OUT! I just don't jive with snakes. Dead or alive. Anyhow, Alex and Madalyn loved the farm. Here are a few pictures.

Photoshop Fun

2008-06-23T22:54:00.000-05:00

I have been reading some of the Photoshop (Elements) tips on the Pioneer Woman blog that I read. So here is the first attempt at modifying a photo to make it sing! I am pretty happy with my first attempt. You bee the judge. The photo is of the shells the kids collected while shelling in Navarre Beach for a day trip. We had a total blast. Anyhow, let me know what you think, good or bad of the photo. Trying to improve my photo skills.

Summer Loving, You're The One

2008-06-23T22:27:00.000-05:00

What is better than a happy kid at the beach? TWO happy kids at the beach and a TOTallY relaxed mommy. So after a few days of rain and the arrival of the daddio....the beach was just fantastic. We had more fun than ever imaginable!!! For those of you that know how neurotic I am....I GOT IN THE OCEAN, oh yes I did people. I got my not so itsy bitsy teeny weeny not a yellow moo moo wet by wading in the water. Yes there were moments of delirious jaws music, i know I heard it. He was after me....but i am such a smart city girly girl that I was able to escape his vicious, vice-grip like jaws before he could get me. You see, I am sure he thought the moo moo/bathing suit was a giant squid. Oh you don't mess with a rare giant squid...no, no, no. So our hotel was a DiVE! Smelly, musty, gross, moldy and gave me a big old sinus infection. The ocean was beautiful, the weather was perfecto, and the company couldn't have been better. SeveRAL margaritas, coladas, daiquiris later I tell you I didn't want to leave. I'm thinking Thanksgiving at the beach. Here are a few pictures from the beach.

Day One At the Beach

2008-06-15T22:46:00.000-05:00

So I have been so super excited about coming down to the beach, this should be the first year that my kids will be able to "remember" coming to the beach. Let's say that so far, the memories will be not so great. First, it took is 6 hours to get here...and that is totally an entire different post. Believe me when I say I needed a big fat margarita when we FINalLY arrived. Secondly, our reservation was missing when we did arrive! OH JOY! Third, it was storming when we arrived. Now, think about that. I have just driven 6 hours with kids who need to run, jump, scream, SWIM, burn energy. We are delayed checking in by about 1.5 hours, and finally we check in and it begins raining buckets, "thundring drums" (quoted by Madalyn), etc. you get the picture. This morning, the kids were up at 6 am, ready to go. We went down to the beach and played for about 2 hours. We then went to the pool in the shade and played for another 2.5 hours. After this, we cleaned up, ate and drove to a town called South Port. We went to visit some old friends of mine, Brian, Mart, Pam, and Jim. Now that was pure happiness. Oh how I love them! You know, it is sad when truly good friends move away. You keep in touch, chat, yada, yada...but when you see them and things are just like "old times" you realize how your life has really missed that relationship. I have REALLY missed Brian and Pam. I love them both dearly. My friend Mark tells me all the time that you really can choose your family....and Brian and Pam have been my family. Brian can bring me to full on tickle box belly laughter in a matter of seconds. He is just pure fun, what you see is what you get. Pam, dido. They are brother and sister. I love you guys. Visiting them has been the highlight of the trip so far. Tomorrow we are going shelling at some remote spot....we will see. Scott will get here Tuesday....until then here are some cute pics from Day One at the beach.

Where Have I been, besides copying KATIE!!!!!

2008-06-13T17:03:00.001-05:00

Where Have I been, besides copying KATIE!!!!

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

I'm Quitting Scrapping

2008-06-13T16:37:00.000-05:00

Alas....tis true. I am retiring from Scrapbooking. I am sad and relieved, and happy on many leavels. I have loved and enjoyed scrapping, immensely. I simply have not time, space, yada, yada, yada. GASP. I can't believe I have said it. It felt so liberating. I think I had gotten to an place where I felt like I HAD to scrap; that if I didn't scrap I was somehow depriving my children of their memories. I truly do not believe that is true. The exciting news for you all is that I am SELLING all my stuff. I prefer to sell it all to one person, but will consider piece milling. I have a cricut with the software, I will catalog my stuff and post it in a few days. Now of course I will do the occasional mini book. I will go to crop's with friends, wink, wink Katie and Mandy! I can not pass on the fellowship that is coupled with the whole scrap scene. So, it is with sticky fingers I bid farewell to the scrap world.

I Love My Granddaddy

2008-05-15T21:44:00.000-05:00

My Granddaddy and I were best friends. He was mysterious, intelligent, loving, quite, strong...oh I could continue with adjectives that filled an ocean and they still would not suffice. He was my rock. He died when I was in 4th grade and to this day, I cannot think of him without crying. Really crying. That is okay. Most everything that I use as my survival skills, I learned from him. He was a simple man. I love that. I have been having an incredible amount of stress lately so I decided to write a letter to my dead granddad. Weird huh? In so many ways it has so helped me in these last few days. I could hear his voice. I could smell his cologne. He has really BEEN HERE with me. Thank you Granddaddy. This is my letter to you. I love you eternally.

Dear Grandaddy,

If you were here what would you tell me to do? Would you let me set in your lap and feel the folds of the wrinkles in your hand? Would I be able to lay my head on your shoulder and just cry? Cry with no questions? Cry to feel better? Could I look a your smile and just feel the warmth of your spirit and the soft gentle sound of your voice? Would you take me for a walk to gather pecans? Would you say Kathy, you have the gift to worry? People will tell you that worrying is bad…but it is beautiful; you care with a passion and a fervor known to know other and this is why you will worry for your whole life. Would you tell me that I don’t have to be perfect, that it is okay to make mistakes; mistakes teach us our best lessons in life. Learning is hard but so worth the pain. Would you tell me that my smile is beautiful and that it always makes you feel happy? Would you say that my dimple looks like a pixie put it there?

Would you say what can I do to help you work it out? Would you say stress is what makes us stronger and that it is okay to talk about it if I want to….or I could just be quite and let the birds work it out for me. Would you tell me that for everything that is bothering me I should plant a seed so something beautiful could grow from it? That from stress and worry beautiful things can grow. Will you ask me if it will matter 10 years from now? Will you tell me that you will not be with me to always work things out and that I should listen intently, but to never have my voice muted to fight for my words even if I have to act ugly? Would you tell me it is okay to stand my ground in the face of conflict and adversity?

Grandaddy I need you and you are not here. You are gone and I miss you. I wish you were here to tell me all these things and to help me. You have always been able to reach into my heart and touch it. You have always had the right words to guide me to my own solutions. The stars are my only real connection to you now. I have the memories and I cherish them all…but I still look for you in the stars every time they are out; I think that maybe…just maybe you will be there for me. Now I am grown I a know that you are not with me….but is comforting to think you just might be.

I wished you could send me your strength and courage. I want your steadfastness, your spirit and your understanding. I want your soft way with people. I need your little sheepish grin and your big aged fingers to wipe my tears and just be my granddaddy. I miss you.

Love,

Kathy

Training Is Awesome

2008-05-14T22:08:00.000-05:00

How cute is that T-shirt design??? I think I might have to buy one of those......

So on to the positive things. I have started my training for the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk that I am doing in October. I will be walking 60 miles over a three day period. I am super pumped. So far this week I have walked 15 miles and I am cross training two days a week. Today I did a core workout and some nice relaxing yoga. I just love the way yoga really makes you BREATHE. AHHHH. Just B R E A T H E. Feels good. Yeah, you know it does. Anyhow. My goal is to raise 5k to benefit the Susan Komen Foundation. This is something that really means a lot to me. My Grandma died in 1992 when she lost her battle to breast cancer. One year later my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. My mom is a SURVIVOR. I guess you could say I am a little sensitive to the whole subject of breast cancer. It is scary stuff. I know way too many people that have been touched by breast cancer. It is time for it to stop. I wish for my daughter's generation to think of breast cancer the way we do polio. I want it to be eradicated. Go away. Leave us alone and leave our families alone too!!! You belong down below with those mean people that suck. I will be posting often about my trials, blisters, blisters, and more blisters, did I say blisters? If you would like to support me in my cause...click on my widget to the left side of my screen and donate to help support the Susan Komen Foundation. Don't do it for me, but do it for you mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters. Do it for them.

MEAN PEOPLE SUCK!!!!

2008-05-12T23:44:00.000-05:00

I wish I would have invented that phrase. There are too many mean people in this world. I realize we CAN ALL be mean, but my path keeps running with this person I am going to call ARS (for ars hole!) that continues to beat me like a dead horse. I am stupid because I let it happen. Here is the brilliant part, this is at work. Guess what? I am my own boss, I own my own business, I choose who to hire, yada, yada......ARS is the kind of person the sucks the souls out of people. I really have decided to loathe him. I have put myself out there to try to make our working relationship a positive one. I have been proactive. Acknowledged my issues and made PAraMounT efforts to get us both on a positive plane. Guess what? You can't make someone behave that has NO inteREst in anything but themselves. Have you ever been around one of those people that thrive off of destroying other people? This is him. He feels as if the world is at his feet begging to serve him and damn those that are not here for that purpose. Damn them. He will do everything he can to destroy you. He will degrade you. Then he will belittle you in front of your peers. He will then call you to further berate you. He is nasty. He is a fungus. I hope he gets an ass rash and that his fake bleached tv teeth fall out of his freaking head. I know that is mean. But guess what. I don't care. And ARS if you are reading this blog. Do something productive, like go play in traffic. You ruined my day and you will ruin my tomorrow.

I Have A Buddy

2008-05-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

About 7 months ago I turned my radio OFF. This is a big deal for me. In the mornings and the afternoons I live for NPR. Listening to the reports while driving the kids to and from school just became to loud. I noticed they would talk louder so I could hear them; I would then turn the radio up so I could hear it. I realized it started just sounding like noise. While I still love NPR and long to hear the full program in the morning, I am thrilled that I have done this. I have had more meaningful conversations with my kids than I would have ever had with that darn radio playing. So all this to say that often times I just listen to A. and M. chatting. This is the conversation I heard this morning as my kids were pretending to talk to each other on a "phone".

M. -- So tell me your name..

A. -- Alex

M. -- Oh that is so cute, did you get your naaammme at Tarrrgiiit

A. -- No silly, my mommy made it.

M. -- Oh, what is your favorite?

A. -- Favorite what?

M. -- (Scream, hollar, cry, whine) Gosh Alex you are not playing right, that is not fair you are SOOOO mean. Did you hear me you mean brother?

ME -- MADALYN, who is being mean right now?

M. -- What is your favorite thing?

A. -- I have a sister and she is smaaarrrrrt. Her name is Madalyn and she is the beautifulist girl in all of china.

M. -- Tell me again.

A. -- I don't have a brother and that is okay becuase I HAVE A BUDDY, the best buddy and I love him

ME. -- ( thrilled that my son has this amazing friend, oh my gosh I have visions of park ball together, family vacations, we could invite him for a sleep over) Oh, Alex what is your buddy's name, I can't wait to meet him?

A. -- Daddy. Daddy is my favorite buddy mommy.

Now how stinking cute and sweet is that. Geez what a great kid.

The Gorgeous Cahaba...

2008-05-04T20:39:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love Alabama, it is beautiful. The politics are a bit backwards, but I guess that could be anywhere; depending on your views. That is a whole different post. Anyhow, the purpose of this post is to share some of our Alabama beauty with you. The Cahaba River is a magical body of water that meanders throughout most of central Alabama. It is not massive in size. It is modest. It IS magical. The Cahaba has more species of fish per mile than any other river in North America. Now how cool is that! It is also home to many species of fish that are specific to its water, they exist nowhere else. It is also home to the Cahaba Lily, which exists in very few places across the south.....are you getting the point people? It is unique, it IS beautiful, it is marvelous. It is right out our back door here in Birmingham. Today we decide to go for a paddle down the Cahaba. We paddled for about 2 1/2 hours and it was pure bliss. The weather was perfect. The smell of rhododendron filled the air. We lost count of the turtles we saw basking around 42. The giant mallards were flying overhead and the chirping birds were our personal symphony. It was just glorious. The kids loved, loved, loved it. I am counting the days to our next trip. Which, needs to be soon because as our wonderful summer heats up, it makes the beautiful Cahaba simply unbearable. Being on the Cahaba is part of what being from Birmingham is about. We are so lucky to have this beautiful waterway here. I felt my blessings today. The later part of our day was filled with Spring Fling at school...total blast! I also hired a sitter for the summer!!!! I am super excited about her!!! She is just a doll, smart, active, fun, a teacher!!!! Love Her!! Well, I need to cut out M. nightgown pattern. Love to you all.

I Have the Sewing Bug

2008-05-03T21:45:00.000-05:00

It is official....I have the sewing bug...big time. Last Sunday I made M. the cutest little circle skirt. Today I made A. a pair of shorts. The pattern is from a company called My Favorite Little Things. The directions are terrible. Absolutely terrible. There were entire steps missing. The pattern I made him is called Smarty Pants. I am going to have to take the waste band off and totally just design a different one or use one from a different pattern. It is too bad because their stuff is pretty great looking. I am now working on a sweet little night gown for M. It is a Kwik Sew pattern and should come together quite easily. On my agenda to make is just the cutest handbags ever. They are from Amy Butler. Love, love, love her stuff!! I am going to use this delicious fabric. Looking at that fabric just makes me happy! The outside will be
made from the paisley fabric and the lining and straps will

be made from the stripes. I also want to make the weekender bag from Amy Butler's collection. I will wait a bit on this because it is a little difficult looking for me right now. I do hope to be able to make it in the next 6 months. M. wants to help me sew. Right now she is really a hinder helper, however, it is good to spend that creative time with her. She is definitely crafty and into artsy type stuff. Hope all is well in your worlds. Ciao.

My Little Madalyn

2008-04-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

I love this picture, it is out focus, but it captures her sweet, precious spirit. Madalyn is an amazing little girl with a heart of rainbows, gold, and all things shiny. She is truly my little jewel. Please be thinking of her as she is have a difficult time right now. I will not go into the reasons her, but just know she needs all your positive energy and thoughts sent her way. This child is truly a joy and a ray of light. At her ripe old age of 4 she can work a room and bring such happiness to all that surround her. She is sitting her with me as I type this concerned with who is going to see her picture and wanting to write her own words to you all....she is also never short on words. The rest of this post will be in Madalyn's own words.

hello my favorite color is red. i love my mommy. good night.

My Little Man and a piece of jewelry

2008-04-22T21:26:00.000-05:00

My little man stayed home from school today. He had a splinter so deep in his foot that we had to go to the doc's to get he cut out. OucH! He cried and cried and I cried and cried. In the midst of the sob fest, Alex said, mom why are you crying? I didn't try to explain the whole when you hurt it hurts me too stuff....just not there yet. Anyhow, he said do you think you are getting something special too? Just because you are crying? So, the answer my dear darling son with the smart mouth, yes I AM. I am getting a beautiful piece of jewerly by this designer. I picked up the piece today from Levy's downtown. Now this purchase is bitter-sweet. I had an amazing bracelet Scott gave me about 4 years ago and I lost it. I have been sick about if for 6 months or so. Luckily I had in insured and have finally decided to replace it. So I got a lovely little necklace and a pair of diamond studs. YAhOO! I love jewelry, mainly because I want to pass it down to my kiddes one day. So the following is a conversation I had with Madalyn after going to the zoo Monday.

Madalyn: Mom, how much gallons can a girafFe hold in his lungs?

Me: Do you mean how many?

Madalyn: just let me say how much.

Me: No, I want you to learn to speak properly.

Madalyn: what does properly mean?

Me: correct

Madalyn: Do you know everything?

Me: oh, gosh no Madalyn, I know very little.

Madalyn: then why are you teaching me about properly?

Me: Let me answer the original question sassy britches, a giraffe's lungs can hold 12 gallons of air, his heart is 2 feet long, and his tongue is 18 inches long. His poop's smell only half as bad as yours and you are lucky I don't have one of the branches from which he eats to spank you cute little bottom!!!

Madalyn: That aint proper.

Me: What???? ( I mEAN REALLY, what is not proper with my above information, I just learned this all at the zoo!)

Madalyn: it is a butt, B-U-T-T, not a bottom

I have no more to say.....I will leave you with a picture of her cute little butt!

Love,

LOOK AT THIS!!! I MUST HAVE THIS!!! I LOVE THE FABRIC TOO.

2008-04-21T19:26:00.001-05:00

I want this to be the first thing I make when I sew! I am sure this is pretty ambitious, but it is so stinking cute. I mean could it get any cuter??? No it cannot!

To Learn to Sew

2008-04-20T18:38:00.000-05:00

I want to learn to sew. I ReaLLy want to learn to sew. My mother is an excellent seamtress, however, she is not a great teacher. I suppose I will have to take a class or two. Here is the machine that I want....Pfaff. Now how amazing is that? Totally amazing. So I just got back from a Scrap Etc. event and had a blast. The main reason I had a blast was because I just got to hang with the girls. Katie and Mandy were my roommates and we just had too much fun. I met lot's of great women; namely Tina and Gabby. Tina was my "secret" sister from Indiana and she is just a doll. Anyhow, the event was fun, I learned lots of new techniques and made some amazing layouts. There was a little too much sappy, fake, emotional stuff for me. My favorite instructors were Gretchen McElveen and Wilna Furstenburg. These two women are SUpeR talented. They are really the whole package and just too adorable to even talk about. If you ever ever have the opportunity to attend a class they are teaching, it is worth ALL the money you will spend on it. When I came home after 4 nights away my darling precious children were crawling all over me and kissing me and excited to see me, almost as excited as I was to see them. Man oh man do I love those kids. My little Alex said mommy, you can never ever go to that Nashville place again, daddy doesnt' give me 500 extra kisses at bed time. Well, I should go.....have lot's of laundry to do. Ciao!!!!

Oh to be ORGANIZED!!

2008-01-30T21:39:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture of our ALABAMA WINTER STORM 2008, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

I have decided to accept the fact that I am not organized. I would not refer to myself is "disorganized" either. I can maintain organization if it is ALREADY set up. I, however, cannot set it up. I have been working in my office space for Years, and YeARs, and did I say yEArs or disorganization. As I walked into my office the other day to move to another office up the hall, I looked at my piles of stuff and just sat in the floor and cried. I am a slob, oh my gosh, how have I operated like this. How do I get anything done? I do I even manage to make it to work dressed and with combed hair? So, instead of drowning in the pity party that might have been fun to have for myself, I called THIS PLACE. Ruthann worked in my office for 5 hours and it was MaGIcaL!!! Not only did a purge 6 boxes of crap, I was able to ShreD 23lbs of paper, that I am recycling. She established some systems for me and I couldn't be more Estatic. My office is beautiul, functional, and peaceful. Best decision I have made in a long time. It was like losing weight, the crap is GONE. So, my sister in law called me today to get me to sign up for a brast cancer walk in October in Atlanta and I am going to do it. It is called The Breast Cancer 3 Day

I am super excited to do this. I signed up 4 years ago and broke my foot 4 weeks prior to the event....this time I will make sure that doesn't happen. Happy training. I will have a site with my walk information and will post the link here, so be on the look out. CIAO

I have the BEST, BEST MOST Amazing Husband

2008-01-29T19:04:00.000-06:00

My husband has been out of the country now for 8 days and nine nights, not that I am counting. I miss him insanely. We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary apart. I cried...and cried...and thought oh poor pitiful me. I then took myself to a movie, a total chick flick...27 Dresses....it is too cute. Anyhow, we have been talking to the husband daily via Skype. If you have never used it, click here and get it....we video chat and it has truly been the best for my kids. They have been missing their daddy. Last night Madalyn and Alex decided to email their daddy a letter. I took a picture with my handy built in camera, I have a Mac...and yes they are superior. Click and here and you too can be a Mac snot. So each child had their own email, complete with a picture, they include their daily activities, their undying love for "the daddio" and how they did not like certain smells that exit various orifices of his body. So today we got the most amazing reply ever. I am going to try to post it here...so here goes. and yes there is MORE....man this guy is awesome....here is Alex's email message. Am I one lucky girly or what? There is so much catching up to do with you guys, sorry for the "MIA" but my life has been CRAZY. I am going to sign off now....Ciao! K

Back from the land of Neverland

2008-01-24T17:36:00.000-06:00

I have been absent from the world of blog since Thanksgiving....alas I have returned and promise to post tonight.

I want this....how cute, I so love OWLS.

2007-11-20T21:23:00.000-06:00

This is totally cute...and you can get it here.

I don't want to SHARE

2007-11-20T20:21:00.000-06:00

Now those of you reading this that REALLY know me, know that I am the biggest Snow White fan in all the land. I would love to be Snow White when I grow up. Yes, I know, I am 30 something I am grown up.....a little. S was in Orlando on business last week and came home with the beautiful Snow White Porcelain Doll you see above. A fantastic customer of ours sent for me, yup M-E, me. S, being the super dad that he is brought A a little surprise back. He turned to M and said and for you, Mommy is going to share her beautiful Snow White with you. ( You should be hearing large, gagging, GASPS OF ASTONISHMENT) WHAT, I said. Share, what to you mean share. Couldn't you have spent 5 darn dollars on one of those lollipops that take like 15 years to eat? This was sent to ME, do you remember that part. S, says now you are not being a good example. You can share. NO I CAN NOT. Everything I have is a share. I have absolutely nothing that is for me. Nothing. My bed, it is shared with two fur balls and sometimes two kids, not to mention the hunk of burning love that snores beside me. The shower, I can't tell you the last time I had a shower by myself. The car....the kids took that over LONG ago. Please just let me have the Snow White. I am Snow White, really, we bonded years ago. She told me to never eat apples because the skin gets stuck between your teeth and that is where the awful witch will hide the poison. So to shorten the long story....Madalyn now has a new porcelain Snow White. Ciao!

SnEAky TuRKeY

2007-11-17T08:12:00.000-06:00

So I am putting this out there in the hopes that you WILL NOT rat me out. I already know that my family does not read my blog, so I am SAFE, right? So I had this brilliant idea that we would host Thanksgiving this year, mainly because quite frankly our families can't cook. I mean the food sucks. Most people gain wait during the holidays, we lose it. The turkey is always dry, the dressing has so many ingredients in it that it loses is gourmet flair and becomes something similar to clay. So, as the day continues to approach, I realize that I don't want to cook for 25+ people. I am a good cook, this I know. No I am not snotty, it is just the one and probably ONLY thing I do well. Well, now I am not cooking for Turkey Day. I have devised a brilliant plan. Yesterday I delivered all my LARGE cooking platters, dishes, and pots to my dear friend that happens to be a chef. I ordered dinner to be cooked in my dishes. I will pick it up Wed. since I am off work. The family thinks I will be cooking Wed., really I will be cleaning the house. However, to make my plan seem more realistic...I have Turkey Stock to boil on the stove to smell the house up. I have empty pumpkin cans that I have saved to set out on the counter. I will spread a little flour here and there. Pull out the empty pecan bag I have been storing, and presto we have ourselves a homemade meal. I will convince the darling husband that I have cooked all day and now all we have to do is warm it on Thursday. Yes, this will be the best Thanksgiving dinner ever. So here is what we are having. Smoked Turkey from Greenberg Turkey in Tyler, Texas. People if you have never had on of these, stop what you are doing and run and order one for your Christmas dinners. Click here. You will love me for it. We are also having traditional cornbread dressing, green bean casserole (with a little horseradish), whipped sweet taters, tater gratin, baby blue salad, cranberry relish, and pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie, and chocolate pecan pie. YUMO.

Karate Stud Muffin Love Bug Doodle

2007-11-16T08:04:00.000-06:00

That is what A said I could call him. Now where do you get that stud muffin stuff? Totally cracks me up. A had his first Karate examination on Thursday..very exciting. So I surprised him and came to watch him while he tried to earn a belt. First, let me say I have never seen the kid so excited. He was beaming to see me there. He was so proud. This of course made me feel wonderful....if only I could freeze him so he will always think I am "cool", and be proud to have me around. This I know will not be the case when he is 16 and I am forty something....anyhow. A. is the smallest kid in the class and the youngest. He was AMAZING, I couldn't believe how my small little guy could punch...like 200 times. He did the entire set flawlessly and the toughest part was he had to stand very still for 1 full minute...no wiggles, blinking, etc. I was super proud of his committment to follow through on this. S. was out of town and I am so sorry he missed this because he too would have been so proud. I will post a picture later of Karate Stud Muffin Love Bug Doodle in his Gi. Talk to ya later.

Scrapbooking Heaven

2007-11-10T21:48:00.000-06:00

I acutally spent about 4 or 5 hours scrapbooking today! I can't believe it. It was pure bliss. I actually finished 5 layouts...for me, not for a swap or anthing but ot go in my album. Madalyn and I spent the day together. We did yoga, which was a blast. We also did jack jumps...this is what she calls them. Any how....it was just a super day, all capped off with a date with my DH, now isn't that just lovely. Sorry I have been missing from blog world lately...jsut too darn busy. Ciao!

Interview with Kids

2007-10-29T19:32:00.000-05:00

ADORABLE! Kids say the cutes things. It's true. They just get funnier all the time. I decided today that I would interview the kids...with intentions on scrapbooking the results one day. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, but today as the kids were talking in the car on the way home, it was quite interesting. So here goes the interview.

Me: What is your favorite food?
Ma: My favorite food is pizza pies.
Alex: My favorite food is mac and cheese and it is not supposed to go onto the pizza.
Me: What is favorite color?
Ma: My favorite color is all the colors.
Alex: My favorite color is blue.
Me: What do you love about the rain?
Ma: I like when it is wet and pouring and I stay dry.
Alex: I like it because it keeps the earth good and not sick.
Me: Vanilla or Chocolate?
Ma: Chocolate
Alex: Banilla
Me: What is your favorite body part?
Ma: My favorite body part is my foot.
Alex: My favorite body part is foot..it makes me go fast.
Me: What makes you happy?
Ma: Playing with my best friends and they are all girls; boys are gross they have big huge germs and they eat boogers.
Alex: Playing outside and running and playing chase.
Me: What is your best movie?
Ma: Strawberry Shortcake
Alex: Forrest Gump
Me: What do you love about your daddy?
Ma: Because I like him because I want him. Because he is so nice.
Alex: Because I look the same the same him except for my eyes. I think I am brave like him. (WOW)
Me: What do you want to do before you turn 5?
Ma: I want to go to the McWane Center (we have only be 400 thousand million trillion times!)
Alex: Laugh.
Me: What do you want to do when you grow bigger?
Ma: I want to go to the zoo....(hum, she could manage the monkeys!)
Alex: I want to cut paper (can you make money doing that?)

Daddy enters the room and interrupts our interview, so let's interview him!

Me: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Scott: Retired.
Me: What's the favorite part of your day?
Scott: Everything.
Me: Hot and spicy or sweet and salty?
Scott: Both...(me, come on play the game...just tell me one you prefer) no, both...it just depends. (he has issues with commitments if you can't tell).
Me: Advice for you kids?
Scott: Don't give up.
Me: Favorite moment as a parent?
Scott: The first one.

Not sure I accomplished what I wanted with these interviews...but they are what they are! This was done in the midst of an 8 o'clock wrestling match with Scott provoking the whole thing!

haLLoWeEN fUn

2007-10-27T21:53:00.000-05:00

Smores....need I say more. Oh my gosh...they were yummo. Tonight we had a little Halloween party with Katie and her family and some other mutual friends. The kids had a fantastic time...and so did the adults. We roasted marshmallow's and made smores, for a very brief moment I felt 8 and like I was at camp. We borrowed an air bounce from Derek and Suzanne, which was a huge hit with the kids. But for me it was totally the smores. Katie brought this spiced apple cider of which we added whisky to...and it was some kind of good. I am not normally a fan of whisky, but this I loved. The kids were all adorable in their costumes. I will keep this short and post a good funny tomorrow. Ciao!

Knit-Alicious (Is that a real word?)

2007-10-25T23:06:00.000-05:00

Can I tell you how much this cold, yes cold, weather has me yearning to knit. I can't knit enough. I simply don't have time to knit. I have stayed up to the wee hours of the night knitting. I was making this beautiful scarf for my sister to only discover I am about half a skein short on the yarn...I go to buy more, and guess what? They no longer have the yarn I am using. So I have to take the entire think apart and knit it again, just not as wide. Today I purchased that beautiful yarn you see to the right. Isn't it just YUMMY! I am finally going to make something for myself with this yarn. I have never knitted anything for me. I am making a narrow scarf, only 3 inches wide, and it is going to be 98 inches long. I can't wait to finish. My next project will be the dishcloths you see at the top of this post. If you can't tell I can't figure out how to post darn pictures in the exact spot that I want. Anyhow, the dishcloth pattern is from the Mason Dixon Knitting book....which is just to die for. I am in love with this book. So as I begin to ramble and my eyes get heavy....I will sign off. Ciao lovelies!

My Butt Jiggles

2007-10-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

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Conversation with daughter.
Me: Good morning Ma (as in madalyn), did you have a good sleep?
Ma: Yup, I was snoring
Me: Oh, my you must have been very tired.
Ma: Did you snore mommy?
Me: No, but your daddy did and I couldn't sleep very well ( i turn to exit the room).
Ma: Mommy, your butt is cute when it jiggles.

As I am gasping...I of course continue on WITHOUT a reply. People, need I say more today.

Spider Trauma

2007-10-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

So Madalyn was bitten by a spider 3, count 1, 2, 3 TIMES. She woke up Friday morning with a slightly swollen eye and by Friday night she looked like she had a grapefruit hanging from the right side of her face. It was actually painful to look at her. I was a little concerned, but not fanatic. I called our friend Suzanne, she is an eye dr, and took her by her house Friday evening and she confirmed my thoughts. She has been bitten by "something" and the eyes and tissues surrounding it are VERY vascular, so they swell quite easily. For this reason, we allowed Alex to sleep over at his grandparents and Madalyn came home with Scott and I. Saturday morning, she like like some creature from ET's home planet. Scott took her to the Dr. (might I add that our DD is nearly 5 years old and this IS the first time he has taken a her or any child to the Dr., imagine that). She is now taken super doses of "cotton candy" medicine and now looks normal again. In the midst of this, the poor child went to McWane center and was gawked at...had her hair cut and was stared at, went to the market and was pointed at. This is a cruel, cruel world. Why can't people just love, respect, and like each other in spite of our differences? Why does Jack have to be like Joe? Doesn't everyone realize it would be soooo boring if we were all alike? Anyhow, I am totally on the soap box now....so I shall move on to a new subject. We are in the official countdown for the Halloween Party and we are super excited! The kids think that Scott should dress like a Monkey! We should have a ton of kid fun. I should go, I hear the kids playing in the bathroom and that can not be good!

HOT Doctors

2007-10-18T18:37:00.001-05:00

Today, I will put it simply, I am thankful for HOT DOCTORS. I had my 6 month skin cancer screening today, had to get another biopsy. I am not too worried. Anyhow, my dermatologists has this little intern working with her. I was grief stricken at the very moment that I realized that he, yes HE would be sitting in on my ENTIRE BODY screening. Have you ever had one of these? Well let's just say that my girls don't have the same perkiness that they once had, back when I was probably the same age as this intern. Do you know how they check for skin cancers under those girls, yes they GRAB THEM and pick them up. OH MY GOD! As mister hottie is fondling my breasts, I am thinking, do you think that extra piece of bread I had a lunch yesterday makes me look fat? Who am I kidding? Do you think that extra LOAF of bread I ate shows? Man talk about humiliation. If he weren't hot it wouldn't have been so painful. I was mortified to look at those dreamy eyes, that perfect hair...and he wore clogs! How cool is that? He is a real McDreamy. I was a real McStupid. The dr. had to confirm my date of birth prior to doing the biopsy. I was like birthday, oh, uh, 198?? oh , you mean I have to be honest. DARN IT! At some point I did come to my senses, wiped the drool from my face, lifted up the girls and placed them back into their sling shot and left with one less mole and the new idea that plastic surgery might be worth considering after all. So I am thankful for yes the Hot Doctors in the world whose only purpose in life, in my McDreamy opinion, is to be the eye candy for the rest of us. Ciao!

My hair is turning gray and I am okay with that

2007-10-17T16:49:00.000-05:00

My beautiful daughter told me this morning, 'Mom, your, your, hair is silver....that's okay', in a pathetic poor little mommy...life will never be the same if you have gray hair. Guess what? I am totally okay with the gray. I have family members that would never dream of missing the 4-6 week appointment to cover the gray. It is as if somehow, covering negates your age. I am happy to be my age. I consider it a blessing that I have been here this long. Besides, on some women, gray is very sexy, distinguishing, smart. Now, the question remains to be answered if I am one of those women, and I am not certain that it really matters. I am bad at following through on taking care of things that require constant attention, like shaving, hair styles, clothes. It just really doesn't interest me that much. I like to be able to get dirty and with the most trendy this or that, it usually doesn't lend itself to worm digging to feed the turtle. I do find it funny that my 4 year old daughter seems to think it is a problem. Where did she get that from? Crazy! So, in honor of my dear friend Katie, I am still posting something I am thankful for....and today it is the few gray hairs I have sprouted. They have reminded me that vanity is not always what it is cracked up to be and that it is much more important to recognize that the process of growing "older" is beautiful (although I also don't consider myself old). Go home and kiss all the gray-haired people in your family now.

1980's Revisit and LOVinG IT!

2007-10-16T21:20:00.000-05:00

First I am taking my dear friends challenge and finding something to be thankful for everyday...and today I am thankful for Ralph Machio, yup you got....oh Ralphie from the 80's. I had the biggest crush on him, I thought he was so fine! So Alex is taking karate at school this year and he loves it. I thought that I would get the movie Karate Kid for him and that it would be inspiring, and it is. I had a parenting moment tonight where I didn't "follow the rules". I let my kids have movie night on a school night. So we watched The Karate Kid. I was busy trying to knit away and keep up with all the excitement of Danielson....oh I think I could still feel palpitations...my palms were all sweaty, making it very difficult to knit! Anyhow, I have discovered that I STILL have a crush on Ralph Machio, oh and Kurt Cameron to....wherever you guys are. It was fun to watch the movie with the kids, although I didn't remember the language being bad before, I totally feel old, but it sure has been fun getting old. So I finished Madalyn's caterpillar scarf...it is too cute. I am working on a Gecko for Alex and a chunky big scarf for my sister. I am proud to say I have ZERO turltle drama to report, hopefully we are through the soap operas. I will post more tomorrow...oh here is a picture of the scarf I made for Ma...her's is the pink and green one, of course.

Turtle Trauma 101 PART 2

2007-10-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

Yes there is a part 2 and it is a doozy! Daffodil has really been an amazing turtle to watch, she is active, funny. She is the perfect pet turtle, she responds when we come up to the tank...we love Dafodil. Cowboy Natural loves Daffodil. He has been twice as active with her around, he is eating better...seems as though he needed an "older woman" to set him straight. Daffodil has a HUGE appetite, she has really been consuming a lot of food. Saturday was a beautiful fall day, just beautiful. We ventured to the zoo along with everyone else from Birmingham...man there were DROVES of people. I have to just cut to the chase here....we came home and Daffodil had eaten Cowboy Natural's HEAD OFF! Now how do you explain that to a 4 year old?! We will not be purchasing a friend for Daffodil.

Turtle Trauma 101

2007-10-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

My DH suggested a few months back that we should get pet turtles for the kids. I thought this might be relatively reasonable suggestion. I recently took the children to the Whistle Stop Festival. The kids noticed a gentleman selling turtles at the festival. They begged, bargained, pleaded...please mommy, daddy said we could. There was no way I was going to purchase turtles without hearing from DH mouth. So......we all returned to the festival to purchase our new pets.....Cowboy Natural, Strawberry Shortcake (who later has a name change to Strawberry Natural). These turtles are red-eared slidersd and only about 2 inches. Cutest darn things......illegeal to buy! We are now criminals...shhh don't tell anyone. Anyhow...after two weeks, Strawberry Natural DIED! This has sent the entire household into a tizzy of catastrophic proportions. Madalyn has sobbed for hours..Strawberry was her's. We have buried her and bought a new turtle...LEGAL and her name is Daffodil. So we are all now happy and Strawberry is somewhere in turtle heaven, we are sure.

I Snore??? Oh My Gosh, I Snore

2007-05-02T21:46:00.001-05:00

Last night was the first time I actually got into the bed at a decent time in months, yes really months. Now i would never tell Scott what I am about to tell you. I fell asleep quite quickly and was deep into a restful sleep, when at some point I felt some type of a vibration in the back of my throat. It was so violent that it awakened me. I thought for sure that I was choking. As I sat in a stooper, I finally realized that I was snoring. I cannot believe I awakened myself snoring.

China Here We Come...

2007-05-01T23:48:00.000-05:00

It is official...we are going to China for five weeks. I can't believe we are going to do this...the entire family. The kids are gaining such experience. I am so excited, anxious, nervous, and many more adjectives that I just can't think of right now. It is very exciting to be on the brink of opening international business is places that seem far-off and exotic. I am so proud of all the efforts we have been able to put into our business. It has been such an experience to grow something from it's infancy to an international business. This year is our 10th anniversary in business. I want to plan some sort of a mini celebration at the office for Scott, I am just not sure what...hum Ideas would be appreciated.

Pain in My Neck take 2

2007-04-25T14:29:00.000-05:00

It is basal cell carcinoma. I will have a little surgery to remove so chunk of skin that I am sure I would prefer to keep. WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!

Biopsy--Pain In My Neck!

2007-04-19T18:00:00.000-05:00

Literally. A pain in my neck, that is what I currently have. I had this strange looking growth, well, really an appendage. It originally seemed like a patch of dry skin that just wouldn't go away. After four months of molting finally a mole appeared. I had such an attachment with this new, ugly, squishy growth that I even named it. Zibit...no I don't know why Zibit except it just seemed weird like the mole did. Anyhow, the mole seemed pretty normal, it was clear; except it continued to have this dry patch of skin that would grow over it. My primary physician said don't worry it is fine. I then noticed that Zibit was getting darker on only one side, so I then changed the name to Oreo. I had a good ole' half and half. Now Oreo was not that big, almost the size of an eraser tip. So, finally, when my mind could remember, I decided to call a dermatologist. I was so lucky! There was a cancellation on Thursday if I wanted to come right in. Otherwise, I would have to wait until July. So, this morning I arrived at 9:25am for my 9:30am appointment. I knew there would be very little paperwork since my appointment was at Kirklin Clinic and they share information throughout the facility; this is where my primary care clinic is located. At 10:15am I am still sitting in the waiting room. I am beginning to wonder if I am at the wrong place. My mind is wondering, great Scott is going to be so aggrevated! The kids are at work with him since they are still out for Spring Break. He tends to not really watch them very well at the office. The kids will then do something like color their entire face and arms with markers. Scott will then wonder why they did that? Don't they know any better? And oh my gosh, Madalyn is nude! When did that happen? How did that happen? Where are her clothes? So I begin to get a little stressed thinking of the scene I will walk into at the office. Every ticking minute is a new color of marker on the face. Every ticking second is another piece of Madalyn's clothing stripped. Every little breathe is like a movie of 'Green Kids Gone Wild'. I snap back into reality...oh yes, yes I am Kathy Green....oh good you are ready for me to come back. 10:26am and I am now waiting for the Dr. to come in. I am greeted by an attractive, young lady that examines my Oreo and explains that it is suspicious and will pobably need to be shaved off today for a biopsy. I will have to get the Doctor to look at it and make the decision. The Doctor? Your not the Doctor? Who in the heck are you? My Oreo was just molested by a stranger! GASP, how could you touch me Oreo....why he needs to be caressed, loved, could you put a lotion on there? So she quickly disappears, for a long time. Now it is 10:45 and I am falling asleep in the cold, sterile, pictureless exam room and I here this noise. It sounds familiar, somewhat scratchy, rattling...it's a rat, I am sure of it. A rat has invaded the examination room. As I rise up from the table...I see the handle on the door turning and it is only the Doctor. The Doctor, what are you doing here...oh yeah I came to see you at 9:30 this morning, I forgot. jeez how nice of you to join me. She quickly determines that Oreo is not really my friend, but quite possibly the opposite. Oreo is possibly basal cell carcinoma. Before i could blink the doctor had a needle out to numb my neck and cut Oreo right off. Now it is 11:10am and I am just checking out of the Doctor's office and I truly feel like this whole morning was a pain in my neck on too many levels. I wil keep you posted on the biopsy results.

Freaky Biscuits

2007-04-18T18:45:00.000-05:00

Today Alex and Madalyn were out of school for their second spring break. Yes I said second. I suppose the school they go to couldn't figure it out the first time around, so we had to have a second spring break...we didn't get a MONEY break however! Anyhow I have been spending time with the kids this week, and it has been oh so fun. One of our big highlights was Alex learned to ride a bike, without training wheels. Of couse I think he is the most talented, smartest, athletice 3 year old around. I'm entitled to think this aren't I? So, today Madalyn wanted to help me make dinner. I asked her what she wanted to make...bissskits, mama was the reply. So off we were to make whole wheat bissskits. As we were making them, Madalyn professed many times that her mommy makes the bestest biscuits in the whole moon (i am convinced she meant world). So the biscuits rolled out beautiful...nothing seemed dry or sticky. We proudly put them in the oven so we could bake our whole wheat bisskits until they were golden brown on the top. So they baked for 18 minutes but they seemed to be the exact same size they were when we put them in the oven. Hum, I tested them and they were cooked all the way through...they did however seem like I was holding a BRICK. During this time Scott has come home and smelled the bisskits and the wondrfule Dal cooking. Smells good, so he said. As the bissskits cooled I pondered, do I dare taste one. What could have gone wrong? Humm. So, yes I used my darling, pricess daughter as a pawn. Madalyn tasted the first bisskit! She said, yumm mommy as she was spitting the bissskit out as quickly as she put it in, these are 'freaky bissskits'. Now, I ask you, what to a 3 year old is a freaky bissskit? I picked them up and decided the bissskits were more like a dog biscuit. So, I intelligently said, oh Madalyn, I thought we were making doggie biscuits for Laverne and Shirley. Now, I am on a mission to make the best bissskits in the MOON. I think next time I should remember to put the baking powder in with the rest of the ingredients!

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