Chicken Tortilla Soup

This past weekend has really felt like fall around here.    When I stuck my head out the door early yesterday morning it was actually chilly (at least what we call chilly here in the deep South!).     My husband worked a ball tournament this weekend so I had lots of free time…..shopping and lunch with my daughter and granddaughter on Saturday and cleaning most all day Sunday.     Also putting the finishing touches on my chalkboard wall which has turned out amazing!   Photos coming soon….just cloudy around here today so waiting on some sunshine.

I have yet to put out my fall decorations although many bins are down from the attic waiting on me to dig through them.    I don’t decorate for Halloween anymore….just fall touches which will last me until right after Thanksgiving.    Hope to get that done this week.

Now onto the chicken tortilla soup.   This is a staple around here…..you can make it on the stove or in the crockpot…either way it turns out fantastic.    These photos are from last year but I use the same tureen every year and of course, the same recipe.

 

I picked up this little tureen at a flea market a few years ago for like $7.00!   I just though it was so cute and just the right size for soup for 2.

Here it is all filled up

 

Here’s a quick shot at a place setting from last year….I forgot I had those cute turkey plates!    Oh, and the stamped napkins are a project I did a few years ago

 

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

• 6-8 chicken tenders

• 1 can Rotel tomatoes (undrained)

• 1 can corn

• 1 can cream style corn* (undrained)

• chicken stock

• 1 block Velveeta Mexican cheese (cut into cubes)

Cook chicken until tender.     After cooking, cool and then chop in blender.      Put chopped chicken and Velveeta cheese in large pot, add chicken stock and cook until the cheese is completely melted.  (I used almost one box of chicken stock).    Then add in the can of corn and Rotel tomatoes.  

Use the same method if cooking in crockpot….just remember to add the cream style corn just prior to serving!    Of course, if you use the crockpot, you don’t have to pre-cook your chicken.

Enjoy!

Chalkboard Wall

I love chalkboard walls and today I finally took the plunge by having one wall in my kitchen painted with chalkboard paint.    At one time I was going to paint another larger wall with chalkboard paint and frame out my yearling calf head from Décor Steal with an old frame I have but after giving it a lot of thought went with my original plan to paint the smaller wall area going into my laundry room.    I did cheat and have my painter come and paint it for me because of my frozen shoulder situation but I’m going to have so much fun decorating it when he’s done!    Of course, the problem for me is I’m going to have to wait 3 days to do that as the directions say to not “cure” (rubbing it with chalk) it until for at least that long.    But I  will be putting my touch to that wall by this weekend….can’t wait!

Now here are a couple of photos I took this morning and as you can see there is nothing staged about it.    Everything is a mess but I’m loving that wall!

The walls are painted in Latte and it’s a good neutral color that looks great with the chalkboard paint.   You’ll have to be sure and come back and see it after I put up all my “pretties”!

I’m debating on having the french door painted white to match the trim.   I don’t mind that it's black like the wall and I do have white trim (wish I didn’t have that 80’s chair rail but that’s another story).   I’m going to see how I like the french door painted black for a while and if I just don’t like it my painter will come back and paint it out white for me.    I’m going to be adding lots of white accents (frames, plates, etc) so I’m hoping that will off set the black door….what do you think?

Thank you for dropping by today!

Happy 1st day of Fall Ya’ll!

Today it seems like fall is right around the corner.   We still have quite a bit of hot weather around here but something in the air feels fall-ish!    I haven’t done any fall decorating yet but hope to in the next week or so.   It seems like just when I think things are about to slow down for me and I can blog on a more regular basis, “life” gets in the way and before I know it, another week has gone by and I’ve not posted a thing!    I am truly amazed at folks that post weekly and/or daily…my hats off to you!

Last year (yikes!) I started a complete make over in my son’s old bedroom.   I wanted the room to resemble the one we’d seen in the Southern Living Idea House in Senoia, Georgia.

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I have all the bedding and a headboard cut out…just waiting on me to put on me to complete the headboard. 

Here’s where I left off last year and I’ve added more pillows.   I really need to get that headboard finished because I think the room is turning out exactly like I envisioned.   

I want to make a little gallery wall in there on the wall you see as you enter the room looking straight ahead.    I have a lot of frames and a couple of photos printed out but also wanted to use something personal which would reflect the “little boy” that used to live in that room (now 39 years old)!    It’s the room he and his son stay in when they come to visit (daughter in law and granddaughter stay in another guest room).     I remembered he had made a sketch of a house plan our family had considered years ago….he drew it, put the cost of the home and the interest rate on the photo too!    I got one of the frames I planned on using and inserted that drawing into the frame.    It’s not “professional”  but its meaningful to me and hopefully will bring back that time to him when he sees it.    At one time he wanted to be an architect…thus the drawing.

 

This week is shaping up to be just as busy as the past couple of weeks.    Tomorrow my mom and I are going to have a mani/pedi spa day, Tuesday I’m taking her to the doctor, Tuesday is also my husband’s big 50 birthday, and I have lunch/dinner plans with some friends for my birthday which was on the 12th.    Oh, how I love to drag out my birthday a whole month!

My painter is coming to paint a chalkboard wall for me in the kitchen (I can’t due to my frozen shoulder situation) and I have a little project I’m working on that includes the yearling calf head I finally got from Décor Steals on another wall.    Since we’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, I’m trying to get a lot of things done around the house for that….we’ll see how that goes!

How’s the weather in your part of the world?    I think fall is one of my favorite times of the year…..the smells, the colors and FOOTBALL!    

Hope everyone has a great week!

I Bought Myself A Birthday Present

It’s a week away from my birthday but I bought myself something I’ve been wanting for a while now….a new upholstered headboard!    A little backstory first….about 4-5 years ago I ordered a custom headboard from Ballard’s in Atlanta.   It was described as “creamy pin tuck” and it I thought it would be just what I’d been looking for.    I eagerly awaited it’s arrived (about 6 weeks) and when it finally came I couldn’t wait to see how it would look.     When I put my white coverlet and pillows on the bed…I was horrified!    The headboard looked yellow…not the look I was going for.    I tried and tried to make it work but it never did.    Finally, I took two taupe linen curtain panels and sewed them together to make a slipcover of sorts….that looked much better and later I added a German grain sack in the middle….which looked pretty good actually…something like this:

 

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My Ballard's headboard was shaped like the one in the photo above

But I never got around to making the ties for the slipcover and probably never will….so yesterday I was in our local Kirkland's and they had “the” headboard on sale!    I couldn’t get it out of my mind and called the store this morning to see if it was a king size and it was!    I called my husband and told him I’d found “my” birthday present…I would sell the old one on Craig's List or the Bulletin Board (a local free advertisement)….and would he pick it up this evening.    He said he would when he got off work.    I called the store manager back and told her I was on my way to pay for it since she couldn’t take my credit card over the phone.     Here’s a photo from the Kirkland’s website:

 

And a description of the headboard reads as follows:

Upholstered in a beige linen fabric

Double row nailhead accents in a brass finish

High-density foam filling with a dacron wrap

Contoured headboard with knob feet in dark brown

The linen is a little darker than what the photo shows but I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!    Our wall color is very similar to the one in the Kirkland’s photo and my accent color is the pretty aqua as shown in the nightstand….so I think this headboard will really “make” our bedroom.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Happy Belated Labor Day and A Couple of Recipes

As the old saying goes “better late than never” right?   Now that Labor Day is behind us most of us are looking forward to cooler temps and fall decorating!    I know I am…I’m just trying to decide how soon I can put out some fall décor without my neighbors (and husband) thinking I’m off my rocker.   This is also a big birthday month around here…mine and my husbands.    He’s celebrating a big one and I can’t believe I haven’t planned anything for him….he’s not much for surprises and is a low key kind of guy (I almost said low life but that’s not what I mean)….we’ll probably just go out to eat or maybe make a quick trip out of town and that’s about it.   Any ideas ya’ll can give me for the Big 50 for a guy will be greatly appreciated!    And no, I’m not telling my age!

This past weekend we headed up to the lake for what will probably be the last time for us until our family Christmas get together there.    Although the weather man predicted 40% chance for rain, we didn’t get a drop, just some gorgeous sunshine.    And can you believe I didn’t take my camera?!     We cooked ribs, pork chops and steaks.    Everyone brings their own meat and my sister and I provide the rest of the food.   My contribution was marinated vegetable salad and Pineapple Orange Crème Cake…both of which I’ve shared in the past but are worth reposting again.   The cake is a Weight Watchers recipe and is only 4 points per slice…which makes it all the better!

Marinated Vegetable Salad

• 1=11 oz. can white shoe peg corn
• 1=16 oz.  can French green beans
• 1=16 oz. can green peas
• 1 med. onion – finely chopped
• 1/2 c. celery – finely chopped
• 1/4 c. bell pepper – finely chopped
• 1/4 c. pimento – diced

Drain vegetables, mix all ingredients

• 3/4 c. sugar (or a little more)
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1/2 c. white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix all together and heat until sugar dissolves.   Pour over vegetable mixture and keep in refrigerator overnight.

 

Pineapple Orange Crème Cake

• 1 (15 1/4 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
• 1/2 c. egg substitute
• 1/2 c. fat free mayo
• 1 can mandarin oranges, sliced
• cooking spray

 

• 1 (12 oz.) container fat free Cool Whip
• 1 (10 oz.) package sugar free vanilla pudding mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain pineapple, reserve juices, set pineapple aside

Combine reserved pineapple juice, cake mix, mandarin oranges, egg substitute and mayo in large bowl.   Beat w/mixer until well blended.  

Pour into 13x9 baking dish coated w/cooking spray

Bake @350 degrees for 35 minutes or until done---cool on wire rack

Combine drained pineapple, cool whip and vanilla pudding mix in medium bowl on low speed until just blended.   Spread pineapple mixture evening over top of cake.

 

On a totally unrelated matter, we’re hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year.   For the last 4-5 years we’ve all met at Cracker Barrel or last year we went to my daughter’s house.    This year my sister and her clan are going out of town and it’s my daughter’s year to go to her in-laws so it will be a very small group of people (son and his family and my mom) around here.     I’m already planning the menu and hope to get a couple of projects done before then.     I got in my yearling cow head from Décor Steals  a week or so ago and have the perfect frame for it….I want to paint a chalkboard wall in my kitchen and use the yearling head and frame and some white plates…but I just can’t decide if I want to paint the whole wall or just the portion inside the frame….also with my “frozen” shoulder situation it’s a little hard to paint right now.     I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to make up my mind on this but for some reason it is.    I also need to finish up the upholstered headboard project we started last spring (yes, I said last spring!)……maybe I’ll get ‘er done before the end of this year!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Tasty Treats

Recently while cleaning out some dresser drawers in my daughter’s old room (now guest room) I found a “recipe book” her pre-K class put together.   This was a group of 5 year olds.    I had such a laugh reading some of these recipes that I thought I’d share some of them with you…you know, in case you might want to make some of these “recipes” for your family!   I have copied them (spelling and all) exactly how they were written all those years ago.   

Chicken: 

1.  2 cups oil

2.   A big chicken

3.   Kill the chicken

4.   Get a pan

5.   Put a little oil in the pan

6.   Put the chicken in the pan

7.    Set the temperature on 5 or 6 and cook it for 1 hour

6.   Then eat it

French Fries:

french fries

hamburgers

hot dogs

1.   Put grease in the big black bowl with the big handle

2.   Put it over the backboard

3.   Take a big stick and put the french fries in the bowl

4.   When it’s all cooked you have to put it in a big round circle with a paper towel under it

5.   Put french fries in the sink

6.   Put them in the bowl and then they’re ready

Roast Beef

Take a little roast beef.   Put in 1 gallon of Wesson oil.   Cook in the oven at 8 degrees for 15 minutes.   Eat it.

A Egg

2 lbs. milk

3 lbs. flour

4 lbs. sugar

First pour milk into a bowl.   Add 3 lbs. of flour.  Put in 4 lbs. sugar.  Then put in a little more milk.  Put it on the stove and cook it for 4 minutes.    Eat it.

French Toast

1 egg

3 cups milk

2 loaves bread

Dip the bread into the milk and eggs.   Cook it in a frying pan for 2 seconds.  Eat 2 french toasts.

Soup

Pour 2 inches of hot water into a pan.   Peel 4 potatoes.   Peel 5 tomatoes.  Put these on top of the oven and let them cook.   Put 2 inches of salt and pepper on them.   Cook them for 12 seconds.  Put in bowls and drink it.

AND FINALLY MY DAUGHTER’S RECIPE:

Hamburgers

1 slice cheese

catsup

mustard

mayonaisse

1 meat

Cook meat in oven.  Take it out.  Put it on the hamburgers

I hope you enjoyed this gourmet post brought to you by “Thompson’s Tasty Treats” (her teacher’s name) circa 1981!

Quick Hello

In my last post I said I was taking a little blog break and I’m still on break….but I wanted to check in and say “hello”.    This has been a hectic summer for me.   I’ve had quite a few health issues which started back in February.    It began with a Bakers cyst behind my left knee and I ended up with a severely torn meniscus.   I had surgery on June 10th and physical therapy after that.    During the time of my PT I developed a problem with my right foot which the doctor first thought was a stress fracture but apparently that’s not the case.   Right now we don’t know what the problem is.    In addition to that (!) I have “frozen shoulder”.     Good grief!   Now I’m going to PT for that and will go back to the doctor on Sept. 10th and maybe he’ll give me a shot.    I just don’t know what else can go wrong with me, hopefully nothing.    Do I dare mention that I have a bladder infection right now?   

I also mentioned that I discovered that the government stopped depositing my mom’s civil service retirement check.    Suffice it to say it took 2 weeks for me to get that straightened out….many  days before I could reach someone on the phone then on hold for 30 minutes….thankfully I got it straight and her monies are now back in her account.     When you’re on a fixed income like she is and you miss out on part of your income each month, it gets dicey real quick!

Lastly, yesterday I got word that a  friend of mine has passed away suddenly while vacationing in the Bahamas.    I just got a text that she had an aneurysm and was flown back to the States where she was declared brain dead.    I blogged about her house a few years ago here.     Everyone is in shock….she was only 62 years old!

The only good news I can report is that I ordered the yearling calf head from Décor Steals and it arrived yesterday.    I have a gorgeous old frame I’m thinking about using on a kitchen wall and putting the yearling head in the middle with my boxwood wreath and surrounding the frame with white plates.   I also want to paint the wall with chalkboard paint so the plates and yearling head show up but with my shoulder situation I can’t paint right now.    Oh well….at least I got my yearling head which I’ve been stalking for some time now.

It seems like everyone has got Fall decorating on the brain.   I’m not quite there but I am ready for some cooler temps and FOOTBALL!    Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

Blog Break

I’m taking a little blog break…a lot of things going on that need my attention and I’m not able to do any projects or post inspiring () blog content.    There is a financial situation with my mom’s money that I’m trying to resolve and I’m also experiencing ADDITIONAL health issues!    I still get around to visiting some of my favorite bloggers and enjoy seeing all your talent.    Hope to be back soon!

Wise Words From Parent To Child

I’m not sure where I ran across this but I saved it so I could go back and read it from time to time.    I’d love to give credit for it so if anyone knows where it came from, please let me know and I’ll be happy to link back to it.    I’ll bet you can “see” yourself saying at least one or more of these phrases to your child or children.    Since my babies are grown, I especially love #22 and #27!

1.. Stay true to you. Never forget to listen to yourself before anyone else.

2. Remember that your sibling is your friend forever. When you feel like no one is on your side…they always will be.

3. Even though you don’t want to listen to me at times, I will continue to talk and try to guide you. I know that you are hearing me even if you don’t want to acknowledge.

4. Sometimes friends won’t always act like friends. It happens. Forgive and move on.

5. Take time for your passions. They will always bring you joy…even when your old like me;)

6. Surround yourself with people who make you laugh. It is the key to staying young. Laugh often. Laugh hard. Laugh until you are crying.

7. As you get older, you will be given more responsibility. It is our only true job. To help you become happy, independent and helpful people.

8. Make your decisions carefully and with a mindful heart.

9. Remember that grades are only one measure of success. Just try your best…truly your own personal best is all we will ever ask.

10. Remember that we look at everything you do online…if you wouldn’t stay/do/pose etc..…in front of us…then it shouldn’t be online for the world to see. Period.

11. From the time we brought you home from the hospital…we had to start letting you go. Remember to be patient with us…it is really hard to do sometimes.

12. Nothing good happens after midnight. It’s just a fact….so you won’t miss anything. Don’t worry about it.

13. Don’t assume things of other people based on appearance. Because what you are thinking in your head is usually very far from the reality.

14. Eat real food. Like fruit and vegetables. It will always help you think clearly…and makes your skin pretty ;)

15. Respect your teachers.

16. Empty the dishwasher…when no one is looking. Small acts of kindness will help make your heart sing.

17. Let me always hug you and give you millions of kisses on those cheeks.

18. Spend time with you Grandparents…when you are old you will miss them.

19. Nothing disappoints us more than lying. Just tell us the truth…no matter if it is ugly…we will always understand more than a lie.

20. Don’t forget to listen in church. It will help you solve every problem in your head.

21. Keep smiling.

22. If you catch me staring at you….it is just because sometimes I still see your little baby face and it makes me happy.

23. If you see a friend in a tough situation…be the one to help…because when you don’t help you are just as guilty as the one who is being mean.

24. When the world seems like it’s handing you too many problems…we will make chocolate chip cookies and we will solve them together.

25. One best friend is better than a dozen sort of friends.

26. If all else fails….watch some home movies. They will make you laugh…and help you to remember all your blessings.

27. I will call you peanut and bear when your 40…just get used to it.

28. Take the high road. Sometimes it seems that no one else is…but it proves to be the best path…always.

29. Always look for the next adventure…but be mindful to live in the moment.

30. We love you…more.

 

Since this post is all about family and children, I’d like to ask for your prayers for my son.    He is experiencing issues that may be gallbladder related and will undergo outpatient surgery on Wednesday to determine what is going on.     I’m going to Birmingham tomorrow to pick up my granddaughter and she’ll be spending the week with us here but my heart will be with him in Birmingham.    I’d appreciate your prayers for him.   Thank you!

Low Country Boil, Big Bertha and the Director

Wonder what all of that has to do with one another?   By the end of this post, I hope it will make better sense!

This past weekend we had a small respite from all this rain.   I’m thankful for it but enough already!!   So we headed to the lake for some family time which always involves food.    My sister decided we’d do a low country boil.    For those of you not familiar with what that is, it’s simply shrimp, sausage, new potatoes and baby corn….all boiled together with some Cajun seasoning and literally thrown out on a table for all to enjoy! 

We let the fellas be in charge of cooking….one pot was “spicy” and the other “medium”…I had some of both and they were both divine!

In the past we’ve “served” it on newspaper but Saturday we went all out and used a Dollar Tree plastic tablecloth!    Yeah, we’re classy like that!     If there was such a thing as a shrimp eating contest, my son-in-law would have taken the prize….here’s his plate after he finally finished….

My daughter teased him that he kept his “hammer” close by in case anyone tried to steal that lobster off his plate!   Messy but oh-so-good!

 

 

When we finished, we put the leftovers in a pan and gathered up the tablecloth with all the mess and just tossed it!   For dessert we had strawberries and ice cream…no one went home hungry!

Before eating late in the evening, the kids enjoyed swimming and riding on Big Bertha.    My two granddaughters learned how to ski this weekend too!    It was so cute to see them ski by the dock waving at us so proud of themselves.   

 

 

 

My youngest grandson had a "large” time all day and finally conked out sitting up!   

 

My son and his baby boy

 

Here’s the view from the top of the upper deck looking out toward the dock.    My son didn’t get out his pontoon boat but there were plenty of  other “toys” ….trust me!

Were you wondering how the “director” part fit into this?    My sister just got a huge promotion to director at her job!    It was a long time coming but no one is more deserving.     Congratulations Betsy!    (Just remember I’m still the boss of you”)

Featured Burlap Fringed Table Runner

I’ve just got to brag a little…today I found out my sweet friend Karianne of the fabulous Thistlewood Farms blog has featured my fringed burlap runner on her new blog here……please go over and see all the wonderful burlap projects featured.    

 

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If you love burlap projects, Kari’s new blog has a lot of great eye candy!     You can also follow along on her Facebook page here.

Disorder In The Court

As some of you may know, I am a retired legal secretary/paralegal.    It was an interesting ride, sometimes sad and many times funny, some of the things people get themselves into.       I went through a very ugly divorce back in 1997 when my ex-husband got involved with….well, let’s just say, a “lady of the night”.    I won’t go into all the sordid details, but they were juicy.    Sometimes I don’t know how I survived that time in my life, but I came through a better and stronger person and went on to meet my now husband and we’ll be married 10 years in October.    Did I tell you he’s taking me to Europe for our anniversary?    Yeah…he’s a keeper!

Anyhooo..I worked for a divorce lawyer, had a friend who was a private detective and another friend who was my court reporter during our depositions.    She says my ex-husband’s “girlfriend” ranks in her Top 5 as one of the strangest depositions of all time.     One of the questions asked of her by my lawyer/boss went down like this:

Q:     Ma’am can you tell the court where you went to college?

A:     It’s gone out of business.

Q:    Okay, I understand that, but can you tell me the name of the college?

A:     It’s gone out of business.

Q:    Are  you telling the court the name of your college is “It’s gone out of business”?

A:    Yes!

Well, that was just the beginning and shortly thereafter when she was asked if her current husband knew she was involved with a married man, she got up and left the room, whereupon my lawyer/boss called the judge who issued a bench warrant for her arrest.    I told you I had an ugly divorce!

Enough about that…I want to share a few funny stories and jokes I’ve seen over the years about lawyers and depositions.     The first one is a video you just have to see.    It’s very old and grainy, hard to see and you have to really listen but it’s hilarious!    It’s called “The Deposition from Hell” and I think you’ll see why.     Here’s the link if you’d like to see it.     

And here are a few “lawyer stories” that I’ve seen over the years….I hope you get a good laugh out of these!

ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, 'Where am I, Cathy?'
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
_______________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What is your date of birth?
WITNESS: July 18th.
ATTORNEY: What year?
WITNESS: Every year.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: How old is your son, the one living with you?
WITNESS: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which.
ATTORNEY: How long has he lived with you?
WITNESS: Forty-five years.
_________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget..
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________

ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the 20-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's 20, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you *******g me?
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Getting laid
____________________________________________

ATTORNEY: She had three children , right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death..
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
___________________________________________

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor , how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral...
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 PM
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?

______________________________________
And last:

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No..
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

(source)

 

Have you ever experienced a funny or strange encounter with a lawyer or the court system?    Thankfully I can look back at mine and laugh now….but it sure wasn’t funny when it was happening.    The lesson I can pass along  is time does heal all wounds and as trite as it sounds, you will be stronger on the other end.   

Happy 4th of July!

Do You Clean Or Hire It Out?

 

 

 

 

Most of us are not blessed or fortunate enough to have full time housekeepers or cleaning services.     However, many people find it a necessity if they work full time, have small children or value what little free time they have and just work it into their budgets somehow.    Back when my kids were in grammar school and into middle school, I was lucky enough to have a “maid”.    She only came 1/2 day a week and I had to pick her up before I went to work and then run home at lunch and take her back to her house.    At the time, I considered it necessity as I worked full time and was very involved with my kids’ extra curricular activities, and I got tired of spending nights and weekends cleaning and yelling at my kids to help.    My (now ex-)husband worked about 70 hours a week and while he helped when he could, it just wasn’t enough.   Thus, I lucked out and got some help.    At first, she was fantastic!    I’d come home to a fresh smelling home, all sparkling and shiny.    Sometimes she’d even start my supper for me!     As time went on, things didn’t go as well….she got lazy and I’d have to actually go behind her to clean.    Toward the end I had her doing only the ironing…and that just didn’t cut it with me.    When she moved across town that was my excuse to not continue our working relationship any further.     I “shared” her with another girl at work and found out that one day my friend caught our housecleaner asleep on her bed!    

Just recently when my mom’s house became vacant, I needed to have her house thoroughly cleaned.    Granted, it was empty, but it needed a lot of TLC.    A friend referred someone to me that did professional housecleaning.    I contacted the woman and we came to an agreement on her cleaning my mom’s house.    It’s not a very big house but she was over there about 8 hours and only charged me $150!     She did a great job too!    So when my knee situation came up, I called her to come over to my house to give me a quote on helping me clean my laundry room.    My laundry room is very tiny and I told the cleaning lady I was going to help out and do a lot of the work along side her plus I’d do all the cleanup….i.e. vacuuming, steam cleaning the floor and cleaning behind the washer and dryer.    I mainly wanted her to help me remove all the canned goods out of there which are on a huge baker’s rack and empty the room.     Was I shocked when she said it would be $200!    Maybe I’m a little naive but I thought with me helping and actually doing more of the work, and based on how little she charged for my mom’s house, I was expecting around $100 or less.    I guess she could see the shock on my face because she started to say maybe we could work something out.     I told her I’d get back with her and that’s been over a month….I’m not going to call her back.    Do you think that sounds reasonable ($200) or  would you be upset at that price too?   

So, if you have a cleaning lady or cleaning service, what do you think the going rate would be for a small, small room that you wanted cleaned out but the “owner” was going to do as much work, maybe more, as the cleaning help?   

Goodbye June and an Outdoor Wedding

It’s hard to believe June is almost gone so I wanted to get in one quick little post before it’s over.    I’ve been so busy this month (thus the lack of posts) with physical therapy and my mom’s health issues it’s just been impossible to put together an interesting post.     I also keep my granddaughter part of each week and she keeps me on my toes….we play lots of board games, munch on snacks and make great memories together.   Soon I’ll be going to pick up my Birmingham granddaughter and she will spend some time here with us too…..fun times ahead!

This past weekend my sister’s youngest son got married at Cheaha State Park….it was about a 2 1/2 hour drive for us but the views were spectacular!    It is the highest point in the state of Alabama.     I’m hoping our family and my sister’s family can all meet there this fall and rent a cabin or chalet for a weekend.     Of course, that all revolves around the Auburn and Alabama football schedules (no lie….this is the SEC people)!

I took this from the deck looking down

 

 

The newly married couple

 

This is something I’d never seen done…the two families “blending” their lives together with sand….so sweet!

 

My sister’s (the short one in the blue dress next to the bride) family….two sons and one daughter and her grandchildren

 

So glad we got one of all of us together….can you see me?   I’m in the black dress next to my son-in-law

Hope everyone is having a safe and happy summer!

Happy Birthday Mom and Other Ramblings

Wow!  I just noticed I haven’t blogged since the end of May!!!  Where has June gone?  

Today my mama turns 93 years young!   She is a true Steel Magnolia…and like the old Timex commercials says, she takes a licking and keeps on ticking.   She fell back in March and fractured her hip and while she’s mostly wheelchair bound, she still has her great attitude and zest for life.   Today one of my sisters is coming over from Atlanta and we’re taking her to eat at KFC, one of her favorite places.

On the home front, I had knee surgery on June 10th.   I had imagined all sorts of terrible things about the recovery period but thankfully I’ve done remarkably well.   The surgery was on a Monday and by Wednesday I was not even using my crutches, and not taking any pain meds.     I started physical therapy this past week and while it feels like an “Insanity” workout it’s making me stronger and I’m hoping at the end of my 3 week therapy sessions, I’ll be pretty much back to normal.   

My granddaughter Taylor made all stars this summer and her team is in Gulf Shores this weekend for another tournament.    She plays first base and looooves softball.    Here are some photos of last weeks tournament:

This was taken around 9:00 p.m. Saturday night…they had played since 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning.   Everyone was hot and tired but sooo happy!

Taylor and Jackson (her twin brother) and dad…assistant coach

My sweet daughter and her precious family

Jackson and his “girlfriend’s” daughter!!!   Let me explain….Jackson has a huge crush on this little girl’s mom.    At the first game, he sat by her the entire game and then afterwards everyone went to eat at a Mexican restaurant.    The kids had a table and the adults had a table.    Jackson kept patting the seat next to his and telling the mom “cheese dip on the way”….she was very flattered (I’m sure ) but declined his offer and went to sit at the grownups table.   So, Jackson just sits across from her in her husband’s seat!    We finally convinced him to give up his chair but he finally got to sit catty-cornered from her….and at 9:00 he put his head on the table and fell asleep!    It was so cute…..he just zonked out.    She’s a good sport about all of this and makes it a point to speak to him and he just eats it up!    Hope this doesn’t mean a lifetime of him liking “older” women!    My husband told the woman that Jackson’s mom and dad had a lot of money so Jackson could buy her lots of presents (what a crock!)

I’ve been working on a little project on my back deck and as soon as I get a little more done (and my husband gets the backyard cut!) I’m going to share what I’ve done…I really like how it’s turning out.    Of course, with my knee being out of whack, I’m not able to do much of anything at this point.    I’m going to share a little of what I’m doing but please remember….the yard is not cut and I’m not finished yet!

Here’s just one corner of my deck…not really what I’m working on but love my Kimberly Queen ferns!

 

I can’t wait to show you how pretty it is going to be….my poor yard, hasn’t been cut in about 2 weeks and the dog insists on digging up all around the sunroom window…see that bare patch of dirt?    Hate it!

 

We’ve spent some time at the lake with family and it’s always a lot of fun.     Next weekend we’re heading to the outdoor wedding of my sister’s youngest boy and his cute fiancé’.     It should be a lot of fun!     Here’s the couple at the beach…they each have a child from previous relationships…Stephanie has a little boy and David has a daughter.

 

 

On this blog, I stay away from political statements and religion.   However, I wanted to see what you think of Food Networks decision to pull Paula Deen?    Yay or Nay?  

Guess I’ve rambled enough for now.   I just wanted to come up for air and let you know I’m still alive and kicking!

One Year Later

One year ago I “lost” my job unexpectedly.    If you’d like to read the original story, here’s a link to that.     Since it was sudden, at first I was totally at a loss as to what to do with myself.    I couldn’t clean everyday, couldn’t justify shopping for clothes I wouldn’t need anymore for work, in other words, I felt like a fish out of water, floundering around with all my “free time.”      I was experiencing depression and didn’t know what to do with myself.    My husband would take me on little mini-trips…we went to the Southern Living Idea House, Ikea, and some quick trips to the gulf coast.    Eventually I “settled” down and now can’t imagine how I ever found time to work (I hear a lot of retired people say this).   But God’s timing is always on time, isn’t it?    Since my forced retirement, I have had more time to spend with my almost 93 year old mother.    She fractured her hip in late March and it’s been an uphill climb ever since.    While she is back at her assisted living cottage, she needs me now more than ever.    If I had still been working, it would have worked an extreme hardship on me to tend to her like I’m able to now.    So in a strange way, it’s been a blessing that I’ve been able to be there for her.

If you follow me on Facebook, you may know that I am also experiencing some health issues.    I recently had an MRI done and today I saw my doctor for the results of that.     I have a “severely torn menisca” and will undergo surgery on June 10th.    I also have a Baker’s cyst but he will not remove that as it has a tendency to reappear even after removal.    I’m hoping that I won’t be out of commission too long and other than a few weeks of taking it easy will finally have some relief as I have been miserable since mid-February with my knee.

Hope everyone is having a good summer so far.    My sweet granddaughter is staying with me on some days.    She made All-star's on her baseball team and has practice twice and week and her first game is tomorrow night.    She’s so excited and we are so proud of her!

 

 

 

Shabby Apple Giveaway Winner

Please accept my apologies for not announcing the winner of the Shabby Apple $50.00 gift card before now.    The giveaway ended on Friday May 17th but I was at the lake this past weekend and had an MRI done yesterday so I’m just now getting around to posting the winner.      So without further ado, the winner of the $50.00 gift card is :

9405018 – Pat

Congratulations Pat!    The fine folks at Shabby Apple will be in touch with you to arrange for your gift card.   I hope you enjoy using it.   Thanks to everyone who participated…I have a great review coming up soon…think burlap and monograms!

What’s That Smell?

Catchy title but I just wanted to get your attention!     I’m searching for a new perfume and hope to get some good ideas.   For years and years I wore “Beautiful” by Estee Lauder.    My daughter discovered it while she was in junior high and we both loved it!    It was our “signature” scent.

 

However, a sneaky little thing called “hormones” changed the scent on me.   It just doesn’t do it for me anymore.      Recently I went to Ulta and sampled several scents.    By the way, I had to find out from my daughter the reason they have those coffee beans in little jars is so you can sniff the beans and you’ll have a clean palette to continue smelling scents…who knew?!    Apparently not me!! 

One that I was drawn to is D&G Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbanna.   

 

This is how they describe this scent:

D & G Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana is a fragrance made for the casual woman. Introduced in 2001, this perfume features a subtle scent that will bring you the attention you desire. Its mix of apple, rose, jasmine and musk fragrances gives it a unique scent that is perfect for your next social event. Whether you are attending a lunchtime gathering of friends and family or a happy hour with your colleagues, this is right perfume for you.

I remember trying the D&G perfume when we were in Mexico on a trip.   I don’t know why I didn’t buy it then but I was still wearing Beautiful.    I don’t want to spend a fortune but want to find something that I can wear for day or night.

So can you help a girl out by giving me some suggestions on what you wear?

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway here….ends tomorrow night!

Shabby Apple Giveaway

When Shabby Apple contacted me about sponsoring  a giveaway for one of my lucky readers, I was so excited!   I’ve loved their clothing line for a long time and one of you will be lucky enough to win a $50.00 gift card to shop and spend to your hearts content.   Please visit my reviews page here to enter the contest.