The bargain

Did you find any great "after Christmas" sales? I will have to say that this Christmas cactus was my best bargain this year. I found it on sale a few days after Christmas at Lowe's Home Improvement for 45 cents. I have never had too much of a green thumb, but thought, for 45 cents... it's worth a try. I love a good bargain!

Do you have candy in your purse?

I rarely keep candy in my purse. If I have any candy, it usually gets eaten on Sunday mornings by my family during church. (I know, shame on us) However, I have been carrying around a candy cane for several weeks, that had managed not to be eaten until yesterday. I was out shopping yesterday, in a crowded store, when I heard a lady let out a huge *sigh*, as if she were out of breath. I then felt someone tap me on my arm and ask "M'am, do you have any gum or candy in your purse? I am a diabetic and I feel like I'm going to faint." I knew I had the candy cane and quickly handed it to her. She grabbed the candy and started eating it and said, "oh thank you! I love you." I've never had this happen to me in my life. I was glad I could help the lady. This may never happen again, but I think it's a great idea to keep candy tucked away in my purse.... just in case!

Happy New Year!

2009 is here and I ask myself what will I do differently this year? I know of a lot of things I wish would happen this year, but I can only pray about them, as I cannot make them happen without God. So many times I try to "help" God along by making rash decisions, which prove not to be the best thing to do after all. I hope that I can slow down, LISTEN to God, and make the right decisions this year.

In MY ideal world, this is what I want for 2009:

1. My husband and I to live in the same house seven days a week.

2. My daughter to graduate and successfully launch her career as a cosmetologist.

3. To be financially able to work part time, as a NURSE, and not a nurse manager. (not fun)

4. To walk more, to move more.... to get more exercise.

5. To spend more time doing fun things that I enjoy... like sewing, cooking, yard work,

visiting others.

6. To better train my dogs, so that I am not spending so much time cleaning behind them,

saying NO!, and chasing them around.

7. To spend more time thinking about others, and not so much time thinking of myself.

Notice there is nothing there about losing weight.... LOL. Yesterday at work, I heard several girls planning their weight loss strategies during the day. I laughed and told them that I thought I would use "reverse psychology" this year, and say I'm going to see how much weight I CAN gain in 2009, since our weight goals are usually not successful.

What about you? Have you made resolutions? My boss is having us to actually write down a few goals this year.... both professional and personal goals. I've already warned her that she may not like mine, as they may affect her personally. She knows what my 2009 goal is regarding work and promises not to take it personally. Any goals for big changes in your life this year? Happy New Year!

Goat Tips

These are my daddy's goats and this post is for him. I checked out a book from the local library titled : Pearls of Country Wisdom. This is the tip for daddy (and any of you other goat lovers out there): Goat Breeding Tip. One cup of apple cider vinegar to 3 gallons warm water beginning 6 weeks before breeding will help generate more doe eggs, getting up to 75% doe kids. Aren't his little goat babies cute???

Is it really November, already?

I woke up this morning and realized it was November 9, 2008. Where has this year gone??? It is almost a blur to me, as it has come and gone at a very high rate of speed. Let's see.... husband and I relocated in February to a town two hours away. I un-relocated two months later, moving back into our home and returning to my previous job. We do a lot of commuting these days! My son was married in May. We've done a few cosmetic things to the house this year. My daughter moved back in with me in August.... bringing along her puppy. We now have three young dogs in our house.... yep, that is where the time goes! Three dogs will really keep one busy! I'm working four ten hour (+) days a week... way more than I want to work. I'm praying for a change... and hopefully, if it all works out... it is just around the corner. I'll keep praying about that one. Our family took a nice drive today.... husband, myself, daughter, and the three dogs. We took a scenic tour of the fall leaves, or what is left of them. I think our peak leaf season was sometime last week. It was still very beautiful and was fun to just get out of the house and see something different for a change. We don't seem to have a lot of family time anymore, and it was fun, just being together..... even with the three dogs, who love to ride in the car! I look forward to life slowing down a bit.... I want to enjoy the years, the months, the seasons.... and not just wake up one morning and realize that another year has almost passed me by!

White Trash Cooking

This is one of my most favorite cookbooks of all times! I bought it while living in Western NC and it has continued to be a favorite read of mine. I suspected, but didn't realize I was "white trash" until I read through this book. :o) It has a lot of what us good 'ol southerners like to eat and a few things I had never heard of, but they sounded good too! (has some great photo's included) Since I like this book so much, I purchased White Trash Cooking II from Amazon this past week. As expected, I didn't like it nearly as much as the first one, but am happy to have it all the same. Not only are these recipes interesting, easy, and tasty, most of them are very cheap to make. So, if you are watching your pennies, like most folks are these days, you may want to get yourself a copy of this book. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.

Proud mother

I received my notice in the mail today! My son will officially graduate from college in December and we received our graduation instructions in the mail today. We have been informed where to park, what to wear (the arena will be covered in ice for another event), and how to RSVP. woo hoo! It's official..... my little boy graduates on December 18th at 10:00 am! I'm very proud and look forward to seeing him go forward in life with his new degree. Even without a degree, Will makes me very proud! The little boy that I love with all my heart has turned into a wonderful young man with strong morals and values. He is truly a mother's dream for success! Congratulations, Will... I love you!

Time to cook!

The weather is cooler and the kitchen is calling. Does cooler weather make you want to get into the kitchen? I made beef stew and a pot of dried beans last weekend. I've been thinking of apple cake, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, soups and stews, and other yummy fall foods. A lot of churches have their annual "homecoming" this time of year, when all the ladies cook and bring their favorite dishes to share with others. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and of course, there will be great food and fun! Then Christmas will be here.... more time in the kitchen for lots of good food, cakes, and candies! I love this time of year... I love food and family! I read through old cookbooks last weekend, looking for new ideas and recipes. I have several books that were printed in the 1950's and the recipes seem more "natural" and "homey" than a lot of the recipes printed today, that call for so many prepackaged foods and mixes. I would love to have more available time in the kitchen, to plan and truly cook for my family, instead of just throwing something together in a hurry, like we seem to do so often with our busy lifestyles. What about you? What's different in your kitchen this time of year?

Still here.....

I know, I know..... can you believe I would put a picture of myself on here? I've been gone so long, I thought I would let you all know that I really am still alive and well. Where have I been? Not on the computer, that' s for sure. My daughter recently moved back in with me and brought her dog and her laptop computer. The laptop is the only thing working in our house right now and I HATE using this thing.... it feels so foreign to my fingers. And.... having an extra dog in the house is keeping me even busier. Work has been busy, but better. Last weekend we traveled home for my sweet niece's wedding. It was a beautiful event and we all had a great time. My mom snapped this picture of me on the stairs at the reception location. It was a lot of fun! Congrats! to Kenny and Holly.... we love you guys!

Still here....

What a week! And it's already Sunday night... time to start another week. We had a very rough week at work this past week.... very emotional, very heartbreaking stuff! But we have to keep going! We had tornadoes in our area this week. We were able to practice our tornado drill at work, which included placing all residents in the halls with their doors closed. Most of them seemed to actually enjoy it.... a break from the monotony of nursing home life. There was a sense of excitement in the air throughout the whole ordeal. I read something today that spoke to me: When you get tired of suffering from trying to do your own will, maybe you should turn it over to God and seek His will. There is a lot going on in my world and I hope I can recognize God's will in all this! This picture was taken several years ago when we were living in Western NC. This was the view from my front porch after a big rain. If you look closely, you can see the little creek below was flooded. We have a creek running beside our house now, that also floods with heavy rains. With the bad weather we had on Wednesday, it flooded once again, but thankfully it has never risen as high as our house sits on the lot. God is good!

Goodbye Willow bench... hello memories!

Who would think that a very tired willow bench could hold so many memories? When we moved to the mountains of Western NC eleven years ago, this was one of my first purchases made there. I bought it at a flea market from a little old man dressed in overalls, whose name turned out to be Mr. West. He told me how he climbed up the mountains in search for the perfect branches for his furniture, then cut the branches, brought them down from the mountain and into his truck, where they were transported to his workshop where he made beautiful pieces of furniture and flower baskets. He was a very small framed man who didn't look strong enough to do the work he did, but he was very good at it, and made lots of beautiful pieces and sold them at the flea market. Shortly thereafter, I met a little woman who resided at the local nursing home, where I worked. Her named was Mrs. West and she had Alzheimer's Disease. Sure enough, she turned out to be the wife of the little man who made my bench. He would visit her, still dressed in his overalls, which was his everyday attire. I tried to take good care of Mrs. West and frequently tried to comfort her while she was crying for her mama to come get her. She no longer recognized Mr. West and it was difficult for him to visit her. I used to imagine what Mr. and Mrs. West's life had been before she got sick, when they were both healthy and raising their own family. An acquaintance of mine started dating a new man and eventually married him. His name was Mr. West.... yep, the son of Mr. and Mrs. West. They built a beautiful log home across the road from Mr. West's home, which was a very humble little white house, nestled at the foot of the mountain, where he continued to make willow furniture. A few years later, a very special wildlife officer, who worked for my husband, was driving down the road and noticed a truck on the side of the road, piled high with branches in the truck bed. He knew Mr. West and recognized that Mr. West was out replenishing his supply used to make furniture. He then noticed a man in overalls lying on the ground near the truck. Yes, it was Mr. West. He was not breathing and his heart had stopped. The young officer called for help and performed CPR on Mr. West, who did not survive. Mr. West had died, doing what he loved..... making furniture. My willow bench has moved with me four times since I bought it and it now sits under a tree near my back door. It is for decoration only, as it never would sit comfortably, unless it had a nice cushion on it. I inspected it closely today to find that it has rotted over the years and can not endure another move from it's current location. I will let it sit where it is for now, but when we sell our home, the bench will no longer be a part of my life. I have several pictures of my bench, so the memories will always be there..... of Mr. West, his family, and of my special time while living in the mountains of Western NC.

The dog lady

I have a best friend at work who always remembers my birhtday by giving me a gift. This year she gave me a night shirt which sports a dog theme. My friend and I have been very close friends for five years and we really have a lot in common.... except dogs. When we met, I was a lot like her, in that I would never dream of having a dog inside my house. Over the past couple of years, we have become proud parents of two wonderful pups, thanks to my dear daughter. I have to admit that I have truly fallen in love with our little guys. I'm the typical "dog lady" now, as I do tend to talk about my little guys at work and to my dear friend. She always shakes her head when I start talking about my little ones, as if she just cannot believe I am now one of "those people." This week, for my birthday, she gave me this adorable little night shirt with a few other "dog" related items. It was probably the best gift I had ever received from her, and she had a big smile on her face while watching me open my gifts. After it was all over, and she saw how happy she had made me, she replied, "You really disappoint me." hee hee So, happy birthday to the dog lady!