It's ONLY Thursday??!!

This has been one lonnnnng week!  And I didn't even get started on it until Tuesday!!  We've really gotten busy at work and my computer has been out of commission for a week.  I finally got it back today and I had a pile of work to catch up.  I was glad to get that out of the way. I'm just a tad bit obsessive about such things.  I don't like for anything to be left undone, at work or at home.  Makes me crazy.

We had some folks from Primerica (a Citi company, grrrrr) come do a presentation for us at work today about saving for our retirement and getting out of debt and that kind of thing.  It was very informative.  I'm always looking for ways to save for the future.  I don't have any debt except for my car and I'm SO proud of myself for that!  I have simplified my life SO MUCH in the last six years and I have never been happier. Less is more, y'all.  That's the truth.  You don't have to compete with anyone, have what they have, to be happy.  Stuff will NOT make you happy.  Anywho, they came and talked to us and they brought along sub sammiches, chips, cookies and drinks for us for lunch.  I tell my co-workers all the time that I've got to find another job!  All they do is eat!!! Candy, chips, bakery stuff in the mornings, cookies (and that's just on Mondays!  Ha!).  Plus we have drug reps coming all the time with ice cream and milkshakes in the afternoons and chicken biscuits for breakfast.  I'll be big as a house if I stay there much longer. Speaking of which, it'll be SIX MONTHS August 5th.  I never expected to stay there that long but I just like it so much!!!

We got some much-needed rain this week but surprisingly, the rain at night has not made me sleep any better.  I have high hopes, a bubble bath and some homemade catnip tea on the agenda for tonight, though. The Sandman better bring his butt over here!!

After work today, I met one of the nurses I work with and a friend at O'Charley's for appetizers. O'Charley's has appetizers 1/2 off from 4:00 to 7:00 so we ate like queens for super cheap!  It started pouring rain just as soon as we got in there and stopped as soon as we were leaving. Perfect timing!  When we walked out, we saw this beee-u-tiful rainbow in the sky!  If my dang cell phone battery hadn't been dead as a doorknob, I would have snapped a picture.  It was absolutely gorgeous. Vivid colors and it was HUGE!!!

After supper, we went to the theater and saw the new Katherine Heigl/Gerard Butler movie, "The Ugly Truth".  It was hilarious!!  I laughed out loud so many times.  It is a really good telling of the way men and women look at love and how different we truly are.  And the restaurant scene easily rivaled Meg Ryan's from "When Harry Met Sally".  Very funny stuff!  I highly recommend this one.  Just don't take the kids!

Rosemary Chicken and Roasted Potatoes

Here's a recipe that I just made up myself and it is really good!!  I make it a lot because it is so easy.  I made it today!

Here's how!

Ingredients:

• Chicken pieces (I usually use thighs 'cause they're my favorite but you can use whatever you like)
• Olive oil
• Seasoning (I just use salt, pepper and garlic powder)
• Fresh rosemary (two sprigs should do it!)
• Red potatoes, quartered (I used 5)

Drizzle two teaspoons of olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish.

Season the chicken and layer them at the bottom of the dish.

Position the quartered potatoes around the chicken.

Top everything with some rosemary.

Bake at 350 for an hour.

Yum!!!

If you're using chicken with skin like these plump little thighs, you can tuck some rosemary under the skin for extra flavor.  That's what I do and they turn out great.  

I'm SO proud of that rosemary I used today 'cause it's some I grew myself!

The Times They Are A' Changin'

I am only 42 and I'm already hearing the M word.  That cannot be possible.  I am only 42!

I am too young for this, right?

Wrong.  

I have the blood test results to prove it.

I am beginning the perimenopausal stage and the more I research it (and I've been just devouring everything online!!), the more I realize that this crap has been coming on me since I was 36.  Thirty-SIX.  It started as horrible mood swings that my doctor diagnosed as PMDD, pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder. She gave me some happy pills and I went on my way.  

That's as bad as it got until April. As in three months ago. Aunt Flo totally forgot how to get to my house and then when she found it, she completely trashed the place and would NOT freakin' leave.  It's been that way ever since.

I still have the mood swings but they don't seem to be getting any worse but something else has happened to me since 'round about April.  My sleep is ALL messed up.  I go from sleeping all the time (as in taking 3-hour naps every day when I get home from work) to not sleeping at all. And twice, I've woken up drenched in sweat and had to take a shower in the middle of the night.

Good times.

I'm determined to just roll with it and embrace this new journey in my life with the best attitude I can muster.  Poor Larry.  We are learning all about this together.  Neither one of us has a clue.  My doctor and I are trying some things because she also believes that I'm too young for this. I tend to lean more toward the natural way of doing things than she does but I hope the combination of our two approaches will slow this train down.

Choo choo chugga chugga chugga.

This Girl Needed A Beat Down

Um, yeah.

There is something VERY wrong with Esther.

I just went to see this and I enjoyed it waaaaaaay more than I thought I would.  I love horror movies but ones about baaaaaaad li'l chillun, not so much.

Not to give too much away but the story is this little 9-year-old girl is adopted by this couple who recently lost a child to stillbirth.  They have two older children.  So they go to an orphanage, pick this little chick out and bring her home.

Bad move.  Wrong turn.  HUGE mistake.  Get yo' stuff and get out. Don't take her back to the home.  Just let her HAVE y'all's house.  Whatever. Just GO.

I loved it.  That cool little twist at the end was awesome.

I sat there for most of the beginning trying to figure out who this child is.  I finally got so wrapped up in the story that I just didn't care anymore.  She's Isabelle Fuhrman and she played Grasshopper in "Hounddog", that very controversial movie that starred Dakota Fanning a couple of years ago.  THAT'S where I saw her.  If it wasn't for the internet, that mess would've kept me up all night.

I Cannot Wait To See This!!

The Time Traveler's Wife in theaters August 14th. I will be there!!
Larry and I read this book five or six years ago and we loved it.
With our love story being what it is, I could really relate to this
very different kind of love affair.

I am SO happy that Rachel McAdams was cast as Clare. She will be awesome. Who didn't just love her to pieces in "The Notebook"??

Southern Girls

I found some of these online and I added a few of my own.  Feel free to add some more!

A Southern girl:

• Always refers to her father as "Daddy". 
• Never leaves the house without her hair done and her makeup on.  What if you run into somebody you know???  And you know you'll run into somebody you know.
• Never tells her true age, even if she has to be 39 for 20 years.
• Never loses her temper in public.  Airing one's "dirty laundry" just isn't done!
• Acquires at a very early age the art of making sweet tea, pecan pie and banana pudding.
• Always makes her Rhett Butler feel like he's the one in control when everyone knows who actually runs the show!
• Knows you don't scream obscenities at little old women who drive slow.  You say, "bless her heart" and go around her.
  
• Always has at least two homegrown tomatoes on her kitchen counter in the summertime.
• Knows that cornbread cannot be made without a cast-iron skillet.
• Knows the difference in a hissy fit and a conniption.
• Also knows that you HAVE a conniption and you PITCH a hissy fit.
• Knows how many fish, collards, peas, beans, etc., make up a mess.
• Knows exactly how long "directly" is, as in, "I'll be back directly."
• Knows the best thing for a grieving family is a platter of fried chicken and some cold potato salad.
• Knows that "just down the road" could be one mile or twenty.
• Makes friends while in line.
• Knows the plural of y'all is all y'all.

And from the mouth of Kenny Chesney...

If you don't get it, bless your heart!

It's Feeling More Like October 'Round Here...

...and I am loving it!!

It's making me think of apples and pumpkins and Halloween and the fair (sorry, Ami!). It's been so cool and dry and a little downright crispy in the mornings. I've been using my clothesline for drying sheets and towels and I've even been thinking 'bout making homemade vegetable soup! Okay, well, maybe it's not that cool. But it's getting there!!

Today is three weeks since I woke up with Bell's Palsy and it's completely gone now. I realize how blessed I am about that!! The Big Guy was really looking out for me with this thing. A lot of people have BP for months, sometimes years. We've had a couple of little patients come down with BP, along with a parent and then me, all in about four months. That's been a little weird, like something's contaminating the water around here!

Now back to the fair...I always, always forget from one year to the next what a major pain in the butt going to the fair is. Parking is a nightmare and it's crowded and usually hot and it's a lot of walking and you get WORE SLAP OUT but I don't remember HOW BAD IT IS until I'm there in the middle of it. 'Round about this time every year, I'm just la-la-la-ing along THINKING I want to go. Like today, I found out Montgomery Gentry is gonna be there this year. I LOVE MG!!! I want to go see 'em. I've seen so many great concerts at Reaves Arena. I've enjoyed every single one of them. Ones involving four long-haired guys from Alabama most of all. Plus I absolutely love fair food, from the Italian sausage sammiches to the fried Snicker bars. And I love looking at all the exhibits and the kids' crafts and projects, too. I don't know. I still have two and a half months to decide.

It won't be that bad.

All You Need Is Love (And A Good Friend)

A couple of years ago, I found a blog written by a girl from Virginia.  It was during a time in my life when I was searching for a better life, a simpler life. I was fed up with commercialism and wastefulness and I just didn't want to be a part of that world anymore.  I found her blog and I started reading it.  I really liked her writing style and the stories she told about her life in the mountains.  And the fact that she was a Waltons fan was just a plus.  When I was a kid, I wanted to BE a Walton.  I was gonna go up there and marry one of those boys and it didn't matter which one.  I lurked for a while but I soon started feeling guilty, like I was spying on her and her life, so I started leaving comments, just to let her know I was there.  And now we're buddies! I followed her through a rough but happy time in her life, losing her job and having her baby (who I have to say is THE cutest little thing you ever saw!).  To make extra money, she started an Etsy store and she makes the coolest things!!  I have a stack of her cloth napkins on my dining room table and everybody who eats at my house uses them. I also bought some and gave them for Christmas presents to my family last year.  We LOVE them.  They are very well made and they hold up to many, many washings and the red ones are great for when you have spaghetti!

She posted a pic the other day on her blog and there was this Beatles tablecloth on her table.  

I had a fit over it, asked her to make me one and she did.  I got it today and here it is on my end table. Thanks, Brandy!!!  You did a great job, it's PERFECT and I'm so happy with it!!!!

Love This Girl!

I Had A Busy Friday Planned...

...but it ain't happened yet.

Fridays are my day off and today, I had so much stuff planned to do!  I'm just slooooow getting started.  I wanted to water seal my deck and clean out my fridge and do some laundry but I'm having a hard time getting motivated.  It's after 2:00 and I haven't even showered.  : p

I'm about 75% back from my Bell's Palsy.  I can close my right eye now, blink it and even wink it so that's a huge improvement!!  I feel so much better.  My smile is still a little wonky but it's coming back.  I should be my old self again in a week or so.  Hallelu-yer!!

And to totally change the subject, I cannot stand those new Subway commercials.  You know the ones.  Those annoying, make-me-want-to-stick-something-sharp-in-my-GOOD-eye $5 footlong ones.  Whoever did the marketing for THAT MESS should be beaten at dawn with a ciabatta hoagie.

I prefer Quiznos anyhow.

Gotta run!  Got laundry and decks and fridges calling.

Happy Friday!!

Looky At My New Header!

My new blog makeover is courtesy of my baby sister.  She found the layout and did the header for me.

It's obvious that she got ALLLLLL the creativity in our family!!!

Thank you, Ami!!  You did an awesome job, as always!!  I love you!!!

SKOY Cloths Yay!!

I was so excited to read about these cute little cloths today!  

I haven't used paper towels in over two years, much to the irritation of my family when they're at my house.  I don't TRY to irritate them.  It just happens.  :)

I use dish rags for everything. Even when I occasionally fry me some squash or green tomatoes.  Hey, I AM a Southern girl after all. To me, paper towels are just an unnecessary, expensive waste of our resources, not to mention adding to trash in a landfill.  So I've been saving a tree here and there and reducing my garbage for a couple of years now by just not buying them.  Probably saved a buck or two, too.

BUT I worry about spreading germs around.  

I was reading some eco-friendly sites today and I discovered these 100% biodegradable cloths that are made in Germany (gotta love Europe's eco-friendliness!) and completely break down in about five weeks.  They can just be washed and wrung out or even put in the dishwasher and cleaned and reused.  I liked that most of all.  And get this.  One cloth is the equivalent of 15 rolls of paper towels.  Wow.

So I ordered the multi-colored pack with the flowers (of course!) and I cannot wait to get them! They are very affordable, too, about $8 for four. 

**** UPDATE ****

I got them today, Friday, July 17th!!  That was fast!!!  I'm in love with them already.  They are great for washing dishes and cleaning counters.  I discovered that right away.  And they are sooooo cute, too. Much cuter in person.  Yay!!! 

Li'l Weekend Update

Friday was my niece, Jessica's, 18th birthday. She's 18 going on 30 and has grown up waaaaaaay too fast to suit me. Seems like I was just rocking her to sleep last month.

We had a little party for her here Saturday afternoon with Mama and Daddy and Ami and Brian and Jessi's boyfriend, Justin.

Jessi has always had the habit of running her finger through cake icing and licking it and I am SO happy that Brian got this picture of her doing it!!! She has done that since her very first birthday cakes. She's going to kill me for putting this picture here but I just think it is so cute!!

She got lots of cool presents and we had ice cream, chocolate cupcakes with yummy cream cheese frosting that Mama made, Ami made and brought her crazy delicious fudgey brownies with chocolate frosting on top and we had guacamole, queso and chips from Moe's. I LOVE Moe's guacamole. It's the BEST!!!

Daddy, Brian and Justin put up a new clothesline in my backyard Saturday, too. I'm really excited about that. We always had a clothesline growing up and I've wanted one for a while but have just been too lazy to do anything about it. Ha! All I had to do was tell my mama I wanted one!! I love how sheets and towels smell after they've dried outside. I can't wait to try out that clothesline!

My Bell's Palsy is still kickin'. I'm done with my round of steroids so now I'm just waiting. I don't really want to turn this into a Bell's Palsy blog, I just hope if somebody stumbles upon my blog searching for stuff about BP, they might be helped by something I said. That said, Bell's Palsy sucks. Bad. Waaaaah.

I noticed today that I can will the right side of my mouth to turn up into a smile if I try really hard and focus. I love to smile and I miss that the most. I'll be so happy when I get my dimple back!

Bzzzzzzz

Today is day nine of my Bell's Palsy.  And, yes, I STILL have it.  I just knew I'd be done with this thing by now.  I mean, come on.  Okay, joke's on me.  Hardy har freakin' har.  Let's move on.

Nope.

I still cannot close my eye by itself.  Cannot BLINK it at all.  It just stays open ALLLLL day unless I reach up there with my finger and manually close it.  Which I do.  A lot.  Together with my left eye, though, it will close.  I'm still having tingling and some feelings that I can only describe as "buzzing".  It doesn't make the sound, of course, but it feels like the sound makes. Make sense??  Like a vibration.  That HAS to mean some nerves are waking up, right??

I WAS able to blow out a candle today, though.  First puff!!  

My eye is very tired tonight.  I guess I strained it too much today.  So I'll leave you with zee baked ziti I made for supper tonight.

Five cheeses (provolone, ricotta, parmesan, cheddar and romano), fresh spinach, portabella mushrooms, marinara sauce, veggie burger crumbles, garlic powder, salt, pepper.

Oh yeah.  

Pretty Good Day All The Way Around

Daddy's heart cath was not only successful but FAST!  There was no need for another stent and the one put in last July is open and blood is flowing through like it's supposed to.  Yay!!  They stitched the artery back using a new procedure and his bed rest only lasted a couple of hours as opposed to the six or eight from previous times he and Mama have had caths done.  Yay!!!  And we ALL got out of the hospital by 7:30, which in the 14 years we've been doing the heart thang at the Medical Center of Central Georgia, this is UNHEARD of.  Daddy's doing great.  Just gotta take it easy for a week or so.  Pretty good day, indeed.

Day seven of my BP.  I had some improvement today!!!  One good thing about having Bell's Palsy and being 42 years old is the palsy erases ALL the wrinkles in your forehead.  That's an awesome thing, y'all!!  I have this little frown line between my eyes and it has been gone since the BP onset up until today.  When I'd frown, there'd be nothing but smooth skin there.  Today, my frown line came back!!  And my eye and bottom lip have been twitching all day and my eye isn't tearing nearly as bad as it was.  So yay!!

I ate a turkey sandwich (real food, Brandy!!) but I'm still doing my

Bell's Palsy Recommended Food Of The Day

Santa Cruz Organic Applesauce 

(again, the medicinal qualities are greatly enhanced if you eat it from an IKEA bowl!)

Sunday Morning Randomness

What I'm Reading:

Or trying to read with my runny, 'flicted right eye.

It's called One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake and it's HOT!

This is what it's about!

It's tough to play it cool on a sultry summer night . . .

The perfect daughter. The perfect prom queen. The perfect wife. Jenny Tolliver's been the good girl all her life, and it's gotten her nowhere. Now that her marriage has been busted up by her cheating ex, she's decided it's time to regroup and rediscover herself. This summer she's headed back to her hometown of Destiny, Ohio, to the very lakeshore cottage where she grew up, to figure out what life holds in store for her next.

She never dreamed the answer would be Mick Brody, Destiny's #1 hellraiser. He comes from the wrong side of the tracks (or in his case, the lake), and he's landed in hot water more times than he can count. He's exactly the kind of guy Jenny's always kept her distance from...but soon the good girl and the bad boy are caught in a raw heat that's out of control. Too bad Mick's got a secret that threatens to tear them apart and ruin Jenny's perfectly, passionately reckless summer...

**BP Update**

Day six of my Bell's Palsy. Nada.

I'm on day four of the steroids and I'm a little discouraged that I see NO improvement yet. I guess this thing is not only going to kick my butt but it's also going to teach me patience. I've been sleeping and laying around all weekend, taking my meds and trying to relax and stay calm because I know that being all angsty is not good for me or the BP.

Bell's Palsy Recommended Food Of The Day

Soft scrambled eggs with A-1 (the A-1 was Larry's idea!)  They turned out great.  Yum!!!

Daddy

My daddy is having another heart cath tomorrow. I'd love for him to go to the hospital covered in prayer. I know he'll be fine but still, that mess is scary.

Happy Sunday!!

Happy Independence Day!

I hope everybody has a fabulous 4th of July!!

Be safe, enjoy your families and eat lots of BBQ!

Today is the day, unique to our country, that we celebrate our freedom.  Whether or not we agree on a particular war or conflict, we must always, always, always support and appreciate our servicemen and women who fight everyday to make sure we have that choice.  I am against war of any kind but even I am smart enough to know that it takes braver people than I am to ensure that I am free to feel that way.

**Bell's Palsy Update**

Day five of my BP.  Nothin'.

Although, I did see a tiny little twinge under my right eye last night when I was doing my exercises in the mirror.  Haven't seen it since, though.

Have I mentioned how difficult it is to use mouthwash when you have BP?  Because it is.

Bell's Palsy Recommended Food Of The Day

Velveeta Macaroni Shells and Cheese

(and they work much better if you eat 'em out of an IKEA bowl!  :))

Happy 4th, y'all!!!

Lollipop And Apple Pie

Day four of my Bell's Palsy. No change.

I'm determined to get well as soon as humanly possible. My doctor said two weeks but I've known people to have this for months. I don't have time for that. I have a life to get back to.

So, I'm getting lots of quiet rest, taking my meds and vitamins and doing facial exercises to keep my muscles moving! I'm yawning, laughing, smiling, frowning and saying LOLLIPOP and APPLE PIE real slow and extremely exaggerated. Looks ridiculous but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

I thought of some things last night like:

Songs To Listen To When You Have Bell's Palsy

Superfreak
Ring My Bell
(The Future's So Bright) I Gotta Wear Shades

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dog Fight ('Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win)
Cruel Summer (for when you have BP in the summer like me!)

Anybody have any other suggestions to add to my list??

Also!

Bell's Palsy Recommended Food Of The Day

Ice cream!! (more specifically Ben & Jerry's Willie Nelson's Country Peach Cobbler and homemade peppermint ice cream made by one of the nurses I work with)







Shut up.

I Am Captain Ginger Of The Palsy Pearl. ARRRRRRR!!!

Day three of my Bell's Palsy.  I went to the doctor this morning and she confirmed that I do indeed have BP.  It was kinda obvious 'cause it's so much worse today.  I cannot close my right eye by itself AT ALL.  If I close both of them, it will close, which is a huge blessing because I can sleep.  My doc told me to wear a patch (and I got the most ridiculous black pirate patch ever but you won't see it 'cause I ain't about to post a picture of me right now!!  :D) when I'm sleeping or watching TV and she prescribed steroids and Valtrex because she thinks it may be a viral infection.  (I'm also dosing up on Vitamin B12 just because I am determined to do part of this organically!!)

My eye is tearing constantly and it is extremely sensitive to light and I've got some pain in my right ear and I smile like an idiot.  I'm having a hard time eating (which is GREAT!!) unless my food is cut up into little bitty bites and I drink better with a straw but still make a mess 'cause I can't purse my lips together.  But other than that, I'm just peachy.  

How YOU durrin'???  :)

I'm planning to work every day.  The doc says I should be better in two weeks and if anybody asks me at work (patients, parents), I'll just tell them what's going on.  We had a patient just last month who had it. It's fairly common.  

So meds and rest are on the agenda for the weekend.  

And since I ain't about to post a picture of me right now, here's an obligatory shot of something sooooooooo much better anyway.

My Captain Jack Sparrow, the TRUE captain of The Black Pearl. Yum.

The Right Side Of My Face Is On Vacation...

...and I look a little like this.

I woke up yesterday with a little numbness and tingling around my lower lip and my right eye was watering like crazy.  It felt a lot like I'd gotten a shot of Novocaine at the dentist.  Trust me, I know Novocaine.

I knew right away what it was.

Bell's Palsy.

I had BP when I was 19 and my grandma had it, my mama has had it, my sister has had it and two of my aunts have had it.  It isn't supposed to be hereditary but it sure runs in my family!

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow just to make sure this is what it is and then it'll be a waiting game until it goes away.  Good thing about BP is it does heal itself and it will go away.  

But right now, unless I smile, you really can't tell anything's wrong. When I smile, I look a LOT like Popeye.  :)

Have any of y'all had BP or know somebody who has??