MY TRIP PT 1

Friday I took off work to go to Tennessee. My grandson's father and family live there. My BFF also lives there. We left around 11 am and arrived after 5 their time. With 8K square feet and two stair cases my grandson was on the go and making me a nervous wreck. Finally we closed him off in the dining room, kitchen and breakfast room. They have a baby grand in the dining room so I introduced him to it.




He loved it. I think he has quite an ear for it. He didn't just bang the keys he went up and down all keys. You can see from the pictures his hands were flying.







This is my BFF and my daughter that we joke about being hers. She looks more like her than me and certainly acts more like her. The next pic is her and her stepdaughter.




On the way home we decided to take a few detours. We went to this cute little town call Bell Buckle. Here are some shots of the store fronts and some from one of the antique stores. Lots of awesome vintage things but the few tags I looked at gave me sticker shock.



This town has an annual RC and Moon Pie Festival.









We stopped along the way at a smoke house. The food was okay. The ribs were very good. Unfortunately I didn't feel that the 13.95 buffet was worth it. There really wasn't much on it that I thought was good except for the ribs.


This is at the check out. Many types of FUDGE...YUM. And a bunch of flavors of salt water taffy. I was good. I didn't buy or taste test any of it.

We saw a few wineries along the way. I really wanted to stop but it was getting late and we had already decided we were going to Rock City/Ruby Falls. I think part of it is in Georgia and part of it is in Tennessee. Or maybe when you go down one side it is Tennessee. Not really sure. I will post pictures tomorrow of that experience. It was very interesting.

NOTE: Please don't forget to check back for giveaways when I launch my new site. This will be happening soon but I don't know the exact date. Right now it is being tweaked.


Quote of the Day
"I searched through rebellion, drugs, diet, mysticism, religion,
intellectualism, and much more, only to find that truth is basically
simple and feels good, clear and right." – Armando "Chick" Corea


About Armando "Chick" Corea
Armando "Chick" Corea, the American jazz pianist best known for his
composition "Spain," epitomizes experimentation in jazz, incorporating
sounds from classical, rock, and flamenco traditions. He was born in
1941 in Massachusetts. Son of a jazz trumpeter, he began playing piano
at age four. He dropped out of Julliard to learn by doing. He played on
the seminal Miles Davis Bitches Brew recording, and formed his own jazz
fusion group in the early 1970's. He founded his own record label in
1992.

MISC MADNESS, FUNNIES, FACTS

I thought I would write this post about miscellaneous things. There have been a lot of silly, crazy, insane, small things going on.

Take work. Please take it. Yesterday my client from hell started her crap again. I have been dealing with this woman since May 2005. She grinds my nerves to pieces and I cringe at the thought of talking to her. She doesn't intimidate me. She is the type that will go on and on and argue and mainly lie to you over and over again. I talked to her 4 times yesterday and each time her story changed. She has a voice that sounds like she has false teeth and smokes 20 packs a day.

It all started with her wanting us to take a company check. We don't do that. She knows that. An exception was made a year or so ago and it bounced. It took us three months to get our money. Yesterday she would not let up. I finally quit taking her calls until she tortured the people in the Dallas office so much that I took pity on them and started accepting her calls again.

When we hear her name you can almost hear a universal groan go through the atmosphere. She is not ugly to us, she doesn't curse us...she is just relentless and argues and argues and never shuts up. She wants what she wants and she won't stop until you finally have to get rude and say this is it and I am hanging up now. Shame. Sad.

This one is funny. I instant message people at work, my boss, a couple of co-workers and a few clients. Well my boss, I love him, but he is young and he is too liberal for my tastes. He doesn't like to reprimand people for being late or other things that would get people fired at a different business. He is the one that called me a machine and Hitler or Nazi. Can't really remember which. I have a different work ethic. Do your work...don't surf and play online when you are getting paid to work.....

He may work 20 hours a week. Maybe. Comes in late, leaves early, has a hangover most of the time. You get the picture. So the Friday after New Years around 2:30 my time he decides to start IM'ing me and asking me questions. I had been IM'ing someone else in the office and I said...."Now he wants to work when everyone is trying to get out of the office early". Big mistake. I IM'd him instead of the other person. He said "eh?" I was mortified. If I were quick on my feet I could have said "just being sarcastic let's go home". Nope. I just said "just a minute I am on the phone". Nothing else was ever said. Me...I couldn't stop laughing.

Good thing for me he is so Liberal. Hope he doesn't read my blog. Sorry Dude.

Lets talk about Big Girl. She is very pretty and very outgoing. She also gets whiplash every other day looking at "hot" guys. She does love to look and play the field. Every now and then she will actually date someone. That is usually over within a week or two. Why? Cause they say something like "I miss you" and other things that indicate they are in a "relationship", "exclusive", "boyfriend & girlfriend". That is the kiss of death.

I think that she is actually "talking" to 3 or 4 right now. She bar tends part time until she gets her Cosmetology License and builds up her clientele. While at work she got a text from one of the guys and it says "I miss you". They have never been on a date. He did come over one night and watched a movie with her. When she read the text she was all "Oh No". The owner asked her what was wrong. She showed him the text and said I could understand that if we had been dating for months or something but we aren't even really dating. He looked at her and said "You are such a dude". She is.

You know what? I am proud of the fact that she doesn't feel the need to be smothered with attention, doesn't sit at home and wait for a phone call. I like that she doesn't "need" a man to fill a void in her life. She has lots of girl and guy friends and she dearly loves hanging out with them. She is not one to dump her friends over a guy.

Well I have probably bored you enough today. Gotta find some chocolate.......

BEING COOL

Kids are so funny. This morning when the older two were getting ready for school I noticed they were both in the bathroom and were in there for a long time. Last time this happened she had half a bottle of detangler in her hair and was very greasy.

As I neared the door I could smell hubby's cologne. Uh oh. What are you two doing? Suddenly toothbrushes and hair brushes were being utilized. I told them to hurry up because they were going to be late for school.

I mentioned this to Big Girl and she said "I know what that is about". Apparently my grandson wants a girl to like him. So granddaughter has been giving him advise and helping him at school with her. Big Girl overheard her telling him that he needed to wear deodorant and cologne so he would smell nice and the girl would like him. She told him he had to learn to be cool. She said look at Aunt Kiki (Big Girl). See her jeans with the holes in them? She is cool.

Good grief. Kids trip me out sometimes. Grandson has been a flirt since he was able to walk. I have taken him to restaurants and he would flirt with the women. When he was 18 months old he told me that he had a girlfriend. I said you do, what is her name? He said her name is MeMe. This is what my grand kids call me. I said "You are such a schmoozer".

Later that day when his mother came to pick him up I told her to listen to this. I asked him if he had a girlfriend and what is her name? He said her name is Mama.....Meme.....Mama and MeMe. Wasn't even two years old and already he was very diplomatic. See. Told you he was a schmoozer.

He thinks his MeMe is cool. I can play computer games with him and get him through the rough spots. However, he probably out plays me now. He has been playing around on computers since he was very tiny. Once I went into my office and kept hearing music play. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I finally discovered it was from Yahoo IM. I turned it off. He came in about that time and said "MeMe, I was listening to some songs".

Every time he sees a website on a billboard, TV ad or on the back of a kids food product he goes to that site. He has been surfing the web for years. His favorites are the Cartoon Network and Nick. He is very smart.

Anyway.... here is to being a cool kid.

KIDS ON CRACK

The kids around here were all on crack last night. Not actually crack but the kid version of crack .... sugar. I don't know how your children react to sugar but these punks seem to have no tolerance for it. And I don't have much tolerance for them on it.

Big Girl took all three last night to eat at Texas Steak House with her flavor of the week fella. The older two received coupons for free dinners from school if they read three books. Well they got very busy reading yesterday. What a treat...hubby and I had quiet for a few minutes anyway.

When they arrived home it was another story. As soon as they walked in it was obvious they were on crack (sugar). Grandson #2 was wild. He was smiling from ear to ear and running in circles. The evidence was on his face. He still had residue of brownies around his mouth. His cheeks were pink and he was shrieking. In a good way. Fortunately it was bed time and they all disappeared...after 20 minutes of trying to make them disappear.

Good time for a cocktail. I found these recipes on one of my yahoo groups. I thought you might want to try your hand at it. I know that Vintage Kitten likes Advocaat. I had never heard of it until I read about it on her blog. Enjoy.

Advocaat

Once you start nipping at this sweet nectar, you cannot resist the temptation to have more. The Dutch prefer their Advocaat thicker than you may be used to. So thick, in fact, that you eat it with a spoon. This Advocaat can be enjoyed as is, or over ice-cream, in desserts, pastries and cakes. Cheers, or as the Dutch say, Proost.

Ingredients:
•10 egg yolks
•1/2 tsp salt
•1 1/3 cups sugar (250 g)
•1 1/2 cups brandy, or cognac (350 ml)
•2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:
Beat the egg yolks, salt and sugar until thickened. Slowly trickle in the brandy, while still beating. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and warm over a low heat, continuously whisking. It is important to be patient here. If it boils, the alcohol will evaporate. The Advocaat is ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Now remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk through the vanilla extract. Serve Advocaat in a wide brimmed cocktail glass, with whipped cream and dust with cocoa powder.

TIPS: Fold some whipped cream through the Advocaat to create a decadent dessert called Tokkelroom.

Bailey's Irish Cream
1 can Eagle sweetened condensed milk
1 cup Southern Comfort whiskey
2 tablespoons Hershey's syrup
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups half & half
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions:Mix and bottle.

Quote of the Day "We taste and feel and see the truth. We do not reason ourselves into it." – William Butler Yeats

THURSDAY YUKS

Today didn't start out too bad. I actually slept a normal nights sleep. That was awesome. I rarely get enough sleep.

The kids were getting ready for school while I was sitting at my computer. I kept hearing spzzt, spzzt, spzzt. It took a little while before that sunk into my consciousness. Someone was spraying something. I went into the bathroom and granddaughter was spraying detangler in her hair. I told her to stop. She proceeded to tell me that it gets out the tangles. I told her that is what brushes are for. Needless to say she went to school with very greasy looking hair. You just hope that the teachers have kids too and know that the crazy things kids do are no way a reflection on the parents. I hope so anyway.

I went outside this morning and there were these structures they had built yesterday. Sticks and rakes and brooms all stacked and standing somehow. Also, the sand in a box around a tree was now all over the concrete slab where the basketball goal is. Quite a bit of it. They did this despite the fact that just days earlier I told them to quit digging holes in the yard. They said they were building a worm farm.

The big kids are just as bad. In my office there was a can of deodorant that someone (baby girl) left on my desk. The half empty bottle of Mountain Dew on the floor near my other desk (baby girl again). A hair brush in my floor. I don't know who that belongs to but I suspect baby girl again. I can walk behind her and collect 7 or 8 glasses and/or soda cans. She is the worlds worst. She is the person that goes into a room and turns on the lights, looks around and walks out leaving the lights on. She will open a drawer and it will stay open. The same with cabinet doors. She is my piglet.

Big girl isn't much better. Recently all her clean laundry was piled in a six by six foot area in her bedroom floor. And she is complaining that she can't find her clothes. Go figure. Her solution....go buy more. I keep telling her to purge. Get rid of the things she no longer wears so she will have room for what she does. One time I picked up all her clothes and hung them up by color and put them in drawers. She didn't like that because she couldn't find anything. I hyperventilate every time I see that pile. She did get it up recently but I noticed the piles are starting to overtake other areas of her room.

I love them all. I just wonder when they will grow up........

Quote of the Day "Striving for perfection is the greatest stopper there is.… It's your excuse to yourself for not doing anything. Instead, strive for excellence, doing your best."– Sir Laurence Olivier

WHAT DAY IS IT?

Oh right. Monday. Blah... I did not want to work today. Right before going to bed last night I decided to check my computer to see if I had any awesome emails other than the normal "extend your penis" "become rock hard" or "someone has sent you a $1000 gift card". As if.

I heard chewy, grandson #2's current nickname. I listened to him for quite a while until #1 got woke up and went to the bathroom. So I went and got the little chunky butt out of bed. I took him into the kitchen and gave him goldfish and milk. He had a second round of goldfish. You see where I am going here right? Feed him and get him sleepy. Didn't work.

So I let him play in the den for a short period. #1 had glow sticks that were given to him at his party yesterday. And of course they were in the floor, where else would he put them. Next thing I know chunky chewy's shirt was glowing and I was freaking out. I was chasing him all over the den try to get into his mouth to see if he glowed. He didn't. The floor and his shirt did. I found all of them that I could and tossed them in the garbage. That was around midnight.

I finally got him in the bed again. He kept calling for his brother and acting like he was going to start howling. I turned on the light, showed him his brother asleep and under the blankets and tossed him in the bed. He wanted to get up but I kept telling him to lay down and go to sleep like brother. He did... I died.

I get up this morning and low and behold.... I started. I know you don't want all the gory details but it had been two months since my last one and I was so hoping this was it the big Men O Pause..... but it wasn't. I knew that I hadn't been having any hot flashes that I have heard others talk about. Everyone is different though. Damn it.

So one of my account managers called in sick today. That just pissed me off even more. If you can't handle your damn booze well enough to not miss work then don't drink. Then everyone decided they needed to tromp through my office area talking and arguing and crunching potato chips. That was it. The head started spinning, the mouth opened and out came loud..very loud...vulgarities, and threats and more of the same.

I am better now. I will probably have to go to the hospital soon. I think I am about to overdose on sugar. I was so good today..again... and then stress, and period and work got to me. I ...ate...cupcakes. Now I think I am sick. blah........ Oh what the hell. I gotta get them out of the house and right now I tell you. I may crawl into the kitchen and get more. I don't got no chocolate. What do you expect. I am on my period and no chocolate in the house....that is a sin.

Look below....this is how I started this blog this morning telling you how to eat a delicious low carb, low fat breakfast.... I had good intentions....but then isn't that what the road to hell is paved with?

This morning I had a delicious omelet. However, when calculating the numbers the sodium content blew my mind. The culprit is canned asparagus and those tiny three olives... the bastards. I love them. Why can't they be low sodium?

The Ingredients:

1/4 C Egg Beaters

1/4 C Asparagus tips/pieces - You can certainly use fresh but I didn't have any

1/3 C Italian Blend Cheeses

3 Olives of choice - I used Kalamata which are my favorite

Nutritional Value:

Calories 145

Fat 8.5 g

Sat Fat 3.5 g

Sodium 760 mg

Carbs 4.5 g

Protein 14 g

Sugar 1 g

Potassium 90 g

And you can cut this in half and share and serve with a whole grain toast for added fiber.

Quote of the Day "You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result."– Mahatma Gandhi

THE PARTY IS OVER...

Everyone had a great time at the party. I survived. Mostly because Chewbaca decided to stay home and take a nap. The theme was Pirates of the Carribbean. Big Girl ordered cup cakes instead of cake which meant serving was so much easier and the kids liked it better.

Granddaughter wants to be a spy or detective. Here she was trying on her disguises she got out of the machine. Pretty good huh? Big Girl decided to try her hand at it.

Grandson had a great time playing with old friends. Some he had not seen in a couple of years. Some were new.

I was glad when it was all over. The pizza was lousy but I am picky. They didn't have much selection until after I suffered through a pepperoni slice. I wanted spinach and they finally put that out. I didn't eat any at that point. I was already dreaming about starting my diet. So much so that I dragged out my Low Carb bible and pulled some ideas off them. I rarely use a recipe 100%. I typically change them to my tastes. I had a great idea for a chicken artichoke pasta salad. I was a good girl. I used whole wheat pasta.

Here is the recipe:

CHICKEN ARTICHOKE WHOLE WHEAT PASTA SALAD

1 14oz box whole wheat pasta of choice - I usedPenne - cooked to your taste

I can of quartered artichokes

2 cups diced rotisserie chicken breasts

1/4 -1/2 Cup of Roasted Garlic Oil - the one I used was made with Canola and Olive oils

2 Tbsp of Pesto of choice

1 pkg of sundried tomatoes - You could use fresh

Garnish with fresh Cilantro - optional

I tried to calculate the calories and other nutritional information based on the serving amounts. This is for 10 servings. Don't hold me to the values, I am new at this. Ps...I didn't hijack this photo. I took it myself which you can probably tell.

CALORIES 150 TOTAL FAT 5g
SAT FAT 1g
TRANS FAT 0g
POLY FAT 0.5g
MON FAT 1g
CHOLESTEROL 50 mg
SODIUM 41.6
CARBS 0
DIETARY FIBER 0
SUGAR 0
PROTEIN 17.36
SERVINGS 10

SUNDAY FUNDAY

It is the one day when they come here... isn't that from a song? I can tell you that I was so tired yesterday that when I slept last night I flipped over on my back, not a good thing for someone with sleep apnea, and that I didn't move at all. None. So when I woke up I was stoved up. My back was screaming and my neck had pain shooting up through it. Oh for a pain pill to get you through that first hour when you can barely move. Didn't have any. Must find a drug dealer in the near future.

So I sat in pain for a long time. Drinking coffee with my fav hazelnut creamer. Watching a movie. Enjoying the silence before the herd wakes up. Grandson #1 and granddaughter both try to out do each other, tattle on each other, boss each other, did I say out do each other? They are driving me nuts. Grandson #2 may be cutting more teeth or perhaps it is just a cold. He has taken to whining, something he has never done, and he sounds very similar to Chewbaca from Star Wars. It makes me want to poke crochet needles into my eardrums to silence my world. Knitting needles sound more appropriate but I don't knit.

Now we are all doing the shuffle to successfully get everyone showered and at the pizza parlor by two. Grandson #1 turned 8 a week ago but his party is today. Being born a few days after Christmas has always left him shafted on the party side of things. People are always out of town for the holidays. This time we are doing it differently. Hopefully he will have a wonderful time and hopefully I will survive it.

It is a shame this pizza joint doesn't serve beer. Not that I am a beer drinker but you take what you can get. Someone scarfed all my champagne recently so I can't make myself a mimosa before I go. The only thing available is Canadian Whiskey, my drink of choice, but I can't do that this time of the day. I would probably not be able to control myself and then I would be snockered by 6 pm and feel like ass all day tomorrow. Mimosas are perfect. Not that much alcohol, just enough to mellow you out, plus you get your vitamin C.

Oh well, hope they have good pizza. It will totally be off the chart for my eating healthier but tomorrow is a new day. I bet they even have chocolate pizza........

Quote for today:

When you have reached the end of your rope......tie a knot and hang on.

I think this is by Benjamin Franklin but it may be Thomas Jefferson.... Sorry to be so brain dead but Chewy is distracting me....

Later: I searched online and found that it is Thomas Jefferson, although some reported it was Theordore Roosevelt and some said Eleanor Roosevelt. If you know the answer please let me know.