Iraq from an Iraqi.

For those of you that do not check out my blogroll, you may never have met Sunshine or read her blog.

Mosul, Iraq is the last bastion of violence in Iraq and Sunshine tells it best when she talks about her hometown. I encorage you to visit her blog, for 15, she is very savvy!

Today I read her blog and almost cried with relief. Things are so much better.

From Sunshine's Blog:

"In these nights I sleep comfortably, at least I can’t hear my heart beat ! time I hopefully night bruxism will stop, I still suffer from killing cramp in my jaw, now I spend more time in my room and even change my clothes there !!
There are a lot of things I want to do in the coming days, not now, but within a month or so to make sure the situation will remain good, I want to fix my room, and hide the places that were damaged because of the fights I am excited.
May god bless Iraq, and National guards ,and save everyone"



If the news tells you one thing, question it, remember......they get paid to sell! Read!

We are in a flux right now, we are electing another president. Compare what the candidates tell you is happening in Iraq, with what Iraqi's tell you.


I DARE YOU.

Sea Bugs and Friends!

You wouldn't think these very ugly sea bugs would eat well, but you have no idea.

When cooked, these scrumptious creatures make for a fun evening.



This past Friday, my girlfriends daddy and her husband went crabbing and fishing. Then.......INVITED US TO DINNER!

Those pesky little suckers are a mess to eat.......a lot of work for just a little meat, but OH SO MUCH FUN when everyone is just having a good time (did I mention yummy?)


So, for those of you that have never eaten steamed blue crab, a recipe!

For each dozen crabs use:

2 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning

Cayenne pepper to taste

3 tablespoon salt

water and vinegar

Use a large pot (we use a turkey fryer, outside), such as a canner, with a raised rack in the bottom at least 2 inches above bottom of the pot (a round barbecue grill sitting on bricks or stones works well). Fill pot with equal quantities of vinegar and water to just below the level of the rack. Add craps to pot in layers, sprinkling each layer of live crabs^*** with the mixture of Old Bay Seasoning and salt. Cover and steam until crabs or red, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve crabs immediately. Because seafood spoils quickly, keep crabs warm in steamer or promptly refrigerate.

Serve steamed crab on a table covered with paper for easy cleanup and with plenty of cold beer. Melted butter seasoned with a little Old Bay Seasoning is often served on the side. Have plenty of paper towels handy.

^***When adding crabs to pot, make sure the crab is alive. Crabs spoil quickly and any dead crabs should be discarded


The rest is easy....make sure you have claw crackers on hand for everyone and MUNCH!

For those of you that heard the myth that crabs scream, it is just steam that builds up under the shell. It isn't really a scream, it's more of a pppphhhhhhhhhhhhhtttttttt.


Serve with corn on the cob (leave the husk on, butter them inside the husk and throw them on the grill), fried zucchini and yellow squash (sliced and battered in corn meal).

Invite your friends and pass out the bibs!

Thoughtful Thursday: Mistakes

Some rocket scientist thought this horrid looking monstrosity would be gorgeous if it was built at the entrance of beautiful Destin Harbor (where no other building is tall).

It isn't.

I guess some mistakes you just cannot fix.....but living in Hurricane Alley, maybe a Higher Power will think it's as ugly as I do.

That's mean....people have homes there. I am sorry.

Memorial Day and Exhalted Voices

Nancy over at Nancy's Nonsense is already posting to me as to my Memorial Day Post. Ok Nancy.....only because you asked so sweetly:

If you want to know how the Redneck Riviera, and home to our finest Air Force fleet, celebrates Memorial Day.......let me show you:

Click to Enlarge

If you can see this picture, it is only a small segment of the two THOUSAND boats that gather on our local sand bar (Crab Island) for the ULTIMATE summer holiday party.

The boats range from this size:


To this size:


And EVERYTHING in between.

Our Ever present F-16's performed the Missing Man Formation in honor of our fallen troops:



If you have never been directly under 4 F16's when they perform this, you are missing something. It truly stirs your soul.

Of course, there is TONS of Fun, Sun and play time.


Mommy's favorite place during the summer is right here:



A good time was had by all, even Harley.




But, since all good things need to be continued........Ashley had her Spring Concert tonight. It is her last concert as a middle schooler. But, as you all know, my Ashley has to have the last word...........or last song if you will.

Her solo this year was Danny Boy, in honor of Memorial Day, and it was truly an experience. The girl's got PIPES ya'll!



It was a happy goodbye to all those friends she has made in the last three years as she moves to High School:


My Daughter From Another Mother isn't complaining:

And, quite frankly........this weekend wore us ALL out!


Oh. I almost forgot to mention: Allen's sister and BIL joined us for a bit, as did our (almost) 5 year old nephew Ethan:



When it comes right down to it, no matter how beautiful the day is, you have to thank God for our glorious sunsets to end the days:



Have I told you all how much I love living where I do?



UPDATE UPDATE

I got an e-mail asking me how Harley goes potty if he is on the boat......by jet ski of course!



He's not afraid of the boat, the water or the ski:

Thoughtful Thursday: Envy

I don't envy, surprisingly.

But......

I sure would love to have this view every day!

Weekend Pictography

For all of you who live where it is still a bit chilly, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart for showing these to you.

This was our fantabulous weekend!
(click on photos to enlarge)

A client of Allen's let us borrow his beautiful boat:



Most Handsome had it all planned out. We were going to spend the night on the boat in Panama City (about 65 miles from home). He called in a favor, got us a great slip and off we went. Of course that made me so..........



And what did the kids think? I'll let you see for yourself.

Ashley had this to say:



Taylor, she felt this way:




And Harley.....he was First Mate!



We saw some beautiful vistas:




We found these:





We put them back after the pictures.

We had neighbors like these:





And a beautiful sunset:





We relaxed the whole weekend, some more than others:



And loved every single minute of it!

I hope your weekends were just exactly what you wanted to do!

Red?????????

I have changed hair color so many times, I don't even remember what my natural hair color is.

So, for the first time EVAH!

I am a RED HEAD!






Go on, be cruel, be kind, but let me know what you think!

Life: New Beginnings and Closure.

Dear Bloggy friends, I am going to share something very personal.

Many years ago, when I wasn't old enough to know better, I fell in love. I fell in love with a deeply flawed man who I thought I could save, simply by loving him enough. It wasn't to be.

Jimmy was a victim of childhood diabetes. He suffered with it all his life.

I married Jimmy when I was 19 and to say it was an idyllic relationship would be the worst of lies. Jimmy suffered. Every day of his life. To compliment his life, or to end it, Jimmy self medicated. Alcohol and drugs were his medication.

But, let me tell you about this man: He was so charming. He had the most beautiful green eyes and black, straight hair. He always knew what he wanted life to be, but he could never quite achieve it. He had a heart of gold and a body that refused to cooperate.

He couldn't will his life to be normal. He couldn't self medicate his life to be normal and his diabetes was resistant to most synthetic insulin. Jimmy had a very hard life.

But, he did have a way.

Jimmy died on October 19th 2004.

I just recently found out.

You see, Jimmy was a horrible abuser. Physically and emotionally. I lived with him for less than three years before I ran.

I ran (and hid) for over 20 years. I never divorced him.

Hence, I am a widow. (I will explain why I have children out of wedlock later......one thing at a time please).

Last Thursday, I got a call, out of the blue.........after 20 years, from my sister in law. She was just 8 years old when we got married. It was the worst, and best, phone call I have ever gotten in my life.

At first I was so scared..........I had hidden for years, had he found me? What about my children........I was panicked.


I demanded to know why she called me, why after all these years, why couldn't I just stay gone from that families life.

I was told that Jimmy had died four years ago, that he died from complications of diabetes. Diane (my SIL) just wanted to reconnect with me. Still incredulous, I questioned (rather aggressively) her to death.

I wasn't happy. It was a part of my life that I fought for years to escape and forget.

One week later, and many phone calls (including speaking to my mother in law) I am ok with it.

I still can't find the tears for Jimmy, but I have Diane, Eric and the twins.

I always have made my own decisions about life, this one was out of my hands. It overwhelmed me, but............something good is coming out of something really bad.


I spoke with my mother in law (after 20 years) and she forgives me for leaving. I spoke with my Sister in Law after 20 years, and she wants me as part of her children's life..........

I have a nephew and a niece..........one of each, one year old.

It is time to put the past behind us.

Jimmy suffered with diabetes every single minute of his entire life, he lost an eye and a foot. I can forgive him anything if it means I get to be an aunt to Evan and Laura, A sister to Diane.

Almost like the Phoenix, out of the ashes of failed lives comes a golden creature.

That is worth celebrating and embracing.

So, all of you that have a sip of wine this week, toast to pasts being put behind and new beginnings!

Introducing Evan and Laura

I would like all of you, my bloggy friends, to meet my newest family members Evan and Laura.

It will take a while to explain how I just came to know my 1 year old Niece and Nephew, but suffice it to say, I am very proud to be their aunt.

I am actually tickled pink!

Aren't they ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL?

I HATE this house!

May I have the above please? Only make it be on the water, With lots of windows.

When I moved to this part of Fla, I rented a townhouse. I was so excited! A whole townhouse? Not a duplex or an apartment? In S Fla a townhouse was out of my pay grade.

Now 5 years later, I confess: I HATE THIS HOUSE!

One teenager, one tween, two bedrooms, no storage.................and mustard colored walls.

Ok, not really mustard, maybe a dark beige, a light tan.......(I'd take a picture, but my camera is away being fixed).

No, they are mustard. A cross between Grey Poupon and Frenches, but MUSTARD!



So, I've started looking for another rental.

It used to be so simple! You find a place you like, you move in.

Now it's different. You know what makes it different? KIDS! ARGH!

One is at one school, the other at another. Then there is soccer practice and friends and clubs and and and and and!

So I keep looking, and wondering if my landlord would kill me if I painted the darned walls WHITE!

Sick Little Ones

What is a mother's worst nightmare? A sick child.

Sleeping in on Saturday morning, the house was so quiet, I was loving it. The usual bickering wasn't going on. I wondered about that for a moment as I lounged in bed enjoying the feel of peace. Then it was shattered.

Ashley came upstairs and said those dreaded words: "Mom, Taylor's sick". "How sick" I asked....

"She's burning up Mom".

It's been a nightmare since then.

I took her temperature and it was over 102 degrees. AGH!!!!!!!!!!! Panic mode.

Starting with the Tylenol and the Motrin alternating to a quick stint in a tepid bath and she was..........better. She was ok for most of the day and even felt well enough to go out to dinner.

Flash forward to Sunday at 5:30 AM. I opened my eyes to see Tay standing next to my bed. "Mom, I don't feel so good. I feel dizzy". I leapt out of bed to fumble for the thermometer.

The verdict? 104 Degrees.

Off to the hospital we went.

Now there are two types of doctors. The useless ones and the good ones. Our first stint in the emergency room was utterly useless. He barely looked at her, didn't listen to me, ordered a chest X-ray and sent us on our way with as very strong antibiotic prescription. It was so strong, she couldn't keep it down. So early this morning, off we went again.

By this time, she had quit speaking and barely moved. I saw a doctor there we had seen before, I remembered he was great. "Can we see him please?

Five minutes later, there was my poor baby. In a hospital bed with an IV of fluids, a dose of phenergan in her for the nausea, blood work being drawn and a nurse and doctor who listened.

This time, we got an antibiotic her little 54 lb body could handle, some Tylenol and codeine for the pain in her throat, some phenergan for her nausea and a bundled child back home in bed.

She has made a little progress today. She's eaten some broth, managed to keep her head up for a few minutes and some color back in her face. She still won't speak and hates to drink because her throat hurts, but all in all a great improvement over earlier today.

As mothers, do we ever feel more impotent or powerless than when one of our little ones is sick?


UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE

Taylor is better today. She is sitting up, drinking fluids and even had a light sandwich.

I saw her smile today for the first time in three days.

She's getting well




HURRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that I have been "meme'ed"

Ok Ladies (and Dad), this one is not a true Meme. It is a question.

If you could pick three people, either fictional or real, dead or alive..... that you could invite to dinner and have a conversation with........



A) Who would you want to have dinner with?

B) What would you discuss?

C) What would you serve?

Oh Man......I've been tagged!

I knew it was inevitable. I even knew it was probable. I knew eventually, it would happen to me.

My friend from the opposite side of the US (all the way on the opposite side, as far away on the opposite side as you can get), Diane...from Meyers On The Hood has tagged me.

OH THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!

Worse yet, she wants to know weird things about me. I am the most non weird person I know.

Oh well, it's all in good fun right? I have to say seven things about me that are either random or weird.

Ok, here goes:

1) I am an immigrant, but I don't speak the language of the country I immigrated from. I was born in Germany and my parents are German. I came to the US when I was 6.

2) I have a brother and a sister that I have never met and a mother I only met once. I've thought about contacting them, even found out their address. And I never have....after all, what would I say, I don't even speak the same language.

3) I am a single mother that doesn't collect child support (trust me, it's better for my kids), and I like it that way. Only recently have I thought that I wanted to get married again, because I truly have found the greatest man. I have dated him for four years, just to make sure.

4) I am smart. Not a little smart, but geekishly smart. I hide that from most people. My interests are politics and numbers. I also do crosswords in ink and solve them. Reason for hiding.....all those years of wanting to just fit in.

5) I have lived in four countries. Growing up in one of those countries made me a "CZ Brat" (ok Didi, YOU figure out what that means....after all, this is your fault!). No, I didn't grow up military. I speak Spanish fluently.

6) I love reading. It's always been an escape for me and I enjoy it tremendously. I read just about everything, but I absolutely love murder mysteries.

7) FINALLY! I read cookbooks and cooking magazines for fun. Sitting right here on my desk are the latest issues of Cooking with Paula Dean, Rachel Ray's Everyday (check out the orange beef and broccoli in the middle section), and Taste of Home.


Ok, the seven I have tagged:

Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee (who doesn't love that?)

Beth at A Mom's life....who is a paragon of everything I envy.

Andrea at Sgt and Mrs Hub...she's moving and needs MORE things to do, lol

Cheryl at Life with Cheryl....because her writing makes me peaceful.

Bronie at Team Victory........my rock!

Megan at Fried Okra...because she just ROCKS!!!! And since she's preggers can always find the time for more to do.

And Lainey at Blog in My Eye....just because. I am not sure she even knows I read her blog faithfully.


The Rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


HAVE FUN LADIES!

What kind of Shoe are You?

Hilarious........Since I do live near the beach.,....and I dearly love my sandals!

You Are Flip Flops

You are laid back and very friendly. Cheery and sunny in disposition, you usually have something to smile about. Style is important to you, as long as you can stay casual. It takes a lot to get you to dress up! You are a loyal and true person, though you can be a bit of a flake. You tend to "play hooky" and blow off responsibilities a lot more than most people. You should live: By the beach You should work: At a casual up and coming company

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

Corporations, Red Tape and Peons.

This is what my life looks like (at least I imagine it this way in my nightmares:



I....manage a companies accounting. I know, I know..........ME? Yes, me.

I don't do taxes (anymore), I just make sure that things flow smoothly. We get paid, and we pay others. I used to be ruler of my domain, Princess of the realm....the one person every business owner has, that he likes, but can tell him NO, and he doesn't bat an eye. I used to work in the small business world. I liked it, I was comfortable....I was GOOD AT IT!

So, what happened you ask? I (brilliantly) decided I needed to "grow up" go to work for a corporation, seek the ever elusive benefits, and 401k, and regular hours!


I did that.

I got the job.

And somewhere along the way, the free spirit that I was has become a "person in a management position".

And, much to my surprise...I LOVE it.

I don't love the excess paperwork, I don't love the red tape, I don't love the constant interruptions when all I want to do is finish one thing.

I love that I never knew I would still be good at what I do in that structure. I was afraid to do it for so many years. I always thought that I would just get lost in the shuffle. I didn't. I love it that I learned that I was far more organized than I thought I was. I love it, that I can actually manage a small staff and that I can motivate them.

I love it that, much to my surprise, I love doing it......ALL of it.

I have a great Boss. She is at a remote office from mine and I hardly ever see her, but we speak the same language. We think alike, we make very similar decisions and choices. She allows me room to show my skill, and is always supportive. That's cool!

I manage three employees that are uniquely different, but bring such amazing dedication and hard work.....we are in sync.

I thought I was too old for a career change, that I wouldn't like it very much. Now I know that my false bravado was nothing more than a fear of trying something new.

Now, how to translate that into a lesson to a 14 yr old. What was I thinking???????????