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???????????

My Car is FIXED!!!

I know it's not much, and it's a little old.....But it's mine and I love it.

And now it is FINALLY Fixed.

I would love to sit here and write a post, but like a junkie needing a fix, I think I need to go toodle around town in my FIXED car for a bit.

Have a great day all!

Cars and other things Guys are supposed to fix

This is what broke in my car.

One week ago, I was coming back from taking Ashley to school and in the middle of a major road, this stupid thing broke.

What happened you ask? The car died. It wasn't a horrible death, it was a very quiet, everything just was working then it wasn't, kind of death.

And then came THE MECHANIC.

You would think, that since this is a guy thing, it would be a quick fix. It wasn't. A week later, I still don't have my car.

The Belt led to the oil leak that caused the belt to break, which was a seal that had to be replaced. Which led to the discovery that the pulleys are bad and they may not need to be replaced now, but they may not last long, to a family emergency which prevented the mechanic from working on the car....ENOUGH!

I WANT MY CAR BACK!

You'd think the problem was this:



IT ISN'T.

I think this may be who is working on my car:


You all pray and maybe I'll get my car back this year sometime!

Auntie AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

Allen and I are proud to announce that we are going to be Auntie and Uncle AGAIN!

For those of you that don't know, this is my best friend and my first "niece"



Isn't she GORGEOUS?????????

(yes I mean the baby not the beautiful 6 ft blond (who is now a red head).

Alexia (Lexi) is walking and talking up the storm. The new Baby is due in November and I say it's a boy.........what say you?

I am taking bets!

Allen and I are so thrilled for our friends. It appears that Kyle is done with going to Iraq for awhile, and Monica is working very hard towards her accounting degree (God help us all, another one of me in the world).

In your prayers, please include them, so this pregnancy goes well and we have a healthy, happy........boy or girl!

Oh Yea, I PROMISED....Collards everyone loves.

I promised Fried Okra a few weeks back that I would post my Collard greens recipe.

I have been so busy, but I always keep a promise.


Ingredients:

Two large healthy heads of Collard Greens

5 slices of thick sliced bacon. (slab bacon is best...don't worry, I took out the calories and cholesterol)

1-2 smoked ham hocks (if they're big use one, small, use two)...you may substitute a large smoked turkey leg.

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons butter

Fresh grated nutmeg



INSTRUCTIONS:


In a very large pot, lay the bacon slices so that they will cook evenly. Cook over medium heat until browned. Once the bacon is browned, remove from pot but to not discard the bacon fat.

Tackle the collards.

As an aside, collards are a HUGE veggie, they can be intimidating. You will have to touch every leaf. NO SHORTCUTS! Cut the bottom stem off the collards and wash the leaves, lay them in between paper towels to dry. Discard yellow or rotten leaves.

Fold each leaf in half along the stem. With a very sharp knife, cut the complete stem away from the leaf (stems are bitter and shortcutting this step will ruin it). Put the leaves in a colander. There will be a HUGE amount.

In the pot that you fried the bacon in, start putting in the greens. You will think there is no way that you will fit all those greens in one pot, but you will just have to trust me.

in between, add the butter and maybe a 1/4 cup water. Work the greens so that as they sautée, you are pressing them down into the pot.

Once you have all the greens in the pot, add the hot pepper sauce, vinegar, fresh grated nutmeg (not more than one or two passes over the grater), garlic and ham hocks.

Cover.

Cook on low for 1-2 hrs stirring frequently.

When the greens are wilted and the aroma tickles your nostrils they are almost done. Crumble the bacon and stir in. You will also need to extract the meat from the ham hocks (or turkey leg) and add it to the collards.

Taste them, add more pepper sauce to taste, and THEN..........................

Use your best storage, I prefer pyrex with tops. Put them in the fridge and let them sit overnight.

Reheat in microwave or over low heat when you are ready to serve.

Serve with cornbread (or jalapeno cornbread) and enjoy.


IT'S A SOUTHERN THANG (but huge in vitamins an iron)

Thoughtful Thursday: Pride

When I see these birds in my blue skies every day, I feel such pride.

When you come across military personnel, Take the time to stop, thank them for their service. If you can, buy them lunch. Talk to them.

They give so much, their families give so much. Express your gratitude.


ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINES (and yes COAST GUARD)




For every member serving there is a father, a son, a mother, a daughter, a nephew, a niece...............

Thank them when you see them.

Mundane Monday.....Or Not!

I knew there was something I disliked about working for a national corporation......DEADLINES!

The end of the month is fast approaching and with the little training I got, my head is spinning.

Not just the deadlines, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I have to make sure everything gets done, and I also have to hire someone new. My boss was going to do it with me, but due to a family tragedy, she will be unavailable.

And this is my dilemma.

Do you ever wonder just what God's plan is? Why mean, nasty people: thieves, wife abusers, murderers, child abusers live and innocents die? Why does God decide that one can survive to torment others here on Earth and the other, who's life is so valued by many, he takes from us?

My boss has a 19 year old son, who's girlfriend (18) died in a horrific car accident this weekend. She got a call late Friday night that her boyfriend was involved in a fender bender in Tallahassee while he was going to see her. He was not hurt, but the car was, and he was stranded. Being the person that she was, she immediately got in the car for the 7 hour drive to go rescue him. She was just below Gainesville when she encountered some very bad weather, lost control of her car and hit a tree. She was a talented, beautiful and caring young lady. I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but reading about her today made me so sad. Sadder yet (she didn't suffer), for my boss's son who is losing himself in the guilt, thinking this was somehow his fault.

We see so many horrible people in the news and some even in our daily lives. God's way makes so little sense some days.

I will never be so pompous to think that I deserve an explanation, but to see so many people suffer because she was so loved, hardly seems fair.

What think you?

What a Valentines Day!

Have you ever had a day that, at the end of it, you are not sure if it was good or bad?

Wow.

Today I had one of those days. I had to reign someone in and let someone go. I had to allow something new and disallow something old. I had to get decisive and unpopular, and I got to feel empathy and demonstrate all the qualities I hold dear.


I have very few pecadillos. I know I get pissy about 10 pieces of paper being held together with 8 staples, each one of which cut my fingers.............I digress.


I believe the only thing you can believe in is your own integrity.

I believe that a work ethic is something that is either in you, or it's not.

I believe that everyone has "issues" but if you are conscientious, there should be no conflict.

I believe that you should finish the work. Deadlines should never be an issue if you work smart instead of fast..

(Aside, I had an Eight Grade Home-EC teacher who told me something: I am a lazy person, therefore I strive to do things right the first time, because I am just too lazy to do it over again")

I believe that you work as a team. No man is an island, right?



I believe that if you like what you do, and who you work with, life is just easier. It is up to you, however, to be approachable.

I am so optimistic, and surely know that I have so much to learn. I think as long as my head and heart are in the right place. The "corporate" structure is no different.

Will it make me a better accountant/problem solver/supervisor? Not sure yet.


But you, will be the first to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(alright, right after "the other half" has the whole diatribe, in three part harmony).

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!

Change at 40! (alright 42)

As many of you know, I started a new job last week, and since it is the Internet, I obviously cannot tell you exactly where I work. I am an employee in the vast media company known as Freedom Communications.

It's been an adventure, and a time of huge change for me.

I have always been a small business accountant. I never had an ambition to work for a HUGE company like this one, because I always thought that I would get lost in the shuffle, my talents wasted.

Yet, as of last week, here I am.


Getting here was an adventure in itself. I felt like my whole life was under a microscope. I had to have a background check done, a credit check, and a drug screening, just to see if I was even remotely worthy of working for this conglomerate.

Then the interviews, the signing of contracts, the endless manuals I had to read, the policies I had to review, and that was before I even STARTED my first day of work!

I was so nervous. How much was I really sure of myself and my abilities and my knowledge. How could I go from managing finances for a small business to manage a department in a network of thousands of people?

I will tell you, it is much easier to tell the owner of a small business that he just doesn't have the funds for his overinflated ambition, than it is telling countless department managers, Veeps and the like, that I need what they have NOW!

I was thrown to the wolves!

Not really, my boss is patient. Being at a remote office from mine, she has tried desperately to get a handle on things. She is my new lifeline and will probably end up being a good ally.

Intimidation aside (all those "really important people"), I have managed one week. I feel good about it. My talents, my knowledge and my sheer skill seems to be what they really were looking for (they didn't just appeal to my ego).

I will continue to ask you my friends and family to pray. At 42, this has been such a change, and sometimes I think I am just feeling my way instinctively. When my instinct fails, and my ability to "speak"accounting falters, I will count on God to show me the way. I have a talent, after all, only on loan from Him (sorry Rush).


I hope all of you have had an amazing New Year so far. May you have new adventures, and people who love an support you as I do.

The *@#&% Flu!

Ok, earlier this year, I had the opportunity to have a flu shot. I didn't take it. My thinking?

"What me? A FLU SHOT? Heck NO! I never get the FLU! I haven't been sick in years!"

Smartie that I was! Aside from my psychotic fear of needles, I don't much care for Doctors either, they HAVE the needles!

I took a nap last Saturday and woke up all out of sorts. I even snapped at Most Handsome! We went to dinner and the steak I was craving tasted like sawdust.

Most Handsome thought it might be a good idea to take my temp. What does he know? He's a (gasp) MAN!!!

Sure enough, Low grade temp (for someone who has a normal temp of 96.8, that is a big deal!). He promptly shuffled me off to bed with two extra strength Tylenol.



I will be starting my new job next week, and since I will be working for a National Corporation, I had a drug test on that Monday. Meaning, I could take NOTHING but Tylenol. Ugh the misery!

I spent Sunday in bed, and Monday morning, first thing, I managed to make it to my drug screening. I told the young lady doing the test that I had the flu. Needless to say (do people our age still use recreational drugs?) my tests were negative except for an abnormal (read higher than normal) glucose level. She eyed me suspiciously over her glasses and asked me if I had been drinking. My eyes misted over, as I sputtered out, OK OK, I CHEATED, I COULDN'T STAND IT ANYMORE I TOOK A NYQUIL.........OK OK, I TOOK TWO!

She took my temp, and for some reason found this very very funny. She gave me the all clear with the very stupid comment, "Drink lots of fluid, take plenty of Advil or Tylenol as you need it, even Nyquil if it helps you feel better, get plenty of rest and come back here if you don't feel better in about three days."

Like I was EVER going back there!

Today I can actually manage to sit up in bed for longer than ten minutes! YAY!!!!!!!!!

Moral of the story: TAKE THE DARNED FLU SHOT!

Julian's Battle

In your prayers today, please include Julian Michael Avery and his parents and siblings.

His little 4 year old body gave up the fight against brain cancer this week. He was with his parents.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Julian's name to:

Cook Children's Medical Center, 801 7th Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76104

Make A Wish Foundation, 1407 Texas St., Fort Worth, TX 76102

Julian's World future foundation, in care of Fellowship Baptist Church, 1600 N. Old Decatur Road, Saginaw, TX 76179.

Please go visit his guest book here.

If you would like to make a personal statement, please wear yellow on Wednesday, January 23, 2008. It was his favorite color.

Mimi, please know all of us out here in the blogging world's hearts are with you today.

New Beginnings ROCK!

For the love of my life Allen, and My Mother, and Mom and Dad, and Shari and Jim and Diana, and Jo, and my new friend Bronie, and John and Diana, and and and.......


I borrowed the headline from Bronie who inspired me this week with this:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

You..... All of you...........are my inspiration, my friends, my family and my love.

Thank you all for your support. It was a rough time, but it ended well.

I forgot that God's ways are subtle, that He decides what He wants to remind you of, when you need reminding.

It truly is a New Year now. And for all of you, my family and friends, I hope it will be a great New Year, full of promise.


NEW BEGINNINGS...............ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Childhood to Adulthood via PUBERTY!

Of all of the great events in my life, there are a few that I knew would come, but I wish I could put off like.............FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Feast your eyes on my darling daughter:








She was cute, wasn't she?




Well, as of two days ago, she is now grown. Well, biologically anyway.






I have always been open in speaking with my girls, but I didn't realize I would actually have to give them up to WOMANHOOD (ugh, shudder).



I did all the parental things, I have been open and honest, she is so beautiful, so self possessed, so AMAZING..........





Why couldn't I get to keep her little? Just for a little while longer? I am not ready to give her to this big bad world!




Ah well, like my Super Star would say: "Suck it up Mom, I had to grow up sometime. But I love you, and I will always be your baby".





She's DA BOMB!

Making Peace with the Past

Like most of you know, I went "home" this weekend.

And since this is a New Year, I will be the first to tell you, you may go home again, but don't expect to feel "at home". Let us qualify "home".

You have heard the sayings.....you know the ones.....Home is where the heart is! This is so true. My heart is no longer where I thought my home was. This weekend allowed me to realize that.

This is where my home is:

This is where I grew up:


It's beautiful, isn't it?

It's not home anymore. Let me show you what home means to me.

Home, to me is my Mother:



And My Aunt and Uncle:



And my dearest friend Shari:



And it's about My Most Handsome's Mom and Dad:


And it's about my Babies:




It was so fun to ride in this:



And acting like a tourist (yes, I got up out of the sunroof to take this) like this:



And you know we HAD to do this:


Because we left Harley at home....

But he missed us, so we had to come home and love him and shave him, and love him some more:





You will never know what life brings you, what great thing is just around the corner. Sometimes it kicks you in the teeth, sometimes it sneaks up on you.

In three short days, I made peace with a world I left. A world that was so beautiful, as long as you were either on the water or 6 stories above it. Street level, it just sucked.

I am who I am because of whom I have just shown you, I will always be who I am because I listened to them, instead of the allure of the city I love so much.

I am a tourist in my own home town, because I no longer understand it. I have made peace with my past.

All of you, My friends and my family.
You are my and my children's future.

As beautiful as the past is, it is a past that can only be viewed from 6 stories up.

Happy New Year!~!!!!!!!