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???????????

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.