OMG this is just too funny...."10 kinds of nasty"...

Ok so... it's just too funny... a real commerical for Boost Mobile Communications, not really nasty or offensive, just funny... my favorite part is where she says "so now we are at the party gettin 10 kinds of nasty"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oaa37H9r-do

Rain, rain, go aw......... OMG It's raining bigtime

Ok so sometimes, I'm a little slow on the intake.... we are "officially" in a state of drought... it does rain... some... not for long... not a lot so it's not overly an "event" when it does rain. We wish for it... hope for it... pray for it... and today... well, thanks to Fay... it came...

for all of about 45 glorious minutes.

It rained really, really hard...and just when I thought it was setting in for good... it stopped as suddenly as it arrived. Supposedly we are in for a few more of these in the days to come!

Things about me....

I just saw a posting on a really cool blog that featured "100 things about me" it was quite interesting.... good self-reflection. I considered it... thought about it... reflected on it... and decided that: 1. you would be bored after the first 20 2. I would be bored after the first 25 3. I am entiredly too ADD for it so I'm starting my list... over time.. it may or may not hit 100...

1. I am so very... anal retentive.. oh wait that's the "old term" isn't it... okay I'm... OCD
2. I try really hard NOT to be OCD but.. just.. can't
3. I am SO jazzed about making an A on my first Master's class
4. I have not set a precidence by making an A on said class and have now put myself under even more pressure to continue the beginning of (hopefully) a trend
5. I read approximately 200 books a year (novels, not counting the "storybooks I read to my class")
6. I ADORE my classroom, I think it's the greatest one in the world, that said I ADORE my students... each year... every year... they are THE best... okay, I know you think "yours" are and your classroom is... sorry.... you are wrong (giggle)
7. I take things VERY personally, I think the words "Don't take this personally" are from the devil and should not be allowed in the English language.
8. I get insomina VERY often, entirely TOO often.
9. I can "do without" lots of things... sleep is not one of those things.
10. I get mad because my favorite authors take so durn long to write another book after I've just finished their latest offering.
11. I think there are angels on earth. (I believe that some of those angels have attended school in Special Education classrooms.)
12. I HATE that my backspace key does not work on my desktop computer! When I highlight something and it backspace... HELLO it should go away... (I know people who are the same way.... "How can I miss you if you won't go away" syndrome)
13. I LOVE, adore, collect, amass unusual "stuff" okay not really unusual "stuff" but like ordinary stuff but .... unique forms of it. For instance, I have probably no less than 50 different unique post-it pads in my desk drawer. They have their own little... thingie that holds them. Candy Land, Mickey Mouse, Scrabble, Maxine, etc... I also like cool pens and pencils... (everyone has their own weirdness)
14. I hate, abhor, detest having my picture taken, I do, however, love to take pictures of other people.

to be continued later.... perhaps... maybe not...

Motherlode of Gifts

Simple Mom is giving away the motherlode of gifts. Go and check it out.
http://simplemom.net/

The Perfect Southern Supper Recipe

Ok since my dear & slightly older sister can NOT cook I wrote this recipe for her, but anyone can do it I PROMISE. Bless her heart she is VERY culinary... culinaryily? challenged so this works for her every time and since we were born and raised in Georgia... well, everyone here is suppose to know how to cook. Paula is a mere 2 hours from us!

Ingredients
$25
2 cans GLORY greens NOT those margaret whomever ones
2 cans cut green beans
1 beef bullion cube (okay so I can't spell... at least I can cook, I'll prove it later)
small container of Country Crock honey butter

First, go over to Wally world and look in the frozen food department. On the aisle where their breakfast stuff is, find the bag of Great Value frozen biscuits. Buy them. Get the Glory greens and green beans while you are there.

On your way home, stop at KFC and order a bucket of original recipe chicken.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and pop those biscuits in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the biscuits are cooking, put a little bit of water in a pot and throw that one beef cube that I can't spell in there. Add your green beans and cook them on low.

Put your GLORY greens in a pot and heat them.

Put the chicken on a platter and throw away the bucket for God's sake.

Watch the biscuits, when they are slightly golden take them out of the oven and slather them with honey butter.

Supper is DONE! Yummy Georgia Style!


Ok now to prove I know how to cook here is an absolutely yummy recipe of mine!

Heather's Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
1 18.25 ounce yellow cake mix
1 3.9 ounce package instant chocolate pudding
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs (divided, beat yolks, whip whites stiff)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (dusted in flour so they don't all fall to the bottom)
1/8 cup confectioner's sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10" bundt pan. In a bowl, stirl together the cake mix, instant pudding, and sugar. Add the water, oil, egg yolks and sour cream. Stir well and then add the egg whites and stir again. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into the bundt pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven. Cake is done when a stick of dry spaghetti inserted comes out clean. (or a toothpick I just never have any) Cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to a pretty cake plate and dust with confectioner's sugar before cutting and serving.

WAY yummy! I pound cake is SO very hard to make especially a completely homemade one (which I can do but I LOVE this one!) pretty much anyone can make this cake!

Fun & Not Fun

Lately, I've had quite a bit of... "not fun" stuff going on... too much to get into so I thought I'd seek out some... fun! And I'm inviting you to join me...

I discovered Jennifer @ Funhouse! She's having a great giveaway of Lush products so check her out! http://thefunhousejennifer.blogspot.com/2008/08/amazing-giveaway-basket-full-of-lush.html

iPod giveaway from the cool chics at S.I.T.S.

Those totally cool and very generous chics over at S.I.T.S. are wrapping up their 6 weeks of summer giveaways with an iPod! Go on over and check it out. Someone named "Heather" has won the last two weeks... so it is SO TOTALLY my turn now!

Absolutely Bananas: writing prompt

My biggest travel horror story took place about 6 years ago. DH and I had been dating for several months and he invited me to spend a weekend in Pennsylvania with him and the couple who introduced us. She was celebrating her birthday (she celebrates her birthday for a week! my kind of woman) The plan was to take in all the historic sites in PA and go to Atlantic City.
Anyway, I was really nervous because I'd never flown before, was going away for the first time with (now) DH and was just antsy about the whole thing. Just getting through security was a nightmare. Each time we went through sensors, I set off the alarm (this didn't stop at the airport mind you, when we went to see the Liberty bell... set them off there too... went somewhere else in PA ... set them off there wicked weird). So after setting off all the alarms & securing my place on potentially hazardous people list, we finally boarding the airplane. DH had splurged on first class tickets and it was really nice. I sat by the window, took my dramamine and was ready. Mind you I have been to the restroom at the point a minimum of 10 times in the time it took us to make it through the airport. We begin to slowly taxie down the runway and we.... stop. I'm cook once I realize this happens on a pretty regular basis. We chit chat, I enjoy looking out the window, my dramamine starts to kick in and... for all of about 30 mintues, things are good. Okay so after then... things get... well... interesting. I MUST go to the restroom. The stewardess won't have it. I explain that I promise to be quick... no go. After another 15 minutes, I inform her that the mess she will have cleaning up my seat will be much more involved than the one she will have to clean if I'm actually IN the restroom should the plan actually take off with me in there. She snickers and says that the seatbelt sign is still on and I must remain in my seat until it either goes off or we are airborne. This continues for another 20 minutes or so. Finally, as she is passing out nuts (HELLO she's walking here), I request a Depends instead. At this point, I've come to the realization that DH will never speak to me again once the weekend is over... I'm pretty okay with that as long as I make it OFF the plane with clean pants! FINALLY the stewardess allows me to go to the restroom and the plane takes off probably 10 minutes after that. DH was actually pretty cool with it. (About a year later I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and it all makes a LOT more sense now but then... it was... HORRIBLE) The actual flight was great, I loved the clouds and views, it was simply the delay on the tarmac with no access to the restroom with the possability of having an accident that made this my travel horror.

SITS Giveaway

Those darlings over at SITS are having another giveaway. This week it's an adorable red digital camera and since I lost mine a few weeks ago (and haven't told DH yet) I REALLY need to win this one! Go comment and enter for your chance to win this cute little cam. away from me!
http://thesecretisinthesauce.blogspot.com/

Summer Swap!

Okay ya'll... don't be jealous... but I had one of the best swap partners! Imagine my delight when I retrieved the mail today and found this...

NOOOOOOO, not the dregs of my vanilla bean frap.... the box sillies! I have to say... I tried to wait to open it... I tried to enjoy the thrill of anticipation.... I tried.... almost... but...didn't wait!

Becki was my swap partner, I knew when I opened the box--- she's just ADORABLE! Something old, something new, something previously owned (& BLUE!) too cute!

Becki sent me a really, really cute glass door plaque with daisies on it (I LOVE daises and she said this was her something old). A WONDERFUL christian music CD, something previously owned (her nephew is the singer and the boy is TALENTED, I'm listening to it as I blog now...) and a beautiful bookmark that has a silver mediallan that says Delight and has a sand dollar charm. (It's really really pretty).

Soooooo.... take a book what I did!

I immediately put the adorable daisy plaque on my freshly painted door! Ain't that just the cutest!?!?!
And replaced my Citibank payment (which was either waiting for me to finish reading the book so it could be mailed & fulfill it's real purpose in life ((DUH to allow me to charge MORE stuff)) or loose it). I LOVE my things! Thanks so much Becki!

You can check out the Summer Swap participants at: http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

MOST adorable totes!

Check out Sew Gracious. She has the most adorable totes and things!
http://sew-gracious.blogspot.com/2008/07/gracious-giveaway-win-free-bag.html

4th of July means..... watermelon!

This little darling is my neice.... she loves watermelon!
The cutie cutting the melon for her is my oldest son...Think she's offering to share? Think again!

Seek and you will find...

Today while I had a wee bit of time to "look", I decided to stop at the new local antiques store and another really great one that has been around a while. I'm always on the look out for antique canning jars, I'm also collecting antique kitchen... tools? I already had three really nice jars, a really old biscuit cutter, a rolling pin, potato masher, a dipper, and an enamel funnel so my collection is growing. Check out my finds!




For about $39 I found.... a really pretty tin (?) vegetable bowl with fruit on the outside. Two antique Ball jars with solid metal lids, a really ... odd canning jar with glass top and metal pull down tabs, a pyrex (?) glass vegetable dish, an antique hand seive, TWO beaters which I JUST LOVE, and two vegetable market baskets (okay so they were only 25 cents each and totally not antiques but I liked them). Great day for "looking."



AND those wonderful chics over at SITS are giving away an ADORABLE handbag so go enter.... or... don't (might make me have a chance to win LOL)...

Wordless (okay almost) Wednesday

This past weekend, my son, his fiance, my daughter, my sister, and I repainted quite a bit of my house. I just love a yellow kitchen. It's a pale yellow and just looks so ..... happy! I've "rediscovered" some of my favorite things in the process...

I collect antique canning jars. (okay so I just started and only have three but I love those three old jars) I also LOVE the little Yorkie shown here!
My foyer looks so... crisp with its new barely offwhite coat of paint.

My first meme

This is the One Word Meme.

1. Where is your cell phone? desk

2. Your significant other? hubby

3. Your hair? long

4. Your mother? strong

5. Your father? firm

6. Your favorite thing? sleep

7. Your dream last night? didn't

8 Your favorite drink? Mt Dew

9. Your dream/goal? Ireland

10. The room you’re in? fresh

11. Your hobby? reading

12. Your fear? loss

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy

14. What you’re not? pushover

15. Muffins? yummy

16. One of your wish list items? vacation

17. Where you grew up? Georgia

18. The last thing you did? cleaned

19. What are you wearing? comfy

20. Favorite Gadget? cell

21. Your pets? spoiled

22. Your computer? slow

23. Your mood? tired

24. Missing someone? yep

25. Your car? Malibu

26. Something you’re not wearing? rings

27. Favorite store? bookstore

28. Like someone? uh huh

29. Your favorite color? purple

30. When was the last time you laughed? today

31. Last time you cried? dunno

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Six unimportant things about me:

1. I am in need of a highlights and a manicure.
2. I love taking pictures!
3. I'm extremely excited about the party we will host for my family on Friday.
4. I just started work on my Master's degree.
5. I love to read.
6. I own more books than I do clothes.

Now, according to the rules I have to tag six more folks to play along. I'm not usually one to tag people, but what the heck. If you don't want to do it, no problem!



The rules are as follows:
1. Link back to the person that tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your entry.

Giveaway at SITS!

The awesome ladies over at SITS are giving away a BOUNCE HOUSE!!! OMG, I know! Check it out and comment to win!


http://www.thesecretisinthesauce.blogspot.com/

Fun Swap

http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/2008/06/simple-woman-summer-swap.html

Check out this fun summer swap opportunity! I'm signing up!

Babies grow up....

What an adorable baby.... looks kinda like the Gerber Baby..












She's just... perfect.... sweet... cute... DIMPLES....



She's also...

all grown up now.....

ADORABLE little boys..... chubby cheeked... ALL boys... 13 months apart... cute as they could be...

Also..... ALL GROWN UP!

I recall vividly having people tell me "enjoy them while they are little because it goes fast" (or something very similar). At the time my daughter was a baby and my sons were 4 & 5 and ALL BOY. My thought was.... HOW FAST? Now however, when I see a young mom with little rambuncous (spelling just ain't my thing) kids, boys especially, I hear the same words coming out of my mouth and meaning it. I'm not by (my standards anyway) over the hill or old, but I do miss the days of little kids. The age of discovery, innocent mischief, wonder... I miss cuddling with my sons and daughter. Indeed, it does go fast, so if you have some precious little ones... Enjoy them... it goes fast!

GiveAway

Eryn ove at Snapshots of my Mommy is hosting a giveaway. She makes absolutely ADORABLE initial necklaces. Go have a look and enter for your chance to win. Check her out and maybe buy something :)

http://www.snapshotsofmymommymoments.blogspot.com/

Daylily Festival started tonight...

I love small town festivals! They are usually so much fun... We went to the opening night to check things out.

Photo Ops before going into the festival with great grandma

Awwwwwwwwwww

They had Italian Ice, which happens to be "Puddin's favorite thing in the WHOLE world. She tried to bribe me into asking the seller where we can buy it wholesale!
Puddin gets the "easy ride" with Cuz!

All in all the festival started really well. The daylilies were gorgeous! It was relatively cool since it's held in the orchard. There were TONS of stuff for little kids and some pretty cool crafts. Good times....

Must Reads for Summer...

I LOOOOOVEEEEE reading books, I spend entirely TOO much money on books (though I consider them a wise investment, not only am I supporting the art but when I get older and my Alzheimer's sets in I can totally read them again for the first time!), they are my guilty pleasure, my escape, did I mention I love to read? There is something special about books read during the summer. ((Footnote I TOTALLY just deleted half my post and now can't get my blog groove back EGADS!!! I was probably getting too wordy anyway)) I am reading and have read several really good books in the past two weeks since my summer vacation started. I read all kinds of books but what I call "Southern Fiction" is without a doubt my fav. I call them Southern Fiction because either the writer is from the South or can fake it really well. ((Special Note:: I can't think of much that aggrivates me more than to be reading a book set in the South and the poor writer can't pull off the authentic Southern... dialect. For example in one sentence I read "Hey ya'll, want to go grab a pop?" I was like.. uhhhh... Okay I know they call Coke (soda) pop up North but... this story is set in the South and since the character said "YA'LL" he sure has the dickens wouldn't say POP! So if you are a writer and bless your heart you weren't born in the South, haven't visited here enough to pull off the dialect or haven't found a new friend who was unfortunate enough to move away from HERE to THERE so you don't know how we really talk... don't try to do it... ya can't. TV doesn't do it justice. It's something you have to experience first hand you can't just throw a ya'll in there and expect someone born & raised in middle Georgia to believe it. Now back to the good stuff)) I also like mysteries (ie Patricia Cornwell & James Patterson right off hand are my ab. favs for mysteries). So THE list... the ones you simply gotta read before you return to your classroom... or... bless your heart... your job on Monday...

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews (okay she totally has the true Southern thing For REAL)
- I'm biased about her... I've loved all of her books thus far.. can't pick a favorite they are all
fabulous! I'm almost half finished with this book and am loving it.
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah was really cute
Life's A Beach by Claire Cook was good. It's a short read and easily finished in a weekend.
Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber If you like her books you'll LOVE this one. I think it's the best so far.

So... when I spent... uh... well... way more than my set book allowance for the month.. no.. uh... the WEEK I ONLY have two books remaining. One I won't mention because I'm TOTALLY second guessing that purchase and the other that I'm anticipating which is Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Elizabeth Noble. I don't think I've read anything by her before but then again... maybe I have... I've bought the same exact book three times before only to realize... I've read this book... still have it and loved it the first time. One of the many bad things about being at least a little ADD and a little bit more OCD is when I begin reading a book, I MUST finish it.. even if I'm miserable while reading it... I just... gotta!

Happy Reading!