Happy Heart Birthday Grandaddy!.
Many of you already know that I’m being considered as a possible recipient for a complete intestine transplant. Please read about someone who received the gift of life in the form of a young girls heart… and everything he’s been doing to pay back and honor that gift! SO inspiring!
Thanks to my good buddy Shaun, I’m being kept in awards that should take me till next year to complete! lol I wish I really was as awesome as he thinks I am but you know? I’ll TAKE this compliment and run before he decides to take it back! Anyway, if you guys are looking for an intelligent, athletic, loving, caring and insightful Scottish friend, you HAVE to go check his blog out! http://prayingforoneday.wordpress.com/about/
So the rules are as follows: Post a picture of the award on your blog, post 10 EPIC fun facts that you haven’t already told about yourself AND nominate 10 people for this EPIC award! Simple as that 🙂
I just was to say that I’m going to nominate 10 people but I realize that some may be too busy to participate. NO PRESSURE. Juts know that I’m thinking of you and appreciate you but you don’t have to play if you don’t want:-)
Now 10 EPIC facts about me (probably not TOO epic but here goes..)
1. When I was cool (a million years ago in the 80’s) I owned a ’78 Trans AM Golden Classic like this:
2. I’ve had 9 miscarriages in my life time. The last babies I lost in 2002 were twins. AFTER all the devastation, they found out that I had a condition called Factor V (5) – a blood clotting condition that caused a blood clot to form at the placenta, causing my babies to starve to death. This could have been corrected by taking blood thinners. It is a COMPLETE miracle that I was able to carry 3 babies to term. Makes me wonder what great things they were born to do because according to medical science, they should not be here.
3. I’ve lived in the same house since 1989. I won’t move because I hate moving and I promised my girls I’d never let their home go to someone else besides them. In the even of my death, my husband and I have decided to give it to all of the girls and let them do with it what they will.
4. My aunt was more of a mother to me than my own mother was. When I was 14, I moved in with her and she taught me how to cook and how to do other girl things. She cared and showed me love. She was a clothing designer and used to give me all of her models clothes. Because of this, I was voted “Best Dressed” during my senior year in High School. Here’s a picture of my Aunt who is now battling Parkinson’s and Althzeihmers.
5. Like many in my family, I was born with a “gift”. That’s what the older women in my family call it, anyway. I see things in my dreams and they come true. I am almost always able to tell when someone is about to die or if they have died because I’l see it in my dream OR smell “funeral flowers” in my sleep. It’s a HORRIBLE sweet, sickly smell like when you go into a funeral home and smell all the horrid funeral arrangements? I also just know things. A wee bit psychic.
6. I married my FIRST husband because my mother convinced me that nobody else would ever want me. I had a baby and she told me that I would never be able to provide for that child in the fashion that was necessary and who else would want me besides the man who married me? I knew I didn’t love him and I’m SO sorry and ashamed that I put him through all I did based on the unkind words of my mother. I hope he’s doing well.
7. My uncle breeds and races Thoroughbred’s and is very successful. He’s nearly 80 now and would like to give me a Mare that goes into “Secretariat” on both sides of her pedigree (assuming I can stay well enough to take care of her). Disney made a movie based on her life and my uncle knows how much I’m in awe of her story! Here’s a picture of Secretariat:
8. I grew up in the automotive repair industry and learned more about cars and the way they run than most men know. I learned to run a business that was male dominated and earned the respect of these men. I had to fight my way to the top and I enjoyed the ride 🙂 It’s good to have the respect of men who started out NOT wanting to have to deal with me simply because I’m a woman and they didn’t think I’d understand their world.
9. I used to love to race cars. My dad taught all of us kids how to drive and how to race extremely fast cars. I also had to learn how to put an engine together. The last engine I helped my dad build was a Pontiac 455 big block. Awesome 🙂
10. I am terrified of roaches!
Now for the people I’m nominating!
1. http://ronscubadiver.wordpress.com/
2. http://leveluphealth.wordpress.com/
3. http://transcendingbordersblog.wordpress.com/
4. http://otrazhenie.wordpress.com/
5. http://cruisingthroughmylife.wordpress.com/
6. http://prinsesamusang.wordpress.com/
7. http://ramblingsofabipolarwoman.wordpress.com/
8. http://learus.wordpress.com/
10. http://thewanderinggourmand.com/
Sorry, I don’t have time to tell you more about the awesome people I’ve chosen but you’ll find out if you click on their site, I promise! Have a BEAUTIFUL day an be sure and let me know if you decide to take your awards so I can come and see what you wrote!
Have I told you that the teenage munchkin is “fasting”? Actually, maybe I’m not supposed to be talking about it but she didn’t tell me NOT to and she should know that nothing is sacred unless specifically stated! lol She’s fasting because she wants to show God that she’s open to sacrificing for him the way Jesus did for our sins (her words). She tells me that she wants to be open to receiving HIS wishes for her life. She does NOT get this from me. I’ve never really been a disciplined person and I’m ashamed that I’m the one who believes that God can’t see me sneak that cookie or piece of candy. Julia isn’t fasting for just a day. She’s been only eating non processed foods for 2 weeks now. Mostly she eats boiled eggs and raw vegetables and fruits. Every day, I try to cook her fish but she can have VERY little salt so everything tastes bland. I’m proud of her though because, for the most part, she’s not trying to argue about what kind of food she can have. Yesterday, she kind of pushed the ticket. She’d forgotten that she told me she couldn’t eat pasta because it was a starch. So NO starches, right? She thought I wouldn’t notice when she started frying potatoes and green peppers last night! lol Her reasoning? Potatoes are a vegetable grown from the ground and so were green peppers. What about the starch thing, Julia? Oh THIS starch is okay, I’m SURE of it. What about the fact that potatoes really don’t have nutritional value and you’re eating them in order to feel full? Oh that’s okay too. God will understand. Well OKAY then. I guess the rules change when you’re really hungry?
Today I’m making her some of Paula Deen’s chicken rice soup. There’s NOTHING in this soup that she CAN’T have and since it’s cold and snowy AND she’s working hard painting and cleaning, it just FEELS like a soup kind of day. Everything comes from God’s earth and the chicken is even healthy, right? This will be the only time in the past 2 weeks that she’s eaten chicken though. She tells me that this is like a 5 star meal for her! And then I reminded her about those fried potatoes last night. Was that like a 4 star meal? lol
By now you know that I get my recipes from SOMEWHERE. Lately it’s bee from the great Paula Deen. However, I rarely stick to a recipe. This one is revised by me but comes mostly from her. Everyone’s got their own way of doing chicken soup. Soup is just one of those foods that you can’t mess up PLUS it’s good for what ails you! If you feel bad physically or emotionally, I PROMISE you’ll feel better after a great big bowl of this!
Cure – All Chicken Rice Soup
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, cut up, rinsed and patted dry (mine was 5.5 lbs)
6 celery stalks, washed (use with the green leaves)
6 large carrots chopped into coins
2 lrg Vidalia onions (halved through the root end)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves
5 tsp salt
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp tarragon (dried)
2 cups long grain white rice
2/3 cups chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
In a large stockpot, combine chicken, 12 cups water, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt, black pepper, tarragon and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through (around an hour).
Remove the chicken and carrots from stockpot and set aside. Strain the remaining liquid and discard the solids. Return the strained broth to the pot, stir in rice and bring to a gentle simmer, cook until the rice is tender about 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick meat off the bones, discarding skin and bones. Return the chicken and carrots to the pot. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and stir in parsley right before serving.
*The bones make the soup! You can always use boneless chicken breast. I do if that’s all I have on hand but if you want REALLY good soup, full of flavor, you’ll want to use chicken on the bone.
*This recipe is a double batch. It will serve 12-18 people generously. I always double recipes because I can freeze a batch for later. It saves time and money 🙂 Enjoy!
Snowy day in St. Louis. St. Louis Missouri Botanical Gardens.
(Photo credit Erin Wilson)
I can’t believe this! Yesterday, I was riding around, COATLESS, singing in the Spring sunshine. Today, I’m bundled up INSIDE, watching the wet, cold snow fall. Before it’s all said and done, we’ll be getting somewhere around 10 inches of the white fluffy stuff! That’s St. Louis for you! It’s a good thing I didn’t plant my little garden like I was SO tempted to do!
We’ve not really had a very relaxing weekend. It’s a GOOD thing though 🙂 Julia, Ben and I decided to move her bedroom upstairs to her sister’s old bedroom. The room I’d wanted to turn into my library. Oh well, maybe I’ll do that when she’s in college…. 4 more years. I’m not rushing things. Anyway, we have 2 spare bedrooms upstairs. Neither one of them had been deep cleaned for AT LEAST 5 years, probably more. I wish I could describe the dust that was hiding underneath all the furniture. Wow! I’m ashamed. lol I mean, I clean, I just hadn’t moved furniture. We took out half a dumpster load of trash and things I’d been hanging onto for God knows WHAT reason. The trash man is NOT going to be happy with me tomorrow 😦 We’ve been painting for 2 days now and the end is in sight!
Julia’s new bedroom is going from pink and girly to dark turquoise with white accents. The only input I had was the chandelier I insisted she have. It’s turning out a WHOLE lot better than I’d envisioned, mostly because of my chandelier 🙂 lol It’s going to look something like this when we get done.
(Does anyone want to paint that white tree for me? We certainly can’t do that but we really REALLY want it!)
I love that Julia’s being so involved with the decorating. Really I do. I argue with her a lot, trying to show her MY way is best. There is no arguing with this child. When she dies, she’ll argue with God. I’m sure of it. lol It’s all good because she knows what she likes and won’t back down. Really, why would I want her to. This is HER room and I want her last few years here to be good and peaceful ones. You’ve GOT to pick your battles. Besides, it’s a bargaining tool. If I give in to the way she wants things, I can ALSO say that she has to do every bit as much work as we have to do 😉 There is a method to my madness.
Hubby is also building me my bookshelves in the other tiny bedroom. We’ve moved all my furniture in that one and it will be my little office / bedroom / closet / reading nook. We’re NOT painting this room yet. It’s the same ugly khaki color that it’s been for 5 years. Now that it’s clean and organized though, it’s kind of cute again!
So yeah, Spring cleaning on a winter day. Maybe it will stay clean for another 10 years! lol
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