Southern Casa

My Friend Whom I Never Met...

2011-01-19T14:43:00.000-06:00

March 2001, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35. This seems mountains ago at almost 10 years. Somehow I am so thankful for the past 10 years and at the same time just plain devastated that I was the one to endure such medical treatment.

That moment, in my life, I turned to a website "Frends in Need" because I lived in Virginia while my family was back in Mississippi. I made quick friends with Cathy who lived in New York. Cathy was diagnosed same time with BC as me. We both had similar medical diagnosis and were the same age. Cathy and I may have talked on the phone just a couple of times but we kept in touch via email. As the months turned into years, we did not communicate as much but Cathy was always on my mind because we shared so much in common and compared notes about chemo and reconstruction.

Two weeks ago, I sent Cathy an email thanking her for her yearly Christmas card that always contained her two beautiful young children. I wanted to tell her that I did not forget her that I just simply did not do cards this year. Time just flew by so fast to where I just decided to not do Christmas or New Years cards. Cathy responded with such sadness to inform me that she is now under Hospice care and has suspended all medical treatments because cancer has spread to her internal organs. She is wheelchair bound and has lost sight out of one eye. I am so devastated because she is scared. I have prayed that God to please release her fear of dying.

So I just grieve for her silently and keep checking email and facebook as if someone would give me a clue on how she is doing today.

Same Resolution

2010-12-26T07:39:00.000-06:00

Boy is it bitterly cold here at 37. I wanted to get up and run this morning before church. It does not look like it will happen. High today is 46 so maybe after church. My resolution for the New Year is to get back to running. The same one year after year. The rental project consumed 5 months of my life of not going to church and running. I have gained weight and refuse to step on the scale to see how bad it is. I am going to get my life back!

Inserting a picture that we took at Beau Rivage theater. We saw the Spirit of Christmas and really enjoyed it. Yes,

Championship was claimed

2010-12-21T07:09:00.000-06:00

Surprise, I am here.. I really wish that I could write more. My writing stinks! There are a handfull of bloggers that I love to keep up with but rarely comment. I am just a lurker.

Made a point to check SAT scores for my daughter this morning. The final complete score will now be posted Dec 28th. What a bummer! She has sat through 4 separate ACT and 1 SAT test. I just wish her score was higher. She is a 4.532 GPA (weighted) the ACT/SAT is not fair to her. She is somewhat having a meltdown. After winning State Cheer Competition this past weekend, she is depressed and just tired. I could not talk her into going for her weekly private stunt class. She is not motivated and does not think she is good enough. There is this one stunt that she has not mastered and it is bringing her down no matter how hard she tries. She has until April to master so that she can try-out for MSU coed-squad. I hope she makes it. Here is the state championships of Mississippi. Now they head to Orlando, FL for Nationals in February.

I have to work today while Dan is off until Jan 3rd and the kids are out of school until that time. Does not feel good to have to go into work and leave everyone in bed. See bloggerville later.

October 18th...sad day

2010-10-18T07:06:00.001-05:00

October 18th is my sister's birthday. She passed away Feb 1997 when I was pregnant with my 13 year old. She was 33 years old leaving me as the only child of my parents.

I still think of her often and get angry at her for leaving me. She contacted HIV from drugs.

I would post of picture of her but just so not have one scanned.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KELLY. One day in heaven, We will meet again.

Team Building

2010-10-04T06:12:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is our team building outing from the office. We are all going bowling! There will be four teams of five. The team building part of this outing is getting with your team members and coming up with a team name followed by the team attire or costume. Our team decided on Black-Sabbath (the group). I am definitely not looking forward to this! I cannot wait for this to be over. My main focus in life is getting this rental property ready for rental and yet we still have a long way to go....it consumes my every wakening and every off day. It is bankrupting me.

Homecoming 2010

2010-09-29T19:20:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to post a picture of my husband and daughter during Homecoming. I will post soon just not enough time in the day for me.

Another one

2010-09-15T06:32:00.001-05:00

My teenager (senior) had another car accident. I am so glad that noone got hurt. This was her fault since she was following too close and yet received another ticket for it. She has two speeding tickets and now two car accidents. She is getting a good track record that is breaking me!! I told her she needs to start working more at her job so she can pay her ticket and the deductible to get the vehicle fixed. Our funds are short anyway trying to fix the rental house without using our equity line. I dread the insurance increase and think I need to pull her off my insurance and have her a separate policy.

Homecoming parade is today-tomorrow is mother-daughter court dinner-friday is pep-rally and Homecoming. I will get some pictures to post. Just a very busy week for us.

Quick Post as I am on the run......

2010-09-12T06:54:00.001-05:00

A quick post...

I have been so busy with this new property getting it ready to rent. It has really been a money pit with replacing all windows (10) in this 1968 built house. Thank goodness, that my husband can replace them for free labor! Kitchen cabinets should be in next week with the black countertop. Cannot wait to see it and wished the progress was moving faster. I need some rent money to pay all this credit debt!!!

High school homecoming is next week and my daughter will be a knock-out. Another money pit with all the dresses we are buying. We just bought the pep-rally dress last night from BCBG. $300 dress for $69. Hope she uses it more than the 10 min pep-rally walk-out. It is worth almost as much as her Tony Bowls gown for the court...My do I hope she makes Queen.. It is my hope but we are just plain thankful that she got elected to be on court by her peers. Queen is nice but being on court meant alot to her!!!

Well off to Lowe's we go to buy a wet-saw for the ceramic tile we are putting in the bathroom and another oak floor sander. Oak floors look beautiful with no varnish, the natural look. I may keep it that color.

I need a weekend off soon or I will go crazy....one other thing, I had the most delicious Indian food last night.
We went to Clay Oven after we bought the dress for pep-rally. Boy was it spicy!

Homecoming

2010-08-27T15:44:00.000-05:00

It is 3:33pm and I am at work...yep, not working and waiting til 5 o'clock with my foot tapping to the beat of my printer, printing out a report. The only time I have to get onto the computer is at work. Home life and real estate is just occupying my time as well as shopping for another homecoming gown. Now that is the fun part, shopping for homecoming. Yayyy my daughter got voted again be on court for homecoming. Last weekend we drove a couple of hours to Hattiesburg to a dress shop and found her dress a Tony Bowls Designer. Here it is!

She is going to be one classy, elegant lady.
Wonder if she will be voted queen?

While most of her other friends, that were voted on court will sport the poofy dresses, she is more on the elegant mature side.

Have a great weekend. I know I will trying to get that rental property ready for occupancy.

Money Microsoft

2010-08-12T14:55:00.000-05:00

We own five computers and all of them are old and crappy except for the laptop (my daughters) and netbook (my netbook) that are the newest purchase. On one of the old computers we faithfully use Money Microsoft to account for most of our many accounts. I left work during lunch to run home so that I could update Money Microsoft. I found that computer to refuse to work! It is issuing an error stating to press "F1 to reboot or F2 for Utilities" . F1 is not doing anything for me. Oh G-d, now I cannot access Money Microsoft. Husband is not happy about it. He does not have time to work on this problem because of the rental that is consuming our time. Nor do we have the cash to buy a new one just for our finances. What a bummer!

Tropical Depression

2010-08-11T15:35:00.000-05:00

Tropical Depression 5 is approaching the Gulf Coast and will make landfall early Thursday. We expect lots of rain nothing major.

Inheritance or gift

2010-08-09T15:49:00.000-05:00

My mother has signed over her property in the countryside of Mississippi to me and her only two granddaughters, which are my two daughters.  She had an agreement with her tenants to upkeep the property for no rent. Wow, what a deal!!! This has went on for eight years with little to no visits from her. My mother was desperate for someone to maintain this property since she lives 50 miles away. This set-up was a win-win situation between her and the tenants.

After the transfer of ownership, I paid a visit to the tenants with my husband and mother. I wanted to see the inside of the house and while I was taking pictures and asking questions I caught on to some lies about the caretaking/maintenance of the house. That I will discuss later so I decided to tell the tenants that we wanted to upgrade the house and need it vacated in sixty-plus days and when it was completed we would rent the house to them if they were interested.   I found out that I only needed to give them thirty days but wanted to be the better person extending to sixty, give a few days if necessary. The tenants found a home and was out in sixty days. It worked out well for them and me.

My husband arrived at the house Friday while I was at work. There was a note on the door with the keys. I later thought that these people did not want to face us after my husband inspected this house. The condition of the house is a total disgust. Never in my life have I smelled such awful odor, the kind of odor that is of mice and roach droppings mixed with mold. The house was so filthy with dust on the ceiling combined with spider webs. The walls looked like they never were cleaned and it appeared as though they fried food daily in the kitchen as the walls and cabinets was filthy with splattered food that has not been cleaned in decades.  Kitchen cabinets were eaten by mice on the inside and the mice lived in a cabinet drawer. There were mice droppings everywhere in the kitchen along with roaches. Later that weekend as we were ripping out vinyl in the kitchen did we discover that most of the house joist are rotted, all the outside wood under the attic is rotting. The beautiful oak floors are destroyed and we do not know if we can save them. So much for tenants that lived rent free supposedly to fix this house up. They did the least they could for eight years and now I have to fork out a fortune just to get it in conditions to rent. I am so disappointed in the conditions of this house, it is depressing.

Fur-Kids

2010-08-05T10:27:00.001-05:00

Here are my fur-kids! They are the sweetest precious house dogs anyone could ever have.
Bella is the yorkie and Humphrey is the schnauzer.
They love attention and very demanding at getting it.

Cancer 9 years Later

2010-08-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

Sad day as I prepare an email to a friend that I met online nine years ago from Long Island, NY that was diagnosed the same time and kind of cancer as I was. She has spiraled downward in the past two months with it spreading to her spinal cord and brain. I never know what to say to give someone hope. Writing has never been my strength.

Favorite Blogger is .....

2010-08-03T23:54:00.000-05:00

I feel really sad that my favorite blogger is going to password protect his blog. I wished I really commented on his blog more than what I did then maybe I would stick out like a true blog friend. This does bother me since I truly enjoyed his blog and somehow felt connected. I hope by some miracle that I get invited to be a friend.

I rarely log onto one of my yahoo email account. I checked it hoping my blog friend would miraculously send me an invite. Instead of Andrew's email, I received one from someone that I consider an internet friend. Back in 2001, when I found out that I had breast cancer, I somehow became friends with a lady my age that was diagnosed the same time I was with the same stage of cancer. She lived in Long Island, NY and I lived in Williamsburg, VA. We never met but kept in contact by email over the years and I may have spoken to her once by phone. I am so sad to read her email of facing the worst of cancer spreading to her brain and spinal cord. She is wheelchair bound while having brain surgery/radiation/chemo. I have not responded to the email as I am terribly sad and need to get a grip and send her an email that will give some hope. Tonight I will be praying for those that suffer with cancer. I just never know what to say..

Feel Good

2010-07-29T21:44:00.001-05:00

I almost did not go running this evening but with my husband's stern remark, that I will regret it if I don't. I forced myself to go. We run regularly together, side by side through our large neighborhood. Our path takes us by the neighborhood lake and back which is roughly 2 -3 miles for 25 mins and we walk our cul-de-sac 5 min to catch our breath. I am so glad I went. I feel good!!! Tomorrow is Friday and you bet, I will not be running. You just might find me relaxing with a glass of wine. Celebrating the weekend that will go by too fast.

Wide awake.

2010-07-28T01:16:00.000-05:00

Now I am wide-awake. I got home at 5pm from a quick road trip to Atlanta to pick up my daughter from Emory University. I quickly put my pajamas on to relax and fell asleep until 12am. Now I am awake with a headache. Driving is so exhausting and I was not the driver. It takes 6 hours to drive one-way to Atlanta from where I live. Just being in the car is exhausting with limited movement.

The hotel stay was cheap and clean. The only problem was the strip club next door called the Pink Pony. It was rocking all night. The music boom was so loud that is can be heard in our room. I am thankful the kids was not with us.

I better go and try to get some sleep until I need to get up for work. Morning is approching fast.

Bonnie Limping Along

2010-07-24T08:04:00.000-05:00

I am so happy that Tropical Storm Bonnie is struggling in the Gulf of Mexico. We have had our share of hurricanes and do not desire one anytime soon. Bonnie is traveling northwest which puts our town on the very eastern edge of the projected path. Another plus is that Bonnie is arriving Sunday while I leave for Atlanta to pickup my daughter at Emory College. She is attending an expensive 10 day Medical Forum by National Youth Leadership. Did I say she wants to be a medical doctor in Oncology? I am very proud of her!

I need to finish coffee with my husband and do our run before the rain sets in. He is bbm daughter that is at Emory University finding out what medical sessions she is doing today. He is a wonderful step-father and has caught onto the texting that kids now-a-days are doing for communicating.

Oncology Appt

2010-07-12T07:29:00.001-05:00

I have an oncology appointment today. It has been over 9 years since my days of chemo/radiation/surgery for breast cancer. I am doing great except for the weight gain. This will be a question for my doctor. How can I run 2 miles a day, 4-5 days a week and not lose weight? I know I am not eating the house out! Is this what I have to look forward to in my menopause days?

I enjoy running with my husband, we are a great team running side-by-side not many couples do that. It is one of the pleasures of life that we do together. Have a good day.

Oak Tree Infestation

2010-07-11T23:21:00.001-05:00

I was worked up today about seeing some type of worm infestation on a back yard Oak tree. It just gave me the creeps and bothered me until i sprayed insecticide on them. Where I live, Live Oak trees are protected under city law from cutting down. They are a true beautiful southern tree that symbolizes strength and many live several hundred years old.

Later I researched and found out that these worms were possible butterflies as they use oak trees as a place for depositing their larvae, though unless the hatching offspring consume a large portion of the tree's leaves the oak is generally unaffected. Oh well, too late, I killed them all.

2 months ago we had to pull 12-15 red tip bushes because of contagious fungus and I guess I was paranoid that these critters were going to destroy my yard!

My Day...

2010-07-10T16:47:00.005-05:00

Enjoyed meeting family/friends last night over Mexican dinner and margaritas. I totally dig margaritas. It was 2 for 1 (they were small glasses)..I am not a regular drinker so those two did make me loopy and need I say that I slept well.

Today was stay at home and enjoy the pool day. I rarely get to swim in our salt water pool and really need to start. Now that the temperatures are pushing 10, it is a pleasure to cool off after working in the yard. The problem is that when it really gets hot, the water temperature gets hot and it starts to feel more like a sauna. So we have installed a sprinkler system that helps keep the water cooler.

My father and mother, both divorced, came by the house to visit. I am so glad that they get along and can laugh and talk together. Is that strange? Both me and my husband have been divorced as well and we actually do not get along with our ex's. What is the norm? I can say that I really do not want to be friends with my ex. I do not find him friendly. I find him to be a bellowing bull type of person.

I may just start blogging. What is the purpose of me blogging? Not sure who would really want to read my blog but it feels good and right. Now that is all I am saying.

It has been awhile

2010-07-09T14:01:00.003-05:00

I am not a good writer! That is the reason why I never post. I basically love to read other blogs when I have time.

I am so glad today is Friday and I am off at 5 and having our family dinner with a very good friend that I have not seen in awhile because she has two small grandchildren that live with her and they keep her busy. Plus my life as a mom with two teenage daughters keeps me grounded in my area on the Gulf Coast. Most of the time, I just love to stay home. The older I get, I find myself being more of a homebody.

Life on the Gulf Coast will be changing as the oil spill has finally reached us. I am making a decision on not consuming any Gulf Coast seafood for safety health reasons. Tar balls are found all along the beaches which is so sad. I find myself so angry that BP and President Obama has not found a solution to this huge mistake.

Just Popping in......

2009-03-15T08:29:00.004-05:00

Sorry for not posting in over a week. Alot has happened in our neck of the woods. Our friend has passed on and we provided room for his parents. They left Friday and are in our thoughts as we enjoyed having them at this unfortunate time in their lives. I cannot imagine losing a child. He was just too young (44) to leave a wife and two small children.

We went to New Orleans for a 2 day cheer competition yesterday. Today we will be going back and will have to stay until 6 pm for awards. It will be a long day and I am prepared to miss my favorite shows tonight or should I say will tape "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers and Sisters". I will not miss those shows.

Tuesday, I have to go to Baton Rouge for work...I hate travelling on the job. Well as soon as everything settles, I will post. I have not read any post and hope to do that later this week.

Alabama send some snow to Mississippi

2009-03-01T13:43:00.005-06:00

I hear Alabama got some snow. It is just too cold for me so I am hunkered in today. Everyone has left. Yankee man went to Lowe's. Both daughters are with their father. Very peaceful day staying in from the cold and reading blogs.

Yesterday went to New Orleans to visit our friend that is dying in the hospital. So sad and he has not come to terms with dying. He may never come to terms with death. He and his family are constantly on our minds. Afterwards we ate at P.F.Changs. I just love their hot and sour soup. Not much is happening here on the gulf coast.

Southern Casa new addiction

2009-02-24T21:53:00.005-06:00

I’ve never been one of those people who really got in to video games, but now I have to come clean. I officially have a problem. It’s called the Wii, and I’ve recently become an addict. Who would have thought that I’d find myself standing in my living room boxing some incredibly tough character on TV with a pair of nunchucks after a long day at the office? Or that I’d be jumping around a virtual tennis court in a volley more intense than any I’ve ever encountered on a real court?
The beauty of the Wii is that it’s a physical game where, if you play hard enough, you can actually get a decent workout while in the comfort of your own home. I know it sounds a bit insane, as I was totally skeptical myself when my husband brought the little box of fun into our house. You truly won’t understand what I’m talking about until you’ve personally given it a shot.

Yankee Man....pleaseee can I have

2009-02-24T13:44:00.007-06:00

I am off today because it is FAT TUESDAY. Mardi Gra holiday. Kids will be out of school for three days to go back Thursday. Yep... another southern holiday.

I love shopping for paintings. I am quite hooked! My brand new hobby is to spend hours in front of the computer looking at oil paintings. Look at what I am hoping to purchase. I want to put this in my guest bedroom. Isn't she beautiful? All I have to do is beg/plead with Yankee Man to see it my way as an.....Investment!! Yep, think he will go for it?

Mardi Gras King Cake

2009-02-24T13:21:00.006-06:00

The New Orleans tradition, begun in the 1870s, borrows heavily from European customs. As part of the celebration of Mardi Gras, it is traditional to bake an oval cake in honor of the three kings - the King Cake. The shape of a King Cake symbolizes the unity of faiths. Each cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power. A small baby, symbolizing the baby Jesus, is baked into each cake.
In New Orleans, King Cake parties are held throughout the Mardi Gras season. In offices, classrooms, and homes throughout the city, King Cakes are sliced and enjoyed by all. Like the biblical story, the "search for the baby" adds excitement, as each person waits to see in whose slice of cake the baby will be discovered. While custom holds that the person who finds the baby in their slice will be rewarded with good luck, that person is also traditionally responsible for bringing the King Cake to the next party or gathering.
The traditional King Cake is made from twisted strands of cinnamon dough, topped with icing, and sprinkled with purple, green, and gold colored sugar. Today, many additional varieties of King Cake are also available, with fillings such as cream cheese, strawberry, apple, praline pecan, lemon and many more flavors.

King Cakes are everywhere down south on the coast. Bakeries, Grocery stores, gas stations, etc all carry King Cakes. Till next year..Happy Mardi Gras.

Sad on GulfCoast

2009-02-23T07:02:00.007-06:00

It has been a sad weekend. Our friend is dying of cancer in the hospital. He is so young and we were very hopeful that chemo would pull him through. Please pray for his family as they prepare to get things in order. Here is the website that was setup for friends and family for updates. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/danash

Please pray for them. The wife is not employed and they have two small children.

Burning Desire

2009-02-18T07:07:00.005-06:00

Here it is. I have the title registration/registered certificate as name "Burning Desire". This is just what I needed to fill the wall in my front room. I have very high ceilings, which makes it hard to find pictures/paintings to put up. What else should I do to this room? Any advise on type of furniture??? I am very HAPPY.....I can just stare at this canvas all day. I cannot wait until someone comes over to see what his or her first reaction is to this. Would you believe this painting to be worth much more than I purchased it for. The artist asked me not to leave feedback or the quality of her work can decrease because I got it for a bargain. he he....

Fedex Delivery

2009-02-17T16:42:00.003-06:00

I went home for lunch today and noticed a Penske truck in my driveway. He just backed into my driveway as I was turning in the street. I had to park in the front of my house, on the street by the brick mailbox. I wondered who this is. No one is generally home at this time of day. Then it hit me.......my painting that I won, on one of the auctions, on EBay. I hurried to him, as he was pulling the large package out of the truck. I made the guy wait until I opened the package to make sure that the canvas was intact and not damaged before I signed for it. It is an abstract painting. My, it is gorgeous! I am so happy. Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!Happy!
We have a busy night tonight but when we all get back from a cheerleading banquet for my daughter, my husband will be putting the painting on the wall. I will post a picture for you guys to see.

President's Day

2009-02-16T14:48:00.013-06:00

Today started out lovely....

1. Applied for two jobs online...I need a job with stability!!! Just need same pay but more would be a blessing.

2. Took Morgan to school

3. Emailed Morgan's teacher on a book that she was to bring home for an assignment. Got a quick response from teacher. Now that is a dedicated teacher.

4. Ran on my treadmill while watching "The Young and the Restless". I love that soap! Cannot wait until Mrs. C. is finally the real Mrs. C.

5. Took a long bath in the jacuzzi tub. I have no clue why the jacuzzi tub never gets used. Such a waste!

6. Meet the school bus at 4pm and bring Morgan to her cheer practice...giving my mother a break today since I am off.

7. Parent meeting at High School concerning Varsity Cheer tryouts.

8. Picked Morgan up from Cheer, came home and ate leftovers and sitting hear listening to my husband complaining about his job and telling Morgan to do her homework as it gets closer to bedtime.

Happy Presidents Day.

Lazy Sunday

2009-02-15T09:43:00.007-06:00

We missed church this morning. I do feel guilty and this guilt is most likely how I was raised here in the south. My mother is still very religious (but does not attend church) and if I tell her that I did not go to church, she will put the guilt on me. We have gotten into several arguments about me being over 40 years old and what I do is up to me and not her.

Anyway, today we will have split pea and ham soup, steak, broccoli salad, and toasted garlic bread for lunch. Fresh strawberries and blueberries for dessert that we bought yesterday at Sam's. We are trying to eat more healthy foods and lose alittle weight. My father is coming over to eat with us. I did invite my mother but she declined due to the gloomy weather. She does not want to get out. (My parents are divorced and have been since I was in the second grade). I just feel so lazy/gloomy today. Coffee is just not having an effect on me. I am so glad to be off tomorrow. Good benefit to work for a bank and have the holidays off.

Rain,Rain,Rain go awayyyy

2009-02-14T08:02:00.005-06:00

It has been raining all day yesterday and now today. We are keeping an eye on our pool to make sure that the water level does not rise too high and on the watch-out for snakes & turtles that somehow end up in the pool.

Humphrey, our mini-schnauzer, does not want to go out in the rain. We have done everything we can do entice him to go and "Potty". No biscuit for him...he is so spoiled!!

Hope you all enjoy Valentines Day. I have one daughter in Atlanta with a friend and another one having a sleep over. It is very peaceful and quiet except for the rain. I know this is a boring post but I felt the need to post something...

New Orleans

2009-02-10T21:30:00.005-06:00

We totally enjoyed our day in New Orleans, Saturday. First we went to the Garden District to eat some Indian food at Nirvana and drive around looking at the multi-million dollar mansions. We saw Nicholas Cage mansion in the Garden District and he also owns a mansion in the French Quarter that is America's most haunted. Very interesting, I need to read up on LaLaurie. LaLaurie was the owner of the haunted mansion that killed many black servants. We walked through the French quarter looking at many art galleries and toured Voodoo museum. I was worried that Hurricane Katrina changed the city. It was better than I expected. It was beautiful and we enjoyed the day. Cannot wait to go back.

By the way, my daughter's cheer team made semi-finals. Wished they could have went to finals. Maybe next year.

Name

2009-02-06T14:52:00.003-06:00

hey was it wise for me to post that broadcast with my daughter's name? Wise? someone tell me. This is the internet and I seem to forget that...please comment all you mama's out there...

Mom's Bragging Rights

2009-02-06T06:52:00.007-06:00

Maura is in Orlando for the UCA Competition in Disney World. She is having the time of her life. Wanted to post a clip from youtube that the local television station broadcast. It is very short but my baby is in it. Please check out. Found out before she left that she is very stressed out to the point that she wanted me to go with her to the school counselor. She has been having nightmares, worrying about grades and her job as lifeguard, also the competition. Her relationship with a certain boy is also creating a roller coaster effect. All I can do is tell her to enjoy the trip, sleep, and have fun-release all the stress. She has to learn how to balance out-exactly what the counselor said..

Wednesday....update

2009-02-04T06:22:00.006-06:00

Today I have to call the doctor for my oldest daughter. She is sick again and I have to get her an appointment today because tomorrow morning she leaves to go to Orlando. She is on the High School Cheer competition squad. They will compete at Disney World and against 65 other teams. I do hope they do well. She will be there until Monday and Lord I hope she does not get ill requiring a physician while at Disney World (and mommy not there!!). My other daughter is going to her father's for the weekend, so I told my husband......LET'S PARTY.. I think we are driving to New Orleans for some sight seeing. I have always wanted to go on one of those Haunted Tours....he he he...

Miserable

2009-01-29T06:42:00.004-06:00

Sick...is a four letter word meaning miserable life!

Try Asthmatic Bronchitis heading for pneumonia…Bubble life with ears full of fluid, fever, out of breath cough, can't get enough air, nose drippings, snot rags everywhere, no sleep, sick kids.

Need to go to work and get a budget out by Deadline tomorrow. Deadline.....superiors want employees to come in DEAD as long as they get what they need. What is sick time for?

My birthday is Sunday. Please Dear God....let me have some happiness with good health. I want to have a wonderful family dinner with everyone being HAPPY and Healthy.

Recovering

2009-01-24T12:34:00.006-06:00

We all have been to the doctor with some type of bacterial infection that more or less causes Bronchitis and can progress into Pneumonia. This hacking cough seems to attack very frequently, during the day and all night. This is the reason I cannot get a good night sleep.

Another reason I cannot sleep, is the stress of my job. I am a controller for a bank. We are going through a reorganization, 6 people will get laid off. Three have left but three other employees do not know about it yet. I really hate it. We have a wonderful receptionist that is a single mother. She really needs her job. I know she is one that will lose her job as well as two other people in Louisiana. This economy really is s--king.

I want to catch up on reading blogs but have to prepare for a meeting Monday in New Orleans which I need to travel to Mobile, Alabama today. Thanks to all of you that commented.

Sickness in the House

2009-01-17T12:32:00.005-06:00

Sorry we have not posted. We have been very sick and hope to be up and running soon.

A Yankee Perspective of the “Cold Front”

2009-01-11T20:46:00.002-06:00

The Mississippi Girl cannot be disturbed right now, Desperate Housewives is on and the world as we know it has come to a complete halt. There are no serious issues, no emergencies, nothing that can’t wait until commercial time or the end of the episode. Kind of like your most die-hard football fan during the Super-Bowl, probably a little worse! I dislike even walking in front of the set, wincing in anticipation of a verbal assault.

So in the next few days we might see the temperatures drop into the 20’s at night, in South Mississippi that’s really cold. Being a Northerner I may have to put some long pants on, seriously, the flip-flops and shorts never go away down here. It has been pretty warm so far, 60’s and 70’s, not even a prayer of ice or snow. Not sure if you remember that freak snowfall we had in this area and Louisiana right before the holidays in 2008? There were mothers checking their kids out of school, loading them up in the car and driving North in order to catch a glimpse of snow. Many folks down here have never seen it.

Cold is relative, that’s a fact, it’s what you’re used to. I’ve learned to stop saying “You don’t know what cold is….when I lived up North….”, first of all most folks don’t want to hear it, secondly there are other climate extremes down here that you quickly find out are more worthy of discussing. We went through a major hurricane scare this summer with Gustav – talk about your life coming to a standstill making preparations for that potential nightmare. Ask yourself what you need to do in the unlikely event that your house blows away, and then get ready for it. The other extreme can be the brutal heat in the summer, I’m talking hot heat, hot sausage cookin’, crawfish eatin’, strip your clothes off, hot!

If we can get through the next couple of months we’ll be moving into spring, a great time down here in the South. I think Walmart is trying to force us into February anyway, look at all the Valentines Day product on the shelf and they already have Mardi Gras King Cakes on the shelves, Who Dat?

Tune in later when I give you a Yankee’s first experience with King Cake, a truly magical Southern event and one you cannot pass up should you get the chance.

Alert South Mississippi - Cold front moving in...

2009-01-11T18:48:00.018-06:00

This is unusual weather for us here on coast of Mississippi.

ALERT---COLD Air is here...Tonight will be cold with lows falling into the low and mid 30s. Wind chill values in the 20s.

I had to bring my Palms and other tropical plants in from the cold. My fear is the LIZARDS/frogs/bugs that may be living in the soil.

You would think since I lived in VA and NC that I can get used to this..NOoooo, southern people do not leave their living quarters in this kind of weather.

Humphrey aka King of de Casa is checking plants out to make sure there are no critters.

It has passed inspection! He got a biscuit for his hard work.

Last time, there was a green frog that managed to get lose.

Bundle up and stay warm...

BCBG Heaven What a Bargain

2009-01-09T08:26:00.004-06:00

2 Post in one day...I have to tell you all this....this requires another POST.

Yesterday, the receptionist at work has a friend that has 5 formal dresses (ALL BCBG brand)...These are $400.00 dresses for $50.00 each. Brand new, with tags, never been worn. Having a teenager that is in several functions that require formals, I rushed to her school with these dresses. I checked her out for her 30 min. lunch, ran to the nearest fast food place, cause gosh, she needs to eat and try on dresses. "Po-Boy Express"it is. I ordered her typical southern Po-boy...(Mom's know their kids favorite) Fried Shrimp PO-Boy/leave off the healthy stuff called tomato and lettuce and of course add the extra grease, fries. I was so excited over the dresses that I did not complain about her unhealthy lunch. (Yankee husband loves Southern Po-Boy. )

She loved 3 of the dresses. We agreed on two. Two elegant, gorgeous dresses totaling $800.00 for $100.00. I am HAPPY. This was cheaper than her "Homecoming Dress" a few months ago.

Still on Cloud 9 from the excellent BARGAIN a day later!

Elliptical it is!

2009-01-09T08:05:00.006-06:00

Most of you that commented said the Elliptical is the way to go. I am going to go to Sears and try their elliptical's. I am off today....yeahhhh! I only do the 20 min run on treadmill. I should go longer but 20 mins is the aerobic workout for me. I do this about 4-5 times a week. The key to doing this faithfully is parking the dang thing in front of the TV. There is a program that comes on at 6pm that I am hooked on. (Soap) So everyday I come home from work to see my 6pm soap and welcome the treadmill run.

Treadmill or Elliptical?

2009-01-05T07:00:00.005-06:00

I know I do not have many viewing my blog but I have a question. I want to purchase some exercise equipment and pondering which one is better for me. Treadmill or Elliptical..

Can someone tell me what would they prefer?

I have a treadmill that I have faithfully used for 11 years and is about to retire.

I wish I had more time to work on my blog..I need to look at new gadgets and post pictures...I really want to work on this blog but need to get off and get ready for work. Kids are off today from school. It is their last day of the Christmas break. They need to enjoy. Wish I had another day off. I am never happy with what time off I had....need more...gimmee more... Husband left this morning for work. He is the best yankee ever. I am so fortunate to have him in my life. He is truly a prince and we are going on 9 years.

bye all...need to get ready for work.

YIKESSSS

2009-01-02T20:06:00.001-06:00

I stepped on the scale..I am so embarrassed..will have to start cutting back seriously. Has anyone tried ALLI weight loss plan?

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-01T08:49:00.005-06:00

Wonderful New Year...I had my cousin and his wife from Alabama for the quite eve of New Year's. They are husband and wife truck drivers. Their life is so exciting and I love being in their company hearing about their life on the road.

Cooked the World's Best Lasagna (5 star recipe) for dinner from my favorite website http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Worlds-Best-Lasagna/Detail.aspx . We went and bought fireworks for the kids and had a blast firing them off in front of the house. Afterwards, watched Dick Clark's New Years Show with hot toddy's.

Tell me How you celebrated New Years?

Ouch! Yes Dear.....

2008-12-30T12:59:00.004-06:00

Owww! That was my arm being twisted, by my wife, to put something (ANYTHING) on this blog spot. She's at work and I'm home on vacation, it just kills her. Somehow she has this vision of me in a hammock with an ice tea, regardless of the the temperature outside, every time she's working and I'm not. I think it's just smart for me to be doing this anyway, I'll get some satisfaction out of seeing her Mississippi Girl smile, and I really should support her efforts. For some reason she loves to read all these blogs, I haven't been hooked by it yet.

So what do you write about? I've always wanted to write but never took the time, even bought a book off eBay for creative writing. Why is it that whenever I read these reference type books I pretty much already know everything they are telling me to do? Maybe it's how it's packaged or presented? Maybe I should write a reference book on how to read a reference book?

I've got some ideas and I'll write more later. This is my first blog posting (aside from my rants on eBay billboards) and I get this feeling that I'm about to send this off to some foreign planet where no one will read it, we'll see what comes back.

King of de' Casa

2008-12-30T07:59:00.004-06:00

Thought I would share our KING.He is a miniture schnauzer and well loved.

Off to work I go today, I just may take off tomorrow. Still have no idea about the company that should be arriving for New Year's. I need to call them and see if they are still driving down.

Blogging....trying to get started...

2008-12-28T18:45:00.000-06:00

I see other blogs and they look so perfect.....I am trying to bring my creative side to this blog. I realize that I am new and it will take some time. I finally got a picture uploaded. WOW what an accomplishment. My real reason for starting a blog is so family members and friends can feel a part of our day to day lives. Now if I can only get my husband to input on here every once in a while then this blog will really roll.

BTW two daughters are home....they really got what they wanted for Christmas. Grace is really loven her iPod touch..I am so happy that she loves her gift.

Arrival of Grace

2008-12-28T07:57:00.000-06:00

Today we are expecting Grace (lives in Virginia-hill jacks-no offense intended-we used to live there.) and cannot wait to see her. She will be staying with us for a few days to visit. She did come stay with us during Thanksgiving and as we say, our family is not complete until we have all 3 girls together in our home. The ages are 15, 14 , & 11. Hopefully we can find something to do for New Year's. We should be expecting a cousin and his wife from Alabama also and that will mean Grace having to share a bedroom with Morgan. I hate that but maybe there will be some step-sisterly bonding going on. M & M have been with their father and so I am expecting one of the M's this morning (15 yr old). So today will be two girls hanging out with us! The other one is going to stay a day or two with her god-mother until she will have to come home Tuesday late for an appt. for her broken arm...(that is another story)...I really need to clean before Grace gets here. I hope she has a pleasant air flight usually the stewardess does not take her to get her beloved "Starbucks" dessert but as she calls it "her Coffee". We will have to treat her to Starbucks as she opens her belated Christmas gifts from her family here in the south...

Friends Needing Prayers

2008-12-27T08:52:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, we went to the hospital to see a friend that had bladder cancer stage 3. He was doing great after completing chemo and radiation but for some reason the doctors cannot figure is why his platelets are decreasing at an alarming rate!! Bone marrow is shutting down. He has already received two transfusions and his body is still not making new platelets....Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Next week they will do a bone marrow biopsy.

New and testing

2008-12-26T09:03:00.000-06:00

I am testing this new blog...wish me luck on getting this blog up and running. I have got to find out how to post pictures on this blog.....