A Southern Belle Trying Not To Rust

The Girlfriends Are Coming, The Girlfriends Are Coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:56:00 +0000

In less than 12 hours, 75% of the Southern Girl Gang will be together again. We don't exactly know what we'll be doing but if you're a betting person I wouldn't count out the following:

Alcohol
Extended wearing of the jammies
Food, food and food
Laughing, lots of pee-your-pants-it's-so-funny laughing
Chasing chickens (It's Mardi Gras weekend, after all)
Sweet-talking ourselves out of something
Sweet-talking ourselves into something
More alcohol
Calling the missing SGG member. Stupid grad school
More food
Possible need for bail money (See: Mardi Gras)

I'm so excited I can't hardly stand it. All the stories that can be told, will be told so stay tuned!

What a week this has been!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:58:00 +0000

First, let me thank you for the kind words you offered to me and my family at the passing of my grandmother. It’s so nice to know there are people out there who even though may not actually ‘know’ you, still care about you. What a nice feeling.

With that said, how come you people weren’t here to help me move? In addition to going home to Texas for my grandmother’s funeral, I’ve moved. Yes, I moved out of an almost 2,000 sq. ft. house into a 950 sq. ft. home. I swear I kept thinking the ‘Hoarders’ guy was going to show up any minute. There’s a lot still left to do, in case you feel like you were left out. Just let me know when you’ll be here and I promise to have something really yummy cooked and waiting for you. I will – I promise.

Anyway – all this stress and junk has caused me to sleep even less that I already did. And it’s starting to really affect me. Don’t believe me? Every day I would pass by this picture someone ‘painted’ on a box on the utility pole:

I realized yesterday that I wasn’t going to get to see Rhett every morning on my way to work so today I stopped and took a picture so I could ~~blog about it~~ remember it when I brought the last load of stuff from the old house to the new one and passed by Rhett once more. Except this time I took a closer look.

Y’all, that’s not Rhett Butler. It’s Carlton from “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.
Dammit.

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part…

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:50:00 +0000

Fifty-two years of marriage brought them 3 children, 9 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and 4 great great grandchildren.

She's been waiting almost fifteen years to hold his hand once more and the waiting is almost over. Goodbyes have been said and the only thing left to do is continue to pray for her peaceful journey home.

Well, just one more thing.

Grandma when you're reunited with your best friend, will you give Grandpa a hug and kiss from me?

UPDATE: The waiting is over. Grandpa came to pick her up this afternoon. Together again. Forever and ever.

Merry Glitzmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:43:00 +0000

Wishing you the Merriest of Christmases and

the shiniest of New Year’s from

The Southern Girl Gang!

Friday Follow & What Did You Say?

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:11:00 +0000

Happy Friday everyone. Hopefully all your weekend plans will go smoothly and still leave you enough time to recuperate and rest for Monday. I’m linking up with Java over at Never Growing Old for Friday Follow. She’s hosts it every week, as well as a Blogger list of Over 40 Bloggers. If you’re looking for some new reading material, make sure to check the list out.

Yesterday on the Facebook, one of the girls I went to high school with mentioned how much she liked the new Volkswagon Passat commercial and the misheard lyrics for Elton John’s song Rocket Man. We’ve all probably done the same thing once or twice in our life. There's even a Friends episode where they’re discussing the most romantic song ever and Phoebe thinks it’s that song Elton John wrote for the Who’s the Boss? guy and then starts singing, “Hold me close, young Tony Danza”.

Anyway, I told my friend that commercial makes me smile and remember when Katiebug was a teeniney little girl and thought the song was “When A Man WAS A Woman”…or when she wanted to “Rock and Roll all night. And PART of everyday”. Not the whole day mind you; just part. (And not party like KISS was singing in the song.) My friend said it was only last week when she read the lyrics to Don McLean’s “American Pie” that she found out that song was in fact, not about her and he was not going to ‘drive Michelley to the levee’ but instead the Chevy. Not to be left out, I may or may not have believed Keith Urban had some major product placement in his song when he told that girl to “take her cotton Levi sweater”. That is, until I learned he really said “take your cat and leave my sweater.”

There is, in fact, a website dedicated to misheard lyrics and some of them will make you literally laugh out loud. Like the one about “Sixteen Tons”. The misheard lyric was “Yuh load sixteen tons and what do you get. Another deodorant, deeper in debt” when in actuality it’s “You load sixteen tons and what do you get. Another DAY OLDER and deeper in debt.” Or what about the Dolly Parton song “9 to 5”? The misheard lyrics were: “Tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen. Pour myself a cup of damn b****in'.” The correct lyrics are: ‘Tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen, Pour myself a cup of AMBITION.' That reminds me. Candance said she sings that song in her head every morning as she walks to the kitchen to make coffee. I’m going to have to ask her just what it is she’s singing.

So now, y’all have to have some incidents of misheard lyrics. Let me hear about it. I can’t wait. Have a great weekend!

What’s Cooking Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:10:00 +0000

Today’s recipe is 1) again from Pinterest; and 2) not anything that has to be cooked so I’m not sure how it fits into What’s Cooking Wednesday but just humor me, OK?

Y’all all know that I’m not working right now. Because of that I’m doing everything I can to make the unemployment stretch and have given up a lot of things that I used to take for granted but one thing I refuse to give up is my coffee. For my sanity and the safety of anyone I may come in contact with as well. I will admit I made the occasional visit to the drive thru java joint with the holiday red cups but never, ever on a regular basis. I did always have several varieties of liquid coffee creamer on hand, both at home and the office. And I’m embarrassed to say, never really gave a thought to spending $3.00+ on a bottle of coffee creamer. Times two or three, depending on how many bottles/flavors I bought. My how things change. I used the last of the already purchased creamer today and when I went to the Walmart tonight to get a few groceries, I remembered one of my latest pins. I could make my own coffee creamer so I got the items needed to make sure I was able to get my coffee in the morning.

There are only three ingredients and you probably already have them on hand. Here’s what you need to make your own French Vanilla Coffee Creamer:

14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
14 oz. Milk – whole, 2%, skim…your choice
2 tsp. Vanilla
Mason Jar – pint size works fine

Add the sweetened condensed milk to your jar

Fill the can with the 14 oz. of milk and empty it into the jar also.

Then add the vanilla. Mexican vanilla if you have it. I think it’s the best.

If you look closely you’ll see I used 1 tablespoon instead of 2 teaspoons. Oopsie!

Shake, shake, shake it up until it’s blended all nice and thick and creamy. See?

I put the lid on and put it in the icebox. As I was closing the door, something caught my eye…

Sitting right on top of the trash was the empty container – with a pour spout I might add. It was already rinsed out so I removed the wrapper, thoroughly washed it in hot soapy water, then dried it.

Bazinga! Now I wouldn’t have to bother with unscrewing the lid each morning because I could just flip the top with one hand AND could pour it into my cup in a more controlled manner. Most of the creamer fit into the recycled container and I ~~drank the rest~~ put the remaining back into a smaller Mason jar.

I can’t wait to make some different flavors. Oh I don’t know, say maybe a batch with a little peppermint extract and perhaps a dash of chocolate syrup? So many possibilities! At a fraction of what they cost at the grocery store PLUS – I know exactly what’s in it. Love it!

Is it time for coffee yet?

Merry Music 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:47:00 +0000

I hope y’all are staying warm wherever you are. It’s pretty chilly here tonight. Brrrr!

Still no job but I’m trying to stay hopeful and not let the rejections get to me too much. At least that’s what I’m trying to do. Maybe tomorrow I’ll even get out of the house. Or at least my pajamas. If it’s you’re thing, any prayers you want to offer up would be greatly appreciated. Anyways…

Last year I posted a few of my favorite Christmas songs. My favorite Christmas songs are the ones that make you happy, bring out the good (in most people) and remind us what the season is about. Some of them. Others are a little less reverent but still make me smile. This song isn’t one of those less reverent ones but a beautiful story about someone who sometimes doesn’t get remembered as he should. Here is the video and Rachel, I added the lyrics too just for you.

He was her man, she was his wife
And late one winter night
He knelt by her
As she gave birth
But it wasn't his child
It wasn't his child

Yet still he took him as his own
And as he watched him grow
It brought him joy
He loved that boy
But it wasn't his child
It wasn't his child

But like a father
He was strong and kind and good
And I believe he did his best
It wasn't easy for him
But he did all he could
His son was different from the rest
It wasn't his child
It wasn't his child

And when the boy became a man
He took his father's hand
And soon the world would all know why
It wasn't his child
It wasn't his child
And like his father

He was strong and kind and good
And I believe he did his best
It wasn't easy for him
But he did all he could
He grew up with his hands in wood
And He died with his hands in wood
He was God's child
He was God's child

He was her man, she was his wife
And late one winter night
He knelt by her
As she gave birth
But it wasn't his child
It was God's child

~ Lyrics and Music by Skip Ewing

I’ll have to elaborate one day on the respect and reverence Catholics have for St. Joseph. It will take some explaining and probably clarification about saints and prayers to the saints but I think you’d find it interesting.

Until next time…

The One Where I Can’t Think of A Witty or Funny Title

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:30:00 +0000

Thank y’all so much for the sweet comments about the funk I’ve been in recently. Looking for a job is quite hard on one’s soul I must say, and even though a few of you are in the same boat you still sent encouraging words. That means so much and shows you is kind, you is smart and you is important. And that I have the best readers ever.

It’s going to be a handmade Christmas this year and Pinterest has become my new, very best friend. In addition to all the wonderful gift ideas I’ve discovered, there are recipes galore on the Interwebs. And some of those recipes will fall into one of two categories: “What in the Hell were those people thinking when they decided to create this dish?” or “Where in the Hell has this dish been all my life?” Tonight’s supper fell into the second category.

I love love love a dish that uses, or can be adapted to use, what’s already in my icebox or pantry. Tonight I found a recipe on Pinterest called “Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti”…um, yes please.

Here are the four (yep only FOUR!) ingredients that I used to make this amazeballs dish:

1 – 26 or 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce, your choice
1 – 8 oz block of cream cheese
1 lb box of spaghetti
1 lb of ground meat. I had turkey so I used that

The recipe also called for garlic and Italian seasonings. I didn’t have Italian seasonings so I used dried basil. I also like my spaghetti sauce more on the spicy side rather that sweet, so I always add dried red peppers. I also sautéed some chopped onions and minced garlic I had in the icebox but forgot to add that to the photo. Oops.

Begin by bringing a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil to cook the spaghetti while you prepare the sauce. I cook my pasta in water that is salted enough to taste like sea water. Now your dish won’t need a lot of additional salt because the pasta will bring enough to the party if cooked this way.

Next, add enough oil to a pan to cover the bottom and then sauté the onions and garlic in the oil. Once the onions were translucent, I then browned the ground turkey with the onion/garlic mixture. There is so little fat in the turkey that even with the added olive oil, you won’t have to drain the meat/onion mixture. I added some red pepper flakes, dried basil, black pepper and a little of Miss Paula’s House Seasoning. Once the meat is browned, add the jar of spaghetti sauce and let simmer until the spaghetti is done.

When the pasta is cooked to package directions and done, drain and then put in a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, some more dried basil and red pepper flakes. Mix well until the spaghetti is thoroughly coated with the cream cheese/spice mixture.

Spread some of the meat sauce mixture in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Place the spaghetti on top of the sauce, then cover with the remaining sauce. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven until bubbly.

I just remembered – the recipe called for covering the top with Parmesan cheese but I didn’t have any. Some parm or mozzarella would make it even better, but it was pretty delish without. Here’s the Printable Recipe.

And it was as good in my tummy as it was on the plate.

You’ll be in and out of the kitchen in about 45 minutes. The prep time is about 15 minutes and then it bakes for 20 minutes. Use the other 10 to make a green salad or some garlic bread. This will definitely be a dish I’ll make and experiment with over and over again. I’m already thinking about the next time I have left-over rotisserie chicken. And mushrooms. Or olives and roasted red peppers. Or Italian sausage. Hmmm…

I almost forgot - make sure to go vote for one of my fellow Southern Girl Gang members, Candance. She was nominated in a contest for one of the Top Southern Mom Blogs. I think her campaign slogan is the same as LBJ’s back in the day – vote and vote often. Well, at least once a day. The contest ends December 20th.

Now, I’m off to enjoy another dish of this awesome spaghetti. And possibly a glass of wine.

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:06:00 +0000

At least I’m trying to make it look that way. I try to keep things light on here but it’s been 60 days since I lost my job and I’m really fighting the blues. Two whole months with no job prospect in sight is really starting to wear on me. As in I’m either up for three or four days straight with no sleep at all, or I sleep for two days waking only to get something to drink or make my bladder gladder. And the stress is causing major, painful flares with the fibro. Sorry for whining.

So, in an effort to occupy my time (and my mind), I’ve been doing a little decorating. Here’s a glimpse at what I’ve done so far…

The dining room tree

Here’s a close up of the dining room tree:

Miss Coco Chanel said one should look at themselves before they walk out the door and then remove one piece of jewelry/accessory so as to not be dressed too gaudy. Thank goodness that doesn’t apply to Christmas trees!

Need a centerpiece? Leftover ornaments and a few holly picks can make your table go from plain to fancy in just a few minutes.

Although the dining room tree is more on the fancy-schmancy side, the kitchen tree is more traditional and old-fashioned. Yes, I have a tree in my kitchen and it’s filled with ornaments Katie made in school, her yearly Hallmarks, Radkos, Radko look-a-likes, and some old mercury glass balls.

That’s just a little glimpse into the decorations so far. I hope to have the rest of them up/out in the next couple of days.

I’ve also been sewing a lot in an effort to keep occupied. I’ve sewn a tree skirt for one of That Man’s daughters and need to finish his for the tree at The Ranch. Just in case I haven’t bored y’all to tears yet, here is her finished skirt…

And the fabric for That Man’s…

The beige fabric is unbleached muslin. The Ranch is decorated a la 1950’s fishing cabin so the plan is to hang some tackle and pinecones on a simple pencil tree.

Now, if I could only find a way to make money decorating trees. Hmmmm…ideas anyone?

What’s Cooking Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:31:00 +0000

Hey everybody ~ hope you’re all hanging in there, what with all the Thanksgiving preparations. I’ll be cooking a small dinner at my house but it’s so frantic over here you’d think I was inviting the Duggars over to break bread. Rest assured I’ve got a few comments on that crazy little situation and don’t think I won’t be letting y’all know about them in the near future. But back to what’s going on here - I’m trying to get everything cleaned and organized and well, just ready for everyone to come over. It won’t be a lot of people but let’s face it. Y’all know me - it could be 1 person coming over and I’d still be going this crazy.

Right now I’m taking a break to watch Sons of Anarchy and also waiting for the outcome of a recipe experiment. I was really wanting a little something sweet to eat and of course had nothing in the house already prepared. So being the Southern Belle that I am, I decided to make a Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa – but with a few twists.

Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa is an old Southern recipe that calls for 1 cup of Flour, 1 cup of Milk, 1 Cup of Sugar poured over 2 cups of the fruit your choice. To the pantry I went. Flour – check. Sugar – uh, only a little over a 1/2 cup. Checked the icebox – no milk. Hey wait…I saw a can of evaporated milk in the pantry. Fruit – bag of mixed berries in the freezer. Worth a shot I guess.

I sprayed a baking dish (a deep dish pie plate to be exact) with non-stick spray and then dumped the berries in. Into a mixing bowl went the flour, sugar and evaporated milk. Now normally I would use an equal ratio of Pet milk to water but tonight I used it full strength. Thought it would help give it a little more oomph since I was short on the sweet. What could I use to make up for the sugar shortage though? Then it came to me. I made pear preserves a couple of weeks ago. Pears would work well with the berries, so I added 1/2 cup of the preserves to the flour/milk/sugar mix then poured it over the berries.

Into a 350 degree oven it went. I placed it on a baking sheet in case it spilled over because I wasn’t even sure it was going to turn out to be some edible and if it didn’t, I sure as heck didn’t want to be cleaning an oven of stuff that was too bad to even eat.

You would normally bake the dish for 30 minutes BUT because I used the preserves, in addition to the sweetness it also increased the liquid content. I ended up baking it for 45, 50 minutes. I’m pretty sure had I baked it in a 9x9 or even a 9x13 pan, it wouldn’t have taken so long.

Here’s the final outcome:

And dished up…

Even if it’s not the prettiest thing to look at dished up, it was very tasty I have to say. I will probably keep this on in file in the back of my mind for those “man, I wish I had a little something sweet to eat” times.

Have you ever had Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa? Or better yet, tell me what you can whip up with what’s in your pantry right now.

For Good

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:03:00 +0000

I know I’ve written several times about the wonderful group of friends I have in my life, the JUGs, and today is another one of those posts.

I mentioned there was a 60th Anniversary Reunion for our high school drill team and it was being held during the homecoming festivities, and we were all heading home for the big event. We began the latest JUGs get together by meeting for some Mexican food and beverages as everyone got into town.

We finished our lunch and then headed to the school for the homecoming pep rally. After the pep rally, we ran what errands we might need to take care of and then went to the house where we were staying to get ready for the night. When all the primping, curling, and make-up retouching was all said and done, it was time to head out to the Social and then go on to the game. There were about 400+ women who came back home to participate in the reunion, and all of us gathered on the track during the 3rd quarter to attempt to perform to the fight song once again. One thing about being an Indian - when you hear the drums start and then the band play 'Cherokee', it all comes back to you.

The Indians won the game and then it was time for gumbo back at the house. We finally went to bed around 3 or 4 a.m.

Saturday morning we met for pancakes at IHOP before heading off in separate directions until we meet up again. After I’ve been with these women it reminds me how blessed I am to have them in my life. How many people can actually say they still get together with their childhood friends on a regular basis? Not many I’m sure.

That day my Facebook status read, “You know, this crazy world would be a much happier, nicer place if everyone could have a group of friends like I do. How lucky I am to be able to say I still hang out with the best childhood friends in the world!”

I believe that statement with my whole being. I’ve said it before but I truly believe people are there for a reason – to help write the chapters in the story of your life. I’m blessed to have such beautiful, talented women writing mine.

Thank you JUGs. Until we meet again…

Friday Fragments

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:11:00 +0000

I’m on a roll this week – I’ve actually blogged three times. Wow. Maybe the block has been lifted. Since I’m finally posting on Friday again, I’m also linking up with Java and her Follow Friday 40 and Over. This is a great place to meet some awesome bloggers. Make it a point to check some of them out – you won’t be disappointed.

I still need to finish editing the pictures from the vacation That Man and I took a few weeks back. 7 states in 8 days. Lots of fun, pictures and of course, a wacky adventure or two.

I’ve been awake for 4 days now. Notwithstanding a 30, 45 minute nap or so on a couple of those days, I have not been able to sleep. Insomnia + fibro can just about do a person in.

I’m still searching for a job so if you’ve got any prayers you can offer, I and my bank account would be so thankful.

In a few hours I’ll be heading to Texas to hang out with the JUGs. It’s the 60th Anniversary of our high school’s drill team and also Homecoming, so the ones of us who were Indianettes will be wearing our reunion shirts and performing the fight song with the current members of the team. Some of the JUGs were either cheerleaders or twirlers so they won’t be performing but we all decided to get together for the game. The schedule includes lunch & margaritas at noon today, heading to the school for the pep rally and then the social & game tonight ending with a slumber party at one of the local girl’s house. I have read messages on the Facebook about possibly going wrapping a house or two of the boys from school. Do y’all call it wrapping or rolling? Tomorrow it’s breakfast at IHOP before everyone heads off into their separate directions.

Looks like y’all would be interested in a recipe swap so looks like “What’s Cooking Wednesday” may be turning into a regular occurrence.

I haven’t been able to hang out with Katiebug in quite a while so since she’ll be off this weekend I’m thinking about kidnapping her for a little mother/daughter fun.

So, what’s on the agenda for you and your family? Have a great weekend y’all!

What’s Cooking Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:28:00 +0000

I know I said I was going to tell y’all about our vacation but I’m still editing the pictures. So, instead you’re going to get a new recipe. Maybe you’ll find it “pinnable”…who knows?

Last time my friend ‘Em’ came to visit she cooked this amazing pasta dish and I’ve been wanting to cook it again ever since.

First you start with these ingredients

Roma tomatoes (4 to 6), chopped and seeded
Button mushrooms, chopped
Red Onion, chopped
1 stick butter
Heavy Cream
1 lb. of the pasta of your choice (I used penne)
Steak Tenderloins or Chicken Breast

Saute 1 small red onion in a little olive oil.

Add the mushrooms to the onions and saute until soft.

My tomatoes were a little wonky, so I used a 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes I had in the pantry. Just drain them really well.

Yes, butter. (Sorry for the blurriness – forgot to take into consideration steam from the cooking. Oops!)

Cook over low heat until thickened. Are you hungry yet? Hang on – we’re almost there.

Steaks or chicken, your choice. If you’re lucky enough to have your Mawmaw’s well-seasoned cast iron skillet make sure you use that. If not, then use whatcha got.

Now your pasta is done so drain it well and then toss with the sauce mixture that’s been simmering.

Almost, I promise.

Y’all it’s so good. That Man doesn’t like pasta, unless it’s spaghetti and then he’ll only eat that about twice a year so I ate this for dinner and supper three times that week. I was sad when it was gone, too.

Serve it with a nice green salad and some garlic bread. Your family with thank you for it. I promise.

Now, here’s my question to you. What if this was a regular occurrence and you could link up one of your recipes to share with everyone? Kind of like a bloggy recipe swap. Would it be something you’ll like to do? I’m so eat up with the Pinterest that I was thinking it would be nice to have a bunch of new recipes in one location to pin to my “Must Try Recipe” board. I’m just throwing that out there. Let me know and if y’all are up for it, I’ll get the Linky thingy.

Alright y’all – Bon Appetit!

They Say It’s Your Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:41:00 +0000

In my last post I just kind of threw the fact out there that I was recently laid off. It’s been almost a month and I’ve never felt so discouraged as I do right now. I’ve not had one response to all the resumes I’ve dropped off or to the posted jobs I’ve applied for. Ugh. Hate feeling this way so I’m going to lighten the mood around here with this post.

That Man celebrated his 50th birthday last month. We had a little surprise birthday party for him and I think he truly enjoyed it. He’s not one to like any attention given to him but he handled the whole thing like a champ.

Kacie, his oldest, brought the cake and it was great. It said “Happy Birthday…Here’s to another 50 years of fishing!”

It was as delicious as it was cute. Just ask his grandbaby, Emma.

He got some great presents – including the Depends Men’s Starter Kit.

The girls did a great job with the decorations too.

It was a fun evening and I’m glad we were able to finally pull something over on him.

Next time I’ll tell you all about the vacation we took to celebrate his milestone birthday. It was a doozie. Would you expect any less?

Have a great week y’all!

Well, where do we begin…

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:11:00 +0000

It’s been forever since I’ve posted and boy do I have lots to tell. I’ll have to break it up into several mini posts otherwise it will take hours to read. And I couldn’t do that y’all.

First up, The Southern Girl Gang did get together, all four of us at the same time, and saw Miss Paula Deen.

Miss Paula was so funny and entertaining. We gave her an SGG bracelet and made her an honorary member of the Southern Girl Gang.

She got a little confused and thought it was a choker.

It was a two-day long slumber party filled with lots of laughs, food, vanilla rum and Firefly. We even saw “The Help” Saturday night, followed by an interesting visit to the House of Pies. And if you think I’m exaggerating about how much fun we had, check out these pictures:

The Pistol Annies have a song with the lyrics “One’s drinkin’, one’s smokin’, one’s takin' pills”. We’re wondering if they’ve met the SGG before and we just don’t remember.

We also may or may not have given the housekeeping staff a thing or two to talk about.

The Bar

One of our hair/make up tables

~~A fraternity dorm~~ Our room

It was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had and I am counting down the days until we can do it again. You know, Candance is getting married in the spring. Sounds like a bachelorette party is in line. What do you think Miss Paula?

Oh c’mon…you’d have a blast with us!

Next time I’ll tell y’all all about being laid off two flippin’ days before going on vacation with That Man. And what a vacation it was. Six states in 8 days…with lots and lots of adventures along the way that could only happen to us.

Stay tuned y’all!

Houston - We Have A Party.

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:18:00 +0000

When you're packing for a road trip do you make a list to check off everything so that you don't end up forgetting some tiny little object of importance - like hairspray? Or that extra 5 pairs of shoes? No? Only me? Yeah right. Y'all do it too. Just maybe not as um, shall we say 'detail oriented' as I do.

First, I write out what I'm going to need to do to begin getting ready - laundry, fill up car, etc. Next on the list is what I'm wearing by the specific day I'll be wearing it complete with jewelry and shoes. Finally, I then write out exactly what I need to pack and in what bag it needs to go in which is either the suitcase or the hair bag. Yes - I have a bag dedicated solely to my hair products I take with me when traveling. Shut it.

I may have forgotten to mention one little step in the list-making/packing process. That handwritten list? Yeah, it's no more. Now it's now a typed out Excel spreadsheet in alpha order complete with a column to check off the item as I pack it. Kate Gosselin's got nothing on my mad organizational skills.

In the words of Ron White, I told y'all all that to get to this: My list actually contained these words: "pink flask" (as opposed to the other colored flasks one might have?), "Firefly (both kinds)" and "hairspray (regular and purse can)".

You think this is crazy? Read what precious Katiebug posted on my Facebook wall last night: "While y'all are having fun this weekend please remember that even though y'all birthed us, not a one of us kids can afford bail money!" Michelle responded that "We ain't afraid of jail." Within minutes Katiebug replied "Just no hot rollers or makeup!" Aunt Crazy (aka Christy) said she can't go to jail because they don't let you have a flat iron in there. Or smoke.

Candance summed it up best I believe. She said, "No hot rollers or makeup is way scarier than jail. By the time someone figured out we hadn't come home and that it was actually a bad thing, we'd be freaking running the joint. We're that powerful." How precious is she? (For the record, last night when the FB conversation was relayed to That Man he asked what we had been smoking. Bless his heart.)

And Katiebug? For the record, Mary Kay Latourneau rolled her hair on tampons when she was in jail. It's true. I saw it on the Lifetime Movie "Mary Kay Latourneau: All American Girl".

One more tiny little detail. In the event you live anywhere within, oh I guess a 100 mile radius of that little ol' Texas town called Houston, The Southern Girl Gang is riding through this weekend. Don't say we didn't warn ya!

Seriously? It's Really Truly Happenin???

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:48:00 +0000

In only a mere 48 hours The Southern Girl Gang will descend upon the City of Houston for a girls weekend the likes of which has never ever been seen before. It's the very first, but definitely not the last, time that all four of the gang members will be together at the same time. We've been together three of us but never the complete posse. Lord help us.

We're all getting there at various times Friday evening but you can rest assured the Firefly will be flowing and by the time the last one gets there, the hope is we haven't depleted the stash.

Saturday morning - oh.my.gravy. I can hardly write these words without squealing just the teeniest bit. Saturday morning we will be heading over to Reliant Center to spend the morning with the Queen of Butter herself, MISS PAULA FREAKIN' DEEN Y'ALL!

We've had these tickets since January and every time I open my desk drawer and see the file marked "SGG" it makes me smile. I've taken them out a couple of times and sent pictures to the girls just to let them we're still going. We've been emailing each other like crazy the last few days asking who's wearing what, does one have to have fall colors on their toes since it's now after Labor Day, updating on who's already ~~packed~~ packing...you name it. I told Candance that I was so excited about this weekend that I was practically levitating. She said so was she. I don't know what I'm more excited about - Miss Paula or the fact all of us will be there to see her.

We're not sure what's on the agenda for the rest of the weekend but you better believe there will be pictures and blog material galore. Some of which will probably be shared. Others will more than likely have to be kept under wraps until all investigations are complete, or the statute of limitations runs out whichever comes first.

Houston may never be the same after we leave.

Finally Friday!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 05:45:00 +0000

Thank you 6 lb, 8 oz. Baby Jesus – this week is finally over!

Even through it started out with a Monday, the week begn pretty well, other than everyone being tense and a little stressed out at work getting ready for a really huge trial.

Tuesday – eh, not so much. I got stopped because apparently my license plate was not renewed back in May (when it expired) and come to find out my insurance had lapsed. Here in the Bayou State, they pull your plate and tow your car if you’re not insured. The state trooper DID pull my plate but was nice enough not to tow it. Instead he just put a ginormous neon green sticker on my back window. So first thing when I finally get to work that morning, I’m on the phone trying to get the insurance issue straightened out. After a little while I’m official to once again drive the streets of LA. Remember that trial I said is coming up? Well, I haven’t left the office for lunch or before 6:30 since I got the slight infraction, so tomorrow a.m. the runner from our office is going by the DMV to pick my plate up for me.

Wednesday, I send an attorney to Houston to take a deposition of the surgeon in the upcoming trial case and realize I forgot to arrange for a court reporter to take said deposition. In the 10+ years that I’ve been doing this, I have never forgot to arrange for the court reporter. Oh, I’ve remembered pretty last minute once or twice but never completely forgot. Thankfully it all worked out but it didn’t do much for my stress level…which in turn caused a HUGE fibro flare-up. I have been in pain for the last 36 hours. Argh!

Thursday (yesterday), I get a text message from Michelle telling me if we needed to evacuate for the hurricane, we were more than welcome to head up to her house. My response? “Um…what hurricane?” Her reply? “Time to watch the news honey.” Ok, so I’ve been busy. I mean really busy. In addition to getting ready for the trial of a 6-yr. old case, I’ve been helping That Man with his remodeling project for the last 4 or 5 months, every weekend, Saturday and Sunday. I look tired and a year older than the Bible, and feel even more tired. I barely have enough energy to brush my teeth when I get home much less watch the news. Anyway, I checked the local weather page. Unless things go crazy as a shite-house rat overnight, it looks like we’ll only get some much needed rain.

Then there was the drive home from work. Now I’m all for keeping yourself healthy and helping the environment where you can but this man, this one right here? Every day that I pass him on my way home from work causes me to almost lose my religion.

Do you see where he is? Right in front of my hood. There is not a bike lane there on the bridge (remember this bridge Candance?) but he continues to ride in this exact spot here in traffic, every day of the week…rain or shine. Holding up all the traffic. I swear some days I just want to pull up beside him and fling open my door. That’s not nice and certainly not what a lady would do but man…argh.

Well, thanks for sticking around ‘till the end. I’ve literally fallen asleep twice writing this.

So long y’all. Have a great long weekend everybody and stay safe!

Squatchy, squatchy night…

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 03:39:00 +0000

You know, like that song “Starry, Starry Night”? Anyway, I’ve been busy, busy helping That Man with his latest remodeling project. He bought several acres of land and it “came” with an old trailer on it. I say trailer because trailer doors open out onto the porch and the doors on mobile homes open into the structure – like a home. At least that’s my distinction between the two.

As I said, I’ve been busy. So busy I forgot to blog. Oh there have been many funny things that have happened over the course of the last few months and I’ve written down a few of them but right now all I have is this little video I made Friday night after working all day at the office and then helping him until after dark. I took a small survey to see if I should post this or if it was too goofy. The one person who responded (thank you Candance) voted yes, so I present to you my video account of what happened to me Friday night. Let me know what you think.

Has you ever done what I did in the video? Let me know that I’m not alone in my ~~stupidity~~ hurried life.

Have a great week and thanks for sticking around while I was out hammering, painting, laying floor, putting polyurethane on about 84,000 feet of wood!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation…

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 05:51:00 +0000

Well, let’s see.

I spent the annual weekend at Lake LBJ

with the JUGs. Not bad for a bunch of 46 21-year olds, right?

This was LBD night – Little Black Dress. Last year it seemed that almost everyone one showed up to supper the last night in a black dress. This year it was mandatory for the group picture.

I like to bring a little something to the girls each time we get together. Last year it was a plastic wine glass with their name painted on it.

This year, I wanted to let them know they had left an indelible, permanent footprint on my heart. What better way than these?

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”

I asked them their shoe size ahead of time and blinged 18 pairs of Old Navy flip flops. I sure did.

It was another wonderful weekend with lifelong friends. Not one bad thing about it.

Oh yeah. My car broke down on us on the way home. Battery was graveyard dead. Thankfully we were rescued by a knight in a shining RV who took my dead battery out, loaded it in his truck (which was pulling said motor home) and drove me 3 miles down the road to the Auto Zone so I could spend $105 for a new battery. (Really? $105?!?!) All while his wife, two kids and Golden Retriever were left sitting on the sidewalk at the store where the poor, lifeless Sorento sat waiting our return. In the blazing Texas heat. Seriously.

Anyway, while I was in the Auto Zone I got this picture:

And this was the message accompanying it, ”Busted flat in Elgin…waiting for a battery” Quick, quick – name that tune!

I burst out laughing right there in the middle of the Auto Zone. I’m talking crazy lady laughing. I’m pretty sure our roadside hero started re-thinking his good Samaritan ways at that point.

Thank goodness I have wonderful friends who kept the mood light and made sure I didn’t have a complete come apart there in the Valero parking lot. And this was after I totally slammed on the breaks, went across two lanes of traffic, flipped a “U-ey” just to take a picture with this:

Surely y’all read this, right? In fact, one of the girls riding in my car sent me something earlier telling me that when she read about Beyonce, all she could think about was The Southern Girl Gang. What a compliment!

It’s been a great Summer. Well, except for finding out the reason for all my aches, pains, burning muscles, insomnia, trouble losing weight, thinning hair and inability to remember words at times was because of this:

Image Courtesy of Google

Yep. I’ve unfortunately joined the ranks of those affected by Fibromyalgia. I’m on a couple meds that are helping with some of the symptoms but not all of them and sometimes I feel like I’ll never be able to take care of all the symptoms, all the time but I am thankful for the relief I have gotten. Really trying to keep a positive outlook but the fatigue just overwhelms me most days.

84,000 bloggie points if you’ve stuck around to the end of this long post. I hope you enjoyed the ~~long~~ little snapshot filled re-telling of my summer vacation. I’m hoping to be back a little more regular around here. I mean how could I not when your carload of girlfriends keep saying “At least we’re giving you lots of things to blog about.” Love you girls!

Thanks for dropping by and y’all come back now, you hear?

Oops – A little late I am

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:46:00 +0000

I was totally going to participate in I Heart Faces this week for the very first time but it’s not been the best of weeks (yes I know it’s only Tuesday) and I completely forgot until it was after the deadline. Crap.

The theme this week was ‘whimsy’. I’m not sure if this one is what would be considered a truly whimsical photo but I just love the expression on her face.

This little precious is Emma, daughter of Courtney. She’s the one I mentioned the other day whose blog showcases all her great photography. Check her out when you get a chance and tell her I’m not the only one who thinks she’s a camera genius.

Here’s wishing all of you a giggle-filled Summer!

Take the Long Way Home

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 03:36:00 +0000

Sometimes you just need to turn left instead of right. What a gift to see this on the way home from work tonight. I took these with my i-Phone because I had left Penelope at home today. These pictures don’t do it near the justice it deserves.

I don’t pretend to be a great photographer – just someone who loves to see things from behind the lens. If you really want to see some beautiful pictures, go check out Courtney and her gorgeous photography. She is extremely talented and I keep hoping one day I can talk her into teaching me a tenth of what she knows.

I’m linking up with Follow Friday 40 and Over this week. Check out Java and all the wonderful ~~older~~ wiser gals over there.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

These Are My People... This Is Where I Come From

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:10:00 +0000

I read something today on the Facebook that made me smile. It said “Childhood friends are the truest and the best!!!” Of course, it was one of my childhood friends whose status this was but nonetheless, it made me happy. She didn’t write it and tag anyone particular in it – she just wrote what she felt. And she was right.

I’ve talked before about my friends from school and childhood that I still see on more than just an occasional basis. Whenever I talk to people about getting together with them, one of two things will happen: these people will either be completely dumbfounded that we are all still so close or they will look envious that they don’t still have friendships with those people they went to school with.

Maybe it’s because we grew up in a small town. We had a few shopping centers, churches of every denomination and more than one stop light so it wasn’t like a one-horse town but still, you pretty much knew everyone’s name. If you didn’t all you had to ask was “Who are your people?” and more times than not you knew their relatives, and were probably related to them yourself.

Friday nights were spent at the football field watching the Indians play. The people of our town supported us, they disciplined us, they believed in us and they loved us.

If something went all wonky, everyone knew it. But they also knew when you were hurting and needed help. No one had to ask, people just did for each other.

I’m glad that I’m a product of growing up where I did and that I still have friendships that are 40+ years old and still going strong.

You know, Miranda Lambert has a song out called “The House That Built Me”. The first time I heard it, it made me think that friends also build you in addition to helping write the chapters in your life’s story – good, bad or ugly. Friends are like a house. They’re your foundation, they’re the walls that protect you from the storms of life and they give you places to gather in times of sadness and joy.

I’m thankful for my people. In only 23 days, the annual JUGs Lake Weekend will be celebrated. Some are unable to make it this year, while we’ll have others that are making it for their first time. We’ll laugh, we’ll cry, we’ll hug and probably shock each other once or twice with some of the things that will be said. But one thing’s for sure – we’ll leave there knowing they will be there for us no matter what. And that’s a mighty good feeling. One we don’t take lightly or for granted.

“Childhood friends are the truest and best!!!” Yes they are Steph. They surely are.

Me? Wordless? Ha Ha!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 04:08:00 +0000

I know most of y’all do some sort of Wordless Wednesday but I can’t just post a picture without some sort of explanation. I just can’t!

A couple of weekends ago That Man and I took an impromptu trip to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

We spent the first night in Mobile, AL. We got up the next morning and headed into town just driving around with no specific plan in mind other than knowing we would head to Florida sometime that day.

And might I add, That Man has the perfect car for road trips.

You know how we are notorious for just happening upon things? Well, this trip was no different. We saw the street “Satchel Paige Drive”, turned down it and ended up in this parking lot…

We both forgot that Hank Aaron was born in Mobile.

After a little breakfast we headed out to Pensacola ~ by way of the scenic route of course. In Daphne Bay we came upon this sweet little scene and had to stop.

With this little guy manning the stand, you know they had to sell out over and over again.

Finally we made it to Pensacola. Just in time for the sunset.

I know this post has been a picture overload but here’s another one that I just love.

So nice to see him relaxed and not stressing about work for a change.

I’ve got a ~~hundred~~ few more pictures but I’ll save those for next time. After we watched the sunset, we drove back to Mobile to spend Saturday night and then headed to Biloxi early Sunday morning. We visited Beauvoir the home of the last president of the Confederacy – Jefferson Davis.

Ok, I lied. Here’s another picture. I fell in love with this shirt at Beauvoir and had to have it.

All in all it was one of the best spur-of-the-moment trips we’ve taken. And we’ve taken a lot of them in our five years together.

So to reiterate my initial statement. Nope, not gonna find a wordless post on here anytime soon.

Photographs and Memories…

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 03:09:00 +0000

Ever since I got my dslr, Penelope, my interest in taking photographs has reached new heights. It’s rare that I leave my house without taking Penelope, or even my not-shabby-at-all point & shoot, with me. So when I knew we would be spending Easter Sunday at That Man’s momma’s house I knew without a doubt Penelope was coming with me.

See this. This is a very special picture.

Not necessarily because of my photography skills but the reason behind the shot - That Man doesn’t have a single picture of all three of his kids together. After I saw it I knew exactly what I was going to do.

You see, a few weeks earlier I was contacted by Easy Canvas Prints. They told me about their company and asked if I would be interested in doing a review for them. Um, yes please! I checked out their website and was impressed from the get go.

So after I took the photo of his three kids (and no I don’t call them That Girl, That Other Girl and That Boy) I knew it would be a great gift for That Man and let me tell you – the process could not have been easier! You choose your canvas size then upload your photo. They will even check your photo to see if the image you have loaded has the right resolution for a canvas print. If not, for a small fee they can enhance it. The next step is choosing your border styles and then that’s it…you’re done. It couldn’t be simpler.

The prices are so very reasonable that you’ll find yourself ordering more than one, I guarantee it. Especially after you get your canvas in and see the quality. Don’t believe me? Look at this:

I think he’ll really love his present this Father’s Day. Don’t you?

So what are you waiting for – I know you all have a picture on your computer that would make a great gift for someone. With that someone even being you. Check Easy Canvas Prints out. You’ll be glad you did!

Disclaimer: Easy Canvas Prints provided the finished canvas but the opinions expressed herein are all mine.