A Southern Belle Trying Not To Rust

Oh what a wedding it was!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:12:00 +0000

Remember that wedding I said I was going to attend? It was the most wonderful, precious, absolutely perfect event I’d ever had the pleasure of being a part of.

There was no rehearsal dinner – just drinks and Mexican food with Michelle and her gang, Candance and the kids, me and Katiebug. We laughed. A lot. Sometimes so much we cried and it ran down our legs. Kudos to Michelle’s husband for hanging with all of us that night and not leaving. (Unlike when Michelle and I watched a clip of Toddlers & Tiara and Honey Boo Boo Child and couldn’t stop our hysterical laughter.)

After supper, we went back to our (Katiebug and mine) room and made bouquets. One for Candance, one for Gracie the maid of honor and one to toss. More on that later.

Speaking of rooms, that hotel knew what they were doing when they put us next door to each other instead of us on opposite ends of the hall thus requiring many, many trips down the hall way. At night. After a ~~many~~ couple of margaritas. While others could be trying to sleep.

The next day we met for breakfast and then Candance took off to the wedding location to get it all ready. It was then that Candance made the comment the little one she had asked to be flower girl had to decline. Or rather, her parents did but this still left her without a little one to scatter petals down the aisle. And I’m a firm believer that a woman should walk down a flower petal strewn pathway at some point in her life. I pointed out to her that there was a little four-year old sitting at the table next to us that would probably love the chance to be in the wedding. Candance cleared it with her mother and I mean really, what was Michelle going to say? No? Yeah, right. Since I still did not have anything to wear, and Katie and I were going shopping, we picked up the fixings for the little flower child. Michelle and her husband and kiddos, along with Candance’s Max, went swimming and then did a little shopping on their own. After all, what wedding would be complete without a trip to Cabela’s?

So we all get ready and head off to the venue so Katiebug can take the pictures. We have Max, the bestest best man in the world, with us and get there with barely enough time to spare for him to get dressed. Apparently when the SGG gets together, it does something to the satellites and all GPSes go crazy and send people waaaaay off course with wrong directions.

The wedding. The wedding. It was glorious! Katie took many, many beautiful pictures and I don’t want to steal her thunder and post one that’s not edited like she would want, but there were a few that I can’t help but share.

During the ceremony they tried to tell the ring bearer and Max they could step down. They didn’t know what they were told and Max got a tad confused.

Then again, so did the ring bearer.

The reception was just as perfect as the ceremony. Michelle’s husband made some delicious brisket. There was dancing, cupcakes, libations and an all around feeling of love, fun and happiness. Candance and I even toasted each other. With linked arms. And using our Redneck Wine Glasses.

I didn’t realize until a day or so later that the bride was two-fisting hers.

Remember when I said we made the bouquets the night before? Since Candance didn’t have her ‘something borrowed’ and Christy (aka Aunt Crazy) couldn’t be there we had to make sure the SGG was represented, so I put my bracelet on Candance’s bouquet.

And that other bouquet I mentioned? The one for the single ladies? There may be a picture surfacing in the near future of the person who caught it. Or rather, it was handed to.

84,000 bloggy points if you’ve made it through all these pictures so I’ll stop but I have to share this last one with you. I told the girls at work about this Monday and it still made me cry, two days later. Imagine being there for this:

While this song is playing.

If you don’t cry listening to this, thinking about this girl marrying “The Boy She Loved When She Was 10” (and reunited with 25 years later on the Facebook) by the man who was their 4th grade teacher that year and is now an ordained minister, then good luck with your life without a heart.

I can’t wait to see the rest of the pictures that Katie took. Oh wait – there is a sneak preview of some of them on her photography page on the Facebook. Just like Katie-Scarlett-Photography and you’ll be able to see them.

Next time, I’ll make sure to tell y’all all about the not so lovey dovey but more ‘yeah, that sounds like the SGG’ things that took place. And there’s a lot of them.

Yes, We Have No Bananas!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:07:00 +0000

I love those little baby bananas – no, I don’t think that’s what their real name is, but I love them nonetheless. I bought some recently and apparently promptly forgot about them. I needed to do something with them. Stat. So of course, I turned to the best thing on the interwebs – Pinterest.

I pinned this pin a week or so ago. The recipe comes from Artsy-Fartsy Mama and it is amazeballs! Here are the ingredients:

Do you see that? Three ingredients. Three.

The original recipe called for 3 or 4 overly ripe bananas, those of the regular size variety. Remember, I had the baby kind so I used 8 of them. The first thing you need to do is mash the bananas. I put them in the bowl of my KitchenAid and beat them to a pulp. Then I added the rest of the ingredients – two eggs & a box of yellow cake mix. How easy is that, I ask? The only thing I did do differently was add a splash of butter flavoring, which I always do when I bake anything. If you’ve never used it, start doing this immediately. You won’t regret it.

The recipe says it makes two small or one large loaf. Since I was making them to take to work, I put liners in a muffin tin and made muffins. I baked them for 18 minutes at 350 degrees. This was the result:

I had to make sure they tasted good enough to take to work. So I tried one.

It was scrumptious.

You have to try these. It’s a must.

Tell me, what have you pinned AND actually made?

PS: Don’t forget about this. Leave a comment and maybe you’ll be the next recipient of the Fairy Hobmother’s generosity. And a matched gift card from me too!

Bibbity Bobbity Boo!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:39:00 +0000

Hey y’all! It’s been so long since I’ve surfaced in blogland. I lost my blogging mojo and couldn’t come up with anything I thought was worthy of posting. I’m still not sure the ol’ mojo is completely back but I’m hoping it will start blooming again like all these gorgeous flowers around here.

Let me tell y’all about my recent visitor - The Fairy Hobmother! Can you imagine my surprise when I found an email from the Hobmother complimenting me on my blog and presenting me with a gift card to Amazon.com? Have you heard of her? She makes her home on the interwebs over at Appliances Online. Have you heard of them? It’s an online appliance store based in the UK but they also have a fabulous blog that has everything from recipes to information on the latest appliances to contests. Her mission in life, other than working for the overloads of Appliances Online, is " to bring light and joy to the blogosphere."

The best part of all this news is that the Fairy Hobmother is going to select one of you who comments and send you your very own Amazon gift card! She didn’t say you could only comment once, so if by chance you tweeted about it or posted on your Facebook wall and then came back here to let me know (by way of a second comment), I’m pretty sure that would give you an additional chance dontcha think? In fact, I’ll MATCH the Hobmother’s gift card with another one from me to the store of your choice…Target, Walmart, Starbucks…you name it. Sounds like a deal to me!

Oh hell – I almost forgot to tell you what I’ll be doing next weekend. Thursday Katiebug will be here to spend the night because we’re heading out of town at the buttcrack of dawn on Friday for a road trip. A very special road trip. She’s shooting a wedding and I’m going to do the bride’s hair.

Candance is marrying “That Boy She Loved When She Was 10” and the Southern Girl Gang is all going! Michelle will be there and so will Christy (aka Aunt Crazy). The SGG will be together again. And this time, we’re bringing our own photographer with us. I foresee a few ~~pitchers~~ glasses of Bless Your Hearts being consumed in honor of the nuptials of the year and I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it.

Have a great week y’all and don’t forget to comment for a chance to win those gift cards!

The Customer is ALWAYS Right?

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 05:11:00 +0000

Hey y’all! Hope your week went well, you weren’t late ~~too many days~~ this week because of the ~~redonkulus~~ Time Change and are having great Spring weather this weekend!

For those that have asked, the new job is going great. I like the people I work with and getting off every Friday at 3:30 is pretty sweet, too. Oh, I also cut 7” off my hair last weekend and if those stupid arm out self-portrait pictures didn’t drive me completely and utterly crazy, I just might take one to show y’all. Katiebug’s birthday is this weekend, so maybe I’ll end up with a one to share.

I promised to tell y’all some more stories from Taxapaloosa so don’t let it be said I’m not a girl of my word.

On one of the first days I was there I had a woman walk in and while standing about 18” from the front door announce she needed to have her taxes done and it would be for dancing/stripping and she made $25,000 last year. Really? You’re 56 and you made $25,000? Well, I’ll saw this much…$24,993 of that had to be stolen, because you’re 56! And definitely not Dana Delaney, Mimi Rogers or Geena Davis. (All 56 year old, BTW)

Then there was the lady who came in while I was working the evening shift. Wearing her pajamas. Oh yes she did. While I was entering her information into the program, she kept standing up and I finally realized why – her not-quite-the-correct-size pj pants were slipping down under her belly and she pulling them up and back over. I finally got that image out of my mind’s eye and then made the mistake of looking away from the computer monitor and over at her. She had raised her shirt (that did not match her pj pants I might add!) and had tucked it under her non-bra covered mammary glands and was picking at the bite/bump/blister/jungle rot on her belly…that, by the way, was hiding the waistband of those pants again.

You would think there wouldn’t be anything stranger than these two incidents, right? Well, you’d be more wrong. Way wrong. Like more wrong than a size 12 pair of leggings on a size 18 body.

That Man had come by one night to check on me while he was on medical leave and recuperating from his arm surgery. While he was there a guy came in so high and reeking of the ganja that I swear we both got a contact high. I had to break out the Febreeze and try to fumigate the place in case someone else came in and God forbid thought I was channeling Snoop Dogg.

One more and then I’ll leave you to enjoy your weekend. When you’re entering in the personal information for the taxpayer, you enter in their name – first, middle and last. Then you ask them if they have a suffix – I would normally ask, “Are you a junior?…senior?” One man actually laughed at me. Then he said, “No ma’am. Thank you for the compliment but I graduated a long time ago.” Really? You seriously believed I thought you were still in high school? Numbnuts just told me he was born in 1973. Man, I hope that Mensa Society application shows up soon.

Have a great weekend and Happy St. Paddy’s day to y’all. I know I’ve posted it before, but here’s one of my favorite Irish Blessings:

“May those who love us, love us; and those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn't turn their hearts, may he turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping.”

Later taters!

Thank you Baby Jesus!

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 04:10:00 +0000

What a great way to start the weekend. I got THE call today. The one letting me know I was going to be able to sleep a little easier. That I wasn’t going to have to stress so much over finances. Yep, I got a job!

I’ve been working as a tax preparer since January and the job was only going to last through April. When March rolled around, I started to panic a little. Ok, a lot. So imagine my surprise when I got a call Monday asking if I could come back in for an interview. Oh wait – I probably need to back track just a bit.

Right around Christmas time, I interviewed with a law firm and the interview went great. The office manager and I hit it off so well my interview lasted almost 2 hours. She all but told me the job was mine. With the holidays I knew I might not hear anything until after Christmas and possibly the new year.

The new year came and went. I heard nothing. I wallowed a tiny bit, ok a lot damn it, and then a cousin asked if I was interested in working for them at their tax preparation office. I said sure. I didn’t have any experience with tax prep but I have over 13 years office/clerical/administrative experience and can learn most anything if you give me the manual. I did a little training, took some tests, became IRS certified and started doing taxes. Oh and managing the office which was a half mile from my house. Can I just tell you how nice it is to have a 2 minute commute? And I won’t even mention driving almost 2 weeks on a 1/4 of a tank of gas.

Anyway, fast forward to this week. I met with the office manager again. We talked for almost an hour and she told me she had one more person to talk to that next day but that I would hear from her one way or the other after the interview. The interview was at 3:00 p.m. At 4:30 I hadn’t heard anything so when That Man called I was thisclose to crying and while talking to him the dam broke. I had decided I was the biggest loser in the world, I was a failure and couldn’t do anything right. Because I hadn’t heard back and I just knew I hadn’t gotten the job.

I got up this morning and headed into work. I was in a piss poor mood like you wouldn’t believe. The office has been really slow these last few weeks, doing only 1 or 2 returns a day, so I knew I needed to do something to stay occupied or I would sit there all day feeling sorry for myself and/or crying. And y’all know “20 Questions” was working with me this week so can you imagine what I would have had to endure if he had seen me like that? Oh holy hell no! I went on a cleaning spree. Bathroom – check. Kitchen – check. Refrigerator cleaned out – check. Vacuum – check. Windows cleaned – check. Then it happened.

My cell phone rang. It was them; the firm where I had interviewed my tookus off and knew in my heart had done I great job but had convinced myself I had messed it all up. I answered the phone and after a polite exchange of how are you and all that jazz, she asked if I could be there Monday morning. Could I? You bet your grandma’s girdle I could be there!

I’ll be making almost as much as I was at my last job in the legal field and almost twice as much as I was making at the tax place. There’s no benefits offered but I’ll figure that out later. Right now it’s just nice to know I’ll have the same amount of money coming in each month. It’s been five months since I was laid off. Three and a half of those living on unemployment. What I received in one month of unemployment was less than one of my paychecks. Times were tough, let me tell you. Had it not been for help from my parents (thank you – love y’all so much!) and others, I don’t know how I would have made it. But made it I did.

I think I may be on the upswing. And that’s a mighty good feeling I must say.

If you were one of those who offered prayers, positive thoughts, good juju or sacrificed a goat, thank you from the bottom of my not-as-hard-as-some-would-lead-you-to-believe heart. So tonight, in the words of Miss Donna Fargo, I’m the happiest girl in the whole USA. Thank y’all so very, very much!

Question...Do you have an answer?

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:53:00 +0000

Alright y'all, I need help with something. A friend of mine called me this morning in a panic asking for my help. She's dating a man whose birthday is coming up but she has no idea what to get him. The circumstances are as follows:

She's only gone out with him a few times
He sent her a gorgeous bouquet for Valentine's Day
He doesn't like wine or other liquor; only beer
He's a very simple man, likes simple things
She's thinking that clothes are too personal at this stage
She's not sure if he collects anything because he's never mentioned anything like that.

Now your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to leave a comment with a suggestion for a birthday gift for this about-to-be 49 year old man. She's a read of this here blog so she'll be checking to see what you've suggested. I can't wait to see them and hear Gidget's reaction to them. C'mon, put those thinking caps on and give it your best shot. Ask the man/men in your life what they think. What would be good, what would creep them out. I'll let you know what she chooses!

Wave On Wave

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:21:00 +0000

In case some of you didn't know, I was laid off from my job back in September. I didn't find another job until January when I went to work for Liberty Tax. In addition to my position as a tax preparer, I am also managing this office. Do y'all have Liberty Tax offices where you live? It's a wonderful company and one of the perks of being a blogger and working here is all the amazing blog fodder that comes from the wavers. You've probably seen them before. They stand roadside, carry signs and wave at the traffic - all while wearing a Statue of Liberty costume. The people who have applied to be a waver at our office haven't been the most, how do I say this nicely?...hell, there's just no way to say it nicely: these people have been dumber than a barrel of hair. Look what I've had to deal with since January:

Waver No. 1: There was a funeral that passed during her shift. She stood there with her signed and waved. At the cars. The family car, the hearse, the funeral procession itself. Even the cars waiting for the funeral procession to pass. When asked about it she said she figured since she had a captive audience she would make the best of it. Really? Not only did she have a 5 o'clock shadow at 9 in the morning, she was a Yankee. Bless her heart.

Waver No. 1: Called to say she wasn't going to be able to come in today because she thought she might get a little cold out there. Really Rainman? An outside job in January and you think you MIGHT get too cold? She never came back to work.

Waver No. 3: (W#1's replacement). She got into a fight with her boyfriend. In the parking lot of our office, next door to a financial planner's office. Did I mention she was still wearing her Lady Liberty costume, screaming and F-bombs being dropped like ashes on Ryan Seacrest? Oh and lest I forget - she was about to light up a Swisher Sweet. (That's a cheap cigar that's been 'stuffed' with a joint.) Still wearing the costume - crown & all. Needless to say I had to fire her on the spot.

Waver No. 4: Called to say he couldn't come in to work today because he didn't have enough gas in his truck. Same guy who asked the owner for gas money the first day he worked.

Waver No. 5: One of Liberty Tax's promotions is they will pay you $50 for a completed and paid tax return. Waver No. 5 stole $200 cash from us. Then didn't show up for work that next day. She had to nerve to call the owner and ask for her check. He told her she would get her check when she paid back the money she stole. She said he couldn't prove she stole the money and that it was hearsay she took it. He told her it was hearsay she worked, so he guessed they were even.

Waver No. 6: He counted the steps he took in a four-hour shift. He said it was 6,487 to be exact.

Waver No. 7: I like to refer to him as "20 Questions". Actual questions he asked yesterday: "Do you think Pizza Hut will sell just one slice of pizza? Do you like pizza? What kind of pizza do you like? Can I do a flip while I'm out there? If I bring a coffee cup where would I keep it? Can I use more than one sign when I wave? Can you blow in my eye, it's itching. Can I use my phone to make important phone calls when I'm waving? How did you know you wanted to do taxes? Can you spray this perfume on me? It's a girly perfume but I love smelly girly. Do you like Starbucks? What kind of Starbucks do you like? I'll bring you some if you want me to. Do we have a mailbox here? Do you want me to check it for you?" He brought me flowers yesterday that he picked himself. Those little white star-shaped ones. Today he brought me a rock. A rock. Oh, and he's an up-talker. I loathe uptalkers.

So as you can see, life hasn't been boring around here lately. Wait until I tell you about some of the people who have come in to have their taxes done. Contact high, anyone?

I Went On A Vacation and Forgot To Tell Y’all About It

noreply@blogger.com (Leiah) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:54:00 +0000

Tonight while waiting for the race to get rolling again, I was going through the pictures on my computer and realized I never told y’all about the vacation That Man and I took. Probably because I was laid off two days before we left. Yep, two days before vacation I got laid off. Should have been a sign but nooooo. We had it all planned out and a ~~major~~ little economic set back be damned!

We left on Than Man’s 50th birthday and headed north to Springfield MO so he could go to the Bass Pro Shop. Disappointment #1. It must have been damaged during all the storms in Joplin because it was nothing like it used to be. The look on That Man’s face was almost heartbreaking. No more wildlife displays. No more stream through the store. Nothing at all like the last time he had been there.

Sunday we leave MO and start making our way to South Dakota. Even with the Bass Pro Shop fiasco and no employment hanging over my head, it’s still a great trip. Until…his new truck leaves us stranded. Stranded thirty miles outside of the Badlands. The day the first note on the truck was due. Disappointment #2. We had to wait for a tow truck to come from Rapid City. It was so deserted, only 4 vehicles passed us in the 2.5 hours we waited. As in this deserted.

The tow truck finally arrived and we then had a two hour ride back to Rapid City. Did you know tow trucks are pretty rough riding vehicles? Especially when this is your view from the back window:

After a little supper and a good night’s sleep, we were able to pick up the rental car and try to salvage the vacation. First stop (SOOC, or i-Phone as it may be),

Next stop, Crazy Horse Monument. If you’ve never been to Mt. Rushmore, it’s not near as big as you think it is. The Crazy Horse Monument, once complete, will be large enough that Mt Rushmore will fit on the head of Crazy Horse. Amazeballs it was.

We ended up having to stay in Rapid City for three days until they replaced the fuel pump in the truck, but it wasn’t a total loss. That Man had been to this area of SD before so he was a great tour guide.

NOTE: I didn’t get to see Michael Ballard, Angie, the Flaunt Girls or Jessie Dupree. If you don’t watch ‘Full Throttle Saloon’, nothing I just wrote makes any sense.

After Sturgis, we went to Deadwood where we had dinner at Kevin Costner’s restaurant, Diamond Lil’s and then visited the gravesites of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

Y’all know how we like to just get in the car (or truck) and just end up somewhere? Even in a different state, we do the same thing. We turned off the main road and started driving through the mountains. Look what we found:

If you’ve seen the movie, you know when Kevin Costner and Mary McDonnell are leaving at the end of the movie and the Indian Brave is riding on the ridge above them?

That would be this ridge right here. Pretty cool, huh?

We spent the rest of the afternoon at a roadside stream where we saw so many trout you couldn’t even begin to count them. It was amazing. And I took what I think is my new favorite picture of That Man, since he is not the most cooperative photo subject.

(Yes Michelle, his cap does in fact say “Choot ‘Em”)

Well, if you’ve made it through this entire picture-heavy post, then leave me a comment so I can send you a prize. And get ready. I’ve been working for Liberty Tax the last few months and I’ve got a few posts about the crazy wavers ready for you. And they’re doozies. The race is back on and I’m hoping he-who-will-not-be-named-so-as-not-to-jinx-it can pull off a win so I'm going to call it a night.

Have a great Tuesday and I promise to post more regularly/frequently, with more ~~snarkiness~~ ~~bitternes~~s humor.

Toodles!

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.