Raevyn's Nest

Starting Anew

2014-10-11T21:31:00.000-05:00

Wow, over a year! So much has happened that I can’t even begin to completely re-hash, and frankly, most of it doesn’t even merit rehashing at this point. The short version is that I’ve celebrated both a work anniversary and another birthday, I’ve found some amazing peace, and I’m generally successful in not letting negativity rule my life. I work with a great group of folks, most of whom I enjoy immensely, and who respect and accept me for who I am.

I’ve managed to successfully let go of some anger that has been simmering, admittedly, largely because those with whom I was angry have gotten fabulous bitch-slaps courtesy of Karma. This is awesome because I’m reasonably likely to run into at least one of them at some point, and I no longer feel the need to introduce my fist to their teeth, which will, at least, avoid an assault charge.

My blood pressure is back down to normal, without medication, and, aside from an occasional flare, the fibro is well controlled. Weight is still largely the same, mostly because I make lazy, less-than-ideal food choices more times a week than I should.

I’ve had an actual vacation for the first time in too damned long, and I’ve used up all but about 3 of my 10 vacation days for the year, which is fine, because I get 10 more starting in January. On the schedule for next summer is a trip to Quebec, if everything can get sorted out properly.

The drawback I’ve found to my decision to find positivity in every day, and minimize negativity, is that I get frustrated by people who have not made such choices, and always have something negative to say, are whiney, and just plain annoying. I’ve had to adjust my facebook settings so that they don’t show up in my feed and drive me crazy! I’m fully aware of the fact that it hasn’t been that long since I had long stretches of pity party, and I try to be patient, but it does wear on my nerves.

Overall, I’d have to say that I’m happier and more content with myself and my life than I’ve ever been. I have stopped competing with anyone, including my younger self. I conform to anyone else’s standards only so far as is necessary to meet the company dress code (jeans and a company shirt). I wasted too many years trying to conform to someone else’s standard, which made me self-conscious and led to always questioning how I looked. I’m truly comfortable in my own skin, finally. There have long been people in my life that I love unconditionally, but until the past few months, I was not one of those people.

My most awesome happy thought for today is that as of a few days ago, some of my dearest friends have finally managed to close a terrible chapter in their lives, which will enable them to move forward and leave the past behind them.

First Day of

2013-09-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life, and I’m working on making it a healthier life, come hell or high water. This afternoon I used my favorite cooking utensil, the crock pot.

I found this recipe on Facebook

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken -

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons dried minced onion (I used onion powder)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Combine the first four dry spices in a small bowl and spread over chicken on both sides. Set aside. Pour olive oil and garlic on the bottom of the crock pot. Place chicken on top. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. .

It was delicious, and we had it with some green peas and mashed potatoes. Tomorrow’s lunch will be 4 oz of chicken, about 7 oz of salad, topped with a tablespoon of homemade Balsamic Bleu Cheese vinaigrette dressing, and a side of brown rice & quinoa. I’m DEFINITELY adding this recipe to my repertoire, since it is delicious, in addition to low fat, low sodium, and good for me!

I’ve also made protein shakes with some fruit pureed into them for breakfasts, and stored them in baggies in the freezer, so I can take them out the night before to thaw enough to drink on the way to work.

Short term goal is 5 lbs by the 19^th, and a total of 10 lbs by my birthday on October 5^th. If I can meet a goal of 10 lbs a month, then by the time I take my next trip out of town, for DoTS in December, I will have exceeded my doctor’s goal for me. Maintaining that pace, by Opening Weekend of Scarborough, I will be within 25 lbs of my high school graduation weight, which would be fabulous.

My current pant size is somewhere between a 24 & a 26, depending on the pants and the maker. Shirts I’m doing a 3xl or a 22/24. By my birthday, I’d love to be down to a 24 or less in pants (because, let’s face it, my ass is a bigger problem than my upper body). By DoTS, I’d like to be down to a 2x or an 18/20 shirt as well.

Happy Jar for the day: I’m blessed with an awesome chosen family and household, even at the times that they drive me up a wall.

New Meds... oh yay.

2013-09-05T21:19:00.000-05:00

The initial report from the doctor is in, I officially have high blood pressure. It’s not terribly high, but regularly high enough to cause some concern and land me on lisinopril. I’ll have my first dose tomorrow morning (after I get to work, since it’s known to cause drowsiness, light-headedness, etc., so I’d rather be where I’m not going to be driving before I take it). I also have instructions to exercise more and lose 10% of my body weight. When I’m in the doc’s office next week for a follow up, we’re going to discuss this situation further, because, well, I’m home for somewhere between 3 & 4 hours on weeknights before I need to go to bed, and somewhere in there must be my dinner. I’ve learned from the past, that late evening exercise and restful sleep are NOT friends in my world. Once it cools off, I can walk a lap or two around the exterior of our building at lunch, but for now, while it’s Hotter Than Satan’s AssHole out there, it is NOT an option. I’m looking into gym facility options that are either near work, or somewhere between home and work that’s easily accessible one direction or the other. There’s a facility associated with a hospital that’s open to the public, and includes an Arthritis Aqua-cise program, which should also be beneficial for the Fibromyalgia as well. My short term goal (by the time I go to the doc’s again on the 19^th) is about 4 lbs, so I’ve gotten some salad mix, and will be working on eating more balanced, healthier stuff, regardless of what the rest of the house is eating.

Happy Jar for the day was making someone I adore laugh til she almost wet herself, when she’d had a bit of a rough 24 hours or so!

The Great Boobie Smash 2013

2013-09-04T21:08:00.002-05:00

So today I had the Great Boobie Smash done. Yep, I had my first mammogram. At age 45. To be completely honest, I was prepared for a horrible torture device, in a freezing room, with my girls each smashed repeatedly between icy plates, and squashed to flat as pancakes. I have to say that was totally NOT my experience. The tech was a lovely young woman, who explained to me exactly what she was doing, and took the time to explain to me that since I had no previous scan, it’s quite possible that they might need a second scan, just to verify what they saw, especially given the obvious density of my girls. Now, I have no direct history of breast cancer in my family, which is part of the reason I’ve not worried about getting a mammogram sooner. Also there was the cost… I now have AWESOME insurance that pays 100% of my mammogram, with no co-pay on my part.

At any rate, the rooms (both the changing room and the actual radiology room) were comfortable temperatures, and the fact of the matter is that the only painful part was after each one was finished, when I could back up, only to discover that my underside was stuck to the bottom plate… think peeling your leg off the leather seat in the car in the summer, only your boob. Yeah, THAT was fun. It happened the first time, and like a dork, I thought it was an anomaly so I didn’t bother to lift the other before I started pulling back the second time around.

Results should be to my doctor by Monday, and I should have my copy by sometime next week. Now I just have to wait and see what the report says…

Happy Jar for the day is the fact that I have a stable, albeit chaotic home, my own space for quiet time, and all the purrs and kitty love I can stand on any given day!

Letting Go

2013-09-02T21:10:00.001-05:00

This has been a hard lesson for me to learn, because, well, I hold on. I hold on to things, I hold on to people, I hold on to grudges. A lot has happened over the past few months, good things, and bad things. Our household is still very full, and probably a little livelier than many, but we’re making it work, I think. I’ve found a position with a stable company that values its employees, and I no longer dread getting out of bed in the morning to go to the office. I could live without the drive (about an hour each direction), but working with people I like and respect, and that like and respect me as well makes the drive worth every minute.

I’m not perfect, far from it, actually, but over the past few months, I’ve found more patience than I ever thought I might have, and I love where I am in the world these days. I am so tremendously blessed by family, both genetic and chosen/adopted. Since I’ve learned to truly let go of things that have been weighing me down for all of my adult life, and if I’m completely honest with myself, much of my youth and childhood, I’ve found a wonderful freedom, from anger, from resentment, and from sadness.

I’ve made a conscious choice to not allow negativity to rule my life, drag me down, or control me. One day at a time is all anyone can expect of me, and it’s all I’m committing to. To that end, I’ve started the school kids in the house on their own happy jars. Each day, they each get a colorful card of paper, on which they can write something happy or good that happened that day. My goal with this for them is to help keep them focused on the positive, and to give them something tangible for those rotten days we all have occasionally, that they can look at and say “sure, this has been a bad day, but look at my happy jar, I AM blessed, even today”.

Today’s Happy Jar entry for me is that we had a birthday party for a beloved part of the village, and had all but 4 of our village with us to enjoy a delicious meal, great fellowship, and some good family time.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-anges

2013-06-25T22:50:00.001-05:00

Once again Rae’s been a very bad blogger. 6 months between posts is, I suppose, both good and bad. I’ve used this blog at times as a therapeutic device, sometimes as a diary. That I’ve not felt the need for therapy or a diary over the last couple of years is probably a good thing, right?

In December I moved out to the country, a decision that I made after the Cow incident, which showed me just how isolated from my support system I had become. I’m currently sharing a house again, for the time being, but if all falls into place reasonably, by the end of the year, I’ll be out into a more private studio type of space, although still in our little village.

At the end of January, the position I was looking to leave, and as such, had reworked my resume and begun searching for a fresh, more stable opportunity; was eliminated via an “office reorganization”, after I objected to working a 9 hour Saturday in addition to my 9 hour weekdays, WITHOUT ADDITIONAL PAY. Yes, I know this was illegal, however my supervisor (who fancies herself the be all and end all of EVERYTHING), had no response available when I pointed out that under federal law, my position (Accounting Assistant), and the fact that I had no employees who reported to me, and had no decision-making authority on anything other than what I ate for lunch was classified as NON-EXEMPT salaried, and thus I was entitled to overtime pay for any and all hours worked over 40 in a week. They paid me through the end of the week (which was the end of the month), and gave me notice in writing, that they would not object to my unemployment claim. I packed my stuff and walked out with my head held high. I didn’t shed a single tear, because, frankly, I was growing increasingly unhappy, because I was unappreciated and unnecessarily micromanaged. In the end, my supervisor tried to have criminal fraud charges filed against me because I’d had mail sent there, having ordered something WEEKS earlier that didn’t arrive until a week after I left. That little plan bit her in the ass when she called the Sheriff to do so, and when they asked her how she knew what was in the envelope, she admitted to opening my U.S. Mail, which WAS marked “To Be Opened By Addressee Only” and was from a State of TX agency. In the end, she elected to back off, likely because she was told that I was perfectly within my rights to file FEDERAL mail tampering charges against her. The upside is that I don’t have to deal with her EVER AGAIN.

In the months since I left there, I’ve been on a bunch of interviews, sent out hundreds of resumes, sold a few pieces of jewelry (more on that in a later post), spent 8 weekends selling perfume oils again (God I love doing that!), and spent a lot of time with my cats. I've cut about 8 inches off my hair, partially because it was time for a change, and partially because it was driving me a little crazy because it had decided to be kinda frizzy, despite it having had no chemical treatments on it, since I've been coloring with henna for more than 2 years

Tomorrow I have a 2^nd interview for a position that’s not specifically in my field, but is in a related field, with a large, very stable company, with great benefits, and opportunity for advancement.

Thanks & Gratitude Day 1

2012-11-01T21:35:00.001-05:00

Welcome to November. To begin this month of Thanksgiving & gratitude, I’ve got a pretty big one. Last week I was involved in what was actually a major car accident. I was driving on my merry way to work, about 6:45 in the morning, still in the dark, along the Farm to Market road I’ve driven daily for months, and regularly for more than a year before that, with no problems. As I rolled along at 60 mph, largely in the dark, save for my headlights, and those of the pickup behind me, visibility was limited, but everything seemed normal. Little did I know that “normal” was about to blow up in my face, literally. There suddenly appeared, in my vision, a HUGE black cow’s ass. Apparently the deer whistles on my bumper do NOT mean a thing to cattle. I barely had time to register what it was, let alone get my foot off the gas and to the brake, before the cow was on my hood, and my airbag was blowing up as I slid off the roadway into the gully between the road and a fence line. I landed between a tree and the fence. I was able to get out of the car on my own by the time that the pickup behind me pulled over (having also hit the cow) safely onto the shoulder, and got down into the gully to check on me. He went back up to see if he could see where the cow was. A guy in a Cadillac stopped to see if he could help out, and was out of his car, near it, on the fence side, rather than the street side, when I heard another vehicle hit the cow, and saw a pickup skidding on its roof (having knocked the cow out of the roadway), right into the back of the Cadillac, which caused it to throw its driver right out of his shoes, farther up into the grass, near the fence. The guy in the upside down truck managed to get himself out of his truck, and he and another guy came down to see if I needed help up out of the gully.

My car is totaled,

with only liability insurance (since it was 21 years old), but I am so very thankful that I walked away with some scrapes, bruises, a mildly scratched cornea, and a small laceration near my hairline which required 2 staples.

The only others transported and with undriveable cars were truck #2, who had a small cut on his forehead and another on his elbow; and Cadillac, who, while strapped to the backboard and the gurney, could feel them touching his feet, move his feet, and was completely lucid, so it seemed no spinal cord damage or obviously broken bones. Given the condition of the vehicles, It could have been so much worse. I spent a few days with my dear friends, and came home on Saturday night to spend a day loving on the kitties before I went back to work on Monday.

I was blessed with a generous gift from a cousin that provided me with a down payment on a newer, nicer vehicle. My payments are affordable, and my mileage is looking very close to what I was getting in Stellaluna.

What are YOU thankful for today?

update

2012-07-19T22:15:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's been almost 3 months since I posted. It got pretty crazy that last month of Scarborough, I worked more hours this season, and half the weekends, including closing, I worked full time, which was hard, but I'm pretty pleased with how my body handled it. I didn't even have to go in to my weekday job late on Mondays. Now, the first weekend of June I pretty much stayed on the couch or in bed for the whole weekend, but there was no flare. I am attributing it to the fact that things have settled down and I've actually felt that I had some sort of control over my world for the first time in more than 2 years. It's not perfect, by any means, but it's mine, and back in a balanced harmony.

I'd had some tentative plans to head north to meet my friends from Galveston at the PA RenFaire, but I figured out several weeks ago that I couldn't afford the airfare, and instead decided to head west to a new Highland games in Odessa, taking a long weekend to use up my vacation days that expire the week after the games. Unfortunately, my boss had other plans, to be out of the country, and there's just not another time between now and then that it will be convenient for me to take the days, which, in the end has worked in my favor. I had to have some fairly extensive work done on my car, so it would pass inspection, oh, and not burn up the engine. She's 21 years old, with relatively low miles, but several things began to fail at once. I was blessed to find an honest mechanic, and my boss allowed me to cash in the unused vacation days in order to cover about a third of the repair cost.

The move back to the home office has been an adjustment, there are many days that I spend frustrated with other people's habits (I don't understand why you can get to the vet's office with your dog at 8:30, then get her home & settled, and up to the office by 9:30, but you can't make it the 3 miles from your house to the office before 9 on any other day), but overall I'm so very grateful to have a job that I like, working for a boss that I like. The real upside to working over there is that there's an HEB grocery store a block away, and I LOVE HEB for all sorts of things. It allows me to shop economically (in general their prices are competitive with Wallyworld, and, in my opinion, their meat department blows Wallyworld out of the water!

My goal now is to spend a little time each day reflecting on the good, and putting any negative in the past.

Halfway through

2012-05-02T21:42:00.000-05:00

It’s almost unbelievable that I’m halfway through with my busiest season of the year, Scarborough. It’s been a whirlwind of fun, busy, and some stress over the changes at my pays the bills job.
The day job has settled into more of a routine, and while I’m still on “probation” until, umm Memorial Day, I’m not particularly concerned because I’m proving myself (again), and getting everything done that has been asked of me. My goal this week, while the T is on vacation, is to finish getting everything that was waiting for me when she left completely entered, so that next week I can hound the boss and get the pre-emptive paperwork processed to keep us from getting nastygrams on the 15th. She can never manage to do it, and as a result on the 12th of last month I worked a 13 hour day with no real lunch break. That is NOT going to happen this month, I am determined! I am a bit frustrated by one co-worker who’s sort of abusing her absence by spending more time than usual talking to her boyfriend on the cell phone and trolling the internet for barrel racing videos. Hopefully tomorrow that’s going to get resolved, but we’ll see.

The Faire job has been fun, as usual, and I’ve done pretty well with not overdoing anything. We’ve made it through 2 weekends on our own, without any incidents, and I’ve learned a few new recipes to mix up existing scents, as well as making up a few more. This coming weekend is my last weekend with my awesome friends from Galveston, which kind of makes me sad, but next weekend is the weekend that my BFF and identical twin from another mother will be in for our jaunt. We missed it last year, and it was a real downer.

For now, it’s off to bed for a good night’s sleep so I can get up and get an early start. Tomorrow’s laundry night, so I can get packed to leave Friday morning.

The Madness Has Begun

2012-04-10T21:45:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's that time of year again, Scarborough has begun, and so has my 61-day work week... It's all good, because I don't hate my weekday job, and I LOVE working at the perfumery on the weekends. This weekend should be interesting, because the owner will not be in town, so my co-worker & I are on our own, which means minimal breaks and virtually no time to run amok. I've always worked a part-time schedule on the weekends, instead of full-time, so we'll see how my system manages that!

One of my co-workers is umm, militant about her beliefs, and is relatively intolerant of other people's opinions and beliefs. Last week, another employee asked her about Easter eggs in conjunction with a program she's involved in at her church. Her response was to look directly at me and say "I object to the use of Pagan symbols in relation to Christian holidays". Yeahhh, she's made an assumption about my beliefs, based entirely on the fact that I am part of the Renaissance Festival community. Never mind discussions we've had over the last 18 months about my CHURCH. I refrained from pointing out to her that 1. my beliefs are none of her damned business, 2. My Bibles (I own at least one KJV, a RSV, an NIV, and a Living Bible) ALL include "Judge not, lest ye/you be judged", and 3. I object to Christians believing that they have the right to judge others AND cram their beliefs down everybody's throat. Hmm, perhaps she thinks I'm a Pagan in the Spring, and a Christian the rest of the year? So yesterday, I noticed that she'd clipped a tract to her wall-mounted inbox entitled something like "Becoming a Christian is as E.A.S.Y as A.B.C". Yeah she's a passive-aggressive B!#(H, and her life truly only consists of Work, Church, and living with her parents & 2 dogs. She lives to get a rise out of people, and she's not going to be successful with me. I have no doubts about where I stand with God, and I also know that on my WORST day, I have an amazing support system of friends and family from diverse walks of life, all of whom love and accept me for who I am, without trying to make me conform to what they think is right.

Last Tuesday, I came home after the storms that were in the area, to find that the mama kitty that's been hanging about (I believe she & her boyfriend were abandoned, as they are way too social and keep trying to get into the house to really be ferals) had delivered 5 kittens. 4 have survived this long, and even on my cranky mornings, seeing them in their box on the porch brings a smile to my face.

On that note, I think it's time to shut down and head for the bed with the kitties. Sleep is kind of hit or miss these days, and tomorrow's an early morning.

And Then There Were Three

2012-03-19T19:37:00.002-05:00

Back in the summer, when the original roomies moved about an hour south, 2 cats from the cattery remained, because the new roomie was adopting them. I held these cats within 24 hours of their births (a day apart). One hairless, one haired. They were adopted together because the hairless really doesn't need to be an only cat, and the haired, while she carries a hairless gene, does not further the goals of the cattery, i.e. hairless with curled ears & short legs. By the time that the new roomie moved in at the beginning of September, the girls were bonded to me, but warmed pretty well to him. Thanksgiving weekend, when the Bestie, her man, the 5 year old & I left Thursday morning for our Clan dinner and then trip to TRF, both girls were a little sneezy, but they often were, as their mothers tend to run a little snotty as well. We got back around midnight on Saturday night and while we noticed the haired was not around, we assumed she was upstairs sleeping with the roomie, as she often did, little miss Baldy, on the other hand was ALL up in the business because 'WOO HOO, SOMEONE IS SLEEPING IN HERE WITH ME!' Sunday afternoon, the old roomies came to pick some stuff up from an outbuilding, and then left. After that was when I first saw the haired, and her breathing was terribly labored. When roomie came home, I pointed it out to him and he responded that he was going to keep an eye on her for a day or two, that he didn't think she needed intervention just yet. When I went to bed, she was asleep in the box on the floor. When I got up Monday morning, he had already left for the hospital where he was having day surgery on his shoulder, and her box was on the desk in the living room (about 8 feet from where it had been on the floor). She was twisted and broken on the floor in front of the desk. I absolutely LOST it. To this day, I don't know if she tried to get out of the box herself, or if the dogs tried to nudge her out of it. I do know, that at least one of the dogs either licked her or had her in their mouth, because she was mostly covered in drool. In order to keep from killing either the roomie or his stupid dogs, I've convinced myself that she was gone before the dog(s) got her. Well, Baldy can't be an only cat, and he had never really bonded to her. Ex-roomie was frustrated and angry, and didn't want to leave her with him. The weather got cold, so I started taking her to bed with me, for her own warmth and health/safety. Eventually roomie acknowledged that she was mine, and when I moved, I moved with 4 cats. Girlcat, will turn 15 this summer. Shortcat, the deaf munchkin about 9, Li'lcat, who is almost 4, and Baldy, who is a year and a half old. Shortcat's deafness is caused by a tumor in her left ear, that we always knew could begin to grow again at any time, either into her inner ear, outward toward the exterior, or backwards into her brain. Her equilibrium has always been a little wonky, so her gait, while rolling to some degree due to her short legs, has always been a bit wobbledy as well. When the barometric pressure changes significantly, so does her gait, and she looks positively drunk when she walks. Well, with the storm front that came in this afternoon, she's been kinda drunken for several days, which I attributed to the storm. She's been eating and drinking normally, and hadn't lost any weight, even trying to hog the food like she always did. What she wasn't doing, was climbing up on the bed, but again, not an uncommon occurrence when the pressure in her ear is really bad. This afternoon, when I was home for lunch, I looked under the bed to see her, and she didn't look right. I picked her up and she went limp. Her breathing wasn't quite right, her eyes weren't right. I called the Ex-roomie, who owned her before I did, and we agreed that she needed to be seen, but that it might well be that the tumor had started growing, and thus time to let her go. The vet looked in her ear, and offered antibiotics, but was not convinced that it would do a bit of good, based on what she'd seen in there. She had a good life, longer, I think, than anyone ever anticipated. She knew she was loved, and the last memory she has from this realm is my love and the safety of my arms as she relaxed and crossed to the rainbow bridge. Run free and without wobble or a cocked head. You had more voice and personality than cats twice your size, and my life was richer for having you in it! Join your brother Leo, who crossed a scant 8 months ago, your buddy Tabitha, who crossed in November, and scores of others waiting for you to come and romp with them.

That's 3 cats in 8 months. Surely my turn at loving animals who cross is done for awhile!

Slowing Down, FINALLY

2012-02-23T21:48:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow's a month since I started the move, and I will get the last of my stuff that's in the other place at lunchtime. The new place is nowhere near sorted out yet, but it's functional, and it's getting sorted, in baby steps.

My allergies have been absolutely wretched this month, especially in the last couple of weeks. I had hoped to go down to Sherwood Forest Faire outside Austin this past weekend with some friends to celebrate a birthday, but I knew by Wednesday that it was better for me to stay home and not expose myself to the predicted weather and the abundance of cedar trees. In the end, I came directly home on Friday night and went to bed. Saturday morning I had to get up and get a couple of errands done, then came home and went back to bed for awhile, then got up to make some bread, in an effort to have less processed bread for my sandwiches. It was a dismal failure, as I don't seem to have a really good place with enough warmth to have it rise properly. By the time that I finished it and got it baked, it was after 10. I knew that I wasn't going to get to church for the 9:30 contemporary service, so I didn't even try. I spent most of Sunday also sitting on my butt, hoping that the crud I was coughing up was not a lung! I'm still only operating probably around 85 or 90%, but I've made it to work every day, and what I have to get done this weekend is fairly minimal. This is my last quiet weekend before NTIF and then a quick trip out west for the Midland Scottish-Irish Faire.

I have new neighbors upstairs, a young couple that seems very nice, they asked if their walking was too loud, and said that they're trying to walk softly, because they've noticed their windows rattle sometimes. The neighborhood overall seems pretty quiet. Of course, since all the units really close to mine are 2 bedrooms, that limits how many people can legally be living there. The building nearest my front door has both units occupied, a total of I think about 5 people, including a couple of kids, maybe 10 or so years old. The building at my back door is only half occupied and I know nothing about them, since I don't ever go in & out of my back door. There's another complex about a block away with more units and it seems lots of kids, but they stay pretty much near those buildings, and on the other side of the street. My cats are all much happier, although little baldy is going to be unhappy when I get my hands on a large enough crate to retrain her litterbox habits. I'm hopeful that it won't take more than a week or two to accomplish, but we'll see. In the meantime, I'm just grateful that she's using linoleum instead of the new carpet that was installed before I moved in! Overall, we're all much less stressed and feeling better, even my 2 little snotbuckets (such a lovely trait they inherited from their mother) are less snotty than they ever were in the other place. And we have central HVAC! And a REAL OVEN.

The other excitement this week has been the birth of my first great-niece, who arrived on Monday evening, beautiful and perfect. I'm hoping to be healthy enough to go meet her on Sunday. I've got a book for her, but before I give it to her, I have to get my voice back, because I need to read it onto a CD for her.

It's been a rough couple of years, but 2012 is shaping up to be a fabulous turnaround, and for that I'm grateful!

Moved, mostly

2012-01-31T14:44:00.002-06:00

I hate moving, more than just about anything I have to do. I think it goes back to my childhood, when, courtesy of the US Army, I was moved 5 times from the time I was born until I was 3 years old. Until I was 25, the longest I lived in one place was 5½ years. To the best of my recollection, all of the army moves were done by professionals, right down to the packing, and several pieces of my furniture bear multiple identification stickers from those moves. I hate packing, and I kind of don't really like unpacking, but I do a little better at the unpacking than at the packing. Saturday, courtesy of some of the most awesome friends, and my 2 youngest nephews, all of the furniture, and 97% of the boxes got moved. Most of what was left is hanging clothes, and miscellaneous stuff, only about half to ¾ of which will get moved, the rest is just plain crapola, and will go in the garbage.
The cats have done very well, especially Trinity & Tegan, who were born in the house we just moved out of. I think the best part for them is that they don't get locked up in the bedroom at night, so if they want to go out on a perimeter inspection in the night, they can, at least as much of the perimeter as the walls will allow. There's only been one accident, and it was on the linoleum floor, so easy enough to clean up. They are still very much sleep with Mom cats, at least 3 of them are. Mollie, however, has decided to proclaim her independence, and she's not going to sleep in the bedroom unless it pleases her to do so, thankyouverymuch, a point she made last night by staying out in the living room on the ottoman.
We have less space overall than we had access to in the old place, but their confinement has gone from about 120sqft (our bedroom, which is where they HAD to spend their nights, and where they remained confined anytime I was gone overnight) to 790sqft, although part of that is closed off until I can get to sorting all those boxes and such. We now live in a 2 bedroom duplex with NO DOGS in our space. The bedrooms are a little bigger than the one we had, and they are also more square, while the previous one was Longer than it was wide. I chose the larger (by about a foot's width) of the 2 rooms simply because it IS larger, but I discovered on Saturday night that I chose even MORE wisely because the window in that room faces the back of the property, which is essentially an open field, whereas the other bedroom's window faces the parking lot on that end of the building (I am in the downstairs unit of a 2 story building), and while the security light is AWESOME to have lighting the parking lot, it also lights up that bedroom pretty well too.
I am quite pleased with the fact that I have finally pared down (9 years after Mom died) everything I own to that which I will actually USE, or I truly LOVE. Now if I can just find those organizational faeries to come get everything unpacked and organized, it will be fabulous! I am not pushing myself to get it all done at once. Last night I picked up a load of stuff (mostly clothes and my small garbage cans) from the old place on my way home from work. My goal for last night was to get the kitchen cleaned up (dirty dishes from the chili I cooked on Saturday to feed my moving crew, plus what hadn't gotten washed on Sunday & Monday), unload at least 1 moving container in the kitchen, and get all the clothes sorted. I managed to accomplish that PLUS clean out a drawer in my dresser that was holding random stuff instead of the clothes it could/should have! I also got the window security locks installed on all the windows except the one I can't get to in the spare bedroom (aka storage bedroom) because of all the boxes. Tonite I have several loads of laundry to get done (thank heavens for the inexpensive Laundromat a mile from home with 25-cent washers & reasonably priced dryers AND free wi-fi (since my home internet is STILL not working, tyvm AT&T for telling me lie after lie throughout the process of getting moved. If you'd been honest in the first place, I would already have everything I need & not be hatin' on you today) that I can use to get my internet fix, and get caught up on some of my FB apps that have suffered the last 5 days since I unplugged on Friday before the move… I figure that by the time I finish the laundry, I'll be ready to get home, hang what needs to dry in the bathroom, put the rest away, and empty another tote in the kitchen before I am ready for bed. At this rate, the kitchen will be put together by the weekend, but not a whole lot else. I just HAVE to finish it before Scarby starts, though I'd like to be able to say it's finished before NTIF, which still gives me 4 weeks to get it all done (aside from the monster in the spare bedroom, which will be reasonably done by the beginning of Scarby, if for no other reason than I'll need to be able to get all my garb organized & easy to choose from & pack for each weekend).

Fresh Bread

2012-01-15T21:47:00.000-06:00

So I've decided to stop spending money on bread, which often goes bad before I finish the loaf. I made a loaf last week that turned out to be entirely too dense to use for sandwiches. So today I found another recipe, over here at the Hungry Mouse. Instead of two loaves, I cut the recipe in half and made just one loaf.
My recipe is below:

1C warm water
1T sugar
1 pkg yeast (yes, I'm still using individual packages, but once I get moved, I'll be investing in bulk yeast, since it's significantly less expensive per use)
2 & 3/4 C self rising flour
1T butter

Since I was using self rising flour, I eliminated the salt that is in the Hungry Mouse's recipe.

I dissolved the sugar into the water in my bowl, then added the yeast and let it sit for about 10 minutes or so before I added in the flour and butter.

I don't have a stand mixer (yet), so I used a fork to get the mixing started, then kneaded by hand for about 5 minutes or so, until the dough was firm and elastic.

I let it rise for about an hour until it rose to a little more than double it's original size, then punched it back down, kneaded it a few more minutes and formed the loaf before I put it into the lightly greased glass loaf pan.

I baked it for 40 minutes at 350 degrees in my toaster/convection oven. My only regret is that I didn't take into account that the back of my oven heats faster than the front, so I neglected to turn the loaf halfway through, in order to brown it evenly.

Overall, I'm much happier with this loaf than I was with last week's, it's lighter, and it tastes better. I sliced several slices, but then stopped because it wasn't quite all the way cooled down, so the slices were a bit gummy. The end piece I ate was delicious, and I'm looking forward to having some for breakfast in the morning... I'm thinking perhaps some chai toast...

Dublin Dr Pepper

2012-01-13T15:33:00.001-06:00

Any of ya'll who know me very well know that I'm a Pepper, to the core. Dr Pepper is the only soda I've ever drunk with any regularity. In a pinch Mr. Pibb, or most generic versions of Dr Pepper will do, but when the server says to me, after I've ordered my Dr Pepper "Is Pepsi ok?", the response they'll get is "hell no, Pepsi's not OK, if I wanted a Pepsi, I would have ordered one. I'll have tea or water instead." I started ingesting Dr Pepper in utero, because during her pregnancy, coffee made my mother sick, so she, being the good TX woman she is, drank Dr Pepper for her caffeine. (After all, this was, you know, before caffeine was bad for us, particularly for developing babies). When I was a little girl, and we lived in Kansas, we would periodically go down to Marshall to visit my grandmother. Her Dr Pepper was HEAVENLY. What I didn't know then, was that the taste difference was partially because she bought the liter bottles (glass ones), instead of cans, and partially due to water differences at such at the plant that bottled hers vs. the plant that canned what we could get a the commissary. Even when we moved back to TX, ours tasted different than hers, though once she moved to a neighborhood near ours, I figured out that by then most of the difference in taste was the glass/can differences.
Once HFCS became the standard rather than sugar for the majority of the Dr Pepper bottlers, I never really thought about the difference anymore, until I was an adult and happened upon some of the cane sugar version. Since I lived in the Dallas & Tarrant county areas, I didn't often come across any of the cane sugar, or Dublin version, because I never traveled into the 6 county area that had always been the Dublin plant's territory. Do I prefer the cane sugar version? Yep, who wouldn't prefer a more natural version. For awhile, I took the longer (timewise) route to visit my bestie because it took me through Granbury and Stephenville, both within the territory, and I could pick up some of the good stuff, albeit at a bit of a premium price (not a LOT more, but it was a bit more expensive). Eventually, I started seeing the 6-packs of 8 oz bottles in some of the small, independent farmer's & specialty markets. When I inquired, I was informed that they drove to Dublin specifically to purchase it, something like once a month or so. By 2007, I was seeing it in major retailers, such as WalMart and Central Market, in TARRANT COUNTY. I also got it out of fountains at several chain restaurants in both DALLAS & TARRANT counties. Did this make me happy? Sure it did, I LOVE that version of Dr Pepper. Did some part of me wonder what was up, since I'd read various places about their restricted territory? Of course. Did that stop me from buying it when I saw it? Nope, if I had the money, I picked some up.
I don't remember when I first heard rumblings of Dr Pepper Snapple Group starting to discuss with the Dublin plant their marketing and labeling, but to the best of my recollection, it's been going on for well over a year, maybe two. When the lawsuit was filed in June 2011, it came as no surprise to me. I don't see it as a corporate greed thing, I see it as enforcing a contract. I recall blips on the news and such about DPSG asking, then telling the Dublin plant to only use "approved" logos. Dublin elected to continue to add "Dublin" to their labeling, rendering it "unapproved". Did they try to get it approved? I have no idea, and now it really doesn't matter. The Dublin plant agreed to a franchise agreement, which spelled out where they could sell the product, and how they could package/label it. They made the decision to knowingly violate the terms of the contract, not just once, but repeatedly. I know of no other franchised products that are allowed to use unapproved, location specific logos or packaging. Every DQ, Burger King, KFC, Whataburger, McDonalds, they all use standard logos and packaging. When I was at the Flagship Whataburger in Corpus Christi a couple of years back, their packaging was exactly like every other Whataburger I've ever been into. Did they place too much faith in the "We are the oldest continually operating plant, so we can make our own rules" idea? Did they think that when push came to shove DPSG would just back down? I don't know, I'm not a party to the inner workings of either organization, nor do I wish to be. What I do know is that as much as I LOVE the cane sugar version, and I'm sorry that it came to this, I can't help but think that the Dublin plant shot themselves in the foot, when they refused to abide by the terms to which they had agreed.
I've gotten several requests to sign at least one petition, there may be a couple circulating, I don't know for sure, and join in a boycott of Dr Pepper Snapple Group products. I've elected not to do so for a couple of reasons. Number one, the time for the petition/boycott was last summer, when the suit was first filed, to show support for the plant and the way it was doing things BEFORE it lost it's Dr Pepper production. As many of us as there are that love the cane sugar version, the reality is that very few of us actually live within the territory that the Dublin plant was authorized to sell in, and therefore the majority of us haven't been drinking it exclusively anyway, and the reality is that even if everyone who signs the petition never buys another Dr Pepper again, it really won't make that much difference to DPSG, their territory is too widespread, and product lines are too diverse. Number two, I don't think that the Dublin plant is the innocent little guy in all of this. They failed to meet the terms of their agreements with DPSG, and in the end, it cost them their franchise. I'm sympathetic to the 14 people who were "laid off", but I question whether or not that was really necessary, and whether that can actually be laid at the feet of DPSG. Could Dublin Bottle Works not use them in another capacity? Ok, they can't bottle Dr Pepper, but they can bottle several other things, why not ramp up production of those, and save the 14 jobs?
I'm sorry that it came to this point, and I'm sure the residents of Dublin are heartbroken and disappointed, but I really think that it could have been avoided if the plant had stuck to its end of the bargain to start with.

Kitchen Lessons

2012-01-08T21:40:00.000-06:00

I've tried in the past to not buy a lot of groceries at a time, to go along with the European trend of getting fresh food from the market every few days, instead of doing a big shop one day a week. The problem for me with that is that if I haven't already planned and done some prep, well, then I end up buying junk. Fridays on my way home from work is when I typically do most of my grocery shopping. This serves two purposes, the first is that I'm not fighting with a million people on Saturday (at any given time), and I've discovered that I find fresher stuff Friday night, that's been stocked for the crowds that will be in on Saturday. I live in what I call a 'country-city'. We're actually a city, but a significant part of our property tax base is rural or semi-rural. My grocery store options are Albertson's, Wal-Mart, Brookshire's, and Save-A-Lot. Most of my staples come from WalMart simply because they have the best prices, and I trust the quality of what I've always gotten there. I don't buy a lot of bulk, especially perishables, because it will go bad, either from not being frozen in time, or from freezer burn, because bulk is generally just entirely too much for one person to use. I do sometimes stop at Central Market on my way home from church on Sundays to pick up something special, or stock up on bulk spices. I'm thrilled beyond belief that when I shift back to the main office, instead of the field office I'm in right now, I will pass an HEB going to & from work!
Today I did my main prepwork for this week's dinners (and lunches, probably, since I need to learn to give up my naps at lunch, so I'll be able to actually sit down and eat something, instead of grabbing a sandwich on the run back to work). I made a meatloaf in my new, smaller slow cooker. It turned out better than I expected, but not quite as good as I'd hoped. Of course, I wasn't paying attention, and forgot to put my sauce on the top for the last 15 minutes, though I'm not sure the sauce would have done a whole lot. I also made homemade macaroni and cheese, using the 5 cheese macaroni & cheese recipe that was used at TGI Friday's a few years ago. I tweaked it a little bit, because I couldn't find any fontina cheese here in the country-city, so I substituted gouda instead, and it was still quite tasty. I halved the recipe, however it still made more than I can eat before it goes bad, so I'm thinking I'm going halve it again, and hope that it will be a more reasonable amount, to minimize the waste.
Tomorrow I'll be having a beef stir-fry, with some brown rice, red peppers, & snap peas to use up a small piece of steak that I froze a couple of weeks ago and need to get cooked before it dies.
Tuesday I've got some chicken breast tenders in the freezer that I'm going to grill on my little countertop grill, and have with some more of the mac & cheese, and some green beans
Wednesday is dinner with my crew, and my one night out this week.
Thursday I may roast up a piece of the pork roast I bought Friday night. I'm going to halve it, because it's almost 2 lbs, and I'm going to save the other half to cook later, so I don't end up wasting at least of half of it.
I browned another pound of ground beef to make a casserole. I've not decided for sure yet, but as it's browned with just some onion & some red pepper, I can turn it into sloppy joes, or Mexican food, or even Italian, though I did spaghetti last week, so it's not likely to be Italian again this week. And since I'll be gone on Saturday evening, and all my other evenings are covered, I may just bag it up and toss it in the freezer to have ready for the next time I need to grab some out of the freezer quickly.
I also made my first loaf of bread just for me. I used a basic Country Bread recipe that I found. I'm satisfied with it, but not totally pleased. I'm planning to use it for sandwiches for lunch or breakfast, and it's a little bit dense for that. I think I just didn't let it rise long enough the second time around. Lesson learned.

2012, It’s Good to Meet You

2012-01-01T23:11:00.000-06:00

2011 was not my worst year, nor was it my best year, and I can't say I'm sad it is over with.
I don't make resolutions, or at least I don't call what I do resolutions. I acknowledge that I totally suck at follow-through. Yeah, I'm really good at making plans and setting goals, but I'm not really very good at actually following through on everything necessary to meet them. A lot of what I'd like to get accomplished hasn't been lately, largely because I really don't like my current living situation. The good news is, that in the next 2 months, it will change, and I'll be back in full control of my little world, instead of sharing a house with someone I don't particularly like. I will be able to have my home the way that I want it, and I won't have to worry about someone else's clothes in the laundry when I need to wash mine, or try to work out a tv watching schedule.
I've gotten my groceries for the week, and am doing my best not to eat a lot of junk or processed, foods. I've bought frozen veggies instead of canned, I made my turkey spaghetti sauce from scratch with a can each of tomato sauce & tomato paste and added my own spices instead of buying a jar of Ragu. Since I have tomorrow off, I'm cooking up a batch of brown rice, and a batch of quinoa that I can then freeze into individual portions to reheat easily. I also plan to clean out the refrigerator of the leftovers that haven't been eaten. My goal for January is to have all of my groceries for the week by Sunday, so I can spend the afternoon getting the pre-prep done, cooking up my starches for the week, getting sauces ready, portioning my meats, so that I can do quick prep each evening, and have more time to read, write, or play with the cats before we head to bed.
I borrowed a couple of books from a friend, because I spend entirely too much time on the computer, and I need to get back to one of my first loves, Reading. The books are The Chronicles of Faerie, which is a collection of 3 stories, and the finale to the series, The Book of Dreams, by O.R. Melling. I've started the first, but frankly, haven't gotten very far because I haven't yet conquered my addiction to the internet, and managed to tear myself away from the computer until it's time for bed. My 2^nd goal for January is to spend an hour a day reading, just because I love to read, and not because I have to read that contract, or that business email.
I need to get more organized, which is really not possible in my current living situation, because I just don't have space to spread stuff out and organize it, but I am determined that when I move, I manage not to move so much CRAP that I've wagged around for too long, so as I pack over the next few weeks, I'll start weeding out the crap and trying to organize as I pack. Goal #3 for January is to get my closet sorted and packed, starting with the Christmas stuff.
I'm not going to try to fool myself into believing that I can accomplish a bunch of huge goals, but baby steps I can manage.

Christmas Musings

2011-12-24T23:49:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas Eve, and I'm blessed to be spending the night on the hide-a-bed at a dear friend's house. Her boys are with their Dad, instead of home this Christmas, so I'm not intruding on the whole Santa Claus thing, and I don't have to make an extra trip back to Weatherford after being here for Christmas Eve church before I go see my blood family on Christmas Day.
It's been kind of a weird Christmas season, at least for me. My current roommate is NOT a holiday sort of person, thus doesn't seem to have a tree or ornaments. My tree is still buried in my storage unit, where it will remain until I get moved into my own place & have space to store my stuff at home. He's agreed to just "ignore" my herd of wooden reindeer on the front porch, 3 of which decided to faceplant when the winds came through earlier in the week. It's been windy enough off & on since then that I decided just to let them stay face down, rather than risking them snapping & breaking on a subsequent faceplant. Other than the reindeer, and my table full of ornaments, there's been no sign that it's Christmas at our house. Next year WILL be different.
I've been a baking fool, and virtually all of my gifts this year are baked goods. I made 3 different kinds of cookies, 2 kinds of scones, and 5 loaves of bread. I take that back, I made 5 different kinds of cookies, one got trashed because they were just AWFUL, at least to my taste buds. Now, to be fair, I was sort of rushed, and may have missed a step, or not had enough sugar, or something, but they were just not cookie enough for me. I hate that I had to limit who I could include in my gift list of baked goodies, but in the end, my toaster/rotisserie/convection countertop oven will only bake so much at a time, and the 3 dozen scones my double batch makes takes 3 pans to get cooked in that sucker, whereas in a regular sized oven, it would take 1 and a half!
I've been blessed with a variety of family (blood & chosen), who celebrate in December a variety of things, Yule, Solstice, Hanukkah, and Christmas. I love and respect them and their beliefs, whatever they may be, and I'm grateful that we live in a country that offers all of us the freedom to choose how, where, and when we worship. I pray that those who cannot be with their loved ones during this joyous season are safe and that they are able to at least talk with their loved ones. I appreciate that so many are willing to give up their traditional holidays with family in order to do their jobs, whether they are sailors, soldiers, marines, airmen/women, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses or other people who are essential to the operation of places like hospitals, that simply cannot shut down. That you are willing to serve, especially in a military or other first responder capacity speaks volumes to the sort of person you are, and I thank you for your service.
And now, a Texas Style Night Before Christmas, that I first saw over at A Southern Fairytale.

Cookie Swap 2011

2011-12-09T10:17:00.000-06:00

This year, I heard about a food blogger cookie swap. Honestly, I'm not sure how I wound up there, but it was probably a Facebook link, as are many of the places I end up on the 'net. I do follow Love and Olive Oil, which is one of the organizers. I'm not strictly a food blogger, but I am kind of a foodie, and I do like to find new recipes to try, and have begun to post them more and more often. When I first discovered the swap, my immediate thought was to use my favorite chocolate chip peanut butter cup cookie recipe, unfortunately, I first published it on my blog back in 2008, after I discovered the teeny tiny little peanut butter cups in the bulk section of one of the fresh foods stores. Aren't they cute?

Since I couldn't use my favorites, I decided that I should just go through my cookie recipes and my late mother's recipe books and find something I could modify to include the peanut butter cups. I decided to go with the chocolate chip cookie bars in one of her notebooks. I simply substituted the peanut butter cups in place of the chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars
2 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 C melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
2 C all-purpose flour (NOT packed)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C extra mini peanut butter cups (I get mine in the bulk foods area. These are the TEENY ones, not the original "mini's" that come individually wrapped from Reese's. Sometimes you can get a 1 or 2 oz pkg of Reese's in about this size now too) or chopped up regular peanut butter cups

Heat oven to 350 & grease 9x13" pan

In a large bowl combine sugar & melted butter & blend well, then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in Vanilla. Add flour, baking powder & salt & mix well. Fold in peanut butter cups & mix through.
Spread into prepared pan & bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until set. Be careful NOT to overbake.
Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Makes up to about 36 bars.

As I don't have a full size oven right now and am using a nice toaster/convection/rotisserie oven, I made up the whole batch, but had to bake it in 2 smaller pans to fit them in the oven.

It was lots of fun, I've already enjoyed and shared my first dozen cookies that arrived over the weekend from KidEats. That recipe is DEFINITELY going into my book!

My Favorite Time of Year

2011-11-30T19:48:00.001-06:00

Christmas has been my favorite time of year for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, and even when I was a teenager, I'm pretty sure it had more to do with the break from school and gifts under the tree. As I've matured, though, it's become more about the overall feelings of love and joy that surround the season. Growing up, my Mom was all about Christmas, decorating the tree (an artificial one after the live one that I understand we had my first Christmas (I was all of 2 months old) killed her vacuum cleaner as she tried to get the needles up), getting out her assortment of Santas, angels, candles, and sundry other decorations that festooned any available flat surface in our house. Our tree was always beautiful, in that it held a lifetime of memories of travel, family members gone, and an assortment of favorite things that changed from year to year. I still have an ornament in my collection that was on my late uncle's first Christmas tree in 1934. There are a few others from Mom's childhood as well, and many that were inherited when my grandmother passed.

One year, oh, about 2 or 3 years before she died, she was hospitalized at Thanksgiving. I don't remember the specifics, but it was something related to her diabetes. The day after Thanksgivng, or maybe Saturday after, my oldest 2 nephews & I were sent on a mission to replace her turning Christmas tree stand. She loved that little stand, and after about 10 years, it had finally given out, and she was DETERMINED that she would have a turning tree again, so she sent us to the only store she knew that had them. We paid a small fortune (something like $200) for that stand, but it made her happy to know that when she got home, the lights would be up on the house and the tree would be turning in the front window. When I took my nephews home, the oldest said "DAD!, she spent $200 on that tree stand! $200!" He asked me if I was crazy, and I just looked at him and asked him if HE wanted to be the one to go to the hospital and tell Mom that she couldn't have her turning tree stand. Yeah, he got real quiet then.

The first year Mom was gone, I was still living in her house, and I totally Christmased it out. Her house lights were up, the bushes were lit. All of her knickknacks were out, her tree was in the front window, turning merrily, covered with lights that appeared to twinkle as it turned, and full of ornaments. In the family room, I had MY tree. A real, formerly live tree, also covered in lights and ornaments. It didn't turn merrily, and actually, I think sat a wee bit lopsided in its stand, but it sure smelled good and made the family room quite festive. I wrapped every picture on the walls in wrapping paper to look like gifts, and lit my assortment of Christmas candles: Kandy Kisses (peppermint vanilla), Log Cabin (woodsy), clove, Home Sweet Home (cinnamon & I have no idea what else, just that it smells like Christmas cooking), Woodland trails (also woodsy). Yep, my house smelled like Christmas baking, candy canes, a fire in the fireplace, and a fresh cut tree, and it was FABULOUS! Over the years, I've pared down the ornament collection, because, well, there were entirely too many… I personally owned, at the time of her death the over 50 that I received annually growing up (from Mom, my grandmother, and a cousin), plus I continued to get one from her and one from my grandmother each year until their deaths, so that adds another 20, roughly, plus years of ornament exchanges, and the ones that I'd received as gifts from various other people and ones that I'd bought over the years as an adult, I probably had easily 200. Add in the ones my brother got growing up, that adds another 50 something, and then adding my grandmother's to Mom's, I would bet I had easily nearly a thousand ornaments , hence my ability to completely decorate 2 trees that were 6-7 feet tall, and still have ornaments left over!

This year, again, I'm not in my own place, my tree and ornaments are buried in my storage unit, and so I my decorations are limited to my little reindeer herd on the front porch. That's ok, I'm hoping to be able to get out to west TX and spend Christmas weekend with my bestie, and enjoy her tree, and the magic of Christmas with our little almost 5 year old terror darling. Back in 2006 when he was born, we told his big brother who was then 16, that we were happy to be having Santa back. Said 16 year old has been humoring his mothers since he was probably 11 or 12. I hope that we can keep the magic alive for the little one longer than we did for his brother. I have no idea why the big one gave up the magic so early, but he did. He will have his own little one by next Christmas, so perhaps his brother's magic will last longer with a nephew nearer his age. It's going to be another one of those non-traditional years for me, and it's ok. I'll still get to see my family, both blood & chosen.

Black Friday

2011-11-22T13:39:00.000-06:00

FAIR WARNING, this WILL be a RANT, not a sweet little positive & upbeat post.
Now, I am the first to admit that I LOVE Christmas. The trees, the music, the festive holiday headwear, the festive holiday socks. You name it, I love it. I try to start shopping, or at least planning my shopping early. It annoys me to no end that along about the 4^th of July, I begin seeing ornaments and decorations in stores. I'm not talking about the local Hallmark store that starts teasing about the upcoming ornament release. I'm not talking about the local craft store that starts having crafty stuff, because, frankly, if some things aren't started that early, they won't get made in time. I'm totally cool with that. I'm talking about going into the Garden Ridge and finding that while it's still 127 degrees outside, 25% of the store, right as you go through the door, has already been filled with this year's themed ornaments, inflatables, and various other Christmas stuff. The number of stores (aside from the aforementioned Hallmark & craft stores) that have at least 2 aisles dedicated to Christmas starts growing exponentially sometime in August, and it just doesn't stop. We're lucky if we get to Halloween before we start being bombarded by Christmas music. (again, don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas music. My IPod gets re-synced right before Thanksgiving to add my Christmas tunes, which amount to almost a gig and a half of the almost 19 gig which comprises my iTunes library). While I do have Christmas music on my iPod now, I won't even start using that playlist until at least sometime Thursday, and as we are headed down to TRF for the weekend, I suspect that we'll probably make more use of the "Faire" playlist than the Christmas one, at least on the drive down Thursday evening.
All of that being said, the week before Thanksgiving, and the weekend after drive me bananas! Yesterday I made my FINAL Thanksgiving week run to WalMart. Of course it was a madhouse, and fortunately, I only needed about 8 items, none of which are probably priority items for most folks, so I had no trouble finding them in plentiful supply, and my short list, coupled with my mostly empty basket afforded me the ability to go through the 20 items or less line. Thankfully, most of the folks who comprised that madhouse were NOT as prepared as I, thus they had overflowing baskets and were most definitely NOT candidates for the express lane. I understand that most people will discover, on Thursday morning or afternoon that they've forgotten SOMETHING that is necessary… butter, brown & serve rolls, napkins, toilet paper, something that they need to get through the day. I am totally cool with GROCERY stores being open PART of the day on Thanksgiving. I am NOT cool with the whole "shop WalMart ALL DAY on Thanksgiving". Seriously people? If you dislike your family so much that you want to be away from them on Thanksgiving, stay home & read a book, check into a hotel for the night, but what makes you think that your compulsive need to be at WalMart trumps the employees of WalMart's need to spend time with their family, on what could be their last day away from the store for the 32 days until Christmas? I don't work retail, and I haven't in more years than I care to consider, but I remember my mom doing it when I was a pre-teen. Back then, the Blue Laws were still in effect, so the stores she worked in (at the mall) weren't open on Sundays, but she worked every day except Sundays. I've had friends work retail, even if it was as a part-time 2^nd job during the holidays, and from Black Friday through Christmas Eve, there were no days off. If OT was a concern, they just worked shorter hours every day, a 5-6 hour shift, instead of 8. Oh YAY, I don't have to be on my feet for 8 hours today, just 6, how awesome, and only 30 more days just like it to go… The very idea that we HAVE to start shopping in the middle of the night, when sane and rational people are at home asleep, in order to get one of the 5 televisions that will be offered at a deeply discounted price is preposterous to me.

Number One: WalMart, Sears, and Kmart ALL have had layaway available for several weeks now. You could have put 10% down, paid some each week, and by mid-December you'd have your fancy tv without having to fight 25 other people to get it, then guard it with your life as you spent more time wandering through the store for other "deals" that you'll have to fight for as well.

Number Two: If the only way you can have that behemoth tv is to fight 25 other people to get it for the discounted price, you probably should ask yourself if you can afford it in the long run. Remember when we didn't buy what we couldn't pay cash for? Yeah, that's how I've lived, aside from my car payment for many many years. Sure I have a handful of "toys", but I've saved up to buy each and every one of them. Are they the latest and greatest? Perhaps not, but they do meet my needs, and provide me with a little joy when I use them. The one who dies with the most toys IS STILL DEAD & DIDN'T GET TO TAKE THE TOYS WITH THEM.

Number Three: Remember the days of the Blue Laws (as I understand it, many states still have them)? In Texas the only ones I know of still on the books are related to Liquor/alcohol and car dealerships. Back then, we could buy food on Sundays at the store, but if we needed plates or cups for those groceries to be served on, we were SOL. Back then, we managed to get our shopping done between Monday & Saturday at CLOSING time. I remember when places other than the drugstore, convenience store, or grocery first started being open on Sundays, they were open from Noon or 1 o'clock until 5, then it became 6. Hell, I remember when the grocery stores, WalMart, and gas stations/convenience stores CLOSED, what a novel idea, having actual BUSINESS HOURS, rather than just being open all the damned time. We managed to have whatever we needed bought during the prescribed hours, and if we didn't get it then, well, we did without until the store opened again.

Obviously this is something that riles me up. It's not my intent to piss anyone off, and if you really want to do the Black Friday thing, more power to you, but I'm not going to be sympathetic if you kvetch about crowds. You won't find me at those sales, and you sure as HELL won't find me at WalMart on Thanksgiving (or Christmas, when that comes next month) Day, (unless I have to stop by to cash my paycheck, which would be done WELL before noon) because I know that my right and desire to spend time with the family I'll spend my holiday with is no more important than the same right and desire of those WalMart employees who have to work, simply to satisfy the out of control corporate greed which feeds the frenzy of the American consumer's desire to get the greatest deal.

My Black Friday will be spent at the Texas Renaissance Festival, with some of my very favorite people and fairemily. I think it sucks that so many of them have to forego a traditional Thanksgiving feast at home to be in rustic conditions and make ready for another workday. Rather than feeding the greed of Corporate America (I've got free tickets), I can do some of my Christmas shopping in support of the independent crafter/small business.
Places to check out:
Estelril Enterprises - a fabulous selection of lotions, gels, soaps, salves, incenses and bath salts, all made from ancient Native American and/or Celtic family recipes, using natural ingredients.
Fairely Well Maid - beautiful crochet, sewn, and tatted items
McCord Works - amazing crochet jewelry
Willow Creek Crochet - beautiful arm warmers available in a variety of sizes
Loime Studios - skirts made from upcycled fabric, various kinds of artwork
ClipClocks - Beautiful brooches and pins that have a hidden secret... they hold a clock!
Monkey Skull Craft Works - turned wood art: pens, candlesticks, bottlestoppers; and paracord survival bracelets
The Candle Cafe - amazingly well-scented candles, and truly the ONLY place I purchase candles for many years now

Italian Crusted Chicken Tenders

2011-11-14T20:12:00.000-06:00

I'm working on eating more balanced, healthier meals, and tonite I fixed my favorite breading for chicken to go along with some Quinoa and steamed green beans.
(Serves about 4)
Ingredients

1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon olive oil

5/8 clove garlic, minced

2/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

8-10 skinless, boneless chicken breast tenders

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a bowl, blend the olive oil and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.

Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Quinoa is a whole grain that's cooked in the same manner as rice, 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa, and cook it covered until the water is absorbed. I do about 1/2C of grain and 1 C water, which easily gives me two meals out of it, and I don't get tired of it before it's all eaten so it goes bad and gets wasted. I season my water with a bit of garlic powder, and then when the cooking's done, I stir in about a tablespoon of butter, herbs of Italy, and then top with fresh rosemary.

My green beans have about 1/2 tsp of butter, fresh ground black pepper, and some herbs of Italy.

My portions were about 4 oz chicken, about a cup of quinoa, and a cup of green beans.

One of a Million

2011-11-11T19:52:00.002-06:00

On Veteran's Day, much like Memorial Day, the 4^th of July, and other patriotic holidays, I'm reminded of how lucky I am. I'm an Army brat, a child of the Vietnam era. I was several months old before I met my father, because he was doing his tour in 1967 when I was born, and as I understand it, returned in early 1968 to the States. I know what it's like to be an officer's kid, living on base, and moving regularly. I don't however, know what it's like to have a parent in a war zone.
As I've gotten older, I've come to see my father for who/what he is, an unhappy & negative person. I accepted long ago that he is who he is, and he's not going to change. He's never been a "dad", who was involved with us, except for a few months after he and my mom separated. Some of that may be a generational thing. Some of it may be the fact that his own father was in the military and gone much of his childhood. I don't know, and ultimately it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. When I was very small, I'm told, I didn't like to play games with him because I knew he didn't play fair. His approval means nothing to me, and I long ago stopped trying to get it. I approve of me, and that's what's important. He's missed out on a lot over the years, and it's his loss, because I'm an awesome person, but he'll never get to know that since I refuse to draw him, along with his negativity and drama into my world. I told him long ago that I forgave him for the pain that his actions and attitudes have caused, and I have. I wish him peace and happiness in his remaining years, but in order for me to maintain MY peace and happiness, his will NEVER include me. I see him occasionally, and we've got a sort of peace at those times, as it's much more important to me that whichever nephew or niece is celebrating knows that I love them more than I want to avoid him, but I think he's finally given up and is respecting my request that he not contact me at all.
While I used to wish I had one of those dads who is at all of the games, recitals, or whatever the celebration might be, I know that I am much more blessed than many of my generation, because my father came home from Vietnam, and I had the opportunity to know him, and to form an opinion of him based on personal experience, rather than just stories and photographs.
On this day when we honor those who have served, and those who currently serve, I hope you'll take a moment, as you are thanking them, to thank; offer a prayer, good thoughts, or a hug to their family members, who are left behind for months at a time, never knowing when they'll speak or see their loved one again. Military children are often single parented much of their lives. They deserve an extra hug, any day of the week, because they may have to make the ultimate sacrifice, with no choice in the matter.

My Favorite Vanilla Scones

2011-11-08T14:24:00.003-06:00

I was given a basic scone recipe by a British friend, who told me it's Delia Smith's recipe, however the searches I've done show Delia adds an egg, which is not included in the recipe I was given. At any rate, I've made a couple of modifications that suit me, and thought I'd share it here.

Ingredients
8oz (225g) Self-Raising Flour
1 1/2 oz (40g) Butter (at room temperature)
1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
4 fl oz (150ml) Milk
1 fl oz (37ml) Vanilla extract
A little extra flour
Method
Pre-heat oven to 425 F
Sift flour into a bowl and rub the butter into it rapidly using your fingertips. After the butter is thoroughly mixed into the flour stir in the sugar, then take a knife and use it to mix in the milk and vanilla a little at a time. Now flour your hands and knead the mixture to a soft dough, adding a little extra milk if it feels at all dry.
Turn the dough out onto a floured pastry board or counter top and roll it out to a thickness of not less than 3/4 inch (2cm) using a lightly floured rolling pin. Take a 1 1/2 or 2 inch pastry cutter and place it on the dough. Tap it sharply so that it goes straight through the dough. Do not twist! Knead the dough together and repeat until you have used as much of the dough as you can.
Place the scones on a greased baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can dust each one with a little extra flour or brush a little milk or egg onto the top of each one. Bake near the top of the oven for 12-15 minutes. When cooked the scones will have turned a crisp golden brown. Cool on a rack and eat them slightly warm. Eat as fresh as possible.
Scones do freeze well, but still eat them within a month.
Since my oven is a counter top version toaster/convection/rotisserie oven, and I like my breads BARELY cooked through, I bake for about 8-10 minutes, and take them out just as they start to turn golden.
***SUBSTITUTIONS***
Margarine can be used in place of butter
Soy milk works just as well as dairy milk, and the vanilla version is what prompted me to add vanilla to my recipe
If you eliminate the vanilla, and don't add some other flavored extract, add an ounce of milk to get the sufficient liquid

November, Again

2011-11-01T21:31:00.001-05:00

In a few days, I will have been here in Weatherford for 2 years. When I first moved out here, it drove me crazy, being so far from much of my support system, my church, and the mid-cities area that I'd lived in for most of my life. I have to say that while I do not want to live in a small town, particularly, the "country city" that has become my home suits me fine now. I certainly don't miss the traffic and congestion of the metromess!

There have been good times and bad times, and I've learned a lot over the last 2 years, about what matters and what is really not that important in the grand scheme of things. Over the next few weeks, there's yet another purge of stuff going to happen. I have a crapload of things that I have not used in the 2 years that I really don't need to continue to hold onto. A good portion of what's in storage can probably go, but I need to not get into that until I'm back out into my own place. Everything that I brought into the house with me I brought because I expected I either would use it, or sell it long before now. To that end, this weekend I am going to pack up everything I'll need for my Thanksgiving trip to TRF, and then start emptying my closet to decide what to keep and actually USE, what needs to be packed up until spring (summer clothes, and probably most of my garb), and what needs to be either trashed or sold either on Craigslist or Ebay.

As much as I was wary of moving 1. Out of the city, 2. Into a house with not just 1 roommate, but 3 adults and a teenager, and 3. Into a house FULL, literally, of animals, it's been a good 2 years. I think it allowed me to forge a stronger bond with one of my dearest friends. It taught me a little more patience. It gave me a little more insight into long-term stress, which, frankly, I could have lived without.

As I go into my 3^rd year in what I once considered "the sticks", I'm grateful that I'm here. It's given me the opportunity to grow, emotionally and spiritually, away from so much of the hustle and bustle of a bigger city, and allowed me to develop new relationships, strengthen others, and realize when it's time to readjust my thinking about some of them, that while they aren't quite what I thought they were, they still matter, for one reason or another, and it's ok for me to put them in a different part of my world.

For now, I'm off to bed with my kitties, tomorrow will come early.