a dog's life...

does this not look like being totally rotten? dude is the bassett hound that i got for my birthday last year. the other dog is jake...these two are the laziest dogs ever...

had a great weekend...my family was over for a "reunion"...it was so great to see them...some of my cousins i had not seen in over 10 years that is pitiful...i promise it won't be that long before we get together again...i have some pics but i need to ask permission of the people in them before i post them...

busy week coming up...i am going to perdido bay for a social work conference...i hope there will be a little time to play...pics soon to come....

chinese fire drill - geriatric style

most of you have probably experienced some severe weather today...i do not like severe weather...i like nice sunny days...now the reason i do not like severe weather has nothing to do with the fact that i don't like thunder, lightening and such as that...it is that it usually happens in the middle of the day when i am work - at the nursing home...have you ever tried to pull 94 old people out in the hallway, keep them entertained as well as their family members...yall i did this not once today but twice...no i did not do this by myself but guess what happened in the middle of it...yep you guessed it...someone walks in from outside and wants to take a tour...yes while everyone and all their glory is in the hallway...we must not have looked too bad because the ladies are going to admit their mother tomorrow... oh for another day in the life of a social worker....

whatever

i am not real sure what to call this blog...i am just down in the honkin dumps...it seems that the harder one tries to do right, live life to the fullest and all that other stuff that the "professionals" tell you to do...the harder it is to even hold your head up...

nursing homes are not nut houses

this could very likely be the title of my next book! why is it that the general population believes that nursing homes are old people's prisons or nut houses? i am being serious...would someone please help me! now i realize that if you do not work in a certain environment then you are unfamiliar with the inner workings of that environment...what brings this topic up is that i have been wearing an additional hat this week - that would be admissions director...this means that i get to look at all referrals and filter through them - now there is nothing really different about this because all referrals have to come through me first anyway...but oh my goodness - i have never in my life seen so many crazy insane referrals...i received 10 referrals between monday and wednesday...here is the mix i got...homeless man found unconsious in an alley, a man three months out of federal prison, man who tested positive for cocaine and barbituates, man who is actively suicidal, man who has escaped the hospital 5 times in one stay, man who is wanting to kill his wife....need i go on...this is proof that strange things happen when the moon is full!

now i would like to enlighten others about "nursing homes"...i cannot speak for all nursing homes, but i can speak of the "living center" that i work for now...our home does not smell, we have two weenie dogs, bubba joe and sissy lynn that live there, we go out to eat, we have lots of activites that are not coloring books, we have birds that live there, our residents do community service projects, and much more...

yes we have residents who are very sick and we have some that are mentally ill but it is not a prison or a nut house...i would encourage everyone to visit a nursing home, skilled nursing facility, living center or whatever you call it and see how different it is now than the picture you might have in your mind....

foot cramps and farmer's markets...

i have had a great weekend despite foot cramps....i have been battling foot cramps and calf cramps for about a month...i never know when they are going to hit...and when they do it is like ray stephen's song that says, ''the day the squirrel went biserk in the first self rightous church"...the world stops...it hurts so bad...it really does not matter what is in front of you or if you are holding a child...you will drop whatever you are doing or in my case wake from a sound sleep...

anyway, my mom and dad asked me if i wanted to go to the farmer's market on saturday morning...i was excited for a few reasons...number one i could not believe they thought of me...second....it was a beautiful day to get out and third of all....i could get some fresh vegetables...

now if you have not ridden with my dad you have missed a treat or should i say roller coaster ride...you will buckle up the moment you get in the truck because if you don't the centrifical force will not allow you to do so after take off...it is 53.6 miles from his driveway to the farmer's market...and let me tell you when we pulled back into the "station" i.e. his yard - i was so happy....

besides the roller coaster ride...i got some great veggies..squash, okra, collard, turnip greens, fruits to include strawberries, apples, oranges, peaches....

and to top the day off my momma showed out in the kitchen...she cooked up a bunch of this stuff and it was sooooooooooooo good!

how many years will it take?

before you read this blog, please know that this blog is not meant to offend anyone or their profession...

today's thought is "how many years will it take?" now the reason this question comes up is because of my profession - social work. understand that social work began in the late 19th century - we are in the 21st century. so you see this is not a profession that was born overnight, we have had many years to perfect our practice and we also have to go to school to earn that diploma and license that is required to practice. the problem with social work is that you cannot touch or see what we do. you cannot measure what we do - unless you weigh the amount of paperwork the government requires. nurses give shots and pills, doctors "fix" things, teachers teach people, physical therapists teach people to walk again, preachers preach...get the picture.

all of this brings up the one statement that absolutely sends me over the edge. this just happened to be the week that it was the "hot statement". drum roll please..."you are not clinical." Webster's defines clinical as:

clin⋅i⋅cal   /ˈklɪnɪkəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [klin-i-kuhl] Show IPA Pronunciation

–adjective 1. pertaining to a clinic.
2. concerned with or based on actual observation and treatment of disease in patients rather than experimentation or theory.
3. extremely objective and realistic; dispassionately analytic;

diseases are not just communicable diseases...there are mental health diseases, Alzheimer's disease, PTSD,

can any of the above mentioned professions that you can see and touch what they do treat any of this? are any of the above mentioned professions trained to treat this? NO NO NO. Furthermore, these issues are treated in a clinic setting, i observe people to formulate a treatment plan, i analyze information that is given to me through medical records and battery of tests that i administer to my patients; therefore, according to the definition of Webster himself, I AM CLINICAL.

now most of you may wonder why i am on such a soap box. if i have been questioned once this week about my judgement in a situation related to the psychosocial needs of my residents i have been questioned a hundred. i don't mind people asking me questions or giving suggestions, but i am sick and tired of people telling me i am not clinical. what this translates to is, no offense anyone, but "you are not a nurse or doctor." it makes one feel as though what they bring to the table is not important and is not respected. i went to school just as long as other people and longer than some to be trained at what i do. it is not something i just pulled out of my butt...i just wish people would realize that just because you can't see or touch what someone does, does not mean that it is not important and play an integral part in the term that healthcare loves so much - "interdisciplinary team." so my question is how many years will it take before social workers are respected and treated as equals? anybody got any ideas

now that is off my chest, i hope everyone has a great week!

who says you can't go home....

ok before anyone freaks out..no i am not moving back to blue river drive...it has been an extremely long weekend..i slept thursday night for the first night in a week...i was so relieved to know that my precious daughter was still CANCER FREE! i slept friday night so soundly...only to be wakened on saturday to terrible news...now understand when my executive director calls you it is usually not good...if she calls you on the weekend it is really not good...and you can bet your bottom dollar that if she calls at 8 am it is terrible...i missed the call...looked at my husband and said, " i guess state is in the building." what i would give if it had been that simple...kim called to tell me that our beloved director of maintenance, preston tollison, had suddenly died of a massive heart attack...my gut hit the floor...i had lost a friend totally unexpectedly...i was sick...why had this happened? his wife kristin is a nurse at our facility as well...this is where they met...he was only 46 years old...my mind was spinning...kim gave instruction for me to go the facility and inform all the residents and do the necessary paperwork...let me tell you in all of my years as a social worker i have never had anything like this...i have been chased out of yards by pigs, dogs, by a lady with a butcher knife...most of my stories are funny at some point...there is nothing funny about this...i had to go tell all these residents that "pete" was gone...he had worked there for over 20 years...he was a fixture...he knew where every screw, every wire, every everything was in that building...so i went to the building told the residents, did care plans for the ones that were cognitive and made notes on the other ones...then had to type a letter to family members explaining what had happened..cause you definately don't want an elderly person telling people that someone has died...you know they will send you out for stuff like that...i worked all day...brought all the letters home to fold and stuff in the envelopes...i would fold and i would cry, i would fold and i would cry...finally stephen said,"give me those you will never get them folded"...he folded and stuffed the envelopes and i put the labels on the front and taped the back...so saturday was over...then there was sunday...i went back to the building to help get the residents ready to go the funeral...all i am going to say is that it is a trip...so we go to the funeral home...there lays our "sweet pete"...that is what we called him...he looked peaceful but it was not real...i had just seen him on friday...he said to me, "bring me the meausrements on monday and i will start on your bookshelf"...he was going to build me a bookshelf for my house...i can honestly say the last words i said to "sweet pete" were thank you...

there is a song that says, "who says you can't go home"..the home i am looking for is not on blue river drive where i grew up or on ridge drive where i live now...we never know when we will be called "home"...who says you can't go home...before you are ready...i really think that pete was ready to go home...he lived his life to the fullest...i only knew him for a short period of time but he impacted my life in many ways...this weekend reminded me of what God says, "life is but a vapor" i love you all and hope that i have been as a good of a friend to all of you as all of you have been to me...let's all be ready to go home when our time comes...

God is AWESOME

First I want to give all the praise and glory to the most AWESOME GOD! I may open a few cans of worms with what I am about to write, but I have no choice but to share what happened yesterday. Stephen took Jamie to Children's for her MRI scans. It took about 3 hours to do the scans. Stephen was sitting in the lobby waiting on her. He said that the 700 Club was on TV. Now I am going to go ahead and tell you that I was not raised to watch tele evangelists nor to believe that people had any power to know anything other than what was in front of them. Now that this is out of the way, Stephen said he was reading and watching TV, when Pat Robertson began to close the show with his prayer. He was praying for the ones who had called in asking for prayer. He got to the end of the prayer and he stopped, and said, "Father, there is a young girl out there who is suffering with a cyst, but we have asked you to heal her and we know that you have...in your name, Amen." Now chill bumps ran up and down Stephen's spine as well as mine when he told me this.

Ok, now I am going to do like my good friend Beck says, "If you disagree, just humor me...it won't hurt."

This was just a remarkable thing to happen. Those of you who know me and my family well know how awesome this is. Now please do not misunderstand me that I think that Pat Robertson healed my child or some such craziness as that. But do understand that this is huge because Stephen said as they were praying, Stephen said to himself, "what about Jamie...why can't she be healed?" Then there is the end to this prayer. I just thought this was awesome among other things....

OK now for the clinical stuff... WE DO NOT HAVE CANCER!!!! Thank you Lord! We do have a "fluid filled cavity" in the spinal cord that is "so deep you should not be feeling anything...you are probably just having anxiety attacks." OK at this point I am about to take off this doctor's head. It was not a pretty site. Let me just say I was not a very good example to others but I did not curse!!!! Jamie stated that she did not feel like he was listening to her and that she was wasting his time. Well oh no this did not fly - AT ALL! We got our stuff, gave them their "report card" they mistakenly asked me to fill out and got the MRI scans on CDs. We are seeking a second opinion for the "fluid filled cavity". We are not getting a second opinion for the no cancer dx, but for the pain and how it is related to the "fluid filled cavity." Furthermore, there has to be something that is causing her pain. Above all, I want her to feel comfortable going to the doctor. There will be a day when I will not be able to go with her and she needs to be able to have the confidence to question and know her body.

So to sum it up, we are CANCER FREE, still hurting but very hopeful! I want all of you to know that I can never express to you how much it means that I have so many people praying for my daughter and my entire family...All of you rock!!!!

prayer warriors arise....

ok guys and gals, it is that time...my daughter goes for the mri of the brain and spine tomorrow with and without contrast...i have no doubt that it is there but i am fully trusting in God that he will make it the simplest solution...yes i am scared..yes i am nervous...i am human...i am asking for prayer...i know i ask alot for prayer for myself but i am asking it for my baby...i love you all....

We have a diagnosis....

Following is a excerpt from the National Organization for Rare Disorders that explains what is going on with Jamie right now. To add to this, as many of you know, they transferred Jamie from St. Vincent's / St. Clair to Children's Hospital on Saturday night. Jamie had complained that her back was hurting about a month ago. Two weeks ago, a knot popped up on her spine. Called the doctor and got an appointment. Before we could get to the doc, she began having real bad headaches. When we get to the doctor, she wanted a MRI done because she could feel the knot as well. She wanted to treat the headaches as migraines because truthfully the symptoms fit that. So doc prescribed two meds - one for a daily basis and the other on an acute basis. So we have been on meds for about week and headaches are not any better. Friday she went for the MRI and went back to school. Two hours later we get a phone call that she has "fainted and her face is fire red." We go and get her take her home. Called doc and said I don't think the headaches and the back is related - may just be a bug...take her home and bedrest for next 48 hours. Saturday morning she still was not feeling well and her eyes wer 4 mm dilated. At this point, I call the doc back and explained what was going on. The moment I said her eyes were dilated, he said, "stop...go to the er...her mri has just come back and she has a syrinx". He went on to kind of explain what it is. He did ask us to go to the local ER so that he could call the ER doc and explain ther seriousness of this. By the time we got to the ER, the ER had already been on the phone with neurosurgery at Children's. They transferred us to Children's. We were told that this is a very rare disorder and that there are three kinds. One is that a child is born with, second is tethering and third is that it is cancer. They feel that if she was born with it, then it would have been found when she was small and in the hospital for the first round of cancer. The tethering is when a cyst forms and then gets caught up in the CSF and gets stuck to the spinal column - hence the term tethering. The third is cancer which is pretty self explanatory. The docs said the second one, tethering, is the most common reason, but since Jamie has had cancer before, the third rises above the tethering. We are praying it is not cancer. We know she is going to have to have surgery regardless. Whatever it is, we are praying that it will be the least painful and damaging to Jamie. As you read this small article you will understand the severity of this. Thanks so much for your prayers.


Synonyms of Syringomyelia

Hydromyelia
Morvan Disease
Spinal Cord Cyst
Syringohydromyelia
Disorder Subdivisions



General Discussion
Syringomyelia is a neurological disorder characterized by the formation of a fluid-filled cyst (syrinx) within the spinal cord. This cyst may, for unknown reasons, expand during adolescence or the young adult years, destroying the center of the spinal cord as it does.

As the syrinx expands, it affects the nerves that stimulate the patient’s legs, arms, back and shoulders. In turn, the affected individual may feel considerable pain and weakness, and may lose the ability to distinguish hot from cold objects. The combination of symptoms and signs may vary considerably from person to person, depending on where in the spine the syrinx is located and how much it expands over time. Often, the symptoms develop slowly. Unless the condition is treated surgically, it may lead to neurological deficits and chronic, intense pain.

parenthood is made for two not one....

ok no offense to any single parent...actually kudos...how do you do it.....my hubby is out of town for this week...i have a 17 year old and a 9 year old to deal with...you just really take for granted what you do for each other and don't realize it...for those of you who don't know this is a recap of the week so far...stephen leaves on sunday, we end up in er with jamie and her eye, monday i come home to be a good momma and make fried pork chops, homemade mashed potatoes and corn and my son says "YUCK", this morning jacob's med is mia, i think the cats are the guilty party, get to work and am surprised by an unannounced visit from our corporate division to do a "mock survey" which is just like the surveys that the state health department does...jamie goes for her mri today and they have conveniently rescheduled it for friday without notifying me...come home and my trash can is sitting at my house...i cannot pull this thing to the end of the road....my dad was supposed to do it...long story...and now i am having foot and leg cramps......stephen has been gone less than 72 hours and i amready to give up the ghost...anybody got any advice...a sister is suffering......

you'll put your eye out

ok girls...i am a bachelorette this week...don't get excited...it is a school week and i have one monster who DOES NOT like to get out of bed...now granted today is a holiday so i don't have to fight with them...here is the story...stephen is gone for not even 24 hours and jamie tries to put her eye out - seriously....a stupid decorative pillow is the culprit ...she was laying on her bed about to get ready for a youth devo and rolled over and began screaming...it seems that the sequins that are strung on the pillow with nothing more than fishing line scraped across her eye....yes i said scraped across the eye...she screamed...we rinsed we flushed we did everything we can think...mind you this is the eye she is 70% blind in so i was freaking out....anyway off to the er we go...we arrive at 3:45 pm only to be greeted by lifesaver helicopter...so i knew we would be there a while...i hope that person is better...at 8:15 pm we are called to a room and at 9:05 pm we are on our way out the door...is something out of proportion here...anyway...she has a corneal abrasion...so she looks real cute with a patch on her eye..she would not let me take pics...anyway i will put up the menu for the rest of the week tonight...we will probably have frozen pizza....thank goodness today is a holiday and don't i have to fight with anyone this morning....

Leaders and Relationships

I am 33 years old and I got more out of a youth devo than I think the youth did. We were supposed to go camping last night - yes in the frigid cold - but luckily the Lord shown his wisdom down on our youth minister and instead we had a pizza party / devo with another church...anyway...here is the text...Numbers 13:30 "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." Now here were the points, unity, urgency and unwaivering faith. The speaker's points were as follows: 1. Caleb said, "We should go" - this is the unity 2. take possession - this is the urgency 3. we can certainly do it - this is the unwaivering faith. I have never really studied the Old Testament, but I think this may be my new project. Also, he talked about Enoch who said these words, "Enoch walked with God, then he was no more, because God took him away."

Now, these are two people who I have not really studied about. From what I can find so far, Enoch is only referred to in the Bible 3 times - I could be wrong but this is what I have found so far. As far as Caleb is concerned, I have found that he was mentioned four times. (Again, this is a work in progress.) Anyway, regardless it seems that they were not mentioned very often, but yet they were powerful leaders. Caleb believed with all of his being that they could defeat the Canaanites. Enoch simply but powerfully "walked with God".

My prayer for this next week is that I can have the leadership of Caleb and the relationship of Enoch! Have a great week....

thankful thursday....

here is the list for this week---


1. one day till friday
2. my church cancelled the "camping trip" and instead decided on a lock in - it is cold you know - polar bears outside tapping on the windows
3. that my momma taught me how to keep my mouth shut - most of the time
4. i am going to perdido bay at the end of february for a "professional development"
5. that i have the most wonderful doctor - here on earth - that listens to me about my children - oldest has a knot on spine - not sure what it is - waiting on mri
6. chinese food - comfort comfort comfort
7. that my children are old enough to do most things for themselves - but i do miss them being little
8. determination - yep still on schedule with my menu planning
9. viruses only last a little while
10. again - that no one but God Almighty can see and hear the thoughts that sometimes run through my head
11. that my God is forgiving, understanding and has a sense of humor - hence the reason He still loves me

have a great week!

menu monday at 8:30 pm on monday

sorry for the delay but my family has had the bathroom marathon omg would you please kill me now it has to be better than this virus....get the picture...i tried to do this earlier today, but my stomach could not even think about thinking about food much less typing up a menu...so anyway, here goes...also be looking for another blog about what i got in the mail today..

monday - chicken soup with crackers - need i say anymore - thanks campbells

tuesday - easy skillet pork chops
4 pork chops
1 can cream of celery soup
1/4 cup apple juice or water
2 tlsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp honey
black pepper to taste
egg noodles

Spray 10" skillet with PAM and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the chops and cook until the chops are well browned on both sides. Remove the chps and set them aside. Stir soup, apple juice or water, honey, mustard and black pepper into skillet. Heat to a boil. Return the chops to the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until chops are cooked thoroughly. Serve with egg noodles.

Add veg of choice.

Wednesday
What's Happening Wednesday at church - so probably fast food

Thursday
Paprika Chicken with Sour Cream Gravy
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 green onions (I don't think this is necessary since my hubby swears he is allergic to onions)
8 oz of sour cream
Stir the flour, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and red pepper on a plate. Coat the chicken with the mixture. Heat the butter in a 10" skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken for 10 minutes or until it's well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet. Stir the soup and onions in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the sour cream.

Friday
chicken nuggets and baked mac and cheese
1 can Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/2 soup can milk
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups hot cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta OR medium shell-shaped pasta
1 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
2 tsp. butter, melted
Stir the soup, milk, black pepper and pasta in a 1-quart baking dish.
Stir the bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the pasta mixture.
Bake at 400°F. for 20 minutes or until the pasta mixture is hot and bubbling.

So that is this week! Hope it helps some poor unorganized woman, mother, professional, counselor, and anything else one can think of person like me!

Menu Monday...

I am loving this cooking thing. The more I do it on a regular basis, the easier it gets..It is 11:43 pm and supper for Monday night is in the crock pot...so here goes

Monday - Golden Chicken with Noodles
2 cans cream of chick soup
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
one small bag of baby carrots
1 pack of boneless skinless chicken fingers (about 8 in a pack)
Mix first 4 ingredients together in crock pot
Add carrots and chicken
Cook on low of crock pot for 6 to 7 hours
Serve over egg noodles or rice

Tuesday - Whatever Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen vegetable combination, thawed
1 can (2.8 oz.) French fried onions (1 1/3 cups)
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Stir soup, sour cream, black pepper, vegetables, 2/3 cup onions and 1/4 cup cheese in 2-qt. casserole. Cover casserole.

Bake at 350°F. 40 min. or until vegetables are tender. Stir vegetable mixture.

Top with remaining onions and cheese. Bake 5 min. or until cheese is melted.


Wednesday - Eat at Church - thank goodness for Whatever Wednesdays

Thursday - Chicken Pie - I have not figured out how to link back to a previous post, but the recipe is listed in a post called "Yummy Yummy to My Family's Tummy"

Friday - Hamburgers with Mac & Cheese

I really hope this is helping somebody....this has made my life so much simpler. Now I just about died when I got the total at WalMart...but I am not accustomed to buying two weeks worth of groceries at one time. I am used to going to WalMart EVERYDAY! I am sure if I added up every trip I made to WalMart it would be in excess of the $400 I spent on New Years Day! But thanks to my blogging buddy, Hillary, I am investing in a Sam's card! Happy Cooking!

Beck help me on that linking thing!

Happy New Year...

Well another year has come and gone. So many things have happened this year! Let's see - I have been married 11 years, my children are still alive and DHR has not come to get them or me, my hubby has been at his job for 10 years, my daughter turned 17, my son is 9, I am working back in the nursing home or Living Centers as we now call them, I work 15 minutes from my home, I have gotten better at saying NO, I have rededicated myself to God, I have become a little more organized, hopefully 2009 will be very organized, I was only in the hospital 3 times this year for a total of 3 weeks...hey this is good for me...

What do I want to accomplish this year...well resolutions are no good for me because I will certainly fail...to lose weight is pointless...I am so much insulin that I swear I gain a pound a day...so instead, I am going to eat better - like one healthy meal a day - let's say breakfast - this is my hardest meal..I am going to cook at least 5 meals - supper - for my family - pay my bills on time, not lose my cool with my family - in other words have more tolerance

Now let's talk about tolerance - for those of you who know me very well you know that I don't have alot of patience much less tolerance - i.e. situation with Rhonda Fitts - anyway, I am trying to realize and accept that I am not responsible for ANYONE but myself and my children I am raising. I love my other family, but I cannot continue to let them drive me crazy. I will help whoever whenever I can, but the days of Ginny losing sleep over people who will not listen to me especially after they have asked me for help, having panic attacks because I am afraid that someone is going to be mad at me and the days of Ginny staying late at work just because I only live 15 minutes away are OVER!

I am looking forward to a great New Year! I am so thankful for the friends I have had for so many years. I am so thankful for the new friends I have met through blogging and I am thankful for those friends that I wll meet! Let's all have a great year!

menu monday - 1st edition

ok, after posting the menu blog i realized it was pretty long...so i am trying to shorten it...
just for the record, i have cooked two nights - now this may not sound like alot, but i follow the time line...i got my cookbook on christmas...cooked my first meal friday night after working all day...left for south alabama on saturday...got back sunday...and cooked tonight after working all day....so i have kept to my resolution...i made impossible taco pie which by the way rocks!!!!

the next menus may seem a repeat of what i posted originally, but i have rearranged the meals...so here goes

Monday - taco pie
Tuesday - corn dogs and fries
Wednesday - meat loaf and yellow rice casserole
Thursday - ranch pork chops, black eyed peans and greens (New Year's Day)
Friday - take out - it is payday

Recipes
taco pie - scramble hamburger meat with taco seasoning, put in square pyrex greased, mix 3/4 cup bisquick, 3 eggs and 1 1/4 cup milk together and pour over the meat - bake at 400 for 25 min, take out and put your regular taco toppings on it - delicious

yellow rice casserole - 1 box zatarins yellow rice, cooked, 1 can mexicorn and 1 cup cheese, mix cooked rice and corn together, dump in casserole dish, put cheese on top and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted

ranch pork chops - 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops, 3/4-inch thick
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 soup can milk
1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until it's well browned on both sides. Stir the soup, milk and 1/2 package salad dressing mix in the skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the pork is cooked through.

sounds yummy to me....

i am hoping that some of my "stalkers" may leave me comments now that i am on this food kick!!!!!

random thoughts from the past week.....

i will warn you that this post may be a little lengthy, but i hope it will be read, make others think about some things in a different way and possibly make you laugh...if nothing else it gives you a little glimpse into what goes through my head, goes on in my life and what i long for....

as many of you know i work as the director of social services at a nursing home - that is what most people call it anyway - let me give you the newest politically correct name - living center - at first i thought this was odd...but i thought about it - it really is a living center - most people view "nursing homes" as a place to go and die...in some instances it is but more often than not it is a place that people have found themselves only because life has dealt them a bad hand...i have several residents who are under 55 and some over 100- many of them are pretty independent but just need some serious medical care...we had a christmas party for the residents on tuesday - santa and mrs clause came - thanks ralph and monta faye - those residents absolutely loved it - it brought back the magic of christmas - something they had long forgotten - it helped of course that santa played the accordion too...some of the other things we do are go out to lunch at cracker barrel, that is their favorite, a group of them like mexican so we go out to eat mexican sometimes, we have spa days - manicures and pedicures, aroma therapy, crafts - not coloring books - actually make stuff, movie days - old black and whites and modern movies...we have two weenie dogs, bubba joe and sissy lynn that live there...i say all this to say, i hope that people will begin to look at nursing homes, extended care facilities, skilled nursing facilities or whatever you call them as "LIVING CENTERS" not the death dorms...i am not about to say that we don't have some sad things that go on...yes we have hospice patients, we have some psych patients and we have some very young patients who are completely helpless...but that is not totally what we are all about...so if you find yourself looking for something to do in the new year either as a volunteer project, expanding your knowledge or teaching your children how to serve others...a LIVING CENTER is a great place to start.....

jacob is in boy scouts...this has been a wonderful experience for him and he has learned so much...we were at his pack christmas party and they had a visitor...santa...well on the way home jacob and i have this conversation:

jacob: momma, i don't know about this santa clause thing
me: what do you mean
jacob: well i am just a little confused
me: why
jacob: you mean to tell me we are nine days from christmas and santa stopped what he was doing at the north pole and came all the way to lincoln, alabama, to see some boy scouts
me: well jacob, i know that is hard to believe, but santa has helpers because i just don't think he could do it all by himself

it breaks my heart that the magic of christmas may soon be leaving my youngest...but i hope that when he does figure out the truth that he does not lose the excitement of christmas morning

jacob and aubie were watching a movie the other day and a little boy was making his christmas list on a sheet of paper...he ran out of room so he got another sheet of paper and stapled it to the first sheet and when he ran out of room on that sheet of paper he got another one and repeated the process...jacob said to aubie...you know that is a good idea...i think i will get me a scroll for my christmas list next year....

jamie has grown up into a young lady that i am so proud to say is my daughter...she is beautiful, thoughtful, tender hearted, caring and on and on i could go...both she and jacob have been around elderly people all of their lives because of the kind of work i do...jacob is okay with it in small amounts but jamie is the best about it...she went to work with me the day of the christmas party...she worked all day...she helped on the alzheimer's unit by ironing table cloths, setting the tables, making bows for the tables, coloring happy birthday signs for resident's doors, helped a resident wrap christmas presents for her grandchildren, fed the puppies, took pictures, handed out christmas gifts and cards, helped decorate the dining room to get ready for the party and so much more...at the end of the day she said, "momma, i won't ever fuss at you again when you say you are too tired to go to walmart"...i thought this was precious because she saw first hand that even on the very best days when things are fun...it is alot of work....jamie wants to be a nurse...i think she will be a great nurse...she has the background to know what it is like to be sick...she has had cancer, lost her hair, has only one kidney, has to follow a special diet, etc....i think she will find her niche of people to work with and they will be blessed to have her taking care of them...

if you let satan, he will steal your joy...i have never been really good at buying my family gifts...i can't ever seem to ever really find that "perfect" gift...or if i do they figure it out before they open it...well this year was no different as far as presents go...we will discuss the rest later...my mom had been talking that she wanted an electric stand alone mixer...well i knew momma would never buy one for herself...so i found one and was so excited...i had found the perfect gift for momma - besides this meant she could whip out those chocolate cakes faster...anyway i get it home and wrapped...well my sister comes out to my house and says, "what is that big box", and i tell her...she says, "daddy bought that for momma friday." i about fell out...first of all...those of you who know my dad know that he does not listen nor remember anything...or so we thought...he had heard momma say that and well the rest is history...i was so mad...well i ended up getting momma an outfit and the kids got her a gown...later on i told momma about what happened...she laughed and told me "it is better that it turned out this way...cause you know what kind of clothes i like...you buy them in the right size and you always get me the perfect gown" that made me feel better, but i thought, what are the odds that my dad would listen to somebody, would remember and then buy the very same thing....i guess miracles have not ceased....

speaking of telling people stuff...i had told my family that my new year's resolution was going to be to cook better for my family - not necessarily cook better as in healthy but being better about cooking supper - well they took me seriously...i got a 5 qt tfal skillet, a bagel / bread toaster and a new cookbook...i was real excited about the cookbook because it is one i have been wanting....

finally, i told a friend of mine that somewhere in my mind i have a norman rockwell nostalgic idea of what christmas should be like or what i want it to be like...it has never been this way and i doubt it ever will be...but there are little pieces of it that i can pull out and make happen...one part of that is sending christmas cards...i sent out many cards, but there were so many more i wanted to send...i did not send them because i did not have addresses..so if you are reading this and i don't have your address please send it to me...even if you are a cyber friend i would love to be able to drop you a card in the mail throughout the year - this is something small that i really like to do...

i guess that is enough for now - aside from the fact it is 230 in the AM...just had some quiet time and wanted to blog...it is therapeutic...love to all and blessings for the new year

yummy yummmy to my family's tummy...

i got an awesome cookbook for christmas so tonight i made a recipe from it...chicken pie...the cookbook is called georgia cooking from an oklahoma kitchen - trisha yearwood's family cookbook - it was soooooooooo good and soooooooooooo easy...

2 cups of shredded chicken
2 cups of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
1 cup of self rising flour
1 stick butter - melted
1 cup of buttermilk

cook the chicken and set aside

in a boiler mix the liquids and bring to a boil

pour mixture over chicken in 2 qt casserole dish

mix flour butter and buttermilk together and pour over chicken mixture - even it out but do not stir

bake at 425 for 45 minutes


mmmmmmmmm good....even jacob ate it...

i hope everyone had a merry christmas...my new year's resolution is to cook better for my family...by this i mean to simply cook...usually it is throwing something together...i usually end up cooking the same things over and again...tacos, spaghetti, hot dogs, etc...

so in an effort to "get organized" -becky don't faint - i am putting together monthly menus with recipes and grocery lists - let's see how this works...if it works i may post a weeks menu and grocery list...maybe it will help some other poor momma who is trying to keep everything going that we have to....