I don't need this!!!!

Yesterday morning my car would not run. It would start, but it would not run. It took forever to get it warmed up enough to run. Same thing happened today. On my way home yesterday the "service engine soon" light came on, so today I took it to the dealership for diagnosis. It was some kind of valve that wasn't working properly. $225 dollars later, it works! I also, just on a whim, told him about a noise I had been hearing and he knew EXACTLY what it was. The transmission needs to be serviced. I doubt that it ever has been and it has 102,000 miles on it. Tomorrow I will drop another $150 to have that done. Thanks, Santa, for paying for my car repairs. I was hoping to buy something nice for me, but MAYBE NOT!!!!!

Oh NO!

I walked out in the back yard and found a big surprise. I have some shelving out there that I use to put plants on that have died (still hoping they will come back out in the spring). I also keep flower pots there that I have planted bulbs in. The pots that I planted just two weeks ago are coming up!!! We had a freeze last night and another tonight, so I had to move them in the garage. One of them has various bulbs in it that I wanted to be ready to bloom on March 10th, my sister-in-law's birthday. Well, I don't think it is going to take that long!! I guess I planted them too shallow.

It's over....

I guess the fat lady sang and Christmas 2006 is over for our family. It was wonderful and too much food was consumed by me and others!!! Blood sugar has still been an issue with me, but Thursday I have a doc appointment and hope to get my meds increased or another med added. Every time I have eaten anything lately, it has gone over 200. Yesterday I had a whopper Jr. and a few fries and the reading was 257. A few weeks ago, that would not have happened. I eat Whopper, Jr. and fries often. Today, it was 222 two hours after eating and I didn't even eat bread or dessert. Of course, the dressing was corn bread and the salads I ate a few bites of were sugared salads......and peas and corn......OK, it was all CARBS!!!! No damn wonder it was 222!!!!

My dear, sweet mother insisted on going back to the old traditions that we had to abandon last year because of her health. She cooked her famous dressing and we ate at her house. Our friends came just like they always do. Every ounce of dressing was consumed. Mom also made some sweet salads, a pie, peas and corn. We told her to just make dressing. We would do the rest. She doesn't listen well, but I am thankful that she can still do what she did at 81. I left at 3 after cleaning her kitchen, so I hope she took a nap. I know she needed to rest. I am so thankful to have her for a mother. She's the BEST!

Merry Christmas!

Constructive day....

I am still in my lounging flannels and never left the house today. The only thing I have done is make one batch of fudge and the best pralines that I have ever made. I have boxed them all up in beautiful tins for our friends that we always share Christmas Eve with and for my brother and sister-in-law. I'm thinking I will make another batch of pralines tomorrow to take to their house for Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow night. I also have to make the same dish of potatoes that I made for Thanksgiving. I guess it was a hit! I have taken so many naps today that if I can't sleep when it is actually time to sleep, I may make the pralines tonight.

Tomorrow we have only a worship service at 9:30, so there will be plenty of time for people to be with family and cook. I will go to candlelight service at my old church with my family at 5:30 tomorrow night, then go to my brother's for Christmas Eve with two other families.

High on the Hog....

I never really knew what that meant, but I think I might now! Before Thanksgiving I went to a place called the Hamlet in Shreveport and ordered two half hams for Christmas...one for my parents and one for my brother. I never asked how much they would be because.....well.....how bad could it be. It's a ham, for goodness sake!! Those hams cost me $96.00!!!! My brother told me they passed by that place yesterday and wished they had one of those hams. Now they do! He said it is delicious. It BETTER be!

Frosty died again!

Frosty is pissing me off!!! The exact same lights blew again! I'm no electrician, but I know THAT is not caused by a surge!!! I hate to go back to that place, but I guess I will!

Boneheaded decision....

I made the boneheaded tactical error today of going to Shreveport to take Frosty back to the place where I bought him to get him fixed. I put him out and went to eat and run a few errands. 99 % of my time was just sitting in traffic. When I went to pick up Frosty, the same guy that told me to bring him in yesterday and let him fix him was not there. They tried to charge me to replace all those bulbs. That would have been fine except that he is brand new and has only been running about three weeks. The guy last night told me they would make it right if I bought him this season. Today the owner told me that lots of bulbs were shot because of a power surge. No one told me that Frosty should be plugged into a surge protector or that rain could cause this. He's Frosty, for goodness sake! He lives outside!!! WTH!!!! I offered to pay, but he knew I wouldn't be a happy customer so he didn't take it.

Christmas past!

Today was a bonanza day for Christmas cards with 7 being left in my mailbox. One of them brought back such fond memories of going skiing each year after Christmas. Those were wonderful times. I just love being in the snow and the mountains.....skiing.....not so much anymore! Those are memories and people that I will cherish forever. I have all our group shots hanging in my garage right now. Many people of Southern climates don't enjoy the cold weather at the ski resorts, but I absolutely loved it. We spent many a New Year's Eve in the mountains. It's the most beautiful place to be for fireworks, but alcohol does a number on us sea level creatures!

Deer in the headlights..

While we were out in the subdivisions near my house, we saw nine deer out grazing. It was killing my brother because he sits out in the woods waiting for his deer to come. Here they are just out among the houses. We moved into their territory and they aren't leaving. Why should they? They have it made out around all those beautiful houses. No one can shoot out there.

One more down...

Tonight my dad took all of us out for steaks at a new restaurant. Then we drove around my little town and looked at the Christmas lights. They are so beautiful all over town. Earlier today I met Mom and Dad at Wal-Mart and helped her get her groceries. While we were there, Dad told me they were giving us another significant amount of money after the first of the year. They have already maxed out what they can give us this year without our having to pay taxes on it. They have the mindset that there is nothing they need and there is no reason for their money to sit in a bank and wait for them to die for us to get it. They want to be able to see us enjoy some of the money. If more parents would be that way, then there would be less to have to deal with through the legal system when they are gone. Yeah.....I'm down with that!!!

Christmas Party..

I can't even remember the last time that I went to a party that was alcohol-free. This was my Sunday School Class's party. It was at an awesome house and fun. We did one of those pass the ornament games and I ended up with one ugly ornament. Even if I had a tree, this thing would not be on it. It is downright scary!!! And it is HUGE!!! WE are talking 12 inches long!

Email is fixed...

When I called customer service this morning, they had instructions recorded as to how to fix outgoing mail. All it took was a check mark in a box that I didn't have checked to fix it. I should have called Saturday!!!

Frosty is half dead....

My only Christmas decoration is failing. He has only been lit up about 3 weeks and a bunch of his bulbs are now not burning. I tried using the extra bulbs that came with him, but have been unable to get him all lit up. I finally went and bought a little string of white lights that I was just going to add to him, but when I got home I read on the box that they are inside lights. I can't find replacement bulbs for the originals. The directions say to replace only with 3.5 v bulbs. The only ones I can find are 2.5!

Email gremlins again....

I never had a problem with anything as long as the company was Cox, but since Suddenlink bought them out, the gremlins are out. I get more spam, I can't get my newsreader to work (even though they said it wouldn't be affected), and twice this week I have been unable to send emails. I can receive, but not send!! And of course, like every other company on the planet, tech help is in INDIA!!! Nothing annoys me more than trying to understand the foreigner on the other end. GRRRRR!!!

Fallen Soldier

My brother and his wife are at a funeral right now of a local fallen soldier....21 years old, brand new baby, which he got to see on leave just two weeks ago. I am so ready for this war to be over. I believe we did the right thing in the beginning, but this just needs to be over. I hope with Rumsfeld gone, it can come to an acceptable conclusion.There will never be peace in that part of the world. Let's just let them deal with it now!!!

Day's work done!!!

I went to Mom and Dad's this morning to work in their yard. Before I did that, I picked some collard greens for Mom to cook. I mulched most of the leaves before lunch, then my brother and sister-in-law came and ate collards with us. I sent Mom to go lie down and I finished up their yard. When I finish doing that, I am covered with dirt! I had to come home and take a shower before I can do anything else....in fact, I don't think I'll do anything else!!!! Just chill the rest of the day.

Oooops!

My ladies didn't have their regular lunch get together today. Now I have all this candy all over the kitchen. I took some of it to my 90 year old aunt tonight. Her assisted living facility has a candlelight dinner every Christmas and she gets to invite 3 people. I was one of her guests.

Twice in the last two days, I tried to drive down Main Street, but it was blocked off. Once again they are using it to film some scenes in a movie. This movie is Blonde Ambition with Jessica Simpson and Willie Nelson. Shreveport is becoming the Southern Hollywood, so all the little towns around get some of the action.

Incompetence!!!

I took my new outfit that I bought for the Mardi Gras Ball out of the plastic today and found the theft device still on it. Now I have to take it back and get them to take it off because my taking it off will put ink all over it!

Brain storm.....

Yes, I had one, so shut up...all of you! There is ONE thing that I can do really, really well.....unfortunately, it is make candy! Last night I decided that I should make candy and put it in little decorative tins for all the ladies that really took me in here... the ones that I go to lunch with on Thursdays. I made fudge this morning, then went to purchase the tins and finish my Christmas shopping in Shreveport. When I got back, I made pralines. Now these pralines are to die for. I usually have to make them a couple of times each Christmas (the only time I make them) before I perfect them. Tonight the first batch got dropped too early and didn't set up perfectly like they must be to give to others. Soooooo.....I made batch #2....PERFECTO! There is a secret to my success in making awesome candies. It is to toast the pecans with butter and salt before putting them in the candy!!! This is easily done in the microwave in about 5 minutes. Just move on over, Paula Deen! I bet she doesn't know this secret. She doesn't even pronounce pecans right...she calls them peeee-cans! WTH...the woman is from Georgia, the pecan capital of the world!!!