Poll Time

I've decided to throw caution to the wind and plan a European vacation for this summer . . . well, more likely fall. I'm thinking we would go in September or October. But because neither Jeremy nor I have ever been to any country in Europe we are having difficulty picking a location. Decisions, decisions. Everyone knows I am horrible with decisions. Jeremy always tells me I can't commit. And my response is "I made the biggest committment of all: I married you! So I think one committment in my lifetime is enough." Hence, I appear to never be able to make a decision on my own.

Now money is not flowing freely at our home (unfortunately!), so as much as I'd like to take 2 weeks and travel to several locations it just won't be possible. I have a feeling we will be going for 7 days . . . maybe up to 10 days if we can find a way to do it cheaply enough. So, we are looking at only one or two locations, depending on if they are close enough together to travel in no more than a day's time. We have thrown out several ideas, but can't seem to settle on one. So I'm going to conduct a poll. I will let YOU tell me where YOU think we should go. Sounds like fun doesn't it?! Here we go: please direct your attention to the bottom of this blog, where you will find a poll. I apologize for the poll not being directly in this post - I had trouble figuring out how to do that. Hey! Give me a break, I'm still learning all this blogging stuff!

**Disclaimer: I am in no way obligated to choose the winning location as our vacation. So please don't be offended if I don't. But, I promise to take a serious look at the winning location before making my final decision. And if you don't like any of the options, please leave me a comment to this post and give your choice!

In memory of a wonderful woman

I have had a hectic and exhausting week. Last Thursday I headed out to California to be with my grandma. When I got to the hospital, my grandma was on a feeding tube and this breathing device that removes the CO2 from her heart because her heart wasn't working properly to do it itself. That afternoon they took her off both of these things because my grandma had been a firm believer of not living on things like this. And I tend to agree. I really don't want my loved ones to prolong my life solely because they are too selfish to let me go. Plus, if they waste all that money keeping me alive on life support how on earth will they pay for my big "going away" party?! Oh yes, I want there to be lots of laughter and fun stories and drinking - of course drinking - after I pass on. Celebrate me as I was, not as I became. Ok, sorry for the dialogue, but I have to find a way to make some fun at a time like this.

Back to the main point. So basically it was a waiting game at that point. Without those things we knew she would not make it. So we just sat around the hospital all day and night - although I got out of night duty because of how busy I am at work and I can't afford to get sick - so Thursday and Friday was spent at the hospital. Saturday morning we were there too. I did manage to call Jeremy before we headed to the hospital to wish him a Happy Valentine's Day! And then I told him where he could find his surprise. It literally had been under his nose, but thankfully he was oblivious, so it remained a surprised. If you know me well you know that I LOVE cards and have trouble picking just one. So I normally end up with at least two (but have been known to give 3 at times). So I have a nice funny card for him with wonderful "coupons" he can use at a later date. And then of course the romantic one that tells him he is the love of my life and how lucky I am to have him. (All true of course!) And since we normally don't celebrate Valentine's Day, I didn't get him a major gift; just a small token to let him know I was thinking of him and that he is my SWEETheart. Personalized M&Ms baby! Yup, a bag of red and pink M&Ms with "I Love You!" and "You're Mine!" on them. Fun, fun! He thoroughly enjoyed them.

Ok, I got off track again. Around noon the doctors decided to move her to another floor of the hospital since she didn't need as much care. So we went in one elevator and she was in another and when we got to the 6th floor (from the 4th) she had stopped breathing and she was gone. In a way it was ironic because my mom had just said that morning that maybe she wanted to die alone and since someone was always with her - day and night - she didn't have that opportunity until the elevator. I like to think that my grandpa was calling his sweetheart home to him on Valentine's Day and that they got to spend the holiday together again. That's the romantic in me. And, also, it's me trying to be positive. (Remember my New Year's Goals?)

It's been very hard on everyone, but we tell ourselves she's no longer suffering and she is in a better place. And she had her immediate family with her: my mom, my aunt, my uncles, my cousin, and me. It was wonderful we all were able to be by her side and say our goodbyes. And, by the grace of God, my grandma did "wake up" enough once to tell us all that she loved us very much and I was able to tell her that I loved her too.

Sorry for the downer post. I'll try to make the next one a happy one! But, my grandma was a very special woman in my life and I felt like I should honor her here.

I already posted one of my favorite photos of my grandma in my previous post. Here are a few more:

Grandma and Jeremy before our wedding.

Grandma was the Dancing Queen!

Summer 2008.

Summer 2008: mom, grandma, and me.

Grandma's Vineyard.

***I apologize for the lack of spacing between paragraphs. I literally have edited this post 10 times and when I go to publish it, the spaces suddenly disappear. ARGH! So, if you have a problem with it, please take it up with Blogger, because they have MAJOR issues I think. I mean, when you input a photo it should go to where your cursor is -- NOT all stacked up at the top of the page messing up your spacing. Anyway, I apologize for Blogger's crappy workmanship.

Circle of Love

I am heading to California tomorrow so I may be a tad out of touch. I, of course, will have my phone, which does allow me to access email, texts, and yes, Facebook. So please keep in touch. I will be in California Thursday thru Monday visiting my grandma. I found out over the weekend that she was put in the hospital with pulmonary something-or-other, aka, her heart isn't pumping properly, and she has fluid in her lungs. Since she is 94 years old, the doctors say there isn't much they can do except make her comfortable. So I am heading out there to see her and I am praying that she holds on until I get there. On the bright side, my mom did say that yesterday she was doing a tad better. So that is good news.


This, obviously, is my California grandma - my mom's mom. And anyone who has known me for awhile knows that I truly adore her. I grew up traveling the country with my California grandparents in their motor home (you know, the old ones - where my grandpa had to actually go out and level the motor home on his own; it wasn't automatic). Because of them, I have been able to visit every state in the United States except like 3 I think. I have so many wonderful memories that involve my grandma: Ringo, the Pomeranian who had the same hair color as me; learning to play cards; learning to play Mexican Train; driving through Kansas, waiting for a tornado to lift us up like Dorothy; getting dolled up for Eastern Star events..... the list is long and would be longer except for the fact that I seem to have a horrible memory and forget things easily. But I know they are there in the back of my head. Here is one of my favorite memories of all time:



Isn't she just adorable?


Anyway, I am off to see this wonderful woman who has lived a long and grand life! I really appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. Thank you!

Go to hell Tennessee!

As an Alabama fan, I loathe the University of Tennessee. I mean, L.O.A.T.H.E. Everyone thinks that Auburn is Alabama's biggest rival, but in reality it is Tennessee. The Alabama/Tennessee rivalry has been going on much longer than Alabama/Auburn. So while we dislike Auburn as well, Tennessee is our arch nemesis. Just the mention of Tennessee makes me want to punch something ... or someone (preferably someone wearing something that says UT on it). I mean, creamsicle orange actually makes me throw up a little in my mouth. Seriously people, NO ONE looks good in that color! Why can't they see that?!? Well, it is true that nothing sucks like a big orange. And did you realize that you can't spell slut without UT? Ok, ok, I know. That's wrong and mean-spirited. I mean, I shouldn't offend the University of Tampa or University of Texas that way. We wouldn't want to lump them in with those creamsicle-loving, donut-eating Tennessee fans.

Speaking of Phil Fulmer, at first I didn't know what to do when he announced he was leaving. Who will we joke about? Who will be the laughing stock of the SEC? Who will we be able to place in a photo with a donut and it actually make sense? See exhibit 1 and exhibit 2 counselor. Well, needless to say, I was very disheartened. That is until yesterday. When I realized that Tennessee just happened to higher a thinner version of good ole Phil when they hired Lane Kiffin! We just need to put a donut in his hand! So I brushed away the tears from my eyes and gave a sigh of relief that YES! Tennessee will STILL be the laughing stock of the SEC!

I mean, seriously! Who comes to the SEC and pisses off everyone - especially two coaches with such an awesome record - within their first 2 months?? Oh that's right: Lane Tiffin. Who comes to the SEC with a 5-15 record in the NFL?? Lane Tiffin. Who comes to the SEC and doesn't even know the rules?? Lane Tiffin. I mean, the jokes can only get better than they were with Fulmer right!?!

So in honor of this glorious occasion, please follow me to this link: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=3887550&sportCat=ncf and embrace the new legacy of the University of Tennessee.

Enjoy and ROLL TIDE!

**By the way, if you just happen to be interested, here is a site with plenty of Tennessee jokes to go around: http://www.etua.org/travis.html.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I already blogged about this recipe and how much I LOVE it. I adore it. I ... I don't know what more I can say about how much I love this recipe. Anyway, I realized I never actually posted the recipe. So here it is. You must try it!!

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Makes 4 servings (I think it actually could feed 5-6 if you eat small portions)

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over chicken.

3. Bake chicken for ONE HOUR. Turn chicken every 15 minutes.

4. If you like extra sauce, make another batch and bring it to a boil on the stovetop (the amount called for usually is enough for me). Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

5. Serve over rice and veggies.

***I just lightly steamed some veggies for this.

My Arch Nemesis!!!

I had been planning on making this chicken confetti spaghetti (haha, that rhymes) recipe since Tuesday. I kept putting it off because of different reasons. I finally made it last night. I should have known from the beginning it was a bad idea because of my issues with it since Tuesday. But nooooo, I decided to make it anyway. Let's just say I was not impressed. In fact, I hated it. Jeremy of course said it wasn't bad. I don't know if he was telling the truth (in all seriousness, he will eat just about anything) or if he was just being nice. But it doesn't matter because I will not make this again.

Now, I will admit I did not follow the recipe to the exact letter. But I refuse to think that was the issue. Instead I like Jeremy's philosophy: Your cooking wasn't bad, the recipe was just flawed! That works for me! Anyway, I'm going to post this recipe just in case someone else wants to try it. It may not actually be THAT bad; maybe the recipe just had it out for me because I'd been fighting with it since Tuesday. Maybe my "substitutions" ruined it. Maybe I just suck at cooking. You be the judge. Go ahead; try it. I dare you.

Chicken Confetti Spaghetti
Serves 6

Ingedients:
8 oz spaghetti

2 Tbsp butter

12 oz cooked, diced chicken - I'm not sure how much chicken I used. I mean, they sell chicken by the pound NOT by the ounce. And I'm sorry, but I'm no math wizard, so how was I supposed to know what constitutes 12 oz of chicken?!?

1 (4oz) jar diced pimentos (drained) - Ok, another modification. When I was reading the ingredients list at the store, I must have imagined the word "olive" in there because I opened my jar of olives with pimentos and then was like "Wait! It doesn't call for actual olives." That is when I shrugged and said "Oh Well" and threw in the diced olives. Whoops.

8 oz trinity mix (fresh diced onions, bell peppers, celery) - HAHAHA. Ok, I just now realized this said FRESH. I bought the frozen bag of "seasoning mix" from Publix (which does have onions, bell peppers, and celery) and used that. But when I was going to add it to the recipe I realized the bag was a 10 oz bag and instead of trying to figure out what 8 oz was out of the bag, I again shrugged and said "Oh Well!" and threw the entire bag in the mix!

1 (10.5 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (I got this part right!!)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 (14 oz) can reduced-sodium chicken broth - yah, I have no clue how much I put in because you don't buy chicken broth in 14 oz cans!! So I guesstimated!

1 1/4 cups shredding sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Fill pot with water and bring to boil. Break pasta into 2-inch long pieces and stir into boiling water; boil 5 minutes or until partially tender.

2. Cut butter into small pieces while placing in medium bowl; set aside to soften. Combine in microwave safe bowl: chicken, pimentos, trinity mix, soup, salt, pepper, and broth until well blended. Cover and microwave on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until mixture is hot and vegetables begin to soften.

3. Drain pasta and stir into vegetable mixture. Transfer mixture evenly into 2 quart baking dish. I used a 2 1/2 quart and mine was almost to the very top. I don't know how they expect this to fit into only 2 quarts! Stir cheese and bread crumbs into butter. Mix with fingers until blended and crumbly; spread evenly over chicken mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden and bubbly around edges. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

***Photos to come shortly!

UPDATE 3/6/09: Photos of the chicken confetti. I apologize for the second photo - I was having issues with my f/stop.

Addendum

As an addendum to a previous post where I bitched about postal workers getting every holiday possible off work, check this out: postal workers may get another day off work a week. Ok, who knows if that's what this truly means, but WHATEVER! I will take it as I want to take it!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28897426/