Planning a family get together...

This can be a real pain in the "duffas", especially with 5 + families trying to get together.  Each family has its on set of rules and or lifestyles:  morally, ethically, logistically, and financially that they need to abide by.  But I believe with all my heart, all of these can be dealt with and overcome with a little love, sharing and caring.  And if individual prides, egos, and fears are set aside.

To begin with I will offer my home as a free place to stay to any of my family who may be having money problems.  I have a full size and a twin size bed that is available, I also have a couple of air-mattresses and even a tent that we can set up in the back yard.  In fact I can get my hands on a few more  mattress and another tent if need be.  So any of my family that wants to be here, you have a place to stay.  You know how to contact me or you know someone who does.  OK so now I have given you who may have a financial problem with the trip a way around it.  As for the other concerns I don't know how to help, except that a phone call to me or to someone else might help you come up with a plan.  All I can say now is any of you who do not/cannot come, you will be sorely missed.

Remember these:

Summer 1977

Summer 1986

Summer 1986

2000

Summer 1992

Daddy's birthday

Weren't they wonderful, let's keep building memories like these!

And it rained, and rained and rained....

It started raining last night about 9pm and it really has stopped raining for more than a few minutes at a time, there has just about always been at least a drizzle coming down, when it wasn't pouring.  What a great day for taking a nice long nap.  But I will resist the urge, because if I do take a nap I won't sleep tonight.

Worked at the free clinic today, almost immediately when I arrived we had 2 cancellations (due to the weather), and one had already called to cancel before I got there.  So that was three cancels, and right after that, there was 2 no shows, so we had one patient this morning.  Then one of the no shows, shows up about 1-1/2 hours late, along with 3 other patients showing up at the same, so the staff and I had to get a move on, after sitting and talking recipes and food for over an hour.  All of us getting hungrier by the minute.  We starting talking about the rice bowls many Mexican restaurants are serving now, I really want to try one, found a recipe on the Tasty Kitchen web site.  Sounds really good to me, think I'll try it soon, it's called Burrito Bowl.  Got to go the the grocery store before I can make it, I hate going to Wal-Mart for groceries, but when it's the least expensive, I wish someone would compete with Wal-Mart's prices....

One more early morning at the clinic then I can sleep in on Friday.  Three clinics in one week is kinda' tough on old folks like me, but I love being there, and doing what I am doing,  I just wish I could find a paying job that wouldn't interfere with my volunteer career...any ideas????

On the menu for today...

Today is Sunday, my favorite day of the week,  It's kind's a end and a beginning at the same time.  One week is finished and a new week is starting.  Does that make any since?  O'well it's going to be a wonderful, easy day.

I 've already put a pot roast in to cook, a recipe I found on Tasty Kitchen,  Creamy Portabella Pot Roast  along with some Beefy Rice, Biscuits and something green...think I'll ask Mari Ann to bring the green...The pot roast recipe called for portabellas...of course, the closest grocery store to me was out, but they had some baby Bella's on sale which I substitute.  The beefy rice is just regular long grain rice made with beef stock instead of water and I'm cheating on the biscuits, I bought some frozen "Mary B's".  I've not used these before usually I keep the Pillsbury frozen biscuits in the freezer cause they are just so handy, when I'm just cooking for two, and they are pretty good.  I'll let you know what I think of the Mary B's.

OK,  the Mary B's biscuits were pretty darn good, the pot roast was good, but missing something, I'm not sure what, but definitely a do again, with a little more or less of something...

We diiiiid it, we diiiid it...

We, Allison, Sara and I got the Christmas decorations put up... all except a couple of things that need to go in the attic.  Went shopping for a new tree, my cat broke 3-4 limbs on my tree it really looks pretty sad.  I'll go to Hobby Lobby tomorrow, hope they have a 6-7ft skinny tree, I'll be real surprised if they do.  I think I'm ready to scale down to a table top tree, if I can figure out a place to put it.  Wonder if I could get a good buy on line...

Stopped by our Brookshire's Fresh on the way home, picked up a couple of salads for the girls and I for supper.  I had their fresh pasta, mozzarella tomato salad for supper last night, it was really good, looking forward to tonight's meal with the girls.

Tomorrow we will be going to the clinic, we have about 3 patients due in, should be a nice day.

Good Friday morning....

Well the chest x-ray came back clear and normal, Mari Ann doesn't believe it.  The wheezing is still there, but getting less every day, still coughing but not as much.  So much for the health report.

Going to the clinic today, have a doctor coming in on Monday for about 3-4 patients, so need to get all the charts ready.

Still haven't taken down my Christmas decorations, every time I think I might get it done something gets in the way....like I being sick or the girls need to be taken somewhere or maybe I just don't want to....I promise I will get it done sometime this weekend...maybe...I better or the neighbor will probably start complaining...I really need to get my living room back to normal...

Another rainy gloomy day....

Had a Dr. listen to my lungs today, it appears I may have a little more than an upper respiratory infection.  She ordered a chest x-ray prescribed another antibiotic (I am to take with the other antibiotic) and an Advair Diskus (it's a medicine I have to inhale and if I don't rinse my mouth out well after each dose, I could get thrush...Oh goody).

Got the girls again tonight they decided they want "egg in a hole" for supper tonight and poor Sara is starving to death, poor baby she's wasting away.   So I guess I'd better go start cooking, I'll try to blog aliitle more later...I can only imagine how excited you are to hear about my day......NOT

Getting back into a routine...

Sorry, I haven't been here for a couple of days, but I've been a little busy.  I volunteer at a free clinic in a small community near where I live.  Sometimes I'm there 2 days a week, sometimes 3, and occasionally 4, but I love being there and working with my co-volunteers.  I do so wish I could find a job that would not interfere with my volunteer career and help me make ends meet, I would love to quit looking for a job and spend I my free time there.

Josh aka Dennis the Menace

Preston aka Eddy Haskel

Tomorrow I am going to get 2 more of my 13 grandchildren so they can spend some time with me.  This time it 2 boys, Preston and Josh.  They remind me of Eddy Haskel and Dennis the Menace, I'm a little worried how I will keep them entertained and out of trouble.  Say a little pray for me... Love'em both dearly.

I was so sorry to learn that Josh and Preston did not do what they needed to do to come see granmaw for about a week.  We can hope they will do what is necessary to make the trip next time.  I thinking about adding a little something extra if they will do what their mom and dad tell them too and get a little ahead on their homework, but they would have to be willing to wait until March or April for their visit.  I'm thinking we might go camping for a couple of days.  I would think the boys would like that....

Happy 2012

Stayed up till midnight with 2 of my granddaughters, Allison and Sara Ann.  We watched the Ball in New York, then the Moon Pie in Mississippi, have you ever eaten any of those...they are down right addicting.  We got some sparklers after Mass, so they had a glorious time "sparkling" as Sara called it for about 30 minutes into the New Year.  I was surprised to hear and see all the fireworks going off around us at midnight, I didn't realize so many people stayed up to bring in the New Year with a bang.  Our neighbors across the street apparently had couple of friends over, but they left about 12;15.  The party must have been really lacking in food, or fun for it to end  so quickly, the girls were "sparkling," and shouting  "Happy New Year" as the neighbor's friends left without a "Happy New Year" in reply, and the lights on their house went dark.
 Today on the menu is of Black-eyed peas, a southern tradition that is supposed to bring you, wealth, health and happiness. The rest of the meal will consist of Maple Mustard Pork Chops, Cheesy Grits (this a favorite of Allison's), Broccoli and Cheese and of course biscuits and syrup for desert.

Well only a few more ....

I think she liked her Christmas gift.

Refers to a test she took
diagnosing the hole in
her heart

days of 2011  are left to live.  Whoa, that sounds a little dreadful maybe even a little morbid, that's really not how I intended it to sound.  I hear a lot of people saying how bad they thought 2011 was, but I have no complaints.  Among the many blessings I received, the life and health of my daughter was one of the best.  For those of you who do not know, on Nov. 5, my 34 year old, non-smoking, non-birth control pill taking, dieting and running 5 miles a day, daughter had a bilateral thermalic stroke.  She was non-responsive for about 18 hours and but managed to recover in about a week.  The only lasting side effect was/is a numbness on the tip of her tongue and (get this) "sweets don't taste as good as the used to."  We did how ever through the testing they did on her discover she had an undiagnosed  hole in her heart.  The doctors fixed that a couple of weeks ago, she is back at work and on the road to a full recovery.  She will be on blood thinners for a couple of months so we are keeping her away from all sharp objects, and try not to touch or poke her with any force, though her husband has threatened to poke her several times on her back to make a smiley face .  What is surprising to me is that 25% of the population is walking around with the same problem and do not know it, what's more the insurance companies will NOT pay to have it fixed unless you have a heart attack or a stroke, now does that make any sence....

Here goes number 2...

Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2011

Hannah, Allison and Sara Ann

Today the girls and I did a whole lot of nothing, we slept in, ate an early lunch or a late breakfast...what ever you want to call it.  Late this afternoon I tried a new recipe I found on Tasty Kitchen called Soft Pretzel Bites.  The outside was as it should be crunchy and salty, but I think I should have let them rest or rise a little, before I put them in the oven, the inside was a little doughy, they were done just not what I though it should be.

Madison

Right now I have a pan of Hobo Dinner on the stove to feed 5 grandkids, my daughter, my husband and me. I made enough to send some home with Mari Ann to her husband Shawn, who's feeling a little under the weather.  For those of you who do not know what Hobo Dinner is, it is a one pot meal my mother came up with to feed myself, my 5 very hungry brothers and mama and daddy, we all loved Hobo night at the Byrd house.  It's made up mostly of rice, hamburger and a can of tomatoes.  The rest fo the ingredients can vary depending on what I have available.  This time I chopped up an onion, some celery, threw in a can of corn and a couple of Bay leaves, and salt and pepper of course.  Then I added a couple of cups of rice, 3 - 1/2  cups of beef broth.  Simmer till the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.  A glass of milk and some bread and butter makes this one of my favorite comfort meals.

From far left:  Mari Ann, married to my brother Billy Joe; Mari Ann,
 my daughter and Mary Byrd aka mama Byrd.  The caption should be
"Is it done yet?"

Got to go check on my supper, good night all.

Dec. 18, 2011, My First Blog

OK people this is my first attempt at this.  Be patient with this old lady...never thought I'd hear that coming out of my mouth...but at least I'm not as old as my husdand...LOL  How'd he get so old?

Today and the next few days I have the pleasure...no not pleasure, but sheer joy of spending some time with 2 of my son's daughters, Hannah age 10 and Madison age 16, or Madie as she prefers.  We are going to spend some time together cooking, shopping, laughing and enjoying this Christmas season.  I told them last night there are only 2 rules at granmaw's house:

1.   If you want to leave my yard ask before you go
2.  Just because it is in this house does not mean you can have it or eat it, ask me first.

Then this morning I realized theres one more:

3.  Keep all the doors the bedroom closed because Gigi my 12 year old mini dapple dachshund will poop or pee on the carpet given the opportunity.


I need to add another one : (


4.  Please flush the commode each time you use it...my water bill won't go up that much....