Recipe Thursday - Beer Cheese Soup

I got this recipe from a friend and I love to make it on those cool fall or cold winter days.

4 and ½ cups chicken broth, divided
1 and ¼ cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potatoes
Cooking spray
½ cup finely diced onion
½ cup finely diced celery
½ cup finely diced carrot
1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves pressed
½ cup all purpose flour
2 and ½ cups milk
6 ounces of shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
½ dry mustard
½ teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 ounce can of beer (any brand)

Simmer 2 cups of chicken broth and potato in small saucepan for 15 minutes or until potato is soft. Transfer potato mixture to blender. Remove the center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape. Place a towel over the blender lid to avoid spills and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add the onion, celery, and carrot to the pan and cook 5 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally. Add the garlic to the pan and cook 30 seconds.

Combine the flour with the remaining 2 and ½ cups chicken broth and the milk in a medium bowl. Stir with a whisk. Add this to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stirring constantly, add the potato mixture, and cheddar cheese, mustard, worchestershire sauce, pepper and salt and cook for 1 minute or until the cheese melts. Add the beer and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 more minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with black pepper.

Inspirational Sunday - Peace

This is a church in Colorado that is built into the surrounding mountainside. A friend of mine recently took a trip to CO and brought home this picture. I loved it so I asked her if I could use it in my blog and as wallpaper for my computer. There were a few other pictures of the sun shining through the church and the stained glass windows just lit up, kinda like a Thomas Kinkade photo or picture. One day I will visit this church myself.

The reason I asked to take a copy of it for myself: just looking at the picture, all I felt was peace (which was good after the week I had had and the week coming up - see previous post Busy Busy).

Peace is good. I don't know about you but I find peace hard to describe. I know when I feel it though. To me peace is those moments when I am cuddling with my husband and I feel love and contentment and God. Peace to me is also anytime I am with my children, or I am praying the rosary, or when I notice the little things in life. It can come over me even when I am doing nothing special but that feeling goes deep down into my soul.

Peace then is uncompromising (I can either choose to feel it or not). Personally I can't feel peace though when I want to be the person who is right or have my own way. I can't feel peace when I feel anger or am vengeful. I can't feel peace when I am being hurtful or when I feel justified in having the last word. I can't feel peace when I force my will on others. I can't feel peace and feel my way is the only right way to talk to God. I can't feel peace when I have to take a side in any conflict.

Notice how I am describing those times I can't feel peace and describing who makes me feel peace. Describing that feeling though is hard. It is a feeling of being in the moment. It is a feeling of being content with myself in my heart and brain and body. How I feel peace might not be how you do. Peacefulness only exists in you when you or I choose to feel it right now within our own experience while we move through the world. There is no other way to encounter it. Peacefulness then is a quiet, calm, chosen, felt-condition, resonating within our individual heart. Peace is also a choice and when we choose it as a part of us, we impact the quality of our thinking and our doing.

Peacefulness is an inner sense of calm - it comes from becoming still - in order to reflect and meditate on our inner wisdom and receive answers. A peaceful heart is one that is free from worry and trouble. It's becoming quiet so we can look at things quietly so we can more clearly understand them and thus come up with creative solutions. It is learning to live in the present.

End each day with thoughts of peace. Begin each day with thoughts of peace. Continue thinking thoughts of peace throughout your precious day and happiness will be yours.

When we are present in each moment, the past gently rolls up behind us and the future slowly unravels before us.
- Rev Richard Levy

True peace is found in this moment. Acceptance is the 1st step to inner calm.

Busy Busy

Sorry no post this week. Been super busy with inlaws then a seminar until yesterday. Although I had my laptop with me at the seminar, by the time I got back to the room all I wanted to do was strip and wash my face and crawl into bed. I think one night I was even in bed and asleep by 9pm which is early for a night owl like me.

I finished reading Lost in Translation and will be doing a review on it soon. Haven't read much this week except seminar notes.

This next week also looks to be busy dealing again with inlaws and an article I have to write for the doctor's state association about a conference call I participated in on Tuesday with CMS, and the fall newsletter edition to finish, print, then fold and stuff into 100 envelopes and get out for the state assistant group of which I was just also elected secretary. There are also the 4th quarter edits to download and distribute to the offices and a whole crop of new diagnosis codes to find and put into place by this Friday.

Hopefully I will be back to my normal schedule in a week.

Spiritual Sunday - Seeing the Big Picture

Right now I am in the midst of reading Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones. There was a quote that I ran across last night in my reading that just struck me right in the heart and said it was perfect for Spiritual Sunday.

The worst failing of our minds is that we fail to see the really big problems simply because the forms in which they arise are right under our eyes.

Seeing the big picture is hard. I don't know about all of you but I have been in my own world lately seeing little things because that is what I can cope with. Handling those little things is about all I can handle. But those little things are hard to handle. What I failed to see was all of those little things were in reality parts of that larger picture all broken down and shattered into those small pieces. Putting them together would have allowed one to respond appropriately and see the big picture and thus solve them all in one clean sweep.

So I sat down and thought - what are the larger implications of my issue? How does what I'm doing fit into the Big Picture?

Is it really important to see the big picture? Yes it is. One needs to have critical thinking skills in order to move forward and so we can see the impact of our words and actions. Being able to see the big picture means having an open mind. I wasn't doing that as an office manager. I was trying to put out the little fires without ever seeing the forest fire raging within each of my employees or my bosses. But even more important, I was not seeing the big picture in my own health and life. I was trapped in handling each surgery, each problem with the inlaws, my mother's death, and had neatly compartmentalized them. But I wasn't living. I was reacting.

I had forgotten to see my big lifetime picture. All I saw were the little lessons and I was not coordinating those little lessons and using them to learn. Instead I was choosing to look at life from a more human and emotional perspective. I was standing in place without realizing what purpose those little lessons were in my big picture. I was missing opportunities and failed to see how my interactions with others effected or didn't effect them.

Looking back though, every once in a while I get into this rut and it is normal. Thankfully something happens to raise my awareness and I begin to see for myself what lessons I should have learned and begin to once again look at that big picture. Wouldn't it be nice if we could always do that?

But we can't. We are human. We are a maze of emotional, physical, and mental experiences that don't seem to have any purpose at all but in reality are part of that big picture. Keep your faith in yourself. Learn to take a deep breath, step back, and recognize and respect all those little things that are bogging us down so that we may once again look at the big picture and spiritually grow.

I know I am.

Movie Review - Love Happens

This is the first time I have ever done a movie review. I had 2 or 3 cortisone shots (one in my knee and 1-2 in my ankle) and they are giving me the predictable reactions I usually have so I am back in bed for the weekend. I am catching up on some of my TiVo'd things and this movie happened to be one of them.

I loved the movie. It drew me in and kept me with it the entire time which is unusual for a love romance story. I love Jennifer Aniston (Eloise) and Aaron Eckhart (Burke) in it. Aniston is a really good actress and it shows in this movie. While I don't personally know her, I can imagine she is pretty much down to earth like this character. Eckhart was also excellent in portraying the deep struggle of a man coming to grips with his wife's death and the journey he has to take to face the truth.

Love Happens is that rare romantic movie with emotions other than love at first sight. It is not your typical love story. It is full of quirks like Eckhart as a best selling author of self help books with titles like "A-Okay", the quirky "A-Okay" sign he throws out, quirky dates (sticking gum on a wall or watching a concert in a bucket of a lift truck, and the quirks Eloise has (she saves her favorite floral greetings on index cards and writes SAT type words on hotel walls behind pictures - words it takes a dictionary to interpret them). I also loved the shots of some of the most photogenic spots in Seattle.

The movie works because it's all about getting in touch with whatever is holding you back and the director (Brandon Camp) takes very seriously the anger and sadness of his characters and the deep vein of grief that runs through a person.

The movie worked for me. I loved it and give it an A!

Book Review - The Watson Brothers by Lori Foster

I would like to make a comment before going into this review. I am not a typical reviewer. I review what I read - period. I purchase my own books and refuse to accept any author's freebie books - this way I can state without any guilt what I really feel about the book. I think I have said this in the past but I thought it beared repeating. My opinions therefore, I feel are more honest than a typical reviewer. I will tell you how I felt about the book and I will also not be afraid to tell you what I didn't like about the book. If a particular author is an auto-buy for me, I state that. If said author publishes a book or 2 I don't like and review, I will also state that and why I didn't like it but that doesn't mean I would never buy another book written by that author. It would take more than that to totally turn me off buying that author's books but I will tell you it has happened but I won't tell you that author's name.

Okay, on to the review:

I have no idea how I missed reading this book but this was the first time I read it. I am glad I did. But..........

I will be honest and state that The Watson Brothers are totally different than The Buckhorn Brothers. I didn't like them as much as I liked The Buckhorn Brothers. I read this series right after I had read the other so I didn't review The Watson Brothers right away. My first impressions therefore weren't that good. So instead, I waited to see if some time and and reading 14 other books put some distance and maybe a different perspective between the 2 series before I would reread the book. (I have had that happen with other series from other authors so I always give a benefit of doubt.)

That said, the time did change my perspective so I will tell anyone out there not to read them together. They are different. But a good different. I found myself attaching to all 3 Watson Brothers a whole lot more on the 2nd read than the 1st read so my review will be based on that 2nd reading.

The Watson Brothers are 3 short novella type stories in one book. I understand the one book is actually a reissue and all 3 stories have appeared in prior books (probably in those I haven't gotten to read yet).

The first story was My House, My Rules which introduces the oldest brother: Sam. I loved the title right off the bat (my kind of title - see the title of my blog to get my drift). This story is about 2 very headstrong and stubborn people (I can really relate to that). Ariel and Sam actually know each other (Ariel is Sam's brother's ex-girlfriend). Sam has been in love with Ariel since his brother Pete brought her home. Ariel has been in love with Sam since she was introduced to Sam. Sam is a strong alpha undercover cop though who refuses to get involved with any woman because of his job and with Ariel, he resists her even more because she is 12 years younger than him but that she was Pete's ex and he thinks Pete is still mooning over her. Ariel though decides to take matters into her own hands and purposely dons a very sexy dress and goes to a bar where she knew Sam had been going to. Problem is that Sam was undercover and Ariel almost spoils the bust. Sam takes her to his home (his big mistake) and tells her that he wants to have an affair with her - his house, his rules. Ariel goes along and they are both taken for one erotic hawt ride (pun intended). He quickly learns that although it was his house and his rules, some rules can be changed if they involve Ariel. These 2 people remind me a lot of my husband and I as we spar with each other verbally about as much as Sam and Ariel do and my husband and I end up pretty much the same way Sam and Ariel end up after one of those matches.

The second story was Bringing Up Baby which is about the middle brother, Gil. Gil finds out he has a toddler after a night of sex with the baby's mother while on a business trip (note this is totally out of character for him). Gil is a staunch, stiff, orderly, uptight person who is all into appearances (my term for him would be prick). His home is a designer's dream. But Anabel unexpectedly appears with his daughter, Nicole, and you just see the ice and stiffness disappear as Gil loses his heart to both Anabel and his daughter. Anabel is not the Nicole's biological mother (they were roommates and Nicole's biological mother left all of Nicole's care to Anabel). Anabel though is not the type of person Gil usually dates or is attracted to. I loved this story for the slow Tantric feelings that pull these 2 together along with their love for Nicole. I also loved how Gil changed into a hawt, caring man and father. I am still amazed how Lori Foster pulled off this short story and turned 2 entirely different people into hawt lovers and I was right there rooting for them to get together and it wasn't because of Nicole. I was also amazed at how fast she turned around my impression of Gil as a prick and I actually read this story twice to see how she did it. If you read closely you can see how she did it and I was really impressed!

The third story was Good With His Hands which is about Pete, the youngest brother. Pete was introduced a bit in the first book but he was young. This book has Pete grown up but without any clear goals. He lives next door to Cassidy and they are friends, neighbors, and co-workers. They are attracted to each other but Cassidy is a goal directed person and has a vision of her 'perfect man' and Pete doesn't fit it. One hawt hawt steamy hawt hawt kiss changes the relationship. I loved the hawt factor and both characters who are hilarious yet with all this hawtness exploding off the pages. I was reading this story after my husband had gone to sleep and I woke him up because I could not contain my laughter at a few of the scenes. I am not going to give you all the details about the scenes but one involves parents (had it happen to me in much the same manner) and another involves a tie and yet another involves the title (there is a reason for that title) and another involves payback from Pete's older brothers.

So I am giving this book a big thumbs up. I do wish each story was longer or each of the brothers had their own book and I do wish there was more involvement between the brothers in each story because I think the 3 of them would have played off each other nicely. Just don't read it after the Buckhorn Brothers!

Recipe Thursday - Grandma's Fudge Icing

This icing is simply amazing and really really tastes like fudge but a warning as it does take quite a while to set up properly so make sure you have a really good hand mixer as it averages me 20-30 minutes for the icing to be ready to spread on the cake. My mother and grandmother always put this on a white cake so it does ice a 2 layer 8 inch or 9 inch round cake or a 9x13 cake.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Cocoa
¼ Cup White Corn Syrup
½ Cup Milk
½ Cup Shortening
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract


1) Mix Sugar, Salt and Cocoa together in a pot
2) Add Corn Syrup, Milk, and Shortening. Stir over low heat until shortening is melted
3) Stirring constantly bring rapidly to full rolling boil
4) Boil exactly 1 min
5) Remove from heat
6) Beat until lukewarm
7) Add Vanilla
8) Continue beating until loses gloss and is of spreading consistency (takes at least 20 minutes) - see picture above for how it looks when it has lost its gloss.

Unfriending - Am I still in Junior High?

It's amazing to me how a supposed 'friend' would go to such lengths after being reprimanded.

An email was sent as a boss asking employee what her hours would be the week he was not in the office as he didn't feel there was anything in the office for her to do.

Employee replies and gets angry that the question is even being asked. She wants to work the entire week, answering phones.

Return email. Boss says no that is not necessary. Employee was never guaranteed a certain number of hours per week. This question has been asked before, just this past July in fact. Employee was told to take vacation time or no hours then. Why does this week off make it different?

Employee is now really pissed. She sends a scathing email to boss. She calls all the other employees complaining. Calls me wishy-washy and a bitch. Unfriends me on Facebook. Yep - unfriends me on Facebook - is this Junior High? You have got to be kidding me, right?

Might I state said employee has worked for us for almost 4 years with no problems until this past June. Then all hell broke loose. She went from part time to full time. Work product went down by 50% and slowly declining from there. Reprimanded more than twice now. On the brink of being fired.

Now tonight all of a sudden she sends me a PM via facebook that she wants me to refriend her as it was a mistake.

I think I will wait. Not sure that is the right choice to make at this time. Funny thing is she commented on her facebook page about the email then a friend of hers (I can imagine what her version of the story is) said we would get our due and to forget us. So we are the bad guys?

Nice. I thought these people were my friends. Why does this crap have to happen? Why can't there be a separation between friendship and employee? It worked for almost 4 years. Why not now?

What does it mean to ‘unfriend’ someone? Are we no longer friends? My question I am pondering now is why were we friends in the first place?

Then I think of this quote: “stop putting up with people who are reckless with your heart”.

Yes, will ponder refriending you.

Inspirational Sunday - Choices

Yesterday I pretty much had the entire day and evening to myself. My husband and children went to a college football game in central IL. It was just me, the 3 cats, and quiet so I spent the day pretty much organizing my computer but especially blog ideas into one area. Today as I was pondering what to write for today's post, I went to that folder and came across this beautiful and powerful passage ever written by a human. It is from a book I read called When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado. So why did that passage strike me and say you need to use this in today's message? I think because of some choices I will be making as an office manager that are going to be very difficult for me.

The choices we make hourly, daily, or whenever, define who we become. In the end, they “identify” us to everyone around us. We make the choice, and then the choice makes us.

No choice is so small that it shouldn't warrant careful thought. Very careful thought. One of the reasons for this is that we are – and always have been – creatures of habit. A lot of what we do on a daily basis is done on auto pilot. Have you ever driven to work and look up and realize suddenly you are there? These are routine fixed habits.

But are they good habits? Shouldn't we hold them accountable? Shouldn't we demand that our habits be the type of habits that make us better people? How are your choices impacting your life and your relationship with others and your relationship with God? Be aware of your own choices. They’re dictating your life – choose them wisely.

Choices
by Max Lucado

I choose Love.... No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose Joy.... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings., created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose Peace.... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose Patience.... I will overlook the inconvenience of the world. Instead of cursing the one that takes my place, I will invite him to do so. Rather than complain the wait is too long, I will thank God for the moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose Kindness.... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose Goodness.... I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose Faithfulness.... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My spouse will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father/mother will not come home.

I choose Gentleness.... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it only be in praise. If I clench my fist, my it only be in prayer. If I make a demand, may it only be on myself.

I choose Self-Control.... I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my Faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.

Book Review - Lori Foster's Series - The Buckhorn Brothers

Lori Foster is one of my auto-buy authors. Her stories have a way of turning fiction into real life in your brain. As my gramma used to say: "She spins a good tale!"

I actually read this series a while ago but they were borrowed books from a friend. With my Sony ereader I now have my own copies so it was with great anticipation that I reread this series this past week. It still didn't disappoint and I still came away wishing those 5 guys lived just down the road from me. I highly recommend this series with hunky men, laugh out loud humor, and steamy love scenes.

Sawyer is the first book in the series and while it introduces all the brothers, the main focus is on the oldest: Sawyer Hudson who is one hunky man who is caring and compassionate and everything you would want in a man along with being a doctor. Honey Malone is a spitfire that was sick and while fleeing a dangerous predator lost control of her car and ended up in a lake. She was rescued by the Buckhorn Brothers but it was with Sawyer that she lost control of her heart. I loved that Lori Foster didn't turn her into a wimpy blond woman but instead enough backbone and stubbornness to stand up to the brothers. Especially enjoyable was one very steamy scene in the kitchen. I just wish these men were real and around when I was younger.

Morgan is the next book in the series and is about Morgan Hudson, a man who commands a whole lot of respect as Buckhorn's sheriff. Even as overbearing as he is, Misty Malone (Honey's sister) isn't one to back down. She arrives in the hopes of taking refuge with her sister. All the brothers took to her like they took to her sister but Morgan who thought she was a big city femme fatale who thought she should go back to said city and get out of Buckhorn. Misty had a secret though and the heat between her and Morgan was explosive. I loved the ice-cream cone battle between these 2 strong willed characters and the showdown in front of the sheriff's office and the whole town. I still laughed at those scene even though this is not the 1st time I read the series. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how this tough guy struggled to realize that he's fallen in love. It is true that the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Gabe is the next book in the series. Gabe Kaspar is the youngest brother and the heartthrob of Buckhorn County. He was a handyman or jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none type of man with no clear cut job and yet the fantasy of every woman in the surrounding counties. He loved his life doing things his way. But then a red-headed uptight prickly woman (Elizabeth Parks) came to interview him as part of her thesis on heroism. The problem is Gabe doesn't see himself as a hero and he is stymied on how 'Lizzy' is more interested in her thesis than in noticing him. I love how he bargains with her to answer each of her questions if she kissed him. This is one sensual Tantric read!

Jordan is the 4th book in the series. Jordan Sommerville is one of the brothers who is labeled as the pacifist, but it's known that he'll fight if he has to. His love for animals was a part of him and he is the town veterinarian. But he has a problem with alcohol and the people who abuse it because his own father was a drunk who left when he was a baby. One night he goes to a bar just across the county line to try to talk to the owner about not serving people to the point of excess and them sending them out on the road to possibly hurt someone when he sees a drop dead gorgeous exotic dancer (Georgia Barnes). When some of the customers try to touch her, he defends her honor and ends up in a fight. While waiting for the sheriff (his brother Morgan) to arrive, he's in the back of a squad car with Georgia. Even though she's not his usual type, he's immediately drawn to her and learns that she is a single mother with kids. In a matter of days he falls in love with Georgia and her kids and wants to be there for Georgia to ease her struggles. The problem is Georgia is thinks he is a clean cut man and doesn't want a man in her life ever again. I loved the clash of backgrounds between Jordan and Georgia and the way Lori Foster pulled these 2 people together in a passionate tension filled plot that is very unique and inventive.

Casey is the last book in the series. Casey Hudson is Sawyer's son and his story actually started in Jordan's story. We are left hanging at the end of Jordan when we last saw Casey facing the wrath of a very angry man - the father of Emma Clark who thought Casey was the boy who had gotten his daughter pregnant. But don't worry, the book picks up from that point and we find out that Emma was not pregnant and Casey had never even had sex with her although they were both really attracted to each other. She stays overnight but then disappears for 8 years when she returns to Buckhorn when her father had a stroke. Casey, now a successful businessman, soon learns that while it was possible to resist Emma 8 years ago, it becomes downright impossible now. But Emma did her best to resist thinking it was just leftover teenage lust. There are quite a few steamy scenes that will curl your toes and make you reach for your own honey or a fan or a bath of ice water.

I loved this book as it was a nice ending and wrapped up all 5 books. We got to update ourselves with all the brothers and their wives and their children. I just wish there were more brothers :) But I am sure I will re-read this series again and am glad I now have my own copies!

Recipe Thursday - Bananas Foster Flambe

This is a favorite of my husbands and kids so you know it is definitely not low fat! It is actually really simple to make.

4 tablespoons butter
3 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons banana liqueur
4 bananas (cut into half lengthwise, then halved)
¼ cup rum
4 scoops of vanilla ice cream

Melt butter into a flambé or low pan. Add sugar, cinnamon, banana liqueur and stir to mix. Heat for a few minutes. Place banana quarters in sauce and sauté until soft and slightly browned. Add rum and allow to heat then ignite the sauce. Allow the sauce to flame until it dies out, tipping the pan in a circular motion to prolong flaming. Place ice cream into 4 individual bowls. Pour the sauce and bananas over the ice cream and serve immediately.

Who is the Boss?

I have been having employee problems - have worked out things with 2 of my 3 girls but that 3rd one is a tough nut to crack and she is driving me nutso!

My day started off early (hubs got up early so of course I was up too). I held off calling the offices since #1 I knew they were swamped with patients and #2 it was the first day after a holiday so the offices were even more swamped. I was the person on call for the weekend. The calls I had for the girls should have been handled fine after giving the offices a couple of hours to settle down. So I called to give report only to find out this 3rd girl took a message I had given someone else and proceeded to interpret it her way and call every patient on the books. WRONG thing to do. Much simpler was if she was that worried about it, she should have just gone to me. I was the one with the answer not her. Did she do that? No she made extra work on herself and then had the nerve to complain about it. Did she bother to get correct information? No she formed her opinion and flew with it. She deserves what she got.

Then I told my main girl to RSVP me to a seminar for next week. I get told but the other office TOOK THE DAY OFF so they could go to the meeting. Oh really? Just who was going to pay for her to go? Not me. So instead of calling to see if she was needed to go to said meeting, she cancelled patients and took it upon herself to say she was going. Well, now she has nothing to do that morning. I am going. She will not get paid by my office or me. It was up to her to arrange payment and ask permission. Just who is boss here?

Me thinks she will learn real fast when she is hit with her 3rd warning. I am losing patience really fast.

Happy Labor Day!

I am still being a good bed vegetable - watching old TiVo'd programs - two of which I liked but just found out were cancelled (Trauma and Miami Medical) and one which is coming back which I didn't like (Boston Med). But one I absolutely loved (Hot in Cleveland) is coming back - love Betty White! I may actually catch up on all of the last year's shows I taped before this next season starts. I actually have to figure out what ones I even want to tape yet.

Other than that, putting finishing touches on my sample newsletter along with starting my Fall edition that will go out the end of September after our national meeting.

Mother-in-law called yesterday. The reason for the phone call? She's off her rocker again. Her brother passed away this year (she hasn't talked to him in over 10+ years - mutual feeling from what I have determined). But his widow is selling their house and has an old steamer trunk of stuff she wants my MIL to have. Great! How nice (and no not being facetious). MIL wants me to drive her 9 hours one way to retrieve said trunk and load it into what I don't know (what does a steamer trunk look like and will it fit into a Corolla?) and bring it back here to her home. Just what she needs when we are trying to empty out her house is more crap.

But I am to drop anything and everything to drive her there and back and get said trunk. Her sons said no. So she played the card that this was her hometown and she would like to visit her parent's graves one more time before she dies. We offered to move the graves down here and ship the trunk. She is slightly perturbed with us right now.

Now let's consider her health - she can't tolerate a 9 hour car ride one way let alone 18 hours there and back. She is currently being tested for Congestive Heart Failure, stroke, and is scheduled for a biopsy of a mass in her arm. Those she says can hold off. I say no they can't. So we are in a standoff. So far I am winning but just to make sure I had her neighbor disable her car so she didn't take off on her own.

So I am leaving MIL to her sons. I am a bed vegetable - I have to follow doctor's orders :)

Inspirational Sunday - Friendship

It's been a lazy Labor Day weekend so far for me. I was told that I was overdoing it and the reason my knee hasn't healed is because it hasn't rested enough. So I promised my doctor I would be a bed vegetable and I have been to a degree. I have worked on my blog, I have balanced the checkbooks, I have worked on a newsletter sample to give out at an upcoming meeting, I have read 4 books, but my rear is getting sore now. Yes, the knee feels better but thy gluteus's are hurting.

Today I wish I had some inspirational words but I am still reeling from finding out that someone I considered a friend isn't. I look back now and see that although I called her constantly and was consistently worried about her, the feeling or the phone calls were not recipricated. I actually can't remember the last time she called me asking me how I was or what I was doing. To her I was a reason. I am still trying to figure out what she was to me.

It reminded me of this:

Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is,
you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown