The Sassy Southerner

My mad cooking skills

2009-11-11T00:02:13Z

Today I have been one baking Momma. It never fails come November, I’m get in the baking mood. Today I baked an apple pie and No Bake Chocolate Peanut butter cookies. Yummy. Right now, my house smells so good. I guess you could say I’m “testing” for the holidays. LOL.

Tell me these do not look delicious!!

Want one? You know you do…..

Thanks to my dear friend Jyl for her apple pie recipe .

Here is the recipe for the No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2 C. sugar
1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. Milk
1/3 C. Cocoa
2/3 C. Peanut Butter
3 C. Quick Cooking Oats
2 Tsp. Vanilla

1. Combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a rolling boil.. Boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat and cool for 1 minute.
4. Add peanut butter. Stir to blend. Add vanilla and add oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. (I used an ice cream scooper made it faster and easier).

There ya go, enjoy!!

Not a patient person!

2009-11-10T16:03:38Z

I’m not a patient person. Never have been. Never will be. So this waiting for the Eye Dr to call is driving me nuts. Hubby emailed him and he said they were on the way, that was 5 days ago. I’m very curious to see how they are going to work for him. I’m sitting on pins and needles and jumping when the phone rings. UGH this is killing me.

Today is raining. The weather man missed that one by a country mile. He said no rain. Uh, I hate to tell him, but it’s raining. So for the most part, we are stuck inside for the day. I hate cold, rainy days. I prefer warm and very sunny.

Last night my middle kid decided to have an asthma attack followed by a panic attack. Apparently my older two have inherited the panic attacks from me. Living with them and now seeing them go through them just breaks my heart. Maybe theirs won’t be as bad as mine. But judging from Wild Child last night, that may be a huge far fetched dream.

Lost in thoughts

2009-11-10T01:26:52Z

Today I was informed by my oh so smart 8 year old that I embarrass her when I dance. Oh well. One day she will have kids of her own and understand a few things. One dancing is freeing and it’s fun. Especially on those times when a song comes on and a memory comes flooding in. Whether is from a dance at the high school gym or a bad breakup. And two, that is what we parents do best, embarrass out children. It’s a right of passage. I can fondly remember my parents embarrassing me. It’s just one of those things we take pleasure from. So with that, I told her to just wait until we were in public again then I would really embarrass her. She begged me not to.

My mood today has been less than stellar. My mother in law stopped by and asked me what time my Dr’s appointment was. I told her 3 PM and she informed me that she couldn’t babysit the girls because they had an appointment in Tennesse at 2 that they could not miss. Now this hit me like a ton of bricks because I was actually looking forward to going to the Dr tomorrow. But instead I had to call and reschedule for next week. This is gonna suck for the next week.

Tonight I am just sitting here kinda lost in my own thoughts. Hubby and I were discussing Thanksgiving today. I casually mentioned inviting my family and was met with an odd look. Hubby said he did not think it was a good idea. After listening to his arguement, I would have to agree. So I’m not even going to say a word and we (my little family) are going to have a very nice dinner alone. Does it suck? Sure it does, but I can’t keep getting my hopes up only to have them crash around me. It’s not fair to me nor my girls. So ha, I’m not inviting anyone. That just leaves more turkey and all the fixings for me. LOL.

Anyways, that’s been my day. It’s not been the best, but it’s not been the worst either.

Hi, how ya doing?

2009-11-09T16:23:05Z

I’m still here, though I feel like I’m worlds away. Surprising enough, I am still going to my Dr’s appointment tomorrow. Yes I have tried to sweet talk my husband into reason for me not to go, but that was more out of fun than not. I have ever intention on going. No one in my family knows I’m going. Well my mother in law knows because she has to watch the girls. But as far as the rest of the loons, they do not. I think it’s for the best.

This weekend, we had a blast. We went to the flea market on a whim. I just love the flea markets around here. I bought 5 fruit trees for twenty dollars. We, hubby, set them out yesterday. I’m super excited about them. Oh the things that can amuse me.

Well I’m off to make homemade salsa and my first ever attempt at an apple pie. I hope that turns out great. I’ll report back tomorrow with what the Dr says. Have a good day everyone!

Why I’m going to the Dr

2009-11-05T01:17:40Z

I never imagined my life would or could be ran by anxiety. Out of nowhere, it sneaks up on me. I feel like someone is suffocating me. I gasp for breath and even though some is going in, it feels like it’s not. I can feel beads of sweat forming across my neck and my brow. My hands turn cold as ice, yet I’m sweating. My stomach turns flips and I get so nauseated that I try to find the nearest bathroom to throw up in. I start violently shaking and feel like my legs are going to give out. At times, I even feel as though I’m going to faint. I just want to run and hide.

For years I have been dealing with anxiety issues. For the most part, I can keep them at bay. However, here lately, I have been struggling to keep my head straight whenever I go to town. I’m fine until I step out of the truck. It’s happened numerous times and I’m pretty sure my family is getting tired of me having to leave as soon as we start shopping.

Today we took a trip to Walmart. I knew before hand we were going and before we even left, I started panicking. Out of nowhere mind you. I got out in the yard and tried to walk it off. No good. But for the sake of my family I got what I could together and went to town. I managed for a whole 20 minutes. Hubby and the two older girls went to go look at something and Shorty and I headed off in another direction. We were shopping for a training bra.

I got over in the appropriate area and everything started spinning. I honestly felt like I was in a dryer going round and round. I started feeling sick to my stomach and we headed off to find hubby and the girls. I thought if I found them I would feel better. Nope. We headed over to the grocery section and I feel wobbly so I left Hubby and Jellybean to finish up the shopping and the rest of us went to the truck. I got in and turned the air on and started to calm down. I can’t explain this.

I have a fear of people and bridges. I thought my fear of people was controlled. But here lately I have been having nightmares. I think that’s the trigger of it. Not sure though. Anyways, I have been putting off going to the Dr with my back. But as soon as we got home, my husband called the Dr’s office. He wants me to go and see her and see if I can get my anxiety under control plus deal with the other issues I am having. I agreed, so come Tuesday afternoon, I will be sitting (probably frantic) in the Dr’s office.

I feel so stupid. I understand that medication can help me, yet I do not want to take it. I don’t want to have to depend on a pill just to go to dang Walmart. But on the other hand, I do not want to have panic attacks either. So if I become MIA, I’m probably knocked out from whatever medication she sticks me on. I hope it works not only for my anxiety, but I hope she can tell me what the hell is wrong with my back and other various body parts that are failing me. Wish me luck.

Elmer’s Activity Kits

2009-11-03T20:46:47Z

Since becoming a homeschool mom, I’m always trying to find ways to incorporate hands on experiments. I have found that with my girls, the more hands on they are, the better they understand.

Thanks to Team Mom, I was given the opportunity to review two of Elmer’s Activity Kits. We got the Mythbusters Wild Wacky Water kit and the Magnificent Manicure Kit.

When the box arrived, my girls tore into it like it was Christmas around here. I was super excited to show them one of the experiments in the Mythbusters kit.

Each kit contains several different experiments they can do. Some do require adult supervision, especially when making the rocket.

Anyways, we were all dying to build the rocket. We laid each piece out and read the directions carefully. The best part is the extra stuff needed to make the rocket are common household products such as vinegar and baking soda.

We decided to launch our rocket at my mother in laws since I wasn’t sure how far it would go. I followed the directions and placed the tube of baking soda inside the drink bottle with the vinegar. I had Jellybean managing the camera. Needless to say, she was more interested in the rocket then actually getting it on the camera. Typical teen I guess. LOL

Much to my surprise, our rocket took off. The chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda caused our rocket to go up about 3 feet. The girls though that was just the neatest thing. I can’t lie and say I didn’t enjoy it. We have launched the rocket a few times. It’s one of our favorites. As you can see, we done it over and over that day. I smelled really bad of vinegar, but it was so much fun.

The Mythbusters kit also comes with other experiments such as a Tornado simulator that we have used with our current science lesson.

Two out of 3 girls liked the manicure kit. They are girly like that. The kit comes with lotions and bath salts that they have played with non stop. But in reality, they are more interested in the Mythbusters.

If you are a homeschool mom or your kid really enjoyed tinkering around with stuff, you should really look into the Activity kits by Elmer’s. In my opinion, they make a great way to interact with your child while teaching them. There’s a few that I’m thinking of buying the girls for Christmas present. Check them out!

Time passing by

2009-11-02T23:03:42Z

I rest my weary head on the palm of my hand and all I can hear is the ticking of time. Time is one of those things that passes you by and you only notice if you stop and reflect.

Years pass before you notice. Hours fall by the wayside. Minutes drift off like a passing cloud. And before you stop to notice time has slipped away from you.

It’s funny though. I often gripe about the time and there not being enough time. But then when I do stop and think about it, all the time in the world is around me, I just fail to take advantage of it.

In less than 2 months, I will be 34. If you think about time and with a little help from Google, I can calculate my time here on earth.

34 years = 408 months
34 years = 12,418 days
34 years = 298,037.634 hours
34 years = 17,882,258.1 minutes
34 years = 1.07293548 × 109 seconds

So I have already had a lot of time pass me by. Now I just have to remember to keep up with the time, or it too will pass me by.

Move on

2009-11-01T14:04:02Z

This week, I have an important decision to make. To stay or to move on.

I have been blogging now for several years. Here lately, I have just lost all interest in it. The domain name is due this week and I have to decide if I want to continue or not. A part of me says it’s time to let it go and to move on to greener pastures. But the other part says to stay and just write whenever I want.

I have always enjoyed writing in some form. For years, my writing came through as poetry. That is another passion I have put on the back burner. I have also wanted to write a book of some sorts. Again, something else I have let sit idle while real life gets in the way.

To be truthful, I’m so bored with the internet. It’s like I have been to the end of the net and back. My routine is to get up, get on here and go to my must see sites then get off here. Heck, my kids use my computer more than I do these days.

I just do not know what to do. I will let you (few of you that’s left) know what I decide.

Keep him in your thoughts please

2009-10-27T22:41:35Z

We often take the smallest things for granted. To many of us, eyesight is something that we have and use. For my husband, it’s been a struggle for years to just be normal.

But there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. Last week he went to see a contact lens specialist. We found him by doing research of these special contacts that are made for people who have had terrible side effects to Lasik (though his surgery was years ago when it was new). Over the years, we have seen doctor after doctor who has told him there’s nothing they could do for him. It gets very discouraging every time we see a new doctor.

But this one is different. He gave us hope. These custom contacts will be special made to fit his volcano shaped corneas. At first we were had a huge decision to make. There are actually two types of contacts. One set cost around $1,200 and the other set around $600. They both serve the same purpose with a few differences. We decided to try the cheaper of the two at first and see how they work. We are so hopeful that they can eliminate the halos, glaring and other problems.

We ordered them today. They will be here in about a week. Please keep him in your thoughts that this will work for him. Please keep your fingers crossed that this will give him his independence and freedom back and a shred of normalcy.

My Husbands Girlfriend

2009-10-22T04:26:48Z

It has come to my attention that my husband is somewhat of a ladies man. He apparently has a girlfriend in Georgia and in New York. LOL. I have offered both of these ladies my husband, but I know that they both would bring him back and beat me with a stick. It’s all in fun though. I often joke about his girlfriends.. lmao

The one in Georgia has heard the story of my nosy ass mail lady. My mail lady will ask you what you are getting if she ever has the opportunity to pull into the driveway.

So the other day, I was told that my husband would be receiving something in the mail. I was not told what it was because my dearest friend knows I would tell hubby. So this morning this is what arrived in the mail…..

After I laughed my ass off, I finally got hubby to read me the letter that was on the inside……

Once again, I busted out laughing. You see, my hubby has taken into the hobby of deer hunting. Now he has tried a lot of tricks to lure the 4 legged creatures to his cameras. Alas, all we get on the cams are birds, a dog’s butt and hubby’s finger or eyeball. So she sent him the buck he can’t get….

Needless to say, this morning started off with a huge laugh. I have wondered all dang day what the mail lady was thinking when she read that envelope. Absolutely hilarious don’t ya think so?

It all started with a dream

2009-10-21T20:15:20Z

It all started with a dream I had about a week or so ago. In my dream, my husband had something done to fix his eyesight. Many of you may or may not know, but my husband had eye surgeries many years ago that left our life in shambles. After the surgeries, he was left with no night time vision, light sensitivity, halos, and a who slew of problems.

For years, we have seen specialist after specialist who have all told him the same story “There’s nothing we can do for you”. To say those words are very discouraging is an understatement.

From my dream, I knew it wasn’t a surgery. And I also knew that it dramatically changed our lives in just a matter of a few days. It was not done here. In my dream it was somewhere else. But in my dream, everything was like it is now. And due to my dream, I decided to research it.

I was head over heels to find out about a new special contact that is being made for people who has had botched eye surgeries. I sent all the info to my hubby and from there he continued to research it. At first we were looking at a week long or better trip to Dallas Texas, but we kept digging around and found a contact specialist here in North Alabama that is willing to help us.

Today, we went and took out loan because it’s quite pricey. And he has an appointment this Friday. Woo hoo. I do not think anyone can imagine the excitement levels in this house. I have watched my husband suffer over the course of the years. I’m hoping that this new technology will help give him his independence and freedom back. Please keep us in your thoughts and send bunches of good vibes that this will work. We need it more than you will ever know.

How can she?

2009-10-20T05:58:14Z

Warning this is going to be a ranting post.

How in the hell can a mother let her own child lay in a hospital bed and not go see her? How in the hell can that same mother tell her daughter, who was just diagnosed with a life altering disease, that now she (the daughter) knows how she feels?

Simple, my mother can. She’s selfish. She’s unworthy of anyone’s love or affection. As a mother, I can not fathom one of my children being in the hospital and me not being by their side. Even if hell were to freeze over, it wouldn’t be enough to keep me away. Yet, my mother, who has never chose her own children, chose not to see her. Her own daughter. Her own flesh and blood. Damn her.

It breaks my heart to hear my sister cry on the phone because she so wanted our mother to visit her. It pisses me off beyond belief.

I know our mother is never going to change. Even though I know this, somewhere in my heart, I carry with me a shred of a thread hoping that she will once be the mother we want and deserve. I just wished for once in her life, the world did not revolve around her and she could be there for her daughter who needs her now more than ever. Will it ever happen? I highly doubt it. But what comes around goes around right?

Fizzle Fizzle Sizzle Sizzle

2009-10-19T02:28:47Z

Life around my house is never normal. There are some weeks were everything is quiet, peaceful and serene. Then there are weeks like this past one.

Last weekend started with a funeral and me babysitting. Which in turn caused my back to ache beyond belief. Then because of all the rain and my kids fudging around on my computer, I couldn’t connect to my lifeline the internet. I could connect with the other computers, but it wasn’t the same. I have my life stored on this computer and I couldn’t get into squat because I did not have the passwords.

To top the week off, last night we had a fire in the house. Uh huh. Remember me talking about the sparks that were coming from the stove area? Well turns out it wasn’t the stove. No siree, I couldn’t get that lucky. It was a wire in the wall. See, all day yesterday I could hear sparks and sizzling from that area. So I camped out in the kitchen. Well around 9 or so, the sizzling became constant. So I knew in the back of my mind, something was fixin’ to go up in smoke. I run to the breaker box and throw the main breaker to the house.

I stumble back in the complete dark and grab the stove, pull it out and then prepare for surgery. I grab my huge kitchen knife and start hacking away at the wall. Ah ha. I peel back the wall and find a wire melted. From the looks of the wire, it’s been exposed for a while and we had no clue.

Hubby, cut the wire in two and this is what he handed me.

I can not tell you how thankful I am that we were awake when this wire decided to fizzle out. I have already had one house to burn and sure as hell wasn’t ready for another one to go up in smoke. Both ends of the wire has been capped with those electrical cap things, and taped with electrical tape.

Oh before that, Friday night the kitchen sink decided to blow a line. Literally. The line blew in two. Then today, I get the news that my sister has been diagnosed with a horrible and crippling disease and is currently in the hospital.

So needless to say, this has been a week from hell. I hope that this coming week is better than this last one. I don’t think I can take many more like this past one.

Today is not the day

2009-10-14T02:00:05Z

There are some days where everything is just peachy keen. Then there are days like today where everyone and anything managed to get under my skin. From the Big Redneck to all the redneck kids. The dog, the mail lady honking her horn, you name it people has irritated me. Well my bunch has.

I’m not sure why I get in these moods. There are most days where everything seems alright with the world. I think what started the day off bad was my hubby trading some stuff for another critter camera.

It’s not the fact that he done any trading. Heck, I’d rather him trade for it instead of buying it. But here’s the thing. Four females in this house. And he expects all of us to be up and ready in 5. I’m sorry but that’s just not logical. Then after he bitches and moans about how he’s been waiting for 20 minutes, he informs me I have to cross a bridge. Then the rest of the day just snowballed from there.

It’s raining again and I hate it so much. I’m tired of rain. I’m close to building an ark. Well I hate to run, but I’m fixing to send me some girls to bed before I lose it. They are driving me nuts tonight. Help. Someone come and rescue me.

Sparks, Arcs and Fire..oh my

2009-10-08T18:04:32Z

Apparently last night sparks were flying in the Sassy household. Literally.

During the day yesterday I heard a funny noise coming from around the stove area. I kind of dismissed it and something falling. Later on in the night I heard it again around 11 PM. But this time it was a series of repetition of sparks. I get up and go to the stove and pull out the bottom drawer. Great, smoke.

I go to the breaker box and throw the breaker. After having the conversation less than an hour before to Jyl about our house burning to the ground, I figured it best to throw the breaker and save the house.

Upon inspection, it looks as though water has come in from the hood area and ran down the back of the stove. No surprise there with all the rain we have had lately. I even had the bright idea to throw the rest of the kitchen breakers. Little did I know that the main one I threw was the fridge.

Even after throwing the breakers, I still slept uneasy. I have smoke alarms in every room of the house and judging by my cooking, I know they work. But that still did not ease my mind.

Strange thing about the situation is, the phone call I got from my mother. Apparently my aunt called her at 3 AM to tell her her house was on fire. Nothing major, just a lot of smoke damage.

I haven’t gotten brave enough yet to turn the stove breaker back on. I told hubby until I feel comfortable with it knowing it won’t catch on fire, I will be throwing the breaker every night. Better safe then sorry.