Fluff and fold...

I am now the proud owner of a fine piece of machinery! No. Not a man. A washer and dryer! Even as I type this latest blog entry, my dryer is purring away. I bought a set of Whirlpools from Lowe's in Athens. It does everything but fold the clothes. I, nor any member of my family, had to lift a finger to install these babies. Lowe's took care of that for me...for the simple price of $59.00. Trust me people! It was worth it! I even signed an autograph for the young man who so carefully positioned my latest purchase into a tight fitting space. I will post a picture soon!

Its cold outside! Its not much warmer in my house. I'm sitting on my couch in front of the window and there is a cold north breeze blowing the back of my hair. I might need to invest in some weather stripping. Naaaaa...by the time I get around to that, it will be spring and time to rip open the windows!!!

I've been busy getting my tax stuff ready. I've saved all my reciepts from the year in hopes that I can get a decent chunk of change back. My plan is pay off my credit card. That will leave me with only a car payment and a loan payment (which is nearly paid off). If you are interested in helping me reduce my debt, please feel free to throw your loose change my way. Every penny counts. haha!

Well, its time to say good night! Hope everyone has a happy start to the work week. Stay safe, drive careful, and bundle up.

here is another...

The third person to the left on the front row is my brother, Chris. He was an AWESOME drummer back in the day. He won all kinds of honors and awards. It was something else to watch him play. He's very talented. I wish he still played.

now i know why...

Check out this photo. My brother sent it to me a few weeks ago. Look at the far bottom right hand photo. That pitiful looking little trumpet player is me. Standing behind me with a saxaphone around her neck is Kristen. We were in the 5th or 6th grade. Mercy me!!!! No wonder I never dated anyone. :)

washing machine blues...

Soon I will become the owner of a brand new washing machine. Probably, a dryer too. Last night, my washing machine started smoking. The engine apparently blew up. The heating element in my dryer is going bad too. I've went on-line today searching for new ones. I love the $1,000 + models, of course. However, that is not in my budget. I was hoping to hold off buying a washer until I moved. Looks like if I don't want to wash my clothes in the Tennessee River, I have no choice. Fear not!!! I don't plan to purchase until I find exactly the one I want. That includes the price I pay for it. Hopefully, I will have clean clothes again new soon. (just kidding)

My mother handed in her retirement slip yesterday at the bank. I'm happy for her! She's worked a long time and I know she is looking forward to treating herself to some "me" time. She plans to work part for a while so she can hold on to her insurance. That got me to thinking. I have many many more years before I can sit back and enjoy life. How depressing.

Saturday we had a birthday get together for my dad. We ate lunch at The Steakhouse in Moulton. Then we enjoyed sugar-free desert at my brothers house. Mom ordered a yummy sugar-free chocolate ice cream brownie pie from TCBY. I made a homemade banana split (sugar free) ice cream loaf to go with it.

If you need a simple desert, try this. You don't have to make it sugar-free but it will make you feel a lot less guilty in the end :)

1 loaf pan
a sheet of plastic wrap
favorite ice cream
chocolate syrup
bananas
cherries
cool whip
nuts (optional)

Lay sheet of plastic wrap in loaf pan. layer ice cream, bananas, cherries, chocolate syrup. top with Cool Whip and nuts. Wrap. Place in freezer. Before you are ready to serve. Pull ice cream loaf wrapped in plastic out of pan. Remove plastic wrap. Serve.

Happy eatings!

Slow down!

I've always said how terrible it would be to die in a horrific car crash. That is not the way I want to leave this earth. Today, I had to do a story about a 17 year old high school drop out who was driving so fast, he went airborne, hit a concrete cluvert, rolled his car several times, slammed into a tree and died. The impact was so hard, his car exploded into bits and pieces. Later, we were shooting video after the car was taken away. On the ground were some of his belongings. We found unsmoked cigarettes, condom wrappers, an empty bottle of shampoo and a reciept for a phone card. What kind of impression do you think that leaves? Its sad. Oh, I know he was probably a good kid, a little wild maybe. It does make you wonder what kind of life this person led. I've seen things inside crushed vehicles I never want to see again. Sometimes just by looking inside a person's car, you can guess what there last few minutes on earth was spent doing.

Slow down. Be careful. And clean out your cars!! ha!

Is this January or June?

What did you think about the warm temperatures Saturday? Wow!!! I raised the windows and let my house get some fresh air. It felt so good outside. Hard to believe its January. Back to reality as today felt more like winter. Chilly and rainy out. Yuck!

My brother and his famly came to my house Saturday. Chris installed a wireless hicky so I don't have to drag 50 feet of cable around with me. He also brought 2 cd's filled with classic country music! I downloaded several songs to my MP3 player! Hank, Conway, Barbara, Vern...all the good ones!

Later, we went to Bellacinos in Madison. They have delicious sub sandwiches and pizza. I had a turkey, bacon, ranch, and swiss sub minus the lettuce. Yummy!

Sunday I cooked lunch, like always. Growing up my mom fixed something delicious to eat after church. I can't ever remember eating out. Now, that's all we do. Here is a recipe from Sunday lunch. It's a Campbell's Soup reciped kicked up a degree! Enjoy!

One Dish Chicken and Rice Bake -- Cizzy Style

1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup 98 % Fat Free
1 cup water
*3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain yellow rice
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
small can green chilies (optional, but yummy)
skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes

Directions:

MIX soup, chicken, water, rice, paprika, black pepper, green chilies in a bowl.
Pour into a 2-qt. shallow baking dish.
Season with additional paprika and pepper.
Cover.
BAKE at 375°F. 45 min. or until done.

TIP: *For creamier rice, increase water to 1 1/3 cups.

Happy Birthday to me...

Today is my birthday! I'm officially 33 years old! I have dreaded this birthday for a while. I should be happy another one has rolled around. So far, I still feel young. I hope that continues.

I celebrated Monday with my family. They came to Decatur and we had lunch at Logan's. Then we went to TCBY Yogurt for sugar-free ice cream. After that, we all went to Hartselle to my brother's house. My nephews got a Nintendo Wii for x-mas. That is the most awesome gaming system! We bowled most of the day! For real! I love to bowl so I had a blast. The best part? I didn't have to put my clean feet in a nasty pair of bowling shoes. The down side is the fact my brother doesn't have a hot dog stand and a soda fountain in his play room. I bet he will rig one up soon :)

Belated birthday wishes to Rhea Lynn! Hope your special day was wonderful!

Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I'm behind on my blogging. Please forgive me. The week before Christmas I was flat on my back with the worse kind of sickness. I got better then my crud turned into a terrible throbbing middle ear infection. Thanks to some high power antibiotics, I'm now only stone deaf in one and a half ears. :)

I had a really good x-mas. I spent it in Haleyville with my sweet and beloved family. The food was delicious, the gifts were wonderful but it was the time spent with those I love that made the day so special.

Friday was really great! I went to Tuscaloosa to spend time with my good friend Tracy. She moved from Huntsville to T-town over the summer. She bought her a cute garden home and began a new job at Northridge High School. She took me to a wonderful Italian place for lunch then we went to the campus for a look-see. After that we went for a drive. I got sick and began puking. Poor Tracy knows the routine. If you see me turn the shade of concrete, it might be wise to quickly pull over. A bad ear infection plus car sickness equals me with my head hung out the door. Well, you get the picture.

Later that night I came back to Haleyville to have birthday supper with Kristen, my best friend growing up. We are still tight and I think she is a great gal! We ate Italian! Yeap, my second helping and this time I kept it down :) She gave me this really cute gift. It's a rubber man you drop in water and he's grows. The best part about him? He keeps his mouth shut! haha! Thanks Kristen and Tracy! I had a wonderful time!!

New Year's Eve was very unromantic. No surprise there! Instead of smooching a man when the clock struck midnight, I rolled over just in time to see the ball drop. Maybe next year :)

Did you make your resolutions for 2007? If so, try to keep at least one!

Happy New Year!