Tag: travel

Misc Rambling

Just Information

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  1. What would you do today if there was no tomorrow?
    1. Invite those I love to come on a trip to the Caribbean
  2. What or who inspires you most in this world? And why?
    1. Animal rescue, I believe that the kindness you show to animals shows a person’s character
    1. Removal of Mandatory minimum sentencing in the United States, all offenders should be sentenced individually based upon their history not some good ole boy law that treats everyone the same regardless of circumstance
  3. What goals did you meet or achievements did you reach this year that you are most proud of?
    1. I wrote a book about the experience with my oldest son thru addiction, incarceration, and recovery “Mad as Hell, A Mom’s Journey”
  4. When was the last time you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone? 
    1. Last year when we went to Vegas, ziplined for the first time above the strip
  5. What are the three words that would best describe yourself?
    1. Fun, strong, driven
  6. What is one thing you could change today to start living a better tomorrow?
    1. Cut down my wine intake ;0)
  7. What is one dream or goal in life you have given up on and why?
    1. In high school I wanted to be a fashion buyer but as I have matured it did not seem as exciting
  8. What piece of advice would you give your younger self?
    1. Travel and see the world before you begin a career
  9. Name your top 3 goals coming into this new year?
    1. Reduce my body fat by 5%
    2. Pay off in full my student loan
    3. Meet with friends once a month just because
  10. If you came into enough money that you never had to work again, what would you do with your time?
    1. I would travel and eat
    2. The spa and plastic surgeon would know me by first name
  11. If you could say one sentence to the whole world right now and everyone would hear it, what would it be?
    1. You never know the impact of showing kindness to another person

Thank you to each and every one of you who stops by my site and reads my posts! Your support and encouragement mean the world to me.

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Misc Rambling

Oh the adventures we will have

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I have learned so much about an rv in the last month, I thought I would share the adventure Hooking up the truck to the camper is the hardest thing, first you have to back right up to the hitch connector and wait for the clamp to engage. Once this is done we have to pull it out of our steep ass driveway, hitch grinding the entire time into the street so we can get level enough to put on the stabilizer bars. These damn things scare the crap out of me so I simply stand back and watch. You have to put the trailer tongue down to take the weight off the truck then put on these steel bars in with a pry bar that makes a loud noise when on, good lord. Oh then there is two chain connectors that attach to the truck and the power supply for the lights to work. I’m tired just talking about it even though after the 3rd time we did the whole process in under 10 minutes.

On our first trip we learned that you need atleast a 4000 watt generator after we lost all power, oh n check your battery connectors to make sure they are all hooked up, another lesson as ours weren’t. Locate the gfi before you leave just in case it gets tripped you know where to find it, its in our bathroom, who knew.

The great part is we get to sleep in our own bed, no one bothers us, and we get to go to great places. The pictures below were taken at Mt Hood.

Misc Rambling

Goodbye little ugly kitchen

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What do you do when your spouse is out of town for work? Remodel.

  • I have stated before how much I loathe the kitchen in our house.
  • I am way to short to reach ANY of the cabinets and the pink tile floor in conjunction with the brown and white mosaic floor is not beautiful.
  • My fashionista is screaming rip it out.

On Monday they are coming out, YES.

I have picked floors, cabinets, and sinks so let the demo begin. Photos are of the current kitchen, Don’t be jealous, I know it’s fancy

The remodel is moving along at record speed. Here we are over half way

Those mid century bar stools were the deal of the century, $30 for all 4, these are 200 stools , yes

Family/Fun/Fashion

It’s a dogs life

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How naïve I am, I was certain once my son’s had left the nest that my life would consist of the man (who I call Daddy (don’t judge) and I being able to just pack up on a whim and go, ugh WRONG. And yes I am referred to as Momma to my kids, dogs, and the man.

My little rescue dogs, Daisy and Peanut have put a kibosh on that idea. Daisy is a 12 year old dachshund/terrier with a whole lot of energy and no clue that she needs to not rip and run like she’s a puppy or her arthritis will flare up.

Peanut is a Pug/Chihuahua who is afraid of her own shadow (someone was mean to her) with a heart murmur and rotten teeth, can you imagine. She is the sweetest little girl but not very bright.

So this week Daisy has been running up and down the stairs like a racing dog and of course began limping on her right leg, so off to the vet for some anti-inflammatory meds and glucosamine, good lord. The huge glucosamine tabs I crush up and mix in with half an egg for her (so spoiled) twice a day. We were going to have peanuts teeth pulled but no Bueno because they can’t put her under due to her heart murmur so stinky breath will remain and I guess they will eventually fall out, yuck

We also travel to our youngest son’s college football games every weekend and thank god my oldest lives close or we would have doggy travel companions on every road trip. They love their boy sitter because he lets them sleep with him which is not allowed when we are home.

I have decided that I want a dog’s life. Let me eat, sleep, and have someone clean up my mess. If I don’t like you I can bark at you or pee on your leg and it is all good. Guess who’s who

Family/Fun/Fashion

Birthday Month

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happy
August is birthday month for me and as a teen I never could have imagined I would ever be turning 48. Every year I look at my life and it is amazing as I age the things that become important, none of them being material possessions. I read this morning that Sandra Lee (one of my favorite food network stars and author of semi homemade cooking) was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago and is in the hospital with some complications from surgery. This really puts into perspective that you have to live your life to its fullest as you never know when you might not be able to. We all work so hard to make a living that I think we miss making a life. So here it is, I have several things (these are not resolutions) but rather actions that I will take to enjoy life just a little more:
• Sock every extra penny I get to paying off the few items of remaining debt
o If you have no debt you can choose to work hard not be forced to work hard to survive (thanks Dave Ramsey)
• Travel more with my husband
o We have never taken a real vacation
o We go visit family and have made lots of road trips with our kids when they were growing up but nothing for us just to relax and enjoy doing NOTHING together
• Realize my children are grown and that as there momma I have to let them become men all by themselves
o I cannot fix everything (this is the most difficult one for me)
• Spend more time with the few girlfriends I have
o Plan road trips with my friends atleast once every couple of months since we are only a few hours apart
o Even if it is meeting for dinner and drinks, make it happen
• Purchase some Oprah and Deepak cd’s for meditation, I love love love his teachings and need to take some time out each day just for me and my peace of mind
• Dress up for no reason
o I have a million cute maxi dresses and heels that I need to put on and be cute in just for fun
o This may include me letting my hair grow out some (but no guarantees on this one, ha)
In closing I am posting a few recipes from Sandra Lee I hope you enjoy
BARBECUE SHRIMP and GRITS:• 4 bacon slices
• 1 pound large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on)*
• 1⁄2 cup butter, melted
• 4 whole cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons Creole seasoning, Tony Cachere’s®
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper Creamy Cheese Grits (recipe follows)
• Chopped green onion, for garnish
FOR GRITS:
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2 1⁄3 cups chicken broth
• 1⁄2 teaspoon hot sauce, Tabasco®
• 1 1⁄3 cups instant grits*
• 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon until crisp, about 12 minutes. Remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Crumble bacon.
2. In a jelly-roll pan, place shrimp in a single layer. Drizzle with reserved 2 tablespoons drippings and butter. Add garlic, Creole seasoning, and pepper, tossing to coat. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and firm.
3. Serve over Creamy Cheese Grits, and sprinkle with crumbled bacon and green onion, if desired.

Avocado Caviar
Ingredients
Makes: 6 cups
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 2 (11-ounce) cans shoepeg corn, rinsed and drained
• 2 (10-ounce) cans diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
• 2 Avocados from Mexico, peeled, pitted, and diced
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 3/4 cup zesty Italian salad dressing
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Tortilla chips
Directions
1. 1. In a large bowl, gently stir together black-eyed peas, corn, tomatoes and green chiles, avocado, red onion, salad dressing, lime juice, and salt. Cover and chill, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips