Relaying It

Today is a friend of mine's mother's birthday.  Ok, so what's the big deal you may ask?  She's a survivor; a 14 year cancer survivor.  She and my mom went through chemo at the same time.  I remember when they were giving Mrs. Hagler 'the big red devil'; I watched as the nurse pressed down the plunger of that HUGE syringe full of what looked like red cherry kool aid into her system to kill the cancer cells in her body.  I've only heard of a few people who didn't have at least one adverse reaction to chemo.  It's so horrible, but for so many it does so much good.

I remember talking to Mrs. Hagler a few years ago.  She said at times she feels guilty that she is still alive while others have gone onto heaven.  I think that's a horrible thing to say.  Survivors should NEVER feel guilty.  I don't begrudge any survivor the time God has granted them.  I celebrate with them and their families.  Am I a little jealous?  Yes, but that's just my own selfishness coming out.  I am thankful for the memories I have of my parents.

All around the country there are different groups hosting The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.  If you've never participated in one, I highly recommend it.  The luminary ceremony is very touching and for me always a little sad.  This year my oldest, Hopson, is co-captain of a Relay team.  I'm so proud of these young people.  Not just the ones on his team, but all the kids at the high school.  They are thinking outside the box to raise money for a cause that is trying to help patients all over the world be able to celebrate one more birthday.

If you know of someone who is trying to raise money for Relay, anything you can do helps!  (and no, this is not me trying to get you to support Hop's team, but if you're interested...)  I found a letter a friend of my parents wrote about them and their relationship; I also found their obituaries in the same drawer.  As I have been thinking about Mrs. Hagler, I have also been thinking about my parents.  They would have just turned 63 this year (mom January 1st & dad March 22nd) & in August would be celebrating their 43rd wedding anniversary.  I wonder how my life would be different some days if they were alive, but I know this is my life I have and I'm going to be thankful for what I do have instead of focusing on what I don't. 

Happy Birthday Memory Hagler!!!  May you be blessed with many more!

Tonight in Birmingham at MugShots, 10% of your entire dinner will go to support Relay for Life.  If you've never eaten there, you should.  They have some of the best burgers around!  My new favorite is Trevor's 1000 Island Burger.  My stomach is growling and my mouth watering just thinking about it & it's only 10:30 in the morning.  If you get a chance, support Relay, help someone have 1 more birthday!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

It's not easy, being green

Growing up, my brother, Cotton, would not eat green beans.  I mean he flat out refused.  My mom being ever so clever decided to try changing the name, and mommy beans were invented. Cotton told her that, no, these were definately green beans.  She assured him that they were mommy beans which were completely different from green beans.  He bought into it, and would eat mommy beans all the time.

When I had friends over to eat, which was a lot, we had mommy beans.  My friends never had to eat all their mommy beans, but they had to eat at least one bite.  I can't complain.  My mom never made us eat liver, brussel sprouts, or beets.  Eating green beans was a no brainer.

There is are a few tricks to having killer mommy beans:  Del Monte (and only Del Monte) cut green beans, bacon grease, and a pot dedicated only to green beans.  This pot does not get washed.  Let me reiterate this, do not wash the green bean pot.  By not washing the pot you are seasoning it.  Very similar to cast iorn skillets or if you have a pampered chef baking stone.  The bacon grease seasons the pot and makes the beans take yummy. When you're done using the pot, put the lid on it & store your leftover green beans in it in the fridge.  The next time you need beans, you pull out the pot, bring it to a quick boil and voila, you have green beans.  When ever you add a new can of green beans they need to cook for at least one hour.  Yes, this does boil out most of the nutrients, but it gives them a great dark green color & fills them with flavor.  If you want to add a little lemon juice you can.

We've been eating mommy beans as long as I can remember.  Once I had my own children, mommy beans became a staple in their diets.We have added a lot of different veggies as the children have gotten older, but this one is a hand-me-down, and extremely easy.  Cotton also eats a bigger variety of veggies, it's good to see he's not still hung-up on green beans.  :)

Eat your mommy beans & y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

I'm still here I promise

Hello everyone,
I feel like I've been gone for months instead of a few days.  You'll be glad to note that my cook top is fixed.  We didn't have to buy a new one.  (which is very good & a little disappointing)  I haven't cooked anything super special since it was fixed.  We've been blowin' and goin', so dinner has been what I can fix rather quickly.  I still haven't gone to the store for a major restocking since we arrived home from spring break.  I know, I'm a slacker.  I just can't get excited about a major shopping excursion.  Shall I make a few more excuses?  I'm done I promise.  :)

Two nights ago it was homemade shell-less taco salad  (iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, ground venison with Mexican spices and topped with ranch or sour cream); tonight we pulled out homemade marinara that I froze and we had spaghetti.  Like I said, nothing spectacular, but everyone was fed.

Since the kitchen is clean, and all little people, except for Harry (of course) are asleep, I'm going to start heading back to take care of the last bit of chores I need to get done so I can get to bed at a decent hour.  4:30 comes offly early when you go to bed at 11.  Sweet Dreams!!!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

The House that Built Me

As you know, I would be happy as a hermit.  I don't get bored at home.  I feel at total peace.  I love my house:  the colors, smells, and just the general hominess of it.  I hope others feel it when they come over. 

I have no desire to move either.  We looked into moving about 5 or 6 years ago, but every house we looked at I was comparing it to the house we live in now.  Needless to say, we didn't move.  Some people don't feel any attachment to the homes they live in.  They like to move every few years, and if they don't move they change out their furniture.  I don't do well with change.  Most of my furniture is hand-me-downs.  When I look at the pieces I see the people they belonged to first; my parents, Hopson's parent, our grandparents, and even our great-grands.  So many of the pieces have stories.  Those stories are part of who I am.

The house I grew up in is like that for me too.  As I was driving to take one of the children somewhere today I heard the song:  The House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert.  I was able to go into my old house a few years ago.  It was weird.  I heard my memories.  Steve David and my mom running down the front steps accidentally ripping the banister off the wall.  Pool balls clacking, '80's music blaring, movies, and laughter. Jason Register, Eddie Tarter, Brian Pitts, and Peter Kanakis all racing on floats & swimming in the pool.  I smelled my momma's cooking & suntan oil (Hawaiian Tropic).  I heard the laughter & felt the sadness.  It was very overwhelming.  I think that's the difference in having your parents alive; you can go home no matter where your parents are.  They may not live in the house you grew up in, but they give you a sense of coming home.  I am the matriarch in my family, so I am home for my siblings.  It's a very sobering fact of life for me.  There are so many days I need my mom's advice.  I am thankful for my mother-in-law, family, and friends because they help, but some days it's just not the same.

Just to reach out and touch something that my parents touched sometimes makes me feel closer to them, and help me remember the times in my teenage life that were very happy.  I hope I'm providing that for my children and their friends.  I hope once they're gone & they come back they will feel a connection with our home.

No recipe tonight because we still have no cook top.  Yesterday my microwave & oven when out, but the homemade handyman fixed them.  Oops, gotta go drive E to dance...

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley

PS~we're having an albino dinner tonight.  Baked chicken, rice, and slaw.  Very boring plate; I'm ready to have my cook top back!

Creativity is the Key

Sunday afternoon I was very proud of myself.  I was going to get dinner put together early so I would have time to do other things.  (nap, laundry, unpack, or a nap)

Since we just came back from vacation, we are out of a lot of stuff, but we have staples in the house.  (ie chicken)  Poached chicken can be used in so many different recipes I decided to get ahead for this week and double what I poach.  So I have my chicken going and realize that the little red light on the stove is off.  Uh oh.  That is a bad sign.  No red light means that the breaker has been tripped.  I go out to the garage and flip the breaker.  I should be able to go back in, turn on the eye & start cooking again.  One problem, nothing turned back on.  I call Hopson, my in-house handyman, to figure out what is going on.  I mean the man installed a fan in the ceiling when we first got married FTL.  Not that impressive unless you take into account he had to wire it too.  (Hopson is a CPA, but likes to play an electrical engineer on TV.)  I was impressed.  The resident handyman couldn't figure out the problem or fix it either.  OK, I have 2 pounds of chicken sitting in a boiler waiting to be poached & no other way to cook them.  Until I remember...

During Thanksgiving and Christmas we have to use the grill to cook & keep food warm.  (I have a very small oven.)   I decided I would cook on the grill.  I'm cooking with gas, which is better anyway, right? 

It was not as easy as I had hoped.  I had a hard time getting the temperature just right.  It was either too hot or too cold. So my chicken and noodles go from doing nothing to boiling over.  I just laughed.  (It was either that or cry.)  My next problem was how to make the pesto.  No eyes working, so for this I used the microwave.  It turned out ok, a little messy in my microwave though.  I didn't realize how much I cook on my stove top.  Yikes!

I decided to make a chicken noodle pesto dish.  It is similar to my chicken pesto rolls, but you add a layer of lasagna noodles and no corn flakes. 

The electrician came out today to look at the stove top; we decided that calling him first would be wise since the breaker kept tripping.  Our electrician said it was not in the electrical system.  I have scheduled the appliance people to come out, but they won't be here until Friday morning.  It looks like the fam is going to be eating a lot of grilled meat or stuff cooked in the crock pot.   The selfish part of me really wants a new cook top.  5-6 gas eyes just makes me salivate.  I could be a cooking machine.  Or at least a more efficient one.  :)

Until we find out what is wrong, I will be happy I have a home and a kitchen I can semi-cook in.  It's all in how you look at it I guess.  My life is good. 

I wanted to wish a very happy birthday to my sweet Elizabeth! Today is her 11th birthday.  I can't believe she's that old.  What a sweet girl she is growing up to be.  She is how I wish I was all the time.  Today would have also been my dad's 63rd birthday.  He has been in heaven for almost 19 years, and I still miss him.  I know he would have fallen in love with E.  Her birth story is funny, I'll have to share it sometime. 

Y'all pray for me as I try to be creative in my kitchen!

Y'all be blessed beyond measure,
~ashley