Just not at a Chik Fil-A

Today was one of those days that was like, is this week ever going to end??? The sad thing is this is my Monday and when I was looking at July's calendar I have only been in the office for 5 days. That's bad, the rest of it was either with my back, trainings I was attending or meetings. It wasn't a good day either because I had to justify stuff that I didn't have any justifications for. I know one thing, 48 months can't come soon enough after today. It was grueling.

My allergies have been bothering me the last two days and tonight I almost feel like I am coming down with a cold. Man, I hope not. I can't afford to be coming down with anything. Tomorrow I am going to pick up some juice and other stuff to ward it off. Will probably contact my buddy Craig and see what kind of health food items I can buy to get rid of anything coming my way. He's a wealth of information and cracks me up. Gotta talk nice about him because he read's these crazy ass blogs and enjoys them, so there ya go. You can tell a real friend when they read your blogs and enjoys them.

I was reading the news on CNN and seeing if there was a topic I could write about in here and the first thing I came across was the Chik Fil-A controversy. Okay, number one I would think that it would be bad business to voice your religious, political or any other opinion. This touches so many other people besides the same sex marriage communities. This touches families that love their children no matter what and other individuals like myself that work within this population and feel strongly about this subject. I understand Mr. Cathy's opinions and I respect them because as my mom always said, "That's one man's opinion." but feel that this is not a good judgement call on his part as a business man. I can see where this will hurt his business because Christian people have children that are same sex couples too so.... I don't know and am not going to get into this hot and heavy because I am not a real controversial type of person. For those of you that are not sure what took place, Mr. Cathy voiced that he was against same sex marriages. Like I said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but how smart of a choice was it for him to make that kind of a statement.

Now granted, it hasn't changed my opinion on Chik Fil-A. I never liked their food and I am weening myself off all fast food restaurants. I know that fast food restaurants are not healthy and they do not do anything for me on trying to get this excess weight off. What that all boils down too, I would drive past a Chik Fil-A to find anything else. Burger King, McDonald's, Fazoli's. Anything is better than Chik Fil-A in my opinion. When I worked in Independence I would go to the food court in the mall before I'd go to Chik Fil-A or as a former co-worker of mine would call it. Chik A Lick. It'll always be Chick A Lick to me!!!

I am going to have to start going to bed earlier. I had a rough time waking up this morning. My ole bed down here felt really, really good. I love that bed. Anyway, I will talk to you guys tomorrow.

La Te Da

Went to the Dentist today. I haven't been for a while and really liked this one. I went to the one that Brandon and Terry goes to in Harrisonville. I really don't like going but they were good. My teeth look good, no cavities and considering how long it's been since I've been they told me the plaque really wasn't bad. Of course need to brush better than I have been. I'm all into the fast and sweet method and of course they told me I need to work on the gums more. Oh well.

I am back down here to Springfield this week. It seems like forever since I've been here, most of July anyway. Can't say I've really missed it. I have been looking on line for somewhere to move, my lease is up in December and some of you are probably like, well that's a long way away. It really isn't. 4 months away. Even though I won't move yet I want to see what is out there. I am going to start looking now.

Not much going on today. Things are quiet. Talk to you guys tomorrow.

Teach your children well

How do you like my little penguin with the date and time??? I thought he was adorable. One thing about it, when I check other blogs I find some cool like gadgets. I am starting to get bored with my background but will probably keep it for a while. I took the pineapple upside down cake recipe off, need to center those pictures above but haven't tried that yet. It's okay though. Of course I am always saying I am going to do the Web page design stuff, just haven't. Will though.

110* is what my car said it was today and that was at 6pm. This heat is terrible. I worry about people that are out in it. The homeless, the one's working in it and people that don't have air conditioning. Man, it is hot, hot, hot.

We had a really good lunch. Terry (bless his heart) cooked pork steaks out on the grill. Before he put them on the grill he salted and peppered both sides. Then sprinkled Worcestershire Sauce on both sides and placed them on the grill. Can I say, "OH MY GOSH"!!! They were delicious. I made a killer salad with my pear yellow tomatoes from my plant. They were really good. Baked some french fries and put Stormin' Norman's Sweet Smoke BBQ rub on them, after putting them in a bag with the Rice Bran oil in there too. They were pretty good too.

The day is almost over for this girl and even though we haven't done much, once I look back over everything I've done a lot. A friend of mine would get so upset when you'd ask someone what they did and they said nothing. He'd say, "You did something. You didn't just sit around in a chair and do absolutely nothing." I did a lot but it was all in a days duties.

Posted a post on my wall that says, "I don't understand why people think having a gay child means they failed as a parent. Disowning your child means you failed as a parent." I cannot tell you how many young men I have seen ostracized from their family because of their choices. And that makes you a good parent, what happened to unconditional love??? These families come from the bible belt of the USA and are doing what God has told them to do. Whatever!!! Not going into that rant and rage but people are people. Love everyone, especially your children!!!

Well, going to bed, gotta go to Springfield tomorrow. Leaving Terry and Josh to hold the fort down this week. I will be home Friday so everything is good. Talk to you tomorrow.

It's Hard but it'll be worth it!!!

Why is it so hard to change habits? I know what I need to do to change but it is so hard. We ran up to Nebraska Furniture Mart today and on the way home stopped at Terry's favorite buffet. Ryan's. Started out doing good. Made me a big salad, then second course consisted of meat and vegetables. Was doing pretty good with that but the warm dinner roll with honey butter always gets me every time. Then I thought I'd get me a small dish of ice cream. I love Ryan's ice cream, the texture is so smooth and the taste is wonderful. Heading up there and they sat out a fresh pan of bread pudding. Another one of my weaknesses. Got a small piece along with some ice cream. didn't eat all the ice cream but inhaled the bread pudding. Of course that is all I ate all day. I have got to get into the exercise regime though. My Dr. told me it wouldn't be real easy and she was right.

Ran over to my friends house Carole today. We have got to get us a printer for our computers. Brandon took it to Springfield with him for college, when he leaves though we will get it back. Anyway we printed off our airline tickets. We are going on a trip in October and can't wait. Really wanted to take the boys somewhere before Brandon leaves for China but not sure if we will be able to or not!!! We'll see, the boys really want to do something.

We ran up to Nebraska Furniture Mart today and I got me a Kitchen-aid mixer. The professional 600 series. I'm excited. I've wanted one for years and have never gotten one and now I have it. We also got a TV for the bedroom and a daybed for the middle bedroom. I want to make that room into an office so I'm excited about that too. They are to deliver it on 8/10. Can't wait. We're looking for a floor clock aka Grandfather Clock. The ones we saw on line that we wanted they didn't have them at the store. Imagine that. The one we wanted on line is under $1000 and the ones they had on the floor was anywhere from $1200-$5000. That's surprising!!! :o)

Well, I have been reading Low-Carb Dieting for Dummies. Going to have to wrap my head around all of this and get it taken care of. The only person that is going to be able to do it is me. Going to have to get my husband to quit sabotaging me. LOL. He isn't the one to blame, I am. It's just easier to blame him. No one can change my eating habits but myself. I have lost 10 pounds since I've started all this, and if I would exercise it would make a difference. Of course 100*+ weather is another factor. Oh well, it will be okay.

Tomorrow we are going to cook on the grill so everything will be pretty good hopefully. Will run to the store in the morning and get some veggies to have. Talk to you guys tomorrow night. It's going to be a long night tonight. I am so tired and want to go to bed now but it's to early.

Facing Challenges

The big news in our household tonight is the Los Angeles Angels now have signed Zack Greinke as pitcher on their team. He was our pitcher for KC Royals and left in 2010, winning the American League Cy Young with the Royals. He is an awesome pitcher and we were bummed when in 2010 he asked the Royals to trade him, reporting he was not motivated to play for a rebuilding team. Not that we blamed him because he was awesome. He went to the Brewers and played there for about a year.

Tonight Terry received a call from his son in California telling us that his beloved Angels signed Greinke on. Terry told Jeremy he was going to have to send him an Angels hat, he supposed. LOL. This is pretty big news though if you are an avid Royals fan as my husband is.

It is so good being home tonight. Watered my plants but they really didn't need it as bad as I thought they would. The rain this week helped them out. I planted some daylilies in a pot that I had dug up in my flower garden in Garden City and they are doing good, of course they didn't bloom this year but will next. Well, I had put some flower seeds in the pot too. Can't remember what the flowers were or anything but they are growing and are beautiful in the pot. I love it when I can grow things from seeds. My canna's and my marigolds are doing good too. I'm excited.

My beloved Missouri Conservationist was delivered in the mail this week. It is a free magazine for Missouri residents and I look forward each month when I receive it. As I was flipping through the pages today I came across an article on Glade Coneflowers. I have been thinking about growing native plants in our landscape since they are a sure fire plant that would make it in these drought conditions we have been dealt. Anyway, the magazine had an article on Glade Coneflowers and the benefits the plant has for insects such as butterflies and bees. I like the idea that American goldfinches are attracted to them in the late summer when the heads of the flower go to seed. I love birdwatching, am I becoming an old lady???? The author of the article said that the flowers are very easily transplanted in the fall but can also be planted from seed. The only thing I didn't like about the sound of growing them from seed, it will take a few years for the plant to mature and bloom. Bummer. Since I am not a very patient type of person for that I am going to have to see if anyone has some that they are willing to thin out their flowerbeds and see if I can get some starts from them. Of course the "Glade" part of the name, I may not be able to grow anything like that here, since I am not close to any glade's. We do have cone flowers here though because I have seen them. I love those flowers.

Whelp, I am heading outta here. I will write more tomorrow. I think we are heading to Kansas City, shopping for a few items for our house. Will write about our excursions tomorrow. Good night everyone.

It just makes me sad!!!

The rains finally fell and we are seeing a little relief today. Terry said that they received a little over an inch of rain which is more than we've gotten in at least 3 months. Temps are around 95* and it is cooler than the 106* weather we had yesterday. This weather is so brutal but we aren't use to this kind of weather, so it is worse on us. My friend in the Kansas City area, her mailman died in her front yard from a heat stroke. Man, that is something else!!!

I've been a little melancholy this week upon hearing the news that the current-events magazine Weekly Reader has retired and no longer will be a classroom fixture. The news said that the Weekly Reader has been in circulation since 1928. I can remember as a little girl, I couldn't wait to get my Weekly Reader. I loved it and had forgotten about it until I heard the news on the radio this week. Josh got the little magazine too while he was in grade school but I don't remember him getting that many. Of course they were probably crumbled up and shoved to the back of his desk along with all his other papers and homework. Oh well, good bye Weekly Reader, I loved you so.

Last night on the news in St. Louis they were reporting that the Mississippi River is so low that the barge's are not running at full capacity, they are carrying half the freight that they usually haul and that in Memphis they are checking the barge's and making sure they can make it down or up the river. Someone was saying this morning at breakfast that they heard that the river 50' below what it usually is. I know when I went over the Missouri River bridge I couldn't believe how low the Missouri River is now. It's something else.

Well, I'm outta here. I'm tired, of course. Talk later.

It's been an experience!!!

I have been in St. Louis the last two days and have to say I absolutely love downtown St. Louis. We are staying at the Drury Inn on the Convention Plaza and it is really a nice place. The Cardinals are in town so the hotel is full with families, Dodgers fans and Cardinals fans.

Last night I went to an Irish pub and met two fellow St. Louis co-workers that no longer work for our Bureau. One retired and the other one moved on to other venues and is a physical therapist. It was so good to see them and catch up on everything. Vonda is a hoot and a hollar and we have so much history together with meetings. Marge is a sweetheart and we usually drug her around with us at some points. I miss those two but like I said, it was so good to catch back up with them. Like I said in one of my later posts, it is nice to catch up with old friends when you haven't seen them for a while.

Tonight after the meeting 5 of us met in the lobby of the hotel for appetizers and drinks before we went to a Sushi Bar. I have never been to an actual Sushi restaurant or bar. 3 of them helped myself and the other one with the ordering because we didn't know what we wanted. Sushi doesn't always mean it is raw, there is cooked, smoked and fried foods in Sushi. It was delicious. I have to say I am a fan, even had a Seaweed Salad. I know some of you are going to say, "OMG, SEAWEED SALAD???" Well, if you like greens or salads you will like this salad. I loved the dressing. They wouldn't let us eat with anything but chopsticks and I have to tell you, after a while I got quite good at it. Of course they had ordered Sake for us to drink so after a few of those I was getting pretty good at everything!!! LOL.

Well, tomorrow is my last day here. Like I said, it has been good but wow. I have alot of work to get caught back up on but it will be okay. Was going to work on it tonight but to much Sake to care. LOL. I will talk to you guys tomorrow night and maybe a little more interesting.