The Simple Womans Daybook

FOR TODAY June 22, 2009

Outside my window...The sun is shining brightly and I can tell it's gonna hit triple digits again today. Summer has arrived in all her glory. I wish however she would have kept the temps at least in the 80's.

I am thinking...that the house is quiet but not for long. I will enjoy the few moments of solitude while I have them.

I am thankful for...about how lucky I am to have the opportunity to have my grand babies here for two weeks. It might be tiring but I am loving every minute of it. Sometimes I find myself just looking at them and my eyes tearing up. They remind me so much of my babies that have grown up.

From the learning rooms...I am learning again that laughter makes you feel good all over. That your grand children remind you of your own children and no matter what they do it's never wrong. I'm learning a messy house comes with the territory when they are here. And I'm learning that it's ok to have a messy house when they are around. To enjoy them and not spend my time cleaning house and fussing about things.

From the kitchen...I smell the coffee brewing. For once my kitchen is clean, no dirty dishes in the sink and on the countertops

I am wearing...a nightshirt and flip flops.

I am creating...a fun filled home with lots of laughs. A place where my grand babies can have wonderful memories made.

I am going...outside today to play in the pool, to swing on the swing set and to gather veggies from the garden.

I am reading...the looks on my babies faces

I am hoping...that the temps give us a break soon

I am hearing...the sounds of a fan running, and the air conditioners

Around the house...it's total messy chaos. Toys are scattered everywhere, dirt and grass are tracked in and it's pure heaven.

One of my favorite things...was hearing my grandson tell me the other day that "He loves me" and that "I am a jolly grandma to be around". LOL.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Just enjoying life

Here is picture thought I am sharing...





Have a wonderful week my friends,

Getting to Know Me

I've seen this done before and thought it was fun but have never done it myself. This mozaic represents me and who I am. I am obviously a colorful person! If you would like to play along the rules are below. It was fun and I enjoyed seeing what pictures popped up for me to choose from.


The Rules:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search. (clickable)
b. Using only the first page of results, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mozaic Maker. (Clickable)


Questions:


1. What is your first name? Treasia

2. What is your favorite food? Shrimp Scampi

3. What high school did you go to? Arkansas

4. What is your favorite color? Red

5. Who is your celebrity crush? Johnny Depp

6. Favorite drink? Mountain Dew

7. Dream vacation? Cruise

8. Favorite dessert? Chocolate Cake

9. What you want to be when you grow up? Writer

10. What do you love most in life? Family

11. One word to describe you. Normal

12. Your nickname. Honey



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Frugal Friday

Welcome to this week's Frugal Friday everyone. Today I am going to let you in on some of my favorite summer recipes that we use quite a bit here at home. These recipes have been passed down through several generations and I know you and your family will love them. The ingredients are not fancy and the cost is very reasonable to make them. I don't have pictures to post of them and really wish I did, but you can picture them in your head. The first one is my favorite Chicken Salad recipe. Now I love a good chicken salad and this one from my great grandmother is the "bomb".

Summer Chicken Salad:

2 large or 4 small chicken breasts
1 cup green grapes (seedless and cut in half)
1 cup green olives (I leave the pimentos in but it's your choice)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
4 oz of sliced almonds or 4 oz of chopped pecans ( We prefer the pecans ourselves)
2 Tablespoons or more of real mayonnaise (not the salad dressing but real mayo)
S & P to taste

Boil the chicken breasts until done and allow to cool. Once cooled, de-bone and cut into chunks.

Add everything else except the mayo and mix well.

Now add the mayo to coat and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve cold over a bed of lettuce or on sandwich bread. Whatever you would prefer.


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Now it's time for dessert. This recipe is quite old and I've never found it anywhere else. It's also one of my favorites.

Orange Coconut Apricot Nectar Cake:

1 box orange coconut cake mix (this can sometimes be hard to find and I just use a yellow cake mix)
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup Wesson oil
3/4 cup apricot nectar juice (found on the juice aisle)
4 eggs

Combine all ingredients together beating one egg at a time and pour into a loaf pan or a 13x9 flat pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour (for the loaf pan) or 26 minutes in the flat pan. Just stick a toothpick into the center to see if done.

Topping:

3/4 cup apricot nectar juice
3/4 cup sugar

Place these two items in a pan and bring to a boil. boil for 7 minutes. It will become somewhat syrupy and that's the way you want it to be. Do this while your cake is baking.

When the cake comes out of the oven and while it's still hot, poke holes in the cake with a toothpick. As many as you want. Now pour the hot topping all over the cake and let it drain down into the holes. Allow to cool and serve. Wonderful by itself and great with homemade ice cream.

Note: You can also substitute the apricot nectar juice with fruit cocktail in place of the apricot in the cake and then use orange juice to make the topping.

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Now there you have the perfect easy and inexpensive summer meal. Plus one that's been shared with you and you can trust is excellent.

Happy Friday All,

Have a Laugh Wednesday

Reincarnation, Yes, No or Maybe?

Reincarnation, do you believe? Have you ever even thought about it? I had my wonders and had thought about it from time to time. Especially after some of my dreams and some of the deja vue I have felt about places or objects. Or even some of the same talks I've had.

Mental P Mama sent me a book a couple of months ago entitled "Many Lives, Many Masters" and once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. Truthfully I always believed in reincarnation but feared what people may say about me for voicing it. I don't care anymore. I also believe in heaven, but where does our spirits go if not immediately sent to heaven. This was one thing I had wondered about. Since I had worked in the medical profession I have talked with several patients that had actually died and came back. I worked on some of these miraculous people. And yes I admit it, I asked them questions later about what they seen, what it was like and what happened. I'm human and couldn't wait to hear their answers. Some of them recalled nothing but almost everyone admitted seeing a bright white light as well as seeing themselves laying there with the doctors and nurses working on them. The out of body experience.

I had this same experience myself. I had to have emergency surgery years ago and while being put under I remember floating out of my body and hovering just over the top of the surgical table where I was laying. Before finding myself floating I very vividly remember choking, and gasping for breath, clinching my throat and being unable to talk. This was actually when they were placing the intubation tube down my throat. It really happened. The next thing I knew I was floating above and watching the nurses and doctors working on me. If you have not experienced this it is quite hard to describe it and tell you how it felt. It to me felt so scary and at the same time so peaceful it was just weird. I remember the nurse telling the doctor "she's crashing, her bp has dropped" and then I saw them get the paddles and shock me back. I also remember the shock to my system when this happened. It was like I was jolted back into my body at that moment. The next thing I remembered was being in recovery.

I realize this story I just shared is not about reincarnation really but after that happened I have always wondered "what would have happened if I had continued floating up above"? Because at that very moment I realized "we are not just a body, but a soul" and "where would my soul go"?

This book made me do even more thinking as well as peaked my interest that much more. It's a wonderful read and I highly recommend it for all. Whether you believe or not! If nothing else it will make you question things about your life and those around you.

Mental Mama had this book in a giveaway with the simple rule that after reading it you pass it to the next person, and so on. You also post what you think about the book and what it may or may not have made you think about. Now it's my turn to do the same. Who wants to read it next and pass it along? Just comment and let me know and next Tuesday I'll choose the winner and announce it here. Of course I'll email you as well. comment and tell me briefly as well do you believe?

Simple Womans Daybook

FOR TODAY.......June 8, 2009

Outside my window...The sun is shining brightly and beautifully. I can see my garden, the hummingbird feeder (which never has birds), the regular bird feeders (which are covered) and the green grass and trees. It's beautiful.

I am thinking...What a gorgeous day this is and how much I will enjoy it. I am one of those rare people who love Mondays.

I am thankful for...Many things in my life. The house we live in, the love we share along with the laughter. The food on our table each day and the trust we have.

From the learning rooms...I am learning that friends come from all walks of life and you never know when you will meet your new one.

From the kitchen...The coffee is brewed and the dishes are done. Prayers said for this.

I am wearing...My nightshirt and shorts, flip flops. The delivery man just woke me up.

I am creating...more articles regarding guinea pigs, a garden full of fresh veggies and a home full of love.

I am going...no where this week. Thank goodness. Oh wait, I do have choir and church on Wednesday night.

I am reading...Nothing, I just finished the book from MM on reincarnation. Posting tomorrow about it. So check back as it's time to pass the book on.

I am hoping...for the weather to continue to be wonderful so that Trucker gets much needed hours, like last week.

I am hearing...a clock ticking, a fan running and the footsteps of the Rug Rats upstairs. Life is good.

Around the house...I have a few things needing done but am not swamped like usual. A couple of loads of clothes to fold.

One of my favorite things...is camping. We hope to do this soon.

A few plans for the rest of the week:Writing more articles and puttering around the house. I lead a very quiet life.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...



For more Simple Woman Daybook entries just click here.

I've Got Deadlines

Deadlines looming, college registration today, appts out the ass and life continues. I am taking a short break and will see everyone on Monday.

Boobs, A Love/Hate Relationship

I interrupt the regular scheduled program of Simple Womans Daybook to discuss Boobs, Love/Hate Relationship. Wow! Talk about totally not what a simple womans post would be. What I am about to share with you is personal and might be a little TMI, but I know you will understand, and really I don't care if you do, it's my blog.

As we all know by now, and if you don't man do I feel for you, that boobs come in all sizes. Small, little, microscopic, petite, large, larger and enormous. You know those kind, the ones that look like God dropped 2 watermelons on their chest. We also have the kind that are perky, wish mine still were, face south, hang low, point skyward and are in between. And for the record mine hangs low, faces south but still point upwards. Does that make sense? Anyway, I was blessed with a nice chest size, I guess it's blessed although there have been many times I would love to have reduction surgery. I'm quite sure Trucker would say blessed but what the hell does he know he doesn't carry em around. At the moment I'm not feeling to damn blessed with em. Here's where I need you and your help. Don't run away it's not that horrible.

Each spring and summer I get heat rashes. See I said might be TMI. Awful, horrible, hurting heat rashes. I shower daily, use baby powder and stay somewhat dry. As much as you can when the humidity in the south is 100% most of the time. No matter what I do I still have a heat rash. and it hurts. I've seriously considered placing soft clothes under each hanging boobie. Thinking this might actually help, after all I never leave home much so who the hell will see.

Now after all this weird and probably disqusting information here's where you come in. Do you have this problem? Anyone got any suggestions other than wacking em off as to what to do? Am I the only one on earth with this problem? During the hot months I would gladly trade these puppies, well not so much puppies anymore, more like doggies, for smaller perkier bird egg sized ones, the ones that don't hang low. Help me............................................

Bet you wish it was the Simple Womans Daybook post now don't cha?