Want Corn?

Preface:  I have the absolutely most wonderful husband in the world!  His gift is service and my gift is receiving that service! 

     Occasionally, there is a hick-up.  Sunday as I was napping (love those naps), Mr. Wonderful proceeded to cook dinner, corn-on-the-cob and chicken wings.  He decided that it was be great to deep fry the corn.  As I looked forward to a perfect, pure corn-on-the-cob, with salt and butter, he proceeded to deep fry the corn, with and without breading.

     Well, the unbreaded tasted a lot like popcorn, not quite popped and a little chewy.  The breaded corn was different.  But I am a purest. . . just give me corn, butter and salt - I'll do the rest!

Day Lily Summer



Bright Yellow and Ruffles



It's been a day lily summer.  In the Spring several years ago we visited my hubby's parents in Camden, TN.  I love reading those little town papers.  They are really newsy, and fun even if you don't have a clue who they are talking about.  In the ads, I found one for day lilies and it was only about 30 miles away.

 

When we get to the field.  There are 3 houses and rows upon rows of daylilies!  They were blooming in yellow, pinks, deep red, violet, deep purple everything color under the sun.  And boy do those flowers love the sun.  The girl selling the lilies offered them to us at 2 for $5!  Now if you have every priced them, you are looking at $15 to $20.  I found a great deal!



Dark Red and Happy Orange



Now the inspirational part, as I was picking out the lilies I want she began.  Her grandmother owned the land.  Her and her husband had a floral shop and nursery, until they got too old to run it by themselves.  So began the "Day Lily" project.  She said her grandmother started buying day lilies on-line and her grandfather keep planting.  The rows began to mutiple and get ling and longer until the field was full.  Her grandpa had died the fall before we got there.  Her grandmother had all the day lilies mowed down so she didn't have to fool with them any more.  Well, low and behold when spring started the warming of the earth, the day lilies began to poke their green leaves, and right behind them came these.  Even grandmother was happy and saw it as sign that her husband was watching over them!



Pretty and Pink



Mellow Yellow and Pink Ruffles



And so as the Fall of life comes, we also know that the birth of Spring will follow. 

Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, LinkedIn - Unemployed, but still optimistic!

After being booted from JCPenney and my office on April 13, 2011 . . .

The mousey gray walls of my cube
were transformed with wrapping paper from
THE CONTAINER STORE
Did you even know they carry wrapping paper?  Yes, they do and it is delightfully different!



Life has certainly changed since April 13, 2011, when I was escorted to HR and told my position had been eliminated, along with about 5,000 others JCP Associates since January all across the country.  I had worked for JCPenney for 8.37 years, at least that is what they told me!

Read the rest of the story at I COULD USE A DEAL!

DIY Kitchen Island makeover. It started back in November 2010 . . .

From this

To This

Read all about it here!

Memorial Day

What could be more poignant than Old Glory flying in the early morning breeze!

Thanks to all our veterans that have fought to make us free!

Thank you, Dad!  Thinking of you today and knowing what the Marine's taught you, you have put to good use by getting God's house all organized!  The white short sleeve shirts, then the white long sleeve shirts, the colored short sleeve shirts, then colored long sleeve shirts both in the same color order!

I'm No Martha Stewart Beef Stew

I haven't made Beef Stew in a a month of Sundays, but with all this  icy, below freezing, snowy weather in North Texas, did I mention icy, it sounded like it would hit the spot!

Remember I don't have a sou chef or a clean up crew and I am not Martha Stewart!

The big pot is for the final product.  I took the cubed up beef and put it into a baggie with flour, salt and pepper and browned it . . .

in the frying pan with a little oil.

Ooops!  One for the doggies!  Don't worry, rinsed it off and just  like you have seen dogs eat worse things!  OOHHH!  Bad visual! 

I add the browned meat to the big pot with 1 can of Progresso French Onion Soup, 2 can of Campbell's Beef Consume and a couple of cans of water. 

I also add my carrots.  I like them almost mushy, but not falling apart.  Yes, they are out of a bag and already peeled, I just cut them in half.

I let the beef and carrots simmer for about 45 minutes.  Next were the spices;  garlic, 4 bay leaves, and pepper.  Be sure and take the bay leaves out before you serve.  Someone (hubby) may think you are trying to kill him, as they are poison if you eat them...but bring a really good taste to the stew. . .go figure! Correction - from my sweet mother-in-law - it is Bay Laurel that is poison, not Bay Leaves!  Even at 50+ you can learn something new!

I know, I know the spices aren't fresh.  Once again I am not Martha Stewart or for that matter, any Stewart!  Next come the potatoes.....I cut them in quarters and left the skins on, because the "butter gold" potatoes have thin skin and they don't come off like the bigger baking potatoes that some people use.  Anytime I use baking potatoes my sou chef (me) peels off the skin.

Cook some more until potatoes are fork tender.  Open two cans of green beans, sorry not off the vine!

The beans just need to warm up, not cook!  And that is how you make I'm No Martha Stewart Beef Stew!  But I do have to give credit to my dear Nana and her patience in teaching me how to make a wonderful beef stew!

Remember I don't have a sou chef or a crew to clean up . . .

But I do have a wonderful husband that can't believe that I can make this big of a mess! 

And doesn't mind cleaning up after his person Martha Stewart!



Administrative Professionals Week is April 24th – 30th, 2011

Come along with me for a week of

Administrative Professional Stories

Friday

Excuse me for the interruption, but life happens and some things take priority. . . so I am late on finishing this blog topic.
My last day of blogging on this topic is to say, “Thank you” to all my great bosses over the past 25+ years. I have always worked hard and have always been blessed with bosses that saw that and rewarded me well, with not only money, but their knowledge, their belief in me and their trust.

So thank you ALL!

Mrs. Davis – Sears, Memorial City, Houston, TX  (A very classy lady, who started me out on the right foot many years ago!)

Don Keding – Yellow Cab, Houston, TX  (My ex-uncle, but I think of him often)

Bob Howard – Howard Automotive Group, Edmond, Oklahoma



Bob and his ideas!  Well, I had one of my own.  Usually you get a 40th birthday "Over the Hill", but that was way to obvious!  I had an "Over the Hill" birthday party on his 39th Birthday.  There was a lady in mouning and a Preacher was reading his "obituary"!  See he wasn't the only one with ideas!  (Notice that computer, we've come a long way!)
My 30 year old daughter still talks about the Christmas he stopped by with a Teddy Bear that was as big as she was.  The Teddy Bear still has a home, in the attic at my house!

John Hawkins – Coggin Honda, Jacksonville, FL

John was the consumate professional.  He dressed to the nine's, I dressed to the nine's.  He always had the next great idea.  He was an expert at putting together teams.  Things ran so smooth, he could have played golf everyday.  Not John he wanted more, another challenge, another idea to implement.  He was very generous and introduce me and my daughter to some of the finer things in life.  His wife was a doll and we also had a special relationship.
John was taken from this earth to early at 55, but I think about him and know that he now watches over me!

Clariece Lewis – Coggin Honda, Jacksonvlle, FL (Retired and living the good life in Florida)

Charlie Barth – White Hawk Pictures, Jacksonville, FL (I count his daughter as a dear friend.)

Scott Gallagher – T2Labs, Jacksonville, FL (Scott also left us to soon. Bless him and his family.)

Dale McDonough – JCPenney, Plano, Texas (Retired)

Danay Navinsky – JCPenney, Plano, TX (I would have added Danay's picture, but she would have never forgiven me!)