Back again and with Taco Soup!

Yes, I know it has been a long time.  I do apologize.  I have been doing a little soul searching if you will with this here blog.  I can’t seem to find something to write about daily or even occasionally.  So, I am just going to write whenever anything worth mentioning takes place.  Which may be never….okay with my busy life surely there is something to talk about.

Well, the soccer season is upon us.  Hurricane A has started her last season on a co-ed team.  Next year she moves to an all girl team.  We have played 3 games so far and have won all three.  Hurricane A has only made one goal this year.  It was during the second game.  She came real close to scoring another one but it barely missed the goal.  We have another boy on our team that I swear is already a pro player.  He can dart in and out of the players and maneuver that ball with little effort.  Needless to say he scores most of our goals.  Hurricane A gets a little timid around players like that.  She normally is real aggressive.  Perhaps next year on an all girl team she will get back to that aggressive little girl.

Tonight I am taking a meal to a girl at church who has had a hysterectomy.  She is rather young for this but has had some problems that called for it.  I am taking her Taco Soup which is one of my family’s favorites.  I thought I would share this with you.

 

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground meat

1 can Rotel

2 cans Stewed tomatoes

2 cans Pinto beans

2 cans White kernel corn

1 pkg Ranch dressing

1 pkg Taco seasoning

Brown ground meat and place in crock pot with all of the above ingredients.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  When done and ready to serve, place crumbled tortilla chips in a bowl and pour soup on top.  Sprinkle with cheese and ENJOY!

Humdrum

Not much going on around here right now but I am going to post anyway.

Last night we tried something new for dinner.  We had Tilapia fish and some shrimp that we cooked on the grill.  It turned out well and we will definitely try it again.  We marinated the fish in Dale’s Seasoning and sprinkled the shrimp with Cajun Seasoning.  We served it with rice.  Very tasty.  This morning I stepped on the scale and lost 3 pounds from yesterday.  I told SoGent that we need to have fish every night. His response was “Tonight we will have it in the form of spaghetti.”

Shortly after dinner Drama Queen received a call asking her to babysit  for a couple that lives around the corner.  They have 2 girls and the oldest one was in Hurricane A’s class at school.  The youngest from what I understand is a whirlwind.  DQ has only babysat for 2 other couples and they were both younger kids.  This was her first experience with older children. She got her firsthand taste of children not listening.  She faired well though.  The mother actually called me this morning to say what a good job Drama Queen did and would I mind if she used her again sometime.  I said of course not but it remains to be seen if DQ will want to.

The house was quite with the kids gone.  Since my house was cleaned yesterday by me “cleaning lady” I didn’t have much to do.  SoGent and I sat down and he watched TV while I played solitaire on my laptop.  Exciting I say.  At about 9:00 we retired to our room to watch more TV while getting more comfortable.  We are currently watching King of Queens on DVD.  We started Season 8 last night.  The first episode was hilarious.  I laughed so hard I was crying.  The girls arrived home about this time.  We sent them upstairs so we could go to sleep.  Again, it was so exciting.  Wish you could have been there.

Wait! I want my epidural!!!

I know, I know.  You thought I had disappeared from this earth.  I can’t say that I blame you.  My last post was in April!  Well, I don’t have any excuse other than just laziness.  So, without any more excuses from me, I deliver this post on delivering Hurricane A.

  I know many of you have heard this story but it is one that I enjoy telling.  Humor me and say you enjoyed it too.   On May 2, 1999 I started feeling contractions around 5:00p.m.  I was sitting in the cove with some neighbors while the kids played.  SoGent had gone to play basketball.  My neighbors (my sister and Tabatha) and I started timing the contractions and they eventually started getting closer together.  I eventually packed up my chair and Drama Queen and headed in to make sure I had all of my stuff together.  It had been arranged for Drama Queen to stay with my sister who lived in the cove.  At the last minute Bo (my sister) decided she wanted to be at the hospital when her 2nd neice was born.  So we called our babysitter and asked if DQ could just spend the night.  It was a very good thing that we did that.  Once we got her packed and sent on her way I started making sure I had all my ducks in a row.  I called SoGent’s cell phone and told a teammate’s wife that I was in labor.  In the meantime I feel my water break.  I run to the bathroom and then change my clothes.  I call my family and tell them that the time has arrived.  I called the answering service for my doctor but unfortunately the lady doctor of the practice was on call.  We discussed how far apart my contractions were and my previous labor with my first child.  At this point my contractions were about every 5 minutes.  She tells me to go to the hospital and get checked in.  SoGent arrives home and we load the car with bags, camera, camcorder etc.  By the time we leave for the hospital it is approximately 9:15.  I call my family to tell them we are on our way.  My sister rides with us as she lives in the cove and my parents agree to meet us there.  We arrive and get checked in.  The nurse comes in to check my progress.  I have only dilated to 1cm but my contractions are every 3 minutes.  She also informs me that my water has not broken yet.  “What!  I felt it and it was more than just a trickle!” Nope still intact.  “Great, you mean I wet all over myself?  That is just lovely!”  She said she will go call the doctor to report her findings.  She comes back and said they will monitor me for an hour but it is possible that I might get sent home as I have not dilated enough. At this point my contractions are coming pretty quickly and they are getting more intense.  I don’t deal well with pain so I kept asking the nurse for an epidural.  She said she is not allowed to give me one yet because the doctor has not decided whether to keep me yet or not.  I told the nurse “This pain is killing me and please get me and epidural!”  My mother is like “what do you mean the doctor hasn’t decided whether to keep her.  Look at her, she is doubled over in pain!”  The nurse agrees to call the doctor again.  I am not sure whether the nurse was giving the doctor the full report or not.  I can’t imagine even considering sending me home.  After and hour the nurse checks me again and I am still only 1cm dilated.  However, by this time my contractions are every 2 minutes and I can hardly stand it.  The nurse calls the doctor and comes back to report that we need to go home until the contractions are more intense.  MORE INTENSE??!! I can hardly stand it now.  My teeth are chattering and when I get up to get dressed again I can’t even walk straight up.  My family is livid that they are sending me home.  My mother kept saying “Look at her!  She has no business going home!”  In hindsight we should have just sat in the waiting room but we didn’t.  We head home.  They had told me to go home and soak in a tub of warm water and that should get things going.  My contractions seem to get stronger on our way home but I did not want to go back and be sent home again.  I did not want to be one of those patients that they talk about when you leave.  We get home and SoGent starts the tub of warm water for me. I get in and (okay this is gross) start feeling like I have gas!  Great, that’s all I need on top of all this.  All of a sudden, like someone hit me over the head with a 2×4, I realize it isnt gas, I am pushing!  I call for SoGent and said”I think I am pushing!  Call me an ambulance, I don’t think we can make it in the car.”  I attempt to get out of the tub and get my top on but that is as far as I get.  The contractions are right on top of each other and VERY VERY painful.  I just laid down on the bathroom floor and hollered!  SoGent called 911 and my sister to come over and help him. The operator is preparing him to deliver this baby!  My sister arrives to see me thrashing around on the floor and screaming in pain.  The 911 operator is asking them to check and see if I am crowning (see the baby’s head)  My sister proceeds to look and mind you, I am half sitting, half lying down.  She says “Nope, don’t see anything!”  We laugh at this now because how in the world can you see if I am crowning if I am sitting on my rear end!  She obviously was a nervous wreck.  The 911 operator is telling SOGent to get towels and shoestrings.  I yell out “No, we are going to the hospital!  I need may epidural!”  The 911 operator informs SoGent to tell me to stop pushing.  Yeah right!  Has she ever tried to stop pushing a baby out when you are in so much pain you feel like the Twin towers are coming through you!  I yell back “I can’t stop pushing.  It is an uncontrollable urge to push that you can’t stop.” The ambulance finally arrives and they come in with a stretcher.  They immediately get out an emergency obstetrical kit.  Iask “Why do you have that out?”  The paramedic said “We are preparing to deliver this baby if we have to.”  I said “No, I have to get to the hospital to get my epidural!”  He said, “Ma’am you are crowning so it is too late to get an epidural.”  I said “No, you don’t understand.  I don’t do pain very well and I HAVE to have that epidural.  Let’s go to the hospital now!”  They put me on the stretcher in between contractions and carry me out to the ambulance.  They tell me that if the baby starts coming that they will have to pull over to the side of the raod to deliver.  I screamed “No!  I want my epidural!!!”  “We will try our best ma’am.” said the paramedic.  Now, tell me if this isn’t unusual.  When you call 911, you get ambulance fire truck, the whole 9 yards.  So, there were 2 paramedics, one man and one woman and one male firefighter (that rode with us).  Who drove the ambulance you ask?  THE WOMAN!  Who rode in the back with me?  THE MAN!  Is it me or should it have not been the other way around.  The woman had more than likely had a child herself and could sympathize with me.  Anyway, as we get in I ask the paramedic and firefighter if they had ever delivered a child before.  I should have known immediately by the look on the firefighters face that the answer was no.  It truly had a look of panic.  The paramedic quickly jumped in and said “Oh, yes ma’am, we have.”  Then he hands the firefighter a scrub jacket and said “put this on.”  He proceeds to put it on me!!!  The paramedic says “No, I meant put it on yourself!”  OH MY GOSH!  GET ME TO THE HOPITAL FAST! When we arrive at the hospital my parents were waiting outside Emergency waiting on us.  My dad is posed with his camera and then quickly puts it down.  I asked him later what he was doing and he said, “Well I thought I would get some pictures to remember this moment but you were screaming so loudly that I decided against it!”  Good choice.  I also heard later that when SoGent called my sister to let her know we were going back to the hospital by ambulance that she was already putting her pajamas on.  So, she grabbed her bra and shirt and left quickly.  My parents said that when she came running into the emergency room her bra was hanging loosly down to her toes!  That is hilarious.  Anyway, to make a long story short (HAHA) Hurricane A was born 10 minutes after I arrived.  No Epidural!!!  They had to call the doctor from the next room to come catch my baby!  Needless to say I was not happy with my doctor on call’s choice.  I said that I hoped the same thing happened to her one day.  The funny thing is it did!  I heard that a couple of years later her husband delivered her baby at a gas station!So, we always joke that Hurricane A came into this world in a flurry and hasn’t stopped since!

Chicago Bound

I am leaving today for the Windy city on business.  I will try to update while I am gone but can’t make any promises.  I will return Tuesday Night.

Talk to everyone later.

Bathroom Etiquette

So, I walked in the bathroom at work the other day.  There are three stalls.  I walk in and two of the stalls are taken.  I go into the middle stall and I hear one of the girls talking.  I assume she is talking to the girl in the other stall but then I realize that no, she is one the phone!  Tinkling and on the phone!  Flushing and ON THE PHONE!  Am I the only one that sees a problem with this picture?  I don’t particularly care for other people to hear me doing my business.  I really don’t care to do it with other people in there but certainly not on the phone.

Do I need to post Bathroom Etiquette rules?

Hair Appointment

Yesterday I had an appointment to get my roots colored and get a hair cut. It has just been 4 weeks since my last cut and color but according to my hair stylist (Hair Girl) I apparently had a hair growth spurt. I am leaving Friday for Chicago for a business trip and you know, you have to look your best. Thank you Hair Girl for helping me look my best.

Hair Girl and I reminisced last night about how long we have known each other. We met when we were in 6th grade. That was *ahem* in 1977. Yes, I know, we are old. What makes you feel even older is the fact that we were the first graduating class of our high school. Doesn’t that just sound old? However, we did have certain perks like naming our mascot, picking out the school colors and placing the school sign in the front of the school. Our class picture was framed and placed in the hallway at our school. I wonder if the kids at that school now look back at our picture and think how loooong ago that was and how old we must be. I ask, because I used to do that same thing looking at the class of 1942 at my school as a freshman (at a different school).

Anyhoo, Hair Girl does a terrific job on my hair. Unfortunately I forgot to take an “after” picture. This one is a before. No, Hair Girl, I was not going to post the one with color in my hair for all of the Internet to see. Do you think I am crazy?

If you are ever in my area and looking for a hair stylist, I will give you Hair Girls name.

(Hair Girl leave me a nice comment after you read this.)

April Fool’s

Traditionally April 1 has been know as April Fool’s day.  It is a day that when you were younger you couldn’t wait to pull pranks on teachers, friends and family members alike.  Although I can not remember any specific pranks (I have slept since then) I know I was part of some growing up.

Now, I have kids those same ages who just love April Fools day and are always dreaming up pranks to pull on their friends.  I remember last year Drama Queen telling all her friends that her dad was being transferred out of town and we would soon be moving.  I was sworn to not give it away and go along with the joke.  Well, anyone that knows me knows that I never want to move out of town so this was a major thing for me to agree with.  Her friends were so upset and were calling the house to ask her Dad and if it was true.  It was a good prank and most people fell for it.

Also last year Drama Queen got me good.  One Sunday afternoon SouthernGent was taking the girls out somewhere as I had a meeting at church to go to.  They had just left the house and I was picking up the kitchen before I had to leave.  I was turning on the faucet to rinse some dirty dishes and when I did I got SPRAYED by the hose.  I screamed and jumped back and stunned so that it took me a few seconds to realize what was happening and get enough sense about me to turn the water off.  By that time I was soaked.  She had placed a rubber band on the hose to hold the handle down so that when you turned on the water it automatically came out of the hose.  I then started laughing and picked up the phone to call them on the cell phone.  Of course they played dumb and tried to act like they had no idea what I was talking about.  I then had to quickly go and change my clothes before I could leave.

Who taught my children to be so devious?

Please call me sometimes

Saturday Hurricane A ran away from home. It all started when we are getting ready to eat dinner. We were having Tacos and Mexican rice. She said she did not want rice because she did not like it. She has been on this kick lately of saying she does not like pasta and rice which she has always liked. So I said to her “If you don’t like pasta and rice, you are not a part of this family.” obviously as a joke. Well the sensitive self that she is did not find that too funny. She runs up to her room almost in tears. I follow her telling her that I was just kidding and how much I love her and want her to be in my family. You know, to make her feel good. Nothing doing, she was not having any part of it. She told me to go away. I told her a few more times that I was just kidding and to come down and eat. She didn’t so I went on down to finish my meal before it got cold. Drama Queen goes up to see if she could talk to her but still no luck. The next thing we know she has appeared downstairs carrying a packed bag, her pillow, her jacket and she is dressed in her PJ pants and a shirt. I notice that she is not wearing any shoes so she runs back up to get them. As she heads to the back door she exclaims that she is running away. As she is preparing to leave I grab my camera and ask her if I can take a picture of her to remember her by. She quickly turns from me so that all I get is her back. She walks out the door and down the front steps. As she get down to the street I tell her to please remember to call me every once in a while to keep in touch. She just grunts at me. SouthernGent, Drama Queen and I are doubling over in laughter. My stomach is hurting I am laughing so hard. I take pictures of her along the way. When she gets to the stop sign at the end of the street she turns right as if she is heading to her friends house. She takes a couple of steps and turns the other direction as if she changed her mind and is going to her other friends house. Again, she takes a couple of steps and then changes directions. We are rolling because she can not make up her mind! Drama Queen then says that Hurricane A had told her that she was just going to the end of the street and then coming back home. So I told them that maybe we should go inside because we are obviously ruining her plan. We step inside to watch her from the dining room window. The next thing we know she has turned around and is running as fast as she can back home! Could this get any funnier? We are howling! I walk to the front door and asked her if she has forgotten something since she was coming back. She says “No and don’t touch any of my stuff because I am not a part of this family!” So, I said, “Okay little girl, we happen to have an extra bed upstairs because our little girl ran away form home and we are having dinner right now and could give you some food.”

Funny things is…that little girl has the same attitude as my daughter. Hmmm.

Grateful to be employed?

Conversation between me and the girl working the drive-thru at Burger King:

Girl:  Mwhaksjl Whopper nkfska  adsndk jdajj?

Me:  I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear what you asked me?

Girl:  I said “WOULD YOU LIKE THE WHOPPER WITH CHEESE MEAL TODAY?”

Me:  Yes, that is actually what I was going to get.  I would like my burger with Ketchup, mayonnaise and lettuce with a Diet Coke please.

Girl:  mhweljfh mnldakh cheese adklsad diet hajwof. cndkseu djalkdjw first jdaksdj.  msfhjkdfisy tisifh  khdf $5fjsdfhid.

I drive up to the first window.

Me:  I’m sorry, Five what?

Girl:  (with a big groan) $5.35!

I hand her my money and she hands me my receipt and a straw.  I take it from her and put my wallet into my purse and then notice my cell phone on the seat.  I put in my purse (while I am waiting on my food).  When I finish I look up at the window and the girl is leaning on the counter with her chin in her hand and staring at me as if to say “Lady, how long are you going to take just sitting there?”

Me:  Oh, I’m sorry. (Realizing that I was supposed to drive to the second window)

Girl:  Gives a weak smile (as if saying “Yeah whatever”)

I want to know something from you, the wise internet, whatever happened to people being nice to the customers and being grateful that they have a job? Could she have not just said “Ma’am you can pull to window two to get your food.”?  That’s all I’m saying.  Very simple.  I had to bite my tongue not to tell her to cheer up and act like she is enjoying herself.  When I was that age and was working retail or fast food restaurants we would told to always be nice and that customers were always right.  If you did not act properly with customers you were reprimanded.  Today’s generation has not been taught that.  No one wants to work anymore.  It’s pitiful.  I am going to teach my children to respect others and be grateful for the things that you have.

*****

I took Hurricane A to the doctor this morning.  She has had a rash on and off for a week and a half on her hands and arms.  For about a week before that she had a rash on her cheeks.  A friend of mine mentioned that it looked like she had Fifths Disease.  I got home and looked it up on the internet and sure enough that is exactly what it sounded like.  According to that information once you developed this rash you were no longer contagious.  The rash on her face appeared for about 2 weeks and went away.  Shortly after that she developed the rash on her hands.  I assumed it was something different since there was a couple of days in between them.  What was so strange was that this rash would come and leave as quickly as it appeared.  For instance, I made her appointment this morning and then went to wake her up.  The rash was not there and I even reconsidered taking her today.  She took a bath and then I rubbed lotion on her hands.  As I am rubbing in the lotion it is appearing on her hands.  By the time we get to the Dr. it is gone again. When the Dr. comes in it is very faint on her hands.  You almost can’t see it.  While we are looking at her hands and arms we see one developing in the bend of her arms and then down around her wrist and then on her hands.  It is truly weird.  The doctor said that she felt it was still consistent with Fifths disease and that this could continue for a couple of weeks.  So, if you were around my child oh… a month ago, I am truly sorry. 

Black Beauty

The Family

Originally uploaded by klyeaa

This picture was taken on Easter. I am posting this because I want you to check out the shiner that SouthernGent is sporting. He has been telling everyone that he got elbowed playing basketball. I am here today to set the story straight. I had listened to his backtalking for too long so I had to just set him straight. I just sayin!