Commericals and Good Food

I'm taking a quick break from Super Bowl food prep to update you on my recent where abouts.
On the menu tonight - Italian Beef with horseradish, artichoke dip, toasted ravioli, teriyaki glazed chicken wings (soooo can't wait for these to come out of the oven), along with chips & dips.

I spent ALL of yesterday doing research on the internet for a couple of upcoming weddings. When I say all day I'm talking from 8am until after midnight last night - my body needed a break from the computer today. I had a consult with another bride today on a beach themed reception - should be fun, hope to get to venture out a little on this one! As of right now I'm booked for May, June, and I believe July along with one in November. I have a few photography events coming up too, but still have lots of available openings for picture sessions.

My real work (at least the one which pays the most) is still extremely busy - first of the year isn't a good time for accountants. Well, I'd better go check on the food and I think I hear a commerical break!!

Stirrer Stick

Moving around rather slowly this today, I awoke with a sinus headache - again. I made my 1st cup of coffee after arriving to work and set it on my desk to cool and logged into my computer. While completing my morning farming chores (eyes fully on the computer screen) I pick up my coffee cup to take the first drink. Unfortunately I forgot to take the stirrer stick out......as I lift the coffee cup I jam the stirrer stick up my nose!

Couple of lessons learned here:
* always remove stirrer from cup
* take a second to look at what your about to drink
* don't drink and farm

We have SNOW!

We've had one round of snow and a few dustings this season, yesterday into last night we got about 3 inches of snow. I was a little upset with the front because about 20 miles south of us they got up to 9 inches so not fair that we didn't get it! But I guess something is better than nothing. And I'm glad I don't have to drive to work today. A few weeks back when we had the accum of snow, most people on the road should have stayed at home. It took me an hour and a half to get to work, I usually make it in 35-40 minutes. My top speed that day was 40 mph (which I didn't get to drive very long) - killed me driving that SLOW.

Gator outside the backdoor this morning 'posing' for me!

Haven't felt like venturing out to take pics yet, backdoor was as far as I made it.

The snow is crunchy and light so it didn't stick in the trees and we have three big outside dogs who have ran all over the yard leaving footprints, just ruined all the pics I wanted to take. So I think I'll stay inside today and edit pictures!

Quick Blonde Moment....

Sitting at my desk at work and reached for my coffee cup - not there??, got up and wondered around the office to see if I'd walked off and left it somewhere - nope. Returned to my desk a little puzzled, looked over and saw that my third cup for the day was still sitting on the Keurig - fully brewed, just sitting there waiting for me to pick it up.

Afraid it's going to be one of those days.

New Business Cards

New business cards I designed yesterday for my decorating company....

three design - front & back (info on the back is the same on each design)

Johnathon's last basketball game was Thursday night! Yeah!! My rear is ready for a break from the bleachers. Either I'm getting older or those bleachers are getting harder, pretty sure it's the latter and two to three games a week can really wear a person out. I created the business card below to hand out to all the basketball parents Thursday night. Now I need to get the 7000 plus pictures taken this season uploaded to my website so they can view/purchase them.
Johnathon informed me he doesn't like the picture, says he's making a retarded face. Oh well!

I decorated a Golden (50th) Anniversary yesterday - congrats to Bill & Judy Rea. Should have those pics up by the end of the week. It was beautiful needless to say. Aunt Eileen and I have done two bridal shows this month and I decorated a quarterly VFW Auxiliary meeting in DuQuoin the weekend between the bridal shows.

Good News - I don't have anything scheduled for this weekend!!! WooHoo! I don't think I have another decorating venture until May (it'll be a BIG one though) so my mother gets her living room back as soon as I get everything completely put away - needless to say she's happy for the break.

The first of the year is always a blast for accountants, not only am I trying to get 2009 financials completed I also have to get all of my spreadsheets redesigned for 2010 and do I ever use a LOT of spreadsheets! Plus our banks & company owners are requesting a forecast income statement for year-end 2010. Which means I have to look into my crystal ball and interpret the sales forecast into a working P/L, forecasting how much profit we'll have in 12 months based on what they 'think' they'll sell.

So after working late every night this week getting the accounting chores done, I'll be working on finishing Lindsey & Ben's wedding pic edits (better late than never....right?). I have all of the actual wedding done, just working on the formal/after-wedding pictures. I tried to up upload some tonight but my internet is running super slow.....

While editing basketball and Lindsey's wedding pics, I also need to get oh three or four afghans crocheted. I haven't crocheted much since having the carpal tunnel surgery. Hope I still can, time will tell. At some point in time I have to find time to SCRAPBOOK. I haven't been in the basement for 'ME' time in soooo long. If you didn't tell my mother happy birthday Thursday, you missed it - oops for you. Also, very happy to report that my Aunt Helen had a successful 4-bypass heart surgery week before last and is now at home and recovering. Well, I think that's all I have to report for now.

Oyster

As with most of the nation, last week we saw extremely cold temperatures. The high temp the last few days has remained in the single digits and Wednesday evening going into Thursday afternoon we got about 3-4 inches of snow (basically just a heavy dusting, but still snow!).

So of course with the frigid weather, I made chili!

When I make chili, you'd think I'm expecting my entire extended family over for dinner - haven't figured out how to make a 'little' chili. I've eaten it now since Wed night and took a big bowl to share with co-workers. After decorating this weekend I wasn't in the mood to 'fix' dinner so I warmed up the last bowl of chili.

While dumping Oyster crackers into my bowl I had a flashback to the first time I ate Oyster crackers. About 30 years ago standing in almost the exact same location, we'd gone over to MaMa & PaPa's house on a Friday evening before going to a home football game. MaMa had fixed a huge pot of chili and had these cute little crackers set out along with shredded cheese. Up until this point I'd lead a sheltered life and had never added anything to my bowl of chili. But I decided to try it MaMa's way and 30 years later I'm still eating Oyster crackers and cheese with my chili.......

It's funny how the mind works - I can't tell you what I wore two days ago but suddenly remember details from an evening that happened thirty years ago.

PaPa & MaMa (my dad's parents - Gilbert & Nancy Galloway)

My father purchased his parents house upon their death and while we had to tear down the old and build a new house due to termites, the basic layout of the house remained the same. When I was pouring the Oyster's into my chili I was literally standing about 4 feet from where I stood when first introduced to the cute little crackers.

Book Review: The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles

As with all most of his novels I give it TWO thumbs up - highly recommend you read it!

I started this book a few weeks ago but didn't actually 'read' it until the last couple of nights. In fact I read two other books after having started this one. I LOVE Greg Iles books which have always sucked me in within in the first couple of pages. The problem I had was that this book didn't do that, in fact it took about 50 pages for me to get hooked - but once I was I couldn't stop reading. I finished it around 3 this morning.

The first book of his that I read was Blood Memory (which isn't for young readers) and it's probably still my favorite. It was on an end cap at Barnes & Noble one day when I was wondering around looking for something to read and the cover caught my eye. I'd never heard of him but figured what the heck and bought it. Once I finished it I purchased everyone of his books that I could find. I read Mortal Fear, The Quiet Game, 24 Hours, Dead Sleep, Sleep No More, The Footprints of God, Turning Angel, True Evil & Third Degree immediately after reading Blood Memory. After reading that many books by one author back to back, it was hard to pick up another author for about a month.

Once I got past the first 50 pages The Devil's Punchbowl - I loved, loved, loved the book and read it in two nights. I truly enjoy reading about the life of Penn Cage in Natchez, Mississippi. If you haven't heard of or read any of Greg Iles books I highly recommend them. All are available at Barnes & Noble!

I'd enjoy visiting Natchez in real life one day to see what of 'Penn Cage's city' is actually a reality. Some of the aspects of the city that Iles describes are so detailed and he repeats these aspects in multiple novels so I assume that they're actual buildings and places in & around the city. I hope that it's not the same as when you see a movie of a book that you love and then can't believe how it just doesn't fit your mental picture of what you read. Which speaking of movies I'm surprised that none of his have been brought to motion picture. Of course if a motion picture follows his book they'll definitely be rated R, as I stated above his novels aren't for young readers. Certain aspects of the crimes committed are described in detail, lots of detail.

I wasn't disappointed or upset with the end of the book but at the same point in time I wasn't happy with it. Any book that he releases I'll read, he doesn't need to 'tease' me at the end of a book to get me to read the next which is exactly what happened at the end of this one. I guess I should walk away happy that Penn Cage will be returning for at least one more novel! But I don't like the thought of waiting a year to find out what happens.........