Burnt To A Crisp

Y’all…I come to you today incredibly sore and burnt to a crisp.  I’m finding in this 30-something life of mine that I ain’t no spring chicken anymore.

Now one might ask how I came to be in the predicament that I have found myself in.  I would retort “the road to hell is paved in good intentions.”  Lol.  But seriously, I just plain overdid it.

I awoke yesterday with a bit of a wild hair.  Now, for those of you who know me well, you know that cleanin’ is not my strong suit.  Hear me when I say: “I HATE TO CLEAN.”  Nevertheless, the Sheffield abode has gotten rather messy, and there was nothing left to do than pull up my big girl panties and get it done. 

I swept and mopped the floors (Okay, okay, I swiffered). I cleaned the bathrooms.  I cleaned the floor in the outside room.  I washed my makeup brushes (which may not sound like much of a feat for men…but OMG, girls, can I get some sympathy here??).  I cleaned up the kitchen a smidge.  Beat the rugs out, and then washed them.  Washed a few loads of clothes.

But if that wasn’t enough…I decided to take a whack at our yard.  You see, we’ve been getting numerous Code Enforcement calls lately at work, and I’ll be honest here…it has had me thanking the good Lord that I’m surrounded by family here in Watsonville.  I have had plum nightmares of getting a code enforcement letter. 

Now, in all fairness here, Rheba’s devil dog Piper likes to “decorate” our yard with junk rather frequently.  So, I had to clean up her “pretties.”  I then loaded up old carpet, washed down our porches….  But the kicker was when I decided it would be a great idea to pull weeds around our chain link fence surrounding our pool.  That was the part that just did me in.  It took 2+ hours…in the mid-day sun.  I knew it had been a mistake upon walking back into the house at 3.  I could feel the heat radiating off of me. 

So here I sit…Lobster Red.  Completely exhausted.  But hey, I have a beautiful yard to show for my efforts.  Okay...If not beautiful...at least not Code Enforcement worthy. 

My Week In Photos

The Chiefland FFA Chili Cook-Off & Cake Auction

Me...In my Cake Auction crazed cooking state.

So y’all, tomorrow night is the big event….
It’s that time of year again….
It’s Chiefland FFA Cake Auction (and Chili Cook-off).

The Sheffield girls have been on it once again.  I’m making Key Lime Trifle, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cupcakes, and Too Much Chocolate Cake.  Mom is making Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake and German Chocolate Overload Cake.

Also, I will add here, whoever has the winning bid for my cupcakes will take home this adorable box.  I found it at Michael’s and just couldn’t pass it up.  How cute is it??

So, y’all, please come out tomorrow evening.  Grab yourself a bowl of chili…or try a few (you will get to vote on the different chili).  The Chili Cook-off starts at 5 p.m. at the Chiefland Ag Shop.  The Cake Auction will follow right after.  We’d love to have you!

P.S.  Never fear, Cynthia Kay will also be making Crack (puffs) ;)

Mama Says Monday: Card Craftin'

Stamping is just one of my hobbies, but currently the one I am enjoying the most. I love to create my own greeting cards. There is the joy in the planning, then the putting it all together, final embellishments, and the satisfaction of the end product. And sometimes, I will actually mail them out to people. There is joy for me in the whole process. And I share this hobby with other people who have become stamping buddies. I am a part of two stamping groups who meet once a month. We create 3-4 projects at the meetings, learn and share new techniques, and share a card that we’ve designed…and, of course, buy more products to feed our habit. Aleta was laughing the other day after seeing something that said “why buy it for $15 when I can spend $92 in the craft store and make it myself.” Probably describes me pretty well.

Besides the two groups I belong to, most months I have another group that I meet with. Just 4 or 5 friends that like getting together. They are not die-hard stampers like me, but enjoy making cards. For this group, I take the lead role and I plan the cards, and do the preparation work of cutting the cardstock, and getting everything together. Really makes me appreciate the leaders of large groups. They really have a big job. But with this group we laugh, visit, and catch up with what has been happening with everyone. And, of course, there’s always food. I plan the cards, someone else takes care of the food. I love the fellowship. We each lead busy lives, and don’t get to phone and chat very often, so it’s just a wonderful night for all of us. And at the end of the night we have 6 or more cards to show for our evening of fun.

Until Next Week,

Cynthia Kay

The Cutest Thing I've Seen All Week

Old Miss Whitehurst (Miss Maybree Whitehurst) celebrated the 100th day of school. Is she not the cutest thing ever?? The shawl, the hair in rollers, the glasses, the gloves and the rolled down hose were just perfection.  That's a bit of elderly cuteness we should all strive for.

Romance At Its Finest

I wrote the other day about my disdain of Valentine’s Day, and my gag reflex at all grand gestures that it tends to bring.  But actually, I wanted to share with y’all one of the most romantic things I have read in a while.  I will get to that in just a second.

As a little girl, I had dreams of having a big, lavish wedding one day.  The fluffy, white, princess gown.  The handsome groom waiting for me at the altar.  My twenty-five bridesmaids (because who could ever choose?).  My ten-tiered cake.  All the bells and whistles.

Fast-forward to my early twenties when my mama, God bless her, said “Aleta, I know you…and I will pay good money if you will elope when the time comes.”  Don’t worry, it’s okay to laugh.  She knows how neurotic I can be.  I will fully admit that I would likely buckle under the pressure of planning a wedding. 

I can just see it now:  “Color choices?  Cake choices?  Do I plan it myself?  Do I get a wedding planner?  Do I want my photographer to do more candid shots?  Or the traditional staged photos?  I have a ridiculous amount of family…at what number do I draw the line?  Venues?  Do I do a full meal or just cake and punch?   What style dress would I want?  Vintage?  Modern?  Can I get that gown with a matching straight jacket?” 

Yep.  I would surely buckle. 

Here is what I know…I am incredibly indecisive…BUT I’m also a perfectionist, so every single detail would plague me.   I would want my friends and family to help, but then would go absolutely nuts because they weren’t doing things exactly how I had it in my head.  In that moment, I would become a fire-breathing bridezilla.  Chances are good that I wouldn’t be on speaking terms with 85% of my loved ones by the time my joyful day rolled around. 

This all being said:  In the event that I DO actually say “I do,” it will most likely be at a Courthouse or I will elope.

Back to the romantic thing that came across my newsfeed the other day.  It was an incredibly beautiful photo of a couple atop a parking garage.  The love was practically radiating off of them.  She was laughing, he was kissing her cheek.  It simply said: “A year ago today we went on our first date.  Today, we eloped.”   The extra special part was…her parents had eloped as well.   Now, I’m gonna tell y’all…It blessed my cynical heart. 

Congrats C & J!  I wish you a life filled with endless love and blessings.

A Special Birthday

Now, not all of you can be blessed enough to live in Watsonville.  It’s such a pity.  For the most part, it’s just a laid-back place to live….and boy, is it ever riddled with characters. 
But let me tell you about our neighbor.  She is such a treasure.  And Lord knows, when I’ve needed it the most, she has had me in stitches laughing.

Mrs. Cindy Morgan is a nut.  She’s just my kind of people.  She has a heart of gold.  She’d do anything in the world for you.  And she knows that laughter is always the best medicine. 

From the time she sent me a photo of my car, parked at work, with a dead bird hanging out of my grill (may he rest in peace)….just to let me know that PETA may be hot on my trails.

To the time she wrote a personals ad for my sister’s hubcap missing hubcap.

To the time that “Eagle-eye Morgan” kept an eye out on our house one New Year’s Eve.

To the night I received the message: “Am I seeing things or is your horse wearing britches and suspenders?” 
Life with her in Watsonville is nothing if not entertaining.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful birthday, ma’am!

Stupid Cupid

So, I must say, I would not consider myself a “hopeless romantic.”  Particularly, as Valentine’s Day is approaching, I find myself becoming cynical of this commercial-driven holiday.  Yes, one could argue it’s because Cupid hasn’t paid me a visit this year, and I don’t have Mr. Right serenading me under my window at night.  But truthfully, I guess I just don’t buy into that whole concept of “the amount of roses you receive on Valentine’s Day directly equates to how much love one has for you.” 

I suppose part of me just thinks:  Show me that you love me in a million different little ways every day…not just on a holiday when it’s expected.  Don’t buy me jewelry on Valentine’s Day because the commercial told you to…buy me some little trinket, because when you saw it one random day in June, you thought of me.

Alas, maybe I’m just a cynic….or maybe my brain is just wired a little different.

Mama Says Monday: Pretty Ricky

January was a long month, a hard month.  A lot happened in the space of 31 days.

And boy, am I glad January is over.  However, when I think about it, that means that Christmas is just 10 ½ months away.  Geez!!

I’m hoping that February goes a lot smoother.  But I can’t say that it’s started out much better. On top of all the losses last month, one of our special kittens decided to hitch a ride under my car.  He fell out from under it about a mile and a half from home.  I heard him fall out, and saw in my rearview mirror that he darted for the fence.  I turned around as soon as I could and went back and started calling for him.  Unfortunately, I was calling the wrong kitten.  In my rearview mirror, the cat looked like our little striped kitty.  I later discovered that it was our black kitten.  All of our kittens are special.  It’s funny how they all have such wonderful personalities.  But Pretty Ricky probably had the most lovey of personalities.

We have been back to the area calling and calling for him.  It breaks my heart to think of him hungry, thirsty, scared, or possibly hurt.  We miss him.  I still drive slowly along that road, searching the road and the field by the road for him.  

The irony of this story?  I was never a cat lover.  Not really a dog lover either.  I just always tolerated dogs better.  But our cats have our hearts.  I’m beginning to believe something that I once heard.  There are no cat owners, just cats that own their humans.

Sunday Obsession: Callahan Garrity Series

Image found on Pinterest

I had been looking for a new mystery series. A mystery series I have found. I had forgotten that Mary Kay Andrews (one of my very favorite authors) had once published a mystery series early in her career. It's called the Callahan Garrity Series.

For those of you interested, it is very much Mary Kay Andrews' writing. It is reminiscent of her other novels. They were actually published under her actual name: Kathy Hogan Trocheck. When she took on the pen name Mary Kay Andrews, the series was re-released under Mary Kay Andrews. So if you go looking for them, they could be under either name.

I have just fallen in love with the series and characters. They're mystery…and suspenseful…but not gory. They're very much along the same lines as the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke.

If you need me, you will find me curled up reading...

Williston Peanuts

I feel like this next statement is going to have farmers, including farmers in my family, shaking their head at me. But…I don't like peanuts. Actually, better stated, I don't like peanuts unless they are boiled. I do love boiled peanuts (are you even Southern if you don't like boiled peanuts?? lol). And I do like peanut butter…but that's where my peanut loving ends.

That being said, we have stumbled across something that I wanted to share. Some of you may know about this…but we were oblivious to it until recently. I always knew it shipped peanuts, and such, but had no idea of the little shop they have inside.

At Christmas, my uncle bought my mom a gift basket from Williston Peanuts. It had an assortment of different peanut items in it…and mom LOVED it. She particularly fell in love with the buffalo peanuts.

Now, every time we go towards Williston, a stop at Williston Peanuts is inevitable. She's got to get her fix. In fact, bless it, she even has created her own parking space (color me surprised).

If you're ever over that way, you should stop by. They have several different items and gift baskets to choose from.

The Neverending Story Bookstore

I've mentioned this before, and it won't be the last time…but I'm a little bit old school. Some of my very favorite shows include Andy Griffith, Matlock, Murder She Wrote, Designing Women… I don't own a Kindle…I prefer the feel of a book in my hands. Rather than ordering books online, I prefer to peruse the aisles of a bookstore.

Another fun fact about me…I LOVE used book stores.

Now, I'm torn in saying this…but one of the downfalls of my love to an actual book is the price of books these days. I walked out of a bookstore around Christmas having spent $55 on two books. Another downfall of my "actual book love" is…the price is not a direct equivalent of what the writer gets for every book sold. A lot of the price goes to printing/publishing/etc. Which is why the e-books are actually better for writers.

I'm getting off-topic. I have gotten hooked on a new-old series (new for me, but it's been around for a long time). I'll talk more about this in my Sunday Obsession post this week. But…I had ordered the first two books in the series last Spring, and have just finally gotten around to reading them. Suddenly, I found myself halfway through the second one and freaking out because I needed the next few books in the series.

As I was driving home on Saturday, it dawned on me…we have our very own little used bookstore right here in Chiefland. The Neverending Story Bookstore. And y'all, they are excellent. I sometimes forget about them, but it is an awesome little shop. In fact, when I was searching for Paullina Simons books, they wrote down what I was looking for and called me when they had found a copy.

If you have not checked out The Neverending Story Bookstore, you need to!