On the inside looking out...tales from an introvert

I scarcely think that anyone can understand the life of an introvert without actually being one.  I have always been, more or less, what some would call a loner.  As a child I was content spending hours in my room alone. One of my brothers would actally tease me for talking to myself while I was in my room.  In my defense, I wouldn't even realize I was talking outloud.
Personally, I don't feel that being introverted makes me anti-social.  I can interact with others. There is just a feeling of being very socially awkward most of the time. I have tried to force myself, on occasion, to attempt being more of a social butterfly. These fleeting moments have probably ending up making more than just me feel out of sorts.
As I grew older, I discovered that alcohol can make even a life long intovert more at ease around people. Coming from a familial lineage that includes more than one alcoholic and/or addict, the discovery of booze as a means to cope with social situations could not be good. There were a few years of frequently going out and being the life of the bar party. Naturally, these nights out were followed by mornings of wondering what all had transpired the night before. The feeling of morning regret turned to shame and wanting to withdraw further from the crowd. It was such a vicious cycle.
The years I worked in the world of mental health were perhaps a blessing in diguise.  I gained quite a bit of insight into why some of us function a little differently than others. I have finally come to terms with the fact that even though there might be a tiny extrovert sitting on one shoulder encouraging me to just get out there and talk to people, there is nothing wrong with preferring the slightly bigger intovert on the other shoulder telling me its okay to watch from a safe distance.

“I'm the type who'd be happy not going anywhere as long as I was sure I knew exactly what was happening at the places I wasn't going to. I'm the type who'd like to sit home and watch every party that I'm invited to on a monitor in my bedroom."
-Andy Warhol-

Hope Found in the Heartland

I went on a road trip this weekend. I wasn't exactly sure where I would end up other than I was driving in the direction of Tennessee. Isn't that the point of a road trip?
My final destination ended up being Chattanooga which I have visited multiple times. This weekend, though, I really took the time to drink things in. I kept my eyes open for photo opportunities. I paid attention to the feel of the air. And, I really paid attention to people. Since I was by myself, I had ample opportunity to watch how people interacted. There were visitors from several ethnicities and I heard many different languages being spoken. People of all ages walked the trails around me.
I saw a young man wearing  a shirt with a political slogan for one of the current presidential candidates but I never heard any off color comments made about it.  I heard a prop character in a park make a joke about a presidential candidate and a little girl said "hey you're voting for the wrong person", but no adult gave any feedback. I saw families of mixed race out enjoying the day together and they were not getting sideways stares. In short, all I encountered was people out enjoying a fall day.
In light of my last blog post, I believe this weekend is what my heart really needed. To spend a little time unplugged around other people who were also unplugged. While hiking at Lookout Mountian I even heard a mother telling her teenage daughter to put her phone away. I couldn't help but smile.  Maybe there is hope for us.

Thoughts from the Cat Lady

I would think that most anyone who spends much time on the internet has seen a meme that says something along the lines of "the more people I meet, the more I love my dog".  Well, I am that kind of person except I have cats. I haven't always been a cynic, though. Just turn on the television, or computer, for that matter. I know people have been mean to each other and talked about each other since probably the beginning of time, but what ever happened to having a little decorum? Long gone are the days of talk being confined to the water cooler or behind closed doors. Long gone are the days of differences of opinion being issues we begrudged but dealt with without completely bashing another in a public forum. And, apparently, long gone are the days of civilized debate. (*cough* politics)

Some might say that the internet or social media has been the downfall of our social skills. I don't think I can agree. Yes, it has nudged society into what we are today, but let's not give electronic devices and cyber space more power than they are due. A wall to hide behind while spewing forth hatefulness at friends and strangers alike is what we have created. The darker side of humanity has found it's platform and is running with it.

Now, back to those dogs and cats. Animals will love and not judge nor chastise. So, if I tend to sit on my front porch and talk to the stray tomcat who stops by for a free meal, I might be a crazy cat lady. Or, I might be one person holding out hope that we find our way back to Mayberry.

Falling out of love with carbs......

I have been a lover of all things carb for 40+ years. Bread, pasta, potatoes, starchy vegetables, I'm not real choosy. I have fought the low carb diet plan tooth and nail. Recently, however, my dear friend Michelle inspired me to join the low carb movement. I have now joined multiple low carb groups online. I am on my second week of low carb eating and I have to admit, I am enjoying it!

This evening I made a chicken dish for supper that I have to brag about.

Yesterday I cooked chicken breast in the crockpot and had plenty left over for today. The chicken had cooked all day with a little butter, cream cheese, garlic pepper and BACON. We all know that bacon makes everything better.

First I sautéed onions and peppers in olive oil until just tender. The smell of each of those ingredients alone says comfort food. Together, over heat, it is amazing.

While the veggies were cooking, I sliced one chicken breast. The chicken was so tender that it fell apart as much as it was sliced. During this time I also added a little of the broth from the cooked chicken in with the peppers and onions.

When the vegetables were just starting to soften, I added the sliced chicken to the skillet to heat and absorb all of that extra flavor. I must admit, my mouth was starting to water.

Just before plating, I added a small amount of pepperjack cheese to melt over this low carb chicken happiness. I know this isn't a pretty meal but it made me forget that there was no bread or pasta in sight.

My one downfall is that I don't measure when I cook. A little dab of this and a little dab of that for a one time event. None the less, I believe this one would be easy to replicate. Happy eating!

Bitten by the Bug

I have always had a certain amount of interest in photography, but I now feel that I have been bitten by a big shutter-bug.

About a month or so ago, I decided to look into purchasing a starter camera.  I was just tired of always taking pictures with the out of focus camera on my phone.  As some may know, I have quite a habit of getting really fired up about a new hobby, investing too much money in it, then losing my fire. This time I decided to be a little smarter about it.  I began watching a local "buy sell trade" page on social media. Behold, I found my perfect starter camera.

A gently used gem for a price I couldn't beat.  The woman selling it even gave me a few pointers on how to use it.  I took that as a sign of pure fate.

I started out taking a few pictures here and there around the house. I flipped through the owners manual. Finally, this past Sunday, I took my new camera on a road trip. We perused the rural roads. I knew my first stop would this bridge near Pennington, AL. From the first time I saw it, I knew I would be back to capture it on film. From there we hit a dirt road to find somewhere to get closer to the river. The satisfaction of that perfect day did my soul good.

I am already planning the next camera ready road trip. Fall foliage in all its splendor is calling out to me like a long lost love. "I'll see you soon, my sweet", is my earnest reply.

The other side of life......

I have had a very long hiatus from blogging and so much has changed.
So much, in fact, that I have considered changing the title of the entire blog to the title of this post!
Over the course of the past year I became an empty-nester. Then, my little birdies who had left the nest, left the state! Yes, my daughter and grandson moved to Alabama.
I grieved considerably for a while. In fact, I threw myself quite a pity party. It was borderline shameful. As the old saying goes though, this too shall pass.
I eventually began to get over myself and appreciate the growth and maturity I have seen in my beloved babies. Oh how they have blossomed out on their own in the big world!
My daughter graduated from MUW with her bachelors in nursing. My grandson started kindergarten and lost his first tooth all in less than a weeks time.

With all of this being said, I am on to "the other side of life". I don't have anyone but the cat at home to answer to now. (oh yea, I'm not married) I must admit I have discovered it is kind of liberating to either come straight home from work and have cereal for supper while watching anything I want on television or not come home until late because I just didn't feel like it. And I didn't have to tell anyone! 40-something is the new 20-something!!

I am so excited to share the adventures of this side of life as it unfolds. Oh yea, I even bought a camera to capture it in living color! Woohoo!!

Foodie Friday....Crockpot Apple Butter

Last night I tried my hand at crockpot apple butter. Can I just say.......OMG Yummy!
There is a little work involved (as a disclaimer). But the time you invest peeling coring and slicing the apples so very worth it.

Crockpot Apple Butter
6# apples cored, peeled, sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 cup lighted packed brown sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon
2 TSP nutmeg
1TSP ground cloves
1 TBSP vanilla

Mix all of your dry ingredients together well. I just tossed the vanilla on the apples before adding the dry ingredients. (No rocket science cooking for me!) Coat the apple slices well with the dry ingredient mixture.
Pour apples into crockpot. It is going to be a pot full! Cover and cook on low for about 10 hours. I cooked mine over night. I did get up once during the night and stirred the apples, but only because I randomly woke up.
At the end of cooking, I used a cup to dip out some of the excess cider from the apples, then used my immersion blender to blend until smooth. The smell of this makes me think of how heaven must smell!
The apples do cook down to about half of what you start with. I had 3 jars of apple butter plus about 3/4 of a jar of the spiced cider that I saved to use for something later.
This would make a wonder gift for the holidays or hostess happy for a holiday party.

Happy Crocking!

My crazy life update

Wow! My life has been upside down since I last blogged. Let's start with a not so lovely shingles outbreak. If this has never happened to you, I pray it never does. This was the second time it happened to me. The first being about 12 years ago. I'm not sure what brought it on. One Monday I just woke up with a painful, itchy rash on my neck. Even though I went to the doctor on Tuesday, the initial rash developed into a terrible cellulitis that was wide spread. To the local e/r I went on the following Saturday. I came within an inch of being admitted. Thank goodness the doctor I saw listened to my pleas that I didnt have time to be in the hospital and promises to follow any and all orders he gave me. I ended up loaded to the max on steriods that got me to feeling better and had me cleaning my whole house and cooking everything I could think of! Needless to say, my kids were happy! On a more positive note, I have started sewing and crafting for missions and for Christmas. I have definately found my passion. I'll post a picture of a couple of the dresses I have made for a mission trip in summer 2014. I have informed my daughter that I will be making/crafting most of Christmas this year. I'm not sure she is real excited about that! Haha! I think when all is said and done, she and my grandbaby will both be pleased. I'm just very thankful to be back to feeling like my self. I was off work for about a week and a half. It is amazing how much it can take out of you to be sick just for that short of a time.

Little Dresses of Love

This past Saturday I gathered with a group of women at Highland Baptist Church in Meridian to sew dresses for little girls in other countries. These dresses will be sent with a mission group in 2014.
I have a friend, Beth Follin, who has been sewing these dresses for years and I was thrilled to be able to join in this year. I don't do a lot of sewing and would have been very slow on my own but Beth and I teamed up. She cut and pinned the dresses and I sewed.
Not everyone who came even sews. There were women who came to help with pressing and even just to bring snacks and make sure no one ever was in need of a cold drink or coffee!
I really hope to be able to go on one of the mission trips in the future. We also watched a slide show from the 2013 trip and it was wonderful.
I feel so blessed to be able to help bring smiles to the faces of those darling little girls.


My Friday 5

Wow, what a week!

Monday - My daughter had to have a root canal at Watermark Endodonics. Let me tell you about my daughter and dental work, they do not go well together. Bless her heart, she gets so anxious that the numbing medication wears off within minutes. Dr. Moore pre-medicated her with valium to help ease her nerves. Thankfully, the procedure went very well. And, I cannot brag enough about Dr. Moore and his staff. They get two thumbs up in my book!

Tuesday - My grandson, Lane, got tubes put in both ears. We were worried about the issue of not being able to eat or drink after midnight the night before. Lane normally gets up in the morning asking for something to drink. I think it threw him off that we got up so early (to be at Rush at 6). Anyway, Lane did great! He was really funny after the nurse gave him Lortab elixir to calm him because it had the opposite effect. He was literally bouncing off of me. And for some reason, in his Lortab high, he decided it was also a neat thing to lick me. (kinda gross) He would lick my face, my shirt, didn't matter to him.

Wednesday - Back to work I went. It was not a great day at work. I can't even pinpoint why, but it seemed as though everyone I work directly with was in a not so great mood and we all butted heads all day.
After work life got better. I picked up Lane as usual. He attends Highland Baptist CDC and we also go to church at Highland. So, he and I stayed for Wednesday night supper and church. Lane really likes church! I decided to join the choir and Wednesday was my first choir rehearsal at Highland. I sang in the choir in times past, but it has been a while. I was just like going home!

Thursday - I don't think there was much of anything news worthy yesterday. I went to work then I went home. It was nice efter a hectic start to the week and not a lot of sleep to have an early night.

Friday - Ahhh....Friday! It is a very lovely day. Not much going on at work so I have had time to do some much needed cleaning in my office. Pretty sure house keeping is not going to love all of the bags of garbage I have come up with. (Sorry!!)
I think this evening I will try to finish up a quilt I started for Lane a long time ago. I started it by hand but obviously if I want to finish it before he is grown, I need to machine sew the rest.

Hope everyone has a marvelous weekend!

Time is flying!

This year has really flown by! I knew it in the back of my head but last night we got a rehearsal list for the singing Christmas Tree at Highland Baptist. That makes it real! Life is about to get even more crazy and busy than it already is. In fact, I sat here first thing this morning and put every rehearsal and family event on my desk calendar then typed and printed out all of the same info on a calendar to put on the fridge at home. With that said, I am SO excited! I love fall and all of the excitement of the holiday season. I am ready to decorate my house and cook/bake lots of comfort foods. I am starting to “window” Christmas shop. I actually started on my holiday gifts for co-workers this past weekend. I think I am going to give as many home crafted gifts as possible this year. Yay! The more I think about it, the more giddy I am! What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Grandparents Day

Today was Grandparents day at Lane’s daycare. I have to admit I was apprehensive about going to the program because I wasn’t sure if it would upset him too much for me to be there mid-morning, but I am so glad I did. In fact, when I got there he started crying happy tears because he was worried I wasn’t coming. That just almost broke my heart!

The teachers went threw the kids normal routine for us. The kids sang a few songs. It was all very sweet. Then the children gave all of the grandparents “happies” they had made for us.

The school had a plan for those of us who had to make a slick get away to go back to work or whatever. The kids where given snacks and distracted so we could leave with out a melt down.

Thank you Highland Baptist CDC for thoroughly making my morning!

My week away

I was on vacation last week and, I must say, it was great. What a good feeling to know that when you finally decide to lay your head down at night, the alarm isn’t going to rudely awake you in the morning.

Tuesday morning, however, we did get up early and hit the road. I rode with my daughter and grandson to Chattanooga, TN. We stopped there for lunch and visited the Tennessee Aquarium. I hadn’t been to that aquarium since my daughter was little. It is so much fun to go places like that with a small child. The wonder and amazement in a child’s eyes is priceless. Although, since the aquarium had a couple of displays where you could put your hand in and “pet” the fish, my grandson now doesn’t understand why he cant put his hands in the tank we have at home and pet our fish!

Later that afternoon I checked into the Chattanooga Choo Choo for the night and the kids got back on the road headed to Pennsylvania. This was my first visit to the Choo Choo and I was very well pleased. I was upgraded to a suite simply because I joined their rewards program when I made the reservation. Not that I needed a suite, but it was nice!

There is a restaurant name The Station House located at the Choo Choo that has really good steak and live entertainment. All of the wait staff sings! They have a band and all of the servers take turns singing. It was a lot of fun.

On Wednesday, I spent the day exploring Chattanooga on foot. I shopped, ate, strolled thru the parks and even got a massage. It was a great day.

The remainder of vacation was spent at home. It was also nice to have time to get a few things done around the house that I had been putting off. Also, to just relax and do nothing!



Getting to know you (link up)

Today I am going to do a link up with Mississippi Women Bloggers called...Getting to know you. I love the idea of this. I have several favorites that I follow and feel like I know the writers, but dont know so many of the details about them. So, here I go! 1. What part of Mississippi are you from? - I am not originally from Mississippi. I was born and raised in Oklahoma and came to MS in 1993 at the age of 21. I was stationed at NAS Meridian while in the Navy. I had a baby and got married about a year and a half after moving here. I got out of the military after my time here was up and decided to stay. 2. How long have you been blogging? - I am a newby blogger. I think it has been less than a year but not certian how long. 3. Why did you start blogging? - Even though I am a fairly introverted person, I usually have something I want to talk about or share. Blogging is perfect! I can tell an unlimited amount of people about what is happening in my life. 4. What can we expect when reading your blog? - The best thing I can tell you is to expect a "regular" person talking about everyday kinds of things. I know a lot of people who have some sort of theme or favorite thing to blog about but I am just random. 5. What does your blog title mean? - Refer to #4. I just like to share my day to day. 6. What do you love about being part of Mississippi Women Bloggers? - I love the idea of having a blogging community that is close to me and can really relate to what is going on in the area. The same is true for what I get to read from the other members. 7. Who inspires you to blog? - The first blogger I really started reading is Joy Henson Sowell (The Sowell Life). I used to always look forward to seeing her put a link on Twitter about a new blog. She inspired me to just share my life experiences both joys and sorrows. 8. What is your favorite blog of the past year? - Wow, this is a hard one. I'm not sure if I have a favorite, I did really like the blog I wrote about Potholes in Life. It came to me while driving to work and I could hardly wait to put it in black and white. 9. Do your real life friends know you blog? What do they think about it? - A good many of my friends do. I put links for many of my blogs on Twitter and Facebook. One of my good friends is completely clueless about why we blog. She has asked me "what do y'all write about?" on more than one occasion. It always makes me giggle. 10. What is your current blogging routine? - There is no routine! I blog when I have an inspiration and the time to sit down and type it. I would love to do a lot more and hopefully develope a routine in the future so it can happen.

The joy of country living

I just love all of the things that can happen when you live out in the country! One night, last month, when my daughter got home from work she discovered a raccoon in the garage eating out of the cat’s food bowl. A couple of weeks later, she came home late and heard something bumping around in the garage just to discover a possum making his way to the cat food. As you can see, he wasn’t shy at all! Yesterday evening, we were sitting in the living room talking and I noticed a raccoon strolling across the back porch like he didn’t have a care in the world. My daughter said it didn’t look like the one she had seen before because this one wasn’t as fat as the first. A few minutes after we watched the raccoon cross the porch, I went to look in the garage and sure enough, there he was. The raccoon was having a snack and the cat was stretched out taking a nap like this was the most normal thing ever! I used to joke that I spent more on pet food than people food because of all of the stray cats that ate at my house. Little did I know I have been feeding half of the forest too!

Whew!

Wow! What an exhausting day. But I can say that I feel like I accomplished a lot. All of the laundry done, thoroughly cleaned Lane's room. I am disgusted by how dirty the carpet under an area rug can get. Yuck! I would love to rip all of the carpet out of my house. Thoroughly cleaned the living room and rearranged the furniture. Cooked a tasty lunch of chicken & rice, black eyed peas and cornbread. Mowed the grass in the front yard and trimmed the front yard trees (between rain showers). Most all of the above during the first half of the day when I was home alone. I rarely have the house to myself to deep clean. This evening, Lane and I spent time on the front porch enjoying the cooler weather while it was raining. Now, if I can just get in there and clean the kitchen, I'm going to call it a day. I am one tired Gigi!!

Brain overload....and it's just Wednesday!

As I was thinking about what to write today, I realized that my brain just kept jumping from idea to idea. Sudden onset ADHD? Probably not, but that still doesnt help me slow down and pick a thought or topic.
Maybe I will just blog about why my mind is all over the place.
I am planning on taking vacation in 2 weeks. I know that I am going to Chattanooga for at least a couple of days. My daughter and I are taking my grandson to the wonderful aquarium there, then they are heading further north to Pennsylvania to visit her dad. So, what else am I going to do while I am there and on the drive home?
I am taking a couple of classes this fall at MCC and am trying to make sure that I have all of my paperwork in, etc.
I am trying to make plans to go to Jamaica on a mission trip in the spring. Lots of paperwork involved in leaving the country!
Then, in the here and now, I am trying to remember what all I need from Wal-Mart, what my grandbaby and I are going to have for supper tonight, if I remembered to put the last load of laundry in the dryer, and hoping I didn't let the lawn mower run out of oil and mess up the motor. Sigh!
I'm sure the Route 44 diet DP I am drinking hasnt helped any but it makes me feel a little happier.

Beauty amidst the mess



Between all the rain we have had this year and my hectic life, I haven’t spent near enough time caring for my yard. To be more specific, my flower beds are pitiful. I am very thankful that elephant ears don’t require much attention because they are abundant and help distract from the over growth of grass and weeds.

Then, in the midst of the chaos, this burst of color erupts. It reminds me that beauty can always be found and at times strives to make its self known. Like a bright smile in the middle of a storm.

Strawberry Preserve Cupcakes!

I’m not doing a Friday 5 link up today. I am, instead, going to brag on the super yummy cupcakes I made last night.

These are an adaptation of a recipe from “The Cupcake Bible”. They are called Strawberry Preserve Cupcakes, and they are so moist and good.



1 -  box moist strawberry cake mix

1 – 8 oz carton sour cream

2/3 cup water

¼ cup oil

3 eggs

Strawberry preserves

Line muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the first 5 ingredients together until smooth. Will be thick.

Fill cupcake liners ½ way with batter. Carefully place about a teaspoon of

The strawberry preserves in the center of each cup. Cover the preserves with

a little more batter. Cups will be about 2/3 full.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

These cupcakes are great just as they are or for a little more yumminess, top with

your favorite frosting. I used a simple vanilla frosting.

Last night my house smelled amazing and I had two happy kids!

Happily Single

I have been single for several years now. Yes, I have dated off and on in the past but haven't even done that in quite a while. Occasionally, people will ask me why I am single. At times it can be hard to explain why I am so happy and content being "alone".
Yes, I have been married and obviously it did not work out. I have come to realise that some of us just aren't meant to be married. Staying single is even spoken about in the Bible quite a bit in 1 Corinthians.
Even as a child I was very content being by myself and doing things alone. I am still that way today. I can hop in my car and go out to eat or out of town all alone and have no problem with it. I don't have to worry about what someone else wants to do, don't have to wait on anyone else, and can change plans at the drop of a hat.
I was my dads shadow as a child and adolescent and he taught me to be very independant. No, I dont change my own oil, but I can tackle many basic home repairs. If I don't know how to do something, I can Google it! For the bigger tasks that are beyond me, I have several male friends and a couple of male neighbors that I can call on at any time.
Sure, at times I look at some of my happily married friends and read some of my married sister-bloggers post and wonder 'what if', but at the end of the day I know that being single is my life. And it's a happy life filled with my daughter and grandson, my job, God, lots of hobbies and friends. I wouldn't trade it for anything!