Things I've Learned As I Approach My Big 40

These past few years have brought on many revelations that I thought hoped would never be part of my life. As I approach my 40th (this December), I am sad to report that these have snuck (is this a word?) crept slowly into my life and I didn't even notice. Certainly, if I had noticed, I would've put my foot down firmly and not allowed it to happen. Yeah right...

A Love Letter

Dear Mr. Husband,

  I love you dearly. I am sorry you are bored, you have no games to play out of the bazillion you own, there is nothing on tv, and nothing to do. I am also sorry you aren't feeling well, but I am sure that you do not have malaria, lyme disease, west nile virus, or any other wild disease you can come up with. Pretty sure fishing in the heat yesterday had something to do it, and the fact that you are feeling down. With this being said, I love you honey. You are my world.

Love ~ Mrs. You

Pet Peeve Mondays

Seeing that Mondays irritate most of us on a regular basic, I thought this would be a good weekly blog for things that set me/us off.

My biggest pet peeves, in no particular order of course...

A Love Letter

Dear Mr. Husband,

  I thought this might be a nice way of letting you see that even when you aren't here next to me, you are on my mind. You are fishing with Mathew right now and it's the first time since the wedding we have really done something apart. I hope you are having a good time and I hope you catch lots of fish! Maybe your luck will change without me being there. Let's see what ya got Mr. Fisherman! I love you, and I am so glad you picked me. You are my everything.

Love, Mrs. You

My Daddy

To start off, so there is no confusion to those who don’t really know my story, I was raised by my grandparents. They took us kids when I was 5. So to me, they are mom and dad. And this past week, I found out that contrary to what everyone thought, they were not our guardians, they had legally adopted us. So that makes it even more so that they are my mom and dad. And this was a shocker to me. They told us that they had told us when we were little but I assume that somehow I blocked knowing this. I was a damaged kid when they took us, right from the start. The abuse inflicted on my siblings and I had scarred me. My brother and sister were too young to remember, but I remember it all very well. And I remember things that my mom confirmed to be true. So in my dad’s passing, I found some sort of peace and closure as well.

It was a very rough week for my brother, sister and I. We all had different memories of daddy and our own individual stories with him.  And just being with him in those days, no matter how hard it was to see him like that, I wouldn’t of wanted it any other way.  Before his rapid decline, I knew that briefly, he was there with us. He squeezed my hand at my request, and there would be times that one of us would be telling a story, and even though he wasn’t awake, tears would run down his face.  

As the week got later, and he started to decline, his responses became less and less and we were told to watch what we said around him as he could still hear us. And before I boarded my plane to come home, I requested time with my brother and sister and him. I really felt that as the oldest of us three, I needed to step up and tell him that it was okay to let go. That we were all there, and Mom wouldn’t be alone. I let him know that he raised us well, and that even after my struggles, I had gotten my life straightened out and we would do what needed to be done. I let him know that I wasn’t going to say goodbye when it was time for me to go, but rather that I would see him later. And I stuck to that as I left for the airport, I hugged him, kissed his forehead, and told him to remember what I told him, that it was okay to let go, and that I would see him later.  I hugged my mom, promised her that it wouldn’t be that long until I saw her again and told her I loved her as well.  I left in tears.  I cried all the way to Houston, and then all the way back to California. And when I landed, I got a phone call saying he had passed…

I have since then struggled with my emotions. I wish I could have been there to see him go. And I really wish that I had made an effort to see him sooner. But what’s done is done and I know that he’s no longer in pain. Does that help with the pain of his passing? Not at all. Especially with my wedding coming up. I really wanted them to meet John and to see me get married. If they had made it to the wedding, I was going to ask him to walk me down the aisle. And now, he’s gone.

Life is short people. So I am going to close this with my facebook status from Tuesday…Hold tight to your most precious joys. Make memories, Laugh a lot, and Love more. Never take life for granted, and Open your eyes to the things you have in front of you and remember that it could all be gone in the blink of an eye…

November Thanks

On Facebook, a lot of us have been doing doing a daily thing where we post things we are thankful for. And a friend asked a really good question. She asked, Are you guys doing this today I am thankful for whatever because thanksgiving is coming up or just because you're trying to be really positive? I was just wondering. Leave it to Marci to actually make me think about something. (Love you girl)

And in regards to that question, I try to put thought into my thankfulness. I mean, life is too short to not be thankful for the things we have been blessed with. We are all given different things and walk different paths, some have more than others. But instead of people being jealous and hateful because Mr. Jones next door has blah blah blah, and you want it, I firmly believe that people should take a good look at what they have and feel blessed for those things.

I have crohn's disease. I am in constant pain, especially when I am stressed out. On top of that, I have been battling bouts of shingles as well. I could let this get me down, and I will admit, some days I would rather not get out of bed. But I wake up every morning thankful that I made it another day, that there is still breath in my lungs, a roof over my head, friends who keep me grounded, family who loves me and a fiance who I love with all of my being. I am thankful that my children grew up healthy and are moving on to families of their own and that I am here to see this.

The falling leaves and a nip in the air always make me feel nostalgic. Is it because of Thanksgiving? Is it because Christmas is around the corner? Is it because my birthday is Christmas day? This plays a big part I think. Christmas to me is a time to look back on the year that I have had and how I have grown as a person. All these things weigh in on me during this time. We all have memories of our family traditions and things we want to pass on to our children.

Three years ago, my daughter Meghan was living with me, and had her first real Thanksgiving. Her dad and his family celebrate these two holidays by going out to eat. They don't cook, and Meghan didn't know what to do having a old fashioned traditional dinner. My idea of family holiday time is not spent in some truck stop somewhere eating hamburgers and then going on ones way. It's about being together and making memories.

Anyways, I've gone way off into left field here. In answer to that question, people shouldn't be thankful for things in just the month of November. They should be thankful for something every day that they are alive. With all it's ups and downs, life is still a wonderful thing and by far, better than the alternate side of things. *smiles*

Oven-Fried Parmesan Chicken

I found this recipe on yahoo and since we had everything for it, decided to give it a whirl. I changed a few things up (the oregano was supposed to be fresh and the parmesan cheese wasn’t supposed to be out of a jar lol). The breasts were rather large so I pounded them down a bit, and they turned out really juicy. It turned out really good and mom and John both really enjoyed it, which says a lot because John isn’t a big fan of chicken. I will link the recipe I found at the bottom, but I’m going to post here how I did it. Might I add, that fried potatoes work really well with this recipe as a side dish. 


cook time~45-55 minutes


2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Milk
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup finely ground up saltines mixed with 1/2 cup of finely ground up bread crumbs 
(I didn’t have any store bought bread crumbs)
2 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Paprika
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Chicken (I used boneless chicken breasts, 2 large ones, each one cut in half.) 
1/4 cup butter or margarine


Preheat oven 375.


1. Combine egg and milk in one bowl. Beat together well.
2. Combine bread crumbs, paprika, pepper, oregano, parmesan cheese into another bowl. 
(I added a hint of garlic powder as well, I love garlic)
3. Dip chicken into egg mixture, brush away any extra egg, and coat in bread crumb mixture.
4. Arrange in baking pan, making sure they do NOT touch each other.
5. Drizzle chicken with the melted butter.
6. Bake 45-55 minutes. Do NOT turn pieces during baking. 
Enjoy!

The actual link to the recipe itself is at http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/recipes/oven-fried-parmesan-chicken-534320/;_ylt=AlMEz0LY45BX4rpWn_QHl0rkgKU5