Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
A Real Treat….
Vote For Sanford Bloggers – Best of Blog Awards
In the Category of Best New Blog: The Harlands
Get those votes out — let’s make sure at least one of us win!!!!
YAWN!
Today was one of those days — I didn’t go anywhere or do anything! And now, after a long rough day of being lazy, the girls are snoring at my feet and I am yawning and ready for bed!
Hair, Nails, and Goodies
My appt was at noon, so I decided to get up and out early enough to go to the Farmer’s Market. I’ve been wanting to get myself in the habit of going on Sat mornings to get fresh veggies for the week, but just haven’t been able to remember to do it when Sat morning gets here! But – today, I did think of it and headed that way a little before 11:00.
There was a lot going on down town when I got there: Hawkins Ave was all clogged up down near the Library for an auction, something was going on at the Temple Theater (maybe a recital or something), and there were a LOT of people at Depot Park. When I got in there, I remembered that the Veteran’s Day parade was this morning – I had just missed it! But, it ended at Depot Park, so there were a lot of folks there and there was some music! I’m always so happy to see Depot Park getting used for celebrations and stuff — it is a great place to hold an event!
I looked around the Farmer’s Market hoping to find some green tomatoes! Harrington Farms had some that were just barely turning ripe, so I got a couple big ones (one close to green and one ripe) and a pint of strawberries – I wanted some asparagus, too, but they were all out of it!
I got to my appt at Marcellos on time. It was a lot of fun sitting there watching all the girls getting their hair done up for the prom — most got the works — hair, pedicure, manicure, make-up — the works! They all looked so beautiful and their mothers were there taking pictures of them getting all spiffed up! It made my time there very enjoyable!
When I got home, I took the goodies I got at the Farmer’s Market and made myself some dinner – Fried Green Tomatoes, a Bacon Lettuce Tomato and Onion Sandwich, and a Strawberry Shortcake!! YUM!!!
I have never made Fried Green Tomatoes before and wasn’t sure what to do with them. The tomato was just starting to turn ripe, so it was a little more juicy than I think it should have been, but I used it anyway.
Here is how I made them:
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I sliced the tomato in three thick slices
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Dredged them through flour on both sides
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Dredged them through a beaten egg with a little milk on both sides
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Pressed them into a pile of Italian Flavored Bread Crumbs on both sides
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Fried them in Olive Oil until golden brown and crispy on both sides
They were VERY good!!! Like I said, they were a little juicier (and, therefore, mushier) than they should have been, but they tasted GREAT!!!! And they went very well with the BLTO!!!
The strawberries I got were PERFECT! Ripe, juicy, and smelled amazing!!!! I cut them up and added a little sugar to get them to juice up and create a nice syrup! I poured them over a slice of Angel Food Cake! It was fabulous!!! And, I have enough for more tomorrow!!!!
Oh, That Wonderful Ice Cube Tray!
Prior to this refrigerator, I had a side-by-side that had crushed ice and water dispensers in the door. The girls loved to get crushed ice as a treat – if I ran the ice dispenser, they would come running from wherever they were to get some ice! It was a great way to let them think they were getting a sneaky treat between meals without giving them something that would pack on the pounds!!! I would press in the dispenser lever without a glass to catch the ice so that it would spill out onto the kitchen floor and they would go nuts over seeing who could get the most chips!! Sometimes I would take a handful and toss it across the floor like you do when you are skipping a stone on a lake and they would scramble to get each and every ice chip!!! They thought that was so great and would really put them into an excited frenzy!!!
A while before I changed refrigerators, Megan (the devious one) learned how to help herself to the crushed ice!!! The first time I noticed it, I was in the den on the computer (what else is new) and heard the sound of the ice maker crushing ice and ice cascading on the floor!! I got up and went out to the kitchen and found the girls scrambling for ice chips!!! I asked them what they thought they were doing and Megan was so proud, she wiggled around and then showed me how she did it!!! ha-ha-ha!!! It became a regular thing — she supplied her sisters with all the ice they wanted, whenever they wanted it!!!
Fast forward to the new refrigerator — no crushed ice in the door!!! In fact the ice isn’t “crushed” at all! This ice maker dispenses the 1/2 moon shaped ice cubes – big ones! I thought the days of fun with ice treats were over!
One day, I was getting myself some ice for a glass of water and Megan came over and looked into the ice bucket in the freezer drawer – which is right at chin level to her!!! I thought I would see what she would do with a whole ice cube. I said “you want an ice cube?” and she got all excited and Katie and Amy came running for their share, too! So – I gave each of them an ice cube. At first, they acted like they weren’t sure what they had – then, they licked it and crunched it and loved it!!!!
From that moment on, every time I open the freezer drawer, they all come running and sit patiently waiting for me to hand each of them their very own ice cube! I’m always pleasantly surprised that they (especially Megan-stein) don’t just reach in and help themselves before I can stop them — they certainly could! But they sit just a few inches away peering in at the ice like it is a tray full of big juicy steaks!!! Sometimes, when I’m in the kitchen, but no where near the freezer drawer, they will go sit in front of the refrigerator and look at it like it is the most wonderful thing in the world – they’ll glance over at me to see if I notice and let out a little whine!!!
The freezer drawer and ice cubes have become a wonderful, exciting treat dispenser for them!!! Who’d a thunk it???? ha-ha-ha
And on to the Finale!
Also finishing up their season next week will be Desperate Housewives — their season finale will be Sunday!
But – the new season STARTS this Sunday for Army Wives – the great show that debuted last year on LifeTime — if you didn’t catch it last season, it is one you should try to catch up on!
* CORRECTION — ooppss — I just found out that Army Wives doesn’t premier their new season until Sunday June 8th – not this Sunday!
1313 and 30,000
Two numbers – 1313 and 30,000 – have had some significance to me over past couple of days. Here is why:
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1313 — Saturday I registered 1,313 unique visitors! The number caught my eye for a couple reasons – 1st = double 13, double bad luck??? and 2nd = 1313 Mockingbird Lane is where the Munsters lived! ha-ha I wondered who the 1313th visitor was in case they might want to know they held this distinction – were they superstitious??? Of course, you can’t identify the specific person – just their URL and ISP. But – in case you can recognize yourself with this info, you will know you were the 1313th unique visitor to my site: This person is from Sanford, uses Windstream to connect to the internet, and is a regular return visitor – in fact, they actually visited 3 times Saturday prior to and including the 1313th visit – at 10:02, 12:11, and 4:00!
- 30,000 — On the way home from work today, I rolled my odometer over to 30,000 miles on my Mustang! I bought it on April 9, 2005, so it is just barely 3 years old! I’ve kept the mileage down nicely! Living so close to work helped! But, I have taken her on some trips, too — she’s been to the mountains a few times, the coast a couple times, VA, PA, WVa, and NY – each multiple times! Still averaging 10K a year!
So – the #s 1313 and 30,000 go down as milestones in my history!
Mother’s Day Tribute
As a single mother of two small children in the early 60’s and beyond, you can imagine how tight the money must have been. Public assistance was not something she ever considered – she was raised to make what you had work and not look for handouts! So, we lived with my Grandparents for a while until she could afford a place of our own and she worked three jobs to make sure we had what we needed. Looking back I can see the struggle and sacrifice, but while it was all happening, we never knew that we had to worry about money!
First – there were the vacations! She made sure that we were able to go on great adventures at vacation time – always within driving distance, included staying in inexpensive motels, and often included friends who were also single Moms to share the expenses. In those days, it was possible to take a family on an adventure to a fabulous tourist attraction and gain incredible memories without taking out a second mortgage on your house to do it. We’d go to the Adirondack Mountains to do all the touristy stuff over a 4 day weekend – Land of 1000 Animals, The North Pole, Whiteface Mountain, and the Land of Make Believe – full of fairy tale houses! Other times, we’d go to Atlantic City – long before it became a gambling mecca and it was just a great beach with an incredible boardwalk full of fabulous things to do and eat! We got to see a man on a white horse dive off the end of the Steel Pier into the Atlantic Ocean, we had our pictures taken with the Planter’s Peanuts guy on the Boardwalk, we saw Brenda Lee and The Four Seasons in concert, we danced to the jukebox selections of “Ain’t Got No Satisfaction” and “Woolly Bully” in diners all over the area — and once, she made sure there was enough money to go out for a fancy meal at the world famous Hackney’s seafood restaurant! She’s never let us live down the fact that we were in this incredible high end restaurant with every kind of seafood imaginable prepared in a zillion different ways and all us kids ordered SPAGHETTI!!!! ha-ha
We’d spend nice weekend afternoons driving to a nearby town where there was a farm that had a big pond full of swans and geese and we’d take bread to break up and feed them. Then we would take a leisurely drive back home and stop at Reed’s hot dog stand for lunch. Reed’s was located across the street from a huge mansion that was the home of the “Odd Fellows Association” and we’d sit on the picnic benches eating the best hot dogs with fries and cold root beer and laugh about what kind of people were behind the gates of the Odd Fellows Association! ha-ha
We used to go to the local drive-in theater a lot — we’d put on our jammies, take our pillows and blankets, and head to the drive in. We’d get there early so we could go play on the swings down at the base of the huge screen and get dinner or snacks from the concession stand. Then, on the way home, we’d drive through town to see the stop lights blinking! You see, in our town the stop lights all changed to flashing yellow along main street and flashing red for the side streets at midnight so people wouldn’t have to wait for red lights to turn green when there wasn’t any traffic! We thought that was soooooooooo cool and Mom knew we got a kick out of it, so she made sure whenever we were out in the car after midnight (like whenever we went to the drive in), she would take us down main street to see it!
There were always kids around and she included our friends in a lot of our adventures – she took me and my best friend Cathy to see Mary Poppins at the local movie theater for my birthday the year it came out. Mom, some of my girlfriends, and I sat in the front row of the balcony at the local movie theater to see The Beatles first movie – “A Hard Days Night” when it opened and she screamed at the sight of The Beatles right along with the rest of us — and she talked us into staying and seeing it a second time right after the first cause we missed so much of it screaming — but we screamed just as much the second time and didn’t see much more of it! She took a whole car load of our friends to the drive-in in another town to see The Beatles “HELP!” movie when it first opened!
Man – this just scratches the surface of memories and adventures shared with my Mom!! And we’re STILL making memories!!! I was lucky enough to get to go to a conference in Las Vegas in July 2006, so I talked her into meeting me there! We stayed at Caesar’s Palace and in the evenings after the conference, we “did Vegas!” – and did it good!!! And to put a perfect cap on a lifetime of sharing a love for The Beatles, I got tickets for the Cirque Du Soleil show “LOVE” (a fabulous show with all Beatles music) – the tickets were for the dress rehearsal showings before it even officially opened – in keeping with the tradition of seeing any show associated with The Beatles as soon as it is available to be seen!
Mom taught me so many things, but the most important was that I can do whatever I put my mind to and provided an excellent real example of a strong willed woman who could build a mountain out of a grain of sand – given the right circumstances and desire to do so!!!
My Mom — I think I’ll keep her!!!!
Saturday Around Sanford
I got a late start today — I had so many good plans, but slept later than usual and got too involved in reading the paper and catching up on blogs!!! I forgot all about my plan to go to the Farmer’s Market in Depot Park – I wanted to see if they had any green tomatoes to make fried green tomatoes! When I saw Amy’s post about it my memory was jogged, but it was too late!!! Hopefully, I’ll remember to get up and out earlier so I can go next Saturday!
But, the late start didn’t stop me from doing some other things! I finally headed out about noon and my first stop was Shops of Steele Street – I got some pretty garden flags and one pretty full size one for the front porch (I like to keep a small supply to rotate them). I also picked up a new nightshirt. But the main reason for stopping was to see what I could find at Amy’s Confection Company! I got the last 4 pack of Cake Truffles and a couple other things — everything Amy makes for her shop is incredible!!!
Next, I stopped in to browse for a new ring at Southern Jewelers. I’ve been wanting to get a nice ring for my right hand for a while, but didn’t have a clue what I wanted it to look like! I have a special one on my left hand that I got just before the CIS Gala last year – it is my two very favorite stones in one ring – a heart shaped amethyst and a heart shaped opal set in a ribbon type band with a diamond chip. I thought I might want something to compliment 
that one, but when I got in there and Lora Wright started showing me what she had, my eye went right for a pretty citrine and diamond set on an etched gold band — very pretty! NOT anything I would normally think to even look for! But it caught my eye and it fit – so I got it!!! It is a nice deep gold/yellow citrine stone with small diamonds all around it — it looks like the sun shining!!! I’m happy!!!
I drove around downtown a little and debated a few things, but decided to go through the car wash — the pony was pretty dusty and some birds decided that I needed some artwork on the back quarter panel on the driver’s side! I like that Water Werks car wash across from Lowes – it is fun to go through and I like the Rain-X coating.
By the time I finished that, I was getting hungry cause I didn’t have any breakfast or lunch – so I went to Andy’s for some lunch. I usually get a hamburger, fries, and a vanilla milkshake, but the shrimp burger always peaks my interest! I gave in to it today and one with some onion rings and a sweet tea. It was surprisingly good – messy, though! I think if I ever get it again, I’ll pass on the slaw – that’s what made it a little too juicy to eat in a bun! But, the sandwich was loaded with lots of large popcorn fried shrimp and was very tasty.
Then, I came on home — curled up on the floor in my den to cuddle with the girls!!! Man, there’s no ego boost in the world like having three adoring doggies fighting each other over who was going to get the closest and get the most kisses in!!!
Right now, I’m watching a movie on TV starring Luke Perry called “Eight Seconds” – it’s the story of world champion bull rider Lane Frost! I’ve seen it several times before and have the video of it. It is one of my favorites — great story, fabulous country music, and heart tugging ending!!!
That’s that — for now!
Saturday Morning Ramblings
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Tomorrow is Mother’s Day! So, I thought I would talk a little about my Mom’s progress since the hip replacement surgery! She’s recovering from that pretty good – she is walking around with a cane and doesn’t have any pain to speak of – she’s just still kinda unsteady on her feet because the nerves and muscles are still mending and strengthening. So, that part is good – surprisingly good – if that was all she had to deal with, she’d be in great shape! However, she has been having some other difficulties that we have heard other’s who have had hip or knee replacement surgeries have also gone through, so we’re hoping it is connected and will go away soon! She’s had some serious swelling of her legs and feet, major fluid retention, shortness of breath, tires out super easy! And, she had to go back into the hospital for a couple days with pneumonia a week or so ago! They have been running tons of tests and CT Scans and had her go in for a stress test (the kind that they inject the nuclear stuff in to elevate the heart rate cause she can’t do it the usual way because of her hip)! She also quit smoking (after 50+ years of smoking) during her stay in the hospital and rehab for the surgery and has the usual withdrawal things to deal with! So — she’s got a lot going on and just generally doesn’t feel so good!! She says that she felt better when she smoked – hope she doesn’t give in to that and start up again!
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So – what did I do for Mom for Mother’s Day???? I sent her a floral arrangement in a coffee mug from 1-800-Flowers! The mug says “Who are all these kids and why are they calling me Mom?” — she got a kick out of it!!! It was just a small token for her to have for the actual Mother’s Day! I have a short trip up to see her planned and we’ll do a “real” celebration then!
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The hail storm last night didn’t leave me with any damage – I see a lot of good healthy leaves on the ground, but doesn’t look like I have any plant / shrub damage! Like I said in the “Hail Hail” post last night – good thing I keep the pony in the garage! I would be heart sick if my beautiful Mustang got damaged at all! I’ll go out and look closer at things later, but from what I can see from the deck, all looks fine!
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I’ve been to a lot of places where I’ve had the opportunity to over hear opinion debates and other cool conversations about our town, but none as enjoyable as what I experienced yesterday! If the politicians and any other citizens want to get a good grasp on the pulse of this community, all they need to do is have breakfast or lunch at Mrs. Wengers and “listen”. I did just that yesterday – not as a deliberate act, but it just happened that a quick last minute decision had me pop in to Mrs. Wengers for lunch. It wasn’t very busy for a Friday at noon, which surprised me! I sat in a booth in the main room (the one with a counter) and ordered my lunch. As I sat there waiting for it and then while I ate, I had the pleasure of over hearing some really good, friendly exchange of opinions on all the recent issues in Sanford – the election, the tax issues, and other topics! I wasn’t there long – I had to get back to work – but during the 20-30 minutes I was there, I heard every side of every issue intelligently and respectfully debated! I particularly enjoyed the “respectfully” part!!! You know, everyone has an opinion and has a right to it!! What I hate about a lot of the conversations and writings about the recent issues (and any issues that come up in this town, for that matter) is that people tend to express their opinion and then get all freaked out when someone offers a differing view point! No matter what side you’re on, people tend to be more vocal about how stupid and invalid the other person’s opinion is than just making their own point and moving on! NO ONE’s opinion is stupid or invalid!! It’s their opinion and it should be respected! A great statement I really like is: “Every one’s truth is their truth” – in other words, just because something differs from your view doesn’t mean that the other person’s view is any less true or valid to them! The ability to openly share opinions is what makes this country great — it would be a pretty boring world if everyone had the same opinion or were afraid to express it!!! So – keep the debates healthy and respectful and stop all this angry criticism of the opinions that don’t mirror yours!! (BTW – that’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it — I’ll slap anyone who dares to argue with it! ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!)
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Speaking of opinions – I had some fun with Jay Riley the other night! I rarely express a specific political opinion in public to take a stance for or against a specific issue or candidate – I have some good conversations with friends, but that’s as far as I usually go with it (other than “in general” comments)! Earlier this week, I posted a comment on Bill Horner’s blog about my opinion on the sales tax issue – there, I did it! First time ever! Well, a day or so later Jay Riley posted a comment and mentioned my comment – he “countered” me!!!! ha-ha The first time I ever post a political stance and I get countered – and by a friend, at that!!!! ha-ha It was NOT an angry counter point — and was actually a nice way to respond! But, when I read it I shook my head and said “Jay, Jay, Jay – you missed my point!” So, I posted my SECOND ever public political comment to clarify myself! Well – I ran into Jay and Holly at the Civic Center Thursday night — I’ve known them for a few years and really like them both a lot – they are good people!!! Jay put his arm around me and laughed and said he didn’t realize it was me that made the comment until he read my “clarification”!!! So, of course, I had to “give him the business” about it – how dare he counter me the one and only time I went out on a limb and offered my opinion! ha-ha-ha It was fun!!!! (snide little chuckle and sh** eating grin going on here)
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The girls are enjoying their play time outside in the back yard on this beautiful morning! They are such happy girls! Not a lot going on with them lately — except for their usual cute, adorable, wonderful personalities!!! They are such a joy!! The other day, I was in an all day development session and the topic came up about waking up grouchy and how it can set a negative tone for the whole day!!! I had to speak up and say that I RARELY wake up grouchy – that I usually wake up singing Broadway show tunes to the girls — it’s what happens AFTER that that turns me grouchy!!!! ha-ha-ha
Well, I’ve got some errands to run and things to do around the house today — so, better get busy!!!
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