I REALLY can cook!

Shhhhh! Don't tell the Dahlin'! I really can cook when he's not around!

It's just not complete without a big, tall glass of Sweet Southern Iced Tea!

Today's Excitement

Whew! Wadda day! I took my kiddos out to a Library Storytime and on the way home, in stop and go traffic (about 10 - 15 mph), we were rear-ended!! The poor guy who rear ended me was actually from my church but he didn't recognize me until I gave my name to the deputy. The he repeats my name and says, "That sounds very familiar!". I thought to myself, "Well, duh, it should. I am the church pianist!" but I didn't say that to him.

You should have seen his eyes get wide as saucers though when he saw my pregnant daughter in the front passenger seat! She had waved out the window to get my attention and then told me that she had felt a gush and thought her water had broken. She's due to deliver my grandson in 4 weeks!

I called 911 and the fire deparment arrived within 1 minute! The sherriff's deputy was right behind them but it took the ambulance FOREVER to get there! I guess that was due to the backed up traffic that was already accumulated before I was hit.

My girls were very concerned that big sister went off in an ambulance, but the deputy was so nice and talked to them, calming them down. All of these guys were outstanding and I failed to get any one of their names.

The only vehicular damage done was to my back bumper and trailer hitch. When the church fella hit me from behind, he hit my trailer hitch and bent my bumper under a little bit. His wife told me later that he had not be driving for the past 2 months (she didn't give a reason) and this was his first time out. He was very worried about my daughter and told his wife that he was not going to drive anymore.

My daughter has been released from the hospital and is now at home resting as comfortably as possible. I'm exhausted from all the stress today and still have to go play piano for the church choir practice tonight.

I wonder who's gonna get voted off of this week's America's Got Talent?

I'm such a bad blogger

For all my bloggy friends out there, please forgive my bloggy neglect! It's just that I get a tad distracted at times and can't seem to make the time to catch up on my blogging!

Rest assured that I will make time this week to do so and you'll be able to see all my new pics and hear all about our goings on from the past month.

There's a lot! Kindergarten graduation, dance and piano recitals, and the little getaway jaunt the Dahlin' and I took to New Orleans.

Stay tuned! I won't be away too much longer!

How to permenantly delete your Facebook Account.

I'm just posting this here for my own future reference. I stumbled across this article but decided not to save it to favorites because I might forget where it is. So, here it is for myself and for you if you need it.

How to Permanently Delete a Facebook Account

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit


Facebook makes it pretty easy to deactivate your account which will temporarily hide your information. However, if you want to permanently remove your information, the "permanent delete" option is much harder to find. This article will cover two easy ways to erase your Facebook account so you can Quit Facebook forever.

Steps

Before You Start

1. Remove Facebook Connect logins. Many sites, like Digg.com and Meetup.com, allow signup and login using Facebook Connect -- List of Facebook Connect sites (may not be complete or current.) If you have accounts on such sites, go to each of them, and:
   
   • make sure you have a way to login that does not involve Facebook Connect (you will most likely have to create a username and password on the site if you haven't already.)
     
   • logout of the account, then log back in using the alternate method (not using Facebook Connect), ensuring that you will be able to access the account after your Facebook account is deleted.
     
   
   

Short Method 1

1. Copy and paste http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account once you have logged on. This screen will present itself:
   
2. Click "Submit" and follow instructions. There will be a simple password and a Captcha spam check to enter in.
   
3. Do not login or connect with your Facebook account. You will receive an email saying that your account will be deleted in 14 days. Any interaction with the account during that period could prevent it from being deleted, so for 14 days:
   
   • do not try to login to your Facebook account; you may want to clear your browser cache and delete your cookies so that you don't login inadvertently.
     
   • do not click the Facebook Share or Like button on any site you visit.
     
   • do not use Facebook Connect to login to or signup on any site (see Before You Start, above.)
     
   
   
4. Wait and watch. At the end of 14 days, all of your posts, comments, info, etc., will be permanently made inaccessible on Facebook.
   

Longer Method 2
If the short method does not work for you, here is the longer method that sets out how to get to the deletion button.

1. Go to the bottom of the home page. Click on the "help center" (http://www.facebook.com/#!/help/?ref=pf).
   
2. At "help center", type in "Delete Facebook" into the search box at the top of the page. Click "Search".
   
3. Arrive at the page titled "Facebook FAQs". Look down the list of FAQs and open the one called: "I want to permanently delete my account. How do I delete my account?"
   
4. Read the Facebook information - it basically asks you whether you want to deactivate your account or delete it permanently. (Deactivating means that Facebook retains your profile information (friends, photos, etc.) but you have disappeared from the Facebook service.) Facebook makes it clear that if you want your information removed forever, you can never recover the information and it will be wiped for good.
   
5. Click on https://ssl.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account. You will be reminded that this is a permanent deletion and that your account cannot be reactivated and that none of the content or information you have added can be retrieved.
   
6. Click submit. Follow the steps, such as entering your password, email, and Captcha code.
   
7. Do not log in for the next 14 days and your account will be deleted completely. Note, however, that if you change your mind before the 14 days period is up, just log in and this will reactivate your account!
   

Emailing Facebook to delete the account
To speed up the process and if the above failed, try emailing Facebook.

1. Email Facebook directly. The email is: privacy@facebook.com. Request that Facebook deletes your account.
   
2. Wait to get an email response from Facebook confirming that your account has been permanently deleted. This should take a few days.
   
3. If you don't hear back from Facebook within a week, email them again. This time, not only email Facebook at privacy@facebook.com, but also send an email to support@facebook.com and one to info@facebook.com.
   
4. Finally, attempt to log in to your account once you get an email from Facebook. If you're unable to log in and don't get a message asking you to reactivate your account, your Facebook account has been permanently deleted.
   

Deactivation

1. If you're not one hundred percent sure that you want to permanently remove all that information, you can temporarily "deactivate" your Facebook account. Just follow the detailed instructions at How to Deactivate a Facebook Account.
   

Tips

• If you really want to be secure, change the contact email back to the new email address and then remove your original contact email from the list. Then deactivate the new account.
  
• It should be noted that how deep your deletion goes is highly questionable — does Facebook still store your information even though you've destroyed your way of accessing it? You have no way of knowing.
  

Warnings

• If you try to register using your contact e-mail address, Facebook will inform you that the address is currently in use. You must first register using an alternate e-mail address, then add your contact e-mail address when the account creation process is complete.
  
• Bear in mind that you will not be able to restore your account after the 14 days of the permanent deletion process have passed.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Opt out of Facebook's Open Graph Personalization
  
• How to Manage Facebook Privacy Options
  
• How to Quit Facebook
  
• How to Block Facebook Beacon
  
• How to Deal With Not Having a Facebook/Myspace
  
• How to Use the Facebook Like Button
  

Sources and Citations

• Read Write Web, What happens when you deactivate your account (research source)
  
• Groovy Post, Permanently Delete Your Facebook Account (How-To) (research source)
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Permanently Delete a Facebook Account. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

My new grandson, Due in August

Presenting my new grandson. He'll be joining the family this August. He is our blessed surprise baby and is currently snug and safe inside his mommy. Pray for my daughter as she approaches this new phase in her life.

Just look at these sweet feet!!!
I can't wait to meet him!!

Tote bags for Women's Hope Center

Last week sometime, I posted about a need at the former Women's Hope Center. I made up about 25 of these tote bags to donate to what is now called the Family Resource Clinic. These bags are prayed over before being given to any young lady who test positive for pregnancy.

I plan on making more of these as well as burp cloths.

The center also has other needs as well. Ways you can help are to volunteer your time at the clinic, Donate monthly or even one time monetary gifts, Give a memorial gift, Invite the Resource Center to do a presentation at your church, group, or club, Give a baby shower for an expecting young lady at the center, Donate maternity or baby clothes, food/formula, or other baby items. Contact the Family Resource Center for more information @ 225-686-1123.

Family Resource Center has a need

I just found out that the Family Resource Center (formerly called the Women's Hope Center) located in Satsuma, LA has a need for diaper bags and burb rags. If you sew, or know someone who does, or even if you have some diaper bags that are in good condition (if not better), please donate them to the Family Resource Center.

The Center is a source of love, compassion, and respect to women who find themselves in a situation of need. They focus on providing hope for families in crisis.

Please contact them. If it wasn't for them, the situation with my daughter would be much worse. They have certainly given us hope and assisted with coping.

I am Stressed Out!!!

Please pray for me. I'm feeling a bit drawn and quartered right now. I forgot to pick up my Little Bird from school today. Isn't that something? I totally forgot! What the heck is wrong with me?

This past week, my best friend's husband died, my pregnant 22 y.o. DD is going through some stuff with her so-called "friends"...(seems they don't have time to hang with her anymore), and Little Bird's teacher called me in for a conference due to her "bossiness". The child is very bright and is a "know it all".

My husband also isn't working as much right now, so he's "underfoot". He's a 3rd party welding inspector and at this time, there just doesn't seem to be much going on for him to inspect. It sure would be nice for him to get a little job in Alabama or something somewhere so that I wouldn't have to cater to him too (in addition to the kids).

On top of that, the lady who has served our church in the pianist position for 49 years, suffered a stroke last Sunday during her offeratory performance. Isn't that sad?

As a result, I have been called in to pick up the slack. I'm actually thrilled to be able to do that, playing for the church; as I feel that it's a type of stress release therapy for me. However, it also means that my focus will soon change to more practice time at the keyboard.

I know that I'm not the only person in the world who is stressed and going through junk...but I sure feel like I'm alone here. I'm tempted to take a little bit of my hubby's hard earned moola and go get myself a massage tomorrow.

Anyway, thanks for listening and remember us when you speak to the Father.

Spring Break in Natchez

Just before Easter, our family took a little retreat up to Natchez for some quality family time. You can read all about it over here, starting with Day 1.

Enjoy!!!

Easter Sunday 2010

Happy Easter everyone! Christ is Risen - He's alive!! He is not dead or in the grave but ALIVE!!! Hallelujah!!!

We celebrated at our church today where my girls looked so pretty in their new little dresses.

Then we went to eat dinner with my mom and stepdad.

Now it's time for me to update some other posts.

Easter Dresses

I finally finished making the Easter dresses for my girls! Actually, I finished them last weekend before we left for our Spring Break vacation. Aren't they cute? I can't wait to see them on my girls in the morning.

Our New Family Member

Kangaroo and Buddy - the bobble headed beagle. He's only 6 weeks old and seems to be adjusting to Kangaroo's caresses.

From My Dad's Front Porch

I went next door to my dad's house and visited for a little bit. I just happened to have my camera with me and I tried to play with some of the settings. Here is what I got!

Peach Blossoms

The hens

Gypsy

King of the Farmyard

I just thought this was an interesting shot.

When ya live so close to the water, you must watch out for gators!

A close up of the beautiful sunset tonight.

Another sunset shot.

The night photos are kind of challenging. I think I need to take a photo class or something to learn more about this type of photo settings.

Easter Dress Fabric Shopping

This afternoon, I had to take The Teen to get the hardware off of his chompers. Just look at this beautiful smile!!! You cannot imagine how many shots it took to get this photo. It finally took a threat from the orthodontist to get this grin. What a handsome teen!!!

Yeah, I know his eyes are half closed but I guess I settled for what I could get.

In order to kill 3 hours of orthodontist time, I left the Teen and went in search of fabric for my girls Easter dresses. I chose these beautiful cotton florals AND

This gorgeous polyester Taffeta. You can see that it has a grain to it. There was another word after "Taffeta" on the bolt but I can't remember what it was. It started with an "M" though!
Now, for the hard part. Choosing which fabric to make the Easter dress out of. Hmmmm.

Easter Dress Pattern Shopping

I went to Walmart today and did some looking around in what's left of their sewing department. Even though they've moved all the fabric out, the patterns were still available. I'm really upset about them getting rid of the sewing department. You have no idea! Some of that $1.00 a yard fabric is really cute! But alas, I'll have to find another source. In the meantime, I came home with the following patterns. I'm trying to find simple pull over stuff as I really don't want to take the time to mess with zippers or other fasteners.

Simplicity pattern #2711 - Isn't this cute? I especially like the pin tucks on the front.

Simplicity #3510 - Another cute pullover
Simplicity Pattern #5695 - Pullover
New Look Easy Pattern #6309 - Now this one does have a 14" zipper up the back.

However, I think I can modify it to pullover.
McCall's Easy Stitch N Save Pattern #M5908 - Also a pull over pattern

I'm leaning towards the first picture or the 2nd to last one for the Easter dress but the other patterns can be used for other outfits later. Wish me luck!!!

The Easter Dress experiment

On Friday, I did some more sewing. I finally finished this one for my Kangaroo.

She seems to like it.

Here's the flip side.

Then after daydreaming a bit about Easter dresses, I tried to do this with the same pillowcase pattern. I'm not too keen with the way it turned out. There's just no shape to it. It's made with a lavender cotton underdress and a chiffon sheer overlay.

During the sewing process, I began seeing a different dress in my mind. I just have to find a pattern. I'm thinking of doing something like this without the sleeves or collar.

So, what do you think?

Date Night: We Saw Dead People!

Naw, not really. DH and I were looking for something different to do for date night. Usually, it's dinner and a movie or something. I'd read about this production in a newspaper article last week and thought it looked interesting. Since my husband is a history buff, I decided to surprise him with this date activity.

I told him prior to leaving the house to dress comfy and be prepared to leave the house by 6:30 p.m. He gave me a strange look and replied, "Ooooookay?".

So, we hit the road and were on our way. About halfway to our destination, he asked where we were going. I responded by asking what he thought was the fastest route to the corner of Florida Blvd. and 22nd street. He turned and said, "That's the cemetery! What are we going to the cemetery for? I'm not spending the evening doing geocaching. If that's what you've got planned, let's do something else."

I was like, "The cemetery? Really? That's where it is? Now, just how is it that you KNOW the address to a cemetery!? What's the deal there?"

Now, I don't know if he had also previously read the same article I had, but I had a sneaky suspicion that he already knew what was up. However, he kept quiet, which was nice since I was trying to spring this surprise on him.

At approximately 7:15 or so, we finally arrived at our destination where the annual Magnolia's Memories was being played for the 7th year.

We were admitted to a "staging" area where attendees could browse book and CD vendors, enjoy a bowl of Shrimp and Corn soup, imbibe in a fine wine, and listen to some outstanding bluegrass music provided by Thibodeaux's Mosspickers.

The "staging" area is also where we waited to be angelically escorted into Baton Rouge's old Magnolia Cemetery which is where the major action of the August 5, 1862 Battle of Baton Rouge took place. Many of Baton Rouge's prominent citizens are buried in this fascinating place.

My sweet hubby patiently waits his turn to "cross over".

Once we were escorted to the other side (meaning the cemetery across the street from the "staging" area), we were greeted by Mr. Charles Rabenhorst. (Okay, so it isn't REALLY him but a local actor - Robert Wilson - who is portraying him). Mr. Rabenhorst regaled us with stories of how he came to the U.S. as a 14 y.o. boy, met and married his wife, and lived his life. He also enlightened us as to how he came into the funeral business.

When Mr. Rabenhorst finished his 15 minute monologue, we were then escorted by one of several individual musicians strategically placed throughout the cemetery. Each one played some sort of period instrument and a respectful melancholy tune.

At our next stop, we "met" siblings Henry and Sarah Morgan who grew up in Baton Rouge as children of Judge Thomas Gibbes Morgan. The family lived on Church Street which is now called 4th street. There is a historical marker located at the home site which is now the Chase Bank building (I think). Sarah also wrote a diary called "A Confederate Girl's Diary" in which she wrote about the Union troops garrisoned in Baton Rouge at the time.

We also "met" Cecil Morgan, who led the fight to bring about the impeachment of Huey P. Long as governor in 1929. We were entertained by the political bickerings of early Baton Rouge mayors James E. Elam, Henry Schorten, and Leon Jastremski. A funny moment happened when Schorten and Jastremski were loudly bickering and Elam interuppted them with, "Fellas, we don't have forever."

Schorten and Jastremski stopped bickering and slowly turned while gazing at their surroundings. They then turned their attention back to Elam and said sarcastically, "Really?"

A more recent honoree of the evening was Bill Long, a talented Baton Rouge photographer who was just getting his business started when his life was cut short by a heart attack.

Our final stop of the evening was at the tombstone of Joshua B. Hare. Captain Josh Hare was the first chief of police in Baton Rouge. He also holds the "honor" of being the first Baton Rouge police chief to be killed in the line of duty. He and his widow Clara, shared stories about their lives in Baton Rouge during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

After the Hares' dialogue, a string band approached as the Hare's walked off into the distance while holding hands. The musicians began playing a haunting tune called "You Will Be My Ain True Love".

We were then escorted out of the cemetery and hubby mentioned that he was hungry. It seems the Shrimp and Corn soup just wasn't enough dinner for him. Looking at the clock, we realized that most restaurants were probably closing. We chose to visit a Waffle House on the way home and rehashed the evening's events.

What a wonderful change of pace from our other date nights! Hubby even mentioned that it stirred up the history bug in him and now he has the urge to do some personal research! I think I might rent that movie, "All the King's Men" to watch this week. :D

Resturant Review: Santa Fe Cattle Co.

For the first time in my life, I was privileged to enjoy a lunch at the Santa Fe Cattle Co. restaurant located in Hammond, LA. I had driven past this place several times and kept telling myself that one day I will go in there. Today was that day.

This restaurant has a very relaxed and casual atmosphere with outstanding service. Our waitress was fast, friendly, and efficient. The decor was a mix of Cracker Barrel antiques and trailer trash kitsch including a Red Bull can mortared into the brick!






But the real reason we come to a restaurant is for the food. Right? If you're really hungry and just can't wait for the appetizers to be served, feel free to indulge in the pail of roasted peanuts strategically placed in the middle of the table. Don't even think of proper disposal of the shells. Just toss those suckers on the floor!

Not being in the mood for peanuts, I perused the menu for a bit, I ordered one of my favorite dishes....the chicken fried steak.

While we waited for the main dishes to get cooked and served, our waitress brought some yummy homemade soft yeast rolls to the table. Next to the rolls was a tiny little tub of cinnamon butter. I have never had cinnamon butter. Most restaurants I've been to in the past had honey butter or something else. But cinnamon butter? Yum Yum!!! I spread this stuff on the roll and it melted all over my fingers.

A few minutes later, the waitress reappeared and sat THIS down in front of me! Just look at the SIZE of that thing! Delish!!!


I would like to have had some veggies on the side as well. But, alas, what you see is what you get. However, the price wasn't bad at only $10 for the plate!!! I plan to return soon and will remember to order some veggies. I just know they'll be yummy, too (as well as good for me!).

Here we are posing with the Longhorn after we sufficiently stuffed ourselves to the gills.

If you get a chance, mosey on eastward from Baton Rouge and stop in Santa Fe for a real western treat.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

"Whatcha want fer yer birthday Mom?" I asked.

She replied, "A million dollars!"

"Yeah right. I'm just not that blessed. Sorry. Hey, pick a color!"

"What?"

"Pick a Color...one of the basic ones...like from an 8 count box of Crayons."

"Oh, okay. Well, Green! Money's green right?"

"Mom, I can't guarantee that I'll have money for you. Sorry. But I can guarantee that it will be green."

So, today, on my way home from church, I stopped by Dollar Tree and ran down each aisle collecting anything that looked green. I was happily surprised to find some chocolate bars wrapped in a million dollar wrapper!

What you see in the above picture is a feather duster, some cans of Green Beans, Mom's totes (for collecting stuff floating around in the car), and the candy bars dressed as a million bucks. In the basket is some hand sanitizer (green apple), a magnetic shopping list, a candle, kitchen sponges, snack cups, a small laundry rope, a manicure kit, and that's all I can think of. Oh, and of course, everything was the color green.

Then, we went to meet my mom, stepdad, and brother at the Santa Fe Cattle Co. restaurant. (By the way, I have a restaurant review for this place too. It was my first time there.)

As you can see from the following photo, my mom absolutely LOVED the green gift!

She ESPECIALLY loved the million dollar chocolate bars!

The couple shot!

A table shot (well, okay ... half a table).

An after lunch photo op!

My brother gave mom a bunch of roses too! Isn't he sweet?

Happy Birthday Mommy! May all your wishes come true!! I love you!!