SWISS STEAK

Swiss Steak

4 cube steaks
1 green pepper
1 large onion
1 can diced tomatoes
cooking oil
salt
pepper
flour
skillet with lid

1)Cut cube steaks in half. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour till nicely covered.

2)Place about a half inch of oil in skillet and heat over med high heat. When oil is hot, place floured steaks in skillet and cook til nicely browned on the outside(not all the way cooked thru tho).

3)Remove steak from pan.

4)Slice peppers and cut onion into wedges. Add to oil in skillet and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, then place steak pieces on top of onion and peppers in skillet.

5)Add the can of tomatoes evenly across top of steaks and then add a cup and a half of water to the skillet as well.

6) Cover skillet with lid, turn heat to LOW and simmer for 1 & 1/2 hours.

Serve with any type potatoes or rice.

As Promised.....

As Promised- Color photos of my eldest son Frank with his two boys- Devon(Top) and Nicholas(bottom).

Mom wasn't available for a family photo, unfortunately. That's NEXT on my agenda.

LOTS of Changes.

Okay........ Well .........
We, around my house, have been getting a bad case of cabin fever.
In the wintertime we don't go out much because- well- it gets bloody cold at night and we are day-sleepers.
In the springtime when we have more daylight hours, there is so much pollen out that we can't breathe for gagging and coughing and sneezing.
Summers are so hot that if you go out in the sun you risk sunstroke, and is impossible to stay out for any length of time unless you have a pool to lounge by or can visit the lake or river when you go out.
Autumn is the ONLY season that is somewhat comfortable for us to actually live like normal people do.

So, in order to try and aleve the cabin fever syndrome- I have decided to change my blog a bit- and parts of my life as well.

You can see the obvious change to my blog- and I KNOW it's not nearly as"polished and formal" as the other one was- but I needed the change- something upbeat and light and fun. I also am changing the way i blog a bit too- so if you don't wanna hear a rant- don't read it on Mondays.
Wednesdays will be reserved for family stories(and those include funny stuff Paulius and the pets do as well). Fridays I am calling Sweetest Moments-sort of a easing into a sweet calm weekend. And Sundays are going to be for my friends who wanna keep up with my dieting progress. The days in between will be for whatever oddities I think of or find that I think you guys might find amusing.
Notice I did NOT have a specific day for a WOMEN/BAD DRIVERS post.
You're welcome.

Oh and before I forget- I saw a pic of one of my dearest friends in the internet world- and she is lovely! She has been losing weight steadily for the past year and is making wonderful progress.
WTG Girl!!!

As for MY lifestyle....I am going to get a basketball stand and goal again.
I used to LOVE shooting hoops in the evening hours no matter what time of year it was-. Even in the summer it was usually cooling off enough in the evening hours that I didn't risk sunstroke shooting a few hoops for an hour or so.
In the autumn it was just always a viable thing to do- and in the winter it warmed you up a bit and got you out of the house for a while- I didn't get Cabin Fever nearly so much then.

Spring still gave me fits because of the pollen- but I have a feeling that if I get out IN the pollen a bit- my body may have a chance to build up a bit of an immunity to the stuff. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it?

I had an incident over the week as well that has me pulling my hair out, but I have done some research this morning and have several ideas of how to "fix" the situation. If these things don't work I have a docs appointment next month and I will address the problem with her. Okay, it's not something I like to talk about(Southern Belles don't admit to doing this type thing) but I will because i need suggestions from you guys- if you have anything you can offer other than what i am gonna do already.

Paulius says I snore. There- I said it.

And whats more- I totally believe him(altho I have told him repeatedly that I do NOT snore because I stayed awake to see if I did and I TOTALLY DID NOT SNORE!).
I have woken up in the mornings feeling exhausted. I have woken up with a headache from hell- and I can say it is most probably from lack of proper amounts of oxygen from snoring because my brother tied to choke me when we were teens and how I feel some days when I wake up is EXACTLY like how I felt just before I started blacking out when "brother dearest" had his hands around my throat.

I'm irritable most of the time, and the sound drives Pauli up the wall.
I am raising the head of our bed 4 inches as recommended, I have nasal strips to use and
I am losing weight.

Anything other than that you guys can offer?

No news on any job changes yet. I am still looking, altho I just received a bit of a raise last week. Or I THINK I did.
I was told that I would be getting a dollar an hour raise- retro-active for the whole last pay period. I didn't get it when my paycheck came in on Tuesday. And now I find out that it wasn't actually a dollar raise- it was just to bring me up to a certain point in the payscale- so for me that would amount to about 55cents an hour.
I spoke with the payroll department about the situation- and was assured it would be rectified this week- we will see.
To be honest- I have no faith in this at all anymore. There's a reason it's called being rec-ti-fied.

Co-incidence? I think NOT.

Okay- Okay......

Due to popular demand I will be posting the color version of Lil' Saint Nick...um.... later- I was going to do it now but have found out it will have to be downloaded from our digital cam first and that's something I don't know how to do.....so.........Paulius, Sweetie?????

Okay, one quick thing..........SC is considering a law that requires any female having an abortion to have an ultrasound done at the clinic first to see the fetus before-hand- and a one hour waiting period before she goes thru with the procedure.

I don't personally believe in abortion -I don't think I could ever go thru with it, but I do believe a woman has the right to have one if she has considered it carefully and it's best for her in her particular situation. I don't see that being required to view an ultrasound of the fetus would be as damaging to a woman considering an abortion like some are claiming.

Views?

WOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!.....Friday!!!!

Fridays always make things seem soooo much better.

Today I got a raise- a dollar an hour and supposedly it's retroactive to include this whole last pay period instead of beginning next pay period.
Now to some it may not seem like a LOT- but my LAST raise was for a whole 16 cents an hour.. so by comparison.....you see why I'm so happy.
I have also been assured by the higher ups that the "work" situation I am so pissed about is being resolved as we speak. So we'll see about that. I'm still looking for another job, but until I find something suitable- the raise will help smooth the rocky road a tiny bit.
Yay...........


Now I want to say Thank You to my darling husband who continues to do the sweetest things for me even tho it always seems to blow up in his face. Point in case....I got a frame specially to put my FOUR grandsons photos in to hang on the wall. Now i love taking photos-I'll follow a person around for hours to get that one special look I want- and this week I finally got my youngest Grandson(who i got to name btw) when he wasn't ill, or in a bad mood, or taking a bath or sleeping. He was awake and all smiles and i just happened to have picked up the camera as i walked out the door on the way to their house thinking maybe i might be able to get the OTHER Grandsons photo when he came in from school.
Nicholas' photo turned out just the way I wanted it to- but Devons- I have to re-try that one- he's a ham and not a single one had the expression I was after or was centered so it could be formatted in the frame. He wanted to "pose" and that's not what I am after for these pics.

Btw- the photo at the top of the page is my Lil Saint Nick.
:-D
Isn't he a cutie?- 8 months old and already walking.......and telling everyone aaaaaaaannntttt! when you do something he doesn't like. Little tyrant.

I'll post a photo of the other three grandsons as I get them done- but this is the one I chose of Nicholas for my special display.

I sooooo love my weekends.

!$@*@##@@!&&$&*%#!@%$&*($^^^#@@@!$^%$#$!!!!!!!!

FURIOUS!!!!!!!!

FOOTS!!!!!!..........................................IN ASSES!!!!!!!!!

!$@*@##@@!&&$&*%#!@%$&*($^^^#@@@!$^%$#$!!!!!!!!




I've HAD it with the company I "work" for. Apparently they don't realize that because I work FOR them I still have a life OUTSIDE the job-site and have better things to do with MY time than do more "WORK" for them on my time when I'm not getting PAID for it.
It SUCKS and the worst part is I realize I don't have a job lined up and can't just quit. But BELIEVE ME when I say if I had so much as an iota that I could POSITIVILY get a job and be working again within a week or two I would NOT go back there EVER again.
I also realize that this may be the perfect time for a career change- something I am going to look into as soon as I finish venting/ranting here.
I want to be doing something that I LOVE doing- and if I don't LOVE the work I do- at least not DREAD going into work every night like I do now.
I figured it out- and since I began working at this site I have been out due to stress and illness more than in the entirety of my previous work history.
How sad is that?
I also realized recently that due to all this stress I have been saying bad words much more often too, like four in an eight word sentence, and have vowed to make a concentrated and dedicated effort to break that unladylike habit.
I feel like I am being sorely tested. I don't like tests- especially ones I can't pass. And this one is pushing my limits.

I like being in control and I am so out of control of the situation at the moment that I feel like I'm going to lose it soon. VERY soon.

God help me-I gotta get outta that place.......I gotta.

Debt Free America?

I read recently that majority of Americans today are living paycheck to paycheck. Something like 90-something percent.
I believe it. The question is why?
Is it because of lack of discipline in spending? Credit cards and easy financing? Is it the gotta have it now mentality of our nation?
Or is it just the sorry state of our wage system for the Average-Joe?

How many of us could survive for a month, two weeks, or even ONE week if we lost our job in the morning when we reported for work? Have Americans lost the ability to plan ahead- for their futures or for emergencies?

One theory is that American kids aren't being taught at home how to budget and save. I think that's probally right on the nose.

Parents "provide' their kids with just about anything their hearts desire these days and take care of all the responsibilities that go along with these perks. I personally think it's disgusting.
If kids want the perks of being an adult and having all these"must-haves" then let them get a job and learn how to make money, make a budget, and learn how to manage their finances properly.

I have to admit- I'm one of those kids who had everything taken care of when I was growing up at home. Didn't even get an allowance for chores. Didn't get a checking account until i had graduated from High School and got my first job. And I was completely clueless about andy aspect of finances. Didn't know how to pay bills on time, didn't know how to make a budget, didn't know how to go about getting a loan for buying a vehicle. And it lead to financial disaster which I am now just beginning to see the light of day clearing up- even after all these years.

Americans are headed for financial disaster if things don't change drastically soon.
Be responsible. Take care of business. Plan ahead.
Your life may depend on it.

I Wanna Get A Tat

I've been thinking about it for a long time. I want to get one.

My only problem is I'm not sure WHAT I want to get- nor where to put it.
I DO know what I DON'T want tho.

I don't want Tweety, or a Butterfly, or any of the usual girlie, cutesy tats.
I want something unique.
I REALLY would like to get the first picture I ever saw of Paulius put on- maybe my shoulder blade- but I'm not sure about that. I am highly superstitious, and I'm afraid that it would be too much like having a lovers name tatooed on- it would doom the relationship. I know it's stupid- but I'm not sure I wanna take the chance. I just LOVE that pic of him tho- it looks like it should be on the jacket of a book - you know- the authors bio?
Sexy as hell, but I think I know what Pauli would have to say about that as well.

I've been pouring over tat design sites on the web and have saw a few that were nice, but nothing that really reached out and GRABBED my heart. And watching MIAMI INK on TLC at night during my lunch break hasn't helped either- they do some freaking AWESOME work- especially Kat with her portraits. We recently got tattoo parlors here in Carolina and I want to visit some and see some of their work too. If it's gonna be on me for the rest of my life I wont settle for an "OK" tat- it will have to be awesome artistry.

Now, I know some family and friends are going to read this and try to talk me out of it-(been there-done that already) so lemme save you some time and energy and just say...I've THOUGHT about it long and hard and put it off for YEARS to make double-triple sure it's not just a whim- and I'm going to get one regardless. Now if you STILL wanna try and talk me out of it fine- but the answer will still be the same.

Now if you have any suggestions as to what I could get PLEASE offer those suggestions to me.
And also, if you HAVE a tat- or know someone personally who does, tell me where is the most "painless" area to get one put. I KNOW the foot and the underside of the arm are two places I don't want to put them because of the pain-factor, but if you know of any others, lemme know.

Thanks in advance guys. I know I can count on input from y'all!

Testing.......1,2,3,4...................I Passed!!

I passed the bloody Endurance test!!
I made it up 8 flights of stairs in 1 min and 29.6 seconds.
I had time to spare!
Woot.


The I went on to take the written exam which I hope I could de-cipher enough with my bad eyes and eyeglasses to do a decent job.

We'll see how it goes.
And I got a TB test as well- required yearly for my site.
God, it SUCKED to be me today
hahahaha
But now I can safely say that I am finished with all the testing for a couple months- and I don't have a damn thing I HAVE to do all weekend. Everything from here on out is strictly on a volunteer basis!

Now....lets see...I think I'll start it out with some White Russians.......and move on to some Mudslide Milkshakes.
OMG - they are to die for!! Wait- Those will ruin the 10 lbs i lost last week- no way!!
They are to die for- but not to gain back that weight for.
Hell NO!!

Anyway- y'all have a SUPERB WEEKEND!!