{When you fire the cleaning lady...}

you get desperate.

I am a messy cook, it drives Chad crazy. I get half of the recipe on the counter {or floor, whatever} instead of in the bowl. After I made my Mississippi Krystals I had bread, ham, turkey and cheese all over the island. So what did we do? Plopped Miss Charlotte up on the counter and she hoovered it right up.

That's sanitary, right?

{Row, row, row your boat...to the stadium}

Once again we had a wonderful day of tailgating in Athens. When I looked at the weather and saw that there was an 80% chance of rain I reworked the wardrobe and we left early so we could secure a corner parking space in the deck so we could have an indoor tailgate.

We had a big tailgate and it was a blast! We had 4 of my coworkers and their spouses and friends along with my parents. We had good food, good drinks and of course corn hole!!

We didn't go to the game, it was monsooning at game time and I didn't feel well so we stayed in the deck and then headed downtown to the 80's bar to watch the game. Such a fun day with coworkers and friends, and so glad that the Dawgs pulled out a win!

I made two of my favorite tailgating recipes and today is your lucky day, I am sharing them with you...You will knock your friend's socks off when you bring these to a tailgate/party.

Mississippi Krystals

2 Packs of Hawaiian Rolls

1 Pound of deli turkey

1 Pound of deli ham

4 Cups of shredded Sharp Cheddar (this is two bags of the preshredded cheese)

Mayo and Mustard to Taste

Pepper

Take two packs of Hawaiian rolls, slice down the middle (slicing the rolls in half).

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Dice a pound of deli smoked turkey and a pound of deli sliced ham. Mix with 4 cups of shredded sharp cheddar, pepper,  and mustard and mayo to taste (and also to bind it all together).

In each individual roll, tear out some of the center, and stuff it with the ham/turkey mixture. Replace the top of the roll, cram them all in an aluminum baking tray, and bake for about 15 minutes.

Bacon Rolls

1 loaf of white bread

container of pineapple cream cheese

1 package of bacon

Cut off the crusts of the loaf of bread

Spread cream cheese over the entire slice of bread.

Cut in to three strips

Roll up with a half a piece of bacon and secure with a tooth pic

Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.

Charlotte didn't seem too excited when Chad told her what he wanted for Christmas...She has already started fashioning a shank from one of her bones. 

IT'S PRISON RULES NOW.

Early Christmas Suggestion!

If anyone is looking for an early Christmas present hint for me I would like one of the above.  I'm kicking around several names: Mittens, Teddy Chambers, or Mr. Sprinkles.  

I've always wanted a dog that could rob a grown man at gunpoint.

Thanks in advance,

Chad

{Where are all my no limit seniors?}

We had so much fun last night at my 10 year Reunion, it was so good to see everyone. I was sad that only about 100 of my classmates came, out of almost 500, but it was still fun. I didn't get to talk to everyone though, there were tons of people and a 3 hour time limit. We were not going to still be at Opera when the masses came...we are not club people.

Chad had a reunion of sorts as well. So many people from my high school went to Georgia College that he knew them as well. At least, he had a blurry recollection of them...

What I learned at my high school reunion:

1. The boys look old, the girls not so much. Hairlines have caught up with several people...

2. There are still cliques

3. People were much more friendly than they were in high school

4. High school was fun but being a grown up is so much better!

5. I have the best friends in the world.

6. People read our blog! Shout out to the Wilsons and the Parkers.

You thought I was kidding about the No Limit Seniors? Nope. So glad that Scott wore our Senior shirt to prove it...

Mandy, Lyndsey, Jayme and me.

Kristin!!!!, I was so excited to see her, hadn't seen her is so long!

Paul, Jeremiah, Joey and Chris. 

Apparently all high school boys have a 4 Horsemen group. Chad had one as well, he was very impressed...

Chad: "Oh I WISH I was a Comet. You guys are amazing!

Me and Paul. 

Funny story about Paul...He was my "30 year old promise" we swore that if we weren't married by the time we were 30 we would marry each other. That seemed so old at the time...

{We're going to party like it's 1999}

This Saturday is my 10 year high school reunion. Nothing has made me feel more old. Not getting married, not buying a car, not buying a house, not starting a 401K. Nothing makes you feel more old than going to your high school reunion. I still think of myself as a 24 year old fresh out of college with my first big girl job...


It has been so fun to see the pictures on our reunion Facebook page. Thanks to Facebook I will sound like a stalker when I see people and say "Oh, your baby is so cute" or "How do you like your job at XYZ company" I hope they don't mind...

Back in 1999:
- My nephew Nathan was born.
- PCB '99- Senior Spring Break was in PCB, where I saw Kilo Ali in concert at Club Lavilla. Let that sink in for a moment.
- The Columbine tragedy happened a month before I graduated. That caused so many bomb scares at our school, we spent a lot of time on the baseball field that month.
- I thought I would never get over my first heartbreak.
- I thought my world would be over because only Whitney and Chris K. and I were going to UGA. All of my other friends were going to Georgia Southern or Georgia College. Little did I know that all of these friends had such a special place in my life that we would continue to be friends to this day.
- I was so dang skinny.
- I worked at the Limited Too
- Capri pants became popular, I always wore them with a white shirt and my hair in 6 butterfly clips and thought I was so stylish
- Whitney, Kristen, Katie and I were inseparable.
- My parents moved to our lake house at the end of the summer. Thanksgiving breaks in college always stressed me out because all of my friends were home and I no longer lived there.
- Katie, Kristen and I didn't go to prom. We went to the lake for the weekend and had a blast.
- My hair was so highlighted that I looked absolutely redonkulous. I would have it pulled through a cap and then bleached! Not cute with dark eyebrows...
- We were the senior soldiers. We thought we were so cool and work camo to the homecoming football game.
- We spent every weekend at Chris K's house and always had a blast.
- Life was so simple and carefree and I didn't even know it!


Life was good but I wouldn't go back for all the money in the world. I am so excited to see my old friends, I haven't seen Kristen in at least 6-7 years. Back on Sunday with a full report!

{The dawgs are trying to kill me..}

That game was a nail bitter and I didn't think we were going to pull out a W. Luckily they Dawgs pulled through and are no longer having a loosing season...

We had a wonderful time tailgating, sometimes that is just the best part of the day...

With my parents. 

{Yes, I have on white pants and Labor Day has come and gone. Momma does too though, so there. }

With our friends Erin and Tony. They are Gators but since we only play the UGA/FL game in Jacksonville they had never been to Athens. I think we showed them a good time :) 

We tailgate next to these signs, hope the magnetic field doesn't harm us!

Ahhh, Gin and Tonic my old friend...

Corn hole!

Whit and me, so cute! I can't wait to meet Baby McMullan!

{How I fired the cleaning lady via text}

We have been having problems with the people who clean our house. {I know, I know, its a recession why are we so frivolous that we have a maid? Because I love my husband and I don't want to fight all the time because I DESPISE cleaning. I leave for work 7:30-7:45 and get home around 7, I assure you I am not dusting or cleaning when I get home...} Well, lately we have been coming home and the house isn't clean, the check is gone so I know they have been there, but there is dust everywhere and the bathtub was not clean. {I may or may not leave little tests for them since we suspected them of not cleaning...}

I just got a text from my cleaning lady asking if she should come on Friday. Yes, your eyes are not decieving you, a text.

She knows we are unhappy with their service and instead of calling me or Chad to discuss she texts.

Well my friend, you are no longer my cleaning lady now. I can't believe she did that, who does that?!?! I think Chad should text the next family that comes in and ask them do they want cremation or embalming.

Cleaning lady: just making sure we are still on for housecleaning the fri? thanks, courtney {yes, that is exactly what she wrote, no capitalization and incorrect words}

Me: I h8 to tell u but no. TTFN {just kidding, I didn't text speak her back}

Now I am pissed, I am NOT spending my weekend cleaning. I have a football game to go to people...

{Adios Summer...}

What a busy weekend we have had...

I got to hang out with 4 of my favorite little people, we went to the hospital to sit with Johnny, cheered on the Bulldogs {still so sad} and today, brought Johnny home from the hospital!! After he ate his lunch and watching tv with his eyes closed we said "adios" to summer and went swimming for the last time this year.

Thanks for all of the prayers, keep them coming as he finishes off that cancer with his chemo treatments. In six months there will be no trace of cancer and he will be healthy as a horse!

{God is GOOD..}

...all the time! And all the time God is GOOD!

Over the past few months our family has witnessed nothing short of God's handiwork and grace.

Chad's dad has not been to the doctor in over 40 years, can you believe it? This spring he decided that he was ready to go get a check up, it was way overdue! He had the full physical, blood work and a few weeks ago, a colonoscopy. Two weeks ago today we got the news, it was the dreaded C word. Colon cancer.

There has been so much going on, cat scans, more blood work, etc. all while we had Chad getting surgery and recuperating. To say our lives have been busy over the past few weeks is an understatement.

Yesterday was surgery day, the day we were all waiting for and anticipating. Would they find more cancer? Was it in the lymph nodes? How would he react to the anesthesia? So many questions filled our heads as we waited... We all spent the day at Athens Region waiting on Johnny to go in to surgery, come out of surgery and get the news from the doctor.

At 4:00 the surgeon came in and told Chad, his mom and his brother the news. He took 12 inches of intestine/colon out and the incision was only the length of 4 fingers. The cancer was contained and he didn't think it was in the lymph nodes!

The power of prayer is such an amazing thing and it was evident here. Johnny had people praying for him all over the place and it worked! We prayed that it would be contained- it was! I prayed for strength for my mother in law, how difficult it must be to watch the man you have been married to for 40 years go through this and be sick- and she has been amazing! I prayed that we all would know that God had a hand in this- Oh, he so did!!!

So I ask you, my blog friends, to pray with us that Johnny continue to thrive and get better and that we all continue to be a support system for each other and we remember how important family is. And now we will pray a prayer of thanksgiving that he is so good!