Yummy Ranch Dip

Here's a simple recipe for any occasion. Combine the following listed below & enjoy!!

• Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix (Dry)
• 1 cup of Mayo
• 1 cup of Sour Cream
  

A trip down Christmas Memory Lane....

As I observe children with their parents as Christmas approaches, I'm reminded of a few things when I was their age. I always looked forward to getting the catalog of toys each winter, so that I could compose a wish-list to send to Santa. Some of the items included - Barbie dream house, easy-bake oven, a horse, and cabbage patch doll. What did you include on your list to Santa?

Another memory would be my clever way of finding out what my presents were before Christmas day. I would lick my thumb, and run it over the wrapping paper. Once done it was easy to read through the paper to read whatever it was. However, after a few years, my parents figured out what I was doing. After that Mom got thicker paper or used boxes / bags that would not give the surprise away. How did you find out what you were getting? Feel free to share!

Tis the season for....holiday music....

I love Christmas as much as the next person that celebrates the holiday, but do the radio stations really have to play nothing BUT Christmas music until December 25th?!? Seriously, I love hearing some of the standards and less traditional songs. However, I would like to hear some non-holiday music mixed in between. How many different versions of the same songs do we really need to hear 24/7? Am I the only one that thinks this?

One of my favorite lines from a song -

"The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun. Can you read my mind?"

Can you name the song / artist?

WTF?!?! My day of work.....aka HELL

I used to love my job. The pay is great, the people are great, and what I did WAS great. Now my position has changed and I am fucking miserable. My supervisor keeps giving more and more shit to do. Now I don't have any time for myself let alone anything else. So what does my genius of a boss to do me today....gives me MORE shit to do. What I am supposed to say? "Oh, gee, thanks boss! I was so bored with what LITTLE I already had to do....." with a fake smile on my face!! You asshole!!! If the pay wasn't so great or I had another job lined up, I'd fucking quit. It'll be a fucking miracle if I don't turn into a alcoholic!!! And this is just Monday.... Grrrr!!!!

On a happier note, the Broncos are getting their asses kicked!!

Your name hyphen his name?

Is it just me or do more & more women hyphenate their names once they get married? Why would you want to do that? If you're that attached to your maiden name, then don't change it!! You could also be bold and have him change his name. If you can do that, you truly have him "whipped." LOL

Gas Prices

Warning: Remember this is just my opinion. If I get the facts I have learned wrong, I am only human. In other words, I don't need to be corrected. Thank you! Enjoy!

I can see peoples' different point of views on this issue. Let's break it down into a few groups.

Group #1 - The Environmentalists: I'm all for saving our planet for our generation and the generations to come. Also for the many varieties of life - animals, plants, etc. I applaud them for what they have done or trying to do to help. Alternative fuels are a great idea, but that could take a few years or decades.

Group #2 - The Government: That's right the "G" word! We all know that the oil companies "grease" their wheels. Anything the government is doing to help us is all show. Do you really think they will do anything? Sadly money talks louder than billions of pissed off people who must choose between buying gas, food, medicines, etc. to get through their daily lives.

Group #3 - The Oil Companies / Speculators: I swear if someone doesn't put some heavy duty duct tape on the speculators' mouths, I will!!! Every time they say something negative the price of a barrel / gallon of gas at the pump sky rockets quicker than you can say "Holy shit the gas prices have gone up again!" I realize you guys are in it for the m-o-n-e-y, but you're hurting the people that buy that gas!! If the price of gas went down, we could afford to buy more. Get it?!?

Group #4 - The People: Just to clear things up, I do not list the groups here in the order of importance. If anything we should be group #1, but I am writing as I go so sue me! Ok, so we're down to us. The citizens of the US of A and around the world. What do we have to do to make a change? Use less gas? That's great, but if you have to drive a good distance to work each day that won't work. Take a bus? That's great if you have the option and the time to waste since it takes twice the amount of time had you driven yourself instead. Write a letter to the government? That's great, but how many letters will it take to get anywhere. Like I said before - the government is just making a show of discussing options. Good luck with them getting the lead out of their asses. What do I think should happen? Well, it's not a simple thing but it's all I've got right now. That opinion may change as things move along. I think the government and the environmentalists need to work out some sort of compromise so that we can drill here at home. There must be somewhere we can drill that will not harm us or the critters that inhabit the location in which we would drill. And since it takes years for anything to get down around here, they had better kiss & make up soon to come up with a solution. I don't know about you all, but paying for the rising cost of gas, food, etc. is cleaning me out and not in a good way!

Well, that's enough for now. I am sure I will continue to post my views as the price of gas continues to grow and grow and grow and grow.....and grow......

You Are 40% Yankee, 60% Dixie

You're a pretty even split of Yankee and Dixie. You've probably traveled around a lot in your life.

Are You a Yankee or Dixie?

Being from Missouri, a state that was part Union & part Confederate during the Civil War, I thought it would be interesting to see if I am more Yankee or Dixie. Unfortunately, I don't know any more than I did as it appears I'm straddling the fence. A little more Dixie, but not by much. Funny ain't it, y'all? LOL

The bag that got left behind....

Do you ever go to the Super Target or any store for that matter - make your purchases, get home, and discover you don't have everything?!? Well, that happened to me today. The majority of my purchase today were food items except for light bulbs & socks. And wouldn't you know that was the bag that got left behind. I called Target right away for help. According to Miss Tiffany I should be able to show up & get the items. Hopefully it won't be a big deal and I can get what I paid for! I'm sure by now the person that was behind me has contacted Target as well saying she got home with light bulbs & socks she doesn't need. If she does need them though wouldn't that be terribly ironic?

Update: Alls well that ends well. Items being left behind must be a common occurence at Target. When I went to get my missing items, I had to fill out a bit of a form. They didn't even ask for my receipt since "I knew what I didn't get." Makes me wonder if I could return there & claim to have "lost" something else and get it? Hmmmm......dare I try it? LOL

Thought for the Day....

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.

Stalker-razzi, what gives YOU the right?!?

I have a few bones to pick with you stalker-razzis. Here's just a few things I feel a need to vent about. Will you listen? I doubt it, but I'll feel better just the same.

• I realize you abolutely LOVE to hide behind the first amendment, but where in that amendment does it give you the right to stalk & terrorize celebrities? Especially when they are trying to enjoy outtings with their small children?
• You should have no right to terrorize someone at their own home. If it were me, I would embrace my right to bear arms againt you. It's in the second amendment. You should check it out sometime.
• You're a big part of the reason that young hollywood is so f-ed up these days. If any of us had a group of a-holes following them each and every second of every day, we'd be messed up too. Back the fuck off!
• As for the Nick Hogan situation with the phone conversation.... We all get that the phone conversation was not "private" in that it was being taped by the police, but that doesn't mean it was public to share with the world. It is none of our business. Regardless of what was said in that conversation, the media should leave well enough alone. Who are you to judge if the parents should have done this or that? Who could be calm & rational when their child is in jail?
• I know it's been awhile since Princess Di passed away due to the stalker-razzi, but who else has to die before you bastards care even a tiny bit?
• You better watch out. People like George Clooney are going to make your lives hell & the fans will be behind them 100%! Your days of stalking will be numbered.

Wish I was there!! Having fun Billie Joe?

Baked Pesto Chicken

From the South Beach Diet: Quick & Easy Cookbook

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Store-bought pesto and mozzarella cheese are all it takes to turn tender chicken breasts into an incredibly easy-to-make dish that will likely become a new family favorite.

4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup pesto (from a jar)

2 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 375˚ F.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Spread 1/4 cup of the pest in a 9-by 13-inch baking dish. Lay chicken breasts over pesto in an even layer and spread with remaining pesto.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake chicken until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 more minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrition at a glace -

Per serving: 390 calories, 20 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 46 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 0 g dietary fiber, 450 mg sodium

Country Girl's alterations on this yummy recipe -

• Instead of regular pepper I use seasoned pepper which gives it an extra kick and is still good for you.
• If you have extra time, use the pesto that comes in a packet. I cook it on the stove until it just barely starts to boil and then I start putting all my ingredients together in the pan, but not the cheese. That comes later!
• Cook the chicken the full 25 minutes before adding the cheese. That works best for me. Of course I know not everyone's oven cooks the same.

11 Rules to Remember

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time..

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

To bike or not to bike - that is the question....

While the gas prices continue to rise, and I need to find ways to pay for my 200+ miles I drive each week I wonder if getting a bike would be a feasible option. Why do I drive so much do you ask? Well....my job is 20 miles away causing a 40 mile round trip Monday thru Friday. It's also a lot more expensive to live where my job is located compared to my current location. I wonder if I took the time to move / relocate - would the VPs move the business again? Knowing my luck - yes, they would. Before the last move I was 7 miles / 10 minutes away....

What kind of bike should I get? Can't go the scooter / motorcycle route as that would bring along the expense and hassle of getting a license to do that. So that leaves me with getting a good old fashioned do-it-myself bike. I'm cool with that. No harm in getting some extra exercise into my busy day. Next I would have to decide how far I drive and the remainder to bike. There are some RTD parking lots along my route that I pass each day. But which one to park my car at? I suppose I would have to get the bike first and test it out on the weekends on how far I can go plus the time it takes. The only thing that I can't understand is the cost of the bike. Between Wal-Mart & Target, the cheapest bike they have is $80!! To me that's a lot, but then again I haven't owned a bike since I was a kid. I would buy something off of eBay or craigslist, but how do you know if you what you are buying is a good deal? Plus it's not cheap to have a bike shipped with the rising costs the US Postal Service loves to charge.

Right now I'm just doing some window shopping on various websites and here locally trying to decide......to bike or not to bike? What do you think? Until next time....

Happy Monday!!

I am always glad to have a day off now and again, but I know with my line of work I'll pay for it all this week. Why is that? You'd think 1 day wouldn't make that much of a difference but it does. Due to the price of gas such as it is and the crappy weather we are having, I stayed in today. It was rather nice. I finished up my laundry, caught up on some reading, and watched some movies I hadn't watched in awhile. In a little bit I'll make some "holiday food" of BBQ-ed bratwurst. Yum, yum! It'll be the 4th of July, before I know it. Always look forward to the fireworks and parties to attend in celebrating. Thank goodness that holiday is on a Friday this year.

Did anyone watch the Dr. Phil show today? Since I do not have kids of my own, I know I should just keep my mouth shut but I can't help it. How in the world do parents let their kids get that out of control?!? Seriously, I want to know! If I had back-sassed my parents the way those kids on the show were doing, I would have got my butt spanked. That's right - spanked!! Back in my day (does that make me old using that phrase?), kids got spanked. I was not abused, but a good swat or 2 on the behind definitely got my attention. Also went to my room for a set amount of time if need be. I'm not endorsing spanking by any means, but it doesn't hurt to use it once in a great while.

Well, I'm off to make some dinner. I want to have an early dinner so I can watch The Searchers on the western channel @ 6pm MST. Would love to know how many times I have watched that movie. I can almost quote the entire movie word for word!! Until next time....

Today's Observations.....or Time To Vent

• It's a beautiful day out, but can't go too far in my car to explore. Bet the oil companies could give a damn that the majority of the country has to pay $40+ just to fill the gas tank; not to mention to pay for the higher prices of food, beverage, etc. Will gas prices ever go down?!?
• Clinton vs Obama...Will one of you please drop out so I can decide who I am going to vote for when all is said & done? I can't remember the last time a nomination for one party went on and on and on.... WTF?!?
• Indiana Jones 4....it's been 19 years!!! Do you honestly think this has a chance in hell of being halfway decent to watch? Usually when it's been 5+ years long in making a sequel, the movie bombs. I hope this time to be wrong, but ya never know?
• On a happy note - I did get the new Foxboro Hottubs CD. A side project from Green Day. If you love 60's type music with a bit of kick, you'll love this!!! I know I do. Listening to it right now in fact! Has anyone been to one of the concerts yet? Unfortunately they are sticking to doing concerts in the west. Hey boys, get your asses out here to see me!! It's too expensive to go out there these days!! LOL
• In regards to the song Sally off the new Foxboro Hottubs CD, what song does that remind you of? Not saying the boys ripped off someone's song, but it sounds familiar to me....
• Why is it when we live in a certain area known for National Parks & plenty of outdoorsy things, we venture elsewhere to do these things? I've lived here for 4 years now and the only time I go to the Rocky Mtn National Park is when I have company from back home in MO. Bet that place is a zoo today with the holiday and all.
• Why does chicken cost more than beef? Trivial I know, but damn it - why?!? It shouldn't cost more to feed a chicken compared to a cow. Or does it? Honestly, why does it have to cost $7 per pound of chicken vs $3 for beef?
• Why do people drive slower when they are on their cell phone? I passed a young lady the other day who was driving like Grandma Moses and sure enough she was yakking away on her cell phone. Bet the conversation could have waiting until she got home. Crazy cell phone users!! LOL
• Ever since Ted Kennedy's hospital stay and discovery of his brain tumor, he's been a story for Entertainment Tonight to report on every day. Can someone please explain that to me? When did being a poltician become part of the entertainment industry? When I first heard he was in the hospital, I would have bet it was his liver that was causing him problems. Not a laughing matter in either case. As much as I do not like the Kennedys, I wouldn't wish a tragedy such as this on anyone.

Well, that's enough for now. Until next time.....