Recipe of the day - Easy Blackberry Chicken

I made this today for Sunday lunch and was quite pleased with how it turned out!

1 bottle of Russian dressing
1 jar of seedless blackberry jam
1 envelope of onion soup mix
4-8 boneless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix first 3 ingredients.  Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 pyrex or baking dish.  Pour sauce over chicken.  Bake 45 min to an hour till chicken is cooked through, internal temp 165.  Serve over rice.

If you can't find Russian dressing, Catalina dressing works well too!

Thought of the day - MHS Class of 1993

It truly is amazing how times flies and how, in some ways, it stands still.  Next month will be the 25th anniversary of the graduation of the Monroe High School Class of 1993.  I can't believe it has been that long.  It seems like only yesterday we were young kids filled with hopes and dreams.  The whole world was set before us to journey through life in.  The world was our oyster.  We could do anything we set our minds to.  Our journeys, so far, have taken us to such far, different places...but in my mind I still see those faces of friends frozen in time, as if I could close my eyes and I would be there again, getting ready to take on the world.

It's no secret that many of our lives have not turned out exactly as we had planned, mine included.  And it's not a question of "if I only knew then...." because that's a cop out, in my opinion.  Our journeys have made us into the people we are today.  That may not always be a shining example of perfection, but life's not suppose to be.  I know that not one of us, when filing into Austin Auditorium at Wingate College, was thinking "Gee, in 25 years, I'll be divorced or suffer from depression or drop out of college."  We didn't think that way then and I don't believe we think that way now.  We just happen to deal with what life has thrown our way.  We are all successful because we have survived to tell our tales.

We've each gone on to find our niche in the world.  Some of us are teachers, some entrepreneurs, some are housekeepers.  Some of us are married, some of us are gay, some have large families.  Some are already grandparents while some of us are simply aunts and uncles.  Some travel the world, some never leave home.  Each of us is as unique today as we were 25 years ago.   And, thanks to the internet, many of us can keep up with each other easier than we'd ever dreamed.  Still, I find it amazing that we made all of these plans to keep in touch and there are so many people that I have not seen since that day in June 1993.  I suppose that if I'm meant to see them, then it will be so one day. 

25 years is a long time.  Many of us have lost loved ones during those years.  Some of our favorite teachers have passed on as well.  The school doesn't really even look the same.  I drove around it the last time I was home and couldn't figure out where I was going LOL  But you can still see the foundations of the buildings that we spent 4 years in....kind of like us.  Our high school years really set the foundations for our lives.  Some things may have been unexpected, but our foundations never faltered. 

I can still see our younger selves in each one of us.  Yes, life has changed us.  But we are strong, stronger than some us give ourselves credit for.  We all have known both immense sorrow and intense joy.  We roll with the punches.  We wake up knowing that whatever life throws at us, there are people we have known for over 30 years who will have our backs if we need it.  Even if we haven't seen those people in a long, long time.  It's who we were, who we are and who we will always be.  We are the Monroe High School Class of 1993.

Thought for the day

I haven't written on my blog in a long, long time.  I don't really know why.  I could blame work, which is, definitely a factor but not entirely.  I could blame the fact that I want to spend less time on my computer, but we all know that hasn't really happened.  I guess I will just have to blame the fact that I have been lazy and neglectful....sadly, 2 things I tend to excel at.  Ah, well.

I believe I have finally started my midlife crisis.  In all honesty, I believe my actual mid life was probably 10 to 20 years ago at the rate I am going, but none the less, it has hit and hit hard.  My pot started boiling over this week when I saw a picture of myself as a child.  It's a great picture, a picture I love.  A picture that I remember hanging in a small brass colored oval frame in our house in Monroe.  But when I look at that picture now, I see a child filled with hope and potential.  A child who was, thanks to the most incredible family, happy in almost every way.  And I wonder what happened to that child?  Was there one distinct moment when everything went south for him?  Or was it a culmination of things?  I don't really know the answer to that and will probably drive myself crazy if i try to find that answer.

There are so many things right now that I need to turn around in my life.  It's overwhelming and I cannot seem to find a starting point to it.  I could make a list because, you know, I love lists, but then the list would just sit there unfulfilled.  And I don't want to say all of the things that are missing/lacking because I don't want people to contradict me.  This isn't about fishing for compliments.  This is about figuring out how to handle how I feel about my life and how to change it. 

I have a job and a degree, even though one has nothing to do with the other.  I am happy to have both but it doesn't feel like it's enough right now.  I have a wonderful partner of 11 years.  But, if you've ever been in a long term relationship, you know there are ups and downs, good times and bad times.  And it's very frustrating when you're both going through similar things and cannot really help each other.  I have a roof over my head and a house full of stuff.  I love my stuff.  I always have.  But at times it does not give me the joy that it once did.  It suffocates me at times.  I would love to share it with friends and family, but I don't feel like I have an outlet for that.

I blew up at Michael last night because I could not deal with the state of our world.  And by our world I mean the actual planet and our country's role in it.  My hatred for many things associated with our political climate and the people, both people I know and don't, who put us in this situation, has gotten me to a point where I cannot function in reality.  Plain and simple.

I will figure something out, I know.  Either with professional help or on my own, I will figure it out.  I just know that I don't want to go on with myself as is. 

If I want to keep my head above water, I guess I finally need to learn how to swim.

That is all.

Thought of the day - shopping

Yesterday, I had to do some shopping.  I hadn't been shopping, except for groceries, in a long time.  Having a steadier income does make a difference, sometimes.  It was nice to know that I could go out shopping to get something I needed for a change.  And I needed some new clothes. Not a lot, but a few things.  This morning, the handbell choir I am in at church is performing (that'll be a whole different blog I imagine) and they decided at our last rehearsal that we'd wear black and white with purple accents.  Well, I don't own much black or white besides tee shirts and I don't think that's what they meant.  And you can throw purple accents out the window....wasn't spending my hard earned money on something I'll wear once.  But, I figured I could use some new pants anyway....I'm getting tired of only wearing khaki lately. I decided to go to Hamrick's to shop.  They have great prices and sales there.  Sure, it's not high end stuff and some of it is cheaply made, but when I end up paying $2.40 for a long sleeve button down white dress shirt, I don't really care about that.  It'll serve its purpose until it falls apart. 

I left my cozy little neighborhood and headed out the pseudo back way to Hamrick's.  I opted not to take Wendover on a Saturday morning as traffic going to Walmart, Sam's and Costco's can be tremendous.  Anyway, as I was driving down Gate City Blvd...aka High Point Road, which it will ALWAYS be to me...I felt like I was in a different city.  I left the tree lined streets with cozy houses and drove through miles of shops and strip malls, both full and empty ones.  The atmosphere was totally different from where I'd been only a few minutes prior.  Not bad, just different.  Instead of trees, there are signs lining the roads.  Instead of distinctive houses, there are cold, angular buildings free of personality.  And lots of traffic.  I guess lots of people like to do their shopping on Saturday mornings...go figure. 

This reminded me of going shopping for clothes with Mom when I was growing up.  We would leave the lazy, quiet town of Monroe and head towards the big city of Charlotte to shop.  It was just about the same feeling leaving the streets of houses and small town shops for miles of box stores and stop lights.  Of course, those were the days when there was still land and trees between Monroe and Charlotte...not so much anymore.  We would go to someplace such as Hamrick's.....usually TJ Maxx and fill up the cart with clothes.  I didn't know at the time that this was a discount store, but that didn't matter.  Stores like Belk's, in our illustrious Monroe Mall, were only for special purchases because let's face it, they were expensive...and still are. 

It was always a fun trip for us and I miss that, obviously.  But yesterday was fun for me as well, even though I was by myself.  Finding bargains is a good thing.  Styles may have changed in the last 30 years, but the stores are pretty much the same.  Towns and cities may have changed in the last 30 years but the feeling I got from driving from place to place was the same.  I enjoyed that feeling and I plan on making that drive again if for no other reason than to experience that feeling again.

That is all.

Quote of the day

The greatest power you have on earth, whether you are an angel, a spirit, a man or woman or child is to help others.

                                                                            Anne Rice

Thought of the day - working at HG

There are times when life puts us exactly where we're supposed to be.  When I graduated with my BSW, I never really imagined that I would be working in housekeeping a year later.  That has brought several things to light for me.  My interest, while getting my degree, was always to be working with our senior community, which is what I am doing now.  Also, I went through a period of mourning after graduation because I was not able to do anything with my degree.  Most jobs didn't want someone with little to no experience or didn't have a Master's, so when working at Heritage Greens became an option, I jumped at it.  I started out working in the dining room, which I honestly loved.  I had never waited tables before but I was pretty good at it.  I don't know if I'd be good at waiting tables other places but in a senior community, I was great and spoiled my residents.  Just ask them yourself if you don't believe me!  That made me realize that social work can be done in any setting.  Social work is a broad term that covers a lot of areas.  Social work does not discriminate.  I have learned that just because I am not working at a non profit agency or for the government does not mean I am not a social worker every day of my life.  That realization made my degree a little more attractive.

I am now the Housekeeping Supervisor at Heritage Greens.  I have learned a lot in the four weeks I have been on the job.  I still have a lot to learn, but am loving every minute of it.  Honestly!  I still get my daily interactions with the residents plus paperwork and fun things like that.  I have a staff of seven women who work in housekeeping.  They are pretty amazing.  All very different personalities and I am learning their strengths and their weaknesses, as well as my own.  I am finding myself very protective of these women because they are good people and work hard.  With the way they each care about their residents, I am seeing that my staff embodies what HG strives for.  We care and we're here to make their lives as comfortable as possible.  This is their home, after all.

Yesterday, I met a resident that I had not met before.  We had seen each other in passing and once she thought she recognized me as someone else, but that has been the only interactions that we have had with each other.  I wasn't even sure if she was a resident or just someone visiting a resident.  She didn't eat in the main dining room when I worked there, so we had not had much contact.  Anyway, as I was leaving for the day, she stopped me in the hall to ask who I was and what I did at HG.  I told her my name and that I was working in housekeeping.  She told me that she had been waiting to meet me and was excited for the opportunity.  We talked for about 10, 15 minutes and got better acquainted.  As our conversation was coming to a close, she told me that she has been impressed with how quickly things get handled lately.  She said that she could tell such a difference since I started my new job and what a great job I was doing.  She was even going to go to the big boss and tell him how great things were now because of me.  Whether or not that's really true, it felt great to hear.  Our mission statement at HG is "Making a difference everyday".  And yesterday, I felt like I was.

That is all.

Thought of the day - my morning routine

With a new job comes a new routine.  Sort of.  My schedule at work is more regular in this new position than when I was in the dining room, which is great.  It's so nice to have my weekends back!  During the week, I still get up at my normal time around 5:30.  But now, instead of having to be at work at 6:30, I go in at 7:30.  I need to figure out what to do with that extra hour of my time!

I enjoy my mornings before work.  Michael and Squirt are still in bed.  I have my coffee.  I listen to the radio and surf the internet.  It's quiet and peaceful.  This particular morning, it's raining, so that provides some nice relaxing background music.  This time of day is just for me and I like it.  I wonder sometimes, though, should I be doing more with this time?

There are other options, I suppose.  I could sleep an extra hour.  hmmmmmm?  I could fix breakfast every day.  That would probably give me a good boost of energy for my morning.  As much as I actually enjoy domesticity, that's not an unlikely option for me.  I could exercise, too.  We have so much exercise equipment that we don't use, this would be the perfect time to use some of it.  I could also use this time to work on some projects that I have been ignoring.  That would be productive, right?  Of course, I'd have to do it quietly as to not wake the boys haha. 

As I am typically a creature of habit, I have to ask myself do I really need a daily routine?  Does it have to be the same thing every morning?  I guess it could go either way.  Early mornings are the hardest time for me not to have a cigarette still.  There was something about standing on the porch alone in the still of morning and having my coffee and a smoke.  Ah, the memories.  That's really what I am looking to replace.  If you ask an ex smoker, they'll tell you that those key times of smoking that were daily occurrences are when they want one the most.  Mom always said it was after dinner when here craving was the worst. 

But, I digress.  I have many options to add to my mornings.  When I really think about it, I don't need a set routine, but I would like to change things up once in a while.  But until I decide what to integrate into my mornings, I'm going to turn up my NPR and have another cup of coffee.