How Southern Are You?

**UPDATED to add a few I'd forgotten.  If you think of more, please comment and I'll add 'em!**


It seems people either love the Southern accent and dialect or they hate it with a passion.  People always pick on me for my accent, sometimes even Southerners.  I got picked on in college and in graduate school because when asked where I was from, I said "Ashebur" (a.k.a Asheboro).  From that moment, I was given the nickname Tarabur and that was fine with me.  I have used every one of these sayings minus maybe 2.  If you aren't from the South and have heard some of these sayings, obviously they have migrated or the Southerners have migrated to your neck of the woods. 

How many of these words or sayings do you or have you use/d?

Argue with a stop sign (or fence post)

Barking up the wrong tree. 
Bleeding like a stuck pig.
Bless yer heart!
Caught with your pants down. 
Cay-ut. (cat)
Cotton pickin' *Mentioned by He & Me +3
Cute as a speckled pup.
Daggumit!
Doggone it!
Don't beat a dead horse.
Don't bite off more than you can chew. 
Don't count your chickens until they hatch. 
Don't get me started.
Don't get yer panties in a wad.
Don't that just beat all.
Fly off the handle.
For crying out loud!
For Pete's sake! (FYI...I don't know Pete)
Frunchard (front yard)
Full as a tick.
Gahhhh lee!
Geez Louise.
Get the short end of the stick. 
Give down the country. 
Go hog wild.
Goodness gracious.
Go to bed with the chickens. 
Go whole hog.
Got your feathers ruffled. 
Gettin all gussied up.
Give me sum sugar.
Have no axe to grind.
Having a hissy fit.
Heebie jeebies.
Hit the hay.
Hold yer horses!
Holy cow!
Hotter than blue blazes.
I declare.
I'm fixin to.
In a tizzy.
In high cotton. 
I reckon.
I've not seen hide nor hair. *Amy mentioned this one.
Jerk a knot in your tail *Pam mentioned.  My mom used this one all the time!
Like a knot on a log. 
Like two peas in a pod. 
Like white on rice.
Mend fences.
Over yonder.
Plumb tuckered out.
Purdy lil thang.
Runnin' around like a chicken with it's head cut off.
Scarce as hen's teeth. 
Sight for sore eyes.
Somethin or other. *Mentioned by Amy
Snowball's chance in hell.
Stomping grounds.
That just got my goat.
That takes the cake.
Three sheets to the wind.
Too big for yer britches. 
Too good for your raising?
Well, shut my mouth.
What in the tarnation?
Who's plucking this chicken?
Wide open *Mentioned by He & Me + 3, as in he's wild or goes non-stop
Wild as all get out.
Y'all
Yawnto? (You want to)
Youngin'

Music Monday

Today, Music Monday is all about music from the 2000s!  If I had to choose my favorite song ever, this song would be it without a doubt!!  Why?  Firstly, Maroon 5 is my favorite band because they (namely Adam Levine, the lead singer) have such a distinct sound.  Secondly, well.....I just like the storyline of the lyrics.  It's all about love and spending time with your special one.  And, thirdly, it just has a very soulful sound that soothes me.  Sunday Morning was released in 2004 and the official video was shot on Abbey Road in London.  I don't remember where I heard this song for the first time but I loved it from the beginning!

Next week, Music Monday is your choice!  If you haven't already, take a look at my sidebar for upcoming MM themes!  And, if you have theme ideas, send them to me!

Friday Foodie

Salsa Chicken

chicken breasts

salsa, as desired

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1 c. sour cream

cheddar cheese, if desired

Mix salsa, soup, taco seasoning and sour cream together in bottom of crockpot.  Add chicken breasts and coat with mixture.  Cook on high for approximately 4-5 hours, stirring every hour. 

Once the chicken is done, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top (if desired).  As you can see, I forgot that part but it was delicious without.

As you can see, there is a missing side item.  That side will make an appearance next week!

Under the Weather

Ewwwww!  I'm not feeling well at all!  I have a terrible sore throat, which feels like I've swallowed an egg on my left side.  It's killing me to swallow so here's some more cute stuff from my magazine perusing last month!  Enjoy!


What do kids do better than adults? (from Parenting, July 2009)

• "Have fun!  All grown-ups do is sit around while kids play in the park." - Vivian, 5
• "Get a treat for pooping in the potty." - Claire, 2
• "We are much better puddle jumpers." - Eugenie, 5
• "We don't say bad words." - Brooke, 4
• "Blow bubbles in milk." - Chase, 3
• "Hang upside down.  My mommy sometimes wears a dress, and if she hung upside down, you would see her underwear.  You do not want to see my mommy's underwear.  It's ugly."  - Sasha, 5

What's the hardest thing about being a kid? (from Parenting, August 2009)

• "Putting your clothes in the hamper." - Ben, 5
• "Sharing my mommy." - Zina, 4
• "Staying in my room when I get in trouble." - Chloe, 4
• "Getting a splinter out of my finger." - Emma, 5
• "When you get a bump on your foot." - Brooke, 4
• "Being lonely at bedtime." - Reese, 4

Ministry Opportunities

Back in April I wrote this post describing our journey of church visiting/attending since getting married and just never finding the right place.  In that post, I broke the news that we had finally found the right church for our family and since then, we have enjoyed attending church again and getting involved.


Growing up, my family was always deeply involved in church so it's what I've always known.  I have missed that part of my life ever since I went off to college.  We are getting involved again as a family!  I have to say that it isn't always easy - it's kind of like writing that term paper.  Just getting started is always the hardest part and then it becomes easy from there.  We immediately joined a small group and have been involved in 4-5 different studies.  Just this past weekend, our small group sponsored our church's first ever Parent's Night Out.  It was an opportunity for the parents in our church and even in the community to bring their children for our small group to baby/childsit while they went out for a little time alone.  We ended up providing entertainment in the forms of games, crafts, movies, recreation and food to over 60 children.  Dwight and I were in charge of the indoor playground similar to this one, which we have in its own room in our church.

We ended up moving into the nursery by the end of the night because Andrew was in there and someone else took our post for a while.  It was such a blessing getting to spend time with the kids, seeing the fun they were having and knowing we were doing such a nice thing for parents in our church who may not have date nights or would have to pay money for such a thing.  We had 10 pizzas left over and they were donated to the Raleigh Rescue Mission to feed the homeless Saturday night.

In addition to getting more involved with our small group, Andrew and I have been a part of the Preschool Playgroup also.  A lot of times it was too hot this summer to go on the outings and often they would go to places that charged money or was more geared toward older children so we would opt out but lately we've been going each week.  The playgroup leader, who is also my small group leader, mentioned to me back in the summer about possibly stepping down from the position.  Over the past few weeks, she made it known that I had come to mind when thinking of a replacement.  Though I initially said "no" without giving it much thought, I decided that I need to be willing to help where I am needed.  At that point, another member asked if I would be willing to help her co-lead the playgroup as she had been approached also.  I was much more comfortable with this decision.  We held a meeting (the current leader and three of us she had in mind) and came to a decision that M would become the new leader and our current leader would back down to co-leader.  I do believe this is the best decision because I don't want to take over a position and then have to leave it depending on me returning to work or us moving.  But....we all made the decision about leadership and even changes that need to be made in planning because we care what happens to the future of our playgroup.  Andrew and I will still fully support the playgroup because we love the fellowship and I am on the list as a fill-in leader in case both can't attend.

In small group back in June, we devised our personal spiritual goals.  One of my goals was to be involved in the church childcare ministry within 6 months.  Being a mom, having a safe place for Andrew to play, learn about Jesus, interact and grow while I'm in church ranked high on my list when looking for a church home.  I want to help provide that same structure for other children so Dwight and I signed up to become volunteers on Sunday mornings.  Initially, we are starting to serve in the Nursery-2 year old class but will also be available for the other classes if needed.  I have been scheduled one Sunday so far and loved every minute I was in there caring for the babies or playing with the toddlers.  This article provides 7 ways the nursery ministry is vital to any church and its members.

Finally, at my home church in which I was raised, we never participated in Operation Christmas Child.  At the past two churches we merely attended but never got involved, they had OCC but Dwight and I didn't participate.  But....this year, we participated.  Helping people is my calling (second to being a mother, of course) - afterall, I am a social worker.  What a HUGE blessing it is to help people whether it be delivering food for the elderly, making meals for the sick, giving money to charity, driving the blind to the grocery store or whatever.  I definitely know I have received a blessing from doing Operation Christmas Child this year.  Yes, 3 boxes don't amount to much in the eyes of Americans BUT I just know those boxes will bring joy and smiles to the three child that receive them.  I pray that they know the boxes were organized and packed with love.  If you have done OCC in the past, you know as big a part of packing the boxes is praying for the volunteers who distribute them, the countries to where they will go and the kids who receive them.  This year we are sending boxes to a boy 2-4 years old, a girl 5-9 years old and another boy 10-14 years old.  I made my donation online so my boxes can be tracked.  I will report back when I hear of their location and if we receive a letter back from the child/ren. 

This was just a little of what I packed.  I added a lot more before sending!

Here are the 3 boxes all wrapped for 3 special children to open!

I hope if you aren't involved in a minstry, you will take those first steps.  There is a whole wide world that needs to see God's love at work through our actions.  It can be in your church, your neighborhood, your larger community, your state, your country or the world.  God's love knows no boundaries.  I promise you will get a bigger blessing than ever expected!!

Another Edition of Randomness

Sometimes I just like to pay attention to what is going on around me and make a mental note.  Here is my latest list:

One thing I have always wanted to try is cotton picking.  Around this time of the year, some of the fields in NC look like it has snowed just a little.  It is actually cotton!  I would love to see and feel cotton in it's natural form.  Maybe cotton balls are the natural form...I don't know but I have a feeling there is some difference.

Why do Chinese restaurants call the same dish three different things depending on the restaurant?  It's either Kung Pao, Kung Po, or Kung Bo.  Maybe it's a regional difference?

Since losing weight, I've lost most of my rear and I'm not happy about it.

The other night we were watching something on tv about Abraham Lincoln and I remembered the song I learned in elementary school about ♫Mr. Lincoln's on my penny♫...  Except, that's all I could remember so I told Dwight to Google it and see if he could find the lyrics.  No luck but when I looked back over at the computer, he was Googl'ing ♫Peanut Butter and jelly, that's what I like in my belly♫....  We are crazy like that!

Why is it that sour apple candy is so good but makes your breath stink so bad!?!?!

When you mis-dial, realize it before someone answers and hang up, why must they callback and keep calling to find out who you are and why you called them and hung up?  If I miss a call and don't recognize the number, I can guarantee I'm not going to be calling that number just to find out who is calling me.  If somebody wants to talk to me, they will either call back or leave a voicemail.  Some people act like you are stalking them and they are going to find out who you are....even if you mis-dailed.  Get over it people, sometimes it happens AND sometimes little boys play with the telephone and dial weird numbers.  

Why is "Colonel" pronounced "Kernel?"  And why is "Kerr" pronounced "Car."  Am I missing something?  

I think inmates should earn their keep but I cannot stand passing the work crews out picking up trash on the roads. Why? Haven't you ever thought about what would happen if one started to run away at the exact moment when your car was passing? I have and I don't want to get shot from being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

Just to let you know, I sat in the McDonald's drive-thru for nearly 10 minutes the other day.  Fast food?  I think not BUT I was completely impressed that both of the window workers were very nice and actually seemed to be happy to be there.  Plus, they got my order exactly right! 

I loathe Walmart and most of you know this fact but lately I have been going there just because they opened a new (CLEAN!) store near our house.  Everytime I go, I am just reminded of why I despise the place.  Here's my short list: 1) you can't find a parking spot within eyeshot of the building, 2) I can't find anything I'm looking for so I end up spending double the time in there just looking for stuff, 3) the workers are less than friendly, 4) people think the prices are so much better but I haven't seen much of a difference, 5) out of 50 cash registers, only 6 are open and they are slower than molasses!

Recently, Andrew and I made a trip to purchase Operation Christmas Child box items so I had a ton of little items.  I had walked from one end of the store to the other searching for those items.  When I was ready to check out, there was only ONE register open on the end of the store where I was, so I parked and waited my turn.  I even let one man in front of me because he only had two items.  While he was checking out, I looked up to see that the register open was for speedy checkout.  I contemplated moving to another register but the closest one was halfway down the store and no one was behind me anyway.  As soon as I started emptying the cart, other patrons came up behind me.  I could hear them silently cursing me out and burning a hole in me with their eyes.  Oh well, I have waited on people a million times who have 150 things instead of 15 so this time, was my freebie.  I still felt bad about it.....

Although I am one of those weird people who love rain because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, I was very happy to see the ☼ again!


We bought our mattress just before we got married 6 years ago.  Although I flip and rotate, you can still see the indentions starting to appear.  What I don't understand is why they are showing up where most people would normally sleep when Dwight clearly sleeps in the middle of the bed and I sleep on the edge.  Here's proof:

Since my last Awards post, I have received a few more since so let me say Thank you right here.  Obviously, if you are receiving awards, people are at least reading and appreciating some of the things you have to say.  So, thank you ALL for the awards I've been given and I sure hope I don't leave any of the awards out.

After several weeks of recognizing my loyal commenters, someone gave the award to me!  Mandy awarded me with the Loyal Commenter award and it made me smile.  In addition, she gave me the One Lovely Blog award as well.

Melanie awarded me the Best Blog award.

Christy passed the Friendship Award on to me and yesterday I received the Sunshine Award too.

Stormy  gave me the Honest Scrap award and since I've done this one twice, I'll redirect you here so I don't lose any more followers.

Corey bestowed the Fabulous Sugar Doll award upon me.

Part of this award's reception was to list 10 random things about myself and then pass on to 10 bloggers.

I developed a serious sweet tooth during my pregnancy.  I have to have something sweet in my house at all times whether it be cake, brownies, cookies, donuts, etc.

I close the window blinds every night and open them every morning.  Either every blind is closed in this house or every blind is open. 

I know more about sports than some men.

I am super ticklish.  I can barely stand for people to touch me but Andrew is worse than me.  That was the first thing I noticed when I held him for the first time.  I touched his back and he bowed up.

When I start getting sleepy, I twirl my hair and often get it knotted so bad that I have to cut it.

I really like liquid handsoap and prefer washing my hands to using hand sanitizer but will sanitize if I'm not in a position to wash my hands.

There are a few food staples that I always have on hand - shredded or block cheese, onions, black olives, mushrooms, potatoes, and sour cream.  Sounds healthy, huh?

I do not like to call people but I don't mind if people call me.  I just always feel like I'm bothering people when I call.

I'm still thinking about the future and two cities that start with "P" come to mind when I contemplate moving. It may or may not ever happen.

I am cold-natured. I run the heater in the bathroom when I shower - even in the summer. When I just can't seem to get warm, my favorite remedy is standing with the hairdryer up under my shirt or down my pants.

I choose to pass this award on to the following:

Adventures of the Lil' Chef

The Mitchells

The Secret Life of an American Wife and Mom

Twinspirational Runner

The Suite Life of Lucy and Ethel

Grace Talk With Daveda

His Heart

Frump's Findings

Life's Unfolding Story

Mud Pies for Mommy

I tried to pass it on to people I've never passed an award to in the past.

The other awards had stipulations about how many bloggers to pass to but if I followed exactly, I would have passed to 53 people and I just don't have the patience for that much copying and pasting.  So...if you have ever commented on my blog and would like any of the other awards, please take them!

Happy Tuesday!!

Music Monday

This isn't a typical Music Monday for me because I couldn't pass up an opportunity to recognize one of the best educational children's shows of all time - Sesame Street.  As you probably heard, the show celebrated its 40th Anniversary last week on November 10th.  I am sure you grew up on Sesame Street just like I did.  It was a constant in my life as a toddler every morning from 9-10am.  My favorites were Big Bird, Bert & Ernie and Oscar the Grouch!  Last week, Google changed their logo daily in recognition of Sesame Street's 40th.  I just adored the logos and saved them to share in case you missed them.

So.....today's song is the Sesame Street Theme Song!  I couldn't find the early 80s version so this one will have to do!








Have you ever wondered which SS character you were most like?  Now is your chance!  Go HERE and then come back to leave a comment with 1) which character you are according to this quiz & 2) the description of that character & 3) if you agree with the result.


As any good hostess would do, I'll go first!

1) I am Bert.

2) I often find myself being the more mature, analytical and reasonable person in my group of friends. Some may consider me eccentric, that bottle cap collection and the fascination with pigeons ain't helping, but I'm a true friend who's always everybody's "old buddy."

3) I agree except for sentence #2.  I don't have a bottle cap collection and pigeons gross me out mainly because of their bad habits.

Your turn!