Thursday, August 27, 2009

Sancy

I am the oldest grandchild on my mom's side of the family, so I got the honor of naming my grandmother. My grandfather had passed a few years before my birth, so I only knew my grandmother.

She was very prim and proper, and she thought that at age 56, she was way too young to have any grandchildren. She decided that I would either call her Grandmother, or Frances (her given name). I attempted to say "Frances" and it came out "Sancy". Well, it stuck. For her, it was good because it didn't REALLY sound like a old lady's name such as Nannie, or Nana, or Granny or something, and it also wasn't formal like Grandmother.

She was a "cool" grandma. She was definitely NOT one to sit around knitting or crocheting. She went on trips...lots of trips. She travelled all over Europe to Italy and France and Great Britain (and I think she went to Yugoslavia). She went to Asia to China and India. She also went to New York quite a bit. There was a group of people from the small town we are from that would rent a bus (kind of like a Greyhound), and they would travel to New York to see shows and go shopping.

I think that her favorite place was the beach. Atlantic Beach, NC to be specific. My extended family would gather for at the beach and vacation together. We would either stay at the Oceanana or rent a house/duplex in neighboring Emerald Isle. She was always looking for an excuse to go to the beach for a quick weekend, or longer. So it came as no surprise to us when she purchased a trailer on a strip of land right next door to the Oceanana, a place our family had stayed for years. She would move down to this trailer (single-wide) in June, and stay until Labor Day. She even had her mail forwarded there.

The summer before my senior year in high school, Sancy invited me to come and spend the summer with her at the beach. I got a job at Roses, which is kind of like a Wal-Mart, but not really. At the time, there was no Wal-Mart in the vicinity of Atlantic Beach, so Roses was where most people bought their sunscreen, water toys, and beach chairs. I worked most of the summer, and got a few days off to spend in the sun. I had a blast with some friends I met at work.

Sancy was a strong woman. She liked to be in control of things (kind of sounds like my mother, and myself). I asked her why she didn't remarry after my grandfather (Butter, as he was affectionately known) passed, and she said that she didn't want to give up control of the car keys, the checkbook, or the thermostat. Later she added she didn't want to give up control of the remote control. And as I have learned being married, sometimes you have to give up control of one or more of those things (at least temporarily).

A friend of mine recently lost her grandmother, and I was reminded of what a gift grandmothers (especially mine, and hers) are to us. I miss Sancy a lot. It is hard to believe that she has been gone for over 3 years. I think about her just about every day. She was a powerful force in my life, and I still ask myself WWSD (What would Sancy Do?) in certain situations.
Sancy did so much for me. She taught me to appreciate classical music. She taught me to appreciate art. She opened up new worlds to me.

There will never be anyone like Sancy.



Alli C

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Wordless Wednesday!

Superman saves the day!

Have a great day!!!

God Bless,

Alli C

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole

This week's theme for the Blog Hop is recipes. I couldn't decide between 2 recipes, but finally decided to use my husband's favorite meal. I usually serve steamed broccoli (tossed with a little butter, salt, pepper, and lemon juice) and cranberry sauce (the jellied kind like you have at Thanksgiving).



Parmesan Chicken and Rice Casserole
1 lb. chicken breasts (diced)

1/2 C - 3/4 C parmesan cheese

2 cans cream of mushroom

envelope onion soup mix

2 cups rice

2 cups water

Olive oil (to cover bottom of pan)

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste



Put Parmesan cheese in a ziploc bag along with chicken, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Close the bag, and shake until chicken is coated with cheese. In a medium skillet/saute pan, heat oil over med/med hi heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring and turning as to not burn cheese. In a bowl, mix cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, and water. Once chicken is done, put soup mixture, chicken, and rice in a large casserole dish with cover and put in microwave for 12 minutes. If your microwave isn't big enough, you can bake at 350 for 30 minutes. When the casserole is cooked, stir and let sit for 5 minutes.


Hope you enjoy!!!

I am writing a cookbook, so look for it in the near future (in time to give for Christmas!)



MckLinky Blog Hop




God Bless,



Alli C

Friday, July 17, 2009

A new adventure in Fitness

Since I have been blogging, I have found a LOT of great women. Some of them have inspired me to get off my lazy butt and do things - like sewing, crafting, and now a Life-style change (aka DIETING). I have been thinking about it for a while, and I REALLY need to lose some weight. I have some medical problems that would probably go away if I changed my habits. I don't think that I will be able to do this "cold turkey", meaning giving up EVERYTHING right now. I think if I make a few changes such as drinking more water, some portion control, and exercising, I will start losing weight. I don't think I am ready to give up my morning coffee with flavored creamer, but if I drink extra water, maybe it will balance out. Any how, I will post my success (or failure) on Fridays, as part of Fitness Friday.

I have tried (and succeeded) to lose weight in the past. I have used Weight Watchers as my support group. Right now, I am not able to go to WW meetings, but I feel I have a great support group online. I am hoping that eating a little better (well at least a little less), hydrating myself properly, and exercising will give me the extra energy that I am looking for. Every thing I have read and seen has said that my energy and focus will be increased. If that is the case, well bring it on!

I have weighed myself this morning, and will weigh myself each week to track my progress. While I won't be letting you know how much I weigh, I will let you know how much I lose (or gain or stay the same). Check back on my progress each week!

Happy Fitness!

God Bless,

Alli C

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Deals, Deals, and more DEALS!

I have been clipping coupons for a while, trying to save a few pennies here and there. I had sort of gotten out of it the last few weeks as we were really busy with family. It is a part time job to scour all of the ads and coupons to get a good deal! Well this Sunday, I went and bought two different papers - The News and Observer out of Raleigh and The Daily Reflector out of Greenville (NC, not SC). Usually The N&O has a better coupon selection, and I buy The DR since I live in Greenville (support the local economy).

This week I felt like I had hit the jackpot of couponing. I got several WONDEFUL deals.

Target
Finish brand dishwasher packs (I chose the 40 gel packs, orange scented) were on sale for $3.49, and low and behold, there was a coupon in the paper for $2.50 off! I got the 40 gel packs for $.99! And they will last me a while, as I usually only run the dishwasher every other day. Also at Target, I got 200 flexible straws for $1.00 in their See, Spot, Save section near the front. Every once and a while, I will allow the boys to choose something out of the dollar bins as a treat. It keeps them occupied, and I don't have to quarrel with them over whether I am going to buy them a new toy. Usually, before we even walk in the door, I will tell them that we are not getting anything extra today, that we have a list, and Mommy is going to stick to it.

Kroger
Kroger had a deal this week, that if you purchased 10 participating items, you would get $5.00 reduction in your bill (it equals to $.50 an item). So I went through the list, and my coupons, and got some GREAT stuff:
Sargento cheese (I love this stuff!) - 11 slices for $.99
Quaker granola bars - 2 (10 bars each) packages for $2.25 total
Kleenex (with lotion) - 2 boxes for $.99 each
Those were my BIG deals, but I bought 15 items (including bread and milk which weren't on sale) for $20.17 and I SAVED $17.12. Their sale goes until Sunday, and you can get their ad on the web here.

For me, this was a great deal week! I hope that I will be able to continue the great savings. I am finding that since we are post-4th of July and pre-Back to School, not a lot of stores are having absolutely terrific sales. I am going to keep scouring the internet and the papers for great deals. I will keep you posted!

Here are a few websites that I have found recently that give great tips:

Super Jenn
Mommy Savers
Freebies 4 Mom

God Bless!


Alli C

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

3 things you didn't know about me...

I have to admit, that this has been a hard assignment this week. I have been thinking about it since it was announced earlier this week. If you read my blog, you know that my life is an open book (or open blog).

3 things you didn't know about me:

1. I was laid off from my job as an accountant in May 2008, and have been unable to find a new accounting job. I have enjoyed my time at home with the kids, but I could really use a job right now.

2. My husband and I met in an online chat room in late 1997. We "met" in person in early 1998, and have been together since. In November, we will celebrate 10 years of marriage!

3. I have an ebay store - Best Friends Collectibles with my mom. If you click on the link to the right, you can see all of our items for sale. I am in the process of uploading the Christmas items, as well as other seasonal items.

Well, there you have it. I finally came up with 3 things you didn't know about me. If you do have a question for me, please let me know.

MckLinky Blog Hop



Happy Hopping!

God bless,

Alli C

Monday, July 13, 2009

Life is a Banquet

"Life is a banquet, and most poor fools are starving to death." ~ Auntie Mame

This is a quote from one of my mom's favorite movies, and it seemed to fit as to what I want this blog to represent. Life IS a banquet, but most of us don't take advantage of all that is given to us. I want to use what has been given to me (talents, family, opportunities etc.).



I also want to force myself to sit down and write the cookbook that has been in my head for 4 years. God gave me a talent to cook, so I am going to share my recipes (good, southern recipes passed down from my mom and grandmother).

I also want to treasure time with my family. ALL of my family, not just the ones that I live with. My sister has leukemia, and it has returned. She starts chemo again today, and she will also need a bone marrow transplant in the near future. I really hope that I am a match. What greater gift to give someone, than a second chance.

Thanks for reading, and join me again for more!


God Bless,

Alli C