Spaghetti

I love it.  I love to make it.  Mine is not real Italian spaghetti.  It's Texas Meat sauce over Noodles.  It's chunky and not saucy.  I admit that I do use a jar of sauce as a base but I do add my own touch to flavor the sauce.  I brown my meat with onions, bell peppers, celery and mushrooms.  Then I add a bunch of cheap Italian seasoning I get at the Dollar Store.  Finally I add a big can of diced Italian tomatoes, sauce, tomato paste.  Sometimes I even add mushroom soup.  I know its not real spaghetti because I would just as soon eat it over rice.  Go figure.   I don't even know how to make real Italian Spaghetti!  Leave a comment with your suggestions.

Living

One year ago today when I woke, I knew it would be a difficult day.  I knew that this was the day that I laid my Daddy to rest at the cemetery.  There would be a big lunch with lots of family and friends, followed by the visitation, the funeral and finally the cemetery.  I knew that today would change my life forever.  It did.  My Daddy's funeral was not sad.  It was the culmination of a man who lived his life to the fullest.  It was the celebration of all of his many accomplishments.  It was the recognition of his love for God, his family and friends. 

The church was overflowing.  The service was not only a celebration of my Daddy's life but also of the life he built with my Mother.  She has got to be the strongest most amazing woman I have ever known.  She is still sad sometimes and daily misses my Daddy but she and Daddy have always had the attitude that life is for the living. It's that attitude that she has instilled in me.  We choose to continue to live life, not sit around in sackcloth and morn, nor have a daily pity party.  I choose to be happy.  I have also chosen to surround myself with positive people.  Life is meant to be lived.  Let's start living!!!

The Last Year

One year ago Monday I lost my beloved Daddy. On that day on June 4, 2011, the phone rang. I missed the call as the phone was charging in the other room. My Daddy had been trying to call me. I tried to call him back several times but we were never able to connect. Unfortunately, at 9:40 that night, I received a call from my Mother telling me that Daddy had died walking through the gate at the farm from feeding the goats. She could not reach Carolyn or Jake but it was time to come home.

I always wondered what my Daddy and I would have said had we talked together those last few hours before he died. I often wondered if he knew that Saturday, June 4th would be the last day of his life. Today as I write this I am saddened that I shall never see him on this earth again. I’ve cried some over the week but more than anything I have reflected on the fact that I had an amazing childhood and a long adulthood where I developed a great friendship with my Daddy. I am blessed to still have my mother. So this past weekend, instead of mourning my Daddy, I celebrated that I still have one amazing parent left on this earth.

Publix and Piggly Wiggly

What an exciting adventure this past week.  I traveled with friends to Hilton Head Island, SC to spend a few days enjoying some R&R in a wonderful resort.  As always when we arrive at a condo, we make a grocery store run.  You always need to some wine, coffee, diet coke, cheese, crackers, fruit and breakfast foods.  So naturally you get on your iPhone and locate the nearest grocery store. 

What a surprise when I discovered that there was an actual Piggly Wiggly and a Publix nearby.  Publix is a great market - clean, upscale and wonderful selection of cheeses, wines, fruit and coffee.  My first experience with a Publix was last year when we traveled to Florida.  Publix must be our Texas version of HEB.  It is sad when you look forward to a great grocery store.

However, to my great surprise was that there was a Piggly Wiggly on the island.  It has been in the same family since 1969.  There was a Piggly Wiggly in my hometown growing up.  I loved going to Hiram's store.  He (and later his son David) had a wonderful grocery store.  Steve was the butcher and always selected the best cuts of meat.  They always carried your bags (paper of course) to your car no matter how many or how few groceries you had.  And there was a always the pig you could ride in the front of the store.  Mr. Hiram was generous too.  He gave away turkeys at Thanksgiving. 

This was a great trip down memory lane.  We are so spoiled to fantastic supermarkets that we forget how important personal service is in the retail business.  I'm glad I grew up in a town where there was a Piggly Wiggly!

Help

Most of the time I am pretty free with giving advice and tips. But one of the things I learned many moons ago is that you are never too old to learn anything new.  So I pose the question to those who read my blog and eagerly await your responses.

What I want to know and learn is about tips and tricks for organizing and decluttering my kitchen.  I have cleaned it out, downsized, moved things around and trashed old stuff and appliances I never use.  I have made a point of not buying too many "pantry items" or perishable goods so that I don't waste food.  Although my kitchen is where I feel the most at home and so very comfortable, I still feel like it is cluttered.

So, help me out.......give me some tricks, tips and hints to make my space more user friendly and less congested.

Relaxing

I decided Sunday afternoon was a great day to lounge by the pool.  I love sitting out and looking at the plants. I love my palm trees and banana plants as it just makes the backyard look tropical.  I so enjoy listening to the waterfall and seeing all the birds I regularly feed.   It has taken me a while to learn that some of life's best moments are in the still and quiet of your own backyard.

The Kentucky Derby

Every year I look forward to the Kentucky Derby.  I am not really a horse racing fan but after having been to the Derby once time, I love the history and traditions of the race.  I love the hats, the singing of "My Old Kentucky Home" and of course, the mint juleps.

In 2008 we attended the Derby with two special couples, Doc and Patty & Hoyt and Bev.  It was a great trip.  We have so many wonderful memories from that trip.   I hope I can attend again just one more time in my life.  The following year, I hosted a Kentucky Derby Party.  The array of hats was just divine.  Janice won best hat.  I think it may be time next year to revisit Louisville during the race weekend.  Let me know if you plan to join us !!!!!

Fresh Flowers

There is nothing quite like getting fresh cut flowers.  Most women would never admit but they love to have a bouquet of fresh flowers in their kitchen.  I have always admired friends who could do grow flowers and make arrangements from their own gardens.   I have never had a green thumb at all. 

Since I moved behind the gates, I have been inspired by my two neighbors Patty and Janice.  Janice always could take anything from the yard and arrange it into something wonderful.  Patty could grow anything.  She has the greenest thumb of anyone I know.  I aspire to learn to love to dig in the dirt like she does.  I'm not there but I'm learning.

Over the past three years, I have been planting a little here and there.  Lulane recently gave me some gardening gloves as a little sussy - so I have put them to use today.  I repotted two plants that were root bound that I had not killed last winter.  One was a plant called Texas blue belles that I grew from seeds.  They are beautiful annuals that can withstand our Texas heat.  The other was a big ole fern that my son Jake gave me for Mother's Day before he left for Alaska last year.  

As I was finishing up, I decided to snip some magnolia blooms and hydrangeas to put on my kitchen windowsill.  They are beautiful.  They remind me that you can do anything you set your mind to doing - even gardening.  I have real fresh flowers that I grew in my yard in my house for the first time ever.  I only wish my Grannie Lester were still here to see how beautiful my hydrangeas are!  I am sure she is looking down from the heavens smiling today!

I am heading back out to yard to clip some more fresh blooms to take to my friend, Patty, to remind her of her great influence on me as a gardener.  

Trees

I have really do love trees.  Part of the reason we bought the house we live in today is that there are an abundance of beautiful palm trees around the pool.  The other reason are the three gorgeous magnolia trees.  I have always loved magnolia trees.  I have tried to grow them in every house I have ever lived in since I have been on my own.  I have never been successful. 

When we moved into this house, I didn't realize the sprinkler system was not turned on to water the trees. Daddy kept telling me that I would lose those big magnolia's if I did not water them.  I kept assuring him it was just summer and it was hot but I had them on a sprinkler system.  Fortunately, I figured it out and did not lose them and today they are just full of blooms.  I smile every time I see those three trees loaded with Magnolia's as I am reminded of the silly argument with my Daddy about watering those trees.

See I never figured Daddy for much of tree man because he loved to trim trees.  It was always a joke at our house growing up because when Daddy got his chain saw out, the trees in the year always looked like  they had been to barbershop.  He would rip up Mother's favorite weeping willow tree until it just stood straight up in the air with very little "weeping willows" left.  She would fuss at him every year for doing it and he would kill a few from time to time.  He would always promise he would not do it again.  And then next year rolled around.

Yesterday I walked over to my dear neighbor's, The Taylor's.  Patty is a master gardener and selected some delightful plants to plant in the shade of her trees in her back yard.  To her horror she walked out to find that Doc had "trimmed" the trees.  All her hard work will be in vain shortly as those plants will just blister in the hot sun.  I had to chuckle to myself as I was reminded of how my Daddy used to love to trim the trees.  Maybe its a generational thing, but it sure brought back some fond memories of Daddy and his obsession for tree trimming!

Hydrangeas

My Grannie Lester was a delightful woman.  I spent many hours at her house sitting on her porch.  On the north side of the porch, Grannie had the most beautiful hydrangea bushes.  They were always plentiful with big bluish purple blooms.  The memories of these beautiful flowers will forever be embedded in my memory.

When we bought our house in Cleburne, I was so excited that I had this amazing hydrangea bush.  We have lived there for four years now and never had a bloom - until this year.  I actually have blooms on the plant this year.  I am hopeful that they will be big and purple but I'll take the pink ones too.  I am told it has to do with the acidity of the soil.  That may be a project for next year, but for this year, I am just so excited to have blooms on my hydrangea.

I'll post more pics as soon as it blooms.  Isn't it amazing  how the little things in life can make us so very happy.

My "Pot" Garden

My Daddy always had a garden.  My grandparents always had a garden as did my aunts and uncles.  As my Daddy got older, he would inquire if we were coming home to help "shell" peas, "shuck" corn, "dig" potatoes, or "cut" okra.  I always seemed to find an excuse to be working, out of town or just not up to the trip home for those events.

As I look back I now realize how much I truly enjoyed the bounty from these gardens my family grew each year.  Last year when Daddy died in June, he and his friend, Joe, had planted five (5) acres of purple hull peas.  Daddy was not really able to get out and work the garden and Joe was so kind to help him.  But Daddy loved peppers, tomatoes, and other things that grew in the garden.  Since he was not able to walk very far, he gathered up some tacky tubs, huge pots, and even hung some upside down strawberries (as seen on TV - and given to him for his birthday by Rhett) in a corner in the back yard.  It was really a sight to behold and he kept telling Mother not to worry that his "Pot Garden" would yield some of the best vegetables ever and they would be right out the back door.

We as you can imagine, he died in early June leaving Mama with that "tacky" Pot Garden to tend, water, and harvest.  By the way, it was nearly impossible to mow around so it was by no means manicured.  And of course, he left Joe with that five acres of peas to pick and leaving Mama to help shell peas all summer long.  We have all had a few words to say about that as we each had to come in pretty often to help wind up Daddy's affairs and always got roped into pea shelling.



Well I miss my Daddy's garden almost as much as I miss him.  So this year, I have planted my own little "Pot Garden".  I have two tomato plants, green and red bell pepper, banana pepper, onions and cucumbers.  I hope he is smiling up there in heaven watching me "tend" my little garden.  I plan to enjoy the bounty this year in hopes he has passed on his green thumb to me.

And by the way---Joe only planted two acres of peas this year!  I do hope he will share.  I don't think I would even mind shelling a few - just to remember the good ole days!

Dying

Daddy's birthday this week reminded me of the loss I suffered when he went to heaven last June.  This past week I have also experienced loss again.  Miss Ann, as she was affectionately known, has suffered so since her surgery and her family made the decision to honor her wishes in her living will.  Another family is losing one of its core members.

Miss Ann's situation has brought forth so many good memories in spite of the tragedy of this situation.  Last night as Kim and I talked we were recalling the things from our past about her Mother that were good memories.  I wanted to focus on some of things and the lessons that I learned from them.

When I was in the 9th grade and tried out for majorette, Miss Ann was my twirling teacher.  We discovered too late that she was gifted in that area and didn't really put much effort into trying out.  But the thing I learned from Miss Ann was to try harder.  And I did.  And I won the next year.

When Kim was a but a little girl and times were hard for school teachers, Miss Ann cooked four pieces of fish for the family.  Kim assumed they were having a fish fry and invited our whole family for dinner.  Much to our family's surprise, there was but four pieces of fish.  Miss Ann cobbled together some other stuff from the fridge and we all ate together as if we were having a big ole southern' fish fry.  I learned that you are gracious as a hostess no matter what and that you are gracious as a guest - no matter what is served.

I will never forget the night before Jacob was born.   My Mother was playing bridge, my Daddy was home with me and Kenny was traveling from Dallas.  I went to Miss Ann's and burst into tears exclaiming that I was not ready to be a mother.  She assured me that I was and that it was really too late to change my mind.  A week later when I brought Jake home from the hospital and everyone had gone back to work, she came over when I panicked about bathing him.  She assured me that Dial soap and water would not kill him and that he was a pretty sturdy little guy.  I learned alot about not stressing over the little things from her in those early months and years of Jake's life.  She and my Mother taught me that kids can eat rice cereal before the pediatrician tells you they can, Dial soap will not rot the baby's skin off, and boys are going to get cuts, bruises and scrapes as they go through life.

She raised a lot of kids at "Miss Ann's Day Care" and I am sure there are so many others that can share a life lesson learned from Miss Ann.  As she approaches the final days of her life, lets not dwell on the sadness but on the memories of great things that we learned from our Southern friend - Miss Ann!

Daddy's Birthday

Every year on March 26th we celebrated the birthday of my sweet Daddy. Roy Wayne "Buddy" Cagle was born on March 26, 1933.  He passed away last June.  Mother made a big deal out of birthday's.  She always taught us that YOUR birthday was your special day to celebrate your life and blessings God had bestowed upon you. So every year, Mom would host a big birthday party for Daddy for the immediate family and close friends. 

The party has traditionally been held at Hamp's cabin the last 10 years and Hamp would always fry fish for Daddy.  We would all trek in for the party with gifts for the man who had everything.  As our lives got busier, our kids grew up and we moved farther away from home, it became more and more difficult to find a day that everyone could gather for the "party".  But Mother always insisted that we celebrate the birthday of Daddy and we always knew that it could be the "last" birthday we ever celebrated with him. 

We would bring gifts of an interesting nature.  He got a squirrel bungee for the backyard, an strange tool that would do just one special thing, a rock that came from an interesting place or a handmade knife (as if he didn't have enough) that was made especially for him.  He always delighted in the gifts, the cake and the fish but at the end of the night when we sang "Happy Birthday dear Daddy", he would always say that the best gift of all was having us all together as a family to fellowship with him.

I learned many lessons from my Mother and Daddy but one of the most important lessons is to love your family and enjoy the love they have for you.  Little did we know that last year was the LAST year that we would ever celebrate Daddy's birthday with him.  As I reflect today on him, I join my Mother and sister and our "family" as we celebrate his life in spirit with him.  He was a great man and I was so blessed to call him my Daddy. 

Daddy, I especially miss you today because I did not get to celebrate your birthday with you this year.  I hope you are celebrating in Heaven with those who have joined you there!  I love you and I miss you so much.  You were a great Daddy!

Gathering of Friends

Do you know value of real friends?  I do and I cherish those special people in my life.  I love having them around to talk to and laugh with as much as I can.  Since my Daddy died, I really do appreciate having those special people in my life that are the people I call my friends.  These people are the family you pick because of their importance in your life.

I am so blessed to have so many dear and wonderful friends. I have also learned that to have many friends, you must be a friend.  Being a friend is giving when you are tired, smiling when you are sad and putting someone else above your own wants.  Being a friend is letting someone into your heart and sharing your world with with them.  Being a friend is going that extra mile for someone just because.........

I love having friends.  They are worth more than riches and gold. They are the pearls that enrich your life because of the memories you have made!  I listened last night at a gathering of friends talking about old times and people in their lives.  Making memories with friends sustains us on cloudy days when we are out of sorts.  Planning with friends gives us positive things to look forward to in our lives.

If you are my friend, thank you for being there for me!!

Like Father - Like Grandson

Every year my Daddy would call one of us and ask us to get Mama some pretty flowers.  This is the first year that Daddy has not been around to get her flowers.  It was bittersweet for all of us.  However, my sweet son was right there to make things right.  When my Mom returned from Vegas yesterday, she called to tell me that my son had left her a lovely bouquet of beautiful tulips on the table for her for Valentine's Day.

My Daddy made sure that my son always knew to celebrate special days with the ones you love.  His tradition continues.  He taught my son so much.  How blessed to have had my Daddy's influence in my son's life.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day to everyone.

Jane Ann's Slaw

Last night was just so much fun.  Great friends, good fellowship, wine and food!  Nights just don't get much better than this around here.  My dear friend, Blair, was kind enough to make a huge pot of stew for us for dinner.  All I had to do was make some cornbread and a salad.  Of course, my go to recipe for quick salad is always Jane Ann's Slaw.  Jane Ann is my sister-in-law and one of the world's best cooks ever.  She was kind enough to share this recipe with me.

Well, my friend, Dana, was helping me around in the kitchen as we were drinking wine and cutting up.  I asked her to chop the green onions for me for the slaw.  I poured the shredded cabbage in the bowl and she added the onions.  When she asked what to do next, I told her to just put in it the icebox.  She could not believe I was going to serve it just like that.  I told her there were better things to come........it would get better in the icebox.

Later, I dressed the slaw and she could not believe it did not have mayo in it.  She fell in love with it and asked me to post the recipe here today.   So, for Dana - a sweetheart that I started kindergarten with and eventually went to college with at SFA - here is that recipe for Jane Ann's slaw.

Jane Ann's Slaw

1 bag of shredded cabbage/slaw
1 bunch of green onions
1 pkg of Ramen noodles
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/3 c sugar
2/3 c. peanut oil

Chop onions and add to slaw mix.  Refrigerate.  Crush Ramen noodles and set aside.  Mix sugar, oil and the seasoning from the Ramen Noodles and let sit in the fridge for an hour.  When you are ready to eat, add the crushed Ramen noodles and sunflower seeds to the slaw mix.  Dress with the oil/sugar/seasoning you mixed up and Serve!  Will easily feed 8-10 people.

Dishes

My Mother is so wonderful.  She bought me the most amazing gift for Christmas this year - a set of 8 plates.  Not just any ordinary set of plates, but Christmas China.  The pretty one from Lennox with the gold rim.  I loved them so much I ate my black eyed peas and cabbage on them for New Year's Day.  This started a new tradition for me.  I plan to eat the peas and cabbage every New Year on my beautiful Christmas China.

Southern mothers know how important it is to acquire lovely dishes to hand down to your children.  My Mother has made sure I have an incredible set of good china.  It's a 12 piece place setting and I have every single piece from the oval serving platter down to the sugar bowl.  The other thing my Mother taught me was that it is important to USE your good china.  I host an intimate dinner party at least once a month and use the good china. 

What is the point of having nice things if you put them on a shelf and never use them?

Did You Miss Me?

Have you been wondering where I have been lately?  Well I've been busy.  I had all of my six grandkids for one night at Christmas.  Left on Christmas Eve to spend the holiday with my Mother.  We did church, cooked, ate, ate some more, had gifts and saw many friends.  The day after we traveled in the bus to visit relatives and take a short vacation only to cut our trip short to visit a friend who lost her father.  Finally ended the year at the ranch with the dearest of friends and then home to lots of laundry.  What a great holiday-------now it time to get back to work.

Graduation

What an amazing weekend.  I celebrated the graduation of my niece with her Master's in Educational Philosophy and my son in law with his Executive MBA.  It is so awesome to watch the passing of the diploma, the hooding ceremony and the tradition of Pomp and Circumstance.  I love hearing that music each time it is played. 

I am filled with joy as I watched them walk down the isle.  There is such revelry in the after party as the family and friends gather to celebrate this wonderful milestone in their life!  What a joyous occasion to celebrate!

Being Sick

I am not a good sick person.  I whine.  I moan.  I want someone to take care of me but not be up in my space.  I married the best caregiver ever.  He checks on me.  Makes sure I am resting and doesn't bother me when I am asleep.   I am so lucky to have a good hubby!

Cold Weather

During my first marriage after I purchased a home, no one told me to wrap the pipes and unhook the hoses when it dropped below freezing.  Of course the pipes froze and burst in the brick requiring some extensive plumbing work.  Daddy took care of it for me every year after that tragic incident.

After I divorced, my Daddy taught my 11 year old son how to take care of his Momma.  He taught him how to wrap the pipes so that we would not have water damage when we move 200 miles away from them.  My Daddy was so proud of the wonderful skills he taught my son.  He not only taught him how to wrap the pipes but also how to change my air filter, and make sure the flue was open before we started a fire in the fireplace.

Daddy always called when the weather called for freezing to remind me to get those pipes wrapped.  Daddy had a funny way of wrapping pipes.  He was very creative in saving money.  Of course they sell those wonderful insulated covers at Walmart for $3 or $4, but Daddy found it was much cheaper to buy a bag of baby diapers and after unscrewing the hose, the insulate the faucet in the baby diaper.  Of course you had to secure the baby diaper with duct tape which made for an interesting picture.  And just to make sure the tape didn't get wet and fall off, you had to wrap the whole big thing in tin foil.  Such a lovely sight on the side of your house but oh so economical.

Well yesterday was the first good cold snap and I really missed getting the call from my Daddy to remind me to remind my husband to go get some baby diapers and wrap the faucet.  Of course Ray used the insulated covers from Walmart, but I did call and remind my son to take care of Mom's pipes so they would not freeze.

Isn't it funny how the little things in life remind of the wonderful lessons taught to us by caring and loving parents.  Daddy, if you are reading this in heaven, every body's pipes are wrapped!

Thanksgiving Night

Since Daddy is not here we opted to do a little different for Thanksgiving this year.  My little sister and Mom ate lunch at Copeland's and then served the homeless at the shelter.  My son ate with his Dad.  My nephew ate with a friend.  I went to my stepdaughter's.  However, at 5:00 that afternoon, our whole family gathered at my house for hot dogs.  We watched football, and celebrated our blessings with friends and family.  No matter what your circumstances in life.........you always have things to be thankful for in life.

Samaritan House

Today I enjoyed a delightful lunch with friends to benefit Samaritan House.  I am so proud of my friend, Todd, who was a Table Captain and put this great table together.  He inspires me with his devotion to this amazing charity.  They do so much for so many on such a small budget.  Today reminded me of what the real reason for the holiday season is at this time of year......thankfulness for all we have and joyously sharing our prosperity with those who are less fortunate.

Thanks Todd for getting me motivated for the generosity of the holiday season!

Good Friends

I just have to tell you about an amazing hot sauce a friend of mine makes.  It is called Los Vera's Hot Sauce. Tony and his family have been making it for four generations.  I remember as a little girl going to his Dad's restaurant and just loving that sauce. 

Well 36 years later I can still get it.  Tony was kind enough to bring me a case or two as I eat it like candy around my house.  I would definately say that this is the best hot sauce I hav ever eaten !!!! 

Family Fun

Today is an exciting day in the lives of our family.  Sweet Laci is celebrating her bachelorette party this afternoon and another dear friend's baby shower for her son is being held.  This is an all day affair for me because of the distances I live from all these events.  That is where the good news comes in for me today..............my driver will pick me up and I get to spend the whole day hopping from place to place with my "sister Susan"!  We have will get some quality visiting time in the car while being chauffeured around all over the metroplex!!!!!

Look out Saturday - here I come!