Just what I Knee-d (revisited)

Well yall, here I go again. I think it has been one whole week since I told you about my knee. I was asked to come and give yall an update so here I am, doing just that. At first I was putting ice in a bag and putting it on my knee and that would work for a few hours but then I couldn't wear a bag of ice to work. I can just imagine the stares and glares of water dripping from under my pants. Yeah, that even sounded awkward to me. I will say that I appreciate you all for thinking of me and e-mailing me wondering if I was ok. I was down but not out. I was limping and I knew that God really had a plan for my knee.

So one evening after work, hubby called one of our friends in ATL who happens to be a nurse and he asked her what did she think was wrong with my knee. She said she thinks it is just sprained and that I may have just pushed too many weights at the gym and she then told us to go to Wal-Mart and go in the area where the medicated pads were and find this stuff called SALONPAS. I have NEVER heard of it before and if you haven't either, now doesn't it sound like something that a beautician would use? I don't know about you, but just the name of it made me think it was something that was for an eyebrow wax.

At first when our friend spelled it out to me, I thought she had made a mistake and was really going bonkers but off to the store we went anyway and found what she told us to get. SALONPAS are medicated pads and after we got home and I had taken a nice shower, I applied the pads to the front and back of my knee and kept them on all night and this was the first night since I had been having pain that I was actually able to sleep through the night. Yall let me be the believer to tell you that them dog gone pads work. I got up the next morning and felt like a new person with a new walk. I took those pads off and put on another set of pads before I left for work. I felt like I wanted to do a cheer. Yall just don't know! I wore them pads all day on my knee and then when I got home and got all cleaned up, I put on a fresh set of pads. It feels like I have a new knee. I sat back and thought how something so simple as walking can surely make you appreciate God even more. I'm all padded up and it feels great. Now yall go on out and get some of those pads and keep them in your medicine cabinet. Tell 'em that the Queen sent ya. I won't mind.

Something sounds fishy

Our neighbors across the street were having a man thing going on frying fish and such. Hubby just couldn't wait to get back across the street to where I was to tell me that the fellows had just gone fishing and they have tons of fish. I was looking at him like, come on with the darn story already "and you're telling me this because....." He said, "Hun, when they finish cleaning the fish and start frying it, I'm gonna bring you a hot piece of fish." My mouth started slobbering dripping spit  getting all excited about the thought of a nice hot piece of fish. So I figured that since I was gonna get me a piece of that dead creature that once lived in water fish, I didn't bother to get anything satisfying to eat.

I was beginning to get all antsy from just the mere thought of it. I felt like a bear who had been stranded in the wilderness and just so happen to stumble upon a flowing stream. A little time had passed and I was thinking to myself that the fish has got to be done by now. What is taking that hubby of mine so long in bringing the hot greasy goodness to me! Finally hubby comes through the door and what to my wandering eyes did I see? Not one piece of fish that was intended for me. I looked at his hands then back at him, then back at his hands then back at him and he began to tell me that other fellows had come over and there wasn't any fish for me. NO FISH? Ok, let's get this story straight: Hmmmm, so you (meaning hubby) ate fish. He nods and while you were eating, did you not once say, "Let me go on and take this piece to wifey since I told her it was coming. I asked how come he didn't think to bring it to me before everybody else came and the obvious answer came out of his mouth: I WASN'T THINKING. That is when our 17 year old daughter exclaimed to hubs - OOOOO YOU'RE IN TROUBLE NOW.  I won't put him in the fish dog house this time.

Fish tales! fish on a hot tin roof, fishy fishy bang bang, it's your fish do what you wanna do, celebrate good fish come on, what's fish got to do got to do with it, so I guess it'll be hook, line and sinker....and I'm calling it a night on that note.

Happy Birthday, Son

Wow, it's that time again. It is our son's 15th birthday today - Jan. 26. Happy birthday to the best son in the whole wide world. Much love.

Stuck in the middle

When I went to class today, I found myself a seat and there were two empty seats on both sides of me. That was the best seat (at the time) because I didn't want to walk down too many stairs with the problem I had been having with my knee and then would have to walk back up. So I found this seat that was closest to the door and then I could stretch out my leg for a little while. Just as I was about to do that, these two young guys come in late and grabbed the two seats on both sides of me.

Even though my knee was feeling better, I was just silently praying that I would be able to withstand it not being propped up for a little while until I got home. Well sure enough, my knee didnt hurt but I so wanted to make a homemade tattoo for both these young bucks and marker lot their eyes with my highlighter. The guy on the left of me kept clicking his pen on and off and at that point, I wanted to snatch it out of his hand and just throw it in the trash can. The guy that was on the right of me must have had some kind of twitch cause he kept shaking his leg and the vibration went through the table. For a minute I just looked at his leg and then he stopped. Then something tells me he was having a bipolar moment cause then he just started biting his fingernails and spitting them in the air.

I wanted to say, "Yo dude, PLEASE STOP before I change my mind with the highlighter and make it a permanent marker instead." Or I could just take my ear-ring out of my ear and pierce his eyelid. I just glanced at him and pulled my books closer and he took the hint and stopped. This can't be like this on next Monday. I might have to take my lawn chair in my trunk.

Don't cross me

I do payroll in my department. I don't write checks or anything. I just make sure all the time is turned in correctly and on time. So if one of my instructors has any problem with the amount of hours that were turned in, they need to see me. Point blank. Going to see payroll department who write the checks will result in them sending you right back to the department who turned in the hours. Point blank. The same thing goes for when an instructor goes to the department head regarding their hours turned in. All she is going to do is send you right back to me to see what hours were submitted for you.

With that being said, this numb-nut of an instructor sends my boss an e-mail and in the e-mail, this is what he said: "I dont think I am being paid for this semester of teaching. I want to know if you can check into this for me and get back with me because I don't see any money being direct deposited in my account." HA! And guess what she goes and do, she goes and sends me the e-mail and says for me to check on this and e-mail him back. Did he expect me to get in trouble for something? What was his goal in this?

Now if this idiot had read his dog-gone e-mail that I sent out two weeks ago to all instructors saying that your first check for the semester will be January 28 and not January 14, then he could have avoided himself a little stupidity. They should know that every time they try and cross me, it always come to bite them in the butt. So now that the boss wants me to e-mail him, all I'm gonna do is just forward him that same e-mail that I sent out the first time and in big bold letters it will say: PLEASE READ - IMPORTANT message. I'm not gonna add anything else to it.  No, I'm not doing dirt for dirt but I work with some messy people and this is just to let him know, that when you dig one ditch, you need to dig two. If I was an evil person, I would accidentally on purpose not turn in hours for him in two weeks. Whew, I'm glad God has saving grace from all this foolishness.

Just what I knee-d

I don't have a clue what happened from the time I got out of my car Thursday morning until I got back in the car on Thursday afternoon but one thing I do know is that I walked in to work feeling all great and junk and feeling like I could leap tall buildings with a single bound, then by the close of business that day, I could hardly walk. All of a sudden my knee just started hurting. I thought it was something that would go away overnight if I came home and just rested but it didn't go away. I tried to think back if I bumped it or not but this pain is a different type of pain that hurts from within and not from the outside. I'm beginning to think something might be wrong....I don't know.

Hubby suggested I get in the tub and soak in some epsom salt and it took me forever to bend this knee and get in the tub. i actually had to sit on the edge of the tub and slide by big behind in the tub and that was not a pretty site. I asked him if he would help me get out and he said he would and all I kept thinking about is that he might get all excited seeing my sexy goodness in rare form. I had the water as hot as I could stand it and then I just sat in there until the water got cool. I was about to call hubby to help me get out but then our daughter came in and said that he had company and then I thought that would be more awkward for a stranger to see all my sexiness so I managed to get out and I tell you that I felt like shamu splashing water everywhere. I think I was in more pain than when I got in.

Hubby rubbed it down with icy hot and said for me to just rest and that is just what I did. I don't know how I've overworked one and not the other one so at this point, I still don't know the diagnosis of my knee and did I mention now I'm limping. It hurts in and out and then hubby asked me if I need to go to the emergency room and I do know how they take forever and I really need to finish up this homework for Monday and Tuesday class and I can't be missing no class. I know, I know my health is more important. I told him if I didn't feel better by the time I get out of my class on Tuesday, then we will go and check it out. I'm staying off of it today unless I have to get up and go pee and I'll let hubby continue to baby it for now. I'll keep you updated.

It's business, don't take it personal

Remember the furniture that we were giving to someone because we were getting new furniture.....well hubby had mentioned that we should sell the furniture and asked me what did I think a fair price would be. I really couldn't think of a fair price because we had the furniture for so long that I really didn't know how much furniture would be. I told the guy to just give us $25.00 and that included a couch and a loveseat. A great deal of a steal.

The guy didn't have a truck so he couldn't come and pick up the furniture and so he called hubby and wanted to know if our neighbor would bring the furniture to him. I told hubby that now he is pushing it. We're practically giving away the furniture to you and the least you can do is find someone who can come and get it for you. Hubby and the neighbor went on ahead and took it to his place. When hubby got back, I asked him where was the $25.00. Hubby gave me that look as if he just out that somebody had died. I asked him what was it and then he said, "Ummmm, he can't pay me until Friday." I said, WHAT!!! It wasn't about the money, it was the principle.

I asked hubby why on earth would the guy call and say he is ready for the furniture knowing he didn't have no money on him. Yeah I know it was hubby's friend and all, but business is business. Hubby just said that he would get it from him. I wasn't angry or anything but I told him that he know I don't play that game and that his friend shouldn't take it personal. You wouldn't go in the store and tell the Wal-Mart manager that you're going to get a refrigerator full of food and a few electronics and then come back and pay him later. We always want the hook up, especially if they are our friend; well they have to make a living just like everybody else. Don't come asking a sister for no hook-up cause I'm trying to handle business, and you just might get dissed and be talking to the hand so don't take it personal.

Some kind of crazy

I love the part from The Color Purple when it was said, "Bash Misters head in, think about Heaven later." That still cracks me up every time I hear it. We are in the process of getting new furniture. You would really say it's about darn time. My parents had this furniture for several years then passed it down to me. The furniture has now worn itself down or as my mom would say, "swanked" down. You can always tell us people from Mississippi because we just make up our own words.

Anyhoo, hubby had all this stuff on the couch that needed to be cleaned off before we let someone, who doesn't have a couch, have it. I just grabbed a bag and just started putting his stuff in this bag and he comes in there with this irate voice and says, "I WILL MOVE MY STUFF WHEN I GET READY TO MOVE IT. PUT MY STUFF BACK." I thought about my Color Purple saying and was thinking of Beyonce at the same time when I said to myself, "He must not know 'bout me." I was beginning to think if he was on the rag or something cause I surely could have offered him a tampon and an aleve. I said, "Look lil man, I was just trying to help out, so don't be getting upset with me because I was helping", and so I took everything that was in the bag and poured it all back on the couch. I then said, "When you get ready to clean this couch off, don't ask for my assistance."

When I got out of the shower, I saw hubby over there scuffling trying to clean the couch off. I didn't say anything. I just walked on by and I really wanted to ask him if he needed any help but I didn't, I just came in the room and started typing. I can tell by the way he glanced in my direction with that sullen look that he really wanted me to ask and yeah I know it was kind of crazy for me not to offer my assistance but I just kept on walking by.

Hubby and I like to watch this show called Undercover Boss, so when he came in the room and said, "You think we can watch the show together?" The devil almost made me do my cheer, "Heck to the N. Heck to the O. Put it all together and that spells Heck NO" As crazy as it sounds, I DIDN'T. I wanted to, but I didn't. Sometimes, every now and then, you just gotta be crazy though.

Loving all that I am

Hubby and I had gotten our 17 year old daughter an outfit for Christmas but it was just a tad bit too small on her, so I told her that after the hustle and bustle of people exchanging gifts died down, that she and I would take her to go and exchange it for either a bigger size or something else. The outfit was no longer available so she opted on just getting something else. I told her to make sure it fits before she left the store. We came home and she was so eager to wear it to church that following Sunday.

After she put on her outfit, she was really fancy and stuff and I even gave her a compliment on her new outfit. She told me that moms are suppose to say stuff like that (but I would really tell her if she looked like a wild boar before she left the store.) So I asked her how did she think she looked in her new outfit, she said that she didn't know and wanted the opinion of our 14 year old son. I told her that she has got to think that she is poppin' her own self. She asked me what did I mean by that. I told her that she got to love herself first and that her opinion of herself is really what matters. She said that she does sometime....and I told her that she has got to love herself all the time or some man will tell her what she wants to hear and take advantage of her.

She asked me how do I have so much confidence and I told her that when she looks in the mirror and checks herself out before she walks out the door, this is what she should say, "Dahling, you look fabulous! Girlfriend, you look GREAT, BEAUTIFUL AND DIVINE." Of course she giggled and told me I was funny. I wasn't trying to be funny. I then asked her how did her outfit look to her. She was like, "I think I look okay." I told her that was the wrong answer and I asked her again how did her outfit look to her. She looked in the mirror and said, "Oh yeah, you look marvelous". I told her that's it's nice when people give her compliments but it is worthless if you don't believe it yourself. As for me and my plus-sized self, I'm loving all that I am and I'm doing it very well.

Ladies, it don't matter what size you are, how short or how long your hair is, what color your complexion is, how short or tall you are, do you! Get yourself an uplifting bra or a padded one if you have to and walk like you invented the word confidence. Stop wearing clothing that droop off you. Men, stop buying your ladies all these old looking clothes. It's nice that you want to buy them something, but let them choose what they want to wear or get it to fit. Love you and Do you.

Bountiful blessings

There is a lab here in my department that closed down over our break. The people that were over the lab had to go in and clean out everything from all kinds of office supplies to a bunch of junk. Well, not bragging, but since I have always been nothing but nice to them, they told me they were giving me first dibs on all the office supplies and to take any and everything I wanted for my office and then they would open it to the other departments.

I keep the office pretty well stocked in my department and my faculty doesn't have a need for anything so I went over anyway and just brought back an abundance of office materials and supplies, along with kaboodles of colored paper and such. We already had colored paper and when I went to go and get more, it was like flowing out of everywhere and we didn't have room enough to even receive it. We had stuff stacked from the window to wall and then stuff started overcrowding my office. So I called another department who I know don't have a materials budget like I do and can just order stuff how I want to--I told her to come and get some of this stuff from our department so she could have some for her department.

Well, just as I told her to come and get it, there was a person in my department complaining that I was giving some of "our stuff". I was like, We have soooooo much stuff that we can afford to give some of it away and that we wouldn't even miss it because duhhhhh, I got it from the lab and we already had plenty of stuff before I even went over there. We were blessed with all this stuff so I had to bless another department with it as well. They were extremely happy and I was too. Ain't no way we would even begin to use all this stuff up no time soon.

I think I may be drunk...

...Ok not really. I just typed that to get your attention. I am in no way perfect but I have never had an inkling to drink...EVER! Most people, when they are getting close to 21 would say that they can hardly wait so they can be legal to drink. I have never wanted to drink and I was hoping that when I turned 21 that God would bless me to turn 22. My mom called me a peculiar person. When my friends turned 21, they wanted to go out and celebrate and get their drink on. I didn't go with them because that was just not my thing.

Hubby asked me if I wanted to drink some wine for New Years. I was like, "Not really." He said that we would buy something cheap for me to try it since this would be my first time drinking the stuff. I reluctantly agreed and so off we went to the grocery store. There were so many to choose from. When I mentioned it on my FB page, my cousins and one of my sisters wanted to try and recommend a wine for me to try. Yeah, yeah, yeah I read the comments but it didn't phase me at all.

So hubby had the wine chilled and I actually felt like Betty Wright when she sang, "Tonight is the night." I felt all nervous and stuff and so our 17 year old daughter said, "Mom, it's wine. Jesus drank wine." I said, "Give it up for Jesus...woot, woot!!" She then said, "I wish I could drink some wine." I heard her and ignored her at the same time. So after the wine got all chilled, hubby said we were going to have a glass and he said he would give me the honors of opening the wine. I had no idea how to open it and that cork thing didn't want to come out and then it popped and scared the bejeezers out of me that I almost dropped the bottle. Hubby was laughing at me because I had never done that before. So I asked hubby if I can have some ice, he laughed at me again and said I didn't need any ice because it was already chilled. OH OK!

So I took one sip and then hubby asked me what did I think. I said, "I think I may be drunk." Everybody got them a good tickle and hubby said that I couldn't get drunk off one sip.  OOOOOH OK!! I think my alcohol days ended the moment it began. Now I can say that I drank wine for the very first time and it wasn't all that to me. Oh well, such is life. Needless to say, that bottle is still in the fridge. My sister will chug-a-lug it when she comes to visit.

Keys to the kingdom

A person's house is their castle, right? Well maybe not everyone but I feel that if God has blessed me to have a roof over my head and a couple of walls up, then that is my castle and we should take care of it even if it's not where you want to be. Our 14 year son is usually one who keeps up with his stuff so when he told me that he had lost his house keys, that was more shocking than anything. I asked him if he knew where he had his keys last and he said that he opened the door one night after a basketball game and don't know what he did with them after that. I was like, so you did have the keys to open the door and he agreed and said that the keys were probably somewhere in his room.

He always puts them in the same place and this one time, he had missplaced them and so when I told him that he should go and clean up his room to find them, he was not a happy camper. I tried to suggest places where his keys might be and each time I said something, he said that they were not there. My question was this, If you don't know where your keys are, how do you know they are not in the places I suggested? Hmmmm!!!! So our 14 year old thought he had a solution to the lost keys. He said, "Why don't we just go to Wal-Mart and get another set made." I told him that was not the answer and that all he had to do was look for them and they were in his room somewhere.

Each day I'd ask if he found the keys and each day he said no. The days turned into a two week search so I told him that I was coming in his room to help him find his keys. He told me that I didn't have to do that and I told him I'm doing it because I want to. When I walked in his room, he had so much stuff in his closet and I said that we must clean up first just to look for keys. He told me that sounded crazy and I said, "It's like this son, we have to take care of the little things (like a set of keys) and then we can be ruler over many things (keys to the kingdom). " I told him that if we clean up his room and put stuff where it go and get rid of stuff we don't need or use, then I bet your keys will show up. I figured he wasn't gonna get far searching for the keys alone, so I went in his room, sat on the floor and I started on the closet. He kept saying, "Mom, why would my keys be in the closet?" I told him that the more he keeps talking, the more time he keeps wasting and to start on the other side of the room.

Well do you know that when I pulled out all that paper and books out of his closet (and filled up two trash bags of junk), there was his keys. He beamed with joy like he had just gotten a new bike for Christmas. He giggled and could hardly wait to go show hubby and daughter. He laughed and kept saying that was too funny that those keys were in there. I told him to let this be a lesson to him and he asked what that could be. I said it is called responsibility and then I went on my merry way without preaching. He said, "Thanks mom for helping me." You're Welcome.

Lovingly yours,

How our new year got started

Hubby is a wonderful person but majority of the time, he doesn't listen when I'm trying to tell him stuff. He
wants to venture out on his own and do it his way and I hate to be the person who says "I told you so" even though I try not to say that. Well, see what had happened was........

Hubby asked me if we could invite a couple of people over for New Year's Dinner. I graciously said yes and he said that all he wanted me to do was just have a seat and that he didn't need any help and that he had it all together. I said ok. I asked him why don't he cook the dinner on Friday and then all we would have to do on Saturday is to just warm the food up. Not to mention, I saw where it eas gonna rain. Nooooooooo, hubby wanted to get up on Saturday morning (after being at watch night service and going to bed late) and cook everything FRESH and told me it wasn't gonna rain. Well on Friday night before we went to church, hubby saw that there was a hole in the pot that he was to fry the turkey in. I mentioned to him that we should just go and get a pot before church and have that taken care of. Nooooooooooo, Mr. Hubby says that he can fix it and that it will work out just fine. That is when I threw my arms up and let him do what he do. Oh yeah and it rained.

Well, see what had happened again was.......hubby got the pot outside on Saturday and poured up the oil in the pot and as soon as he did that, oil started dripping out on the concrete. If you've ever seen The Color Purple when Miss Celie just sits back in that rocking chair watching Mister....until he gets the kerosene....then she was out of there. I was just gonna let him eat crow but I saw that oil dripping and I just immediately grabbed a pot and took it to him. He wanted to say thanks but I think his pride wouldn't let him.........then he comes to me and says, "Babe, you think we can go and get that pot?" I almost said NOOOOOOO and I told you so, BUT I didn't. I just said, "Let me grab my purse." Did I mention it is New Year's Day and we expecting company???????

So off to Lowe's we go to get a turkey frying pot because I know how much it meant to him to fry this turkey on New Year's Day since we only do it once a year. I didn't say I told you so.......but that flesh deep down inside wanted to jump out of me and say, "Nah, nah, nah, nah...I was right. I told ya." I let it go. So now he is behind in his cooking process of how he wanted things to turn out. Once again I asked if I could be of assistance to him and once again he said no. He finally got that oil hot enough to drop that turkey in it and I could see a satisfied look on his face. He even called me and said, "Come look at the turkey" (picture above) and I did. Our friends arrived and we had a real nice time talking, eating, laughing, eating, oh did I mention eating! Hubby and I enjoyed the fun, food and fellowship and now he is saying he can hardly wait until next year so he can do it again. GASP!

Lovingly yours,