Daddy's girl - or not.

I am talking about me being daddy's girl, or at least I was for many years of my life. My dad would jump through hoops to get me what I wanted or needed. My parents divorced when I was 7 and they had joint custody. I am the baby of 6 so when my parents divorced there were only two of us still living at home. The joint custody thing worked out fine for my sister, Stephanie, and I. We went with my dad when we wanted to and stayed with my mom when we wanted to. There wasn't a set schedule, but most of the time we spent the weekend at dad's.

My mother remarried and the two of them drank a lot. My step-father would have peppermint schnapps every morning with his coffee. Then he would have bloody mary's or O.J and vodka the rest of the day. My mom didn't start her day that way, but she definitely drank in the evenings.

I remember one time when my mom had promised for 3 or 4 days that she would take me shopping for my first bra. Everyday she would call and tell me she was "going to meet Tom for drinks." and everyday I would cry. I told my dad about it and so one day he came over and picked me up. He took me to the mall and asked a clerk in JC Penney to help. With her help my dad bought me 2 bras. I was so thrilled. I knew, even at my young age, how hard that must have been for my dad.

In the last 5 or 6 years my dad and I have grown distant. Not only in miles, but in emotion too. He moved to a small town about 18 years ago, but the town is about 2 1/2 hours from where I live so he would frequently come up for a visit or for holidays. After I got married he always came for Thanksgiving. The last 3 Thanksgivings he has backed out at the last minute. The first year he backed out he called me that morning and said he couldn't make it because he had an abscess tooth. We felt bad that he was going to be alone and miserable, so, without calling him first, we drove down to see him. He wasn't home. It is a small enough town that we just started driving until we found him. He was on his way home from his girlfriend's house. Instead of just telling me that he had a girlfriend in the first place, he lied to me and spent the day with her. To add injury to insult, his girlfriend was younger than me. (ewww yuck!)

That is sort of when our relationship started to deteriorate. I can't tell you how many times he has called and said "I'm coming to visit this weekend!" then while we are hanging out waiting for him, he will call and tell me he can't come. The last 4 or 5 times he has told me he is coming I just say "great! We'll see you when you get here!" (like I always say) and then I don't tell the kids and we go about our business. If he shows, great! If not, it is no skin off my back. And guess what..... he never shows.

Then there was the time he wouldn't return my calls and I had to call the police to go check on him, thankfully he was fine. That again put a little bigger wedge between us because he was upset with me for calling the police.

So now to the reason I am posting this today. My niece is getting married this August. When I talked to my dad last week he asked if I was going to go. I said that we were planning to and then he told me he wanted to go too. I told him to keep me posted if he was able to go. He agreed to do that.

Last night I got a call from my sister Stephanie asking if my dad could ride with us or if I would be willing to help buy him an airline ticket so he could go to the wedding. I told her no and no. We won't have room in our car to take him and no I will not help buy him a ticket that he may back out of at the last minute. I told her he needs to come up with the money to get there. I just am not willing to help him on this. I stand firm on it. I don't think he has any real intentions of going and I think he thinks it is the right thing to say and knows full well he isn't going. Kinda like all those times he said he would come visit me, 2 1/2 hours away, and never shows. Steph said she may check into airfare anyway. I told her I just couldn't help. She said she understood where I was coming from and that she just doesn't have the same feelings since she lives further away and doesn't talk to him as much.

I am so sorry to bore you, but I just needed to vent.

New look

So what do y'all think of the new look-sy?? I am just so in love with it! Darcy, over at Graphically Designing, did an excellent job and was very patient me as I am a little computer-stupid. Well, maybe not computer-stupid, but definitely technically challenged! She was even more understanding when her emails apparently were being sent to my junk mail and so I never responded to her mock-up of the design and it wasn't until she posted a comment on my blog asking what happened to me that we connected again! Anywhoo, I am so impressed with her work!! Go check out some of her other designs she has done!

Fashion advice

On Saturday, when I was shopping with my friend I was looking at some clothes. I picked up a pair of longer shorts and I said I really liked them. They were a dark jean with yellow stitching. They didn't have any in my size, so I said to my friend "Good thing they don't have these in my size because they are little too expensive."

Without hesitation she said: "Those are ugly."

At first I started to be offended, then I remembered this is one of my friends who has very little fashion sense. I mean, she just doesn't. Let me also say here that yours truly has very little fashion sense so the longer shorts could have been ugly, but I certainly am not about to trust this woman's opinion on it!

I love her dearly -- she is fun to hang out with and she is very crafty so we like to get together and do crafty things, but fashion is not our thing!

Weekend Recap

Nothing extravagant but it was a fun weekend overall:

Friday night Mr. Man had to work so the kids and I went to Wendy's for dinner.

Saturday I went grocery shopping, then after getting all that unloaded and put away, I took the kids to a birthday party. Then while they were at the party I went shopping and had lunch with a friend I have known since I was four years old. When we got home that evening the boys went Disc Golfing.

Sunday we went to church, then home for lunch and a nap (for me and Lady Bug). Then we went to a music concert at my SIL's church. That was a lot of fun but we didn't get home until 10:00 pm.

Oven Fried Chicken

This is a recipe that one of my sisters makes often and it is very yummy! My husband has a hang up with oven fried chicken so it isn't his favorite, but he will eat it when I serve it (for whatever that is worth!)

Oven Fried Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
3-4 lbs chicken parts
1/4 c flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 c butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Wash and pat dry chicken. In a pie pan, combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture. Put butter in a shallow baking pan, place in the oven to melt butter. When butter is melted, arrange chicken in pan in a single layer, skin side down. Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes; turn and bake 15 minutes longer or until tender and done.

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes and gravy and Caesar Salad.

Caesar Salad is one of my favorite salads! I've posted this recipe before, but here it is again.

Caesar Salad:
INGREDIENTS:
1 clove minced garlic
1/3 c olive oil
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
ground pepper to taste
1 head of Romaine lettuce, washed and dried
Juice from 1 lemon
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, mix together garlic, oil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, dry mustard and ground pepper. Tear in lettuce. Toss. Squeeze in lemon juice. Toss. Add cheese. Serve right away.

Being helpful

This week Mr. Man has been very helpful around the house. He has been doing dishes after dinner --even loaded them in the dishwasher! (that doesn't usually happen), one day I had to work late so he made dinner and the table was all set and ready when I got home. He has even vacuumed the house a couple times this week too.

I am grateful to have such a helpful husband!

This morning he told me that he would be willing to help with laundry too! The first thought I had was remember the once pink sweater you had that he washed and it came out sort of grayish-pinkish-blackish and 2 sizes too small. Ya, laundry isn't his thing! I didn't say that however, but he may have had the same thought because he said "Well I can at least help with mine." Then we both laughed because 95% of his clothes go to the dry cleaner! He said "Oh. That would be a big help if I wash just my socks and underwear!" I thanked him for his offer to help though and told if I ever get behind I may have him wash his stuff and the boys stuff and I would take care of mine and Lady Bug's clothes. So far though, I have been staying on top of the laundry.