saturday confessions...

True Confessions... I made an apple cobbler today with 3/4 a stick of butter, white flour, a cup of sugar, whole milk, caramel apple pie filling... it was good... but it was SOOOO bad!

Here's the recipe, in case you want to be bad too:

preheat oven to 400 degrees

put butter in a casserole dish and slip it in the oven while it's heating

when the butter is melted... add a can of pie filling or canned fruit (peaches work great)...

mix one cup of flour, one cup of sugar and one cup of milk...

pour this over the fruit/butter

cook for 30 minutes or until browned...

To balance the bad... I made an awesome pasta primavera for dinner (and for lunches next week)...

I used two zucchini, diced... one red bell pepper... about two cups of shredded cabbage... fresh garlic... and a can of spaghetti sauce... over whole wheat rotini. I added my favorite large shred parmesan... really good stuff.


I moved more today than I meant to. I cleaned out the fridge and (without thinking) pulled the trash bag out of the trash can. This pinched something in my upper back and my right shoulder and right arm are *jacked up*... all that cooking didn't help but I needed to do it. Well, I needed to do the pasta. The cobbler was a brief moment of rebellion.


I also danced a little today. I couldn't help myself. I watched the Michael Jackson documentary, "This Is It" and I had to dance along. In a way... it felt good to move... and then... it didn't feel good.

I just watched the latest episode of Heavy. My friend Stacia (that I know from theatre) is on one of the upcoming episodes - I think it's week after next. I like this show SOOOO much better than The Biggest Loser. I was invited to a preview of her episode last fall and didn't go. I wish I had... anyways... woulda/coulda/shoulda...

I also watched the movie, "Why Did I Get Married" by Tyler Perry today. I really enjoyed it. It was a compelling story... and my friend Jamie had a bit part (the gay guy on the train with the little dog)... so that was fun, seeing him. He is also on the show "House of Payne" from time to time as the Richard Simmons-esque fitness instructor. Jamie grew up with Purple Michael - they went to High School together. Every time I see Jamie playing something NOT straight... I wonder if he's drawing on his time with Michael. It was Jamie's apartment where I welcomed in 2005 with Purple Michael - we were housesitting while Jamie and his wife Amy were on vacation. New Year's Eve PM and I munched until we burst... and the next day I started the initial weight loss process... that was so successful for me. I'll never forget that late night out by the fire on the patio with PM... just enjoying my time with him and finding my inspiration. My niece Jamie had been born two days prior and it was ironic ... celebrating Jamie at Jamie's apartment.

Now I'm watching reruns of Sex and the City. I have the entire series on DVD but I can't find it. I'm watching the PG version on E!. There are so many great quotes in that show... they really make you think... at least, it makes me think. I also saw Sarah Jessica Parker in the movie, "Did You Hear About The Morgans" last week. We have a year long preview of the Starz channels on our satellite so, for once in my life, I'm watching movies that are newer than 40 years old. I still prefer the older ones, though.

I'm so excited about the Oscars tomorrow! Not the show itself... I don't think I've seen ANY of the nominated films... but I love the red carpet. It's like living fashion history... just think... 40 years from now I'll be able to tell my grandchildren... "I remember when Natalie Portman wore the most fabulous maternity gown on the red carpet". Of course... my grandchildren will probably all be boys and not care. The best red carpet EVER in my life was one year when I watched with Purple Michael and Barry together... I got the best fashion review possible short of hanging out with Joan Rivers... and I got the manly man's views of babes in ballgowns from Bear. It was an awesome time for me.

I'd love to put together a Royal Wedding Watching party on my birthday... I've already scheduled the day off... I mean, how often do you have the opportunity to watch a royal wedding ON your birthday? It's the only time ever in my life... like a full lunar eclipse or something... but... my house isn't really set up for a tv watching party since the tvs are in the bedrooms and there's not one in the living room. I'll have to work on that a bit... two months to go. I'll be 68 on Will and Kate's 25th anniversary!

My parents are about to celebrate their 45th anniversary. I started dating Michael right after their 40th... which was also the last time that our family was all together. Sad, isn't it? My brother David has mostly disowned us all. He didn't come around for Thanksgiving, Christmas... or during the times my mom was in the hospital last year. I'm used to it... but it still hurts. I guess it always will... it's hard when you grieve someone who is still alive. I used to have a brother that was also my good friend. I miss him. I still have Bubba... and he makes up for a lot... and Bryan from time to time... but Michael and David are really not a part of my life. (My brother Michael, I mean). Anyways... I guess you can look at it as the blessing of having a big family is that you always have spares when some of them isolate themselves from you... and... the blessing of having friends who are closer than family is that you always know you're loved. And I do.

I absolutely HAVE to go to church tomorrow, so that i can retrieve Austin. I'll have to sit/stand in the back... but I'm glad to go. I miss it. We have a great church family. And they are... family.

So I absolutely HAVE to get a good night's sleep tonight which means I have to get this new pinching pain under control so that I can sleep. Vicious cycle. Although... there are many who live with much worse pain and they make it. I can too. I'm tough like that...

My friend Greg (some of y'all have checked out his blog)... always says that he's rough around the edges but soft inside... and I say that I'm soft on the outside but inside I'm tough as nails. Like a Steel Magnolia in training. This thing scored a blow to my tender outer core but now it's lasted long enough that it's boring into my core... and once it reaches the heart of who I am, it won't win... I can do this.

So that's the haps here on a quiet Saturday night. Love and hugs, y'all.