Is Mitchell Mistreated?

He's been throwing phrases around like: slave labor and indentured servant---in relation to what his parents have been making him do as a form of punishment.

A couple months ago, Mitchell got a speeding ticket. In North Carolina, it's a serious thing if you are under 21. He lost his license for a period of time. His parents had to hire a lawyer which cost $350. They expected re-payment---as any parents should. But, it's that re-payment that has come in to question. Mitchell thinks it's too harsh. I say, that means the punishment must be a good one! On the other hand, the question becomes---is it fair to make your kid do something you don't want to do? Again, I say "yes!" The very definition of punishment is: "infliction of a penalty as retribution."

You be the judge.

 The task Mitchell was given was to take down this mammoth bush. He's standing on top of a 5 ft. wall. The bush still towers over him---and he's at least 6' 2".

 He had a hard time figuring out how to begin. The bush was so dense.

 He says he worked 6 hours to take it down.

He broke the loppers while doing the job. He had to cut all the branches down to an acceptable size for the trash company to pick up. All had to be hauled to the street.

One more picture of him standing on the wall with the bush removed. His dad plans to rent a chain saw to get rid of the rest. By the time he does that and replaces the loppers, it very well could have been cheaper to hire someone.

We all had a good laugh over this. The bush was so massive---that did seem like an over-the-top punishment. But then, I'm always quick to defend my only grandson! He'll survive!

The Party's Over

Everybody left today---the Lapps family and Jackie and Greg. I went back to bed and slept until 11 a.m. Let me explain as I never sleep late.

I started taking the Celebrex about a little over a week ago. I'm so aggravated. It's not working. At ALL! I'm worse off now. I'm realizing now that the Meloxicam at least took the edge off the pain. I had no idea. I keep thinking I need to give the Celebrex more time. Then Butch showed me an article from Consumer Reports. The magazine says that Celebrex does not ease pain any more or better than other pain relievers---including ibuprofen and naproxin. What??? This new doctor prescribed a drug that not only doesn't work---it's mega expensive. That makes me wonder about him. I think drugs are about the only thing you cannot return for a refund! Bummer.

Besides the fact that it's not working, it's causing me to have insomnia. This is completely different than the prednisone. I can sleep with that, I just don't need as much sleep. With the celebrex, I have a feeling that I'm experiencing a bit of what Michael Jackson felt. I can't sleep. I feel lousy all day.

I think I'm going back to the Meloxicam. I think I'll call my regular doctor and maybe she can just increase it.

Now that I've complained, I'll report a little about our fun week. I think this was the very first time that we didn't play a single game. We spent most of the week in the pool. On Friday, I took the kids to   Sky High---a trampoline place.

After just 5 minutes, they were worn out! Mitchell was sweating! All of the kids said it's harder than it looks. I don't really get that. It doesn't seem like you have to exert much effort to just bounce. It must be a workout as they have "air-obics" there. Stephanie and Mindy plan to give it a try. We'll see what they have to say about it.

Mitchell and Jordan did the "wipe-out" thing---Sky High calls it "meltdown."

We were there for an hour and fifteen minutes. The kids were worn out. We stopped for barbecue at Corkys. It was a fun outing---just the kids and me. I love time alone with them. Their conversations are always so interesting!

Speaking of the kids, they played some games themselves. On Saturday night, they started with Clue. About the time I decided to go to bed, they were playing Head Banz. It sounded like they were having a lot of fun!!

We spent the day doing laundry and getting everything back to normal. After everyone leaves, the quiet seems so sad. There's nothing we like better than having the family here. 

Top Tip Thursday

I read this tip a while back and finally got the chance to use it. When making potato salad,

score the potatoes prior to boiling them. Once they are boiled, the skins easily slip off. This totally worked! Give it a try.

Southern-Style Oven-Fried Chicken & Dessert

Busy with the family this week, but I'm eeking out a little time to share this low-cal recipe. This is an old Weight Watcher's recipe. I made it for our day on the pontoon boat. I was afraid that it might be soggy after chilling, but it was fine. Microwaving it later made it soggy. Hot from the oven or cold---it's really good. I found it needed more salt, but you can always add that when you eat it.

Southern-Style Oven-Fried Chicken

4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (I prefer the tenderloins)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/3 cup flour
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix (I added this to the original recipe)
3 oz. low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup cornflakes, crushed fine

Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking dish. Combine the salt, cayenne pepper and ranch dressing in to the flour. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, then dip in to buttermilk followed by the cornflake crumbs. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Low-cal Cake

1 yellow cake mix (or any flavor)
1 can diet Coke (or any flavor)

Mix the dry cake with the diet soda. Pour in to sprayed 9x13 pan. Bake according to mix directions, but check a little sooner than recommended. The cake does not rise, so it will be thin. Top with fresh fruit and Cool Whip-Lite.

We're Big Talkers!

The Lapps family arrived Friday night for their annual "first week of August" trip to Nashville. We've been doing this for years---sort of a last hoorah before school starts.

Stephanie made all the arrangements for us to rent a pontoon boat on Saturday. The place was 2 hours away on Dale Hollow Lake here in Tennessee. We got on the boat at 10 a.m. and got off at 6 p.m.---8 hours of cruising around and water play.

 Our day began here.

We brought an assortment of floats and noodles. I decided that I was going to tread water for a half hour to get a point for our family fitness challenge. Mitchell said there was no way I could do that. So he bet me a dollar and we started. I don't think he made it 5 minutes. Then I started to show off---first, treading water with no hands and then no feet. I kept going after 30 minutes and did a full hour---the first time. Later, we stopped at a different area and I treaded water for another 30 minutes to earn 3 points for Team Eads. Mitchell said he was impressed and paid the bet!! It's not often that you can impress and 18 year old boy with your physical capabilities! Truth be told, I'm paying for it today---sore arms, legs and calves!

I made oven fried chicken (I'll share the recipe soon---very good and low calorie), potato salad (not so low calorie) and deviled eggs. We had watermelon for dessert. It was perfect----juicy and sweet!

 Just about everyone took a turn riding up top. There was a slide on the boat too.

 Morgan captained the boat for awhile.

Now the part where we're big talkers. While we were riding around and floating in the water, big plans were made for the evening. We were to have Imo's pizza (thanks Janet for bringing it from St. Louis a couple weeks ago) and then play games. Everyone wanted to play Reverse Charades, Loaded Questions and finish with Poker. We didn't even get home until 8:30. By the time we showered and had pizza, it was 9:30. We were ALL exhausted and decided we should save the games for another time.

That's pretty much how we roll---big plans---and then little action!! Still, it was such a fun day. We're looking forward to a fun week too!

Yes We Did...

...stand in line at the Apple Store! This weekend is tax-free weekend here in Tennessee. I don't know if other states do it, but we definitely take advantage of it---especially when we are buying computers for our grandchildren. It just so happens, that Butch's computer crashed on Monday, so this year, we were in the market for two new computers.

Morgan came over here at 7:15 a..m. on Friday. We got to the store at 7:30 and were already about 9th in line. By the time the store opened at 8, the line was all the way down the mall.

The Apple Store is about the most organized place there is. By the time we walked through the doors, we were greeted and our transaction was completed within 10 minutes. It was the perfect time to buy. Not only did we save about $100 in tax, they gave us a $116 discount on the computer since Morgan was a student. Then they gave us a $100 gift card towards accessories. We put it towards Apple Care (their insurance program) and only paid $83 for that. They were definitely prepared for the crowds!

They had stacks and stacks of iPads, MacBooks and MacBook Airs all over the place. The Apple Store is always hoppin' and full of people. Today was no different. We then went to Computer Pro for Butch's new computer. They are downloading ALL of his stuff to his new computer. Perfect!

Everybody's happy. What a way to start the weekend!

A Recipe Share

I made this recipe for freezer club this month. I haven't had it yet, but while I was making it, I tasted the filling. It was really good!

Stuffed Mexican Chicken Shells
4 cups cooked, diced chicken breast
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 green onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2-14 oz. cans Rotel
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
2 cups salsa
40 large pasta shells

Cook pasta shells until al dente. If you cook them too long, they will be hard to fill.

Mix diced chicken, beans, onions, peppers and cumin in a large bowl. In another bowl mix cream cheese, broth, and undrained Rotel. When thoroughly mixed, pour over chicken mixture and mix well.

Spread 3/4 cup salsa in each of 2-9x13 pans. Fill pasta shells and arrange in pan. Drizzle remaining salsa over shells. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until hot and bubbly.

You can freeze them. When ready to cook, just thaw in refrigerator overnight and bake as directed.