Snakes and Caffeine

My Daddy sent me an email last week of this:

97 lb rattlesnake found in just north of Enterprise

9 feet, 1 inch - 97 lbs. - Biggest rattler found since Ross Allen captured one in 1969 that measured 9 feet, 1 inch but only weighed 78 lbs.

This old guy was found inside an open water tank near an abandoned chicken house.



NO, NO, NO! This just makes me hurt. And look at the smile on his face. This man is proud that he caught this. Let me be clear. If this thing was found ANYWHERE near, not just my house but the vicinity of my neighborhood, I would move in with my Mama and Daddy and there would be a For Sale sign in my yard faster that you can say, "Jill has left the building."



On another note, I wanted to let ya'll know that I have given up my Caffeine/Diet Coke/Diet Mtn. Dew habit. I can honestly say, it's one of the hardest things I've ever done. I feel like I'm betraying my first love or something. I drank my last one Friday night and I'm on Day 3 of withdrawals. BUT! I know this is good for me and although Jay doesn't know it yet, he's gonna get me a BIG OLE prize because he's so proud!

Weekend Wrap-Up

I would like to say that I was major productive this weekend but that would be a big ole lie. I pretty much procrastinated on just about everything I needed to get done and was the biggest bunch of lazy you've ever seen. I'm trying to justify it due to the fact that it pretty much stormed all weekend.

In the Jill Dictionary, storm has several definitions:
1. opportunity to sleep
2. opportunity to read
3. opportunity to watch TV

I like to think that the stronger the storm, the more I should do all 3 of the above and believe me, the storms were STRONG this weekend!

P.S. The Yankees beat the Mets today 15-0!

Abbie Girl

It's a special day. Today is my niece, Abbie's 8th birthday. She is the sweetest thing you'll ever meet and I love her with all my heart. When Sister was pregnant and after we found out that she was having a girl, I dreamed and dreamed of what she would be like. None of my dreams came even close to how wonderful she is.

I wish you could meet her. She's a cross between Anne of Green Gables and Laura Ingalls. She has a smile that lights up a room and a laugh that will keep you smiling all day. Oh, and I wish you could talk to her on the phone. She has the cutest little voice and believe me, she could talk all day if you let her.

I have loved and will continue to love every minute of watching her grow up. She's one of the best things that ever happened to me. I love you Abbie Girl!

Spaghetti Squash

No lie ya'll, I made Spaghetti Squash for the first time tonight. AND IT WAS GOOD! It could not have been easier.

This medium Spaghetti Squash could easily serve 6.


Step 1: Boil it for about 30 minutes.


Step 2: After letting it cool for about 20 minutes, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and goop in the middle.


Step 3: Take a fork and scrape the sides. It is amazing how it just comes out so easily and looks like Angel Hair Pasta.

Step 4: Pour your favorite sauce on top and let it simmer till hot. (I used this Zesty & Spicy sauce for the first time and it had a great spicy kick!)


The finished product! Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese and wa-lah! You're done. FYI, if you're a Weight Watcher's guy or gal, I counted this as a 3 point meal. A cup of the spaghetti squash was right on the line of 0 and 1 point, 1/2 cup of this sauce was 1 point and I made my own garlic bread (2 pieces of the WhiteWheat bread with no-calorie spray butter and garlic salt!) which was 1 point.


So... I liked it, Jay liked it, and it was REALLY easy!

A Dollop of Dolly

I would love to be able to tell you that this is my 100th post, but apparently I missed it and this is my 101st. I hate that too because I had so many pearls of wisdom to share on my 100th. OK, not really - but I originally signed on to tell you about my love for Dolly Parton.

She was on 60 Minutes tonight and once again I marveled about how cute and down-to-earth she is. I love it that she's so open and honest. She is tee-niny and seriously, that little giggle is just about the cutest thing ever.

Sister and I have always loved Dolly so I thought I would give you a list of my top 5 FAVORITE Dolly songs - in no particular order:

Islands in the Stream
I Will Always Love You
Here You Come Again
Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That
9 to 5

Speaking of 9 to 5, I wonder how Mama Hen is coming with her "New Year's Resolve"???

And for your viewing pleasure, here she is - enjoy! And by the way, what's your favorite Dolly song?

How "High" Do You Have To Be?

My sweet hubby has had a hankerin' for years to skydive so he headed out to Cullman Sunday to give it a try.

Uhhh, you would have had to pry my cold, dead hand off the backside of the plane before you would see me jump out to this.

A little too close for comfort.

Thankfully, he didn't much care for it so I won't have to get him to upsize the life insurance policy anytime soon. It's like my Daddy says, "Why would anyone want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?" And like I say, "I would have to be 'high' to go skydiving." Get it??? High - a little pun on words. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one laughing at that.

Tales from San Fran

In our first full day in San Francisco, we got the bright idea that we would bike to and across the Golden Gate Bridge. Check us out - and yes, I was the only dork with a helmet. You have to give me a break, it's been a lot of years since I've ridden a bike.

For the love, it was SO FAR away! It turned out to be about 8 miles there and 1.7 miles across. Most normal people ride down the hill to Sausolito after crossing the bridge and catch the ferry back to Fisherman's Wharf. Oh, but the frugal girls that we are couldn't imagine paying $28.00 to rent our bike and only getting a couple of hours out of it. SO, we biked back across and 8 miles back. Thankfully, the saying "it's like riding a bike" is true and I didn't hurt myself or anyone else.

Lombard Street was really beautiful and pretty scary when you're driving down in the car. It's known as the Crookedest Street in America. Some of the most expensive real estate in San Francisco is on either side.

This was our last night. I think we were all getting a bit antsy about getting home.

We ate at Sears before heading to the airport. It was beyond great.

I had the best time and I can't thank my sister-in-law enough for letting me tag along on her business trip.

Check out the cutie that was waiting for me at the airport. It's good to be home!