The week is shaping up to be a very good one. The sour puss mood of last week has lifted. I am seeing things through a brand new set of eyes. Taking off the rose colored glasses helped (See my other blog, Belle's Hell for the full story).

Spent Saturday with Princess and the "grands", Trooper Junior and Angel. She needed some time to herself, even if it was outside cleaning and washing her vehicle and just puttering around outside.

The real action was going on inside. I put Trooper Junior down for his nap, and Angel, or so I was told, would take her nap at the same time. WRONG.

Seems Angel had no intention of taking a nap. She had other plans and they involved rocking, sitting in grandmother's lap and being too cute for words.

Finally, she nodded off and I placed her in the bassinet. 5 minutes later Trooper Junior woke up ready to play.

Since he began calling me,"Nana", he has only done so a couple of times. Princess was trying to get him to say it,but, naturally he wouldn't. So, we started talking about names people we know call their grandparents.

A friend of mine calls his grandmother, Me-Maw. Trooper Junior's ear perked up when he heard that and he began to chant, "Me-Ma". I thought nothing of it until I arrived at her house this morning to Trooper Junior running over to me, holding up his little arms to me and saying, "Me-Ma".

So, later on, as we are strolling through Target, Princess has Angel and I have Trooper Junior. We pass the men's hat section. Playfully I began to pick out hats at random and place them on his head. Quickly he jerks them off and I repete the process. Then, I made a giant mistake and choose a big, soft straw cowboy hat. That one he liked, only I didn't notice that on the front it said, "Miller High Life"...as in beer.

Did you ever try to take something from an 18 month old that they were determined keep? Each time I would take it from him, he would scream bloody murder, "Mine....mine....mine...."

Finally I just placed it on his head, turning the logo around to the back. I was digging in my purse to get him a cookie, when I look up into the face of my daughter and his mother.

"Tell me that hat is not why he was screaming, 'mine'?"

"Afraid so". I replied.

She tried to take it from him. He screamed. She gave it back. The look on her face said it all.

"Don't worry. I'll get it from him before we leave." I assured her. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay. We'll see."

Rookie! Have a little faith. This ain't my first rodeo.

I dug into my purse and produced a cell phone. Trooper Junior loves phones, and calls them, "Da-da"....because.....Dada is always on the phone. Nautrally he wanted it, so, with one hand I gave him the cell phone and with the other took away the hat and handed it off to Princess to put back while I zipped away with Trooper Junior busy pushing every button on my locked cell phone, the hat but a distant memory.

To get your Teriffic Tuesday on a roll, here is a wonderful recipe I found in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution last week. I made it tonight and it is so good I could slap someone!

SPINACH BROWNIES

1/2 CUP (1 STICK) BUTTER OR MARGARINE (MELTED)
1 CUP MILK
2 EGGS
1 CUP BISQUICK BISCUIT MIX
1 CUP CHOPPED ONION
1(10 OUNCE) PACKAGE FROZEN SPINACH,THAWED(OR COOKED) AND SQUEEZED OF EXCESS MOISTURE.
4 CUPS (1 POUND) SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE
PAPRIKA FOR GARNISH.

(I tweaked it a little and added some fresh chopped mushrooms and a tall can of asparagus)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a saucepan melt the butter.Add milk.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then stir in the butter mixture.
Stir in the Bisquick, beating vigorously to dissolve any lumps. Stir in the onion,spinach and cheese. Spread evenly into a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until browned on top.

Cool completely, then cut into squares. You can serve chilled or at room temp.

I don't know why you would want to, but to lessen the fat, use reduced fat biscuit mix,skim milk and reduced fat cheese.

Later Ya'll...^Belle^

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IF YOU NEED A LAUGH,CLICK BELOW TOVISIT MY OTHER BLOG:

Belle's Hell

LATER YA'LL...^Belle^

It's Friday and you know what that means...time for the Friday Five. This week with a Biggie T Twist. As always, answer any 5 or go cuckoo for coca puffs crazy and answer them all. Ready...here we go...

1-When you sleep, how much of your body is covered?

Everything from the neck down.

2-Do you have any plants in your home?

Yes. I have an African Violet, that is alive,well and beautiful thanks to Brother Biggie T's advice.

3-Which did you eat last: Italian,Mexican,Chinese or Greek?

Mexican.

4-What celebrity would you like to see on Dancing With The Stars?

Richard Simmons.

5-How many wrist watches, working or not, do you own?

21

6-Do you watch 24?

No! My son, has watched it from the very first season and won't miss an episode.

7-Do you have a gas or electric stove?

Gas.

8-Last person to take your picture?

My step grandson, Little Trooper.

9-Is it live or Memorex?

I do believe it's live. Wish certain parts were Memorex so I could rewind and ERASE!

10-Funniest thing you have read on Blogstream this week?

A toss up with Fuzzy's recent post and the early morning comments over at my other blog between, Biggie T,Colo, Major Pain and myself.

11-What is on the floor to your left?

A large rock that a friend brought me back from Philadelphia,Pa. I often ask family and friends to bring back a small stone or pebble from interesting places they visit. Should have been more specific with this friend as the rock weighs about 20 pounds! I love it the shape and color and always think of him when I look at it. Especially when I stub my toe on the dad burn thing!

12-Were you named after anyone?

Yes. My first name, I share with my Mother and her grandmother. My second name, is the female form of my grandfather's name. Both were named after, General Robert E Lee, so, I guess that means I was too.

13-Favorite First Lady/S?

Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, Jackie Kennedy.

14-Last thing you craved so bad you couldn't stand it?

Double Whooper from Burger King. And to have a raging bonfire!

15-Complete this sentence: "...'cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener......"

Then you could eat me with relish....,

BIGGIE T TWIST

16-I like Biggie T because.....

Gosh, so many reasons. From the first time I read his blog, there was a warmth and honesty I was drawn to. There are just some people you click with right off and T is one of those people. His family and my biological family come from around the same area in Tennessee and I am almost certain we are swinging from the same family tree.

17-Biggie T makes me......

He makes me laugh, cry, think and smile. And, makes me wonder about sea monkeys.

18-Biggie T has....

A cute little Tennesse Tush!

19-Biggie T is....

He is a total doll.

Sweet,kind,compassionate,intelligent,witty....shall I go on....?

20- My personal message to Biggie T is....

I am so very glad we met. You have been a wonderful friend and always know just the right thing to say. And, by the way, are we still on for Swinging Richard's....?

For those of you that missed it, I had to do a very special edition of the Friday Five in the wee hours of the morning for this weeks "twistee"...Biggie. Check it out it the comments section on the post below.

Later Ya'll...^Belle^

A funny thing happened this afternoon on my way to the kitchen for a popsicle. I stepped on the TV remote and suddenly found myself at Alan Quartermaine's funeral. WHAT...? Say it ain't so!

I hate to be the one to break the news to those of you that may not have heard, but, Dr Alan Quartermaine has passed away.

Allow me to fill in the blanks. Dr Alan Quartermaine, a resident of Port Charles (sorry...I don't know what state), husband to Dr Monica Quartermaine, is a character on the daytime soap, General Hospital. He has been played by Stuart Damon since 1977.

I grew up watching all the ABC soaps, or as my grandmother Campbell said, "stories". In the lineup was All My Children,Ryan's Hope, One Life To Live,General Hospital and The Edge Of Night. Ryan's Hope and Edge are long gone.

For as far back as I can remember, everything stopped when One Life To Live and General Hospital were on the air.Back then, they were half hour shows.

I remember when Dr Alan Quartermaine arrived in Port Charles. Soon followed by the entire Quartermaine family. I remember when he and Monica got married. I even remember his affair with Susan that produced a son, Jason.

Watching the ABC soaps was a way of life. Although,it was considered mildy scandalous in family circles, when I began cheating on the ABC soaps by watching, The Young And Restless on CBS, and then later, Days Of Our Lives on NBC. That little bit of rebellion only lasted a short while and I returned ABC.

When I started to work in 1995, I tried for a while to keep up with all the action in Pine Valley,Llanview and Port Charles. After a while, it was pointless and I lost interest. Over the years, every now and again, I would flip by the local ABC channel and catch a glimpse of characters that I remembered, but mostly the faces were new.

So, imagine my surprise today when I land at the Quartermaine Mansion to see everyone dressed in black and Monica talking with Jason in Alan's study. I forgot about my popsicle.

I sat there, watching in disbelief. Alan Quartermaine can't be dead! Somehow, it was a comfort to me knowing that, even though I didn't watch the show anymore, that Alan and Monica were still alive and well.

Near the end of the show, they showed a montage of clips and I began to cry like a baby, and was still doing so after the show ended. I tried to compose myself as the ringing of the telephone startled me. A look at caller ID revealed that Daddy was calling.

ME: Hello? (sniff....sniff)

DADDY: Hey...

ME:(sniff....sniff) Hi.

DADDY: What's wrong? Are you crying?

There is just something about hearing a parents voice when you are upset. Naturally, the more I tried not to dissovle into tears, the more impossible it became to control them.

Me: Alan......Quartermaine died.

DADDY: Who...?

ME: Alan....Quartermaine....

DADDY:(Thoughtfully) Quartermaine....Quartermaine.... I don't reckon I know him. Did ya'll go to school together? Who is his daddy?

I have now gone from crying, to trying not to laugh.

DADDY: That name sounds familiar. Hold on minute.

DADDY: (To my step mother) Hey,Baby, do you know Alan Quartermaine?

STEPMOTHER: Yes. He's on General Hospital.

DADDY:(still talking to my stepmother) Well, he's dead.

DADDY:(TO ME)Did he die today? What was he in the hospital for?

By this time I have lost it and tears have turned to laughter. I must compose myself before he hangs up and orders an arrangement of flowers to be delivered to the funeral home for the Dr. Alan Quartermaine service.

STEPMOTHER: No, no, Honey, not "IN" the hospital, he plays a doctor ON TV.

DADDY: Oh.(In disbelief) That's not why you're crying....Is it?

ME: I'm not crying anymore. I'm laughing.

DADDY: Aw....hack....I don't even remember now why I called. You're laughing on the phone and she is laughing in here.

It wasn't really the death of Alan Quartermaine that caused the tears. It was alot of things. I was long overdue a nice long cry and was well on my way to having one until Daddy called.Oh well, I can always pop in Bridges Of Madison County. That should be good for over 2 hours of crying. Lucky for me, I just happen to have a brand new box of tissues.

At least I can console myself with the fact that in the world of daytime TV,people come back from the dead all the time. So, who knows, maybe a year or two, or even 5 years from now, Alan Quartermaine will return once more to Port Charles.

In closing, I said all of that to say this: On my way to the kitchen for a popsicle, I stepped on the remote, discovered Alan Quartermaine was dead then had a nervous breakdown. And, oh yeah, confused my Daddy.

DR ALAN QUARTERMAINE (1977-2007) REST IN PEACE.

Now, where did that popsicle go?

Later Ya'll...^Belle^

By looking at the calendar today, I see that it is not only Monday, but also, March! When did that happen? Oh yeah, while I was sleeping. Which has pretty much been none stop since last Wednesday afternoon. I knew it was serious when I woke to discover my son, "The Baby" holding my wrist, checking for a pulse.

I go through periods of heavy, intense sleep from time to time. Usually after long bouts with insomnia or times of emotional and mental digging deep inside myself. Or as my friend Colo says, onion peeling. Such has been the case over the last few days. Along with food poisoning.

During those rare awake and lucid times, "The List", kept calling to me. With each day that passed I got more and more behind. By Sunday, I was 4 days behind and determined to jump right in and catch up. That lasted about 10 minutes. Just long enough to glance over the list and make a mental plan of attack. Followed by, placing it back on the fridge and returning to bed.

"The List",came to be in December of 2002. Everything in my life was falling apart and spinning out of control. The death of dreams and seemingly unattainable goals, compiled with everything else, was more than I could handle.

"The List", was my way of gaining some control and order, over the things that I could control. I remember the day I sat down at my typewriter and made out the list. I felt a sense of accomplishment just completing it.

On that sheet of paper, typed with red ink, was my life, broken down into daily,weekly and monthly household chores.

At the top of the list were those things I did each and every day. That was followed by other chores done on a weekly basis, broken down by the days of the week. Wednesday was devoted to monthly chores, then broken down again by, week 1, week 2, week 3 and week 4 of every month. (See the list below)

HOUSEHOLD CHORES

DAILY-Make beds, wash sink and counter in bathrooms, do laundry,sweep,vacuum,mop,straighten.

Note:(On Monday, vacuum 5 times back and forth per section. Tuesday, once or twice. Wednesday,3 times. Thursday, once or twice, Friday, once or twice,Saturday 5 times)

WEEKLY CHORES:

Monday: Wash sheets and polish furniture.

Tuesday: Clean out fridge and outside of appliances.

Wednesday: MONTHLY CHORES:

WEEK 1-Clean behind and under furniture, walls and baseboards. Dust.

WEEK 2-Windows, dust mini blinds and ceiling fans.Dust.

WEEK 3- CRACK AND DOODAD DAY. Vacuum between walls and carpet, clean and dust doodads and glassware.Dust.

WEEK 4: Dust books,movies,CD's and DVD's.Dust.

Thursday: Shopping list and menus for the week.

Friday:Polish furniture,scrub tub and shower.

Saturday: Organize-Check drawers, cabinets,closets.

This was my life. Maybe I couldn't control people coming in and out and,maybe certain things that people take for granted were not in the cards for me, but these things I could control.

Periodically, sickness or other obligations would get in the way, but I always caught up.

Today, I am looking at, "The List" with different eyes and wondering.....WHY...?

I feel like I am on a merry go 'round. Seeing and doing the same things, day after day.....year after year. Maybe it's time for a new list.

Later Ya'll...^Belle^