Addie's Blog

Pixie and Root's Rotolo's Diary

2011-07-28T15:27:00.001-07:00

There has been much excitment from me about the grand opening of the Rotolo's in New Roads. I have great memories from the Rotolo's at LSU and have spent the last couple month's really talking the place up. July 28, 2011 was opening day...no question we had to be one of the first to eat there! Hey we're from a small town...we get excited when Winn Dixie expands.

Root's and I work together. She has shared my excitement about having a good pizza place in town.

This morning I got the phone number and we went online to decide what to order. The menu looked great. It was a tough choice but Root's and I decided to start out simple. The Deluxe Calzone: Pepperoni, Italian sausage, green peppers, onions and mushrooms.

After such a tough decision we decided we need to make our way through the menu and blog about it. We want to be like the weird foodie blogger on Bethany Ever After. We figure we can at least get the weird part right!!! Hey we have a great start with our nicknames Root's and Pixie.

Even with it being opening day and a packed house Rotolo's did not disappoint. The calzone was awesome. The sauce was a perfect combination of sweet tangy marinara. The bread was perfectly baked...light and fluffy. The filling was cooked perfectly as well.

Bravo to Rotolo's if I didn't know any better I would have never guessed it was opening day.

You will have to see what our next choice(s) will be or we will also take suggestions.

What just happened here?

2010-08-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

The majority of my friends have itty bitties...they are all beautiful and I love being around them and playing with them. I love to see them in person or to watch them grow by photographs over the internet.

I do not have children of my own, but I do have a godchild. Devin has always been a huge part of my life, but in the past 8 years he's managed to be an even bigger part of my life. I'm so grateful that I was able to be there for him.

To all my young mama friends: Brace yourselves!!! Enjoy every moment of it. You'll never go back. One day you are going to wake up to a teenager tapping your shoulder saying, "Are you OK? Do you need me to drive? I have my permit you know." Yes it will happen...yes you will take with the shakes...yes you will say to yourself--What just happened here?

(This happened to me on the way to Texas to go visit Mike two weeks ago.)

My baby who adored me and worshiped the ground I walked on is now his own free thinking, embrassed by me, learners permit toting, high school freshman, playing high school football. He has a personality that is unbelievable...not sure where he got that from...it's like listening to a recording of myself! lol

All I know is I got four more years to call him a kid, and I'm not going to miss a damn thing! I have always been that crazy "aunt" on the sidelines or in the audience or lurking in the background...why should I change now, right?

So mama's just remember this post when you say these words, "What just happened here?" in the years to come. It's a bumpy ride, but it's been worth every minute!

Oh and if you don't know by now...I'm very proud of my Devin...he's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

Food for Thought

2010-07-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

OK I have a new addiction. I have chalked it up to the fact that it gives me brain power...what little brain I have, right? I have a bag of Jelly Belly Raspberries and Blackberries at my desk. For some reason, they give me just enough sweet clarification to move forward in my work each day. I love them!

Whhheeewww!!!!

2010-05-07T18:09:00.000-07:00

I've been experiencing an inner ear infection for the last 3 days. I can honestly say I have not felt this drunk since Mardi Gras 2001 when we thought it would be a great idea to stay at Julie and B's in New Orleans for the entire Mardi Gras weekend. I have been quite entertaining...walking sideways, falling backwards, forgetting how my home is laid out and not remembering where I can find the bathroom, and if I groped anyone...I'm blaming it on the medication!! Life has been interesting. As for the nausea, well we won't go there...let's just say I've lost 9.5 pounds in 2 days. The bonus to it all has been that I have slept more hours than I can count.
To make matters worse I have flight to catch on Sunday. The doctor has advise against me flying, but said I can play it day by day. If no one hears from me, Sunday-Friday that means I'm lost somewhere in the BTR airport, DFW, or Kansas City. I'll be the chick walking sideways and probably detained by airport security for impersonating a drunk person!

Oh What a Day!

2010-04-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very interesting day. It started at 2 a.m. when the cat decided she would practice her hunting skills and pounced on my face. Needless to say she got an early morning ass beating...that was well deserved.

The day started off with an Adobe Illustrator class. Now I know I'm not the brightest cookie, but I can hold my own with computer programs. Photoshop-no problem; Dreamweaver-piece of cake; Illustrator-stumped! I don't think the subject material was hard...I think the instructor was crappy. I know I know it's easy to blame the teacher but really I think I have a valid complaint this time. There is no way those other two classes were easy and the program that deals with geometric shapes and colors is that difficult. She was a scatter brain and would get confused between Illustrator, Flash and InDesign.

A day of bad communication continued and I seemed to be the middle man for that one...and let's just leave it at that to save my ass. Which led to the next event of the day being our coop cookout. It was a very nice event...but some things never change there either. Those that put forth a lot of effort did a great job...and their hard work was much appreciated.

On the ride home, I had left over crawfish stew spill all over the back of the jeep. That's a smell you will never forget. Especially when you are not a huge seafood fan.

I got home and began to clean up the crawfish and tried to stabilize the odor. In the mean time, I was going in and out of the house rinsing the towel and grabbing cleaning products. Well the cat...that is a BARN CAT...but never goes outside and hates the smell of the outdoors, gets confused and heads outside. The door closed behind her...she didn't realize the glass door was closed and leaped into it; then she rolled down the steps all the way to the ground. Disoriented and confused she took off running. I had to stop cleaning to go look for the runaway cat. Rounded her up and finished cleaning.

As you can see, I'm consistent. I don't just have one event happen to me at a time. I get everything in multiples. I still believe...My life is made for TV or a movie.

MIA

2010-04-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

I'm sure no one even checks my blog anymore. It has not been updated in months. Blogging was fun, but now with Facebook...it's just a lot easier to post a quick little message than to type an entire blog.

Last week was hell! My grandfather was rushed to the hospital ER on Sunday afternoon, and he has spent the week in the hospital. He had a lot of fluid and was having trouble breathing.

While staying with my grandfather in the hospital my grandmother had a weak spell and was sent to the ER. She had an inner ear infection and was sent home.

Mom has been going through testing for her thyroid and back. So I took her to get an MRI on Wednesday. She ended up reacting to the medicine they gave her for the test, and I got sick while in BR that same day.

I've learned that my family has a tendency to do our part in keeping the medical field in business, but when we do it...we do it all at once!

Everyone is starting to do better.

Labor Day Weekend in The Woodlands, TX

2009-09-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

Friday: I left work early and headed to New Orleans. No shock to me Baton Rouge was a parking lot. I took Nicholson to Gonzales and then the interstate was fine. New Orleans airport was a mess. Parking was horrible and the lines were very long. I probably should have given myself more time, but I didn't. I barely made it to my plane. After boarding all was well. The flight attendant was a twin of Susan Sarandon--looks, voice, firey personality. It was Southwest Airlines version of Bull Durham. This is one of the reasons I absolutely love flying Southwest Airlines. They crack me up. Flight took exactly one hour from gate to gate...another plus for Southwest. Luggage arrived--plus. (Don't you find it sad that we get excited when airlines do what they are supposed to do?)
Great News!!! Mike didn't forget to pick me up. He was waiting for me. We headed north on I-45. Both of us in serious need of food and drink...especially drink.
Dinner at Kobe Japanese restaurant. We had a four course hibachi grill meal of onion soup, salad with a spicy horseradish dressing, shrimp appetizers and a beef meal with vegetables and rice. Dinner was great. Time to drink!! So Mike took me his favorite bar called Side Street. I got to meet all his friends there and I will say I like them a lot. I would probably be friends with these people also if I live in Houston.

Saturday: We slept late; both hurting from the night before. Did you know when you do a shot in Texas you are supposed to toast, then hit the bottom of the glass on the bar before you drink. It's a Texas tradition and since I want to be Zane Lamprey the host of Three Sheets I thought I would share with you. Lunch was at Potbelly's. Really great sandwich shop. We shopped for a little while; hitting some of the stores in The Woodlands Mall and then off to Sam Moons! No trip to Houston is complete without a visit to Sam Moons. (Yes Julie, I'm hooked!) Afterwards we headed back to Mike's to just chill out. We watched the Alabama game and then the LSU game. Much improvements to be made.
Sunday: Booze Cruise Day! We hit all Mike's favorite spots and had a drink at each. This is his Sunday tradition, so when in Rome! First stop Side Street (Mike's favorite hang out), Crush (Wine Bar with a balcony), Baker's Street (London Mystery theme), Americas (very elegant and chic), the Gooses Acre (authentic Irish Pub that was disassembled, shipped to the US and then reassembled) and then back to Side Street. We had a lot of fun and really got to catch up with one another. It was a very relaxing day. Mike accused me of being wasted...I wasn't. What happened was he talks so much and so fast that my brain reached an overload and it shuts down. Trust me I could have drank a lot more.

Monday: Labor Day We drove through some neighborhoods. Mike showed me where some people we know from back home lived. In this neighborhood, they have deer in their front yards, along the road, drinking out of their ponds. It was unbelievable to see how many deer were in that neighborhood. Afterwards we were off to Lake Conroe. We had lunch at a BBQ place and then we just enjoyed the lake and the scenery the rest of the afternoon. It was a relaxing day, but it was very hot.

Tuesday: My last day in Houston, so we decided to go out to lunch before Mike brought me to the airport. After several minutes of debating where we should go. Mike picked Tommy Bahamas. Needless to say I was super impressed. I had never been to a Tommy's before. We each got the three course meal special with a Blue Hawaiian. It was a Top Chef caliber meal. My first course was a crab cake on a bed of Asian cole slaw and a tuna cheviche and guacamole napoleon. My main course was a macadamia nut crusted chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and roasted red peppers in a roasted red pepper sauce, and for dessert I had the Pina Colada cake. Awesome!!!
Then it was off to the airport. Not knowing how bad the Houston traffic would be Mike dropped me off really early. So as I was sitting in the airport I decided to post on Facebook that I was waiting on my plane. Next I get an email from my friends Jamie and Randy wanting to know if I'm flying back to New Orleans. "Yes!" Well so are they. "Cool but I'm in Hobby airport not Bush." Well so are they. Since we were flying Southwest we all got to sit together for the ride home.

It was a perfect weekend. Beautiful weather! Mike and I did not argue! Had a lot of fun! Can't wait for my next visit.

One Small Step for Man One Giant Leap for Addie

2009-08-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today, I adopted a cat. Lily Lu Lu was adopted from the Pointe Coupee Animal Shelter. I have been thinking about getting a cat for a while now to help with critter control. I have always had a frog problem outdoors. Recently, I have had a mice problem. Nothing makes you feel like an inadequate housekeeper than when you have these house guests check in. Amazingly they are not after food, but here's the mind blower...they love my shoes, purses and clothes. What the hell?
So now I have Lily Lu Lu. I will mostly call her Lu Lu. She beautiful and just what I was looking for. She was raised on a farm and spent her life chasing critters. That's my girl!
Today has been rough on her. New home...retarded adoptive mother. Poor cat is doomed, and just look into her face and she knows it. She's already broke free and I had to call for back up to help me catch her. I've even been hissed at. All I have to say is keep the fight in you old girl...you're going to need it, my little critter getter!
This will be my lame attempt to take on some responsibility and care for something more than myself.

So where ya been...

2009-06-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well if you've been wondering where I have been. Check out the link on this blog page to Youth Tour Louisiana. It's been time consuming, but always a rewarding trip. It's hotter than hell here since I returned home. The grass is starting to die where the pipelines are buried under ground. I water my garden, but it seems like it's never enough.
Celebrating LSU's national championship has been a great highlight this past week. It was time. I'm very happy for the team, and think that it is great they can bring a championship back to their new stadium.
So with all that...baseball is over, too hot to enjoy the outdoors, no vacation plans for the summer (I've really got the fever for the beach)....I'm looking forward to football season! So that's my exciting life in a nut shell.

Where can I find the time...

2009-05-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

Maybe if I stayed inside to do laundry, pay bills and take care of household chores I wouldn't feel so far behind on my work. Being the Martha Stewart wanna be that I am I feel like I need to find balance between inside chores and yard work. I have to keep reminding myself that everything is perfect for her because she has paid staff. My one woman operation is not capable.
Lately, it has been no fun staying inside. I want to be outside working in my garden. It has been amazing to see the progress over the last month with my plants. Plus the weather has been beautiful. Maybe this weekend I will get some inside work done, since they are predicting rain all weekend.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend!

My Dirty Little Secret

2009-05-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

I love the Real House Wives Series on Bravo. When I was home for surgery, I caught up on all the series. Now I'm just hooked. It's like a train wreck...you tell yourself you shouldn't watch but you can't look away. New York's reunion is tonight and New Jersey begins...I love it! lol

The Annual Dirty in the Ditch

2009-04-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

To great disappointment, there will be no Dirty in the Ditch party for this year's fair. The fair will be this coming weekend, but we have a jam packed weekend. Saturday we have to go to Mandeville for a wedding and then on Sunday--it is baby shower day. Nicole, you picked the right time to come in for Dirty in the Ditch. Just too bad we won't be home on Saturday. I hope people can find their way to the fair if we are not sitting outside. lol

The New Box

2009-04-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today was the first time I went to a game in the New Alex Box. It is a beautiful place. The game was very good even though the Tigers lost. I was impressed that they held Tenn. to a score of 7-5 since LSU made 5 errors. Even though the place is beautiful, new and exciting, I can't help but remember how great the Old Alex Box was and all the wonderful memories I have from there.

Wind

2009-04-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I have just become more aware of wind recently or if things are changing? But I don't remember the wind being this bad. Since I have moved back to Jarreau, there has been some serious winds that blow through here. I lived next door all my life and I don't remember the winds being this bad. Everytime we wanted to fly kites there was never any wind. Now I spend more time picking up plants, lawn furniture and damage from these horrible winds.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T09:46:00.001-07:00

Just wishing everyone a beautiful and happy Easter!

Ladies Auction

2009-04-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

Last night, we carried on with our Spring Ritual...Ladies Auction. We dressed up and headed to the CHSPC Ladies Auction. The drinks were strong, the food good, and entertainment awesome as usual. I donated two 8x10 black and white prints of photos I had taken in Pointe Coupee parish. My donation brought in $40 for the school which was great. We were able to purchase some great gifts and I bought some outdoor wooden Easter rabbits for my yard. In my opinion there is nothing more entertaining than a bunch of drunk women shopping and buying.

It's been a tough winter...

2009-04-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

and my plants aren't showing me any love. I was hoping to have a beautiful yard full of spring flowers by Easter Sunday. Well I know we still have a week to go,but most of my plants are not on the same timeline as me. My rose bushes I must say are gearing up to put on quite a show. Last year they were not happy with their location, so I had planned to move them. Well with the help of Gustav taking down the 25 year old cedar tree that gave plenty of great shade there was no need to transplant the roses. They seem to be very happy this year...especially after I kill the worms that have been strip mining their leaves.

Strawberry Time!

2009-04-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

This week I baked one of my favorite cakes...Strawberry Shortcake. I think I like making this cake because it always looks so beautiful. Check it out.

Project Monkey Grass Complete!

2009-04-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

You might remember last fall I started the lengthy monkey grass project. After numerous delays and difficulties. I have managed to pull up all 96 feet of 20 year old Monkey Grass. I encountered more species of spiders and frogs than I ever thought existed. I'm hoping with the conclusion of this project I have gotten rid of all the frogs that prohibit me from getting in and out of my home during the summer. We shall see. I am now known as the frog serial killer at work! My goal would be to surround the foundation with a 2 foot rock garden, but that's going to be too expensive right now. I don't like plants touching my house...I think it encourages critters to move in. As for right now, I'm just content knowing that I don't have to pull up anymore monkey grass.

WTF Driving Me Crazy!

2009-03-28T20:33:00.001-07:00

Crazy weather! I wake up this morning to find a beautiful sunny morning. Which was a wonderful change to the nasty thunderstorms we've been having all week. Oh by the way did I mention that by the grace of God our hotel was spared a tornado that touched down 200 feet away from us on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Wait let me correct myself...the weather man says it was a micro burst that destroyed buildings next door to us? You say micro burst...I say tornado!
So when I saw the beautiful weather, I put some shorts and t-shirt on to go work in the flower beds. I opened the door and jump back inside. The temperature had dropped and the wind was blowing. It felt like blades of ice cutting through me. Change of plans...get comfortable on the couch and find a good movie. Today was a good day to cook a crawfish etouffee and just catch up on some rest.
So I found another meaning for WTF...Weather that's Freakin Driving Me Crazy!

Happy Spring!

2009-03-20T07:46:00.001-07:00

I am very excited about spring. As you all know I hate the winter. I hate being trapped inside. I hate being cold. Hopefully that is all over now. Spring and then summer...whoo hoo! I am please to say that I have transplanted some of my plants and I'm hoping they will do well in their new location. I planted some seeds to make a garden, but nothing has happened yet. I think my seeds are old. Soon the pictures of Project Monkey Grass will be posted. I'm hoping to finish that feat this weekend. It has been a hell of a task. I have about 15 feet of grass to pull then I'm done. I have found more critters hiding in the monkey grass than I thought exsisted. I am now known at work as the Frog Serial Killer. I'm on a tree frog killing spree! Have a good weekend...and I wish everyone a beautiful weekend like the one being forecast here.

What a Waste?

2009-02-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

One of my new year resolutions was to live a little greener. Well I've been recycling. It has been great, very easy and I feel great doing it. However, after taking the time to make an effort to recycle it has been brought to my attention how much corporate America waste in paper. I never read junk mail. I've never taken advantage of the numerous offers. I only open the envelopes to determine whether or not the article of mail needs to be trashed or shredded. Imagine the money, trees, postage, gasoline, man-power, etc they would save if they would stop sending me junk mail. I work in an industry where we are continuously being damned for our carbon foot print while producing coal fire energy that has become necessity for Americans. Well when are the tree huggers going to look at the credit card, phone, and magazine companies. Let's find out what their carbon foot print is just on junk mail.

Great News....I've Posted Photos!

2009-02-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

Finally, I have taken the time to post some photos to my Shutterfly site. Click on the link that says Addie's Photos on the right side of this blog. I have pictures from Devin and my trip to New Orleans for the Metalica concert, our family trip to Texas to spend Thanksgiving with Mike and my rockin New Year's Eve party! Enjoy!

Update...

2009-02-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

Recovery is still coming along OK. It's slower than I expected, but I can tell that things are improving. The worst part is not being able to keep any food down. My diet has mostly been corn flakes and sandwiches. As for beef and fried foods, my body rejects them completely. I've lost 10 pounds since surgery. I get tired easily and I spent the majority of the weekend sleeping. The best part of the whole weekend was watching my future husband win the Super Bowl...Go Ben! lol

Back in the Saddle...

2009-01-26T06:51:00.000-08:00

Today is my first day back at work since my surgery. We will see how it goes. I went to the doctor on Friday and he said everything is looking good. Now the hard part will be to stay awake for 8 hours today! Thanks to all of you for your concern and well wishes.

On the Mend...

2009-01-19T19:20:00.000-08:00

Surgery went fine. Last week was rough. I was in a lot of pain. Things are getting better. I'm just sore and achy, but it's a big improvement from last week. I walked a few times down my drive way yesterday because the weather was beautiful. It's getting cold here again, so I'm not planning on going outside until it warms up. I have my doctors appointment on Friday and I hope to return to work next Monday. I've been getting a lot of sleep...which has been great. I didn't think I was capable of sleeping that much.

A Medical Phenomenon

2009-01-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

I've been suffering from chest pains and stomach pains. The pains would come and go for the last month or so, but the Monday before Christmas it got really bad. At this point we do not know what is wrong with me. My lab work came back OK. I had an ultra sound where they found a cyst on my kidney and a polyp on my gallbladder, but the doctors were not concerned about them. I had a hydascan on Friday and I do not know the result from that yet. It was like an MRI and they ran a small dose of radiation and some medicine through my veins via IV and watched how my gallbladder reacted. Tomorrow I am having a colonoscopy. Hopefully we will find something soon. I sleep all the time and do not have a lot of energy. Everyone seems to think it's my gallbladder, but if I know me they won't find anything wrong with me.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Woo Hoo! I missed it!

2008-12-11T19:49:00.000-08:00

No snow in Shreveport! Devin called me at 6 a.m. this morning after I had been out with friends until 3:30 a.m. to let me know they had snow. Good thing I love that kid because not many people can get away with waking me after only 2 1/2 hours of sleep. :-) There was 4 inches of snow in Pointe Coupee. I do regret that I'm not there to take pictures. I would have loved to have taken pictures of the pasture behind my house. It's beautiful on the average day, so I can only imagine what it looked like today.
My general manager emailed me this morning he told me that I am officially band from winter travel. I tend to either have snow or flat tires every time I attend this economic development conference.
I head home tomorrow. It's been a good conference. I just hope and pray my trip home is a good one.

Argh! How do I get so lucky?

2008-12-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

As most of you know I hate winter. I hover around the I-10 for a reason. No snow. Mild winter tempatures. Well guess who is in Shreveport? And guess what they are forecasting? Yep I'm in Shreveport and they are forescasting snow. Seems like everytime I come to Shreveport it snows. Just hoping I can get back in time for our Christmas party on Saturday. It can snow as long as I'm in the comfort of the hotel and the roads do not close! Yeah Yeah laugh at me all you living in Yankee territory. And Yes Nicole...you are a yankee! lol

A Weekend of Concerts...

2008-12-06T18:08:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to see 2 great concerts. The first was after the football game. Walk On's had the Molly Ringwalds. They are one of my favorite local bands. My friend Jamie and I went. Although we were told "Yes Mame" several times that night by college student and also concerned that they thought we were cougars on the prowl that night, we had a blast. A lesson learned...although that scene was a lot of fun 8 + years ago. Not that cool these days. I know it's hard to believe it but I've grown up.

The next day I took Devin to New Orleans to see Metalica. Great show...the best I've ever seen. Not my favorite concert, but definitely the best show. It was Devin's first concert. I told him he started at the top, and every concert from here on out will be disappointing. lol I'm glad I got to take him to his first concert!

LSU Games

2008-11-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

So what do you do when the games start to suck? Take artistic photos of the stadium through mom's sunglasses of course! lol

Go to my photo's website at Shutterfly to check out the photos from this season. We had a very fun tailgate with some meter readers and linemen that I work with.

You will also Mr. Wayne and Mrs. Cynthia in the photos. Mr. Wayne is doing much better. He had brain surgery in the summer and you can tell he has come a long way.

Thanksgiving Preparations

2008-11-19T19:07:00.001-08:00

We are planning a pilgrimage in honor of Thanksgiving. Just as ye ole ancestors made a pilgrimage from the old world, so will we to The Woodlands of Texas. Who am I fooling? It's going to be a sequel to a National Lampoons Holiday movie. Any way we are all planning on going visit Mike next week. Not sure who all will go, but the entire family is invited. Since Mike doesn't have a whole lot of kitchen implements, I decided to get a head start and freeze some of the dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm very excited about the way the dishes came out. Hopefully they taste as good as they look. Here's a picture of my Toffee Sweet Potato Pie and Spinach Madeline.

My 30th Birthday

2008-11-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry I'm running behind on blogging. I've been busy. My 30th birthday was awesome. I had signs from my house to the office announcing I was 30. I spent the day with Devin on a field trip. We went to see some plays in Baton Rouge. Then the family surprised me by coming to my house and throwing a party. The next day when I got to the office. I found it deocrated and my brother sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes and beautiful gifts. You really made my day very special.
Thanks to Julie...I'm stealing her idea to post my photos on Shutterfly so check it out!

Home Improvement Project

2008-11-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

What happens when you house 160 people on company property? Well your inventory of sheets and towels triple. Since Katrina and Rita we had cleaned out an extra room in our office. This is where we stored all our linens, air mattresses and towels. Well because Gustav was our largest storm in our 70 year history. Changes had to be made to our storage room. The company hired my dad and I to build the shelves. Here are some pics from the project. More to come later.

The Original Mess:

Framing:

Shelving:

2008 Louisiana Youth Tour Video

2008-10-17T14:20:00.001-07:00

Here's our promotional video for Youth Tour!

Getting Some Autumn Fever...

2008-10-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year. Especially decorating during this time of year...because of the beautiful colors. Here are my creations for autumn.
In the background of this pictures you can see the makings of Project Monkey Grass. That's for another blog posting.

The dining room table.

Just a little bit of goofy for a Friday...

2008-10-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

As most of you know the big 30 is approaching. I have to say...I'm excited about it. I can't wait to see what this next decade has to offer. My twenties were good to me and the one thing I can say is I partied hard and I survived! I really have some great memories and accomplishments from the last 10 years. I also know that I learned a lot about myself and who I really am.
As I reflect on this I can't help but think...how in the hell can I function in society? It's an absolute miracle since I was weened off a bottle by a cow named Brazo and potty trained by a dog named Fifi! :-)
My mother used very unique techniques for teaching these important life lessons. I guess she knew I was driven even at a very young age, and would never let an animal out do me. So she convinced me that only babies needed bottles and the cow in the pasture next door was still a baby and he needed my bottles. Then my grandparents told me that they had potty trained their dog Fifi. Hey I figured if a dog could go to the bathroom, so could I. Yes I know these two stories really explain a lot, but I thought it was a good laugh for a Friday.
The only down side to turning 30 so far has been the image that looks back in the mirror. I really had not noticed, but I guess after my stint of working 17-22 hours a day the true colors came through. I remember waking up one morning walking down the hall of my office to the restroom to get ready for work and looking in the mirror and not recognizing the person looking back. I don't know who that woman was in the mirror, but she was old!

And Gustav Leaves a Big Wake...

2008-10-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

As we attempt to return to normal, it seems that Gustav continues to cause damage. Two of my really good friends at our sister co-op in Baton Rouge have lost their jobs this week. The reasons for these 2 guys losing their jobs have been because of issues during the storm, but that's not true it was politics.

I know most of you don't care about this but I have used this blog as a journal and I'm hoping it will help just to get my thoughts out. I'm having a very hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that these people will no longer be around.

One of these guys has truly been my best friend, mentor, partner in crime and drinking buddy. I will miss him greatly. I wish them all the best and hope for a new and better beginning for them. For those who are still at the co-op, you are in my thoughts and prayers also because I know times are going to be tough for a little while. Just hang in there.

Ike Ike Baby

2008-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

You know you are all going to sing along with this in your head!

Ike Ike Baby, Ike Ike Baby
All right stop, evacuate and listen
Ike is here with some big ambition
People, close your homes up tightly
It's blowing like a hurricane daily and nightly Where will it stop?
Yo-I don't know Turn off the lights and let's go To the coastline
Ike rocks like a vandal Start up the car and watch me drive like an
animal

Dang, hardware store sales boom
Ike's killing my plans like a poisonous mushroom Deadly, evacuate
they tell me Anyone left will be charged with a felony Love it or
hate it, you better get away Ike will hit the bull's eye, the storm
don't play If you're on vacation, Yo, Ike stalled it Check out the
eye while the bands revolve it

Hurricane Ike Ike Baby, Hurricane Ike Ike Baby Hurricane Ike Ike
Baby, Hurricane Ike Ike Baby

Now that the people are jumpin'
With their stuff packed up and the gas done pumpin'
Quick to the road, to the road no fakin'
Pass McD's get a burger with bacon
Burnin' 'em and follow the symbol
I go crazy when I hear some imbecile Revving, in a souped up Pinto
Now I can roll, it's time to crack the window Rollin' in my Chevy
Tahoe With my window down, I can feel Ike blow My laptop's on
standby, Waiting for some Wi-fi This spot hot? No - and I gotta fly
Kept on pursuing to the next block I busted a left and I'm beating
the clock The light was red

Yo -- so I continued to I-37 to San Antonio Wish I was there in a
blink like a jeanie How I'd love to be sippin' a martini Jealous
'cause my girl's living fine She left yesterday and was there by
nine Ready to give my homies a call My homies acting ill because
their car just stalled Humidity, the air is sticky as hell Ike's on
his way, the weatherman yells Moving toward the gulf coast real fast
I'm in my car, can't give it no gas Bumper to bumper the
interstate's packed I'm trying to get away before Ike attacks Police
on the scene, what can it mean?
They hooked me up, now there's another lane free If you're on
vacation, Yo, Ike stalled it Check out the eye while the bands
revolve it

Hurricane Ike Ike Baby, Hurricane Ike Ike Baby Hurricane Ike Ike
Baby, Hurricane Ike Ike Baby

Yo man, let's get out of here! Word to your mother!

Most Unusual Date Ever...

2008-09-17T07:35:00.001-07:00

My date, Scott, is the guy on the right.

As most of you know, I have had some doozies of dates before, but this one takes the cake. Usually these dating experiences do not turn out to be really that great, but this one was really a good one.

As you know we have been in recovery mode since September 1. We had some out of state crews come from Oklahoma to help us. Great people! One crew was leaving to go home last Friday, so the foreman of the crew came up to me while I was handing out dinners Thursday night and asked me if I would go to dinner with him. Not wanting to make my supervisors upset, I hesitated but then agreed to a dinner date.

After they finished unloading their truck he came up to me and asked if I was ready, I said yes. He said well lets grab a box and where would you like to sit? We took our boxed dinner and went to the warehouse. Then he offered to go to the freezer to get me an ice cream...too sweet!

We really had a good time for a date that didn't cost a dime and we didn't go anywhere. I think I made some of our linemen jealous because I was paying more attention to our out of state crew. lol

It was the most unusual date ever but probably one of the best!

The Snake Bite Curse continued yesterday...

2008-09-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

Things continued to get worst in Bayou Sorrell yesterday. I left New Roads at 10:30 so that I could have lunch to the crews by noon. Yes you read right it takes an hour and a half to get down there. On my way I get a phone call from our safety coordinator who is overseeing a crew working down there. He tells me he needs a jacket...the one with the long sleeves that tie in the back (a straight jacket). When I ask what is wrong now he informs me that a barge has crashed into the Bayou Sorrell bridge and they are stranded on the other side. What was a simple jump across the bridge has now become a 52 mile drive down a muddy levee road. I will say this despite the problems down there they are doing really good. Today we are 96% back up on our entire system and I just found out I have the day off on Friday!!!

We just can't get a break...

2008-09-14T07:29:00.001-07:00

It's day 14 of storm recovery. I haven't had a day off since August 24. I'm tired and my guys are tired. Bayou Pigeon and Bayou Sorrell can best be described as a black hole. On Thursday night we finally got a feed from our transmission lines that we were waiting on another power company to fix...I'm not mentioning any names but you know who they are. Our guys worked until 12:30 Friday morning restoring that area. At 6:00 a.m. that morning Ike broke a pole on that same transmission line. Once again everyone went out. Saturday night the transmission line came back up; an hour after our crews had left the area a car ran off the road and broke another pole on a 3 phase line (a major feeder line). I feel sorry for those poor people living there and for our crews who can't seem to catch a break. We can't win for losing down there.

On a more positive note. I spent the night in my own bed last night. We are hoping to be back at our regular schedules starting Tuesday. Yeah maybe I will start getting more than 4 hours of sleep each night and hopefully I will soon have a day off!

Also I now have a crew from Oklahoma and they are all my new boyfriends...can't wait to tell that story on a later date! Tee Hee hee!

Gustav Pictures

2008-09-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

I know some of you are interested in what's been going on here. I have some pics from my press releases. I am still living in my office and working 18 hour days. I'm hanging in there and taking it day by day; sometimes hour by hour. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. As of this posting we have 69% of our power restored from 100% down after the storm. We have 230 people on hand compared to the 41 full time employees. We have 2 tractor trailers with bunk beds 1 tractor trailer with showers and we are distributing 690 meals a day and have a Coca Cola truck full of beverages for our crews.
Carrying food and supplies out of our caterer's store. They were flooded the day after the storm.

Crews working Rougon Road between Hwy 190 and Section Road in WBR Parish

Crews working the main line out of Livonia towards Maringouin

PCE Headquarters area

PCE Headquarters

Giving crews an update at the PCE Warehouse

Preparing towels and sheets for arriving crews

Flooding on Hospital Road in New Roads

Pointe Coupee Farmer’s Grain Elevator in Batchelor

I've Done the Unthinkable...

2008-08-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Who would have ever guessed that I would willing give up my tickets to the opening game of the LSU football season? I hated to do it but it was must. Saturday is going to be my only day off for what I am projecting is going to be a long time. I need to stay home and get things in order: pay bills, clean, laundry and pick up things in the yard. Yes Gustav is on his way and it looks like Hanna will be on his heels. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers...I fear we are going to need all of them.

We have been operating in emergency mode for the last couple days. I am confident in our plan we have in place, but all plans go out the window once the storm makes landfall.

I hope to have some time to post next week, but a I can't promise.

My plans are to move into the office or more likely with my grandparents on Monday. I did this during Katrina and Rita to be closer to our crews and the office, which is tough to leave your family behind not knowing if you will be able to communicate with them after the storm and knowing that they could be with out electricity for quite a few days. Another thing is it's a lot more nerve racking when you leave a home you are still paying for. I just pray for the best.

Hopefully we have spent a lot of time planning and preparing for nothing.

We've Got Spirit! Yes We Do...

2008-08-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

We've Got Spirit! How about you?

Back by popular demand...our office is having a tailgate party to kick off football season. On Friday everyone is going to bring their favorite dish and we are going to dress in our favorite school's colors. It's time to play football!!!

Searching for an Assistant

2008-08-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

I am currently searching for an adminstrative assitant. For those of you who don't already know my secretary resigned 2 weeks ago. Things have been really crazy here at work and I am just looking forward to the day when we are back to normal.

Yeah! The Olympics are here...

2008-08-08T08:40:00.001-07:00

I love the Olympics. I can't wait to sit and watch the continuous coverage. I know with all the controversy about it being in China and all the negative reports maybe I shouldn't be as excited as I am. But for as long as I can remember I have loved the Olympics so I plan on watching as much of it as I possibly can. Go USA!!

DC was great!

2008-06-25T08:47:00.001-07:00

We had a great time and a really great group of kids. The trip was exhausting but it is all worth it. Now I am in the office trying to catch up on work before I leave for the beach on Saturday. Whoo Hoo the Beach...it's finally here!

Washington DC Bound

2008-06-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone...just wanted to let you know that I am going to Washington DC this week for Youth Tour. Check out my Youth Tour Blog to see what's going on.

www.youthtourla.blogspot.com

Proud to be a Graduate of Catholic of Pointe Coupee

2008-06-02T08:30:00.001-07:00

I know, I know...I don't say this often, but after this weekend I will say I am proud of my high school. On Saturday, I attended the ordination of Father Andrew Merrick and Father Jamin David. I went to school with both these guys and I am very proud of them. The Bishop announced that in the church on Saturday was guest Bishop Shelton Fabre a 1981 graduate of Catholic of Pointe Coupee along with Father Andrew (Class of 99) and Father Jamin (Class of 2000). I will say that I am very proud to have graduated from a school that currently has two priest and one bishop as fellow alumni. I am thankful for my catholic education and for those people who inspired/supported these young men in their calling.

John James Audubon Bridge

2008-05-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the bridge and right of way construction. This project is 2 years in and it is scheduled for completion in 2011.

The square converts are being put in because of the black bears in the area. The round coverts are too small for them therefore the square converts provide them with a more natural habitat.

Company Picnic 08

2008-05-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

On May 10th we had our annual company picnic. Here is a pic of my dad and I at the picnic. It was a lot of fun. The weather was hot the beer was cold and from what I hear the crawfish were spicy!

Just an update...

2008-05-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot going on around here except for the building excitement about the LSU baseball team hosting a regional this weekend. I have not been this excited in a long time. These past few weeks have been a lot of fun!

Memorial Day weekend was nice and low key. Thursday night was girls night out...I think the bar tender tried to serve me Old Charter instead of Crown. Friday was rough...didn't feel too hot. On Saturday I caught Clayton's baseball game and did some shopping in Baton Rouge. Sunday I grilled hamburgers and invited the family over. Monday I took on the project of all projects. Washing the exterior of my home. It is days like these when you scrub the entire thing by hand you appreciate the size of it. Needless to say the day could not go by without a "Goofy Addie" accident. I fell while trying to reach the roof, scraped my elbow, bruised my foot and hurt my shoulder. It was beautiful, but that's what you get when you do dumb things.

Today is bridge construction day. I get to ride out to the construction site for the John James Audubon Bridge that will connect New Roads and St. Francisville. This should be fun. I haven't been on the site in a while. I hope to have some pictures to post when I get back.

More photos to come...

2008-05-22T08:45:00.001-07:00

I have more photos from my trip. Hopefully I will have time to post them this weekend.

Columbia River Gorge and Water Falls

2008-05-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Portland Was Awesome!

2008-05-17T11:37:00.001-07:00

Here is a photo at the foot of Mt. Hood. More to come I just need to catch up on some rest and laundry!

Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

I have not celebrated Cinco de Mayo in a long time. It was big when I worked and went to school in BR, but around New Roads it's not that big a deal. Well as part of my resolution to party like a rock star before I turn 30 (as if I'm going to stop partying like a rock star once I do) I had a Cinco de Mayo party. It was a lot of fun and plenty of Corona and Margaritas. I recommend the water melon margarita from Martha Stewart's website. It is awesome! We will definitely do this again and I can assure you I will not wait until next year to have another Mexican theme party.

So Ready To Go...

2008-04-29T17:03:00.001-07:00

I am leaving for Portland in 11 days. Work has been tough lately especially since I have not had a secretary since Christmas. I'm having to handle a lot of department paper work that I am not familiar with especially all of our educational programs now that the school year is coming to an end. I usually handle the promotions, PR and economic development aspects of our department. Needless to say, I need a vacation. My co-workers are tired of hearing me say I need the beach. Although Portland is no beach and I will be there for work...I am looking forward to just getting away. It should be enough to hold me over until my beach vacation gets here.

Doing What We Do Best!

2008-04-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Just a fun night out at Tsunami's.

Dirty in the Ditchisms

2008-04-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

We decided that Dirty in the Ditch needs its own dictionary.

1. Dirty in the Ditch-a great excuse to put your lawn furniture in the ditch to sit and drink while watching traffic.

2. Traditionalist-individuals that pass by and remember you from the previous years.

3. Untraditionalist-individuals that pass by with a look of confusion, have never seen or participated in the festivities.

4. Baffled-untraditionalist who think they are missing a Mardi Gras parade.

5. Tinging-throwing beer caps in the street to hear a faint sound of alumni being blow down the street.

6. Travisty-when a drunk driver rolls over your mailbox.

7. Mitchification-process of breaking lawn furniture under extreme weight.

8. Stilts-people who are so short that when they get out of a vehicle you think they fell out of the vehicle.

9. Fashionistas-traditionalist that are confident enough to wear a crazy hat to the festivities.

10. Carnies-fair workers that walk down the street. You should fear these people and warn others about them. A typical warning is to chant "The Carnies are coming!
The Carnies are coming!"

We could only come up with a few. I know there are some traditionalist out there who may have their own ditchisms, so let me know if you can think of any.

Water Still Rising 4/20/08

2008-04-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

You can see how much the water has risen in one week by looking at these photos.
1. Mississippi River in Baton Rouge
2. Camp at Old River
3. Cattle that had to be rescued.

More High Water 4/14/08

2008-04-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Awesome Experience

2008-04-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

On Good Friday this year, I had the opportunity to participate in the Passion Walk for Christ. It started at Immaculate Conception Church in Lakeland and ended at St. Mary's in New Roads. It was an 11.2 mile walk that took approximately 8 hours. We said the way of the cross and rosary along the way. It was beautiful and a great way to spend my Good Friday. I'm glad I did it. I will not say that it was easy, but it was not impossible. It was just a good sacrifice.

What a beautiful beast the Mississippi River can be...

2008-04-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the Old River Water Control Structure north of Pointe Coupee. It is where the Mississippi, Atchafalaya and the Red River meet. This structure keeps the Mississippi from changing its course and running through the Atchafalaya. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to ride around the parish taking pictures of the high water for a cover story I'm working on. I will post some more pics later but I thought this was amazing.

Rock On!!!

2008-04-10T13:51:00.001-07:00

Who says you can't have a rock'n good time in Alexandria? Leave it to the member services people and we can make any place fun!

What I've been up to lately...

2008-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Check out my other blog at http://youthtourla.blogspot.com/.

This is what has occupied my time for the last couple weeks.

Dirty in the Ditch is back...

2008-04-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

The annual Dirty in the Ditch party had taken a brief hiatus for a couple years due to conflicting dates with LSU football games. Immaculate Conception Church has changed their fair dates from the fall to the spring. So I am happy to announce that Dirty in the Ditch 5 will take place on Saturday, April 19! I was concerned that since my new home does not have a ditch in the front that we might have to changed the name of the event, but thankfully our safety coordinator at work came to my rescue. He gave me the theme for this year's Dirty in the Ditch..."It's time to get Crocked on the Culvert." It's going to be a great night. The Foret Tradition band will be play at the fair.

No I haven't fallen off the planet...

2008-03-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

although a nice vacation while careening through space would not be all that bad at this point! Things have been slightly crazy at work lately. Plus I'm still waiting for my laptop to come in...long story not going there right now. New projects are popping up here at work like tulips. That is why you haven't heard from me in a while. I get to work in the mornings and when I look up it is time to go home. CRAZY!

I'm Sick :-(

2008-03-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

I have always battled with the occasional sinus infection and allergies, but this is the first time I have every had broncitous. The hardest part for me is having to stay home. I've never missed this much work at once for being sick. Now I know the place is not going anywhere and my work will wait for me, but I hate sitting around my house and doing absolutely nothing. The only reason I have not gone back yet is because every time I move around for more than 10 mintutes I feel like I will pass out. I will admit I'm not a good patient...and if you are around me for more than 2 seconds you will probably get your ass chewed. Sorry...I'm just not feeling well.

Content to leave my childhood behind...

2008-03-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

After my incident at the baseball park on Saturday, I have realized that I am an adult and while having fun and always being playful will be a part of my personality forever. I am also very content with the fact that I have left my childhood behind a long time ago.

I have never sugar coated my high school years. I have always been very honest that they were not the best years of my life. I was always the butt of the joke, the easy target and I always felt like I never fit in with the other students. Now with that being said if I could go back and change my childhood or school I attended I would never do it. Those experiences have made me who I am today. My self confidence comes from within and I do not put a lot of stock into others opinions of me.

I guess with all that being said that is why I look at this weekends incident as juvenile. My godchild had decided to play school baseball. However after the first practice he decided that he did not like being yelled at by the coach. Yes I was disappointed that I would not be able to watch him play every week, but no one deserves being yelled at. My aunt had called the coaches to inform them of his decision. Plus she had informed another mom about what had happened.

On Saturday, I was at the park watching Clayton play when this mom that my aunt had spoke to approached me and wanted to know if I was mad at Devin for not playing. To which I replied, no he doesn't deserve to be treated like that and I support his choice to quit the team. She played stupid with me and asked what had happened to make him quit and I told her he didn't like the coach yelling at him. She then snapped back at me that Devin was going around telling everyone he had quit because the team sucked.

OK so are we in Junior High again with the stupid well he said this and she said that crap?
#1. Why does an adult have to make an issue out of what a 13 year old said?
#2. Devin has never played sports for the win or lose aspect of the game. It is just an activity for him.
#3. Since when do Moms and Dads get in the middle of playground figths. I went through crap when I was in Jr. High as I said before. My parents never came to school, called a parent, or a child about what went on during recess.
#4. I'm not the parent if you have an issue with the child call his parents. Don't confront the godmother.
#5. Do parents really need to strap a book sack to their back (or in my case sling a book sack onto one shoulder...because back in my day only nerds wore their book sacks on both shoulders)and head to school to relive their childhood with their children.

Today's parents are raising children incapable of their own thoughts, reliant on others to make decisions for them, and unable to cope with negativity, failure and conflict.

and the parent of the year award goes to......

My Partners in Crime...

2008-02-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

I have the opportunity to work with many great people all over the state and the country, but when I tell you that the Louisiana Member Services group is the best group I'm not kidding you. They remind me of an old Pi Sig saying..."Work hard, play harder!" They are truely marketing people. They are also the group of people I get to spend my birthday with every year...they always make my birthday special and we always party like rock stars. I love these people! These are pictures of us working the Police Jury Convention last Friday.

Up on the Roof

2008-02-18T08:10:00.001-08:00

February Article:
Roofs are perhaps one of the most important components of an energy-efficient building. Unfortunately, compared to items like doors, windows, and lighting, roofs are generally much less durable and much less energy efficient.
Over the lifetime of a building, a roof needs to be replaced an average of four times. More than 75 percent of the roofing work in the United States involves reroofing, and roofing materials are the second-largest contributor to solid waste in the United States.
Energy-efficient roof technologies are fairly straightforward. Manufacturers have developed lighter-colored shingles and tiles, usually containing a coating of titanium dioxide, since they absorb less heat than a typical asphalt shingle and can last twice as long. Since lighter surfaces are easily discolored by fungus, a fungicide coating normally gets added. Many of the new roof coatings are even self-cleaning to retain reflectivity properties and reduce air conditioning requirements.
Lighter-colored roofs are slightly more expensive. However, the small cost difference–$25 for a 1,000-square-foot roof–will easily pay for itself in one summer.
Roof overhangs are another way to trim summer cooling bills. For many homes and businesses in warmer climates, overhangs reduce solar heat gain and interior temperatures. They can also be designed to let direct sunlight into a living space during winter, but keep things shaded in summer.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy www.eere.energy.gov

Have You Broken Your New Year’s Resolution Already?

2008-02-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

January Article:
If so, it is not too late to make a new one. According to a recent survey, 49 percent of all Americans will make a green New Year's resolution for 2008. Pointe Coupee Electric Membership Corporation is offering tips to help homeowners keep their green resolutions. Making a green resolution is easy since it can yield tremendous benefits, such as reducing energy consumption, saving money and helping the environment. However, like any New Year's resolution, keeping that commitment to energy efficiency can be a little harder, so I wanted to offer these quick and easy tips to help homeowners.
To help you get going, I am challenging you to start the "seven days of saving challenge" -- quick and easy tips consumers can adopt each day to make their home more energy-efficient and reduce their carbon footprint:
Change your light bulbs: Year-around, lighting can account for as much as 25 percent of a home's electrical use. Simply replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights that use up to 75 percent less energy. Imagine if every American home replaced their five most frequently used light fixtures or bulbs with ENERGY STAR qualified models. The estimated savings would amount to nearly $8 billion dollars a year -- greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars!
Upgrade to ENERGYSTAR appliances: ENERGYSTAR labeled products can cut your energy bills by up to 30 percent when you're ready to replace your heating and cooling systems -- as well as appliances, lighting, windows, office equipment, and home electronics. Consider investing in new appliances if your budget allows since you should see immediate energy savings. Use the dishwasher more: One load of dishes cleaned in a dishwasher requires 37 percent less water than washing dishes by hand. However, if you fill the wash and rinse basins instead of letting the water run, you'll use half as much water as a dishwasher.
Unplug the charger on your cell phone: When portable devices such as a Blackberry(TM), cell phone, or iPod(TM) are finished charging, disconnect the device and unplug the charger. Even if the device isn't connected, energy continues to seep out through the charger itself.
Purchase a Rug in the season's newest color -- Green. A rug is not only a decorator's must have, but it also helps insulate your floors and cut down on the noise too.
Let the sunshine in. Open the drapes or blinds on sunny days and bask in the 'free' heat. Keep those south-facing windows squeaky clean to let the light through. Remember to close the drapes or blinds when the sun sets.
Renewable energy does not only include solar panels and windmills on your home. Start thinking about what is right for you and your family.
Take the pledge to change even one incandescent light bulb in your house to a CFL bulb. You are guaranteed to achieve savings in energy consumption, and reduce your energy costs.
Source: http://www.directenergy.com/ or energystar.gov.

I can save you some money...

2008-02-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that I publish a monthly column in the local news paper on energy efficiency. I have been doing these columns for 3 years or since I started working at Pointe Coupee Electric. You can find every single column I have written on our website at www.pcemc.org. However, I have decided to start publishing them on my blog as well. Hope you enjoy them and get some money saving tips from them.

So what's the hold up?

2008-02-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

I know I promised Mardi Gras pics. Plus there have been other photos that I wanted to post, but unfortunately I had to send my brand new computer back to the manufacture. So I'm using my office computer right now. I bought myself a laptop for Christmas. About 2 weeks after I purchased it I was typing when the B key flew off. I took the computer to Best Buy thinking the Geek Squad could fix it no problem. Well the told me they couldn't and I would have to ship it back to the manufacture. So I decided I was not going to bother with that until we were caught up at work because we had our Annual Meeting to prep for the entire month of January then we went straight into our Youth Tour judging. So last week was my first chance to get caught up and I decided to take care of my computer issues. Hopefully I will have it back by next week. So now you know why there has been a hold up on postings. Not that I am the most efficient when it comes to posting anyway! lol

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

Just a little note to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! I refuse to rank my Valentine gifts because that will only get me in trouble and I have to say everyone did really well! I love my gifts. Many thanks to those of you who sent me a valentine...you're the best. But my godchild wrote on his card "You're the best Nannie a guy could have!" Awh!!

Woo Hoo...Hell Day is Over!

2008-01-31T08:06:00.000-08:00

Hell Day a.k.a. Annual Membership Meeting is over. There is so much planning that goes into this event it is unbelieveable. Thank God Joanie and I both have a natural talent for planning events. Everything went well dispite the fact that we had half the man power we normaly have. It was a very sucessful day.

Funny story though...this just proves no matter how well you plan and no matter how many years you do an event things will happen.
Timeline:
January 2-Call sandwich company to order 750 ham and cheese poboys for January 30.
January 16-Confirm poboy order
January 25-Confirm poboy order again and delivery information
2:30 January 29-Phone call from sandwich company.
SC:What is the latest we can deliver your poboys?

AA:7:30 a.m. tomorrow morning.

SC:Well we only have enough bread for 200 sandwiches. Can we deliver later?

AA:No this order was placed 4 weeks ago and confirmed twice. They have to be here no later than 7:30 am

SC:OK we will see what we can do.

Now panic breaks out of the office. We are in a situation we have no control over. Forntuately the sandwiches did arrive on time the next morning. Yeah!

More Shots...

2008-01-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

Sugar Cane Field near False River Regional Airport

Crop Duster in Labarre

Sometimes you just get lucky...

2008-01-24T13:37:00.001-08:00

I am no professional when it comes to taking pictures. I was sent on an assignment to take pictures around Pointe Coupee Parish for work. The pictures came out so good that they were used in the chamber of commerce brochure, a Baton Rouge Business Report advertisement and to decorate Pointe Coupee Electric's office. Plus I have to admit that I used some of these in black and white to decorate my house as well. Oh well sometimes you just get lucky. Here's a sample of a few. I will post more another day.

Man fishing in the Morganza Spill Way

Cotton Field in Batchelor

False River in New Roads

I never write a recipe down...

2008-01-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

nor do I ever make the same dish twice. I have always had a problem following recipes. I get creative and have to change them around. Well I made a spinach dip and wrote down the recipe for the first time ever. The day of the LSU Championship game we had a company tailgate for lunch and I brought my spinach dip. Hope you enjoy.

Spinach Madeleine

2 tablespoons olive oil
Crushed red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
Chopped seasoning (onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery)
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
½ or 1 cup of evaporated milk
2 packs of frozen chopped spinach
Chicken stock
¼ block of Velveeta cheese
Worcestershire Sauce
Hot Sauce
Salt
Black Pepper

In a sauce pan heat olive oil and sweat the crushed red pepper flakes to flavor the oil. Add the butter and sauté the seasoning. Make a white roux by adding the flour to the seasoning. Be sure to cook your flour. Slowly add the evaporated milk while stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil then add the spinach. Use the chicken stock to get the sauce to the right consistency. Add the cheese and the rest of the ingredients. Make adjustments according to taste.

Serving suggesting:
Dip with Tortilla Chips
Add chicken to the recipe and serve in puff pastry cups for an hors d’oeuvre
Florentine: Serve over grilled chicken or shrimp

Enjoy!

How do you cheer for both teams to lose?

2008-01-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

I have a dilemma. I hate Eli Manning and I hate cheaters, so how do you cheer for both Superbowl teams to lose?

Here's the deal. I will never forget watching Eli cry on national television because he was drafted by a team he did not want to be a part of. Here's the deal you prick, you have an opportunity that many dream about but never get. If you have so much talent then you should be able to take that to any team. But I guess it pays off to be a girl and cry to the national media and your daddy!

On the other hand you have a team of superstars that have egos the size of the east coast. You have all the talent money can buy but you have to resort to cheating. Come on people! Can anyone be honest in sports anymore or does every sporting event have to have a black eye?

Fortunately for me, Superbowl weekend is the same weekend as Mardi Gras weekend. I will have better things to occupy my time then watching a bunch of over paid pricks! I'll record the game for the commercials and skip the "go go may lay" (Mike that's for you)!

Go Go May Lay-Cajun french saying loosely interpreted as cluster f*&%!

Tornado Strikes Down but We are All Fine

2008-01-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

A tornado struck down at the end of Hospital Road in New Roads. No one was hurt and Mimi and Merle's homes are fine. The John Deere retailer at the end of Hospital Road was hit bad and we had a major transmission line that was taken out by the tornado. Thank God everyone is alright.

It is great to be....

2008-01-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

an LSU Tiger!

My Personality Test

2007-12-20T06:48:00.001-08:00

I'm a dynamic director. As a DIRECTOR, I combine an unusual openness and passion for beauty and style with confidence and a down-to-earth sensibility that allows me to realize my vision. I am practical and pay attention to the details that others tend to miss. Even when problems present themselves, deep down I know I will overcome these challenges. I am not overly concerned with what others may think about me, which leaves me free to be thoroughly involved in the world around me.
There are those who find being around people exhausting—but not me! Interacting with others, whether at a party or in conversation, gives me energy.

Thanks Julie this was really cool! If anyone is interested in this test, go to http://personaldna.com/.

Tis da Season to Be Jory! Frah Ra Ra Ra RRRh

2007-12-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas is almost here and I have yet to watch A Christmas Story. It's one of my all time favorites but I just haven't had the time. I'm still unpacking boxes and trying to get things right since the move and I haven't found the time to watch all my holiday movies. Plus now that I live alone and can't aggreivate my mom by watch A Christmas Story (she absolutly hates this movie) it's just not as fun! lol
It's nice to be back in my house. I just wish I could snap my fingers and have everything organized and neat like normal. I have been wanting to bake Christmas cookies but I'm torn between delaying unpacking and making more of a mess to bake.
I sure hope Santa's elves in brown make it here with all my gifts before our family dysfunction on Saturday...otherwise there will be some disappointed people when they have nothing to open for Christmas. The sad part about shipping gifts is I can't remember all the places I had them shipped to lol...some are going to my new address, some my parents address, some to the office and some to my old address. It's going to take me until the new year to track down where I have sent all these presents!

It's Chenal...not Chanel!

2007-12-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well I have some exciting news. I have moved back to Chenal! I am renting some property from my cousin and it is so nice to be back in the country. I know some of you think New Roads is the country also. But I have a beautiful view of a pasture and woods out the back and the view out the front is the one I have always been familiar with...It's home, It's where I grew up! For the past 3 weeks I've been living on an air mattress in my parent's living room (you know me nothing is ever easy...the move was delayed two weeks in a row because of rain). If I ever had any second thoughts about moving out 2 years ago, I have confirmed that I made the right decision. I love my family but I need my space as do they. Hopefully I will have electricity and be moved back in to my house in the next couple days.

Christmas before Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T11:05:00.000-08:00

My family decided this year that we would pick out and cut our Christmas trees this year before we even ate Thanksgiving dinner. I'm a stickler for celebrating one holiday before decorating or planning another, but my family insisted that we go get trees to beat everyone else out to the tree farm.
In my family being on time means absolutely nothing. The plans was to meet at my grandmother's for 12:30 to catch the 12:45 ferry to St. Francisville. However my uncle who will never be on time for anything...ever was running late. Now most people would think of running late as 10-15 minutes...oh no try an hour or an hour and a half. Never in a hurry!
Well my father has an attitude because first and foremost he hates Christmas and thinks decorating is pointless and to make matters even worst my uncle is running late. So now our traditional holiday trek is filled with bitching and moaning.
Needless to say the price of the tree my mother picked out was an issue and my father spent his time leaping over rows to find the cheapest Charlie Brown tree he could find. But I'm proud of Mom, she stood firm and got the tree she wanted.
My brother and I were just along for the ride...Mike will get a tree when he gets back home and well I have the trusty artificial tree that prevents me from spending the holidays in the doctors office with allergies.
The Christmas tree cutting ceremony in recent years has been solely for the women in our family only and we usually bring my godchild along to actually cut the trees for us. We would all eat lunch together for Thanksgiving and then when all the men had fallen asleep we would go to the Christmas tree farm. In my opinion I think we need to reinstate that holiday tradition. Leave the men home!

I Got Employee of the Month

2007-10-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

Thought I would post the press release about me being employee of the month.

Employee of the Month-October
Addie Armato

Each month PCEMC will highlight one of its valued employees. PCEMC understands the importance of its member owners getting to know the people who are instrumental in providing them with quality electric service.
This month PCEMC would like to introduce Addie Armato to its member owners. PCEMC is very fortunate to have Addie as part of their Member Services Department. Addie has been the Member Services Representative since joining the PCEMC team in September of 2004. Addie’s primary responsibilities include assisting with marketing/promotional items, planning and implementation of the cooperative’s annual membership meeting, press releases and economic development. She is also responsible for public relations visits with business members, schools and community leaders in the co-op’s tri-parish service area. She assists the safety coordinator with electrical safety presentations and is responsible for conducting energy efficiency presentations within the local schools and communities. Addie writes a monthly energy efficiency article in the local papers offering cost saving tips to our members. She also visits the schools to encourage the local students to participate in PCEMC sponsored programs such as the annual Washington D.C. Youth Tour Trip, Math and Science Awards and Continuing Education Scholarships.
Addie is an active member of the Iberville, Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge Chambers of Commerce, where she serves on their Economic Development Committees and their Organization and Community Development Committees. She is also a member of the Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association (LIDEA) and the Louisiana Member Services Association. Addie enjoys working with the PCEMC members in the tri-parish services area as well as a wide number of people on a state and national level. She represents PCEMC as a volunteer and serves as co-chairperson on their American Cancer Society Relay for Life Team, and she is a 2007 graduate of the Leadership West Program.
Addie is a resident of New Roads. She is a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Addie spends her leisure time traveling, enjoying the outdoors, watching LSU Football and Baseball, and spending time with her family and her godchild Devin Jarreau.

What a week

2007-10-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

Not only has the entire month of October been absolutely crazy, but I have had a week from hell. We are down to the week before our tri-state conference we are hosting in Bossier City, so things have been very crazy with reservation changes, speaker changes and agenda changes.

Monday, I took the day off to take Mom to the doctor and to go for some annual check ups myself. Can you believe it's been a year since Mom had knee surgery? Well the doctor is very pleased with the results of the surgery and so are we and he told Mom he does not need to see her for 2 years. So that was great news.

Monday night Emily started having abdominal pains so we spent the wee hours of Tuesday morning in the ER only to be sent home with no results. She went to her family doctor that afternoon and he sent her back to the hospital for emergency surgery on her small intestines. She had a blockage, but they by passed it. She is doing fine and she will probably be in the hospital for a few days.

Needless to say I've been thrown into part time motherhood for the week. With my job I find it hard enough to balance my life. Now I have twelve year old who has to study and has a social/extracurricular life that makes me jealous. So Devin and my life has been in high speed--over drive this week.

Still Trying...

2007-10-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

OK. I've got to get better at this. I've been keeping up with everyone through their blogs, so I really need to get on board with this. Here are some pics from my summer. Devin and I went to Houston at the end of July to visit Mike. We had a really great time and hated to leave. Mike really lives in an awesome suburb north of Houston called the Woodlands. We went to an Astros game and toured Minute Maid Park. We also went to Galveston and toured an oil rig museum.

New At Blogging

2007-07-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I'm trying blogging out. Not that my life is interesting or anything, but I figured since I do a lot of traveling I will mostly use it to post some photos from my trips and to let you know a little about the trip. The month of July has been really slow at the office. It's good to have a break, but when you go at such a fast pace all year...it's hard to enjoy the down time. It is not going to last long around here. Not when we are staring down the barrel of August already. The pace should start picking up shortly. I'm hoping to post photos of my Youth Tour trip to Washington, D.C. soon. Devin and I will be leaving soon to go visit Mike in Houston. We will be spending 6 days with him, so hopefully I will have some cool pictures to share from that trip as well.

Photos from Miami

2007-07-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Street Entertainer sitting in the Grass

Shaq's Mansion on Millionaire's Row

Breakfast on Ocean Drive in South Beach

Ocean Drive in South Beach

Miami

2007-07-20T07:47:00.001-07:00

In May, I had the opportunity to go to Miami for the first time for a work conference. I had a great trip, but Miami was not what I expected. The scenery was O.K. The food was wonderful. The beaches were pretty but I think the Gulf Coast in Florida is way more beautiful. I saw some very interesting people...I was in Miami for 4 days before I saw someone that spoke good English. My favorite was the male street entertainer that wore a woman's bikini and roller bladed down Ocean Drive in South Beach. I was not impressed with the Nightlife. I'm sure we did not go to any of the real popular places, but the ones we did go to were not that great and at $14 for a drink and $8 for a beer...it was a little out of my price range. We took a boat tour of Millionaire's Row. I got to see Shaq's House plus many other famous celebrities and business people. That was really cool.