3.31.09 I PASSED!!!!!

we were in meetings all morning at work today. I came back from my session and had a email from a friend asking if I had heard from the CPC exam yet...so i hopped on the web site for the AAPC to see. Much to my amazement(shock, surprise,etc etc) i found that i passed the exam. If you look closely you will see that i made 76%--you had to make at least 70% on all sections. I dont care how closely I squeeked by---I PASSED!!!!!
everyone at work found out pretty fast because they all heard me gasp with surprise LOL
WHEEEEEEEEE! go me! I feel like i have won a race !

hi Katie and Brad

3.30.09

I took this picture today at the Y---because I think it is one of the most absurd signs I have ever seen. we asked Tommy (the Y guy LOL) about the sign---and he said that the spot is only designated as handicapped parking from 8 am-2pm. Any other time other people can park there. Now there is a large section of the parking lot that is designated as handicapped---but this is weird!

3.29.09

getting out the new camera and taking a pic or two tonight. I am embarrassed to say I have had this camera two weeks and it is still in the box.. let me see what i can do for the POTD
sooooo OK this is what we came up with--- Maggie makes this weird snarl-y sound when she is held up under her arms... it is like..... luuung--lunnng-arrrh-snargggg...it is so funny. She gets so mad and we just cant stop laughing!

3.28.09

started tearing down our room today so we can paint. what a chaotic mess. We have 5 boxes of books put away and are waiting for more boxes to pack up the rest of the books.... most of them are not going back in there............man i hate to get rid of books though. But they are taking over the house.. I can NOT believe I am posting this!!!

3.27.09

Friday at last! tonight's POTD the main sign at the Y--- i am really loving going there--having lots of fun--- not lost any weight but feel better. Losing weight would be good but i really am having a good time

3.26.09

went to the Y tonight and worked for 95 minutes in the water---well mostly tried to stay upright tonight. I don't know what my problem was but I couldn't navigate at all
today's POTD is just a shot of how spring is really flying around here.... Amazing to see the little bitty leaves that look just like the large leaves popping out of the tree branch

3.25.09

today was gloomy and rainy-- my POTD is a "take off" of one I saw posted on Shannon's blog a while back--- the trees at the office reflected in a rain puddle being pelted by rain.
...............and it is 4 days and 9 hours (approximately) since I took the CPC exam----and still waiting. OK so yeah...I know they said 10 days at the very least but geeesh you would think they could rush it up a little bit!---I'm still pretty sure I didn't pass but I would like to know so I can sign up for it again

3.24.09

today the weather was a beautiful 70 degree East TN day...slightly cloudy by the end of the day, but still beautiful today's POTD is a red bud tree in full bloom
went to the ortho for a followup on the hand surgery and we are both disappointed in the progress of my L hand... go back in 5 weeks, meantime a new brace to grace that hand, a order to leave off the weights at water aerobics and vitamin E ointment/lotion/oil

sigh

3.23.09

another wonderful beautiful day in East Tn...so why do I feel so blue? Is it still that awful est hanging over my head...the thoughts of having to take it again make me sick to my stomach.... Did I tell you that it was worse than the nursing state boards??? much much worse---I had to apologize to Mr S for being such a bear this weekend. grrrrr I hate being this way

today's POTD is borrowed from the Internet---my friend Maggie has become obsessed with these little "teacup pigs" "tiny swine" from Pennywell farms in the UK--they are adorable

3.22.09

It really is spring! the tree pic is of the Bradford pear at church . The crocus is at church as well--Mr S and i planted the bulbs several years ago...it is so neat to see them come up year after year

I guess that CPC exam did me in more than I thought. I went to bed early last night, slept through and even took a nap today.

3.21.09 CPC test

today was the big day for the CPC exam..... i sat the test and took almost all of the 5.5 hours...i finally just put three answers down for the last three questions and called it good to go. I am fairly sure that i did not do well. you have to pass each section- there is no grade given just pass or fail and there were 14 sections i think. i came home exhausted and in a bad mood. i did stop at the Verizon store and sign up for a new phone (Now Mr. S has been dragged into having a cell phone wheter he wanted it or not) and Katie is delighted to have text messaging ( her ability to text was taken away her freshman year at MTSU when she ran up a $300 bill) so everyone should be happy.

My POTD is the new camera that came Thursday--I just haven't had the gumption to even get it out and look at it so tonight it is the POTD in hopes that tomorrow my brain will have recovered enough to read the directions and the phone directions.

3.20.09 Spring Sprung at 7:43 am

Today to Celebrate the arrival of spring i am showing you a little of what i look at every day. in an attempt to make our work place a little more cheerful Tina and I have taken on decorating for the season. This is the way on the outside of my cube. Tina supplied the goodies and i tacked 'em up LOL The only think you cant see is my Eeyore who is disguised as a Easter Bunny (complete with a bunny suit with ears) who is on the other wall facing the corridor

3.19.09 house of the vultures

Tonight Mr S and I met Lois at CB in LC for dinner---late because they were generous enough to wait for me until after i went to the Y. On the way there going down Hwy 70 he saw this house and just had to stop and take a picture. The last pic is the POTD---empty house, lonely road and three big vultures waiting for something to come along---isnt that creepy?? (please click on the photo for a larger view....MR S says in the POTD the two vultures are having a conversation about his health and if he would be a tasty dinner)

3.18.09 Dinner at the lake

Today was a beautiful day- sunny and warm. Tonight Mark and i took our take out Mickey D's to the lake for dinner. We ate a picnic table in the sun and the wind and the outdoors. These were our dinner companions. we enjoyed them so much. it was a lot of fun even taking pictures of the lake and the sun and the birds. ---now the fish sandwich i had left a lot to desire...it was not near as good as i remembered. The picture with the big stacks is the TVA fossil plant looming over Roane County High School. In reality there is a lot of distance between them... i just had never paid attention to it from this angle before.

Our other dining companion was this loan sail boarder out in the lake.... he really looked like he was having a good time. Apparently the wind was perfect for what he was doing because he was out there for as long as we were and still there when we left for church

Monday 3.17.09

Happy St Patricks Day!!! are you wearing green??

Today was a beautiful day in East Tennessee.... the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the temp got up to almost 80 degrees. Today my brother, Brad, went back to the Dr. The Dr. twisted and turned his legs and ---drum roll please---he had no hip pain!!! Praise God!!! he is still having lots of pain in other parts of his body and cant go back to work until maybe April 15 but the hips are better!!! Please continue to pray about his job security.

Today's POTD is outside the parking lot at the Y--- i was sitting there looking around since I was early for my class. When this tree caught my attention---look at the way the tree grew...it made way for whatever was in it's way. See how the branches are nearly perpendicular to the ground? but it (whatever it was that was in the way) didn't stop the tree from persevering and growing up into the sky---good lesson for me --- not to be overwhelmed by whatever is in my way but to grow around it!

PS-- Hi Brad and Katie---

3.16.2009

Today's POTD is the sunset finally---after several days of solid rain. So good to see the sun and the beauty of the after rain clouds---not a bad photo for being taken driving 70 mph down the highway

Sunday 3.15.09

We went to meet Katie and Brad (mentioned you again Brad!) at the Red Lobster in Oak Ridge-- along with Lois, Mark and Charlie and Lillian... Let's just say that the food was good---Lillian was not.
The waitress made a mistake and put the appetizer Brad and Katie ordered on Charlie and Lillian's order and she made a big deal out of it. We tried to give Charlie the money for it but she just kept on and on. I just don't understand what the deal is with her. Even Charlie was embarrassed at the way she was behaving.
We did have a good time with Katie and Brad and Mark and Lois though
On the way home i took this picture of what is the disaster site in Roane County--- The TVA Kingston Fossil Fuel Plant

Saturday 3.14.09

Today we had the wonderful privilege to have dinner with Katie and Brad at the Apple Barn Restaurant in Pigeon Forge. We had a wonderful dinner. Mr. S's sister Lois joined us. It was rainy and really yucky outside but we had a great time visiting. Katie and Brad were here for her spring break. They did get to hike just a little on Friday ..but Saturday was spent inside. Well they did get to go to play putt-putt but that was about it.

The food was great as usual. and we had a great time laughing at each other and my Dollywood picture ID

Brad--Brad--Brad--Brad---made sure I mentioned you numerous times in my blog

3.13.09

today's picture is of 13 flowers growing in our yard. Since this is the 2nd Friday the 13th this year that was my theme for the day...good thing I'm not leery of the number 13---I met Mr S on Mach13---31 years ago, had our first date on May 13 and we got married on December 13 (different years) Pretty good date for us especially since we have now been married 28 1/4 yrs

and this is my favorite (for now anyway) of the types of flowers now in bloom

Pansy

one of my favorite flowers is the sweet little pansy. i love the large flowery ones, the tiny viola and the sweet tiny johnny-jump-up. The little things always look so happy with their smiling little flowery faces. They are also known in folk medicine as Heartsease....used for things like whooping cough and arthritis

my work complex gardeners always (well for the last 10 years anyway) plant the flower beds with pansy's in the late fall. They sorta sit there waiting until sometime after Christmas and suddenly the flowers are all open and beautiful. This week is the week they are gorgeous! I have enjoyed seeing them as i come and go. The sad thing is that as soon as it gets a little warmer, about in early April, when they are looking extra beautiful the same gardeners will come along and yank them out.

It never fails to amaze me that they just yank them from the ground and toss them in a truck and they disappear--usually within an hour or so of the arrival of the grounds crew. We are talking at least several thousand plants in the entire complex. my heart breaks to see them so mistreated and man-handled (even though some of the workers are female)and tossed to the side..... only to be replaced by some sad looking wax begonias who struggle mightily to survive the long hot humid summer.

then in September---just when the begonias are beginning to look like they may live--- the process begins again and the begonias go the way of of the pansy's that proceeded them

snort-- if you look at the picture closely you will see somethingi never noticed before---the letters are falling off the wall

Memories of Handee Burger

my POTD is fraught with memories--- the sign that says Handee Burger is the POTD-- the menu sign is just as supporting player.
Handee Burger is a little burger place in Kingston. I can see by the sign that they now sell all kinds of other things---but my memory is tied to the little Handee Burger. They are/were the same size and shape as a Krystal burger and taste pretty much the same.
I swear that when Katie was little Handee Burgers are the only thing that kept her alive. When she wouldn't eat anything else--and she was a picky eater she would eat a Handee Burger. We didn't have a Krystal anywhere near here at the time---nearest was probably about 30 miles away.
At the time we could get 3 Handee Burger's for $1 and sometimes that is all I had. She would get a little burger or two as a treat when she got out of school sometimes, or when she was getting ready to go to piano or something.
Anyway-- Handee Burger's have played a big part in our lives for one thing or another.... and they were yummy as a bonus.

Tuesday 3.10.09

Already 10 days into March--- just got back from the Y (again) and looked to see what Mark has done to the waterfall/pond. It is time to get those plants in ... he just has a little more cleaning to do.....and fish is hoping to get out there to live this summer. Need to do a little more sealing to preserve the water as it falls but that will come... then a little more landscaping and building..... we are getting there!
Decided to wait until after Katie is here this weekend to start painting the bedroom because the shelves and stuff will have to go in her room while we paint. (CAN we say we are excited she will be here for a visit???) then the floor in the kitchen and of course the backyard as we go along....sigh. we will eventually get done. and then start on the new windows and doors and fence...and....

my POTD is something I see nearly every day. This is the odometer today. I drive a lot . If you look you will see there are now 11935 miles on my new car. that means that in 8 1/2 months I have driven 11820 miles since there were only 119 miles on the car when we drove it off the lot. I drive an average of 1390.6 miles a month... geesh it is actually much more than that when you think that i barely went anywhere the entire month of January and 1/2 of February

Monday

today was a usual day with a stop at the Y on the way home to work out.....

my POTD is the apple that is sitting on my desk waiting on me to eat it--- and since i dont even like Mtn Dew I dont know where that can came from

Sunday 3/8/09

the daylight saving change always messes me up one way or the other.....

grrrr no sleep for me last night.

anyway today i cooked some and made a Monkey Bread---yummy and easy

recipe

2 cans large biscuit's or 4 cans small biscuit's

1 cup granulated sugar

cinnamon and nutmeg--use as much cinnamon as you like--we like a lot and nutmeg optional

1 stick butter -- melted

open cans of bread and cut into 6 (for large biscuits) or 4 (for small biscuits) pieces

roll in mixture of sugar and spices. toss into a bundt pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. when all of the bread is coated and in the pan pour in the butter. Bake in 425 degree oven for 20-25 min. until done. cool and invert onto serving dish. tear off chunks and enjoy

03.07.09

today was pretty un-productive..
we went to the Good Ol' Days for dinner tonight. Talked to the owner and told her how much we love the fries LOL and how they appear on my blog frequently. took some more pictures of the inside of the back wall where we usually sit--so that is the POTD



here is the resturant info if anyone is interested:
phone 865-882-6100

business hours:
Monday,Tuesday,Thursday,Friday, Saturday 11am-9pm
Wednesday 11am-4pm
Sunday--Closed
2807 Roane State Hwy. Harriman, TN 37748

some of our faves:
Patsy's Patty Melt
The Boogie Oogie-oogie Cheeseburger
Mayberry Mushroom Swiss Burger
Brando's Philly Cheese Steak
Sargent Pepper's Shrimp Basket
Corn Nuggests
Rock the Boat Seafood Basket

Friday

today at the Y again to swim class/aerobics ... the instructor tonight is pregnant----wayyyy pregnant LOL and just as cute as a button. We had a good time.
Today's POTD is on of my favorite LO's ever. I made this in 2002 for my boss for her birthday-- Actually made her an entire album with all of the employees on a separate page. The theme was "while the cat's away..." We did it while she was on vacation.she is represented by the big cat (and she loves cats) and her staff members are the mice. We took pictures of all kinds of "staged" events happening in our cubes--- we had a pedicure going on, a lady in pj's, i was reading a pile of books, one was asleep, someone was shredding faxes instead of working on them...etc We had a ton of fun. then we did the scrapbook for her.... lots of fun

Sadiey

Sadiey is some better today. I stopped on the way home and bought some soft canned food for her. She seemed to enjoy eating it and ate about 1/2 can and kept it inside. We went to water aerobics again tonight and I am really really tired. Came home through town and that is the POTD ---good ole Kingston in the dark.

Saidey

well Saidey made it to the vet today with the help of Mark. he decided she was too sick to not take her to the vet. he really felt bad that he didn't take her yesterday , but he thought she had perked up some (she hadn't). Anyway--Dr Bass really didn't find anything wrong with her except she was dehydrated. he gave her some fluids and a couple of shots and if she isn't better and eating by Friday to bring her back. i guess i am still the doubting Thomas in the family.....I cant tell she is any better yet and think our time with her is short.
the POTD is of my new shoes. I got them for Christmas from my DH. the thought is that they are supposed to help with the back pain when i walk.... they are pretty cool looking and i like them a lot

.

Tuesday

today's POTD is from the way to work---but it didn't come out too good so i may have to use one out of the paper. I took a picture of the police cars that sit at the entrance of the TVA steam plant when the worker's are going in to work and when they are coming out as well
our little Sadiey is sick. i don't know what is wrong with her. I'm afraid we may be at the end of our time with her. She hasn't eaten in a couple of days and only drinks a little..Mark needs to take her to the vet but he is not ready to let her go yet

YMCA

its fun to go to the YMCA Y----M ----C--- AAAAA --c'mon and sing it with me--OK I will stop LOL
today was the first day of the water aerobics class we have joined... it was a blast. The three of us laughed our fool heads off.
to top it off I put a padlock on my locker and then the key didn't work---so the girl at the desk had to come with bolt cutters and cut them off---sigh--- only to me would something like that happen to. And i had been paranoid about something like that happening and worried about it---- yep then it happened

not a very good picutre but I was nervous lol

March 1

another new month--seems like we just started the last one. Today we went to church as is our usual---out to eat with the elder Stringer's and the Scofield's. and back to the dreaded Wmart to get what I forgot yesterday.

posting the paint colors we are trying out in the bedroom with the swatch of colors--which do you like?

the darker is Winter Flannel and the lighter is Autum Fog