It must have been a full moon...

...but it wasn't.  Lord HAVE MERCY, last week was a humdinger at school.  When Friday afternoon got here, we were packing our bags to head down to Folly Beach to join Will and Meg, who had been on a glorious week of vacation at a friend's condo.  I'll let the pictures tell the story...boating, the calming goodness of pluff mud and salt water, good food, good fellowship, riding around on the golf cart, sitting on the beach watching the people. 

I read a book once (actually, I've read books many times) which talked about "thin places" where we feel the closest to God.  I'm pretty sure that He created salt water and pluff mud just for me.  That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.  I hope that you enjoy it too. 

Where are your thin places??

Enjoy the photos...

Lunch at TACO BOY...mango margaritas...yummy!

Folly Beach is an eclectic place...you see ALL kinds of people and all kinds of sights...

Another reason why my brother Ned ROCKS!

In case you're a new reader who doesn't have a handle on my history.  Ned is my almost 42 year old brother who has Downs Syndrome.

So, a new young man has moved into the group home.  Ned and the other two boys who have lived there the longest get along marvelously.  Their family backgrounds are the same and they are all very gentle and well-mannered souls.

Enter Bob.  Bob who has QUITE a mouth on him and appears to be hyperactive.  My understanding is that his mother is a widow and was perhaps not equipped to handle him.  (Although, our daddy passed away when Ned was just thirteen and mother did just fine...) I kind of feel like Bob just says some things for shock value because he wants the attention.  Although, we're told that he'll sometimes refuse to do what the staff asks him to do. 

The big thing, though, is that Bob tries to bully the other guys.  I've heard troubling stories from the mothers of the other guys, but nobody has ever called us to say that Bob was bothering Ned, so I inquired the other day.  The house manager couldn't help smiling as she said, "Ned won't put up with that...anytime it looks like Bob might be going to start up, Ned says, 'Bob, I'm not talking to you when you act like this.' and turns around and walks away."

We were all assured that the personalities and behaviors of the guys chosen to live in the house would be compatible.  Having said that, Bob may stay, OR, Bob may go.  In the meantime...I think you'll agree with me when I say...

 NED ROCKS!!!

Another Week Becomes History

...and another week gone, but not forgotten !!  The Monday holiday was quite a blessing, might I add.  The remainder of the week was routine...meaning that I hear, "Mrs. Southern...I have a question..." at LEAST every five minutes...sometimes more.  Generally the questions are pretty easy to  handle.  It's when I hear an adult utter the words, "Mrs. Southern, we have an issue..." that my blood runs cold.   Oddly, the issue is usually no big deal, but the seriousness of the tone and the looks on the faces of the adults with the "issues" causes me a split second of terror. Not quite sure how to address this particular challenge just yet. Perhaps it's my own insecurity as a new principal causing the moments of terror.  I know not...Any ideas?

Just got back from Clemson.  Getting away the last two weekends has been sheer joy.  If I stay home, I feel compelled to work.  If we go out of town and I "accidentally" leave the laptop home then I cannot POSSIBLY work and feel very relaxed when we return home.  Here are a few photos...

By the way, the other side lost....BADLY!

I seriously need to start training some other people to take pictures.  I'm NEVER in any of them.

We stopped by Green Grove on our way home to visit with mother and Ned for a little while.  Ned's birthday is in a few weeks and he's requested a cookout (what some of you Yankee friends of mine might call a barbeque, even when you aren't actually serving barbeque.)

I reckon we're going to be having a cookout sometime around October 3.  He doesn't ask for much, bless his heart.

Have a lovely week.  Here's wishing you NO "issues." 

Football Season

I'd love to tell you that things have calmed down on the work front but they haven't. We just aren't even going to talk about it. We're going to talk about FUN!

Hank and I packed up late Friday afternoon and took off for a Clemson weekend that would bring visits with both of our children and, of course, the TIGERS! You may remember that I made every attempt early on in our football obsession to create the perfect tailgate experience. Ninety percent of the time, Hank and I enjoyed the experience alone because Lorelai wanted to be with her friends at parties closer to the stadium. We have a beautiful parking area, but it is on the edge of campus. She doesn't love hiking over there, especially now that she lives off campus. So, Hank and I now glom on to invitations we receive to tailgate with other people. It's easier anyhow...we just carry food and drink and don't bother with tables, chairs, and tent. I do miss planning my "perfect" experiences though.

To tell you the truth...my favorite time is when the team gets ready to run down the hill.  Gives me a chill every single time.

Legare and friends traveled to Atlanta for the UNC-LSU game.  If the Tar Heels had been able to dress out all of their players, I believe they'd have won the thing.  Clemson brought down North Texas (a school which none of us had every heard of) but the "green mean" put up a fight.  Our boys better hunker down before the game with Auburn in a couple of weeks.

Legare met us in Greenville for brunch on Sunday morning at High Cotton.  Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict to DIE FOR!  This was first time we've seen the boy since he accepted the offer of gainful employment post law school. 

I'm rested...ready to jump back into the thick of things.  After all, it's a short week and next week....MORE FOOTBALL!!!!!

What did you do for Labor Day weekend???

Indoor Plumbing....and a weekend!

So...nobody had to use the portable potties.  THANK goodness!  The compromised water main was repaired by the time we got back to school on Thursday morning.  The bathrooms were all nice and clean and the only reminder of the hullabaloo was that the water fountains were off limits...bacteria or some such nuisance.

I've stayed true to my promise to leave work AT work for the weekend.  I woke up around 7:15 a.m., enjoyed a couple of hours of coffee and reading the newspaper and a few magazines and catalogues that had piled up...paid some bills for mother and Ned, and decided to make a pedicure appointment.  Did a little shopping...nothing spectacular.  Cleaned all of my make-up brushes...gathered some things for Goodwill...watched a couple of episodes of Say Yes to the Dress-Atlanta.  Merciful days...the Atlanta version is SO much better than the other one at Kleinsfeld's where most of the brides look like they should be on Jersey Shore.

Sue called...then Meg called.  I tried to call Lorelai but she didn't answer...nothing like your kids screening your calls.  (By the way, who is paying for those cell phones?  Wait, that would be your parents so you might want to answer sometime.)

Deer season opened on August 15 and Hank has been about to die to go hunting so he went over to the farm this morning.  He picked up Ned and let him spend the middle part of the day with him before he went to sit in the stand.  Ned loves the farm.  It's dark now and I haven't gotten a victory call so I'm imagining that the "big one" kept his distance this afternoon.  I reckon Hank will roll in in a little while. 

In the meantime, I think the perfect ending to my relaxing day would be a nice hot bubble bath. 

Sorry I don't have anything spectacularly interesting to share...considering that I'm still in the throes of the start of the new school year, a quiet weekend at home with no work IS spectacular!!

The 7th Day of School

So...about 11:00 AM, just as I'm checking my e-mail, a student comes to the office to say that there is no water in the bathroom.  One of the e-mails (sent at 10:30 AM) is from the college notifying us that there has been a break in the water main, courtesy of the highway department.  It might take two hours to repair...or maybe six hours.  SO, the decision is made to send our high school kids home. 

Mark it down...on the 7th day of school (and a full moon apparently), I sent out my first AlertNow message to all parents and successfully, with the help of the staff, got each and every student on his or her way home three hours early.

I'm just praying that we don't arrive at school in the morning to find port-a-potties in the parking lot.

Port-a-potties are JUST for tailgating...and that's a stretch.

Speaking of tailgating...TEN DAYS until the Tigers ROAR in Death Valley!!

Back in the land of the living...I seriously DO NOT LIKE Best Buy

Oh my...I'm off the Lortab and back at life full steam ahead this morning.  Last week is a little bit blurry.  Who, but ME, would have to deal with root canal business the first week she was a "real" principal with students and all?  I'm pretty sure that Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer came by to see how we were doing, although I should probably confirm with my secretary as I could have been hallucinating from the severe pain in my left jaw.  I'm joking...they did come by and were very complimentary.  Shoot...once I got the Lortab on Monday afternoon, I was coasting until Friday afternoon.  Except for the crying thing...

On a positive note, it seems that the TMJ I thought I might have could have been the stupid tooth all along.  Time will tell.  Upward and onward...

One thing I know for sure...aside from the stupid tooth, I've been burning the candle at both ends for a couple of months now.  Very little time for rest and relaxation, even on the weekends.  Let me just DECLARE that as of now and barring some kind of unforeseen circumstances, I will work like a crazy woman all week but come the weekend, I'm taking time for myself and my family.  A couple of months ago, Hank said, "don't let this make you sick" and to tell you the truth, I think I just about did wear myself slap out.  (But things had to be done and I was the only one that could do them!!!)  I don't regret it because we had a good start, BUT, I've got to change my ways because, if for no other reason....

THE FIRST HOME GAME AT CLEMSON IS LABOR DAY WEEKEND!!!!!

The seasons tickets and parking passes arrived two weeks ago!  Former hometown high school football star Andre' Ellington is going to pick RIGHT up where one of the great loves of my life, CJ Spiller, left off. (I'm also now a Buffalo Bills fan, in case you're interested...they're from NY, right??)

At some point I need to fill you in on our Best Buy hullabaloo.   If you know a person in upper level management at Best Buy, please tell them that one of the managers in one of our local stores  is a first class number one NOT very nice person.  She needs SERIOUS training regarding customer service.  I'll be happy to divulge the store location and name of the manager if anybody can put me in touch with somebody who can actually do something about this, as opposed to the BB middle management do nothings we've talked with off and on over the last six weeks.

For heaven's sake, there are seriously talented people out there looking for jobs...BB needs to beef up their evaluation process and get rid of employees like that gal.  It wouldn't be very hard to find somebody better than her...most of my high school juniors could do a better job and are ALL of my juniors have better manners.  Don't know that I've EVER wanted to have somebody fired more desperately.

That's not very nice of me, is it?

Anyhow...have a great week and thanks for not giving up on me (and the old blog) over the last couple of months!

I don't know where to begin...

Let's go with a list...

1.  Legare got a permanent job offer yesterday.  After his May 2011 graduation from UNC School of Law, he will be joining the Charlotte office of a very prestigious Chicago law firm. 

2.  Lorelai just came of off a week of serving as a junior class student leader for the incoming freshman at Clemson.  She was responsible for 25 of them and to quote her on Tuesday afternoon..."they just don't listen..."   How did she get to be a junior so FAST!!!

3.  Lord love us all...Hank and I are so proud of our children that we don't know what to do.  God has truly TRULY blessed us beyond measure.

4.  This first week of our new school with our students.  I'll tell you more about it later.  As life would go, I found myself in the oral surgeon's office at 6:30 AM on Wednesday crying (and I am NOT a crier) because they wanted to do a root canal and I needed to get to school (it was only the 2nd morning for students).  I talked them into letting me leave but ONLY if I promised to come back before the weekend.  SO...armed with an antibiotic and Lortab, I made it until 2:45 on Friday afternoon when I was forced to return for said root canal.

5.  The bright side...they gave me " laughing gas" for the root canal.  What a great (really, I'm not being sarcastic here) way to relax after one of the most hectic weeks of my life.  I just chilled out in that chair for an hour and a half.  I'm smiling...at least with one side of my mouth...just thinking about it.  Good memories...GOOD memories...

6.  As I said, more on the first week of school later.  I think I'm going to take a Lortab induced nap.  BUT...nobody quit...there were no disciplinary referrals AT ALL...my staff is the best staff EVER in the history of education...and...I'm going to take that nap now. Oh...there WAS the skateboard incident but MY students were not responsible for that little dust up.

GO TITANS!!

Today, the Titans begin their RULE as the #1 Top Best Most Wonderful School in our district.

As Chief Titan...let me just say...

THANK YOU, my blog friends, for pushing me along and supporting me from afar during this grand adventure. 

If I have the energy, I'll do an update this afternoon.

GO TITANS!!

Keep me alive out there....

Sorry...no time to read, therefore no time to comment.
Haven't checked my e-mail in three days.
No time to post.
Decided on Wednesday that we didn't like the way we'd scheduled and decided to redo it.
Clearly not the smartest decision from a time management perspective but it will be better for our students.
That's what it's all about.

Don't forget about me...

I Didn't Know There Was Anything to Resolve...

Occasionally, I'll make a remark about moving.  Don't get me wrong, I love where we live, but we built our house in 1985 and let's face it...it's dated.  The ceilings are 8 feet, except for the two story foyer and in the den, which was added on later. The windows need to be replaced. I'd like to update fixtures in the bathrooms. We don't have a bedroom downstairs for when we get old and decrepit and can't get up and down the staircase.  Sometimes I think I'd really like to have a brand spankin' new 21st century house.  Or maybe a really old 19th century house 

Sometimes...

Anyhow...last night as we were heading home from dinner out and riding around in a very quaint historic neighborhood in a nearby town, I said, "You know...as much as I talk about the possibility of moving someday, I just don't think I'd ever be happy anywhere else...even in a brand spankin' new house or in a really old house. Maybe we just need to reconcile ourselves to staying put."   Hank said, "Yeah, I feel the same way."

This morning...Hank said..."I'm glad we got everything resolved last night, I feel SO much better."  Meanwhile, I'm looking at the paper and wondering what the heck the problem was that we got resolved last night. So...I said, "What the heck are you talking about???"

"Moving," he replied, "I've never wanted to move."   Poor guy, apparently for YEARS, he's been worrying about moving someday.

Hank doesn't like change.  Not one bit.  Although in return for my being SO agreeable about NOT moving someday, I was able to strike a deal regarding some upgrades once the kids are out of school.

Probably won't mess around with the ceiling heights, but to the following, I say, "COME TO MAMA!"

New Master Bedroom Suite Downstairs (photo courtesy Southern Living)

Upgrade Current Bathrooms (photo courtesy Pottery Barn)

New Viking Appliances in the Kitchen (photo courtesy Viking)

One of the Most Successful Weeks of My Career

Planning for the past week made me nervous.  I'll admit it.  I get nervous sometimes.  Well...not really nervous...I don't know what the word is.  Is edgy different from nervous?  It was a control thing.  Teacher retreat on Monday...Junior Orientation on Tuesday...Senior Orientation on Wednesday...Open House on Thursday.  I desperately wanted everything to go well.  I wanted my teachers to say that they'd never been to a better teacher retreat ever.  Likewise for the students at the orientations and the parents at the open house.


I didn't hear any complaints (yet) so in the world of public education this is considered...



Of course, this is the last week of having "Friday off" so as you would expect, I'm getting ready to launch into WORK!  Must reconcile all of the college schedules with the high school schedules.  It would help if I truly understood what I'm doing.  I've got the high school scheduling part down pretty well...unfortunately our system does not interface with the college system so we have to do TWO schedules for each student.


Hank came to the open house for moral support. My goal for the evening, in addition to giving the parents a chance to meet our teachers, was to have each and every parent and child leave that auditorium knowing without a shadow of a doubt that they MATTER!  Even the challenging ones.  PARTICULARLY the challenging ones, because they've often lived years of thinking that they DON'T matter at the schools they attend.  It's a sin and a shame that any student, young or old, would feel that way.


I told my school community that with the exceptions of my family and my faith, NOTHING in this world matters more to me than the education and welfare of their children.  They can take that to the bank, and I expect them to call me on it if they ever feel like I'm not living up to my promise.


Did I mention that I have a DREAM TEAM staff?


OH...and the students chose their mascot....the TITAN!!!!
School Colors: Green and Black...we need to choose a nice shade of green.


Have a great weekend!

It's 4 a.m....What are you doing??

I'm sitting on the sofa in the sun room writing a blog post.  Our teacher retreat went very well on Monday...at least I think it did...nobody quit so that would seem to be a good sign.
Our Junior Class orientation was fabulous yesterday...the kids are SO excited which makes me very very happy.  Today the seniors will make their presence known.  I didn't realize how much I missed being in a school building.

So...enough about work.  Lorelai has been a roving bank teller this summer and her assignments have taken her all over the lowcountry.  People have been wonderful to her wherever she's worked...EXCEPT for one branch out in a WAY rural area.  Lor is her mama's daughter to be sure. Tell her what the rules and the processes are she by golly, she's gonna follow them.  Apparently, this little branch likes to follow their own processes, not necessarily the ones that EVERY other branch she's worked in this summer follows. 

For one thing...the first day (yesterday was her last thank goodness) at this particular location, she was told that if she wore a skirt or dress, she must wear PANTYHOSE!!!  PANTYHOSE!!!!  The child might wear pantyhose in the winter...if she went to a funeral.

Of course, another employee came to work one day wearing pantyhose AND socks with her tennis shoes.  She also wore a polka dot polyester dress with some sort of big flashy belt and dangley earrings that didn't match.  Sort of an Ugly Betty look.  I think we need to set that gal up with Miss Janice, who is an expert at putting together the RIGHT kind of look. 

When Lor came back from lunch one day, there was a Braun men's electric shaver...new in box...sitting at her teller station.  A customer brought everybody one.  A BRAUN MEN'S ELECTRIC SHAVER?  Does this strike anybody else odd?

Legare is home this week.  Bless his heart, he's cooked supper for us the last two nights...possibly out of good will but also possibly for self-preservation.  These days, I only cook on the weekends.

Ned recently had a little bout of gout.  (LOL...a "bout" of "gout"...I just crack myself up sometimes...even at 4:34 a.m.)  He's fine now.

OH....Join me in boycotting Best Buy, won't you?  Our 18 month old Sony Bravia TV has been on the fritz for SIX WEEKS.  They've sent somebody over here THREE times and they never have the right part....THEN they take an ATTITUDE with us when we get frustrated at having to wait ANOTHER two weeks while they order a part and schedule another time to come over.  Not to MENTION that they only do home repairs from 8 AM until 5:30 PM.  What are we supposed to do....take a vacation day every two weeks to sit here and wait for some INCOMPETENT to show up with the wrong parts?

We're at a loss to know how to handle it...when you complain they are rude.  So much for customer service.

BEST BUY...You need to get your act together.  I'm flabbergasted at your utter lack of professionalism and complete disdain for your customers when there are issues with products purchased in one of your stores.  We even paid for the four year service and replacement plan.  How long do we have to wait before you just replace the darn thing?

READERS....Do you know anybody who might have some powers of persuasion with Best Buy??  I need their help...

Have a good day!!

Belles do NOT get overwhelmed...

So, as I was coming off of working this past week of three days of meetings and putting out fires...the week before my teacher retreat next Monday and student orientations on Tuesday and Wednesday...all for the brand spanking new school I'm opening, a veteran co-worker asked me, "So, Belle....are you feeling a little overwhelmed?" 

My immediate response was, "Now what in this WORLD would make you think that I am overwhelmed???"  To which he replied, "It's in your eyes...I know the look...I've looked that way MANY times myself.

Hank apparently told our friend Ted that, "It's starting to get to her."  Ted apparently agreed.

What is WRONG with them?  Belles do NOT get overwhelmed.  Belles always have everything under very tight control.

For pete's sake, I am a ESTJ on the Myers-Briggs Personality Test...

I am a LION...

I am a FOX (not to be confused with foxy, which I may ALSO be if I might say so myself).

I AM WOMAN....HEAR ME ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't just do my best...I do WHATEVER IT TAKES.

When I walked in the back gate last night Hank asked, "So, do you feel caught up?"  (That might very well be the stupidest question anybody ever asked  me and if I recall correctly, I told him so.)

Fox...Lion...best...WOMAN....ROAR  ROAR  ROAR.

Good heavens...my eye is starting to TWITCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK...maybe Belles do get a little overwhelmed......

I know...I can't believe it either...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Look at what I got...

No...not a boat.  We did look and think we've zeroed in on what we eventually want, but won't be making a purchase until next spring.

I've been looking for a long time for the right thing to go on my dining room table.  I played around with putting this or that in vases that I had and even bought an arrangement once that was OK, but just OK.  In the Land of Belle, "OK" is not good enough.  In case you wonder...we found the oyster shell container about three weeks ago at Southern Accent Designer Showcase, then took it to Buy the Bunch (both in Mt. Pleasant) for them to create the arrangement. I was finally able to pick it up yesterday and believe the end result to be absolutely perfect for a lowcountry home.

On my way home, I stopped at one of my favorite little shops at Belle Hall Shopping Center....Zinnia.  LOVE IT!  Found this cute as a bug insulated lunch tote.  Since principals do NOT get to go out for lunch, I figured I need something stylish to carry my mundane little ham sandwiches in.  Zinnia has this and other similar items in LOTS of patterns.  

I surely do enjoy retail therapy.  How about you?

Last Week in the Land of Belle

I spent two days in Columbia this week in the state Principal Induction workshop.  I learned some good things.  For instance...my general way of coping with life in the workplace when I am not feeling stressed is that of a lion.  When I experience stress in the workplace, I tend to become more of a fox. The third option was to be a Saint Bernard.  My personality type according to Myers-Briggs is ESTJ.  And apparently, side effects of being a principal include but are not limited to heart attacks, strokes, mental and physical exhaustion, and walking pneumonia. The guy who facilitated the whole thing was hilarious.  Oddly, and even though what I just wrote is likely coming across sarcastic, it was actually reasonably interesting.  Except for the side effects part...I found that troubling, as did a number of my fellow new principals. So much for being uplifting...let's move on.

Monday is Lorelai's 20th birthday. MY BABY IS 20!!!! Can't tell you what we have for her I'll have photos on Monday.  She left this afternoon for Clemson to move her things from the old apartment to the new one.  She talked three guy friends into going with her and clearly, she intends to be queen for the weekend while THEY move her things. Last I heard, she had Alex driving and she was in the back seat taking a nap. Bless you, Alex, Cody, and Roy...bless you!!

Hank and I are going to look at boats in the morning.  When we bought our last boat eight years ago, we had visions of taking weekend trips up and down the intracoastal.  Guess how many times we did that in seven years.  Yes indeed...a grand total of NEVER. Our trips were limited to trips out to Edisto, over to Dataw, and down to Hilton Head. So, we sold it last summer.  But we miss it. So...we're going to start looking but we are NOT buying.  Next spring perhaps.  With school starting before you know it and football season on the horizon (GO TIGERS!!!!) we won't be doing much boating in the immediate future. 

Whew...time for bed.  Nighty night....Hope you're weekend is fabulous.

Let's Stir Things Up a Little Bit

So, the other day when I was catching up on blog reading, I came across a post in which the blogger raised questions about "the blogger's voice."  Her questions and remarks, then the onslaught on subsequent comments (some of them NOT so nice) caused me to think a little about my "voice."  I think that people who read my blog and know me personally would say that what you read is all me...pure and simple.  I'm not putting on airs or creating some kind of fantasy world.  I like what I like....don't like what I don't like...and don't much care if people agree with me or not, although I believe that most of my blog friends DO agree (or at least amused) or they wouldn't be reading.  In turn, I tend to read those with which I identify the most.  


I also enjoy "style" blogs and a few off the wall ones.  Awkward Family Photos never ceases to amuse me.  I like recipe blogs.  I like design blogs.  I'm not opposed to some gossip thrown in here or there.  I like blogs that inspire.  It's hunky dory if the blogger has created some kind of fantasy world as long as I like what I read.


I don't like blogs where there is a lot of profanity.  I might throw out a "hells bells" or a "tinkers damn" once in a blue moon, but that's where I draw the line.  I dropped several blogs from my reader back during the 2008 election when uninformed people from BOTH parties started slinging a bunch of baloney around and about.  I'm a respecter of opinions, but not if the other person doesn't respect mine as well.


I don't like blogs that are routinely negative...we all have bad days now and then, but some people seem to have ALL bad days.  I read a quote the other day...can't remember who it was but it might have been Abraham Lincoln..."Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."  Ain't that the truth?


In short...my opinion is that everybody has a right to blog what they want to blog the way they want to blog it and I have a right to choose whether or not I want to read it.  Neither party owes the other any apologies.


SO...at the risk of opening up a can or worms...what do you think?  What are your favorite kinds of blogs?  Do certain catch phrases that bloggers might take on as a gimmick bug you?


Let's also declare this a "de-lurker" post.  Humor me please....reveal yourselves and SHARE!

Weekend Wrap Up...and a Recipe

Tomorrow this time I'll be back in the thick of things from a "busy" perspective, but this weekend....this weekend has been glorious. I never did get to the Piggly Wiggly yesterday, but talked Hank into stopping for me when he ran to town to share some of the bounty from our fig tree with Tom and Ann. I did a little recipe experimentation last night...pan fried tilapia with squash salsa. It's a keeper.

Just dice up a couple of squash, a couple of zucchini, a purple onion, a large bell pepper, and sautee' it in olive oil and some Cavender's seasoning for three or four minutes. Let it cool, then mix in about two tablespoons of chopped basil and four or five tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dredge the fish (you can also use catfish or trout) in Martha White cornbread mix (the one in the tradition of the old Ballard cornbread mix) and pan fry in olive oil. Put the salsa over the fish to serve. I think that stone ground grits...lots of butter and cheese if you want...are the way to go as a side. YUM!

Here are a few photos of what others at our house were doing on Saturday afternoon...

Lazy, Crazy, Hazy Days

Don't you love the feeling of being "caught up?" Hank and I were talking last night and lately, we both feel like we get up early, rush to work, stay late, come home, and collapse. The house is always clean (thank goodness for Daisy) and the yard is always cut (thank goodness for Hank) but we get behind on other things.

For instance (and of utmost importance), when I logged onto my Google Reader yesterday, it indicated that there were 1000+ unread posts. It took me two hours before the number went BELOW 1000+. I'm pleased to say that I'm caught up...a product of not so much as stepping one foot out of the door of the house yesterday. I read blogs (sorry for lack of comments...) and washed a mountain of sheets, bath towels, beach towels, and clothes.

It was a nice day, but I'm still feeling at loose ends just a bit. Today, I need to run to the Piggly Wiggly but honestly, I just don't feel like going anywhere. Wonder if I can cobble together something for supper without having to shop? Perhaps I should just go lie down and read. Yes...that sounds good. The Piggly Wiggly will still be there in a few hours.

So, it is decided. I'm going to attempt to forgo the crazy and hazy, opting instead for pure LAZY! By the way, if you don't have an Original Pawley's Island Rope Hammock, you really ought to be ordering yourself one! In our 27 years of marriage, we've never been without one...sometimes two!!

Rising Stars....Competitive Much????

While I know you're thinking that I've become a boring blogger, life is anything BUT! The days of the week FLY by in a blur. We're in the new office and nearly all set up. We got telephones last Monday and computers Wednesday and desks for the computers yesterday. You should have seen me working with the monitor sitting on the box the computer came in and the keyboard in my lap. I had to sit on the floor to talk on the telephone. Everyday is an adventure!

Yesterday afternoon, Hank came by and helped hang pictures. The mission of our school district references "lowcountry traditions" and I found some very reasonable photographs of lowcountry landmarks at the farmer's market last weekend. It all looks marvelous if I do say so myself.

I didn't think I could ever find another administrative assistant as marvelous as Lilly but I must say that my new assistant Trina is working out beautifully. Her middle name must be "efficient" because she is getting everything organized and has already figured out how I want things done. The most wonderful thing, after six months of working virtually alone at every task related to opening a new school, is having someone answer the telephone. Some days all I DID was talk on the telephone. Don't get me wrong...I WANT to talk with the parents and students. I do NOT want to talk to every Tom, Dick, and Harry VENDOR trying to hawk the product that is going to save all of society.

We're almost exactly one month away from the students walking into our doors for the first time. That's a little nerve wracking; however, I haven't been this excited about my professional life in many many moons. Our school is going to ROCK!! This week I spend two days in Columbia at the state Principal Induction conference.

At our district new principals' orientation last week, the superintendent told the six of us that we got our jobs because we are "rising stars." Good heavens, I'd sooner throw myself in front of a BUS than let that man down. He has a way of inspiring a person to be the best they can be. SO, since I REALLY would rather NOT throw myself in front of a bus, I suppose I'm just going to have to SHINE!!! You know me...I have just a teeny tiny competitive streak.

I wonder if I could get a tiara instead of a trophy?

The Mini Honeymoon

Hank and I had a marvelous time last night. We always enjoy our little getaways right here close to home and dinner at the Peninsula Grill never disappoints. For Hank...seared scallops with a hot potato salad, a trigger fish entree', and a banana pudding-type dessert. For me...lump crab and tomato salad, a melt in your mouth fillet mignon, and milk chocolate creme brulee'.

We get the biggest kick out of people watching. We arrived about half an hour early and enjoyed a libation in the bar. One fellow, 55-ish, not too tall, arrived with a fairly large party and he thought he was SOMETHING...nice enough looking white linen shorts and a navy blue and white checked starched shirt...sleeves rolled up...loafers...no socks. Bless his heart, the hem was completely out of one of the legs of the shorts and he was sporting a toupee that was just awful. Either a toupee or he desperately needs a new barber.

Then there were the three guys at the bar. One was dressed "Charleston normal." One had on a sport coat that looked much like the one Hank wore when we departed our wedding reception in 1983. The other one...two words...Miami Vice. It was unfortunate.

Of course Hank and I looked perfect. Sorry...no pictures...I didn't feel like fooling with the camera.

We're back home. Not sure what Legare is doing today. Lorelai is with a group of friends floating down the Edisto River. Hank is cutting grass and I'm getting ready to finish writing my faculty handbook so it can get to the printer.

It was a perfect anniversary...off we go into year number 28!

Happy Anniversary...to US!

That's US as in Hank and me. Not the country, but I guess you knew that.

At right around 7:22 PM this evening, we will have been married 27 years. That's a pretty long time. I used to thing that people who had a 25th anniversary were old. I'm not old....Hank is older than I am but he's not that old either. We're going to celebrate tonight so I'll share details about that tomorrow.

As far as the week in review...I've been a bad blogger and a bad housekeeper and not much of a cook, but I've been an EXCELLENT high school principal, if I do say so myself. We're in the home stretch...by next month this time I will have held the staff retreat AND the student orientation.

Hank is going to Hometown on Sunday to tell his mother that she is moving to Green Grove next weekend whether she likes it or not. It ain't gonna be pretty...BUT, considering that she is not taking her medicine and is going to cause some kind of awful car accident because she insists on driving, it's got to happen. His uncle has her at the doctor this morning...the doctor who told her two weeks ago, "Oh don't worry about what the NEUROLOGIST told you...you can drive." Guess he's going to be feeling pretty stupid this morning when he says, "Oh well...by the way...not only can you not drive but you also have to MOVE to assisted living." He thought he was SO smart two weeks ago...he did WAY more harm than good, let me tell you. WAY more!!!

On the family front...Legare is working hard in Charlotte for three more weeks before heading back to Chapel Hill to finish his final year of law school. Lorelai thinks herself a great financial mind as she continues for another few weeks at the bank before heading back to Clemson to be a Welcome Ambassador for the freshman class. I created a Facebook page last weekend for Ned. He misses Hometown so badly so I had the idea that he could reconnect. Sure enough, a week later, he has 22 friends. Cool!

Have a great weekend!!

Driving Mr. Ned

So, as it turns out, my cousin Nancy called this morning and collected Mother at 11 AM for a day at the lake, so Ned and I skipped brunch and came straight home. As Nancy got in her car with mother and my aunt, who isn't too far from being in about the same fix, I said, "Go with God" and I meant it. She'll be slap worn out by the time she goes to bed tonight. Ned only asked about the cat and dog twice and then let it go. He didn't even talk to himself about it as we made the hour drive down the country road. I was amazed...

He IS a bit fixated on the selling of the house in Hometown...he and Hank are out in the pool and I'm pretty sure that's what they're discussing for the umpteenth time. He says he'd like to go back and "rake the yard one more time" and "take sleeping bags and spend the night." Considering he's never raked a day in his life, much less slept on anything other than a Serta Perfect Sleeper or some such mattress, he must REALLY want to go. We're playing it down...I don't think it would be a good idea.

I've fixed one of Ned's favorite meals for supper. BBQ chicken, rice, butter beans, and potato salad, with chocolate ice cream for desert. I'm using my grandmother's chicken recipe, which is really more of a smothered chicken cooked in the oven but she always called it BBQ chicken. It isn't Hank's favorite as he's more of a grill it kind of guy, so I only fix it when we're feeding Ned. The men (yes, Hank and Ned) are going to eat an early lunch here tomorrow (Grandmama's spaghetti sauce recipe...nothing Italian about it) then they're going over to the farm for the afternoon. I'm staying home. YAY!

I do want to tell you about the potato salad. My aunt Zoie made the best and I've tried to replicate it for years...just can do it, even though I know exactly what's in it. Potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, onion and bell pepper. Today I did a switch up and the end result is DELICIOUS! I caramelized the onion, and threw in the diced pepper for the last five minutes. OH MY GOSH...I wish you could taste it.

Ta ta for now!

Got to Love a Holiday Weekend

I've made some lovely new blog friends from over at WOW. Ain't life grand?

Moved into my new office suite today. Today was also my administrative assistant's first day and she is FABULOUS. Keeping me organized and on the straight and narrow is NOT for the faint of heart. She has her work cut out for her.

Lorelai returned from Florida and within two hours was sick as a dog. That child just goes and goes and goes until she slap wears herself out. After two days of sleeping and a good start on an antibiotic, she's feeling quite a bit better. SO much so that she's ready to pack up and go to the beach for the holiday weekend. I don't know about that...

Ned is coming to see us over the holiday weekend. The other boys are going away and the staff deserves a day off. It will be interesting...he is not at all wild about Precious, the dog OR Boo, the cat. He'll talk to himself all the way from Green Grove here...trying to convince himself that neither animal will bother him. What's so funny is that they WON'T bother him....never have, never will. It's nuts! We aren't telling mother that he's coming home with us....she'll work herself all up into a dither. I don't feel like dealing with a dither this weekend.

For those of us working four ten hour days this summer (or four twelve to fourteen hour days as the case may be) today is FRIDAY! YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY

It's shaping up to be a quiet holiday weekend here in the Land of Belle. What are YOU doing this weekend? You never know...I might show up....with Ned....and Mother. (I don't blame you. I wouldn't tell me either...)