Stamping with Kim

Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

Have you ever seen GUY FIERI in this spunky food network show??  Me either!!  Well, not until just a couple of weeks ago when I was channel-surfing & ran across an interesting episode.  It caught my attention because he was so awesome AND the food looked very....interesting!!  It's no secret that I'm no food snob - just give me "something" - preferably not too bad for you - and I'm typically happy.  The less fancy, the better.  So for me to watch a food show - well, let's just say that my family was impressed!

So just try to imagine my husbands' surprise last week when he told me that he was travelling to CHARLOTTE, NC & I said "hey!  I just heard of a great place to eat there!!"  Yeah, he probably thought it was the Apocalypse or something :)   But knowing how much he LOVES BBQ, this episode caught my attention because this is FRIED BBQ.  Now think about that for a second - to me that just screams "the worst of the worst" - but to him, I knew it was like the heavens had just opened up.  His face lit up like Christmas.  It was funny & disgusting all at the same time!!

This place is called BBQ King and is a classic American Drive-In.  It's really cool!  It's right outside Charlotte, near the airport, on a busy street.  The sign says they have been serving BBQ for 49 years.  Amazing!!  It's not fancy & certainly no frills - but I have to admit...it was good!!  I didn't get the BBQ, but you know he did.  He said it was incredible.  He said that often  :)  The onion rings came highly recommended - and they were some of the best I've ever had.  I opted for the trout.  Sounds pretty healthy, right?  ...it was deep fried!!  It was good, too!  Not as healthy as I should have chosen - but I was at a BBQ place, after all!

We had the nicest waiter EVER, and he invited us to come inside and look around.  Now, remember, this is a DRIVE-IN, so there aren't seats or anything inside - just a counter to pick up take-out orders, and lots of cooks & waiters.  Still, it was really cool!!  He even took a picture of Steve & me standing in front of this Guy Fieri poster.  How cool is that?!!

Just for kicks, I got a pic of the letter from Fieri & another poster image.  Way cool!!!

So even though I didn't have my camera handy when we were driving through the breath-taking mountains on the drive over to N Carolina, I did remember to get pictures to share with you about our lunch!  If you ever find yourself in the Charlotte, NC area - I really would encourage you to check out the BBQ King.  It's definitely a one-of-a-kind, and they will treat you like family!!

Now...I'm off to find out when the next episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" comes on!!!

Here's the thing....

Remember that old saying "measure twice, cut once"??  Well, my mantra now is "ask twice, and have-whatever-it-is-you're-having-done with more information"!!  Translation:  I should've asked more questions before having this last surgery!!

OK, so here's the thing....Number 1:  I should've known better than to go to a TEACHING HOSPITAL!!  They are, after all, TEACHING!!  So the primary focus is to TEACH the new residents - the focus was not - in my opinion - on the patient.  Big difference!!

Number 2:  Ask the Dr more questions....like "so OK, if THAT doesn't work...then what??"  In my case, I needed a little bit of "fill in", which sounded really cute & simple in the Drs office - and even in the few minutes before surgery!!  I actually did ask very specific questions then.... & it sounded quite awesome, in fact.  So imagine my surprise to have breast surgery & find out later that my HIPS AND ABDOMEN are absolutely killing me - for 5 days solid!!  Well, it's called LIPOSUCTION!!  Somehow that term wasn't used in our discussions - and my hips were NEVER mentioned!!  ASK MORE QUESTIONS!!

Number 3:  Drugs are good.  Just ask me!!  For 5 days I counted down the minutes until I could take the next ones!  LOL!!  Drugs are good.  I was a teenager in the 70's and somehow missed the whole drug scene.  I feel like I have now reached the maturity to test them.  Every 6 hours.  And I must say that when I take on a job - I try to do it the very best I can.  I even set my alarm clock for 2am just so I could be a "perfectionist pill taker".  Yes, I am good!!

Number 4:  Corsetts should be banned from the planet...unless this thing actually makes me shrink around the middle!!  LOL!!  The Dr sent me home in one that went from my armpits to my thighs.  Now it's only around my middle, which is better.  Not too bad, but I feel like a barrel with no bending when I sit or try to get comfy in bed.  .....ask more questions....

So that's the thing!  That's why I haven't updated my blog for a week now....sigh....  I have learned so much over the past almost-2-years.   Mostly....I've learned "patience" - and a whole lot of that!!!   Maybe that was all I was supposed to learn from this whole ordeal.  Who knows??!!  But I do know one thing....the day I get into Heaven - I'm gonna have a whole lot of questions!!!  :)

Y'all have a great week now!  I'm taking an over-night trip with hubby, riding through the Appalachian Mountains just so he can work for a couple of hours.  aaahhh....now THAT is the thing!!  Take care!!

Real Men Wear Pink.....Boas!!!

And I have the proof!!

Steve & I attended my first Breast Cancer Survivors' Breakfast this morning.  It was fabulous!!  He was such a good sport posing for this picture wearing one of the boas!

Adam's sweet girlfriend, Katie, was one of the volunteers that worked so hard on this event - and she is the one that invited me!  They did such a beautiful job.  The tables were so pretty with pink & white tablecloths and fresh flower centerpieces - which were also door prizes - and my "husband in the pink boa" won the one on our table!!

The food was catered in - and it was incredibly good, too.  There were some to-die-for pieces of sterling jewelry that were hand-crafted by a local artisan, and donated to the event for door prizes.  (I was not lucky enough to win one of them....this year!!)

One of our local Girls Preparatory Schools provided their string ensemble "Tango" for the event.  These young ladies were a highlight & a real treat for breakfast!

We were also treated to have our Congressman Chuck Fleishmann and his wife as Honorary Chairs this year.  The Congressman told us how he had lost his own mother to breast cancer when he was a very young boy.  He is an adamant supporter of "all things breast cancer" - and is going to be here in Chattanooga on Sunday for the RACE FOR THE CURE!!!  I'm not usually one to say nice things about politicians (snicker!!), but this man definitely has a soft spot in my heart!   

Our County Mayor, Jim Coppinger, also attended the event.  Steve took this picture of us chatting about the good old days.  Jim & I were in high school together!!  It was good to see him after all these years :)

Now...that was today...tomorrow is a different story!!

Tomorrow I am having my LAST SURGERY for reconstruction!!!  This is the day I have been waiting for for 21 months!!  This is THE LAST CHAPTER of this story!!  woo hoo!!  I'm a little excited - can you tell?!!

Sooo.....I am taking a few days off from blogging & probably emailing "lite", too.  I would love to hear from you - either by posting here - or drop me an email - but it might take a couple of days for me to get back to you.  I hope you understand!!

Thank you all (that's "y'all" where I come from!!) again for all of the wonderful support you have provided me over the past 21 months.  It has definitely been a journey I will never, ever forget - and that includes the friends that were there for me every step of the way!

Have a beautiful day & thanks for visiting!!!

Kim  

Blossom Building

I was travelling with hubby this week on one of his business trips, and remembered to pack up some stamping projects.  Quite impressive, I know!!

This little project was pretty much copied straight out of the catalog (p.112).  Hey, that's what it's for, right?!!

I did alter it slightly by using the larger petal & a different sentiment.  But overall, it's the same idea.  It really turned out beautifully!  These are colors that I would not normally put together - but they work nicely.  Colors are Concord Crush, Cherry Cobbler & Tangerine Tango...who knew?!!

This stamp set "Build a Blossom" has a punch that coordinates & cut my work in half.  I did have to trim the inner blossom, but even that only took a minute.  Love it!!

So if you're looking for a quick & easy project for the weekend - try this one!  By using a "common sentiment" - this card will work for any occasion.  Step out of your COLOR COMFORT ZONE and see what happens!  Now that's working smarter - not harder!!!

Don't forget about the new MINI CATALOG - you can PLACE YOUR ORDERS HERE and have them delivered to your doorstep.  That's working smarter, too!  :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!!

Vintage Vogue

It's been quite some time since I have enjoyed the new SU! IN COLORS as much as I have this year!!  It could be that there is a lovely "Wisteria" - which I've featured here.  Or it could be the cool new blue called "Pool Party".  Or it could be that ALL of the new colors seem to coordinate so well with each other.

Whatever!!  I just love working with them!!

This card features Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, and last years' Pear Pizzaz, with a splash of Regal Rose.   The sentiment is from "Word Play", the wheel is "Friendly Words" and the stamp set is "Vintage Vogue".

Don't you think this card could work for just about ANY OCCASION?  I do!!  I think it's a real keeper!!  :)

I hope you have a great week!!