Casey Anthony Trial. Just my viewpoint - like it or not.

Today I caught my very first full-length look and listen on the case in a long while.  I must admit that closing arguments today were painfully long (at least for me) but somehow I got through it all.  And it was like I missed nothing of importance for the past two years because I was certainly caught up with full details today for sure.

You might be interested to know that I may well have been the only person in the good old USA today that wasn't tainted by all the rhetoric over the past couple of years.  I really don't follow things like this at all.  But today, I wanted to hear the closing arguments for myself.  Mainly because everyone that I know thinks Casey Anthony is guilty and they are ready to put her in the electric chair and pull the switch themselves.  Things like that just always make me a bit curious.  So today, I decided to watch closting arguments all day long.

You might also be interested to know that I am not a fan of Casey Anthony.  But I came up with some rather fascinating thoughts and conclusions in my seven hour experience of people-watching and close listening skills today.  During commercials of the live broadcast, I googled things - people, places and ideas that I needed to know about to satisfy my curiosity.  Most of all, you might find it strange that I am not convinced that Casey Anthony killed her little girl.  I didn't hear any facts that led me to conclude she is guilty.  At least not of murder.

Here is what I did see, hear and then investigate further.  Her family is very - well - disgruntled and unsettling.  The father.  The mother.  Very odd body language.  Even leaving the courtroom today.  Did you see them 'holding hands!'  Very odd behavior.  The father, George Anthony, he gives me the creeps.  He is an obvious liar, cheater, and general creepy person.  He cheated on his job, he cheated on his wife, and I dare say that something is very rotten with that fake suicide attempt.  Among other things.

The mother, Cindy, is obviously very, very angry.  At what?  Not exactly sure but she is a cold fish for sure.  Very interesting body language, especially around her husband, George.  And that tongue?  Who uses that much profanity around little children anyway?

Casey does display some behaviors of a person who has been sexually molested.  At least in my opinion that is the case.  Something just doesn't add up.  Imaginary friends.  Promiscuous lifestyle.  And why would the attorneys have both the father and the brother, Lee, tested for paternity of the little girl?  Don't you just find that strange in itself?

Sticking to the facts, here is what I did not hear today.  No evidence of murder.  No evidence of anything other than a very promiscuous lifestyle.  Another sign of sexual molestation.  WOW.  Very sad case for sure.

This whole case is very eerie and strange - One thing for sure.  We still don't know the whole truth.  We will see what happens tomorrow.  But for now, what are you thoughts?

I would love to hear your views.

Thinking About You Tonight, Daddy

I remember the day well.  It was a Tuesday afternoon.  My Dad had just called me an hour or so before.  "What are you doing, Little Red Hen?" he asked in his jovial way.  (You see, my Dad never called you by your real name.  If he liked you, he gave you a nickname, and it stuck.  Your whole life you were 'that name' to him.  I was "little red hen."  I suspect it had something to do with the fact that it rhymed with Tracy Lynn.  But no matter - it was special.  Special because he was the only person in the entire universe who called me that name.)  He and I had chatted a while.  He asked me if I would go with him the following day to pick out a paint color for his office we were redecorating.  He also wanted to buy a new leather sofa and wanted to go look at those as well.  He was going to pick me up the next morning at 9:00 a.m.  But things changed in an instant when the phone rang.  .

Back to that phone call.  Words you never want to hear.  "You better get to the hospital right away," she said.  "Your Dad is real bad - they took him by ambulance."  That's all I remember hearing.  My husband had just walked in the door from work.  I grabbed my keys, grabbed my husband, and we were off to the hospital for what seemed to be the longest ride of my life.  The next hour is such a blur to me, painfully hard to write about, much less think about.  Let it suffice to say that my Dad never regained consciousness and they pronounced him dead in less than an hour.

I remember the doctor coming into the waiting room twice.  Both times I asked him - begged him - to let me see my Dad.  Both times that request was denied.  The third time he came back to us he gave us the news.  I was still in shock when he told me my Dad was gone.  It was surreal.  This time the doctor told me I could go see my Dad for "just a moment" and I remember the long walk down the hall, my husband by my side, holding tight to my hand.

When I got to the room, I remember looking in and seeing my Daddy laying on that table, quiet and still.  Very strange because my Dad was one of the most full-of-life, busy people I knew.  And when he was asleep he was snoring - very loudly I might add.  So to see no signs of life was very eery, very strange for me.  I removed my shoes at the door (something told me I was on Holy ground) and I walked inside.  I just stood there, touching his hair and talking to him.  I just touched his face and his hair for about a minute or two until I saw the tears on his face.  They weren't his tears, they were mine.  But they had dropped like tiny raindrops from my eyes onto his face and were running down his cheek.  That's when it hit me.  My Daddy is gone.

Something strange happened at that moment I realized I would never hear 'little red hen' again.  I heard a faint whimpering or moaning sound.  It was coming from me!  I was so numb and so traumatized that I was moaning every time I took a breath.  My husband tells me that it occurred off and on over the next week or so - during the the funeral - at the rotunda - at the veteran's cemetery.  I don't remember much of that. 

What I do remember is the receiving of friends.  My Daddy looked so handsome.  Peaceful.  Almost asleep.  He would have been very pleased with the photos we had around.  Photos of the most important things in the world to him - his kids and his grandkids.  He would have loved what all his friends and family said to console me and my family.  He would have loved the stories they told about crazy things he had done or fun they had throughout the years.  He would have loved the American flag embroidered on his casket.  But more than anything else, he would have gotten a big kick out of the 'nickname bouquet' that proudly stood at attention at his feet.  You see, to pay tribute to my Dad, I had a large bouquet made that had a banner for each of his children and grandchildren with their nickname on it.  Beautifully done in white satin and gold leaf, it was adorned with large streamers, each one representing the nickname that he had given us and called us until the day he went home:

Little Red Hen
Hard Rock
Sissy
Lisa Bo
Tricks
Grannie Annie
Smiley
Snow Bird
Handsome Harry
Austie Bostie
Pixie Pie
Sparks

Now many years gone, I still long to hear those words again.  "Tracy Lynn, little red hen" he would say.  And my children all cherish those banners so very much.  Each of them has their respective banner - some hanging on their wall, some have them put up for safe keeping.  But each is precious just the same.  A badge of honor.  A reminder of the man so full of life that loved them with every ounce of life he had in him.  Their granddaddy.

Life wasn't always easy with my Dad.  But he was surely the life of the party.  And he is still missed by this old hen more than you will ever know.  I look forward to seeing him again someday.  And I know that when I get to heaven, I will hear those precious words again.  There are many things I anticipate seeing and doing when I get to heaven.  But one of them is hearing "Little Red Hen" from my Dad.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.  I miss you so very, very much.


L.R.H.

"There You Go" is NOT Good Customer Service

While a generation ago you would have heard sentiments like "Thank you for shopping with us" or "Have a great day, ma'am" while checking out at your neighborhood grocery store, has anyone noticed the 'new' catch phrase in customer service is "There you go?" Really?

Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking. Prissy little middle-aged lady just being a primadonna. But truly, our country has buried the lost-art of practicing real customer service along with reading a hardback book or having conversation around the dinner table.

Let's be honest. We are raising a generation of people who just don't get it. They don't know how important that job is to their future. They don't understand that in 10 years, if things keep in this downward spiral of accepting poor customer service, we won't have any expectations left at all.

You would think in this time of a slowing economy that retail outlets and service providers would be on high alert for excellence in service. Why? Because every dime that people spend today must be measured in importance. People have an array of choices of where they can spend that precious, calculated money. And, if people do not get excellent customer service, they will go somewhere until they find it. Oh, I wish!

And while I'm up here (on my soapbox, that is) allow me to pontificate about how no one under the age of 20 can count change back without that computerized register telling them how much to give back to the customer. Test this theory; give a $20 to any young person, "buy" something for $12.71 and ask them to count the change back to you. It's nearly impossible to find one who can actually do it correctly without having to start over numerous times if at all.

Retailers of America, wake up and smell the coffee. Let's stop the insanity that is going around today. Making Kroger bigger with more self check-out lanes is NOT good customer service. Start small and less expensive. Just teach an orientation class on practicing the art of good customer service. Start with "Thank you for your business" and "Please come back." My guess is that little step will reap the rewards in customer loyalty much more than shiny new computers and more self-check out registers.

After all, we already have to buy them, unload them at the register, roll them to our car and then put them up when we get home. THANK US properly when we are there spending our hard-earned dollars and it just might make us leave feeling a little better about the 28% hike in the cost of groceries in the last year alone.

Wordle - Hicks House Holidays

 

Wordle - Hicks House Holidays

The Names of God

The more I learn of God, the more I yearn for God.  And to know Him, and to know His names, is becoming more and more important in my life.  Let me share with you just a few of my most favorite names and their meanings:

Jehovah- The Lord
Jehovah-Jireh - The Lord will provide
Jehovah-Rophe - The Lord who heals
Jehovah-Nissi - The Lord our banner
Yahweh - The covenant name of God
Adonai - Master
Jehovah-Shalom - The Lord our peace
Jehovah-Elohim - The Lord our God

Copy down these names and then try this;  when you are praying, use these name to pray to God.  Repeat them in praise and worship and you will reap the peace and presence of a mighty God who loves you so much!

May this bring you blessings today!

Tracy

Tribute to Loubie; My mother, my friend

My mother was born Betty Louise Flannary.  Her first husband, while not my Dad, was the love of her life.  He died of Hodgkins disease while my Mother was carrying his only son, their second child.  My Mom met my Dad a few years later and she tells that she fell in love with him because he was so different than her first husband.  My Dad was full of life - funny, good looking and everyone loved him.  He wasn't an intellilectual, like her first husband, but she loved him.  He had a son.  They got married and then had me and my baby sister, Lisa.  My Dad never officially adopted my oldest sister and brother out of respect for their father, who was an only child and so wanted to carry on his family name. 

My Mother is the strongest woman I have ever known.  Sometimes, especially since growing older, I often think of her as a true miracle.  She was born in 1930 in an economically depressed area called Appalachia, VA.  Her mother was uneducated.  So was her father, who worked in the coal mines of Southwest Virginia for many years.  My mother, who we lovingly call "Loubie," somehow made it into college at the University of Virginia, where she graduated the nursing program and went on to become an RN and LPN.  The first person in her family to graduate college.  Her great love of the written word has pretty much inspired me to both read and explore writing.  Even today, her favoriate things are reading, Jeopardy (the television show) and Crossword puzzles.  Oh, and spending time with her great grandchildren.  She is a true caregiver.  Heck, I think she invented the word when she was in her early 20's.  That's when she took care of her very first patient - her husband who was dying.  Even with a young baby underfoot, her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness.  And while devastated, he asked her to consider having another baby - hoping it would be a boy to carry on his family name.  And knowing that she soon would be a single mother (back in 1950, are you kidding me?) she agreed to try.  And soon, she was the mother of two children - children who were 10 months apart - both in diapers - burying her husband in a town where she knew no one.

From there, she started on her care-giving journey and to be very honest with you, some 60 years later - at age 80, she is still taking care of people.  Now, her great-grandchildren are her pride and joy.  They simply adore her and she is quite energetic and loves to take them - where else - but the library!  We have all gleaned a love of reading from my Mom.

You will be hard pressed to find another woman of her era who is more energetic, intelligent or better loved than my mom, Loubie.  So, on Mother's Day and in honor of my Mom, Loubie, I offer these words:

Mom, without you, there would be no me.  Your love, your attention, your guidance, have made me who I am. Without you, I would be lost, wandering aimlessly.  Sure, I may have gotten there someday, but it sure was nice following along in the path that you carved out.  


You showed me the way to serve, to accomplish, to persevere.  Without you, there would be an empty space I could never fill, no matter how I tried.  Instead, because of you, I am a much better person today.  A better mother.  A better wife.  A better daughter.  And better friend.  


Thank you, Loubie.  I have always loved you and I always will.  And I am so very proud to call you my Mother.

Tracy

"Storking The Freezer" party for the New Mom-To-Be

A chef and fellow blogger, Tess, has this great idea she came up with for expectant mothers.  Check it out below as my link back - she is brilliant - and has great recipes on her site to go along with it.

Great work, Tess!  You did all the hard work for us!  Bravo!!  I think I am going to suggest this for our next baby shower!

STORKING THE FREEZER

I wanted to post this blog entry on how to have a baby shower for expectant mothers where guest focus on cooking freezer meals. It's something I have enjoyed doing and I know I have seen a lot of new mothers find a little bit of sanity.My amazing friend Kendra has an outstanding blog and I am excited to be a guest writer on My insanity. The full story should be up on her blog in about a week, but as I imagine there will be a lot of new visits to this blog as there often is after a new segment hits Fox 10, I thought I would post it here as well.


I remember how naive I was when expecting my first baby. I didn't know what I was in for, and that may be better. As a chef and a mother, one of my favorite services to offer is that of making freezer meals for expecting and new mothers. I don't know how anyone else's has done with motherhood, but for me it has been, by and far, one of the most challenging, passionate, and sometimes nerve racking experiences of my life. I never expected to be stretched (in sooo many ways...) and sleep so very little. For many, the first few weeks and months of having a new baby in the home are the most incredible...and eye opening. It wasn't a vacation, though having a new one around is a blessing. It doesn't go without work, most of which is unseen by others. Keeping that in mind, offering a baby shower to a brand new-new mom is always wonderful. What about baby showers for those mothers who are expecting their third, fourth...or tenth baby. What about the joy and sometimes fear that accompanies that new child? One solution I have found is offering a "Stork the Freezer" Party and Baby Shower.

When I call the expecting mom, the first thing I do, is introduce the idea of freezer meals to the mom and ask if that is something she would be excited about. Usually there is a few questions I like to ask:

Would the mom to be prefer to have the cooking party at her home or someone else?If they have it somewhere else besides their home (which is always nice) be sure the location will have adequate space in a large capacity freezer to accommodate the meals until the time the meals can be transferred to the mom-to-be's home.

How many children in the family? Age matters...be specific.

Are there any restrictions in their diet? (ie allergies, vegetarian and so forth)

Do they have a large storage freezer or just a standard freezer? This will determine how many dinners and what size you can offer her.

Present some menu choices. I tell her to pick 5-7 meals. She gets a nice printed menu to pick her meals off of, as well as an idea of side dishes she could or would need to make if you are offering those.

Try to fill her menu with several different meals that you know you can cook. Try cooking the menu choices yourself before the shower, or at the very least, be confident you know how to put it together. Another option is to assign "meal captains" to head up each meal during the cooking procedure. This will ease the burden on the hostess from having to supervise all the cooking.

Offer meals that would most appeal to her family.

If the family is not in any way "gourmet" then offering the French chicken wouldn't seem right. If they have kids that go to school and need lunches, offer items that can also double as quick lunch grabs for the kiddos (like pizza muffins and homemade hot pockets).

For the rest of the story, and the full menu and recipes from Tess, visit her site link here:  http://cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com/2010/04/storking-freezer-party-and-baby-shower.html

She gets my vote for the best idea for the expectant Mom this week! 

The $2.00 Chair is Complete!!

Yesterday I completed the $2.00 thrift store chair for Avery's room (my 14 year old daughter).  It turned out great.  You might remember me writing about the find back in March when I scooped it up at a local thrift store for $2.00!!  I thought I had taken 'before pictures' of it then - but alas, I can't find them anywhere.

Let it suffice for me to 'paint' this word picture in your mind;  good bones, but U-U-G-L-E-E-E!!  Two shades of brown, avocado green and fake woodgrain - yuck!

First, I took the whole thing apart - wheels, base, seat and chair back.  I washed the whole thing off really well and let it dry while I gathered my supplies.  Valspar Gloss Black spray paint ($6.94 at Lowe's) and my old trusty tool set.  Then, I went to work painting the entire thing outside on an old sheet - front and back - bottom and top.  Two coats got it in all the nooks and cranny's of the wicker back.  After it was dry, I put the entire thing inside the garage until the HUGE thunder storm passed (lots of rain).  I had planned to cover the seat cushion with matching fabric from her room, but once the cushion was cleaned it looked great - here's the fabric - what do you think?  Should I cover it or leave it as is?

Finally, I brought the piecces into the house and got out my tools again.  I put the entire thing back together and it turned out beautiful!  Avery loves the way it works with her room (done in a red and black and tan Paris theme):

While the wheels were a little tricky to paint evenly and then get put back on correctly, it really turned out nicely.  And for under $10.00 total, are you kidding me?  It's fabulous!!

Things That Make Me Smile

1.  Random hugs from my daughter.
2.  Tree swings.
3.  One scoop of chocolate chip and one scoop of orange sherbet.
4.  A hot mug of Island Coconut coffee.
5.  Handwritten notes.
6.  Sunday afternoon naps.
7.  A freshly cleaned house.
8.  Planning my next decorating project.
9.  My grandchildren.
10.  A good sermon.
11.  Rainy afternoons.
12.  Helping complete strangers.
13.  My brother's sense of humor.
14.  Surprises.
15.  Old couples in the grocery store.
16.  Flowers in the yard.
17.  Hearing my children laugh together.
18.  Babies.
19.  Silly songs.
20.  Weekends.

What makes you smile? 

Icecream Cake made Easy!

Last evening the Hicks House was full of family - again.  This time we were celebrating my oldest daughter's birthday some 28 years ago.  I remember the day well.  My husband was scheduled to be in a softball tournament in Alabama and was dressed in his uniform and ready to go.  When I stood up to kiss him goodbye, my water broke!  Needless to say, he didn't make it to Alabama that Saturday for the tournament.  We spent the next 12 and 1/2 hours in labor and at 7:24 p.m. on April 24, 1982, Austin Leigh Hicks was born.  I simply can't believe it was 28 years ago (it seems like just last week!) 

So as the Hicks clan gathered 'round to celebrate another year, we enjoyed the following casual menu - a menu of some of Austin's favorite foods:

Italian Garden Salad (similar to Olive Garden)
Baked Spaghetti (recipe follows)
Five Cheese and Garlic Toast
Homemade Ice Cream Cake (recipe follows)

My first attempt at the ice cream cake and I must say, it was a big hit.  At my house, you know something was a home run when the kids wake up in the morning asking, 'is there any more of that ice cream cake left Mom?'  And, why, you might ask, would you make an icecream cake when you know Austin's favorite thing in the whole world is a DQ ice cream cake?   In a city of nearly 400,000 people, CAN YOU BELIEVE there is no REAL DQ?  Sure, there are DQ's attached to gas stations or in Food Courts, but NO REAL DQ offering cakes?  So, I had to resort to making a the closest thing I could.  It did taste great, but next time I make one I will use more pudding and less icing.  I forgot to take a photo of mine, so I am attaching this one I found on the internet.  Austin's actually had real cake icing and "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" written on it (like a REAL DQ icecream cake!!)

ICE CREAM CAKE

Ingredients

30 Mayfield Mini  ice cream sandwiches

1 (16 ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping, partially thawed

16 Oreo Cookies, crushed

1 (12 ounce) jar KRAFT chocolate fudge topping, slightly warm

1 small package White Chocolate Instant Jello-O pudding

1 Container (any kind) of White Cake Frosting

Directions

Cover a metal quarter sheet cake pan with freezer foil, making sure to form into the corners properly (take your time; this step is important).  Unwrap the mini ice cream sandwiches and layer them in a brick pattern into the pan.  (I saved the small pieces for the end and cut all of my 'chocolate bricks' at the end to fill in)  It's important to use a brick pattern, because stacking them gives the cake no stability when its' time to cut. 
 
Mix the pudding and the Cool Whip together.  Layer the pudding mixture on top of the icrecream sandwich layer and then top with 1/2 the crushed Oreos.  Heat the hot fudge sauce jar in the microwave for about a minute, or until the sauce is pourable.  Pour half the jar onto the crushed oreos.  Next make another layer of cookies and pudding, ending with hot fudge sauce.  Place in the freezer for 1 hour to harden.  Remove from the freezer.  Remove the foil lining completely from the frosting container and place in the microwave for 1 minute.  It should be melted enough to pour on top of the cake.  Spread it out evenly and put back in the freezer for another hour or so.  You can write Happy Birthday or decorate any way you choose from this step forward - I decorated with "Happy Birtday" in red icing, but you will serve from the pan when ready to serve.
 
Trust me, it's easy and tastes AMAZINGLY like a DQ cake!  I will definitely be making this one again!!  Maybe next time I will try to remove it from the sheet cake pan and ice the entire cake (I am fairly experienced at icing cakes) - I will just need a cardboard base and room enough the freezer to put the cake back in without it being attacked by frozen vegetable bags! Try it, I think you will love the results. 
 
Keep the uneaten portion covered and in the freezer.