Lately

One day after work I came home to this: a candlelight spaghetti dinner prepared by Ben.  I've been having to work in Clanton and Prattville lately and work isn't going exactly as planned. So, after a particularly long day in Clanton, Ben made dinner for me and set it up in our dining room.  We really only eat in the dining room on special occasions and when we have lots of company.  I'm really glad that we were able to get a table for the room since it has come in handy many times and we enjoy having it for those special occasions.  I just had to brag on Ben for what a good job he did with the dinner. It was so nice to come home and not have to worry about finding something to eat!   

Mom and Dad, along with Scooter and Henry, came down to visit us for a few days last week.  It was great getting to spend some time with them! On Tuesday we went to Hampstead to the new Farmhouse Kitchen restaurant and it was wonderful!  Every Tuesday night at Hampstead they have a little farmers market set up until 7:00.  We were fortunate enough to catch the last ten minutes of it and Mom and Dad bought us this jar of local honey.  I was particularly thrilled by this since I have been eyeing local honey for years.  I would see it for sale at farmers markets and contemplate buying some, but it was always expensive and I didn't know if I'd even like it.  Well, this bee man (not sure what you call them) was handing out samples of his honey, which I think all bee men should probably do when selling their honey to first time buyers.  After we each received a sample, Dad and Mom bought 2 jars: one for them and one for us. So, I've been making homemade biscuits each morning (read: Pillsbury) and topping them off with this delectable treat. I highly recommend it! 

The last couple of weekends have been really nice around here.  Since Ben and I had no prior obligations, we were able to just hang out, relax, and take care of things around the house.  One Saturday we took the boys (dogs) out to Mimi and Pop's (Ben's parents) house so they could have a little fun in the pond.  Pete loves the water! 

Berkley likes the water when it involves dumping out his water dish and splashing in it.  He doesn't mind swimming either, but he isn't as fearless as Pete when it comes to big ponds and swimming pools.  

Oh yeah, remember when Ben and I got married LAST YEAR? Well, for our honeymoon souvenir we bought a hammock. We decided to hang it up last weekend. Yeah, a year later. After a few seconds in this hammock I regretted not hanging it up a year earlier! It is so comfy and relaxing! Last night after work I headed strait out to the hammock... work clothes and all. I know this is going to be my favorite place in the fall when the weather is lovely and the misquitos are DEAD.  

So, that's the latest in the Lassiter household. Bye Friends!

17 Books in 15 Minutes

o-17 Books in 15 Minutes Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Name 17 books you've read that will always stick with you. First 17 you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag friends, including me because I'm interested in seeing what books my friends choose...

I saw this on facebook and thought it was interesting.  I wonder if I can recall 17 books.... here goes! 

1. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

2. The Memory Keeper's Daughter

3. The Chronicles of Narnia (all of them)

4. Harry Potter Series (all of them)

5. Twilight Saga (all of them)

6. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

7. Summer of my German Soldier ( I hated it)

8. Summer of the Monkeys

9. Teach Us to Pray by Albert Lemmons

10. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

11. Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller 

12. Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller ( I like him, can you tell?)

13. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

14. Eragon (haven't finished it yet)

15. All Nancy Drew books from Childhood. 

16. Falling Up and other books of poetry by Shel Silverstein

17. Where the Wild Things Are... coming to the movies soon... weird.

And a Bonus: We Were the Mulvaneys ( An Oprah's book club book. I was wrapped up in it but it was very depressing so I don't recommend it.)

Bonus #2 Paula Deen's autobiography... Easy to read and her story is quite impressive.

There you have it...

"Can I Speak to a Pharmacy?" and Other Randomness

The phone rings at work....

Me: Hi. This is Katie, can I help you?

Customer: Can I speak to a pharmacy? 

Me: Um, yes. I'm a pharmaCIST.

Customer: Well, you see, I ran out of refills on my Lomotil. I've got awful diarrhea.  We went down there to tha mexico and my stomach ain't never been the same since.  My husband's got the diarrhea too and I've been givin him some of my medicine.  I think he's got another scription over there at the other Wal Mark.  Can you call that Wal Mark and see if I got one over there or if he got one over there? Then, if I don't got one over there can you call my Dr? I was seeing Dr. X but he didn't write the scription.  I think the scription was written by Dr. M.  So, call Dr. M. and tell him I need refills on my Lomotil. Then can you call me back?

Ok, it's me now... 

You'd be surprised at how many people ask to speak to "a pharmacy." A pharmacy? Really? Now, the conversation above isn't a quotation of any previous conversation, but it helps you get the gist of the kind of things people talk to me about/ ask me on a daily basis.  I have spent many minutes on the phone listening to the life history of the customer or the full history of the "scription" they want refilled.  

One of my other favorite questions is, "How much is this going to cost on my insurance?" To the customer's credit, insurance is confusing.  However, do they expect me to know every single insurance company, every plan, every drug on each tier of their formulary, and then deduce how much their copay will be IF they met their deductible? (And no one seems to think they have a deductible nor do they know how much their deductible is.)  Ok, so would it be tacky of me to write a few essays and place them on the counters of the various pharmacies where I work? The titles would be as follows:

"No, We Can't Just Grab a ZPak Off the Shelf and Stick a Label on it: Why it takes at least 10 minutes to fill your new prescription." 

"How Your Insurance Works: STOP ARGUING WITH ME ABOUT YOUR COPAYS."

"Why You Should Know What Medications You are Taking and What They Are For."  (This is for all the people who say, "I need my little white pill and that pink pill.  What's that big yellow pill I've been taking for?")

"YOU are actually capable of calling YOUR doctor to get YOUR medications refilled. Surprise!'

When I first started working at a pharmacy I was shocked that people expected the pharmacist  to call their doctor for refills.  That thought had never crossed my mind.  I guess I thought that since I was the one taking the medication and since I was the one "keeping up" with how many refills I had, I should be the one to call my doctor and request more when I ran out.  It's no problem for the pharmacy to fax your doctor for more refills, but don't get mad at us when it's been 3 days and we still haven't heard from them.  By the way, the number of refills you have left on the prescription is printed on each prescription label. Don't act surprised when you call in a refill and it says you have no refills, people! 

Ok, that ends my pharmacy venting session for the day.  I'm sure all of you have issues at your jobs as well.  Maybe you should consider mailing out an essay.... 

Seagrove Beach

Ahhh, the beach!  I sure do miss it.  Going back to work following a week of vacation was rough!

Mom, Dad, Henry, Scooter, Berkley, and I all drove down together on Sunday.  We were joined by Matt and Cara on Tuesday, and Leslie, Benji, and Peterson all came on Thursday. It was a fun and relaxing week (other than dealing with a puppy on his first week away from his mamma).  Mom and Dad rented a pet friendly house in "the grove" in Seagrove Beach and we spent most of our time at the house around the pool.  The beach was beautiful, but it was just so hot!  Here are a few snapshots from the week.  We had good intentions, but we never did get any family beach photos....

Ben and I hanging out at Sundog Books in Seaside on the 4th

Ben showing his patriotism at the Rollin in the Hay concert

All the Ladies at Dinner

Me, Cara, and Leslie at Goatfeathers

Pete trying to escape the small dogs

Pamalisa and The Lar at Fish Market

Sissy showing off the pool area before dinner

"One of these things is not like the other"

Daddy and Little Bunky
Mom and Henry Napping on the hanging bed
Scooter hanging out on the back porch
"Serendipity" the name of our house
Just arriving at the house. (Scooter doesn't really like the leash)
Our favorite place to sit and drink coffee in the mornings

Here's To MyRecipes.com

Love it! Love it! Love it! Of course, I may be a little partial since this is the work of one of my best friends.  But, even if it wasn't, I'd still love it.  In fact, my home page is the Quick and Easy page on MyRecipes.com.  

Here are a few reasons why I love this website:

1. The "1 List, 5 Meals" feature. Click on it and you will have a printable list to take with you to the grocery store.  With this handy list you can easily purchase all of the ingredients necessary to produce that week's delectable five meals that are planned out for you in advance. Very convenient. 

2. The "My Recipe File" option.  Any recipe I see on MyRecipes.com that I want to remember, I simply save to my recipe file.  In the file you can create your own different "cookbook" folders and place your recipes accordingly. 

3. "7 Ways With"  This features a specific ingredient (fish, coffee, blueberries, etc.) and gives you seven yummy ways to prepare it.

4. "How To" This offers short videos on "How To's" such as, "How to Boil and Egg" or "How to Sharpen Knives" 

5. "Menus and Parties" This section features different themes of parties complete with appropriate recipes. For example, I wanted to go on a picnic so I searched here for fun picnic recipes and wa-la (yes, I know, incorrect spelling)! Pineapple Chicken Salad here I come! (Of course I have yet to do the picnic idea, but I have thought about it.)

Anyway, there are countless things to explore on this website and I have just touched on a few features.  If you haven't been there, check it out. You won't be disappointed!

HA HA!

Can you tell that I need a little help with the blog banner? This isn't supposed to be a giant picture of my feet, however it is too funny to not leave it for just a few people to see. Ok, someone, please, help me! The image preview looked like a normal photo, then when I clicked to view it on my blog, this is what I got. How do you get it to look normal and how do you change your font? I'm not technologically savvy enough to do this myself.  

I am currently persuing several "how to" manuals on various things and I'm too overwhelmed to add "How to Make a Cool Blog" to the list. Here are a few "How To's" I am considering purchasing if I can find the right price:

"Poodle Savvy" - A book on how to train your poodle. Berkley knows how to sit. That's as far as we've gotten at this point. However, Ben will not allow me to spend money on this book.

"iPhoto 08. The Lost Manual." While I'm at it, I might as well go for "iMovie 08" as well since I know little to nothing about either program. Yet, they have so much to offer.

More "how to" books on digital photography. I have one and I'm reading the camera manual, but I can't seem to find the information I'm looking for. I think my problem is that I want to know how to do everything immediately. It just takes time.  My camera (oh yeah, I went with the Canon T1i) came with editing software that I have no clue how to use and I've got to figure that stuff out as well. I'm thinking the iphoto manual will help with that too. 

Now, if I could just quit my job, hire a maid, and a cook and never set foot in Wal Mart again....

Irrational Compulsion for a Balanced Meal

Am I the only person who has this issue?  Allow me to explain... Yesterday I worked in Clanton, Alabama from 10:00 to 8:00.  Usually the pharmacist who works the closing shift will take the second lunch.  Depending on how the day is going, second lunch my not come around till three o'clock or later.  Being the responsible planner that I am, I grabbed a snack baggie full of Cheez Its and hit the road knowing that I would need that cheesy goodness come 11:00 to hold me until three.  Well, I accidently filled my Cheez It bag a little too full.  When lunch time came around I was not hungry at all, but due to my "irrational compulsion for a balanced meal" I headed to Peach Park to find something for lunch.  

I looked at the menu.  I knew there was nothing I really wanted.  However, I was not satisfied with only a bag of Cheez Its for lunch. I needed side items. I needed real food. So, I ordered the half chicken plate complete with baked beans and potato salad.  Why? 

I once a accompanied Ben to a cook out at Ben Blanchard's house.  Needless to say, it was all guys and me.  My Ben volunteered to bring the sausage.  Ben B. and his roommate provided chicken and deer meat.  I sat down at the table, surrounded by all the various meats and thought... hmmm, something's missing. Side items? So, Justin pulls out some week old mac and cheese which the guys apparently thought nothing of and just gobbled it up.  So, I made this mental note that males do not require side items (read: a balanced meal). 

So, is this a girl thing? Is it girls who need an entree and side items? A sandwich for lunch and not just a bag of Cheez Its? Am I the only one?

Side Note: The picture above was taken by my brother when he was playing around with my new camera at the beach.  I didn't have any pictures of balanced meals that would be fitting for this entry. Sorry.  Beach pictures to come!

Meet My Baby Gorilla

Meet Berkley, the new baby in the Lassiter household.  Berkley is an 8 week old standard poodle pup weighing in at 10.6 lbs.  Since his arrival in Montgomery, Berkley has successfully gotten his bottom teeth stuck in his kennel, fallen into the swimming pool, had an episode of worms, an ear infection, and tracked little footprints of poo poo through the house.  He really enjoys putting both of his front paws in his water dish and then knocking it over. Otherwise, it has been a very calm introduction to his new family.   

Ok, I'm not really being fair.  He's actually been very well behaved for a giant 8 week old. I keep having to remind myself that he's just a baby and that baby's have to learn.  He is sleeping the whole night and doesn't even cry when I put him to bed. He is mainly using the bathroom outside and not in the house which is a huge relief. Today he went to the door for the first time so he could go outside to tee tee. I was very impressed.  Berkley also puts himself in the bathroom for nap time when he gets sleepy and just chews on his little bones.  Overall, I've been very pleased at how smart he is, especially at such a young age.

We can't decide what we think he looks like.  He reminds us of various things from a black sheep, a baby gorilla and a Clydesdale horse.  Mostly I think he is just a baby giant poodle. He has been so funny to watch! He runs and jumps on top of the other dogs, even Pete (who hates it).  He didn't really know how to go down the steps, but he'd just throw himself down them, tumbling to the bottom.  He's catching on to that better now.  In the picture above, he is in the car on his way to the beach. 

Here is Berkley with his aunt Cara.  He likes to sit in your arms like he is sitting on the ground, very odd, but I think it's a poodle thing since Clarke (RIP) was the same way.  In case you are wondering how I ended up with Berkley in the first place,  after my adoption application was rejected from the shelter in GA (biased Georgians), I bought Berkley from a (strange) woman from the Birmingham area.  Mom and dad picked him up for me on their way down to Montgomery for our beach trip.  Thankfully mom and dad had rented a pet friendly home in Sea Grove and Berkley, Pete, and the two Maltese puppies got to come along.  Yes, this is a full house.

Needless to say, we are having lots of fun!  Ben is still unsure about owning a poodle, but he's got Pete, right? Pete's a manly dog.  Anyway, I think Berkley will grow on him. How could you not love him? (Don't answer that, Poodle haters.)