A Hard Working Woman Working Hard for The Lady

By now, most of you know I have changed jobs after more than 7 years. I'm still in web development, but I'm now with THE Lady of Savannah... the one and only Paula Deen. I'm the newest webmaster in the Paula Deen Online family and boy, what a family!

While I still haven't gotten my commute completely figured out, I have already noticed so many other changes. Since I have such trusting and dedicated ranch hand volunteers, I'm able to not worry about rushing home. I even have time to spend with my personal dogs now, something that had been incredibly short most all other nights until recently. My stress level has dropped drastically, and I just overall feel like a better person. This is a company that wants to see its employees grow and succeed, and I'm so privileged to be a part.

All that said, I do have one gripe: I know NOTHING about cooking. I have one recipe that I do on a grill, and only for special occasions. But no way would I ever dare put it in front of The Lady. I spent the last two days pouring through the recipes on the website, and even got to select those that appeared on the front page this week and their categories. You'll notice my favorite treat, Brownies, are all listed. Of course, those were the first ones I hunted. I next chose two categories I thought I might stand a chance at making without too much fuss, so we have chilled drinks (which Phil made me change to Party Potions) and fruit-based salads I called Fruity Salads (yes, I'm that creative). But I noticed as I was going through that some of these have a cook time of 8 hours, good grief! While I might think my patience has gotten better as I've gotten older, sadly my willingness to wait to eat has not. When I come home, if I'm gonna cook, it better take 30 minutes or less. That's all I'm giving. Luckily enough, I found several recipes that can be done in half that time (tune in later this month to see them). So there may be hope for me yet, even if I am still waiting for the Paula Deen Cooking for Dummies book (no, it's not in the works, just an idea I think I need for me).

I had never imagined just how much takes place behind the scenes. Let me tell you, it's rarely quiet in the building and there is ALWAYS something to do. But that's a good thing as I need the job security!

Now I'm not privy to any special secrets or information, so please don't ask. In fact, I've only once briefly met Paula Deen in a roundabout way at The South Magazine party last year when her niece was named hottest bachelorette and CPR was named Top 5 Non-Profit Changing the World. I only know from the stories I hear that she and the boys are just as gracious a Southern family as you would imagine. I'm very blessed to have been recruited to join their team.

And, for the record, I've been saying "Y'all" since I was a little tyke, so don't go saying I learned it just to fit in!