Its a snow day!

I've started the calls and we are cancelling tonight's function. Lots of snow on the road and worse yet- black ice is underneath of it! It's too dangerous for folks to be out driving.

Tonight's OSC function- Christmas Around the World

Tonight's OSC function is our annual Holiday Party, our menu features dishes from around the world. Our theme is Christmas Around the World (hence the food from different countries). We're having a Christmas Sock exchange (those are always fun). As an added bonus (only a handful know) for those that come and have submitted their RSVP for the function, they will receive a little gift. I have all of the gift bags done up and ready to go. I have my items ready for the craft/boutique table. And my cute Christmas Socks are ready to be put into a bag and swapped around with other Christmas socks. And my small Christmas tree is ready for the table to get donations for the animal shelter. I have tied small dog biscuits all over it with red yard (it's a laugh riot). I'll have to take a picture of it and post it later with pictures from the party.

Yesterday...

It got off to a bad start. You know when something happens that sets the tone for the rest of your day- well I woke to that feeling yesterday. You see- I awoke to find the pieces of the pearl and lapis lazuli bracelet that I wore on my wedding day scattered throughout my bed. I was so tired the night before that I forgot to take it off and accidentally went to bed with it on. I awoke to find it scattered between the sheets. I was heart broken and mad at myself, on the verge of having a pretty good cry- not a good way to start your day.



I do want to tell you that it ended on a pretty good note. You see, I had made dinner reservations for my husband a week ago. I preplanned a "date night". We went to a nice little restaurant down town called "The Corn Exchange". It's a small place (which adds greatly to it's charm).The wait staff was excellent, the BEST customer service in this area to be sure! Let me tell you about the food...it was like nothing else out here. Our appetizer plate was of cheeses, grapes, dried apricots and the most delicious imported olives I've ever had. Now the salad on the other hand was not to our liking (too much of the overly pungent cheese and bitter greens made it rather nasty). But wait...the main course fillet Mignon. The steak was done to perfection, mine had a mushroom sauce and my husband (who does not like mushrooms) had garlic butter on his- once you took a bite, the steak just melted in your mouth! I've never had such a wonderful steak in my life and my husband said the same thing! The veggies were perfect, not over or under cooked- WOW! Dessert was some chocolate torte kind of thing. One of my little secrets (something I've always been able to do) is that I can pick out spices and ingredients used in making desserts. That I can come home, write it all down and recreate it for myself. Not that I would share this restaurants secret dessert recipe- but I look forward to recreating it this weekend for my family :-) Now unless you feel as if you've won the lottery...don't bring your kids. The food is on the pricey side but at the same time worth every single penny! Want to go out for a romantic dinner with your sweetheart? Then this place would be perfect!



My day did end on a good note. And I feel pretty good about today. I'm pretty sure that I have all of the pieces to the bracelet and I'm going to ask my friend Irene if she could fix it (restring it) for me (for a fee of course, I insist upon paying her). You see, Irene designs and makes beautiful jewelry as a hobby and she would be the only one I would trust with my little treasure.

Quote of the day

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin
you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.
Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."
~ Carl Sandburg

I think I have an ulcer...

I'll be the first to say it, I dread going to board meetings. Ever since taking the position of Programs director all I seem to do is to complain about the club (Dakotas not the OSC). Every board report that I turn in has something or other going on about the lack of customer service. I'm frustrated beyond words and am afraid that we will not be able to get anyone to be programs director for next year. I've already let it be know that I will finish out my year but don't ask me to do it again. I can't begin to tell you how stressful that job has been for me. Listening to complaints from others who don't like my programs, who don't like the meals or the prices. So there it is, out in the open. So anyone who thinks that my life is easy or glamorous in any way shape or form, you are so sadly mistaken. I've been so stressed out ever since the club cancelled on me at the last minute (like 24 hours notice) for the September function, I really do think that I'm developing an ulcer. I hope and pray that tomorrows function works out well. Oh how I need a vacation away from here, someplace warm and tropical would be nice.

Quote of the Day

Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else.
~James Thorpe

this is oh so very true :-)

just a wee bit of stress....

I really should have limited myself for how long I was to be at the Thrift Shop yesterday. By around 11 am I was seriously worn out. By the time we closed the doors at 2 pm I was ready to go back to bed and stay there until morning. I'm still not completely over this nasty head cold; my red bloodshot eyes, snotty nose and continual cough clearly show it. I know that my time (and the time of all of our volunteers) at the Thrift Shop is always appreciated by Heidi our store manager. Our Thrift Shop fulfills such a huge need in our military community and the money that we make goes right back into our local community.

I managed to get a couple of things done on my list yesterday...now to finish the rest of them up today-ugh! At least Andrew got his pants, that was #1 on the list. The goodies to make the cheesecake are on the kitchen counter so they can get to room temperature. That's the first thing on my list this morning to start- while that is in the progress I can get other things done around it.

Since having company for Thanksgiving my house has been topsy turvy. My paper work for being able to make my board report has been mislaid and I am unable to figure out where it went...I sent an e-mail to the treasurer and I've not heard back from her. Just poke me in the eye and get it over with. So here I am, the morning of the board meeting and no board report because I can't find my paperwork- it's giving me a stomach ache. Alas, I have no one to blame but myself. Here I am always running here and there -doing way more than one person should. So of course things like this are apt to happen. I'm going to jot off an e-mail to my VP and let her know. Aah morning stress, there's nothing like it, LOL!

It's Tuesday Gromit...

I was able to get most of my errands done yesterday and only have a handful of things to get done today...

*go to Sears buy son 3 more pairs of pants done
*make a 10 inch New York Cheesecake for Thursdays Christmas Feast at MSG
*go to Hobby Lobby buy more gift bags for OSC function
*go to BX purchase more Colonial at Home candles for OSC function on Thursday
*Volunteer at Thrift Shop-train other volunteers to work front end done
*finish decorating house for Christmas
*put away holiday boxes
*prepare a board report for tomorrows board meeting
*makes copies of HOA covenants (3 sets) bring over to new home owners
*start on Christmas News Letter
*address Christmas Cards
*Make list for who gets a cheesecake this year... who's been naughty and who's been nice?
*contact travel agent

I'm tired and it's going to be a long day. Being sick set me back (I'm still sick but now on the road to recovery). My voice is still in and out (I sound like a frog that swallowed a hair brush). The weather is warming up a bit, today it's supposed to get to 60º, woohoo! No wonder why my boy wore shorts to school today.

I've had a scrapbook layout on my desk top for almost 2 weeks now that I need to finish up. Seems as if I never get time to get into scrapbooking- that something else is always pulling me away from doing any sort of crafts. I gave up on making my Christmas cards, I broke down bought several boxes of them yesterday. I just don't see myself being able to make the time that's required to to finish them (I can save them for next year). They are cute, shades of brown with little silhouettes of reindeer stamped on them. Reminds me of the Lindt chocolate reindeer herd that I bought at the Lindt Chocolate store last year in MA...oooh they were yummy!

Quote of the Day

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
~Marie Curie

I am so blessed!

The farewell from MSG luncheon was very heart warming. So it's official, he's no longer one the MSG Deputy Commanders. Hearing what the different squadron commanders that make up the Mission Support Group had to say about my husband was very endearing. To know that he was a good leader and mentor to these people fills me with pride. When my friend Kristi got up in front of everyone and presented me with a farewell gift from the spouses (I had to hold back the tears). Heidi made this charming book about the Princes and Princesses of the Mission Support Group- I LOVE IT!!! I love stuff like that! And the basket with the Angels on it and the Willow Tree Angel, these are things that I will always treasure! I still can hardly believe that we've been in the Mission Support Group for a year and our time is up. This was a phenomenal group to work with and to be a part of. I got to understand the workings of the other part of our base. Now when asked, I can say that I "do" know what's going on and how the other squadrons work and what they do to make this base work as a whole. I adore the Mission support Group Commander, she's awesome stuff! For woman to get where she is takes a lot of hard work and dedication. She's there for her people and they in return are there for her. I want to thank Kristi, Heidi, Gail, Suzanne, Dannie, Cindy and everyone else for a wonderful year at MSG.

Quote of the Day

The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money.
~Mark Twain

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas

I love getting the house ready for Christmas. And this will be our first Christmas in this house. Every house we've ever lived in has been different from the last- this house is no exception. So decorating the outside of our homes (and the inside) is a wee bit of a challenge. And of course now that we have a little bit of snow and the temperature is below freezing, that too poses a bit of a challenge.

Hannah and Lucien and my driving force...they got the trees out of their boxes and out them together for me. They brought up the boxes with the Christmas decorations and got to work on getting the house strung with lights and garlands. The entire foyer is filled with Christmas stuff- it's spread out all over the place. The formal dining room has even more boxes strewn about, believe it or not it makes me smile.

We have two Christmas trees, the one upstairs is the main Christmas tree it's large and fluffy like a Christmas tree should be and all sorts of ornaments go on it. Downstairs is the skinny Charlie Brown Christmas type Christmas Tree, only snowflakes and snowmen go on it. I had always wanted to do a themed Christmas tree so I did one last year for the first time and loved it! So now it's going to be a family tradition- 2 Christmas trees with maybe one or two little ones elsewhere in the house. I have a very small tree for my scrapbook nook, with little ornaments and even a little tree skirt and a star for the top. I even have a little present or two to put underneath of that little tree :-)

I'm feeling better this morning and my voice has come back some (haven't really been able to talk for about 2 days). I still have to take medication and have bypassed the Sudafed PE and went right to a prescription. Some times you need to get the heavy duty medication to help you get over a cold and this is one of those times. I can't afford to be sick any longer, I've got 1001 things to do this week. First one being the Farewell Luncheon for my husband. He's being fare-welled from the Mission Support Group (MSG) today. I loved being part of the Mission Support Group spouses, they're a wonderful tight knit group who are really there for one another. The ladies that make up that group have become very dear friends and I will cherish them always. And just because I'm at another group does not mean that I leave my friends behind, it just the contrary. Besides...one can never really have too many friends can they? I already know everyone in our new assignment (which by the way was the group we left for MSG). So now we're over at Base Ops. Which by the way means I have many more cheesecakes to bake for these office parties coming up.

Stress and illness

I came across this wee bit of trivia the other day and well it answers some questions as to why I'm sick...

Researchers have discovered that events such as pleasant
family celebrations or evenings with friends boost the
immune system for the following two days. Unpleasant moments
had the opposite effect.

Now there says it all. Stress plays a key roll in our health. It makes us more susceptible to illness. Hence me having the head cold from hell and my daughter having a serious bout with the stomach flu.

Happy December!

So it starts today...the official kick off for the Christmas season (for me). It's snowing, what a perfect way to start of December. It's a soft fluffy kind of snow with little moisture to make it truly stick to anything. Not the kind of snow one needs to make a solid snowman, this is just plain fluff! Pretty to look at but not good for much.

About the holiday function last night...did I take any pictures? No, not a single one. Hows that for being a scrapbooker? There wasn't really anything for me to take pictures of. My husband and I were seated with a group of people that we didn't know and there wasn't much conversation. The all around air to this Holiday party was very different from holiday parties past. There wasn't much glamour to this one at all. You see, past holiday parties have always been formal dress up occasions and this one was rather casual and laid back. We had a great time once the dinner was over and we could mingle and talk with friends. The dance floor was hopping! Oh my gosh there were some ladies that could dance all night long (Oh how I remember how I used to do that when I was younger).

The excitement for the night was when the fire alarm went off and the entire hotel had to be evacuated. We had booked a room and brought our kids there (so they could swim and have fun at the hotel)also so we didn't have to worry about driving home after the party when we were tired. That was some scary stuff getting the kids and getting outside and meeting up with one another. But as soon it was found out to be a false alarm and we got the all clear to go back inside we got the kids settled in and we went back to the party for a while.

So here I am, my head cold has me in a firm grip and is not wanting to let go. My nose is now a pretty shade of pink working towards being a pretty hue of red. Once my nose turns red I'll put on my antler headband and see who I can make laugh first in the house. I still have my humor about me, it's just that I'm so darn sick that makes me feel like a couch potato.

Chocolate

When is the right time for chocolate?For me it's any time! I have chocolate coffee in the morning, a couple of Raspberry filled dark chocolate Ghirardelli squares with my mid morning tea and on special occasions when I'm really treating myself I'll have some Lindor chocolate truffles. Since I'm feeling a bit under the weather, chocolate is just the medicine I need to help me to feel better (okay so some more sudafed wouldn't hurt either).

So here it is about 1½ hours before the Wing Christmas party (cocktails starts at 6pm). I'm ready, head to toe ready. I dislike waiting until the last minute to get ready for anything so here I am. My husband on the other hand will be racing the devil to be there on time. The new job has him working longer hours (who knew that he could work even longer hours then he did before?). So here I am with a hot mug of Chai tea and some raspberry filled dark chocolate squares (oh they certainly are delightful). I broke out one of my Christmas presents- that lovely Dooney and Bourke handbag from the auction. It looks great with my outfit :-) Now for me to wait for my husband and son to get home....

Quote of the Day

"Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but
what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might
and in that faith let us; to the end, dare to do our duty
as we understand it."
~ Abraham Lincoln

day #3 of being sick...

I'm going to say it, feel miserable!!! We have a military function to attend this evening and I feel miserable. I'm expected to be there with my husband, so I'm going to be there regardless of how crummy I feel. How much tissue can one person go through? You would be surprised! In the few days that I've officially acknowledged that I'm sick I've been through 3 (going on 4) boxes of tissues. I'm not sure how much longer my nose can take it before turning bright red and it resembling Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. It makes me think of my Grammy Lola and how she would always have some sort of cold during the month of December and how her nose would always be as red as a cherry.
I started looking up vacation destinations yesterday. I want to go someplace warm and tropical. I also don't want to spend my life savings on a week long vacation package, LOL!

Christmas stuff

The Wing Christmas party is tomorrow evening and I am determined to go! It's $30 per person and we've already paid...so I'm going! Did I mention that I have an outfit for it too? I'm determined to get better. I took the Sudafed medication and it made me so darn sleepy (and this was the regular stuff) that I went to bed and slept for another 4 hours. I never do that, yikes! I must really be sick if I slept like that during the day.

I couldn't stand being in bed any longer so I started going through the armoire to find some Christmas stuff. Nothing is ever a small chore with me, I've always got to drag everything out and reorganize it while putting it back. At least I have my Christmas dishes out and ready to use. Now for me to clear up the little mess I made.

I want to clear out all of the "stuff" that my son has gathered in our storage area. I had these great organizing plans for my seasonal decorations, so what's in there? Oh about 1500 articles of clothing for his clothing drive that doesn't take place for over another month, ugh! I think that we need to cull the herd and get some of this stuff out of here and down to the Salvation Army.

I need to relax with a steamy cup of mint tea and to think about what I'm going to do with that storage area.

day #2 of being sick...

Wow is this head cold kicking my bum! My head is stuffed up my ears are popping and now I've got a funky kind of cough. There will be no volunteering at the Thrift Shop for me today. Call me odd but I prefer to keep my germs to myself. I shudder at the thought of being a kind of Typhoid Mary and spreading sickness around to unsuspecting souls. No one needs to be sick during this time of year (myself included).
Medication- OHHHHHHHHHH do I have to tell you all about what I took yesterday! Sudafed PM- oh yeah! Does it help you to get a good nights sleep? one word...YES!!! Aside from being sick, I was actually able to get to sleep and stay asleep all night long! I might be sick but I refuse to be unhappy about it! It's making me look up vacation packages to tropical places, LOL!

Perspective...a story

This little story came form my friend Lizzie in Florida...she sends me some of the coolest stories!

When things in your life seem almost too much too handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full they agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar . Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed."Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided," I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things-your faith , family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."