Friday, February 28, 2014

January/February Empties

I've really been enjoying the monthly Empties posts over at Florence and Mary and at Mrs. M's Meanderings so I've decided to hop on the bandwagon.  I didn't quite get it together for a post in January so I've decided to do mine every other month.  Drum roll please, here is January/February:

 1.  St. Ives Apricot Scrub - I have to admit that I preferred this product when it came in fat tubs but the tube is the new packaging and although it takes quite a bit of squeezing to get the last drop out, it's still one of my favorite facial cleansers.  Repurchase?  New tube already in the shower.

 2.  My go-to eye makeup remover is the Navy Exchange Select brand, shown here side by side with L'OrĂ©al's equivalent.  Not much difference in the packaging or in the product, but the price, even on sale, is what keeps me going back to the Navy Exchange's brand.  I love that it's not oily, can't stand having to remove my eye makeup with one product and then have to use something else to remove the remover.  Repurchase?  Always have at least an extra bottle on hand so I never run out.

 3.  Boots Extracts Vanilla Bath Goodies - Got these for Christmas (they were on my Target shopping list) and absolutely loved the fragrance, a lovely light vanilla.  The Body Wash made a lovely lather and the Body Scrub left my skin super soft and silky.  Vic's been complaining about his skin being dry so I told him to use the scrub in the shower the other day.  He said he felt like he should be sliced.  Sliced?  He said he smelled like a dessert!  Repurchase? Absolutely!

4.  A less appealing vanilla product was the Body Shop's Vanilla Bliss Shower Gel.  It was part of a gift set, Shower Gel and Body Butter in sample sizes along with a scrubbie/scrunchie thing for the shower.  I found the vanilla scent to be overpowering, almost musky in an unpleasant way.  Repurchase?  No, I'll stick with Boots Extracts.

5.  I used up the last of my favorite fragrance, Estee Lauder's Beyond Paradise, but fortunately, Santa had placed a new bottle under the tree for me.  Repurchase? Always.

6.  My current shampoo is Alberto VO5 Strawberries and Creme Moisturizing Shampoo.  It's cheap and works great; they've been in business since 1955 so that's a recommendation in itself.  Repurchase?  Yes.

7.  I've been using Dove Sensitive Skin soap in the shower for ages now.  Sometimes I use body wash and sometimes I use soap, sometimes I use both (why? I have no idea).  It really is great for my sensitive skin.  Repurchase? Yes, another always.

This post takes the place of the usual Friday Favorites feature although I have to say that finding a new beauty product that works is another one of my favorites.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Travelling on Thursday - Getting to Kettlewell Part III

Heathlands, Kettlewell

My original plan was to arrive in Skipton on Friday afternoon, stay overnight at a hotel, and then travel to Kettlewell to take possession of Heathlands on Saturday morning as it was my understanding that the week started on Saturday.  Obviously, I had forgotten that British calendars list their days of the week differently, and a week's lease actually starts on Friday.  That means that the hotel stay is no longer necessary as we can travel up by train, pick up the car, and drive straight to Kettlewell (after a quick stop at the supermarket for supplies).

I am thinking that our week is going to look something like this:

Saturday, December 24 - Christmas Eve

Barbara, Paul, Marc and Alex arrive probably around noon so our morning will be spent on a trip to Skipton to pick up groceries or explore the delivery options and see if that's a better plan.  Good topic for a future blog post.  The fresh turkey will be ordered from Sutcliffe's Butcher Shop and again either picked up or delivered.


Barbara's family traditionally eats Grandpa's Spaghetti on Christmas Eve (a tradition from her husband Paul's side of the family) but this year, we're going with the Hendrix side of the family and that means I will prepare a cold ham buffet.  The full roast turkey Christmas dinner will be prepared by Paul the following day.

Sunday, December 25 - Christmas Day

Presents, roast dinner, no doubt endless hands of canasta

Monday, December 26 - Boxing Day

Amusing oneselves with presents, leftover roast dinner, more canasta

Tuesday, December 27

Day out in Harrogate with a stop at Bettys

Wednesday, December 28

Day out in Skipton - Wednesday is a Market Day so weather permitting, we can stroll around the stalls and take Sophia and the boys to tour Skipton Castle

Thursday, December 29

Exploring the local area, again weather permitting

Friday, December 30

We have to vacate the house by 10am and then it's back to Skipton to turn in the car and take the train to our destination for the remainder of our stay.

And that is our week in Kettlewell!

Monday, February 24, 2014

The Week Ahead - February 24

Outside my window...gorgeous - 54 degrees, sunny, not a cloud in the sky.
 
I am thinking...that I am so frustrated.  Our plans to move to Washington have been postponed for at least three months - target date is now August for Vic to report in September.  There is also the ugly fiscal issue (not ours but the Navy's) rearing its head that could nix the entire plan and that's playing havoc with getting Sophia settled in college.  I've set April 15 as the drop-dead date for making a decision. 

I am thankful...that I know and understand that I have NO CONTROL over the entire situation above.  Otherwise, I'd go nuts!

From the kitchen...turkey roast, rice with gravy, carrots.

I am hearing...the heater.
 
One of my favorite things...a lovely brunch with my fellow volunteers.

I am reading...still working my way through Georgette Heyer's A Civil Contract.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...late posting today because of the aforementioned brunch after which I opened up the boutique for the volunteers to shop and then went downtown to pick up Sophia, work again tomorrow, off to the DMV and to purchase the parts that a car-savvy friend needs to repair my car on Thursday, and training new volunteers on Friday and Saturday.  Looking forward to starting the Minimalism Game on Saturday with a blog partner and thinking about doing this too -

College Update...current semester still going well...lots of decisions to make about what's next...all depends on where we end up.

Volunteer Update...still looking for people to take over my Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator and Newsletter Editor/Webmaster positions but I think I may have a lead on the first one and now the second one as well.  Still training new volunteers.

Travel and Family Field Trips Update...tentative dates set for Vic's travel but of course, can't reveal any information at this stage.  Let's just say I wish I was going too and I'll update you all when he gets back.

Photo courtesy of http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/mudroom/mudroom/?sssdmh=dm17.507987&esrc=nwhi021711&email=2114809685

Haven't picked up a camera in ages so I thought I'd share a photo of something I recently pinned to my DIY Home board on Pinterest.  We have a closet in our entry in our Rhode Island house that would benefit from being torn out and replaced with this.  I knew I liked this idea; when I pinned it, I realized I had already pinned it, two years ago!

Leave a comment below if you'd like to share your Week Ahead.

52 Lists - Week 3 - Your Best Qualities

List your best qualities - 

1.  I'm a loving mother and devoted Navy wife (inserting the word Navy adds a whole new dimension - fellow military spouses can sympathize)
2.  I'm compassionate, although very emotional so if you're having a good cry, I'll most likely be crying along with you
3.  I'm a good listener
4.  I'm happy to give advice based on my life experience
5.  I'm very respectful and try never to forget a thank you note or other common courtesy
6.  I'm a loyal and trustworthy friend
7.  I take pride in my home and am very hospitable
8.  I love to laugh and can have a wicked sense of humor
9.  I'm honest
10. I'm an orderly person and like things to be where they belong - it makes life easier, don't you think?

Friday, February 21, 2014

Friday Favorites


There's nothing I love more than a great blog post and three of my favorite blogs have had some great ones recently.

Mrs. M's Meanderings had a great vlog post, Current Favorite Things, and an even more brilliant vlog tour of her new home, House Tour.  I'm not a yard sale/car boot-type of person, but I would love to travel along with Caroline on her Sunday Car Booty trips - she can find the most amazing bargains!

Florence and Mary is another favorite read - I love Victoria's beauty reviews and posts, especially her Empties series at the end of each month.  I can't wait to hear about her Bedroom Redesign - I was amazed that she was able to off-load the old items on Ebay.  I really need to be more Ebay-savvy.

Every time  I read Down to Earth With a Bump lately, I find a new blogging idea.  I've filed away Corners of Our Home, What's on my Bedside Table?, and What's in my Bag? for future reference.

Well, that's a link-heavy post for today - I hope you enjoy reading a few of my favorite blog posts.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Travelling on Thursday - Getting to Kettlewell Part II

Last week found us through the air from the States and then on the train from Gatwick Airport to London's St. Pancras station.  It's a short walk over to London's King's Cross station where we take the train to Skipton.

So here we are at the Skipton Railway Station.  I did a little research on the hotels in the area and car hire options.  I found both quite easily - the car hire company will pick us up at the railway station, take us back to their office to complete the paperwork, and we'll be in our hired car in no time.  It a short drive back to the railway station and our hotel is right across the street.


This is the hotel where we plan to stay.  I thought it was interesting that it's called Herriots being that we are all such James Herriot fans.  I went to the website to check the accommodations and could only find information for double rooms so I contacted the hotel directly and received a very nice e-mail reply stating that they did have a room that slept three people which is exactly what we need.  

Now it's more important than ever that I find a flight plan that has us arriving in England in time to catch a train that gets to Skipton in the early afternoon so that we can get our car hire plans sorted and head to the hotel for dinner.

As an added bonus, when we leave Kettlewell the following week, we can drop off the car at the car hire company and they will take us back to the railway station.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Another Dream, Another Plan


I have been dreaming of taking a girls-only trip to England with my dear friend Jodie.  We've got to get our girls through school first and do a lot of talking about where we want to go and what we want to see.  Will we drive or take the train from place to place, or will we take a tour?  So many things to think about so it's just as well that we have lots of time to plan.

I was thinking about my post last week, Love to Read, and that brought to mind my favorite British authors and poet.  Where will we find their birthplaces, haunts, famous locations, final resting places?  And where are the nearest tearooms?  It's a good place to start to plan a tour.

Jane Austen

Our trip would not be complete without a few stops to honor Jane Austen.  The Jane Austen Society of North America has a tour in the works so I popped over to their itinerary and picked two spots - Bath (of course!) and Steventon, Jane Austen's birthplace.  I noticed that the 2014 tour also includes time in London, to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Library so, of course, London will be part of our itinerary.  Not sure if we'll start there or finish up there.  A West End performance will also be in the visit.

Beatrix Potter, Charlotte Mason, William Wordsworth

I've always wanted to visit Hill Top in Cumbria, as well as any Charlotte Mason and William Wordsworth sites we can manage and a few other stops in the Lake District.  That's going to take a couple of days.

William Shakespeare

Stratford-upon-Avon, of course, for a performance at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (must add The Globe to London as well) and a stroll through the town.  And since Stratford is the gateway to the Cotswolds, we'll pop over to take in some of the charming villages.

The Brontës

 A visit to Haworth would mean that we'd have to make time for a stop at Betty's in Harrogate.

Did I forget anyone?  What's on your short list for a literary tour of England?

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

If this is Tuesday it must be England #8




Yarndale 2014 is a yarn festival, in its second year now and held in one of my favorite towns, Skipton.  There were 6500 visitors to Yarndale 2013.  Described as "a creative festival celebrating all things woolly and wonderful" - woolly and wonderful, how can you not resist that? - it also features the Knit 'n Natter Lounge where you can pull up a chair and work on a project of your own while getting to know other "yarnoholics".

I can't remember how I stumbled on this site.  Several of the bloggers I read are avid knitters/crocheters so it must have been on one of them.  I am hopeless at both crafts but I can't help but think how much Mum would have loved to attend the event.  Before she lost her sight, she was an avid knitter and we have lots of things to remember her by.

Hopefully, it will continue to be an annual event and I'm thinking that any visit we plan to England, Jodie, should be in September!

Monday, February 17, 2014

52 Lists - Week 2 - Take 2 - Good Things about My Town


Oh dear, I really wasn't paying attention.  It's not 52 weeks of to-do lists, that was just for last week.  There's a new theme each week!  If I hadn't popped over to Mrs. M's Meanderings to read her list this week, I would have continued to travel down Rue Oblivion this week!

So, here goes, correction to this week - my list of good things about my town.  Hmm, this presents a problem as I live on a military base that's really a town all in itself.  Therefore, I will branch a little farther afield and use the surrounding urban area of Norfolk as my town.

1. Norfolk is located in southeastern Virginia, part of the area known as Hampton Roads and is a lovely mixture of downtown and seashore life.
2. Norfolk has a lot of coastline, both bay and river so there is a lot of nautical scenery - from container ships, cruise liners and naval vessels to sailboats, ferries and fishing boats.
3. We have a lovely shopping mall with Nordstrom and Dillard's as the anchor department stores, and oodles of little shops.
4. We also have a thriving boho area of town with bars, restaurants and boutiques.
5. There's quite a thriving cultural scene with an opera house, a theater (with Broadway in Norfolk as one of its annual features), a large venue for concerts, a beautiful art museum (reopening this spring after a huge renovation), as well as smaller independent theaters and stage companies.  The Virginia Symphony holds performances at both the opera house and the theater.
6. Our professional sports scene consists of a hockey team and a baseball team.  There are also two universities in Norfolk with collegiate sports
7. History is well-represented in Norfolk with a quaint downtown area with many historic homes open to the public.  We are also home to the Douglas MacArthur Memorial and Nauticus, a national maritime center.
8. There are a lot of parks and open spaces, of which Norfolk Botanical Garden is the most beautiful.
9. Norfolk is known for its Mermaids on Parade, a public art program launched in 2002 to place mermaid statues all over the city.  You can take a walking tour to view them.
10. We have a large airport although why it's called Norfolk International Airport is beyond me as you can't fly directly to any international destination!

And that, my friends, is Norfolk, Virginia!

The Week Ahead - February 17

Outside my window...cold but clear and sunny - just right for walking.  I'm going to put this post up and take a walk - doctor's orders.
 
I am thinking...that it's time to pay attention to my doctor and adopt a healthier lifestyle.  It's not hard once you make it a habit, it's just getting starting on that habit.  Lab results at my appointment last week were not what they should be and that's going to change.  The number on the scale was pretty frightening too. 

I am thankful...my husband and daughter for giving me such a lovely Valentine's/Birthday weekend (albeit not a very healthy one!).  Roses, chocolates, a beautiful card, and dinner at P. F. Chang's on Friday followed by the royal treatment on my birthday on Sunday.  I woke up to breakfast in bed (although from the smell of burned bacon in the house, I suspect it was round two in the breakfast-making process!), cards, presents, a day out for shopping and lunch, and then dinner and  Downton Abbey.  I didn't step foot in the kitchen all day.  The little birthday elf even made my bed!

From the kitchen...pork chops, rice with gravy, applesauce, green beans.

I am hearing...the heater.
 
One of my favorite things...roses - is there anything as lovely as the sight and smell of a bouquet of roses?

I am reading...still working my way through Georgette Heyer's A Civil Contract.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...it's not a holiday for the community college system so Sophia is off to school today.   Vic will run me to the grocery store because I forgot to renew my driver's license this weekend and it expired on my birthday!  I'm off to the Tidewater Collection to train two new volunteers tomorrow and then to a Residents' meeting for our housing area in the evening, Sophia has her riding lesson on Thursday, I have a hair appointment on Friday, and Sophia and I are going to a baby shower in the afternoon on Saturday and I have Bunco - Mardi Gras theme in the evening.

College Update...math test today - hope it goes well.

Volunteer Update...still looking for people to take over my Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator and Newsletter Editor/Webmaster positions but I think I may have a lead on the first one.  Seven new volunteers to train over the next month.

Travel and Family Field Trips Update...still some trips on the planning stages for Vic but nothing firm yet.

Lots of lovely new books on my iPad - one of my birthday gifts was a giftcard for Amazon.

Leave a comment below if you'd like to share your Week Ahead.

Saturday Night at the Movies

I've been very remiss in getting this feature up in a timely manner and the result is several movies to review.  We are fortunate to have a movie theatre on the neighboring military base that has discounted admission and often offers free previews.  We've been spending quite a bit of time there lately.


Excellent film - hard to imagine how pirates in a vessel that's little more than a glorified rowboat (albeit with a motor) can take on a container ship.  I found a sad underlying note to the film as well; as heinous a crime as piracy is, the pirates were so desperate and that was difficult to watch at times.


Another tough one to watch, especially for someone who has a close family member on active military service and an amazing testimony to what the human body can endure.  Very well done.


It's been a while since we went to see this one but I remember that it was very good with lots of suspenseful moments.  Great casting too, one of those films when the actors really fit their roles.


Sophia's a huge fan of Kellan Lutz so she loved this one.  It was ok.  At least it didn't feature a vampire, a werewolf, a superhero, or a robot.


And finally, yesterday's feature.  All I can say is, brilliant special effects, funny accents (why were Romans trying to be British?), and an interesting ending.  Not what I was expecting, but I suppose it was predictable.

Seen any good films lately?

Oops, forgot this one that we picked up from Redbox:

 
Interesting.  Not one I'd watch again but it had it's moments.

52 Lists - Week 2


Oh dear, major fail and on my first week, too!

1.  Clean my desk
2.  File
3.  Clean bathroom - it's not that I didn't clean it, I just didn't give it the bare bones cleaning I had planned.
4.  Type up minutes from last week's meeting
5. Manicure nails
6. Gather up a box of things to take to the consignment shop
7. Clean outside of kitchen cupboards - I only got as far as finding a suitable cleaner (recommended by my neighbors who have the same cupboards)
8. Inventory last box of Christmas ornaments - the only thing on the list that I accomplished!
 
So...I'll have to carry these over to this week and add a couple more:
 
8. Walk every day for at least 30 minutes.
9. Drink 4 bottles of water every day.
10. Clean up online membership directory for spouses' group.
 
Let's see how far we get this week.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Friday Favorites


Nothing warms my heart more than a good old walk down memory lane.   This Valentine's Day, I'm casting my mind back to our first Valentine's Day, 21 years ago.  I looked like this, a photo I had taken to give to Vic as his Valentine's gift:


And rather than spending a romantic evening over dinner and champagne, Vic jetted off to the neighboring island of Tinian for a work commitment:


Oh, well, absence makes the heart grow fonder and there's nothing like meeting someone at the airport to get your heart racing again.

After all, one short year later, we had this Valentine's gift:


Thursday, February 13, 2014

Travelling on Thursday - Getting to Kettlewell


All of our recent trips to England have been from Chicago and we've always taken U. S. Airways.  Chicago --> Philadelphia --> overnight flight to Manchester arriving in the early morning which is a perfect itinerary.  This time, however, we will most likely be flying from the West Coast - ugh, that's going to be a long haul.  We still want to fly overnight, but we'll be flying to London this time, so I did a little playing around with schedules (using similar dates in December 2014). I've always used orbitz.com or cheaptickets.com for flying and I'm not surprised that both of them have the same flights, same schedules, same prices.  Interestingly enough, the cheapest flight is on Icelandair so that would be a first for us.  The price is a mind-boggling $1081 EACH and booking directly with Icelandair doesn't change the price.  U. S. Airways or United, always preferable because we have frequent flyer accounts with them, are higher up the price scale at $1700 and $1400 respectively.  I think we'll go with Icelandair, thank you very much.

The flight arrives in London (Gatwick, not Heathrow) a little later than I'd like, at 11:15am so it's a quick hop over to the British Rail (although it seems to be National Rail now) site to check rail schedules.  We take possession of the holiday cottage on Saturday so our plan is to leave Seattle on Thursday afternoon, and overnight to Reykjavik (in this case) arriving in England on Friday morning.  Then it's a hop over to get on the train and take the scenic, stress-free (for Vic, no driving on the motorway) route to Skipton where we will overnight at a hotel and then, rental car in hand, we'll drive to Kettlewell.

A quick Google search "How to get from Gatwick Airport to King's Cross Station" yielded an interesting chat thread with the following answers:

1) Take a Gatwick Express to Victoria, then take the Victoria tube line to King's Cross. Duration = 51 minutes.
2) Take First Capital Connect to St. Pancras and then walk to King's Cross (it's literally next door). Duration = 56 minutes.
3) Take a Southern Trains train to Victoria, then take the Victoria tube line to Kings Cross. Duration = 55 minutes.

Option #1 was offered but strongly discouraged because the person posting said Gatwick Express was "a tourist rip-off".  Thanks for the warning.  If, as recommended, we allow three hours from our time of arrival, we can take a train at around 2:30pm from Gatwick to St. Pancras and walk to King's Cross.  A quick search on Mapquest UK did in fact reveal that St. Pancras and King's Cross are literally next door - 1 minute from each other.


A little farther research just to make sure, "Can you walk from St. Pancras Station to King's Cross Station?" yielded this great site with step by step (literally!) directions.  One only has to hope that it's not raining when we arrive!

The only problem with this itinerary is that it gets us to our ultimate destination, Skipton, at about 7:30pm and I really wanted to arrive in the afternoon.  I'll have to play around with the schedules to see if I can get a bit better plan.

So, there we go, Seattle --> Skipton.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Love to Read

I kept toying with the idea of starting a new theme on Wednesdays but Whimsical Wednesday just sounded so lame, I've decided just to write about whatever strikes my fancy.  Today it's reading.  I was finally able to add something to the "I am reading" category on my Monday morning "The Week Ahead" feature and now I can hardly wait to sit down to read.  I'm seriously toying with telling my family that dinner is whatever they can find in the fridge so I can just curl up with my book.

I've had a couple of reading sites in my Favorites for a while, things I just glanced at and filed away for further perusal.  The Internet is full of amazing sites and there are always things I'm reading about on other blogs, or that have been recommended by friends, or that just catch my eye during a random search.  So many things to read, so little time.  Here's a few on reading.


Then there's a place to read - 10 Gorgeous Retreats Perfect for A Quiet Reading Weekend that I found via Mrs. M's Friday 5: Link Love - I'm rather partial to #2 in Cornwall - the rhythmic sound of waves crashing is music to my ears.

Down to Earth with a Bump introduced me to Monica Ferris in her Book Review No. 26 post.  Although I've yet to read anything by Ms. Ferris, I've got her Amazon page bookmarked and can't wait to check out one of her mysteries.

So there's a few reading-themed posts for you to check, along with two blogs that may interest you...happy reading!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

If this is Tuesday it must be England #7

 Heathlands, Kettlewell, Yorkshire Dales

Today's feature is Cottages and where to find them.  When my Mum was searching for a holiday cottage for our family Christmas, she turned to this resource:


Ah, the good old days of a holiday brochure...do they even still make them?  I remember working at Albany Travel in Manchester in the period after getting my O Levels and before going back to college.  Our stockroom was chockful of every kind of holiday brochure.  I'm thinking the Internet and mobile apps have largely taken away those days.  I saved this brochure because it has all Mum's notes in the margins..."NO OPEN FIRE" was a death sentence for a prospective property.

If you can't get your hands on a holiday brochure, here are some great resources for finding the perfect holiday cottage in the Yorkshire Dales.




And if you're looking a little farther afield, try this one:


Have a lovely holiday!

Monday, February 10, 2014

52 Lists - Week 1


This looks like fun, and just what I need to get organized, 52 Lists from Made in Hunters via Mrs. M's Meanderings.  Here we go:

1.  Clean my desk
2.  File
3.  Clean bathroom
4.  Type up minutes from last week's meeting
5. Manicure nails
6. Gather up a box of things to take to the consignment shop
7. Clean outside of kitchen cupboards
8. Inventory last box of Christmas ornaments

Ok, that's enough...not too ambitious for week one...it's one a day plus one so I shouldn't have any trouble completing the list.  Tune in next week to see the results!

The Week Ahead - February 10

Outside my window...cold and the dreaded snowflake is showing up in the weather forecast for later today.  It reappears on Wednesday so that's two chances for snow in three days - I am so over winter.
 
I am thinking...that there is a mischievous elf who fills my laundry basket every time I leave the room - how can three people make this much laundry?

I am thankful...for these quiet moments in the morning...just me, my coffee, and my laptop.

From the kitchen...leftovers...steak, pot roast, potatoes, rice, Brussels sprouts...a good old fridge cleanout.

I am hearing...the heater.
 
One of my favorite things...college planning with Sophia - we've got the college, now we need to look over the various housing, roommate, and dining options.  Looking forward to planning a campus visit as soon as we get to Washington.

I am reading, I am reading, I am reading!!!...Georgette Heyer's A Civil Contract.  It's one of the books my friend Ginny lent to me and I tucked it in my purse last week when I went to pick up a prescription.  The two-hour wait meant that I got halfway through it and I find myself picking it up instead of watching the telly.  Yay! I've found my reading groove again!

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...school for Sophia today and Wednesday (unless the weather has anything to do with that).  A chocolate fondue event tonight with my spouses group, doctor's appointment for tomorrow (rescheduled from last week), and a chocolate box/tuxedo strawberries-making event on Thursday with my other spouses group followed by Sophia's riding lesson.  It's a Valentine's/Birthday weekend so we'll see what comes of that.

College Update...going well...one quarter of the way through the semester.

Volunteer Update...still looking for people to take over my Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator and Newsletter Editor/Webmaster positions.

Travel and Family Field Trips Update...some trips on the planning stages for Vic but nothing firm yet.


Slowly getting my photos organized here on my computer...this weekend I've filed away MontrĂ©al, Sophia's graduation, Monticello, the Washington International Horse Show, and Christmas 2013.  This photo was taken in the gardens at Monticello last October.  It's a bunch of cockscomb, flowers that resemble the head of a rooster and this bunch looked like a heart.  Perfect for Valentine's Day.
 
Leave a comment below if you'd like to share your Week Ahead.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Back in a few days...


It's income tax time chez nous and I'm a little less organized that I wanted to be.  Being a landlord has its disadvantages - I'm off to dig up all the receipts I swear I will organize better this year!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

If this is Tuesday it must be England #6

It's been one of those crazy busy days so here's a quick link that will warm the heart of anyone who loves England. 

Monday, February 3, 2014

The Week Ahead - February 3

Outside my window...rain and there's plenty more coming.  It melted all the snow and it's grey, cold, and wet outside.  Definitely hot beverage-drinking, movie-watching weather.
 
I am thinking...that I have a lot on the calendar this week so there will be lots of ducking in and out of the rain.

I am thankful...that Vic is home.  Chania, Crete -> Athens -> Frankfurt -> Philadelphia -> Norfolk - it was a long day.

From the kitchen...Saute Express fish, rice, and roasted carrots.

I am hearing...the heater.  Sophia is on her laptop, MudLynn is relaxing, and Vic has gone to the gym.
 
One of my favorite things...thirty-one products - it's my new obsession.

I am reading...nothing and if I don't pick up a book this week, this category is coming off this list.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...school for Sophia today and I spent the morning at a thirty-one presentation - seriously considering becoming a consultant if only to feed my own obsession.  Doctor's appointment for me tomorrow, Tidewater Collection board meeting on Wednesday, CORE planning meeting for me and riding for Sophia on Thursday, meeting with the tax lady on Friday, and hopefully making it out to belated birthday dinner for Sophia sometime this weekend.

College Update...Sophia got her acceptance letter to Western Washington University - yippee!!  She filled out a housing application and is busy going through the profiles on MyRoommate.  She's hoping to find a fellow equestrian.

Volunteer Update...still looking for people to take over my Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator and Newsletter Editor/Webmaster positions.

Travel and Family Field Trips Update...Vic's the only traveller in the family right now - he has a training session in Ohio in March and a couple of trips for work in the planning stages.  Sounds like they are going to send him here, there, and everywhere to attend to a variety of things before he leaves.

Every girl deserves a little Tiffany on her birthday!
 
Leave a comment below if you'd like to share your Week Ahead.