Monthly Musings - July 2024

 

1.  Summer travel - where have you been and what trips are still coming up?  Nowhere and none.  Vic is on terminal leave for two months (I know, the first thing everyone seems to think of is a terminal illness (!) but it's actually the leave he has on the books that he has to use before his official retirement date) so we're having a deck-a-cation.  Vic is going to demolish and rebuild our deck which has so far included lots of trips to Lowe's and the local lumber yards to check out needed supplies and the all-important decking materials.  I think he's made the final decision, I reached "Whatever you think is best, honey" a long time ago!

2.  Favorite things you have done so far this summer - celebrated with Vic on his last day at work after a 30-year career and celebrated again when his new job opportunity was finalized.  We celebrated the completion of the kitchen electrical outlet project and kudos to Vic for a great job (the inspector's words).  We got together with friends on Juneteenth (since everyone was off) work for a barbecue which was a lot of fun.  I celebrated Christmas in July with like-minded Christmas pals.

3.  Share your go-to outfits this summer - I seem to be living in something like this dress.

It's 100% cotton and comes in several patterns and lengths.

Going out of the house, I'm usually in one of these dresses.

I have this one in several patterns.

4.  Summer accessories you are never without - sunglasses!  I seem to be squinting at the slightest ray of sunshine, so I am never without my sunglasses.

5.  Share your go-to shoes this summer - anything from Vionic, these are currently on my wish list.

6.  Share anything spontaneous you did this summer, big or small - booked an Alaska Cruise for 2026!

7.  Have you seen any summer movies this year?  No, last time we went to the cinema was in April for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

8.  Favorite summer sweet treat - strawberries and cream.  I'd rather be eating them at Wimbledon, but I'll have to be content with having them at home!

9.  Summer slowdown or ready for fall - SO ready for fall.  We haven't had too many unbearable days, if it's too hot, I just stay home in the air conditioning, but I would so rather be at home with a pumpkin spice latte, a blanket, and a movie full of fall foliage.

10.  Ready for back to school, if you have kids in school - not any longer, Sophia has long since moved on from school.  I do miss the lead-up to a new term or semester, shopping for school clothes and school supplies, seeing her new class schedule.  Fun times.

Monthly Musings - June 2024

 

1.  Summer Plans - No major vacations planned but perhaps a few local outings.  We have a couple of festivals in our area, and I have tickets to the Titanic Exhibition in Seattle.  Vic will be on terminal leave from the Navy but probably not starting his new job yet, so he's decided to redo our deck!

2.  I can't think of any summer traditions.

3.  What is your favorite summer destination - somewhere it still stays cool, so perhaps on the coast or in the mountains.  The Oregon coast is on our list of places to visit.  I love the sound of the waves, especially at night.

I think I'd enjoy Crater Lake National Park as the July and August temperatures just touch 70 degrees.

I'd like to say Paris or London but any city with all that concrete is way too hot.

3.  Did anyone else notice there are two number 3s?  The ocean would be my preference, but a lake is very close behind.

4.  Pool time planned - no, I'm not a pool person.

5.  Best travel or packing tips - packing cubes keep things organized and lots of planning makes any trip go smoothly.

6.  Favorite summer movie - Mamma Mia.  Grease and Dirty Dancing are top contenders as well.

7. Beverage that says summer to you - my new concoction of Pom pomegranate blueberry juice mixed with an Izze Apple sparking beverage.

8.  What songs say summer to you - I said Summer Breeze by Seals and Croft when I had this question in the Wednesday Hodgepodge but anything by the Beach Boys would be a summer hit too.

9.  What do you like on your burgers or hot dogs - I love burgers with mayo, lettuce, onion, and pickles and a friend from Chile introduced me to guacamole on hot dogs - so good!

I would leave off the tomato

10.  Charcoal or gas grill - gas.

Monthly Musings - May 2024

 

It's the last Thursday of the month, where did May go?  Time for Getting Ready for Summer/Memorial Day with Monthly Musings.

1.  What are you looking forward to this summer?  Vic starts his terminal leave (using up his leave on the books before his retirement) and he's just waiting to hear about a start date for his new job so whatever time he has off, we'll no doubt being doing some home DIY.  The hallway needs to be detextured and painted and we need barn doors for the closets in the office and the guest room.  We need to find a Rover for Malone so we can take off for a weekend.

2.  Favorite summer traditions.  We don't really have any summer traditions.  The Lavender Festival is in July, and I'd like to go to that again as Vic has never been.  I'm not a fan of hot weather so beach or lake outings are not really our thing.  That being said, we are surrounded by mountains so we might take a trip or two to do some exploring.

My last trip to the Lavender Festival (2015 with my Ladies of Leisure group just before I went back to work)

3.  Favorite summer recipe?  Please share.  I make a big bowl of pasta salad which is good with whatever comes off the grill.  It's just rotini pasta - the tricolor is festive - cubes of salami and provolone (I ask the deli counter to give me a thick slice and then I cube it), black olives, chopped red onion, and some sort of Italian dressing.  We've been enjoying the Olive Garden Italian that you can buy in the grocery store.

4.  Summer vacation plans.  None other than a weekend away probably to Mount St. Helens.

5.  Cole slaw or potato salad?  Recipe to share?  We enjoy both.  I use Mum's recipes from memory.  Cole slaw is just cabbage and mayo, I use the bagged coleslaw mix which has some red cabbage as well as green.  Potato salad is potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped celery, onion, and mayo.

6.  Favorite ice cream or frozen treat.  I love strawberry and Neapolitan ice creams and these Italian lemon ice cups.

7.  Favorite summer beverage?  Starbucks Strawberry Acai Lemonade.

8.  Beach, lake, or mountains?  Mountains, see #2.

9.  Best ways to beat the heat in summer?  Air conditioning!  When we were first moving to Washington in 2014, everyone said we didn't need air conditioning.  Wrong!   Global warming is real folks and we've had some scorching temperatures since we've been here.  There have been a couple of instances in the shipyard where I worked when work was curtailed, and they sent us all home because it was so hot.  Air conditioning was one of the must-haves when we bought our house.

10.  Favorite sunscreen.  We use Melaleuca, The Wellness Company, for toiletries and cleaning products so I use their SPF 50 Sport Sunscreen.  I'm a redhead and that means I go from white to lobster red and back to white if I'm not really careful.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

Monthly Musings - March 2024

1.  What is your go-to spring outfit?  It doesn't feel like spring here yet, temperatures still in the 50s and rainy so it would most likely be a top and cardigan combo.  I love this top I got from Amazon, when I find a style I like, I usually buy it in several colors.

2.  Favorite spring fashion pieces?  When the weather warms up, I have several tops in various floral and geometric designs like this purple one.

3.  Do you change up your handbag for spring?  Not usually, I have this vivid blue one that I use pretty much year-round.

4.  When do you bring out your open-toed shoes?  Probably mid-summer, for the week or two that the temperatures really feel like summer!

5.  Favorite spring scents?  For perfume, I wear Lancome's La Vie est Belle year-round but in things like candles and dryer sheets, I like a clean cotton scent.

6.  White after Easter?  After Memorial Day?  Heck, whenever I want.  Usually after Memorial Day, I don't know why, it seems to have always been that way.

7.  Favorite ways to add spring to your wardrobe when the weather is not quite cooperating?  A scarf, something bright and spring-like.

8.  Do you change up your make-up routine for spring?  No, I'm a minimalist when it comes to make-up unless it's a special occasion.

9.  How do you transition your wardrobe for spring?  By moving the sweaters to the back and the lighter fabrics to the front of the closet.

10.  Favorite spring accessories/jewelry?  I have a lot of colorful necklaces, often with matching earrings so it's nice to bring them out.

Not the most current pictures, but the jewelry is still in use.

Monthly Musings - February 2024

It's the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for Monthly Musings.  I'm joining Patty and Holly for how we are surviving the winter months (I had to remind myself that winter = December 21, 2023 to March 20, 2024).

1.  What do you do in the winter that brings you joy?  Stay home, stay warm, stay cozy.

A cozy fleece jacket is a firm favorite.

2.  How do you stay warm and cozy?  Wool sweaters, fleece, flannel, fluffy blankets, snuggling with Malone.

3.  What are you looking forward to this winter?  All of the above.

4.  Favorite wintertime activities?  Stay home, stay warm, stay cozy.  There's a pattern here!

5.  Favorite months of winter?  All four of them!  December because it's Christmas, January to look forward to the new year ahead, February for all of our family celebrations, March for signs of spring.

6.  Favorite dishes to make in winter?  Soups and stews, cozy CrockPot meals that crock away all day and leave the house smelling divine.

7.  Gas or wood burning fireplace?  Gas, love the look of wood but not the mess!

8.  Favorite winter hot beverage?  Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, no particular favorite although I'm partial to one of Starbucks' holiday drinks in December - chestnut praline latte was my favorite.  I also discovered cranberry orange tea when we went for afternoon tea one weekend.

9.  Favorite winter movies?  I'm probably still watching Hallmark's Christmas movies from the DVR so anything with snow scenes, preferably in some international location.  Norwegian Holiday was our favorite from last year's countdown.

10.  How do you stay healthy in winter?  Stay home, stay warm, stay cozy.  Not a lot of imagination in this month's musings!

Monthly Musings - January 2024

It's the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for Monthly Musings.  I'm joining Patty and Holly for some winter self-care.

1.  How do you take care of yourself in winter?  Keeping warm to keep away any colds and coughs.  Warm sweater, hot tea, a cozy blanket.

2.  How do you fight the winter blues?  I really don't have the winter blues if you mean long dreary days and nights because I love the rain, the grey skies, the snow.  It's just another excuse to be cozy.  I actually prefer the winter months to the summer because you can always put on another layer but there is a limit to what you can take off!

3.  Tips to make your living space cozy.  A roaring fire, cozy blankets, a rom-com on a rainy or snowy afternoon, all the good feels.

4.  Suggestions for fun wintertime activities.  When I was younger, I would have said skiing, ice skating, or sledding but with the current prospect of a broken bone meaning a long recovery, I'll opt for something less active.  Coffee or lunch with a friend, browsing in the local bookstore, afternoon tea.

5.  What are your exercise routines in the winter?  Umm, same as in the summer, practically non-existent.  I hate to exercise.

6.  Best tips for restful sleep.  No screens for an hour before bed, a warm bath or shower, cozy pajamas, a sleepy time-type blend in the diffuser.

7.  Favorite warm beverage.  A cup of hot chocolate with lashings of whipped cream.

8.  Best winter skincare tips.  I switch from a regular moisturizer to an intense version and have hand cream in the bathroom, office, kitchen, and my handbag.

9.  Flannel Sheets - yes or no?  Yes.  Our version is a microfiber set I picked up at Costco several years ago.  They are really thick and super warm.

10.  Favorite winter pajamas?  L.L. Bean

Monthly Musings - October 2023

It's the last Thursday of the month and tht means it's time for Monthly Musings.  I'm joining Patty and Holly for some Thanksgiving prep. 

1.  What are your Thanksgiving plans?  Unfortunately, this year I'm having knee surgery the week before Thanksgiving.  Sophia only has Thanksgiving Day off and it's too far for her to come home and go back in one day so we'll be having a FaceTime Thanksgiving.  We'll have dinner at home (TBD if I feel like cooking or Vic does it!) and Sophia will cook for herself and her roommate who has a shift at work on Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving at Sophia's in 2021 when Vic was in Maryland - he spent the holiday with friends from his former command

2.  Favorite Thanksgiving dish?  Please share recipe.  I'm very much a semi-homemade cook so many of our Thanksgiving recipes are super easy.  I do make green bean casserole every year, it's Vic's favorite, and I change it up by using Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup, adding a can of mushroom pieces and stems, and holding off on the onions until about five minutes before the casserole comes out of the oven.  That way, they are crisp and golden and not mushy inside the casserole.

3.  Best food prep tips.  I do as much as I can the day before.  If we're having guests, and multiple serving dishes will be involved, I put Post-it notes on each one to remember what goes where.

4.  Favorite Thanksgiving traditions?  Watching the parade in the morning while playing Parade Bingo and decorating the tree as soon as the turkey platter goes in the dishwasher!

5.  Turkey?  Ham?  Other?  Both?  Turkey, usually a boneless breast that goes in the CrockPot.  We never ate turkey at home so my experience cooking a turkey was limited.  I did it once and it was a disaster.

6.  Apple pie?  Pumpkin pie?  I love pumpkin and Vic loves pecan so we usually have both.

7.  Football or family movie?  Family movie while we're decorating, probably one of these as there will be plenty in the DVR.

8.  Stuffing or dressing?  Dressing because I don't have anything to stuff.  We still call it stuffing though!

9.  Turkey trot or Thanksgiving parade?  Thanksgiving Parade.

When we lived in Rhode Island, we took a bus trip from the base to New York for the parade.

After the parade, we strolled around sightseeing until it was time to meet the bus.  It was nice not to have to drive or park.

10.  Have you ever done a Friendsgiving?  One year we invited an Italian sailor who was stationed on Vic's ship so I guess that qualifies as a Friendsgiving.

Monthly Musings - September 2023

It's the last Thursday of the month and that means it's time for Monthly Musings.  I'm joining Patty and Holly for some fall fun.

1.  Favorite fall traditions - I'd have to say decorating since the days of hayrides, pumpkin patches, and apple orchards are pretty much over for us empty nesters.  The red, white, and blue goes up on Memorial Day and stay up until Labor Day and then it's all things fall.  Love the oranges, browns, yellows of the season.

2.  How do you celebrate Halloween?  We really don't.  We live in a very quiet neighborhood and the only family with young children has moved.  They were our only trick or treaters the first two years we lived here.  Our decorations are fall rather than Halloween so I guess you could say our Halloween celebrations are limited to a viewing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with some Great Pumpkin Cookies.

The Great Pumpkin Cookies are from this cookbook.

It was published in 1972 and that's when I first bought it in a Scholastic Book offering in sixth grade.  Who remembers those Scholastic flyers that they handed out at school?  Do they still do that? Years later, Peanuts Cook Book long lost, I was reminiscing about the Great Pumpkin Cookies and turned to, who else?, Ebay.  I'm now the proud owner of a new-to-me Peanuts Cook Book and the Great Pumpkin Cookies are once again in the cookie jar.

3.  Favorite Fall Recipes - In addition to the Great Pumpkin Cookies that I surprisingly (or not) found here on Lost American Recipes, fall is the time for soups, stews, curries, chilis, comfort food.  One of my favorites is this Lamb Korma from Pastured Kitchen which can be eaten over rice, with naan, or just on its own as it's chockful of potatoes and lamb.

4.  Favorite Fall Fashion Pieces - I love L L Bean's bootcut Perfect Fit Pants with a chunky sweater.

5.  How do you decorate for fall? - All my fall decorations are here.

6.  Pumpkin Spice?  Oh yes or over it?  Oh yes, yes, yes please.

I think my initials should be P.S.L.!

7.  Thoughts on candy corn?  Meh, too sweet.  I will, however, take a piece of candy corn over those little candy pumpkin things, ugh.

8.  Favorite Fall/Halloween Movie - It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has always been an annual event and recently Sophia got me hooked on Hocus Pocus.  How about this for your Lego fan?  There's even an optional light kit to bring it to illuminated life!

9.  Apple pie, pumpkin pie, or cider donut?  All of the above please.  Actually, if I could find the cider donut that we had eons ago on an apple orchard field trip with Sophia's kindergarten class (that's almost 25 years ago), that would be my number one.  Sadly, I've never been able to find one to match up to it.  Maybe I should try to make my own - these look delicious and they are baked!

10.  Bonfire, hayride, or haunted house?  I think bonfire.  Sounds cozy to be curled up around a roaring fire...with my PSL, of course!