Life Last Week 2018-7

The weather:::

After a couple of sunny days this weekend, the temperatures are dropping to the high 50s/low 60s with rain and wind this week.  

On my reading pile:::

Still going through Baking with Mary Berry - a birthday present from Sophia.

On my TV:::
Still in Midsomer (Murders), the most dangerous county in England with a bonus that Vic is now enjoying it too.

Checked off the list:::

• Lunch Bunch at a Japanese buffet which didn't look like anything from the outside but had delicious food at a reasonable price.  I liked it so much, I took Vic back there for dinner!

Crafts roundup:::

Finally caught up on the February One Little Word videos although the project is to make a vision board and I'm just not feeling it at the moment.  I'm caught up in Project Life; had my photos printed at Walgreen's and they came out great.  I may just do that from now on instead of printing them at home because my ink jet printer is not the best for photos.  On the wish list, a new photo printer.

And in other news:::

I received word on Friday that I did not get medical clearance to go to Okinawa so we're moving on to Plan B.  I will go back to Washington and Vic will go unaccompanied to Okinawa.  It's not really a surprise and since we knew it might happen, we have been talking about Plan B for some time which is really Phase I in our post-Navy retirement planning:  Buy a house in Washington because that's where we want to retire.  We've decided to treat Vic's time in Okinawa as four six-month deployments - we'll get together somewhere for a really nice vacation after each six months.  As quickly as time seems to be passing (it's March already on Thursday!), it will be over before we know it.

Last night, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary which is today.  We went out to dinner at a lovely French restaurant and enjoyed a three course dinner which was delicious and beautifully presented.  25 years, seems like it was yesterday.

Our wedding picture is up in a separate post so here is one from our reception.  What an event that was!  It was held in the backyard of the couple who were our best man and maid of honor; the wind kicked up and blew the flame from under a chafing dish, setting fire to one of the tablecloths (quick thinking by one of the servers averted further disaster), and the same wind destroyed the top layer of our wedding cake (it's a British tradition to set it aside, freeze it, and serve it at the christening of a couple's first child).  We set it aside when we cut the bottom layer and forgot about it.  When we went back to our friends' to pick it up the next day, it was grey from blown dust and dirt and embedded with various bugs who had met their death in the frosting.  It went straight into the trash can!  Great memories to laugh about on our anniversary each year.

And just for giggles this year, we went to the anniversary card section at Hallmark on Saturday, picked out cards for each other, exchanged them, read them, put them back on the rack, and walked out of the store.  Doing our bit to save the planet, one (or in this case, two) Hallmark card at a time!

Happy Anniversary

February Rudolph Day is coming!

Here's the three day warning for those of you who do not know about Rudolph Day and for those of you who know about it but may not realize that it is coming up this week!

What's Rudolph Day? Here is the definition according to Organized Christmas:

A few years ago, members of our Christmas community began to observe "Rudolph Day" on the 25th of each month.

On that day, we take a few moments to plan some simple tasks for the month ahead, in order to get ready for Christmas Day with plenty of time to spare. By starting early--and working a bit at a time on each month's Rudolph Day--it's easy to prepare for Christmas, save money on gifts, and cut holiday stress.

Here's the annual line-up with the sub-theme in parentheses:

January - Tie Up Loose Ends (gather ideas and organize your Christmas notebook)

February - Begin a Holiday Letter

March - Birthday Gift-Buying Strategy (party planning for the holiday season)

April - Plan Holiday Crafts 

May - Catalog Shopping Tips

June - Recipe Round Up

July - Choose a Holiday Plan (Christmas in July celebration)

August - Craft Control (thinking ahead to Elf on the Shelf)

September - Prepare for Holiday Gifts and Giving

October - Plan Holiday Meals

November - Write Holiday Letter

The bottom line is...prepare for Christmas by doing something every month and make the 25th of each month a Rudolph Day by doing something Christmasy!

Check back on the evening of February 25th to see how I celebrated Rudolph Day.

RIP Billy Graham

Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God. - Billy Graham

Life Last Week 2018-6

The weather:::

Foggy today as I write this (a day late due to the Presidents' Day holiday) but the temperatures look to be in the low to mid 70s all week.  

On my reading pile:::

Baking with Mary Berry - a birthday present from Sophia.

On my TV:::
Finished up Call the Midwife, can't wait for Season 7.  Watched ANZAC Girls on Amazon, based on a true story and an excellent series.  I'm back in Midsomer (Murders), the most dangerous county in England!

Checked off the list:::

• Spouses' group board meeting - we haven't met since November (December was our Christmas luncheon and January's meeting date was a snow day) so we had quite a lot to get through.
• Bangs trim, doctor's appointment, shift at the gift shop.
• Tax refund is processed and on the way to the bank.
• Vic spent the week in California and came home with a cold.

Crafts roundup:::

Still need to watch the February One Little Word videos but I'm caught up on Project Life.  I think I will put it in my planner for Fridays and see if I can keep to that schedule.  I bought a couple of 4x4 albums that I'm going to use for travel - I have to figure out how to print 4x4 photos as my resizing skills aren't honed yet.  My photos come out like we're looking in those mirrors at the fun house, everyone is squat and chubby!  I'm looking forward to using one of the albums for our Washington trip.

My birthday fell on Chinese New Year - 2018 is the Year of the Dog - so I dug out the Chinese tableware and some canine decor for the centerpiece.

Happy Valentine's Day

We were apart on our first Valentine's Day and now we're apart on our 25th.  Sending all my love across the miles.

If this is Tuesday, it must be England #88

It's Pancake Day!  Read all about it here.

Life Last Week 2018-5

The weather:::

It's 65 degrees right now (and we're supposed to have a high of 64 today, how do they figure that one out?  Is right now not today?).  It's also raining and will be until this afternoon.  A perfect day to stay inside.

On my reading pile:::

Oh dear, this is beginning to sound like a broken record...I.will.go.to.the.library.this.week!

On my TV:::
Still working my way through Call the Midwife.  Vic's traveling this week so I'm also planning to watch the new season of When Calls the Heart.  Happy Dance - a new season of A Place to Call Home is due out this year!

Checked off the list:::

• Dropped off our taxes so now I'm waiting for our refund.  I'm so happy, after paying the IRS last year, I would have been happy with $1 back but it's quite a bit more than that so that is even better news.
• Sat in on a board meeting for the gift shop for our spouses' group President.
• Watched the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics - it was just ok, what did you think?  Coverage of the events has been sporadic although we did catch Red Gerard's gold medal performance.  17 years old, can you imagine?

Crafts roundup:::

Still need to watch the February One Little Word videos and catch up on last week in Project Life.  I ordered some paper from Amazon but it was the wrong size so I had to send it back and reorder so that put me behind a week.  I bought some great Washington digital journal cards and stamps for our upcoming trip.  I'm thinking of making a mini album if I can find one I like.

Vic at breakfast on Saturday morning.  This is his "No, honestly, I'm not looking at the TV screen behind you" look!

Winter Olympics 2018

Here we go - the Winter Olympics!  How are you watching?  Favorite Winter Olympic sport?

I love the Norwegian team's Dale of Norway sweaters.

The United States team once again outfitted by Ralph Lauren.

TBB Asks - February 2018

Valentine's Day is coming!

1.  Kisses or Hugs?

Hugs.

2.  Candy or Flowers?

Candy.  Cadbury's from England preferably.

3.  Baking or Cooking?

Baking.  So happy to have finally found my all-time favorite bar cookie recipe from my Home Ec days.  I've been searching FOREVER.

4.  Do you remember your first kiss?

Yes.

5.  Favorite color of roses?

Red.

6.  Conversation Hearts, yes or no?

Yuck, no.

7.  Do you leave love notes?

Yes, when Vic travels, I tuck little cards into his suitcase when he's not looking.

8.  Do you decorate for Valentine's Day?

Yes, it's also our anniversary month so bring on the love.

9.  Red or pink?

Red.

10.  Milk, white, or dark chocolate?

Milk, especially Godiva.

11.  Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yes, we had that spark from the very first time we saw each other.

12.  Do you give humorous or serious Valentine's cards?

Serious, the gushing I will love you forever type.

13.  Favorite chick flick or romantic movie?

Love AND Christmas AND England, the best!

14.  Stay In or Go Out?

I love our time at home but going out is fun too.  We love our field trips.

Life Last Week 2018-4

The weather:::

Thanks, Phil, six more weeks of winter!  High 40s, low 50s all week except for 66 on Wednesday, what's up with that?

On my reading pile:::

I.will.go.to.the.library.this.week!

On my TV:::
Not the result we wanted but it was a good game.  Congratulations, Philadelphia Eagles!  I'm working my way through Call the Midwife again.  We watched Britannia which was meh.

On the menu last week:::

So not in the mood for planning or cooking so I think this category will be pitched unless I come up with some amazing meal that I want to share.

Checked off the list:::

• Had to reschedule the appointment to drop off our taxes since the tax lady had the flu so I'll be taking care of that this coming week.
• Worked at the gift shop and got away without breaking the bank.  I did pick up some Christmas napkins and tea towels at 50% off and a few ornaments at 75% off.
• Great outing with the spouses' group to a local Victorian house that is a museum.  We had tea and a tour and it was very interesting.  Tea was quite nice although no cream for the scones so I had to take points off for that.

Crafts roundup:::

Completed One Little Word's assignments for January just in the nick of time and also last week in Project Life.  I'm not enjoying One Little Word as much as I thought I would so I hope it grows on me.  I think it's because I am having a hard time with my word {change}.  Totally failing on the change our eating habits front.  Well, the Super Bowl will do that for you, won't it?

Here's what's coming in the week ahead - will they or won't they?  Honestly, they.only.had.one.job.

On the brighter side, this is coming in the week ahead too.

What's your favorite Winter Olympic sport?

Super Bowl LII

Here we go - Super Bowl LII - are you a Patriots fan (me, me, me!) or an Eagles fan?

Happy Birthday Sophia

Happy, Happy Birthday to our beautiful daughter, Sophia Arabella, who is twenty-four years old today!  To say we are incredibly blessed does not even begin to describe the impact she has had on our lives.