Menu Plan Monday December 29 -January 3

Monday 12/29/08 - We're going to a Christmas/New Year's/Wedding Anniversary Party. The folks throwing the party have been married 19 years!

Tuesday 12/30/08 - Turkey Enchiladas (I made an after Christmas turkey dinner and we have a few leftovers)

Wednesday 12/31/08 leftovers

Thursday 01/01/09 Sloppy Joes (A special request from Greg. Of all the meals to request after coming home from a long deployment, he asks for sloppy joes!? I would have thought of something grander and gourmet, nevertheless we are ringing in the new year with sloppy joes)

Friday 01/02/09 Something on the grill-perhaps this

Saturday 01/03/09 Something different-I'm thinking about this sandwich

Our Christmas Tree

This year's Christmas tree was made entirely out of paper. Our frugality or more appropriately our cheapness really shined and made itself known to all our friends. This classy tree bought a few laughs and lots of comments.
Maybe next year we'll pay the big bucks for a "real" Christmas tree. This year was kind of a step backwards compared to last year's Christmas tree alternative.

Making Christmas Cards

Just before Christmas I hurriedly worked to finish my cards in time. I invited a friend over who was interested in making her own Christmas cards. I set up a "card making station" and we got to work. We stayed up late into the night making cards and visiting. That same night we were due to pick up a friend from the airport, arriving at 2 am.

embellishing the simple

I'm participating in an ornament exchange. I opted to make some ornaments rather than buy them. They turned out rather simple and plain to me. To make them seem more special I embellished my gift wrap. I used some remnant Christmas paper with poinsettias in the print and added a fake flower and homemade tag to dress it up. I think my gift wrap makes up for my so-so ornaments.

Menu Plan Monday December 8-December 14

It's been a while since I posted a menu for Menu Plan Monday, here it goes

Monday 12/8 Vegetable and chicken soup - this is so good, I'm eating it as I post here, It's just a made up spontaneous soup recipe (carrots, celery, onion, and garlic cooked in a little olive oil, I threw in some baked squash which "melted" into the soup and gave it some thickness, I added a bunch of chicken broth, some spinach and leftover chicken and some salt and pepper to season. YUM!)

Tuesday 12/9 Leftover soup (what else?)

Wednesday 12/10 Frittata


Thursday 12/11 Pizza

Friday 12/12 dinner at a friend's home for a birthday party

Saturday 12/13 Dinner at Outback Steak House (my first time ever on Guam) my wives group is having a big dinner party.

Sunday 12/14 Restaurant leftover- I can never eat a whole plate of food when I go out

Locked Out

For the first time ever I was locked out of my house! I had a trunk full of groceries, I brought in half the groceries and dropped my purse (with my keys, phone and wallet)on the counter. I went outside to pick up the rest of the groceries, shutting the door behind me and right away I knew. UGH! I had cold groceries inside the house and outside the house. All my neighborhood friends had empty driveways.
I walked down the street, found someone who was home and made a new neighborhood friend. She allowed me to put my groceries in her fridge and use her phone, I was so grateful. After I got off the phone with the housing office I learned that I would be charged $67 to have someone come out and unlock my house. YIKES! what a costly mistake. My neighbor offered to drive me down to the housing office and pick up a key so that I wouldn't be charged.

I think a plate of cookies and a thank you card is in order for this new neighborhood friend.

Jet Lag

I'm feeling the effects of jet lag. I woke up at 3 am today wide awake. My body thought it was 7 am Hawaii time or maybe 9 am Washington State time.

In route to Guam, I stayed the night in Hawaii, a very nice retired couple who flew on the same flight as me, rented a car and allowed me to tag along to and from the hotel and the terminal. It was nice to save on taxi fare and even nicer to meet good people.

My trip home to see my family was wonderful. The month of November flew by.

But now it's back to life as usual.