Tacky Christmas Sweater Party

My neighbors threw a Tacky Christmas Sweater Party on December 23, 2008. About half of us wore truly tacky sweaters, others wore some pretty goofy Christmas hats. My good friend Lacey planned out some great Christmas themed games including Christmas carol charades. Apparently someone recorded my attempt to play along.

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.

a blessing

I've been a little overwhelmed with too much on my plate this week:

-staying up way to late and still getting up early to go to work
-planning a stamping/craft party at my house with dinner
-finishing up a very BIG project for the 150 plus sailors on my husband's boat
-making a few crafts for a craft fair this weekend (and dealing with getting a business license and regulation garage)
-signed up for a 5k run (not sure what I was thinking at the time)
-starting to feel a little under the weather (as is every other student and teacher at work)
-preparing for a long trip home to visit my family
-fixing a flat tire
-dealing with my husband's ever-changing schedule
-recruiting a secretary and second co-chair for my Wives Group

and the list goes on and on.....whew! isn't there some kind of scripture about anxiety and stress?

When I woke up yesterday feeling unwell and even worse today I took my cares to the Lord, I can't be sick and I still feel like I've got too much going on but I know it's time to relax a bit and put God in control. Everything will get done and be ok.

Today the school secretary called me at 6:30 am to let me know that I can come into work at noon. Praise God! I could use the few hours to clean up my house and finish up a few things, (of course I should be resting, but I'll feel better knowing a few more things have been crossed of my list and these few hours allow me to do so) What a blessing.

Menu Plan Monday October 27-November 1st

Monday 10/27 grilled tuna and cheese sandwiches

Tuesday 10/28 I'm going to try and talk my hubby into going out this night

Wednesday 10/29 Vegetable and chicken pasta

Thursday 10/30 White Chili

Friday 10/31 Pizza

Saturday 11/01 Leftover White Chili

What to write?

I have many thoughts in my head, personal thoughts, and I just can't decided whether to blog them or not. I don't want this blog to be my personal pity party page, I can't share about the awesome gift I just made (I'm sure the birthday girl is reading and it would spoil the fun), I won't talk about Navy stuff, ARGGGG....what to write, What to write?! how about just a few feelings/thought snippets.

I'm happy my husband is home, I'm mad that he has to work EVERY day midnight to noon until he leaves again

I'm happy I went to the Navy ball with a girlfriend last night (her husband was suddenly deployed and mine had to go to work/sleep)It was all very last minute and we had a lot of fun. I felt awkward to see my doctor a few feet away dancing and kissing his girlfriend/wife.

I'm concerned that my absentee ballot has not arrived yet, the election is a couple of weeks away.

I'm teaching a Sunday School class today. I hope I have a helper today, a class of two year olds can be a challenge but it's down right awful when it comes to bathroom breaks and there is not a second person to help out. (I've only been stranded once before)

I'm taking most of November off to visit my family (so happy.) I haven't told the school yet. I've become a well liked substitute, I no longer get called in when they need help, I just come in everyday for work. I shouldn't be but I'm nervous and I don't want to tell them I'm leaving for a while.

I've fallen of the blogging band wagon, but not to worry, I'm picking myself up and hopping back on. I'm going to do my best to post more often.....starting tomorrow....tonight my time is devoted to my husband, who's been away at sea and I'm glad to have him back home for a short time. I only wish I was more productive while he was gone.

Humidity

A dear friend moved away this week, she's very glad to be moving off Guam. She made a comment before she left that she's looking forward to pouring a packet of sugar into her coffee.....oh the joys of free-flowing sugar. It's true the humidity here is very high and dry foods like salt, sugar, baking soda (you name it) forms clumps.

Well today I found another victim of our humid climate. Envelopes. I'm participating in a craft fair with some friends and I was cleaning out my craft supplies and Christmas card collection to make a few things to sell. I have built up quite a collection of envelopes. Today I found all of them sealed shut, the humidity in the air must have moisten the glue on the flap. My envelopes are now scrap paper. Maybe we should get a dehumidifier for each room. We have one in the laundry room with a 2 gallon reservoir, we empty it twice a day, morning and night. That's a lot of water in the air!

Menu Plan Monday October 6-12

Monday Leftovers (yesterday I went to a good-bye lunch for a friend moving away, we went to California Pizza Kitchen, I have 2/3 of a pizza leftover just enough for a lunch, dinner and maybe a snack)

Tuesday Tomato Soup and grilled cheese (No joke! I have 46 cans of Muir Glen whole peeled tomatoes, they have been priced at 50 cents a can, a super deal on it's own but I have several coupons for $1 off any Muir Glen product. Every can of tomatoes was free plus 50 cents off my grocery bill! Each time I'm at the store I've picked up a few cans, it's gotten to the point where my pantry is strapped for space and I need to start using up these tomatoes, I was going to use them for marinara sauce but I really need to come up with other uses for whole peeled tomatoes besides pasta sauce and soup. If you have any recipe ideas send me a link

Wednesday Leftover tomato soup

Thursday Salad-not sure what kind yet but I've been in a mood for a big dinner salad

Friday Pizza

SaturdayLeftover pizza

SundayTop ramen soup jazzed up with veggies (my neighbor moved away and gave me the remnants of her pantry which included a couple of top ramen packets. I haven't had top ramen in years, pretty sure I was single the last time I had top ramen)

It's good to be loved

Last week some orchids were delivered to our house, from my parents in-law. They are beautiful, I've put one in the living room and the other in our bedroom.