5 Highlights of 2009

I found this over at It's a small world after all and thought it would be interesting. I wasn't tagged so I don't feel obligated to tag, not that I tag anyway! How many times can you use "tag" in one sentence LOL? If you want to play along, leave me a comment and I'll check yours out.

DAD


It can't really be considered a highlight, but 2009 was the year we lost Dad. Dad was 79 and he had been suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) for at least 15 years. He may have had limited mobility but his mind was as active as ever. He lived with my sister, Barbara, and her husband, Paul, and their two boys, Marc (6) and Alex (5) in Oregon. There's nothing like the presence of two active boys to keep your mind busy.

Dad spent 26 years in the Army, then retired but still kept working for another 15 years in California and Washington before he and Mum moved to England and retired for good. They had about another 15 years there, traveling back and forth to the States (courtesy of the lovely $10 Military Space A flight benefits) until poor health put a stop to that. Dad lost Mum in 2003 and returned to the States, first living near his sisters in California and then heading up to Oregon. We had a wonderful Christmas all together in December 2008 and less than six weeks later, he was gone. He just fell asleep one night and didn't wake up - peaceful, just the way he wanted to go. Gone but never forgotten, I miss you, Dad.

VIC'S RE-ENLISTMENT


May came time to swear we would make our home wherever the Navy sends us for another six years! That's not quite true, since we have decided that Sophia and I will not be moving again until she finishes high school and heads off to college. Vic will commute whenever he has longer than a three-day weekend from wherever the Navy sends him. As of right now, that's unofficially Norfolk, Virginia but until we see it actually on a piece of paper we can hold in our hands, it could change. And then of course, we could get the paper and then they could take it back again. The military is NOT for control freaks - you really have to do what you are told, when you are told, how you are told, and then be prepared for that all to change and for you to be told all over again. Flexibility and spontaneity is the key to success and staying sane!

4-H SHOW SEASON


Sophia participated in her first 4-H Show Season from May to July, racking up an impressive array of ribbons on Buy Me a Rose (Rose), her leased horse. It was an interesting experience.

OFF TO CAMP TIME AND AGAIN


Sophia and Rose spent a week at 4-H Camp in Connecticut at the end of June and then the day after she returned, Sophia headed out again for two weeks at Houghton College's Summer Riding Camp in New York (this time without Rose as the college has a full complement of horses). By the middle of July, she was all camped-out but had wonderful memories and lots of photos!

SECOND SECOND HONEYMOON

The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, Massachusetts

Vic and I continued the tradition we began in 2008 by using the time Sophia was at camp to do a little traveling of our own. This time, we stuck closer to home but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut and in Salem, Massachusetts. Sitting down to a sumptuous lunch overlooking the harbor, Vic said, "Is this what life is going to be like when I'm retired?" Oh, yes, honey, there's a big wide world out there we still want to see.

Did I Mention...?

Did I mention I love my new phone, the LG enV3? Ever since I read somewhere that parents who text are more likely to be in touch more often with their kids, I knew that texting needed to be something I could do comfortably. My old flip phone had a dinky little keypad and every time I tried to type a word, my fingers would hit three or four of the buttons...it was SO frustrating!

About the time I was totally fed up with my phone, Sophia put a new phone on her Christmas list. A quick trip to Best Buy and after a lengthy chat with the Verizon representative, three new phones were purchased, wrapped and hidden under the tree. Vic and Sophia were certainly surprised on Christmas morning!

Here's the phone:


But here is the best part of all - a full keyboard. The keys are still a bit small but since they are raised, I can tap out the letters with my nails! It's so easy to use.


I love, love, love it and highly recommend it.

Return to Cranford

I can't believe that it was back in June that I began to get excited about the sequel to Cranford and now it is almost time.


Return to Cranford will be released in the US on January 19, 2010. I can hardly wait!

Eating

Believe me, I tried all eight ways!

The Bookworm's post today, The Care and Feeding of Children, made me stop and think about our eating habits (groan!). I know we don't eat as well as I did as a child - convenience and fast food were almost unheard of in our household and I can remember my sister and I being so excited that we were getting a TV dinner for a treat when my parents went to the annual command Christmas party...and we're talking the old-style Swanson fried chicken TV dinner. We did eventually move over to a more kid-friendly TV dinner, can't remember who made it, but it had a mini-hamburger or dinosaur-shaped chicken pieces or some other such kid-pleasing fare. Still, it was a once a year deal.

Now I stop at the Chinese takeaway (Beef and Broccoli with Lo Mein for Vic, Boneless Spare Ribs for Sophia) so often that they know me by name and the number of McDonald's receipts tucked away in the pockets of the car door is alarming. But I really feel that I have to speak up for myself here since I have the most nightmarish combination of eaters in my home!

Moi, the typical American with a Bit of Britain thrown in, raised on cereal or toast for breakfast, sandwiches and the typical bagged variety of lunch, and then dinner of some sort of protein, a starch (usually potatotes) and a vegetable followed by dessert although it was often eaten later in the evening. Layer cakes, ice cream, brownies, cookies, that sort of thing. I don't seem to remember doing a lot of snacking.

Hubby, the typical Asian raised on rice three times a day, a limited amount of protein (unless it was some sort of dried fish which to me smells rancid and looks even worse!), and vegetables boiled to death. The first time I served Vic a salad, he said the vegetables weren't cooked! Oh my, did we have a long way to go! Anyway, he's moved on to some sort of portable breakfast since he takes it to work - pancakes to pop in the microwave, a bagel, a packet of oatmeal or some sort of breakfast pastry and usually an apple. Lunch is rice with whatever is leftover from dinner or selected from the freezer. Since there is only three of us, I tend to have leftovers from every meal and freeze them for his lunches. It could be beef caldereta (a Filipino spicy stew), leftover chicken or salmon or pork chop, or chicken in some sort of cooking sauce but it usually has some sort of liquid consistency to it so that it can be poured over rice. If the aforementioned chicken, salmon or pork chop doesn't have sauce or gravy, I pack a little container of his favorite soy sauce/vinegar mixture for sloshing on the food. Dinner is a fresh version of lunch with rice again. Vic is not much of a dessert eater although I can usually tempt him with something covered in custard later in the evening - he has no willpower when it comes to custard.

The Picky Teenager (formerly the Picky Toddler, Picky Young Child, you get the picture!), who can't really be described as a combination of the two of us (except in looks) since her eating habits defy description. No breakfast, no matter how many times I tell her it's the most important meal of the day and lunch is salami or turkey or ham (no bread, she refuses to eat sandwiches) with chips (crisps for my UK readers), pickles, a piece of fruit and occasionally something sweet. I'll pop in a little treat but I'm not sure how often it gets eaten. Dinner usually consists of eating (if it's what she likes) or "I'm not hungry" (if it's not). Snacking is the usual grazing - she's often got her hand inside a giant Tupperware container of cereal (no milk - are you crazy?) or salt and vinegar chips. How does she survive? If she could live on hot dogs, pizza and chicken nuggets, she would.

Much to my chagrin (love that word!), my family won't eat the food I love - macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, lasagna, enchiladas, chili, or any kind of casserole. Oh, Vic would eat it, but it would be with a "I don't want to eat this" demeanor. He says he doesn't have one, but I can sense it. Both of them want protein (sauteed chicken or pork chops or grilled salmon), rice and vegetables. I guess I should be thankful that Sophia will eat most vegetables although both she and Vic draw the line at peas (I love peas!).

The good news is that they don't mind chicken and pork chops and salmon...and more chicken and pork chops and salmon...and even more chicken and pork chops and salmon. The salmon is killing the budget but I can keep some variety in the chicken and pork chops by the creative use of sauces - teriyaki, BBQ, etc. I look longingly at Sandra's recipes over at Full Bellies, Happy Kids and think perhaps I should put myself on Wife Swap and then maybe they would be more open to a variety of dishes upon my return...or would I come home to two half-starved skeletons?? Or, even worse, would I find that they had moved into the Chinese takeaway?

FREE Money

Don't you love the word FREE? Here is free money for education for military spouses:

The Department of Defense remains strongly committed to helping military spouses find employment in high demand, high growth Portable Career fields. For those who are interested in pursuing such careers, DoD is expanding the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program. Why? Because it is a proven fact that the more training and education job seekers have, the more likely they will be hired into better jobs at higher salaries.

I didn't know about the funding available to military spouses until a friend told me about it. I told someone else, and they hadn't heard of it either. So check it out and pass the word - it's free!

It's a Whole New World...in a New Year

I love Post-It Notes and I found this online version over at Superstickies - how cool is that? It was back to work and school today for Vic and Sophia and I had so many plans - whip through my Around the House list (laundry, vacuum, mop), bake something, do some French review and scrapbook a few pages. And what do you think I got done - nothing! I spent the day reading blogs, chatting on Facebook and sending e-mails. I was just in a computer sorta mood today. I have to say that I have found some great new blogs, all courtesy of current blog friends. A post on Christina's All That Blog led me to Noe Noe Girl...Tall Tales from a Short Chick (love the title and source of the Superstickies link). Doing some research after my Tea Parties post led me back to Between Naps on the Porch's Tablescape Thursday posts. Although the tablescapes are gorgeous, most are a little too elaborate for my taste. I do, however, enjoy looking at the chargers, china and glassware settings, as well as the table decorations and linens to get ideas. Surprisingly enough, some of the items come from Target and even the Dollar Store. I do always wonder, however, with such elaborate table decorations, where is the room for the food?

I got an invitation to view a new travel blog, Pictures from Great Britain by Abby Rogers, a young lady who is spending her senior year traveling vicariously through my favorite isle. What did we do before the Internet? Browsed travel magazines and sent away for Tourist brochures, I guess! A comment on one of Abby's posts led me to Just waffling... - I am always on the lookout for a new UK blog friend. And, finally, my upcoming French class led me in search of a blog with a French theme, and I'm happy to say that French Word-A-Day fit the bill exactly.

I'm also following It's a small world after all as they prepare for their round the world trip later this year and Jerri's Journey's Words to Stand On, a ten day series of Scripture to stand on for every situation in your life. I know I have lots of Scriptures marked in my Bible for a variety of topics - missions, fellowship, weight loss, parenting, etc., so I'm interested to see what Jerri has to share with us.

Speaking of sharing...no, I'll save that for tomorrow.

Can you see why I got nothing done today but oh, I had so much fun!

The Week Ahead - January 4

Outside my window...it's dark - I have to write my Week Ahead earlier! The weather report says 24 degrees and light snow.

I am thinking...that this is my third blog post today - I'm really on a roll for 2010.

I am thankful for...new friends!

From the kitchen....a new creation - browned ground beef, a can of French-style green beans, a can of mushrooms and a package of brown gravy mix - all combined and served over rice = a quick and easy dinner.

I am going...to be alone tomorrow when Vic and Sophia go back to work and school - well, not quite alone, I have MudLynn.

I am hearing...the ticking of the clock and the dishwasher.

Around the house...vacuum, mop, laundry, the usual. Je dois faire le ménage - I must do the housework!

One of my favorite things...a trip to the theater.

I STILL am reading...Voyager by Diana Gabaldon.

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week...for Sophia...back to school tomorrow, youth group (Tuesday), voice lesson (Wednesday) and Jamaica Missions Team meeting (Sunday). For Vic...back to work tomorrow, helping our church's youth pastor move into his new house (Saturday), and leaving for a business trip to Florida (Sunday). For me...nothing, nothing and more nothing - well, not quite as I'm determined to do some French grammar review each day and a little scrapbooking and there is always that good ol' Around the House section to tend to.

Happy New Year!

My least favorite holiday chore - putting away all the ornaments - yep, each one has its own box and these two totes are full to the brim. I don't mind bringing them out as each one has a special memory attached to it but oh, putting them away takes soooooo long!