observations and reflections

Last night was the NCCC Foundation Board Holiday dinner. I usually meet Bill at the college and we drive to the country club together. But there is no easy way to drive from my work to the college. It always takes me over an hour and creeping crawling traffic on Niagara Falls Blvd. So this time I drove straight to the country club and met him there. It was a straight shot up the 190 across Grand Island. It only took me 40 minutes in rush hour traffic. There was a time that I would not have done this. I would not have wanted to drive there alone. I would not have been comfortable walking in alone. I went in alone and procured myself a glass of Cab. Then I spotted B. He got his wine and we stopped to talk to A. A is a tall beautiful woman with coffee-colored skin. We have had several nice conversations in the past and A always gives me a hug when I see her. We were joined by M. M is a young woman, newly married, fairly new to her job. I've had a few conversations with her at other functions. I like her. We talked about Christmas plans. We talked about her job working with grants. She said that B has probably described her to me as someone who doesn't know what she is doing. I told her that No B has described her to me as a very enthusiastic young woman.

I had spotted another woman I wanted to talk with. I had talked at length with this woman last year. I remembered that she was a caregiver. When one older person passes away she finds a new one to care for. I remembered that last year she was wearing black palazzo pants and we had a discussion trying to think of what they were called and could only come up with pajamas style pants and gauchos. I remembered that she was engaged but not married. I spotted her face but could not remember her name. I left my little group to seek her out. In my search I encountered G who is on the board. G and I had gotten to know one another last year at this function. I joined G and the man she was talking to. She said that they were discussing pain killers. I had just heard a story about children and pain killers and how parents are reluctant to give children pain killers when they are in pain because they are afraid that the children will become addicted. I fell easily into this conversation. Then I sought out the care giver lady because we were about to sit down for dinner. I had forgotten her name but it turned out to be Y. Y had gotten married 18 days ago. Y wore a wedding dress for her wedding but her maid of honor wore palazzo pants. Y's lady had passed away and Y was in the interview process for the next person that she will be caring for.

At dinner I talked easily to my table mates. I lightly reprimanded H for sipping his champagne before the big toast and flattered him by saying I couldn't believe that he had graduated from high school in 1989 because he looked so young. The lady next to me was a retired nurse and had been in the reserves. She had interesting stories to tell. Her husband is one of those people who remembers every detail of his life and can easily relate them. He did most of the talking at the table. The other B sat back and looked a little bored like he would be happy when it was all over but he was sociable. My B, I know, would rather have been home but he was very sociable and talkative also. We also had the student member of the board at our table. A tall skinny sweet young girl getting an early start in the politics of being a board member. She was joined by her boyfriend also a college student at a rival college. He was very interested in turning his fork back and forth on the tablecloth and in his cell phone.

Why I'm going on and on with all of this? Because sometimes I am amazed at this person I have become. I'm not saying that I'm a fine person, just a different person. In the past I would have dreaded going to a function like this. I would have clung to B's side. Leaving his side to seek and find someone to talk to would never have occurred to me. If I would have done this, it would have been out of obligation. And I would have stood there wondering what this person thought of me. I would have stood nervous and tongue-tied.

When B and I would come home from such a function as this in the past, we would ask one another....Did I do or say anything embarrassing tonight? If the answer was yes or maybe, it would have consumed me for weeks. Now I don't care. I don't really care if I do or say something stupid. I actually enjoy talking to these people. I like these people. I like people. I'm finding the more you don't care what people think of you, the more they like you. Or maybe don't like you. I don't know. I don't care. You can't be liked by everybody. I can sit back and observe people. I can slip into conversation because I simply don't care anymore. I was told once when my company took a personality test that people's personalities don't change. Only maybe if they have had a life-changing event. I'm not sure I agree with that. I don't think I fit into the category that I was pigeoned-holed into . I think if I took that test today I would get a different result from that of ten years ago. But then I did have a little crisis in my life so maybe that qualifies as a life changing event.

Anyway, enough about me. So let's talk about you. What do you think of me? LOL

my mistake

I needn't have stayed up late putting this together last night. The meeting is next week. There are so many things to attend that I got mixed up. Tonight is just a committee meeting but I'm not going. Today is Toastmasters. Tomorrow is our holiday potluck and gift exchange at work. Tomorrow night is the NCCC board meeting and holiday dinner at Nia Falls Country Club. Friday is a happy hour after work. Saturday night is my neighbor's annual Christmas party. Sunday night is The Adams Family at Shea's. Next Thursday is the dinner I thought was tonight. And then there are always exercise nights. I need a month to hibernate.

visions of sugar plums

Tomorrow is the ASWA annual Christmas Fundraiser. I'm excited about it this year. It's being held at the Millennium Hotel by Walden Galleria Mall in the atrium. There is going to be an hour long open bar and hot hors d'ouvres. The menu choices all sounded so good that I had a hard time choosing. I wanted to try them all. Prime Rib with Yorkshire Pudding, Chicken Stuffed with Lobster, or Shrimp and Scallop Scampi. I finally decided on the chicken. The soup is French Onion with Sherry. The dessert is Chocolate Tuxedo Cake.

This year I put together a candy basket for my donation. I'm calling it Visions of Sugar Plums Basket. Smudge is doing the Vanna White thing here.



This is the back of the basket. It features Harry and David's Moose Munch, a chocolate orange, Ghiardhelli Chocolates, Turtles and Marzipan Fruits among lots of other things.

twin living rooms

This a picture of our living room. When we decorated it 23 years ago I adored it. I continued to adore it for another 15 years. Then I sickened of it and wanted to redecorate. I wanted to paint the walls goldenrod or terra cotta or french toast. I wanted that loud obnoxious wallpaper out of there. But B loves that wallpaper and doesn't want to get rid of it. So we fought for several years and then I stopped caring and then.....miraculously I started to kind of like it again.

See the afghan on the back of the sofa. My sister, Debbie, made that for me to go with the wallpaper. See the oil painting above the sofa. B and I bought that at a starving artist sale for $50. It was painted by X Rabous. I go on-line now and find very similar paintings by X that sell for around $1500 now.

The sofa is a Flexsteel and looks as new now as the day we bought it.

So I told B I could live with this room if we would buy decorative curtain rods and do something about the window treatments. I still think the picture over the fireplace is hung a little too high and now looking at the photo I think the X painting might make a better statement over the fireplace than over the sofa.

This weekend we went to the Lewiston Christmas House Walk. Historic homes owned by wealthy people offering them up for the weekend for plebians to tromp through. When I entered the living of one home, I could not believe my eyes.



There was our wallpaper in the exact same shades albeit slightly muted and a larger pattern. There was the same fabric on the sofa and the same dark walnut Ethan Allen furniture. The same color rug on the same color hardwood floor.



We don't own a baby grand or a grandfather clock



Their window treatments are much nicer than ours but their picture over the credenza doesn't hold a candle to X's oil painting. And we got some great ideas for window treatments from another house that we toured. Our dining room is open to the living room and is painted a color that is similar to coffee with lots and lots of cream in it. It has the same green crown molding around the ceiling. B is going to let me paint the dining room a shade of gold that can be found in the wallpaper. We will keep the sheers, buy decorative rods and I'm going to sew panels for just the ends of the windows out of the fabric that I bought 23 years ago to make draperies for these rooms and that has been in a huge roll under our bed ever since. We are combining our ideas and I think we are going to come up with something we both like.

the sixth sense

do you ever wonder if maybe you are dead and you just know it yet?
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birthday baking

We have a birthday club at work. I was the last birthday so I was supposed to bake for S whose birthday was on Thanksgiving Day. There was hardly anyone in our office the week before Thanksgiving so it was decided that I would bring in the cake on the Monday following. I thought this was a great idea because it would give me all weekend to bake.

Well, I was laying in bed Sunday night at midnight about to nod off when I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to have a freshly baked cake in my kitchen waiting to be taken into work the following morning. I got out of bed and starting perusing cookbooks for a recipe that contained ingredients I had on hand. I could have stopped at Wegman's in the morning but I'm known throughout the office for my baked goods and didn't want to disappoint.

I found this recipe for Bittersweet Chocolate Bundt cake. Plenty of butter, sugar, eggs, coffee crystals and bittersweet chocolate. I mixed the thing up alternating the chocolate/coffee mixture with the flour mixture into the butter and eggs. Baked it and for the first time ever....when I loosened the edges and turned the thing out....about a half inch of cake remained in the bottom. No prob....cover it up with bittersweet chocolate fudge glaze. At three o'clock in the morning I slipped back into bed. Thank goodness for my sister and my cousin and Words with Friends... kept me busy during baking time and cooling time.

fancy sheets

About twenty years ago I went to a garage sale that was a like a dream come true to me. I bought a 16 place setting of Rogers silverware, lots of rhinestone pins and a gift box containing this top sheet and two pillow cases. Hand crocheted and gifted to someone who never took them out of the box. I thought how sad to not use something so beautiful...hide it away so no one ever sees it. I brought them home and put the box in the back of my linen closet. It's a full sheet for a double bed and regular size cases. We have a king bed and king cases.

In the past couple years now that Jay has moved away from home I have found myself sleeping in his room, the guest bedroom, my bedroom. I like to sleep with night lights, shades up. I like to fall asleep reading and I like to stay up late. B likes to sleep in pitch black rooms. He falls asleep instantly. Goes to bed early. Now I find that I sleep in my bedroom every night. I was putting sheets away in the linen closet and I saw this box tucked away. A perfect opportunity to use and enjoy my fancy sheets. It is a pleasure climbing into bed every night with these sheets. I feel like a princess. The cases are the same as the sheets. This is a reminder to all not to die with beautiful things tucked away waiting for that special occasion.

failure to communicate

I won tickets to a Sabre hockey game tonight. B came home from a bike ride. Went to shower. I am waiting and working at the computer. We are going to dinner first. Leaving at 5. waiting waiting waiting....then I look out the kitchen window and there he is in the car. Has been there awhile. I said why didn't you tell me you were going out to the car. He said why couldn't you look out the window and see I was out there. More words were spoken then quiet.

just sayin'

Almost everyone has a nicer kitchen than me

i don't know what to think

So I don't know what to think about this. Today I'm cooking away. I made Chocolate Chipotle cookies because I discovered a recipe for them involving a chocolate cake mix. I was looking for a recipe for cookies that I could use these little micro marshmallows in. I bought these marshmallows about a year ago and while cleaning the pantry I saw them and wanted to use them up. I'm making both cookies today.

I've also always been enchanted by chestnuts. I buy them every year and let them mold and throw them away. A few years ago I roasted them and found I like them. I have a recipe for Cream of Chestnut Soup in my wooden recipe box that B's sister, Mary, gave me years ago. The box, not the recipe. So today I made it. I've always wanted to make one of those desserts with chestnut creme filling also. Someday I will.

But to get back to this. I announced that I love to cook. It is one of the things that makes me happiest. B replied that that is something new. I haven't always liked to cook he said. I said I've always loved to cook. Why do you think I don't like it. He said...you don't like to cook because you never know what to make. I said....sometimes I think you don't know me at all. He said something like....F'ing A.... with a big sigh. I said....I do better when I just don't talk at all.

box of fun

Open me on Sunday...Dress Barn sparkly red top with frog closure and sparkly red rhinestone earrings and Avon's little black dress colgne

On Friday I stopped at an Amvets that I don't get to very often. It's very large and always has a few wonderful items waiting for me to discover. This time I kept coming across nice Alfred Dunner tops...the kind my mom likes. I came home with seven tops for her. After laundering them I started to put them away to include in her Christmas present. But then I thought....she gets so much for Christmas. Maybe I should send them now. Her best friend and her best friend's husband are quite ill now. I thought maybe this would help cheer my mom up and give her something to look forward to each day. I sometimes send her make-up and cologne that I've bought and then never use. She has always enjoyed getting those things too and tells me that she always uses them up. So this is what I did. I went through my cologne and found seven bottles that I don't use. And then my earrings to find seven pairs I could part with. I plan to wrap a top, a bottle of cologne and a pair of earrings to make seven gifts that I'll label....Open me on Monday....Open me on Tuesday etc.


Open me on Monday....Vicki Wayne's white quilty top with fake diamond solitaire earrings and White Shoulders ( I had two bottles)


Open me on Tuesday....Alfred Dunner red, white and blue sweater top with little red earrings and Clinque Aromatics Elixir (I'll have to keep that word in mind for Words with Friends)


Open me on Wednesday....Alfred Dunner striped zipper front top with tiny pink and silver earrings and Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely


Open me on Thursday....Alfred Dunner yellow, navy and white top with gold earrings and some Avon cologne I don't know the name of. Can't think of the name for that zigzag pattern either. Aargh!


Open me on Friday...Northerrn Reflections tan sweater top with embroidered pink roses, pink flower dangle earings and Avon's Extrodinary (I had a little trouble parting with these earrings but they looked so much like the roses that I had to let them go.


Talbots intarsia sweater with purple and silver Jody Coyote earrings and Givenchy Organza

I'm throwing in a bag of my make-up. Just what every one would want. LOL Happy opening Mom! Have fun!!

ten years younger

Friday evening I drove to NCCC to meet up with B for the annual Employee Recogntion Dinner. B was presenting an award to a woman in his department. We were assigned table 19 with the other V-Ps but B had promised his staff (all women) that he would sit with them. I believe he has a staff of about 30 (all women) and 7 were attending. I had only met one or two of them before and it was obvious to me that they like my husband and were happy with his decision to sit at their table. They asked me lots of questions....like where did B get that cloth bag that he takes his lunch to work in every day.

This was the menu...

Butler passed shrimp & antipasto
Spring greens with poached pear, dried cranberries, and blue cheeese crumbles
Roasted turkey with cranberry glaze
Pepper crusted beef tenderloin
Linguine with julienne of squash, zucchini and mushrooms with garlic olive oil
Eggplant roulades
Oven roasted red potatoes
Whipped butternut squash

It was incredible as usual. It was prepared by the culinary department as usual. The school is getting ready to open a new culinary school and restaurant in Niagara Falls.

So anyway we were standing in line and one of his ladies said to me "So how much younger are you than your husband anyway? You look at least ten years younger."
I replied " Two weeks. Older. Two weeks older."

I do not think that B overheard this little exchange and I did not tell him. But I secretly rolled it around in my head the rest of the evening.

happy birthday

happy birthday to me
happy birthday to me
happy birthday dear mona
happy birthday to me

dinner at the butler mansion

Firm dinner at the Butler Mansion on Delaware and what I plan to wear.

Fushia Coldwater Creek dress with silver sparkly Enzo flats, vintage crystal necklace, crystal earrings, beaded purse and sheer pink ruffly shawl

Thought about black velvet pumps and black velvet shawl but everyone wears black including me most of the time. Decided to go crystal and rosy tonight.

pumpkin mousse

Whip a half cup of whipping cream. Fold in half a jar of pumpkin butter and a squirt of maple syrup. You can spice it up with cinnamon or nutmeg or both.

free fridays

I don't work on Fridays and I think it is one of the wisest decisions I've ever made. I will start working Fridays and even Saturdays again during tax season. But in the meantime I have to say that money is nice, but I really don't spend much of it. Time thrills me more. Time to clean my house and pursue fun activities. One of which is thrifting. Goodwill finds can thrill me as much as a new Jaguar may thrill other people.

Today I'm buckling down and getting some housework done, but last Friday I went to Goodwill and came home satisfied. I found a nice pair of St John's Bay brown corduroy jeans and a pair of Loft black corduroy jeans among another things. Two of my favorite finds were a vintage dress from the 20s or 30s and a beaded blouse. I saw a lady look at the blouse and put it in her cart. I actually waited around and pretended to look through things until she came out of the dressing and hung it back on the rack. That's when I grabbed it and headed to the check-out.
So here is my vintage dress


I know it looks kind of like a baggy sack. It actually looks pretty cute on due to the smocking on the shoulders and the gatherings in the back below the waist.


the tag....I Googled and I believe it is pretty old


shoulder smocking


black velvet bow


back waist gathering


beaded blouse....wore it Wednesday and got a compliment

toastmasters

Today was our open house and I had volunteered to be humorist. I volunteered for this position because I often have humorous things happen in my life that I can relate. This week the only humor I encountered was inappropriate for a Toastmasters meeting. With nothing funny going on to talk about and time running out, I sat down this and penned this little poem that talks about my first Toastmaster's meeting and the events that proceeded.

Reluctant to attend
I sat there, stomach churning
When asked why I was there
I felt my face start burning

I replied that I was terrified
When faced with public speaking
Those words set my teeth a-chattering
And my eyes a-leaking

I sat there feeling cynical
Amidst that smiling crowd
Thinking that I would never fit in
With this group that spoke so proud

Then the speeches started
I got lost in emotions
Drawn into their lives
As if I’d been given potions

I like these smiling faces
I like all this support
And so I joined Toastmasters
And I’m happy to report…

That I have spoken four times
And filled every single role
Although it still is sometimes hard
I’m working towards a goal

Reluctant to attend
I sat there feeling cynical
But my feelings started to bend
And I hope to reach a pinnacle

halloween event

I ran into Wegman's yesterday to pick up a prescription after my work-out at the BAC.
It should have been a quick in and out trip but Weggie's was having a Halloween event. Outside they were selling flower bouquets made in pumpkins, huge caramel apples dipped in various candies, hot cider and doughnut holes. I made it past this but the first thing I encountered was a stand giving out samples of pumpkin soda. She also gave me a card with the events that were happening so I made the rounds. I bought two creature cupcakes for B and I to have for dessert Sunday or Monday. On to the produce department where I tried Caramel Apple Dip. This was cream cheese covered with caramel dip and crushed Heath bars with apple slices to dip. In the meat department I had prosciutto on a stick. In dairy I had Mexican Layer dip. I was too early to taste the seasonal beer. It wasn't noon yet. But my favorite by far was the Cheese Fondue. It was Danny Wegman's wife's cheese fondue recipe. She is from Switzerland so it is very authentic and by far the best cheese fondue I've ever had.

Here is the recipe...

1 clove peeled garlic
8 oz shredded Emmental Savoie
8 oz shredded Imported Le Gruyere
4 oz shredded Surchoix Appenzeller
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp corn starch
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 T Kirsch
Fresh crusty bread chunks
1. Bring all ingredients to room temp.
2. Rub garlic clove along inside of a large saucepan. Place pan on stove top on Med heat. Add cheese and white wine. Cook stirring constantly in a figure 8 about 15 min until smooth.
3. Whisk corn starch and Kirsch in small bowl until smooth. Add to pan. Cook stirring constantly about 10 min until bubbles. Add pepper. Transfer to fondue pot.

I think it is the addition of the Kirsch that makes this so special. All the employees were dressed in costumes and the store was full of young families with children trick or treating. It is always such a treat going to Wegman's.

trip home-day four

Marilyn showing her fancy house panties


After breakfast at the Corner Bakery we checked out of the Wyndham and stashed our suitcases in Carla's car and set out walking. We walked past Marilyn. She stands now where the American Gothic couple used to stand. Everyone was clamoring to have their picture taken under Marilyn. We even saw wedding pictures being taken here.


Marilyn Monroe in her famous pose



Our plan was to see Millennium Park, the Willis Tower and buy tickets for the play Red at Goodman theater that evening. We wanted to see Willis Tower early because we knew it would be busy but it was across town from the theater that would be opening in an hour for ticket purchase. So we hung around near the theater and walked through Millennium Park. Some fashion magazine had a big tent set up and you could go in and have facials, pedicures etc. I don't know what these guys were supposed to be but they were walking around and people were posing with them for pictures. So I took one also.


Barb and I reflected in The Bean


a view of the city from the park


a view of the city from our room

After purchasing our tickets for the play we went to Willis Tower. The line was long for tickets and then again to get up to the top. Carla needed to get back home so we bought our tickets to use later and went back to the car. Carla drove us to Hotel 71....very posh and modern hotel on the river. She dropped us off. We checked in and stood in awe of our view for about hour.


Donna and Barb in our room at Hotel 71


Trump Tower across the river

It was lunchtime by now so we stopped in Macy's which will always be Marchall Field's to me and ate lunch in the famous Walnut Room. Donna and I had salads and Barb partook of the famous Chicken Pot pie. We had Orange Blossoms to drink. On our way out of the store we stopped at the Lush department in the cosmetics section and all bought some of the handmade shower bombs. I bought one called Sex in the Shower that smelled like Ylang ylang.



Finally we made it up into Willis Tower. This is the three of us standing over Jackson Street in one of the bump-outs. It was a beautiful clear day and we could see far.


the bump-out across from us complete with bird droppings

We went back to our room and changed for the play. It was a drama and quite good. Afterwards we stopped at the Purple Pig for champagne and a tapas dinner that included shredded Brussels spouts salad, roasted bone marrow, calamari salad and fried Manchengo cheese.


our night time view from our hotel

We stayed up very late that night talking and having more wine and building our friendships.

On Sunday morning Donna's husband, Bruce, came to pick her up and drive us to the airport. A very, very memorable trip.

what goes around comes around

As I was getting ready for work this morning I had a Deja Vu feeling that I'd worn this very same outfit many years ago. In junior high. 7th or 8th grade.

I had a corduroy print hip hugger skirt made by my sweet sister, Deb, who sewed many of my clothes. A wide hip hugger belt. I wore this skirt with either a navy ribbed cotton short sleeved top or a gold ribbed short sleeve sweater. Mary Janes like the present ones except the cross strap was straight across instead of on an angle.

Even my hair cut was the same but now it is a little longer with softer sideswept bangs instead of more straight blunt cut bangs. Everything is a little softer now including my body. But hey, for a few minutes as I was getting dressed I felt 13 or 14 again with all the possibilities in front of me that a 13 or 14 year old has. Styles come and go but still there are basic styles that are timeless. If I had actually been wearing the very outfit that I wore in junior high, I would not have looked out of place. Only fat like a stuffed sausage.

what's goin' on

Here's what's goin' on. Over the weekend I bought wine to replenish my wine rack. I'm really liking Spanish wines right now. Hooked on Tempranilla. This is a good one.



I also cleaned out my lazy susan and found several jars of peanut butter that have remained untouched for while. I made a batch of chunky pb cookies and a batch of chocolate pb cookies. Took them to work today. 7 dozen and only 8 cookies remained at the end of day. I've been cooking and baking more lately.

Wonder what happened with me teaching that Boot Camp class? Well, Sandy already had a teacher for the class that I was willing to teach.. She said she would use me as a substitute. I'm not really sure teaching is for me. I'm just not a rah rah kind of a person. And it's really really hard to instruct and call out before you actually make the move. I tried it and I don't think I liked it. I'd rather have someone teach me.

Toastmasters is going okay. I gave another speech recently without any notes and no ums or ahs. This I kind of enjoy even though it causes me great anxiety a few days before. I won table topics two sessions in a row which is an accomplishment for the tongue-tied person I used to be.

ASWA....we are hosting the Northeast Conference this year....a huge endeavor. I offered up suggestions of getting Colleen Wegman as a speaker and also Toastmasters. I offered to write to Colleen and tell her that I'm Wegman's biggest fan but I failed to attend the last board meeting and someone else is contacting her now. However, I was approached to put together a Toastmasters session. I am going to speak at this along with Caroline and hopefully Kevin. B told me to let him know when this was coming up and he would move out of the house the week before. He has experienced my anxiety before.

Got my hair cut and colored and it is laying pretty now. I like it.

Bought a book called One-Yard Wonders. It has lots of cute projects and I would like to find some time to work on a couple. Maybe make something for our Christmas fundraiser.

Running and exercise is going well. Work is....well.... work is work. What can I say?

My kitty loves me and the lilies I bought this weekend are opening and emitting a lovely fragrance. Every day I try to find at least one thing good about the day. Pollyanna calls it playing the glad game. I used to be very good at it. I faltered for awhile but I'm making the effort again.

I love Spotify. I can listen to any song I want when I want.

The leaves are changing color and looking very pretty.

And that's what's goin' on.

trip home-day four

Rose Champagne Cocktails at Pops for Champagne

Friday morn Barb and I got up and made breakfast for all of us. We kissed my mama goodbye and headed North to Chicago. My friend, Donna, came to the airport to pick us up from the car rental place. Donna and I have been friends since our sons were less than a year old. We met at the swimming pool during swim lessons. I can still see those two little babies in their Speedos.

Donna drove us to Roselle, the suburb where we both lived and where Donna still lives. I asked her to drive me past my sweet old house. Then I asked if we could stop at the Lynfred Winery. We decided to do the wine tasting. Most wine tastings don't take long but this wine tasting included 8 or 9 wines and our hostess poured us half glasses of each. We were smashed by the time we got back to Donna's house. We enjoyed her delish Caeser salad and quiche and grapes but decided to fore go the bottle of wine she had planned to open.

So then a trip downtown on the train I used to ride every day to and from work and a long walk pulling our suitcases behind us to a hotel just off the Magnificent Mile. Here we met up with Donna's sister Carla who was staying the night also. We settled in and chatted then met up with Carla's friend, Lori, at Quartino for dinner. Quartino is like a tapas bar only Italian. Everything was good especially the mushroom risotto. The place was loud, crowded and packed. The manager bumped into Lori's chair so many times that finally he apologized and brought us another free bottle of the wine we were drinking.

Afterwards we felt it was a little too early to go back so we went to Pops for Champagne and had the above cocktails. We had a great table right in the window.

Back to the hotel where we may have shared another glass of wine or not. I can't remember. We were all tired and looking forward to the next day of sightseeing.

trip home-day three

Barb at New Salem

I awoke very early on day three. It was still dark outside. Everyone else was asleep and I decided to go out for a walk on the NHM blacktop. I knew I would probably be back before anyone else got up. When I returned Mom and Barb were just waking. Mom still wasn't feeling well and didn't want to participate in our day's outing. Barb and I decided to go to Mason City for breakfast. When we got to MC we found the restaurant we had intended to eat at was completely gutted and no longer in business. But MC has another restaurant...a Mexican restaurant. When we walked in the door, everyone in the busy restaurant stopped talking and eating and looked up at us wondering who these two strangers were in a little town where everyone knows everyone else. I felt on display and actually gave a little wave to the crowd. We had wonderful omelets here and great coffee served up by a friendly waitress. I drove Barb by the swimming pool where I had spent many happy hours splashing and playing while my dad sat and read a book all day outside of the fence. I had intended to drive to Greenview, then Petersburg from here, but remembered that I had forgotten to cash a check at the bank in Mtown before we left. So we drove back to Mtown, I cashed my check and we went out to the Irish Grove Cemetery so Barb could see where my dad and all my relatives on my mom's side are buried. While we we walking around in the cemetery, I got a call from my sister in Arizona letting me know that my mom had called the doctor for an appointment and he had sent her to the emergency room to be checked out. The message that was relayed to me from mom was that Barb and I should go ahead with our plans. My mom's friends were with her and there wasn't much we could do. So we did go ahead with our plans with a little bit of worry all day. You may wonder why my mother called my sister in Arizona instead of calling me. I think maybe she wanted Deb to know and she didn't want to spoil my vacation plans.

So Barb and I drove on to Greenview and then to Petersburg where we shopped at some of the gift shops on the square. Our next stop was New Salem State Park. We walked through the village and looked in all the houses and shops. It was an absolutely perfect weather day. Upon leaving NS we drove back to Petersburg and stopped at the grocery store. Here we bought salads, crackers and grapes which we took with us to have with a bottle of wine at Hill Prairie Winery. A cold front blew in and the weather became very windy and cold. We had planned to eat our lunch on the deck at the winery but had to eat inside. It began to spit rain. Wouldn't you know that after we left the winery the weather began to clear up again? The only bad weather all day was at the precise time that we had wanted to sit outside on the deck.

Now I had been calling mom's phone and Bert's phone all afternoon trying to get an update. No answer. I knew they had my cell phone # but I had received no calls. So Barb and I drove to Lincoln to the hospital. There I found out that she had been treated and released. I told Barb that I was certain that we could find them at Walmart. We walked into Walmart and there they were. Mom rode home with Bert and Ken because she had been with them all day. Mom had been at the hospital all day and was very hungry when she was released. Barb and I had planned to cook dinner at home for the three of us but since mom had just eaten I fixed sandwiches for Barb and I. I think this was the evening that we all sat in the living room and went through the recipe box. Maybe it was the night before. I wrote down a recipe for Eclair Cake that I'm anxious to try. I think I'll make it for the person I have to bake for in our birthday club at work. When I went to bed this evening I tried to read a bit but fell asleep instantly and this night I slept soundly. The next morning we had plans to drive back up to Chicago for the part II of our trip.

music

Music...that great healer

there is nothing wrong in this world that music can not heal

plans

At my last ASWA meeting we had a speaker who was a holistic financial planner. She was a CFP with a financial firm , but was letting that expire to start her own practice working in conjunction with your financial planner whether it be yourself or someone else. She works with people to identify what is important to you and then how much money you might need to pursue that life. I enjoyed her presentation but as these things usually involve examining your life, I have a problem with this. You have to look at your hopes and dreams. Where you want to be 5, 10, 15 , 20 years from now. I never know. Where do I want to be? Goal setting stuff.

Well, I've been in my house for nearly 23 years and my goal was to have all the rooms redecorated. My kitchen has needed remodeling and updating for these 23 years. Every year when I made out a Christmas list I used to put....remodel kitchen on it. There have been heated discussions. Then a few years ago I stopped mentioning this. I accepted. Just recently I said to B....I know we are never going to remodel the kitchen, or change the wallpaper in the living room. I've accepted that. But could we just change the curtain rods to decorative ones because the old white ones are just ugly and old fashioned. He kept saying....no,no,no we are going to remodel the kitchen while I was speaking. But I know we aren't.

I don't know where I'll be any of those years from now or what I'll be doing. Aren't there a couple sayings?

the best laid plans of mice and men
life is what happens while you're busy making other plans

I don't plan anymore
I don't dream

carol of the bells

I've been a real social butterfly as of late. On Saturday evening B and I attended one of the two annual events that give me an opportunity to get dressed up each year. I always enjoy the NCCC College Scholarship Fundraiser. This year it seems that there was not a lot of competition in the silent auction. We put down our number for six items and no one else bid on them at all, so we got all six. For some reason I was attracted to this collection of bells from various countries. I was thinking I could keep the ones I like or give them as gifts and sell the rest on EBay. They are still sitting on the table waiting for me to do something with them. They each have a unique ring to them.



B and I both liked this oil painting of a bleak, wintry cityscape.



I bid on this watercolor of blueberries for my dining room wall that features other pictures of fruit.

B won a little water fountain in the shape of a castle for his desk and a wooden jewelry box/charger for his dresser. You put your phone, iPod, etc on it and the cord goes through an open space in the back.

But the nicest thing we won was a night's stay in the posh Barton Hill Hotel and Spa in historic downtown Lewiston along with two tickets for the Christmas House Walk.



The culinary department did a bang job with the food again this year. The desserts were outstanding also. Bill and I shared an awesome flourless chocolate cake and a pumpkin mousse bar. But my favorite dessert are always these sugar cookies. They are among the best I've ever eaten. Darned if I didn't eat the acorn which was the cutest one before I thought to take a picture. I brought these two leaves home with me to have with coffee the following day.

pumpkin latte

I'm going to try this in my coffee tomorrow morning.

farm fresh eggs

If life gives you eggs, make omelets.

We have a new admin assistant at work. She lives on a beef cattle farm but also has five chickens. They produce more eggs than her family needs so she sent an email out letting us know that if we brought in an empty egg carton that she would fill it for us. I was overwhelmed by the beauty and perfection. You wouldn't even have to color these at Easter. They would be perfect set out as is.



Saturday morning I made an omelet for B. He wanted cheddar cheese, peppers, onions and tomato in his omelet. Over the years I've become a pro at waffles and pancakes but I'm still getting my sea legs when it comes to omelets.



This is the finished product and it could be a little less brown but he liked it that way.



I had a maitake mushroom omelet.

trip home-day two

Auntie M, Mom and Barb

On Wednesday we had a light breakfast at home and then Barb (my mom), Barb (my friend), and I headed to Lincoln via New Holland where I pointed out my old high school and houses of school classmates. In Lincoln I drove us around some pointing out the square,the courthouse, the library and parks. We shopped at Abe's where curiously enough the only thing that I bought was a knife that cuts wavy cukes and carrot slices. When I got home again and was putting this away in my cutlery drawer I discovered the very same knife with the very same gold handle that I had probably purchased the year before at Abe's. I must really like it.

Then Mission Mart, one of my favorite thrift stores. I usually walk away from Mission Mart with a dozen pairs of shoes but this year could not find a single pair that I liked. I did come away with a Bohemian-looking black print halter dress that my mom thought I was crazy for buying and an oatmeal St John's Bay zip-front sweater. Also a cute brown zip-front sweatshirt. On to the impressive new Goodwill. Here I bought a super soft feminine purple stretchy boiled wool jacket, a Calvin Klein pink corduroy jacket, a cream and gold brocade jeans-cut jacket, a black tweed Chicos cardigan and a green khaki Banana Republic skirt. All cute, cute, cute. Barb and I had packed for warmer weather and I ended up wearing most of these jackets on our trip because the weather was a little nippy.

After shopping we drove to Elkhart to eat lunch at The Wild Hare. Barb and I had Stuffed Green Pepper Soup and Asparagus Quiche. Mom had a different soup and a sandwich. Mom wanted me to find something she could buy me for my birthday and it wasn't hard finding it here. I won't say what it was because it's put away and I have to forget about it until my birthday.

After lunch we drove towards Mt. Pulaski just to experience the beauty of Elkhart Hill and then we turned around continued towards Springfield.



Barb and I with the Lincolns

The day flies by so much more quickly than you expect. We had hoped to visit the new Abraham Lincoln Library Museum, his home and his tomb, but only had time for the museum. We did have time to explore it thoroughly and see both of the shows. Mom wasn't feeling very well so instead of having dinner in Springfield, we went home.

After relaxing at home a bit, Barb and I wanted to go check out the new bar, Slackers, in New Holland. We dropped mom off at her friend, Bert's house. I always wonder when I go home for a visit if I will see anyone I know. Lo and behold, when we walked in there was an old high school friend sitting at the bar with his dad. A little while later two more Middletown guys that I know came in. The guys bought us drinks and we reciprocated by buying shots. Barb and I had intended to drive to Lincoln for dinner but ended up staying at the bar and having pizza and enjoying a pleasant evening of conversation.

We picked up mom from Bert's house and went in for a visit with Bert and Ken. It was
another fairly early evening to bed for us. I seem to not adjust well to even a hour time change. The night before I laid in bed for hours before I could fall asleep and I awoke very early in the morning. This night was no exception.