IS IT MID FEBRUARY ALREADY?

Well, time certainly does fly by.  Last week I only worked 40 hours but the two weeks before that were 54 hour weeks and that left me very little time for anything else especially anything on a computer.  Today I am off (both Saturday and Sunday) and it is a glorious day today.  Temperatures will be in the mid-60's and sunny.  PERFECT!!!  I do have errands to run and I think JR and I might try to catch a movie this afternoon.  I am hoping to cash in on the great day and not whittle it away doing nothing.  I am recovering from a cold and still have a cough that I need to get rid of.  I don't feel bad but I do not have tons of energy either.  So lots of liquids, accomplishing tasks around the house, some outdoor time for fresh air and time with hubby.  It should be a great day.

On the food front, not much to talk about.  We had lamb chops one night and last night we had fish tacos again.  I am making a pasta dish for our Sunday gathering to watch one episode of Doc Martin and one episode of Downton Abby.  Both of these are on DVD's.  It should be a fun evening.  The weather will not be near as great as today but at least in the mid 40's.  Soon we will have March and then hopefully spring.  Yeah.

WINTER

Well, the holiday season is well over and as you can see, I have not been blogging.  I had been trying to blog about food but I must say that our eating habits in January have not been stellar.  I go back to work in January and usually the other half picks up the cooking.  I noticed last year that his creativeness was waning.  This year is no different so I am stuck planning the meals.  I try to aim for a variety of meals (usually unsuccessfully).  One night each of chicken, pork, beef, fish, meatless and maybe gluten free.  The one problem is that my spouse is not a big fan of the meatless night and tries (usually successfully) to sneak in a meat.  Tomorrow I am planning a crock pot dish.  I have made this for years.  It is beef (usually a round steak or roast), a package of Lipton's Onion Soup, a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup and 1/4 C of water.  Mix everything together and pour it over cut up beef and cook for about 8 hours.  You can serve it over noodles or mashed potatoes and I always choose noodles.  There should be enough left over to make either a shepard's pie or open-face roast beef sandwiches.  Right now that is as far as I have gone in the menue planning stage.  We have been going to a local bar on Tuesday nights with friends but oddly have not really been eating out.  I think that once I am home from work, I am not interested in going out to eat.  It saves us money so that part is good.

DECMEBER 17

In the middle 90's we celebrated our 25th anniversary by taking a Caribbean cruise.  We took my in-laws, my mother and our son.  I bunked with my mom and our son shared a cabin with his father. Yes definitely a romantic cruise !!  Our last stop on the cruise was Key West.  Jimmy Buffet was a favorite musician of my husband and so we purchased a Margaritaville ornament.  It represents not only the song but the restaurant.  It was an interesting trip and that is when the term "herding cats" became a common utterance of my husband!

DECEMBER 16

As I mentioned in a previous blog, the beach has played an important part of our lives.  In the late 80's we purchased a condo in Myrtle Beach with friends of ours.  So for most the remaining 80's and up to the late 90's we vacationed there.  It was not on the beach but rather a golf course.  We decided to sell it after our friend passed away.  We have enjoyed going there every year and had also rented it out.  It was seriously damaged by some tenants who shot fireworks off inside the unit and so I did not regret selling it.  In the late 90's we bought a time share on Hilton Head Island and that is where we currently routinely "beach it".  Here are several ornaments typifying the beach.  The flip flop ornament was bought in Myrtle Beach a couple of years ago and I am not sure where the others were bought.

DECEMBER 15

Since we are discussing trips I would remiss if I omitted Ireland and a very brief stay in England that did not include London.  It started out as a business trip to Dublin for my husband where we met up with friends who had been to Ireland 2 other times.  Thus we drove through the northern part of the Republic of Ireland and a short drive through Northern Ireland.  We stopped at the Belleek factory and while I loved everything, I realized that my home would not house all that I wanted to purchase. We bought a small vase and a shillelagh ornament.  A shillelagh is an Irish walking cane. Ireland is a glorious country with friendly people.  However a couple of young boys took great delight in directing us the wrong direction and were on the ground laughing when we had to drive back past them in order to catch a ferry.  Once again we have fond memories whenever this ornament goes on the tree.