On the edge, ready to jump off

1-26-12 absent brain

I am having a fantasy this week:

Greg takes an early buy out from his Federal job, I retire and we live a simple, relaxing life back in Des Moines. What would we do? We’d stay in bed as long as we want, we’d hug a lot, we’d read, we’d go for walks, we’d eat healthy cheap meals at home, we’d clean our own house, we’d have time to volunteer. I’d work on that children’s book and do some art.

Well my fantasy is telling me that:

1) I have brain overload and can’t handle the fast pace of my current life, 

or 2) I am feeling the effects of the Dragon new year already and I am looking for a change, 

or 3) Solar flares are affecting my thinking.

My conclusion this week:

After 3 years of writing this blog, I need a sabbatical. I also will be unplugging from Facebook for the month of February. Sad to say my friends will not be able to see where I check in to eat, and they won’t be privy to my random thoughts…. and I won’t be tracking their every move either. Think of the freedom that will bring us all!

I’ll be willing to keep posting Ann’s GUEST Blogs on Wednesday and I also would be happy to post any other guest blog posts from my friends who want to fill in for me.

Can I do this? Can I unplug from this communication overload and focus my energy in places which need more of my attention? Let’s see.

“jump”

Wednesday GUEST BLOG

1-25-12 hungry brain
Ann is one of the best cooks I know! ~ Judy

Memorable Evening - Dinner For Twelve

Like Judy, this girl has her hands full with winter projects. There’s #1 healthy habit- week 3, #2clean sweeping- yet to be started, #3project woolly(mittens)- in high gear, and #4dinner for twelve for a great friend.

Long story short, I work for a utility company (x 14 years) and my co-worker has worked here for 42 years. Yes, you heard me, 42 years and she works in Davenport. She is my right and left hand and really, the brains of the operation. I could write a ton more, but she’s very humble and wanted to sign off without a big hurrah. Rats, no balloons, tea or cookies. Then came my ah! moment, have a dinner for her at my house. I asked and she agreed, just keep it simple.

Now, how to make this special? I could cater (too expensive), ask everyone to bring a dish (not special) or just cook a good meal and make it special. Yep, that’s what I did. Well, I had 2 weeks to get this done.

The guest list was thinned down to twelve, twelve good friends who have worked with her over the last 20 years. Then the menu, make it like a menu with choices and have help serving it. That’s where Judy and Sue come in. I knew if I was serving and running around, it would not be special. Sue and Judy agreed and I can’t thank them enough.

While the menu looks complicated, it really wasn’t’ that hard to make.

Julia Childs French Onion Soup – made from scratch with a ton of onions, brandy and wine.
Cranberry n’ Pear Green Salad – very yummy with chocolate balsamic vinegar
Fresh Green Beans Bacon Bundles – made ahead and baked before dinner
Georgia’s Meatball Pasta – thanks to my friend Georgia for making the pasta n’ sauce, I added the pasta n’ cheese and cooked it in the crockpot.
Steak in Mushroom Sauce – minute steak browned, browned mushrooms n’ onions, then cooked onion soup in the crockpot.
Grandma Bonnie’s Apple Pie – yep, grandma Bonnie Longaberger and I finally got to use my pie crust shield.
Tyler Florence Four Layer Coconut Cake – made from scratch with cake flour, baked, cut, assembled with rum sauce and butter cream filling, frosted and covered in coconut.

            

I cooked/baked everything on Wednesday evening and by my calculation, I needed three hours to finish up for 6 pm serving time on Thursday. I ended work at 2:30, rushed home to turn on the crockpots, warm up the soup and hang my signs (coats here, bathroom there, do not enter here and there, food station signs). 

Yes, I’m a bit detailed.

We ate in the living room (I moved the furniture to the bedroom), with party lights overhead, jazz music on. The dinner called for chargers and I was able to locate my read chargers along with a matching set of dinnerware for twelve (thanks to my Target after Christmas sale last year). The table looked very nice.

            

Sue and Judy were excellent, tended to our needs and served the dinner to a tee. I made dinner menus with their names on them so it would be easy for serving. Additionally, I had a nice table map for them to remember who was who. Can’t say enough, they were terrific HELP!        

 
            

To end the special evening, I got out the karaoke machine for 30 minutes, a lot of laughs on my behalf. And as a parting gift, all the girls got to pick out a special gift, a sweater mitten I made, aka “project woolly”. This was a major hit, each one got to try on and select the one that fitted them best. Darn, I should of gotten a group shot.

             

Congratulations to my good friend on her 42 years of service. I’m sure she will remember this evening for a long time. Like I said  … ING … The beginning of a new adventure for Joan!

        

Chat Later,

That Girl, Ann Marie

Tuesday part 2

1-24-12 over worked brain

My father called to give me a hard time about not blogging this week..... So a quick note at lunch:

Today the sun came out and I have started to gain back some energy. Work the last few weeks has been draining…. Trying to juggle too many projects at once, plus missing my “revival” time with Greg (and Clover).
I love this picture Greg sent me.

However, this week...., I AM celebrating the start of a new Chinese Year of the Dragon. I remember my acupuncture friends warning me last year to “hang on”… cause the Rabbit year would challenge everyone. This has proven to be true when I look around me and see many of my friends or friends of friends struggling in many different ways last year.

I ran into my friend Mark at church Sunday, after not seen him for months. He said this last year was the worst in his life. His marriage is ending. This really makes me sad since that family was one of my favorite families.  So after receiving this news, which punched me in the stomach….. I decided to lay low the rest of the day…. And ride out the last day of the Rabbit year on the couch watching TV. Hey, I even took an afternoon nap. This was something that rarely happened in 2011. This made me realize I have been pushing myself way too hard in 2011. Time for a change- and I really enjoyed being lethargic all day Sunday.

I got out my CD’s of Northern Exposure (one of my favorite TV shows from the early 90’s) and started a marathon watching of season Five. This was perfect viewing for me on a gloomy winter’s day.

Not to say that I wasn’t out socializing at all this last weekend..... Friday night Sue took to over to the Drake fitness area and we walked the track for an hour.  Saturday night was a long planned Progressive Party on my street. Luckily I was not hosting and only had to walk a few houses away to have some fun.

House one (Amy and Jon)  had great appetizers…. So many to pig out on, which was my dinner. House two (Tamara and Doyle) was desserts.  And as usual IF there is a piano around…. Steve started to play, along with Marilyn- and we were all entertained with lovely background music and even did a sing-along.

My one neighbor, Jenny, owns a coffee shop down in the East Village area of Des Moines and we talked art. I now have my next place to exhibit my Peace Art come this spring- which I am very excited about. The East Village is a perfect spot for my art, since a lot of hip, young people live and work there.

So all in all….

Life is going along pretty well, and gee- I shouldn’t even complain at all about this winter’s weather, it has been so easy when compared to the winter of 2009 into 2010, although I know my parents in Northern Iowa have received a lot more snow than Des Moines has so far this year.

Peace Out everyone!
Ann has a blog for tomorrow, but I won't commit to writing on Thursday- sorry.

Happy Peace

1-24-12

VTGIF! .....Very thankful!

1-20-12 frazzled brain

So glad it is Friday..... my short work week has proven to be stressful..... or I suppose I let it become that way. I've been trying to work with a committee to set up our Fall Workshop and Banquet Dinner. It is hard to please everyone and hard to get all the pieces lined up in a row.

A light dusting of snow today, but I believe the heavier snow will be north of here. I guess I am now in the snow mood and not stressing about shoveling so much. Yet that is easy to say with only a few inches on the ground so far this year.

Last night Sue and I when over to Ann's house to help her with her "over the top" project for THIS week. Ann was hostessing a retirement dinner for 12, in honor of a co-worker. Man, she spent all week cooking and baking... and cleaning... to the extreme- but the food was fabulous. I sampled most of it. Sue and I became "the help"... serving the food and working the kitchen.

Holiday weekend report II

1-19-12

 Holiday weekend I am thinking every week needs a three day weekend. It would be nice to only work a 4 day work week. I guess I could easily do that by putting in FOUR- ten hours days. Some people do that.

Last Sunday I got out of bed earlier than I really wanted to, (since I was up until mid-night)….. but at 8:30 Sue and I went over the Chefs to have breakfast together, which was fun to have time to visit with her one on one. Then I went home to shower in time to attend 2^nd service at church.

After church I helped set up my art display panels for the Art Reception at being held later Sunday afternoon. With the panels, the artists were encouraged to bring more of their work to display- beside the large pieces hung in the sanctuary. I also had lunch with a few church friends.

Sunday’s Art Reception turned out very nice. There was a trio playing music, and some delicious fancy finger food served with punch.

I had many positive comments about my large pixel art. One guy- a friend of a friend of a friend- who collects art…. Thought my piece should sell for $800 to $1,000 ! Wow I wonder if I will ever get into that market?  I suppose if I move to KC and start running in the art circles that my KC artist neighbors do….. Their art sells for that much.

Anyway, you know me…. I’m not ready to give up my creation so easily… as long as I still have my “day job”…. The money doesn’t mean that much to me. The process of creating and the journey I take as I create is the significance I attach to my art.

Late Sunday night, Greg did take the northern route back from Detroit car show, so he came through DM and spent the night here with me. You think that would make me feel better, but actually it made me miss him more- since he took off again in the morning to drive to KC.

I decided I needed to relax on Monday, so I watched TV and play around with a small pixel art piece. 

Since the sun was out, I did get off the couch and go for a 60 minute walk- otherwise I really just vegged out…. Which was nice so I’d be fresh for the work week ahead. 

Guest Blog from Ann

1-18-12 mid-week brain
I am impressed with Ann's passion! I won't get out of bed early for too many people.... Ann is quite a "mover and shaker" here in Des Moines!

Morning Coffee With Morning Joe

Yes I’m in withdrawals right now, the road to the White House has moved down South and I’m still questioning the vote count in Iowa. The GOP gave the nod to Mitt by 8, but I say Santorum won by the mere fact that not all precincts used the same counting method. After watching my precinct count, I’m sure we were off by a few. I hope there’s a group of aged citizens counting the 125,000 plus paper ballots somewhere.
            

While I love my politics to the right, I enjoy watching one MSNBC news program “Morning Joe” with former congressman Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzenzinski (5-8 am daily). Like they say, a good offense is a good defense, and why not hear what the other side is saying. So for the caucus, Morning Joe aired pre and post caucus shows live from a local coffee shop, Java Joes. I debated, on New Year’s Day, do I really want to get up at 4:30 am to drive 20 min to a packed coffee shop? Well I did, and not for one day, but for three days. It was so well worth it. (for a full view, click on the pictures).
            

Monday, the coffee shop was packed at 5:30, so I stood in the back of those seated. To get a seat, the patrons came at 3 am to see the 4:30 am show. Wow, and I thought I was a nut. Tuesday “caucus day” jammed pack and Wednesday, still a good crowd and I got a front row seat at 5:30 am.
            

If you watch cable news, the usual suspects showed up including David Greggory, Tom Broakaw, Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, Michael Steele, Caty Kay, Willie Giest and two candidates, Michele Bachmann and Mitt Romney.

I had a great time and there is so much to a live show. The crew of 20 or so with two dozen or so guests, spending the New Year in Des Moines, Iowa. Thank you Joe and Mika for bringing the crew and Lewis, thanks for the mug!

Chat Later,

That Girl, Ann Marie