Christmas

     Another Christmas has come and gone and the retail circus has passed, though with after holiday sales starting today I am sure that it is just as crazy out there.
     What saddens me is that so many people forget the reason for the season and see it as just another party or gift to be given or received. Christmas is a time for family and caring, it is not a reason to see how many gifts you can get and who gets more or better gifts. Don't get me wrong, I love giving and receiving gifts as well as anyone, but there is more to this time of year than just gifts and parties.
     Without Christ in our hearts Christmas would never have come.  It is because of him that we have this holiday and it is for this reason we need to remember him at this time of year more so than others.  His birth brought great joy to his family and his life to the world.  Many people forget he is the reason for the season, not the parties and gifts.
     It brought me great joy to see one branch of my family put aside their differences for this holiday season and spend Christmas together as a family, all nineteen of them.  My uncle is ill and I know it made him very happy to have all of his children and grandchildren under one roof for Christmas.  This is what Christmas is all about and what Christ wants us to keep in our hearts.
     To me this is what is special about Christmas, more than the tinsel and the gifts. Showing love for one another is an important part of the season.  Seeing friends and family and sharing news through letters and cards with those that are far away. The joy that you feel when you get a card or a note from someone you have not seen in many months or years, but still feel close to in your heart.
     It is the memories of laughter and joy that make the season special, the tree lit up, and the smells of Christmas that make it special.  The gifts are an added bonus, not the reason to celebrate. Don't get me wrong, I love the gifts and the wrapping paper, but the memories we make are more important and last much longer than the gifts. 
     You do not have to spend Christmas Day itself with them, but making sure you let them know that you care during this season is important. Be a dinner out, a phone call, or a card or gift, touching base with those you care about is important at any time of the year, but more so during this season of the year.
     It saddens me that many simply see this as the time of year when getting more expensive gifts is the most important thing. I enjoyed time watching movies with my youngest son and dinner out with my oldest. Both were times spent with family and meaningful.
Wishing everyone a very joyful end to 2012 and a very happy start to 2013.

Today's Ramblings about grocery shopping, cleaning the pantry, and clutter

      Today I went grocery shopping.  Let me tell you the commissary at JBER is a mess. Nothing is where it used to be and things are so confusing. I hate to shop to begin with, unless of course it is for fabric.  I was looking for Miracle Whip and it took me forever to find it, and it was of all places over by the potato chips, as was the peanut butter. Now please tell me, why they would put Miracle Whip and peanut butter together?
     Then I went searching for other things on my list and of course most of them were not where I thought so I had to spend more time going up and down isles looking for them.
      I know why I do not like to go shopping for groceries, unless it is at the farmer's market. It is way to complicated.
      I did go to the farmer's market to as well.  that I love doing. Yes, we still have a farmer's market in Anchorage in the winter. It moves inside the Sear's Mall and is on Wednesdays instead of Saturdays.  It is not as big as the summer market, but my favorite farm is there and they have the best carrots. They are sweet and crunchy.  I love. Today they had carrots, beets, snow apples (turnips), sweet pumpkins, parsnips, Daikon radishes, cabbage, and a wide variety of potatoes to choose from.  I bought carrots, of course. I love munching on carrots every day.  They go very good with hummus, or alone.
      I also like the spice, nuts, teas, and dried fruits that another vendor sells at the farmer's market.  They have salt free pepitas, and sweet crystalized ginger, as well as fresh dried spices, and other dried fruits, mushrooms and flavored salts.  They also have a few flavored olive oils for sale as well.  I love the pepitas, and crystalized ginger. They make great snacks.
      I also cleaned out the pantry. I put everything that is out dated or that we do not eat in bags to get rid of.  I told my husband I do not care where it goes, I just want it out of the house.  There were about five large bags of crackers, noodles, soups with too much sodium, and cereals.  All were foods we do not eat because they are too high in carbohydrates, made with wheat, or too high in sodium. I hope that they find a good home and help keep someone's belly filled.  I like my nice neat organized cupboard.  I can find things now.  I also did a little cleaning out of the refrigerator, but will save the rest of that for after the holidays.
     I am continuing to clean out other areas of the house, though it is an on going job and will take a while before I get through everything. Twenty years in one house is a long time and stuff does pile up.  I think I need to hire some one to help me who does not have an emotional attachment to things so I can get rid of more. I get side tracked by some things and others I am just not sure if I am ready to let them go, or if I might need them again.  That is the problem with trying to sort through stuff, that some call clutter and others call treasures.
     Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!  I am off to bed for the night.

Pumpkin and Black Bean Taco

In November I went to a craft fair here in Anchorage and Two Fat Guys Catering had a booth. They were selling several items but the one that caught my eye was their butternut squash taco.  I tried it and it was to die for. This sent me on a mission, find a recipe that was similar and make them at home.
I spent several hours searching the internet and came up with several recipes that I then used bits and pieces of to make my own version of the tacos. I made them last week and my husband said they were a keeper. In fact I am thinking that I may make them again tonight.
My version is below.

Tandeming the Days Away

Tom and I have spent the summer riding the tandem all around Anchorage.  I started counting miles seriously after we returned from Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.
From June 16 until August 23 we put in over 600 miles.  We had 35 miles prior to our trip to Mexico.
At the moment we are just under 700 miles and if the weather cooperates I hope to top that and head toward 750.

Laughing at Myself

Earlier today Tom and I went for a ride to the Farmer's Market to pick up fresh veggies.  We filled both of the saddle bags on the tandem to overflowing and I had one sandwich size baggie of snap peas that would not fit.  I put it in the back pocket of my biking jacket which zips on the side and runs across the back.
Tom and I had been snacking on them while we wandered around the market. We stopped to try some wines at the Wine Style booth, which also had some excellent munchies to go along with the wines.  While tasting both we discovered we knew the owners of the catering place, from years ago, back with the boys were ice skating, so stayed to chat for a bit.
I decided I wanted to eat a couple more snap peas before we took off so was trying to get them out of my back pocket, when I felt something.  I thought I was going crazy as I knew that my wallet that I had with me today with my new ID and such was not in that pocket, but I could feel something that felt like my wallet, so I got Tom to check.
I had to take off my jacket and inside the back of the jacket there is a netting that is sewn in two places to divide the pockets, one on either side and the large back pocket.  The netting is loose along the top and caught in it was my wallet that I thought I had lost. 
I checked my jacket at least three times yesterday including turning it upside down and shaking it, but felt nothing. There was my wallet with my DL, military ID, debit card, and my insurance cards.  How I missed it yesterday when I checked the jacket is beyond me, but miss it I did.  The only thing I can think of is the fact that I was so stressed out I did not feel it when I was patting down my jacket. It was caught inside the netting so it did not shake out when I shook the jacket.
I guess the laugh is on me.  Oh well, as I told Tom, at least now the pictures on my IDs look like me. 

Day from the Dark Side

Are you sure this is not Friday the 13th?

I went out for my short ride figuring I would go 5 to 7 miles then come home shower and get ready for lunch with some girl friends. About 3 miles into my ride my phone rings so I stop to answer it.  One friend was calling regarding lunch and did I want to ride with her then go to Riehl Sewing after to use our coupons.  I said sure, I will finish ride, but what time is lunch. She says she will contact friend who is working still and let me know.
I set off to ride more and stop when she texts with time for lunch and time we should head out.  I am debating turning around or going through the park and back home down another street.   I answer text put phone back in pocket and realize my little wallet purse is not there.
I look around on the ground, no wallet.  I jump on bike ride like the wind, and I mean I hauled butt back to where I stopped last time to see if I dropped it there, not there.
So, I ride back to the last stop looking all along the one side of the road, not wallet. I turn around and head back to the first stop checking the other side of the road. No wallet.
I continue back re covering my path, no wallet either way. I recross part of the path I took between phone call and text, head back down the way I started from toward my house, no wallet.
I check the yard and the garage, no wallet. I check in the house, searching my chair, both bathrooms, the kitchen, sewing room, family room, bedroom. I even looked in rooms I had not gone into this morning, dumped my purse, no wallet.
I called and canceled lunch. Then called and canceled my debit card.  The next call was to the bank and to transfer money to a different account that I have a debit card for so I can pay bills, as today I got my retirement pay.  I let them know that no charges should go through on my lost debit card and order a new one, which will take 7 to 10 days.
Next I called the base regarding replacing my military ID and to find out when they are open.  After that I called DMV to see what I need to get a new driver's license.
Once I had all that information I texted Tom and called his classroom, but got no answer.  I need him to get new ID and he was going out after work with friends. The base office closes at 3:30 and I need him. He also biked to school today.
So I called the school secretary and told her what happened and that he must read his text and call me.
I found my passport and birth certificate, drove to the DMV where I had to wait over an hour to get a new DL. It was a zoo, but then it usually is.
While I was there Tom called me, he said he had someone to cover his last class and will be waiting for me to pick him up and to call him when I am on the way.  
With my new DL in hand I drove over to get him and we headed out to the base, which is about 20 minutes from his school.
Once we were there we had to get the form I needed to verify I am not denied base privileges and can get an ID. Then we had to head down the hall to another office to get them to verify it and you must have photo ID for this.
Once I was verified we headed back to first office to wait to be called to get my new militaryID.
Then I drove back to Tom's back to his school to drop DH back at school so he could ride his bike home.
Talk about being stressed out.  I was so stressed I was shaking.  Good thing no one wanted to take my BP today.
It cost me $15 to replace my DL and $5 have a new debit card issued.
There was between $10 and $30 in the wallet, so that is gone, but hey it's only money.
The positive thing is that I got in a good workout.  I rode almost 13 miles. I am ready to call it a day. 

Bicycling the Summer Away

--> This summer between our trip to Puerto Vallarta and the rain we have not gotten in as many miles as I would have liked so far. There are only a few more weeks before my husband returns to work, a classroom full of seventh and eighth graders.  
 I am looking at bikes for myself, including two different Novara’s, which were two girly for me and a Giant Sedona "Comfort Mountain Bike" which just looked to old lady for me, though I did give it a test ride. 
I have test ridden and ruled out a Specialized Cross Trail, as it was not that comfortable.  
I like two other bikes, one is a Giant "Rainier"1 "29" mountain bike and the other an Eva 3.0, though they will need to put on a shorter stem as the bike is a large and the stem is a little to long.   
I am leaning toward the "Rainier" even though it is about double the cost, as it is the most comfortable. 
The "Rainier" is a medium and in black, but I do like the color of the Eva, it is silver with pink pin stripes.  I may have to give both of them another test ride before I decide. 
The tough thing is that they are at two different shops on opposite ends of town, so it is hard to compare them side-by-side.  They are both mountain bikes, and the "Rainier" is double the price, so it is a little more spendy. 
My husband says it has to be a bike I like and am comfortable riding or I will not ride it. I will be making a decision in the next couple weeks, as I want a bike of my own to ride when he returns to work, as the tandem does not work very well with only one rider.