more U Tube

We were able to watch Dominic and the Golden Regiment play at the site of the USS Missouri on UTube last night! They all did well! We were amazed at the flag bearer/cheerleaders coping with the wind and their flags!!

We were able to pick Dominic out from all the others!! BTW ... about 300 band members went on this trip!

This morning he sent photos from Pearl Harbor...considering how few he's sent from everything else, he must have been impressed!  I think I will have to make a file of all his photos in my computer...

Today they are supposed to go out in catamarans !!

 

Christmas is on its way..

Driving in and out of our subdivision we are noticing more and more Christmas lights and lit Christmas trees in the windows.  I don't think this rush towards Christmas was so early in the last few years!!

But who am I to talk... Yesterday I helped my daughter put up greenery on her front steps ( the steps zig zag down a full story and a half) and two little (fake) greenery trees at the middle landing. Some of the lights on both are solar or batteries. They have timers too so the lights will be on when she arrives home from work!

So to follow everyone else we brought down our little fake table top tree and put it in place. Bob will bring down the plastic totes with "stuff" and lights this week!

 Dominic - Hawaii

Trombone playing grandson went to the Polynesian Cultural Center yesterday... tried coconut bread ( sent via text the recipe which we will give a try). The Golden Regiment Band is supposed to have a Polynesian dinner, maybe a luau, there last night? Difference in time zones makes keeping on top of things difficult.

U Tube watching

 Here we sit waiting to watch our grandson and the Blue Springs Golden Regiment play in the Waikiki Holiday parade... Someone local has been making U Tube videos and uploading them. An earlier one showed the kids playing their instruments on the beach! Even though Dominic is in the back playing his Euphonium I can pick him out... he's SO tall!  Lots of people stopped to watch them and take videos!!

He is enjoying this all...his first airplane ride... first view etc of the ocean...his first super fancy high rise hotel !!

Finally.. it's just past 10.50 pm... the video shows a Waikiki street with lots of people and the head trailer for the parade. Lots of Blue Springs fans ( probably parents, chaperones, band volunteers...etc.) So we watched.. through big and small groups, bands, fancy cars etc. 

Finally the BS Golden Regiment came walking/playing toward us!! They stopped in front of the parade headquarters and proceeded to play and put on one of their routines. Bob and I thought they did well... think we found Dominic in all that!! His height 6'5" helps...

Now we can go to bed!

Rita's home made Chex Mix

Years and years ago my friend Rita passed on her recipe for home made Chex Mix... The family has started  its annual Christmas time request for me to make some. And so I did.... and passed on the first containers to my daughters.

Making it has gotten to be a little sad for me. First Rita became a widow and then dimentia,,, and her son came up from Florida and sold her house, got rid of stuff and whisked her away. At that point I wasn't sure she even recognized me... 

So I make her Chex Mix and think of how long we were friends and miss her...

Turkey sale

Aldi has it's Butterball turkey on sale... starting this morning. So off I went just after they opened. The parking lot was pretty full... loads of people... and plenty of turkeys. People were buying 2 - the Aldi limit. Me.. just one.

Aldi now has only one person run check out aisle ... the rest are self serve! I took my cart and was #2 in the person one! Easy peasy...got my turkey and the rest of my cart/list.

My son-in-law and grand daughter  hit Aldi at 3.30. Parking lot completely full ! Still plenty of  Butterball turkeys but the place was a mad house!! 

So glad I went early!!

Grandson's trip to Hawaii

Dominic's trip to Hawaii with the Blue Springs Marching Band is getting closer and closer. The family is organizing suitcases and carryons for him. My old suitcase is bigger than most but he will need to pack his band uniform, two pairs of size 14 shoes (!), clothes for a week including nice ones for a special dinner, toiletries and so on! 

His parents have to drop him off at the high school just after 3 am ! Yuck... but at least they don't have to take him to KCI ( the airport) which is an hour away!

Also luckily, the school is shipping and paying for  his euphonium. Those with smaller instruments have to do it themselves.

So we will be having Thanksgiving dinner without him .. table will seem empty !

Weather has decided it's winter. The furnace is on... the days are gray and a cold front has arrived.  Meals have switched to winter fare. Last night it was pork in an apple cider gravy with red cabbage and baked or jacket potatoes. Red cabbage is a comfort food for this family... My Mother taught me how!! 

Another of her hand me down comfort food recipes is German potato pancakes...beginning to think it's time to make them again!!

life back to normal

 Life is getting back to normal...We are all feeling better!!

I had an online bear show this weekend... bears were packed up and taken to the Post Office. And according to the PO two have already arrived at their new homes - Temperence, Michigan and McKinney, Texas. Quick wasn't it ??

Now I have to start work on bears and Christmas thingy-es for the next show in December!

We are living with more signs of the grandchildren growing up. Dominic's marching band plays in Hawaii on Thanksgiving Day.  He and his Mother are going out to empty church parking lots to teach him to drive, He thinks she is a better driver than his Father ( right on kiddo!)

His sister has applied for an internship at the Harry Truman Presidential Library. She had us take a look at her application and her letters of reference. Here's hoping... finger crossed!  Her college classes are going well and she has enough prep work at a local restaurant's kitchen to help out with finances.

I have been enjoying roaming through my computer looking for Christmas presents....a hard task since we all seem to buy whatever we need?  But I have found some little oddball things to go with the gift cards we usually buy?

Our grocery stores are beginning to be well stocked for Thanksgiving necessities.. well-stocked but pricey. So I have started buying things here and there...Today it was Aldi's mulled wine for the adults and a cranberry cider for the kids.... and a huge container of  cashew nuts for the huge batches I always make of "Chex Mix"... requests are coming in already.

 Just a reminder to US readers... don't forget to vote tomorrow ( Nov. 8th) if you haven't already

Back home

We are all back home...maybe we overdid since we are all feeling under the weather! But we had a great time!

Laurel's non-profit /development convention gave her lots of new ideas.

The rest of us walked and walked and walked. We saw San Antonio's River Walk... by foot and by boat. Saw part of the River Walk's fund raising parade... rain made the boats wet and they had problems! We shopped and found souvenirs for everyone. The River Walk is partly a water retention project with gates that can descend when there is flooding but also part of a river. Lots and lots of older buildings... newer hotels...the site of a World's Fair...where a hotel was build like building blocks ( pre-made sections attached together  with furniture, bathrooms etc.)   for some of the 6,000,000 fair attendees.

Two went on a ghost tour and saw the Alamo! Three went to the annual arts and crafts festival and learned about the "Day of the Day" ofrendas or alters. We decided to set one up for our family next year... especially since Robb's birthday was Oct. 30th .

San Antonio's Comicon was this weekend and held in the convention center below our hotel. My daughters smoke so we sat in the smoking area and watched and watched many many attendees... Carolyn took pictures of those in the best costumes!! She did not want to attend herself nor buy anything from the vendor area... but really enjoyed watching those that did!! There are people from babies to really oldies... plus whole families!!

And food?? We went to many restaurants and enjoyed them all...We had planned on some TexMex... but there weren't any in walking distance. Oh well!!

We left very early yesterday morning and , lucky me, I was seated on the right side at we headed North! Watched a stupendous red and orange sunrise through my window for almost the whole hour long flight from San Antonio to Dallas, TX !! Yes, I know... red sky at morning, sailors take warning!

After we arrived home I went out for Halloween candy and Bob brought down our decorations from the attic and and put them up outside.

Kids came ... little ones and big ones , all dressed up. I do have candy left but I am sure "someone" will eat it!!