Good Morning Sunday, January 4, 2015

Good Morning World,

It’s my brother’s birthday!  Happy Birthday Jon.  He is 68.  Here he is with his daughter Kristin before she cut her dreaded “dreadlocks”.  I love this picture.  He is so generous.  He takes his family everywhere he goes.  I think he likes being surrounded by family and is one of those people who doesn’t like being alone.  That is my “guess” I can’t really be sure about that and the other picture I’ve recently posted:

In Costa Rica

Merry Christmas 2014

I sent him a Jacquie Lawson card this morning.  3 birthdays I never forget, mine, Jon’s and Bill’s (Oct. 22).  Dad’s was May 8th and Mom’s was February 24th (so that makes 5 birthdays I never forget).  I guess that tells me that we celebrated birthdays in our family growing up and that birthdays are important to us.  So there you have it.  Birthdays of the Basses or should it be Bass’?

So guess what happened to me last night?  While sitting in the church waiting innocently for the Big Book meeting to start I was asked to do “TICKET” control for the Anniversary Dinner on February 26th.  COME ON!!!!!! REALLY????????????  Fortunately it is only 130 tickets (we only sell 128 tickets).  We do the dinner at the Church and St. Matt’s is the caterer this year.  At our business meeting we were discussing the price of the tickets – they went up to $25 this year – big discussion.  People even suggested getting other bids – really????? at this time with 6 weeks before the event “In Season”???  Thank goodness cooler heads prevailed.  Of course Becky had printed the tickets with only $20 for the tickets and so they discussed crossing out the $20 and putting $25 on those tickets.  But again, cooler heads prevailed and she reprinted them – thank goodness!  So I was asking her how she printed the tickets and asked her about a “merge”.  She said she didn’t use a merge and typed the numbers on each ticket and printed them 4 to a page.  Wow!  So here is “ticket” control for the Naples Group vs Ticket Control for The Gratitude Dinner.

Naples Group Anniversary Ticket Control

Ticket Control for Gratitude Dinner 2014

I have a program on this laptop that will convert documents (PDF) to “images” (PNG).  It’s so cool.  Now I can put all kinds of things on this blog that are PDF files (like the ticket grid for the Gratitude Dinner).  It also converts word documents to excel documents from PDF’s too.  I have no idea how it works, I just know it works.  Sounds a little like AA doesn’t it?

So yesterday was my “weigh in” day from starting this new “living and eating” life.  I’ve lost 3 pounds!  Not bad for 3 weeks!  If I keep that up I’ll lose 52 pounds this year!  Only want to lose 20 though so I think it’s doable.  Yesterday before the Naples Group I finally ate the filet I had bought for NYE.  I never got a chance to eat it until last night.  It was delicious and I ate 1/2 of my Cauliflower Mash.  It too was great and I have another portion to go.  It’s amazing.  Yesterday I used my new:

This looks brand new!

I took the 1/2 butternut squash and made it into “soup”.  I wanted the consistency to be like “applesauce” and it came out too soupie for that.  I haven’t eaten it yet and a recipe I have from the new cookbook I have said to eat it hot with some cinnamon in it for “breakfast”.  So I’ll add the cinnamon to it and just eat it like soup.  I’m sure it will be delicious.  I still have 1/2 of the squash left to mash up.  I think I’ll do it with a “whip” rather than the food processor so it doesn’t come out so soupy.  Still having fun with this “cooking” thing.  Come to find out, there is another “adaptor” for this food processor so I’m seeing if Doug and Dick have the part somewhere in their closet.  I hope so, but if not, I bet I can buy it “on line”.  You need the adaptor to get the other blades to work.  Today my project is to make muffins this afternoon after church.  The bananas are ripe enough and I’m down to only 3 frozen ones.  So I need to make some more.  That reminds me, I should take the flours out of the freezer.  Be right back!

So now on to another subject.  One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to spend less money in 2015.  I think I want to save more money this year in preparation of receiving Social Security in a couple of years.  I figured if I started the “austerity” program this year, I’ll be used to it by the time it will need to be “in place”.  So what do I do?  I go out and buy a Membership at Costco.  I got the Executive membership – the girl was relentless and talked me into it.  Said I would get my money back to pay for the membership next year …….that’s a lot of 2% of sales items.  So we’ll see.  Now that it’s “done” it’s done.  So that was the first thing.  But I’m glad I have the membership – people tell me that you save money on gas and by the way the cars were lined up there the other day, I have to admit it must be a better price.  It was funny though.  I got there about 9:30 – after the 8AM meeting at the 24 Hour Club and it didn’t open until 10AM so I figured I’d just wait until they opened – do some reading in the car.  So as I sat there and cars began to come in.  Then people began lining up with their baskets and soon the parking lot was FULL and people everywhere!  You’d think it was “Black Friday”!  It was so funny.  So then I get into the place – pay for my new Executive membership and I’m on my way.  People were all over the place running into one another with their baskets and filling up those huge baskets with everything they could get their hands on.  Nothing wrong with the economy in Naples!!!!  So I picked up the salmon fillets I was looking for and some “spring mix” lettuce (too much – I won’t be able to eat it all before it goes bad – lesson learned), large container of Hummus – thank goodness that lasts, a big container of cashews and a big container of salsa.  So I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.  I think when I go again, it will be after work one day and just “browse” around to see what I can pick up there.  I know I can get toilet paper and other paper supplies – remember I told you that when I moved in to this new house, the previous owner, Paul, bought that kind of stuff at Costco and I didn’t have to buy toilet paper for a full year!  Now that is really something.  Also I’ve discovered 2 boxes of “softener sheets” by Kirkland so I won’t need to buy any of those for a year or so.  I don’t think they are as good as the ones I like (Bounce) but so be it – free is free!

The other night I had dinner with Dick and Doug at Carrabba’s in my neighborhood.  Remember they took me to Carrabba’s north for my birthday.  So it was time for me to reciprocate.  I took them to dinner on Friday night.  Then after that we went to see the “Night Lights” at the Botanical Gardens.  It was amazing.  Here are some pictures I took:

Doug’s picture for FB

The 3 of us.

Dick and me.

Dick and Doug

Doug is trying to get a picture for his FB page.  I was trying to add the “APP” to his phone the other day, but he has an Android or Samsung (are they the same?) and I don’t know how to do it.   I think I could figure it out eventually, but we ran out of time.  He wanted a picture to put on the page and I said we could probably do that on his laptop over the phone.  I’ll give him a call later today to see if he got anywhere.  I know he sent me a “friend” request and I acknowledge it.  I couldn’t find him from my phone so it was easier for him to send the request to me.  Dick doesn’t do FB – can you imagine?

The Night Lights were spectacular.  The new buildings were amazing also.  They closed for about 5 months to do the construction and all was ready for this Annual Christmas Event.  I got so excited about the Botanical Gardens that I decided to join again – so there goes another $80 but then again, I know it will be a place for us to go to spend time together so it will be worth it.  And it’s in “my neighborhood”.

Just realized I’m at 1500 words – too many so it’s time to finish up, plus I need to get to church soon.  Thanks for visiting and slogging through my life.  I appreciate it – Really!!