Crashed
October 2, 2009, 4:30 pm
Our main computer has bit the dust, we're painfully trying to use Marianna's while the other is being fixed. I just took a cool photo of her laptop to show it off, but it doesn't seem to be compatible with my camera cards. It also does not have one single saved password - arrrgh!
So if you've tried to get in touch with me in the past week or two, try the phone! That bit of technology is still working fine. For now.
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Khaki Ball - Dress
September 24, 2009, 2:16 pm
Because certain people have been bugging to see my dress that I wore to the Chief Petty Officers Ball last Friday...
This picture, however, was taken the next morning by my dear husband who could not resist posing me in front of his pride and joy - the 1968 Chang Jiang.
So. A question for those who are planning on attending the next round of Balls (Navy here is Oct. 16th, I do believe) do you have your dress yet? Show and tell, please? Inspire me, I need another dress desperately! October 16th is coming quick!
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Summer Goes
September 23, 2009, 9:13 am
Like the sand between my toes
When the waves go out.
That's how summer pulls away,
Leaves me standing here today
Waiting for the school bus ...
From "Summer Goes," by Russell Hoban:
Summer has gone! Can you believe it? I'm always shocked as we're still in one of our two seasons down here, wet or dry ;) until November 30th. Still, I'm always up for observing special days as you know, so I ran to the store to gather up autumnal produce for dinner last night. A highlight were these hand pies which came out of the oven 10 minutes after Marianna got home from NJROTC Color Guard practice - first football game is set for Friday! Very exciting for my Cadet!
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 red potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 head of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
8 ounces frozen, chopped turnip greens
your favorite pie dough
* Make the vegetable filling. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss together carrot, potatoes, garlic, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a small roasting pan or baking dish. Roast until golden and tender, about 30 minutes. Squeeze garlic from skins, and toss with vegetable mixture; discard skins.
* Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Add greens and remaining teaspoon salt, and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Drain, and toss with vegetable mixture. Remove from heat, and let cool.
* Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Using a 4-inch glass, cut out 12 circles. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Place a heaping tablespoon of vegetable filling on each circle.
* Roll out remaining dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 12 more circles. Brush edges of each filled circle with milk; top with a second circle. Press edges together to seal with a fork. Brush tops with milk wash.
* Bake pies until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
The original recipe can be found at Martha Stewart's.
I, of course, adapted it a bit.
| I'm all at Sea with this Recipe! |
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My Datebook, September 14
September 14, 2009, 9:16 am
Stop by Peggy's for more entries.
Outside my Window...
Crabs, loads and loads of tiny crabs. September always brings little crabs to land. We always used to say one needed to carry a golf club to walk up to the showerhouse at the marina, just to clear the walkway of all these little golf ball sized crabs! Mia is totally distracted on her walks now. She adores playing with the crabs. She looks like a meerkat playing with a scorpion.
I am thinking...
about clothes actually. I'm attending my very first Chief Petty Officer's Khaki Ball on Friday. After much discussion this past weekend I think it has been determined that a tea length gown would be most appropriate. A Girl's Night is being planned this week with the goal of finding a dress, so here's hoping for success! Shopping in Key West is always an adventure...
I am wearing ...
currently khaki shorts and a Schooner's Wharf tee that I won in a conch blowing contest.
I am thankful for...
time spent with my husband this past weekend.
From the kitchen...
I think that today is the Triumph of the Cross and I just happen to have a basil plant that desperately needs trimming. Supposedly the hill Saint Helena found the Cross on was covered in basil. Mahimahi is on sale this week too, and the Ember Days are upon us again so some menu planning needs to happen this morning! I found Jen at Wildflowers and Marbles plans last year to be comprehensive and inspiring.
Towards a Real Education...
Marianna's homework this weekend was a poster using two art materials illustrating 3 Tom Swifties from Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie and one original Tom Swifty by Marianna. She chose colored ink and mulberry paper for her materials.
I am creating...
a house that is a home.
I am reading...
Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Around the home...
My passionflower vine is blooming!
One of my favorite things...
Last Friday we participated in a NASKW 9/11 Memorial Motorcycle Ride up to Marathon stopping at all the Police and Fire Stations to thank them for their service and deliver a poster signed by all the participants.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
Busy, busy week! Tuesday will be the Girls Night Out, Wednesday is the Pinning Ceremony for the Chief Selectees and I work in the evening and it's an Ember Day. Thursday I'll work the night shift again and it's the first day of the Peterson's Poker Run so we might drop down to Duval to see some of the bikes. Friday is the Khaki Ball, Duval will definitely be closed for the 10,000 expected bikes and it's an Ember Day - mmmm, they're serving Mahimahi at the Ball! Saturday I do believe Hal will be taking his Chang Jiang down to Duval and it's an Ember Day again.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you:
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Covered with Excitement!
September 1, 2009, 5:00 pm
As mentioned previously, one of the huge draws of KWHS (Key West High School) was the NJROTC program as a certain dainty girl has military leanings. I think perhaps we docked the S/V Mari Hal-O-Jen at the end of the Boca Chica airstrip a tad too long. :) Well. Today the first bits of the uniform came home. A nice cover and a belt we have to practice wearing *brass on brass* I am so glad that the uniform care and wearing is not my responsibilty!!! Teaching her to iron I can handle, I have a lovely pile of fabric napkins we can start with. :)
Mia approves of the new look, I do believe!
Nothing like doggie kisses after a long hard day at school!
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Changes
August 31, 2009, 4:37 pm
Today I'll drop our Termination of Homeschooling paperwork in the mail.
A journey that began in 1992 when my sister and I began homeschooling and continued through my two youngest sisters and then my daughter, has taken a new course. For the first time in years, not a single person in my family is homeschooling!
Though I comfort myself with the thought that I've really just outsourced a few classes to the professionals. :)
After an entire summer of deliberation and discussion, Marianna decided to attend Key West High School. We looked at many, many options. Okay, a few options. It is a small island after all! She has a huge goal in mind and that was reflected in a huge way in the decision-making process. We came up with 4 options.
1. Continue in our rut.
2. Home School 2 High School
3. Boarding School
4. Key West High School
1. I think it's safe to say that we both were bored out of our gourds with our modus operandi. It didn't matter which new curriculum was chosen, it was still going to be her and I staring at each other everyday.
2. There is one private sort of a high school option here in Key West called Home School 2 High School. They meet at the community college and students graduate with an associates as well as a high school diploma. They take classses from the college professors, attend classes at the high school and parents teach some classes. This costs $6000 a year. Add a few thousand more and she could attend a really nice boarding school - option #3!
3. Briefly browsed around Florida boarding schools, in particular, Miami schools as the nearest large city. Not impressed. Except for one boys school which is non-applicable and a school that I don't think is actually IRL but rather a scam. Too bad as it looked right up her alley.
4. Key West High School has all the courses she wants to take, she can graduate with AP (advanced placement) courses or DE (dual enrollment at college). They placed her in all honors courses for freshman year and most very, VERY important - her counselors and ROTC instructor have an entire wall of photos of students that they've gotten into West Point, Annapolis, New London and Colorado Springs. They've trod this path many times and are familar with the territory. I'm not. It's time to let them do their job and become the support crew rather than the driver.
I'm okay with that. Really. :)
And Marianna? She is loving that big old school! She went from seeing friends on Fridays or if we drove 100 miles to being surrounded by 300 freshmen alone.
And she's okay with that. Really. :)
The first day of school photo.
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Somebody got Maui-ed!
July 23, 2009, 1:57 pm
Sorry for the long silence, we traded one island for another for a few weeks. That's right, Key West to Maui, Hawaii for my sister, Michelle's, wedding to Cory! Woo-hoo!
What a great time, Hal took loads of photos and we're just beginning to sort through them, generally in the dark of night when certain people can't sleep. Oofff - jetlag stinks!
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Wordless Wednesday: Happy Hour
June 24, 2009, 3:06 pm
50 cent oysters.
Hot sauce and horseradish.
Sheer delight.
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I Need this Shirt
June 15, 2009, 6:31 am
Of course, I'd cut it down and make it look girl-like rather than huge and baggy (which is how it would look on me) but this shirt definitely made me laugh yesterday!
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Capt Hal's Favorite JBug Came to Play Yesterday
June 12, 2009, 2:24 pm
She proceeded to twist everyone round her little finger, most especially Robert in the kitchen at the Navigator when she dropped a few greenbacks into his tip jar - "For the poor".
Even the seagulls on the beach were susceptible to her charms!
Another fabulous day with the LaPaz Crew!
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