Alerts down?

Are alerts down for everyone?

<sigh>

Explanation....

Many of you have asked about the crowns my family were wearing in the Christmas photos..they come inside the crackers we pull during Christmas dinner..please click on the link below for a full explanation...:-)

Click here: The History of the Christmas Cracker

The Christmas Entry

Good Morning Campers...

                                

I have put some pics up for your viewing pleasure..as always view them larger... ;-)

We had a very nice quiet family christmas this year..Lester's dad and his wife joined us and the meal was wonderful

We had:

Turkey and stuffing

Roast potatoes

Roasted vegtables

Yorkshire pudding

cauliflower cheese

Corn

Rolls

turkey gravy

Christmas pud and custard

Pumpkin Pie

                                     

We actually had to wake the kids this year.. after drinking a couple of cups of coffee me and hubby switched on all the animated toys lying around that play really cheesy Christmas music really loudly...LOL it soon got them up...they seemed to be happy with their pressies..true beauty got clothes and jewelry..perfume and a new TV ..Ryan got a play station 3 and a couple of games ..some t shirts jeans etc..The hubby got golf attire..and a counting machine for his coins..he loved i knew he would...LOL he got gift certificates too..I got a gorgeous Tiffany necklace to add to my tiffany collection.that means I have 2 items now..;-) I got a case for my IPOD and a a dock to play it on my car radio..have to figure that one out.. I got a new fish tank for the fish..it is a larger fish hugging a bowl..wonder what Fin will make of that..I got a couple of gift cards too and Ryan got me a new fairy...all in all we made out like bandits and the kids were happy and that to me is what makes the day...kids smiling from ear to ear..sitting round the table reminiscing about christmas past..talking fondly of the ones no longer with us...it truly was a blessed day...

I was off on Boxing day...so I just puttered around the house tried to organize the piles of stuff everywhere...went back to work yesterday just for the morning to make sure the new girl is coping on her own..there is only one DR. working so she should be able to cope...but I feel better going in and making sure all the RX"s etc are dealt with...

The sadness that is in J Land right now is understandable. Not only did we lose two J landers I actually lost 2 others..the assistant principal at Ryans school succombed to cancer Christmas day and my hubby lost one of his sailors to a motorcycle accident sat. night. It is uncanny to me so mnay deaths together.

For me though it is reminder to love harder..live each day to it's fullest..enjoy this life here on earth while we have it...take nothing or no one for granted...I intend to do just that for Lahoma and for Kim..that is what i feel they would want us to do...you can bet I will toast a drink to them on New years!!

have a great day today...

L

                               

sad news please read....

As most of you already know Lahoma died yesterday and now our darling Kimberly from

Click here: I shaved my legs for this?

has also passed away just a couple of hours ago with her family at her side...J land will never be the same...RIP warrior princess....

There is nothing more I can say...

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Good morning campers!!

Merry Christmas!

 Can't believe it's tomorrow.. all the hustle and bustle..planning...gift buying..wrapping..list upon lists of things to do and it will all be over in a flash!

We had our usual pre Christmas get together Saturday night...it almost didn't happen though because as I was vacuuming the Florida room in preparation I managed to hit the PVC water pipe that runs across the floor of the room and out to the outside tap..200+ gallons of water flooded into the room..luckily the room is on a bit of a slant and the water ran away from the tree..I managed to grab the computer tower off the floor and scream for Lester to turn the water off at the main...he tried to "fix" the pipe and in turn sawed it too close to the wall so he couldn't cap it off which meant a call to a plumber and no water all day...the plumber left 15 minutes before the first guests arrived...apart from the carpet being a little damp in one area I don't think anyone was any the wiser but my nerves were shot.....;-) thank god for shop vacs that can suck up water is all I can say..

 

Anyway I just wanted to take a minute out of the day today to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas.... I have made some amazing friends this past year..my list of readers has grown beyond my wildest dreams..never in a million years did I think that writing this little old blog would bring me such joy.. it is my one thing..no one can take it away from me..it something I do just for me and the hour or two I spend online reading and sharing is something I treasure...

So whatever your traditions are..however you choose to celebrate I wish that the warmth and joy you feel tomorrow stays with you in all your days to come...

Lyn xxx

                    

wednesday

Good morning campers!!

  How is everyone this morning? I am doing good...finishing up the last of my Christmas shopping..I always say I am done then I think of something else... ;-)

 

I sure do miss my Mum this time of year...and perhaps she is missing us?? I was chatting with my sister via IM the other morning and she told me some weird things have been happening at home..anytime she takes a picture inside the house or her shed where she does her Ebay stuff orbs show up in the picture...other people have borrowed her camera and nothing and if she uses it anywhere other than home it's fine...then last week she was home with my dad..her BF was down the pub...she was in the bath and my dad was in his room upstairs watching TV..well she heard the front door fly open and felt a draught..the door by the way is a heavy outside door..double glazed...she shouts out to my dad that the door was open so he gets his baseball bat and goes downstairs to "investigate"..he yells up to my sister  who is still in the bathroom that "it must be your Mum come back for a bath" he was just joking.....seeing as he is up now he decides to go into the conservatory for a smoke and what does he see on the doormat?? Two soapy bubbly footprints!!!!!!! my sister had NOT come downstairs!! Now my dad is as honest as the day is new and would never make that up..my sister came down because he called for her and she got to see the bubbles fading away....how can you explain that? And there have been a few weird things happening here too...we had to have the Alarm guy come out because the 2 way was not working on our alarm system...so he is here messing with the system and he calls out to me "ma'am is there anyone else here at home other then you?" I told him no..he says well I am hearing voices on the phone line so he thought someone was trying to use the phone..he then UNPLUGS the phone and we hear "white noise" coming out the speaker!!  He couldn't get out of here fast enough! I am open to all things and if this is my Mum trying to come through I just wish she would make herself known more clearly...  She loved Christmas so maybe it is her....I kinda like to think so...

 

Trifle...yum ;-)

What holiday food am I??

 

You Are a Trifle

No doubt, you have many intricate layers. But deep down, you're a little squishy.

 

 

Christmas survey...

I did this last year so thought I would just re-post it... ;-)

Your Name: Lynda

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?  he puts them in a huge sack

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? white

4 . Do you hang mistletoe?  I will this year... ;-)

5. When do you put your decorations up?  The Day after Thanksgiving if I can wait...

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?  The whole Christmas meal

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?  The anticiptaion as we went down the stairs Christmas Morning...

 

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?  I can't remember the actual circumstance but had my doubts for a while and would try to catch my parents out

 

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?  just one

 

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?  The whole shebang!! Ornaments, lights, garland, candy canes.

 

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?   Love it!!

 

12. Can you ice skate?    Yep did it a few times as a kid and last year in central park!!

 

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?  Tiny tears

 

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?  the spirit of the holidays...

 

15. What is your favorite Holiday Desert?  English Christmas pudding with heavy cream....

 

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?  Ryan goes into Rachel's room and they wait for us to wake up.. last year they txt me...LOl

 

17. What tops your tree?  a lighted star

 

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving?  giving

 

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? "So this is Christmas" and "I'll be home for Christmas"

 

20. Candy Canes, Yuck or Yum?   Yuck

21. Did you wait in a long line to purchase a Playstation 3 today?  Hell no!!

 

22. Have you ever waited in line to get a high demand item?  sure have.. back when the kids were young...several different times.. can't remember for what now though...

the time of year for giving...

Please take a moment to visit this Journal and see if there is anythng you can do to help or perhaps you are the one in need..either way this Journal is well worth a read..

http://journals.aol.com/Canyonsun04/the-giving-tree/

 

Pisces..float..float on..;-)

I'd say pretty accurate aye? ;-)

M.I.A.

Good Morning Campers!!

  I thought I had better do a quick  entry to let you know that I am all present and accounted for..thanks for the emails and such asking if I was okay..I am fine..just busy with the hustle and bustle of the season..etc...

We had hubby's Christmas party down town this week which meant we had an overnight stay at the Omni..very nice it was too...I will post pics later..I ended up taking my Vera Wang dress back as I found a little black number that was very flattering on and would be more practical...I have my office party to go to tonight..this one is low key..it's at a pub...I looking forward to a pint of cider tonight and some Irish food...we are doing our gift exchange too ..

So anyway other than being a social butterfly there is not too much going on to write about..I have over 500 alerts again as I have not been online for a couple of days...I'm thinking of deleting and starting over..so if I haven't been by you'll know why...

 I hope everyone is doing okay...and enjoying the magic of the season and not getting too burned out..remember in a few weeks it'll all be a distant memory so make the best of it...

take care...

L

is it me?

Quick question..are ALERTS down or did I lose half my readers? The only way I know to figure it out is ask...I mean I have alerts in my in box so.................

That's all..it is Monday morning after all....;-)

have a great week....

L

Another one...;-)

          

Another meme from Dawn @

Click here: Beneath the Surface

 

1. If your doctor told you TODAY that you were pregnant, what would you say? just in time for Christmas..another miraculous conception!

2. Do you trust all of your friends? my TRUE friends yes..there are some people who claim to be my friends that I do NOT trust...

3. Would you move to another state or country to be with the one you love? you're asking a Military wife that? Doh!

4. Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? I certainly do..I have to or nothing would make sense.... 

5. Can you make a dollar in change right now? Yep

6. Which one of your friends do you think would make the best doctor? the one I would pick already is one! 

7. Are you afraid of falling in love? No..to fall in love is a gift...

9. Is there someone who pops into your mind at random times? Yes. 

10. What's your most favorite scar? my scar from having my appendix removed

11. When was the last time you flew in a plane? Monday Dec. 3rd 

12. What did the last text message you sent say? I'll take pics

14. Fill in the blank. I love: life!

17. How many kids do you want to have? I have 2 ..I should have had one more....

18. Would you make a good parent? I think I am doing a pretty good job of it..my 22 year old hasn't moved out yet! LOL

19. On your My space, where was your default picture taken? I don't do my space...

20. What's your middle name? I don't have one..really I don't!

21. Honestly, what's on your mind right now? my grocery list..I am off to the base soon...

22. If you could go back in time and change something, what would it be? Yes...I made a decision that I wish I could change....I have never written about it either....

23. Who was or will be the maid of honor/ best man in your wedding? I got married by the justice of the peace

24. What are you wearing right now? Pj's

25. Righty or Lefty? Righty tighty!

26. Best place to eat? La Napolera..Mexican!

 27. Favorite jeans? My faded 505 Levi's

28. Favorite animal? I guess my little Yorkie cadet...

29. Favorite juice? Orange juice

30. Have you had the chicken pox? yes

31. Have you had a sore throat? stupid question..has anyone NOT?

32. Ever had a bar fight? Oh yea! Last one was in defense of my sister... LOL

33. Who knows you the best? Di

34. Shoe size? 7 1/2

35. Do you wear contact lenses or glasses? both

36. Ever been in a fight with your pet? No

37. Been to Mexico? nope but I want to

38. Did you buy something today? Not yet it's only 7.30 am give me time though...;-)

39. Did you get sick today? I have a runny nose seeing as you asked

40. Do you miss someone today? My Mum as always...

41. Did you get in a fight with someone today? not yet

42. When is the last time you had a massage? last Saturday

43. Last person to lay in your bed? hubby

44. Last person to see you cry? No one. 

45. Who made you cry? TV...LOL

46. What was the last TV show you watched? real housewives of Orange County

47. What are your plans for the weekend? grocery shopping today

48. Who do you think will play along? whoever feels like it

49. Who was the last person you hung out with? the girls

50. If your "significant other" asked you to marry them TODAY what would you say? I am married to him already 

           

        

 

 

 

Roundtrip ticket to anywhere... ;-)

Good Morning campers!!

  How are we all this fine morning? I am off again today..I was going to go into work this morning but as we only have one Dr. we are not very busy and the other girl needed the hours so here I am...;-)

 Not a lot to report this morning...I have recovered from our trip...still can't believe how much we managed to squeeze in in 4 days...I sent them a beautiful Thomas Kincaide Christmas center piece as a thank you gift..it has a chapel in the middle of it ..really pretty..the least I could do for such a wonderful weekend...speaking of which I faxed my receipts to AirTran and they offered me either $75 in cash or a round trip ticket anywhere Airtran flys...I obviously took the ticket so who wants a visitor???   ;-)

 I am almost done with my Christmas shopping..just a couple of small items left to get...that's a good thing because I have such a busy schedule coming up..hubby's squadron party is Thursday night downtown at the Omni..I have actually bought a dress to wear..I know I know ..don't faint..me in a dress <sigh> if I could find a pic of it I would show you but I guess I will just have to take one of me in it..it is a Vera Wang...I swear her bringing  her line to Kohl's could be the death of my wallet...;-)

 Hubby is home again after a whirlwind trip to Tennessee..I have a funny about that one..his mobile rang our house..by mistake..it must have been in his pocket and when he sat down it dialed..well he had no idea..so hear I am listening in on his conversation...LOL.. lucky for him he was telling boring "war" stories that I have heard a 100 times already...;-)  I tried whistling down the phone ..hollering...he didn't hear me so I hung up...LOL...

Okay I have rambled on enough this morning..have a great weekend everyone...

Here are my five..I haven't done this in a while...

1. Stocking hanging on our nurses stations with our names on them....

2.. Christmas lights...

3... the scents of the season...it smells so good everywhere..

4....poinsettias...

5..... the joy in the air..wish this feeling of goodwill to all men could last all year....

Survey says....

 

I got this from Dawn  ;-)

Click here: Beneath the Surface

 

1. What are your siblings MIDDLE names? none of us have middle names..

2. Where is your dad right now?  too far away :-(  he is in UK..

3. What was the last thing you said? have a good day at school

4. What is something you've learned about yourself recently? I like massages... ;-)

5. What color is your watch? It is all silver..it is a bangle watch...

6. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Wendy!!

7. When was the last time you squatted to pee? When I was back home for a visit we went to the boat races and the line for the loo was long so we popped a squat behind the trees....

8. Who is the last person you liked? He knows who he is... ;-)

9. Are you close to your mom?  she has passed on but someday's I feel close

10. Where does your best friend work? she's an instructor at a technical school teaching the Medical Assistant program and he is a DR. in a hospital....

11. What is your least attractive feature?  my teeth. I am British...say no more....

12. What color are your pants? Black pajamas

13. Do you have a roommate? Roommate?  well hubby and kids live here...

14. Do you prefer paper or plastic? paper

15. What color is your bedroom flooring?  sage green carpet

16. Do you have a chair in your room? yes one of the dining room extras

17. What time of day were you born? wee hours of the morning

18. Do you know anyone engaged? nope

19. What's your favorite number? 7

20. Do you know anyone named Laurie?  seems to be a popular name over here I have met a bunch of them..two come to mind..my old next door neighbour and the gal I used to work with...

21. What color is your mom's hair?  it was dark brown..

22. Do you have a dog?  my yorkie Cadet

23. Where did you live in 1987? Virginia Beach VA

24. What happened to you in 1993? My hubby had cancer and he was going through his chemo

25. Does your first memory involve your dad? Yes..my mum threw me down the stairs to him because I was unconscious from coughing so much with Whooping cough and she thought I was dead and he caught me...

26. Do you remember singing any songs as a kid? She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes..we always sang this in the car...

27. When was the last time you went swimming? first week of October...

28. Has your luggage ever got lost? First time ever this past weekend!

29. When was the last time you talked to one of your siblings? been about a month.. :-(

30. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? Went to stay in a manor in Wales...

31. Do you play an instrument? I can play steel guitar..the recorder and the keyboard...not very well anymore i am out of practice....

32. Have you ever thought it would be cool to smash a guitar? yea man!

33. Do you like fire? In a fireplace yes

35. Are you allergic to anything? for some reason over here any raw fruit makes my throat itch...

36. When was the last time you cried? a couple of days ago watching Alpha Dog...

37. What kind of shampoo do you use? John Fredia for blondes

38. Have you ever been to a spa? Ditto # 28's answer!!

39. Were you popular in school? I was actually

40. Did you take science all four years of high school? Biology

41. Do you like butterflies? I think they are pretty

42. What is the last book you read?  I re read "about a boy" on the plane

43. Do you like Coke or Pepsi more? Coke diet coke that is...;-)

44. What is one thing you miss about your past?  my energy level...LOL

45. Did you ever see the school nurse? No ..why would I?

46. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? No I wanted to be a Nun though... 

47. What is one thing you've learned about life? What goes around comes around...you reap what you sow...

48. Are you jealous of anyone? I try not to be...things are never what they appear to be...

49. Is anyone jealous of you?  I hope not

50. When was the last time you were in an elevator?  this past weekend

brrrrr!!

        

It's beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas.... ;-)

Temperature:	37°F 3°C
Conditions:	Partly Cloudy
Winds:	SSW 5 MPH SSW 8 KPH
Relative Humidity:	82%
Barometer:	29.90 Falling
Visibility:	7.00 Miles 11.27 Kilometers
Feels Like:	33°F n/a

                  

The trip...

Good morning campers!!

Did you miss me?  ;-)

I can tell you now I am going to have to delete alerts and start over as I have over 500 in my in box..you must have been a prolific bunch this weekend....

So let me tell you about our amazing trip this weekend...I hope I don't bore you...kind of like when the relatives drag out the photo album from their holidays...LOL

Thursday...

Left Jacksonville 6.30 am..very long and uncomfortable flight...not much leg room for the leggy Hatfield men....had a quick layover in Atlanta..grabbed a bite to eat and continued onto to San Diego..we were met my my brother in law and my niece..went to the baggage claim to get out bags..everyone's came except mine...I tried so hard not to cry but I had absolutely everything in that case..including the new outfit I had bought to wear to the party..not to mention all my make up..toiletries..undies...jewelry etc etc..we filled out the claim and then headed to the go kart track..now these are not your average little go karts..these things go 45 mph and you have to wear helmets etc...they scared the flipping crap out of me and I actually got pulled over and told to go FASTER as I was being a hazard to the other drivers..I told the guy "how about I just get out?"...LOL.. from the Go karts we went to lunch at a cool Hawaiian themed burger joint called Islands..I swear to you the burgers were the size of saucers! And yes we ate them all...we stopped by the Lodge to check it out..the place was amazing...it is like a Ski Lodge but on on the golf course...very very luxurious..the rooms run from $450 a night to $7000...after dropping off hubby's bags we headed to the house to drop off the kids stuff..they were staying at the house with their cousins...after getting everyone sorted we headed out to the casino at Viejas...we did a bit of gambling...won some and lost some...:-) they had this incredible shopping Centrex there where we saw the ice Skaters.. I had to do some quick shopping to have something to wear the next day...we dropped the kids off at the house and headed over to the Lodge and had a quick night cap in the bar and then crashed...

Friday..

We woke up to pounding wind and rain.. I felt so bad for the guys..they tried playing golf but it was a wash out..it NEVER rains in San Diego but of course they had 5 inches that day...LOL..we hung out at the lodge and relaxed in front of the fireplace...we checked on my bag..it did not arrive that day either so I had to go get another outfit to wear to the party that night...then it was party time..a Limo picked us up at 5.30..we drank Dom Perignon on the way to pick up the kids..then it was off to Hooleys for a night of drinking and dancing and celebrating..my BIL had a great time and it was a fun night for us all...we got picked up by the Limo and poured out at the other end...LOL

Saturday..

Got a phone call at 9.30 am to say that my bags had arrived on the flight the night before..um..why didn't they call the night before then? So had them delivered at the lodge....had breakfast down in the dining room..there was this course going on in one of the Conference rooms and they were doing this training exercise to encourage "trust" which involved one team member blindfolding the other and leading them all around the resort...it was the funniest thing I have ever seen! One person dragging another by the hand through the lobby..through the restaurant..making them hug the trees..dip their feet in the pool etc..when you looked out on the grounds it looked like night of the living dead with all these people walking with their arms stretched out in front of them...LOL ..after breakfast the fellows headed off to play golf in their new outfits that my BIL had got from the St. Andrews web site..I never laughed so hard at the the two of them in their knickerbockers...I went back to my room and was dozing by the fireplace when my sister in law knocked on the door to tell me she had booked us in at the Spa in an hour....so it was off for an afternoon of total pampering..we got 1 hour Swedish massages..OMG..absolute heaven.. followed by a sauna and steam room session...then a nice relaxing drink by the fireplace...as we were checking out my SIL bought me one of the robes from the Spa..CASHMERE!!!!! feels like total bliss..so cozy and snuggly and just luxurious...heaven in a robe..I can't believe she did that...they were beyond generous to all of this the whole weekend..they paid for the Lodge and the Golf etc.. I can't allow myself to even imagine the bill..breakfast alone was $100...we met up with the kids who had been hanging at the beach and buying Souvenirs..they bought their stuff to spend the night with us the last night..we all headed out to Shoguns for dinner..(Bennihanas was closed) the boys got their photos taken and sang Happy Birthday to in Japanese..freaking hilarious as the kids were joining  in...

Sunday..

Loaded up the truck and headed back to the airport after an hour of hugging and kissing and thankyou's and pictures LOL...it was hubby's birthday Sunday but we will be celebrating later this week as he is gone again...when we go to the Airport hubby asked for a free upgrade for all our inconvenience with the missing bag..they upgraded two of us so I let the birthday boy and Ryan have the seats...Ryan is just way to tall for those tiny regular seats..;-) We had an uneventful flight back to Atlanta but then all that weather from up the east coast delayed a lot of incoming flights so out flight was in turn delayed back to Jacksonville..we did not get home till 2.30 a.m. and hubby had to be back at the airport at 9.30 to fly out to Memphis for his business trip!!!

So that was our weekend..we had the time of our lives and the West Coast Hatfields certainly showed us East coasters how to do it in style!! We will not forget this one in a while..I feel totally pampered and relaxed and energized..it was just what we all needed...

the pics....

The lodge where we stayed....

The view from our balcony...

the boys in their golf outfits..LOL

After the game at the "19th" hole...;-)

Beautiful golf course..will be where the US open will be played 2008

hubby playing golf....

calender shot huh??

This lodge was absolutely breathtaking...

All shots below from our balcony... <sigh>

 

 

 

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