Thoughts On Having Dinner Out

My husband has breakfast every Wednesday morning with a group of men from our church. They decided last week that they wanted to have a Christmas get-together and include wives. So tonight 20 of us had reservations at a new Italian restaurant here in town. It was a little nicer than the places my husband and I usually have dinner...meaning it didn't have a drive-through window. And they had candles on the tables. And they were lit. And they had cloth tablecloths and cloth napkins. I was sure glad I got all dressed up. I'm kidding ya'll - I'm not one to dress up but I did have on my best black jeans and a Christmas sweater. For me that IS dressed up!

We were a timely group and the last couple arrived at 6:10; not bad for that big a group. But you know us old-timers...we're the early crowd because we have to be in bed by 9:00. However, things started to go downhill pretty quickly. It was nearly 6:30 before they offered drinks. Since we're a church group they didn't get many takers but a couple of folks (most of them doctors who are practicing what they preach) had a glass of red wine. They were pampering their hearts I'm sure. :) They did take orders pretty quickly after the drinks though so I thought we were in good shape. I have to interject here that if you're having pasta a salad should be included and not priced separately. Otherwise, if you don't order a salad, you're just going to have a plate of pasta and nothing else. Does that seem right to you? I'm just sayin'. At my house if I have pasta I serve salad. They don't. Unless you order it separate and pay extra. Enough about that. The salads were good but the house salads were piled high and the Caesar salads were skimpy...what was that about? If you're thinking of the cost it would be the other way around, wouldn't it? Maybe they were just running low on the makin's for Caesar salads. Whatever.

We waited on our entrees and visited. And visited. And waited. And visited. And waited. Somewhere around 8:00 they brought out our entrees. Except for the two whose orders weren't correct and who didn't get their meals till the rest of us were finishing up. Somewhere after 8:30 we left there - full because the food was good and we, no maybe I mean I, ate lots of bread with pesto. One couple whose order was messed up (they brought her spaghetti bolognese when she ordered lasagna bolognese and heaven knows those two aren't the same thing, right?) and who didn't get her lasagna till I was done with my meal, also were charged incorrectly. The waiter assured them it was ok because the entree he put on there was the same price. Except the lady said it wasn't - they were overcharged by about $2.50. She said this to her husband after the waiter left but by then her husband was so disgusted he said he'd just pay the $2.50 if he could just go home! Another gentleman was charged for two glasses of wine but he only had one.

Ok, it's new. They had a full house. On a Tuesday night, who knew? They had plenty of waiters. But I'm thinking their kitchen is small. And there were 20 of us with 20 different orders (or maybe only a half dozen different entrees, really) to try to get out at the same time and that has to be hard. I sure wouldn't want to do it, which is why I'm not in the restaurant business. So being the forgiving person that I am I just think I'm glad I got a night out and don't sweat the small stuff.

And that would be the end of it except for this one tiny problem I can't get past. An Italian restaurant - how would you expect it to be decorated? A little Italian maybe? They had lovely pictures on the walls.....of lions, tigers, zebras and an ostrich. Lovely pictures, really. I didn't know those were Italian animals, did you?

**edited to note: If you have a restaurant, for heaven's sake take the tails off the shrimp when serving Shrimp Fettucini!

Puppy Dog Tails

My youngest grandson will be celebrating his first Christmas this year and his first birthday on New Year's Eve. He is a typical little boy made of "frogs and snails and puppy dog tails." He crawls faster than a locomotive and has taken a couple of steps though he's still a little reluctant about that. Why in the world would he need to walk, after all, when he has two parents, two sisters, and lots of grandparents, aunts and uncles who are more than willing to give him a ride on their hip! I found this wonderful flannel fabric some time ago, just perfect for him. There's a red with puppies all over it, a black with white paw prints, and another red with white dog bones. Appropriate to him I used a Trip Around The World pattern (because he crawls around and around and around!). I added puppy dog tails (tabs) all around the outer edge for him to play with. Some of the tails I put in a little crooked because not all puppy dog tails are straight. :) (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!) I didn't put a batting in it because I decided it was heavy enough with a flannel backing and I wanted it to be light enough for him to carry around. It's just the cutest quilt, if I do say so myself!

Apologies To My Friends

I am adding word verification back to my posts ya'll. I'm getting a lot of anonymous comments about wonderful money making ventures (if you're interested I'll point them your way!). I don't really like word verification though most of my blog friends use it. I want everyone to be nice and sales people to leave me alone but alas, that is not to be. Maybe I was just a little too "oh poor you, people are making nasty comments on your blog, they never do that to me" for my own good! :) Ever notice how when you get a little uppity you get zapped? :) So watch for the little weird words and letters to type in, at least for a while. Maybe the sales people will get tired and go away. Fat chance!

I've also started telling all the sales people and political callers who ask me how I'm doing that I'm terrible, awful, grumpy, and tired of phone calls. I say it in a nice voice - does that count? Bah humbug.

Actually I really do have the Christmas spirit, really I do. I just finished the cutest quilt for my youngest grandchild, but it deserves a post all it's own so I'll do that tomorrow.

Winter on the Lake

This morning I stood on my deck enjoying the sunshine - a welcome change to all the rainy days we've had lately. It was bright and sunny and just literally lifted my spirits. Later in the afternoon when I walked out there it was this scene that met me. Not a lot different really. I could still see blue sky, but it was pale, almost more white than blue in places. A winter sky I thought. The trees are bare and the leaves are on the ground. This lake is owned by an energy company and they always let it down in the winter to kill off any algae and to allow homeowners to do any needed repairs to the "seawall." It's awfully quiet and sort of forlorn looking - like it's forgotten or something. And the yard looks almost neglected, though it's not. Granted the little bird feeder stand has tilted in the wind, and the chairs and tables need to be washed after the rains....nothing a little time and attention won't cure. I had spent the morning at the hospital visiting patients in my volunteer chaplain job and I saw several people there that were just like this winter lake scene...a little neglected but nothing a little time and attention wouldn't fix. Some of the people at the hospital were more like the morning scene on the lake - bright and sunny and spirit lifting! A 92 year old gentleman waiting for shoulder surgery was filled with joy and laughter even as he confessed that his golden years were beginning to show a little tarnish. A 91 year old sweet, sweet lady was also waiting for surgery and showed me her poor hands - she'd spilled hot grease on them. She thought she was so lucky because her son happened to be there with her when it happened. I wonder exactly what it is that makes one person have a negative outward appearance (and I'm not talking about beauty here), and others have cheerful spirits and positive outlooks. Some of them I want to gather up and bring home with me and others I want to .... gather up and bring home with me. Except some of them I want because they would so enrich my life, and others because I want to help make their lives better. I know which kind of person I would like to be too! Is it life experiences that form us into positive or negative people? Is it our faith? Is it our families? Is it all of those - very likely. I just know that I want to capture the joy I saw in those two people today and that I saw on the lake this morning and keep it in my heart. Have you seen any people like that lately? People that make your heart smile? I hope you have.

Surgery Report

All is well - praise the Lord! My daughter's surgery was over in an hour and a half (the last one lasted six and a half hours) and by 11:00 this morning she was in a room. Last time she was asleep for 2 days; today she hasn't closed her eyes (or her mouth) yet! She hasn't even been drowsy! She has walked with a walker to the bathroom twice, ate a cheeseburger with no nausea, and swears she can already tell she has relief from the pain in her hips. Her incision is a little uncomfortable and is seeping just a little but otherwise it looks good. It's in the middle of her lower back, below her waist and not nearly as large as I thought it would be. I won't be surprised if she gets out of the hospital tomorrow - last time she was there about 4 days. I'll be bringing her home with me so her husband can work since they own their own business but I know we'll have a good time hanging out for a few days. God has answered our prayers is a wonderful way - thank you for petitioning Him with me.

Does Anyone Need?

I made this costume for my grandson for Christmas a couple of years ago - at his request. It was so cute! Anyway, it's a size 7-14 and I won't be needing it again. Anyone need a pattern? I'll be happy to send it your way! At the time it was $15.95 and I sure hate to throw it away. Free to the first taker!