May 10, 2008 Ship of Thieves! Stealing the Magic..AGAIN!!! Panama Canal FL to CA!!! Part 3

[nskjerven]

Julie: The maid(s) could have thrown the laundry at you hence you would be under it....just kidding..... glad you checked in we missed you.

Thanks for the tea idea. My DH really likes tea. We honeymooned in London the first few nights at the Ritz. Tea there was the best. This last summer we had a nice tea at the Sheraton Park Hotel again in London. My Mom had this great chocolate champange(yes I'm aware not a real champage, most likely but you get the drift). I've emailed them once to ask what vintner but haven't heard back...I need to email that question again I think.

I never knew you could have tea at Harrods. We just shop in the food court there. Yummmmmm.

Had our last cookie booth tonight, I'm so glad its over. Tomorrow I make the deposits and get Molly's final sales numbers, somewhere around 1200-1400 boxes. Too many cookies.

The boys head out tomorrow for a go kart race, Molly and I are going it alone....I hate it when the boys travel, but we have a scout meeting on Sunday so we can't go this time. Might be a pedicure day for us girls.

I think I've told you before, I'm a bean counter. Actually I do accounting for start-up business (lots here in Silicon Valley) I'm like a rent-a-CFO most of my clients have been software companies, but right now I have a few construction clients. Not as easy to do accounting for them, but such great profits in that line of business so, it's good from that end. I love the rush of start-ups, love technology and those who create it. I have my office at home (in my backyard, well an office in the backyard)

DH is a lawyer too. He does mostly corporate law(financing, stock plans, contracts, HR),he spent time as General Counsel in house, but now works on his own (in my office).

We had a nanny from '97-03, before both kids were in (pre)school.

Working on our own has been the best thing for both of us. We both spend alot of time with the kids. DH does the morning school stuff, I have them in the afternoon. We both do school field trips whenever we want to. We take a good amount of time off every year vacationing (4-6 weeks) but always have our cell phones with us during those times (except on the cruise) so clients really always come first even when we travel....being self employed we always feel like we have to take on work when it's offered since we never know when it might be gone. We have been fortunate that we both work exclusively from referrals from past/current clients. DH is the only lawyer I know that can walk into an employee termination meeting and walk out with all docs signed and having a new client.

okay enough of my blabbermouth...the new Jeff Goldbloom show is starting...nite from me see ya tomorrow.

 

[calmom]

Lemon Chicken and Rice Soup
Serves 4

6 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 T vegetable oil
2 boneless, skinless chic breasts (6 to 8 ounces), patted dry
Salt and Pepper
1 med onion, minced
2 med carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 t minced fresh thyme
3/4 c long grain rice
2 T minced fresh parsley
3 T fresh lemon juice, strained
4 large egg yolks

1. Bring broth to boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Cover and set aside. Heat oil in Dutch over aover med high heat until just smoking. Season chic w/salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 2 min per side. Transfer to plate. Lower heat to med low, add onion, and cook until lightly browned, 3 - 5 min. Stir in hot borth, using wooden spoon to scrape browned bits from pan. Add carrots, thyme, rice, and chic. Cover and simmer over low heat until chic is cooked through, about 10 min.

2. Transfer chic to cutting board and continue simmering soup, covered until rice is tender, about 10 min. Cut chic into bite sized pieces. Off heat, stir in chic and parsley.

3. Whisk lemon juice and yolks together in bowl. Whisking constantly, gradually (very slowly) ladle 1 c hot soup into egg mixture, then stir egg mixture back into soup. Rehead over low heat for 1 min. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

The key is to super slowly temper (add) the hot soup into the egg/lemon otherwise you'll basically scramble the eggs and that is really not good! Also, if you like it super lemony feel free to add more lemon juice at the appropriate time.

Enjoy!!!!

OK! Whole new thing. Let's put together a May Repo 2008 Panama Canal Cooking Book! I will do this! And this is the first recipe! Post you recipes on this thread - not PM! I will search our thread, make a pamplet of all the recipes posted and then hand out on the cruise. This will be great. I have a fabulous recipe for brownies that comes from my Grandma (92yrs old). I will include it - but you need to give her the credit! Please share your favorite, and this will be a perfect fish extender stuffer.
Thanks,
Lisa

 

[calmom]

It never ceases to amaze me the difference there is between our two countries on how they treat their Servicemen and women, and military veterans.

In the US there seems to be a general respect for them, as well as financial and other benefits. You even have Memorial Day, a public holiday, in recognition of their contribution to your society. I've read about businessmen giving up their 1st class seats on planes to Servicemen, or signing them into airport lounges. During my most recent visit, as I boarded a plane, there was a soldier taking his seat and the man next to him thanked him for what he was doing for their country.

I'm sad to say that it is completely different in the UK.

How is it in the UK? I would have thought it would have been very much the same. Your stories are what I see - many people are very vocal of their support. I suppose it might be the extreme opposite of what many did during the 60s-70s. Lisa

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

Only 38 pages to go but I am going to bed.

Beautiful children Karen, Nanette, John and Lisas.

And beautiful grandkids too Granmaz. They look so sweet in the picture. Have fun in Lanzarote. I have only been to Gran Canaria and it was definetly way different from the beach experience in Mexico.

Great birthday party ideas, I loved Molly´s party pictures, that must have been FUN!

I completely agree with the fish-extender guidelines, if you want to get FISHmail, you must have a FISHextender of any kind.

Holly, you go girl!!!!

Wow, I am really surprised at how long it takes to get a passport in the US. We have had passports ever since we were babies, dd got hers when she was only one month old. Since we live in Mexico City, there are about 5 or 6 offices that do passports, some will even give your passport the same day, the rest might take a day or 2, but that´s it.

I have to renew my US Visa, since it expires in January 2008, and it is a PITA getting the appointment, I must call soon, since they usually give an appointment about 3 or 4 months later. I hate their phone system, you pay about 3 or 4 dollars per minute and must listen first to a very long (about 3 minutes) announcement that you can´t skip. Then you go the embassy, make a looooooong line, are herded into a room like cows, finally a consul sees you and you have to bring proof of your income (last bank statements, proof of ownership of your own business or proof of work for someone else, proof of ownership of your own home or rental contract, last credit card statements, etc etc etc), but since WDW is in the US and cheap shopping too, we just endure the procedure. I am so not looking forward to doing this.

EEEWWWWWW to the talk on the banana slugs, I can´t believe that they actually want kids to lick those!

Karen I loved the self pictures that your dd took.

UKAngel, your dd is beautiful, she looks like a pixie in that picture with her lovely eyes.

I hope nothing much goes on in the board until tomorrow night so I can finish catching up

 

[WldWcnWmn]

We should find out what each other does for a living....we know Karen sell Wine....

I design and sell office furniture to very large office buildings. My DH, who will not be traveling with me, is a minister!!

I was in The Navy (lowly enlisted personnel) now I work for The Postal Service as a Letter Carrier - darned government jobs... I just can't stay away...

He is working in Dallas today. It is out toward Corvallis/Salem area.

We'll wave to him from here in Eugene!

I am a naturopathic physician and DH is a real estate investor/stay at home dad.

V can I join you on the NFL uniform sizer?

I want to be a Naturopathic Physician when I grow up. I used to work for an NP who made tinctures and stuff from her wildcrafted herbs on her farm...when Mekayla grows up and is out of the house (read... "I no longer need to support her financially") I am going to go to the NP college in Portland, Oregon. I think that is my ideal dream job. Yup. I will try my very best not to stalk you and ask you a million questions; I would love to sit down with you and get all the ins and outs of your profession...but I will respect the standard 250 yard personal space zone established in restraining orders while we have two weeks together on a vessel! ("I will not be a groupie"..."I will not be a groupie" - new mantra - "I will not be a groupie")

 

[mom_of_2_princesses]

OK! Whole new thing. Let's put together a May Repo 2008 Panama Canal Cooking Book! I will do this! And this is the first recipe! Post you recipes on this thread - not PM! I will search our thread, make a pamplet of all the recipes posted and then hand out on the cruise. This will be great. I have a fabulous recipe for brownies that comes from my Grandma (92yrs old). I will include it - but you need to give her the credit! Please share your favorite, and this will be a perfect fish extender stuffer.
Thanks,
Lisa

Great idea! I will post my great grandma's fudge recipe. You have to love grandma's recipes. I hope we get a lot. I will do it tomorrow though. I don't feel like thinking right now.

 

[been2marceline]

This will be a sad Easter for us since mom passed away last December. Amy has not yet learned all of the food, and certainly no bread that mom used to make with the egg in the center. Food was so much a part of our lives.

Yes, after I lost my dad and then my mom the holidays were very tough. I still think of them and our traditions at all of the holidays, but DD, DH and I, along with my DSis who we share all the holidays with, have agreed that we will continue our parents traditions, but also start our own. Our parent would have wanted us to not dwell on missing them, but to celebrate the holidays and their lives!!

I hope that you will find joy in all of the wonderful memories that your mom brought to Easter. And raise a glass to her in love and memory!!

Karen

 

[been2marceline]

Noel, you're killing me. THe weather here is awful. I stayed home. I opened the door at one point to see if we got any mail and was PELTED by freezing rain. I did not shovel, so the driveway and walkway are a giant sheet of frozen rain. We have no icemelt to put on the walkway.

Oh, and the peach tree I ordered to put in our garden, has been sitting in a box in my entranceway all week. I keep watering the box and hoping it will warm up so it can get planted.

So yes, I'm jealous of the 80 degree weather!

So sorry to even mention this... but we pruned our peach tree, sprayed it, and it has already bloomed and is heading to leaf!!

Way too early in my opinion!!

Karen, lover of rain and REAL seasons...

 

[fourmcds]

Working on our own has been the best thing for both of us. We both spend alot of time with the kids. DH does the morning school stuff, I have them in the afternoon. We both do school field trips whenever we want to. We take a good amount of time off every year vacationing (4-6 weeks) but always have our cell phones with us during those times (except on the cruise) so clients really always come first even when we travel....being self employed we always feel like we have to take on work when it's offered since we never know when it might be gone. We have been fortunate that we both work exclusively from referrals from past/current clients. DH is the only lawyer I know that can walk into an employee termination meeting and walk out with all docs signed and having a new client.
.

I can never leave my job either but I do love my job I am on call 24/7 since I am in a private practice. The only time I didn't have a cell phone attached at my hip was our disney cruise....it was the greatest. There were actually family pictures without this horrible thing on my waist I hope to hire a new doctor soon so that when I am gone, I am gone and don't have to answer phone calls at all hours of the night.

I am FINALLY caught up.

More and more this group is starting to remind me of some of the great friends we made last December. We are also picking up the pace here, and if I had my mathematics Geek from our December cruise, she could verify my theory - I'm too lazy to do the math!

You are all a great bunch, and every day I am enjoying the conversation.

I am enjoying this group as well. I have been a DIS lurker for a long time, with this group I've become active and am really enjoying the conversations.

Only 38 pages to go but I am going to bed.

I hope nothing much goes on in the board until tomorrow night so I can finish catching up

Welcome back Julie Good luck catching up! It seems slower tonight so you might be in luck

I want to be a Naturopathic Physician when I grow up. I used to work for an NP who made tinctures and stuff from her wildcrafted herbs on her farm...when Mekayla grows up and is out of the house (read... "I no longer need to support her financially") I am going to go to the NP college in Portland, Oregon. I think that is my ideal dream job. Yup. I will try my very best not to stalk you and ask you a million questions; I would love to sit down with you and get all the ins and outs of your profession...but I will respect the standard 250 yard personal space zone established in restraining orders while we have two weeks together on a vessel! ("I will not be a groupie"..."I will not be a groupie" - new mantra - "I will not be a groupie")

No problem to ask all those questions, just try not to ask them after the martini tasting or anything like that Most of my classmates were in their 40's or 50's when they went to school. My 2 closest friends were both "recovering engineers" as they called themselves. It is the career I always dreamed of (well being a doctor), but if we are really dreaming...I have this silly idea that I want to be a SeaGal (Seattle Seahawks cheerleader). Many things stand in my way on that way...namely talent but every season I still think it would be fun.

 

[fourmcds]

Um, sorry, not under a pile of laundry, that is never a problem here, have 2 live in maids and an ironing lady who comes once a week to keep on top of that
:

Yesterday DD's skirt was a bit funky (the pleats were all poufy) so I told her to take it off so I could iron it before school. She was absolutely shocked that I knew how to iron and DH couldn't believe that we actually own one! Yup, a wash, dry and wear kind of family here!

 

[fourmcds]

OK! Whole new thing. Let's put together a May Repo 2008 Panama Canal Cooking Book! I will do this! And this is the first recipe! Post you recipes on this thread - not PM! I will search our thread, make a pamplet of all the recipes posted and then hand out on the cruise. This will be great. I have a fabulous recipe for brownies that comes from my Grandma (92yrs old). I will include it - but you need to give her the credit! Please share your favorite, and this will be a perfect fish extender stuffer.
Thanks,
Lisa

Great idea....can't wait to see all the recipes. Thanks Lisa.

 

[been2marceline]

So do I....Alejandro!

Ok, now you're just getting icky...

Try to keep it slightly less... gooey, OK? Otherwise I will have to take my vivacious living elsewhere!!

(Like I have anywhere else to go or anyone else to live vivaciously through.)

Karen

 

[been2marceline]

Sounds like an awesome combination...what color eyes and hair?

She has TONS of dark brown hair, it started going gray in her mid twenties, so she gives it a bit of a red hue now, but it is still very dark. Her eyes are a lovely hazel green/brown.

Karen

 

[fourmcds]

Karen...hello and good night!
I am heading to bed....going to spend tomorrow with my IL's and need to make sure I get enough sleep so I am not grumpy Hope you guys don't keep up this pace on posting while I am gone, otherwise I will come back to 30 or 40 pages by sunday night! I'll just have to catch up after watching Desperate Housewives. Have a great weekend everyone.

 

[been2marceline]

Ok I just made $285 in completely extra cash and the potential to make another $250. I am so tempted to book a Friday off work in December and fly down for the DIS meet, lol. Spend Friday night and fly back on the last flight Saturday night. It's a sickness, I tell ya.

Do we want to know how you made this extra cash or will it fall under TMI?

Karen

 

[been2marceline]

I am an accountant and DH is a manager of a grocery store.....
DH would love to be a botanist and I would love to be:
a face character at Disney
party planner
professional wine taster
OPI nail polish namer
seamstress for the Chippendales
MLB, NFL & NHL's official uniform sizer

among a multitude of other things....

Official uniform sizer? Sound very intersting!

This is one that even Holly could live vivaciously through!

Karen

 

[LiserAnn]

OK! Whole new thing. Let's put together a May Repo 2008 Panama Canal Cooking Book! I will do this! And this is the first recipe! Post you recipes on this thread - not PM!

What a great idea Lisa!!

Karen...hello and good night!
I am heading to bed....going to spend tomorrow with my IL's and need to make sure I get enough sleep so I am not grumpy Hope you guys don't keep up this pace on posting while I am gone, otherwise I will come back to 30 or 40 pages by sunday night! I'll just have to catch up after watching Desperate Housewives. Have a great weekend everyone.

Good luck with that (the IL thing).....

Do we want to know how you made this extra cash or will it fall under TMI?

Official uniform sizer? Sound very intersting!

I know EXACTLY where V was going with this one....official uniform sizer....very fun (we'll just leave it at that)

 

[been2marceline]

I am a Patient Advocate at the Portland Veteran's Hospital. Speaking of honoring veterans. DH is a pharmacist and works for an agency, works when and where he wants. He has worked in hospitals and retail, but really enjoys the freedom the agency has given him. He is booked 3 days on the Oregon coast next week. M-W. I am taking the days off and going with him to try out our new motorhome!

My folks both worked in Veteran's Service. My Mom worked at the VA Hospital in Martinez, CA in Prosthetics and my dad was the County Department Head for Veterans Services. He was instrumental in helping vets get their benefits from the government. He also spent many days going to bat for Veterans benefits in budget hearings with the state.

Off the soapbox again!!

Karen

 

[been2marceline]

Speaking of fish extenders, I got mine today and it is beautiful. Thank you!!


That was very thoughtful!

When she first said Dallas I was thinking wow that is one heck of a drive.


Occupations.

My DH works for Disney Studios and I stay home with my 2 beautiful girls.

Sounds like you both have GREAT jobs!!

I run our wine shop, but DH is a computer programer and he wrote our website and writes several other web applications and supports them for other companies.

Most of my friends thought that I would end up working at DL when I was younger, one of my freinds from our vocal group does work there.

DH would like to fish all day or work on cars...

Karen

 

[been2marceline]

We went to MVMCP this year for the first time and the girls had a blast. I think I like the MNSSHP better, but I absolutely love WDW around the holidays. I would love to join this december meet, but I think I will have a very hard time convincing DH to make another trip to disney this year Who knows though, I have been trying to get a trip scheduled for december this year.

We went this past December for the first time!! Loved it!

The pictures of us in the cars on page 551 is us from that night.

We will be going down for the November 10th cruise and staying the week after in WDW. I can't be away from the shop again in December, just to busy.

I think that MVMCP will be going on the week that we are there too!!

Karen