Thursday, December 09, 2010 - UPDATED

Thursday, December 09, 2010:

No luck downloading the videos last night.  I think they are too large to upload directly to the blog, so I’m going to have to upload to You-Tube and do a link.  Sorry guys!

Weather looks decent.  A little thin layer of clouds and cool…but better here than home for sure!

Another gazillion dead skeeters on the deck again this morning … the cool weather is definitely good for that anyway!  Today’s weather: high of 79°, low of 59°!

We need to go pick up our laundry this morning in town. Maybe pick up some cornbread mix since I’m making beans and rice today.

So other than uploading videos – nothing planned so far today, but I'll keep you posted on any new or exciting happenings...and knowing me...there's bound to be something!

Turned my iPhone/iPod on and am listening to Kenny G’s Miracles album – one of my favorites.  It reminds me of a wonderful evening I spent at the Ritz with friends! The memories bring a smile to my face!

UPDATE:

Got an e-mail from Nancy with pictures of Kathy’s Christmas Cubical!  How I miss seeing that!  Thanks for sharing with me Nancy (and Kathy!)

We go into town to run errands.  The first stop is to pick up the laundry.  When I get there and show her my receipt, she asked me if I hadn’t already picked up my laundry this morning! That’s a bad sign isn’t it?  She starts looking around, but is not finding anything, so the other girl starts looking too.  They are speaking Spanish, so I can’t tell what they are saying (should have called Amy) …except I can tell by the puzzled look on their faces, it’s not looking good. I’m trying to ignore the fact that they can’t seem to find my laundry, lest I come unglued, in hopes that I’m having a day-nightmare and they find it.  But after about 10 minutes…it’s hard to ignore any longer.  I take a deep breath and hope that when I speak it’s not screams that come out! I look over at them, and she comes to me and asks if it was a quilt that I dropped off.  I said no…clothes. And just then, my eyes look up on the shelf in the other room and I can see an opaque white bag with clothes…and the prints look familiar. Then I see a small piece of tape that has my name! YAY!!!!! It’s my clothes! Phew… catastrophe averted!

Now back to the other end of town to take my rayon house dress to the seamstress. I have a little summer house dress that I got on St. Martin several years ago.  I love it, and have wanted to get some more for some time now but the girl who I bought them from is nowhere to be found. That means I’m out of luck, and these things are wearing out! I saw the sign last week that they can make anything so I asked about my dress.  But I had to wait until I got it back from the laundry.  So I dropped it off, picked out a couple of materials and will get to pick them up tomorrow! Nice!

Our next stop was going to be the grocery store, but I want to try to find some provel cheese to make an appetizer for the gathering at Coco Locos tomorrow night. I bought some Provalone…and it is too much like swiss! There is a wine and cheese store south of town and surely they have some there! Unfortunately they don’t have provel…but they do have a nice creamy havarti and I get some of that.  Should be ok!

Back to the north end of town now for groceries! I wanted to make some pralines with the cashews I have left, but I need sugar.  I don’t have a candy thermometer, so I’ll just have to remember what Martha taught me about making caramel when she was in the Holiday Cookie Weekend mode! (better back that up with some internet research too, cause I’m sure I didn’t pay that good of attention – unfortunately … I was a teenager you know!).  This grocery store doesn’t have crushed red pepper flakes and I need them for tomorrow night, so now I have to go back downtown to The Greenhouse. They have lots of spices there, and I am able to pick up a small portion, not a whole bottle.  Should be set now, so back to the condo.

We stopped at the local bakery up the road to see if they have cornbread, and they had big pieces for $1 … that’s way cheaper than I could make it…not to mention easier! Sweeeet!

Back to the condo I can start cooking the beans and rice for dinner. Shouldn’t take me long since I soaked them overnight. After just a few minutes, it’s smells yummy already! And good too!

I pull up Kathy’s cracker recipe and it calls for canola oil and ranch dressing mix. DARN!  Two things I didn’t get!  Now we have to go to the other side of town again! We pack up real quick and rush down to the cart because it’s 4:30 and will be dark soon.  A FLAT TIRE!   ARG!!!!   We have to call the cart company and explain where we are so they can come fix it!  And you know that won’t be soon! While we are waiting for them to come and fix the car, we go over to the bar to see what movie they are showing tonight.  It’s Home Alone.  That’s a real old movie we’ve seen a hundred times, plus they still don’t have it yet! Doubtful it will be crowded! 

I see that they have put up a Christmas tree at the pool too.  It’s really cool, made out of palm fronds!  HOW NEET!  I WANT ONE!

Still waiting outside for the repairman to come.  We say hello to Freeway.  He’s the resort adopted dog.  Everyone feeds him - nobody owns him!  HE'S A GOOD BOY...!!!!

I’m guessing we’re not going to get the tire fixed tonight, so might as well go back into the condo and eat!   

Gerald had to call Crystal Golf Cart again. Someone is coming over “in 5 minutes”! An hour later, they get here and plug the hole in the tire. We can now head to Island Grocery. It doesn’t take us long…only 45 minutes round trip – and that includes the shopping!

I get the crackers done then start on the caramelized onion dip. It takes a while to caramelize the onions, but it really smells good, and tastes YUMMY!  I love doing these new recipes! I need to find something to do with coconut milk now… I was going to make pina coladas, but the blender is too icky…I’m not touching it…and I’m not buying one either!

Tomorrow I’ll do the pralines … It’s midnight and I’m starting to get pretty tired and need to go to bed!