Holiday Eating Tips

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat step #3.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello!?!?!?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'

Pop-ups, Guineas and PUDs

I've been noticing lately a disgusting little pop-up commercial on my e-mail server, a lovely woman who rapidly gets wrinkled before my eyes, all the while a little counter starts from 20-something and runs until it hits 60. What's up with that, My Beauties??!!?
I'm in lively good mood because my Guineas are home again. They inexplicably left a week ago, I thought strangled or shot for their noise or in somebody's stew pot. No, they were foraging and befriending within a four block area. Gray and I finally spotted them yesterday morning. It took a solid hour to herd them home (they are monumentaly stupid); one blond teen-age girl opened a window to see me following them thru her backyard and asked, "Are you going to eat those?" She seemed relieved to know I would not do that.
Hey, we 'town naysayers' got the upper hand at Town Council meeting. The gigantic Planned Urban Development, unlovingly referred to as the PUD, is on hold, for we now have a 3-2 split on council members. The 'suits' now snidely call it "The People's Council". Well, duh. . .
Merry Sunday to All! Hope you're not stressing about Christmas.
LOVE YA!! Maureen

Do We Remember These?

http://cruzintheavenue.com/DYRT.htm

Merry Christmas!

http://www.thecompassgroup.biz/merryxmas.swf

GalGal Mailing Addresses

Bonnell‎
Name Dixie McCoulskey
Personal e-mail dxmccoulskey@suddenlink.net
Home phone 325.651.7257
Home address 7050 South Rattiff Road, San Angelo, Texas 76904
Birthday Aug 22

Brister‎
Name Della Savage
Personal e-mail vsavage860@aol.com
Home phone 210.403.3027
Mobile phone 210.240.3933
Home address 13914 Floral Ridge, San Antonio, Texas 78247
Birthday 12/07/44

Clemons‎
Name Madelyn D'Olive
Personal e-mail joelyn426@sbcglobal.net
Home phone 817.263.4353
Mobile phone 817.247.4521
Home address 7017 Pameron Trail, Ft. Worth, Texas 76132
Birthday 2/06/45

Douglass‎
Name Maureen Sutton
Personal e-mail suttonmaureen@hotmail.com
or douglass1945@gmail.com
Home phone 910.692.9413
Home address 345 North Page Street, Southern Pines, NC 28387
Company Moore County Schools
Work phone 910 948 2411
Work address Rushwood, Robbins, NC
Birthday 6/02/45

Eastwood‎
Name Vicki Deuel
Personal e-mail vrdeuel@yahoo.com
Home phone 979 690 2280
Home address 6984 River Place, College Station, TX

Gonzales‎
Name Gloria Kohnen
Personal e-mail gkohnen@sbcglobal.net
Home phone 713.462.5159
Mobile phone 713.492.9194
Home address 1926 Hoskins, Houston, Texas 77080
Birthday 8/03/45

Graves‎
Name Sonia Hausmann
Personal e-mail simplegreen.utah@gmail.com
Home phone 801.798.1550
Mobile phone 801.822.1482
Home address 888 East 100 South, Spanish Fork, Utah 84660
Other e-mail simplegreen@sfcn.org
Birthday 11/15/44

Green‎
Name Celia Carroll
Personal e-mail ccarr10186@aol.com
Home address 2311 30th St., Santa Monica, CA 90405

Reynolds‎
Name Peggy Walker
Personal e-mail pawalkermsw@msn.com
Home phone 214 824 7732
Mobile phone 214 642 5006
Home address 7147 Cornelia Ln, Dallas, TX 75214
Work e-mail peggy.walker@tps.state.tx.us
Birthday 11/19/45

Rogers‎
Name Loretta Baumgarten
Personal e-mail schurvpk@fais.net
Home phone 979.562.2225
Mobile phone 979.743.0555
Home address 65 North Kessler Avenue, Schulenburg, Texas 78956
Company Schulenburg RV Park
Work phone 979.743.4388
Fax 979.743.2858
Other phone 800.771.9955
Birthday 1/20/45

Swift‎
Name Paulette Frye
Personal e-mail dhfrye@hyperhog.net
Home phone 915 646 2355
Home address 13100 C R 367, May, TX 76857
Work phone 325.643.3363 ext. 248
Birthday 11/4/45

Clemons‎
Name Madelyn D'Olive
Personal e-mail joelyn426@sbcglobal.net
Home phone 817.263.4353
Mobile phone 817.247.4521
Home address 7017 Pameron Trail, Ft. Worth, Texas 76132
Birthday 2/06/45

Nicholls‎
Name Barbara Vyverman
Personal e-mail bvyverman@satx.rr.com
Home phone 210 6959563
Home address 18234 Lake Shore Dr, Helotes, TX 78023

Pankratz‎
Name Margaret Kloss
Home phone 830-864-5800
Mobile phone 830-446-2104
Home address 1926 FM, Harper, TX 78631

Haggard‎
Name Metha Leslie
Home phone 210 622 3886
Home address 16290 IH 35 S, Atascosa, TX 78002

Tumlinson‎
Name Doris Dent
Home phone 210 355 6417
Home address 132 Woodland Ranch, Boerne, TX 78015

Celia's address

Celia Green Carroll
2311 30th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Ladies, I saw today on my school computer your searches for addresses of various Galgals. Forgive my not posting all addresses before now! We've been busy killing the PUD (Planned Urban Development) that's been in the air for the past 18 months. I think we have the upper hand!!! Along with many others, I spoke at last Tuesday's Town Council meeting, where, finally, the final vote was not enough to sustain a zoning change. AND our newly-elected councilwoman finally got installed. NOW we'll see what's cooking!
I get son Gray, flying in from IL thru Detroit late Sunday, hoping for decent flying weather! He'll be here a full two weeks this time--yay! much yard work I'll get out of him. And the neat thing is that he likes it!

What Do You Know?

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51023
Hi, folks, what's your take on this issue? Thanks! Maureen

More Pics

More Pics from Reunion

pics with Loretta in

Peggy, Administrator of the Year

Peggy is on page 8.

Our Long Leaf Pine

Rick Studenmund of the Nature Conservancy provided information that our tree is the oldest Long Leaf Pine in the world: 458 years old.

Costochondritis

If you think you're having a heart attack or maybe a broken rib, it may be costochondritis, cause unknown. I'm diagnosed with it since last Thursday, by no means debilitating, just a nuisance. Has anybody else had this nuisance?
Maureen

No Good Byes

Hi, I was looking through my journal of favorite quotes and found this one:

"Don't be dismayed at good byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends." ~ Illusions, Richard Bach

May you always have sun in your kitchen and rain on your roof.
Love, Sonia

Good reminder from Gloria

Time passes
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.

BUT.........
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other.
Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on to all the women who help make your life meaningful. I just did.

There are more than twenty angels in this world.
Ten are peacefully sleeping on clouds. Nine are playing. And one is reading her email at this moment.

Marshall Reunion, Sept. 08

[from Elaine thru Sonia]

The reunion date is Sept. 26, 08. Friday and Saturday again. Leslie is already getting calls out trying to find other names and addresses. I am afraid it is a bit early, but he is doing all the work.

Books, Movies

Ladies, keep sending your recommendations for books to read, movies to see. I'll get them into some order and eventually send out a list. Maureen

NC Pottery

Maureen's favorite pottery haunt, remember?
Loretta took this pic at this pottery place.

RAIN!!

Solid rain for 3 days; we're up almost 6 inches. Just a foot to go!
Soggy and contented, Maureen

Group pics

CA Fires

I got e's from both John and Diane yesterday that they are in a valley between fires, are ok. They live in Chatsworth, CA.
Maureen
p.s. still hot and dry here, current early morning temp. is 75 degrees.

Testing News

[this is from a fellow ESL teacher]

The state public education department cannot seem to adopt a statewide test for more than 5 years. School districts statewide have used the tests (TABS, TEAMS, TAAS, and now TAKS).

Therefore, San Antonio school districts have adopted a test that better fits the public education in their city. The new instrument will be the Texas Assessment of Cognitive Operations (TACO). It will have a remedial version (Soft TACO), a regular version (Hard TACO), and an advanced version with many more pages (the Gordita). It will be graded on the standard bell curve (the TACO Bell ).

Districts receiving the lowest scores will be put on probation with a Basic Educational Appraisal-Not Satisfactory (BEANS). A second low rating earns the dreaded supplemental Remediation Factor for Individualized Education Deficits (REFRIED BEANS).

This rating system is expected to cause a lot of hot air at campus faculty meetings.

South TX: New Environmental Heartland

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/10/17/55719/633/?source=weekly

Maureen, Carley, Gray

My two kids (the 'wound' is Carley's stage make-up)

Loretta, Weymouth's Biggest Longleaf

Sonia back home

Let everyone know I'm home: Sunday night Oct. 21. A 12 hour drive from Mesa and uneventful. Crossed Hoover Dam and right through Vegas and into Utah--beautiful mountains with snow. Bucked a 40-50 mph wind all day which means I used too much gas. Tired, Later ladies. Love, Sonia

From Vicki

April in Houston at Gloria's house sounds good! Hope everyone enjoyed the pictures I had saved all these years.

Trouble with Blogger Pics

Blogger is working on their uploading procedures for photos, some sort of problem. . . Soon, though, we should be able to see one another's pics. If you want to send some now, I can house them on my computer and blog them later.
Thanks! Maureen

Madelyn's address, Hawaii, etc.

This looks like a yea from Madelyn. Sonia

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joe DOlive
Date: Oct 18, 2007 1:50 PM
Subject: Re: Sonia here
To: Sonia Hausmann < simplegreen.utah@gmail.com>


Hawaii-WOW!! it's sure something to think about. I live in Fort Worth, so I'm close to DFW, the Atlanta of the Southwest. April in Houston would be great--only about 5 hours away! Thanks for forwarding my email about the blog to Maureen. Stay in touch, Madelyn


Dear Core Group, as I send out these blogs, you can gather up e-addresses and let me know who else is missing/interested in getting blogged.
Send me anything you want to post to the group: pics, recipes, list of great books/movies, articles, WHATEVER, and I'll try to keep up.
It was my extreme pleasure to have you all visit me here in NC. We are excellent, competent women comfortable in our genuine skins. Cheers!! Maureen

Connections/Reconnections

Loretta and I are here trying to create a blog for us. These are bare bones so far. Send any info you want to share--especially pics of you and yours.
We'll continue trying to locate our buddies to include in this listing as this endeavor grows.
Part of this endeavor includes future plannings for get-togethers. For example, our next venture will be to Houston in April, Gloria's house.
Much more to follow. . .

Cheers, Y'all!