Martini Musings

  To Christmas Card or not to Christmas Card …        That is the question!   Tomorrow is December 1 and happily, I have already received two Christmas cards. I’m one of those people who enjoys getting the cards. I mean, if you love Christmas like I love Christmas, you probably love Christmas cards too. My traditions have gone from cards, to newsletters, to cards with newsletters, to nothing, to cards, with short notes, to cards, to nothing to newsletters only, to cards to out-of-towners only, to those who mail cards to me and the cycle has gone around and around. The truth is, if I could get my act together, everyone would get a card. I love getting mail and a personal note and I do send them all year long, but the task of mailing a boatload of cards at once can get overwhelming. As a family, we opted for the newsletter because we didn’t see people frequently and I didn’t have time to do a recap in every card. People made fun of me an...

  SPECIAL EDITION OF WEDNESDAY BLOG POST! Due to the Thanksgiving holiday and all of us being a little busy, I’m putting my blog post out a few days early. Oh who am I kidding...that’s not the only reason. What I’m about to write about, cannot wait until Wednesday! Today, we hosted our first Secret Thanksgiving Event (I need a special name for this!). It was an amazing event and I know a few people who are already signed up for next year. Quick background: Last year, on Facebook, I saw a story about a guy who had put together a group of people who had lunch together every year. They each paid $100 and then they enjoyed a good lunch and at the end, surprised the server with a larger than life “tip!” I loved the idea so much, I decided to set a date, right then and put out a “save the date” on Facebook. Several people loved the idea and then, it was filed away. In September, I decided to find a local restaurant that would be a good place to have breakfast/lunch and would al...

  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh… There is absolutely nothing better than a getaway with friends or family…but nothing competes with friends who are like family. Last week at this time, I was settling into a room in Pigeon Forge, TN, where soon, I would go to The Christmas Place, where I couldn’t wait to snag a few holiday ornaments. The ride to Pigeon Forge was with a couple that I have known since my early career days. We had lots of plans for a future as two couples, but this was the first big adventure with me as the third party! On our way, we stopped at Bucc-ees in Richmond, KY. Take it from me, it is an experience! Fortunately, it was a Wednesday so the crowd was not bad. Gas was $3.02/gallon! It was worth the stop! After walking through the world’s largest convenience store, checking out the world’s cleanest restrooms, and seeing (but not using) the world’s longest carwash, we moved on, with our $.99 super-large Diet Cokes and iced teas. Bucc-ees has shopping carts to use and many ...

  And The Joy Continues…   As you know, my bar-themed Christmas tree is up and lit every night when I get home! Although the retro aluminum tree is up, we haven’t turned on the rotating light just yet. This week, my Dad will start to get things out, slowly, but on his schedule. If anyone wants to know…YES, this early Christmas decorating brings me joy!! Even with the curse of the time change, when many are grumpy, you can’t help but be happy in our house because of the festive little tree in my room. To keep the joy and happiness going, I have a trip to the Biltmore Candlelight Christmas starting TODAY! Of course, it will start today because a trip to the Christmas Place in Pidgeon Forge is first on the list. Keep in mind that I really don’t need anything and at this point, I have no where to store anything else, but spending time looking at the Christmas décor will brighten the gloomiest of days in my book! Plus, you just never know when you might find something rea...

  ‘Tis the Season… I doubt that any of you would be surprised to know that on Halloween night, while all of the neighborhood was tapping on doors and filling baskets with candy, I was in a house that was dark, keeping the goblins away. My bar-themed Christmas tree was being assembled in my room. Yes, my Christmas tree is up and lit. It has been a longstanding tradition that the first Christmas tree was put up on Halloween night. While Katie was trick-or-treating, we were always giving out candy. Once she was done with that, we would put our bowl of treats on the porch and begin decorating the house for Christmas, which always started with the silver tree in the sunroom. Since Greg was pretty possessive of that tree, I would put up my bar tree in the kitchen. Seriously, there was good reason for this early craziness. We hosted a Christmas party the first Friday in December and in order to get things done, without rushing around and feeling overwhelmed, we would start early. ...