Black Friday Cheer

The Christmas season is here! To focus on work is over. I have not ever been able to accomplish that during this season. I just want to enjoy all the hustle and bustle and lights and decorations and sounds and tastes and smells that only happen during this season. I have pretty much completed my Christmas shopping for everyone but my daughter’s fiancé, my brother and his wife. I had it done over a week ago; so when my daughter said she wanted to go out on Black Friday at midnight I was all for the adventure just to watch and be amazed at “crazy”. I was not disappointed.  People were camping out at Best Buy Wednesday night.

 I mean camping. There was a tent and people in lawn chairs around a BBQ grill. Lines around Kohls wrapping around to the back of the building, Macy’s had lines from each of its doors.

Home Depot had long lines forming outside.  People had lists and ads in hand and were ready with plans, strategies, telephones charged and a commander. I was entertained. It was amusing and challenging and “crazy”. People were in lines to the cash wraps that wrapped around the inside of the store from the front to the back with one or two things in hand, others had basket loads. Mostly it was exhausted women, some families that had the air of a family adventure, teenaged girls doing personal shopping, men with “deer in the headlight” looks and a list – totally out of their element but determined not to disappoint the wife.  Some were serious about the shopping a few were like me just out to have a fun adventure, a few were in high good spirits, a few were over focused and rude. We left home at 11:30 and after what I thought was a few hours my feet were tired and my gimpy ankle was screaming at me. Shaggy checked the time and informed me it was 7:05 am. Well no wonder my feet were cranky we had been out walking around for over 7 hours. We headed home for a nap. Up again at 11:00 am we sent my personal shopper a text message and he was at work so we climbed back into the car and headed off again.

 He hooked Shaggy up with Janet at Clinique and led me off to hunt for red lipstick.

 We were both looking mighty fly when we left with our treasures and gifts and surprises.  We stopped over at Godiva and recharged with a truffle for the drive back home.

  Really enjoyed my Thanksgiving Holiday! Let’s do it again!

Lady Tamara www.HighlandTitles.com needs to focus on some work today. Gala is Saturday night and there are several loose ends to tie up, daughters to deliver to work, daughters who are packing to move and need my help, my work to do, my non-profits to tend to, my own business to promote, my Cassie who needs me. Adventures to participate in, I am exhausted just thinking about it all. I need a star like the Magi followed, camels and horses to load all my cares on and just follow where it leads.  Lady Tamara www.HighlandTitles.com  is packing up all the demands on me into a beautiful box and giving it to GOD He will know what to do with it all. 

It is HIS anyway. I shall follow and be amazed!

Do you need a box for your cares?

Mantle Scarf

Every day I write in a gratitude journal.

 I started with 5 things. I would jot down in a small journal 5 things I was grateful for. At first it was the obvious, a bed, a home, food and such but then I started to look beyond those confines. After a year my list grew larger and I discovered more little things I had overlooked being lost in my personal tragedy. That was 1998 and my list now can be as small as 7 or as long as 12 depending on what I write about. The worse my situation was the harder it was to find even 7 things to be grateful for. But when you are sitting on the ground in despair you notice the intricate pattern of the Persian rug that decorates your room and all of a sudden you are thankful you bought that rug, you are thankful for the hands that wove that rug, the creation of the loom that was used, the person who procured the rug for auction, the boat that brought it here, the hands that created the boat and before you know it you have filled up 12 lines and your heart is open to receive more.

I mention this because several friends on a social media site are doing a November gratitude journey and every day they write about what they are grateful for. Wonderful! Will this create a habit they will continue for the rest of their days?  I enjoy what they all write. They are all positive things but in the devastation can they still be grateful? I wrote in my journal negatives like not having money; not being able to buy new clothing has inspired me to be creative and wildly free with what I wear. Why just the other day I mixed 2 different pinks with a vibrant orange sweater and pulled it all together with a scarf that incorporated all the colors. It was wild! I am grateful I have the imagination and courage to experiment and wear my creations in public.

Just this morning I was looking at my fireplace and the mantle scarf that adorns it.

 It is creamy white in color and made of Irish linen. The three edges are finished in hand tatted trim. My grandfathers’ mother made it as a young girl for her trousseau. That means she made it around 1884. What was she thinking as she tatted the edging? Was she dreaming about the man she would marry? The home she would live in? The children she would have? Did she think about me? Did she think about the mantle scarf being given to some future granddaughter? This morning I am grateful for every stitch, every thread, every moment she spent crafting this beautiful scarf. For her, for her husband, for her mother who taught her how to create this type of lace. It feels like it was all done for me. That opens my heart and a flood of warmth engulfs me. Over a hundred years ago a simple gesture of love has brought me enormous pleasure. Who beyond me will it bless?

Lady Tamara www.LairdOfLochaber.com  wishes you a blessed and joy filled Thanksgiving.

Surprised to be awake

My granddaughter spent the weekend with me. 

She is 3. She wakes up in the morning and creeps silently into my room and peers up over the end of my bed. If she cannot see me she stealthily creeps around to the side where she can. As soon as she has made eye contact she joyfully shouts I am awake! Part announcement, part surprise, and part mystery as if she thought maybe she would not be awake in the morning. As if the prayer….

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep,

If I shall die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.

…had her believing she may not awake.

Ever wonder where this little bedtime prayer came from?

This version by Joseph Addison…

When I lay me down to Sleep,

I recommend myself to his care;

when I awake, I give myself up to his Direction.

…appeared in 1711 on March 8 in The Spectator.

 The other version was printed in The New England Primer at a later date.

Do I awake with this sort of mystified joy? Did you?

Lady Tamara www.LochaberHighlandEstates.com awoke today and is having an adventure!! Whooooot!!!!

Mistaken Identity

Yesterday was double point coffee day where I purchase coffee.  So all I have to do is purchase 4 more bags of coffee on double point day and I receive a free bag. Exciting stuff! I also needed tea so we looked all over the store for some pumpkin pie spiced chai tea. Apparently pumpkins have gone back out of season (more on that later). However there standing tall in the Christmas area is Comfort and Joy tea. 

Hmmm… Ok I will try it. Black tea, spices and a touch of fruit, Interesting.  There was not a price sticker on the canister of tea, but, it was tea how much can it be?  With coffee and tea in hand we make our way to the cash wrap. Devin our cashier gets all excited over the tea I have purchased. “You must really LOVE tea!” Oh I do I exclaim and then he asks me if I enjoy that flavor. “I have never tried it.” Let me know he says as my purchase totals a wee bit over $19. It was at that moment I realize what he meant about loving tea. I was about to pay $11.99 for it. A moment of Bloody Hell!!! Hit me quickly followed by I am worth it and I deserve to have nice things.  I did not blink I just smiled and handed him a reward coupon for $10 off.  The coupon failed to read, it was not expired I had not made a copy or printed out 2. He called for a manger. As I was about to say don’t worry about it and hand him my card she shows up. Before I can say anything he starts babbling that the coupon is failing to read, is not expired and I drink Republic of Tea brand teas and am a faithful customer. Surprisingly he is in a panic.  She takes the coupon attempts to run it past the scanner and ends up with the same results. She keys it in manually and smiling, apologizes for the hassle. Devin is smiling and sporting a “There everything is set to rights again” expression. I thank them pick up my bag and leave.

 The last time I was treated like a Diva was over 25 years ago over a box of Godiva Chocolates in Dayton Ohio. My last name was Van Slyke an unusual name but one that was fairly well known at the time due to the baseball brilliance of Andy Van Slyke.  

It was Christmas and I always bought a ballotin of chocolates for Phyllis.

  I could not get to a Nordstrom to purchase the said treats because there was not one near me so I phoned one in Cincinnati. I asked for the Godiva department and a woman came on the phone I ordered the size and then asked if she could ship it directly from the store to Phyllis in Texas. She said certainly. Encouraged by this I asked if it could be gift wrapped. “Well, it already is in Gold paper with swag of greenery and white berries.” I understand but I want it gift wrapped over that. “No ma’am we do not do that.” Ok I think, it was worth a try. Phyllis will be surprised to get them anyway I doubt she will care about gift wrap. She asks for my card number and then my name and address, Mrs. Van Slyke I say and give an address. There is a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. “Hello?” I am sorry ma’am what is your last name again? Van Slyke and I spell it. Just a moment she says, I will be right back.  She gets back on the phone moments later and tells me that the ballotin will be gift wrapped and carefully packed in dry ice so as not to melt and shipped immediately.  Ok, thank you I am thrilled and still unsuspecting. We conclude our transaction and as I am about to hang up she timidly says to me “Ma’am, Your husband Andy is my all-time favorite ball player. Thank you.” And she rings off. Uhm…. Andy Van Slyke is not my husband I think and now feel guilty about the whole exchange. I did not lead her astray she just assumed and it was not until it was over that I understood what had happened. She thought I was his wife and must have told a manager and they treated me differently when she got back on the phone. Now I was very curious to see what Phyllis actually would get. She got her ballotin exquisitely wrapped in thick red paper and swathed in a white tulle ribbon with holly and red berries packed in dry ice so it would not melt in the hot Texas December. Phyllis was impressed.  I had become very aware of the differences between them and me. It was huge! I wanted to be one of them.

Now I am Lady Tamara www.highlandtitles.comand I feel like one of them all the time! Especially buying Republic of Tea!  Hope I receive a ballotin of Godiva this year.  Don’t you want one too?

Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem

Here is something I found interesting. 47% of people on facebook were un-friended or un-friended someone over political opinions, comments, and votes. Hmmm…..

Dear Panera are you owned by Starbucks? Do you change the menu and then not change the menu we your customers see?  Does New York style cheesecake cream cheese go out of season like the bloody coconuts do? Shaggy and I come dancing into your store in our pajamas, sorry Cat it had to be done, to have a delicious pumpkin pie bagel and there on the menu it says New York Cheesecake as an option for cream cheese. Not only that but it also says it across a banner on the bagel bin. “Try our pumpkin pie bagel with New York style cream cheese!” YES!!!! NO!!! Says Kelly the man at the register; No what? No pumpkin bagel? I can see them. “ NO we have the bagel”  he looks at me like I am the idiot, “No New York Cream cheese”, and then he grins at me smugly. “We have not changed the signs yet.” Really? Is that true? Did New York recall their cheese cake ? Can you manage the honey Walnut or is that out of season as well? He now has the grace to look a wee bit embarrassed. Yes Ma’am we have that. Well make it so bagel boy!  It was probably the better choice anyway.

Speaking of facebook have you seen the post by the children whose father would not let them get a cat? After some serious negotiations the father told the children if they put a plea on his facebook page begging for a cat and it got a 1000 likes he would buy them a cat.  The son put the plea on his father’s page asking people to like the post nd explained why. Apparently within hours it had well over a thousand likes and is now at over 100,000 likes. Well done little family. Hopefully it was a Shelter kitty.

I discovered I have a grand Aunt who was a member of the Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem. What is this I wonder?  Here is what I found out…  

The mission of the Order is to uphold the simple religion of Christ and further his Gospel of "Peace and Good Will upon the Earth."  To do noble deeds and by acts of kindness and works of cheer make the world better and brighter to him or her who in the hour of sorrow and affliction sees nothing but darkness.

Purpose of the Material Objective Fund

The Material Objective fund is an established Benevolent fund to help assist in the paying of medical bills for those who cannot afford them by any other means.

The White Shrine is a not-for-profit body organized under a charter of incorporation dated October 23, 1894.  It is not connected to the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine (AAOMS).

Lady Tamara www.LairdOfLochaber.com was fascinated by this Aunt who was also a member of Knights Templar Auxiliary, Order of the Eastern Star, Ladies Oriental Shrine, Order of the Amaranth, an active member of her church and a school teacher. When did she sleep?

Speaking of sleep it is cold and grey outside I could go back to sleep. How about you?

Pierce His Navel

I have become a little old Lady with poor handwriting. I had a note on my schedule for yesterday that I looked at and could not decipher. I got 1 and gala but that was all. My gala meetings are almost always on a Thursday at 11:30 so I thought I had written the wrong date and scratched the notation off. I am off out of town on a long planned adventure when I receive a call from one of my committee members telling me she is running late. For what I ask, the meeting she replies. What meeting? The one scheduled for 1:00 today. uh-oh it is already 1:05 and I am about 45 minutes out. I will not be making it. I cannot even begin to describe how I felt, but it was all bad. Words like idiot, irresponsible, stroke victim, Alzheimer, buffoon, bumble headed, silly ninny, all ran through my mind. Still today I cannot recall why we had it scheduled for such an odd time.

But wait…. There is more. I had borrowed a book from the library where my mother lives. I recall putting it in my purse. But it was not there when I went to retrieve it. I found it in my camera bag two days later. I set it on my bed and continued with the work I was doing. I remember walking into my room to return my camera to the bag and seeing the book. On the cover of the book lying on my bed is a black cat, lying on my bed is my black cat. I have two black cats on my bed I thought and smiled. Late that same night I go to pick up the book which had been lying on the afghan on my bed and it is gone. Not there and not anywhere. I have not been able to find the book for two days.

On top of that; I get a phone call yesterday from my MF so he can tell me he is in Newport and of course as he suspected I went off about not flying me into Newport and he laughed. So I ask about Christmas and as I expected he is backing out. I am very disappointed because this is not the first time he has set me up for a Christmas trip and then failed to produce, gone alone, took some teenager instead, changed his plans to go somewhere with other friends. I expected it, sadly, but still I am disappointed.  Ok! Lady Tamara www.HighlandTitles.com will thank GOD and carry on! HE has a better plan for me. Maybe this year I will get to see the Nutcracker! I  missed it last year.

Then last night, just as I needed a little surprise and humor my daughter tells me her gay best friend went and pierced his navel and his Mom paid for it. WHAT?? I have never heard of a guy piercing his navel. I can imagine exotic male belly dancers doing this but…. Ok after a google I found discussions on the subject in gay and bi-sexual chat rooms. Hmmmm but I also found straight men who admitted to it.

Sort of put a little feather in the cap of my day. Now I will look at all men and wonder…..”Does he have a navel piercing?”

Have you ever seen this?

FIGure No Wrinkles

I am using a font called Iskoola Pota. What does that mean?

I have a few ingredients in my kitchen that I hate to throw out so I have spent the morning rummaging through recipes looking for ways to use these items. Things like 1 lemon, ½ container of Mascarpone cheese, ½ container of plain yogurt. About 1 cup of sugar, some walnuts a ¼ cup of pecans, ½ container of ricotta and about 1 Tablespoon of sour cream.  Now that I have it all written down I should be looking for a lemon bar recipe.

 I found a chocolate cream cheese bar streusel bar that I believe will work after I make some substitutions. The reason I bring this up is because I found a recipe called Duck Casserole. It involves a duckling, 3 apples and a bottle of white wine. I am NOT a flesh eater but this sounded sooooooo delicious I may put together a small dinner party and serve this.

My neighbor was out this morning singing for her cat Figaro. Yes singing; early morning Opera, Fiiig-Aroooo Figaro Figaro fig-a-ro. But then we gobble, gobble for Goblin except he is not outside.  We just wander through the house gobbling. Only we know we are silly, well now you do too.

Did any of you catch my business facebook page? It is National Fig Week. We sell a wonderful Fig Walnut Butter that we can customize a label for. Great idea to add into a basket for a VIP client. Curious about figs? I was.

In ancient Greece, Figs were regarded with such esteem that laws were created forbidding the export of the best quality figs.  They were considered a sacred fruit by counties in Asia, Greece, Italy and Egypt. They are the most talked about fruit in the Bible and are also mentioned in a Babylonian hymnal dated about 2000BC.

Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves that fashioned into an apron like covering. If you have never seen a fig tree leaf they are very large.

Figs were used as training food by Olympian athletes as a token of Honor.  Pliny, the Roman writer (52-113 AD) had this to say, “Figs are restorative. They increase the strength of young people, preserve the elderly in better health and make them look younger with fewer wrinkles.” I am going to try this.

Figs are an excellent source of dietary fiber, a part of an overall healthy diet, it helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels and supports heart, digestive and colon health. Diets rich in soluble and insoluble fibers, such as figs, help maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels and may lower colon cancer risk.

Figs also add magnesium, calcium, antioxidants and potassium to the diet

Figs have a high alkalinity it have been mentioned as being beneficial to persons wishing to quit smoking.

Lady Tamara www.LochaberHighlandEstates.com  is going to buy some for beauty reasons. Thank you Pliny! Shall I pick you up some too?

Watch the line

Ladies, please, please pay attention to your lip liner. It goes on your lip line or just outside. 

If you feel you must make your lip look balloonish please be careful when you eat. There I sat at an event that involved the eating of food if you wanted to eat. I sat down left of the stage so I could get some photos and the beautiful young woman across from me had just eaten and there, painted in a burnt red was a well-drawn pencil thin mustache. I was not on her upper lip line it was well above it, mid-way between her lip and nose. It took me a second to figure out what it was. 

 I wanted to tell her but how do you say “Senora your lip pencil is smudged”? I got up to take some photos and did not see her again. I am certain it was not a random occurrence. The line was too perfectly drawn. I suppose she lets it lie there and re-lips after she is done.  I just feel bad because I was not sure if I should have said something or not.

I had the privilege of driving the event photographer around for a city function this weekend. We had finished up and I was supposed to be driving him back to City Hall where is car was. I needed to go the opposite direction to return the golf cart. We were chatting and I moved to turn right onto the road that would take me back to the Gold Course and proceeded to start the turn when I realized I needed to go left. There was a car in the left turn lane so I scooted across the street instead. I busted a U-turn and was turning out onto the street when driving down the road in her own golf cart was the Economic Director of the City. I could tell by the look on her face that she was wondering why I was making a turn from a road not in my path. I felt like a do-dee-do.  I really hope she does not think I was out joy-riding in city property.  May be I should send her a little note.

I had a wee bit of pumpkin left in the refrigerator and was wondering what to do with it when I was struck with the idea of pumpkin muffins. So I looked for a recipe. I found one online and commenced to creating.  I had only a little sugar and wheat flour. This recipe called for wheat flour and a wee bit of sugar as well as a wee amount of applesauce which I had. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/pumpkin-muffins

As I was about to pour them into the muffin time I was inspired to make a coffee cake instead; so I poured it into a pan and put it in the oven. Then I thought a crumble would be great on the top of the coffee cake so with some brown sugar, flour, butter and spices I made a crumble and sprinkled it on the top and baked. Two words describe my creation. Soooo Delicious!!!!

My grand-daughter who has started into an educational day-care facility has brought home some form of the creepy crud nose melting disease and shared it with Shaggy and me so Lady Tamara  www.LairdOfLochaber.com  must now find some aspirin and a tissue.

Have a wonderful day!

Shower Spasm

So there I was minding my own business, reaching up to fasten a hair clip around my hair when BAM! A spasm in my back that stretches from my hip to my neck and is causing me to jerk suddenly at random moments and now taking a nice deep breath is over. I am taking short unfulfilling breaths while feeling like I am being jolted every few seconds by electric shock.  My fingers are numb my ankle is tingling. Whatever nerve, tendon, muscle or major blood vessel decided to move has devastated my entire body. Not to mention whatever daycare illness my granddaughter contracted has now infected me. She has been coughing for days. I can hardly wait for that to start with a spasm already lodged in my back. Wheeeee!!!!

If this kills me today let this be known! I Lady Tamara www.HighlandTitles.com, do not wish for my pirate ship in the moonlight print to go to Ryan B. After what he has done to my daughter and my grand-daughter he deserves nothing.  Kicking her out of her bedroom because you have moved your girlfriend’s 14 year old daughter in to it is NOT acceptable.

I hate to cut this short but I have to be in my office by 8 and I hope a hot shower will relax this rebellion in my back.

You would not believe the ugly photos that come up when you google hot shower. Disgusting!!!

Oh good sirens…. Maybe they are coming for me and a nice shot of morphine is almost here.