UPDATE: Never underestimate the power of the CO's secretary!

So, a brief update to the retirement ceremony issues. As of about noon on Friday, we still had not heard anything from anyone regarding the finalized time for the ceremony. Nor were emails or phone calls being returned. Plus, with it being a holiday weekend, we were running out of time. So, realizing the Phil tends to live by the law of inertia, and knowing that we had guests depending on us being able to give an accurate time...I called the CO's secretary (Phil gave me the phone number).

When I finally was able to reach her, I explained about the guests and needing to be able to pin down a time. The very nice lady exclaimed, "Well, they never told me that there were things scheduled! Let me talk to the command and I'll call you back." I explained that even later in the afternoon was preferable to 8 in the morning, and she said she would she what she could do.

I got a call about 45 minutes later (talk about pins and needles!) from her to let me know that the time was now set at 11:30, and then we shared a lovely laugh over the fact that dealing with men has its downsides, and that's why said men are unaware that women REALLY rule the world :) Did I mention how nice she was?

So, while I don't generally get involved in Phil's work stuff (not my place), I have been assured by many that these in these circumstances, it was absolutely appropriate. And as someone noted, what are they going to do - fire him?

Anyway, while I'm still aggravated that the whole situation even ever happened (someone was obviously not doing their job correctly, to have scheduled back-to-back retirements, and of course Phil would be the one getting the short end of the stick in that situation), at least it was able to be resolved.

Oh, and to answer a frequent question - no, we still have not heard anything about a starting date for him yet. The gal he has been talking to was out of the office, so hopefully he'll hear something Tuesday. We'll let you all know as soon as we know anything!

So, on that note - enjoy the holiday weekend, please say a sincere and fervent thank you to any veterans you may know or meet, and keep those service members still overseas (and their families) in your thoughts and prayers.

They SCREW you at the Sector

I am so angry right now - angry and frustrated and sad. As you all know, Phil's retirement ceremony is next Friday. It's been set at 11AM for the last 3 weeks AFTER getting the go-ahead from Sector. We have guests that are (were?) planning on going, and then the plan is (was?) to go out for lunch afterwards. Well, Phil got word yesterday that suddenly 11AM is no longer a good time for the Sector personnel, with them planning on setting it at 8AM. The reason? Because there is another retirement ceremony at the base at that time. Then, Phil and Tony requested that it at least be 8:30 or 9:00 - and no one is returning phone calls or emails to firm up any times.

I just feel it is so completely disrespectful to Phil and to the 25 years he has given to the Coast Guard. Our guests now may or may not be able to make it, the cake may or may not be done, the lunch afterwards will either be cancelled, or I will have to figure out a way to entertain/feed 2 children for the 3 hours until lunch...there are so amny plans that were made around this ceremony that he initially didn't even want. He was told he was going to have a ceremony, and now they're jerking him around. Even worse, I have a bad feeling that because he doesn't actually work ON the base anymore, and because he opted not to have the FULL ceremony, he's being shoved aside in favor of someone who does and did. Of course, to complicate matters even further, its a holiday weekend...the chances that anyone is even still on the base are slim-to-none, and Monday is a holiday.

The suggestion has come up that Phil just go to the base at 8 to get it over with, except that part of the ceremony is to honor Liam...and I think it's only right that he get the recognition he deserves as well. I remember when a retirement, particularly that of a chief, was an all-day, special event. It was however the chief wanted (from full ceremony to those done in local bars), and it was SPECIAL.

Apparently, the days of truly honoring a person who gave much of their life in service of their country is no more.

R.I.P

Finishing the soap

So, I pretty much ignored the laundry soap yesterday - it was hot, Ceana was a pain, and I didn't think that one day would make a difference in the scheme of things. Now, I have no idea whether that played a part or not, but when I went in the garage this morning to stir the soap and add the essential oils, it was a pain. Of course, using a metal bracket to stir probably complicated things...Anyway, after adding the oils, I tried to stir it all together so it wasn't lumpy and when it didn't work like I wanted - I cheated. I got out my handy dandy Cuisinart hand blender and proceeded to blend away. I now have wonderfully smooth laundry detergent!

You can see that the detergent has thickened considerably - holding up my "mixer". If you look close, you can also see that it's very chunky. This was when I added my essential oils - I used a mix of lemon, orange, tea tree and lavender. Comparatively speaking, I used significantly less of the tea tree and the lavender - those were mostly for their added anti-fungal properties. Of course, lemon and orange also have those properties, though maybe not as much. I think I used about 200 drops of oil total - and 3/4 of that would be the citrus. There is a slight smell when you pull of the lid, but certainly overwhelming. And you can add more (though be careful with that - it is oil and a little goes a LONG way), less, or even non at all.

This is my final mixture, after using my hand blender to mix the oils in and get all the chunks out. It is now all ready to be used - once I finish my current bottle of detergent, I will clean it out really well, then I will fill it halfway with the detergent and top it off with water and be all set. I've now got my neighbors interested in trying it...they asked for a copy of the recipe! I'll let you know how it goes when I was my first load.

Oh, and just for fun - here are a few pics of the car washing this weekend...Ceana's first! As you can see, she lost interest rather quickly...much more fun to color with chalk and romp around in her rubber boots!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Having read up on a few different ways to save some money, one that intrigued me was making my own laundry detergent. A few of my fellow Coastie Chicks have tried it, and one of the better recipes (from what I've heard) is the one I decided to try. The gals who have made and used it raved that it was FAR better than any commercial detergent they had tried - whites were whiter and stains that would previously have caused issues were no longer problems (grease, etc.). Several with sensitive skin also mentioned that this stuff was terrific - there were no issues at all. In addition, the recipe makes 10 gallons of detergent - for a cost of around $8. So, here is my experiment in making laundry soap! BTW - the Fels-Naptha and Washing Soda can be purchased at Fred Meyer, ebay, and various other outlets.

Note: If you cannot find the Washing Soda, then you can call 1-800-524-1328, tell them what you're trying to find and your zip code, and they will locate the nearest stores that carry it!

The recipe is as follows:

4 c. hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 c. Washing Soda
1/2 c. Borax

Instructions:
Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. Fill a 5-gal bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. Stir and fill a used, clean laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of the way with water. Shake before each use (it will gel).

Usage:
Top Load Machine - 5/8c. per load (approx. 180 loads)
Front Load Machine - 1/4 c. per load (approx. 640 loads)

As an option, you can edd 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add it once the soap has cooled. Some ideas are: orange, lemon, lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil (all of them help kill germs).
Grating the Fels-Naptha - probably would be easier to use a triangle grater...but I don't have one. You MIGHT be able to use the grater in a food processor, but I didn't try it.

Adding the grated soap to the hot water. It takes a little over 5 minutes to make sure that all the soap flakes are melted/dissolved in the hot water.

I had never seen washing soda. So, for any of you who are like me, here it is! Remember - if you can't find it locally, then call the 800# I listed above and they will be able to tell you where to find it.

Here is the 1/2 c. borax, ready to go. Borax is easily found in just about any grocery store.

This is about what the melted soap/water mixture will look like when it's ready to be mixed with the rest if the ingredients. Make sure that all the pieces are melted - it's easy to miss some little chunks that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan.

After all the ingredients have been combined in the bucket, before filling it up the rest of the way with water. Stir it really well to make sure all the powder is dissolved.

The bucket, when it's all been mixed again, before putting the lid on it. It will thicken tonight, and then I'll post again tomorrow with new pictures.

It's official!

He got the call this afternoon, asking if he still wanted the job. The initial paperwork was emailed to him, and he has completed it and faxed it back. We are now just waiting to hear a start date. We're *hoping* that it will be 01 June, giving us no break in continuity of paychecks. But, we'll see what happens. He thinks he'll probably hear back next week sometime.

Progress continues on Phil's retirement ceremony and after-party. It looks like we're gonna be having wings! There's a terrific wing place that the office has eaten at before, and they just expanded with a location much closer. So, we'll be headed there. I talked to the bakery yesterday about arrangements for Phil's cake, we sent out the invitations/announcements (you should have all gotten them by now!) and I'm watching Phil slowly deconstruct. He's having a hard time right now - Such a big thing to be retiring after 25 years, when that is all you've known since high school. While he hasn't said much about it, there is very little doubt in my mind that he's nervous and scared and all the other stuff that goes along with it. Hopefully, getting the official call today will help ease his mind somewhat. It's been rough for him.

Liam was doing better this morning before school - we'll see how things are after Phil picks him up. I'm sure the first day back after such a terrible accident will be hard for everyone, particularly the poor boy who was the inadvertant cause. I did some researching online last night and found a couple of places that I could get ducklings (not eggs - not enough time for them to hatch) and sent Mike an email that we would be happy to pick one up if it was decided that was a good thing for the class. Though I'm sure we were certainly not the only ones to make such an offer...

Ceana is, as I type this, outside with "Rox". She INSISTS that Roxie be outside with her when she is out, and when Ceana comes in...Roxie must come in also. Period. There is to be no discussion...or Ceana will walk back outside and pull Roxie in by the scruff of the neck. Now bear in mind that Roxie could easily take Ceana for a ride if she wanted to....Anyway, Ceana loves to play outside as much as she possibly can. When she's not coming in saying she's "dirty" and wanting to take a "bath". This starts first thing in the morning, and if she had her way, she would take at least 5 baths a day. Sheesh. I manage to put her off and she continues on her merry way, until next time!

Not much else going on - Oh, I got my paperwork in for my Oregon state certification. I'm waiting for word now. I'm also applying for substitute certification, which may be the only thing I get to use. Oregon is in bad shape, budget-wise right now. The talk is to lay off over 400 teachers, shorten the school year by 6 weeks...and something else that I can't remember off the top of my head. Now that is probably the first drastic gasp, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are still substantial amounts of lay-offs, leaving no shortage of teachers applying for a serious shortage of jobs. It's a complete mess, and it infuriates Phil and I to no end that one of the first things to go in a budget crisis is the education for this country's future. But, that's a soapbox I won't get on for now...

R.I.P, Patricia

Most of you know that Liam's class had hatched two ducklings and have been hand-raising them. Well, they lost one today...Liam is absolutely crushed. Apparently, they had taken the ducklings down to the beach with them. While they were there, one boy accidentally stepped on Patricia's head. While it...damaged...her, it didn't kill her - so Mike (the teacher) ended up having to take care of that painful detail himself. The class buried her on the beach, and each child was able to throw a handful of sand in and say goodbye, but I can only imagine what the rest of the day was like. Liam is taking it hard - he got pretty attached to those little ducklings. In fact, the photo that I posted last week of him holding one of the babies actually showed Patricia, not Yoda as i had believed. Plus, he is so concerned about how Yoda is going to feel without his sister...long night at our house tonight. Lots of talk about heaven, animals, life, when it's time...even some about Buddhism and reincarnation, with some memories of Banshee thrown in. He finally fell asleep, but I'm sure tomorrow is going to be rough, when all the kids have to go back into a classroom minus one much-loved member.

Keep the class in your thoughts, and particularly the poor boy (a friend of Liam's) who is probably feeling even worse right now...plus, a very kind and loving teacher who has always gone above and beyond to help his students - even when it comes to dealing with death.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

To Grandma and Nanna:

We wanted to wish you both a wonderful Mother's Day! We hope that you are able to relax and enjoy the day. We're thinking about you and miss you both~

Love,
The Cummings Clan

Liam and Yoda

Busy couple of days here. Liam and his class have been avidly watching a trio of duck eggs, hoping against all hope that they will not only hatch, but hatch ON TIME while the kids were in school. I know, big demands made on poor Mother Nature...but she came through. When Phil dropped Liam off at school yesterday, one egg had a hole in the top and was starting to crack open. Liam's teacher, Mike, asked if he wanted to hold the egg - so Liam did and the thing apparently started cheeping like a critter possessed. By the end of the day, little Yoda (as voted on by the class - can you tell there are more boys than girls?) was out of his egg. Liam was telling me they all sat in a circle and Yoda went straight to Liam and then fell asleep in his arms for about half an hour. So, when Phil dropped Liam off this morning, Mike asked if we wanted a picture of Liam with Yoda...so, here you go! I have a BAD feeling that it won't be long before Liam starts asking if we can keep little Yoda...

Ceana and I, on the other hand, didn't have such a wonderful day. In fact, after she popped a fairly high fever within about 30 minutes, we ended up at the doctor's office. Since it was so last minute, we didn't get to see our regular doctor...but it seems like she just has a virus (I'm assuming she caught whatever it was that Liam had). I'm keeping a fairly close eye on her though - I want to make sure it doesn't get any worse. She woke up this morning with her temp. almost to 100, so the daily battle has begun. She does NOT like taking her medicine, so I try to bribe her with just a few M&M's. But, sometimes that doesn't even work. It's going to be a loooong day around here, I think. And it absolutely figures that she would pop up with this during the only 2 days when it's supposed to be nice outside - it's supposed to rain again this weekend, and I'm SURE she will be feeling better by then. Urgh. The only bonus for her was that the ice-cream man made his first appearance of the summer here yesterday, so I got her a popsicle to eat.

Otherwise, things are the same here. Phil and I are going to sit down this weekend and work on his resume so that he can get it submitted. We're also working on getting his retirement ceremony planned...though to be perfectly honest, he would be just as happy to get his certificate in the mail. However, the CO has pretty much put the kibosh on that idea, so it looks like it'll be at the REC. I'm hoping to have invitations/announcements out in the mail soon. Then in lieu of having an after-party (we don't want to spend the money right now - not without knowing whether or not he'll have a job right away!), the REC is taking us out to lunch after the ceremony.

That's the lastest news on our front. Tune in next time for more in the exciting world of Our House.