December 30, 2012

A little bit artsy

While I was looking for inspiration for a 2013 journal project, I went back to some of the mini albums I have created over the years. I thought I would share a few!

I'll have more about what I found for 2013 in time for the new year!

December 26, 2012

Down time.

Christmas in our house usually includes books. If you are looking for a good read, we've got you covered!


















New books and e-books in our house include:
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
May We Be Forgiven
In Sunlight and in Shadow
Don't Put Me In Coach
Tales of the Jazz Age
Water for Elephants
In the Garden of Beasts

Children's picture books:
Home for Christmas
The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree

Would have been a gift spoiler

Over the years my side of the family has grown to to the point that exchanging gifts would mean buying for 11 other people, so last Christmas we decided to exchange names. This year I got my other sister.

A few years ago I chaperoned my daughter and her friends at the Warped Tour (actually I love alternative and wanted to go too, but all the parents think I took one for the team). My other sister agreed to go with. Turns out she likes the old school, political message alternative music. We bounced between stages all day.

When I saw "vinyl records" on her list, I was so happy. I went to several different music stores looking for the perfect album.

I settled on Barry Manilow Live - a two album set with all his best music - because who doesn't love the Copacabana? As a kid, I listened to that album over and over and over - and there was probably some hair brush microphone singing in there somewhere too. In my defense I was raised on Abba, the BeeGees, and Kenny Rogers.

Then I bought a whole bunch of real albums for her: Loverboy, The Police, Jefferson Starship, Genesis, Heart.... cuz I couldn't find Pennywise or Pearl Jam on vinyl.

If anyone else had drawn her name, she would have gotten lotion and candles. Now you see why I couldn't share this day's album page until after the gift giving was done.

December 25, 2012

December 25!

It's amazing how that big pile of boxes is reduced to the little stash of goodies under the tree!


December 24, 2012

Sparkle

I asked my middle daughter to take some pictures of the tree and gifts. She took this pic with my point and shoot Canon using color accent and the close up setting. Beautiful!


December 23, 2012

December 23 - Christkindlemarket

One of the things on our family list this year was to go to Christkindlmarket in Chicago. Years ago the oldest went there with her school, and has wanted to go back since. Now we all know why. Freshly roasted pecans, real potato pancakes, and the most beautiful European holiday gifts - most of them authentic, hand-made.


December 21, 2012

The blizzard of 2012

The news people have been forecasting the end of the world by snow for a week now in the Midwest. Rumor has it that some parts of the state received 20 inches of snow, but we got just a few inches of slushy stuff. To make a snowman, the kids would have to roll the entire yard.

And yes, yes that is grass sticking out through the snow.


December 18, 2012

Leftovers or white elephant?

The oldest is in the military while she is in college, and sometimes does weekend trainings. We accumulated a little collection of army rations in our pantry. I added a few to our camping kit. The ones that had been opened, I put in a basket thinking if they looked like food maybe people would eat them.

Turns out that the apple cinnamon apples are just like applesauce, the banana nut muffin top wasn't bad, and peanut butter, well, peanut butter is always good.

Maybe some of my deer-hunting, ice fishing Wisconsin friends would want some "wheat bread" to take along in the tree stand or shanty. Or, use as a white elephant gift. But I have dibs on the hazelnut cocoa!

December 17, 2012

We'll just be over here....

I was scrolling through the photos from the weekend, and apparently not everyone was so interested in making the cookies.


December 16 - Cookies

I gave my middle daughter a list of cookie supplies to add anything else she wanted before I left for the store. She didn't add any food, just the artwork. :)


















See all the days of December.

Yum! Yum!

This weekend was cookie weekend. The kids chose all their favorites from our recipe collection. We made a lot of peanut butter dough. We also made several others to use as gifts for friends and coworkers.

These are chocolate cherry nuggets. My BFF makes these for me every year (Janet - these are gifts for other people - if you made me some I will still eat them... all). Now I know why I love them - it's practically a frosting recipe with a little bit of flour.
 


December 16, 2012

December 15 - De-Hustle and Bustle

This is my kind of holiday shopping. A cup of caramel coffee and Amazon.

















December 14, 2012

December 13 - Blessed

December 13 was my birthday. I am so grateful for all the people in my life who sent Facebook messages, texts or warm thoughts. I was still getting belated birthday wishes a day later. I posted this quote on my wall, and it could not be more true.

It is a good thing to be rich, and it is a good thing to be strong, but it is a better thing to be loved of many friends. ~Euripides

December Daily - Can I get a do-over?

I have been struggling with my December daily album from day one. I have spent way more time than I wanted trying to make it work, when really, I just should have started over a long time ago.

So today I gave in, and while I was at Target I bought a $2 album and $3 worth of stickers to start over. The cover is done, now on to the pages...


December 12, 2012

The art of organizing... wait, I meant the organizing of art.

I am a great organizer. When the kids were little we had a three drawer containers in the closet by the door. When the kids emptied the papers out of their backpacks they went into their drawer. When the drawer got full it went upstairs to the closet into a Rubbermaid bin with a lid. At the end of the school year the bin went in the attic to be sorted later. It was a brilliant system!

There was, however, one flaw. Three kids, times 20-30 pieces of homework a week, multiplied by thirteen years (not including preschool), equals roughly 4.5 million pieces of homework.

So over the summer, I decided that this would be the year I would tackle the bins in the attic. I started with the most sentimental - the preschool artwork. This is one of four large boxes and several other smaller bins and boxes before I started.



















And this is now. There are three bins with the work all organized in nice little piles. I am still looking for something more safe from an archival perspective, but this will do for now. I took digital pictures of everything and backed them up on an external hard drive. I threw away the stuff that was mouse eaten, and to prevent any further snacking, I tossed anything else with beans, seeds, or cheerios - I had no idea the kids did so many projects with food.



















All the stuff I tossed is sitting in the garage waiting for the perfect winter day for a bonfire. It makes me feel better to ceremoniously burn it than just throwing their childhoods in the trash (and no comments from the peanut gallery about any symbolic meanings of burning it - it's working for me).



















At some point I will go back to do another sort and purge, and keep only the really special pieces. After the holidays I am planning to sort through the pics to find the best of the best digital photos for some beautiful Shutterfly books. Then it's onto the grade school years....

December, Day 10

Our December Daily album is coming along!

















I am a list maker - if I don't write things down I forget for sure. The kids have started mentioning things they want to do: drive around and see the Christmas lights, make potato pancakes, go out to dinner as a family. I started adding  them to our calendar to make sure we plan time to do them.

Makdoodle has cute printable Christmas Bucket List - filled in or just the blank border. I might put our list in a frame and use erasable marker to check them off as we go. What a cute idea to keep our ideas where we wont forget them!

December 10, 2012

No snow for you!

Snow for everywhere else but here. Even the little village in the window has more snow than we do. Bah.





December 9, 2012

Scrappy trees




















While the oldest was home last weekend we made some easy scrappy Christmas cards to send with the pop top surprise gifts.

December 8, 2012

December Daily...a little late

Ali Edwards hosts a project called "December Daily" documenting the 25 days leading up to Christmas. It was so much fun to look back at my December Daily 2010 that I decided to do it again this year.

I collected this great assortment of fun paper, stickers and ribbons. I pictured this whimsical Dr. Suess, Grinch, Whoville album. I started the album and I wasn't feeling it. 

So I asked my middle daughter, the artist, for some help. She pulled out the markers and the kitchen became a flurry - blizzard - of design.

She took that boring album and added such style. This is not at all what I pictured, and I love it. 

Comment, I dare ya.

I was sitting in the bleachers last night - duh Friday night, where else would I be? On a time out, my friend, Ann, hollered down from two rows up, "You know I read your blog, but commenting was really a pain."

Why has no one told me this before? Like spinach in your teeth, or toilet paper on your shoe, or food spilled on the front of your shirt (people do tell me about that - because is happens a lot). It's hard to say... but people would rather know than not.

So, thank you ANN for letting me know so that I could find a better comment system. I think y'all are gonna like it....

December 7, 2012

Just don't eat the players.

Last night the youngest was trying to explain a basketball term to her dad, and he just wasn't getting it.

"I know," she said as she grabbed a handful of star bursts out of the candy dish,  "I'll use mom's way of explaining." I smiled as she drew a court and set up the two teams.

Years ago, my middle daughter tried out for club basketball, but didn't make the team. She wanted to play so badly, and decided to play for the recreation team. I signed her up only to get a call that they were dropping the team because they couldn't find a coach.

I had no basketball knowledge at all. As they handed me a clipboard and whistle, I think my words were, "That's the round, orange ball right?"

What I didn't know about basketball, I made up for in what I knew about girls. I enlisted the help of my oldest daughter who already played. Then one of the dads stepped forward with all the basketball knowledge we could want. And when it came time to teach those wiggly, sparkly little girls how to run a play, we did it on a cardboard court with Lifesavers as players and orange runts as the ball.

And that's the story of how a mom who can't dribble or catch a ball takes a team of grade school girls to the city championship two years in a row.

December 6, 2012

Pop top surprise!

The oldest and I found the cutest idea for an easy gift. Here's what we did:
  • Buy cans with the pop top lids. They have to have a bottom that a can opener will fit.
  • Open the bottom of the cans, but not all the way - leave about an inch still attached. 
  • Dump out the contents, and wash and dry the cans. 
  • Fill the cans with whatever goodies you want.
  • Hot glue the can bottom back together. 
  • Cut paper to fit and glue that on.
  • Attach ribbon to the pull tab.
  • Add whatever tags or labels you want.


















Aren't they adorable? We made them for her friends away at school and used M&M's but you could use legos, little cars, barbie accessories, hair ties... think of the possibilities! 

We saw this idea and many more at www.favecrafts.com.

It wasn't me, really.

This morning the youngest came downstairs to see what St. Nick left in her stocking. She looked at all three like she was sizing them up to choose the best one, and settled on the one on the left.

"How do you know that one is yours?" I asked.

"Because you always line things up oldest to youngest or youngest to oldest. I looked in the one on the right and it was empty except a few candies so I guessed that was the one St. Nick sent to my sister at college, which means the one on the left is mine."

Apparently St. Nick has the same OCD issues as me - who knew?

December 5, 2012

The stockings were hung by the fireplace with...

... scotch tape and staples. It's pretty only, kids, not functional. But St. Nick will get the idea.


December 3, 2012

Behind already

Today I stopped at Starbucks for coffee, and asked about their 12 days of Christmas special for today. As the barista thumbed though her little flip book, she said, "Let's see. What day is today?"

One of the others said, "I think it's the second."

Then in a collective debate... It's December 2, wait December 3, no wait is it the 2nd? No really. What day is it? Seriously? The 3rd? No way.

Exactly.

December 1, 2012

Welcome Christmas!

Christmas has arrived in our home! Today we put up the tree and decorated the rooms before the oldest went back to school. Now that the kids are older and help with the decorating, it is so much more relaxing!

































November 28, 2012

The subject line said "help"

I received this message from my college daughter today..... 

So I'm sitting here in English class, trying to drown out my teacher going on and on about how to formulate a research question and what is included in a good thesis, and I couldn't help but hear what I just heard.

A guy in my class is reading his thesis.
"The world is facing a threat much greater than nuclear war. Can we start now to avoid catastrophe?"

The teacher says, "Okay, but what is that looming problem besides nuclear war?"
The guys says ,"Oh, well I thought that was covered in the research paper. We are supposed to state it in the thesis?"

Oyy!

I don't know whats worse - the guy not knowing how to write a thesis, or the teacher accepting that as a decent thesis statement.

November 22, 2012

Donating Black Friday

Many of us are making our lists for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. If you are planning to shop online remember that many schools, churches, and community groups allow you to give back when you shop through a specific website.

How it works: go to the charity or cause website, follow the links to your favorite stores, and your selected charity receives a portion of the sale. Before you head right to the merchant website, check to see if you can help at the same time:
  • ask your child's school or your church to see if they participate in any programs
  • search for "online charity shopping" or "online cause shopping"
  • look for shopping links on your favorite websites
As online shopping becomes more popular, giving back has never been easier!

November 21, 2012

Choosing Vegan

Today, my friend Christine agreed to share her story about becoming vegan and some of her holiday favorites. I know I will be trying the chickpea tart for sure!  Thanks Christine! 

I started eating a vegan diet exclusively a little over a year ago. I had read The China Study and learned about the health benefits of eating a vegan diet. I decided I wanted to give it a try for 30 days. The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine offers a 21 Day Vegan Kickstart Program complete with a menu plan, recipes, ideas and articles and posts from well-known and not-so-well-known vegans to help you try to eat a vegan diet for 21 days.

The thought behind the program is that if you try to eat vegan for just 21 days, it isn’t as intimidating as deciding to cut out animal products all at once for the rest of your life. After 21 days you may decide to add animal products back into your diet. Maybe you’ll decide that eating a vegan diet isn’t for you, or maybe you’ll be like me and realize that eating vegan can be just as satisfying and rewarding as eating a diet including animal products, even more so. You may feel a lot better, lighter, and have more energy realizing that adding animal products back into your diet just weighs you down and upsets your stomach. Whatever the end result is, it’s a way to test yourself, challenge yourself to rid your diet of animal products and see how you feel.

I did the challenge last year in October. I let animal products back into my diet on Thanksgiving day. I still refrained from eating meat, I can’t go there, but I ate foods containing butter, milk, cheese, etc. My body had an unpleasant reaction. I discovered that I can eat delicious foods that make me feel great and not have the side-effects that animal products gave me. The day after Thanksgiving last year, I went back to eating a vegan diet and have not looked back.

However as a vegan it can be challenging to find something to eat at social gatherings, parties, and holidays. It’s especially difficult at Thanksgiving and Christmas where the meal is often centered around the turkey. Luckily I think it’s even easier now to make a delicious, healthy meal for Thanksgiving or Christmas free of animal products.

So that being said, how does a vegan navigate around the dinner table at Thanksgiving or Christmas?

It’s a good thing we have wonderful vegan cookbooks that are available and have become staples in my kitchen. Dreena Burton is my favorite vegan cookbook author. She is a lovely lady and has been vegan for almost 20 years, has 3 young girls, and has recently released her fourth vegan cookbook, Let Them Eat Vegan, which includes 200 “plant powered recipes” that focus on whole foods cooking without the vegan meat and cheese replacers. A lot of her recipes can be adapted to be nut, soy, gluten, and wheat free too. This book is my most frequently used cookbook in the kitchen.

On her website, www.plantpoweredkitchen.com, Dreena recently wrote a post about vegan cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas menu ideas. She included a slew of recipes, many of which I have made and loved. I would like to touch on a few. If you are looking for a replacement for turkey for your holiday meal there are a couple of delicious options I would recommend.

Festive Chickpea Tart
This tart is savory, flavored with spices associated with holiday cooking and very simple to whip up. You can use a pre-made crust to make preparation that much quicker or even make it crust less. I’ve made this several times and it’s a delicious centerpiece that non-vegans love too.

No-Fu Love Loaf
This is a fantastic vegan version of meatloaf. It has a lentil base including oats and barley and all the seasonings you love that go into a standard meatloaf. I have three young boys and they love this recipe.

Besides the centerpiece you’ll want some delicious sides to go with your holiday meal.

Roasted Vegetables
I love roasting my veggies whether they’re root vegetables, brussel sprouts or asparagus. Roasting them with a touch of oil, salt and pepper is really all you need.

Dessert is the best part of the meal, right?

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
I had never tasted a chocolate pumpkin pie before making Dreena’s recipe and I don’t need to
look any further. You’ll be surprised how quick this goes together. And I haven’t found a person
yet who hasn’t loved this pie.

Pumpkin Pie Custards with Brulee Topping
This is a must-make recipe this holiday season (along with the Chocolate Pumpkin Pie of course). I first made this custard as an actual pumpkin pie. My oldest son loves pumpkin pie and I wanted to make a vegan version that was low in sugar but full of healthy ingredients. We loved it so much I made a second the following week. I also reserved some of the custard to try the brulee. Wow! The sugar on top caramelized nicely and created a beautiful crust on top. This will be your show-stopper recipe that will have your guests speechless. Make sure you have enough custard cups for your guests as it’s fun to have individual servings, but of course it’s not necessary.

This just touches on a few of the recipes Dreena mentions in her Thanksgiving and Christmas Menu Ideas post. She also mentions green salads, cranberry sauce, gravy and squash. All are great ideas to have at your holiday table. All are delicious, healthy, and satisfying. Which ones will you be making this year?

November 20, 2012

Just sit in the chair and be quiet.

Have I mentioned that Janet, my BFF since grade school, is also my hair stylist?

I haven't made any of my own hair decisions since she was in cosmetology school. Because she has known me since we were kids, she knows that I do not want to curl it, pin it, braid it, or accessorize it. If it takes more than 10 minutes in the morning I will go to work with bedhead.

And she knows that I am not attached to my hair, so it's not a big deal to try things. It's awesome.

I told my oldest I was going to get my hair cut and colored, and she asked what I planned to do. I told her I wasn't sure. "That's ok," she said, "you can tell her what you want, but she'll do what she wants anyway." That was pretty much true:

     Janet: I have this crazy new cut I want to try.
     Me: Ok - you know I'm in.
     ...

     Me: I don't know, I'm not feeling it.
     Janet: It's cute.
     Me: It reminds me of Flock of Seagulls.
     Janet: No it's good. (trimming and singing...it's a nice day for a white wedding...)
     Me: You sure about this?
     Janet: Trust me.

She was right, of course, as usual.



White and Wild Rice Pilaf

White and Wild Rice Pilaf
by Campbell's Kitchen



















Over the years my family has learned to eat a wide range of foods, but it wasn't always that way. This is a great middle-ground recipe. Why?

First, there are no funky ingredients. I like to cook with feta cheese, couscous, and flax seed. But not everyone wants to hunt those things down or buy a whole package for one recipe. This recipe is straight out of the pantry stuff.

Second, this recipe can be easily modified. The proportion of brown/white rice can be adjusted. You could use sodium free broth. If you wanted a thicker texture you could throw in a can of cream of celery soup. And as a mom, I would definitely chop those carrots and celery up (as in hide).

This could look like two entirely different dishes with a few changes. Love versatility!

November 19, 2012

Baked Stuffed Acorn Squash

Baked Stuffed Acorn Squash
from Rodale.com















When I was a kid, my mom made acorn squash dripping with brown sugar and butter - probably a weird thing for a kid to like. I picked this recipe for the memories, but I bet this dish with cherries, mushrooms, and almonds is fabulous (although the pic looks like pecans). I also love the fall colors and textures.

On the site where I found this recipe, also I also found Garbanzo Gravy!

I know, I know - you non-vegetarians (my sister and my other sister) are saying "Eww, gross." But I have learned over the years that the best part of a vegetarian diet is finding ways to add nutrition and make substitutions for less healthy foods. Garbanzos are high in protein and way lower in fat than traditional gravy. I can't wait to try it!


November 18, 2012

Cider Roasted Vegetables

Cider Roasted Vegetables
by gluten free goddess

Easy. Easy. Easy.

The kitchen is a busy place during the holidays. I love recipes that can be put together without a lot of preparation. If you cooked this in a pretty baking dish it could go right from oven to table.

The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever you find in season (except brussel sprouts - no one likes brussel sprouts).


Easy Decorative Pillowcase!

We are gearing up for the holidays around our house, and I decided to give the family room pillows a facelift.

This thing I love about this project is that the pillow can be covered without damaging the original, which is great for ones that were handmade - or for sentimental race-day favorites, that just don't match the room, or have gotten a little shabby. And they are removable so they can be washed!

Directions, with pictures. Ready?

Step 1: Start with a doubled piece of fabric that is about 6-8 inches longer than the pillow (you can't tell that in the picture) and about an inch wider on each side. I use about a half inch seam allowance on these so I have wiggle room if they don't match up perfectly.














 
Step 2: Open the fabric. Place it good side UP on the table. Fold the bottom up so it covers about 3/4 of the pillow and the folded edge is at the bottom of the pillow. Iron the bottom edge.















Step 3: Fold the top down so the top fold is even with the top of the pillow. Iron the top edge. Now fold the edge back a few inches to make a little pocket. Iron that little pocket. This will make a nice finished edge on the pillow when you are done.
















Step 4: Put the side with the little pocket under the other flap.















Step 5: Take your inside-out pillowcase to the sewing machine and sew the two sides. When you sew don't fold anything just sew right on down each side in a straight line. In the pic I just folded it back to show the little pocket.















Step 6: Now turn the pillow case right side out.















Step 7: Put the pillow in the case. The fabric should overlap, creating a nice, closed fold. If you want you could add buttons, ribbon, or Velcro to keep the seam shut.















Ta-da! It's amazing how much new pillows can change the look of a room. For 3 yards of sale fabric I covered 3 pillows and made a runner for the coffee table with enough left over for a few random crafty things. Can't beat that!

Almost turkey time! Maybe...

When people find out that I am a vegetarian, their first response is often, "Really! What do you eat?" It does seem that as we enter the "eating" holidays, what to do about the turkey tradition comes up. You could always try Tofurky (ok, yeah, I'm not so sure about that one either).

Or you can hang with me for the week for some great meatless holiday recipes from around the web! 

November 15, 2012

Uncharted

Today I had my annual doctor's visit, and after logging my height, weight and blood pressure, the nurse asked if I had any medical history. "Nope," I replied. She started listing conditions as little questions: Diabetes? High blood pressure? Heart disease? "No," I replied again, "nothing." "Oh," she said, "That's what it said in your chart, but I thought it was a mistake."

A few minutes into the visit the doc asked the same questions about any new medical history. Ok, so I came from work on too little sleep, too much coffee, and probably limping a little from my run the day before, but did I look that bad? "I can make something up," I offered. "No" she said, "it's just unusual."

Unusual? Unusual to be 44 years old and healthy? I guess sometimes we forget to be grateful for the things right in front of us.

November 10, 2012

Boring? Really?

The youngest was lurking over my shoulder while I was looking for holiday ideas on Pinterest. We came across this cool idea to plant jelly beans that grow into lollipops overnight.

''Wow you were boring as a mom. I wish we had Pinterest when we were little.'' She was kidding of course because I was awesome even without it.

Locks of Love

The middle daughter decided it was time to lighten up for basketball season, and donated her hair to locks of love.


Ink

My oldest and I have been planning tattoos for more than a year. We decided to wait until both of us were ready and go together.

My daughter chose an infinity symbol because even the meanings of the infinity symbol are infinite. 

I chose an inscription from a ring that I have worn for several years, that has become a life affirmation - be brave. The best parts of my life have come through times that were scary or unknown.

Those words are a reminder to me to to step outside my comfort zone and do things I did not think possible (this does not apply to karaoke nights or hot wings contests). I chose the inside of my wrist - and "upside down" in the tattoo world, so that I can see it every day.

November 8, 2012

There's a rainbow in the closet!

The shirts in my youngest daughter's closet are organized by sleeve length then by color. I. Am. So. Proud.

November 4, 2012

A Day of Giving

My son and his girlfriend arrived back home on Thursday night. The airline was able to get them a flight out of JFK, since LaGuardia was still underwater (photo by JetBlue Airways).

All of our friends in the area have checked in and came through the storm unscathed, but there are so many who still need help. Check out what WABC-TV in New York is doing all day Monday.

The Disney/ABC Television Group has designated Monday as a "Day of Giving" across network and syndicated programming spanning News, Daytime, Primetime and Late-Night, encouraging the tens of millions of viewers engaged throughout the day to help those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Starting with "Good Morning America" all the way through to "Jimmy Kimmel Live" the network will be raising money for relief efforts.

Donations to the Humane Society and the American Humane Association are also needed to help rescue stranded pets and aid animals currently in shelters.

Warriors, we are not.

The middle daughter and I did P90X yoga tonight. Is it wrong that as the video was starting she walked in eating out of the bag of chips as I was chugging the last of my glass of wine?

October 31, 2012

Sounds like Texas to me....

Today I had a phone meeting with one of the vendors I have been working with for a few months. He has a southern drawl and conversation always comes before business.

He was so excited that his office was dressing up for Halloween - and he could wear his normal clothes. Today he left the house in his black boots, baby blue cowboy shirt, and back hat - even had his holster and gun.

When his coworker asked if the gun was real he replied, "Well, it don't make much sense to carry one that's not."

Ye-haw. 

October 28, 2012

They do everything big!

My stepson and his girlfriend are on vacation in New York City. Of course they are. If our family didn't have bad luck, we'd have no luck at all.

Last night I called the airline to see what their options were, and got put into a callback que - with a 4 hour wait. Hearing this, they called right away to get in the cue too. Good thing, because when I answered the callback I got disconnected without even talking to anyone. They did reach a representative, who told them that all flights out were full.

The hotel was very helpful and extended their stay. They were still able to find flashlights, water, and snacks. They spent the rest of the day sightseeing until the wind forced them inside.

Now they are settled in awaiting the the storm in their hotel - which has become an evacuation zone for people in the financial district. What was a nice, normal vacation has become an epic story, thanks to Hurricane Sandy.

Still, they are relatively safe. I hope the same for all of our friends on the east coast.

NASA image courtesy LANCE MODIS 
Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.

October 27, 2012