August 29, 2010

Cup of Joe

Did you know you can buy a cup of coffee for a deployed soldier and have it delivered with your own personal note? Is that so cool?

Some of the soldiers never receive letters from home and many are homesick. There's nothing like receiving a little thank you and encouragement from the home front. Green Beans Coffee has made it easy. All you do is click on the "Buy a Cup of Joe" button, pay your $2, write a little note and it's done.

I did it and received a thank you email from the soldier who got the cup I donated! It was really neat. So, if you have a couple of minutes and a couple of dollars, why not Buy a Cup of Joe?

Have you heard of other ways to support our troops? Tell us about it in the comments section!

posted by Deeanne on 08/29/2010 - 6 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

August 16, 2010

Huge News!

The Getaway With Dee has come down in price from $699 to $299 per person! I'm sooo excited. I have been beside myself as I heard from one after another of you who wanted to come but simply couldn't due to the price tag--even those who were within driving distance. But now with this new sponsor we are able to take $400 off of the price. Is that so wonderful! In the theatre, sponsors are called "Angels". I love that and it certainly fits this time.

Everything about the Getaway is the same. They are still closing Biltmore House the evening of September 27th and taking just our group on a custom-made Maid To Match tour. They will take us through and say, "This is the room where Tillie and Mack such-and-so.  This is where such-and-such happened."  Is that so cool?

And right before the tour we'll be having dinner on the Estate.  On the 26th we'll be coming in costume (if you want) to our Gilded Age Party complete with parlor games, book swaps, souvenir photos, fun lessons on the Language of the Fan ... just everything.

The only thing that is different is we won't be able to accomodate as many people as we could originally. The good news is, the event will be very intimate and we'll have lots of time together. The bad news is, once we fill up we'll have to close down registration.

So don't delay in registering and ... I'll see you there! 

posted by Deeanne on 08/16/2010 - 1 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

August 10, 2010

Thelma & Louise--Sort of

As people sign up for the Getaway With Dee, they share stories with me about what made them decide to come. You wouldn’t believe some of these stories. They are so cool that I decided to start sharing a few of them with you.

Today, I want you to meet Thelma and Louise.  Okay ... their names are really Carolyn and Karla and they’ve promised me they have no plans to drive off any cliffs, but they are embarking on a big adventure that involves cars, good times and getting away from it all.

These two partners in crime work at the same church library in Seattle and both read Maid to Match--along with the announcement about my Getaway this September at Biltmore. Carolyn has been longing to go to North Carolina because her dad was born on Ocracoke Island, NC, in 1899, and she used to visit there as a child.  The Getaway With Dee renewed that desire--not realizing Asheville was on the other side of the state!  

But being “equal parts stubborn and a little crazy,” (her words, not mine!) she was determined to figure it out, but very leery of driving that far alone.  In comes Karla.

Karla makes amazing cakes and crafts and has been buddies with Carolyn for over 25 years. All Carolyn had to do was mention her idea to Karla and the two of them started packing. From that point on, the trip assumed a life of its own!

They’re flying into Raleigh, renting a car (I hope it’s a convertible!!), driving to Ocracoke, then taking time to enjoy the early fall scenery on their way back to Asheville for the Getaway. But that’s only the beginning!  

From there, they’ll be  tooling up the scenic highway through the Smoky Mountains and end up in Blowing Rock, NC.  (Carolyn’s been wondering if Jan Karon's Mitford is based on her home town of Blowing Rock.  So she plans to find out!)

After Mitford/Blowing Rock, they’re heading to Kentucky and then back to Raleigh.

“Neither of us gets to travel too much,” Carolyn says, “and we are totally excited and looking forward to our ‘Karla and Carolyn Adventure!’”

And so are we girls! What about you? Have you ever gone on a getaway with your girlfriend? Do you have any advice for our very own Thelma and Louise? Tell us about it!

P.S. If you’re going on our Getaway and have a story to tell, email me and let me know about it!  

posted by Deeanne on 08/10/2010 - 5 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

August 03, 2010

New Boarders

My son's apartment lease ran out at the end of July and his new one doesn't start until September, so he, his two cats and his buddy moved in with us for the month of August. It's been a long time since I've had any kitties around.

The black and white kitty is about 6 months old. The calico is brand new and soooooo cute. Our dog, Cowboy, isn't too sure about the new additions. If the cats would just let him smell them, things would be much better. But the minute Cowboy gets close they hiss and swat at him. He's sported more than one bloody nose lately!

Both the cats are really sweet tempered, though. The kitten has taken to either sitting in my lap while I work or on my desk. She's walked across my keyboard and deleted files and all sorts of things. So, I keep moving her off the keyboard. Now she sits behind the computer screen and stares at me.

I cannot tell you how hard it is to get any work done with that precious thing eyeballing me!!

Still, it's been fun to have the boys home and to see them everyday. And I will miss them and the kitties when they all leave next month.

posted by Deeanne on 08/03/2010 - 6 comments - Post a Comment    RSS FEED

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