President’s Message

It is the month of love in the High Desert! I know everyone is excited to have the dreaded 18 day rotation over and is looking forward to the Valentine’s Vacation weekend. We are busy chugging away and work-ing on some fabulous up-coming events. We have a busy second half of the year with wonderful luncheons, our Wild West Casino Night, a Farewell and Wel-come coming up in March.

I hope to see you at our February Luncheon for a wonderful day of “Minute to Win It” games and prizes. It will be a casual affair as we want you to come dressed in your fa-vorite Unit Pride Attire. It can be from any unit you have been with or just the military in general. Our Community Outreach Pro-

ject for February is a Pro-fessional Clothing Drive for the Soroptimist Interna-tional of Barstow. The items will be given to the residents of New Hope Village, a transitional hous-ing charity for the home-less in Barstow. All sizes of men’s and women’s clothes are needed. You will re-ceive 2 opportunity tickets for each item brought in. Don’t forget to wear your MCSC pin for an extra op-portunity ticket too!

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets for Casino Night and join us for a down home country west-ern time. On March 7th, Sam Adams will be trans-formed into the Wild West for a fabulous night of en-tertainment! Child care is now open for this event and more information can

be found on our website. Get your boots and blue jeans ready for a fun night!

It is time for the Army to do what it does best and move a wonderful Mentor and Advisor from Fort Irwin. Please join us on March 17th to Farewell Mrs. Stephanie Martin. Inside the newslet-ter you will find the invita-tion with more information on the event. Please make sure to RSVP and wear your green.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook (MCSC of Fort Irwin) to stay up to date with what is going on.

Warm Desert Wishes!

Kelly Furtick

MCSC President

2014-2015 Board Members

President—Kelly Furtick

Advisor—Stephanie Martin

Advisor—Kathi Travers

1st VP—Kari Clark

2nd VP—Derra Miller

Treasurer—Stephanie Doutt

Secretary—Kelli McLeod

Thrift Store Ops—Emily Camarillo

Parliamentarian—Samantha Weaver

Membership—Hillery Martin

Reservations—Sarah Perez

Publicity—Leigh Williams

Volunteer Coordinator—Stephanie Brown

Historian—Ali Winnie

Hospitality—Shawn Shumate & Jamie Martinez

Spring Fundraiser—Michelle Dutton & Ursula McGrue

Donations—Hillary Martin

February 2015

Social Clubs and Birthdays/Anniversaries

2

Thrift Store and Gift Shop Info

3

February Luncheon Flyer

4

Flyers and Info 5-8

Pinterest Pick & Recipe

9

Mrs. Manners & Travel Tips

10-11

Ads 12-14

Inside this issue:

Newsletter Title

Military and Civilian Spouses’ Club of Fort Irwin, P.O. Box 10284, Fort Irwin, CA 92310

2014-2015 Board Members Cont.

Newsletter Editor—Melissa Rayca Fall Fundraiser—Melanie Dielmann

Vendor Relations—Jen Mix Childcare Coordinator—Stephanie Harmon

Ways & Means (Gift Shop) - Theresa Critton Webmaster—Ali Winnie

Property & Decorations—Amy West & Jodi Anderson

MCSC Social Clubs

Lunch Bunch—Ohood Bailey (ohoodbailey@gmail.com)

Craft Club—Amy West (amycmiller08@yahoo.com) & Emily Camarillo (mrs.emily.camarillo@gmail.com)

Bunco—Samantha Weaver (Samantha.f.weaver@hotmail.com)

Spirits of the Desert—Cindy Ruedi (cindyruedi916th@gmail.com)

You must be a member of MCSC to join a social club. If you are interested in joining a club please contact the leader

listed or check our Facebook page for more information. If you’re interested in leading a club please email irwinmcscpresident@gmail.com.

Members celebrating Birthdays and Anniversaries:

♪ Happy Birthday ♪ Happy Anniversary Tyler Venafro 2/4 Carly & David Wade 2/3 Adriana Rodriguez 2/12 Andrea & Fred Janoe 2/8 Lena Spalty 2/12 Sarah & Adam Eisenhauer 2/12 Melanie Braga 2/17 Michele & Matthew Dutton 2/14 Susan McGee 2/21 Melanie & David Dielmann 2/15 Jodi Anderson 2/22 Kelly & Ken Furtick 2/17 Charita Strange 2/25 Katie & Travis Nedderson 2/20 Erin Landtroop 2/26 Tyler & Michael Venafro 2/25 Tiffany Vedder 2/27

FICA Thrift Store

Located inside the Arts and Crafts building in front of The Exchange. 760.380.4076 Hours: Wednesday and Friday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Accepts Cash Only

Shop-Volunteer-Donate

MCSC & NTC/11th ACR Museum Gift Shop

Located inside the National Training Center and 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment Museum, corner of B Avenue and 1st Street.

Hours: Monday through Friday from 11:30 am - 2:30 pm

Accepts Cash and Debit/Credit Cards. (Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover will be excepted for a 4% transaction fee.)

Check out our new merchandise and personalizable items from our wonderful consignors and vendors.

Visit the Gift Shop to special order your "team" merchandise and pottery.

Luncheon Reservation Policy

Each month, except for December, the Military and Civilian Spouses’ Club (MCSC) hosts a luncheon. This policy is being en-acted to streamline the luncheon reservations process and to ensure that members understand the reservation deadline, the cancella-tion policy, and the club’s policy regarding walk-ins and late arrivals. This policy was established to ensure that all MCSC members have an enjoyable luncheon experience and to maximize club resources and limit undue expenses that can arise from inaccurate head-counts and late cancellations.

Reservations: Please visit the MCSC website http://www.mcscftirwin.org/ to make your reservations. Payment will be collected the day of the event in the form of cash, check, or credit card. The deadline to make your reservations for the monthly luncheon is 5pm the Sunday prior to the luncheon. We must turn in our headcount to the venue the following work day, so there is no flexi-bility. Late requests will not be honored.

Cancellations: If you need to cancel your luncheon reservation, we must receive your cancellation no later than 5pm on the Sunday prior to the luncheon. If we do not receive your cancellation by the deadline and you are a no-show, you will be charged the luncheon fee.

Walk-ins: We will allow people without reservations to join us for the luncheons if space is available. You should report to the luncheon and put your name on the waiting list. If space is available due to cancellations or no-shows, people from the waiting list will be granted entry to the luncheon on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you take an open slot, you will be charged for lunch.

Late Arrivals: In order to accommodate walk-ins to our luncheons, we will scan the luncheon space for open seats. If for some rea-son you are unable to be on time for the luncheon, please notify us. If your seat is open when lunch is served at 11:30am, it is very possible that your seat will be given to a walk-in if we have not heard from you.

You must pay all out standing balances to be a member in good standing with the club.

Please direct any questions to mcscreservations@yahoo.com.

Kelly Furtick President, Military & Civilian Spouses' Club of Fort Irwin

Revised Jan. 2015

The Farewell is open to everyone on Fort Irwin. Please help us

spread the word!

Make sure you wear your green!

There will be a cash bar.

How Pinteresting!

Keep the Change Jar SUPPLIES: – Wood

– Paint

– DecoArt Gloss Enamel {found at Michael’s near

the glass vases!}

– Jar

– Brush

– Wire

– Drill

– Vinyl

– Wire

DIRECTIONS:

1. Gather your supplies. Begin by painting your

jar. Let dry for a few days. 2. Paint your piece

of wood and let dry. 3. Cut vinyl for the space

you have on your board. Mine was about 3.5

inches by 4 inches. Add vinyl to board. Spray

polyurethane and let dry. 4. Wrap wire around

jar. Drill holes in your wood where you want the

wires to go in. We used needle nose pliers to

pull the wires through the back and just twisted

them in back. 5. Add frame teeth to back so you

can hang it.

Bon Appétit!

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies ½ cup butter, room temperature ⅓ cup granulated sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1⅓ cup flour ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat, set aside.

3. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and sugar together until light, scraping sides frequently.

4. Add in egg and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Mix in baking powder and salt.

5. Turn mixer to low and slowly add in flour. Dough will be thick.

6. In a microwave safe bowl heat chocolate chips on high in 30 second increments until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds.

7. Mix melted chocolate directly into cookie dough until evenly mixed.

8. Drop dough by a measured tablespoon sized mounds onto baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes until cookies just appear set. They will still be very soft on the inside. DO NOT overbake!!

9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

10. In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder and milk over medium heat, whisking until melted together. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar.

11. Pour icing over cookies and allow icing to set before serving.

Icing ½ cup butter 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 3 Tbsp milk 2½ cups powdered sugar

MRS. MANNERS

Ball Season is Upon Us

You’ve been invited to a Military Ball, now what? After buying the tickets and putting the date on your cal-endar, it’s time to start preparing for the upcoming event. Be sure to check the invitation (or flyer if invita-tions have not been sent out) for all the important details. Make sure to note the date and location of the event as well as when the Social Hour and /or Receiving Line begin. After that, note the dress of the event (usually it will say either Formal or Black Tie). Dressing for a ball takes a little consideration. This is a night to tap into your inner princess (or for the men, their inner James Bond). For the women, floor length gowns are usually what will be seen. Some sparkle or embellishment is appropriate, but don’t go overboard and look like a Miss America contestant covered in rhinestones. Also, be careful with high slits or cutouts in the dress. You will not always be standing during the event and slits or cutouts can shift and become very revealing. A good rule of thumb is to find a dress that compliments your service member’s dress uniform. It is typical to see a good deal of blue, red, or black dresses. Military balls are a perfect opportunity to wear your nice, sparkly jewelry. Be sure to find comfort-able shoes (you may be spending six or more hours in them) and you are ready to dance the night away look-ing amazing. Once you and your spouse have arrived, chat with people during the Cocktail/Social Hour. This is also a good time to check the seating chart and note where you are sitting. Do not change the seating around if you are not happy with whom you are sitting. The Protocol Officer has probably spent many hours pouring over the seating chart perfecting it while trying to consider who gets along with whom. There is a method to the seating madness. If there is a receiving line, be sure to pass through it. Be sure to not have anything in your hands as you go through the line. There should either be a small table, or tray near the line to set your drink and clutch on, or you can sometimes place these at your table prior to getting in line. If you are wearing gloves, be sure to remove those as well. In the Army, the wife precedes the husband through the receiving line. You will be introduced to the Adjutant at the beginning of the line who will then turn and introduce you to the first per-son in line. Do not shake the Adjutant’s hand, but shake and make small talk with everyone else in the line. A quick “nice to meet you,” “lovely dress,” or “it’s nice to see you again” will suffice and then move on to the next person. This is not the time to socialize, as there are hundreds of people to receive in a limited amount of time before dinner. After the receiving line, move into the ballroom and wait for the bugle call announcing dinner. If there is a program at your place, this is a good time to check the order of events. Formal military functions always fol-low a very structured sequence of events, therefore it is good to familiarize yourself with what is to come during the evening. Remain standing, chatting with those around you, until the head table has arrived and been seated. Then follow the MC, or look to the head table for direction. Once the formal portion of the ball is over, it’s time to relax and have some fun dancing. Men need to keep their jackets (uniform or suit/tuxedo jacket) on until the senior man present removes his jacket. The eti-quette books will tell the women to leave their shoes on all night, however in practice, follow the lead of the senior spouse present. If she kicks her shoes off to dance, feel free to do so also. If she leaves her shoes on, you need to keep your shoes on as well. One of the solutions to having to leave your shoes on, is to bring a pair of flats. You can leave these in the car, or coat room and get them when the time comes. If you and your service member need to leave before the senior couple leave, be sure to speak with them before leav-ing. Military balls are a lot of fun and should not be a stressful night. When in doubt, look to a trusted mentor, or the senior person at your table for cues on what to do. One note of advice, if you are going to drink, do so in moderation, stories from the ball can last many years. Most importantly, relax and have fun.

Lake Arrowhead, CA

If you have a Recipe, Pinterest Pick or Travel Tip you’d like to share please email it to Melissa.rayca@gmail.com by the 20th of each month.

Last year we visited Lake Arrowhead in its off season. What a beautiful place! We stayed at the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa. They offered us great rates for military (during the sum-mer the rates jump up). The lake sits in the San Bernardino National Forest. If you enjoy outdoor activities this is a great place. Hiking, fishing, golf and water sports are just a few things available there. The Village next to the resort hosts great shopping and restaurants as well. We enjoyed the local Mexican restaurant called Papagayos. There is a children’s play-ground there to keep the kiddos happy too. In the evenings often there are live bands playing at the local pubs. In the summer be sure to check out the free concerts every weekend. For more information on the resort and village go to: http://www.lakearrowheadresort.com/.

If you’re interested in advertising with us please

email MCSCVendorRelations@yahoo.com

TASTEFULLY SIMPLE: FEBRUARY SPECIAL

BECAUSE I LOVE MY CUSTOMERS SO MUCH, I AM OFFERING:

ALL $9.99 DRINK BUCKETS AND $8.99

SPICES/MARANADES: $7

EVERYTHING ELSE $7.99 OR BELOW: $5

CONTACT ME TO PLACE YOUR ORDER AND SEE YOU AT THE LUNCHEON.

THERESA CRITTON 315.767.1866 reesynay2@yahoo.com

Join me on Facebook - “Spicin’ It Up”

tastefullysimple.com/web/tcritton