k heinz designz

My Kind of Town

2010-05-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

In just three months I can say that we have been back "home" in Chicago for a year. Can you even believe that? Time sure flies! One would think that after nine months, my excitement of being her would die down a bit....but it has not at all! I LOVE this city.

When Rich and I visited with Ben a year ago, I was a bit overwhelmed by the city. I wasn't quite sure I wasn't more of a suburban kind of girl, but I was SO wrong! Every day I find something else I love about living here.

For starters, I am loving all of the wonderful grocery shopping! I don't get excited about shopping for clothes anymore....I love looking for new and different things to cook. I am cooking so much more now that we are here too. I suppose it is because I live so close to so many places to shop! I don't have to drive 15 or 20 minutes just to hit the local Wal-Mart. I can hit the fruit market or Polish deli in just a matter of blocks. AMAZING! The variety is wonderful, and being able to get things fresh is also fantastic! On top of all of that, I think that groceries are actually cheaper here in the "expensive" city. There is so much competition...I believe that helps. I love it!

I love that there are so many things we can do that cost us almost nothing! With a Chicago public library card we have access to passes to all kinds of museums and zoos and things! You have to catch the passes while they are in, but we have taken advantage of the Art Institute and the Shedd Aquarium already. We cannot wait to use them more this summer!

I love that there are sidewalks and neighbors! I love walking to the neighbors for a fire in the evening, or letting Ben ride his bike in the neighborhood! It is so very nice to be someplace with sidewalks to take walks on. Silly? I think not!

Finally, only because my gushing cannot go on forever, I am so thankful for an area where people are so excited to grow and learn. My book club is one example of this. We have about 12 members each month, sometimes fewer. I have read about book clubs online. Many talk about how they get together and talk about the book for about five minutes and spend the rest of the time eating and visiting. We really do talk about the book! Usually for about an hour. Everyone has such interesting things to add. Bible class...oh I love bible class....people ask questions and share knowledge! It is so wonderful!

I miss our friends in Lanesville.....but I love this city! Some have already come to visit and say they really enjoy it, but would never want to live here. Not me....this is my kind of town!

Things I Love

2009-12-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

I purchased a book that is kind of a fill in the blank autobiography. I had to make a list of 100 things I love. My friend Maria asked me to post them here on my blog. I will do them 25 at a time starting from the top. They aren't in any particular order. Just as they came to my mind. I thoguth it would be more interesting to put pictures to go with them. Hope you enjoy! I would love to know your 100 favorite things!

1. God

2. Ricj

3. Ben

4. Snow

5. Ribbon Candy

6. Making Jewely

7. Sweaters

8. CJ Banks

9. Entertaining

10. Chi Tung

11. My Family

12. Disney

13. Davie

14. Big Band Music

15. Men Singing

16. Being a mom

17. Paper

18. Rubber Stamps

19. Hot Pink

20. Lime Green

21. Italian Food

22. Chicago

23. Shoppimg

24. Hobby Lobby

25. Singing

Christmas Open House

2009-12-31T06:59:00.001-08:00

Some of you were not able to attend our Holiday Open House....so I thought I would post it for you! We will do the main floor first. Next will be the upstairs, which includes Rich's study, Ben's room, our bedroom and the bathroom. Finally we will end up in the basement. I didn't take pictures of the laundry and storage room! Can you believe I didn't put up any decorations in there :0) Hope you enjoy!

New Addiction

2009-12-31T06:45:00.000-08:00

A month or so ago Glenda posted on having "Egg Roll Guts" for dinner. It got me thinking about the days when I used to make egg rolls from scratch. I love how blogging does that! I decided I needed to brush off the skills and try again. This time, however, I knew I would be making them in spring roll wrappers not egg roll wrappers like our favorite Chinese joint, Chi Tung. So out I went, happy that they were easy to find here in Chi town! I cut the veggies up small. You can use what you wish. I used chicken, celery, cabbage, snow peas, and carrots on this night. I stir fried them up in a little oil for about a minute. I then added a mixture of soy sauce, pepper, water, and corn starch. Poured that in and stir fried about 4 more minutes. I then drained the whole mess so it wouldn't make the wrappers soggy. I made a paste of egg whites and flour which worked quite well for keeping them together. We friend them in peanut oil. Couldn't do that for just everyone, like our Oberdieck friends, but it makes them really yummy! We ended up making them for Christmas this year. Everyone loved them. I had extra. I froze them to see what would happen. I put them in the freezer before being fried. I took them out and put them in the microwave for a little bit first. They were perfect! I justify eating them because they have veggies in the! Tee Hee!!! Hope you give it a whirl. It is a lot of fun!

I Cheated!

2009-12-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

Every year I make the peanut butter cookies with the Hershey's kiss in the middle. This year with some help of coupons, I was able to get peanut butter cookie mix for a really good deal. I used the mix to make the cookies this year. They are good, but mine were much more moist. They were quite a bit cheaper though! If you take my shortcut, make sure you roll the dough in sugar before putting on the cookie sheet! This is one of Ben's favorites!

Chocolate Mint Dreams

2009-12-07T17:27:00.000-08:00

I treid this one because my friend Melodee from college gave the suggestion. If you give me yours I will bake and post them too!

My only advice on this one is to not leave the dough in the fridge too long! It gets REALLY hard! They are yummy and I think they look pretty.

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. soda

1/3 cup brown sugar

6 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. water

1 cup chocolate chips

1 egg slightly beaten

In a small bowl stir together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a medium saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, and water. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Add chips and melt. Pour in a bowl to cool for 10 minutes. With a wooden spoon pour egg into chocolate and mix. Ad flour mixture and mix. Cover and chill one to two hours. Make into one inch balls and bake two inches apart for 8 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove from the oven and place a candy cane Hershey's kiss in the middle and move to a rack to cool.

They are crunchy and yummy!

Christmas Cookies!!!!

2009-11-23T21:00:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to be baking soon. I LOVE making Christmas cookies! I always have. My dearest childhood friend, Peter, had a mother who did some wicked baking. My mom did her share too. Between the two of them, I did a ton of baking! I even remember getting my friends to come over and help me bake during the holidays in high school. Well...I have been making a lot of the same cookies for years, and thought some of you might want to help me try some new ones!

Here is what we will do.....you send your favorite recipe, I will try and bake it and post pictures of it along with the recipe and my experience with it. I am hoping that this doesn't get out of hand. Makes me think of Julie and Julia! LOL! I have two that have been sent to me already. I will be making them next week. You can send yours to me on Facebook if you are my friend, or post a comment here! I think this could be a lot of fun! Come join the fun. You might just find one you really like!

Even in the City!

2009-09-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

So, I will put new pictures of the house up soon.....we have just been trying to get pictures and things up on the walls of the remaining rooms.

I just wanted to show the bounty of goodness we got from our garden here in the city last week! Can you believe it? I don't know that we have ever had this many tomatoes in our garden out in the country! The squirrels do a bigger number on them here though. They are vicious little critters in the city. I need John to come and hunt some!!!!

By the way, the garden was planted for us before we arrived. How sweet is that?

Upstairs...Ben's Room

2009-08-26T14:36:00.000-07:00

Between the guest room and the studio are two staircases. One goes to the basement and the other upstairs where the our bedrooms and Rich's study are. Today I am posting the pictures Ben took of his room. We purchased new furniture for him before leaving Lanesville. They did not send the part to hook the mirror to the back of the dresser, we didn't notice. So, besides that, he is all settled in! He loves his room. He has a great view of our backyard from his room. "Not such a great view of the neighbor's backyard)

The Rest of the Main Floor

2009-08-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

These are the final pictures of the main floor. I love the big storage cabinet. It is full of all sorts of things! The calendar spot and shelf are great for keeping paperwork organized.

Our spacious guest room is a perfect place for the Chicago getaway! I already have guests book on three different dates at the Heinz Bed and Breakfast! We are looking forward to seeing all of you.

It wouldn't be a Heinz house without a Disney bathroom. The black and yellow tile lent perfectly to it!

Come visit! Call first and make your reservations!

Studio

2009-08-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

When you enter our front door you will go into our living room if you go right, but if you go left....it is bead city! My studio is the room they put into this house to be the pastor's study. Rich has a study upstairs....I am in the downstairs office! I love my new space! I have already been busy in it and am sending an order to Ozzie's with my mom. She leaves tomorrow. I will take pictures of the downstairs Disney bathroom and our guest room after my mother has gone and her things are no longer there. Anyone need jewelry? I am ready to go! Anyone want to come over and play?

Kitchen and Back Yard

2009-08-20T14:38:00.000-07:00

I love the kitchen....would like different cabinet color....but that is just me being really picky! I love the view from our kitchen table. It is so pretty. It will be lovely in the winter too I am sure. :0)

The door from our kitchen leads out to the patio. Our backyard is great for relaxing. I am anxious to do some of my own planting in the spring! A wonderful man from church planted the Cannes....not sure exactly how to spell that! The side yard by our gate is going to be fun to plant too. I want to get back to Lanesville and get some of my hostas to add in there!

The little garden was already planted for us when we got here. Isn't that wonderful! Everyone here is so very thoughtful! We have tomatoes, beans, rhubarb, beets, carrots, dill, and cucumbers! It is so very nice!

Tomorrow pictures of the rest of the main floor!

Our Living Room and Dining Room

2009-08-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Our next stop on the house tour is our new living room and dining room. I love these two rooms. They turned out just as I had hopped they would! Our new furniture looks perfect in the space. I love the lamp I got from Angie, thanks friend. It is the cream one with the green shade...it is perfect in the room.

We have a little built in shelf between the two rooms. We finally have a place to hang the beautiful stained glass cross that the Oberdieck family gave us a few years back. We had not found a place in our old house, but his is perfect!

I was not going to bring our china cabinet, but I change my mind at the last moment. I am so happy I brought it. I love that I can see my china and it is not packed in boxes!

The piano was a surprise from the congregation. I had sold my piano and they found this one in the neighborhood. Someone had passed away and they were wanting a home for the piano. I love it! Now I just need to have it tuned.

The dining room was just the right size for our things. I love how the baskets look in it! We have not put the tie backs on the curtains yet. Not sure if I want to or now. What do you think?

The dinning room leads to the kitchen....that comes tomorrow.

Our new house!

2009-08-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have decided to blog about our new house for you. I am not going to do it all at once! Today, I am showing you the front of our house, the front door, and the entrance or foyer.

Our house sits right next to the school. I counted that it takes us about 26 steps to get from our back door to the doors of the school. That will be great in the cold weather! Our house really isn't like many of the others in the neighborhood. You don't see many houses around here made of Indiana Limestone, and it is not tall...unlike most in the area. As you will see from the posts to come, it is a lot bigger than it looks like from the outside.

I love the leaded glass door! I think it is so pretty. It brings me much joy to have such a pretty door! I suppose that sounds silly, but it is true.

As you enter our house you see the chest that belonged to my grandfather. On it I have a beloved Longaberger basket :0) I also have a beautiful vase given to my by my cousin Amy. It didn't have a place of honor in our former house, but it sure does here! Last, but not at all least, is the painting I have of three sunflowers done by my dear friend Brian Oberdieck. I will not go into the fact that I had to BUY this painting, and still don't have my Christmas painting from years ago....oh wait, I just went into it. Oops.

When you turn right after entering our house you will enter our living room. Pictures of that will come soon!

Fun Friday

2009-08-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

This past Friday we decided to take a break from the unpacking and organizing and had some fun. We started our day by having a picnic at a park about 5 miles away. It was a lovely day. I loved the Gazebo! They have an indoor Olympic sized pool that is free for Ben to swim in. We may have to look into that!

Our next stop was a very large Chicago Public Library that was across from the park. I took two pictures before being told that I couldn't take pictures! LOL! We will be getting a card soon. A Chicago public library card also gives you access to the museums downtown! Gotta love that! There are also many programs to look into. To be quite honest, I haven't had time to read all of the fliers I picked up! We will focus on that getting involved in the community stuff soon!

Our final stop was our favorite place downtown, Ed Debevic's. We had a great dinner. Our waitress, Tina Latina, was a hoot. Ben loved the chocolate shake and I dig their cream corn! (See Sherry, it isn't mushy and gross!) We wanted to bring home the large blow up ketchup bottle, but couldn't swing it :0) We even got to see the staff dance on the counters! Fun day! Love this city!

Installation

2009-08-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, August 9, Rich was installed as the new pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church, Chicago. Oh the day was lovely, even though it was blistering hot. (Nope, no air conditioning in the church!) We had many friends from college who are in the area come to attend. We also had friends from our former congregation in Chicago come to attend. My mom was there, along with Rich's family and our dear friend Davie. Rich also had a crowd from Higher Things in attendance. George, Rich's friend from Higher Things, and an amazing pastor in Texas, delivered the sermon. It was amazing! Rich can give you a link to read it. It was fantastic!

Our friend, and father of my godchild, Naomi, is the first vice president of the Northern Illinois District, so he was able to actually install Rich. That was so nice.

The music was SO wonderful. The church rang with beautiful organ music, trumpet, hand bells, and a lovely choir. Oh, I cannot wait to join in! It was so lovely.

The evening ended with a reception in the gym. It was the most delicious cake I think I have ever eaten, and I am still eating by the way! They rushed us through pictures a bit because the butter cream on the cake was melting in the heat! It made it though and so did we. Despite the heat, it was a great day!

Exploring!

2009-08-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

We've safely made it to our new home in Chicago. After discovering where all our missing items were, we set out to have some fun and discover the area! Our first stop was with the Higher Things crowd. We went to the Chicago Brauhaus. YUMMO! Best German food I have had except for in Germany itself! We had some great German wine and enjoyed a fun night!

On Tuesday my friend Carol, a member of Mt. Greenwood Lutheran, our first parish, took us out for some sight seeing. She worked at the Ravenswood Hospital for many years, so she knows our neck of the woods quite well.

Our first stop was at Lutz's Austrian Bakery. Oh my!!!! We had a lovely lunch outside in their garden area, I so felt like I was back in Austria. I had a cheese and ham pie. Quite good. For dessert a lemon butter cream cake. It was difficult to decide what to have. Everything was so yummy.

Next stop the Paulina Meat Market. This was a German meat market and the smell as you walk in is about enough to put you over the edge. I ended up leaving with a smoked pork tenderloin and some sharp cheddar that had aged for 10 years. It was amazing! This is a place we will frequent for special occasions! Very good...a bit pricey.

Finally she took us to a cemetery. I cannot remember it's name for the life of me. I must look it up. It had many famous people from Chicago buried in it. The Pullman Family had a huge monument as did the Kimball family of Kimball pianos. Really pretty interesting. I could have done without the statue of Death, but still interesting just the same.

Thanks Carol for a great day! We enjoyed every bit of it! Cannot wait to see what we find around the next corner!

Cha-Cha's

2009-06-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not put anything up for so long. I have been putting in more hours at Ozzie's. It is keeping me on my toes. That, along with VBS crafts, which I am in charge of, and of course jewelry making! I am having so much fun, but yet I am still very busy!

Ozzie's is about to bust open their new online store. http://www.ozzieltd.com/ !! My cha-cha bracelet's will on the web! You will be able to buy them online! I thought I would post a few samples for you to check out! Tell me what you think!

Check It Out!

2009-04-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

We have started a new blog for the boutique that I work at! Check it out! www.ozzieltd.blogspot.com
Soon they will be starting a website where you can do some online shopping. If you cannot make it into the store, because you live in another state maybe, you can still see the store, and even order some of the treasures it holds!
Thanks for taking a peek!

Ozzies!

2009-04-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my job! Just a year ago I decided to take a break from teaching and become a pastor's wife again. I just didn't have to time to do it the way I wanted to while teaching at St. John's. It also seemed like the best thing to do for our family. I had my jewelry business, and decided to focus on it as my source of income, along with teaching piano lessons.

In the summer I began working one day a week at Ozzie's, LLC, a local boutique that carries my jewelry. My one day a week has turned into 3 days a week right now, and it is looking like possibly more. I am decorating the store, and I just LOVE it!!!! The ladies I work with have become some of my closest friends. They are so fun and so thoughtful. I also love all the people I am meeting working in the store. It seems as though we are not just a great store to go to to pick up a great gift, it is also a place to go to get away from your troubles. Many people come in to be cheered up on a bad day. I love being able to listen to their woes and possibly help cheer them up!

If you have never been into the store, and you are in the area, you should check it out! We specialize in accessories and garden items. We have great jewelry, purses, scarves, and shoes! The garden items are original and so darn cute! It is hard to work there and come away with a paycheck!

I am posting pictures of the store at Christmas along with the girls I work with. I will post spring pictures when the flowers are blooming! Stop in and see the "Ozzie Girls" sometime. We are located in downtown Corydon in the old Branham Tavern on Capitol Ave. We are about a block from the old capitol building.

A Feast for the Eyes!

2009-03-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

So I thought I would post some pictures of our wonderful Italian night! There was more food than anyone could have possibly thought of eating. It was so AMAZING! Brian and Emma made Italian Wedding Soup (best I have ever had), Homemade Bread (the sea salt was a great touch!), Eggplant Parm. (some chicken for me and the wee ones, Yummmy!), and Italian Ice that tasted JUST like Johnnie's! Aaron and Michelle made Toasted Ravioli (from scratch, one of my favorite foods in the world, and they were awesome!), Cream Puffs (to die for), and Italian Cream Cake (this pictures says it all!) Rich and I took Sangria, Fettuccine Alfredo, and Goat Cheese and Garlic. I will say no more. The pictures tell the story!

Italian Night

2009-03-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are getting together with our dear friends the O's and the G's. It is Italian night! Everyone is bringing great Italian food. I am bringing my sangria, roasted garlic and goat cheese to go on Brian's homemade bread, and my 4 Cheese Fettuccine! I thought you might enjoy the recipe for the fettuccine. It is really great. Not for any of you watching your calorie intake, but perfect for a fun not of no caloric worries! Enjoy!

4 Cheese Fettuccine

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8 oz. package for cream cheese, cubed
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 cups grated Parm. Cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 1/2 cup cooked diced chicken if you wish.

topping:
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 Tbs. melted butter
1 to 2 Tbs. grated Parm. Cheese

Cook fettuccine according to directions. Meanwhile, in a large kettle, combine soup, cream cheese, cream, butter, and garlic powder. Stir in cheeses, cook and stir until melted. Add chicken. Drain fettuccine and add to sauce. Transfer to a shallow baking dish. I use a 9x13. Add topping. cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes until golden brown.

I will post pictures after the big night tonight!

42

2009-03-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

My 42nd birthday was almost 2 weeks ago. It was one of the best ever! My favorite birthday had to have been my 30th. I have never been one to be upset when another year rolls around. I am not sad that I am getting older. I have never gotten all weepy when Ben turns another year older. That is just not me. But when I turned 25 and every year after that until I was 29, birthdays were difficult. I thought I would be married and have children by then, and there was not even a prospect of a husband in my life! On my 30th birthday I spent my first birthday married and my first birthday pregnant. No gift from anyone could have been as wonderful as that!

Turning 42 was not extremely eventful, but it was a great birthday! I had mentioned to Rich and Ben that I think the edible bouquets are really neat. When I saw how much they cost I told Rich that he shouldn't get me one. He didn't get me one, but he MADE me one! I was so surprised! It was so neat! He cut the pineapple like Mickey heads, the cantaloupe like stars, and dipped the strawberries in chocolate! It was better than one from the shop! What a great husband I have.

My mom took us to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. I love going there! We had a yummy piece of turtle cheesecake. They decorated the plate for my birthday and sang. It was very cute.

My Ozzie girls gave me some lovely gifts! They are all so sweet! They made it a very special birthday!

On my actual birthday I spent the day judging Instant challenge at the Destination Imagination competition. If you haven't heard of DI, it is a wonderful program. It is a creative problem solving competition where the students are give and problem and have to practice solving it and planning a production. They also have to do an instant challenge. They come into a room and find a problem they have to solve without any prior knowledge. They have a few minutes to plan and a few minutes to carry out the task. When judging it is very important to treat each team the same so that their attitude is not changed and affect their performance. Our runner told the first group that we saw that it was my birthday, so she then had to tell every group! I was sung to 15 times! My friend Emma, who organizes the judging of Instant Challenge, put a candle in my danish in the morning and had all the judges sing to me. At the awards ceremony there were about 500 people. My friends Tyler and Mackenzie told the DJ it was my birthday and I had to stand up and have the entire place sing to me! When I arrived home there were three messages on my phone where people were singing to me also!

On Sunday our morning bible class sang Happy Birthday. In the afternoon we had our small group bible study and my friends John and Jessica had a cake for me and they all sang to me. I cannot remember a birthday where I had been sung to sooooo many times! It was sure fun!

Where is the priority?

2009-01-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

I am proud of our country. I am proud that it seems that we have been able to let go of our hatred. Isn't it amazing that our country has elected an African American president! However, it saddens me when it appears that some have voted for President Obama only for that reason! I believe that is just as prejudiced as those who would not vote for him because of the color of his skin. I will pray for our President. I will pray that he can see the wrong in the killing of innocent babies. I will pray that he can hear God's Word and be moved to act in a way that is accordance with it. I want to see him do well, even though I did not vote for him. I also pray that people take the time to know the facts, to know what he really stands for. How well he speaks, how wondeful his family life seems to be, and the color of his skin do not make a good President. The issues and the decisions he makes regaurding them are the things that will bring about change in this country.

Holiday Catch Up Part II

2009-01-12T05:53:00.000-08:00

After arriving home from Disney we were flung quickly into the official Christmas season. On Christmas Eve my mom had us all over for brunch. It was so yummy. We opened our presents and everyone was thrilled with what they got! We then went home to prepare for Christmas Eve services. Ben played the trumpet with his friend Tim at Lessons and Carols. Rich and I sang with the choir. Ben, Rick, and I also sang a song together during the offering. I was so thrilled to be able to do this as a family. Following the service we had the Oberdieck family, the Smith family, and our families over to our house for yummy appetizers. We even sprinkled reindeer food on our lawn to encourage Rudolph to stop at our house. He even think we saw he flying in. (Gotta love the red lights of the air strip!)

I awoke Christmas morning feeling less than healthy. Ben went to church with dad and played the trumpet with Tim again. My mom headed to Centralia with my brother. The three of us spent the day hanging at home watching the Disney Christmas Parade. I made turkey, mashed potatoes and such for a nice dinner at home with a fire. We also watched my favorite "Little Women".

On Friday I had to work at Ozzies. I felt so awful. My boss finally sent me home. She told me to go home and take care of myself. So I did. By Sunday morning I was at the Urgent Care. They told me I had Bronchitis and a Sinus Infection. We were supposed to leave for Peoria when Rich got out of church. We loaded up the van and headed on our way, but on the way there I became quite ill. The meds. that they gave me were not working well together. I was in the bathroom for several hours, and finally went to bed and slept the rest of the day.

On Monday we did leave for Peoria. I slept on the way there. I laid low while we were there. It was nice to be there together with family. We open our gifts and had a nice ham dinner. It was a nice trip. We enjoyed going to see "Bedtime Stories" as a family. Other than that we just relaxed and enjoyed being together.

Upon our arrival home Rich started with a sinus infection, and Ben is wrapping up the season with a sinus infection also. Hopefully we will get it all out of the way and the rest of 2009 will be happy and healthy!

My Sweet Husband

2009-01-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

I have been working at Ozzie's all week since the owner and manager have been at market. Tonight I came home and Rich was making dinner. How did I get so lucky?

On our last trip to Disney we had room service at the Polynesian hotel on a rainy night. We had this wonderful coconut and almond chicken. I decided I would come home and try to figure it out. I did! This is what Rich made tonight! To make it here is what you have to do:

Whisk together some egg and coconut milk. Finely chop some almonds and mix with coconut. Pound chicken breasts until thin. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then in the coconut mixture. Brown chicken in oil. OH YUM, OH YUM, OH YUM!

Pictures to go with Disney Part II

2009-01-09T15:27:00.003-08:00

Disney Christmas Trip Part II

2009-01-07T05:10:00.000-08:00

For Maria, I am sitting down with my tea this morning to add part II of our trip! I really should be getting ready for work, but I am not motivated to go for another day of inventory! I have time....so here it goes.

Our second day was spent at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I would still rather call it MGM. The tree outside was cute. It was set in a movie reel tin with reels sitting out at the bottom.

As soon as we got in the door we headed for the new Toy Story Mania to get a Fast Pass. We heard that it was the hot ticket, and it was true. Next we were on a mission. For some reason, Ben's goal this trip was to get pictures with characters. We went and saw the Power Rangers and Prince Caspian. We then did our favorite, we went to learn to draw from a Disney animator. We drew Mickey again. Ben was quite disappointed, but it was still fun. The Bolt characters were there, which was fun.

Next we rode Toy Story Mania. I could have done that all day! We had lunch at the Prime Time 50's Cafe. It was fun and yummy. Davie and Rich got cupcakes for their birthdays! I enjoyed the dinning, but I wasn't fond of having to be somewhere at a certain time everyday. It cut into the schedule!

Next we went to get a spot for the Block Party parade. It was not worth it! I would not waste the time seeing it again. I would have rather gone and rode Toy Story again while the crowds were down.

We then went to hit the Star Wars ride. We walked right on. That was nice. Ben also got his picture taken with a storm trooper. He was excited. Then we were off to meet the Monster's Inc. characters.

We then went to see Fantasmic after some shopping. We missed it last time because it poured down raining. They usually don't cancel it, but had to that time. It was wonderful as usual. There was this man sitting in front of Ben and Davie, and all these ladies kept coming up and asking to take his picture. We couldn't figure out what was going on. I finally asked the group behind me. They were all from Brazil, and apparently he was, to quote them, "a Brazilian Superstar!" So there you go!

Our night ended with my favorite part of the day. We went to see the Osborne Spectacle of Lights. It was AMAZING! I have never seen so many lights in my life. Three streets were just covered, every inch, with lights. Then, every 15 minutes or so they put on a light show to music. I could have stood there all night.

The park closed at 9:00, so we then headed off to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Davie ran into her pastor's wife while we there. We couldn't believe it! We bought some goodies and were finally off to bed for the night. It was a great day.

I will add pictures when I have more time.

Holiday Catch Up Part I

2009-01-03T07:21:00.000-08:00

I didn't get a chance to post many of our holiday photos....so here it goes.
We always enjoy our Thanksgiving dinner with my brother the day before Thanksgiving as they head on their way to Centralia to celebrate with Lora's family. We usually don't have turkey since everyone is going to have plenty the next day. This year my mom and brother made ribs! They were so yummy! After eating we asked Ben and Sam to chew on some bones for a photo opportunity. Ben just wouldn't chew on the bone for anything. Finally I talked him into it and when I finished taking the picture he exclaimed, "IT WASN'T MY BONE!" LOL!!!!

On Thanksgiving we were invited to spend the day with our family away from family, the Oberdieck's. There was a lot to be thankful for at their home this year. We all thanked God for the fact that Emma had not only survived her terrible wreck, but that she is doing wonderfully! We were also thankful to spend the day with my godson, Joshua.

Christmas At Disney Part I

2008-12-26T05:12:00.000-08:00

With all of the hustle and bustle I have not had time to blog much. I apologize. I hope you all haven't given up on me. I thought I might do a recap of our trip to Disney. It was MAGICAL!

When our trip began, we were a bit worried that we wouldn't make it there. The weather all around us was not looking good. We left Lanesville just as the rain started, but before it turned to ice. We traveled to Davie's near Columbus, OH. Nothing was falling from the sky there....yet. We picked her up and went to a hotel right next to the airport. It worked out great. We didn't have to get up quite so early to travel an hour to the airport. We also didn't have to worry about the snow they were predicting. They took us right to the airport and let us let our van at their hotel free of charge. They even had a free hot breakfast! Luckily it was not snowing, raining, or icing when we left Columbus. Later my brother called us to make sure we had made it out of there. It started to ice around 3:00 p.m.

Our first stop after we got registered into our hotel was the Grand Floridian. This is one of our favorite spots. We stayed there on our honeymoon. It is so beautiful. We were going to have lunch there at the Grand Floridian cafe. The big highlight of stopping there was to see the life sized gingerbread house! It was amazing! The decorations overall were just amazing. We had a lovely lunch. I had crab cakes and french onion soup. It was very nice. The atmosphere at the Grand makes everything seem a hundred times better in my opinion.

From the Grand we took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. We had tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. As we were entering the park we ran into Jenny, a girl from Ben's class. We are always amazed when we run into someone there that we know. We had their pictures taken in front of the train station, along with one of our family with Davie.

We were instantly amazed at the beautiful decorations when we entered the park. There was not a place on Main Street that wasn't covered with decorations! We headed over to Adventure Land to see if we could catch a few rides before the party began. The Jungle Cruise had a wait, but we walked right on to Pirates of the Caribbean. We just love that ride. We didn't spend much time trying to get on rides. We were there for the Christmas festivities, and knew we would be back another time to take in the rides.

After Pirates we went to stake a spot to watch the lighting of the castle. We were told this was something we didn't want to miss, and it was great information! It was on of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! We couldn't walk away! We just stood and stared for such a long time. It is amazing what Disney can do!

We then went to the Christmas store to purchase the special merchandise that you can only get while at the party. We got pins, an ornament, and matching shirts. There was quite a line to purchase our items. While we were in the area, we walked around to fantasy land. The park was a bit crowded by now. We noticed a short line for It's a Small World, and hopped on. Why is that line always short but the line to Peter Pan is always miles long?

We walked around letting Ben get some autographs, and had some free hot chocolate and cookies as we saw Woody and Bullseye. It was a nice rest before we headed out to see the fireworks show at the castle. On our way there, we saw the PERFECT spot to see the parade from. There is a brick ledge in front of the Hall of Presidents. There was a place to sit and perfect viewing. Davie and I stayed behind there while Rich and Ben went to see the fireworks show. It ended up that we could see the fireworks as well as they did, we just didn't get to see the castle as they covered it with snowflakes and made it green to look like a Christmas tree.

The boys headed back to us as soon as the fireworks were over and we sat and waited for the parade to begin. It was really a great parade. Quite long actually. I had thought the parade at the Halloween party was a bit short, but this was not at all! My camera battery went dead half way through the parade. I was so sad. I did get a couple of pictures though.

After the parade we headed to Casey's for a hot dog. We had gotten a bit hungry since lunch. We popped in the Emporium to look around a bit more, and headed back to our room somewhere around midnight.

What a full day. My head was swimming from all the beautiful sights we had taken in! What a magical day!

For Jamie

2008-12-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

If I had a website...which I will sooner or later...I would post this picture on it! I don't have a website, so this is for Jamie to view! Everyone else can tell me it is lovely if you want to :0)

I've Been Awarded!!!

2008-12-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

Glenda gave me this award:

Now I must fill out the survey!

Seven things I did before I had a child(ren):

1. Watched movies other than those rated "G".

2. Read an entire book in one day.

3. Slept in on Saturday morning.

4. Traveled to Europe.

5. Stayed up until the wee hours scrapbooking.

6. Spent money on frivilous collections such as Longaberger and Department 56.

7. Played the piano more often.

Seven things I do now:

1. Make chicken nuggets.

2. Pick up countless pieces of paper with drawings all over the house.

3. Make jewlery and teach piano lessons to get by.

4. Watch WAY too many cartoons.

5. Have a facebook page.

6. Shop in the video game isle.

7. Anticipate which hymn will be next on the carillon.

Seven things I would like to do:

1. Live in St. Louis.

2. Travel around Europe with my family. (I agree with Glenda on this)

3. Make my own pie crust.

4. Start a website.

5. Be more patient.

6. Lose weight. (Once again, I'm right there with you Glenda.)

7. Spend more time scrapbooking, catching up with all my pictures.

Seven things that attract me to my husband:

1. He knows what I am thinking before I even say it.

2. His belief in and defense of Lutheranism. (Glenda, I love this about our husbands!)

3. He loves me just the way I am.

4. He is a wonderful father.

5. His love of collections, like mine.

6. That he loves to entertain and be around friends just like I do.

7. His beautiful eyes.

Seven favorite foods:

1. Coca-Cola, the real stuff, not diet

2. Fettuchini Alfredo

3. Popcorn

4. Strawberries

5. Corn on the Cob

6. Cashew Chicken from Chi-Tung

7. Crab Legs

Seven things I say most often:

1. Do you mind.....?

2. Are you serious?

3. Could you go into my studio and get...?

4. Benjamin Loren Andrew Heinz!!!

5. Just a minute.

6. It's a "seepy" kiddy! (that's sleepy kitty)

7. Did you get the mail?

Seven people I am tagging:

1. Julie

2. Rich

3. Maria

4. Jessica

5. Susan

6. Rebekah

7. Tori

Day After Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day after Thanksgiving in retail. Usually I am out shopping. I didn't do it at all today! It actually felt good! I didn't end up buying things I shouldn't buy with money I don't have! At Ozzie's it was such a busy and crazy day. I have to say that it was quite fun also. I really enjoyed it. And, I can home to lights outside of my house and trees up inside! My boys are WONDERFUL! I was anticipating this, so I brought home donuts for breakfast tomorrow morning :0)

I made soup for everyone to have for lunch at work today. They all loved it and wanted the recipe, so I thought you all might enjoy it too!

Taco Soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can chicken broth
1 can chicken
1 can Mexican corn
1 can tomatoes with chilies
1 package taco seasoning
1 pint sour cream
1 can black beans....rinsed

Good News!

2008-11-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we took Ben for a follow-up at the doctor. He is doing great. She only gave limitations on his diet. That is not going to be easy for him, but at least he is better and things are "moving along"! Rich is doing much better with the tooth situation too. Looks like we will be healthy and happy for the holiday.

In trying to fix something yummy for Ben without chocolate involved, I made Rich's Great-Grandma's sugar cookies. They are so good. I thought I would post the recipe for those.

Last night I went to bunco. My friend had the best veggie dip. I thought everyone would like that easy recipe too. So, here it goes!

Great-Grandma's Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter
1 cup oil
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
cream together
add
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
4 cups of flour

Mix and roll into balls the size of walnuts. Roll the balls in sugar and press on a greased cookie sheet with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake about 12 minuts at 350 degrees

Kim's Dip

1 cup Miracle Whip
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. dill
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. onion flakes
1 tsp. accent
1 tsp. garlic salt

Mix the night before serving and it has more flavor

I Am Not a Nurse!

2008-11-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

What a week we have had! Last Thursday Ben stayed home from school because he had gotten sick and had terrible tummy pain. It subsided. He complained minimally on Friday and Saturday. Then, on Sunday, he had his friend Noelle over. While she was here he started complaining of stomach pain and wouldn't even play. Later in the evening, around 7:oo he said he wanted to go to bed. You normally have to force the kid to go to bed at night. After the complaining went on for a while I called our Fairy godmother, a former nurse. She suggested calling the doctor. I did, and he asked which hospital we were closest to and asked us to take him straight there. I had to call and get Rich out of a voter's meeting. We took him to the ER and they started running tests right away. They were worried about his appendix or kidney stones. Those tests came back fine. They decided to keep him overnight. He continued with the pain and was having trouble keeping food down. The surgeon came in on Monday morning and said the cat scan showed his colon was filled with stool. They started giving him all kinds of "goodies" to try and help "clear things up". They finally let us go on Tuesday afternoon. We are still trying to "work things out". Ben is feeling much better though.

Yesterday Rich had a root canal. He had some pain in his gums before he had it done, so it has been unpleasant for him.

I have spent several days worried about my boys. I am exhausted. I am not good at the nursing thing! I knew I never would be! I am better at being a teacher.

We would appreciate all your prayers that Ben will continue to improve. Pray for me to be a better "nurse" too!

He did it!!!!

2008-11-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Ben is a cub scout. He is in Webelos 2. In fact his den is close to getting their Arrow of Light and moving on to Boy Scouts. This is an exciting thing. Ben, however, had one thing standing in his way that might keep him from getting that Arrow of Light. He did not want to camp out. Rich had tried to take him on a few occasions. One ended in a tent full of puke. Not fun. This time Rich just told him he was going. It was nearby at a Lutheran camp. His close friend Cameron would be joining. He made it through the night! He loved it! He is excited to go again! This is a great thing! We were worried that he would be quitting scouting because he would not camp out. Yeah! I am proud of him and I am so happy that he was able to overcome this fear. I know he is proud of himself too!

(Sorry there are no pictures. Dad didn't take the camera out of the van! Boo Hoo! No pictures of the first night camping!)

Old Friends

2008-11-07T13:22:00.000-08:00

While in Peoria for Rich's dad's 60th birthday, we were also able to attend Christ Lutheran Church, which is where Rich grew up. They were having a Thanksgiving celebration for their school's 50th anniversary. They invited all teachers and pastors that had ever served at Christ, along with the sons and daughters of the congregation that had gone into the ministry. One of Rich's good childhood friends, Rev. Kris Whitby, came also. It was so good to see him and his family! Rich and Kris laughed about their days at Christ Lutheran and Concordia University. It was so good to finally meet Kris's family. I wish we lived closer to each other! I know we would have some good times!

I am publishing Dr. Eifert's punch "with" recipe. Something tells me Kris and Rich may have had some of this together during their acting days at Concordia University!

Dr. Eifert's Punch "With"

6 oz. frozen ornage juice

6 oz. frozen lemonade

6 oz. real lemon

3 liters 7up

Southern Comfort to Taste

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

2008-11-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went to visit Rich's family in Peoria, Illinois. We were celebrating his dad's 60th birthday! We all went to dinner at a place called Fairview Chicken Farm. They have wonderful fried chicken and yummy corn fritters. It was a nice night. Rich was able to see some of the cousins he hasn't seen for years.

In honor of Dad's birthday, I am posting my toffee recipe. My friends, the Riedel family, used to make this every year at the holidays. I always loved it. She gave me the recipe, but I was always unsure about making it. The Christmas before Rich and I were married, Rich's dad and sister came to visit and make Christmas Cookies. His dad helped me make the toffee the first time. When I wanted to pull it off of the heat he kept telling me just a bit longer. I trusted him and it turned out great! The trick to good toffee is a candy thermometer and clear weather! I have requests yearly for my English Toffee!

English Toffee

1/2 pound of butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons of cold water

2 Hershey bars

chopped pecans

Put butter, sugar, and cold water in a saucepan. Bring to full boil stirring constantly. Boil and stir until the temperature reaches 340 degrees and mixtures turns tan. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour onto a foil lined cookie sheet. Melt Hershey bars and spread on toffee. Sprinkle with pecans. Put in fridge to cool. Break into pieces. Best when stored in the fridge.

Animal Boy!

2008-11-07T12:55:00.000-08:00

Ben has recently become very interested in comic books. I am sure it has nothing to do with the leading role he had where he portrayed a comic book artist/comic book hero! He has a comic book hero that he has been working on for several years now. His name is "Animal Boy"! He has the power to change into any animal to help in times of crisis. He has many fellow super heroes in his group called the Super League of America. For Halloween Ben decided he wanted to dress as Animal Boy. He came up with the costume on his own. We helped get things together of course, but he was VERY excited. I just love how creative our boy can be! He even had a friend who dressed as one of the heroins in the SLA, Wolfette!

In honor of my super hero, I am adding his favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I know this doesn't seem very original, but it is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have run across. It comes from my childhood friend Peter's great-aunt Gayle. Enjoy! By the way, it is important to mix the baking soda with the warm water!

Aunt Gayle's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks of butter (softened)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 1 teaspoon hot water

2 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 of a bag of chocolate chips.

One of the secrets to this recipe is mixing everything by hand with a wooden spoon. Bake these at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-10-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

The church workers conference went really well. We had a wonderful time. Our room was just beautiful! I never wanted to leave it! I would have liked to have heard some of the speakers, but I was at my booth. I did get to enjoy the divine service though. It was very nice. They included liturgy, which doesn't always happen. This made me happy!

The new Luther Rose bracelet went well. I didn't sell out of them, but there were several people that bought them and commented on them. I was happy.

So, today I am doing laundry and preparing for our next trip, which is tomorrow. I am doing a show at Baptist East hospital in the morning, and then we leave for Peoria in the afternoon. We will be celebrating Rich's dad's 60th birthday. There is also a special service at the church Rich grew up in. We were sent an invitation because he is a son of the congregation that is a church worker. It should be nice.

In honor of the Heinz clan, I will be adding Rich's mom's famous cheese potatoes. I named them "Death by Potatoes" because all the things in them can kill ya! I never eat dessert there at the holidays, I just have a second helping of potatoes!

Death By Potatoes

1 32 oz. package of frozen hashbrowns

1 stick of butter

1 pound Velveeta Cheese

1 pint half and half

1 pkg. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Thaw hashbrowns and spread in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter. Add Velveeta cheese and half and half. Pour over hashbrowns and let stand for 1 hour. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Oops!

2008-10-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

I said I was going to post a recipe a day. It looks like my goals were a bit lofty. I will try to improve! It has been a busy week! I have been making jewelry like crazy. What is new. My new custom made Luther Rose charm came in just in time for Reformation! I have been making those bracelets to take with me to the Indiana District Church Workers Conference. I am excited to see how they go over!

Tomorrow is our church supper. I have been making goodies for the bake sale this week. I also went last night to break bread to dry out for the dressing. They make WONDERFUL dressing. I also rolled crackers into crumbs to be used for rolled oysters. This is a big item at our dinner. I am not found of the fried treat, but there are many people around here to even have them for their Thanksgiving dinners! Today I am boiling and picking the meat off of chickens for the dumplings and dressing. I will head out to school this afternoon to do whatever needs to be done. Today's big task is making the potato salad. In the morning I will bake my pie. I head over at noon to start cutting pies. Serving the fried chicken is the job Rich and I have in the evening. Ben will be helping the youth group do dishes and any other tasks that need to be completed. It is a big weekend at St. John's. Our dinner feeds about 800 people. It is quite an amazing meal! If you are in the area you should join us!

So, today I am posting a quick recipe. The oyster crackers are something we have made around the holidays for as long as I can remember. It is a great snack. I have even given them as a gift in a pretty tin! Enjoy.

Oyster Crackers
1 Tablespoon Parsley
1 Tablespoon Dill Seed
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 cup oil
1 package Hidden Valley Rance Dressing Mix
2-12 oz. packages of Oyster Crackers

Shake seasonings and oily in a large container with a lid. Add crackers and shake more. Let sit for at least 24 hours! It is hard to stop eating the little things!

Ben's Award Winning Popcorn

2008-10-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

The recipe I have today, sorry I missed some days, is for the most wonderful popcorn. I call it "Ben's Award Winning" because it won an award at the St. John's Fest one year. However, it is not really Ben's popcorn. It is Amy Hufford's popcorn. She shared it with us one Christmas, and I have been making it ever since. I think popped corn and not microwaved works best. I mix it in a clean dish pan I use for that purpose, it is easier. My brother cannot wait for it each Christmas. Everyone says it is so addicting, and they are right. Try it, you won't be sorry!

Amy Hufford's Popcorn

14 cups popped popcorn

3 c. rice crispy cereal

2 c. salted peanuts

1 pound almond bark

3 Tablespoons Creamy peanut butter

Melt bark in the microwave. Stir in peanut butter. Mix all. Spread onto sheet pans lined with wax paper. Let dry. Store in an airtight container.

Jana's Salad

2008-10-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

When my mom's family gets together my cousin Jana usually makes this yummy salad. I love it. It is one of those salads that you really can't call a salad without feeling guilty. It is more like a dessert. Anyway, we LOVE it. I think I have had it with cherries in it, but I am not sure. Has anyone made it with cherries?

Champagne Salad

1 8 oz. cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1- 10 oz. bag of frozen strawberries

1- 8 oz. cool whip

2 bananas sliced and chopped

1 lg. can crushed pineapple

1 cup chopped pecans

Drain pineapple. Thaw berries and cool whip. Blend cream cheese, sugar, and strawberries. Fold in cool whip and pineapple. Pour in a 9x13 pan and freeze. You can also freeze it in muffin tins lined with cupcake liners. Thaw 15 minutes before serving.

Planning

2008-10-16T06:06:00.000-07:00

It finally seems like fall here today. I am sitting on my couch with a warm cup of tea, my quilt around me, my box of tissues nearby, watching the rain fall with the leaves. I love fall. It always gives me this homey feeling. It also gets my creative juices flowing too. It seems time to start looking toward the holidays and making plans.

I have started collecting the recipes I want to make this season, and I have even started stocking up on baking supplies, so that the cost doesn't hit us all at once. I have been doing that for several years and it really helps!

I decided that I am going to try and post a favorite recipe a day. I enjoy sharing recipes and thought some of you might be starting to think ahead too. Why not share your favorites? I would love to see what everyone else is planning on making! It could be a challenge for us to collect them up! Sound like fun? Join me then!

Today's recipe is my attempt to add pumpkin to Thanksgiving, without it having to be pie. I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie. It's fine, but nothing I look forward to. I made this recipe several years ago, at my Aunt Beth's, my dad was still alive, so that was some time ago. I accidentally put just a can of pumpkin instead of pumpkin pie filling. You DON'T want to make that mistake.
This year we are joining the Oberdieck family for Thanksgiving. That is such a blessing to us! What wonderful friends they are. They feel more like our family than just friends. I will be taking this cake to add to the MANY things Brian will prepare!

Pumpkin Cake

1 15 oz. can pumpkin pie filling
4 slightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. salt
1 can evaporated milk
1 yellow cake mix
2 sticks melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix pumpkin, eggs, sugar, pie spice, salt, and milk. Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan. Sprinkle yellow cake mix over the top. Pour melted butter on top of that. Sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans. (unless you go to the Obedieck's, where Daniel is allergic to nuts.) Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Woo Hoo!

2008-10-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

This morning we took our dear friend, and fairy godmother, Davie, to the airport to send her off to her home in Ohio. It was hard to do. Having her here for a week was such a wonderful treat! It is always a treat having her to visit! What a dear and wonderful friend!

We did many fun things while she was here. We enjoyed some shopping and some lovely meals out. I cooked several meals and had my mom and her friend Norma over. My mom had us over for some yummy chicken and dumplings. We went to Ben's cross country meet, and yesterday we visited the zoo. It was a beautiful day at the zoo!

However, one of the best parts of the visit was planning our CHRISTMAS DISNEY TRIP!!!!! Davie has always wanted to see the decorations there at Christmas, and so have we. What a wonderful gift to be able to go along with her! We are so excited! I just cannot wait! We sat with her at our kitchen table and made all the calls for dinning, flights, etc. I can hardly believe that it is actually happening! Woo Hoo!!!!!

Getting Some Breaks!

2008-09-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

Since I have stopped being a teacher to be a full time jewelry maker, things have been looking great! I just found out that I will be in the Concordia Publishing House Spring catalog! I am very excited. They are thinking the may be ordering a few hundred 23rd Psalm bracelets. We are also working on a charm for the Luther Rose bracelet. If it works out I will have that bracelet in their catalog too!

I am also on a new website! You can find two and soon three of my bracelets at http://www.familytg.com/. I am currently on the front page at the bottom! I thank God for the blessings of these new accounts.

Soon you will also be able to find me at the Kentucky Chapter of Susan G. Komen's website. I let you know when it is up and running!

Thanks to all of you that have shown me support as I venture out into this world of jewelry sales! If you need a great gift, order from my new accounts :0)

Dear Mr. Obama

2008-09-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

How do you argue this?

Heritage Weekend

2008-09-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

The sacred weekend is quickly approaching. For those of you who don't live in these here parts, the world stops for Heritage Weekend! What is the big hype about you ask? Tractors, old ones, crafts, sort of, and food....lots of food!

I have already started to contribute to the food. Monday I picked chicken off of SEVERAL cooked chickens. This will be turned into dumplings for our dinner there on Saturday. Today I turned in 10 lbs. of cooked and peeled potatoes that will be turned into German potato salad that is sold all weekend at our Thrivent booth. Tomorrow I will be baking 4 pies that will be sold at the Thrivent booth and our dumpling dinner. Saturday I will cut pies in the morning, serve German potato salad in the evening and man the P.T.L. booth in the afternoon. Sunday Rich will lead worship at the park and we will work in the Right to Life booth in the afternoon. Ben will also walk up and down the sidewalks at the parade selling soft drinks for the Cub Scouts! It is such a busy weekend. It does raise a lot of money for our church though. That is a helpful and wonderful thing.

Friday we just enjoy the place, we don't work. We will go to the princess contest to see little Emma! We are hoping she will win! Usually it is our night to have some great fair food. I am not sure my tummy will approve of the fair food this year. I will have to play it safe.

I will let you know how all of this craziness goes!

Elephant Show

2008-09-08T18:26:00.000-07:00

While at the zoo on Saturday we visited the elephant exhibit. Of course we did. We always do. This is and has always been Ben's favorite. It is especially fun these days because they have a one year old elephant named Scotty. He is so very cute. On the way out of the zoo on Saturday we just happened to stumble upon the elephants, all lined up, with trainers. We thought it looked like a possible dental exam. We were wrong. Soon, the elephants all lined up, hooked their trunks and tails and started putting on a show for us! That little Scotty is quite the ham! What a treat!

My How Time Flies!

2008-09-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we spent the day at the Louisville Zoo. It was a beautiful day! Rich's family was in town for the play, and we all went and had such a great day! It has been our tradition to take a picture on the big stone rhino statue any time we go to that zoo. I thought I would post the one we took on Saturday and one from five years ago! My how they all have grown! Thanks for the great day Heinz's and Winkle's!

Our Star!

2008-09-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

Last night Ben had the leading role in our school's 5-8th grade play. It was "Comic Book Artist". Ben was a janitor that really wanted to be a comic book artist. He stumbled upon a magic pen that made everything he drew come to life. He created many superheroes. Then, he had to find a way to fight a villain that had been created. He was then given, by the narrator, a magic eraser, and he became "Eraser Man" and saved the day!

Our son was a superhero to us last night. He did such a great job! We were so proud of him. The month of practicing 109 lines really paid off. I am so thankful that Mr. Oberdieck had faith in him and gave him the part. He did such a great job. Actually, everyone in the show did a great job! We are glad he has found interest in the stage! Way to go Ben! We love you!

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend, when I was growing up, back in the day, was HUGE to me! My best friend and neighbor, Peter Reynolds, would pair up with me to help Jerry's Kids! We went from door to door. We had a backyard carnival. I lived and breathed to hear what the magic number was going to be at the end of the day! I loved helping out! I felt I was doing something to help make a difference in the world. The telethon doesn't seem to have the importance that it used to. I feel sad about that.

This Labor Day Weekend we went back to my home town of Centralia, IL. My mom was going to attend her 60th class reunion. We took her so she could go. We stayed with my Aunt Beth and Uncle Wayne. I love being at their house. They have this WONDERFUL screened in porch. I just love to sit out there. We do breakfast there every morning. It is so very peaceful. I am envious of their porch. I would love to have one someday. I would really like to sleep out on the porch, but my Aunt doesn't seem to like the thought of that idea. Besides, they live near a set of railroad tracks. Who knows how that could keep you up at night!

We attended church in the church I grew up in. It has changed so much. We did not do a bit of liturgy! We prayed the Lord's Prayer, said the Apostle's Creed, and their pastor said the Words of Institution. The congregation picked the hymns they wanted to sing. The pastor waltzed around the altar area as he told stories, I mean preached. It just was not my style of worship. I hate to say that I didn't really feel like I had been to church.

It was a nice relaxing weekend. I made some jewelry and read a book. We all needed a slow paced weekend such as that one! It was great. I cannot wait to be on the porch again!

Bridal Shower

2008-08-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today I hosted a bridal shower for my friend and former colleague Bridget. We had fun. Our staff gave her gift cards to use on their honeymoon. We made her get them by hitting a pinata! We also had a candy tower in her colors as decoration. Our staff also gave her a collection of our favorite recipes! It was a nice day. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed planning it! Matt, we missed you there!

Sangria

2008-08-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

If you entertain frequently, you are probably know for something that you often serve. I am known for my sangria. Everyone that is coming over always requests it. It is not all that hard. There is no science to it. My cousing "cool" Jill, as Ben calls her and I agree, taught me how to make it at my 40th birthday party. Here is what I put in mine, I guess at the amounts.

Red wine of some type. It can be cheap, you will never know.

Lemonade

Sugar

Ginger Ale

Lemons

Oranges

Limes

Strawberries

It is SOOOOOO yummy!

Exciting Adjustments

2008-08-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying adjusting to life now that I am not working full time! Don't get me wrong, I am still working...it is just different. I have been working at Ozzie's, the boutique where I sell jewelry, and I just love being there. It is so fun. They just arrived back from market, and I have been opening boxes of new fun stuff. It is like Christmas! I am so visually stimulated by this task! I love it! I am also proud of how little I have purchased. I have only purchased a few gifts.

In the afternoons I am teaching piano lessons and doing some tutoring. I really do enjoy this. I don't like that my afternoon is interrupted everyday, but I do like the task.

I have been doing some substitute teaching. I am enjoying that. It is so nice to be in the classroom without the stress of planning, after school activities, etc.

I have also been making plenty of jewelry! I hope to be online soon, but there just hasn't seemed to be enough hours in the day for this!

I have been enjoying our garden and doing some freezing and canning. So far I have "put up" strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, peach, and blueberry jam, pepper jelly, salsa, spaghetti sauce, corn, zucchini, applesauce, and fresh fruit for pies. It is nice to have full shelves and freezers.

I hope that we will be able to adjust to the pay difference. The time at home is much more valuable than the money, but it still is a big adjustment. I have been able to make wise choices. We are doing really well. We will make it work. It just requires some major life changes! We are eating out much less because I am home more to actually be cooking. I love that!

All in all, I am very, very, happy! I thank God and my family for helping me make this reality!

German Meal

2008-08-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made a German dinner. When we were in Wisconsin we didn't get to go t0 our favorite restaurant, Weissgerber's, and I have been craving rouladen ever since. So, I looked up the recipe and tried it out. I am not so great at gravy. If I could make a good beef gravy it would have been great. It was fine. I also made braised red cabbage and spaetzle. The dough might have been a bit too heavy. I need the tool that helps with spaetzle.

If anyone has brown gravy advice I would love it.

Lizard Spit

2008-08-10T20:58:00.000-07:00

In October, right before we left on our big Disney trip/cruise, my diabetes went a bit out of control. It just happened out of nowhere. I went in because of an infection, but soon found out the reason for the problem. Since then, we have been working hard to find the right combination to produce a reasonable numbers in my blood sugar readings. It has been frustrating. About a month and a half ago my doctor put me on Byetta. It is relatively new. It has to be injected into the stomach twice a day. I was surprised at what an easy thing this was for me to do. When taking the drug you start at 5 mcg for a month. As the doctor warned me, it took a week to adjust to the drug. I was quite sick for about a week. I became used to it, and life was good. The drug not only lowers blood sugar, but it also suppresses hunger. After a month, you are then increased to 10 mcg. This happened almost two weeks ago. This has been a difficult adjustment. The plus is that weight is coming off. This is a good thing. The minus is that I am still feeling quite sick. I will have a day or two that I might feel well, but the bad days still are existing. Not fun. I went online to research how to combat the sick feeling. While researching I found that the drug is a synthetic form of gila monster venom! Can you believe that? How did they find out that gila monster venom lowered blood sugar anyway? Hopefully this side effects will soon subside. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the weight loss and the lower sugar readings!

Where does the time go?

2008-08-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

One week of school is under our belts. I have been a free woman for a week, and I am not sure what I have to show for it? Monday, Rich's birthday, was spent cooking and cleaning for company. Tuesday, I worked at Ozzies. Wednesday, I made jewelry most of the day. Thursday, I was sick. Yuck. I was out almost all day. Friday I did not feel well yet. I did manage to do our grocery shopping that evening. It was exciting. At one store I saved more than I spent! Yesterday I worked at Ozzies for a while and then went home sick. My tummy and I just haven't been getting along. Rich and I did manage to kick out some bracelets last night. That is. Not too eventful. I need to work on that! Hopefully the week ahead will be a bit more exciting!

Happy Birthday Honey!

2008-07-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Today is my sweet husband's birthday! If anyone deserves a great day, it is him! He is so kind and thoughtful! Here's to a great day Rich!

First Day of School

2008-07-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

Today is Ben's first day of 6th grade! This is hard to believe! For all of you it may be hard to believe that we are starting school already. We are on a wonderful calendar at St. John's! They call it a balanced calendar. We start now, but we get two weeks off in October, almost three weeks off at Christmas, and two weeks off in March. It is really nice. The only drawback is starting school in JULY! I find it hard to believe that my boy is already in sixth grade! It just doesn't seem possible. He is growing so very fast. He is very proud of his messenger style backpack. I guess they are the thing this year.

Not only does it feel odd that Ben is already in sixth grade, but it also feels odd to be sitting here typing this while he is at school. This is the first year since kindergarten that he has went off to school without me! I am not teaching. It actually feels great! I am excited. This morning is a bit strange, but all in all it is a good feeling. I am hoping to concentrate on my jewelry business and make that my occupation. I would appreciate all of your prayers as I embark upon this new chapter in my life! In honor of my first day as a free woman, I am posting some new jewelry in my shoebox! Check it out. I have to do some editing first, so give me a few hours!

Happy first day of school to all of you hitting the books today!

Facebook

2008-07-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Just like blogging, I put off going to facebook. I know how much time I already spend at this silly computer. Wow, it is fun. I knew this would happen! I have jewelry to make! I cannot be playing on the computer! YIKES!

Garden Update

2008-07-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

The garden is finally doing it's job. Today I should be able to pick about 5 zucchini. The tomatoes are plentiful. They just need to become red! I have spent the week canning. I have canned jam. I made raspberry, blueberry, and peach. I also canned bread and butter pickles. I used a mix for the pickles. I am not sure that I will do that again. I think I will use my own ingredients this time. Anyone have a good bread and butter pickle recipe? Please do share if you have one!

Today I will pick beans, AGAIN! I think they are almost finished tough. I might just plant two more rows after we pull these up. I haven't decided for sure. This week we will have a huge pot of beans. Ben will be so excited! LOL!

Something to Cha-Cha About

2008-07-18T19:47:00.000-07:00

The picture is of one of my creations. It is called a cha-cha bracelet. I think it is named that because the beads swing and swish like the beads on a dress of a woman doing the cha-cha-cha. Anyway, the owner and store manger of Ozzie's, where I first started selling my jewelry, just arrived back from the AtlantaMart. This is a HUGE market where you go to shop for wholesale merchandise. They both to some of my cha-cha bracelets to wear with their outfits while there. They mentioned that many people stopped them and wanted to know where they had purchased them! They even have calling cards from people that want to buy them from me! Woo Hoo!

Lovely Anniversary

2008-07-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Eleven years goes by so quickly. I can remember our wedding day as if it were yesterday. We had such a wonderful time. The music was out of this world! The reception seemed to be fun for everyone. Most importantly, I married Prince Charming! After 11 years he is still making our life a "Happily Ever After!"

We had a lovely day today. We were served breakfast in bed. I thought for a moment that I was at the Grand Floridian! Ben brought us fresh fruit, toast, and milk. It was so sweet. What a doll he is. He is always so very thoughtful. He made us both a nice card. I love that boy! He has been taking good notes from his daddy!

Rich and I exchanged cards. We had decided that we were not going to give gifts this year. Last year's Disney trip was enough for two years! We did go for dinner though. We went to P. F. Chang's. It is SOOOOOO wonderful! If you haven't been there, you must! The lettuce wraps were suggested to us by everyone so we got them tonight. They are very good. Rich had a key
lime pie martini that was out of this world. It was so great. Thanks to our mom's and dad and our Fairy Godmother, we didn't have to worry about what we spent on dinner. It was fantastic.

After 11 years, I am still as in love with my husband as I was the first day we got together! He is so kind, understanding, thoughtful, and patient. I thank God for him and this wonderful day!

I Just Am Not Very Patient

2008-07-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

So, I read up on my zucchini problem. I found that I have male blooms, not female. However, the male blooms tend to show themselves first and the the female blooms come out later. This can take a few weeks. Tonight I went out and picked green beans and there, I saw them, tiny little girl zucchini blooms! Yeah. As fast as they grow we will probably have some big zucchini on Saturday! Thanks for the concern! Beer batter, here comes some zucchini!

Zucchini Blues

2008-07-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

My zucchini plants are beautiful! There are five large plants. They look so healthy! They have a million blooms on them. Okay, maybe about 12 per plant. Here is the problem, the blooms grow, open, and fall off. There is no fruit behind the blooms. I read that I might only have male blooms. Where are the girls? Or, that I might have a pollination problem. So, why are bees always around when you don't want them there or never around when you do? I am so confused! I just want some zucchini! Has anyone ever had this happen? Do I just need to be more patient? Help me out here!

The Newsest Thing I Love Is.....

2008-07-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

Meeting up with old friends! This is my friend Heather. We had some great times in high school and college together. She is one of the most amazing people I know! She is always up for a challenge. She is not afraid to try something new. She has always taught me to step a bit outside of my box. I love that about her!

While on my way to St. Louis I stopped to visit her in Belleville. It was such a nice day! We both love our beads. We had intended to play, but I just looked and looked at her stuff. I look forward to the day when she can come and look through my stuff! It was fun.

Heather has her own cross-stitch company. It is fresh and funky and a lot of fun! You can check her things out at http://www.monsterbubbles.com/. She also has a new book out. You can check that out at her site too!

Heather, I thank God for your friendship. You are a blessing!

Yes it is!

2008-07-06T11:40:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of my family. Seriously! This isn't even all of them. Yesterday we attended the Wernsman Family Reunion. It was a really nice day. I haven't seen many of these people since my Uncle Charlie died several years ago. It was so good to enjoy visiting with them! I wish my brother could have been there!

There was a photographer there who took our pictures. This picture includes my aunts and uncles, cousins, second cousins, even third cousins. My dad had 13 brothers and sister originally. Four of them have passed away, including my dad. It was an emotional day seeing all of them yesterday. My Uncle Dale reminds me so much of my dad. Tears immediately sprung into my eyes.

I would like to thank my cousin Ronnie and his wife Kim for hosting all of us at their beautiful home. Actually, Ben called it their estate! It was so lovely. What a beautiful place they have! Thanks so much guys!

I thank God for my family.

My New Favorite Thing

2008-06-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

My friend Jessica asked her readers to blog with her occasionally about their new favorite things. I like this idea and I will be joining her! I hope you will join in too!

Jessica's new favorite thing was the T.V. show "John and Kate Plus 8" This is WAY one of my new favorite things also, but I won't blog about it since she did.

My new favorite thing is giant crab legs from the Kroger fish counter! I was walking by on Thursday and couldn't help noticing them. I asked the butcher how you even cook them. He told me that you cut them down the middle with a scissors and pull the meat out. All you have to do next is pop it in the microwave. He even demonstrated and gave me a sample. YUM-O! Now I had to buy some. I bought one big leg. It was a HUGE leg. It was also a huge price, but very worth it. Rich and I were able to make a meal out of the one leg. We had sides of course. It was SOOOOOOO good! The sticker price might shock you, but you will enjoy it!

New Salesperson at K Heinz Designz!

2008-06-24T04:44:00.000-07:00

On our way to Wisconsin we all decided we needed a potty break. The closest place Rich found for us to stop at was Starbucks (wink wink)! We odered our drinks. (Thanks Hailey! She gave me a Strabucks gift card for an end of the school year gift. We have been using a little here and a little there to make it last!) While the drinks were being made, I used the restroom. Ben and Rich were out talking to a barista who had taken her break. When I came back out the lovely barista asks to see some of my jewelry. Ben had told her that his mom owned a jewelry business! She loved it and asked for my card so she could come on and check it out. I didn't ask your name friendly barista, but if you check my site out I hope you liked what you saw! My new sales associate was paid that day with a double chocolate Frapachino. He is going to work out great!

Blogging!

2008-06-24T04:40:00.000-07:00

Today our new teacher is coming to find a place to live. I am in charge of dessert for dinner. I decided I would make homemade "Hostess" cupcakes. I went to my trusty recipe box to find the recipe for the filling. I had not written it down. I couldn't believe it. I thought for sure I had written it down. So, I googled it. I am looking through several recipes, but I couldn't find mine. They all had Crisco, and I know mine doesn't have Crisco. It is just something I don't keep in my pantry. Well, several pages into my search, I finally found the recipe....it was on my blog! LOL!!!! I guess I really did put it down, just not with pen and paper. I am sure glad I showed up on Google!

Susan G. Komen

2008-06-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

I am excited! I just fired off an e-mail with pictures of jewelry attached for the Susan G. Komen foundation. They are considering my jewelry for their new website. I pray that they find some of my items worth selling on their site! I would appreciate your prayers that this will work out! I am attaching some pictures of the newest stuff! Rich would say, "Win big!" I hope I do!

If Your Life Was a Movie

2008-06-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Rich did this on his blog. It is too fun! I just want to state that Ben, Rich, and I are sharing a playlist on our ipods right now! Enjoy!

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
Here's how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool...
7. Include commentary

Opening Credits: “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” by the Walt Disney World Band So, does this say something about me?

Waking Up: “Hey There Delilah” Plain White T’s Acutally, if I had to wake up to this song I would go back to bed! This one is from Rich’s collection. I am not fond of the song.

First Day at School: “Dayream” by Jason Castro I must admit that I did some daydreaming at school! Jason Castro was on American Idol this year. I started out liking him, but wasn’t fond of him at the end.
Falling in Love: “Hate 2 Love Her” by Blake Lewis I sure hope Rich doesn’t hate loving me! I cannot speak for others I dated.

Fight Song: “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson This is not much of a fight song, but I love this song!

Breaking Up: “Silence is Golden” by Blake Lewis Yes, during breaking up this could be true.

Prom: “Ladies Choice” Hairspray This would be a fun song at a prom!
Life's Ok: “I’m Into Something Good” by Herman’s Hermits I do seem to be into something good!
Mental Breakdown: “Come Together” By Carly Smithson Yes, during those breakdowns you gotta try and come together!
Driving: “True Love’s Kiss” Enchanted I remember driving home after a kiss from my true love! It was enchanting!
Flashback: “Sunday Morning” By Maroon Five It is always good to flashback to Sunday morning!
Getting Back Together: “Wonderful World” by IZ I think it is wonderful when people get back together!

Wedding: “Day by Day” The Hooters I am still blessed to take things day by day with my true love!
Birth of Child: “She’s a Woman” by Chikezie If you knew what I went through to have Ben you would say that I am quite a woman!

Final Battle: “Tequila” by The Champs I admit that I have had a battle with tequila!

Death Scene: “Robert Says Goodbye” Enchanted I am not sure who Robert is, but I am glad that he is going to miss me!

Funeral Song: “Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye” The Walt Disney World Band Too funny! When Tim Oberdieck was a toddler he couldn’t say my name correctly and called me Tootsie! Maybe he will sing this at my funeral.

End Credits: “The Nicest Kids in Town” I hope I will be remembered as one of the nicest kids in town!
OK, so I tag Glenda, Rebekah, Tori, Angie, and Julie.

Is it Really Summer Break?

2008-06-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ben was discussing with us this morning over homemade cinnamon rolls via Brian O., (Yum-O!) that it really hasn't felt like summer break yet. I suppose this is because we have been on the run since school was out.

Let's see....Monday I spent the day at school working on report cards and permanent records. We took Ben to a late lunch at "Polly's Freeze" (a local favorite that has soft serve sherbet) because he had gotten straight A's. This was a major accomplishment. He had been pushing the high B's in Math all year. He worked really hard and made it over the hump! He is so bright in Math. It amazes me what he can do in his head. He despises putting everything down on paper. We worked on that this quarter and it paid off! VBS was in the evening, so there is day one.

Day two was spent cleaning out my classroom. We didn't get finished, but thanks to my good friend Angie, we are close! We came home so I could recover from what appeared to be some tainted food? VBS was again tonight. I was in charge of snacks. Rich and I made popcorn in the popper. It was fun. Day two is gone.

Wednesday I took Ben and some friends to the free movie. It was Veggie Tales "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything". The kids enjoyed it. We came back to school so I could help make 50 gallons of baked beans for Relay for Life. That was work! VBS was again tonight. I baked a birthday cake for my mom when we got back home.

Thursday was my mom's birthday. We took her to lunch and shopping. This was the last night of VBS. We also played cards with my mom and her friend.

Today I had blood work done this morning. I worked on dishes. Rich worked in the garden and on laundry. Ben cleaned his room and is leaving for the movies with a friend soon. Rich and I will be going back to school to finish my classroom.

Among all of this I have also managed to make a large pile of jewelry that I will deliver on Monday. YIKES! It really hasn't been much of a break yet. When do we get a day just to relax at home? Not tomorrow, we are going to a birthday party for my godson, Joshua, and then Rich has a meeting in the evening. (Why do these people think a meeting on Saturday night is a good idea?)

Sunday is Father's Day. We will go out to lunch after church and go to the zoo. We have been trying to get there for weeks!

Monday is jewelry day. Tuesday is packing. Wednesday we FINALLY leave for CCA. I think we will relax there! When does summer break start?

Hope yours has been exciting so far too!

It Hasn't Sunk In

2008-06-10T04:38:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday was my last day of school. It just hasn't sunk in that I won't be teaching next year. Maybe it won't until school starts. I am not sure. So far I am still working. I had to do report cards and permanent records. I am working on the yearbook. Today I am starting to clean out my classroom. It is difficult to decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

The bead show was fantastic. I got a lot of good deals. I even talked some people down on their prices! I have never tried it before. I was quite successful! I brought home a suitcase full of goodies! I haven't had much time to work with any of it yet since VBS is this week. Tonight I am in charge of snacks.

Tomorrow I will take Ben to the free movies to see a Veggie Tales show. Then I will work on making potato salad for Relay for Life. We are working with 375 pounds of potatoes! That is a lot of salad!

It has been so busy I haven't had time to be excited about the bead business. I have news that the Susan Komen shop is going to start an online shop that will be open all year. They have asked to put some of my things on the site. This is VERY exciting. I also have a quilt store that wants "scissor candy", cute strand of beads that you hook on your sewing scissors. This is a new endeavor. I will be hitting other sewing shops in the area too. Of course Ozzies is always up for something new! I am excited about it all. I just need some time to bead!

Rows and Rows of THIS!!!!!

2008-06-05T04:30:00.000-07:00

This morning we are heading out for the Bead and Button show in Milwaukee. It is the largest bead show in the country! There are rows and rows of people with booths just like this guy's! It is amazing! My palms were sweating just downloading this pictures! It is such a fun day and we get such wonderful bargains! I cannot wait to be there tomorrow. New jewlery is coming soon to k heinz designz!

Cool Louisville Stop #2

2008-06-04T15:59:00.001-07:00

Glassworks is a neat place in Louisville to visit. They do many different kinds of work with glass. They have a lampwork studio, blowing studio, and a workshop for designing stained glass and working on building designs. They have made huge sculptures and did the windows on some amazing buildings. You are able to watch all of each process. There is a movie about the history and process of making glass. They also have a studio where you can make projects. It is a cool place. It is neat to go here and to Schmipff's in the same day. It is remarkable how similar the process for glass and hard candy is. Neat place! I do, however, have a thing for glass :0) It is hereditary!

Shimpff's Candy

2008-06-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

If you are going to visit the Louisville area this summer, you MUST stop into Schmipff's Candy! This is a candy store like no other. They make their own hard candy along with chocolates. It is amazing to watch them make their hard candy. My class recently visited there on their field trip. They mmix the candy and then they run it through these copper rollers and the shape is imprinted on the candy. They then lift the strip of candy and drop it, leaving behind small pieces in the shapes they cut them. They have been featured on The Food Channel several times. They also have a candy museum. For this daughter of a candy salesman, it is a favorite place to go! They make the most amazing red hots you will ever find! There chocolates are not too bad either!

My Poor Sweet Baby Boy

2008-06-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Ben had a birthday party to go to. He doesn't get invited to parties with kids in his class often. In fact, I cannot remember when the last one was. He has been invited to younger kid's parties, but not one with the kids in his class. It was Gabe's party. He is probably closer to Gabe than anyone else in the class. It was at a water park! This was a much anticipated event! Saturday morning rolls around and Ben gets up and just plops down on the couch, with a pillow and blanket. He stays there for quite some time. This is not Ben. Sitting at the computer for quite some time, okay, but THIS, nope, not Ben. So finally I ask, "Are you okay Ben?" His reply, "Yeah, just fine, why do you ask?" "Well, you normally don't just lay on the couch unless we make you," I reply. "Oh, I am just cold." It was 82 degrees that day. I let it go. And soon I hear sobbing. He had gotten up and gotten the thermometer to take his temperature. It was 103! He had not been feeling well and just didn't want to admit it. Needless to say, he did not go to the party. Many tears were shed.

Sunday he went to my mom's while we went to graduation parties. He had a headache, a bit of a tummy ache, but no sore throat, not until we arrived back to get him. Today he went to the doctor. He has strep and some strange virus that caused blisters in his throat and could cause blisters on his hands and torso. No school today, no class end-of-the-year-party tomorrow. Nope. He is at Grandma's again. Poor guy. Keep him in your prayers. The only good part is he isn't supposed to eat anything hot. He is supposed to stick to Popsicles, pudding, and ice cream. He isn't minding that!

Webkinz Addict

2008-05-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Kristi, and I am a Webkinz addict.

Do your children have Webkinz? Ben loves them. He asks for them on his birthday, Christmas, etc. He has SEVERAL. If you don't know anything about them, BEWARE! The Ganz company is so smart. They have designed these stuffed animals that come with a code. You then take the code and log in online, and you get to adopt your stuffed animal. When you do, you get "money' to spend on Webkinz to take care of your pet and build them a room. It is crazy. You can earn more "money" by playing games. This is where I come in. From time to time I can get addicted to an online game. Ben introduced me to these games so that I can help him "earn money". There are many games at the arcade. You get to play them for free, and many are games that help you to learn. One particular game that my friend Angie, fellow closet Webkinz junkie, hooked me onto tests how fast you can type. I love this one.

We have had a very stressful time at school and church these last few weeks. I have turned to the Webkinz games for "therapy", but I think I need some help. I just cannot stop playing. I don't have time for this. I have too much to do to sit and play these silly games, but I just cannot stop. Ben and I have the same personality. We realized this a long time ago. We have to limit the time he plays on electronic games. He could sit and do it for hours. We developed a system where he has to read the amount of minutes that he in turn gets to play on some type of electronic game. We keep track of this on a digital bookmark with a timer. I think I need to develop the same system for myself. Maybe I have to do so many hours of housework to earn that amount of time playing on Webkinz. Wait, Rich and I worked in the garden planting for 3 hours today!!!!! Does that mean I get three hours of Webkinz time? Woo Hoo!!!!

Can anyone help me? Do you know of a support group or a 12 step program that I can sign up for? Could anyone be my sponsor?

For All My PW Friends

2008-05-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

On a really lousy day, this was a fun little pick-me-up. Thanks Glenda for sharing it!

Joe Arnold

2008-05-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Ever see Joe Arnold on the Louisville news? He's on WHAS-11. Every time I see him pop on TV I think about the summers I spent a great amount of time with him. We were in a program called, "Youth Sing Praise". It was a musical theater program that was offered by Our Lady of the Snows Shrine in Belleville, IL. You had to send in an audition tape. There were about 50 of us chosen if I remember right. The first year we did "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" and the second we did an original called, "David, Champion of Israel." Those were two of the most amazing summers I have ever had. During "David", we woke up one morning to find that Dave Brubeck had written a new song for us. We were going to the recording studio that afternoon. We had a busy morning learning this awesome song. This brings me to the reason of my post. The song repeated, over and over, "Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, my Refuge, and my Fortress. My stronghold, my deliverer, the Shield in whom I trust!" Wow, I can still sing that day as if I were rehearsing with my friends. I can sing it over and over again. Do I mean what I sing? Do I really trust Him? I try so hard, but it is never easy. It is so difficult when so many things are being hurled your way by the evildoer. I pray for the ability to trust. I pray that I can stop trying to take on the stresses of life myself. I am not able. I can only survived with Him as my rock, my refuge, my fortress!

Strawberries

2008-05-17T15:11:00.000-07:00

Strawberries were really cheap at the Jay C Store this past week. Rich had brought some home, and they were REALLY good! So, I went back and bought 12 more containers. This morning I made freezer jam. Now I need to make some homemade bread or biscuits! I also flash froze some of them. I am looking forward to dropping them into a glass of water as ice cubes. Yummy! Or, having a nice shortcake in the middle of the winter.

I also made some homemade granola from the recipe that "Wendy and Her Lost Boys" posted on her blog. That, with the fresh berries was indeed wonderful! My friend Angie said the granola was also good on top of some vanilla ice cream. I am going to have to try that. The granola was so much cheaper than the expensive cereal that you would buy like it in the store. I am addicted!

Deer????

2008-05-12T04:39:00.000-07:00

I purchased a flat of beautiful impatience. They WERE this lovely magenta. I planted several in the front landscaping, and filled to flower boxes with them in the back. In the last three days something has eaten ALL of them! They were so beautiful! Was it deer? I thought maybe it was a bunny until the flower boxes were annihilated. They are so tall. Maybe it was a deer. I don't know, but I am very sad. I hate to replace them just to be eaten again. Those boxes need something in them. It is funny, I have another box right next two the two that were eaten that is full of lovely lettuce. Nothing has eaten the lettuce, another reason why I don't think it is a bunny. It makes me sad! There are so many lush green things right now, why my beautiful flowers?

Absent Husbands

2008-05-12T04:30:00.001-07:00

I have friends that never see their husbands. Their husbands work out of town more than they are home. I just don't know how they do it! I have other friends who have husbands that go on trips from time to time. They cannot wait for them to go. They look forward to the time alone. I am NEITHER of those people. I do not enjoy having my husband away AT ALL! Does that mean that I rely on him too much? I don't think so! I just love him so much! We are a team! We work together in our home and in our parenting. I just don't enjoy having him away. So beware. I may be whinny for a few days. Rich is gone until Wednesday evening on our seventh and eighth grade trip to St. Louis. Yuck! He can go away, he just needs to take me with him! Thanks for listening. I will try to be better!

Blog Pressure

2008-05-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

I started my blog for fun. I started it because I am never very good at keeping a journal. I knew, however, that if I was able to add pictures I would stick to it more faithfully, and I have. I started it because I thought it would be a good way to keep in touch with friends and family. When I started this blog, I didn't realized that it came with pressures! Last week I directed and my cast performed our spring musical. This was a huge task. I was busy, busy, busy. Many people asked me when I was finally going to post on my bog again. Wow, I didn't know that it was about everyone else, I thought it was about me putting my thoughts down :0) Thanks to all my friends for making me feel so special by looking forward to reading my little posts. I will attempt to be more faithful! I just have a few more weeks and life will be all about beading! Please keep me in your prayers as I begin this new adventure in my life! If you know anyone in need of jewelery, new baby and needs a mom's bracelet, wedding and needs bridesmaids jewelry, or just in need of an inexpensive gift, please send them my way! Thanks!

Trip Report Day 1 Part 2

2008-05-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

After we had checked into the hotel and had a snack at the concierge, we headed out for Downtown Disney. We didn't have tickets for the park the first day, but it was a GREAT opportunity to do some shopping. With our newly Disney decorated living room, we were excited to see what we would find to add to the decor!

After some shopping we decided to get some dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. We were warned that there is usually a pretty long wait there. We decided we would put our name on our list and then we would do a bit more shopping while we waited. Magic number one, we found out that the wait was only 15 minutes! We were so very excited! Magic number two, they seated us right by the elephants! Ben was so excited! Elephants are his favorites! Our dinner was great. We just had appetizers. It was plenty. While we were inside eating it was raining. We got inside just in time. We went to one more shop and then headed back to the hotel. We thought we might grab a snack at concierge, but everything had been put away. It was okay. We needed to get to bed on the earlier side, we were headed on our early morning safari bright and early.

Trip Report

2008-05-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

This past October my family and I took the most amazing trip! It is rare that the three of us take a vacation alone. Don't get me wrong, we love our family and friends. It was just nice to have a chance to be a family.

We saved up for three years for this trip. Rich and I were celebrating our 10th anniversary, and decided to make it a special celebration. We decided to take the land and sea combination at Disney World. We also had some other surprises up our sleeves!

We flew out quite early in the morning. We flew from Indianapolis. We had a voucher that Rich's parents had given us. It was supposed to be used on a trip to Florida last spring, but I had my gall bladder taken out instead. The day before the trip we decided to call and see if we could get a hotel room next to the airport that we could just leave our car at. So, at the last minute we finished packing and left the night before. Our hotel had a free hot breakfast, free parking for the entire time we were gone, and free shuttle to the airport! It was almost as cheap as paying for parking at the airport. We were excited. The room was nothing to brag about, but all we were doing was sleeping. (We were so excited we didn't even do much of that!)

The next morning we got up and headed for the airport after a very lovely free breakfast. We promised ourselves to stay there again if we were ever in a similar situation.

We went to check our luggage first. This was not fun. We were going to be gone 8 days, several were on a cruise....we had a lot of stuff. One bag weighed over the limit. So, we had to switch things around. Nope, we weren't the only ones there doing it. We met another family that was taking their first Disney vacation. They had also overloaded a bag. We ended up chatting with them about our favorite Disney tips.

The flight went well. Finally we were in Orlando. Oh how I love those palm trees! Not to mention the famous ears you instantly see everywhere! We weren't sure how our next hour was going to go. We were being taken from the airport by Magical Express. Rich went to get us taken care of at the desk. We would be heading to a bus that would take us to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Ben did not know this was our destination. He thought we were headed for the Polynesian. I just knew the surprise would be given away when we went into the Animal Kingdom line. He had NO CLUE! Then, the bus driver starts telling us all the stops he will be making. The Polynesian is never mentioned. I knew he had to be catching on! Nope, still clueless. Finally we pull up to the bus's last stop....Animal Kingdom Lodge. Ben says to me, "Mom, at least I get to see what it looks like." I laughed and told him that maybe we should just get off of the bus and look around a bit. His jaw drops! Can we really do that? I comment, "Well, since we are staying here tonight we might as well get off of the bus don't you think?"
The look one his face was priceless!

Little did he know that we were staying there in order to be able to go on the Sunrise Safari the next morning. You had to stay at the lodge, concierge, in order to go on this special outing. We checked in at concierge. We were given pins to wear that said it was our Anniversary. We were also given a set of African dolls carved out of wood and dressed in beaded clothing. They told us that it is a traditional anniversary gift in Africa. When arrived in our room to find a BEAUTIFUL view of the savanna. Ben was beside himself! Here are a few pictures of the room and our view.

I shall report on the rest of our first day tomorrow. I must call it a night. I think I will go to bed and dream magical dreams!

He Won!!

2008-05-03T06:06:00.000-07:00

Earlier I posted Ben's essay for the Indiana Right to Life essay contest. A few weeks ago we went to the awards program and Ben was awarded first place for his essay! We were so very proud of him. He really did a good job! He was also excited because he was given a check for $50.00!!!!! Congratulations Ben!

Benjamin Loren Andrew

2008-04-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Ben's 10th birthday. I cannot believe he is already 10 years old! Gosh, it seems like just yesterday that I was feeling them make my incision during my c-section :0)

Seriously, we are so blessed to have such an amazing son! He is so kind and thoughtful! I love that he is always caring toward his friends. He is so smart! I am amazed the things that he remembers! He loves his Savior! I love listening to him share his faith.

God only blessed us with one child, but what a blessing he is! Benjamin, I love you!

Just Sharing

2008-04-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a few pictures of the pots and flowers I have planted so far. There is a threat of frost tonight. I have moved them close to the house. I hope they look this good tomorrow morning!

Buddies

2008-04-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

Ben is running track this year. He is not a fast runner. He doesn't seem to find it important. Sprinting isn't really in his vocabulary. However, he is running, he is getting exercise, and this is important!

At this track meet, he ran the 800. He wasn't so excited about it. However, one of his closest friends, was determined to cheer him on. She didn't run a race, she didn't want to. She through the shot put. She did run beside him the entire race to be his private cheerleader! It was sweet. The two of them just crack me up. He is not a very boyish boy and she is not a very girlish girl. They are great friends!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2008-04-22T18:42:00.001-07:00

Here in the south we get to start planting a bit earlier than y'all in the north! They usually advise waiting until Derby weekend (that is the Kentucky Derby, no need to say Kentucky here....it is the first weekend in May) but it has been so very warm we went ahead and planted. Daffodils and tulips are almost finished here. The red buds look beautiful. Our hostas are up and the leaves are even open. We have divided them and mulched around them already. We probably could have divided more, but that will have to wait for fall.

Yesterday we planted lettuce, herbs, and 7 pots of flowers. They all look so beautiful. I will get pictures soon. I just pray that it doesn't frost. It looks promising. The weather report looks perfect.

This weekend the garden gets plowed up and we will put in peas, lettuce, and cabbage. I am looking for kohlrabi plants. I cannot find any. I will have to order seeds next year and start them under lamps. I am still hoping to find them.

So, what are you planting? Don't you just LOVE getting those hands into the dirt?!?!?!?!?

Refreshing PTL Meeting

2008-04-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

Refreshing PTL meeting....is that an oxymoron? Tonight, we had just that! It isn't often that we have a PTL meeting with good attendance. It isn't often that we have a PTL meeting without an argument. It isn't often that we have a productive PTL meeting. I am not sure why any of these things are true. Tonight, however, it was great. There was a great crowd for the Learning Fair! (Ben learned to make fudge. It was SO good. He is the new holiday fudge maker in our house!) After viewing the projects, everyone settled down for devotions provided by the seventh and eighth graders. We then gave out awards for this grading period. Ben's Young Author's book captured 3rd place. Then came the meeting. We had some productivity! We made a very exciting decision about Heritage Weekend. (HUGE here in Lanesville. A big old farm equipment fair.) PTL always has a booth to sell something. One parent said we needed to not sale anything, but rather give things away so that we can let people know who we are and what we are about. We are going to GIVE things away. I have been hoping this could happen for FOREVER! Very exciting! Then, if that wasn't a long enough list of positives, we voted for new officers. There were more than enough choices for the positions! It was so very exciting! I didn't know there could be such refreshing PTL meetings! We then left, at 8:00! Yes, all of this was accomplished in two short hours! I still cannot believe it happened! YEAH!

Cats

2008-04-20T05:10:00.001-07:00

I read Susan's blog and she talks about the need for her cats to hunt and roam the wild. Sometimes I feel guilty because I do not give that opportunity to my cats. Then, I realized yesterday that I do! There are many times the cats go and roam the basement. It IS an adventure down there! They often bring up mice they find. Ellie never kills them completely. He wants to get enjoyment out of them first! Yes, this freaks me out. I am not a country girl. I pretend to be one, but I AM NOT! Well, yesterday I was working in the kitchen and I see Orange Kitty playing with something. It looks like a large piece of black rope. Where did she get that? Then I realize that it is a snake! Grant it, it is not a huge snake. It is very thin and a little over a foot long. YUCK! It appears to be dead. Can they act as if they are dead? This I am unsure of! I hit it with a hoe and it freaked me out! Ben hit it again. It was dead. I bribed him to get rid of it outside. I just couldn't bring myself to pick it up! He used the tongs from the fireplace. Not fun. So last night I just kept dreaming we had snakes everywhere. I thank my hunter cats for conquering the beast, I just wish I didn't know there were any down there in the first place. Rich had opened some screened windows in the basement to air it out a bit, that is probably how it got in. Not a happy thing!

Never Boring

2008-04-18T03:46:00.000-07:00

It appears that life is never boring. For those of you who don't live around these parts, we were awakened this morning around 5:35 a.m. by an earthquake! It is my first earthquake! Well, my mom says there was one when I was a baby, but I don't remember it. Ben came running into our room as our bed was shaking. It was a very uneasy feeling. My first thoughts jumped to the fact that there must have been an explosion. I remember the Hollywood Candy Factory in Centralia catching on fire and exploding. The windows at my Aunt Beth and Uncle Wayne's house rattled and the house shook. That was the first thought that popped into my head. They say it was a 5.4 on the rector scale, and it started in Southern Illinois. I can promise you that life at school won't be normal today! We pray there is no aftershock! That would not be fun in a classroom! We thank God that it looks like no one was hurt by this!

Amazing Boys!

2008-04-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we spent our time in Indy for the Destination Imagination competition. Ben's group did not advance to state, but one team did. The boys are all freinds of Ben's, so he and Rich went along while I judged. These 7 boys really amazed us all! They were so great! At Conner Prairie we had a picnic lunch. While we were eating, some of them started a contest to see who could do the best a reciting this week's catechism passages. They happened to be about confession. Our school-wide morning openings have made an impact bigger than you sometimes imagine!

Then, we were at dinner. The waiter at Friday's offered to put all the children in a huge booth, and the parents at a different table. It sounded nice. However, we could not see the children because of a wall at the back side of the booth. This made us a bit apprehensive, it was seven boys and a girl under the age of 10. The staff assured us they would take good care of them. We still sent someone over every few minutes to check on them. I saw their food coming and went to pray with them. They had already started praying! I was so very impressed! It was a wonderful weekend!

They even left the swimming pool without complaining when it was time to get ready for the next day's activities.

It made me stop and think about these children. I was thinking about the 3rd and 4th graders in our school in general. I was also thinking about Ben, he is, after all, supposed to be in the 4th grade. Their faith is such an amazing priority to them at this stage in life. They are not bogged down with all the social pressures....they are little sponges. I wish our church started communing at an earlier age. These children seem so much more focused on their Savior then our confirmands sometimes appear to be. They aren't too cool to share their faith. They are not embarrassed to sing their praises. They are a breath of fresh air. Just my thoughts for the day!

Crafty not Artistic

2008-04-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have always been a crafty person. In the 4th grade I got a large box of plaster of Paris figures and paints with brushes. Everyone got painted plaster as gifts. From that I went to latch hook. Were you a latch hooker? Why did we ever do that anyway? I also made the cute potholders from the loom. I was always up for crafting.

As an adult I got into cake decorating, card making, rubber stamping, scrap booking, painting, and of course jewelry. I have cross stitched also. I enjoy doing so many things! I have a good eye for color, if I do say so myself.

Even though I can craft my way through a thousand projects, I have never considered myself artistic. I cannot draw for the life of me. I don't have artistic handwriting. I also have not had an artistic flair for photography. My friend Katrina takes such cool artistic pictures. She, of course, was an art major. She is SO VERY artistic. I have been envious of her photography skills. Well, I think I finally took a pictures I would consider to be a bit artistic. I really love this picture. Ben is actually in an out-house. Tee Hee! So what do you think? Is there hope for me?

A Hard Day's Work

2008-04-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Conner Prairie. What a wonderful day. I didn't realize this beautiful gem was nestled so beautifully in Indianapolis. We are here because I am judging at the DI State competition tomorrow morning. A group of our boys get to compete tomorrow too. We took a field trip to Conner Prairie on the way to the competition.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day! We couldn't have asked for better weather. And, Ben learned how to do all kinds of tasks around the house! I caught it on film, so I know he can do it!

If you haven't been to Conner Prairie, and you are close enough to go, do it! I cannot wait to go back. I wish I could be a worker there! All the employees dress in period clothing and play the role of someone in the community. What fun that would be! They actually do the tasks of daily life. Some were working in the garden. One woman had just finished making lunch, it smelled SO wonderful! Potter was being made and animals were being taken care of. We even got to see some new lambs that were born last night! It was fantastic!

Could I Interest Anyone in a Spot of Tea ?

2008-04-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

I've been known to throw a pretty darn good tea party, if I do say so myself. I haven't, however, had one in quite some time. I look forward to having more time on my hands to do that again more often!

Yesterday Rich and I cleaned out our pantry. YIKES!!!!! I should be embarrassed! There were many things in there that were no longer useable. That is not good. This is why one's pantry should not get so out of hand!

I discovered that I had SEVERAL packages of scone mix! I even have a nice variety of flavors. I know I have raspberry, lemon, and chocolate. I cannot remember the others. So, if your interested in sitting down to a spot of tea I can make you some lovely scones and even some homemade Devonshire cream to go with them! Just let me know and we will make a date! I might even whip up some special treats like the ones in the pictures! Yes, I did make these myself :0)