Martina's Moments

VALENTINES DAY PARTY TIME!

2012-02-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

I love any excuse to make cupcakes and decorate the house, so with Valentine's Day approaching I thought it would be fun to plan a little party for the four grandkids who live close by. Their moms and dads would get a night out kid-free! I spent a few weeks planning the menu, the evening activities, and decorating. I loved reading some of my favorite blogs for ideas. This morning I made red velvet cupcakes, one of my favorite flavors!

Last week, Sasha, Clara, Dixon, and Emme made the adorable hearts that we turned into a sparkly banner behind the table. This was one of the blog ideas! Then I found these cute drink bottles along with the paper plates and napkins at The Dollar Tree - what a great place to get fun party gear so cheap!
Dinner was Tastefully Simple Vidalia Onion Crispy Chicken, veggies, and a melt-in-your mouth stovetop macaroni and cheese from a favorite blogger - Brown Eyed Baker. It was so good! I actually substituted gluten free elbow macaroni and the kiddos went for seconds!
We did two craft projects - bookmarks and wooden cupcake ornaments.
Then it was cupcake tasting time! I loved the way these cupcakes turned out!
Dixon was definitely focused on the cupcake! The kids wanted seconds of these, but I knew the parents would not appreciate kids on a sugar high! I sent some home with them!
It was unanimous that this is going to be an new annual tradition! We had so much fun!
I found all of these wonderful candies in pinks and reds, and white and each of the grandkids got to take a small bag and fill it with their choice of goodies.

Their little Valentine present bags contained a variety of goodies - books, art pencils, hair bows, and matchbox cars. On Valentine's Day - Tuesday night - Jim and I get to have our own date night. We are going to the Luhrs Center to see Fiddler on the Roof. Going to the theater is a wonderful way to spend Valentine's Day! I hope you enjoy the day!

JoePa and Icefest 2012

2012-01-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

As a Penn State graduate, this week marked the passing of a legend. The Paterno family and JoePa meant more than football. The Paterno family led a simple life, donating their wealth in ways in which no one knew until the Memorial service and the testimonies to their quiet generosity poured forth from the speakers. And their stories were only the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to the library and sponsoring the Paterno fellowships at Schreyer Honors College at PSU, hundreds of thousands of dollars were given for scholarships, they helped families in need, and the list goes on . . . It is no wonder that the Penn State community, and not just the football players whose lives he touched, thought of JoePa as more than a coach.
My daughter and her husband (a PSU grad) were fortunate to obtain two of the 16,000 tickets to the memorial. The tickets went online at 10:00, they got theirs at 10:02, and by 10:07, they were gone. The two and a half hour service was a celebration of a life that made an impact on people who knew him personally and who never even met him. We love you JoePa.
Nine years ago, Chambersburg held its first annual Icefest and I think we have only missed one in the past nine years. Yesterday, Becky, Barry, Emme, and I headed for downtown Chambersburg! Jim was helping the Lion's Club with their entry in the Chili Cook-off. Last year they won - not this year!
Emme loved the ice sculptures, but held tight to her balloon! She loves balloons!
The warm January day took its toll on many of the sculptures that were quickly melting. But a few maintained their beautifully sculpted details.
A favorite each year are the two different ice chair sculptures. Emme fit perfectly on this one!
We had to stop and get a picture of our little "cupcake" with this cupcake sculpture!
Inside the Woods Center, there was a cake decorating contest. WOW! There were some absolutely gorgeous and fun cakes like this one . . .
And this one . . .
The cakes in combo with the cupcake ice sculpture, put me in the mood to go home and bake. So I did! I made a basic dark chocolate cupcake. Once the cupcakes were cool, I removed the center and put Tastefully Simple Caramel Sauce in the center. Next I piped whipped vanilla frosting on top and added chocolate sprinkles and Tastefully Caramel Cinnamon Sprinkles.
When you cut it in half, the cupcake oozed that awesome caramel. This caramel sauce is simply amazing and no other sauce I have eaten compares to it.
I topped one for Emme with sanding sugar and multi-colored sprinkles.
Her response was "Yum . . . " So was ours! A great Icefest and a great cupcake! What could be better?

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS . . .

2012-01-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

Remember that wonderful song from The Sound of Music - "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" - made popular by the wonderful Julie Andrews? I found myself humming along to that song as I made a DIY (Do it yourself) project that I saw on blog recently - a book wreath! It made me think about some of my favorite things, so I thought I would share a few. I love making things by hand, so I decided to start with my newest favorite project - the book wreath that I completed this afternoon. I even made the felt flowers that I found on Pinterest!

Another favorite is my red Kitchen Aid Mixer. I could bake every day with this baby!
A huge favorite of mine are Tastefully Simple products. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't use one or more of their seasonings and several times a week I make one of their soups, breads, desserts, or casseroles and crockpot meals using their awesome products. Tonight I made a taco lasagna with the Corn and Black Bean Salsa! Easy, low fat, low calories, and high in flavor! So glad all three daughters are Tastefully Simple Consultants!
Several years ago I fell in love with Polish pottery. When I was in Poland I missed the chance to bring back these beautiful pieces, so I started collecting by checking Ebay, Marshalls, and other places for good buys. I now have a complete dinnerware service for 10 and lots of serving pieces - all different patterns- love it!
Love making meals using Temptations cookware from QVC. This stuff is amazing! You can cook, freeze, and microwave it and it cleans so easily. Thanks QVC!
About ten years ago I started collecting Judaic art prints. I found this signed and numbered piece in Hell's Kitchen, NYC, at a flea market. It features an 18th Century Jewish wedding and is simply beautiful!
What English teacher doesn't love to read! I treasure my books, especially my autographed ones. These are just a few of my autographed books.
It's always nice to curl up with a good book and a good cup of coffee or tea. Keurig to the rescue! Love being able to make one fresh cup at a time!
A year and a half ago when I was in New York City, I discovered this wonderful fragrance, "Lola" by Marc Jacobs. My daughter got it for me for my birthday and I am on my second bottle!
Several years ago, Oprah listed Korres Guava body butter and shower gelon her list of favorite things. I stumbled upon it at Sephora in NYC and it has been a favorite of mine ever since! Lusciously wonderful!
So, what are some of YOUR favorite things? This was fun! Maybe I will do another list soon!

Grandkids Are Fun!

2012-01-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

Jim and I had four of the eight grandkids this weekend while their moms and dads (Annisa & Cory and Becky and Barry) traveled to southern Maryland to celebrate Jennifer's Tastefully Simple team promotion. The kids had a great time playing outside in the beautiful balmy January weather. Clara helped Emme learn how to make the bike go.

She was a great teacher because it wasn't long that Emme's little legs were powering the bike and she was up and down the driveway!

We love doing crafts together, so out came the glue and we made cupcake clips. They were so cute and I got to make one too! Can't leave Nana out of the fun!
Dixon didn't want to be left out, so watercolor paints were just the project for him! I will say that his interest in painting didn't last long. He would rather play with cars!
We spent quite a bit of time both days making jewelry. Michael's had many of their kids' craft kits on sale so I snatched up the jewelry making kit. Sasha proudly shows off just some of her creations.
Later in the day, we found Dixon fast asleep on the bean bag chair. Neither he nor Emme would take a nap. Emme isn't quite sure what to do when she spots him asleep, so . . . . . . . . .. . .
She gave him a loving snuggle and hug. I love these "kissing cousin" moments!
All of the grandkids love books. I caught the girls sharing a reading moment together. Check out the jewelry on Emme! Sasha made those pieces for her.
Love spending time with the munchkins. They bring such joy into our lives.

RESOLUTION TIME or NOT!

2012-01-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again when it seems as if EVERYONE is making New Year's Resolutions. The last two years I posted my resolutions and the results at year's end. This year I have resolved NOT to make resolutions. It's not that I can't keep them because I usually accomplish 85 - 90% of them. I just don't feel like it this year! It seems that each year it's the same ol' same ol' resolutions that we make and then hope like heck that we don't break! Usually those resolutions center around how much weight we are going to lose, how many books we will read, how much time we will spend with family and friends, where we will travel - you get the idea.

If I had some unique resolution like bungy jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, I would share it. If I HAD to make a resolution for 2012, it would simply be to embrace and enjoy every day to its fullest, even when it may just be an ordinary day. Each day is a blessing and I am going practice the adage from one of my favorite films, Dead Poet's Society, - Carpe Diem! Seize the Day!

In the meantime, if anyone has a great resolution to share other than bungy jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge (never gonna happen!), let me know! Maybe I'll add it to my "Bucket List"! Oh, wait! I don't have a "Bucket List!" Carpe Diem!

The Holiday Continues!

2011-12-29T18:18:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve at my mother's house was and is always a fun-filled, lively, and yes - quite boisterous time! My mother (pictured here in the center) had a set of the 12 Days of Christmas glasses that she would put at various people's places and we were expected to sing the song before dinner. One year, the teasing and complaining got to be too much for her (I suppose!) and the glasses did not appear in subsequent years. This year I decided to revive the tradition and since I did not know where the glasses were, I printed pictures and assigned "parts" to everyone and surprised my mom!Sasha and Clara had dibs on "Five Golden Rings" and their little girl voices resonated throughout the house - such joy!
Becky and Emme claimed the the Twelfth Day!
Everyone did a great job of restoring the tradition.
As you can see, laughter abounded as lyrics were "altered" and the song came to a close.
I love Christmas for so many reasons. Children and now grandchildren make my heart sing! Emme was just seven months old last year and now she is into the Christmas spirit with everyone else!
Little (and I say that with a little sarcasm!) Jayce is 11 months old and is a gift to our family in so many ways!
Our evening ended with another tradition - Happy Birthday Jesus cake.
On Christmas morning I was the first up to put the brisket in to cook and turn on the lights. It appears that our cat Legend was fascinated by the Snowman stocking!
We had fun opening gifts and enjoying two different breakfast casseroles. Here are just a few gift pictures . . .
These are airguns, folks! The boys will be learning proper gun safety!
Barbie never goes out of style and Kari is anxious to do some "styling!"
Emme loves soft and cuddly toys and this little doggy moves and barks and snuggles.
Although you can't see it, Dixon loved his remote controlled truck. Trains, trucks, and fast cars and this little guy is happy!
Clara and Sasha love American girl dolls and a bag of clothes and accessories was a hit!
Sashsa is a little fashionista and got some great new outfits. I don't know where she gets her love of clothes and accessories!
Just had to share just a few of the Lego sets Aidan put together. He is known as "Lego-Man!" Amazing what he can do and so quickly.
Jayce loves whatever makes noise and he can manipulate with those big hands of his.
Lunchtime was a feats of brisket cooked with Tastefully Simple's Peach Brandy Glaze - melt in your mouth good - ham, fruited rice pilaf, sweet potatoes, Pioneer Woman's recipe for brussel sprouts, a few other sides and my holiday dessert - Red Velvet Peppermint Trifle!
I love this special time each year with my family. I hope that everyone, regardless of their faith, had a wonderful holiday! Until next year . . .

The Holidays Begin - Day 1

2011-12-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

One of our holiday traditions is making placecards for Christmas dinner. Each year we try to find new embellishments for our placecards.

Ryan and Aidan stamped all the names on each card and chose the colors Holiday Red, Star Spangled Blue, and Ponderosa Pine ink.
Kari was in charge of adding the fun foam stickers on each card.
Voila! Our placecards are ready for Christmas Day! Tomorrow we go to my mother's home for Christmas Eve and some fun new surprises to add to our list of "traditions."

FAMILY MATTERS!

2011-12-08T10:41:00.001-08:00

I had such good intentions of blogging each week, but have gotten so far behind! Now, it is catch-up time! In early November, Becky and I took the train to New York City to see Chinglish. I won tickets on Backstage Barbie's blog and was excited to spend a day in the Big Apple!

We did some shopping at Sketchers, Swarovski, and American Girl, where Becky got Emme a Bitty Baby to give to her when Emme's little brother or sister is born in July!

We also had to go to Rockefeller Center, where the Christmas Tree was encased in scaffolding, ready for its unveiling. The ice skaters were having fun and it really made it feel like the holiday season!

At Rockefeller Center we made a stop at a wonderful chocolate shop.

The displays inside were gorgeous. The chocolate was pricey, so we settled for just a few goodies.

After the seeing Chinglish, which we really enjoyed, we hung out at the stage door and got the lead actor's autograph.

A trip to New York would not be complete without Crumbs cupcakes! We headed to the new shop in Times Square to see what kind of yummy goodies we would get!

What to choose! What to choose! I could have dived right into this tower of goodness!

Heavenly yumness!

Our day in New York came to an end - one last look at Times Square!

Off to Penn Station where we had an amazingly good meal at Kabooz's in the station concourse. For $14.00 we had melt-in-your-mouth ribs, homemade mashed potatoes and cornbread, green beans, and a huge salad. Obviously, we had to take most of it to-go to enjoy the next day! Delish!

Homeward bound . . .

Over Thanksgiving we celebrated a special birthday! Kari is now 5 years old! She is a little princess through and through! If the crown fits . . . .

Other special events involving my daughter were worthy of a celebration. Jennifer, Annisa, and Becky are all Tastefully Simple Consultants and each one is at different levels on the career ladder. Becky recently recruited her first two consultants, which earned her a promotion. Annisa also realized a goal that she has been working toward and was honored for promoting. She is the one on the far right!
Because her sisters and others on her team hit their promotion goals, Jennifer promoted to a level that less than 1 % of the company achieves. She has worked so hard to attain this goal and her wonderful team celebrated her success by presenting her with a very special bracelet. Company recognition for all these wonderful achievements will occur in January. Tastefully Simple enables my daughters to be stay-at-home moms and have a career! Congratulations!!!!! So proud!!!Over Thanksgiving break when we were all together, Annisa took our Christmas card pictures. She got some great shots of the gang! Jennifer and her family.

Had to get a fun shot in!

Annisa and her family!

Becky and her wee one! Another on the way!

And, Jim and me with all eight grand-kidlets!

Last, but not least, we started the holiday season with the Lion's Club annual Christmas party this week. It has been a tradition since my daughters were babies. It continues . . . We took Sasha and Clara and had a wonderful evening. Santa even made an appearance!

Looking forward to more Christmas and holiday delights! Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

GOING BATTY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS!

2011-10-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

My oldest daughter Jennifer earned a one week trip to Tastefully Simple's Sunset River home in Austin, Texas for the second year in a row! This year I got to tag along for the week!

These photos were taken outside the beautiful home we called our own for the week.
Yesterday we went to the Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary, which is not like other zoos. It is a zoo that rescues animals that have been abandoned, neglected, or abused.
As Kari was feeding one of the animals, Toni, one of the zoo's staff, told her the story of how the zoo acquired the goat. For some reason, Toni took a liking to our little group and proceeded to give us a guided tour of the zoo for the next hour or so. She was amazing!
The zoo houses seven gorgeous tigers, all rescued from bad situations. These animals were magnificent. Luckily, this tiger decided to pay us a visit!
The story of Leroy was especially touching. He was literally rescued from a junkyard! He was in such bad shape that he permanently lost his mane. His lioness "wife" was shot by the junkyard owner in front of Leroy. He obviously loves his new home as he was sprawled in the sun "chillin."
Even the birds were rescued from abusive owners. This little guy was quite the talker! He loved saying "Hello!"
Jayce was mesmerized by all of the animals and in spite of having no nap, he had a blast! The zoo houses more than 300 animals from 100 species. I highly recommend a trip to the Austin Zoo !
Next we headed into Austin and found a gluten-free bakery. This is just one of the treats in store for us! The boys didn't know what to pick, but Aidan decided on these chocolate treats and Ryan had a strawberry filled cupcake with cream cheese frosting.
After dinner, we went on a boat cruise on Lady Bird Lake to see the bats fly out from under the Congress Street Bridge. In March 750,000 pregnant female free-tail bats arrive from Monteray, Mexico and nest under the bridge. A few months later, they give birth and the numbers of bats soar to over 1.5 million!
As we cruised the waters of the lake, our guide told us quite a bit about Austin history, especially the downtown area.
Then the bats came! As the sun set you could hear them and then see them soar by the hundreds of thousands out from under the bridge. We were literally right underneath them on the boat! It was an amazing sight!
The bats form columns and head for the hill country in search of food. The bats bring in more than $8 million in eco-tourism each year and save farmers millions of dollars as they provide natural pest control.
Today I think we will spend the day poolside and just relax and enjoy the beautiful Austin sunshine!

Scrapbooking For Juvenile Diabetes

2011-10-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

On October 1st we hosted our fifth annual fall "Crop For A Cure" to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Twenty-eight scrapbookers, card makers, and jewelry makers spent twelve hours "crafting," eating, and socializing! We raised $1273.00!!!

It was so much fun seeing all the wonderful scrapbook pages being created!
During the day we also gave away a door prize every hour. Many generous people donated items for our giveaways.
Many thanks to Allison Beaudry for being our vendor, Creative Memories. 10 % of her sales were donated to JDRF.
Our three end of the evening grand prize winners were Vickie Oyer, Brenda Geiman, and Muriel Tukey. Congratulations ladies!
So many area businesses helped make our event a success: TGI Friday, Central Presbyterian Church, Giant Foods, Food Lion, Subway Sandwiches and Salads of Chambersburg, Fuddruckers, and Tastefully Simple. Thank you to everyone who attended! Our next crop will be our Love Crop, February 18, 2012.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

Our hearts go out to the millions of people affected recently by Hurricane Irene. My oldest daughter and her family live in St. Mary's County, Maryland. They decided to stick it out and stay in their home for the storm. I don't think anyone in their area expected the storm to wreak the havoc that is did. Last Saturday the rain began to fall and by 4:00 pm their power was out and they spent the night in darkness listening to the howling winds, water pounding their home, and the snapping, popping, and crashing of trees. It was frightening! In the morning they surveyed the damage.

This area was a yard across from their property. Massive downed trees covered it.
Fortunately nothing fell on their neighbor's home.
Their home escaped falling trees, although one narrowly missed the front of the house.
This is a tree that fortunately fell parallel to their driveway.
Another neighbor's home was a resting place for a tree. Many homes in their neighborhood suffered tree damage and water damage. Adam took a drive through the neighborhood to see if they could get out and head for Pennsylvania because there were major power outages. Initially the roads were blocked by fallen trees, but folks with chain saws cleaned the way to Route 5. So they packed up the four kids and headed to our house.
Trees like this and much larger were everywhere. Area schools were used as shelters. We were happy to have them home and safe for several days, but were so sorry for those who had nowhere to go. On Tuesday evening they returned home. Power is still out in many areas of the county, but school starts back tomorrow - Thursday. We are thankful that they weathered the storm and are back home safe and sound. You never know when Mother Nature throws a hissy fit! Keeping those who lost lives and property in our prayers.

Butterfly Art!

2011-08-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Sometime this summer I saw a butterfly craft project on someone's blog and thought it would be a great project to do with my granddaughters. However, the summer is almost over and time was running out, so I decided that today would be the day! You start with a blank canvas. I got mine for $4.00 each at Big Lots - love that store!

My next stop was Michael's to get acryllic paint (it was on sale for 49 cents!), brushes, some butterfly embellishments (also 49 cents!), a butterfly punch, and ribbon.
I put some paint on a paper plate and the girls brushed it lightly on the canvas. Sasha chose an abstract approach and Clara actually painted some flowers.
While the paint dried, we raided my stash of scrapbooking paper and punched out butterflies. Aren't they beautiful? Next we folded the butterflies down the center with the good side of the paper facing in so they will have a three dimensional look.
The girls arranged and rearranged the butterflies on their canvases to get just the look they wanted. It was fun watching them decide on their butterfly layout.
Using a clear glue the girls glued the folded area of the butterflies onto the canvas. We finished it off with gluing ribbon on the sides of the canvas. This one is Clara's.
This one is Sasha's. Both are so unique and special.

Then we made cupcakes - cupcakes make every day special!

Love, Fun, and Food in Minneapolis!

2011-08-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is Grace. She is a nine month old cutie who LOVES Jayce. This is her expression after giving him a big ol' smooch!

Jayce made the rounds at the convention after hours!
The decorations reflected the theme of "Cut Loose" and were complete with lights and music. Jayce loved the balloons and music.
Today Jayce and I returned to Cosi for lunch. I had the Bangkok salad, which was very good! Everything is so fresh and the flatbread - yum!
Jayce is a great little lunch buddy. He definitely attracts attention with those big blue eyes!

I returned to Cocoa and Fig for a chocolate cupcake with Raspberry cream frosting and a lemon macaroon and coffee macaroon. The lemon macaroon was delicious, but I wasn't impressed with the coffee one. I saved the cupcake for Jennifer since she did not get dessert last night.

After lunch Jayce and I took a walk and near the concert hall we discovered these cool music note sculptures.

It turned out to be such a pretty day after our morning rain so we sat awhile in the grass surrounded by pretty flowers. I wonder what the little man is thinking about?!? We sure have had a good time together.
After Jayce's nap, we got dressed up for our last night in Minneapolis "date night."
We went to Bombay Bistro, an Indian restaurant near our hotel. Doesn't he look like such a little man? Hard to believe he is only six months old!
I had a wonderful chicken dish with garlic Naan bread.
This is my third trip to Minneapolis! The Tastefully Simple convention is always fabulous, even though I can't attend the events, I get a firsthand report on all the exciting new products and promotions each day and I love it when I can come along as one of the grandkids' "nannies" for the trip.

Mayhem in Minneapolis!

2011-08-12T13:16:00.000-07:00

I am in Minneapolis with Jennifer Jayce, and Annisa. While they attend all the exciting events at the annual Tastefully Simple Convention, I get to babysit Jayce - I am his nanny "Nana!" Before the convention started, we ate a wonderful lunch at The News Room. Take a look at what Jayce was attracted to - typical guy!

Annisa had a Reuben which was delicious . . . I had to take a bite!
Jen and I had the Thai Noodle Salad. It was light and so good. The peanut sauce was wonderful!
Later that night we encountered this metal chicken. There is a hilarious metal chicken story that prompted Jen to have her picture taken with the chicken, which she then sent to Adam. Enough said . . .
On Thursday morning we had breakfast at one of my favorite Minneapolis restaurants, Hell's Kitchen. I love, love, love their homemade lemon yogurt with fresh berries. This is me and Jayce in the lobby area.Annisa had their famous lemon ricotta pancakes, which were heavenly!
Thursday afternoon Jen was a session presenter at the convention. According to Annisa and others who attended, she did an amazing job and even had some folks reaching for tissues!
She spent HOURS developing her presentation and you can see that she is happy that her session went so well!
Today Jayce and I took a long walk and around lunch time I spotted a restaurant that looked pretty popular with the locals - Cosi. I had the Adobe Chicken salad with lime dressing. Doesn't it look yummy? The flatbread and salad were awesome!Then I discovered a little bakery - oh my! Although they can't compare to Crumbs ginormous cupcakes, they were so tempting.
They also had a selection of cake pops and macaroons, which are gaining in popularity.
I gave into temptation and got the chocolate cupcake with a peanut butter filling and chocolate ganache topping. Wish you could taste it!I also got three of the Hazlenut filled macaroons: one for Jen, one for Annisa, and one for me!
We are having a great time and I will post again tomorrow. Who knows what Jayce and I will get into and what great food treats we will find!

FREEBIE FUN !!!

2011-07-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

For about a year and a half I have sporadically entered a few blog or other online giveaway contests. Last year I won a Cricut die-cut machine for scrapbooking that I donated to our Crop For A Cure silent auction to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. I also won some other scrapbooking giveways that I donated to the crop. I was thrilled to win these wonderful items, but never really put any consistent effort into entering giveaways until several months ago. A few weeks ago I was notified from The Recipe Girl Blog that I won this Dansk/Lennox wooden salad bowl set valued at $143.00. Look at the size of it! It is simply gorgeous! Thank you Dansk/Lennox and Recipe Girl!

I have also been registering to win free samples from various vendors via blogs and facebook. In the past week and a half I received a travel size Crest toothpaste, rinse, and floss set, a sample box of Honey Nut Cheerios, a sample of Tide Stain Release, a full size Bayer Aspirin, a free subscription to Martha Stewart Living magazine, a sample of a new Head and Shoulders shampoo, and a coupon for a full size Pantene shampoo. Other products are on their way! I have also been couponing and have scored some amazing deals at Staples, CVS, Rite Aid, Giant, and Walgreens. It takes a little time and effort, but the pay out has been more than I expected. I have linked many great sites to the left of this post that frequently post giveaways, contest, and coupon deals. I will keep adding to the list. Give it a try! Even if you can only spend 15 minutes a day, you can receive some great deals and freebies!

BOOK CLUB - THE HUNGER GAMES!

2011-07-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

Our July Book/Recipe Club selection was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I heard about the book for over a year, but like some of our book club members, was reluctant to read it. It just didn't sound like something I would like. Was I ever WRONG! After reading the first book in the trilogy, I devoured the next two. I wasn't the only one who finished all three before our meeting.

Since I was the host, I decided to have some fun. I made parachutes (you have to read the book to understand why!), which contained our place setting, a book mark featuring "Rue's Lullaby," and fruit chews.
Found adorable woven placemats and a bow and arrow at the Dollar Tree to add to the theme. Read the book and you'll get the significance!
The food was amazing! This was a book that was easy to connect to recipes. We started the meal with quite a variety of appetizers. Spinach dip in a bread bowl . . .
A beach dip featuring shrimp and crabmeat (relates to another book in the trilogy).
And a goat cheese and apple tart. Oh my, were these amazing!
Take a look at this beautiful plate filled with fresh berries and nuts mix!

A hearty bread filled with golden raisins and other goodies was delish!
Our other sides included "Green Noodles", which were noodles with a yummy pesto sauce.
The roasted root vegetables were scrumptious . . .
And the main dish was a Parmesan encrusted orange chicken.
Ten of us ate, talked, ate, talked, ate, talked for several hours.
There was so much to discuss about the characters, the themes, the symbolism, and the overall plot. It was challenging not spoiling the next two books for those who had not yet read them!
Just look at this yummy plate of food! We even had a delightful Pink champagne, pink lemonade, vodka based drink called "The Effie" to wash it all down! Effie is a character in the book.

We had so much fun talking about the book and sharing why we made the various dishes that connect to or are inspired by the book.

Our desserts were amazing. A Hershey's chocolate cake made from scratch and in the background are cinnamon roll cookies. I could have eaten the whole cake and plate of cookies!

Next month we are tackling Olive Kitteridge. Can't wait to see what our book club members come up with for the food and I am sure the book conversation will be great!

Vacation Memories

2011-07-11T17:00:00.001-07:00

Each summer the entire family spends a week together in Virginia Beach. We rent a house and fill it with laughter, lots of kid noise, and just plain fun! Our week started out poolside.

And of course, we had to spend some time on the Sandbridge beach, a short walk from our house.
Jayce, the newest family member loved lounging in the pool. Last year at this time he was lounging in his mommy's tummy poolside!
Kari loved posing by the pool. What a cheeseball!
The afternoon of July 4th, we made cupcakes, which the kids had a blast decorating.
We created a display of their finished products.
Then it was time to eat the cupcakes and two of our crew were ready to dig in!
Dixon and Emme enjoyed every morsel, especially the icing!

All decked out in their fourth of July finery for our annual picture. Getting all eight kids looking at the camera and smiling is virtually impossible!
Little Jayce was loving the attention! We had planned on going to the beach for the fireworks show, but a horrific storm blew in and the fireworks were cancelled.
The sun came out the next day and Emme experienced sand for the first time.
Annisa took these great photos of the kids on the beach. Clara Grace . . .
Sasha Rose . . .
Karianna Joy . . .
Aidan James . . .
And Ryan finds a crab! They were everywhere!
A trip to Virginia Beach would not be complete without a visit to Handel's for
ice cream!
I actually had a little time to scrapbook a few pages. I love this one of Emme on the beach in her little tutu and wings!
It was a wonderful week together and these pictures and many more will keep those memories alive. Spending time with family creates cherished moments. Love to you all!

Cupcakes, Coupons, and Cuties!

2011-06-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to be more diligent about posting weekly, but the past few weeks got away from me! It's time to play catch-up! My daughters and I have gotten involved in couponing the last few months and thanks to some awesome websites and blogs, we are stockpiling and saving, saving, saving money!!! On my blog list to the left, I created a new category for these great links. It is amazing how much money you can save and it is extra exciting when you end up getting items for FREE! We are certainly not extreme couponers, but on a recent trip to Target I paid $2.04 for almost $40.00 of merchandise! Sweet!

Since I last posted, our littlest "cupcake" Emme turned one! For weeks, Becky and I made some fun decorations for her party. Some of these ideas came from the blogs I have linked to this blog. Using pastel mini clothes pins, Becky made garlands of photos from Emme's first year. Guests could take any of the pictures they wanted.

Something Becky loves to do is bake. Check out the dessert table! The BIG cupcake is for Emme. She made filled cupcakes, cake pops, and iced and decorated Rice Krispie treats. I had fun helping make this delicious array of goodies!
Aren't these Rice Krispie treats adorable?
One day I saw this cupcake garland on another blog and decided that since Emme's party was a cupcake themed party, I would make one. I headed out to Michael's and found packs of cupcake liners in the pink, green, and purple party theme and while watching TV one evening, strung yards of garland on pliable wire. We fastened the garland to the tops of the cabinets in the kitchen. It was so festive!
I also dug out my holiday cupcake tree and we added it to the decor.
Another idea I saw on a blog were these paint sample napkin/utensil holders. This project took some work. I had to sew 60 of these pockets. I am glad I did because aren't they a great way to package utensils and napkins? Plus they are reusable!
For children's party favors, we found these sweet pencils topped with cupcake erasers. Emme's friends each got one as a thank you for celebrating her special day.
No party is complete without balloons. This is just one of the many balloons Becky got her. Emme loved them!
It was a beautiful day for a party so we spread a blanket on the grass and Emme had a blast opening her gifts. What little girl doesn't like a doll!
Emme's cousin Dixon had so much fun blowing bubbles.
All the cousins love a chance to play together, especially outside.
Even little Jayce was smiling and enjoying the celebration!
Oops! Some people never grow up! Emme's great-grandmother snuck in some swinging!
Now, for the cupcake's very own gigantic cupcake! She couldn't wait to get her hands on it!Gotta check out the FunFetti frosting first!
It's time to dig in!
It was a wonderful day and we took so many pictures! It will be hard to decide which ones to scrapbook! The following day, Emme and Jayce were baptized together. It was such a special family weekend.

In fact, the weekend actually started with Sasha and Clara's dance recital. Don't they look like Diva ballerinas!
Both danced in two dances and were amazing! Of course I am not partial in any way! Along with Kari, we now have three family ballerinas! Clara has the ballerina post down pat!
I am aiming to be better at posting on a weekly basis. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Off to read the second book in The Hunger Games series. Stayed up until 1:30 in the morning finishing the first book!

TINY DANCER !

2011-05-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my mother and I traveled to Southern Maryland for the weekend. My granddaughter, Kari, performed in her first ballet recital. Kari was in the first dance of the Ladybugs. How adorable these tiny dancers were as they performed so beautifully! The discipline and the skill development in these tiny dancers was amazing!

After the show, her proud brothers gave her flowers. Although they deny it, they were pretty captivated by the dancers.
Mom was so proud of her little ballerina. Watching little girls dance is so different from attending T-Ball and soccer games!
My mom, who is 81, showed off her athletic ability with a one-on-one game with Ryan. Look at that shot! She surprised us with how many baskets she made.

Mom was in her element relaxing with Jayce, aka "moose!" This child is only 3 1/2 months old, but is already outgrowing his 6 months clothes! Future Suma wrestler?

"Capture Photography" by Julie Showalter took these pictures of Jayce a month ago. I love this black and white photo!

Look at his sparkling eyes and pudgy little hands! I just love babies!

How appropriate is this picture of Jayce tipping the scales! He barely fits!

Last Friday I was able to attend Marion Elementary School's grandparents day. Sasha was all smiles when I arrived.

The entire class recited a wonderful poem about grandparents. Then Sasha gave me this art piece with the poem attached. Love the joy on a child's face about the simple things in life. We can learn so much from the children.

Mother's Day Moments

2011-05-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is such a special day for me for so many reasons. This year it all began Friday night when I received a box on my doorstep. Nestled inside were one dozen decadent chocolate covered strawberries. OMG! My favorite fruit is strawberries and who doesn't love chocolate!

Jennifer and her family sent this luscious treat my way. Although they couldn't be with us on Mother's Day this year, these little faces are in my heart. Is Jayce not simply the cutest little baby boy!

And then there's Diva Kari! Those big brown eyes just melt our hearts!
The eight grandchildren began with Aidan's birth nine years ago. It seems like yesterday. And Ryan followed eighteen months later - such a smart, sweet boys! Thanks so much for the strawberries - I am enjoying every sweet morsel!

Today we celebrated at my house with a Mother's Day brunch. Everyone brought yummy dishes including an oatmeal fruit bake, a hash brown, bacon, egg and cheese casserole, fresh fruit, cinnamon muffin melts (a la Tastefully Simple!), and a strawberry pie. Oh My! Annisa and Becky got me Marc Jacob's "Lola" perfume. It smells heavenly! Then it was picture time. Last Mother's Day Becky was awaiting the birth of her first baby and here she is now! Little Emme!

Annisa has such a beautiful family. Dixon is such a rambunctious little boy - full of fun and spunk!
Sasha and Clara, like Kari, are such divas. However, they are very close sisters and someday in the future will share the joy of their children with each other just like their mom does with her two sisters.

On the left is my mom with her only daughter (me), two of her four granddaughters and four of her great grandchildren.

Four generations!
A proud new mom!
Just couldn't resist adding this picture that Annisa took of Emme's litte feet! She is standing now and soon she will be walking!
I have so much to be thankful for this Mother's Day and it all began with my own mom. She is an amazing person of strength, love, and compassion. God bless moms everywhere not only on Mother's Day, but every day of the year. Love you Mom!

THE SCIENCE GUY & OTHER FUN STUFF!

2011-04-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

My brother Doug is aptly referred to by my grandchildren, his great-nieces and nephews, as "The Science Guy!" From the time he was their ages, he loved science and enjoyed blowing up stuff! Oh, could I tell some stories! After he retired at a pretty young age, he went to college and got his teaching degree and is teaching eighth grade science in Pensacola, Florida. Doug has done some amazing projects with his students including building a solar powered go-kart! He decided to teach the kids some science on Easter Sunday and the following are just a few of the MANY photos we took of his "science lessons! He also threw in some "magic" tricks including this one. He had the kids draw a replica of a dollar bill. If they did a good job, he had them feed it through a roller device.

Just look at the concentration on Clara's and Sasha's faces as they fed their replica through the rollers! Will it turn into a real dollar? Are they "true believers?"

You betcha! It worked! They said it even smelled like the crayon replica they drew. Aidan and Ryan also got a turn and one of them asked if they could draw a $100.00 bill! . . . .on to the next project!

Another project that the "Science Guy" had them make was a catapult. These were so cool! The kiddos got to pick their wheel colors and assemble them.

Aidan was particularly fascinated with building an electric "motor" using a battery, wire, etc. You can see how engaged he was with the whole process. Imagine a room full of eighth graders having fun learning about science - you rock, Doug!
Before launching the rocket - yes, we had a rocket launch! - Doug did another magic trick using a card, a magic box, and matches!
When the card Aidan picked was set on fire, imagine their surprise when Sasha opened the empty box she had been holding and there it was - intact! WOW!

Rocket Launch!!! One of the special activities Doug's students do is building and launching rockets. It is quite a production! He brought along a rocket to launch and before setting it off, he had the kids put jelly beans in the payload.

Off it went! It went so, fast, this is the only shot I got of it launching. It soared into the beautiful blue sky and when it landed, it came crashing down into the middle of a large pine tree!
However, we were able to recover it and to the kids' surprise, the jellybeans were still in the rocketship!

We were so lucky the weather was beautiful for all the activities for the kids.
Our morning started off at church and our annual Easter photo with Nana and Pap (that's us!). Trying to get all of the kiddos looking at the camera without goofy faces is no small feat!Check out Jayce in his Easter finery! He is such a cutie-pie!

This was Emme's first Easter and she was very serious about finding her egg!

The Easter bunny hid 120 plastic eggs this year and the kids had a blast finding them!

On Saturday we had a big celebration of Dixon's second birthday. He wore the overalls that his dad wore when he was a little boy. How adorable he was!Dixon is obsessed with Thomas the Train and his cake was a big hit!
He also got lots of different Thomas the Train sets, T-shirts, pj's, and swim suits. He will be all decked out in Thomas gear this summer! Happy Birthday little guy! Choo Choo!
Although it was a hectic weekend, it was a wonderful one. We feel so blessed to have been able to share the weekend with the entire family. Although we are a quirky bunch in many ways, we love each and are grateful to have one another to share life's special moments.

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR, BIRTHDAYS, A CAT, & "MOOSE"

2011-04-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

This semester I was the recipient of a Learn and Serve grant, which paid for two bus loads of my students to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in March and also sponsored "Surviving the Holocaust: One Woman's Story," an event we held at our high school last Thursday evening. Dutch Holocaust survivor, Ellie Chapman (pictured here signing programs), was a hidden child in Holland. She and her mother were betrayed to the Gestapo and narrowly missed being taken in a round up to meet the same fate as fellow Dutch Jews: death in Auschwitz.

Over 400 people from the tri-state area attended the event and were mesmerized by Ellie's story. Her father was a victim of the infamous Dr. Mengele's medical experiments in Auschwitz. He died of blood poisoning after butane injections in his arms. It wasn't until after liberation that she and her mother discovered his fate. Ellie's entire family perished during the Holocaust.
Prior to Ellie's presentation, Eric Epstein (one of my mentors), author and Penn State professor, gave an overview of anti-Semitism. I also honored the Reverend Doctor William H. Harter (on the right) for his recent award for his lifelong work in building Judeo-Christian relationships and his work in fighting anti-Semitism, racism, and genocide.
These are some of my students who took part in the eveining's events. Aaron (2nd from the left) was selected as the winner of the Schwab Holocaust essay contest sponsored by the Jewish Foundation of the Greater Harrisburg Area. He read his award winning essay and will be reading it again May 1st at the Holocaust Memorial in Harrisburg as part of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. I am so proud of him. He didn't think his essay good enough to enter, but I insisted. I love telling students. "I told you so!" It was a wonderful evening and we also collected a sizable donation for the Pennsylvania Holocaust Education Council.
This is just a random photo of one of our two felines, Legend. Our two cats are spoiled and think they own the place!
On Saturday we celebrated my middle daughter, Annisa's 34th birthday, and my son-in-law (Becky's hubby) Barry's 31st birthday. I love a reason to make cupcakes, so that's just what I did!
Don't they look yummy !?! They were.
We sang Happy Birthday and they were all smiles!
And of course, they had to blow out a candle!
Okay - so what about "moose?" Here he is! This is my two and a half month old grandson, Jayce, aka "Moose!" He was less than 7 pounds at birth and just a little peanut. Not so now! Take a look at those chunk-a-munka legs!
"Moose" is now over 16 pounds and still growing! Can you see the orneriness in those eyes? And check out the cheeks and chins! Can't wait to squeeze those cheeks in a few weeks!

What's Been Happening?

2011-03-30T16:21:00.001-07:00

March has been a busy month, but I managed to get a little scrapbooking done. In January Jim's parents celebrated their 65th anniversary. Jim, his brother, and sisters threw a surprise party for them. I am working on a special scrapbook for them to commemorate the day. The following are two of the pages I have done so far. Hope to finish it by Easter.

The paper and embellishments are from a kit that a friend of mine designed. She opened her own online digi-scrapbooking shop called Truman Studio.
Emme is growing in leaps and bounds and has discovered how much fun it is to tweak noses! She was fascinated by her Pap's nose.
Last week I helped Becky make DC Cupcake's famous frosting to decorate cupcakes for her friend's bridal shower. This is what happened when I turned the mixer on too high with a bowl filled with confectioner's sugar! We were covered in powdered sugar and so was the kitchen! It was a mess! I now have a very clean kitchen!
It's hard to believe as I look out my kitchen window and see snow falling - yes, it is snowing - that just two weeks ago it was warm enough to be outside in short sleeves! Will spring ever come?
I have also been trying some new recipes. This dish - Cheesburger Macaroni - was a featured recipe on Kevin and Amanda's blog ( linked on the left of this page). I modified it somewhat to reduce the fat and added some Tastefully Simple Southwest seasoning to the cheese sauce. I used Mrs. Leeper's gluten-free macaroni. It was delicious! To Aidan and Ryan: "I froze a batch, so when you come for Easter break, you can try it!"
Jim celebrated his 60th birthday this month and DID NOT want a party. I surprised him anyway. Barry. Becky, Emme, Annisa, Sasha, Clara, and Dixon gathered for dinner and cupcakes!
Jim was truly surprised and no, he did not eat all those cupcakes! He shared!
In addition to the handmade cards from the grandkids and a creative story via comic book style graphics from Ryan and Aidan, he got a book about his Philadelphia Eagles (he's a loyal fan) and a new GPS system.
On March 10, I took two bus loads of students to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. After our tour, we had a private session with Holocaust survivor, Nesse Godin. She survived the Einsatzgruppen (SS mobile killing squad), several concentration camps, and a death march when she was just a teenager. My students loved her.
March would not be complete without our traditional St. Patrick's Day celebration. We headed out to TGI Fridays decked out in our St. Patty's gear! Even Emme was ready to PARTY!
Mom-Mom joined us and as always, we had a great time with our family octogenarian. She sure doesn't look her age, does she? She doesn't act it either.
We all know about Becky's Oreo addiction - it's not pretty! Like mother, like daughter - Emme pretended to be watching the table across from us while at the same time, swiping her mom's Oreo ice cream dessert! You go Emme!
Our book club also met this month and read Room by Emma Donoghue. It was a lively discussion and we had quite a feast of food! Can't believe March is coming to a close and April is right around the corner . . . let's hope spring arrives soon!

DESTINATION IMAGINATION!

2011-03-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we spent the day at Destination ImagiNation to see Aidan's team compete in a regional competition. This is Aidan's team (3rd & 4th graders) before they were ready to present their challenge. Destination ImagiNation provides educational programs that foster creativity, teamwork, and problem solving skills.

Their team, the Leonardtown Dragons, had to complete their challenge in less than twenty minutes from the time they unpacked their "creation" to tear down.
These two pictures show the boys unpacking and assembling their "Movinator" and the girls were "selling" the product, which was a challenge requirement.
The girls wrote a great jingle and sales pitch and performed it with wonderful enthusiasm!The challenge was to create something that would move objects from the top of a cardboard tower and place them in the kiddie pool below and then transport two objects from the kiddie pool to the top of the tower. The kids competed against eleven other teams and were the only team that had a mirror and magnet on the "Movinator."
After the presentation, they had to answer questions posed by one of the judges.
We anxiously waited until the awards ceremony and were thrilled when the Dragons were announced in second place (first was a group of 5th graders!) and told that they would compete at States at the University of Maryland in Baltimore on April 7th!
We were so proud of the kids and their team managers, Courtney and Kelly! They spent hours with these kids and the kicker is, they could not help them at all! They could only provide the challenge and the kids had to solve the challenge on their own. Amazing!

DINNER WITH KARL ROVE!

2011-02-26T15:29:00.000-08:00

This week my son-in-law Cory and I had a "date night!" Yes, that's right - we went on a date for a dinner featuring "The Architect" Karl Rove. I even got flowers! Cory and I are both news junkies and history buffs, so it was natural for us to want to hear a historic figure of the Bush administration.

While everyone was enjoying their meal, Mr. Rove went table to table to meet with each of the 500 attendees. He was warm, funny, and so gracious as everyone wanted to talk with him and get their picture taken.
I was impressed as he mesmerized the crowd with a rousing speech and never once used a note or teleprompter! His vast knowledge of economics, foreign diplomacy, and domestic issues was in evidence throughout his speech.
So touching were the stories about his relationship with our troops.
Everyone who attended the dinner received an autographed copy of his book. I am anxious to read it. He has overcome quite a challenging early life and I enjoy reading about how people face obstacles and break down barriers.

At the end of the evening, Cory and I decided to make "date night" an annual event!

The Face of Jayce!

2011-02-11T19:19:00.001-08:00

This is a favorite picture of mine for so many reasons. Just moments before this picture was taken I was changing Jayce's diaper when all of a sudden, he peed all over me, the floor, and himself! I quickly stripped him down, gave him a bath, and wrapped him in a big fluffy towel. He looks so proud of himself!

What contentment! Babies always look so angelic and peaceful!
Big brother Aidan is so relaxed with his little brother. Jayce is a lucky little boy!
When Jayce was born his dad said he let out a lusty cry. He definitely has a set of lungs! Look at the little wrinkled "chicken legs!" For a tiny guy he has BIG hands!
Ryan is such a sweetie and loves to snuggle with Jayce.
There is nothing like a mother's love. This is one special little boy with a mom who loves him very much.
We love you Jayce! Welcome to our zany family!

Welcome NEW GRANDSON!

2011-02-04T06:37:00.001-08:00

Welcome Jayce Ethan Andersen, my eighth grandchild! Jayce was born at 6:30 pm on February 1, 2011 and weighed six pounds twelve ounces. He is a little peanut!

Adam is a proud dad!
Jayce is so lucky to have two wonderful brothers and sister. They were so excited to hold him! Kari and Ryan were certain he was a boy, but Aidan was sure he would have another sister. As soon as they saw Jayce, they were thrilled!
I have been so blessed to be with my daughters on their delivery days and to hold the newest wee one in the family so soon after the arrival. These are moments I will always treasure.
Big brother Aidan couldn't be more proud of little Jayce.
Ryan loves babies and Jayce is no exception.
Karianna looks like she is holding a doll. Check out the tongue!
And the yawn . . .
So peaceful!
Yesterday Jayce came home and Ryan was the first to welcome him!
Children are truly blessings from God!

SNOW! BOOKS! FRIENDS!

2011-01-16T18:29:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday night, we braved a snowstorm to make it to our first book club meeting of the New Year! Four of us piled into a 4-wheel drive vehicle, driven by Tara, to make the trek to Jennie's house. It was a beautiful wintry night with the snow falling.

The seven die-hard book lovers gathered for a group shot before diving into the food that was inspired by the book, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It is a modern gothic novel set in England.
Tara brought an amazing venison stew. On this cold winter's night it tasted especially delicious and warmed our tummies!
A variety of wine, cheese, grapes, as well as cranberry scones made by Annisa were yummy! The recipe for the scones was by the Barefoot Contessa.
Yours truly made a Victorian trifle. I love this dessert and was glad I had an excuse to make it. I used lowfat ingredients and fresh fruit to make it healthy!
We had several tempting desserts like moist date-nut bread by Meghan, homemade (from scratch!) gingerbread, and a pumpkin cheescake roll by Becky. Such taste treats!
After sampling thus wonderful array of taste treats, we had a rousing discussion of The Thirteenth Tale. I would share our discussion, but I wouldn't want to ruin the book for those of you who might want to read it, which I highly recommend it! Next month our book is The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian. Can't wait!

A NEW DAY, A NEW YEAR, A NEW LIFE !

2011-01-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

WOW! Another year, another decade begins. Last year I made eight resolutions for the New Year. If you follow my blog, you probably know that I achieved some and fell short on others. Here are the results:

1. Keep a list of books read. I did that and shared some of them along the way. The grand total was 45 books in 52 weeks. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

2. Lose twenty-five pounds. I lost eighteen!

3. Upgrade the upstairs. We spent several months painting two rooms and the hallway, having hardwood floors installed, and reorganizing. I am really pleased with the results.

4. Plan a 20th wedding anniversary getaway for me and Jim in 2011. Have some ideas, but no definite plans. Any suggestions?!?!

5. Photography Fun - I was hoping to take a photography class this year, but that didn't happen. What did happen? My daughters got me a Sony Nex3 camera which I am having a blast learning how to use.

6. Write. The only extra writing I did this year was blogging.

7. Trip to the Big Apple. I was hoping to spend several days in one of my favorite cities, but that wasn't possible. However, I did win free tickets to Lombardi and one of my friends and I took the train to NYC for the day, saw the show, and shopped!

8. Raise $7000.00 for JDRF. We raised close to $5000.00.

WELCOME 2011!!!!

A New Day! A New Year! A New Life!

I am excited about 2011 for so many reasons. Last year we welcomed our 7th grandchild, Emme, into our growing family. We will soon be welcoming #8! Stay tuned for the news! Each new day is so special because all I have to do is think about my daughters and their families and I smile! We are so blessed.

I am also excited to establish new goals for the new year. Here are a few:

1. Continue logging what I read and aim for 52 books in 52 weeks! I just finished Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken. I highly recommend it! I just started The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

2. Lose the remaining seven pounds and 5 - 8 more.

3. Raise $6000.00 for JDRF.

4. Complete Project 52. Project 52 is taking a photo a week and scrapping a layout using that photo. I actually scrapped my first layout for this project yesterday!

5. Take a photography class. Haven't given up on this goal!

6. Travel - we have our annual family vacation planned for Virginia Beach and I will be going to Minneapolis to be the "nanny" for baby Andersen while his/her Mom attends the Tastefully Simple Convention. However, I still want to get back to New York City!

My motto is "Carpe Diem," Seize the Day! That's what I intend to do each new day of this great new year! I wish everyone a fabulous 2011 filled with joy!

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES 2010

2010-12-27T11:45:00.001-08:00

Is this a face of pure joy or what! I love babies at Christmas time. They have no clue what is going on, but enjoy paper, ribbons, and being the center of attention. Emme is no exception!

Jim's Mom and Dad host their annual after Christmas family event. It is quite a houseful of friends and family, but gives everyone a chance to reconnect.
Once there were two; now there are three! Becky, Barry, and Emme!

Last year Dixon was the youngest "elf"; this year he was ultra mobile and trying to steal everyone's drinks!

My son-in-law Cory spent the evening enjoying his wine and "women"!
Jim rescued Pickles years ago from abusive neighbors and they have been best buds ever since!
Snuggies for kids! Aidan and Ryan sure loved snuggling with their DSs and playing their new games. I think I am jealous - not about the games - just the relaxin!
Uncle Adam and Emme shared some special bonding moments sticking their tongues out at each other. She is quite the imitator!
We got Dixon his first Penn State football this year when we were in Happy Valley for the first home game. He loved it!
Clara and Sasha are quite the budding artists and I have several of their art pieces hung in my house - now they have their own easels for creating more awesome art!
There's nothing like wrapping paper to entertain the wee one!
For our soon-to-be eighth grandchild, I made a blanket for her - his (?!?) homecoming in early February.
Kari had so much fun with her gifts and LOVED this Barbie Pampered Pets Salon.
Paper Jamz is the new craze! Aidan got the drum set and Ryan got a guitar. We have been entertained by the Andersen Rock Band!
Aidan has been a LEGO fanatic for years. This year he asked for the Creationary game. It is really cool, creative, and fun!
My eighty-one year young mother always hosts Christmas Eve with our traditional spaghetti dinner. Doesn't she look fabulous?
Her constant sidekick is Sophie. This gorgeous cat loves my mom's elephant tree!
The Meyers family. Check out the ties! Like father, like son!
Jim and I feel so blessed not just this time of year, when we all are gathered together for the holidays, but every day of the year. I never would have dreamed we would have three such amazing and unique daughters and seven precious grandchildren.
Our family wishes you a New Year blessed with family, friends, and fun! May 2011 be your best year ever! Our prayers are with our troops at home and abroad and their families. These special people make the ultimate sacrifice so that we enjoy the freedoms and protections that we do. God Bless America!

TIS THE SEASON!

2010-12-18T19:32:00.001-08:00

The past week has been hectic, but we are definitely feeling the holiday spirit! Tonight we spent time at Julie and Dave's open house. Julie made quite a feast of food for her guests to enjoy and her home was beautifully decorated! We couldn't resist taking a picture of Emme in front of one of the many trees throughout the house.

Emme was dazzled by the gorgeous white tree with a variety of bright red and green decorations! She wanted to touch each one!
Earlier this month we took Sasha and Clara to the Lion's Club Christmas party, which has been a tradition since my daughters were babies!
It is hard to believe that I am bringing grandchildren to the annual party. I remember when I brought their Aunt Jen when she was just three months old! Where does the time go?

Last Sunday the girls were in a Christmas pageant. Sasha is the first angel on the left. The kids did a beautiful job and were so patient while cameras were flashing.

Clara's class sang songs before the pageant. She is the little blond angel, 4th from the right. I hope everyone is getting in the holiday spirit and ready to spend time with family and friends.

HOLIDAY FUN & FOOD!

2010-12-06T16:38:00.001-08:00

I love this time of year and with seven grandchildren, I get to be like a kid again through them. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Annisa brought all the ingredients for the kids to make gingerbread houses - kid style!

Using orange juice cartoons as a base, they covered the cartoons in icing and then began creating their houses with all kinds of goodies!
Even little Emme got in on the action! She was fascinated with the marshmallows!
Kari was so focused on creating her house and surprisingly, most of the icing went on the carton and not on her!Our budding engineer, Aidan, definitely had a plan in mind in designing his creation. Note the smiley face he created on the side of the house!
Sasha created quite an entrance to her house! Love the peppermint walkway!
The kiddos designed and created quite a village of unique designs. The sign that Aidan drew and placed strategically in the center of town reads: "Candy Land." We didn't know that he did it until later. How appropriate!This weekend while Cory and Annisa were in New York City for the weekend, Jim and I were in charge of the Meyers brood. Yes, that is a tent in the middle of our family room! On Saturday, they stayed in their Pjs for movie viewing day from the tent!
We also spent time making Christmas tree ornaments and coloring poster pictures. The girls love to do anything artistic and creative.
Little Dixon also joined in with artwork while Pap read his book!Later we discovered that Dixon found the perfect spot to munch on his yogurt cherrios! Check out those cool Pjs!
I spent some time baking. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tastefully Simple's creamy caramel sauce. So I created my own version of a one crust apple pie. I used a ready made pie crust for the bottom. Tossed sliced apples with cornstarch, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and two Tbsp. of the Creamy Caramel Sauce. Then I dotted the top with butter and baked for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees. After I pulled my creation from the oven, I drizzled more caramel sauce over the top. The only sugar in the pie is the natural sugar of the apples and a little caramel sauce. It was absolutely DELICIOUS!
I can't take credit for these phenomenal truffles made with Tastefully Simple's Triple Fudge Brownie mix. (Recipe is on the website). Becky made these for her holiday Tastefully Simple Open House this weekend. OMG - these are ridiculously good!
I am so glad all three daughters sell Tastefully Simple, so I never run out of my favorite products like these! Tonight I made the Potato soup and threw in leftover chicken and veges. What a wonderfully easy dinner for a cold winter night! I don't think a day goes by that I am not using a TS product. I think Flavors Of India chicken will be on the menu this week.
This is such a hectic, but wonderful time of the year. Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends all over the world! Next post will include some funny holiday pictures!

THANKSGIVING FUN !

2010-11-25T19:03:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving sets the tone for the holidays for our family. This year Sasha marched with her Daisy troop in the Thanksgiving parade and her troop won second place! Sasha smiled and waved to the crowd like a real parade pro!

It was fun watching the bands, clowns, and floats parade by. Even McDonald's had a float! Although it can't compare to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, there is something about small town parades that warm the heart.Emme was all bundled up and had a curb row seat. She loved every minute!
On Thanksgiving Eve, Aidan and Ryan created the pumpkin place cards for our Thanksgiving table. Making place cards has become a tradition in our family for all major holidays.This is an example of the final product! Cute, huh!
My beautiful Mom was one of the first to arrive for lunch! We are so thankful that she is healthy and active and so much fun to be with.
When the cousins get together it is chaos central! They have so much fun together. The kiddos took a few minutes for some photos. Annisa got a new camera and took some great shots of these beautiful (if I do say so myself!) kids.
Ryan is such a freckle-faced cutie!
This blue-eyed little boy is a fireball! Dixon has changed so much since last Thanksgiving.
Sasha is always smiling! Such a girlie-girl, she loves to "mother" her little brother.
Little Emme spent Thanksgiving with her dad's side of the family. So I shot this picture of her wearing the hat that I won from a blog, "Laura's Daily Madness." Isn't the hat adorable - just like little Emme!
Okay - look at this handsome dude! What sultry eyes! He's only eight ( nine in February) - look out girls - he is going to break some hearts!
Check out Clara's baby blues! She looks so much like her mother! Love the smile, which lights up her whole face!
Now, for our birthday girl! Our little Diva, Kari, will be celebrating her 4th birthday on Saturday! She rules the roost in her house - who could resist this little brown-eyed girl!
These seven grandchildren are what make each and every holiday extra special. Although it is chaos central when we are all together, it is a time filled with joy, love, and so much fun. We have so much to be thankful for and these seven beautiful children make me thankful 365 days a year!

BROADWAY & BOOKS!

2010-11-13T19:31:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks have been quite hectic, but in a good way. In addition to taking 73 of my students to the Holocaust Museum, which I blogged about earlier, I made a one day trip to New York City. A month ago I won tickets to see the new show, Lombardi, on Broadway! I asked my friend and colleague, Jennie, to go with me because she is a drama afficianado. We took Amtrak and were so excited when we arrived at Penn Station!

Our first stop was the Sketchers Store in Times Square. As many of you know, I LOVE Sketchers! I never go to New York without shopping at Sketchers. Jennie LOVES Sketchers too. Which one to choose? Black or white?!? She decided on the white.I decided on a pair of black, silver, and gold. I am a sucker for Sketchers!
I couldn't resist this pair for Emme. The girl has gotta have her first pair of Sketchers!
We worked up quite an appetite, so off to one of my favorite little Italian restaurants, Daniella's Trattatoria. See that smile! Now that's a great spaghetti!
I had my favorite, Vodka Penne Pasta. OMG! It was so good! Believe it or not, both dishes were just $10.00 each. That doesn't include the pitcher of Sangria we had with our lunch!

Then we were off to see Lombardi. Dan Lauria, who was the father on "The Wonder Years," starred as Vince Lombardi. Judith Light, from "Who's The Boss," played his wife, Marie. Both were absolutely amazing. The entire cast was great!

The show was an hour and a half without intermission in a small, intimate theater in the round. The show revealed the story behind the man and his ability to take a losing team, the Green Bay Packers, to success.
The Vince Lombardi trophy was on display and heavily guarded!
We did a little more shopping including a stop at Sephora. Couldn't leave the city without a stop a Crumbs Bake Shop. We visited the one at Bryant Park. These cupcakes are so delicious!
Just look at these beauties! I brought some back for the family. It's a good thing we don't have a Crumbs nearby. I would weigh a ton! It was a glorious day in the Big Apple!This month's book club choice was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This book is definitely one of my top twenty books. Six of us got together to talk about the book and eat food inspired by the book.
One of the yummy dishes was oven fried pork chops, a Paula Dean recipe, It was so o o o . . good! Highly recommend it! We also had fried chicken, red beans, and rice.
Desserts included homemade Southern Caramel Cake made by yours truly, apple crisp, Southern chocolate pie, and a chocolate brownie pie. Sugar Shock!
Can't wait to read our next selection, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, which is our January selection and then in February it's Chris Bojahlian's The Double Bind. Now I am off to get ready for my open house Tuesday, November 16th, to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. We will be sampling Tastefully Simple's new fall products - lots of yummy food! and seeing the new line of Usborne Books. All proceeds benefit JDRF! Books and food - what could be better!

Autumn Highlights

2010-11-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

This week I took seventy-three students to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. We were inspired and moved by eighty-eight year old David Bayer, a Polish Jew who lost his entire family in the Treblinka death camp. He survived beatings, a shooting, internment at Auschwitz, and a death march in addition to other abuses. You could hear a pin drop as he told story after story of how he survived. My students were so touched by his willingness to share deeply personal memories.

Some of our students also met Regina Spiegel, a survivor of Auschwitz. Regina was selected for slave labor in an underground munitions factory where she met Sam Spiegel. They were both deported to Auschwitz and agreed to meet after the war if they survived. Regina was deported to Bergen-Belsen where she went without food and water for days. In the spring of 1945 she was put on a train to Dachau and during a stop she escaped into the woods and was liberated by the Soviets. She and Sam were reunited and married in a displaced person's camp in 1946.

I was fortunate to meet Nessie Godin. In an interview for the museum she said, "On June 26, 1941, the Germans occupied our city, just four days after the invasion of the USSR. In the weeks that followed, SS killing units and Lithuanian collaborators shot about 1,000 Jews in the nearby Kuziai forest. In August, we were forced to move into a ghetto, where we lived in constant hunger and fear. There I witnessed many “selections,” during which men, women, and children were taken to their deaths. My father was among them. In 1944 as the Soviet army approached, the remaining Jews were deported to the Stutthof concentration camp. There I was given the number 54015."
Thank you to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum for another amazing and enriching visit. On a very different note . . .

I love this season of the year! The beautiful mountains rich in color, the cool air, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and the smell of apple pie baking in the oven! The sad part is that autumn leads into winter, my least favorite season of the year. I thought I would share some recent autumn events. Halloween is so much fun. I love seeing kids in their costumes. Our youngest grand-kidlet was a kitty cat for Halloween. What can I say? Is she too cute, or what?

In late October, we celebrated two significant birthdays: my mom's 81st, and Becky's 29th. Dixon arrived, ready for cake! His looks have changed dramatically in the last few months. He no longer had that "baby" look.
It is hard to believe that my mom is in her eighties - sure doesn't look it, and that my "baby" is no longer a baby! Sigh! I made this amazing cake from the Eat What You Love cookbook. It is actually low in calories and fat, but tastes rich!Couldn't resist adding this picture. Loving cousins!
Now, how cute are these cupcakes! Jennifer made over fifty of these delicious gluten-free cupcakes for Aidan's and Ryan's Halloween parties at school. One of the moms in her neighborhood, that I will refer to as "Snarky Mom," had the audacity to ask if the cupcakes tasted good because her daughter (oh's the pity) was a "picky eater." Never mind that Aidan and Ryan have to sit and watch kids eat treats all the time that are not gluten free. "Snarky Mom" doesn't care that some of the kids in the class have food allergies. No she's concerned about her picky eater! The nerve of some people!
Does this look like the face of someone who is eating something that doesn't taste good?!?! The kids devoured these delicious cupcakes!

Aidan's class got to make these pipe cleaner spiders. They were fun to make! I had a good time helping!

Last weekend I went to my first ever Monster Rockfish Festival in southern Maryland. It was a beautiful autumn day, perfect for safe trick or treating at the festival. All the vendors gave out treats to the kids.

I couldn't resist taking some pictures of "pretty" things like these pumpkin cake pops! I did resist buying and eating them!I also resisted these gorgeous handcrafted necklaces, even though they were very reasonably priced.
There were several vendors who made gorgeous hand knit items, some out of alpaca wool. Resisted those, too!
The colors were so vivid! More willpower . . .These scarves were unusual in their texture, but vibrant in their colors. And I also resisted these beauties, too!
I loved this lighthouse made out of a gourd. The hand painted details were beautiful. Doesn't fit my decor, so it was easy to pass on this one!
Looking forward to more fun fall days before winter sets in!

Scrapbooking For Juvenile Diabetes!

2010-10-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Every fall for the last four years, we have hosted a scrapbooking "Crop For A Cure" to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Saturday over forty wonderful women gathered at Central Presbyterian Church in Chambersburg and scrapbooked for twelve hours! Yes, from 9:00 am until 9:00 pm, these scrapbookers and card makers armed with paper, embellishments, Cricuits, and all kinds of tools of the trade scrapped their hearts out! We even had a core group of digital scrapbookers! Thanks to some amazing area businesses like Subway Sandwiches and Salads of Chambersburg, Food Lion of Shippensburg, Tastefully Simple, and Walmart, we had a great lunch, snacks, and dinner.
One of our vendors, Ally Beaudry of Creative Memories, demonstrated some of CM's new products, donated a silent auction item, and gave JDRF 10% of the sales from the day! Thanks Ally!
Several scrapbooking companies, including a number of digital designers from ScrapMatters, and some anonymous donors from our scrapbooking ladies donated our hourly doorprizes AND our First, Second, and Grand Prizes awarded at the end of the evening.
Because we have no out-of-pocket expenses, we were able to raise $2041.52 for research to find a cure for Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. 15,000 children are diagnosed DAILY. We need to find a cure! Hope you can join us for our Love Crop February 19, 2011. Again , 100% of the proceeds benefits the JDRF. Four of our scrapbookers have already registered! Woo Hoo! We are always in need of meal sponsors. If you or anyone you know would like to help us with our Love Crop, please let me know! Thanks again ladies for another wonderfully rewarding Scrapbooking/Craft Crop!

APPLEFEST!

2010-10-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day in downtown Chambersburg for their annual Applefest! There was just enough chill in the air to make it feel like the perfect fall day, yet within a short period of time, people were shedding their coats as the sun warmed up the day. A charming book store, Northwood Books, invited my students and me to do an author signing of our book, Remembrance and Reflection: Students' Response to Genocide. Cory and Hillary were students of mine over four years ago and had pieces published. Cory is an English major at Shippensburg University and Hillary is substitute teaching and working for a day care center. I am so proud of them!

Joining us was "Mitchell Kyd," a friend of mine who just had a piece published in the newest Chicken Soup For the Soul book, Family Matters. Yes, her hair is purple! I am so appreciative of her commitment to the students in my Creative Writing class. She spends several days with them motivating and encouraging their love of writing.
Autumn is still in high school, but is ready to graduate early. She, too, has work published in the book. The book contains eight years worth of students' writings. All the proceeds benefit the Pennsylvania Holocaust Education Council which provides resources for teachers of the Holocaust.
Our host, Northwood Books, is a fabulous book store. The owner, Amy, is an artist as well as an avid reader and her artistic flair is evident throughout the bookstore. For example, she made the horse and her paintings hang throughout the store. This is just one of the beautiful rooms filled with books.
Downtown Chambersburg was filled with vendors, food stands, and entertainment. Look at these adorable pumpkins made from empty gas grill gas containers! Now, that's creative recycling!
Little Emme met us for lunch. I had a delicious pit roasted turkey sandwich - yum! Emme was licking her lips - someday she will be able to enjoy a turkey sandwich, but not now!
There was a variety of entertainment throughout the day. We sat on the courthouse steps and listened to the music as we enjoyed our lunch.
We love trying hats on Emme! We almost went home with this one!
When I got home, Jim was doing yard work and he cut these gorgeous hydrangea! Summer is definitely over . . . but I love this time of year. The trees are changing colors and the air has a crisp feel to it. I love the smell of apples and the sound of leaves crunching underfoot. The only sad part of fall is . . . winter is close behind!

BOOKS, BIRTHDAY, and BABES!

2010-10-05T19:02:00.000-07:00

BOOKS!

A few months ago while digi scrapping with friends, several of us decided to start a book/recipe club. We would select book and create a food inspired by the book. Our first book was Little Bee and we enjoyed a combination of British and African foods, which were delicious! This month's book was Snowflower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See. I won't spoil it for those of you who want to read it, but I will say that it is a fascinating look at Chinese culture and the intricacies of friendship. Last night five of us gathered to discuss the book and share our recipes.

We feasted on Mom's Fried Rice - yes , that's the recipe's title! Dorothy, it was delish! The Rice Congee Soup (Jook) was yummy, too and easy to make. Love easy to make foods, don't you?
Add to the feast, Shanghai Chicken and Rice (made with Tastefully Simple's new Shanghai Stir Fry Sauce). I am having the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
We ended our feast with Chocolate dipped fortune cookies (Ying & Yang!) and Chinese Almond cookies for just the right amount of sweetness. Gotta love the chocolate! Jenni confessed that the almond cookies were her very first attempt at baking a cookie from scratch. They were delicious and definitely a recipe we will be making again for our families.
I don't know what we enjoy the most, the book discussion or the food! I think it's a tie. I enjoy talking about books with friends and eating great food. What could be better?Next month's read is The Help by Kathryn Sackett. Check out the next generation of Book Club! Tara's little girl, Sophie, will definitely be carrying on the book club tradition!

BIRTHDAY!

On Saturday, we celebrated Sasha's seventh birthday with a pizza party. Sasha's middle name is Rose and every year her mom and dad get her a rose for each year of her age. Beautiful pink roses for our beautiful Sasha Rose.Simba was loving the roses too. He is such a gorgeous cat and quite the poser! Just ook at that face! You can tell Simba loves attention.
Sasha loves getting all dressed up and having her hair done in different styles. For her special day, her mom created a new Sasha style! She was so proud of how her mom fixed her hair with her princess crown perched on top!
Little Dixon had a blast at his sister's party wearing a birthday hat and joining in on the fun with the "big kids!"Presents are such a fun part of birthdays. The adorable young man enjoying Sasha opening her gifts is her "boyfriend" Adam. What a cutie!
From stuffed bears, art supplies, and girly girl gifts to a scooter, Sasha loved all her presents. However, I think she enjoyed having her friends and family help her celebrate most of all. She beamed the entire afternoon and was definitely sad when everyone had to leave.
This gorgeous fall day had to include pumpkins and pumpkin artists! Give kids markers, paints, and a canvas - in this case, pumpkins and their creative juices just flow - no inhibitions - just pure enjoyment.
And last, but not least, a pinata! I loved the ice cream cone filled with candy! Could it be any sweeter?!?!Smack it good Sasha! Check out that swing! Adam finally broke it open after everyone had at least a few shots at it.
As the candy spilled forth, Dixon grabbed a lollipop and enjoyed every sticky minute of it! Just try and take the lollipop away - you could lose an arm! This little guy is serious about his lollipop!
Several days before her big day, Sasha designed her own cake. She wanted a chocolate cake with chocolate icing topped with hearts, pink roses, and "Happy Birthday Sasha" written in fancy writing. A princess crown was the finishing touch! The girl knows what she likes! The cake was so good!
BABES!

Last but not least, I had to include some shots of "the babes!" Aren't the girls just too cute? They are stylin! Future models, maybe?!?! Or just camera "hams!"
Emme is now four months old and a real cutie! Just like her mother and . . .

her Nana! (Hee! Hee!) Her smile lights up her face and makes everyone around her smile too!

Spending time with friends and family keeps me grounded. Enjoying life's simple pleasures makes each day special and worthwhile. Thank you friends and family for being a part of my life!

GO LIONS!

2010-09-11T18:03:00.000-07:00

Another Penn State weekend! The Lions are playing Alabama in Alabama, so we are tailgating at Becky and Barry's and little Emme is ready for fun in her pink Penn State outfit.

It's photo time with the Lion! Check out the paw "tattoo!"
We are all sporting Lion gear and paw tattoos!
It's a beautiful night for a ballgame, but can the Lions beat Alabama?
Tammy brought this awesome Penn State cake and cupcakes. There were a variety of vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet. The Butcher Shoppe in C-burg makes these for every Penn State game weekend.
Sasha and Clara struck a pose with the Lion. Too cute!
It's the third quarter and the score is 17 - 0 Alabama. Let's give a cheer for Penn State - get your Mo-joe on! You can do it!

PENN STATE - LITTLE LIONETTE!

2010-09-07T15:37:00.001-07:00

Saturday was Penn State's first home game so Becky, Barry, Emme, Jim, and I headed for Happy Valley! Before Emme was born I got her a Penn State cheerleader outfit and it fit her perfectly for her first Penn State game!

You can't go to a Penn State game and not tailgate, so that's what we did! Barry and Becky cooked up a batch of eggs, bacon, and sausage, and made delicious sandwiches. They tasted so good especially since it was rather chilly. Jim is "snoopervising" the cooking!

I kept Emme out of the cool air. As you can see, she is quite content just sucking her thumb, oblivious to the fact that there are die hard Penn State fans all around us!
It's blue and white all the way. When Penn State fans, bleed, they bleed blue!
Jim and Barry headed for the game and Becky, Emme, and I headed downtown, which was pretty deserted at game time. The few people roaming the streets were moms, grandmas, and kids - the men were at the game! I got Emme her first Penn State hoodie. Doesn't she look like a true, cool and confident Penn State fan!
After lunch at the Corner Room, we headed for the Lion Shrine and she got her first pictures with the Nittany Lion. The plan is to bring her to each first home game and take her picture with the Nittany Lion. I am sure you are wondering why she is no longer wearing her cheerleading outfit. Let's just say, Emme had a "little" (understatement) accident. That's a whole other story!
Emme also got her first little lion, a little lion for a little Lionette!
On our walk back from the Lion Shrine, we discovered this little cupcake bakery - go figure! "*ndulge, a cupcake boutique" is a family owned and operated bakery whose philosophy is "Live well. DIe happy." Donn Selkowitz , founder, writes that, " What more could we hope for than a life well spent, fulfilled by the knowledge that when our days on earth have passed, others will remember us for having few, if any, regrets. . . so be kind to yourself and others. Take good care of your mind, body and spirit. Eat and drink sensibly. Make a difference in someone's life. And throughout the journey, *ndulge yourself with a little help from us."
Becky and I agree with that philosophy and bought a few cupcakes. I chose the "Classic Red Velvet" and the "Candy Apple Caramel." They were yummy! The cupcakes made up for the fact that we couldn't go to the game. Cupcakes definitely soothe the spirit! Love cupcakes!

Nature Baby!

2010-08-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Since the girls got me a new camera for my birthday, I have not had much time to play around with it. Late this afternoon I decided to try some outdoor shots, grabbed my Sony Nex 3, and went to see my newest grandchild. Emme had just awakened from her nap so we dressed her in a bright pink dress and went outside to see what kind of natural light shots I could get. I love this one!

I tried different settings on the camera and then forgot which ones I used! But I like this one too!
Emme is going to love flowers! She couldn't take her eyes off these petunias!
She tried grabbing them and actually got a few pieces of a leaf in her hand.
Love the look of concentration on her face.
If there's one thing I love about babies, it's their feet. Just look at these little feet and toes!
I love how these shots turned out. Now, if I could just remember which settings I used to take each one!

My Surprise 60th!

2010-08-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago Jen and Adam told me that they wanted to take me out for my birthday when they were here to celebrate Ryan's 7th and Clara's 5th birthdays. We are all August birthday babes! Adam said he researched nice restaurants in the area and chose the Dobbin House in Gettysburg. I had not been there in years and was excited to go, but at the same time, I told them that they really didn't have to take me out. At this point in my life, I try not to add the numbers to my age! We got dressed up and took some pictures with Aidan, Ryan, and Kari before we headed out.

When we arrived I walked in and my entire family (except for my brother Doug and his wife Angela who live in Florida) yelled "Surprise!" I was flabbergasted! I had absolutely no clue.
From left to right is Jim (hubby), my mom, Tammy and Bill (sister-in-law and brother), Wyatt, Rodney and Kaytee. Rodney is Kaytee's boyfriend and Wyatt is his son. Our meals were delicious!
The chocolate cake was amazing! Jen and Adam brought it from a bakery in southern Maryland. It melted in your mouth with lusciousness!
The dinner was present enough, but the kids went together and got me a new camera, a Sony NEX3. I have been wanting to upgrade for a long time and had looked at that camera just a few weeks ago. They were so afraid that I would buy it before I left for New Orleans!
These are my seven phenomenal grandkids! Aren't they adorable! You can see their personalities in their faces, can't you?
My fantastically gorgeous daughters, Jennifer, Annisa, and Becky and my precious Mom! Jennifer will be adding grandchild number 8 to the family in January 2011!
Thanks to my kids and my family for making my 60th birthday such a wonderfully special birthday. I am still shocked that they were able to pull off the surprise. Their love helps make turning 60 easier. Next year I start counting backwards!

BRISKET AND GRANDKIDS!

2010-08-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

I know it is a strange title for a blogpost, but I am combining the Brisket recipe and some random pictures. First, the brisket recipe from the June 2010 Food Network Magazine was scrumptious! You make it in a slow-cooker, so it is super easy. Start with a 5-6 pound brisket. Cut into three pieces. In 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, salt and pepper the brisket and then brown the brisket pieces on both sides.

Transfer the brisket to the 5-6 quart slow cooker and season with garlic. I used Tastefully Simple's "Garlic Garlic." Pour 12 ounces of a stout beer (I used Black and Tan) into the brisket drippings scraping up the browned bits and then add to the slow cooker. Chop four stalks of celery and arrange around the brisket.
Mix 2/3 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup tomato paste, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup dijon mustard, 1/3 cup soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon paprika. Pour mixture over the brisket. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or on low for 8 hours.
The Brisket was delicious and served eight of us with leftovers. We served it with Ciabatta rolls and multigrain rolls and pasta salad as a side. As Rachel Ray would say, "Yum-O!"
Now for the random pictures. This is a photo of Clara at her birthday celebration August 13th. I can hardly believe that she is five!
This is three month old Emme - all smiles!
We also celebrated Ryan's 7th birthday. He and Clara both have August birthdays. His great-mother sure does love to hug the grandkids!
Today I took this picture of the "cupcake" in her cupcake outfit. The cupcake bib is almost as big as she is!
Miss Sasha sure does know how to strike a pose!
Soon I will post the photos of my surprise birthday party. And it sure was a surprise!

Casserole and Cobbler - YUM!

2010-08-17T17:15:00.001-07:00

I love the Food Network magazine, but have tried very few recipes. So, before we left for New Orleans I went through each magazine and clipped the recipes that I vowed to make. Today I chose to do an adaptation of "Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni and Cheese" featured in the April issue. Because I didn't want to make it too "hot and spicy," I chose to use Tastefully Simple's Barbeque sauce along with Frank's Hot Sauce. I also used Tastefully Simple's "Garlic Garlic" and "Onion Onion" seasoning.

Here's my adapted recipe. Cook one pound elbow macaroni. We love Mrs. Leeper's corn elbows which is gluten-free and delicious! Look at the lovely yellow color!
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon or two each of "Garlic Garlic" and "Onion Onion" and two stalks finely chopped celery. Saute about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken and add 1/4 cup each of hot sauce and barbeque sauce (or 1/2 cup hot sauce or 1/2 cup barbeque sauce). Simmer one more minute. The aroma is wonderful! Set aside.
Melt two tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons corn starch and 2 teaspoons dry mustard until smooth. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups low-fat Half and Half and 1/4 cup more hot sauce or barbeque sauce. Stir about two minutes until it begins to thicken. Then add 12 ounces shredded cheddar and 8 ounces pepper jack cheese. Whisk until it all melts and then blend in 2/3 cup low-fat sour cream.
In buttered 13 x 9 pan put half of the cooked macaroni, then the chicken mixture, and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce over all. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in microwave and add one cup gluten free bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs. Mix and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Enjoy! For dessert I made a peach cobbler using the Bisquick recipe, a family favorite because it is so simple and easy, yet so good! Start with fresh ripe peaches. Aren't they beautiful!
Slice enough peaches to fill your baking dish 3/4 full. Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over the peaches and stir gently. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Mix 1 cup Bisquick, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1/4 cup milk. (I doubled the mixture) and drop by spoonfuls on the top of the peaches. Bake another 20 minutes. Serve just as is or with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream. So delicious!
Tomorrow I am going to do a slow cooker brisket recipe. I'll let you know the results!

New Orleans - Last Day!

2010-08-12T15:03:00.001-07:00

Folks, this is the last day of my New Orleans Travelogue. Once again, a booming thunderstorm was our wake-up call this morning. We headed out for the Audubon Insectarium. It is an amazing place, especially for kids, but we enjoyed it too.

My favorite part was the live butterfly room where you can walk around and butterflies sometimes will actually land on you! The flowers and butterflies were gorgeous.
Then we had an interesting movie theater experience at the Canal Street Theaters. It is a very unique movie theater. When you buy your tickets, you actually select your seats on a computer monitor. Ushers seat you and you can order food (everything from sandwiches, to pizza, to popcorn, and more), which is delivered to your very cushy seats! The matinee price was not much different from back home - $8.00. We saw The Kids Are Alright, starring Annette Benning and Julianne Moore. It was good and sure beat being out in the rain, or so we thought. Our next stop was Mother's Restaurant. Annisa emailed me that this place was on the Food Network's show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" this week for its bread pudding, which she knows I love. However, we almost needed a canoe to get there! Torrential downpour!
It is a cafeteria style restaurant with walls covered with articles written about it and photos of famous people who ate there. Above our table was a story on George and Laura Bush's visit to the 9th Ward after Hurricane Katrina when they also ate at various local businesses. President Bush's hand written letter to the owner and staff of the restaurant was on display as well.
The bread pudding was superb! I could not eat it all - it will be breakfast tomorrow!
We both had a cup of seafood gumbo and since Jim does not like bread pudding, he got one of their saucer sized chocolate chip cookies!
Our trip to New Orleans is coming to an end. We are so glad that we choose New Orleans because it is an amazing city in many ways. I encourage you to plan a visit. Tomorrow we head back home and to the family we miss so much! See you soon!

New Orleans - Day Six!

2010-08-11T18:34:00.003-07:00

I was really excited about our plans today. We awoke to a boisterous thunderstorm and were glad we had scheduled a day indoors at the National WW II Museum.

Several weeks ago I was browsing the internet for things to see and do in New Orleans and discovered that this museum was here. The sign inside the museum explains why this national museum is not in Washington, DC - fascinating!
Upon entering the museum you see several actual WW II aircraft suspended from the ceiling. Most of the volunteer guides (docents) are WW II vets and we followed some of them as they explained artifacts to school groups. This is a dive bomber. One of the larger planes was actually purchased on Ebay by a private citizen and donated in honor of his wife.
A special exhibit was "Loyal Forces: Animals of WW II."
This exhibit highlighted animals that actually served a role as messengers, performed other specific duties, or were pets or mascots of the soldiers.In the new section of the museum that opened a year ago, Chef John Besh opened a restaurant called "The American Sector," with imaginative interpretations of classic American foods. Kids' lunches are served in vintage metal lunch boxes! Based on our waitress's suggestion, we ordered the tomato soup and half ham and cheese sandwich with fries. Look at the creative presentation! The soup was fantastic! Definitely nor Campbell's - no offense Campbell's!
We spent the next four hours viewing "Beyond All Boundaries, a 4-D film featuring Tom Hanks as the narrator and several floors of exhibits and short films. This flag actually flew on one of our ships on D-Day.
I learned several weeks ago that today was a special day at the museum. Dr. Sharon Taylor's father, 1Lt. Shannon Estill, age 22, was the last man killed in his squadron at the end of WW II. He was a fighter pilot on a mission over Elsnig, Germany, when his plane was shot down. His daughter, Sharon, was only 3 weeks old. Listed as MIA, no one ever knew his fate until his daughter started searching with the help of German aircraft researcher, Hans Guenther Ploes. German author and director of Spiegel TV documentaries, Kay Siering, wrote and directed the documentary, "The Last Flight of Lt. Estill." The American premiere was held tonight at the museum. We started with a reception catered by John Besh's restaurant. I met a wonderful museum volunteer and spent some time talking with Dr. Taylor and Mr. Siering.
The documentary was beautifully done and so touching. This woman finally discovered her father's crash site and gives accolades to the Germans who helped her discover the site and some of her father's remains, which are now buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The film is a loving tribute to a father she knew only from photographs and the more than 400 letters he wrote to her mother.

c

New Orleans - Day Five!

2010-08-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

A few weeks before our trip, I posted a question on an online forum to get recommendations for good places to eat in New Orleans, places that the locals loved. The Camellia Grill was mentioned several times. Today we had brunch there before our day at the zoo. Founded in 1946, it has been open since, except for two years after Katrina.

The food was amazing! For $6.95 we split, yes split, an enormous omelette. This is my half! It completely filled the huge oval plate. I couldn't eat all of it, but it was sooooo good! We also split a pecan waffle. Haven't had a waffle in more than a year and I enjoyed every bite of my half.
Then we headed off to the Audubon Zoo. Although I said the Audubon Aquarium was not as nice as the Baltimore Aquarium, the Audubon Zoo was beautiful! It was very hot with a heat index of well over 105 + degrees, so there were few people at the zoo. One thing that set it apart from other zoos I have visited, were the beautiful sculptures throughout the zoo. The following are just a few of the pictures I took.
This white Bengal tiger was majestic, to say the least.
I loved the grace of these whooping cranes.
Watch out! This elephant was very close to the edge and kept swaying back and forth in her own little dance.The Rhinos were all tuckered out!
This cheetah appeared to either be laughing or roaring - can't tell which! A week or so ago I was watching the Food Network and the show's host was visiting unique ice cream places in the US. Featured was the Creole Creamery in New Orleans. Well, since I firmly believe that ice cream is the "perfect food," it was on my must visit list this week. Today after a hot day at the zoo, we headed for the Creole Creamery.
It is very "ordinary looking" on the outside. The inside is plain, witht the exception of the flavor lists and this mural on the back wall and pictures of folks eating ice cream.
Jim had a scoop of Black Gold Crunch and one of Cafe Au Lait. I had Coffee Pecan Brittle and Lavendar Honey. Amazing! The unique flavors are melt-in-your mouth goodness. I could have sat there and eaten ice cream all day. There were so many flavors to try like avocado cream and red velvet cake, to mention a few. Hopefully we will get to go back before we leave.

New Orleans - Day Four!

2010-08-09T18:46:00.001-07:00

Today we decided to return to the Cafe Fleur-de-lis for brunch before traveling on the Creole Queen Riverboat for a two hour Civil War history tour down the Mississippi. We made it to the cafe and had a great brunch; however, there was just one little - no - BIG problem. Just minutes from buying our tickets for the riverboat, a HUGE storm blew in and we ended up at the Gumbo Shoppe bar riding it out with a cold beer! The bartender Steve had a fascinating story of his Katrina experience. His wife was six months pregnant and a day before the storm hit they decide to leave town. There was just one problem - they had no car, so a friend gave them his grandfather's old abandoned truck to use. They headed out for Houston (usually a 5 hour trip) without air conditioning in the truck, one window broken out, and just a few of their clothes. Twenty-six hours later they arrived in Houston and the truck died. They couldn't return to New Orleans for a year and a half. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the French Quarter (again!) and this time I decided to take some photos of some of the interesting signs on Bourbon Street. Here are a few:

We stopped to rest and these adorable little birds gathered around us looking for food scraps. I got this picture of this cutie who seemed to take a liking to us.We picked Tony Moran's for dinner. No specific reason; it just looked interesting!
Jim had Pasta Buffa Ballo. It is an old family recipe. The meatball is a combination of pork, beef, and buffalo meat. Jim Moran proposed to his wife by placing her ring in the meatball and serving it to her for dinner! Thereafter he became known as "Diamond Jim Moran." It is one BIG meatball!
I had the Ravioli Aurora. It was scrumptious!
This plaque hangs on the site of the restaurant and explains its historic significance.
Tomorrow we are going to head to the Audubon Zoo and the Creole Creamery!

New Orleans - Day Three!

2010-08-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Usually our day begins on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, but today we were picked up for our tour of the city.

The following photos are just a highlight of our two hour tour. On August 29, 2005, the infamous Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans with vicious force. 80% of the city was under water from a few inches to over 22 feet. Katrina was not the cause of the flooding, it was the failure of these flood walls to hold. Built by the Army Corps of Engineers, they failed and a disaster ensued.
Five years after Katrina, you can still see houses marked with symbols indicating that the house was searched, how many were found alive or dead, including animals. Interestingly some of the homes residents have returned, but the markings remain,
In the Lower 9th Ward, the hardest hit area with 22 feet of water, many of the residents have not returned. This house was rebuilt with a boat bottom so that it will float.
HGTV's Holmes of "Holmes On Holmes" designed many of the houses that Brad Pitt raised money to build. This is one of them. The goal was to build 100 homes. Twenty-six have been built.Prior to Katrina, the population of New Orleans was 500,000. It is currently 310,000. Many people who evacuated never returned. 700 are still missing. It is believed that many may have changed their names and established new lives - criminals, abused women, etc. A fascinating piece of history is New Orleans cemetaries. Because New Orleans is six feet below sea level, they discovered that when there is any flooding or heavy rains, caskets would wash up out of the ground. The Spanish developed the burial system in place today. The tomb is opened and the casket is placed inside for a year and a day. Then it is removed, the body is wrapped in a sheet and a ten foot pole pushes the body into the bottom of the tomb where it decomposes. Each tomb can hold 100 bodies. The expression, "I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole," originated from this burial process. This tomb is the Tu Jacgues family tomb. The Tu Jacque Restaurant is the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans.We traveled through the Garden District, which is where we are staying, to see some gorgeous homes. Originally there was a cattle slaughterhouse in the Garden District. Residents planted lots of flowers to disguise the smell and hence its name. It was established in 1834. This home seen through the window of our tour van, is Sandra Bullocks house.
This home is author Anne Rice's home.
After our tour we headed to the French Quarter and had lunch at the Fleur De Lis cafe. It was a busy place and we had a long wait. We didn't order anything unusual, just a panini for me and salad for Jim, but it was very good!

This afternoon we decided to get a ticket to visit the Audubon Aquarium, IMAX, zoo, and Insectarium. Today we did the aquarium and IMAX. It was a nice aquarium, but can't compare to Baltimore's.

I must confess that we did round two of iced cafe au lait and beignets. They are just too hard to resist! We then spent several hours walking throughout the French Quarter, hopefully walking off the beignets! Too tired for dinner! Not sure what we will do tomorrow. Check back to see!

New Orleans - Day Two!

2010-08-07T20:05:00.001-07:00

Some of you know that I said that I was going to eat my way through New Orleans cuisine so to compensate for the calories I did an hour workout in the fitness center this morning before we ventured out. Lunch was in the heart of the French Quarter at Montrel's Bistro. We were good - had a cup of Gumbo and a salad. Just right!

My new friend, "Catfish," told us that Montrel's was located in "the hood" prior to Hurricane Katrina, when it was destroyed. It was a favorite of the locals and always busy. They found this location and reopened three years ago just down the street from Cafe Du Monde.
The French Market is filled with local foods and a "flea market" loaded with jewelry stands, and souvenirs. We didn't buy anything, but it was fun looking.I really enjoyed the street artists. I think I just might have to find a small piece to bring home with me. I love supporting local artists. Becky and I brought back great street art pieces from Prague and Warsaw in 2004.

Late in the afternoon we had iced coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde. They were melt-in-your mouth delicious! Definitely going back for more beignets!
Can't you just taste their sugary goodness! And they are served warm! I am salivating just thinking about them!
We walked miles and miles through the French Quarter. Jackson Square is beautiful! In the background you can see St. Louis Cathedral, circa 1849. Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II visited this magnificent church. This inside is breathtaking.After more walking along the Riverwalk we headed back to Bourbon Street for dinner. Pat O's Courtyard looked inviting so that's where we had dinner.
This tasty appetizer was alligator bites - yes, real alligator! Let me tell you, those little morsels were very good!
Jim had crawfish cakes, which were tasty. The sauce was especially good.
I had Jambalaya. I could not finish it, but oh was it good! Tomorrow we are doing a tour of the city - should be fun! Hoping to get to the Creole Creamery (ice cream!) tomorrow afternoon. It was featured on the Food Network!