I Won!!!!

Our church has been very busy this summer. We just finished Vacation Bible School and I had the snacks again. I think I get it because I will battle that the foods have to be safe for all to eat, but I won't bow down and fix all the children special foods, just because they don't like something. (Evidenced by the child who came to me and said, "I'm hungry." then said, "My mother wants me to only eat hard foods." I told her that her mother should have fed her before she came - mean? Maybe, but we are not a restaurant and you don't get to choose your foods.)

So at church today, the children put on a "show" of sorts letting everyone know what they had learned all week. It was so fun to watch the children dancing and singing. After the last service we had our first B-B-Q and Lutheran Jello Contest. I wasn't trying to win. I was just using up leftovers from the week. So I made a Jello for church and brought it in. Here is the fun part: I won 1st place in the Lutheran Jello Contest. Then I had lots of requests for how I made this recipe. So I will share my secret:

2 containers Sugar Free Cool Whip (we have diabetics at church)
1 container (24 oz) Fat Free Small Curd Cottage Cheese
2 Sugar Free Jello - Strawberry Banana
2 cans crushed pineapple (drained)
4-5 bananas cut up
1 large jar maraschino cherries (drained)

Mix the first 3 ingredients together until well mixed. Add the other ingredients 1 at a time until well incorporated. Chill and serve.

How very simple and very easy.

The Children

I finally told the children about how Daddy is having to look for another job and my oldest says, "Is he going to work on a garbage truck?" I explained to them that we may have to move and my oldest girl starts crying and says, "I'll never get to see Hannah, again." I explained that she would make new friends. My middle girl asks, "Will the cats come with us?"
I told them that we would not be moving tomorrow, but that I needed to start packing things away in boxes and that they were going to have to start helping to keep the house immaculately clean, so that when it went on the market, people would consider it. What a bad time to have to move. When we moved here, I told my husband I never wanted to move again, but someone upstairs is laughing, because I am packing.
I would really like my husband to get another job quickly. I just want it to be something that he wants. He is very talented and does good work. He is a hard worker. I told him to get written letters of reference from the people at work that would be beneficial to him.
Today, I will be entertaining the children. Hopefully, I can wear them out and they go to sleep early tonight. Last night they were up until almost 11 p.m. Way to late for my crew.
I am still working on prayer shawls. I am also working on a scarf for my oldest girl and some afghans. But with no down time to work on anything, I haven't actually touched a project since Monday (we went to the Columbus Zoo and I could knit in the car for awhile).
When the scarf is finished, I'll post the pattern (I developed this one) and some photos.

The Latest

My husband has been employed at Sumco for over 10 years and June 23, 2009 they told the employees that they would be closing the Cincinnnati Plant. Presently, my husband is spending a lot of time online looking for another job. We are praying that he finds another job quickly, so that we don't have any down time without medical coverage. So I am asking you to also pray for us. We know that if he gets a job we may have to transfer, but our attitude is go where the jobs are, not stay in a place where the jobs aren't because something may come along.
Thanks for your thoughts.

If you want to check out the story, here is a link: http://www.western-star.com/news/lebanon-oh-news/sumco-phoenix-corp-to-shut-down-warren-plant-by-june-2010sumco-phoenix-corp-to-shut-down-warren-plant-by-june-2010-174659.html

My Baby turned Six

Today, six years ago, I gave birth to my middle girl. She weighed in at almost 10 pounds 13 ozs. Today, she is about 1/8" taller than her older (by 13 months) sister. She requested that we spend the day at the Columbus, Ohio Zoo. She got to ride a boat ride (very nice, lots of fun) and a horse (big grins all around). She got to see the new baby elephant at the zoo.

Her biggest request was that after the zoo, that we please go to Ruby Tuesday for supper. We went there for my oldest girl's birthday. She wanted that special attention that her sister got. She was so funny, on the way home we drove past our exit for the route that she knew to get to the restaurant and she started crying. My sister-in-law, who came with us, told her to save her tears for something important because crying because we didn't go to the exit she was familiar with was wasted crying.

Esther was so happy to have everyone be with her. I am glad that we were able to do this with her. It was important.

One other thing. She got her cast off last Tuesday and she cried over that because as the middle child (older sister has red hair and younger sister is tiny) she tends to be overlooked and ignored by other people, but with her cast she received a lot of attention. So having this day let her know that we do consider her an important part of our lives.

Have a nice night!

Happy Father's Day

The end of Father's Day is here, so I would just like to wish a Happy Father's Day to my husband, first, for all that he does for us. Just so people get an idea about my husband, he is a good sport. I gave the girls their long range water guns yesterday and siched them on their Dad. After he got shot a few times, he got out his long range water cannon (the hose) and fought back. He loves to take the girls swimming (doesn't matter where - just has to have deep water). He loves to go on roller coasters with the older two girls (the youngest is terrified of them and so she is mine for the day). He loves to take them sledding down the back hill. He laughs with them. He watches television with them and he reads to them (whatever book they choose).

Also, I would wish a happy Father's day to my cousins, uncles, my father and father-in-law and any other Dad's out there that might stumble across this. May your day have been filled with the laughter only children provide.

In Memorium

My cousin, Sister Mary Joselle Leising (Mary Frances Leising), passed away this week. Her funeral was Thursday at St. Joseph Heights. We took our girls and went down to the funeral and to say goodbye and remember what a wonderful lady she was.

She was born July 1918 and was Professed 8/16/38, Died 6/15/09. She was at St. Aloysius Orphanage, Our Lady of Loretto, Linwood, Principal at St. Agnes, Bond Hill - she made some major changes there that we put into a newspaper at the time. Back to St. Aloysius, St Stephen, Newport (my grandparents were married in that parish), Back to St. Agnes, St. Luke in Dayton, St. Mary in Alexandria, Mary Queen of the Rosary in Lexington, NDA (77-91). She also had a wonderful family tree (for the Leising side and her mother's side) that the Sisters let me bring home to keep.

When I started going to NDA (Notre Dame Academy), she hunted me down. The reason, we shared same names - we were both Mary Leisings. She had to find out how I was related to her. This was very important to her. She made me feel welcome at the school. I had a very good 4 years at this school. I came from a school that sent most of it's students to Newport schools, and I was in Covington with other students from the Covington districts. So I had to start new with making friends.

When it was our last year of school, the group of girls that I hung out with were crying. We knew that this would be our last year together and that we would be moving on and that we would probably not have contact with each other ever again. But I was able to keep in contact with Sr. Joselle.

I sent her photos - my husband and I together, our children - especially as they grew up. We would take the girls to the convent for her to meet them and so that they could know more about the family. This wonderful lady will be missed for many years to come.

The promised pictures.

Main Strasse Neighborhood

Clock Tower

Double Decker Bus

Goose Girl Fountain

Some photos of Mutter Gottes Kirche

Cedar Fair Kings Island

The splash down of the new Roller Coaster:

Diamondback. In the background the Eifel Tower model. It is 1/3 the height of the original in Paris, France.


The Ice Show with Scooby Doo as an active participant.

Monday - Walking with children

Today, Monday, I took my oldest girl and we went to the mechanics to get new tires (thankfully only 2). While we waited for the tires to be put on we went for a walk (1 1/2 hours). We went to a park called Main Strasse. We looked at the Gazebo, the Clock Tower and a nearby building, that is for sale. We then walked to the Goose Girl Fountain, then to Mutter Gottes Kirche, where, we were allowed to look at all the beautiful art work and wander around the church. We had a nice time together and then we came home, had lunch with her sisters and Dad (my Bill). We then went to Kings Island (owned and operated by Cedar Fair). We rode a few rides and saw a show. The girls love the ice show that they put on, but this year they changed it a little. The jury is still out, the girls weren't as enthusiastic for this show as they have been in the past. I will try to get pictures up tomorrow, but my middle girl gets her new cast. Right now the girls are at Vacation Bible School. They just love this, they get to play with other children and learn more about the Christian faith.

The New Washer Has Finally Arrived!!!!!

It is Saturday morning and we are still waiting for the new washer. I have piled all the dirty laundry at the foot of the stairs, so that when it finally arrives, I only have to sort and wash.

I have taken a photo of my old washer, the offending Maytag. When the men came to take this one away, he opens it, looks inside and says, "It really is broken! How did that happen?" I am not sure what he is talking about and I look inside and say, "No, that is how it is made." He says, "No wonder it broke." This particular model does not have a center piece.

This is the pile of laundry that I have waiting for me and that I am ever so glad I do not have to haul out to a laundromat today! My girls are also, very happy that I am not hauling this all out today as well. At this point, I am about halfway through the pile.

The delivery men called at 9:00 a.m. and said that they would be delivering the new washer about 9:20-9:25 a.m. They arrived at 9:48 a.m.
I was waiting and watching. I am very grateful that I was their 2nd delivery of the day. Here is something funny: their first delivery of the day was Ms. Patty Marquis, my oldest girl's teacher. They told me that her dishwasher had leaked all over her floor and was a big mess that had to be cleaned up.

Now, I have my new washer a GE Profile, Energy Star. I am happy because I have 2 loads washed, 1 dried and 1 drying. I am presently washing my 3rd load. I have about 3 more to go and the laundry is drying faster. My children will be happy, also because then I can take them swimming tomorrow after church.

Now for a fun story. Last Sunday, while at church, I was looking out one of the windows at the garden, when I noticed a very interesting movement. It turned out to be a chipmunk. He was digging up the seeds and bulbs and eating them. I also know that it will never be destroyed. All life is precious and so more than likely he will live a long life. But I knew that no one believe that I saw this little creature without proof, so I took out my camera and took this photo.

I am looking forward to going to church on Sunday to see if this little guy is still busily eating the seeds and bulbs.

Have a good Saturday.

My Friday

Well, we took the girls to their Grandmother's house, but we left them there (along with my husband). The reason: the thunder boomed, the lightening lit the sky and rude drivers would go through puddles as fast as they could trying to get me as wet as they could. Then, my mother-in-law and father-in-law got some quality time with their granddaughters, who were thoroughly spoiled rotten! Grandma fed them 2 pizzas and then bought a 3rd for them because they were asking for more. Yes, I do feed my children, they just like Grandma's food more.

Today, Friday, I am supposed to get my new washing machine. But no one has called to tell me what time they will be arriving. I guess I will do a Stephanie and take photos of the offending machine (Maytag Neptune's are just not worth the money) and the delivery of the new photo. I might even take photos of the arrival time. The last time it was after midnight when they finally delivered the machine. Wish me luck.

We are Going on an Adventure

Today, we are going to my mother-in-laws to help her with some projects. So while we are doing this, we are going to leave my van with the mechanic who is closer to her house than mine. He is going to put some new tires on the van. To do this we then have to take a bus (the area in which we live has no public transportation - if you don't have a vehicle, you travel by foot or bike). The girls have never traveled on public transportation and so they are in for an adventure. Then we will walk from the stop to my mother-in-laws (I am hoping that there isn't a storm). The girls are so excited that they woke up early this morning. We have also assigned them "secret agent names." My oldest is Agent Blue Eyes, my middle is Agent Pink Arm (her cast is flourescent pink), my middle is Agent Curly Hair. They are laughing and giggling and can't wait to get on the road. I will be taking my knitting. What a perfect time to knit!

My Maytag Neptune

Well, it is official....the Maytag Neptune (our 2nd in 3 years) has died and will not be repaired. It seems that the warranty company feels that it has spent too much money on it already and so for their money it will be cheaper to replace my washing machine with something else. Now we get to start the process of deciding what to get - they will tell us our choices - and then waiting for delivery.
Today, I will haul children and clothes to my mother-in-laws place to use her washer because my family goes through the clothing so fast (yesterday two outfits each), and towels (swimming weather + bathing = double the amount of towels). My baskets are full to overflowing and I know they won't behave at a laundromat. It will also make my mother-in-law happy - she will get to see her little darlings. Or as she calls them, her little princesses.
Everyone usually groans when I say I am going to my mother-in-laws, but I love my mother-in-law, she is an awesome lady. I am proud to call her mom.
I am still working on the scarf for my oldest girl. I have another prayer shawl on needles. The people of my church are all having a bad year for health. I have a prayer lapghan on needle (crochet) and hope to have it finished soon (one of the men in our church had surgery and the news was not good). I have a few afghans started also. Who knows maybe I can get something finished.
Saturday, we will be celebrating my oldest two girls birthday. We are having a picnic party at the park. This seems to be the best party we give and people turn up for it and they have a good time. It would be safer also, since the neighbors are unable to keep their dogs in their yard and I would feel awful if someone got bit by one of the neighbors dogs.

More Troubles

Does it ever seem like troubles just follow a person? It seems that way to me. We have been dealing with the worry of my husband having a job and working on our fallback position. Him getting additional training for something that everyone needs and will call for help - like HVAC or Auto Repair.
Then we dealt with the doctor finding a growth in my throat. Granted nothing is showing, but I will have to go through more testing in 5 months.
Then my husband's employer has decided that the insurance carrier was overcharging (which they probably were) and we have to deal with the change over of insurances....We are at zero, but we are supposed to have credit for all the previous charges that actually got us to our deductible in the first place. The monies that were held out were never credited to our HSA account and no one can find the money?
My middle girl fell at a playground and broke her arm at the elbow. So we are dealing with that as well. Urgent Care, Ortho Clinic, return visit in 3 weeks. She is the happiest of the three girls - the other two are mean and demanding.
To add to all of this - my washing machine (granted not as old as Sir Washie from the Yarn Harlot or even as reliable), decided to breathe it's last! Now I have to call in the repairman who accuses me of not taking care of my washing machine and being an imbecile! If it weren't for the fact that it is still under warranty (never buy a Maytag!) I wouldn't use the group that gets sent to us, because of their rude repairman.
But I have finished two more prayer shawls and have given them to the people they were intended for, along with a prayer lapghan for a man from church who was in a serious car accident. I also finished a swatch wrist thing. It is a swatch, made in the round, for a wrist to see if the person receiving will be allergic to this yarn - Alpaca. Two of my friends are allergic to wool, but my one friend wants a very specific present and so, I made a swatch for her to wear on her wrist. I hope there isn't a problem.
I am also making a scarf using some yarn I purchased from the Yarnarian - beautiful rainbow shaded yarn. This scarf is in the round, and will hopefully hold up for a few years. The last scarf I made for my oldest was destroyed by the boys on her bus and at school. They used it as a tug of war rope and they also destroyed her hat. She was devastated and didn't want to ride the bus to school anymore. But we talked with her bus drivers and they took care of the boys acting up. But next year is a new year.
I hope that all of my friends are doing well and that we are able to come together soon. Take care dear readers.