Friday, October 11, 2013
Cardmaking and Operation Write Home
Last spring my sister introduced me to the program Operation Write Home. This is a group who collects homemade blank cards to send overseas to deployed military so they can write home on nice cards without having to wait to shop for cards or write home on plain paper. I loved the idea, and the opportunity to use some creativity without having to be dictated by what I actually need or where to store them when I'm done was irresistible! I'm posting them here because there are lots of card sites that issue "challenges" to make cards according to a category or rule, and I wanted to be able to link to pictures of cards I made. Now you all get to see what I'm making too! :-)
Here are the cards I made last weekend at the Hanover scrapbooking weekend:
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Snow Days
January has been a dream month for the boys. Three days off of school so far, two of them snow days. This year the snow is staying around, instead of melting off quickly. We don't have much of a slope in the backyard, but the boys are being creative. They built up a ramp on a tree stump, and start off from there. It gives them another foot or so of height, so they can get better speed. Then they built a ramp to jump over; but it was hard to see, so they put a yellow cup as a marker to aim for. Next they decided to put up slalom poles, using shovels staked in the snow. Last they came up with putting a "roof" on the jump. As crazy as it sounds, it worked! They've gotten pretty good at "threading the needle" LOL.
The cats aren't as thrilled with the snow. It's cold! And doesn't make as comfy a bathroom, ahem. We all laughed when we saw Toby up here:
Polecat
And then Waterfall tried to knock him down and take his spot. He wouldn't give up his spot, so she tried out a different pole LOL:
Copycat
Now the boys are inside enjoying some hot chocolate. I'm guessing they'll be out again this afternoon :-)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Just for you, Dad, Merry Christmas!
If my laptop were working and I could access the photo editing software I prefer, it wouldn't look quite like this, but it's better than nothing!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Great American Melting Pot
I've been spending the last year or so playing around with researching my family's history. Growing up, I was always aware of how deeply my family (both my mother's and my father's sides) is rooted in this country. We had traced our roots back to the 1750s on one side (Troyers) and as far as the 1650s on the other (Fannings). I knew that before that, Troyers were from Austria/Switzerland and Fannings were from Ireland. I knew that the Eighmeys had lived in New York state for a long long time (Philip Emigh was the first to be born in the New World, in 1711). I also knew that beyond that, I had some Dutch and English and German and Irish blood in me. I knew that I have a strong Amish background, and that they originated from Austria. But the focus had always been vaguely on how long our history is here in North America.
Just recently I became aware of a pattern that I was ignorant of. I had all the pieces but I had not put them together. Tonight I saw it for the first time, and it changes so much how I see myself and my history. My family truly is a melting pot, in the classical sense, not just in the distant past. What I realized is:
my father married the daughter of an immigrant (England)
my grandfather married the daughter of immigrants (Hungary)
my great-grandfather married the daughter of an immigrant (Ireland)
and my great-great grandfather married an immigrant (Germany)
Somehow, I have never known how close I was to immigration history. What makes family history more fun is to put it all in historical context, too. To find out just why those people came to America (or the colonies!) when they did, and to learn what was going on in the world at that time. Hungary was in a period of upheaval when my great-grandparents left (1890s); WWI was about to start when my grandfather arrived (1912); my great-great-grandfather arrived from Ireland at the end of the Potato Famine in the 1850s.
Truly, my family is a mix of the old and the new. I have a brand-new perspective on history because of my personal ties to it. I have been watching the new show on Friday nights that Ancestry.com is doing, called "Who Do You Think You Are," and in the first episode Sarah Jessica Parker is quoted (over and over in the commercials) saying "It changes everything about who I thought I was" and I thought that was so over-dramatic and corny. But now here I am, saying the same thing LOL.
I am still digging, and hoping to find more personal stories as well as to see how far back I can get. I am hoping to break through a wall where I am stuck now; hoping that persistance will pay off. Some days I regret not having an interest earlier, when I could still ask my grandparents about their backgrounds. It is such a loss that their knowledge was not recorded. I hope to have a lot more to pass on to my children, when they are older and become curious. It really does make history come alive.
Just recently I became aware of a pattern that I was ignorant of. I had all the pieces but I had not put them together. Tonight I saw it for the first time, and it changes so much how I see myself and my history. My family truly is a melting pot, in the classical sense, not just in the distant past. What I realized is:
my father married the daughter of an immigrant (England)
my grandfather married the daughter of immigrants (Hungary)
my great-grandfather married the daughter of an immigrant (Ireland)
and my great-great grandfather married an immigrant (Germany)
Somehow, I have never known how close I was to immigration history. What makes family history more fun is to put it all in historical context, too. To find out just why those people came to America (or the colonies!) when they did, and to learn what was going on in the world at that time. Hungary was in a period of upheaval when my great-grandparents left (1890s); WWI was about to start when my grandfather arrived (1912); my great-great-grandfather arrived from Ireland at the end of the Potato Famine in the 1850s.
Truly, my family is a mix of the old and the new. I have a brand-new perspective on history because of my personal ties to it. I have been watching the new show on Friday nights that Ancestry.com is doing, called "Who Do You Think You Are," and in the first episode Sarah Jessica Parker is quoted (over and over in the commercials) saying "It changes everything about who I thought I was" and I thought that was so over-dramatic and corny. But now here I am, saying the same thing LOL.
I am still digging, and hoping to find more personal stories as well as to see how far back I can get. I am hoping to break through a wall where I am stuck now; hoping that persistance will pay off. Some days I regret not having an interest earlier, when I could still ask my grandparents about their backgrounds. It is such a loss that their knowledge was not recorded. I hope to have a lot more to pass on to my children, when they are older and become curious. It really does make history come alive.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
3 Years Old
Last week Jacob had his third birthday. He asked for a Thomas cake, of course. It feels like the 600th Thomas cake I have baked! lol. I guess I haven't made enough of them yet, because I was still disappointed in how it turned out; luckily 3 year olds aren't as picky, because Jacob loved it LOL.
The store didn't have colored icing, so I had to mix it myself. Ugh it is hard to make black! It was really more gray than it looks in the picture, but overall it's better than I expected it to get. I am also happy with the blue - very Thomas.
He requested chicken nuggets for dinner (I think Chris snuck off and ate something else!) and we had fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and of course the cake, for dessert. He got just a few presents, but they were what he asked for, so he was happy. Ah, 3! They are easy to please!
The store didn't have colored icing, so I had to mix it myself. Ugh it is hard to make black! It was really more gray than it looks in the picture, but overall it's better than I expected it to get. I am also happy with the blue - very Thomas.
He requested chicken nuggets for dinner (I think Chris snuck off and ate something else!) and we had fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and of course the cake, for dessert. He got just a few presents, but they were what he asked for, so he was happy. Ah, 3! They are easy to please!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow!
Last Saturday we got a huge snowstorm. The tv news had talked about it for 3 days before the first flakes flew; clearly there was nothing else to talk about LOL. By Friday morning, activities were cancelled for the weekend. We ended up with about 27 inches when it finally stopped Saturday afternoon. A pretty good snow in anyone's books; but wow they made a big deal out of it! I am too used to the snow we got up in State College, I guess. I think for this area down here, it was a big deal. In any case, the boys were thrilled. They've been complaining for 5 years that we moved them "away from all the snow." Saturday was our second big snow for the season, and we weren't done! Last night another storm came through and left us with over 12 inches more. And so, of course, I must post pictures. :-)
There was lots of drifting, so some spots in the yard were almost bare, but in order for me to get to the spot in the driveway where I took this picture of Levi, I had to wade through thigh-high snow.
While you could see in the other picture that the cars were almost clear of snow in the back, here you can see it all drifted onto the Pontiac!
Here is Caleb, wading out to the barn.
Samuel and Noah tried to dig a tunnel, but the snow was too fresh and it ended up collapsing.
On Sunday the sun was out and the snow hardened up a bit. Out along the road the plow had piled up a nice big bank of snow, and the boys dug a new and better tunnel. It actually branched inside, and part of it went straight through, and the other branch came back around and out the same side further down the bank.
Micah
Caleb
Samuel, with Noah climbing on top
Noah
By Monday Chris had his car and the van dug out. We all had dentist appointments Monday morning, so we needed to be out. The sun was out again, and the driveway was clear down to the pavement. Well, except for the Pontiac. We didn't get to that. Here it is, just as the second snow started yesterday:
I'm thinking we won't be using it until Spring LOL
The snow was falling heavily this morning, and we had about 10 more inches by 9 am. It is still going strong, at 1 pm. The boys were eager to go out and see how much of their shovelling was undone LOL.
Levi on the side porch. The other boys were out sledding on the hill behind the garden.
Here is Micah coming back from the hill.
I just came back in after taking more pictures, and the wind has really picked up. The driveway is buried again, so the boys did all that work for nothing. Visibility is almost zero from all the blowing snow, and it's still snowing hard. Blizzard!
The snow blew up to the front door. I had to push it aside with the door to get out.
This fence is about 4 feet high, and borders the road.
Here's how the boys did shovelling. Just kidding, they had it down to the blacktop; it's all blown back over again. And just beyond the milk shed is the road. Trust me, it's there. Somewhere. The snow was really blowing like crazy; it was hard to take pictures.
And here's the Pontiac. The wind is from a different direction this time, so the front is blown partially clear. The boys ran their hands across the windows, so it looks a little like a mohawk ROFL.
There was lots of drifting, so some spots in the yard were almost bare, but in order for me to get to the spot in the driveway where I took this picture of Levi, I had to wade through thigh-high snow.
While you could see in the other picture that the cars were almost clear of snow in the back, here you can see it all drifted onto the Pontiac!
Here is Caleb, wading out to the barn.
Samuel and Noah tried to dig a tunnel, but the snow was too fresh and it ended up collapsing.
On Sunday the sun was out and the snow hardened up a bit. Out along the road the plow had piled up a nice big bank of snow, and the boys dug a new and better tunnel. It actually branched inside, and part of it went straight through, and the other branch came back around and out the same side further down the bank.
Micah
Caleb
Samuel, with Noah climbing on top
Noah
By Monday Chris had his car and the van dug out. We all had dentist appointments Monday morning, so we needed to be out. The sun was out again, and the driveway was clear down to the pavement. Well, except for the Pontiac. We didn't get to that. Here it is, just as the second snow started yesterday:
I'm thinking we won't be using it until Spring LOL
The snow was falling heavily this morning, and we had about 10 more inches by 9 am. It is still going strong, at 1 pm. The boys were eager to go out and see how much of their shovelling was undone LOL.
Levi on the side porch. The other boys were out sledding on the hill behind the garden.
Here is Micah coming back from the hill.
I just came back in after taking more pictures, and the wind has really picked up. The driveway is buried again, so the boys did all that work for nothing. Visibility is almost zero from all the blowing snow, and it's still snowing hard. Blizzard!
The snow blew up to the front door. I had to push it aside with the door to get out.
This fence is about 4 feet high, and borders the road.
Here's how the boys did shovelling. Just kidding, they had it down to the blacktop; it's all blown back over again. And just beyond the milk shed is the road. Trust me, it's there. Somewhere. The snow was really blowing like crazy; it was hard to take pictures.
And here's the Pontiac. The wind is from a different direction this time, so the front is blown partially clear. The boys ran their hands across the windows, so it looks a little like a mohawk ROFL.
Caught
Kim, over at Musing, Rambling, and all around Blathering (see sidebar for link to her blog), tagged me for a meme. This one is the Honest Scrap Award. I guess I'm supposed to tell you 10 things about myself? Hmmm, what would you care about?
1. I collect Barbies. I do this because as a young girl, my mother took a stand against them as being bad examples for girls to aspire to. I just figured if I couldn't have such a great wardrobe, at least my Barbie could! I never thought to try to be one. I didn't start collecting, though, until one Christmas when Chris gave me one as a gag gift. I was complaining that with all boys, I was never going to be able to indulge the little girl in me and buy Barbies for my daughter. (Trust me, Chris is reliving his childhood over x7 with all the boy stuff around here.) Well, I decided, since my nickname around here is Queen Mommy, that I would collect Princess Barbies. My collection is probably around 50. There are quite a few I'd love to have, but the higher end Barbies cost over $200. Um, not for me lol.
2. My hair is still very long. When I turned 30 I made an attempt to cut it to a "respectable" length, since, you know, I was now too old for "young" hair. But I hated it. I did cut it shoulder length one more time when Levi was less than a year old, and I admit it looked good, but I missed my hair. So I grew it out. And now at 42, it is past my butt. And I like it. :-)
3. I am currently working on my family's genealogy. I love all things old, and am fascinated by photos from the past. I hate that we lost so many photos and records from my grandparents when their house burned down, but I do have a wonderful pile of family history from my mother. I encourage my Dad to write down memories from his childhood and young-adulthood and email them to me. I had a lot of fun this summer researching into one of those memories. I hope to write up a blog post about that, once I have all the materials gathered to put it together.
4. I am NOT a "foodie." I don't like to cook, I don't like to try new foods, I don't like to think about food at all. I eat the same things all the time, because I know what to expect from them. I eat poorly because I eat what takes the least amount of effort to prepare. If that means opening a bag or wrapper, that's what I'll do. My mother and my older sister love(d) food, but ugh, I don't really want to talk about food!
5. What I do love is puzzles! Jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, those metal chain type puzzles. I approach almost everything like a puzzle. I think that's why I like LOST so much. However, I have only so much patience, and then I am perfectly happy to get help, or even to cheat LOL.
6. I still want another baby. Ok ok, don't even bother to comment on that one. I know what you all think, and go away. You want what you want, and I want what I want. My good friend called last night from the hospital, to let me know her 14th child had just been born, and I could hear him crying in the background. I am so so thrilled for her, but I went in the bathroom and cried. I could practically feel a baby in my arms and I think my milk let down. Yes, my baby is almost 3 years old, and I am 42. What about it?
7. Ok, something less serious. My first car was a VW Rabbit. It was black with maroon interior. I only remember having it for one summer, the summer before I left for college. After that I drove an Audi 5000 (very used), then the first car I owned and paid insurance on was a maroon 1982 Honda Accord hatchback. I used it to drive back and forth to college. I liked that car. Next came a blue 1987 Toyota hatchback. It got great gas mileage. I traded that in for the 12 passenger van I drive now. Totally skipped the full size sedan and mini-van LOL. I like my van, though I won't go out if there is even a rumor of snow coming.
8. When I was little I had rabbits. I was not good at taking care of them; I am lucky my grandfather would come over and feed the poor things. He built them awesome hutches, and spoiled them with grass cuttings and garden veggies. I kept rabbits continuously from when I was 5 until almost 35. My favorite rabbit was Thumper, who I called Tumpie. He went to college with me. Now we have moved on to cats LOL.
9. Ok, I've run out. If you comment with a question, I'll edit the post and add more with whatever you want to know.
I'm not going to tag anyone for this. If you want to do it, feel free to do your own. Let me know if you do, so I can go read it!
1. I collect Barbies. I do this because as a young girl, my mother took a stand against them as being bad examples for girls to aspire to. I just figured if I couldn't have such a great wardrobe, at least my Barbie could! I never thought to try to be one. I didn't start collecting, though, until one Christmas when Chris gave me one as a gag gift. I was complaining that with all boys, I was never going to be able to indulge the little girl in me and buy Barbies for my daughter. (Trust me, Chris is reliving his childhood over x7 with all the boy stuff around here.) Well, I decided, since my nickname around here is Queen Mommy, that I would collect Princess Barbies. My collection is probably around 50. There are quite a few I'd love to have, but the higher end Barbies cost over $200. Um, not for me lol.
2. My hair is still very long. When I turned 30 I made an attempt to cut it to a "respectable" length, since, you know, I was now too old for "young" hair. But I hated it. I did cut it shoulder length one more time when Levi was less than a year old, and I admit it looked good, but I missed my hair. So I grew it out. And now at 42, it is past my butt. And I like it. :-)
3. I am currently working on my family's genealogy. I love all things old, and am fascinated by photos from the past. I hate that we lost so many photos and records from my grandparents when their house burned down, but I do have a wonderful pile of family history from my mother. I encourage my Dad to write down memories from his childhood and young-adulthood and email them to me. I had a lot of fun this summer researching into one of those memories. I hope to write up a blog post about that, once I have all the materials gathered to put it together.
4. I am NOT a "foodie." I don't like to cook, I don't like to try new foods, I don't like to think about food at all. I eat the same things all the time, because I know what to expect from them. I eat poorly because I eat what takes the least amount of effort to prepare. If that means opening a bag or wrapper, that's what I'll do. My mother and my older sister love(d) food, but ugh, I don't really want to talk about food!
5. What I do love is puzzles! Jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, those metal chain type puzzles. I approach almost everything like a puzzle. I think that's why I like LOST so much. However, I have only so much patience, and then I am perfectly happy to get help, or even to cheat LOL.
6. I still want another baby. Ok ok, don't even bother to comment on that one. I know what you all think, and go away. You want what you want, and I want what I want. My good friend called last night from the hospital, to let me know her 14th child had just been born, and I could hear him crying in the background. I am so so thrilled for her, but I went in the bathroom and cried. I could practically feel a baby in my arms and I think my milk let down. Yes, my baby is almost 3 years old, and I am 42. What about it?
7. Ok, something less serious. My first car was a VW Rabbit. It was black with maroon interior. I only remember having it for one summer, the summer before I left for college. After that I drove an Audi 5000 (very used), then the first car I owned and paid insurance on was a maroon 1982 Honda Accord hatchback. I used it to drive back and forth to college. I liked that car. Next came a blue 1987 Toyota hatchback. It got great gas mileage. I traded that in for the 12 passenger van I drive now. Totally skipped the full size sedan and mini-van LOL. I like my van, though I won't go out if there is even a rumor of snow coming.
8. When I was little I had rabbits. I was not good at taking care of them; I am lucky my grandfather would come over and feed the poor things. He built them awesome hutches, and spoiled them with grass cuttings and garden veggies. I kept rabbits continuously from when I was 5 until almost 35. My favorite rabbit was Thumper, who I called Tumpie. He went to college with me. Now we have moved on to cats LOL.
9. Ok, I've run out. If you comment with a question, I'll edit the post and add more with whatever you want to know.
I'm not going to tag anyone for this. If you want to do it, feel free to do your own. Let me know if you do, so I can go read it!
Monday, January 04, 2010
Happy New Year!
I know a lot of people had a rough time with 2009, but honestly, it was a good year for us. In fact, it was one of our best years as a family. I am thankful to God for His blessings so far and above what we needed, and that we were able to share those blessings and help some friends.
May 2010 be full of blessings for all of us!
May 2010 be full of blessings for all of us!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Merry Christmas!
We had a nice Christmas this year. We had a big snow storm last weekend, and there was still plenty of snow on the ground Christmas morning. We hosted dinner this year, so I had a lot to do to get ready. Chris was great about doing all the cleaning and decorating, so I just had to do the usual shopping and wrapping, and plan the dinner. His family brought side dishes, so I just had to do the turkey and stuffing, and Chris made our usual holiday punch. Even so, I was up late wrapping, and then up early to get the turkey into the oven. The poor boys had to wait a little longer than usual to open presents, until I had the turkey ready LOL.
We use Christmas cards to decorate the kitchen
The boys made gingerbread houses while I was out shopping. I think they still need my guidance LOL.
Chris decorated the top of the tv with his n-gauge train, and the boys had fun opening the Lego advent calendar this year. The candy jars had to be refilled almost daily!
More decorations:
The ladder goes up to the loft, which is finished enough for Noah and Caleb to sleep up there now. We will be putting in a spiral stair this spring, so I can get up there too LOL.
Stockings stuffed
We started at 8:30 and were done by 11, enough time to get the rest of dinner ready. We were supposed to have dinner at 12 but it turned out to be more like 1, because the turkey was bigger than I had guessed. The tag with the weight on it was missing, so I guessed about 18 lbs, but it ended up being a 22 lb turkey - oops! Everything worked out fine, though, and I got compliments on my stuffing. :-) MIL usually makes hers from a mix but I did mine from scratch; she was impressed! I also made pumpkin pies for dessert too.
My Christmas breakfast:
We also had bagels and cream cheese and cinnamon rolls. Troyer also added left over pancakes. It's no myth how much teenage boys eat! LOL
Christmas dinner. The turkey was on the counter - it didn't fit on the table LOL.
Now the boys are happy with gifts, and I am ready for a long winter's nap!
Merry Christmas for 2009 and Happy New Year for 2010!
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