Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Aidan and Zoe



Aidan wants to play with the tent and tunnel.
He says, I need to go in this end, Nana.


Nana says, Where is Aidan?


Aidan says, Here I am, Nana!


I feel all snugly with my pink blanket, Nana!


 What happens if I move this green thing?


Yes, Nana, I look like a baby doll.
You tell me that all the time!


Aidan tries to hide when he sees the camera!


It was a fun day with my sweet little ones. I feel blessed to be part of their lives on a regular basis.

Tomorrow I wrap gifts again! I hope we are busy. It makes the day go really fast!

Have a great last few hours of November 2010!

Can you believe it...we are almost to the last month of the year?

Monday, November 29, 2010

Cyber Monday


Not everyone was shopping on the internet today. I had proof! There were 4 of us wrapping gifts at Boscov's from 10a (another lady and I started at 9) to 5 when I went home. We were all super busy. It didn't let up till 4:30. And that break was only for about 10 minutes! Don't worry, I got a half hour break for lunch. I treated myself to a Peppermint Mocha...um,um good!

I'm tired tonight. But it's a good tired. People are so appreciative of this free service. Many say they shop at Boscov's because of it.

Have a great evening!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Saturday after Thanksgiving....

It's Saturday. I need to clean. It has been a very busy week. And it shows!
  • On Monday I wrapped gifts at Boscov's from 10-5
  • Came home, made egg sandwiches for me, Hubby and Ellen because we were hungry and....
  • We needed to head back to the mall to purchase new clothes for Hubby because....
  • He needed something to wear to his Aunts Funeral the next day because....
  • He was a Pallbearer and in the last several months he has lost weight and his suit no longer fits (men lose weight so easily...grrrrr!)
  • Tuesday was the Funeral then I went to keep the little ones at their house till Corey came home. Stopped at the grocery store on my way home, ordered a pizza to bring home for dinner because it was like after 7:30 till I got home!
  • Wednesday I wrapped gifts again from 10-5
  • Thursday was a wonderful day!
  • Was in bed shortly after 8:30 because....
  • I was up on Friday by 2:20 AM because....
  • I wrapped gifts from 4a-9a!
  • Came home, slept a bit, caught up on some blog reading, then I was off to keep the littles at their house again so Mommy could go to work earlier than waiting for Daddy to get home. (I offered to do this...they are not slave drivers!)
So now it is Saturday. I have a house full of work. And I ponder if I should put away the fall decorations and bring out the Christmas decorations today.....hmmmm. Next week will be a very busy one again. I think I should at least put the fall stuff away. And maybe bring out a bit of Christmas. If I don't soon get on this, I may as well forget even taking Fall down. That said.....see ya!

Have a great week-end!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Good Food, Wonderful Family, Fabulous Times!

Thanksgiving Day 2010 is a memory. We had the most wonderful meal....turkey, filling, sweet potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, baked corn. cranberry salad, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, cookies, pumpkin pie and ice cream. It was so good! I wish I could just eat and eat and not get full on this day =)

I forgot to take a picture when we were eating.
I borrowed this one from Mary.
L - R
Me, Hubby, Erma, Lester and Mary
Mary Ellen took the picture and Ellen was already off to some activity in another room.


Let me tell you, this was one good piece of pumpkin pie!
Mary makes the best!

We ate and cleaned up the dirty dishes then relaxed and talked. Erma and Lester just returned from a trip to China to see their daughter. What interesting things they had to tell us. They also had a book of pictures to share. 

It was then time for a game of Dominoes!

Hubby , Mary Ellen and Mary
Serious players!


Mary, Lester and Erma
More serious players!

We played on teams.......Mary, Erma and Hubby on one team, Mary Ellen , Lester and I on the other. We had some good belly laughs as we tried to beat each other to finishing first!

Ellen didn't want to play so she entertained herself by watching the movie Little Women and then a football game on TV. 

Such wonderful times. Another wonderful memory stored in the memory bank.



Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!


So much to be Thankful for....
not just for today....
but each and every day!

We are looking forward to spending time with our sweet Mary, my step Mother, my sister Mary Ellen and Mary's son Lester and his wife Erma. We will eat turkey with all the trimmings. Can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Wrapping Christmas Gifts and saying a Good-by

On Monday I wrapped more Christmas gifts than I could count. Yes I did. But not one of them was a gift I purchased. Not one! So, are you wondering what I'm up to??

I have a seasonal part-time job. I'm wrapping gifts at Boscov's at Park City Mall. Monday was my first day. Boscov's is offering free gift wrapping for anything purchased in the store. Let me tell you, customers are really taking them up on that service! I'm sure it will get a lot crazier on Friday and everyday after that til Dec. 24. Speaking of Friday, I will work from 4a-9a. Should be interesting!

Today we said our good-bys to Aunt Mildred Myer (my Mother-in-law's sister). Mildred was 93. She was a retired school teacher. Throughout the years Mildred was a part of the Fahnestock family gatherings. She never married so her family were those of her brothers and sisters. We all loved her so much.

Aunt Mildred (left) enjoys a family Christmas with her sister, my MIL.
I have always loved this photo of these sisters enjoying family.

Mildred always took a special interest in Ellen. She wrote Ellen letters. Ellen wrote a few to her too. She would also ask Dale's Mother and sister about her when they visited.  

Aunt Mildred was one special lady. She lived her life honoring her Lord and Savior. And she now is enjoying being in His presence!




Sunday, November 21, 2010

A Week-end Away

We went to the mountains on Friday night with several couples from our church. It was an easy 2 hour drive although both hubby and I wanted some coffee, Starbucks to be exact, really really bad! Sadly, we didn't find any. 

The cabin we stayed in was lovely! (It wasn't like the picture on the brochure, not an A frame.) It had 5 bedrooms and 3 baths and a basement game room. Very adequate for our group.

The Cabin......


The back porch


The front of the house with the wonderful deck!


I sat on this chair this afternoon taking in the view and breathing the fresh mountain air.

 Inside the cabin....

The kitchen, dining room and loft above

 We played games. Dominoes was a fave!

Sherry, Shirley and Sue
I had some HORRIBLE scores....
I'll blame it on my cold =)


Melissa has some fun with Shirley!
(It was hard to get good pictures during daylight hours due to the sun coming in the windows)


Another dominoes game in the evening.


Jeremy snuck up behind Melissa and yelled, BOO!
Oh, the screams (I think Sue was the loudest) were so worth it!

 We prepared food and ate it, of course!

Sherry, Sue, Shirley and Adam take potatoes from one dish to another.


Sherry helps her boys, Ian and Adam, to some dinner.


Jeremy is next and Melissa is right behind him.

 We relaxed.....

Merle and Ian play a game


Sue, Ed, Adam, Sherry and Melissa


Sherry, Melissa, Shirley and Hubby


Jeremy watches Merle and Ian play a Scrabble game.
Ellen is watching too.


 The wonderful views......



Clouds this morning

 One more picture.....

We wrote our names on our cups...and reused them.
I kinda liked this pic of them all lined up =)

Now we are home again. It was wonderful to be away but there is no place like home!


Friday, November 19, 2010

Heading to the Mountains of PA

It's Friday and we hope to be at a mountain cabin by later tonight. I say 'hope to' because there is a lot to be done in the meantime!

Several couples from our church rented a nice a-frame cabin for the week-end. I don't know much about it but have seen a picture. We plan to leave after Ellen is finished bowling with her Aaron's Acres group this evening. That is the plan but in order for that to happen....
  1. I must complete washing and folding the laundry so we have clean clothes to pack!
  2. I need to do some food shopping for items that I'm to provide for our meals
  3. I need a shower before I can do the shopping
  4. I need to wait for the first load of laundry so I have a clean pair of jeans to wear!
  5. I will fold the laundry right away too....because I need to keep the washer and dryer running so I can pack.
  6. I'm sure there is a #6 and more....my brain just isn't picking up on it
My cold continues to deplete my energy. Maybe a relaxing week-end and fresh mountain air will be just what I need to kick this thing =) Ellen is suffering too....maybe it will be good for her too. (she is so grouchy with her cold)

This morning already brought some mishaps to slow my progress. I put the ingredients in my blender to make a smoothie....just as I do every morning. Only, on this morning I decided to clean out the sink to prepare for dish washing. When I turned around to stop the blender....I found half of it all over the counter...almost ready to run down the back of it (whew, I avoided that mess!). The bottom must have worked loose from the vibrations while chopping up the frozen fruit I use in the smoothie. That has never happened before. The one time I decided to multi-task .....oh well, I got it cleaned up.

Then while putting my crock pot on a shelf in the laundry room, the lid slipped, I attempted to steady it but....it landed on the floor and broke in a thousand pieces! The glass flew everywhere...into the powder room, the kitchen, in a laundry basket with clothes in it, behind items stored on the floor....oh my goodness!! I was in my bare feet and didn't trust moving even a peepy step! Was able to grab my swiffer sweeper and start pulling some of the glass together, grab the one brown paper bag I had in the cabinet and reach the dust pan and brush. I have a small laundry room =) A sweep with the vacuum and I do believe I have it all up.

So now, back to the laundry folding and packing so I can get on with my day.....time is flying! Have a great week-end! You won't hear from me until I return. I don't expect Internet connections and I don't have a media package for my phone anymore either.....not sure if there would be service anyway. It's really good to get away from it all once in awhile!

Have a great day!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Fun times with Gina and Joe

Yesterday Gina and Joe came to visit. They live over 2 hours away so they don't get a chance to visit very often. They arrived around 3:30. We sat and relaxed, talked and laughed.


My sweet Gina

Joe, who will become Gina's husband next year.

Gina checking out her Facebook page on my little computer

We made dinner plans as we heard from other family members...who and how many were joining us. The count ended up being 14. Joe told us of his reaction the first time he met us. Gina invited him to come meet her family on Christmas Day a couple of years ago.....we were opening gifts when he got here....he was surprised at how many people there were....our family room was FULL.....and it was just us plus Dale's Mother and sister! Our numbers still boggle his mind at times! He said it's fine....just not anything he was accustomed to!

We had a wonderful time eating at the Country Table Restaurant in Mt. Joy.  The restaurant was full when we arrived. Apparently the Pig Stomach special brings a lot of people out on a Wednesday night! We learned it was all sold out.....no problem!! Joe tried hamloaf for the first time last evening. He really liked it! Hamloaf is a Lancaster County Dutch dish (pig stomach is also). It's served at all the down-home kind of places.

We decided against dessert and went to the bake shop instead. Oh what a lot of goodies to choose from. I brought home some sticky buns for this morning. 

Sadly, it was time for Gina and Joe to go back home. Our time together goes so fast. She called us when they got home to let us know they arrived home safely.

We love being with them whenever they can get a day to come visit. I had my camera in my purse where it stayed the entire time at the restaurant.....I was so upset at myself when I realized that I didn't take a single picture! I'm sure we will do this again. This restaurant serves good food, we had excellent service and it's so convenient for their trip back home.

Thanks, Joe for bringing Gina home to be with us. We Love you both!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Black Bean Turkey Chili

This chili is soooo good! I make it, sometimes a double batch, then put a portion or two in zip-lock freezer bags and freeze. Whenever I get the urge for some good-for-you chili, it's ready to go!

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbl. Olive Oil
  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic- minced (I always use fresh)
  • 1 cup onion
  • 1 Tbl. sugar or 2 Tbl. Light Agave Nectar (I always use Agave Nectar)
  • 2 Tbl. Chili powder (the darker the chili powder the spicier it is)
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 3/4 cup Swanson low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup organic salsa of your choice (I don't have organic - I use Weis brand Medium Salsa)
  • 1 can black bean (Bush's is best- and organic if you can) Rinsed
  • 1 can whole kernel corn (sweet it ok) - rinsed (I usually only have frozen. Just guesstimate the amount!)

Instructions

Heat oil in cooking pot. Add onions, turkey, and all dry spices. Stir occasionally until Turkey is cooked. Add everything else.


Preparation Time: Approx 20 mins after meat is cooked.

 I found this recipe on the Eat-Clean Diet website. http://www.eatcleandiet.com/ 

Monday and Corn Chowder

Christy called me yesterday morning. They didn't have electricity and wondered if they could come over early so she could take a shower before work. Of course they could! So my little ones arrived soon after 12. Their Mommy got to shower and get all fixed up. Aidan noticed the cake still on the kitchen table from the day before. Could he please have some? Of course, this is Nana's house! (I did check with his Mommy first!) Christy took some to work with her too.

I decided to make corn chowder for dinner. After a lot of thought, I used a new recipe since it seemed easier than the one I usually make. Easier seemed better on this day when my energy level was not up to par. It was easy. But I thought it just wasn't all that tasty. So I added a little of this and a little of that. All of a sudden.....I remembered why it seemed flat to me. I wasn't tasting anything because of my cold!! Oh my word, what had I just done to our dinner! Thankfully, they all thought it was good. Whew!!

This morning I could smell and taste a little bit of the chocolate in my coffee. I do hope this means the cold is leaving.

It's a rainy day in Lancaster County, PA. Seems like a good day for lounging. I may give in and do just that!

Have a great day!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Busy days, Family days, and a cold (boo to the cold part)

It's Monday. I should be washing the dishes that sit in the sink (will get to them) and picking up a few things (will get to that too). It's been a busy week-end and I'm feeling it. A coughing, sneezy, stuffy head is not what I would have chosen to go with it, though. At least my throat is no longer sore =)

Saturday -
We had a Birthday Party even though the guest of honor was in the hospital. Sadly, Mother was not able to come home. We sang to her over the speaker phone. She then told us we were to celebrate every one's birthday. So sweet! Several of the family went to stay with her after we finished eating. Our niece from Maine is a Medical Doctor.....it was so wonderful to have her here this week-end. She was a great help to us in understanding some of Mother's health issues.


Beautiful Birthday Cake!

A musician in the making!
This little cord organ has entertained many a Grandchild and Great Grand at Grandma Fahnestock's home! 

Paityn being silly...a little big for that chair, don't you think?!!

What do we have here?
A photographer in the making?
Zoe seems to be enjoying the strap more than the camera!

Sunday -
I sang with the worship team at church even though my voice is certainly not at it's best with this cold. At least I didn't have to sneeze =) We had the kids here for lunch to clean up the left overs from the Friday night meal. I needed to make another BLT salad and cranberry salad since there wasn't much of those left.. Of course we had ice cream later....and we snacked on the 3 cakes - chocolate and apple cakes that I made and the chocolate cake from the birthday party! They all left by 8:30. The little ones were tired. I made my tea and went to bed. I was tired too from this busy week-end!

So now it's Monday. I asked Hubby this morning what coffee he used.....we use flavored. Right now we are using a Godiva white chocolate mint. It has a really strong mint flavor. I wasn't tasting it at all... just as I couldn't taste the mint in my tea last night and I'm not tasting my breakfast smoothie this morning =(   I do hope this cold leaves soon!

My little ones will be here at 1. Aidan was disappointed that I didn't make a smoothie for him yesterday. I told him I would make him one today. I don't have a lot of frozen fruit right now so I best get myself to the grocery store before he comes. I also need to figure out what to make for dinner. I'm sure the energy will come when I get moving. I relaxed enough this morning.....I'm working on my get-up-and-go speech to myself! (I think it's working. maybe....)

Have a great day!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Family

For me, the word Family brings warm fuzzy feelings. Last evening Dale and I hosted his brothers and sisters for dinner. His brother Marlin and wife Carol from Maine are in this area for a few days. Paul (brother) and wife Fern and Norma (sister) and her hubby Stan were here too. Nancy (sister) came later. She was staying with Mother who is still in the hospital.

Norma, Stan, Marlin, Paul

We decided to have the men sit at one end of the table and the ladies at the other.
That way we (the ladies) could converse without talking over the men =)
We seem to enjoy different subjects!

Paul and Dale help themselves to ice cream.

Carol, Fern, Ellen
So sorry I didn't get a picture of Nancy. (although I'm quite sure she is ok with that!)

I used paper plates for quick clean-up. The silverware went into the sink to be washed later. We have so little time to spend with each other and doing the dishes was going to wait. 

 The 90th birthday party for Mother is going on today as planned. Mother is to be discharged today sometime. It's been quite a week for Nancy trying to prepare for the party and be at the hospital too. Fern was a huge help to her.

Looking forward to some family time again today!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Oh what a Beautiful Day!

The view from our deck.....

It's much prettier than I can show with my camera.
It's a warm and absolutely beautiful day!

I took a break from my cleaning.
This is all off me you will see...
because if you saw the rest of me...
you would be scared out of your wits!
I'm heading to the shower to clean up.
Will soon look like me again =)

This is where all the leaves are now...well almost all of them!


Who needs real toys...

I needed to peel potatoes for dinner. Zoe had just eaten and was content. I decided to have her stay in the her chair in the kitchen while I prepared dinner. She found great joy in the items Nana found for her to play with.

A dish, a lid and a spoon is all I need for some fun!

Thanks, Nana!

There goes the dish...fun!!


Now what am I going to do with this??

Ahh, how long is it going to take for Nana to realize I'm without a few play things??

I love this little Sweetheart!