Today, I volunteered for Cassie's art class. I was told the other day it would be cool if I helped out, but I couldn't do anything to embarrass her! I was one of the individuals helping with 'the glue gun'. The kids had made masks and were decorating them today. I was gluing buttons, colored wire, string, ribbon, etc. It was a fun time.
On the ride to school this morning, Drew told me about his art project - making a picture of onion domes in Russia. He told me all about them and was pretty excited. I arrived early this morning to volunteer so I was able to see one of the groups work on their pictures of onion domes. The teacher was telling me all about the project and how she is working with the history teacher on this as they learn about Russia. I'm sure I'll see Drew's finished product in a few weeks.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Taylor's 14th birthday!
As mentioned in a past post - Taylor turned 14 last weekend! He informed us that one now has to wait 6 months after their 14th birthday before they can take the test to get their learners permit. That tends to take a bit of fun out of turning 14.
Below are a couple pic's of the nieces and nephew's when we were together to celebrate.
Drew's football pic
As mentioned in the past post - Drew has a passion for football at age 10. Sidenote: Andrew decided shortly before school started that he would like to go by 'Drew' instead of 'Andrew'. His Bengal's team won 5 of 6 games. He played both offense and defense and enjoys playing both. He was also in a weekend tournament last weekend for the Valley team and they placed third. So, football ended Sunday and his first basketball practice started on Monday!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Weekend events
Two weeks ago we celebrated Andrew's 10th birthday!! He had a Halloween themed party. Family and 5 friends were invited to celebrate with him, eat pizza and play some games. And what would any 10 year old boy want for his birthday - yes, more nerf guns (and that he received)!! I have learned a lot about nerf guns over the past few months, and just when I think I'm caught up on them he begins to tell me and show me the newest ones and the ones which shoot further and more accurately. What a booming business -- who knew!
My parents were here to attend the party and then watch him play football on Saturday. They won all games for his season.
Playoffs for his team were last weekend, so Dad watched him play his football playoff game. Unfortunately they lost so the season was over. Mom helped me and friends set up the booth at church. We went shopping for some various items and we all kinda did our own thing.
This upcoming weekend we are celebrating Taylor's big 14th birthday!! He is very excited to be able to get his drivers permit! So we shall be celebrating this Sat. Mom and Dad's car knows the way to Des Moines very well!! Good thing it was an early harvest;)
Andrew has a different football tournament this weekend - one game each day (Fri/Sat/Sun). These will be some cold game days (40's)!
My parents were here to attend the party and then watch him play football on Saturday. They won all games for his season.
Playoffs for his team were last weekend, so Dad watched him play his football playoff game. Unfortunately they lost so the season was over. Mom helped me and friends set up the booth at church. We went shopping for some various items and we all kinda did our own thing.
This upcoming weekend we are celebrating Taylor's big 14th birthday!! He is very excited to be able to get his drivers permit! So we shall be celebrating this Sat. Mom and Dad's car knows the way to Des Moines very well!! Good thing it was an early harvest;)
Andrew has a different football tournament this weekend - one game each day (Fri/Sat/Sun). These will be some cold game days (40's)!
Holiday Extravaganza - Fun Time!
Our Holiday Extravaganza was very fun to organize and participate in with a new group of friends and my mom. We have been getting together every Wednesday for the past few Wednesday mornings. It's been a real treat. We have learned new crafts from others in our group, brought lunch for those attending while their kids were having fun playing and just had some girl talk. Eight of us participated and 6 of us were there for the event on Sunday. We realized we had a lot of items to fit into an 8x8 booth! My mom knitted her scarves and had her felted knitted purses which were all a big hit! I had my felted sweater mittens and some fabric covered magnets. Those didn't go over as well as anticipated -- there was another booth who had a bunch of sweater mittens and hers were of any type of sweater and had some fancy buttons on them, so I had a bit of competition;)
We also had strawberry jam, breads, sweet potato crescent rolls, hair ribbons/bows, tutu items, special order framed pictures, jewelry, receiving blankets, etc. We received a lot of compliments and had a great time. Others were saying that people just weren't buying this year and they felt it should have been held in November when people are more 'in the spirit' of buying for the holidays. Regardless, we all had a blast and are going to continue to get together and make more crafts, bake, have a book study, etc.
Here are a few pictures of our booth and our group -- Nifty Newcomers!
We also had strawberry jam, breads, sweet potato crescent rolls, hair ribbons/bows, tutu items, special order framed pictures, jewelry, receiving blankets, etc. We received a lot of compliments and had a great time. Others were saying that people just weren't buying this year and they felt it should have been held in November when people are more 'in the spirit' of buying for the holidays. Regardless, we all had a blast and are going to continue to get together and make more crafts, bake, have a book study, etc.
Here are a few pictures of our booth and our group -- Nifty Newcomers!
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Joys of Renting
Oh, the joys of renting! I really do like my townhome. It just makes me laugh at what it takes to get something done. Since I have moved in there has been a list of maintenance items that have not been completed. It took many visits to the front office to get the guys here and then they don't complete what they are supposed to do. One of the lightbulbs went out in the kitchen which they are to replace at no cost. Well after two notes from the maintenance man stating it was replaced, it still didn't work (plus I had about 5 other items that had not been done) so I decided to call the corporate office and speak up. Isn't it interesting that I've received a phone call 3 times since and she is informing me what has been completed and what is on order, etc! I had to laugh about it on Thursday as they left a note saying all I need to do is hold the intercom button down, talk and it will work. Hello - don't they realize that's what was attempted and it doesn't work! So after telling that to corporate they were back again on Friday and realized they couldn't fix it and they will send the intercom org here to fix it. It certainly makes me wonder how some companies make it and how much employees try to get away with...Who knows, maybe they will have the remaining 2 items completed within a 3 month timeframe!
Holiday Extravaganza
A few weeks ago I read the church bulletin about an upcoming Holiday Extravaganza in October. I've always wanted to participate in an event and sell some crafts. So, I went ahead and connected with the organizer of the event and asked if our Newcomers group would be able to have a booth even though none of us have an organization. Some had mentioned in past meetings they like to make crafts and/or bake. I had to laugh as the lady organizing it emailed me back and said of course we would love to have the group participate and who wouldn't buy baked goods from a bunch of church ladies! I don't believe I've ever been called a church lady and I can't wait to meet this lady!
Our group has about 6 ladies interested. We met last week and learned how to make hair clips/ribbons, bib holders and ribbon clips for pacifiers. Another lady used to partner with a friend in the last city she lived and they had booths at different places and called themselves: Once Upon A Tutu. Now, she has some items she showed us already completed that are adorable! She had lots of decorated headbands, tutu's with fancy shirts, zebra fabric bags where she sewed toole to the front side - too cute. I think I'll be making one of these for Cassie as she is in dance this year and thinks the bags are really cool! (That will be the Christmas gift!)
This week we are learning how to make felted flowers. These will be very useful as I might be able to use them on the mittens I make or I may figure out how to crochet a hat and then add the felted flower. I've made 100 fabric button covered magnets and have been sewing away making the felted sweater mittens! My mom is making her knitted scarves.
It's been fun so far and a great way to get to know each other better. Kristine who hosted it at her home told us that she now feels much more at home since she is able to invite friends over to her place as she loves to do so. Bonnie made us soup which was a hit and she made sure it was something I could eat - so thoughtful!
Stay tuned as I'll post pictures of the booth. The event will be Oct 22nd.
Our group has about 6 ladies interested. We met last week and learned how to make hair clips/ribbons, bib holders and ribbon clips for pacifiers. Another lady used to partner with a friend in the last city she lived and they had booths at different places and called themselves: Once Upon A Tutu. Now, she has some items she showed us already completed that are adorable! She had lots of decorated headbands, tutu's with fancy shirts, zebra fabric bags where she sewed toole to the front side - too cute. I think I'll be making one of these for Cassie as she is in dance this year and thinks the bags are really cool! (That will be the Christmas gift!)
This week we are learning how to make felted flowers. These will be very useful as I might be able to use them on the mittens I make or I may figure out how to crochet a hat and then add the felted flower. I've made 100 fabric button covered magnets and have been sewing away making the felted sweater mittens! My mom is making her knitted scarves.
It's been fun so far and a great way to get to know each other better. Kristine who hosted it at her home told us that she now feels much more at home since she is able to invite friends over to her place as she loves to do so. Bonnie made us soup which was a hit and she made sure it was something I could eat - so thoughtful!
Stay tuned as I'll post pictures of the booth. The event will be Oct 22nd.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Funeral
Last Thursday I attended my class (Moving on After Moving In) and left a bit early to attend a networking meeting that I was invited to at the Holiday Inn Select. A chapter of BNI was having a networking lunch and the members could invite a guest to this event. It went well and I met some new people.
That evening I received a phone call that my leaders husband had passed unexpectedly. I feel so bad for Joan. She works in the church parish and is a great lady.
This made me think about the last time I have been to a funeral and I actually don't recall the last one I attended. I know that of my time in Atlanta I did not attend a single funeral in the city - I'm not sure if that is good or bad?! Our group has many ideas to try to help Joan throughout the difficult times ahead. One request was that we could contribute salads and desserts for the lunch after the funeral service. Of course I emailed the lady in charge and informed her that I will bake some cookies. I then get an email back asking if this is LeAnn Larick from Clarion. When I looked at the name I see it's Norie. Now, I only know one Norie and that is a family friend who grew up in Belmond (about 15 minutes from my parents house). She is around my age - might be 2 years older. Of all the members of the church, yes this is the Norie that I know who is organizing the lunch! She then responds to inform me that she had also attended the CHRP (retreat) a few years ago and was involved in helping to host one of them as well. Interesting huh?!
I then went to bake cookies and wondered - should I bake my kind of cookie for a funeral lunch? I was puzzled as I think they taste great, but what about others. And would there be anyone there who would even eat them? I finally decided to bake one batch of GF/DF/SF chocolate chip cookies. The more I thought about it, I already have it in my mind that I won't be eating there as they probably won't have anything for me to eat, so this might be a treat for people who have dietary restrictions!
That evening I received a phone call that my leaders husband had passed unexpectedly. I feel so bad for Joan. She works in the church parish and is a great lady.
This made me think about the last time I have been to a funeral and I actually don't recall the last one I attended. I know that of my time in Atlanta I did not attend a single funeral in the city - I'm not sure if that is good or bad?! Our group has many ideas to try to help Joan throughout the difficult times ahead. One request was that we could contribute salads and desserts for the lunch after the funeral service. Of course I emailed the lady in charge and informed her that I will bake some cookies. I then get an email back asking if this is LeAnn Larick from Clarion. When I looked at the name I see it's Norie. Now, I only know one Norie and that is a family friend who grew up in Belmond (about 15 minutes from my parents house). She is around my age - might be 2 years older. Of all the members of the church, yes this is the Norie that I know who is organizing the lunch! She then responds to inform me that she had also attended the CHRP (retreat) a few years ago and was involved in helping to host one of them as well. Interesting huh?!
I then went to bake cookies and wondered - should I bake my kind of cookie for a funeral lunch? I was puzzled as I think they taste great, but what about others. And would there be anyone there who would even eat them? I finally decided to bake one batch of GF/DF/SF chocolate chip cookies. The more I thought about it, I already have it in my mind that I won't be eating there as they probably won't have anything for me to eat, so this might be a treat for people who have dietary restrictions!
Iowa Celiac State Meeting
Yesterday, Mom and I met in Ames to attend the Iowa Celiac State Meeting. As you know I am always interested in learning new things in the Celiac world. Did you know that Jules Shepard and team made the worlds largest Gluten Free (and Dairy Free) Cake last year? It was 11 feet high and it was made to make a big deal, get on the news to share with people that the FDA has still not finalized the standards for GF labeling. This began in 2004 with the Food Allergen Labeling & Consumer Protection Act tasking the FDA to develop and finalize the standards for gluten free labeling. Instead of copying Jules words, just check out this site: http://1in133.org/ to learn more. The kicker is that the World's Guinness Book of Records would not add this GF cake to their book since they 'didn't have proof that it was all gluten free' - that was the whole point in doing this and getting the FDA to set the standards and realize how serious it is!!
It was an interesting event. Lots of samples, a wonderful meal, good presentations and interesting conversations. I even bought a couple lipsticks that are safe for me. The two ladies later informed me that I was the winner of some hand spa treatment and hand lotion -- I think they felt sorry for me since they heard I was in a job search;) They were funny though - they later asked if I moved for my husbands job and I informed them I am single, but if they could line me up with a man that would be appreciated!
It was a great day and I enjoyed having Mom there with me to experience it!
It was an interesting event. Lots of samples, a wonderful meal, good presentations and interesting conversations. I even bought a couple lipsticks that are safe for me. The two ladies later informed me that I was the winner of some hand spa treatment and hand lotion -- I think they felt sorry for me since they heard I was in a job search;) They were funny though - they later asked if I moved for my husbands job and I informed them I am single, but if they could line me up with a man that would be appreciated!
It was a great day and I enjoyed having Mom there with me to experience it!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Little Things in Life
Just a couple weeks ago, a new HyVee store (grocery store chain/similar to the Atlanta Publix) opened in Urbandale. I've heard they have the largest Health Food section and two dieticians. So...I made my way there and wow is it nice! I had heard they have one of those M&M dispensers which is set up so you can select the color of your choice and a bar area to just stop and have a drink. I was in so much awe with the health food section that I forgot to even go take a look at that M&M candy set up (which Cassie and Andrew asked me about as they were interested in it)!
I spoke with the dietician for at least 30 minutes. She was very helpful. I was inquiring about Quinoa flakes to start making for breakfast to get more protein and fiber. I'm used to cooking with Quinoa, but new to the Quinoa flakes (if anyone has some good recipes, please share). She then asked me about granola and I informed her that I haven't had that in over 1 1/2 years as I stopped buying that once I couldn't mix it with yogurt. Then she states - "We have GF/DF/SF yogurt, let's go take a look to be sure." Woohoo - I couldn't believe it!! Now this probably doesn't mean much to you, but this little thing means LOTS to me! There before me was not 1, not 2 but 3 brands of GF/DF/SF yogurt! I couldn't believe it! I couldn't understand how I was not aware of this product being available, then I realized that I don't shop in the dairy section unless I grab a bag of GF/DF/SF cheese and I buy my milk at Costco. So, I bought some of each kind to try and of course a bag of granola. It was the first thing I ate when I arrived home and boy did it taste good! The store had lots of new items that I had not seen before. It's great to see the selection in the health food section growing!
One of the brands includes Carrageenan as an ingredient. I try to stay away from this ingredient as I had a past conversation with a Dr and have done research on it. I won't go into the details, but lots of my research has been that it has caused cancer and inflammation in rats and I would rather pass on the ingredient even though it's used as a binder in lots of gluten free processed foods. If interested you can review this article to learn more about it: http://blog.healthkismet.com/carrageenan-cancer-health-inflammation.
I spoke with the dietician for at least 30 minutes. She was very helpful. I was inquiring about Quinoa flakes to start making for breakfast to get more protein and fiber. I'm used to cooking with Quinoa, but new to the Quinoa flakes (if anyone has some good recipes, please share). She then asked me about granola and I informed her that I haven't had that in over 1 1/2 years as I stopped buying that once I couldn't mix it with yogurt. Then she states - "We have GF/DF/SF yogurt, let's go take a look to be sure." Woohoo - I couldn't believe it!! Now this probably doesn't mean much to you, but this little thing means LOTS to me! There before me was not 1, not 2 but 3 brands of GF/DF/SF yogurt! I couldn't believe it! I couldn't understand how I was not aware of this product being available, then I realized that I don't shop in the dairy section unless I grab a bag of GF/DF/SF cheese and I buy my milk at Costco. So, I bought some of each kind to try and of course a bag of granola. It was the first thing I ate when I arrived home and boy did it taste good! The store had lots of new items that I had not seen before. It's great to see the selection in the health food section growing!
One of the brands includes Carrageenan as an ingredient. I try to stay away from this ingredient as I had a past conversation with a Dr and have done research on it. I won't go into the details, but lots of my research has been that it has caused cancer and inflammation in rats and I would rather pass on the ingredient even though it's used as a binder in lots of gluten free processed foods. If interested you can review this article to learn more about it: http://blog.healthkismet.com/carrageenan-cancer-health-inflammation.
Retreat follow up
The retreat was a GREAT experience this past weekend! I won't say much about it as the less one knows about a retreat the better the overall experience is once you attend. I will say that we had 24 women attending for the first time and another 24 volunteers. Those of us who were new to attend have the option to meet every Monday for the next 6 months and be the volunteers hosting the next retreat. I met some amazing women and yes, I will be attending the Monday meetings.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Day One of Class
Today I attended my first class of 'Moving On After Moving In'. I'm not sure if anyone has attended a class focused on this book, but I'm impressed with it! We have a group of 14 ladies plus 3 leaders/co-leaders. We were paired up with another to interview them for 5 minutes learning some basics such as where did they move from, where did they grow up, why did they move here, hobbies, etc. Then we informed the class about the person based on what they had shared. Very interesting group of ladies. I found out a few are into crafts, others walking/biking, another a bookclub, some baking, etc. Both Father Bob and Father George stopped by to greet us as well. The lady I sat next to has Celiac disease as well - I'm sure we will be having more detailed conversations in the upcoming weeks. The lady I was partnered with lived in the same complex that I am living.
Then I found out that 3 others in this class are attending a retreat this weekend which I also am attending (thanks to Lisa encouraging me to attend). This is a Christ Renews His Parish weekend retreat. I'll be at church from 8am on Sat through 4:30pm on Sun. I'm glad to know 3 people before attending this weekend! I also received a call from my prayer partner who said they are taking care of my dietary needs for the weekend - ordering the proper foods, having fruit/vege's to snack on and even buying almond milk! How cool is that! It's great to know I don't have to wonder if the food items are safe to eat! Looking forward to both the upcoming classes and the weekend retreat...
Then I found out that 3 others in this class are attending a retreat this weekend which I also am attending (thanks to Lisa encouraging me to attend). This is a Christ Renews His Parish weekend retreat. I'll be at church from 8am on Sat through 4:30pm on Sun. I'm glad to know 3 people before attending this weekend! I also received a call from my prayer partner who said they are taking care of my dietary needs for the weekend - ordering the proper foods, having fruit/vege's to snack on and even buying almond milk! How cool is that! It's great to know I don't have to wonder if the food items are safe to eat! Looking forward to both the upcoming classes and the weekend retreat...
Monday, September 3, 2012
A local friend!
Last Thursday, I had dinner with a good friend from college - Lisa. She is married with twin boys and lives about 15 min from me. It was so incredible, we picked up our conversation as though we never missed a beat in all of our years! We couldn't even recall how many years have passed since we last saw one another (we think 7 yrs)! After our wonderful conversation, I know God has connected us again for an everlasting great friendship!
Moving On After Moving In
I recently registered for a class at church which starts on Sept 6th. It called 'Moving On After Moving In'. Last Monday, the leader and co-leader stop by to introduce themselves and deliver the book - now how kind is that!! They mentioned there are 14 people signed up for this 10 wk course. We will discuss a chapter or two a week and then have open discussion about our move and general topics. Ex: what dr's do people recommend, where to go for dry cleaning/haircut/etc.
I was so excited that I've already read the first 8 chapters!! I know that has shocked you, as you know I usually read one book a year! It's a record setting year as I also completed the book Laura gave me - The Art of Racing in the Rain (great book - yet it's a tear jerker so I couldn't read the last few pages as I was tearing up while at the roller skating rink with Andrew and Luke and I didn't want to be crying at the rink)!!
I was so excited that I've already read the first 8 chapters!! I know that has shocked you, as you know I usually read one book a year! It's a record setting year as I also completed the book Laura gave me - The Art of Racing in the Rain (great book - yet it's a tear jerker so I couldn't read the last few pages as I was tearing up while at the roller skating rink with Andrew and Luke and I didn't want to be crying at the rink)!!
Gluten free communion hosts
Another funny Celiac story...When I go to various churches I have to learn the process of being able to receive a gluten free communion wafer. It tends to be slightly different in each church. I followed the process here and I am to go to Father's line and tell him 'gluten free' and he opens up my pyx for the gluten free wafer. Well, it was a different Father at mass and when I told him 'gluten free' he went up to the alter and carried back my pyx. He couldn't get it opened so he handed it to me and I tried and I couldn't get it opened. He asked to try again and handed me the large bowl of communion wafers. I was laughing by this point as this would only happen to me...he gave it back to me and told me to take it back to my seat and continue to try to open the pyx. I was laughing as I was walking back to my seat and the line was soooo long behind me. Who knows what they were thinking of me at this time! Eventually I got it opened. So of course this has my curious mind going with additional ways to receive communion which I will visit with Father about in the near future;)
Andrew's interest in football
Two weeks ago, Cassie and Andrew started school. I have worked out an arrangement with Kevin and Amy to take their kids to school, pick them up after school and take Andrew to football practice. It brings back memories as Andrew is so excited for football...the other day he had a snack right after we arrived at their place and he had his football pads on at 4:15 and was ready to go. He knew we didn't need to leave the house til 5pm but he wanted to be ready for practice early and was proud to wear them around the house and talk football! He also was registered for a football tournament this past weekend. He was so excited - when I went to their place last Thursday morning he showed me every piece of football attire and shared with me his practice and game schedule all in full detail. It's so nice to see kids so excited!!
Job Search
The job search is on! Two weeks ago I had 4 networking meetings and met with a recruiter. The recruiters name was also Lee Ann and her daughter recently had her gall bladder removed and that is when they found out she has Celiac disease...so we had lots more than a job search to chat about! The others I met were also so helpful in my job search and offered up yet more people to reach out to. One of them invited me in for a formal interview last Wednesday. It went well and she will be scheduling an interview with the CEO the week of the 17th. It's a startup company and incorporates a mix of sales, technology, nutrition and selling to the healthcare market which is all so appealing. It would be a lot of work, but I really think I would be happy with this type of adventure. Of course, I'm not putting all eggs in one basket. I met with another recruiter last Thursday and attended a lunch and presentation by Mike Wagner regarding 'Branding'. He has a very interesting story and used to be a pastor for years and decided to move into the business world. For those of you interested he has a great TEDx presentation (I enjoy a lot of the TEDx presentations):
Alarmed!!
I was awoken last Wednesday to the smoke detectors going off at 5:45am! No smoke in the place and still not sure if it was the batteries or humidity that set them off. The problem I realized is that the ceilings are a few inches taller than my old house so I had nothing to stand on to unplug the smoke detectors. They went off after a brief time, but off course it felt like 5 minutes of the loud unpleasant noise in the early am! It must have taken me about 30 minutes for my heart to get back to regular beats!!
Volunteering
Last Wednesday and Friday I volunteered for Meals from the Heartland. What an amazing process they have in place. It was neat to see so many people of all ages volunteering to help. In the 2 hour shift I was there on Wednesday, all volunteers had packaged a total of around 200,000 meals to help feed the starving! Friday's group was a bit more talkative. The ladies were part of a Bible Study group and this was the first volunteer event they had completed together.
To learn more about Meals from the Heartland click here: http://mealsfromtheheartland.org/news/
To learn more about Meals from the Heartland click here: http://mealsfromtheheartland.org/news/
Yoga class
The complex I live in offers free yoga and pilates once a week. For those of you who didn't know, I started yoga while at VersionOne. They had an instructor who came to the office over lunch hour and it was silly to pass that opportunity up. I'm not good at it, but it is good for me;) So, I went to yoga class last Wednesday night. The instructor was good (although she could have used a size or two larger in the yoga top - I believe may have been what attracted one of the men to join the class)!
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