ok so I know I said I was done, but you should all know I am never really done talking...this is for Nikki & Bryan (why don't I just tell them in person you ask? because I have ADD and I will never remember my thought by morning) ok......I was relooking at the pictures of the house and I have a small suggestion...take it or leave it :- )....when I look at the front porch you only have one chair, as a person looking for a house that does not appeal to me, it makes me thinking of being lonely, BUT if there were two seats somehow, then the person can imaging sitting with someone on their nice new "porch" chatting with a friend or snuggling with a significant other enjoying the outdoors. Again, not saying it will be the make or break a deal obviously, but as a person who goes off their gut instinct and emotions on things that small change would trigger a more positive emotion towards the house for some :- ) k, now I'm really going, hehe!

Kaitlyn Elizabeth Klusman

Here are a couple pictures of my new little "niece" and her big sister. She was born Monday night, 3 weeks early, and as of today is 5 lbs 3oz and 18 1/2 in long. She is a tiny little thing!! My cousin Lori is doing great, she had such an extremely rough pregnancy, and in fact today is out at the race track for the Deerie Brothers Night. Aunt Linda and Grandma Marcia have the kids since Lisa went with her (so add 1 yr old Savannah), so to help out I picked Payton up and took her with me to Sherry and Dales for dinner. She really likes helping Uncle Dale "do the dishes".
Not much else new going on here, working on the house and working is about it. Sorry we can't make it to Kansas City this weekend with the rest of you, we have a lot of work to get done, plus we promised Payton we'd go with her to the Dogwood Parade, and my best friend from high school and her husband and little boy will be in town from Chicago. I haven't seen them in like 6 months, so it will be a busy weekend!! OH, but Aunt Chrissy, I guess I had not mentioned to Lori about your new salon, I did last Tuesday and she is already trying to figure out when the soonest we can make a trip over is so I will have to let you know if you don't mind us girls coming over for a weekend!
Next weekend we are headed to Taylorville for Keegan's soccer game, so I will post some pics once we get back! Which reminds me mom, he does have a soccer game the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend as well, just an fyi, don't know all what the plans are that weekend or anything, but just thought I'd let you know in case you wanted, but I may have a lot of work for you to help out around the house that weekend too.....lol.
Well, I haven't been feeling up to par today so I am going to go on up to bed and relax and get a good nights rest...counting the days until Friday...OH! but one other thing before I go that I am kinda excited about...yesterday one of the supervisors in my department gave me a "special project", and I get to have one of the newbies (one of the ladies who just started a couple months ago) sit with me for an hour a day each morning. She is struggling and they think sitting with me might help :- ) It doesn't really mean much other then looking good if I ever go for a promotion or whatever, but it makes me feel good that they think that highly of me, out of all the various people in our department. Still waiting on additional help on the finding a pharmacy program though mom......the lady from John Wood has never responded.....ok well now I really am going to go, this is getting long!!!
all my luv to all, good night!!

Move over Hannah Montana!

Cool! I've never even heard of a Bumbo but wish it'd been invented sooner. I like your website Benj- you are very talented. Bryan & Nikki- the house looks great!

From Iowa- Kenzie made her singing debut at Redeemer Idol yesterday. She said she was nervous but never even considered not doing it. She got right up on stage and sang beautifully, loud and clear. It was soooo impressive and I, of course, did my usual part by crying. We have it on dvd (the singing, not the crying) but I'm not sure if I can get it on here. I will for sure bring it to KC. She got rave reviews by the judges and lots of attention afterwards, even a few emails!

We got to hang out with Lynn & Mike this weekend at the Simpson baseball reunion. All is well in Topeka, although she has been a bit crazy getting her new job & stores up and running. Things are starting to get better. I told her about the blog & she is going to send me Danny & Rosemary's email, so we can invite them on.

Think that is it. Can't wait til Friday!

Bumbo

We got Ty a Bumbo and he loves it. I think he looks funny sitting up like he's 6 months older than he is. It's nice because he is always tired of lying on his back all day, and in the Bumbo he can sit up without us propping him.

Ty's had severe acid reflux and for a few days wouldn't eat anything, but we're finally starting to get it under control with some medication. I feel bad for the poor little guy, I hate it whenever I get heartburn because it hurts.

New things going on here? We love watching Ty grow. He is starting to get more interested in toys. Ash is going back to work on Friday for five weeks. That'll make me a stay-at-home daddy for those five weeks. (Technically, I am at home all day every day, but I work).

Feel free to check out our family blog. Ash keeps it updated with tons of Tyler pics as well as what's going on regularly.

Succession of improvements... Open House tomorrow...

Well we're having another open house tomorrow... we're hopeful that we'll atleast get a nibble. We have been working hard on continuing improvements on the home. Last weekend Bryan and Dale resurfaced the front patio, which has made a dramatic difference. We're both actually going to be sad and miss this little house once we move. It's beginning to look very cute and homey.

I'm going to attach successive photos....

5th at State!

PHOTOS: By Brady Held

Well, we have now survived our first State Tumbling meet. We learned alot about our girl- her tenacity, grace and sportsmanship. We arrived Saturday morning to Vets Auditorium in Des Moines. It's a large auditorium where concerts and state touneys are held. Her eyes were wide as she walked in and saw the crowd and size. First up was tramp- an event she is very strong in. I could only walk her to the door & she was on her own with a couple of teammates but literally could not smile any wider if she tried. Her pass was beautiful however her nervousness caused her to lose track & she did one skill twice. Unfortunately, her score stopped there (mid-way). She knew immediately and sat down & hugged her knees while my heart broke. But not for long as within a few minutes her teammate was terminated and in tears. Kenzie was immediately more concerned for Kelly's tears- patting her and reassuring her they would be back next year. The afternoon was the double mini and the flip dismount which has caused her so much trouble this year. Again, she was just pleased as punch just to be there and all smiles as she was called. Pass 1 was strong & pass 2 was even better but alas she just could not get up the nerve to flip off on pass 3. She reassured us she was OK and seemed to be. We talked about doing her very best and trying, even if she needed spotted. As long as she felt she did her best, we couldn't be prouder. So Sunday dawned & it was the day for floor- a tough event. Again, she surprised us with a sunny attitude and determination. She astounded us with two strong passes- much better than we had seen her do this event ever. She was rewarded with 5th place and she was tickled pink. She was even more thrilled when an older teammate became a 3X state champ as well as one of the 6 year olds on her team. While she won't be going to nationals (her dream), she gained a great deal of experience & is already planning her summer at the gym.

Now that this is through, she is concentrating on singing her solo this Sunday at 4pm at Redeemer Idol. She practiced yesterday with her pianist and "miked up." She shocked her Sunday School teacher who couldn't help but peek in to watch. The pianist just happened to have a beautiful arrangement of America the Beautiful written for her age. I was a bit nervous as the piano does not follow the melody but she nailed it. To sing, she will be front & center on the altar. She is a bit nervous but very excited.

Brady has started Little League practices and cannot WAIT for May.

Hey Jules- cute boy :).

See ya!

hi everyone! sorry it's taken me a while to get around to actually posting something. i've been reading! but the wireless internet at my apt. can be a bit dodgy, so i don't always have a connection for very long. i'll make this one longish and include pictures to make up for it. anyways, things are good in the STL. i've been at my new job now for about three weeks. it's a nice little law firm. very quiet and very laid back, so that's good. the attorneys have lives and interests outside of work, so they aren't crazy about time/billing/working 80 hours a week. it's nice, and i like having a regular schedule again. and not working in frontenac anymore is great. of course, it's hard to keep me entertained for eight hours a day, so i get a little bored sometimes, but all in all it's a good place to be for a while. until i decide to get another degree. i haven't done much on the theatre front lately, but that may start up again. i want to take some more fun classes, too, this summer. dance and choir are up there, but i'd like to take Spanish and guitar lessons also. and about a billion other things. i'm working through a training thing to do a 10-K. i'd like to do a marathon eventually, but i'm baby-stepping it. oh, i'm a newly converted pliates fan, too! my gym has classes, and my teacher is great. it's really good exercise, but way tougher than i thought it was going to be. let's see....well, i went to pigeon forge, tn. this past weekend, land of dollywood and smoky mountains and lots of fried food. my boyfriend, kevin, is playing with an irish group called glen road there during the month of april. so he was a very nice boyfriend and flew me there to visit, and i got to hang out in the park for free. it's a really nice area. we drove around the mountains for a while before he had to play on Sunday, and that was beautiful. dollywood is a little crazy, and the whole area is bred for tourists, but it was fun. they had a couple good roller coasters and some neat shows. it's a fun place to visit. but i will be glad when april is over and he comes back. aw..... i'll put a couple pictures up for your enjoyment. that's it for now, guys. now that i've been on once though, i promise to be back soon.

These are the Great Smoky Mountains!
Pretty! and Smoky!! and Great!!!















And for my mom, this is Kevin. He can't make a straight face in a picture, we discovered, and he's wearing a peasant shirt coz he's on break at dollywood, but you get the general idea.

Carolyn, when you get the op Julie and Eric need re-invited to the blog.

lost

Hi all,

Carolyn, I posted a blog yesterday, it is in the draft folder. How do I get it out to send it?

Thanks for your help! Happy Tuesday everyone!

Spring in Utah...maybe

Well it may be another false alarm, but after a cold WINDY weekend, we had a beautiful day. Lots of trees in bloom and the grass on the hillside up the canyon where I walk is starting to green up. I saw a red-tailed hawk circling right above my head Sunday. It was breathtaking.  This weekend I raked out flower beds and re-set paving stones. It is so nice to be able to do normal things like that again. My back is great. I have graduated from physical therapy to going to two pretty intense Pilates classes each week. Pilates s a type of exercise that focuses on aligning your bones and strengthening your core body muscles so your body works efficiently and safely. I am sure the year of Pilates I did before my surgery had everything to do with my quick recovery. Hannah told me the other day that she thinks I will be 85 and still walking the dog and doing Pilates. 

Susan, David, Sara, Chris...I am so sorry for your stress and pain. I wish there was something we could do. If there is, please let us know.  Have a wonderful (or at least much better) week everyone. 

Earthquakes! & !

Hi, everyone!

We have not yet (and hopefully won't) experienced any of the quake or aftershocks..Another afterschock this morning at 12 something a.m. Something woke me but I could not say it was the quake unless it was a rumble - thought it was far off thunder so I guess the answer is "no, we have not felt it. It's not the New Madrid fault which we definitely would have felt but the Wabash one. Right now, it's the water that is the problem. The Mississippi is high but it seems to be the other rivers right now. Up north and farther south there are problems which I'm sure you have heard about. Don't know the level here but the levees have all been worked on.
I just read my last blog and can't believe the spelling (and I was bragging on that!)
Your Dad just came in from the Dr.'s to get his blood work done. Hope they didn't "break " it again. This happened once before and it was explained as to how this happens.
Am waiting for Susan to let us know when David's MRI is scheduled and then the result. Guess the wake-up call I had Sunday morning was to prepare since there was no time said. It really woke me up - said "Go to Jonesboro". Got up and told your Dad about it - he just looked at me and shook his head. So I'm preparing as best I can.
Jon and Emilee, how is the new house working out? Are you seeing some empty spaces now?
Bet the boys are growing like the dandelions are and Kimber is trying to get around on her own.
Ben and Ashlie, has life settled into a routine yet with Tyler a prominent member of the family now?
David, thanks for the recipes. I really like the one in the Square Meal cookbook. It makes a beautiful dish!
Hannah, keep slugging away. Remember Puholz' wife told him last year to put his feet closer together when he bats and he did.
Carolyn, all is going well with you healthwise and workwise?
Almost out of room according to the little gage on the side. So all the rest of you keep on "truckin" and stay healthy and thankful to God for all that all of us have - He loves you and so do we. Grandma & Grandmpa

Reading, but Busy

I too have been reading the posts, but have been busy planning training sessions. May I just say, Leslie, I could never do your job... Spent the weekend with Kenzie at the UST (United States Tumbling) State competition. She did so awesome. I could never have performed in front of all those people! Kenz, congrats you did great and I had fun watching! After the competition yesterday, I bribed the Held children to come over and pick up sticks and help with yard work Chris & Tony, I have lots and lots of wood for your camp fires! I also think that the kids have figured out if they want money they just need to check with me to see if I have anything they can do and yes I probably pay them way more than it's worth, but I'd rather pay them and have it done then take the whole weekend to do it myself. Tonight, I'm going out to play at Landscaping. I'm going to seperate some English rose bushes and some other kind of flower that I can't remember what Leslie said it was, but grows fast... Also, have to clean out weeds from my Iris'. The first batch of Rubarb should be ready anytime now. Not that I eat that stuff, but I know it's Grandpa's favorite. Got people coming in from corporate this week, so it'll be a busy week around here. To answer Les, my ribs no longer hurt, but I have been so busy and will be so busy with work that I don't know if I'll be able to do much TKD this session. We have a tournament the first weekend in May and I would like to compete in the sparring, but I'm not sure I'll be ready.

Short Weekend

Well...as you can see I did not get this done by Sunday. We had a very busy day off, starting with church, breakfast and then shopping for things for the salon's mini remod. We found some great pots to put out front, maybe a loveseat, and a couple of plants. Lots to go yet....however Tony and I had promised each other we would do yard work for a good part of the day, so home we went. We did have to stop to go get parts for the mower, right before that Tony was opening the storm door in the back and the glass broke, not to worry said I remember that new door I was wanting :-) So will at Home Depot for mower parts we were going to pick up the door. It was not there. Mom and Dad do you remember where it was I saw that old fashion screen door? You were with us when I saw it. So back to the yardwork until we were both so exhausted we had to quit. We did make a dent (although small).

As far as the rest of our week it was pretty uneventful. I did talk to Julie Friday. She was flying to Nashville Saturday for a long weekend (through Monday evening) to see Kevin. Her plans were to take in Dollywood which is where Kevin is playing while he was working. Apparently he is not much for rides. We will have to work on that!

Hannah it is such fun to read your stories about ball. I to wish I could be there to watch.

It seems the grandchildren have a nack for telling stories. I love to read Jessi's too.

and I do read almost daily, just not much to post.

We are trying to arrange so we can go see Kenzie sing next weekend. All depends on the week.

Tony starts vacation next week and the to do list continues to grow. We definately need a dumpster for our basement too. :-)

Everyone have a blessed week, you are all daily in my thoughts and prayers.

We're reading too!!

Sorry it's been awhile since I posted, but Leslie you are right I do make sure to take the time to at least read what's going on about every other night. It's been a busy last couple weeks!! When I'm not busy worrying about my brother-in-law and dad..(it's really hard to be so far away when things happen!!) We have been busy working around the house...we have a 15 yd dumpster right now, which is big!! and is already over half full. With what you ask? With just the junk from the basement that the woman we bought the house from left. We had tons of old wood boards torn from somewhere, styrofoam, old insulation, an old aluminum garage door, old light fixtures, and tons of old broken/rotted windows!! Rocky has been working a lot of overtime lately so hasn't had alot of spare time, but helped alot yesterday on the "dumpsterizing". Not that I don't work quite a bit myself, but this week he did me in with 22 hours, having to be at work at 5 am mon-sun. Today I got up and went to church while he was at work, then we headed over to grandmas for lunch, came home so rocky could take a quick nap while i cleaned and reorganized the kitchen cabinets, then had to go help lisa and jr move, then back home so rocky could work on cleaning the garage and i could finish the kitchen and now it is 8 pm, i am tired, waiting for dinner to be delivered (i had orig planned on cooking but am just not in the mood now so gem city is on the way, yum yum!) rocky just walked through and is giving me a hard time for "slacking on the job" i still have to finish wiping down the countertops and cleaning the kitchen floor :- P oh, before i forgot if anyone knows where we can find a cheap queen size mattress let us know! our spare bedroom has my old sleigh bed still set up, but we moved the mattress/box spring into our bedroom as its the only one we have! over the next 2 months rocky and i will be doing a lot of minor remodeling (new flooring, paint) and a lot of interior decorating if anyone ever gets the urge to come to quincy or come over and lend a hand...lol. well i better get the kitchen finished before the food arrives so i can head straight to bed after..
good night everyone, love you all!!

We're Here, Too!

Wow! It's been a fast week in our household. Seems like either Dale or I have had "extra" commitments to keep us really hopping!! Dale spent the week putting the school's computer lab back togethr after "The Great Flood," and I spent extra time playing principal and working with curriculum reps purchasing new material for next year---I spent much of the time reminding them that we had had a flood and money was tight--they kept reminding me that they weren't Noah!!! All in all everything worked out well, the extra "problems' that always occur for principals were solved and my department teachers did a grand job of ordering and bartering for needed materials.

Dale and I spent most of the day in separate activities, although we started out together. Our Primary Choir sang for early service, Dale played, I directed. The kids did a marvelous job and they received a great many compliments. They're a great bunch to work with!! We'll sing one more time on Wednesday and then, we're finished for the year. Dale spent the day at Nikki and Bryan's helping pour a new front porch. It looks great. This week's project will be to build a "birdhouse' that will cover the electric meter by the door--the kids are working on their "curb appeal" right now. They've scheduled another open house next Sunday. I spent the day having dinner at Mom and Dad's..she tried out a new recipe, baked chicken, dressing and mixed vegetable casserole...mmmmmm, it was good. I thought she had enough for an army but, the five of us (Jessica and Rocky) put a huge dent in it! I spent the afternoon in my classroom trying to get ahead so that I could get behind on Thursday and Friday when we go to Minneapolis for a teachers conference--this time Dale is also attending as an "official" member of the staff!

I am enjoying the blog--it's nice to see the pictures and read about what everyone is doing!
Hannah--wish I could see you play. You've seemed to have inherited some of the Misselhorn sports ability that your Grandma and her brothers and sisters had!

Mackenzie--congratulations for making state...that's quite an accomplishment. I know an awfully lot of third graders who tumble, but none of them do it as well as you. I'm proud of you!!

Sara--hope Chris is getting better. I cringe when I hear about his accident. He definetly had a 'guardian angel' with him. It must be difficult for you to try to take care of him, go to school, and help Mom with Dad. Grandma says your back at work, too. Uncle Dale and I are so proud of "our little girl" and all that she has managed to do!!!

Susan--I hope things will be better for you soon. Please let us know if you need ANYTHING!!!

Chris--looking forward to seeing you the first of May. It's been too long since we've been to KC!

David--will try your bean recipe--sound delicious. Loking forward to seeing you soon, too.

Julie--how is the new job?

Utah--how are the babies/kids?

Well, I have grades to post. Everyone have a great week! We love you all!!!!

BBQ recipes

As you can see, the feast was a feast.  Two kinds of ribs, jamaican jerk chicken, baked beans, poppy seed slaw, fresh green beans and a berry pie.  This is one of my favorite b'ed bean recipe; it's simple, fast and tasty.

1/2 cup diced onions

1 32 ounce can; 1 16 ounce can of Bush's Country Style Baked Beans

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup bbq sauce 

3 strips bacon (diced)

1 T dijon mustard

1 T worstershire sauce

2 T black pepper (smoked if you have it, regular will work if you don't)

2T red pepper flakes (for those who prefer their food with a kick)

2 diced chipolte chiles in adobo sauce (for those who might like it even spicier)

Couple drops of liquid smoke

Mix everything into an oven proof dish.  Cook for 30 -45 minutes at 325.  Let sit for 10 minutes (no one likes to scald their mouth!!!!!).

hey hey we're on.

It has finally worked! Someone must have waved a magic wand. It has been some weel fpr Susan and Sara, David and Chris.
We are at a loss as to how to get there real quick. Talked to her today and she sounded some better - time off from work helps a lot.
Kenzie, we are very proud of you for making it to State! It's a big deal to be able to do that.
I still remember placing third in the County Spelling Contest! So heads up, Granddaughter, you did us all proud.
Hannah, you deserve lots of congratulations, too, on a terrific job. Wish we could be everywhere to cheer everyone on. Nice going.
Dad forgot his blood test yesterday but he can do it Monday. It's a follow-up on the kidney problem Dr. is keeping an eye on. He's doing fine. he says. My blood work came out great!
We did no;t feel the earthquake even though I was awake. Thought your Dad had fallen out of his chair after it broke so got up and then could not get back to sleep. It was a brilliant moonlit night - I had to look out since I thought it was almost time to get it back from the way the windows were lit up. But then fell asleep again and knew nothing about the quake until the news came on. Dale said it woke him up as well as Rocky. Nikki did not feel it, either. Strange!
Hope I can find this blog again in a few days. Take care and always remember "God loves you and so do we". Grandma

We're Here!

OK-so it's been awhile-we haven't had the best of weeks!
Update on Chris and Sara-
Chris is doing OK. He is still off from work and seeing the doctor almost daily. In addition to scraping most of the skin off of his arms, hands, legs and back he messed up his knee and back. The doctor is saying he should be doing better by next week. In the meantime they are struggling with all of the 'stuff' that comes along with an accident-doctors, bills and lawyers. The guy who pulled out in front of him is the one who got the ticket, so now they have to deal with that. The doctor is telling them he wants paid up front since it does not get billed to his health insurance-Chris's Dad and Stepmom are helping them with all of that since she works for the lawyer.
Meanwhile, David had a fall on Saturday (lucky us! we spent two evenings in a row in the ER).
He has massive bruising on his left arm-in fact it is a funny shade of gray/green from his shoulder to his hand. Both the doctors and I would have sworn it was broken since it had two rather large bumps on it, however xrays show nothing. They said if it is not better next week he will probably need an MRI to see if he tore something. Meanwhile he is in a lot of pain! I am a little worried about him-some weird stuff has been going on. One day he could not say a sentence he wanted to say-the words just would not come out. Then he fell, then he fell out of bed and then he fell again. I don't know if it is just the meds he takes or what. Now they have him on even more painkillers for his arm, so he pretty much sleeps most of the time.
In between all this action at home I had to spend two days working in Memphis at one of the stores there. One day was from 6 a to 8 p and the other from 6 a to 10:30 p. Then Tuesday was my day off-I worked took off and took David to Memphis for his meds check up and then came back and worked till close. Next day back at 5 a followed by a trip to Memphis again for a meeting! I made up a picnic lunch for David every morning so he did not have to leave the bedroom -we figure it our one way or another! Did I say I have been to Memphis four times this week!! We had "visitors" from corporate in the market-then they surprised us by coming to Jonesboro on Wednesday. All in all I am pretty tired and looking forward to my weekend off!!! I promised Sara I would cook some casseroles for them and help her out on Saturday around her house. Hopefully it will be nice so I can mow their yard.
OK-so now you know what I have been doing! I hope you are all having a better week!!
LOVE YOU ALL!

Hello... Hello?

Is anyone out there? Well, besides Hannah, Nikki & I. Bet you are reading though...

So here is the challange- for everyone to check in and post by Sunday night.
C'mon... you can do it!

Things that we would love to know:
How is Christopher?
Updates on the babies
How are our parents?
How did Nikki's interview go?
Are Laurie's ribs better?
How is Julie's new job?
Has Rocky locked up his tools?
David's best recipes
Ahhh.. the list is endless!

Way to go on the hits, Hannah. Sorry you can't hitch a ride home though.

Leslie

One short year...

I swear, we had two games today, and a year passed between the two of them. First, it was cold and windy, then BOOM snowstorm! Five minutes later it starts warming up and getting sunny then, BOOM summer! sunny, warm, the works. Then it starts to get cloudy... and BOOM another snowstorm! On our way home it was snowing and sunny. Yup typical spring in Utah. 

PS I got a sweet base hit that would have made everyone proud, I sent it soaring over first base (fair of course) right to where there was no one standing (The two before me also got base hits, then we were promptly stranded *tear*).

"Oh beautiful for spacious skies..."

Sara- Hope Christopher is doing OK! Nikki- Good luck on the interview!

FYI- Kenzie has decided to enter our church's version of "American Idol" on Sunday afternoon by singing "America, the Beautiful." She is practicing by singing for anyone who will listen so you may get a call asking you to be her "audience" this week!

Love to all!

Oh what a night...

Hello all!

Oh what a night... last night, Sunday, we had a little fiasco with the dog. On Friday we went to TGIF, and apparently this weekend was our get a bunch of free food from managers weekend, and Bryan got his whole steak meal for free because it was well done instead of medium. Well since we had a gift card and had planned on spending $13 for his dinner we decided to get the overly priced dark chocolate cupcakes that are $5 for 2. CRAZY!? LoL Anyways... so I had brought them into the bedroom and put them on my nightstand so that we could have them in a little while. Well... both of us left the room, forgetting the cupcakes were there, well Skye got one of them before Bryan caught her. Know chocolate can be deadly to dogs Bryan became very upset and called the vet's office. The vet called back and I talked to her about it. She said that a cupcake size amount would not be toxic to a dog Skye's size, but being that there was dark chocolate that is more toxic and to be very watchful. I mentioned to her that Skye has a very sensitive bowel, so she highly recommended we induce vomitting.
What an adventure... I think Bryan and I got more hydrogen peroxide on us and the patio than in her mouth. She recommended 3 TBS. of it and shaking her up a little. And try again in 15 minutes... well we went the first 15 with no response other than "let's play!!" So mom tried to shove her finger down her throat...that didn't work. We put my peroxide in her and started patting her back and sides... a little burping... but nothing. (are you waiting for the lovely details? Oh yes... I'm going to tell them....)

So it was cold last night so I just said forget it, if she's going to throw up let her do it inside and I'll clean it up. So apparently as pay back for making her drink the peroxide she was going to make me clean it up. We brought her in and put her in her kennel. Not even 2 minutes later she gave me two big piles to clean up, poor baby didn't get to digest any of her dinner, but the funny part is... while cleaning up, low and behild, darn near a whole cupcake still in the wrapper!? No wonder there weren't any crumbs on the floor. Now that's talent! LoL

So that's the news on the home front here.... we've been house hunting, but really nothing we like. Hopefully something will come on the market soon!

Chris and Sarah you are in our prayers! Thankful that he's ok!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Oh yea.. and I have an interview tomorrow at work to move up into a new position as a Workforce Management Specialist... wish me luck.. I'm sure I'll need it! Heh

Love,

Nikki & Bryan

A fine spring day in Iowa

Saturday morning scene from the Held family deck. Can you believe it? Brrrr.... Opening ceremonies for Little League are canceled. Grab those robes and slippers!




Kenzie & Brady are up early & decide to find a recipe in her recipe book. They carefully lay out the ingredients & utensils for "birds in a nest." Then "COME ON MOM, WE WANNA COOK!" They make breakfast as mom supervises the stove. Mmmm...


Kenzie makes our very own spring flowers to enjoy.





... Life is good, isn't it?

Accident

Just wanted to let you all know Chris was involved in a motorcycle accident Friday evening. He is doing OK-truly blessed young man-but will be hurting for awhile. Luckily they did not have to keep him in the hospital, especially since he crashed near Paragould and ended up in the ER there. It is a small town about 20 miles NW of J-boro and let's just say the medical facilities are not the best. The ambulance said since they did not know the extent of his injuries at the time that was where they had to take him since it was closest. At the same time they had a bad wreck with fatality and other injuries so we were there until after 11 pm last night.
The good news was he had on a helmet and motorcycle jacket, so was really lucky. His bones must be made out of rubber because he only ended up with some really nasty abrasions over a very large part of his body. I am sure this morning he will be hurting! His brand new bike however (from what we were told) was not so lucky.
Someone pulled out in front of him on the highway and he was going a "bit" fast-locked up the brakes and skidded. He went one way and his bike went the other. Again-he is very blessed to end up with only abrasions!
Keep him and Sara in your prayers! We will take good care of them both!
Love ya!

Catching Up

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since I have posted but I have been keeping up with you all!
We really enjoyed having Mom and Dad here last weekend-we had a nice visit and I know Sara loved having them here to help celebrate her birthday! We spent part of the day on Saturday trying once again to locate Jeremiah and Roxie's grave in Philadelphia Cemetary. It is in really bad condition with lots of missing and broken headstones so we never did locate them. There is a James Midget in the newer section so I really think it may be the right place. It is just a shame that all of the records from the funeral home are no longer in existance so we could locate the correct plot. We also visited Dad's fav store here-Peterson's-it is a local "outlet" store with tons of stuff, we always find something to buy while we are there
Laurie and Leslie, I am sorry if I messed up your garage sale weekend, but it is the only weekend we can make. You all will probably still have snow then anyway :) so you might want to plan another weekend-maybe in July!! (Sorry-I have to rub in how beautiful it is here with the flowers and trees blooming.....)
Hannah-I hope your arm gets better soon! I am sure you hate sitting on the bench! Of course, that also gets you out of any projects your brother and sister in law may have for you on the new house!
As far as your recipes go-I would love to have some David! I don't cook often, but I know you make some awesome food!! I am jealous of everyone getting to enjoy it in May in Quincy-unless you want to come twice and meet us in KC too??
Chris-could you check into some rooms for us in May? I am sure we won't all fit in your place. Let me know what you find!
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Love you all!

Weekend

Happy Friday, everyone. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Hannah, sorry to hear about the elbow. I can understand though, I got kicked in the chest last week at TKD. I've either got broken or brused ribs (not going to the doctor 'cause they can't do anything for either), which means I'm not going to test for my next belt (which I should have been able to do tomorrow). Kinda disappointed, but I'm still on track to test for Black belt next Fall/Winter. No big plans for the weekend in less you count cleaning the bathroom and kitchen big plans. I also need to go through things in my basement and sort out garage sale boxes from other boxes. The girls weekend in KC sounds like fun, but I sort of thought that's when we talked about having a garage sale Les. So, I guess the sale will be later in the month. No zoo this weekend as I had taken the day off for testing. Grandpa, I have a big favor to ask. Would you be willing to refinish the headboard I got from Leslie? David, count me in for Memorial Day weekend. Who else is coming? Jules are you in that weekend?

Bad News From the Trainer

What a rough day, well, there isn't much ball for me this weekend. 

The trainer said I have some tendinitis in my elbow and shoulder of my throwing arm. So I'll be taking it easy this weekend. Should be able to get back for our game on Tuesday though. We don't have practice for the rest of the week so it'll get a nice rest. 

Peace

Hannah

Hey!

Way to go Hannah! I would guess you are having a "ball!" Have your parents invested in those dandy little seat cushions with backs yet for the bleachers?

David, I, for one would love your recipes. I'd prefer you to just come & cook for me but will take what I can get. Glad to hear your pup is doing better.

Big news at our house- the stonework in the basement is DONE and looks awesome! Next is carpet, cabinets, a bar top & bannister. Slowly but surely!!

The kids brought home great report cards yesterday. Brady, who is a math kid (go figure) is flying through his reading levels. Kenzie did well also but is most proud of her "+" in singing voice and melody. She just loves church choir.

Who is going to KC on May 3-4???

Third base VARSITY!

Hannah is way too tired to tell you all this, so as loving mom, I will. She played third base in both the Varsity and JV games today. When I got there for the JV game one of the moms who had been there for varsity told me that she did great, that nothing got by her. Twitch! We are talking third base here. She is much more modest and says that she at least got in front of everything, knocked them down, and made the plays. As you all know, it's her pride and joy to be a frosh on Varsity. Not a bad day at the batter's box either, as you see one photo of her being brushed back and another crushing it down the first base line---just foul, darn it. But she got on and stole a few bases and did us all proud. Grandma, she's waiting for tips from you. Anything you have offered to Albert P., she is willing to try. 

I'm with Uncle David, how am I supposed to remember another password? I have like 5 different ones I have to remember everyday at work alone!! Oh well, guess I'll just have to reset it every time it logs me out....lol.

Just wanted to say a quick hi to everyone!! Nothing new to share from our house right now, hopefully we'll have some exciting news in the next couple weeks. Ha, not sure what that would be, but I don't like my life to get to dull!! Work has been crazy though, getting further into the merger with BCBS of Oklahoma so lots of new challenges to overcome and new insurance policies to learn. Fun, fun :- P

Happy Belated Birthday to a beautiful young woman. I still have a hard time believing that you are all grown up!!
You and Chris are always in my thoughts and prayers. You are always welcome to visit KC and stay with us too!!!!!!
Love you,
Aunt Chrisssie and Uncle Tony

Ode to Sara

Sara is twenty. How could this be?
For it was only yesterday, that she turned three.
Her life is full with classes and a job.
Not to mention a house to take care of.
And a husband as well, who takes some care.
This girl has taken on, more than her share!
So, we hope your day was restful and fun,
and today the rest of your life has begun.

Happy birthday + 2 days!!

Happy Birthday Sara!

Birthday wishes from the land of, "It can't be snowing again!" where, yes, it is snowing again. We were so surprised to wake up to snowfall at the cabin Sunday morning, and again in town this morning. Bart has recovered from his surgery remarkably well. The doctor said they got the whole tumor with a narrow, clean margin. Wide, clean margin is better, but this is a positive sign. Hope you all have a great week.

Hey Everyone!

Hello from Iowa, the land of perpetual cold weather. Although today was wonderful , our nice days are few and far between. Kenz & I spent the day in the metropolis of Marshalltown. Hooray! She finally did her flip off the double mini! (She had learned this skill earlier in the year but had been freezing up for the past 2 months in her meets, even though she could do it in the gym.) I think the $5 bribe from her dad helped. Wish her luck at State in 2 weeks. She is working really hard!

Baseball practice has begun & Brady is an Oriole this year. We will get a feature of him in soon.

Glad to see you found your way on, David. I am sure that you are invited to help Chrissy decorate in May. You can pour the wine :). Wait, is wine in our budget, Tony?

Hey, Susan! Gonna go see Speed Racer? Brady can't figure out why I'm more pumped than he is!

Well, it's time for bed for this little mouse. Goodnight Mom, Dad, Sherry, Dale, Laurie, Bryan, Nikki, Chris, Tony, Eric, Monica, Julie, David, Carolyn, Hannah, Jon, Emilee, Patch, Sammy, Kimber, Benj, Ashlee, Tyler, Susan, David, Jess, Rocky, Keegan, Sara, Christopher and John Boy. Love you all!

Here's our girl!

Kenz catches some air...

... and takes first...

all "dolled" up with Felicity.

Thanks Auntie Carolyn,

Uncle David & Hannah!

so where has the brother child been?

i've been locked out due to my inability to remember yet another password.  honest  to goodness, how many can i be expected to recall in my life?  now it looks as if i can submit....we shall see.........

i have to admit to a couple things here:  

1)  it's tragic to never be invited to join my sisters at their get-togethers.  oh, well.......

2)  but on a stranger note,  imagine my shock at opening a package from monte yesterday to find he sent us a cookbook from the very last restaurant we visited on our trip to the nation's capital (soon, finger's crossed, to be the new home address for barak or hillary).  how could he know that?  are we being stalked?  how in the world could he know that?  that's just weird, don't you think?

oh well.  on the good news front:  hannah got her grades in the mail.  she -- just like her dad -- or, maybe more like her mom, is on the headmaster's list once again (all a's).  whoa.  i'm not really sure, but i don't recall ever getting straight a's.  i might be wrong.

one thing i have been asked is to post favorite/new recipes.  what think you(s)?  would that be tacky or presumptious?  

and one more thing:  i gotta know who's going to be @ mom and dad's for memorial weekend?  i need to plan the menu(s) and order the food.   yummmmmmmm...........

and yes, i know, i know.  there is a cap button on my computer.  i just don't like it.

sincerely:  the brother

Try again!

Don and Margaret, I sent you another invitation to the blog. Hope this lets you sign up again.