Cara's Broken Arm

This photo of Cara and her friend, Charli, was taken the day that Cara broke her arm ice skating at Andy's Lake.  Charli's mom, Julie took the photo while the girls were outside.

Yes, Cara's arm is broken.  The doctor at first thought that the arm was just sprained because you cannot see the break on the x-ray.  She was supposed to wear the arm brace for a week and then come back to see the doctor.  The next week the doctor said that the arm must be broke because on the x-ray you could see new calcium deposits and the x-ray didn't look the same as the week before.  Then Cara was told to wear the brace another two weeks and come back.  Last Friday, she went back to the doctor for another x-ray.  This is her last week to wear the brace and then she is to not do anything physical (like basketball) for two weeks.  She is still allowed to swim, which is good because she is in the middle of winter swimming lessons right now.

She still complains that the right arm hurts about 2-3 inches above the wrist.  We just hope that the arm heals properly because this is her dominant hand.  Oh the joys of children!

Take care,
Michelle

Catholic Schools Week

This week is Catholic Schools Week!  The week started off with a soup/sandwich luncheon after masses on Sunday.  Yesterday the students and staff attended a prayer service at church in the morning and then followed up with a Living Rosary over in the high school gym.  Throughout the week, the students and staff will listen to various speakers talk about their faith or their experiences spreading the Gospel to others.

I feel blessed that my children have the opportunity to attend a faith based school.  They have the opportunity to express their faith every day while at school.  They also have the opportunity to unite with other students through prayer daily at school.

Take care,
Michelle

Bring Isaac Home

Back in November I started asking for prayers for this young man, Isaac.  He was making a tackle in a high school football game and severely injured his spinal cord.  As a result, Isaac is paralyzed.  He spent a few weeks in the hospital and had surgery on his C6 & C7 vertebrae.  He has been wearing a neck brace for weeks to help him recover.  As you can see, his neck brace came off a few weeks ago and he is making great progress.  Following is a link to a recent story published about Isaac http://m.omaha.com/om/pm_116533/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=rznH9aCK

Isaac is set to come home to Norfolk next week from his stay in a rehabilitation clinic.  His family's home is being renovated to accommodate Isaac and his wheel chair.  An addition is being added to the house, doorways are being widened and an elevator is being installed to help Isaac made a smooth transition home. 

The senior class parents are planning a huge benefit next Sunday for Isaac and his family.  They are going to have a pancake feed and a silent auction to help the family with expenses.

I ask that you please continue to pray for Isaac.  His road to recovery is long and hard.  On a good note, he is starting to feel a tingling in his legs.

Take care,
Michelle

How To Miss A Childhood

One of the radio stations in town was talking about how parents today are not hands-on when raising their children.  Our society today revolves around our cell phones.  Our children see us constantly attached to our phones. 

Please read the following article on this blog: http://www.handsfreemama.com/2012/05/07/how-to-miss-a-childhood/

This article talks about leading a hands free life when around your children.  This article is awesome and very eye-opening to many people.

I am not a big cell phone person.  In fact, all I have is a tracfone where I purchase minutes based on my usage.  Usually 100 minutes lasts me 90 days or more.  I do not use my cell phone.  I think it is a distraction.  If someone wants to talk to me,  he/she may call our home phone and talk.  I despise talking on the phone while driving because it takes my eyes off the road and that is how many traffic accidents occur.  If you have been in an accident recently, it asks on the accident report if a person involved in the accident was using their cell phone while driving.

Every child is precious and truly a gift from God and they deserve our full attention while growing up.  We are their example in life.

Take care,
Michelle

Justin's Indoor Camp Out

 About a week ago Justin asked me if he could this princess pop-up tent out of the store room to play with.  I thought at the time he was going to set it up downstairs in the basement where there is room for this tent.  Oh no, Justin hauled the tent up to his room and put it in the middle of his bedroom.

 Then he proceeded to play in the tent for the rest of the night.  Around bedtime, he asked if he could sleep in the tent.  Keith and I told him that he needed to sleep in his bed because he had school the next day.  But, we added that he could sleep in the tent over the weekend.  Friday night Justin put a sleeping bag, his pillows and his dreamlite in the tent and went to bed.  He slept in the tent Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.  He thinks it is so cool!

Justin does not even care that the tent has princesses all over the front and the one side.  He just wanted a tent to play in and sleep in.  We have probably warped him for life, but this is what happens when you are the only boy with three older sisters.

Take care,
Michelle

Hostess Ho-Ho Substitute

How many of you moaned and groaned when you heard that Hostess snack cakes would cease to exist because the company was going shut?  Many people rushed out to their local Hostess Outlet Stores and bought up the remaining product on the shelves.  I did not rush out to buy some Twinkies or Ho-Ho's, but I did think about life without these sweet treats.  I couldn't imagine these treats not being on store shelves to enjoy every once in awhile.

A few weeks ago Keith started asking me to make these Ho-Ho bars.  They are not hard to make.  They just take time to complete each layer.  Following is the recipe for these bars that taste pretty close to the real thing.

Cake Layer Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 T. cocoa

Cook these ingredients together and then cool.

Beat in:
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sour milk
1 teas. soda

Pour into a greased and floured 15x10 jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

White Cream Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teas. vanilla
1 cup Crisco shortening
1 T. water
1/4 teas. salt
1 cup powder sugar

Beat for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Spread on the cooled cake.

Chocolate Sauce Topping Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
6 T. margarine
6 T. milk

Bring ingredients to a boil and then boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips.  Beat until thickened and put on your cake.  This sauce does harden pretty quick.

Take care,
Michelle

Cheeseburger Soup

Last week I started following a few new blogs and one of them happens to be a cooking blog called chef-in-training.  She has some great recipes.  While on her blog the other day, I came across this recipe for Cheeseburger Soup from therecipecritic.com. 

This recipe was easy to make and tasted so delicious.  Whenever I say that we are having a new recipe for supper I get quite a few moans and groans and the saying "I don't like that".  But after tasting it, I had quite a few that loved it.

The recipe is as follows:

1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teas. dried basil
1 teas. dried parsley flakes
4 T. butter, divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups peeled & diced potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Velveeta cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teas. pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

1.Brown ground beef in 3-quart saucepan.  Drain and set aside
2.In the same saucepan add 1 T butter, onion, carrots and celery.  Saute until tender.
3.Add the broth, potatoes and beef and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes until potatoes are tender.
4.In a small skillet melt 3 T butter and add the flour.  Cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly.  Add to the soup and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.
5.Stir in the cheese, milk and pepper.  Cook and stir until cheese melts.  Remove from heat and blend in sour cream.



Take care,
Michelle

Proofs of the kids

Over Christmas break, I had the kids do a photography session with Donna at Digital Dreams.  I grew up babysitting for Donna's three boys and a few years ago she opened up her own photography studio out of her home after working years for another photographer.  She did a marvelous job considering that my kids were acting a little wacky after awhile.  The longer the session went on the wackier they got.  This afternoon she posted a few sneak peak photos on her blog.

Click on the link to view the sneak peak:http://www.ddreamsphoto.com/sessions/leader-kids.

I bought a free photo session and a 20 x 24 canvas wrap at a school fundraiser this fall.  Now after seeing the proofs, we have some tough decisions to make.

Take care,
Michelle

TGIF

Oh my goodness, Thank God It Is Friday!!!  We have been waiting for this day to come around since about Tuesday.  It is our first full week back to school and everyone is tired and we are just not back into our routine.  No one wants to get up in the morning, we have struggled with homework all week, and going to bed on time has been difficult.  We need the weekend to recover and just veg out.

On a good note, Justin has been waiting all week for Friday to arrive.  He is the snack person today.  Plus, it is the mega-Christmas show-and-tell day at preschool.  Each student gets to bring one Christmas gift to show the class.  There are 24 students in the class, so, show-and-tell will take most of the time.

Everyone raise your glass now for a toast, "Here's to the weekend"!

Take care,
Michelle

Scoring Deals!

 

Last Sunday, the girls, Charli and I traveled to Sioux City to return some Christmas gifts that did not fit or the girls did not like.  Before we left I told them that it had to be a quick tip because school resumed the next day.  From Norfolk to Sioux City is about 75 miles, so it takes a little over an hour to get there.  We needed to go to the main mall and then another outdoor mall that is across the street.  

 

First we stopped at Old Navy and Ashlin returned a fleece pullover that she didn't like.  She purchased a new swim suit for swimming lessons that start next week.  Then we went to Gordman's and Cara returned a sweater and tank top that she didn't like.  She purchased a pair of Nike shorts instead. 

 

 Then we were off to Younkers where Cara returned a pair of black boots that were too big.  Next, she was on to Aeropostale to return a hooded sweatshirt that was also too large.  While in Aeropostale she started shopping because they were having a huge clearance sale.  For example, she purchased a black puffy vest that was originally $69.50 for $9.00.  She even asked me if the sign was right on the item.

 She also purchased this t-shirt for $1.80.

Cara then picked out the shirt on the left for $4.50 and the thermal tee on the right for $5.00.  Her total bill was $21 with tax.  She scored some great bargains.  Cara's friend, Charli, also scored some great deals.   As we were leaving the store, Cara looked at me and said, "Aunt Jodee would be so excited about the deals that I just scored in there".  Cara has learned that most of the stuff purchased in our home comes from a sale, purchased with a coupon, or was on clearance.  Why pay full price!

While at the mall, I hit the Victoria Secret's semi annual clearance sale.  Erica spent a few gift cards at Target and bought a new Wii game that she wanted.  We made one final stop at McDonald's for a snack and then it was homeward bound. 

Take care,
Michelle

Ice Skating Gone Bad

Over Christmas break, Cara was invited to go ice skating with her friend, Charli, out at Andy's Lake.  Cara has never been ice skating, but she told Charli that she would give it a try.  Let's just say that Cara fell a few too many times and she would put out her hands to break the fall.  Now Cara is sporting a brace because she has a sprain.  She went to the doctor last Friday and had x-rays taken to make sure that the bone in her arm was not broken.  She goes back to the doctor this Friday to have it x-rayed again and then hopefully the brace will come off.  Cara says that the arm still hurts and is hard to use.  Naturally it would be her right arm since Cara is right-handed. 

Take care,
Michelle

New Year's Eve

 On New Year's Eve, Keith and I went out for a few drinks with Stan and Karen Johnson.  Their children came over to our house to play the night away.  Cara and Erica had Charli and Reilly come over to spend the night.  Plus, a few neighborhood kids stopped over for some New Year's Eve fun; so, our house was full of kids when the clock struck midnight.

 This is a photo of our friends, Stan and Karen Johnson.

This is what happens when you leave your camera at home and Charli and Cara get their hands on my camera.

Take care,
Michelle

Korth Christmas

Last Saturday we went to the farm to celebrate Christmas on the Korth side.  Grandma Korth and Grandpa Bob served a roast beef dinner and then we munched on goodies and junk food during the afternoon. 

My Uncle Randy, Aunt Marilyn and cousin Collin were at the farm also staying because of my Uncle Frank's birthday party the night before.

The cousins exchange gifts and Grandma and Grandpa hand out their gifts.  It was an opening frenzy for a short time and then it was clean-up time.

After unwrapping the presents, it was time to play games.  First we played Family Feud.  One half of the room against the other half of the room.  I was chosen as the game show host.  Since I was the host, there are no photos of the game.  Too bad because there were some really funny moments.  Really I should have videotaping the game!

Next game up was "Spoons" except we had so many people that Grandpa thought it might be dangerous with spoons flying; therefore, when you had four of a kind, you put your finger by your nose.  If you got four-of-a-kind then you earned a letter.  After spelling out the word P-I-G, you got to choose a brown paper bag with a prize inside.  Each brown paper bag was labeled with a clue about its contents.  If you did not want a brown paper bag, you could trade your bag for $5 from Grandpa.

Usually, we all try to guess what is in each bag.  For example, one bag was labeled "breakfast" and inside was a bottle of pancake syrup and a box of pancake mix.  Another bag was labeled, "no dirty dishes" and inside were paper plates, bowls, napkins and cups.

The rest of the day was spent just playing, talking, watching football and eating.  Grandma, Grandpa and I did have a discussion though about plotting out the garden for next summer.  Yes, I know it is early, but we have to decide where everything is going, what we are going to plant, and how much to plant.  Grandpa and I will have to put the chicken wire fence back up to keep out the critters.  Last year I ordered my plants in March and they were delivered the first week in May.

In this photo of my Dad, I realize how much my Dad looks like my Grandpa Korth.  As my father gets older, he looks more and more like his father.  Truly amazing!

Take care,
Michelle

Uncle Frank Turns 65

 Last Saturday night we attended a surprise 65th birthday party for my Uncle Frank.  His wife had told him they were going out to dinner with their son and daughter-in-law to celebrate Bridget's 40th birthday!  When he walked into the party everyone started singing "Happy Birthday" and he still did not realize that the party was for him.  After the song was over, he finally noticed a huge banner hanging up that said "Happy 65th Birthday Frank".  He was totally shocked and surprised.

 Our girls took turns holding Julia throughout the night.  Julia is a very good baby that always has a smile for everyone.

 The family served sub sandwiches, clam chowder, chicken noodle soup and cake to the guests.  Quite a few of my family members were in attendance for the party; so, it was a Korth affair.

 Aunt Betty had hired a DJ for the night so everyone could dance.  Uncle Frank and Aunt Betty danced the first dance.  Aunt Betty had also put together a slide show video of photos of Uncle Frank through the years.  The photos were nice to look at, especially the ones of when he has hair.  My uncle went bald at the age of about 20.  I do not remember him ever having hair!

 This is a group dance of my aunt and uncle with all of their grandchildren that were in attendance.

 Aunt Holly and Jack dancing to a song.

 Ashlin, Aunt Kim and Cara dancing to the "Chicken Dance".

 If you look close you can see Grandma Korth and Grandpa Bob dancing also.  The guy with the green shirt is my Uncle Steve and beside him is Aunt Sherrie.

Uncle Frank's son, Sean, sang a Johnny Cash song for our entertainment.

It was a great party to see and visit with family.

Take care,
Michelle

Sledding with the Johnson Family

 One afternoon Karen Johnson called over to see if the kids wanted to go sledding on a hill by their house.  Ashlin and Justin were all for it.  They bundled up in snow pants, boots, coats, gloves and hats and loaded up a few sleds and headed over to the Johnson house.

 Karen, Sam, Shelby and Tate were already bundled up and heading for the hill down the street from their house when we got there.  The sun was bright, but the cold wasn't too bad.

 Justin had fun until he wiped out going down the hill and face planted in the snow.  Then he had to cry a while and wouldn't go down the hill anymore until Keith climbed on a sled and went down with him.

 Tate is only a little over a year; so, he always got to ride along down with someone else.

 If you look carefully, you can see the little ramp of snow that someone made.  Ashlin would try to get her sled going in just the right spot to hit the bump every time she went down.

Take care,
Michelle

Playing with Cousins

Ashlin holding cousin Julia.

 Last Friday morning we received a phone call from Aunt Holly asking if we could come to the farm and play for the day.  The kids had to get their pictures taken at 1:00 down the road at Donna's house; so, we stopped at the farm after getting pictures done.

 Grandma Korth, Aunt Holly and the girls played a few games of spoons to pass the time.  Grandpa Bob was not home.  He had to run errands in town.

 Justin and Jack played together in the toy closet and one of the bedrooms.  In this photo, Jack's school bus got stuck and Justin and to come help.

Jack, who is 3 years old, calls his cousins his friends.  Justin and Jack had so much fun playing that afternoon.  Jack, Julia and Aunt Holly were at Grandpa and Grandma's house for a few days last week visiting from Minnesota.

Take care,
Michelle