- I wonder how many packets of Sweet & Low I’ve consumed in my lifetime. And if that amount would be enough to kill a rat.
- When I’m running to the beat of a song on my iPod, it is imperative to lead with the left foot. Marching band left a permanent mark on my psyche.
- I absolutely hate being asked to choose a place to go eat. Hate it. Just pick somewhere and I’ll be happy with the menu choices 99% of the time.
- Don’t take me to tai restaurant. Or Indian. Otherwise I think I’m good.
- Sometimes I think a kindle or nook would be a neat gadget to have; then I realize how much I’d miss the smell of a new book in my hands and the opportunity to slap a book-plate with my name on it on the front page. I’ll skip the nook and stick with a book.
- If I had all the hours in the day that I wanted, I’d work on an ambulance, work at the farm, read, take piano lessons, run with a sister, go to an aerobics class, and play a board game with my grandma. And get 9 hours of sleep. Ohhh, and run a fire call.
- I need my sleep. If I don’t get it, watch out.
- I can sleep anywhere with anything going on; family get-togethers, concerts, plane trips, etc. I call it a gift, although sometimes it’s more of an inconvenience.
- Video games confuse me. I’ve never played them and don’t intend to start now. There’s more buttons on those controller-thingys than I can even figure out. I am capable of Wii though, probably because there’s only 3 buttons.
- Speaking of confusion, I’m certain I’ve gotten dumber every year since graduating college. At the rate I’m going, I ought to be ready for kindergarten by the time I hit 40. Does kindergarten still have nap-time?
A List December 31, 2010
Merry Christmas! December 28, 2010
Family and food and board games and card games and presents and stockings and trees and lots of cookies.
Exhaustion!
Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. I can’t get enough pictures of cute little kids and no one loves a good board game more than I do! I also love family time… which is always better with liquor involved. Now that Christmas is over, I’ve uploaded the pictures off my (fancy!) camera and suddenly feel so overwhelmed. I have so many pictures I’d love to share and have zero creative brain juices to add to them.
So, I present to you (some of!) my Christmas pictures. With no attempt at being cutesy or funny. Enjoy!
- The first stretch of Christmas cards we’ve received…
... and the 2nd stretch! With more on the counter to go.
Some presents showed up under the tree for me!
Presents for Emma Rae
A winner-- Elmo
A true girl loves new shoes.
She loves her Uncle Todd.
They both love Todd's new golf clubs. Yay me!
Another winner-- Todd's new 100-ft tape.
Some of Todd's presents from Santa.
Todd & Ky on Christmas Eve
Dalton's happy face.
Mr&Mrs
Zobrist Family Christmas
Steven & Laurel
Zobrists & Schwarzs
Todd loves his manly gifts.
And Laurel loves antique dishes!
Cantata at church service with Mom on the keyboard.
Christmas at Grandma Plocher's
Cousin Love
John & Jenny (love!)
Gus opening a gift.
Gus in present-overdrive.
More cousin love!
Christmas Mayhem
Nephews & Aunt Jackie
Plocher Family Christmas
More presents for John.
And more presents for Gus.
Spoiling nephews is the best!
- Don’t forget toys for big boys.
Christmas weekend was busy and bustling, filled with trips from one family to another and too many hearty home-cooked meals.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Merry Christmas!!!
Blessed Birthday December 24, 2010
- Mom’s homemade pizza with my family.
- DQ ice cream cake… with a top covered in icing delicious-ness.
- Wonderful gifts from wonderful people.
- An awesome top-of-line camera from my hubby, because apparently I complained a lot about my old camera. 🙂
- A new Santa ornament from Grandma… #27 to mark every birthday since my 1st.
- A whole day to say “Because I want to!” and someone that actually lets me get away with it.
- Fancy dinner at the venue of my choice… Popeye’s Chophouse.
And don’t worry friends– the red syrup had no strawberry flavor to it.
That would’ve been one way to ruin a perfectly blessed birthday.
And now… bring on the holidays!!!
Let Yourself Go! December 22, 2010
A small town girl and small town boy met up with some small town friends to hit it big at a casino across the river.
For the girl & boy, this was a maiden voyage to a casino. As with all maiden voyages, there was uncertainty… curiosity… and the chance of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Casinos say “Let Yourself Go!” and you’ll hit it big. Mmmhmmm. Thank you, Stats 100, for giving me a healthy dose of reality to go along with the jackpot promises.
And thank you, Stats 100 professor, for showing me that women should dress appropriately for their age or risk embarrassing themselves. I’m not convinced that she had a clue, but she taught me that lesson.
But back to the casino! After putting up zero fight against the American Obesity Epidemic at the grand buffet (the desserts! the fried goodies! all-you-can-eat!), we rolled ourselves into the casino and fed some cash into the hungry machines.
This is how it went. Mary sits down and gives the machine a dollar, being the true veteran she is. Heather and I are crowded over her shoulder, confused by the lights and the bells and whistles, watching the machine do whatever it’s doing. And that’s it. Within 10 seconds, Mary lost and Heather & I still have no clue what’s happening.
Maybe it’s the dairy farmer in us… confused by flashing lights and high-pitched sounds.
Todd spent his evening playing poker. Interesting… considering he never plays poker.
And he won.
Now he says he’s ready for big-stake poker at the Heinzmann Plantation and I’m gonna have to work on perfecting my poker face. I’m no poker pro, but at least there’s fewer bells & whistles to throw me off so I can usually hold my own.
Joe didn’t win. And by the look of serious attention on his face, I’m thinking maybe he’s trying really hard to beat confusion too.
It’s okay Joe. Just stick to the penny slots with me & Heather.
After 30 minutes and $3 out of my pocket, we headed out of the casino to head into the Piano Bar at Harrah’s to enjoy some entertainment before returning to the slots later.
Would you believe we were VIPs? Apparently Joe’s charm knows no boundaries.
Special (shorter!) line, special (reserved!) booth, special (front row!) positioning.
And special company. Especially since Jackie hates the word “special.”
This was becoming quite the night for me. First time at a casino and first time at a piano bar. Not only was it free, we got VIP status and strong drinks.
A little more of all this and I’d be sure to let myself go.
Jackie submitted a song request: Telephone by Lady GaGa and Beyoncé. We learned an important Piano Bar lesson: $5 will not get your song played. If you hit it big in the casino and have $20 or more to turn-in with your song request, and if they actually know your song, you might have a different end result than we did.
So much for VIP status!
Ladies love (successful) poker players.
And ladies love (charming) VIPs.
My whole family enjoys a good sing-along.
And it’s contagious!
SEEEEEEESTERS.
Let Yourself Go enjoy a gluttonous buffet every now and then.
Let Yourself Go slip $20 into the slot machines (you could win big like Heather!).
Let Yourself Go ahead and belt out that song when you know every lyric– you know you want to!
Just be prepared to lose the bucks you pull out of the wallet. And if you’re confused on the odds of winning, there’s a Stats 100 professor I can line up to teach you.
She knows a lot about statistics even though she dresses like a promiscuous college student.
To You, Baked With Love December 14, 2010
Cookies are to Christmas as staples are to a stapler.
Or trumpets to a band.
Or bullets to a gun.
Or… okay, you’ve got it.
And recipes are to cookies as gas is to a truck.
Hey, I had to go there!
My mom’s recipe book is the same one I remember her always having. The best recipes are easy to find, as those pages are beautifully littered with flattened bits of dough, a dusting of flour, and splatters of flavoring.
On the worst wintery day of the season (thus far), two of my sisters and I rolled into my parents’ house to bust out some Christmas cookies. And considering that roughly 40% of cars travelling the interstate slid/blew off that day, I’m counting my blessings that Julie and Jackie were not among them.
One of the winning picks for Cookie Day: Peanut Butter Blossoms, pre-bake and pre-blossom. Anything with chocolate and peanut butter is a winner to me!
Chocolate is to peanut butter as cheese is to wine, afterall.
Spritz cookies are always a winner too. These dainty cookies are small enough to consider eating five or six before counting them as “1”. And they’re fun to make because they take a certain finesse– which I have, by the way.
They make me thankful I do not keep a food journal. All those little cookies would be a bugger to keep track of!
An easy treat: Rolos slightly melted on top of pretzels and topped with a Pierron Pecan.
Should anyone be interested, I have a yard full of Pierron Pecans that just need someone to dig through the snow, find them, and pick them up. And they can be all yours!
Just watch out for the mean neighbor dog– she’ll blend into the snow and be smaller than your shoe and you won’t even know she’s there ’til she gets ya!
At which point she’ll run terrified back to her yard. Gotta love Roxy!
Always a favorite: monster cookies. A recipe that calls for butter and sugar by the pound, mixed up with a dozen eggs.
With M&Ms tossed in for festive color.
I don’t know of anyone who keeps a food journal. Particularly through the holidays, who wants to count pounds of butter and sugar?
Food journals are to the holidays as hurricanes are to vacations.
Napleon cremes are a staple for us at Christmastime. This layered candy is all things rich and decadent, so one tiny square will satisfy a sweet tooth.
Then again, since they’re so tiny, might as well have 2!
And you should definitely have 2 if you missed a bunch of the top chocolate layer of the first one.
What better way to share Christmas love than with delicious, homemade cookies!
I sure hope no one got me a food journal.
Baby It’s Cold Outside December 13, 2010
It’s official.
Officially cold.
A cut through me, freeze my nostril hairs, make my fingers and toes ache kind of cold.
On my drive to church yesterday morning, it wasn’t so much the slickness of the road or depth of the snow that made it a difficult trip. It was the 30 mph winds blowing so much snow through the air that I couldn’t actually see the roads.
No matter how hot or cold or rainy or windy it is, the heifers on the farm still need to eat! Long johns, fleece hats, and thick gloves make it pretty tolerable for us to be outside. I was surprised to see so much snow inside our sheds!
The wind was so ferocious that a lot of snow falling outside got blown full-force into the sheds. No solace here.
It’s human nature to feel sorry for these snow-covered ladies. But don’t be fooled! Cattle are not humans and don’t have the same ideal temperatures as we do. The ideal outdoor temperature for cattle is -5 to 18 degrees Celsius, which translates to 23 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit. That means that while we fed in 20 degree weather and I snapped this picture, our lovely Holstein ladies were still pretty comfortable. And when I’m outdoors loving the 80 degree weather, our heifers are a bit on the warm side– which is when we help make them comfortable with shade, fans, and sprinklers.
We do take some extra precautions when the thermometer dips below freezing. The heifer pens are kept extra dry with plenty of straw, we ensure the heaters in their waterers are working to prevent freezing, and make sure they’re eating plenty of grain and hay to make up for any extra calories they burn throughout the day keeping themselves comfortable.
Don’t feel bad for this poor guy either! He runs around enjoying the snow so much there’s no opportunity for him to get chilly. But like any farm dog, we make sure he’s got warm places to go during the brief periods of time that he’s not keeping himself warm with physical activity.
So as the winds whip across open fields, carrying clouds of snow and painfully cold wind chills, there’s no doubt in my mind that winter is here. I’m reassured that the heifers are comfortable regardless of my own complaints about the cold weather.
And there’s no doubt Max is happy between running sprints through the snow drifts, playing in the hay, and his naps inside the warm house.
My nephew Gus gives Max a big hug to share even more warmth, with love on top of it!
And Max gives warmth and love back to Gus.
We could all use a little warmth and love, ’cause Baby, it’s cold outside!
What I Can’t Live Without During The Holidays December 4, 2010
- A real Christmas tree. Might as well start with the obvious!
- Wrapping paper with a grid on the backside. Gift wrappers rejoice!!!
- Stressing out over the perfect Christmas card, complete with Christmas stamps of course.
- Favorite cookies: meringue, double chocolate, Napoleon cremes, and sugar cookies in the shapes of snowmen and stars.
- Excuses to go shopping again and again and again!
- The excitement of a pretty card in the mailbox amidst bills and junk.
- My favorite Yankee scent that’s hard as hell to find: Christmas Eve.
- Finding the perfect gift for everyone in my life.
- Surprising Todd with a gift that he never expected, which is sure to light up his eyes like a 4-year-old seeing Santa.
- Speaking of Todd, lets put Egg Nog on the list for his sake. I’ve never tried the stuff, but I’ve bought so many gallons that I’m expecting a gift from them in the mail any day.
- Putting up decorations that get to stay put for a whole month: my nativity from my godmother, the tree skirt from my mom, me & Todd’s stockings from our childhood, and an awesome tree. Awesome real tree.
- Checking the advent calendar at Mom’s just in case she decides to fill it with candy like she always used to.
- Flat-faced naps on the floor after a huge meal at Grandma’s house. People have no problem stepping over me.
- Did I mention wrapping paper with a grid? Seriously, I just can’t do without it anymore.
- Family Time! Which is even better with little kids to spoil.
Yep, I’m getting just a little excited about Christmastime.
Don’t Fake It December 3, 2010
That’s just my opinion though.
Most people I know have been busy putting up their fake Christmas tree to start their holiday decorating. I’m a believer in everyone having their own preferences, but I just can’t do a fake tree!
I’m sure most of the reason I insist on a real tree is because we always had a real one growing up. We were told that Santa brought us our tree each year; we’d come home from a shopping trip with Mom and there, in the middle of the living room, would be our family Christmas tree! It never seemed odd to us that Dad was always sitting in his recliner in the same room because at that age, magic is so much better than logistics.
The other reason I insist on a real tree is because they smell like “Christmas.” When I walk into the house and smell a fragrant pine, I automatically think of love, family, and the excitement of Christmas.
“Why do we have to cut down a perfectly good tree every year?”
Because I said so. Honey. Dearest!
I figure that since I am quite indecisive about most things, the fact that I really do care about having a real tree for Christmas means that I get my way. At least, that’s how it makes sense in my head.
While having a real tree is of utmost importance to me, trudging through a forest of them to pick out the one in cold temperatures isn’t so much my thing. Each year we go to the Optimist Tree Forest in the Walmart parking lot and every year we’ve had great luck. I enjoy supporting the Highland Optimists, being loaded in about 10 minutes, and being hit on by old men.
So maybe not the last part. Although it does get pretty amusing.
Todd takes the duties of trimming anything off the top and bottom for the perfect fit, and attempts to get the tree stand positioned so the tree actually stands up.
I get to take care of the rest of it.
“Why do we have to cut down a perfectly good tree every year?”
Because I’m the one who decorates the darn thing. So shut up! Honey.
Whoops, I forgot to give credit where credit is due… he also had the job of putting on the tree topper.
Nice work, Honey!
The end result! Our tree is theme-less, but perfectly “us.” I have lots of Santa ornaments because each year for my birthday, Grandma would make my birthday cake and put a Santa ornament on top for me to keep. We also have a good assortment of patriotic, fire department, and Illini ornaments.
And the Discovery channel is on TV to entertain Todd while he keeps me company. Something about machine guns and Secret Service and bullets that can pierce body armor.
How does it look, Honey?
“I just don’t know why you have to cut down a perfectly good tree each year.”
My mom is so talented, I feel like an incompetent twit in comparison. Every year of my childhood, she would make me and my 3 sisters dresses. As in, she would buy material and sew 4 dresses. Every year. Then a couple of years ago, she made me this tree skirt using material from some of my Christmas dresses in the past. Beautiful!
Beautiful lights, beautiful ornaments, beautiful presents.
“Why do we have to cut down a perfectly good tree every year?”
And the wonderful aroma of a Frasier fir tree!
There’s presents for Todd under the tree that he hasn’t even realized. If there was a present under the tree that I didn’t recognize, I’d be looking for a nametag and shaking and wondering.
Honey, why aren’t you interested in the gifts under the tree for you???
“Why do we have to cut down a perfectly good tree every year?”
Fine. Don’t answer me. But I’m still going to shake my presents.
I’m a self-proclaimed greeting card junkie. The ladies at the Hallmark store in town know my name and even notice when I get my hair cut. So, I love getting Christmas cards from friends and family and can’t stand the thought of putting them in a pile. Every year we hang them from a strand using mini clothespins that I’ve super-glued a snowflake onto. This year, the cards are going up above our kitchen cabinets. Rest assured that yours will be displayed too!
Finally, a picture to convey another exciting part of the Christmas season.
Illini Basketball!
Fun, meaningful ornaments on a beautiful, fragrant, meaningful tree.
“Why do we have to cut down a perfectly good tree every year?”
For all those reasons, Honey!
The Pleasant Farm 
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