Today our realtor called and said that two different sets of people with two different realtors wanted to go through the house tonight to make sure they got there before the April 30th cut off date for the $8000 or $6500 tax credit.
They both went through it and one lady brought her daughter back to it again. The daughter said her mother's furniture was too big for the house.
The second realtor turned out to be Lana & Philip's crazy neighbor, Debbie. Not sure how she ever got a realtor's license, and it is really kinda scary knowing that she was in the house. She said her client had some concern about the septic system.
Anyway, both situations turned out to be nothing...
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Surprise Visit!
Several weeks ago, we had planned with Mark's mom and dad that they were coming out April 23-25. As time got closer, we thought it would be great fun to have Clint come with them to surprise Luke. Then I thought since it was a just a few days that it would be fun to have Cole come too. After all, he's FIVE and that is a big boy! :)
So, they arrived on Friday night. The boys were already asleep in bed because Luke had a soccer game on Saturday morning.
Luke said when he woke up, he heard Grandpa talking and then he heard Reed say something, and another voice answered. He told me, "I thought--who's that? Then my eyes popped wide open and I knew it was CLINT!"
It was a lot of fun to have the boys here with Grandpa and Grandma. Luke's team won the soccer game--2-0 and he made both goals. When they got back home, Grandma made thin omelets, with bacon and little smokies. YUM!
The boys played DS and Wii and Qf7 (just made that one up). Then we went to Culvers, where we had burgers, but were careful to save room for ice cream. Cole got the biggest chicken fingers he'd ever seen. I got a turtle sundae that rivaled Randy's Custard in the Ozarks.
It was a good day...
Then, on Sunday, our niece, Julie and her husband, Jarin, were planning on coming up to spent the day with us.
Mark had decided to make both baked oatmeal and egg casserole and we could have one or both for breakfast. We were mostly ready, when suddenly, the front door burst open and there was JAMES saying, "DONUTS ANYONE?" He was carrying a bag of Lerch's Donuts boxes!
At first, it just didn't compute. I thought, why is he picking up the boys now? Then Susan, Abby and Quinn walked in. Jim, Karen, Jana, and Jason were right behind them. They had all gotten up in the wee hours of the dawn to come out and surprise us for the day! (It is about three hour drive and they arrived about 8 am.)
We had a great time in a full Tippy house until time to leave for church. It was great to have almost the whole family here. Lynn preached in the morning and Grandpa, as visitor, preached in the afternoon when Sunday school was out.
James and Suz, Jana, Julie and Jarin had plans they had to get back for right after church, but the rest of us went to B. Antonio's for pizza.
Here are a few photos I snapped Sunday morning:
Grandma and Grandpa
Playing a little Wii baseball with cousins!
A Wee -- oops, Wii observer
The Donut Man, his lovely wife, Susan, and youngest donut-eater, Quinn
The Princess Abigail von Chirps
Oh, wow, Grandma has candy and fruit snacks!
Quinn with his treasures, Luke with his.
Jim and Karen--what a good-looking couple!
Jana and Jason (We're their biggest fans)
So, they arrived on Friday night. The boys were already asleep in bed because Luke had a soccer game on Saturday morning.
Luke said when he woke up, he heard Grandpa talking and then he heard Reed say something, and another voice answered. He told me, "I thought--who's that? Then my eyes popped wide open and I knew it was CLINT!"
It was a lot of fun to have the boys here with Grandpa and Grandma. Luke's team won the soccer game--2-0 and he made both goals. When they got back home, Grandma made thin omelets, with bacon and little smokies. YUM!
The boys played DS and Wii and Qf7 (just made that one up). Then we went to Culvers, where we had burgers, but were careful to save room for ice cream. Cole got the biggest chicken fingers he'd ever seen. I got a turtle sundae that rivaled Randy's Custard in the Ozarks.
It was a good day...
Then, on Sunday, our niece, Julie and her husband, Jarin, were planning on coming up to spent the day with us.
Mark had decided to make both baked oatmeal and egg casserole and we could have one or both for breakfast. We were mostly ready, when suddenly, the front door burst open and there was JAMES saying, "DONUTS ANYONE?" He was carrying a bag of Lerch's Donuts boxes!
At first, it just didn't compute. I thought, why is he picking up the boys now? Then Susan, Abby and Quinn walked in. Jim, Karen, Jana, and Jason were right behind them. They had all gotten up in the wee hours of the dawn to come out and surprise us for the day! (It is about three hour drive and they arrived about 8 am.)
We had a great time in a full Tippy house until time to leave for church. It was great to have almost the whole family here. Lynn preached in the morning and Grandpa, as visitor, preached in the afternoon when Sunday school was out.
James and Suz, Jana, Julie and Jarin had plans they had to get back for right after church, but the rest of us went to B. Antonio's for pizza.
Here are a few photos I snapped Sunday morning:
Grandma and Grandpa
Playing a little Wii baseball with cousins!
A Wee -- oops, Wii observer
The Donut Man, his lovely wife, Susan, and youngest donut-eater, Quinn
The Princess Abigail von Chirps
Oh, wow, Grandma has candy and fruit snacks!
Quinn with his treasures, Luke with his.
Jim and Karen--what a good-looking couple!
Jana and Jason (We're their biggest fans)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Bon Appetit!
As part of our homeschooling, we are doing a year of geography, studying maps and "traveling" from one country to another. At the end of each country unit, we make a meal of that country's dishes.
We just finished traveling in several European countries and chose to make a French meal because the French are known for their "haute cuisine." (You homeschooling students reading this--go look that up, it's your vocabulary word for the day!)
French meals typically go in this order:
Hors D'oeuvres (appetizers)--translates into "out of works," the works being the main course.
Fish or Soup Course--followed by a small dish of lemon or lime sorbet to cleanse the palate and refresh the senses.
Main Course--elaborate meat or poultry dish often with vegetable garnish
Salad Course--simple greens tossed with vinaigrette to cleanse the palate and aid digestion.
Cheese Plate--the French eat more cheese than anyone else in the world. Often served on a wooden board with assorted cut fruit. This signals the end of a family-style meal.
Sweet Dessert Course--Special occasions call for a treat. French desserts are indulgent, rich, and so beautifully decorated. Usually served with coffee.
Here are some pictures of the foods we made as well as the recipes we used.
Hors D'oeuvres by Reed--saltines with a layer of strawberry jelly, then peanut butter piped on with a cake decorator, (Reed enjoyed that part!)then a dusting of powdered sugar. Pretty fancy--and yum. Go ahead--try it yourself!
After Hors D'oeuvres, we served Roasted Cauliflower Soup:
2 lbs cauliflower florets
1 c. chopped white onions
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T. olive oil
1/4 t. ground black pepper
2 c. chicken stock
1 2/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 t. salt
Toss cauliflower, onions, garlic together in a roasting pan. Drizzle with oil, season with pepper, and toss lightly to coat. Roast uncovered for 25-35 min, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden brown.
Place all in large saucepan with the stock and bring to a simmer for 5 min. Add the cream and salt, and heat through. Puree the soup in batches in the blender. Serve hot.
(We liked it, however, next time, we won't make the soup--we'll just do the roasting part and eat the vegetables. We snitched after they were cooked and liked them better that way!)
The Main Course which was Andouille and Potato Crepes. Andouille is a type of sausage, but we just used Bob Evans. However, we did make the crepes. I am not going to post the recipe though, because we didn't follow it too closely. I needed to modify it to get the crepes to turn out. Here is the tasty filling:
2 c. cooked crumbled sausage
2 c. cubed baked potatoes
1 c. sauteed chopped onions
We made a simple green salad garnished with boiled egg and shredded cheddar.
Then we served sliced mozzarella cheese with a few sips of wine. Love those fancy wine glasses?!
This, of course, was a special occasion, so we served Gateau Truffe which is Truffle Cake. Mmmmm...we'll be making this again!
9 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
9 oz sugar
9 oz butter
6 eggs (separate whites and yolks)
Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool.
Whisk egg yolks with sugar, and then gently stir in chocolate. Beat egg whites until firm and "snowy." Gently stir into the batter.
Pour 2/3 of batter into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for 40 min. Put remaining batter in fridge--it's going to make the truffle cream (frosting)!!
Let cake cool off and then remove from pan. Very carefully, cut the cake into two disks (lengthwise).
Whisk the remaining batter to give it a little volume and air. Gently spread half of batter "cream" on one disk. Cover with other disk. Spread the rest of the batter on the top. Put in fridge for at least 3 hours. Voila! The best moistest chocolatey-est cake in the world!
(We didn't slice the cake in two disks. We flipped it out of the pan upside down and frosted the top and sides.)
We just finished traveling in several European countries and chose to make a French meal because the French are known for their "haute cuisine." (You homeschooling students reading this--go look that up, it's your vocabulary word for the day!)
French meals typically go in this order:
Hors D'oeuvres (appetizers)--translates into "out of works," the works being the main course.
Fish or Soup Course--followed by a small dish of lemon or lime sorbet to cleanse the palate and refresh the senses.
Main Course--elaborate meat or poultry dish often with vegetable garnish
Salad Course--simple greens tossed with vinaigrette to cleanse the palate and aid digestion.
Cheese Plate--the French eat more cheese than anyone else in the world. Often served on a wooden board with assorted cut fruit. This signals the end of a family-style meal.
Sweet Dessert Course--Special occasions call for a treat. French desserts are indulgent, rich, and so beautifully decorated. Usually served with coffee.
Here are some pictures of the foods we made as well as the recipes we used.
Hors D'oeuvres by Reed--saltines with a layer of strawberry jelly, then peanut butter piped on with a cake decorator, (Reed enjoyed that part!)then a dusting of powdered sugar. Pretty fancy--and yum. Go ahead--try it yourself!
After Hors D'oeuvres, we served Roasted Cauliflower Soup:
2 lbs cauliflower florets
1 c. chopped white onions
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T. olive oil
1/4 t. ground black pepper
2 c. chicken stock
1 2/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 t. salt
Toss cauliflower, onions, garlic together in a roasting pan. Drizzle with oil, season with pepper, and toss lightly to coat. Roast uncovered for 25-35 min, stirring occasionally, until they turn golden brown.
Place all in large saucepan with the stock and bring to a simmer for 5 min. Add the cream and salt, and heat through. Puree the soup in batches in the blender. Serve hot.
(We liked it, however, next time, we won't make the soup--we'll just do the roasting part and eat the vegetables. We snitched after they were cooked and liked them better that way!)
The Main Course which was Andouille and Potato Crepes. Andouille is a type of sausage, but we just used Bob Evans. However, we did make the crepes. I am not going to post the recipe though, because we didn't follow it too closely. I needed to modify it to get the crepes to turn out. Here is the tasty filling:
2 c. cooked crumbled sausage
2 c. cubed baked potatoes
1 c. sauteed chopped onions
We made a simple green salad garnished with boiled egg and shredded cheddar.
Then we served sliced mozzarella cheese with a few sips of wine. Love those fancy wine glasses?!
This, of course, was a special occasion, so we served Gateau Truffe which is Truffle Cake. Mmmmm...we'll be making this again!
9 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
9 oz sugar
9 oz butter
6 eggs (separate whites and yolks)
Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler. Remove from heat and let cool.
Whisk egg yolks with sugar, and then gently stir in chocolate. Beat egg whites until firm and "snowy." Gently stir into the batter.
Pour 2/3 of batter into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 for 40 min. Put remaining batter in fridge--it's going to make the truffle cream (frosting)!!
Let cake cool off and then remove from pan. Very carefully, cut the cake into two disks (lengthwise).
Whisk the remaining batter to give it a little volume and air. Gently spread half of batter "cream" on one disk. Cover with other disk. Spread the rest of the batter on the top. Put in fridge for at least 3 hours. Voila! The best moistest chocolatey-est cake in the world!
(We didn't slice the cake in two disks. We flipped it out of the pan upside down and frosted the top and sides.)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Funnies
This from a homeschool blog:
“A professor at the University of Pennsylvania was known for giving boring, cliché-ridden lectures. At the beginning of one semester, an innovative class breathed new life into the course by assigning baseball plays to each hackneyed phrase.
For example, when the professor said, "On the other hand," that counted as a base hit. "By the same token" was a strike out; "and so on" counted as a stolen base.
Divided into two teams by the center aisle of the lecture hall, the students played inning after inning of silent but vigorous baseball.
On the last day of class, the impossible happened: the score was tied and bases were loaded. Then the batter hit a home run. The winning team stood and cheered wildly.
Though deeply appreciative, the professor later was quoted as wondering why only half of the students had been enthusiastic about his lectures!”
****************************************************************
This ad has appeared on the front of the little newspaper that comes free to our area:
We will be having a tent sale/bake sale
for Sharon Graber with health problems
and discounts throughout the store.
********************************************************
Luke's new jokes comes from The Boy's Book (a birthday gift from Uncle David and Aunt Larisa):
What is black and white, black and white, and black and white?
A penguin in a revolving door.
What do you call a ship that lies at the bottom of the ocean floor and twitches?
A nervous wreck.
“A professor at the University of Pennsylvania was known for giving boring, cliché-ridden lectures. At the beginning of one semester, an innovative class breathed new life into the course by assigning baseball plays to each hackneyed phrase.
For example, when the professor said, "On the other hand," that counted as a base hit. "By the same token" was a strike out; "and so on" counted as a stolen base.
Divided into two teams by the center aisle of the lecture hall, the students played inning after inning of silent but vigorous baseball.
On the last day of class, the impossible happened: the score was tied and bases were loaded. Then the batter hit a home run. The winning team stood and cheered wildly.
Though deeply appreciative, the professor later was quoted as wondering why only half of the students had been enthusiastic about his lectures!”
****************************************************************
This ad has appeared on the front of the little newspaper that comes free to our area:
We will be having a tent sale/bake sale
for Sharon Graber with health problems
and discounts throughout the store.
********************************************************
Luke's new jokes comes from The Boy's Book (a birthday gift from Uncle David and Aunt Larisa):
What is black and white, black and white, and black and white?
A penguin in a revolving door.
What do you call a ship that lies at the bottom of the ocean floor and twitches?
A nervous wreck.
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Spiffy Tippy
Upon arriving at the Tippy, at least one person has commented that they thought it was an older house. I suppose that might be because of all the adventures they've heard about it, so I thought it might be good to post some updated pictures.
Our beautiful stove...the GW2009 model (that's Georgia-Waldbeser 2009). It deserves special mention and a picture of its own. :)
The sunroom still doesn't have heat or air, but it has been a lifesaver. It provides another room for overflow stuff and possibly a place for kids to sleep when we have overnight guests.
A glorious sunset in our backyard.
Our beautiful stove...the GW2009 model (that's Georgia-Waldbeser 2009). It deserves special mention and a picture of its own. :)
The sunroom still doesn't have heat or air, but it has been a lifesaver. It provides another room for overflow stuff and possibly a place for kids to sleep when we have overnight guests.
A glorious sunset in our backyard.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Looking for a House with Carbuncles
We got an email from Ana, our realtor in GA. She said they are going to be painting in the house today. She's been getting calls from people and now other realtors, and is considering doing an Open House. She is also considering dropping the price some. She and her assistant have put some furniture in the house to stage it.
Lana called and asked if we wanted lights on or off. We had asked Philip and Lana to turn lights on sometimes to make it seem like people were there. She said the realtors keep turning them off. I guess its probably good if one is turning the lights on and the other turning them off...!
The other day, I was reading in Isaiah and read in the 54th chapter:
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
What a comfort to know that nothing can separate us from His loving care. The Lord is our Realtor. We shall not want...
(to move until He says to.)
Lana called and asked if we wanted lights on or off. We had asked Philip and Lana to turn lights on sometimes to make it seem like people were there. She said the realtors keep turning them off. I guess its probably good if one is turning the lights on and the other turning them off...!
The other day, I was reading in Isaiah and read in the 54th chapter:
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
What a comfort to know that nothing can separate us from His loving care. The Lord is our Realtor. We shall not want...
(to move until He says to.)
Easter and the Pottawatomi Inn
Well, Mark says that he's found something else that I am willing to get up early for...Easter Sunrise Service. (Add that to leaving on vacation and garage sales)
The Sunrise Service was at 7:00 am at the Fellowship Center. It was moving to hear the songs and stories as the sun rose and shone all golden through the eastern windows. One of my favorite authors described herself as having a musical crying personality--so do I. So every time they began a beautiful song, my tears started up and I got a big lump in my throat. Sometimes I wish I could just sit there like everyone else and enjoy it, but I am wiping my eyes and trying not to weep.
After the Sunrise Service, we had breakfast in the church lunchroom and then morning service. Then we came back home, had a short nap and headed up to Pokagon State Park, which was about 45 minutes away. Luke commented that vacation was supposed to be far away, that it was too close! Our kids have been used to 11 hours drives...
The Pottawatomi Inn was really nice with an indoor pool, library, lounges, and hiking trails. It was also just a few minutes from an outlet mall which the girls and I visited while the boys and Daddy hiked. We stayed until Tuesday noon, and it was a nice mix of relaxing by ourselves, playing games with others at the retreat, and swimming at the pool.
Monday night, we ate at Los Limas, a Mexican restaurant in town, that had a big room in back where we could all sit together. Some of the people we were with were Bruce & Heather , Dustin & Mandy , Shane & Stephanie , John & Patsy , Roger & Sue , and Jeff & Margo.
Today it is pouring rain, just buckets, but we are cozy in the Tippy. A nice hot cup of coffee, an Anne of Green Gables tape playing... Rachel is working on a nine piece quilt, Miranda is reading The Other Mr. Darcy (a sequel ?! to Pride and Prejudice written recently).
The boys haven't noticed that it is raining...Luke's Nintendo DS came in the mail today. He had been saving and saving and wouldn't you know, he had a birthday...it was time to go shopping! He had been on ebay looking and researching the best deal, so last week, he hit the Buy It Now button and bought a black used one. however, he told me with eyes shining that it looks brand new without even any scratches! It was a screaming deal.
This DS came with a price besides the money though...Luke has promised that however long he plays it, he will read that many minutes that day. 1 hour of DS = 1 hour of reading. He did ask me if that applies to Ocean Isle when he and Clint are together, and I said no, not then. :)
We did find a used game shop and also the library has DS games we can check out. I wonder if there are any educational games??
The Sunrise Service was at 7:00 am at the Fellowship Center. It was moving to hear the songs and stories as the sun rose and shone all golden through the eastern windows. One of my favorite authors described herself as having a musical crying personality--so do I. So every time they began a beautiful song, my tears started up and I got a big lump in my throat. Sometimes I wish I could just sit there like everyone else and enjoy it, but I am wiping my eyes and trying not to weep.
After the Sunrise Service, we had breakfast in the church lunchroom and then morning service. Then we came back home, had a short nap and headed up to Pokagon State Park, which was about 45 minutes away. Luke commented that vacation was supposed to be far away, that it was too close! Our kids have been used to 11 hours drives...
The Pottawatomi Inn was really nice with an indoor pool, library, lounges, and hiking trails. It was also just a few minutes from an outlet mall which the girls and I visited while the boys and Daddy hiked. We stayed until Tuesday noon, and it was a nice mix of relaxing by ourselves, playing games with others at the retreat, and swimming at the pool.
Monday night, we ate at Los Limas, a Mexican restaurant in town, that had a big room in back where we could all sit together. Some of the people we were with were Bruce & Heather , Dustin & Mandy , Shane & Stephanie , John & Patsy , Roger & Sue , and Jeff & Margo.
Today it is pouring rain, just buckets, but we are cozy in the Tippy. A nice hot cup of coffee, an Anne of Green Gables tape playing... Rachel is working on a nine piece quilt, Miranda is reading The Other Mr. Darcy (a sequel ?! to Pride and Prejudice written recently).
The boys haven't noticed that it is raining...Luke's Nintendo DS came in the mail today. He had been saving and saving and wouldn't you know, he had a birthday...it was time to go shopping! He had been on ebay looking and researching the best deal, so last week, he hit the Buy It Now button and bought a black used one. however, he told me with eyes shining that it looks brand new without even any scratches! It was a screaming deal.
This DS came with a price besides the money though...Luke has promised that however long he plays it, he will read that many minutes that day. 1 hour of DS = 1 hour of reading. He did ask me if that applies to Ocean Isle when he and Clint are together, and I said no, not then. :)
We did find a used game shop and also the library has DS games we can check out. I wonder if there are any educational games??
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Good Friday
Several years ago, I read an article about an Easter tradition that I thought was very special. On Good Friday, we read the account in the Bible and then with our homemade set, we place Jesus in the tomb, roll the stone in front, and place the soldiers on either side...there they will stay until the glorious Easter morn! When they were little, the children would wake up so excited to see the tomb empty, the stone rolled away!
"And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre." (Mark 15:46)
"And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre." (Mark 15:46)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
It's nice to be close to our cousins!
Uncle James and Aunt Susan and their kids were here over night. We had a ton of fun with them! (It was great to have you guys here!) Here are some of the pictures that we snapped this weekend.
That's a lot of Maibach boys!
Clint and Luke had a great time playing with Clint's DS, kickball, euchre and with the big machete the boys found in the garage when we moved here. Hmmm, doesn't every boy need a machete?
Rachel and Abby had fun coloring giant princess pictures and Abby drew some really neat pictures for our bulletin board!
The Boys in Red!
Quinn the Skunky drinking chocolate ice cream...!
It was good to be able just to hang out and have fun once again!
That's a lot of Maibach boys!
Clint and Luke had a great time playing with Clint's DS, kickball, euchre and with the big machete the boys found in the garage when we moved here. Hmmm, doesn't every boy need a machete?
Rachel and Abby had fun coloring giant princess pictures and Abby drew some really neat pictures for our bulletin board!
The Boys in Red!
Quinn the Skunky drinking chocolate ice cream...!
It was good to be able just to hang out and have fun once again!
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