Tis the Season!

I guess I am not the only one with BBD (Big Butt Disease) as this photo demonstrates, Santa has it too and even got stuck in the chimney!

The CES2010 is a big hit with its multi-functional uses - salad/chip bowl, hat, drum set to name a few!

It was great that family could come from far (Wash DC and Oxford) and near (Indy) to enjoy family time in Chicago. Thanks to the Buffalo Grove and LaGrange hosts for great food and many laughs!

Christmas with the Fishers!

What a nice time we had with the Fishers! The grandchildren are now bigger than Grandma and Grandpa! The cousins had lots of laughs, whether it was giving Aunt Kathy a makeover, or crashing helicopters together. Good times. Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Hard to believe that this little girl is just finishing her college mid-sophomore year finals! Sarah will arrive in Indiana tomorrow, and after a quick jaunt to St. Louis we will have our girl home, carefree and jubilant for the holidays!

Also joining us this week are the Fishers of Memphis!

While the appearance of these cherubs has changed just a bit since this 1996 shot, the expressions captured are still the same! It will be great to be together again. Many laughs are shared as memories are continuing to be made!

We hope that the birth of Jesus be at the center of your celebrations this week and that His blessings be with you throughout 2011!

It's December!

With the blustery weather outside, and the snowflakes falling, I had to don my "Winter Barn Chore Uniform" before heading out this morning. Since I was home alone, except all the beasts, I had to laugh out loud to myself when I caught my reflection in the mirror. Since you may need a good laugh on this first day of December, I decided to share the image! (It's the HAT htat makes the picture, though!)

Enjoy the season!

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day brings family together, whether in person or through technology. Here we see Miss Evie on Skype singing her ABC's from Washington, DC all the way to Indiana!

A lovely meal was shared with loved ones!

This yummy birthday special was in honor of Grandpa Charlie and Karen's upcoming birthdays. What is it you ask? A Spumplellow! A spice cake with a pumpkin pie in the center on top of an apple pie in a yellow cake! Success! Read about it in a news paper article and couldn't resist giving it a try.

The newest nephew in the family, Blaise, carries a birthday gift to Karen. What a cutie, and we are so glad they were able to make the trip to visit Indiana!

Who Knew?

It's hard to believe that it was more than twelve years ago that in between chasing wild Eric around and watching Peyton Manning in his rookie season, we were making selections for our brand new home, thinking that each decision had to last FoREveR!! Who knew forever would arrive in what seems to be A BLINK OF AN EYE?!

As time marched on, Sarah's horse-themed little girls room was transformed into a delightful young lady's room, and the cowboy-themed bedspreads in Eric's room were replaced with masculine solids. When we moved from our heavily wallpapered late '60's home, we thought wallpaper would never again appear on our walls, but here it is warmly welcoming our visitors through the back hall - and never did I think PEACOCKS would grace my walls; not by choice, anyway! To top off the change, I decided that with the amount of time I spend in my laundry room, it might as well be nice and comfty for ME ! It's amazing how a little update can make such a BIG difference!

I guess the moral of the story is two-fold. 1. Enjoy each day to its fullest, as time really does pass in an instant. 2. Never say never because you just might find a moment when change really does feel good!

Dessert Nite...YUM!

While browsing in a kitchen supply store earlier, I was motivated to try a special cake creation. Okay, it may not look exactly like the commercial photo that was my inspiration, but next time....watch out - it will be perfect. Today's version was an experiment, so each layer implemented a different technique. Based on the final result, I now know which technique worked the best! Regardless of the woozy checkerboard, it tasted great! Best of all, it was shared with friends, who can all agree on one thing.....never a dull meal at this house!! It was great having you over Adam and Drew!

I hope all of you see something this week that inspires you to try something new!

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood...

As Mr. Rogers always sang -"It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood!" That's what we had this weekend: Zionsville wins Friday night, Purdue wins Saturday, Pig Roast fun Saturday night (thanks to the Clarks!), Colts win Sunday - and the annual Blessing of the Hunt was Sunday in all the glorious fall colors.

With E and K at the Colts game, I couldn't resist grabbing my camera and heading out to our neighborhood to document its fall beauty. Hope you are enjoying your fall, and love your neighborhood as well!

Best Friends

Hot Shot LOVED his kids...Little Sarah seen here circa 1991.

And Big Sarah seen here! (1999)

Sarah came up with the name Millenium when we were lucky enough to find this sweet dog at the Humane Society. She definitely rules the the roost!

Then along came Mr. Wild n Crazy....Speckles, the dog love of Eric's life. Those two were a pair with which to be reckoned!!

Leopold is a truly loyal dog who knows his job - making sure his people are all okay!

Over the years we have been blessed with countless hours of joy with our four legged friends. Currently Millie (Millenium) and Leo (Leopold) protect our turf, but Speckles was Eric's soul-mate, and Hot Shot was an awesome "starter" pet for Kevie.

The Season is Off to a Great Start!

If only we could have this weather ALL the time (except a few night time rain showers would be nice to green up the grass)! A great holiday weekend was enjoyed, spending time with loved ones, family, and friends. The only thing that could have made the weekend just a bit more enjoyable would have been a Boilermaker victory in South Bend. We did get to see Zionsville win both Friday night and Monday night. Eric saw some playing time too, and our dear friends, The Mandels, were on hand to cheer.

Wishing Michael a Happy Birthday, and everyone else a great week!

It's School Time!

This is Eric heading out the door for the start of his Junior year! Football is in full swing, as is the homework. We are looking forward to starting the college search process for this young man. With his diverse set of interests, we are thinking this could be fun!

After her return from digging, Sarah has been busy working and getting herself organized for her Sophomore year at Tufts. She has even been practicing her JAV! She is beyond thrilled to be getting back to Boston, and her friends.

Between the high school JV and Varsity games, the Boilermakers, and the Colts all demanding our presence, our fall already seems action packed. We will be cheering the various teams on to victory and look forward to being with family and friends. Go Boilers!

The Desperate Housewives of Boone County

Desperate for attention, and dressed in our best, we came ready to get that pig! Pictured above are Susan, Lynette, Gabi, and Bree hiding in the background (possible foreshadowing of her entire scheme for the event)!

Enjoy the video!

Havent changed much in 60 years! Still smiling!

2010 Summer Excursion

Our recent excursion began in Belgium where we enjoyed eating chocolate from the fabulous Neuhaus Chocolatier while checking out the sights in Brussels. Catching up with Sarah between her archeoloical dig sessions made it even more special.

The La VilletteRestaurant provided a fine meal and excellent hospitality when the skies opened and we had to make a mad dash for their attic dining room. Its great when a seemingly frustrating situation turns out to be delightful! On to Barcelona where unique architecture abounds! We enjoyed viewing the sights from the seat of a bicycle on the Fat Tire Bike Tour.

Gaudi certainly left his mark on the city, as well as more recent architects like Frank Gehry, who designed the giant copper fish located in Port Olympia, right outside our hotel. From the scorching sun and temperatures of Barcelona, we went through the picturesque french countryside to Lyon, France passing through the Le Tour 2010 route, especially for Eric, the ultimate fan.

Once again we caught up with Sarah who trained south from visiting her French family in Brittany. We had lots of fun gathering freebies from the tour's parade, and experienced the "woosh" of riders as they passed in all their colors.

(Mark Cavendish wins Stage 11 Sprint)

After several days of chasing the route, and expanding our waistlines with the great food and wine in the area, it was back to Belgium where we trained to delightfully quaint Bruges, which mesmerized Kevin with the vast array of beers, and taunted me with all the wafting scents of chocolate, waffles, and fries. On our way out of town, we did all enjoy small cups of hot chocolate that was really just melted chocolate in a cup. YUM!

Happy 4th of July!

If a formula was to be created for rejuvination...it would certainly include friends, sunshine, a cool crisp lake, great food and beverages, and fireworks! All ingredients for a fabulous fourth! Once again, the Roederers served it up right! Hope you all enjoy the holiday weekend as well!

Pictured above is the sunset view from their porch on Lake Tippicanoe. The group of us have been friends since 1985, and some of us since 1965!! It was fun spending time with each other's children, as it seems they have all turned into such great young adults before we even realized the time had passed!

Kathy's Caprese Salad was delightful, and Kevin's grilled shrimp delectable! What's not pictured is Jim's slab of beef tenderloin which he marinated in red wine, lemon juice, and slooooow cooked on the grill - tremendous!