picture of Ryan and his prom date Hayley

Cinderella clip on Channel 2 News

Click HERE to see a 2 minute segment from channel 2 news that was filmed on Thursday. Instead of 15 minutes of fame, my men got about 1-2 seconds each (or less).

At around 27 seconds into the clip you will find Ryan dressed in black in the far upper left of the screen.

At around 49 seconds in you will see Eric's face in his gold and maroon cap appear in just about the same spot Ryan was...far left.

At around 1:04 Glen's face appears second from the right.

Can you find them? It's like a Where's Waldo game.

November 20, 2010 in pictures (Eric's birthday, first snow, potter, prom, and play)

The day started off with me waking up at dawn and realizing it sounded like it was raining...only it turned out to be lightly snowing. Glen was already in the hot tub, so I snapped a photo (dark, of course, since the sky was just starting to lighten) and then I joined him in the hot tub to enjoy the experience of being snowed upon while yet remaining warm...I love that...

The cast and crew (and friends and families) of "Cinderella" were given a special 9 am showing of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1." Hannah wasn't home, Ryan was participating in Scouting for Food, and Alex didn't want to go (thank goodness...it's a scary movie), so it was just Glen, Eric, and me (and an audience full of HP fans). I really enjoyed the movie.

Ryan getting ready for his prom date

Cousin Michael and Ryan (who is acting like Andrew) are ready to go

Alex enjoying (???) the snow

Alex climbing into the hot tub

We celebrated Eric's 19th birthday before the play

Eric in front of his butcher shop

Glen and Eric

Eric dressed for his role as a dancer

Ryan was a backstage hand, so his prom date sat in the audience while he worked

Glen (set builder) and Scott (set painter) had fun little roles in the play

Glen and Scott in their costumes from a different scene

Glen was particularly pleased with the chandelier they built for the play

Just a reminder. Last Saturday:

This Saturday:

creamy vegetable soup recipe

My sister's church ward has a great cookbook that they've put out called "Recipes and Remembrances Tried and True Recipes The Lynbrook Ward." Last night I tried a new recipe (on p 21) called Creamy Vegetable Soup. Loved it, so I'm posting it here:

Creamy Vegetable Soup

1 large cauliflower
broccoli as desired  (I used 1 bag of frozen "winter blend"...cauliflower and broccoli mix)
2 cups grated carrot (I threw in a handful of dehydrated carrots)
2 cups chopped onion (I threw in a handful of dehydrated onions)
4 cups chicken broth (I used 2 cans and added a little extra water)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme (couldn't find mine, so didn't add any)
1 teaspoon salt (I added 1 tsp garlic salt)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cube real butter (I used Smart Balance)
3/4 cup flour (I used 1 cup)
1 quart half and half (I used regular milk)
8 oz cream cheese

Cut vegetables. Put them in a large pan. Cover with broth, add bouillon and spices. Cook on medium until tender. DO NOT DRAIN. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted.

While the veggies are cooking, melt the butter in a pan. Stir in flour, then slowly add the milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick. Add to the vegetables. Use an  immersion blender if you want a smoother texture. Serve.

Hannah-- tennis, track team, and real Christmas trees

Hannah has decided to be on the track team. She says she doesn't like track, but is excited to get involved. Her best friend and "twin", Becky Conner, and Becky's older sister, Joycelyn, are signing up for the team too... They all just got their "F" block letters on Monday night for being on the tennis team...

During the tennis season, Hannah had played just one regular game with Joycelyn as her doubles partner. She had played some exhibition games for experience, but they don't count in the tally. She and Joycelyn had played against the #1 seeded pair on the other team, and actually won a few games, but lost the match.

Since Hannah only played once (and she always said she didn't want us there to watch), I don't have any pictures of her playing, but here are 2 of her next to the courts. The first one shows the back of her tennis t-shirt she made. The second is of her watching a game (I forget why she was wearing a tie...was it Blues Brothers day???). 

So, now Hannah's joining the track team and first item up for business is fund raising. They are selling real Christmas trees. It is $25 for a douglas fir and $45 for a noble fir. Wreaths are $25.  

If you are interested or have questions, please let us know.

Veterans in the family

My dad and my father-in-law were in the military. They served in the army about the same time in Germany around 1957-59. Here is a photo of my dad that I love:

The back is labeled in dad's handwriting:
1957-58
in front of Bamberg snack bar












[After posting this I got an update from my dad on his service (which I should have asked about before posting in the first place):

I was inducted into the army on Nov 13th 1957. I took basic training at Fort Binning GA and

was sent to Bamberg Germany in May of 1958. I returned to the states in September 1959 and

was discharged at Fort Dix New Jersey on October 14th 1959. "Happy Birthday Charlie"

October 14th is my dad's birthday, in case you hadn't figured that out.]

Dad's brother, Uncle Joel, was also in the military. He was a P-51 pilot at the tail end of World War II. He also piloted the last American transport plane out of Saigon during the 1975 airlifts.

Here are 2 photos of my grandpa Ted Mominee. He also served in World War II (and apparently was in Oklahoma at some point):

 

Ted's grandfather Gideon Vincent, a French Canadian who immigrated to the US, served in the Civil War in the 1st Vermont Calvary and was at Appomattox when Lee surrendered to Grant. He was injured in the war, received a pension, and his farm was in payment for his service.

 

My ancestor that served in the Revolutionary War was my 5th great grandfather Peter Kolb. He was born 1732 in Pennsylvania and later settled in South Carolina. He served as a Private in 1782 in Colonel Lemuel Benton's regiment, South Carolina troops.

And my 3rd great grandfather Joel Jervis fought in the War of 1812.

Glen also has some military ancestors. Besides his Dad, his Uncle Wayne (his mom's brother) was in the army. 

Glen's 5th great grandfather, William Butler, served in the Revolutionary War for over 7 years and was in the camp of George Washington at Valley Forge that miserable winter of 1777-78. Later on, he was a sentinel guarding General Washington's tent. He was wounded twice during his years of service.

We remember our friends and family who have recently served and who currently serve our country. They are in our daily prayers...prayers for their safety and for the well-being of their families. We acknowledge your sacrifice and courage. May God bless you for all that you do and for all that you have given up to defend the cause of freedom.

Pictures of Andrew and 2 of his companions

Here Andrew is with Elder Dummer. They transferred together from Waterloo to Dubuque back in September.

Doesn't this really remind you of Andrew's personality? Seems to me he often made faces...

Just recently Elder Dummer was transferred and Elder Sheffer became his companion. Elder Sheffer is from a little town near Vernal, Utah.

For Halloween, Andrew and Elder Sheffer went over to the Holt's for dinner and they played Apples to Apples...funny thing is, we played Apples to Apples here on Halloween, too. (Sister Holt is the kind sender of the photos).

I didn't do so well (Elections and Eric)

Of the 28 real votes I cast yesterday (unreal being those races with no opponents), what's my success rate?

13 of my votes went to winners.
15 of my votes went to losers.

I wonder what my results have been in previous elections. I've never looked into that before. BTW, Eric voted for the first time yesterday.

I haven't done so well with Eric, either.

He had his second test for his on-line college math class yesterday (pre-calc). He didn't do so well. I'm sort of blaming myself.

Math has never been his strong suit. He's capable, but it might be his least favorite subject and it takes him a long time to do his work. When he started off the semester I checked to make sure he was doing the homework according to the outline...it isn't due until test-taking day, however. He had waited until the final night to take the 1st test...and he made a 20% on it and since it was so close to midnight, he didn't have time to retake the test and try for a better grade. I thought one of the reasons why he did so poorly was that for some of the material it had been so long since he had done the homework, he had forgotten the material.

Why didn't I pay closer attention to his math after his first test??? Last night was test 2. He did most of the homework on Monday and Tuesday morning, so I thought it'd be fresher in his mind, but he made a 30%. Then I realized that I should have been giving him lessons all along instead of having him just go through the book by himself. I learned while he was doing the homework on Monday that if he doesn't understand something, he doesn't ask for help.

After his 30%, I grabbed his book and started going over it and explaining the concepts to him. I'm on the 2nd page and he's already going "Oh!" Like, now he gets it. Thing is, he had play practice and didn't get home till 9:30, so there wasn't time to completely cover the chapter before he took a retest.

He retook the test and says he make about a 50-59%. I was in bed fast asleep by the time he was done. I think he's going to have to retake the class, but for now I know I need to help him with all his homework. I still wonder why I was so slow to realize he needed more help. I'll pay closer attention next time.