My Wish for You in 2010
May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts.
May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.
May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!
May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy
May the problems you had, forget your home address!
In simple words .............
May 2010 be the best year of your life!!!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
My Favorite Brother-in-Law!
David Alan Von Duyke was my brother-in-law for over 44 years. In that time I don’t ever recall him calling me by another name than "Aunt Judy". He would greet me by saying "Hey Aunt Judy, how is my favorite sister-in-law"? He would also calls on the phone and identifies himself as "This is your favorite brother-in-law" ( I pretended I didn’t know that’s how he greeted all of his sister-in-laws the same way!)
I loved him because he was a rascal and sometimes irreverent. I enjoyed the verbal sparring we used to do. He loved to eat my cooking, so that put an extra star on his chart with me.
He was funny and bright with a teasing sense of humor. He would feign having his feelings hurt if his intentions were ever questioned. He would sometimes arrive in our driveway unexpectedly during the night of Christmas Eve. He’d sleep in his car in the driveway no matter if the weather was frigid and the temperature below zero, so that he could be there to watch watch Nathan and Sarah get up in the morning and open the presents that Santa had brought. He always told them that he had passed Santa on the way from Indianapolis to our house, and almost had a wreck-avoiding running into Santa’s sleigh.
And of course there were things I would never discuss with him.
Things like:
Politics, Religion, dog training, child rearing, horse training, cooking, fly fishing, boat rowing, auto mechanics, the weather, farming, gardening, fire lighting, Doctors, egg prices or the State of the Union.
There were two distinct opinions in this world. Uncle David’s…. And the wrong opinions.
He was charming to have at a party; he was congenial, comical, lovable and good looking.
I remember the day he arrived at our home in Valley City with the most exciting news he had ever told us.
"Hey Aunt Judy, I met a girl today"! "She locked her keys in her car at the nursing home where I work, and I gave her a ride home to Medina. I think I’m going to marry her"!
And he did!
God speed on your journey. We will see you later!
I loved him because he was a rascal and sometimes irreverent. I enjoyed the verbal sparring we used to do. He loved to eat my cooking, so that put an extra star on his chart with me.
He was funny and bright with a teasing sense of humor. He would feign having his feelings hurt if his intentions were ever questioned. He would sometimes arrive in our driveway unexpectedly during the night of Christmas Eve. He’d sleep in his car in the driveway no matter if the weather was frigid and the temperature below zero, so that he could be there to watch watch Nathan and Sarah get up in the morning and open the presents that Santa had brought. He always told them that he had passed Santa on the way from Indianapolis to our house, and almost had a wreck-avoiding running into Santa’s sleigh.
And of course there were things I would never discuss with him.
Things like:
Politics, Religion, dog training, child rearing, horse training, cooking, fly fishing, boat rowing, auto mechanics, the weather, farming, gardening, fire lighting, Doctors, egg prices or the State of the Union.
There were two distinct opinions in this world. Uncle David’s…. And the wrong opinions.
He was charming to have at a party; he was congenial, comical, lovable and good looking.
I remember the day he arrived at our home in Valley City with the most exciting news he had ever told us.
"Hey Aunt Judy, I met a girl today"! "She locked her keys in her car at the nursing home where I work, and I gave her a ride home to Medina. I think I’m going to marry her"!
And he did!
God speed on your journey. We will see you later!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The day before the Birthday
Today is December 24th, 2009. I am in the process of baking a "Red Velvet" Cake. I will frost it with homemade Cream Cheese/Butter Frosting.
It should be cool in about an hour.
I will frost it on the "Good" glass cake stand and cover it with the glass lid.
It will be ready for dessert after tomorrow's Christmas Dinner.
It is a Birthday Cake. I make a Birthday Cake every year for dessert.
It is Jesus' Birthday.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
There can never be too many sprinkles!
"So....what color should we use now"?
"All of them"!
The cutest thing was when I turned around and saw Daniel putting that handful of sprinkles into his mouth!
"Nana, don't you want to know if they taste good"?
"Yes I do Daniel"!
"Yum"!
Two days and counting!
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Wow! I can't believe it is almost here.
Today will be spent wrapping, and delivering. I have a photo shoot at 9:00 for a TV Open House in January. The home owner almost had a heart attack when she learned the shoot was two days before Christmas! Then breakfast with two clients, delivering some gifts to clients who live out of the county and then back home to clean up this mess.
I got up at 4:30 this morning, but so far, the coffee pot is the only thing that I have laid my hands on and also took Toby for his morning walk. He looks so beautiful with his newly bathed and groomed coat. He thought the camera at this time of the morning was an intrusion on his beauty rest! Can't let Santa see a scruffy dog!
Tim is in Massachusetts, without his cell phone and that is a really big void in his trip. Hard to get directions etc., but hopefully he will be home tomorrow.
I have all the ingredients for tomorrow evening's meal and I am excited to have my family here to open their gifts. Somehow, Christmas would find me a little more prepared this year if it was at least one more week away. Well, it is in two days, so I best get hoppin'.
Merry "two days before" to you!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Friends and Family
Friday morning I met with six realtor friends for breakfast
at Bob Evans Restaurant. We sat down at 9:30 a.ml and
did not get up to leave until 11:30! Seven of us are left from
the original group that all started our careers at Realty One in Brunswick. Two of them are retired, one owns her own Brokerage now, one started a few years after the rest of us.
Yet we still remain friends. We all had stories to tell about our "present" and our past. Funny transactions, good sales stories, horror stories as well.
Coincidentally, it was my birthday and so unexpectedly all the wait staff came to sign Happy Birthday and present me with a huge cake with my name on it. One of the girls brought the
cake complete with sprinkles of candy canes and gingerbread men.
We all promised to get together next month. We 'll see if that happens. The market is rough right now and sales are really down. In fact they are almost non existent. Our sales board at the office is touting "one" sale for the month of Dec.
Later in the day, my kids and their spouses took Tim and I out to dinner for my birthday. The restaurant was called "Steak on a Stone". Located on Lorain Road in North Olmsted it was a "dining" experience.
The entrees are brought to each diner on a platter that holds a square heated stone. (750 degrees of heat) The steak is placed on the stone in the kitchen, brought to the diner at the table, the meat is flipped over on it's other side, and the waitress proceeds to instruct you on how to eat it. Very, very interesting! It was a great experience, and the steak was so good! There are other entree items that come on the stone also, shrimp, scallops, lamb, pork chops etc. Very unique dining experience! The restaurant is primarily Greek with an extensive menu that does not include "stone" cooking.
So I guess you could say I had to cook my own birthday dinner!
at Bob Evans Restaurant. We sat down at 9:30 a.ml and
did not get up to leave until 11:30! Seven of us are left from
the original group that all started our careers at Realty One in Brunswick. Two of them are retired, one owns her own Brokerage now, one started a few years after the rest of us.
Yet we still remain friends. We all had stories to tell about our "present" and our past. Funny transactions, good sales stories, horror stories as well.
Coincidentally, it was my birthday and so unexpectedly all the wait staff came to sign Happy Birthday and present me with a huge cake with my name on it. One of the girls brought the
cake complete with sprinkles of candy canes and gingerbread men.
We all promised to get together next month. We 'll see if that happens. The market is rough right now and sales are really down. In fact they are almost non existent. Our sales board at the office is touting "one" sale for the month of Dec.
Later in the day, my kids and their spouses took Tim and I out to dinner for my birthday. The restaurant was called "Steak on a Stone". Located on Lorain Road in North Olmsted it was a "dining" experience.
The entrees are brought to each diner on a platter that holds a square heated stone. (750 degrees of heat) The steak is placed on the stone in the kitchen, brought to the diner at the table, the meat is flipped over on it's other side, and the waitress proceeds to instruct you on how to eat it. Very, very interesting! It was a great experience, and the steak was so good! There are other entree items that come on the stone also, shrimp, scallops, lamb, pork chops etc. Very unique dining experience! The restaurant is primarily Greek with an extensive menu that does not include "stone" cooking.
So I guess you could say I had to cook my own birthday dinner!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
The Twelve Days of Christmas
My true love gave to me..a pre-school Christmas Program. Daniel (on the left) was chosen to sing "A Partridge in a Pear Tree" and he was fabulous!
Some of the children were a little "shy" about singing their parts, but not Daniel.
Then the biggest smile of the night came after the song was completed and Daniel (above right photo) leaned out of line and said "we are supposed to bow", and he did!
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