Getting New Stuff

 I like it.

Getting new stuff is always fun.

I don't host a party for anything very often.  I don't like asking people to buy things.  That seems odd, doesn't it?  Both of the girls were top sellers when they were sophomores during the magazine sales.  I was very encouraging and supportive and I must say "Proud" because they worked hard to accomplish that goal.

But something intrigued me about having a Pampered Chef party.  I had accepted the invitation from Deb Nedza to attend her online party and I purchased a few items from that.  Then Theresa Murphy asked me to attend her online party also, and I found more items that interested me.  That is what sparked my interest in hosting a party myself.

I was shocked.  Some of the people I invited didn't accept the invitation---and I thought they would.  Others that I thought would have no interest at all in the party---accepted the invitation.  Some of those people, especially those who participated in conversations about items in the catalog and the contests, didn't order anything but others who didn't participate at all placed larger orders.  There were even a couple of people who asked me to invite them because they were interested in ordering a few things.  Before the week was over the sales had reached over $1000 and I was shocked.

The rewards looked great---but were a little deceiving. As a host I earned 60% off one large item.  Good deal.  Then, according to my rewards tier, five items could be purchased for 50% off, plus I had over $400 to spend on products, and 30% off other items.

Sounds good, right?  But the catch was this.  I couldn't use the $400 to pay for the remaining 40% of the large item or the 50% that was left on those five items.  Also the 30% off didn't kick in until the rewards cash was spent on other things.  By the time I had placed items in my 'cart' and totaled it, the sum I still owed was too much for me to feel comfortable with....so I started to throw some items out, juggle the placement of the items, and finally came up with a total that I felt good about.

And this week the boxes arrived.

Tuesday - the griddle/grill which was my 60% off host gift.  I used it tonight for paninis and I loved it!

Wednesday - the cooking blender, really for Megan.  After the sale price and the 50% off, she got a bargain with this appliance.  She paid for the other 50%---still a bargain for her.

Thursday - two large boxes arrived and they were full of good things to try!  An electric wine bottle opener.  A pizza peel.  A new pizza stone with edges and handles.   A RockCroc grill platter.  Storage bowls in three sizes.  Measuring spoons.  A new loaf pan and a bar pan.  Two new cake pans (You're welcome, Landon!).  A batter dispenser and a pancake dispenser.  A new spatula and potato peeler.    

Some cleaning out of old things needs to happen in the next few days---especially since Hilary is having a yard sale this weekend.  

New stuff to use and try out is fun.  

Having the Pampered Chef party was easy and fun too.  Just not something I want to do too often, especially when I have to spend more money!

Don't Settle

 At one point in our house-hunting adventures in the spring of 2018, I was just tired.  We had made a couple of offers on separate houses which were rejected.  We had looked around Flora, in the country north of Rossville, south of Carroll High School, and one house in a subdivision of sorts just north of Rossville.  The location of that one seemed good---a few miles from Hilary and Blaine plus the road to the west was direct to Megan and Matt's house.

I remember standing in the house, looking at the kitchen and the living room, contemplating how I would like having the washer and dryer behind folding doors off the dining room, and I looked at Rebecca, our agent.

I remember sighing and saying to her, "Well, I guess I could make this one work, but I really don't like how this is set up and I don't care for that particular thing..."  She interrupted me, looked seriously at me, and said, "Beth...don't settle.  You know what you want.  You aren't in a hurry to find another house.   Keep looking and we will find what you want.  Just don't settle."

Those words resonated with me.   We continued to look and by the end of May, we had found the perfect place for us.  Hilary and Rebecca had each sent me a text on a Monday that we needed to look at this place on 1000E.  By Tuesday morning we were walking through it, and it seemed perfect.  A place for the Christmas tree.   Room for the big Siemens Family Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.  A sewing room.  Two full baths.  A master bathroom.  A nice laundry room with a rod to hang clothes to air dry.  A two car garage.  A big kitchen.  A deck, porch, and patio.  A nice barn for 4-H livestock.  Another outbuilding for storage (which turned into the Party Barn).  The gazebo.   Everything we wanted....but at a price we thought we could not afford.

Through a series of negotiations with Rebecca, the other agent, and the Summerses we settled on a price we could afford.  After settling the estate of my parents, we were able to pay cash for the property so there would be no mortgage.  We were also able to juggle some funds around so that we could buy paint, new carpet, new living room furniture, a new range and refrigerator and dryer.  

It all fell into place---and we were happy.  

Plus it was just five miles from Hilary and Blaine so they would have a place for Landon's and eventually Tessa's and Owen's livestock for 4-H.  It was just 18 miles from Megan and Matt so they were close enough for frequent visits and helping out with Cooper and Lynnlee when needed.   Fortunately for us, it was close to our doctors at Arnett and Lafayette Podiatry, the hospitals, shopping, and restaurants.  Delphi was just 7 miles away also so two grocery stores, a Dollar General, a CVS, and several good restaurants were available for quick dining options.

Yes, it was perfect.

Today's devotion was about not making decisions in the heat of emotion.  At the end of the daily reading is always a "Trust in Him" section that poses a question.  Today's challenge was to "take big decisions off the table and wait.  Trust God to show you what he wants you to do."  In our case it was Rebecca's words that caused us to wait.  "Don't settle."  We trusted God to show us to the perfect house for us, a place we could call home, somewhere that our family could gather safely and enjoy time together.  We found it.  All because we trusted and we didn't "settle."

The Trip to Ohio

 After Hilary and I went to Gatlinburg over spring break, Gary told me he wanted to just go somewhere.  He didn't care where...he just wanted to get away, to see something different, to eat at different places. A couple of weeks later we were off to Holmes County, Ohio.

Now how many trips to Ohio have we taken over the years?  Too many to count!  Plus we had our usual places to stay.  The house on Barnes Drive was no longer ours to camp out at, and we didn't really want to stay at the Hampton (prices had been raised there) or Days Inn (kinda shabby) or Best Western (why stay downtown Wooster) or the Hilton Garden Inn (a little too expensive too).  We hadn't tried the Comfort Inn by the Hilton and I refuse to stay closer to the Rural King (Knights Inn?  Yuck!).  Since we wanted to focus on Berlin and Walnut Creek and Sugar Creek, we checked out places in Millersburg and booked three days at the Holiday Inn Express.

Now we had not explored Millersburg before, and we discovered an entire nice little town south of the stop light where we usually turned east to go to Berlin.  Not only was there a HIExpress but there was also a Comfort Inn.  Further exploration found a Walmart, several fast food options, and a street full of cute shops (saving that for next time).  

On Sunday we drove into Wooster as usual, we stopped at Bob Evans, then drove through the cemetery.  As I told Gary, 'Well, they are still there!'

Monday found us heading into Berlin to check out fabric stores.  We hadn't been to the Zinck's Outlet store and it was HUGE.  We found fabric for a baseball quilt for Cooper, one with a firefighter theme for Blaine, then one with pigs and one with cows and found coordinating pieces for both of those.   Later in the day we stopped at a new place, The Plaid Pig, and I loved that store.  Bumbles bees and a pack of Christmas themed fat quarters were in the bag,  After lunch in Sugarcreek and a stop at Sol's, Yoders, and the other place that we like with groceries and crafty stuff we went to Helping Hands.  I usually really like that shop but I was very disappointed.  I was the only one perusing fabric, while the other two shops had many ladies wandering around and checking out the bolts.  I did find three pieces of Christmas themed prints to use for a Christmas mini-quilt.  

Tuesday was a beautiful day so we drove to Charm and spent some time wandering around Keim Lumber and Hardware.  We have a soft spot for that place since Dad introduced us to it.   Later we returned to The Plaid Pig and I headed immediately to the bumblebee prints and select another set.  I also picked up a layer cake of spring type flowers and prints.  And I found more Christmas prints to pair with those I had selected the day before at Helping Hands.

After lunch at the Farmstead Inn (and we usually sit in the same booth each time0 we drove to Mt. Hope to the Lone Star Quilt Shop.  I loved that place too.  We found an outdoorsy print that we thought Landon would like. I also picked up a red-black print that I really liked.  I thought the shop was new...but I saw on FB this past week that they would be celebrating their 40th anniversary around my birthday.  Guess it isn't a new shop!

Finally a trip into Wooster from Mt. Hope.  We went to Kohls to look for summery pajamas for me.  Next we went to Hartlzers for ice cream (Heifer Trails), then past the house on Barnes Drive, and back to the cemetery to clean off the stone and pull some weeds.

The only two families that we know in Wooster we didn't even call.  I knew Melanie and Brian would be busy with the girls and baseball.  Plus we were there at the beginning of a week and everyone would be in school, including Ryan, so why call him either? Another time...when planning is better and when school isn't in session.

On Wednesday morning we were up, packed, loaded, and out of there.  

Home by 4:00.  

On Tuesday evening as we were sitting in the room, Gary mentioned that he felt the best that he had for several weeks and that he had really enjoyed the trip.

I attribute his enjoyment to several things.  One is that we stayed in Millersburg instead of Wooster.  There wasn't that old feeling of dread at seeing Mom or having to take care of some type of business to do with cleaning out the house or settling the estate.  There was no sense of feeling like we 'belonged' when we really don't.  Another is that while that area is familiar, we didn't know everything about it.  Who knew there was a Walmart in Millersburg?  What about all of those little shops on the west side of it?  We checked out new-to-us fabric stores, even returning to one of them for more shopping.  And third ---Gary likes to know where he is going when he is driving.  He had driven in that area before, so it was familiar and I didn't have to tell him everywhere to turn and which road we should take.  Even when we explored a little more to find Mt. Hope, he wasn't flustered or anxious about the unfamiliar road.  The road out of Millersburg to the west when we left town wasn't bad either.  And finally....just being able to look around, eating at some favorite restaurants and enjoy great pie, relaxing and not  checking on pigs and goats or expecting children to ring the doorbell (not that we don't love them or mind when they do pop in).  

It was just a good time away.

And I am ready to do it again.

But first....I need to sew up some of this new fabric!

The Three Best Days of My Life (really really 4)

 Everyone has 'best days,' I think.   They can range from getting a promotion or moving out of their parents house or turning 21 or completing a degree.  Sometimes they are unique---a one of a kind 'best day' that is particular to that person which may mean absolutely nothing to anyone else.  

My three (actually four) best days are these:

1.  August 7, 1976 - the day Gary and I were married.  Sometimes I think it is a cliche to say "This is the day I married my best friend" but it was the day that I did marry the best friend I have ever had.  He will be my best friend forever.  He knows me better than anyone else does.  He loves me and I love him.  He will never ever leave me---I am sure of that.  We have built a great life together and I would rather be with him and do things with him than with any other person I know.

2.  April 8, 1981 - the day I became a mother. I remember being in labor with Megan on April 7 and hoping that she would be born that day so it would be the third special "7th" in our family ---my birthday May 7 and our anniversary and then our baby's birthday.  But she was stubborn and waited until after midnight to arrive.  She had a football shaped head which scared me, but Dr. Wolf and Dr. Lipp both assured me that it was the result of forceps and would return to a normal baby shape, which it did.  I remember later that morning, like around 6 or so, after Gary had left to return to Mike's apartment and get some sleep.  The nurse brought Megan in for a feeding, and I just held her and cried.  She was such a beautiful baby and she was ours.  I was a mother.  Gary was a father.  We were a family.  She was MY baby and no one was taking her from me.  My heart was bursting with love and I didn't know how I could love anyone more than I loved her.

3.  Then came April 19, 1984. Hilary Rose was born.  It was a difficult labor and delivery, two weeks ahead of her due date.  My water broke on a Tuesday and she was born finally on Thursday afternoon.  Lots of labor, then no labor, then drugs to start labor more intensely (and boy did they work!), and finally delivery of that little dark haired 5 pounds 9 ounces baby girl.  I remember being so relieved she was a girl.  I was so glad Megan could have a little sister.  My heart just burst with love again and I didn't know how I could love anyone more than I loved her and her sister and their father.   Our famly was complete.   The big shocker was when Gary left to bring Megan back to the hospital so she could meet her little sister.  I remember being in the family room with Hilary and I saw Gary walking down the hall toward us with a big girl.  I wondered what had happened to Megan and where he found this other girl ....I actually thought there were other people with them because that girl was too big for the little 3 year old I had left a few days before with her grandparents.  Watching Megan met her sister, placing Hilary in Megan's arms, seeing the love in Megan's eyes as she bent down to kiss her baby sister on the forehead---those are images that are forever etched in my mind.  

4.  Earlier tonight I told the girls these three dates and I forgot to mention the fourth one---October 20, 2002.  That is the day Gary and I were baptized at the Christian Church in Francesville. The decision was not made lightly, especially since I had been sprinkled at Westville with Grandma, Mom, and Greta when I was in college and Gary had been baptized soon after his birth in the Lutheran Church.  But we wanted to do this so we could make our true confession.  What made it more special was that Blaine baptized us (and he wasn't our son-in-law yet) and Alex was baptized with us also.  Making that decision is the best decision we could ever make and made the other three best days of my life even more meaningful (especially since we had been married in that church, then both girls were also married in that church).  

Today Megan turned 40.  Hilary will be 37 in 11 days.  I will be 70 next month, We will be married for 45 years.  I am not sure where time has gone, why it has flown by, and why I feel so old.  But I am happy that I have spent most of my life with the three most important people ever---My husband Gary and our two daughters Megan Elizabeth and Hilary Rose.  I love the three of them with all of my heart.

Shot #2

 This whole COVID thing is getting tiresome, but I know it is real.  People have died.  People, including Gary and me, have been sick.  

But I am tired of all of it.  Tired of wearing masks.  Tired of social distancing.  Tired of not going places because of fear.  Tired of limitations.  Tired of restrictions.  Just tired.

Part of the frustration has been the quality of information.  For every expert who dispenses information there was other experts who dispute anything that was said.  

Wear a mask.

Don't wear a mask.

Sanitize groceries before they come into the house.

Don't go into a grocery store because there are so many germs on EVERYTHING.

If someone dies, don't go to the funeral home or even think about attending the services because the germs are everywhere.

Don't travel.

Because people have traveled over spring break, there will be an explosion in the numbers of cases within two weeks of their return home.

Masks don't do any good unless there are three layers!

Everyone should be vaccinated.

No one is going to make ME be vaccinated!  It's a ploy by the government to gain control.

There are so many people with just as many different opinions that it is hard to know what to believe and what to discount as false information.

What to do?  What to do?

Gary said he was getting the vaccine.  He was tired of not going anywhere and being told what he could and could not do.

I was hesitant, but Dad kept popping into my mind with his concerns about the polio vaccine that we took when I was 10.  

So we are now vaccinated.  It seems logical to think that because we are, we wouldn't need to wear masks and social distance plus use hand sanitizer all the time.  But 'they' recommend that we continue to do that....because there are mutations, there are other versions of the virus that have no symptoms and no tests to see if anyone has it so we need to protect ourselves from it.  Really.

While I am not taking lightly the deaths of people that I knew or those of family members of people I know, I am ready to say 'enough is enough.'  Let us get on with our lives.

A Little Confusion

 I just finished reading The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah.  I enjoy her books and think that they really epitomize the concept of traveling to different times and places so that one may broaden her knowledge of those times and places.

This book took the reader to the era of the Dust Bowl and to the Texas Panhandle and southern California.  I remember studying this time period, learning about the Okies and FDR, Steinbeck's travels and his writing of The Grapes of Wrath.  But this was different.  Maybe it was because I am older.  More mature.  Better educated.  Maybe it is because some of our citizens are experiencing similar situations now with the pandemic and the new administration.  At any rate, no matter the reason, the book made me think and caused a little bit of confusion in my mind.

What happened to Elsa and her children was sad and just flat out wrong.  But they tried hard.  They made do.  They worked in the fields for low wages.  Their clothes were tattered, holey, and dirty much of the time.  But they tried hard.

Elsa and her children worked in the cotton fields for an amount of money per 100 pounds of cotton picked.  They were given chits with the wage listed on them.  At the general store on the farm property they could use their chits to purchase food and other goods, but to use their chits, 10% was deducted.  If they wanted cash for the chit so they could spend their money in town where the prices were cheaper, another percentage was deducted.  Also they had to pay for the bags that they used for their picked cotton.  If they had other bags that could be used, those were denied and they were forced to pay for the bags supplied by the farmer.  All of this seemed wrong to me.  Actually it was wrong.  But they were stuck and they had no choice.  

They met Jack who was a sympathizer to the workers.  He tried to organize them so that they could earn better wages and live in better conditions.    I understand unions and I understand workers wanting to be paid fairly for the work that they do.  I also understand that workers should be allowed to buy goods wherever they choose, not be forced to pay higher prices and have a percentage taken out of their wages because they are being forced to shop on the property.  I also remember that my dad was against unions and striking.  I remember not wanting to tell him that I belonged to the teachers organization at West Central and that by doing so I was showing my support when our team negotiated for higher wages for all of us and better benefits.  They also offered legal services if a teacher were unjustly challenged or accused of inappropriate actions that were totally unfounded. That scared me enough to make joining the teachers union easy.  (And I blame Mom for that....she never believed me when I told her the truth so I was scared I would never be believed if I were to be accused of something I didn't do---thankfully that never happened).  Back to the book...I totally understand why the workers needed to be organized in order to protect their rights.  

But there was the link to communism.  I didn't realize that forming a union was a communist thing.  I didn't know that expecting an honest wage for an honest day's work was part of communism.  So I am a little confused on that.  

On the other hand as I was reading I saw parallels between what happened then and what is happening now.  Small shop owners were forced out of business.  Migrant workers were taking jobs that citizens had done previously.  Those who were traveling from their dust bowl homes west to find new jobs so that they could survive and provide for their children were considered 'dirty migrants' even though they were citizens of the United States and even though they had been productive, lived in nice homes, had made decent livings---but it was all gone with the wind.

I recalled that those who were left behind and survived, did so because they tried the new farming methods and new crops instead of sinking everything into what they already knew and relying on what they had done in the past.  Sometimes change is necessary and it is good.  

As I read also, I felt so guilty about the amount of food we consume in a day and even more guilty about the amount of food that goes into the trash because it isn't eaten and spoils in the fridge.  I just tossed a package of cheese that had moldy spots on several pieces.  If Elsa had been here, she would have been breaking off the pieces with the mold and salvaging the rest to ration over several days and meals for herself and her children.

So yes, I am moved and I am confused.  Working for fair wages.  Food supplies. Communism.  The Dust Bowl.     Cheating people out of their wages.  

I hope and pray that history does not repeat itself.