The PRIDE of S-F Does it Again!

Our State Marching Band contest was held this morning. After weeks of hard work, early mornings, and sweat, these kids performed flawlessly today! They received a Division I rating (which is the highest possible rating!!!!) Those kids looked AWESOME out there. They knew all their music by heart, and their moves were timed perfectly! We were SOO excited. Some of them even said "That was WORTH getting up at 3:45 am for!!" (Caleb and Cameron and the rest of the Cross Country team ran the game ball from the Middle school to the high school (about 12-13 miles) last night for Homecoming. Then they had Cross Country parents night, and then the band performed the national anthem. At half time, the marching band performed their full show for the last time before contest. The kids got home at about 10:30 or so, and had to catch a bus this morning at 4:15 AM!!!)

We are class 2A. There were 8 schools that performed in class 2A. We were the first, at 9:15 am. Of the 8 schools, only 2 received a I, 5 received a II, and 1 received a III.

We have received a division I rating for many years in a row. This was the first year for our new band director...a really nice YOUNG fella fresh from college, who is doing a wonderful job. The kids love him, and will work hard for him!

Here are a few pictures, of course! Cameron is the center trumpterCaleb is the only sousaphone player in the band. He's always easy to spot!
Caleb had a solo, and nailed it! He sounded super!
Here are my boys! And here's the Pride of S-F!

Woo Hoo Rachel!!

Well, since I've bragged on the two oldest, it is now time to give equal time to Rachel :-) This is her first year of any organized school sport. She's playing volleyball, and seems to enjoy it. She had her third game tonight. I can't BELIEVE how much she's improved since her first game! She can power hit those serves over the net! We enjoy watching her play, and cheering on the Cougars!

Here are some photos. DISCLAIMER: The photos aren't the best quality, because of the lighting in the gym. Inside the gym photos are NEVER very good, LOL...

Cameron's Cross Country Meet

Same place, same stinking hot temperatures...same determination to finish the race. Cameron was the 7th fastest time in the time trials last week, so he qualified to run Varsity this first meet. He was excited about that, but, like his brother, he wasn't thrilled with his time. I told him the same thing. You finished. You were running Varsity, as a Freshman, and you beat quite a few fellas. You did great. Worry about your time at a meet when it was cooler (AND when you are wearing your OWN running shoes...geesh...the kid had his shoes for less than 2 weeks, and LOST them before his first meet! Thankfully he (with the help of an older brother!) found them again.

Here a some photos of Cameron's race.

Caleb's Cross Country Meet

Wow. I can't BELIEVE this kid! Yesterday the temperature here was 85. The humidity was 97%. And the Heat Index was at 101! And they still had their meet. What dedication and determination. Caleb wasn't pleased with his time, but I just said "I'm proud of you for finishing that race! You can work on your time when it is a bit cooler!"

Here are a few pictures of Caleb running his race.

Shrimp Scampi

I haven't posted a recipe in a long while, and this is a family favorite. Imagine my happiness today when I read the recipe in my Quick Cooking 2000 cookbook and discovered that each serving is only 250 calories!

Shrimp Scampi

16 oz angel hair pasta
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper (or other seasonings)
1/2 cup chopped green onions, divided
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley, divided
2 pounds shrimp

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large saucepan, combine the broth, garlic, lemon-pepper and 6 T. each green onions and parsley. Bring to a boil. Add shrimp; cook for 3-5 minutes or til shrimp turn pink. Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Top with shrimp mixture and remaining onions and parsley.

Now tonight, I didn't have any lemon pepper, or chopped green onions, and I forgot the parsley, LOL I just used the broth, garlic, and some italian flavored seasonings. It was great, and, as usual, there was NONE left in the bowl. We even had to scold Rachel at the dinner table for trying to lick her plate, LOL!

Good job Cameron!

Time trials were held on Thursday of this week for the cross country team. The top 7 runners will be running Varsity at the first Cross Country meet on Tuesday (I think?) of next week (I'm sure you'll see pictures!) Cameron crossed the finish line in the 7th spot. Woo HOO. He's thrilled to be running Varsity. Makes all those miles worth it!

Way to GO Caleb!

Ron and I attended an awards breakfast at the high school yesterday, where Caleb received an academic letter for his sophomore year! YAY Caleb! This will join the one he got last year for his freshman year.

He received super grades last year, while participating in Cross Country, marching band, jazz band, concert band, Show Choir Combo band, a play, track, and church/youth group activities!

Oh, yeah...this is the kid who came home the first day of school and said he wanted to drop Spanish III and pick up "something else". We said ok, and on Friday he said "OK. I did drop Spanish today." I asked "What class are you taking instead?" "Physics!" hmmmm...ok. Well...if that's the class you WANT to take...but whew...what a schedule!

Pre-Calculus/trig and Chemistry and Physics this year. What IS he thinking? But...he's a bright kid and we KNOW he can do it!

Week ONE down...

and what a whirlwind week it was for us all! I was awakened by a phone call on Monday morning saying that our first grade teacher had headed to the hospital with contractions at around midnight or so, and that I needed to come in.

Whew...we thought we had a couple of weeks yet, but God had other plans. So I spent my week trying to keep one step ahead of 21 busy first graders. I'm SO thankful for a great faculty and staff at the elementary school. They are a great resource and support for me in these situations!

We had open house on Thursday night, so that day I put in a 12 hour day! Wow...not used to that for sure! But all has gone extremely well. First graders are quite...challenging in a classroom, but we had a good week, and, while I'm positive that I'll be ready to hand the classroom back over to Mrs. H when she comes back, I think we'll do fine and keep things sailing smoothly while she's gone.

Cameron and Caleb survived a full week of High School, marching band and cross country. Rachel is having a great start to her 7th grade year, and Ethan...well...he's just being Ethan. Easy going, laid back, going to school 'cause he has to but thinking of 100's of things he'd rather be doing.

Oh, and then there's Ron. He's taken Rachel to orthodontist appointments and eye appointments, done banking, cooked a few meals, gone to Open House classroom visits (he even stopped in to visit MY room, hee, hee)...being an all around great dad...filling in when mom is too exhausted to think straight!

Life is good.

Out of the Mouths of (not so) babes...

So lately it's been rare that we all sit down to dinner together, but tonight it finally happened. What a HOOT it was. Here's one conversation between Caleb and Cameron...

Cameron: "How many pieces of bread are we allowed to have at lunch?"
Caleb: "as many as you want, unless the lunch lady is standing at the counter...then you can only get two."
Cameron :"oh. It's really good if you rip off the crust and eat it, and then squish the bread in to a tight ball, and then eat that."
Caleb: "umm, yeah...or you could just butter it, and eat it that way."

Ron and I about fell off our chairs laughing. I don't know...maybe you had to be there, but something about the way Caleb said it...was just SOOO funny!

Caleb also rubbed it in that he was asked by his English teacher today "Caleb, to you have a little Freshman brother?" He thinks THAT is funny, but the next part of the conversation...maybe not so much. The kid sitting next to Caleb replied to the teacher "Yeah, and HE's annoying, TOO!" Mrs. R responded with "Well...that implies that Caleb is annoying, and he really isn't!"

hee, hee. I'd sometimes like to be a fly on the wall at that high school with these two boys there. It must be interesting.

Pickles, UPDATE

The final count is in...17 pints of salsa, 5 quart pail of refrigerator pickles, 14 pints of pickle relish, 15 pints of Spicy Dill Pickles (new recipe this year--thanks Kelly--they are AWESOME!), and 14 pints of Candied sweet pickles (MY favorites)

Now....to get all the stickies mopped up off of my floor/stove counters...get the canners and all the tools put away, and to find shelf space for all the yummy goodies!

God has blessed us well this vegetable season!

Pickles, Pickles and MORE Pickles

oh, and some salsa, too! Whew...

I'm SO thankful to God for all the kind people that share their produce with us! We've been blessed to have cucumbers coming out our EARS this season (and we LOVE cucumbers!) I've spent 2 days canning. Friday I canned 17 pints of salsa (Mrs. Wages mix, extra onion and jalapeno or chili peppers), and made a batch of refrigerator dill pickles. Saturday I canned 14 pints of pickle relish, and started soaking cucumbers in lime for the yummy bright green Sweet Pickles. Today I rinsed them, and am soaking them in ice water, before covering them with syrup. I'll update later how many pints of those I end up with. I am currently soaking cucumbers in ice water to keep them crunchy in a Dill Pickle recipe I got from my friend Kelly. I'll can those in a couple of hours, when they are done soaking.

Whew...hard work, but we'll enjoy the benefits of it for a long time to come!

First day of School--Update

Well, it is over, with only 179 to go. (That just REALLY depressed Caleb and Cameron, LOL)

Caleb's report on his day went like this...
Mom: "Caleb, how was your day?!"
Caleb: "ok"
Mom: "just OK? Why just ok?"
Caleb: "because I just wasn't ready for school to start yet!"

The conversation with Cameron was quite similar, except that Cameron was much more...vocal...about not being ready. "MOM! It was a day of SCHOOL! How much better than 'just ok' could it BE?!"

But after I came home from the golf course, they were both excited about band (where Cameron sits directly in front of Caleb) and they enjoyed being together for that, and evesdropping on each other's conversations. They have band together, and the same teacher for their math and social studies classes. It will be an interesting year.

Rachel enjoyed being back together with her friends, but, like her brothers, was unexcited about being back in school. She enjoyed bringing homework home for me and Ron...from her English and Lit teacher. "In a million words or less, tell me about your child. What do I need to know to help him/her succeed in my classes this year".

Ethan had a good day. When asked "what did you like best?" he said, "We didn't have to do any worksheets or papers, because we had to fill in the rocks around the new playground equipment. THAT was fun!" At least it was better than multiplication or cursive, LOL. The cursive starts tomorrow.

I am thankful to God for the success He has given our children so far in school. They are all bright children, who have excelled in all areas. My prayer is for another successful year in school for all four of them!

First day of SCHOOL

It's here already! It's 8:29 am, and Caleb and Cameron have been gone for almost an hour, and Rachel and Ethan left about 15 minutes ago. I don't think ANYONE was excited about it. They all said yesterday that this summer went way to fast.

Caleb worked a LOT of hours at the swimming pool, and really enjoyed his job. From what I gather, he did a good job, too! He's already looking forward to working at the pool again next summer! His job kept him tied down so he didn't get to travel as much as the rest of us, but that didn't seem to bother him too much!

Ron and I cruised with Erik and Kelly. Rachel, Ethan and I went to Ohio for graduation and Rachel stayed in Indiana, while Ethan and Ron and I went to St. Louis. Cameron, Rachel and Ethan were in Nebraska for Phil's ordination, spent a week in Missouri with friends or cousins. Ethan went to church camp. We all went to Ohio for vacation, including a fun time at Kings Island. Cameron, Rachel and I went to Aunt Sue Ann's and Frankenmuth. Ron went to Houston. Caleb and Ron went to Orlando. We swam, fished, bowled, camped, and went to Lost Island...

well, I think we have to say it was a busy, but really good summer!

Here are their "first day of school" photos...as traditionally posed in front of Dixie's shrub!Caleb started 11th grade today!Cameron is a FRESHMAN!!Rachel started 7th grade!And Ethan is in THIRD grade!

Where DID the time go?

The Countdown Begins

Summer's end is in sight. One week left. School starts one week from today. I don't think a single one of us is ready for that. It's been a good summer. Busy. But good.

I registered the kids last week. Ethan for 3rd grade, Rachel for 7th, Cameron for 9th and Caleb for 11th. Wow. Where did the time go?

We'll try to do a couple of fun things before school starts yet, but....Band Camp has started this week, and next week Cross Country starts...there isn't much time for us ALL to do something!

I'm sad to see this summer come to an end.

Newest family member

Rachel had money to spend today in Waterloo. Here's what she came home with. (Isn't he CUTE?????) Rachel's first comment once we got in the car was "I don't think Grandma Koch is going to be to thrilled about this!" LOL!

This digital scrapbook page was made from a kit called Lucky Star by Digital Design Essentials. I used a template by my friend Lisa Minor.

Home Again, Home Again

or...is it..."On the Road Again?" This summer it seems as if we are just constantly coming or going! But...as of right now...there are no more trips planned! That is, til Ron's trip to Africa in a few months.

Ron and Caleb returned late Thursday evening from a wonderful trip to Orlando with the youth group. When Ron called me when they were leaving the airport in Des Moines, I asked how all the traveling went and he said "Good! And I think I have everyone that I left with!" Whew!

I left Saturday mid-afternoon for a quick getaway to Dubuque with some friends. It was a GREAT trip. Lots of laughter, shopping, sightseeing and good food. Here's a scrapbook page that I did of our visit to the Botanical Gardens in Dubuque.
We also rode a cable car from the bluffs down to the historic little shopping district. I thought it was cool. Denise and Jean were scared-y cats, though and didn't like it all that well (LOL!) Here are some picture of what we rode in/on.

Cousins...

So Aaron is from Indiana, and Caleb is from Iowa...and they are BOTH in Orlando for the National LCMS Youth gathering. Cell phones are wonderful, 'cause it allowed the two cousins to meet up this week! They were THRILLED to spend some time together!

Wow! I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger!!

My friend Lori tagged me as a

Thanks, Lori! What fun to be noticed :-) How cool is that? Now, I get to "tag" some other "Rockin Girl Bloggers!"
(This was started by Roberta Ferguson) on her blog. Great idea, Roberta!

The above mentioned Lori follows her dreams and opens her own digital scrap store, and boldly shares her faith through the digital scrap kits she designs. Way cool! Now that we live in the same state, I hope we can meet sometime!

Hummie has a wonderful blog for sharing her life, her faith, her hobbies and her talent with us! We have lots in common, and I just KNOW we will meet someday! I call her my "Lutheran Scrapper friend"

Lisa has taught me so much of what I know about using my DIP program for digital scrapping! She is very talented, and freely shares her talents and skills! She's awesome and giving me tips and solutions when I'm stumped on how to do something!

Sarah has an amazing eye for design, so when I'm stumped with what to do with a page, I can always count on Sarah to give me some ideas and inspiration!

Jen is a fellow Pastor's wife, and her glimpses into their daily life make me smile. We've "known" each other for several years, and I consider her a good friend! She inspires me to keep plugging away at my goal of becoming debt free!

Amy is a great friend, and a tremendous resource to me as a mom of a pre-teen daughter! She's full of wisdom and guidance, prayer and friendship! She's got an awesome ministry going on! She's also a fellow Pastor's wife.

So, if you have time, check out these newly tagged Rockin' Girl Bloggers!

A Fish Fry

We spent the week in Ohio visiting with Ron's family instead of traveling to Canada for a week long fishing trip. The yearly fishing trip has always been a wonderful vacation that everyone looks forward to, but we were unable to travel there this year. And ya know what? I don't think anyone minded much at all! We all just had a great time with each other. The important thing was that we were together, and no one much cared WHERE it was.

We did try to keep up a few of the "traditions" from the Canada trip. Ron brought Canadian beer, the women grocery shopped, and we fried fish. Not twice a day, every day like in Canada, but that was our Friday evening meal. Here are some photos of the fish frying process. Going out in a boat on Rice Lake to catch some fish (photo from July 2006)Gene dumps the fish onto the ground to count them. (Photo taken July, 2006)

The fish from each fishing trip (2 or 3 trips a day) are counted into buckets. (Photo, July 2006)and are taken to the fish cleaning house. (photo, July 2006)

I have no pictures of the packaging of the fish...guess I never thought to get out my camera at that point, LOL. But now, we'll skip to THIS year's pictures of Grandma, Ethan and Hannah breading the fish. Grandma and an 8 year old and 7 year old...breading fish...well...I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Let's just say...it wasn't pretty, LOL.

All set up and ready to start breading the fish.
Hmmmm...wonder why they are doing this outside???First, dip the fish fillet in flour.

Then, dip it in egg.Then cover it with cracker crumbs.Then, fry it up til it is golden brown.photo taken July 2006
and ENJOY!

Thanks, Lester and Mary for another great week of vacation at your home!
We had a terrific time!