A Few of My Favorite Things

I am here to tell you about a few of my favorite things. Like the classic song says, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad. I am not insinuating that I am feeling bad, but isn't it true that our favorite things can transform our mood in miraculous ways.

First I will start off with....

1. Christmas Card Season

I do not know many individuals who do not enjoy Christmas Card Season. The employees of our local post office would probably compare this time of year to the tax season of an accountant or the harvest time of a farmer. The mailbox sees a whole lot more of myself, during December, when I know that there may be more than just a coupon from Jo-Ann Fabrics.

DID YOU KNOW:

• There are more than 3,000 greeting card publishers in America. (I would say that we do not lack in options when it comes to where to order from.)
• 15% of Christmas cards are purchased by men.
• Over 2 billion Christmas cards are sent in the US each year.
• The first Christmas postage stamp was issued in the US in 1962. (I love Christmas stamps, although I did not plan very well and ran out halfway through.)

Source

I wonder how many couples attempt to take their own Christmas pictures, along with the help of their tripod of course. The fact that I got a select few pictures, that had both of our faces included, is quite a victory.

2. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Dish Soap & Laundry Detergent

I am not an "all natural" or "go green" girl by any means, but I have become hooked on the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products. I love the way the products smell and I have noticed that my dish rag never gets an odor to it when using this dish soap. I can use the same dish rag for a couple weeks. These products are made with natural essential oils and they are inspired by an Iowa, stay-at-home mother of nine. I watched a short clip of Mrs. Thelma Meyer, and something she said really struck me. She said that when it comes to cleaning there should be a happy medium between perfectionism and a happy, "lived in" home. 

My personality causes me to stress over trying to get my house to be perfect before company comes, but I know that is not always possible (especially if there are children in the future). I need to pray that God will grant me that happy medium, and that I can be a relaxed and welcoming hostess.

The short video clip, from Mrs. Meyer, can be found by clicking "Source" below. It was a good reminder for me.

Source

3. My Bread Machine

If you would ask me what item in my kitchen gets the most use out of any, I would have to say my bread machine. This Oster bread machine has become an absolute necessity to me. I would say I use it once per week on average. I knew, even before I was engaged, that this would be one of the first items on my registry.

My love for making bread was passed down from my Mom. I learned all I know from her. We use the same dough recipe for multiple things: dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, bread sticks, pizza crust, pizza rolls (with pepperoni and cheese inside), ect. I will have to share the recipe in a later post.

My sister-in-law, Sara, made us some delicious Whipped Pumpkin Butter that I have been putting on Avantis dinner rolls all week long. It is wonderful! I may have snuck onto her Pinterest account to find the link. It it most definitely a winner.

Source 

4. The Andy Griffith Show

I have a confession to make. If you know me well, this will not surprise you. I have spent hours upon hours giving in to this mild addiction. So maybe this obsession does not qualify as mild. It might fit in the "major obsession" category a little better.

The time has come for me to spill the beans to you about my love for The Andy Griffith Show.

I was born into a family of Andy Griffith lovers, and so you see it was destined to be. Clean entertainment is hard to come by as you know. The Andy Griffith Show is the first non-cartoon that I remember watching as a young girl.

My brothers and I would watch the black and white shows over and over again. That practice continues for me. I am pretty certain that we introduced our love for the Andy Griffith Show to each of our spouses. Although they had already heard of the show, they were brought to a much deeper level (whether they liked it or not). 

Nate has been a great sport. It was not hard to convince him to watch these episodes with me, when we were first married. Now when I ask him what show he would like to watch in the evening, he frequently answers "Andy Griffith."

Not only does my family own most of the Andy Griffith seasons, but we also have the Andy Griffith Trivia Game.

My cousins put on an Andy Griffith potluck for the young group several years ago. Check out Helen, Barney, and Thelma Lou in the picture below (aka: Jamy, Lance, and Wendy). I love being the author of this blog and having free reign to post pictures such as these.

Who is my favorite actor on the show? That is a no-brainer. I would definitely have to say Don Knotts (Barney). He brings about such clean and funny humor. He makes the show what it is. I attached one of the many hilarious clips from the show.

What is my favorite episode? It is a toss-up between Barney and the Choir and Barney's Sidecar. Notice that they both have "Barney" in the title. I would estimate that I have seen each of those episodes around 15-20 times, and that may even be a little conservative.

I could go on about the show, but most of us are familiar with the whole Mayberry scene. I know there are several other Andy Griffith Show lovers out there who can relate.

As Barney would say, "Over and out" or maybe "10-4."

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Fun Day With The Fiechter Kids

Last Saturday was a much anticipated day for not only myself, but for several children as well. I had planned a "Fun Day With Aunt Han" at my parent's house for all the nieces and nephews.

I sent out invitations a month ahead of time and the date seemed to work for each of them. It was time to get planning.

I found the idea for these cute little piggy banks, but most of the kids are not quite to this level. We helped a few of the older ones put these together, but it required much support from us older ones.

The boys worked on sand art. There was not enough sand to fill the containers completely full, but I guess that is what happens when you buy craft kits from Dollar Tree.

I would be amazed if any of the containers still look like this. I remember my sand art always getting messed up from accidentally shaking it.

The girls worked on perler beads, which is a more time-consuming craft than I had remembered. These pictures take me back to the day that I did this same craft, on this same table, approximately close to the same age. The fact is, it does not even seem like that long ago. I wish time would quit rushing at this accelerated pace.

I wanted to involve a pinata in the day, but I did not want to pay $15.00 for something that would be torn to shreds. My husband was enthusiastic about helping me create a pinata, but after about the second layer of paper mache we began questioning ourselves as to why we had decided to begin such a monotonous task. It was not all that bad, but we decide that it may be the first and the last pinata that we make together.

Meet Porky.....

Hi there, my name is Porky. I am writing this from pig heaven, because as you may have guessed, I am no longer with you.

My life on earth was not all that it was cracked up to be. Well, actually that is what happened, the cracking I mean. 

I had high hopes during my creation. I mean look at me, I am stinking cute. I sure hoped my lifespan would consist of more than two weeks, but that was not the case.

I really enjoyed Ohio. In Ohio they fed me candy, gave my fur a makeover, and they even used pink, bubble gum smelling duct tape to cover my incision when I got an ouchie.

As I traveled to Indiana, I was a little nervous. There were murmurings that we would be meeting some children who like candy. "Would they want my candy?" I wondered. At first they all seemed really nice. They all greeted me with a smile as they walked through the front door. I was just hanging out on the front porch, if you know what I mean.

Later they came out and played with me and we all took a nice picture together.

Things went downhill from there. From the youngest to the oldest, all the children decided to take a whack at me with a baseball bat. The pain intensified with each blow. OUCH!

"What kind of a game is this?" I wondered to myself. I did not find it entertaining in the least. Body parts started flying, and I knew I would be in pig heaven at any time. I could hear some pig friends in the distance, they were telling me to stay strong.

 With the final blow, my insides exploded. There was a hustle as the children began to collect my contents.

Unbeknownst to me, I must have signed up to be an organ donor. Corinne got the top half of my head, and....

Lexie got my nose.

All in all, my purpose was accomplished. Deep down, I think those children were sad to see me go, but so is life.

I hope you enjoyed my tale (or tail, or pipe cleaner, whatever you prefer).

Oink Oink, 

Porky

Poor Porky=( Next we did some classic fall games. 

Nobody was too excited to get their face partially soaked, but we had a few willing kids that tried bobbing for apples.

Rachel was a sport. She showed the kids how it was done.

Next we tied some doughnuts onto a string and had the kids try devouring the doughnuts without using their hands.

Colten tried to concentrate so hard. This was a fun activity with these kids.

We also played some games.

Musical chair involved prizes for anybody who got booted out. Getting a prize seemed to be a good alternative to not getting a chair.

My lovely mother provided lunch for the crew, and then afterwards we went fishing, inside fishing that is.

I do not know if any of you remember this game from family reunions or such, but it holds dear memories in my heart.

One of my favorite parts in preparing for this little party was buying all the prizes and party favors for the kids. I recall how excited I would get after picking a duck out of a duck pond or getting permission from my mom to pick out some candy or chap stick at the grocery store. I definitely want to spoil my nieces and nephews in the prize area.

Basically, I tied a cosmetic bag to a long stick (in my case the paint roller stick), hung up a sheet, drew a name, and stuffed in that particular child's prize. They would pull the so-called fish over the sheet and unveil their prize. It was fun!

I had a blast in preparing for this "fun day," and I hope to make it an annual event.

I asked Nate what he thought about making a bulldozer pinata for our Zollinger nieces and nephews. He agreed that it may just be easier to buy one. Maybe we will buy one and add Zollinger Excavating to the side. After saying goodbye to Porky, we really do not want to get emotionally attached.

Have a great weekend everybody!

WHO, WHAT, WHEN

WHO:

Many Septembers ago, a little boy came into this world. Lance Matthew Fiechter was his name. If you ask me, his primary mission was to harass his unborn little sister, who would appear three years later. In the years that followed, there was plenty of pestering that went on between them, but also some fun and peaceful times.

As young children, they enjoyed playing "school" together. They listened to more Adventures In Odysseys together that you can imagine. They spent hours in the barn playing or hunting down the newest batch of kittens that had been born.

As time went on, they realized that they really did appreciate each other. They transitioned into a different school at the same time, both with their own set of struggles. They enjoyed 3 years in the Young Group together. They even bought and owned a car together, and I think the younger one could testify that she was thankful to have the older one by her side when she almost totaled that car one dark Saturday night. 

I admire the energy that Lance has for life, and his interest in people. He really is a very caring guy, and his desire to draw closer to God is very evident in his daily life. He has a beautiful family, and I am so proud of the husband and father that God has called him to be.

Happy Birthday Ponce!!

WHAT:

When fall comes around, it does not take me long to welcome the wonderful pumpkin flavor and all it has to offer. Whether it be a pumpkin scented candle or a scrumptious pumpkin pie, smell or taste, there is no or, I'll take both. Although, I love the pumpkin flavor, I am thankful that it is only seasonal. I cannot eat too many pumpkin pies in a short time. One or two will suffice me for the season. I make it sound as if I devour the whole pie myself, that is not the case. One piece at a time please.

As I went through the McDonald's drive thru recently, I noticed that the pumpkin spice latte is back. I have not had the pumpking spice latte enough to know if I really love them or not. I did find it interesting that only 38% of the McDonald's outlets plan to offer the pumpkin spice latte this year. I guess it is part of a plan to rotate regional and limited-time offerings. I do not know how the Paulding McDonald's got to be part of the 38% to offer this item, but I am disappointed that they do not supply the sweet peach tea that my mom raves about, coming from the Bluffton McDonald's. It must all be part of their strategy.

Soon it will be out with the pumpkin flavor and in with the peppermint, but I do not plan to rush it. I look forward to digging in to that pumpkin pie on my counter, with lots of cool whip of course.

WHEN:

When is it appropriate to start wearing your fall clothes or to pull out those boots? I did a little research on this topic, and found that there is really no specific date, which I assumed not. Some say any time after Labor Day, some say whenever it starts to get chilly, some say near the end of September.

I am so anxious to pull out my boots, scarves, leggings, and long-sleeved cardigans. I have an easier time putting combinations together and dressing for Fall/Winter than I do during the warmer months.

Pictured below are the "Hot Colors for Fall 2015." Designers have created this 10-color palette, for both men and women. These colors are the ones in which will be featured in all the latest fall fashions and trends. I love the 'Oak Buff' or mustard color that is shown. I am on the lookout to add more of that color to my fall wardrobe.

In closing, I would add a WHERE, but nothing seems to come to mind. My husband and I plan to take a walk around our housing division and enjoy some of this fall weather. So in case you care, that is WHERE we will be.

A Fragment From My Life

After a couple of long, dramatic days at work, I am enjoying a day off just staying at home, with not a care in this world. Work has only been more stressful this week due to some upcoming changes which will take place in the near future. The doctor in which I have worked for, the last ten months, informed us that he will be leaving Paulding Hospital at the end of the year. Like I have told a few people, God always tends to bring about change when his children start to get quite comfortable with what they are doing. 

I was getting very comfortable with my job, maybe even to the point that I thought I could handle it all on my own. I realize that God wants us to depend on him for the grace and strength that we so desperately need, no matter what area it may be in. It has been a good reminder for me this week, and I am actually looking forward to what He brings about.

My project this morning, and most likely my project for future mornings, included painting the lovely dark woodwork and doors that grace our entire house. I have done a few rooms here and there, but I still have a good amount left to do. I can finally check our bedroom off the list. White just makes everything feel and look more clean, although it might be a little bit harder to keep clean.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTERWARDS

I was recently on a baby shower for a friend from Latty, and we (the committee) had some fun with it. The soon-to-be father works as a mechanic for a local John Deere business, which spurred the idea of a John Deere themed baby shower.

I failed in getting many pictures of actual people, especially since I was too busy taking pictures of all of the cute ideas that we stole from Pinterest.

Thank you for the use of the chalk board, Mom. It was the perfect color.

I took this picture by standing on a chair. Looking at it from eye level, you really could not recognize what it was meant to be. It was a nice thought though.

Hay Bales (aka: rice crispies)

This was the cute diaper/wipe tractor that Carmen so creatively put together.

Centerpieces

Marlene's cute tractors that she made entirely from candy

Fuel Your Engines

The Committee

Mindy S, Marlene S, Diane S, Carmen S, Carol E, and I

It was such a fun shower, along with a great group of ladies to work with. We may have gone a little overboard with the theme and all, but it will be a shower to remember.

I am always happy to share these fragments from my life. Thanks to those of you who keep up with my blog, it is crazy to think that I have been at it (not very faithfully, but periodically) for over a year.

Happy first day of Fall!