And the winner is...

Well, I'll tell you who the winner is in a minute.

First, a little recap of 2009.

Little might be a misnomer. More like a post full of pictures and memories of 2009.

This time last year, we celebrated New Year's with a party at home of just the five of us. Yummy snacks, board games, and planning our Disney vacation of '09. It was a great time!

True to form, February brought Ohio lots of snow. Good thing, too, since Santa had given the kids sleds and snowsuits for Christmas...

There's nothing like celebrating Superbowl with friends, even if you're really not into football.

2009 became the year of running for me. Despite the discouragement of some, I proved to myself that I could indeed run a race (and despite saying I would never be a runner, I proved to myself that indeed I am one!). In March, I bought a new pair of kicks...

and ran in the cold rain in my first ever race. And I loved it!

Elijah and Isabel got their driver's licenses...at Walt Disney World, that is.

We spent the rest of the cold winter months playing lots of euchre with Joe's parents, waiting for the first breath of spring. (I'm pretty sure we won this hand!)

April brought a big change in my career: I left my friends in the SICU and took a position as Nursing Supervisor. Although I miss being at the bedside of my patients, I truly love my new job. And I still get to see all my buddies every night that I work.

May brought another race, The Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. I ran in a relay with these women from my church (my part was a very hilly 5.8 miles; felt like a hundred!). Also in May, Lula and Lacey drove up from Virginia and took me to the Kings of Leon concert. Unfortunately, I have no photographic evidence of this trip, due to a computer virus :(

In June, I got to meet in real life my first non-family blog commenter, Jennifer from Three Little Indians. I met Catherine through Jennifer's blog, and the rest is history. We had such a great night together, meeting up in my little hometown!

On June 18th, my firstborn turned eleven. We are teetering on the brink of adolescence here, and it's making me nervous... (Surely, Elijah won't give me any trouble, right? Right?!)

In July, Joe and I took a mini-vacay up to Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Escaping reality for a couple of days was just what we needed to survive the rest of the year!

Later that month, we loaded up the kids and drove to Lulaville, where we wined and dined with Scotty and Lula and their sweet girls, Libbey and Caroline. Our kids and husbands hit it off fabulously (as we knew they would), and our families had a great visit.

We have lots of summer birthdays in my family; to celebrate, a group of us went to the local winery for a night of wine, steaks and laughter. Joe turned 35, my sister turned 43, and our moms turned one year older...

The beginning of football season started in August, and although Elijah went into it with high hopes, it wasn't all he dreamed it would be. I was so proud of him for sticking it out for the season, and I think it really helped build his character, knowing he could do whatever he set his mind to do.

The new school year for 09/10 meant sixth grade for Elijah, fourth for Isabel, and another year of teaching high school math for Joe.

Gabe turned five on August 27th, started a Young Five's preschool program, and decided to learn how to ride a two-wheeler. 2009 was the year of learning his ABC's and how to NOT drive his momma too crazy :)

Somehow, we let Isabel talk us into letting her cat have a litter of kittens. You all know that story. Here are the last two, Jasper and Alice, before we had to take them to the animal shelter.

In October, we took yet another mom-and-dad-only trip; this time with my sister and her husband. We went to Hocking Hills, Ohio, and had a great time. We have decided to make this an annual event!

On October 29th, I turned 25. I mean 30. Okay, okay, I turned 36. Really, who's counting? We celebrated by going around to our neighbors begging for candy. Oh, wait, that was Halloween. It's hard having a birthday so close to the holiday...sometimes I get confused.

In November, I took a solo trip to the mountains of Tennessee for Estrogen Extravaganza '09. I reunited with Lula, met for the first time bloggers that I have known for well over a year, and found some new friends, as well. We can't wait to do it again next year!

November also marked a milestone for Isabel and me: she ran in her first ever race, alongside of her proud momma, in our Girls on the Run 5K in Cincinnati. Her time? 29:59! Beat my time back in March by 2 whole minutes!

Speaking of Isabel, the sweet thing turned ten on December 21st. You may remember the 80's-themed party...

And here we are now, still smiling (well, except for Gabe, he was exhausted by this point) and loving each other more than ever.

2009 was a year full of blessings for our little family; I only hope 2010 brings more of the same, for us and for all of you!

Happy New Year!

Oh, and if you made it this far and are wondering if the winner is you, here it is:

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2009-12-31

Hot tub Lizzy, That's you!!! Email me your address just to make sure I have the right one, okay? Congratulations, and thanks everyone for playing along!

Chatty Cathy

I must admit, at times I am a "Chatty Cathy", even though my name is Heather.

And though it seems hard to believe, at one time I was even considered to be a shy girl. (Notsomuch anymore...).

A little over two years ago, in September of 2007, I started this blog as a way to advertise my scrapbooking/cardmaking business, keep my family updated on my kids, and be able to enter a contest on another blog (I thought I had to have a whole blog, not just a google account, to leave comments!).

This blog has become so much more than I had ever imagined. I have made so many online friends, many of whom have become real life friends. I have vented, complained, bragged on my kids and my husband, loved on my kids and my sisters, and found an outlet for that chattiness we were talking about earlier. (Sometimes Joe gets tired of hearing me talk...hard to believe, I know).

That being said, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that this post marks the big:

Yep, you read that right...five-hundred!

500 big ones. (Posts, that is.)

See, warned you I was chatty.

Here is a glimpse of me and the kids from when this all began:

And a post celebrating such chattiness in the form of blogging just wouldn't be the same without a contest. And for those of you who know me, you can probably guess what the prize is...

Have you guessed yet?

It's not a new car.

It's not a new Keurig coffee maker (although I do LOVE the one Joe got me for Christmas!).

Okay, I'm not much for suspense.

Put your name in the proverbial hat by leaving me a comment, and you'll be in the running for a set of handmade cards, created by yours truly. I haven't made them yet, but I promise they'll be a great prize! Here's an example...

Drawing will be held on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, depending on my mood and if I have gotten rid of this stinking upper respiratory infection or not.

Stay tuned for the winning announcement!

(And now the challenge will be to not blog from now until then...I don't know if I'll make it!)

Back to School

Nope, I'm not talking about my kids.

I'm talking about me!

When I graduated from nursing school back in 1994, I had my diploma as a Registered Nurse. There wasn't much of a push back then to get your Bachelor's Degree, and I really never intended to go into administration, where a degree was required.

Fifteen years, three kids and several job changes later, here I am in administration as a Nursing Supervisor. Christ Hospital is offering nurses the chance to get their BSN through a program with UC, one night a week for two and a half years, all expenses paid. How do you refuse that?!

I have to admit, I'm excited to be back in the classroom again. My first class is American History; we only meet three times and the rest is online. (Can you believe we didn't even have internet when I graduated?!). It will be interesting to be studying alongside my kids in the evening, and good for them to see, don't you think?

Who knows, maybe a Master's Degree will be next?

It made me curious to know, what kind of education do you all have? Do you think you'll ever go back to college (or go for the first time)? What's your dream job?

Every year, my kids are delighted to see the nativity making its entrance into the corner of our church. Gabe loves the camels and the fancy clothing of the three kings, while Isabel loves the baby Jesus and the angel above.

Myself? I can relate to the absolute love that Mary has for her infant son, not caring whether he was the savior or not. All of us mothers know in our hearts that God has great plans for our children; can you imagine really knowing it, like Mary did? What a wonderful Christmas gift!

Merry Christmas to all of you, my blog friends. I hope this day is filled with love and peace and laughter for each and every one!

Like, Totally Awesome, Dude!

It was, like, totally Isabel's idea to have an 80's-themed birthday party, but I have to say that I had a LOT of fun planning it with her. She invited nine girls with instructions to dress up in total valley girl fashion, and they all did!

Some of our decorations included my old ET shirt that I got for my 10th birthday (um, yeah, in 1983) and Elijah's Rubik's cube (not an original version, though).


We had pita pizzas, Pop Rocks, Capri-sun, Fun Dips and chocolate cake. Neon colors were in vast supply, as were side ponytails, legwarmers and bangle bracelets...

(Notice ET hamming it up in the background?)

One of Isabel's best friends, Caitlin. You should have seen these two dance in our version of "So you think you can dance"!

The whole totally radical group:

Happy birthday, Isabel! (Doesn't she look adorable?)

We ended the night dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and playing a game of Limbo. Some of these girls were really flexible!

I tried to get my hair as "big" as possible, but nothing can beat the look I had in the real 80's...

Two of her friends spent the night, and we woke up the next morning to snow! It was a bit too cold to play outside, so I let them fill up some bowls and play at the kitchen table. They loved it!

I'm so glad Isabel was able to have such a great party! It's gonna be hard to top this one!

Good Morning

I don't have to tell you about the busy-ness that is December, do I?

Not enough time in the day to check off all the boxes on your to-do list (which seems to grow longer when I'm not looking!).

Not enough time to do all the Christmas-y things I would like to do with the kids, although we have done alot already.

For the sake of my sanity, though, I had to take a break from all that busy-ness. This morning I sat with my cup of coffee and visited my blog friends (YOU!). I read about your busy month. I laughed. I smiled. I commented. I sipped my coffee and wished for my voice to come back (I lost it yesterday when I caught a case of laryngitis...oh, the joy). I came back to reality feeling refreshed and ready to conquer today's list.

I really needed that time. Because today's list kind of sucks.

Cleaning. Laundry. Downloading pictures of Isabel's party (that one's not bad).

Taking the kittens to the humane society.

Yep, that's the one that sucks.

We are down to two kittens. We tried keeping them, in addition to the two cats and one dog and three kids we already have.

But Gabe's "little allergy" has become a full-blown one. I tried medication, but it only helps a little. I hate to see him suffer, and it's really not fair. We tried finding homes for the kittens, but to no avail.

I'm copping out. Joe's taking them. I told Isabel before she left for school today, and she was okay with it. She still has Autumn and Sugar and Ellie, and quite frankly, I think she was getting tired of having to help clean up after them. We're hoping that since they're so cute, and the shelter is having a special this month on lower prices for the holidays, they'll be adopted quickly.

Anyway, I'm glad I got to spend some time with all of you before conquering my list. I promise a post full of 80's fun and giggling prepubescent girls will follow soon!

Sometimes Rachael really rocks!

First off, I have a confession to make:

I have never watched Food Network.

That's not to say I don't love to cook; I do. I would just rather open up a cookbook for a recipe than try to watch someone on TV while I attempt to keep up with them in my own kitchen (hello, I don't even have a TV in there!). Not to mention the fact that Racheal Ray makes me feel totally inadequate (in a culinary-sort-of-way).

When my sister in law gave me one of Rachael's cookbooks as a gift, it took me awhile to even open the darn thing. Once I got over myself and my insecurities, I found some interesting-sounding recipes. The kids were nervous, Joe was just glad to have a home-cooked meal in front of him, and I found a few winners all around. This one is our current favorite:

"Harvest Creamy Corn 'Choup'" (p.76 from her book Just in Time)

A combination of a chowder and a soup; perfect on a cold winter's day!

Ingredients (slightly modified for my picky family):

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 onion, chopped (I use frozen, already chopped)
4 to 5 ears of corn (whatever; I used a 10 oz bag of frozen corn)
1 medium zucchini (NO WAY, JOSE! I left this out)
1 pound small potatoes, chopped (frozen again...plain hash brown potatoes, yum!)
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (fresh for this one)
1 bay leaf
5 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dried thyme, which I always have on hand)
1 t paprika
salt and black pepper
3 T all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream (I used two cups of half-and-half...same difference, right?)
Tobasco to taste


Heat the oil in a medium soup pot over med-high heat. Add the bacon to the hot oil and cook until crisp at the edges (she says 2 to 3 min; I say 6 to 7).

Add the onions, corn, (zucchini), potatoes and bell pepper as you get them chopped.

(Lula is the one who tipped me off on the frozen potatoes; my friend, Emily, introduced me to the loveliness that is frozen chopped onions...no more stinky hands!)

Add the bay leaf, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Sprinkle the flour around the pot, and stir and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the stock and bring it up to a bubble. When it thickens up a bit, stir in the half-and-half and simmer for 5 minutes. Don't forget to discard the bay leaf!

At this point, the soup is done (only 30 minutes!), but I prefer to let it simmer a bit longer while I make the cornbread. Rachael suggests serving this choup with popcorn; the kids thought that was pretty cool, having popcorn with dinner :)

Honestly, the picture doesn't do it justice.

If you like corn, potatoes, and chowder, you'll love this! We rarely have any leftover, and if we do, even Joe eats it (and he NEVER eats leftovers).

I'm sure you could find a more printable recipe on Food Network's website, if you're game. Enjoy, and make sure you let me know how you like it!

Watch out, David!

'cause you're gonna have some competition in a few years...

Introducing Gabe the Babe, Soccer Player Extraordinnaire. Read what the critics are saying:

"Gabe K, best known as "Gabe the Babe" in the world of soccer, has come into his own during his first season. His team, the Candy Canes, ruled the arena at their YMCA home field, with Gabe scoring thirteen goals in one game alone! They finished up 7-0, and went home sporting trophies and smiles. We haven't seen the last of this kid, not by a longshot!"

(Believe it or not, Gabe is not the one dancing a jig. He's actually paying attention.)

This was Joe's first time coaching soccer, and he did a great job! Gabe LOVED having his dad be the coach.

Gabe has been waiting for this day for years: the day he would receive his first trophy. Elijah has many trophies on his bookcase (basketball, baseball, soccer, football) and Gabe has admired them all. He was convinced that if he didn't score a goal at his last game, he wouldn't get a trophy. Although I didn't want to cheapen it by telling him everyone gets a trophy, I also didn't want him to worry. No need to fear; he got a goal in the second half, and all was well.

As soon as we got home, he ran to his room and put that beloved trophy on his shelf right next to his team picture! He was so proud of himself, as were the rest of us. He really did do a great job!

Next goal: coach-pitch baseball in the spring. I can hardly wait!