......I'm back! (For the time being anyway!)

It's been SO long since I blogged, I almost didn't even remember how.  :)  It seemed like the perfect time to do it since the kids and I are stuck on the couch right now.  I have had an awful headache all morning and Mr. G was send home sick from preschool after he threw up there.  So, now it's movies and snuggling.  Miss K seems just fine as she's eating everything in the house that's not nailed down....hopefully she doesn't get it too because she is a loaded cannon at the moment.  :)

New things in my life, you may ask?  It has been awhile since I've posted any updates.  A couple of things, work related.  I finally jumped in and became a Pampered Chef Consultant.  Sounds cheesy, but it was something that I always wanted to do!  (Plus, I wanted to be able to buy products and I didn't know anyone that sold them anymore!)  I have had one FtF show so far, have three catalog shows running, and have another couple FtF shows next month.  It's fun and a good way for me to get some girl time in every once in awhile.  Will I do this forever?  Probably not.  Am I enjoying it so far?  Yup, absolutely!

I also took on a blended class through Hawkeye Community College.  From April-June I'll be teaching a blended Oral Comm, half online and half face to face.  Sounds like a fun new challenge, esp. since Hawkeye uses a different system than I'm used to.  Also, a little extra money is a good thing.  :)

The kids are great...I cannot believe that they are going to be 3 and 5 in May!  Everyone said that once Kingsley turned 3 or so, I would be wanting another baby.  True to an extent...she is certainly more self-sufficient.  She's been potty trained for a few months now and that's been amazzzzzing.  No more diapers, yahoo!!  However, both kiddos are still sweet and innocent and cuddly, so I can still get my snuggles in with them.  :)  Plus, just about every one of my friends are pregnant right now, so I can probably get my baby fix as needed.  :)

I used to think that babies were a lot of work and worry.  It never crossed my mind that they were stuck to one place and once they started moving things would only become a bit more challenging.  Just this last Friday Grady shot himself through (yes, through) the finger with a brad nail during Daddy Day Care.  (Josh was putting up a piece of trim, Grady picked up the nail gun, Josh told him to put it down, in the process, it went off....)  We were incredibly lucky as it just went through a little bit of tissue, no nail, bone, tendons....yes, it could have been much worse.  No, I don't think he'll listen next time when we tell him that he could get hurt if he doesn't listen.  :)

ORANGE!  The bedroom back wall color is orange.  Not a very Roxanne color, huh??  I totally dig the orange but already have plans to go back to a cream/white/brown color scheme in the future.  (Yep, THAT seems more Roxanne!)

Weekend plans are supposed to include going and seeing Nick and Annie, but there is a snowstorm coming in tonight through tomorrow.  We'll have to see what that does to our travel plans.  Till next time, blog readers!  I'll try not to go so long!

Labor Day Weekend...

Wore me out so much that I'm just now blogging about it on the Thursday after!  The weekend was JAMPACKED with my last long run (the half is THIS Saturday!  Ah!), taking down two trees for some friends from church, having my dad over for supper and to play with the kids, camping with friends, and painting my bedroom.  PHEW!  Let's play a little game called "Guess what color Roxanne painted the bedroom" or alternately, "How well do you know me?!"  or--last one--"Who out there actually reads my blog?"  I will give you till, say, Sunday, then post a picture!  :) 

Whew!

What a crazy couple of weeks!

First -- Mr. Grady started preschool.  After some finagaling and some hemhawing (on our part), we finally have him in the morning session.  It's a group of younger kids (4's only vs. some 4's and mostly 5's) than the afternoon, and if we decide to hold him back, he'll have a better chance of staying with these kids.  He goes MWTh mornings, and T afternoons.  (Confusing, right?)  Hopefully I never forget to drop him off or pick him up.  :)  His teacher is SO nice, however, that I'm sure she'd be very kind and understanding about it.  :)  On Tuesdays, he gets library time, and guess who he'll see in the library?!  His Meemaw!  I don't know if he's put that together yet.  He will be so excited.  :)

Second - I started school.  (Man I wish I had a first day picture to show you!)  :)  I think the year is going to be awesome.  This is my second one where I feel like a normal human being...not pregnant or with a baby and pumping in my office.  It makes SUCH a difference.  I have some new challenges ahead (teaching Oral Comm online for the first time, as well as Cornerstone, a new class) and I'm VERY excited about it.  :)  Plus I have a new dress to wear tomorrow.  (Maybe a "2nd Day" picture to come?)  :)

Third - I actually received bad news between my classes on Monday.  The clock in my classroom doesn't work, so I ran upstairs to my office to grab my phone to keep track of time.  I had a voicemail from my dad, which I listened to on the way back downstairs.  He said he had bad news, and that I should call him.  Well geez.  Do I wait until after my next class but wonder the whole time?  Or do I call him quickly but then have to teach right after hearing whatever it was?  I opted for calling.  He told me that my Grandma Shontz had passed away the night before.  So sad!  We aren't particularly close with that side of the family...no reason except distance and...life?  We always say, "Oh we should get down there and visit them" but it rarely happens.  So her passing makes me really sad for that reason most of all.  Though it's not for an ideal situation, I'm actually looking forward to making the trip to her funeral on Thursday to see my grandpa, aunts and uncles, and all the other relatives.  (That's my grandpa and grandma above.  The picture was taken approximately two years ago.) 

The rest of the weekend should be fun and relaxing.  We are going to Cedar Rapids to celebrate Josh's sister's birthday.  She is going to rent a pontoon on Saturday and we are going to brunch on the boat.  (I don't get to say that NEARLY enough.)  :)  We are hoping to spend a night there to lengthen our stay.  And Grady already told me that if we stayed, Daddy and I were welcome to come back to Dike and just let he and Kingsley sleep over.  What a thoughtful kid.  :)

Speaking of cherishing kids...we were playing at the train table in Von Maur today and a woman struck up a conversation with me.  She was there buying a present for her grandson, not quite 3, who was recovering from brain surgery and would be spending a lot of time in bed.  Poor punkin!!!!  I can't imagine.  We are so blessed with our two healthy, happy, bright, funny, creative, giving little ones.  I am not near thankful enough.  That little boy has been on my mind all day.  I told her to buy him a flashlight...those are always hot items in this house.  I so hope he enjoys it!!

I hope you all are having great weeks, and getting out to soak up the beautiful weather!! 

Watermelon Days!

You know it's August in Iowa when it's time for Watermelon Days!!  This past weekend was a lot of fun.  Saturday morning started out with the annual Phil Kruger 5k, and for once I was actually excited about running this rather than dreading it.  (Last year I ran a total of 4 times the week before the race...nothing else all summer.)  This year I have been really good about going for runs and having done Dam to Dam, I was feeling pretty good about it.  The race itself was fun...we even got on the news.  :)  My goal time was 27:33 (my personal best so far) and I got 27:07, so that was good too.  I was secretly hoping for 26 something, but now that's just the goal for next year.  :)  It was even more special as it was a family affair.  Josh, Mark, and Rob all ran the race too.  Rob's been running a lot this summer and did a marathon a few weeks ago, so it was no surprise to anyone that he smoked the race.  He won his age group.  :)  Between the Heimanns, I won, then Josh, then Mark.  For a girl who isn't a runner (I swear, I'm still not!), feeling pretty good about that.

The rest of the day was just as much fun.  After showering, we went back downtown to eat lunch at the Lions Club with Rob, Kate and Braden.  Then it was a kids pedal tractor pull, petting zoo, bouncy houses, treats and face tattoos before the parade.  Dad came over from his place for that, and we were able to watch it with him and Teri too.  (Mark had already left for Argentina at that point.  No big deal.)  The kids of course loved it, and each got a ridiculous amount of candy.  (Maybe I'll use it to bribe Kingsley into potty training???)  :)  After the parade, we all came back to my house for grilling and a little birthday party for Braden, which Great-Grandma Rouse joined in on.  So fun!  The kids had a blast in particular.

Saturday night brought a sitter (yay!) and going down to Slice for live music and fun with friends.  More fun!!  Love that you never know who you are going to see from the past!  :)  /Rob joined us out and caught up with several classmates, which was particularly nice from him since he's not around here.

Sunday was another great day...Nick and Annie decided to come up from Cedar Rapids for a visit. We went out to lunch with them and then to Heimanns for badminton.  It was gorgeous out and the kids got some quality aunt/uncle time in.

I'm actually sitting outside right now writing this...gorgeous out again.  Sooo apprecited after the hot days!!  Grady is laying on the grass beside me, playing with sticks and little leaves.  :)  Funny what they can find to entertain themselves with!  Miss K is in taking a nap, as is Josh who has to work tonight.  (Yep...stinking third shift again.)

I made the decision to switch my Park to Park registration from the 10k to the half on Sept. 8th.  Exciting, but that means a lot of work between now and then.  I'm ready for it.  I've just been doing shorter runs--4-6 miles--since Dam to Dam and that's great but not so challenging anymore.  Bring it!  :)

Hope you are enjoying this afternoon as much as I am!!

<3

Oh Mr. Food

Do you guys watch Mr. Food's segments on KWWL?  Sometimes they are crap.  ("Take an ice cream sandwich, layer cool whip down, then add another sandwich on top for a DOUBLE ICE CREAM SANDWICH!!"  I might be exaggerating, but for awhile there, I told Josh I could rock that segment waaay better than Mr. Food himself.

Well fast forward to today.  Cream Puffs.  Nicely played, Mr. Food.  Nicely played.  And since I can't pin your recipe from the site, I will put it here to remember in the future.

State Fair Cream Puffs, any old time you want!

Serves: 12

Cooking Time:30 min

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir quickly until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.
   
2. Add 1 egg and beat hard with a wooden spoon to blend. Add remaining whole eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; each egg must be completely blended in before the next egg is added. As you beat mixture, it will change from an almost-curdled to a smooth appearance. When it is smooth, spoon 12 mounds of dough onto a large rimmed baking sheet.
   
3. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and milk; mix well and brush over dough.
   
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
   
5. In a large bowl, beat cream with an electric beater on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form.
   
6. Cut top third off each cooled pastry puff and fill with equal amounts of whipped cream mixture. Replace tops and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to serve.

Note

For a sure way to get perfect whipped cream, chill the bowl and beaters before whipping the cream, and make sure not to over beat it.

Just a note...the next recipe on the site was for chili dogs.  I again think I would do the segment better.  :)

 

Up two, down two!

Been a busy summer so far at the Heimannian household.  Grady did tball and loved it...he just asked me again this morning if it was a tball day.  :)  Grady was on a team of 4-6 year olds...and man there is a difference between a 4 year old playing and a 6 year old.  He had a great time and did really well at it.  I'm sure he'll be back at it next summer.

Swimming lessons start in a couple of weeks...Grady will do them, but since you have to be 3 in Dike, Miss Kingsley won't.  This will be Grady's second year and he's already excited to do the slide and the boards again. 

Josh and I are doing well!  He is on shut down this week, so has a much needed week off.  I have been enjoying the heck out of summer...sleeping until 8, hanging out in the mornings, often going to the pool in the afternoon.  Getting some running in too...I'm doing the Watermelon Day 5k and the Park to Park 10k, so NEED to keep after it.  :)  My only complaint is the HEAT.  I don't know when to go.  This morning Anj and I ran at 8 and it was already sooooo warm and humid.  Gotta love summer in Iowa!  (Actually, I really do!)  :)

To the title of the post...we are UP two kitties!  We adopted one all black and one black and white kitten a couple of weeks ago.  They are sweet and playful and super with the kids, so we are all enjoying them.  :)  Grady named them both...the black one is Max and the black and white is Patches.  I went back and forth and back and forth on adopting kittens but it was a great decision.  They are a good fit for our family.  :)

And we're DOWN 2 body parts...well, to be specific, Grady is.  He had his tonsils and adenoids out on Friday.  I'm hoping that this makes his life a little easier!!  He is always snuffly...his doc said that his tonsils, uninfected, were almost touching.  His adenoids were also huge.  If he GOT an infection, that boy simply wouldn't be breathing. :(  They are out, Friday was a looonnng day at the hospital, but he's doing fairly well here.  Lots of Popsicles and ice cream and movies and Wii and Playstation.  :)  It's actually been kind of nice family bonding time. 

I know I'm terrible about posting pictures...I will do that sometime soon.  Pinky promise.  :) 

Hi there!

It's been forever since I blogged last! I'm not sitting in front of the computer every day so I don't think about it as much. Happy summer break! Mine started out busy with a couple of weeks of workshops at UNI. And a 20k. And a roof. No big deal. But now I'm officially ready to enjoy the sunshine!

I guess I'll blog a bit about each of those things, since clearly that's what we have been up to. The workshops were good...I am teaching a class called Cornerstone at UNI this fall. It's College Reading and Research and Oral Communication combined, along with civil awareness and study skills. It should be interesting! I will be curious to see how the students react. And how I react. It's worth 6 credits over the course of two semesters, and I have two sections of it, so it's quite a commitment. But to be honest, the English nerd in me is drooling a little bit.

The 20k was awesome. (That's 12.4 miles, in case you aren't British. Or whomever uses kilometers.) My summer goal was a 10k, which I will be running in Sept. This was a crazy whim. And it was great. Sooooo glad I did it. Our time was 2:10, and in the future (yes, I said future) I would like to be under 2. Josh has started running with me too, we just did 4 yesterday together. LOVE THAT!!!

We also roofed my grandma's house this past weekend. Oof. Nothing like pushing your body waaaaaay beyond what it's comfortable with two weekends in a row! And it was hot. 93. No shade. I was fine but both Josh and Jeff got sick from the heat. Oh yeah, we had Jeff, Mark, and our friend Luke helping too. (Sounds like a Biblical crowd, doesn't it?! We were just lacking a Matthew and a John.) :) Thank goodness, because there was no way we could have done that thing in 3 days without them!! It was kind of fun, in that torture type of way, but glad it's over!!

Grady and Kingsley have been so much fun already this summer. Having a 4 year old and a 2 year old is EASY compared to past summers! Kingsley is still in diapers (interested in potty training while I was in school...now that I'm home full time, can't get her to pee on that princess potty for nothing!) and she naps, but man. Life is good! This weekend we are taking them to Des Moines and doing the Science Center and the zoo, as well as hotel/pool stuff. I am leaving the pack and play at home. Might regret that one, hopefully not. :)

Currently I'm reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and near the end, so I'm going to go and try to finish that up. Then it's laundry, supper (grilled steak salads), sweeping, the usual. Have a great day! :)