Brief Blogger Break

I have not been posting things for a week because Opa has been upgrading my operating system at home. My computer was running sssoooo ssssllllooowwwwllllyyyyyyyy that he decided to bite the bullet and reformat C. He just reloaded my camera software on Monday evening, so I haven't tried it yet.

I really love my tech weenie sweetheart . . . except he loves to try new software and thinks that I do, too. It has been a struggle to convince him to just put back the latest version of iTunes and the stuff I was using. I simply don't have time to learn to use all new applications; maybe one or two---but not everything major all at once.

Anyway, I have pictures of the Black Bean Lasagna that I made last weekend from my Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine. It was delicious! And Greg is extending the gas line for my new gas range scheduled for delivery in December. And the floor is supposed to be installed the week of December 15. Things are cooking all over.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Hopefully I'll have some pictures from ours on Friday.

P.S. We went to see Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond movie. My favorite character is still 'M.' But there are a lot of dead ends in this movie . . . . (sic)

My Response to the Tag from Poo!

Here goes. Six (somewhat) interesting things about me per the tag from Poo!

1) My biggest surprise ever was when I discovered that my mother was not BIG! At the age of 12, I was shocked to discover that she was barely 5-feet tall and that I had been afraid of her all those years . . . and she is a shrimp.

2) When I was 21 and single, I went on a vacation to Hawaii for 2 weeks with total strangers. I just signed up, got on the airplane, and flew off without ever having met my room-mate from St. Louis. It was a wonderful, memorable trip.

3) I met my husband, Greg, on an internet site for the Dayton Daily News Dateline. One of the first questions I asked him in e-mail was how to pronounce his last name. Little did I know that I would be answering that question for the rest of my life.

4) I've had two babies by natural childbirth.

5) I love to sew and have made just about everything from a tablecloth to a winter coat at one time or another.

6) I got a 2-year degree out of high school and then went back to college in my 30's. I earned my Bachelor's degree from Wright State University in night classes while working full time with two kids. I was 40 when I got my Bachelor's.

Now, to tag somebody that hasn't already been tagged is a challenge. Hmmm.

7) All my blogger buddies are Emily's friends because none of my friends has a blog. Greg!! Maria!! Teresa!! Mimi!!! Granny!!! Grandpa!!!! Send me your list in e-mail and I'll post it on my blog. :-) That's 6 interesting things about YOU.

Butterscotch and Bisque!

Santa better trade in his sleigh for a delivery truck this year, because the Froehle Christmas is looking like Homer . . . that is Home Depot is taking over.

As some of you know, the ceramic tile in the kitchen and hallway is cracked and damaged because of some bad decisions about sub-flooring by a previous owner and some water damage from the refrigerator. We have been pricing and exploring options and saving money for replacement of the floor for about two years. We got delayed a couple of times along the way for a number of reasons; but the planets finally aligned; and we are off and running with some updates.


After a hard look at laminate flooring, the installers told us that our floors aren't very level and are not going to work well with that material. So we are getting a pre-finished hardwood from Bruce in a color called "Butterscotch," which is pictured here (sort of). The materials are on order and should be here and installed in early December. I have fond memories of wood floors from childhood days in the house that Dad built in Markle. Memories of sliding on the throw rugs across the freshly-waxed floors and watching my mom mop furiously when the suds saver on the washer ran over and got the floor wet . . . water turns the wood dark!!!! I think the materials have greatly improved. The wood look is still my favorite---hands down.



Ever since we have lived here, the electric range that we bought with the house has given me fits. The house in Beavercreek had built-in appliances, so we took these appliances because they fit and matched the kitchen. Well, the stove is by far the worst range I have ever owned. The oven doesn't heat evenly and routinely burns baked goods on the bottom. The timed bake and cleaning features don't work. The burners are very hard to control. It works for basic things like spaghetti, but don't try to do anything creative. Since we are fixing the floor, we will be moving the stove. So I took this opportunity to say, "Let's just keep the stove going once we get it out of here!"

Greg is partial to gas ranges, so we decided on a new mid-range from Maytag! It's made in the U.S.! I love it! And it will be so wonderful to be able to actually COOK and BAKE without burning things. We are going to have to run the gas line about ten feet across the unfinished basement to put this in. But the plan is to get the range delivered after the floor is installed but before Christmas.

The picture here is the model we got in stainless steel. We are getting "bisque" to go with the kitchen, so the top of the range will be light to match the rest of the frame. Otherwise, I know it isn't as personal as jewelry or lingerie; but I'll take this over a mystery gift from Victoria's Secret!

What do you think, ladies? Would you go for a new hardwood floor and a cook range for Christmas? Maybe I am showing my age that this gets me excited.

Happy Corvette Pictures!



One of my work friends, Judy, is married to Rich. (They have a son named Michael.) Judy and I have been lunch buddies for a year or more starting our acquaintance by spending lunch hours at Dave's Famous BBQ Restaurant in the North Hills eating baked potatoes and salad and such with our Federated discount.

Last January, Judy's husband, Rich, was working in their attic stringing some electrical wire and fell through the ceiling in the foyer area where it was two stories to the ground. Rich was seriously injured in this accident, and he was unresponsive for several days. The doctors told the family that a long recovery was in store, and there was no way to tell if Rich would ever walk again let alone drive or work. Well, doctors are sometimes surprised at how much faith and perseverance and hard work can do. Rich worked extremely hard, and he had tremendous support from Judy and his employer and a lot of people on their knees praying for him.


Rich started back to work part-time after about six months of recovery. The doctor's said it was unheard of for anyone with this type of injury to consider working in less than a year. But Rich started out with a couple of days a week anyway. After a few more weeks, he retested for his driver's license and added another day to his schedule. In September he started working 4-5 days a week and was released by his therapists. He is an amazing person; and his family and friends and boss and the people on the EMS board where he serves are a testimony to what it means to stand in the gap for a friend.

I got to see Rich again last month at the Sojourner House Jazz Explosion at LeMont where he and Judy were part of the group representing Federated at the event. A great deal of our conversation was about the new car that Rich got recently . . . a vintage Corvette! This car is a 90-something model that is a collector's item. Rich is extremely proud of this car, and I gave him a hard time because he didn't have any pictures of it with him at the event. Well, Judy and I had lunch this week; and Rich sent me a CD with several photos on it. When I opened the pictures this evening, I knew there was a blog entry in these photos. My only regret is that Rich and Judy aren't in any of the photos. Because the story here isn't about the car. The story is about faith and commitment and hard work and being able to drive again.

Congratulations, Rich and Judy and Michael, on being able to celebrate at the end of a long, hard year. You deserve it! God bless you.

P.S. Judy said the car is a 1996. It was the last year for the C4.

Remembering Amelia

Greg's niece, Amelia, was killed in a tragic car crash three years ago in Louisville, Kentucky. I knew Amelia only briefly as a spunky teenager with a mind of her own that loved life . . . grabbed it by the horns and lived it to the fullest.

As the anniversary of Amelia's accident approaches (next week), her mom is getting this tribute ready to post in their newspaper. I wanted to share it with all of you. Whenever people's lives touch, they are never forgotten. They leave impressions on us, and we become like diamonds reflecting all the people we have known and cared about. Amelia touched a lot of people.

Thanks, Peggy, for sharing this picture and tribute. May God fill you with lots of friends to celebrate Amelia's life and with tons of happiness knowing how much you loved each other in life.

Cappuccino

About a year ago, I discovered the fine delicacy at Starbucks known to me now as a "Grande Non-Fat Decaf Cappuccino." My love of this drink only grew when I found that besides being warm and wonderful, it was only one point on Weight Watchers with the skim milk. Soon I was stopping too many mornings for my fix; and those $3.19 a pop charges started eating into my pocket money pretty seriously.

Enter the cappuccino maker! I've spent many months finding the right expresso and the right grind. I have an official, stainless steel steaming pot and a couple of official Starbucks cup and saucers to make this treat perfect. At first I had trouble getting the temperature right; it just wasn't hot enough until I preheated the cup in the microwave with some boiling water. I'm proud to say that I think I've got it. This is the masterpiece I made on Saturday morning after my waffle . . . which by the way was prepared for me (the batter) by my darling husband before he left at 5:30 a.m. to catch a flight. Again, I digress. Ta Da!!! The perfect cappuccino!