Gietzen Ground

Christmas Letter 2011

2011-12-15T21:37:00.026-06:00

Hello Everyone!

This will be our 2nd annual online Christmas card in our attempts to be "green" and (probably more so)... frugal :)

We have had a busy year this year. Here are the updates in our lives...

Sam and I rang in the 2011 year celebrating our 2nd year anniversary. It's hard to believe another year has gone by and we are about to celebrate our third year of marriage. In March, we took a 2nd honeymoon and enjoyed a vacation in Jamaica at Couples Tower Isle Resort in Ocho Rios. It was a wonderful, relaxing vacation and was fun to get some sun during the chilly month of March!

Our first trip to Jamaica: Honeymoon in January, 2009

Our "second honeymoon" trip to Jamaica: March, 2011

In April, I attended a conference in Washington D.C. with some colleagues from United Tribes. I finished out my year teaching K-8 music at United Tribes, in May, and began taking classes this summer through NDSU towards my Masters in Music Education. I have continued taking classes this fall, and just this week I heard good news from the grad school admissions office that I have been accepted into the program. I will continue to take online classes this spring and will then be commuting to Fargo during the summer. The program will take 2-3 years.

In Washington D.C., at a national teaching convention: April, 2011

This summer, Sam and I enjoyed a couple of mini vacations. The first was to the Twin Cities with my parents. We enjoyed two MN Twins games, shopping, and spending some fun family time together. The second mini vacation was a camping trip to Medora, ND with another couple from our Bible study, over Labor Day. Both trips were very fun, and a great time was had by all.

In the Twin Cities with Mom and Dad: August, 2011

At the game

In Medora, ND: September, 2011

This fall I began my new position at Roosevelt Elementary in Mandan, ND, teaching K-5 music. I absolutely love this job. It is a great fit for me. This fall, I was able to attend the national Orff music convention in Pittsburgh, PA with the other four elementary music teachers in the Mandan district, as well as a couple other teachers from other area schools. It was a very fun time for gathering ideas, attending excellent sessions, and learning from the top professionals in my field. I love that when I go to a convention, I can take part in African drumming, Russian folk dancing, acting out Jewish folk tales, and learn to hula, among many other things. What other jobs get to do that? My job is so fun! Right now we are looking forward to a Christmas program- which is happening next week. My students in grades Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade are performing "The Nutcracker." It will be a very fun evening.

Grabbing lunch with the other music teachers at a local pizza place in Pittsburgh: November, 2011

Sam also began a new job this fall. He is now working for Red Door Homes as estimator and purchaser. Prior to this job, Sam was the building official in Lincoln, ND. This new job is a great fit for him, and has a lot shorter commute, as it is right up the street, instead of a 17 mile trip down the highway. He loves his new job. In addition to work, Sam enjoys playing softball in the summer, basketball in the evenings, and playing on a volleyball team throughout the year. He also leads a Bible study on Thursday evenings that we host in our home. We love seeing our friends once a week and studying God's Word together. It has become a very special time each week. Also, this week is the first week Sam will begin teaching Sunday school to the preschoolers in our church! I think it will be a fun and good experience for him.

Sam's softball team took 3rd place in the Rug Rat Tournament this summer

We have also continued to make improvements around our house, as we did landscaping, updates to our house exterior, as well as build a garage this summer. Sam definitely kept busy. The garage is finished now, and we are so excited to have a place to park our cars this winter. Next summer, our plans are to finish up the some landscaping and most of our goals for our home renovation will be complete.

Hard at work, and happy too!

Sam working diligently on the garage, framing.

Making progress! It's starting to look like a garage!!!

The garage is complete! Hooray! (Still primed gray. Will paint to match the house next summer.)

New railing on the front porch, and a flower box that Sam made.

How much is that puppy in the window? The flower box Sam made me when I was in Washington D.C! Fun to come home to this surprise! He did a wonderful job!

Some of the landscaping and exterior work we have done

Side rock garden

We are also looking forward to this summer, as my brother Jeff is getting married to Kaylie. We are so excited for these two. They are perfect for each other. We are looking forward to a lovely summer wedding!

One of Jeff and Kaylie's engagement photos, photographed by Kaitlyn Cornell

The holidays will be a little different for us this year, as we will not be around snow. We are going to be on a cruise to Mexico with my family! We haven't been on a vacation with my family since 2004, so this is very exciting. We are looking forward to relaxing and spending some time together as a family, and getting some sun too!

And as the Christmas holiday approaches, may you remember the true reason for the season:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Blessings to you all! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sam and Lindsay Gietzen

At Sam's cousin's wedding: July, 2011

A Wedding Day

2011-08-10T21:07:00.003-05:00

Sam and I attended his cousin Erica's wedding a couple weeks ago. We were honored to sing at the ceremony. Below are some pictures from the wedding.

Sam and our nephew, Hayden.

Sam and Hayden.

Our new little niece, Hadley.

Hadley's mama, Rachel and me.

Sam and me.

Congrats to the happy couple!

Garage Process

2011-07-18T21:41:00.004-05:00

The latest in the garage process is that it is starting to look like a garage! Sam has also been putting the roof/shingles on, and just finished the other day- although, I don't have pictures of the roof yet. Here are some photos:

Do You Remember?

2011-07-14T21:19:00.012-05:00

Do you remember what it used to look like? Here's a little blog post to refresh your memory...

But FIRST: A special thank you to all our helpers!

And now for the exterior transformation...

Before:

After:

Before:

In Progress:

After! Can you see the railing on this side? It is shorter in the middle so the porch swing can swing through the railing. It is a custom feature that Sam designed himself! Pretty cool!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After!

Sam the Builder

2011-06-30T23:20:00.006-05:00

The process of building our garage this summer... it all starts with a little concrete... Sam and his 3 brothers and dad did the work and got us a foundation.

The Gietzen boys.

Pouring it all in. It was so hot this day, the guys needed to work fast!

Smoothing it all out. I believe this is called "screeding"

The finished foundation. Looks good! Now on to the building...

So good to have friends and brothers to help!

And so it begins! More to come :)

Somebody worked hard. And somebody's keeping him company :)

Easter Bunny Bread

2011-04-23T23:50:00.001-05:00

A cute little appetizer for Easter :) Thanks MOM for the great idea!

Smoothie for your Soul...

2011-04-06T16:44:00.001-05:00

Yes it does the body good. YUM! Strawberries, pineapple, banana, milk, and orange juice, with a tish of yogurt... Awesome breakfast.

Delicious Chocolate Banana Soufflés

2011-03-26T21:29:00.003-05:00

This dessert is A-MAZING- and not only that- it is healthy!!! I got it from Gina's skinny recipes at www.skinnytaste.com--- I highly recommend this site for healthy and let so delectable cooking/baking. I tried this recipe and was in chocolate heaven.

BONUS- If you are on weightwatchers- one ramekin (without added icecream) is only 2 pts (old points- or 4 points plus)! Score!

If you want- add a little low fat icecream and spinkle some cocoa on top. Incredible and even better than a brownie. No joke.

This recipe is directly from skinny recipes. I take no credit for it at all! I highly recommend this site- check it out- HERE

The recipe is as follows:

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 6 oz • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 131.2 • Fat: 3.6 g • Carb: 23.5 g • Fiber: 3.2 g • Protein: 4.8 g

2 ripe medium bananas, mashed
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
3 tbsp sugar
butter flavored cooking spray

Preheat over to 400F. Coat 4, 6 oz ramekins with butter flavored cooking spray. Placeon a baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mash bananas and vanilla together. Sift cornstarch and cocoa powder over bananas and stir well.

In another medium bowl, beat egg whites with sugar until they form soft peaks. Fold1/3 of egg whites into banana mixture. When incorporated, fold in the rest of the egg whites. Spoon mixture into ramekins.

Wipe the top 1/4 inch “collar” of the ramekin to remove any excess batter so that the souffle will rise straight and place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Jamaica Dream

2011-03-19T20:11:00.004-05:00

Some our our favorite pictures from our tropical vacation to Ocho Rios. We had so much fun with friends, and enjoyed the sun and the surf! Here are a few snapshots of the fun we had.

Behind us- the nude island that we never visited :)

The group of us!

One of the pools.

The gang.

We didn't go out to the nude island, but this is as close as we got! Haha.

Love him.

By the pool with the waterfall.

Sunbathing.

On the balcony of our room. Oceanview.

Hanging with Kepler and Erin.

Sorry Dear Blog...

2011-02-23T22:48:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to say that...

We actually do have a reason we are not blogging at the moment, and that is because I have lost the camera cord that connects to our computer. We need to buy a new one- and since I haven't gotten around to it, we have not blogged. I even have some pictures I would like to post, but just haven't gotten around to it. Whoops. So, I am very sorry dear blog for not writing and I'm sorry to those of you who follow this blog, and have been bored the last 2 months.

Sincerely,

The Gietzen's :)

Christmas Card

2010-12-22T07:59:00.015-06:00

Well, Christmas has definitely snuck up on us this year. So in an attempt to save money and the environment :) ... we are putting our Christmas card on the blog this year!

This year has definitely given us some changes... Here is what is going on in our lives...

SAM:

Sam was hired this summer as the building inspector for the city of Lincoln (located just a few minutes outside Bismarck). Sam inspects new home builds, and home remodels in Lincoln. He really enjoys his new job, so that has really been a blessing. In his free time, Sam enjoys playing racquetball, playing basketball at the YMCA, playing softball in the summer, and reading any sort of theology book.

This fall Sam sung in a district barbershop competition with his quartet "The Bottom Line." The group was ranked 5th, and finished 2nd out of the 16 quartets. We are very proud of Sam and The Bottom Line Quartet. The guys have been preparing for over a year for this competition.

Sam (and I) will be leading a small group Bible Study for young married couples through our church- beginning after Christmas. We are very excited to be studying the book of Daniel, meeting with young married couples, and being able to fellowship with other believers.

LINDSAY:

This past year I started out doing two long-term sub jobs through Bismarck Public Schools. I subbed for a music teacher and a Kindergarten teacher. Then this fall I was hired by United Tribes and work as a music teacher for grades Preschool-8th grade. The school is 100% Native American. I've had some very unique experiences at the school. This fall I was lucky to be able to attend a national music convention in Spokane, Washington. It was a terrific opportunity. Sam was able to come with me, so it was a nice little get-a-way for us this fall. We loved Spokane- it was absolutely beautiful. We were also able to see a broadway performance of "STOMP" while we were there, so that was very fun too.

I am currently on Christmas Break, so I am really enjoying the 2 weeks off! Last week I directed the Christmas Program at school. It was called "Christmas Time Around the World." It went very well (I am glad it is over! It was a lot of work!) :) Here is a picture from the performance. It is a picture of a few of my kindergarten students singing "Silent Night" in Lakota.

I am still teaching private piano/ voice lessons out of our home in the evenings a few nights a week. I really enjoy my students, they are wonderful. In my free time, I enjoy reading, visiting with friends, and baking!

I'm also looking forward to attending a special education convention this

spring on the east coast.

JUST THE TWO OF US (+Solomon):

Yes, it is STILL just the two of us- no additions- yet. But we are excited to be an aunt and uncle to our two nephews and our one (niece or nephew) on the way. Zach (Sam's brother) and Rachel are expecting in June, and we are very excited for them! We still just have a puppy to deal with- Solomon. We love him, but sometimes he gets into a little bit of trouble, as you can see in the photo below:

My little (not so little any more) brother Nick graduated this past spring, and now he attends Jamestown College. We love having him live a little closer to us, although he hasn't taken me up on the offer of cooking him a homecooked meal yet. Maybe he is afraid of my cooking? Here's a picture from his graduation. We are proud of you Nick!

A few other things that happened this year... we painted our house! And yes, we are still continuing to do home renovations. The exterior of our home was a project last summer, and so we tried to tackle the painting. It was a big job, so my parents graciously agreed to help out. I think the transformation came along nicely... now all we need to do this summer is some landscaping! :)

Before:

After!

We got 2 new red doors too for the front and back porch entries, which aren't in the picture, and we still need to paint the foundation and the gables!

But we will do that this summer- along with the landscaping.

We really enjoyed a trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul this summer and watched a Twins game in the new stadium. What a treat! That stadium is fantastic. We had a very fun time at the game, and I had a fun time shopping!

When we got married in 2009 (Yes we are coming up on our 2 year anniversary, I can hardly believe it!) we went to Ocho Rios, Jamaica for our honeymoon. We loved it so much, that we are going back this spring!!! We are so excited and are very ready to go on a vacation!

So, from our house to yours, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

God Bless!

Love,

Sam and Lindsay Gietzen

^{Luke 2:9-14}

⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Beautiful Spokane!

2010-11-28T18:16:00.006-06:00

Sam and I were lucky to go on a trip to Spokane, WA this past month when my school sent me to a national music educators convention there. The fall weather was absolutely perfect. The leaves were beautiful and we had so much fun! We also caught up with some friends who live close to Spokane so that was very fun! Here are some photos from the trip!

The convention center- when I had all my workshops- they were fantastic!

The trees there were this unbelievable color of red! So stunning!

One of my friends- Carol- she teaches in Mandan

Andy, Kara, and Sam. We were so lucky to have friends live so close by! Thanks Andy and Kara for coming to visit us!

Me and Maria (another teacher from Mandan)- we loved being able to enjoy walking through the park every day on our way to each session.

Gorgeous Spokane River, right by our hotel by the park.

Sam and Andy hanging out when we met up with our friends Andy and Kara for an evening.

We explored downtown and enjoyed dessert at a nice place. Not sure why I'm pulling my buttons apart on my coat.

The music teachers from Bismarck/Mandan all out to eat downtown.

I liked Kara's coat so much, I went and bought my own! There was a Macy's downtown, so we went shopping! :)

This is the event center where we saw "STOMP!" as they happened to be touring for 2 days in Spokane, and we got tickets! I had seen them once in NYC, but Sam had never seen them before. It was fun!

Beautiful views of the river and the park, I walked through here every day!

One of my workshops- African Drumming.

We went on a skyride to view the river. Pretty sights from up above!

It was a wonderful trip- to grow in knowledge of my profession, and also to spend time with Sam and my co-workers and friends! So much fun! Can't wait for next year's convention! :)

Something's Cookin!

2010-11-24T10:38:00.004-06:00

I had a surprise day off today, as school was cancelled for me. So I have been doing some baking today- and I love it! Thanks to a friend's recommendation (Candis), I borrowed a book from the library (Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day) and went to work! It turned out beautifully- I think :) And was super easy! Thanks Candis!

New furniture

2010-11-14T19:26:00.004-06:00

Photoshoot

2010-09-27T20:36:00.003-05:00

One night, Sam surprised me and had a friend (who happens to be a photographer) ready to take some photos of us- just for fun. Here are some of the pics.

For the rest of the pictures, check out my facebook album.

A comfy place to rest!

2010-08-12T22:25:00.001-05:00

This is what happens when I take warm laundry out of the dryer and I turn my back for a second... :)

Family Camp at IPBC

2010-08-07T21:53:00.002-05:00

Here are some photos from Family Camp at Inspiration Point from this summer. It was great to spend some quality time together as a family- and see my brother Jeff who was working there!

Jeff and Mom and Dad

Sam, Jeff, and Me (bummer Sam's eyes are closed- in his defense it was very bright!)

I just had to post this- it's too funny.

Me and my hubby.

Family shot.

Target Field!

2010-08-03T22:30:00.002-05:00

Sam decided we needed to have a little "get-away" weekend- just the two of us, before I started teaching school. SO- We headed down to the twin cities. I got some time to go shopping :) and Sam got in his MN Twins game. So we were both happy :) I thought pictures of me shopping would be boring- so here are pictures of the game!

We had a lot of fun! You can see there are hardly any seats open- a sold out game! The only reason some of the seats were open in the pictures is because I snapped them early before the game started. You can see in the second picture how many fans are behind home plate. Unbelievable!

And.... The TWINS WON! Yay :)

Just a Little Practice Around Here...

2010-07-24T01:43:00.002-05:00

Sam's quartet came to Bismarck this weekend to practice! We are excited to have them here! This is a little snippet of what's going on right now... at 1:50am...!!!

Cute Nephews

2010-06-30T23:28:00.003-05:00

Hammerschlagen

2010-06-26T22:26:00.004-05:00

This weekend we went to a BBQ at a friend's house, and we were introduced to a new game. I had never heard of it before. It is called hammerschlagen. Here are the rules...

The log is set up waist high with the flat sides facing the floor and ceiling. A bright nail is driven about a half inch into the wood in front of each player. Each player's turn consists of using the round end of the hammer on the log next to their nail and taking a single swing at it. The swing must be done by first bouncing the hammer on the log and then hitting the nail in a smooth up and down motion. Male players must use one hand. Female players may use both hands.

Frequently, a player will bend their nail in such a way as to make driving it further nearly impossible. In this case, the player may use their turn to make a single-motion swing at the nail from the side in an attempt to straighten the nail. You are not required to stand in the same place for the entire game. Often it is nescessary to switch sides of the log to get a better angle on your nail.

Play continues to the right and lasts until one player has driven the head of their nail to (or below) the surface of the wood. The first player who drives their nail into the log completely is the winner. We also played Anti-Hammerschlagen, and tried to hit everyone else's nail's into the log. That's a fun way to play too. Then you can "gang up" on the other players.

Since living in North Dakota, I have been exposed to a completely different culture. My husband is 100% German, so I am discovering all these German traditions here in Bismarck. Prior to meeting Sam, I never ate giant sausages for breakfast or had eaten sausage and cream bread, I had never eaten kuchen before, and I definitely had never played hammerschlagen.

It was after I played this completely ridiculous game, that I laughed to myself, and thought "Only in North Dakota...."

It's actually a really fun game :)

Nick's Graduation Pictures

2010-06-24T22:04:00.003-05:00

Nick's graduation was about a month ago, but I hadn't posted pictures yet, so here they are!

Mom had prepared some great food! Taco in a bag- yum :)

We had some great help!

Sam tried on Nick's helmet.

The quilt mom had made for Nick. I think my Aunt Jane made it actually.

The four of us.

Nick's table of accomplishments.

Sam and Nick.

The Family.

Me and Sam, Nick, Laura, Jeff, Kaylie, Kim, and Brett

Congrats Nick! We are so proud of you!!!

How to avoid spending $100 on a wreath

2010-06-21T13:16:00.003-05:00

So I thought it would be nice to add a wreath by our front door. Well I didn't know, when I went to Hobby Lobby, that wreaths could be up to $150! Some of the ones that I liked were around $100. Of course Hobby Lobby has many 50% off sales, but I still didn't want to spend $50 on a wreath. So I decided that I would make a better and cheaper wreath on my own. Having no knowledge of how to make a wreath, I just guessed. I bought a bare starter wreath for $3.99 and got berries and leaves from Hobby Lobby at 50% off. Then I took floral wire and went at it. Here is the progress...

Start out with some good floral wire for securing the flowers into the wreath, and a floral shears to cut the flowers with. The bowl of fresh watermelon is optional :)

Bad picture, but oh well. Tuck in the flowers in a circular pattern around the wreath and secure to the wreath using a floral wire.

After the first round it should look like this. Then just keep adding what you like: berries, leaves, or flowers... whatever you want!

Ta-Da! The finished product. Not bad for a novice, and MUCH cheaper than the other wreaths at Hobby Lobby (and prettier might I add!) :) It was a fun project. If you click on the picture you can see an enlarged view.

Adding some spice and nice to the porch...

2010-06-15T23:10:00.004-05:00

Added a couple of hanging plants. This is a fuchsia. Kind of a bad picture- it drained all the color out with the flash.

Sam put some tongue and groove pine boards on the ceiling of our porch. This picture also shows our trex decking installed. We haven't put in on the front porch yet- still on the honey-do list! :)

Begonias. LOVE them.

Pretty flowers.

Another porch view.

We just added a flower bed on the side of this porch. Will post pics of that soon. :)

Adding a little house paint...

2010-06-12T21:01:00.007-05:00

Last weekend, mom and dad came to visit us. They came all the way to the middle of North Dakota to help us tackle the huge task of painting our house! We are so grateful for all their help! Here are some photos from the weekend.

The pups, Solomon and Oreo

Dad getting all the "peaks." The rest of us were too scared to paint the high spots.

Mom had an unfortunate accident that (might I say) was nobody's fault but her own. Who knew that moving a ladder with a bucket of paint of the top of it, would result in such an incident?

It was pretty funny! Good thing it wasn't the oil based paint!

Dad hard at work.

Mom snapped a picture of me.

Mom (this pic was actually taken prior to her getting covered in paint) and Sam

Dad caulking all the cracks.

Before.

We primed the scraped, caulked and primed the whole thing first.

And the final result! (We still need to paint the "triangle parts" in our gables. Then we will have to start our other projects: adding new decking to the front porch and finishing the gardening and landscaping. One more thing that can be checked off the list!

AND if you look closely on the bottom left corner of our foundation, you can see the white blob where my mom had her unfortunate paint spill...

Somebody was tired!

THE END.

Kindergartners say the funniest things...

2010-05-18T21:57:00.005-05:00

We worked on a farm book project in Kindergarten. We talked about the types of things we would see in a barn at the farm. These are some examples of what some of my kids came up with...

I see a pig...

I see a hen...

I see a dog...

Nice one...

Spring means...

2010-05-11T18:36:00.001-05:00

...One muddy puppy!

Happy Mother's Day MOM!

2010-05-09T14:09:00.002-05:00

To my free-spirited mother- I'm so glad you taught me to enjoy life's simplest pleasures.

Happy Mother's Day MOM!

And Happy Mother's Day to my Aunt Carol- my mother's partner in crime in this photo :)

Gettin' Dirty...

2010-05-08T19:07:00.003-05:00

Making a few changes...

Real. Beauty. Simple.

Getting rid of some unwanted guests :)

Indeed there is hope after this long winter.

Be still my beating heart...

Something so refreshing about getting your hands in the soil and the smell of dirt.

My Love.

Reality TV gets a little more real...

2010-04-29T22:20:00.004-05:00

Meet Nic and Jess. They are in our small group (young couples) Bible study. They go to our church here in Bismarck. Nic has his own car business called CINCITY Designs- (CIN is Nic spelled backwards). Last Fall, Nic auditioned to be on the reality TV show Bullrun.

Meet Goldberg. The host of Bullrun...

This is Nic's Acura NSX at our mall.

During Bullrun

More Bull Run...

Nic's team "NSX" was only 6 minutes short, from winning the $200,000.00 grand prize. They came in at 2nd place, next to team LAMBO aka lamborghini. Congrats Nic! It was fun to watch. We all met tonight at B-Dubbs for a viewing of the finale. It was a good time! You did well.

For more info in case you're curious here's a commercial for the show :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Qogc7cQG4

And in case you're wondering, it's kinda weird seeing one of your friends on reality tv...

A few new things...

2010-04-03T22:09:00.005-05:00

We got new cellular shades! Here they are!

Living room with the cellular shades. I also got a mirror for this room. Only $15 at Real Deals!

Sam put a frosted glass window film on our kitchen door for some additional privacy.

Our newly decorated bedroom. With the new shades-also.

Dining room and new table (new to us!) and new shades.

Could it really be???

2010-04-02T15:25:00.003-05:00

Could it really be 2 years since my darling proposed to me? Today, two years ago Sam asked me to be his wife! We were so excited to be married. It's amazing how time flies :) It's been a wonderful journey. I love you Sam!

The ring!

And here are some pre-engagement photos :)

Cross Country skiing in Fergus Falls.

At my cousin's wedding, just a few weeks before we were engaged!

The cake my mom had made for us!

My house smells good...

2010-03-12T20:43:00.001-06:00

My house smells good. Bread and Strawberry- Rhubarb jam anyone?

Pastor of Worship

2010-03-07T20:32:00.009-06:00

Our church, Century Baptist Church, has been searching for a Pastor of Worship for nearly 3 years now. I am so thrilled to share with you that we have extended a call to a new Pastor of Worship! Pastor Mark Reeves will be joining the staff at Century Baptist. We are so thrilled to have him. Mark was the Pastor of Worship at Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Fargo, for a number of years. The pictures below are of our church worshipping the Lord, with Pastor Mark leading. We are so excited to have Pastor Mark, and his family join us at Century Baptist!

ALSO: If you click on this link, you can download and hear the choir song, that we sang for special music. It's really fun! We all learned it in one rehearsal! :) It downloads really quick.

Here's the link: http://www.supload.com/sound_confirm.php?get=1303244331.wma

The choir singing up front

We sang this really great gospel song under Pastor Marks direction.

There was a full orchestra during the service

The choir singing a special music number. We had over 50 people on stage, leading in worship. It was wonderful!

Orchestra members. Michelle (Lien) Erdmann on the right- a fellow Fergus Falls, MN girl! So nice to have her in Bismarck with me! :)

Our congregation at the 10:30 service. We have 2 services.

A few members of the band.

Pastor Mark and his Wife Julia

A welcome potluck for the Reeve's family

Anniversary Gift

2010-03-06T21:50:00.004-06:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while. Sam surprised me this January, with a anniversary beautiful gift. He bought this gorgeous armoire for me to have in our bedroom. We do not have a closet in our bedroom (we do in our bathroom- but it is small). So this was a wonderful surprise. I love it :) Here are some pictures. It is large- over 7 feet tall.

Small Group and Babies...

2010-03-04T20:05:00.005-06:00

Sam and I are apart of a small group Bible Study through our church. We meet weekly, on Wednesday nights. These are a few pictures from a recent gathering. Every couple in the group (except us) is either pregnant or has kids. Here are a few pictures of our group, and the cute babies too!

I experimented with some photography, on the pictures below :)

Upstairs remodel...

2010-03-02T22:22:00.003-06:00

For a while, our upstairs has been "under construction." The floor to ceiling paint needed a make-over. The walls were a terrible bright blue that burned your eyes- although it doesn't look as bad in the pictures. And the beautiful hardwood floors were painted tan. To my dismay, after trying to re-finish the floors, I realized it was no use. They were beyond repair, and the paint could not be stripped completely. So we decided to carpet the upstairs- which adds warmth anyways (and safety when going up and down stairs). I painted the walls a "soft cream." (the official color name- pretty creative huh?) So now we have a fresh new space upstairs. Yay! Decorating ideas anyone??? I thought maybe this could be my reading nook with with an oversized comfy chair.

Before....

Before, and starting to paint....

Walls are primed.

Walls are primed and floor is destroyed by me :) The hardwood looks nicer in this pic than it actually is...

Carpet :) -After

Carpet on the landing- After

After :)

Naughty Puppy

2010-02-17T18:23:00.002-06:00

To My Valentine...

2010-02-14T19:56:00.003-06:00

I was walking into a young adults worship service one Sunday night in July. It was there I saw a very handsome young man (who I would later find out was named Sam) greeting the young adults walking into the service. For a while I stood out in the foyer secretly observing this man. During a lull, while no one entered the doors to the service, he started goofing off with his friends and started "beat boxing." It was getting close to the time of the service starting, so I walked through the doors, and he smiled at me. He said, "Hi. I would shake your hand, but I have spit all over them."

That wasn't exactly the most romantic moment. But those were the first words by dear Sammy said to me. Haha. And life's never been the same since. I love you Sam. Loving this journey.

Happy Valentine's Day!

VOTE FOR SOLOMON!

2010-02-12T16:24:00.007-06:00

We entered Solomon in a pet photo contest. If we win, Solomon will have his picture on Bissell products and we will get a free vacuum!

VOTE FOR SOLOMON! PLEASE! :)

Click on the link, and register an account. It only takes a minute. Then you can vote! You can only vote once per person/ account.

Thanks for voting! :)

Cut and paste this into your browser to vote:

http://www.bissell.com/mvp_PetDetail.aspx?id=8589990223

This is the photo we are using for the contest.

Nephew Time!

2010-02-03T21:53:00.005-06:00

We just love spending time with our nephews! Here are a few recent pictures of our two special little boys!

Treye Thomas:

I'm tryin' to get a smile for the camera.

Hangin' around.

Playing.

A little smirk.

Hayden Robert:

With Daddy- Dan

Showin' off his fingers

His dog, Moose keeps him company

Yawn!

Time for bed.

A FEW LATE CHRISTMAS PICTURES...

2010-01-13T14:46:00.002-06:00

This Christmas, Sam and I went home to Fergus Falls, MN to celebrate with my side of the family. It was a fun time. Here are a few pictures from our time there.

The girl cousins, Kimberly, Alison, and Me...

The boys, Jeff, Sam and Nick

Sam and Me, with our little Solomon

Here is when we spent time with Sam's family on another weekend. This is our nephew Treye. He's pretty goofy :)

One Year!

2010-01-03T13:21:00.005-06:00

It's hard to believe we have already been married for 365 days! We love being married and cherish the memories we had on our wedding. Here are a few pictures to remember our special day that we celebrated with family and friends. Happy 1 year anniversary to us!

- Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Gietzen.

Hayden Robert- Our New Nephew!

2009-12-29T11:25:00.004-06:00

Sam's brother and wife just had a beautiful baby boy on Dec. 23rd. Just in time for the holidays! He is absolutely beautiful! His name is Hayden Robert. A tiny little guy weighing in at 7 lbs 1 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long! We just adore him!

Proud Mommy (for the first time!-Amy)

Proud Daddy! (For the first time! -Danny)

Putting on his clothes.

Awake with those beautiful eyes!

Proud Auntie and Uncle!

So tiny in his car seat!

GIRLS ONLY!

2009-12-16T21:44:00.004-06:00

A couple weekends ago, I went to a women's retreat for scrap-booking, stamping, etc. --- basically whatever crafts you wanted to work on. This house is out in the middle of no-where :) in North Dakota, and it is such a lovely little getaway! It is set up completely for crafters and scrappers! Their website is www.dakotagetaway.com - a wonderful little place. I completely recommend it! It's a quiet getaway, and a fun place to spend time with the girls! Here are some pics from the weekend...

My friend Gayle and I making veggie pizza

Yummy :)

My scrapping/crafting area

Some of the ladies at dinner

We had a fun time playing farkle. I won. Can you tell? :)

The four pregnant ladies! In order of due dates :) Gayle and her sister Kat are in the middle.

Some of us girls from the weekend.

These are some cute diaper cards I made. I wanted to figure out how to make a diaper template/ card, so this is what I came up with :)

One of my diaper cards :)

Some cards I stamped- fishing ones :)

The weekend was so much fun! I'd love to stay there again :)

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T19:22:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving with the Gietzens... It was a nice day with family. We played games and watched football! And of course had a great meal.

Grandma (Linda's mom)

Of course I brought lefse! :) I couldn't go without it...

Our cute pup Solomon

The table is starting to look good!

The MIL- Linda :) She made a great meal!

Fresh home-made pie... MMmmmmmm!

The FIL- Tom. Cuttin' up the turkey!

OUR NEW KITCHEN!

2009-11-28T18:05:00.007-06:00

We finished our kitchen today! Come on in! We LOVE the new changes :) First are the before pictures...

BEFORE...

AFTER!

Fall Wedding

2009-11-15T21:30:00.005-06:00

A few weekends ago we went to another family wedding. Sam's cousin Andy got married. It was a lovely time with family. Here are a few snapshots from the event...

The lovely couple, Andy and Kristin. These pictures of them are preview shots from their photographer's site.

Beautiful fall colors for the couple's special day.

Sam and Treye got their groove on... out on the dance floor!

Our little nephew Treye! (Sam's sister's son)

The cousins. Adam, Andy and Sam (all born within 3 months of each other, and all were married within 9 months of each other!) Can't believe that sunset view over Detroit Lake!

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T22:49:00.003-05:00

We had a Halloween Party tonight at Zach and Rachel's house. Zach is Sam's brother, and Zach and Rachel were married 3 months before Sam and I. Zach and Rachel live about 6 blocks from us. We had a fun time with family and friends.

My father-in-law, on the left, and Rachel's dad on the right.

Adam and Steph (the couple on the right) stayed with us this weekend. They are visiting us from Moorhead. Titus, Sam's brother is on the left.

Danny and Amy (Sam's brother, and wife) are expecting a baby boy due in Dec. Amy put a cute little pumpkin face on her belly.

Zach and Rachel. Rachel was a Greek Godess and Zach was a "hospital patient." Zach is a ham if you haven't already figure that out.

Me as "Mother Nature" and Solomon.

Our treat table... dangerous. I made the caramel corn.

Molli is Rachel's dog. Rachel dressed her up as a princess. It was pretty funny and cute. Molli loved her costume. I can't believe that she kept that hat on!

Me and Sam as Mother Nature and Father Time. We tried to be creative. :)

Sam reminded everybody to set their clocks back!!

Sam and Solomon after the party. They were pretty tired! We had a fun time.

French "Yum"ion Soup

2009-10-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

I made French onion soup tonight for dinner. I had never made it before, but it was total bliss. Mmmm....

Recipe? I found it in a Family Circle mag. But it's online too :)

http://www.parents.com/recipes/entertaining/cooking/french-onion-soup/?page=1

The new floor!

2009-10-03T23:08:00.004-05:00

We've been working pretty hard trying to make progress on the kitchen. Here is our new (110 year old) refinished floor! Please look at the previous blog to see the "before" picture of the floor :)

After the floors are done, we will close off the cabinets with the toe-kick trim (aka base board)

A closer look... "Rich Mahogany" stain.

Cabinets and hardware are all installed. We get the countertop on Tuesday. We still need to texture and paint the walls, add the crown molding, hang a new light fixture, and do the backsplash... Still lots of work to be done! But we are making lots of progress!

Whew! Long day of hard work! Can you see who else got tired too? :)

Kitchen Progress

2009-09-28T21:36:00.006-05:00

The 110 year old floors we found under the linoleum. We are refinishing them...

My hard-workin' hubby.

Josh helpin' us out.

Cottage Style white cabinets.

Sam's dad helping us sand the floor.

So great to have family helping us out.

Pantry cabinet. Love at first sight. For both of them. :)

Splish Splash I was Taking a Bath...

2009-09-23T21:40:00.004-05:00

We think it is so funny when we give Solomon a bath! He looks like a rat! But, he does look pretty cute after the bath, and after we blow-dry him :) Here are some pictures from a recent bath time...

But don't forget... He does look cute when he's dry!

Demo time...

2009-09-22T20:19:00.004-05:00

We're getting a new kitchen... Here are some pictures from our project. I'm frustrated with the mess, and not being able to cook anything. But I'm told it's all worth it. Here's the projected outcome:

White "cottage style" cabinets

Silver chrome knobs on the doors, and handles on the drawers

Newer black appliances

Black "faux marble" laminate countertop with a white fleck

Re-finished hardwood floors with a cherry stain

... Still debating on the wall color and accepting suggestions!

Will post more pics later...

We found some rotting sheetrock behind the sink, so we're fixing it...

The old tile, and ugly red countertop underneath

Sam, and friend Vaughn helping in the demo process. Vaughn is an architect, and works with Sam at Missouri River Contracting.

Bear-Tooth Mountains!

2009-09-17T12:05:00.000-05:00

This summer, Sam went backpacking with some a crew of guys from our church, through the Bear-Tooth Mountains in Montana. This was his second time going on the trip. He just loves backpacking through the mountains. It's one of his yearly highlights. These are some pictures from his adventure.

Beautiful flowers.

Some of the scenic views.

Setting up camp. 6 days, 5 nights.

The guys.

Samuel.

Samuel being silly.

God's incredible creation.

Doesn't get much better than this!

Kids Choir!

2009-09-15T21:11:00.002-05:00

This summer I partnered with the YMCA and directed a kids choir for their summer safari daycare program. I met with the kids once a week, for a 1/2 hr, for 10 weeks. It was so much fun to hear these kids sing! These are the kids in my choir. They did great in the concert.

I also had a few kids participate in a piano recital. These students are all beginner level pianists, and did a great job playing in the recital! Pretty cute, huh? :)

I'm continuing to teach some of these kids plus a few more. I have 14 private lesson students... 5 voice lessons students and the rest are piano! I love it. I'm also subbing in the public school system here, and that keeps me busy almost every day! I'm really liking working in my field of education, and I've also been able to teach music a few times (which is really fun!) The flexibility is nice too!

State Softball Tournament

2009-09-12T19:13:00.005-05:00

Sam and his team "Ed's Wheel Alignment" participated in the Mandan State Tournament this summer. Ed's Wheel Alignment is Sam's dad's business, and he sponsors the team. We had quite a bit of excitement during this tournament. Cal - player on the team- dislocated his elbow, I got stung by a bee, AND a softball flew out into the stands and hit me in the hand. OUCH! But it was a fun tournament. Best yet, we took 7th place out of 50 teams! For a first year team, we thought that was pretty good! Here are some pictures from the weekend. Way to go Ed's!

Cal, Sam, and Titus, after Cal got back from the hospital.

The four brothers: Zach, Danny, Sam, and Titus

Danny and Sam

Sam at 1st base

My handsome husband :)

The team!

Happy Birthday to ME! :)

2009-09-12T19:03:00.004-05:00

I love my husband! This morning I woke up to these beautiful roses (1 dozen to be exact) on my dining room table. They are embellished with beautiful fall leaves and a gold ribbon around the vase. He cooked me breakfast, and also arranged a birthday lunch at my favorite local pizza place, with some close friends and family. What a beautiful day! Turning 24 was quite lovely :)

Campin' Trip- Fort Lincoln State Park

2009-09-02T21:46:00.006-05:00

Last weekend Sam and I, along with our new puppy Solomon, went camping with some of our friends- Jordan and Gayle and their son T. We camped at Fort Lincoln State Park- around Mandan, ND. We had a lot of fun enjoying the outdoors. Our camp site was right on the river and the weather couldn't have been better. What a wonderful time to share with friends and enjoy God's creation!

Sam and Jordan lighting up the fire pit.

Sam and Solomon by the fire. The weather was only about 70, so the fire felt nice and warm.

This is inside of one of the Indian mud houses. These are in the Mandan Indian Village at Fort Lincoln. It's a really neat village to see.

The outside of the house.

Gayle, walking Solomon around the park. Solomon loves going on walks! He does pretty well for a puppy!

Little T enjoying a sweet treat.

Pretty cute picture, I thought. Sam and Jordan walking around with Little T.

Solomon loved being outside for the entire weekend!

Me, just putting together a strawberry spinach salad. One of our favorite summer dishes.

The five of us, plus Solomon :) In front of one of the Indian Houses.

What a fun weekend!

Gietzen Family Dinner

2009-08-27T19:05:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday we had a big family dinner with Sam's family. We enjoyed a night of food and fellowship. All of Sam's siblings were there with their families. We were supposed to color coordinate with our spouses for the family Christmas card picture. So you can use that to figure out who is in each family. Sam and Lindsay are wearing orange because Texas is Sam's favorite team and we had to wear "Texas orange"... I'm not sure it's very complementary for me, but oh well. Sarah and Shane, with their son Treye are in black, Rachel and Zach are in brown, Dan and Amy in white (Amy is expecting a baby boy), Titus is in green, and Tom and Linda are in Purple. Here are a couple of pictures from the evening.

More Pictures of Solomon...

2009-08-20T13:44:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures of our new puppy! Our breeder just sent us these. We'll get Solomon on Saturday! Can't wait :)

Lake Baptism

2009-08-18T12:00:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, Sam and I were baptized as adult believers in Christ, at Crystal Springs Bible Camp. Neither of us had been baptized as adult believers, and this was something that we wanted to to as a couple.

We first shared our testimonies during a chapel time, with members of our church. Then we went out to the lake to be baptized. After the baptism, we shared a meal with friends and family. Here are some pictures from the event.

Our Little Secret...

2009-08-13T14:50:00.002-05:00

WE ARE GETTING A PUPPY!!!

This is the little guy we will be meeting next Saturday. We have named him Solomon. He is half King Charles Cavalier Spaniel (toy spaniel), and half Bichon Frise. He will be about 15lbs as an adult.

We are SO excited to add him to our family :) More pictures to come...

Why am I up at 3am you ask?

2009-08-01T02:53:00.007-05:00

Well, please let me explain. The reason I am up at 3am right now, is because when I walked into my bedroom this evening, I found numerous baby spiders crawling all over my dresser! GROSS! How did this happen you ask? I HAVE NO IDEA. All I know is that we found the mama spider and webs and baby spiders, and it all happened in a matter of an hour or two! AND my husband is gone, on a 6 day backpacking trip in the Bear Tooth mountains! Thankfully my mother is here visiting me! I don't know what I would have done without her. She took a hot bucket and Mr. Clean and wiped down my entire bedroom, while I threw all my stuff in the washer and dryer to kill any remaining baby spiders. YUCK!

AND WHEN IT COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE...

I found these in my basement within minutes of discovering the spiders...

WHAT A NIGHTMARE.

They apparently are coming up through my drainage pipe. I don't know. Tomorrow Mom and I are tackling the beetle/roach whatever they are problem.

IM SO GLAD MY MOM IS HERE.

I'm blaming all these terrible disgusting creatures on Adam and Eve and the fall of humankind.

Our Nephew- Priceless

2009-07-26T22:30:00.003-05:00

So, our nephew "T" (Sam's sister's son) went along with his parents on vacation to SD where they took this picture. Here he is with his dad.

I just love "T's" expression and had to post it!

Blissful Banana Bread

2009-07-19T17:22:00.004-05:00

I found a delightful recipe for Banana Bread that is much more healthy than other recipes. The best part, is that it does NOT compromise the taste. Instead of a bunch of oil which is used in most recipes, I used applesauce. I think this is the best recipe I've ever tried for banana bread. I promise, if you try it, you won't be disappointed! Here's the recipe...

Vegetable shortening, for pan

2 cups of all purpose flour, plus a bit more for pan

1 tsp of baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. applesauce

1 T. sour cream

1 T. milk

1 T. vanilla extract

2 large eggs, beaten

3 bananas (lightly speckled brown)

chocolate chips (optional)

Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour a loaf pan; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl whisk together applesauce, milk, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs until combined. Using a large spoon, stir in mashed bananas.
Add this mixture to the flour mixture, slowly, until evenly combined.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean, for + or - an hour.

Serve warm with a small slab of butter and enjoy! We like to add chocolate chips to our bread, which is a fun added twist! :)

Adam and Stephanie Schock Wedding

2009-07-12T14:00:00.007-05:00

This weekend we went to Fargo for Sam's cousin's wedding. Sam was an usher. These are a few pictures from the weekend.

Sam and I at the rehearsal

Kristin and I were trying to take a nice picture at the rehearsal. Sam took the picture and we didn't know Andy was behind us! Andy is Sam's cousin, and Kristin is Andy's fiance.

Sam and I at the wedding. He looked so nice in his suit!

These guys looked pretty sharp in their suits. The groomsmen and the ushers.

Sam's uncles. They are pretty goofy! Dennis (on the left) is the father of the groom. These are Linda's brothers (my mother-in-law)

The 3 musketeers. Andy, Adam, and Sam. These three cousins were born within 3 months of each other, and come October, will be married within 10 months of each other! We were the first, then Adam and Stephanie, then Andy and Kristin in October.

The happy couple, Adam and Stephanie.

Adam and Steph with the servers. These girls were the players on the basketball team that Adam coached. Elizabeth (in the pink) is Adam's sister, and was also on the team.

Treye, our nephew, feeding baby Amelia (Sam's cousin's daughter). In this picture, Amelia's grandma is holding her. Treye thought this was pretty neat!

Treye is in his terrible two's! He gets pretty crabby sometimes! This picture was taken outside when we were playing, and he DID NOT want to take a picture! I thought it turned out pretty funny.

Inspiration Point Family Camp

2009-07-12T13:00:00.002-05:00

We had fun at Family Camp over the 4th of July with my family. It was fun to visit Jeffrey; he is a counselor out at Inspiration Point this summer. We had a great time out on the lake and spending time with family.

Our New Home!

2009-06-28T21:05:00.009-05:00

Our Home! The front.

The back porch. Still some boxes left outside :)

Sam showing off some of our flowers around our house.

Our dining room before.

Our dining room- AFTER!

Our living room.

Upstairs bathroom with my claw-foot tub that I adore! :)

The wall by the staircase.

The kitchen.

Bedroom #2. We have 3 total.

Our master bedroom.

About The House...

2009-06-25T22:08:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to tell every one that I will be posting pictures very soon (hopefully this wknd!) of the house. After we clear a few more boxes and get a few more things in order (and some pictures on the wall!) we will post some. We love the house and we are finally out of our apartment! HOORAY! So, if you can wait patiently for just a few more days, I will get some up for you!

We're Moving!

2009-06-17T22:07:00.002-05:00

The packing is getting quite tiring, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We close tomorrow! We are pretty excited :)

Birdies

2009-06-02T17:17:00.004-05:00

We have been watching this little nest right by our apartment door. The eggs finally hatched! Can you see the two little heads peeking out? There are actually three birds! So cute. Now we know for sure that winter is gone!

One day we noticed the two other birdies had flown the coup, but this little one waited and waited to jump. He was scared. He sat here on the edge for 3 days. He'd get up the courage to jump, get on the edge of the nest, and then slide back in the nest again! He was all by himself, but Mama bird kept coming back to feed him until he was ready to jump! Finally, just the other day, he jumped, and flew away! We'll miss you little birdies!

Canoe Ride

2009-05-30T14:33:00.006-05:00

I can't believe that 5 years have passed since I graduated from High School. Last weekend we had our 5 year high school reunion. I was so excited to have Larissa and Arne Bech come up from Arizona, to visit. Larissa and I were thrilled that Sam and Arne were able to meet for the first time! It didn't take long before they were getting along great! The four of us spent an afternoon at a nearby state park. We enjoyed a canoe ride through a number of lakes and streams.

SOFTBALL!!!

2009-05-21T19:34:00.003-05:00

Here are a few pictures from Sam's softball games.

Up to bat

Made him pose for this picture. After the big win!

The Pitcher!

Sam and the guys

Sam pitching some strikes!

Sam taping up the bat

Hanging out

We are PROUD of you!!!

2009-05-20T22:11:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we went up to Itasca Community College to see Jeff graduate. Sam couldn't get off work, but I drove up to ICC with Dad and Mom, Nick, and Cousin Ali and Aunt Carol. It was a fun trip! We are proud of you Jeff! Congratulations! We love you.

Me and Ali waiting for the graduation to start

Jeff you are so goofy! Jeff with his Engineering Certificate

The Fam, at graduation

The siblings

Me and my "little brother"

Home Decorating

2009-05-09T16:11:00.007-05:00

I'm getting so excited to move into our new house. It's only about a month away! I've been thinking about how I might decorate the home. Which colors to use? Which style of decorating? The house is very old, so I am going to decorate very traditionally. I love all my gifts I got for our wedding from the Nordic Galleri so I'm excited to put those in our new home.

I have been wanting to get a few pictures framed. Two are Carl Larsson prints and one is a cross-stitch that my grandmother made. I finally got them framed at Hobby Lobby today. I normally love Hobby Lobby, but today left me unusually unhappy with their customer service. I had a worker lady looking over my should for at least 10 minutes while I browsed through mats, and frames. I finally was so frustrated I said, "Please give me some time to look through these and leave me alone!" I think that boldness comes from my mom's side of the family.

Anyways, regardless of my frustration with the staff at Hobby Lobby, I am pleased with these prints and am very excited to put them on the walls in our home. Here they are!

Britta with Candles and Apples

Breakfast under the Big Birch

Grandma's Cross-stitch

FREE STUFF

2009-05-06T21:53:00.004-05:00

It's clean-up week in Bismarck/Mandan and every one puts their stuff out on the streets for the trash clean-up to come and clear away their garbage. Well since Sam and I happened to be near a ritzy neighborhood tonight we scavenged through some stuff and found some items that we think are pretty nice! Since we are moving into our house in a month we thought it might be nice to find some "new" furniture items. Here are some pictures of the treasure we found:

An oscillating heater/fan that has an adjustable temperature gage. It works, we plugged it in.

Another one, just a different style.

An antique desk chair, and it came with the wheels in a plastic bag. It's even been refurnished! Now we just need a desk :)

A new floor mat. Some tags were even still left on it when we found it.

And my favorite: An antique round table. It came with some scratches, but with a little tlc, this will look great after we re-stain and buff it up a little. It's really heavy!

Bicycle Ride for Two!

2009-05-03T20:40:00.009-05:00

Sam and I decided to take a bike ride today and enjoy the sunny weather. We haven't had much nice weather lately so any time we have some sun, we try to get outside for a walk, run, rollerblade, or bike ride. This Sunday afternoon, we rode along the bike paths by the river -our favorite place to ride.

By the beautiful Missouri River

Camelbaks are a necessity!

We don't bike without our helmets either. Safety first!

Ready to ride.

A cop was out ticketing cars by the river. Oops! We didn't know we couldn't park there. Good thing we were there when he drove up. We just had to move our car down the street. Thankfully we got away without a ticket!

A nice lady passing by took this picture for us.

Enjoying the sun and the river. It was a great ride.

Somethin's Cookin'!

2009-05-02T18:22:00.011-05:00

I decided to try to be a good wife tonight by making my husband a nice meal.

I made meatloaf and escalloped corn, and scotcheroos for dessert.

Here are some pictures from our meal:

These were supposed to be for dessert AFTER the meal.

But when I left the kitchen for a minute, I came back to find a missing piece!

Who was the guilty thief???

Hmmm.... Notice the chocolate frosting in the corner of his mouth!

I think we found our thief!

Dessert first, before the meal!?

The meatloaf is done!

The corn is ready

Looks like it was a good meal, because my husband crashed afterwords :)

Mission Accomplished!

Now I can watch HGTV :)

Lindsay's Meatloaf Recipe:

2 lbs. ground beef

1 egg

1/2 small chopped onion

1/4 c. BBQ sauce

1/3 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/3 c. milk

1 c. oatmeal

pinch of salt and pepper

Topping:

1/3 c. ketchup

1/3 c. BBQ sauce

1 T. of honey mustard

2 T. of brown sugar.

Mix all together.

Mix all the ingredients together. Place in a meatloaf/bread pan and cook at 350 for give or take, an 1 hour and a half. After the loaf has been in for 45 minutes, take out and spread on the topping. Put the loaf back in for another 45 minutes. Slice, and serve. (This makes a big loaf so it's perfect for a family dinner or lots of leftovers!) This loaf is very moist, and not dry at all!

Lindsay' Escalloped Corn Recipe:

1 can of cream style corn

1 c. crushed crackers

1 egg

4 T. melted butter

Pinch of salt and pepper

Mix all together and place in a greased bowl. Cook for an hour at 350.

ENJOY!

Honeymoon!

2009-04-27T20:00:00.007-05:00

We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon about 4 months ago. I thought it might be fun to post some pictures from our time there. It was a wonderful trip. We went to Dunn's River Sandals Resort in Ocho Rios Jamaica. We had a quaint little villa and enjoyed much of our time lounging by the pool and enjoying the ocean. We would love to go back some day! Here are some pictures from our vacation in paradise:

Dressing up for dinner

Sam soakin' in some rays

Swimming in the pool

Taking a break as we climbed Dunn's River Falls :)

Our Resort

On a sailboat cruise

2009-04-25T22:04:00.001-05:00

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma!

2009-04-25T13:58:00.004-05:00

With Nephew Treye

The Schock men singing some favorite hymns for Grandma.

Uncle Dennis, Uncle Ken, Grandma, Linda, and Uncle Dale

Sam and I

Grandma Viola

Last weekend we spent time in Elgin, ND (it's out in the middle of nowhere in case you were wondering), and celebrated Sam's Grandma's 80th Birthday. It was a fun time spent with family. There were musical performances, good conversations, and good memories. Here are a few photo's from that special day. Happy Birthday Viola!

Home Sweet Home

2009-04-25T11:58:00.015-05:00

Sam and I have decided to buy a house. Everything is underway. We had a great inspection and our home loan is in process. We are so excited! Our home was built in 1900. It's in a historical home area of town.

It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath. It has hardwood floors throughout the home. It is a 1 1/2 story and has a claw-foot bathtub in the upstairs bathroom. There is a beautiful stained glass window in our living room. We have a front porch and a back porch.

We are so excited to move in on June 29th. Come and visit us, and we can enjoy a cup of tea on our front porch swing!