Wishing you many blessings in 2009!

Is it really the last day of 2008? Where has this year gone? I think that each year goes by faster and faster!

As I look back on this past year and look forward to this next year, I am amazed by God's goodness and blessings that he has given to our family. His love for us is never ending. How amazing is that!

Have you made any New Year's resolutions?? I have set some goals for myself and I have listed my prayers for this next year. I hope to look back at the notebook and see how God has answered those prayers in his own timing next New Year's eve.

One goal of ours is to paint every single room in our house. Oh my! What a chore that shall be. I am hoping to start in our Laundry Room! I have begun looking at different decorating ideas and have some pictures, hoping to put it into play in January! Who knows, maybe I can talk the hubby into beginning on New Year's Day!?!

As you can see from my blog, I have been doing some more updating..another goal of mine for the new year is to get better at this blog thing. Mike says I am addicted! I am beginning to think so. I hope to continue updates this weekend. And soon to come in 2009 is BLOG CANDY! Oh yes...I will have some for you all! I have been checking out my stats for the blog and have had visitors from believe it or not, all over the world! To help protect the identity of my family and friends, I will no longer be using any of our names.....each one will have a special nickname. I have begun by showing you a few of their names on the right hand side. I will continue to sign off as D or Deek ( a name my sister..aka..KID....gave to me many years ago. So be prepared....each person will be referred to by their own nickname. Will make it kind of fun...huh! :)

I have also begun to use "twitter". Have you tried it? I am not sure if I will like it or not, from what I can tell so far....I like it better than facebook. I just can't seem to get the hang of facebook....sorry for those of you who like it. I just can't find the time to keep up with it all. I would rather right a one or two sentence line with some of my friends and family and not have to look at the status of all those that I don't usually keep in contact with. There is just so much information on facebook....I don't know...it may just be me....I would rather blog and twitter...hehe! If you want to join...click on the link and add me... we will try it together!

A big thank you to the comments on the handbags! I am so glad you all like them! More to come as well as other creations! Also, I have received a couple of emails about the cookbooks. if you are interested in ordering one the price will be $20.00. I will be placing an order first thing next week. Just send me an email if you want one.

Tonight will be a quiet night at home for me, my hubby (aka muscleman) and bella (aka...BB). No plans for us, which I am fine with. Probably a movie or two and some appetizers...I don't even know if we will stay up to watch the ball drop. Bedtime is usually 10:00. :) We'll see.

Wishing you and your family a WONDERFUL 2009! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Family Cookbook

You guessed it. A family cookbook is the other big gift that I was working on these past few months! If you are ever thinking about making a cookbook with family recipes, I HIGHLY recommend http://www.heritagecookbook.com/. This company is amazing! It was so easy to put together and the owner is so helpful and she responds right away! She even wants to include a couple of pages from the cookbook on her website as well as a couple of pictures!

It took only a couple of weeks to print, I entered all the recipes, pictures, handwritings, etc. on my own. I even got to choose how sections were divided and in what order they came in. And the bonus is that you only have to order a minimum of 4 cookbooks! I ordered enough for my family and am now going to place a second order for other members of our family and friends whom we know would enjoy the book. You can get the pictures in color or black and white. I just can't say enough about this company. If any of you out there have questions about how it works, please feel free to let me know, I would be more than happy to help! I looked and looked online for a company that would allow me the freedom to design a cookbook just the way I wanted and this was it!

This cookbook has special meaning, it is a collection of all of my Grandma Bradfield's recipes. I also included lots of pictures our family with Grandma as well as some of her handwritten recipes and other meaningful items that she had written down. I wanted to be sure that all of us grandkids and my mom and aunt were able to have her recipes and something to look back and remember all of our fond memories of her. The faces of everyone on Christmas day was absolutely priceless! I couldn't have asked for anything more than to see the joy and tears in all of their eyes. I love my family!

Between making a cookbook, sewing handbags, and organizing all of my parents family photos into photo albums, I was busy as a bee. My hubby was such a trooper and so supportive each night that I was working on all of this! Time to spend some winter nights vegging with him now. :)

In fact..I better go now....time for dinner. Enjoy your evening.

D

Handmade gift

Here are a couple of the gifts that I gave to my sister and sis-in-law on Christmas day. They are called swing bags and the pattern is by Amy Butler. (they are reversible) Needless to say they were surprised anda big hit! I hope to make more, as I have patterns already cut and ready to sew. Not bad, for my first try at making a bag!

I just love the patterns for both of these bags!

Mike says I should name them the Bella bag, I wonder where he got that from! :)

Christmas day with our family

Christmas day at our house was a success despite a minor setback. I awoke Christmas morning with a swollen left eye. I decided I should take a benadryl to try and help the swelling to go down, however, after lunch, I began to break out on my right eye and the inside of the left side of my mouth began swelling and turning numb. I was having an allergic reaction to something, I just couldn't figure out what it was, so more benadryl was taken. A huge thanks to my mom, aunt, sister and sister in law who cleaned up the kitchen after lunch and did all the dishes! What a huge help that was! In fact, it is all a bit blurry as I was so tired. We did have a wonderful lunch though with 12 guests and had two great gift exchanges too!

At about 6:00 that evening, with the encouragement of my mom, I made a trip to the emergency room to try and get the swelling to go down. I was given a stronger dose of prednisone. I feel like I missed a lot of the opening of gifts with my immediate family, as I was not feeling quite like myself. However, they were all great and were still at our house once I returned back home from the hospital. My parents and brother and sister in law even spent the night with us, which was wonderful to host our family in our home.

I awoke the day after Christmas to more break out on my arms and legs, I believe that part of the reaction was due to the detergent I used in our laundry, but I also believe it was something I ate, either pistachio salad or a new cheese I tried on Christmas Eve. Who knows. I guess I am going to have to make an appointment to see an allergist. Fun fun!

The good news is that I am on day two of no break outs. PHEW! It was not fun!

Anyways, pictures as promised! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!

Busy Saturday

About a week ago, Uncle Mike and Auntie D babysat little "I" while Mommy and Daddy went car shopping. He kept us very entertained with walking, dancing, singing and we even got a nap in! He found the pantry and rearranged my shelves and Uncle Mike took time to try and teach him how to throw a ball too. We look forward to having him at our house again for another play day soon!

Take time for this

http://www.marriedlifeonline.com/gloriousinterruption.jsp

It is worth every minute and is a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.

Almost Christmas

Christmas is almost here! And the time is flying by! I have been busy preparing for our family to arrive at our house on Christmas day. I am working through part of the day today and then will be off the rest of the week. I am looking forward to a nice long weekend at home. It's kind of nice not having to travel this year!

I am getting so excited for several of the gifts that I have made this fall. No worries, I will post pictures of them and give you all the details once they are given to my family! They are going to be quite a treat...at least I hope!

One a more serious note, I ask that you keep all the families across this great country in your prayers who have been affected by the economy and job losses. My firm this morning had a long meeting about how we are taking a proactive approach for the coming year. The details were long and a little difficult to hear, thankfully, no one has been or is going to be laid off at this time, however several things have been reduced/removed in order to prevent this from happening.

I very rarely talk about politics; however, I would like to mention one thing. I know that President Elect Obama has an infrastructure plan for this country that is HUGE. I do not know all the details; however, I do know that it is very important that the plan is approved and passes to help our firm survive and be successful. Like I said, I don't want to go on and on about this, I just ask that you say a pray that God would lead this country and it's leaders in the right direction. And that during this holiday season, each family that has been affected by job loss would be given comfort and peace during their difficult time.

May God Bless You and Keep You Safe this week!

Until next time,
D

Cookie day

This past Wednesday, Kara, Isaac and my mom came to my house for a day of cookie baking and decorating. Grandma and Isaac had a great time playing together, while Kara and I baked gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies and made christmas wreaths. We all enjoyed the day together and watched several Christmas movies too. It was a wonderful day and the cookies turned out great! In fact, Mike has almost ate my entire portion of the sugar cookies...looks like I will be baking more! Looking forward to next year when I am sure Isaac will want to help!

Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

I am sure that many of you have received your Christmas card from us and on the back of the card I put our blog address. The main reason for this is to let you know of a way to keep up to date on our family as well as read our Christmas letter for this year. I decided to save paper and not print any out and that way, if you would like to know all that has been happening to us, this is an easy way to get caught up.

Our year has been full of new and exciting adventures. We became the proud Auntie and Uncle of Isaac Daniel Vette in January. He has been so much fun to spend time with and watch him grow and learn new things.

Also,as many of you know, after almost 11 years with Aggreko, Mike decided to resign and accept a new position with Dean Machinery/Caterpillar in Kansas City, MO. We packed up all of our belongings the end of February, said our goodbyes to our many friends and coworkers in New Jersey and drove across country in a snow storm! We arrived safely at my parents house and moved into an apartment in Lees Summit a week later. Mike officially began his job as Field Service Operations Manager in March and I began to job hunt and house hunt.

In April, I accepted a job with HNTB Corporation in downtown Kansas City. I began as a Billing Associate for the Great Lakes Division of the company. In August, I was promoted to the Southeast Division and given a much larger project to work on. I am in charge of all of the invoicing for a job called the HOT Lanes project in Washington D.C. (HOT Lanes is the major highway/tollway around the D.C. area that is being constructed). This job has been stressful and challenging, but I have been blessed with amazing benefits and a very flexible work schedule. I couldn't ask for anything better.

In May, we made the "big" purchase and bought our first home. After a lot of househunting and trying to decide what area to live in, we made the decision to buy a new home just north of Liberty, MO. We are very happy with the home (including Bella) and the location and we just about have all of our boxes unpacked. It has been so much fun decorating the holidays!

The rest of our summer and fall was spent with family and friends. For a couple of the months, we had every weekend packed with something to do! Never a dull moment. Wyatt has been to visit us twice, Mike's parents came to stay with us and go to the Chiefs/Broncos game and a friend of mine from New Jersey came to visit too! We have enjoyed hosting everyone in our home and are so thankful that we have the opportunity to do it.

Earlier this month, my Grandma Kemerling passed away. As much as we were all trying to prepare ourselves for this loss, it was still hard. We celebrate the life she had and the wonderful Grandma she was. I have so many memories of her and Grandpa and will miss her this Christmas.

December is flying by and soon Christmas will be here. We will be hosting our family in our home for Christmas this year. I look forward to having everyone together to celebrate Christmas.

May God bless you and keep you and your family this Christmas and New Year.

Dana, Mike, Wyatt and Bella

Top 25 things you may not know about me..

So...I decided that you all needed something fun to read on the blog..the last few posts are sad...let's brighten things up...so here is some things you might not know about me.

1. I can go to sleep in a matter of minutes as soon as I crawl into bed. (Mike hates that!)
2. My favorite Christmas candy is the chewy Peppermints by Brachs.
3. I am a lipgloss addict...okay...bare escentuals addict too.
4. I enjoy doing puzzles.
5. My favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas.
6. I love "I Love Lucy" shows.
7. I don't particular care for cats. Kittens are cute, but I don't want one in my home.
8. My favorite snack is cheese and crackers.
9. My favorite flowers are roses.
10. I give great foot massages (right Mike and Wyatt?)
11. I am a clean freak. I can't stand anything out of place in our house.
12. I would love to travel to Europe.
13. I don't wear any jewelry except my wedding ring and watch (and an occasional long necklace...thanks to two special gals in NJ helping motivate me)
14. I don't like pepperoni on anything.
15. I love spicy food..the spicier the better!
16. I listen to the military channel every night before falling asleep.
17. I must have a slice of lemon in my water.
18. I love taking bubble baths.
19. I would love to meet Paula Deen and Rachael Ray.
20. I want to own my own business.
21. I use to wear braces.
22. I love a good Starbucks latte.
23. I enjoy cleaning and organizing our house. (call me crazy...I KNOW!)
24. I love go skiing.
25. I miss New Jersey (what?!...thought that might surprise some of you...ok..I miss parts of it!)

There you have it...some more info about me. Enjoy your day!

Thank you

A big thank you to all who have sent cards, notes, flowers, and food to our family during the loss of my Grandma. It is all appreciated.

I am back at work today trying to get back into the swing of things. As much as last week was difficult, I know that it is a huge relief to know that my Grandma is no longer sitting in a wheelchair or in the nursing home. We are so thankful that she is in a much better place. I am sure she is catching Grandpa up on all the news that has happened around here.

We celebrated her life on Friday afternoon with many family members and friends. Thank you for all that joined us. She was an incredibly strong woman who I admire and love. She lived a long life that was full of ups and downs, but through it all she always reminded us all that "it's okay". Everything will be okay, no matter what. She had patience and love for everyone, no matter what you might have done wrong before. She spoke her mind no matter if it might offend you, she wanted you to know the truth. She may have been small, but she was mighty.

Friday evening, my immediate family, sat around and watched a video of my Grandma and Grandpa Kemerling. It was from their 60th wedding anniversary. What a treasure it is to watch and see the two of them interact and talk about when they first met and got married. I am so thankful for this video that my Aunt and Uncle took.

This weekend has been full of emotions, but through it all, everything will be okay.

On another note, I ask that you keep a couple of families in your prayers. I know that I have mentioned them before, but now more than ever they need all the prayers they can get. It breaks my heart to see two young women my age suffering in such a way.

Stephanie Vest passed away the day after my Grandma, please pray for her husband, three children and parents that she leaves behind. Even though I did not personally know Stephanie, she has taught me to live every moment as it is your last and she has strengthened my faith in a way that is unexplainable. An amazing woman of God. http://www.stephanievest.com/

Shawndra Turner and her family also need your prayers. She has been admitted back to the hospital as of Friday. Please pray for comfort and strength for her and her family. http://www.shawndraturner.blogspot.com/

Until next time....D

Anna Mae Kemerling 1913-2008

Anna Mae Kemerling, 95, of Fairfax, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008, at Northview Manor in Tarkio, Mo. Mrs. Kemerling was born May 31, 1913, near Fairfax to Harry Ivan and Minnie Ann (Maddox) Thompson.

Anna Mae was graduated from the Irish Grove High School in 1931. On June 29, 1933, she married Richard H. Kemerling. They celebrated 64 years of marriage. They became the parents of five sons. Besides being a homemaker, she worked several years in the dietary department of the Community Hospital in Fairfax. She was a member of the Fairfax United Methodist Church and served as president of the United Methodist Women for numerous years. She also was a member of the Atchison County Quilt Guild and Community Hospital Auxiliary.

Anna Mae was preceded in death by her husband, Richard; two sons, Donald Keith and William Richard "Dick" Kemerling; her parents; two brothers, J.B. and Harry Thompson; and a sister, Mina Burns. She is survived by sons, David Blaine, and wife, Patty of Shenandoah, Iowa; Dale Ivan, and wife, Dolly; and Danny Joe, and wife, Alice of Fairfax. She also is survived by 10 grandchildren, six stepgrandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, 20 step great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren, cousins, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to the Fairfax United Methodist Church; Community Hospital, Fairfax; or English Grove Cemetery.

Update

Grandma Kemerling passed away this morning at 3:30. She drifted away peacefully with my Aunt by her side. Thank you for the prayers.

The latest update

Uncle Jason and Isaac.

Waiting to depart back to Idaho....

Shoes I designed on Nike.com for Wyatt. He loved them!

Opening Christmas presents

Aunt Amy and isaac. How big is Isaac??? SO BIG! yea!!!!

Sisters.

Hanging out Thanksgiving day with the family.

Great Grandpa Bradfield and Isaac.

Cousins Aidan and Rachel helping Isaac read.

Kara and I with Grandpa making a funny face!

Learning how to kick a football.

Grandpa Kemerling and Isaac.

Isaac having fun with Uncle Jason.

As promised, here are some pictures of our week with Wyatt as well as some pictures from Thanksgiving day.

The latest update about Grandma Kemerling is that they have moved her back into the nursing home as of this afternoon, due to medicare not wanting her in the hospital anymore. She will be receiving hospice visits two times a week, I believe. At this point, her liver is still functioning, however she will not eat or drink anything. Our family has been explained that because her body is shutting down, she feels no hunger or thirst pain. This is comforting to know. Hospice and the staff at the nursing home will do all they can to make her as comfortable as possible. She has also been given medication to help her with the moaning noise she has been making. Praying that she will rest peacefully.

Thanksgiving Day

Picture of our entire immediate family on Thanksgiving day! We just keep growing and growing. :)