Remember When...Rummage and Bake Sale

On Labor Day weekend, my family will host a rummage and bake sale in order to raise funds for their respective Memory Walk teams!

Rummage Sale: All proceeds will be given to the Alzheimer's Association. We'll have a wide-variety of items (clothes, books, furnishings, etc...) thanks to the generosity of our friends and family!

Bake Sale: Mmmmmm wonderful homemade goodies that will be available for sale...again, all proceeds going to the association. Also, my husband will be selling his DELIGHTFUL New York style cheesecakes and they are worth every calorie! $20 per cheesecake and $10 from each will go to the association.

We are currently pinning down a location for this event and I will keep everyone updated! If you would like to make a donation, please email me at nicole.fields@alz.org.

Must find my inner-crafter!

After perusing through the projects at the fairgrounds over the weekend, it brought back so many fond 4-H memories. The smell of the foods project crafting in the kitchen or the living room filled with poster boards...it was always fun! I learned to wrap gifts out of unique materials and absorbed myself with the history of Wicks Pies in order to participate in the Randolph County Heritage; a project that I had also utilized for the Indiana Junior Historical Society. I'm a self-admitting procrastinator, so staying up until midnight the evening before a project due-date was not uncommon in our household!
So now I am inspired to find my inner-crafter and bring all of my supplies out of storage! Finish my scrapbook, make a floral arrangement for the living room or work on the snowman pillows that I have wanted to complete as Christmas presents...the possibilities are endless. Though, I do promise to finish painting within the house before I start taking on any major projects!
Well now it is time to get crafty with Memory Walk, so it is back to work I go :) Have a blessed day!

Whirl-Wind Summer

Wow...the length of time in between posts has become terrible and I apologize! I have been so busy with work, projects and the house that I have neglected my blog. Anyway, the house is getting closer to completion and we are very excited to move in! I'll miss the serenity of the country, but I will not miss the lingering chemical smells from the fields and the large hog operations that are all around us. It may take us some time to adjust, but we are ready! Steven has also recently interviewed with Ball Memorial Hospital, so there may be changes all around. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to advance in his nursing career.
With the pending move, it is time for me to start going through all of my kitchen gadgets and see what I am keeping and what can be donated or given to family. It will also give me the opportunity to see what needs to be at my fingertips and what can be stored. So if you are looking for some off-the-wall kitchen utensil, especially if it is from Pampered Chef, let me know ha ha! Speaking of the kitchen, I am very excited to use our new stove! I like to show it off to anyone who comes to see the progress on the house...am I pathetic or what?!?
In closing, I thought that I would leave you with a recipe to one of my favorite summer dishes!

Greek Pasta Salad

1 lb spiral pasta (tri-colored pasta adds great flavor); cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water.
1 cup Greek Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
1/2 cup Feta Cheese Crumbles
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped black olives

Add all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat all ingredients with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Tastes great as a main dish or accompanying a grilled chicken breast. Enjoy :)

TGIF!!

Oh I am so happy that the weekend is almost here! There is a lot going on, but I don't have to return to work until June 15th :) My hubby is on his way home from New York and I will pick him up in Dayton this evening...yay! I do need to find time to in between meetings, driving and so on to bake cookies for the farmer's market tomorrow. I have decided on soft lemonade cookies from the "Taste of Home's Complete Guide to Baking" cookbook and they are simply delicious. What makes them even better is the fact that they are super simple to make...a basic cookie recipe with frozen lemonade concentrate to pep them up! Mmmmmm making me hungry.
Other than cookie baking and picking up hubby, I've got a lot to do with the house. Since the weekend is going to be rain free and all of the painting downstairs is complete; I am going to work on the floors. The downstairs is all hardwood (minus kitchen and bathroom) and is in need of a shine. So if you like to work with orange glo cleaner, come on over! I would also like to get our upstairs bathroom painted, tile sealed and the bedroom completed. Whew...what a list! During all of this madness, I am going to take a day and travel to Indy for some shopping and lunch with friends. I want to have a little fun on my vacation.
Well it is time to get ready for work and prepare for my presentation today. Hope everyone is well and have a blessed day. God Bless!

Bring on the rain...

What happened to all of the gorgeous summer-like weather? Oh wait, I live in Indiana and the weather changes more rapidly than a car goes around the track at the Indy 500!! I'm sure my plants are enjoying the extra fluid, but my yard will be a foot tall before it is dry enough to mow. I learned my lesson the hard way by mowing my parent's lawn when it was slightly damp...lets just say the sidewalks were stained green for a day or two and my legs were too! The weatherman promotes a sun-filled weekend and I'm praying that the forcast is right.
I am eagerly awaiting a weeks long vacation and find myself counting down the days until it happens! 2.5 work days left and then I am free...but I still have a few work things to do during my down time, which will keep me motivated for my return. I had hoped to spend some lazy days in the pool, but Steven's Uncle is finishing up some block repair and it may not be warm enough to lounge in by next week. Since the kids are out of school for summer, I knew I would have some swimming buddies. Oh well, I can find plenty of other things to do to fill my time.
Well I must get myself back to work and finish up my Memory Walk corporate sponsorship...we're very close to our goal in each walk area. Yippee! Have a blessed day!

A Call to Action!

As I sit here working on all things Memory Walk, I feel the need to share with everyone the importance of this organization and the real threat of Alzheimer's Disease.

~ Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's Disease.
~ 5.3 million Americans are currently living with this disease. With the first of the baby-boomer generation turning 65 (your chances increase at this age) in 2010, this number is expected to rapidly increase.
~ Out of those 5.3 million, over 100,000 live in the great state of Indiana.

I encourage you to participate or engage yourself to help fight this cruel disease. Sign up to be an advocate, participate in Memory Walk, check out our educational programs, etc. Be the voice for those that no longer have theirs. If you live in Indiana, go to www.alz.org/indiana to learn more about the Greater Indiana Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. If you are in a different area, go to www.alz.org and enter your zipcode for more localized information.

Wow...it has been too long!

Wow, I did not realize that it had been nearly 2 months since I had posted anything! With work, house remodeling and general life...I honestly just let it slip my mind. Now I am back and ready to share all of my summer fun with you! I can't believe that June is just around the corner (aka MONDAY) and cookout, baseball and swimming season is coming at me full swing! Even though it can become hectic and full of outdoor adventure, I wouldn't trade it in for the world. The extra moments I get to spend with my family by the firepit or splashing around with the kids (that includes my big kid, Steven ha ha) in the pool brings about so many special memories...awwwww summer :)

Well our house is nearly complete and we are hoping to move-in within the month!!! My parents have been such a tremendous help to give of themselves and their free time to help us finish what needs to be done. Steven has been dealing with a nasty sinus infection that has kept him house bound for the last week, so he has only been able to stop-in and look at the progress every once in awhile; don't want him to relapse. If anyone has a chance, drive past the house and check out the HUGE hanging baskets that I purchased at Fountain Acres...they are gorgeous (if I do say so myself)!! Tracy has offered to assist with some landscaping while I finish up the inside work. Hmmmmmm she can soak up the sun and I can get soaked from tearing apart the kitchen sink ha ha! Be looking for updates on our last major projects for the season: finishing the stairway and hallway and remodeling the small downstairs bathroom. You won't want to miss it...Nicole learns construction from her Father and Husband as they explain to her the differences of different types of plywood.

I hope everyone is enjoying the lovely days we have been given and staying happy and healthy. God Bless!!!!