Christmas with Ben's Family

Ben and Monica made the trek down to Kokomo on Saturday so we could celebrate Christmas together. It is amazing how fast the grandkids grow when you don't see them weekly. Alex laid down on the floor next to Poppe in this picture. It was so cute and reminded me of a time when the boys used to do that to my dad when he would exercise on the floor. Haley is really stretching out and is not that much shorter than Alex now. I can't begin to express how much we enjoy and love our grandkids. We are truly blessed!

To see more pictures, click on this link: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047486&l=1a9dd&id=161502582

New Year's Day Dinner

For New Year's Day, we had an Italian Feast and ate each course separately per Marlin's request. We started off with Zuppa Toscana (soup and bread) followed by an Italian salad, lasagna and finally dessert. In this picture, Curt and Joe are having "Wedding Ring Wars". It's kind of like the old paper football game that guys play in Junior High. You can see in this picture that Curt is getting ready to launch his ring on the catapult spoon. While I was up getting the camera, Joe flipped his wedding ring in Julie's soup and soup went spraying everywhere. Marlin says they ruined his BMW t-shirt as you can see, but he was just being dramatic (don't worry it washed out). haha!

For more pics, go to http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047483&l=1a6cc&id=161502582.

Here is my soup recipe in case anyone wants to try it!

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian Sausage
1/2 lb. Smoked bacon, chopped
2 (14.5) cans Chicken Broth
1 Quart Water
4 Large Potatoes (I always add extra, sometimes up to 6-8 depending upon the size)
1 Medium Onlion, chopped
2 Large Garlic Cloves
2 Cups washed & chopped Kale or Swiss Chard
1 Cup Whipping Cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Dice potatoes and place in a soup pot with the water, broth, onions, and garlic.
Add salt & pepper. Cook until tender. While potatoes are cooking, cook sausage,
then the bacon. Place in a bowl with paper towel to absorb the grease until ready
to go into the pot. Once potatoes are tender, add the sausage and bacon and simmer
for 10 minutes. Add the Kale and the Cream to the pot. Let cook another 5-10 minutes
until the Kale is tender but not overcooked. Eat and enjoy!

A Schrock Family Tradition Indiana Style

In the fall of 1907, Great Grandpa Samuel Schrock homesteaded out to Colorado. He was 43 years old. Guns were an important tool for survival in the west and during the Great Depression when so many people were starving. The skill of shooting a gun has since been passed down from generation to generation. Curt bought his black powder rifle when he was around 10 or 12 years old. I've always said that he was my little Daniel Boone. Almost everyone got in on the action on New Years Day.
To see more pics of these rootin tootin gun slingers, go to http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047488&l=ce297&id=161502582.

Ushering the New Year in with Daylen, Curt & Julie

Curt and Jules stayed with us for a few days during the break. We played games and ate and sat by the fire. What a relaxing way to spend the day. Daylen spent the night with us and even helped usher the New Year in by sitting faithfully by Julie's side while we watched The Great Escape with Steve McQueen and others. Curt has a unique way of playing with Daylen but I don't think Daylen liked his Uncle Curt's game.

For more pics of Julie, Curt and Daylen, go to http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047488&l=ce297&id=161502582. You don't need a Facebook account to look at my pics.

Daylen and Poppe

What an unusual day it was today. Can you believe that it was 64 degrees in Indiana? I mean it's the end of December for crying outloud. Where is our snow??? Marlin and I went for a walk on the Walkway today and I was in short sleeves believe it or not. That will all change tomorrow as the cold front is coming and it will be back in the 30's. Joe brought Daylen over tonight. They're going to go watch some fight on Pay Per View at a friends house.

Christmas 2008

On Christmas Eve this year, Marlin, Emilie and I made treats to give to our friends. I made fudge, sugar cookies, and Starbucks Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins. Marlin made his annual mice and helped frost the sugar cookies. Emilie made Peppermint Bark and Marble Bread. We celebrated that night by attending our annual Christmas Eve service at McGrawsville. It was a really nice and meaningful service. Christmas day was spent preparing our meal of Rosemary Herbed Roast, Dijon Carrots, Roasted Potatoes and Onion, Green Bean Casserole and of course, our traditional cornbread stuffing. Grandma brought her custard, my personal favorite. Emilie made an apple crumb pie and a key lime pie. After dinner, we all played Apples to Apples. Marlin one both rounds. See more pictures at: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046742&l=eede8&id=161502582.

No Snow for Christmas Here

Tuesday was my last day at work for the year and it ended on an icy note. My boss let us leave early because the rains that tormented us all through the day turned to ice and the cars as well as the parking lot had turned into an icy mess. The drive home was a little scary in spots where there was water sitting on top of the already iced over roadways. I had to drive 20 mph all the way home. When I got home, the ice had already formed a shell on the drivers side and when I opened my door, it fell off in one big piece. On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, I awoke to the sight you see in this picture. The temps continued to rise and the sun even came out a bit later melting all the ice off the roadways.

Christmas Morning On Sunday Night

Emilie is the Queen of themed parties so this year, she planned a Christmas Morning On Sunday Night Party for some of her high school friends. Everyone was supposed to come dressed in their "jammies". Emilie made waffles, pancakes and french toast. The boys brought sausage and the girls brought milk, juice, monkey bread and snacks. They played games including Risk, cards and Telephone Pictionary followed by their Annual Christmas Tradition...Watching Home Alone. They even took pictures representing the cover of the movie. Follow this link to see more pics: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046578&l=80953&id=161502582.

Christmas Party at IWU

Each year our President throws us a big Christmas party. The activities include the kids getting presents from Santa, free Christmas movies in the Globe Theater, a jazz band playing in the background, food and plenty of fellowship. We took Daylen this year and he was certainly the center of our attention.










Afterwards, we stopped to watch the Musical Christmas Tree. I don't have any pictures of it other than this one taken of Emilie and Daylen watching from the backseat, but it was really awesome. A professor at IWU puts it on. Each song takes about 30-40 hours to program according to his wife who comes out to the car and brings you a program and cookies. Daylen was mesmerized and pointing at the lights until I took this picture. As you can see the light from the camera gave him a scowl....funny!

More pictures can be found at: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046576&l=2a4dc&id=161502582.

The Grinch Appeared at IWU

Emilie is an RA in North Hall Complex this year. It is the Freshman Mentoring dorm and she is loving her position in leadership. The University throws a Christmas Party at the end of the semester and leadership activities always involve contests. Needless to say, it is evident that their dorm won the coveted Costume Award for 2008. Her RD (Resident Director) in the the Grinch Costume and all the rest of the girls are the RA's. For more pictures, check out this link: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2046574&l=ffa91&id=161502582.

It's beginning to look alot like WINTER!!!

Farmer's Almanac says: "After a mostly mild November, snow at Thanksgiving will signal the coming of a very cold period, especially in the west (of the state of Indiana, that is) . Temperatures will seesaw from January through March. Precipitation will generally be below normal, with above-normal snowfall in the southwest and below-normal snowfall in most other parts of the region. The coldest periods will occur in December, early and mid-January, and in early and mid-February. The snowiest periods will be in early and mid-December, early to mid-January, early February, and early March." Well, so far, they are right on the money. There's only one thing to do when the weather's like this. Walk to the mailbox and look for your latest installment of Netflix! Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

For more pictures of what you're missing, click on the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045937&l=fc033&id=161502582

A Schrockapalooza Thanksgiving

I've been cooking Thanksgiving meals with Emilie since she was about three. I used to pull up a chair and she would do whatever I was doing. Now, she has moved beyond those days to preparing most of the meal herself. She made around 10 pies this year. Not all of them were for us. Seems she has a baking business on the side. She made Pumpkin, Pecan, Apple Crumb, and Buttermilk Coconut (her grandpa's favorite). After lunch we revisited a past event of balancing spoons on your nose. Can you do it? We used to think it took the Schrock nose to do that, but Julie proved that persons not born a Schrock can do just as well.
After eating, we all retreated to the front room for shenanigans. I recently bought a white scarp which we all took turns trying on. The girls decided that Curt should try it on to, but they weren't man enough to take him down and force him to try it on. See view more fun pictures, go to

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045932&l=418a7&id=161502582 and

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045935&l=6f768&id=161502582.

No Movie - Movie Night

So we planned a movie night the eve before Thanksgiving because Joe Layne was going to be down from Chicago, but we didn't end up watching any movies. Instead, Emilie suggested that we play "Telephone Pictionary".
Emilie got a little frustrated explaining how to play it to the boys, and as a result, her first phrase was "My family is illiterate". It ended up being a lot funnier than we had anticipated.

It got so comical that Curt and Joe laughed til they cried...literally. Marlin and I managed to pick similar phrases so the drawings on his were similar to mine. In addition, I am surrounded by children and a husband that do quite well at art so you can imagine how sad my little drawings were compared to theirs. For more pictures on this event, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045923&l=5ac70&id=161502582.

Pray for Dale

Dale Graber is married to Marlin's cousin, Ann. He has been a friend of ours since high school days. He had surgery today and was found positive for brain cancer. He will now have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation. Won't you join us in praying for him?

This first picture is one that I took back in 1974 just prior to my graduation. The second was taken some 34 years later. Dale still has an eye for his Ann!

The Birthday that keeps on Giving...

On Sunday, we celebrated my Birthday as a family. Emilie asked me what I wanted for my birthday meal and I told her Chicken Stir Fry. I had no idea she was going to find a recipe for P.F. Chang's Orange Chicken. She also made me a White Chocolate Black Raspberry Cake. Everyone was there, and can you believe it? I forgot to take a sibling picture...well, maybe at Christmas. I did get a picture of "Oma" and the grandkids. Daylen calls us Oma and Poppie and I hope that name sticks for the other grandkids as well. I didn't think anything would ever be better than having your own children...but I was wrong!


For more pics, click on http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045688&l=0ce9c&id=161502582

Today is my Birthday!

Today was a good day for a birthday!

Emilie took me to lunch at Mi Pueblo followed by a stop at Starbucks for dessert. Curt & Julie had me over for supper. Julie made french onion soup, the kind that takes you about four hours to prepare. It was really really good! Julie and Curt gave me tea and honey for a present so we all enjoyed a spot of tea with our birthday muffin!

For more pics, see http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2045679&l=1b452&id=161502582

You're Not in Kansas Anymore Dorothy

Ben, Monica, Alex and Haley out on the town looking for candy. They're off to see the Wizard!

BatDaylen, Eastside Unit Retreat & Zombies

The evening started out with a visit from my favorite little Bat...BatDaylen! We discovered that he loves Sour Patch Kids. Emilie bought the Batman outfit for Daylen for his birthday. Daylen walked right in the back door, and said "Trick er Tweet". Mallory said he cried at home when they first put on his costume. She has the funniest picture on her camera, but he was fine by the time he got to my house. Poppie came home just in time to see him before they had to leave.









Emilie showed up not long after that with some of the girls in her charge as RA of "Eastside" for a Halloween Sleep Over. The girls started off with a fashion show of old clothes and costumes that Emilie has used over the years, then ran around in the dark playing Flashlight Hide and Go Seek while I made caramel corn in the house. When they tired of that, they came in and watched movies.









Joe and Mallory stopped by on their way to a Halloween Party. Joe figured this would be a great year to dress up like a Zombie Stock Market Broker since everyone is out to get them. Mallory went as a Zombie Cheerleader.










For more pics, make sure you check out the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044683&l=ccc6f&id=161502582

Curt's 25th Birthday

It's hard enough to realize that Daylen is two, but when I stop and think that Curt was born a quarter of a century ago, it just boggles my mind! Curt chose an Indian theme for his birthday. Julie made lasagne, salad, bread .... AND... Curt's favorite, German Chocolate Cake with Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream for dessert. Julie's parents, Joe and Linda, and her Grandmother all drove down from Howell, Michigan for the day and drove back that night.

For more pictures, check out:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044334&l=6b77c&id=161502582

FNL Fall 2008

Friday Night Live (FNL) Fall 2008 was this past weekend. Emilie was picked as a member of the cast for this year. The whole program was a hoot from beginning to end. Marlin even had his "Mutley" laugh going. I will try to attach the video when it is posted on youtube.

Emilie was a young Sarah Palin on the playground and a saloon girl in the Musical Western skit.

Here she played the grown up version of Sarah Palin. She did a great job right down to the wink and the wave. The guy standing next to her was George Bush. All of the students that played the various political figures did such a great job with mannerisms and accents.

This was actually the opener which was "You can't stop the Beat!" from the musical "Hairspray". The really cool thing about FNL is that the students don't start practicing the live skits until the Sunday before the preformance and they all did such a wonderful job!

More pictures can be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044293&l=41241&id=161502582

Emilie Bakes!

What do you do on a Friday night when there's nothing to do? Create your own "happening" by going over to your brother's house and simply baking up a storm!

Emilie, her roomate, Courtney and high school buddy Hannah, decided to drop in one Friday night to bake brownies, monkey bread, and truffles.

For more pics, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044328&l=1cc5a&id=161502582