Week in Murphy

After a week visit in Murphy the Girls learned a thing or two about fashion from their Gandfather and took it back to Raleigh to share with their Dad.

Spicy Chickpea Recipe

 We used Grandma's masher again tonight, this time in a spicy dish made with chick peas.  It worked like a dream. 

Here is the recipe:

Spiced Chickpeas on Nan With Cucumber Yogurt

The Washington Post, April 13, 2011

You could roll up this pantry-quick filling in a burrito, but we like it plopped in the center of warm nan or flatbread, topped with the cool yogurt sauce and a drizzle of olive oil.

If you're not a bell pepper fan, substitute thinly sliced carrot sticks or shreds from the grocery store salad bar.

Serve with a crunchy carrot-daikon or jicama slaw.  4 servings

Ingredients:

    * • 2 medium cloves garlic

    * • Kosher salt

    * • 1 medium red onion

    * • 1 small red, yellow or orange bell pepper (may substitute 1 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot sticks from a grocery store salad bar)

    * • Leaves from 8 stems cilantro

    * • Two 15-ounce cans no-salt-added chickpeas

    * • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

    * • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

    * • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

    * • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

    * • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

    * • Water

    * • 4 store-bought nan or flatbread (may substitute your favorite burrito wraps)

    * • Freshly ground black pepper

    * • 1/2 seedless (English) cucumber

    * • 7 ounces plain low-fat or nonfat Greek-style yogurt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have a large baking sheet at hand.

Mince the garlic with a pinch of salt; use the flat blade of a chef’s knife to work the garlic so it softens and breaks down. Cut the onion in half, then into very thin half-moons. Stem and de-rib the bell pepper, then cut the flesh into very thin slices. Finely chop the cilantro. Drain the chickpeas to yield about 4 cups.  Heat the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron, over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the garlic, coriander and cumin; cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the chickpeas, crushed red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of the paprika; cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until the chickpeas are coated and heated through. Drizzle lightly with oil (up to 1 tablespoon), then use a potato masher  (Thanks Grandma!) to mash about half of the spiced chickpeas so the mixture is nubbly and thickened. Stir in up to 1/4 cup water to make the mixture creamy.  Meanwhile, place the nan on the baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with the oil.

Warm them in the oven while the remaining vegetables cook; they will turn lightly golden.  Use a spatula to shove the chickpea mixture to the edges of the skillet. Add the onion and bell pepper; cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until the onion has softened and the bell pepper is crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in most of the cilantro and remove from the heat.  Peel the cucumber half, if desired, then grate it on the large holes of a box grater to yield a scant 1 cup; place in a medium bowl, along with the yogurt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of paprika. Stir to form a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place a warm nan on each plate. Spoon equal amounts of the chickpea mixture on each one, then top with some of the cucumber yogurt. If desired, drizzle each portion with a little oil. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve warm

Hope you try it and enjoy!  Love, Anna

Napa

Rex and flew to CA last week for a mini-vacation.  We stayed in San Fran with one of his friends from college then we drove out to Napa for 2 days.  We had wonderful meals, tasted some great wines and just enjoyed the scenery!  Great way to start the summer.  Love to you, Anna

Mom/Grandma's Shamrock plant

I brought both of Mom's shamrock plants home & combined them into 1 pot (the red was from the other pot). For a while it was touch & go - they weren't doing too well here. But then, recently - (with some fertilizer!), they have begun to flourish!

Our dining room, with Mom & Dad's dining table, chairs, china cabinet and chest.

Mom & Dad's Table, Mirror, Books & candle in our foyer

NYC 5 Boro Ride

NYC 5 boro ride.

I left Murphy on Tuesday 4-26 and drove to Raleigh to spend a day with the Fields. I get to walk the girls to and from school and drive Kate to her class. She called me to say I did not stay long enough to wave to her as she went up the stairs. I thought I had but maybe I just waved to the wrong kid.

On Thursday I took the bus to NYC  leaving at 11am and getting in to NYC at 9:15 with about a half hour layover in Richmond and an hour in DC. The ride was easier and cheaper than driving. At $22.50 round trip it was cheaper than most things these days. One down side to the bus is the Terminals. The terminals are parking lots or curbs. It was not a problem for me this trip but to wait in the elements could be if it were hot, cold, or wet. When you have more time than money it is a great way to go & I would not mind doing it again.

DC Terminal

After quick subway ride to Queens where I met Joe I had a taco from one of his favorite street vendors.

Friday I went to the City to see Evelyn get John’s bike and we all went out to dinner.

Sat Joe took me on an 18 mile bike ride tour of Queens which was fun. My first stop my leg got hung up on the seat and I ended up in the gutter with a knee scratch that was a good match for the one on Kate’s knee. I am not sure which hurt more, my pride or my knee.

The 5 Boro ride was a lot of fun, great weather, well organized, and the flattest 42 mile I ever rode.

Joe who had started training on Sat, had no trouble, his only complaint was a little sun burn.

32,000 riders is huge, we never saw the beginning or the end of the riders. I think at times we could look at least a mile ahead and a mile back and see nothing but riders. In all over 1,300,000 riles were ridden! I think we were in the first or second group of 5,000.

There was a guy in Central park who must have been 40 who was on a skate board going as fast as we were. He would get a tow up inclines from his friends and then zoom past us on the down hills. At one point he jumped off at full speed and did not fall or crash into any riders. That was pretty amazing.

Monday before I returned the bike, I rode around Central Park and then I went back and hung out with Evelyn. We listened to some jazz and got the recipe for big bubbles

Tuesday was the bus trip back to Raleigh where I met up with Mary and stayed until Saturday. I came home to get the grass cut and Mary followed on Monday.

Ryan wanted to share some news...

Ryan wanted to share our news with you.  Did you catch it? Did you read his shirt?  This is how we told Mom and Dad the news! That is right, Ryan will soon be a Big Brother!

We are happy to share that we are expecting a baby this fall. We are due on October 24, which means I am finally at the end of my first trimester tomorrow. Hoping that will mean that I start feeling better and/or some kind of food starts sounding good again.  Not too much seems different this time around, but we got the see the baby wave at us on Friday which was fun.  It seems like when I was pregnant with Ryan, our lives revolved around the pregnancy. Now, I am often reminding myself that I am pregnant, usually when someone orders a glass of wine or when I try to button my jeans. :-)   All in all, we are all really excited to add a new member to our family.

Andy's work is keeping him busy and my work is keeping me super busy.  The conference that I spend the year planning is in New Orleans at the beginning of June.  I think we all will be thankful when it is over. 

We celebrated Dad's 65th birthday today over at Mom and Dad's house with Jim and Sarah.  It was fun to have everyone together on such a beautiful day in Atlanta. Lots of food and great company.

Hope you all are doing well. We miss seeing you all.

Love,
Emily, Andy and Ryan

Weekend in NYC

Mary and I had a great time in NYC this past weekend. We went up there so Sarah and John could have the weekend off. We got there late Thursday afternoon. Friday the regular baby sitter was on duty, so we took off and wondered around China Town. Mary picked up some items for her book club since they were reading the Good Earth and she was hosting the meeting at our house. The Chinese Grocery stores were so much fun with all the stuff you have never seen before. Mary got some candy which when we got to the airport did not pass the scanner and had to go thru a second time. If it had been a month or two later I would have wondered if it was from the radiation from Japan. But now I am left with guessing what goes into the candy.

 We went to Queens for lunch with Joe.

Sat and Sunday we played with Evelyn with walks in the neighborhood and Central Park. There are musicians playing throughout the park and it is fun to sit on a bench and listen. We heard a sax player, Dixie land band, hammer dulcimer, jazz quartet, a bongo drummer, a high school orchestra from England, and a drummer playing pans. I would go there every day to hear the music.

Joe brought us takeout on Friday night from and Asian restaurant in Queens.

Evelyn was a champ, never a cry even when we had to put some drops in her eye for some pinkeye. Put her to bed and she just goes to sleep. Amazing.

She loves her bath, I took her out after 30 or 40 minutes as I was getting afraid the wrinkles were never going to come out of her fingers and toes.

We left Monday morning as the painters arrived. Sarah and John are repainting the whole apt. in anticipation of putting it on the market. The realtor said it would be sold by July. We have suggested that they throw in a NC mtn retreat house as a bonus.

Sarah and John had a fun weekend in Philly and we had one too.

Bill

Sibs & Rents

Taken on the back deck in Dothan

25 ways to wear a scarf

As a big fan of scarves I was super excited to come across this video today. Who knew there were so many ways to wear a scarf! My new goal is to try one of the different knots the next time I reach for a scarf. I'm a big fan of "The Wrap" because it feels like I'm cheating when I'm out somewhere, and that I'm really at home snuggled into a blanket, but it is time for me to branch out!

Her 'behind the scenes' post is a pretty interesting read too. The amount of work and time that went into that 5 minute video is very impressive.

http://www.wendyslookbook.com/2011/04/behind-the-scenes-25-ways-to-wear-a-scarf/



Rikki

Home safe and sound

Hello!

John and I had an uneventful trip home and arrived back in LA on Saturday evening. We had a great honeymoon in Thailand and Cambodia and will be posting trip stories hopefully in the next few days. We came home with a ton of mosquito bites, poison ivy and about 1,500 pictures. Once we sort through them all, (the pictures, not the mosquito bites) I'll put them up so you can look if you are interested.

Lots of love,

Rikki

Anna and Rex in Guatemala City

Anna and Rex left on Sunday with about 15 people from church to build a house in Guatemala City...

Please send to the family...we arrived last night safely.  We are
staying in a guest house.  We arrived after dark (7:30pm) so didn't
see much.
Today, we went to the ghetto.  The neighborhood looks like Slumdog
Millionaire.  Little alley-ways between shanty homes.  Flies
everywhere so you have to keep your mouth shut.  Children and dogs
running around.  Kids are only eating junk - loads of candy.  I guess
it is cheap.  We saw several men that sniff.  It helps ease hunger but
it also melts their brain.  They are dazed out with mucus coming from
their noses.
I have never seen anything like this - it's really mindblowing.  We
worked all day and went back to our house during rush hour - the
cars/vans/buses are Thick!  Traffic is congested and the smog attacks
your eyes.  There seems to be always something burning.  Not sure if
it is the trash heap or the traffic pollution.
We are building a one room house with cinderblocks.  They demo'd the
existing structure and right now there is only a piece of fabric that
seperates the home from it's neighbor.  The neighbor will hopefully
enjoy the new concrete wall too.
The work was EXAUSTING!  We stired by hand concrete mix, shoveled it
into wheel barrows and then poured footings.  Tomorrow we start
stacking the blocks.
The team is really fantastic and the Young life team is really warm,
kind and fun to be with!
Say a prayer for us!
Love Anna and Rex

Another picture : hands of time(!)

posted by Kate (from my scrapbook album), After the manicure!

Another picture

Posted by Kate - from a scrapbook album

Posted by Kate

Our Houses In EGR

Steve was in EGR last weekend and he sent me these photos of the three house we enjoyed growing up. I was surpised at all the snow in early March. Isn't the Lake Grove house is missing the front steps? They all look great.

Enjoy???

This is a blog Joe found.  Sarah is pretty sure Dad wrote it.  If he didn't, Billy has a twin brother that Grandma never told you about...

http://www.woot.com/Blog/ViewEntry.aspx?Id=16831

BTW, Dad you should write this guy and let he know you can get to a clean carcass without nearly all that cooking!  Your years of experience might be appreciated by no one as much as this fella.

Oldie

Dad has been going through old pictures and slides and each day it is like a present to see some great pictures of the past.  This one dad titled "love his outfit".  Seems Grandpa didn't mind mixing prints!  Love, Anna

Weekend in Raleigh

Mary and I spent the weekend in Raleigh with the Fields, Bickleys and Dalenas. Mary and I volunteered one morning in Mary Grace’s Class as they worked in centers. With 24 kids it is one busy place and they are happy to get any assistance that they can. I had lunch with Riley as her class eats in their classroom and Mary ate with MG in the lunch room which Mary said was very loud.

I did a listening center where I read a story & then had the kids complete a worksheet.  There is a huge variation in the level of the kids. One kid could read most of the work sheet questions and another had trouble completing a drawing.

It was fun & I’ll do it again. When you go in to the school you have to register in the office. There is a terminal where you enter your name, Birthday, Social Security #. You smile & it prints out the photo pass to stick to your shirt, I thought that was pretty high tec.

Maria was putting Kate to bed on Sunday night and she was messing around upstairs. <Maria called out”Kate Fields get in your bed or I am going to come up there and lock you in your Room”

Kate Replies “It won’t do any good because the lock is on the inside and I can still get out.”

It is hard to get past her as she is always a few steps ahead.

When John woke up Sunday morning he looked in the monitor at Evelyn who was sleeping in a bedroom on the second floor. He said to Sarah, There is somebody in Evelyn’s Pack and play. Kate had crawled in and was laying next to Evelyn stroking her hair. That was a total surprise.

 It was fun too to get a nice taste of Spring, it was warm sunny and the trees were in bloom.

Great weekend

Bill

Soup for a chilly day

Hello!

This is Rikki here and I was thinking of everyone today as the temperature dropped down into the chilly 50s. I know that isn't cold for many people, but when it gets below 60 in LA, it is big news! In the spirit of cold winter days, I thought I would whip up a batch of my favorite soup and then share the recipe with everyone so that they could maybe make their own chilly day soup.

I love this recipe because it can have pretty much anything added to it and still turn out great. I basically go through the fridge and toss everything in the pot that looks a bit wilty or sad. The spicy turkey gives it a great kick as well. Plus now that we have a food processor (Yay!) the prep takes about 5 minutes tops.

From my kitchen to yours, here is Turkey Lentil Soup.

1 lb dried lentils
1 tb olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup water
a bunch of vegetable broght
2 bay leaves
1 tb chopped rosemary
1 package spicy turkey sausage
black pepper
salt
red wine vinegar

In a large pot, heat oil until hot. Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in the oil, adding the carrots, celery, garlic and onion after a few minutes. Cook until the onions turn translucent and the vegetables are tender. Add tomato sauce, water, veggie broth, rosemary, bay leaves and lentils.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 25 minutes or until veggies are slightly soft. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with a dash of red wine vinegar.

This makes a huge batch but is so yummy I'm sure you won't have a problem eating it all!


Enjoy!

Rikki

Found this picture

I was doing a bit of homework, and when I clicked on my Gmail tab, the Block e-mail opened. I noticed this picture sent from Barbara and thought I'd upload it to the blog!

Update on us!

Just a nice, relaxing Saturday for me (Hailey) and Steve. We woke up this morning to reach for our iPods, iPhones, and laptops -- Phish tickets went on sale. We ended up getting a couple pairs for ourselves and some friends, so that's something to look forward to. Meanwhile, looking out the window reminds me of anything but summertime. The weather can't seem to decide if it wants to rain, snow, sleet, etc. I'll be glad when all of the snow is gone, and we can look forward to nice summer sunshine.

Steve and I went to a job fair -- err, career fair -- yesterday. It was small, but it was angled to capture business students. The IRS was there! Scary, right? :) They were promoting positions as IRS agents, etc. It was surprisingly the organization there targeting masters level students. It seemed the majority of the companies were looking for more undergraduate/entry-level work. Regardless, it was nice to head over and see who's hiring and what they're hiring for. Steve and I put in a couple resumes, and I suppose this week, he'll fill out some of the online applications. It's really funny how in this technological age, at job fairs, they hand you a business card with a website on it and ask you to go online and apply... Hmm... Whatever happened to face-to-face resume drops?

Update on my schooling: I know I posted it on Facebook, but for those of you who might not check Facebook as often, I was accepted into Michigan State's Epidemiology program. It's a Masters program that has 2 tracks -- after the first year, I could choose whether I wanted to do a PhD and have the rest of my college paid for by university grants/assistantships, or I could finish the Masters and head off to look for work. They have a longstanding relationship with the Michigan Dept. of Community Health and the NIH, and about 85% of their graduates choose to work for one of the two. I applied to do research on cerebral palsy and Guthrie cards (the little blood spots on filter paper that they take from babies at birth) or environmental contaminants and male reproduction (sperm mobility/motility). So, that's option one.

Option 2: this is the big one. This is the reason I quit my job (besides the fact that my boss was completely neurotic and drove away almost 75% of her employees in one year). I started the process to applying to the Masters in Occupational Therapy (MOT) program last year -- about this time, actually. It is now a year later, and I have just received word that I'll be moving on to the interview process. I volunteered with the Autism Collaborative Center last summer, and I fell in love with the idea of working as an occupational therapist with children with autism. It seems like such a great, fulfilling line of work and a growing, necessary field as well. The frustration comes from waiting so long -- we were supposed to find out in late January, and here it is -- mid-March, and we're still not even to interviewing. I am not holding my breath. I am, however, hopeful. Last year, there were 300 applicants, and they chose about 34 to move on to enrollment. This year, I'm not sure how many total applicants there were, but there are 42 of us being interviewed. I met with the interim director of the Autism Center (the center is heavily tied to the OT department -- most of the staff work at both the center and for EMU). I decided to be a bit "sneaky" and explain that I couldn't start working for them until I knew where I would be next fall, because it'd be unfair of me to start working now and then quit in April when I find out I didn't get in. So, she made it quite clear that she would move the process along. About 3 hours later, I received an e-mail letting me know I'd be moving on, and my interview will be on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.! Sometimes, I guess it pays to be sneaky...

My job will be volunteer coordination. I will be managing the volunteers and placing them in groups as well as recruiting new volunteers from social work, special education, occupational therapy, and speech/language pathology. I think it'll be fun, but the organizational freak inside of me is a bit petrified. I personally think the system needs a complete overhaul to be an organized, well-oiled machine, but I keep reminding myself that it's only part-time, and this is not my career!

Well, signing off. It's the Big Ten Basketball tournament, and today, our favorite teams play. Mine is Ohio State, and Steve's is (obviously) Michigan State. :)

Enjoy your day, Block family. I miss you all. xoxoxo.

Cheap Labor

How did you guys know that post was Chuck?  You didn't picture Deb shoveling snow and cussing the neighbors? 
Nan, our book club discussed reading "Room".  After your post, I am very glad it was shot down.  Sounds like quite a book.
We are finishing up a week with Mike out of town.  Another person we can curse for being in Florida.  Though he is at his uncle's funeral, so I guess that would be inappropriate.  I got the stomach bug and survived quiet nicely with all kids in school in the morning and Kate (and I) napping in the afternoon.  I learned a great trick tonight.  Give the kids a bath at 4:30, dinner at 5, by 6 they think it is bedtime and I give them the "privilege" to stay up if they do work.  They have never so willingly helped out.  dishwasher unloaded in record time.  3 loads of laundry folded quicker and neater than I ever do (Mike might argue that is not saying much).  They were paid a penny for each piece folded.   Since Riley always wants more than the gal next to her, she was racing like a grayhound.   Now that I know what they are capable of, they should be able to finish up spreading the pile of  mulch in our yard.  A penny a pitch fork full should get our yard wrapped up under $2!  Let me know if anyone would like their services.  They book a week at a time and we will pay for airfare. 
Maria

Ryan Swimming

On a happier note (I wrote the blog on Room), Em and I went to Ryan's swimming class today. With a huge smile Ryan happily dog-paddled his way from one end of the pool to the other end where Em and I were seated. During the whole length of the pool he continually called out "Mama", "Nana" just to be sure we were watching and laughing too! Very fun.

Speaking of laughing, Bill's and Chuck's stories are hard acts to follow!! Great blogs!
Nan




 

Room

I finished the book called Room. (Read Amazon's descriptions and reviews for more info.) In all the hundreds of books I've read in my lifetime, I have never read such an intense, terrifying and emotionally wrenching book. At the denouement I thought I would be physically sick. After getting through that part of the book, it was still hard-going but rather interesting. I'm not glad I read it because it is still in my head. I actually had a nightmare about it. I would like to talk to anyone else who has read it to see if your reaction was similar to mine or if I just over-reacted to the story. It's hit the NY Times Bestseller list, so I guess this is a cautionary tale for this family of adventurous readers.

My Class

While Chuck was digging out of the snow I was taking a class. I saw in the paper the extension office was offering a morning class on how to grow Shitake mushrooms. I thought that would be a nice summer addition to some grilling recipes. The article said to bring two or three logs 4 to 6 inches in diameter and 4 to 5 feet long.

On one of my bike rides I saw a farmer clearing some land so I went out and got permission to do some scavenging. I took the smaller sized logs because they are so much lighter and easier to throw into the back floor of the car.

Got to the class and the instructor said the best log to use are oak, mine are maple. She then went into how you put the starter into small ½ inch holes that are then sealed with wax. Then she said you should see your first crop in about Oct 2012!!! So much for this summer Grilling.

I am not sure how well they will do in the heat of Raleigh but we will see. The logs will produce for 4 or 5 years but that too may be a function of the size.  I will not speculate how long my smaller maples may produce.

Bill

PS Chuck did you tip the cabby  or did he tip you?

Weekend

So we returned from the Big Apple (subject of an other post) ony to find our driveway completely blocked by a three foot wall of hard packed snow constructed by the city plows just doing their job. It seems we narrowly escaped to NYC last Sunday ahead of an eight to ten inch snow storm. Our Indian cabby, trying to be helpful, thought he could just drive through the snow barrier and zip up the driveway...WRONG. We tried to stop him but he would not be deterred. You guessed it...stuck in the snow with the front drive wheels spinning freely(actually it was drive wheel since the Dodge Minivan didn't have pos-a-traction(sp?). Now in addition to having to lug two suitcases up the snowy driveway, I had to help our well intentioned cab driver dig his vehicle out of it's entrapment. For those of you who have never lived through a winter in Michigan, as well as those who have supressed such memories, "digging" a vehicle out of a snow bank isn't just a matter of clearing snow away from the wheels....no,no,no my friends, it involves digging and removing the snow from UNDER the vehicle. You see that is where the "stuck" comes from....the frame of the van was resting comfortably on the snow bank while the tires were virtually suspended above the surface of the ground! In other words IT'S A HELL OF ALOT OF WORK...made all the  more difficult by the fact that the temperature was at or above freezing which makes the snow nice and wet (aka heavy). After fifteen minutes or so of vigorous digging we were able to free the van and get the grateful hack back to his business. I am convinced he will never again attempt to "off road" a minivan again. For my part, I spent another half hour digging out the rest of the snow wall from the driveway entrance so we could get in and out until our neighbor(who plows the driveway) returns from a week in sunny Florida...the bastard. I dragged my weary backside up the driveway and straight on to the couch for a well deserved snooze! Oh, and by the way, we received another couple inches of snow overnight as a reminder that winter in Michigan is still going strong. Don't you wish you too could enjoy the "change of seasons" we Yankees will tell you makes living in the climate so "special"?

Reunion 2010

Trying again.

Dalena Update

We had a very nice President's Day weekend in Jensen Beach, FL with John's parents - they spend the winter there and after a weekend in the sunshine, I can see why.  We had gorgeous weather - low 80s with a nice breeze and were able to spend a lot of time in the pool and at the beach.  Evelyn was a great traveler - she slept so long on the flight down, John and I were both able to watch a movie on the plane!  Here are a couple photos - I posted some on the blockxfamily Picasa site too.

When we got back into town, we found out Deb and Chuck were visiting NYC.  John, Joe and I had a fun dinner last night with them before they flew back to GR this morning - a real treat!

Fields Girls basketball game

Thought we would share a short slide show of last weeks game.  Mary Grace wanted everyone to know "It is not a movie!"  Guess she is waiting to reveal her official movie debut!  Hope eveyrone is enjoying their day as much as we are here in sunny Raleigh!

Mike, Maria, Mary Grace, Riley and Kate

Visit with Mom and Dad

Today Jim and I went to the Georgia National Cemetery to see the new stone that was put in place on February 1st.  It was a perfectly gorgeous day. We left some Gerber daisies next to Mom's side of the stone. Both Mom and Dad liked Gerber daisies and the colors reminded me so much of the colors that Mom often wore. Nearby a big hawk stood watch over us and then took off with it's broad wing span as we were leaving.  It's really a quiet and beautiful spot there on top of a mountainous hill. Love to you all, Nan

Libby Dale note

In January the post office forwarded to me a letter from Libby Dale to Mom. I wrote back to Libby that mom had died in December.

Today I got the following note:

Dear Bill Etal,

I mentioned her today to friends , then you letter.

I was afraid of your letter news. I loved her, she was remarkable and had an amazing spirit. She will always be in my heart.

You have to be happy for her to have died the way we all pray for. I always think of all the hail Mary’s that my mother and Jane probable said over their years,” Pray for us at the hour of our death”. Even tho I was startled when she said she no longer went to Mass, I again had to admire her spirit and I guess you could say “independent thinking. You know she’s in heaven no matter what! But I will miss her being here. Please tell all your family, condolences and thank you for writing me.

Libby.

Happy Valentines Day!

I started to individually write Facebook messages but then remembered this blog!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!! :)

Love you all,
Hailey

Dad's Retirement Poem

Dad had a farewell gathering at work where his colleague read a poem she had written.  I think she nailed it.

Ode to the Chief Bean Counter

Bill came to the County January 25, of ‘99

Twelve years have passed – how the time did fly

Back in the those days, Randy and Jennifer were our neighbors

He hadn’t been here long when Dedra went into labor

It took folks a while to get accustomed to his ways

But once we got adjusted, sometimes we were amazed

He didn’t have a lot to say when he was new to us

He still doesn’t say much, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard him fuss

His dry sense of humor still catches us by surprise

And when he cracks a funny, sometimes we laugh till we cry

A neat, orderly office have never been his strong suit

But he usually knows where something is within a stack or two

Co-workers have come and gone from Randy, Jennifer, Dedra and Debbie

To Ernst, Michelle, Maria, Linda, Tania and Melody

Being the most fiscally frugal was Bill’s title alone

Then Badger came along and knocked him off that throne

He always walks to work unless it happens to be raining

You can tell by looking at him that it keeps him weight from gaining

He’s an avid reader and he likes to fish and hike

He likes to cook, he likes to eat and he likes to ride his bike

Bill has spent a lot of his personal time involved in helping others

And from all he’s done, you’d say he truly is a brother

From the Folk School, IOI, and House raising volunteers

To the United Way, Homeless shelter and Crop Walk, he’s been doing this for years

It seemed to those of us who know him that grandkids made him more mellow

When all those little girls came along, he became a more relaxed fellow

The sign in his office that said “Scenic Overlook”

Soon lost its place to ‘Grandpa’s Photo Book’

One of his goals in retirement is to ride his bike from Franklin

I think that when he’s done with that trip his tongue will be hangin’

A 50 mile ride that is mostly on an incline

When you finish that trip, we hope you’ll still be fine

His loving wife, Mary, often calls him Willie

Let’s hope his retirement doesn’t drive her silly

As Bill leaves us to start his days of rest

Join me in letting him know that we wish him all the best!

We all know you will enjoy your 'next phase'.  Congrats again!  Love, Anna

busy week

This was a busy week .I started training my replacement at work. Friday was my retirement date but it was put off one week so I could use up some comp time and excess vacation I would have lost. So next week I take three days vacation and work two and then am done.

Friday afternoon they had a nice reception at work. The Emergency ambulance service gave me a folder “Dummies Guide to TVA water releases, a swimming noodle, and a glow stick for the next time I get caught in the river when I go fishing! I’ll never live that one down. They gave me fishing pole and a Bean counters jar with bait money in it.

Fayette County to the Probate Ct.  They are sticklers for detail.  On one form there was a place for a signature and on the right side of the paper and on the left side a place for a notary to sign.

On one form the signature of the notary had been placed under the person’s signature. They rejected that and said it had to be redone!! Fortunately it can all be done by mail so no further trips to the Probate Ct will be needed and I should get my letters of administration next week.

I got to have lunch with Kate. While we were eating it was sleeting and raining. Her table on the porch was covered with ice. Who should appear but 4 golfers out on the green. They had to be completely nuts or extremely desperate to be away from work.

Kate said the boys’ winter break had been canceled because of the snow days. But if any family had a trip planned it would not be an unexcused absence if they were gone. No new material would be taught during that time. You can just hear everybody say lets plan a trip to the, mall, Atlanta, anywhere just so we don’t have to go to school.

Kate said John and Luke are finishing basketball this weekend and then Next week Baseball starts.

Today I saw a tee shirt with

I have no life

My kids play sports

I told Kate she said I should get one but

I have no money

My kids play sports

There must be lots of variations

Justin Bieber Fever

I was watching the Late Show with David Letterman, and Justin Biener was one of the guests. I thought of my wonderful dance crew and how much fun that was. I guess he has a movie coming out in February. His story is sweet; maybe I'll go see it. I am a sucker for 3D movies and teeny bopper singers!!

Slumber Party

 Riley

Kate

Mary Grace

Mike and Rex were on a golf trip this weekend with a group from church, so we had a girls-only slumber party!  The girls took a bubble bath in our tub.  We read books, ate popcorn and had lots of 'girl talk'.  It was a fun weekend.  I miss sharing these weekend pictures with Grandma.  I would send pics almost every Sunday to her and by Monday morning I would have a response from her over email.  I always looked forward to her response and the chance to share what we were doing with her. 

Update on the Life of Katie

Hey Block Family!  I sent out an email to update people on life and so I thought I would post here too!  I hope you are all well!  

So, I am in COLORADO!!!  Pretty crazy, right!  There are still so many times that I find myself thinking that I am on an extended vacation or training and that I will be headed back home to Chattanooga... Alas, I am living here in Colorado!  I do miss Chattanooga a lot.  I miss the Y and family and friends and so much more!  I am truly enjoying my time in Colorado.  It has been a wonderful adventure so far, but has has been a big adjustment... a few reason why it has been an adjustment...
1. There is always snow on the ground, and I am not exadurating when i say always... I really do where boots everyday so my ankles and feet stay warm! 
2.  I do not know where any thing is!!!  I don't know where a car wash is, or good restaurants, or free wifi, haha it is kinda funny, but I am learning to explore and am really enjoying that. 
3.  I can't really pump gas or play outside without gloves on... you would not think this would be a big deal, but I am not the biggest fan of gloves... could cause a problem!

A few things that I have really enjoyed...
I have really gotten to love my team that I am a part of.  I get to laugh a lot and I get to be creative and have fun!  It is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL here!  It is such a blessing to wake up to the Rockies every day. Surprisingly enough I have also really enjoyed some time to myself... it has been a very long time since I have had time to me.

Thank you for praying for me!  I can thank you enough for that! A few ways that you can continue to pray for me or send good thoughts my way... 

• Pray that I find people to get connected to!  I have meet some great people, but pray that I continue to meet people and that I form deep and meaningful relationships with people. 
  
• I am about 3.5 weeks into my job and I am learning and sitting at my desk the majority of the day is REALLY hard for me.  I mean I am busy and have things to do, but I want to be out and about with people and connecting with people.  I know that this summer will be so full of that, but till then, pray that I stay sane working at my desk and that I find ways to connect with people as part of my job!
• Since I have been away from the Hamilton Y, I miss my teenagers!  I miss talking with them and having them in my office and talking with them about life!  Pray that I continue those relationships but that I don't hold them back from building relationships from people in Chattanooga!  Also pray that I find a way to get connected with teenagers in Grand County, whether that be through volunteer work or through my job! 
  
• Keep praying that I stay confident in God wanting me to be in CO! 

Thanks for keeping me in thoughts and prayers!  I love you and miss you all!

Katie

Oh... I do have a blog... I can't say that I write in it all the time, but for those who are interested... http://www.coawakemysoul.blogspot.com/

"What do you do?"

Hello!


Like everyone in the US, I get asked what I do for work a lot and generally people's eyes glaze over about 30 seconds into a description of my job. While the day to day life of a data systems engineer isn't very exciting, the big picture of what we do is pretty neat.

This video was shown today at work and I thought some of you more techy people out there might find the technology we're creating pretty cool. I'm working on the Boeing side of the project, so no exciting trips to the London Headquarters in my future. :(

You can really get a sense of scale for the satellites when they unfurl the solar panels in the manufacturing plant. They always look so small in the pictures, but modern day satellites are huge! I guess when you are making the pictures representative of the satellites in space, most things would look small in comparison.

All of this information is freely available on Inmarsat's website and on YouTube, so you don't have to worry that you're going to have to be killed now that I showed you the video. :)


Hope you have a great weekend!

Rikki

Weekend in Raleigh

We spent the Weekend in Raleigh watching the Fields while Mike, Maria, Anna and Rex went for an annual get together at the beach with friends.
It was fun to be with the kids and there are always some laughs.

Kate loves gum and I guess Maria rations it pretty closely. Kate knows where it is stored and she said she wanted a big piece which I allowed her to have. Mary Grace goes ballistic saying her mother is going to be so upset. She decided it would be best if she gave Maria a call and give her a heads up that her youngest was going down the tube.

Kate was into talking about her bottom. Mary said to her, “ Kate it is not polite to talk about your bottom.” To which Kate replied “Well, Doctors look and talk about bottoms, so I am just being a Dr.”

It is very hard to win an argument with them.

The kids spent an afternoon doing braided bracelets which Riley thought would be great to sell at school for $1 to $10. All you cousins should be ready for a sales pitch the next time you run into her.

We will go back in March when Sarah, John and Evelyn will be visiting and then we get to go to NYC in April to do a weekend babysitting gig for Evelyn.

Family Tree

Hello!

My family reunion is coming up in July, and since the Wigness tree starts at the level above my great-grandmother it can be confusing to keep track of everyone and how they are all related. To help combat this, I set up an online family tree generator that people can update on their own.

I know that it was a little daunting at first for the new people (Me!) to keep track of all the relations when joining the Block family and on more then one occasion I made John sketch out a tree on the back of a napkin. Since you are all so technologically awesome, I figured I'd set us all up an account there as well, if people wanted to fill in their information. I know you all know everyone already and don't need the reminder, but at least it will be there for the next new addition to the family!  :)

If you are interested:

http://www.familyecho.com/
Login: blocxfamily
Password: The same as the email and as the blog


Have a lovely day!

Rikki

Topsail Beach

We had another wonderful weekend in Topsail Island with our friends Tracy and Joe and Anna and Chad (hosts) and Maria and Mike.  It has become an annual MLK weekend tradition of oysters on the dock, board games and lots of eating!  We had a great time and this year got hooked on Settlers of Catan.  Good way to start the short week!  Love to you all.  Anna

Atlanta Old People

Well some of us are getting older.  I got the green light today that my knee will be OK for my hip surgery.  I only have torn acl/ tyd, pct and so on.   So soon I will be able to dance, run and play again.  Nan is excited to have it done and will be as usual a fine nurse.  We both are praying for our marriage.

The weather here has finally given way and we are back to some reasonable temperatures and some reasonable people. Oh and big deal we are now on  the right blog.

Jim

News: Elizabeth Jane Block Interred Today

Jim and I drove up to The Georgia National Cemetery today to inter Mom's/Grama's ashes. It was a cold gray day, but a beautiful place.  The Christmas wreathes were still there--to be picked up by a team of volunteers tomorrow.  Since it was a holiday there were few other visitors there.

The grave site had been prepared. To our surprise, Mom was placed in front of Dad!  She had said she'd "be in the back". I thought she'd really love where they put her. (And I so wanted to call her to tell her the news!)

A couple of workers gently filled in the hole and then they let me lay down the little square of sod. A Rabbi once told me that that final gesture was like "tucking a loved one in" to her final rest. That's exactly what it felt like as I patted in the corners.

A brand new stone will now be made in the next month or so with both Dad's and now Mom's names on it.

Love to All,
Nan and Jim

Late to the party...

I think I might be the last person in the US to read this book, but I just started listening to "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" this morning. I have about a half hour commute to work in the morning and I love listening to audio-books, so this is my newest download. Of course, I had probably the best drive ever today and it only took me 14 minutes to get to work, but I'm already hooked after only listening to 14 minutes. :)

If anyone else would like to join me in listening to the book, send me an email and I'll send you the files. It'd be like an audio-book club!

I can't wait to finally be able to join in discussions when people start talking about the series, rather then quickly jamming my fingers in my ears and saying "Don't tell me!!". 

Have a great weekend!

Rikki

From Kate:
I just dropped Luke off at the orthodontist - he is finally getting his braces off!

A tribute letter from Mom's friend & neighbor (& walking buddy)

From Kate:

Mom's friend, Barb VanDyke, sent me an email today and wanted me to send it out to all. It follows:

 

Dear Children of Clare and Jane:

 

I cannot tell you how much I miss your mom.  She and I became "weekend walking buddies" after your dad passed away.  While I know all of you know how special they were, I feel compelled to write you as I've never met anyone like your mom and probably never will.  She touched my life in such loving, fun and positive ways.

 

I am fortunate that both of my elderly parents are still with us.  They're in their 80's and live back in Nebraska.  Yes, she and my first common thread was being from Nebraska!  Jane was my second mom and I want to thank you for sharing her with me.  One of our other fun common threads was that we were both tiny and would compare where to find clothes that fit us.  She was the first I'd tell if Talbots had a sale - she'd go that day.

 

Don and I moved to Masters Square five years ago.  We met both of your parents shortly thereafter at the neighborhood Christmas party.  I have never in my life seen two people, especially two elderly people, be so in love and so kind and carrying to each other and others.  Don and I would see Clare walking quite often and he always stopped and talked with us.  There was something about both of them that when you saw them and/or spoke with them it just always made your day a better one.

 

About 3 yrs ago one of the gals in here organized a "walking" group which ended up to be just women.  Your mom was our inspiration.  Two weeks before her passing she/I took the 2-3 mile regular route which was something I so enjoyed every Saturday and Sunday.  I never knew it would be our last walk.  She would get up and cook the special things for your father (homemade bread comes to mind) and just loved loving him and doing anything she could for him.

 

While you all know how blessed you always will be to have had them as your parents, I don't know how to put into words just what special people they were to me.  I always told your mom when I grow up I want to be just like her (I'm in my early 50's).  All seven of you held such special places in her heart and I know that you all know that.  It was fun to be able to meet some of you whether it was in person or via skype.  She so adored all of you, your spouses, your children, your grandchildren - never was an unkind word spoken.  And while she "bragged," she never "bragged."  I don't know how she did that - I only know I'm striving to be more like her.  Then as I met each one of you, I found out you all have your parents' traits.  Just such a wonderful group with so much love and kindness for all you are.

 

It wasn't until after your father's passing that your mom and I got to know each other better.  We shared a lot of coffee and if it was later in the day, wine.  She never complained about missing your father, but when he passed her heart was broken.  The love they had for one another was like no other love I've ever seen or probably will ever see.  They, in her words, were best friends and lovers.  It couldn't be better stated.  There were days I worried about her and especially if she was eating or not.  She never wanted to let on how much her heart was missing him.  What an honor for all of you to have had two parents who loved and adored one another.

 

Unfortunately two more of her neighbors became widows after she did.  I know without a doubt she was a huge part of their mourning.  I know they've probably told you how much her friendship meant to them after their husbands' passings.  I saw it myself.  And like I stated above, she was like a second mom to me.  She gave me such care, understanding and guidance.  And she let me brag about my husband and son.  Some people would hate that - she enjoyed hearing about both of them.

 

How she carried her independence but yet not be bossy is something not a lot of people can do.  Not every parent is able (a lot of them aren't ever) to honor and and respect their children - they don't treat them as equals.  She not only considered all of you as equals or better, she did it with the utmost class of any person/woman I've ever seen.  Like I said, I want to be just like her. 

 

There are people my age who cannot maneuver the computer as well as she did.  "I can't" didn't exist in her vocabulary.  By example she taught me to keep on trying to keep up - just because I'm getting older doesn't mean "I can't."  She mentioned one walk she had missed several episodes of "Drop Dead Diva."  Having the same cable company, I showed her how to work the "on demand" feature of her Comcast remote one time.  It took me months to self teach that to myself and she "got it" after I showed her only once!  That just amazed me.  She never wanted to be a "burden" to anyone (like she ever would have been) - she learned things herself and felt more comfortable not having to ask anyone for help.  She was so very proud of the last items she had fixed in their home and the person she had do them. 

 

I'm not telling any of you anything you don't already know - she was your mom.  I just wanted to share with you what a blessing and difference she made in my life and why.  I will forever be grateful I got to know her and be one of her neighbors even if it was for a short time.

 

God Bless!

 

Barb Van Dyke