The Brower Bash

Ken with his parents and sibs.
From bottom - up, L to R: Judy, Janet, Ken, Kevin, Keith, Bob and Jane


Pops and Nana with the 9 grandkids who were present. 4 grandkids (one with a spouse!) and 1 great grandchild were not able to attend.


The whole bunch - as Matthew called it, "Browerpalooza!"


The Outer Banks are near to my heart. If you’ve been a long time reader of my blog, you know that I’ve written about the Outer Banks before, focusing on how wonderful it was for us to “host” family and friends at a rented beach house. [To read this posting, please go to "Hosting Away from Home," from August 15, 2009.]

http://aheartforhospitality.blogspot.com/2009/08/hosting-away-from-home.html

I still contend hosting away from home is one of the best ways to entertain, as there is none of the fussing I do to get our own house ready for company!
We have such fond memories of all the times we’ve been to the Outer Banks and I highly recommend the area as a fun place to host a gathering with family or friends. We’ve rented beach houses there a number of times and had wonderful family vacations in various places along the narrow strip of land that spans miles and miles.

One year we took our boys (our son and his close friends from high school) the summer before they started High School. Four 14 year-olds! My cousin Lynn and her late husband, Rickey, along with their two children, joined us at a different time one year for a couple of days. And most recently, we hosted my husband’s extended family. Now that they’ve experienced it, too, our extended family also have an affinity for this wonderful area off the coast of North Carolina!

But, I suppose I am getting a little ahead of myself. To understand why it was such a special reunion with Ken’s family, I need to share a little history….

My husband is one of five kids. None of the five live close to each other. Kenny’s sister, Judy, lives in North Carolina and is close to where his parents live. His other siblings are also scattered far from us and this part of the country; Janet lives in St. Louis, Keith lives in Cincinnati and Kevin lives in Germany. Add grown grandkids to the mix and we dot the map in a much larger areas still.

Because of this ‘scattering’ it had been 14 years since all the siblings had been together. You read that right – 14 years! During that decade and a half, there were various get-togethers, but someone was always missing due to military deployment, pregnancy, illness or work commitments. It just seemed impossible to get everyone together as a family.

So early this summer, when our son, Matthew, learned that Kevin and his family were coming to the States for a visit, he decided we should all try to get the entire family together. Since Matthew was only 6 the last time we had all been together, he had not have the privilege of seeing – as an adult - his dad together with all his brothers and sisters. As an only child, I think he really longed for that connection to family - he wanted to get to know his aunts, uncles and cousins better and that he did!

The first part of the week we enjoyed our time at the beach house with our little family of three. Then on Thursday, the rest of the tribe joined us at the Outer Banks for a weekend Matthew called “Browerpalooza!” There were 20 of us present and it was amazing! A few were unable to attend (again, due to deployment and other things), but at least all the brothers and sisters were together along with their parents. That was the goal!

So, we visited and had an enjoyable 3 days together. We talked and ate and reminisced. Then we swam in the pool and at the beach and cooked and ate some more. It was a wonderful time to get together and a wonderful place to do it. The visit also provided us the opportunity to get to know Kevin’s family, whom we (Ken, Matthew and I) had not met. What a joy it was to meet Patty and their little boy, Ian!

As you know, hospitality is my thing. Imagine my joy to learn that Patty shares my love of entertaining and hospitality! She and Kevin cooked a delicious German meal for us and we ate as a family – a great, big family! As ‘only kids’, Matthew and I loved it! And so did everyone else. It was a real treat and a real blessing to all of us.

So, are we going to do it again? Kevin and Patty, who are moving to Florida later this year, have offered to host the next reunion. We are looking to reconvene in two years in the fall of 2012. I wonder if Disney World and Mickey Mouse are ready for Browerpalooza!

Shine Bright Baby

Shine Bright Baby

A group of young people in our church have formed a group called Shine Bright Baby. They performed at Alive, the Christian music festival in 2009. An Alternative Rock/Christian band, Shine Bright Baby is a lively, talented musical group. I’ve heard them practicing in the teen center in the past. They are gaining popularity and are performing in various locations.

Shine Bright Baby recently released an awesome video featuring their song “Hourglasses” that I would love you to see! Grant and Cody Smucker, two of my son’s friends produced and directed this video, which I think is AWESOME! I have included the link and I hope you’ll check them out!

“Hourglasses” video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vln8oS3q0hQ

You can also find examples of more of their music at: http://www.shinebrightbaby.com

And on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/shinebrightbaby

Thanks for taking a peek! We are trying to give these guys some much-deserved publicity.

~Vanessa

Let The Decorating Begin!

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it. (Well, almost everything. Just for the record, I do not like the spiders and critters that want to invade the sacred space of our home during this time, but all in all, it’s my favorite time of year.)

I love the gorgeous colors of fall, the changing leaves, the smell in the air, the thrill of the new school year, the excitement of the upcoming football games, the welcome sounds - that just barely reach our house - of our high school band practicing in the field at the high school in the afternoons. I ask you: What’s not to love?!

If you could see our family room at this moment, you would know just how much I love fall. These photos should help give you an idea… There are 7 huge storage containers full of fall decorations, not to mention wreaths, arrangements and fall trees that won’t fit into the boxes. There are pumpkins and scarecrows and arrangements, oh my! Pinecones and leaves and garlands and oh, so many things. And I love it all!

My husband, Ken, has been inquiring ‘what I want to do’ the last couple of weekends. Translation: is it time to dig out the fall stuff?? Bless his heart, he always carries and lugs my decorating stuff up and down, up and down the stairs for any given season. The fall and Christmas seasons are worst on him, though!

But at least for now, he’s finished carrying and now it’s time for me to get to work. Let the decorating begin!

Seizing the Moment

Matthew and Ken at a Mets / Indians game this summer.

We have lots of what I call "forever memories" in our family. These are the moments in time that are so precious and so important that we can 'revisit' later and remember vividly. I have so many of these and I bet you do, too!

I have a picture frame that says, "Some moments we never forget because our lives have been changed by them forever." Yep, that pretty well sums it up! In this frame (see below) I have a photo of my husband and son that was taken on Mother's Day several years ago. Whenever I look at this photo, I remember that fun Mother's Day and sharing sweet moments with my boys on our patio. It was a wonderful afternoon and the memory of it and the laughs we shared that day is a "forever memory" for me and one that I revisit every time I see the photo. I love it!


The photo at the top of this posting was taken Father's Day week this year. Matthew surprised his Dad with tickets to the Mets vs. Indians game for Father's Day (a little early). I should note that we live near Cleveland and are also Indians fans, but my husband was born a New Yorker and has been a Mets fan since he was a little boy. His and Matthew's dedication to the Mets runs deep, much deeper than their dedication to the Indians. (Sorry dear friends who are HUGE Indians fans, but you already knew this!)

When Matthew surprised his Dad with tickets to 4th row seats for the game, they were both giddy with excitement. It was such a thoughtful gift and one Matthew was so exctied to present to his dad! The photo above was taken on that memorable night. Matthew invited me to go along, but it was a special night just for the two of them. So even though I wasn't even there, the evening is a memory FOR ME! I know how excited Matthew was to do something so special for his dad and how happy Ken was to share that time with Matthew. It became a "forever memory" for all of us.

Life is so short and can be full of disappointments. We need to have lots of special memories like these to carry us through the days when those moments seem so far away. We often reminisce about our fond memories in our family and it sometimes surprises me that some of our favorite ones are not big events or special occasions, but rather those every day experiences that we often take for granted.

We have been creating wonderful memories this summer with our son home from college. Our conversations around the dinner table, eating on the patio and Dairy Queen runs getting what we laughingly call "treats" are those which rank high on my list. I hope there are many more special memories to be made before the summer ends!

What "forever memories" will you create for your family and friends this summer?

Meet Rhonda (and try some of her awesome recipes!)

This beautiful lady is my friend, Rhonda Wolpert.

Have you ever had a friend who was such a wonderful cook or baker that you asked for the recipe for nearly every dish of theirs you tried? One such friend for me is my friend, Rhonda Wolpert.

I had the privilege of meeting Rhonda when we both lived in Noble County, Ohio and our kids were in preschool together. Rhonda and I both worked at Caldwell Nursery School where our children attended. It was a co-op where parents were required to participate (which was AWESOME!), and Rhonda and I held elected (volunteer) positions. ( By the way, the teacher there was LaShona DeVolld, a lady who was nothing short of amazing and the greatest gift pre-school students and their parents could ever receive! But, I digress…..)

I learned so much from the way Rhonda conducted herself – both as a person with beauty and grace – and as a professional at the nursery school and in the boardroom. The ultimate professional, Rhonda was (and is) a wonderful example for her friends, family and beautiful children, Chelsea and Robert (Chelsea was, by the way, my son’s first girlfriend!).

Rhonda and I worked together and became fast friends. I learned so much from her in the two years our family was involved in the nursery school there (1994 & 1995). Shortly after we left the area Rhonda moved also. I am sad to say that life intervened and we kept in touch very little, until our children graduated high school. Amazingly, Rhonda and Chelsea attended Matthew’s graduation party last year. We could not have been more pleased! It was so wonderful to see our old friends from what seems another lifetime ago!

So today, I share a couple of the wonderful recipes Rhonda shared with me so many years ago. They have become family favorites and some of my ‘go-to’ recipes in My Favorites Collection. I share both often – especially the Monster Cookie recipe.
On Rhonda’s Facebook page recently, I read the comment “When life gives you lemons, throw them back and demand chocolate.” You can see why Rhonda is my kind of person!

Rhonda served our family Stromboli as an appetizer when we were invited to their home for dinner. I have tweaked the recipe thru the years, but I first received this yummy recipe from Rhonda. By the way, this was a huge hit as a supper swap meal served with pizza sauce and a salad. Yummy!

Easy Stromboli

1 loaf of frozen bread dough (I prefer Rhodes)
1 pound ground sausage (we're not sausage fans, so we use pepperoni)
1 small can of mushrooms, drained (optional)
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 ozs. shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray non-stick cookie sheet with Pam or non-stick spray. Place frozen bread loaf on cookie shet and cover with plastic wrap that has been coated with non-stick spray. Allow bread to thaw and rise (6-8 hours). Remove plastic wrap and using greased fingers, spread dough over cookie sheet.

Spread with sausage that has been completely cooked and drained. (Again, we prefer pepperoni. Thinly sliced deli ham is wonderful, too!) Sprinkle remaining ingredients over dough, leaving about an inch on all sides. Roll up jelly-roll style, long-ways. Place seam side down on greased cookie sheet. Pinch ends together and tuck under roll. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Slice and serve warm with pizza or spaghetti sauce.

Monster Cookies

12 eggs
2 lbs. brown sugar
4 cups sugar
1 Tbls. vanilla
1 Tbls. corn syrup
8 tsp. baking soda
1 lbs. margarine
3 lbs. peanut butter
18 cups oatmeal (40-42 oz. size)
1 lb. chocolate chips
1 lb. M & M's plain
1 lb. butterscotch chips

Mix ingredients in order given in HUGE container (I use a stock pot). Mixture will be very difficult to mix as you get toward the end! Drop by teaspoon or tablespoon on cookie sheet, depending on the size desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Allow cookies to remain on cookie sheet if center is not completely set.

Makes 10-14 dozen, depending on the size made.

NOTE: These are a crowd favorite for all the little - and big - monsters in your life! I give out this recipe often. As you can see, it makes A LOT of cookies. If you haven't already, this is the perfect time to try out my freezer suggestion: simply put a cup or two of batter into a Ziploc freezer bag (I double-bag), label and freeze to enjoy later! Work now, enjoy later!!

I know you'll enjoy Rhonda's recipes as much as my family and friends have. Let me know the rave reviews you get and I'll pass them on to Rhonda!

You've been such a blessing to me through the years, Rhonda. I appreciate your friendship! Love you!