The Heymann Family Journal

I'm so excited. Someone in the paper was giving away their old canning jars. I just picked up 70 wick jars for free! I’m running them through the dishwasher. If you know anyone that wants to get rid of jars, let me know. I would be so blessed to take them!

We are having a small party (16 of us) for New Years Eve. I got an Italian cook book at an after Christmas sale. I want to give it a try. So I'm planning on cooking Arugula Salad with Shaved Parmesan and Balsamic Vinaigrette, Minestrone soup, Tortellini Carbonara, Chicken Lasagna, and caramelized peaches with ice cream. Wouldn't it be cool to go to an Italian cooking school in Italy? Maybe I'll do that one of these years?

I canned my first beef broth with vegetables’ and red wine and herbs. I made 10 jars of it. Then I opened one jar to add to my spaghetti sauce. It was awesome, like sauce that had cooked all day. Juergen got me 2 canning books for Christmas. I look forward to canning the food I grow in my garden. I'm going to need more jars! Juergen has been working on organizing his workshop. I gave him a new workbench for Christmas. He isn't finished, but it looks much better.

Pad Thai is Thailand’s National dish. Here is a post I did on my food blog. http://hungryforlovecookbook.blogspot.com/2010/12/pad-thai.html I'm making the dish today. Oh how I wish I was on a warm beach in Thailand! But we have had a restful day! I've gotten lot's of sleep, and I've watched art history DVD's I got Nicole for Christmas. It's interesting stuff! I could take a few more weeks of just eating well, and doing very little!

We had a really wonderful Christmas Eve. We were so blessed to spend it with 3 International students. Fun people! After dinner, and opening gifts, we played board games. They are a very competitive group...but that's probably why they are the best of the best! Juergen is making me brunch right now. Now my vacation starts! I hope you are all blessed and safe. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas! The kids are with Juergen at Church, and I have a few minutes of calm. We cleaned, cooked and packed all day. Mexican food is on the menu. Fresh salsa, guacamole, fruit salad, Mexican rice, beans, slow cooked chicken fajitas, and beef soft tacos. We also expect 3 International students. They wanted to enjoy Christmas with a German/American family. I'm glad that the work is mostly done and soon we can just celebrate together! Happy Birthday Jesus...we celebrate you everyday!

We finally finished our Christmas newsletter. I put it on a blog. It's kind of a year in review letter, with lot's of pictures. Enjoy! http://littlemonsterseeksafamily.blogspot.com/

Today I'm cleaning and shopping for food. We have friends coming for dinner on December 23rd.This should be special because my God daughter Anna is going to be there! On Dec 24th we go to church at 4pm, then come home to open gifts and eat Mexican food. Nicole and I will make tamales, Mexican rice, beans, and chicken fajitas. So far we have 2 international students coming on Christmas Eve, but it maybe more. I’m so excited! And Tomorrow is Juergen's last day of work. He is taking at least 2 weeks off (maybe even 3 weeks). The kids also have their last day of school tomorrow. Tonight Nicole, Philip, and Sarah made a garland of candy for our tree. They also made these cute candy cane reindeer. Fun! Juergen did the paper work to change Thomas’ school. He will start at the new school in January. His new teacher seems very nice. Juergen met him today. I think it’s going to be a good move for Thomas. He seems really happy about the whole thing. It takes the pressur...

We woke up to some pretty snow today. It looks like we will get rain for the next few days...but maybe it will get colder and give us a white Christmas? That would be nice!

The kids have school until Thursday. Juergen also works until Thursday. Then there is a 2 week vacation. We have a few things planned, mostly dinners. We will also go to see Juergen's dad for a few days. The kids will be at a workshop for a few days. But I am looking forward to the extra sleep. I will be so happy to just go to bed Thursday night and sleep in on Friday. Man, will that feel good! I hope I get to sleep and nothing happens to disturb me. No guarantees! I feel so tired.

You can get the audible Bible worth $50 free with audible.com 30 day free trail membership. http://www.amazon.com/NIV-Audio-Bible-Dramatized/dp/B0006IU7T0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324226350&sr=1-1 audible.de also has a free 30 day trail with a free book. Die Bibel die komplette Lutherbibel 1984 could be yours for free (normally a 69,90€ price). http://www.audible.de/pd/B004UZSDR8 or here http://www.amazon.de/Die-Bibel/dp/B003YM1DR0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324227600&sr=8-1 I listened to the Bible 2 times this year. And faith comes by hearing!

I had such an exciting morning at church. I met a women from Nigeria and another women from Thailand. We are seeing the nations brought to our door. I’m so excited!

I wanted to take some students to a Christmas market in France today, but the weather was bad. We had a storm last night, and another storm is on it's way. Today was actually OK, but we had already canceled. Sad! So I'm just taking care of some stuff around the house. Juergen is out shopping with the kids. He is stressed trying to find me a Christmas gift. I gave him a list about a month ago. Stuff he could order on line. But now it's too late, and the stores are a zoo. But there is just so much you can do to help. The kids wanted to buy me this vegetable chopper. That wasn’t on my list, but they were sure I needed (wanted) it. So they went to buy it, and it was sold out. That’s when the stress began. But at least I know they are giving me a whole afternoon of thought. This is progress! I guess you should ask people what they want? But giving gifts is a learned art. And my kids are learning from Juergen, and it isn't his strongest area of gifting. I lo...

The young father stood in line at the Kmart layaway counter, wearing dirty clothes and worn-out boots. With him were three small children. He asked to pay something on his bill because he knew he wouldn't be able to afford it all before Christmas. Then a mysterious woman stepped up to the counter. "She told him, 'No, I'm paying for it,'" recalled Edna Deppe, assistant manager at the store in Indianapolis. "He just stood there and looked at her and then looked at me and asked if it was a joke. I told him it wasn't, and that she was going to pay for him. And he just busted out in tears." At Kmart stores across the country, Santa seems to be getting some help: Anonymous donors are paying off strangers' layaway accounts, buying the Christmas gifts other families couldn't afford, especially toys and children's clothes set aside by impoverished parents. Before she left the store Tuesday evening, the Indianapolis woman in her mid-40s had pai...

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Philip wanted something to hold his mp3 player, so he made this today. Very clever! It's a wrist band. I come home from driving Sarah to art school, and Philip has my sewing box out. He just thought the whole design up himself, and made it. I'm going to buy him a sewing kit for Christmas.

Juergen is so funny. I gave him an advent calendar. You are suppose to eat one piece of candy each day leading up to Christmas. By the 12th day this is what his calendar looks like. He said he was going to go buy 2 more calendars! He is worse then all the kids!

Today I got a free audible book on Amazon. I choose "A heart for freedom" by Chai Ling. (from her web site) Chai Ling was on a path to success: a girl from a small fishing village now attending China’s most prestigious university. But everything changed on June 4, 1989, when the Chinese government cracked down on the student protesters in Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds of unarmed citizens. Chai Ling, commander-in-chief of the student democracy movement, became a fugitive, on the run from authorities who wanted her imprisoned. She eventually escaped to the U.S., earned two Ivy League degrees, found true love, and became a highly successful entrepreneur. But her desperate quest for freedom, purpose, and peace was never satisfied until she had an unexpected encounter with a formerly forbidden faith. Her newfound passion for God led her to her life’s greatest mission: fighting for the lives and rights of young girls in China. It's a 13 hour book. I hope to hear it duri...

Thomas had a test day at the local school. I can not wait to see how it went. Juergen said that Thomas met 3 boys from his soccer club in the hallway before school. Also, our next door neighbor works there. So the school looks promising! It would save Thomas over 2 hours a day in travel time. It would save us about 400 Euros per month in school fees and lunch, train fees. A change could be a win/win for our family! I hope he likes it! I like his private school. It's wonderful. But it is so far away, and he has no time to get the German help he badly needs. He has no local friends, and no time for friends. No time for music lessons. No time for just hanging out and doing nothing. He is so tired and so stressed. We see no other answer but to change his school to a local school. But when he can change to the school, and it's an easy transition...well that would be such a gift from God. So I really hope that he loves it!

Not selling our house in Leimen is really hurting us financially. We are a one income family with 5 kids. We don't have the deep pockets some may think we have. Some may think it was foolish to move until we had a buyer. I guess they would be right. But Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. And we did. We feel very good in our new house. We can afford our new house. We can not afford our old house too. This is the problem. Please pray that we can sell the house in Leimen. Sometimes, in a bad housing market you need grace. I have had over a 1000 hits on our house for sale blog...but that just means many people have looked at it. We need grace because carrying 2 house loans is really hurting us. Please help us with your prayers. Thank you. BTW, every time I think about this issue I get afraid. I hate feeling like we are bleeding money. It's killing us. But every time I look around at where I am and what we have done I feel peace that it was right. I so...

I'm trying to write Christmas cards today. Actually, I have Nicole working on the cards. I also cleaned the house, and took Jessica shopping. I'm looking forward to the Christmas vacation. It's been wet outside. They say a big storm is on the way. I hope that the weather is OK by Saturday. I hope to go to France for the day. I plan to take 3 International students, and Nicole and Sarah to the Christmas market in Strasbourg. But we may need to change our plans if the weather is bad. The students are studying International Health in Heidelberg. The program is taught in English. The students come from all over the world. It’s such an honor to get to know them. When they return home they will work for the government, or World Vision, or the United Nations. I’m so blessed to host them. How fun! Just my cup of tea!

It's been a full weekend. I shopped, and cleaned. We put up the Christmas tree. Saturday night Juergen and I took Thomas out to dinner. We needed to talk to him about school. He has had trouble finishing his homework. He travels 2 1/2 hours a day to school and back. The school is all day. He gets really tired, and the last thing he wants to do is homework. I can not blame him. Soccer fills 2 afternoons per week. That's been good for him, but it takes up all the free time he had. So we are considering a school change. He could go to school in Bad Schönborn and save all the travel. The school is also not all day. He would have time for friends, football, music (he plays drums and guitar) and he could get help with his German. So we will look at the local schools. He is pretty nervous about another school change. We hate to move him again, but we see no other way forward. Today Juergen and I took Sarah to a movie. I guess we will take Philip out next. All the k...

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A Honey Rock melon, White Scallop Zucchini, another melon called ATLANTIC, a Chocolate bell pepper, a Zucchini called Romanesco and a Butternut called Watham. What a colorful garden I hope to have. Fun, Fun, Fun!

I'm no fan of winter. I hate the cold. I spend a good deal of time under a blanket drinking hot tea. I dream of Thailand. Maybe Juergen and I will have to retire in Thailand (winters). Last night the wind was so strong that it blew down a tree we had transplanted. My tomato house also blew down. I have a small mess to pickup in the yard today. I went on eBay today and bought some seeds for next year. I bought an assortment of heirloom tomato seeds (my personal favorite). I also bought Thai long beans, Chinese cabbage, Kale, 15 different peppers, and a small French pumpkin. I have 4 raised beds in my yard right now. I have lettuce and onions and garlic growing. And even in this cold windy weather, my plants are doing good. Maybe I'll cover the raised beds. I can make them into mini greenhouses. Then I could probably manage to keep a salad garden the whole winter. I am really looking forward to next year.

Today I took an old wool sweater that was washed too hot and cut it up into pieces. I had the kids sew the pieces together, and put soap inside. Then we added ribbon to hang it up with. It's soap on a rope. The kids all have "god parents" that will be getting soap on a rope for Christmas. It smells very good. I also took sticks and made a tree form. To this, I hot glued evergreen branches. Then I glued wooden ornaments. I hung this to a door. I saw the idea in a magazine. I also took the evergreen branches to transform my fall wreath into a Christmas wreath.

The guy just got here to switch our new garage door with the old garage door we had in Leimen. My brother Rick painted that door for us. It was a certain thing we would move it to our new house. In fact, we had a new garage built just for the old door (made to order). So now the door is being switched. I basically have nothing left to move from the old house. Maybe the rain barrels, I think that's all. I do wish the house was sold. I would love to move into the new year with that chapter closed. I'm getting a head cold. I'm feeling very tired and stressed. Jessica wants to go out every morning. I have a very hard time getting my work done. Juergen called the right people. It looks like we will be able to get the funds for a person that takes Jessica out a few days per week. I am really feeling the stress of no free time. And even when I have "free time" I have to cook, clean, shop, and do laundry for a family of 7. But believe me, all that is 100% e...

I get the newsletter from Bob's Red mill. They posted something about their hot whole grain cereals and how to eat it. Here are a few of their ideas. http://www.bobsredmill.com/ • Add nut butter (peanut, almond, etc) or an egg to your cereal to boost flavor and protein and really kick start your day with a breakfast that will fuel you until lunch. • Add some flaxseed meal, chia seed, hemp seed or pumpkin seed to increase your fiber and omega-3 intake to support a healthy heart. • Fresh, frozen or dried fruit also make a great addition to boost flavor and add vitamins and antioxidants. • Add a few tablespoons of canned (or fresh) pumpkin for a decadent, holiday-themed breakfast. Pumpkin is loaded with Vitamin A, Potassium, Zinc and protein, making it a great addition to a whole grain breakfast. • Adding a sprinkle of cinnamon to your cereal will help stabilize your blood sugar, not to mention that a little cinnamon can add a big flavor boost. • Take it savory! Tr...

The kids all have advent calendars. Sarah was excited to finally open hers. I got Philip, Thomas and Sarah all soccer trading card calendars. They will get new trading cards every day before Christmas. I sent Juergen a list of garden DVDs and canning and preserving books I want for Christmas. Someone should tell him it takes a few weeks to actually get these things in the mail. There is nothing on my list you can just run out and buy last minute. That's very bad news for him! You know you a person who has everything when all you want for Christmas are canning jars and gardening DVDs. But that is just my new hobby so I guess it’s understandable. And I do have pretty much everything!