Kids at Work

We served lunch at church yesterday with the help of many of our kids and grandkids. I got a couple of shots of the grandkids working...and they worked hard. I can honestly say that without their help I would have been in some serious trouble getting it all done!

Olivia putting away trays

Wade and Will (the top of his head, at least) carrying dishes

Ben and Mara washing tables

SOMETHING TO LOOK AT

Hope you don't get tired of seeing posts from me - but I get tired of seeing the same thing every day for a week. Gonna try to do my part. We're enjoying our flowers even though they're a little slow this summer - Spring brought too much cold, wind, and rain.

These are new Snowcap Shasta Daisies

Tiger Lily - we have a lot of these, both yellow and orange.

Day Lilies - started last summer and they're doing well.

Geraniums by the front door; if you stop by and we're not here, just leave a note.

POTLUCK

We're both hustling around here today getting ready for potluck tonight. The table is set with our wedding china and crystal which will be 45 years old this summer. The swan centerpiece is made from a line of Frankoma pottery which is called Ada Clay - I found it several years ago when I googled my name just for fun. I discovered that these particular pieces were made from a vein of clay near Ada, Oklahoma and were fired in the late 30's early 40's, if I remember correctly. I purchased several pieces on Ebay and Drake gave me some as a gift.

Also the cute little toothpick holder is handpainted by Emmy Steffen; she gave it to me as a hostess gift one time. The mirrored tray was Aunt Setta's. I will be using Mother's meat fork, sugar spoon, and butter knife with the white pearl handles.

As you can see, my table will be special to me tonight. We're serving BBQ'd pork chops on the grill, hash brown potatoes; guests are bringing baked beans, salad, bread and dessert. Sounds yummy, right?

GO KART FUN!!

A couple days ago we got a phone call from Jason telling us that he'd been searching online for a vehicle of some sort that the boys could drive around their back yard. He said the best one he'd found was located in Gridley, IL and he asked if we'd go check it out. So we called the number, didn't know the man but went and looked at it.

Now if you know anything about boys (of any age) . . . well, I could see the excitement in Jerry's eyes as soon as he saw the go cart. So we ended up getting it and delivered it late yesterday afternoon as a surprise to the boys. They knew we were bringing something, but not what we were bringing. They had to stay in the backyard while we unloaded it - THEN Janice drove it back to them!! She just took off like a pro!

The pictures will tell the rest of the story. Too bad this program only let me post 5 pictures.

Nice job Zac. Little rain water in the back yard splashed him a little - all the more fun!
You can tell Noah had a great time on his first drive-around.

Uh-oh -- getting a little dirtier each round . . .

oooooooo - could he really see where he was going?

That's enough for first night - clean-up time!

I think they loved the surprise their dad got for them. Actually Jason and Janice took their turns also and were almost as dirty as the boys! Miles will try at a later time. Janice's parents were there also and us old folks just watched -- such a fun evening! (I do hope these pictures will enlarge when you click them)

Cleve & Kathleen's Memorial Day @ cabin

...time to show you our 3 grandboys once again...Crystal, Aaron and Kara spent 3 1/2 days with us at our cabin 15 miles north of Peoria over the Memorial Day weekend. The boys alternated between swimming, paddleboating, fishing, catching turtles, frogs, etc. etc. all day long. We finished with a brat-roast on Monday but had to quickly move the table under the overhang during the meal when a cloudburst erupted. A great time was had by all...

picture 1 "Small, Medium, & Large" = regarding the boys AND the turtles they are holding. Caleb 7, Carter 5, Cooper 2

picture 2 The daring and athletic Carter jumping off "the stump"

picture 3 Following swimming, we hungered for brats over the open fire
Cleve

MEMORIAL DAY IN GRIDLEY

Memorial Day always makes me nostalgic. I'm sure many of you remember the parade down main street with the Color Guard, HS band, girl/boy scouts, brownies and more. And also the guns at the cemetery, the Indy 500 broadcasting on the radio as the men washed cars in the driveway while the children ran around Grandma/Grandpa's house, Fried chicken, homemade ice cream and on and on and on . . .

The parade now consists only of the Color Guard, but the street continues to be well-lined with loyal citizens. Last year a new veteran's memorial was put up on the west side of the cemetery and it is very touching when the ceremony ends with people placing flowers at the bottom of the memorial. Today two veterans folded a flag as another narrated the meaning of the 13 folds. Dick Stanhouse sang "acapella" the most beautiful rendition of "America the Beautiful" you've ever heard. There were many people, myself included, wiping away a few tears.

So we may be "Hicksville", but we are many loyal Americans saluting the Flag, our Country and the Veterans who have served and are serving to preserve our Freedoms.

Memorial Day Plans

I have no special plans for the holiday weekend. It's hot, hot, hot here and unfortunately my friend's pool is full of algae and will be at least a week before anyone can use it. I wouldn't mind going to a parade tomorrow and maybe get in nine holes of golf, but mostly I'll enjoy a Monday to not have to get up for work.

And of course, thanks to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country and freedom around the world.

What will you be doing for Memorial Day?

Random Grand Times

This is Mom sitting in the Red Room of the White House,a privilege given to volunteers who worked there. Mom worked in the mail room, signing and sending anniversary cards from the President.

This picture is mom and Lucile Stoller on a fantastic Alaskan cruise. Two good friends on the trip of a lifetime.

These were good years and good memories which Mom wanted to share.

Calling all Runners!

If you have searched the internet for the Fun Run/Walk taking place in Normal, Il on July 31, you won't find it there! This Fun Run/Walk is strictly a Klopfenstein event planned for that Saturday morning. There are several runners/exercisers in the family, and we (meaning Shelley and myself) thought that this might be a fun thing to do. I envision a group of runners, a larger group of walkers of all ages, including the serious walkers and some families with strollers or toddlers just out for the fun, and many others there to watch, play with the children or grandchildren on the playground, or just relax, visit, and enjoy a muffin and a cup of coffee or a fresh glass of orange juice. There will be marked trails with guides directing you, whether you are running the 5K, or taking a shorter run or leisurely walk; a "medical station;" a nice shelter; and a lovely playground. Hopefully there will be some sunshine and nice morning breeze.

So I'm hoping many of you will pull out your tennis shoes and join us for a morning park event.

More reunion details to follow soon!

Be Watching...

Working today on EJK reunion plans. There has been interest in hotel accommodations, so I'm hoping to finalize those details today. Watch the blog, your email (if I have your address) and your mailbox for more details on the week-end of July 31.

#3

Life will be getting crazier 11/10/10.

Link to Video

I promise, I'm not trying to hog the blog (didn't mean to be a poet there), but here is a link to a video on my personal blog that shows Andrew and four other men singing "Somebody Touched Me" at church last night. Cleve and some of the others, you've expressed interest in these, so I am posting it here. Thanks for humoring me.

Childhood Reading

Today in some rambling thoughts - I might have been peeling potatoes or something else mundane - I got to thinking about childhood summer days, when Mark and I would ride our bicycles the ten blocks to the public library every day. We could only check out two books at a time, so we'd have to go back every day to get new ones. I remember devouring Nancy Drew books one summer, as well as several other series books, of which the Cherry Ames series has now become something that I've collected in recent years.

I know that some kids are readers and others are outdoorsy or occupy themselves in other ways. But if you were a reader, what books, or memories of reading, do you remember from childhood?

The Laura Ingalls Wilder series was one that I read and re-read, even as an adult. (They say a good children's book is one that adults enjoy also.) Also have fond memories of Charlotte's Web, The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes, Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, The Little Princess, and others that will come to mind as soon as this post is ended.

Historical Photograph :-)

Found this picture on Mike's computer - I must have scanned it in some time ago - and thought I'd post it. It's from the year Cathy and I lived in an apartment at ISU with Deanna Marti and Janet Gramm - 1976-77. How's this for a piece of history!

SHAPING UP

We're making progress with our new bathroom. Jerry had friends help hang the drywall, then he filled the cracks, sanded, and primed. I did the painting and now Jerry is laying the tile. During all his working, I am the main gopher and cheerleader - but sometimes I just stay out of the way. Once the tile is done, we'll call the plumber to come and finish his work and then I can decorate.
Kelsie came up this morning and helped me clean the whole house - it was still a mess from the garage sale so we had a big job. And the basement had not been cleaned well for a long time. Kelsie was a real "trooper" and just dug right in and in about 3 hours we had the house sparkling again. Thanks, Kelsie.

Tomorrow and Monday I'm going to cook the meals-on-wheels (why am I always a glutton for punishment) so I have to go get a few groceries and begin to concentrate on tomorrows meal which is one of my favorites: roast beef, potatoes, carrots, fruit and German Chocolate cake. Monday is chicken and noodles, another favorite of mine so at least I'm cooking something I like.

What it's all about!

I have to admit that the last two days have been really challenging at work. I have had several arguments with my Japanese Coordinator (my adviser from our Japan office) regarding the fundamental direction of my department and some policies I have recently implemented. It all came to a head last night when he told me (over and over, louder each time) that he doubted my ability to be a manager. This morning we had a more civil conversation about it and have come to somewhat of an agreement. After that meeting I came back to my desk and found the below email from a former employee of mine in Alabama.

Senor Knobloch!
Thanks for accepting my invite. I recently discovered this Linkedin thing and it's so convenient to catch up with everyone. I had been in the dark for so long I have been so busy sorry I did not try to contact you earlier. I felt bad that I did not say good bye to you when I left (company name) I left you a voice mail and that was it! It has been bothering me for a while so I am glad I found you.

I wanted to tell you that you made a significant impact in my life. God sent you to (company name) at a time of very difficult uncertainty in my life at a personal and professional level. I think all of us had a very challenging experience in Cottondale and most of us had to go at some point because it was so brutal. But I truly believe that had it not been for you I would not had survived as long as I did. I thank you for your coaching, listening and specially defending me when no one seemed to care. Regardless of your experience in (company name), if it was positive or negative you can be sure that you made a difference in at least one individual's life and family.

On behalf of my wife and two children we all thank you for all you did. May God bless you always.

Your Friend, Miguel

NOW THAT IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT! I now have the energy and willpower to fight on today, regardless of the challenges within my own management team. If I can make that kind of difference in the lives of my current employee's, then it will have been worth it anyway. EDK

Oregon scenery

I just returned today from visiting my parents in Oregon. We had a couple days at the beach and it was beautiful! The falls are called Munson Falls and are just a couple miles from the coast. Carol

18 years

Well, I've been silent for a while on the blog. I didn't have easy Internet access for while and then we've been busy getting settled here in the new house. However, today Retta and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary so we have been taking it easy together today. Our day started off with Retta not feeling well and having to stay home from church. When the kids and I got home, she was feeling some better, so Retta and I packed up and went to Effingham to return some things to Menards, take in a romantic movie (Letters to Juliet) and eat dinner at Ryan's together. (thanks Mom!) We had a great time relaxing together, talking about the future and reminiscing about the past years together. We've had a lot of good years and some, not so much, but God has led us through each and every one of them and I look forward to many more years to come. EDK

Happy Graduation Lauren

Mom, Dad and I left yesterday and returned to Decatur today from a quick trip to Atlanta for Lauren's high school graduation this morning. We are very proud of her as she has grown into a lovely young lady who works hard and has a heart of caring and compassion. All of Ann's family drove down today for the ceremony and a luncheon at Mark and Molly's after the 10:00 graduation. My camera isn't great for pictures in large auditoriums so I don't really have pictures of the graduation itself except for one I copied off Facebook. I hope you enjoy some of these people shots and a picture of a part of the food table. Molly had some very impressive sugar cookies made with the logo of Lauren's college choice. It was a short time together but we enjoyed seeing everyone and honoring Lauren.

Another cool and rainy week-end. I haven't had time to do any outside work. Haven't moved my fern out or bought any hanging baskets or potted flowers (all I really can do at this condo) but everytime it gets cold and windy I'm glad they're not out there getting all beat up. Our great April weather brought on beautiful corn in the fields and most beans have been planted in the area. Now we see flooded or frozen corn plants, but hopefully most of them will come out of it OK. Farmers seem to have the love of the land in their blood and they must be total optimists to survive with any sanity. Guess I've never bought in to the joy of farming...it's too wet, too dry, hail, wind, frost, price fluctuations, the "competition" factor, yuck, yuck, yuck, and waah, waah, waah. I'm not complaining, we've been greatly blessed through the years, and live very comfortably, but I'm just saying...I don't have that farmer's blood in me even after 39 years of marriage.

Today I'm cleaning out my closet and I could complain about that too, but I'll spare you! Hope you all have a great week-end!

GIFTS

We celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday afternoon and evening - all the family was there. Heather was able to get off work and join us for a while and it is good to have Kelsie home for the summer. We had delicious food and great fellowship.

This is a picture of my gifts: two beautiful bouquets of flowers and a grandkids picture frame - just right to frame our 9 grandkids in order of age from Heather to Nathan. (I hope it will enlarge so you can see it) It is so fun to see our grandchildren have a good time - just wish I had some of their energy.

Thanks to my children for making it a great Mother's Day.

GOOD REPORT

I'm very excited at the report I got from the Dr. today: cholesterol counts - improved, diabetis AIC count - down to 6.2, weight down about 5 lbs, and "everything looks good"!! Yeaaahhhh!

Angela and I had a moderately successful garage sale last Friday and Saturday -- would've been better if the weather had been decent. Cloudy, gusty winds, and sprinkles on and off both days. Inspite of the weather, I sold a lot but had a bunch leftover of which I took half to Spare-N-Share and half to Goodwill.

Not sure the time it took to set it up and take it down and pack it all away was worth it - but I have much more space in the house now and that's good. I know I won't miss any of it. The purses, by the way, did not sell and that is about the only thing I took back in the house.

Roses

As we drove into the driveway from church this noon, Lynn noticed something on the porch floor. Yes, it was a dozen roses and a sweet note that I was undeserving of, compliments of Whitney. Of course, we regret the sadness that Whitney experienced in that the Lord called her mother Debbie home to Himself at a time when she was so needed. But since He did, we have been blessed by the addition of four granddaughters to our family.

To my daughter and my daughter-in-laws, I am amazed and proud to watch you as mothers and wish you a very nice Mother's Day! Ditto to all the rest of you mothers out there. Hope everyone enjoys the special day.

Casey Knobloch family happenings

Wade practicing baseball
Casey, Wade and Mara at the Fairbury saturday night stock car races
Wades spring concert at school
Easter with the Knobloch's
Wade, Mara and Tucker posing for Easter morning picture before church

COME ONE--COME ALL

Yesterday (Monday the 3rd) I had finished a Dr. apt. and realized that the Farmer's Market was not too far out of the way home. And on the market shelf was exactly what I wanted--FRESH, JUST PICKED, HOMEGROWN, BRIGHT RED and HUGE---------STRAWBERRIES. And are they ever good, suculent, tasty, sweet--well simply A-OK!!!

Well, I walked away with a gallon. The lady clerk did mention that she'd take off $2 a gallon if I bought 3 gallons. I started to drive away and thought--I'm gonna go back and get two more gallons and go down to Mary's office at Cook's. Boy did they lap up the strawberries. I came home with about a gallon and a half.

We've had homemade shortcake with fresh berries. mmmmmmmm--that is so good. And, too, since we can get more at the market for about a month, Mim made eight jars of jam. Talk about "tall grass", we're in "tall strawberry grass"!

A local cultural saying is: You come see us!

I say to the EJK Blog readers: YOU COME SEE US!

My New BFF

I'm sure you are aware of the fact that me and my best friend Food had a falling out several months ago. It was a tough break-up. Although I occasionally miss our extended visits together, I have grown accustomed to seeing him in smaller doses and am quite happy with this new arrangement.

Of course, part of the reason it was so easy for me to move on was the fact that I found a new best friend. Shortly after Food and I decided to go our separate ways, someone introduced me to Exercise. "Oh, you're going to love him!" they said. "He is so much fun, he makes you look good, and the more time you spend with him the better you'll feel about yourself." He sounded pretty dreamy to me.

I have to tell you that in the beginning I felt he was grossly misrepresented. First of all, he wasn't fun to be with. In fact, I actually dreaded the time I had to spend with him. He was boring, he was difficult, and my kids were constantly interrupting our time together. I also found that he didn't make me feel good as was promised. As a matter of fact, after just spending 30 minutes with Exercise my legs ached, my back hurt, and my knees were sore. After we were together I felt like I'd been beaten up! I was questioning whether this was really such a 'healthy' relationship after all. Not to mention the fact that he was stealing money from my wallet. Yes, that's right, and he was spending it on silly things like running shoes, polyester clothing, and water bottles!

After about 4 weeks I was tempted to just end the relationship and make a clean break from him. I was starting to miss my old friend Food occasionally, and Exercise just wasn't as cool as I thought he would be. A lot of people would hear about me and Exercise and their reaction would be "Good for you - that's great that you're doing something for yourself." I'd smile and nod my head but think to myself, 'If I was going to do something for myself I would spend some time with my friend The Mall, The Nail Salon, or Her Majesty... the Dairy Queen.' But, I had told quite a few people about this new friendship so I stuck with it out of sheer determination.

And I have to admit that I'm glad I did. As the weeks progressed, I started to see the good side of my new friend. He was getting more and more enjoyable to be with, the aches and pains that he used to inflict were starting to lessen with each meeting, and my kids were finally able to respect our time together. I might even go as far as saying that I look forward to our little dates now.

How is my husband taking all of this? He has been very supportive. He knows that Exercise can be a good friend and he encourages the relationship that we've developed. Aside from the stolen money, he thinks it's a great thing.

So where is this relationship heading? I'm not really sure yet. I'm just enjoying our new found friendship and hope it continues for years to come. I hope that Exercise can be a regular part of my life, just like any other BFF would be.

I did The Lake Run last week-end. This is a picture of the boys running me to the finish-line.

Tiptoeing Through the Tulips

It's Tulip Time again in Holland. This afternoon I walked around downtown and watched the Mother/Daughter (which included one son) Dutch Dancers. A week ago I thought it would be a Stem Festival as it seemed as if a lot of tulips were already blooming or had bloomed. With early, mid, and late tulips there are plenty available to see.

Going to Tulip Time events reminds me of my first year here with Aunt Ruth, Aunt Ada, Gloria, and Mom here, and then last year Mom and Dad were here at the end of Tulip Time.

Helicopter fun

These are Jake and Malissa's two boys, Ashton and Carter, having a ball helping Grandpa get the millions of helicopters out of the gutters. Dave was not enjoying himself nearly as much as the boys, who thoroughly entertained.

Old Christmas cards

What do you all do with old Christmas cards? We've made really attractive tray favors in the past, but that's a lot of work. Each favor is different so creativity is the name of the game. Are holiday tray favors for nursing homes and such a thing of the past? I have two years of cards that are too beautiful to toss out but what to do with them?

I grew up during the Great Depression and that combined with the German work and save ethic makes it hard to discard anything that could be recycled.