The Secrets of George Urban

One of my longstanding genealogical "brick walls" has been my maternal great-great grandfather, George Urban (1842-1923).  He is the grandfather of my maternal grandfather, Paul Urban.  My family have all known that Grandad's family were devout German Lutherans and yet we also knew that his grandfather came from the Alsace region of France which has changed between French and German control over the centuries several times.  

George Urban, great-great grandfather

George Urban immigrated to the U.S. right after the U.S. Civil War on January 16, 1868 according to his U.S. Naturalization papers and we knew he primarily lived in Higginsville, Lafayette County, Missouri.  However, a review of his actual historical records show that he spent about 25 years in Missouri with a brief period spent in Oklahoma to live near his daughter, Ella (Urban) Young.  I discovered that prior to coming to central Missouri, George and his bride, Eliza Dierker, actually lived 25 years in Mount Olive, Macoupin County, Illinois right after they married.  Actually almost all of their children were born in Illinois.  Surprisingly though I learned that during that time he was a Coal Miner in the mines of south-central Illinois.  I did a little research about coal mining during this time period (1875-1900).

Coal mining was the backbone of Mount Olive’s economy, and it was grueling, dangerous work. A miner often began his day before dawn, descending into the dark, narrow shafts beneath the town. Accidents, cave-ins, and poor air quality were constant threats. The work was physically punishing, but it offered more stability than farming back in the old country—or trying to make it in the crowded cities of the East. Wages were modest, and miners often lived in small company-owned houses near the pits. Most families grew some of their own food, and wives often took on laundry, sewing, or gardening to help make ends meet.

Faith & Community

The Lutheran church was the heart of the German community in Mount Olive. Services were held in German, and the church calendar shaped daily rhythms with baptisms, confirmations, and feast days. The church also operated its own school, teaching children in both German and English, reinforcing language, faith, and tradition. Church picnics, weddings, and Christmas celebrations offered brief but joyful respites from the rigors of mining life. Singing, food, and old-country customs kept cultural ties alive.

Language & Identity

At home and in church, German was the primary language for German immigrants in Mount Olive. It was a source of identity and pride, but also a boundary. While children gradually learned English in school and through work, many older immigrants never fully adopted it. There was sometimes tension with English-speaking neighbors or authorities, especially during labor disputes.

Labor & Solidarity

As coal companies pushed workers harder, German miners—like many others—began to join unions. Lutheran values of fairness and communal responsibility found a natural outlet in the growing labor movement. In the 1890s, many local miners, including German Lutherans, supported the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).  The cause of labor justice resonated deeply, and by the end of the century, Mount Olive was recognized as a symbol of workers’ rights. Some German miners came to see unionism as an extension of their Christian duty to protect the vulnerable and resist exploitation.

Well that was a real eye-opener considering one of two photos my family has of George is this one:

This photo is believed to have been taken in Higginsville, Missouri around 1893 and because the family is so well dressed it was odd to find that George had been a coal miner.  As a child back in the 1970's when I saw this old photograph and was told that George played the violin I envisioned he and his family as being somewhat aristocratic for the times they lived in.

George's Missouri Death Certificate states that he was born in Mietesheim, Alsace (France).  So I began my search for his roots and his parents in France.  Throughout George's life he listed Germany many times as his birthplace coupled with the known history of the region of Alsace being alternatively French and German, I was concerned that his birth record and parents may be located in French or German records.  For a decade or so I have searched for his birth record.  Fortunately, in 2024 a search revealed a George Urban having been born on December 31, 1842 in French records.  (this is why as a genealogist you need to revisit ancestors and update your research as millions of records around the world are being digitized annually across many different websites).  I located a possible French birth record, but alas it was....in French!  Time to get out my newest genealogical tools...Transkribus and ChatGPT.  

I took a screenshot of the French Birth Record and uploaded it to Transkribus where it did it's magic of transcribing the half printed-half handwritten document.  Transkribus does a pretty good job with its models but it is necessary to validate the transcription against the actual document.  Thus, line by line I read the transcribed letters/words and compared to the handwriting (the printed text was very well transcribed) because mid-19th century European handwriting can leave a little to be desired.  After completing the validation I then copied the text and pasted it into ChatGPT and requested a translation of the "1842 French birth record into English".  Voila!  Within 30 minutes I had a fully translated French birth record in English.

Now I was in business.  I have confirmed this IS almost certainly MY George Urban.  How many George Urbans born in Mietesheim, France on December 31, 1842 could there be?  This record gave me the all important details of George's parents:  Michel Urban a 28-year old farmer and his wife Barbe Reinhard 27-years old.

Next I began my search for Michel and Barbe and quickly found that George had several siblings previously unknown to the family.  I also found a sad truth while researching the family.  Infant mortality was very prevalent at this time in the world.  Michel and Barbe had at least five children in total; three of which did not survive to age 1.

1. Michel Urban
   27 August 1836 - 19 March 1837
2. Marguerithe Urban
   11 December 1837 - 13 December 1837
3. Michel Urban
   19 May 1839 - death not located
   (he DID marry and have children)
4. George Urban
   31 December 1842 - 17 April 1923
5. Jean Urban
   1 April 1847 - 12 June 1847

While further researching George's French records I discovered an even more shocking revelation. 

What's this????  George Urban got married in France?  Surely this is another George Urban and not my great-great-grandfather the devout Lutheran immigrant to America.

Actually, yes he did!  There's no denying this is MY great-great grandfather son of Michel Urban and Barbe Reinhard.  Ok so he was previously married.  I needed to dig further.  Did his wife, Adele,  die and that is why and when he came to America?  Unfortunately, the secrets of my g-g grandfather are much deeper.

I present Emma Georgette Urban daughter of George Urban and Adele Emma Woringer.

This birth record from Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France on April 7, 1866 is evidence that George and Adele did have a family together as of 1866.  This is still almost two years before he emigrated to America.  Then I discovered another daughter - Louise Frederique Urban born two years later on April 2, 1868 in Strasbourg.  However, Louise Frederique was another statistic of infant mortality and died 2-1/2 months later on June 27, 1868.  But wait!  There's something wrong with this picture and it's not the death of George's second child.  Adele gave birth to Louise Frederique in April 1868, but George's U.S. immigration occurred in JANUARY 1868. 

George left France while Adele was 6-7 months pregnant with their second child and before their first child, Emma Georgette was even two years old!  Why?  Adele was alive,  they had a toddler child, and another soon to arrive.  Did George go to America to make a place for his family and intend to send for them to travel to America and join him after the second child was born?  Were there complications for mother and baby Louise after the delivery in April and Adele was too ill to travel?  too grief-stricken?

No amount of research to date (of which there have been countless hours on genealogy record sites both American and French) has located anything more on Adele Emma (Woringer) Urban.  I could find no death, no re-marriage, nothing.  I did locate a death record for Emma Georgette.  She lived in Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France to the ripe age of 77 passing in July 1943.

So after almost fifteen years of researching my ancestors and trying a great deal of those years to dig up more information on great-great grandfather George Urban, I learn that there were secrets he had taken to the grave.  Did he ever tell his American bride, Eliza Dierker, about his first marriage and children?  Did he ever write to Adele or Emma Georgette in France?  Those answers will likely never come.  In the grander view of digging up my roots, however, I did locate Michel and Barbe Urban as his parents and thanks to the diligent records kept in France during the Middle Ages, it appears, I have unlocked approximately SIX more generations backward in my Urban lineage.  This search for documentary proof of these additional generations will take considerable weeks, if not months, of research.  More will surely come your way as an update in the months ahead.  Until then explore the life of George Urban through this biography of the known information (which is nearly 100% complete ... until new records come to light).

AI and Genealogy: Wow!

 Today I attended a webinar hosted by the St. Louis Genealogical Society (I am so glad I joined the society they offer awesome programming!) on AI and Genealogy by speaker, Jim Ross.  What a fabulous decision to attend this webinar.  While Jim gave a well-organized introduction to AI and then explained various types of AI tools the best part was him demonstrating WHAT it could do.  I started playing with ChatGPT while watching the webinar and took an ancestor, Dietrich Otto Roepe, as my subject to play with AI and how it could help me.  Without further ado, I present Dietrich Otto Roepe my great-great grandfather.

The Journey and Legacy of Dietrich Otto Roepe

From Hanover to America

In the quiet village of Rodewald, nestled in the Kingdom of Hanover (now Germany), a boy named Dietrich Otto Roepe was born on April 7, 1837. He was the son of Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Conrade Roepe and Maria Elisabeth Haffner, who raised him with deep-rooted values of faith, resilience, and hard work. These qualities would serve him well as he embarked on a journey that would take him across the ocean to an unknown world.

At just 14 years old, Dietrich and his family left everything they had ever known, boarding the SS Johann Schmidt in Bremen. Their destination: the United States of America. The ship arrived in New Orleans on November 10, 1851, marking the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.

The family then traveled north to St. Louis, Missouri, a growing city full of promise—but also chaos. Shortly after their arrival, St. Louis erupted in a violent election riot, an event that would prove devastating for the Roepe family. In the unrest, many of their personal records, including Dietrich’s birth and church documents, were lost. Though this event wiped away much of their official history, it could not erase their determination to build a better future.

The Civil War Years

By 1860, Dietrich had settled in Freedom Township, Lafayette County, Missouri, where he lived with his older brother’s family and worked as a miller. But soon, the United States would be plunged into a conflict that would change the course of his life once again.

When the Civil War broke out, Dietrich answered the call to defend his new homeland. He first joined the Missouri Home Guards, a local militia that sought to protect communities from the ravages of war. Later, he served in the Seventh State Militia Cavalry, witnessing the brutal realities of battle from 1862-1865. Through these difficult years, he displayed the same resilience that had carried him across the ocean as a boy.

A Family and a Future

With the war behind him, Dietrich was ready to settle down. On October 25, 1866, he married Georgianna Rosina Frerking in Lafayette County, Missouri. Together, they built a home and raised a large and loving family. Their children—Martha Emilie, Charles Otto, Otto Edward, Emilie Rosine, Amalia Regina, Edward Richard, Julius Johann Wilhelm, Paul Dietrich, Amanda Dorothea, and Anna Louise—grew up in the warmth of a hardworking household.

Dietrich worked tirelessly to provide for them. The 1870 census recorded him as a farmer in Freedom Township, and by 1880, he had transitioned to working as a teamster in Concordia, Missouri. His life was one of constant movement, always adapting to the needs of his growing family.

Later Years and Legacy

When Georgianna passed away in 1895, it marked the end of a long and devoted marriage. Seeking companionship once again, Dietrich remarried Dorine Freund on May 14, 1901, in Sweet Springs, Saline County, Missouri. Though time had begun to slow him down, he remained active. The 1900 census listed him as both a landlord and a farmer, showing that his work ethic never faded. By 1910, he was living with his daughter Martha and her husband, Fritz Kueck, in Concordia.

A remarkable photograph of Dietrich in his later years captures the essence of who he was—a strong, proud patriarch, standing with an air of quiet wisdom. His neatly trimmed beard and thoughtful gaze reflect the weight of a life well-lived, one that had seen war, hardship, love, and the fulfillment of the American dream.

Dietrich Otto Roepe passed away on July 25, 1919, in Thayer County, Nebraska. His gravestone, set in Saint Peter Lutheran Cemetery in Deshler, Nebraska, stands as a monument to his journey.

The German inscription on the stone reads:

"Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben."

("Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.")

His story is more than just history—it is a legacy. From a young immigrant boy crossing the Atlantic to a soldier, farmer, husband, and father, Dietrich Otto Roepe’s life is a testament to resilience, faith, and perseverance.

Today, his descendants walk in his footsteps, shaped by the sacrifices he made so many years ago. His story reminds us that we are not just individuals—we are the continuation of a remarkable journey that began with those who came before us.

A Big Puzzle: How to Present My Genealogical Data to Family Members

 I've made great progress on getting my ancestors created, sourced, and with well-defined Biographies on WikiTree. 

In fact, back in June 21, 2024's post I posted a fan chart showing I had completed 4 generations of my ancestors. I made good progress in the preceding 9 months I've nearly completed another generation backwards in my tree all while working on various WikiTree project teams and challenges.

I've been struggling with what format to document my life's work on my own family genealogy.  I have been working on a "book" or paper format to collect all the data and life stories.  I've progressed quite a bit over the past year in this endeavor.  I got a 3-ring binder and a box of sheet protector sleeves and started working on making my ancestor biographies be all I could make them with my present skills and knowledge of their lives.  I then print off each Bio and place it in my binder.  I started with Generation 0, me, and have sections for Gen 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.  That's going to my great-great-great grandparents! 

Not all are complete as I've skipped around and utilized the ones I worked on the most over the past two years since recommitting myself to the use of WikiTree. Already I can see the volume of paper I will consume.  Maybe this won't be the best format for presentation of my research to share with family members.  Afterall, even if I digitize the paper collection once it's ready it will be volumes of data.  Yet I've spent a lot of hours on getting to this point and I'm quite proud that I have a tangible thing to show for my work.  I've actually caught my 2 adult children that live with me holding it in their hands and curious.  THIS is what I want!

Years ago I thought I'd just whip out a genealogy of my family in book form and move on so I had written an Introduction to my "book" and polished it over the last 7 or so years to where I'm finally happy with it.  I share that Introduction with you here.

I saw an interesting genealogy blog today that gave me an idea; document my ancestors here.  So I believe this idea may shift my focus once again to a more accessible version of my "book".  Stay tuned fair reader.  I cannot promise that I will return here quickly with an update, but then again I could very well end up here adding many, many hours of ancestral heritage to this very blog to be the legacy that I leave to my family and other curious web-surfers.

I'm Not Very Good At This

 Well it's been another long stretch of not blogging.  I'm not very good at this am I?

I took another break from genealogy when I had a 2nd foot surgery right before Labor Day 2024.  I started dabbling again in December 2024 and as the new year rolled around (as is often the case) I had a flurry of genealogy research and activity.

I spent a lot of time on the WikiTree Cemeteris Project working on my adopted cemetery, Gardner Cemetery in Gardner, Kansas (I created this project page). 

I picked this cemetery for one reason only.  I now live in Gardner and it's quite conveniently located to me.  I drove through this cemetery many, many times over the last few years since I moved here while I was playing Pokemon Go (that's a whole other off again, on again hobby of mine!).  As a result of being there I often stopped and got out and roamed among the graveyard reading gravestones and markers.  Frequently, my youngest daughter, Dakota, would join me.  We kind of share an interest in walking cemeteries.  So, being quite familiar, easily accessible, and emotionally detached from this cemetery I chose it.

When I started the project there were around 100 profiles connected to the Gardner Cemetery category on WikiTree. I floundered with the project at first not sure quite where or how to start.  I dug in and did some research and discovered a fantastic webpage on the cemetery association's website listing transcribed burial records from their own records.

My research also led me to the FindAGrave cemetery page for Gardner Cemetery.  Probably the most complete and recent data on the cemetery on the internet at the time.  This site revealed just over 3300 burials listed in the cemetery!  "No way!" I said to myself as my eyes widened.  I didn't think I had bitten off this big of a project.  So it was clear, I was starting with roughly 100 graves on WikiTree and needed to add 3200.  This could very well end up being a lifelong project.  

Well my steps were clear:

1. Find any existing WikiTree profiles that exist and put them in the Gardner Cemetery category.
2. Add any burials from the cemetery burial search tool as new person profiles on WikiTree.
3. Double check for any listed on FindAGrave that are NOT in the Burial Search records and verify by locating actual gravesite and create new person profiles on WikiTree as appropriate.
   
4. Begin walking and taking photographs of gravestones and cemetery photos for upload to profiles and to Cemetery space page.
5. Maintain profiles and research biographies to fill in any missing information not located upon initial profile creation.

So this is the project.  And I have begun.

As of today there are now 241 profiles in Gardner Cemetery on WikiTree. I have added all of the existing profiles I could find on WikiTree.  Step 1 complete.  

On to Step 2.  I am in the beginning stage of getting a process and system down to add the profiles from the burial records search tool.  I found I can simply type the letter "A" into the Surname field and I get all the A surnames.  In 14 days time I have added only 6 new profiles that are relatively well-sourced to the cemetery category.  A bit of simple math reveals at this rate it will take me 20+ YEARS to finish this cemetery.  I ain't got that long.  

So now I am contemplating a better process or at least a more aggressive approach to entering profiles.

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness

(This post was originally written but unpublished on June 21, 2024 and published as written at that time.)

Today's focus (and really my focus the past many weeks) is on working on various project teams at WikiTree.  Projects focus on a specific area of genealogy research and sourcing.  In a nutshell it means doing genealogy work on someone complete unrelated (or unknown) to you.....a complete stranger.

One of my favorites is called the Sourcerer's Challenge.   In this project we are asked to choose from a list of WikiTree person profiles that have no documented source associated with them.  The requirement is to only add ONE source, but I challenge myself to fully source the profiles I work on with as much data as I can find.

I look for substantiation of the information in a number of ways and places online. 

Birth Death Dates/Locations 

For Birth, I generally will accept the following sources:

• Birth/Death Certificates
• Birth/Death Registers
• Military Draft registration data provided by the actual individual
• Newspaper Announcements
• Social Security records/indexes
• Bible records
• Obituary information
• Gravestone inscription
• Baptismal records

When I'm unable to find corroborating evidence of information I will mark it as Uncertain on the WikiTree data fields or in the case of Biographical information I try to write a Research Note OR Add a Maintenance Category for the appropriate Geographical Location.

Genealogical Labors of Love

 Over the past few years I have become increasingly involved with a genealogy site called WikiTree.  It uses the same principles as Wikipedia and shares backbones with it as it is a Wiki.  And, like Wikipedia, it's FREE to the world!   I've spent a lot of money over the years supporting Ancestry.com with my subscriptions since 2012.  It really irked me that all my hours of labor developing my family history tree are then used to entice others to to their website which requires increasingly high fees to give others access to data I spent time linking.  It's very frustrating to me.  Genealogists are "sharers".  We research, document, unearth facts, and want to cry from the rooftops all the data we collect.  Ancestry wants that free effort to make money.  Bleh.

Over the course of the past decade I began using FamilySearch.org more and more as it was free to everyone.  But, I've come to find that inaccurate information (also prevalent on Ancestry.com) pervades the platform.  Where could I put my lifetime's work on my family history for future and/or distant relatives to find one day in their own search for their roots?

I found WikiTree during the COVID-19 Panademic in late 2020 and finally joined in 2021.  The rest is history.

WikiTree is full of ardent seekers of truth and documented proof.  The collaboration is amazing.  And it's free for everyone, forever.  After working in my spare time for a few years off and on, I decided this is where I should put my treasure trove of knowledge of my ancestors and extended family.  This past year I have been very focused on my work on WikiTree.  My goal was to ensure all of my direct ancestors going back four generations was uploaded with the very best personal biographies I could write.  On April 14, 2024 I uploaded the last of those four generations.  I have some tweaks that I need to make to some of the most recently completed uploads, but they are all there.

My final push of the last 6 ancestors was spurred by a competition that WikiTree was holding: the April 2024 Connect-a-thon.  I'd had tried to some Saturday Sourcing Sprints, some Bio-Builder work on US Governors, and thought I'd finally give "thon" a try.   What a thrill it was.  The goal is to add new person profiles that are connected to an existing person profile on the site.  That was my goal after all, right?  To add my missing 6 ancestors and connect them to me?  In the interest of making the Thons more exciting and fun there are scores kept for number of profiles created.  I came in 336th out of 663 participants.  I ended up adding 56 new ancestors to WikiTree in 3 days time.  Not bad for a novice competitor.  

The end result:

I learned a lot of tricks and tips on how to be an efficient and effective WikiTree'er.  I have learned about some new tools available and started using some Personal Category tags on the profiles I created to remind me to go back and add additional family members (spouses, children, parents).  This week I've begun using my tags to create additional ancestors, so my branch of the great world tree at WikiTree is growing.  At WikiTree we measure the number of "Connections" within 7 degrees that we each have.  This is called our CC-7 number.  It's really just an arbitrary number to help us gauge our progress and our connection to humankind throughout time.  When I started diving deep into my involvement on WikiTree in early 2024,  I was at a CC-7 of 425.  Today I am at 629!!  My goal is 1000 for the near-term.

Meanwhile, I have joined a new WikiTree Project Team:  The Cemeterist project.  In this project we photograph gravestones, transcribe the data, and create new WikiTree person profiles while trying to research as much as possible to create as "complete" a Bio as we can for that person.  Spring is here and I thought it would be a great way to get some exercise and combine it with my hobby.

Reboot!

 As I have progressed in my skills as an amateur genealogist, I have increasingly wanted to "publish" my findings to share with family members in an easy way.  Should I write a book?  A family genealogical history?  I kept coming back to creating a blog that I could provide updates and information about our common family history.  Today I decided to explore the idea further and in doing so was reminded that. . . . I HAVE A BLOG!  

I had nearly forgotten my days of luxury as a housewife in my 40's and the ramblings I posted infrequently about whatever thing I was doing at the time.  I've decided to leave this blog with all it's prior posts and simply start anew - with current musings, thoughts, and interests.  That, of course, is GENEALOGY!  

So welcome to my re-boot blog.  Although I no longer live on my 2 Acres on Planet Earth, my heart and mind still like to think I do.  Stay tuned as I dust off this few bytes of cyberspace.

The Rush of Spring and the Year of Travel

Spring has peeked its friendly face here by way of a few days in the mid-60's last week.  But she quickly retreated when Old Man Winter blew back in to town.  The age old war of seasonal change goes on.  Daylight Savings Time is this weekend and the kids start Spring Break on Monday.  Signs of Spring are in abundance outdoors too as green shoots are appearing throughout the garden and I could swear the grass appears to have taken on a greenish hue.  Spring-like rain showers and a good old-fashioned Midwestern thunderstorm have also occurred in the last ten days.  It won't be long now.

As is customary for me, Spring brings a huge shift in gears.  Gone over the next month will be the leisurely after dinner nights of Winter spent watching television, reading or surfing the web.  Nope, I've already started to shift into a higher gear as our vacation to Mexico draws close.  Lots of preparations and last minute planning have been the work of the past week.

                                                 

We decided to try having our groceries ordered in advance and delivered to our villa before our arrival in Akumal.  We debated on it last year, but being newbie tourists to the Riviera Maya we elected to not trust the sources we read online and arranged with our villa manager to get groceries once we were there.  The booking agency I used this year recommended the grocery service so I thought that was a plus and they really do have a lot of good press in the tourist forums.  I hope it works out as grocery shopping is not how I want to spend my vacation.

I'm really looking forward to this Mexico vacation because it was just so truly relaxing last year.  A week-long holiday in the tropics does have a way of getting you to unwind and relax.  In less than two weeks I'll be sitting here and having margaritas all day long while I read or spend time with the family having a good time on the beach and in the pool.


This year we are planning to voyage into the interior of Mexico to visit Chichen Itza, the ancient Mayan ruins.  The trip, one-way, is three hours so it will be a long day.  But being one of the New Seven Wonders of the World we just feel it would be a travesty to not go visit it when we are so close. 

We'll also do an afternoon sailing on the large 45-foot catamaran similar to last year.  Instead of a full day sail with lunch on the beach and jungle ride in the back of a pick-up truck (gosh that was a tense moment or two), we all agreed to do a 4-hour sail with snorkeling and snacks provided by the sailing outfit.

                                

Patrick and I are planning a trip to Vegas sometime in April courtesy of a nice windfall we came in to this past week.  So I have lots of planning to do there as well.  The windfall also allowed me to pick out some new carpet for the formal living room and dining room at last.  They come to measure this week and hopefully it will arrive while we are on vacation so that we can schedule installation shortly after our return.

Back in January we made the decision (finally! after years of telling everyone in the family I wanted to do it) to visit Washington, DC over the 4th of July this year.  We booked our airfare and hotel back then but I need to start looking at what we'll have time to visit and see while we're there.  I'm really excited to share this truly American and most-patriotic event with my girls.  Being in DC on the 4th is something that has stood out in my mind for years as one of the greatest things I've participated in.  I'm glad they'll finally get to experience it.  Maybe they in turn will make it a tradition by taking their children some day.

Somewhere amidst all this travel I have to find time for the gardening I have been planning this winter.  Plants and bulbs are ordered, planting and sowing schedules are committed to paper, and seeds have arrived.  There's no turning back now.  Onward towards Spring I march.  Eager for the faster pace, warmer weather, and higher spirits that come with it all.

Turning Thoughts Towards Spring

I can't believe it's been over a year since I last posted on my blog.  Surely any readers have long since thought I fell off the face of the earth.  Indeed rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated.  I'm still breathing last I checked.

2010 was a whirlwind year and it came and went like nobody's business.  I have no idea where it went.  Life has a way of doing that....sneaking passed us quietly. Very unobtrusive at times and all subterfugean.  (Yeah I made up that word!) 

I find myself in the midst of winter when life has slowed its frantic pace.  My mind has begun to wander to old pursuits of interest and I've gone into planning mode.  Gardening may be my thing again this year as I've dusted off my manila folder entitled "Veggie Gardening" and taken a gander at some grand plans made long ago.  I went a step further though and ordered seeds of lettuce, radish, corn, cucumber, squash, and watermelon.  I plan to buy plants of tomatoes, peppers and select herbs and put out seed potatoes and onion sets in a few weeks.  The only thing I'm still trying to get my head around is timing.  I have this nifty planting schedule all worked out and my potato and onion planting needs to occur while I'm in Mexico with the family.  I figure I can do them when I get back as long as the weather is cooperative.

In addition to the vegetable gardening, I've started placing orders for some old favorite bloomers.  I have a frightening number of lily bulbs coming and some odds-n-ends like sedums, dicentras, and peonies.  These are all through the Yahoo gardening co-op and all look likely to happen except the peonies.  (Wasn't really sure where those would go anyways.)  I'm hoping to not go too overboard on ordering and just modestly plan to fill in some bare spots and work a little on the southern pool fence border.

So another year begins in earnest and I with well-laid plans begin a new gardening season.  Hope springs eternal during this time of year.  May I do it justice and reap the rewards of beauty and bounty this summer and fall.

Christmas Cut-Out Cookies

It was time to do the annual roll and cut-out of sugar cookies this holiday season. I was dreading it as I had tried a new recipe last week and when I went to roll out the dough I might as well have been trying to roll out and cut butter. The dough was way too soft.

I decided to go with the tried and true Better Homes and Gardens recipe and it proved difficult to work with on the re-roll out. I ended up tossing a bit of the dough as it was not cold enough anymore to be worked with. I think my house might have been a tad bit too warm yesterday.

But I ended up getting just over 2 dozen cookies baked.  The girls, Leah and Sarah, and I went to work decorating them right away and because I didn't have as many cookies as usual the decorating went quickly.  Lasted long enough for the three of us to have some fun and chuckle over our decoration of the cookies, but not so long that no one wanted to finish the last cookie. 

Above is a sample of the cookies we made.  They won't last long although we must save one or two for Santa since they are his favorites!

Happy Holidays to all my dear readers.

A Little Stitchery Magic

Made this little lace bookmark for Leah's 2nd grade teacher for Christmas this year. 

This makes my second actually finished piece of cross stitch.  The other was a bread cloth that I use regularly.

Along with this little piece I purchased a canvas tote bag with a cute saying about teachers and her name personalized on it.

Mmmmmm....mmmmmm.....good!

Today was snowy and really frigid with temps in the teens.  Was a perfect day to make White Chicken Chili and warm us from the inside.  A serving of cornbread completes the meal.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

•   2 tablespoons olive oil  
•   1 large onion, chopped  
•   4 garlic cloves, minced  
•   2 pounds ground chicken  
•   1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning  
•   2 tablespoons ground cumin  
•   1 tablespoon dried oregano  
•   2 teaspoons chili powder  
•   3 tablespoons flour  
•   2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained  
•   4 cups low-sodium chicken stock  
•   ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes  
•   Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning  
•   ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley  

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Stir the flour into the chicken mixture. Add the beans and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Simmer for 55–60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Doggie Treats

Today was scheduled to be a dreary sleety, snow-filled day, so I decided this morning to make dog treats. I elected to go with the Pumpkin Wows because the dogs had liked them so much before and I had leftover pumpkin to use up in the freezer.  This recipe is for a bread machine dough.  If no bread machine, mix by hand and let rise for 1 hour. 

PUMPKIN PIE WOW!

3/4 c chicken broth                      1/2 c cornmeal

1 c canned pumpkin                     3 tbsp oats, uncooked

1-1/2 tbsp canola oil                    2-1/2 tbsp brewer's yeast

1-1/2 tbsp maple syrup                1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp salt                                  1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 c whole wheat flour                1/3 c raisins

1/4 c wheat bran                          1 pkg instant or rapid yeast (2-1/4 tsp)

Place all ingredients in bread machine and set on dough cycle.  Check consistency in 5 to 15 minutes; dough should be a firm, round ball.  Add flour/liquid if necessary.

When cycle is over, roll out dough on a lightly dusted with flour area of countertop.  Dough should be rolled to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out treats with cookie cutter.  Re-roll dough until all is used.  Place treats on a nonstick cookie sheet (I use parchment paper). 

Bake in preheated 350° oven for 45 to 55 minutes.  Turn oven off and leave treats in oven for 2-4 hours before storing in airtight container.

The Chocolatiest Birthday Cake Ever

Yesterday was my mother and sister's annual joint birthday party. As sister and daughter I volunteered to bake the cake. My aunt recommended Triple Layer Brownie Cake. Oh my! This is a supremely rich and decadent dessert. (You can't really call it just a cake.) Ice cream accompaniment is mandatory because it's just too rich and sweet without some ice cream to tone it down. Yes there is something sweeter than ice cream!

Triple Layer Brownie Cake

1-1/2 cups butter (NO SUBSTITUTES)

6 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate

3 cups sugar

5 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

FROSTING

2 packages ( 8ounces each) semisweet baking chocolate (16 oz total)

3 cups whipping cream

2 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), grated

In a microwave or double boiler, melt butter and chocolate.

Stir in sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in vanilla, flour and salt; mix well.

Pour into three greased and floured ( I also use wax paper on the bottom as just greasing and flouring doesn't prevent all sticking) 9-in round cake pans.

Bake at 350 for 20 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely. Don't be alarmed when the cake (brownie) falls apart a bit. Just stick it back together. The frosting hides all imperfections.

For frosting, melt chocolate in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Gradually stir in cream until well blended. Heat to a gentle boil; boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until mixture reaches pudding-like consistency, stirring a few times. Beat until soft peaks form. Immediately spread between layers and over top and sides of cake.

Sprinkle with grated chocolate.

Store in refrigerator.

Yield 16-20 servings.

Halloween and Other Things

Backward, turn backward,
O Time, in your flight
make me a child again
just for to-night!
~Elizabeth Akers Allen



First, let's get this out of the way.....she is NOT Cinderella. She couldn't remember what she was, but got most agitated if someone referred to her as Cinderella. In actuality, her costume was called "Snow Contessa". She didn't know what a contessa was but she was thrilled to be one.

It was a rather cold Halloween this year, but at least there was no rain. It seems we have a rainy Halloween every few years and we were due. Now, of course, it got up to the mid-70's the next day, but we were bundled in our winter coats for trick-or-treating.

Patrick got a new car on Halloween Day. It's a gorgeous 2010 Nissan GT-R. At least it's the kind of "sporty car" that I like. . . something with a little muscle and some conveniences.

Unfortunately, he awoke on Sunday to buyer's remorse. That lasted about a day. When he came home from work on Monday there was no sign of the remorse of the previous day.

I have been running in relax-mode the past week; just enjoying not having to do anything by a deadline. But, my mind has been at work despite the activity hiatus and I've started making me a list for the coming month of things to do around the house. It has been much neglected in the past several months. I've turned my eye back to my living room, which I had painted last fall. Time to get back to putting finishing touches on the decorations and knick-knacks. To that end I've ordered a couple of items to add to the room this past week: a stained glass wall sconce, a set of 3 rich-colored bottles, and a new painting of roses in a vase.

Next up on the list is some deep-cleaning projects. I'd like to get these done before the holidays. Things like closet clean-outs and the like. I've also still got fall bulbs to plant and the temps are suppose to be in the mid-60's most of this week. I've got no excuse as I have Thursday and Friday wide-open on my calendar. JUST DO IT!

I'd also like to get some baking in. Cookies and some apple turnovers have been on my mind as we shift to cooler weather. Also, it's about time to start baking dog cookies again too.

My aunt Ann held a little get-together last Friday in honor of my cousin Chris' visit home in about 4 years. It was a super party and very heartwarming to attend. Lots of good food, good company and laughs were had. Ann snapped this impromptu shot of the girls and Chris.

Health Care Reform Fables

Well I've about had all I can take of the TV ads, "news" programs, and radio shows that do a tremendous disservice to the American public about what the proposed health care reforms are going to do to the health care system in America. Where is the FCC when it comes to truth in advertising? Shouldn't those rules also apply to political ads?

Ah, yes, the government cannot do anything to protect unwitting Americans from being duped by fallacious political ads. They don't count because of Freedom of Speech.

I have no fight to pick with anyone about free speech. My whole belief system centers on the right of people to choose what they want to believe in and their right to express it. What I do take issue with is the idea of presenting false statements as fact to intentionally misinform. Not only does it cross an ethical line, but when the subject at hand is something as critical as health care for all then political parties, politicians, and lobbyists have gone too far. They should be held liable for these mis-characterizations they put out or at a minimum explain why they draw the conclusions that they do.

Check out this commentary from MSNBC News' Rachel Maddow back in May before the debate was anywhere near the heated battle it is today:



Bravo I say to groups like AARP that put out television ads that call out the lobbyists and state that they are trying to "block progress on health care reform".



More of us should do our part to unveil the fallacies of these political ads. We should educate why they are inaccurate....point to facts. We should root out the source of funding for these ads.....health care industry lobbyists and ultra-conservatives determined to undermine the President at any cost. Organizing for Change, the grassroots organization, recently ran a competition for private Americans to do a 30-second ad spot for health care reform. Here's my favorite of the 20 finalists:



Think about it......REALLY think about it.

Self Pity and Optimism

Well it's 5:38am and I've been up for almost an hour. Patrick was up at 4:30am for a 6:23am flight to San Diego this morning. It's been a week of chaos. Well, actually more than a week but who's counting.


I spent about 3 hours at the hospital ER yesterday afternoon with Matt. He's been sick for almost 2 weeks and been to the doctor twice. Both times she said he had a cold. I was certain he had H1N1; fever, cough, aches, fatigue, but I was wrong. He has mono. I was concerned about him getting pneumonia because his coughing and breathing were getting worse. They did a chest x-ray though and it looked good.

Sarah was sick mid-week and I took her on Thursday to the doctor. He narrowed her illness down to flu or strep and did a rapid strep test. No strep. He started her on Tamiflu and now 5 days later she's feeling pretty good; albeit she still has a persistent cough.

Yesterday, of course, Leah started running a fever and Patrick woke up with a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. ::sigh::

Patrick's stirring around (okay he doesn't quite "stir" as much as "crash" around in the early morning hours) woke me up this morning at 4:45am. Well or not, he's got a business trip that needs to be taken and so he's off. I had a fitful night of sleep with a noticeable cough waking me every hour or so. Is it my turn to get sick now that Patrick is out of town? That would be my luck.


The gods thought it fitting to land in my email box today this great article from iMom. I think I needed that after the last month. It got me thinking about how I often (well, maybe a few times a year) get to thinking I'm taken for granted. The analogy to a great cathedral builder of Middle Age Europe is a great one. I think I'll take that story and a ferret it away in my memory for those days when self-pity takes over. Great words to remember: "with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees".



Patrick and I went to my sister and brother-in-law's annual Halloween costume party on Saturday night. With flu season in full swing already the turnout was lighter than usual, but we had a great time. At Patrick's urging, I switched from being Cleopatra this year to a maenad with Patrick serving as my minion. It was a take on our favorite television series: True Blood.

The Woodland Elementary Book Fair wrapped up last week. That concludes my PTO projects for the foreseeable future. Next up on my PTO plate is to get the archive binder ready to hand over to the new Secretary for this year. Mostly that involves copying some document files onto a CD and then I'm done. It will be a good transition to the next board meeting in early November. After that, my next PTO project will be to push the board to support a committee continuity idea I have.

The week ahead is a full schedule of appointments, Halloween parties and trick-or-treating. All I need to do is stay healthy.

Time Sure Flies

Wow.....where did the year go? Spring sprang and summer flew by as we waited...and waited...and waited...and waited for it to warm up. (It never did.) Rain has been plentiful this year and the weeds took over my backyard with a vengeance. I think the last day we swam in our pool was in early July right after the 4th. I never really made it out in to the yard much after early summer and admired my blooms this year from afar. But pay the price I did. I sauntered out one evening, as the days started to cool down even further, and discovered multitudes of green "soldiers" standing tall and alert in the form of tall prairie grasses and weeds. Some stood taller than I.

Quickly the months ticked by and back-to-school days were upon us. As a member of our PTO Executive Board, my school year got started early with preparation in late July for Registration at our elementary school, Woodland Elementary. The current PTO President, Scott, is in his last year as President and asked if I might be interested in running next year. Well I tried to resist....really I did, but my manic half urged me to delve a little further into what this might entail. Before I knew it I was in a full-blown manic episode and running wild with enthusiasm about volunteering in every way I could imagine at Leah's school.

While I've certainly gone overboard (as I so often do) a few good things have definitely come out of it. For starters, I created a new PTO website that I just launched last week. I won't win any cyber awards, but it sure does the trick and gives the PTO a good place to communicate with Parents and staff at Woodland.

While my official role on the PTO is as Vice President, I've filled in pretty much full-time as the Secretary and in that role I created a binder.....a quasi archive if you will. I'm collecting everything related to the PTO....meeting minutes, financial reports, committee procedures/steps/forms and volunteer lists. My hope is that it provides some continuity year to year and serves as a good foundation as the PTO moves forward. Our school was opened just last year and so it just seemed right to set the parent-teacher organization up with a framework within which it could operate efficiently. If nothing else, I'll at least have documented the first two years of the organization.

I also jumped wholeheartedly into the committees which are the heart and soul of our group. The committees are where things happen. Everything from the student name & address directory to the school carnival and fund raisers are done by committee volunteers. I knew I was going to volunteer to head up two committees this year ever since I got involved with PTO last school year. The Directory and the Book Fair were things I worked on last year to a degree and wanted to do more this year. However, because committee chairpersons were hard to find this year I ended up agreeing to take on the Book Club and Welcoming committee as well.

And that is where I find myself this month....head swimming in plans for a Book Fair that opens on October 21st, a Directory that has a targeted publish date of October 1st, and a Welcoming committee and Book Club that never got off the ground last school year. "Busy" just doesn't say it, what I have been is "buried". I say that with a smile and a strong sense of satisfaction. I've done pretty darn well.

The Directory will be ready for publication on 9/29....tomorrow. The Welcoming process and packets are ready to reproduce minus a form from the Yearbook committee. The Book Fair has a two-page time line of activities and volunteer and storyteller schedules more than halfway filled in. Book Fair volunteers have been briefed and assignments taken. We're ready to rock! Only the Book Club is somewhat stagnant and that's because the school principal is re-thinking what she wants our school's Book Club to be.

Two weeks ago a calendar reminder popped up one morning reminding me of my oldest daughter, Sarah's birthday on October 2nd. I left the reminder there each day for about a week and then sat down to compose the annual email invite to my extended family for the birthday party. After addressing the recipients on the message I came to the "Subject" field and typed in: Sarah's Sweet Sixteen. Oh dear. An idea began to brew in that hyped up, overactive brain of mine. Might I be able to pull together a somewhat passable Sweet Sixteen bash? Surely, I could.


A mere 12 days before my intended party night, October 3rd, I set about making plans. Being a Sweet Sixteen party, no ordinary birthday party would do. Wouldn't a rented space with a DJ and some of my daughter's closest 30 (or heck maybe even 50) friends be a grand way to commemorate my daughter's 16th year? First step, find a location that was available on 11 days notice. Things didn't go so well in that department and I wasted a good five days finding out that no one had space available except the local Holiday Inn and it was by far more expensive than my other locale choices. With one week left, I talked to Patrick, my husband, and got a thumbs up to go ahead with the higher expense.

Multi-tasker that I am, I didn't entirely waste those five days. I did lots of research on food and DJs and with 7 days left booked the DJ even though I hadn't been able to reserve the ballroom at the Holiday Inn before the weekend and the event manager only works Monday through Friday. Bright and early today (Monday) I booked the room and spent an hour and a half with the event manager planning our big night. A bit of research on Google over the weekend gave me three good leads for a cake source. By mid-morning today, I had a beautiful 2-tier hot pink and black Sweet Sixteen cake ordered. The girls and I squeezed in a Saturday shopping trip for some fall clothes and party decorations.

So I sit here tonight quite smug. Not only have I managed to stay on top of all the school activities, keep up with doing all the bookkeeping for my online gardening coop group, AND plan a Sweet Sixteen bash like none seen so far in my extended family, but I've also managed in the last month to:

1) deal with a dog that needed surgery (three vet visits and $500 poorer),
2) fret and worry and visit a mother that was hospitalized with a blood clot that went from her calf to her navel,
3) hold down the fort single-handedly while the hubby was away in China for 7 days,
4) see my daughter off to her first Homecoming dance,

My daughter, Sarah (left), her best friend, River (right)

5) been to or taken family or dogs to 11 appointments,
6) attended 12 meetings,
7) helped sort out over 300 pieces of clothing of "spirit wear" at Woodland
8) volunteered and walked at the Woodland Walk-a-thon
9) taken my family to Olathe's annual Old Settlers fall festival/carnival

and last, but hardly the least. . . .

10) stayed sane the entire time

......well mostly.