New Look for Angela's Notes

I always seem to slip into a funk after Christmas. Every year I try to prevent it by mentally preparing myself. Sometimes I have tried to schedule myself to be so busy that I don't have time to think about being blue. No matter what I try, I still manage to have a bit of the down-and-outs in January and February. Well, since we're now in March and I'm coming out of it again, I finally seem to have something to say. Probably not very witty or charming, but I am at least writing again. As I was editing my blog I realized that I was sick of looking at the old layout--I'm not sure I ever really liked it. So, here is a new look which may make the words I write seem more interesting or at least a little clever.

I am using some of my new energy to do the traditional spring cleaning that Mum and Oma always seemed so determined to do. Maybe a few good habits rubbed off on me! :-) Happy Spring-Airing-Out to you all!

Gearing up for Summer...

It's spring (almost) and the weather occasionally reflects this. I've been trying to get our kids out and about on those beautiful days that make you forget about winter coats and hot chocolate and instead think about swimming and bicycling. We recently spent an hour at nearby bicycle safety town after school. Katie is working to get rid of the training wheels. We are a little slow at this because the kids can't really ride their bikes in our driveway (our street is too busy to take the chance they might go down hill toward it by mistake). So we rely on periodic trips to parks to practice our cycling skills. She was starting to get the hang of it the last time so I'm hoping I'll be able to stop running after her before I have to have my back put in traction! The first few times we tried, when Katie thought she was falling, she would suddenly let go of the bike and grab my arm with both of hers. This almost sent us both flying a few times before I convinced her that this was a bad idea. Now she is beginning to stay focused and is feeling a little braver.

I don't know about all of you, but I have observed that in my children the act of learning to ride their bike by themselves is fundamentally connected to their self-esteem and feeling of independence. It is really a turning point for them to trust themselves and to manage the power of speed and maneuvering, as well as deciding where to go!

Speaking about getting outdoors...After many years of putting aside our backpacks and opting instead for the mini-van, family sized tent, coolers filled with milk and apple juice, and the kids favorite--Smorz Cereal (which we only buy for camping trips because it's basically sugar-coated sugar!)...we are trying something new this summer! An overnight backpacking trip!!! I know some of you are wondering WHY any sane person would do this on purpose. We can't explain all the details, but I think we just need to try it with our kids (who are now hopefully old enough to carry a backpack a few miles with out crying "Mommy, carry me!") We are waiting for the weather to get a little warmer and plan to start out close to home and not go too many miles out. We'll see how it goes...

Maybe, just maybe this is the start of something! Maybe, one day, you'll be reading a newspaper article about a family that hiked the Appalachian Trail and you'll look at the picture and say, "Hey, I know them!" Whatever! :-)

Planning for the Future

This year Bret and I did something we haven't done in several years. We scheduled a "date" (no kids) and went to Borders Bookstore together. We found some comfy chairs, bought some expensive coffee, and took out the laptop and some clipboards. Then we proceeded to brainstorm about our goals for the next five years. We thought about house projects and repairs which may come up, we thought about trips we'd like to take, and we thought about our goals for the kids (in five years they'll be 11 and 15!). It was an interesting conversation. Some things we had both thought about and hoped to accomplish, and some things one of us hadn't thought about at all. We are spending some time praying about our ideas and waiting for guidance.

It was a fun way to welcome the new year and it was good to spend some time dedicated to this topic. Otherwise we seem to find ourselves caught up in the daily chores and the kids' needs and never get a chance to think about future goals, let alone discuss them with each other!

I challenge you (if you haven't done it yet) to give this a try...

Are you ready for change?

I can't believe it's been over one month since I've written anything on my blog! Many of you are probably tired of checking and wondering--"When is Angela going to write in her blog again?!?" You may be thinking, "Is she okay?" "Has something happened?" Perhaps you have not checked my blog in many months and are thinking, "What is she talking about!" Perhaps you have never visited my blog and are thinking..."If this is an example of what Angela's blog is like...I'm not sure I want to read this drivel..." :-) Well, whatever you are thinking, I AM updating my blog--finally! And you can continue to read it..or not..as you wish.


Change. It seems to be a season of change. I'm not sure but it seems there is something in the air...maybe in the water...who knows. One thing is certain, life as we knew it no longer exists. The kid who ran around our house in diapers talking about animals is now writing books and poetry--about animals. The other kid who wanted to be a ballerina cowgirl, now plans to be a petshop owner. An economy we thought was stable is now in question and the future seems to be uncertain. At times like this I find it helpful to remember that I've felt something like this before, and that in previous times of uncertainty, God helped our family through. I, for one, am counting on a replay of divine intervention!


We are busy with the many details of life. The kids are continuing to enjoy piano (Katie more than August) and both of them are doing very well. August (much to my delight) is learning Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" (a simplified version). I'm taking advantage of sitting in on the kids' lessons and am brushing up on my own very, very rusty and very minimal knowledge of piano. I like the simple versions of the classics, but even these clearly take a fair amount of practice on my part before they sound like anything remotely resembling music.


Our Ford F150 came out of our garage yesterday for the first time in many months. It was a red-letter day, a day of great joy and celebration. It was a day of joy rides with dad in the big green pickup. We celebrated by going out for supper! I joyfully parked our minivan in the garage that night! Yay! I guess I'm easy to please...sometimes.

It is also great to finally see some warmer weather on the horizon. Here in Illinois we have had the coldest winter we've experienced in a long time. Our wood supply dwindled and then finally ran out as our wood furnace warmed the house. Now our gas furnace has been back on the job, but it just doesn't provide the same warmth! I'm looking forward to the arrival of spring this year! It will be fun to get into the garden again this year, too. Last year I planted a whole lot of asparagus, so I'm hoping to be able to harvest some this year!

Change seems to be part of God's plan for the world. The seasons, the growth of the green leaves in spring. Their turning to gold, red and brown in fall. Even the cold of winter serves its purpose...and if nothing else, helps us appreciate the spring and summer even more! Blessings, Angela

Winter at last...a wonderland of snow...

At Thanksgiving, 2008 the Ewert side of the family gathered at Bret's sister's house in St. Charles, MO. We took the opportunity to snap a photo. Bret and I are standing on the right. Katie is on the sofa (left of Grandma) and August is on the right of the sofa (looking not very happy about the whole thing).

The recent Ice Storm we had inspired some outdoor pictures and some brotherly/sisterly affection--since there was no school and they only had each other (and boring Mum) for company!

Our puppy enjoying the snow!

Ice Everywhere!

A Final Glimpse of Florida...(before looking at WINTER in the Midwest!!!)

Here we are visiting an old friend of Bret's who has moved to TN. Paul has a home on an acreage with goats, cats, chickens, etc. We gave milking a goat a try...

At Homosassa Springs State Park we saw manatees, flamingoes, alligators, and many other native species. They had a neat boat tour and much more reasonable rates than many other places offering similar programs. We really enjoyed this experience!

We then visited Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL. Would you believe that before visiting Busch Gardens we never associated it with Anheuser-Busch Beer!?! Surprise, surprise! They had a lot of animals and rides which we all enjoyed! Katie and I went on the ride below. August is NOT a fan of rollercoasters or other rides that lift you into the air. But, I was able to get Katie to take a chance and join me. I never expected to have to cajole my kids onto rides at themeparks! I always thought it would be the other way around!

At Sarasota we stopped by America's sandiest beach. It was like walking in flour!!! We spent a little time on the beach in the afternoon before continuing on to our next destination.

The Seminole Reservation in the Everglades was our next stop. We took an airboat ride in the glades and saw alligators in the wild. We also saw some dancers in native dress. They did some traditional Seminole dances. We slept that night in a chikee (below) and it actually got a little cold that night!

Then we travelled on to the Keys. We spent two nights camping at Long Key (about halfway between Key Largo and Key West) at a State Park. Our campsite was right on the ocean, facing southward toward the Bahamas. It was beautiful and warm and relaxing!!! I told Bret while we were there that I may want to take a trip just to that lovely campsite again! Maybe spend a week in that one spot, enjoying the sun and water and sand...

The crab above is named "Crabby" and we rescued him or her from certain death while attempting to cross the road. Crabby, unfortunately, was NOT grateful and snapped at Bret (who bravely put Crabby into the bucket and placed him in the shallow water of the ocean). We were slightly put out, yet continued in our efforts! Crabby was not swayed, however and immediately crawled back out of the water and toward the road. What was he/she thinking???

The pelican was not attacking the children, but stealing the yummy dead fish we were feeding to the tarpon.

I think this is my last Florida entry. There were many more pictures and stories to tell, but alas, you will have to manage not knowing every single detail of our trip... The next time I'll write more about Christmas and send chilly pictures of Peoria--then you'll wish there were more sandy beach and sunset pics. There is no pleasing some people! :-)

More Pictures from our trip to Florida...

We couldn't help but notice the Canadian flag on some of the equipment at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

The rockets at night were spectacular. We didn't get a good picture of the Space Shuttle in the sky. It looked like a shooting star on the camera. I was probably the most excited about seeing the launch. The kids were getting tired and bored, but I was just making comments like, "Can you believe that those astronauts get to go into space?" and "Wouldn't it be great to be an astronaut?" "I wonder what the earth looks like from the moon..." you get the picture...I was trying to get them engaged. They did seem somewhat interested, but neither of my kids are dreaming about becoming astronauts at this point in their lives. Oh, well...










Katie visited Minnie's House at Disney's Magic Kingdom. She took the opportunity to rest a little! The kids were really great about all the walking. We hoped that waiting would mean we wouldn't have to worry about packing along a stroller and all the extra stuff that goes with it. It was easier to just carry a backpack with the necessities.











Meeting the characters seemed to be the highlight of the trip. Here we are having a character breakfast with Winnie-the-Pooh and friends. They came around to all the tables for photo ops and to sign autograph books.










Katie expressed a desire to go on a "date" with Daddy during the trip. She envisioned dressing up in her best dress and Daddy wearing a suit. She was hoping I would curl her hair and let her wear lip gloss...since we didn't have Daddy's suit or Katie's dress along on the trip (I know, it's shocking that we forgot them!!!) we opted for eating out at a restaurant and sitting at separate tables for one-on-one time with our kids. You can see that Katie is curtsying in true princess fashion. August spent most of the time talking with me about the development of a car that can fly and runs all day on one potato. I thought this would be a very good development to reduce energy consumption and suggested that he begin working on it right away. :-)

We did have a wonderful time together. I will probably follow up with a few more entries from our trip, but I'll try not to bore you too much!

Blessings!