Sister Sonksen's Blog

2011-10-30T15:36:00.001-07:00

Have I missed the whole year??? I guess so, this is one of my new twin grandsons born Feb. 23rd, same day as Jada's birthday. This is going to be the best year for me with 3 new boys joining the family!! First I get twin grandsons and before the year is out a NEW son-in-law to spoil and dote over. Love it !! I'm still working on BEST mother-in-law on the planet award and soon I'll have another subject to vote for ME !!!

These birthday cake pops turned out so cute in blue !

Just a random photo I LOVE, This is Kimberly's last doctors appt before delivering her twins randomly about 6 weeks early (exactly on Jada's 5th birthday, of all days). On Feb. 23rd, 2011. Of course I was there the whole time enjoying everything.

Another Fav picture I took of all 4 kidlets. Ty and Dax are such a happy joy. All 4 kids are so unique, just their own little people. Love it.

This is Kalle, aged 3, enjoying her new haircut in the mirror.

This is the new couple, Adam and Stephanie, hitting the links. New Years is a fine time for a wedding!! We can't wait.

How gullible am I?? We went and saw The Danger Brothers at the Heineygate (tailgate) party before an OSU football game. The band was incredible and they had this guy, Gary Clapton, play with them for a few songs...amazing guitar skills!! I had to get my picture with him!! They said he's Eric Clapton's brother, COOL !!! He was enjoying kissing me and all the hugs, wow a celebrity (or brother of) how fun !!! I checked later on the internet about Eric Clapton and his family....no brothers, nada. Well, his skills were amazing even if it was a joke, I totally fell for it. When we walked in, Stephanie and Adam had to show ID since there was drinking (ha ha), then they saw me and waved me in...insult...guess I can't pass for young anymore. Whatev.

Thanks, Santa !!

2011-01-04T11:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas brings so many examples of what we love and who loves us. Just a fun time to splurge on the ones we care about...Christmas isn't just for kids! Chris got a middle school photo of Kimberly ( in his stocking) and he hugged it all day!

Hooray for Veterans

2011-01-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

I knew my Dad didn't have any "Veteran Gear" which he really needs to be sporting...like all the other dudes up in the cold country of Michigan. And since he was drafted and served his country (in Japan) during the Korean War, I got him a cool Army hat and Army jacket for Christmas. Doesn't he look great!!! I think he was pleased.

The Cottage

2010-09-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

Since Fall is falling upon us I take one look back at the place where all is simple and peaceful....the cottage. I love bringing a few books, my one pair of slippers, a few clothes and just relaxing....I rarely fix my hair and I can just be a mess. Games at night are the rule or tricky puzzles to keep our brains going. Here are a few shots of our place. This was September and the winter winds have already arrived so it looks a little fierce. Nothing like the balmy breezes of summer...but worth gazing upon with fondness.....

Keep away everyone !!

2010-08-18T18:01:00.001-07:00

We love visiting lighthouses along the lake and climbing to the top!!!

The best kept secret of the midwest, which I am about to reveal, is Lake Michigan. Where in the world can you get fresh, clean water...beautiful white sandy beaches and hardly anyone in your way?? Yep, Lake Michigan. It only takes from 5 to 9 hours to go up the west coast of Michigan and stop at the numerous beaches and state parks. All the way up to the Sleeping Bear Dunes and on over to Mackinac Island...there's hardly a prettier place on the planet. We love to spend our summers there and enjoy a quiet and restful time taking long walks on the beach and over to the pier. Shopping in Pentwater and getting ice cream is a rite of summer. Here's a few pics just to give you the flavor...and no crowds. I saw a few great t-shirts this summer about Michigan. One said "Lake Michigan...shark free" and another said, "Lake Michigan, unsalted". So true. People always ask me if these are pictures of the ocean, HA, they have no idea how close a real paradise is to Ohio. But keep away, we want to keep it that way!

Can you say Stinker?

2010-08-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

My granddaughter Kalle is the most adorable stinker on the planet. She can control just about all situations...and really has her grandpa wrapped around her little finger. She is destined to be a leader...even if she will be small.

Where does Peanut Butter Come from???

2010-06-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

This is Crazy Richard in the factory checking on the finished product before shipping to the grocery stores.
The peanuts are cleaned and graded and put into these enormous bags for shipping to the peanut butter factory. The bags are only used once and then recycled.
This darling little peanut plant is only a few weeks old. It will get yellow blossoms that will then shoot out a stick that will poke into the ground. From that stick will grow the peanuts underground.
This tractor is planting the rows of peanuts. They are planted in rows of 2, close together. The Tractor is GPS guided and knows exactly where to go and how to make the rows straight. This farmer owns about 12 or 13 tractors and they cost over $250,000. each He's a small farmer compared to some others in Georgia. The best peanuts in the world are grown in Georgia.
This is afreshly planted field. Once the plants sprout they will be watered by big sprinklers overhead.

Nature finds a way !

2010-05-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

Is this not the cutest bird nest? It's actually in our fake Christmas tree right outside our store entrance in Downtown Dublin. Not that Dublin is a sprawling metropolis but...people are in and out this door all day. There's 4 eggs, speckled blue, all neatly tucked into this perfect orb of sticks, mud, straw and cigarette butts. The nest started out with 6 eggs but 2 of them were unceremoniously kicked out one morning. We found them smashed on the pavement, unworthy and perhaps not viable. Mother knows best. We're all awaiting the hatching and hoping we don't make a wrong move and scare the mother away..and leave our 4 babies abandoned.

Why Crystal Bowersox won't win American Idol

2010-05-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

I'm going out on a limb here but I think I can make this prediction, even though I'm going against conventional wisdom and just about every odds maker in Las Vegas. I don't think Crystal Bowersox will win American Idol and here's why:

1. Yes she has a great voice but what matters are the voters.

2. The voters for American Idol are like me. We don't like piercings and dread locks, sorry, but it's the truth. In the past we've voted out Jason Casto, that gorgeous chick with the blonde hair and heinous arm tatoo and even last season's Adam Lambert...well, he was tremendously talented but not really mainstream. Moms and Grandmas like me vote for mainstream.

3. Most mainstream winners are nice, clean cut, sing nice songs and don't have purple hair. You may get far with your kookiness but guess what....Me and my friends aren't voting for you. And yes, we have iPhones with unlimited AT&T texting plans and so do our nieces....who write down everyone's numbers and vote for the cutest girl and guy on the show. Just look at the untalented Tim Urban. The girls love him and he's a nice guy, but can he sing....? Not very well, especially compared to Crystal Bowersox but hey, she's got way too many things going against her. We'd even vote for her with those bad teeth (her parents fault) ...we voted for Elliot Yamin, but she won't win with that hair and that pierced face. At least I'm not voting for her. Yep, my girls and I voted for Donny Osmond on Dancing With the Stars and yes he won. I guess we'll see. I certainly like that Michael Lynch. He's a married man with a baby and an adoring wife, we vote for guys like him.

March Birthday Fun

2010-04-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

It's just great to have Sundays at the Sonksens !! We love having the kids from the ward over!

Indoor Flowers 101

2010-04-18T08:34:00.001-07:00

Not that I'm any expert, in FACT, I'm the one who always killed houseplants. I always told my family "don't give me live plants, I hate to water and they die". Well, I've found one plant that is great indoors, geraniums! I just dig up my outdoor geraniums in the fall (instead of letting the frost kill them). Plant them in pots with store bought potting soil and bring inside! Voile ! As long as they are in a sunny spot, they will bloom all winter. I even have one pink one from 2 years ago that is still going strong. Yes, I DO have a sunny room and that must be the key, but I think any reasonably sunny location will do. Last summer, 2009, I made sure to plant red and white geraniums outside so that when I brought them in, they would bloom by Christmas and not clash with the Christmas tree and trimmings. The year before I brought in all pink geraniums and they looked a little funny in December. I also recommend African Violets, they seem to be pretty kill-proof and sure look great when in bloom. Spring has sprung and my outdoors looks great, but my indoors has been blooming all winter long!

2010-01-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

This is me and my wonderful Dad, Bruce Walborn. We are at my parents farm in Hart, Michigan at Christmas. It's one of my favorite places in the world and so beautiful every season. I love snow and they have tons of it. I love my Dad more than anything...what can I say? This past summer my daughter Kimberly said to me, "You really have an awesome Dad, don't you!" I said, "Yes, kind of like yours! Aren't we lucky girls!!!"

Hello 2010

2010-01-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

I've discovered something about myself in the last few years...January is my favorite month! Not just because my birthday is almost here (in February) but because everything's over...the Holidays, the past year, the shopping and decorating...the craziness of working in a place that has a retail shop AND an online catalog business...and now it's time to relax!! I typically head right down to Florida to see the grandkids but it's freezing in Florida and their heater is broken (probably because I never knew they had one since they never use it). So...I've got a few projects going (top secret) and for all I care it could SNOW all winter. The more the better. I love it, especially since I don't do any of the shoveling. Bring it on...then I'll head to Florida.

Here's the January Birthday bunch from the Singles Ward: they are cute: Alyssa and her men.

Giant Albino Python

2009-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Technically this is a Burmese Albino Python, and very rare! How cool. They feed it 3-4 frozen rats every few weeks. It swallows them whole and then spends the rest of the time digesting. Ewwww, cool.

2009-12-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

It's always hard to say goodbye. When my little darlings come to visit there is nothing I'd rather do than hang out with them! They are a bundle of fun and help us all sleep better at night (from exhaustion?). I wish they could come to my house every other day!! Florida is just too far! This is their little bundles of energy ready to get on the plane. I usually tell Kimberly "Good Luck" when there's absolutely nothing I can do to help her. Jada and I have discovered Skypeing on Sundays, I have lot's of plan for Grammy puppet shows and Grammy reading books with my granddaughters....fun!!

Washington, DC

2009-10-25T19:03:00.001-07:00

Having fun in the Comms dept. at an undisclosed Washington, DC location. Garrette, my mom wants your shoes!
Working hard to keep the peace and domestic tranquility of the nation. We appreciate it.

Who knew it would be 79 degrees at the end of October in Washington DC? That's OK, they had ice cream outside the Supreme Court !!
Floor to ceiling in the US Capitol. Fun, I love George Washington becoming a God in the dome, and the stunning mozaic floors. I am usually a perfect speller but I'm not sure that Capitol is spelled Capitol or Capital. hmmmm.

One of my favorite heroes, Ronald Reagan. I loved the man. When I first saw him on TV in the Republican debates, I knew he was the guy I wanted for President....and there were a lot of candidates. What a hero he turned out to be. My niece Alex, and my Mom & Dad having fun at the Visitors Center.

Hooray for Veterans !

2009-10-25T18:52:00.001-07:00

Craig and I went to Washington, DC with my parents last week to visit our daughter Stephanie who is working on Capitol Hill. We visited the World War II Memorial which is just beautiful. My dad talked all about the war and the fact that he went to Korea just a decade later. I guess my grandfather, who fought in France during World War I, really wanted to fight in World War II but he was a little too old at the time and he had a family.

We saw all these awesome Veterans walking around and this nice group of school kids were walking by and their teacher had all the kids shake their hands and say hello and show respect to them. I was so impressed I took their photo. I couldn't help myself and I wanted to get a picture with them too. Craig took the picture and when the man asked me if that was my husband and I said yes, he said, "then I'll hug you a little tighter!" It was very cute. I wanted to cry I was so proud of these men.

Really fun bracelet project !

2009-09-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

This is the bracelet. I took 3 sheets of 12 in. scrapbook paper (not cardstock) and put 2 coats of mod-podge on them with a sponge brush and let dry. Then I cut the paper into rectangles. They were 2 1/2 in. by 6 inches. I made a few practice ones out of regular paper just to see what I liked and the size. I wanted it big to make a statement. I need to make some more in other fall colors. I think it turned out cute! It's just like making those gum wrapper chains, you fold in half long ways, then half again and half again. Ask any old woman, we all made these as kids.

I saw my sister-in-law Lisa this summer with the cutest bracelet and she said her daughter, Claire, made it at Girl's Camp ! I about passed out. I figured that if she could make that at camp, then I could make one too.

History was made at the Ohio State Football game !!

2009-09-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is the very COOL Navy vs. Ohio State home opener football game last Saturday. We WON !! Well, we should have won since we were favored and we were obviously bigger than those cute Navy boys, but...History was made at this game. We had only the 4th person ever (non-band member) to "dot" the "I" in Ohio on the field. It was astronaut (and we won't mention Democrat) John Glenn. He and his wife went out on the field for this awesome showing. There were so many band members on the field that they had to make the"script Ohio" 4 times on the field. They had over 80 Alumni band members also marching on the field and quite a few former drum majors out there...one was 92. HA It was a wonderful day with glorious weather. Then we went home and BYU beat #3 ranked Oklahoma, what a day.

Nanette's Birthday

2009-08-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

My sister Nanette is having a birthday. I plan a lot to surprise her and this year was no exception. I wouldn't usually toot my horn about what her present was but...this video is just too funny to not share. I made an excuse about needing some Mary Kay so we drove home from the office in the middle of the day to her house. There was a delivery truck in the driveway and so we approached with confusion. I told her that maybe her neighbor was getting something. when she questioned the deliverymen about who it was for and they said it was HER...she about passed out. Enjoy the fun !

The History of Aprons

2009-08-22T19:05:00.001-07:00

This summer I went to Questers with my mom. It's a group of women who love collecting and antiques. We heard this woman who was the "Apron Lady". She collects and teaches all about the history of aprons: their uses, fashions, fabrics and lore. It was fascinating! I loved hearing about how women used their aprons for everything years ago. In the morning they would gather the hem and carry the feed out to the chickens. Collecting the eggs in the apron and back in the kitchen they would go to gather up the hem again to take something hot out of the oven and dry a child's tears. She shared many fun stories and as the wind blew gently that day they would all blow along the porch where they were hung to view. Lunch and talk was held at the Hexagon Bed and Breakfast in Pentwater, Michigan. I'd love to stay there someday! We kept calling it the Octagon House or Pentagon House instead of the Hexagon House, I guess we're not too good in Geometry.

The best little swimmer !

2009-08-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

At 1 1/2, my granddaughter, Kalle, is the biggest daredevil child I have EVER seen in my life ! She will constantly jump in the water and go under water and never choke or need air. Astounding. She kicks and finds her mom underwater and swims to her. It's the funniest, cutest swimming I have ever seen from a child. I love it!

My sister is crazy !

2009-07-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ummmmm, people always say that I'M a little crazy, I think I have the proof that my sister is just a tad nuttier than me. What do you guys think? Yes, her son-in-,Lincoln, got a job and YES she's a little happy about it, HA. He came over to our store today to give her the good news and she went slightly beserk. I was concerned she was going to squeeze him to death, sorry Mallory, I was just going to get it on video so I could turn her into the cops.

Ha Ha

2009-07-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what it is about me, but I have a "familiar" looking face....or an every person look. Seems that when I'm in a crowd I always get asked my opinion on something. This was me in California looking at the floats for the Rose Parade. I'm just minding my own business and this woman starts asking me how I like the floats and where I'm from. As soon as I look at her she has a microphone in my face and there's a camera there. Ha. I also got interviewed after Ronald Reagan died and we were downtown Columbus at an Art Show. I also got interviewed at the Columbus Tea Party and it's on the This Week Community website with me and my sign answering questions. I tried to upload the link but it failed. Just me having fun I guess. My plain old average face...

Engineering and Full Employment

2009-07-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

Other ingenious design flaws cause humans to have to stop on a major highway...stop traffic and make people slow down. This road in Illinois buckled and exploded. We found this citizen just kicking and scraping road chunks to the side so Craig and Kurt Dehner got out to help. Then they dragged orange cones to the spot. We saw 2 cars just ahead with blown tires from hitting this rift in the road. I called 911 and stayed in the car.

I saw these guys on the street in New York City. Honestly, do we really have to use humans to hold caution tape around wet cement?

Columbus Tea Party

2009-06-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's me...the big PROTEST woman !!!

Joseph Smith ??

2009-06-22T20:27:00.001-07:00

Does this look like the Prophet Joseph Smith. Some claim this is the only known photo of him. Wow, not what I expected. Who is this guy really?

St. Patrick's Day Parade

2009-03-24T12:20:00.001-07:00

Stephanie came home for the weekend and brought her cute roommates Wendy and Sarah to join us. Along with Lincoln, Halle and Debbie and Andrea...we had a awesome crew to hand out our awesome chocolate dreams and chocolate truffles. Dublin, OH has the most fun St. Patrick's day Parade with their theme this year of having your Green WOW Factor. We really did it up to showcase our store, The Sisters Sweet Shoppe and our catalog for Grandma's Fruitcakes and our peanut butter Krema and Crazy Richard's Peanut Butter. People came into our store after the parade in a flood to check out our Peanut Butter Lover's Baskets, Buckeye Crunch and all our other great products. Oh yeah, we got on some national news, yeah!
We LOVE the Dublin St. Patrick's Day Parade! It is one of the top 8 parades in the US on St. Patrick's Day! Wow !! Here's what the Dublin News had to say, "The late comedian Jackie Gleason was knows for his sign-off, "How sweet it is!", and the Sister's Sweet Shoppe may be saying the same thing, having been selected as the winning float in the parade's commercial category." You can check out the full story at www.columbuslocalnews.com. Considering there are only 3 prizes awarded we feel very honored. We also happened to win LAST year so the pressure is ON for next year. Here's our cute float thanks to the Halley family for letting us use and abuse their awesome ski boat.

My First Movie

2009-03-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

And...I showed my movie at the Single's Ward Film Festival and I WON for "Best Movie by a Bishop's Wife !!" Pretty cool huh? I made this as a music video and showed how I just got my camera out of the box and started to make a movie! It was fun. Thanks to my brother Warren who helped (a little) ha-ha

Disney World

2009-02-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

DisneyWorld was Amazing ! We had so much fun with our little granddaughters Jada & Kalle...and of course their parents Kimmi and Chris. The best part was the lunch with Cinderella and friends in the castle. I thought that castle was a dummy or a fake but we actually got to walk up to the 2nd floor and go in this beautiful room with stained glass windows overlooking the park and lots of flags hanging, very authentic and castle like. The weather was perfect and the kids were in heaven. My 2nd favorite was the Lion King type show (they had a guy twirling fire batons) and also the Nemo show!!! Wow.

Flying first Class !!!!

2009-01-10T05:20:00.000-08:00

Stephanie called it the "Christmas Miracle" and I think she was right. By some fluke we couldn't get out of Columbus to JFK to meet our friends for the trip so the airlines flew us to Atlanta. Just the place where Kimberly and Chris were waiting to get to JFK but their flight was cancelled. Then, Delta put all 5 of us in first class all the way to Tel Aviv! We absolutely had the best time and I was in no hurry to land since we were having so much fun!

Israel !!!

2009-01-10T05:09:00.001-08:00

Along the Mediterranean Sea, on the ancient roman ruins. Very beautiful day and balmy seas.

Fun !

2008-12-09T19:25:00.001-08:00

My laundry room during Sundays at the Sonksens !!!

My groovy guys at the dance.!!

Ohio State Beats Michigan - Again!!!

2008-11-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

This is us at the game. The day started out at 17 degrees. It was like having your head in the freezer. I raided our food storage and brought hand warmers and toasty toes so I felt pretty good all day. We were packed in so tight with all the blankets and jackets and people that it was hard to be cold. Craig was still sorry they weren't selling dippin dots.

Why do the tall people have to sit in front of ME??? This guy is even 2 rows away, I think he was 7 feet tall and he just HAD to stand for all the interesting plays...thus creating a wave of people behind him (like a shock wave) of people standing up in succession to see the game. Tall people should be made to sit on the back row or stay seated.
The view from our seats on the 50 yard line is pretty spectacular...even if we had to watch the Michigan Band prancing around.

This is the OSU marching band coming into the stadium.

5 years in a row Ohio State has prevailed over Michigan...yeah!!

America's Most Wanted

2008-11-02T14:12:00.001-08:00

Pledge of Allegiance

2008-11-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

My darling granddaughter, Jada, aged 2 1/2 saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Must be because she has an awesome mother and an inspirational aunt who works in Washington DC. This is just adorable!

It's Fall !!

2008-10-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

Just some fun images from the backyard of fall. I love the leaves everywhere. Every year I pick up tons of them and press them in books. This one on the right is Stephanie's 15th birthday tree. It's a red maple (planted for her red hair), it's spectacular in the fall.

I love Fall. I love the colors and the cool weather. I love all things made out of pumpkin and my favorite colors are yellow and orange! I switched to pink for a few years in the 80's but now I'm back to my true favorites...yellow and orange.

Our backyard is planted with all kinds of trees that are special to our family. When each of our granddaughters were born we planted a special tree for each of them. A Weeping Cherry for Jada and a Norwegian curly spruce for Kalle. We planted a Tri-color Beech for our son-in-law Chris and Japanese Red Maple for Stephanie when she graduated from college. It's fun to watch the trees and the kids grow!

Stephanie

2008-10-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

I made her buy this shirt, I mean...I bought this shirt for her because it was so adorable on her and so fitting....not that it fit well, which it did but, it fit, you know.

It says "My standards aren't that low". Ha-ha

America's Most wanted !!

2008-10-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, Stephanie indulged me and we went to the Crime & Punishment Museum in Washington DC last weekend when I went to visit her. Wow, it was exciting! Not only did we get to see ancient torture methods, we got to learn about modern serial killers, presidential assasins, supermax jail cells and your run of the mill murderers like Scott Peterson and OJ Simpson. The BEST part was visiting the set of America's Most Wanted in the basement. Not only is John Walsh the host of AMW, he is one of my top 5 American Heros of all time! I love that guy! So, it was absolutely a riot to see where it happens. (not of course, a real riot, like Attica).

I'd love to sit in on the call center when the tips start rolling in!

We did the line up.

This is the closest I'll get to my hero, except for watching him at 9:00pm on Saturday nights, I Tivo him when we are away. Oh, they just recently got their 1,000th capture, truly amazing.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving!!!

2008-10-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is almost here at Grandma's Fruitcakes, located at 45 N. High St., Dublin, OH 43017, at our new home, The Sisters Sweet Shoppe. Those wacky Fruitcake Sisters are cooking up some specialties for the holidays!

This is one of the shots that DID NOT make our postcard for Thanksgiving !! ha ha even though we think it's pretty funny. This is my sister and myself (Melissa and Nanette) and the Thanksgiving turkey (aka Danny our warehouse guy...we make him wear all the costumes) and our darling nieces Nancy and Halle Walborn from Michigan (we don't hold it against them because they are both staunch Buckeye fans!) This is us saying "Save the Turkey, eat FRUITCAKE for Thanksgiving !" Of course we mean our scrumptuous Grandma's Fruitcakes (www.grandmasfruitcakes.com) that are moist and delicious. Made with the harmony of nature's finest flavors - rich fruits and nutmeats and baked and mellowed to produce a moist fruitcake unlike any other. Grandma's Fruit and Nut Cake also comes in several other delicious flavors like Grandma's Blieberry Walnut cake, Australian Apricot Cake, Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake and Apple Cinnamon Nut Cake. Stop in for a free sample ! or request a catalog at www.kremapeanutbutter.com.

Cutie Pie Kalle

2008-09-29T14:10:00.001-07:00

This is my cute granddaughter Kalle. I just love her look of wonder and that big honking flower on her head. Thanks to my niece Margo for turning all the kids in the family into flowerheads! Cute.

Brownies at the Barneys

2008-09-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yeah, we have new missionaries in our ward! Elder and Sister Webb from Tremonton, Utah. We're so glad to have them!

If you missed the party, this was one of the food tables.....not including the brownie table! Amazing!!!

The birthday bunch for the month of September.

New Sign!!

2008-09-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

We finally got our new sign installed at our store! I think it turned out really cute. The Sisters Sweet Shoppe in Dublin, Ohio is at our new location at 45 N. High St., in Dublin. The entrance to our store is around the back on Darby St. if anyone wants to visit. We give away lots of free samples of our delicious Grandma's Fruitcakes, chocolate covered Fruitcake and other dessert cakes like Blueberry Walnut, Australian Apricot Cake, Pineapple Macadamia Nut Cake and an Apple Cinnamon Cake. We also have gourmet chocolates and gifts, the ever popular Buckeye Crunch, which is caramel corn coated in peanut butter and chocolate....lots of goodies. Shop online at www.grandmasfruitcakes.com OR www.theSistersSweetShoppe.com. You can also find our Krema Natural Peanut Butter in chunky or creamy and our other brand called Crazy Richard's Peanut Butter. It is also all natural without salt, sugar or added hydrogenated oils. Just peanuts. Crazy Richard's has been named one of the 125 Top Foods for men in Men's Health Magazine for 3 years in a row. It is also the only peanut butter they recommend and has received a top pick award as well. Check out the peanut butter info at www.kremapeanutbutter.com OR www.crazyrichards.com. We also have Almond Butter, Cashew Butter and Hot & Spicy Peanut Butter. Please stop in for samples!

Melissophobia !!!!

2008-09-17T17:54:00.001-07:00

It's TRUE. Melissophobia is a real fear and NO it's not the fear of Melissa Sonksen ! It's the fear of bees. I read this on www.phobialist.com. I'm not even sure why I was checking for phobias (maybe to see if I have any) but there was a note in my planner to check so that's what I'm doing. Now I can understand having Dentophobia (fear of dentists) and especially Odontophobia (who likes getting dental surgery...sorry Brigham and Dan) those are phobias that are shared by many I'm sure. I found that the phobia list has 530 medically identified phobias...and there's probably more. So I decided to see If I was suffering from any other undiagnosed phobias on the list. I knew I didn't have Lutraphobia (fear of otters) or Clinophobia (fear of going to bed) and not even Myxophobia (the fear of slime)...so what was it? Oh Yes, I used to have Pteromerhanophobia which is the fear of flying (not to be confused with Pteronophobia which is the fear of being tickled with feathers)! Some of my other favorites include Sinistrophobia (fear of things on the left or left handed), Cacophobia (fear of ugliness), Ephebiphobia (fear of teenagers), let's hope none of us get Ecclesiophobia (the fear of church!), and here's one I can't understand...Hippophobia...you'd think it was the fear of hippos but it's the fear of horses! Why would anyone have Mycophobia (the fear of mushrooms) my sister-in-law Karen hates them because they squeak when you eat them eew! But I love them! My daughter Kimberly had Cynophobia as a kid (fear of dogs..maybe she still has it but she's covering it) but for sure she didn't have Porphyrophobia (fear of the color purple) Purple was her favorite color! Stephanie had Agoraphobia (fear of crowds) as a kid. She hated going shopping at City Center Mall, just too many people! She also had that little elevator problem (I had it too, we HATE elevators still but we like the glass ones!) but I can't find the name for it. The longest phobia name has to be Paraskavedekatriaphobia which is the fear of Friday the 13th! In our family that's a great day since my parents met on a Friday the 13th! And one phobia that nobody should have is Arachibutyrophobia not to be confused with Arachnaphobia (fear of spiders) it means....fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth!

The Parable of the Cardinal

2008-09-09T18:54:00.001-07:00

A few years back we had a bird feeder. Our girls were so excited to see all the different birds that came to our feeder. We had a book and checked off the pages of the ones we'd seen. It was fun to identify new birds and keep a list of our feathered friends. I still have that list. It carefully tells the story of the finches, robins, hummingbirds, tropical buntings, grackles, warblers, titmice, blue jays, bluebirds, owls, woodpeckers, sparrows and my favorite the Northern Cardinal. The males are a bright red and the females a more muted color with a regal pointed crown. They love to sit in the tops of the trees and warble to each other. Their call was so distinct and clear that even if I had my back to the window, when the cardinals made their chirp I knew which birds were at the feeder. When we would take walks or ride our bikes in our nearby woods, I could always tell if a cardinal was in the tree top by their call. After a time the racoons found our bird feeder and would raid it every night. Finally they destroyed it as it came crashing down due to their heavy weight and big scratching claws. Some years later when we were walking in our favorite neighborhood woods we heard some birds calling. Craig said, "that's a cardinal, do you hear it?" There were so many other birds singing at the time that I couldn't identify the cardinal. I strained to pick out my favorite bird but could not. I realized that I'd forgotten the song of the cardinal and therefore could not identify it. I related this to hearing the whisperings of the spirit. When we are in tune and listening every day, it's easy to hear the one song we're searching for. Even when so much other noise is around, if we reaquaint ourselves daily (and practice listening) to the spirit, we will always know it. The Savior said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

The Grandkids !

2008-09-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is Kalle, age 10 months and adorable and sweet. She loves to eat, is starting to walk and really loves her mommy. I just couldn't keep my eyes off of her beauty and charm.
This is Jada and Grandpa. Jada is 2 1/2 and talks non-stop (she comes from a long line of talking women!) Jada can charm the pants off of anyone and she has her Grandpa just where she wants him...doing her bidding whether it's building towers with blocks or going outside to swing...he just can't say NO to our darling jada!

Sundays at the Sonksens - August

2008-09-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Our cute missionaries were having so much fun they probably thought they shouldn't have come!! ha ha. They sure do a great job in our ward.
Dan Eastman loves to schmooze with the Dehners!

Laurie and Clint enjoying their ice cream cones.

More fun hanging around outside at the Sonksens.

Brandi, Brigham, Katie, Matt & John were the August Birthdays! Looks like everyone was having a great time with their peach spice cake ( I just made it up today!)

Wedding Weekend !!

2008-08-25T19:58:00.001-07:00

Wow !! When it comes to good looks, that's Maria & Jeremy. At their ultra classy reception at the beautiful Bridgewater Banquet Center....and I loved Maria's gorgeous dress with lots of beads and lace....nice!
The cutest reception idea...a candy BAR! All the candies were red and yellow (Maria's colors) and you could fill up your cup as many times as you wanted....with scoops and spoons. I loved the lemon heads and dove caramel and colored M & M's. How fun!!! The Bishop loaded up quite a few times!
One week to go before the wedding for Maria & Jeremy Fairbourne.....they are ready for the party!

Aubrey, Oakley & Stephanie...having fun at the wedding reception.
Christy Frost Ghazi-Moradi (did I spell that right) and Stephanie Sonksen...long time Ohio buddies and adorable bridesmaids for Aubrey.

Aubrey & Steve Mangum were so happy and loved partying with their friends and family at their reception at Corazon Club & Spa on August 22, 2008. An AWESOME time was had by all with great food, great music and lots of crazy people having fun. Hey!!! I used to be Aubrey's Seminary teacher and I watched her grow up! She was a very happy bride!

My Stephanie

2008-08-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and I had walked down to the pier (in Michigan at my parents cottage) and she just looked so pretty in the light of the sunset (her colors) and I couldn't resist taking a few photos of her....she was not cooperating so I had to sneak some in while she wasn't looking. She's still my sweet baby with the ginger hair.

BEE Happy!

2008-08-13T17:13:00.001-07:00

OK, we've been walking by this railing like, ALL SUMMER, and never noticed this huge Hornets nest teaming with busy MEAN bees. My dad saw a bee and leaned over and about put his nose right in it! Ha, it was sooooo funny (sorry Dad) he was swatting and ducking from the bees that decided to swarm his head. Luckily he got away and we went around the other way and I took this picture. You can see some of the bees on the right side all clinging to the nest. It was COOL! Luckily I didn't get stung because it's the one thing I'm allergic to. OK, here's my bee story. When I was about in high school, it was a Sunday morning and my friend just phoned me to invite me over after church. I got back in bed and was just dreaming about how fun it was going to be at her house and I was watching this bee on the ceiling in my room. suddenly it drops right down on me and lands on my leg and STINGS me. I was positively just laying in my bed! I go screaming to my parents and my mom accuses me of provoking it or stepping on it (it was on the ceiling!!!!) Well, within an hour my foot was swollen up like a watermelon and I had to miss church and seeing my friend and my parents were mad at ME. Talk about a bad day.

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-07-07T18:30:00.001-07:00

Sundays at the Sonksens - June

2008-07-06T19:20:00.001-07:00

It's NORM !!!

2008-06-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, this is HIM guys!! The Norm, aka Norm Nemrow, BYU accounting teacher extraordinaire! Yep, we're really friends with him and his adorable wife Cindy. They just got back from being Mission President last year in Korea. Norm and Craig were missionary companions in Korea (AP's together) and they were looking over old photos and remembering the good old days. We have such a riot with them. They are coming back to Ohio for more laughs this fall (or is it next fall?) whatever, they are so much fun. We DID go get Korean food with them and enjoyed it.

This is the view from Norm's front porch where he views the world and the neighbors and Mt. Timp. Everyone wants to come over. I felt like a celebrity just sitting there with them!
Norm & Cindy, so cute. I think I still have their wedding announcement. ha-ha
! Looking over old missionary photos, what fun!

My cute husband.

2008-06-14T20:03:00.001-07:00

I think he was saying "Honey, I'll save you from this bear" either that or "Wow, this guy's fur is really soft."

Mr. Craig, looking so fine I just had to take his photo. We were eating at Zoom, my new most favorite restaurant. We were just reminiscing about our trip and the reason we came...to celebrate 30 years of our very happy marriage. What a beautiful day it was, the next morning we woke up to an inch of snow! Love it.

Random Utah photos -HA HA

2008-06-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ryan Liston, Mr. Cute, doing his piano lesson homework ....and dressed very nicely I might add. This kid is a true barrel of monkeys.

Cragun Liston, Mr. Hot but doesn't know it, has all the girls a twitter. I did a room inspection on him and his brother (I like to do that to my relatives and friends) and he WAY passed. Watch out world, Cragun is on his way (he's a Buckeye too and was born in Ohio, nice).

Moose and me, yes, this is Snowbasin and yes, there's no snow in the basin. Actually there was no one there. We heard they had great lunches up here so we made the trek (like pioneers) but we missed the part that said they were only open on weekends (I guess Monday isn't technically the weekend anymore). We loved the view, clean air and loneliness. Made me want to shout.

This is Devil's Slide.....cool huh? I actually just snapped this as we were driving by because the lookout was closed for some strange reason....orange cones everywhere. Wouldn't it be crazy to slide down this thing? Can you say suicide?

When I'm in Utah I like to keep up on what's going on in the world. That's why I try not to miss the 10 o'clock news with Bruce and Dini (is that really her name?) KSL Eyewitness News at 10 is great...better than at 11 like in Ohio. Nice people, great team, what can I say?

Tons of friends in Utah !!!

2008-06-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

BFF Kara Liston and me. She's the mom with the mostest and the best kids on the planet (except for mine of course) (and well, my nieces too). She and family live in Pleasant View and is it Pleasant! Her house is gorgeous as well, but when you're beautiful and awesome on the inside then that's all that matters...except I have a cool place to swim when I visit her!

Caroline and Natalie Roner...sisters and roomies living the good life in Park City. We just had to check out their lifestyles and their new digs....I give the thumbs up to them AND to COW ice cream in Park City...yum. Also my new fav restaurant...ZOOM in Park City. amazing food and we met the pastry chef, she's a friend of Sharon & Darrins'. fun.

Speaking of Sharon and Darrin.....these are our FIRST friends we ever had after we got married. We met them on the way into church our first sunday and have loved these guys ever since. I reminded them that they were our first dinner guests we ever had over and I made chili...the only thing I knew how to cook! These guys now live in Orem and are very happy there. Sharon is an art major at BYU and she's amazing! We LOVE these guys!

Jenny Rex and new baby Chloe and daughter Lauren. They used to live in Dublin and have moved to Saratoga Springs, UT. They miss Dublin and the green but Utah mountains are so splendid.

This is our old gang from Korea. We used to have so much fun playing UNO with these guys. That's us and Mark and Randy Peterson and Dave & Diane Thompson. The Petersons live in Provo and he is the Dept. Chair at BYU for Korean studies. The Thompsons live in Virginia and were kind enough to take our Stephanie in when she first mod to DC. We just had a blast reliving our old days in Korea and all the fun we had there.

This is Ed & Lois Bacon. They are our dear friends from Singapore. I told Lois that I wasn't going to miss seeing her this time! We had so much fun with them and our other Singapore friends and we miss them all the time.

We bumped into Heather Thomas' parents at the Conference Center. Isn't that what being in Utah is all about? We are always seeing friends...it's so great.

This is Dixie and Clive Wade, Craig's uncle (he is Craig's mother's brother). Uncle Clive is the first relative of Craig's I ever met, in fact, I met him on Craig's and my FIRST DATE. We went up to Salt Lake to a Univ. of Utah vs. BYU basketball game. Craig got extra tickets so we met Uncle Clive and gave him 2. He has always been so sweet to Craig and me. Dixie is his 2nd wife as his first wife Betty died a few years ago.

These are our most excellent friends, Kim & Julie Smith. Craig and I both knew Kim when we were students at BYU. He and Julie moved into our ward in New Jersey when we were all newlyweds and Craig and Kim rode the train into New York City for their jobs everyday. We were best friends with them and remain great friends today. They just moved to Provo, UT after Kim retired from Goldman Sachs. He is now teaching at BYU and Julie is a student finishing up at BYU. We are crazy about them!

Bountiful Braves!!!

2008-06-14T18:59:00.001-07:00

Craig's cousin owns this ravine, don't know what he's going to do with it, but this sure was a beautiful view of the temple. Personally I think these houses are going to fall in the ravine when the earthquake hits. I wonder if Craig's cousin will get to keep all their stuff?

I guess I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And, Craig's Uncle and cousins live right up the hill!
Hmmmmm, I wonder how many kids in the Columbus 2nd Ward have graced these steps up to Bountiful High????????????

thank you, I enjoyed myself. I wonder if they really are brave?

Trip to Utah !!!

2008-06-14T18:42:00.001-07:00

I remember as a college student in the 1970's how we would get to Salt Lake really early on Conference weekend just to be able to get into the Tabernacle. We would line up all around the building and wait all day in line just to get into the afternoon session. After being newly refurbished it only seats 4,000. Amazing that is used to seem so big!

Wow! The temple is so beautiful!

This little old lady was a special guest of the Choir for Music and the Spoken Word. She just celebrated her 95th birthday (she's from Florida...and not a member) so her local newspaper did an article on her. She was asked many questions and one of them was "What is your one dream in life?" She answered that her fondest wish was to see and hear the Mormon Tabernacle choir in person. Another woman reading the paper saw what this lady's request was (I suspect she was a member) so she called her up and said she wanted to take her to Utah and let her see the choir....and there they were. They wheeled her up on stage to be presented to the Choir when it was over and then the choir sang their closing song "God be with you til we meet again" right to her. She heartily sang along and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. What a wonderful thing...the kindness of a stranger. It was a glorious day and we feel so blessed to be a part of the most wonderful organization on the earth...the Savior's Church.

Jared Halley Live Concert

2008-05-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Dave #1 and Dave #2 and more fans.........( or is it Dave #2 & Dave #1?????)
Jared Halley fan club. Little girl (who kept dancing on stage) Summer, Brigham, Kira, Tara & Jared in back (a different Jared).

Yep, Jared Halley is talented. I just want to go on record that I've known him since he was just a little kid. Stephanie also picked him up for Seminary so I'm sure she'll claim part of the credit for his success in life, deserved of course. His concert in the park was well attended and fantastic. He needs to try out for American Idol. I know that WE'D all vote for him. And I have unlimited texting, so I'm a force to be reconed (rekoned ???....I'm an excellent speller but I find myself vexed) with when it comes to voting on reality shows.

Memorial Day Picnic

2008-05-27T19:40:00.001-07:00

A little too much smoke for Mallory I guess.
Stop fighting you two.....
Are these guys new in the ward? These are the girls....Kate, Mallory, Caitlin & Pete. So pretty !!!!!

Why didn't I take more photos? The food was great and everyone had a nice time.

Mallory's Shower

2008-05-27T19:36:00.001-07:00

Nice flowers from Uncle Craig

Whoops, I didn't mean to put on this picture, Mallory's face was a little red. Where do people buy this stuff? Not that I really want to know.

Great fun to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Mallory and Lincoln!

Lake Michigan and Asparagus picking!

2008-05-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful beach and lighthouses on the pier. It's wonderful to swim in freshwater.

This is where I would spend my entire summer if I didn't have a store and had to be home to sell fruitcake...and be with my husband. ha ha Forget the ocean, most people have no idea how fabulous Lake Michigan is. That's ok, we like it quiet.

This is a little piece of driftwood I found on the beach. I wanted to take it home so my sweet husband got the shovel and dug it up!!! I'm sure it wouldn't fit in the car so I settled for a photo. This is our beach on Lake Michigan. Greater love hath no husband than to try and fulfill his wife's dreams.

This is probably my most favorite view in all the world. It's the walkway down to Lake Michigan from my parents cottage. Lake Michigan is clean and blue and peaceful.

Isn't asparagus funny? It has to be hand snapped since the spears just poke right up from the ground...one by one! They were also great to eat raw.
This is part of my parents farm, I adore the blue skies and lovely fields...the air is clean and the ground is soft and sandy. The trees are all gentle and blow in the breezes of Lake Michigan. I always take my own pictures of myself. I'm a little crazy. I just want to prove I was there!

That is my cute little mother. We were out picking asparagus in the rye field. My dad overplanted the asparagus field on their farm with rye this year, but the asparagus is still coming up between the rows, so fun!!!

Orange much?

2008-05-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I am shopping for my large family of 2 at Kroger and I'm happily wearing my orange Spring coat, orange blouse and my new Spring orange purse...the girl at the checkout says to me, "Wow, it takes a lot of confidence to pull off all that color!" Hmmmmmm.....I'm thinking, this is either a backhanded compliment or a total slam. The girl isn't very old and since I'm not generally suspicious of people's motives I decide it's a compliment and I thank her and go home. What did she really mean? I'm going to think the best, and I'm still going to wear my lovely orange!! Hey, my car is red. And, I'm toting the reusable bags OK, except for meat, eeeeewh. I really like my new purse.

Our lovely Institute

2008-05-18T18:26:00.000-07:00

These are the kids across the street from our Institute building. It was such a beautiful day. I said HI to them and isn't it a nice day and they said it was great for drinking beer. Whatever.

The girls cannot keep their hands off of Bryce's mohawk!! I asked him if it was Crimson for Utah or Scarlet for OSU and he said both. Whatever, it's working! I think Chris is jealous of all the attention that Bryce is getting.

It's great to go to Relief Society and hang out with the girls.
The Bishop is always ready to talk to everyone!
There are so many beautiful girls in our ward, like Summer and Annie.
And Caitlin and Candace.

What a beautiful day! I love going to church and seeing all my friends and learning and feeling the spirit. What a way to start the week right!!! I know, more pictures of Kate! My camera just loves that girl......she's so cute. Stephen always finds the cute girls.

Too many bells & whistles

2008-05-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

I needed a new cell phone a while back. My phone was so old that the battery fried the sim card and lost all my numbers. Yikes, it's no fun trying to recreate that list! If I haven't called you lately then it may be that I don't have your number. So.... I go into the cell phone store (in this case AT & T) and tell them I just need a basic phone....and 30 minutes later I walk out with the latest cool phone with all the bells and whistles. I told them when I went in that I didn't want anything too complicated...and I need a manual. Fat chance. I got the trickiest phone (with video and e-mail....the works) and NO manual. Luckily Craig hasn't complained about the extra $40. a month for the service....he always lets me do what I want....what a great guy! Before the 30 days were up I was so frustrated with my new phone and I could NOT figure it out.....so I trekked back to the store fully DETERMINED to make them "take it back" (politely, I'm always polite) and give me the basic phone, thank you. Before I left I promised myself I was not going to let them talk me into keeping it...NO WAY. ...I came home that day......with the same phone. My 2 year old granddaughter Jada says it best (as she learned from a boy in her nursery class) "What the HECK???" Anybody got some swamp land they want to sell me? I'm in a buying mood!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-05-12T16:01:00.001-07:00

Parking Problems

2008-05-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

Bob Wiley (from What About Bob?) said Basically there are 2 kinds of people, those that like Neil Diamond, and those who don't. My wife loved him!" I also happen to wooorrrrshiiiii....really LOVE him. All my middle school memories have a Neil Diamond track playing along. ahhhhh.

Why would somone park like this? This guy is clearly sticking out into MY favorite spot at Kroger, forcing me to park 2 spaces away from the cart corral and letting my car possibly get dented by someone on both sides now. I think this truck is basically taking up 4 spots by his (I'll call him a guy because it's a big truck) (sexism ? maybe, but those who know me know that I always support the guys) and most women don't like to drive a truck this big. What were they thinking? Couldn't they see as they got out of this monster that they were being selfish? Especially on a rainy day. Luckily Neil Diamond has his OWN station on Sirius radio (channel 3) so I can listen to him ALL DAY-not that I'm in the car all day-but it makes my driving experience wonderful!

Hard At Work!

2008-05-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm busy at work. What really keeps me going is smelling my lilacs from my bushes at home and drinking Smart Water! I try to keep my work space as lovely as possible...snacks are always good and plentiful in my handy desk cupboard...not that I need to venture far for the best chocolates, nuts and oh so tempting brownies. And Smart Water..yum......it says on the bottle "Is it just us, or do clouds get a bad rap? While we admit they're not as great to have around on a beach day, as say, the sun, clouds are unsung heroes because they contain nature's purest source of water, meanwhile , spring water comes from the ground and contains random stuff and whatever else the animals that swim in it leave behind. That's why we copied our white puffy friends by creating Smart Water. It's vapor distilled so it is in it's purest original state. It's a difference you can taste...unless, of course, you have no taste buds (then you're on your own). but, we don't stop there. We one-up the clouds by adding electrolytes just in case you do decide to hit the beach. Unfortunately, we can't fix the whole men in thongs things." Well, in the immortal words of Brad Welling (aka Bryce Peterson) "You've convinced me!" I do think it makes me smarter when trying to decide how to ship a little old lady's fruitcake..via UPS or Yellow Freight.

Florida!

2008-04-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, playing Rock Band! and my daughter Kimberly with her cast, that's why I had to stay so long so I could help with my little darlings!

I was gone for 3 weeks!!! Visiting my daughter and 2 little granddaughters (and son-in-law) (side note: I am the BEST mother-in-law! I told my son-in-law, Christopher, that it was my goal to be the "WORLD'S BEST MOTHER-IN-LAW" and I'm keeping to it. I love to pamper him with presents and cooking his favorites and NEVER NAG or tell him what to do. Yep, those old mother-in-law jokes are NOT going to apply to me....except for the fact that I'm a FRUITCAKE...what can I say?

Family Home Evening

2008-04-29T07:22:00.001-07:00

Sorting clothes for the Free Store. Very fun checking the sizes and knowing we were going to help a lot of people. Yeah!!!

My New Slide Show

2008-03-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

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Farewell for Brian Hartsock

2008-03-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

I see the elusive John Welling came to town for the festivities. He also made a pineapple upside down cake for Brian's mom's birthday. Nice. Everyone had a great time.

Yes, Brian (I mean Elder Hartsock) is off to the MTC in Provo, and then he'll be winging his way to Rome, Italy!!! We're so excited for him. He's done an amazing job of getting prepared for his mission. We'll see him again in about March of 2010.....sounds like a long way off. I hope Bishop Sonksen is still the Bishop so we can welcome Brian back home! Here's some fun pics from Brownies at the Barneys (minus Brother Barney). Everyone seemed to enjoy the chipotle chili brownies that Sister Barney made. The caramel sauce held down the chili taste...and was also good on the other brownies. She's a real gourmet and has food for just about everybody! Thanks sister Barney! and.....see you soon Brian ( I'll be even OLDER when he gets home!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our float and our Frog. We had so much fun in Dublin at the parade.

First place for our float.....AMAZING !!!!!!

Those crazy Tomato Queens from Reynoldsburg were kissing OUR FROG!!!!!!

The Fruitcake Sisters and the Dublin Frog on our "float"...the Halley's ski boat....and we WON for the best Commercial float!!!! What a trip. the judges came around and then the flag holders came around and walked in front of our boat and told us we WON!!!!. We were so excited. And...we won $250.00 cool! We didn't even know there was a prize let alone PRIZE MONEY!!! Now we want to win next year too!!!

Farewell to Will

2008-03-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Bishop and I took Will, his mom and sister Sarah to the airport to say goodbye. Come back to us soon Will!!!!

Sundays at the Sonksens - February

2008-03-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

JB was having so much fun with the girls!!!

So fun to have Laura Winder to come and visit us again!!!!!

We're back to ice cream, chocolate and bananas..even though it's not that warm out yet, we all have Spring Fever.

Lawrence & Tiffany's Wedding

2008-02-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

The happy couple...having so much fun!

The girls all wanted to catch the bouquet!!!

Nice cake, who made it?

The Bishop, Sister Sonksen & Mitt !!!!

2008-01-21T17:21:00.000-08:00

Wow, we got to meet Mitt Romney!!! He was extremely nice and polished and we just had a great time when he was in Ohio for a fundraiser! Go Mitt!!!

More Brownies at the Barneys - 2008 Style!

2008-01-21T17:07:00.001-08:00

Dan Eastman is trying all the many brownie flavors that Sis. Barney is making.

Hi Maria, she's enjoying the snacks!

I like to schmooze with all the cute boys!

Hi to our new friend, Laura, from Lima.

and Happy 30th Birthday to Alyssa!!!!

Tiffany's Bridal Shower

2008-01-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

And yes girls, he's off the market now....and looking pretty happy about it too!!
Girlfriend FUN....

Fun, fun, Fun....... lots of presents and the best food fixed by Tiffany's sister, Crystal and her mom. We all enjoyed ourselves and can't wait for the wedding reception!...Feb 2nd.

I think we need that sausage recipe please (Crystal), and fruit kabobs..yum. Even though they were jumping off our plates !! Sorry.

Jada says her ABC's

2008-01-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

My little Jada and Grammy having so much fun!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-01-10T12:36:00.001-08:00

Sundays and Singing at the Sonksens

2008-01-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

The top of my Christmas tree was so pretty, BUT, the Bishop thought I was making a nest for the angel...he eventually came around to liking my design.

This was a spiritual and fun time all together. Our house was busting at the seams and it was GREAT! We had cello, piano and lots of singing going on...including hugs and farewells for the Christmas holiday. Thank goodness everyone made it back to the"Ohio" safely.

OSU / Michigan Tailgate Party

2007-11-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Looks like everyone had a great time!

Monica and I both have #7 Buckeye shirts!

Yeah, Brian Hartsock is back!!!! Getting ready for that mission!

We had almost 70 people watching the game on 4 tv's....WAY fun! BBQ and lots of food and friends made it great....in addition to our win over Michigan!!! Go Bucks!

New Baby

2007-11-04T12:46:00.001-08:00

Big sister and little sister together for the first time!!

I'm crazy about this baby! She is a perfect little peach!!!

Jada is having some fun with her Grammy, swinging and playing in her tunnel!
This is Chris & Kimberly, happy and calm, on their way to the hospital!

Here is my beautiful new granddaughter, Kalle Roy Wernli, born Oct. 22nd, 2007. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 10 oz. and is adorable and sweet in every way. She has a calm and peaceful personality and is just happy to be here. She responds to her big sister, Jada, and is easily calmed and loves to be held and snuggled, I think she's the perfect baby!!!

More Singles Ward Graduates

2007-10-14T13:53:00.001-07:00

Stacy and Mark at their reception in Powell on Jan. 19, 2008
Stacy & Mark made it official in the Salt Lake Temple but didn't forget to party with their Ohio buddies! We had a great time and they were adorable!

Chad & Dani Snavely, married 9-28-07

Halloween 2007

2007-10-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Alex and Mallory - cousins!

Who is this awesome pirate?

What a Blast!! I loved all the costumes and the groovy dancing. Especially memorable were the "Hot Pigs" (how did Jake get so lucky?) the robots and Picachu (sp?) (I thought he was a yellow bunny until someone clued me in on Pokemon). The Village People were great and WHAT THE HECK what happened to Chris DeMoe? He was AMAZING as a Harley biker...really looked the part. Did anyone figure out who that dark haired pirate was?? dang, that was good. So here are a few of my favorite posers:

Washington DC

2007-10-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

One of only 4 Sunstones left from the original
Nauvoo Temple. This one is in the Smithsonian
Museum in Wash. DC. Very cool.
Also Steff's house she shares with 4 other
awesome girls.

Very proud of his daughter working hard in Washington DC.

Travel over to the Capital Bldg. by this Senate car which is used by the Senators too. Kinda fun. What a hard worker she is!!

Hart Senate Office Bldg.

Lots of fun to visit our Stephanie at her exciting job in Washington DC at a Senator's office. We went over Conference weekend (and yes, we watched Conference) it was great to see her and all her cute friends and good looking and smart co-workers!

30 Year Reunion with my BYU Roommates!

2007-09-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

We loved this saying at the Irish restaurant Mary Kelley's and decided this was our theme, "Forsake not a friend of many years for the acquaintance of a day"
Hey, we have wrinkles but we're still cute after all!! Yes we were the blonde, the brunette and the redhead!!!

My 2 favorite roommates came to visit me and celebrate 30 years since we were together on Study Abroad for BYU. We went to Salzburg, Austria for 6 months and had the best time of our lives! Even after 30 years we were able to get together and pick up right where we left off! We did get together for Mother's Week in Rexburg, ID a few years ago and we couldn't believe we all had daughters that were friends and who wanted to be roommates themselves. They had heard all our stories and were amazed at their "crazy" mothers who couldn't stop talking and laughing and having more fun than they were!!! Julie from Idaho and Jill from Washington really made my week by coming to visit me!! They are awesome mothers and grandmothers and still inspire me like they did 30 years ago!! Our fun visits in Ohio included Kirtland, Longaberger, lots of shopping and working out and swimming!! (no photos of that!) and of course lots of FOOD !!

Guy's Night Cooking with Sister Sonksen

2007-09-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Fried Taquitos and chocolate mousse, the 2 basic food groups...I mean Mexican food and chocolate, the 2 basic food groups. They were spectacular!

The cooking night was great! All the guys got to do the hands on stuff (chopping, stirring, more chopping, eating) Sister Zepeda (Mama Z) was my helper (she did it all) and I did a little chocolate. Her stuff was so fun that I totally changed the other plans I had for chicken rolls.

Brownies at the Barneys - Sept 2007

2007-09-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Is this true? Do Brunettes get better grades??? Mallory would beg to differ.

I don't think these guys REALLY like each other? We are awfully glad to have Alex back!!!

Jackie and Chris are enjoying the food. Lawrence is enjoying his favorite girls, Caitlin & Tiffany.

JT, Danny & Caitlin are having fun! Stacy, Mallory and Kate are still friends after the match-up!

Candace is adorable and we're so glad to have Maria BACK !! Yes, Dave we see you back there!

The girls are getting hydrated. The Barneys are so cute and Idaho Dave is working on a new recruit!

The brownies are incredible made by Sister Barney. And look at all the food she made. Guess I'm going to have to step it up at Sundays at the Sonksens. Wow, can I really let her out-do me like this? Dang. She says the brownies are the Barefoot Contessa Recipe (maybe I need her help with my "Men's Date Night Cooking Class". The fire was lovely outside as well. So glad to have Christy Frost back and her main squeeze Ressa.

I took a great video of the Main Match-Up between Mallory and Stacy but it was so long it wouldn't upload to my blog. If you go to YouTube and look under fruitcakesister you will find my list of videos and you can play it from there! Don't look around YouTube though, nasty stuff in there!

Labor Day Picnic 2007

2007-09-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Carmen was the one who looked like she knew what she was doing in the end!

The croquet game I think was won by Kathleen, if she was able to edge out April and Idaho Dave. Looks like it was a close one though.

Actually Mallory flipped a big one and did a perfect job.
The weather was perfect and the pancakes were great!

Grandma's Fruitcakes

2007-09-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Check out my website !

Peach Jam

2007-09-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

I just had to make peach jam (one of my favorites) since I got all these beautiful peaches from Michigan last weekend. While I was making tons and tons I asked the Bish if he wanted to try some...and he says (sheepishly) I really don't like peach jam...whaaaa....WHAT, almost married 30 years and NOW I find out he doesn't like peach JAM!!! He doesn't like all the fruit in it wha whaaaa!!! What the heck. There are still surprises after all these years. The first 5 kids who ask me for peach jam are going to get some. yep.

Ohio State Football game 9-1-07

2007-09-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

The 50 yard line is where we are sitting, not bad, and a great view. I made friends at the game today with an 80 year old former Professor at OSU in the Opera Dept. Very fun and he was 6 7" I told him he was my shade from the sun he was so tall. He's going to come in the store and get a fruitcake. Isn't the stadium beautiful with 105,833 people. Yeah.
This is me practically attacking some random fan because he was dressed up so cute. I begged him for a picture with me and he agreed. Actually, most of the fans are dressed up crazy, I still need a buckeye necklace.

This is the Bish eating his favorite ice cream, Dippin Dots. I got the cookies and cream, it had little cookies in it, yum!

This is me in St. John Arena (where they play basketball) before the game at the Skull Session. Everyone was there. Especially the new school Pres. Gordon Gee, Coach Jim Tressel and the entire team, the whole TBDBITL Ohio State Band and all the Alumni Band, the visiting team band and of course me and the Bishop.

Wow, it was such a great day to go to the Ohio State Football Game vs. Youngstown State. Even though we figured we'd beat them, the crowds were awesome! First a couple of musts for the game. You HAVE to attend the "Skull Session" which is in St. Johns arena and it begins 2 1/2 hours before the game. We love to hear the band play, see the players in their suits come in to greet the band and cheer and CHEER !!! This was an especially fun Skull Session because they greeted E. Gordon Gee, the new incoming President of OSU and had all the band alumni playing today. Then there's HEINIEGATE!!! (Look for me and the Bish "partying" at the end of this clip ha-HA) It's probably for old people but we LOVE IT. It's our little secret. We like to go because Dave, one of the guitarists, is our friend....and the Danger Brothers play OUR music. It's very fun and CAN STILL be fun even without the drinking!! Holiday Inn on the Lane is the spot for the oldsters to party! Yes, we are crazy.

Date Night Cooking - for the guys!!

2007-08-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

OK, Chris and I are planning on a cooking class for the guys and I propose it be "cooking for a date night". I will help the guys come up with the best date night food that is sure to impress. Photos will be posted later as well. Chocolate mousse will for sure be on the menu and I'm looking for suggestions. Get ready!! This one will be good. No girls allowed!

Sundays At the Sonksen's

2007-08-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Sundays at the Sonksens - August

2007-08-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I can't get this picture straight, it looks better this way though.

Sundays at the Sonksens is my favorite Sunday in the month. I love having my house FULL to brimming with all of our kids. A short arm wrestling match took place (a holdover from the night before?) but it quickly ended and all were friends. I hear none of the girls want to take Mallory on, rightly so, as she would crush all the competition. Another round of birthday singing took place and we added any stragglers from July who missed the last party (Lawrence). Thank goodness Bryce leads the singing. I still think he's sorry it's not his birthday every month. Maybe we'll have to make him the honorary birthday boy every month...filling in for anyone missing.

Lighthouse

2007-08-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is the Big Sable Lighthouse in Western Michigan. You have to hike 2 miles to get there and climb 120 steps to get inside. Well worth the fun.

White Water Rafting

2007-08-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Did we have a riot or what!?? I am seriously getting the bishop a tent for Christmas or one of our monthly celebrations as we zoom to our 30th wedding anniversary next year in May. May 25, 2008 we will be married for 30 years. Every month on the 25th we celebrate our anniversary. We had a lovely dinner in Michigan for our 29 yrs. and 3 months anniversary. I think we need another campout in Sept. or Oct. when the weather is cool and crisp. Maybe more campfire cooking too, I have more recipes up my sleeve.

Amazing and absolutely fun!!!

Snappy Little Dancers !!!

2007-07-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

My nieces Halle and Nancy just crack me up! They must get their dancing talent from their cousin Mallory!