Lauren

A party for Christian Utpatel

February 21, 2017 by Lloyd 7 Comments

We met Christian in 1990. He drove the bus for us on choir tour in Germany. After that he helped put together some of the next few Germany tours. He was in the States on a business trip and spent the day with Dad Martens. Dad threw a party for him and a few of his closest friends from 20 some odd years ago came to say, “Hi.”

It was great seeing him again and great to see everyone else as well. We need more excuses to get together, so we’ll have to invite Christian back again. See how many people you can name.

More head shots

November 21, 2016 by Lloyd 6 Comments

My 8th graders really liked the Mona Lisa in the classroom. Well, actually they didn’t like it at first. They thought it was creepy. But eventually they came around and said that I should do the same thing in other classrooms. They got into it while I was cutting out heads during math class and started finding other heads for me to do.

I think I got 4 classrooms done in the first round, but then it occurred to me that the hardest part for me (the cutting) would be the easiest part for Lauren. After all, she actually teaches cutting. I think we did 7 or 8 more classrooms a couple of days later, and now we’re ready to do 8 more. I think that leaves just a couple.

I was trying to be all sneaky about it (but without having to come in really early or stay really late). I’ve been found out by 2 teachers. They’ve been sworn to secrecy.

I really wasn’t expecting Wally to be all into it.

Cheese Plate

July 12, 2016 by Lloyd 4 Comments

A few days ago -or maybe last week, everything is running together- we went to a new supermarket in Lincoln. It was called Fresh Thyme, and I had heard that the produce was good and that the produce was cheap. Lauren was skeptical, but we went to check it out. The produce was as rumored. Nectarines, Peaches and plums for under $1.00 per pound.

Unfortunately, we ended up spending $41.37 because we were hungry and weak, and the only thing that was cheap was the produce.

Fortunately, they had some of the fancy cheeses that I had been sporadically looking for since Will and Grace’s wedding [warning: both of those links go to the same place, so don’t click on both of them].

I diligently cut them up into little pieces and placed them on a plate. Lauren was having none of the cheese, but Brad made little noises that seemed to indicate that he liked them.

At the Meyers

March 10, 2016 by Lloyd 4 Comments

From Lauren: Happy Birthday to Deborah! I made a back-up post because apparently I have no faith in Lloyd. Deborah and Brad responded, but it took away from the awesomeness of this post. Sorry, Lloyd.

Back to Lloyd’s post:
We were over at the Meyers house a while ago, and I saw this on an end table. What I really wanted to ask, but it didn’t come up at the time, and I can never remember to ask when I see them is this: Is that an actual Lego set, or did you (or someone you know) put it together?

However they answer, it is an awesome answer. Either it’s from Lego, in which case, I can think about all of the other sets they might have that I don’t know about. I don’t know if they would limit to just New Testament sets, or if they might do Old Testament sets as well. Maybe a transfiguration set? Or a Pentecost set? If the O.T. is an option, then I’m hoping they skipped Noah and went right on to the Battle of Jericho. A truly epic set.

Or, maybe someone pieced it together. That would be cool too. I’m sure Sam knows the answer. But until he does, what sets would you like to see?

Valentired

February 13, 2015 by Lauren 8 Comments

I am exhausted. I know lots of people are, so I’m not saying I’m more exhausted than you, but I’m tired.

Where do I start? I could go on and on about my intense dislike of holidays, but I’ve probably made that point before. This week was like we had two: our concert night and Valentines Day.

Our concert is a Love Songs concert. It’s what we do instead of a Christmas program. It’s not a busy time of year, we sing songs we already know and then we have cookies. Easy Peasy.

Except it wasn’t this year. Last year we were able to use St. John’s gym, but they had basketball games going on this year. (Thanks, Coach Sam.) Instead we had to set up in the Fellowship Hall, and as I was arranging chairs I tried to kid myself that we would all fit. Two minutes before it was time to sing, one of the moms came to tell me that there was no more room in the parking lot (basketball) and the Fellowship Hall was getting very crowded. We hauled everyone up to the sanctuary for a relocated concert led by a very sweaty, hoarse teacher. Nobody noticed me, though, because they were so distracted by the jumping children, and the one boy trying to rearrange the mosaic tiles on the altar.

And then it was Valentines Day. All the pre-work and the mental editing ‘Nope, we’re not doing that this year/ let’s simplify this/ when can I go home?’, and then the actual day (which goes much smoother than I expect), and then collapsing at night.

So, in closing, have yourself a very Happy Valentine’s Day. I am going for a Very Ordinary Saturday.

For photos, I am just going to document changes I made to our party system. They won’t make sense and they don’t have to.

The following will be meaningless. Please ignore.

Notes for Future Lauren: instead of using paper strips and stapling hearts to make crowns (which actually turns into the Waiting For The Stapler Center) do the one page color-and-cut thing.

You made hair conditioner and cornstarch Play dough. The recipe says 2 cups of corn starch per one cup of conditioner, but you used nearly 3 cups of cornstarch so it was not disgustingly slimy. Make necklaces using the scoopable stuff tub – that way beads don’t go rolling all over the floor. Pre-string the ribbons and hook on a pipe cleaner.

Have the kids paint papers like Eric Carle and cut hearts out of those. Cheaper and looks nicer. Kids make ‘fancy letters’ on the side of the box.

Meh. Not as good as I’d hoped.

February 11, 2015 by Lauren 5 Comments

Those dumb cookies are done, and they are not what I had hoped.

Sometime in elementary school we did an ‘art’ project where we took half a heart, cut off a strip around the edge, glued that down; cut another strip, glued that down on the opposite side; back and forth etc. It looked something like this:

I wondered if you made red-and-white pinwheel cookie dough (but more an oval shape than a wheel shape), cut it on a severe diagonal, flipped it and reassembled, would the cut cookies look like those hearts?

Would it?

Dang. That cut is lopsided. Rats.

Avert your eyes! Cookie guts! (This dough was too warm. Should have let it chill longer.)

Anyway, the lopsided heart-shaped dough log chilled for days, then I did the ol’ slice-n-bake on ‘seasoned’ -not dirty – ‘seasoned’ cookie sheets.

Changes should be made, but I’m too tired to revamp these.

After baking, the pointy part wasn’t very pointy, so they kind of look like mutant mittens.

Next year, cookies. Next year.

Brady Gurganious March 21, 2023 at 4:53 am on It’s almost Keren’s birthday!In Lloyd’s defense, the distance one could drive on 0.1 in a Prius is like another 5 miles. Plenty to[more]
Kristi March 20, 2023 at 9:10 am on It’s almost Keren’s birthday!Good grief. That's living on the edge with only 0.1 gas left in the tank.
Brad March 8, 2023 at 1:46 pm on Painful wound, but tasty with syrupHehe... thank you for the translation. I couldn't figure it out, and the only thing I ever think of now[more]
Lauren March 7, 2023 at 7:29 pm on Painful wound, but tasty with syrup(Canker sore)
Brad March 6, 2023 at 10:43 pm on There can be only one.Could you just stop cutting your hair altogether? You could just let it grow and tie it back, or maybe[more]