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I learned a bit of Trivia about St. Patrick's Day.  I recently learned that St. Patrick was not Irish after all, but British.  He was born in Britian and then sold into Slavery.  He escaped and returned to Britian, where he became part of the church.  He felt there was a calling for him to return to Ireland and share Christ.  He worked the remaining 30+ years of his life there.  This is how he became the Patrion Saint of Ireland.  Just thought this was an interesting tid bit of information.  Have a Happy and Safe St. Patrick's Day!!!  Remember do not drink or drive.

Hello, Everyone!!! How are you? Good here, just busy planning. I am sure everyone knows how that is. I took some time off and went to the St. Patrick Day celebration at Alive After 5. Again another wonderful time. I love to spend time with Community Keys,( Kim & Bill and their lovely family). There are so many different business's now joining in this wonderful event. As I have previously stated this is a great way to promote your company. I mean any company. I would like to point out the great Irish music that was there. It really put you in the mood. Thanks to all the lovely ladies in the Community Center who assist and help everyone. You are all awesome. Again if you are a local business big or small attend atleast one, you will see that it is worth it all.

Hello one and all,

  Life has been so busy.  With the planning of a new baby and starting my own company, things are crazy.  Many of you will receive the February Article and see about the baby contest.   I have stated in that article that I would drop hints about the due date etc.  So here is another hint for all of you.  Good luck

Hint: If I am any thing like my mommy, I am going to be pretty head strong, tough like a bull.

Alive After 5 – February

 

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 Ã‚ Â Â Â Â      Â  Â Â  Alive After 5 was booming with festivity, with the awesome Mardi Gras theme and festive personalities of all that was there.  Each booth took you to another fantastic company offering a variety of products.  The music gave an original authentic feel of the own New Orleans Mardi Gras.  As I walked with my daughter from booth to booth there was so much to see & as many great people.  Alive After 5 has grown tremendously since its original start date.  If you are local business, do not hesitate to sign up for a booth in the next Alive After 5 in March.  This is a great opportunity for you to meet other great businesses as well as customers.  I would like to give a great big Thank You to the organizers of Alive After 5.    With out the wheels turning on the back end, this great opportunity would not be available to the businesses.  Community power and support is what will and has made the event great.  Keep it up!!

Hello Love Birds of all ages,

               Another year passes for all of us.   I hope all had someone they love today remember them, remember this that can be anyone from Grandma to Husbands.  Valentines over the years has been misconscrewed of what is really should mean.  Valentines is a day of love, love intimate or just family love.  So remember..........Love, simply stated.

US News

To the many parents of Heathrow children, I would like to thank you for all the support for this years school auction and Golf Tournament.  The children alone raised $1600 in change donations to the teacher golfer, Mr. Brea.  The 3rd grade class won for the highest donated.  Great job guys!!!  I would also like to thank all the volunteers and donations provided by outside parties.  The silent auction was a hit!!  Agai, Thanks to all who participated in which ever way you could.  Keep up the great work Heathrow.

I was informed by Kim about the Sports Complex located at the end of Country Club Road opening a new part to it.  I was invited by Kim to go with her and her children on Friday the 18th to see it with them (Sorry Kim I missed you I arrive a little at 11 am, Sorry).  Unfortunetly we were unable to enjoy the water, the day was pretty wet itself.  We defiantly have to plan another day to go and have a "family" day at the park.  Everyone should!!!  There is so much to do at the park, from Baseball, Softball, the little water park etc.

So for Christmas I got a beer making kit. Basically they give you everything you need to make your own beer. What you might call a recipe for trouble. So last week the boy and I boiled up some water, followed all the directions, and put a small plastic barrel of what may someday become beer under the stairs.

For something that happens so slowly, it’s actually pretty exciting. Well, okay, the term “exciting” is perhaps a bit much. But still, it’s interesting, and I can hardly wait to drink some of this stuff.

The basic recipe is simple:
1) sterilize the heck out of everything
2) Boil up a pot of sugar water.
3) Add flavorings (hops, and malt, and wort … I’m still a little unclear on some of the terminology.)
4) Mix it with cold water to cool it down and then add yeast, I’m pretty you want it cooled down in order to avoid killing off the yeast.
5) Stick it in a spot out of direct sunlight with a stable temperature.
6) Wait a week. This is the hard part.

So at this point you’ve got something that’s, honestly, a pretty dubious concoction. It tastes like I’d imagine a tea brewed with old gym socks might taste. But this is where the magic starts. Remember the sugar? Remember the yeast? Like a 2-year-old kid, the yeast thrives on the sugar. And like a 2-year-old kid, the yeast eventually has to … ahhh, how to put this delicately … the yeast has to, err, excrete, shall we say. And what comes out is alcohol.

That’s alcohol from the yeast, by the way, not from the 2-year-old. What comes out of the 2-year-old is pretty much what you’d expect. The 2-year-old converts sugar to other stuff. Don’t drink it.

In any case, a week goes by.  It's a long week.  The plastic beer barrel is tucked away under the stairs. It’s actually a 2 or 3 gallon jug, designed to like an old-timey beer barrel, except that the old-timey beer barrel is big, rugged, and made of wood, whereas the homebrew kit is small and cheesy and made of plastic. Other than that, they’re identical.

So anyway, the barrel is there under the stairs, with the frothing mix within slowly turning itself into … something. When the next Saturday finally rolls around, we give it a taste. It actually tastes like beer. More specifically, it tastes like beer that’s been sitting out for a long, long time. Flat. Smells like the carpet the day after a keg party. But it is beer.

Next for the bottling. Apparently the beer is carbonated by the same process that makes the alcohol … a couple spoons of sugar in individual bottles and the beer goes in. My understanding, admittedly somewhat spotty at this stage, is that the yeast will again work its magic, only this time the carbon dioxide that is produced does not get vented to the outside but rather stays in solution.

We bottled up 8 quarts. On one of them I added a little extra sugar, just to see what happens. Hopefully this will result in a nice and strong, bubbly beer, rather than resulting in, say, a rupture of the plastic bottle along the seam and a persistent “country bar restroom” smell under the stairs.

And now we’re waiting again. This time for between 2 and 3 weeks. At which point we pop the bottles into the fridge to, I think, kill off the yeast. I’m planning on sampling one after 1 week just to see how it’s going. That’s in a few days.

Wikipedia, naturally, has a lot of good info on brewer’s yeast and the brewing process.

 

  Alive after 5 in downtown historic Sanford was on fire!!!  Literally in some booths!!  This was my first time going and let me tell you it will not be my last.  For just $5.00 you eat and drink.  Who can beat that?!!  This months (as you can tell by my Title)  was a  Chili Cook off.  I have to admit (not just because I work for them) , But Community Keys had the best Chili I had ever tasted.  No one has ever been able to beat my mothers chili. well, sorry Ma, Not anymore.  The crowd agreed.  Within an hour we were completey out of 40 pounds of Chili.  Kim you are awesome.  There was so many varities of Chili's there.  Dexter's (love your food) had a mexican style theme going with sour cream, cheese on top and instead of a spoon , what I call Chip tortilla Chip spoons (nice touch if I might Add).   I suggest for a family or just a girl/guys night out that you go to Alive after 5 in downtown Sanford.  It falls on the 2nd Thursday of Every month.  MMMMMMM.........Fantastic!!

Holy Cow - 2008!!!  Is it just me or does each year (the older we are )  pass so much more quickly than when we were kids?!!  As many of you, I still have unfinished business from 2007.  I tried to end my years finished, but it nevers seems to fail, I just can not accomplished everything I wish.  Each year I swear my resolution is the same "Complete all task for the year before the end of the year".  Let me take that back I did accomplish that for 2006, 2007 was completely anew when started.  I'll just have to look back to the "good ol' days".  Needlesss to say I enjoy each new year with my family, ringing it in together.  Another year to celebrate all accomplishments, as well as failures.  I know sounds weird, but without our failures we would not accomplishe as much as we do, have, and will.  The many ironies of life itself.  It is strange how things like that happen. 

 We have so much to look foward to this year not only in our community, but families as well.  We start the year of course with New Years day, followed by many additional events, ranging from Family movie nights located at the City Hall down to new arrivals.  Remember to always check Community Keys for upcoming events. 

 Have a wonderful beginning of 2008!!!  I hope to hear from everyone and look foward to continued blogging of our family and community.  Please feel free to contact me about anything that interest you or are interested in.  I love learning about people.

Hello everyone!!   Sorry I haven't written in awhile, end of the year chiaos.  Well let me start by informing you we have found out the sex of our baby.  We are having our BOY!!!!  I am estactic as well as my husband.  We have our one of each.  My daughter is still a bit 50/50 with it.  The fact she doesn't have to share her toys is a plus, but the fact of sharing us is a bit un-nerving to her.!!! 

We spent Christmas with my family this year. I finally was able to see my little/big brother, it has been almost 3 years since I last saw him.  It was a very emotional time, but a good emotional.  I am from a very large family, siblings as well as neices and nephews.  I am from a family of 6 with 8 grandchildren (well for now 10 by the end of 2008).  My mother is very big about Holidays, unfortuanlty we were not all able to be there this year.  My twin was unable to make it back to FL from VA with her twins, we did have her oldest daughter though (my 1st neice)  from Thanksgiving when she came. 

 We did the traditional wake up Christams morning open presents etc. , my mom does her famous Christmas morning breakfast and lunch and then at night we go to my step-dads families and visit.  "Santa"  always come to their house.  We all receive a present in "person" from him and take a photo on his lap, young and old.  Weird I know to some people but a tradition for wow over 20 years, about.  My step dad has played Santa for the children for as long as we can remember,even the older ones.  He is now 56 years old.  HE not only does it for the family but as well as other families.  Each year a family in my hometown chooses needy families to help out at the Holidays and he is who delivers the presents.  It wouldn't be the same not seeing him as santa (even though alot of us know who he is) 

Does anyone have any similar or even not similar family traditions for their holidays?  Please let us know.  As I always say, " It is always interesting to hear what other families do."

The Holidays are hard for alot of people.  It could be because of funds, just plain do not like the holiday season, or most saddening the passing of a loved one.  I was speaking with one of my clients today and he was telling me how is mother is in the hospital ill and had almost passed last week.  As I sat and told my husband about it I thought who we have lost.  It just 2 short years we lost my husbands mother on 12/2/2005 and almost 1 year to the day his uncle.  I thought about our last holiday, Thanksgiving with her, the family had all came to our home where Loraine (his mom was staying on hospice)  I thought about my daughters reaction, that she still has and at times more since Grandma "Raines" passing.  I remember others we have lost over the years.  It  is sad yet at the same time almost calming.  I have learned to not dwell on the passing but the memories.  I had even begun to write a poem  (  I love to write).  I write what you call free verse, it could be from any perspective, this one I did in the perspective of the person who passed. I am doing something for my husbands family for Christmas in remberence of his mom and will be adding this as the beginning,

        Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â            "  I am no longer here for all to see and touch, But please do not mourn my loss, but rejoice, laugh, & love what I did and remeber who I was."

 I do not know really why I am blogging about this, but I felt someone else needed to hear this.

As always, each year becomes more difficult in finding presents for the nephews.  Does anyone have any suggestions they range from 1 1/2, 3, 5, 7, 8 (going on 25), 12, & 14.  I do not have a big budget this year.  SO I need inexpensive ideas for them.  ANy help is grateful.

I recently read in the monthly Community Newsletter that some people have been asking about Lawn and Landscape Services.  I would like to let everyone know about this company called R&J Lawn and Tree Services.  I have worked with this company for a year now.  Rene Moran the owner prides himself on the quilty services and family atmosphere is company offers.  He not only provides lawn and Landscape services he also does home improvement.  Me pesonally I love when I can fo one place for what I need for me home services.  The company is Family owned and they build themselves around the families that use there services.  I know of Customers that have actually invited them to family gatherings , I do not know about you but to me that is a Family company.  When you know  a customer is so thrilled with the services they make you part of there family.  SO if you are looking for a company that is there for you not just them check them out.

Rene Moran - Owner

R&J Lawn & Tree Services

2663 Salters Court

Deltona, FL 32738

407-375-6220

Make sure you tell him Jessica Refered you.

I have been trying to start my own business since July.  I am doing Okay, but my family is feeling the  financial with this change.  My family is the major reason me and my husband made the decision for me to work out of my home.  I have a wonderful 6 1/2 year old girl and our 2nd on the way(due May).  I am good at what I do - Admin/clerical/Accounting, I just need help with jobs to do.  Any suggestions.  I especially need something like yesterday with it only being a few weeks from Christmas.  My Christmas wish for me and my family is that by the New Year, we are not rethinking this decision but enjoying it.  I am not to good in advertising, so that is an area I need help, plus clients .

Thanks in Advance

 Jessica

I would first like to apologize to the Shriners, when I typed my original Blog regarding the Christmas Parade I wrote Kawana instead of Shriners.  Please forgive me.  So that all knows, The Shriners where a major part of the Sanford Christamas Parade this year and always.

Well, the season as begun, for some of us maybe a few days sooner or weeks, than others.  My daughter as many of you have probably already read in prior blogs, chearleads for the City of Sanford.   The Chear Corrdinators set it up for the girls to participate in the Sanford Christmas Parade.  The parade was full of  bright lights and community support, from city officials down to Bob's Hot Air Balloons rides.  The local support from the Kawanas was outstanding with there funny cars and holiday spirits.  The Westbrook Academy dancers were absolutley wonderful and the little ones so adorable.  I actually plan on taken them up on there offer for a free trail month for my daughter and see what happens.  You never know what may happen.  I would like to also comment on Mrs. Seminole county, my daughter ( who is 6 yrs) thought you were absolutely beautiful and now wants to do a pageant.  I think we will be trying out the 1st annual SEminole County Miss Pageant in March. If anyone with girls from 4 years old to 18 wish to do this as well go to www.seminolecountyyouthpageants.com . Let me not forget the wondefully talented and vibrant City of Sanford Chearleaders.  GO Sanford!!!!   I could go on and on about the wonderful participates in this years parade.  Do not forget to check out the telecast on SGTV.  Have a wonderful beginning of Holiday celebrations for whatever religion you are.