SUMMER 2008 EDITION

Hello everyone!

So as the Autumnal Equinox bares it's face to us all.....so does the Summer 2008 Edition of our Blog☺ We had a really great summer this year! It was bountiful with fruit from our trees, veggies from our garden and good times from our travels. So until next season, enjoy catching up on what we were up to this summer & of course, enjoy your upcoming Autumn Harvest ☺ xoxo Jen & Justin

JUNE 2008....

"FRUITS OF OUR LABOR": Part 1

"WHAT IS UP........CHERRY CRACK."

So maybe, just maybe….“Life IS a bowl of cherries.”

Summer 2008 marked for us the “Year of the Produce.” We thoroughly enjoyed our seasoned Fruit Trees & the Veggie Garden we planted for the first time back in May.

We plucked approx. 25 pounds of Cherries off our cute cute CUTE little Cherry Tree! This little tree resides in our gated front yard. Justin, however, discovered this summer that we also have another type of cherry tree, a Rainier Cherry Tree, in our backyard! It was the first time, in 4 years, that we actually noticed there were cherries on this tree (it must have not produced in the past four yrs. for some reason or we just always missed the cherries each year since the tree is not easily visible when we’re in our backyard??) Anyway. So it’s safe to say that i basically I went ape shit with the Cherry Crisp this Summer. I’m surprised Justin didn’t get freaked out by me during my slight obsessive case of “the cherry”. It was a 3-week episode (mind you I am really not exaggerating here with this!) where I may as well had been repeating out loud robotically in one-word sentences with a blank stare “Must. Pit. Cherries. Do. Not. Rest. Must. Pit. Cherries. Must. Make. 100. Batches. Of. Cherry. Crisp.” I spent so many flipping hours picking and pitting so many flipping cherries that I seriously pulled a muscle in my back. OH MY GOD. can you say lame! Or maybe retarded should be the word!? i don’t know but I do know it sounds ridiculous! **Beginning of Self Defense Notation: Now I feel I must explain this – that the position I kept myself in to pit all those damn cherries, as I did in my obsessive way, with my neck bent down for several hours for several days, FOR several weeks apparently did not set well with my already previously irritated right shoulder blade muscle! **End of Self Defense Notation ☺**

Now the other part of this going ape shit on the cherries involved the transformation of Jennifer Clark into…well…..that really swell quintessential homemaker we all know & love so much. One day mid-summer, I sent in my homemade Cherry Crisp to both of our offices as well as personally delivered batches to each and every one of our 5 close neighbors, and I did so in my June friggin’ Cleaver fashion, just smiling away as I approached each of their front doors & rang their bell. Shit, the only thing missing that day was that bright white 1950’s “Twinkle & TING!” from my big infamous all-teeth smile! Justin looked at me when I walked back into the house from completing all my “deliveries” that day and in the same way he pointed out to me 2 yrs. ago in December that I was on “Christmas Crack” and back this May that I was on “Garden Crack”….well he said it again, but stressing this time each and every word in his statement: “WHAT IS UP CHERRRYYYYYY……CRACK.”

In fact, during this cherry obsession of mine when Justin would say to me, as he often does, “Shhhhhhhut Your Pie Hole.” I suggested he may want to change that to “Shhhhhut Your Cherry Crisp Hole” ☺ At least for the time being, since I did make a bakery’s worth of the crap. That’s all I was making, baking and eating in June & July.

Now, if interested, here is the recipe for any of those who actually read this flippin’ blog of ours (wink). Mark your calendar next summer and whip up some of this stuff. Not to toot my own horn - but Toot Toot, it is good!

RECIPE: Cherry Crisp
Filling:
* 4 cups pitted sour cherries
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar * 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Topping:
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup old-fashioned oats
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1 cup of butter (which is 2 sticks)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cherries, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, and 4 tablespoons flour. Pour into 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, oats, and brown sugar. Cut in butter and shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle over cherries.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

“FRUITS OF OUR LABOR”: Part 2

KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED

So the garden we planted back in May produced beautiful fruits & veggies (considering the tomato is actually a fruit right – whatever I don’t buy that). And since Justin doesn’t much care for delicious, perfectly ripe, HEAVENLY homegrown tomatoes (too bad for him, all too good for me), I indulged in them almost every day. OMG I’m surprised I didn’t break out in a hivey rash like someone would if they rolled around naked in a spread of poison ivy – I seriously ate SO MANY damn tomatoes. And thankfully, it looks like I’ll be able to enjoy them into the beginning weeks of October.

Since there were so many, I couldn’t keep up with all of them so like every other gardener I gave away a bunch. And the bonus, I canned for the first time! Thanks to my “garden mentor” Raymond, I was able to can our delicious tomatoes, in a puree form, for our future winter cooking. For recipes such as goulash, chili, homemade cream of tomato soup, & anything else that involves a homemade marinara sauce (like spicy goat cheese lasagna, stuffed peppers, yum!). So let’s just cross our fingers and why not just go ahead and cross the toes too that this canning process of mine will prove successful come winter when I unscrew one of these pints ☺ and not UNsuccessful – as in no good & causing some horrendous case of the schineetoes, like that gas station hot dog back in 96’ proved to me (another story that I may or may not share with you all – let’s just say it involves a case of the worse upset insides one could imagine, my Nissan Pathfinder & me on the highway stretch of 23 North cruising in the dark of night at what could have been 120MPH….oh, and me falling down a grassy hill off of the highway). Yeah – you get the picture. In retrospect, fucking hilarious. At the time – quite horrendous.

Anyway, back to the post here :) Other veggies in our garden included: Gypsy Peppers, Hot Hungarian Wax Peppers, and Cukes. So we thoroughly enjoyed this summer with all our homegrown fruits & veggies. I can’t wait till next Summer! And with that, I leave you with my grandma Alice's delicious Cucumber Salad Recipe. And yes, it calls for Miracle Whip, which some people had noted numerous times as being strange. So when I called up Grandma Alice to confirm her 83 yr. old mind wasn’t deteriorating & that she REALLY MEANT to tell me Miracle Whip, she replied in her standard harsh no bullshit irritated manner “Now dammit. I TOLD you Miracle Whip! I USE MIRACLE WHIP!!” And, she was right on the money. I made it when up north with the Clark’s and it was just as it always was….delicious! Well, I may have made it a little more runnier then usual but it was my first time. And Grandma, sorry for doubting you. NEVER AGAIN ok :)

RECIPE: Alice's Cucumber Salad

She keeps it basic, no measurements, so just go with your gut on this:

Cukes, peeled & cut thin
White vinegar
Milk
Sugar
And do not forget:
the Miracle Whip (and I am not usually a fan of it but trust me on this, it's good)
Salt & pepper to taste

"PETALS OF OUR LABOR"

ANNUAL BUST ASS SESSION

Another summer of great annual flower blooms and one big busting my ass session to get them there. Of course, all worth the end result ☺ Every year i change out the color of my annuals that go in our window boxes. The previous years i've done magenta, white, purple/orange theme, and this summer i brought back the magenta. I am going to try combo Purple & Red next year.

SISTERS

CUTEST SISTER PHOTO EVER!

I’m just posting this pic because it happens to be the cutest Sisters shot ever! This is at our friend’s annual Pre-Fourth of July house party. Thanks Huss’s – we had a great time end of June with everyone & the Point Place fireworks were awesome as usual. My sister moved to Berkeley, Cali a few months after this photo was taken....i miss her & can't wait to visit her someday on the west coast!

RTB SUPPORTER Feature

THANK YOU AGAIN, JACK

This is Jack. The longest standing Graphic Designer at my family business, Lesniewicz Associates He marks his 25th year with us in November!! I think i will call him a Graphic Designosaur instead ;)

Jack designed Justin’s logo for RealtimeBid.com and he did one damn fine job! And let me tell you, he created this brilliant logo under one very tight time frame. Thank you Jack, we so appreciate it! And thanks for sporting the RTB shirt ☺

AUNTS & NIECES NIGHT OUT

"OH MY GOD!"

June 20th was a night spent with the “aunts & nieces”. That would be me, my sister Amy, my mom and her sister (my aunt) Joanne A.K.A Aunt Snookie. Unfortunately, aunt Joyce & aunt Janice weren't able to join us. So the original purpose of this night was….ok get ready for the introduction of really what a dork I am……to watch my previously recorded program of Celine Dion LIVE. OMG – I know, when you just thought I couldn’t be anymore of a dork – I prove you terribly wrong! Poor Justin (I know you’re saying it) ☺ Listen, I don’t want to have to defend Ms. Dion, nor myself, BUT I promise you no matter how much you think she sucks, she is so talented vocally & quite the entertainer! It’s no wonder her show in Vegas brought in more then 400 million dollars – yeah, that’s 400. And for the record, I do not own any of her records (can you see, i'm trying to pull myself out of the big black dork of a hole i fell into here.....probably too late, huh). But I admit, I like to watch her perform. Anyway – due to a random act of god, a lightening storm killed our electricity and thus killed my dion night with my aunts. Geez, do you think even god hates dion? Hee hee. So with my recording nowhere to be found in our DVR library we opted for the plan B. Go get the best BBQ Ribs in Toledo - which happens to be in Michigan, just over the line, just a ½ mile from our house. And then hit up some dessert at the best ice cream parlor in town (Handel’s) & head back to my house for a Chick Flick.

So after dinner we headed to Handel’s for the ice cream. And something quite ironic happened. My aunt Snookie had never enjoyed the homemade ice cream of Handel’s so as we walk up to get in the big ordering line, she was getting all googley-eyed over this fabulous huge homemade ice cream cone, and she says, mind you Very Loudly, “OH MY GOD”, as her eyes are trailing the ice cream cone like a hound dog on the hunt for a meaty rabbit. And then just as the “d” in the Oh My GOD utters out of her mouth – the cone is handed too – uh yeah. A NUN. They locked eyes. And the nun looked at Snookie like she’s, well…..not very churchy.

NOTE: pic above is from another day…..the day I called Handel’s, upon my return from Europe, telling them it would be a dream come true if they could add to their lengthy list of ice cream flavors HAZELNUT because i love it so much & it’s all I ate when in Italy & Paris, Hazlenut Gelato! The manager laughed at me on the other end of the phone, he thought I was playing a prank on him. I said “no, I actually could not be ANY more serious, why?” he proceeded to tell me that I called at the exact moment he was staring at this “new flavor I received from Germany” debating heavily on whether or not he should make a batch of this super expensive flavor or try to get a refund from the German vendor. Well, guess what that new flavor was....Talk about beautiful timing. He said to me "I will make it then, for you." And he made it that morning just after we hung up. So I swung by on my way home from work and bought a quart. When I pulled into their lot that’s what their new sign said ☺ When i told my friend Matt about this he simply texted me and told me i'm "Hazelnutty". I suppose there really is no denying what a nut i am. And there is also no denying how good the new flavor at Handel's is - god damn that shit is good!

OUR FBI AGENT FRIEND

SCULLY

Here’s a pic from June. My sister & me visiting with our friend Erin, FBI Agent/Special Task Unit. I prefer to call her Scully. She’ll kick any one of your asses on any given day. And she’s MY FRIEND. Need I Say More? ;)

Erin, you’re the best, it was great to see you this summer!

JULY 2008.....

OUR FIRST ANNIVERSARY, Best Gift Ever!

OUR WEDDING IS ON VIDEO NOW!!!

For our First Anniversary, our friends, Brian & Julie Visser (of whom have just welcomed into the world their 2nd child, a girl this time! Teaghan) gave us a very big surprise!!! Brian managed to video our wedding from his digital camera and we never knew it! YAY!!!! Since we did not hire a videographer for our wedding nor knew of any existing recording of it this was very exciting for us! He wasn't sure if the audio was going to turn out but it completely did and you can hear us exchange our vows. They put it on a DVD for us for our First Anniversary.

THIS IS THE ONLY VIDEO WE HAVE OF OUR BIG DAY :)
Thanks you Brian & Julie!!!

In order to get this uploaded we had to dissect it into 4 separate video links. The grand total to view it all is only 16 minutes so don't worry ;)

Also, the first link, just listen to our friends in the shuttle taking them to the wedding, it's cracking us up so bad! Huss - you are quite hilarious i must say.



WEDDING (Part 1 of 4)




WEDDING (Part 2 of 4)




WEDDING (Part 3 of 4)




WEDDING (Part 4 of 4)

VISIT WITH SHORTY

BE CAREFUL WITH THAT THING AROUND MY FACE!

One afternoon in July, actually it was the day of our first anniversary, I went over to spend some time with my 90 year old still kickin’ it pretty good grandpa, Shorty.

Let me just explain the scene for you here. That yellow “racket” thing in his hand is an Electrified Bug Swatting “tool”. We were chilling on lawn chairs, mid-afternoon, Toledo Ohio, just outside of his garage in the front yard, BLARING A.M. Radio Polka (my maiden name IS “Les-Nev-Vich” you know). We were yick yackin’ about who knows what for more than an hour, and all the while Shorty was batting that damn stun gun of a racket around at I don’t even know what! i guess there were some nats in the air?? Shit though, I could barely enjoy my conversations with him because he would swipe that thing so damn close to my face while on a mission to kill the tiniest nat in the world that I was scared he was gonna braze the side of my face with it. And I’d get jolted or something. It was SO Shorty. BTW take notice of his t-shirt.

On a more personal note - the reason I visited with my grandpa that day was because he had just lost his last of 14 siblings that week, Uncle Leo. Now my grandpa is the only one left out of 14! And he was the “baby” of them all.

For any of you Lesniewicz’s reading this, you will want to click on the pdf below “It's August Again” for a nice write up & a 1986 Lesniewicz Family Reunion Photo. Pure Lesniewicz Nostalgia. It was sent to me this summer in August from my 2nd cousin once removed, to be all technical :) - Denny Beck.

Click here for Denny Beck's "It's August Again"

EUROPE

CLARK'S GO TO EUROPE!

As most of you know, we went to Europe this summer. We visited with friends in London & the Countryside of England, then we headed to Paris, Ireland, Italy and Amsterdam. Above pic is Ireland. And many of you know that back in August we sent out a Special Edition of our blog: The Newlyweds Go To Europe! If interested, you can click on the link below which will take you directly to our Europe 2008 Edition. And if you want to see each of our photo galleries, one for each city we visited, just go to the bottom of each posting & click on the links that are in orange font - again, each posting has it's own photo gallery link.

This was a trip of a lifetime; it was really really wonderful! And when in Paris, I couldn’t resist buying baby berets for by our friends’ little girls, Sterling & Lola. And Asa, Sterling’s brother, being the soccer fanatic he is, is sporting an Italian “football” jersey we got him while in Florence, Italy. I only wish I could have brought home more gifts for every one of our friends & family but unfortunately my suitcase was only so big!! Next time....

Click Here for our EUROPE 2008 Edition!

UP NORTH WITH THE CLARKS

“wow, I sure am parched. What’s Your Pleasure?”, Jeanne Lesniewicz - Leland, MI

This August, the in-laws headed Up North to spend 5 days at my parent’s cottage on Lake Leelanau in Leland, Michigan. We had a such a great time – shopping stores & galleries in Suttons Bay, Northport & Leland; hiking the Lake Michigan bluff in Glen Arbor; pondering the thought that i really really want 2 Scottish Highlands (cute hairy cow above from nearby ranch), eating great dinners at home & out, fishing on the pontoon boat and campfires at night. We are so very lucky, our parents all get along so great & when the 6 of us get together we always have such a great time and we’re always cracking up at something! Hence the sub-title of this post. After my mom gave JoAnne & Peter a tour of the house she came down the stairs with them and this is when I happened to just walk into the house from the backyard and I happen to catch this southern-like hospitality coming out of my mom's mouth (mind you we are UP NORTH) & she's directing it towards JoAnne & Peter (of whom we are on a VERY CASUAL basis with….). She says: “wow, I sure am parched. What’s your pleasure?” And that’s when the plain I’ve-just-been-lounging-outside look on my face turned into a big fat “HUH???” look. OMG – it was so funny! and when she said it, she did a little hop up from the heal of her feet to the balls of her feet, and she clapped her hands once when she said “pleasure”. I don’t know, maybe you had to be there – but as I often do say…it was HILARIOUS!! And we didn’t let up on my poor mom about it the whole time we were there. In fact, one night at the dinner table, as we were dying laughing about it – JoAnne chimes in with “oh Jeanne – you don’t WANNA know what our pleasure is….”

Justin & I have the best family ever. Can’t wait to make Up North with the Clarks a tradition! ☺

Click here for our Photo Gallery of our trip Up North with the Clarks!

SEPTEMBER, Summer's Last Month....

HANK HAS BEEN BANNED!

How Can Something So Precious Be Banned!!?

So this summer, just recently, Hank was banned from PetSmart Grooming Salon. It is very sad but all I can say is SCREW EM’! No really, I can understand, kind of. Their Reason: Due to Hank’s age, he is a senior dog, so they will no longer groom him. Detailed Reason: his back legs gave out on him, as they were getting ready to spray him down with water, this happens to him for no reason other then he’s “old” and his legs get week some times out of nowhere. Well, it freaked them out I guess. And although my vet was willing to talk to them and tell them he’s perfectly healthy and not in pain when it happens and that this is just something that happens (he gets right back up and will chase a squirrel immediately afterwards at what seems like 50-MPH for god sake!) they said No and they BANNED HANK. But no worries, the groomer next to our vet said she’d have no problem grooming him and she knew right away what happened when I explained it to her – no big deal she said, she’ll watch him well & make sure he doesn’t hurt himself if the same incident presents itself when she's bathing him. Poor Hanky-poo. Seriously, look at how precious he is – how can you ban something so precious!!? Corporate Groomers – get some balls & bath an innocent old "senior" dog without fear the owner would sue you for millions if something happened!

EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER IN TOLEDO!

TOLEDO'S 15 MINUTES OF FAME

Yep, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was here in Toledo making over a home! And when I mentioned to Justin I’d like us to go check out the house during the renovation week he responded with this: “I don’t need to go with you – and watch you share your own nightmare home make overs on national television, cuz then I’d have to kill you.”

Hahahahaha! For those of you that know about my very own personal extremely challenging time with the “EXTREME” Make Over of our own house…..you will understand his reply.

Some time in November the Toledo one will air.

Click here for the Toledo Blade article on the Frisch family's Extreme Home Makeover

REMEMBRANCE DAY: 09/11/08

REUNION, AFTER 22 YEARS!

"You, know...I Can Take A Dump And Make It Real Funky"

God love the Facebook. It has reunited me with a dear friend all the way back from elementary school! Lindsay (my friend whom we visited in England this summer), was back home in Toledo for a few weeks and we met up at the Elbo Room for some pizza & brew and had a great time re-meeting our dear friend, fellow Hillview Hawk, Damien.

Towards the end of our dinner when we were pondering what to do next...we decided to go to my house. Linsday started going on to damien about how you gotta see my house “jen is so artsy; she did everything in the house.” so i look at Linday, and tell her "She's too kind" and then I look at Damien and say to him "Really, she's being too kind. I am not an "artist' i'm more "crartsy", as I call it, a mix of crafty and artistic." hee hee. Then, as i'm envisioning in my head how justin's house USED to be, i con't to blab on as i do in my blabby kind of way & i say to damien "You know, I can take a dump and make it real funky.” OMG - they both looked at me with this really confused look but never laughed or anything, just kept looking at me and listening to me yack. Well, a few minutes later, I was still running it through my head at the table….WHY did those two give me that weird look when I was talking to them about my house??? and then I figured it out! The way that sounded - oh no! They thought I was seriously saying I can take a crap and make a crap look really funky! After I explained what I REALLY meant….take a fix-me-upper of a house and make the interior funky, we all about lost it! Damien must had been thinking to himself “what is this chick from my elementary school into?? She's gettin' all Jackson Pollock with her poop!?!”


Thank god I noticed something was up with that whole conversation because otherwise i don't think Damien would ever want to hang out with me again. We will definitely be staying in touch though! Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the reunion evening, I’m so bummed about that. That's ok - i'll get one at the Halloween Party, right Damien :)

SUMMER SHOUT OUTS

JUNE:
Ryan & Gia’s First Wedding Anniversary: June 30

JULY:
Brian & Julie: Congratulations! Baby Girl, Teaghan! July 23

AUGUST:
Cousin Gia Turns the Big "Three-Oh!" August 2
Uncle Billy, Turns the Big "Six-Oh!": August 20
Dad is recovering well (yay!) August 25
Amy Moved to Berkeley, California. ☹ August 29
Click Here For Amy's California Grape Picking Photos!

SEPTEMBER:
Tracy & Brian: Congratulations! Baby Girl, Mikala! September 5
Jesse & Maricel: Congratulations! Baby Girl, Dahlia September 8
Uncle Mike, Turns the Big "Five-Oh!" September 15
Jill & Jeff: Congratulations! Due in April
Congratulations Lindsay! Passing ALL your boards for Homeopathic Medicine

UNTIL NEXT SEASON.................

Enjoy Your Autumn Everyone!
xoxo Jen & Justin