How do you say Pecan?

One of the highlights to our trip to Dallas involves pecans. My parents have two pecan trees on their property, and they have collected close to 20 gallons of pecans that have fallen from one of the trees. Believe it or not, one of the highlights for us was sitting on the backyard patio shelling pecans in 70-80°F weather. Hopefully, we helped make a small dent in Mom and Dad’s collection. They were generous in sending us home with two big zip-lock bags of pecans. Leanne already made two pecan pies. Yum!

Until the next post, watch out for falling nuts…

Happy Thanksgiving

This year, our family traveled to Dallas, TX to be with my parents and my brother Erik for Thanksgiving. We had a great time, and I’ll try to share more about the trip in some future posts. For the time being, I just wanted to include you all in a family Thanksgiving tradition that we started in 2001 and has continued through this year. We have a Thanksgiving table cloth that comes out every year at this time. Each year we trace our hands onto the table cloth using some sort of permanent marker, and we write down five things that we’re thankful for as we look back on the past year. This has been a really neat tradition as the table cloth now includes family members who have passed on as well as family from all over the USA. Here are the things that I wrote on each of my fingers this year:

1. Grandpa Stolpe – this February, Grandpa went home to heaven. He was a remarkable man and an incredible grandpa. He always made sure each of us felt special. The last time that I saw him living, he introduced me to everyone as his special grandson – because I came on his birthday. This year’s birthday (Dec. 8th) will be a little strange since we won’t be celebrating it together.
2. Supernanny Parenting Group – as you’ve probably read in my previous posts, this group as meant a lot to us this year. I’m thankful to God for the idea, the direction, and the parents who helped make this group a success. I look forward to finishing up the completed study guide for replicating this group before the year is over.
3. Washington, DC Trip – we had one of the best vacations with just the four of us this year when we traveled down to DC for three nights in early July. It truly was a great trip.
4. Job at Siemens – while things are not always easy in the construction world or in the world of a big corporation, I’m thankful to have a job where I’m treated well and challenged regularly. I look forward to my future opportunities in the future.
5. Last but not least, my family – I am truly blessed with a wonderful wife and two amazing children.

Hope you had lots to be thankful for as well this year.

Until the next post, hope you survived black Friday…

Good to Great

Today, I had my company’s annual kickoff meeting at Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack. There were several positive messages from the day. All these messages seemed to point to the same thing – go the extra degree, go the extra mile, stretch a little more. We had a very good year as a district, but we have been encouraged and challenged to go from Good to Great. Here’s a video that was shown at our meeting that presses the point.

Until the next post, consider what is takes in your own life to go the extra degree…

Positive

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” Albert Einstein

Family Fun Ideas

Last night, we concluded our parenting discussion group with a time of sharing family fun ideas. Here is a list of what we came up with in just 15 minutes with seven families represented:

1. Go to a local park on Thanksgiving and/or Christmas Eve. Spend the time together as a family with a time for quiet, a game of hide-and-seek, or perhaps a scavenger hunt. (No one else is likely to be at the park on either of these days.)
2. Bi-monthly family movie night. Spend one night every other night watching family home movies or slide shows.
3. Bi-monthly game night.
4. Family devotional activity night – do a craft, play or something else creative that deals with a story from the Bible. For example, act out the nativity or build an ark out of popsicle sticks.
5. Ask the kids what they want to do.
6. Test run a new family tradition. If it sticks, it becomes tradition. If it doesn’t, oh well.
7. Christmas ornaments. Give an ornament to your kids each year that expresses a memory or milestone from the year past. Each year have your child go through the story of each year’s ornament as they hang them up. (My kids can’t wait to hear my stories from all my ornaments.) 8. Plan a family vacation to a place where you don’t have to move the car. (Our family went to Washington, DC this summer, and we didn’t move the car until we left.)
9. When visiting the same city, go to a different ethnic restaurant every time you go out with your family.
10. Make candy (or bake goods) with your whole family (including extended family if possible).
11. Have Swedish (or other ancestory) food during the holidays.
12. Have an annual New Year’s Eve sleepover at a friends house.
13. Plan an annual family camping trip with other families.
14. Go to Knobels.
15. Go on a family bike picnic. Stop have way to have your picnic.
16. Unpack the family Christmas village together.
17. Go garage sale hopping together as a family. See who can get the best bargain or the best treasure.
18. Go Christmas caroling in your neighborhood. End the evening with hot cider and cookies at someone’s home.
19. Nativity scene add-on. Start with a stable. Each year add a new figure to the nativity set.
20. Have a best/worst dinner. Every person has to share the best part and the worst part about their days.
21. Have a regular family fun night. Rotate who gets to plan each night.
22. Go to Cape May, NJ for vacation.
23. Go to Lake George, NY for vacation.
24. With your nativity scene, play hide the baby Jesus.
25. Birthday day off. Whenever someone in the family is celebrating a birthday, the whole family takes the day off from work and school to go do something fun together.
26. Host an annual Easter family brunch and invite friends who don’t have family around.

Wow, that’s a lot of ideas. Maybe you have more ideas to add to this great list. Feel free to contribute by posting a comment.

Until the next post, here’s an idea, have fun with your family!

Field of Dreams

If you know very much about me, you’ll know that my favorite movie of all time is Field of Dreams. The whole movie is great. But the scene below without question is my favority scene in a movie. I have great memories of having catches in the front and back yard with my dad. I have started to create these memories now with my own son. I am realizing more and more than this whole parenting thing goes by way to quickly. It’s important for us to take time to enjoy the simple pleasures with our kids – like having a catch.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XS2UtAlmX4&rel=1]

Until the next post, this isn’t heaven; it’s Pennsylvania…

Exercise Daily In God

This week as part of my time with God, I’ve been reading I Timothy. Here’s an excerpt from my reading today from I Timothy 4:7-16 (The Message):

Exercise daily in God–no spiritual flabbiness, please! 8 Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. 9 You can count on this. Take it to heart. 10 This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally. We’re banking on the living God, Savior of all men and women, especially believers. 11 Get the word out. Teach all these things. 12 And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity. 13 Stay at your post reading Scripture, giving counsel, teaching. 14 And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed–keep that dusted off and in use. 15 Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! 16 Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation.

I take this passage as an encouragement to keep on keeping on. We need to keep a well balanced life. If we eat well and exercise often yet fail to take care of our spiritual bodies, we are not living as good stewards or leaders. Also, we need to share the things that we are learning with those around us. The passage also points to living a life with character. This doesn’t mean living apart from people who are far from God. It means living a life with integrity and honesty in the mix with non-believers. Our words and more so our actions will speak volumes. And as Paul states in this letter to Timothy, our actions, our words, our character may allow others to experience salvation. What an honor and privilege to be in this position.

Until the next post…

Heroes

Yesterday morning, I attended a men’s breakfast at our church. Besides the great fellowship with other men, I especially appreciated what Matt Silver had to share about heroes in our lives. When thinking about heroes in my own live, I immediately think about my parents. They have always been great role models for me through each stage of my life, and I’m extremely thankful for them.

During Matt’s time of sharing, he shared a passage from Titus 2:1-8 that came to me at a great time. Here’s what it has to say:

1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. 3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. 6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

This is a challenging passage. As a leader (at home, at church, at work, in life), I need to be above approach. This is where I will wrestle the next few days (or forever long it takes).

Until the next post…

Blog Highlight – Stolpe Adoption

For those of you who may have missed it, my brother David and his family are preparing to adopt a daughter from China. It is exciting to think that this addition to our extended family may be right around the corner.

David, Rachel, and Sam have been working diligently to prepare for her arrival – painting her room, going through all the paperwork and social worker interviews, and raising money. It is mind boggling to me to think that adopting a child can cost over $30,000. That seems like such a huge amount for a baby who is left in a Chinese orphanage when she could be at a family who already loves her and wants to provide for her and include her in their family. This is certainly one of the imbalances in life.

At any rate, David and Rachel are still working hard to get the final details and finances wrapped up. If you would like to learn more about their journey or about how you can help them visit their blog.

Until the next post…

Havana Joe’s

Okay, here’s my little plug for all you restaurant lovers out there. Last night, Leanne and I enjoyed a night out (which was wonderful). We went to a fabulous place called Havana Joe’s on High Street in Pottstown. Apparently reservations are a must if you’re thinking of going on a Friday or Saturday night. The host and waitstaff were extremely friendly. The Cuban influenced food was scrumptious. And the atmosphere was wonderful.

I enjoyed the Creamy Crab soup which was full of crab meat. We split an order of Cuban Cigars – a mixture including beans and cheese wrapped in tortillas and fried – which offered a little kick start to the dinner. We both had salads with a cilantra lime dressing which was delicious. For our main entrees, I had the Big Juan – a mojo marinated rib eye steak with chimichurri sauce, sauteed mushroom escabeche, and roasted red peppers, served with fresh cut sweet potato fries. Leanne had the Bronzed Salmon – Roasted Chilean Salmon lacquered with Mango Q, served atop shrimp stew, with Apple-mango salsa and maduros. And for dessert we split cuban flan with fresh mango. It really was delicious.

We would highly recommend this place to our friends along the 422 corridor.

Until the next post, don’t forget to eat at (havana) joe’s…