Dee's News May 2013

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Congratulations to Chris and Lovina Fussner on the birth of their fifth child. Little Ruth C. Fussner was born on February 18, 2013. She weighed 8 lbs. 14oz and was 20 ¾ inches long. She joins her siblings Warren, Catherine, Ervin,  and Veronica. Blessings to the Fussner family!

William and Jenica Keim welcomed a new baby to their family. Little Kaelynn Grace Keim  was born early in the morning on March 23, 2013. She weighed 9lb 6oz and was 21-1/4 long. Her older brother Malachi welcomes his new little sister to their family. Congratulations, William and Jenica!

Miriam Keim was told she passed her GED tests on February  6, 2013. Miriam homeschools her children so earning her GED was very important to  her. In the state of Ohio where she homeschools, parent teachers are required to have a GED or high school diploma.  Having a GED has not only helped her be more confident in her own abilities to school her children, but also alleviates extra work in order to qualify to homeschool. Congratulations to Miriam for her hard work!

I’ve spent most of my adult life working hard to overcome many levels of social awkwardness, from the very basics of having enough courage to talk and knowing what to say to start a conversation to understanding how to read people.  Let’s face it – I’m a strong introvert and the nuances of making friends, communicating well with others, and speaking to others is sometimes a challenge for me. Over the last several years, I’ve found a number of ways to overcome this problem. Most of these require significant practice, but the truth is that you can practice almost all of these any time that you want. If you’re socially awkward at all – and you probably know it if you are – just give some of these exercises a try.

1. Smile at everyone you meet

To me, this was the trick that really started to break things open. I would often meet people and have no clue how to react, so I would just stand there quietly with a blank face and not say much initially. The technique that works best for me is thinking about what really makes me happiest, and that’s playing with my son – I imagine doing something completely playful with him and that brings out a smile every time. Practice by smiling at people in public places, particularly if you have a brush with them – you’re going near them in the same aisle at the store, or you happen to make eye contact with them. Here’s an extensive guide to smiling.

2. Practice conversing with people you don’t know

I used to just clam up in an unfamiliar environment, but what I’ve found is that if you make polite conversation with people at every opportunity, it becomes much easier to open up and converse. Any situation you’re in where you’re surrounded by people you don’t know at all or don’t know well – a conference, a trip on the bus, a line at the coffee shop, or your spouse’s extended family reunion, to name a few – can be used to practice conversation. Take advantage of these opportunities and strike up a conversation with someone who appears idle. Even if you completely bungle it, the worst thing that happens is that you sit back, think about how you bungled it, and move on from there. Many of the remaining tips are advice on how to make a conversation like this go well.

3. When you talk to someone, look them directly in the eye

This was another trait that was difficult for me to master – I tend to want to look away from people, mostly because my mother pounded into my head over and over again that it’s impolite to stare, so I kept reducing it to the point where I didn’t even want to look at other people. This conclusion is patently ridiculous – when someone else is speaking or when you’re speaking to one specific person, you should look them directly in the eye. It indicates interest in the other person, while looking away without a clear purpose often indicates boredom and disinterest. Again, this is easy to practice whenever you have a chance to try conversing with others.

4. Memorize names, faces, and information – memorize people

I find it very useful to find online pictures of people that I will potentially have contact with in order to see their face and associate it with their name. It comes up useful time and time again – if you can come up with someone’s name in an initial introduction or in a second meeting, you’ve gone a long way to make them feel good about themselves as well as about you. Before conferences or other meetings where I’m going to actually have to remember a lot of names and faces, I actually have made what amounts to flashcards so that I can recall quickly who’s who based on face alone, recalling their name and a key thing or two about them.

5. When you’re about to have a meal, invite someone to eat with you

Meals are almost always a way to disarm people and make conversation easier. Whenever you’re thinking of dining alone, make it a point to try to dine with someone else, even if it’s just a friend. If I’m at a conference, for example, I never ever allow myself to eat a meal alone – there’s always someone worth talking to, even if it’s just someone I happened to meet during the normal course of the day.

6. Ask questions

If you don’t know what to talk about, think of the first (polite) thing you’d like to know about the person you’re talking with and ask. What are their hobbies? What do they think about a particular article they’re reading? Do they have any kids? This is particularly easy if you’re at a meeting, because you generally have the topic of the meeting in common, as well as the meeting itself.

7. Practice shaking hands

Having a bad handshake is a no-no – you don’t want to have a limp handshake, nor a “death grip” one (the latter used to be my problem). I found that the best way to practice this was to simply ask a few close friends for help and shake their hands several times. It was one of my friends that informed me that I had a death grip shake, which I didn’t even realize but came to know later that others also thought it was extremely aggressive and that it sent awkward signals (think about it – I would shake with a death grip, look away from people, and not talk). Know how to shake with an appropriate firmness and be sure to do it when you meet someone, particularly in a professional situation.

From: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/06/16/seven-ways-to-overcome-social-awkwardness-that-you-can-practice-anytime/

1. Have you always had a desire to write? Yes

2. What kinds of things do you like to write about? I have two favorites. I like to write about relationships with difficult twists that work out because of faith, grace and love. My secret favorite is magical, fantasy stories. I love writing complicated plots involving fairies with humans or a dragon, a king and an old castle.

3. Do you plan to pursue a published author career? Yes, I plan to begin by becoming an Indie author then pursuing printed publishing.

4. What are your current projects? Currently I have two blogs: www.amisheyes-rebecca.blogspot.com where I post varied writings and www.thewhiteladyrises.wordpress.com where I have begun a newspaper about my mobile home park. It's sarcastic and exaggerated--a parody of what true newspapers should be. I'm also working on a novel idea about a single woman in her early 30's who just can't seem to move from the solo scene to the married scene. But she keeps herself entertained by attending a book club of five older ladies and making up new recipes for her best friend, her crockpot.

5. What part of writing comes easy to you? After recovering from a ten-year lapse of writing fiction, coming up with unique ideas and writing them out while I'm inspired is once again easy.

6. What part of writing is difficult? Being motivated to sit down and write is difficult. Hidden thoughts of wondering if people will like what I write or if I'll ever finish my stories makes it easy to make excuses.

7. What do you hope your writing will accomplish? I will make my lifelong dream come true of being an author. I started writing when I was in second grade and have wanted to be an author since I was 12. Also, I plan to spread God's grace and love through the way my story characters work through their lives. I want people to learn while reading something entertaining. And I want them to laugh and give their minds a break.

8. What is your book Betty Butter about? Is it children's fiction? Betty Butter is a children's fiction book about a sincere

little lady who lives in a cottage in the woods. She loves to cook and to eat, especially butter. At the end of the book is a recipe for homemade butter that children can make with their parents. The activity provides bonding time between parents and children while making things the old-fashioned way.

Rebecca Yoder has written a lovely children’s book titled Betty Butter. It is available for purchase at Smashwords. Copy and paste the following link to your browser to order a copy: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AmishEyes

The best way to make natural pesticides is to use natural products that you have around your house. Garden pests are repelled or killed by a surprising number of safe and natural products. Let’s take a look at a few natural insect repellent recipes.

Organic Garden Pest Control Recipe #1

1 head of garlic

1 tablespoon dish soap (note: do not use a dish soap that contains bleach)

2 tablespoons mineral or vegetable oil

2 cups water

Peel the garlic cloves and puree the cloves along with the oil and water. Allow to sit over night and then strain the mixture. Add the soap and mix toughly. Pour into a spray bottle and use on pest infected plants.

Organic Garden Pest Control Recipe #2

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 teaspoon dish soap or Murphy Oil (note: do not use a dish soap that contains bleach)

2 quart of water

Combine ingredients and pour into a spray bottle. Use this organic bug spray for plants on your affected plants.

Organic Garden Pest Control Recipe #3

1/2 cup chopped hot peppers (the hotter the better)

2 cups water

2 tablespoons dish soap (note: do not use a dish soap that contains bleach)

Puree peppers and water. Let sit overnight. Strain carefully (this will burn your skin) and mix in dish soap. Pour into a spray bottle and spray this organic bug spray for plants on your buggy plants.

BEFORE USING ANY HOMEMADE MIX: It should be noted that anytime you use a home mix, you should always test it out on a small portion of the plant first to make sure that it will not harm the plant. Also, avoid using any bleach-based soaps or detergents on plants since this can be harmful to them. In addition, it is important that a home mixture never be applied to any plant on a hot or brightly sunny day, as this will quickly lead to burning of the plant and its ultimate demise.

To read more: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/organic/natural-home-pesticides-organic-garden-pest-control.htm

Snow Peas with Toasted Almonds

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed

2 teaspoons minced shallot

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook until golden and fragrant and butter begins to brown, stirring frequently, about 11/2 minutes. Add snow peas and shallot; sauté until snow peas are crisp-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; add lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and serve.

Roasted Spring Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 lb. spring vegetables (such as carrots, asparagus, radishes, spring onions, or sugar snap peas), trimmed or peeled if needed, cut into same-size pieces

4 unpeeled garlic cloves

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine vegetables, garlic, and oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring halfway through, until tender, golden brown, and charred in spots, about 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spring Veggie Bagel Sandwich

Makes 1 sandwich:

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinaigrette

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 bagel, sliced in half

3 radishes, thinly sliced

1/4 cup arugula

Mix cream cheese, lime juice, balsamic vinaigrette, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Spread the mixture evenly over one of the bagel halves. Arrange the radish slices, arugula, and tomato on top of the cream cheese. Sandwich with the remaining bagel half.

UPDATE: ADSFund

A great update about ADSF from Emma Miller: “We'll have around $10,000 to give away in scholarships this year if we get enough good applicants. Things are really starting to happen over here. Please let me know if you know any former Amish who are going to college.”

This is wonderful news for those former Amish who are pursuing a college education. If you would like more information about applying for a scholarship, please copy and paste this link into your internet browser: http://www.amishscholarship.com/scholarship-application-information.html

A baby shower for Jenica Keim was held on Sunday, February 24, 2013 at the home of  Debbie Gross in Ashland, Ohio. Several ladies came to help celebrate the soon-to-born baby girl Kaelyn Grace.

Punch and a delectable luncheon were provided. Games and gifts were  among the highlights of the afternoon. Guests were especially delighted to find that Jenica was able to drink her baby bottle of juice quicker than any other contestant in the fun party game! It’s always a happy occasion to celebrate a new life, and those in attendance enjoyed  the shower very much. Congratulations, Jenica and William!

Eli Raber has repaired cars for several years, but in 2012, he opened his own business. We (Dee and Arlen Yoder) can vouch that Eli will go the extra mile to find out what is needed to get a car back on the road and humming like a top.

Eli is ACE Certified and able to provide the following services for his customers:  Brakes, drivetrain, heating & cooling, oil changes, maintenance, shocks, struts, suspension, tires and much more.

He is currently located at 717 E. 7th St. in Ashland, Ohio, but has plans to move his business in the near future to a fully operational garage not far from his present location.

Hours of operation are 8am - 5pm, Monday through Saturday with 24 hour emergency service available, plus night drop offered, too. The phone number where he can be reached is: (330) 858-5840

From Eli’s website, the motto of his service to his customers is “Where quality and customer service come FIRST!”. We agree: Eli offers a wide range of auto repair knowledge and his treatment of his customers is top notch.

For more information, copy and paste this link into your browser:  http://www.rrautocare.com

Cross Point is a ministry that reaches out to former Amish every other weekend. 

To keep up with activities, join the Cross Point Facebook Page