Busy Kids

(Louka is second from left.)

We're so lucky that our kids are able to experience so many things.

Louka is in karate two to three times a week, attends Sunday School faithfully (Lutheran, yah... that's another story), and Spanish class on Thursday after school. He just finished up soccer and will start again in the spring.

April takes hip hop dance class and has her horses. She just finished volleyball. She joined the Student Advocate newspaper as photographer and ended up writing two stories (front page story, no less) but she told them she couldn't do it anymore since it was taking too much time from her horses and friends. She's also in 4-H

As a kid, I remember taking piano, 4-H, Girl Scout, baton lessons, guitar lessons.

Lucky kids. Do we know and appreciate how fortunate we are?

The Mad Dash

Preparing for the Mad Dash, going over sales fliers on Thanksgiving.

Day after Thanksgiving: The Mad Dash

The Pomplun ladies spent the day after Thanksgiving as a part of the mad shopping society. Rose, Kali, April and Rose's friend Jen, spent Thanksgiving night at Jasmine's apartment in Janesville. Apparently, none of them slept! At 2 a.m., Jasmine and Eric went to Toys R Us for the 4 a.m. opening to get the advertised "Zune's" (a mp3 player). Rose, Jen, Kali and April went to Kohls for the 5 a.m. opening to get various items. Jasmine and Eric were fifth and sixth in line. There were only six of the advertised Zune's. They were lucky. The lady behind them was not.

We need to contact our legislators to start a bill that says a store may not advertise a product unless it has XX amount (100 quantity, or enough to satisfy the first 50 customers or whatever). Several stores did the same thing, advertised something in a national flier, then each store only had three, or five, or nine or whatever very limited quantities. This is classic bait and switch, which is illegal. Get people in the store by advertising something cheap and inexpensive (two different things), then "switch" them to buying something more expensive. RIP OFF! We will be contacting the Better Business Bureau and our legislators, even though we weren't the ones who were ripped off, this time at least.

The boys? Smart guys stayed in bed. Hmmmm... next year I give them the list!

We did get a lot of things on our list and saved mucho money -- although I'm sure we would have saved a lot more had we just not gone shopping and skipped Christmas gift giving! No? You sure??

Thanksgiving Day

What a wonderful day! Thanksgiving 2007 for the Pomplun Family was celebrated at the Pomplun home, 440 S. 2nd St. Attending were Grandma Linda, the Louie and Tammy Pomplun family, Eric Rife (Jasmine's boyfriend) and Jen (Rose's friend). A huge feast with WAAAYYY too much food served on fine china and Mikasa crystal was held at noon, followed by the clan (not Grandma Linda) going to see the movie (a tradition) "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" in Janesville, then shopping, yes, shopping at Shopko. It was a wonderful day!

Grandma Linda and Louka playing "Booby Trap" a game Tammy, Lisa and Linda used to play when the girls were younger. (Tammy bought it off E-bay.)

Grandpa Harry's Peanut Brittle

For the younger ones who don't remember, Grandpa Harry Dennison was a MASTER peanut brittle maker. He made a thick, old-fashioned "foamy" peanut brittle, as they call it, not the flat stuff they sell in stores. Don't be fooled by the word foamy - it was still hard and crunchy.
I remember as a child going over to Grandpa's to make peanut brittle. It took forever but it was well worth the wait!
I've written a story about making peanut brittle with Grandpa. I asked for, and received, his special peanut brittle making pot. I'm sure it's made of lead or aluminum, or some other unhealthy metal, but it's a integral part of perfect peanut brittle.
So anyway, I've made two batches already this season and neither one, of course, was as good as Grandpas. The first, I didn't have any vanilla, so I had to finish without (no time to run to the store, peanut brittle requires precise timing). So it didn't have that great flavor, but was edible. The second batch cooked just a little bit too long, and had sort of a burnt flavor. The kids and I ate it anyway. I need to get some more raw peanuts to try again. Someday I'll get it right.

Happy Birthday Tiffanee, Nov. 18-25, 1980

May God forgive all my sins and one day allow me into Heaven for a Mother and Child Reunion

(Click the arrow to play song)

Uncle Art's Service Noted in the Local Newspaper

Click on the newspaper image to enlarge it.
Uncle Art made the local newspaper this week, The Evansville Review. As some of you know, I am a reporter for the newspaper, but the "In Review" section is researched and compiled by Ruth Ann Montgomery, I can't take credit for it. (I had to fold the paper to scan it and get the whole thing in.)
We love you Uncle Art. Thank you for ensuring our freedom and others'.

Thanksgiving

What's everyone doing for Thanksgiving?

The Pomplun family tradition is to get together with Linda, and sometimes others, for a big noon dinner. Usually Linda or one of the little kids leads us in prayer and then we go around the table and say what we are thankful for.
After the meal we go see a movie (NO POPCORN!!!). Before Thanksgiving, we put up the Nativity, our first Christmas decoration. Thanksgiving night we begin putting up other decorations. Of course, we love shopping on the next day, trying to get all the bargains (but they're all usually gone before we get there!)

What did the Dennison's do to celebrate Thanksgiving as kids? Where did you celebrate? Who attended besides the immediate family? Who prepared the food? What were some of the foods served? Please let your children and grandchildren learn about your lives as kids by adding a comment.

Veterans

Thanks to Linda for this post idea!

Veterans Day is coming soon, Monday, November 12 and while we are all VERY proud of our family's Veteran's, we don't often remember to thank them. Please help me complete this list of the Dennison Veterans and the service they completed, so we can all remember to thank them this year. Add the names of your in-laws, friends, etc. if you wish.
I'd like to include title, branch of military, dates of enlistment, places of service

Sgt. Arthur Dennison, retired, US Army, Germany, Vietnam

Dennis Burns, Vietnam, Cu-Chi and Battle of Renegade Woods
David Boettcher, Germany, Gulf War/Desert Storm
Curtis Traxler
David Jay Boettcher

What about our ancestors? Did any of them fight in the Civil War, WWI or II or any others?

BTW, Louka Landry Lester Pomplun and his father Louis Lester Pomplun are named for Louie's uncle, Lester Pomplun, who served in the Navy and died in World War II in the Battle of Leyte Gulf from a torpedo attack. The Pompluns were so kindly given a picture of Uncle Lester in military gear, still in it's original frame, which now graces their hallway.

Louie's nephew, Kris Pomplun, who lived with them for a year while he was in high school, is currently in the US Navy. Pray for him, that he may not have to see active duty in a war-torn area and that this current war will soon be resolved so all our honorable men can come home.

Are careers genetic?

Are career choices driven by genetics? I've heard it said, and it seems to be true, that the Dennisons are good in math and literature. There are also many "helpers" in the "blood" family but few very scientists or historians (I think just Tania, with the DNR)

Anna Dennison was a poet, I remember quite well.
Harry Dennison was wonderful with numbers, even though he only went to the eighth grade. I remember he taught me how to multiply by nine using your fingers.

For the younger ones, see if you can understand what he taught me:

Hold up all 10 fingers in front of you so you are looking at them. To multiple by nine, counting from left to right, bend down whatever finger you are multiplying by nine.
For example, if you want to know nine by six. Counting left to right, you would end up bending down your right hand thumb. Then you simply say how many numbers are left standing, with a break in between the space of the finger you bent down. With your right thumb bent down, you have the five fingers on the left (5) and the four fingers on your right hand (4), put together making 54. 9 x 6 is 54. It works!

So, this is the just of the story:
Let's think about the careers of the Dennison.
For numbers, we have Bev, Sue and Tammy who have all worked in banking. Alice, Dawn and Tracy are in accounting. Lance and Cassandra must use numbers in their business management.
For literature, Judy and Tammy like to write.
For "helpers," there's Linda, Judy and Lisa in the medical field and I guess Becky was a helper, as a devoted mother. Jasmine and Rose are both helpers, and Jasmine is going into the medical field. Rose is also a numbers person.
I really don't know what Brenda does. Can someone tell me?

What about the Dennison grandchildren and other relatives? Jay, Janna, Shona, Bret, Amanda, Kim, Crystal, Cole, Katelyn - what are their best subject areas?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is almost upon us? Linda had a tradition she liked to do. Before the Thanksgiving meal, and after the prayer, she wants everyone to say one thing for which they are thankful.

Let's do that here, and now.

What are you thankful for?

Here's Tammy's:
For my husband, children and mother; for the belief in God and a Heaven; for having everything we need and a whole lot more; for having been able to be an at-home mom; for being able to use my creativity writing and sewing; for living in Evansville; for all our relatives; for our neighbors and friends, especially Emmy and Gary, Karen, the Alisankus', for living in America and our Veterans; and for being born a woman.

Please add yours under comments.

Trick or Treat: Kids Come Home For The Holidays

Do your kids come home for the holidays -- Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter? Yes? Mine do too, not only for those but also for -- you guessed it -- trick or treating on Halloween!
Here's some pics of everyone getting goofy at Halloween.
We had a great time. This year at the Pomplun house, there was a little "surprise" package on the foyer -- a little fake doggie do-do, which Tammy pointed out to everyone and then shocked them by picking it up and "accidentally" dropping on them. At the Pomplun house, kids have to spin a wheel to get a treat -- the wheel can land on "Do a little dance, get a little treat" or "Sing a little song, get a little sweet" or "No candy." Of course, everyone walks away with handfuls!
Fun day!