COUNTDOWN

IT'S COUNTDOWN TIME
at the Steve Cain household !!!!!

5     4     3     2     1  .  .  .  stay tuned !!
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DAY 5

When is a retiree's bedtime?

Three hours after he falls asleep on the couch!

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DAY 4

Retirement. . . is when you stop living at work and

begin working at living!

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DAY 3

Steve says. . .

Age doesn't matter. . . unless you're cheese!!!!

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DAY 2

Steve's future occupation:

Fishing Yesterday, Fishing Today, Fishing Tomorrow.

I must be (almost) RETIRED !!********************************************

DAY 1

has arrived and Steve is soooooo excited!!!! 

Please stayed tuned for more pictures and quotes!!

Keep on living as though you expect to live forever. 

"Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.  People grow old by deserting their ideals.  Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul."

Douglas McArthur

The Three Stooges

Lonnie, Don, and Steve

John Spielmann and Bob Kerr 

Nicole, Steve's Storeroom Gal!

        

As I think back over the years, Steve has spent many hours of his life at work and he would be the first one to tell you that even though it got overwhelming at times he had a great time and made many great friends, whether it was at Wilson Foods, Dixie Foods, Kahn's, or Wornick.  A few of the most recent are pictured above but there are numerous others. 

I recall a time when Wilson employees were on strike and Steve, as a mechanical supervisor, had been working for over 48 hours straight.  Aaron was very young and I had had enough.  I called his boss at the time and rather sternly suggested that 48 hours was long enough and Steve should be allowed to come home.  He was home within the hour!!

I remember when he pulled out of the driveway in Spring of 1993 to leave for his new job in Arkansas.  The kids and I all waved a sad goodbye from the front window of the house.  Yet it was an exciting time for him as he oversaw the construction of the Dixie Foods plant from the ground up. 

From there he worked for Kahn's and the Wornick Company in the Cincinnati area.  He has worked very hard all of his life to provide for Teresa, Whitney, Stephanie, Garrett, Aaron, and myself. He made sure that we had everything we needed and more.  There was a time when he would buy donuts and sell them at work just to make a little extra money.  He has been my handyman for over 30 years and there has been only one thing he has not been able to fix... a TV.  My washer and dryer are over 25 years old and still kickin' thanks to Steve.

We look forward to the future and the paths our lives will take.  We look forward to sharing more time with all of you, our family and friends.  AND we are looking forward to our BIG ADVENTURE.

CONGRATULATIONS TO STEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello

Hello from Steve and Kim

Yes, from the words of Bob Dylan:  "The Times They Are A-Changin' ".  Gotta love the bibs and I am hoping that his shirt is not still in his closet.  I believe this is around Christmas of 1980 and it is, if my memory is correct (??), the first picture we took with our camera.  You know, the one you have envied for many years until you entered the digital age.  One hour photo developing for a non-digital camera is nearly non-existant.  Yep, times are changin'.

We are looking forward to 2011.  It is a great year for Steve since he may retire or at least cut back on the type and amount of work he will be doing.  We began our year in Ft. Lauderdale and Key West and look forward to Steve and Kim's BIG Adventure this summer.  Our adventure will begin in mid May with our first stop being Rend Lake, Illinois.  We will be spending a few days before and after Memorial Day in Arkansas catching trout and just plain goofing off.  Actually, goofing off is the main focus of our BIG Adventure.  We hope to keep you updated on the events that take place in our lives this year, at least from our perspective that is!  Of course Steve begins our year of birthdays on January 24 and Trey ends our year of birthdays on December 20.  In between we all know there is a very loooooooooong list of birthdays.  We even get to celebrate a ZERO birthday this year.  How fun that will be!!!

We look forward to sharing our words of wisdom and the pictures to prove them with all of you this year.  Please keep in mind the following:  if we are captured by aliens in Roswell, NM, be sure to look behind every picture, in every book, in every box, and anywhere you can't see without standing on a chair before you sell the house.  Who knows what treasures you will find!!!

MATH NERD

As I think back to high school, that is Pioneer High School, in Royal Center, Indiana, home of the Panthers, I never once considered myself to be a nerd, geek, or whatever kids are calling it these days.  I never really disliked Math but I didn't love it either.  I wasn't the best math student but I also was not the worst.  I guess you could say I could take it or leave it. . . . same goes for history, english, science, and home ec! 

Ahhhhh, home economics!  For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about, it's the class that taught young girls how to sew, cook, bake, and be all around homemakers.  ?????  Thank goodness we have come so far over the years!!  Now, co-ed home ec is a different story!!  It was much more fun when the boys were in the class.  That's probably why I failed the semester exam.  I mean really. . . .  who cares about the definitions for braise, saute, broil, blanch, poach, sear, and all those other words that are thrown around kitchens all over the world!!  At 17?  Not me!!   That's cow _____.  See picture below.

Nevertheless, as a firm believer in fate, or whatever you choose to call it, and the concept that 'all things happen for a reason even though we may not know the reason at the time', I find myself teaching math.  For those of you who may know me from long ago, I can't believe it either !!!

So, to make what is becoming a long story short, the Spring Fling was yesterday on campus, and for the past few years I have been the lone participant from the Math Department.  This years theme, decided by someone other that myself, was Beach Paradise.  It is often a challenge to come up with activities that correspond to the theme but I  have found over the years that the less math students are required to do at the 'math' table the better!!  So I always have some type of estimation activity.  This year students estimated the number of candy beach balls in a vase and also the volume of a rather large beach ball.  The winners received a $25 bookstore gift card and a Miami ball cap, respectively.  I managed to pack 213 candy beachballs in the vase. The closest estimate was 212! The volume of the beach ball was approximately 6370 cubic inches and decreasing because there was a slow leak somewhere. . . . shhhhhhhhhh!!!!  The closest estimate was 6400.  Likewise, I gave away ink pens, flexible rulers, protractors, and last but not least 'Pi' pencils.  Now that is NERDY!!

Speaking of 'Pi'. . . check this out!    

Now that's some COW PI!!!!

PHOTOS FROM SPRING FLING 2011

HAVE A GREAT SPRING FLING OF YOUR OWN!!!!!!!

EXPLORING

EXPLORATION:  The act of investigating unknown regions.

We often travel to places afar to explore the world around us and yet we often forget that the best types of exploration can occur very close to home.  And when Cade and Jace are along exploring is capital F-U-N!!  I truly believe that boys, well maybe girls too, are born with a 'PLAY IN THE MUD PUDDLE' gene, which is not unique to the Costello boys, I am sure.  It's as if the MUD puddle is calling to them:  "over here. . . over here. . ." and boys, especially, cannot resist the temptation. 

Of course, girls must always consider what shoes are being worn at the time and Grandparents, at least Steve and I, don't care about wet shoes, soggy socks, and dirty pants.  We paid our dues as parents.  Now it's all about F-U-N and sometimes FUN is a dirty word. . . even for grandma. 

How is it that two boys, ages 6 and 3, can manage to maneuver the muddy creek slope but Grandma manages to slide down the slippery slope on her keester?  Oh, by the way, for those of you helping your children with math:  'm' = slope = (rise/run) = tan(x) = (opposite/adjacent).  You all remember this from Algebra/Trigonometry class. . . right??? 

Even though it has been a fairly rainy Spring so far in the Greater Cincinnati area we still managed to find a great spot in the creek to wade and throw rocks . .  .

And of course, a stick, or is it a Ninja sword (?), is always great to have. . just in case your exploring takes you into places with unknown creatures.

HAPPY EXPLORING TO YOU!!!!!

DINNER OUT

Steve and I recently had dinner with Garrett, Natalie, and Amanda.  We spent the evening at the Iron Horse Restaurant in Glendale. 

I knew before we arrived that dinner was going to be a little pricey based on the pictures of the dinner entrees on their website.  But Steve and I were up for it.  Sometimes it's not about the cost but about the conversation and atmosphere and that is exactly what we found. . . lots of great conversation, the 'CAIN' style of conversation, that can get a little juicy from time to time, and a very relaxing atmosphere with live music that caused some occasional toe tapping.

Steve had the Flat Iron Steak

special accompanied by a scallop

and asparagus.  Gotta love the

 presentation of the asparagus! 

And of course, Steve especially

liked the 'green goo'.  Oh sorry. . .

Salsa Verde!!

Amanda, Natalie's sister, had the Roast Chicken entree, note the green goo again, while Garrett and Natalie both had the Sea Scallop entree.   While my pictures do not do justice to the creativity of the chef, the scallop meal was the most beautifully presented.  

Last but not least, I chose the
Classic Steak Frites, with red
onions and french green beans. 
I chose this entree first of all because it was s-t-e-a-k and secondly because  it had a vegetable other than asparagus, YUK and spinach, YUK-YUK.

TWO THUMBS UP to Chef Jackson Rouse.  Had I given the asparagus and spinach a chance I may have liked them both but I have memories of canned spinach and canned asparagus from childhood and  cannot bring myself to eat them as an adult.  TWO THUMBS up to the owner of the restaurant for the atmosphere, and last but not least TWO THUMBS up to Garrett, Natalie, and Amanda for a great evening!

Little Miss Mia

And this makes eleven. . . .

. . . grandchildren turned on to

TOOTSIE ROLL POPS !!!!!

While playing and having fun is our speciality, Granddad and I often do not quite measure up when it comes to mealtime.  It's not the eating that is the problem it is the mess that often overwhelms us!! How many smashed peas can one kitchen floor actually handle? Supposedly the Pizza-Shaped Pasta with Turkey Sausage in Herb Tomato Sauce Gerber Graduate meal is one of Mia's favorites.  Maybe at Aunt Stephanie's house but not at Granddad's.  Even with a few blueberries mixed in it may be difficult to determine if the food on this tray represents what should be going IN the mouth or something that was spit OUT!!!

Nevertheless, when all else fails  Granddad comes to the rescue with. . . . . . . CHEESE!!  

Yes, as I always say. . . Everything goes better with Cheese. 

We are soooo looking forward to NUMBER 12!!!!

I know I'm cute but can someone find me a

better hat????

The Mathews Crew

It's a Webkin World





ALWAYS lots of fun and laughs with the
Mathews Crew!!!



Could YOU do this????
(Without breakin' a leg?)

There's only one
NUMBER ONE, NUMERO UNO,
TOP DOG!!