Category: Uncategorized

Can you believe it? This year flew by in the blink of an eye! Yes, indeed this was another strange year for us all, but I have to say I am coming out of it very blessed.

Our wholesale business has flourished which we are beyond grateful. My blog is 11 months old, and I have written almost 300 blog posts. I’ve come a long way personally over the last year as well. I wrote about the ups and downs, having many more ups than downs which is very good.

My sons both advanced in their careers, Noah changed jobs for an exciting business opportunity, and Sam became an RN.

Marty and I finally went on a real vacation by ourselves, the first one in 26 years. This year has taught us to do the things we want to do and stop waiting. Waiting for what?

I am grateful for all of my family members, who I am getting to know better every day. I am fortunate that we found each other and have them in my life; we still have many years to make up for lost time. It’s exciting to watch my nieces and nephew grow up; I love being Aunt Julz!

Finally, this blog was the best thing I did all year. It helped me focus on my life’s journey and not only the destination. It made me think about the good things in my life and not concentrate on negative thoughts or things. It’s easy to get into one’s head, especially in these challenging times. It also made me look back on some wonderful childhood memories and try to let some of the awful ones fade away a little at a time.

Thanks, guys, for a great year; I truly appreciate all of your comments, support, and donations to keep my blog going.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year, a year of good health, and prosperity. Cheers to better days ahead and a fantastic year.

I made it once around the rink in excruciating pain. The bunions on both of my feet made my feet feel like Cinderella’s ugly step-sisters when they tried on the glass slipper.

• 

• 

I tried a different kind and went up a size. I loosened the skates up as much as I could and gave it another shot. I got eight steps onto the ice; the pain stopped me right in my tracks. Shit, I knew as much as I wanted to skate I wouldn’t be able to. I hate being a party pooper.

So here I sit watching Jen and the kids skate bummed with myself and my feet. Dammit!

I just took the Christmas tree down now that my sister Jen and her kids got to see it yesterday. I usually take it down the day after Christmas but waited for them this year.

My sister is from northern NJ and got here in about three hours. She was smart and left early, missing all that dreaded NJ traffic.

After they arrived, we hung out for a bit then had a quick lunch. Then they left to head up to Manchester, where they are staying an Airbnb.

The kid’s favorite place in Vermont is the Northshire Bookstore since they both love to read. They were super excited when they opened their presents from us, gift cards to the bookstore.

They hit the bookstore before checking into their Airbnb, then settled in. I rested for a bit before they came back later for dinner. Yes, I have insomnia again; the Midnight Drops stopped working because my body got too used to them. I’ve tried some Melatonin which works but gives me bad dreams. I’ll probably be writing more about this in the future.

Jen and I love to cook together. We made chicken franchise with fettuccini alfredo, all of our favorites. It’s like we’ve been cooking together our whole lives; it feels longer than the 2 1/2 years that we have known each other. I hate using the words adopted and biological, but she is one of my biological sisters that found me through Ancestry.com. We became sisters the first time we met, and I feel so blessed to have her in my life.

After dinner, we played the card game Five Crowns. We started playing this game with our friend across the street, Martin. It’s a lot of fun and can be highly competitive. Jen and Marty compete so hard against each other it makes me laugh.

My brother Dan and I play games for fun; they play to win. Marty says, “Why wouldn’t you play to win? What’s the point.” Um, just because smarty pants! Five Crowns is a challenging game to describe, but it’s a blast to play once you figure it out.

Today I am going to meet them up in Manchester, and we are going ice skating. I used to love both roller and ice skating when I was younger. Hopefully, I won’t hurt myself and be so sore tomorrow I won’t be able to move. Lol. Marty isn’t coordinated and says one of us needs our legs so he won’t be skating with us. We are expecting a delivery from one of our supply company’s, and he needs to be home to accept the delivery. Work never really goes away during a holiday vacation week.

I just wanted to check in and say hello and let you know what I’ve been up to. My writing may be more sporadic than usual, but I plan on taking photos and writing every day, even if it’s a short post.

Have a great day, and keep your fingers crossed for me at the ice rink. ⛸

Another Christmas has come and gone, but this one was different for me. Before we had children, Christmas for Marty and me was stressful because of our mothers. Both would use guilt and manipulation tactics. Someone always got hurt, and we were stuck in the middle. 

After we had our boys, it became “our” family’s holiday. It was important for our boys to put out cookies and milk for Santa and go to bed in their own home. They loved they were able to play with their gifts all day and not have to pack up and drive somewhere far.

We told our families they were all welcome to our home for Christmas, although we spent our Christmas’ as just the four of us.

We started our own traditions on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Our Christmas’ were a special time for us while the boys were growing up. 

We kept many of our traditions until this year, such as opening our gifts on Christmas morning. Then we enjoyed German pancakes that Marty made every year. We ate our dinners early on Christmas Eve and Day; I never deviated from their bedtime schedules.

This year we changed things up. Sam works overnight shifts in the ER and sleeps during the day. We decided for Christmas Eve dinner, we would start at 7:30 pm, giving Sam a chance to wake up before having a holiday meal.  We had a relaxing meal and didn’t finish until almost 9 pm.

After dinner, we opened our gifts. It was weird for me to put presents under the tree during the day even though the boy’s Santa days have been over for years. 

Christmas morning was low-key. We slept in and just hung out all day. Sam had to work at 4 pm, so only Noah, Marty, and I had Christmas dinner later that evening. 

This indeed was a grown-up Christmas for me, which was a welcome change. This is the way things are in our lives right now. Perhaps someday, more family members will be added to shake things up, but this is perfect in the meantime. 

I always park in the less crowded sections of parking lots because I hate when people park too close to me. Also, I don’t particularly appreciate when they ram a shopping cart into my vehicle, which has happened a few times.

Now that I have a gorgeous new vehicle, I park way out in no man’s land. Far from the crowds and other cars, plus the walk will do me good. All the nicer vehicles are parked out in no man’s land as well. I am sure the owners feel like I do. Today, my new truck Skye was all alone.

Last week, I had to pick up a few last-minute items at the grocery store. I had a list with about 15 things on it. I remembered the list from home, which was a miracle in itself! The first store that I went to was packed. As I started to walk around, the store was out of half the items I needed to get; not wanted to get, required to get.

I had given up and left my grocery cart in the middle of an aisle and walked out. I would have to go to another store anyway; I was not going to go through two checkout lines.

The next store I went to was a madhouse. They have so much crap piled up in the entranceway it’s hard to get through. Then when you get through, someone stops right at the entranceway and starts deciding where to go first. This makes me crazy! I thought to myself, walk in and move the fuck out of the way.

I tried to keep my cool and not get irritated about how busy the store was. I did find everything on my list but was dumbfounded how the prices went up just in the last couple of weeks; significantly.

When I got to the checkout, I was exhausted after a day in the production kitchen and out making deliveries. I just wanted to pay and leave. I remembered my reusable bags which was the second miracle of the day. I loaded my groceries on the conveyor belt.

The cashier asked me if I wanted him to help me bag my groceries. I told him yes, please. After he stopped ringing out my items, he watched me bagging my own shit. I put a couple of my bags in front of him to help, and he still watched me bag everything myself. When he told me my total, which was about two hundred bucks, I asked him if he had applied his employee discount. He didn’t know what I meant and where I was going with this.

I told him that I expected his employee discount since he stood there and watched me do his job. I asked him if he needed a manager to apply the discount. He was so confused. I told him not to offer to help someone then just stand there watching with his arms crossed. I paid and told him to have a happy holiday and wake up already. A weak moment for me indeed.

I am not a “Karen” usually. I am not that guy (or gal). I’ve had to deal with my share of Karen’s throughout my retail management career. I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. How many other people did he do the same thing to? How many older people? It was 5:30 pm and everyone in the store was shopping after work; not one of them looked like they wanted to be there like me. Everyone looked tired and frazzled. No wonder his line was so long. I guess the baggers went home at 5 pm. Granted, at least he was working and not sitting on his ass, but if you are paid to do a job, then do it right.

Today was a shopper’s dream. I needed a few perishable items for the week and sailed through the store. I went back to the first store I went to the other day, the one I left my cart in. The store where the bagging incident occurred has lost me as a customer because of one kid; for good. I’ve given this store so many chances over the years, now I am done. I’ll go without before going back.

People are at their wit’s end right now with everything going on in our world. They are struggling through their days, at least I am. All I want is someone to be helpful to customers and make their expensive shopping experience a little bit easier. That’s a simple request, just some customer service.

I haven’t written a piece about me bitching about something for months, but this put me over the edge. The funny thing was when I left the checkout area, a couple of customers behind me gave me the thumbs up and were smiling. Hopefully, he helped bag their shit for them.

Ok. Rant over. Sorry, but I needed to get it out. Have a great night, guys.

I just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Last Christmas, I wished for something no money could buy. I wished for something more. Something that was hidden down deep. I wished to inspire people. I wanted to teach people how to cook. I wanted someone to share my stories and life with.

My personal Facebook page was a good start, but not enough for the story telling of my journey. I knew I needed to start a blog, but I was afraid of failure. The unknown. Technology.

I got off to a slow start as it took a while to find my voice. Find what I wanted to write about. Find my authentic self. How to be honest.

With every blog post I write I hope to either do what I initially wanted to do; inspire or teach. I shared my ups and downs. My successes and failures. I tried to make my readers laugh out loud some days and feel like they aren’t alone on their own journeys.

These are some strange times, but I believe no matter how bad things seem, there are better days ahead.

I wish you all a peaceful holiday. If you don’t celebrate Christmas I hope you can feel the hope and love that is in the air. I read a book a couple of months about a little girl named Lulu who had a saying while her family was going through World War ll, “hope helps” Yes, Lulu it does.

Cheers! Thanks so much everyone for being what I wished for last Christmas. ❤️

Yesterday, I picked up my new vehicle, whose name is Skye. It’s a new small pick-up truck made by Ford. I’ve had SUVs before, but not a pick-up. It’s a pick-up, but it’s more like a trucklet to me. It’s the perfect size for me when I make deliveries, run errands, or pack up farmer’s market supplies.

This small pick-up truck is the latest model right off the Ford assembly line. I was lucky that Marty even found me one and in the color Area 51. I probably have the first of its kind in here in VT. These trucks are sold sight unseen and have a waiting list of more than a year.

I chose the gas turbo engine, all-wheel-drive version because it’s Vermont, and all-wheel-drive makes sense. The truck also comes in a two-wheel-drive hybrid version that gets 40 miles to the gallon, which is unbelievable. The hybrid Mavericks have waiting lists so long most customers won’t be getting their hands on one until 2023.

This small size pick-up truck is perfect for weekend DIY projects with enough room in the cab along with a spacious back seat. There is lots of hidden storage and other features. For about $21,000, you get a lot of value for your money and style with the Maverick.

I bought my truck at Ford of Latham, NY, and we had a great experience. They didn’t jack up the price like many dealers are doing to cars and trucks right now, and they made sure the vehicle had everything I wanted, like heated seats and a spray-in truck liner. The day my truck arrived, it went straight to the heated seat installer and then had the spray in line the following day.

I could easily sell my new truck for thousands of dollars more than I paid for it, but why would I when I got exactly what I wanted.

I drove Skye home yesterday and loved how it drove and how warm my ass got in the driver’s seat. Heated seats in Vermont are super important!

Although the color of the Maverick is Area 51, I named her Skye because of the color. Yesterday morning, I dragged Marty to the patio door and showed him the westward sky just before dawn, the exact color of my new truck. The inside is a hip blue denim color with lots of cool accent colors and features.

Did I ever in my life think I would be writing a blog post about “my” new pick-up truck? Um, no. It just goes to show you that things change along with people. Now, I have Skye to drive me around on my journey.

When we started our business, The Vermont Spätzle Company almost five years ago we needed to advertise our brand and make our own deliveries.

Every other week Marty did a 500 loop throughout the state of Vermont. He tried doing it in his dad’s old Pathfinder which worked in the very beginning, but as the delivery run grew, we needed a delivery van.

Everywhere we went people stopped to talk to the “spätzle people.” The advertising on the van was working. We wanted as many people possible to see our company logo and ask about it.

As the business grew, we couldn’t give up one whole day of production for delivery day. We are very blessed to have a local business, Wilcox Ice Cream, drop ship our frozen spätzle for us. It’s worth every penny for us to have a distributor.

We still deliver to the NY surrounding area, but the amount of cases deliver doesn’t require a delivery van any more.

When we started the business we sold my Volkswagen. We didn’t want the burden of a car payment with the uncertainty of a new business. I began driving Marty’s dads Pathfinder. I was grateful to have a vehicle to drive, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed driving; except for the heated seats.

We sold the pathfinder last winter, it needed a bunch of work and we didn’t want to sink money into an old vehicle that I didn’t even like, but drove.

That’s when I started driving the delivery van all of the time. I hated it. I hate that it only has front windows and I have to use only my mirrors to merge onto highways and to back up. It’s not easy to drive and not pleasurable at all.

The speakers suck which is an understatement! I listen to music all of the time but not in the van. The cheap base model tiny speakers are so terrible that I’d rather go without music.

Week after week I started to hate driving the van even more. I parked way in the back of parking lots because I can’t park the thing correctly. I have no perception of where the parking lines are without being able to see properly.

Another thing that I hate about driving the van is the advertising. What we needed in the beginning became a drag. Everyone knew where I was and would comment they saw me here or there. People still stopped me to ask about our product. When I am out running errands, errands I don’t want to be doing anyway, the last thing I want is to have to talk to people and making the errands take twice as long.

Having a vehicle with your brand on it is not ideal because I have to be a courteous driver; I don’t want to give our business a bad name. I am not a patient driver and like to make gestures and swear…are you surprised at all? Lol.

With winter coming, I really knew I didn’t want to drive the van anymore. The van doesn’t have heat, it has slightly warm air. I hate winter and the cold, so not having heat is awful and not acceptable.

Again, I didn’t want spend money to put in a new heating system in a vehicle I hated. I hate driving it so much, I hated to drive at all. I told Marty I wanted my own vehicle again.

We have a monthly car payment on the van so it’s not like a new bill. I was sure I could find a nice vehicle roughly within the monthly payment we already had.

I did find one! I pick it up on Friday afternoon. I’ll wait to show her to you after she comes home. The only thing I will tell you is that I love the color of my new vehicle…Area 51. 👽

Thank you Spätzle Mobile for your service. You were there when we needed you, but it’s time to move on and help someone else out. Adios kid!