Meet the newest additions to the Mandell Family

We had a party to celebrate our new little ones.  It was Rachel's and Parker's birthday months too.

Grant, Noah and Mae meet for the first time.

 Me with Noah and Parker

Bunnie, Sally and Mae

Jared and P played old school Duck Hunt

"Happy Birthday"

I made a three layer strawberry cake, filled with fresh strawberries, that started to explode out the sides and the icing slid off all over the fridge.  It is the thought that counts right?!  :)

 I don't know who likes who more!  Parker & Jared

Uncle Robert and Parker playing you can't catch me!

Auntie Lorna and Mae

We had so much fun!  Can't wait until we get to meet Lyla our newest little girl addition.  We missed Pam, Eileen, Simon, Joey & family and Aaron & family!  This summer we will all be together!

Another blessing, God never ceases to amaze me!

Jared said it best, ‎"Along life's journey with its many ups and downs, the Lord sends reminders, encouraging us that He can see a much bigger picture than we can see. He has a plan. He can do the unexpected. He can provide in ways that we never envisioned." I received such a reminder today. The Lord is indeed faithful!    


I say, "So true!  You are very wise. The Lord has provided for us every day and it is such a joy to watch him work through you as he continues to provide.  God is Good all the time!!"

29 Years Ago Today

     Where does the time go?  Today is the "29th" birthday of my precious first born.
     It seems like yesterday that I left the hospital at about this same time in the morning to return to my parents and wait for my labor to advance.  I had been in labor for more than 24 hours with contractions 4 to 5 minutes apart and two 8 hour visits to the hospital, waiting for the contractions to progress.  Robert and I went to my parents because we were advised we might not make it back from our home in time if labor started to advance quickly.  We arrived around 6:00 am and were greeted by my dad at the door.  Mom joined us in the kitchen and as we were recounting the past several hours at the hospital my water broke all over the kitchen floor.  Back to the hospital we went.  Six hours later, which was about 34 hours from when my contractions originally started, they decided to take an x-ray to see why I was not progressing.  Jacob was smashed, face first against my hip that did not move out like it should naturally, because it was an artificial hip.  Thirty-six hours of labor and they finally did a cesarean section! He was born at 2:40 that afternoon, on January 3, 1982.
     A precious gift from God!  He has been a blessing in my life since the day he was born.  Like any parent and child, we have had ups and downs through the years, "butting heads" so to speak.  However, not one day has gone by that I have not loved him more than the day before! Happy Birthday Jakey, Jakey Bo Bakey! You will always be my bouncing baby boy, my pride and joy!

2011 The Year For Changes

Wow, 2010 flew by in the blink of an eye. So many things I did not document that I want to be able to look back and remember. I will spend some time and post things that happened over the last year. Maybe the year in review....LOL I started this blog for myself so I could look back and relive the special moments of my life through pics and tails told. I have not been a faithful blogger. I'm making myself a promise to do better this year, in keeping track of my memories to peruse and enjoy in later years.

Jan 2010

January - Jake turns 28 years old.  We had my dad's watch, that he had given to Robert years ago,  reconditioned for Jake's present.  He was a happy guy!  He loved his Poppy!

Then the big flood!! What a nightmare, black sewage floating out the downstairs bathroom door.  The downstairs has been sealed off as a Bio-Hazard Zone.  Yikes!

Jared and New Orleans

The gang has left for New Orleans. Please pray for them as they minister to the needs of the great people of New Orleans. These are some great kids that have a heart for service. May God bless them and the people they come in contact with this next week. Follow their journey on Aaron's blog page.

http://n.o.aarondelani.com/

I read something good and wanted to pass it on....

"Can't Hold On To The Thrill, So I Hope You Find Your Will To Follow Through"
Basking in reflection once again, I find myself thinking of relationships. Is it not difficult for you? To constantly find joy in those around you is something that comes with strife and exhaustion. Not to say that people are always letting you down, but that possibly you have been let down in the past. Due to your regretful lack of the ability to not be affected by your past experiences, life has become a constant struggle to treat people with the kindness that you expect from them. Do you know what it is like to not find enthusiasm in the life you once rejoiced to live? Fear not, there is an answer to these problems. You. You are the answer.
Consistently we fail to remember it’s not about us. There will be days when life does not feel fair. It’s the good in life that makes all of it worth the perseverance. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord, right? We’ve all heard it and we all know it. How often do we truly believe it? I firmly believe, and I hope you do also, that God does not want us focusing on our self-depracation, depression and strife. We need to stop being frustrated for not receiving the things we think we deserve. It’s time to worship Him for the things that we don’t deserve, which is everything.
I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. We are selfish beings and it is impossible for us not to think about ourselves. This being the case, what God wants from us is something different. Recently I decided to get together with a friend and we decided to devise a plan that would have us reading scripture on a regular basis. With all of this on my mind for quite some time now, I find it more than appropriate that the first passage we were lead to was Romans 12:9-13, which reads:

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil and hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, and serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”

This is a Christian’s true calling. We must overlook our past experiences. We must never cease in our attempts to overcome the tendency to be blind to the positive things in our lives. We must never stop trying to follow Christ’s example, which is summarized so well in that passage. Rejoice in community, because it is God's desire. Rejoice in the Lord, because you are His desire as well.

I have a JOB!!! One that PAYS!!! LOL

Wow, it has been a few months since my last entry. I stared working in January and my email and blogging has been put on the back burner, so to speak. I love my job! I work for friends and feel truly blessed to be at Vanguard! I am learning something new every day.
The days do just zip by and I need to learn how to manage my off hours a little better. It is hard to find time to do the things that need to be done when you are not at home during the day. I am blessed to have mom who is working hard to keep the house picked up and that really helps.
Everything else is about the same with the Mandell clan. Jared is working hard on his studies at BIOLA. He is loving school and I think has found his passion! It is so great to see him so happy! Jake and Melinda are looking for a new place to live and would like to go back to the Pasadena area. Robert is in Las Vegas for the week on business and it is very quite here at home.

WOW, who knew? The things you learn following other's blogs!

Written: Monday, September 22, 2008

Yet Another Inspirational Tidbit
John Steinbeck wrote, "'It's almost impossible to read a fine thing without wanting to do a fine thing.'" This simple quote has been resonating in my soul over the past two weeks. I began thinking about all of the fine things I have read since I started to take my faith seriously. A book called "The Irresistible Revolution" instilled in me a desire to spread God's love to a group of homeless people living under a bridge. Reading someone else's blog about building homes and helping the people of New Orleans created an urge to follow suit. Reading books like "Searching For God Knows What" caused myself to write bad poetry about my relationship with God. Reading "The Pastures of Heaven," the book that the quote above was taken from, bestowed upon me this enormous want to build a freaking house. I'll be honest, even hearing a kick ass song makes me want to write the next song that every indie kid on this half of the globe will be whistling or singing along with as they walk down the street in their tight pants. My point being, every time we see or hear someone else's impact on the world, or just us, our heads begin to rise from their standard lowered positions and dream up grandeur-like ways of impacting others.
Steinbeck also wrote, "No one knows how greatness comes to a man. It may lie in his blackness, sleeping, or it may lance into him like those driven fiery particles from outer space. These thing, however are known about greatness: need gives it life and puts it into action; it never comes without pain; it leaves a man changed, chastened and exalted at the same time - he can never return to simplicity." I've tasted greatness. I've had the pleasure that comes from a ministry that God has blessed. I've felt the conviction that I need to rely more upon my savior. Now that I know these feelings I cannot return to simplicity. I want to build a house in God's name. I want to learn an instrument so I can write absurdly indie songs about how God has changed me. Most of all, I want to be set in a library of great, inspiring works so that I might be inspired. All with hope that God would instill in me an urge to glorify Him through the want to do fine things.

THE HEBREW HAMMER

Do you need a Great Photographer?

Rico & Rachel are another couple of Jake's SLO friends that are keepers. Rico was one of Jake's roommates for 5 of the years Jake was in SLO. He married Rachel, also a friend of Jake's. If you have been to one of the Mandell celebrations in the last few years, you have probably met one or both of them.

They have a photography business, STUDIO castillero, that I highly recommend. They did some of the photos for Jake's and Melinda's wedding. Check out their Website, they are very talented! Feel free to pass it on to anyone you know that might be interested.

http://www.studiocastillero.com

THEY SPECIALIZE IN DIGITAL DESIGN. AND WILL WORK WITH YOU TO CREATE ANY CUSTOM DESIGNS FOR YOUR WEDDING OR EVENT. THIS INCLUDES CUSTOM LOGOS, SAVE-THE-DATE CARDS, INVITATIONS, PROGRAMS, MENUS, ALBUMS AND MUCH MORE.

You may not need them now, but remember in the future you can access their site from my blog when you do have a need for their services.

Not exactly how you want to start the New Year or spend your birthday....

Jacob had surgery on New Year's Eve. Melinda went back to work today and this was the first day he really felt like having company. I spent the afternoon with him and Rob came out after work for dinner.
He is hanging in there. A lot more pain than he imagined I think. I knew it was going to be bad when the anesthesiologist told him, prepare for some major pain with this kind of repair work. Then as Melinda and I were assuring him that he would be fine, the doc came in and said this is going to be painful. Okay, so much for our pep talk.
I have to say that for me, this has been the least painful surgery or illness I have ever been a part of for him...LOL Melinda is so loving and kind. As a mom I felt totally comfortable giving up the reins as head nurse. It is neat to see someone love your son as much as you do! He or should I say we are very blessed to have her.

Happy Birthday Jake, have some mudpie!



Say a prayer for Jake's total healing!

Big Poppa takes Jared & Katrina for a ride . . . lol

It was a beautiful day and the last day of Rob's mini vacation. Katrina's Mom & Dusty bought her a new bike for Christmas and what better place to break it in than the beach!

First, we ate at TK's, were else. And then I walked along the beach, read, listened to music and talked on the phone to Jake & Melinda, while Jared, Rob and Katrina rode to Balboa's wedge, the fun zone and back.

Then, of course, to Seaside for donuts. Pete was not there to sing to us, but the dozen donuts we took home made up for his absence. We made it home in time for the Jared to get to a meeting at church and Katrina to hang out with Sam. Rob and I watched a movie and went to bed early. Great day!

Christmas day at the Mandells

Christmas was kind of a bust this year. Nothing seemed to flow. Jared had to be at work so we hurried to open gifts and have breakfast before he left.
Katrina left for her dad's house and Melinda and I started to prepare for the group coming for dinner. I forgot that I could not use the oven next door, as I usually do, to cook all my side dishes (they removed it and the replacement is not here yet) so dinner ran late. The tables did look nice.

The one neat thing is that I had Melinda saying, "What can I do next?" That was so great! It was so fun cooking with her and having help to wrap the White Elephant gifts at the last minute. I don't know what i would have done without her. She made the dips and arranged the Brie and Stilton cheese trays with nuts and crackers. She helped Granny make her deviled eggs. I was great!

We also forgot to read the story of Christ's birth, I'm not naming any names, but Jacob was in charge of that..LOL. We did not sing any carols and I just felt discombooberated!
We did sing karaoke though and that was a hoot! Man, can Katrina sing! She has a beautiful voice! Aunt Dana, Granny, Katrina and I sang, When A Man Loves A Woman and the men came in from the front room to see who sounded so great. I don't have to tell you, it was not any of us old broads!

However, Granny did a pretty good job belting out her song!

The white elephant game went as usual, everyone was amused by the gift they received.




Kyle, Roz and Aiden


To finish my rambling.....It was not our normal Christmas and I wanted it to be special since it was Melinda's first one with us. Oh, well when all was said and done it was not a bad day, just not the day I planned. There is always next year. And really in the grand scheme of things, we did praise God, with Jared during the prayer, for the birth of his son and that is what Christmas is suppose to be about! NOT, Me!

Christmas Eve at the Hodson's

Passing out presents to the kids.

Spencer likes his Bionicales.

Kyle likes his beenie Granny made him.

Erin is back in town....

Erin is back. She left for Australia, to attend school over a year ago. Most recently, after graduating, she traveled through Paris, Germany and Italy, to name a few countries, then on to Thailand. I lived vicariously through her reading her very entertaining and descriptive blog!

Granny, Rob, Jared, Katrina and I met her for breakfast in Newport and spent some time over coffee catching up. She looks wonderful! I love the natural color of her hair, which I have never seen in the 5 years I have known her. It seems like yesterday that she was serving coffee at Uptown Espresso in SLO. She is one of the friends from Jake's SLO years that is a keeper. It was great to see her!

Fire, Fire, and More Fires...

What an exciting weekend. Fires in Brea Canyon, Yorba Linda and Chino Hills and coming together and putting many friends and family in harms way. Amy, Todd and the kids, had to evacuate their home. Our friends Jeff and Kathryn had to leave get out too. We as well as Diana, were packed and ready to leave. Mom was screaming up the stairs to that she is going to water down the shake roof next door, because they should be doing it and are not...LOL Shortly after they were up on the roof and she felt better.

Jake and Melinda were here Friday night and went home Saturday morning. Only to return when the fires started to get too close for comfort Saturday afternoon. The freeways were closed and they had to come in the back way of of Fullerton Road. It took them 3 hours to drive 12 miles.

Jake took pic of the sky over the house just across the street. This was Saturday morning before it got really bad.


We were packed and ready to go at a moments notice. Everybody north of Lambert & St. College had been evacuated. We are at the corner of Lambert & St. College.


Jake, Melinda, Jared, Katrina, Rob, mom and I all had what we would grab last minute if we needed to go. It is weird to have the boys here just waiting. It reminded me of the big earthquake in the early 90's. We were all in the family room, eating and watching movies and taking turns to go out front to check the progress of things with the neighbors who are all packed hanging out in the street, waiting for the excitement to begin. It was very hot and we had to turn off the air because it seemed to be pulling the smoke into the house through the fireplace. Other than that it felt like a family night at the Mandell's.

I know it sounds odd but we really had a good time. We laughed a lot, ate a lot and took turns watching the progress of the fire outside.

Praise God all is good with us. I have to say now having the time to survey all the personal belongings sitting in the front room, that it made me smile. It is interesting to see what is important to each of my family members. Mom's corner has 2 huge bags of clothes and jewelry, one large bag with photo albums and all our pictures. Robert had a bag of clothes and a large bag of drugs, prescription of course and 3 bikes from his collection ready to throw into the back of Katrina's truck. Mine had a computer, safe with documents, clothes and my purse. Jared has, two very large skate boards, box containing all the info and money for his homeless ministry, his old record collection, DVD collection of One tree Hill and a small bag that Katrina packed of clothes for him. Jacob, not having much left here, had his childhood bedspread quilt I made him and his surfboard. Interesting that your life can be reduced to just a few items that are really important. We discussed the fact that the only thing we all could not live with out is each other.

I've never seen so many fire personnel in one place. I sure did feel safe! God Bless the Firefighters that risked their lives for all of us.

Please join me in supporting, Autism Speaks.

Did you know that every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism? Our family has loved ones that are affected by Autism.

I am walking in the fight against autism at Walk Now for Autism, on Nov. 16th, at Angels Stadium. Joining tens of thousands of other people united by a single cause and dedicated to raising money to find a cure for autism. The money raised at Walk Now for Autism supports Autism Speaks mission to finding the causes, effective treatments and a cure for autism through funding essential biomedical research. One in every 150 children is diagnosed with autism. Autism Speaks directs 75¢ out of every dollar raised to autism research, awareness and outreach.

My personal fundraising goal is $ 150.00 Please help me reach my goal by making a donation of any size. You can make a donation online using the link below:

http://www.walknowforautism.org/oc/personal/cathymandell.

You can also use the donation form located on my page to mail a check; please make checks payable to Autism Speaks and mail to:
Autism Speaks/Walk Now for Autism
5455 Wilshire Blvd, Ste 2250
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Autism Speaks 501 (C)(3) Tax Id #: 20-2329938

Thank you for your support and for taking an important step in the fight against autism.

God Bless, Cathy

"Wicked"

We went with Diana and Gary to see the musical, Wicked, on Saturday night and it was fantastic! The music, the staging, the actors...all unbelievably great! We went to the Saddle Ranch to eat before and to Canters to eat again after, around midnight. I would not mind seeing it again. I would love to take mom. I think she would really enjoy going.

My baby brother is "50"

Rod & the Rabbi

I'm not sure how my siblings and I are now over 50, when our mom is only 42!

Dana, Mary and families had a party for Rod's and Tim's 50th birthdays. Tim and Rod have been friends since we were all kids. The old picture boards they had displayed were priceless.

The Thompson women out did themselves as usual, the food was fabulous! Tim and Mary's daughter, Natalie, is a pastry chef, so I don't even have to tell you how great the cakes tasted, not to mention how beautiful they looked. Rod's favorite, scallops wrapped in bacon were out of this world good, done to perfection!

Melinda, Jake & Dana

Yummy birthday cakes

Fabulous Food!

Show me the money...

CO (-) made over $1,000 YEAH!!!!!! The Luau was a success. Rob and I dropped by to hear the Coco B's play and met Katrina's dad and step mom. What nice people! The food was good and the Pina Colada was great, even without the Rum.

Thanks to all who helped out! A good time was had by all!

Now CO(-) has the money to feed the homeless for another 6 month.

CO(-) BBQ LUAU FUNDRAISER

If you have young adults (18 to 20 somethings) in your life, share this blog with them. There is a fundraiser BBQ LUAU for CO(-) Project. I have talked about them before. They are a group of kids from EV Free Church in Fullerton that run a homeless ministry. There will be lots of food, 2 live bands (one band is the COCo B's, see my link) and loads of fun! A $10 donation at the door covers food, drinks and music! What a deal!

See details below............


CO(-) BBQ LUAU!!!
Have fun, enjoy live music, and support a great cause!

Time and Place Date:
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Time: 1:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: The Thomas House
Street: 1035 La Mesa Drive
City/Town: Fullerton, CA


For all of you who joined us for 80's Prom last year at the Mandell's, you know CO(-) can throw a party! Come join us this year as we get to enjoy the end of the summer sun with a Luau!! Live bands will be performing, bbq will be provided, and some other cool surprises that you will just have to come and see for yourself (you might want to bring some extra cash for that)! Tickets will be a donation of $10 and will include food & music. Donations will be taken at the event as well. 100% of proceeds will go to CO(-) ministries. Thank you all for your support!!

(PS. THERE WILL BE NO ALCOHOL, THANKS!)

BRING YOUR SWIMSUITS FOR SOME SWIMMING TOO :) ...if it's hot enough.

For those of you who don't know CO(-) is a homeless ministry who goes out to Long Beach every Tuesday and Thursday night to give food and share in fellowship with the homeless under the 7th street bridge. Recently we have started a Bible study with them on Thursday nights, but our main objective is to show them God's love and for them to want to know more about why we are the way we are. Fundraisers like this one are what enable us to continue to do what we are doing. We cook a meal every Tuesday (cost between $30-50) and get pizza every Thursday (cost around $50). We also have people who drive which as you know takes a lot of gas money. All this adds up-but with faithful providers like you, we are able to keep this ministry going and do what God has called us to do. If you can't make it to the event, but would like to donate anyway, contact :

Jared Mandell
375 Pomelo Ave
Brea, CA 92821

Keep us in your prayers. We will soon have our Non-Profit status! Thanks again for all your support!!

A Family Weekend in Santa Cruz

Robert, Jared, Katrina, Jake, Melinda and I rented a beach house near Santa Cruz for the weekend. We went to attend David's and Sally's Wedding.

The kids arrived Friday night and joined us at the family get together at the Mandell houses in Santa Cruz. Good food and lots of fun was had by all. It has been a long time since all the Mandells have been in one place together.





Saturday, I got up and made a breakfast. Omelets, cinnamon rolls with orange icing, melon, strawberries, coffee and juice. Pretty great, if I do say so myself...LOL
The wedding was at 2 o'clock in a park in Santa Cruz. It was a warm sunny day and the bride and groom were beautiful. Simon and Lorna catered the reception, so I don't have to tell you, the food was great! People danced, the cousins sat around talking and laughing. It was wonderful.

Later that night, Robert and I went back to the family houses to have more fun and eat again. You know those Mandell's, food, food and then more good food! Melinda and Jake were tired so they went back to our house and took a walk on the beach. We dropped Jared and Katrina at Bad Ass Coffee, so Katrina could do her homework.

At about 10 PM Jared called to say they both were not feeling well, so we went to pick them up. We thought it might be that they had been drinking coffee on empty stomachs, they had not eaten since 3 o'clock. We parked and walked to a Pizza place on Pacific. The downtown area was so cool. They had a telescope set up on the corner that we looked a Jupiter through. We walked around, looked in some of the shops and just had fun. They have a two story used book store called Logos. Very Cool!
Sunday we were up at 8. I fixed some quick scrambled eggs and bagels and then we hit the road. Our first stop was the cool little Tie Dye Shop, Katrina and I had been eying all weekend, for some shopping.
Then on to the birth place and National Museum, for the writer, John Steinbeck, in Salinas. Very cool house! Even cooler Museum! Melinda and Rob stayed in the car while the rest of us jogged down the street several blocks to see the house. Then Melinda and Jake went on ahead so they could get home at a decent hour. We went into the museum and took our time. We could have spent an entire day in there. The displays are all interactive and with only 1 1/2 hours, we did not have a chance to touch, read or see everything. We need to go back!

Next we stopped in SLO to see Toby for an early dinner at "Firestone". Then of course, to "Bali" for frozen yogurt. It was good to hang with Toby for a few hours.

Jared drove from SLO on, with Katrina up front and Rob and I napping in the back. We occasionally would bug them with, "Are we there yet? I gotta go potty! Tell him to stop saying poopy! I think I'm going to throw up!"

Great Pick of "Mom and Dad" giving us the, "Don't make me pull this car over!" look.
Then on to home. We arrived at about 11 PM.
What a great weekend!