Happy New Year 2023!

Wow, has it really been that long since I have blogged? Well, I am back at it. First off, I need a new blog header/design. I'm thinking retro! I'll have to look around and see who can make me a custom template and install it for me since I feel like I am no longer techy. I haven't crafted in many; many years and my sons are grown men now. Aaron is 21 and Morgan is 18, still in high school however, Class of 2023. 

A lot has changed since 2017. It's a new year, new me! 

Another day in robotics....

Today was the PACT Charter School Ramsey VEX Tournament. It was the first tournament this school has hosted. 

Congratulations Northway Drivers 1535N (Tournament Champions & Excellence Award) and Not the S.A.M.E. 1535Y (Tournament Finalists). 

 

Tournament Champions - Kimball Cubs 739A from Kimball, Northway Drivers 1535N from St. Cloud  and Team DRED 1506P from Ramsey. All of these teams will be going to the State Championship in February 2018.

Northway Drivers seems to be on fire! The first seed picked them as their first alliance team and they worked very well together, winning the tournament. 

 

Not the SAME seemed to be down on their luck with a 2-6-0 record in Qualification Matches but were chosen by the second seed team and made it to the finals. 

Tournament Finalists - The A-Team 46657A from Sartell, Not the SAME 1535Y from St. Cloud and Mercury 5805B from Roseville. 

All the Tournament Finalist teams received an invitation to the State Championship that will be held in St. Cloud on February 2-3, 2018.

I am extremely proud of both of my boys' robotic teams. Both of my boys have a passion for robotics and it shows.  

For additional photos and information about our robotic teams and organization, please check our Facebook page:

Central Minnesota Robotics

 

Central Minnesota Robotics - Check our Facebook page for updates!

The teams of Central Minnesota Robotics had yet another VEX Tournament this past weekend. It was a local competition in Albany, MN that we have gone to for the past several years, Imagine, Create, Succeed. Northway Drivers 1535N placed 8th in Qualification matches and Not the S.A.M.E. 1535Y was in 19th place out of 33 teams. 

Both teams made it in the Elimination Bracket and Aaron's team beat Morgan's team to get to the Semi-Finals. Sadly both teams robots were not at their technical best by the end of the day.  The boys have some investigating to do in the next week to find out what the problem is and how to fix it. We have our next VEX Robotics Tournament on Saturday, December 2 in Thief River Falls! 

The picture below was the highest scoring match of the day by Northway Drivers and Iron Chargers in the Qualification Matches! I just had to take a picture, the teams were so happy they broke the 100 point mark! The closest they got to last competition was 91 points I believe. 

 

To stay updated on all the happenings of our two VEX Robotics Minnesota high school teams, please "Like" our Facebook page, Central Minnesota Robotics. 

VEX Worlds Championship in Louisville, Kentucky in April 2017!

That son of ours has done it again. He has a VEX Robotics Worlds Championship invite, this makes two years in a row! He won the Middle School Minnesota State Competition, the Skills Award and the Excellence Award. Team Not the S.A.M.E. will be going to the Worlds VEX Championship in Louisville, Kentucky in April 2017. We are looking for sponsors to help him pay for the team registration fee. Any takers? This is a great feat for a 12 year old in 6th grade!

Take a look at our new Facebook page for Central Minnesota Robotics and see how our teams, the Northway Drivers (High School) and Not the S.A.M.E. (Middle School) did this season with the 2016-2017 Starstruck robot challenge. 

We have set up a Go Fund Me page for our Middle School team to help raise money for the registration fee to Worlds and travel expenses. Please share the link if you can to spread the word! We have an upcoming fundraiser on Wednesday, March 1 at the Pizza Ranch in Waite Park for the organization. Central Minnesota Robotics will receive 25% of the proceeds just by mentioning you are there to support our organization! We will also receive any tips given that night! You can support us even with a take-out or delivery order as well.

Waite Park Pizza Ranch

 110 2nd Street South #119
Waite Park, MN, 56387
320-203-8646

St. Cloud, MN VEX Robotics Tournament 11/5/2016 (Team Registration Is Open & Volunteer Opportunities Available)

We need many more volunteers for this event! We are hosting our VEX Robotics Tournament on Saturday, November 5th in St. Cloud, MN at Cathedral High School. Team registration is also still open as well. Teams are limited to 32, so hurry to get your team(s) registered. This is both for High School and Middle School teams.

 http://bit.ly/2ebvAYW

 

If interested in signing up to become a volunteer for this event, click on the website link below and follow the directions. 

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1) Click this link to see our SignUp on SignUp.com:  
http://signup.com/go/SFkzdu

2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.

3) Sign up! It's Easy - you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.

Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.

We provide a t-shirt to each volunteer to wear that day and we provide food, snacks and drinks for volunteers to enjoy.

Competition is being hosted by Central Minnesota Robotics, Andy Zieglmeier and Jeremy Reisinger.

Click here to register your VEX Robotics team or to Volunteer for the event. 

We are also looking for sponsors and donations from local businesses. Message me at 
122reneez at gmail dot com if interested.

 

The Robotics Competition is Free to the public. 

It's Boy Scout Popcorn Time!!

Morgan is selling delicious Boy Scout Popcorn once again! He will be out roaming the neighborhood selling next week. Here's a glimpse of what is being offered this year. 

Morgan will have a a few varieties on hand to sell immediately. We are pre-ordering the following: Popping Corn, Peanut Butter Cup, Cheddar Cheese, Jalapeno Cheese, Sea Salt Splash, Mud Puddles, Caramel with Sea Salt, Trail Mix and Double Butter (Microwave).

The other varieties if ordered will be delivered late November.

Soon to come for anyone that would like to order online and get it shipped directly to your house, we will have Morgan's order number available to do so.
All profits from Popcorn Sold will go into Morgan's personal Scout account.

Craft in Progress..

Can you guess what I am making? My hubby was so kind to spray paint some plastic red Coke caps for me. This entire next week will include me crafting my little heart out because that is how I roll, everything is last minute. Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator. 

Dinner Benefit & Silent Auction for Connor's Cure!

Connor is a 1st grader at Madison Elementary School, in the Chinese Immersion Program. When he was 20 months old he was diagnosed with an AT/RT tumor in his brain. He has been fighting ever since. In February of 2016, we learned that Connor has cancer cells in his spinal fluid and a new tumor was found on his lower spine. He is currently undergoing treatments at Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. Connor's road to recovery involves time away from the rest of his family, school and much travel to and from the hospital. The Rohde family could really use support carrying the burden of the medical and travel expenses.

Cub Scouts Pack 21 is hosting a Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction this Tuesday, March 22 from 4-7pm at the Moose Lodge in Waite Park, Minnesota. 

For more information about Connor, visit: 

https://goo.gl/Zi8P9t

Yankee Candles & Gifts (Boy Scouts Fundraiser)

Morgan's Boy Scout Troop receives 40% of the proceeds from this Yankee Candle Fundraiser. He is trying to build up his Scout account to attend Many Point Scout Camp this Summer! There are much more than candles in this fundraiser. You can purchase/renew your magazines, buy gift wrap, popcorn, garden accessories and even plants and bulbs!

Here are some of the cool products you can purchase from Yankee Candle catalog. For local friends/family, you can purchase from Morgan's physical order form or you can purchase online here and get the items shipped directly to you for a small fee. Morgan thanks you for supporting Troop 21!

(Images above from the 
Yankee Candle Fundraising website)

February 16, 2016 - New Boy Scout Morgan received his Scouter Rank and his Robotics Merit Badge.

Group Number: 990094621
Group Name: TROOP 21
Seller Name: Morgan Zieglmeier

https://www.yankeecandlefundraising.com 

Be sure Morgan's Group ID information is listed on the website, so he gets credit for your purchase. Thank you!!

Got Crayons?

These robot crayons are turning out mighty freaking cute I must say! I wish I realized soaking the crayons in water first help the wrappers come off more easily! I broke a few nails and have crayon wax embedded under my fingernails still from peeling the paper last night.

I still am in need of a lot more crayons for this project. If you have any old/broken crayons I can use, I'll trade ya two cute robot crayons for your stash! I want to make as many of these as I can for Morgan's VEX Robotic Championship in April to give away as "flair."  

I baked at 300 Degrees in a Convection Oven for about 15 minutes. Let cool for about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on how full you fill the molds) to try to push them out.

The cool 12 Cups Silicone Robot Baking Mold can be found on Amazon here. 

If you are interested in donating to help fund my 11 year old son's team in going to the Middle School VEX Robotics World's Championship in Kentucky, you can click here. This is a wonderful STEM related program that I encourage you to learn more about. More information can be found at here.

 

Renee's Online Garage Sale {Facebook Group}

It is time to declutter the house! I admit, it is getting a little hairy in here. We had a garage sale in the late Summer last year and it didn't do so well. We usually have awesome turnouts for garage sales and make quite a good profit.  I vowed to get rid and donate the stuff ASAP and well that didn't happen, most is still in my house in boxes or in the garage. I am trying one last time to see if anyone would be interested in some neglected housewares, books, crafts and clothing at a reasonable price. Prices are listed, but those are negotiable.

If you are local, we can meet up in the St. Cloud, MN area and complete the transaction there. I do ask that you must purchase a minimum of $5 total from me to make it worthwhile to drive to meet up place. If you are not local and wish for me to ship the item to you, I will calculate approximate shipping and handling charges and you may pay with through my paypal account. 

Here is my group and if you are a Facebook user, you may request to be a member of this group to view the items I have for sale. I will be posting boys clothing and more crafts on Tuesday and Wednesday hopefully. 

Renee's Online Garage Sale Group Page

 

VEX Robotics Middle School Team advances to the World Championship!

First year VEX Robotics Middle School Team S.A.M.E. had just a stellar 2015-2016 robotics season thus far. They did not disappoint for the Minnesota State Competition at the River's Edge Convention Center on January 29-30 either! The team ranked 10th place out of 70 teams after the two days of Qualification Matches. They were chosen as an alliance team and made it to the Semi-Finals. They were up against some really tough High School teams but held their own as much as they could.

We remained hopeful in winning an award for which had included an invite to the Worlds Championship in Kentucky and low and behold Team S.A.M.E. indeed won the Middle School Excellence Award, which qualifies them for VEX Worlds Championship in Louisville in April 2016. 

Team S.A.M.E. is trying to raise funds to help the deter the costs of the competition registration fee, car rental and hotel stay during the 4 day competition. 

Please visit the GoFundMe Team Page for more information. 

On the GoFundMe page are all of the Tournament Stats for the team and their awards earned. There is also the video announcing who the Excellence Award (Middle School Division) recipients are! I love my son Morgan's reaction! 

*********

 If any local businesses or other wish to sponsor this awesome Middle School team consisting of one boy and two girls, please send me an email for more information- Nayzee122 at Gmail dot Com

Thank you Bob Leighton for the Team T-Shirts!

Double click the "Excellence Award" description above to enlarge the type. 

Time to revive this blog!

It's been a long time coming, but I've been meaning to revive this ol' thing! I couldn't remember my login or password and had to reset all of that. I hope I remember how to post! Hopefully I'll update soon and reconnect with my followers. I hope to update you on my family life and any crafts or projects I'm working on. Lots have changed in the few years since I was really active on the blog. I now have a 9th grader and a 5th grader who are involved in many extracurricular activities. I still craft but not as much. Hopefully that will change because of course I still have a stash of unfinished projects to complete.

Young Living (Free Reference Book Promotion)

I'll be placing my Young Living order earlier for the month of July. 

 Locals - If you need anything let me know by July 6th. If your oils order will total more than $50, I do ask that you prepay. - Cash or Check - Wholesale pricing + sales tax + $2 ship costs is what I charge. 

I also have an online retail website if you wish to purchase your oils online and have them shipped to you. This will be Retail Pricing.

Would you like to become a Wholesale Member (No obligation to sell) and get 24% Off Young Living products and have the products shipped directly to you?

 

Anyone that signs up for a Wholesale Account under me will receive a Large Softcover Spiral Bound Reference Guide for Essential Oils. (Original Retail Value of $36)

Renee Zieglmeier - Young Living Independent Distributor Member # 1419694

 https://www.youngliving.org/reneez2813 

 

The Power of Positive Thinking!

In all seriousness, 2014 was a tough year for me and my family. I had a lot of health issues and our family lost some special loved ones due to unforeseen illnesses. Hoping 2015 is a much more positive, healthy and financially stable new year!

2015 Book Challenge

I got this from a friend on Facebook. I really do need to read more this year. I am always buying books. Where do you get your books from? I've found that Goodwill is a great place for books, they sell them on average at $1.99 - $2.99 there. What a great deal. I also like to go to Books Revisited, they have one in Crossroads Mall and one in Downtown St. Cloud.

2015 Book Challenge

1. A classic romance
2. A book that became a movie
3. A book published this year
4. A book with a number in the title
5. A book written by someone under 30
6. A book with nonhuman characters
7. A funny book
8. A book by a female author
9. A bookwith a one-word title
10. A mystery or thriller
11. A book of short stories
12. A book set in a different country
13. A nonfiction book
14. A popular author's first book
15. A book you have not read yet from an author you love 
16. A book a friend recommended
17. A Pulitzer Prize winning book
18. A book based on a true story
19. A book at the bottom of your to read pile
20. A book your mom loves
21. A book that scares you
22. A book more than 10 years old
23. A book chosen entirely on its cover
24. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
25.  A memoir
26. A book you can finish in a day
27. A book with antonyms in the title
28. A book set in a place you have always wanted to visit
29. A book that was published the year you were born
30. A book with bad reviews
31. A trilogy
32. A book from your childhood
33. A book with a love triangle
34. A book set in the future
35. A book set in high school
36. A book with a color in the title
37. A book with magic
38. A graphic novel
39. A book by an author you have never read before
40. A book that takes place in your hometown or state
41. A book that was originally written in a different language
42. A play
43. A book of poems
44. A banned book
45. A book based on or turned into a television show
46. A book you started but never finished
47. A book you own but have not read
48. A book your friend loves
49. A book with a female heroine
50. A book that everyone but you has read
51. A book based on a true story
52. A book you loved--read it again
53. A book from the library
54. A book with Pictures
55. A book with 500 pages

It's 2015, time to jumpstart my blog again!

Wow, can't believe it was May when I last posted to my blog! I need to get it going again. So much has happened since May 2014! Hopefully this weekend I can share some pictures of these last few months and happenings!

Happy New Year!

End of Year School Picnic

It is that time again, the end of the year school picnic. This school year has gone by fast. I will have a 4th grader next year and an 8th grader! Wow! Where has the time gone?

Our Cub Scout Pack 21 is cooking and selling the food again this year for Westwood for their end of the school year picnic! We will add a station to send off Stomp Rockets. Any kids interested in making one, our new Webelos Scouts will assist them in the construction of one and then the students can send them off. Here are some photos of previous years we've done Stomp Rockets as an event. This is fun for people of all ages as you can see!

Catching up...

Summer is almost here... isn't it? 

We've been so busy this 2014 New Year, the boys are doing well, active with all their Sports, Robotics and Cub/Boy Scout events. I am looking forward to the Summer when we can relax at the campground! I've done a little crafting here and there, I really need to get off the computer more (Facebook & Pinterest) and get to playing with paper more often! Here are some crafts I don't think I've blogged yet. 

I made 16 of these little campfire centerpieces for our Cub Scouting Blue & Gold Banquet. It has become a tradition, I made them for the tables and then the Webelos 2 Scouts/Parents may take one home with them as a thank you for being a part of our Pack!

I got a great deal on a huge box of 2x3 size magnets at a Thrift Store in Big Lake last year. It is a great project to use up scraps of patterned paper and misc. stickers and rub-ons!

 Here is a "chevron" themed ATC Card I created for an online swap on a stamping message board. I love making these little masterpieces.

 These are a bit more time consuming but really make a big statement I think. These are mini clipboards out of regular old drink coasters you get at restaurants/bars. Cut paper to size or find the Lifestyle crafts square nesting dies. I added half of a regular post it note pad, a binder clip with some washi tape on it and tied a pretty ribbon on top. I sanded the edges of the paper once I adhered it to the coaster. I like the 'worn' or 'faded' look on my projects.

 Here are some more magnets using up some scrap patterned paper and stickers. On this set I dabbed some acrylic paint on the edges to make it stand out a bit more!

 I was a in secret sister swap online and created these mini cards. I believe I got the package of envelopes at Joann's and just used patterned paper and stickers for the front of the card.

 This ATC was for a Valentine "Love" swap. I have a lot going on here, but I like the look. The lips are a stamp and so is the "Love Beyond Measure" message. The pink hearts, two people holding hands and XOXOXO are Washi Tapes! Oh how I do love those Washi Tapes, I am a little obsessed with them!

Welcome Back Valor! Mark your Calendars!

Ask me how to open a Wholesale Account and start enjoying a 24% discount today on Young Living Products! Or you can purchase Young Living Essential Oils on my personal website.

www.youngliving.org/reneez2813