Today the employees here at EDJE celebrated the holidays with a food day, and exchange of Secret Santa gifts.  I think everyone got enough to eat with the huge amount of food that always turns up on our food days.  In fact, I believe we could probably feed a large crowd or the whole office for about a week with all the savory and sweet treats that are in the break room right now.  But what would the holidays be without good food? 

At my house Christmas food has always been my favorite.  I mean don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving, but there is just something about all the things my mom cooks at Christmas that just make it the absolute best time of year to eat!  A spread on Christmas day at my house includes ALL of the following items… a turkey, spiral cut honey ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade stuffing, green bean casserole, corn casserole, fresh baked rolls with real butter and homemade jam… and that is just dinner.  Then we have the desserts… fresh baked from scratch cinnamon rolls, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, custard pie, gingersnaps, kringlas, peanut butter blossoms, peanut brittle, red cinnamon candy, chocolate dipped caramels, peanut butter popcorn and OH well I could just go on forever!  With all of this good food, I inevitably end up eating WAAAAY too much and by the time we are ready to open gifts I’m usually ready for a nice nap, and I’ll tell you the best place to nap is my dad’s recliner.  It sits right by our fireplace, and you can feel the warmth and hear the wood crackle.  Well now that my mouth is watering, I’ll get on to the next point, and yes, I did have a point.

I am actually writing this blog to share the photos that we took today at EDJE!  The top photo is some of us gathered around the Christmas tree with our Secret Santa gifts.  I think it is safe to say that everyone received a great gift this year and there were no “duds.”  However, a few of the gifts were jokes, such as the lovely fruitcake log that I gave to Jay.  I think he actually thought that was his only present, but really he got a DVD and an “Office” calendar too.  That brings me to the next photo.  The one on the bottom is a photo of the cattle team after we decided it would be funny to try a bite of the $1.97 fruitcake that looked (and smelled) terrible!  We all took a tiny piece and we all did actually eat it, but it certainly was not enjoyable.  And that brings me to my final point…

No matter if the food is wonderful, or terrible, it really doesn’t matter.  It’s the time spent with the ones you love, the memories made at gatherings with family and good friends, the peace, hope and joy that accompanies the Christmas season.  I know it is a little cheesy, but if we could all hold the spirit of this time of the year in our hearts all year long, I think we’d all be a little happier.  The real gift is not really a gift at all, but the great love that is shared and realizing how good we have it – how lucky we are to live in this great country.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all!
Amber Martin

One SATURDAY while I was web casting and Hayley was showboxing, we came up with the most marvelous idea ever! TO LIVE TOGETHER....TO SAVE MONEY! Just incase you don't know us.. some may call us a bit childish... I  prefer to call it expressing my youth! Little to say we like to keep the office booming, no need for crabby/boring people! So we thought this would be a great way to save money and not have to talk to ourselves at night, because no-one else is there to listen!Well if I had only known what I was getting into! For the love of GOD, this girl has got everything you need plus what the neighbor needs and her cousin in Florida! Well when you grow up like I did, if you don't use it or don't think you will use it with-in a year, you throw it away! Little to say are place is spotless! Not saying Hayley is messy, because she isn't but she likes to save things!

Not as much as my 90 year old grandma who had 3 attics and we hauled 8 loader buckets full of crap out of there plus 3 pick-up trucks full, along with all of these so called ANTIQUES! We loaded up the pickup my mother had brought down full of this junk, because as my mom and aunt say o they will bring lots of money! P.S. we were the only 3 doing this cleaning, because everyone else was “busy”... yea right. My dad distinctively called me and told me not to let mom bring home lots of junk so as we are loading this truck I’m thinking O My Lord my dad is going to freak when he sees this! I was just happy I didn’t have to be at home and help unload it! So my dad being him, HATES AND I MEAN HATES JUNK, decides to get rid of this stuff I prefer to call junk, the very next day b/c he didn’t’ want it sitting in our garage (mind you not we could eat off the floor in there)! So here goes ma and pa doodle bugging around to all these NW Iowa antique dealers out of all of the crap we loaded up in this pickup (toys, old dolls, old churning things, lots of OLD stuff get my drift), all any of these places wanted were 2 measly little postcards, I could have fit in my purse!! I told my mom it would have saved a large headache, me being bored for 2 days going through the house, looking at pictures I had no idea who the people were or quite frankly didn’t care about! When they asked me if I thought that would be worth something you can guess where it went straight out the window to the John Deere 4020 loader bucket, I thought it looked the best out there! I told them half way through this operation that we should have just lit a match to the house and poured some gas on it  and watched it burn! I guess you don't say that stuff, boy did I get the death look!  I guess those 2 postcards were really something!! I mean there isn’t anything that old house can be used for, b/c the pipes are so bad. The only thing my uncle uses it for now can be done in a five gallon bucket behind the shed or in the cornfield with some TP. Ok ok enough with my OCD (thank you father)!!!  O Lordy my A.D.D. kicked in back to the subject of matter!

So I decide to move in to her 2 bedroom apartment, because I lived in a one bedroom condo, and well that was clearly not happening, plus I have ALOT less STUFF to move!! So one night I went to check the place out, I'm thinking this is a pretty nice place as I'm walking down the hallway to my future door, thinking this place has potential! Little did I know when I opened the doors what lay beyond them! I thought I had just walked in to Anne Oakley’s house! I mean we have more cowboy boot decorations for a space that is (less then 200 cubic feet), then anyone and I'm willing to take bets on this! Seriously I think there is probably at least 30 just in our living room, haven't really counted them yet because as some of you know my A.D.D. kicks in and I get bored with it! Our kitchen is a pepper express, and the bathroom is literally old west, we even have a dang old western coyote bill shower curtain! I'm thinking WHOA!!!!!!!! However, it is still cute!!

So Hayley opens the door to my spare bedroom and yes the door would barely opens b/c she has so much STUFF, in there! She has more clothes then a goodwill store in downtown Des Moines! My closet was completely full of stuff and not to mention her big walk in closet was full too! Yes..yes..yes indeed her closet has fell down twice b/c she has too much hanging on there! (She went home for Thanksgiving and brought back 7 sweatshirts from Hinds Community College, thanks to momma Jan (WE ARE PROUD OF YOU), she hooks us up with all the goodies from the bookstore there. So I got all moved in and organized, we still have a extra bed laying in the hallway that is going to her fiancés today, so we don’t have to dodge that anymore!

Our kitchen now this is a bit embarrassing... I was looking for a place to put some groceries I bought and I'm going through the cabinets thinking surely the next one will be free.... nope, the next one... nope! I believe we have enough glasses/cups to serve half of Indianola, 5 cupboards full to be exact! I opened the lazy susan thinking I can put it in here finally! To my dismay I open it up and there is SCRAPBOOKING GALORE IN HERE! I kept turning it thinking the whole thing can't be full surely...welp pretty soon here came the door back to me and nowhere to put food in there, plus the cupboard next to it is FULL! So I look in the pantry...upon moving in my Lovely roomie/bestie thought this looks like a good place to store decorations, I mean really....really come’ on Hayley! Finally I found this little basket in the bottom of the pantry that I can put some food in!

Our kitchen is probably about 10" x 10", in that we have a large kitchen table(4" x 2"), a wedding corner full of stuff, everything you can imagine that is pink/green polka dotted, a stand with more Fiesta ware, and yes folks we actually have a saddle in the kitchen on a saddle stand!! You know just incase we are watching a movie and feel like jumping on the saddle and riding into the movie with Jon Wayne we can, I haven’t' checked but I'm sure we have Jon Wayne movie somewhere! 

However, sometimes I do worry about my roommate, (as she just got off the phone with me asking if she was at Wal-mart how would she get to the doctors' office, which she had to drive by to get to Wal-mart...ah duh Hayley Mae!, or when she yells at me from her room, I rush in there thinking we have some hot gossip to find she just actually wanted me to shut her light off in her bedroom b/c she didn't want to get out of her bed), I do love living with her and I am so glad we are bestie/roomies! Everyday is an adventure around our place!! Now don't let me fool you I have plenty of blonde moments too! So last night I may or may not have called Hayley, when she was in the room right next door to tell her some breaking news!!!  All in all, the last month here in Indianola has been a blast, I just love living with my new roomie, never a dull moment!

Stay tuned for more cheap entertainment!

Here at EDJE we are all decked out for Christmas. Everyone has their areas decorated with all sorts of Christmas paraphernalia. This is my first Christmas at EDJE, so when I was told that I could decorate with whatever I chose, I began planning my spectacular theme (I love themes)! I also adore all things western, so I knew this was what my tree would be comprised of. I found the perfect lights, big strands of chili peppers, cactus, and sombreros together with 200 little orange twinkle lights that look like miniature chili peppers. Then I lucked up and found the perfect decorations to go with the lights…little boots, chili peppers, wagons, and cactus. I was soo proud to put up my little fiesta tree complete with chili pepper skirt embellished with red suede fringe. I couldn’t wait to see what everyone in the office thought. Boy was I crushed to learn that apparently twinkle lights equal white trash and if you top them with a fiesta theme it becomes even worse. I now know just what Charlie Brown felt like! I guess I have to come clean and admit that the conjured up comment concerning my tree may have been brought on by the fact that I previously told one of my fellow EDJE-ers that his desk decorations were “kind of” white trash. Just kind of! And if you ever saw it you would even say it blows! (that line is meant to be sung…think Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer!) It is tragic really, but I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize for my impolite observation. Now that things are cleared up, can we please appreciate the fabulousness that is my fiesta tree!!! Feliz Navidad!!  :)

EDJE's Business Team would like to wish everyone a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Tiffany, Sherry, Mike & Erica

We were suprised today at the EDJE home office in Indianola when a delivery came with gifts for everyone in the office.  Thanks to Val, Lori & Amanda Eberspacher from Eberspacher Enterprises for sending over these warm gloves!  We appreciate the gift and as you can see from the photo, some of us are already sporting our gloves right here in the office! Thanks!
 


 

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
 - Everyone at EDJE Technologies

It's the holiday season, and just like the song goes, EDJE is "decking the halls" in our office!  Our tree is decorated with candy canes, bows and mini stockings with each employee's name written in gold, and our desks are covered in lights and garlands.  There is quite a bit of Holiday spirit in the air!

Besides the decorating, EDJE has been busy with lots of holiday projects and activities.  Earlier in December EDJE packed shoe boxes for the "Operation Christmas Child" project through Samaritan's Purse.  We filled 14 shoe boxes to be sent to needy children in various countries around the world!  Another project we are participating in again this year is sponsoring a local family.  EDJE employees donated gifts for the children in the family as well as money to buy a Christmas dinner with all the fixins.  You can see the presents are all wrapped and under our tree!  It is great to be a part of a company that gives back to the community and the world during this season.

Probably my favorite activity coming up this holiday season though is our annual EDJE "food days."  There are about 20 employees that work here at the home office in Indianola, Iowa, and everyone signs up to bring a variety of savory and sweet treats.  We learned a couple of years ago that there was so much food that we had to divide it up into two days.  Two full days of great food -- it is excellent!

If you haven't seen our Holiday greeting this year, click here to view a greeting from all of us at EDJE!

May your Holiday season be safe and happy and may you be with family and friends who mean the world to you.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Photos:
1. Our tree @ EDJE.
2. The office entry decorated for the season.
3. Countdown calendar created by the cattle team.
4. Trees outside of Indianola covered with ice from the recent storm.

With the holidays so close, I thought I would compile a list of great gift sites that I have worked on. I invite everyone to add to my list with other great gift ideas!

I know there has to be some jewelry lovers out there, and I have just the site. Head on over to the Corbett Silver Company.

If you live in a cold region (like here in Iowa). Shoot on over to Willow Ridge Farms and check out the selection of hand-made yarn products.

If you are looking for something for the man in your life, try these hitch covers or watches. Both are great gifts that will be enjoyed year round.

Who doesn't love cookies? Try an arrangement from The Cookie Artist for a unique gift that you just can't eat! Or even a basket from A Knead to Treat.

I don't have time to list them all, so for a complete list visit EDJE Shopping. Happy holidays and happy shopping!

Today is our first day of our holiday potlucks at EDJE Technologies. We always have plenty to eat and take the time to enjoy the reason for the season. We have such a large staff now that we had to split up our food days into two different days, Tuesday & Thursday!

EDJE Technologies is participating in many fun activities this year...Secret Santa's, Operation Christmas Child & helping out a local family. It's a season for giving and EDJE loves to be involved! We all even decorated our desk with lights, garland and more!

All of us at EDJE Technologies hope you are enjoying the season as much as we are!

Wishing you all a very safe and happy holiday season!

Tiffany Nickelson • Business Team
business@edje.com • tiffany@edje.com
www.edjetechnologies.com
515-961-9799 • 1-866-839-3353

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of happy family and friends all wrapped up in each other.
 ~ Burton Hillis