A Little Spark of Madness

How far does your money go?

2012-01-16T18:58:00.001-06:00

I recently went to a high school wrestling match. It cost six dollars for admission. I paid with a twenty and got back some change. I left the change in my pocket and when I pulled my jeans out of the washer the dollar bills were in the bottom of the washer. This didn’t bother me at all. I like clean money.

I noticed one of the bills had a stamp on it to track it by going to the website http://www.wheresgeorge.com/ so I went to the website and entered the serial number of the dollar bill. My dollar was 1,212 Miles from where it had started 3 years, 32 days, 4 hours and 41 minutes earlier when it was received as change at the Target store in Garner, North Carolina.

I wonder how many (dirty) hands it passed through during that time? How did it get to the high school in my town? What has it been doing for the last three years?

Have you ever gotten money with the “where’s george" stamp? Did you track the money at the website? For a curious person like me, there is no way I’d let my dollar bill move on without knowing where it came from.

Perfect Winter

2012-01-07T18:04:00.001-06:00

So far, this winter has been almost perfect.

We’ve had no snow. Well not exactly no snow but none that stayed. The golf course is brown. I’m not sure if I mentioned it before but I am NOT a fan of winter. I probably should live somewhere other than Minnesota.

This year is different though. Bicycles and motorcycles have not been put away yet. The temperature was 55 degrees one day this week. It has been sunny too.

Are there always so many geese in the sky in January? I do not know as I prefer to stay inside in January most years.

I’m sure at some point it will get cold and snowy but for now every day like today makes me happy. Each day is one day closer to spring.

End of the Season

2011-12-31T07:12:00.001-06:00

This Christmas was sunny and warm. There was not a flake of snow to be found. It snowed yesterday. There is not quite enough to cover the grass yet but it now looks like winter has arrived.

I made this wreath for my front door many years ago. It will come down this week along with the rest of the decorations. I do not know what will go up in its place. The months between Christmas and Spring seem very long.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T07:25:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas Eve!

If you’ve been nice this year, you may like to know when Santa will arrive at your house. This is a great site: http://www.noradsanta.org/en/

I am so happy not to have snow on the ground this Christmas. Ironically, one of my best Christmas Eve’s was when my son, his girlfriend, and my daughter were all stranded at home for two days because of a Christmas blizzard. That is the only time I have ever appreciated snow. As my kids have grown up and moved on to their own lives the idea of spending Christmas somewhere tropical sounds extremely appealing.

My Christmas trees are beautiful. The tree in my family room has family ornaments that I’ve collected over the years. This sled was made out of popsicle sticks from me by my grandma. I see that it has lost a runner; I will look for it in the ornament box.

I hope your Christmas Eve is filled with fun!

Sunrise…Sunset…Swiftly Fly the Days…

2011-12-23T08:37:00.001-06:00

It is incredible to me that my last post was in June…. time has slipped away…

Life has been busy in the last six months…beginnings and endings…fresh starts and sad goodbyes…sunrises and sunsets…

I think I’m back though.

Dog Toy

2011-06-15T21:22:00.001-05:00

I love to find PD stuffed animal toys at garage sales. I make sure they don’t have any loose parts and that they are stuffed with fiberfill rather than Styrofoam beads. I don’t want to clean up that mess if he tears them up.

I went to a garage sale last Saturday and got him five stuffed animals - cost me a dollar and ten cents, total. That’s a good deal.

When I got home, I put all five in a pile and let him nose around to pick out his favorite.

This little guy was the winner.

And then I started thinking….. He looks awfully familiar.

Look at those eyebrows. Do you see it?

I wonder if PD noticed the resemblance?

The Smell of Spring

2011-05-27T20:23:00.001-05:00

Lilacs

The best spring smell in the world.

I felt like sticking my whole head into the middle of this lilac bush and just breathing it in.

In fact, I might have done just that.

I’m pretty sure that heaven smells exactly lilacs.

Shoes on or off in the house?

2011-05-13T16:41:00.001-05:00

Shoes on or off in the house?

I understand this may be a regional thing. Almost everyone I know takes their shoes off when they walk into someone’s house. I always do, it’s how I was raised and it’s how my kids were raised. It truly doesn’t bother me in the least if a visitor wears their shoes in my house though, I never ask, people just take their shoes off around here. It’s typical to see huge piles of shoes at the doorway when I have family over.

My sister is raising her kids the same way. She has locker storage in her garage for each member of her family to take off their coats and shoes before they come into the house. .

I visited my sister a few days ago, I used the back door because I walked into her house through the garage. I noticed a small cardboard sign. This sign was meant for her kids, not her guests, but it was so funny I have to share.

I love the smiley face after the “Thanks.” I thought this was such a creative reminder for her kids. They’ve got a fun mom.

The sign didn’t scare me either. I walked right up those stairs with my shoes on. I took them off as soon as I got into the house though.

I kind of like my eyebrows.

Post for Mom

2011-05-08T16:06:00.001-05:00

For months my mom has been ~~hounding~~ encouraging me to get back to blogging. I’m not sure why I stopped, I guess one day I just did. I enjoy posting I just haven’t had any burning desire to tell any stories lately although my life has been interesting, busy, and very good.

In honor of my mom on Mother’s Day, I am posting my first new post in almost four months and I’m going to try to do better from here on out.

Happy Mother’s Day!

The Bar Incident

2011-01-11T19:53:00.001-06:00

And now the explanation on why there was fishing line in the lemon bars I made.

I decided that I needed something to brighten my office for Christmas last month. I found some colorful unbreakable balls to hang on a branch. I wanted the balls to look like they were floating from the branch so I made hangers for them from fishing line. I wish I would have taken a picture, it was cute.

I tied the hangers on the balls while I sat in front of the TV watching a football game. I snipped off the ends of the fishing line ties into a bowl.

I brought the bowl upstairs and set it on the kitchen island. Later when the dishwasher was emptied, the bowl with the fishing line pieces was put into the cupboard with the rest of the clean dishes. When I made the lemon bars, I didn’t notice the many fishing line pieces in the bowl and mixed them into the bars.

Bar incidents can be very embarrassing.

The Problem with the Lemon Bars

2011-01-05T19:37:00.001-06:00

Jay tells me it’s entertaining being married to me; it very well may be. I’m not so sure. I just assume goofy conversations and the things that lead up to them happen in every relationship.

Right?

A couple weeks ago Jay and I had the following conversation which he documented on Facebook:

Jay: Yay! Lemon bars!
Mary: Do you have fishing line in yours?
Jay: Am I SUPPOSED to have fishing line in my lemon bar?
Mary: Never mind.
Jay: No, seriously, why would you ask me that? Is there fishing line in YOUR lemon bar?
Mary: I don't want to talk about it...

There did end up being quite a few pieces of fishing line in the lemon bars. I threw them out.

Snow Blowing Fashion

2011-01-01T19:31:00.002-06:00

So, today before I went out to snow blowing through the 800 foot tall snowdrift at the end of my driveway, I started thinking how I could write that I made a mistake in a previous blog post when I said that snow blowing is fun.

Except I didn’t.    I’ve spent a many hours snow blowing in the last two days. Shockingly, I’m really enjoying it.

   What can I say, I was born with the gift of happiness.

I loved seeing that giant mountain of snow dissolve into mist in the air.
There is plenty of time to think when you are snow blowing; it takes a long time to demolish 800 feet tall drifts. I started thinking that if I was going to have to do this more often I should get my own snow blowing clothes rather than borrow my husband’s ugly baby-poop colored, but oh-so-warm, Carhartt overalls.   I wondered if they came in black. (they do – I Googled)   Black would look much better on me, it’s slimming.    Black Carhartts would also match the new hat and mittens I bought for snow blowing.

I took a picture of them to show off how cute they are close up. The falling snow tends to obscure their brightness as it covers me.

Then I started wondering if my oh-so-warm but monstrous and ugly Sorel boots come in another color.   I’d love for them to look more like my rubber boots.

I wore these boots with wool socks on Thursday night to help dig my daughter’s car when it was stuck in a drift.   She was wearing my Sorel boots. I wasn’t out in the blizzard too long but my feet stayed warm and dry.   Both neighbors complimented me on my boots; I might be on to something.     Or they may just think I’m crazy.

2010 Recap

2010-12-31T19:46:00.001-06:00

When doing employee evaluations, there is a tendency to evaluate based on one trait, either positive or negative rather than looking objectively at multiple performance areas. This is called the “ horns or halo” bias and it’s important to be aware of it when doing evaluations.

As I sit down to review 2010, I’m especially aware of this bias because the last 24 hours or so have been less than great.

There is a crazy blizzard raging outside, the roads are closed and my husband couldn’t make it home for the long weekend. I’ve spent many hours tackling a drift in my driveway that is over my head – and I’m 5’6”. Round two of the blizzard is starting and those hours of work are being blown in by snow. My dishwasher flooded my kitchen and dripped down into the basement through the light fixtures. I’ve had to shut off the water in the kitchen because the water just will not stop running. I need a plumber.

But these last few hours of 2010 do not put horns on the year. This year has really been awesome. One of the best years ever. Really. In so many ways this year feels like a reward and I know how blessed I am.

Happy New Year! May your 2011 be blessed.

New Skill

2010-12-30T20:39:00.001-06:00

I recently acquired a new skill.

Impressive! Right?

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. In fact, I thought it was kind of fun. I’m going to get a lot more practice this weekend!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T21:37:00.000-06:00

I wasn’t ready for Christmas this year.

I got the tree decorated early. We have a pre-lit tree with white lights but some of the lights wouldn’t light this year so I added strings of multicolored lights. I thought it was one of our prettiest trees ever.

All of the ornaments on our tree have been collected over the years. My Grandma made me this sled ornament when I was growing up. It’s made with popsicle sticks.

The shopping, baking and Christmas cards left undone gave me stress.

Even though I wasn’t ready for it, Christmas came.

I didn’t get some things done but it was alright.

It was good.

Seattle

2010-11-10T20:30:00.001-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I spent a week in Seattle.

The city was beautiful; the most beautiful thing I saw was not the city.

This was the most beautiful thing:

My firstborn, my favorite son, my heart walking around on long, skinny, white legs; blonde stubbly face with a gray stocking cap constantly covering his head. I have missed him so for the last ten months.

He’s grown up in the last ten months. It felt like I was spending time with a really great friend rather than a boy who needed to be mothered.

It was another one of those things in my life that made me happy and sad at the same time.

Recovered Kitchen Chairs

2010-10-03T19:49:00.001-05:00

I have never liked the fabric on my kitchen chairs so I decided to change it.

Recovering these seats was incredibly easy, fast, and inexpensive.

My chair before:

I removed the seat. It was held in place by screws so I just had to loosen the screws and it popped off.

Once the seat was off, I put the new fabric right on top of the old since the old fabric wasn’t dirty or in terrible shape. It was just blah.

I simply stapled it on, pulling it tight.

The best tool for this is an electric staple gun. I heart mine.

I am not particularly neat, on the bottom. I just staple, staple, staple. Puckers on the bottom don’t matter like they do on the top.

When the seat was covered, I screwed it back on to the chair.

Wa-La! Completely different look.

This project cost about six dollars for fabric for all four chairs and took less than two hours.

I didn’t mention I was doing this but my husband noticed the change right away when he came home and thought they looked great.

Das Wurst Haus

2010-09-25T20:48:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday, for a few hours, I felt like I’d stepped back in time.

In the little town of Lanesboro, MN, the church bells chime on the hour, bicyclists ride the Root River trail and stroll downtown, Amish ladies sell items on tables set up beside their buggies.

And when you walk into Das Wurst Haus for lunch, you are greeted by a handshake and a “How you doing? Nice to see you” from Arv.

You’ll wonder if he’s mistaken you for someone he knows? Do you know this man wearing striped overalls? And then you hear him greet everyone who walks in like an old friend.

Arv takes your order for a Ruben or a Rachel or a Bratwurst with sauerkraut and maybe a side of German Potato Salad. If you want a beer, he’ll turn around fill a mug from the tap. There is no choice of brand, it is just beer. There is also a tap for root beer. Arv might call back to the kitchen to his wife to bring out more of the spicy homemade mustard.

As he takes orders, he’ll apologize that he’s not very fast but explain that he does make up for it by being good looking.

When there is no line waiting to order lunch, he’ll walk the floor and ask, “How’s everything here, guys?”

You’ll eat your delicious lunch and wish you really did know Arv or maybe that he was your grandpa.

And after Arv has made his rounds and he is certain that everyone is taken care of and doesn’t need anything more .

Then Arv will pick up his accordion and play polka music.

And when you leave and Arv waves goodbye, you know that if you ever come back to this little town, you will come back for lunch at Das Wurst Haus.

Got Milkweed?

2010-08-28T14:26:00.001-05:00

The Monarch butterflies have landed in my yard.

(There are four butterflies in this picture. Do you see them all?)

The Monarchs sometimes stop at the Purple Coneflower but what the really love is the Milkweed.

The Milkweed plant is a a favorite of the Monarch. I planted it so they would come to visit my garden.

This milkweed is like a magnet for them. I saw seven Monarchs sitting on this plant at one time.

Monarchs are travelers. They migrate in the fall to spend the winter in Mexico.

Milkweed is easy to grow. If you want to attract Monarchs to your garden, plant some.

Water Ball

2010-08-22T07:45:00.001-05:00

My brother-in-law, Ben, is running for Sheriff. Some of the family got together a few weeks ago to help him campaign. We were in a parade in the small town where Ben, my sister Tonja, and their five darling daughters and one spunky son live.

It was a busy weekend for Ben, he spent most of it at his booth at the fair.

It was up to the rest of us to represent him at the events in his hometown. The festivities in Ben and Tonja’s hometown raises money for the volunteer fire department.

I’ve previously written about the cow plop, which we attended again this year. However, this year, I’ve got something much more exciting to report about than a cow pooping. This year, we formed a team for the water ball competition. We were the only non-fire-department team. Ben’s volunteered for the ambulance for fifteen years and we participated with gear borrowed from the Rescue squad.

If you’ve not seen a water ball competition before, it’s kind of like tug-of-war, except you aren't pulling a rope with your hands, but instead pushing a ball with water.

Teams of firefighters (or in our case, three clueless sisters and three men with muscles) spray a fire hose at the ball to try to get it to slide along the wire to the opposing team’s side.

One member of the team stands on the side lines and gives directions on where to aim the hose; back back back , up up up, down down down.

The team member in front gets to control the hose.

The one in the back keeps kinks out of the hose so the water pressure stays high.

The rest help control the hose.

We all got our turn being in front. When the referee says go, it’s time to run forward as quickly as possible to get the water on the ball,

Out of the ten teams, I only saw one other team that had a female member. We were definitely a minority, and the underdogs.

We just kept going.

At one point, a competing team quickly got the ball over to our side and then turned their hose straight on our team.

I happened to be in front for the spraying. I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t stop laughing. I couldn’t remember how to turn of the hose.

There are no pictures of this because everyone on the sidelines was running for cover as I sprayed the spectators in front of the bar. I had no idea I did that until someone told me later.

It’s really hard to see with a fire hose spraying you.

We were all soaked through from our head to our shoes.

We were doing quite well. The crowd was cheering for us.

Before we started, we were doing this mostly for entertainment.

Once we picked up that fire hose though, we took this competition pretty seriously.

I guess it paid off. We came in third place in the competition!

Wild Flowers

2010-08-16T18:58:00.001-05:00

Some things surprise me.

Like when, in the middle of the day, on a camping trip, my brother says “ Get in the truck, I’m going to show you some daisies. There are a lot of them, you’ll probably want to bring your camera.”

And then he drives down a logging road until he finds the spot. It would surprise you too if you knew my brother.

Or maybe not, because in other ways, it doesn’t surprise me at all. It reminds me of my dad. That is very much something he would have done.

It’s funny how often I see my dad in the actions of my brothers.

Mom’s Garden

2010-08-14T18:11:00.001-05:00

My mom has two nice vegetable gardens. One is next to her house.

Her big garden is down the hill from the house.

She has a number of tomato plants on the deck. Some of them are huge! She’s also got assorted herbs tucked into her flower gardens.

You never leave mom’s empty handed during the summer. She even cleans it up before she send it home. She had a great system for cleaning the potatoes and carrots before she packed them up for me.

It’s nice not to have to bring all the dirt home.

I came home with carrots, potatoes, cabbage, rutabagas, onions, rosemary, dill and oregano. The rosemary smells like heaven.

I passed on the zucchini. It seems to be the one thing that I can grow in my own garden. I did bring home a couple of loaves of zucchini bread; my daughter is delivering it to my son and his girlfriend in Seattle this week.

My mom says she loves to work in her garden in the mornings between 6:00 – 9:00. Gardening is good for the soul.

Those vegetables are also good for my pot roast. Thanks Mom!

The Latest Buzz

2010-08-11T22:00:00.002-05:00

These flowers were planted for my brother-in-law Jeff’s bees.

A few weeks ago, Jeff let me dress up in some protective clothes to get close to his bee hive.

I was pretty excited about it.

Jeff started the smoker. The smoke helps to calm the bees.

Calm bees are good.

Jeff, my mom, and I traipsed back to the hive. My sister Lynn and my nephew Kevin followed to take pictures. They were wearing shorts and tank tops. Really.

The first step was using the smoke to calm the bees.

The bees build honeycomb and fill it with honey.

The female bees do all the work. They have about a two mile range to gather pollen. The drones are the males and their job is to mate with the queen. The queen is in charge and lays eggs.

If I were a bee, I’d prefer to be the queen.

I’ve been fascinated by honey bees since I was young and my dad had hives but I’ve never been this close before.

Jeff is very knowledgeable about his hive even though it’s his first year of beekeeping.

If I’d remember half of what he said, this would be a much more interesting post.

That’s my latest buzz.

Summer Water Sports

2010-08-08T22:50:00.001-05:00

When my nephews go out tubing, they aren’t satisfied to be pulled around the lake, no matter how fast the ride or how high the waves.

They have to show their dominance by wrestling the person on the other tube into the lake. Victory goes to the boy remaining on the tube.

I don’t get this at all.

But I know where they learned it. When my brothers, brother-in-law and husband got their turn to ride the tubes, it is a matter of seconds before these old guys are up on their tubes trying to knock each other off too.

They are never content to ride. The more dramatic the wipe out, the more fun they have.

This has to be a male thing.

When my sister-in-law and I decided to go for a ride, we begged my fifteen year old nephew to drive slowly and to try not to hurt us or knock us off the tubes.

We just wanted a nice, relaxing ride.

Never trust a fifteen year old boy.

Marshmallow Face

2010-07-18T23:04:00.001-05:00

Some things just don’t change.

It’s hard to eat certain foods without getting some on you.

In 2000, my nephew Kevin was a sticky mess all weekend from watermelon and marshmallows.

Ten years later, his little sister had her own marshmallow incident.

I didn’t see exactly what happened but I have a sneaking suspicion that Katie’s marshmallow mishap had the help of a certain boy cousin of hers (quite possibly the same one who muddied up Katie’s mom.)

Growing Up at the Campsite

2010-07-14T21:47:00.001-05:00

At the July 2000 family camping trip, my nephew Dylan was very little. He was nervous about the sparklers.

And this year he’s one of the older boys, helping his little cousin to wrap himself in his towel.

It makes me really sad and really happy at the same time.

Muddy Camping

2010-07-12T22:38:00.001-05:00

I’ve never doubted the love in this family.

We just show it in unique ways.

Right after this mud wrestling match with his little brother, my nephew Matt decided that both his mom and I needed a hug. It was a kind of muddy hug.

We wondered why he didn’t give his Auntie Lynn a hug too… she’s standing right over there….

We could tell by his expression that Auntie Lynn was in for more than a little bit muddy hug.

Sorry Lynn. RUN

It was stinky mud.

You may have guessed that Lynn’s got a pretty good sense of humor.

It gets worse.

The boys in my family have all been wrestlers. Lynn didn’t have a chance.

And even after all that.

That’s my family.

July Fourth Weekend Tradition

2010-07-06T21:35:00.001-05:00

Every July Fourth weekend, my brothers and sisters and their families gather together for a camping weekend. We’ve been doing it for many, many years. Not everyone can make it every year but whoever can, does.

My mom lives close to where we camp so she spends days at the campsite but sleeps in her own bed at night. I believe when my dad was alive my mom and dad spent some nights at the campsite too.

Many memories have been made at the campsite. Family friends have sometimes joined us. Some of the kids who were small when we first started these camping weekends are adults now.

I pulled out some photos from our 2000 camping trip and am going to use the next few posts to write about our camping trips.

The camping trips photos show some interesting family dynamics.

This was the group of kids from the camping trip in 2000. Six of them are now adults. It’s crazy how fast time flies. Those two sweet little baby boys… well I’ve got some pictures later this week.

Mom’s flowers

2010-06-11T20:18:00.001-05:00

I stopped at my mom’s house a few weeks ago to see what she had blooming.

Johnny Jump-ups. These cuties are all over in her garden. I love their little faces.

I think these yellow Lady Slippers were dug up by my brother when he was clearing land to build his house, they were relocated to my mom’s garden in the woods.

This Fern Leaf Peony plants had lots of blooms. The color of the blooms and texture of the leaves reminds me of Christmas.

Chives have a pretty light purple flower.

When I was growing up, we had a huge chive plant under the water faucet on the outside of our house. I was sent outside many times to pick chives for my mom when she was making dinner. They were often added to potatoes. I have my own plants now and use them in my dinners too.

Evening Clouds

2010-06-08T18:46:00.002-05:00

After work tonight, Jay and I sat on the deck for conversation and drinks. It was sunny and calm.

Very shortly, the weather changed. Dark clouds came from the west. The wind started blowing. Hard.

As the dark clouds passed over to the east, fluffy white clouds and sunshine were waiting in the west.

In a few minutes they were in the east and the world was calm and sunny again.

I love weather. Except for snow, and cold, and ice.

I love summer weather. It's restless, like me.

Poison Ivy

2010-06-02T19:48:00.001-05:00

I’m blaming this little creature for my poison ivy.

When we were camping, PD, knocked over his food. This little critter came out of the woods to pick up the pieces.

PD was not pleased.

He looked all over for the scavenger.

He ran through the woods, until his tie-out wouldn’t reach any further. He ran right through the poison ivy after the little squirrel.

I’m susceptible to poison ivy and I know what it looks like so I stayed away from it. I didn’t go untangle PD’s tie-out from the brush after he chased he squirrel. I made Jay do that. He doesn’t get poison ivy.

All weekend though, PD spent time on my lap. We cuddled. He likes to snuggle up to me and I like it too.

I was trying to get some sun so my tops were low cut and short sleeved. This likely explains the poison ivy on my arms and chest.

I think that when PD ran through the woods, he got the poison ivy oils on his fur and then gave it to me. But I love my PD too much to blame him for my itchy misery.

So I’m blaming this guy.

Camping

2010-06-01T20:46:00.002-05:00

Last weekend, Jay and I took our first camping trip of the season. We stayed at a MN State Forest Campground.

We took our kayaks out on the lake.

I ate roasted marshmallows. Just two. The others caught on fire and then fell into the fire as I was trying to hold the marshmallow stick and the camera at the same time.

I listened to the loons. When you are in a kayak, the loons sometimes get fairly close. They pop up from under the water and surprise you.

I like this picture. It says Minnesota to me. Fishermen in the background, trees, water, and loons

One of the best things about this camping trip is that the campsite we stayed at was pretty close to my mom’s house, within ten miles. So I called her up and said, ‘Hey mom, we’re camping this weekend, do you want to come out for coffee in the morning?” She said, “Oh, that sounds nice.” “Great,” I said, “bring the coffee” And she did. Two thermoses appeared each morning. I guess she’s heard what I’m like if I don’t get coffee in the morning.

It was a perfect weekend for camping. Minnesota summers are the best.

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T20:26:00.001-05:00

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Fly, Fly, Little One

2010-05-16T19:30:00.001-05:00

When I walked out the back door tonight, I saw two baby robins hop out of the nest. The first one had no problem flying away. The second little one had some trouble. He landed on the deck with a thud and then hopped off into the grass.

He doesn’t have the hang of flying yet..

He looks awkward and uncoordinated hopping around. But he’s very quick.

Mom and Dad are both nearby. Mom fed this little one a worm as he sat on the ground. Both watched him and squawked at me as I sat on the deck. I think robins are good parents.

Of the four babies that were in the nest, I think that two or three survived. I know for sure one did not because I found the little body on my deck.

I hope this little one learns to fly quickly so he can get into the nest or trees where it is safer from cats and dogs and children.

He doesn’t look too happy about not being able to fly.

Fern Leaf Peony

2010-05-12T20:29:00.001-05:00

Meet Dave.

I see Dave every workday when he comes in to clean our offices. We chat. I’ve known him for years. Knowing him for many years, I feel like I’ve got a good grasp on what kind of person Dave is. He’s a good guy. Hard working. Honest.

Last summer, Dave and his wife came over to my house one evening to show me their motorized bikes and see my garden. I promised to share some zucchinis with them when they grew. They offered to share some flowers with me. Later, towards fall, Dave gave me something that looked like dried up sticks and told me to plant them in the ground. Because I know Dave, I knew he wasn’t lying when he said it would grow. I did think he was terribly misinformed. It really was just some dried out sticks. I didn’t hold out much hope.

Still, I put the dried out sticks in the ground and watered them and those dried up sticks didn’t cross my mind again…until this spring, when I saw the gorgeous foliage of a Fern Leaf Peony.

I’ve wanted a Fern Leaf Peony since the first time I saw their feathery greenery and beautiful flowers. I was very surprised and pleased that those dried up sticks had some life left in them.

One of the best things about gardening is being able to share, whether it is fruit, vegetables, herbs or flowers; gardeners seem to be some of the most generous people.

I guess Dave did know what he was talking about after all.

Baby Robins

2010-05-10T18:25:00.001-05:00

When I walked out the back door onto my deck, I noticed some screeching.

The baby robins are here and they were hungry.

Mom and Dad were both nearby with a meal.

These babies get fed often.

All day the parents are back and forth to the nest with food for the babies.

They have a lot of little mouths to feed.

Mom, Thanks for the Advice

2010-05-09T09:16:00.001-05:00

On Mother’s Day I thought it would be appropriate to pass on some of the advice my mom has given me over the years. She’s given me lots of good advice and I’ve written about what a wonderful mom she’s been to me and my brothers and sisters. This year however, I’m going to pass on some of the dubious advice she’s given me.

1. You don’t want a big diamond ring, someone might cut off your finger off to steal it. Oh, really mom? If someone wants to give me a humungous diamond, I’ll take my chances.

2. Keep Working, Life isn’t supposed to be fun. I heard this often when I was growing up. These words of wisdom were usually doled out on the hottest days of summer when I wanted to be at the lake rather than helping make breads, washing dishes, folding clothes or weeding the garden. Along with this advice usually came: You should be thankful you have hands so you can pull weeds, wash dishes, etc… I took this as a warning that some tragic accident was likely if I wasn’t thankful I was pulling weeds in 90 degree weather rather than swimming in cool Cedar Lake.

4. Sing before morning, cry before night. An old superstitious saying that she passed on. I never understood it but I think it might have something to do with keeping a little peace in the morning; I do understand that. I prefer to wake up happy now days, a little singing in the morning isn’t a bad way to start a day.

5 Nothing good happens after midnight. Not true but it was a good way to make me want to stay out after midnight.

6. You’ll understand when you’re older. This was my mom’s way to avoid answering questions. She used it often. Now that I’m older, I still don’t understand.

Happy Mother’s Day

Frisbee

2010-05-08T05:26:00.001-05:00

PD loves to play Frisbee.

He runs to retrieve it after it has been thrown but he hasn’t figured out how to catch it in the air.

I wish he could figure it out but I’m not sure how to train him to do it.

Mushroom Hunting

2010-05-03T20:01:00.001-05:00

Early on a Saturday morning at a super secret location in the upper midwest, a crew of rubber-booted family members, led by an experienced guide, set on on a mission to find the elusive morel mushroom.

The guide, who happens to be my camera-shy brother, can no longer eat this particular fungus because of a reaction that sent him to the emergency room last week.

He pointed the morels out to us new mushroom hunters when he found a morel. He’s good at spotting them but he doesn’t even touch them now; he doesn’t like emergency rooms or shots.

It took a while for us to learn how to spot them. Those morels are hard to find. They camouflage themselves amongst the leaves and pinecones. Some grow under fallen wood.

I was nervous about snakes, but I kept looking down for the mushrooms. It’s good to face your fears, right?

The littlest mushroom hunter was one of the best at spotting the morels. She told me that her hands smelled like mushrooms at the end of the outing. And they did. I smelled them.

After an hour or two of traipsing around in the cold and drizzly morning, our pails were not full, but they were no longer empty either.

My sister and I soaked the mushrooms in a sink to remove anything yucky. There wasn’t much. I was relieved about that.

We’ve got plans to find more next weekend.

Florida

2010-05-02T19:28:00.001-05:00

I recently spent a few days in Florida. It was one of the best get-aways in recent history.

It was sunny and warm. There were blooming flowers everywhere so I decided to get outside my hotel room with my camera.

I heard some noises coming from inside a thick planting of flower bushes. There was a tree stump in the middle of the flower bushes. On top of the tree stump a small lizard was sunning himself.

I quickly realized what was making the noise from below his perch. And lucky for this lizard, so did he.

Someone looking for dinner.

Each time the bird would come after the lizard, the lizard would scurry down the tree trunk. The bird looked around from the perch and then went back to the plants on the ground. While the bird searched through the plants, the lizard climbed up the tree trunk and sat on top. When the bird came up, he ran, fast.

This happened over and over.

I wondered why the lizard kept coming up to the top of the tree stump.

I guess it must have been safer for him on the stump than on the ground in the bushes. He sure could run fast. I didn’t think the bird had a chance.

This was a really close call.

It was all happening so fast, I couldn’t tell if the bird even got close until I saw the pictures.

Eventually neither the lizard or the bird came back to the top of the tree stump. I don’t know if they both got tired or the bird finally got a meal.

It was really a great day for taking pictures in Florida.

Birthday Card and Cake

2010-05-01T21:54:00.001-05:00

My sister Tonja learned to decorate cakes in the last few years. She’s made some really creative cakes. She makes the cakes from scratch and they always taste great. We tease Tonja that she should just go into business running weddings because she also sings and does photography.

She made a cake for Cindy’s birthday. It had a spinner on top so you could see what Cindy was older than. We spun it around a lot. Someone accidently hit the side of it getting it out of the container. It was a tasty chocolate cake with something really yummy between the layers. I was most shocked that she actually put the word “shit” on a birthday cake.

When my sister Lynn came over on Friday she mentioned that she had to sign Cindy’s birthday card. I said that I’d gotten a gift but forgot to pick up a card. She said I could sign her card with her. I did.

She owed me.

Last Mother’s Day I got my mom a beautiful card and sent it to her in the mail. Apparently not everyone sent a card and mom had mine displayed on a table. My sister Lynn has a great husband, Jeff, he’s quiet and very nice. He was at my mom’s house helping her with something when he saw the Mother’s Day card I’d sent. He covertly changed the front cover which read “for a wonderful mother” to “for a wonderful mother-in-law” and then signed his name after mine so the card which had read "Love Mary” now read “Love Mary and Jeff” He put the card back and didn’t say a word to anyone. No one noticed. He finally mentioned to my sister about a month later.

That’s why Lynn had to let me sign Cindy’s birthday card with her.

Angie’s Advice

2010-04-28T07:02:00.001-05:00

Angie and Missy are my sister in laws.

Angie is married to my brother Dennis, and as one of my sisters said about Dennis “If I was going to refer anyone to marry one of my brothers, it would be him.” Missy is married to my brother Randy and all I have to say about that is that Randy isn’t the first brother I’d refer to anyone to marry, but he’s not the last either.

My sisters and I consider Angie and Missy our bonus sisters, whether they like it or not. Plus, if they complain about my brothers, we remind them… You had a CHOICE, not like us poor related girls.

Angie had a rough Friday. On the way to my house on Friday afternoon she had two flat tires and a tie rod problem. Over five hundred dollars later, she arrived at my house ready for a glass of wine, or two, very quickly. I think she called it the “land of bubbly.”

Wine and empty stomachs don’t go well together. When she started giving us cooking advice like “Do not put a hard boiled egg in the microwave to warm it up” we knew it was time to get something to eat.

We have a sister who has never drank a drop of alcohol in her life so we didn’t have to worry about driving to a restaurant, she was our designated driver.

Poor Angie, when we got to the restaurant she was going to order another drink but wanted a beer instead of wine. Apparently there is a saying about beer after liquor making you sicker or something like that. None of us really knew. None of us drink much and no one wanted to get sick. Angie decided that my brother Randy, Missy’s husband, would know.

She dialed his cell phone.

She tried to explain to Randy that she’d had some wine and was now thinking of ordering a beer. She tried to recite the saying that none of us exactly knew. She asked for his advice on what to do. She was having quite a involved conversation, at least from what we could hear on our end.

Pretty soon Angie turned to us and said “He hung on me; how long was I talking to myself?”

“He didn’t answer my question. I’m calling the house”

After another conversation with my brother, Angie had her answer. We heard her say “Thank you, have a good night”

She hung up the phone and turned to us.

“ He said it doesn’t matter, you’re going to be sick anyway”

He was wrong, but it’s great to have someone you can turn to when you need advice.

Sister Weekend!

2010-04-26T18:25:00.001-05:00

I’d been looking forward to Friday for many weeks. I knew it was going to be the start to a great weekend.

My mom, my sisters, and my sisters-in-law spent the weekend together to celebrate my sister Cindy’s birthday.

Although Cindy could have stayed at home in Alaska and had a party, she decided to fly to Minnesota to celebrate her fortieth with a girls weekend. She knows where the fun is.

My sister-in-law Missy made all of us bags with necessities to get us through a birthday weekend.

Among the goodies; nail polish, coffee mugs, and tiaras. Tiara’s with flashing lights.

We started the night with wine. We’ve got wine glass charms specifically for girls get-togethers.

They have words on that describe us; mostly I think we could all use the one with the word sassy.

Perhaps the most worthy of that title on Friday night was my sister-in-law Angie. She had a rough day and had a lot to say on Friday night, I’ve got stories to share later this week. She was so funny we started to write down her quips so we could remember them. They were just that good.

Happy Birthday Sister!

2010-04-25T22:24:00.001-05:00

My sister Cindy celebrated a milestone birthday on Friday.

Forty.

Cindy is two years younger me. Growing up we shared a room and a bed before we got bunk beds. I really hated it when she peed the bed. It was not a fun way to wake up. I’m glad she outgrew that!

As we got older, we shared clothes, sometimes without asking. Then we fought. Hair pulling, pinching, hitting, yelling and crying. I’m glad we’re over that too.

As adults, we took a car trip to Alaska, just Cindy and I and a tent. There was no peeing the bed, no hair pulling, no hitting, no yelling and no crying. I’m older but Cindy is more adventuresome.

We don’t spend much time together these days as she has a busy life thousands of miles away with a husband, four kids, a house and job.

We did get to celebrate this birthday together. I’ve got pictures and stories from this weekend that I’ll be sharing later this week.

For now…

Happy Birthday Cindy!

Early Spring Blooms

2010-04-21T06:18:00.001-05:00

This has been one of the earliest and nicest springs I can remember. We’ve had a number of days in the 70’s already. The golf course across the street is full of golfers hitting that little white ball around. I don’t understand the appeal of golf. I’ve only tried playing once but I found it really frustrating.

I’ve been enjoying wondering around the yard taking pictures with my new camera.

My tulips are already blooming, my bleeding hearts have some flowers on them too and my lilacs have tiny little flowers on the ends of the branches.

I love the color of this tulip, the inside is especially pretty.

A few of the neighbors have already mowed their lawns. Not us though, not quite yet, but soon we will need to mow too.

The weeds are coming up in the gardens faster than the flowers. It is time for me to spend an afternoon pulling up weeds. I don’t mind doing this except when the mosquitoes come out.

Spring is kind of like childbirth because I forget the pain of winter when spring arrives.

Lake Superior Ice

2010-04-20T06:43:00.001-05:00

Lake Superior is gorgeous any time of the year.

Last month when we were in Duluth, we crossed the Aerial Lift Bridge to Park Point. There was no ice on the lake side but on the harbor side there was still some chunks of ice.

I thought it was incredibly beautiful how the little pieces of ice sparkled on the shoreline.

I grabbed my camera and tried to capture how much the ice sparkled in the sun.

I hadn’t seen anything like this before.

So beautiful.

I guess I was pretty focused because I took five pictures from this viewpoint and then walked past but didn’t notice the obvious problem.

On the way back I almost stepped on that dead fish before I noticed it.

Bunny Ears

2010-04-19T07:43:00.001-05:00

A few days before Easter I decided that PD would look ADORABLE wearing some bunny ears that I found in the dollar section of Target.

After thirty or so frustration filled minutes…

I got one quick picture before the bunny ears became a chew toy.

Oh PD, why do you have to foil all of my wonderful plans for you?

Girls Weekend

2010-04-17T21:37:00.001-05:00

Every year, my sisters, sister-in-laws, mom and I all get together for our annual girl’s weekend.

We are blessed to have great friendships with each other. We love spending time together and look forward to it for many months in advance.

We’ve been doing this get together for many, many years. Our main activity is shopping, but it’s a lot more than a shopping trip.

There are pedicures, and boy did we need them this year. Someone, and I’m not saying who, really wishes she’d shaved her legs before the pedicure.

And manicures. A little sparkle and paint does a girl good.

Eyebrows get tamed into submission.

Exercise. If you haven’t tried the Jillian Michaels Shred video, you should try it. But don’t call me to complain about your pain the next day. You have been warned.

There is food, lots of food. Some we eat in the hotel.

Some meals we eat out.

There is always wine. My sister brought this bottle with a cute label. She’s like me, she buys wine with cute labels. It’s a family trait. She’s the middle sister, which must make me the smarty pants.

There is a lot more that goes on but I’m not allowed to tell you about the really fun parts. My mom is scared she’ll get too many requests to be adopted into our family just to join the girls weekends. And she’s got her hands full with the girls she has now.

I love girl’s weekends.

Thrift Store Easter Table Setting

2010-04-16T05:39:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, I was at a thrift store and found some cute pink dishes. Pink plates, cups and saucers with bunnies on them. I walked out of the store without buying them.

On a practical level, pink bunny plates don’t go with anything I own. Nor do I ever use a “cup and saucer” at my house. Plus the fact that are pink and have a bunny on them makes them very occasion specific. Obviously, not practical.

I just couldn’t stop thinking about how darn cute they were. Within a half hour, I was back at the store purchasing pink bunny plates, cups and saucers.

I looked this pattern up on line and found that they are about three times what I paid for them on a popular replacement site. That made me feel better about my purchase.

Easter was the obvious occasion to bring out these dishes. They looked just as cute as I thought they would when the table was set.

I got the white decorative bunnies on the table at another thrift store. It was the cutest Easter table ever.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love shopping at thrift stores. You can find things you don’t really need with prices low enough that you buy them anyway.

Robin Redbreast

2010-04-13T19:19:00.001-05:00

It always makes my heart soar to see the first robin in spring. I know that winter, at least the hard part of it, is done.

This year I saw my first robin on March 31st. My husband actually saw it first and called me to come to see her. She was perched in my neighbors tree.

This particular lady decided to move into my neighborhood. She is now my closest neighbor.

She started building a nest on our downspout. For the last few years, a robin mama has built a nest in this same spot. I’m not sure if it is the same robin or not.

This is how it started four days ago.

The nest sits a couple feet from our back door and it looks like it is finished today. I’m not sure if there are any eggs in it. I’ll wait and watch for baby robins to peek their heads out of the nest.

John Beargrease

2010-04-12T19:46:00.001-05:00

This post was sent to me by my daughter, Jelisa. Since she was a tiny girl, she has loved dogs. During elementary school, she took a special interest in sled dog racing; we took her to her first sled dog race, The John Beargrease, in Duluth when she was ten years old. In elementary school, for hero day, Jelisa dressed up as Susan Butcher who won the Iditarod four times. It was a very uncomfortable choice on the 80 degree day. A few years later, we toured the Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla, Alaska. As she’s grown older, her obsession with sled dogs has diminished, but since she lives in Duluth, I asked her to go to the John Beargrease sled dog race this year to take pictures and write about it for my blog and she agreed to do so. Encouraging our daughter’s interest enriched our lives and made some wonderful family memories over the years learning about sled dogs.

The John Beargrease is the longest sled dog race in the continental US at 390 miles. The race is named after John Beargrease who was the son of an Anishinaabe chief and used sled dogs to deliver mail along Duluth’s North Shore during the 19^th century. Usually this event is held at the Oreaden Middle school but since it was under construction this year the race was held in the middle of nowhere at the Duluth soccer complex. Luckily I found it.

Sunday, January 31^st was the start of the 27^th annual race and it was cold. Really cold actually, and windy, but it was still hard to find a parking space near the starting line. I parked over a mile away and considered myself lucky for getting such a good spot. The first thing you notice as you get close to the starting line is the noise. Even before you can see them, even before you know where the starting line is, you can hear them. Hundreds of dogs, not barking, but howling with excitement. They are loud enough to be heard from over a quarter mile away.

The starting line is lined with people on both sides watching the mushers take off. After one musher leaves another team is walked up to the starting line and given their introduction

It takes a lot of people to hold back a sled dog team. Those dogs just want to run.

While waiting for the next team to take off you can walk around and talk to the mushers or pet the dogs. It’s a very laid back kind of event

If you are wondering how a sled dog team is transported, take a look at this truck. It’s got 16 dogs in it and even has room for the sled. Each dog gets their own kennel filled with straw.

Some dogs get all dressed up for the occasion. This team was dubbed the best dressed team on the course.

So if you are ever in Duluth during the last weekend of January and looking for something fun and free to do, make sure you check out the John Beargrease.

Back to Blogging

2010-04-11T12:06:00.001-05:00

I am back to blogging after a too long break. I’ve missed posting my daily musings. I had a computer issues which I initially thought was just a power cord issue, after almost two weeks at repair, I was told that it was not and that I should send it in for warranty repair. When I got my computer back from warranty repair, I found that it was not at all repaired and I have no wireless access nor does the power cord charge. It will be sent back for repair as soon as I get the return box. Everything on my computer was lost.

I could have used my husband’s computer but didn’t want to clutter it up with all my stuff so I just held off thinking I’d have my computer back any day….

Yesterday, I got a net book which is a very, very small laptop. I’m hoping to be able to start posting on my blog using the net book.

I’m back and very excited to catch you up on what has been happening in my life!

Taytekakku

2010-02-22T19:58:00.001-06:00

My mom was over last weekend and brought me an amazing birthday cake. It’s one of my favorite cakes. The cake is called Taytekakku; I always just call it Finnish cake because I have no idea how it’s name is pronounced in Finnish. She put it together at my house, which explains the fancy cake plate.

My mom is 100 percent Finn, which makes me half Finn and extremely happy about it every time I have this cake. This cake is very moist, I eat it with a spoon and savor every bite.

Although the instructions I’ve copied below look very involved, this cake isn’t terribly difficult to make.

This recipe is from our church cookbook.

The filled cake “taytekakku” is the crowning touch on the Finnish coffee table. There can be great variations in these cakes but they are all make with sponge cake base. The layers are split and moistened with juice and the cake is filled with whipped cream and fruit.

Cake:

4 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Beat eggs, gradually adding the sugar and beating until thick (about 10 minutes) Sift or mix well the flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold into egg mixture carefully. Pour into 2 well greased and floured 8 inch round pans (line pans with wax paper to make cakes easy to remove) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Split each layer horizontally.

Moistening mixture: 1 -2 cups liquid - orange pineapple juice works well.

Filling:

1 can crushed pineapple

2-3 bananas

Sliced strawberries or strawberry jam

1 pint cream, whipped and lightly sweetened with powdered sugar for filling and topping

Assemble Cake:

Place one layer of cake on a plate with cut side up. Moisten lightly with juice. Top with crushed pineapple and 1/3 of the whipped cream. Cover with second layer of cake; moisten and fill with cream and bananas. Cover with third layer of cake, moisten and top with sliced strawberries and cream. Moisten last layer of cake and put cut side down on top. To complete cake, frost with whipped cream and decorate with sliced fruit or other decorations. Chill and serve.

My mom topped my cake with dried apricots that had been soaked in rum. So good. Try this cake, you won’t be disappointed, it is delicious.

Chili Contest

2010-02-21T18:35:00.001-06:00

There was a Chili Contest today at work. Four coworkers made their best chili and brought it in to the break room.

Although I think I make good chili, I didn’t compete. I wasn’t working today but I did stop in to work with my husband to taste, vote, and take some pictures.

I was surprised that all of the chili tasted different.

I had a hard time deciding between chili number three and chili number four.

Chili number four was most like the chili I make ; I thought it was good. It was the spiciest of the chili. I like spicy.

Chili number three tasted most like the chili my husband makes; it was really good too. It had ground beef, chunks of beef (which were very tender) and bacon in it. It also had more than one type of bean.

Chili number two and one were less spicy but still good. Chili two had nice big chunks of meat.

Chili number one had mushrooms in it. I’ve never had mushrooms in chili before, they were a nice addition. It was a mild chili.

Since I didn’t enter a chili, I couldn’t lose,and I got to try four different types of chili.

I did contribute something to the contest.

Chocolate Cupcakes for dessert.

I think they were yummy too.

Valentine’s Day

2010-02-14T18:49:00.001-06:00

I made a table centerpiece for Valentine’s Day. I don’t decorate for Valentine’s Day but this year I felt like I needed a little celebration in the middle of this long, very cold, winter. It’s not fancy or expensive but it makes me happy to see it and brightens up my table.

The tootsie pops were already in the mug on my counter. I set the mug on a silver tray my mom gave me; it was a wedding present to my parents many years ago. I thought it was sweet to have something on my Valentine’s table that came from a celebration of my parent’s love. I made some paper hearts for on the tray and put a few decorated Valentine’s straws in with the lollipops.

My mother-in-law gave me the red beeswax candles; she passed away in 2001. I’ve kept these candles for a long time.

My mom, my husband and I will share a Valentine’s meal of steak and crab. My husband got me a heart necklace and some candy. I’m writing him a poem.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Mount Munahana

2010-02-09T20:55:00.001-06:00

When my kids were little they loved to climb to and play on the tops of big snow piles. My husband would often take them to a nearby parking lot and let them scale to the top of the snow piles.

They pretended they were exploring a mountain, and this mountain was named Mount Munahana. The tallest snow pile always got this name.

This memory came back to me today as I drove into the parking lot at my work. Snow is piled high, the tops of the piles really do look a lot like mountains. There is a whole mountain range over the fence around the lot.

This memory so made me wish I could zap both my kids back seventeen or so years to see them tackle these mountains. I imagine how excited they would be telling the story of climbing Mount Munahana.

Another Year

2010-02-08T19:02:00.001-06:00

I remember when 40 used to sound old. Now that I’ve been here for a couple of years, it doesn’t sound old and it certainly doesn’t feel old to me.

I’ve learned not to get too excited about my birthday. My brother Randy, who is a year younger, also has a birthday in February and we always had our party together. Our celebrations were often canceled due to someone in our family throwing up. If it wasn’t the flu, it was a blizzard that canceled our party. So, it disappointed me, but didn’t surprise me, that my birthday plans were thwarted by the weather this year too. Stupid Snow.

Since my husband knew that he would be out of town on my birthday, he took me out yesterday to buy me a fabulous birthday gift.

This telephoto lens is going to be so much fun to use. My husband bought me a new camera for Christmas and now I have this lens to play with too. I need to take some classes to learn how to operate my SLR camera. I’ve got the “For Dummies” book which I’m making my way through. Some of it is quite confusing; I must be dumber than the usual dummy. Oh well, I’ll eventually get it and when I do, I’ll post my best pictures here.

Morning Glory Muffins

2010-02-07T10:25:00.001-06:00

I made my favorite muffins this morning for breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup coconut
1 apple, peeled and grated
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder and sugar together in large bowl.

In another bowl, mix eggs, oil and vanilla together. Stir into the dry ingredients until just combined.

Fold in other ingredients. Bake in cupcake liners for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

I grate my apple and carrots pretty coarsely, but you can grate them finely if you prefer less texture in your muffins. I use whatever brand of apple is in my fruit bowl and whatever type of nuts are in my pantry. I started using Watkins brand cinnamon and vanilla this fall and I think it tastes so much better than the store brands I used to buy. I like to sprinkle the cinnamon on apple slices for a guilt free apple pie taste.

Yes, I am wearing my pajamas while making these muffins.

This recipe make 2 dozen muffins. They freeze well. So, you don’t have to eat a them all at one time.

Let’s Go to Work

2010-02-05T17:41:00.001-06:00

My husband spends a portion of every day working in his office in our home.

Our dog, PD, spends a portion of every day working in his office in our home.

PD used to spend his time in the recliner in the corner or on my husband’s lap but he got in the way of the computer screen. So, instead of kicking him out of the office, Jay gave PD a job and his own spot in the office and told him to get to work.

One of PD’s jobs is to discus important issues with Jay.

He’s responsible for critter patrol. PD lets Jay know if there is a rabbit in the yard.

He’s also responsible to keep track of the traffic in the neighborhood. He’s a great employee.

He lets Jay know if the neighbor boys are outside playing.

Obviously, it’s a very important job.

He gets paid in doggy treats, walks and cuddles. It’s really a win-win situation.

Duluth Memorial

2010-02-04T19:40:00.002-06:00

An event has happened, upon which it is difficult to speak and impossible to remain silent.

These words surround a memorial dedicated to three victims of a lynching which occurred in Duluth, MN in 1920. A crowd of thousands lynched three innocent black men for a rape allegation, which was later found to be untrue. Until my daughter brought my husband and me to this corner memorial in downtown Duluth, I didn’t know anything about this horrifying incident. It is sobering and thought provoking.

The text on the side of the three bronze statues reads:

On June 15, 1920, following the alleged rape of a young woman, Duluth Police locked up a number of men who worked for a raveling circus. That evening, thousands of Duluthians gathered outside the city jail. The police were under orders not to shoot and they obeyed.

With timbers and rails as battering rams, the mob broke down the doors of the jail and staged a trial of six of the men. They convicted Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie, who had been held as a witness. The crowd dragged the young men about a block, beat them viciously as you may imagine, and hanged them from a light pole that stood diagonally across the street from where you are now. Some brave people spoke out in protest but they were few against thousands. On man took a photograph that was later distributed as postcards, this memorial is dedicated to the memories of the murdered here and everywhere.

Welcome Home

2010-02-03T21:03:00.001-06:00

After a long day at work there is nothing better than coming home to an excited puppy.

And a husband baking caramel pecan brownies.

When I think about all of the decisions I’ve made in my life, marrying well, is by far the best.

Giant Snowman

2010-02-02T19:10:00.001-06:00

Someone in my neighborhood must be very strong or have a lot of good friends. Good strong friends.

Every year, a huge snowman is built in a yard in my neighborhood. He makes me smile when I drive by. I’ve never seen him being built so I don’t know how many people are needed to lift the gigantic snowballs on top of each other.

I heard a rumor that one year some high school kids put a chain around the him and tried to drag him down with a pickup. I’m not sure how that worked.

This snowman is so funny to see as the weather warms up, he gets skinny! I’ll take some pictures. It might be a while if the groundhog is to be believed.

Written on Rice

2010-01-31T19:10:00.001-06:00

While I was organizing my jewelry yesterday, I found something that brought me back quite a few years…

In 1997, Jay and I took our kids to Disney World in Florida. It was a wonderful trip.

While we were at musical dinner theater one night, we came across a man who wrote on rice.

He wrote my name on a grain of rice. Then, I asked him to write my kids’ names on a grain of rice.

He wrote Justin on one side of the grain of rice.

And he wrote Jelisa on the other side of the grain of rice.

I bought this small grain of rice, preserved in glycerin in a tiny glass cylinder, sealed, hanging on a silver chain.

I wore it every day for many years until the chain broke. It was one of my most treasured pieces of jewelry. I’ve found a new silver chain so I can again start wearing this grain of rice with these most precious, but all grown up, names around my neck.

Isn’t it funny how such little things can mean so much?

Jewelry Organization

2010-01-30T20:14:00.002-06:00

My jewelry was a mess! I had everything piled on a shelf in my closet. I don’t have lots of expensive jewelry but I do love long necklaces. (I once heard that wearing a long necklace can make you look ten pounds thinner and I’ve been hooked since then!) I also like dangly earrings. I have to wear a uniform for work but every other chance I get, I wear girl clothes and jewelry.

I have been thinking about ways to organize my jewelry and decided that hanging necklaces and earrings from cup hooks and eye hooks would work well for me. I bought a two by four to use for my project, which I was going to hang in my walk in closet. Before I got started, I came upon this oak-framed mirror in the thrift store and knew I could make this project so much better.

I paid twelve dollars for this mirror. I almost didn’t want to use it for this project because it is so nice. But I did.

I added eye hooks across the top and cup hooks across the bottom. My husband helped.

When working with oak, it’s best to make a pilot hole to screw in the cup hooks and eyes. Oak is hard. I put the eye hooks about one inch apart and the cup hooks about two inches apart.

I wanted the necklaces to hang down from the bottom and the earrings to be at the top so I could use the mirror when I was putting my jewelry on.

I ended up putting some necklaces over the eye hooks at the top because I had more necklaces than I realized.

I haven’t put it up yet but knew that it would be difficult to take photos while it was mounted on the wall so I put my jewelry on it while it was propped on my dresser to take pictures.

I piled bracelets over the big hooks that were already on each side.

I think this is going to work perfectly for me!

Grandma’s Gnarly Plant Stand

2010-01-29T19:13:00.002-06:00

My Grandma had a plant stand in her house that was unusual. I must have made a comment at one time that I liked it.

A number of years ago, Grandma sold her house and moved into assisted living. My mom told me that Grandma was giving me a plant stand, because I liked it. Truthfully, I didn’t remember exactly what plant stand she was talking about.

My first thought when my mom brought the plant stand to my house was “Oh my, where am I going to put that thing?” It was a big, very heavy, gnarly tree branch with log slices mounted on it to hold plants. I didn’t think it went with my house; I brought it in anyway. Surprisingly, I really liked it as soon as I put it in my house. It seemed to be just the thing my family room needed to keep it from getting too stuffy.

It makes my home unique and interesting. I’m guessing no one has one exactly like it. I’m so glad my Grandma gave it to me. I need to ask her where she got it. There might be a story, or she may have picked it up at a garage sale - furnishing our homes from garage sales finds is a family trait, so I wouldn’t be surprised.

It is in a north window in my house , and is the perfect place to keep my geranium blooming (just barely) all winter.

Books I Read in January

2010-01-28T20:19:00.004-06:00

I read four books in January.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
The Doctor’s Wife by Elizabeth Brundage

My favorite read in January was “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. This is one of the best books I’ve read in years. It’s set in the early 1960’s in Mississippi and tells the stories of three women. Two of the women are black maids and the other is a white woman who is a recent college graduate. The book explores relationships between women, class and race. It was interesting to read about the civil rights revolution from this viewpoint and I really loved this book.

Another book, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon was also an interesting read. The book is written from the viewpoint of an autistic teenage boy and I often forgot that I was reading a book written by someone other than an autistic boy. It was a quick read and I liked the explanations about the inner workings of the character's brain told from a first person perspective.

“The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes” by Diane Chamberlain was another good book. This book is about a lonely teenage girl who gets involved with the wrong boy and the choice she makes that shapes her entire life. Although the choices she made were wrong, she was a sympathetic character and I was drawn into this book. It was a page turner.

“The Doctor’s Wife” by Elizabeth Brundage was OK. I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters or sympathize for their situations. I also didn’t find the plot believable. I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone as a great book.

I recommend three out of the four books I read in January.

Summer Dreaming

2010-01-27T19:30:00.001-06:00

Every year, about this time, I start dreaming of summer.

I remember how nice it is to walk outside without worrying about falling on the ice and breaking a hip. I start thinking about how it will still be light out in the evening. It will be 100 degrees warmer than it is today!

In a few months, everything will be completely different.

It will be like the most fabulous “before and after”

Before:

After:

I just can’t wait.

Cow Plop

2010-01-26T18:50:00.003-06:00

What I’m going to write about today is true. I am not making this up.

My sister Tonja lives in a very small town. Every year this town has a celebration in August called Kraut and Wurst Days. The festival raises money for the volunteer fire department. It’s actually quite fun. The parade is long and gives out more candy than any other parade I’ve ever attended. They have a beauty pageant, volleyball tournaments, a street dance, games, wagon rides, and lots of sauerkraut and bratwursts.

We’ve pulled our pop-up camper to her house and camped in her back yard a few times for this small town festival.

I could not believe my eyes though the first time I attended Kraut and Wurst Day and went to the Cow Plop.

Yes, Cow Plop.

A cow plop is kind of a lottery. People buy tickets which correspond to a grid painted on the ground and fenced around. A cow is released from a trailer into the fenced grid. It poops. The person who bought the square where the cow first poops, wins. There are rules about how to tell who wins if more than one square on the grid is lucky.

Last time I was at this event (yes, I’ve been a number of times) they released a calf first and then the cow later. I’m not sure why. I took the photo below of the calf, I didn’t get any of the cow because it started raining. The rain didn’t deter the spectators though.

I’m not making this up, a lot of people show up to see the cow poop.

And they cheer.

I did.

And I didn't even have a ticket.

Snow Soup

2010-01-23T18:09:00.004-06:00

I love soup in the middle of winter. This particular soup, although messy, lifts my spirits because of it’s warmth. It is found very infrequently on the menu in Minnesota in January.

Ingredients:

1 Big Pile of Snow - I find this in the mailbox area around my home.

1 (or more) Days Above Freezing – this is usually difficult to find but is a critical ingredient in snow soup.

Mix together. For mixing, you should use the correct tools. Car tires and humans, particularly the feet are excellent mixers, however you will need to wear waterproof shoes or boots if you choose to mix with your feet. You may roll out balls and add them to the soup, this is an optional ingredient and is purely added for pleasure.

This soup may be thinned with water from downspouts.

It is critical to clean the pan when you make Snow Soup while it is still warm. If you do not, you risk severe damage to your mixers.

Enjoy! The right mix of ingredients is not likely to be available again until sometime in March.

Sailors Take Warning

2010-01-22T19:00:00.001-06:00

My mom taught me a saying when I was a child that I’ve always remembered:

Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.

Red sky at night, sailors delight.

While we were in Nevada, my husband and I stepped outside one morning and we saw a gorgeous sky of purples, reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows. I hurried to get my camera out of my bag to take this picture. The colors faded within minutes.

Apparently there is meteorological truth to this saying. A reddish sky in the morning indicates water vapor in the atmosphere; most weather comes from the west. A red sky at night usually indicates good weather on the way.

The weather channel was calling the big storms coming into the area “The Western Wallop.” Snow and rain were on the way.

Unfortunately, the bad weather followed us home, however our skies have been completely overcast so we haven’t gotten to see any beautiful warning overhead.

Lake Tahoe

2010-01-21T19:40:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday, my husband and I drove up to Lake Tahoe from Carson City where we were visiting family. He thought I would like to take some pictures of the lake.

We started out going around the east side of the lake. We drove through Incline Village, which some locals call Income Village because of the enormous, expensive houses. They were fun to see. We continued to the California side of the lake. The road on the Nevada side of the lake was well plowed; the road on the California side was not. We were going to drive around the whole lake. We’ve done this before. It was gorgeous.

We stopped a number of times so I could take pictures.

I took other pictures from the the car window.

The snow was thick and heavy on the trees.

We stopped to walk around. My feet got wet.

The snow started falling and falling and falling.

We had driven about half way around Lake Tahoe when I told my husband I was done.

The lake was beautiful but it’s hard to impress a girl with snow when she sees it seven months a year.

We turned around and headed back to the snow free valley.

Birthday Moving Day

2010-01-20T11:48:00.002-06:00

On Saturday my sweet pea turned twenty two years old.

He started a new adventure on his twenty second year.

He flew to Seattle. It’s his new home. He hasn’t lived at home for the last year but he’s lived in the same town. I’ve had a few tears about this move, which surprised me. I didn’t cry when he went to kindergarten, away to camp, or to college. But ’m going to miss being able to see him often.

It’s a good move for him. I’m happy that he’s getting to experience other parts of the country. I’ve spent my entire life within 45 minutes of where I was born.

But I’m still going to miss him.

I spoke to him on the telephone. He was thrilled about the weather, his apartment, seeing his girlfriend, and the avocados at the farmers market. He’ll be just fine.

Nieces

2010-01-13T11:15:00.001-06:00

Between Christmas and New Years, a few of my nieces spent time at my house. I don’t know why they thought it might be fun, I don’t lead a terribly exciting life, especially for teenage girls. I had to work so they’d be stuck in the house most of the day and greeting a very tired, and possibly crabby aunt at the end of the day. They wanted to come anyway.

There are a few bonuses to staying at my house. a Wii, a hot tub, good snacks, no housework or chores, no brothers, and a mall in my town.

One night we had McDonalds for supper and they told me they liked my cooking.

I have eleven nieces but only four of them stayed at my house.

I shudder to think how I could possibly entertain eleven nieces.

Two of the nieces came a day early because I did not have room in my car for everyone.

Literally, within minutes of arriving at my house, I had them shoveling snow off the deck. I told them they could go in the hot tub if the deck was cleared of the snow.

The older two arrived after all the work had been done.

Smart girls. Goofy, but smart

They must get that from my sisters, the goofy part.

I’m sure they get the smart from me.

They loved the hot tub. The air temperature was cold! They didn’t care. The water was warm.

I love this picture. Can you see my niece? The cold air and hot water created a thick mist around her. Ironically, her name is Misty.

Misty Joy, her name fits her perfectly.

My daughter joined her young cousins in jumping off the deck into the piles of snow. I love it that these cousins all got to spend time together. I spent lots of hours with my cousins growing up and have the best memories from those times. Well, most of them are good. We were so close, we actually got in hair pulling fights but I’ll leave those stories for another day.

My sisters did a good job with these girls. They all have excellent manners and used “thank you” often. Plus they are funny and smart and totally cute.

I hope when they grow up they’ll have good memories of their days spent at my house.

The Full Report

2010-01-11T18:50:00.002-06:00

When my children were small and I left them in the care of a babysitter, I always told them they should be on their best behavior because when I came home I would be asking the babysitter for The Full Report.

My daughter had the duty of watching the dog when we were away for five days.

It turns out The Full Report on his behavior was not good.

In fact, he was referred to as Mister Ultra Mc Naughty Pants.

PD knows how to retrieve the paper from the driveway, it's very cute.

This week he apparently learned how to shake the paper out of its wrapping and all over the yard.

He rifled through Grandma’s bags when she stayed over.

He took a shoe and ran.

Oh Mister Ultra Mc Naughty Pants what am I going to do with you? You are just so cute and loveable.

I never had this misbehaving problem with my kids.

Next time, I just won’t ask for The Full Report.

Beer School

2010-01-10T17:28:00.001-06:00

Lest my two previous posts led you to believe it was all fun and games in St Louis, this post will set you straight.

While in St Louis, my husband and I attended school.

Beer School.

Seriously.

Tuition was a reasonable ten dollars apiece for the one hour Anheuser Busch Beer School.

We learned how the Brew Masters smell and taste beer, we saw the ingredients used in making beer, we learned how to pour beer and how to tell when your beer glass isn’t clean. We learned about taste and smell and what type of glasses work best for ales and lagers, and how much foam should be at the top of the glass. It was a grueling hour of sampling beers.

We both graduated with flying colors!

Educated and happy, we moved on to a tour of the facility.

Our first stop was one of three historic landmark buildings on the Anheuser-Busch property. The building has gorgeous stained glass windows. The Budweiser Clydesdales are stabled in this building. The stable is incredibly clean. Seriously clean. Probably as clean as my kitchen. And it has a much nicer chandelier.

A couple of the Budweiser Dalmatians tucked themselves into the straw behind the horses. It was so adorable! Sorry about the horses butt picture, I just loved the dogs laying at the end of the stalls.

We moved on to other beautiful buildings to see where the beer is made, beech wood aged, and packaged.

Huge chandeliers hung down from the center of the building from glass windows in the roof. At the end of this free tour, we rode a trolley to the hospitality room where we were each given two free beers of our choice.

This tour was so much fun. I’d do it once a week if I lived in St Louis.

St Louis Arch

2010-01-09T21:26:00.001-06:00

The trip to St Louis would not have been complete without a stop at the arch.

The arch didn’t look so big amongst all the buildings from the view at our hotel the night before.

When we drove up to the arch, it began to look very big.

As we walked up to it, it looked even bigger, especially looking up 630 feet in the sky to see the top of it.

For our trip to the top we rode in pods. When we purchased our tickets, we were asked if we had any problems with claustrophobia or heights. I lied and said no. I’m scared of heights, but only if I think I could fall. So in reality, I probably didn't lie; I don’t have a problem with heights, I only have a problems with falling from heights.

The pods are not what you would call roomy. They are designed to hold five people. Fortunately, the early hour and cold weather kept the crowds away and my husband and I got a pod to ourselves.

After several minutes we reached the top and were able to take in the views.

I found the view at the St Louis Arch is just as incredible from the outside as it is from the inside.

Missouri Botanical Garden

2010-01-08T21:06:00.003-06:00

My husband and I are in St Louis, Missouri today. We were anxiously anticipating a minor break from bitter cold Minnesota but it turns out we brought the cold weather south with us.

The cold weather didn’t deter us from visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden. It apparently kept everyone else away though as we saw only two other visitors during our three hours at the gardens.

It was about ten degrees outside. Much of the botanical garden is outside so I wasn’t sure we would be able to see much.

There were also some buildings with plants and flowers. I was really happy to get into the first one and warm up my hands and ears.

I went a little crazy with my camera taking pictures; I took over 225 pictures at the garden. It was so nice to see green blooming plants in the middle of winter.

The next building we went into was called “Temperate House. It was warmer in this building.

The final building we went into was called the Climatron. It was incredible. I wanted to move in and never leave.

The Climatron is a geodesic dome. It has over a half-acre of tropical plants; there are over 1,200 species of plants in the dome.

It’s toasty warm and very moist in the Climatron.

There are tropical birds, ponds and waterfalls.

There is also some very interesting glass sculpture.

Before we left the botanical garden, I wanted to see the Japanese Garden.

By the end of the day, I was frozen but it was worth it to see this beautiful garden. It is gorgeous in the winter and I can only imagine what it looks like in the summer.

Seven States in Black and White

2010-01-07T00:14:00.001-06:00

My husband and I were on a car trip today. It was a long one. Today we traveled through seven states. Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.

The sky was gray and foggy with snow. The whole world looked like it was in black and white.

A fine snow kept falling.

The wind was blowing up the snow and visibility was terrible. At times all we could see was white everywhere. We couldn’t tell where the road ended and began.

Other times, we could see alright and the roads were slippery. But we just kept driving through the black and white world.

It was kind of depressing. And it made my eyes hurt. But we just kept driving.

I’m glad my husband was driving. I took pictures out the window when I could see and counted vehicles in the ditch. I hated it when all we could see was white swirling snow. I thought about crying, but I didn’t. The trip was supposed to take about nine hours but ended up taking almost fifteen hours. We were actually the lucky ones. We saw over fifty vehicles in the ditches, quite a number of those appeared to have rolled. We saw plenty of squad cars but no ambulances , hopefully injuries were few. Along with all the cars and pickups, we saw five semis and one ambulance in ditches.

I said a prayer for safe travels when we left home.

And a prayer of thanks when we arrived .

Wine Labels

2010-01-04T20:46:00.001-06:00

I drink wine but I’m not a wine connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination.

My husband and I stopped to replenish our stock today and I bought this bottle of wine because I loved the label, I’m not sure I even looked at what type of wine was in the bottle and honestly I didn’t care. I had to have this bottle with the adorable label.

Isn’t this label great?

The next three wines were gifts from my father-in-law. I absolutely love these labels and I kept the empty bottles because I liked them so much. The Shady Lady and Foxy Lady wines describe the wines as a lady on the back of the bottle. Wouldn’t that be a fun label to design? These are very nice wines in addition to the cool labels. They are from Windwalker Vineyard and Winery in Fairplay, California. If all is goes right in the world, I’ll be there next week sipping wine.

Foxy Lady: “Va-Va-Voom” Heads turn when she enters the room. She the one with the slender neck and the long legs. Our local bombshell is always the life of the party. Her confident stride hides her secret well. We know that she is much older than she looks. Yes, for well over a century, this foxy red head has satisfied the crowd with unanimous appeal. Her spicy scent and smooth curves are a winning combination. Everyone wants her at their table.

Shady Lady: She came to this country with a long dark past hoping to hind among California’s oldest vines. Her exotic good looks and seductive essence are deceiving. To the knowing pallet, she cannot hide her true Italian roots. But beware! Though her secret is out, few can resist the spell of this mistress of disguise.

I thought this label was really neat. The artwork is a reproduction of a 1895 vintage advertising art nouveau poster for bicycles in Paris, France

Wine labels, for me, they’re part of the fun of drinking wine.

Table Makeover

2010-01-03T18:02:00.001-06:00

I love a bargain.

I like thrift stores, garage sales and Craigslist. During this recession, it seems like finding bargain and saving money has become very “in.” For me, it has always been “in.” It’s how I was raised: hand-me-downs and rummage sales, makeovers and making do, repairing and reusing.

The fact is, I’m thrilled when I find something for next to nothing. It’s a high for me (or that could be from the paint fumes). Either way, it makes me really happy.

In November, I spied this table at the Salvation Army thrift store.

It may have had a lamp mounted into the top at one time because there was a 1/2 inch hole in the middle. The top of the table was in poor condition. But I knew that the size and shape would work well next to a couch in my basement. It was a bargain at four dollars.

With a dowel and some wood glue, I filled the hole in the center of the table. Then I used my electric palm sander to smooth out the top. An electric palm sander is a great tool. Everyone needs one.

A can of primer, a can of paint, a can of varnish and this really handy nozzle to attach to the spray cans made this project simple, smooth and without finger cramps

I did struggle a bit at the hardware store when I looked at paint colors. I ultimately chose green because it matched a print I have framed in my basement .

And it’s a little unexpected.

That’s me, wild, crazy, unpredictable. Just kidding, that’s pretty much the opposite of me. Except maybe the crazy part.

I do love my new little table and I especially love that I was able to find such a bargain.

Resolutions – take 2

2010-01-02T20:17:00.001-06:00

Me: Did you make any resolutions

Husband: I thought you’d do it for me

Me: I want you to make your own resolutions this year. But they need to be the right ones.

Oh boy , how does this man put up with me?

Resolution 2010

2010-01-01T20:06:00.001-06:00

In 1722 Jonathan Edwards wrote a list of resolutions. For 2010, I am borrowing just one of his sixty-eight resolutions.

Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

Oh No, Not Again

2009-12-28T19:56:00.001-06:00

Guess what?

I’ve lost my mailbox again…

I know it’s somewhere just off my driveway.

Speaking of driveways….

There seems to be something lost here too.

Oh winter, please go away. I hate it when you hide my things.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T19:34:00.001-06:00

Oh, the weather outside was frightful.

But Christmas was delightful.

Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14).

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T10:33:00.001-06:00

Ginger Farm Animals

2009-12-19T16:33:00.002-06:00

Photo from Better Homes and Gardens website

Many Christmases ago I started making Gingerbread Farm Animals. I found the instructions for a barn and animals in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Both my grandfathers were farmers and lived within a few miles of me growing up and this reminded me of them.

I’ve never made the barn, silo, and fence but I do make the animals. The gingerbread animals are crisp and not too sweet. My sister-in-law Missy “reminds” me to make them each year. Then she tells me it’s my fault that she addicted because I fed them to her when she was pregnant.

I made some to bring to her house when I go over for dinner tonight.

This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens. It makes a lot of cookies. I rolled out and baked about 1/3 of the dough today.

Ginger Cookie Dough

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and shortening with electric mixer on medium speed until softened. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, molasses, and lemon juice; beat until well combined.

2. Combine flours, ginger, allspice, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to margarine mixture; beat well. Divide dough into 4 equal portions; wrap each in clear plastic wrap. Chill 3 hours or until firm enough to roll.

3. Roll dough, cut out with cookie cutters.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes

Royal Frosting

Quantity: 3 cups

Ingredients:

3 egg whites (I substitute meringue powder)
1 16-ounce package powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Instructions:

1. In a large mixer bowl, combine egg whites, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream of tartar. Beat with electric mixer on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes,

I thin this frosting with quite a bit of water so it is easier to use to decorate the animals. I also prefer to put the frosting in a plastic squeeze bottle. You can buy mustard and ketchup bottles that work perfectly and are less messy than decorating bags and tips. If you choose not to use the squeeze bottles, keep the frosting in the bowl covered with wet paper towels to prevent it from drying out as you work. The frosting can be refrigerated overnight in a tightly covered container; stir before using.

Do not stack the cookies together until the frosting has dried completely. I learned this from experience, many, many years ago; I made these cookies for my Grandpa for Christmas. On my Christmas goodie platter, two cows stuck together in a “compromising position” causing me much embarrassment, my Grandpa, the cattle farmer, thought it was hilarious and got a huge laugh out of it.

Cleaning Mom

2009-12-13T11:51:00.001-06:00

I love it when my mom comes to visit.

But I feel a little bit guilty too. She’s just always so darn helpful.

I used to be more sensitive and feel like it was a criticism of my housekeeping skills when my mom came over and did chores. I try not to feel that way now and accept it for what it is – my mom’s way of mothering me, even when I’m all grown up. If my house were filthy, I might have a reason to feel sensitive, as it is, it usually just needs a little spiffing up. She’ll say something about how hard I work and how it’s difficult to keep up when you have a family and work full time. And then she’ll proceed to dust or sweep or fold. I’m learning not to stress about it so much.

For instance, a few days before Thanksgiving, she spent a couple days at my house. During this time, she cleaned two, or maybe three of my bathrooms and dusted my entire house, along with several other chores.

I helped by photographically documenting the dusting process.

I’m incredibly helpful that way.

It’s a gift.

No need to thank me, Mom. Really.

I told my mom that I was taking pictures of her cleaning so I could write a post in my blog about her.

I suggested it might be nice to have a picture of her vacuuming too. But she didn’t fall for my ploy. She said she doesn’t vacuum.

As my kids have gotten older and moved out, I understand her need to mother this way. We mothers need to keep our jobs.

On another note, do you notice the plants in these photos? The only reason they are alive is because each time my mom comes to visit, she exclaims “Oh Mary, your plants are so dry” and then she waters them. My son does the same thing, except he says something like “Gee Mom, don’t you ever water you plants?” and then he waters them. Sometimes if my mom and son haven’t been over for a while, the plants will start to droop. I take that as a clue and water them myself.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

2009-12-11T12:25:00.003-06:00

Every year at Christmas time, I find a Christmas song I love the most that year. This year, Casting Crowns singing “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” is my song.

This song is based on the poem “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Although, I don’t know much about poetry, I did know the name Longfellow. Since I’ve learned about the tragedies in his life and the situation in which he wrote this poem, I’ve listened to this song with new ears, and it’s become more than just my 2009 favorite Christmas song.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an esteemed educator and American poet, born in 1807. He married his first wife, Mary in 1831. Mary and their unborn baby died in 1835. After a seven year courtship, and a marriage proposal rejection, Fanny Appleton finally agreed to marry Henry in 1843. It was a happy marriage. They had six children, however one daughter died when she was a year old. In 1861,at age 44, his wife Fanny’s life came to a tragic end when her dress caught fire as she was sealing cuttings of a daughter’s hair in wax; she was badly burned and died the next day. Henry burned his hands and face badly trying to extinguish the fire and wore a beard for the rest of his life due to difficulty shaving because of his scars.

Henry Longfellow was an abolitionist and wrote poetry to help draw attention to the anti-slavery cause. Still, he was dismayed by the Civil war which started a few months after the death of his beloved wife. Henry was a pacifist and disapproved of the war. Even so, his oldest child, Charles, ran off to enlist in the Union army at age 18.

In 1863, on Christmas Day, Henry Longfellow received word that his son had been severely injured in the war. His son recovered and one year later on Christmas Day in 1864, Henry wrote the poem “The Christmas Bells”

When the poem was rearranged and set to music by John Calkin in 1872, two stanzas referring to the Civil War were left out of the original poem. This anti-war poem became a Christmas carol proclaiming peace on earth, faith in God, and hope for the future. And that is how I hear the song, as a poem by a man born over 150 years ago wanting the same thing then as we long for today.

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Twenty Years

2009-11-15T09:14:00.001-06:00

Twenty years.

It went by in a blink. Twenty years ago, I woke up very pregnant in the morning and ended the day the mother of a baby girl.

Oh how I wanted a little girl.

Our house would be filled with dresses, earrings, nail polish and sparkles! I was sure she would love all the girly stuff, like I did. And she did. For a while. Until she could talk and tell me she DID. NOT!

And now twenty years later, when I’m completely sure of this girl of mine. She changes her mind. This weekend we bought a dress that sparkles.

It turns out that my little girl had an independent streak. A very strong independent streak, that grew with each birthday.

If she doesn’t want to do something – I’m completely out of luck. Bribing, ordering, whining or stomping my feet can’t convince her to do things my way.

I asked her to poise nicely for a picture with her birthday cake….

It seems like only yesterday that she was two and refusing to sleep without a book under her pillow each night and waking up with wild morning hair that she wouldn’t allow to be combed.

My girl is all grown up. She’s funny, smart, sweet, and sarcastic. She’s strong, athletic and determined. And now she is willing to put on a dress with sparkles. My work is done. Well, except for the getting her to poise nicely for the camera… perhaps next year I’ll have better luck.

I can’t believe it’s been twenty years. Happy Birthday Jelisa!

Veterans Day

2009-11-11T16:55:00.001-06:00

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.

~Cynthia Ozick

Least Favorite Chore

2009-11-03T19:57:00.003-06:00

When I was growing up, my least favorite chore was washing dishes. I HATED doing dishes. Really detested it. I dreaded every evening standing at the sink. We did not have a dishwasher until I was older, so for the majority of my growing up years, dishes were washed by hand. It took hours (or at least seemed like it) every night. A family of nine creates A LOT of dishes.

Washing dishes was a girl chore. Even as a young girl, I realized the unfairness of this arrangement. My sister and I even wrote a song about it. I don’t remember the song, which is probably a blessing, since I do recall it was set to the tune of “Like a Rhinestone Cowboy”

I don’t have any rational way to explain my next confession.

My least favorite chore as an adult is emptying the dishwasher.

Sometimes I hand wash the dishes in the sink rather than empty the dishwasher to load the dirty dishes.

How odd is that?

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T12:43:00.001-06:00

My husband is a creative guy. In late summer, he decided that we should let a zucchini grow as big as possible and then he could carve it as a zucc-o-lantern for Halloween.

It got very big. It took a careful work to hollow it out.

He used a Dremel tool to thin the skin so the candle light would shine through and give an eerie glow. It was a success and he got compliments on his unusual zucc-o-lantern.

Most holidays are centered around family, but not Halloween. Halloween is about proximity. It’s neighborhood and friends who are near. I love seeing the kids from the neighborhood and their costumes. It’s not just the kids either. My neighbor dog came over, she was wearing a blue wig. She’d just been groomed and looked so cute. She didn’t seem so impressed though.

Spiderman and a princess came over to my house to trick or treat in the neighborhood. They were very excited. My husband and I went to a Halloween/Birthday party and a neighbor delivered his annual treat of monster cookies to our house. The weather was cool but nice. I reminisced about the costumes my kids wore when they were little. How the year my daughter was Minnie Mouse, I couldn’t find red fabric with white polka dots so I had to make my own with fabric paint. How this wasn’t our first Halloween with a unconventional vegetable carving, as my husband carved a small green squash one year when pumpkins were scarce.

I like Halloween.

I always wear my tiara and feather boa while handing out candy. Everyone thinks it’s just dress up, but this is one day when I really feel like myself.

Quiet Places

2009-10-18T17:29:00.007-05:00

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. Mark 6:31-32 (NIV)

God wants us to go to quiet places, with him. It is where we are renewed. For me, it's difficult to put away all the projects, chores, cell phones, television and computers to make time for those quiet places and slowing down to center my life. I have a short attention span for it.

Sunday evening is when I plan my week. My husband and I plan our meals; I finish putting away the laundry so I'll have clean clothes for work; we' have started talking about what we'll do next weekend and looking forward to it; the house is organized and clean. The rest of our week will be devoted to work and general life. It will go by very fast. It always does. So, in addition to the busyness of life this week, I'm also planning the quiet places.

Studio Crawl 2009 – Marbakka Studios

2009-10-04T21:27:00.006-05:00

Each year, my husband and I set aside the first weekend in October to attend the Studio Crawl in our area. This year, we went to only a few studios, but spent more time talking with the artists.

A most fabulous artist, and all around wonderful man, happens to be my husband’s Uncle Bob. He is a potter and we were fortunate to be able to watch him fire some pots at Marbakka Studios, which is his art studio in rural North Dakota. Bob made these pots and it’s difficult to see in the photo, but the pots are covered with a glaze. It’s a powdery glaze. Bob tried to explain the glaze to me but the answer involved a lot of chemistry, which I can’t begin to explain. All I know for sure is that these will be gorgeous Raku pots when they are done.

The pots go into the kiln. They get fired at 1800 degrees.

Bob can tell by looking into the kiln if the pots are done firing. He’s been doing this for many years. The darker colored pots in the kiln have cobalt in the glaze that is on them.

Once they are ready to come out of the kiln, the glowing hot pots are taken to the reduction area. This allows them to cool slowly after leaving the 1800 degree kiln. They are placed on newspaper, which immediately catches on fire from the heat. Then, they are covered with a metal garbage can which had been filled with leaves and newspaper. During the time the pots are covered, the glaze is bonding with carbon. Again, there is a chemistry explanation that much smarter people than I understand.

I never realized until today how much science there is in art.

Raku pottery is unpredictable. Until the pieces come out from the reduction, there is no way of knowing exactly how they will look. Each one is unique. When the pots are sufficiently cooled, it is time to see the creation. This is my favorite part!

Bob uses a torch to clean the carbon from the pots. This pot had a crackly glaze. The darker colored pots have more copper in the glaze.

This is a most beautiful pot, fired today. I can’t stop looking at it and marveling over the metallic shades of copper, blue, and green. Thankfully, I don't have to as this pot is now proudly displayed in my kitchen.

Pot made by Robert Kurkowski, glazed during the Studio Crawl, October 4, 2009.