Happy New Year!!!

Pin It Just wanted to pop in quick and wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Blizzard Bertha hit us on the 23rd and we have been snowed in since Monday. We could not leave the property and no one could make it in. It has been horrible! Talk about a quiet Christmas!

I was suppose to pick up my Mom on the 26th but the dangerous roads held us off until yesterday. So I will be spending the next few days with her.



I hope the new year brings everyone much luck, good health and wealth!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Pin It The countdown to Christmas Eve is on. So many things yet to do and I am finding myself with very little time to spare so I wish to take this time to wish each and everyone of you a

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I sincerely hope that you spent time with your loved ones and enjoy the best of what the season has to offer.

I will return after the holidays to share pictures with you of our special times together.

Woo hooo!!! Santa's Coming! =)

The Real Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Pin It With Christmas approaching and so many soldiers overseas away from their families, I thought it fitting to honor them for what they do to maintain world peace. This story touched my heart and truly believe that this solider (along with all the others) are the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.


John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shoot her in the head......but they failed to kill her.




She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.

He is a real star of the war and a hero of peace.

May all the soldiers keep safe from danger while overseas. May they return home soon to their families safe and sound.

Merry Christmas to all the soldiers around the world who keep us safe.

Finishing Projects

Pin It

All gifts are bought/made, all gifts are wrapped and under the tree. The baking is done and now we are patiently waiting for the big day. I love being done early so there is no stress at this time of the year. I shop and make things all through the year so I don't have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off the last weeks before Christmas. =)





I finally finished these tea towels the other day. They are embroidered on linen and since I do not like when you can see the stitching in the back, I added a checkered cotton to the backside.

They turned out quite well and I will be giving them to my Mom as an extra gift since she just finished remodelling her kitchen. I hope she likes them! I have been trying my hand at candle-icking and almost finished a lovely pillow with lace. Just need to stuff it and sew up the hole.

Things have been slow around here and I am spending alot of time enjoying crafts while Bob and Luke play on the computers. Winter is a slow, mellow time where we finish projects that are done indoors. Once spring and summer hit, we spend all our time outside.

I hope each and every one of you are finishing up those last minute projects that are required to be done before the big day. Enjoy time with your family doing activities that make this season special!

Homemade Crackers

Pin It

I thought I would try another homesteading skill yesterday and try my hand at making homemade crackers.

They were easier than I thought and next time I would like to try adding some dried cheese to make cheese crackers or different herbs to make some butter/herb flavored crackers.

These were gobbled up quickly with some Kraft cheese spread that we had and I will definitely make them again.

Homemade Crackers

4 cups of flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup of shortening
1 1/3 cup of milk
salt to taste

Directions:

Mix flour, baking powder and shortening; add milk and blend well. Form a ball of dough and cut into four pieces.

Roll dough out very thin.

Cut with a cookie cutter or use a pastry wheel with crinkled edges. I decided just to use a pizza cutter and it worked well.

Place on a greased cookie sheet. Prick each piece with a fork 4 to 5 times and sprinkle with salt.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Watch them as they burn easily.





Rolled out.





So tasty!

Things have been extremely busy around here getting ready for Christmas. Baking, sewing and knitting are all top priorities right now.

All the gifts are wrapped and under the tree ready for Santa to arrive.

Enjoy your day everyone and make sure to give your loved ones a hug! :)

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

Pin It

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

Today is my Mom's 65th birthday. She retires on New Year's Day and I am so excited for her.

Now she can putter around in her garden all that she wants, enjoy her time with her two kitties; Blossom and Sir Humphrey and get plenty of rest.

For you Mom.....

Dear Mom,

I said a prayer for you

to thank the Lord above

For blessing me with a lifetime

of your tenderhearted love.

I thanked God for the caring,

you've shown me through the years,

For the closeness we have enjoyed

in time of laughter and of tears.

And so, I thank you from the heart

for all you've done for me

And I bless the Lord for giving me

the best Mother there could be.

We love you with all our hearts and miss you terribly!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Happy Hannukah

Pin It

HAPPY HANNUKAH

To all my followers and friends who are Jewish, I wish you a Happy Hannukah!

Blizzards and Baking

Pin It

Yesterday the weather man was calling for a blizzard. We were expecting up to 18 inches of snow with high winds in the excess of 40mph. Not pretty. We hunkered down and waited for the arrival of the snow.




Nothing is better than relaxing in a warm house while the cold December winds are blowing outside. The snow began to fall and everyone went to their comfy places to relax.

I decided what a better time than to bake (unless of course we lose power) than during a blizzard. It makes the house smell wonderful and the heat from the oven beats out any chills that might try to sneak in.

I prepared my kitchen counter with all the necessary supplies and went to work. First of course I had to put on my snowman apron and tune the radio to the Christmas music channel. I was in heaven.

I started with homemade rolls that accompanied dinner's menu of sloppy joes and butter/herb rice. Yummy!

Then I began with the cookies. I was able to bake a German Chocolate Cake with icing, four dozen thumbprint cookies, four dozen meltaway cookies and four dozen Christmas sugar cookies that I iced with green icing and sprinkles. What a great start to my Christmas baking. I still want to attempt fudge and candy but that will probably have to wait until the next blizzard!



Here is my recipe for Meltaway Cookies. They are very simple and taste like a shortbread with chocolate chips. Something fun to do with the kids or grandkids.

Meltaway Cookies....

2 cups (1 pound) of butter, softened....you can use margarine but butter tastes so much better
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F

Cream softened butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.

Gradually add flour, then stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoons on un-greased cookie sheets.

Bake 12 - 14 minutes, cookies will be pale in color.

Let stand two minutes before removing from cookie sheet and dust with powered sugar if desired.

Enjoy!

Thankfully we didn't receive the 18 inches of snow they were predicting but now the wind has picked up and a wind chill advisory is now in effect. With the wind we are reaching as low as
-30F temperatures. Too cold to venture far outside.

I think I will stay hunkered down in the house and work on an afghan. Winter is officially here. Stay warm folks! :)

Sinterklass

Pin It

My Mother was born in the Netherlands and the tradition is on December 6th of each year, Sinterklass would ride through the streets on a white horse with Black Peter at his side handing out candy to all the good boys and girls. If they were bad that year, then Black Peter would hand them a little bag of black coal.

We have always kept this tradition alive in our household and each evening my son Lucas would place his wooden shoes by the door in hopes that in the morning his shoes would be filled with candy.





When he was younger he would leave the horse a treat of carrots to make sure the horse had enough stamina to continue riding to each of the children. Now that he is older that part of tradition has gone by the wayside but he still looks forward to checking his wooden shoes the next morning.

This morning he awoke and found his shoes filled with his favorite candy..... Mike and Ike's Tropical flavor. As an extra special treat he even received a razor that he loves so much! He must have been extra good this year. =)

I am hoping that when Luke has children of his own, he continues the tradition. The Dutch believe that Christmas Day should be reserved for the holy aspect of Christmas thus the reason for Sinterklass to visit on December 6th.

Don't you just love traditions?

Wonderful friends

Pin It

I have made some wonderful friends over the internet. Friends that I have never met in person but we keep in touch through sites and blogs that we all visit regularly. These ''cyber'' friends have touched my heart many times with their thoughtfulness.




Yesterday I received a large parcel in the mail. It was from one of my ''cyber'' friends that I have never met but have spoken to on the phone many times.

Darlene aka 'dean' send me these lovely items as a Christmas present! I carefully unwrapped each item that she sent, amazed at her thoughtfulness.

The pinecone ornament she made herself and it is just wonderful. So creative (I just have to steal her idea!). There was also another little ornament of a little child angel. Both now adorn my Christmas tree. The Christmas book I have already begun to fill in the blanks but the best part was she signed the inside front cover. Now each year when I pull out this book, I will remember her kindness. The picture of the mittens now hangs on my wall and the little unwrapped present sits on my china hutch....it had a special message attached that read...

This is a very special gift

That you can never see

The reason it's so special is

It's just for you from me

You never can unwrap it

Please leave the ribbon tied

Just hold the box close to your heart

It's filled with love inside

Thanks Darlene, I will treasure them always. :)

Mittens

Pin It

One skill that I have been trying to perfect is making mittens. My skills as a knitter as not proficient enough to try it with needles but I made a pattern the other day by crocheting them.

These are for a friend's grandson. He asked me to make a hat/scarf/mitten set for a grandson and a granddaughter. So I really needed to sit down and figure out how to make mittens.







These mittens are crocheted open as you can see by the above picture, then whipped stitched closed when finished. Very simple and they turned out quite well.

After I had taken this picture, I decided to add a tie to the wrist part of the mitten so they can be tightened when on to keep out the snow.

These still need some tweaking but I am pleased that I was able to make it as least this far! Now only if I can figure out how to knit them....that would be wonderful!

Have a great day everyone and stay cool or warm...where ever you may be on this Earth of ours. :)

Found Treasures

Pin It

We spent some time yesterday on the four-wheelers. We have never seen weather like this before in Northern Minnesota at the end of November. It has been un-seasonably warm.... 40 degrees F during the day....so we might as well take advantage of it.

At the back of our property there are piles of junk from when this land was an old junkyard. So while we were on a break from wheeling I asked Bob to pull over to one of the piles. I found this old washtub that I love and will use for planting flowers in next spring.

I also found this old oil can that has no dents or holes in it. I was quite excited as I love old stuff like this.

I am not sure what I will be using this for but I am sure I will figure something out.

The last few days have been spent wrapping Christmas presents and decorating the house. I have also been busy finishing up the last minute crochet projects that I have on the go. A friend of ours ordered a hat/scarf/mitten set for his two grandchildren so I really need to get these done! One set is finished and now I just have to get my motivation going to finish the other.

I hope you each have a wonderful evening with your loved ones!

Decorating

Pin It

We had a quiet Thanksgiving which was very nice. I spent the day cleaning and setting up the Christmas tree. I was getting anxious. I really enjoy the Christmas season and love having the tree up early but once Christmas is done... I want it gone! LOL



Tigger posing by the tree.

This year I decided to make my own wrapping paper and bows and use re-usable shopping bags that I made myself. I am liking how the wrapping paper is turning out. It reminds me of an old-fashioned Christmas.... brown kraft paper and fabric bows.

I still have alot of wrapping to do but I will take my time, enjoying the process. It was lovely last evening sitting on the couch in the glow of the lights from the tree. Such a special time of the year.

Now if I can just get my butt in gear to start my Christmas baking! =)

Happy Thanksgiving

Pin It

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS

ENJOY YOUR TURKEY AND PUMPKIN PIE!

Men!

Pin It

Why do men like to collect junk? It seems to be something that is born within them. Bob is a junk collector.... a LARGE junk collector.

We have two storage sheds, 2 houses on the property packed to the rafters with stuff, a large barn and a garage! In some of those buildings, you can barely move around and most of the stuff is his. He takes in all sorts of junk from friends that are usually hauling it to the dump and then decide to stop here first to save themselves a trip. They KNOW he will take their junk.





The other day these two motors were dropped off. Now I understand that alot of people love old motors like this for collections and I respect that. I have been to many fishing lodges where I have seen old motors displayed on walls and I think they look terrific. They suit the surroundings that they have been placed in.

Unfortunately, the items Bob seems to end up with will never be lovingly displayed...they will end up at the back of the barn, collecting dust and pigeon poop while I trip over them every time I need to venture into the dungeon to try and find an item I need.




Oh well, we can't live with them and we can't live without them.

I just wish that he would stop collecting junk! =)

Completing Projects and Starting New Ones

Pin It

I have been working on Christmas gifts lately, trying to tie up some loose ends and I finally finished this scrappy afghan for a friend of ours. He is a bachelor and just moved into a new place so I thought a scrappy afghan would be appreciated for those long, cold winter nights that will be here too soon.



It took me longer than expected with changing the colors each row but I am happy with how it turned out.

Now to start on the next one! LOL

It is the last hunting weekend and my house will soon be full of orange colored male hunters so I better get going on making some treats for when them come in from the cold.

Have a great day everyone! =)

Boys will be Boys

Pin It

This is for those Mothers of boys, sisters of boys, and boys that have grown older.

Yep, living in a house full of males ... except for one female cat.... I put up with alot! When I saw this email from my Mom, the pictures just reminded me of how much we put up with as women! LOL

Have a great day everyone and give your loved ones a hug. =)

Just Precious!

Pin It

My Mom sent me an email the other day and I just had to share it with you. It is just too precious!




One pound deer - he is beautiful! ! !This tiny deer was delivered by Caesarean section at a wildlife hospital after a car killed his mother. Little Rupert, who is so small he can fit in an adult's hand, was born after vets failed in their battle to save his mother.

At just six inches tall and weighing just over a pound, he is now in an incubator in the intensive care unit at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire. He has only recently opened his eyes.Les Stocker, founder of Tiggywinkles, said, "Rupert's mother had very severe injuries. We brought him out and got him breathing, and then he went into an incubator on oxygen. He is now being fed by a tube."

Tucked up: Rupert in an incubator

Rupert pulls a striking pose for the camera.

Asleep: Rupert takes 40 winks.

Staff members are optimistic that Rupert, now five days old, will make a full recovery.
"Deer are very, very tricky, but this one has spirit. He's an extremely feisty little guy and quite pushy," Mr. Stocker said.

It is little things like this that make life so precious.

I hope everyone has a great day!

Not much new here!

Pin It

Another busy weekend with the hunters here. My weekend was spent cooking, baking and keeping drinks filled. I am relieved that there is only one more weekend left for hunting as I need to start concentrating on Christmas! I love Christmas!

Today the weather was a warm 48 degrees and sunny so I decided to get my outside Christmas decorations up before the weather turns nasty and cold.

We don't put up much outside...lots inside though! Just a wreath, a little lighted deer and some garland on the step railing. This year I also hung some cute little signs in the birch tree outside the front door....but that's it. It didn't take me long but I am glad that it is done so I don't have to think about it anymore!

I took some time to move furniture around in the livingroom, give it a good cleaning so I can put up our tree after Thanksgiving. A little baking and some visiting with company and that rounded up my weekend and my day today.

Just waiting for Pasie and Luke to come in from hunting. I am hoping to hear a shot but it is almost time to come in so I think they will be skunked again today. Well, there is always tomorrow.

Have a great evening everyone with your loved ones! :)

Treasures

Pin It

Do you remember items from your childhood? I do. Certain things stand out in my mind that bring back wonderful memories. My Grandpa use to smoke a pipe. To this day whenever I smell the aroma from a pipe, I remember him. He use to sit in his chair in the livingroom and always wear a sweater....smoking his pipe. He had an ashtray that he always used to tap the ashes out of his pipe and I loved that ashtray.





I loved it because it had a Momma doggy and her babies following behind with a little gold chain that connected them all together. I remember playing with that chain all the time while Grandpa smoked his pipe.

One summer my Mom and I were hitting all the garage sales in town and what did I find? The exact same ashtray that I remember as a child. I grabbed it right away and bought it for a quarter. The chain was broken but I didn't care, it brought back so many wonderful memories that I just had to have it. I treasure my little ashtray and everytime I look at it, I remember my Grandpa. He passed away when I was only 7 years old.

The other item that I am desperately searching for is a cookie jar. I would love to add it to my most treasured items. This cookie jar also brings back wonderful memories at my Aunt's farm where we, as children, would spend our summers. My Auntie always made sure that cookie jar was full with treats for us kids. We were not allowed to touch it, she would have to give us the treats herself...that is how much she loves that cookie jar.

I would love to be able to find this. I keep trying but no luck so far. I keep my faith that I will someday find this cookie jar so I can always remember those wonderful summers on the farm.

So if you ever spot one, please let me know! =)

Warm Weather Memories

Pin It

Cold weather is here. Every day the temperature drops a little more. I was looking through our photos and decided to share some warm weather memories from this past spring and summer.

Enjoy!

Have a great evening everyone and thanks for stopping by. =)

Happy Rememberance Day/Veteran's Day

Pin It

HAPPY REMEMBERANCE DAY TO ALL MY FELLOW CANADIANS

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD

(1872-1918)

Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.

Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved,

and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep,

though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY TO ALL MY FELLOW AMERICANS

From a Grandmother to a Grandchild

Pin It

A poem for my son Lucas from his grandmother (he calls her Nanny).

My grandson is a man now

The years just passed so fast

I watched him grow but I still see

The little boy he was.

My first-born grandchild and I did not know

How deep my love would grow

I held that baby in my arms

And felt I held the world.

The time I spent with with him was precious

A beautiful little boy

So many memories crowd my mind

Of love and laughter and joy.

He grew up strong and healthy

I'm so proud of him today

He's kind and gentle and loving

And, to me, perfect in every way.

Woo Hoo!!! One Proud Mamma!

Pin It

Busy weekend with hunters and much excitement. Saturday morning started out slow with many shots heard all around us but not from any of our men. Then bang ... but nothing. Our great nephew Chase shot at a doe but it got away. Disappointment!

Around 3:30pm, they headed out once again. At about 4:40 we heard shots, then Chase running in the door yelling Luke got a buck!

We whooped for joy as it is Luke's first hunting experience and with one shot in the neck at 75 yards he bagged an eight point buck.

I was never so proud and excited. We jumped on the four-wheeler, tagged and dragged it to the shop where the engine hoist was ready for gutting.

Neighbors nearby were at the shop immediately to check it out. Many handshakes, pats on the back and then the cutting began.

The rule around here is.... if you shot it, you gut it. Luke had no problem and Loren our brother-in-law guided him along.

After the messy job was done, we headed to the house for a huge turkey dinner to celebrate.

Unfortunately the rest of the weekend turned up nothing else but there is still 2 and 1/2 weeks left to fill all the tags. We aren't too worried. LOL

Luke and I are headed to Canada tomorrow for some appointments so I will be back on Wednesday. Have a great evening!