Few items I have been working on......

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My pastime is crocheting and knitting. I love it. I have been working on a few items during the day or in the evening while sipping a cup of tea. I thought I would share a few pictures with you.

Some will be for a craft fair in December that I am registered for.

Duckie Bib.

Toddler dress.

This is a Christmas gift.

I will be selling afghans at the craft fair as well.

Different patterns and textures.

So cuddly warm on a cold winter night.

I still have many more items to make and I keep busy every day in between housework and yard work.

What do you like to do to pass the time?

Working and Wheeling

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We were blessed once again with beautiful weather today. I am very thankful as I know what will be coming soon weather-wise. Bob has been extremely busy in the shop lately with repairs and the cars are lined up in the driveway waiting to be serviced. So when it is busy like this, Luke and I spend the day in the shop with him to give him a hand with anything he might need.

I always have a bag of knitting with me. I get so much knitting done on days like this!





Tigger likes to help too.

Here is a better picture of Tigger's perch. He just hangs around all day, oblivious to the noise surrounding him.

Sammy is the same way.....oblivious.

Here is Bob diagnosing a car out in the driveway....they are lined up ready to be serviced!

You can tell autumn is here when the cars are lined up in the driveway. Everyone panics once the cooler weather hits...they want their cars ready before the snow flies.

So after a hearty dinner of sloppy joes on homemade buns, salad and homemade apple pie for dessert...we decided it was time to go wheeling again.

So I brought the camera along one more time! :)

When we go four-wheeling off the property, we go riding down the 'grate'. The 'grate' is an old railroad track that the city removed and now it is used only for people who ride four-wheelers. The picture is a little blurry as I was sitting on the back...going about 40 miles an hour!

This track runs for over 20 miles with lots of little stops along the way. Many trails go off the main one ...with lots of little surprises along the way.

I thought this flower was just so cute! As you can tell it was getting dark already.

Stopping for a break.

One spot we found was right along the St. Louis River. I loved the sign.....

It was getting dark and someone, on a previous visit, had left more than enough firewood for a small fire.....who could resist?!

The temperature was dropping quickly after the sun set and I was still in shorts and a t-shirt so I made sure I warmed up well by the fire before we headed for home.

One last picture before total darkness.

As we were driving toward home a very large owl almost landed on Bob's shoulder. It scared us to death and I didn't have the camera ready.... dang it! and then we were driving along, two deer also ran across the road right in front of us....a few minutes earlier and we would have been road kill!

Arriving home safely, we munched on hot chocolate and cookies. A perfect end to a perfect day. We love making memories that will last a lifetime.

Baking and Jars

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Today it had cooled down quite a bit. A perfect day for baking! Baking is something I love doing in the fall and winter. After all the hard work, I have yummy things to feed to my family, the oven helps to keep the house warm and the smells from baking are enough to make you feel all good inside.






This is a standby at our home. Thumbprint Cookies!

Here is the recipe if you care to try making some.

Ingredients:

1 and 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup for rolling balls
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
36-42 Hershey's Kisses

Preparation:

Unwrap the Hershey's Kisses from their wrapper and place in a bowl. Set aside.
Place 1/2 cup white sugar in another bowl and set aside.
Turn oven to 375 degrees F.

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients (except the Hershey Kisses and white sugar that are set aside) in a large bowl. Mix until dough forms and all ingredients are thoroughly blended.

Using a teaspoon, scoop up some of the dough and in your hands roll into balls. Roll the balls in the bowl of white sugar and place on un-greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until edges are a nice dark brown. When you remove the cookies from the oven, immediately place a Hershey's kiss in the center, press down so cookie cracks a little on the edges.


These are extremely easy to make and are delicious! They don't last long around here.



While preparing to bake the cookies today, I had to take a picture of my jars. I love jars. I find them very convenient to use, they are pleasing to the eye and remind me of my dear Grandmother when I was growing up. I fill mine with rice, teabags, sugar, flour, popcorn, dog biscuits...anything that is bought in plastic bags can be stored in tight sealing jars.

Alot of my jars have sentimental value and I don't want them sitting in a china cabinet, not being used. I use all my old dishes. I would rather they be loved and used than sitting in a cupboard ignored and forgotten. My two oldest jars hold my flour and my sugar. They are very special to me as I remember Luke helping me bake cookies when he was just two or three years old. He loved sticking his chubby little hands in them to grab the scoop and usually ended up with more flour on the flour or himself than in the mixing bowl.

Use your special dishes, jars and mementos. The memories of them will continue as you use them and they will reward you with even more memories.


Give each of your family members a hug tonight!

Simple Vacations

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Camping. I love camping. To me there is nothing better than sleeping under the stars with the sound of the loons in the background.


We went camping with Barb and Dave who are close friends of ours. We thought we would do some fishing and catch those tasty Walleyes, swim a little and sit around the campfire talking and enjoying each other's company.







When we arrived at the campground which was approximately one hour north of our home, it was raining lightly. As the day progressed, the skies cleared and we had wonderful weather for the rest of the day.


The tents are up!







Here Bob and Pasie are trying to stay dry before the rain finally quit.






Sammy enjoying all the new smells!







The men decided to try their hand at fishing while Barb and I walked along the shoreline and enjoyed the scenery.







After our walk, Barb and I decided we should get a fire going before the men returned. It turned out to be more difficult than we thought as all the wood was wet from the rain!







The guys returned with their catch! Fresh fish! Yummy.







Luke loves camping and sitting by the fire.


We enjoyed ourselves immensely. I believe camping is one of the best vacations a family can take. Out in the forest, you have to make your own fun...entertain yourself. No televisions, no computers, no razzle dazzle of a big city. Just peace and quiet. Just you and the wilderness. Just you and nature all around. It is relaxing and enjoyable. Simple. Fun. My favorite.

Lazy Sunday ..... and memories.

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Yep, a lazy Sunday. The temperatures today was in the low 80's which is very un-usual for Northern Minnesota. These warm temps lull me to sitt in the shade, crochet or knitt while sipping on an iced tea, which is exactly what I did. While I was sitting there, enjoying the clouds roll by, I began thinking of my Mom who lives in Canada and whom I miss very much some days.

My Mom is of the Dutch heritage. She came from the Netherlands when she was five years old with her Mother, Father and six brothers and sisters. They arrived (I believe) in Montreal on a ship which took a week to cross the Atlantic. They arrived in Canada right after WWII.

When Luke was a year old, we had the opportunity to fly to the Netherlands (Holland) and visit my Mother's one brother who had recently married and moved back there. It was alot of fun seeing the home where my Mother grew up, the town where she was pushed in a stroller by my Grandmother and hearing the native tongue which I grew up with.... (my Mother and Auntie always talked Dutch to each other so us children wouldn't understand what they were saying!). It was the first time my Mother was back to her homeland since she had left.





Yes, it really does look like this in the Netherlands!





Schiphol airport.

We had a wonderful trip and of course it included ALOT of shopping!

I had already been collecting the delft blue for quite a few years before we even went on the trip but my collection grew while we were there.

I keep my collection in our china cabinet.

This spice rack was my Grandmother's and I cherish it.

Everytime I see them sitting there, I remember our special trip together. It is a memory that I hold dear to my heart.

Someday I plan on going back.