Last week my mother-in-law came over. She’s well-known for her Grandma Buns and I thought it was a perfect time to learn the how’s of them since I needed buns for Zachary & Hannah’s wedding. For years I’ve wanted to have her come over and teach me how to make them and for my kids to watch her making them but just never did it. The recipe for her buns was handed down to my mother-in-law from her mother who made it quite often since they were a large family with 9 kids and of course, there weren’t the stores around like we have today – especially when you lived on a farm in Canada! She even used to sell her bread to the…
Grandma’s Famous Buns
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 at
5:37 am
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Looks Good & Tastes Better – Rosemary Bread Loaves
Friday, May 10th, 2013 at
5:31 am
Only 8 days till the wedding! Everything seems to be going quite well. Whew! Serenity made all the bread for the rehearsal dinner the other day. Rosemary bread to go along with the lasagna we’ll be having. I’m having so much fun getting together things for the rehearsal. I’ve used my Silhouette machine quite a bit. Still loving it. I was so proud of Serenity. She had a long day making all the loaves! Justus’s birthday decorations were still up. But I finally took the time to remove them after this picture. Aren’t you proud of me? It was only a week after his birthday. Brushing on the egg glaze Beautiful finished loaves Sliced, buttered and in the freezer. Thank you, Serenity!! A daughter is…
He’s Now 10!
Monday, May 6th, 2013 at
6:57 am
My little guy, Justus, is now 10. Having 6 kids I have learned first-hand that there are no two personalities alike – even in the same family. They all have their own little twist or bent. But that is what makes it fun and keeps it interesting. Of course, along with that comes the challenges. You think that after a few kids you have this raising kids business down pat. Uh, huh. Easy peasy. Sure there are some similarities amongst their own sex. Boys tend to be quite active and not as refined as the girls and the girls have just a wee bit of interest in their appearance whereas boys not quite so much and girls, of course, are just generally more gentle and soft. But…
It Was a Beautiful Day for an Outdoor Bridal Shower
Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 at
6:00 am
Two weeks ago, my future daughter-in-law had her bridal shower. It was beautiful and certainly was a very special day for her. Hosted by my sisters-in-laws and mother-in-law, it turned out lovely. Thank you each one for all your hard work!! Enjoy the pictures. There’s plenty of them. There were fun games… The cake table was gorgeous… The gift assistants were adorable… and the gifts lots of fun to open. My niece gave her this, along with some seeds to help beautify the porch of her new home. She was very excited about this. She loves flowers. It was a amazing moment for me when we took this picture. To think that I am the mom of the groom that’s getting married! Alena, the mother…
2013 EXPO Show & Sale
Monday, April 29th, 2013 at
6:00 am
The EXPO show and sale is over. The kids had a lot of fun and placed well in their classes. Justus Wallace – pig farmer After the confirmation class, where Justus placed 1st in the Yorkshire division, Whitey went back to his pen and stretched himself out with his head in the food bowl. I guess he was wore out. It must be hard work being a prize pig. Audrey zipped around on her bike for 3 days. I was so proud of Serenity. With her being on the shy side, she has had to work on this. This year she went into the ring exhibiting confidence. She won Reserve Best of Class for lamb confirmation. Sale day arrived and it was time to…
EXPO Time! Loading Up the Animals
Thursday, April 25th, 2013 at
3:00 am
The 4-H EXPO Show & Sale is here once again! Serenity & Justus are both showing an animal. This is Justus’s first year. Last year Serenity’s lamb died a month before the show and so she sewed 2 aprons for the show & auction. Thankfully, her lamb did great this year. Yesterday they loaded their animals. Our big fat cat (not fat on mice!) relaxin’. The pig, after much coercion, finally went into the trailer. Audrey was adorable – running around helping where she could. Here she’s getting some water for the pig to cool it off after it’s strenuous walk up the plank into the trailer. Loaded and ready to go. Today Justus shows his pig and tomorrow Serenity shows her lamb. It…
Celebrating 24 Years of Marriage
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 at
6:05 am
Our 24th wedding anniversary was yesterday and every year it’s a busy time because the kids are getting their 4-H animals ready to show and then to sell at the auction. But just like my birthday back in March, Russell decided to take me away. I’m thinking “I’ve got a wedding reception to plan and a myriad of other things to do but whisked away I was. Our first stop was for an hour-long massage. A sister at our church gave me a gift certificate for one a few years ago and it hasn’t worked out till now to use it. A person could get used to things like that. Then we went to Sedona but not to stay in a tent this time. This…
Question for You About an Age Old Wedding Tradition
Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 at
1:41 pm
Okay ladies, single and married, I would like to hear what you have to say. Zachary is getting married May 18 so all things wedding are on my mind and an idea came to me for the “something old” item but maybe I don’t even want to go there? Maybe it’s a tradition we should lay aside? What is your opinion of the old tradition of the bride carrying something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue? This tradition dates back several centuries. Here are some of the meanings behind each one. Something old – signifying that she is leaving her old life behind and is starting a new life while reminding her at the same time that family always continues Something new – This…
Butchering Chickens at the Farm
Monday, April 8th, 2013 at
7:15 am
I felt like a real farm girl Saturday. Let me tell you all about it (well maybe not all, that would be a bit too unpleasant) About 6 months ago I did something I hope I’m smart enough to never do again. I ordered a straight run of chicks. A straight run simply means I purchased a bunch of chicks and I wouldn’t know tell they got older if they would be hens or roosters. I was buying these chicks to resell once they became older to people at our church who want meat that’s not soft like what we buy from the store. They’re from the Phillipines and Africa and they want their chicken to be more chewy. But I didn’t feel good about…
Experimenting with a Winter Harvest of Lettuce and Spinach
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 at
6:00 am
I have wanted to write this post for months because I am quite excited about the thought of growing a garden year-round. Never mind the fact that I am not entirely successful with one season, I want to grow in all 4 seasons. This past winter I decided to experiment with an idea I had read about in Eliot Coleman’s book The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses. Eliot Colman lives in Maine and has produced organic crops commercially for several years. I haven’t read the book from cover to cover but what I did gather was that you can harvest cold-weather vegetables in the middle of winter with an unheated greenhouse. (I really did read more…
A Solution for Your Kitchen Baskets
Thursday, March 28th, 2013 at
7:04 am
Last week, after returning from Michigan, I finally got to one of those projects that’s been hanging over me for a while – tidying up the pantry. As you have probably noticed in your own home things have to constantly be straightened or cleaned. This is the second law of thermodynamics at work. Now I was impressed when I learned about this law recently because it sounded so grandiose, like something only really smart people talked about or understood. However, if you put it into everyday words as the book I’m reading called Better than Good did, it becomes something that makes complete sense and applies to everyone, even you. The second law of thermodynamics simply means that everything will devolve into a state of…
The Ending of Our Trip
Monday, March 25th, 2013 at
7:33 am
The Sunday after the wedding, our gracious hosts showed more hospitality and had a luncheon with all the out-of-towners. It was lovely and although they live in small quarters, it just shows once again that you don’t have to be in a big place to be accommodating. You can do it and people will still love it. Monday most everyone left (except for us) and so we waved my sister and her family, as well as Seth the wanderer (my son), who went home with them for a week and doesn’t come home till tomorrow. Time with family and friends… is always delightful… Happily, our next reunion will be in May for Zachary’s wedding. Our last day in Michigan was Tuesday and Russell decided we…
The Wedding Day
Friday, March 22nd, 2013 at
7:46 am
The wedding day that Austin & Claire had waited for so long such a short time finally dawned and outside all was covered with a fresh layer of snow. Beautiful but cold. Brrr. When we arrived at the church, Claire was there waiting for the moment that she would slip her wedding dress on, even though that was several hours away. But we had work to do. Although they were having a catered meal, my sister wanted to have appetizers while the guests were waiting for the photographers to finish taking pictures. This is one of my sister’s. She’s a pro at getting things done in the kitchen. My niece who read the book Eat that Frog months ago and hasn’t stopped since. Seriously. …
“If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You” is Michigan’s Motto — And That’s What He Did
Thursday, March 21st, 2013 at
1:47 pm
Austin took a look about him and fell in love. There were tears, joy, plenty of laughter and thankfulness to God this past week. My nephew Austin married the light of his life, his other half, the heartbeat of his heart. Austin & Claire are now married and what a happy joyous occasion it was. But back to when we arrived. Not wanting to miss a single possible moment with friends, Because we were on the budget flight using our frequent flyer miles we flew out to Michigan on the red-eye flight landing at the daylight hour of 6:30a.m. Uh, although we dearly love our friends we really would have liked a more sane flight schedule and even though our friends happily picked us up,…
A Paris Themed Wedding with an Italian Dinner and an Irish Bagpiper
Tuesday, March 12th, 2013 at
7:20 am
The love bug has surely struck those around us this year and March seems to be a popular month for each of them to make their vows. First it was Lydia’s, then this past weekend was Ashlynn’s. I’ve known Ashlynn’s parents since before Ashlynn was born and so when I saw the duress my friend was under trying to figure all the details out of the reception, I volunteered to do the main part of the meal for her. She wanted an Italian dinner of lasagna and since that was the meal I had made back in 2011 for Heather’s reception, I felt comfortable doing it. I learned so much this time around and am very grateful for the learning experience. Everything came out very…
Five Days
Thursday, March 7th, 2013 at
7:50 am
Well I had another birthday. I’m now the grand age of 44 years. Russell decided that since life has been quite the whirl lately to take me away to Sedona for the day. So we had a relaxing drive, set up our tent on Oak Creek Canyon and headed out to look for a restaurant. We have found a wonderful Italian pizza restaurant in Sedona but I was wanting something different. Unfortunately, I’ve been disappointed several times with my dining experiences in Sedona. The food usually is mediocre. So we went on a hunt, searching for that place that would give the perfect dining experience. (You know how nothing can be said, but you kind of think you know what your husband is feeling? I think Russ thought I was being a little…
Lessons from a Termite & How to Eat a Frog
Tuesday, February 26th, 2013 at
6:49 am
Did you know that in 1 year, more damage is caused by the lowly termite than hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes and tornadoes combined? This seems inconceivable but it’s a proven fact. How do these small insects do it? By taking one bite at a time. Have you heard of the book Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy? The book is based on the thought that if the very first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, nothing worse can happen the rest of the day. Ugh, yeah, I could probably agree with that. Take a look at your To-do List. What on there is the very worst thing that you really don’t want to do? That’s your frog. And…. you must eat it – one bite…
Valentine’s Day Recap
Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 at
7:19 am
Valentine’s Day ended up being pretty special for us. It was a hectic day since I had to run to town for a few appointments and didn’t get home till about 5 in the afternoon. I had planned to have Chinese – egg rolls, egg drop soup and possibly making a Beef Chow Mein. I had never made Beef Chow Mein but thought I would attempt it but then I started thinking of the schedule and decided I would just pick up a couple of things from the Chinese restaurant instead for our main dish. First we ate our egg rolls and egg drop soup at the kitchen table. (you can buy egg rolls from Costco when they have a coupon – they’re quite reasonably…
Giving Love Notes & a Few Inexpensive Gifts for Valentine’s Day
Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 at
7:48 am
I love having special traditions and celebrating occasions. Well guess what occasion I’m preparing for? Hint… it’s all about love and hearts. Valentine’s Day! So much fun making my family feel special and it also gives me a chance to be a little creative. My sweet and thoughtful family (I just lurve them!) bought me a Silhouette Cameo for Christmas and I’ve been having fun with it! You can go to their blog and see the kinds of things you can do with one. They’re pretty amazing. So for the past week I’ve been giving them little notes and putting them in mini mailboxes I bought at Target a few years ago for $1 each. I think you can still buy them there – but…
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