About The River

Monday, January 31, 2011

Snow, Snow, Snow

We are receiving a beautiful snow today. When this happens around here, we only have a few people cheering. (I am one of them) In fact, the radio station I listen to in the morning has a new morning host. This woman hates winter. I held my self back today from calling and telling her, "God did create all kinds of climates. In fact some are warm and sunny all year long. I will help you pack!"
Snow is actually an amazing creation. If you would like to learn more about snow, check out this book.
Wilson Bentley was born in February 9, 1865 on a farm in Jericho, Vermont, between Lake Champlain and Mount Mansfield, in the heart of the "snowbelt," where the annual snowfall is about 120 inches. He was fascinated with nature. His mom gave him an old microscope, he used it to look at flowers, raindrops, and grass. Best of all he used it to look at snow.
Starting at age fifteen he drew a hundred snow crystals each winter.  He learned that most crystals had six branches (though a few had three). Bentley stated " I found that snowflakes were masterpieces of design," he said "No one design was ever repeated.  When a snowflake melted...just that much beauty was gone, with out leaving any record behind."
Bentley continued to try to capture the snowflake. He found a way with a camera and microscope. The best snowstorm of his life occurred on Valentine's Day in 1928. He made over a hundred photographs during the two-day storm.
I have had a few snowflakes land on my dark blue jacket and I can really see the beauty. The snowflake melts so fast. It is real wonder how Bentley could do what he did back in a day of beginning technology. I am so glad he did, he captured a most fascinating part of creation. Of course I am going to say goodbye by singing ....Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow.



Sunday, January 30, 2011

A laugh

Just to make you chuckle on this Sunday.
Zoom in on Molly and see how she is sitting on Sam's lap. If you look at her face, she looks like she is smiling. 
Have a good week. 

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Cornstarch Creative Clay

Cornstarch Creative Clay
1 cup of cornstarch
2 cups baking soda
1 1/4 cup cold water
Mix dry ingredients into a sauce pan until blended. Mix in cold water - add food coloring if you do not want white clay. Cook over medium heat about 4 minutes. Stirring constantly until mixture thickens to a mash potato consistency. Cover with a damp cloth to cool. Knead the dough into a ball and create.
I made this fun little guy using this clay. The clay dried wonderful. It was nice and smooth and did not flake. My mom gave me the buttons, beads and the nose. Guess what the nose is? It is a mini Christmas light (the decoration kind) I think you will have a lot of fun with this clay. Sam and Atticus used cookie cutters to make snowflakes. We have not finished what they have planned to create, so be sure to check back and see.
Have a fun Saturday!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Lego Time - Post by Sam and Atticus

It is Thursday. Time to hear from Sam and Atticus. Over the weekend Sam was busy building a new plane.
This is my Bomber. It has machine guns and a bomb. The two pilots are named Mustang and Buzzsaw.
My pilots are the best of the best. They have passed Top Gun!
Dad got into playing with us too. Guess What? We got Dad a Lego set for his Birthday! It is a Log Cabin.
My Dad's Jeep can open up on the top and it has a cool snow plow.



Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Surgery

We all have had a twist in our day. Some twists are easy to deal with, others can give you a load of trouble. Atticus had to go into surgery on a very cold Friday morning. Rice Lake was the coldest city on the Wisconsin map at -35 degrees. We left Cameron at 6:30am for Eau Claire, to Luther Hostpital. Our little guy was going to have surgery, to have a lymph node removed and have a biopsy on it. Scared is one word we can use to describe how we felt. It is the things we can not control that give us the hard time...Letting go and trusting God with your life is what we have to do. Very easy to say, but harder to do. Now tell that to an eight year old, who is scared and confused.
In the haze of the going into surgery, you see the amazing technology that we have in our hospitals to care for us people. Blessing people with the talent and rescourses to come up with these ideas to make our bodies better. Drugs to help us feel good or sleepy so we do not fight what will come next....all of it amazes me. God blessed our family with technolgy. We were blessed with nurses that cared and loved Atticus. We were blessed with a down to earth doctor, who made things simple to understand.
We have been blessed today with GOOD NEWS! The pathology report came back normal...no action required. Praise God! We are thankful and thank all of you who prayed for our family and gave us support.
Atticus is healing well and will see the doctor on Monday for a check up and review of the report.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Happy Birthday

January Birthday Party
We had a fun 60th Birthday party for my Aunt Sharon. My Mom made the cake. Look at all the help required to light the candles. Ha Ha
Almost Ready! A few more to go. 
Here it comes. Happy Birthday Sharon!
One, Two, Three...BLOW!
Happy 60th!
Today is my husband Jeremy's birthday. He is 36 today. The funny thing about the two of us, we never remember how old we are. Age just is not something we care about. We both are awful at guessing how old someone is. Most of my older friends, I have guessed them to be at  least 10 to 15 years younger then what they are. We look at the fun we have together and never worry about age. If you are feeling down about your age, think of it this way. When you are with us, we don't care how old you are. Let's just enjoy life together.
Happy Birthday

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Copper Falls State Park, Mellen Wisconsin

Waterfall in Winter
Copper Falls State Park is amazing to visit any season. Last year we took a hike to see the waterfalls in winter. It was an amazing sight. This is Brownstone Falls in winter.
  This is Copper Falls in winter. Both are located within the Copper Falls State Park. Copper Falls actually fell in and is no longer the rushing falls it once was, when I visited as a young girl.

Looking closer, you can see tracks leading to that swirl of water.
I wonder what animal made the dangerous climb to the icy, swirling water?
Again, I am in awe at God's creation for us to enjoy.
As we bundle up during this cold snap, I wonder what Copper Falls looks like today? Did the ice freeze differently this winter? Did it freeze completely? Only one way to find out. Get out and enjoy Winter.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Thursday - Post By Sam and Atticus

Dreaming of the Barron County Fair
We are having a cold blast tonight. Mom was planning to take us skiing after school today, but the wind chill is -20! We are going to stay in and watch one of our favorite movies together instead.
We also like to look at photo's, we were looking back to the Barron County Fair and we started to dream of what it will be like for next year. We love the fair! We are in 4-H, we enjoy entering our projects. We also like to look at all the animals, other exhibits and go on the rides! Of course we love to eat Fair Food!
Tonight we will go back in time and dream of the Fair.
Looking at the cows, sheep, pigs, goats,chickens, horses, rabbits, and other animals that we may not be remembering right now.
Our Grandma loves pigs. This one is big and pink.

Mom loved this chicken. Look how shiny the feathers are. Hey, look it is Atticus behind the cage.
Look, Dad picked out his favorite tractor.
Atticus is all blue. Grandpa has a blue tractor too.
The big tractor driver, Sam!
Ride Time! Weeeeee, our favorite.
Sizzler...that is the name of this ride. We do love it, we have to take our hats off and sit on them, or loose them.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Conifers

Are winter's grays giving you the blues? It's time to check out some evergreens!
Pines, spruces, cedars, and their relatives make up an important tree family. They're conifers, trees with cones to hold their seeds. Most conifers have special leaves that are narrow and pointed like needles or are flat like scales. And most are evergreens - they stay green all year round.
Needles or scales? Does the tree have thin needles or flattened, scale-like leaves.
Single or bundles? If the tree has needles, do they come out of the stem one by one? Or are they bundled together in groups?
What shape? If you roll the needle between your fingers, does it feel round, flat, or square-shaped?
Kinds of cones? Look for some cones on the tree or on the ground beneath it. Are they big or small? Long and thin, short and round, or some other shape?
Some Tree Hints
A spruce - has prickly square-shaped needles that grow one by one all around the branch.
A fir - has cones that stick up from the top of the branches.
A hemlock - has short, flat needles that stick out on two sides of the branch. Its cones hang down from the branch tips.
A juniper - has a cone that looks more like a berry. But it is still a conifer.
Now you know some clues...go grab a tree guide and find what conifers grow in your area. A fun winter activity. Enjoy the beauty that God gives us in all  seasons.

Information given regarding conifers by Ranger Rick Dec/Jan 2011

Monday, January 17, 2011

Packers v.s Da Bears

What happens in a household when two of the favorite teams head to the NFC championship? 
In this house hold, we can laugh and have fun. We like football for the fun of it. Yes, our family loves football! We had a season of not taking much interest in football,  then some fun players got us back into the game. For two years now we have been back into the NFL, following our favorite teams, watching Prime Time on the Internet and other highlights.
Why do we like football? It is a fun sport for us to watch. It is an American game. We also like to play it. I like to play no tackle, just pass the football and run. The boys on the other hand - the rougher the better!
Preseason
 Colts vs Packers
First time at Lambeau Field for our family.
One Green Bay Packer Fan
Two Colts Fans
Sam is a Colts fan. He loves Peyton Manning. He enjoys watching him play football. Atticus just likes to do what his big brother does.
Then you have me. The Bears fan.
I started liking the Bears back when Jim McMahon was the quarterback, Walter Payton was the running back and we had the Refrigerator, William Perry. The Super Bowl Shuffle and a lot of fun with Coach Ditka!
Soldier Field

Packers and Da Bears will meet at Soldier Field on Sunday. It will be a fun game. I will be cheering for both teams. Why? I love the Bears, but I honestly think the Packers are playing good football right now. If the Clay Maker can keep it up, Rogers and Kuhn can keep up what they have going ...I think they will take it all the way. I will be cheering for the Bears too. I love Devin Hester and Matt Forte! It will make for some fun football, lots of laughter and great memories.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Vikings

The Vikings Home is deflated.
You should see a white mushroomed top.
Why am I posting these photo's ? My husband is a big Packer fan. The Packers are playing this weekend. We all know the soap opera about the Vikings. 
Go Pack Go!
For Jeremy of course. You all know who my favorite team is.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Making a Hay Snowman - Post by Sam and Atticus

We wanted to help Grandpa make a snowman out of bales.
We started with a big one.
Here comes number two. It was another big one.
Look it! 
Here comes the head. Grandpa has to go up...up.
Careful Grandpa, slide the skid steer careful.
We have a hay bale snowman.
He did not last long. It fell down in the night. But it was fun giving it a try.
We think we need to place the bales the other way on top of each other. We will try again.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Rex the Rabbit

Rex is a special bunny. He is of the Rex breed. He has amazing velvet fur. We have had him in our family since September 2009. We were at a Gun Show with our Uncle Paul in Oshkosh WI. A fella had rabbits for sale. He asked if we wanted to hold one, of course Atticus said "yes." Then the fella said to me" look how nice they get along, you should get him." I explained we already had two rabbits and I did not think my husband would want me to bring another home. Atticus was falling in love with Rex, he was all snuggled into Atticus' arms. The fella then said,"I will give him to you for free, please just take him home. I have so many rabbits and I have another litter on the way. Please, I will give him to you." Of course the "Mom, Please, can we" came next. Well, I said okay. We came home from a gun show, with a rabbit!  Sam named him Rex. Rex happens to be a pure bread Rex rabbit. Rex rabbits are known for their unusually soft fur. Rex is a great pet and I am really happy we have him in the family. Plus we have a fun story to go along with him too.
Oh, and Jeremy my husband...he just shook his head and smiled when we came home.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Light my Path

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's Holy Word. I will make it a lamp to my feet and a light on to my path. I will hide its words in my heart, that I might not sin against God.  Amen!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

New Boots

The excitement of buying new ski boots. I had the blue boots - since I was in 11th grade. I am 36 years old now! I skied the Badger State Games with my old boots, lets just say they were falling a part. Skiing with my new boots is amazing, they are warm, comfortable and give me more stability.
So why did I wait so long?  Well, when your shopping for four people, you have to take turns who gets what each year. The boys, out grow ski equipment fast. I just put myself on the back burner. 
With great excitement, I have new boots!  Now, I say...please snow!

Friday, January 7, 2011

Christmas Cookies with Mom

We are making Christmas cookies with Mom. We roll the dough, we cut out the cookies, we eat some dough, we roll the dough again, we eat some more dough and cut out more cookies.

Decorate cookie time. We made the following cookies for an Open House for our Librarian. We decorated with sprinkles, red hots, colored sugar and colored frosting.
More cookies on the way, fresh out of the oven.
Sam made this dark blue frosting. He also took this photo of Mom putting the frosting on the cookie.
That blue frosting is good. Look at my teeth...We loved making cookies with Mom. We plan to make more cut out cookies for Valentine's Day.
Never fear, our cat Max is always near. If we are baking, reading or sleeping. Have a good week. See you next week. Sam and Atticus