Remembering

Remembering

We lost a dear friend Sunday night. We will be attending his funeral tomorrow. Mike Kramer was one of our firsts friends when we moved here to Barron County. He had the gift of making you laugh and could talk to anybody!!  We walked in several parades with him. Each parade we would notice Mike was missing. He got caught up talking to someone, he was walking along another float. He always played jokes on the boys. He had the best laugh! We will miss him.

Atticus and what does he smell?

Last night we asked Atticus to let our dog, Molly out. He opened the door to let Molly out, then he stepped outside and took a big breath (smell he says). He came over to me and Jeremy and announces"It smells like snow!" This was music to my ears. I love winter and can not wait for snow. I love to cross country ski. My nine year old smells snow! YES!!! We woke this morning to a beautiful sparkling frost. I woke Atticus up for school and told him about the frost. He told me again, "I smell snow."  I answer back, "I hope you do, Honey, I hope you do!"

After a fresh snow everything looks so clean, far fewer people are out and about. Animals seem to be less wary in winter. Probably because they are conserving energy. But they do seem to be less shy. One time out on a ski, I skied right next to a snowshoe hare! My advice is to dress warm and get out in the snow. The book, hot chocolate and fireplace will be waiting when you get back!

I smell snow!

Stille Nacht

The boys and I started to learn German this fall. We took a course at UW-Barron County. It was fun. During our last class for 2011 we learned Stille Nacht. Our instructor had us sing along with You Tube!! He said we were amazing. :-) I wish I could sing like this...listen and enjoy. We think it is beautiful.

Merry Christmas!!

Wisconsin Cranberries Pt 3

Cranberry Cake

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter 

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries

Whipped cream, optional

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5 minutes. Add butter and extract ;beat 2 minutes. Stir in flour just until combined. Stir in the cranberries. Spread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

  Enjoy!

Atticus loves this cake! He asks me to make it every week! It is a great breakfast cake, dessert or after school snack!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving

The wonder of our Lord is that He is so accessible to us in the common things of our lives: the cup of water....breaking of the bread...welcoming children into our arms...fellowship over a meal...giving thanks.

Nancie Carmichael

Ouch!

Ouch!

Sam is now sporting a new look, a mouth full of braces! It is not all smiles (hurts big time and Sam is afraid to eat anything but pudding!) but will be in the end. Do you notice the red and green in his mouth. You are able to pick any color you want as your bands. You are able to change color at each appointment, which is once a month. Sam picked out red and green to get decorated for Christmas!

 

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

Cookie Time

This year my mom and I started a new tradition, Cookie Weekend! The boys and I went to visit Friday through Monday. We had a great time baking!

Jeremy's favorite!

 Helping Grandma with the recipe.

 Time to decorate!

 Oh, Oh, an interruption! My sister comes to visit....she got a deer! So did her father in law! He got the big, big one, with the drop tine.

Clover and her deer!

Yes! It is snowing big time!! We were so excited! Get the Christmas music playing!

Back to work!

Have to sample!

The finished product.

Yum! The freezer is full! We are ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas and anytime company! Come on over, we have lots of cookies to share!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Companionship

Incredible as it may seem. God wants our companionship. He wants to have us close to Him. He wants to be a father to us, to shield us, to protect us, to counsel us, and to guide us in our way through life.

Billy Graham

We let our two bunnies out for exercise and play. Max the Cat decided to have Rex clean his feet?!

Wisconsin Cranberries Pt 2

Yummy! Cranberries from Copper River Cranberry Marsh

I bet you thought cranberries were grown in water. Actually, cranberries grow on low - trailing vines in sandy or peat marshes, but in Wisconsin cranberry marshes are flooded with water to aid in harvesting. Because the tart tiny berry contains a pocket of air, when the marsh is flooded the berries float to the surface to be picked up by harvesting equipment.

Cranberries are one of North America's native fruits (concord grapes and blueberries are two others)

It takes three to five years for a new marsh to produce a crop.

Cranberries contain Vitamin C. Long ago sailors ate cranberries to prevent a disease named scurvy.

Bangers and Mash

Bangers and Mash

We have been listening to All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot on disk and watching the BBC, All Creatures Great and Small on DVD. My husband loved the episode about Tristan cooking dinner, because Mrs. Hall is out. Each meal he makes Bangers and Mash! Siegfried can not stand it night after night. It is so funny. My dear Jeremy, decided he wanted to make Bangers and Mash. He gave it a try last week. It was very good! I loved the onion gravy.

 

Mysteriously

God guides us, despite our uncertainties and our vagueness, even through our failings and mistakes...He leads us step by step, from event to event. Only afterwards, as we look back over the way we have come...do we experience the feeling of having been lead without knowing it, the feeling that God has mysteriously guided us.

Paul Tournier

 

Thank You! Miss You! Love You!

My Grandpa

My best friend growing up

Naming our first born son,Samuel, to honor the special man he is to us

WWII Veteran

   Samuel P Klchosky

Thank you, Grandpa, our many military friends and to all of the United States Military.

God Bless You

"One man with courage makes a majority" Andrew Jackson

The Song of the Bell

Leaving port from Superior, Wisconsin, on a sunny November day, the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald is looking forward to a routine crossing of deep Lake Superior.

Heading for Zug Island, Detroit, Michigan, the giant transport ship is loaded with ore that will be used to build cars. But disaster is building in the wind as a storm begins to track after the great ship. 

The bell rings forever where heroes are found, for the soul of the sailor is held in its sounds.

There wasn't a sound except for the bell - Some say it rang out when the mighty ship fell.

The Edmund Fitzgerald was found later, lying broken and twisted on the bottom of Lake Superior, only 17 miles from the shelter of Whitefish Point.

November 10th, 1975

29 men aboard

A wonderful book to teach children and adults about the Edmund Fitzgerald is...The Edmund Fitzgerald - The Song of the Bell. Check it out at your local library.

In the back yard?

We stopped for a walk around Irvine Park in  Chippewa Falls on Sunday. It was a beautiful afternoon. We experienced an amazing surprise! I know some of you would love to have one of these fellas come walking in the back yard.

All of the above, Mr. Deer will be safe and sound next weekend. Beautiful animals! Good Luck to all the hunters. Stay alert and be careful. Have a safe hunt!

Ukraine continued

We took a day to treat another group of children, from the Sonshine House...an orphanage just outside of Kiev. We met the children at the train station. The train station was heavily guarded with soilders carrying big guns! We met up with the children and all were excited to meet us. We treated them to a day out. We took a boat ride, ate at McDonalds!!! (eating at McDonalds is a big thing for little kids all around the world) and went to an amusment park. 

My roommate during the missions trip...pictured above is with a little girl named Maria. I am below with Elia and Vassa. We went boating. It as a little scary for me, because when we started out Vassa was rowing, he is the older boy in the photo. But he began to panic about the water. He did not like being out on the water, he tried to get out. He was rocking the boat. Note we do not have life jackets on. Seat belts, life jackets and many other things are not used in Ukraine, like they are in the United States. I had to calm him down and switch places with him, with out flipping the boat. With the help of Elia, we did it. Elia became my buddy for the day. He reminded me of my little boys back at home. Of course that made me cry. But I was so happy to give him love and attention. He loved maps. When I got back, I mailed him a package with several maps enclosed. I marked the Wisconsin map for him of where I lived.

Our group and the kids from the Sonshine House.

Sunset

Sunset

The day is done.

The sun has set.

Yet light still tints the sky;

My heart stands still 

In reverence,

For God is passing by.

Ruth Alla Wager

photo taken looking west on our street

We can find it

Something deep in all of us yearns for God's beauty, and we can find it no matter where we are.

Sue Monk Kidd

  Photo taken by my husband, Glacier Park, Montana - August 2011

Wisconsin Cranberries part 1

Cranberry Fun Facts

Wisconsin has led the nation in cranberry production since 1993. In 2009 Wisconsin produced more than 57% of the nation's crop.

Give or take there are approximately 450 cranberries in a pound, 4,500 cranberries in a gallon of juice and 45,000 berries in a barrel (100 pounds).

Cranberries have long been Wisconsin's #1 fruit crop. In fact cranberry growing is a family tradition that dates back to the 1860's. Wisconsin leads the country in cranberry production. Today there are about 275 cranberry marshes in Wisconsin comprising approximately 198,000 acres of land in 18 of Wisconsin's 72 counties. 

Copper River Cranberry Marsh

My sister and husband are part owners of Copper River Cranberry Marsh, located in Merrill, WI. My sister's husband is the manager of the marsh. Farming cranberries is very interesting. Frost watch is very demanding, staying up into the early morning, to be sure you do not have a problem. The Harvest is a beautiful time of year....all the read berries. We are blessed to receive cranberries as gifts.

 A bed of cranberries in the summer.

Starting a new bed of berries.

Many views of the marsh. Another advantage of living on the marsh, is all the wildlife. My sister has seen fawns curled up in the cranberry beds. Deer, ducks, loon, geese, swans, bear and even wolves have been reported on the marsh. It is a fun place to visit and of course a great treat to receive berries.

Part II - Fresh Cranberries...coming up next!

 

 

Craft Time

Sam and Atticus love to work with melties. All you do,  is put the melting bead on the pattern and iron. They love making all kinds of fun things. You can find the sets at WalMart. We found some glow in the dark beads. They are cool.

Finished product.

I do the ironing. The boys are not ready for that part. They like to give the creations as gifts. They have a cat, dog, fish and several circle molds. They also can create their own design. I like the Alien guy.

Hello November

From the world we see, hear, and touch, we behold inspired visions that reveal God's glory. In the sun's light, we catch warm rays of grace and glimpse His eternal design. In the birds' song, we hear His voice and it reawakens our need of Him. At the wind's touch, we feel His Spirit and sense our eternal existence.