Joy List Monday

 

 

Joy List Monday

♥ a weekly ritual ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

 ♥ winter thaw ~ we had beautiful temperatures this past week

 ♥ time out on the trails with Ernie ~ after weeks of extreme cold weather it feels great to get back outside

 ♥ sunshine and more sunshine

 ♥ creating a new snack ~ rice cake with peanut butter, sliced banana, sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on top

 

 Episode #6 of 52sih

Our winter weather has been cold, cold, cold, making getting out for a good hike difficult. We enjoyed the start of a winter thaw with an evening hike. 

 

 

Rockman's Woods Ski & Snowshoe Trail

We are blessed to have this lighted trail close to us. It makes for fun evening walks on warm winter nights. 

 

 

A kiss as the sun starts to say goodnight.

 

 

 Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

 ♥

Carla 

Happy Valentine's Day Hodgepodge

 

A beautiful rose I spied during a garden tour we took last summer.

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day 

It is time for the Hodgepodge!

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. What's something recent that had you 'tickled pink'? 

 Our son's are planning to join us in our Lent study. We are doing an online study, so this works out to do with our son's. They do not live close by, and we can all do it at our own time, but we will be able to leave a note on what we thought or learned from that day's study.

 

 2. A bed of roses, everything's coming up roses, every rose has it's thorn, stop and smell the roses, rose-colored glasses, a rose among thorns...which rosy expression might currently be applied to your life in some way? 

Stop and smell the roses ... my husband and I had a VERY busy 2025. In 2025 I wanted to try to do something 'fun'  ~ ' a date'  once a month. But we had some big changes happen in May and we did not make our goal of doing something each month. 

So my big idea for 2026... lets try to do a date once a week. I am calling it 52ish dates.

So far we are off to a good start. 

 

 3. What makes you feel loved and appreciated? 

Taking time to do something together. I would rather spend time with my loved ones than receive physical gifts.

  4. A box of chocolates or a bouquet of fresh flowers-what's your pleasure? Any special plans for Valentine's Day? 

Flowers from my garden.

 

 Flowers, flowers, flowers! 

Valentine's Day plans, we are going to go for a drive to Lake Superior, hitting the beach.

 Ha Ha! 

We will walk the beach along Wisconsin Point in our winter jackets, but I find Lake Superior amazing all year long. We plan to go for dinner. 

 5. Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song lyric relating to love. 

The love in your heart wasn't put there to stay, love isn't love, till it's given away.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

I love to find hearts in nature.

I am sharing some of the hearts I have found over the years.

Let me know if you have a favorite. 

 ♥

 ♥ potato harvested from the garden.

 

  

January Rewind & Episodes 4 - 5

January Rewind 

I am going to share a few highlights from January and Episodes 4 - 5 from our 52ish weeks.

Birthday Pie

My husband celebrated a birthday in January. I made him a pecan pie, without using corn syrup.  This recipe is a little more time consuming than using corn syrup, but it is so good. The secret ingredient is bourbon. 

 

 January has been brisk, but we have been brave and got out and about a few times for walks along the river.

 

I have been receiving cribbage lessons from my husband. So far I have not won a game. Hmmm.. should I start to wonder about my instructor? 

Ha! 

Texas Grapefruit in season at the market. I like to sprinkle powder sugar on my grapefruit.

 

Episode # 4 of 52ish weeks

We hiked along the Red Cedar river. It was snowing lightly during our hike. 

As we walked all of a sudden this mouse came out from under a tree, he came right up to us. We had Ernie with us too, so I was in shock how this fella actually posed for a photo. Our dog Ernie was in shock as well, he did not even bark.  

What are you people doing out in this weather?

 

Episode #5

We had different plans for our day datn' but the weather did not want to cooperate.

 Plan B it was with movie night.

My husband makes the best popcorn. 

 

Episode# 3 North Country Cheese Store

 

Hello Friends, it is time for 52 Weeks ~ Episode #3.

We went for a drive to visit one of our favorite cheese stores, North Country Cheese.

 

We stocked up on cheese. And we picked up some flavored cheese curds too, tomato basil cheese curds.

♥

Is This Love and it is the Hodgepodge

 

My favorite Valentine made with love from my mom.

Hello Friends,

It is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge!

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun 

 

1. The Winter Olympics kick off on Friday, February 6th...on a scale of 1-10 how excited are you? (1= eh and 10=watching every event all day every day). What's your favorite Winter Olympic sporting event?  

3 ~ I will catch some highlights. In years past I have enjoyed watching figuring skating.

 

2. In other sporting news, the Superbowl (American football's championship game) will be played on Sunday, February 8th. So tell us...what's your superpower?

I have been blessed with a green thumb. 

I love to garden. 

I grow flowers and vegetables.  

 

 3. Are you a romantic? 

I care deeply about those that I love. I do reach out and try to be sure those who are close to me know that I care for them. 

I also like old traditions ... handwritten letters, opening the door, sharing your jacket when you are cold ... or in my case usually his baseball hat.

My sweet husband will give me his baseball hat on windy days if I forget mine when we are on an adventure. My hair will be flying all over and will ask for his hat. 

X O

 4. Blue cheese-yay or nay? How about feta? If you said yes to one or both, what's a dish you like that calls for one of these? 

 We do not eat blue cheese.

We do like feta.

I have a muffin recipe that has spinach, sweet potato and feta all mixed in, it is delicious.

  

 5. What's more important-doing what you love or loving what you do? 

I love it when I can be doing what I love to do.

When my boys were growing up we all had chores we do not love to do. So to help with the attitude I turned to Mary Poppins ... to try and make those not so lovable chores into at least liking what we had to do. I still do this with myself. 

♪♫♪♫

In every job that must be done
There is an element of fun
You find the fun and snap!
The job's a game

… And every task you undertake
Becomes a piece of cake
A lark! A spree! It's very clear to see that

… A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-wown
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way

… A robin feathering his nest
Has very little time to rest
While gathering his bits of twine and twig
Though quite intent in his pursuit
He has a merry tune to toot
He knows a song will move the job along - for

… A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-wown
The medicine go down
Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
In a most delightful way

 

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 

While we are on the subject of romantic, what are a few of your favorite romantic movies?

I am going to share two oldies.

 

Sabrina 1954

The Apartment 1960 

Joy List Monday

 

A bird nest we found during one of our winter walks.

Joy List Monday

♥ a weekly ritual ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day

 ♥ receiving a letter from a friend who I had not heard from in awhile... sometimes letters are best 

♥ pecan pie made with love for my husband's birthday

♥ cozy flannel sheets to snuggle in on cold, cold winter nights

♥ phone calls with family who live far away

♥  pink sunsets

Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

♥ 

Carla 

 

Episode #2 Tuscobia Trail

 

Hello Friends, it is time for 52 Weeks ~ Episode #2. My husband and I are trying to do a date each week. I plan to make a photo book of our 52 week adventures. For episode #2 we went for a hike at Tuscobia Trail in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The above photo was my favorite of our adventure. We hiked 2 miles. 

 This 74-mile trail on a former rail corridor is one of the longest rail trails in the state, running from Park Falls to the Wild Rivers State Trail just north of Rice Lake. The trail passes through part of the Flambeau River State Forest and the rugged wilderness of Wisconsin's Blue Hills. The trail connects seven small communities in Barron, Washburn, Sawyer and Price counties, each providing year-round accommodations and services.

The weather was nice winter weather... 20 degrees ABOVE zero. 

We heard an owl on our hike. 

The sound of the water trickling was very peaceful.

We stopped by for our favorite pizza on the way home. 

 ♥

Crazy for Cabbage and it is the Hodgepodge

 

I am proud of my cabbage patch!

 

 

Happy Wednesday Friends,

It is time for the Hodgepodge.

Joyce asks the questions.

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. I live in the south so we're pretty much only talking about the weather right now. Give us a weather report from where you live. Does the kind of weather you're having today affect your mood in some way? 

 We have sunshine, I am very thankful for that. We are currently at 0 degrees, we have a mighty wind chill of NEGATIVE 10! It is 11:30 AM as I write this post on January 27th, sitting at my desk in my cozy office space in Northern Wisconsin. 

I am very thankful for the sunshine. Even if it is cold out, if the sun is shining big and bright it makes a difference for me. 

2.  Avocados, kale, cauliflower and cottage cheese have all had their time to shine. 2026 brings us the year of the cabbage. Is this a vegetable you like? If so, what are some of your favorite dishes that call for cabbage?   

 I love cabbage. 

I enjoy growing cabbage.

I will eat a raw cabbage salad with my homegrown cabbage. It is so sweet and crunchy.

We enjoy making fresh coleslaw.

Last year we made sauerkraut for the first time, it turned out delicious.

Yep, I will be growing cabbage again this garden season. 

 

 

3. Was a Cabbage Patch Doll a part of your childhood? Or maybe your children's childhood? What's a toy trend from your childhood you remember wanting for your own? 

I did receive a baby cabbage patch doll for Christmas from my grandparents. My grandma and mom made clothes for my baby cabbage patch doll.  I still have the doll and clothes.

Strawberry Shortcake and My Pretty Pony are two toy trends I remember. I have a few  Strawberry Shortcake dolls and My Pretty Pony.

 

 4. Something you've spent a lot of time doing lately? 

 

Organizing my seed bin. I went through the seeds I have left over from years past. I went through the seed that I saved from plants in our garden. I made a list of what I needed to order from my favorite seed company. 

 

 5. Somehow it's the last week of January...sum up your month in just three sentences. 

 

Winter walks along the river.

Enjoying new recipes, that warmed our tummy. 

Cozy evenings by the fireplace.  

 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 I pick out two different plants each year to grow. This year I am going to grow a new pepper, Candy Cane. I have not tried growing pumpkins for several years. I picked a pie pumpkin, Small Sugar. 

The photo above has two of my different plants to grow for me from last year, baby's breath and bachelor buttons.  

 

Joy List Monday

 Joy List Monday

 ♥ a weekly ritual ♥

a reminder to stop and pay attention to the little beauties and graces that make life magical and to set aside time for gratitude each day.

 

 

 ♥ a warm home ... we woke to NEGATIVE 31 degrees on Saturday morning

 ♥ people who care ... we had a frozen car battery ... having those around us who are willing to help

 ♥ warm clothing ... thermals, jackets, hats, mittens, scarves

♥ the cozy feeling of the fireplace warming the room 

 ♥ getting cozy with good reads and a hot drink

 ♥ pets to snuggle you on cold winter days

 

 

 Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile.

♥ 

Carla

 

Back to 2016 and Back to 2026 Hodgepodge

 

Hello Friends, it is Wednesday and that means it is time for the Hodgepodge. We are going back to 2016 for this weeks Hodgepodge. A memory for me in 2016, it was my first year as a flower vendor at the Bruce Farmers' Market. I had my first meeting in January of 2016 with the Bruce Farmers' Market team. They were a special group of people, very welcoming and helpful as I started my first year setting up my flower shop at the market.

 

Joyce asks the questions. 

We answer the questions.

Click here to join the fun! 

 

 1. Ice skating, skiing, sledding, snowshoeing, playing in the snow, or a snowy walk...which winter activity do you choose? Have you done any of these activities so far this winter? 

We enjoy going skiing, snowshoeing and snowy walks.  

A snow walk, we have done several of those. We enjoyed this sunset last week as we walked along the river.  

 2. Everyone is posting pictures from ten years ago on their social media sites so let's jump on the bandwagon too. Share one photo and one thought to go with said photo from the year 2016. And maybe everyone isn't doing this, but many are and we're going to be part of the fun. 

As I mentioned above, 2016 was my first year as a vendor at the Bruce Farmers' Market. Here is my car all loaded with flowers and more to set up my flower shop at the market.  

My set up at the Farmer's Market.

 

 

 3. What's a trend you hope disappears in this new year? 

 I am out of the loop. I do not know of any trends. Hee Hee!

I am not active on social media sites, just my blog and reading my favorite blogs.  So I actually did not even know the posting of the 2016 photos was a thing until I signed up to do the Hodgepodge. 

 4. 'They' say there's a day for everything and January 21st proves it. National Granola Bar Day. Do you like granola bars? How about just regular granola? Do you like bars of other kinds? 

 I do like granola bars. I also like regular granola. 

My husband and I like Nature's Bakery Fig Bars.

 5.  A frozen lake, a trickling stream, a raging river, or a deep well...which one describes something about your life right now? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

A trickling stream... my husband and I are going to be starting up a project we set aside in November to celebrate the holidays. We got a start this past weekend. We are going to take it slow and steady. We are moving our office to a different part of our home, it requires a bit of reorganization that is the easy part. The hard part is it also requires some electrical work. 

 6. Insert your own random thought here. 

My husband designed two new racks for us. I love acorns, so he did an oak tree and acorns. We decided this is also a great key rack. And that brings me to ask you, where do you keep your keys? On a hook? On a table? 

I have been guilty of leaving the keys in my jacket pocket. And when our kids would go to use the car and the keys were not on the key rack, my husband would yell "Check mom's jacket pockets."  

  

Christmas Rewind 2025

 

 

A Christmas Rewind Post

  Irvine Park Christmas Village

Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

One balmy December evening my husband and I, oh and the copper dog too, we ventured to Irvine Park Christmas Village.

It is so fun to walk. This evening was warm and so many families were out and about. It was great fun to sing along with the Christmas music playing along the displays and with the other people walking along too. 

 

 

 

There is an area that has rock formations. The water continues to drip and slowly freezes along the rock formations creating a unique display of natures beauty.

 

 

Me and the copper dog.

 

 

I always love how they decorate this area.

 

 

And now for a little Christmas rewind at my parents.

My sister helps my mom put up her Christmas Village each year.

This year we arrived two days before my sister and her husband.

If you look below, I played a little trick on my sister. She had the wolves in the woods. I moved them to the farmyard. And can you believe she noticed RIGHT AWAY!!

"Who was messing with my Christmas Village."

Yes, the family shenanigans began.  

 

 

My mom's new ornament for 2026.

 

 

 Season's Greetings

It is the little things in life that mean the most.

 ♥

Carla