Poyda Postings

Happy Valentine’s Day from God

2012-02-14T13:40:00.001-06:00

My Child,

I know everything about you … Psalm 139:1

I knew you even before you were conceived … Jeremiah 1:4-5

I knit you together in your mother’s womb … Psalm 139:13

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love … 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you … 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your father … Matthew 7:11

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand … James 1:17

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope … Jeremiah 29:11

For you are my treasured possession … Exodus 19:5

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you … Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart … Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes … Revelation 21:3-4

And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth … Revelation 21:3-4

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled … 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you … 1 John 4:10

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again … Romans 8:31-32

I have always been Father, and will always be Father … Ephesians 3:14-15

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen … Luke 15:7

Love,

Your Abba Almighty God

WHAT'S IN YOUR FRIDGE?

2011-09-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

We just finished up a wonderful fun filled weekend with family and celebrated with a baby shower so I have a ton of things I should be posting about. But I was catching up on some blog reading and was reading one that I go to often and she challenged everyone to take a picture of the inside of your fridge, without changing anything and post it. I went and opened mine up after a long weekend of cooking and it scared me. But I am being brave and showing it all, untouched.

The Good:
- Yes there are veggies in there somewhere!
- There is a whole pumpkin pie left
- And real whipped cream!
-Leftovers for lunches
- Eggs are a staple in this house
- Jim's shelf is full of his vitamins/supplements

The Bad:
- I never can decide which dressing to use on salad
- This was cleaned out on Friday morning, with lots of room to spare.
- I need to go to the grocery store for more butter

The Ugly:
- Some things may be expired
- I found some bacon that has a funny color
- I have to go buy more butter
- I can't find the fudge topping for ice cream and I really want some

So I leave you with that. A challenge to bear the inside of your refrigerator. Be bold, be confident, be brave and OPEN that door!

A Family Wedding

2011-09-08T11:00:00.001-05:00

Oh how we love weddings! Our niece recently was married to a fine young man. And our whole extended family was able to be there.

I didn’t do a good job with picture taking that day so this is about the best I have of the bride and groom.

Joni was the maid of honor. Here she is with the bride.

This picture shows her cute baby belly and her husband Bob.(Grandbaby #6!)

A picture of all four of our daughters. Very seldom do they do a picture out of birth order, this is one of them.

My three fantastic sister-in-laws and my mother-in-law. These girls can really dance the night away and they did, we all did. Danced until we couldn’t dance any more.

And then this happened. A hula hoop contest. This girl can really hula!

And with the assistance of her husband, she won the contest!
Congratulations Samantha & Dylan! We had a great time.

Grandbaby #5

2011-08-19T07:59:00.001-05:00

On July 19, we were blessed with our 5th grandchild, Andrew James Leischer. If you want all the details, check out Tabby’s blog post here.

He weighed in at 9 pounds when he was born.

When Tabby went into labor, she called me and I headed to the other side of the state to stay with Bella. Drew was born the next morning so that afternoon I took Bella to the hospital to see her new baby brother.

Bella had a present for Drew and we stopped to pick up a balloon. She insisted on carrying everything herself so it was a long walk across the parking lot and through the hospital.

Of course a little window shopping along the way.

Almost there!

Finally, what she has been waiting for. Snuggling with Mommy and holding Baby Drew.

Drew at two weeks. How about those dimples?

Are There Girl Clothes In Heaven?

2011-04-01T15:41:00.001-05:00

Hannah just had a birthday. She is six years old. It seems like she just turned four, I don’t know how she could possibly be six already.

Hannah and her very pink birthday cake.

So the other day Hannah was sitting at the counter eating her black bean dip and chips (one of her favorite foods) and asked one of her very serious questions.

“Gramma do you think there will be girls clothes in heaven because you know Jesus is a boy and maybe he only has clothes for boys.”

I told her I was sure there would be clothes for girls in heaven and her reply was:

“I sure hope so because I like to wear dresses and not gross boy clothes.”

The Winter That Didn’t Want To End

2011-03-30T10:44:00.001-05:00

I just read my sister’s blog and she asks where we all were two years ago today. Looking back on my blog two years ago, I posted this picture. Snow is almost gone and spring was definitely here.

Last year during the first week of April I posted this picture. The grass was even turning green already!

This year is a different story. We have had lots of snow and the blizzard last week added another foot. So here it is, the same back yard in 2011. Not even a bare spot yet in the fields.

I think God is testing our patience this year.

I will leave you with a picture of what is to come in just a few short months.

BOYS……..

2011-02-17T11:29:00.001-06:00

We were blessed with girls, all girls in fact. Four of them if you want to count. So I had literally no experience in raising boys. The only exception to that was my nephew Andy who was practically raised with my girls and his sister.

But Andy was raised with five girls and even though he was all boy, he wasn’t the rough playing kind. This crew of girls just didn’t stand for that.

Now we have a grandson…….

We also have three nephews about the same age as Tyler. And when the four of them are together, lets just say there is never a quiet moment.

They do boy stuff. It must involve running, jumping, rough play to be fun.

This was not a quiet moment. The noise was indescribable.

They love beach days at the pond.

When they play outside their mothers know they laundry piles will increase. They were hungry and wanted to come inside but they were stopped at the door.

This is why they weren’t allowed inside. What is it with boys and the knees of their pants?

I am sure this was a bodily noise of some sort.

We work them hard around here. They are forced to shuck corn for hours in the hot sun.

Only the closest of cousins could share the same cob of corn.

They play ball together.

So you see we’ve learned that boys and much different to raise than girls.

They play hard and rough

They are competitive

And they all love their Mamas

We wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Being Two

2011-01-14T13:20:00.000-06:00

We spend our days together in this house. She loves to watch Dora which buys me some time to get a few things done without "help". Most of the time I can get cooking, cleaning and most household chores finished without having too much "interference". It's when it comes to doing the bookwork in the office that the problems begin.

She starts creeping in, trying to hide thinking I won't see her.

Before long she is up on the chair, checking out the printer and anything else she can grab.

It becomes a battle of who can be the fastest to grab something. By this time things are flying everywhere. I'm grabbing stuff out of her hands and she goes on to the next thing.

Before I can stop her she is on top of the desk.

All she wants is my attention and by now I've totally forgotten what I was working on.

And then she crawls into my lap. "Gamma pease hode me".

And then she just takes over my chair and finishes all my work so I can go play.

FIVE FINGER PRAYER

2011-01-12T19:24:00.000-06:00

Have you ever wanted to have some prayer time and you just can't think of what to pray or maybe where to start? Next time try the Five Finger Prayer. This is also a great thing to teach children when they are learning the practice of prayer.

Start by putting your hands together in front of you as when praying. Your thumb will be the closest to you. Since it is the closest the thumb reminds you to pray for those that are closest to you, meaning your family and close friends.

The next finger is your pointer finger. Let it remind you to pray for those that point you in the right direction. Teachers in your school, or your childs teacher. And don't forget your Pastor!

The middle finger is the tallest finger and it reminds us to pray for our leaders. Whether it is the President of our country, Senators, Congresssmen or your local town leaders, they all need our prayers to make the right decisions. We may not always agree with the beliefs or decisions of our leaders but they still need our prayers.

The fourth finger is called your ring finger. This is the weakest of all the fingers. Let this finger remind you to pray for those who are sick and hurting.

And last the pinkie finger which is the smallest finger which reminds us to also pray for ourselves.

I suspect this prayer might have something to do with the Packer playoff game on Saturday.

Meet Me On Monday

2011-01-03T09:49:00.000-06:00

It's been four months since I last posted? No way, it can't be. Somehow I got caught up in the tailwind of everyday life and work. So I thought I would start out 2011 with a way to "meet" me. My sister did this post today and so I'm following her instructions.

Here's the questions:
1. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
2. What food item are you craving right now?
3. When is your birthday?
4. What were you doing an hour ago?
5. Last thing you cooked?

And my answers:

1. Do you have any New Year's resolutions?
Wow, talk about starting with the hardest question. New Years resolutions are something I have never done but I actually was thinking about this the other day. I think this year I need to get back to doing some of the things I have enjoyed in the past but have given up because of time constraints. Genealogy is a hobby I started about ten years ago and have neglected for some time now. I think I will start out by searching for some more family "roots".

2. What food item are you craving right now?
A big piece of Lazy Daisy Cake. This is my Mom's signature recipe, we grew up eating this cake. Of course the edges are the best, right my siblings?

3. When is your birthday?
May 3 I love my birthday being in the spring because that's when all the nurseries are packed full of flowers and plants so its never hard to buy me a birthday present. Hint Hint

Here's Hannah watering my tomato and herb plants. Did I mention I love springtime?

4. What were you doing an hour ago?
Making breakfast for Chloe. I made pancakes but when they were finished she wouldn't eat them, only wanted a fried egg.

When Chloe comes in the door in the morning she announces her arrival. "Gamma Gamma I'm here! Chloe Kapitz is here!"

4. The last thing I cooked?
The pancakes Chloe wouldn't eat, but I ate them. And Otis loves the leftovers.

This is Otis, my birthday present dog. I have stories to tell about him but thats for another post.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know me and be sure to follow the blog hop.

Time to link up and meet!!

This is a blog hop so if you want to put the linky on your post just click the "Get the Code" at the bottom of the linky.

Where’s Grandpa?

2010-08-30T08:57:00.001-05:00

We went camping this last weekend for the first time since getting our camper this spring. Our church does a camp weekend every year and this year we decided since we do have a camper maybe we should go once. We left Friday evening and relaxed with the others around the campfire and then slept in on Saturday morning. I read half a book during this time. About mid morning on Saturday we decided Tyler and Hannah would really enjoy this so Jim traveled back and got them. They arrived at camp about 12:30 on Saturday. That’s the background for the following story.

Now I want you all to take note of the innocence of these two faces. They are innocent until proven guilty.

About an hour after their arrival Grandpa Jim took them for a walk to see the camping grounds we were staying at. He showed them the swimming area, the fishing docks, the fire pit, and all the other things of interest.

As they walked down the road he showed them the “outhouses”. Now these are the real deal outhouses with a very large hole in the ground for the “deposits”. And he explained to them that after using them they needed to lock it from the outside so the door didn’t get blown off from the wind.

Fast forward about a half hour. I am sitting back at the camp area at a table with about six people eating lunch. Tyler and Hannah come running to me, giggling hysterically.

Tyler: We lost Grandpa. We can’t find him anywhere.

Hannah: Yeah we lost him when we went for a walk.

Me: Well where did you see him last?

Tyler: (pointing) Over that way.

Hannah: (giggling) We just don’t know where he went.

Me: Well don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.

And so I went back to my conversation at the table.

Tyler: I think you better go look for him Grandma

Me: Don’t worry he’ll be back soon.

Hannah: (giggling) No you have to go look for him.

Me: (getting suspicious) All right you guys where is he and what is going on?

Hannah couldn’t hold it in any longer and screamed:

“We locked him in the outhouse!’

As the whole table full of people bursts into laughter I tell them to get over there and let him out right now! He had been locked in there for somewhere between five and ten minutes. He said when he went in he told them “Now don’t you lock this door while I’m in here”. Then he heard them giggling and looked out the little side window and saw them running back to camp. He yelled for somebody to let him out but nobody could hear him so he just had to wait until someone came.

It’s a story that will never be forgotten and for the rest of the weekend he was constantly reminded of it.

Celebrating the 4th of July

2010-07-14T20:06:00.001-05:00

We had big plans for our annual 4th of July party. But the rain had different ideas. It was an all day rain.

The plan was to be doing this.

And the kids wanted to do this.

Instead the party moved to the garage

And the living room.

My entryway looked like this all day.

So we had to make it fun! We ate and ate and ate lots of food.

And enjoyed each others company. Yes that is a Vikings shirt on Mark but we let him stay for the party anyway.

We even braved the rain and went to the park for the fireworks. The Kapitz family tried to all fit under one umbrella.

Gary Melissa and Kaila getting a little wet but enjoying the show.

Tabby, Kiana and Joni sharing their one umbrella.

It just goes to show that you can have big plans and even though everything doesn’t turn out like you planned it, as long as you are with family and friends you can make it a memory.

The Pond Gets a Dock

2010-07-12T22:11:00.001-05:00

The July 4th weekend was a busy one for us. All of our girls and their families were home visiting and the house was bursting at the seams with people, dogs, laundry and shoes. The shoes were everywhere. Otis thought he was in shoe heaven. Joni and Bob were enjoying some alone time in the sun when Otis and I went to intrude on their conversation.

The goal for Saturday was to install the dock on the pond. Lumberjack had the dock and poles all ready but he needed to know how deep it was 24 feet from shore, which is how far the dock would go out. He pondered about how to get out there and measure the depth. I suggested getting his boat out and paddling out there. He thought I should just float on the innertube out there and drop a weighted line for him. Hah! I was busy doing all the stuff a person does when they have 1200 people in their house. Well maybe not that many but it sure seemed like it. So I suggested getting Kiana to help him out.

He gave her a ice fishing pole with a weighted line and then gave her the end of a tape measure. Then told her to paddle out until she was at 24 feet and drop the line down. I had stuff to do but this was so entertaining I couldn’t go back to the house.

Kiana was the hero of the day! She was my hero because I did not want to go out on that tube.

How many guys does it take to put a dock in the water? A whole bunch of them. There was lots of manpower around here and they all did their part.

Except this guy. He was a slacker. Maybe it had something to do with him having back surgery the day before.

It’s getting closer!

Yeah its in the water!

And then the jumping began.

Otis aka Odie

2010-06-23T21:14:00.001-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we picked up our new puppy. He actually is my birthday present but we had to wait until he was six weeks before we could bring him home. Every time I have to take him out to go to the bathroom, Jim just smiles and says “Happy Birthday”. His name is Otis but Jim likes to call him Odie.

Here are a few of his brothers and sisters he had to leave behind.

This was one of Otis’ sisters. I so wanted to take her too but was firmly told I could only have one puppy. There are responsibilities with owning a puppy you know. So we left her there.

Joni came along to help and she tried to sneak the sister puppy home but she got caught. If I remember right this story is similar to one with Joni and a puppy being carried to the car when we were heading home from Iowa, back in about 1988. I’ll have to dig up that picture.

I think he’s taking a liking to the Lumberjack. (and the feeling is mutual)

The Buchan boys couldn’t wait to meet Otis. They wore him out in the first half hour and all Otis wanted to do was sleep. Did I mention Otis is a boy?

Otis quickly learned that the couch was pretty comfy.

And his favorite place to sleep.

He loves playing by the pond with the kids.

Otis isn’t too crazy about being on a leash. He likes to be stubborn and just sit down and not move. But he is losing that battle.

We’ve also had some disagreements on what toilet paper is for.

And this poor plant is slowly getting ripped apart.

But sleeping is still his favorite pastime. He has been kicked off the couch and moved to the entryway. And all shoes have been moved safely out of his sight.

Homecoming Videos

2010-05-30T16:42:00.005-05:00

These videos were from Gary's homecoming on Friday. You cannot imagine the joy and excitement of the friends and families of 340 soldiers marching in to Toby Keith's song Courtesy of the Red White and Blue. The cheers were so loud you can barely pick out the song.

Homecoming at Fort Carson

2010-05-29T21:44:00.000-05:00

We have ventured out to Colorado. There's a reason for our trek out West. A homecoming.

We arrived at Fort Carson about two hours before the ceremony.

Visitors without military ID had to enter at Gate 1. The soldiers were friendly but I didn't want to be snapping pictures of them. We pulled up and showed our drivers licenses and then had to have proof of current registration and insurance. Then they have you step out of your car, open all doors and step away while they search it.

There were a lot of vehicles in the parking lot with messages.

The local television stations were all there, interviewing families about the homecoming.

Eileen and Melissa waited patiently for their soldiers.

They finally arrived and marched into the room.

This little girl was waiting for her Daddy.

And once she spotted him, her Mom had to hold onto her to stop her from running to him.

The ceremony was over and now came the most exciting chaos I've ever seen. Can you pick Gary out?

And the hugging and kissing begin...........

And continue............

Then its outside to find the right bags. With 340 soldiers returning, this was an interesting task to watch.

Headed home

Cleaned up and ready for a bucket of crab legs at Joe's Crab Shack.

WELCOME HOME GARY!

Purses, Pedicures and..........work?

2010-05-24T17:47:00.003-05:00

We are on the first stop of our vacation, Red Oak, Iowa. We woke up this morning to hot and sticky weather. I'm not sure what the high temp was today but hot would describe it well.
The guys were off this morning to tear some machinery apart so Patsy and I decided it was a good day to spend on the square doing some intense shopping. After trying on clothes for ourselves it was time to dress up our Miche bags. We each picked out a new "cover". Aren't they just so cute?
After meeting the guys for lunch it was off to the mall for pedicures and manicures. This was a first for me.

We did beat the guys home. They had a great day too. Lots of grease, dirt and sweat.

They came home dirty and hungry. We came home clean, nails done and with some sassy purses. Now that's what I call a good day.

A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER

2010-05-04T08:45:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday, my 53rd birthday to be exact. I woke up with a new ache in my right hip. I guess that could possibly have something to do with the fact that I came home the other day from Cousin Connie's house with eight buckets of perennials and they needed to go in the ground. But I need to tell you how I spent my "special" day. Most people would say Hey its my birthday, I'll take it easy and do what I want to do. Mine didn't quite turn out that way.

My accountant called at 8:30 am and said he would be in town and wanted to stop by at 11 to do my taxes. This is the form he used this year. I told him to check the #3 box.

This is how I view tax forms. I never know which way to turn. But the morning turned out ok. We don't have to mortgage the house and farm to pay the taxes. Not this year anyway.

But then came the part of the day I was dreading most. I had an appointment at the dentist to make impressions of my teeth. Apparently I have developed something called TMJ and its not a good thing. I've heard horror stories about having these impressions made and they are for real. I won't go into details but it involves a lot of gagging and a little anxiety. Those of you who have had these done know what I'm talking about. Again, all went well and I survived.

Then came this:

And all is well. I have been blessed with a great husband, wonderful daughters, fantastic son-in-laws and the best grandkids you could ever ask for.

An Updated Flower Bed

2010-04-27T07:36:00.000-05:00

This garden has bothered me pretty much since I started it about six years ago. What was I thinking? The problem then was we had no rain gutters and all the rain poured off the side of the house and ruined any plants I had in there. So my solution was to make it very narrow and eliminate the issue. Now that we have rain gutters it was time to expand it back to the original size.

Yesterday morning was the day to start this project. This picture was taken about an hour into it. I already had pulled out the edge pavers. After many hours of digging, shoveling and measuring, it all came together.

This is the picture from this morning. After a whole day of work and many many sore muscles I didn't know I had, it was finished before dark last night.

And now for the next step. What do I plant in it? The green you see there is phlox. It did ok but didn't flourish. Do I plant annuals? Perennials? Shrubs? It faces the East so has morning light but not the hot afternoon sun. And it also tends to be dry and well drained. I welcome any suggestions and in the meantime I am on to finish another garden project I started three years ago and never finished.

Trees for the Pond

2010-04-13T20:02:00.000-05:00

We've decided its time to do some much needed landscaping around the pond.

It has been bare ground/dirt/gravel. The geese and ducks like it but its not quite what we have in mind.

Last summer the beach definitely served its purpose with the kids. But the rest of the pond needs some work.

So we called in this guy and he came to dig some holes.

He dug lots of holes.

Then he went into the "forest" as the boys call it.

And came out with a tree.

It looked so easy, he just plopped them into the holes.

There was a little shoveling to do so I gave Lumberjack the shovel and I took the pictures.

Two hours later we had sixteen trees lining the south and west sides.

And of course the boys had to check it all out.

Ahhhhh the beginning of another summer.

HONORING OUR SOLDIERS

2010-02-26T11:02:00.023-06:00

This group of men are from our local VFW. They are called upon to perform Military Funeral Honors at the funerals of veterans. The honor guards all pass by the casket to pay their respects. Then the flag is removed from the casket and folded. The flag is then presented to the family members.
This funeral was on a very cold and windy day in February. The tribute was held outside the church.

On this day they went out to the cemetery. It was a very hot August day and they took refuge under a shade tree.

After the gun salute, taps is played.

The Commander gives orders for the 3-volley salute.

They all stand at attention as Taps is played. This tribute took place at the cemetery on a very cold and snowy day.

These men are dedicated to their duties and show up no matter what the weather. Most of them are in the 70's and some in the 80's.
The Commander, shown here saluting, is my Dad.

Birthday Cake

2010-02-25T12:37:00.006-06:00

Today is a very special birthday so I made a very special birthday cake. It is a new recipe I've been wanting to try but needed an occasion. And today is that occasion. It turned out nice although the flavor remains a secret, only to be known to the ones who get to eat a piece.

And then we did this to it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

This kid………

2010-02-21T18:10:00.004-06:00

She is trouble.

These candy canes were on my Christmas tree until she discovered them.

This is her favorite place to perch in my office.

She stays on the chair for about 30 seconds.

And then she’s back on the table.

When she isn’t on my office table, you can find her on the kitchen counter

cleaning her feet with the napkins.

I told ya, this kid is trouble. But what sweet trouble she is.

JANUARY FUN TIMES

2010-01-17T12:09:00.001-06:00

So many people say they just can’t wait for winter to be over with but when you live in Wisconsin you need to make the best of it. One of our favorite pastimes is snowshoeing.

Sandy and I took the boys for an hour walk last weekend.

Of course we have to stop for rest breaks and get a drink of water.

Tyler was curious about the signs and what they meant.

Matt with his rosy red cheeks.

We even took the dogs along on this hike.

Where I have been……

2009-12-04T09:03:00.001-06:00

I know I haven’t posted in awhile but its been a little busy around here. It’s what happens when you own a Christmas tree farm and make wreaths. It starts around the first of November.

This is where it all the action is.

See all the action? Stuff was flying everywhere on this day.

And the conversations made it worth being there. I think they would have worked for free just to stay and listen. Like the story about …..oh never mind.

Julie learned all the fine details of Kissing Balls.

Bob even made an appearance and he found out that no idle hands are allowed around here. If you want to hang around, you better grab a clipper.

The results of a long hard day of elves in the workshop.

And they all learned to appreciate one of the many uses of first aid tape. Using it before to prevent the injury.

And then this crew shows up and makes everything more interesting.

And this one comes to visit and oh my its hard to keep working.

The next few weeks we will be out here, helping people find that perfect Christmas tree.

And then I will be back posting. See you then.

HANNAH’S STORY

2009-10-27T15:31:00.001-05:00

It is always entertaining to have Hannah in the house. Today we were eating lunch and she was telling me about weddings and what all goes on at them. She said “ Grammy at weddings the girls all want to catch the flowers but why do the boys want the pony tail holder?” I guess garters look like pony tail holders to her.

The other day we were heading into town and Hannah likes to play I Spy With My LIttle Eyes.

Hannah: I spy with my little eyes something brown.

Jim: The grass

Hannah: Nope

Me: Grandpa’s shirt

Hannah: Nope

Me: Give us a clue

Hannah: It starts with “d” (Making the d sound)

Jim: I give up

Hannah: Da tree stump.

I haven’t decided whether it is a Wisconsin accent or a 4 year old still learning how to pronounce her letters. Either way, it was funny. And yes her face is dirty, I think its either caramel or peanut butter.

THE CHICKEN COOP

2009-10-12T19:01:00.005-05:00

This year we had the barns taken down because they were starting to fall apart.

This is Shirley's barn

And here's our barn.

The day came to finally haul all the remains away. This is when the “decision” was made to get rid of the chicken coop as well.

This chicken coop has been home to many a chicken over the years. But it was rotting and the windows were broken. An executive but unpopular decision was made to bulldoze it in.

Good-bye dear chicken coop. We will all miss you.

APPLE PICKIN’

2009-10-02T17:53:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday we picked the apples from the tree out back. Frost was coming this week so it was time to get them off the tree. Good thing we did because we had 24 degrees on Tuesday morning.

Tyler was excited to get up on the ladder and finally pick the apples. He has been getting scolded all summer to leave the apples alone. I even caught him one day with a pile of them, he was batting them into the pond.

What is it with boys and climbing trees?

Hannah was a little too short but she worked until she couldn’t reach any more.

I took her up on the ladder with me so she could pick the higher ones.

Joni went to the top to pick the highest ones.

Tabby and Isabella came out to soak up some sunshine.

We ended up with four boxes of apples which will make lots of applesauce for this winter.

AN UNSURPRISED BIRTHDAY PARTY

2009-09-16T08:34:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago we wanted to have a little party and decided it needed a purpose so we decided to surprise Sandy with a birthday party since she turned 40.

The guests were invited and the menu was planned. Now Todd just had to get Sandy to our house at 4:00. Anyone who knows Sandy knows that she is very detail oriented and there must be reasons for things. The more reasons Todd came up with to drop by, the more she dug her heels in and finally refused to go anywhere. He finally had to spill the beans and tell her what was going on. Either way, it was a great party with the guests being surprised by Sandy being there before them.

I made the cheesecake pops for her birthday cake. Everyone has been after me to make them again since they did not get to try them at the fair contest. One batch made 65 pops so there were plenty to go around.

Here’s the birthday girl with her 40 candles. I didn’t think it would be safe to try and put 40 individual candles into the pops so the numbers were the next best thing.

There were lots of kids there so a game of frisbee football kept them busy until it was time to eat.

The sandbox was great entertainment too.

Frog catching in the pond entertains boys for a long time.

Hannah and Elijah had their own dining table.

Oh which one do I want?

Maybe a chocolate one with pink sprinkles

Nope, the white one with pink won out.

The night ended with a campfire for the adults and hide and seek in the dark for the kids.

ISN'T THERE AN AGE LIMIT FOR STILTS?

2009-09-06T22:02:00.015-05:00

It all started with an innocent conversation back on the deck. Bea is a very good friend of our family and she was telling how she loved walking on stilts when she was younger. She talked about how her brother made stilts out of wood and they would walk on them. Bea said "If I had a pair I could show you how to do it". Well we happened to have a pair of stilts in the storage shed, along with a pogo stick. For all of you who left the party early, you really missed a great show. I will tell you that Bea is 74 years old, she won't mind me telling you that. Recently she was telling me about a plane ride someone took her on and she wished she could parachute out of the plane.

LUNCH ANYONE?

2009-09-03T07:39:00.001-05:00

Last week we had an extra child for a couple of days. The kids were thrilled to have someone new to play with. As you can see from the past several posts, Tyler and Hannah have some wild imaginations and this day was no different. I had been cleaning out the gardens and throwing vegetable plants into the compost pile.

The kids decided to make soup and each got a bucket and filled it with whatever they could get their hands on. The sticks are their fire for cooking the soup.

Ellen had her bucket filled to the top.

Hannah – what can I say except you gotta love this girl

I don’t know whats all in Tyler’s bucket but I think it was all edible. He dug up some carrots, which he was scolded for but that didn’t stop him.

Ellen liked the lettuce and beans. After filling the buckets with food they then filled them up with water and stirred it up.

Tyler and Ellen decided Hannah had to be the neighbor and sit by the other tree until the soup was ready to eat. She actually sat there a long time.

And Chloe just sat in the fire pit, watching and learning.

CHRISTMAS SEASON IS ON MY MIND

2009-08-23T16:27:00.001-05:00

I know you all are thinking this is crazy. Christmas in August? We are getting geared up for this season. The orders for trees, roping and wreaths are already coming in. Soon I will be doing the inventory to see what needs to be ordered for wreath making.

I just finished tweaking the brochure for this year.

Now go and enjoy the rest of your summer and I will get on with my planning.

KIDS AND IMAGINATIONS

2009-08-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

Tyler and Hannah have been a little creative this week. On Monday I needed to get some office stuff done so they were at the table with paper, scissors, tape, markers. When I checked on them they were making kites.

They used paper and tape. Then some ribbon and sticks from the pine trees to hold it all together.

Here is Tyler’s creation.

And Hannah’s version of a kite.

Some last minute adjustments…

and they are flying high!

Then yesterday they found these red food coverings and made themselves some beekeepers outfits.

Off to check on the hives.

THE EQUINOX HAS BEEN VIOLATED

2009-08-04T13:09:00.001-05:00

It has been a quiet laid back week so far. Andy is back to work, Tabby is recovering and Isabella is just a sweetie.

I love how she sticks her feet out of the blanket.

And then this morning this happens:

Why is there a squad car parked behind me and they are talking on their little talkie things? What did I do? Have I been reported missing and they think they have found me? Knock on the door. (of course I am still in my pajamas)

Officer: Ma’am is that your vehicle out front?

Me: Yes it is. I thought I could park there.

Officer: Well you can but your vehicle has been violated with graffiti. It has been sprayed with paint.

Me: What color? (as if that matters) I’m thinking I hope they at least used pink which is my favorite color.

Officer: It is blue. First I have to ask if you gave anyone permission to do that.

Me: No, I did want some stripes on it but not in blue.

At least they tried to be a little artistic but its not what I wanted.

Their main target was the squad car parked two houses down. An officer lives there and he always parks out in front of his house. Mine just happened to be conveniently parked next in line. At least they didn’t write on mine the nasty “B” word that they wrote on his squad. For that I am thankful.

Bob says he’s got some stuff that will clean this off. In the meantime I will just have to drive around with this.

Dessert Contest 2009

2009-08-03T14:24:00.002-05:00

Once again I wracked my brain trying to come up with a recipe with two dairy ingredients for the contest at the county fair. Then Bakerella posted her Cheesecake Pops and I knew it was the one. I was protesting doing a cheesecake recipe because half the entries are always cheesecakes but this was different.

I made the cheesecake on Thursday after getting home from Appleton. It needs to really firm up to form the balls so I had to refrigerate it overnite. So I got up at 5 a.m. and made the balls and stuck the sticks in, then put them in the freezer. By 5:45 I was back in bed for a quick snooze. Up again at 6:30 and started the dipping process.

The carseats came in handy for transporting them.

This one was in honor of Isabella’s birth on Wednesday.

And of course one in red white & blue.

As the judges were tasting, we were feeling sorry for them because to try and sample 27 different desserts cannot be an easy job.

Thanks to the judges and sponsors of this contest. The competition is getting harder every year and any one of the 27 desserts could have won. I’ve gotten to know quite a few of the ladies who enter every year and we enjoy sitting and watching the judging together. The lady third from the left is Sue. We sit together every year for the judging and when I got there she told me that her and her daughter were going to come over and flatten my tires and tie me up so I couldn’t get there in time. All in good fun. I can’t wait for next year.

This was all that was left of the pops for the pictures. ( I know I should have taken Jack’s face off the side of my head but I didn’t have time to play around in Photoshop to do it. I have a baby to hold here.) OH yea I forgot to tell you, I took the grand prize and won myself a new freezer!

Isabella Ann Leischer

2009-07-29T14:36:00.004-05:00

She is here and she is beautiful. It was a long night and they are all a little tired today.

WELCOME BABY BUMBLES!

2009-07-29T06:43:00.001-05:00

Isabella Ann was born at 12:30 a.m. this morning. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long. That's the specs and I am out of here, headed to Appleton.

For the Birds?

2009-07-14T06:41:00.001-05:00

I did the first picking of raspberries last night. There wasn’t a lot of ripe ones, only about a cup full. But I did find out why this one bird always gets upset when I go out to the garden.

In one of the branches that overhangs my path I found this. Now how am I going to pick for the next few weeks with this in my way?

WHAT’S YOUR GUESS?

2009-07-08T22:31:00.000-05:00

The calendar on the refrigerator is full of predictions or I should say guesses. We’re all trying to guess when Bumbles will be born.

The due date is July 25. My guess is this coming Sunday, July 12 but I don’t think its gonna happen.

Dr. Gilby wanted to make her prediction but she had to check out the belly first.

It’s not fair! She knows more than the rest of us! After the examination on the living room floor with everyone looking on, she predicted July 27.

So far there are seven girl guesses and and ten boy guesses.

They headed back to Appleton Sunday afternoon. They won’t be traveling back home again before Bumbles is born so we all had to give her one last belly rub and feel one more kick before they left.

If you want to take a guess, leave it in the comments and I will write it on the calendar. No cash prize to the winner but you do get bragging rights.

36 Weeks

2009-06-27T22:30:00.001-05:00

We had a baby shower for Tabitha and Bumbles today. Four more weeks to go! We started the prediction calendar today so if you want to make a guess, let me know the date, time and gender you think it will be. Due date is July 25.

TOO MUCH RAIN AT ONE TIME

2009-06-23T11:35:00.005-05:00

After getting 4 1/4 inches of rain on Monday morning, we were faced with a small flooding problem. I say small because just a couple miles Northwest of us there was 9 inches of rain and they have bigger flooding issues.

RAISED GARDEN BEDS

2009-06-17T22:21:00.001-05:00

I was totally inspired by an article I read this spring on raised gardens. Then I went over to look at my sister’s and that convinced me I had to have them. When I told Lumberjack that we needed to buy some railroad ties, he looked at me and said “Why would we go buy some when we have 50 cords of wood piled across the road?” So he made a phone call to a neighbor who has a portable sawmill and had him come and cut a bunch of tamarack bolts into 6 x 6 ties.

I think the skidder was a little overkill in machinery but I’m glad he used it. Sure saved a lot of lifting. Them 6 x 6 ‘s are heavy!

The first one was trial and error but it turned out pretty good.

Are you sure you’re reading that tape measurer right?

It wasn’t long and we had two beds done. But honey, I wanted four beds.

So he calls the neighbor to come cut some more.

They work really good for baby cages. I seriously considered leaving one empty.

And now there are four.

Now the fun really begins. We put in a mixture of black dirt, peat moss and some very lovely smelling mink manure. That stuff is nasty!

They were really fun to plant. This one is all tomatoes, peppers and herbs

Hannah loves watering the plants.

This garden has celery, onions, spinach and four different kinds of lettuce.

And the last two are all cucumbers.

All of the onions, potatoes, beans, peas, carrots, kohlrabi and radishes are over in the big garden.

I can’t wait to see how the stuff grows in these beds.

LOOK OUT IOWA, HERE WE COME!

2009-06-11T20:03:00.001-05:00

After the big wedding was over (I promise there is a story with pictures to come of the wedding, its still in the works) we took a road trip to Iowa for Trevor’s graduation party.

We traveled in a caravan style with the Pukans

And the Gilbys

The kids were pretty good travelers. Of course we didn’t have any in our vehicle, except for Taylor once in awhile, so we only heard stories of badness at the rest area.

The guys were in charge of the grillin. That would be Clark Griswold on your left, his cousin Eddie, and then Ernest, and last on your right is Uncle Buck.

Of course you can’t visit Iowa without slopping the hogs.

I think Uncle Buck was causing a few problems here with the kids. Seems he was trying to turn them into Green Bay Packer fans and the Dads were having a problem with that.

Now they have to de-program the kids all over again. Vikings fans are so easy that way.

Clark is such a hoot to have around.

But the big story of the weekend is about the “REDEMPTION CENTER”. Apparently when these Iowans gather up this stuff:

they can take it to the “REDEMPTION CENTER” and get money for it! So you don’t dare throw this stuff away cause its worth cold hard cash.

We left on Monday morning, which was Memorial Day. At the cemetery in this little town, they put up a flag for every veteran buried there. There were over 1300 flags flying.

Oh I forgot to take a picture of Trevor while we were there. It was his graduation we went down to celebrate. So here’s his graduation photo.

Congratulations Trevor!

The Mondeaux

2009-06-07T22:10:00.001-05:00

Anyone who lives in our area knows about The Mondeaux Dam. Its a great place to spend an afternoon. We went there for the noon buffet on Mothers Day but it is really known for its great pizzas.

The boys were crazy as usual

Anytime these four are together, there is not a dull moment.

And then we have the girls……….

Girl talk

Mark is enjoying the scenery

And don’t forget to get the ice cream

Sandy enjoyed her cone!

Grandma Shirley made sure everyone got a cone.

A great way to spend the day.

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

2009-05-21T12:20:00.001-05:00

Life has been so overwhelming around here lately that I don’t even know what to post on first so today you are getting a hodge podge of information with not a lot of details. I am hoping that in the next couple of weeks I will have time to go back and give the stories that go with these picture.

We spent Mothers Day at the Mondeaux Dam. There is never a dull moment with these four monkeys.

There has been a lot of sickness in our household. Luckily only one hospitalization.

One of the flu victims happened to be the groom, on the wedding day.

There was a hall to decorate. It took two and a half days and lots of wonderful helpers, and it was beautiful.

Trips to the airport to pick people up and take them back.

Oh yeah, and they decided to come and start tearing the barn down.

The groom shot a red squirrel.

But most of all, we enjoyed a beautiful wedding.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LOG HAULER

2009-05-11T21:11:00.001-05:00

OK so I don’t have a whole day but I did ride along for a trip to the mill.

We left home at 4 in the afternoon and returned home about 8 in the evening.

You get to the mill and then you wait in line to get unloaded by one of these big guys.

This little train keeps going into the yard and taking wood back to the mill.

After being unloaded, Lumberjack had to sweep the trailer off. He does know how to use a broom!

There is lots of wood at the mill.

Rows and rows and rows, as far as you can see.

Then there’s this sign when you are leaving the yard. “IS YOUR BOOM DOWN?”

I guess if you got a boom you better put it down.

CAN A 10 MONTH OLD HAVE A TEMPER?

2009-04-30T20:20:00.003-05:00

You bet they can! And Chloe proves it in this video. Her personality is really surfacing lately and this is definitely a part of it.

I WANT THESE BOOTS!

2009-04-23T13:41:00.001-05:00

I found these boots on Gardeners Supply’s website and I WANT THEM! They are so cute but the price is a little too high for me. I just can’t justify spending $80 on them.

They also have these cool laid out garden plans for a 3 x 6 raised garden bed. You can choose from one of their plans or design your own. I’m thinking I should try some of these raised beds this year. Now I just need someone to build the beds for me. Or I could just do it myself.

Check out the website below for the Kitchen Garden Plans:

http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Link-Page?id=kgp_pp

TURKEY HUNT 2009

2009-04-23T08:28:00.001-05:00

It is turkey season here and Lumberjack has been getting up at 4:30 the last few mornings

looking for these:

For the past month these turkeys have been showing up every morning outside the back door. The toms have been strutting around trying to impress the ladies. You could shoot them off the deck.

But when the season opens, they disappear.

This morning the payoff came. After sitting out there for an hour in 30 degree temperature and a very cold North wind, he came home with his bird.

Any ideas on how to cook these things? They always turn out like leather for me.

PLEASE LET ME GO SWIMMING

2009-04-18T07:24:00.001-05:00

Tyler came home from school and put on his swim suit. He informed us he was going swimming in the pond. It was 70 degrees outside but the water is a little cool yet. After a ton of non stop begging, Grandpa finally said “Go ahead, jump in”. That’s all he needed to hear.

He lasted about one minute and then he couldn’t take it any more.

We even have patches of snow on the ground yet.

The begging was done, Tyler won, but we sure enjoyed watching him get in that water.

And he hasn’t asked since.

Chloe discovers the cupboards

2009-04-16T13:37:00.001-05:00

Why is it that babies are fascinated by what is in your kitchen cupboards?

They will play in them all day if you let them.

Today she discovered the straws.

This day it was the pantry. Caught in the act.

This is why I have to keep the office door shut. She is fascinated with all the cords.

I made this cake yesterday and it needs to be gone soon. It is a dangerous thing to have sitting on your counter. The recipe for Lazy Daisy Cake is on my food blog. I had to make it because yesterday we were at Soup Lunch at the VFW and Mom always takes this cake. Of course we all had to have a piece. Tracy, I have some extra here for you!

Joni’s Bridal Shower

2009-04-14T08:09:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago we had a bridal shower for Joni.

She was so happy that all of her bridesmaids were able to be there.

The day was made extra special when Melissa showed up at 7 a.m. that morning.

They had driven all night to get here from Colorado. And it was a surprise since Joni

and I did not know she was coming. She brought these two beautiful girls with her.

They are Gary’s daughters and they were a joy to have visit.

The next day we had a party to celebrate Hannah’s birthday. Of course a princess

cake was ordered.

Hannah and Kaila were inseperatable all weekend.

It was great because Taylor and Kiana were the same age too. It was different having

some girls around. We are used to having all the boys around.

Of course the boys were here. And what do four boys do for fun? They find the muddiest, biggest puddle

around and get absolutely filthy dirty and wet.

BABY ATTACKS SICK CHILD

2009-04-10T09:49:00.001-05:00

Hannah has been sick this week. She started out with a cold, then got the flu and ended the week with a nasty ear infection.

Her favorite pasttime has been taking naps.

The problem is that Chloe doesn’t understand why Hannah just lays there.

Wake up and play with me!

I give up. Maybe I’ll just lay here and wait.

HONEY DO LIST

2009-04-03T09:22:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year that the winter woodswork is over and my Lumberjack has about six weeks off from work. He has lots to do in the shop, fixing machinery and working on the log trucks. But every spring I get to give him a “honey do” list. One item on the list was to fix the icemaker in the refrigerator. It has been non-working for almost two years now.

Chloe was the first one to get in on the action.

He had to enlist Hannah’s help to hold the flashlight.

I think the light was shining in his eyes more than on the

parts he was fixing.

I had to block Chloe out. Guess she was a little too helpful.

Yeah! We have ice and cold water again!!!

5 Months

2009-03-31T10:32:00.001-05:00

Tabby was here for the weekend and I did get a couple pictures of Bumbles.

She is feeling good and craving strange things.

Melissa surprised us and showed up at 7:00 on Saturday morning. They drove all

night to get here. It is so seldom they are all here at once so of course I

insisted on a picture. I had to drag them all off the couches for this picture.

Someday Melissa you will not be a size 2.

Who had my camera?

2009-03-30T20:11:00.001-05:00

I was going through the pictures on my camera and deleting ones I didn’t want to keep and I came across 38 pictures that were not taken by me.

There was this picture of Chloe, which actually is not a bad shot.

And then there was the blankie picture. Hmmmm I think this is a clue as to

who had the camera.

Next its a set of eyes. They look a little familiar.

Who taught her to turn the camera on herself? Maybe Aunt Joni?

Finally there were about 30 pictures of Sponge Bob on TV.

But if you look closely,

you will see the reflection on the TV screen.

Busted Hannah!!!!!!!!!!

HANNAH TURNS FOUR

2009-03-24T09:56:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Hannah’s birthday. I can’t believe its already been four years since this little girl grabbed a hold on our hearts.

This is a favorite pass time in the summer. Grazing the raspberry patch.

Hannah loves her big brother. If Tyler can do it, she can too.

And she’s a great big sister to Chloe.

I think her real passion is cooking. She is very much at home in the kitchen.

Hannah can play and keep up with the boys but she definitely can show her feminine side.

Happy Birthday Hannah! We love you!

JOIN US TODAY!

2009-03-21T08:15:00.003-05:00

Today Julie and I are doing a Blogging Seminar at the Home Show. We are going to do our best to explain what a blog is and how to set one up. It should be a good time. If you have absolutely nothing else to do and are totally fed up with the snow, come and join us. We'll be at the Simek Center starting at 12 noon.

PIE CONTEST RESULTS

2009-03-20T21:28:00.001-05:00

Well the contest is over. The results are in .

Did the Banana Split Creamcheese Pie take first place?

Nope.

But it took Second!!!!!!

And the prize was this huge bag of goodies.

After the contest was over you could buy a piece of pie. Lumberjack bought one

of mine and one of the first place pie. He said mine was better. Awwwwwwwww

You can check out the recipe on Food To Eat and Fill Your Soul.

There was a little accident during the making of the pie. oops

A Sign of Spring

2009-03-20T12:38:00.001-05:00

Today is officially the first day of spring. I haven’t found any of my plants poking through yet but the turkeys have shown up the past few days.

And the big Toms are strutting already.

I guess this is early for that to be happening. Somebody better tell the birds that.

Just to let you know, my little Canon camera does not zoom in this far. I took these through the binoculars.

Now we just need the ice to melt off the pond and some leaves on these trees.

SLEEPY BABY

2009-03-19T09:26:00.002-05:00

Chloe is not a baby with a scheduled nap time. In fact she just plain doesn't like naps. (Reminds me of her Mom when she was a baby) On a good day I will get her to take an hour nap all day. Most days will be two 15 - 20 minute naps.

On this day she finished eating her supper and dozed off in her chair.

Of course we were commenting on how cute it was and Tyler and Hannah had to show us how cute they were when they were sleeping.

TWO YEARS AGO TODAY...........

2009-03-16T09:32:00.003-05:00

It was two years ago today when we lost a very special part of our family.
The three months spent caring for Dad taught us a lot. We learned all about compassion, courage, how to be humble, and most of all how to put our trust totally in God.

He was a very humble man but had the respect of all of us.

I love this picture. It wasn't a tree in a huge woods, just one in the front yard. But it was what he did all his life.

This one is probably a favorite to all of us. He drove this truck up until the day he couldn't do it any more.

I laid in bed this morning at 4:30 a.m. thinking about that last few hours of his life. As we stood around his bed that last ten minuts or so, we knew he was so ready to meet Jesus. Now as Pastor Charlie said at the funeral, it is up to us as his family to carry on the torch. He has passed it on to us.

WHICH PIE?

2009-03-15T20:10:00.001-05:00

This coming weekend is the Home Show and I’ve been trying to decide whether I wanted to enter a pie in the contest again on Friday evening. I came up with two different recipes and couldn’t make up my mind which one to make. They both sounded so good. So yesterday afternoon we had a little get together by the Gilbys and I made both pies and had everyone taste them.

This was the first one. It is called Chocolate Chip Banana Cream. It was just OK. No one was crazy about it.

Then I served the ???????????????????? pie. It was a winner, hands down.

So Friday afternoon I will be putting the finishing touches on my pie and we’ll head into town for the contest.

I’ll let you know the results next week. Oh and I’ll tell you the name of the pie then. Didn’t want to give to many secrets away in case some of my competitors are reading this!

SPATULAS, SPOONS AND WHISKS

2009-03-15T15:05:00.001-05:00

Joni and I sat down the other day to go thru the Pampered Chef catalog to select items she would like as gifts for her bridal shower. When we came to the page of whisks, I got mine out to show her which ones I liked the best. This was when I discovered I might have a problem.

I have NINE whisks!                           These two are my favorites. I like the

                                                         small one so much that I have three of them.

I only have seven spatulas though.

OK maybe wooden spoons are the real problem.

My little gadget holder is kind of overloaded so I use an old cookie jar for the extras. I won’t even show you the drawer full of other gadgets.

I thought now I have every kitchen gadget I would ever need. Then I found the new corn cob scraper in the book. I am doomed.

THE BLUE SPRUCE SCHOOL TREE

2009-03-04T07:34:00.005-06:00

We planted this blue spruce tree in 1980, which was the year before we built the house. I have no idea where we bought it from, just that I wanted a blue spruce. For some reason it became the "school tree". Every year on the first day of school, the girls would go line up in front of the tree to have their picture taken.

This isn't a first day of school picture but its the first time we used the tree as a backdrop. You can barely see it behind them. It was taken in 1982 and Kari & Tabitha had matching dresses. They were age 3 and 2.

Move forward to 1988. It was Melissa's first day of school and Joni didn't want her to go. She was losing her play partner and hung onto her until she had to get on the bus.

1991, They are growing up!

I think this one was from 1996 when Kari started her Senior year. I detect a little attitude in this picture.

1998. Kari is off to college and we're down to three.

2002. The last first day of school picture. Joni had to stand alone in this one so she made Bud get in the picture with her.

I went out to take a picture of the tree this morning. It's a big tree! Of course it's been there for 29 years already.

LOADIN' THE TRUCK

2009-02-25T08:14:00.002-06:00

Another Saturday afternoon and Lumberjack comes to the house and says "Ride along and spend some time with me". He's been hauling wood from a job in Price County and piling it up here at home. Riding in the pulp truck is like riding on a hay wagon. His seat is a nice air ride seat but the passenger one is just a stiff seat bolted to the floor. And if you know what the roads in Wisconsin get like when the weather starts to warm up, you can imagine what its like. If I didn't wear my seat belt I am sure my head would be hitting the roof.

Some people are fascinated watching this whole loading process. First you pick the wood off the pile.

I guess I've seen it so many times it has lost its thrill. Then you move it to the truck.

But for those of you who don't get to see this, enjoy. And get some more.

This is a very important step. It's called pounding. He takes the bucket (that thing that picks up the wood) and pounds on the sides of the sticks so they don't stick out too far.

The final step to this process is to trim the load. You take a power saw and cut off anything sticking out too far. The law enforcement doesn't like it when stuff sticks out.

It really wasn't so bad riding along. I'd go again if he'd ask me to.

LET'S GO CRUISING

2009-02-08T12:25:00.014-06:00

I spent most of Saturday in my office, cleaning out files and sorting thru all my geneaology "stuff". I am perfectly content with the job at hand and the peace and quiet in the house. In comes Lumberjack and says "Let's go cruising". Now I know you're all thinking "He's taking her on a cruise!"

Nope, we're not going on one of these.

So he must have bought this 1970 Corvette convertible and they're going to cruise the streets.

Nope still not right

When my Lumberjack says Let's go cruising it means only one thing. Dress warm, grab the gun and throw on the snowshoes. We're going to cruise a timber sale. One thing I learned very early on is to walk far enough behind that you don't get wacked in the face with branches.

He stops and looks at "this" and says, "This is a really nice stand of wood" Tamarack wood to be specific. OK I'll take your word for it cause I have no clue what I'm looking for. I'm just trying to crawl through the woods and not get sticks stuck in my snowshoes and fall.

I do know what this is. Deer droppings. And there's lots of it out there. Did I ever tell you the story of when I filled my pockets with rabbit poop? That's for another time.

He keeps stopping and looking at his compass. Are we lost? We've been walking for hours. OK maybe its only been 15 minutes.

And whats with the gun? Well apparently there have been wolves sighted in the area and he's just being cautious and protective.

So he needs to walk North a ways and tells me to wait here for him and he'll be back soon. Ok I'll wait but what if a wolf comes?

He keeps going..........

And going...............

Lions Tigers and Bears, Oh My

(what movie is that line from)

I'll just go sit on this fallen tree and wait.

And wait............

's He's back! I'm not going to die on this log!

This is what we're looking for. A corner land marker. Don't ask me how he found this in the middle of nowhere, which is where we were.

Checking for bear dens, they like to hibernate under these fallen trees you know.

Lions Tigers and Bears OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!

This was a pretty big upturned tree root.

Are you sure there's not a bear in there?

After an hour and a half, the pickup is finally in sight .

It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

WE WENT TO THE CONVENTION

2009-01-27T18:16:00.004-06:00

This past weekend we went to the Wisconsin Christmas Producers Association convention in Wisconsin Dells. It was held at the Glacier Canyon Lodge. This place is huge and very very pricey but the conventions are always very informative. The meals were so expensive that we didn't eat there. (breakfast for the two of us was $30, lunch and the banquet were much worse) It's a good thing we passed on the meals because I received an e-mail today that the majority of the people who ate there are sick with food poisoning and the WI Dept of Health is contacting everyone.

This was quite the discussion on "How do you hold your shearing knife?"

The guy on the left is the one who comes to shear our trees every summer. He hires a bunch of high school and college age guys and they travel all summer to farms to shear trees.

This was the winning wreath for the decorated wreath contest. I kinda like it, never thought of using white ribbon but it was very pretty. What do you think? I need ideas for next year.

On Saturday we headed to Appleton to spend a day with Andy and Tabby. Andy took us to a Carhart store. They make just about everything you could possibly wear. Andy was trying on some jackets so Tabby made herself comfy on a pile of jackets.

Tabby is 15 weeks along now. I had to get a picture of the "baby bump". She is still feeling the sickness part and Andy is so helpful. He was up at 2 a.m. making her toast because she was sick. Hang in there, July is just around the corner!

WE ARE NOW PETLESS

2009-01-27T08:02:00.005-06:00

This last week we lost our dog, Levi. We had her for three years and even though I wasn't crazy about getting a German Shorthair, Jim insisted she would be a great hunting dog. Well I got used to her and now every day I look out at her kennel and wait for her to stick her head out. She was a good dog and really good around the kids. We miss her.
This summer when we dug the pond, Levi would spend hours at the edge of the pond catching frogs. She would bring them up to the edge of the lawn and leave them there. She was given the name "Frog Dog".

Levi would literally crawl into your lap if you would let her. She always knew she would get a hug from Tracy.

Of course I need to mention Bud. We had to put him down last May. He was 14 years old and very sick. He was the best watch dog. Bud did not like strange men and gave them a pretty hard time if they tried to get out of their cars. He was a Springer Spaniel.

Bud was always Joni's dog but when she went away to college, he attached to me and followed me everywhere. When I would work out in the gardens, Bud would lay by the garden until I was finished and then follow me to the next garden.

Tabby isn't a dog person but Joni forced her to touch Bud one time. She said it wasn't too bad.

In the spring we would have to get him shaved because he looked like a wooley bear with his winter coat.

And of course I have to mention Daisy. Daisy was a cat that showed up at Kari & Jon's house. She wouldn't go away and one day Joni went to pick the kids up and came home with the cat. She lived in the garage for a few weeks and although I am not very fond of cats, she was ok to have around. Until one day when a big hawk came down and decided she was a rabbit or something.

So now what? Do we stay petless? Do we look for a puppy this spring or maybe find a dog at the pound? (We tried that once. I brought home a dog from the pound. He was black and white and no one could ever even get near him. The girls named him Cow.) But what kind of dog would we get? Maybe a lab. Anyone have any suggestions?

ANOTHER HANNAH PERFORMANCE

2009-01-20T07:36:00.002-06:00

Hannah is quite an entertainer. She is always dancing and making up songs. Now don't let her clothing attire fool you. This was not last summer but last week when the high for the day was -10. Gotta love the boots, they totally make the outfit. Also take note of the bow at the end.

COMFORT FOODS

2009-01-14T06:00:00.001-06:00

We've all heard of comfort foods. They are foods we probably grew up eating. For some reason the winter months seem to bring on more cravings for these foods. I grew up on a dairy farm with five brothers and two sisters so our meals were always basic, made with the staples Mom had on hand. There was always food on the table but you'd better get there when it was ready to eat!

This bread pudding was served often. It didn't require a lot of ingredients and everything was pretty much available all the time.

Another favorite is the oven fried chicken. It's a great Sunday dinner, served with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn from the garden (frozen if its winter), coleslaw and some fresh baked buns. My mother in law served this meal often when she has everyone over.

What's your "comfort food"? I've posted both the recipes on Food to Eat and Fill Your Soul.

WINTER FUN

2009-01-12T07:25:00.006-06:00

Call us crazy but we LOVE winter. There are so many things to do. The "G" family were here from Iowa over Christmas and we went to the skating rink on Saturday night. If you're ever looking for something to do, this is a blast and the kids love it.

I think this was the first time on skates for Trevor and Keegan. And no Jim did not have skates on but Patsy did!

Three of the boys. I dare anyone to try and keep up with these guys for a day.

The Iowa boys were pretty good at this skating thing.

Keegan whizzed right by his Mom

Tyler had to pose with the girls

Hannah has improved so much since last year. Of course she is only three years old

Taylor was so patient with her.

I took Tyler and Hannah out on showshoes one afternoon after a heavy snowstorm. Actually it hadn't quit yet and it was beautiful out there!

We decided to take the tree out of the house and drag it off the back lawn.

Tyler kicking up some snow

We did a little shoeing over by Mark & Becky's house. This tree was attacked by an awfully mean woodpecker.

Alex led the way with Jacob and Shirley following

Jim didn't think much of our "modern" snowshoes. He insisted on using his original bearpaws.

HANNAH'S BACK IN THE KITCHEN AGAIN

2009-01-09T10:29:00.005-06:00

Once again Hannah has joined me in the kitchen. This time Crusty French Bread was on the menu. Check it out on Food to Eat and Fill Your Soul. I had to post this because she really does sing while we are cooking and this proves it.

THINGS TO DO

2009-01-09T10:02:00.003-06:00

For some reason the start of a new year always brings on projects. Finishing up one thing seems to remind me of another. This picture is the table in my office. I counted and there are nine different ongoing things on this table, along with a couple items that need to be returned and even one last Christmas gift to be given.

Originally I put this table in the office to give me extra space to work on things but it becomes a catch-all. Where would this all be if it weren't for the table? Probably piled on the floor.

MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES OR JUST TEETHING

2009-01-07T11:46:00.003-06:00

Chloe is almost 7 months old and is definitely working on getting some teeth. She can be happy and smiling one minute and then the "change" comes.

She is all smiley as long as you stay close by.

This is what happens when you leave the room. The sound really can hurt your ears.

The cork as Grandpa calls it works too.

CHRISTMAS 2008

2008-12-31T09:34:00.004-06:00

This year we tried to keep Christmas a little more low key. Not a lot of presents were under the tree, except for the kids of course. They always seem to make a pretty good haul. Melissa was missing this year, first time we haven't had one of them home for Christmas. But there were many phone calls back and forth with her so I think everyone did get to talk to her at some time.

Tabby Joni and Bob didn't have much to open up so they had to make due with playing with the barbies and glow worm.

Here we all are at the end of Christmas Day. Everyone was pretty much done with parties by this time. I guess Joni didn't want to look at the camera.

We had Christmas dinner at Todd & Sandy's house. It was fantastic. Turkey and ham and anything else you could think of! This is a pic of all the Poyda grandkids and great-grandkids.

Shawn got to know Chloe a little better. She was fascinated by his facial hair.

Taylor and Hannah spent time together. They've become really close since Taylor has moved here. I think they look forward to having each other to play with and not having to play with all those boys.

This was Hannah's Christmas dress. She wanted to be bat girl and Mom didn't think it was worth arguing about. She was the prettiest bat girl ever.

Chloe's first Christmas. She loved the presents.

They sat so well during the Christmas Eve service at church.

We hope you all had a great Christmas and were able to celebrate the birth of Jesus with your families. After all, that is what Christmas is all about.

The 2008 Christmas Tree

2008-12-24T08:27:00.003-06:00

We did manage to get the tree up a couple weekends ago. I had my eye on this one for quite awhile now. We went with a fraser this year instead of the balsam. It definitely does not have the fragrance of a balsam but they are a beautiful tree. And this year the tree is being guarded by George the whitetail deer and Richard the antelope. Ernie the muledeer is over to the right, you can't see him in this picture.

Can you see that very bright blue light? For some reason it is almost blinding. Whenever I walk into the room that light is just brilliant.

I only made one kind of cookie this year. Usually I have a selection of about 8-10 different ones but figured with Lumberjack's restricted diet it would be kinda mean to have all those goodies around. So this is the one I chose since it happens to be a favorite of everyone. The recipe is on my Food To Eat and Fill Your Soul blog.

REMOTES

2008-12-09T07:37:00.004-06:00

Have you ever really counted the number of remotes in your house? These are the ones that normally lay on our couch. Jim sits on the right and I usually sit on the left and the remotes get the middle. We have the TV remote, Dish Network remote, Angel Network remote, DVD remote, the stereo remote and now a remote to control the portable heater. This is crazy! If someone else came in and wanted to watch something on our tv they probably wouldn't be able to figure it out. I counted and there are two remotes in our bedroom, one in the spare bedroom and one in the office, also three downstairs for the tv's and stereo. You would think that with 13 remotes in the house that just one would work on controlling the kids but I've tried and it doesn't work.

Here's the view from my kitchen sink. The snow is here to stay! Time to dig out the snowshoes.

A LITTLE CATCH UP POST

2008-12-07T17:53:00.003-06:00

The past couple weeks have flown by and there's just no time left at the end of the day to post anything. By the time the day is over I just need to sleep! Oh do you think that has anything to do with the fact we have a Christmas tree farm and its December?

Phil and Trevor were here from Iowa the day after Thanksgiving to pack up the stuff they needed to take back. Here's just one gathering of kissing balls.

Jim handed the balls to Trevor, who then handed them to Phil to pack into the back of the pickup. I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of them loading the trailer.

Hannah's favorite spot when she is out in the shop is sitting on the table where the boughs are piled.

Here's a picture of myself making the big 6 footer.

Chloe is growing up so fast! She's already 6 months old.

And believe it or not, this morning we had 18 below zero! I knew you wouldn't believe me so I had to take a picture to prove it. Ok it says - 17.2 but it really was at -18 when I was looking for the camera.

WORKDAY IN THE WREATH SHOP

2008-11-24T18:47:00.005-06:00

We've been super busy these past few weeks making wreaths, roping and kissing balls. Julee and Sue have been here during the week helping me build up some inventory. Joni has been home too, lending her expertise in making roping. She has spent many hours at this machine and is very good at it. Melissa even helped out one day while she was home but I didn't get a picture of her to prove it.

Tabitha spent the weekend here while Andy headed out for a few days of deer hunting. She was put in charge of decorating 40 kissing balls.

My sisters and niece came over in the afternoon to help out. Can you guess who is behind this ball?

Yep, who else but Patti.

Grandma Julie was in charge of eating cookies and entertaining Felicity.

Tracy and Patti hard at work decorating the balls.

30 YEARS LATER..........

2008-11-23T19:10:00.001-06:00

Thirty years ago today it was Thanksgiving Day and I was in the hospital holding our first born daughter. I can't believe how fast these years have gone by.

I scoured the cupboard for candles and could only come up with 28 so we're a couple short here but it was still a pretty good fire!

She had lots of help blowing out the candles. The smoke was pretty thick!

Tonight I took Hannah and Tyler down to the pond to skate. The ice is about 6 inches thick and very smooth. Hannah was down on her butt most of the time.

She was so proud when she finally learned how to stand up and skate.

Tyler took off across the pond.

They did pretty good for the first time skating this year.

Grandpa and Chloe stayed inside where it was warm

Hannah got to help out making the salad dressing. From the look on her face things weren't moving along fast enough for her.

Checking the ingredients list

Sampling the garlic bread.

Tabitha and Chloe. Chloe sort of resembles Tabby when she was a baby. Chunky and not much hair on her head!

Chloe started eating cereal this week so Hannah and I decided a little cranberry fluff salad should be ok for her. She loved it!

ANOTHER BLESSING

2008-11-16T20:20:00.012-06:00

We have been blessed many times over these past couple weeks, since Jims heart attack. It came at a time of the year when we are gearing up for the Christmas season and when you own a Christmas tree farm, that means there is lots to do. Tom drove up to Clam Lake for us to get my trailer of boughs for wreath making and Dave made a trip down to Westfield to pick up the baler. Butch, Dave and Mike helped Jim put his processor back together. And many others including our girls and their husbands have stepped in to help us out when we've needed it. Every one of you have blessed us and we thank you.

This past weekend we needed to cut and bale 300 trees to fill orders we've received. On Saturday morning about 15 people showed up to get the job done for us.

Tom and Andy started out by cutting trees down.

Mark ran the other saw and Jim helped for awhile until he tired out.

Joni and Jacob helped pull trees from the field.

Tyler helps Becky pull a tree to the clearing.

These three were real troopers. They hung in there both days and although it looks like they're goofing off, they really worked hard. Don't you love the jackets Tabby and Joni are wearing?

Of course we had Tyler and Alex out there with us. They helped as much as kindergarten boys can help which consisted mainly of falling down and laying on the trees.

And we can't forget about Taylor. What would we do without the chatterbox?

Teamwork was the best way to get the job done.

Of course an occasional 4-wheeler ride made the day more enjoyable.

Time to get the baler running. These guys were a great help. We needed their mechanical skills along with their manpower because the baler broke down several times.

Todd ran the baler all weekend.

Matt and Nick were fascinated with how the baler worked. After that they were off to pretend they were bears hiding in the trees.

Ahhhhhhhhhh lunch time. All you have to do is ask our moms to take charge of the food and nobody goes hungry! Chicken dumpling soup, BBQ's and lots of goodies.

The boys filling up.

Andy Tabby and Jacob are ready for another round of work after lunch.

Joni and Sandy ate their lunch surrounded by kissing balls.

Tabby helped Todd on the baler. She tied all the knots for him.

These five boys loved playing on the big dirt piles in the yard. They were so dirty when the day was over but they had fun.

Taking a break at yet another baler breakdown.

Tyler and Alex loved the John Deere tractor.

Jon came after he was done with work. It was nice to get some fresh help. We were all getting pretty tired. Here Jon and Tom help pull a really big tree thru the baler.

Tyler's Daddy is so strong. He can lift trees all by himself.

Wagon rides are great too!

Alex says "Dont worry I'll hang onto Hannah on the wagon".

Getting the baler going again.

The little boys loved helping hold the trees up to feed them into the baler.

Trees lined up to bale.

We're almost done!

Mark drove the tractor and loaded trees onto the wagon.

The job is done and it is so good to see them all piled up.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MELISSA PAYS A VISIT

2008-11-10T08:36:00.002-06:00

Melissa flew home from Colorado Springs for a week visit. She flew into Appleton and we met Andy and Tabby in Stevens Point on Monday night and "swapped the goods".

She made herself a creamy chocolate shake and ate it in front of her Dad. Of course those are off limits to him now but it didn't stop him from trying to get a taste.

Nope Dad, you can't have any!

She says her chiropracter adjusts her hips by pulling on her legs. Dr. Bob does the adjustment for her.

It was great having her here for a week but it went by way too fast.

E.R., Ambulance, Angiogram........

2008-11-03T07:41:00.002-06:00

Anytime you hear these words you know its not good. Thursday morning Jim came to the house around 9:15 with chest pain and what he said felt like a really bad toothache on the left side of his jaw. We went to the emergency room and by9:30 they were putting in two iv's and a nitro drip. After doing an ekg it was decided he was going by ambulance to Wausau. By this time he had so many different tubes and drugs in him there was no arguing about it.

We arrived in Wausau at 12:15 and then waited for the angiogram procedure until 3:30. They watched him close and kept him comfortable until the "team" came to get him. The one lady came in about 3:00 and said she'd be back for him shortly. He of course asked her if she knew what she was doing and she replied "Yeah I did read the manual last night." Of course Jim's reply was "And I bet you stayed at a Holiday Inn too". When she returned for him with her two colleagues, she laid a big blue binder on his bed and said "I brought the manual along in case we forget anything." And away he went.

Now begins the waiting time. A usual 45 minute to hour procedure, this one lasted just short of two hours.

The results: Left artery is 50-60% blockage. They left this one for a further date. Right artery had a 75% block, which they put in a drug-eluting stent.( I learned way too much medical terminology these past few days.) Then came the 99% blockage in the same artery. After placing the stent they had to hook up a pump to get the blood to flow thru. Well it pushed the blood thru all right but the plaque it loosened up went to his heart and caused a heart attack.

Meanwhile back in the waiting room I am watching the patient progress screen and the word "intervention" will never be the same for me again.

The pump stayed on until noon on Friday because they did not want the heart to work at all. They released him on Saturday so he is home and recuperating. His orders are keep the stress level low and walk for 5 minutes 4 times a day. Not his usual work load but it has to be enforced, which is where the girls and I come in. Its not going to be easy but we gotta do it. Taking a normally very active person and confining him to the couch isn't an easy thing to do.

Melissa is flying home today and she'll be here for a week so we are really looking forward to having her here. Tabby and Andy came for the weekend too and Joni will be staying here for a few days or so.

This all comes at a very busy time for us with the trees and wreaths but with lots of help from friends and family we will get thru it just fine. I just have to keep reminding myself of I Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times. Pour out your heart to Him, for God is our refuge.

Thank you for your prayers.

OLD PHOTOS

2008-10-30T06:37:00.002-05:00

Taken on Easter in the year 1961

Deb, Dean, Bruce, Tim and Lorin

THE FIRST SNOW

2008-10-27T13:58:00.003-05:00

Hannah came in the door and wanted her snow stuff on so she could go make a snowman. I had to break the news to her that half an inch of snow just didn't cut it for making a snowman. She said her favorite thing to do was catch snowflakes on her tongue.

Next it was down on the deck to make snow angels. By the time she finished there must have been a dozen angels on my deck.

Well she lasted about 20 minutes out there. Long enough to smear up my clean patio door. Good thing glass is washable. Between kids and the dog its rare that this door is spotless.

CHLOE'S DEDICATION

2008-10-27T08:10:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in church Jon and Kari had Chloe dedicated. First Baptist does not do baby baptism, instead leaving that up to the child to do when they made the decision to follow Christ and then they can decide when they are ready for baptism. But we do a baby dedication, which is dedicating your child to God and promising to raise them to in a Christian home and teach them how to live a Christian life.

Chloe is 4 months old already. Tyler and Hannah were so excited to see them up in front of the church.

After having them answer a few simple questions, Pastor Brian prayed for Jon and Kari and their family.

I just had to add this picture. We woke up this morning to the white stuff. About a quarter of an inch on the deck. I know most everyone is grumbling about it but I think its kinda pretty. The deck looks so bare now. The canopy is off, all the flower pots are gone and the chairs are stacked in the corner. I just look at it as I don't have to spend an hour every morning watering plants.

TYLER'S BIRTHDAY AND SISTER BONDING

2008-10-23T19:04:00.004-05:00

Today is Tyler's 6th birthday. He was supposed to be in school but has been running a fever so he didn't go today. Instead him and girls came here. He came in the door scanning the room for presents. I set it on the table in plain sight so he didn't have to look far. Of course we had to have something wrapped for Hannah too.
Just what I wanted. A father and son hunting stuff. And a pack of Superman balls.

The mailman came with a package from Melissa out in Colorado Springs. Just some clothes.

But wait, whats this in the bottom of the box?

Now it was apparently something he really wanted because he was pretty excited about it.

Here it is, whatever it is. All I know is that its round and when you throw it on the floor it pops open and something is inside. So all afternoon he's throwing this thing on the floor and loving it.

Hannah and Chloe are starting to really enjoy each others company. They love to lay on the floor together and watch tv. I peeked in on them the other day and they were laying there holding hands.

Hannah says she has to hold onto Chloe's hand because she keeps hitting her.

Here's evidence that Hannah is telling the truth.

Hang onto her hands Hannah.

EAST OR WEST

2008-10-16T08:37:00.005-05:00

The moon was shining in our bedroom window at 5 a.m. this morning, possibly the reason I couldn't sleep. So the first load of laundry went in the washer and we watched the news to see who won the debate last night. You all know who is the best pick right? Yeah I knew you knew.
The moon was setting in the west and the sun was rising in the east. It was all happening so fast I didn't know which end of the house to run to.

So here's the moon.

And now the start of the sunrise
I let Levi out about 6:30 and she's already at the door for her treat.
Finally the sunrise at 7:17 a.m.
And back for another treat. She is such a beggar.
Now I hung the sheets on the line about 7:30 and the steam was rising from them. (It's only 24 degrees out you see). It was pretty cool looking but you just can't see it from this picture. Oh well, you get drift. Note: What does "you get the drift" come from? Such a strange saying. Can you see Levi hiding behind the sheets? Strange dog. I think she just wanted to be in the picture.

And finally when a 3 year old gets up at 5 a.m., she really needs a nap. A ride around the lake always does the trick. She was much happier after a 2 hour nap.

CARROTS

2008-10-13T18:04:00.004-05:00

I went to the garden today to get a few carrots for meatloaf. They are HUGE! And lots of them out there.

Here's a picture of the truck and trailer we just bought. Yep that's Jim with the hood up, fixin somethin' , a never ending thing, always something to fix.

Oh yeah the carrots, I put them in meatloaf. Check out the recipe on the Food To Eat and Fill Your Soul Blog.

BUSY WEEKENDS

2008-10-13T08:12:00.003-05:00

The last two weekends have been just a blur, they've been so busy. The firewood needed to be moved from Shirley's barn because its being torn down. First we had to move the tractor out of the way. It wouldn't start so Andy had to jump on and stear while Jim gave it a tug. I just love the sound of the old John Deere tractors. Putt putt putt

Of course the fun of firewood is seeing how many times you can handle it before its finally gone. Art had all this wood made ahead and piled in the thrash floor. Now we had to move it to the shed.
Riding the wagon just seems to put a little fun into the project. Taylor was doing the parade wave here.
Now throw it back off the wagon. Yes that is Tabby in there helping! What a trooper.
This past weekend I set up a booth at the craft sale. This is the second year I've done this and it has definitely helped sales.

STRESS, FRUSTRATION AND THERAPY

2008-10-01T07:16:00.010-05:00

Tuesday started out just a normal day. Sitting at my desk, finishing up some paperwork and then the unthinkable happened.

That wonderful tasty cup of tea tipped over onto my laptop. Immediate panic mode. Pack it up to go see what the damages are. This was the stressful part.

Now I'm getting ready to go to town and later meet the girls for lunch. Where is my watch? I feel only half dressed without it on.

Think back, where did I put it? Always on the dresser, ALWAYS. But wait, Hannah was in there supposed to be napping. So now I have to think like a 3 year old. Where would you put a watch when you were done playing with it? After searching every inch of the bedroom I gave up. I'll have to go without it. Open the desk drawer in the kitchen to get out the phone book and whats this? My watch!!! Thus ends the frustration part.

She looks so sweet and innocent.

And now for the therapy. Lunch at Hill of Beans in Ogema. If you ever want to take a beautiful drive and spend some relaxing time over a great lunch you have to go here. This is the view out the huge window where we ate.

Thanks Girls! I think we all needed this day.