12.13.2009

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I finally decided to get my Christmas decorations out this year. Better late than never, right? I was contemplating not decorating at all and just avoid the hassle of dragging it all out and then packing it all away again in a couple of weeks. But I was finding that I really wasn't in the Christmas spirit and was way behind on my shopping. Plus my judge told me that not decorating because of the hassle meant that I was really getting old. So I drug everything out, and here's what my house looks like this year.






I've also recently found some evidence that I have some unwanted house guests. So I had to set out some other "decorations" around the house.




The glue traps have been out for a week now, and I haven't caught anything yet and haven't seen anymore droppings. So hopefully they decided I meant business and it wasn't worth their time! I'll keep ya posted.

12.12.2009

So NOT Cool



Especially when this is what the roads look like:


12.08.2009

I'm Dreaming.......

....of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know. Come on, everyone join in now!

Just sitting in my office on this cold, snowy afternoon singing this song to myself as I watch the roads get whiter and whiter outside being ever so thankful that I can ride the bus home engrossed in a good book instead of fighting traffic myself, wishing that I was curled up with a blanket and hot chocolate on my couch with either a good book, a good movie, or a nice loooooong nap.

Back to reality. My fingers are freezing. My toes are freezing.

I love winter! Really, I do. I just wish they could crank the heat up at work a little. Or maybe I should have worn socks today.

12.06.2009

The Weekend Jenny Got Married.....

My friend, Jenny, got married back on November 21st, and I had the privilege of having Jerem and Micah and their kids stay with me for the weekend and attend the wedding.

Saturday morning I was responsible for getting the reception location set up and decorated. I had some great help from Dan and Kathy, Julie, Katie, Micah, and even Uncle Rex help put up some lights!








It was a gorgeous wedding, and a wonderful day. At the reception we sat with James, Naphtali and Aidan, and my long lost cousin, Nick and his wife, Alysia. We were told by both the photographers separately that every wedding has a "fun table" and we were by far the "fun table" of the reception. The first time we thought they were kidding, but the second time they said it, we thought it just might be true. Who knew?!







Sunday was Anson's birthday, so we stopped at DQ after church for an ice cream cake, and then had cousins Morgan, Taylor, Jacob and Ellie Meissner and his friend, Aidan, over to play and celebrate his birthday! After some pizza, football, playing outside, cake, and presents, I was back to a quiet household. It was a great weekend. Thanks for the company, Haacks! Come back soon!





12.01.2009

The Coach's Daughter

I know it's been a couple of weeks now, but our Lake of the Woods High School volleyball team was down in St. Paul at the state volleyball tournament.........and took 4th place! Congratulations to my awesome friend and cousin-in-law, Coach Jill Olson, on another state appearance.

I only made it to the final game of the tournament, but was privileged enough to get to sit by Chloe - and we had a blast!






And here's a couple of Coach Olson herself in action!



11.14.2009

A Hunting We Will Go.....

Last weekend we packed up the car (and I mean PACKED) and headed north to kill us some deer. Well, let's just say we didn't come home with any venison, but we sure had a good time!

James, Naphtali and Aidan took the trip up to Baudette with me this year so James could try his hand at hunting and was also looking to fill his freezer before the world ends. We didn't see any deer, but the weather was amazing and it was great to get out in the woods and enjoy the Lord's beautiful creation!

Here's some pics from the weekend!








Okay, so Darby got a couple, but what can I say - it's Darby.



And Naphtali and all her nursing skills came out to identify the organs.....

9.29.2009

The last couple weeks I have been busy getting ready for a garage sale. Naphtali and I pulled one together a couple years ago, and I vowed then I would never do it again. It was just too much work for the piddly amount of money I made. So I've been boxing up clothes and junk and just taking it to the GoodWill.

So I don't know why we thought it was a good idea now. But we did it again. Last Friday and Saturday were the days we had planned for. Friday it rained pretty much all day, so we had very few customers. Saturday was good weather, but not the garage sale crowd we were hoping for, and we still have a bunch of our big stuff left over. We were told that Wednesday is the new day for garage saleing around here, so Naphtali is going to come back up on Wednesday and open the sale all day. So if you're in the area and are looking for some great deals, come on over!!

Here's one of our faithful customers. Thanks, Steph!


Reading all your blogs while waiting for customers Friday in the rain.

9.15.2009

Ladies Weekend

This past weekend I was invited to attend a Ladies Weekend at Living Waters Bible Camp in Westby, WI. Jenn was one of the breakout session speakers, so Naphtali and I tagged along! We all had so much fun. My favorite part of the weekend, besides the amazingly gorgeous creation in southern Minnesota and Wisconsin and the great teaching and fellowship with other believers, was THE AMISH PEOPLE!!!

On Saturday afternoon we had a couple hours of free time, so a bunch of us girls hopped in a van and drove around looking for the Amish. I've been reading some of Beverly Lewis' books, which are novels about the Amish community, so I feel a little bit educated about their lifestyle. But to see them in person was sooo cool for me. I just kept thinking they're actors portraying a time period and this isn't the way they live every day of their lives. I think it would be a great experience to get to live with an Amish family......for maybe a couple weeks.

Unfortunately, my camera decided to run out of batteries, so I didn't get any pictures of the weekend. But thankfully, Naphtali is always ready with hers. So check out her blog for some pictures. I know she's busy, so you might have to keep checking back, but hopefully this post will motivate her to writer her post! Love ya, Napht!!!

We didn't take any pictures of the Amish people that they knew of. It's a sin for them to have their picture taken, so we could only do it when they weren't looking or when they were far enough away. But I think she got some great garden shots of a family's yard where we stopped to purchase some pure maple syrup that they were selling. The grandma sells perennials in the spring time and had amazing gardens! We also stopped at an Amish farmhouse that had a bakery. They sold pies, bread, doughnuts, and much more. I bought a loaf of bread, and it's delicious!! I would have bought a cookbook to try some of their recipes, but I know I don't burn the calories in a day like they do with all their hard work, so I wouldn't dare try to eat the way they do!

The weekend was great though, and if anybody is ever looking for a fun little scenic getaway, this area of the state is absolutely breathtaking!

9.11.2009

September 11, 2001

Remembering the day through photographs. Never Forget!