It's springtime! We're loving it! Benny and I are currently on the back deck enjoying warm weather. I was having trouble making him understand why he has to stay on the deck. I went to uncover something in the flower bed, and of course he followed. We still have a few inches of snow in the backyard, and he was barefoot. He's content to stay on the deck now.
So I'm sitting here dreaming of yard improvements. What I'd love is a screened in porch, a fire pit, a sandbox for Benny, a raised strawberry bed, a stone walk, a clothesline, an arbor.... Dreams are free at least.
Life has been nice and normal lately. Benny is saying new words everyday it seems. We are enjoying having Dru's around for a few weeks.
And that's really everything that's going in our lives right now. Not much and normal, but those times are nice too. Enjoy spring!
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spring. Show all posts
Friday, March 16
Tuesday, April 12
It's Spring!
The last two days have been lovely!! Benny and I enjoyed being outside. Benny discovered that dried leaves are fun to crush, but not so fun to eat. :) I cleaned out my flower bed and took note of what survived the winter and my gardening abilities. Afterward I sat down with a Jungs Seed magazine and did some more dreaming and scheming. I think this year I'll add butterfly bush and hollyhocks. I also want to try morning glory again. Last year they never came up, but last year was a dud year for gardening, at least for me. Today I planned to rake leaves off my lawn, but I discovered the rake is still solidly frozen in a cake of ice in the shed. I'm afraid the grass might grow before the rake is freed.
I'm ready to tackle spring cleaning and organizing. It quite overwhelming to think about though. But it's going to feel good when I'm done and stuff is organized and unnecessary stuff is thrown away. Then I can go buy more stuff....hopefully NOT.
Speaking of buying stuff, we went to a thrift store in a town about 45 minutes from here. It was a fun store, and I found quite a few treasures. One of which was an old rocking horse. His mane and tail need some help, and he needs a few coats of finish, but it's good and solid. I knew it was one of those things I'd kick myself for the rest of my life if I didn't get it. And Clark didn't think there was much question about whether or not to leave it there. Someday perhaps I'll show you a picture of it.
Tonight we are going to have hamburgers for supper. That will be a nice spring time treat. Clark also talked about starting on our back room. I think we've finally figured out how to turn it into a bed/storage area that's going to be workable and look nice.
Another thought, it struck me when I was reading Genesis 1 this week, that God created heaven. I guess I always thought that He lived in heaven, and stooped to coming to earth. But nope, He created heaven too, on the second day. Wonder why we don't really hear about it. And it makes God seem way bigger, if he has to stoop to even fit in heaven, let alone earth.
That's my thought for the day. Enjoy spring!!
I'm ready to tackle spring cleaning and organizing. It quite overwhelming to think about though. But it's going to feel good when I'm done and stuff is organized and unnecessary stuff is thrown away. Then I can go buy more stuff....hopefully NOT.
Speaking of buying stuff, we went to a thrift store in a town about 45 minutes from here. It was a fun store, and I found quite a few treasures. One of which was an old rocking horse. His mane and tail need some help, and he needs a few coats of finish, but it's good and solid. I knew it was one of those things I'd kick myself for the rest of my life if I didn't get it. And Clark didn't think there was much question about whether or not to leave it there. Someday perhaps I'll show you a picture of it.
Tonight we are going to have hamburgers for supper. That will be a nice spring time treat. Clark also talked about starting on our back room. I think we've finally figured out how to turn it into a bed/storage area that's going to be workable and look nice.
Another thought, it struck me when I was reading Genesis 1 this week, that God created heaven. I guess I always thought that He lived in heaven, and stooped to coming to earth. But nope, He created heaven too, on the second day. Wonder why we don't really hear about it. And it makes God seem way bigger, if he has to stoop to even fit in heaven, let alone earth.
That's my thought for the day. Enjoy spring!!
Wednesday, March 30
At Our House...
We discovered how to do this!
Sort of young I'd say. Such a little midget.
We got 12(!) inches of snow last week. Not a good feeling, especially after having had spring for a week or two. This woman ended up with a roaring case of cabin fever. My poor husband! He was good about it though. One of the guys from church is doing VS in KY right now, and his sister told me that he said the daffodils are blooming in masses along the road side there. NO FAIR!!
But spring is coming. Today on the way to town it was nice and warm, and I opened the car window just a teeny bit. Yesterday I saw a sow and two, cute, puppy-sized cubs by the road. Where else but in the Northwoods are bears a sign of spring instead of robins? Though I did hear a robin before it snowed. But not since, so they must have headed south again. I can't wait until it's warm enough to take my kiddo outside.
We got 12(!) inches of snow last week. Not a good feeling, especially after having had spring for a week or two. This woman ended up with a roaring case of cabin fever. My poor husband! He was good about it though. One of the guys from church is doing VS in KY right now, and his sister told me that he said the daffodils are blooming in masses along the road side there. NO FAIR!!
But spring is coming. Today on the way to town it was nice and warm, and I opened the car window just a teeny bit. Yesterday I saw a sow and two, cute, puppy-sized cubs by the road. Where else but in the Northwoods are bears a sign of spring instead of robins? Though I did hear a robin before it snowed. But not since, so they must have headed south again. I can't wait until it's warm enough to take my kiddo outside.
Friday, March 4
As Time Goes On
It's March. The days are warm(er). We are dreaming and scheming of home and yard improvement projects. A trip to Menards to window shop is planned. One of these days Clark and I will attempt to dig into the depths of the back room for the box of painting supplies (yes, it will take both of us!), and I will finish the bathroom project that got interrupted when I was pregnant with Bendick. Spring is always so full of the promise of life, and I get the ambition for projects.
Benny has figured out how to explore his world. He doesn't go very far, or very fast, but he certainly gets around. He's been hinting that he'd like to try big people food, and I've been sort of ignoring him. I did order a food grinder that should be here next week. I"m going to have a classic mommy moment now, and wonder why he couldn't stay little just a bit longer?
I'm supposed to teach Nehemiah 6 for ladies Sunday School this coming Sunday. It's been interesting. I have a feeling that Nehemiah was perhaps one of those men we wouldn't get along with very well. He had a vision, and he pursued it, and he got it fulfilled.
Oh and as a postscript to the last post, the next problem was coming home from Northern MN and discovering that our drain had frozen. In the process of thawing the drain, Clark discovered that our mobile home is in danger of slipping off it's foundation. So, yet another project added to the to-do list. It's not anything dangerous yet, so we can hopefully wait for a nice warm day after the snow goes.
And that's everything from our house for now. Have a good weekend everyone!
Benny has figured out how to explore his world. He doesn't go very far, or very fast, but he certainly gets around. He's been hinting that he'd like to try big people food, and I've been sort of ignoring him. I did order a food grinder that should be here next week. I"m going to have a classic mommy moment now, and wonder why he couldn't stay little just a bit longer?
I'm supposed to teach Nehemiah 6 for ladies Sunday School this coming Sunday. It's been interesting. I have a feeling that Nehemiah was perhaps one of those men we wouldn't get along with very well. He had a vision, and he pursued it, and he got it fulfilled.
Oh and as a postscript to the last post, the next problem was coming home from Northern MN and discovering that our drain had frozen. In the process of thawing the drain, Clark discovered that our mobile home is in danger of slipping off it's foundation. So, yet another project added to the to-do list. It's not anything dangerous yet, so we can hopefully wait for a nice warm day after the snow goes.
And that's everything from our house for now. Have a good weekend everyone!
Tuesday, May 11
I've been told that I should post again. Yes, well, I'm not sure there is anything terribly new or different in my life. It's really unseasonably cold right now. I mean like, we had snow on Fri. Yeah, really, we did!!! And since we turned our furnace off for the season, the house is rather chilled (one of our two electric heaters gave up the ghost). So I figure if I sit on the couch wrapped in my fuzzy and blog, at least I can keep from feeling guilty over the state of my house, which is a disarray of laundry and unpacking. I can also put off trying to figure out a snack for kids club tonight (if anyone has good,kid-friendly snack ideas that don't take a lot of time to make, please leave your suggestions!).
We went on a weekend retreat to the South Shore of Lake Superior. We got a really neat cabin, one of the best we've had yet. It had a huge backyard that ended at the lake shore, and you couldn't see any other cabins around it. Oh and the best part was that had a real fireplace that burned real wood. We had a fire going all weekend. I told Clark I wanted to take that fireplace home with me (it would feel good today!!). So anyway, we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. We were close to Porcupine Mountains State Park, so we did some hiking as well. My husband thought I was crazy for some of the stuff I hiked. Like a half mile hike up a mountain, ending with a 40 ft. observation tower. I took it slow and easy and sat when we came to a bench, and everything is fine and dandy I think. I think there will be pictures posted on Picasa of our weekend at some point in the future. It was good to get away and relax. I realized how busy we've been in the last six weeks this weekend. Since the beginning of April, we've been at our church every other Sunday. I feel like I only know half or less of what's going happening in other peoples lives. Maybe life will slow down for a month or so. Ha! Fat chance! Clark asked me last night if there is a way that life can be lived "like we did this weekend, not sitting around doing nothing, just have a relaxed mindset".
I went to garage sales with my mom the other weekend, and got a nice lot of baby things. The only thing I need yet is a crib. I've decided that part of being a mom is worrying about our kids. Pretty much from before they are born until one of us dies I suppose. I know I worry about my baby, and I see other moms worrying about their children at all ages and stages of life. (BTW, I'm not using worry in a bad way here, I'm not sure what the better wording would be. Concern maybe? And I do think that we as moms can legitimately "worry" about our children as long as we don't obsess over it.)
So anyway, that's a little of what's going on in our lives right now. I planted garden two weeks ago or so (when it was warm!), and now I'm wondering if I should have listened to my intuition and Grandma Graber's wisdom. We'll see I suppose. It appears that my established perennials survived the snow and frost last weekend, so I am hoping for the best. And my pansies survived the winter and are coming back, which has really surprised me. The same with the sage. I doubt from the looks of the weather forecast that I will be digging in dirt much this week.
And now my husband and his mom are conniving to get me up to her house for the afternoon and eve., because my man cares about me and thinks I should be in a warmer location. So I shall finish my laundry, eat a lunch, shower and wash my hair, mix up cookie dough, then take my scrap booking and spend the afternoon with mom and the girls. See you all later.
Edited to add: Here is the link to a few pictures from the weekend.
I went to garage sales with my mom the other weekend, and got a nice lot of baby things. The only thing I need yet is a crib. I've decided that part of being a mom is worrying about our kids. Pretty much from before they are born until one of us dies I suppose. I know I worry about my baby, and I see other moms worrying about their children at all ages and stages of life. (BTW, I'm not using worry in a bad way here, I'm not sure what the better wording would be. Concern maybe? And I do think that we as moms can legitimately "worry" about our children as long as we don't obsess over it.)
So anyway, that's a little of what's going on in our lives right now. I planted garden two weeks ago or so (when it was warm!), and now I'm wondering if I should have listened to my intuition and Grandma Graber's wisdom. We'll see I suppose. It appears that my established perennials survived the snow and frost last weekend, so I am hoping for the best. And my pansies survived the winter and are coming back, which has really surprised me. The same with the sage. I doubt from the looks of the weather forecast that I will be digging in dirt much this week.
And now my husband and his mom are conniving to get me up to her house for the afternoon and eve., because my man cares about me and thinks I should be in a warmer location. So I shall finish my laundry, eat a lunch, shower and wash my hair, mix up cookie dough, then take my scrap booking and spend the afternoon with mom and the girls. See you all later.
Edited to add: Here is the link to a few pictures from the weekend.
Wednesday, April 14
Just Rambling Along...
I'm sitting here looking out the window at the green outdoors. It finally rained and thundered properly yesterday! We are very grateful for the rain, we've had an extremely dry spring so far. It's been an early spring too. I'm seriously being tempted to plant garden and stuff, but Grandma says there is no point in doing that yet. I'm afraid that impatience might over rule wisdom in the end though. I uncovered my stuff in the flowerbed yesterday, and was very pleased to see that most of my perennials survived the winter. Now I'm thinking about what to plant this year.
We went out to NE last weekend to visit Clark's sister and her husband, and see their new baby. We had a very enjoyable time (pictures here) . It was good for me to get a dose of reality in regards to babies as well. Somehow it didn't dampen my anticipation of mine though. We had a good visit with Clark's aunt as well. It's really funny to think of her as being a "generation" ahead of us, we relate more as peers.
I've been busy sewing. I'm still having trouble getting a pattern that I like. Once I figure it out, I won't need it any more, and I'll have to figure out a whole new pattern... My mom says I'll be doing that for the next twenty years. How encouraging! I'm really ready to get done with sewing, and start cleaning my house good and proper. And throw stuff away. I LOVE to throw things away, which is amazing, because I used to be a pack rat when I was growing up. Maybe something about living in a small house has helped that.
I'm in a baking mood today, so we'll see if it's productive beyond a batch of bread. I'd love to do pies or cinnamon rolls, only the two of us do not need those kinds of goodies at all! I have a lot of yummy farm fresh eggs from NE right now to use, so maybe I should dig my cookbooks out and find something that takes a lot of eggs.
Anyway, that's the odds and ends of my life today. I have a feeling this is a rather boring post. Maybe someday I will do up something a little more interesting. See you all later!
We went out to NE last weekend to visit Clark's sister and her husband, and see their new baby. We had a very enjoyable time (pictures here) . It was good for me to get a dose of reality in regards to babies as well. Somehow it didn't dampen my anticipation of mine though. We had a good visit with Clark's aunt as well. It's really funny to think of her as being a "generation" ahead of us, we relate more as peers.
I've been busy sewing. I'm still having trouble getting a pattern that I like. Once I figure it out, I won't need it any more, and I'll have to figure out a whole new pattern... My mom says I'll be doing that for the next twenty years. How encouraging! I'm really ready to get done with sewing, and start cleaning my house good and proper. And throw stuff away. I LOVE to throw things away, which is amazing, because I used to be a pack rat when I was growing up. Maybe something about living in a small house has helped that.
I'm in a baking mood today, so we'll see if it's productive beyond a batch of bread. I'd love to do pies or cinnamon rolls, only the two of us do not need those kinds of goodies at all! I have a lot of yummy farm fresh eggs from NE right now to use, so maybe I should dig my cookbooks out and find something that takes a lot of eggs.
Anyway, that's the odds and ends of my life today. I have a feeling this is a rather boring post. Maybe someday I will do up something a little more interesting. See you all later!
Monday, April 5
Cattails and Feathered Friends.
Hi,
I found another favorite swamp!! I went by this morning and saw some interesting things, so take a look and see for yourself.
Some Cattails.
And a goose.
Same goose, different pose.
There I cropped it. Is that better?
This is cropped too, I couldn't get very close. I think this is a wood duck.That's all for now!!
--Clark Graber--
Tuesday, March 16
Yes, I am still alive
Well I typed up a post a few weeks, or maybe a month ago, and never posted it. So I've deleted what I had written, except for the title, and we shall see if this epistle gets posted.
I missed most of winter this year due to the 'Egyptian flu'. I decided however, that if I had to pick a season to miss, I would choose winter. And as soon as I got to second trimester, I couldn't believe how much better I felt (I still have my bad days though). I am having fun feeling ambitious again. Sewing, gardening, shopping, house cleaning and organizing, painting (maybe), all that is on my agenda for the summer. And maybe I will squeeze in a little scrap booking. ( My man bought me a Cricut cartridge for my birthday, and I haven't gotten to use it yet. I've heard others are enjoying it though!) Somehow my summer is starting to morph into busyness like it always does, but I like it that way. I am glad I decided not to clean this summer though.
Our snow is mostly gone. Spring came in a hurry this year, although I am sure we are in for more cold weather and maybe even a snowstorm yet! I always love spring, esp. warm windy days like we had the last two days. I had the window open today while I was working on some projects, and the breeze and smell was wonderful! One of these evenings we need to walk down to the river, although it won't be tonight I know. My man won't be home in time. I'm really looking forward to my flower garden, and I'm contemplating planting blueberries, but I haven't decided if I'm brave enough for that or not. I came to the realization that our yard full of poplar trees aren't going to last forever, and maybe we need to start thinking about planting some other kinds as well. I'm also getting the itch to go fishing, although that won't happen for quite a few weeks yet. The lakes still have ice on them!
I cut out a dress today, and please wish me well as I sew it. I have no clue how it's going to turn out. One minute I think it's way too big, and the next I'm sure it's too small. Why can't someone make a nice, decent, easy pattern? I bought one that looks like it would make a very nice tent or something. Sigh! I got some material today that I had ordered, and I like it, so that made me happy. I think I should have other people buy me fabric, I like what they buy me better then I like what I buy me sometimes. Both moms got me a piece or two recently when they had opportunity to be at a fabric place, and while I wouldn't have picked out what they got for me if I had been the one shopping, I really like what they got me. Does that make sense?
Anyway, that's what I can think of for now. Hopefully I can be more regular at updates after this. We shall see I suppose. My man should be home soon, and supper will be ready. We are having meatloaf, potatoes and carrots. He doesn't like cooked carrots, so I get to eat them myself!
I missed most of winter this year due to the 'Egyptian flu'. I decided however, that if I had to pick a season to miss, I would choose winter. And as soon as I got to second trimester, I couldn't believe how much better I felt (I still have my bad days though). I am having fun feeling ambitious again. Sewing, gardening, shopping, house cleaning and organizing, painting (maybe), all that is on my agenda for the summer. And maybe I will squeeze in a little scrap booking. ( My man bought me a Cricut cartridge for my birthday, and I haven't gotten to use it yet. I've heard others are enjoying it though!) Somehow my summer is starting to morph into busyness like it always does, but I like it that way. I am glad I decided not to clean this summer though.
Our snow is mostly gone. Spring came in a hurry this year, although I am sure we are in for more cold weather and maybe even a snowstorm yet! I always love spring, esp. warm windy days like we had the last two days. I had the window open today while I was working on some projects, and the breeze and smell was wonderful! One of these evenings we need to walk down to the river, although it won't be tonight I know. My man won't be home in time. I'm really looking forward to my flower garden, and I'm contemplating planting blueberries, but I haven't decided if I'm brave enough for that or not. I came to the realization that our yard full of poplar trees aren't going to last forever, and maybe we need to start thinking about planting some other kinds as well. I'm also getting the itch to go fishing, although that won't happen for quite a few weeks yet. The lakes still have ice on them!
I cut out a dress today, and please wish me well as I sew it. I have no clue how it's going to turn out. One minute I think it's way too big, and the next I'm sure it's too small. Why can't someone make a nice, decent, easy pattern? I bought one that looks like it would make a very nice tent or something. Sigh! I got some material today that I had ordered, and I like it, so that made me happy. I think I should have other people buy me fabric, I like what they buy me better then I like what I buy me sometimes. Both moms got me a piece or two recently when they had opportunity to be at a fabric place, and while I wouldn't have picked out what they got for me if I had been the one shopping, I really like what they got me. Does that make sense?
Anyway, that's what I can think of for now. Hopefully I can be more regular at updates after this. We shall see I suppose. My man should be home soon, and supper will be ready. We are having meatloaf, potatoes and carrots. He doesn't like cooked carrots, so I get to eat them myself!
Saturday, March 13
March Thaw or Spring Proper?
Greetings,
Coming to you from a foggy, damp, and rainy northern Wisconsin. I am some what reluctant to classify this as spring proper; that probably has to do with my past experience. It always seems that we have this thaw and then suddenly, like a wounded lion, winter hurls one last mighty snow storm. So we shall see. For now we will deal with the side effects of 12" of snow melting and a week of never ceasing rain.
One of the most inconvenient side effects for me, is our drive. Our main parking area turns into a very muddy and watery sort of place. I thought maybe I had planted our car in the midst of it the other day, but with a little more acceleration and gentle rocking it came out. It really wasn't that serious, but the ruts I left would have said other wise. So today I had some spare time and thought maybe if I punctured a hole through the frost it would drain. I think maybe it worked but can't be sure. Imagine a grown man in rubber boots out playing in the mud puddles.
Anyway until next time.
--Clark Graber--
P.S. If this is in fact spring proper, it is just ducky with me!!
QUACK!!
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