Megan's Guess Who game

Every year our children draw names amongst themselves for gift giving.  This year they added a twist for giving gifts; the gift had to be either hand-made by the giver, from a thrift store, or a service offered by the giver.  The reason they decided to do this, of course, is the state of the economy and their pocketbooks.  It has been so fun to watch them coming up with ideas for each other; I believe they were more excited and put much more thought into these gifts than the usual store bought gifts.

They came up with some really neat ideas; Scott made Julie some picture frames with wood taken from the old hayloft floor of the barn, Jenny made Shari soy candles, and Shari came up with an incredibly fun idea for Megan.  Shari purchased a Guess Who game from a thrift store, and made it into a personalized ‘Megan’s Guess Who?’ game.  She replaced each picture that came with the game with a picture of a friend or family member of Megan’s.  Megan was thrilled with her very own version of Guess Who?, and all the kids have had fun playing with it!  The kids took a vote after gift opening, and everyone agreed that the new rules for gift giving will apply from now on; they all enjoyed giving gifts from the heart!

Anyone could make their own personalized Guess Who? game using their own pictures; and by getting the game from a garage sale or thrift shop it will cost just pennies!

Apologies to anyone who received this recipe in our December newsletter, it was printed incorrectly.  Here is the corrected recipe.

This is so handy to have on hand for Holiday gatherings.  It’s a fun recipe to make with a child, package creatively together, and then give as gifts.

Butterscotch Mocha Hot Cocoa Mix

2 cups powdered sugar
3 cups nonfat dry milk
½ cup powdered coffee creamer
½ cup instant coffee
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups Nestle Nesquik cocoa mix
1 ½ cups butterscotch chips

Combine all ingredients in large bowl.  Pulse 2 to 3 cups at a time in a food processor or blender, until finely ground.  Store in airtight container for up to 3 months.

To make hot cocoa, stir 1/3 cup of mix into 1 cup of hot water or milk.

Denise at Manganese waterfalls

A year ago today, my sister Denise went for an evening walk and never came home.  She was struck by a vehicle while walking on a narrow road not far from her home, and never regained consciousness before she died a short time later.  She left behind her husband, Roy, and five children; David, Brent, Keith, Alan, and Annika.  Accepting such an unexpected tragedy and loss seems inconceivable at first, but I have found comfort and solace from THE LIST she had hanging on her refrigerator all that summer.  Let me tell you about her list………

First of all, seven years ago Denise and her family moved from her home town in Minnesota, to Roy’s home town in Upper Michigan, to pursue a dream of opening their own bakery.  Along with Roy’s parents, they opened a bakery, and the long grueling hours they worked to get the bakery off the ground were incredible; twelve to sixteen hours a day, six days a week for those first few years.  Tired or not, they persisted and built a reputable business which continues today, known as Roy’s Pasties & Bakery.

After five years of working at the bakery, Denise decided to pursue some of her own dreams; she got a part time job working at the public library, which she absolutely loved, and was able to spend more time with her family and friends.  Though she had lived in Michigan for six years, most of that time was spent working at the bakery, so last summer she decided to experience the beauty and pleasures of Michigan like a tourist.  She wrote herself a list of the places she wanted to go, the things she wanted to do, and set out to do them. This is what she had written on her list:

Goals to Do this Summer
pick strawberries
pick blueberries
go fishing
Great Sand Bay
Bete Grise
agate hunting
gentle hikes
Watch a sunset over Lake Superior
camp/cabin at McClains Park
agate hunting with Laura
find the waterfalls with Annika

One by one she tackled her list with enthusiasm, and by the end of summer Denise had almost everything crossed off her list, proof to herself that she had accomplished those simple pleasures she had wished for. The weekend before Labor Day she went camping with her family at McClains Park, and there she watched the sun setting on Lake Superior; those were the last goals left on her list.  After returning home from camping, Denise took down her completed list and tossed it into the waste basket.  After her unexpected death just a few days later, her family retrieved the crumpled list and lovingly hung it once more on the refrigerator, as evidence for all of us that Denise had indeed, finished her list.

When I look at her list, I find a miracle and a gift.  This list of simple pleasures meant so much to Denise that she had pictures taken to chronicle most of the events; and each picture shows her with a happy, contented expression. God in His wisdom gave Denise the gift of time to finish her list.  But much more so, this list is a gift to us, her family, to know that the last summer of her life was filled with precious moments and memories of simple pleasures that she thoroughly enjoyed.  I miss my sister Denise so much, but I have found peace with her death through her last gift to us, her simple list.

Two days ago while excavating in the yard, we found this teeny-tiny newborn bunny.  His mama must have had her den in the ground right where we were digging, and this little guy survived but lost his home and family.  I really didn’t expect him to live for more than a day without his mother, but the kids insisted we give him a chance by feeding him with an eyedropper.  Though his eyes are still closed, he is beginning to squirm and wriggle around; we’ll just have to wait and see if our help is enough.  Does anyone have any advice for us, such as how often we should be feeding him, and what is the best milk for him?

Here’s our new kitten, Charlie, doing what cats love to do!  I wouldn’t have guessed that a watering can would be a comfortable place to take a nap, but I guessed wrong!

Due to recent requests and interest, we are opening our cut flower gardens for visitors to come and pick their own bouquet in our quiet countryside setting. Visitors are welcome to wander through the gardens and quietly enjoy nature. Our local newspaper recently featured our gardens and our announcement to invite visitors. Read the article here.

If you are looking for something fun to do when you have your next mother-daughter get together, or a girls day outing coming up, think about making bouquets together. Give us a call at 320-286-5384 to set up a day and time if you would like to come out and visit. Happy bouquet making!

I’ve always been big into gardening. For many years while raising our large family I focused on a large vegetable garden from which I canned and froze vegetables; then slowly I began to add some perennials to the landscape around the house and found I enjoyed flower gardening immensely.

In 1999 our oldest daughter, Shari, was engaged to be married and the wedding date was set for August. I thought it would be fun and special to try to grow flowers for her wedding, and also anticipated that I would be saving money by “doing-it-yourself”. Well, I did grow a lot of the flowers for her wedding, and I also had some gardening friends donate their blooms to the cause. The florist bill was reasonabale - for just one bridal bouquet, all the rest of the flowers were home-grown and freshly cut.

I so thoroughly enjoyed the entire process from research to harvest that I started wondering if I could grow flowers to sell as a business. The following winter I took a Master Gardener course which gave me the confidence to expand on my idea of a cut flower business. I decided to call my flower business ‘Amazing Vase’. The next three years I spent my winters researching, planning, ordering plants and seeds, and starting plants from seed; each spring I was busy planting the flowers and slowly expanding my cutting gardens. From May until October I sell fresh cut flowers to local florists and customers that are planted with faith, tended with love, and gathered with care .

There really is no place I’d rather be than in my gardens; whether I’m planting, hoeing, weeding, or harvesting I find contentment and a fulfillment that embraces me within my gardens. It’s not just the beauty of flowers that gratify me; it’s the warm sun on my neck and shoulders, the song of the birds in the trees around me, the fragrance of the lilacs drifting by, the loose soil moving under my spade, and the metallic tingle of the ice cold well water in the tin cup I drink at the edge of my garden to quench my thirst. The work and the joy are endless …..