Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to your family and loved ones!

 Our tree is not the most elaborate or the most ornate.  However, it is filled with memories.

 

There are several past Christmas gifts that I have shining together in my house this year.  There are six gifts from friends in this arrangement.

I hadn't planned on spending the eight days before Christmas with pneumonia.  I didn't get any baking done or finish Christmas shopping.  Finally yesterday and today I have more energy. 

We now take three tables to eat Christmas brunch.  I started setting the food on the island in the Christmas as a buffet.  No one is bashful.  Everyone goes back for seconds and thirds. 

We have the little kids.

More little kids and Katie. 

Then the adult table.  Our nephew and his significant other have moved here from NJ.  They have now become part of our family for holidays. 

 Missing from the picture is my mom and DIL- Marie. 

The older kids sang some of their songs with Jessa joining.

What Christmas would be complete without some snooping through the presents?

I did manage to finish two aprons for Tatum and Jessa.  Photos when I am able to stop them long enough for pictures! OH!  I did finally finish Tatum's blanket.  She immediately shared with Kylie so Kylie could cuddle up on Great Grandma's lap for a quick nap.

Christmas is Coming!!

I know they are simple and I know they are quick...But, I have finished two gifts!! I have more cut from other fabric, three aprons cut, and a wall hanging.  We will see if I complete it all! I felt SO good to do two projects.

This past weekend we had three grandkids Friday night through Sunday afternoon while DS and DIL attended a Christmas Party north of Duluth.   It was a busy time.  The weather was beautiful for playing outside on Saturday morning.  In the afternoon we went to a tree farm in search of two perfect trees. 

 They decided this was perfect for their home.  I am glad they have a tall ceiling.  We sent a picture to their dad to make sure it was ok.  He replied, "It is perfect."  Cole was proud of his choice!

Helping Papa with sawing it down was a joint project.  The one for our house isn't as tall or as full!

Sunday morning we all attended the church Christmas program for the other family of grandkids.

Tatum was Mary.  She insisted on hold and rocking baby Jesus during the program.

I am not sure if this video will come through.  If it does, ENJOY!  Our little Jessa truly  loves life.

I am participating in reading Ann Voskamp's ,"The Greatest Gift."  It  has a daily reading through the season of Advent focusing on the preparation for Christmas.

Love and Prayers,
Linda

Another Snowstorm

Monday we had the second snowstorm of the season.  We received about 8 inches of heavy wet snow.   Thankful that school was already closed for the week due to deer hunting season.  I am sure it sounds strange to many that school is closed.  There are so many students who request advanced makeup and who just stay home to hunt the days in the high school are "wasted" days.  So this year school is closed. 

This year my mom, our boys and their families, and our nephew with his significant other will be joining us for Thanksgiving dinner.  It definitely fills our small home.  I am working at cleaning house today and plan to bake pies on Wednesday. 

I am going to try to sneak in some sewing time Thursday night and Friday.  I am NOT a Black Friday shopper!!!

I received word this morning that a very good college friend lost his battle with cancer yesterday.  Gary was the type of friend who would and did anything he could for you.   Many memories are flooding in today.  Thinking of when he gave me a ride from college to visit my grandmother in the hospital.  How he would show up at the apartment at meal time with a knock at the door.  Bev and I even kept his pet piranha during his student teaching. He and his wife have visited in our home.

So--cherish your friends.  Let them know they are important to you.

Returned for a label.

In May I sewed a Christmas Tree Skirt to give  a special young couple for a Wedding gift.  Last week she returned it for a label.  I don't often label my quilts.  I don't like putting my name on things.  I know I made them and the people I give them to know I made them.   I have started becoming more selective who I give quilts.  This afternoon I finished the label and have it ready for their tree.

                  


Today Grandson #2 rode their little snowmobile over to show us.  He stopped in the house long enough for me to go outside to watch him.  All of our snow has stayed with an additional couple of inches.

Friday night I am going back to meet with the mom and dad again whose son was killed a few weeks ago.  It was more difficult than I expected.  I have done this many times.  However, this time it was very parallel  to the tractor accident which killed our son.  Another little boy who loved farming with his daddy.  Many of the questions they asked brought back many memories that had been buried deep in the mind.  I spent two hours  there last time.  This time  Herb is going with me.  The dad asked if he would come also.   I am so very thankful that I am able to use our experience to help other people through a very difficult time in their lives.    I share with them that we are part of a very exclusive club and we want no new numbers. However, when a tragedy occurs we stand beside each other. We understand as no one else.

What happened to Fall?

Northern Wisconsin is missing the last few weeks of autumn.  We went from 40 degree weather to 16 inches of snow in a day. 

This is the view tonight from my kitchen window.

 

The snow started early Monday morning.  School was released at 12:30.  By that time we had several inches.  The buses became stuck in driveways.  When the teachers left the parking lot we had to shovel out cars, push some to help them out, or make tracks for other cars to follow.  We all drove home in white out conditions with many vehicles in the ditches  By the time it ended we had 16 inches of snow. 

 School was open again on Tuesday morning.  Something that has been a source of frustration for many parents.  There were 40% of the students absent at the primary school.  None of the buses were able to run their usual routes due to country roads being impassable.  Two buses did not pick up any students.

Yesterday Kasey related this story to me.

 "There were only 10 kids on our bus.  Bob couldn't pick up lots of kids because their roads weren't plowed.  We almost got stuck.  Bob stopped the bus and told us to buckle the seat belt if we had one.  I moved to a front seat with a seatbelt.  Then we went forward for ten seconds, then backward for ten seconds.  He tried to go forward again. THE WHOLE BUS JUST SHOOK.  Then he went.  We didn't have to get pulled."

I already had all my sewing planned out for Tuesday when I thought it would be a snow day!!!  I will try again this weekend. 

For my long time blogging friends, here are Kasey, Cole, and Colby at Halloween.  They made their stops at all the "adopted" grandparents before coming to our house.  They are blessed! We are blessed with friends who love our grandkids also! 

A Time to Regroup

Usually I post a picture FROM my kitchen window.  Yesterday afternoon I needed a break from cleaning,  so I went for a walk in the woods to enjoy the beautiful fall day.  This is a picture FROM the woods TOWARDS my kitchen window.  If you compare this picture with the header picture you are able to see where I was standing. It was a great time to regroup.

 

On my walk I saw three whitetail deer, the leaves were falling from the trees and the wind was gently blowing them around.   Thankfully, I didn't meet up with any of the bear we have been seeing!

Tomorrow afternoon will be challenging.  After school I am going to meet with a young couple in a neighboring community whose young son was killed in a tractor accident on Saturday afternoon.  This is something I have done many times since our son was killed. The couple have asked for me to meet with them to help them make it through the days ahead.  I go in to listen and to share.  This first visit will be to share their grief and help them to find the strength to make it through the next few days and weeks.  My next visit  will be to help them adjust to the daily grief.  I am always careful to let them know how it was for us.  I never tell the what they should do or should be feeling.  

One thing I don't tell them now is that the pain never goes away.  They will learn to live with it and that helps the healing.

This one has hit closer than most.  A young little boy run over by a tractor on their farm.

  Lots of memories returned that have been buried deep for both DH and myself. 

If you are a praying person, please hold this family in your prayers,

Mentors

I have had two amazing friends as quilting mentors.   Amy of Amy's Passions taught a community education class in our local school that iswhere I immediately became addicted to quilting.  Amy patiently guided me through my first quilt and is always willing to answer my questions.

My other mentor was my longtime friend, Diane.  She was also a paraeducator in my classroom for several years.  She loved quilting.  She would bring in the quilts and projects she created.  One time when showing me one of her quilts, I said I should hire her to make a quilt for me.  She looked at me and said, "Why don't you make it yourself."   She made a wallhanging and  other small quilts for our classroom. One year for my birthday she gave me a beautiful fall table quilt.

Diane lost her five year battle with cancer two weeks ago tonight.  I was honored and privileged to be asked by her family to deliver one of the two eulogies at the Celebration of Diane's Life.   The church was filled.  It was a beautiful tribute to a wonderful lady.

One of our neighbors sang, "I Can Only Imagine." 


Today was a full day of meetings at school.  All schools are required to provide RTI (Response To Intervention) for students.  We do several assessments of all students.  Those who score below the 33rd percentile on two  computerized assessments, below grade level on reading fluency,  reading benchmark is below grade level, and other informal assessment are required to participate in Tier 3 intensive interventions.  We meet in grade level teams to evaluate the students scores and determine the tier of instruction they will receive.  

To make it easier, several of us will bring  snacks to have during the sessions.  This morning I made Crock Pot Pumpkin Spice Latte.  It was DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:
       6 cups of strong coffee
       8 cups of milk
       1 cup of sugar
       1 cup of pumpkin
       2 TBSP vanilla extract
       1 tsp Pumpkin pie spice.

Combine ingredients in a crock pot.  Cook on high for 2 hours.  Enjoy.  I also added three cinnamon sticks while it cooked.  Afterwards I turned it to low for the rest of the day.  Everyone enjoyed it.


Last weekend while DH and DS-1 were combining I was invited by DIL- 1 to go to the local pumpkin patch.  We had a ride through the woods in wagon, watched a pumpkin cannon,  ate carmel apples, and selected pumpkins. 
       

Don't tell anyone--but I am going to try to spend some time sewing this weekend!  It has been too long.

Autumn

Time for some catching up with my blogging friends.

Let's see..One morning while I was getting ready for school the sunrise from my kitchen window was beautiful.

 

The rest of the day I was singing the Cat Stevens song: Morning Has Broken.

Morning has broken like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the Word

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven

Like the first dewfall on the first grass

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden

Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God's recreation of the new day

Another day this was the view from my kitchen when doing  dishes.

Once again, I made an attempt at fall decorating.  All of the

"props" are things I have found around our farm in sheds or things DH has 

brought home from farm auctions for me.

With all the beauty of fall, it is still a difficult time of year.  The week when the leaves are at their ultimate brilliance is the anniversary week that our oldest son was killed in a farm accident.  He was four years old at the time.  Yes, time does heal wounds, but it is something that stays deep in your heart always.  On the anniversary the memories are there more vividly than other days and difficult to keep emotions hidden.  I am so very thankful I took this picture a few hours before he was killed. 

My birthday was one day after the funeral.  My DH has never been able to celebrate  since the accident.  The biggest way it bothered me was the fact that my sons were never taught how to celebrate a wife's special day.  Now that I have Daughters-in-Love.  They make it so we celebrate.  We were together on Saturday night for an early birthday supper. .

 

I am so very blessed. 

A Perfect Day with a Friend

Saturday was a perfect fall day in Northern Wisconsin.  To make it even better my friend, Marla,  invited me to ride to a "Barn Event" sponsored by  Buttermilk Basin.

 

It was awesome!  It was held in at The Brickhouse Getaway where they transformed an old dairy barn  in Northern Wisconsin  for special events. 

There were patterns, projects, cotton and wool fabrics throughout the barn.  Lots of great ideas!

Each of the barns on this quilt are appliqued in wool. It is beautiful!

And yes!  I did come home with three patterns and two small bundles of wool!! We are already planning for to attend next year. 

Maybe even take one of the classes Stacy offers.

Of course, after an exhausting time browsing and the work of selecting what we absolutely couldn't live without we had to stop for lunch.  We drove a few miles to Paradise Landing where we sat in the sunshine enjoying the view!

It was a great way to relax with a great friend.  I didn't realize how very much I needed this day to unwind!

A Time For ...

It is unbelievable that summer is over and I am back in school!   I spent most of my summer working at cleaning out my Mother-In Law's house.  

In the  past four weeks we said goodbye to an aunt and two uncles.

 Aunt Helen, 91 years, was an amazingly talented woman.  She painted a chair with Rosemaling and gave it to Travis when he was a year old.  He had used the chair when it was bare wood at a picnic. She said he was the only Norwegian relative. It has been in my living room for 36 years.

 Two weeks later we said Goodbye,  to my mother's younger brother, Uncle Allard, 86 years old.  He fought a long battle with cancer.

 Today we received the call that her last brother,Uncle Leonard, 93 years old,  died this morning.  She is the sole survivor of her family which consisted of five brothers and my mom.  In one year she has said goodbye to 3 brothers and 2 sisters- in - law.

Kasey spent a day the last week of August with no brothers.  She had wanted to sew a quilt.  One day she selected her fabric from my stash, then designed the layout.

A  couple of days later she started to sew.

The students started back to school last Tuesday.  School this year is another LONG story!  That I will tell about next time. 

Still Here!

Hello Blogging World...

If you don't want to read my thoughts...Stop now!  This has been quite a summer.

First things first.
I have been very blessed by having the opportunity to spend time with my precious grandkids all summer.  I have had one family on Mondays and the other family on Fridays.  With a few more days and nights thrown in for good measure.  Plus a full week while a daycare provided was on vacation.

The kids are GROWING!  The oldest five are all great friends and enjoy spending time together.

Last week was VBS.   On Friday when all the big kids were at church I had the youngest two.  That was fun!  Colby ( 20 months) usually has had all the little kids toys to himself.  He didn't know what to think when Kylie (11 months) also wanted to play.

I have spent many many hours working at cleaning out my MIL's house.  I hauled 15 truck loads to St. Vincent's Thrift shop, plus loads to recycling, and a few loads to the dumpster.   One of the things I was able bring was this beautiful dish .  I also brought old wash tubs and the bottom of an old Hoosier cabinet. The doilies I had brought home last winter when going through things with a SIL.

There was a set of of antique dinnerware I would have loved, however I don't have a place for them. I have a small home so there is not room for many of the things found.

As my DH says, "Linda, you have to stick up for yourself."   I am a great advocate for others, but lack advocating for myself. There was a desk I would have liked to have but thought BIL and SIL had wanted it.  When I found out they didn't I had decided it would work well in my sewing room.  The next day the other SIL called and wanted to take it to her husband in home office.   So I said sure.   It would have been great in my sewing room.

***UPDATE:  The desk is to large for my BIL's room and needs more repair than he wants to do.  It will be coming to my sewing room.  My DIL's mother refinishes furniture! 


 I worked at it all summer to finally clean out the house to put it on the market.  It  will be so nice not to be paying a third of the heat, electric, and taxes on an empty house.

Two trips to the ER for DH in July.  Another change of meds.  I didn't realize that our lives would have changed so much five years ago when DH was first diagnosed with his heart issues.  

A few days were spent at a conference on co-teaching with gen ed teachers for students with disabilities in the gen. ed classroom.  Then a couple of days at school planning with other teachers for RTI (Response To Intervention) for this school year.

Last week we were hit with a hail storm.  550 acres of our corn and soybeans were damaged or destroyed.   There were still drifts of hail 24 hours later. 

No quilting has been accomplished at all! Too tired!!!! It seems unreal that meetings at school start next week!