Amish Hospitality

   Our first stop down in Southern MN was at an Amish family farm...they always welcome us like we are family ~ I am so thankful Tricia shares her friends with us & now they are my friends too!

As we waited for Lizzy (the mom) to come home we walked around & enjoyed the beauty of their farm.

   My favorite part of all was the clothes' line on a -9 F day.  The clothes actually weren't even frozen stiff but were flapping in the wind.  The simplicity & order of it was just beautiful!

   Then we saw Lizzy coming!

And of course, we even enjoyed Buggy

rides before they put the horse away.

(Annie, Sam, Tricia & Bo)

It is not respectful to take pictures of the Amish, but the horse was acting up a little (itching to get back to the barn :), So Paul said it would be okay to take a few pictures if he turned away.

They wlecomed us in and it was our first visit

to the NEW home they had just built.

And of course, Bo was a little maniac the

whole time but they LOVED it! 

I had to snap this picture the one second

Bo sat still with Dad in the rocking chair:

Believe me, it didn't last long.

   As the sun set & the lamps were lit we spent hours visiting.  I shared with Lizzy how Bo had written on my kitchen cupboard with a permanent marker & she said she had a product for me.  As she gave me "the speal" the Melaluca salesman gave her (he wrote on a picture with a Sharpie & wiped the photo clean) she took out a Sharpie & the cleaner & drew on her table covering....well it didn't come off!  She said she will think of me & remember my visit everyday :)  We laughed & laughed & then she wrote on her wall determined to show me how fabulous the cleaner was!  It came off :)  & I left with little bottle of the cleaner she made me take :)That lead to a story of when she was 5 and her cousins asked, "Who wants their face painted black?"  She said she sat up tall & begged for the honor.  I asked her what they painted it with & she got a big smile & said,  "It was black buggy paint."  Well then we were already laughing ~as Lizzy is quite the storyteller ~ all the way through the rest of the story.  She said once her whole face, including her eyelids, was painted black they sent her out to run around the windmill in the freezing cold.  She said once she got about halfway to the windmill, the oilbased paint was drying & it was no longer fun!  She shared that she had blisters all over her face from the kerosene as they rubbed her face clean.  Oh did we laugh!  It was a perfect night!

Enough about me!  Tomorrow I look forward to visiting your blogs again!  So much has happened this week that I miss you all!

Weekend Reflection

As I begin I am not sure how this post will evolve. I am still taking in and processing all that has happened this weekend and will for a long time to come. As I posted before I went away for a murder mystery party weekend. We had the party Saturday night and Kelly's uncle "died" at the party & we spent the night figuring out who did it. Then, the very next afteroon, Sunday I was at my dad's retirement party at Kate's house and a dear friend of my parents had a medical emergency and passed away at the party. The afternoon started off lovely with the house full of 60 guests wishing my Dad well. As the emergency evolved everyone at the party was amazng & did what they could. As my mom called 911, Kate & her husband (an EMT) were at his side immediately and others pitched in watching kids, holding doors, cleaning up, moving cars & other things out of the way for emergency crews, comforting his wife, and most of all the house was filled with prayer. Everywhere you looked groups were gathered and heads were bowed. I will forever hear the murmers of prayer in my mind and remember the feeling of knowing God was there with us in Kate's home.

I think I will leave my post there today. I just wanted to share this with all of you because this day is a part of me & I can not imagine going on pretending everything was perfect this weekend. To those of you there with us yesterday~thank you for your friendship & help. And to my friends out there on the computer please pray for Marlene & her family. I will write about the more joyful memories of the weekend another day. Thanks guys!

Howdy Partner

   We are taking off for a long weekend on a family adventure ~ a western murder mystery!  I can't wait!  My sister-in-law has the whole weekend packed full of fun things to do including, an Amish farm visit (friends we cannot wait to see!), a Little House on the Prairie museum, sledding, & a murder mystery at a Bed & Breakfast hotel.  So...I am gonna take this little cowboy & round up some outlaws (with the in-laws).

Sure hope I am not the murderer...I am just not the type :)
See ya'll when I get back!       

Why, Thank You!

Who needs New Years Resolutions?  You just need some new Post-it notes like these I received from my cousin Angie:

Why, thank you!

Wait until you see what she got me for Christmas :)

(Next Week's Love It)

Thanks Angie!

Pretty Party Drinks for the Whole Family

I never met a Shirley Temple I didn't like :)

Just Sprite, grenadine & a cherry or two...delicious!

You can get these glasses at Target.

Of course she is my favorite Shirley Temple!

I also LOVE coffee & it looks so cute in these little glasses I found at Marshall's.  Starbuck's Frappuccinos that you can just buy in the grocery store would be so pretty poured over ice...& the teenagers would love them!

What are you drinking on New Year's Eve?

Missing Danny

   This year on June 24th my husband's brother Danny died after heart failure due to complications of his diabetes.  He was 34 years old. 
   It was very obvious that Danny was missing this year, we all missed him & there was more than one time when we all had tears in our eyes.

Kelly & Danny at our wedding in 1998.

 

   Little Annie was particularily missing Danny. Many times in the week leading up to Christmas I caught her quietly crying because she was missing him.  He was the Uncle who would even play Polly Pockets :)

   This Christmas I was blessed to be able to be able to give a special gift.  A very simple gift of pillows, but these pillows were made from Danny's old shirts.  Shirts we all remember him wearing, shirts he practically wore out.  The wear & tear made them only more special. 

   They were not perfect.  I am still learning to sew, but they were made with love.

   The pillow Annie received is a pillow that I bonded with while sewing.  The day I made it was a day when Annie was stuggling with missing him.  I started thinking of that & I cried almost the whole time I was sewing.  I knew it would be Annie's pillow.

   When I gave Annie her pillow Christmas Night she curled up in a ball hugging it tight with tears in her eyes. 
 
   How thankful we are that we can cling to Jesus as our hearts are hurting from missing him.  Thankfully, Danny loved Jesus too & enjoyed Christmas in heaven.
 

Merry Christmas

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Libbie, Kelly, Annie, Bo, & Rocco

Away in a Manger

Thank you Lord, for sending us your Son.

To read a Christmas story about my nephew, the wiseman up there, that MIGHT make you cry (made me) click here.

The Christmas Dress

When Annie slipped into her Christmas Dress for church this morning Bo took one look at her & said, "Dance with me Ann."

She happily took his outstretched hands & they twirled & whirled around the room. Once I got my camera the magic had worn off a bit. Annie started telling Bo how to dance, and Bo got distracted by his tools. But for just those few moments...they just danced & it was a few moments that I will hold in my heart & I hope I will never forget them.

At church my friend Deneena said as Annie went by, "She just reminds me of a Christmas berry." I liked that!

Annie felt beautiful this morning...I could just tell. We were walking through the church holding hands & she saw an older couple sitting on a bench, she tipped her face up to me & said, "Mom, I want to go wish them a Merry Christmas." I said go ahead & she did...so confident, so joyful, so sweet.

After church we go to Nanna's house every Sunday for a family dinner. Annie loved helping Dad & Boppa shovel & it just looked so cute in that big fluffy dress.

Where is the pause button? I needed one today. 5 years old is such a magical age. I love that girl, my Christmas berry.

Santa Time!

I have a dear dear friend that I have never met, Cindi.  I often laugh when people ask me how I know her & I say, "I met this girl on the computer..."   You guys understand :) 

Last week, I received a package in the mail from Cindi.  It was so sweet that I want to share it with you!
Just look!

She made them herself!

I love them!  Cindi uses them to hang Christmas cards.  I plan to use them as placecard holders on Christmas morning!  I can't wait!  Thank you Cindi!!!! 

Now, I am sure you have all heard of this but if you haven't then you HAVE to do it for your little ones.  Send them this personal message from Santa!  It takes a minute to set up & I would reccomend putting in a picture because your child will appear in his magical NICE book :)  But, Annie is 5 & oh, she believed!!!  Thanks Carrie for sending me the link!

Reindeer Noses

These are just WAY too cute! 

My mom gave this little bag of reindeer noses to her prayer pal...so I didn't taste them...but if you want to make some, I think whoppers would work.   Then just add a cherry bomb for Rudy.  Adorable!