December News & Views...

     Wow, where did the month go?  We thought the fall flew by and now it's almost the end of 2013!  I think this is what happens when you get older??  Time just flies!  I thought it flew through my kids growing up years, but as we age, the days seem to fly by at a much faster speed than ever before!  I like pictures...and I think my blog friends do too...so here you go!

Oldest grandson is learning to hunt!  He shot this partridge at his "other" papa & nana's farm.  He was very excited!
 

Every time this little girl plays on my Ipad, she takes these pictures!  I caught her...then she caught me!

 

 

I think we have "Disney Princess" pictures of every location in my house!!  She's possessed!

It's winter in northern Minnesota...we got 19" of snow in 2 days of non-stop snowing...

 

That's the snow plow making his first of many trips to open up the road!

I took my camera when I walked out to the mailbox during the snow...capturing these pictures...

 Beautiful snow-covered pine...and

 

I think this picture is "notecard" worthy!

When we were in Illinois earlier this fall/winter, I took a picture of my childhood home...

 

Such memories I have of living in this house that seemed "giant" when I was a kid!  I got a chance to tour the house a few years ago...it has been loved by the families that have lived in it since we did!  That was comforting!

I took these pictures at Steve's parents' church...beautiful banners that I hope to create for our church someday!

I went to a quilting retreat in mid-November and captured this picture one morning of the sunrise...note the cross in the water...but not in the sky...pretty awesome!

 

In December, our church held the 6th annual Christmas Cookie Walk...if you missed it, here's some of the goodies...and mark your calendar for the first Saturday in December next year!

 

Two weeks ago I took this picture on my way to the hospital to volunteer...Sundogs appear around the sun usually in extreme cold weather...something we've had alot of lately!  I guess these pictures are the reward for bearing the cold!

 

I'll give you a couple of hours to read this post, then I'll share our family Christmas photos!

Rejoice in this most Holy Season!

And stay warm!

 

 

 

 

 

I am Thankful...

Tis the month of November...and Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  I'm a "blogger" and bloggers write!  I've had writer's cramp lately...so much to write about and no time to write!  I've decided to pause in all this "busyness" and share some of the many things/persons/places I am thankful for.

 

This lovely lady was my Mother-in-law for 41 years.  She left us this month and she will be missed.  My grandchildren called her "Grandma the Great"...and she enjoyed every one of them.  Grandpa the Great misses her terribly, but he has a huge family that loves him and will take care of him. I am thankful that they had 65 years together.

 

I am thankful for my siblings...yes, I'm the oldest!  We don't live close to each other, but we have wonderful relationships and are there for each other.  Mom and Dad would be proud!  We grew up in Washington, IL, a small, close-knit community hit by an F4 tornado on November 17th.  I'm so thankful that my family there is safe...affected by the tornado, but they will be okay.  So many people lost their homes and most of their belongings.  Our parents former home, where this picture was taken, was destroyed in the storm.  Hundreds of homes were lost, but Washington is a proud community and they will survive and rebuild their beautiful city.

 

I am so very thankful for my 4 children, their spouses and each and everyone of these 11 grandchildren!  Wow, that's a picture-full!  It warms my heart to gather together!  We celebrated the youngest, Calli's baptism in October.  I am thankful that we were all able to be there, in church, together, worshiping God and witnessing Calli's introduction to the church through her baptism. 

 

I am thankful for this beautiful place that God lead us to many years ago.  We were so young, 4 little ones to raise, and a resort to operate.  Our move from Illinois to Minnesota to purchase Cedar Rapids Lodge was the best move we could have made!  We truly live in God's country, providing vacation memories for hundreds of families since 1987.  We are so thankful for all the friends we have made each and every summer.  We only hope God lets us live here for many more years!

The list of thankfulness could go on forever...but the day is ending and I'm running out of "daylight".  Of all these things I am thankful for, the most important is my faith.  We live in a country where we have the freedom to worship God and go to church with others...I try to never take that for granted.  My church family is important to me and I feel "at home" when I am able to worship with them! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

Happy Birthday Sam!

Wow...today our 3rd "child" turns 35!  He's hardly a child, right? 

 

This is one of my favorite pictures of Sam with Grandpa John...

 

Here's Sam on my lap...a picture taken the summer we bought our resort and moved from Illinois to Minnesota...do we look scared?  I was 35, Steve was 36...we took a leap of faith and it was one of the best decisions we've ever made!  Do you think so, Sam?

 

One of our first winters at the resort...ice skating on the lake!

 

Sam and Grandpa John together at the lake...a priceless picture!

 

Roz and Sam this summer at the resort with their family!

Looks like you've grown up, Sam!  Happy Birthday to one of the goofiest, child-like, fun-loving Daddys I know!

We love you!  Happy 35th Birthday, Sam!

Minnesota Fall Fishing....and the Folks!

     We got to go fishing!!  Finally!!  We only got out once in October...it's a crime, I know!  Our life was busy this fall, but we feel fortunate to have had one good outing on the lake!

 

Yep...an 18" bass!  My first big fish in a very long time!

Of course, the lodgemaster could not be out-done...

 

His was a 20" bass caught about 3 minutes after mine!  

And yes, both fish were released back into the lake!  

We had the best time...the lake was like glass...the sunset was phenomenal!

Within the week, we had to leave MN for a week...our parents needed us!  They were moving into a facility in their home town called The Grand Victorian.  This place is a dream!  My son-in-law says he wants to live there...but...you have to be at least 55!  Sorry, Marc, you'll have to wait several years!  

Here's John and Beulah on moving day!  It was a big change from the place they've called home for 40+ years.  It's a beautiful two story, almost new building, with just about everything you would need at their age.

 

It's so cozy looking from the outside...

 

and inside too!

We were so impressed with the staff...so welcoming and warm.  The residents were curious as we moved Mom and Dad's belongings in...asking their names...and we saw many familiar faces of people they already knew who were living there.

 

Steve and his Dad at their new home...

 

and saying goodbye to them in their breakfast room on the morning we left to go back to MN.

 

We also got to see these special people in IL.  Jim and Beth have been our best friends since 1968!  Steve started working in Jim's Dad's grocery store and they ended up in business together at the store until we left for MN and the resort life in 1987!  We had our kids together, ran the stores together...shared good times and sad times together.  Every time we see them it's like we haven't been apart!  Such great friends!

We left IL, traveled back home to Cedar Rapids Lodge, went to Disney for a week(that's a whole other blog post!), then made a trip to southern MN for this little girl's baptism...

 

Doesn't she look joyful on her Baptism Day!  And yes, her Nana made the quilt for her!  I'd like to think she liked it that much!

 

And I love this picture of her...she took off her fancy dress and posed with her new bracelet made by her cousin!  Look at that healthy baby girl!!

Our family was all together that day...what a blessing to all be in the Lord's house together celebrating Calli's special day!  We've become a crowd!  And we love them all!

 

Christmas will be a fun time for everyone!

Happy Fall!

Mug Rug Tutorial

         This post is not related to vacations or fishing or cabins...but a post I felt was needed.  I'm a quilter...I have a passion for sewing!  My 11 grandchildren have provided me with lots of sewing opportunities...blankies for each baby when they were born...minkee fabric is my best friend when sewing for these little ones!  So....I had a wonderful opportunity to sew last week.  My cousin, Jackie, drove up to spend a few days and we sewed our fool heads off!  Jackie spent the weekend before she came here in Door County, WI, walking 50 miles for Multiple Sclerosis.  She's a little younger than I am...and she just amazed me with her ability to walk that far in 3 days!!  Needless to say, when she got here, she was glad to relax a little.

      Jackie brought her sewing machine and fabrics, equipped to sit and sew for several days...so I couldn't disappoint her!  I hauled my machine and just a small part of my fabric stash...out into the lodge game room where we could sew with the natural light coming in the lodge windows.  We worked on projects we both wanted to get done, but then we decided to look for something we could both do together and use some of our fall fabrics.  Pinterest was our friend...we researched the projects and found lots of "mug rugs" featured.  We noticed that there were lots of photos, but very few tutorials...so, here you go!

 

This is the finished mug rug that I am making.

The finished size is about 6 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches, but size can vary.

 

This is a charm pack of 5 inch fabric squares...not the one I used, but you get the idea.

I started with a stack of 5 inch squares...I like using charm packs to sew because all the squares coordinate in your project.  It's just easier...and eliminates searching your stash and cutting the fabrics into 5 inch squares.

 

I laid out my 5 inch squares and cut them in half...now I had 2 1/2 inch strips of assorted colors.

 

I sewed 2 different strips together, then added 3 more strips and ended up with 5 strips sewn together.

I then cut those strips in half, ending up with a strip of 5 colors 2 1/2 inches wide...

 

Here's the 2 1/2 inch strip of fabric, with 2 background strips sewn on the top and bottom of the strip.  That's the face of the mug rug...

 

Next I layer a backing fabric, a piece of batting and the fabric to be quilted.

 

I just did a squiggle stitch...my own design just moving the fabric side to side while stitching...very easy and forgiving if you don't stitch straight!  After I have quilted the piece, I trim the batting and backing to the size of the mug rug.  I attached binding to the back of the project and top stitched the binding onto the front of the piece.  It's fast and secures the binding well in case the mug rug is laundered frequently.  I cut my binding 2 1/4 inches wide, folded it wrong sides together, pressed and sewed it on.

 Here's the finished mug rug ready to gift with a mug and a package of Chocolate Mug Cake!

Recipe?  I have it...I'll post it later...

 

I embellished the corner of my finished project with stitching and a button...

Aren't they cute?

I used my entire 5 inch charm pack and sewed about 25 of these mug rugs...sewing was fast and it's a great way to use up scraps of batting and backing fabrics.  They make such cute gifts...everyone needs one for every season!  

Now go make yourself one...or 25!!

Happy Sewing!

Thank you!

     I began to write this post about Labor Day...the guests, fish, kids, friends...but then I realized what today is.  This date is 9/11...a date that is remembered by everyone...we all remember where we were and what we were doing when the tragedy hit.  Those of us who are old enough, remember this date as well as we remember the day President Kennedy was assassinated. 

     I also remember 9/11 because I talked to my Dad about the tragedy...and that was one of the last few conversations we had before he died too young in November of that year.  My Dad was too young to have served in WWII or the Korean War.  Some of his brothers served. 

     I think we all are thankful to the men and women who have served our country in their lifetime.  Steve was drafted in the last draft of the Vietnam War.  The draft was never reinstated after that...he did not have to go overseas...he served his country quietly in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Utah.  I thought my world ended when he was drafted when we had only been married for 5 months....but as I have lived through the last 40 years, I realize that his serving was just the right thing to do.  I was scared, he was scared, but together we lived through his 2 years of Army life...and now we look back on that time as some of our fun years together!  We were broke, making such a small salary with the Army, but we were together most of that time and that was the important part.

     I am moved to write about this because I recently heard about the "Honor Flight" program being offered by our country to honor the veterans who served during WWII and the Korean War.  These veterans are contacted and reservations made to fly them to Washington D.C. for just one day, but it is a day where they are hailed and thanked and recognized...so many years later...for their service to our country. 

     We were honored to have an "Honor Flight" veteran as a guest at our resort this year.  Dean has been coming to our resort since the early 80s....and he LOVES to fish for crappies!  He always catches those fish...for himself and anyone else who might need some fish to eat or take home.  We had a fish fry while he was here this year and he wore his t-shirt so I could take his picture!

 

Dean and Emma Clayton

Latham IL

     Dean has been teasing me for all of our 26 years here....always inquiring about what days the ice cream is free....wondering when his cabin will be free....those of you who know him can almost hear him saying that!  Anyway, he proudly wore his shirt for the dinner and told us the story of his trip, how the school kids stood as he and the other veterans came off the plane, clapping and shaking his hand while a band played and the crowd showed their respect for this group of veterans!  I was immediately proud of our country for going to this length to honor these men and women.  What an awesome gift to these aging veterans who don't often get the chance to tell their stories....and how important their stories are!  So thanks, Dean, for your service!

     And thank you to any of our guests who served...if you were a part of the Honor Flight program, please send me your picture so I can brag about you too!

     I can't write a blog story without more photos, so here's just a couple of the wonderful, blessed  sunsets we witness this time of the year....

 

 

     If you know someone who served our country, no matter when, be sure and thank them!  They will really appreciate it!

Happy Fall!

 

The Family of Cedar Rapids Lodge!

     Our family has changed since we took this picture in 1987...the summer we moved to Cedar Rapids Lodge....

 

We were a young family excited for our new adventure in Minnesota...

and 26 years later, the Addler family has grown up!

 

The oldest, Jen, and her family...

Nathan, 7, Marc, Jill, 4, Jen and Calvin, 9

 

Oldest son, Max, and his family....

Greyson, 6, Max, Sara, Tate, 3 and Will, 11

 

Middle son, Sam and family....

Lucien, 5, Roz, Monica, 4, Ben, 8, Sam and Olivia, 1

 

and youngest son, John and family....

John, Calli, 3 months and Alicia

Needless to say, when any or all come to visit, the resort is a busy place!  Our kids worked hard when they were growing up...we probably didn't appreciate them as much as we should have. When they left for college and then married and left this place for their own digs, we realized how hard they worked and cared about the resort!  We love when they come "home" and bring their families...we love how they just pitch in and help in the lodge or wherever we need them!  They take pride in the resort and we consider them all a big part of our life here!  Even the grand kids are getting old enough to help out!  If the chore involves using the golf cart and grand kids, it always is fun getting the job done!!

We were pretty green when we bought this place...

 

Oh my, just look how young we were!  And now...

 

How the years have flown by!  We love our life at the resort...and our family, friends and guests have made it possible for us to live here and work here and vacation with all of you!

Thank you for making our 26 years so much fun...we look forward to this 27th year!