Hibernating....

 

This is my "bear's den" for the winter!  I have been able to spend a lot of time in here this winter...blizzards and sub zero temps leave me with some wonderful sewing time!  

I'm catching up on projects and sending quilts off to be quilted...and even finishing some...

 

2 of the lap quilts my favorite cousin quilted for me...one already given away!

The winter also provides us the time to get some "in house" projects done...

 

Here's my large, spacious, ugly laundry room...pale yellow cupboards and blue floral wallpaper...just a little dated!  But...we're remodeling it this month...

 

The cupboards have a fresh coat of white paint, new hardware...and yes, that ugly ceiling is next!  Wainscoting on the ceiling, stained pine for walls...then the floor...and we haven't decided what that will be!  I spend a lot of time in this room and it will be nice to get it done!

We also painted the kitchen...we worked together for 2 days and had a great time...really!  It was a good feeling to get it done...here's a preview

 

We had a pale yellow on the walls and went with a warm aqua...such a bright spot in the winter!

We don't always hibernate at home...we went to the cities over the weekend and celebrated Greyson's special week at school with lunch in the cafeteria...

 

 

The mac n cheese was actually pretty good, but the time with him was priceless!

I also got to be the mystery reader at daughter-in-law's daycare...and gosh, Monica was so excited that it was me...just made my day(photo to come)...trust me...it was the best fun!

We celebrated a couple of birthdays while we were visiting...and

 

Baby Calli got to sneak a bite of a birthday cupcake from Uncle Max!  She looked at him like it was illegal!  Too cute!

 

We bunked at Calli's house one night and had a great time watching all her new tricks...crawling, walking around furniture...she's a fun little girlie!

Then we spent a night with this little girl and her 3 siblings...

 

Miss O is full of conversation and we almost understand it all!!

On a sad note...we lost a wonderful guest who had become like family to us!  Ruth Kruger passed away this winter in Omaha.  We were privileged to have her as a guest for all of our years at the resort...she probably made 50 trips up to see us with her family...and we will miss her terribly.  Her family sent us this photo of our resort that they used on her funeral folder...we are so honored to have called her family!

 

We look forward to open water and all our returning guests...and we remember many we have lost and miss each year!

Try and enjoy the rest of the winter...I'll finish up my sewing projects and be ready for spring cleaning in just a couple of months!  Yikes...time does fly the older we get!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014...and a little 2013 too!

     My last post promised Christmas photos...and I was lax on that!  Life just gets busy sometimes and it's not even summer!  I love when my guests come each summer and ask "So...what did you do all winter?"  And I feel like I have to present a schedule of our activities...when we really don't have a schedule!  I think that summer is just the best time of the year...it's busy, but all our guests/friends come and life is just good!  But...we really need our winters to regenerate ourselves...relax...get active in church...do our mailings...rent cabins...plan projects...follow through on said projects...relax...read...and most important, spend time with our family!  We're not able to travel at all in the summer months and we make up for it all winter long!  Here's the draw to get us to travel...

 

Yep...all 11 of them!  We are so blessed with these little ones...and their parents!  It takes a lot of wrapping paper to celebrate Christmas with these guys!! We had a blast!  And I think they did too!  The cousins have a great time together...and those 3 in the back row are just princesses!  That other little girlie sitting in front of them doesn't know that she's not their age...she runs to keep up!  Then there's the baby...Calli...she is loved by all of them and is growing and learning and crawling...way too fast!

     What have we been up to lately?  One of my passions at home is sewing...and I have had a great time hibernating in my sewing room...making blankies for some of these little ones...and creating and sorting and organizing and teaching some of these grandkids to sew!  They have all had a chance and it's something special we can do together when they come to visit.  I've had fun making my own original "mug rugs"...little placemats for little people...or just a spot for your coffee & cookie...here's one I made...

      I've also been crafting with a resort owner friend!  We will hold a class later this month for other ladies in our resort association and teach them how to make these...

 

We had so much fun...once we figured out what we were doing!  

 

 

We're really excited to show all our friends how to make these for their cabins!

There are reasons we love living here...

 

The winter scenes are beautiful!

 

The sunsets are magnificent...hard to capture on a camera!

 

Snowshoe expeditions through the woods and skiing out on the lake!

I don't like this...

 

the temperature outside...this evening!

I really think this picture is cool...I have already showed it to you, but I am showing you it again...upside down!  I can't get enough of it!  You might find it framed in your cabin this summer!

 

Of course, we all can't wait to do this again....

 

It's dreaming of this that gets us through the looong winters!!

Happy 2014!  

I will try to write more often in this new year!  Try!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!