Happy Birthday, Dan & Abe!

Yes, Dan and Abraham Lincoln share their special day. Dan is in the cities today plus I had conferences tonight so we are not celebrating Dan's birthday today. He will be home in time for Valentines so that will be nice. The first photo shows Dan at the site of Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. The second is a couple blocks down the street from Georgetown at the Potomac River. I believe the Watergate builiding is in the background. Dan is also wearing the shirt that I like the most, green is a great color with his brown eyes. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Bag

I made this purse this afternoon, actually I made two of them. One will be a gift, maybe the other one too...we'll see. It's similar to a placemat purse but I used fabric that I found a couple weeks ago at JoAnne's. It's lined with a small brown floral print and has a vintage green button. The top sides are slanted inward so it has kind of a round shape. It should be a fun spring purse. If you are thinking of sewing a bag check out this website for some great inspiration. There are lots of fun sewing projects to check out there. Go to Inspiration and then luscious projects to see all the bags. The lifestyle photo's are neat too. Have a great week & stay warm. Laurie

Warm-up

It was a balmy 20 degrees today and we had a dusting of snow early this morning on top of the nice fluffy 3 inches we got on Tuesday....perfect conditions for cross country skiing! I went out early in the afternoon and later again with Dan. In total, I probably got about 1 1/2 hours of skiing in. The snow was just gorgeous, sparkling crystals in the sunshine. It felt good to spend time outside again.

New Feeder

Since my squirrels have a tendency to destroy my birdfeeders, I'm careful about the ones I buy. This one came from Fleet Farm for $9 and I think it has a Smith & Hawkin look about it. If it was from S&H it would probably cost around $30. My favorite thing about this feeder (besides the price and roof) is that the feeding posts are shaped like little branches.

Target slippers

If I had the knitting skills I would knit slippers like this but when Target has them on clearance (this week!) for $1.48, who needs to knit?! Are these cute or what?

Just Say No

I'm tired of winter and 24 below. It's my blog and I can post summer pictures if I want to. At least my lovely hostas have a decent blanket of snow over them now. We awoke to about 4 inches of fluffy snow on Tuesday morning. It really was a beautiful snow if only it wasn't 24 below.

Cows and Thresher

I promised some more rural pictures and here's another one of my favorites. I took this a couple of years ago about 5 miles north of Cyrus.

I have a link!

Okay, I am going to try out a previously unused feature on my blog. Click here to see one of my favorite websites for clothing/decor inspiration. There are only two of them in Minnesota so I rarely shop there but maybe that makes it more special when I do. I say inspiration because I don't buy much unless it's back in their discount corner. It's like brain training so that I know what to snatch up when I shop thrift stores, rummage sales and Target. Speaking of thrift stores, I did quite well at one recently. Maybe I'll post a picture of some of the highlights. (Think Ann Taylor Loft spring skirt!!!!!) Hee- hee!

Hello out there!

Again, this photo is from last winter after an ice storm. It looks like the lake is open in the background where you see the gray. I was pretty excited tonight to see TWO comments on yesterday's Prince blog. Charice, it was good to hear from you and I'm happy to hear that you're a regular reader. Could you see that I couldn't quite remember how to spell Beedle? It does not seem that long ago that we lived down there. We could do a whole blog just on those memories.
I'm guessing that Darlene wrote the last one but don't know for sure. Darlene you are one of my most faithful blog readers and I often have you in mind when I blog. If you'll sign your name after your comments then I'll know for sure! I hope nobody thinks I'm begging for comments though I do get excited when I get them. I guess a blog is so one sided that it's a fun surprise to hear back from people. I wish each of you had a blog I could visit...Jen I know you're thinking about it! In the Star Tribune they had an article about blogs and said that the average blog has only 1 reader. At that time I figured that I was doing well with about 3 readers. Now I think I have close to ten. So, just for fun here are the people that I think check in now and then and read my blog; Darlene, Ellen, Ann, Jen, Amanda, Charice, Sarah, Andrew, Becky, Jan, Lynn and one kind stranger. So, did I miss anyone?

Halftime show

I LOVED the halftime show! I thought Prince did a fantastic job. His music always brings me right back to the Beetle Basement in 1985. My college roommates and I rented a basement apartment from a woman named Jane Beadle, hence the name. Was anyone else worried about all that equipment and the rain? I'm kind of a chicken when it comes to electricity.

Happy Birthday, Lynn!

Lynn, I hope you had a special day despite the cold weather. I think this is a great picture of you. It captures your spirit. You were a beautiful bride!! This photo is from June 06, but seems like just yesterday. What a fun day that was! Hope you are having a great time settling into your new home!

Cold Days

It's been a pretty cold weekend on Sandy Point, just like everywhere I guess. Yesterday morning it was -15 when I went out and I'd say it was about the same today although I have not ventured out yet. I have a thermometer on the garage but it's hard to read from the house. We've had a lot of squirrels at the feeders, don't they ever hibernate?! This photo was taken in December after a pretty snow. We have about the same amount of snow on the ground today but not in the branches. The sunshine is pouring into the house and that has been very nice this weekend. No plans to watch the Super Bowl this afternoon. I think I'd rather make some valentine bookmarks for my 4th graders. Hope everyone is keeping warm and getting some good naptime in!

Super Stain Remover

This removes almost anything! I discovered it after spilling red wine on my white sofa and it worked! Combine equal parts hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing soap (gel based) and dab on the stain. I keep mine in a pump and it seems to last indefinitely.

Earth Friendly Cleaning

All Purpose Cleaner (Pergo Cleaner)
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup water
4 drops of dishwashing soap

Combine all ingredients in a recycled spray bottle. I found this on the internet as a substitute for Pergo floor cleaner. It works better than the Pergo solution in my opinion, as there's no film residue left behind. Nancy found it to be a great window cleaner. Usually, I just use water on my stainless steel but if it's a little grimy I use this. Great for countertops too!

Candle Tip

When a large candle in a jar burns down it can be difficult to light without getting soot all over your hands or burning your fingers. An easy, handy solution is to light the end of a spaghetti noodle!