More Guys...

Okay, I pulled Ted out of the woodwork with the last photo. Let's see who'll we'll get with this one?! I do think this is a nice picture of Jim and Warren. Dan beat the storm home this evening. This one sounds like it will come with plenty of wind and I really hate that. I'm predicting that we will not have school on Thursday and a late start on Friday, if at all. We're watching the guys in American Idol tonight and they're doing better than last week I think. What really interests me is the show that has it's debut right after Idol, and it's "So you think you know more than a 5th grader!" Or something like that. I think I might...we'll see. The things they come up with! Good night! Laurie

Old window idea

This is a frame that Nancy made with scrapbooking materials, old photo's and an old window. She got the idea from our cousin Joni. I took this picture because I plan to make one someday and I know that some of you might be inspired be it also. She has it hanging in her dining room. She told me that she used cardboard as backing and a staple gun to attach it to the frame. I think it's very cool!

Basketball

Here is a picture of David (Nancy's husband) looking very coach-like a week ago. It was a fun game even though they lost. The other team had a guy who was 6 foot 11, can you imagine?!! Luckily, he's a senior.

Guys

Just a cute picture of Dan, Andy & Ted. Andy, I hope you and Sarah enjoyed your two hour delay this morning. You too, Ann! You lucky ducks!! Maybe I'll have better luck on Thursday morning! The kids thoroughly enjoyed all the snow on the playground at noon. Our janitor pushed it nicely up against the building on the outskirts of the playground. It was quite a long pile so plenty of room for all. Nobody was on the equipment, it was great to see them having so much fun out there.

Mollie???

No, this is Sadie, who is a new cat at the Grant County Humane Society. I went in to take photos last week and was very shocked to see Mollie's twin. She is nine years old (same age as Mollie) and is declawed in the front. Kris, do you think she could be from the same litter?? She probably wieghs about 4 pounds less than Mollie, which is good! So, if you'd like a cat like Mollie(Teri, you know you do!) you know where to find her. She'll be on Petfinder soon along with the other 4 cats currently in the shelter.

Backyard view

This is the view from our bathroom window this morning. Those branches look so heavy.

Brrrrr

After shooing this guy away from the feeder, he sat there staring longingly at it. He insisted on chewing the openings on the new feeder so I had to put it away. The birds will eat happily from the cheap plastic one.

Snow

After tromping around in the snow this morning, I'd say we got between 10-12 inches of snow. It's fairly nice out there. We're heading out soon to blow and shovel.

Spring Fever

I bought these sandals at Target this week on sale for $22. They're Born knock-offs and are pretty cushy on the feet. They had them in white too. I like the cork, reminds me of the 70's.

Ling

Ellen says I need to update my blog a little more often. Preferably animal pictures and not cleaning tips. Ellen sent these photo's of her beloved hamster Ling who is not doing very well. She has had Ling for about a year and recently noticed a tumor. She has been treating her with antibiotics but Ling is losing a lot of weight and is not as active. Ellen has another hamster named Chuckie Sue by Carly but Ling has always had a special place in Ellen's heart. I hope Ling is having a good day, Ellen. Ling is lucky to have such a caring owner.

Happy Birthday, Kris!

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of Kris on her big day as she is a little camera shy. Kris and Teri came over tonight for a birthday dinner and we watched American Idol for a little entertainment. We had a fun girl's night as the guys were all off working somewhere. We are pretty big Idol fans around here including my workplace. None of the performances really knocked our socks off tonight but there were some bright spots and also some nice white teeth.

Random Photo/Guilt

This photo caught my eye as I was looking for a picture of Kris to post. This is the summer view from our living room. Can you see that tree that's popping up in the center of the view? Dan cut it down last year. It was an oak. I know it was wrong, but I let him do it. Amanda, don't tell Joel.

Facial Cleansing Tip

Here's another great use for baking soda; mix a little bit into your facial cleanser and you have a very gentle exfoliant that is quite effective. If I haven't done it for awhile, I can really feel the difference afterwards. My skin feels very clean and smooth. In this photo you can see a salt shaker that is actually filled with baking soda. It works perfectly! Try it on your hands too.

Country Girls

Carly and Sophie did some great posing for me outside at Christmas. They were very patient. They like to go out and look at the cows as long as the dogs are in their kennel.

Vintage cabin

I snapped this photo when I was out skiing last week. I think this is one of the cutest cabins on the lake. It looks like it's from 1920 or so and hasn't been touched since. It looks like they use the porch in front as a bedroom. Wouldn't it be neat to sleep there? If you click on the picture you can see it in detail. I've always been a sucker for a fieldstone fireplace.

"Bird" watching

I'm heading out to fill the feeders so our cats will have a little entertainment for a couple of days. This squirrel got the cats all excited last weekend. It was pretty funny! I have the day off today due to conferences and have Monday off too! It's the closest thing to a spring break that we get so I'd better enjoy it! I still have my 3 personal days left to use and I do have fun plans for them. Have a great weekend! Cross your fingers for those warmer temp's they're promising us. Laurie

Thrift Finds

Just a few of the goodies I found a couple of weeks ago. Isn't the puzzle delightful? I brought it to our workroom and it's about 80% complete. We have a couple people on staff who are "master" puzzlers. It's a relaxing activity for a few minutes of the day. I don't work on it but enjoy watching the progress. I found another one with a house wren in the garden that will put our minds on spring. My favorite find was the Ann Taylor Loft skirt. I love floral anything so it's perfect. I'm trying to create a little library for the cabin and that's where these books are headed. The puzzles will end up there too. Games are another thing I'm collecting. Almost forgot about the bulldozer vest, that's for Joey. We will see them tonight!! I think Sam had a vest just like this.

Happy Valentines Day!

Just look at these pretty little candles that Shelly sent home with Dan a couple of weeks ago for me. I broke down and burned one but the rest are just too pretty. I think they look like little cakes so they will stay safely inside this cake stand. They are so sweet! Thank you Shelly!! Speaking of cake, I just made Dan's favorite...carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Now, I'd better do something with the shrimp I picked up for dinner, hmmmm.....

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!

Eggs

Aren't these eggs gorgeous? These eggs came from John, one of my former first graders. He's a sixth grader now and raises his own chickens and has a great little egg business going. The egg in front is a bluish gray, my camera didn't do a good job of picking that up. John sells to quite a few teachers for $1.50/dozen, plus some good tips. He brings them on the school bus and drops them off at our classroom door. (I've never had a cracked egg, amazing, considering the transportation!) Isn't that neat? It's nice to see how motivated and industrious he is. I'm down to my last few eggs and will probably have to buy some at the store tomorrow unless he brings some by my room tomorrow. The store eggs just aren't the same.