Wannabe Scottie Owner

  This is a silly post. A really silly post. So you can't say you haven't been forewarned!
As the title says I am a wannabe scottie terrier owner. We had a dog that passed on over three years ago and we has fully intended to replace him right away. But that was when we were traveling too much and didn't feel we could handle a puppy until we were settled.
Two years ago while traveling back to see my folks in Iowa my cousin and I went shopping and I found not one, but two sweet terriers to bring home with me!

     Let me introduce to you Dughall and Fiona. Now tell me that you too wouldn't have brought them home with you too. I named these two sweethearts after Becky's real Scottie Terriers at Sweet Cottage Dreams.

You can link to visit them in action at www.sweetcottagedreams.blogspot.com  As I told Becky I've been negligent with these two little dears. So today I  got them out for a little fresh air, fun, and sunshine!

    Here they are playing amongst the flowers.

    After a quick ride up the road with Mommy to hunt for bear, Dughall and Fiona take a wee dip.

                      Ah, oh caught them spooning again!

    And lastly, up the ladder to the loft to bed down  to bag a few z's.

    And wouldn't you know after we are safely tucked away in our bed-look who showed up in the yard!
    He was in a big hurry to get away today so Mommy didn't get a very good shot.
    Disclaimer: Every Nannie has to do a silly post for her sweet little grandkids! Hi Starlet and Lambie!
    XXOO
   

Tablecloths and Aprons

  I have a small collection of  vintage aprons and tablecloths. I would have more but there is a question of room here in my cabin. I don't know about you, but when I'm cooking I usually mess and splatter the top part of my body. Which is why I wear a full apron, not a half of one. It just never made sense to me why homemakers had so many half aprons. So I ask a lady in her 70's if she had any explanation for my puzzlement. She said that her mother, and her peers didn't have many dresses to wear so they would have their full sized aprons to cook in. But if someone came to the door or company came then they would slip into one of their decorative half aprons. How ingenious! Did you know this already? You probably did!

In early spring I decided to wash and air dry a few of my tablecloths. I'm pledging to start using them instead of leaving them setting in a drawer. And I proud to say the last time we has friends over for dinner, I did.
Now I have my own straight from the horses mouth story to share about vintage tablecloths.
When I was a young girl I was sent was lucky enough to spend some of my summer vacation on my grandparents homestead in MO. This was so..... much fun! My grandma taught me so much and had so much patience too. But that's a whole different story for another day.
Back to the tablecloth. After we finished our lunch each day. Grandma would take the dirty dishes off the table to be washed and then spread a tablecloth over the leftover food. Then when it was time for supper she would lift the cloth and warm any food that needed warmed, add some fresh cooked foods, and voila-it was time to eat again! Now I know you're wondering what saved us from stomach poisoning. Frankly, I've ask myself that question a lot of times too. The only answer I can come up with is that she wasn't using food items that would cause intestinal problems. No egg based dressings, etc. It was vegetables from the garden and pickled food mostly. Now tell me, did your grandmother ever do this? Just curious if it was a common practice back then! Or if you have any other unusual uses for your tablecloths I'd love to know!
Blessings to all,

Decisions

  Have you ever had a time in your life when you think you have things settled and  are on an even keel and then something unexpectedly comes along and  temporarily throws you off balance? Well that's what happened in my life this week.
As some of you know my husband and I have worked away from home in various locations. But in March I left my job as an art gallery manager and we moved back to settle in our home on the lake. There were many factors that caused us to make this decision. Mostly concerning family. It was a huge decision. Mostly concerning giving up a great paying job and stepping out in faith to do something we've always wanted to do.

                                          I needed some light and some Godly wisdom.
When working in the Yukon 3 summers ago, one of our co-workers was an Aussie lady named Barb (Bawb, is how she pronounces it). We became fast friends. But we've lost track of each other in the last year as she also does a lot of traveling too.
To make a long story short. She was in a new position where the company she worked for needed two seasoned manager for a new lodge that they had bought. Communication was made back and forth all week, finally with an employment package that was suitable to all involved. Then came the final decision!

Were we really going to give up this once again to chase the bloody dollar? Was I going to give up my dreams of having a garden again, canning my own food again, living nearer to all our children, and starting my own home-based business, as planned for the money? Not to mention having to drag my dear MIL all the way out west again.

 I hate to admit it, but things were rocky for a while. I was the man in James1:6 whose doubts were like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. And James1:8-double minded and unstable in all my ways.
But when it came down to that final decision, the ink on the contract. We couldn't do it. There was no peace.

I can't tell you the joy I feel again now that the decision to remain here has been made. It is a huge step of faith and I sure there will be times that I waver. But I'm putting my trust in the Lord and following my dreams.
None of us knows what the future holds. I think of those of you who have shared the major changes in your lives with me. Whether it was a loss of finances, a sudden health problem that's effected employment,changes
you've had to make in your lives unexpectedly, but I've seen that you've stood strong and kept the faith. And that is such an encouragement to me. So please know that those little incidents in your own life that you share with others may just be the encouragement that someone out there in blog land needs that day.
I, again, wish you a happy weekend. I'll be back on Monday to visit with you again.

Friday's Flowers

      Flowers...are a proud assertation that a ray of beauty outvalues
      all the utilities of the world.       {Ralph Waldo Emerson 1844}

    Have a beautiful weekend my friends.

Lakeside Clothesline

    Now I know there's going to be some "smarty pants" out there in blogland that's going to tell me that this
    is a gazebo, not a clothesline. Well then tell my husband that! When we  first bought this place this
    structure did have a roof and screened sides. Then the high winds of November blew in off the Gitche
    Gumee that year and the gazebo covering was put safely away in a box on the top of the garage rafters.
    I mentioned last summer that we might want to get it out, like normal folks would, and put it over the
    metal frame again. But MH thought he may have seen a few holes in it when he was taking it down
    last fall so we wouldn't want anything that tacky looking in our yard.
    Now, mind you, the only mammal on the face of the earth that even sees our gazebo is the occasional bear
    that passes through it on it's way through the woods. Or, in all honesty, any friends that we've invited for
    dinner. Well, to make a long story short-that was two years ago and I've developed the habit of hanging
    the shirts out there to dry. And  I don't mind telling you that it works pretty darn well.

   
   I did mention it was windy! Now  this is a warning for those of you who are sick and tired of my bear
   pictures. I shot a short video of a bear on the road a couple of  days ago. As many of you know we
   don't have any land lines so I use a cell phone. But the cell will only work on the beach or down the road.
   If it's windy or cold on the beach I hop in the car and drive down the road. Which is how I happened to
   get this video then of the bear.
   

    Please be patient. I didn't have a tripod so I got a little jiggly in places. Mr. Bear decided to go out of the
    view of the camera a few times too. And, just so you know, this was the 4th video and the best. I chased
    him down the road, waiting patiently for him to show himself on the neighboring lanes. And he did. But
    he didn't stay as visible on any of them very long. So I feel fortunate to have gotten the footage that I did
    And that is all she wrote today dear friends!

    Blessing,

Things-They are a changing

     A little over a year ago my dear father in-law passed away. And after much prayer and deliberation my    mother in-law, also dear, decided she would like to spend most of her time living with us here on the lake.
The only problem is that our home is not quite large enough for all of us! But we have a solution...........

    Now I know this doesn't look like much now, but we've drawn up some pretty cute (my words, not my  husbands) floor plans. My mother in-law would like it  to be  an open style- like a little resort camp.
 We've decided the only walls  in my mother in-laws "camp" are going to be for the WR. Open living at it's
  best! There is one slight problem though.

    Our garage is where we store everything. Well that's not entirely true. The sides of our woodshed are
    packed to the hilt too. But you get the point. Something has to give before this garage (graj, if you're
    Canadian like my husband) is converted into a sweet home for his mother to live in. So I spent a good
    deal of time yesterday morning going through all of those boxes trying to decide what I could possibly
    live without.
    After my husband saw that this whole process was going way too slow for his liking, he combined the
    wood from two of the sheds into just one and voila'-I didn't have to get rid of anything. Yet, that is!
     So tomorrow we head to the lumber yard and the fun begins. I will keep you up-dated, of course!
     Until tomorrow,

What is this?

 

    My mother in-law found this in her garage that was being cleared out before she listed her home to sale. My husband's father, who was raised on a farm in S. Ontario, had this stashed away in some cubby hole. Knowing how much I love old stuff, she gave it to me, along with a lot of other treasures.

    The backside.

    OK, you can see that it says it's a sheller on the crank handle. But what did it shell?
     Yes, I know. But do you? Let's see how many "farmgirls" we have out there with the correct answer!
     And then please  help me decide where to hang this. What do you think of my mounting it on a board
     then hanging it in the kitchen? Or I could put it on the outside of the garage.
     Let me know what you think!
    
     
     

The Birthday Boy!

     When I first started my blog I had not planned on sharing any personal photos. Couldn't imagine anyone  
     caring much about my family gatherings and such. But after a few weeks I realized how much I enjoyed
     hearing about the special events in my new found friends lives and perhaps they'd like to share a wee bit
     in mine also.
      So I hope you don't mind "Nannie's" brag photos from Reece's first birthday party.
     If you do  you'd better quit reading right here!!

     Reece's promenade to the cake eating ceremony. Don't you just love this little fellows silky, red hair?

     Next was the cake eating contest. Reece didn't quite know what to think of this icing. He has never had
     anything with sugar in it before. I hope he doesn't get hooked now!!

    The best way to clean up this little M&M (sweet on the inside & sugar coated on the outside) is to throw
     him in the swimming  pool. He loves the water!!

    And what fun is a party if you don't have friends to share it with? Little Reecie's second cousins added to
    his special days excitement. There parents drove for hours to bring them-bless their hearts!
    It was a whirlwind trip for us. We drove all the way to southern MI to pick up my mother in-law and then
    up at 7AM in order to make it in time to the afternoon birthday party in Traverse City. Then a five hour
    drive home. I was beat, for sure.
    But Sunday was a relaxing day. We went to a strawberry festival after church and then home to enjoy the 84 degree weather. Yes I said 84 degrees! I believe summer is here at long last.
    Take care,

ABANDONMENT

   
    What is abandonment?
    It is forgetting your past.
    It is leaving your future in His hands.
    It is devoting the present fully and completely to your Lord.
   

    Abandonment is being satisfied with the present moment, no matter what that moment contains.
    You are satisfied because you know that whatever that moment has it contains-
     in that instant God's eternal plan for you.

    Have a blessed Sunday!
    Abandoned cabins photographed in Silver City, Yukon Territories-2009.

Random Photos

  Today I'd llike to share a few random photos of our place here on the Gitche Gumee.

   
    This is the woodshed. I love the shadows the sunset cast on it as it's going down.

   
    Now this ladies, is a backwoods hot tub. It's heated by wood and if the water is too hot where you're sitting, you  just use the boat paddle to swirl it around!

    I love the simplicity of the old rain barrel next to the logs beneath the shadows of the old birch tree.

    Wildflowers from our walk on our road this week.

   A photo from the front yard.  I love the combination here of moss, evergreen, old bark, and wildflower.
   Now I'm off for Michigan.
   Hope that all of you who are visiting will have a great Friday!

A Special Day

  One year ago today our daughter in-law presented us with a very special gift.

    That beautiful yellow daffodil burst open and presented us with a sweet blossom!

    Adorable baby Reece. This little fellow looks just like my son did when he was little! Tomorrow
    we are off to Traverse City for his first birthday party, so there will be up-dated pictures to share 
    very soon.

   
    Anyone remember this cute shopping bag?  I love the images on it of Canada that it depicts so well. Little did I realize what a treasured item this would become. I  bought five just on a whim and decided maybe I should get a few more next trip in to town.  But there are none to be had anymore.
I wish I could send one to each of my new found friends out there in blog land. But since I can't I will mail one to each of the first three readers who leave a comment today. Please be sure that you can receive a reply, so I can get your address for shipping.

     For now I leave you with last nights sunset. I don't know what it is about watching the sunset that leaves me with such a feeling of calm. It's like all the cares and the stresses of that day are sinking right along with that sun. I feel that God awaits for me to enter into his rest and allow him to recharge my spirit to face what's ahead for  me in the new day.
It could mean something entirely different to you, but there's no denying it's wonderful!
Blessings,

Beating Myself Up!

 I wasn't going to share this with anyone but now that I'm really, truly done beating myself up over what   happened, I will.

 Four nights ago, while my husband was frying salmon, I noticed a bear hanging around the yard. So I grabbed my camera and started snapping pictures. Then my husband reminds me that the camera will also video-tape. So I excitedly switch over to video.

 By this time the bear is on the deck. He is  standing up to our front window!

This fellow is mere inches from me. We are face to face! I could even  have kissed him through the window pane had I not had the camera in front of me. From there he tries to get in by the sliding glass door, which(thank goodness) I had closed when I first saw him in the yard. Now remember I am getting this all on video tape.

He gives up on entering the house but still hangs around the yard for a while. And then he finally realises he isn't getting in and skedaddles off.

My husband and I are euphoric! We've gotten a lot of pictures of bears in the yard, but never has a bear stayed so long or ever come up on our deck.

 Now it is time to review the video. And this is were the beating myself up begins! Oh yes, you guessed it-the camera wasn't even video taping at all!  And whose fault was that?  Mine, of course. I had forgotten that I had to hold the silver button on the top of the camera down for it to record.

I can just say that I am glad that I didn't have a cast iron skillet handy on that day. Because I'm sure I would've been very tempted to hit myself over the head just to put myself out of my misery. I know it sounds trivial, but to me it was BIG!

To make a long story short. I'm over it. I'm sure you can tell that. And I have now practiced and have become quite proficient at holding that shiny, little silver button down that's on the top of my camera to record!

Now, tell me, have you ever done anything that you just wanted to shoot yourself for? Just a matter of speech here ladies. Please share-I'm all ears!

Super Easy Recipe

  Hello! Today is shopping day and since it takes 40 minutes both ways, it pretty much blows my day. So today I thought I would share a tasty recipe that I like to fix when I'm pressed for time. Hope you and your family enjoy as much as I do.

                                                       BEEF NACHO CASSEROLE

   1# GROUND BEEF
   1 JAR (12 0Z.) CHUNKY SALSA
   1 CUP SWEET CORN,drained
   3/4 CUP MIRACLE WHIP
   1 TBSP. CHILI POWDER
   2 CUPS TORTILLA CHIPS, divided
   2 CUPS KRAFT SHREDDED
  
   HEAT OVEN TO 350F. BROWN MEAT; DRAIN. STIR IN SALSA, CORN, DRESSING AND
   CHILI POWDER. LAYER 1/2 EACH OF MEAT MIXTURE, CHIPS, AND CHEESE IN 2 QT.
   CASSEROLE. REPEAT LAYERS. BAKE 25 MINUTES OR UNTIL THOROUGHLY HEATED.
   TOP WITH SHREDDED LETTUCE AND CHOPPED TOMATO, IF DESIRED. SERVES 6.

   I serve with black olives, green onions, and sour cream. I have also substituted chili beans for the corn.
   Just adjust the ingredients to your own liking. There you have it! Enjoy!