tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80309115580311583692024-03-13T12:10:35.250-07:00Apple BlossomsShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-10426052148152298992015-05-27T08:07:00.000-07:002015-05-27T08:07:43.837-07:00Memorial Day Weekend and some Chicken LoveIt has been a while since I last posted. Over a year! I would like to keep up on my blog this summer and share some of our gardening, outdoor, country living adventures. We have had some exciting times, as we added chickens to our little farmette. It has been so fun for all of us. The kids are sure enjoying the adventure, so I thought I would share. Also, we had such a nice Memorial Day weekend as a family. Many graduation open houses, our small town parade, and time at home working in the garden and finishing up the coop. So I'd like to share some of our adventures in pictures today. <br />
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No celebration is complete without Root Beer Floats</div>
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And now our chickens and coop. We purchased a shed from a local builder and added the finishing touches we needed to turn it into a coop. The boys and I are going to do some landscaping and fill in with fresh herbs, as that is some of the chickens favorite treats!</div>
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The kids are enjoying the chickens as you can see. I am hoping to update on my garden next week. We have had a lot of rain, and I was hoping to get out today to finish up planting but it is just too wet. I need to plant my corn, and finish up on the carrots, beans, sunflowers and the pumpkin patch. I hope you will feel free to join me as I share my view of country living in the Midwest!</div>
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From My Home to Yours,<br />
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Shannon</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-4674758919255900732014-03-13T21:52:00.001-07:002014-03-13T21:52:14.028-07:00Winter Fun and a little Chocolate Fudge!<br />
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It has been a while since I have <span id="goog_494573957"></span><span id="goog_494573958"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>posted. Life is busy, full and blessed! What a winter it has been. Fortunately, we love the cold and snow, so we have been having so much fun skiing and snow boarding!<br />
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We have spent many hours a week enjoying this beautiful winter, outdoors, together as a family. It has also been a great way to get regular exercise during these long, cold months. I feel thankful to have the opportunity, to spend this precious time with my family. </div>
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Speaking of regular exercise, I wanted to share a fantastic new recipe. Our family is on a new healthy journey together and in the process we are cutting out sugar and processed foods. But sometimes a girl needs some chocolate! I found this recipe on pinterest today, and wanted to share.</div>
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Healthy Chocolate Fudge</div>
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One-half cup coconut oil</div>
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One-half cup of honey</div>
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One-half, plus 2 tbsp of coco</div>
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2 Tbsp of peanut butter</div>
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Melt coconut oil and honey in microwave for 40 seconds. Add coco. Mix until well blended and add peanut butter. Pour into a pan lined with parchment paper. Take an extra tbsp of peanut butter and swirl over the top and into the fudge. Place in freezer until hardened. </div>
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This is absolutely delicious, all natural, and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!</div>
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Enjoy!!</div>
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This recipe is courtesy of:</div>
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http://foodiefriendsfridaydailydish.com</div>
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From my house to yours</div>
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♡ Shannon</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-51423153083604528752013-10-22T06:06:00.002-07:002013-10-22T06:06:12.366-07:00Fall is in the air!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I.LOVE.FALL!! It is my favorite season! I have been busy, busy, busy!! From August to October, I have been filling my pantry with canned goods, and filling up my freezer. It has been a very abundant harvest at our house this year, and I couldn't be more pleased, and feel SO very blessed! However, it has kept me on my toes, and busy, busy, busy! This was definitely the year for fruit. My grape vines, were overflowing with big beautiful clusters. I was so excited!!<br />
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I was able to make around 28 quarts of grape juice! We are finally getting to a point, where our own trees and fruit bushes are finally producing and I am having so much fun trying out new recipes for our family.<br />
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I am thinking next year, we may want to invest in a juicer if our grapes keep producing, like they did this year. <br />
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We also had some apples on our trees this year! I was very excited about this as well. Next year they will be four year old trees, so we are making progress, and I hope in the next few years, I will no longer have to buy apples from an outside source. I did find a good deal on some apples at a local orchard and purchased enough for applesauce, apple butter, pies and juice.<br />
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I just wanted to share how, a family of 7 makes enough applesauce for canning.... In my opinion, the easy way. I use my roaster! As we are peeling and coring the apples, we place them in the roaster as we go. I add 1-2 cups of water, and then start adding the apples. When the roaster is full, I add my sugar/honey and seasonings and slow cook. My favorite thing to do, is cook the apples all night. In the morning the house smells wonderful, and I'm ready to can my applesauce. I run my jars through the dishwasher on the sanitize cycle right before I go to bed, and when I wake up, my applesauce is ready and my jars are sanitized. And as an added bonus, everyone has applesauce for breakfast! This year, I used two roasters at once. That is a lot of applesauce!<br />
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I had such good success with my roaster, I decided to try the same method with my pumpkins.<br />
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Max loves to cut open the pumpkins and save the seeds. This may be our new favorite variety of pumpkin. The Cinderella pumpkin is one of the best pumpkins for baking. We decided to buy one from a local farmer, and we were so thrilled with the taste, I may never bake with another variety of pumpkin again.<br />
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We washed the outside of the pumpkin, cut it open and cleaned out all the seeds (and saved them for next year) I added no more then 1/4 cup of water to my roaster, and placed the pumpkin pieces inside, and placed the lid on top. I cooked on 250 for 60-90 minutes. When the pumpkin was soft, I turned off the roaster and let it cool. The pumpkin was SO soft and the skin just peeled right off the flesh. I then pureed the pumpkin with my immersion blender and placed into freezer bags. From ONE pumpkin, we were able to get 22 cups! I was very pleased!! From here on out, I will be cooking all my pumpkins in the roaster!<br />
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This past week, was absolutely beautiful, and I have been enjoying the view. This is what an early Midwest morning, in October looks like....<br />
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♥ Shannon</div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-68996035346020217172013-08-07T08:13:00.000-07:002013-08-07T08:13:15.950-07:00Summer <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been so busy, I've had absolutely no time to blog about it!! We are having a great summer! The garden is taking up most of our time these days and producing lots of cucumbers, beans, carrots, red potatoes, onions and cabbage. The tomatoes and peppers are slow, but surely coming. It's been a cooler, wet summer, so it may take more time. To make things easier, I'm just going to share pictures of what our summer looks like. So here goes: <br />
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<em><strong>Lake Michigan with Max, Menter and Elliott (my nephew)</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>We visited our friends dairy farm and even got a hay rack ride!</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>The BEST trip of the summer!! Springfield Illinois where we visited Abraham Lincoln's home, tomb, his boyhood home, and the state capital. Molly also, was recognized and awarded at a dinner, as the State photo winner for Whiteside County and the Conservation Office.</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong></strong></em> </div>
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<em><strong>Lincoln's New Salem</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>Lincoln's Gravesite and tomb</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>Lincoln Home in Springfield, Illinois</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>Illinois State Capital Building</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>At Home:</strong></em></div>
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<em><strong>We harvested about 500 onions and they are set out to dry. Max is here, planting 300 more bulbs.</strong></em></div>
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<strong><em></em></strong> </div>
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<em><strong>This last weekend we attended a wedding for Brent's younger sister in Iowa. We had a great time visiting family and friends. The kids had a great time visiting with 17 of their 18 (soon to be 19) cousins!</strong></em><br />
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It has been a lovely summer and we have a few more events before it's over! Next week is the county fair!!</div>
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♥ Shannon</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-62109399118015782152013-06-05T06:56:00.001-07:002013-06-05T06:56:50.925-07:00Homemade Yogurt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been making my own yogurt for a few months now and we are loving it! It's so easy, I wish I would have tried it sooner! Like usual, I did some research and looked over many yogurt recipes. There were crock pot, stove top, using a cooler, or oven methods. I took bits and pieces of each recipe and did what would work best for me. I also knew I wanted a thicker yogurt and vanilla flavor, as we use our yogurt mostly for smoothies. So what I have come up with works wonderful and I'm so pleased with the results! It's delicious and creamy!<br />
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<strong>What you need to get started:</strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>1 gallon of milk</strong> (I started out using whole milk because that is what most recipes called for. I then switched to 1% because I really wanted a lower fat yogurt, and it's works just as good)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>1 cup of yogurt starter</strong> (you can use
one cup of plain Dannon or Yoplait, or a cup from your own previous batch)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>candy thermometer<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>4 or 5 quart glass canning jars</strong>
<strong>and lids</strong> (I always sterilize mine in the dishwasher)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>1.</strong> Pour one gallon of milk
into a large, heavy bottomed stockpot. Heat the milk to 185-195 degrees.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>2.</strong> Place the pot in a sink
filled with cold water and let the milk cool to 120-130 degrees. (this
happens fairly quick, maybe 10 minutes) (as soon as you place the pot in
the sink, turn on the oven to the lowest setting)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(while the milk is cooling, if you
want to make vanilla yogurt, you would now add 1/2 cup of sugar, and
1-2 tbsp. of vanilla.) Otherwise, skip this step. (I have also tried using honey instead of sugar and it's tastes just as good, but the yogurt isn't as thick)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>3.</strong> Once the milk
is cooled, remove the pan from the sink, and stir one cup of yogurt starter into the cooled milk, using
a whisk. Stir well to ensure that the starter is thoroughly incorporated
into the milk. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>4.</strong> (this is a step I added to
make it thicker) I now add 1/2 cup of powered milk and stir into the
milk until it's dissolved.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>5.</strong> Ladle the milk into mason
jars (wide mouth works better) and put the lids and bands on.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>6.</strong> Turn off the oven and turn
on the oven light. Place the jars in the oven with the light on for 3
hours. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong>7.</strong> Remove the jars and place
in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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In the morning you will have a delicious, fresh, yogurt. I love to make homemade granola (<a href="http://fiveappleblossoms.blogspot.com/2012/04/homemade-granola-cereal.html">here</a>), to top off the yogurt and some fresh or frozen fruit! <br />
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Speaking of frozen fruit.... our local grocery store had a sale on fresh peaches this past week, so I stocked up! My kids probably ate a few good pounds, and then I froze the rest. It was more of a process then I imagined, but I know it will be worth it.<br />
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I know it saves me a lot of money, by taking the time to do these things, and I really do enjoy it! I figured with the yogurt, I can buy the milk for $1.99 a gallon. So each quart averages out to about .50 cents. That definitely beats the $2.50 I was paying in the store. It also gives me the satisfaction of knowing exactly what is in the food they are eating and it's healthy for them!<br />
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♥ Shannon <br />
<br />Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-83983863506394143912013-05-29T05:46:00.000-07:002013-05-29T07:09:47.042-07:00The Fruits of our Labor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<em> "Build ye houses and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them;" Jeremiah 29:5</em></div>
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This month marks two years since moving into our home in Illinois. First of all, it flew by. Two years of homeschool, "big time gardening", new friends, and new adventures for our family. It's been amazing and we have really enjoyed living in this part of the Midwest.<br />
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We made it a priority to plant as much as we could that first summer. From apple trees, to grapevines, to blueberry bushes, to even rhubarb and strawberry plants. I wanted to share the progress. Everything is doing amazing and producing fruit this year. I am so excited to finally enjoy some of the "fruits of our labor": <br />
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Strawberry Plants</div>
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Last year, I lost a lot of my strawberries due to the drought, but this year a few came back and I was excited to see a few strawberries for the first time. I planted a few more plants this year to fill in where I had lost some.</div>
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This is my first season to finally have some rhubarb. We enjoyed some rhubarb crisp over the holiday weekend. </div>
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Blueberry bushes</div>
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Raspberry Patch</div>
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I planted about 40 new raspberry plants (which were given to me by a neighbor and friend), and started a whole new patch around my picket fence. They are all doing very well, and I think it will be a lovely place for a raspberry patch. </div>
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Cherry trees</div>
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Apple Orchard</div>
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We have 16 apple trees so far, and are hoping to add a few more this year. They all are full of buds and I'm so excited, even if the harvest is small. Last year we had half a dozen apples and this year, we should have a few dozen. I know each year will produce even more, so I get excited with each passing year.</div>
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This grapevine has very special meaning to me. It may not look the prettiest, but whenever I look at it I remember when I planted it 9 years ago in northern WI. I remember the first time we had grapes and my "little" kids and their tiny hands, picking the grapes and eating the sweet fruit. This grapevine has come with us wherever we moved. It has been from Wisconsin, to Iowa, to Indiana, and now in Illinois, where it is finally again full of clusters!</div>
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Grapevine</div>
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This is one of my favorite and most decorative. It is along the front walkway into our home and is just full of beautiful clusters. One thing I have found to work very well is coffee grounds. Every single morning we mix our coffee grounds with water and pour it all over and around the grapevines. We also do this with our blueberry bushes. It has been a wonderful, natural fertilizer and the plants are so beautiful and lush!</div>
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This has been a good lesson for the kids, to see that it takes hard work, patience and diligence, but in the end, the reward is great!</div>
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♥ Shannon</div>
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(all photos were taken by my talented daughter Molly)</div>
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<br />Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-87377611886466515512013-05-13T06:50:00.000-07:002013-05-13T06:50:12.711-07:00Mother's Day 2013What can I say, it was a great day/weekend. My mother and sister and kids came to visit. My husband cooked and cleaned for everyone ALL weekend. Friday night, our family performed for a Mother Daughter Banquet at a local church. Saturday evening we had company for dinner followed by a Sunday, Mother's Day brunch at church. I am realizing more and more, just how blessed I am, and I don't want to take it for granted ever. <br />
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And lastly, it wouldn't be a Mother's Day without a dandelion bouquet...<br />
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♥ Shannon</div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-14091894791254337852013-05-08T13:13:00.001-07:002013-05-08T13:13:30.004-07:00Catching up!I've been SO busy, as I'm sure most are, this time of year! So I wanted to do a quick post of what has been happening at our house. It's exciting times as spring brings with it so many beautiful things. The first excitement of spring is always baby kittens!<br />
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Our mama cat had four babies, and so far they are all doing well. The kids LOVE this addition and play with them as much as they can. <br />
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Molly is such a great photographer and loves to take pictures of these adorable kittens. While we are on the subject of Molly and her photography, she had some exciting news as well! She one 1st place, for the second year in a row, in the Whiteside County Conservation Photography contest. AND, she won best overall photo, and is going to the state competition! This contest is for 1st through 12th grade, so that was a big accomplishment, since she is only in 8th grade! Here is her winning photo:</div>
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It's always exciting times, when we start planting the garden. We had a rainy weekend, but were able to squeeze in just enough time, to get the garden rows lined up, and even planted some potatoes, lettuce, carrots and 500 onion bulbs. I'm hoping this weekend, we can attempt to finish it up!</div>
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Me and the girls also enjoyed a Mother Daughter Banquet at our church this weekend. It's always a fun time and I feel so blessed to have 3 beautiful daughters. We had fun doing pictures before we left. Of course Molly was the photographer (for most of them)<br />
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Me and Marykate had matching hair for the day and it was fun! Especially since she was still young enough to want to match her mom :)<br />
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The weather has been beautiful this week and we are enjoying our days outdoors, as much as we can. We are taking many walks down to the creek, which Abe loves, and I have been hanging clothes on the line whenever I can. We are also enjoying our time in Wisconsin and have been taking lots of walks around the wooded neighborhood. <br />
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I think our absolute favorite thing about spring is bringing out the grill. Brent is excellent on the grill and loves to cook for us on the weekends. We usually grill on Saturday, and make enough for Sunday's lunch. It makes Sunday so much more enjoyable, when lunch is already prepared, when we get home from church. I can't wait until we have fresh veggies from the garden to go along with it!</div>
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These are just a few of the reasons, why I LOVE Spring!</div>
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♥ Shannon</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-74391583885269668012013-04-19T12:51:00.001-07:002013-04-19T12:51:14.838-07:00God even cares about the small stuff (which is still sometimes the big stuff)So last night, I couldn't sleep. I was reading the articles, watching a little bit of the news (when the kids weren't around), and it's just too much to take in sometimes. So instead of sleep, I prayed. I prayed specifically for the safety and protection of our family. Here is what happened today:<br />
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(First of all, yes it's snowing here, on April 19th in Wisconsin.) My truck broke down! Here is the amazing thing about it. The kids and I headed out to the store to buy some meatballs, because it's Max's night to cook and he picked meatballs. I had a $10 off coupon for this meat and cheese warehouse (they have those kind of things in WI) :) and I thought it would make Friday night dinner, so much more easy. So we went, purchased the meatballs, and headed home. On the way (we are in the country this whole time), we drive by this consignment shop and I notice there is a bike out for sale. I kept on driving. I then made a sudden stop, and turned around to go check out this bike, I just knew this was going to be a good deal. We went into the shop, rode the bike around the parking lot and ended up buying the bike, plus another one and I was very pleased with my find. When we got back into the car it wouldn't start. Just.like.that! My truck was broke. After a friendly customer tried to give me a jump start, he then determined it was my alternator (as did my husband who I was on the phone with). Wow, it could have died anywhere.... while I was driving, stranding me along a country road, or much worse, when I was traveling by myself with the kids back to Illinois (on the interstate). But, we were safe, IN a parking lot, waiting for my husband to come pick us up and make an action plan. Then something even more amazing happened. The owner of the store came out and said he would fix my truck for free, as long as Brent brought him the part! What!!?? Why?? Is there a catch?? I stood there, for a second staring at him and he said, "I fix race cars on the side and can have it done in no time". Again, what!! Why?? I called and told Brent to stop at the auto parts store and bring an alternator. Brent's response was the same as mine "what, why??"... Brent showed up, and by then, this nice guy had already taken out the old one and was ready to install the new one, and in about 10 minutes, it was done! WHAT A BLESSING!! When I asked for God's protection, I didn't have the smaller things in mind, but this clearly was awesome. And God put us in the right place at the right time, because HE is AWESOME like that! </div>
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♥ Shannon</div>
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-40717523759632885492013-04-16T19:50:00.000-07:002013-04-16T19:50:43.637-07:00A School Year in Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our second year of homeschool, is coming to an end, or maybe I should say, I can see the end in sight. This year brought many challenges as we were uprooted shortly after the school year began, and we have been traveling back and forth between Illinois and Wisconsin with my husband, for his job. Our number one priority (besides God) is family, and so this was the obvious choice. <br />
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I added a few extras this year, and I am more then happy with them. We did <strong>Song School Spanish</strong> and <strong>Typing Instructor</strong>. 4 of my kids, have received a certificate for successfully completing typing instructor and they are doing very well with this skill. Spanish has been very fun, and something I work on, with the younger kids 2-3 times a week. It's from Classical Academy and incorporates music with each lesson, so naturally my kids were drawn to this. I also had each child read as many of the classical books as they could fit in, such as: Charlotte's Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, Little Women, The Wizard of Oz, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Farmer Boy. The kids also read Helen Keller, Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton and Harriet Tubman. (Along with a few other books thrown in for fun) <br />
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For my youngest in Kindergarten we are doing Hooked on Phonics. He will repeat Kindergarten next year as well and we will continue with this. I really do like the program, but wish he was more interested in it. We haven't progressed as much as I would like, but I knew I would need to take it slow with him. He doesn't love school and probably never will, so we will do everything we can to make it fun! <br />
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My absolute favorite online site that I use is <a href="http://superteacherworksheets.com/">http://superteacherworksheets.com</a> Last year, this website was free, and this year I had to purchase a subscription for one year, but it was totally worth it. I print extra practice worksheets almost daily for my Kindergartner, 2nd and 3rd grader. I also bought a membership to <a href="http://abcmouse.com/">http://ABCmouse.com</a> and my two youngest use this daily as well. I am finding that these online sites are very educational and very fun for the kids and it introduces them to the computer as well. <br />
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Our family loves music. 4 of the kids play the violin, 2 play guitar, 3 play the piano, most of us sing and we all love to sing and perform in church. Since we travel back and forth it makes music lessons hard right now. Maddie is giving guitar lessons to Menter and Molly has started giving violin lessons to the younger kids. She has been taking lessons since she was 3 and enjoys it very much. <br />
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I still primarily use Bob Jones for my kids. I don't see any need to mess up a good thing, and so I will most likely stick with this curriculum as we have had success with it. <br />
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We also do many family projects. My husband loves to build and the boys especially love to help him. This year they built a shed, and a dog house. These are life long skills they are learning at home and precious memories of working along side their dad.<br />
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Arts and Crafts are always a part of our day. <br />
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The girls have been learning how to crochet for the past two years, and this year, they were very successful. They made many scarves and a few hats.<br />
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Here is a look at our school room in Wisconsin:<br />
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I have to say, the funnest thing about this past year, was the fact that our home in Wisconsin is right across the street, from a ski mountain. We took full advantage of this, and purchased a family season pass. All 5 kids took lessons and learned how to snowboard. It was great fun, and a good way to get exercise. <br />
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It's been a great year, and I am so excited that we have (almost) made it through our second year!<br />
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♥ ShannonShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-11644737492744389532013-04-15T08:22:00.000-07:002013-04-15T08:22:07.040-07:00A Family Performance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a refreshing weekend. We covered 3 states (Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa), in two days and yet we came back refreshed, relaxed and feeling ever so blessed! We traveled to Iowa over the weekend to perform as a family at Riverview Conference Center in Cedar Falls. They were so kind to invite us to be part of the showcase. My mom had a cabin for us to stay in, and Brent's parents came down for the day. We are so fortunate that ALL our family lives in the same area, and in one trip we can see all the grandparents, a few cousins and Aunts and Uncles. Wow, did our moms take such good care of us! I didn't lift a finger all weekend. At first I felt a little guilty, like I should be doing something, but quickly realized they wanted to help us out in this way. I was busy enough practicing and getting everyone ready for the showcase. I told my kids "Even a mom, likes to be taken care of by her mother every once in a while" :) It was wonderful! Here are a few pictures of us before, and during our performance.<br />
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In the Greenroom, waiting to go on stage.</div>
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The performance.</div>
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Everyone was much more relaxed, when it was over!</div>
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It was a great weekend, with lots of memories made. We were so blessed this weekend, to be able to share and perform our talents with others. We are hoping this is a ministry we can continue as a family. This was our first performance outside of church, a nursing home, or a recital, and hopefully not our last! I love what God is doing in our family and he deserves all the praise! </div>
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Here is video of our performance:</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-75557206464879647002013-04-10T21:10:00.001-07:002013-04-10T21:10:22.959-07:00Happy Birthdays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What does every six year old boy want for his birthday? A dirt cake! Menter celebrated his birthday a few weeks ago. I can't believe my baby is 6. It was a beautiful, sunny weekend and we had a great time celebrating this boy, who brings so much life, laughter, entertainment and love to this family. </div>
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What else does every six year old boy want, but a nerf bow and arrow! Max has a real bow and arrow and Menter is always wanting to try it out. I thought this was the safer route to go. It was a special weekend, celebrating a very special boy!</div>
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Since his birthday, he has graduated to a big boy bike, and we have officially retired the training wheels in our house forever!</div>
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Yesterday was my birthday and my family made it very special. The kids started my day with cards and chocolates and we ended the day with Brent coming home from work early and we all went out for dinner. We went out for Taco Tuesday, my request. When I was growing up, every year my mom would ask me what I wanted for my birthday dinner, and I always picked taco's, so it was fitting. We have a tradition in our house, that during your birthday dinner, everyone goes around the table and says something special about you. Their words were so kind and filled with love. I am one very blessed wife and mother. The kids and I went shopping yesterday afternoon and they wanted to stop at dunkin donuts for a special treat, they would pay, and I was in! Here are a few instagram pictures we snapped on my day out with the kids. </div>
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And tonight, I am very proud of Marykate who finished the last of 3 books and graduated from Sparks in AWANA. She worked very hard and memorized MANY Bible verses. It's something she will take with her the rest of her life, to have those verses hidden in her heart!</div>
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It's been a blessed day!</div>
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♥ Shannon</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-15056513893575282712013-04-01T22:34:00.002-07:002013-04-01T22:34:42.425-07:00Easter Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a beautiful, blessed Easter we had as a family this year. The kids and I drove back to Illinois very early Saturday morning. I had a music practice at church with the Blues Brethern, and my girls had to practice as well.<br />
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We then spent the rest of Saturday preparing for Easter Sunday. I prepared a ham, homemade bread, deviled eggs (from our dyed eggs), and potatoes, and Maddie made a lamb cake. We decided to have our Easter dinner, Saturday evening when Brent arrived in Illinois. It was his first day off in 3 weeks, and we were all so glad to have a whole day with him. When Brent finally arrived home, we headed over to church for a quick practice of our song (that our whole family would be performing together) and then back home to enjoy our meal. Unfortunately our battery died on our video camera shortly after arriving at church, and we didn't get our song recorded, but we are performing it again in two weeks for another event, so I am hoping to video tape it then. <br />
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Sunday morning my youngest woke me up by telling me he wasn't feeling well, and had an ear ache. So between hurrying around to get everyone ready and taking care of him, we didn't get any Easter pictures either. I'm kind of disappointed about that, but that is not what is important. We had a lovely breakfast and service at church, where many people were able to perform and share their musical talents. Easter is always such a wonderful time of hope and worship. There is such joy in knowing we serve a Risen Savior! <br />
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After church my baby was feeling better and thankfully he made it through our song, so we stayed for an egg hunt and fellowship with our church family. We have only been going to this church for two years, and yet these people are like family to us. We love to spend time with them and they are all such a blessing and encouragement to us. I am so thankful to God for leading us to this church!<br />
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We enjoyed our lunch of leftovers from Saturday night and spent the rest of the day, together as a family, mostly outdoors.<br />
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We enjoyed a nice relaxing afternoon and took a walk in the woods. I was finally able to hang some clothes out on the line and the kids played some basketball. <br />
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Yes, I am the only one wearing big ugly boots :) Guess who didn't have to come home and wash their shoes. I suggested they all wear old boots, but no one listened ;)<br />
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The night ended with Molly and Maddie at youth group, and Menter in bed early because he wasn't feeling well. Brent, Myself, Max and Marykate, made some popcorn and talked about the day. It's funny how quiet the house can feel when you are without 3 extra kids!<br />
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I have so many blessings in my life, and I am so thankful for each day with my precious family.<br />
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♥ Shannon<br />
<br />Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-47718700062182130202013-03-26T20:37:00.001-07:002013-03-26T20:37:26.175-07:00Spring is in the air!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The days are (slowly) getting warm, the sun is brighter and the days are a little longer. Spring is slowing showing up every where we look. This past Sunday, Brent was working and a few of the kids were sick, and we were back in Wisconsin, early for the week, and missing our church family back in Illinois. So I decided we needed a little Spring activity to make us all feel better. We decided to dye some eggs. I do very much enjoy doing Spring activities with the kids. We try to embrace every season and enjoy the change. <br />
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I have been wanting to experiment with natural dyes for a few years now, and usually, grandma dyes eggs with the kids, but this year, it was just us, so I decided it would be a fun experiment. <br />
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Our favorite was the ground tumeric. It made the most beautiful yellow eggs. Also we used tea bags and then a bag of dried cherries, which we thought would make purple eggs, but ended up with dark brown. What didn't work was spinach, cabbage and green bean. I also had a bag of frozen tomato cherries in the freezer and it made the brightest, red water, but didn't dye the egg at all. I had sick kids, so I just used what I had on hand, as I didn't want to run to the store. <br />
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We had a really fun time! Only two of my kids (girls) were interested in helping dye the eggs, and the others all had fun decorating.<br />
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In the end, we ended up with some bright, fun decorated eggs. We had so much fun (and we almost ate all the eggs), so I think we might make some more tomorrow!<br />
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♥ ShannonShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-49049376985458303652013-03-25T13:11:00.000-07:002013-03-25T13:11:47.911-07:00Homemade French Bread <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is my all time, absolute favorite kind of bread to make! I found this recipe in GRIT magazine a few years ago, and it's been a favorite ever since. My kids absolutely love it, right out of the oven. I tweaked the recipe just a bit. I use raw honey instead of sugar. I also, have been cooking with unbleached flour for a few years now. I have never tried using whole wheat flour, but that's next! I may start with half white, half wheat and see how that goes. <br />
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Recipe for Homemade French Bread (no sugar)<br />
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5 1/2 cups white unbleached flour<br />
2 tablespoons of honey<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
4 1/2 tsp yeast (or 2 packages of yeast)<br />
2 cups of hot water<br />
2-3 tablespoons melted butter<br />
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Using upright mixer, combine all dry ingredients. Using dough hook, mix to distribute yeast throughout flour. Turn off mixer. Add hot water and honey.<br />
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Turn mixer back on and allow dough hook to knead about 5 minutes. Depending on humidity in your flour you might need to add a little more flour if dough is sticky, or water to acquire the perfectly smooth elastic bread dough.<br />
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Turn mixer off, remove dough hook. Cover dough and let rest about 10 minutes. Divide dough in half.<br />
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Using rolling pins, roll out half of dough into approximate 10 x 15 inch rectangle. Roll the dough into a tube about 8" long and fold/pinch ends under. Place seam side down onto baking stone sprinkled with cornmeal or flour to keep dough from sticking (I use a baking pan, lightly sprayed with oil and sprinkled with flour). Repeat with other half of dough and place on pan about 2-3 inches away. <br />
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Make 4 (or 5) diagonal cuts on top of each loaf using a sharp knife. Brush the top of each loaf with butter. Let rise in warm, draft free place for 35 minutes. I like to let it rise in my oven. ( Before I start making the bread I turn my oven on 200 degrees for about 5 minutes, then I turn the oven off. By the time the bread is ready to rise, the oven has cooled down, but is warm and draft free. I then place the bread in the oven to rise. DO NOT let rise in oven on 200 degrees). After the bread has been rising for 35 minutes, take the bread out of the oven and turn oven on to 400 degrees. When the oven has reached 400, place bread back in oven and let bake 25-30 minutes. The recipe calls for making the bread in a 425 degree oven, but that is too hot for my oven and burns the outside of the bread. I usually check the bread after 20 minutes and it is usually, really close to being ready. I have never baked it the full 30 minutes. When it's done the outside will be nicely browned and a bit crunchy. The inside soft and delicious!<br />
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♥ Shannon<br />
Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-46502636442131411152013-03-19T13:08:00.000-07:002013-03-19T13:08:03.188-07:00School Days! I don't post about school that often, because I'm not that experienced. We are only in our second year, and I feel there is so much more to learn. This year we started a few "electives" in our classroom and the kids (and I) have been having so much fun with it. <br />
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I have read some great things about SongSchool Spanish, so I decided to try it. So far, I LOVE it! It's very easy to follow (for me, the teacher). It is by Classical Academic Press, which means, there is a lot of music and singing. Our family loves music, so this was a great fit. It comes with a CD and every couple of lessons there is a new song to learn, and workbook pages that go along with the lessons. I have been teaching this to my K, 2nd, & 3rd grader. My 6th grader sits in periodically and catches up rather quickly with the lessons. I can't say enough good about this and how well it's working for us.<br />
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I also started the kids on Typing Instructor for Kids. They are all addicted! It's become a competition to them. (we don't do video games, so this is as close as it gets :) <br />
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Marykate gets up right away in the morning and comes straight down, to get the computer first! They are all doing really well, and it's a nice break from book work. <br />
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For fun the kids have been doing some looming. My kids love to finger knit, and I was so tired of finding finger knitted pieces of yarn all over the home, that weren't good for really anything. Even my boys love to do this. Then one day as I was browsing pinterest, I read about looming with finger knitting. I had the kids gather up all their pieces from all over the home and we set out to make a small rug, decoration or piece of art. <br />
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This is Max's, and it turned out pretty good. I think he's going to enter it in the fair. We used a hula hoop loom and followed the instructions in Family Fun's magazine. <br />
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These are the two most recent. One is finished and now hanging in the newly organized school room and the other is still being worked on. The actual directions call for cut up pieces of t shirts, but we found finger knitting works great and is so soft. </div>
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So those are just a few things that have kept us going during this long winter. I'm looking forward to Spring and getting outside in (hopefully) a few short weeks!</div>
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♥ Shannon</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-33027151537338527862013-03-18T15:07:00.001-07:002013-03-18T15:07:57.238-07:00A little organization goes a long way!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, as I sit here and type, once again it's snowing! No signs of spring here just yet. I think being inside so much has started to get to me, and I'm itching for some spring organization and cleaning. We have been organizing and working on a few projects (my favorite thing to do). <br />
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First we pulled out the kids baby quilts that Brent's aunt made for each child when they were born. They have been in storage for about 5 years. In fact my youngest's quilt was never hung up. It was fun to pull them out and show the kids, who had forgotten about them. The problem was, we didn't know exactly how we were going to hang them. We went to the store looking for ideas. My husband is the one who came up with this great idea! I love it and think it's genius :) <br />
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We found some clearance curtain rods and wanted to use them, but didn't know how to attach them. After looking a little further, down a few more isles, we found these little round hangers with clips on the end, designed especially for the curtain rod. They were perfect. This way the whole quilt can be displayed and hangs away from the wall as well.<br />
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We have a nice long wall off our playroom in our basement, that is finished. We hung them in birth order. It's really fun to have them back up again. I almost can't remember what it was like having that many little ones in the house!<br />
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Next up, school room! We have been living in WI since November, and really everything has been an unorganized mess in that home. There isn't enough closet space and we have no book shelves. The dining room became our school room on the first day of moving in and ever since then, things have been piling up. I had enough and declared a weekend day, full of organizing this space. My husband agreed to helping me and I was so grateful! <br />
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We purchased the cube shelving units at Menards. It took 4 of them to fill a 12 foot wall. I loved the curtain rod for the quilts so much, I thought why not use that same idea for art work. We have so much of that around here, and the fridge just isn't big enough :) Also a few months ago, each child painted a white canvas and they have just been laying in the corner waiting to be hung. The two round loomed pieces of art on the end are finger knitted and then loomed. I love having a place for all the kids stuff. They each have their own set of 3 cubes. One for their school books. One for their level reading books, and one cube for misc, pencils, markers, mini whiteboards, etc. I love having their artwork all over the room. I also have all my teacher manuals, tests, and supplies in the cubes. I function so much better when everything has a place and everything is at my fingertips. Today was our first day in the newly organized school room and it went great! We were all very motivated. It's just what we needed to make it to the end of the school year!</div>
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I have one more fun find to share. Over the weekend we visited the local antique shop looking for Abraham Lincoln memorabilia. We did find a few books and a large framed print, but also laying on the front porch of the store, behind a bunch of framed prints, I found this:</div>
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A large old print of George Washington. It wasn't priced and the owner of the store saw us looking at it. He said it came out of a local old school house. He said since we were purchasing some Lincoln books, he would throw this picture in for free. I LOVE finding treasures like this, and when they are free, that makes it all the more better :) <br />
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Overall it was a very successful weekend, and I look forward to organizing other rooms of the house as well.<br />
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♥ ShannonShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-21897735092419511972013-03-05T05:20:00.001-08:002013-03-05T05:20:59.925-08:00Waiting for snowAs I sit here, early this morning (in Wisconsin), the snow has just started to fall. We have been waiting, for another storm to hit our area. Bringing up to another possible 10". I woke early and started a fire, read my Bible and am enjoying the peace and quiet of early morning. Flurries have just started to fall, but will become heavier as the hour goes on. I LOVE a good snowstorm and have been able to enjoy quite a few this winter. I am one of the few who is not anxiously waiting for spring. I love Spring, but will enjoy every bit of winter, while it is here. There is something so beautiful in newly fallen snow, and tree's covered in white. We still have a blanket of snow (about 12") on the ground, so this could get interesting.<br />
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Over the weekend, we invited the youth from our church out for a sledding party at our home in Illinois. It was warm enough to stay outside for hours, and when the sun went down, we had to start calling the kids in. They had so much fun, they didn't want to stop. <br />
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It was a beautiful day filled with fun and fellowship!<br />
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♥ ShannonShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-86451172766529921732013-02-26T20:19:00.000-08:002013-02-26T20:35:59.978-08:00Snow Days!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We seem to be having a lot of snow days this winter, and I am loving it! We just got back from a weekend in Illinois, (where we also experienced a small winter storm as well) and today we were bracing for yet another storm system to move through. We were excited when they upgraded the storm right before it hit, to 8" in our area, and now as I sit here tonight, it's still lightly snowing and they say we could have a much as 10" by morning. It's such a beautiful sight! <br />
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So I just wanted to share how we spend our snow days. I was enjoying my day so much, I didn't even take too much time to get out my camera and capture it in pictures. After we finished school and picked the girls up from choir (which was dismissed early because of blizzard like conditions) we came home. I had a fire going, and popped some popcorn, and we all settled in for a movie. It was very relaxing and enjoyable as the wind and snow blew and fell outside the window. The kids also roasted marshmallows in the fireplace and really enjoyed themselves. <br />
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I had prepared dinner ahead of time and had chili and honey cornbread muffins ready for dinner. I also, had a crockpot of stuffed peppers from last year's garden harvest. I knew the kids would eat up most of the chili, leaving only a bit for my husband when he got home from work and he loves stuffed peppers. The honey cornbread muffins were a hit. The kids and Brent loved them. I will definitely be making them again!<br />
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After dinner the kids and I headed outside to shovel. We all took turns and Maddie found some fresh snow in the back that was untouched,so we brought some inside and made snow ice cream. The kids loved it, especially Menter and Marykate. They kept asking to go outside and gather up more snow for ice cream. I did let them bring in one extra bowl and we have it stored in the freezer for tomorrow. <br />
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It has been a very cozy day with lots of great memories. I'm sure we will be snowed in tomorrow, or maybe if we can get out, we will head to the ski mountain!<br />
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<strong><u><em>Snow Ice Cream</em></u></strong><br />
4 cups of snow<br />
1 cup of cream (we used half and half)<br />
1/4 c sugar<br />
tsp vanilla<br />
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Mix cream, sugar and vanilla together, then slowly add snow (fresh, clean, untouched snow) until you reach desired consistency.<br />
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♥ ShannonShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-74878073897457321822013-02-14T21:18:00.001-08:002013-02-14T21:18:55.536-08:00My Sweet Valentine's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was 17 when I started dating Brent. This year, it will be 20 years since we started dating and 17 years of marriage! Wow, time flies when you are having fun! I can't think of a boring year yet. We've been busy moving, having kids, and enjoying this life we've created together. We aren't big into celebrating Valentines Day as a couple. My husband doesn't have a romantic bone in his body. He's not into cards and flowers. And, this might sound strange, but that makes it all the more romantic when he does do something special, because I know he really means it and it's coming straight from his heart. He is not just doing something because, well everyone else is, so I might as well join in. He's never been that type of guy. To me romance is loading the truck full of firewood in the pouring rain, because you know your wife loves to have a good fire every day in the winter. Even though he doesn't enjoy fires as much as I do, he did this for me over the weekend. (We needed to bring some of our firewood from Illinois over to our home in WI) I looked out the window and caught him and the boys just as they were finishing up and it melted my heart. He did that just for me. He watches out for me, takes care of me, loves me unconditionally, protects me, and wants what is best for me. What else could I possibly ask for this Valentines Day! I am so blessed. <br />
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One tradition I have started is to write each child a letter (this will be my 3rd year). I buy them some special candy and have it at there spot at the breakfast table, so when they come down for breakfast they find there special treat and a letter from me. This year I really focused on demonstrating love to one another, just as Jesus loves us. We need to love, just as He loves! The letters always bring a smile to their eyes and some choose to read it aloud to everyone and others choose to keep there letter private between us two. I found this year, as I was writing to each child, it really made me stop and think about how unique each of them are, and what there character traits are and how they fit so perfectly into our family. It was a blessing to me, just as much as it was to them! <br />
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I also had a special find today. Maddie is in need of a full size violin and has been for some time. Today I stopped into a local antique shop looking for some chairs for our school room. I didn't find any, but did find a 1950s violin in great condition. It needs some strings and fine tuners, and we will be all set. What a blessing it was to find this so unexpectedly.<br />
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So today has been a great day full of blessings all around. Happy Valentines Day!<br />
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♥ Shannon <br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-35577173297158274572013-02-08T08:03:00.002-08:002013-02-08T08:03:37.234-08:00Finding beauty in every seasonJust wanted to share a photo of the view out my window this morning. After 9" fell for the last 12 hours, it's breathtaking! Me and the kids are heading to the ski mountain today, as temps are in the 30's. These days don't come, but once a year, if that... Definitely finding beauty in this season of life and loving it!<br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-61496389004787402372013-02-07T15:54:00.000-08:002013-02-07T15:54:04.882-08:00But the greatest of these is Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are right in the middle of yet another winter storm, and we are loving it! We haven't had this much snow since we lived in Iowa a few years ago. With all this cold snowy weather we are finding more and more time to stay inside and craft or crochet. This may be coming my favorite time of year. ( I say that during every season :) <br />
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With this being February, the month where we focus on love. I wanted to do something different this year. I got my inspiration from pinterest, but as I usually do, I changed it up a bit and combined two crafts into one. The kids and I wanted to decorate the house, so we made hearts to hang from every window. This also looks very cute from the outside, as our home in WI is in a small neighborhood, so others can actually see our decorating.<br />
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I had the kids write scripture verses about love, on the hearts. This was great for all of us, as we found many verses we had forgotten about. Even myself was encouraged with some of the verses the kids came up with. It was also great to see even my youngest daughter quoting from memory and then writing them down for her bedroom. One of my favorites that we hung in the kitchen is Micah 6:8 " but to do justly, LOVE mercy and walk humbly with thy God". Now whenever we walk into a room there is a lovely verse as a reminder how important LOVE really is, even in our every day lives. I know I myself, am so thankful for God's love for me each and every day!<br />
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The kids also made some valentine candles, that we also placed in the windows. We bought candles from the dollar store, wrapped them in burlap and glued felt hearts in the middle. They were inexpensive, fun and easy for the younger kids. <br />
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Here are a few pictures of our storm that's blowing through today. The kids are having a blast!<br />
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-974867762677418462013-01-30T21:50:00.000-08:002013-01-30T21:50:32.356-08:00Crocheted Baskets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a crazy week of weather here in the Midwest. The week started out with an ice storm, and the very next day the temps were in the 60s, followed by a day of thunderstorms and power outages. But not for long, because today we had a small snow storm move through and tomorrow, below zero temps are expected. So we've decided to, stay in, stay warm and crochet! <br />
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I decided it was time to move on from scarves and stockings and try to crochet a few baskets. I'm hooked :) I LOVE how they turned out! I have so many fun ideas for spring and Easter, I don't know where or when I'll find the time!<br />
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I have made 3 baskets (actually 4, one not posted) and it's only Wednesday :) I started out with the larger one, and was so happy with the results I moved on to the other two. I combined a couple different patterns and came up with this small Easter basket. I am going to try and perfect it a little more before I share the pattern. I then moved on to the small bowl, which I absolutely love. It's so simple, subtle and cute. I'm not sure what to do with it yet, but I'm sure I will come up with something. Tonight I was working on a small basket crocheted out of twine, which will be a lot of fun to use, maybe in the kitchen... <br />
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And while I have been busy crocheting, the kids have been having fun making valentines and valentine boxes and playing in the snow.<br />
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Also, my daughter takes the most lovely photos, don't you think? She made my blog header and also took the above pictures for me. Here are a few more she took capturing the beauty of winter.<br />
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(yes, today was garbage day, please just ignore the trash cans)</div>
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So tomorrow will find me once again, staying inside, by the fire, crocheting. Of course, that is after I finish home school, laundry, dishes, have supper already prepared and the rest of the chores done :) </div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-38210690779382185792013-01-29T11:20:00.001-08:002013-01-29T20:43:24.997-08:00Even if...I cannot lie, the past few months have been difficult. Don't get me wrong, I experience joy every.single.day through my children, husband and all my blessings. However, this going back and forth between homes, is not a "homemakers" dream. My "career" is at home. Everything I do every.single.day, revolves around my home. So pulling me away from that, or trying to make it work between two homes is not always fun. We were in Illinois over the weekend, enjoying our home, and yet, I was sad because I want to live there full time. We had so many plans that are now on hold. Yet again, I am learning over and over again, that PATIENCE is a VIRTUE. <br />
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This couldn't have been avoided. There was nothing we could do to stop it. It hit us hard, right in our tracks, and we were left with this, as our only choice. We felt God leading and directing our path, but that doesn't always make it easy. <br />
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So as I was doing laundry, my girls were cleaning up the kitchen and listening to the radio (as they normally do). A song came on (K Love), that I've heard a hundred times "Even if" by Kutless. It stopped me, right there and I just stood, (from the other room) listening to the words, really listening and letting them sink in. "When life falls apart and dreams are left undone, You are God, You are good forever faithful one". Wow, that's exactly how I was feeling. Left undone, as if our life had fallen apart and dreams now on hold. BUT, God is good! He is faithful! He will never leave us or forsake us! I realized I wasn't doing my part. TRUST! I haven't been trusting Him. I have put my fears and worries ahead of everything else and completely left fully trusting God, out of the picture. God never promised life would be easy, always fun, everything perfect. But, he did promise he would guide our path, never leave us and He never changes. He NEVER changes! <br />
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So I feel a burden has been lifted. It's not up to me to have it all figured out. God knows the path he is taking our family and He has never failed us in the past. Why would I think different this time? A favorite Bible verse of mine is "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10a He has this one! <br />
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So there I was, left to do nothing else, but count my blessings. My husband HAS a job. My kids are all healthy and growing strong. We not only have one, but two roofs over our head. We have the love or our families supporting us. A wonderful church family who we have become so close to this past year. AND, we have a God who gives us eternal hope far beyond what this world can bring.<br />
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So, I wanted to share this song with you all by Kutless: Even If<br />
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"Lord, we know your ways are not our ways, so we set our faith in who you are..."<br />
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♥ ShannonShannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030911558031158369.post-60783538644568539032013-01-27T20:31:00.000-08:002013-01-27T20:31:00.107-08:00Cozy Winter DecoratingI don't know about you, but whenever I take down my Christmas decorations, it makes me a little sad. I so enjoy the extra lights in the house and the warmth it brings, especially living in the Midwest, where winter can be long and dull. So I have been leaving up little pieces of "winter" (as I like to call it) all through the house. I wanted to share a few photos of some of my decorations around my home, that makes it feel extra cozy and not so bare. <br />
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I have been adding splashes of pinecone and evergreen wherever I can. As well as candles. I also have a small tree I leave up through March, that I love to decorate with candles, pinecones, and any other homemade, or wooden objects I can find. It adds so much warmth to the room and we all enjoy the lights at night after the sun goes down.<br />
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I have an antique ironing board, that I use as a sofa table. My kids have found antlers in the woods near our home, and I love to decorate with them. I added some pinecones and evergreen and now I have the coziness of winter, without the Christmas theme. <br />
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This is my winter tree. There are a few ornaments that may still resemble Christmas, but my youngest daughter was helping me decorate it. She also crocheted a garland last year when she was 6 and just learning, and she put it on the tree. I haven't taken it off since. Sometimes it's not about how perfect it looks, but the thought that counts. <br />
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Another small evergreen sits on top of the piano. (As you can see there is also a children's music book and recorder in this picture). I figure there is no point in trying to hide these things from the camera. It is just proof that many children fill this home. <br />
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As you can see, I have a deer theme throughout my home. I have added some reindeer over the holidays, and I cannot bring myself to pack them away just yet, as they add just enough whimsy to the room.<br />
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This coat rack is very special to me. My husband made this for me about 15 years ago, out of an antique mantel. He refinished it and I have had it in every home we have lived in. </div>
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Lastly, I love to add a touch of winter through my dishes. I just purchased these snowman plates 75% off after Christmas. Again they add just a bit of whimsy and winter cheer to the room.</div>
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So, there are some of the ways I like to brighten and warm up my home, even after the Christmas decorations come down. There are many cold days still ahead. In fact right now, we are in the middle of an ice storm. Even so, I really do enjoy these winter months. </div>
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♥ Shannon</div>
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Shannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08240148526834209518noreply@blogger.com2