I haven't posted anything about this, but my husband has been off of work for 6 weeks. He had surgery and was put on 1o pound weight restriction. He goes back to work on Monday. (sad face) We have had so much fun!
So, my Five on Friday is about 5 fun things we did while he was off.
1. We went to House on the Rock. https://www.thehouseontherock.com/HOTR_AttractionMain.htm I had never been there. It is are very cool attraction full of all kinds of neat antiques, collectibles and the unusual. They have a HUGE carousel. The picture doesn't do it justice.
2. We did lots of "thrifting." Anna helped me pick out this dress from a Goodwill in Waukesha where she lives.
3. We smoked some meat.
4. We ate at a few of our favorite places. This is from Cozzy Corner in Appleton, one of my top 5 places to eat in Wisconsin. http://www.thecozzycorner1.com/
5. We burned through some NetFlix original series. We loved them! Travelers, OA and Stranger Things. We like science fiction, supernatural type movies. Now we are in a "show hole" with them....I sure hope they continue with the next season with all three.
It was fun having him around all day, however, I know my productivity level will increase once he goes back to work.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
Linked to:
http://lovemademyhome.blogspot.com/2017/01/five-on-friday-linkup-number-6.html
I'm starting a series called: Working On Wednesday
I will post about what I'm working on that week and hopefully show completed projects along the way.
You might have guessed, I have a "thing" for wool. I was so excited to finally shop at Primitive Gatherings: https://www.primitivegatherings.us/ in Menasha, WI. I was in Wool Heaven!
I do have wool here, but not reds. I want to make some hearts to sell for Valentine's Day. My plan is to use the primitive fabric for the back of the hearts.
I also bought the "Do You Want To Build a Snowman" kit and pattern. Once I make the sample one, I will make up kits for my 4H kids.
This Wednesday, my projects consist of "inside" ones, as we were blessed with 10-12" of snow yesterday and more on it's way today. It is a blessings as we are dependent on tourism. Snow = snowmobiling, skiing (downhill & cross country), snowshoeing = $ to our local economy. Those who visit also shop the antique stores too. This helps me! With that said, if you happen to come up to our beautiful winter wonderland, don't forget to stop at: Jackie's Antique Mall http://www.jackiesantiquemall.com/ and Water Street Vintage http://www.waterstreetvintage.com/ where you will find some of these wool hearts next week.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
I knew the minute I saw this little tree, weeks before Christmas, that it was going to be our tree this year. It wasn't growing in a good spot, as other trees were crowding it out and it would never grow to it's full potential. So, mid December, I trudged through the snow, saw in hand to cut it down. We enjoyed the little tree with it's spacious branches that held multiple ornaments, just maybe that was it's full potential. After all, a tree that is chosen to be a Christmas tree, is pretty special. As I took off the ornaments and started to take down the tree, Al said "we should put it next to the bird feeder." What a great idea, it would provide a resting spot, shelter and even a wind break for the little birds who wait to eat at our feeder. Yet again, this little tree had a new role.
Oh, how I enjoy watching all the birds at my feeder. They love the tree. One day I had; Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Starling and a few squirrels. They were all there at the same time around the feeder and sitting in the tree. I would say, this little tree sure is reaching it's full potential.
This had me thinking about my Motivational Monday post. You know, in life, sometimes we might not be planted in a good spot and we have things that prevent us from growing. We might even have to remove ourselves from situations, evaluate relationships and make life changes that at the time seem harsh, but are necessary for our growth to reach our full potential. If I would have left the little tree where it was, it would never grow tall, it would struggle to compete for what it needed to survive. I am positive that in a few years time this little tree would surely die. My cutting it down, choosing it to be our Christmas tree, might seem to have been harsh to some. It was green, growing and showing signs of life. However, it's future where it was planted wasn't good. I knew it would be better for me to cut it down, enjoy it and let it be our Christmas tree rather than leave it to struggle and die within a few years.
Just maybe, that is how we need to look at some of our trials. Scripture tells me, "All things work together for the GOOD of them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28. It's my desire to reach my full potential - spiritually and personally in all I do.
In order to do so, we might have to do something harsh - cut ourselves down...become something else...make life changes that are hard, in order to reach our full potential. Don't be afraid to do so. I could do a whole long post about all the trials in my life over the years that have turned out to be a blessing. These lessons have taught me, built up my faith in Him and His purpose for my life. He knew, just like I did in cutting down this tree, that I had a greater purpose to fulfill and He is still working on me. My goal is to look at every situation as an opportunity for me to reach my full potential.
Whatever "harsh" decisions need to be made in 2017, I put my faith in Romans 8:28.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
Linked to: http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-art-of-home-making-mondays-please_9.html
Crepes for 2 - a special breakfast for you and your love...
1 egg
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
Beat egg and salt until frothy; add sugar and beat together
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 C milk
add oil and milk and beat till frothy
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 C flour
add baking powder and flour mix well
the batter will be light, smooth and a bit thinner than pancake.
Add small amount of oil to pan, cook the crepes on medium heat. Pour a small stream of batter in a circle, take the back of a tablespoon and spread thin in a circular motion pushing the batter out at the sides. They do not need to cook long, flip and continue until golden. Repeat. This should make 6.
I whipped up some heavy cream and spread each crepe and folded in half and half again. Add some fresh berries and sprinkle with some powdered sugar.
So yummy. Enjoy.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
Linked to: http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/2017/01/foodie-friday-and-everything-else.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FkkeNxN+%28Rattlebridge+Farm%29
The Cliffs of Moher is a spectacular wall of sandstone that reaches 700 feet above the Atlantic Ocean - breathtaking!
It was a long walk on both sides some on the small worn path. I couldn't believe the silly people doing crazy selfies hanging over that cliff. Sitting on the edge was scary enough.
The amazing part was, as we were walking someone yelled out "hey Wisconsin." It was a couple we met back at the Minneapolis airport. They were coming to visit their daughter who is going to college in Dublin. I couldn't believe it. What are the chances?!?
The view was amazing!
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
Sometimes, o.k., a lot of times, inspiration comes to me while I'm mucking out a stall. Today, it was this quote:
"Every plan, set to motion, needs to START" (me)
I was thinking about a text message I wanted to send to Justine and Anna as we are encouraging each other this year to reach our goals. This came to me...I knew it was going to be a blog post (smile).
That's all it really is...just START. Who cares if you stop, take a break or even quit...just start again.
I have some pretty lofty plans this year. I've learned not to mention all the crazy ideas I actually have - it's best to just work on them and if you achieve it great if not, no one knew. However, I did START.
You can too. Just jump up and set your plan to motion.
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
So, this is my third year of picking out a "word of the year." Last year mine was - NIFTY - it worked. I did so many nifty things last year and had an awesome year: http://dickybirdsnest.blogspot.com/2016/12/2016-was-good-to-me.html
Looking into this year, I was thinking about my age, the age of my pets, the age of some of our outbuildings and these things had me thinking of losses, "change"s and expense (financial and emotional). The word that kept coming to me was "accept." I guess I'm just going to have to accept it.
Now, you all know I'm not one to just "accept" things the way they are, I'm too optimistic for that. When bad things happen, I always try to find the silver lining, the lesson and put my hope and faith in His helping me get through it. So, "accept" wouldn't do.
Then it hit me, EMBRACE: to take up especially, readily or gladly. Yes, this is my word this year.
2017 posts from me will include my ideals of embrace. I already have a photo shoot planned for a series I'm going to call "Embrace the Real You." I plan to go back to my "Motivational Monday" posts. I am still working on a blog hop called "Casting Your Pearls" where we can share our thoughts and talents with others. Those posts and more from the farm, kitchen, coop and booth is what you can expect from me. Thanks for following along. Happy New Year!
Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
Linked to: http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-art-of-home-making-mondays-please.html
