Saturday, January 31, 2009

Wordle



Go to www.wordle.net and create your own word page.

It's so much fun!

Leah and I out snowshoeing



Last week Leah and I went out snowshoeing in the afternoon. It sure looks like a dark day, but it really wasn't as the picture shows. We went to the end of our street to Old Colony Road and hiked into the woods. There are snowmobile trails and fresh ski and snowshoe trails. This is just on the edge of town. You feel so far away from everywhere there, but yet you could here cars, dogs and kids in the distance. Lots of animal tracks--deer and rabbits. We could see the old rock piles from the mining days in the distance. Also some beautiful pine trees and trees with red berries. I wish we could get out and do this every day.

Snowshoeing


This was a dead little white rabbit hanging from a tree.









Wednesday, January 21, 2009

"We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand...and melting like a snowflake. Let us use it before it is too late"-Marie Beyon Ray



My heart-felt quote for my loved ones

Prayer is so often just
words unspoken,
Whispered in tears by a heart
that is broken...
For God is already deeply aware
Of the burdens we find too
heavy to bear.

This day goes down in history...

Let us have faith that right makes might; and, let us to the end dare to do our duty. -- Abraham Lincoln

What can I say about today? So many emotions, tears, ups and downs. Its not all about this being the inauguration of Barack Obama. Yes, I watched it closely. I prayed and was impressed with his speech and like the fact that he included thanks to God and mentioned God's grace. I like his ideals being connected closely with Abraham Lincoln--one of my favorite presidents. Let us remember what Lincoln stood for--freedom and a strong sense of Christian faith in God. Lincoln was a very religous man and had deep convictions.

Its hard for me to express what I feel. All I can say is I'm not a liberal and he is. Time will tell on the issues he stands for. I just hope and pray that he sincerely turns to God for guidence. And I pray for him and our country and will watch closely at what this change brings.

So many other things made me sad today. One is my daughter's husband got laid off today. We knew it was coming--all of the cuts and no work. Living in the Detroit area and seeing one job after another disapeer. I have hope that he will find something else with his engineering background, but when and where will they have to go? What about their mortgage? Vanessa will have to leave her baby to go back to work. And Landen has had so many health issues since being born at 2 lbs. Andy has health issues also, so we need prayers.

So much bad news in one day... Too much to bear. There are a couple of things that happened that I cannot talk about here. My heart is heavy for three other family members and a friend.
Then the news that there was a shooting in our town last night not far from where I work. I drove right past the building on my way home at 11:00 last night. A 22 year old man held some people hostage in an apartment--we don't know all the details yet.

Then I heard about a girl out west who commited suicide--the funeral was today. She was 20 years old, she had two children- age one and three. We did not know her, but know some of her family members.
It really has been a long day, but I can't sleep...thoughts, worries, prayers, going through my head. I must believe that God will take care, protect, and shelter us. Trials are here to bring us closer to Him.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

A Super Recipe--Surely will be a family favorite!


Vanessa made this recipe while we were downstate for Christmas. She got the recipe from our Copper Country Cookbook, that the gals from church put together. We loved it so much that I'm sure we will be making it again and again. The recipe is called Campfire Bundles, but I'd like to use another name for cooking this indoors in the winter. It is the ultimate healthy, warm, nourishing, comfort food!
Campfire Bundles
1 lg. sweet onion, sliced
1 lg. green pepper, sliced
1 lg. red pepper, sliced
1 lg. yellow pepper, sliced
4 med. carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 med. carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 sm. cabbage, sliced
2 med. tomatoes, chopped
1-1 1/2 lbs. polish sausage, fully cooked,
cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. salt
1/tsp. pepper
Place vegetables in order listed into a roasting pot.
Add sausage; dot with butter, sprinkle with
salt and pepper. Cover. Bake at 425 degrees
for 1 hour to 1 hour and 45 minutes.
If you do them on the grill, you wrap them in
heavy duty foil- three pieces doubled, cook on
grill for 30 minutes then turn and cook for 30
minutes more or till veggies are tender, on
medium heat.
I thought they were just right in the pot I cooked
them in. Almost like a thick stew. I'm sure they
would be great with zuchinni or green beans or
any vegitable or meat substition. MMMM, good!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Leah's kitty Reeses

Reeses jumped into the dryer yesterday. So I grabbed the camera quick! So Cute!

Charley

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. ~Anon.


Mom and Archies back yard

This is taken from the patio door in mom's living room. Notice the tree that Mr.
Woodpecker chewed up last winter. He hasn't come back this winter. Look at
the big mound of snow on the picnic table. Lots O frosting there!


The sun is just about setting here. Nice and clear evening!



Such a big mound out the door! Motor home and garage have been shoveled off
once so far.

Pictures from the 7th floor up!

I took these pictures at my private duty job in an apartment in Hancock. I went up to the 7th floor to get these shots.

You can see across the Portage Canal over to the Houghton side.


It was a bitter cold day last Saturday when I took these. We've got so much more
snow since then!


Leah is shoveling her car


The pretty snow on the porch rails.




We're having an Arctic freeze!

This is in our back yard. The swing is amost buried in the snow!

This is in the morning last week before Leah and I went out to shovel. It had snowed at
least 10 inches.


The big job we had to tackle to get out!