Sunday, November 29, 2015

back it up to Fall~







there have been a few extra busy weeks for me
as a photographer and as a result i haven't
had time to floss my teeth, vacuum or write a blog post.
(please don't look too closely at my castle if you stop over).
but here i am~ i'm back!

these pics are from up north during deer hunting season.
everyone goes out to freeze in a deer stand but the dogs and i.
we stay in where it's warm. They nap, i keep the woodstove full, do a bit of dusting, 
a bit of cooking, quite a bit of reading
and life is good.



i did get lars to help me forage in the woods for red twigs and
evergreen boughs to bring home for my window box and i'll show you
that in another post.












i like to wire fresh evergreen to the bird feeding station because it
looks festive and gives our little friends more shelter when they
come to feed.


oh and i dug the carrots, they grew like crazy this year.




my one and only daughter...we call her "the huntress" is the only
one of the gang that goes out before dawn to hunt and never comes in
all the live long day.
all the guys come in to use a bathroom, take a nap, eat whatever
i'm cooking etc.
*
not mrs. pettit. 
girlfriend is hardcore. she's always the last one in at night too.



our 3 fur balls do not like being left behind. they nap ~out of boredom, but are
always on high alert...snapping to attention at the first sound of
anyone returning.















i treasure this antique sign. it was my grams.







i snapped a few photos on my way home on tuesday. this is the road that leads away
from our cabin.










you see a lot of these at the end of driveways up north. (and locked gates).



 look closely and you'll see antlers hanging on the little shed.
hunters love their antlers and like to display them.
(in case you haven't noticed, antlers are "in" for home decor)

i guess that means i was cool before it was cool?




hello big black bull



i love old worn out, once loved houses like this.
imagine the stories it could tell.
the colors are so muted and beautiful it looks like a painting.


Thanksgiving has come and gone now and as far as i'm concerned,
even though the calendar still says november...
we are officially in full blown Christmas Season.

i have turned my outside lights on for about a week and will go get
our tree soon. i love this month so much, as everything ramps up and
we get ready to celebrate the birth of a baby~ 
a baby that changed everything.

peace and love,
beth



Wednesday, November 11, 2015




i just got home from 6 days at our cabin. ( i call it the lodge).
it is hunting season and all 3 of our kids ~our 2 boys and 1 girl~ love to 
hunt and fish. they have followed in their father's footsteps...footsteps leading
them to the lake, into the woods, 
& into cabelas.
: )

i have always preferred to watch from the sidelines,
cheering them on, but never learning to clean
a fish or cook wild game. (i'm smart like that).

while they are out doing all that hunting stuff i busy myself inside, 
cooking, doing laundry and
cleaning...oh the cleaning.
with muddy boots, 3 big dogs  and sandy soil, 
the cleaning there is never ending. well, on day 2 of being there i
bent over to pick up a patio table and my back went out on me.
i was in a lot of pain and couldn't really do any of the things i would
normally have been doing, so i just sat in a recliner.

it bugged me because i felt restless and useless.
i had magazines and books to read and my computer on my lap,
but like most women, i'm not used to sitting around all
day. by day 2 i could do more, but i also just worked on not feeling
 guilty~ having a bad backache is kind of like
being sick right? and being sick is literally the only time i don't feel
guilt if i'm not being productive.
i ended up actually liking that i had an "excuse" to not work 
the whole time i was there. it was like a little knock upside
the head to just relax.

well i stumbled on the video below today and i think it's
worth watching. our world keeps spinning us faster and faster
and as women, (especially any of you who are younger and 
reading this) we really need to give ourselves permission
to just chill out more. 
give yourself permission
 and then please
encourage your daughters, sisters and girlfriends, to do the same.


now...will you take a breather and watch this great 3 minute video made in the UK?
i loved the british accents and the suggestion to make a "don't do" list.


________________________________





i'm going to bed to read now,
xox~ beth





Thursday, November 5, 2015




last weekend was our annual baldwin girls weekend in redwood falls.
my cousin sue has lived there and taught school there her
whole adult life! 

it just happened to be halloween weekend so we had to embrace our
halloweenishness.
(new word websters?)

nancy brought suzie this gorgeous fresh bouquet
made in a pumpkin, and witchy headbands for everyone.


anna is always willing to set my camera up for an automatic photos so 
we can all get in a frame.
there were about 24 to choose from. lol


our hostess always does a workout routine in the living room while the
rest of us sit around eating and watching her.
*whatev's.


my sis knows how much i love sea glass and she brought me this!




maddie brought us all these. : D



so have you jumped on the coloring bandwagon yet?
if not get with it people!!
adult coloring books are everywhere and being on the cutting edge 
of all that kind of stuff, sat. afternoon we sat around snacking (again),
talking smack and coloring.

cousin barb even belongs to a coloring club!
that's a club that just about anyone qualifies for. i like that.
see sue over there in her kitchen? she just quietly cooks for
us about the whole time we are there.
LOVE HER.













saturday we went to the scary haunted house in town. most of us had never
been to one and were were nervous,
giddy and pretty sure we'd need depends underwear. 
the community did an amazing job making an old
hotel into a very dark and scary place. there were
some sore throats that night from all the screaming.

  sue and her
nieces started making dinner for all of us before we left,
they were making home made noodles here.



sue got interrupted by the doorbell many times and rushed to greet
her students and give them treats.
how cute are these two?
 believe it or not sue taught their momma too!



anna brought this fab bottle of wine for herself, but graciously shared it.



we always have a million good laughs when we're together, but this year there
was a particular favorite funny.
it's not about cruelty to animals, but suz had a gold fish that was nearing it's final
flip flop, and it was in this bowl in the kitchen.
we of course had to have some fun with that.
sunday was all saints day, and we knew the end was near, so we moved him to the
table and laid hands on and wished goldie well.
(we were ready to ring the bell.)
he was still alive when we left, but sadly enough,
sue reported on monday morning he/she was gone.
(i suggested that in the future, she shouldn't hug her fish so hard, he appeared to have
a broken back).







i got the giggles twice driving home alone and once
in the middle of the night when i was awake and i laughed OUT LOUD thinking about some of
the funniest parts of our weekend. (like hiding all 125 of sue's beanie babies around
the house while she ran to church...she's found about 1/2 of them.)
it's just so good for your heart to spend time with family and
just be yourselves. warts and all.

thanks susan for another hilariously fun weekend!



xo, beth

 out takes~