home

 

 

 

 

 

 

,

 

i'm a homebody. my favorite place to be is home.

 

i don't always want to be here of course, but when i'm out

and about for a bit- it just feels good & right to come back here.

 

my home welcomes me- it makes me feel centered and like

all is right with my world.

 

* i especially love it when it's clean.

 

i have always loved to decorate and "nest" anywhere i've called home,

whether it was a tiny apartment in the top story of the old house i

lived in in brainerd mn., the first apartment i lived in as a newlywed

with my sweetie- (that one was above the greenhouse i worked at, on main street),

or the 4 other

houses we've called home since we were married.

 

even if i've had a lean budget, i've had so much fun

making our houses feel like home.

 

my #1 best decorating tip is this.

change your rooms around occasionally! even if there's one

way that the furniture fits best, try experimenting and move things around.

exchange the coffee tables in your family room and living room. try

pulling the sofa out from the wall. changing it up is the quickest, easiest

way to give your house a face lift. even just taking down the things you

have on the walls and rearranging them can

give your house a new attitude!

 

when i first married lars this threw him for a loop- his momma really

never did this and it dazed and confused him to have to

learn new pathways through the house. he's long used to me now

though and i don't think he thinks anything of it when he comes home

and i've struggled to shove heavy furniture from one end of the house

to the other.   : )

 

remember it's not important to do this to impress other people, just

do it if it makes you happy. when we are happy we can

go spread that joy to others.

 

xo, beth

is it hot in here or is it just me?

i'd like to talk about hot flashes today. they've come and gone for me in the past 4 years, but something has changed. they seem to be here to stay! oh joy! i've been researching to see what us girls can do to help ourselves.
apparently poise has come up with a wet wipe you can use to swab off excess sweat when a hot flash leaves you glistening. nice.

(i just had a flash back -instead of a hot flash- to the days when i was nursing and i'd be out in public.suddenly my milk would come in and the front of my shirt would be soaked. for that they had a ridiculous product that was a big circular, clumsy pad you could shove in your bra. um hmmmm it was a good look. 

i picked up a couple bottles of an herbal spray that promised to cool me right down when spritzed on my neck- all it does though, is leave me with a moist neck. due to some issues -i can't use a lot of the potions and products that have given others relief...

anyhoo i guess this is just a part of being a girl- and we're all going to have to go through this "stage" before our fallopian tubes are old and dried up- but can i just say that if mine are ready to dry up now i'm o.k. with that?

do you have any tips for me? i told my boss that if i'm this hot in the winter, that this summer i might wear an apron to work. just an apron. you know the kind that ties around your neck? i'll just have to remember not to turn around.

if you're looking for me, look outside. i'm probably out sitting in a snowbank.


                                                 xo, beth

"in the depth of winter, i finally learned that within me
                     there lay an invincible summer".
                                                                                                             albert camus


i am in love with the great outdoors today- i really am. there was no snowshoeing at the cabin this weekend because the snow was hard-packed and there wasn't a whole lot left. boo.      well----driving home the whole world changed and voila!!!! here in the twin cities this morning we again have a winter wonderland!

lets take a look at some photos that capture reasons to love winter:

                                                i never knew a snowman had legs!

                                      hand warmers- such a fun fashion statement

                                       now tell me this isn't breathtaking? i used to
                                                 ski....i was really bad at it. i'm glad
                                           i can say that i used to do it though!!  : )

                          make a pot of soup to warm you from the inside out~

 

there really are innumerable reasons to love winter if

you look for the positives!

we have more time to hunker down and rest -no

gardens and yards to take care of & if like me you

love to garden, we

can just page through garden magazines and seed

catalogs and dream of the coming spring and

having a clean slate to start over with.

 

for today though, let's agree to agree that the

frosted view outside our windows is

 

beautiful.

 

 

*wishing our dear friend marky mark schallock a happy birthday today- he's one of the true good guys in this world!

 

* and praying for a quick healing for my uncle who's having surgery today

 

*and i want to share this song- if you're ever missing a loved

one, it comforts me- lets me have a little cry and then feel better!

happy birthday mom- xo

 

i saw this little ditty the other day that said:

i hate monday
and tuesday,
and wednesday-
and thursday...
and half of friday.

 although it made me laugh i just have to say that it's the second half of friday now personally i haven't hated all the other days this week.

*monday i was off work and had fun getting stuff done at home and goofing off.

*tuesday my hubbie texted me at work to ask me if i'd like to
go out on a date. it was so cold out- but we ate dinner at a fun little local dive we like called ray azteca's and it was close and the food was divine and i was happy. i was home and showered and ready to watch parenthood by 9 p.m. BONUS!

*wednesday i went to book club after work. always love an evening out with my girlfriends-

*thursday night we bought a wood stove for our cabin and i can just
picture the family cutting and stacking wood together and then the fires- ahhhh the fires that are to come. (remember that jar of matches i showed you last week? um hmmm they may be gone soon).
i can't wait to come in from the cold and back up to the warm fire and thaw out my bumm. : )

*now it's friday and i've been packing to head up north. i've had a good week and am looking forward to getting away. although it's always a bit of work packing to go up there, it also feels like a mini vacation every time and i can't wait! the guys are all excited to go ice fishing. i need to get up there and fill our many bird feeders. our little feathered friends are depending on me!!!

                just a few other thoughts...


while at the grocery store today look what i saw~

                          yes!!!! daffodils- be still my heart- (and right next to them?
                                                            purple iris).

 

this is a snipet of the stocking cap i am working on- i hope to

finish it over the weekend.

 

 

                    this picture doesn't really do justice to the gorgeous sunset
                    i saw on my way home from work this week, it was magical
                        but with that i'll say goodbye and see you next week!

                                                                 xo, beth

 

 

 

see this?

 

 

 

 

this is a public service announcement.

these babies can be dangerous. very dangerous.

 

yesterday at work i was vacuuming and i had a scarf on and the rest

is almost history.

 

my jefe' (boss) bought  a new vacuum cleaner for

the studio and i was happy. don't know if she's ever

brought anything into work that i've been more excited about.

girlfriend loves clean floors!

 

so annie's been in atlanta and right before i left for the day

i decided to clean the back lobby so it'd look great

when she got back....and she'd know how much

i love this new appliance.

 

i was vacuuming away and leaned down to pick up the edge of

a ramp to vacuum under it and WHOOOOOOOSH

just like that my scarf was sucked up and so was my head, neck and almost my whole upper body before i got it shut off!

 

picture me cheek to cheek with a vacuum cleaner.

 

i know- it seems funny now and i actually bust out laughing

as soon as i was able to shut it off, pull my favorite scarf out 

(now kind of mangled)

and stand back up- but seriously!!!!

 

do these kinds of things only happen to me?  : )

 

i texted annie and said,

"welcome back to minnesota,

remind me to tell you how you almost found me

inside our new vacuum cleaner when you got to work".

 

 

hope your day doesn't suck at all !!!!!!!!

 

 p.s. there's a good story about me sucking up and almost destroying

a brand-spanking new pair of suit pants of my hubbies too,

do you think the universe is trying to tell me i shouldn't be

allowed to use these weapons of mass destruction?

 

xo beth

brrrrrr-utal cold

instead of freaking out about the 120 below zero temperatures this week, i thought it'd be fun to embrace it- how about we celebrate winters beauty?









 .  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bundle up friends, sip something warm-

and make it a great day!

 

*how fortunate are we to have our

warm homes on a cold night? not everyone is so lucky.

 

 

 

 

 

xo, beth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ~look at how big duke has gotten~

 

 

he has been such an incredible gift to eric.

 

in the past year while he has been recovering

from his car accident this dog has been like

therapy- getting eric out walking and giving

him something to think about other than

the mindless hours-waiting and rehabing and healing.

 

 

 

we love you duke, you're such a good dog!

 

 

have you loved dogs in your life? i'm not the

biggest animal lover- but i have to tell you,

i really dig this dog. he's SUCH a cuddly fella and

has no clue that he's a bit big to be a lap dog. he's

happiest when he's laying on -or across any one of us.

and lars? yep...he's nuts about him. after loosing his

12 year old best friend last summer he's been kind of lost.

duke has helped him heal too.

 

here's to all the good dogs of the world!

 

xo, beth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

here's what's making me happy today... i had the day off work, i'm not ill (my hubbie is),  :  (
 i had time to do my errands and that gave him quiet time to rest. i bought groceries, made the last return from Christmas- man i dislike making returns but i digress...let's get back to the happy~

 a couple more drawers got cleaned- yep i'm still on the "it's january, it's time to declutter & donate" kick, i made a yummy pot of potato soup and had time to go online and order photos from the last few months.

another fun part of my day was stopping at one of my favorite shops and finding these totally kitchy things to bring to the cabin!


                       

these 3 items cost me a grand total of $13 bucks.

(i know right?- a steal of a deal!)

so here's the
lowdown and some closeup details~

 

 

 

this pointer picture is actually kind of hilarious- it's made out of plastic and it's

3-D (like old topographical maps).  the frame is barn wood though. unique? i guess so!!!

 

 

this is a bank...

a. tacky?

b. funny?

c.hideous?

d. a great conversation piece?

 

*this is a multiple choice question friends.   

but before you answer, think about this: do you know anyone else on the planet

that has one of these?

 

i think the answer has to be d. then don't you?

 

 

 

alrighty~ let's. talk. about. this.

stuck in a box in the back, in the corner, in the dark i found

2 jars full of old matches like these. no price on either one. i pretty much

knew it was a find, so i asked the owner how much they were. she had just

gotten them in so rattled off $5 ea. I said i'd take one and not 5 seconds later

another gal walked up and wanted to buy both. i asked her what she was

going to do with the one i hadn't spoken for....she said she was an antique dealer

with a booth at hunt and gather in minneapolis and that we'd both

lucked out-big time.  i just smiled, because i already knew that.

 

you just don't see free matches up for grabs all the time like you

used to. again- just another fun conversation piece for up north.

 

*elvis on a matchbook- are you kidding me???*

 

:  )

 

* you also never know when you may want one to light the

wood stove, a candle-or to inspire you to burst into song.

"come on baby light my fire"

 

we just bought another fire extinquisher for the lodge too so it's all good.

 

 

 

what made you happy today?

 

 

 

beth

can you tell me how to get to sesame street?

when my children were little they watched sesame street. every day.

back then if your "littles" didn't go to pre-school they still learned

their colors, numbers, silly songs and even some spanish by watching it

maybe that's why i love these pez dispensers so much- it brings

me right back to those wonderful days when life was simple and the

background of my days was the theme song to

sesame street.

 

 

 

remember my bold declaration last friday to start cleaning and donating?

 

well girlfriend did not just declare.

i did it!

i cleaned and decluttered so many areas of my house that

a fly on the wall probably thought we were getting ready to list the house.

i found my pez collection in a drawer and thought long and hard about

giving them away. i just couldn't do it.

these babies are timeless collectibles don't you think?

 

worth hanging on to?

am i nuts?

 

: )

 

b

 

 

this new life

                                               the dictionary defines sacred as:

 *connected to God.*

      i think the two most divine moments in life are birth and death. they are sacred~
                                                              sacred.

               
         
                     today i want to talk about birth.

 

   i've had the privilege of being present for two births (other than the ones where i was the one doing all the hard work).  :  )  i have a real reverence for pregnancy and the ensuing birth.

i probably should have been a midwife-but there's this one little problem, i'm squeamish.

 oh yeah- and i also have no desire to work nights.
oh and then there's the part about me not liking to study
or go to school for 6 years...

 



                                                                 recently
                            i was asked by friends of mine to shoot some photographs
                             of a special time in their life. they are expecting their first
                                                                    child.

                                                                    a boy,

                                                                   oh boy!


         they graciously gave me permission to share a few favorites~                                                                      

 

i look at this round belly and i think to myself "w.o.w" there is a person in there. a new life
is forming...day by day. that little person already has everything that we have. their eye color, hair color and future height has been decided. whether this baby will be artistic or athletic is already determined. his personality has been chosen and whether he will be laid back or spirited (i'm going to guess spirited here ali and chris-hehe)- yep already pretty much set in stone. it's simply a miracle to walk around everyday-just doin what you're doin and also be creating a human being at the same time!








 

 

 

 

 

do you love this one as much as i do? playful and loving, it speaks to me

                                          i cannot wait for this little bebe'
                           to be born. this little person is going to make some
                                    of our very best friends grandparents,
                                                  for the first time.


                                                love to you two (3)!

                                                        beth
                                        

you call this fun?

  

 

 

 

 

 

what we call fun in the middle of nowhere may not look like fun to you- but hey, we are simple people and we don't need much to entertain ourselves! give us some sharp darts and a few zesty mozerella sticks and we are happy campers.

on new years eve 2012 we:

 slept in,
 played darts, (which was a Christmas gift from me to the hubs...i can tell it's
 going to be a family favorite for a long time.)
 did a snow shoe tour d'france,
 drove to town for a burger, found our regular haunt closed....
 screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO" in unison,
 drove to the next nearest town...... 127 miles away- JUST KIDDING,
 shared some appetizers at a different bar & grill,
 spent some time looking at all his taxidermied animals decking the walls and halls.
 (the owner  was the trapping buddy of the guy we bought our place from).

 

 

 

 

 

 

i insisted on using the british set of darts

                                                    since i am part english

after we got home we had an organized dart tournament-and there was no messing around anymore. i had gotten my game on and was enjoying complete domination. none of the guys like to lose so i pritnear had to bribe them with cold cash to keep them playing against me.  : )  we ended the evening eating ice cream and playing liars dice and i don't think i've ever enjoyed my grandson more. he was hilarious in his attempts to keep a straight face and coerce the rest of us in his attempts to fool us with his dice!

                                                    do you remember steve urkle?

                                                 * did he have dimples like these???




well then, do you remember mrs. doubtfire?

 up north, we call this fun.

 

 

xo, beth

in the south,

the term "give me some sugar" means give me a kiss...here in minnesota- it means "hey! pass me one of those cupcakes".


* have you noticed that cupcakes have been elevated to an art form?

 

 

do you think they taste any better than the plain old ones we all know how to make? to test this theory i plan to make some plain jane -old fashioned- straight up outta the box cupcakes this weekend.

then if you'll be a dove and run to some fancy bakery and pick me up something beautiful like these, we'll have tea and do a taste test.
 
                           you in?


                   happy friday-i'm heading down to the
            basement now and i'm not coming back up till i
         have at least one huge box full of junk to donate to
                       good will. i mean it too!

                           xo, beth

cold hands ~

this week i made a little hand warmer. its twin will get done soon.

 

                            it was simple really~ the idea began when i ran across a                        small embroidery hoop while cleaning out a drawer.  i already had the white felt.

 

  i first embroidered the words then cut a heart shape

    around it with a matching piece for the back. i sewed them together

   (with the seams on the outside even) and left a small opening so i could 

      fill it with rice. here's the great part. after filling and

      stitching up that little opening, when you have

  cold hands, you just put your little hearts in the

          microwave for 2 minutes and then pop them in your mittens.

next time i go out snowshoeing i'm going to try them.

if you have outdoorsy loved ones, wouldn't this
be a fun, simple idea for a valentine surprise?

it's raining and sposed to turn to snow...drive careful
okay? if you are real lucky maybe you'll have a
SNOW DAY tomorrow!

YIPPEEEE

xo, beth