We Fish Through Ice

Once again, we joined the throng of protesters at our state's capitol against Governor Walker's Budget Repair Bill. Though I haven't heard any official estimates, my guess is this week's crowd was well over 100,000. Protesters marched in the cold and snow for hours. At 3:00 p.m. there were songs by Peter Yarrow and speeches by union members, clergy, teachers, students as well as appearances by well known actor Bradley Whitford and co-pilot Jeff Skiles. Bradley Whitford, an East High School graduate, appeared on The West Wing and returned to his home state to support the protest. He said: "Wisconsinites are so stubborn they fish through ice." A rather catchy phrase for a T-shirt don't you think....We Fish Through Ice!

The Rally

Yesterday, I was one of an estimated crowd of 68,000 that gathered at the Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin to have their voices heard in protest...and support...of Governor Scott Walker's plan to end collective bargaining. It was a peaceful rally and it felt good to be part of this historic event. After a walk around the square, I headed inside to the rotunda. Though I lived in Madison for 21 years, worked right across the street from the capitol and walked through this beautiful building many, many times, I've never seen it so electrified with the passion and commitment of this great state's electorate. Especially significant to me were the four panels of glass mosaic work on each of the pendentives which make the transition from the octagonal form of the rotunda to the circular form of the dome. I did a little research and found the following information on the State Historical website:

Between the four arches in the rotunda are pendentives, which make the transition from the octagonal form of the rotunda to the circular form of the dome. The four pendentives of the rotunda are decorated with four panels of glass mosaic works designed by Kenyon Cox, for a total cost of $20,000. Kenyon Cox, born in Warren Ohio, (1856 - 1919) was an important American painter, draughtsman and art critic. He also painted murals for the Library of Congress and the Capitols of Iowa and Minnesota.

Cox's mosaic panels are twelve feet high and have an average length of twenty-four feet. Each mosaic consists of approximately 100,000 pieces of glass tile and represents Wisconsin's three branches of government (the legislative, the executive and the judicial) and liberty - the foundation of all power in a free country. "Legislation" is represented as a powerful older man with a long beard who holds a stylus in his right hand and is seated by a sphinx symbol of wisdom. A young man holding a leading staff in his right hand while his left hand rests upon a great sword represents "Government"- the executive power. "Justice" is represented by a young woman seated in a lion throne, who tests the scales in the balance to demonstrate the purely judicial function of weighing one cause against the other. "Liberty" is represented as a young woman wearing the traditional Phrygian cap of red, but is otherwise dressed in two shades of green, the color of youth and hope. Her right hand guards the ballot box while her left hand points upward.

As you can see, Liberty is the foundation of all power in a free country and Justice tests the scales in the balance to demonstrate the purely judicial function of weighing one cause against the other.....that's what this past week has all been about.

Foggy Day

Today, the view from my kitchen window shows my favorite oak tree shrouded in fog.

It's definitely a day to stay inside by the fireplace (I do LOVE my gas fireplace!) So, I spent a lazy hour reading The Recipe Club, a novel about food and friendship. Which, of course, made me hungry. I rumbled through all my old recipe cards and discovered my old Girl Scout recipe for Streusel Filled Coffee Cake and, within an hour, I was eating this yummy coffee cake, sipping a huge cup of Dunkin' Donut's coffee and back to reading my book!

So many of my recipes were given to me by my mother. They've gotten brown and faded over time but I treasure them nonetheless! My mother passed away 22 years ago but just looking at these recipes, written in her hand, makes me smile!

Streusel Filled Coffee Cake

Mix together thoroughly:
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk

Sift Together and add into above:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Streusel Topping Ingredients
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a 9 by 13-inch pan. Mix sugar, shortening/butter, and egg thoroughly. Stir in milk. Combine and sift flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl Add to sugar, shortening/butter, egg, and milk. Stir together.

Spread half of the batter in pan. Sprinkle with half of the streusel mixture. Add the remaining batter and sprinkle the top with the rest of the streusel.

Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Happy Valentine's Day

For you see, each day I love you more

Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.

~Rosemonde Gerard

Happy Valentine's Day To You All!!

To Curtain or Not to Curtain...That Is The Question

My intention was to leave all my lovely windows free from blinds or curtains. But, it's looking like I will need something at this window as the morning sun shines right on my new sofa.

Hmmmm....

Dinner Perhaps?

They're getting braver....this big fellow was right next to the house!

Sweet Baby Boy!

This morning at 2:05 a.m. our daughter gave birth to a healthy 9 lb, 22" baby boy! She was scheduled to be induced later today but this little guy decided not to wait!

Everyone is tired and happy! Time for bed!

Will It Be Pink or Will It Be Blue?

Burp pads. Lots of burp pads. I could NOT make enough burp pads for my daughter's last two sweet babies--both boys. They were definitely spitters!

This time around I've changed the style a bit and even made some PINK ones just in case we hear "It's a Girl!!"

We're Having a Baby Basket

Our third grandchild will be born very soon! In preparation for each delivery I've put together a "We're Having a Baby Basket" to take to the hospital. Though it's not finished yet, here's a peak at the most recent one.

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW

I guess the weatherman wasn't kidding when he forecast 12" to 18" of snow for our area!

Our driveway is winding and long. So, today, the fellow who plows for us earned every penny! Mr. Amazing was a happy man!

What to Do On a Lazy Winter Day

Bake!

I decided to bake these sweet treats to cheer up my very overdue daughter and her family who are also battling nasty colds. There's something about going past the "due date" that makes every single day thereafter seem twice as long.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Brownies

2 Cups flour

2 Tsp. baking powder

1/2 Tsp. salt

1 Cup peanut butter

2/3 Cup butter

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup dark brown sugar

4 Eggs

1 Package of chocolate chips

2 Tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9 x 13 pan. Mix together the peanut butter, butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add mixed dry ingredients. Add vanilla and stir in the chips. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. When done, a soft imprint will remain. Do not over-bake.

Let's hope this gets the ball rolling!

A Rafter of Turkeys

There is definitely something to be said for looking out the window! Today we were greeted by a rafter of turkeys. I wasn't sure what a group of turkeys was called so had to look it up. I guess they can also be called a gang or a gobble of turkeys. Either way, it was such fun watching them move cautiously across our land!

RETIREMENT

is...well...wonderful! I'm amazed at how quickly I've adjusted to it all. The downside....if there is one....is that I'm rather lazy these days! I can spend all morning reading and looking out the window at sites like this. We've had a spell of frozen fog the last two days and it's absolutely breathtaking!

My New Year's Resolution should have been to get up and get going!

Christmas 2010

We celebrated our first Christmas in our new home and it was wonderful. To have my husband, children, son-in-law and grandchildren all under one roof was the best present I could ask for! There's no gift you can buy that tops the warmth in your heart as you watch the ones you love laughing and enjoying each other. Those memories will be with us forever. Christmas is a time of reflection as well. As I look at the ornaments on our tree, I am reminded of past Christmases and the many dear friends and their gifted ornaments. Many of those friends are no longer with us but they're remembered every year as we decorate our tree.

This sweet Santa ornament, made of cotton batting, is one of my very special ornaments. It wasn't given to me as a gift, rather it was discovered it in a box of treasures I'd bid on at auction many years ago. We'd bought several items that day and it wasn't until near the end of the auction that I found out the name of the person whose possessions we were bidding on. They belonged to a very lovely woman named Carol. She was an interior decorator who I'd met through work. We'd chat over the years and then she stopped coming. What I never knew is she'd had a stroke, a bad stroke. She was in a nursing home, unable to speak and her life was changed forever. Her mother was auctioning her possessions, and many of her treasures. When I opened the box I found this Santa tucked under layers of yellowed tissue paper with a note pinned to his chest which read, "Santa Claus...made in second grade." Every year I think of Carol as I gingerly place her ornament in a special spot on our tree and it reminds me to enjoy every minute of every day.

I wish you and your families a magical, memorable holiday.

The view from my kitchen window! Yesterday's storm was categorized as a blizzard and it's definitely lived up to its name. I find it difficult to pull myself away from the window to get some work done. There's nothing quite like a "snowed in" day with the fireplace going, Christmas music playing and beautiful oak trees! Hope you are all snug and warm in your homes too!

Someone pinch me...please! The Great Move of 2010 is officially over and we're finally living in our cottage in the woods! Moving day was rainy as predicted but we were able to pack and unpack the U-Haul truck in between showers. As we drove up to the house we were greeted by a WELCOME HOME sign Carrie had made. And, to see Mikey standing behind it...well, let's just say, kleenex was needed! We moved from the condo to the house and then from the storage shed to the house. All of this was completed by 3:30 p.m. thanks to lots of hard work on the part of friends and family. What wonderful people they are! Boxes still need to be unpacked, pictures need to be hung and the fireplace needs to be tested before we can enjoy our first fire. Yet, each morning I wake with a feeling of peace and contentment knowing we are just where we're meant to be....HOME.

The Countdown Begins!

A very busy week...but productive! We painted, painted, painted all weekend and threw in attending our grandson's 3rd Birthday party in between (I think we're getting pretty good at multi-tasking!) Our son-in-law and his friend spent the past two weekends building retaining walls and yesterday topped it off with rough landscaping and a gravel driveway! I was speechless when I walked outside and saw the incredible job they've done (hugs and tears to both guys here.....). Brad the Builder finished the fireplace wall and it's turned out exactly as I'd hoped it would. I can't wait to turn on the gas fireplace on a cold winter's night! I've been asked why I opted for gas over wood. I'll defer that question to Mr. Amazing as, amazingly, he would only make a wood fire over the holidays. Now I can have a lovely fire with the flick of a switch! Next Saturday Phase III and IV. I am definitely getting excited! Stay tuned.

Trick or Treat!

I received a wonderful Trick or Treat email today. This picture was taken in 1952 when I was in Kindergarten. I'm the little witch in the back row. How fun is that!

Now The Fun Begins!

Only two weeks until Phase III and IV of The Great Move of 2010! I can hardly believe it! A lot has happened since last weekend and there's still more to do. We headed out early Friday morning and stopped for breakfast at Lazy Jane's Cafe on Willy street. It's by far my favorite place to eat breakfast or lunch. Then on to the City-County building to vote early. From there we headed west to our house to see what progress Brad the Builder made last week. Floor360 had been there and the tile in the shower and around the fireplace looks amazing! But my favorite is the kitchen. I love my kitchen! Just makes me smile to look at it. Can NOT wait to bake bread in that kitchen! I'm so glad we decided to use the IKEA beech countertops. They're the frosting on the cake! Pictures are out of order...but you can get an idea of just how much stone was delivered Friday. Can you say retaining walls! Next week even more changes! Stay tuned!

Three Weeks and Counting!!!!!

A busy weekend! The usual painting, painting, painting with some added sealing of cedar boards for the porch. In between all of that, we celebrated Jim's birthday with Barbara and John on Thursday evening and on Sunday afternoon drove to Oshkosh to have lunch with an old college friend and his daughter who flew in from NY to attend the Packers/Vikings game (GO PACKERS!!!). Here's a peek at the flooring. This week Floor360 comes in to tile the shower and around the fireplace and Brad the Builder will put trim on upstairs. This is all making my head spin, but Jim remains calm and reassures me we will be able to get everything done prior to Phase III of the Great Move of 2010! Stay tuned!

Progress

Unusually warm weather has allowed many flowering plants to show their beauty just a bit longer. The Morning Glories on my daughter's patio were no exception... treating us to one last explosion of color before winter. I'm not sure I can call it a vacation, but we spent the past week dog sitting and painting walls and trim in our little cottage in the woods. I'm amazed that my right arm still works! Mr. Amazing and I worked quite well together and finished a first coat of Benjamin Moore's Simply White paint on all the trim. I need to give Benjamin Moore a plug here as their Advance paint is truly incredible. It went on as smooth as butter and, as a bonus, is an environmentally safe paint. I did question the wisdom of painting everything in site, but I'm hopeful the finished look will be what I've envisioned. We were also able to stain and seal the beech countertops from IKEA. I've attached a picture of the three products used. While we painted, Thompson Flooring was installing the wood floors upstairs. Monday they will apply stain and Tuesday apply a seal coat. Next comes Floor360 for tile in bathroom shower and around fireplace. All in all a productive week. Did I mention how sore and tired we are? Stay tuned!

Another Lovely Fall Weekend

Drywall is up and base coat sprayed on. Next week Mr. Amazing will be painting walls....Benjamin Moore's Linen White. Willy Street Festival was on the agenda for weekend entertainment as well as a bonus trip to Elkhorn's last Flea Market. How fun is that!