Catch up PART 2

This part is telling about the wedding reception and setting up for it.

Cory and I arrived in Marshall, MN Friday around 2:30 PM. We walked into the Gym at the church (where the reception was held) and my whole family was there! (well, except James, he had to work, but he came later). I felt bad, cause I totally ditched Cory to give everyone hugs and completely forgot that he had never met my Grandma, Aunt Luann, Aunt Eloise, or Alicia. Luckily, he met everyone well enough on his own. (whoops) We were put straight to work. The room looked great already, but there was still tons to do. I had made cookie dough on Wednesday, and so for the remainder of the evening I made cookies. I made the best Chocolate Chip cookies in the world, and for the first time ever, I made Snicker doodles. They turned out great!

Alicia's reception was a beached theme, and it turned out so amazing! Her colors were white and blue and it was beautiful. We had balloons hanging from what looked like mid air, and there was a beautiful canopy the blue and white tulle. The center pieces for the tables were wine glasses filled half way with sand. The sand had shells and a flower surrounding a candle light. Around the wine glass were more shells, palm tree looking leaves and 2 more candle lights. It was so pretty!

The reception was so much fun. It had been way too long since I have danced with my siblings. I probably should have taken  it easy, my ankles are still sore from all the jumping and dancing, but I would do it again in a heart beat. Cory and I danced. This is a big deal, because my husband does not like to dance. So far, he will only dance with me at wedding receptions. This will change. :)

James and Alicia are so cute together! You can tell that by the way they look at each other and touch each other that they love each other so much! And Alicia was beautiful in her dress! Oh my goodness! She is such a cutie pie! I love her! I am so glad we are sisters!

 She had 4 cakes. They were beautiful!

 Where the Bride and Groom sat.

I wont put very many pictures of the reception until Alica or James have put them on facebook. But I these are a few pictures I took before the reception.

Well, that's it for today. I will continue this later! Stay tuned, and remember to respect others!

Catch up on the weekend PART 1

This weekend has been super busy but also amazing! There are many stories to be told about it. But the first happened on Thursday, May 24.

Cory and I were planning on leaving to go to Marshall, MN that night, so I was madly trying to get everything ready for the long drive. I was in the closet when I heard chirping that sounded like it was coming from my laundry area. This can't be. How would a bird get into my apartment? The sound must be traveling through the air vents. I continue packing but now it sounds like a bird is trying to fly out of my laundry space. I walk to the doors that open to the washer and dryer. It sounds like a bird is in my dryer. I call my dad for moral support. The conversation went something like this:

"Dad, it sounds like there is a bird in my laundry area. What do I do?"

"What?" laughter was in his voice. I can't blame him.

"Yeah, it sounds like a bird is in my dryer. I don't want to open my dryer in case it has rabies and it pecks at me."

"It wont have rabies"

"There is no way to tell till it's too late.... ok hear I go, I'm opening the dryer.........................empty. Maybe it's behind the dryer?" I carefully climb atop the dryer and pray that the angry animal wont try to kill me. But I see nothing.

"Why don't you call your landlord?" my dad suggests.

"Well, I'm not sure there is a bird in my apartment. I would look silly if they come to get an imaginary bird out." We hang up after I admit I might be over reacting. I continue packing. The chirping has stopped and I forget all about the bird.

I call my sister-in-law, Alicia to keep  myself entertained while I pack. But soon the chirping starts again, and it is louder than before. Even Alicia could hear the helpless bird. I am not imagining this. This bird is in my apartment....somewhere, it is scared, angry and hungry. I call the land lord and she laughs but says she will bring someone over to take care of it.

2 hours later someone finally comes by. I explain the problem, but I really don't have to because the bird is so loud I'm sure my neighbors can hear it. He tells me the bird is in my dryer vent. .......ok..... He disconnects my dryer and pulls my dryer into my kitchen, and says he will get his leaf blower and blow the bird out the other end. Is that even safe?

He leaves to get his blower and I continue packing. I'm just minding my own business when I hear the bird getting louder and louder. And then SWOOSH! The bird flies out into the kitchen. What the heck? This bird in going crazy! It's flying all over my apartment and it's getting caught between the window and blinds. I call my dad again for more moral support.

I'm pretty sure I'm screaming on the phone. The bird is hissing and flying everywhere. I'm standing there with the door open, but the bird refuses to go out. Finally, by the time the guys come back with his leaf blower, the bird flies out, almost hitting the guy.

He still blows the leaf blower through he dryer vent just to be safe. Turns out there was another bird in there. I named the crazy bird Fabio.

I will continue this post another time. Part 2 will come tomorrow. But until then, be good, stay strong, and choose the right. And remember, God loves you! Stay tuned.

Solar Eclipse

As a little girl, I remember reading about solar eclipses. I remember reading about the one 18 years ago, reading about the kids in Brazil getting to see it. I remember reading that you had to have protection over your eyes to see it. That fascinated me. I had always wanted to see one. Well, last night, I finally got to.

It was a couple of weeks ago when I read that the solar eclipse was going to happen on the 20th of May. Mentally I marked that day. Vowed not to forget. Well, last night, I was at my in-laws house and we were just talking. The date was brought up. "What was so special about May 20?" I kept thinking to myself. Then it came to me. The Solar Eclipse.

My sister-in-law and I looked up when it would start, (about 3 minutes from when I remembered. Close call.) that it was only going to be a partial eclipse. I couldn't remember if we needed protection, so me, being the brave soul, went outside to check. It was around 7:20 and it was so bright. I squinted at the direction of the sun and it hurt my eyes so badly! My eyes continued to hurt throughout the evening. We were trying to figure out a way to view the eclipse, when my blessed father-in-law spoke "I have a welding helmet in the shed." I ran outside. I was not going to miss this.

I think I was more excited than my nephew. I will admit, I was acting like a little girl. But come on, the last one was 18 years ago. We looked at it at the beginning of the eclipse and then set an alarm for 10 minutes to go check again. It went over the horizon around 8:30, but we checked till that time. At one point a cloud threatened to cover up the sun for the rest of the evening, but it left after 10 minutes.

This was such an amazing experience for me. Now I will have to view a total eclipse. We weren't able to take pictures, the sun was too bright even through the helmet. But I don't think I could forget it. So cool!

Day dream

Don't deny it. We all day dream. Where is your world you go to? Mine? Well, I'm still in the process of perfecting it.

Picture this: An island with lovely mountains scattered around and forests surrounding the beach. There is a beautiful valley beyond the mountains with a large lake that leads into a stream that wonders here and there. No one knows where it goes. That is it's own business. Moss lines the stream with wild flowers bunched together here and there. Rocks disturb the water as it goes along on it's journey; and somewhere down the way, the earth seems to disappear, causing a small waterfall. Where the water meets the earth again, various amphibians have claimed it as their home, filling the air with music as different animals stop to drink.

The forest is filled with all kinds of trees. Trees that you wouldn't find together, but they bring out each other's beauty. Maples, evergreens, willows, sycamores, etc. Song birds occupy the branches, while squirrels and other rodents make the truck and roots their home. Somewhere in the middle of the forest, you almost have to get lost to find it, sits a large tree stump surrounded by a bed of pine needles, making the ground soft. This is where we pick nick on occasion. Small paths are embedded in the ground leading to berry bushes.

The lake has cat tails growing in groups spotted around it. The water is clear. You can spy on fish as they make their own journey. Fish off all different colors make the lake look like a canvas of moving paint. Bright oranges, purples, blues, reds, greens, and other colors not yet named. It's calming.

 On the east side of the lake is a log cabin. 3 bedrooms, kitchen, living quarters, and den. Large windows are seen in front and back of the house. In the front yard lies a path leading to the lake. Shrubbery and flowers guard the home. In the back yard is the wood pile, the vegetable garden, and a small shed. A warn path leads through the forest to the beach.

The sand is white and welcomes the waves. The light dances on the water, calming your mind. The water is always the perfect temperature, always inviting. And although the sea creatures are beautiful, one must eat, and there is an endless supply sea food.

The animals on my little island are docile, for the most part. Every day dream needs unexpected thrills. You get lost and chased by a rogue pack of wolves. This like this can never be predicted. One must stay away from the caves in the mountains, bears and mountain lions have claimed that territory. Although, tame when coming to you, when you interfere on their grounds, they become protective.

I can often find Cory sitting at the edge of the lake, fishing. Or sitting in a bed of pine needles in the forest. Here, Cory has no allergies. We can lie on the grass without the slightest negative consequence. It's a wonderful place. A place where material things are not needed. A stress free world.

 Blog about the world you find yourself going to when you need to escape. But as always, thanks for reading. Stay tuned, and remember that you are a Child of God!

Blueberry Muffins!!!

I find that my cooking/baking have phases. When we first moved here, I wanted to cook dinner every night. Something new. And I did, for a while. But now my attention is on desserts and pies, cookies, candies, muffins, sweet stuff. It will probably switch back before too long. But, I made these Delicious blueberry muffins that I would like to share with you!

Delicious Blueberry Muffins!!


Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and get your muffin sheet ready!

2.)Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. (well it says to sprinkle......mine didn't sprinkle very well, so I caked it on there, a thick layer, and it was so good!)

Crumb topping

Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking. (again, I caked it on there)

Bake for 20-25 min or until done. --I cooked mine for 20 and they were perfect! I usually  have a hard time not burning muffins, but I didn't burn these!                 

Well that's it! I hope you enjoy the muffins! If you have any recipes you would like me to try, I would love to know them!     

Stay tuned and remember, God loves you!