A Wonderful Weekend*

A relaxing weekend is over.  Back to the business of work and trying to fit all the important stuff in along with the items that aren't so important but need to be done anyways.  I am itching to review our garden plans for 2013 and get seeds on order.  We go through Baker Creek Seed Company.  Love them and their ideals. 

 
I had a great salad this weekend and it was making me wish for fresh greens from our garden, hence the pictures of previous years gardens.  I looked outside this morning and the garden beds are covered in a lovely blanket of fresh white snow.  Dormant, but still extremely beautiful in their own way. 

I was able to get the kitchen cleaned this weekend on Friday, thanks to an impromptu afternoon off work.  With William gone to Lake of the Woods for an ice fishing trip, it tends to get overwhelming for me with all the things that need to be done, so I took the afternoon off to grocery shop and clean.  It was a wonderful time.  I turned on my favorite radio station (KTIS) and sang along while the refrigerator was sanitized and the sink scrubbed clean.

The Cafe Wren in Luck has a new Jammin' BLT that everyone must try.  It has bacon jam on it.  I seriously want to give the inventor of bacon jam a Nobel peace prize.  It is so delicious.   I will be back for another one soon.  Not to mention trying to make my own. 

Libby and I made some chocolate chip cookies on Saturday morning.  I am trying to get into the habit of baking something with her each week.  I remember doing this with my Mom and I think it is one of the reasons I love being in the kitchen so much.  That and I love to eat, so it is a natural progression.

I also made some homemade toiletries on Saturday.  Moisturizer, chap stick, diaper rash cream and deodorant were all on the list.  I am surprised how simple it was to make all these once the ingredients were assembled.  So far, I am very thrilled with the results. 

We attended a baby shower at church on Saturday afternoon.  It was fun to see the new baby girl and shower her and her Mommy with gifts.  We purchased some diapers and an inflatable baby bathtub for our contributions.  We also gave her our bouncy seat that Edward has out grown.  It was only a few months old and I hope she can get a little more use out of it than we did!  And pass it on as well when she is done with it.

William returned home on Sunday afternoon.  He found Edward and I sleeping in a chair in the living room.  We fell asleep after a nursing session.  As we woke, the snow was falling outside the window in large flakes.  It was so beautiful, I just wanted to soak it in. 

A big bowl of steaming wild rice soup was dinner on Sunday night along with a new recipe of Italian Bread sticks.  They were good and I will be keeping the recipe.  Light and fluffy with garlic and Italian seasoning then covered with butter and Parmesan cheese.  Leftovers for lunch today. 

As we enter the last week of January, I am grateful for the slower pace that winter in Wisconsin provides.  Even though we are extremely busy, the cold seems to slow us down a bit.  Reminds me a bit of a canoing vacation.  The pressure to get to your next camping site, but once there, the relaxation comes easily.

It is a beautiful day today with temperatures in the high 20's and as I was walking into work this morning, I was dreaming of the day when my "work" is to go to the barn and collect the eggs from my chickens, play with my kids in the yard making a snowman and coming back inside to a cup of steaming hot chocolate and homemade muffins.  Maybe even a nice long walk in the woods on a warm day like today learning about native animals and birds, looking for tracks and checking out what Maple trees we would like to tap come warmer weather.  This country girl is out of place in the corporate world.