I have to make this sign for my  garden this year! LOL

old places..facinate me

I have seen some awesome pictures lately on Pinterest.  Here are a few..I have more pinned if you would like to see them, If these photos could just talk! ( click the logo below)

Valentines Day Keepsake

This is a special Valentine  lamp basket I made , when doing craft shows, using a vintage like shoe pattern   by Hazelruthe. The basket has an electric lamp with silicone bulb, and a  piece worked , embroidered heart, and quilt .The photo is one of my mom taken in 1907. I  used to use this photo in some of the special vintage baskets I would sell...Mom captured the hearts of many long after this photo was taken!

 

Lella Boutique: Carrot Cookies

Lella Boutique: Carrot Cookies: I am quite sure that this is the Easter Bunny's favorite treat. It's sweet , buttery , and yes, it contains carrots. It's covered with a ...

Out with the old fun... and in with the new!

We have had a great year with the kids, sometimes I even felt like a kid myself. (I will play  one of Ashley's favorite songs by the "Beev"!  Stop screaming Jer... .it's only 3 minutes long..ha ha) We had a fun year!...our best times were spent at Adventure land, Monkey Joe's, Chuckie Cheeses and Fun Jump....but also enjoyed the day out rummaging at the town wide sales  in Franklin Grove. We gave each kid 10.00 to shop with and we came home with all sorts of treasures! After, we went to the park for a picnic and the kinds enjoyed the playground there. One day we picked up Sam and Tristan and went to Mill springs where they cooled off in the creek, learned to skip stones and toast marshmallows over a fire. As you see, the kids love to dress up and also love playing with the hose on warmer days, chase lightning bugs and play yard games...we always had plenty to do and lots of fun,,we look forward to the New Year and more adventures! 

While taking photos throughout the years, I never realized how much they would mean to me one day. I treasure each photograph, as well as all of the memories that go along with them....this one was such a photo. pictured are  all my brothers and sisters ,"outlaws", and parents. The family would grow more to the point it took three rooms with tables to seat everyone for Christmas supper, plus the bedroom set up with tables for the kids,,,and a special tree just for them.

So many Christmases, so many memories…Christmases  home with our parents , with my brother and sisters  and  their families  present… (I sure wish I had a picture of the year one of the grand kids turned over the Christmas tree or moms cookies being snatched hanging from the tree  during the night by our dog Pal!)…the year our Christmas tree was so large we had to cut 2 feet off from the trunk of the tree and put it inside of a crock with stones around inside to secure it.…  all dressed up for church and frantically practicing memorized lines for the Christmas program there, the one Christmas that it snowed heavily and mom worried no one would make it back home . One year  Karen and I got a new tricycle and scooter . these were very nice gifts and Karen and I always found an excuse to fight when little..In this case it was who got to ride the tricycle..Mom and dad had bought each for us to share..which wee were told a million times to do that next summer!


 I also remember the  infamous hats we each made for each other to wear..everyone had a sombrero to decorate for whose name they drew and each decorated in a personalized way. Chris,  the  baker, Dar the cow collector, Karen the wedding planner with the weddings are us hat, Deb the cleaning lady, Donice the fish queen of Lee Center, Cindy the Ross Perot supporter with big ears on her hat, "Helengelica", part devil part angel...mom was the Texas Rose, and so forth..there were so many hats and many laughs as we styled them, Of course each had special sayings to go along with them.  I remember the kids doing skits and songs in the basement room grandma had fixed for them to play in..and they would come upstairs to perform for us after practicing . One year we had an all German meal..each of us bringing a special German dish...a first for many of us.  When we were younger it was a customary gift to get a game at Christmas and we would play this   all afternoon.


These days we’re making new Christmas memories as our family continues to decrease in some ways and grow in others…the cycle of life goes on as parents and loved ones pass away, while our children marry and have children of their own…((We always remember the loved ones we laughed and shared Christmas pasts with.))

May each of you have a very Merry Christmas!


(ignore the highlighted words..not sure what that is about that they show up..any suggestions?)

Having lost loved ones this time of year, let this be a reminder of how we are on a visit here on earth and have only a short time  to embrace our loved ones and family... May the Love that first came down at Christmas be in every one's hearts, throughout the year.

Merry Christmas  , Health and Happiness in the  New Year.   Love, Bob and Cindy

Holly

 Holly

 ~In our hearts forever~

 

"Remember Me"

To the living, I am gone

To the sorrowful, I will never return

To the angry, I was cheated

... But to the happy, I am at peace

... And to the faithful, I have never left

I cannot speak, but I can listen

I cannot be seen, but I can be heard

So as you stand upon the shore

Gazing at the beautiful sea, remember me

As you look in awe at a mighty forest

And in its grand majesty, remember me

Remember me in your hearts,

In your thoughts, and the memories of the

Times we loved, the times we cried,

the battle we fought and the times we laughed

For if you always think of me,

I will never have gone.

Holly Mitchusson Schier, 26, of Forreston, formerly of Oregon and Chana, died Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, at FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport. She was a certified nursing assistant, most recently employed at The Neighbors in Byron.
She was born Nov. 24, 1985, in Rockford, the daughter of Tim and Kathy (Page) Mitchusson. Holly was a 2004 graduate of Oregon High School. She married Dusty Schier on June 28, 2008, in Oregon. She was a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers. She loved spending time with her dog, Corgie.

Survivors include her husband, Dusty of Forreston; son, Xander of Forreston; parents, Tim (Kim Stahl) Mitchusson of Oregon and Kathy (Brian Peterson) Mitchusson of Byron; sister, Cally Mitchusson of Florida; brothers, Nick and Nathan Peterson, both of Byron; maternal grandparents, Voris and Helen Page of Oregon; and many special aunts, uncles and cousin

She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Sam and Peggy Mitchusson.



Happy 7th Sean!!!

Sean has now turned 7 years old. He has really grown..in fact asking his mom this am if his voice has changed today??? I think he has noticed big brother Jeremy's voice sounding deeper perhaps? ( He so much wants to be like his big brother.  He also said he doesn't remember being six!  I think Sean is really into being 7 years old !

The teeth all coming in and I see one is missing yet...enough to eat his oreo ice cream  cake!

Making sure these aren't "electric candles"..I think he was thinking trick candles. LOL

And who is this?? Jack  seems to feel he is forgotton at times, and has his little self right there! ( He loves a good party too!)

German Putz Village

These houses were all made by creafter friends of the Primitive and Rustic Delphi forum. Included is one I made depicting my own home. This reminds me of when mom would place her own Putz village under the Christmas tree back in the early 1950s, She would always include a small lake as well. ( see center front)

Where did the years go?

Where did the years go?

I remember mom used to say this as she watched the grandchildren grow up. Now I find myself saying the same thing! I can sure look back at this photo and fondly remember many good days at the Page household and their lovely grand children filling their home with laughter...a very happy time. Those of you in the family will certainly recognize these faces       ~Aunt Cindy ~

PS..I had to take a second look...Liz reminds me so much of her aunt Joanie in this photo...also Holly like Kathy and is that Anna or Brittany by Beth?  sure looks like their mom Jill to me! LOL

Christmas in Heaven

I have always found this poem so comforting during the Holidays,as it reminds me of some very special people we have lost in our extended  family. The Boyenga, Wellman, Page, Roth, Mossimann parents. Also, nieces Joan, Deb, Sue, Tammy, and brother Howard.  and sil, Donice...and most recently, Danielle's sister Jessica and Helen and Voris grand daughter, Holly Michusson-Schier. .Love is in our hearts for each of you...and as strong as the day each left this world.

Christmas in Heaven

 author unknown

See the countless Christmas trees

around the world below

With tiny lights, like Heaven's stars,

reflecting on the snow

The sight is so spectacular,

please wipe away the tear

For I am spending Christmas with

Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs

that people hold so dear

But the sounds of music can't compare

with the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you,

the joy their voices bring,

For it is beyond description,

to hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me,

I see the pain inside your heart.

But I am not so far away,

We really aren't apart.

So be happy for me, dear ones,

You know I hold you dear.

And be glad I'm spending Christmas

with Jesus Christ this year.

 

I sent you each a special gift,

from my heavenly home above.

I sent you each a memory

of my undying love.

After all, love is a gift more precious

than pure gold.

It was always most important

in the stories Jesus told.

Please love and keep each other,

as my Father said to do.

For I can't count the blessing or love

He has for each of you.

So have a Merry Christmas and

wipe away that tear.

Remember, I am spending Christmas with

Jesus Christ this year.



Happy Holidays

Old Thanksgiving Memories Revisited

Bringing back an old post I made of 1967 at the Wellman home. aNot a Thanksgving goes by and I don't reflect back of  some wonderful memories of home.


...Give God Thanks...

I took my decorations down the day after Halloween and now have a few Thanksgiving things up...mainly for the kids to enjoy when visiting grandma's house. I came across a couple old pictures taken at my moms when she would have the kids in for Thanksgiving...so priceless!.. I am sure my nieces and nephews will enjoy this post..LOL ..and friends welcome too! I think we usually do as our moms did to make memories for the grandkids, though there is no way I could possible match what Grandma Wellman would do!

Top row left to right..Cindy(that's me) Diane, Karen, David, Darlene, Susie, Kathy and Christine . In front, are ...Joanie and Jill and sitting is Debbie.

The big turkey in the back ground was a piñata mom actually made and filled with candy for the kids ! Poor Ol Tom turkey never took such a beating to release that candy he had inside! a special memory I have of this day was that the kids had a play they did and had made a stage with a sheet curtain, in which they each came out and sang, read a poem or something from Sunday School. Aunt Karen and Aunt Cindy were "special guests"..and got in FREE. Uncle Don and Uncle Voris refused to pay the admission fee of 5 cents to get in, so we found them instead, trying to "peek into the basement window!"..oh my..such a fuss by the kiddies! What a riot and what a precious memory!

Mom used to fuss so and make things instead of buying ready made. The made a calendar once...sort of the days until Christmas countdown you see...each day in December had a candy cane on it and a scissors hanging to cut it off...this was for Debbie when her mom would bring her over for the mail ( dad had the post office in the front section of our home) Needless to say...as more grandkids came along, grandma switched to having "grandma bags for them to take home filled with goodies. Their mommas decided all that sugar high wasn't a good thing though..and grandma bags had to be changed to fruit..like apples, oranges or grapes.  She would decorate the Thanksgiving table with a set of pilgrim dolls that had cellulose like faces and late blooming rust colored mums from her garden and bittersweet from the country....the dolls were very old and I am not sure where they came from...but were at her house as long as I can remember. What a treasure of memories they harbor at thr Wellman Thanksgiving dinners!

Dad and the boys usually went hunting for pheasant on Thanksgiving mornings...so many times there would be fresh fallen snow. the house would be warm and cozy and smelled of pumpkin pies baking..or her wonderful yeast rolls and cinnamon rolls ( sticky buns) ...and of course...turkey!

A few years later, the second , then a third, generation of grandkids arrive.. I believe at one time ,mom boasted of starting a nation..she had I would guess around 42 grandkids in all by the time she passed on. ..and she loved them all!

Front row is Jeff, Caryn, Andrea, Angie, Jennifer 2nd row is Matt, Steve,Janine, Stephanie, Susie(deceased)  and Jamie .... Back row is Lindsay, Darlene, Kathy, Jill , Christine, Diane and David
Not pictured were Debbie  and  Joanie, both now deceased. Also grandchildren and great grandchildren,  yet to come into  our lives.

Dresser Rennovation

 

This is a three drawer dresser I picked up at a rummage sale this summer for 4.00.  I also purchased the white porcelon knobs at another sale for a couple dollars. They were apparently on kitchen cupboards as there was a large assortment of these....all in good condition!

I like how it appears to have nine drawers. I will use it as a bedside stand in the gurest bedroom.

  A Thanksgiving Poem

This is a picture of my husband's grandmother near Sheffield Iowa.

Bobs father used to tell me how his mom had a way of talking with the animals...looks like she was telling those turkeys they need to fatten up!

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

and your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

My sister Karen from Medina Ohio wrote.."Those turkeys almost look tame! Little did they know what she going to do to them! My Grandma Justine was quite the poultry lady also...found many ways to make money for her family on their farm. Those ladies really had to work hard in everything they did. Happy Thanksgiving everyone."

 Grandma  Schultz with her chickens. 

.  

Thanksgiving cookies

I have been maaking cookies for Thanksgiving Eve service at our church which is hosting community service Wed night at 7 pm in Lee Center. These are Thumbprint cookies and I added some icing and  Fall leaf sprinkles.

WINTER Swag

(click to enlarge)

This was made  by a banner swap group I was in last year

.The snowflake was designed by Judy Waggoner of TN

Remembering Gettysberg

On this date in 1863, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was four and a half months after the devastating battle, and it was a foggy, cold morning. Lincoln arrived about 10 a.m. Around noon, the sun came out as the crowds gathered on a hill overlooking the battlefield. A military band played, a local preacher offered a long prayer, and the headlining orator, Edward Everett, spoke for more than two hours. Everett described the Battle of Gettysburg in great detail, and he brought the audience to tears more than once. When Everett finished, Lincoln spoke.
Now considered one of the greatest speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address ran for just over two minutes, fewer than 300 words, and only 10 sentences. 

A Christmas Craft idea

What you can make from a square lidded box?

     I purchased mine at WalMart, but at Christmas, you see them for sale at many places. I am just starting to work on mine but scroll down and see the finished one I found at a rummage sale this summer. I am going to make a snow scene in mine with a putz house , pines etc.You can also add a music button,,. and even use LED mini lights. If you get inspired, come back and share your finished projects!