A cold blustery evening

Some days the walls get a little close inside. So the only way to venture out is to have a big puffy warm coat with big pockets for extra lenses. And then bundle up the rest of the way. All for 20 minutes, which is all about you can take from the cutting wind.

Some shots of the yard and sky and grass. Notice how the grass is bent to the right? This is the way the grass grows naturally, bent from the wind.

Just an interesting line of crooked old fence posts against a beautiful sky. For some reason fences here fascinate me. I think it's because you can see them disappear into the horizon, something I've never seen.

One of my favorite type of photos- silhouette against the sky.

A view of our house from the back in the setting sun. Which is West. And I'm still trying to make it West in my mind. Yes I know the sun sets in the west. Yes, I know that's natural, but in my brain, west here is still dead east....

Christmas

We're not a big family on Christmas, unless the occasional family gift swap which usually constituted of chocolate. I'm a big believer of chocolate, gift wise or not!  I never remembering there being a real Santa Claus and besides that, in lieu of presents, we voted for trips! And we took some great ones. I never remember a Christmas present I ever got, but I do remember staying at Bellows Beach in Hawaii, surfing with cousins in Oahu, going back to Alaska and seeing where I was born, watching the Silvers run in the Kenai River. Going to Banff National Park and staying in the resort, going to the Edmonton Mall where my youngest sister got lost, and all 6 adults and 10 kids panicked wondering where she went. We found her, staring at the roller coasters. I think she was 3 years old. She was totally chill.

We went back to Hawaii and stayed on the top floor of the condo, watching the whales jump while we watched the evening sunset, and attended a luau, flirted with the bus boys and got to snorkel at Hanama Bay. We crewed and sailed up to Desolation Sound from Bellingham and ate like kings off the fish and shrimp and oysters we caught. I can still see my dad getting excited about seeing fresh jumbo oysters and taking the skiff to shore before the boat had stopped! We sunned, slept, played, swam and found an old raft most likely lashed together by a modern day Huck Finn. We were much obliged because we had more fun diving off of it trying to touch bottom that was inky, creepy black! And we never could.

We went to Phoenix, stayed in the middle of winter, lounged in the pools and it was 75 degrees. Oh we loved that. And took a day trip down to Mexico where 12 of us slept the night in a two bedroom trailer. The bonus? The boys walked down the beach and purchased fresh salsa for 3 pesos.

We sisters stalked grocery stores looking for Hawaii Sweet Bread and Guava Jam, hiking through bamboo forests and seeing waterfalls. Then going up at night to Mt. Haleakala and seeing the moon rise behind while the sun set before you. Truly an amazing sight to do again. Having my swim suit come off in the ocean- oh the embarrassment!! Seeing my brother nap under palm trees and nearly fall out of the hammock. Watching mom and dad walk down the beach hand in hand.  Helping dad and my siblings build a sand castle. Seeing mom read an entire book in one day sitting ocean side. Nothing short of amazing since she's always up, going and doing and 90% of the time, cooking.

We also went to Seattle. There is nothing sweeter than being on Bainbridge Island, with my second set of parents. (I have a lot of 2nd sets) Watching air craft carriers float buy, picking sea shells, digging for gooey ducks and then us girls thrift shopping in Seattle and watching the fish fly at Pike's Market. We had such fun! What's even more fun was meeting up with our Rimbey, AB parents, Bainbridge parents and seeing our dad's and mom's chat, laugh, discuss, and reminisce fireside is sweeter than any candy and more of a security blanket than any gift could ever be. No, none of us will ever be rich but I can attest that all of us kids felt love, security, kindness and humor.

Those are just a few of the trips, some with friends, some not. I realize that what mom and dad were teaching us was money and presents weren't important. They know that what all kids crave is their parents' time. Certainly it wasn't easy getting a hotel for them and four kids and eating out, but it was time spent with us that we learned how to relax, how to have fun and most of all, appreciate each other. We didn't get ice cream on every street corner, and the souvenirs we coveted, didn't come home with us. I mean really, what are you going to do with 5 mini boxes that fit one piece of candy?! But fun we had. And memories we still talk about.

We're pretty lucky. Incidentally, we're taking trips in the D. Frasch Family instead of 'doing' Christmas. Our first started with Mexico, on our honeymoon. The man actually had to specifically go apply for a passport. But he loved it. And can't wait to go again. We will, but we've other places to explore first. For Christmas we joined my family in Fairmont HotSprings in Butte, MT. This is not the flashiest place, but we've spent many years coming to soak in the pools. Alas, I didn't get many photos because we were either water logged or full in the belly! But the few I did, will trigger memories.

Merry Christmas!

Frost days, but not frosty company!

I have never been aware of the sunshine in winter in my life. I am used to not seeing the sun for 50-60 days at a time, but out here where the sun always shines, I start wondering where on earth it went if it's "out of sight" for more than a day.

We had wonderful company this last week. Dustin P and Heidi H came to see me for lunch and it was JUST what the Dr. ordered. Dustin brought me Huckleberry Jam to get through the winter. He has no idea that this is an actual Cure! And Heidi is hopefully planning a nervous breakdown here soon. Devin L came to stay with us for the night and we had a wonderful, wonderful 24 hours. The Dr. sure was giving out healthy doses of curatives all around. It came just in time for me too. Devin came inside and showed me this photo on his phone, so I had to sneak out and get one myself!

This is what we woke up to the other morning. A 1/2 inch of frost covered everything! It was so humid the temperature dropped towards zero and was that way for 2 days.

You can see the freeway to the left of the trees. It was pretty quiet and traffic moved slow. It seems that weather here shuts people down. I cannot understand it but people do not drive when it starts to look like bad weather. Then again I've never been in a true white-out blizzard either, but for now I humor my husband when he says, "We are staying put tonight!" and I agree although I think he's crazy!

 
And then like magic, the sun came out and the starkness of the snow against the brilliant blue sky encouraged us on again!

To the tune of.....

Wednesday is the day Dustin has the day off. Usually. That's what his schedule says, not always what happens. My husband doesn't know what to do with himself because he hasn't had two days off in a week for over five years. He thinks he's getting 'special privileges' where I argue that that is his 'right!' Right?! Right.

I tell him to never fear how to act, because no matter how much has been done, there will always be a "honey-do" list. And I supply it with frequency and relish. It's not that I can't do it, but past history with a level and myself has proven several times that my picture hanging abilities will never make him happy.

It's okay. Plus, he's very handy when he applies his mind and time and I appreciate it.

But. I'm not really sure how to account for his actions below. I had downloaded some songs to the ipad that he had requested and he took ipad and pencil into his den which is also furnished with a computer and bags and bags of deWalt tools.

He wanders out to find the level.
Wanders out again to find a tape measure.
(tedious isn't it?)
Hollers out wondering if I've got a calculator... What? Why!? You're only finishing up a shelf....
And then Music suddenly comes blaring out of den. I look up through the window and this is the sight I beheld:

I laughed so hard! This is definitely a one time show, free of charge, to the tune of 2Pac. I will never listen to California Dreamin' quite the same way again.

He's a funny guy and makes me laugh because most people don't know this side of him.

On to demoralizing!

Reflections

When I got up today, I noticed the icicles hanging off the eves from the kitchen window. The morning sun was glinting on it and they were so sparkly! I tried to snatch a few photos of it, but even though i could see about a quarter of my nose in it, I couldn't quite catch it. But it made me reflect on life, people rather.

More specifically my family.

Ughhh I miss them. It has been a good long while since I've encountered homesickness. But here I am, wallowing in the grief of it. It's ridiculous. I'm 30 years old for the love of pete and there is no reason why I should be given it's only been 3 months since I saw the lot of them.

But there is something about living with my sisters and fighting with them or joking and getting an a-HA moment at 10pm that it's a good idea to rearrange the pantry. Or having a brother drop in to clean out your refrigerator and around a mouthful of chicken ask if you're going to make him a pie. Just cuz. I miss them a lot. I miss sunday dinners with mom and dad helping get the meal on the table and the afternoons being lazy and picking on my brother as he tries to duck out of three sisters opinions of how to snag a wife for him. We never were popular with our insight. Poor guy. He'll be the stronger for it! I'm just getting back from him always scaring me as kids.

And my mom. You know there is something about having your own mother 3 miles away knowing that you can duck in for a cup of sugar or dive into her hug because still, as yet, apparently at 30 I can't navigate life on my own (even happily married) without my mom. Only a mother can dry tears of doldrums and offer comfort in her hugs and with a cookie. My mother has the best kind of love for her kids. All sympathy until she gets tired of us wallering in our own soup and then it is the toughest kind of love. I feel sorry for the child who hasn't a mother like that. And she is fun. No one can have a good laugh like mom and make her kid feel better.

Or being out and about with my daddy, fixing on something. I miss my father's quirky sense of humor and laughing til my sides ache when he gets in one of his tirades. He has lately become boss of the kitchen and I can't tell you how many times he's told me how proud he is of his messed up venison and potato roast. And "mom even liked it!"

I remember a week that mom went to her uncles funeral when I was about 10. Dad was the cook and I can remember 4 pairs of eyes that were around the kitchen table eying dad as he made none other than a Huckleberry Pie. We were slightly shocked as I didn't remember dad puttering in the kitchen so much. But make a pie he did. Shuffled around, found a recipe, rolled out the dough and all of us had our input of, "but dad, mom does it THIS way....." and so on. He took out a gallon of hucks, poured them in the pie shell, poured more in, and a little more, then took the sugar bag and heaped cups of sugar on the hucks. I informed him that, "mom puts butter on top before the top shell" and he popped it in the oven. I remember it being the BEST pie ever. With lots of ice cream, even more than mom would have allowed.....

With mom being gone a week, we ran out of bread. So he called grandma, got a potato bread recipe and we peeled potatoes like you'd expect to have for convention stew. We mixed the dough up, left for Wednesday night meeting and by the time we returned, the dough had oozed out of the pan, the towel kind of suspended in the air and had started it's decent on the way down the cupboard, floor-wards. We rescued it in time, but neither of us were really prepared for the result of adding too much yeast. We made 3 loaves of bread, and a pan of cinnamon rolls- the carmel-y kind that oozes around, but we didn't know that you must immediately upend the baked rolls and goo onto platter after taking them out of the oven. We didn't and the result was something that would have made JB Weld proud. We pried out the rolls, and were happy as clams about it. I have no idea how many days mom had to soak that pan upon her return!

I even miss the dog. And I'm pretty sure that Little Whiski misses her aunty the most. Because she is soooo cute. And she has the best cuddles.

And the way the air is still. Not a puff of air. It's amazing.

I miss the comfort of trees. And the way the ice moans and pops at night from the lake.

I miss the wood heat of the fireplace. 90 degrees inside and wearing a summer dress while it is 20 below outside.

I miss the comfort of that old lake house which architecturally makes no sense and is designed exactly opposite of 'having a view in mind.' But there is a lot of memories there.

I miss the garden there and the flowers. Talk about a labor of love, but I enjoyed it.

And, I honestly miss the snow. I'm so cold now it's ridiculous to admit, but I miss how it stacks up! In inches and feet.

Okay, that's enough homesickness.

Sew Much!

Disclaimer:
Everything in the following photos IS organized. There is no clutter. Thank you.

Now then.
I'm pretty sure I have a project started in every corner of this room. But no matter. I love this little part of the house. It's so homey and inviting to me, yes with a Red floor and pink walls! It's very different for me, but I'm entertained with it for now. It's actually quite restful.  And often I sit up there with a cuppa in my favorite china cup and saucer that I got from Grandma Lulu many years ago. I miss her. I wish I knew her in my adult life as she was a woman of no nonsense, hardworking and so capable and would have been such a help to me now living out here on the prairies that she came from with Grandpa Erwin. How did she cope?!

I sip on my tea (made to Auntie Hazy's specifications: "warm cup first with hot water, brew PG Tips in the tea pot, pour out warming water, add a healthy dash of milk and then pour brewed tea") and think about a lot of stuff. Mostly if I'm capable of creating. Anything. And how do I do it? And do I have the ability?! And how much I'd like to have my own gift store someday. (ACK! I admitted it.)

I unpacked all of my fabric the other day. Finally... Up until that point, this room looked quite sweet and unruffled. Well that changed. This is every scrap from my stash and Grandma Hazel's stash without regard to the stash of lace, ribbon and zippers. I'd need another shelf dedicated. I miss her too. And each piece of fabric from her - all polyester of course! makes me want to talk to her over a cup of tea while learning how to embroidery again. She did beautiful embroidery. And quilting. And sewing.

So what we have here is the stairs to upstairs. And the painting was given to me by another Mom named Lovie for my 30th birthday. This painting has a cool story. She was taking a painting class and the instructor told the students to pick out a photo from a huge collection. Love found this one, and it happens to be of our family before my youngest sister was born. I love the painting.

And then there is the Yarn Stash. Made out of old barnwood of 1x12's that I found here on the property discarded. I measured twice, cut once and screwed it all together with my husband's awesome DeWalt's. He came in later to look at it and the only thing he said about it was that it wasn't level. (see post about that several days ago) Go figure. I wasn't surprised he'd say that, but how on earth are you supposed to get "level' out of warped?!!? Since he doesn't need to look at it everyday, it stays and I think it's awesome.

This is the Fabric Stash -why does it look smaller in a photo?!

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful thanksgiving, and I got a grand total of 3 photos.

I loved this little captured moment though. The men shot trap after a huge feast. And little nephew here decided he needed to color at the table. I set him up and the next thing I know, he has a crayon in one hand coloring away and the salt shaker in the other, giving the 'photo' a good douse of flavor. He decided that coloring was boring and proceeded to 'color' with salt and pepper in each hand. I am so bummed I missed the moment, because grandma took it away from him. But this little face of complete concentration and then being caught, was too adorable to pass up! (minus the bad shadows) :(

So, because I missed thanksgiving photos, I'll share some photos of what I did the other day with my friend Sarah. They just moved into a house which happens to be the old Benjamin Ranch! Pretty awesome place and we had fun taking a brisk walk up beyond the home place.

The Very Creepy Rock was looking like it would topple any moment- it was so ginormous we scooted around it, always being on the uphill side! I love the old glass insulators for the fences and crunching through leaves. The barn is just and old weathered icon of no importance except that it stands the test of time in all manner of weather. It's a picture in itself of endurance.

I liked the blandness and antiqueness of these photos because that's life here. Sometimes it seems you have to search for beauty in the landscape- quite a new thing for me to search for. But you can find it. Sometimes it's in just the way a line of a fence is crawling up a hill. I'd never thought to appreciate that line of beauty, but one looks for all they can out here. Or maybe that's just me! It certainly makes you slow down to search it out.

This view leaves me breathless. Yes for the flatland if you can believe it. The camera really cannot capture how far you can really see. It's incredible. Oh how we would love to be farming that and that it (any farm) be called ours.  :)

Food, Fall, Fab, FUV

When I think of fall, I think of food. Always. Well, I'm always thinking of food, regardless of fall, it's not just because it's the holidays. There are a few things that I really love about fall. Like apples- I have bushels! It's so fun! I've never been able to say that before but apples grow here in E. Montana and the neighbors make good on their hospitality. I also really like squash (really good on hospitality- I currently have 8 on my counter), oranges and a brandied nut bread. The color thing really makes me feel alive though. Red, orange, yellow and various hues of brown. It's so vibrant and interesting that just a month ago, the leaves on the tree were green. Now they're red. It's like a magic trick happened over night.

What isn't awesome of course is that it's getting cold, is windier than normal (they say it's normal- what do they know?! They probably blew in from Minnesota and do not really know they're in Wibaux.) Someday I'll get around to dedicating a post to wind if I learn something about it that is beneficial. I have not learned anything yet, so it's still on pause.

It might be a long pause.

I have been cooking a lot. I have a husband that likes food that runs outside the parameters of hamburger, roast, and steak and I am fortunate that I like to cook. He is fortunate that he'll try anything. Really we're a match made in heaven I think. Still. It's quite amazing!

Is it Straight or Level?

This has been a standing argument since we started hanging pictures on the walls. Himself walks in the house, looks at a wall and secretly sighs. I know he does this because he gets this crooked set to his mouth that means he's not going to say anything, but he's sure going to think it and think it with all his might.

What he's thinking is, "That wife of mine does not know how to hang a picture. And I've told her repeatedly I'd do it." I tell you that I do know how. I locate the photo, locate empty wall space, and locate hammer and nails. This is all done in about 11 seconds. Now to hang the picture. I put the photo in several places that look balanced on the wall. If there are several photos to hang, I might arrange them on the floor first. Then I eyeball it a couple times to figure out the space and dimension. I do not bother with two nails as this is taking up time. I whap the nail in place, slap up the picture, push it left and right so it hangs straight on the nail and I am done. The whole process maybe takes 5-10 minutes.

However. Himself has an entirely different routine that I've yet to understand the first time I asked him to hang a mirror. He locates his Dewalt Impact Wrench with the philips end, the sheetrock screws, finds his tape measure, his carpenter pencil, the level and piece of paper. Then he asks ME where to hang the photo (he's smart btw) and I stand back while I'm giving six instructions of where it goes. Finally he yells enough, asks me again if this is where I want it, then proceeds to measure, mark, locate, level, remark, measure, level, etc.  He does this for even a 5x7 wall hanging. Of which can take up to an hour.

I am a watch-and-do-kind-of-girl- completely visual. So I saw all that he had done hanging a mirror and proceeded to do as he had done with a housewarming gift we received. I measured, subtracted, hung the first screw, saw it was definitely secure, leveled the picture, made a second mark, put in a 2nd screw, and hung the picture. Admittedly it was not the most level thing I've ever seen. Admittedly also, I was quite irritated that it had taken me 3 tries to get it as level as it was (It's not easy to drill through plaster) and I blamed the level considerably because obviously it didn't help me as much as I thought it should. But I was done, especially dangling 3' in the air and I called it good. Homey even. Quite sweet and thanked my thoughtful sister-in-law for such a nice housewarming gift. That evening he walks in the kitchen, looks up at a newly hung picture and gave an endless sigh. I laughed, completely unconcerned and went back to making supper. I did not know my little act of putting things in their place was gouging the part of his level-laid-out-evenly brain at regular intervals. 

For this is what I found this morning: Note the included level.

It's even funnier because at this angle, I see two more screw holes –NOT mine. I was definitely not that off. 

So we agree that he hangs the photos. If I hang them, he will only rehang them. I have no use for a level- they tax my abilities and leave the whole business to him. We're happier this way. The house is content, the occupants at peace. Oh the things you learn in the first year of marriage…..

Bunk Bed Room/ Office

Here is the Bunk Bed Room/ Office

Mom I did not paint sloppy. It's gorgeous!

I call it this because the beds were made for a family that had triplet boys here eons ago. The beds are built in and has also dubbed as my office. It's a very cozy place! Ready for company and no, not our kids,* but kids are welcome! 

I chose a color called Cinnamon because I knew it would offset that fabulous light wood. It turned out beautifully and yep it's dark. I know that white is supposed to lighten things up but white is sooo boring. I have a white bathroom because it's had mold-board that keeps mold from forming and the only color it comes in is, you guessed it, White. I appreciate a bolder color that makes a person want to snuggle in and feel cozy.

I need an office and I'm picky about an office. I can't work in a sterile environment, an unorganized one, and neither can I be cold. As it works, this room is warm because the sun shines right in the window (I won't tell you the direction because I don't know- I think it faces South) so I'm warm! HUGE factor of motivation. There is also a built in filing cabinet to the right of the desk at the foot of the single bed. Bingo! Now to do bookwork. 

Yeah right. I am painting. Still.... 

*Disclaimer. 

Not that we don't like kids. We love kids, but there is not an 'our' kids and not anytime soon either.... Thanks for asking.

(The SaySo of House Mgmt)

A Little House Called Home

Here is the original photos upon moving in to our little house. It's always intimating to me to have all these boxes piled around which you've long forgotten what's in them despite laborious efforts to label every box. As we continue to move in and arrange things, I'll keep a little commentary of each rooms progress.
What you see here is:

The Entry Way
Which happens to be the entry door opening right into the washer/dryer combo. This room really bugs me because I like to have things hidden and tucked in their little corner. It seems this room is where everyone stays to talk, which is of course where all the odds and ends go of a nut and a bolt that don't fit, extra light bulbs, coats, mouse traps, etc all land.

The Living Room
Which is a huge room and awesome. The hard thing? It's a rectangle with no angles so I have to 'create' rooms in a room. If that makes any sense.

The Kitchen
Ah yes. The kitchen which is where so much of my creativity lies. Currently cooking is Zesty Chicken which is really really yum and super easy. This morning Breakfast Cookies formed. This room is *gasp* green! I have to laugh because I am NOT a green person. And what is even funnier is we got a lot of green wedding presents... What's shocking is this kitchen refuses to be any other color BUT green. I've tried making it blue so many times, but it's rejected blue. So I'm resigned.

The Sewing Room
It has barn wood shelves. What else could be cooler?!

The Bunk Bed Room
So called because there are three built in beds that a few renters back built for their triplet boys. It's a very sweet little room and will also dub as my office.

Not Pictured
The hubby's Man Cave.

The Strawberry Cat

Meet Strawberry the Cat. She is a sweetheart, a little princess and rules the barn with an iron paw. All cats bow to her and I believe mice cringe at her coming. She never lets you pet her unless it's her idea and then it counts as your privilege, not hers!

Days of Moving

We had been married a month and I still didn't have all my stuff over east side. We made 4 trips back and forth and finally I can say I have all my contents here- and what I left I don't need! So glad to be moved completely and I'm thankful that we're done with that!

In one of our many trips, we saw some pretty inclement weather. These clouds were scary looking but all was at peace it seemed with a fabulous sunset that I promptly missed trying to find the camera in a pickup driving 80. Not too bad a shot though!

Wedding Day....

They say a Bride's luck has to do with Something New, Something Blue, Something Borrowed and for a extra luck you have rain on your Wedding Day. I am the luckiest girl in the world because I had it all, and shared it with the man who that day became my husband. Here are just a handful of shots shared of the day.

Something New: My shoes, found at Dillard's and I sewed buttons on the sides.

Something Blue: My grandmother's cameo in my bouquet.

Something Borrowed: My wedding dress I found in a Classifieds section of ksl.com

Rain: Which came out of no where

Our Wedding Topper of a Husband and Wife Kissing under an umbrella. This is synonamus of Dustin and I having our first conversation under an overhang at Cody while it poured rain.

My Something New -fabulous shoes! and Something Borrowed my dress that I loved at first sight and the 3rd I tried on.

Something blue from my Grandma Lulu Hagbom Voth 

One of my favorite photos. So happy, so in love, so ready to be husband and wife

My family

Our Ring Bearers- Kiptyn Frasch and Bowdrie Young. And Flower Girls- Brooklyn & Beth Young.  Sweetest kids ever!

Our Rings on top of an old key chain

Dustin's Family. Frosty & Judy Frasch (parents) Grandma Carol Frasch, Bo & Jenna Frasch and kids Kiptyn & Trevyn and sister Nichole

Nichole and Tsering, my cake maker and decorators carrying out 1/3 of the cakes. It poured during the reception.