My Uncle Ed

My family is very sad tonite. My uncle Ed has been missing for the past 21 days. He went for a walk the Monday before Christmas and no one had heard from or seen him since. His body was found today. For his wife, Kati, and children, Colleen & Michael, their sorrow is confirmed and grieving begins again.

I am so sad for each of them. For my dad (Ed's brother). For me.

You may not know, but I was blessed to live with Ed & Kati my senior year of high school. They provided stability when my parents really couldn't. I've never been able to express my deep gratitude for their graciousness and it's hard not to feel guilty for that now. You can bet I'll be talking with my aunt Kati soon to tell her all those things I wish I'd said a few months ago...

My uncle Ed was always so accepting of me. I always believed he loved me, Jason, and our kids and I never felt pressure to be anything but myself in his presence. In the craziness of my immediate family, it was such a relief. For these reasons and many more, I will miss him.

For Colleen's post and more pictures see Young Adventures.

(My apologies to Collen. I took this picture from her blog. Most of my pics are on an external hard drive and I'm too exhausted to go get it hooked up...)

Chili with Cornmeal Biscuits

Jason loves my chili recipe (see post way below somewhere...). I've perfected it and even have some in the freezer. So, now that I have that mastered, I decided to focus on the perfect accompaniment. You see, Jason LOVES bread. With every meal. I don't. It's always an afterthought... Anyhow, with serendipitous timing, this month's issue of Cook's Country has a recipe for "Cornmeal Biscuits." Perfect. Cornbread taste that's not dry or crumbly... He loved them.

Cornmeal Biscuits- Cook's Country Magazine
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks), unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled

1. Soak cornmeal. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk cornmeal, buttermilk and honey in large bowl; let sit 10 minutes.
2. Process dough. Pulse flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and butter in food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add to bowl with buttermilk mixture and stir until dough forms.
3. Knead. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 8-10 times. Pat dough into 9 inch circle about 3/4 inch thick. Using 2 1/2 inch biscuit cuter dipped in flour cut out rounds and transfer to baking sheet. Gather remaining dough and pat into 3/4 inch thick circle and cut remaining rounds.
4. Bake. Bake until biscuits begin to rise, about 5 minutes and the reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake until golden brown, 8-12 minutes more. Let cool 5 minutes on sheet then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or cool to room temperature.

Wildlife...

I'm not really that enamoured with the wildlife up here (deer in particular bug me more than not). Anyhow, this little one seemed rather sweet and Cael was quite thrilled to have a "doggy" so close to the house!

Flashback to Good Weather...

Big boy slide...



George and Zeb.



Cynde giving Cael a shove!




Yummy little boy!




Hannelora, Kjersten, and Cozi. I LOVE this picture!

Brothers.

Zeb in a bit of trouble with his mama, Amber.

My friend, Julie, with her kiddos, Cole & Gracie.

Cabbage Bread and More Games

Four generations. Great grandma, Peggy. Grandma Barb. Auntie Sara. Kjersten.
(Yes. This was the only good picture of all of them. And you all think Lou is shy...)



Sewing on her new machine. I'm going to have a little seamstress on my hands. (Yippee for me!)

Uncle Josh was happy to help her get the hang of it.

The last hand of Rage where grandpa Paul...

...lost!!!!

George, complete with new Minnesota Twins baseball hat, playing ball... in the house!

Great grandpa, Thelmar...

Auntie Heidi testing out Kjersten's new guitar.

Lou.

Kjersten getting some assistance from Grandma and Brennen and Cael...

Cael being cute.

Auntie Heidi buttering Cabbage Bread while homemade ice cream mixes in the foreground. Yum!

Cabbage bread. Not 'my' thing, but really loved by all of Jason's family including our kids. Lucky me.

Lou and her grandma.

Who gave the boys (cousin Caleb & George) Mountain Dew?! Ack!

Game Night with the Family

Josh, Sara, and Maddie opting to eat rather than play Rage.



Playing Rage with Mandy's Josh's parents, Jason's parents, Jason's siblings, and our family. Lots and lots of food. Lots and lots of fun!





Playing Cranium way past our bedtimes...

Content with the crowds as long as he's getting fed!

Grandpa Paul up close!

Time for all you fun-loving folks to GO HOME!!!

George has the right idea...

Christmas at Home...

Cael and his new slide. It's getting lots of use!


Checking out the goodies in the stockings!

Jason and Kjersten working on the BIG box!

Kjersten & Jason's Christmas Present

The Story:

The kids and I bought Jason an electric guitar. Kjersten and Jason are taking guitar lessons together and Jason is convinced an electric guitar is necessary! Well, Jason didn't know we were getting one for him so he decided Kjersten HAD to have one! So, we bought one for her.

She was getting a guitar. He was getting a guitar. No one knew that both were getting guitars. I found a big enough box to fit both inside and wrapped it before anyone was the wiser! Both thought it was the other's present.

Well, Christmas morning, I had Kjersten help her dad unwrap "his" present. It was so much fun and they both haven't quit playing since...

Here's a short video...

Christmas Morning

Christmas at Jason's family's house is always crowded, chaotic, and great fun. Here's a glimpse of what happened this year. (I forgot my camera so I "borrowed" Amanda's photos...)

Jason's middle sister, Amanda, and her hubby, Josh inspecting some of the new treasures.

Jason's mom taking a breather... Sitting in the coveted rocking chair that was her grandpa's.

Jason's youngest sister, Sara, and her hubby, Josh. Yes... two brothers-in-law named Josh. What are the odds?

Me. Hiding in the midst of chaos.

George trying out the new "football" chair. Nice fit!

Great grandma, Peggy's, arrival complete with matching outfits for her and the dog. Only old ladies can get away with this...

Jason and Cael. Cael, too, loves the chair!

Great grandpa, Thelmar, and family showing off the quilt that Jason's mom made. What a lot of work that was!?

What did you get into, George?!