ben delatour scout ranch

i have posted all about my week with B while the guys were gone: baking cookies, tea parties, and our trip to the little house in the big woods of wisconsin. now, i am finally getting around to posting the boys' adventure. these are pictures they took and obviously, i wasn't there, so i can not give you much commentary. but i think most of the pictures speak for themselves...they had a fantastic time! (but i am so glad they are home!)

mark with C and S in colorado

the old homestead site

i wonder why they call them the "rocky" mountains?

they t00k an over night trail ride, sleeping in tepees up on the mountain.

saddled up and ready to go

the wrangler who told stories around the campfire was very entertaining, they say!

some of the boys working on merit badge homework

C shooting archery

everyday gift: an adventure in the mountains

the gate

when you are a mother and you suddenly notice that your children are too quiet and unaccounted for, you must investigate...and hope for the best. yesterday, that is exactly what i found, my kids at their best. now, do not think for a moment that they have shiny halos above their heads! a blog gives the author the luxury of posting only what she wants to expose to the world. and i have used my blog to focus on the many positives things in my life and record the blessings.


yesterday, as a surprise to B, C decided to build a gate for the bunny fence. she had been struggling to get in and out of the fence to feed and water nelly and it also did not latch very securely. he constructed a very sturdy gate which opens and closes with ease. then he helped B move bricks to line the inside of the pen, where nelly seems intent on tunneling to freedom. finally, they mulched the spots where nelly has dug. B was so tickled that she wanted to kiss C. he thought just saying 'thank you' would do!


i am so thankful for moments like these; when a brother spends his summer day working on a project to help his sister; when siblings, who can be experts at annoying each other, work side by side; when family love is expressed in very practical ways. i celebrate these events because it isn't always so peaceful here. in fact, as i type this, i am hearing a disturbance beginning to erupt. oh well, let me look at these pictures again and go remind the kids that they do love each other!

brother helping sister while bunny lounges in the shade

nelly, you are a very spoiled little bunny!

everyday gift: big brothers

easy melba sauce

yet another raspberry installment... i just cannot resist sharing another delicious recipe for my favorite fruit, especially when they are home grown! this sauce was originally created by a famous french chef for an australian opera star, dame nellie melba, hence the name. this version is quite simple.


easy melba sauce

1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup sugar

puree' raspberries in a blender or food processor. press the puree through a strainer with a spatula to remove seeds, put it in a small sauce pan. add the sugar and heat over medium heat stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. remove from heat and cool. refrigerate. serve over ice cream or pound cake. traditionally it is served over peaches. i drizzled mine over vanilla ice cream.

wisconsin, america's dairyland...

i couldn't resist one more picture from our trip to wisconsin!

hummingbird

as i am weeding my flower beds, i hear a faint, miniature helicopter coming near...so i freeze. slowly, moving only my eyes, i look around and observe a hummingbird just inches away from me, moving efficiently from flower to flower collecting nectar. if i am still, he will not mind me watching him. i am mesmerized by the iridescent green and red. i am so amazed as i study the blur that is his wings. God has engineered this tiniest of all birds to do, without effort, feats that man has struggled to accomplish with inventions, contraptions, and clumsy flying machines. in a flash he is gone, zipping off to find more flowers. and i sit in the midst of my garden, amazed once again at God's creation.

everyday gift: hummingbirds

little house wayside

while mark and the boys were away last week at another boy scout camp (more on their adventures later), we decided to take a little road trip, a girls' get-away! we set off for the birth place of laura ingalls wilder and the site of the little house in the big woods. it really brought our reading of the book to life and gave us some special time together.

although the original cabin has not survived, the replica sits on the foundation of the cabin charles ingalls built for his family in the early 1860's. it was charming.

"The 'Little House' books are stories of long ago. the way we live and your schools are much different now; so many changes have made living and learning easier. But the real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong." ~ laura ingalls wilder

B and i at the Little House in the Big Woods

this old carriage stood outside the great river amish inn, where we stayed.

"Once upon a time, sixty years ago, a little girl lived in the Big Woods of wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs."

i loved the big stone chimney

B at laura ingalls wilder park

pepin railroad depot museum

everyday gift: living out our history lessons

scenes of pepin, wisconsin

B and i had a lovely time walking through the quaint little town of pepin, wisconsin. it seemed everywhere we looked we saw a picture. i think wading in lake pepin and collecting pebbles and shells was a highlight for B. when we got home we stitched up a little calico pocket to hold her pebbles. they were selling them in the gift shop, but we made our own in about 10 minutes! :o)

trains rumbled through town quite frequently between lake pepin and first street. i loved the potted boats!

a cafe along first street with a view of the lake

the gray building is The Pickle Factory, a fun little restaurant right on the lake.

" But Laura and Mary ran along the lake shore, picking up pretty pebbles that had been rolled back and forth by the waves until they were polished smooth. There were no pebbles like that in the Big Woods."

the shore of lake pepin

secret message in the sand

a calico pocket of lake pepin treasures

"The heavy pebbles tore her pocket right out of her dress. The pocket fell, and the pebbles rolled all over the bottom of the wagon box."

everday gift: having B all to myself on a special trip