Preparations




The outside trees have been lit.

 

The inside tree is lit.



The doors have been decked.













Decorations for the grandkids are in place.
(The only place it's snowing is in the house!)



The mantle has been trimmed.




.....and the reason for the preparation is up front and center.
Come Lord Jesus Come!

 

.....jean

Linked To : My Simple Country Living
Linked To: The Great Holiday Barn Hop




 

What's Wrong With These Pictures?

It's 11 days before Christmas.....



.....and all of these pictures were taken today......











......and I live in Wisconsin!!!!



Need A Funny Caption

What's your caption for this week?

Last week:



Somebody pllleeeaaase...scratch a bears back!
coined by Melodie over at:

Laughing Duck Farm

(I loved your caption Melodie because that's exactly what I wanted to do for him!)


If you need to laugh some more today, please go over and read Melodie's
 post about a duct tape straight jacket for her chicken....way funny!  I'm still laughing!





Other captions were:



                                                 (Think Dr. Doolittle with Eddie Murphy - Chris Rock as the Guinea Pig...)

"This feels Gooooooood - Real Gooooooood"

coined by Dicky Bird over at:
Dicky Bird's Nest

And Dear God, it it's not too much to ask, how about that picnic basket?

Coined by Ronda over at:
The Pauley Principle



"sneaking out on recess at the school was never the same once they hired the new playground director..."
Coined by gowestferalwoman over at"
"Go West" Feral Woman
(so good to hear from you girl :-)



Backed into a corner again, Mr Bear didn't know which way to turn.
coined by Gail over at:
Familiar Spirits



Sung in his best Louis Armstrong voice -
"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen, nobody knows my sorrow".
coined by Marissa over at:
Life On Our Side Of The Mountain



...but it feels soooo good!
coined by Rae over at:
The Old Weather Vane



'why didn't i take that on-line locksmith course? why?!'
coined by TexWisGirl over at:
The Run *A* Round Ranch Report



"I'm first in line (la la la) I'm first in line"
coined by Nancy over at:
Welcome To Babbelot



Oh Mr. Ranger, Sir, I promise I won't be stealing anymore 'pic-a-nic baskets'!!!
coined by Lisa over at:
Country Kids



I so enjoyed all your captions this week....

So many new people playing -- thanks everyone!

This is the bear at the N.E.W. Zoo. (North East Wisconsin)

 I so wanted to scratch his back for him :-)

I  wasn't so sure that chain linked fence was going to hold him...it did.



.....dr momi

Sunday in Pictures

The back side of my old barn.  Taken a few years back, on a different full moon.















The other side of my old barn with the old silo.
The new owners want to make the old silo a climbing wall.
He was up the old ladder chute trying to knock down some of the old roof cement
when a big hunk of cement fell down and broke his foot!
The boards on top of the barn blew out with a bad wind storm. 
 We had a guy try to fix it, but that whole corner of the barn is "unstable". 
He came flying down his ladder that day (afraid the whole thing was going to cave in) and said, "not going to happen".





....and the side of the barn facing the road.
A tennis court was built by the previous owners in the old barnyard.
Notice the basketball net and the tennis practice wall.  The kids spent many a day down there.


We often looked into replacing the roof and keeping the barn up.
Quotes for the roof (that needed all new rafters) were 4 times 
more, than putting up the same size new metal pole building.
Pure economics left it just the way it was.

Linked To: Barn Charm


 .....dr momi

I Met the REAL Santa

     It was at an after Christmas sale in an upscale decorating store a few years back.  I was looking down, and as I looked up so as not to run into the person in front of me -- there he was.  (Yes, he was after-Christmas shopping.)  He was dressed in nice neat jeans, handsome looking suspenders, and a red plaid flannel shirt.  Perfectly silver grey hair, flowed into perfectly silver grey sideburns, that flowed into a perfect silver grey beard.

     I blurted out, "Do you know that you could be Santa Claus?"....."I am Santa Claus", was his reply.  The way he said it made me believe!  Then  he reached into his wallet and gave me this picture.




Yes.....it said Believe on it LOL!


     That summer I was shopping for a Mother of the Bride dress in a store that also sold furs.  As I checked out, there was an 8 x 10 of the very same picture I had in my wallet!  "What??  You guys know the real Santa Claus too?"  Turns out they made Santa's suit!!  That's real fur!  They informed me that this Santa travels to Harrod's in London to work there for the Christmas season.  He is suppose to live in a close town to me, but I have never met him.  (as a real person :-)  I would like to thank him for a great story that I tell almost every year....the year Santa gave me his picture.  He is a great (I mean the REAL) Santa!





Linked to" The Great Holiday Barn Hop




.....jean

100.....er...101 Followers

    
     Who'd-a thunk!  I'm beyond blown away.  When I started blogging last New Years Eve, I barely even knew what a follower was LOL!  I promised a face to go with my blog to Mama Pea over at A Home Grown Journal when I got to 100 followers.  Thank-You Anita Husevag for being #100!  ....and fullfreezer for being # 101.  Here you go everyone.






Yup....taken in the bathroom mirror.
You have no idea how much I wanted to airbrush everything smooth and 20 year old like!


I think it is totally appropriate that Mama Pea ask for a picture.
Her blog was the first that I actually got up the nerve to make a comment!


I have been totally enjoying getting to know you all (...and still getting to know you).
If you've ever wondered how I got my blog's name here is the story.


(dr momi.....who really does have a name) .....jean

      

Need a Funny Caption

What's your caption for this week?

Last week:

"What?!  Do I look like I have egg on my face?"

Last week's caption coined by Ronda over at:
The Pauley Principle
(Hop on over there to check out her easy cinnamon buns...yum!)




Sooooo many good ones this week!

"Oh shucks!  She caught me before I could lay down and play possum."
Coined by Marissa over at:
Life On Our Side Of The Mountain
(I laughed out loud Marissa!)


"I'll have to see your invitation before I can let you in."
Coined by Mama Pea over at:
A Home Grown Journal


You didn't see anything.
Coined by Simply Scaife Family over at:
Simply Scaife Family Farm


"Ya'll don't really eat possum for Christmas do you?!?"
Coined by Candy C. over at:
Lazy J Bar C Farm


I'm not going out there - are you kidding!?
Coined by Sandi over at:
Chatty Crone


(think New York accent....)  "Whada you lookin' at?"
Coined by Dicky Bird over at:
Dicky's Bird Nest


I think I should have taken that left at Albuquerque......
Coined by Melodie over at:
Laughing Duck Farm

  This possum surprised me in the barn one night when doing chores. (*scream*)

He's holed up in the old chicken nest which wasn't being used.

He was eating cat food.....and he looks way guilty to me!

.....jean

A New Barn Quilt




A new barn quilt in our "neighborhood".
If you're interested in barn quilts, here are some
in  Shawano County, Wisconsin.

 

Linked To: Barn Charm

.....jean



Making Gingerbread Houses



We made gingerbread (graham cracker) houses Sunday night with the grandkids.
 Frosting : 6 egg whites, 1/2 tsp. cream of tarter, and 2 lbs. of powdered sugar.
Mix it all until smooth. (I used the mixer but don't "whip" it.)
 The frosting went into a freezer qt. size bag, and the corner was snipped off.





Every seam gets frosting inside and out.
The more it "drips" the better...it looks like snow.





Gracie insisted her house be a triangle.





We thought it came out rather Frank Lloyd Wright-ish. :-)
There is a lot of helping the kids yet with the placing of the crackers......









....but they love placing the candy.



We only had one cave in.....

......but it all came out all right.
We buy all the candy at the dollar store...and save left overs from year to year.



They had a great time. 
This was our 2nd Annual Making of the Gingerbread Houses,
we expect the houses to get better every year. :-)



.....jean

Linked To: Homestead Barn Hop

Be A Good Boy Butsch

     Tomorrow Butsch and I take off for Leader Dogs For The Blind in Rochester Michigan (near Detroit).  If he checks out physically, he will begin his formal training in harness.  There is also a chance that he could be pulled for breeding.  None of the dogs are neutered or spayed until they return to the school for just that reason.  Leader Dog has their own breeding program, breeding dogs for many generations, with just the right qualities to be a dog guide.  If he did get pulled for breeding, he would be placed with a family near the school.  He would have a "family pet" job most of the time, and brought to the school only when needed.

     We've been making the rounds to the different stores and restaurants he's been a regular at saying good-bye, and I've been preparing myself for letting him go.  He's a super smart dog that thrives on learning new stuff.  The formal training should be right up his alley.  Do your mama proud Butsch!

Butsch 4 months old.








.....and at 8 months old.
He looks pretty much the same now, maybe a little wider in the chest.
I tried to get a new picture....it's like trying to photograph a 3 year old :-)


.....jean