Emma's Basketball, Bob's Bread-Making Secrets, and Susan's New House

I haven't written in awhile, so have some catching up to do! Hope all of you are well.

This picture was taken a few days before Thanksgiving... it had snowed. I was sure it would melt away quickly and I'd have that second chance to finish raking out my flower beds.

No such luck! Most of that first snow did melt, but it stayed chilly and eventually new snow started taking its place. I'd say we have about six inches now, here in Colfax. We also had our first sub-zero mornings this past week.

So the stage has been set for another snowy Wisconsin Christmas! Those of you travelling here in the coming weeks from Arkansas, West Virginia, and Kentucky better pack your hats, mittens, and boots!!

We had a quiet Thanksgiving here at home. Jonathan and our old friend, Jon Buth (who we hadn't seen in several years!), joined us for a 1:30 Thanksgiving lunch. We had turkey, stuffing, and all the traditional fixings, followed by football-watching (the guys), dishes (me) and naps (everybody).

Jon has been working mostly 4 day weeks in Iowa. After his long, lonesome stint in Colorado, it's nice having him home regularly for 3-day weekends. He's been able to see Emma play basketball in all of her tournaments (she's good), and will also be able to see Michael's when his tournaments start.

Each kid has two basketball practices a week, usually at different times, but I've been alternating turns as "driver" with two other moms who live nearby, so I usually only have to drive in for practice once a week. Saves gas and time! And Leila doesn't have to go out in the cold as often.

This week my brother Bob came over for a visit, and ended up staying over two nights. It was fun having him around.

One surprising thing about this visit was discovering Bob's new-found love of baking bread. One of the doctors he does carpentry work for showed him how to make bread in a dutch oven.

He gave us a demonstration while he was here. The finished bread has a pleasantly crispy crust and is soft, moist, and chewy inside. It reminded me of a good artisan sour dough bread, in texture. There's no kneading involved, but the "catch" is you have to be patient and let it rise 12 hours.

With his permission, I'm printing the recipe:

Bob's Dutch Oven Bread

3 cups bread flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl until a sticky dough forms. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise 12 -14 hours.

Flip the dough out onto a cloth and cover it with the cloth. Let it sit another 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven and the dutch oven to 425 degrees (Bob uses a cast iron dutch oven). Flip the dough into the heated dutch oven, put the lid on top, and bake covered for 25 minutes. Then take the lid off and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Let it sit 1/2 an hour to 1 hour before slicing.

You will love it!!!

Bob also did some experimenting while he was here, with good results. He made an excellent raisin bread by using the basic recipe given above and adding 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of raisins.

The lovely two-story home at right belongs to Susan and Jay. They purchased the home in Russell, Kentucky (population 3,645) because of its close proximity to the hospital where she works (and because they love the house!).

The home is 3800 square feet. It has 5 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, 5 fireplaces, and beautiful original woodwork throughout. It was built in 1909 and has a garage.

The house needs a bit of work... they plan to take down some wallpaper and paint... but otherwise it's in excellent condition, comes with appliances and will be visitor-ready (once they start acquiring furniture). We're excited because it will be so much easier to visit them, now that they're two hours closer and we won't have to stay in a motel (5 bedrooms-!).

Here's Susan carrying a box into her new house.

We're so proud and happy for Susan. Her and Jay had planned to fly here for Christmas, but now they're driving so they can bring David along too. Their mom isn't coming to Wisconsin for Christmas this year, so without their help we might not be able to see David. And Christmas without David would be very lame.

Wednesday I babysat my grand-niece (hard to believe I'm a great-aunt!), Macey May. She's 4 months old and can sit up pretty well (with a little support). She coos and "talks" and is cutting her first teeth. She has big blue eyes and shiny strawberry blonde hair.

I'd heard she was a "good" baby, and can definitely confirm that yes, she is... a very good baby. No fussing (except at the end, when long overdue for a nap), slept through most of the night, and cuddly and warm when you give her a bottle. I hope I'm called on again to babysit.

I'll close with this picture of Jon. Ever think you'd see Jon wearing bifocals? While texting his daughter with his fancy-shmancy new iPhone?

Such is life in 2010.

Halloween and Emma's 10th Birthday

Well, I only have 45 minutes to spend on this blog today, so let's see what I can accomplish!

The quilted skirts and vests Emma and Leila are wearing here were worn a few decades ago by me and my sister Laurie. There's a seven year age difference between me and Laurie, and Emma and Leila are also seven years apart.

I wish my scanner was working so I could post the pic of me and Laurie wearing these outfits-! There's definitely a resemblance between both sets of girls. Like Emma, I had long dark hair and glasses and was the "big one". And like Leila, Laurie was fair-haired and blue-eyed and cute as a button.

I've kept my brown outfit over the years, and Laurie's kept her blue one. So in order to take this "historic" picture, Jon, the kids and I had to make a trip to Middleton.

Mom and Dad were also visiting Laurie that weekend, and Bob and John were able to come by and visit (albeit while watching the Badger game), so it was a family affair.

Mark cooked us a wonderful winter meal... sausage and mustard, roasted root veggies seasoned with fresh herbs, homemade apple sauce, and the best apple cobbler I've EVER had.



Delicious-!!!

We stayed overnight, and Jon and the kids had a chance to try out Dad's camp cots (I slept on the couch). It was really good seeing everyone.

Halloween weekend was busy. Emma was invited to a costume party, so we did that. Also there was a Halloween parade at the kids' school; Jon's been working four day weeks so was home and could attend (though he left early to bow hunt-!).

We went to Cornell on Halloween day, to visit with Grandma Jane and celebrate Emma's birthday a few days early. Jane baked a delicious cake with her famous chocolate frosting and showered all three kids with presents (she always has gifts for the non-birthday kids too, so no one feels left out).

We couldn't stay long because Jon had to leave for work that evening, so got home in plenty of time for me to take the kids out trick-or-treating. We trick-or-treated around Colfax for at least an hour, but Leila was a bit young for the experience and tired quickly. Instead of saying "trick or treat" at people's houses, she would try to rush inside and make herself to home. Also, she did not want to carry her treat bag and showed minimal interest in the candy. I was stuck holding her candy bag, and several people whose doors we knocked at seemed to regard my holding the candy bag with a skeptical eye. I was glad when Mikey and Emma agreed to cut things short.

Emma celebrated her 10th birthday by having six girls stay overnight the following weekend.

It went surprisingly well. The girls played hide and seek, made crafts, talked about boys, giggled, stayed up way too late, and snacked... a typical pre-teen slumber party.

Well, I'm impressed with myself because that only took half an hour! Maybe not my best writing effort, but oh well.

Happy November!!!

Jon Returns, We Meet the Walters... and Coco

Here's Leila stomping through a leaf pile..

After a week and a half of sunshine and near 70 degree weather, it's finally cooling down and acting more like October around here. Most of the leaves have fallen, but there still hasn't been a good, hard frost. Some flowers are still in bloom and a few of my green bean plants are still (inexplicably) producing.

Jon came home Thursday afternoon for a 5-day weekend with us, after spending five weeks away, working in Colorado. We were so glad to see him-!!! Five weeks is too long.

He'd confided to me over the phone a few times that he worried Leila might be shy of him or "forget" him during this time away, but that wasn't the case-- she was as excited as the rest of us and gave her long-lost daddy plenty of love.

Jon missed all of our fall color, but he did get to deal with its aftermath-- by mowing and raking a lawn that was about a foot deep in leaves, on his return.

The kids and I did a little half-hearted raking while he was gone, but the oak trees had us outnumbered.

While Jon was away, I took the kids (and a neighbor girl) to Pleasant Valley Tree Farm in Elk Mound.

We used to enjoy the drive to Pleasant Valley when we lived in Eau Claire. The rolling wooded hills and farmland we passed through on the way to the "pumpkin patch" were always a hilight. Now we get to LIVE in those rolling wooded hills... Pleasant Valley's only about two miles away from our home in Colfax!

It's kind of pricey (admission is now $6.50 a piece; yikes). But they have all the seasonal bells and whistles: hay wagon rides, pumpkins and gourds, a corn maze, petting zoo, and spooky trail... not to mention an excellent seasonal gift shop.

It was hot the day we went, so the kids enjoyed cooling down by panning for "gold" (especially Leila, who loved all the water and mud involved in that enterprise!).

A few weeks ago my in-laws celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Their daughters, Ann and Sally, helped throw a small party for them at the Care Center, where Bud now resides.

The picture at right was actually taken on Father's Day. I'm having trouble with my scanner so couldn't scan in pictures Jane gave us from the anniversary party. But her and Bud were all dressed up and wearing corsages; they looked very nice. They had a beautiful cake, as well.

60 years of marriage and seven children is quite an accomplishment! I am fortunate to have in-laws as kind, warm, and friendly as Bud and Jane have been. They are excellent role models for the rest of us, as we bring up our own families. Congratulations to them both!

This weekend while Jon was home we had dinner with Jonathan, Lindsay, and Lindsay's parents, Steve and Sandy Walter. This was our first time meeting the Walters, and we found them warm, friendly, and very supportive of their daughter (and Jonathan).

Lindsay is around 7 months pregnant, but still pretty slim. There's a bit of a baby bump showing, but not much... she feels the baby's movement, though, and Jonathan has received a few kicks from his little son.

Susan and I plan on having a baby shower for Lindsay in December, the day after Christmas. We're doing it then because Susan will only be home in Wisconsin for a short window of time around the holidays. I'll send out invites as the day gets closer. It will be a fun way for the Hurlburt women to meet Lindsay's mother and get to know Lindsay better.

I have to close on a sad note. Our little dog Coco passed away Monday morning. She had been suffering from Lyme's disease, which we had tried to treat, but she ran into complications and her kidneys finally shut down. Jon took her in to the vet to see what more could be done for her, but it was too late at that point. They put her to sleep and Jon buried her under the trellis in our flower garden.

The kids are sad. We're all sad. I've never been one to get overly attached to animals, but Coco was really a good dog and I miss having her around. She was smart, loyal, slightly mischievous, but always gentle with the kids. She was a good watchdog who always let us know by her bark whenever someone was at the door. I keep looking over at the chair by the furnace, expecting to see her there, curled up.

Goodbye, little Coconut.

Josh Bayer's Wedding

Well, it's the last day of September and definitely feels like fall around here.

Last night the kids and I walked up to our neighbor's farm to get a bale of hay and some apples. Michael pulled the "big" wagon, while Emma attached two ribbons to the little wagon so her and Leila could both pull it (prior to that there'd been  "debate" as to who would get to pull the little wagon).

We made a scarecrow for the front of the house. He's kind of goofy-looking and I don't think he scares many birds, but he does seem to have taken a liking to Leila and Emma.

There's a story behind that big pumpkin Michael's standing on.

Emma and I went to a farmer's market in Colfax. We fell in love with a big round pumpkin that seemed a steal for only $8. With help from a couple of teenagers at the market, we were able to load the pumpkin onto the open trunk of our car. I say "onto" because it was too big to actually fit inside the trunk, so we wedged it in there pretty good and crossed our fingers that it wouldn't fall out on the way home.

We had just about made it to our driveway when there was a big thud... the pumpkin had fallen INTO our trunk. At first I was just glad it hadn't smashed into a big orange mess on the road, but soon realized that it's presence in our trunk was now a problem... because how could I possibly lift that big pumpkin out by myself?

The kids and I spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get the pumpkin out. Jon could have easily done the job, but he's still in Colorado and won't be home for a few weeks yet. I had visions of the pumpkin rotting in the back of my car. I even wondered if I should chop it up with an ax so it could be taken out in pieces.

I racked my brain... who do I know well enough to call and ask for help? Who's strong and doesn't have a bad back yet? And then it hit me... Jonathan-!

I made the phonecall, and Jonathan came over after work, still wearing dress clothes and a tie from his new sales job at AT&T. He easily lifted the pumpkin up out of the trunk and helped me position it in front of the house. We fed him supper and he played chess and catch with the kids. As you can see, Michael was very pleased with his big brother.

Jonathan and Lindsey found out a few weeks ago they're expecting a boy. The baby's due the end of January, so Susan and I are talking about co-hosting a baby shower for Lindsey in December, when Susan comes home for Christmas. Stay tuned for more info on that!

This weekend I took the kids over to my sister-in-law Sally's house in Holcombe. She had agreed to watch them for me so I could attend my cousin Josh's wedding in Wausau.

Josh's parents are my Uncle David and Aunt Mary Pat. Here they are at right, with their grandson Jude. Jude is their daughter Jenny's son.

Uncle David is my mother's youngest brother, only sixteen years older than me. He was always the "cool" uncle. It was a lot of fun catching up with him and his family.

Here's me and Uncle David with his other grandchild, Claire. She's only three months old and cute as a button.

The wedding was held outside, and luckily the weather cooperated. It was a beautiful fall day. As we sat and watched Josh and Hilary say their vows, we could look around and see blue skies, colorful leaves and rolling farmland.

 Josh and Hilary were married under a white gazebo in a simple and personalized ceremony. A violin and cello provided the music. We were very impressed with the young relative of Hilary's who did a reading at the wedding.

My brother Bob, sister Laurie, and brother John, as well as my parents, also attended the wedding. It was good catching up with them as well as seeing other relatives from my mom's side of the family that we haven't seen very often in recent years.



Here's my mom with her brother Don. Something about his eyes in this picture reminds me of his nephew, my own brother Don.



At right is my cousin Mitch and his wife, Mary. Mitch is the son of my mom's brother Jim, who passed away a few years ago. It was really great talking to both of them. Mary suggested that next year we have a Bayer family reunion at their house. I hope we do; it's so easy to let the years fly by and lose touch with those special people we share memories with.

 

Another cousin we saw at the wedding was Mitch's sister Christy. Here's Christy and her husband.

 

It was great talking to Christy, too. I don't know if we've ever really had a conversation; she's a bit older and not someone I'd gotten to spend much time with while growing up. But at the wedding I realized she was very warm and interesting to talk to, and that we have things in common. 

 

I should mention that before the wedding started there was a memorial for the people from Josh and Hilary's families who'd passed away; Josh and Hilary wanted them there in spirit. Different people from each family were asked to carry up a flower for the deceased relative. It was a really nice touch that added a lot of meaning for the families, I think.

One snappy little detail from the wedding was that the groom and his attendents wore hats (though not during the ceremony). I thought it added some old world charm... you can definitely see the Italian charisma in Josh's sparkling dark eyes, black hair, and olive complexion.

Of course, he's also part native American on his mom's side, so we can't take all the credit for his dark good looks!



After the wedding we headed back to Rhinelander, to spend the night at Mom and Dad's. It was a good opportunity to see their fall color; they're always about a week ahead of us in seasonal changes, so the color was glorious. We tend to be more rusty and golden, here in Colfax, with all of our oak trees, but Mom and Dad have lots of red maple and yellow birch, so the colors seem more dramatic.

John, Laurie, Mom and I took a walk in the woods and snapped lots of pictures of the fall color (and each other). Of course, John always has to ham it up a little.

Well, I'll end on that note. Happy Last Day of September!!!



September's in the Air...

It's hard to believe, but September's already half over. The kids and I have slowly settled back into our school routine. We wake up while it's still dark outside, and on cold mornings I make a fire.

Fall is coming... the leaves are turning colors. The mosquitoes have more or less vanished (weren't they terrible this year??). And there's a definite chill in the air. We haven't had a frost yet, so I am still picking small amounts of green beans, tomatoes, and peppers from the garden. Most of the squash we've left unpicked, waiting for that first frost to infuse them with their full sweetness.

Last weekend Jon and the kids filled the greenhouse up with firewood. I was glad for the help, because Sunday night Jon left for a month-long job in Colorado. 

As before when he worked in Colorado, he's not in the scenic, mountainous part of the state. He's in the northeast corner, which is more or less desert. It's flat, windy land with scrub areas that sometimes conceal rattlesnakes and scorpions.



The kids and I will miss having Jon home on weekends, but school and seasonal activities will hopefully keep us busy. We'll probably go to an orchard this weekend and pick apples; the one near our house has a corn maze and Spooky Trail they like to visit in the fall. Then the weekend after that they'll be staying at their Aunt Sally's while I go to my cousin Josh's wedding in Wausau.

On September 11th we went to a parade in Colfax. It was a nice, sunny day and the kids had a lot of fun watching the marching bands go by (and picking up candy thrown to kids along the street).

Marching bands from Colfax and Elk Mound did a nice job; Leila was very impressed with the "princesses" who carried flags and waved at everyone from floats.

Someone handed out flags and Leila got a lot of use out of hers-- waving it and marching around like she was part of the parade.

Well, I'm going to leave off at this point because I am having a bit of a struggle getting this blog to do what I want it to do... they changed the format recently and it just doesn't seem as flexible as it did before. Frustration! Anyway, hope all of you are well...

Susan's Visit and Macey's Baby Shower

Well, it's September and quieter here... the kids are back to school. Michael is now a sixth grader (a middle schooler, if you can believe it-!) and Emma is a fourth grader with her first "man teacher". Both kids were happy to get back to the school routine and their friends.

In August we enjoyed a 2 week visit with Susan and Jay. They came here by train, making a vacation of it by first stopping at noteworthy places like New York City and Chicago. They stayed in hostels, ate at interesting restaurants, and attended concerts (including Lollapalooza) along the way. Jon picked them up in Minneapolis.

One of the highlights of their visit (I'm sure) was helping us catch chickens so we could have them butchered (as a former vegetarian I can't believe I just wrote that).

For those of you acquainted with Pumpkin and Dot and our other egg-laying chickens, have no fear. Those original six chickens will live out their lives with us and never turn up on a plate. But in June we'd gotten a dozen baby chicks from our farmer friend up the road. Tiny peeping balls of fluff when we got them, they grew quickly (in part because they are bred to be voracious eaters). By the time they were full-grown I had to fill their feeders 3 times a day (this was in addition to the bugs and grass they foraged on as they roamed around our yard).

Susan and Jay helped catch the chickens and then hauled them to Dorcester for us, where an Amish couple "took care of business" for $2.50 a piece. The chickens came back to us neatly wrapped in freezer packages (and much quieter).

On my birthday, Jay helped us make "beer can chicken" with one of them, on the grill. We had a second meal the next day by turning the leftovers into chicken dumpling soup. Their meat tasted MUCH better than the skinless boneless chicken breasts I usually buy by the bag.

Raising chickens is work and definitely not the cheapest route for obtaining meat, but we plan on doing it again next year. The chickens had relatively good lives-- better than they would have had on a factory farm-- and their meat is organic and better quality than anything available in American grocery stores.

But getting back to Susan and Jay's visit...

Susan and Jay came "just in time" as far as Michael, Emma, and Leila were concerned. By mid-August, summer vacation had lost its novelty and they were restless for things to do. So playing chess, having water balloon fights, and even just watching TV with their big sister and "Jay Jay" at the end of the summer livened things up quite a bit.

One day the kids made chalk drawings on the sidewalk and played "soccer" together. You can catch some of the soccer game on the link at left...

We also caught up with Jonathan and Lindsey one day at Olive Garden, for lunch. This was Susan and Jay's first opportunity to meet Lindsey. Lindsey works at the Green Mill restaurant in Eau Claire, and is a college student as well. Jonathan recently started a new job at AT&T.

It was fun seeing (almost) all the kids together-- we missed David. (In case you hadn't heard, David is now a college student at MSU and has his first job, at a KFC).

Another day we went to the mall to do some school shopping... and to let Emma get her ears pierced. Emma's very proud of the small silver studs that will remain in her ears six weeks. After that she'll be able to wear different earrings.

Don't worry, grandparents: there will be no eyebrow, lip, or belly button piercings any time soon.

(Can you see the tiny earrings below?)

Another fun event was Shana's baby shower. Jon's nephew Nathan and his girlfriend Shana had a baby girl about a month ago, named Macey May. Jill, Sally, and Grandma Jane had a shower for Shana and Macey at Jill's house. Susan, Emma, Leila and I attended.

There were all kinds of good things to eat at the shower. We sat outside on the back deck until the mosquitoes got too bad, then moved inside for more good food (including a hot dish with crumbled potato chips on top, that Emma was really impressed with). We played a game and watched Shana open gifts.

Below, Emma and Leila cozy up to Macey... who is tinier than many of the presents she received.

Macey is a calm, alert, and friendly little baby. She let us take turns holding her, with never a complaint. Brent and Nathan were at the shower as well, and it was fun seeing them dote on sweet little Macey.

Below: Susan, Tammy, Ann, and Allison, with Emma in the foreground.

It's always fun going to a baby shower and seeing what the newest styles are in baby technology and fashion. My personal favorites was a cute fork and spoon set with Tonka trucks built into the handles. What will they think of next???

At left, Shana admires a miniature sock monkey that came fastened with a bow to one of her packages.

Of course, Susan had to put up with some good-natured teasing about how someday we'll be throwing one of these baby showers for her...

So it was a very good visit with Susan and Jay. We really appreciate the long, quality visit they spent with us. When I said something about that to Susan, she jokingly responded "Oh yes, my time is so valuable, you know." Well, Susan, it is!!! Especially now that you're a PA.

Congrats and thanks again for coming over. We got to know Jay better and see first-hand how happy the two of you are together. Love, Lisa