Church Ladies

Hello blogworld,
Tonight I had the great honor of joining a 100 year old tradition. Or at least I think it's that old. I met with my "church ladies group" for a service project. We haven't decided on a name yet but I keep telling them we can't call it group or my friends will think I'm in therapy. Anyway, we formed a small women's group in my church. We met for the first time last week and decided that the main kitchen of our church need a scrub down. I was by far the youngest of our group so far. It's good to finally be the youngest again at something. I just am so amazed how much fun I had. This group of women range in ages, careers, background, financial stability but all of us came together and were all equals. Now we've decided that we aren't going to be the cleaning crew. Much like the circles that used to meet in Lutheran churches everywhere, our group hopes to have the following criteria: fellowship, stewardship and bible study that pertains to our lives today. I'm very excited about this group. Perhaps it's because I lost my mother when I was younger and I yearn for someone to fill that void. At any rate. Stay tuned for updates. Hopefully we can come up with a decent name.

No house updates. I can't wait to move. Hopefully, I will have a bunch of friends to help.

May the sun shine upon your day tomorrow no matter where in the world you are.

New House!

Hello blogworld,



Well, I did it. In one short month I thought about, looked at, pondered over, made an offer and bought a house. Now this house is little and old...not unlike me...well except for the little part. HA HA. I never thought that I would be buying a house on my own at this age. But I decided to take a leap of faith and here I am.

In the coming months, I'll be taking photos, lot of before photos. Hopefully, it won't be too long before some "after" photos appear here as well.

As I mentioned this house is little, approximately 940 square feet spread out between a main level and a basement. It does have the requirements that I always said I wanted. I wanted three bedrooms no matter the size, I wanted a garage and I wanted to stay living here in small town Minnesota. While it does have all of those requirements I am not looking through rose colored glasses. This is not my dream house. My dream house would have been a huge affair with many bedrooms and bathrooms, a huge dining room where my friends would gather, with horses and land and a rich husband to pay for it. So instead I have this house. It's cute and hopefully I will make it warm and inviting. I guess that all I really wanted is a house where my friends would want to come and share good times and probably some bad with me. Where they would feel welcome and comfortable. What this house does lack on size I guess it's up to me to make the rest happen.

There are some quirky things about this house. One of the things is that i don't have much for closet space and that my organizational skills are going to be tested to the limit. Hopefully, you all will be kind enough to share some tips and tricks.

I am going to need to lean on my friends for advice and help (moving and painting). I don't really know what I'm in for but I know I can count on them to ease my fears (or bring me beers).

It's going to be a couple of months before I can move...now I have to start packing...Wish me luck.

May tomorrow be a good day for you.

Delayed Christmas

Hello all,
Happy New Year! As you may have read in a previous post, one of my resolutions was to blog more so here I am. One was also to clean and keep up with laundry. Well that's not getting done because I am here with you. Oh well, there is always tomorrow to do the dirty work.
I hope that you all had a safe and fun New Year's Eve. I spent the night with my sister's family. Any time I can spend with my nieces, ages 4 and 9 months, is a good time. My sister and her husband are pretty fun too. Although if you judged us by our New Year's Eve celebration you would think that we were 100 years old. The only one of all of us who saw the new year in was the 9 month old. You can read about my sister and all of her adventures in crafting at her blog, needlesthreadsandcrafts.blogspot.com.
We had our "delayed Christmas" present opening and it's always one of my favorites. Not only do I get to hear comments like "I love you Auntie" when presents are opened, but my sister stick close to the lists I give and gets me things that I want but haven't bought for myself. A book, fuzzy socks, a cookbook that I have been crushing on for a while, "Baking...from my home to yours" from Dorie Greenspan and a camera. Now I can add pictures. Yea!!!
For some of you in blogworld, you may be familiar with Dorie Greenspan. She's got her own blog and is referenced all over as TWD or Tuesdays with Dorie. TWD is where other bloggers are chosen to bake something and then blog about it. It's pretty cool.
Well, welcome 2010. I hope that all of you have a good year with much happiness and good health.
Until next time.

New Year's resolutions

Hello all,

My hope is that all of you reading this had a wonderful Christmas holiday. If you were anywhere in the Midwest, you had to spend a good deal of time shoveling snow...many inches of snow. My travel plans changed due to the fact that I didn't want to drive in the crappy weather.

So now we begin the new week thinking of where the last year went and what great things we will accomplish in the new year. I'm wondering why we do that and does any body really fulfill the long list of "resolutions". I want to make this year different. To be accountable for the resolutions that I made sitting by myself on New Year's Eve. Maybe if I share them with you with specifics and then report to you how I am doing. Can you help me with that? Maybe you can share your resolutions with me and we can help each other.

So here we go (no laughing or judging. Some will be stupid and simple)

1. Balance my checkbook each payday. I don't know why this is so hard to do but I hate it and I want to be more on track. This will help me to have my bills more organized and pay them on time and not just within the grace period.

2. Exercise more - I need to have a healthier live style and I'm going to be in a wedding next November. I will be 10 years older then all the other bridesmaids and I want to look my best.

3. Don't let the laundry pile up too high.

4. Clean the house so that I won't be embarrassed if somebody just stopped by.

5. Buy a house - this one I am actively working on. I'm going to see a house for the second time. More on that later.

6. Get a library card. Simple and should have done it sooner. We have a great library - brand new and I haven't even been inside.

7. Entertain more often.

8. Here's a no brainer...blog more, Duh!

So there it is...literally out there in black and white. Perhaps this will be the year that I change my ways and actually accomplish those goals.

So what do you have on your "resolution" list? Share some with me and maybe this will be the year for both of us to accomplish those goals.

Happy New Year, blogworld. God Bless

Winter parades

Hello Blog world,

So tonight is a blustery cold and snowy night here in central MN. It's the first measurable snow and it's blowing like the Dickens. So you ask, "Why would anyone live in this type of weather?" Well I can't really answer that because I think we all ask that at least once a winter. Now, once I get a digital camera (don't say it, I know), I can show you just how beautiful this area can be in the winter.

So what is that we do when the weather turns cold? Well here in central MN several communities, including the great one that I live in, plan outside activities. Yes...outside. One of those activities includes having a parade. Yes...outside. I know of at least 5 different communities that hold these parades. They are a lot of work to facilitate but the payoff is much greater. Yes, blog world, that's what I've been doing. Planning an outdoor parade in the middle of winter. If you are reading this from a warm state, you should check one out sometime. They are a hoot.

Since I've been a slacker on the blogging lately here is another one of my lists to update you

Here at Nelle's Nook we've been up to the following:

1. the usual cleaning, working, laundry

2. planning above mentioned parade

3. surviving H1N1

4. attending other community parades with the best decorated float of all time

5. suffering through another terrible cold - excuse my sneezing

6. and the very best thing of all time, something I have been crushing on for years and years....I purchased my very own Kitchenaid 5 quart stand mixer in Green Apple. I will post a picture as soon as I get a digital camera (I know!) It was a very big purchase for me, but there was a deal and a mail in rebate and a small windfall of cash.

This purchase caused a chain reaction. First, since it was such an awesome color, it's home, of course, is on the countertop. Since I live in a small apartment, countertop space is at a premium price. So I had to do some rearranging. I purchased another shelving unit this one just for $24.00 at Home Depot, cleaned out the kitchen closet, set the shelf up in there. This new shelving space, caused me to clean out and rearrange a couple of other cabinets.

All in all, things are getting more organized for a little while that is.

Now, I can't wait to start making Christmas cookies. Let me ask you this blog world, is it lame to send parents who are retired in a warm state, homemade cookies, breads, towels and a cd? They don't need or want anything. Is this too cheap or since it's homemade from me, would it be appreciated? What reactions have you gotten on homemade gifts or better yet, do you like receiving them?

Let me know.

I promise to write more. But in the mean time..,may the true meaning of the holidays be in your heart and not in your pocketbook.

From us here at Nelle's Nook - Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas

Merlot and Macaroni & Cheese

Hello Blogworld...

There is something about Monday nights. It doesn't matter if the past weekend was busy or boring, Monday night rolls around and all I want to do is curl up on the couch. And as all of my friends can attest to nothing goes better with curling up on the couch then a glass of wine and some comfort food. Well, in the single girl's world that means Merlot and Mac and Cheese. Just a couple of glasses and that bowl of Mac & Cheese starts to look like Gaida served it to you herself. Throw in some fake chocolate chip cookies and what more does a girl need. Hmm...... I know you were thinking, "hmm....what does she mean by fake cookies?" (Seriously, what were you thinking...what else would a girl need.)

But aren't all cookies real? Judge for yourself.

Recipe for Fake Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350
Take pre-made cookie "pucks" out of freezer (purchased from a school fundraiser)
Place cookie pucks on ungreased/unprepared preferable clean (but not required) cookie sheet
bake for 11 minutes
Gulp down wine and refill while cookies bake
return to couch with full glass of Merlot and plate full of cookies
Enjoy!

I wanted to be a cookie snob and not like these cookies, but they are darn good.

I would imagine that some would and could say that the combination of Merlot, Mac & Cheese (by the way, it was not homemade either. Just straight out of the blue box), fake cookies and a single girl is a recipe of disaster or depression. An old maid with her cats destined to never find a man. I say Pish-Posh. I am in full possession of the remote, can lay around in my ugly gray sweats, get a little drunk if I wanted to.

Ah...the joys of being single.

Until next time when I'll probably be whining about not having a main man.

May tomorrow bring you smiles at unexpected times.

Silos and Haystacks....

Thelma and Louise we aren't but there was a road trip.

My sister and I drove the five hours from my home to my brother's home in Iowa. We've made this trip before a couple of times. The last time was a couple of years ago for another confirmation. My brother has three wonderful children, a senior, a freshman and a fifth grader. Smart kids. I've missed the fact that I haven't been able to be a bigger part of their lives, but that happens when you live 5 hours apart. We will be making this trip again in May for graduation. It seems that those are the occasions that we make the drive either north or south. Confirmations, graduations and funerals.

I think that when you only get together a couple of times a year, the differences in adult siblings are much more apparent. You see, blogworld, I have two siblings. An older brother and a very much younger sister. My brother was a senior in high school when my sister was born and I was thirteen. My sister was 9 when our mother died and our dad remarried not long afterwards. She was basically raised in a completely different household then my brother and I. My sister and I are very close. We actually speak to each other every day. We are developing the same interests and hobbies, although she is much better at them then me. Our brother seems to have much different interests then we do. Love is not questioned ever, similarities are. I would have to imagine that every family is like that. I would also have to imagine that if you got one of those books that studies the child ranking and personalities crap, we would probably be right on target. All that being said, sometimes I wonder how we can be so different and yet be family.

What I did come to realize on this trip was just exactly how beautiful Iowa is. Since I was the driver I had to pay attention to what was going on and couldn't knit, nap or read. (Although my co-pilot did very well keeping me company). From southern Minnesota to West Des Moines all I saw was rolling hills, beautiful fall foliage, farms with white houses and red barns. Cornfields broken up by pastures peppered with cows and horses. It was very picturesque. I don't know if it's something that happens when as you get older but I've never really appreciated these views until this trip.

There are several blogs I follow that are about farm life. Maybe it was from reading about their farm life, their trials and tribulations, their pictures of baby pigs that made me look at the landscape of Iowa in a different light. I am green with envy that this is not a life that I live or have a part in. Although, I can't say that I'd survive farm life, but I would give it my best effort.

So, Iowa, I want to go on record by saying that you are not a state to be taken for granted. More like a state of mind, a state of peacefulness, a state of beauty and a state that I want to see more of. Thank you for sharing part of your beauty with me.

Look around, blogworld, is there something or someplace of beauty that you haven't truly seen before even though you seen it before?

May tomorrow be a good day.