Pre Baking is so much fun!

Tomorrow is our 8th Annual Baking Party when we gather our friends and family and for a full day we bake. We have 17-20 different recipes that all the little elves make and decorate. At the end of the day every takes a selection of treats home with them as well as box and bag up many for others that are unable to come or that are in need. It is a wonderful time,

Everyone asks "How do you organize all of this seventeen recipes and 20-30 people and it all gets done and ready at the same time?" Easy! You plan it out, from the bowls to the sugar to the spices!

Today is the end of the planning. I start planning the week after Christmas when things start going on sale that will not spoil. I have an excel file that has every ingredient and amount so I know exactly what I need and hiw much I need. I evaluate the process and recipes after the par to see if I want to make them again or try something else.

The last thing to get ready for tomorrow is to perhaps the sugar cutout cookies! I do this as it takes a lot of space and time so pre baking is a must. It isn't the actual baking, but the aroma of Christmas cut-out cookies that will fill the house. It is the outcome of a planned event!

So now that you have read my blog every day this year, you know that this story isn't just about us baking, it's about life.

In order for life to have that rich aroma you have to plan, evaluate, take things in and get rid of things. You have to pre bake to get some things done before you get to the end. It takes friends and family to make this all possible, and you share and give as much as you receive.

Maybe this is why I love to bake. It is so much of my life and like my life.

There is a recipe for baking and a recipe for life. You can change an ingredient or two and
the outcome will be different. But if you plan, evaluated, change a few things, and try you end up with the aroma of your life.

So today if you can't bake a cookie, bake. Day in your life. What would your life's baking party look like?

The Inuit Inukshuk

Town of Churchill Manitoba Inukshuk

While traveling in upper Manitoba to see the Polar Bears there was another site that was as magnificent as the bears, the Inuit Inukshuk's.

I was able to take a number of pictures of the stone markers in Churchill, but haven't shared many of these pictures with the explanation of what they mean.

If you watched any of last years Winter Olympics from Vancouver British Columbia you probably have seen one of them. It was the symbol used for the Winter Olympics.

Inukshuk on Hudson Bay in Churchill Manitoba

There are many stories, folklore and explanation of these stone structures and may lead to understanding the evolution of the structures.

Some say they are structures built to in the area where caribou migrate and served as hunting shelters or blinds. Others say that they were used for directional purposes. Some state and national parks in Canada still use these structures to provide visitors with navigational symbols. Others say that the structures were placed along main fishing areas and the distance from the water of the Inukshuk was the distance in the water to the fishing area. Still others say that they were placed on shores to warm ships and water travelers of distance to dry land.



The story I like best is the significance of the Inuit Inukshuk that symbolizes leadership, cooperation and the human spirit.

Each stone of an inukshuk is a separate entity but was chosen for how well it fits together with other stones. The stones are secured through balance. Each one supports the one above it and is supported by the one below it. Together, the stones achieve strength through unity. This effect is applied to a philosophy for people where a group can achieve greater success with cooperation and team effort rather than individually. The inukshuk stands for the importance of friendship and reminds us of our dependence on one another. (Source: http://www.freespiritgallery.ca/inukshuk.htm)

Inukshuk with moon at Sunset

       Strength and unity.

Building together and supporting each other.

Now there is a positive and purposeful living statement.



I 5 Love Winter!

That's right! I love, love, love, love, LOVE Winter!

I know this is going to make many of you think I am absolutely as crazy as you thought or maybe crazier then you thought, but I can't help it I FIVE Love Winter!

Now I could leave it to that, but it would probably make no sense to anyone, so here is my explanation of the Five Loves of Winter.

20 above to 20 below is part of winter in Minnesota and I LOVE it!  Here is why!

Love Number 1: Have you ever noticed that going outside in cold weather does one of two things? It invigorates you, wakes you up, and becomes reality really quickly and it makes you appreciate heat! I asked someone today "How would you like to feel warm and comfortable? She of course wanted it, so I took her outside and stood for a few minutes. On the way back in I said "Now you will feel warm and comfortable"! It is true! when you spend even a few minutes outside you really appreciate the fact that the furnace is working!

Love Number 2: Have you ever noticed that during the winter months food becomes so tasty! This is true for other seasons, but winter is my favorite. It is like comfort food becomes your soul mate. The only fruits in the store are apples, oranges and maybe the lady handing out samples of cheese and crackers in the back!

You can come home and make a big pot of stew and enjoy the comfort of feeling warm inside. Rarely would you make a really hot and rich meal in the summer!

Love Number 3: Have you ever noticed that with winter comes seasonal smells? The smell of cut grass is gone and is replaced by cut trees. Pine wood smell and cinnamon sticks. Next to fresh cut grass it really is my favorite smell.

In the summer you can buy passion fruit, Hawaiian Flower and a host of 100 other smells that meet your personal liking, but in the winter most of us gravitates towards cinnamon, sugar cookies, and pine. It is the most distinct aroma time of the year.

Love Number 4: It goes without saying but two weeks of -10 degrees and I am smiling while I sleep as I know that it is "making good ice". Yep, clear and cold nights are making ice on the lakes allowing for a littler safer trip when you head out fishing! This week is the most perfect week because of the temperature lows. Ah, good clear solid ice!

Love Number 5: Put the swimsuits away and pull out the oversize and fluffy clothes - enough said! Seriously, a fleece sweater, lined slippers, flannel PJ's...it is like you bond as one with your comfortable clothes.

So there you have it. My 5 Loves of Winter! I know many of you could say the same about Fall, Spring, or Summer...but it is my blog and I love, love, love, love, LOVE Winter!

Here's to warmth, comfort, aromas and food!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

With the new snowfall and the Christmas lights sparkling bright outside, it was time to make the inside of our home sparkle as well.

Yesterday a nice 6 foot Charlie Brown tree became a decoration. I am not sure which smells better, the tree or the cinnamon pine cones that are in baskets around the house.

There is a Nativity Scene in every room and the Christmas cards from loved ones near and far are hanging on the fireplace mantel. Nine Christmas stockings are hanging fro the banister, one for every furry kid, Suzan's 4 foot one and mine. It looks and smells like Christmas.

As I sit here today I am surrounded by all that is good about this holiday. Simple decorations, wonderful aromas, cards and pictures of friends, favorite carols playing, and the understanding that Christmas in my life is not about commercial gain, rather joy-filled blessings.

Christmas is my favorite time of year. It has meaning that goes beyond the presents, beyond the hustle and bustle. It's about sharing, caring, and believing. It really is beginning to look like Christmas!

Get your Snowblowers going!

What a glorious night. It snowed all night! All of the individual flakes came together to make for a 6-8 inch coating of glorious!

It looks like a Thomas Kinkade picture outside and although I am not a professional photographer I thought these pictures from this morning tells the story of the day.

Yes, Janice there is a God. One who can make everything bright and clean all from a group of flakes smaller then a pin top! The magic is there and I am going to enjoy every minute of the day playing in it! A big flake surrounded by the small ones.

Are you a Flake?

Riddle of the Day: What is white, a half inch tall and can impact thousands of people?

Anyone? Any guesses?

Okay, I will tell you! SNOW!!!!

The snow started around 2 today and by 4pm this little 1/2 of white stuff had turned freeways into parking lots, small hills into sledding parks, and homes into places of comfort.

While on the bus this afternoon I was thinking about how something so small can have such a huge impact. It is a lot like us!

Okay, so some of us aren't so small, but how many times have I heard or even thought "what can I do, I am just one person" or "I don't have an power to do anything". Full of I can't, don't, won't, wish I could, or really would like to but!

What if we were all like snow and just let it fly! Let ourselves build up and see what happens? Let ourselves join the other flakes out there and have an impact on thousands of people!

You see, maybe one person can't change the world or make a huge impact, but if all flakes united we would stop traffic! We could turn houses into homes! We could turn blocks into neighborhoods! We could CHANGE THE WORLD!

So, as I watch the snow fly outside and see the flakes pile up, know that I am thinking of you! Thinking of all the Flakes I know and how much we could impact if we came together.

Tonight and this weekend be the biggest Flake you can be and impact the world!

The Stars of December

Have you ever noticed that the Stars in December seem brighter?

Maybe it is because with the long winter nights you have more hours of the day to notice them or maybe it's because people seem to look up during the season for hope, joy, and blessings.

Tonight, as I was waiting for the dog to do her business outside, I looked up and noticed. I noticed how bright the north star is on a clear and dark night. I noticed the constellations and how they have changed over the months. I noticed how the planets, that are visible now, are almost hard to look at because of how bright they are. I also noticed how the stars twinkle more through the cold air.

I looked up, I noticed, and I saw the stars.

Take a walk tonight. Go outside and notice the stars. Look up and be blessed.