Pickled



Bread and Butter pickles canned by Barry-------------Lovely!



Malin gets a Sitter



Oh no my mom and dad are gone. Can you believe they left me here with Grandma Jane while they went to eat pie? How unfair!



I'm just kidding. I don't like pie anyway. I'm not even allowed to eat fruits and vegetables yet so fat chance I'd get any pie. I'm better off here with granny.

I can show her all my funny faces. She's easily amused!

Mmmmm. This tastes pretty good.

She thinks I'm adorable. I can tell.

Watch this Grandma! I can eat my foot. Aren't I flexible?

Dum dee dum--when are my parents getting home anyway? If you want to see more cute pictures and videos of me visit my parents blog: http://thebrakkes.blogspot.com/  You can see me almost crawling!

Remembering Grandma Donna

365 Days Old

388 days ago this is what Hudson looked like. Just a big bulge in a stomach.

A few hours after he was born.

On his first birthday with his new playhouse from grandpa and grandma.

Happy Birthday Hudson! We love you.

He's already driving a car!

For the Love of Strawberries

Teacher's Aid

We  all wanted to check out Bridget's new classroom so we met there for a picnic on Sunday before she put me to work sorting books, labeling folders and notebooks and hanging pictures.

Hudson checking out the books.

Laina checking out the lockers.

Someone that was pregant last year is letting Bridget use this wheeled carry all so it makes it easier to lug all her stuff around.

Laina and Hudson sorting blocks and wearing baskets on their heads.

Trail Blazin'

We have a new walking/biking/jogging trail in our small town that runs from the east side of town to the west side of town near the interstate.

Elsa and I took a 45 minute walk on the trail a few mornings ago and encountered this mama and her calf.

We also had a stare down with these cows that seemed none to happy that we were invading their space.

We came across this babbling brook. OK--it was really a stagnant creek.

Elsa likes to go on the trail because she doesn't have to have her leash on.

Donut Land

My first attempt ever of making homemade donuts. I got the recipe from my mom only a few weeks before she died last summer. The recipe is really my Grandma Marshall's recipe but I knew mom would have it.

They are actually a lot easier to make than I thought they would be. They didn't turn out perfect but it was fun and I thought pretty good for my first attempt.

The donut holes are just the right size if you don't want a whole donut!

Good Bye Grandpa Wendell



We'll miss you!



Pancake House

About a month ago I ran out of Bisquick which I usually use to make pancakes so I decided to make my own mix. I'm very happy with the mix--it's easy and handy. You can store it in the freezer for up to 6 months. You can control the type of flour--I used my 50/50 (half white, half wheat) flour. Here is the recipe:
6 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 T baking powder
1 T baking soda

To make pancakes combine 1 egg with 3/4 cup milk and 1 cup pancake mix.
As with all pancakes you can add blueberries or bananas to the batter.
Or as this recipe suggested:
Combine egg, milk and 1 mashed banana, whisk in pancake mix and fold in blueberries for blueberry banana panckes.

Wining and Dining

Last Saturday we took off with 10 of our friends on a wine tour. Our first stop was the Brush Creek Winery near Bellvue.

We stuffed 12 people into this 15 passenger van. It was a little cozy!

Here is the whole crew at our first tasting.

Our friends George and Michelle provided a picnic lunch for everyone at this beautiful location overlooking the Mississippi.

Marlo, drinking beer at a wine tasting!

The "youngsters" on our tour.

At the last place we stopped, north of Dubuque, we had dinner over looking this valley. I'll admit that Barry and I skipped out of the tasting in Galena and hit some shops instead.