Friday, April 12, 2013

#20 is here!

Twenty is a nice round number.  We indeed feel rich in grandchildren with the arrival this week of #20.  She came just a few days early and is much loved by her four older siblings.


 She is named Coralie Ivy and weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz.



As you see in the blurry picture below, she has stored most of her dark hair in the back.  We think maybe she will be a match for one of her older sisters who has similar hair.  



Thursday, April 4, 2013

Family Recipes

Perhaps you have already noticed, but if not, just under the picture of the log cabin at the top of the page, and on the right-hand side, there is a link to some favorite family recipes.  Most of the recipes were published some years ago as a sort of family history.

Since then the family has grown and others have wanted copies but we had none left, so now with the recipes online, anyone who wants them can use them.

Some of the recipes are from grandmothers and great-grandmothers and some are from more modern members of the family.  Some of the recipes are included as keepsakes rather than meant to be used as they might have ingredients we no longer find palatable.  (One recipe includes blood as an ingredient!)  Other recipes have been used over and over in more recent times.

One thing we noticed in the years since the book was originally put together is that our family recipes are in a constant state of change.  We saw huge differences in the way we eat now compared to the way we ate even 10 years ago.

When possible I have included the name of the person who originally contributed the recipe.  Deceased contributors have their full name listed.  Others are just listed by first name only.

It is interesting how family recipes reflect heritage, dietary needs, and places we live.  Our family recipes include some from our English, German and Swedish ancestors.  Others were popular because of places we lived, such as Alaska.  Still others are included because of various dietary needs.  In addition to just a list of recipes, these recipes paint a picture of our family history.

(The original book included family pictures of contributors.)

Monday, April 1, 2013

Butterfly Pavilion

Today we decided to go visit the Butterfly Pavilion with some of the grandchildren.  We were greeted
 near the entrance by a giant preying mantis. 




Butterfly Pavilion may be a bit of a misnomer because in addition to the beautiful butterfly exhibit, there are a number of other interesting things to look at as well.

One popular exhibit was a chance for guests to spend a time holding Rosie the tarantula.  Four people in the family were actually brave enough to hold her and got stickers to prove it.  Four other people politely but emphatically declined.





After spending some time with Rosie and also at the sea critter exhibit, we entered the butterfly pavilion which was a large greenhouse filled with beautiful foliage and flowers of the sort that butterflies adored. 

Sometimes the butterflies were hard to see, but this black and white one on the pink flowers showed up niely.




Turtles slept on the rocks in the pond.





There was an exhibit showing what happens when the butterflies go through various stages of their  lives.


These butterflies looked like they had large eye on itheir wings.


 Lincoln liked the sign warning guests NOT to touch the butterflies.








It was a great way to spend a morning.







Easter Grandkids

 This year we got to spend Easter with a few grandchildren and found out that they clean up pretty good!  The oldest shared a wonderful lesson for us all about the Easter story.  We ended the day with a lovely Easter dinner provided by 2 daughters, 2 sons-in-law and  7.95 grandchildren.