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beauty

More beauty = less stress danielle laporte

hunting 2013

The guys spent the weekends up at the hunting shack but also hunted on Dennis and Grandma's farm.  This is part of the hunting crew... Jerry wasn't with the group on this day and Dennis made it in a picture a little later. :)

Grandma served pancakes and sausage during their traditional morning "break".  

. . . and there is always homemade raspberry jam!

I hung around and snapped some really cute photos.  There is just something about a "gang of little boys" (to quote Sam)!

This is adorable!  Sam and Dominic exploring and peeking.  love it.

and now we have almost everybody!  I love the orange and the boots:)

Another hunting season ends.  No deer this time but memories for a lifetime!

"ducks dream . . . "

"Ducks dream.  I know."

(Sweet Land)

--Clive Barker

prowler football

 I got some really cool shots last night.  The Prowlers beat Moorhead!  Isaac tipped the ball and prevented a pass completion.

super cool shot.

got him.  he is so cute!

F. Scott Fitzgerald

. . . a very simple story

We give what we can, when we can. A very simple story.

 

This is a very simple story about letting yourself off the hook for not being able to give as much as you’d like when you’d like, or as much as the people around you are able to give.

I’ve been meeting every month with the same five women for seven years. Goddess Night, we call it. Of course it’s a divine lifeline. And of course, we bring food.

When we first started meeting my boy was a newborn and my first company was taking off, and I was five kinds of exhausted. I’d usually show up late to Goddess Night. My contribution to a beautiful potluck spread would be like, a bag of chips. Or half a sack of store bought cookies. One night, I actually brought a box of somewhat freezer-burned fruit popsicles. Classy, I know.

On the other hand, M. would make pots of incredible chilli and home-baked bread. She’d crack open a jar of her home pickled pickles. The other Goddesses would bring dips and drinks and casseroles. I’d plunk my tortilla chips on the buffet table and we’d get to unravelling our lives.

Our lives are different these days. New jobs, relationships, one of us moved to Kenya (she Skypes in). Now we have Goddess Night at my place every month (I have the best sofa for pile ups.) And — get this, I cook for everyone. Well, I don’t actually “cook”, I prepare food, usually an incredibly hearty salad with a side of yam fries — hold the popsicles.

And now it’s M. who’s crazy busy — caring for her older parents, and a young child, and a job, and she’s five kinds of exhausted. The last get together, M. brought … a half a pack of crackers.

You can always put stuff on crackers.

You'll give what you can when you're able to give it.

End of story. (A love story.)

Money. Time. Energy. 
If you have gold, bring gold. 
If you have crackers, bring the crackers. 
We give what we can, when we can.

camp corbett 2013

Memories of camping when the kids were little are precious.  But, I don't know... days with our grown children are totally wonderful.

Camp Corbett 2013 started on August 16.  The Olson families camped together for a whole week!

It didn't take long for the boys to fill water balloons and start firing them at the girls.

Ben and Sam told Isaac to jump off the dock and they would throw the ball to him.

. . . they are scheming . . .

. . . getting ready. . .

I asked the boys later what was so funny.  They said that Isaac went sailing off the end of the dock and they never did throw the ball to him!

 . . . maybe there is more to the story!  poor Isaac:)

We celebrated Isaac's 16th birthday.  love from grandma. . .

Simple decorations on the table . . . creating a little birthday atmosphere.

It is ritual to tip the canoe over and then spend the next hour trying to. . . I'm not really sure what they are trying to do but it is entertaining to watch:)

I love this picture of Becca. . . darling.

Lots of sunning. . . texting. . .  visiting. . . relaxing. . .

cool picture.  love the colors.

Our little boys are not so little anymore.

Each family cooks one day of the week.  The kids took a day this year:)  For dessert, they set up a sunday bar.  They did a great job cooking!  The day consisted of scrambled eggs, waffles, sausage, spaghetti, garlic bread, salad. . . great kids.

For the first time, we played charades after supper one night.  It was so funny. . . between the announcement that we would be playing charades and the time it took us to get set up, all the dads had disappeared!  So, the moms took on the kids.  I think we won:)

Dominic has gotten really good at skiing on one ski.

Sam did well!  This is only his second summer skiing.

Uncle Steve enjoyed lounging in the sun.

cute Kruta girls . . .

Water balloons flew steady.  Poor girls.  They were constantly a target:)

Sam and Taylor sailing through the water.

Sam getting thrown into the water!

Lots of reading goes on during the week.

I was walking and happened to spot this interesting 'moth' on the ground.  so cool!

Fishing was great this week!  Ben caught some nice size fish.  I think the big one is a Bass:)

Isaac has recently started helping dad filet the fish.  He has watched grandpa Don a lot and can take out the y-bones in Northerns now.

I was walking by the dock and noticed the light streaming through the frame.  Lovely light . . .

Grandma Olson sets up an 'omelettes in a bag' station and we all make our own omelette.  We add whatever ingredients and then mix them in a ziploc bag.  They are boiled for a long time and come out amazing!  Jalepenos are a favorite ingredient for a few of us:)

cool colors.

more cool colors.

The guys fished a lot and caught a lot.

My spot when the kids skied. I got some really good shots!

. . . gorgeous night.

the 'floaty dock' was the favorite spot when the kids were little.

We were blessed with a full moon one night.  absolutely stunning. . .

more fish:)

silly girls. . . the secret is wrapping their hair around water bottles! :)

 haha!

Ben's turn!

. . . love this.

I got some really cute pictures of Sam.  Love the next few shots. . .

cute.

and cute.

And the week ended.  Back to our homes, our jobs, our pets, our communities, our friends, our family. . . with memories we will cherish.