Homemade apple fritters are a family tradition. And no wonder! They are so good! My mom makes these every Christmas morning. She loves to tell the story about who used to make them and where the recipe came from. In fact, when I emailed her to ask her if I could share this recipe, she sent me this:“Your Great-Grandma Marie Jebsen Kopp made that recipe a family tradition using either apples or raisins. Your dad prefers the apple one so…
(The history geek in me has arisen again. And probably will many more times.)During wartime (WWI and WWII), many men were gone. Men ages 18-42 were either drafted or volunteered to fight. Some were pressed into service in other ways. Some were given reprieve if the government thought their talents lie elsewhere like farming. By the end of WWII, 16 million men had or were serving in some capacity. Some of the men returned home early, but usually with injuries.That…
This week’s weather in northern Iowa has been less than ideal. We never really appreciate a day before Thanksgiving snowstorm. Those have a tendency to make travel a bit difficult. School was cancelled on Wednesday due to several inches of snow being on the ground already and more coming down. The kids were to go down to their dad’s house to have Thanksgiving with him on Wednesday. We already had the day planned, had moved Dane’s doctor appointment earlier in…
Hallowe’en is so much fun! I love seeing all the kiddos dressed up in costumes, pumpkin carving, pumpkin-flavored everything, and the creativity that comes with it all. I think I even like Hallowe’en a little more than Christmas, but that may be because I don’t want all the commercialism that goes with Christmas! Hallowe’en can be done frugally, very frugally. For several years, we have not bought many costumes nor spent a lot on decorations. I am not one…
Let’s face a fact: most kids are very happy playing with something that is electronic. They would play them all the time if they could. I know the pain of that statement because I had a preteen son who was the same way.I worried about how he would entertain himself if the power went out and the batteries on his Nintendo 3DS died. I worried about how my two daughters at home would entertain themselves without cell phones, computers, Kindles,…
Some beliefs I have encountered: Many people believe that kids need a gentle, coddling introduction to being a grown up. Many people believe that kids cannot function on their own until they are 22-25 years old. Many people believe kids do not need to have a job while in junior high, high school, or college. They should just concentrate on their studies and being involved. They have the rest of their life to work. If the kids have jobs, they…