One week ago 4 of my college friends descended on our house to help with a remodeling project.  (The world knows I need some construction help!!)  Garrett flew from California, Seth from Maine, Josh drove his truck loaded with his family and tools from Montana, and Seth drove with his family from Northern Wisconsin.  They all met here in little ol’ Westboro.  Wow, was it a great week.  It was not only great because of all the work we got done, but we all hadn’t been together since the last wedding we all were in which was 3 years ago.  It was so great to see them again, catch up on life, and just work together.  These are friends that I am so blessed and privileged to have.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves to the time we had and the work that got done.

  Before                                                                             After

   
  Before                                                                             After

   
  Before                                                                             After

   
  Garrett and Seth installed all of the Knotty Pine Paneling                             Seth Fisher was our HVAC guy

   
  Here is Josh with his little helper “Ruth”                                            The Girls…Laura, Suzanne, Lauren

   
  Working Hard                                                                     The Whole Gang

Tonight was a time to hang out as a staff to wrap up the winter…the powder on the ski hill was the place to play this afternoon, pizza as a staff, and the annual broom ball tournament.  It was a time to celebrate and reflect on the all that God has done throughout the season.  Thankful to be a small part of all that happens at CFS.  Here is a quick pic of some of the boomball teams…(I told them to put on their tough face.)

Weekends have been full…so we were thankful for a few quick days to “get out of dodge” for a bit…and headed to spend time with dear friends at WWC.  It was great to talk much—process through the good and the bad, read books, play with blocks, eat too much snack food, ski a bit on the birkie trails, hit up some thrift stores, savor some of the best hot chocolate in the world, enjoy the local pizza market, and laugh.  Thanks, dear friends, for the listening ear and treasured times.

(okay….this is an odd pic, but it makes me smile….)

Last week I decided that I am officially sick of soup for the season.  It is somewhat unheard of for me to say that because I love a good pot of hearty soup. (I am sure that I will come around and make another pot of warm stuff on a spoon because winter is not over.)  But, for a few brief bites, I am pretending summer is here!  And it will be here before we know it!  Soooooo good that I thought that I should share!  Enjoy….

Oriental Salad

1 oz. sliced almonds
1 pkg. chicken ramon noodles (broken)
1/8 cup sesame seeds
Brown above ingredients in 1/6 cup butter along with the chicken ramon seasoning.  Set aside to cool.
1-2 grilled or cooked chicken breasts.  Sliced into bite sized pieces.

Add the above to:
a head of your favorite lettuce greens mixture
2-3 green onions cut up
2 stalks of celery—diced

Toss with the dressing before serving:

Dressing—-Mix well:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1+ Tbl. soy sauce

It may not be 3,000, but it can sure be a lot of people in one day!  I have not taught as many ski lessons, rather, there have been more needs in the kitchen, so I have worked in food service many busy Saturdays.  This is not for the faint of heart folks…I think I am more exhausted after working in the kitchen than I can be on the ski hill, not to mention that I smell like ground beef and onions when I am done.  So, here is a glimpse of Crystal and me in the kitchen.  Lunch: hot dogs, hamburgers, and the ‘fix’ns’ of course!  (Oh, and try to look beyond the food service approved kerchiefs that make our foreheads look huge…)

This past weekend Laura’s aunt and uncle and 3 cousins came to visit.  Laura’s sister Lisa and her husband Bryan also stopped by for the fun.  Wow, what an action packed weekend it was.  There was lots of time on the hill skiing, learning how to snowboard, and tubing.  Other people learned cross-country skiing and went snowshoeing for the very first time.  We were basically only at the house to eat, sleep, and play some games.  Oh yeah, can’t forget the bonfire in the yard and Pineapple Delights.  We had a great time with them and now that it is halfway through the week I think we are finally recovered physically.  Check out the pics.

Kirsten and Laura after their cross-country ski outing.

Kirsten, Laura, and Micaela on the hill.

After only 2 hours of lessons, Brandon was well on his way to becoming a snowboarder.

Here’s the whole crew!  Minus the parents.