Category Archives: Holidays

A Taste of Love

Janis Van Keuren

         Last night, we celebrated our Valentine’s Day event with a midwestern style roast, Italian wedge-shaped potatoes baked in the oven and a homemade chocolate cake. Well the cake was from a mix but the frosting was more than homemade. It took two recipes to find the right consistency for the semi-sweet chocolate frosting.     While I planned on posting the picture of the cake decorated with candy hearts and hugged by Valentine Hershey kisses, I forgot and began serving … Continue reading →

Grace on the Door

Janis Van Keuren

        “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 NIV      A heart-shaped wreath wrapped in love and twined with flowers of variegated pinks and white graces our front door. But does this symbol of love grace the door to my heart each day? It is a thought I am pondering each day.     Does wholesome talk come out of my mouth at every circumstance and situation? Do I … Continue reading →

The Sound of Silence

Janis Van Keuren

     Silent. Soft swirls encircle the trees. Quietly the flakes drift like wafers on piles of whipped cream. Building without a sound until one by one they heap up softly curved drifts that reach windowpanes and block doorways.      The only sound heard is the whipping wind whistling round the corners of the house and through the gaping meadows. The roaring wind drives gentleness across the landscape. Trees bend white, skies are whisked gray, the visible becomes invisible.      … Continue reading →

Italian Pancakes–A Holiday Tradition

Janis Van Keuren

          Right after stuffing the turkey and tucking it in the oven to roast succulently, I begin our age-old Thanksgiving family tradition. The stretching and frying of the bread dough for Italian pancakes.      When I was a child, Mom would go to the local bakery and order a pound of sweet bread dough. Excitement welled up just at the thought of going to the bakery.  I knew it meant a delectable breakfast treat the next morning. It was … Continue reading →

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving

Janis Van Keuren

    “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.      Sing praise to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.” 1Chronicles 16:8&9 NIV      Have a Blessed Thanksgiving From My Heart to Yours,

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Did you “Ooh” and “Ah” ?

Janis Van Keuren

            “Has everyone practiced their ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’,” he asked our group, grinning as we settled into cloth or plastic bound chairs.   Happy faces smiled and voices chattered up there on the knoll that stared across to the majestic Pusch Ridge Mountains. Anticipation of the show to come sparked a myriad of conversations.  People standing in the Wisconsin snow for the world’s best-tasting custard.  The most beautiful spot to camp in South Dakota. The snooty RV sites … Continue reading →

The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave

Janis Van Keuren

     Last summer, we had the unique privilege of providing a home, a nesting spot for a Morning Dove and her two fledglings.  Perched in a crook of our front door wreath, the mama created her home, gathering extra twigs and dried grass to loosely pad the floor.  Above the flaming red roses and delicate,white poppies, the mama dove settled in. Twisted garland of sparkling stars added a touch of elegance to her newly made home. Behind a mini … Continue reading →

Remembering Why We Remember

Janis Van Keuren

     Remember, the Lord cautions us.  Remember the wondrous works He has done for us.  Let there be markers in our life where we pause, reflect and share with our children the meanings behind the recollections.  Why do we spend time remembering?     In Joshua 4:4-7, the Lord commands the Israelites through Joshua, to “Go over (the river) before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan.  Each of you is to take up a stone … Continue reading →