An Emotional Week....

Is it stupid that I am sad over a soap opera going off the air?  I don't feel stupid....but emotions are a funny thing.   I have watched Guiding Light forever.  F-O-R-E-V-E-R.  The Bauer's, Lewis's, Cooper's and Spaulding's may as well have lived in Niagara for as much as they have been in my life.  I sit here watching the last episodes as we speak through tears as they call the villainous Alan Spaulding a hero for saving his son's life.  Or watching Reva and Josh (who DO belong together, no matter how good looking Jeffrey O'Neill is)  as they deal with their kids and grandkids.  Friday is the last time I will be able to catch a glimpse into the lives in Springfield.  I have been a frequent "visitor" since I was born.  I honestly can't imagine a weekday without watching it at 2pm. To make matters worse, they are replacing it with a gameshow.  A GAMESHOW!  I seriously have no use for CBS anymore.  With that,  it is with teary eyes that I bid my "GUIDING LIGHT" goodbye! Thank you for the entertainment.

Harvest 2009

Harves 2009 is in full swing at the Steffan Farm!!!  First and foremost, I have this pic to tell you about! Our nephew Nathan who is 11, got to drive the grain cart while Jeff took a weekend to spend with his boys over Labor Day weekend.  Here he is unloading on the go and doing a WONDERFUL job with timing, spacing, etc.  He was out there from 10 in the morning until about 7pm so he put in a full day of driving!    Labor Day was definitely one to remember!  The weather was GORGEOUS--a terrific day to combine.  The weather was about to change so the guys decided that they would probably be out until 3 or 4 am.  They ended up going until 7am Tuesday morning when it started raining! This is a picture of the double swaths of wheat.  I thought it was a neat view. I think some of these random photos capture the beauty of harvest.  I love this time of year! It cools off quickly in the evening, and the grain dust hangs in the air and smells soo good!  I love that it is starting to get dark earlier in the evenings and Friday nights mean football!!  Happy Fall everyone!!!

Democrats BEWARE!!!!

I am going to rant like never before on my blog.  It has been 4 months since I posted anything and now I have had it.   I am SICK to death of people calling me a RACIST because I am not a follower of Obamessiah.  The man can NOT be trusted.  Look at his friends:  William Ayers a known anti-war terrorist. "Rev. Jeremiah Wright- the man IS a RACIST.  Van Jones-the recently ousted "Green Jobs" Czar who is a self proclaimed communist.  Cass Sunstien-the man voted in as Regulatory Czar  today who OPPOSES hunting, wants to give animals the right to file lawsuits, believes everyone should be assumed to be an organ donor unless explicitly stated directions exist, AND wants to do away with meat and dairy in school lunches.  Scary people he chooses to surround himself with.  But we, as a nation are supposed to believe that this man knows what is best for us as a nation?  REALLY?   The man has promised change and hope.  The only change I have seen since his inauguration is in his approval ratings and the unemployment numbers rising at an alarming rate.  What is it with people who are happy to believe the BS the government and the mainstream leftist media feeds them?  It is OUR duty as citizens to be mindful of what our elected officials are doing for us.  They represent US  not their own interests or own agendas.  I am scared of where our nation is headed.  This administration is corrupt!!!  Obama comes from the state of Illinois where the Governer tried to sell Obama's senate seat!  For Pete's sake people:  WAKE UP!   

For those of you who are all for this health care reform:  What guarantees have you heard that make it worth while?  Last night Obama said that EVERYONE will be able to be insured, even those with pre-existing conditions.  NEWSFLASH--You can get insurance now, but you will pay through your nose to get it. Obama DID NOT say that people with pre-existing conditons will have affordable premiums. The reason why private insurances charge so much for premiums for people with pre-existing conditions is that they pay through their nose for the necessary ongoing medical care.  WHY is the GOVERNMENT going to be different?  Look at how far in debt they are!  NOW answer me, HOW is the government going to be able to provide more AFFORDABLE insurance to the uninsured?   Another question I have is how do they determine whether or not you can afford to have private insurance or if you need to be enrolled in the "public option".  As a farmer, we own land.  It is considered to be an asset but it is how we make our money.  Will they look at that and say "you own land, you can afford private insurance".  Obama said last night that there will be a waiver for those who absolutely cannot afford a premium.   How do they determine who is eligable for the waiver?  I do not understand why people are thinking that this is going to be free.  NOTHING is free.  Premiums will be paid to for it and you might get a rude awakening when you find out how much your premium is going to be.   
I am sick to death of told I am propagating misinformation.  NO. I am simply concerned about my freedoms.  I am bringing up points that have NOT been answered.  Obama threatened people who oppose this reform in his speech last night and he scolded those who dare to call him out on his brazen abuse of power.  Keep it up.  Surely you are winning them over with your teleprompter reading abilities and your use of fictional stories.  I refuse to be quiet and be rolled over by a tyrannical government.  I refuse to give up my freedoms and rights.  I AM clinging to my BIBLE and GUNS.  I am making a pest of myself in Kent Conrads email, Earl Pomeroy's email, and Byron Dorgan's email.  I believe that the United States of America is the BEST country in the world. The problem with President Obama is that his Presidency is based on the fact that it is the WORST country in the world and everything needs to be changed.

One Pudgy Puppy.....

Our youngest dog Duke is no doubt a very special little guy. He is a little antagonist who always gets what he gives. He has the deepest bark of all of our dogs including our Chocolate lab/giraffe. When you tell him it is bedtime or that it is time to come in before he is ready, he flops onto his back and looks all cute as if to say "they won't be able to resist me now" .

Our "little" Duke is also the pudgiest of our puppies. We are hoping that he runs the extra weight off but for now, he is one pudgy puppy. He proved that point this evening. I heard noise in the kitchen and Dave went to check it out. When Dave said "Angel?" I had to look for myself.

This is what I saw!! Duke was trying to get into our dining room through the chair barricade and got stuck between two rungs on a chair!!! It took Dave a good 15 to get him out. It wouldn't have taken that long but he kept having to stop and laugh! I wish I would have had my camera ready when I first walked into the kitchen. Both Elvis and Little Kitty were looking at him like, "Man, you're in TROUBLE!"

Thank God for pets and their crazy antics!!!

RANT SESSION

I have had it up to HERE with with people complaining about how Carrie Prejean, Miss California is a terrible person. The fact that she is against gay marriage and stated her opinion during the Miss USA pageant is admirable! Most everyone on that stage would have answered Perez Hilton with "I am all for it!" no matter what they really thought. Now even Keith Olberman of CNN had to put out his 2cents worth. It's called FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!! She had every right to say what she believed. Obviously there are ALOT of Californians who feel the same way she does or else Proposition 8 wouldn't have been voted down!

I believe the term marriage is reserved for a man and a woman. However, I am not God and can not tell people who they should or shouldn't fall in love with. I have quite a few gay and lesbian friends and wouldn't wish them a lifetime of struggle and financial and legal hardships

It makes me very sad to think of how our country has lost moral ground. Everyone thinks that being "progressive" is a step in the right direction. From where I stand, "progressiveness" looks alot like "do whatever you want to". Don't want that baby? Have an abortion! Want to sleep with your sheep? Go ahead--do whatever you want! Why? Because we're "progressive"! I do not believe that equality needs to go so far as to allow people to lead the most liberal of lives. Excessive liberalism will have a consequence. It's like when a kid is told not to eat too much candy by his mother. But he thinks he knows best and eats too much candy. What is his consquence? A sick tummy. I don't know what our nations' consequence will be, but I can guarantee it will be MUCH, MUCH worse than a tummyache.

.

Addicted to Uppercase Living!

Just thought I would post some pics of my newly placed Uppercase Living!! I LOVE THIS STUFF!!

Taking off the Corn, North Dakota style!!!!

Last fall brought us rain, rain, and yes, more rain! We were fortunate enough to take our corn crop off last December. It was very wet and we spent a small fortune drying it but it was off and we had peace of mind in knowing that. David's cousins, well I will let YOU decide!!!

These pictures were taken April 11, 2009 by Bill Hodous. These are 2 of his Brother-in-laws Doug and Paul Becker, David's first cousins. They farm northeast of Devils Lake, north of Crary. They had to put caterpiller tracks on the combine and grain cart but it got the job done and no one even got stuck! Look at how deep the water is!!!

New Brayden Pics!

I just wanted to add a few new pics of our favorite little man!!! Enjoy!!

Spring or Fall?

It's cold. Neighbors are combining corn. Fields look like they have been cultivated for the winter. So, my question is, is it spring or is it fall?

We are patiently waiting for the frost to come out of the ground and the melted snow and rain water to go away! David is anxious about getting out in the field to get the crops planted. So am I!! I can't wait to be able to mow the lawn and putter with my flowers and attempt--Gasp--to plant a vegetable garden. I have to admit the recent rain and cool weather has allowed me to get some much needed work done around the house.

A few big things are coming up! Mothers Day is a little over a week away so we will be having our annual Mothers Day dinner and the following week is Braydens Baptism-YAY- Sean and Amber have asked Dave and I to be Godparents, so look for more interesting blogs to come, until then, Happy Spring!!

Laundry Room Remodel!

It wasn't really a remodel but paint, a mirror, some curtains, and a new countertop have made all the difference!! Now all we need is the new border!!

Welcome to the World, Brayden Lee Jerome!!

March 29, 2009- I invited Mom and Dad, Sean and Amber and Jamie over to play our new Wii and to have supper. Amber was feeling and looking (no offense honey) miserable. She couldn't get comfortable, couldn't eat anything but tums, and constantly had to pee. She wasn't enjoying herself but she did play a couple games of bowling and tried the ski jump. When they left, I prayed that God would help ease some of the discomfort.

March 30,2009-4am- I woke up and could not for the life of me get back to sleep. I tossed and turned, waiting for the alarm clock to go off at 6:15. At 5:45 my cell phone was whistling at me. (I cannot help it if it thinks I am beautiful ;) I jumped up to see what was up! It was a text message from Amber saying to call her or Sean when I woke up! I immediately called them back to find out her water broke at 3:30am and that they were at the hospital! They also asked if I could drive to Fargo to their apartment and get their bags and the baby things before the storm hit. So Mom and I left for GF at 7am and grabbed their list and keys, jumped into the car drove to starbucks. I can't do ANYTHING without my morning cup of java. THEN to Fargo, The whole trip down and back took 4 hours due to the flooded interstate and the longest detour known to man! Especially when you follow a combine at 15mph for 5 miles! The rest of the day was a blur!! I went into the delivery room at about 20 minutes after 6 and Amber started pushing at 20 min. to 7. I had my camera at the ready and was able to stay from start to finish. Let me tell you something. I have had a few "happiest days" of my life. Graduations, Amber and Seans wedding, MY wedding, etc. but THIS experience was by far the most awe inspiring, happy moments I have ever had the pleasure of living! I am so thankful that Sean and Amber let me stay for it! To witness Braydens birth at 8:41 pm was surreal almost! I have known since October that the little guy was about to enter our family. I had felt him kick and seen him growing or more appropriately Ambers tummy was growing. But to actually see this baby I already loved as my nephew be born was truly amazing! It was very hard to see Amber in so much pain, but knowing that the payoff is a perfect, pink, baby made it a little easier and I bawled like a toddler when he made his appearance!! I had to take one last picture of just the two of them!! Meet Baby Brayden!

Meeting Grandma Hanssen for the first time!

Meeting Grandpa Hanssen for the first time! I think Grandpa is almost crying!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD, Baby BRAYDEN!! God Bless You Little One!

School Spirit!

In honor of the Dakota Prairie Knights boys basketball team playing in the state tournament, I thought I should do a blog about school spirit.

Alot of my facebook friends are able to attend the game tonight in Minot and I will be watching at home on tv. Never fear though, I am already wearing DP's school colors in an effort to show my support. Not that my dogs give a rawhide. They are the only ones here to witness my show of school pride! I am proud of those boys because this is the first time my school (for my Jr. and Sr. year) has ever been to the state tournament as a unified school! The DP Tolna girls went to state my Jr. year. But still, this is huge! I graduated from DP 14 yrs ago! Wow, does that make me sound old. I still have school spirit.

This entire last week I have been trying very hard to remember the words to the school song. I can still sing Unity's school song!

All hail Spartans hail, we are the sons of Unity!

Stand up and cheer Spartans cheer!

Shout out yours rahs from sea to shining sea! RAH RAH RAH.

Win Spartans win! We are a team that won't give in.

A victory for Unity!

All hail Spartans Hail!

But for some reason, I cannot recall a couple lines of the Dakota Prairie song.

Go Dakota Prairie Knights, Let's win this game tonight!

We'll let our spirit lead us on to victry show your power and might (Thanks Amber)

show our power and might

RAH RAH RAH

We are proud of what we've become!

Leading on to be #1

We have what others lack

Let's cheer for the Teal and Black!

If any of you remember please help me out!! Anyhoo, I have so much school spirit that I can now cheer for Lakota! My cousins attend school there and I cheer for them! At the girls state B tourney I cheered for Fordville Lankin Park River! They took 2nd! Now I am cheering for MY old school! Ah, the memories! Mr. Reinholz yelling at Mike McBain because he heard him swear in the hallway! Mr. Schock and his sense of humor! Gay Ray Smith, Mr. Eberhardt being kidnapped by Indians, and Mr. Stovers' coffee breath! (Thorsons' please don't repeat that! ;))

Who can forget Mr. Graupe bouncing on the folding chair onto the basketball court! Or Mr. Flem banging his cane on the desk while yelling "YOU'RE GIVING ME ULCERS!" I love to reminisce about those great years of my life, though I would NEVER go back and relive them! OH one more. Mr. Boese with gum on his pants in Kansas City, or nailing his pant leg to the frame of the garden shed we helped build! Funny stuff! One of the best memories was when we the class of 1995 had Sr. privileges. Senior Lounge to be exact. We kyped cable from across the alley so we could watch sports and music videos. The guys hid cases of soda in the rafters. Good times, Good times. *wipes tear*

School spirit lost is terrible thing. It is sad really that some can't identify because of bad experiences during their school yrs. I sit here wearing Teal, Black and White, waiting for 8:15 pm to roll around so that I can see my High School make a name for itself at the state class B boys basketball tournament, humming the school song, remembering old cheers, and filled with Dakota Prairie Pride!

LET"S GO KNIGHTS!!!!!!!!

Oh and if they lose right away--GO BOMBERS!!

What do you see in this picture? The correct answer is snow. This was the view out of the living room window on Tues. March 10. We could see all of 75 feet! I say that because we could see just across our driveway and nothing beyond!

It was a north wind so we were pretty well protected right in our yard. This was the view when it first got started at about 11am. Not so nice.

Wednesday when we woke up, the storm had ended and left beauty in its wake! The snowcapped trees and the pillowy looking (not feeling) drifts! Gorgeous!

This is out of the living room looking south. The juniper bush/tree covered with snow is always beautiful!

We only had 2 inches of new snow but with the 45 mph winds, it certainly got nasty! Fargo received around 10 inches and a friend of mine had his car and minivan completely buried!

Glad it wasn't me!

Impromptu Baby Shower

Sunday March 8th, I hosted an impromtu baby shower for Amber and Sean. Mom and I had both been buying items for baby Rauschendorfer forever so I decided it was time we give them their gifts.

They received some awesome things! Grandma Hanssen gave them a set of towels and washclothes and also some matching burp cloths.

Johnsons Baby Wash is always needed to make baby smell human again after , well.......you know!

Umm.......Sean? I think THAT one is for AMBER!

I think Sean was doing a happy dance! Not really sure. I know he was excited to get the bottle rack!

OOOOOO Bottles! This is the beginning of the "themed" gifts from Dave and I. This particular gift of Playtex bottles with drop in liners is the "IN" gift.

Here is the "OUT" gift--diapers and wipes. Do you think the ratio is about right? 72 diapers to 385 wipes? That sounds about right.........

This one is kind of a you-had-to-be-there moment. Sean is holding another little something I got them. It is 3 little toys that clip onto the handleof the carseat. One of them squeaks. Buddy heard the squeaker and wanted the toy so bad! He would even hold up his paw like he was saying "I'll shake you for it!"

We had a good day filled with food and family! We even got to eat on our new dining set!

You can see how tight of a squeeze it is between the top of the china hutch and the ceiling. About 4 inches!

These are the placemats we received from Sean and Amber as a wedding gift. That is what we are using as our inspiration for the room.

Thes are our paint chips in order of our preference. Soukous Red (far left) is the Winner!

I have already started to paint.

If anyone is really bored, I do have an extra brush and roller!

Real Grown Up Furniture!

As you all know, David and I received China for our wedding. We started out thinking that we would have the best cardboard box china cabinet ever made! Then the reality set in of the possibility that the dogs would think the boxes were their territory to mark. The thought while funny (can you see the mini weiner dogs lifting a leg to pee on a box?) was sobering. We can't serve off china that has been peed on. Period. No matter how much it gets washed after. So Dave and I set out on an adventure in furniture shopping. It was the "Three Little Bears"! "This one is tooo small" "this one is tooo big" "this one is tooo light" "this one is tooo dark"! "This one is tooo expensive!" and on and on. Yesterday we went into Conlins in Grand Forks just thinking that I could show Dave a Broyhill set I had seen earlier last week. He hated it! It was very antique looking and made of real oak so it had worm holes and knot holes in it or foodcatchers as Dave called them. It was also VERY expensive. Then while walking through the store, we rounded a corner and I swear, we heard Angels sing! The Heavens opened up and a BEAUTIFUL light shone on a table and china cabinet on the backwall of the store! It wasn't too dark or too light, it wasn't too small--though a teensy bit big. It was perfect. Our breaths quickened as we hastily looked for the price. Not tooo expensive either! Could it be? Could this cherry finished table really be what we were looking for? We inquired about extra chairs. Still not bad. Our salesperson gave us a card along with the info that the set was being clearanced out by Broyhill and this china hutch was the VERY LAST one! Man oh man! I was getting shaky! David always calm and cool, said "We would like to check out a couple other places."

"WHAT!?" I thought in my head. "But its the LAST ONE!" I wanted to shout but refrained from doing so. I didn't want the other customers thinking I had touretz.

We left the store and checked out Zimmermans which is WAYYY overpriced. Oh and I am pretty sure that we were the first customers of the day there. The woman working seemed overly friendly and like she needed some human contact or she might just snap. I hear sofas aren't sparkling conversationalists. Anywhoo, we then went to Ashley where I had originally fallen in love with a beautiful dining set that was being discontinued. Dave thought the China Hutch to be too small. GREAT! Here we go again! We left the store en route to Menards (looking at lumber always helps ME make decisions). I was almost afraid Dave was so discouraged he was going to BUILD us a table, chairs, and china cabinet. He isn't too keen on wood working so that was a scary thought. Besides, he would first need to finish the meat tenderizer he wanted to make me 3 years ago. (Yep I married the pick of the litter! A homemade meat tenderizer!) He bought a little knob like thingy --yes I AM very technical ;)

Back in the car, Dave says, "Where to?" I just shrug my shoulders putting the ball in HIS court. "Should we go back to Conlins?" David asks. I calmly said "Sure". A quick check of the time put me in panic mode 4:28. They close at 5. Dave doesn't drive fast. UH OH!!!!! We got back there and Dave looked it over and said "We'll take it." I nearly fainted (but kept my composure) and gave David all of our Wedding money. This is the product of our afternoon.

When you visit, you won't have to eat off of the $15 rummage sale table! We have a real grown up table now with matching chairs and everything! P.S. The china will look like it belongs on THIS table!

Saturday Night Fever

This past weekend marked the 5th Annual Frozen Balls Golf Tournament hosted by the Town Pump II. I didn't personally play in the tournament, I just enjoyed the aftermath at the bar ;) ! I was a little worried when I got pulled over before even getting to the bar by one of our County Mounties, Keith. He was just letting me know that I had a headlight out which I already knew--I had had it fixed 2 weeks ago but it is out again and since the WONDERFUL engineers at GM did a great job of planning, we have to dismantle the whole front end to replace a bulb. Not even joking. The whole grill assembly comes off. I did have a lot of fun and I got to see some old friends and make some new ones!

I got some great pics, enjoyed some good beer, good company, and a steak! This is the team that won the tourney. They are from Larimore, ND and I know the girl in the pic is my cousin Kylie (Behm) Nissen and the BIG dude kinda hiding is Andy Tveit.

The real fun came when my adorable little brother started dancing!

This is the first shot of him dancing. He was helping to cook and serve the steak supper. He was also my personal "bartender"! Beer me Jamie! PS. This was fairly early so please don't assume he was drunk. He dances to this song quite frequently while sober!

Ok. Here he might be feeling pretty good, he is even singing! Oh, and his friend is Matt O'Neil. Matts' dad is Marty our "Cattle Hauler"!

In case you are wondering the song is by the Scissor Sisters and called (ironically enough) "I Don't Feel Like Dancing". I will try to get it on my playlist so you can hear it and maybe dance yourself! It's kind of catchy--I mean like the flu! Once you hear it, it stays with you for.......well.....lets just say I had to have David sing "Copa Cabana" to get it out of my head! Thats just wrong!! Having to listen to Barry Manilow to get a song out of your head! ".......her name was Lola, she was a showgirl........"

This video speaks for itself. Nuff said.

In our own defense, this is what happens when we get creative with how we spend our winter. We play golf on a frozen slough using tennis balls. Then we eat steak and fries and drink beer. We spend time catching up with old friends and spend time making new ones! Then we video tape those who have had more beer than the rest of us in all of their dancing glory! You should come visit! Maybe you won't feel like dancing either........

Some Wedding Gifts

I thought I would post some pics of our wedding gifts, I know some of my family didn't get to be there for it and would enjoy seeing what we got. First off, we got this 23rd Psalm Cross from our niece and nephew-in-law Jenn and Kirk Thorson and their kids, Will and Leah. It is a daily reminder of our faith and common goal!

This our gift from Gary and Debbie Behm from Uppercase Living. Vinyl words of inspiration. We got another set from Shannon & Tommy Gemmill that isn't put up yet but says"Always remember to kiss me goodnight".

This painting is very special because it is from Gerald and Chris Steffan. Chris painted it and it is beautiful! Gerald and Chris lived in our house before John and Brenda lived here.

The antler candle holder is from Daves' sister Carol and her husband Bill. It fits in well with the picture frames we recieved from their daughter Alisa and her family! Thats the frame with our picture in it!

Here we have 2 separate gifts from 2 separate people! The Love picture is from Daves sister Janice and her family. The beautiful Crucifix is from my cousin Charity her husband Birk and their kids--Adri, Tristan, Constence, Wyatt, and Lydia. These are hanging in our bedroom as a constant reminder of the ULTIMATE gift of love--God's gift --his son!

Dave's sister Judy and her husband Dave gave us 8 of these Mikasa wine glasses.

Barb and Tom gave us 4 of these Mikasa Orion double old fashioned glasses. We bought an extra 4 glasses to have 8. Barb and Tom also gave us a 17 piece set of Pyrex!

David and I bought 8 of each of these 2 types of glasses, so we wouldn't have to use our Budweiser glasses with our new china!

Rose Mary gave us 8 place settings of this Mikasa China and 8 place settings of Lenox flatware! That was a wonderful surprise!

Daves' sister Ann and her husband Pete gave us this 5 piece serving set. Their children gave us 8 fruit bowls, and an extra vegetable bowl.

I have a lot more pictures of things to post but better wait for another day!! I don't want to overload anyones dial up--MOM!