oh, hail.

This morning, at about 4 am, we got one heck of a storm.

Lightening so close it was blinding and thunder so loud the windows rattled. I seriously wondered if our house would get struck by lightening. Lucky for us, that did not happen.

Then wham. Our house was under attach from another source. HAIL.

Somehow (and I have no idea how) Kya slept through the whole ordeal. I think it was about 30 minutes of boom, bang, crash!


After the storm died down and I was still wired with adrenaline, I ventured out to gather hail. I stored the hail in the freezer so I could document it in daylight.

Yup, that is real three-inch hail. Golf ball size.
Our rain gauge shows only 0.6 inches of rain. It sure seemed like we got more rain than that. Perhaps a hail stone was blocking the gauge?


This morning it looks as if we woke up on the moon.


So far, we can't find any house damage (thankfully, the cars were in the garage). Just to be sure, we called our insurance rep to come out and check the roof and shingles.

Here's to a less eventful Saturday night.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Totally random fact of the day: I have 332 Christmas songs in my iTunes library. Not one of them is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" ... am I not the only one who thinks the chances of that happening are incredibly slim?

Anyway, back to blogging.

I'm returning from an unexpected blogging hiatus.

I guess I've been pretty busy lately. Baby Kya is a complete sweetheart. She keeps me busy, but I wouldn't trade my days with her for anything. I'm keeping busy with my freelance graphic design business – I just started working with a photographer in Bismarck, helping with his graphic design projects. In my graphic design down time, I work on restocking my baby bootie inventory on Etsy. Much to my delight (and surprise), sales have well exceeded my expectations. I sold 24 pairs of booties in my first month on Etsy.

Add to that ... lots of family in town (both Hagers and Zundels! Yay!) and fun treats like a date night to the Manheim Steamroller concert. Yippie skippy!

Phew. Here is more of what we've been up to the last two weeks:

Snow, snow, and more snow. Oh and did you know the Polar Express has a route past our house? Yep, it goes directly north to the North Pole from here.

One day we had exceptionally beautiful frost. I decided it would make a perfect photo-op.

So, I put Kya down for a nap and went out with my camera.

It was cold. And beautiful. But very cold.

So I turned back and decided to get warmer gloves.

Darn it.

Locked out of the house.

The nearest keys were with Corey, at work, 15 miles away.

To make a long story short, I used my cell phone to call my fast-acting grandparents that came to my rescue. I got back into the house in 30 minutes. Kya slept through the whole thing.

The photos are nice, but not worth the stress (or cold nose) it took to get them.

This is taken from our mailbox corner (right off Hwy 1806) and shows our piece of the prairie.

On another blustery day, Kya and I visited the North Dakota state capitol building.

We just made a quick trip to pick up a Pride of Dakota gift basket I won (cool!), but we also checked out the Christmas tree. We were a few hours early for the official lighting ceremony.

Kya was really impressed.

We've been decorating for Christmas too.

Our little elf has been enjoying the decorations.

She likes the tree and lights, but is careful to keep her distance.

Somehow I managed to make Kya her very own stocking. I make it by copying/tracing our stocking shape and design.

Corey made sure to remind me that it needed her name, so Santa knows which one is hers. Of course!

Fantasy football is winding down and the competition is intense.

Kya is Corey's official fantasy football sidekick.

But sometimes her trade suggestions don't make much sense.

Kya got to take my rocking horse for a ride this week. This was my horse when I was a baby, made for me by my great grandpa. My dad repaired it though the years, so it is still in great working order.

And today, eight days before Christmas, Kya got to meet Santa.

My mom, grandma, and I took her to the Kirkwood Mall to meet the jolly fellow.

Kya was a bit unsure about the event. Maybe it was the beard. Or maybe the red suit?

Whatever it was, she wanted outta there.

Let it snow, let it snow ...

My views this morning:

Kya and I are at home for the day... staying inside where it is toasty warm.

Blizzard warning. Snow and 50 mph gusts equals a mess, especially on the roads. It is so windy that even the toilet water has waves.

To all in North Dakota: drive extra safe today.

another storm. paint. and baby kya. oh my!

We've had some pretty fierce thunderstorms this week. Every. Single. Day.

That makes for one very nervous Erica. Oy.

So on Friday, after Corey got off work, we drove out to the house to check for wind/hail damage. The lighting was amazing. Very dark clouds to the east and a bright sunshine from the west. Thankfully, we didn't find any damage.

And we got a nice surprise! Paint! All the walls of the house have their first coat of paint.

When we got home Kya needed an outfit change and I tried to steal a quick father/daughter moment. It's blurry, but oh so sweet.

Frosty days

We've had some interesting weather lately ...

Fog and frost the last few mornings. But, yesterday the frost stuck around (literally) ALL DAY.

When I got home from work I had a few short minutes before dark to snap a couple photos. And I'd like to mention that my Christmas lights are not regularly on anymore, I just plugged them in for the photo, then unplugged them. They did look darn pretty though.

That is all frost - not snow. The night before, the tree didn't have a flake of white on it. The frost was really amazing – it must have been at least an inch thick – so fluffy and pretty. If it wasn't the end of January I might have busted out the Christmas music.

The weather people are forecasting a possible blizzard (like the Christmas storm) later this week. The snow blower has a full tank of gas and is ready to go, just in case.

First snow: Oct. 9, 2009

Today we had our first snow of the winter. It's amazing how fast summer and autumn make way for winter once the snow starts falling. I think most of the trees stripped their leaves today, resulting in many huge piles of crunchiness.

---

I still have a cold ... and I am still trying to treat myself naturally. So far, steam facials are my favorite treatment. Great for the skin too!

Another year older (and wiser)

Today is July 7. It's my 27th birthday!

This is the first year that I've realized that I'd be fine not aging anymore. I'm starting to feel "old" ... oops, I swore I'd never say that.

This morning we had a doozy of a storm cloud roll though town.

It was very intimidating but we found out that the bark was worse than the bite (thankfully).

The black wall cloud produced almost an inch of rain in less than an hour and lots of thunder and lightening but no tornados or large hail. It looked like a giant cement roller just barreling across the prairie. The sunny morning quickly became as dark as night.

The other side of the storm was creepy too, but much less scary.


The clouds rolled east and the sky became light again.

One of the chapels at work has a leaky roof. We joke that it's a holy water collection site since the water seems to be coming out of the chapel and the metal pans collecting the water are outside the front entrance. Today the pans were out again ... collecting the (holy) water.

...

My July 4th weekend recap will continue tomorrow

Beer, matches, and a flashlight

What was planned as a fun evening of softball and hanging out with friends turned into softball, a mad rush home and 45 minutes of shelter in our basement.

Here's how it went down ...

Corey's softball team played their first game in the McQuade Softball Tournament on Friday at 7 pm in Mandan. The fields are about seven to 10 miles from our house. Because of the massive amount of people at the games, we parked a distance from the fields. But we got lucky - most people parked much farther away.

The game started on time and progressed quickly. The teams were neck-in-neck. About half way through the game, I became preoccupied with the dark clouds that were starting to surround us. I knew there was a storm warning for our area and tornado and hail warning for areas near us. In the last inning the lightning and thunder started and the wind started blowing. The game should have been cancelled, but they kept playing. Corey's team ended up losing the lead in the last inning and the game ended with a loss.

As soon as Corey stepped off the field, he looked at me and suggested we just head right to the car. I couldn't have agreed more. Corey still had his cleats on but we started a brisk walk/run for shelter. We got to the car, jumped in, and Corey drove us quickly and safely home. The whole drive (which seemed to take forever) was nerve racking. The sky kept getting darker and scarier. It was very humid and the wind was blowing so much dirt upward, that the air looked foggy. When we pulled into our neighborhood, the tornado sirens started. I got scared.

I took my necessities to our basement - you know - my computer, phone, radio, purse, flashlights, and camera. Corey quickly changed, unplugged our electronics, and then took his necessities down - you know - reading material, snacks, a candle and matches, and a beer for both of us. He claimed the beer was to calm me down. It worked wonders.

And then we waited. We sat on chairs in the bathroom (which we deemed the safest room the basement).

The wind got noisy. The lights flickered. It rained and then it poured. The radio cut out. The tornado sirens continued.

And then it all just stopped.

Corey went up to check things out. We survived and so did our house and yard.

Although we only got about an inch of rain, many of the streets in downtown Bismarck and Bismarck Expressway were totally flooded. Funnel clouds were spotted west of Mandan and a tornado was spotted north of Bismarck. I'm so thankful we made it through safely.

Corey's team plays again today at 6 pm today. I sincerely hope the weather is less eventful.

Summer = rain

It seems that with my declaration of summer, the sky opened up and decided it was time to pour on us.

In short: I've never seen it rain this hard. Ever.

My uncle and aunt own a bowling alley here. The roof collapsed tonight (I assume, under the weight of the rain downpour) when it collapsed, water rushed in and flooded the building. It's my understanding that nobody was hurt, which is definitely a blessing. I'm told that there are about three inches of water covering the floor - including the lanes. That's very bad news for the bowling alley, and for my aunt and uncle.

...

Our yard looks eerily similar to the great thaw of 2009 – except without the snow.

I think North Dakota's 2009 year will go down in the history books.

...

Update - Tuesday, June 16

Check out reader-submitted Bismarck Tribune photos of flood water in and around Bismarck. The Bismarck Tribune reported that areas around Bismarck-Mandam had 3-7 inches of rain, hail and possibly a funnel cloud. I think we got about 3.5 inches of rain at our house, no hail (thankfully).

Corey and I had a little bit of water in our basement this morning. It looks like our sump pump couldn't keep up and for a brief time, the water flowed out of the hole. Luckily only a small area of carpet was damp. Unfortunately, my grandparents and my grandma's sister (all who live in northwest Mandan) have water seeping into their basements.

First weekend of summer in Bismarck

The first official day of summer is next Sunday, June 21. But this weekend in Bismarck it was definitely summer.

The weekend started with Friday evening at Bismarck's Ribfest.

We enjoyed the ribs and music with some great friends. The weather was perfect too!

Wow Corey ... you're really tall.

...

On Saturday, we headed out to the river. We hitched a ride with my Uncle Bob, Aunt Kristen and Aunt Ronda, and floated the afternoon away.

To see the photo larger, click on this photo above and then click on 'all sizes' ... I created the panoramic in Photoshop with a series of photos taken on Saturday.

We made a stop at a sandbar. My feet hit the sand for the first time this summer. Ahhh.

The sandbar was just south of the railroad bridge (pictured above) and very picturesque. The only problem was that we parked the pontoon near all the goose droppings ... yuck.

It was a very popular place. Seemed like everyone was enjoying the perfect day on the river.

The water is still very cold (mid 50s) so we spent our time on land rather than in the water.

On the way back to the cabin, we cruised by the Lewis and Clark Riverboat.

...

Sunday afternoon was spent much like Saturday – on the river. But today was much windier than yesterday so we found shelter on a small shallow arm of the river.

I was living it up with an Arbor Mist "fine wine" (with a twist cap), in a camouflage can koozie. I always go for high style on the river.    

... or not.

This year I'm doing very well with my goal of not getting sunburned. I highly suggest investing in a sun hat.

And here's Corey. He has a hat too - he got his hat during our honeymoon. I think I will always like that hat.

...

Happy Summer!

Pretty green colors

My chive plant bush is getting ready to bloom. I know I'm supposed to cut the flowers off if I don't want chives overrunning my garden, but they look too pretty to chop off. The combination of the greens and pink/purple is surprisingly lovely.

When I moved into this house, I planted a little plum tree. For the past four years, I've been wishin' for plums. This is the first year my plum tree is growing what look like the beginnings of plums. Now if only the birds will leave them alone, we might have plums this summer. I'll be sure to update my plum status again soon.

My grandma gave me a whole stack of hand-me-down canvasses, with the deal that I paint her one. So here it is - in the works. I'm making it for my grandparent's cantina (fancy garage on the river). I think it will eventually have the look of turquoise ocean meets sky. I sprinkled Kosher salt on the wet paint to give it some texture. And hey, it's supposed to have the "beachy" look, so why not add some salt?!

I've painted two layers of color so far. I think I'll add one more before making it look like something.

A change of seasons

Last week I took this photo near Fox Island, in Bismarck, ND. It's just over a mile west of where we live, and very close to the Missouri River. I was amazed at how much has changed with the season. Just over two moths ago, this was all underwater and the homes in the area were flooded ... our street got wet too. But now this area is lush and beautiful.

The photo was taken on Thursday - it was a beautiful spring day with perfect little puffy clouds.

This is our weather forecast ... today we have a chance of rain ... and snow. SNOW?! It's June! 

This weekend  we're trying to keep ourselves busy indoors. I'm wondering when I'm going to get to wear my new swimming suit.

For the time being, I think quilting is in order. And then maybe some pinochle.

The 28th of May and some random ancestry rambling

Today is the 28th of May. June begins on Monday.

Right about this time of year I forget what -40°F temperatures feel like. I think it might be a midwestern thing (or I suppose anywhere that has a distinctive and severe winter season) ... in the summer, we live in the moment.

I think it's what gets us through the long winter. Kind of like a working long stressful hours Monday through Friday for the grand prize of having two days of weekend.

Anyway, this year I'm attempting to not live so in the moment and save my skin from the dangerous rays of the sun. I'm naturally quite pale pasty. I burn very easily. I know that tanning (or in my case, burning) is not good for my skin. So this year I'm going for the light look.

I blame my paleness pastyness on my German and Dutch ancestors. Thanks folks.

So that photo up top there ... you know, the one of my pale pasty ankles? I had to "antique" it so that it didn't blind you all. You're very welcome.

In other news ...

This is a peony. In my yard. I have a few peony plants but this one is particularly special - it's a growth (split by dividing the roots) from my great grandma's peony plant ... I think. Grandma Katy, if you are reading this let me know if I have that right.

Edited 5/29/09 to add: This peony was originally growing at my Grandma Katy's house when she moved in, in 1962, in Redfield, SD. Divided prices are/were also growing at my Great Grandma's former house in Whitefish, MT, at my Great Great Grandma Hattie's house in South Dakota, and at my Grandma Katy's former house in Mandan, ND, and her current house in Kalispell, MT. So this plant has had quite a long life so far. I hope I can continue the tradition for many years to come.

I'm just fascinated with the process of taking a cutting and making another plant from it. Right now I'm working on basil and honeysuckle.

I decided that with my newly acquired aprons, I now have enough for a little display. I strung up a piece of yarn on one of my sewing room walls. Then I attached my apron collection with clothes pins (yes, this is a high class display). All in all, I have seven vintage aprons. All seven are on the line but not all of them made it in the photos. Oops.

The apron on the far left (blue gingham) and the yellow/blue crocheted apron belonged to my Great Grandma Dolly. She was Dutch to the core - born a Van Beek, she later married a Dutch fellow (my great grandpa), named Hannes Garrett Vander Vorst. They both grew up in the Dutch town of Westfield, ND. I figured it was only right to place my new pink Dutch girl apron between Grandma Dolly's two. Also between Grandma Dolly's aprons is one of seven of the days of the week dish towels I embroidered with her old patterns.

This is a pretty special wall.

So now that I've talked all about them, here is a photo of my Great Grandma Dolly, my Great Grandpa 'Van' and my Grandpa 'Dar' ... aren't they a cute bunch? This is one of my favorite photos.