New Ways to Use Old Christmas Cards

•Valentine s Day Where Did THAT Come From
?  by: LeAnn R. Ralph Just as soon as the stores put away their Christmas merchandise, out comes the Valentine’s Day items — even though Valentine’s is still more than six weeks away. I don’t know why, but it always takes me by surprise to see Valentine’s Day merchandise so soon after Christmas. I’ve always wondered where Valentine’s Day came from, and under those circumstances, a person could be forgiven for thinking it was invented to create more business when Christmas is over. But no,...

•Country Christmas Idea Milkweek Pod Poinsettia Ornaments
 by: LeAnn R. Ralph Country Christmas Idea: Milkweed Pod Poinsettia Ornaments At first glance, milkweed plants and poinsettias don't seem to have much in common. If you live in an area where milkweed grows wild, however, you can use the dried milkweed pods to make poinsettia ornaments for your Christmas tree. Here's how: 1. Collect some dried milkweed pods. In the fall, the milkweed plants have already gone to seed but the dried pods will still be attached to the plant. You will need six...

•How to Make Christmas Bread
by LeAnn R. RalphMy mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants who homesteaded our small Wisconsin dairy farm in the late 1800s. Christmas bread was one of the goodies she baked in December.Christmas BreadThis recipe makes two loaves.• 2 cups warm water• 2 packages of dry yeast• 1/4 cup sugar• 1 teaspoon salt• 2 eggs• 1/2 cup shortening (I have also used Canola oil)• 1 to 2 cups of citron (if you really like the taste of citron, add 2 cups)• 6 to 7 cups of flourDissolve yeast in warm...

•Whatever Happened to Christmas
?  by: LeAnn R. Ralph Remember when no one started Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving? Wisconsin author LeAnn R. Ralph remembers it very well. When I was growing up on our dairy farm forty years ago, the stores didn't put up Christmas displays until the day after Thanksgiving. No one was really thinking about Christmas shopping before that, Ralph said. In fact, my mother felt so strongly about it that she didn't even like to hear the word 'Christmas' until after we had finished...

•Sot Suppe Norwegian Sweet Soup
Sot Suppe (Norwegian Sweet Soup)  by: LeAnn R. Ralph ~ Sot Suppe ~ (Norwegian Sweet Soup) My mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants who homesteaded our small Wisconsin dairy farm in the late 1800s. When my mother was a child, sweet soup was a traditional part of Christmas Eve, served cold with julekake, lefse, Christmas bread, or open-faced sandwiches. Sweet Soup is made with dried fruit and tapioca. Sot Suppe 6 cups water 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon quick-cooking...

•A New Way to Use Old Snapshots
 by: LeAnn R. Ralph If you're like me, you have hundreds of photographs sitting in envelopes. Pictures from birthday parties, weddings, family gatherings, anniversaries, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas. You have already put the best snapshots into albums and these are leftovers. You don't want to throw them away, but you also don't know what to do with them. Instead of letting your snapshots take up space and contribute to the clutter in your home, use them to make collages...

•News Release Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam
 by: LeAnn R. Ralph COLFAX, WISCONSIN — Did you know that since 1969, the United States has lost 85 percent of its dairy farms. And did you know that since 1969, Wisconsin has lost nearly 70 percent of its dairy farms? I lived away from my hometown in west central Wisconsin for 15 years. When I returned in the mid 1990s, I expected to be living in a farming community again. Instead, I discovered that many of the small family dairy farms like the one where I grew up had disappeared said...

•Book Review Christmas in Dairyland
 by: LeAnn R. Ralph Author/Publisher Christmas in Dairyland by LeAnn R. Ralph Published by LeAnn R. Ralph E6689 970th Ave. Colfax, WI 54730 Printed by Booklocker.com ISBN 1-59113-366-1 $13.95, 2003, 153 pages Reviewer Boyd Sutton Siren, Wisconsin maxdude@centurytel.net Description of the Book Christmas in Dairyland is a collection of short, true stories about a little girl growing up on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin in the early 1960s. The book tells of life for a young girl...

•How to make Julekake
by LeAnn R. RalphFrom the book: Christmas In Dairyland (True Stories From a Wisconsin Farm)http://ruralroute2.comMy mother was the daughter of Norwegian immigrants who homesteaded our small Wisconsin dairy farm in the late 1800s. Julekake was one of the goodies my mother baked for Christmas.JulekakeThis recipe makes two large round loaves.• 2 cups milk• 1 cup sugar• 1/2 cup butter (or margarine)• 2 packages of yeast• 1/2 cup warm water• 1 teaspoon salt• 1 teaspoon cardamom (substitute...

•The Christmas Dress
 by: LeAnn R. Ralph (From the book: Christmas in Dairyland — True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm; August 2003; trade paperback; http://ruralroute2.com) From the time I was a very little girl, I had always loved to watch my big sister, Loretta, when she was sewing. So, one Sunday afternoon while she worked on the red velveteen jumper that was going to be my Christmas outfit, I didn’t want to miss a single thing. Because it was Sunday and Loretta did not have to go to work at the electric...