Brainerd Lakes Real Estate News

    Remember the days of playing "bobbing for apples"? This Japanese  game show has taken such childish games to new levels. They test skills of flexibility and strength - combined with tasty cuisine. In footage never seen before in the country of America , these teams battle it out for unknown prizes and the esteem of their fellow countrymen and the admiration of women. If you are a little tired of your basic and boring party games, be sure to watch this video for a new one or just watch for a good laugh. In these slow times, you could always form teams and practice in the office.

Marshmallow game

                                                                      photo by D3 San Francisco
 

   photo by FABIOLA MEDEIROS'

          You have just had the perfect evening with friends over and happy conversations by glowing candlelight. Your guests have departed and you are cleaning up before retiring. The dishes - into the kitchen, the candles -ooops a wax spill on your lovely new carpet.  What to do , what to do????

        Take a brown paper bag - either a lunch bag or a piece of a grocery bag that's big enough to cover the wax. Place the paper bag over the melted wax and use a hot iron (steam off) to rub over the paper bag. The wax will come off automatically and be absorbed into the bag. This method is A LOT easier than the ice cube way.

        We do event planning and have had many spills by nervous wedding participants on church carpets. The brown bags and iron are packed and ready. We use an old iron for this and a separate one for clothing touch-ups.

        Many stagers use  candles for open houses - others never.  But, you probably burn them at home - so this tip may come in handy, eventually. 

   photo by Tim Farris Photographer - Flickr

This is your chance to take an improv workshop with the Second City improvisational comedy troupe from Chicago. They will be performing "One Nation Under Blog" January 24th at the Central Lakes College and then conducting two improv workshops. The first is 7-9 PM on January 23 and the second one is 1-3 PM January 24th.  Both of these will be held at the Central Lakes College in Brainerd, Minnesota.    

    The fee for one workshop is $75 or if you want to take both: $125.  The registration deadline is January 20th.  Students must be 16 or older to sign up and enrollment is limited to 15 students per session. The workshops will cover scene-building, basic improvisation techniques, characterization, and other tools of  the comedic style of acting. These will be fast paced and very hands on - giving all participants a very good idea of how the improv world works   If you would like more information or if you want to sign up for this experience, contact the CLC theatre director Patrick Spradlin at 855-8255 or email at pspradlin@clcmn.edu.

   photo by art-es-anna

The Morrison County Historical Society will be able to preserve the Stanek photography collection with a $4058 grant from the Minnesota State Grants-in-Aid project.  This collection was produced by Roger Stanek who from 1976-2002 operated the Stanek Photography Studio in Little Falls. Minnesota.  The purpose of this project is to preserve, maintain and allow the public to be able to view this large collection of historical images.

    For more information visit the Morrison County Historical site. 

Tuesday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The museum is open year-round, except for major holidays.

The museum is located in Little Falls, Minnesota, at 2151 South Lindbergh Drive, just south of the Lindbergh Historic Site. 

    The spring schedule for the Grassroots Concerts has been set.  This is a great opportunity to see and hear artists that you would not normally be able get close to. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for children younger that 12.  All shows will be held at the Nisswa Community Center in Nisswa, Minnesota.

The schedule is as follows:

• Pieta Brown, February 8th
• Bill Staines, February 22
• Tom Russell, March 14
• Garnet Rogers, April 4
• Gretchen Peters, April 18
• Cosy Sheridan, May 2
  

    Here is some interesting information on the first artist of the season. Pieta was brought up in Iowa with no electricity and no running water - imagine that, will you. She was exposed to traditional and rural folk music by her father who just happens to be the two-time Grammy nominee Greg Brown. Be the time she was in her early twenties, Peita was well on her way to becoming a local gifted performer and by 2002 had her debut album out.   Brown has collaborated with a variety of artists including The Pines, Iris Dement, Calexico, The Diplomats of Solid Sound and of course, her father Greg Brown.

    For more information on this series call 963-2976 or visit Grass Roots Concerts. 

                                                                                                                                    photo by Waka Jawaka
 

    The League of Minnesota Poets is inviting Minnesota poets to submit an original poem that is about a Minnesota county for an anthology titled "County Lines".  The deadline is February 7th with publication being scheduled for this summer.

    Poems should showcase aspects of living life in that county, inspiring nature, interesting people, culture of their area and history. The League of Minnesota Poets is especially seeking poems by natives of each county whose work reflects ethnic diversity.  Both new poems and those which were previously published somewhere else are welcome.

   For more details about submission guidelines visit The League of Minnesota Poets.
                          

    A grand welcome to new Pastor Bryan and Trena Boone. Their first Sunday as Children's' Pastors will be January 20th. Pastor Bryan has served the past year and a half at ROC International Church in Northville, Michigan as Children's Pastor and interned in Bloomington, Minnesota at Cedar Valley Church.

    Both Bryan and Trena are graduates of North Central University in Minneapolis.  Bryan has his degree in Children's Ministry and Trena has a degree in Elementary Education.

     Bryan started out in Heritage Assemblies of God as a PK, as he is the son of Pastor Mark and Mary Boone. Those who have watched him grow up  have been able to witness his love for children and their attraction to him.  Trena also comes from a pastor's home.  Her parents  are Kevin and Jan Olson and they pastor in Milwaukee.

    Welcome to Bryan and Trena.  Bring your children to Heritage Assembly of God on Sundays 9:00 AM and 6:00 PM, Wednesday 7:00 PM or to special events and meet them.

    I do not know where I got this recipe from so my apologies to someone for not being able to give them credit.  I did make a few modifications from the original and served it twice over the Holidays - giving out a few copies of the recipe. My husband is not a big fan of salad, especially with an oil and vinegar dressing, but he had seconds and cleaned up the bowl later. 

10 cups mixed baby greens and spinach 

1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

1 medium tart apple  cubed

1 pear cubed

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup cashews

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1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 T lemon juice

2 T onions diced

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup oil (I used vegetable)

1 tsp poppy seeds

I added a bit of the dressing to the cashews to coat before adding them to the salad. The rest of the ingredients you sprinkle on, drizzle on the dressing and toss.  Looks very pretty and tastes  even better.

   Sunday, December 23rd , was a day of rejoicing for our church body when we burned the mortgage for our former church building on Business Highway 371 in Brainerd. Minnesota.  The mortgage was paid off by an anonymous donor and then the building and 9 acres donated to Teen Challenge of Minnesota. It was an exciting day, especially for those of us who had been working intensely on the project both on and off the internet. Many meetings with people and God took place and I feel that God's will was done . We are grateful that there was no resistance to the process as it went through City Council and Planning and Zoning meetings at a speed that was, again- God's doing.

    Thank you for your prayers and assistance on this project. Please continue to pray with TC Director -  Rich Scherber and his team as they begin the process of remodeling the facility and bringing in the staff that they need.  As of this writing, the facility will not be divided and will be designated for male only use. That way, the gymnasium can remain in place and be used for that purpose.

    I have volunteered to be the decorator and paint / finish consultant .  I will need strength to add that in to my "hopefully" busy Spring staging season, as I continue marketing efforts here in the staging resistant part of Minnesota. I would like to work closer to home and will  continue to pursue that territory in the 2008 season.

    Again, thank you for your support and prayers on this project -  Teen Challenge will be in Brainerd . Many lives will be changed and restored  in 2008 as a result of their and your ministry.

  photo by RV there yet?