winter wonderland Bovey woman honors son with community

By Abigail Blonigen

Freshsnow on the ground. A smooth, shiny skating pond. Cozy warming shed. Twinkle lights. Free hot cocoa. Children's laughter ringing through the air. It sounds like a scene from a Christmas special on TV, but for Lisa Bourman, it’s just her backyard.

Bourman lives just outside of Grand Rapids on the Swan River. Her farmstead includes a small pond, named Turtle Pond, and a peninsula that juts into the river, called Matthew’s Point.

Matthew’s Point is named after Bourman’s son who passed away in 2020. The point was his favorite place in the world, so Bourman decided to honor his memory by sharing it with others.

Each year since his passing, Bourman has decorated the point for the holidays, complete with a Christmas tree and free presents for children in the community. Matthew would also make the pond into a skating rink each year, so Bourman has opened that up to the community as well.

“Matthew would literally give you the shirt off of his back,” Bourman said. “He wanted, one year, to give all his Christmas presents to the homeless people. When we used to build the skating rink, Matthew would invite everybody he knew to come skating.”

For the past two years, Bourman has had the point and the pond open almost every night through the season, as long as the ice holds up. She has turned her “she shed” into a warming shack, and provides free hot cocoa and s’mores for the families who come out to visit.

“Hearing the music play and the laughter of the children and stuff down there is amazing,” she said. “It's funny because I think I got as much joy out of it as the people that came to skate.”

Bourman is working on rebuilding her ice skate collection so that she can offer free skates for the children to use as well. Her main prerogative is to offer everything for free so families in the community can have access to fun winter and holiday activities.

Overall, she wants to honor her son by bringing life and joy to the place he loved most.

“I really want people to come and see what Matthew saw down there,” she said.

To learn more about events on Bourman’s property, check out her Facebook pages, “Matthew’s Point” and “On Turtle Pond.” D

Samantha Roffers, a Moose Lake writer, believes it’s important to shop for things you love and feel comfortable in. Everyone’s style is unique and that’s what makes it so special.

By Samantha Roffers

Hello, dear readers!

If this is your first time checking out The Woman Today or Fashions By Sam, welcome! We are so glad you are here.

This month’s issue is all about holiday outfits.

I’ve always been a lover of all holidays — Christmas and Thanksgiving have especially always held a special place in my heart. There is something so comforting about entering a warm home filled with the aroma of a big holiday meal and familiar faces on a brisk and wintry day, sharing a meal, laughing and exchanging gifts with people you don’t see nearly enough. And who can forget that extra-long Minnesota goodbye where we wander from the door back to the couch a minimum of 10 times?

One of my favorite holiday experiences is dressing up. There is no right or wrong way to dress on a holiday. Some families stay very casual, while others are more formal. Some families go all-out with large holiday-themed accessories, ugly sweaters, formal wear and even Christmas pajama themes.

I like to keep a “just in case” bag when I go to a big event. Even if I don’t need something, chances are someone else might. I’ll bring a small hairspray, a small brush, a stain-removing pen, lipstick and a lint roller. Keeping a few small items on hand gives you some extra peace of mind that you’re protected from dog hair, food stains and flat hair.

I’m also a big fan of layers for holiday parties — you never know if a house will be warm or cold, so it’s good to be prepared. I’ll show you a few of my own outfits and how I styled them for warmth, and how I removed layers for comfort when necessary.

As always, the best way to look amazing is to dress in something that makes you feel happy, comfortable and confident! D

by Sam

For this first look, I paired some cozy yoga pants with an oversized, sleeveless cowl neck sweater. The beauty of an outfit like this is you can wear long sleeves for warmth, or you can ditch the long sleeve for a tank top or short-sleeved shirt for a cooler option. A scarf serves as the perfect belt around the waist if you get too warm and it adds a little extra flair to the outfit. This look could easily be replicated using your favorite patterns and colors —I went with red to stick with the holiday theme.

This second look is perfect for the casual family gathering. Cozy, thick socks are paired with comfy yoga pants, a soft long sleeve, an oversized flannel and a down vest for added warmth. One of my favorite parts about winter fashion is switching from my summer baseball cap to a soft winter hat. You can easily ditch the vest, tie the flannel around your waist and lose the hat in the event someone's home is warmer than expected.

For the third and final look, I paired my favorite jeans with a soft longsleeved top and an oversized scarf. You can wear an oversized scarf in so many different ways. I personally love to throw it around my shoulders and knot it in the front or just simply leave it open for a shawl style. You can also knot it up and wear it around your neck for extra warmth and throw on an additional layer, like this faux fur vest. You can even unfold the scarf and use it as a blanket to snuggle in for a post celebration nap.

I hope these looks gave you some inspiration for your own holiday outfits. I also hope that no matter what you do, where you go or who you’re with, your holiday season is filled with joy, comfort and love. At the end of the day the holidays are a time when we can focus on giving to those around us. We get the chance to slow down, take a break from work and school and soak in precious time with our families and friends. We get to reflect on all that has happened in the last year, good and bad, and make plans for the new year that will be here soon. I will be thinking about you all during the holidays and how grateful I am to be able to write this fashion column for all of you. Take care dear readers, until next time!