traditions

even though we all know traditions exist all through the year it seems that christmas brings them to the forefront. whether it is family gatherings, baking, mailing cards, whatever, we are too easily reduced to nostalgic marshmallows this time of year.

we will miss jacob and kate at our christmases this year.
with new jobs and time constraints they will stay in connecticut. while we want them to know they will be missed we also want them to know we're glad they won't be on the road dealing with weather and bad drivers. we further want them to know that we understand. there is no guilt/pressure being applied. catch your breath. relax. enjoy the opportunity to create some traditions of your own. we love you and look forward to the next time we can spend with you.

baking is an integral part of my seasonal traditions. you can see the official lefse process here.


here is a small glimpse of the spritz session. this had been my mother's press - you can see the bent handles














krumkake:
a treat from childhood, i'd always hoped to be the one to inherit the iron from our great aunt who brought a few of these on a plate of assorted goodies each year. imagine my dissapointment when i learned the krumkake iron belonged to her friend and we only got our few because they would mix and match batches.....
i finally bought my own.















kringla: no equipment - truly made by hand.







plates will be assembled and dispersed this weekend. with expectations high for family favorites at my mother's the rest will make their way to iowa.

tim and i made our traditional shopping run last saturday. i did most of my shopping online this year (which is pretty slick) but i do look forward to making a day of it with tim.

the jordisons will be breaking with tradition by moving the event to leslie's house which will allow some elbow room. each year we have such a turn-out. with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions everyone is there (usually around 25 of us)- a rare feat in any family. siblings, spouses, grandkids, greatgrandkids and an extra or 2 - crowded, loud fun. tim says we can take charlie along.
i'm not worried about space for him while there - what i can't process is where we will put him in the car!! suitcases, packages, food and one very large dog in my pt cruiser.....tim just keeps saying it will all work out.

i've squeezed some extra activities into my seasonal traditions this year. this morning i ordered textbooks. that was one 'submit order' button that made me grit my teeth! i'll be taking classes beginning january 11, starting with 12 credits for the first semester.

i hope your traditions are keeping you busy in a happy way!!

i said i wouldn't

but when it came down to it i couldn't resist. the week after thanksgiving is always short and busy. this year was not only 'not the exception' it was worse than usual. that's why i opted out of the gingerbread display at the library. just too busy. too, too busy.
until the first couple houses arrived that wednesday night.....
the entry information says it can be made of any material, i was working, it was a slow night, so i got busy. i dug through the pile of boxes, browsed a couple of affordable house plans books for designs and started to measure and cut. by the time i got home i had the house in mind and the pieces cut - ready to assemble and decorate. it would have to be finished with materials i had on hand at home - no special shopping due to time constraints. i figure i put in about 10 hours between appointments and work schedules. on my way out of town at 9:00 friday morning i delivered this to the library.




i look forward to this each year and while it pains me to admit i didn't bake my gingerbread this time it was a fun challenge to see what i could do.





here are a few other entries:



click to enlarge and get a good look at at the blue convertible belonging to thelma and louise.



did i mention the pony express riders came to the library saturday morning to take our deposited christmas cards for delivery?? gothenburg bills itself as the pony express capitol so the local group is working with the postal service to arrange for a special cancellation privilege. quite a tedious process as you can imagine. they've had the saddle and an official, authentic mochila (where are the pictures!?)on display in our lobby along with a special box to deposit your stamped, addressed christmas cards. things aren't finalized but they received permission to ride the mail down the road to the next station. check your cards for their special stamp and save me an envelope because i meant to send one home so i could see it.....

merry christmas

to the intrepid women of the gothenburg garden club
the phone calls started around 8:00 tuesday morning - should we?? shouldn't we?? our christmas party was on the calendar for noon yesterday. even though the rest of the state was shut down these ladies didn't want to miss their salad luncheon, or navigate the process of rescheduling - a tough prospect these days. at one point it was called off and charlie and i settled in (still in my jammies)to relax - snow day!!
we met. a 1/2 hour earlier than scheduled. i got the call(still in my jammies) about 10:30 (?) and realized i had 1 hour to shovel enough snow to leave my driveway, shower, dress and make a salad!! Nancy called with an offer for a ride, the salad was assembled, some snow was moved and i donned my party finery. everything was delicious. there was more than enough food and plenty of laughter as we sat watching the snow pile up outside arlene's window.
we had around 7 inches of powdery, fine snow. i made a dent in my christmas cards, did some cleaning, admittedly wasted a significant amount of time. i'll be shoveling when i finish here but it doesn't look too bad. the wind overnight left me a couple short drifts and a couple bare spots!!

it's beginning to look a lot.....

we had snow again last night...-2 when tim left for work around 7:30 this morning. if this predicted storm happens as scheduled he'll overnight in north platte.
i did my christmas decorating this weekend and have cookies on the agenda for tonight. we'll see what the day brings. this morning i'm getting a box ready to send to jacob and kate. they won't be able to join us for christmas this year and will be sorely missed. i also wrapped my first packages for under the tree. (3)(packages, not trees)if nothing else it helped solidify the whatelsedoineedtoget refrain that has been running through my head....
decorating seems to diminish each year - not because i don't enjoy setting everything out but becaue i hate putting everything away when it's over- there are some favorite 'must haves' that will continue to find their way out of the storage tubs.
the old fireplace came with the house and i have so much fun hanging it with stockings.





this is something new i'm trying for this year. i love sparkly things and the combination of glass and 'crystals' reflect the lights and add a pretty glow to my kitchen.

so it's officially under way at my house. i should have carols playing while i bake tonight, a few last touches for decorating, a list to revise and cards to get started. our local pony express group will be riding with cards in a traditional saddle bag to get them stamped with a pony express delivery mark if cards are ready for collection by the 11th!! (poorly worded but watch to see what your envelope looks like!!)

tradition

tim, charlie and i made the trip to the cities for thanksgiving with james, naphtali and aidan. thursday is traditionally spent on the road, we have our official meal on saturday and make the return trip on monday. aidan loves to play games so that occupied a big chunk of our time.the following pictures chronicle another one of our activities. do you recognize it??

both james and i grew up eating lefse. we are both partial to a particular stlye. the kahls are supplied by a man who makes it paper thin. my preference is a bit more robust, a bit more primitive. but i can say i've made it with my own 2 hands.


naphtali, marrying into an official lefse family, has the official lefse equipment. a griddle, stick, grooved rolling pin with cover and covered rolling board. who knew?!

it did make the job go faster. i was impressed with the results.

we made 2 batches - the first was an experiment that won't be repeated.

this kind of kitchen work is less work when shared. i would be willing to call it fun. depends on who is sharing your kitchen.....

mmmm a little butter and sugar......