St. Patricks Day at our Home

Avery, Mel (Jon's sister), Jon, Willy, Grace, Mama Lou, & Jerry

We never pass up on a holiday that involves good food.
Besides, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick day, even a bunch of Germans.

Mama Lou & Mel drove down for Willy's band concert, they were happy when the realized they would be a part our celebration. We were blessed to have them. Jerry (Jon's Dad) usually spends St. Patricks day with us.

Cabbage, Colcannon, Corned beef.

Oh yea and a table cloth, its officially now a party!

Grma & Grace
Passin' around the green!

Mama Lou loved the Irish Soda bread so its a keeper for next year. Jon and I both enjoyed it better the second day toasted.

Grace did ALOT of work-- start to finish!

Rosie the Rosetters

Like Rosie the Riviter we were heating iron , but with a whole different outcome.

I had no plans to do Rosettes this year. Grace had other plans. We made it a mother daughter day while A & W were at school. Grace did 90% of the work, I stepped in for pictures. Isn't she adorable in her apron. Its a youth apron that Barb gave her years ago. I offered her a bigger one but she was fine with hers, she didn't want to wear one with chickens on it!
Am I a beaut or what!! I think the apron added 10 pounds, that and the 3 layers you need to wear when you do anything in my kitchen in winter. I have on my Christmas apron. I have no idea where it came from. Had to be in a hand me down box. I'm sure it was made for someone alot taller than I, and the little pocket that once held someones hanky now holds my cell phone.
Grace came down with a bandana on, and like any full grown woman would do I said "Ooo go get me one!! It was fun teaching her how to make Rosettes (I had always done them when everyone went to bed a "my thing"). A memory I will hold dear.

Dressed in Holiday Style

Drum roll please! I told you he out did himself!

We all stand in the front yard for the first lighting of the season. We take turns flipping the switch, Willy did the honors this year. Jon put in a master switch for all outside lights. It's located inside at the top of the stairs, to be turned off when the last one up is turning in.

I don't always get all (or any for that matter) of the candles turned on in the windows. If you drive by for a look, call and I can make sure they are all on.

I may be a bit prejudice, but this has my vote for

"Best of Show in a Small Town"

Line up the shoes, its St. Nicks Day!

It always makes us happy when St. Nicholas Day lands on Saturday, as it did this year. If not we just celebrate on the Sat. closest to that date. This years gifts were Dollar Tree Mugs, and the traditional oranges, nuts, & candy. We put our shoes outside of bedroom doors, its way too cold to leave them outside or even inside the back door for that matter!

Grace, who has a wee bit of a shoe addiction, always puts out the funnest pair of shoes she has.Avery put out his baseball cleats, he keeps them in his room to "gaze upon their loveliness" he rescued them from being sent to the garden shed attic for winter storage.
Willy forgot to put out a pair of shoes. I had no desire to traipse back down stairs and find some for him. I grabbed his catchers mitt (another rescue from storage) off his bedroom floor. I figure it like this: Its leather, its dusty and stinks, and I spend a significant amount of time tripping over it when I come in the back door, close enough to a pair of shoes!

Tree Shopping

We went with a scotch pine this year. $10 from the too big clearance lot! What a deal! They don't hold ornaments that well, but with a price like that we couldn't pass it up!

Eli making sure Uncle Willy is getting the job done right.

J.J. taking his turn at the saw!

Grace helping Elijah learn stump jumping.

Exterior Illumination Specialst

Every year I tell him: cut it down, its too big, plant a smaller one, you can't see and I don't want to hit a little old lady (The one who is caretaker of the A. A. Arnold house) when I (or Grace who Chauffeurs me) back out, and you are going to break your neck one of these times. Every year he says I know but I planted these with them, Randi was in 3rd grade and J.J. was in kindergarten, they brought them home for National Arbor Day. Every year he devises another "tool" to help him get the lights to the top. And every year he out does his self! I will post the end result soon, we just had a beautiful snow and it is lovely.
Checking up on the Vikings game between putting up the strands of lights. He bought a "I gotta have it" tool, he heard about it last year but MENards was sold out. It repairs the light strands so slick and helps find that one burnt out bulb that makes 1/2 of them to go out.

Lefse Memories

We are not Norwegian, but we sure do love our lefse a.k.a. Manna from Heaven. Jon and I started making lefse about 17 years ago. It was truly a trial and error--lots of error endeavour. It became our challenge to get it right. We asked a ton of questions from any one who made the stuff. I even called someone in Milwaukee for advice.

We are now lefse snobs, we are! We think ours is the best we've tasted!
We make it the week before Thanksgiving and supply it for the feast.

This is the first year Jon's mom has come and joined the labor of love.

Jon is the expert roller and fryer!


This year Grace made a move up the lefse latter and rolled and fryed alot. We were also joined by Jon's sisters family and Grace's boy friend Ian. Pictured here Ian, Kaydra (who looks like a porcelain doll and is Norwegian), yes Willy we see you, and Grace. It won't take long and the lefse will be just a memory.