Christmas 2023

It rained and rained.

Our last day of school was Friday - the 22nd.

For the first time ever I didn't give each student a candy bar when they went down the steps of the bus. I decided to wait and give them candy when we go back to school after the first of the year. They got a "Merry Christmas" and "Enjoy your vacation!" from me. 

Saturday we shopped for supplies. We took the groceries straight to the township hall just down the road from our house. We had food to prepare for Christmas Eve Day.

Ellis and I were host and hostess on Sunday. We invited a new family that's been coming to church and all of our family that live close by. Also all of the single guys that go to our church - it suited two of them. 

I can't believe I didn't take pictures ...

I'll comfort myself and think that I was in the moment - enjoying all the fun. Ellis got one so I'll share that.

This is the old school house from many years ago. Now it's the township hall where there is a meeting held once a month. The neighbors come here to vote. We have been privileged to rent this building for those times when we have an overflow of company and also for youth activities. 

I  took this picture of the flowers Ellis gave me on Saturday. Krysta went into the near by woods and found grasses and twigs for filler. And then she arranged it all with that special touch she has.

Krysta and Deanne made pizza for Saturday night supper. So the party began early. Allen was over at our place cutting down young trees and brush and the guys started a brush pile on fire.

Tablecloths and a Christmas table runner ...

Ellis filled his Dutch oven with pork and carrots and a few potatoes. Then I turned the oven too high so the broth boiled over. That made clouds of smoke later on when we stuck two pans of green bean casserole in the same oven and turned it up high to hurry it along. It was warm enough outside to open windows and air the place out. We also had cheesy potato casserole and two kinds of red jello. Evan and Chelsea brought cheesecake for dessert. We had a choice of chocolate, caramel or elderberry syrup to pour on top.

Ice cream and coffee, too.

For supper we had cheese ball and crackers and O' Henry Bars.

We took games along to play. It's a bit tricky playing games with three toddlers running around taking bites out of each other and bashing each other over the head with toys.

It was more relaxing to visit and play with the toddlers and hold the baby. Now this shows that I wasn't completely in the moment because I can't remember if some were playing games or not. 

The view outside with decals on the window. Trying to keep the birds from flying into our big picture window. This was taken December 27th - after the rain stopped. 

A lot of time was spent sweeping up box elder bugs that continued to dive bomb onto any surface available.  This will be the year to remember no snow and lively bugs.

Haircuts

It was never my favorite job.

I had three boys and a husband. Every so often we had a haircutting spree.

I didn't go to school to learn how to cut hair. My only experience was watching Mom cut Dad's hair periodically throughout my childhood.

After Ellis and I got married he wondered if I  would cut his hair. He had gone to a barber who charged Ellis for a very poor haircut. My thought was, "I think I can do a better job than that!"

That's how it began. It was harder to cut hair when the toddlers didn't like to sit still. I think Ellis could tell it wasn't my favorite job. He suggested giving the boys short haircuts - especially in the summer. "I'll just buzz it off."

I think that's how he worded it. 

Ellis had story after story to tell about how he came to have a short short haircut when he was a boy.  It seems he had a mean teacher who would grab the guys by the hair and shake their heads. (Apparently to shake some sense into them.) These days a teacher or bus driver who did such a thing would probably wake up in jail.

A classmate had broken some rule - maybe chewing gum. A favorite punishment was sticking the gum to the chalkboard then sticking the nose of the offender in the gum and making him stand there for awhile. This guy was very creative - he wrote four letter words in the chalkdust while standing there.

Next he was grabbed by the hair and found his cheek being used as an eraser.

Ellis was tall for his age so the desk didn't fit. The desk rested on his knees so the front legs/bar was off the floor. This irritated Mr. Teacher. He told Ellis to put his feet under the front bar and then he stood on that and forced it back to the floor. Ellis was not dumb. He quickly curled his toes back so the tennis shoes were empty under the bar. 

All of this absurd behavior in the school room gave Ellis an idea. He asked his dad to give him a buzz haircut. 

Isn't he cute?

Now I should round up pictures of our cute sons with their buzz haircuts. 

That will be for a later day ....

Shortest Day of the Year

I was going to take some pictures then the whole evening slipped by without any taken.

Until I  got home and this showed up on my phone.

Gracia was sleepy all evening until I laid her down. Then she got hiccups. She opened her eyes for me a little bit. I still remember when Krysta was a baby. People asked me if she was okay. "She never cries." I don't know how many times I heard that comment. 

Later on she could make her voice heard.

We have a tradition for the shortest day of the year. 

Rommegrot 

A Norwegian Pudding 

Deanne ended up making the *milk mush* because I was peeling sweet potatoes for 

sweet potato fries. I cut them into fries, put a little oil on them and baked them in a 400° oven. For seasonings I used salt, pepper and garlic powder. They were good! 

Mom made her famous barbecue sauce.

Ketchup 

Mustard

Brown sugar

Vinegar

She poured this mixture  over a pan of little smokies and popped it in the oven.

(We put lots of butter and brown sugar on the milk mush. And we eat it warm.)

It was a cozy evening. 

This has been a wonderful winter so far.

I wonder what will hit us in January .....

At least the days will be getting longer now!

I can't be two places at once

The third Sunday evening in December is always the Christmas party for the bus drivers. Bill Regan is the owner of the buses in Blooming Prairie, Hayfield, Owatonna, Medford and a few other towns. He, along with his family, give the bus drivers and their spouses a scrumptious dinner. 

This year our Christmas program was the third Sunday evening as well. Usually, there is no event planned for the third Sunday. 

What should we do? 

We decided to go to the party. We took a box of cookies for Bill and Sally and their family as a thank you for letting us borrow the buses. He will never let us pay for the use of the buses. (Homemade cookies and candies crafted with care, then our school children form an assembly line, arrange them in gift boxes and we give one box to each family when we go caroling.)

Bill is going to have a birthday this week. He will be 91 years young. Unfortunately,  he couldn't be at the party Sunday night because of poor health. His daughter got him on the phone and asked us all to sing Happy Birthday to him. 

It is a sad time for their family, but they are all taking care of their dad and enjoying this time with him while he's still here.

When we got back to Blooming Prairie there was a light dusting of snow on the ground.

The Christmas program was recorded so we'll get to listen to the songs.

Friends

Back in the day, before cell phones, I would sometimes be sitting at home and wondering,  "What is taking so long?" when Ellis didn't get home at the usual time.

Or I might be sitting in the car when he ran in to Fleet Farm for a quick purchase and wait and wait and wait. Finally I'd walk in to see what could be keeping him. Ellis and Trapper John, one of our neighbors, would be standing in the middle of the shoe aisle solving all the world's problems.

I learned to pack a bag with a book to read, paper and pen for writing in case something hit me in the head and needed to be written and maybe even my latest crocheting project.  

Now Ellis will groan when he sees my bag. I just remind him that I am never bored.

Today, I'm the one who stood and talked with a friend. Time slipped past as we chatted about all sorts of things. Of course, first of all I showed her a picture of the baby. 

Honestly, this little gal looks just like a baby doll. This evening when I was cleaning the church another friend called. She was wondering if the baby had arrived. I had failed to call her or even drop a quick note in the mail to let her know. 

Anne Marie shares my last name but we've never discovered if our husbands are related. She grew up in Austria - she still lives in her own home at the age of 96. I am always glad to talk with Anne Marie ... I should say ...

listen to Anne Marie. Sometimes I don't get a word in. She was happy to hear about Gracia Anne. I need to send her some pictures. She doesn't text and she doesn't have a computer at home so I can't email  her. We have to rely on phone calls, snail mail and visits to keep in touch. 

What a fun day. We even got to have supper with my mom.  

Christmas Caroling 2023

This might be the first time we went Christmas caroling in the rain!

Fortunately, it didn't rain very much. 

Look at that green grass!

Long ago my dad asked the bus company he drove for if he could borrow a bus for an evening to go Christmas caroling. The owner of the bus company said yes. That started a tradition. It's hard to believe we could fit in one bus. Now we borrow two buses. We have two routes in the town of Blooming Prairie. 

Each route has six stops. It takes awhile to load and unload at each stop. I wish we could stay longer at each place, but before we know it it's time to move to the next house. 

We Wish You a Merry Christmas !!

Home

Goodbye little home away from home. 

Deanne and I went through the house packing up. Sometimes we didn't know if it was Krysta's  or belonged to the the house.

Krysta draws. Did she bring her colored pencils?

Pooh? Or the pink scooter?

One last breakfast in the little house

Creamer?

Balloons with confetti 

      a cozy idea ... house slippers for guests

After everything was packed Deanne, Ellis and I had lunch together. Allen and Krysta took the van and four babies home.

This Mobile sign reminded me of the Mobile station on a corner in Blooming Prairie. Many years ago. Ran by old family friends. When we stopped for gas, they not only filled the car with gas, but also washed the front window. 

The station is long gone now.

Happy home coming, Gracia. Welcome to Blooming Prairie!

Gracia Anne Nolt

So happy to hold our newest granddaughter. 

She weighs 7lb. 4oz. and length is 18.7 in.

Who does she look like? She shares a birthday with one of Allen's brothers.

We took all three toddlers to the hospital to meet their new sister. They have no idea how their lives are going to be changed by this little bundle.

Sweet dreams, Gracia Anne!

waiting

December 8, 2023

... they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up on wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Waiting is hard. 

Blowing bubbles helps for awhile.

Allen made omelets and scrapple for breakfast.  It was another beautiful day. The babies took a walk with Allen. Half walking/running and the other half riding in the wagon.

We sat on the front steps while Krysta combed the curls. Nova and Angie have lots of curly hair! Combing involves spraying their hair with a squirt bottle.  Before we knew it there was a water spritzing going on - in December. 

This weather is hard to believe.

      An art project 

Krysta was getting lots of rest. In between she was doing exercises that supposedly help baby be in the right position for birth. 

After lunch Allen and Krysta made a trip to Walmart to get some food. At the same time we hoped naps would overtake the three 

little ones.

They soon came back and I drove the van around - through residential streets where the speed limit was 25 mph. We stopped behind a school bus four or five times. This was very distracting for Jasper and I started to think he would not fall asleep.

When he finally fell asleep I drove back to the house and sat in the van with them for awhile. Allen and Krysta were getting ready to go to the hospital. Deanne arrived from home and they took off.

I decided to stay and help with the little ones instead of driving  home. 

We heard from Allen and Krysta that labor was moving along. Supper and dishes and baths and stories all filled in the time while we waited.

I fell asleep while planning this blog post. Suddenly I woke up with Deanne saying, "She's here!" 

A message from Allen saying Gracia Anne was safely here. No other info was needed. We could sleep soundly. The babies slept and slept. 

LaCrosse Wisconsin

I'm at an Airbnb with Allen, Krysta and the babies. It was 54° today - absolutely beautiful - so we took a walk this afternoon. There is a lake close by. 

That's a miniature light house by the water.

If Allen and Krysta have to go to the hospital  tonight I will be here to take care of the little people. Tomorrow afternoon, Deanne will drive over and take care of them.

We had spaghetti and mixed veggies for supper. And a lovely cinnamon pastry for dessert. 

        This house has a spacious feel to it.

Good night! Sleep tight!

Christmas Tea

Last night we ate a quick supper with Allen and Krysta. We left the babies with Papa and Dadda and went to the Baptist Ladies  Christmas Tea.

It was the first Tuesday in December. Every  year the ladies at the Baptist church send out an invitation. "Come join us for a Christmas Tea." 

There's piano music, Christmas songs, the Christmas story, special entertainment and then soup and sandwiches and cookies in the basement. Of course tea and coffee as well.

This year they had an astonishing amount of people show up. The gal that sat beside me said they usually expect 75 - 100 ladies.  This year more than 100 came. 

The guys at First Baptist serve the food and beverages. They did an amazing job last night. They were kept quite busy with so many extra tables.

I think my favorite song was Mary, Did You Know?

I borrowed some pictures from my sister. Her family made these Christmas Trees as part of a fundraiser for a family in Haiti that needs to relocate to a safer place.

Belle

This morning Ellis drove to Redwood Falls MN to help with inventory at the HogSlat store. 

I drove to Blooming Prairie and rode with Krysta to her doctor appointment in Winona MN. I heard Belle's heartbeat! A beautiful sound. We are all excited about meeting this little girl very soon.

Deanne stayed with the babies. They took long naps - catching up on sleep apparently. 

Krysta and I went to a coffee shop and found some delicious peach muffins. I had coffee with mine. Krysta had a smoothie - or was it a slushy?  

This was taken at Arby's on Saturday. I forgot to add it to the blog then so I'll fit it in now.

After the coffee shop we went to a goodwill close by.

That was fun. We found all sorts of treasures.

After supper Ellis and I helped Deanne with the little ones. (Allen and Krysta had a meeting) These little people are sitting still long enough to look at books and "talk" about the pictures. 

Off to bed so we can get caught up on our sleep after the very short night we had Sunday night/Monday morning. 

Sunday with friends

Now the fun weekend is over and we're safely home. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures. 

Several years ago our daughter, Deanne, met a spunky young lady from Wisconsin. They taught school together in western Montana.

Both girls decided if they were going to be friends then their mothers must be friends,  too. They each bought a ticket and planned for our visit to Montana. 

If I remember right they also gave strict instructions that the resident snake at school must be kept out of sight when their mothers were visiting. 

Chris and I had never met until we saw each other at our gate in the airport. It was quite easy to get acquainted as we talked the whole way to Missoula, Montana. In spite of the Mennonite game we didn't come up with any blood relationship between us. But we discovered that my cousin's daughter worked at the same place as Chris.

The girls had every thing planned for a wonderful weekend. By the time we flew home we had all decided that we'd get our families together sometime that summer.

Deanne and Essy planned another weekend and we drove over to Marshfield so the "father figures" could meet. Neither one of them could understand why we were getting together to meet perfect strangers. They both cooperated with their daughters' plans, but at the same time felt it was unnecessary to add any more people into their lives. What in the world would they find to talk about?

It turns out they had many things in common and there was never any danger of running out of conversations. 

A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing. 

Proverbs 17:22  Amplified 

I think we are very healthy after this visit if we're going by all the laughter that took place. 

We are already looking forward to the next time.

Tuba Christmas

This morning I made the favorite cheese ball. We packed our clothes to go to Wisconsin for the weekend, then met Deanne and started out. The first stop was Tuba Christmas in Austin. 

Years ago this event was held at the Oak Park Mall. Since that closed they have met in different places. This year it was at the Historic Paramount Theater. 

The first Tuba Christmas was held in New York in 1974. It's quite simple -- tuba players get together and practice Christmas songs for an hour. Then they perform for an audience. This event took off and now many cities across the country celebrate in December by hosting Tuba Christmas. Look it up and find an event close to you and join in.

Some fun facts about this group today:

The youngest player was 11 years old and the oldest was 74. One person came from Oklahoma, another from Wisconsin. Otherwise the players were from Minnesota -  several towns close by.

We ate lunch at Arby's then started off for Marshfield Wisconsin to meet up with friends. We're spending the weekend here then back home Sunday evening. 

December Writing Challenge

December 2023

Some first cousins and distant cousins had a writing challenge in November to write every day. It was hugely successful from a reader's view point. I loved reading their posts. Thank you Arla, Luci, Shilah and Emily

I started to feel inspired and wondered if I could do the same in December. The first day went by. I can tell you what happened after the fact.  =)

I was invited to a nesting party for Krysta. Her house was humming with gals dusting, washing, sweeping and preparing freezer meals. A young girl came along to be a baby sitter. We all contributed lunch items to make a delicious meal. I ended up slicing cheese, washing dishes, providing a recipe (which I just happened to have on my phone) and reading stories to the twins after they got home from a visit to their birth mom.

When the babies took a nap I also caught up on a nap. Drove bus and swept it. I took care

of the expense reports at HogSlat so Ellis can be reimbursed for the items he pays out of pocket. 

Ellis had a delivery to make after work. I rode along for the fun of it. We stopped at Aldi on the way back through Austin. I bought several kinds of cheese, sour cream and cream cheese to make a gigantic cheese ball.

Ellis helped me clean the township hall down the road from our house. It was overrun with box elder bugs -- the pesky critters.

When we got home we had tea and a seasonal Scandinavian treat - rosettes. 

December 1, 2023 - a long, full day!