Word Search

I'm working on a word search as I eat my breakfast and drink my morning tea. What a lot of memories niggle at the back of my brain over such a simple exercise!

You see, I was an experienced traveler from my infancy. The story goes that I was six weeks old when my parents moved from Fort Wayne IN to Graceton MN. Before that they had taken some weekend jaunts to Kentucky to visit family and friends.

After a time my little sister Ladina arrived, and my family moved to ND for a year. We lived in ND but we went to church in MT. There is a difference in time so we left our house at 10:00 and arrived at church at 10:00. (It is always best to travel west!)

The trip home was not as nice. We stayed for lunch and afternoon visiting. If we started for home at 4:00 we got home at 6:00 ... a long, full day.

We moved back to MN in time to welcome another little sister named Trenda into our family.

Remember, all of this traveling was before car seats. (Just a little side note)  We must have stayed in MN for two years then moved to IN where my dad was learning the painting trade with Joni Beachy. It's possible we spent two summers in IN. ?? I can't ask dad now how long he worked with Joni. I do know that the girls in our family had lots of play dates with the girls in Joni's family, making friends for life ... Anita and Merilee.
Please forgive me if I spelled your name wrong.

At the end of the summer we lived in a little brick house and were next door neighbors to my friend, Linda. We went to kindergarten together. Linda and I still send each other letters and family pictures.  Maria joined our family October 1966.

Somewhere along the way Dad went to Rosedale Bible School so we traveled to OH for that. I don't think I was doing word searches yet at this point. (You are being very patient with me waiting to hear what word searches has to do with any of this.)

I am trying to imagine how my parents traveled with four little girls 5 1/2 years old and under. I know Mom read to us. A lot.
Of course we had dolls, too.

Back home to Graceton after Bible School. I started first grade at Williams MN. *Mrs. Tallefson worked her magic with phonics and the alphabet and I learned to read.

Dad went to OH for Bible School and again took all of us with him. I went to a Christian Day School for a couple months while we were there. When we went back to MN Miss Farmwald had all of her students write letters to me. A packet of letters I still have to this day.

After that our travels were confined to summers and Christmas vacations. Every summer we drove to the Angle to visit cousins. Every Christmas we drove to WI to visit cousins by the dozens. In July we went to a Bible Camp in ND.

All of this prepared us for the trip of our lives. Our lives up to that point, at least. In which we were introduced to word search books to keep us out of our parents hair.

*If any of you readers went to school in Williams MN and know how to spell Mrs. Tallefson's name please correct me if I spelled it wrong. Phonics does not always help when spelling last names. Take Skrivseth for example -- a name that gives people the heebie jeebies when they try to pronounce it. It's really quite simple if you forget phonics for a second. Skreev set  There - isn't that easy?  :)

And now I will leave you to finish my word search. See you tomorrow!

Oh Henry Bars

 Here is an old recipe you can put together in a very short time and it feeds a crowd. It's easy to throw together Sunday afternoon when you've forgotten you're supposed to take finger food for snacks after singing at the nursing home.

4 cups oatmeal  I always use old fashioned oats. Your choice, of course, if you'd rather use minute oatmeal.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter

Don't melt the butter, just cut it into the oats and sugar with a pastry cutter or your fingers. Press into a greased jelly roll pan and bake at 350° for 10 minutes.

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips and one cup peanut butter: either in a double boiler over hot water or in a glass microwave bowl, stir mixture as it melts. Spread over the crust and cut into bars when everything is cooled.

I usually use more chocolate chips. One cup is pretty skimpy to cover that gigantic pan of oatmeal.

I'm sorry to say I don't know who gave us this recipe.  I remember making it at home before I got married so that's many long years ago. Ellis and I will celebrate 40 years of married life in September.

Lentils and Rice

Everyone is making food these days. I found a couple of old favorites in my family recipes to share...

Herbed Lentils and Rice

2 2/3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup lentils
3/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup rice
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4th tsp. each salt, thyme, oregano, pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
grated cheese, Swiss or Cheddar
Combine all but half the cheese. Pour into 1 1/2 quart greased casserole dish. Bake, covered, 1 1/2 - 2 hours @ 350°. Uncover and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake  2 - 3 minutes until melted.

If you have never tasted lentils and have always turned up your pretty little nose at the thought of them - this is the recipe to try.
I used to double this recipe to fit in a 9"x13" pan and everyone in our family loved it - even the people who love beef best.

The story behind this recipe goes back to the mid 80's. My sister, Trenda, was newly married and lived near Albert Lea, MN. She was invited to a gathering for new gals in town, an opportunity to make new friends where you don't know anyone. (Maybe it was a Bible Study) Each one introduced themselves. Trenda thought Beth Kramer looked familiar but couldn't remember where she might have met her before. Later, Beth asked, "What is your maiden name, Trenda?" And the rest is history. Trenda's maiden name is Skrivseth. Beth's maiden name is Olson.  Our two families went to the same school in Williams MN. Beth has a younger sister, Jeanette, who was in Trenda's grade at school. Her sister, Diane, was in my grade.
Our Moms, Leona and Audrey, are friends and we used to have Sunday lunches together occasionally before we moved to southern MN.
Beth invited me over for lunch one day and served this casserole and shared the recipe.

Thank you, Beth. This recipe is delicious!

Granola

I could have given you the recipe for Granola last time if I had thought of it. This morning as I was eating yogurt and granola, again, I remembered where I got the recipe I've been using in my kitchen for 39 years.

Mom's friend, Esther Mae Kauffman, gave her the recipe for *Cereal*. When I got married I copied a bunch of family favorites for my recipe box. This was one of them.

1 cup salad oil
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups wheat germ (optional)
2 lb. oatmeal ( I use a cardboard
circular container of Old Fashioned Oats.
It holds 2 lb.10 oz.)
1 1/2 cups honey
1 T. salt I have cut that down to 1 tsp.
2 cups coconut
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
Sunflower seeds, almonds or any of your favorite kind of nuts

Put all the dry ingredients in a gigantic roasting pan. Gently warm the honey, oil, vanilla and water. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir very well. Toast in a 250* oven for 1 1/2 hours. I set the timer and stir it every half hour. Cool, store in a tight container.

If I am out of honey I just add more brown sugar instead.  I never use the wheat germ these days.

All of my children or their spouses have texted me for this recipe. I know it by heart and just rattle off the ingredients to them in a text.

It makes a nice Christmas gift or hostess gift in a quart jar with a pretty ribbon tied around the top.

Thank you, Esther Mae!

Greek Yogurt, Granola and other Scrumptious Foods

It's amazing what triggers a memory when it comes to different foods.

Yesterday, Ellis, Mom and I were talking about Greek Yogurt (which Ellis despises)

 "I don't understand why anyone would eat something that looks like the gunk my mom cleaned out of the cream separator. "

With those words hanging in the air I immediately pictured Florence Harshbarger,

dark hair braided and pinned in a neat circle around her head, wearing a pretty floral house dress, cheerfully going about her morning routine of washing the milker and shiny stainless steel cylinders. She had the routine down to a science. When I offered to take my turn at the job I ended up splashing water down the front of myself, forgetting to do something

and making a general mess of a chore she made look effortlessly easy.  

Even longer ago than that I can picture a pixie like girl washing up the milking things.

 My sisters and I crowded around the .basement sink waiting for Leah to get done with her jobs

so we could go play. If we were particularly annoying she could send us shrieking by scooping that white gunk up with her fingers acting like there was nothing gross about it. 

(It honestly almost triggers a gagging sensation even now when I think about it. )

It is rather amazing that greek yogurt with granola and fruit is one of my favorite breakfasts. 

Leah was very patient with us and thought up great ways to entertain her little nieces.

What adventure would she think up this time? 

A hike through the pasture following the cow trails. 

Teaching us how to feed sugar lumps to the horses.

 "Hold your hand out flat with a sugar lump in the middle. Like this."

And Leah would stretch out her tiny hand with the sugar lump perfectly balanced.

There we were ... four little shadows copying her, bracing our feet, holding as still as possible,

trying not to squeal when we felt those velvety mouths gently brushing against our out stretched hands.

Playing in her little house under the shade of a huge oak tree.

She had a tiny canister set with real flour and sugar in them. 

Swinging in the air on the rope swing, pumping higher and higher,

trying to reach  the leaves of the branches with our feet. 

Leah could have us laughing til our sides ached when she made up funny poems.

When we were older we played the game of Authors by the hour.

She taught us Dottie Rambo's songs while she played guitar. 

This summer we've been enjoying other foods besides sugar lumps and Greek Yogurt.

How about a batch of fresh salsa? 

Swedish Meatballs ready for the oven

Lefse in the making

A twist on BLT sandwiches

Lightly toast slices of sourdough bread

Layer crispy fried bacon, cheese and tomato slices on the toast

Sprinkle salt and pepper, oregano and basil on the tomato

(I skin the tomato before slicing)

Put the sandwiches under a broiler for a couple minutes

until the cheese melts and the tomato is hot

You know your own broiler...

You don't want to leave these unattended

Keep peeking in and take them out sooner than later

I did not like tomatoes when I was growing up

For the life of me I don't know why I sampled these when my friend's mom made them.

Peer Pressure ;)

I knew Esther was an amazing cook. Everything she made tasted wonderful

so I figured these sandwiches would be good.

They were. We tried them again this summer.

Same thing. Scrumpdillyicious!

Some desserts for summer

 Peach Dessert 

Strawberry  Shortcake 

                                   Thanks for coming along on a trip down memory lane.

80th Birthday Party

Last year I started to tell about our trip to Alberta for Norma's 80th birthday party.
I have more to write about that fabulous occasion. But now this summer we have
celebrated another 80th birthday - my Mom's.

Dad would have been 80 this summer - July 9th. Mom's birthday comes July 25th.

My sisters planned a big birthday party for Mom up north. All of her siblings were invited
and Dad's siblings, too. . . and cousins by the dozens.

Mom and I drove north in the middle of the week. Ellis came later with Evan and Chelsea.
In between jobs we cooled off in the lake at the edge of Jerry and Trenda's yard.
This reminded me of Flag Island so much. (The island we used to visit every summer
where our aunt and uncle and cousins lived.) I almost expected to turn around and see
little girls of yesterday running and splashing into the lake.

On Saturday relatives began arriving.
All of Dad's sisters were able to come.
The last one arrived Sunday around noon.
Two of Mom's brothers came as well.

Mom and Trenda went on a trip last December to visit six of her siblings.
Many of them weren't able to come to MN this summer so I'm glad she got
to visit them in their homes.

Jerry and Doug grilled hamburgers. There was a gigantic salad and veggies with dip,
and to top it off - birthday cake and ice cream. We visited in the shade of a big tent
and watched second cousins get acquainted and form friendships.

Sunday, we had a time for sharing stories and memories at a nearby township hall.
Lunch was a fabulous cheesy potato hot dish with chunks of ham, another gigantic
salad and home made pie for dessert. My niece, Janine, knows how to make yummy pies!
                                                           ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sometimes when I am chattering on and on about events  that have happened I begin to feel
like this is the most boring drivel and who really cares anyway. Then I know I need some
writing exercises to get back on track. Earlier this summer I found just such an adventure in
Shari Zook's blog. I know there is a way to give you the link to her blog. For now I will just
give you the name to type in Google   Confessions of a woman learning to live.

In her blog, Shari described an imaginary house … going into great detail about each room.
This made me think - what could I come up with for this writing assignment? I remember
many of the houses I lived in as a child. Then there are other houses I've read about - like
Anne Morrow Lindbergh's house where she vacations by the sea. Could I come up with
something describing a house by a lake? It would end up sounding like the house where
my aunt and uncle lived near Graceton Beach . . .  and this is what I wrote July 6th:

        A House By the Lake

     A gravel road to drive on
Crunching stones under the car tires
 Trees on either side of the road
      are they pine trees?
Evergreens with needles carpeting
   the ground under them?
         Ahead is the lake
viewed through the opening
         the road makes
On the right hand side a driveway
      leads to a small house.
Soft winds blow through the trees
    sunshine warms my skin
  when I climb out of the car.
  Rocks edge flower gardens
    Drift wood edges other gardens
White puffy clouds float in a sea of blue
               overhead
I hear the waves washing in to shore
I picture the sandy beach strewn with
   gigantic boulders and drift wood
              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Well, well, well, that is all. I got interrupted and never described the house. But I found
that journal entry after our trip up north and our visit to Graceton Beach. Just because I felt very
lazy I didn't edit this letter and type it up . . .  instead just shared it as is . . .

Norma

Graceton Church

Williams School

Norma graduated from this school

Graceton Beach

 

Whew! We are still alive!

Our photographer said, "Okay, look at each other and laugh!" Then, "You guys are really good at that!"

Krysta with Padre and her brothers

The Bridal Party

Mr. and Mrs. Allen Nolt

Photo credits go to Kaitlyn Zieset 

One of my favorite snapshots of the day was taken by Laura Wenger