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!