. They both have pocketknives already, so we didn't include those. We also included a box for them to hold all of their adventure gear. The baggies hold some homemade cherry hard tack candy bits for them to enjoy on their adventures.
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Gift for my Nephews
This is the gift that we put together for my nephews for their birthday in early December this year. They are two years apart and we felt that both were of appropriate age for an adventure kit. We included a compass and flashlight with a notepad and pencil for each of them. A length of rope that they can use to practice their knots, and the book The Dangerous Book for Boys. They both have pocketknives already, so we didn't include those. We also included a box for them to hold all of their adventure gear. The baggies hold some homemade cherry hard tack candy bits for them to enjoy on their adventures.
. They both have pocketknives already, so we didn't include those. We also included a box for them to hold all of their adventure gear. The baggies hold some homemade cherry hard tack candy bits for them to enjoy on their adventures.
Happy Birthday Honey!
Today is my dear hubby's birthday, so I'd like to take a minute to say Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday Dad!
Today is my dad's birthday, so I'd like to take a minute to say Happy Birthday Dad!
Isn't this card so cute? Makes me think of something he might have received as a card when he was little.
Isn't this card so cute? Makes me think of something he might have received as a card when he was little.
Favorite Toy - Piggie
Sometimes parents have to make hard decisions.
Do you let your child go to school in the entirely outlandish outfit... that they dressed themselves in for the first time.
When is old enough to let your child go on their first overnight to a friend's house by themselves.
When is it time to let go of a favorite shirt or toy.
There are many systems that people advocate for the toy situation. Put them in a box out of sight, if they don't ask for it, it can go. What about when the toy is a beloved item, but it's at the point of getting dangerous, because it's worn out or broken? or it leaves a mess everywhere it goes?
As a child, I had a beloved purple patchwork pig. I LOVED that pig. I don't remember too many of my toys from early childhood unless I still have them or a picture to jog my memory. But I have always remembered the pig. One day I came home to find my beloved Piggie gone. At some point she had gotten a hole and started leaking the sawdust that was used as filling for her. I would always climb on Piggie and bounce on her so I can only imagine the sawdust that was getting everywhere. My mother felt it was time for Piggie to go, along with a few other toys. I don't recall if I noticed anything else missing, but I do know that I shed mighty rivers of tears over the departure of my dear beloved Piggie.
Until yesterday I didn't know there were any pictures of my beloved Piggie, then my mother sent me a little surprise via email. She's been scanning in and transferring many old photos and she happened across my first encounter with Piggie, when she was all new and for the part so was I.
Do you let your child go to school in the entirely outlandish outfit... that they dressed themselves in for the first time.
When is old enough to let your child go on their first overnight to a friend's house by themselves.
When is it time to let go of a favorite shirt or toy.
There are many systems that people advocate for the toy situation. Put them in a box out of sight, if they don't ask for it, it can go. What about when the toy is a beloved item, but it's at the point of getting dangerous, because it's worn out or broken? or it leaves a mess everywhere it goes?
As a child, I had a beloved purple patchwork pig. I LOVED that pig. I don't remember too many of my toys from early childhood unless I still have them or a picture to jog my memory. But I have always remembered the pig. One day I came home to find my beloved Piggie gone. At some point she had gotten a hole and started leaking the sawdust that was used as filling for her. I would always climb on Piggie and bounce on her so I can only imagine the sawdust that was getting everywhere. My mother felt it was time for Piggie to go, along with a few other toys. I don't recall if I noticed anything else missing, but I do know that I shed mighty rivers of tears over the departure of my dear beloved Piggie.
Until yesterday I didn't know there were any pictures of my beloved Piggie, then my mother sent me a little surprise via email. She's been scanning in and transferring many old photos and she happened across my first encounter with Piggie, when she was all new and for the part so was I.
Gift Package From My Sister
I got a package from my sister in the mail this week, it included some Icelandic childrens books, and bland í poka (blend in a bag), essentially a variety bag of typical Icelandic candy.
She sent me three childrens books that she picked up for me on her recent trip to Iceland: Ungfrú Heppin (Little Miss Lucky), Herra Lítill (Mister Little), and Úlfurinn og sjö kiðlingar (The Wolf and Seven Kids).
This is bland í poka (blend in a bag), a variety bag of Icelandic candies. It has some chocolate covered caramels, candy coated chocolate covered licorice (the white balls), candy coated licorice (look like Good & Plenty's), licorice wrapped marzipan and the tiny little ones are chewy and fruit flavored. I LOVE chocolate covered licorice, they were the first to go.
This is bland í poka (blend in a bag), a variety bag of Icelandic candies. It has some chocolate covered caramels, candy coated chocolate covered licorice (the white balls), candy coated licorice (look like Good & Plenty's), licorice wrapped marzipan and the tiny little ones are chewy and fruit flavored. I LOVE chocolate covered licorice, they were the first to go.
Happy 4th of July!
We'll be heading up to the farm early today for a bbq and fireworks in the evening. I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun...
playing baseball...
throwing lawn rockets and frisbee...
laughing...
chatting...
swinging...
riding on tractors...
twirling...
toasting marshmallows...
taking pictures...
running...
eating good food...
playing with snakes and sparklers...
watching fireworks...
Happy Father's Day!
My father brought home two copies of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott one day, I'm not sure what spurred this, I've never asked. However, every available night one summer I read while he followed along, when I hit a word I didn't know, we looked it up together. Afterwards we talked about the chapters or characters, reviewed words I didn't know or anything else about the book. I really can't remember how I felt about reading Little Women at the time, if I was frustrated with it or if I loved it. As an adult I can say that I love the memory and the book holds a certain fond place in my heart from reading it with my dad. It was my first real book, we read the book the summer between 1st and 2nd grade, so it was a bit above my level at the time. The same summer he read Little Joe Otter with my brother, I wonder if it had the same impact on him.
Later, when I was in 7th or 8th grade we went to the Smithsonian and saw dolls of the Little Women. They were a porcelain bust, arms and legs with instructions to sew the body and clothing. All they had left was Amy, I'm guessing not as many people felt akin to her, since she was a bit spoiled. She lived in the box for a while, my Amma (grandmother in Icelandic) made her body and dress for me a few years later.
This is the book we read that summer complete and unabridged, and Amy (who normally lives in a doll stand, but she's laying down for this shot).
I can't wait for the day when I can share Little Women with my own daughter. Thank you Dad!
Later, when I was in 7th or 8th grade we went to the Smithsonian and saw dolls of the Little Women. They were a porcelain bust, arms and legs with instructions to sew the body and clothing. All they had left was Amy, I'm guessing not as many people felt akin to her, since she was a bit spoiled. She lived in the box for a while, my Amma (grandmother in Icelandic) made her body and dress for me a few years later.
This is the book we read that summer complete and unabridged, and Amy (who normally lives in a doll stand, but she's laying down for this shot).
I can't wait for the day when I can share Little Women with my own daughter. Thank you Dad!
Memorial Day at the Farm
This will be a pictureless post, but I do have many pictures to share later. My husband's grandmother moved to a new apartment a while back and didn't have room for most of her stuff. My brother-in-law needed his trailer that everything was being stored in, so at the end of the day the 8 of us were emptying it. As I was going through the trailer I found a box labeled School Memories, it was full of tidbits... paper clippings, notes, pictures, etc from when she went to school. I called my 3 sister-in-laws over and we decided to make a scrapbook for her for Christmas this year. As we went through drawers we found a box of 50th Anniversary memories, and boxes of pictures from hubby's dad and aunt growing up. All told we found 8 small boxes of pictures, clippings, notes and diaries for several years. We're going to scan everything in and make DVD's of it all for every family member. We also found old videos that we're going to transfer to DVD for everyone. It's going to be a very interesting Christmas, I really hope she loves it.
Mother's Day Gift
I promised that I would share what I got my mother for Mother's Day in my Etsy Mother's Day roundup post. Sorry I put it off until now. I just love this sparrow, it's called Cheery Sparrow from Daga Design. I tucked in other goodies, but this was the primary item. I'll definitely be buying more from them in the future. I also featured the The Classic Wise Owl by Daga Design in a Friday Etsy roundup. I have a miniature version of the owl on my bookcase, I love it.
Grace's Gift
My neice, Grace, turns 7 tomorrow, and this is what I put together for her birthday. It's a paper suitcase I picked up at Michael's and filled with pretty goodies, stickers, papers and I'll tuck in some ribbon, flowers and candy for her as well.
I hope she likes it. I try to put together things that I would have loved at her age.
Happy Birthday Grace!
I hope she likes it. I try to put together things that I would have loved at her age.
Happy Birthday Grace!
Absence makes for terrible blogs
Well I haven't posted much... anything... for ages...
My husband had a hemorrhage in his brain this past July and only within the 60 days has the blood cleared enough the doctors to see what caused it. He has an AVM (Arterio Venous Malformation) which will have to be dealt with. So we've been back and forth to Minneapolis and Rochester this past month and he is going for surgery next week, so we'll be gone again. Hopefully everything will be fine, but in the meantime I'm not really posting here or on Kitchen Comforts. I will pick both back up in about a month and for those that know me, email and I'll answer questions and give you the details.
In retrospect I probably shouldn't really have a blog, because I don't put all the personal stuff out here really. I write the least when I have the most to write about. Because it's personal and my life. I write the most when nothing interesting is going on and I have time to blather on and on and on about trivial unimportant tidbits. Kinda like my diary when I was younger, I never wrote down the stuff that really meant anything, because I was always freaked that my younger brother or his friends might find it. I certainly understand why people like Ashley blog anonymously. (If that is indeed her real name)
My husband had a hemorrhage in his brain this past July and only within the 60 days has the blood cleared enough the doctors to see what caused it. He has an AVM (Arterio Venous Malformation) which will have to be dealt with. So we've been back and forth to Minneapolis and Rochester this past month and he is going for surgery next week, so we'll be gone again. Hopefully everything will be fine, but in the meantime I'm not really posting here or on Kitchen Comforts. I will pick both back up in about a month and for those that know me, email and I'll answer questions and give you the details.
In retrospect I probably shouldn't really have a blog, because I don't put all the personal stuff out here really. I write the least when I have the most to write about. Because it's personal and my life. I write the most when nothing interesting is going on and I have time to blather on and on and on about trivial unimportant tidbits. Kinda like my diary when I was younger, I never wrote down the stuff that really meant anything, because I was always freaked that my younger brother or his friends might find it. I certainly understand why people like Ashley blog anonymously. (If that is indeed her real name)
The whole web is more important?
I was trying to figure out ratios for my Balsamic Vinaigrette for Kitchen Comforts and asked hubby for a little taste testing assistance.
What was I thinking?
First of all, I'm a dump cook, I don't measure things out. However, for this foray into food blogging, I have to try to be better about amounts. I have to give verifiable quantities, not a pinch, dash, bit, smidgen, shake, etc. So, I had my measuring spoons out.
Second of all, I'm a dump cook, I don't measure things out. This drives my hubby crazy when he's helping, as I tell him to add a pinch of this, a dash of that...
Well, I was adding more honey and since I had to keep track of how much, I added another tsp.
"You're using a measuring spoon?"
"I have to, so I can give amounts for the recipe."
"You never give me real amounts."
"It's different, I can watch what you are doing, and see whether it's right."
"So the whole web is more important than me?"
"It's a dressing, I have to give right amounts or it won't taste right"
"So the whole web is more impor..."
As I stuff a piece of bread soaked in vinaigrette in his mouth...
For the record, I still didn't get the vinaigrette quite right. It's much easier to gauge just the right squeeze of mustard, it just didn't look right sitting in the teaspoon.
What was I thinking?
First of all, I'm a dump cook, I don't measure things out. However, for this foray into food blogging, I have to try to be better about amounts. I have to give verifiable quantities, not a pinch, dash, bit, smidgen, shake, etc. So, I had my measuring spoons out.
Second of all, I'm a dump cook, I don't measure things out. This drives my hubby crazy when he's helping, as I tell him to add a pinch of this, a dash of that...
Well, I was adding more honey and since I had to keep track of how much, I added another tsp.
"You're using a measuring spoon?"
"I have to, so I can give amounts for the recipe."
"You never give me real amounts."
"It's different, I can watch what you are doing, and see whether it's right."
"So the whole web is more important than me?"
"It's a dressing, I have to give right amounts or it won't taste right"
"So the whole web is more impor..."
As I stuff a piece of bread soaked in vinaigrette in his mouth...
For the record, I still didn't get the vinaigrette quite right. It's much easier to gauge just the right squeeze of mustard, it just didn't look right sitting in the teaspoon.
My dumb... or very smart... dog
We have two dogs, Zaya, a small cocker spaniel, and Blackie, a larger black lab mix.
Blackie is the dumb or smart dog of note...
Last year she walked through the screen early in the year (accidentally) so the lower inner corner was pulled out and effectively open all summer. Paul fixed it last fall...
Tonight Zaya pushed against the screen to come through and it didn't give, no problem... she backed off and left it alone.
Blackie then came up about 30 second later and went to push through with her head and it didn't give, so she backed off.
I was telling Paul what they were doing (he was outside at the grill, I was just inside the screen door), because I thought it was funny.
Well as I was telling Paul, all of a sudden Blackie comes barrelling at the door, head down to push through the screen...
She hadn't backed OFF because the screen wouldn't budge... she backed UP to take a running start at it. So anyway, the screen corner is pulled free again... and Paul has to fix it again...
Dumb dog.
Blackie is the dumb or smart dog of note...
Last year she walked through the screen early in the year (accidentally) so the lower inner corner was pulled out and effectively open all summer. Paul fixed it last fall...
Tonight Zaya pushed against the screen to come through and it didn't give, no problem... she backed off and left it alone.
Blackie then came up about 30 second later and went to push through with her head and it didn't give, so she backed off.
I was telling Paul what they were doing (he was outside at the grill, I was just inside the screen door), because I thought it was funny.
Well as I was telling Paul, all of a sudden Blackie comes barrelling at the door, head down to push through the screen...
She hadn't backed OFF because the screen wouldn't budge... she backed UP to take a running start at it. So anyway, the screen corner is pulled free again... and Paul has to fix it again...
Dumb dog.
New Addition to the Family
My brother-in-law and sister-in-law had a little boy yesterday. So I have another nephew, Sebastian. He was a month early so I was pretty shocked to hear he's here already. He's in the NICU so I can't hold him yet. He's not on the nursery net yet, so I'll link in an image later.
My brother's son, Will, is due in a month, hopefully he sticks it out. My mom is hoping he'll be born on her birthday, but he's due a few days before that.
My brother's son, Will, is due in a month, hopefully he sticks it out. My mom is hoping he'll be born on her birthday, but he's due a few days before that.
Christmas Lights & Cocoa
This time of year, my favorite thing to do in the evening is make some cocoa for Paul and I, bundle up and go for a drive to look at the Christmas lights. It's interesting, because when gawking and commenting the gaudier the displays, the merrier the drive. I just love to look at the houses all lit up like used car lots and wonder at the sheer number of light up Santa's they manage to squeeze into one yard. Not to mention the plethora of light up snowmen, reindeers, christmas trees and nativity scenes accompanying the Santa's. These days, often accompanied by an 8' inflatable snow globe. My favorite part of the drive is going by the historic homes on Belmont and Reeves, and for a few minutes, I can feel like I'm back in a quaint New England town, where you might actually find carollers in the town square. My favorite displays are the simple ones, just white lights, greenery and red bows, with maybe a sleigh leaned up by the front door or a snowman in the front yard.
This year we're heading to Orlando, Florida for Christmas, where it will be sunny and in the mid-60's for Christmas Day. While I'm eager to escape the snow and ice, it's hard to feel like Christmas when it feels like summer. Somehow driving around looking at Christmas lights while sipping a glass of sweet tea just isn't the same. Although, I'm sure the light displays can be just as entertaining, and perhaps even more so with the addition of a light up flamingo or two.
What's your favorite light display style? For your own house, and for looking at on the Christmas light drives?
My own is fairly simple, white icicle lights along the edge of the roof on the front of the house and a wreath in each of the alcoves and on the front door. Probably doesn't warrant more than a passing glance on drives, no gawking at my house.
This year we're heading to Orlando, Florida for Christmas, where it will be sunny and in the mid-60's for Christmas Day. While I'm eager to escape the snow and ice, it's hard to feel like Christmas when it feels like summer. Somehow driving around looking at Christmas lights while sipping a glass of sweet tea just isn't the same. Although, I'm sure the light displays can be just as entertaining, and perhaps even more so with the addition of a light up flamingo or two.
What's your favorite light display style? For your own house, and for looking at on the Christmas light drives?
My own is fairly simple, white icicle lights along the edge of the roof on the front of the house and a wreath in each of the alcoves and on the front door. Probably doesn't warrant more than a passing glance on drives, no gawking at my house.
Two of my angels
I adore this picture of my niece and nephew. I'm such a proud aunt, I hope you don't mind me sharing. They are very close in age and were the flower girl and ring bearer for my brother-in-law's wedding. Before the wedding they had some studio pictures taken of the kids and this was my absolute favorite.
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