Happy 50th Anniversary!

My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary!  Julia's graduation fell on the same day so we had a little cake for them the next day at the party.

I didn't plan ahead enough- should have rustled up a wedding photo.  Nuts.

Congrats Mom and Dad!

They Did Their Time

When my grandma moved out of her house and into an apartment Jeremy and I acquired her recliners.  Pink for her and blue for Grandpa.  They aren't the only recliners I remember in their house but I'm going to place them as new in the mid 90s.  Fast forward to 2025, a good 30 years later...they have finally been retired.  We bought new ones over Memorial Day because they were a door buster!

I didn't even have to carry them in.  :) 

We bought three because there are six of us in this house.

And until Jeremy makes it to the dump the old ones are in the yard.

Still useful after all these years.  ;)

However I do think yard recliners are the epitome of hick life.

To be fair, Nicholas sits in them outside almost every day too.

Vrana Water Fight

Everyone had fun at the yearly water fight.

And pretty much everyone was soaked at the end!
 

Family Weekend

We had a fun weekend with my extended family.  Greta graduated from college so we had a party.  All my uncles and aunts came so since we were together we also put Grandma Helen in the columbarium.  (We looked it up, the monument ashes are interred in is called a columbarium.)  If you are wondering, yes, Grandma did pass away two and a half years ago but she donated her body to science and then right about the time we got her ashes Covid hit so we weren't able to get together to inter them.   But now her ashes are with Grandpa and Arnold the Scottie Dog all in the same compartment of the columbarium.  I'm sure she would be happy.

 

Even Covid Can't Stop Christmas from Coming

And that's the beauty of Our Savior's birth!

Christmas afternoon and Dec 26th we enjoyed being with Beth and my parents.  We'd seen my dad a handful of times at football games, and I spent a weekend with Beth visiting my aunt Pat but we hadn't seen my mom since school started so it was good to be with them!

We weren't real dressed up since we went to Mass Christmas Eve but the pictures are still nice.

Lynn and her family stayed at their house so here is the sister's picture.  Maybe Beth's eyes are open in mom's picture?

Everyone enjoyed their gifts.

There was lots of fun after present opening too.  Games were played, Lego sets built and puzzles put together.  Lots of talking, eating and laughing too.  No lutefisk but we aren't Swedish enough to really miss it...just the people we used to eat it with.

Thank you Jesus for being born for us and allowing us to share in your joy!

 

Family Vacation

After lots of weeks in total quarantine and more in mostly quarantine we decided a family vacation was in order.  Not just Jeremy and I and the kids, my parents and sisters and nephews too!

We stayed in cabins at the Broom Tree Family Camp.  We were the only ones there except the camp hosts, who worked during the day, a family that left soon after we arrived, a family who arrived just before we left and a few silent retreatants out walking.  So for all basic purposes we had the place to ourselves and could pretend there was no COVID for 4 days!  It was great!

There was fun out in the cabin yards,

inside the cabins (we celebrated everything we missed during quarantine),

swimming every day,

time at the playground,

a morning of paddle boating (the lucky people sat on the left, the right side was not actually helping paddle...which we didn't realize until late in the morning),

a walk on the double bridge was fun, it has a story walk, which I love!

and of course, smores!

It was a great get away!

Who Egged our House?!

Grandma Raleen.

The littles were very happy to find Easter eggs in our yard one morning two weeks ago!  Samuel and Thomas each found a little stash of treats too.  Or more accurately had a little stash brought inside for them by an excited sibling.

It was a lovely treat and a nice diversion from school work!  Thanks Grandma!

Goodbye

It had a long and well enjoyed life but it was time for the train to go.  The wood was rotted and not safe to play on anymore.  I'm fairly certain it was so old it was put up before I started this blog (which was in 2009) so there is no documentation of its construction except a few pictures in a photo album somewhere.

It provided a few last days of fun during the demolition but I didn't take any pictures.
Thanks Grandpa Steve and Grandma Raleen for such a long lasting and well loved gift.

Christmas with Jeremy's Family

We had our last Christmas celebration of the year with Jeremy's family.  We spent the day together, had some good food and the kids played together especially nicely.

He said this was his "Santa Jet Pack."

We did all the boy grandchildren but Clara was sleeping so we didn't do girls and then we forgot when she woke up.

 Everyone enjoyed their gifts.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas with My Family

We didn't have Swedish Christmas this year.  Two significant deaths in the family last year (Nels and Grandma) changed how we celebrate and that's okay.  We missed seeing my extended family but we enjoyed new things too.  And I personally did not miss the lutefisk!!  Sorry Swedish ancestors.

Christmas Baking

My favorite part of Christmas prep!  We didn't do tons but we still had fun.  Philip made coconut scones with Christmas M&Ms.  Nicholas helped with the cherry bread for Christmas morning, Julia made Christmas popcorn to bring for a snack to Jeremy's parents.  Nicholas also made brownies.

 And one day I got a wild hair and decided instead of just throwing out the three large pumpkins we grew but didn't carve, I'd roast them for pie.  Wowie.  It was an all day affair.  As you can see I could only fit two in the oven at once.  Yes, I'm aware you usually use small pumpkins for pie.  Now I know not only is it because they apparently taste better, it's so you don't spend all day roasting, peeling, pureeing, draining and freezing them.  Our pie turned out delicious, as did the pumpkin muffins we made.  And I'm sure the other 10 bags of 2 cups of pumpkin each in my freezer will make other delicious things...

I made some Kahlua fudge and my {famous?} white peppermint fudge.  I like to think fudge will be/is my signature Christmas celebration contribution.

I also made the MOST BEAUTIFUL horn rolls I've ever made in my life!  Grandma Helen must have been supervising from Heaven.  They were not technically for Christmas, they were from my mom's birthday celebration but I'm including them in my food post anyway.  They tasted almost like Grandma's. 

I'm sure she would have oohed and ahhed appropriately over them to make me feel good.  

Rest in Peace

My grandma Helen passed away at the end of September just weeks shy of 95 years old.  We'd just had a great family gathering at Labor Day so everyone had see her recently, which was a blessing.

We will remember Grandma for her strong convictions, deep love and, of course, amazing baking.

Grandma didn't love to have her picture taken but this is one of my favorites.  She's holding Philip at his baptism.

Happy Anniversary!

Steve and Raleen celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last month!  

We had breakfast at the Golden Corral that morning.

Congratulations!

Birthday Christmas Hanukkah

We celebrated my mom's birthday,

Christmas

and Hanukkah (my uncle is Jewish) all at once.

Philip and Uncle Larry get along so Philip got to help light the Menorah.
Glad we got to see everyone!

Farm Christmas

We spent time with Jeremy's family at the farm on Christmas Eve.  I managed to get a decent picture of Great Grandma with the kids.

And this cute one of Jeremy and Nicholas.

It was great seeing everybody!