Lefse Day 2015

 One of the most wonderful times of the year...

Lefse Day!

 

 

After much observation, we talked Grandpa into trying his own lefse.  He did pretty well, until it came time for the griddle... then a few fumbles :)  So much fun!

 



 

For the record, this year we made 80 lefse in about 3.75 hrs.  Next year we might need to add another batch.  Flatbread was, of course, included in lefse day as well, before our meatball and scalloped potato dinner.  And the weekend wouldn't be complete without a few Hallmark Christmas movies ;)

Such fun traditions and sweet time together!

 

Oh Happy Day.

 

Fresh cut peonies from the garden.

 

A beautiful June Saturday spent with Grandma and Grandpa in the sunshine.

Oh Happy Day :)

 

 

Celebrate: He Is Risen!

 

{Grandma brought us these breathtaking purple calla lilies - Thanks Grandma!}

 

We celebrated Christ's resurrection today with the Sunday service reminder of His sacrifice and powerful overcoming of sin!

 

 

After the service, we gathered at the table for a meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, asparagus, lefse, and lemon meringue pie.  Yum.  With the sun shining and the weather warmer than it's been all spring, we then started clearing our garden and planting our indoor seeds.  It was so incredibly nice to step outside without a coat and feel the warm sunshine on our skin!



- Eliza

On Produce, Cobblestones, and Dinner

 

Usually we get just a few produce items from our small garden in a day, but since it's been sorely neglected lately, we brought in a whole bunch today.  Makes one think of how much we'd get if we truly tended to it and watered it daily. :)

 

 

We've been keeping busy working hard and playing hard.

For part of our father's day gift to Dad, we helped him put in a cobblestone patio last weekend.  Looking back, we can fully appreciate a hard day of physical labor and the wonderfully intense ache it leaves for days.

 

A few weeks ago, we spent a weekend away with Grandpa and Grandma, enjoying some special time together and new experiences.  One of which was this cute little Italian restaurant with incredible food.

Eliza

Savor the Summer

 

I'm finally willing to accept the fact that summer is coming to an end soon (emphasis on soon, not now).  This weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's was extra special as I tried to soak in our time together, the warm weather, and the relaxing time and progress on my quilt.

 

For Grandma's birthday dinner on Saturday night, I made these enchiladas - a new favorite recipe!

Then, this afternoon I bought a beautiful mirror with detailed molding for a great price at the church auction - thanks to grandma bidding on it for me while I spent the afternoon at the sewing machine :)

 

 

Eliza

At the Cabin

 

 

 

A weekend filled with family, campfires, good food, lake fun, and hiking - or rather, walking long distances on a highway, looking for a scenic site that is just around the corner ;) - is how we celebrated 80 years of Grandpa's life for his birthday this year.

The site was breathtaking with hills, a beautiful lake, and tall solid pines.

Best of all, was the time spent together with these lovely people we are blessed to call family.

 

 

 

Eliza



end of June

 

 

Summer's flying by so far.

But then again, so is life lately.

 

We are loving the moments we spend together in this busy season and I'm once again reminded of how much I love my family :)

Time spent with grandparents and celebrating birthdays have filled our past few weekends.  My camera hasn't been out of its case much lately, but this picture captures life and memories at Grandma & Grandpa's pretty well.  Good food, the best of company, and sun shining in through the windows.  Grandpa Tingy and Grandma Shirley spent some time visiting last weekend and we enjoyed time together eating birthday cake, just being together, and watching old home videos of when we were little.

 

 

 

Our garden, grown entirely from seed this year, is finally filling out with the rain and sun these past few days.  We even ate our first few snap peas tonight.   These pictures were from awhile ago, and everything's much bigger now, with the exception of our now non-existent cucumber crop.  Oh well, not everything will be perfect.  Checking on its progress is a pretty regular occurrence at our house... maybe that's why it's taking so long to grow? ;)

 

 

Eliza

 

Lefse Entry 2012

For our records: this year, on Saturday, we made

4 batches (80 lefse)

and a batch of flatbread.

The table was covered with flour, rolling pins, towels, and boards as we tried to do both at the same time - a lot of rolling, cutting, baking... a wonderful day!

 



~Eliza

Making Memories

Cousin time is rare and cherished around here.  So we made the most of it with popcorn, ice cream, a movie, late night giggles, and an early morning making cinnamon rolls from scratch.  Why I'm not in bed sleeping now is a good question to be asking... :)

{the rolls pre-frosting.  Recipe here.  If you've never made homemade cinnamon rolls - do it!  All I can say is yum...}

The afternoon was spent with Grandma having lunch together and walking through the park... along with a little birthday surprise for Grandma!

~Eliza

Praise

(from a fun-filled weekend spent at Grandma and Grandpa's with walks through Grandma's gardens - her flowers are just beautiful!)

"Praise the LORD.

How good it is to sing

praises to our God,

how pleasant and fitting to

praise him!"

Psalm 147:1 (NIV)

~Eliza



Sunshine & Family

It was so wonderful to have sunshine this weekend after a big storm hit last week.  The hum of chainsaws has been heard sun up to sun down in our neighborhood for days.

After the storm, the neighbors came together to help each other out and make sure everyone was alright.  It's such a blessing to have the neighbors we do, who can celebrate with us when the electricity and water go back on - cheering and splashing each other with the water bottles that were no longer needed :)

Yesterday, we met with my grandma's side of the family for a reunion at a state park.  It was so much fun to see everyone again!

Since the bridge was under construction, we had two options to get to the place - either by foot on a boardwalk/path or by canoe.  Let's just say a few of us liked to pretend the canoe was the only way ;)  so we loaded it up with coolers, blankets, a camera, sunscreen, and people.  Thankfully, the bag of sunscreen was all that got wet!

There was a lot of swimming, splashing, eating, relaxing,

talking, and competition in bocce ball!

Our little family pulled aside for a picture at one point before we tried to squeeze the whole crew into one later on.

On a completely different note, our little garden has just taken off, getting bigger and bigger. 

Dare we hope for ripened tomatoes this year? (story here)  So far, so good!

~ Eliza

Welcome to the family Drew!

A family wedding and getaway weekend.  It was so much fun!  We will definitely remember this time together for years to come...

It was the first cousin to be married and that makes one-fourth of the cousins' weddings over and done.  Yes, we know - small family!  But it certainly makes for a close-knit one.

~Eliza

Mother's Day 2012

Grandma cuts and brings in beautiful flowers from the yard for her table all summer long...I love it!

This morning we had Uncle Randy's specialty brunch, then an afternoon of golfing, and pizza for supper.  Rhubarb crisp was made and ready for a yummy dessert too!  And I couldn't resist playing the piano and enjoying Grandma's flower gardens...

 


~Eliza

Sewing Day with Grandma

We went with Grandma Ionne to a local quilt shop last week to make these adorable little snowman candle mats!  Here is a peek into the process...

It was such a fun day, thank you Grandma!

I will try and post a picture of the finished products when everyone does their finishing work on them! 

~Katelyn

"Winterized"

This afternoon, I read a text from my grandpa saying:

"R U 2 GIRLS WINTERIZED"?

I didn't realize how much this would apply to today until just a few hours later.

I found myself pulling out boots, scarfs, hats, mittens, coats...

and our family went on a walk in the cold wind and snow.

Then, I realized to the full extent what Grandpa meant!

I miss this bonfire we had on a warm summer night

with Grandpa and the rest of the family...it seems crazy that it was only a few months ago.

At the same time, I'm glad there is snow since we'll be celebrating Christmas with them next weekend before they head south!

Until then...

better stay warm and "winterized!"

~Eliza