Saturday, July 16, 2011

My friend Grace

 
Krumkake
      This afternoon I was baking krumkake for the youth bake sale at church tomorrow. I began to think a bit about my friend Grace, she no longer remembers me, her mind has been taken over by Alzheimer's Disease but today while making krumkake she was close to my mind and I gave thanks for Grace. As a young child I remember Grace bringing krumkake to every potluck, bake sale, and other event at the church. Grace's krumkake is famous amongst our small church as clearly being superior to all others.
      One day my mother asked Grace to teach her and I how to make the cookies. I remember her coming to our house and I was maybe a third grader and at that time I was close to being able to look Grace straight in the eyes, she is a petite lady. She brought with her all the supplies we would need including her krumkake iron, she had the kind that goes on the stove, it looked well loved and treasured, I could tell then that it had been used countless number of times (I now have an electric one - it hasn't quite made the thousands of batches that Grace's has). I remember her patience with me as I put far far too much dough on the iron and I all too often wanted to open the iron to check on the cookies. Grace had it down to a fine science, she put on just the right amount and knew exactly how long to let the cookies cook. I on the other hand have a variety of sizes due to my still inability to get it quite right and I still open the iron far too much due to my lack of patience. But I remember Grace patient with me and carefully showing me the art of krumkake an old Norwegian favorite. And today I give thanks for Grace and her willingness to pass on an old traditional cookie to another generation and for teaching me about patience and love.

Friday, July 15, 2011

House Guests

Me, Alexander, Jen, Nora

This was Ethan and my silly smile faces.




      I LOVE having people over to my house, I love cleaning to prepare, I love hosting, and I love offering the gift of hospitality. These fine people came to visit me this past week. They were welcomed signs of familiarity, they come with energy, snuggles, and hugs. It was marvelous to see some folks that I have share a bit of history with and know my story a bit as well. Living so far from family and many of my friends I don't get the chance to have people over to my house often.
     I look forward to the day when I have more than one bed and can offer people a place to stay as well. I look forward to having some more of my house projects done so I can focus on getting my upstairs put together, I want to paint the bedroom I live in and then I plan on doing some work upstairs. I wish I lived closer to family and friends so that more people could come visit. I miss my family and friends.
      Let me not forget to mention that  I love Jen and her family! I am soooo thankful Jen made the trip with her three kiddos to come and visit! I miss them already!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Great Bunny Move....

Last night I get a text message with a message about an ethical dilemma. My new friend is a youth director in the same town that I serve in, its fabulous to know some one. I gave her call to see what the dilemma was all about. She tells me that she was out mowing her lawn when all of a sudden she realizes she has just moved over the top part of a bunny nest. (Don't worry all the bunnies were safe, they were in the hole, she had just moved over the pile of grass and leaves protecting the bunnies.) The real problem came in the fact that she has two golden retrievers who also discovered the nest, meaning the bunnies needed to be moved or else who knows what the dogs would have done with them. So we decided to move them. In the process we took a few pictures (how could you resist taking pictures of such cute bunnies... look how cute they are) and here are a couple of the photos that I took last night. We were going to move them to the arboretum here in town but when we got out to the arboretum we ran into a man and said he would help them grow and survive and then release them back into the wild.


Monday, July 11, 2011

Picture Coasters

I seem to be at the age when I am attending a ton of weddings and wedding gifts get a bit expensive. We'll my recent gift that I have started giving to couples is one that I make myself, due to cost and it is much more fun that buying hand towels or bathroom towels or things along that line.

Step 1: Buy 4.25 square tiles (I guess any size would work technically, I bought a case of the tiles for $11), cork board, and Pour On (I got all of this at Menards, for just under $30 and I have 100 tiles, enough cork for 48 coasters, and I'm not yet sure how long the pour-on will last but so far it is lasting quite a while)
You will also need to gather: plastic cups, a plastic spoon, a garbage bag, and whatever supplies you want to decorate your tile

Step 2: Decorate the tiles however you please, I like to print out pictures and decorate the background and then place a picture of the couple on top. I do print the pictures on matte photo paper so that the color doesn't bleed from whatever I put behind the picture. I have used parts of the wedding invitation and save the date card to help decorate the tiles. I used rubber cement to stick everything together.

Step 3: Elevate the tiles on upside down plastic cups over a garbage bag (so the excess pour-on will drip onto the garbage bag and you won't have to pick the pour-on off of your counter top)

Step 4: Mix the Pour-On (in a plastic cup) according to the package directions



Step 5: I use a plastic spoon to spread the pour-on over the tiles. If bubbles occur you can just blow on the bubbles and the go away. The great thing about pour-on is that it is self leveling!

Step 6: Let the pour-on harden and dry

Step 7: Cut the cork board into 3 inch squares

Step 8: Rubber cement the cork board to the back of the tiles

Step 9: wrap and give as a gift or keep for yourself
Final Product


Let me know if you have any questions.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Meet Dakota


Meet Dakota, she's a golden retriever puppy, and I am in love with her. This photo is a little old, so she has grown, what seems to be exponentially since this picture, but I haven't uploaded pictures to my computer in a while. Dakota is a typical puppy, currently interested in chewing (so far no furniture), eating, sleeping, going on walks, and visits to the lake. She is completely house trained (I cheated and house trained her at my parents house before moving to my own house). She loves her tennis balls and has recently made some friends (one of the youth directors in town has two golden retrievers, both older than Dakota, but she thinks she is pretty cool when they get to play). 
Dakota has been amazing for me! I give thanks for her everyday. Who knew what fun a puppy could be?!?! Although I must admit I am excited for when she gets a little older and can go on longer walks and learn to run with me, but each stage has its own perks.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

I'm back.........

Alright, it has been far far far far too long since my last post, I'll be the first to admit, and time slipped away from me and I know that I haven't posted in forever. I kept thinking to myself that I should have posted but life happened and posting didn't. Now that life is semi-settling down I think it is time to get back on the horse and start up again.

Changes in life:
May 15, 2011: I graduated from WTS with my Masters of Divinity degree
May 21, 2011: I ran my 2nd Half Marathon (I am excited to run another)
May 28, 2011: I was ordained to word and sacrament
June 4, 2011: I got a golden retriever puppy, her name is Dakota
June 21, 2011: I bought a house
June 26, 2011: I began my first call as an ordained minister in the ELCA

Ahhhh it has been nuts and I give thanks for my family and friends who have loved me and supported me through this all.

I have a few projects (a couple practical and a couple fun) I am working on and some fun ones to try that  I have found. My project list at the moment:
-take down the wall paper in my bedroom
-paint the bathroom my house
-unpack boxes
-continue working on a crocheted blanket for a friend
-coasters -I saw some coasters that someone had made and I can't wait to try to make them myself
-continue to train Dakota (I LOVE HER)
-train for the Oktoberfest run in Fargo

Life is good.