Winter

 We’ve been doing a lot of baking around here, though according to my family, not nearly enough.  We have a new toy at our house: a grinder for wheat/grains.  We’ve been wanting to try fresh ground flour, soaked/sprouted flour.  I think we’ll squeeze a 4H project out of it too.  The kids and I have been researching different mills for a few months, and they finally convinced me to buy a manual one, not an electric, not only because it’s cheaper, but because they all want a turn turning the grinder.

I was a little worried they would loose interest in the grinder early on, but we have enough kids old enough that there’s always another sibling in line anxiously waiting for their turn.  So we’re trying out some fresh ground bread this week.  It’s delicious, but we still have some experimenting to do.

Of course, I got all the cinnamon rolls ready for Christmas morning.  There’s no healthy flour, or anything healthy in them at all.  Christmas morning cinnamon rolls are rarely about health though.

It should be delicious.

I missed the kids’ program at church, along with Silje’s solo because Solveig had an upset tummy that morning.  We did make it to Silje’s choir concert, though, at the Center for the Arts.  Her choir sounded beautiful, and I’m always amazed what the directors are able to teach the kids in such a short amount of time.

Just after my parents arrived from Phoenix, Solveig got to participate in a wedding as flower girl.  She latched onto the bride so fiercely that they were barely separated all day.  She was invited into the wedding party because she was the first newborn baby that the groom had ever held, and Solveig and Conrad (the groom) have always had a special relationship.  That all changed when Solveig met his bride, Lisa.  Ever since she had no more time for Conrad as Lisa is now her new best friend.

Poor Conrad.

Solveig is s till carrying around her basket here at home.  She doesn’t let it out of her sight.

We were all overjoyed to see at the reception that lefse was on each table, ready to be buttered and sugared with pure Norwegian bliss.  I think we could have eaten twice as much, so this morning my Papa and Knut are rolling out our own batch of lefse.  I had not gotten to it yet.

I have to start wrapping presents today.  (Why do I always wait until the last minute?!?!) The bunnies are not done, but likely today.  Or tonight.  Or in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.  To be determined.

In all this, I’m determined to not stress.  Most things will get done.  Some things won’t.  If something is to be left out or forgotten, I refuse to let it be the joy and peace that this season is intended to bring.  So I’ll do what I can do, because doing anything is a blessing, is it not?

Merry Christmas, dear friends.