Merry Christmas!

The afternoon before Christmas eve we took the kids to the mall to see Santa. We were lucky to get there soon before they cut off the line to get in. I felt like I was in line for a ride at Disneyworld! I think we waited for abou an hour and a half or so. Next year we're going right after Thanksgiving...no waiting! But the kids loved it! This is the first year that we didn't have a crying child for the picture. Yippee!

We stayed home this Christmas, as we alternate each year with each side of the family. I was grateful not to have to travel with the masses, although I greatly missed celebrating with my parents and siblings. I will be heading to Reno in 2 weeks or so, however for a visit! So I was not too sad knowing I had that to look forward to soon.

The kids tore open their gifts with ferver, and received a modest haul of new toys.

We have been very blessed this year and want to express our appreciation to our Father in Heaven for his loving kindness on all of us, His children.

Merry Christmas to all and a happy New Year!

Traditions and recipes

Last year I posted some of our Christmas Traditions, specifically celebrating Sinter Klaasje. Click here for a quick refresher. We celebrated again this year, of course! Here's what Sinter Klaas brought us-



Some Diego for Aaron, Hello Kitty for Elena, building blocks to share, a camera for mommy and a movie for daddy! (Sorry about the yucky-looking fireplace.)

If you are curious about how the children's song goes, watch the old school "Miracle on 34th Street" with Maureen O'Hara. There's a scene when a little dutch girl goes to see Santa and they sing the song. Very cute, although it's quite obvious the little actress is 100% American. Here are the lyrics they sing in the movie:

"Sinterklaas gepoentje
Gooi wat in mijn schoentje
Doet maar in het haastje
Dank U Sinterklaasje"


Also, last year I neglected to post some of the traditional recipes my grandparents passed down to us. These are primarily Norwegian favorites.


#1 Lefsa


Peel and boil 6 potatoes
1 cube of butter
2 cups of flour
Mix all together and roll the dough in flour. Cut in size of a plate, continue doing so until all the dough is used. Dry fry individually in a skillet on medium-high heat, until both sides are browned. Stack and serve with any topping desired. Even with beef stroganoff on top!


#2 Ollibollen

Take a box of any cake doughnut mix and mix in currants, raisins, or dried fruit mix. Roll in small (1-inch) balls and drop in a deep-fat fryer with hot oil until golden brown. Remove from oil and once cooled, drop in bag of powdered sugar and shake around. The ball only needs to be lightly coated with powdered sugar. Enjoy! (This seems similar to Russian Teacakes to me.)

Share some of your cool or unusual traditions please! And be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom for some holiday fun!