26 December 2007

christmas!

pictures of our lovely snowy day can be viewed here!

24 December 2007

merry christmas!!!!!


p.s: reid. les retrouvailles & les choristes have now happily joined my itunes repertoire. hoorah!


O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

19 December 2007

four weeks.

just four short little weeks until i stuff my suitcases to capacity, put on some warm socks, and walk through security, passport in hand, to a world of wonder and adventure: the minneapolis airport!
after a few inevitable delays, a stopover in detroit [Oh, Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!], i'll be well on my way 'cross the Great Atlantic Ocean.
a few minor details, which quite possibly may include some extraordinarily joyful "hello"s, a cup of coffee to keep the eyelids up, and a long stuffy wait at the baggage claim shall ensue [not in that particular order], ultimately followed by a wonderfully heartwarming ride back to my old home.
Eiserfelder Strasse 275.

and then the fun begins.



hooray!!!!!!!!!

17 December 2007

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced;
they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish.
You shall seek them and not find them; those who contended with you.
Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.
For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:10-13

11 December 2007

feeling domestic.

these past 24 hours have been quite productive, in a rather domestic sort of way. good thing mum and i are p-31s.
in addition to working 3-4 hours/day at the restaurant, and doing massive laundry folding, bathroom cleaning, and nephew-watching [more like nephew-chasing these days], i've spent the past 6 hours in the kitchen!

this afternoon made biscotti- plain, cranberry-almond, and chocolate, with melted chocolate chips on top, mmm.
then assisted with the potato soup making, dishwashing, and table-setting.

then the real fun began! as the days are consecutively and increasingly insane, the decision was made to prepare all our evening meals [Supper, to midwesterners; Dinner to the rest of the american-english-speaking world] ahead of time, and freeze them.

so in the past 3 hours we've accomplished, cleaned up after, labeled, and stowed away neatly in the freezer:
enchiladas
cheese manicotti
swedish meatballs
chicken and rice hotdish [oh yes, that's minnesotan too]
seafood chowder
meatloaf
tomorrow we do the bean and ham soup, as well as the pre-baked pizza crusts.

we are "absolutely covered in flour" and many other things.

the manicotti stuffing session incurred mild hysterics in all involved, and a few quizzical looks from passersby.
once i got past the texture, it was pretty amusing to have cold, lumpy, cheese mixture filling not only the noodles, but also my sleeves, and the kitchen in general.

and so, i am [not for the first time] of the unmitigated conviction that housewifery is a supremely high calling, and into it is poured much more effort than meets the eye. my feet would heartily agree.

so give your mother a hug!

06 December 2007

the boys.

05 December 2007

sleep in heavenly peace..



after many years of faithful service,
a plethora of shows and festivals,
having survived high school and three college campuses,
a trek across norway,
a mission trip to mexico,
and even a few piano recitals
[much to the horror of my instructors!]...

my dear little thoroughly-yellowed pink chucks are being retired. for good.


they've been my constant companions since i was 15.

04 December 2007

snowed out.

well, my nephew came over yesterday to spend the night while his mum+dad went to minneapolis for a meeting type thing.
it's been great. he slept just fine last night, once he snuggled in tight between grandpa and grandma.

well, it snowed all day today in minneapolis. brother still endeavoured to drive home, much to the chagrin of his beloved copilot.
so we kept on playing as they homeward crept slowly along through the utter whiteness.

then they closed the roads.

meanwhile the snow here peacefully falls outside in the splendour of stillness,
and inside, the child pitifully screams his sleepy little head off.

it's a not-so-silent night.

His ways are beyond finding out!

don't you love how when we sit down to read the Word, the Lord just showers blessings upon us?
i am continually amazed at how truly Living and Active the Word of God is.

par exemple, this morning as i was reading the last couple chapters of Mark, all about the crucifixion and Resurrection, i was amazed at the contrasts between those who believed and those who did not believe. such blessings upon those who believe, and such condemnation and rebuke for those of unbelief and hardness of heart.

and then i turned to my bookmark in the psalms, and lo and behold, it was psalm 22, which 'just so happened' to be a Messianic psalm about the crucifixion! again i found references to faith, in Jesus Himself, having no one but His Father in whom to put His trust.

My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever! psalm 22:25-26

those who seek the Messiah will find Him in the Person of Jesus Christ. and they shall rejoice and live forever!

A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this. psalm 22:30-31

let us believe!

01 December 2007

well, today was supposed to include 6+ hours in the backseat of a car with two growing brothers, the annual swanson family reunion [at which there is not one swanson in attendance], featuring traditional scandinavian food, such as lefse, lutefisk, and pickled herring [sadly, this in no way resembles swedish fish], as well as an overabundance of christmas cookies. but all of those plans changed by the weatherman's two little words...

SNOW STORM!!!!!!!!!!

well, actually it was three big words: Winter Weather Advisory. but we all knew what he was getting at.

it's been snowing all day, so beautifully. how perfect, the first day of december is our first real snowstorm. i'd say we've gotten at least 6 inches, maybe more, of beautiful glistening fluffy white powder. ah! so lovely.

this change in scenery from brown to white also changed our plans from "party!" to "clean!".

all five us of have been cleaning, organizing, sorting, and rearranging since breakfast. and i must say, as pop snowblows the sidewalks outside at 9.37pm, it's been a busy day- but a very productive one. we all [meaning we three kinder] expected to sit around and poke a fire, watch the disney cartoon Robin Hood, drink hot chocolate, go for a few romps in the great white outdoors.. and instead, worked our little tails off. but it's quite satisfying at the end of a hard day's work to see the basement looking the best it has in years, and for me personally to see the back AND the floor of my closet!! [understand that "closet" in my case is synonymous with "cave," as it is narrow, deep, and dark. but today! it saw the light.]

so maybe tomorrow we'll play in the snow and watch Robin Hood. until then, we've got to figure out what to do with all that herring in the fridge..