Becca Groves

valentine cookies

2012-01-26T17:04:00.000-06:00

Today's crafting took the form of baking. And for good reason. We have two guys here working on our bathroom this week. We are getting a new tub, ceiling, window, wall tile, paint color, mirror, light fixture and sink fixture. Basically everything is changing except the existing floor, toilet and sink. I could not be more excited.

All of this excitement means two things: 1) this pregnant girl can't go to the bathroom every seventeen minutes as usual. Today we went to the zoo with friends and that was a good idea for a number or reasons, but largely so I was a bit closer to the facilities. We plan on going again tomorrow. 2) Ivar adores these two men. He stands at the gate and watches them and laughs. And when they use loud tools he chuckles so loud like they're just trying to be funny for his entertainment.

Here, the guy was showing me the options for the wall tile but Ivar kept tossing him a ball over the gate, and he played and played with Ivar until I told him he would never get out of this game if he didn't just walk away.

So I made the workers some cookies this afternoon. I spotted the valentine's m&m's at Target last night and decided they were necessary. Which was a big decision because we are tightening up our budget big time and purchases like this have to later be defended as to why they were necessary. But after making these adorable cookies, I would say it's obvious why they were necessary. (I used this recipe and it's great. Pretty classic for an oatmeal and m&m cookie.)

a work in progress

2012-01-25T18:27:00.001-06:00

Today I got out a tiny 3x5 canvas frame and made the background above with tissue paper and modge podge. This picture makes it seem a lot bigger than it is. But it's tiny. I am planning on putting a little song bird on top of it all, but Rory is very concerned I'll ruin it, and would like me to keep it just the way is. Not sure what it has to do with hearts, but it was crafty.

But if we're talking little hearts, today I did make my next ob appointments and I now have the dates for our next heartbeat appointment and...the ultrasound!

Naturally, I got out some fun paper and made a chain with 49 loops, counting down until the day they goop my belly and we get to see the baby growing inside. Now if that isn't a project fit for hearts-and-crafts week, I don't know what is. Paper loops and staples all marking the time until we see the little life inside of me pumping its own beating heart.

heart wreath

2012-01-24T11:38:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was a great start to hearts-and-crafts week. Two things that helped this: I have a bad cold which means we're not doing anything other than laying low at home. And the tv is off. That really helps in the productivity department. Oh, and one more...pinterest. I have ideas unending after a look around the valentine craft ideas on this site. But I am treating pinterest like a new addictive drugs. I can tell if I get to close, I might get sucked in and never come out. So for now, I'm just browsing. Not participating with my own page. But talk about a kid in a candy shop. Wow.

I found this wreath idea through pinterest on this site. Adorable, easy, and would have gotten done a lot more quickly if I didn't have a one-year-old crushing my hearts as I made them. Crafting with Ivar is a whole new experience, but he loves it. Loves the paper cutter, loves the stapler, loves the ribbon. It's all new and he's so interested in my toys. I don't blame him. They're fun toys.

pink play dough

2012-01-23T19:50:00.000-06:00

The more I need a nap, the more Ivar refuses to lay his head down. We fought over this one for quite some time this afternoon. I am in the middle of a head cold that makes my face weight 100 pounds. I really could have used a nice long nap, but Ivar wasn't feeling it. So we got back up after a very, very long battle of the wills.

Lucky for me, I had thought about making play dough as one of my projects this week. So I got out of bed, put Ivar in the living room with some toys and made some play dough.

For me.

I have thought about this a lot lately. How hard I work to be sure Ivar learns to play, interact, develop, keep his routine. And I've been wondering how I can ensure that I still make time to play, interact, develop and keep a routine. I decided that I need more just-mama play dates.

And I decided that I need more playtime for myself. Hence Heart-and-craft Week...and the pink play dough I made just for myself to knead, to roll out, to cut into hearts. I squished, pounded, rolled it into snakes, rolled it into balls, made it into pizzas and ice cream cones. And it felt so good to play. Only trouble is that now I have a hankerin for rolled sugar cookies in the shape of hearts. (Remember these beauties?) That might have to be added to the list for heart-and-craft week.

**Here's my mom's recipe for play dough. It makes silky, lovely play dough that is easier to clean up than the store-bought kind. I have come to find that people are very partial to their particular play dough recipe. Sort of like all the varieties of chili out there, usually you like your mom's the best. I swear by this stuff, but to each her own.

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 tsp. cream of tartar

2 cups water (with food coloring added to the water)

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

In a saucepan mix flour, salt and cream of tartar.

Add colored water and oil.

Place over medium heat. Stir constantly for several minutes. (It gets heavy! It's hard to stir!)

It will begin to separate from the pan and become more dough-like and look like a lump of mashed potatoes.

Remove from heat and knead with hands. Store in an airtight container.

love rocks

2012-01-23T10:55:00.000-06:00

I didn't blog very much last week. And that was mostly because two of the three projects I wrote about on Monday's post were sort of coming to a head. I think all of my creative juices were pouring into those two things.

But now that they're in a less demanding stage, I started thinking about fun things to do with my days ahead. This pregnancy has had me down in the dumps in many ways, creatively, physically, emotionally... But I just stepped into second trimester and with all my heart I am hoping for a new season ahead.

So I decided to be really proactive about this next trimester. I thought about what I could do that would feed my soul, bring me back to the Becca I enjoy. And I came up with two solutions. #1 Unplug the tv for a week. This feels extreme because the amount of television I watched during first trimester was extreme. But I have hit my limit of the barefoot contessa, throwdown with bobby flay, income property, designed to sell and house hunters international. (I am not, however, sick of The Bachelor. And this will be a sacrifice this week. I get more enjoyment out of that amoral show than should be allowed.)

The second plan of attack this week is to make something crafty each day. Super simple is key. Something that might even be done in under 20 minutes. This morning I got out the modge podge and made these love rocks. Ivar loved playing with my fabric scraps and the rocks, I loved using my fabric scissors again and I am hopeful that tiny, little, small projects might just be what is needed to get my normal back to normal.

So get ready for a week of hearts and pink and purple and scissors and glue. I'm excited to play!

our huge church turned tiny

2012-01-22T13:53:00.002-06:00

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You know when you invite a friend to church how hard it is to sit back and enjoy the service? I have had this experience so many times, praying for a good sermon, wishing the special music was more special, critiquing how long the announcements drag on. When you bring a friend to church, you want momentum. You want everyone’s best foot forward. You want the spirit to show up.

When I was growing up we called an exceptionally powerful service “a real barn burner.” It doesn’t quite translate from sports because it’s not like it was “a close game” but more that it was “an exciting service.” If I thought Dad’s sermon was above average and if the choir sang something amazing and if the Spirit was felt I’d tell my dad, “Now that was a real barn burner this morning.”

You can feel it when everything comes together.

We had a real barn burner service at Cedar Valley this morning. The whole time I was wishing I had invited every single person I know.

The worship songs were powerful, the preaching was spot on and exactly what a sermon should be. But the thing that made this service come to life was that our huge church turned tiny for a few moments in the middle. It felt like an intimate family, all thousand plus of us gathered.

I don’t think I’ve written about this before, but we are in a life group with good friends Scott and Emily. Emily announced she was pregnant right about the time Ivar was born and sometime before Christmas last year they had their first ultrasound. It was discovered that their little baby boy had his heart, liver and most of his intestines growing on the outside of this body.

Prayers and tears and hope filled lots of conversations until we got a text one night in May that Emily was going into labor. Calvin was born almost full term and for 7 ½ months lived in the ICU as doctors tried to graft new skin, stretch existing skin, and make life possible before they were able to take him home with the help of 24 hour home healthcare.

This morning at church Calvin was dedicated.

It was the very first time Rory and I have seen him in person. With the risk of germs and disease, they are obviously quite strict about who can see him. But this morning we saw Calvin with his sweet cheeks and bright eyes. We saw a living, breathing miracle. His whole life is a testimony, with two parents who have faithfully prayed for their son and a church who has rallied behind them as they walk this unimaginable road.

Calvin was dedicated and then had to leave through the back door, back to his own car to his own home. Away from all of the coughs and colds that came along with us to worship.

Then the youth pastor came up and announced that he and his wife have taken a call to a new church in Mesa. This youth pastor is beloved at our church and this was a real blow. He and his wife cried as they made the announcement and thanked this church for being their home, thanked the senior pastor for being his spiritual mentor, thanked the pastor‘s wife for the love and care she has shown their family. It was heartfelt and left you grateful for a whole multitude of things, namely the gifts these two have shared with the church and that God continues to call and lead and direct all of our steps.

And finally, Pastor Roger then took the microphone after the youth pastor sat down and announced that he was diagnosed with cancer of the kidney this week and was asking for prayer. Pastor Jerry invited all who are in need of healing to come to the altar to be anointed with oil and for prayer. Almost 100 people stood up and walked forward. The woman in front of us stood, and suddenly I realized her wig. And how frail she was. And the sadness in her husband’s face. They walked forward and I wondered how it was that I had just greeted them before church and didn’t have the eyes to see any of that. But suddenly with the holiness that had entered our church, I could see.

These three moments, one after the other, were overwhelming. Baby Calvin, Youth Pastor Jesse and Pastor Roger all brought their broken-in-need-of-a-savior-selves before the church and the church in turn reflected all of our broken-and-in-need-of-a-savior-selves right back.

Only the Holy Spirit can bring that sort of vulnerable power into a room. Only Jesus can save all of us gathered. Only God can heal our brokenness and hurting hearts.

It was a real barn burner.

beautiful boundaries

2012-01-16T14:32:00.001-06:00

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I was asked by my home congregation to lead five nights of confirmation, all centered on meeting God in creative journaling, free writing, art and imagination. It was the perfect invitation. I got super excited about it and 24 hours later called the youth director and said I couldn’t commit.

The next day I was asked to lead one morning of a women’s bible study at my current church. I was honored, got super excited, and in the end turned this invitation down too.

Around this same time I was asked to head up the decorations for a huge kids banquet at our church. I was thrilled at the thought. And then I said no.

Here’s the thing. I rarely say no. I’m a pretty obedient Yes Girl. But before these invitations arrived, I had mapped out three large projects I wanted to tackle in the new year. Projects that are often put on the back burner, but require some time and energy and I want to see them through.

So I said no to three incredible invitations. Even writing each of them out made my heart sink a little. They were hard to turn down.

All of those invitations came in November and December but now it is in January that I am feeling the relief of not having over committed. I’m not sure I’ve ever known this sweet feeling before. I’m so grateful for boundaries!

So this is just a post to remind you, it’s okay to say no. Even to good things. It’s important to still listen for where God is calling you, but sometimes I think God is calling you to still waters. And clearing my life a bit with some foresighted no’s in December has made for a really lovely January.

when did this happen?!!

2012-01-13T11:21:00.000-06:00

Ivar is changing before my very eyes into the beginnings of a very little boy. I see it in his face and it catches me off guard. His teeth, his parroting words, his personal will, his happy dancing, his conversational babble, his joy...little signs of all that is to come, living life with this little guy.

I read two great pieces on motherhood recently and wanted to pass them along for a bit of weekend reading. The first went viral on facebook and you may very well have read it already.

It's called Don't Carpe Diem. It's got some good, honest stuff to say and I really appreciated what it had to say about kairos time versus chronos time. I think about this often now.

The second blog post I wanted to share is called This Big Sister's Advice. And it's sweet and tender and a good reminder of what this whole mamahood gig is all about.

Along those lines, on Tuesday I joined a mom's group at my church for Bible study. It was the best thing ever. I told Rory it felt like empowerment therapy. We shared a lot, but it wasn't a commiseration fest either. I left inspired, ready to live out my call as a mom with a second wind.

If you are a young mom and not a part of a mom's group of any sort, I beg you to start looking for something similar in your area. I know MOPS has a great reputation (your children don't have to be in preschool!). And I would hope most churches have something similar. It is so necessary. I am building friendships with ladies who are so easily able to relate, and there could be nothing better. So check out a local church, the MOPS website, community centers in your area...just find a group of girls and walk this road together.

clean house

2012-01-12T14:14:00.001-06:00

I like to keep a tidy house. But Ivar and his many toys seem to have taken over. Some days I can handle this, but after days of feeling too sick to clean up after the boy, our house went to pot.

(What does that saying mean? Like pot the drug? Or a pot for plants? Why does the word pot looks so weird right now?)

Anyway. I read a super inspiring blog post about putting all the toys and books together and making three piles, one to keep out, one for short term storage and one for long term storage. (I'd like to say there was a pile for good will, but the kid is one and it's hard to throw anything knowing another is on its way.) The part of this plan I loved the most was the short term storage. I got a huge rubbermaid and filled it up with great toys, but toys that have many pieces, toys that seem to spread all over the house.

And now, the plan is to swap out a new toy each day. (Though so far, he is totally entertained by the few toys I left out.) He has one train set in the living room and his bedroom cleans up in a jiffy.

(What is a jiffy?)

Here's the crazy part that I want to share. Ivar plays for longer stretches of time now, with fewer toys. He found a tennis ball tube that he fills with trains and then dumps out and then fills again and dumps out. This was all out before, but now it's the only stuff out. And he stays focused longer.

I'd say I put away 60% of his stuff. And we now have a less cluttered home. And our son occupies himself for longer stretches of time.

That is a win win.

the nuts and bolts of my Kitchen Table

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-06:00

Within the last week, I have had a meal on the table six out of the seven nights. One of those nights Rory put the food on, and another night I was too sick to make anything and getting myself to the table wasn’t really an option.

I’d say a really solid start.

After a week I have a few plans that I hope to stick by:
1. Meal is on the table by 5. This is so early, I know. And yet we eat lunch around 11 at this house and by five there are three hungry bellies to be filled. We started out at 5:30, but Ivar wouldn’t have it. So we moved up our suppertime.

2. I keep my laptop off of the table now. The kitchen table is no longer able to be the catch-all place. I try to keep it relatively clear throughout the day. This helps when it's time to set it and fill it with food.

3. The meal doesn’t have to be homemade. Hopefully one thing on the table is, but there just needs to be a meal on the plate. That’s the goal. The night Rory cooked we had sausage, eggos and strawberry's. It was very nice.

4. Coborn’s Delivers. More on this another time, but let me tell you, I adore this service. After a terrible experience involving me and Cub and a gagging spell and hitting a wall of exhaustion so hard I thought I’d curl up under my cart in the cereal aisle, I decided to look into this grocery delivery service. We’ve had four deliveries so far and all I can say is that it still feels too good to be true.

5. My four week meal menu. I have had so many people contact me with great meal planning ideas, great recipe websites, even their own excel spreadsheets (thanks Marie!). I find much comfort knowing that lots of others need a system for meal prep too. I listed out all of the meals our family enjoys and set up a weekly calendar with a food-type for each day the week. So far, week one was a complete success. We're now on to week two. I'm not strict about what we eat each day, but this calendar is so helpful as a place to start! (On a few days I use the slash to list two different options, one that might take more time along with an easier option.)

So that’s the plan. I’m sure I’ll modify it as we go along, but until then, I’m so happy to be feeding my family!

our little israelite

2012-01-09T12:53:00.001-06:00

Ivar has learned two new words this week: more and banana, which he pronounces, "nana"

But today he morphed the two words together and now, when he wants more food, he yells from his high chair, "Manna! Manna!"

And you know, food always shows up on his tray. Like it just rained down from the sky.

creative juices are flowing again!

2012-01-06T07:30:00.000-06:00

I have been blog browsing lately. A dangerous pastime that usually ends up in a lot of time passing me by. But I have been feeling a little burst of creativity lately, and that feels really, really good. At this point I'm just taking in a lot of ideas, not sure where I'll begin. But in the process of surfing I found one new site that I ADORE. Can't get enough.

Check out Modern Parents, Messy Kids. The pictures above are from that site. The page I am linking to is all sorts of fun projects to do with kids. Makes me want to get crafty again so badly. It has been so long!

Second, this site called Organic Families was up on my computer when I sat down tonight. I think Rory must have been looking something up for his garden, but I love this post I'm linking too. A system for teaching your kids how to pick up after themselves. It's pretty brilliant.

And finally, I stumbled upon Cluck, Cluck, Sew and have been bitten by the quilt bug. Actually, it bit really hard this time. I've already been to two speciality fabric stores and am cleaning the table in the basement so I can set up shop down there. Can't wait to try my hand at a little wall quilt.

And you? Have you been inspired lately?

a little heartbeat

2012-01-05T11:19:00.000-06:00

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A life has been growing in me for the past 12 weeks.
Sometimes I forget this. I don’t forget that I’m not feeling well, but I do forget that the reason I feel crummy is because a little heart is beating in me and fingers are separating and eye sockets are forming and reflexes are starting to develop.

With Ivar I was so aware of every new change happening inside. I daydreamed and wondered and sat in awe of all that was to come.

Now, with a one year old to chase, this pregnancy continues to take me by surprise. Like yesterday, Rory and I sat at my obgyn and they gooped up my belly and we heard a steady, strong heartbeat. It was as joyous as seeing my positive pregnancy test. Sort of surprised me in the same way. That’s right! We are having another baby!

So to all of the baby #2’s out there who fear you were sort of lost in the shuffle. You may very well have been. The second is totally different than the first, even 12 weeks in. But the joy is the same. And the anticipation and excitement when it does come, is very, very real.

Best of all baby-to-be, you have a big brother who never forgets you are coming. Every time I get Ivar out of his crib, he reaches for my shirt, lifts it up, sticks his finger in my belly button and says, “baby.” I am pretty sure he thinks belly buttons are called babies but I’m not going to correct him anytime soon. It’s the best reminder that life is growing, a brand new heart is pumping and we have a little life working really hard inside of me getting all set to join our family.

my kitchen table theme song

2012-01-03T21:22:00.000-06:00

Sara wrote this song while doing the dishes. The song is about all of the daily tasks to be done, only to be undone and then done again the next day. Setting up the Pins is about deciding to either resent those tasks or embrace them. "You can find joy in the fertile ground" is the line that rings true for me.

I adore this video. Though you'll note Rory and I are the only family members missing for the family supper. We lived in Omaha and couldn't get back. But just know a little part of me dies every time I see it. #1 because I missed my opportunity to be in a music video and #2 because...well, I missed my opportunity to be in a music video.

It makes me grateful we live in Minnesota again. And are available for music videos.

And if you have a minute be sure to watch this video too. It's great storytelling and song writing.

Okay, I just keep coming across more good Sara video's on Youtube. Be sure to watch this one too.

my 2012 word for the year

2012-01-02T20:50:00.000-06:00

What on earth? Will someone please tell her that’s actually two words?!! And that the one little word isn't supposed to be a noun? ‘Kitchen Table’ is ridiculous.

Well, you could tell me that.

And I could have chosen two other words that probably would have made more sense to the one little word club. I thought about intention. As in 'intention to get a meal on that table each night.’ And I thought about the word gather, as in ‘gather round family, its 5:30 and I’ve got something real tasty for you to eat.’

But intention and gather felt too flowery for me this year. Too schmaltzy, if you will. This isn’t about pretty sounding words and high hopes. This is about meat and potatoes. It’s about the practicalities of getting a routine in my life so that grocery shopping isn’t a mystifying experience every week. It’s about planning and preparation so that I am not begrudgingly trying to guess what I should make for supper every single day. And it’s about peace of mind knowing that the days of eating in front of the tv are over, Ivar is old enough to sit through a meal with us and that the time we gather and talk and break bread at the kitchen table is perhaps the most sacred time in our day.

Now to be fair, it's not like we never eat at the table. We probably do 3 or 4 times a week. But this new plan has as much to do with my attitude about the daily task of putting something on that table as it does getting us all there. My plan with Kitchen Table is to up that number of nights per week and to up my attitude about filling that table with good things to eat. (Rory has already said he'll take a night.)

So the word is Kitchen Table. As in, I’m going to clear the table and set the table. Sometimes I might even have a centerpiece. A lit candle seems like a good idea. I am going to meal plan, organize my grocery list and think about the next night’s supper and what needs to thaw overnight. And then, at 5:30, I’m going to call my family to the kitchen table and we’re gonna thank God for the sloppy joes before us.

thoughts on my 2011 one little word: try

2012-01-01T14:56:00.000-06:00

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When I was seven months pregnant with Ivar, Rory and I spent a week at Mount Carmel for family camp. We were sitting at a table in the dining hall that looked over the lake and my friends Amanda and Lindsey came and joined us. They are former summer counselors that I used to supervise, and now I get to count as friends. They came to our table on a mission. They had something to say.

They asked me if I’d ever consider writing a book of short little thoughts on motherhood, stories and lessons along the way. They were persistent. They wanted me to write this so they could read it one day when they had babies. I laughed but they didn’t laugh. I remember later feeling badly for being so flippant at their request.

Something about that conversation stuck for me, and really took a load off. I have wanted to write something for a long, long time. But the thought of publishing, finding readers, critique, and being that absolutely vulnerable scared the wits out of me.

But Amanda and Lindsey were just asking for something that they could later read. I’m not scared of their critique. I’m not afraid of their judgment over incomplete thoughts, typos and laying myself bare. They like me. I like them. I would write for them.

I wrote a lot on the blog about pregnancy and Ivar’s first year, but there is a whole lot I didn’t put on the blog. So I started keeping a file filled with short writings pertaining to every month of his life, filled with transition, awkward moments, charmed moments and everything in between.

My word for 2010 was Try. Because that was the goal: I’m going to try to complete something that I can self publish. I have terrible voices in my head that tell me not to bother, but my word for the year was meant to stand in defiance against those voices. I’m just going to try. No one has to love it. No one has to read it. At least I tried.

So I did. We set up babysitting times once a week so that I could drop Ivar off with grandparents and aunts and uncles and I holed up in library study rooms across the metro area.

I’ve got a pretty complete rough draft to show for it. Because I tried.

I’m in a new stage of writing now, one that I have never been in before…editing. Blogs are funny because nothing is ever edited. I write and publish and what you see is what I wrote. But I’m hopeful for no typos. No glaring grammatical errors. And for that, I need someone else’s help.

So that’s my reflection on my word for 2011. I have a new word for 2012. I’m really excited to share it and more excited to live it. It’s a great word full of meaning for me. Full of purpose and ambition. And this year, it’s a noun.

the best of 2011

2011-12-31T07:30:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite bloggers puts together a post of her personal bests for each year. I thought I'd give it a go myself and had such a cool time going through my favorite pictures, reflecting on the past year and all the good things we packed it with. I give you, my best of 2011:

the magic maker

2011-12-30T07:30:00.000-06:00

I’ve been thinking about this all month. Not sure how it’s going to all come tumbling out, but I’m just going to start typing. (The picture above is me in 1st grade. And I still have that skateboarding girl, I'll have you know. I know right where she's at at this very moment...)

Now this thought I’m about to share isn’t totally new to me. I’ve felt it since Ivar was born, but this Christmas it became quite pronounced. This year I hardly decorated, cookies made me nauseous and we didn’t have any snow. It was an odd Christmas to be sure. But it made something very obvious: If I don’t decorate, the house doesn’t get decorated. If I don’t bake, we don’t nibble and munch all season. If I don’t make my house merry and bright, December can slip by like any other month. I am the magic maker.

I get really nostalgic for Christmas' in the past. But what I'm realizing is the ones I am dreaming about are the Christmas' where I merely took in the magic. The ones where somehow it all got done. Someone mysterious was doing all the gift purchasing and then wrapping those gifts into the wee hours behind a locked bedroom door. Someone else bustled in the kitchen for our ham and hot fruit and creamy potatoes. Someone else did all of the organizing of company, planning of special festive outings, decorating and party planning.

Turns out, my mom was busting her hiney every December. My mom was making the magic. And I’m just realizing this now, at age 30.

I mean, I knew it, I just didn’t really know how much work it entailed.

It’s a big responsibility! My sister-in-law Lisa told me that at some point the week before Christmas it dawned on her that she simply was not going to get it all done. She knew it days before execution. There just wasn’t enough time. And so after Christmas dinner, Lisa disappeared and wrapped the presents we were about to open just moments later. She was doing her magic, you see.

So to all the mom’s who met each other at Target late at night, to all the mom’s who ran to the corner store for another pound of butter and some more vanilla, to all the mom’s who got out all of the Christmas decorations and now are staring at them hoping they’ll put themselves away, I guess I just want to say, You’re magical.

And it is worth it. All the love and attention to detail my mom poured into my childhood Christmas' were not lost on me. And now it's what I'll strive for with my own kids. Starting next year. When smells are lovely again and feeding my son lunch doesn't take every ounce of energy I have. But look out Christmas 2012. I'll be back. And I'll be magical.

a christmas to remember...or try to forget.

2011-12-29T11:54:00.000-06:00

Ivar got the flu on Christmas Morning around 1:30 at my folk’s house. We had celebrated Christmas Eve with the Groves and went to my parents to sleep overnight for Christmas Day with the Harringtons.

Unfortunately, it was violent and messy and long lasting. Basically, it was awful. It’s hard to watch your baby dry heave. But I do recommend if you’re a first time mom, try to be with your mom when your baby gets the flu for the first time. Because as a first time mom, you really need a mom of your own to mother you while you act as the mother to your baby. At one point in the night Rory said to my mom, “Margaret, you can go back to bed if you’d like.” And I told him mom was up for me, not for Ivar.

Another handy thing about being at mom’s is that she has an abundance of wash clothes and bath towels which is what we used to wrap our baby in and catch his mess. He blew through his clothes quite quickly and this served as a pretty great system considering how unpredictable the whole thing is.

We came back home on Christmas Day, and my folks headed to my sister’s to celebrate with her and her family. Ivar threw up throughout the day, but babies are funny and sort of bounce back between episodes. So we opened Christmas presents by the tree, watching the Yule Log and laying very low. I felt really ill after such a terrible night of sleep.

Monday came and I felt better than I have in months. I sorted my art supplies, switched a book shelf, and my folks came over in the evening to help with more projects. I was so motivated to sieze this new found energy! We swept, mopped, took the tree down (I know, pretty early, but what is the point of sweeping if you are going to take the tree down a few days later?!!) and the Christmas decorations (all three of them I had put up.)

Then my mom got sick. Really sick. 36 hours after Ivar, and she was down for the count. They left our house with bucket in hand and three hours later my dad caught the bug too. An hour after that Rory and I were hit. It was like war. This flu bug was picking us off one by one.

Monday night will not soon be forgotten. All three of us in this little home were violently ill and it was terrible. Terrible.

Tuesday came as a slow recovery day. But Ivar still threw up Tuesday night and then again last night. We took him to the doctor today and the doctor thinks the last three nights have been formula related with his system having trouble digesting the lactose in his bottles. So we’re onto soy formula and hoping this might be the key.

Did I mention that Annika’s little baby Svea got it too? And now Sonna has it. That family is like domino’s about to topple over and I am so, so sorry for them.

My dad is out grocery shopping for us right now, restocking the essentials: bananas, apple sauce, gingerale, saltines and bread. We’re a sorry sight here on Girard. Wouldn’t recommend coming too close.

Just thought I’d check in before the new year. Sorry if this is all too much information. I sort of just wanted to write it out so that years from now we can read it and thank our lucky stars it isn’t the Christmas of 2011.

cookie swap 2011

2011-12-22T20:05:00.000-06:00

Monday was the Great Lisa Groves Cookie Swap 2011. It's my favorite event leading to Christmas, and even though the thought of making twelve dozen cookies made me gag, I decided to partake.

I got my game on. Thursday I mixed three batches of batter for the Sugar and Spice cookies. They're my favorite, and ginger cookies seemed like a good and smart idea for this pregnant lady. On Friday my mom came to help me bake them all. The first batch came out flat and greasy. They looked like this:

Mom started asking questions. Questions like, how much butter did you put in each batch of dough? To which I replied, "well, it calls for 3/4 cup butter, and I used three out of the four sticks in the box." I knew my error as I said it. I looked wide eyed at my mom and she sighed, "Oh honey, you are so pregnant."

And then she proceeded to spend the rest of her day in my kitchen whipping up three new batches of dough, attempting to resurrect the double butter batters with oatmeal, which sort of made them taste like greasy gingersnaps with oatmeal, baked all 12 dozen cookies from the new batter, cleaned my kitchen and went home after it was all over.

Can we get three cheers for my mom?!!

The cookie swap was, as always, fantastic. I love this gathering. I am very much included only because I am a sister-in-law. The rest of these ladies have been friends for over 20 years... they started out having babies together and now are sending them off to college. They have done plenty of life together and it is a privilege to get to listen in, watch the friendships in action, get to be a part of the stories told, the heartache shared and the deep laughter.

And it's always nice to come home with twelve dozen different cookies. Rory might love this event even more than I do, if that's possible.

rub a dub dub

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000-06:00

Confession: Ivar hasn't been the most hygienic baby for the past six months. At some point around six months old, he decided he didn't like baths. (I'm realizing that this probably was because I was still bathing him in the kitchen sink in the baby tub because our bathtub is really high on the sides, a claw foot that sounds fancier than it is. The sides are really high which makes it hard to kneel and reach the baby...) As a result, bath time has been a wrestling match, usually ending with me as the soggy loser and both of us tuckered out. It's not terrible, but it's not fun either and leaves a mom a bit unmotivated to get the baby in the bathtub.

But something changed recently and we've got a little fish on our hands. He loves bath time. And I am realizing that the mom's who make bath time a part of their bedtime routine are really just trying to save their sanity. Because bath time comes at fall-apart time. The time when everyone needs to go to bed, but it's still just too early.

Bath time turns 6:00-7:00 into splashes and happiness, and mom's get to sit on the closed toilet seat and rest their weary selves for a moment. It's such a win win. Ivar looks nicer without crusted oatmeal in his hair and I get to sit in a steamy, humid room with a happy baby.

advent and preparation

2011-12-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

We have a tree up with beautiful white lights on it. And I have a fisher price nativity set my mom gave us a few years ago that Ivar likes to play with (and by play, I mean throw the shepherds and wisemen around). But other than that, I haven't put up one single decoration. Oh, except the barn to a nativity set that I brought upstairs a few weeks ago...but I haven't unpacked any boxes to find the people, so it's just a barn. No peeps in the stable.

I just don't have it in me this year. I'm tired. I'm queasy and I sort of don't think I can handle adding more clutter to our stuff. As it stands our house is strewn with brightly colored toys and tupperware and it already feels full. More decorations just seems like it would be too much.

In an effort to comfort myself, to give permission to this years lack of tradition-making, I have been on a quest for fun advent ideas. And I found this post and wanted to link to it so that next year, when I'm feeling spry and energized, I can be the supermom I know I can be. Just not this year.

So check out this link of fun ideas for the 25 days leading up to Christmas. She has great ideas for family outings, special nights at home, service projects for others and then writes about that super fun idea of wrapping up all of the Christmas books at the beginning of the month and then letting your kids unwrap one book a night all throughout December and reading it before bed. I love this idea.

egg in the hole?!!

2011-12-15T14:02:00.001-06:00

I am working my way through Pioneer Woman's cookbook and thought it was so odd she put a recipe in there for a piece of bread with a fried egg in the middle. Her cooking is always a bit more complicated than that.

But last night, as a last ditch attempt at supper (we're low on everything...) I decided to give it a go.

And oh my goodness, it was good. It wasn't just eggs and toast. It was like something different, with some egg baked into the toast, and the toast in ready position to sop up the runny egg. I don't even usually like sunnyside up eggs, but with enough salt and pepper I am a believer in this SUPER EASY and hey-that-felt-like-a-real-dinner recipe.

Here's her "recipe." I have a feeling I am really behind on this one. My guess is that many of you were raised on this, but egg in the hole is a new find for me, and I couldn't be more happy to have found another easy-peasy supper to add to the mix.

little house

2011-12-14T10:43:00.000-06:00

Oh have you seen Little House lately?!! It's perfect for me right now because the frames don't move too fast, and the only food they show is ma pulling out bread from the oven. I can't get over how sucked in I get to these episodes. I called my sister yesterday after having watched the episode The Blizzard. I started crying at some point in the middle of the show, and by the end it was the ugly cry. And then the show was over and I still was ugly crying.

Annika watched Little House faithfully when she little and she claims all of her forehead wrinkles are from watching this show and the worry and heartache she took upon herself on behalf of the Ingalls.

Anyway, if you're looking for a good gift for some girls in your life, I can think of few things better than the books or the dvd's.

my party chicken.

2011-12-12T11:14:00.000-06:00

My friend Emily sent this to me this morning and it made me laugh out loud. Because I really need to find my party chicken again. I have been so moody with this pregnancy. (That post I wrote on Friday was so crabby...and you can even pinpoint the moodswing in my writing!) I'm not sure where my party chicken has been, but Emily has unlocked it. Thank Goodness.

great gift ideas, each for under $100!

2011-12-08T22:50:00.001-06:00

I saw a commercial recently that boasted “great gifts under $100!” Shortly after I read a magazine article that was giving gift ideas around the same price point. And it just got me wondering. Who on earth spends $100 on a Christmas gift? I would say I am a part of two upper middle class families, and the two families I am apart of either 1)swap a favorite book with one other selected family member or 2) give one gift to one other adult at a very modest price point. I just don’t know the people getting or giving the “great bargain deal $100 presents.”

I’ve been sort of cynical this Christmas season so far. I’ve been trying to get into the spirit, even listened to my fair share of radio Christmas music. Yikes. The lyrics in the most overplayed song…“Tell me baby, do you recognize me? Well, it’s been a year, I guess it doesn’t surprise me.” For real? Your one night stand from last Christmas Eve can’t even pick you out in a crowd? Gross.

I think my Christmas train derailed at Thanksgiving. Rory went to his brother’s house to celebrate, but I stayed home feasting on applesauce and banana’s while watching a U2 documentary all day.

But, I am happy to report that I found the Christmas Spirit last night. I found it in mass. Rory and I went to Britt’s Pub a 4:00, and as we walked in we were welcomed by more Scandinavian Sweaters that you could find in Norway. The place was packed with cheerful Lutherans, doing exactly what we were doing, grabbing a bite before heading over to orchestra hall for the Concordia Christmas concert. I walked into the pub and laughed out loud. The sea of wool was overwhelming. I told Rory, “I know these people. These are my people. I mean, I don’t know one of them, but I know them.”

We ate fish and chips and I had a great moment of clarity, realizing that any joint that leaves the malt vinegar on the table is a new standard for how highly I rank a restaurant. Vinegar is again my pregnancy craving. Give it to me straight up, in a pickle, olives, peppercinis, ketchup, bbq, just lay it on me. I’ll impress you by how soggy I can make my fries before popping them into my mouth.

The concert was gorgeous and I vowed off of radio Christmas music for a while, planning to play more CDs with Christmas carols and music that actually sings to the reason for the season. More Jesus, less one night stands.

Ivar has some news to share...

2011-12-08T07:30:00.000-06:00

That mushroom shaped loaf in the oven is supposed to be a bun. As in, we're pregnant! Expecting our second baby sometime in mid July.

I took the test one night when Rory was out with his brothers. This was the forth month I took the test and was really banking on another not pregnant result. I had planned in my head that I'd take it and let myself be disappointed on the couch that night while Rory was gone.

But lo and behold, that second line appeared. At that same moment the cat was trying to paw itself into Ivar's room, so I had the cat in one hand, the stick in the other and kept repeating to Toonces the big news. He didn't care. He just wanted down.

I didn't know when Rory would be home and was dying with all the time I suddenly had on my hands. So I googled "fun ways to tell your husband" and ended up wrapping the pregnancy test, making an invitation to the birth of our baby, put a bun in the oven, threw one in the toaster oven and tried to keep myself occupied.

Rory came home and I was waiting to read his mood. Maybe he'd be too tired and I'd wait until morning to have Ivar give him the positive test. It would be fun to have Ivar involved.

Rory was in a great mood, super chatty recounting the night. We were reheating some leftovers in the kitchen when he spied the toaster oven. In rapid fire, like some auctioneer, he blurted, "Do you know you left a bun in the toaster oven? Wait is that a bun in the oven? Do we have a bun in the oven?!!"

I was totally caught off guard. He pieced it all together so fast! I think it was my mother-in-law who later pointed out that I have clearly trained him well to look for riddles hidden around our house.

I was shocked! He wondered how I had wanted to tell him the news. I said I didn't know. I had like 14 plans and hadn't decided on one yet. But this was perfect. He figured it out.

We sat on the news for 6 minutes. Then Rory said, "I want to tell my brothers." And I suggested we wait until Thanksgiving when all the families are gathered anyway. And Rory repeated, "I think I want to tell my brothers. Like right now." He dialed Kyle. And then Troy. It was fun. It was high energy. We didn't get the flip camera out. :)

Within 24 hours all family knew. Even our little nieces and nephews, which basically means we were shouting it from the rooftops.

I had my 8 week check-up yesterday and got lots of blood drawn and a few shots. I'm not feeling great with this pregnancy. Totally different than Ivar, but I'll share more about that another day. For now, this is joyous news! We are having another baby!

My favorite story so far comes from Ruby, my four-year-old niece. Her mom had told her we were having a baby, but that it was a secret that she couldn't tell.

When I saw Ruby a few weeks later, I asked her, "Ruby, do you know I have a baby growing in me?" Ruby nodded and smiled and ran to her mom and said, "Mom! Aunt Becca already knew she had a baby in her! And I didn't even tell her!"

here's what's cookin.

2011-12-05T16:50:00.001-06:00

I've been cooking lately. That's a big deal. I'm sort of an uninspired cook usually, excited to find ready-to-heat meals at Trader Joes, excited to make another eggs and potatoes breakfast-for-supper sort of meal. But lately, I've been chopping. And grating and things have been bubbling and my house smells amazing.

I'm not sure what brought about this change. I think seasonally, when it gets so cold, there is something in a Minnesota mama that wants to get her family real close and feed them warm things just to ward off the offensive temperatures. So we've had lots of soups and hotdishes.

I also read a quick read called My Homemade Life, a food memoir that painted a picture of the process of cooking that sort of challenged how I see myself in the kitchen. Typically, my goal is to get food on the table, bellies full and the kitchen cleaned up so we can move onto the next thing. This book made me wonder if I'm missing the joy involved in the simmering, the smelly garlic fingers that linger for days, the actual process.

This little shift has helped considerably. I'm not afraid to try new recipes. And as the food memoir recommends, I follow the instructions and ingredients exactly. That's always been my biggest problem. The Scandinavian in me tries to omit the chili peppers, and then wonders why her corn chowder is so bland. Well, I committed to the chile's and that recipe is pure gold.

So, since this little blog is my own journal of life happenings, and because I hope to reference these recipes that shined a bit brighter than the others, I thought I'd post the favorites with hopes of more chopping and mincing and simmering.

Pioneer Woman's Corn Chowder with Chiles
Land a livin. This was so good. Full of cream and butter and bacon, I welcomed it all and it did not disappoint. We ate most of a loaf of crusty bread with it, and that was key. It's a soup for dipping. Pioneer woman is not afraid of butter and cream, and I decided not to be either. But if you are, her recipes will freak you out. They will terrorize you in the night. But I'm not scared.

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna
I used her recipe from the cookbook, which is slightly different than this one on her website in that it uses fresh basil and parsley, and honestly, after eating it with the fresh stuff, I think I might be too snobby to go back. It was utter perfection for a lasagna. Saucy, but didn't fall into a soup when I served it. I mean, perfection.

Paula Dean and Jessica Sprague's Chicken Noodle Soup
I think I've blogged about this soup three times now. It is just that good. We use broth instead of stock and like that much better. And also we cook our own chicken breasts in the oven (using this method for oven roasting) and have much juicier chicken that way. And then we never add the noodles to the soup until it is time to serve. We cook them seperately and mix the soup and noodles in our individual bowls when it's time to eat. They don't get soggy and that's important. And I leave out the cream and Parmesan cheese, but will sprinkle some mozzarella on it if we've got it.

Tuna Noodle Casserole
I had a hankerin' and it wasn't going to go away. I doubled this recipe and it was fantastic. Hit the spot. And spots for days after as it made so much.

And another super easy, I love this meal: Trader Joes Naan bread (toasted), Hummus, Tzatziki Creamy Garlic Cucumber Dip, and chicken breasts seasoned with Lawry's and covered in fresh squeezed lime juice. This meal takes 10 minutes to put on the table and Rory will comment the whole time, "we should have this once a week." It's easier than frozen pizza!

Alrighty. Enjoy. Happy Eating. I sure am happy when I eat.

yarn globes

2011-12-05T08:10:00.000-06:00

Have you met my niece Josie yet? She's the best. In the picture above she was dressed as a green bird for her middle school play, Seussical. She's fun, animated, kind and we adore her. Ivar adores her. She adores Ivar. It really works out well for everyone.

We got to have Josie over the Friday night before Ivar's Ball Party. I had seen tutorials for Yarn Globes before, but was thinking I'd probably scrap this decoration. It was getting to be to much. But with the news that Josie was coming over I got a second wind. If there is a girl I'd like to make a yarn ball with, it's Josie.

It was a total mess. And so fun. We worked hard on how to best execute this project and by the end, we were a slick machine.

Basically we are soaking the yarn in a combination of water, modge podge, elmers glue and flour..with no real ratio of one to the other. We just sort of dumped and stirred until it felt about right.

We made three balls and we got so slap happy. Might have been the glues we were sniffing, might have been that it was getting late, but I felt like I was in 7th grade again. We took breaks for huge bowls of icecream with chocolate syrup. We took breaks to watch America's Funniest Home Videos with Rory. We took breaks to watch Josie's dance routines for the play. We sang Sara Groves songs so that Rory had to tell us to keep it down or we'd wake the baby.

We hung the balls to dry in the kitchen overnight and then I brought Josie's to her at church so that she could pop the balloon and sneak it out one of the holes, leaving just the hardened yarn shell.

They made pretty decorations, and now they are hung over Ivar's crib, which delights him to no end. He points them out to me every time I put him down and every time I get him up. And I reply, "yep. those balls are still there!"

grandma b's funeral

2011-12-03T21:20:00.001-06:00

The funeral was a sweet, sweet time of family. I kept thinking Grandma would have loved it.

I cried the hardest while the whole family was gathered in the basement of the church before we walked in for the funeral. Seeing us all together and knowing that it might just not happen ever again, was a death I was grieving, just as much as Grandma's. Obviously I'll see all of them over and over, but it won't ever be the same. Death to a chapter in life, I suppose. I know this from Grandma and Grandpa Harrington's deaths. I miss that we don't all drive to Waverly for Christmas and wander around HyVee and Walmart the day after Christmas with Uncle Mark and Aunt Jane. I miss lingering over the continental breakfast in the Super 8 before heading to the nursing home. I just miss that chapter. And I know something similar is about to change with the Bredbergs too. I am most sad for that.

***
My cousin Daron gave a great talk on Hope and Humming, reading Psalm 108 and telling how one can't really hum unless they have a deep peace inside of them. Grandma hummed all the time, no matter what she was doing. And that was an outward evidence of the joy and contentment she felt on the inside.

My cousin Mark told a story at the wake. He told about how Grandma had a way of making ordinary moments feel special, and how on the night before his wedding at the farm, they found the dress shirt he was going to wear the next day in the clean laundry. Grandma walked the shirt over to Mark's mom and asked her if she would like the honor of ironing the shirt her son was going wear the next day. Mark said his mom would typically pay no attention to such a small task, but somehow the way Grandma presented the shirt made the ironing feel important, sacred. And so she ironed the shirt and she still talks about how special that was for her, how much love and care she took and how Grandma helped her see the holy in the ordinary.

That's what I'm going to miss the most, I suppose. Grandma was a quiet work horse. Always a project. Always turning the ordinary into something sacred.

It was hard for me to really be sad about Grandma. There was time for closure, and many had a special moment of prayer, a verbal blessing, a heartfelt farewell. It was time. I feel very badly for my cousin Kathy who is expecting in May, that Grandma will never meet her first baby. And actually I feel most badly for Kathy and Sarah. Grandma was basically a second mom to those two, always folding their laundry, at every game, involved in every 4-H project. I was keenly aware of how different their grieving must be from my own. I was definitely the city mouse and they had grandma in the country. And now to have Grandma miss meeting Kathy's firstborn...I can't imagine how hard and disappointing that must be.

Her funeral was so full of Jesus and why we are here, and what it looks like to live a life for all the right reasons, focused on the truly most important things. Dad preached and did a really excellent job. Got in a political comment, just enough to make the whole family laugh/squirm, and somehow even that felt right.

I didn't get to see her apartment emptied out. I think that would have been helpful. Also, she didn't look like herself in the casket, I didn't think. Her lips were spread too wide. She definitely was not in that body anymore, that's for sure. During the wake she was in one room and the family was in another all together, laughing, eating, talking. And when I went to her casket I felt so convinced that I was touching a shell. The party was in the next room over. She would have been by the food.

***
Just one closing thought. I have shared a few conversations and emails with friends talking about how they wish they had such a family. And I guess I have two responses: 1) I wish you did too. and 2) This family is far from perfect. But the truth remains that love and forgiveness fill in a whole lot of hurtful places, because this family knows the Lord. And what is so inspiring to me, is that somewhere, generations before me, a husband and wife decided to bend a knee and made a promise, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." And now, because of some great, great, great, great grandpa and grandma, I am living in the blessing of a Christ-filled family. There are hurts a plenty, but there is even more grace. That's the difference. So to the friends who wish their family behaved something like the Bredbergs, I guess I'd say, bend a knee. And you'll get be the great, great, great, great grandma or grandpa to some great, great, great, great grandchild like me one day. And she'll be unable to find the words to thank you for the gift you have given to her.

passing on the faith: a repost

2011-11-30T13:28:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is Grandma Bredberg's funeral. The service will be at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Dunnell, the same church where she was baptized, confirmed, married, baptized her seven kids, confirmed her seven kids, married off most of her seven kids, and buried her husband. It's going to be a celebration, but I definitely am bracing for the sadness to hit. I have a feeling it is going to hit hard when it does.

I wrote this post two winters ago. I am reposting it for two reasons: First, there is something so dear and precious about a person's handwriting. Second, because what is writen is the foundational truth of life.

We are right in the middle of 'Believing God' and I am, once again, learning so much. But for me the coolest thing about the study this time around is getting to do this Bible Study with my mom and my grandma. Not to mention the women from all different parts of my life who have also joined in this online study. It is a sweet community, and I am grateful.

When I was in Mesa, I found this list taped to my grandma's bathroom mirror. It's the five statements that the study is based upon, and part of the study is to memorize them. I saw them taped on her mirror, in her handwriting, and in that moment realized what a true treasure this opportunity truly is... to get to study and learn God's Word with my grandma. My heart overflows with thanksgiving for this sweet 10 weeks of growing in faith with her, and for her strong example to never stop learning God's commands and to always follow Jesus.

no, seriously velma, well done.

2011-11-27T19:48:00.001-06:00

Grandma b died yesterday with her kids surrounding her bed and singing this hymn, "Oh Jesus I have promised to serve you to the end." Just read those words above again. The woman was preaching even in her final breath!

When we got the news, Rory and I talked for a long time imagining what she must be experiencing at that very moment. We imagined Jesus saying, "No, seriously Velma, well done. I mean, you ran that race. You fought that good fight. Well done!" And then we imagined the enormous family reunion she was walking into, a joyous celebration as she stood before grandpa b, a man she has been lonesome for for almost fifteen years. And then to be reunited with her mom and dad, her sister Elsie, her best friend Minnie. On Monday I was looking at a picture album my Aunt Connie had put together of all of Grandma's ancestors and nearly every person in that book is no longer alive. I imagine her walking from this world of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and into the welcoming committee of that photo album: her grandparents, her parents, aunts and uncles, life-long friends, siblings, a baby she miscarried between her first two girls.

I believe all of this to be true. And let me tell you, it puts wind in my sails. She ran this race with so much love and determination, all to be sure that the next generation knows the love of their Savior. That was the most important thing for her. In a conversation earlier this week, she asked my cousin Dan if he would speak of the importance of passing on the faith at her funeral. She just keeps on preaching!

I'm not sad yet. I don't know quite how to describe this, but I feel strengthened. Empowered. Like the baton was passed and its my turn to run. What a role model I had! What a teacher! To God be the Glory for a life well lived.

the christmas road: a repost

2011-11-25T22:46:00.000-06:00

Grandma is still hanging on. She continues to decline, but I find it so fascinating that only in birth and death do we really have no control over the timing of things. In a day when everything is scheduled, booked, and reserved, unassisted birth and death come with a whole lot of mystery. We wait expectantly for life to naturally come. We wait peacefully for death to naturally happen.

I came across this blog and wanted to share it too. It's one of my very, very favorites. And a great post to kick off the start of the Christmas Season.

My grandma sends a devotional email to her family almost every day. Recently she wrote about another christmas memory:

Merry Christmas, dear family. We had a little coating of snow last night. Reminds me of years ago when snow was always expected and accepted at Christmas. Dad and Ed Hybbert would plow roads thru the fields where the snow wasn't so deep in order that we could worship on Christmas at Immanuel. Think of all the fences they had to cut and then repair later.

Just picture that! New roads just for Christmas! Plowed through farm fields three miles away.

I love the community picture this paints, neighbors working together all going to a white steeple church in Southern Minnesota to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. Weather didn't stop them...they busted up fences on the way.

What a glorious example they were to their children, getting them to church, raising them in the faith, believing with might that God is indeed with us.

Haste! Haste! To bring him praise!
The babe, the son of Mary.

grandma b's caramel rolls

2011-11-22T22:23:00.001-06:00

Two reasons why you should click through to this link:

1. You have to check out my very pregnant belly. It's comical in these pictures.
2. You have to see my grandma's hands. I love my grandma's hands.

So click here to see my belly and her hands and then let your mouth water a bit. Grandma's caramel rolls are simply the best.

grandma b's motherly wisdom: a repost

2011-11-21T21:21:00.000-06:00

Thanks so much for the kind comments, emails and phone calls. My parents and I spent the day with Grandma and the family and it was peaceful, calm and rich in conversation.

I first published this post during Mothers Day week 2010. I sent out a list of questions to the mom's in my family and they graciously answered each question. I thought I'd share it today again, because it explains so much of who grandma b is and what she lives for: her savior and the next generation.

My grandma Bredberg has seven kids and lots of grandkids, even more great grandkids and just started her season of great great grandparenting. She is a woman of faith, deeply in love with her savior and has created a family that is still united, enjoys one another's company and share a love for Jesus.

When my grandpa died, everyone was gathered in her apartment. She and Grandpa had moved out of the farm house the year earlier, him not wanting her to have to sort through that whole house without him. My cousin Daron asked that day, Grandma, you're 79, what what are you going to do now with Grandpa gone? And without pause Grandma replied, "I sent all seven of my kids to the Lutheran Bible Institute, but I was married at 18 and never got to go. So I suppose I would like to go to LBI.

LBI is the Lutheran Bible Institute out near Seattle, Washington. And eight months later, Grandma found herself living in the dormitories, eating in the caf, taking classes and affectionately nicknamed, "college grandma" by the student body.

She talks about how in her first class, the professor announced that all papers must be type written, times new roman, 12 point font. She wrote all of that down and drove herself to Best Buy later that afternoon to buy herself her first computer. She found a "nice young man" who helped buy Grandma the nicest computer any of us had seen. It was a black flat screen monitor, long before those were mainstream.

She started that week, sending out daily mass emails to her friends and family. She'd begin, "dear email family" and proceed to tell us 1) what she ate for breakfast 2) a Bible verse or passage for the day and 3) any thoughts or notes she had on that verse or passage. Those first emails were the best. I remember one said, "today I had a lovely lunch with richard and kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkaren. now how did all of those k's appear? And how would I get rid of them?" And all the cousins took our grandma under our wing and replied, "dear grandma, in the upper right hand part of your keyboard there is a button that says back space. hover your mouse over the k's and then hit this button until the k's are deleted."

This was 13 years ago, and Grandma still sends out a daily email almost every single day. If she misses a day or two, she always explains why...computer problems, visits to family, traveling to mesa or back to sherburn. Grandma sets the bar so high for living a life passionate for God and for her family. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Grandma b.

Isn't it wonderful--and no matter how many times you are blessed to experience it, motherhood is just as wonderful and exciting. I believe each baby is a gift of God, wholly His. And this child has a definite plan in God's eyes. I'm not very good at answering questions because I'm not very good with words--they often don't say what I mean but I will try. Love you, Grandma B

What resources or who in your life was the most helpful in giving sound parenting advice? I was fortunate to have two little brothers born when I was in High School, one in my freshman year and one in my Junior year. So I learned a lot about caring for a baby--My Mother was a good example to follow and then, too. she was so near. she was a wonderful source of wisdom. Mostly her method of raising us was 'LOVE'; and that wasn't hard to follow. When you love your children with all your heart, they will overlook many mistakes one makes.

Was there a specific part of mothering that challenged you and your confidence in being a mother? As to challenges--I can't think of any, am sure there were some, but God gives us a way of forgetting the unhappy and remembering the many blessings He give us. Of course, I always thought I had the best kids, and I did.

When Becca asked me if I had many challenges raising my seven, I didn't remember that I thought they caused challenges--but, there must have been mornings when having all seven get out to that school bus in time was a challenge. There was one year when Jan was a senior and Paul a first grader. (which means all seven kids were in school) I called them 'my thundering herd' when they all arrived back home at four, on that same bus. What a lot of 'telling' of all the happenings of the day! Then it was time for snacks and to change their clothes to do their chores, supper had to be at 5:30, which left time to milk the cows for Daddy and the hired man.

What is your favorite part of being a Mama? All the love and care they still give me.

If you were to go back and start your season of mothering all over again what would you tell yourself? I wish I had spent more time with each one. Maybe not doing so much volunteering, I really don't know. I'm thankful for all the help of my Savior, He saved me many a time, giving me patience, strength and more love. Anything else you want to share with a first time mom? Just love 'em, give them to the Lord, He is the best baby-sitter.Our verse for today: and a most important part of raising a child--discipline!!Solomon 23:13a "Do not withhold discipline from a child." And start, with love and patience to do it when they are very young. They learn so fast. Love you all, Grandma B.

grandma b

2011-11-20T23:53:00.001-06:00

When my grandma was young she was caring for her grandmother who was old and not well. Her grandmother asked her to give her a bath so, "I will be clean when I meet my Savior.” Grandma bathed her grandma, put her in a clean night gown and propped her up with pillows in her upstairs bedroom. Her grandmother then told her it was time to get her grandfather. Grandma did, and when the two of them came back up the stairs, they found her Grandmother still, absent of breath, at peace with a sweet and calm expression, having left this world and passed to life eternal.

My grandma has told me this story so many times and always ends it by saying, “and that’s why I’m not afraid to die. There is nothing to fear. I have watched so many breathe their last and it’s not scary. They know where they are going. They’re going to meet the Lord.”

Grandma B is going to meet the Lord. She is on hospice care with a surprise aggressive lymphoma overtaking her body. A week ago she looked, in the words of my cousin Mark, vibrant, and now she is yellow, frail and so tiny in that hospital bed.

When we walked into her hospital room she told us, “I have asked the Lord to take me home so many times, and now he’s got my room ready.”

My dad read scripture for us by her bedside and then prayed with his mother-in-law. He was overcome and couldn’t continue so grandma did. She prayed and prayed and to listen to her was like eavesdropping on two friends in sweet communion. She talked to God like she was a little girl and he really was her daddy. She prayed for a pastor in the Philippines who she sponsors who is bringing the gospel to ears who have never heard. She prayed for their hearts and for the wonder of the work he does. She said, “oh Lord, we think of Martin Luther and how he was able to use the printing press to spread your Word, and now just think of all the different ways we have to spread your love. And oh, there are so many who don’t know you, Lord. And you love them so much.”

Then she ended, “I know you’re preparing my room Lord. Remember lots of birds. I’ve always loved your birds.” And it’s true. She’s always telling of pretty birds she has seen, birds at her feeder, geese flying across the sky. She's already decorating her new home.

Grandma has been coherent and present and has shared many prayers, blessings and kind words with her family. And she is not afraid. She has peace and love abounding. She's not afraid, but I’m afraid of how empty it will feel without her in our family. I am afraid of losing my last living grandparent. I am afraid of how much I am going to miss her.

one is fun

2011-11-16T15:03:00.001-06:00

Dear Ivar,

Can't handle how much we love you. You continue to bring us joy everyday.

Your latest favorite activity is frequently visiting your dad downstairs. You know how to get to him now, which is so fun to see. You crawl to the door to the basement (which is ALWAYS shut after a terrible baby tumbling accident in September that included you, 15 wooden steps, a concrete floor to land on and a super miracle that you crawled away less traumatized than your mom. Ish.) You crawl to the basement door and start saying, "Dada! Daddo! Da! Dada!" I scoop you up and you duck your head as low as you can as we descend on the steps so that you can see your dad. You clap your hands, laugh, yell and then dive into his arms.

We do this several times a day. And even though your dad has typically worked best with no interruptions, he has yet to say anything about our 5-6 visits a day. Turns out he lights up as bright as you.

You love to eat. Bananas, kiwi, ham, cheese, cooked carrots and pasta are favorites for sure. When you want more you politely look at me and loudly say, "mmmmmmmm." Which is the sound I make when I put the food on your tray.

You clap your hands with joy and it is a favorite thing to do. I sing a song I learned in church school and you know this song means we clap and bounce. Clap your hands, stomp your feet, spread the love of Jesus to everyone you meet. Oh Clap your hands, stop your feet, spread a little love around. You laugh and bob your head and clap through the whole song. Needless to say, it gets sung a lot.

You also love to drum on your high chair tray. We play this game at every meal with dad and I banging on the table. But if you stop drumming, we do too. And when you start up again, we join in. You love being the leader, and love that we are following your cues.

When you're done eating you enjoy rubbing your hands through your hair, just to be sure I know you're really done. I brought you to Aunt Jan's on Monday with so much oatmeal in your hair I was embarrassed. You got a bath right when we got home.

You let us know what you don't like to eat with a preemptive uh oh before you throw that food on the floor. This was funny the first few times, but now you are now getting a stern, "No." And it sometimes hurts your feelings.

And that's the other new thing. We're telling you what is and isn't okay and this often crimps your style. You like to roll over while we change your diaper and this gets you a firm hand on the leg and a serious, "Ivar, No." Again, it hurts your feelings, but its the only safe thing to do. Can't have you rolling around on the changing table.

You love riding in the shopping cart and point out all of the balls and circles in the store. Signs included. Target is basically your utopia, as their aisle signs are circles and they even decorated the outside of their store with giant concrete red balls up and down the sidewalk. You actually are hard to hold onto when you see these balls, like you might just jump out of your skin.

Today you're running a low fever and are super snuggly. That's really abnormal. You usually don't have time to cuddle, but today you do and I'm soaking up every minute of your head on my shoulder. We watched our first PBS Kids shows this morning on the couch and you seemed amused.

It's so fun to watch you grow. We love you so much.

Love,
Mama (who you currently are calling Dada, along with the real Dada)

ivar's birthday cards

2011-11-15T21:32:00.001-06:00

Ivar got some fun gifts for his birthday, but the cards really stole the show. Toby and Kirby always draw a comic in their birthday cards. Toby's is spot on. That's how I feel about how fast he's grown! Kirby's comic is four frames. Frame one: Ivar, frame two: people singing Happy Birthday to Ivar, frame three: people confused because Ivar fell asleep, frame four: Ivar happily dreaming of balls.

This card from Sonna makes me smile because you can see the very letter where she made a mistake, got too frustrated and had her mom take over and write the rest of the message. I also love that since she started preschool she includes the letter L for Larson when she writes her name. Not to be mistaken with the other Sonna's in the world, she is Sonna L.

Claire Helen made this super fun card, and ever time Ivar sees it he waves his hands and says, "ball!"

Penny traced her name and glued pictures of her favorite cold weather gear. :)

Simon made an interactive card and wrote, "Please draw a picture for me of balls!" And provided the ghost encircled frame to draw our picture.

And Ruby wowed us with all of the letters she has learned! It says, Ivar I love you Ruby.

Thanks for the cards cousins! They've all been put safely in Ivar's Special Things box.

My church turned 30

2011-11-14T21:07:00.001-06:00

My parents were called to start a church 30 years ago. Thirty years later, that little seed has grown into a mighty congregation full of life and faith and service to our God. It's probably the coolest thing I've gotten to be a part of. I've been reflecting on the role this church served in my life, and it's huge. Really huge.

We had a celebration last night at Shepherd of the Valley. A trip down memory lane with lots of pictures and stories of days gone by when the church was much smaller...when I was much smaller. It was an awesome night filled with music and laughter and catch-up conversations with old friends. So much to be thankful for.

My dad asked me to speak, which I always love. Especially when I get to tell stories about the church that made me. Here's what I said:

All my life I’ve been asked if I like being a pastor’s kid. And the answer to that question has always been an easy one for me. I adore being a pastor’s kid. There are perks with this role that I’ve never taken for granted. For example, I always knew where the tins of hospitality shortbread cookies were stashed. And I utilized this knowledge. Often.

I also had full access to the Christmas costumes, so that when I decided to be Little Bo Peep in 3rd grade for Halloween, I was able to complete my costume with a shepherd’s staff.

But there is a part of being a pastor’s kid that is a bit unnerving. And it happens on Sunday morning in churches around the world. Pastor’s Kids are listening closely to the sermon, wondering if their parent is going to drop their name, and if so, what damaging story is about to be told.

Now to be really honest, there was a season in my life when I was eager to be a sermon illustration. I would ask Dad early in the week what the gospel was for that weekend. And I would respond casually, “Oh the feeding of the 5,000? Have I ever told you about the time I…”

But it was the unexpected stories that you had to be ready for.

I was 16, and on a Friday after school I went to Lifetime Fitness in Eagan to workout. I was going straight to a dance at Rosemount high school and got ready at the club but stopped by Subway to get supper before going to the dance to meet up with my friends. When I got there I decided just to eat in a booth instead of in the car. But as I ate my sub a group of peers walked in.

That night after the dance, I went into my parent’s room and told them how strange it is to feel so fully confident, but then to worry so much about what you look like from the outside. I knew I had plans. I knew I had a fun night. But I still just felt so dumb.

The next night I was sitting with the High School Praise team at the Saturday night service. Dad was telling of mountaintops and valleys in our everyday lives. He told about my sister Annika who was traveling in Thailand at that time and how each day brought adventure and excitement and something new.

Then he transitioned to his daughter Rebecca…
who had just learned the loneliness…
of eating alone at Subway…
on a Friday night.

Can you imagine?! I died. I was sitting with friends. Kendra Rick was buckled over in laughter. She thought this was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

That was 15 years ago, and I guess I just wanted to take this time to clarify on this, the 30th anniversary of Shepherd of the Valley, and be sure you all knew that I had plans that night. Ok? Okay.

***

The night was so fun. Can't get over how powerful it is to relive your roots, remember your history, and celebrate all God has done in all of our lives.

If you missed the night, there are tons of pictures on flickr and are so fun to see. I identify so strongly with the growth of this church. The picture below is when the church and I turned four.

ivar's first birthday

2011-11-05T21:19:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Ivar's birthday in grand style. I came up with the theme pretty easily as Ivar's favorite thing is pretty obvious. When I get him out of his crib in the morning he looks at me, smiles and says, "ball." When I ask him if he'd like more ham and cheese he replies, "ball." When we go for walks around the neighborhood he lights up with every pumpkin sighting, "ball!" He gets downright slaphappy in the produce section...all the balls...the onions, apples, melons, tomatoes, potatoes, plums and peaches, lettuce, grapefruit. Balls everywhere.

So we had a ball party. Singular. And it was good, good fun.

Our menu was simple: meatballs, baked potatoes, peas, grapes, buns, a cheeseball and cake pops. Lisa made the cake pops and they were awesome. I got a cake for free at Byerly's just by bringing in Ivar's birth certificate. The plan wasn't originally to give him the entire cake, but the family gathered insisted we let him go for it. So we did.

Mimi and Papa won the prize for best dressed. The invite asked for polka dots and they came dressed to party. It was awesome. And Toby wore his dog named Polkadot taped to his body. I was so excited to see Polkadot again...I hadn't seen him since I used to tuck him into bed with Toby when I'd babysit him as a baby. It was like an old friend surprising us for a visit

I'll share more on the games we played and the decorations I made. It was a homemade party and so super fun. Ivar is so blessed by all of his family. He was born into two fun groups of people and that was very obvious at his first birthday party.

the neighbor party

2011-11-05T21:18:00.001-05:00

We had the neighbors over for carrot cake and cream cheese frosting to celebrate Ivar's birthday on the actual day. We feel so blessed by our neighbors. And Ivar put on a sweet show of enjoying his cake, giving lots of smiles and enjoying the new toys he was generously given. He's especially into giving big sloppy kisses to stuffed animals. A very entertaining part of our lives.

groves in costume

2011-11-03T12:03:00.003-05:00

Lisa had us over for Halloween supper this year before we all went back to our neighborhoods to trick-or-treat. I went as a doctor who gives epidurals, my favorite Halloween treat of all time. Rory put his costume together literally as we we were walking out the door. I opened the coat closet at said, "well, you could go as a snowman..." Sara and Ruby were Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, Kirby was an i-pad and Toby was Facebook. Troy was the abominable snowman, which as quoted by Ruby, "I don't even have to be scared of, because I know it is just my dad inside." Lisa made Josie's whoppers costume. She's a different candy every year...so impressive.

We took Ivar trick-or-treating and it was awesome. He seemed confussed by the event, but I was excited and so pleased at the candy we took in! We came home and played Carcassonne (a new favorite game) and ate candy until I got a tummy ache. The perfect end to a great halloween.

one year old

2011-11-01T22:05:00.002-05:00

happy halloween!

2011-10-31T09:14:00.001-05:00

I realized last night that I have been waiting almost half of my life to be able to go trick or treating again. I think I retired my game at age 15, but now, 15 years later, I get to throw this elephant on my hip and gather the goods from door to door. I love trick or treating! Hopeful for some peanut butter cups.

Happy Halloween everybody. One year ago today I was in full blown labor. Just the memory brings halloween terror like nothing else. Birthing this elephant felt like birthing an elephant. But I'm so glad he's here. I still remember the pain (not sure when mama-amnesia is supposed to kick in) but I would do it again and again and again knowing the joy and love this boy has brought into our lives.

ivar and the great pumpkin

2011-10-30T18:11:00.001-05:00

*no babies were harmed in the shooting of these photos.

blog friends

2011-10-26T10:09:00.000-05:00

Well, I've always loved this little blog for a number of different reasons. But one of the best is when a friend from the past comes wandering through. Like Anna. Anna just added her pic to the "followers" over there on the right and it made my day.

I guess I'm just so grateful that people visit at all. This is very much a scattered mind-dump of my life, what I'm thinking, what I'm eating, pictures of my sweet baby boy. It's random but it also feels very true to who I am.

Anna was on my camp staff in Nebraska and was rock solid. A huge bummer of dropping out of facebook was losing ties with a whole lot of summer staffers who I love dearly. So, anyone else out there?!! Former camp counselors? Friends from Gustavus? Zoo School? Shepherd of the Valley? Girl Scout Troop 933? I'd love to know you're here!

rory's birthday

2011-10-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Rory's birthday this weekend. It was fun and I made it a big deal. And in full disclosure, I made it a big deal because I was using his birthday as a teaching tool. For him. For me. Completely for me, really. And he knew it. He called me on it in the middle of the day, "are you trying to show me how you'd like your birthday celebrated?" Well yes, yes I am.

We were in California for my birthday this year and it was nothing short of phenomenal. Because of my friend Shannon. Shannon went above and beyond for my birthday. The day began with a hot homemade breakfast, receiving a collection of good magazines and books to enjoy throughout the day, 30 balloons delivered to the door (!!!), time for a nap, a 90-minute massage (!!!), and dinner out at a great restaurant. She killed it. It was all Shannon. She commented to me during the day that she believed women have to do this for each other...that we should actually have a girlfriend on our birthday who makes our dreams come true. I have a feeling she was using my birthday as a teaching tool for her husband too.

Rory didn't get me anything for my birthday. Or a card. (He would argue "a trip to California!") And then our six year anniversary came along and neither of us got anything for the other, not even cards. We ate at Noodles that night because the wait was too long at the restaurant we had chosen and wrapped up the evening taking in the Eastview marching band at their Homecoming game. (it seemed more romantic in my head...cuddled under a blanket, taking in a fall football game. Instead I just ran into a whole lot of kids I used to babysit...)

So we're working on this. My work included making sure this year Rory had the best birthday of his life.

Here's how the day went down:
1. While in the shower, spouse makes you coffee and places a large surprise gift in the middle of the living room floor.
2. You open your gift while drinking your hot brew. What? A nail gun and air compressor? I never even asked for this, and I love it. This is the perfect gift for me right now.
3. Breakfast at Original Pancake House with Ivar and your dad. (I had nothing to do with lining this up, but I like it. You should always try to see your folks on your birthday.)
3. Home to work for the morning, walk down to your desk and find 40 framed pictures of your baby boy all over your desk. You remember having said months ago, "you know what I would love? just tons of pictures of Ivar in my office. I think it would make me so happy."
4. Trip to the Zoo. Meet up with Father-in-law and nieces. Share a spirited conversation.
5. Drop off Ivar with Grandma and Grandpa Harrington for the night.
6. Head to new restaurant in Uptown: Muddy Waters. Take your time getting there, drive down Minihaha Parkway.
7. Visit Sugar, Sugar buying and sampling lots of fancy candy treats for the movies ahead.
8. Drive to The Riverview Theatre and watch Planet of the Apes while stuffing yourselves with candy and popcorn.
9. Stay for the next movie, Crazy Stupid Love. Because you can. Because tickets are just $3 a piece. Because your baby is with grandma and grandpa and this is the first movie you've seen together in nearly a year.
10. Head home for more surprises.

And that, my friends, is one way to celebrate a birthday. And here it is posted in 10 easy steps forever on the internet to serve as a sweet little reference for future birthdays. Like my 31st. Which will be here before you know it.

The next night we had my cousin Kathy over for Rory's Harvest Feast. It was delicous. I made butternut squash soup, Kathy brought an incredible salad and we had a rosemary roast chicken and all of the vegetables from the garden. Happy Birthday, Rory. It is easy to celebrate you.

so busy.

2011-10-23T22:25:00.002-05:00

The boy keeps me on my toes. He's really into the kitchen now. He loves standing by the dishwasher, gets a thrill out of opening the tupperware drawers, squeels at the loud noises the stainless steel bowls make when they're thrown on the wood floor. It's a bit louder than usual around here, but also very exciting. I gave him a spatula and showed him how to hit the bowls and collanders and he looked at me like I actually just might be the coolest mom in the world.

fall garden

2011-10-18T20:38:00.000-05:00

Rory's garden produced all season long. He just got these carrots out, found all of these potatoes as well as onions. So we're going to roast a chicken and eat all of his garden fresh produce.

I married a doer. He just gets things done. He says he wants to garden, and he builds the raised beds, mixes the soil, plants the seeds and sows the harvest. He says he wants to build a compost, build a rain barrel, build a fence and then he does it. We woke up on Saturday morning and he said, "how about a fire in the backyard?" So we spent our morning sitting by the fire. It was chilly, and Ivar looked like he was going to launch to the moon, but it was a memory made and so much fun.

conversation after church

2011-10-16T21:40:00.003-05:00

Rory: Shoot! Was Jack in church today? I needed to talk to him.

Becca: You know. I didn't see him. Lisa was at the Tea table, I saw Maddie in the bathroom, Josie in the nursery and Kyle when we walked in, but I didn't ever see Jack.

Rory: (big frustrated sigh) I need him to tell me how to get past this part of Legend of Zelda.

(moments later)

Rory: Josie, this is Rory. Is Jack there? Where is he? Can I get his cell number?

Rory: "Jack. It's your uncle Rory. Are you on a bus right now? (pause) How did your marching band do? (pause) Jack. I'm stuck in this one room and there is a big spiderweb blocking the door. I can't get through it. I can't cut it and it won't break. Swooshing? With my lantern? Hang on, I'll do it again. Oh yeah! That did it! I'm out!

a few of my favorite baby things

2011-10-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to write this post forever. I have been thinking about it since Ivar was born. And after just talking to a friend of Rory's who was trying to process his first trip to Babies R Us to register for their babe-to-be, I decided it was time.

This begins The Baby Gear Post.

I will never forget Rory and my first trip to the big box store that is Babies R Us. I think I've written about it before. It blew our mind: a baby store the size of Best Buy, the size of Borders, the size of the food building at the state fair. How in the world did a baby so tiny, one that was currently doing just fine in my snug little womb, need so much crap? We walked every aisle bewildered. We ended up in the back of the store, me looking at nursery sets, bumpers and quilts while Rory found his respite in the glider rocker, self soothing as he rocked back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. We had just entered a land of crazy.

And it sort of really is. Babies all over the world and all throughout history have survived with much less gear. Before Ivar was born I was convinced that we would never bring one of those enormous exosaucers into our house. They are a space suck if there ever was one. We have a sweet little Minneapolis home and there was no way I was going to let something that bulky and obnoxious eat up a quarter of my living room. Well. Turns out we got two. No joke. One for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. I don't see it so much as a space hog anymore as I do a little gift of genius. Ivar loves it, he stays occupied, and when he's in it I know he's not licking the bottom of our shoes. (got one from a friend and one at a garage sale)

All this to say, every item has its season. And somethings you will never need. For sure, you don't need to get it all at once. The day will come when you'll say, "you know what would be handy? a seat I could set Ivar in so he can't move, that would surround him 360 with toys that he can't throw on the floor." And that will be the day you'll give in to the exosaucer.

After nearly 12 months of enjoying our little boy, I give you...
Becca's Top Five Favorite Ivar Things:

1. Glider Rocker. I've fallen asleep in ours more times than I can count. I love it. Can't imagine mamahood without it.

2. Room Darkening Shades. We got ours from Target (the cheapest brand) and have them hung with Ikea curtain rods that were $1.25 a piece. They are tight against the wall and it means that in the middle of the day I can make Ivar's room dark as night. I swear this has more to do with his happy long naps than anything else.

3. Sleepsacks. Ivar couldn't stand the ones that swaddle with velcro. He wanted his arms by his face. So we got sleeveless sleep sacks and dressed him in a longsleeve onesie. These were my saving grace in the middle of the night. I couldn't handle trying to change his diaper when he was wearing footsie jammies. Trying to wrestle his legs back into the outfit about did me in at 3 am. The sleepsack was a gift from above.

4. Rumble Buns. I thought everyone called it a rumble buns, but I guess I made that name up. The rest of the world calls it a bouncer. Ivar napped in his for the first 8 months of his life. We brought it with us on vacations and he slept better in this than in the pack and play...until he got too heavy and his bottom was bumping the floor.
5. Carseat Cover. Ivar's first six months of life were winter. I never put a coat on my son until this fall. I thought this thing was so slick. If it was really cold I'd cover him with a blanket and then cover the seat. And usually he was a whole lot happier in it than he is pictured below :)

If I were to do it all over again:
1. I'd skip the diaper bag. You definitely still need a bag...but the marketed diaper bags seem bulky, have so many pockets and the one we got was so cumbersome. We ended up getting a medium size mail-style bag at Target that has one big section with two side pockets on each end. We love the size. Feels more manageable. Go for gender-neutral...dad ends up carrying it a lot.
2. I wouldn't get the stroller system. We got a grayco something or other with the infant seat that can lock into the stroller. If I were to do it again I would get a stroller frame for when the baby is little (for something like $70) buy the infant carrier and carseat base separate and then get a good running stroller. Those Bob running strollers are really something. (But crazy expensive!!) Not only are the wheels big for a comfy off-road ride, but the visor to block the sun goes all the way down to the babies toes. You can fully cover your baby. I don't know. I'm still on the fence with this one because it's all expensive, but I guess I think it would be worth it...

Looking back, I'm glad I...

1. Returned everything I didn't immediately love. For real, I have no guilt about this. Hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I became well known at Target and Babies R Us making sure that I returned the stuff I didn't think I wanted and buying the stuff I knew I'd love. Babies are expensive and I love that I love everything I kept :)

2. Kept up with thank you notes before Ivar was born. Because wow. The gifts just kept coming. I still am writing notes, but now I'm caught up so I try to write the note immediately as the gift comes in. It is so important to have a running list that is left out so that everything can be written down as the gift is opened. Life gets a little nutty after the baby comes.

That's my two cents. How about you?!! What were/are your Baby-must-haves?

pb smore

2011-10-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

I have never liked s'mores. They're too sweet for me. I don't like toasted marshmellow and would rather just eat my hershey chocolate plain and then munch on the graham crackers.

The fact that I don't like smores really wouldn't be that big of a deal to the average person. But I'm in camp ministry. And if you're in camp ministry, you really should like s'mores. This was pointed out to me at the camp I worked at in Nebraska by the returning counselors who were fiercely loyal to the woman whose job I replaced. They found the fact that I didn't like s'mores to be the only evidence they needed to prove that I was never going to measure up. "She doesn't like s'mores" was said as if I had just admitted that I didn't actually like children, people, the outdoors or Jesus. It was virtually a deal breaker.

But something happened this weekend. Jacqueline recommended we put peanut butter on our s'mores. I was intrigued, gave it a whirl and guess what? Not only did I finish my first smore, I made another. I was one of those people who goes back for more! S'more!

It's so good. The peanut butter takes the edge off of the marshmellow and basically it turns the whole thing into a gooey glorified reeces. The s'more you see pictured above? Just made it in the microwave.

A North Shore Itinerary

2011-10-11T08:37:00.000-05:00

So it has come to my attention that not everyone I know has been to the North Shore. This is crazy pants. What is crazier still is that there are Minnesotans that I know who have not made the trek north. People. You've got to make the trip. In my mind, not visiting Lake Superior and living in Minnesota would be the equivalent of living in California and not ever taking a drive to see the ocean. We're land locked here, and this large body of water is the biggest sea we've got...big and mighty, strong enough to sink the Edmond Fitzgerald. There's a song about it. I used to sing it with my dad.

Anyway, for those of you who are interested and have never been, I've got some favorites to pass along. I think it's important to have a few places to hit on a first trip somewhere. Rory and I went to Door County a few years ago based on rave reviews, but I think we stayed in the wrong place, ate at the wrong restaurants and went at the wrong time of year. It just didn't do it for us. So hopefully these insider tips will help you plan a successful and enjoyable first visit. Pretend I'm that Samantha lady from the Travel Channel who takes you on weekend getaways. I've got three days that will make for a lovely introduction to the North Shore.

Two nights, Three days on The North Shore
(If you can go for three nights, that's really the best but obviously not always an option. And if you can go up midweek, do. It's busier on the weekends.)

Day One:
**Drive to Duluth. You may want exit on Lake Drive and head to Canal Park for a trip to Caribou Coffee and a walk up and down the shoreline to watch the aerial lift bridge go up and down as the huge ships pass under it.
**Take Scenic Route 61 to Two Harbors. On the way, stop at The New Scenic Cafe for their soup/salad/bread special ($9, all homemade).
**Stop at the DQ in Two Harbors. Get a blizzard.
**Unpack, settle in and start the good book you packed. (Cove Point Lodge is our personal favorite, in Beaver Bay)

Day Two:
**Start your morning slowly. Start a fire, read your book some more, drink your hot drink.
**late morning: drive up the shore to Temperance River for some trail hiking, skipping rocks and bouldering. Be sure to collect your favorite rocks along the shore.
**Four miles up the shore is Tofte. The Coho Cafe has great pizza. I'd get a pizza and take it back to Temperance River for a picnic. But that's just me. They also have a really incredible-looking bakery. You might also want to get a sweet something for later.
**Head back to Cove Point for some afternoon swimming/hot tubbing/napping.
**Eat your own supper: sandwiches, chips, soup
**Light the fire and make smores and play games. And be sure to open to the window to listen to those waves pound on the shore.

Day Three:

**Enjoy another lazy morning. This is vacation.

**pack a picnic, pack the car, check out of the hotel and head to Gooseberry Falls

**There is a great interpretive center and awesome trails all around (and on) the falls. beautiful, beautiful beautiful. Take lots of pictures. Be sure to dress your son so he looks like an escaped convict.

**Eat your picnic lunch at the falls.

**In Two Harbors, stop at The Vanilla Bean Cafe and get a few Pasty's to go. They're so good, and about $5 a piece. Put them in your cooler and you'll have supper already planned when you get home. You'll love yourself later!

So that's a three day introduction to the North Shore. There's lots I didn't include. A trip to Grand Marais is always worth it. It's a beautiful harbor city with lots of little shops, Sven and Ole's pizza and a nice walk out to the lighthouse. And obviously there is lots of hiking trails in the Superior Forest and a whole lot more to do than what I listed. But these are my absolute musts. They're tradition for us, and I'm big on tradition.

So plan a trip! Summer (camping!) and Fall are the best times to go, in my opinion. But winter is cozy too with lots of cross country skiing and snow shoeing trails.

Are you sold yet?!! Hope so! Hope you go!

photoshoot with a baby

2011-10-10T14:24:00.000-05:00

crunchy leaves

2011-10-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

We took a long drive up to Tofte and drove into the Superior Forest to look for the "tunnel of maples." The leaves had all fallen off the maples, but it was still beautiful with birch trees. Jackie, Peter and Henry joined us and as you can see, Henry really took to the leaves. Ivar, on the other hand, was not a fan.

the north shore of lake superior

2011-10-09T17:47:00.000-05:00

You know that popular backdrop used by JCPenny's in the 70's for their photo shoots? Doesn't it look like we're standing in front of that?!! But we're not. That's the real deal behind us and some serious flash in front of us.

We just spent three nights vacationing on the North Shore and it was wonderful. For me, a vacation is when you don't really have to make a whole lot of decisions. Travel is different...then you are always discovering, always looking for something new. But we've been to the North Shore so many times that we have found our constants. On the North Shore we have rituals: a stop at the Scenic Cafe on our drive from Duluth, a pasty eaten at The Vanilla Bean cafe in Two Harbors, lots of time hiking around on the big boulders by the water, a good book, a trip to Temperance River, Gooseberry Falls and evenings spent lounging in front of the fire.

The leaves were past peak, but obviously still stunning. Made for easy photos that would make lovely postcards. We had friends join us the last two nights with their little baby and we loved having their company. And the weather was amazing. On the verge of almost too hot for a fall trip up north. You know it has to be cold enough for the fire!

sidekick

2011-10-06T07:12:00.000-05:00

I took this picture while canning all of that rhubarb sauce. He was my faithful sidekick that day, very interested in the bubbling pots and pans on all of the burners. And equally interested in the puff snacks I was feeding him to keep him safe and happy in his high chair.

This is Ivar before his teeth came in. I love this boy so much. Can't hardly handle how much I love him. Recently my niece Mara said, "Aunt Bec, Ivar's legs sort of feel like a really soft butt and they even have a crack." (showing me the folds in his thighs.) I confirmed her observation, "Isn't he the best?"

Canning 101, part 2

2011-10-05T07:16:00.000-05:00

My grandma just sent the Martin County Living magazine to me. My aunt Louie is on the cover this month for her canning! (Her name is really Mary Lou, hence the nickname. I've never called her Mary a day in my life.) She is the MASTER canner. She has a room in her basement filled with all of her canning: peaches, tomatoes, V8 juice, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, dill pickles, green bean pickles, beats, lots more...She literally starts sometime in June and cans all throughout the summer and fall. She has a huge garden and spends three months preserving her harvest.

I think this is why I was intimidated by canning. Because Louie goes gangbusters. But now that Rory and I have given it a whirl, it is not as overwhelming. And it turns out that Aunt Covergirl is one handy and well studied resource for canning tips and tricks. Her tomato soup recipe is out of control good...more of a bisque with texture than the thin tomato soup you're used to.

Here are the fruits of my first canning attempts. From Left to Right, Tomato Soup, Rhubarb Sauce, and Spaghetti Sauce. We have 10 jars of soup, 12 jars of rhubarb and 3 jars of spaghetti sauce. Aren't they so pretty?

Just a few reflections from these three successful attempts at canning:
1. Did you know that pureed, raw tomatoes are pink? When we made the spaghetti sauce we were so weirded out by this. Once the mix started cooking it began to turn that bright brilliant red, but for a while it looked...not delicious. It reminded us of when we were in Tanzania and ordered french fries. We were so excited for some comfort food but then the ketchup came and it was hot pink. We couldn't figure out what it was: turns out it was raw tomatoes mushed up. Ketchup in its purest form.

2. Sharing your cans of goodness with someone is really top honors. You should feel very, very loved if someone gives you a jar of their homemade jelly or a pint of their pickles. These jars become a part of the family and we are keenly aware of the number of jars we have left at any given moment.

3. You should really use canning salt when a recipe calls for canning salt. Not table salt. And just because you really like salt, you shouldn't add additional table salt before your spaghetti sauce reduces from a kettle full to three pint jars. It was tasty, but I do think we were hypertensive for a week or two.

4. The part of me that really likes color wants to can peaches and pickles to add more color to the shelves where we keep our canning. It would make for such a lovely rainbow.

5. It's more fun to can with a partner. Rory and I canned the Rhubarb and Spaghetti Sauce, Mom worked her magic on the tomato soup.

Alright. Well that concludes my thoughts on canning. I'll leave you with Aunt Louie's tomato soup recipe. Even if you don't plan on canning, you should give this one a whirl. (though you might want to cut it in half, or quarter it...) It is so good and hearty!

AUNT LOUIE'S TOMATO SOUP

24 cups of tomatoes, chunked
2 bay leaves

20 celery stalks

10 large onions
2 large green peppers

1 cup flour

1 1/3 cups butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

8 teaspoons canning salt

Chunk vegetables, cook for 35 minutes. Put through food processor (or blender). Combine remaining ingredients, add to above mixture. Cook for five minutes. Pour into hot jars, process to seal in hot water bath- 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts.

Yum and Yum. It's a winner.

canning 101, part 1

2011-10-04T07:47:00.000-05:00

I've been sitting on these pictures for quite some time (since June) but have been wanting to post about a new skill we have acquired: canning.

First though, a story. All of this rhubarb came from Mom and Dad Groves. From an enormous rhubarb plant that someone planted on the side of their house without asking their permission. That someone was me. And I did it in haste when we were housesitting for them and my mom brought over a rhubarb plant for my house. Unfortunately we were moving to Alexandria the next day and I didn't have time to drive to Minneapolis to plant it in my own yard. Not wanting it to waste, I decided to dig up my inlaws yard instead.

Heh.

But somehow in the mix of moving, I forgot to tell them that I had dug up their woodchips and planted a large and growing leafy fruit (or vegetable? What is rhubarb?!!). It wasn't until the next year that, while the family was gathered, Mom Groves asked if anyone had any idea where this large plant had come from. And then I remembered that I had forgotten to tell her.

Thankfully she's a good sport and even lets us harvest from the produce-I-planted-without-permission. :)

Now you'd be surprised. Canning is not all that tricky. My bff Heidi let me in on this secret. In my head canning was a huge process that required hours and hours, patience and precision. And maybe this is still all true, but its just not all that complicated. It is a process, and it does require some patience and it does take time, but it's not really super hard.

Don't count on the following as a complete tutorial. If you're looking for the nitty gritty I'd recommend the Getting Started Guide on the Ball fresh preserving site. It's got pictures and spells out each step in great detail.

But in an effort to debunk the difficulty of canning, let me show you my pictures.

First, you don't need a huge kitchen to can. It might be nice, but it's not necessary. It is necessary that keep everything organized though. As is true with everything, it's more fun and less stressful if you have a nice system in place.

The jars need to be clean and then really, really hot. Some do this in the dishwasher, but this flat skillet worked like a charm for me with the boiling water steaming up the insides of the jars.

I got this handy mcdandy canning gadget kit from Walmart for $6. Every tool in blue that you see was included (the jar grabber, funnel for filling, magnetic lid majigger, and head space measure thingy)

Meanwhile, the lids need to be simmering so they are hot and ready to seal.

Using the funnel you fill your hot jar with your hot food to be canned. Each recipe will tell you how much "head space" to leave. Most of the time it's just 1/2 inch of air at the top.

This magnetic grabber is similar to that fishing game where you have a magnetic pole and try to catch the plastic chomping fish who open and close their mouths as they circle round and round. It's good to find the grown up version of toys you love.

Then you wipe the rim, ensuring no food got in the seal, and screw down the ring (which is not hot so your fingers will not get burned.

You put your cans in the water, making sure they are covered by at least one inch of water. Each recipe tells you how long to boil them, how long to let them rest without any heat. Then you take them out of the water, set them on a towel and wait for the sweetest sound of your life.

The ping of success.

Each jar's lid will ping if it has been sealed correctly. When I first got instructions on how to do this my Aunt Annie said you'll keep track of how many pings you hear. I didn't believe her. How would I keep count of all 12 cans if some of them ping right away and others not for an hour or so?

But guess what? You do. Because they are like your little babies now, and you're proud of them and somehow you do keep count all night long and you say excited things to your husband when he comes in the house like, "We've got NINE pings!"

Of course, if you do lose count, you can also check them. If the lid clicks up and down then it didn't ping (which means it didn't seal properly) and then should be eaten within the next few days. But so far, I've heard that sweet sound for every jar I've canned.

I think the greatest trick is this: don't be afraid of canning in small batches. I have canned three times this summer/fall and none of it felt overwhelming. My Aunt Louie cans enough to feed Martin County, and I may get there. Hennepin County has a lot of mouths to feed though, so it might take some time. But until then, as a newbie, start small. It's still seriously satisfying.

Secondly, the bigger challenge in canning is that you are basically prepping a whole recipe AND THEN going through the process of canning. I think it might be smart to split it into two days. Make your sauce and then reheat it the next day for the canning. It's the cooking and canning in the same day that makes it a process. Either task on its own is not that huge of a deal.

Hope you're enlightened. We are so fortunate to have a grocery store with all the canned goods we could ever want. Can you imagine our grandmothers canning to ensure enough food for the winter?!! Now that would be stressful! But this is fun and empowering. Give it a whirl sometime.

a big catch up

2011-10-03T09:43:00.001-05:00

Rory and Ivar dressed alike for church yesterday. It was adorable. And then when we got to church, Rory's dad was wearing the exact same thing. There were pictures taken on phones, but my camera was out of battery (you've got to be kidding!). You'll have to trust me, it was even more adorable.

I also got a picture taken yesterday because this is the last time you'll see me in this sweet little dress. The zipper broke while I put it on, and I was stuck in it until later in the afternoon when Rory used a pliers and a whole lot of brute force to force the zipper back down. It was a cute dress, but it's time to turn it into a pillow or something now...

So October! I am ready for you! I am ready to slow down my life a bit, rake some leaves, decorate with lots of pumpkins and prepare for the blow-out party of the year: Ivar's first birthday. How on earth does a year fly by so fast? Not sure. Motherhood is like finding that there actually is a warp speed.

Each week of September I had some sort of speaking engagement. It felt great to get back in the game. I spoke two Wednesday nights at Cedar Valley on Living your life as a good story, and it turned out really neat. The talks were loosely based on Donald Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, which I really, really love. But as I worked on the material and the stories I would tell and the writing prompts I would assign the talk really became my own. It felt good and I was grateful for the opportunity.

I also went with my folks to Shepherd of the Valley's senior retreat at Camp Wapo. Ivar came along and charmed the socks off of everyone, as he does, and also brought the median age down by decades.

I decided to speak on Heaven at the senior retreat and what we know of Heaven based on Scripture and personal stories of walking with a loved one to death's door. There were stories shared in that room of sitting beside a loved one...a parent, a sister, and for some a child, as they breathed their last breath. These stories made every hair stand up on end, telling of a holiness that is beyond our comprehension. There were lots and lots of tears shed, and a sweet remembrance came over the room: we really are eternal beings. Heaven is our actual home.

When that talk was over Rory called to hear how it went. The words, "so good" or "great" didn't fit at all. All I could say was, "full. It was so full." The moment felt thick with the Holy Spirit, like the peace of God filled all of our hearts for the very same hour. It was a moment of community and stories that I never ever want to forget.

And then last week I had a board meeting for Mount Carmel Family Bible Camp. This wasn't a speaking gig, but I am finding that serving on this board takes up just as much mental mind space! We are in the midst of calling a new executive director and have a huge transition ahead. I have spent much time praying, writing, worrying and then praying some more as we proceed to call such an important servant to fill this position at Mount Carmel.

So folks, that's where I've been. I've missed this blog a lot. I use this space as a life diary and baby book of sorts, so to fall behind is like a triple guilt trip: baby book, journaling and blog slacking all rolled into one.

It's good to be back.

So long, September

2011-09-29T21:24:00.001-05:00

September was a really, really full month for us. Lots of stuff I want to write about, lots of pictures I still hope to post. October looks a bit more relaxed at this point, and for that I am glad.

September's blog posts are sort of a riot to me. Lots of Sara Groves excitement with a few other very random posts. So to stay consistent with my random September, sporatic blog posts, I thought I'd close out the month with a video Rory just had me watch, sent to him by his friend Bill. It was exactly the humor I needed today. Happy Friday Everybody!

Just a friendly reminder...

2011-09-26T14:38:00.001-05:00

I am hopeful to see lots of you on Saturday night! We just found our babysitter and are so excited for a great night filled with good music, friends and family. Sara's concerts tend to be filled with stories, lots of thought and heart. Your car is sure to be filled with meaningful conversation as you leave the parking lot Saturday night and head back home.

Here's a video of Sara telling the story behind her song "From This One Place." In it she talks openly about her struggles with anxiety attacks and then shares the song she wrote while working through her new normal. It's good stuff, and gives a good feel for what a concert of hers is like. click here and listen. The video coloring is terrible, but the audio is great... so treat it like the radio and enjoy.

See you Saturday!

it's been a while

2011-09-20T12:59:00.000-05:00

...just thought I'd put a few pictures up to say hello. It's been a good month...a full one... and as a result the blog has been neglected. But we're well, on the move (read: Ivar is mobile and life will never be the same) and utilizing anything we can find as makeshift playpens...

adventures in missing the point

2011-09-16T11:12:00.000-05:00

When we unloaded the moving truck at my sisters, I was given the sweet job of unpacking Mara and Sonna and getting their room settled. They have the upstairs of the house, full of fun little nooks and crannies. It's all sloped ceilings there is this small crawl space that is actually tall enough to stand up in and probably four feet wide. Turns out it is the perfect little place for all of their games, art supplies, ponies and sleeping bags.

If you know me at all, you know I love me a good organized shelf. I love staging things so it looks clean, inviting and colorful. This project was perfect for me. I worked hard to get everything just so.

I called the room "The sleepover room" because of their sleeping bags spread out on the floor. Mara took this quite literally and went to get all of her pajamas to string along that bar on the side of the slanted ceiling. She thought her pajama's made for nice decoration.

Unfortunately, I had a different vision. I could handle the messy pj's for a while. But before everyone came up to check out the girls rooms I told Mara, "I'm just going to put these back in your dresser, okay?"

Mara nodded and seemed okay but later that night I was stricken with guilt. Are you kidding me? Could I honestly not handle the pajama's hanging as decorations in the sleepover room? Really? Am I really that uptight that I couldn't see the creativity in her thinking?

The next day I apologized to Mara. I told her that I really like a clean and tidy space and that sometimes my need for clean gets the best of me. I told her that after thinking about it, I could understand how clever and bright her pj's were for setting the theme of the sleepover room. I just didn't catch her vision the first time around.

Mara acted fine, I told her she needed to help me relax a bit and enjoy a mess more.

As it turns out, she and Sonna are doing a great job of helping me with this request. Because all those games stacked nicely on the shelf there? They play with them! And the evidence is strewn all over their fun-loving bedroom.

rainbow crayons

2011-09-08T20:39:00.007-05:00

I hit up a few garage sales with some girl friends and found these silicone heart and star molds for ten cents. Perfect. I made the alphabet crayons a while ago but they were hard to get out of the molds, and my guess is that they were hard to color with....though they were adorable and I will still make them again and again :)

I had my nieces over on Saturday and decided it was time to get crafty. Mara used the Ikea cheese grater to grate the crayons really fine. Sonna helped take the paper off of the crayons, and I used the super sharp knife to cut the crayons into small pieces.

Full instructions on how I made these crayons can be found on the Alphabet Crayon post. More fun than making the crayons was coloring with them when they were cooled from the freezer. Each crayon was filled with so many colors.

We decorated envelopes and played mailman with our mail slot, a highlight for all visitors-of-a-certain-age to our house.
Unfortunately, this mailgirl left one of the crayons in her pocket and her mom did a huge load of laundry with that crayon tumbling around in the dryer. Big Whoops.

around here

2011-09-02T09:27:00.001-05:00

Around here we are enjoying the harvest from our garden. It is a two person vegetable garden, producing three ears of corn at a time, one eggplant every few weeks, tomatoes and cucumbers unstoppable, beans and sweet peas too. Perfect for just the two of us. And each morning there are just a handful of fresh raspberries to throw on my cereal.

Around here we are amused by Ivar’s favorite toy: his big green ball. He can roll in back and forth with one of us, or he plays by himself army scooching to catch it and roll it again.

Around here we are really loving Toonces’ new room in the basement. We can’t hear him at night and it means we all are sleeping much better. Can’t believe it took us so long to figure that one out.

Around here we can't stop playing Sara’s new album. Yesterday I was singing a song from her last album and Rory said, “no. only new stuff. You only can sing from this new album now.”

Around here we are adjusting to Ivar’s vigor for feeding himself. He is a sticky mess after he’s done eating. He loves ground turkey, banana, peaches and cheerios. Recently when I went to wash his arms he was sticky in his arm pits. No idea how he got banana in his pits, but he did. And therefore he got a bath.

Around here we are inspired by yard projects again. Rory is building a compost bin for the driveway and using all sorts of cool tools in the garage. Ivar loves hanging out with his dad out there, sitting in his stroller, eating cheerios and watching him drill and saw and hammer.

Around here there are so many monarchs in our neighborhood. One neighbor wondered if these aren’t the ones that end up in Mexico. They are everywhere!

Around here my sister is moving into a house with her family...that really, truly is around here! Like 15 minutes away, around here!

Around here we are remembering why we love the midwest and the change of seasons. We love summer, but fall is starting to sound nice too. Cozy things like long sleeves, soup, fires in the backyard and lit candles in the house all seem to sound lovely and perfect right about now.

true story

2011-09-01T13:57:00.004-05:00

We spent yesterday afternoon with the whole Groves family on a pontoon on Prior Lake. The following conversation took place on that boat:

Lisa: Becca, is that your new camera! Let me see it!
Becca: It is. I love it. I researched for a long time and found a great point and shoot.
Lisa: Oh this is awesome. Way nicer than mine. Mine is old and way less megapixels.
Rory: Lisa, you don't have to put your camera down to make your point. Becca is always self-deprecating like that.
Becca: Wait a minute. You just Becca-deprecated to show Lisa that she was self-deprecating!
Rory: Well, why do you guys do that? Why can't you just say, "this is a nice camera."
Becca: I don't know, but you don't have to wife-deprecate to make your point. (long pause) Maybe I just like deprecating.

one year ago today.

2011-08-31T21:40:00.003-05:00

It's my most popular blog post ever. Most discussed of all my writing. And it all happened one year ago today. If you've got the time, take a moment to read or re-read our adventurous move from Omaha to Minneapolis by clicking here.

And if you have read it before, can I tell you the absolute craziest ending to this story?!! Around January I got a blog comment from one of my favorite friends from high school and college, Heather. She told me she was catching up on my blog, had just read about Story City and couldn't believe we were at the Comfort Inn because her in-law's own that hotel in Story City. What in the small world?!!

And, you might also be interested to know that I did send Al a birth announcement. He was such a nice guy!

more Sara Groves: Invisible Empires!

2011-08-30T08:36:00.003-05:00

I got an email this morning for all of the pre-release goods for Sara's new record. You can get the package above for $25 or a $10 download of the album. I think the best part of the deal above is the download with the commentary edition. It's Troy and Sara talking over the album sharing a lot of behind the scenes, how the music was chosen and the stories behind the songs.

If you're interested, head over to http://www.saragroves.com/ and get your new music! It's so good!

fried green tomatoes

2011-08-29T15:45:00.003-05:00

Well, it used to be one of my favorite movies and now it is a favorite food. We have an abundance of tomatoes right now, and a few green ones fall off the vine every now and again so I decided to try my hand at some fried goodness.

And oh goodness are they good! I've made them three times already! They're just pan fried after dredged in egg, flour, egg again and italian bread crumbs. After one side is golden I sprinkle them with garlic salt. But the best part is the dipping sauce. I used this recipe from The Neelys. (sort of modified depending on what I actually have in the house when I make it.)

Twanda!

Sara Groves: Invisible Empires!

2011-08-28T19:10:00.005-05:00

Well, sometimes I just turn into her biggest fan. And here I go again. We had a listening party a month ago to hear this new album and just yesterday Rory came home from a brother's breakfast with our own copy. We've listened to the whole thing six times now. Because it's that good.

The album doesn't release until October sometime...but I wanted to get the word out about her CD Release Concert for those of you twin cities folk. Tickets are on sale now, and I guess I just really think you should go. Sara is a storyteller more than anything else, and a CD release concert is full of the stories behind the songs. And there are some really good stories within these songs.

So the details!
The Release Concert is at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove on October 1st at 7:30.
Line up your babysitters now! :)

You can order your tickets by calling 877-840-0457 or else you can click here to order online.

If you're not in the Twin Cities, check out her concerts page for her future shows this fall and Christmas. They have shows in MD, NC, TN, FL, WA, WI, ND, CA

And I just found this interview with Sara talking about the new album. Enjoy!

before you head out to the fair!

2011-08-27T16:35:00.005-05:00

I've said it before (in 2009) and then I said it again (in 2010). And now I'll say it another time. I adore the Minnesota State Fair. Love it. I went last night to arrange flowers with my mom and it was great, though I was glad we decided to leave Ivar at home with Rory at the last minute. It was a bit hot and I watched enough kids have meltdowns that I felt good about having my little boy at home.

This is just a quick post to let you know I found a new fair favorite. I've always loved the fruit stand, but I cannot even tell you how good the peaches are this year. They're enormous and are the kind of juicy that has you slurping your fruit from the very first bite. At $3 they're probably the cheapest thing you'll find to eat. And it's the best $3 you'll spend.

Unless, of course, you're excited about the new chocolate covered jalapenos. I was in this line getting a lemonade for my mom and these babies were popular! But I think they were underwhelming. It was a raw jalapeno dipped in melted chocolate. And the chocolate was still saucy. One guy took a bite next to me and said, "well, it tastes like a pepper dipped in chocolate."

For those of you going to the fair in the next few days, the Fruit Stand is between the Horticultural building and the International Bizarre and looks like this:

And my mom swears by the World Famous Coconut Macaroons. I'm bummed I didn't get them!

Toonces is rescued!!!

2011-08-25T09:49:00.002-05:00

(moving from Montana back to Minnesota)

The short version of this story: Yesterday, I woke up and started crying. Hard. So sad to say goodbye to a cat that has moved with us to Montana, Nebraska, Alexandria and back to Minneapolis. He's been a faithful family mascot and we love him so much. So I cried. The ugly cry. The cry that has you staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror as you cry because you feel that sorry for yourself.

The morning moved along slowly. I filled out all of the paper work telling Toonces' next owners the important stuff like, "he loves water dripped on his back" and "he loves tiny wax paper balls to bat around on the hardwood floors." I ugly cried some more.

It was time to take him to the Humane Society, so we got his crate out. I loaded the diaper bag in the car and the paperwork. I was going in to get Ivar and told Rory we should call our next door neighbor to see if she wanted to say goodbye. I dialed, but then started crying too hard and handed the phone to Rory.

Our neighbor picked up and she and Rory discussed a new plan. You see, there are really only two other people in the whole wide world who love Toonces like we do. Alison our neighbor here in Minneapolis and Joan, our neighbor in Nebraska. (Both read this blog! Hi Ladies!) The rest of the world doesn't really care for our fat, shedding, vocal cat. But these two ladies do.

It's okay that others don't love Toonces. We wouldn't expect them to. We don't love other people's pets with the same love that we love Toonces, so it's okay.

But Alison loves Toonces. She really does and we can feel it. Sadly, her cat is ill and quite old for a cat, and she discussed with Rory that when her cat passes on, she would for real love to take Toonces. For real.

And that changed everything. Because our deadline was arbitrary. Obviously if we had been putting up with Toonces for 9 months, we can handle him a bit longer. We don't know if we'll have Toonces for another year or just another month. But just knowing that there is a loving lady who is ready to love and care for him made this whole story turn into a happy ending.

Not only that, we spent the day yesterday cleaning out a storage room in the basement and put all of Toonces things in there: food, litterbox, bed, pillows... There is a window and a high ledge and a shelf to sit on. And last night we put him in his new room and we could not hear a thing upstairs! Not a thing! He was meowing, but we couldn't hear him.

And the happiest ending to this story? Guess who slept through the night last night...11 hours?

Ivar Nicholas Groves.

Toonces needs a new home

2011-08-21T19:43:00.006-05:00

Well, this is a sad post. And sort of a desperate plea, too. We have to find a new home for our beloved cat, Toonces. Over the last year he has developed a period of time in the morning and evening when he gets really vocal. He meows loudly wanting attention and if we don't give it to him immediately, he wakes Ivar up. Every time.

We've been putting this fact off since the day Ivar was born, trying to quiet him every possible way, but at some point the baby's sleep has to take priority.

It's so sad for us. Toonces is a snugly cat, loves to be brushed, so affectionate, fantastic with Ivar, and 95% of the time quietly looks out the window. It's that other 5% of the time that just doesn't work with a baby.

If we had a house that had a room where he could be kept at night, allowing us all to sleep in peace, this would be no problem. And, if we didn't have Ivar it wouldn't be that big of a deal either. All he wants is some love and affection. But that is harder to give with a little baby crawling around.
People who know Toonces (and love cats) love him. He's a people cat, loves chasing little wax paper balls, and likes to eat... which means there is a lot of him to love!

Anyway, if you or anyone you know is looking for a declawed, fully immunized, free cat and would make for a good loving home for Toonces, let me know. I'd be so relieved to know where he is going. Otherwise, he has an appointment on Wednesday with the Humane Society where they'll evaluate if they can keep him until he finds a new family.

Can't tell you how heavy my heart is and how sad I am. It's a terrible feeling to have to give your own pet away.

the three of us

2011-08-19T07:42:00.002-05:00

Our good friend Shannon came over one morning in July...it was one of those horribly hot days that was sticky, muggy and so hot we thought we lived in the Bayou. She had a photo shoot with us and I am so happy we captured these shots. These pictures are Ivar pre-teeth and now he looks so different!

I adore the shots of just Ivar, especially the one with his legs all the way to his toes. Got to document those sweet feet! Thanks Shannon for a super fun morning, and for the happiness I found in opening the envelope from you yesterday with these beautiful pictures inside.

baby doll ivar

2011-08-12T13:10:00.003-05:00

Ivar and I went to a garage sale yesterday and we found this little doll for a buck. It actually startled me at first looking so much like a frozen, smaller version of my son.

a library favorite

2011-08-11T11:16:00.004-05:00

Ivar and I try to walk up to the library each week and I have another favorite I'd like to pass along. This is a sweet book told by a little girl explaining Alzheimers disease with the simplicity of a kid. It's a sweet story, talking about what is different about her grandma and also what is still the same.There is no more cruel disease than Alzheimers. I remember when my grandpa harrington was losing his memory and how terrible the year was when he was aware that he was losing his memory. It was actually a relief once he lost enough of his remembrances so that he didn't realize he was forgetting so much. In that terrible year I remember sitting in his room with him and having him speak some really powerful words over me, telling me that God would surely use my gifts in mighty ways. He wasn't really a tender man, so this conversation was stunning and precious to me. But in the blink of an eye he looked right at me and started shouting, "call the sheriff!" He was very agitated and kept repeating that there was someone in his room who needed to leave. And just as present as he was moments earlier, he was just as impassioned that I was no longer welcome.

This book put a lump in my throat. If you know of someone (and sadly, I think we all do) who is dealing with the sorrow of Alzheimer's in their family, this might be a good book to pick up. I used to work on the Memory Loss floor at the nursing home and thought they should get a copy of this book for that floor so that parents might have some way to discuss with their kids how grandpa's body is still alive, but why the person inside who made that body "grandpa" seems to have gone missing.

You can purchase and see more of the story of Still My Grandma, here.

beautiful baby food

2011-08-02T14:09:00.002-05:00

I remember seeing Jennifer Garner on The Martha Stewart Show. It was probably half a dozen years ago and she was very pregnant, as was everyone in the audience. The show was geared towards expecting mama’s and all that they should know before having that baby. Martha was interviewing Jennifer and asked if she planned on making her own baby food. “No,” she said sweetly “you know, I sort of think it would be one of those things that I’d try at first and then tucker out along the way.” Martha was aghast, “oh it’s so, so easy. You must make your own baby food!” Martha’s tone was a little much for me, but Jennifer just laughed back, “No. I feel no pressure. I figure if Gerber has been making it for this long, I’ll let my baby eat what they’re making.” Or something like that.

It is so weird how much I remember about that episode. Maybe because I never watched Martha all that often, but I think it had more to do with Jennifer’s likable honesty. She felt no pressure to pretend she was going to puree her own cooked squash. And not only was she this honest about her baby food plans, but she was basically making Martha look like an overbearing mother-in-law. (I can write that because I don’t have that mother-in-law!)

I swear to you, in that moment I made a mental note that I, too, would let Gerber do their pureeing for me. I would purchase those cute little jars and enjoy the fun readymade combinations like cherry-apple and blueberry banana. So this is how we started.

But then I got a voicemail from my friend Meta asking me if I had any tips on making baby food because she was “sure I was the type of mom who must have tried this before her.” And it dawned on me. I am totally the type to try making my own baby food. Not because of anything against gerber, not even really for the financial reasons. But because I might actually enjoy it. I like cooking and baking. I like creating. I’ve heard it involves lots of ice cube trays…why wouldn’t I give it a try?

And then Meta posted these pictures. Had I known rainbows of beautiful color would be involved I might have jumped on the wagon a bit sooner. I think I might have to go and make Martha Stewart proud…

9 months

2011-08-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Ivar,
Today you turn 9-months. And you just get more fun.

You delight us every day. Like the day I came back from walking around Lake Harriet with you and while giving you a bath found that you had tan lines in the rolls of your thighs. You are a very healthy eater and love all foods so far, though you give us a good gag show with avocado (but you still eat it!)

You are not crawling yet, but still get to where you want to go by barrel rolling side to side, all the while kersplatting on the hardwood floors. In the early mornings I set you up in the living room with all of your favorite toys and then head back to bed, and just this week I found you had almost made it to the kitchen! You also can scootch yourself backwards but tend to get stuck under the couch a lot because of this maneuver. And that is very frustrating for you.

You have acquired a scream that would rival any middle school girl sitting in the front of a roller coaster. It is high pitched, abrasive and terribly unnerving. Unfortunately, you have learned that it is effective. So we’re trying to ignore the pterodactyl that has moved into our quiet little home, but it’s harder to do than you’d think. Hopefully the scream is just a stage.

The flip side of the scream is that you have an opinion and are really starting to show us some personality. You’re still fantastically social. Today your dad and I took you for a walk around Lake Harriet and you stuck your arms straight out and waved your wrists and smiled at the runners as they ran by. You gave sweet smiles and we got lots of quick remarks of “cute baby” “he’s waving at me” or “hi buddy.” It tuckered you out and after a while you fell asleep in the stroller.

It was odd to have you lying back in the stroller, because your normal posture is very upright. Especially in your umbrella stroller, you rarely sit back. You’re very interested and eager to see what is up ahead In fact, when I see you playing with your toys on the floor I am often reminded to roll my shoulders back and sit up straighter myself..

You sing our names as a sweet background to our days. Mamamamamama and Dadadadadada are babbled lovingly all day long and you often times will make us stand quiet for a bit as we listen to you talk to your toys.

We love you more and more Ivar. I’ve stopped lamenting your changing and growing because your new tricks, ever-growing thighs and new sounds just give us that much more to love. And we love and adore you like crazies.
Love, Ma mama ma ma mamama

you know what the world needs more of?

2011-07-28T22:34:00.007-05:00

Hula Hoop contests! Mara entered the Shamrock Days competition in Rosemount yesterday. She was amazing and made us all so, so proud. She makes it look easy, just moving her hips a tiny bit.
There were a lot of kids in the competition and so the woman running the program had the kids do special tricks to find a winner. Mara was able to clap, hoola on one foot, then the other, kneel on each knee and finally they were asked to sit! That's when Mara's hoola hoop hit the bricks :)
Well done, Mara. You make life more fun.

how does your garden grow?

2011-07-27T20:19:00.012-05:00

We have had so much fun with our garden. The strategy for this year was to plant a little of everything, learning what we like to eat, what we wish we had more of, and what just didn't turn out. If that was the goal, then we have completely succeeded. The only serious issue we have had was with the zuccini and squash that were both enjoyed by some sort of gross worm. Unfortunately, the days they started to wilt were those horribly hot days last week and we just assumed it was the heat that was making them look so sickly. But it was the worms. Bummer.

Other than that though, we have been enjoying this garden with our whole hearts. We eat salads from the lettuce, used the peppers in taco meat, roasted the broccoli, picked the raspberries for our cereal, and eat the sugar peas like they're candy.
You can read more about the building of this garden by clicking here.

the sweetness of summer

2011-07-25T21:15:00.002-05:00

We were treated to a great dinner at our friends house the other night and I was asked to bring dessert. I had a hankerin' for chocolate chip cookies and thought I'd dress them up a bit for the occasion and stuffed them with vanilla ice cream. Yum and yum. I highly recommend making sure the summer doesn't slip by before you have a chance to make your own ice cream sandwiches.

And you better do it fast, because this summer is flying by. I hate that feeling. I was trying to figure out why this summer feels so different than other summers. I feel like I'm really taking in each day and appreciating all that this season brings. I realized that this is the first summer in a while that I haven't worked at a camp, and it's also our first summer back in our neighborhood, soaking up Lake Harriet and taking lots of walks with a baby in the stroller. There is lots to appreciate.

But I think the biggest difference in this summer is the fact that I am sharing it with my sister. She's home. And she brought her lovely family with her. :) I love this new normal more than I can say. Recently Annika and I left our kiddos with two former flbc camp counselors who were both St. Olaf grads, nurses and around 25 years old. Could you imagine any greater peace of mind as a new mom leaving her baby with a babysitter?!! Annika and I took off for Target, childless and giddy. We got starbucks when we walked through the doors, and I proceeded to impulse purchase all sorts of stuff I never knew I needed before. Pretty folders, a new journal, invites for Ivar's first birthday party that is still three months away. We stayed for a long, long time, roaming the aisles, laughing hard belly laughs. And the whole time I had this amazing awareness that this time I don't have to brace for goodbye. She's here to stay. It's a dream come true.

Now, if you don't have your sister home with you this summer let me recommend the next best thing: go make yourself a homemade icecream sandwich.

Grandma's Clan 2011

2011-07-24T21:00:00.001-05:00

Well folks, that's all from the family reunion! It was a really special week together. Not sure you could have packed one more thing into the week...even had the Grandpa Bredberg Horse Shoe Invitational thrown into the mix (my mom and Rory were a team and made it to the finals!), enjoyed all sorts of crafting all week long and were led in Bible Study by Pastor Jim Bjorge, my favorite storytelling preacher. But honestly, I've got to draw the line somewhere on how many more pictures to post and I think it might just be time to move on.

I did want to mention again that the beauty of this family is not in its perfection but in its foundation. A family who knows Christ knows forgiveness, hope, unconditional love and compassion. We don't have it all together. But we do believe that God holds us all together in his hands. This is what makes all the difference.

After sharing such a special week together it really does make a girl like me reflect on what it is I want the very most out of this life. Grandma spent our week together celebrating the fruits of her time here on earth and it was so crystal clear when we were together that she has spent her life invested in the very most important things. She can pass from this world and onto eternity knowing that she ran a good race, loved her kids with all of her heart, taught them the ways they should go, prayed with might when things got off track, and prayed with thanksgiving all of the days inbetween.

This party was to celebrate Grandma's 93rd birthday. I want to celebrate my 93rd birthday just like this one day. I've got 63 years to make it happen. And I plan on running this race just as hard, and following her example of what a true Jesus follower's life should look like: full of family, food, faith, fun and most importantly, forgiveness.

For a little more Grandma B goodness, check out this blog post that she wrote for me, sharing her wisdom on motherhood.

fun in the sun

2011-07-23T07:57:00.000-05:00

Children of the Heavenly Father

2011-07-23T07:55:00.000-05:00

When we were planning this family reunion, Grandma told me that she wanted the great grandkids to learn the words to Children of the Heavenly Father.

So every morning the family gathered for morning devotions. Each day we memorized one of the four verses of this swedish hymn learning a bit about what the lyrics meant, tied it into a Bible story that some mornings the grandkids acted out and then played a memory game to help the family learn the words. In this memory game, we sang the song through a few times, and then I had volunteers come forward to take down one or two of the words from the clothesline and then we'd see if we could sing it through without having all of the words in front of us. We did this until there were no words left.

My dad pulled me aside that night and commented, "maybe we wouldn't have to sing that song quite so many times." Ha! Hysterical.

It was a sweet way to begin our days together. We sang other favorite hymns, and throughout the course of the four days heard the entire gospel. In fact, Christmas morning I focused on the fall story and why Jesus had to come in the first place. That night we celebrated Jesus' birth by acting out the nativity. And then the next day was Easter so we learned why Jesus had to die and were able to connect the sin that had been brought into the world during The Fall and how Jesus' love for us was poured out on the cross, dying for our sins so that we can celebrate new life with our Heavenly Father. Thursday was Thanksgiving and we talked about how the only thing left for us to do is to praise our God and thank him for the life and joy and hope we have because of his great love for us. Seriously, it was a lot of ground to cover in four days!

Here are the words to Children of the Heavenly Father
Children of the Heavenly Father
Safely in his bosom gather
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e'er was given

God his own doth tend and nourish
In his holy courts they flourish
From all evil things he spares them
In his mighty arms he bears them

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord his children sever
Unto them his grace he showeth
And their sorrows all he knoweth

Though he giveth or he taketh
God his children ne'er forsaketh
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy

family talent show

2011-07-23T07:48:00.000-05:00

My sister and I hosted the family talent show. Earlier in the day I had added Annika's name to the sign up sheet: Annika Larson, solo dance performance to "If I could turn back time" and then I told her I was excited to see the act she had signed up for. We laughed hard, and then started thinking about our family and imagining other family fake acts.

So in between the real acts we announced things like, "And now Uncle Wayne will clog to Elvira." or "Next up, Cousin Matt will share with us a collection of his own love poems and sonnets." The beauty is that it was hard to know what was an actual act and what was made up. I mean, who knew Ella could hula hoop and twirl a baton at the same time?
And who knew Mark could play the ukulele?
Or that Ryan and Kristina had memorized the entire "Who's on first" routine?
Or that Kevin had signed Ivar and himself up to perform "How big is Ivar? So big!" in front of the whole family...
Or that the Harrington's would perform the kinder classic Tony Chestnut?

cinco de mayo

2011-07-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

Just kidding. We didn't really celebrate Cinco de Mayo. But we did have a bee hive pinata that my cousin Elsa made with some great grands at the beginning of the week. The pinata was adorable...it was hard to watch it get beat up.

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-07-22T07:43:00.001-05:00

Wednesday was Easter at the family reunion. We had a huge egg hunt, and each kid was given a bag with their name on it in a color that corresponded to their age. This way "everyone with a yellow bag" got to hunt for the eggs first, then the green bags were sent out and after a while everyone was looking for eggs together. It was a great idea, unless you were Sonna and somehow ended up with a green bag. I can't remember which color she really wanted, but it wasn't green!
Sweet Isaiah shared his treat with great Grandma.

a rocket show

2011-07-22T07:42:00.000-05:00

After the 4th of July parade we went down to the big field to blast off rockets. My cousins Steve and Richard have always put on a good show, but this year was bigger and better than ever. Steve supplied the rockets and after each blast off all of the kids would run around the field with the hopes of catching it on its descent.

the christmas pageant

2011-07-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

Every day of this reunion was a different holiday, and Tuesday was Christmas. We acted out the nativity story, as we do every Christmastime...but not all of the family is able to gather each December so this was a really big cast. This was a special year too...we had a two Mary's, two Joseph's, two Baby Jesus', a chicken, a pig and a mosquito.

4th of July Parade

2011-07-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the 4th of July, our family had our own parade. Grandma was the GRANDMArshal and led the way. Everyone was in the parade. The back of the line started first, and the family standing in line got to cheer them on, then when they made it to the front of the family, they took their places along the path to cheer for the family that had just watched them. Does that make sense? It was a pretty great plan and worked so well the first time that grandma ran the whole parade through a second time :)

grandma's garden party, part 2

2011-07-20T21:14:00.001-05:00

We began our family reunion with alaskan salmon for 100. That's a great way to start a party. My uncle Wayne catches the fish, ships it and grills it for all of our family gatherings and it is as good as it gets.

After supper all of the younger girls went to their cabins to put their tutu's on for a little dance recital. Sonna got suddenly shy and so Annika was the loving mom who supportively danced for the whole family as well. The dancing was sweet, but it really really picked up when the boys joined in.
My cousin Elsa presented Grandma with the gift of all gifts, a story book that Elsa wrote and illustrated based on The Miracle Moth story that has been told and retold many, many times in our family. For me, this was the highlight of the party. You can see how pleased Grandma was when she opened it, and Elsa filled every page with her stunning art. It is glorious.

grandma's garden party, part 1

2011-07-17T23:10:00.002-05:00

This is me and my grandma and grandpa bredberg, standing in front of this cabin in 1987. I was six years old. Twenty four years later I am still in love with this special place, Mount Carmel, with its one mission: to pass on a living faith in Jesus to the next generation.

I am about to post a whole lot of pictures. Just fair warning. But I think they're all a really great collection of moments and happenings from our family reunion that tell of a family who love and care deeply for each other. First of all, the pictures are not my own. They are a collection of the best of the best from my cousins Karen, Dan, Sarah, Sarah, Elsa, Uncle Paul, and Aunt Louie. As you'll see in the pictures to follow, they've got skills and I am grateful that they shared their beautiful snapshots so generously.

I want to share these pictures because our week of family together time was really a powerful week for me. I think I used to think my family was perfect. But we're not. And as the week went on I started to see us as something much more beautiful: we're normal. we're human. There is a lot going on in our family right now...lots of hurts and sadness and unknowns. Diseases that are scary, relationships that are broken and hurts that have a history. But as you'll see in the pictures to follow, we've got a whole lot to celebrate. Because we are also a family that believes in a God of forgiveness, a God who heals, a God who has called us to celebrate life. And celebrate we do. We know how to have a good time.

The reunion was at Mount Carmel Family Bible Camp, my favorite place on earth. I thought in this first post I would just introduce you to this place. Mount Carmel is like another home to me, another member of our family, a place where my own faith in Jesus has always found its footing, and a place that constantly reminds me of the great heritage of which I am a part.

Mount Carmel is beautiful. But, like our family, it's also not perfect. There are ants in cabins, buildings in need of repair and gardens to be tended to. But those aren't really the point...the beauty is in the community that is created each week when new families join together to learn more of the great love the Father has lavished upon us. The people are what make Mount Carmel the most glorious...but as you'll see in the pictures below, God has also done a very nice job of creating this special piece of land and lake. It's easy to meet the Creator here.

summer lovin'

2011-07-10T17:45:00.012-05:00

We just returned from a week of family togetherness to celebrate my Grandma Bredberg's 93rd birthday. She foot the bill for another family reunion, flying in family from Alaska, Washington, Kentucky and New York. There were just under a hundred of us gathered and it was one serious party. Since Grandma doesn't get to celebrate each holiday with her whole family throughout the year, she had the grand idea of celebrating as many holidays as we could while we were together: Sunday was her Birthday, Monday was Independence Day, Tuesday was Christmas, Wednesday was Easter and Thursday was Thanksgiving.

It was a wonderful week together... soaking up the sun and catching up with cousins.

a public service announcement

2011-07-07T05:01:00.002-05:00

Attention. A few years ago I made a life-long resolution. I resolved to never ever, ever drive past a lemonade stand without stopping to patron the hard-working, zealous kids who sit patiently behind their card table waiting for cars to stop.

I am happy to report that I have done a pretty descent job of keeping this resolution. The key? I keep quarters in both cars, and have even put a few in the bottom basket of the stroller. I have found that if I don't have quarters on hand, I am much less likely to stop. But if the change ready, it's really no trouble to stop the car, get the kool-aid and be on my way.

A few weeks ago Ivar and I were wandering all around our neighborhood when we came upon a lemonade stand with four very excited, loud salesgirls. I was so happy to be served my glass of lemonade and then one of the younger girls asked if she could pet my baby. I looked at her sticky hands...and her grubby face...and thanked her for asking so nicely replying, "let's just look at the baby. He loves to smile at new friends."

Recenly Ivar and I were heading out to the Edina Art Fair. I stopped at two lemonade stands on the way because kids (or their parents) are smart and knew to capitalize on the increased traffic in their neighborhoods. I was all sugared up by the time I got to the art fair. I had spent 50 cents on my way and felt so good and thrifty when I saw the stand at the art fair that wanted to sell me a glass of lemonade for $3.25. Thank you kids for your reasonable prices!

When I saw the price they were charging I thought, "blog post. I need to get the word out that the key to stopping for lemonade is keeping quarters handy in the car." So readers, take a minute to scoop out some quarters out of your change bucket and stock up your car, strollers or running jacket. This ends my public service announcement.

Adorable picture found here.

rock on

2011-07-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Super easy, super cute. I want to make a series of these now for our garden labeling what is where. The other side has a fabric heart stuck on it with modge podge. Lots of possibilities for this project, found here.

gift #27

2011-07-05T10:46:00.000-05:00

Number Twenty Seven: Josie Groves and how much she loves Ivar (and how much Ivar loves her.)

to the new mama's

2011-07-01T22:00:00.004-05:00

I have seven friends who have had babies in the past two months and thinking of all of them, and talking with a few of them has made me so reflective of those first few weeks with a newborn. Ivar is now 8 months old, and I honestly never would have believed how different every single month would be. What I remember is that during those first two or three or four months life is still so fragile, people’s germs are offensive, sleep is light and constantly interrupted and everything is new and awkward and exhausting.

Of course it’s all wonderful and tiny and precious too. I think I tended to write more on this blog focusing on the sweet, delightful moments.

But I just want to throw this out there for the new mamas out there whose boobs are sore, eyes are droopy and patience is shot: be good to yourself. Those first three months are really crazy. Nursing a baby with no head control and spazzy limbs is difficult. It gets easier when the baby grows a bit and can literally crane his head to help out. Figuring out how to change your baby’s diaper in a public restroom with no changing table is tricky. Once winter started to thaw our car became sort of a nursery on wheels and we found the back seat was great for changing poopie diapers and for nursing.

I was getting my hair cut today and had a flashback of me nursing Ivar on the toilet in the Juut Salon in Edina. While nursing him on that toilet he fell asleep and I remember feeling so grateful that he would sleep through my haircut. Until I stood up. Then the automatic flusher woke my son. As I remembered this I kept thinking, “why on earth did I bring Ivar to a hair appointment?!!” And you know, there is no good reason. I think I was just that desperate to get out of the house that day.

All this to say, as I sat in the waiting area today, drinking my cucumber water and flipping through a Bazaar magazine I realized that everything has gotten easier because babies get easier. Or maybe it’s just that I figured out what I was doing (and figured out that it is best not to bring Ivar to my hair appointments). But as the baby grows up there are so many helpful changes that just make life more doable. Huge milestones changed the way I planned my day to day. Suddenly Ivar could go for much longer between feedings and then he started eating cereal which seems to really stick to his ribs. He also can sit up on his own so that I can leave him in his crib playing with toys or on a blanket on our bedroom floor and he can entertain himself while I do my own thing. Now every baby is different, but I still don’t think I realized that this season was ahead when he was just a tiny peanut with skinny legs. (I know he'll be mobile soon. Don't rain on my parade...)

More than anything, just know that it goes so stinking fast. I can’t believe he is already 8 months and I can’t believe his thighs have tripled in size. Eventually you will begin to relax more and enjoy better, quality sleep. Eventually you will start to feel qualified to take a trip to Target and not end up in tears crying with your baby by the time you get back to your car. Eventually your little babe will affirm you with the sweetest thank-you you’ve ever heard, crying “MMMmmmmm” when he wants you. And only you will do, because you’re the one who gets up at night, runs back in the house for the umpteenth time to grab the diaper bag, ends up as soaking wet as the baby you are bathing in the sink, finds poop on your knuckles hours after you changed that diaper, and walks in endless circles while bouncing and singing.

You can do it. You’re the mama.

Murphy's Landing

2011-06-30T08:50:00.012-05:00

On Saturday we took a family field trip to Murphy's Landing. It is a historical village with actors living out life in Minnesota in the 1890's (I just typed 1980's at first. Now wouldn't that be a funny village to visit! Ha!) We had a great time. We're trying to take more 'local vacations' this summer...being a tourist in our own town. And this was a perfect day adventure.

Naturally we were most excited about the gardens and what they were planting and what was starting to come up. This is the doctor's medicinal garden.
A life-in-motion museum like this is so great for gaining perspective. We saw this bedroom that would sleep a mom and dad and 3-4 kids and suddenly, our two bedroom house seemed huge. For sure we could fit a few more kids of our own in our little home.

Ivar was a sport, as always.

In every house we visited, the women were baking something incredible. It was a terrible tease, actually, because they couldn't share. Strawberry pie in one house, cinnamon rolls in another and doughnuts in another. And something crazy happened. To watch these women bake using one bowl and one spoon in an oven heated by fire made us wonder why recipes have become so complicated. The woman making doughnuts made it look so, so easy. And so simple.

So after our yummy smelling journey in the 1890's, we drove to Rory's folks and googled "1800's donut recipe" and found a very simple, very basic doughnut recipe. And proceeded to find our roots.

gift #17

2011-06-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

Gift Number Seventeen: Ivar and I wearing our matching raincoats