Santa came! He filled the stockings and left some toys! Miss E woke us up at 2:45 am to inform us...she got sent back to bed...
Here we opened a whole lot of more presents, played with cousins and ate a whole lot of food! It was a great time making memories!
We had a wonderful time together! -Great food, I won the marzipan pig ( yeah!), lots of fun presents and two very happy children!
We had a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner (and lunch), -with a vegetarian twist... very good! We put on our best clothes and celebrated our Saviours birth! (Miss E was slightly critical to her fathers choice in pants..."you call THAT fancy?")
The kids loved all their gifts, and when it was over couldn't wait to see what Santa would bring the following morning. ( And not to mention Grandma...)
Naa er julen her! Christmas is here! After a horrible night of sleep, me and the kids are up. The kids are watching some kids shows, me drinking my coffee. I need the fuel! The fire is burning and Norwegian Christmas incense is in the air. It smells absolutely divine!
Baby A is totally ready to open gifts, but she has to wait until tonight...
Here she is meeting Santa for a second time, much more confident than last time!
I have lots of food to make, and we'll see if I burn it like I did yesterday. I think that will be our Christmas tradition, since I've done it almost every year!
God Jul!
I have seen this bird feeder/candle holder several places, and decided to give it a try. All you you do is find a container, with a hollow center. (Or you take a glass filled with something heavy and place in the center). Fill it with water and whatever decorative stuff you like. I choose cranberries, sunflower seeds and some evergreen clippings. Put in freezer, til frozen. To loosen from container, place in some warm water.
Place a candle in the center and enjoy the coziness from inside your warm home. As the weather gets warmer, the block will melt and the birds will get access to the food.
Presents, wrapped and put under the tree...(curious little hands wanting to open them).
Some Christmas flowers are in the house...
Red and white, -traditional and wonderful Christmas colors...
My wonderful neighbor made these Italian cookies, Pizelles??? I can't remember what they are called, but they are beautiful and delicious. She makes them every Christmas.
Today we are meeting with friends - to make even more cookies! This is not good for my diet. I think I will plan on making something I don't like. Peanut butter something....
I do love little Christmas chocolate though, and m&m's of course! Can never get enough! I love the ones in colorful wrappings!
Our mountains have received a lot of snow, in fact it never stopped yesterday. I hope that tomorrow will be better, because, as you can tell, we have a tree topper situation...I just hate having to go far in bad weather ( you can not get much around here). I still have a few other things I need to get before Friday, like stuff for our Christmas dinner and stocking stuffers. I hope the roads will clear up soon. Times like this is does stink living here, with no decent stores nearby....oh well, at least it is beautiful!
Christmas time means eating time for me. Lots of yummy foods and candies. Yesterday we were suppose to make gingerbread men, but we didn't have any ginger...So I ended up making chocolate covered pretzels and peppermint bark. Yum!
As a child you couldn't buy already cracked nuts, you had to do the work yourself. My oldest thought it sounded so much fun to do it yourself so I got some. It was hard work and not fun at all - and it was WALNUTS! " But mom, I don't like walnuts!!!"
They look pretty as decorations though.
Growing up, you also only had clementines during Christmas time, -it was so good and tasty with the miniature oranges. And we would poke whole cloves into oranges and enjoy the heavenly aroma!
It smells and taste like good times and memories around here!
Julemus, -Christmas mouse, a must in a Norwegian home. As a child I loved that we decorated with cute, little mice. As a grown up, with real, little mice in the house, I don't find this tradition quite as charming...
Old cookie shapes, used for tea lights, and works as decorations on their own...
Angel wings and country stockings.... We're getting closer to the big celebration!
A wonderful read and delicious marzipan that my mom sent me!
Me and the girls had a marzipan workshop last week. Well, the baby got to play with dry beans... Norwegians are crazy about marzipan, most Americans think it tastes like play dough....anyways, Christmas is big marzipan season! Me and miss E can not get enough!
We didn't make the marzipan like I did as a child, but we did shape them, dye them and dip them in melted sugar. - add a walnut and you have pure bliss! ( again, not according to Americans...).
Kids hard at work...
This is my little Victorian village. I got this years ago at a garage sale for $3! I love it! I would like to add more to it, but it's so expensive!
Me and my daughters like looking at and playing with this set, to get lost in their world...
Tomorrow, my daughters Christmas break starts! we are so excited, lots of plans....
Norwegians generally keeps their trees really simple.
-Like with apples, nisser, straw rams and white lights.
Today I'm going to the school to help decorate gingerbread houses! That will be fun!
And 2 years ago today, at 0824am my baby was born!
