Happy New Year!

Michelle and Brian were here the day before, but our actual New Years was quiet.  Don't tell anyone, but we didn't even stay up to welcome in the new year.  We figured others would take care of that, and we could welcome it the next morning.  And you know, it worked out okay.

Our traditional New Year breakfast is aebelskivers.  We have made these little apple pancake balls on New Years for years.  For our daughters' wedding showers, we gave each of them an aebelskiver pan, so they could continue the tradition.  And they all do. We all make them and take pictures and text them to each other.  They really are good.  Why don't I make them other days of the year?  I just looked:  I have never posted the recipe on Hungry Hintons.  I'll have to remedy that.

Not as long-standing of a tradition, but one we have done for several years is this delicious shrimp dish for our New year's dinner.  

And for dessert, I tried a new cake recipe- Snickers Cake.  I will post it soon on Hungry Hintons.

Hello, Moon! (Super Moon)

May your new year be filled with happiness, good health, family, and worship!  Happy New Year!

Goodbye to an Old Friend

I wish I could remember the year, but it was Christmas sometime in the 1990s.  For many years we had an old, antique upright piano.  We had purchased it used- very used back in the 80s.  It was old.  The stories it could tell if it could talk.  But it was time for a new piano.  Some of the keys no longer played.  So, Ken listed it for sale and buyers came to pick it up.  Then on Christmas eve of that year in the '90s, this beautiful, new piano was delivered to my home.  Though I knew it was coming because we had sold the old one, Ken had gone to the music store and picked it out himself to surprise and please me.  I loved my new piano.  Then, a few years later,  when my parents passed away, I inherited my mom's grand piano (in 2003.)  We moved this piano to the basement.  After that, it got played only occasionally.  So we offered it to Michelle and Brian.  Their oldest child is eight and ready to learn to play. "Let's get it where it will be loved and used," said the logical side of my brain.  But the emotional side was  saying, "but Ken chose this for you and surprised you with it and you are attached." It was a little bit hard to give it away.
When they came through after Christmas, Brian rented a truck and we arranged for neighbors to help us get that piano out the back door (we have a walk-out basement) and up the grass hill.  No easy task.  We also gave them an old freezer and bike to put in their big truck.  It was time to say goodbye to a well-loved old friend.

All cleaned and ready to go.  Goodbye, dear friend!

The rented truck.

The kids thought this was a great adventure!

The neighbors who helped us were a little less thrilled with the adventure, I'm sure.  That was hard work!

Plywood boards had to keep leap frogging in front to get it across the grass and up that steep hill.  We are so grateful for these good men who helped (Jason, Neil, and Joel.)

Later that night, Brian texted this picture, showing the piano all set up in their home.  It looks beautiful there!

I'm sure when I see it in their home and then later hear those kids playing it beautifully, it will lessen the sting of saying goodbye to a dear, old friend!

Christmas II

On Saturday, December 30th, Michelle and Brian came through on their way home from having spent the week with Brian's family in SLC.  We had a little mini-Christmas with them, having saved the gifts we were exchanging.

Following is a series of Grandma/ William pictures that Michelle took.  I love them.

Those sweet little kisses.  

Grandpa loves to play tickle and wrestle with the kids.  I feel like my Grandma Gabrielsen, "Now Lymie, stop!  You're getting those kids worked up."  When did I get old?

This little dude can roll over now.

I made chicken tortilla soup for them.

Gabbi always helps me clean.  I give her a duster and she does the whole house!

Let's open some presents!

The lighting in all of these pictures is terrible.

MIchelle and Brian and family gave us this beautiful pillow.

I read this book to the kids.  A friend gave it to me for Christmas.

And more rough housing.  Grandpa did have a sore back for several days after this session.

It got pretty wild.

Brian rented a truck here so they could take our piano, an old freezer and a bike to Vegas with them.  

 We were so grateful for good neighbors who helped us get that piano up the grass hill and into the truck.

It was a fun mini-Christmas with the Prince family.

Christmas, 2017

We had a quiet and very nice Christmas.  Before Christmas, Michelle texted me this picture of Gabbi after receiving a special package from Shin Shimai in Tsuruoka.  They are pen pals.

On Saturday before Christmas, Michelle and Brian stopped by on their way to SLC for Christmas.

William was anxious to perform his new trick for us- rolling over!

They left to go to SLC to spend Christmas with Brian's family.  So Ken and I enjoyed a quiet Christmas together.

Christmas eve, we had our traditional Chicken ala King (Chicken for a King) over toast "crowns"

And yule log chocolate cake(birthday cake for Jesus.)

And apple pie.  About the only thing Ken would tell me he wanted for Christmas was an apple pie that he could eat all by himself.  So that's what he got.  It took him most of a week, but he ate it all!

In the afternoon, we went out to a rest home to visit a friend.  We enjoyed reading the Christmas story from the book of Luke with him.

We skyped with Camerons and opened their gifts on Christmas eve.  Shonna made me this apron with handprints of their four children.  I made a similar apron for my mom when I and my siblings all had small children:

I made this for my mom the Christmas of 1980 (since I didn't have anything else to do.  I had Shonna on December 1st of that year!)  I had all of my siblings send me a pattern of each of their childrens' hand.

Joan's Devin was 5 months,  Our Kristen was 2 and Shonna was 2 weeks.

John and Cindy's Alexis was 6, Amanda-3 and Adam -2.

Patty's Evan was 9, Allison-7, Preston- 5, Tricia-3, and Jessica-1 1/2

Pam's Rick was 11, Ryan-9, Stacey-7, and Missy- 4.

We each had one more child after this except Joan who had three more.  Now most of them are married with many children of their own.  This apron captures a moment in history.

This large bag came from Pam and Roger and had all sorts of wonderful gifts inside.

With only us to be here for Christmas, we decided to keep the decorating simple.  We just put up this small tree, several nativity sets, and a few other favorite decorations- including that beautiful quilt that Kristen made us several years ago.

I had received a sample of this perfume and loved it, so Ken got it for me, along with creams, and . . . (stay tuned)

Ken's shirt from Pam and Roger

Gifts from Pam and Roger

I love, love, love my Vera Bradley cuddle blanket from Pam and Roger.

AND my Roomba from Ken.

And my acrylic cups with straws.

Though I only remembered to take pictures when we skyped with Kristen's family, we enjoyed skyping with Shonna's family, and later on Christmas evening,  with all of our kids and their spouses. That was so fun.  They all really like each other!

We love you Samuel.  This kid loves to skype and just chatters and chatters.

My new earrings from Kristen and Jared

We had one of our favorites for dinner: pork with almond, butter, apple sauce, green beans and rice.

And later, watched this classic.

It was a beautiful Christmas!