I told you so....

Maybe you remember this, maybe you don't...but our big line when we were buying our new house was, "We are buying a house from Santa!!!". Well, here he is...Santa, aka Gerry, playing Santa at our local restaurant (The Lighthouse; Little B calls it "The mini corn dog Lighthouse Restaurant" since that's all he orders there.

Kdee immediately realized he "looked a lot like Gerry"...to which we shushed her and explained "Santa's helpers". She was really, really good about it. Little B didn't recognize Gerry behind the suit and was thrilled. He asked for a "big boy bike with training wheels"; Kdee wants a "Nintendo DS, but since her parents might get that for her, anything American Girl is great or books".

It was a really nice Santa visit and the folks at The Lighthouse are SO friendly, fun and kind. I got a pic of Little B with a couple of his fave Lighthousers--Travis and Amber. Travis is the head cook and comes out to visit us--even if we're in the parking lot. He's great with the magic tricks, too! Amber is equally sweet and kind to us.

Both kids have had great Christmas programs. On a weird, funny side note--Kdee's school program included a child getting sick, that classic case of kids singing, then backing away in horror with a child standing alone, hand to mouth, running off the stage. You don't want to laugh, but....we've all been there.

Another recent highlight was Kdee & I going to the play, "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" at The Children's Theater, thanks to a wonderful Christmas gift from Aunt Donna/Uncle Bart. It was wonderful!

ribB celebrated his 37th birthday with a weekend of fun. Friday night he whooped it up with his coworkers, who are truly a blast and a great time was had by all. Saturday we had fun with Santa, Kdee's basketball practice, naps and a date night for ribB & I. The theme was "James Bond"...and he got lots of Bond on DVD to replace our VHS's (LOL!) and we went to the new Bond movie. Yes, the red velvet cake was made from scratch and enjoyed fully. Wasn't the prettiest version of it, but ribB claimed it was 'the best tasting one' that I've made. Taste is what counts in the end! LOL.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to all...ours will be low key until we head to LaX on Friday night. Oh--and yes, our cards are coming in the New Year!!! :-)

a little sugar, a little flour....

I am dreaming all things baking ingredients! I love it...but I'm starting to feel the burn. HA. On Sunday I had a bunch of time to myself (thanks to ribB taking the kids up north to Bart/Donna's cabin for the night on Saturday) and I BAKED and COOKED like a maniac! What did I make you ask...well...here's the list and keep in mind this was just from 10:30am until 8pm (with a couple o' breaks in between):
*peanut butter blossoms
*rosettes
*Grandma K's roll out cookie (dough made Sunday; baked & decorated Monday night)
*peanut butter bon bons ("dough" made Sunday...yet to dip in almond bark!)
*frosted molasses cookies (yet to frost...but better soon, as the kids are loving 'em)
*pumpkin pie
*cranberry salad
*corn pudding
*swedish sausage

Next to come...frosting more cookies (as noted above) and making the Loney family traditional Lefse. As most folks know, my Grandma Loney passed away in May...and she taught me SO much about cooking/baking. I learned how to make rosettes and lefse from her, was given her lefse griddle/turn sticks/etc. I passed the lefse test for a good couple o' years before my grandpa passed away almost 4 years ago. He was the Norwegian who had to approve--ha ha!

I'm really missing my Grandma (and my Dad for that matter) this time of year. She was a big mentor in my life and during special celebrations like Christmas, it feels a bit empty and void without her. I hoping she's my kitchen angel, helping me out. Maybe that's why I was able to accomplish so much! (And, the same goes for my Dad, who also taught me so much about cooking/baking!)

So, all of that said...I love family traditions, especially those that celebrate cultural heritage...and much of that comes out of traditional foods for me...good thing they are tasty! :-)

On a totally non related side note...Kdee had her first basketball tournament on Saturday. How should I sum it up? Let's just say: 1) she got better with every game--ala she didn't defend her defender as much...(so hard to not laugh out loud on that one)...and 2) 3rd & 4th graders are WAY better at Bball than I was in 6th grade. Impressive stuff!

I hope to have some pictures soon...I'm a bit behind!

word association....

Ahhh, the holidays are upon us. I'm behind in blog entries and feeling a wee bit creative at this late hour. So, appease me...we're going to do some quick and easy updates for the few folks who keep up with the crazy antics of the ribclan!

Hunting season: Over. Fun with the Kids. Playdates with Hudson friends. Time out in the snow.

Surprise: an outing with Jessie, thanks to my mom. We ran and drank wine...and ate some fabulous wine plate foods. Yum. Great conversation!

Thankssgiving: Always delicious...fun tradition of black friday...love La Crosse. Great to see family, especially the nephew & nieces!

Work: Love time with Heather...she makes me laugh so much and lifts me up to make it through the muckety muck. Busy...and profitable. Lucky in these times for advertising/marketing!

Kdee: Still adjusting to new school, playing basketball and blooming into a beautiful, funny, wonderful girl. She makes me smile and laugh (even when she confuses me) and we have fun dancing and acting together. How is she 8 1/2?

Little B: Still adjusting to new daycare, but more cuddly than ever. I could just eat him up and his spirit resonates with me. He has a sharp, insightful wit and a huge smile. Still loves bikes and Scooby Doo...what a character!

Chantal: the old lady, our 13 year old cat...she's funny. So happy Louise is gone, soaking up all the one-to-one attention, managing the kids great, spirited in the middle of the night (then tired when we're getting up in the am)...she still has the smallest head--but biggest heart--out of any cat I know. So funny.

Cars: breaking down...but good thing we have the "third" car when ribB was gone hunting. Turns out my car, with 130,00+ miles on it, needed a new starter. Dang! Holidays schmolidays!

New House: Love the one level to it and ability to keep on top of cleaning, etc.--it's a great layout and is much easier to maintain. I, for one, am still adjusting to rural life...but, the community here is friendly and helpful.

Concerts: Coldplay (awesome), then right before T-day, Puddle of Mudd with SafetySuit (the real reason I went!) and a couple other hard-rock bands. I had a blast--even all by myself. I'm really ok with entertaining myself...grew up doing that and it's not a big deal. I met the lead singer of SafetySuit--a highlight! and pushed my way up front (like second row) for Puddle of Mudd. I'm happy to report that I held my position against the mosh pit just fine, thank you. No problems...but I did use about every muscle in my body--lol!!!

Ice: forming on the lake. Ice Skating to come soon. As well as...little B, with an ice cube stuck in his throat the other night. Scary stuff...those cubes don't melt so quickly and he even coughed up some blood. Yikes. But, lesson was learned...just drink your water and don't suck on ice!

Christmas decor: Tree is up...but awaiting decorations, as is the house. ribB is taking the kiddos up north after Kdee's tournament and I plan to decorate, bake and wrap. Do you think I can get it all done? Or at least a lot of it? ha.

Holiday party: Our work doesn't really have one, but for HPI, we go to The Bayport Cookery for 5 courses with wine pairings. So great...with lots of laughter. May be staying closer to the restaurant that night....it would be a long drive home with that wine in me...ha ha ha.

Running: still at it, well here and there. The other night though...I hit an ice chunk while running in the dark (I did have a flashlight, but didn't even think to look for such things!) and I fell flat on my face faster than you can say "doh!". Funny thing is that I was angry prior to falling, was cursing under my breath and then....boom. I literally stood up and said, "Ok, God...I get it....knock it off or pay attention...". Hope to run more often as the winter progresses...I've got plans!

That's it for now...so much more to write...but it's late and, well....give me a call or email if you want to know what else may be going on! HA HA!