mrshojo: FAMILY WEEKEND

Update #1

A Sunday service at Salem

A wonderful weekend has come to an end all too quickly. It's a good thing everybody didn't leave today or Grandma would really find it quiet. Clare's are still here, also Carter and Ashley. Carter is spending two days being Clare's helper, Ashley is staying to attend VBS this week in Torquay, Jodi and Abbey will be going home tomorrow.

The family started arriving on Friday and Laurel fixed Tacos in a bag or Taco Salad for everyone. We had peach or apple pie for dessert. Clare and Kirk brought their campers so the six people sleeping in the house each had a bed to him/her self. That doesn't happen very often.

When I came into the kitchen the next morning about 6:30 there was Carter sitting quietly at the kitchen table waiting for someone to join him. He said he hadn't slept well in the camper so the next night he slept in the house. Pancakes and bacon, along with a fruit tray were on the menu. I made four times my usual batch and there were two pancakes left. That was cutting it a little too close! We enjoyed apple butter and chokecherry syrup on the pancakes but some of the kids just stuck with good oldAunt Jemima.

After breakfast five youngsters climbed in the Suburban and headed for Crosby golf course. Four ladies plus Ashley and Jamie soon followed, but headed to downtown Crosby to shop instead. We made the rounds and found some bargains at J Co. Drugs, bought Watkins products at the hardware store, browsed in the furniture store and Crafts 4 U. Ashley went with me to the quilt/used book store. She enjoyed having her picture taken as a cowgirl.

Cowgirl Ashley

Then we headed for Hot Stuff Pizza where we planned to meet the golfers. I was surprised to see so many parking spots available, but soon found out why. That eating place is closed on Saturday and Sundays due to shortage of help. We decided to eat at CJ's at the south end of Main Street. The name has changed several time and our kids remember it best as the Dew Drop In. The interior hasn't changed along with the name but the hamburgers and milk shakes were great!

The golfers decided to eat at the golf course when they found out that Hot Stuff was closed. We headed over to the swimming pool, a very attractive place on a hot day. I didn't go swimming and Jodi's swim suit was in the other vehicle so we each found a park bench in the shade. No, we didn't sit down, we laid down and Jodi even had a short nap. No pictures of us though, napping on park benches in Crosby!

The golfers joined us after their meals and soon they were all having a great time together in the pool. I'll have to add pictures later as I left the picture taking to Laurel, Shauna and Jodi. When they get a chance to email some to me, I will update this post.

Our last stop was at Ekness Supervalu to pick up eleven steaks for supper. I told Randy how much we had enjoyed the Elberta peaches. He said they are still getting calls for them but they were long gone. They had sold over four hundred cases, have to order them three months ahead of time so when they are gone that's all until next season.

We made it back to the border with fifteen minutes to spare after a stop at Ambrose for the mail. The box was stuffed full of magazines and two Red Sox envelopes that were waiting for Kirk and Shauna. They are going to New York and Boston next week, will take in three ball games in Boston, Kirk and Shauna's favourite team.

We got home in time to see the last quarter of the Rider game versus Montreal. It was a low scoring game and the Riders ended up winning it in the last two seconds with a field goal! An extra event at the game was the renewal of wedding vows for several couples, one of them being Kathy (Bergum) and Rick Davies! Kathy is the daughter of Howard's cousin Dave and Bea Bergum. I used to babysit Kathy when I lived a couple doors down from them in Swift Current. Laurel sent a link- http://regina.ctvnews.ca/married-couples-renew-their-vows-during-saturday-s-rider-game-1.1416217

Before supper we gathered up mop, pails of hot water and Mr. Clean, cloths, brooms and dust pans and headed up to Salem to do a cleanup. One of the girls remarked, "I love cleaning at Salem". It's part of family tradition now. We used to have a bee to do the job, but now that the Johnson family has enough helpers, we just do it on our own. I'm thinking that we should have a bigger work bee on the interior though and do some of the jobs that don't get done on the once a year clean up. The wood floor could use a treatment, as could the pews, windows and walls. Maybe next year!

Kirk did a great job on the barbecue and we all enjoyed the T-bone steaks along with "Sandra's potato salad"(her recipe for a cooked dressing), Caesar salad, buns and leftover pie. Soon it was time to prepare the Apple French Toast and pop it in the fridge to bake in the morning. It was late when everyone settled down and there was no one sitting at the breakfast table when I got to the kitchen at 6:30 this morning. Jeff was there for breakfast shortly after seven and off to work at Torquay Port by quarter to eight. He missed out on the apple French toast as it wasn't ready before he left. There wasn't much left of the double recipe but someone will get the leftovers tomorrow morning.

It was a busy household with everyone getting ready for the Salem service at 10:30. Shauna and Jodi were busy making up buns with the turkey breast that cooked over night in the crockpot. We filled a big jug with iced tea, packed glasses, veggies and dip and watermelon to have for lunch after the service. Lawn chairs were gathered up for the picnic lunch. We all made it to church on time! It was very warm this morning with not a breath of wind and we thought it was going to be very uncomfortable during the service. But a cool wind soon was blowing and provided a nice breeze through the open doors. In fact we ended up eating inside as the wind was too strong and too cool!

It was a very special service with 51 in attendance and Pastor Danny Krauss leading. Hymns were chosen by the congregation from "With One Voice", and most were old favourites. I was playing the accordion and was very impressed by the good singing. Cindy Daae shared a children's message for the fourteen younger ones there. The two couples who were the last ones married at Salem were in attendance again this year. Gerald and Maxine (Tenold) Olson, who were married in 1954, came all the way from Birch Hills. Kirk and Shauna (Fornwald) Johnson were married there in 2000. Just for fun, I wore the dress that I bought to wear to their wedding. I thought it might be too hot a day for it, but it turned out to be just perfect!

We enjoyed visiting over lunch, in the pews instead of outside on lawn chairs or a blanket on the grass. Great fellowship indoors or out!

Then it was back home to enjoy the last afternoon of the weekend. I got out the ice cream maker and soon it was churning away. Half an hour later, Ashley and Jamie were cleaning off the beaters. Jamie proclaimed the taste test as "fantastic" and suggested that I sell homemade ice cream. We put it in the freezer to harden some more and iced some lemon cupcakes in honour of Jamie's sixth birthday which was on July 31st.

Kirk took care of the meat for supper - a deliciously seasoned pork roast that he did in the oven, five hours at 250º on a base of cut up appes, onion and a bit of water. It was so tender and moist that it will become a family favourite I'm sure. Our dessert was the vanilla ice cream with cupcakes.

Greg and Eric left in the early afternoon, Kirk's, Laurel and Dawson left around six. Dawson is off to a Bible Camp tomorrow afternoon so he is excited about that. He'll be there until Sunday noon so Laurel and Greg will just have Eric at home this week. The middle child doesn't often get a chance to be "the only one" so this will be a special week for Eric.

Well, this is a short run down of the weekend. I'll update this post when I get pictures so watch for that in a day or two. The only negative part of the weekend is that we were missing Todd, Kristy and Nora. And these family events are the hardest part about being so far from family for Todd's too - missing these special family gatherings. We Facetimed a few times today, but it doesn't quite compare with actually being together.

Tomorrow is a big day for Nora as she will spend her first full day at Barnehage. It translates to Children's Garden, the equivalent of our Kindergarten, but is for all preschoolers from one to five years. It is not part of the school system but the staff have three years of teacher training in order to work with the children. It would be fun to be a little mouse (or better yet, a little iPad) in the corner at the ABC Barnehage in Kristiansund tomorrow. It might be a long day for Todd and Kristy! It is good that they can have this experience before they both go back to work in September. Nora won't be able to tell them about her day so they will be anxious to hear from the staff how she makes out. I'm sure you will have a great day interacting with other girls and boys, Nora. Farmor will be thinking about you, as well as of your mom and dad!!
Monday morning: Here are two pictures of Nora's first day at ABC Bakken Barnehage