'12 in 12 Pictures

2012 was a great year and we are truly blessed.   We certainly experienced some challenges, but life is not always meant to be comfortable.  When we are uncomfortable, we are forced to grow and change, right?  I will summarize the high points of 2012 month by month with pictures.


 

January - Packer Playoff Game against the Giants

February - the finish of the 50K Birkebeiner with my brother

March - I took the 2 little ones winter camping at Camp Phillips

April - Easter in Osseo

May - hike to the top of Heaven's Dome

June - I got to meet with Temple Grandin in Washington DC

July - Trip to Valleyfair

 

August - Water fun in Manitowish Waters at Paula and Rick's

 

September - Season Opener at Lambeau Field

 

 

 

 October - first trip to a Badger game for Graham and me

 

 

November - Madonna Concert in St. Paul with my cousin Erinn

 

 

 

December - holiday light show at Bentleyville in Duluth

 

 

 

Wow, what a great 2012 and I had to leave out a Pre-season Packer game, Skyzone (twice), Minnesota State Fair, Motley Crue / Kiss concert, Como Zoo, my first Brewer game, Duluth rock climbing day, Mall of America (twice), tent camping at Lake Minnebelle, Bayfield Berry picking, and many trips to Osseo and Chippewa Falls.    Looks like a lot - but this is over a whole year and I bet if you looked back at your year you've been around too.  It's been fun to take a trip down memory lane.

 

Happy New Year!  Wishing you all well.  What are you doing for New Year's Eve? 

 

Kristin

Working Out: Gotta' Vent

The Norwegian in me has a really hard time complaining about ANYTHING.  Seriously, if someone says, "it sure is cold outside", I'll say "sure, but it's great to see the sun" or if someone says "it sure gets dark early" I respond with, "only 4 more months until Spring."    Most of the time I can turn any negative into a positive, but I do have a few complaints tonight.


MY LOCAL FITNESS CENTER

My winter workout plan was absolutely perfect - the ideal blend of outdoor activities and some challenging indoor classes but on 01/01/13 the price is doubling.  And if you want to take a shower it is even more.  Granted, there's more included with that increase but doubling the price is just a hard pill to swallow since I can only take a couple of classes a week because of my ski training.  Bummer.  Especially since I was LOVING the classes.  Once I'm done skiing I hope to join up again during the transitional months between skiing and running.

Lifetime Fitness by my sister-in-law
Amazing place and pool for $49 a month
Lucky for me, I have the amazing Birkie trail for only $40 a YEAR

MOM GUILT

When I've been out skiing on my own during our Christmas break I've had extreme guilt and I've cut myself short to rush home to be with the kids.  Every time I've rushed through the door to find them totally engaged in activities and then I'm mad at myself for skipping out on my workout time.  Ever since the kids were in the car accident last year I have a hard time leaving them.  I found a great article about mom guilt:  Mom Guilt - Get Over It.  My favorite quote from the article:   "So many devoted moms think that no matter what they do for their children, it's not enough -- and our culture plays into that insecurity,"    Moving forward, I'm going to remind myself that a happy mom equals happy children.

Skating Again Friday night - how can I NOT feel guilty leaving these cute munchkins (and Graham too)

SERIOUSLY, CAN YOU JUST SAY HEY?

My biggest pet peeve when I'm skiing on the Birkie trail is people who do not say hi back.  Since the trail is almost in my back yard and I know it really well, I feel like a piece of it belongs to me.  Lots of times I'll run into people I know which is always fun, but when I ski past a visitor and they don't say hi back it really bugs me.  I'll give a pass to people under the age of 20, and to those that are clearly giving the trail hell but with everyone else I'd appreciate a little love back.  Hey, life is short - check out your surroundings and say hi. 

If you see us coming down the trail, say hi

THE PLAN

I have a great plan lined up to get me in shape for the Birkie without the use of the gym but I'll share my 50 day Birkie Training plan on my New Year's blog.

Hey, I feel better - I should vent more often.  What's your workout complaint?  Certainly, I can't be the only one with mom guilt?


Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Clementine Cake

Every Christmas we bake a birthday cake as a fun way to remember why we are celebrating Christmas.  When I saw an interesting clementine cake floating around Facebook (thanks Ellen) I knew it would be our 2012 Christmas cake.  Clementine cake is gluten free, contains only 5 ingredients, it's different (rinds are included) and it's super tasty.    Since clementines are so amazingly delicious right now we've been keeping my Grandma's bowl stocked full.

Clementines in my Grandma's Bowl

CLEMENTINE CAKE
Adapted by recipe from Smitten Kitchen

5 clementines
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar or stevia
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cup pecan pieces (the other recipe called for walnuts)

Boil the clementines for 2 full hours.  Drain and run under cold water.  Then finely chop rind and all or do a rough chop in your blender. 

Preheat oven to 375.  Beat eggs and add in sugar and baking powder.  After mixed well, add in chopped pecans and chopped clementines.  Pour into a round pan covered with parchment paper.  Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.  Baking time vary depending on size of pan so watch carefully.

I also added a basic glaze frosting on top because I was worried it would be too bitter for the kids.  For the frosting I used 1 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons of milk.  Slowly add in milk and use more or less until desired consistency.

DELICIOUS!

Clementine Cake on my Grandma's Platter

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BOXED CAKE MIX

Did you know that boxed cake contains antifreeze (aka proplyene glycol)?  I heard it on 20/20 about a year ago and a quick internet search confirms this report:  Antifreeze is in your cake mix.
While the convenience of a boxed cake mix is great, clearly it's better to take an extra few minutes and make it from scratch.  By the way, antifreeze can also be found in some salad dressings and some low fat ice cream so you might want to check for the ingredient proplyene glycol.


Do you make a cake on Christmas?

Thanks for reading!

Kristin

Making Lefse

Lefse has always been a part of our traditional family get-togethers but up until last week I'd never been a part of the lefse making fun.  My friend Sue Scheer was on schedule to host our December book club but because of the busyness of the holidays there were only 3 of us in attendance so we had the chance to make some lefse!  Lucky for us, Sue had already peeled 10 pounds of potatoes and processed the dough.

STEP ONE:  Making the dough

STANDARD LEFSE RECIPE:

10 pounds potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 cups flour

Peel potatoes and then boil until tender.  Run potatoes through a ricer and then add all ingredients except flour.  Once mixed, add flour until dough forms.  Refrigerate for one hour.

Me and Colleen making lefse at Sue's house

STEP 2:  ROLLING OUT


Break off 1/8 inch of dough and roll out on a floured pastry cloth using a rolling pin with a white sock over it - roll until extremely thin.

STEP 3:  COOK

Slide a lefse pastry stick underneath the middle of the dough and lay it out flat on 400 degree griddle.  Brown on each side.

STEP 4:  COVER

Once cooked, place lefse in a white towel that has been washed and dried without dryer sheets or else your lefse will taste like Bounce.     

I will end with some lefse pictured on my Grandma's dishes.  I think she would be proud.  Thank-you Sue!!

Lefse on my Grandma's dishes

And we just got in from a ski - how very Norwegian.  My dad has created some really great trails in and around Osseo, WI.

My Dad, Greta, Me and Gus going out for a ski

 

What traditional food do you make???  Have you been skiing lately?  We are off to go bowling - wish mw luck.  I'm a pretty bad bowler.  Merry Christmas!

Kristin

Dishwashing Soap and DIY Shampoo

Our dishwasher broke exactly one week ago today.  I wanted to call the repair man but Chad insisted he'd fix it (not yet - but soon).  I'm sensitive to taste (I can taste dish washing liquid on dishes) which lead me to discover a new all-natural dish washing soap which works great.  I've also been making my own organic shampoo which I also love.

DISH WASHING LIQUID

Needless to say, with a busy family of 5 I've done more dishes by hand in the past week than I have in the past year.  My issue with washing dishes by hand is that no matter how many times I rinse I can always taste the dish soap.  When our dishwasher first broke, I poured myself a cup of coffee the next morning and it tasted like dish water.  I tried another cup with the same results, so I knew I needed to try a more natural product so I've been using ULTRA DISHMATE dishwashing soap.  It only has 3 natural ingredients and it doesn't leave that disgusting bitter taste on our your dishes.  It's affordable, sudsy, smells amazing, all natural and works great.  Two thumbs up!

All natural dish soap - works great!

DIY SHAMPOO

I've noticed a lot of shampoos on Pinterest and since I'm always concerned about the nasty chemicals we rub into our scalps and let run down our bodies I decided to give this one a try.    Here's the recipe I used:

1/4 cup coconut milk
1/3 lavender castile soap
1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix and use a small amount each time you wash your hair.

DIY Shampoo

Despite a few injuries (Gus has a goose-egg on the back of his head and a bruise on his face) we had the best time ice skating last night.  We can't wait to go again.

Greta, Me and Gus - yes, he's n the process falling
Graham was at a birthday party

What's your latest DIY project??  Have you been skating lately? 


Thanks for reading,

Kristin