So I decided this year since I would not be enjoying my Grandmother’s lefse, I would make my own. I have this thing for traditions that have been passed down and holidays just aren’t the same for me without a certain number of things…lefse being one of them.

First you peel potatoes (20 lbs in this case). I was a little over zealous. Then I didn’t realize how lonnnngggg the process takes.

I spent an entire Sunday afternoon rolling out gooey little balls of potatoe dough and trying to get them paper thin. I was not successful at the thin thing. Mine are more like fat pancakes that authentic lefse but hey, it’s a first time shot here folks so be patient.

The end result is a large stack of traditional Norwegian potatoe cakes that are yummy-licious with butter and perhaps a light sprinkling of sugar if you want a sweet version.

1. Leap into on-coming traffic

2. Serve as a chair cushion

3. Swim in a puddle

4. Nosedive off the nighstand

5. Enjoy the regular cycle in the washing machine

My phone has successfully survived, unscathed, the first four adventures. Unfortunately we learned today that iphones are not good swimmers. So now I’m without a phone. This is definitely a Monday.

Last night we went over to some friends of ours to watch their three awesome kids while they went out on the town. Bryan and I love babysitting together because it gives us a chance to interact with kids as a couple and get in some good laughs too.

Bryan discovered last night that he is not the king of video games. Ellen (who I think is 6) announced after Bryan’s little pac-man character died several untimely deaths that Bryan needed ” a LOT of practice” although she also mentioned that there are some people who are really bad at video games and some that are really good and Bryan wasn’t either of those.

Meanwhile Isaiah and I worked on perfecting the robot dance (which he can do so much better than I can). Oh, and I learned that leggings which “go all the way up” are not stockings, they’re tights. Good to know.

Bryan and Brennan are chillin’ together. Bryan is quite taken with Brennan and spent most of the evening cuddling him.

I’ve been doing some “fun” reading now that my exams are over (which BTW, I passed) and I came across this soon-to-be-finished juvenile trilogy I highly recommend. It’s a good conversation starter if nothing else. Nancy Farmer has written The Sea of Trolls and The Land of the Silver Apples which are about a young Anglo-Saxon named Jack and a Viking shieldmaiden, Thorgil. Farmer has taken Anglo-Saxon history, culture, and literature and made it interesting and engaging for the 4-7th grader. She has also very accurately captured the development of Christianity in Britain and the various tensions that caused between the “new” religion and Druidism. The tales are beautifully written and would make a really great read-aloud…particularly since there are issues families should discuss together when it comes to understanding the early Church in England and the fusion of mystical, pagan rites with Christian liturgy.