Luciafest

This afternoon, AJ's school held a Lucia party for the kids. They had diligently practiced their songs and baked gingerbread cookies and Lussebullar. Now, they were ready for the big show. The teachers like to do it all outside, despite the below-freezing temperatures and darkness. Actually, the girls' Lucia crowns of electric candles shine nicely in the dark, but the boys are somewhat left out.

Anyway, I helped AJ get dressed up in his outfit. We had to put everything over his snowsuit and hat since it was so cold outside. He still looks sweet, in my opinion. Then, it was time for the kids to go with the teachers and the rest of us to wait outside for their appearance. 

AJ in his costume inside

  One of the teachers served glogg (a hot spiced wine, which, in this case, was non-alcoholic). I was busy keeping H happy and getting the cameras ready, so I had none. Oh, and I didn't have a free hand with the video camera and SLR camera on hand. I did, however get a picture of two of our dear friends here. :)


Our good friends, Elisabet and Johan

 The kids came out singing, and the parents crowded around, with parents moving closer and closer to the group of kids as everyone strained to get a picture or video of his or her special little one(s). I was just as guilty of moving in front (but crouched down) of other parents, and it was admittedly frustrating that I couldn't get a good shot for most of the event.
After the first song, the teachers told all the parents to move back. We did, but parents soon crowded around the children again as they began the next song.



AJ singing outside


Meanwhile, H was crying. He felt hungry, cold, and alone. I went back and forth between him and watching and photographing AJ. H was happy to have ginger snaps and Lussebullar to satisfy his hunger. I would give him a bite, run over to try to watch AJ, hurry back to give H another bite, etc.

H thought it was too cold outside, but he enjoyed the flash on the camera. Yes, he does have two layers on his head.

 Overall, I enjoyed last year's event more. It was inside, so it was warmer and more light was available for video. Also, every parent seemed to have enough space to capture the moment on "film." Perhaps it seemed less chaotic for me also because Timo was able to be there to help out with our three munchkins, and H was young enough that he was content to sit on my or Timo's lap.

I always enjoy my kids' programs, but I felt that I short-changed AJ by not being able to give him the attention he deserved.

A Place of Warmth

Monday, we got a fireplace. More accurately, we had our fireplace that we purchased months ago installed. Both boys were home, and they took great pleasure in the whole process.


Before



Buzz Lightyear finds a new home



Against the wall



Almost done



Final product



I am pleased with the final product. The wall where it sits was rather large and fairly bare. Plus, the stone on the fireplace is supposed to retain the heat so well that one fire can heat the house up to 11-12 hours.

We still have to get the chimney installed in the attic and out the roof, but at least the interior part is done.



AJ's Gift

AJ made this for me in school this week. Isn't it beautiful?

Busy Weekend

This past weekend, we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for our neighbors. I had taken them some pumpkin pie last year to sample, but I wanted to share the whole meal with them. The husband can't eat gluten, which provided some challenges. I prepared regular food for the rest of us, but I tried to make a gluten-free version of stuffing, gravy, and pumpkin pie crust.

The stuffing I made from some store-bought gluten-free bread, but the texture was definitely different than regular stuffing. It tasted good, though, and I was encouraged to make my own stuffing from scratch next year.

The gravy was a big fail. I added too much gluten-free flour and it turned transparent instead of the opaque pale brown I associate with turkey gravy. It wasn't like I had a whole lot of extra drippings to thin it out since I used them for the other gravy. Lesson learned: I hope. I should have used corn starch, but I didn't have any on hand.

The pumpkin pie was made with buckwheat flour, and I thought it tasted nasty at first. With the pumpkin filling, though, it was pallatable. It lacked the flaky, buttery texture I associate with a delicious crust, though. I only made one pumpkin pie, so everyone was stuck with the buckwheat crust. The pumpkin cheesecake was a different story. I used gingersnaps for the crust and gluten-free flour in the filling. I baked some of the filling in ramekins with no crust, and I baked the rest in a mouth-watering gluten-full concoction of deliciousness. :)

Overall, everyone enjoyed the food, and the kids had a great time playing with one another. AJ and the boy played the Wii, and K and the girl played doctor and school. Poor H was the only one left out.

SUNDAY, I got up early to get to church in time to practice my violin for the worship service. Timo came later with the kids, and this was the day when we finally became members of our church. K brought her camera, and she took a picture of me playing during the service. Enjoy the rare footage, if you can tell where I am. :) I really enjoyed playing, even though I could have used more practice time (and it had been at least a month since I had touched my violin... whoops!)

This was our last weekend home as a family this year, and I think we made the most of it.