Last day together

Today we spent our last together as a family on this trip. Jay and I will be traveling alone for the next week.  Some of the others are traveling on their own too before going home.

This morning we visited one of the famous round churches (Ostlars, the largest). Then we drove to the cute seaside town of Guhdjem where we walked around and looked in shops. We got a couple of small souvenirs. Then it was on to Hammershus, ancient ruins which were fascinating and more extensive than I expected. The views we amazing too. 

Then we split up for a while.  We were in a car with my brother Peter and his wife and we drove around to find the other 3 round churches, to a hardware store to find a Danish flag, and found a wonderful "Antik & Retro" shop in Nylars where we bought a few wonderful treasures. 

When we got back to the hotel we had some time before dinner so we rented bicycles and rode through the nearby forested areas and a local neighborhood. It's so beautiful!  It was a lot of fun. Something I've always wanted to do. 

We all had dinner together at Poul P, a small restaurant in Ronne owned by a local artist who has a gallery next door. The food was excellent and we had a private room upstairs so we were able to talk and laugh freely. 

Back at the hotel we all sat in the common room and Stephen, my brother (and the best photographer among us!) plugged in his laptop to the TV and we watched a slide show of our trip. Then since we all head our separate ways in the morning, and some are leaving very early, we said our goodbyes. For now. I am SO grateful to my parents for providing us with this wonderful opportunity!  It's been a fantastic trip and we have had the royal treatment!  

We could have easily spent a week in Copenhagen and another on Bornholm!  We saw just enough if Denmark to make us want to come back!  I hope we can someday. 

Family Heritage

The view of the Baltic Sea from our hotel room

A fantastic day on the island of Bornholm. We are staying in Ronne, the main city. The island is small with lots of quaint little towns and many farms. The view from our hotel room overlooking the Baltic Sea is stunning!

This morning we drove from our hotel on Ronne to Bodilsker (a small village) and visited the church (Bodils Kirke) where my 3rd great grandfather, Peter Nielson (1824-1894), was christened. It's a medieval church built in the 1100's and is still in use today. The bell tower was constructed later in 1610 and we got to go up in it. The caretaker gave us a little tour and explained how he rings the bell manually (so it won't crack) twice a day. There was a second bell installed in 1841 but it is only rung on special occasions, when 2 bells are needed.

The church is small but lovely. We all sat in the pews and read aloud excerpts from Peter's diary. He immigrated to the US in 1861 with his wife and son, but up until then he had lived in Denmark (Bornholm and Copenhagen). It was fun to be where he lived.


Then we split up into small groups in cars and drove around the island exploring for a while. It's truly lovely! I can certainly see why it's a popular vacation spot. We found a little town called Svanete (a cute fishing town) where we walked around and checked out the shops. We found a glass shop where they were demonstrating their handblown and fired glass techniques. It was so cool! We watched for a while and bought of a couple of small glass bowls as souvenirs. There were lots of other cool shops too but the glass shop as by far the most fascinating.

Then we headed down south to the beach. The sand is very white and extremely fine and soft. We walked along the beach and even got our feet wet. The Baltic Sea is VERY cold, but it was fun.

Then we drove back to our hotel and took a short rest before heading to Hasle and Vang Havn for dinner at Le Port, an amazing restaurant looking over the water.

The food was exceptional! There were two kinds of dense bread (one flavored with anise which was different but very good) along with 2 spreads....one like a mayo flavored with white garlic that is sweet and incredibly delicious, and the other was like a whipped butter with herbs and musli in it. Very good! Then we had smoked salmon, which I liked more than I expected I would. Then an absolutely divine soup with a lobster cake in it. I don't know what all was in it but it was unbelievably delicious!

 Then we had veal with mushrooms, potatoes, parsnips, and whipped parsley root (?) which was also excellent, and then finished with a dessert of a white chocolate dessert with a rhubarb sherbet that was unexpectedly delicious. The service was fantastic and the owner, Gabriela, was so sweet and friendly and gracious. We watched the sunset during our dinner (which is very long and slow this time of year.... it stays light very late!), which was beautiful. We spent a perfect evening enjoying fabulous food and excellent company in a fantastic setting.

 

Boats

This morning a group of us took the canal boat tour from Gammel Strand. The weather was glorious and the tour was very interesting.  I loved seeing the beautiful buildings and palaces, etc. It made me wish we had a whole week in Copenhagen!  It's a fascinating city full of history and interesting sites. 

After that a few of us walked down Stroget, the walking street (no cars, lots of shops!), and the Nyhavn.  Such cool, fun places!  We got a set of salt and peppers shakers to add to our collection. 

Then Jay and I walked up to the Trinitatis church and Roundetaarn (Round Tower). 

My great great great grandfather, Peter Nielson, was married in that church. The round tower attached to the church is fascinating. Built by the king with a ramp wide enough to ride up on a carriage so he could look out over the city and address his people. Great views!

Then we had to race back to the hotel to grab our bags and head to the train station.  

The train ride to Ystad

We took the train to Ystad, Sweden and then from there we took the ferry to the island of Bornholm, where Peter lived. It is beautiful here. So quaint and quiet. Our hotel is tiny and old but unique and interesting. Much different than the Marriott in Copenhagen, but cool with amazing views of the Baltic Sea out our window!  

Playing cards on the ferry ride

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was very good and we had fun visiting and laughing, as we always do. I love my family!

Group Photos in Copenhagen

Our group at Frederiksborg Castle

In front of the Copenhagen Temple

At Vor Frue Kirke

 

Churches

On Sunday we attended church in Copenhagen. The ward was small so our group made quite an impression. :). They have us headsets and kindly translated for us. It was a fast and testimony meeting which was lovely. My dad and brother, Peter, also shared their testimonies.

After sacrament meeting we walked up the street to the Copenhagen Temple which is stunning. It's a red brick building in the middle of a neighborhood square. It was converted from a church building. Torbin Engbjerg, a Copenhagen native and former mission president in Poland (where my dad's cousin is currently serving... He replaced Bro. Engbjerg) met up with us there and shared his conversion story, which was fascinating, then told us some history of the church and the temple in Denmark.

Then we went to the Vor Frue Kirke, the church where the original "Christus" and statues of the 12 apostles by Bertel Thorvaldden are. It's amazing. Torbin told us some great stories and background and took us upstairs to see a Kirkegaard display. 

After that we split up for a while, though most of us ended up at Torvahallerne Market, which was fantastic. The we walked around just window shipping, including the Lego store. (Yes Legos are Danish and the best toys!). We all met up again for dinner at Halifax Burger which was delish!

Another great day in Copenhagen!

Castles

Today we visited Frederiksborg Castle. Amazing art by Karl Bloch.

After lunch we went up to Helsinger and toured Kronborg Castle (aka Hamlet's castle). The tower tour had amazing views of the water, and the casement level (basement) was cool. Really dark and kind of scary!

We are having so much fun being with my parents and all my siblings and their spouses. We are a big group and we probably come off as obnoxious Americans but oh well. We have fun together. Jay has a hard time posing seriously for photos. He is a ham and prefers to be silly so we are usually cracking up. 

The weather has been glorious. Denmark is s beautiful country. The people here are great. Super nice and they all speak English. It's very clean but lots of people smoke.  

The adventure begins!

Well, we are off on our adventure. We got upgraded to first class which was fantastic. We had full beds so we slept well. They fed constantly and it was delicious. 

We got to enjoy that executive lounge at the airport with more good food. We flew to Copenhagen through London and arrived at the Marriott and checked into our hotel. 

Our room has a lovely view of the city and tonight we walked around Tivoli which is nearby. It is  the oldest amusement park in the world. We are headed off on another adventure today.

Treat Your Employees Well

So, occasionally I give in to my hungry kids and stop at the Taco Bell drive thru on a busy day.  It's cheap and my kids prefer it over most other fast food.  Though Taco Bell food isn't particularly healthy at least most of it has SOME nutritional value compared to burgers and fries.  (When I'M hungry and fast food is my only option I will choose a salad at Wendy's.) 

Now, fast food joints are not known for their friendly staff and excellent customer service. However, every time I have gone to a Taco Bell (and not just locally) I have been impressed with how friendly, cheerful and helpful the staff is, regardless of their age or gender.  I have consciously thought each time, "One of these days I'm going to say something, or write a letter telling them how nice it is."  Many years ago my friend Laura's example helped me realize how important it is to take the time to make positive comments to retail and other service businesses, rather than just making complaints, as we most often do. 

Today it happened again.  As I purchased a few burritos for my almost-14-year-old son, who apparently is always "starving," I noticed how patient and smiling the cashier was and how cheerful and friendly the girl who gave us the food was.  Since there wasn't a line behind me I finally seized the moment and said, "I just wanted to tell you that every time I come here I am impressed with how nice and helpful everyone is."  She smiled and said, "Thank you!"  Then I said, "They must treat you well."  Her smile got bigger and she nodded as she said, "Oh yes, they do." 

I should have known.  Actually, I did know.  When you treat people well they are happy and they behave well.  When employers treat their staff well they end up with happy and helpful employees.  It's pretty simple.  And that's a good lesson for a mom to learn too. 

African Stew

The 6th graders at our school do a "country" research report each year.... they are each assigned a country by drawing from a hat.   Two years ago Collin drew Sierra Leone, a country we knew nothing about except that our neighbors had just returned from serving there as missionaries!  Collin was able to pick their brains to add color to his report, as well as borrow some fun items to use during his presentation to the class.  As part of the project the 6th grade classes have an "International Food Fair" where each student brings a dish representing their country and everyone tastes lots of new and interesting foods.  Since "Groundnut (Peanut) Stew" is considered the national dish of Sierra Leone, that was no-brainer for Collin's food.  We found a recipe online that was pretty basic.  It was just "OK"... not great, but edible.  There were lots of leftovers. 

Fast forward to this year.  Mary was also assigned Sierra Leone!  What are the odds?!  She wrote a great report and borrowed the same items from our neighbors for her presentation.  But this time I searched longer for a recipe and found one that sounded good.  I sampled it before sending it to the school and thought it was rather tasty, but I still doubted the kids would eat it, since it was kind of unusual, and kids tend to be picky.  I thought, "I actually hope she brings home lots.... I like it and I will just serve it to my family for dinner." 

When I picked up Mary from school I was surprised to find the crock pot empty but for a few mouthfuls at the bottom!  She said the kids all liked it, including her, and Jack and Collin gobbled up the few remaining bites and declared that I should make it again for our family.  So, it's a keeper. 

Groundnut Stew (African Chicken Peanut Stew)
adapted from Simply Recipes

3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T. ginger paste*
2 T. minced garlic

4 c. chicken broth
1 c. all natural peanut butter
1 T. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicy)
salt & pepper to taste
fresh cilantro (optional) for serving

I did not follow the directions on the recipe (and I adapted some of the ingredients); in fact, I didn't even read them until just now.  Way too complicated.  I just did it my own way and it turned out great. 

If I weren't so lazy (and short on time) I would have cut up the chicken and sauteed it with the onion, garlic and ginger, but because I AM lazy (and I hate handling raw meat), I just threw the chicken in a crock pot and then shredded/diced it up after it cooked.  Then, in a large pot I whisked together the broth, onion, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, coriander, cayenne pepper and salt & pepper and brought it to a boil.  I added the sweet potatoes and tomatoes and cooked until the potatoes were soft and then added the cooked chicken.  I thought it was very tasty as is, but it would be great served over rice with some fresh cilantro. 

(You could probably throw the whole thing in the crock pot, but I think the potatoes might get too mushy, and it would be harder to shred the chicken, so if you do the crock pot thing it would probably be best to cut the chicken up first.  Also, you wouldn't add as much broth.... maybe half?) 

*I used this as a time saver, but you can use fresh grated ginger or even ground ginger, but less.... about 2 tsp.?

Grandma Ada (Life History Stories, #2)

Grandma Ada
(Life History Stories)

My maternal grandmother, Ada Thomas, was a great lady.  She was a wife, mother of ten children, grandmother to 60-something grandchildren and 70-something great-grandchildren, pianist, organist, swimmer, runner, tap dancer, music teacher, frequent bread baker (to feed those kids!), and life of the party!  She loved to have fun, and though she was married to a "health nut" she loved sweets, and always had cookies and other treats for us whenever we came to visit.  We sometimes referred to her as our "Cookie Grandma" when I was little, but we always called her "Grandma Ada."

I loved spending one-on-one time with Grandma Ada.  She was so much fun.  I have fond memories of spending the night at their house; grandma took me to the mall in Scottsdale near their home and we had lunch (and dessert!) at Duck and Decanter.  I don't remember how old I was (maybe 12?) but I will always remember that; just hanging out with my Grandma (who I thought was beautiful and "cool"), window shopping and talking.  I loved every minute of it.

I also remember playing the organ at their house (mostly just playing WITH the organ, rather than actually "playing it").  Grandma would sometimes ask me to play something for her on the piano, which was intimidating, since she played so well, but I did it anyway.  Once after I stumbled through a hymn or something, Grandma taught me an important lesson I will never forget, and for which I'm continually grateful.  She said, "You don't need to look at your hands when you play... just look at the music, and feel the notes with your fingers.  You know where they are.  Keep your eyes up.  You waste too much time looking back and forth between your hands and the notes on the page."  I was surprised!  I don't think anyone had ever taught me that before.  My piano teacher must have mentioned it sometime, though I don't remember if she did, but some reason when Grandma Ada said to do it, it made an impression.  I was certain I would not be able to do it, but Grandma firmly insisted that I try.  I really struggled, but I kept working at it.  I forced myself not to look down at my hands.

I think I learned more from that one "lesson" with Grandma Ada than in all the years I had taken formal piano lessons.  Over time I was able to get better at keeping my eyes on the music, and my piano playing improved vastly because of it.  To this day I avoid looking at my hands when I play.  I think it's one of the reasons I enjoy playing the piano, and I always think of Grandma Ada when I do. 

Music Class: It's Time to Move On

I used to teach pre-school music classes in my home. I really loved it, and I miss it. I have kept all the stuff thinking that one day I would start again. My kids are older now though, and I'm involved in other things that keep me busy. So, I'm finally thinking it's time to sell it and move on. If anyone is interested, let me know. It's a great way for a mom with little kids to make some money from home!

You do NOT have to be trained in music... it's mostly music appreciation, moving to music, using imagination and listening skills to "musically play" with puppets, parachutes, balls, and bubbles, and learn about creating music using a variety of musical instruments and sounds; singing, dancing, play acting, musical story telling, learn rhythm, rhyme, etc. It's very flexible so you can modify it to your strengths and interests. It's ideal for children ages 2.5 - 6. I usually kept class size at 8, but you could go up to 10 (there is enough stuff for that many).

If you know where I live you know that you don't even need a lot of space to do this.... I live in a 1400 sq. ft house and just held classes in my great room, pushing the furniture aside. I store the materials in the corners of my 2-car garage (and we park both our cars in there too).

Here is what I have for sale:
- Full music curriculum (lesson outlines, several semesters' worth, very flexible)
- Recorded Music (on disks, hundreds of songs)
- TONS of materials to go with each lesson! (e.g. musical instruments, puppets, rhythm instruments, electronic keyboards, items that coordinate with the theme for each lesson, etc... it's very hands on)
- Organized storage containers for all materials
- Website (simple design... I will update all the info to fit you)
- My help to get you started :)

If you think you might be interested contact me and come take a look at what I have, and I can explain it further if you aren't sure what it's all about.

I have no idea how much to ask for everything. The materials themselves are probably worth at least $3000, but I would never ask that much! I'm thinking about $1000-1500 OBO. And I'm definitely willing to let you pay me in installments (no interest). :)

Come take a look and see what you think.

The Laundry Chute (Life History Stories - #1)

The Laundry Chute
(Life History Stories)

When I was about 5 years old we moved into a house that my dad built on Lyn Rae Square in Mesa, Arizona.  It was a 2-story brick colonial with white columns and a large yard.*  It was a lovely home, and I'm sure I would appreciate the decor and well-designed floor plan now as an adult, but my 5-year-old self remembers the really cool things.... like the laundry chute in the upstairs bathroom.

The laundry chute was meant as a convenience for my mother (and I suppose for us kids too), magically making the dirty clothes from upstairs appear almost instantly downstairs in the laundry room.  (I think my dad is probably the one who included this feature, because I suspect my mom would have just put the laundry room itself upstairs.)  Rather than seeing it as a convenience, my sisters and brother and I used it as a means of entertainment, such as sending toys and other items on a wild (but short) ride to the ground floor.

I'm sure my older siblings have more frequent (and more accurate) memories of the laundry chute adventures, but I specifically remember wiggling down it myself on a particular occasion.  It was meant to be exciting but was rather frightening, though I imagined I would land on a soft pile of (dirty!) clothes.... which wasn't there.  Either it was "laundry day" and my mom had already retrieved all our soiled duds, OR (more likely) they were lying on the floor of our bedrooms.   At any rate, it wasn't a pleasant experience and I never journeyed through the laundry chute again (I must have been of above-average intelligence to have learned that lesson so quickly), though I do recall urging some of my younger siblings to do so themselves. 


* My family always refers to this home as "The Two-Story House" for a couple of reasons; 1) it's the only house my parents ever built that had an upper-story, and 2) we lived for many years in another house on the same street which had a basement (so it was "technically" 2-story), but no upper-story, so that's how we differentiate between the two.  "The Two-Story House" also had a basement though, so I guess technically it would be a 3-story house?

My Life History in 50 short posts in 2013

I accepted a friend's challenge to write 50 short stories from my life this year.  I need this challenge because for years (too many) I've had really good intentions of writing about my life.  It has always felt so overwhelming so I never did anything.  But I like the idea of just writing small bits and pieces here and there.  It doesn't have to be cohesive necessarily.  Just put it in writing!  I might as well start somewhere, right?

At first I thought I would create a separate blog just for this challenge, but I think that's getting out of hand.... I don't need another blog to keep track of.  So, I'll just be including them here, which I guess makes sense since this is my journal anyway.

So, welcome to my life... history.