Leaves & Gingerbread

Yesterday, our friend took our family picture for our Christmas card. She also caught Helen doing what she really wanted to do the whole time we were trying to keep her sitting still - play with the leaves. Here she is in action - -

Every Christmas the church congregation makes hundreds of gingerbread creations to display at the Kanesville Tabernacle and Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters. The theme this year is "A Christmas to Remember". Ryan and I had different interpretations of this theme. His brilliant idea was to make a gingerbread brain. As he put it, "That is where memories are made." He never actually told me 'how' were could create such a concept in gingerbread, but he still acts like I didn't take his idea seriously. My favorite idea was to make a "blizzard", because what is more memorable than spending your Christmas frozen at home under 8 feet of snow? It would have been really easy to make, too: nothing but royal frosting on a flat board and a rooftop peaking through. In the end, we compromised and created an old-fashioned gingerbread sleigh full of presents. Simple, yet elegant, is what the reviews are going to say. Ryan's favorite part of the project was buying (and sampling) many different candies and chocolates as we tried to find appropriate 'presents'. And if you look closely, you'll see that actually, none of the 3lbs of chocolate we bought made it into the sleigh. Very sneaky, Ryan.

Happy Veteran's Day Parade

Yesterday we enjoyed ~70* weather and a lovely parade down town. They threw a ton of candy out for us. I took it upon myself to teach the kids around me that to get candy you have to wave and then how to dodge out into the street to scoop it all up. Some things are best learned by example. Helen liked the dogs, horses and people dressed up as animals best.Here are some obvious differences to the parades I used to enjoy in Iowa. 1. Although there were John Deere tractors, they weren't the main event. 2. There were a whole slew of soldiers in uniform who got to march the route. (They even had the JROTC kids out, their formations weren't the tightest, but they sure took their part seriously.) 3. We got to see the St. Bernard Rescue society with their rescuees - one of which practically adopted me, or at least slobbered all over me. 4. The most exciting group was the Remote Control Car Club which also brought a remote control jump ramp for said cars and trucks to do tricks off of for the crowds viewing pleasure. 5. There was not a semi truck included at all!

Happy Halloween!

This year Helen was a princess. Her favorite part was the crown, which she tried to talk me into letting her wear to church today. During trick or treating, she caught on really fast to the concept of taking shiny hand-size objects from strangers and putting them into her own bag. I am not sure if I should be worried or not.Here we are at the church Halloween party. She had a great time!

Let's go fly a kite!

This week we put the kite that Ryan got from my parents on their trip to the Great Wall of China. It is a superior kite by all measures. #1 It flies without the user and his or her friend running all over the park. #2 It stays in the air without any emergency nosedives. #3 It is a lovely orange and red color with a fish on it.

Hancock Visit

Emily and her kids came to play this week and we maximized our fun time. We had picnic lunches and went to the zoo twice. Here is one of the wild rodents trying to nibble on Emily and Chloe's feet when we ate lunch at the zoo. We had to eat with our feet up.

Helen and Chloe had a lot of fun playing beauty parlor and wandering the house in a state of bliss to have so many friends around.Emily and I made 17 pints of applesauce and 16 pints of pearsauce from the fruit that I got for free. Ryan played a critical role using the Victorio strainer for which we are most grateful. Click on the pictures to see more great pictures.

As a side note, yesterday Quinn was missing us so badly that he decided to call us up six times while his mom was in the shower. We actually didn't know it was Quinn, we only knew that he had gone to Walmart and that his mother was in the shower until we dialed *69. Lucky for us we have two messages on our answering machine that he left as well.

Wilson Island State Park

This weekend we went for a short camping trip in Iowa along the Missouri river. There were enough rocks, sticks, trees and dog to keep Helen very happy. Sadly she was so excited that she was unable to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time all night long. Here is how our hike the next day went. We also stopped by the DeSoto National Refuge Visitor Center and learned all about the Steamboat Bertrand that sank in the Missouri in 1865 and various wild animals that roam the bluffs nearby. Ryan and I read "Life of the Mississippi" by Mark Twain a few years ago and consider ourselves quasi-experts on steamboats and rivers in general and loved the steamboat display. Helen loved the antlers and fur.

Here is Ryan training Helen on how to throw rocks into the river. I'm glad she didn't fall into the drink.

War of the Voles

Our poor tomato plants have been hanging on for dear life after a bad case of early blight this year. Then, to add insult to injury, our terraced gardens have been discovered by Voles! To those who aren't pros at the Common Rodent Jeopardy category, a vole is fatter than a mouse, has small ears, is a vegetarian (that loves red ripe tomatoes), makes 2 inch holes opening into their burrows, creates tracks between openings, and the Nebraska extension office calls their reproduction "Explosive: 5-10 litters/yr; 3-5 yg/litter." We have declared open war on the voles. They appear to have the home front advantage and yards upon yards of underground hideouts. But we won the first two battles, catching 2 voles within 24 hours of setting our trap.
For some reason, I can still here my Dad's voice telling me not to stick my fingers in the cage even though the vole looks so soft and cuddly.

Happy Pioneer Day

On Friday we celebrated "Pioneer Day", commemorating July 24th, 1847. This is the day that the first group of Latter-day Saints arrived in the Great Salt Lake valley to plant their crops, build homes & temples, and worship in peace. They had been driven from Missouri, then from Illinois, traveled 300 miles across Iowa and then 1,000 miles over pains and mountains. We remember them for their great sacrifice and hope that we can show similar faith in the challenges we face. We had a Picnic yesterday to celebrate and Helen looked great in her bonnet. Below is Helen in her pioneer get-up thanks to Aunt Amber's fine sewing.

For our Pioneer Day activity this year, we thought it would be fun to find the names of our ancestors who made this trek. There are a few pioneer ancestors in Michelle's family that we have documented dates and stories of their journeys west. Many other ancestors may have made the trek on foot but we don't have good proof. In all we came up with 38 names for our list using these criteria -- 1) born in some place other then Utah or Idaho, 2) died in Utah or Idaho, and 3) lived between 1847 and 1869. (The transcontinental railroad was finished in 1869, starting a new era in pioneer travel.)

Our "Likely" Pioneer Ancestors 1847-1869



Johnson Ancestors
Gustaf Johnson Sweden to Utah
Anna Sofia Christenson Sweden to Idaho
Niklas Christensson Sweden to Idaho
Anna Elizabet Anderson Sweden to Idaho
Benjamin Franklin Blaylock Mississippi to Utah
Elizabeth Annie Almira Land Alabama to Utah

Hanson Ancestors
John Alfred Hanson Born on the plains of Nebraska in 1866
Hakan Hanson Sweden to Idaho
Karna Jonsson Sweden to Utah
Hakan Anderson Sweden to Idaho
Cecilia Svenson Sweden to Idaho
Mary Magnel Olsson Sweden to Utah
Lars Svensson Sweden to Utah
Karl Johan Beckstrand Sweden to Utah
Karen Nielson Rau Denmark to Idaho
Ida Louisa Svenson Sweden to Utah
Maria Louisa Svensdotter Sweden to Utah

Wright Ancestors
Hyrum Isaac Wright England to Utah
John Wright England to Utah
Charlotte Smith England to Utah
John Smith England to Utah
Hannah Sutton England to Utah
Matthew Bezzant England to Utah
Maria Ann Cook England to Utah
William Wadley England to Utah
Isabella McKay Scotland to Utah
William McKay Scotland to Utah
Helen or Ellen Oman Scotland to Utah
Joseph Watts Halliday England to Utah
George Halliday England to Utah
Sarah Jane Kendall England to Utah
Cyrus Benjamin Hawley Canada to Idaho
Mary Ann Allred Missouri to Idaho

Percival Ancestors
Samuel Corbett Maine to Utah
Daniel Dewey Corbett Maine to Utah
Elmira Bengs Wright Maine to Utah
Camilla Dorothy Jacobson Denmark to Utah
Ann Dorothy Jorgensoatter Denmark to Utah


I apologize for misspellings, omissions, and mistakes. If anyone has good stories or resources so we can improve and add to our list for future Pioneer Day celebrations, please send them along.

Red Letter Day

We have great news to report . . . We spent the last 3 days in "lock-down" mode at home so we could focus our efforts and finish our upholstery project! It had been 7.5 months since taking the first staple out, and it was time to sprint to the finish. In defense of our slow pace I'll note that we've never reupholstered anything in our lives before this and we only worked on it when Ryan was home in the evenings/weekends and Helen was asleep. Take a look below - what do you think?



You're all invited to come over and try out the sweet reclining features any time. You may say it looks a little plain, but rest assured that I'm going to find some flashy fabric for pillows in the near future.


Here are a few skills/truths that we have learned from this project and will apply during our next big project (which is reupholstering the matching 3-seat couch).
1. How to check the nap of the fabric. Ryan's almost got this one down
2. Time management. The key is to imagine getting a part done in 1/2 hour but setting aside at least 3 hours.
3. Not to sew over the welting/piping. This leads to trips to the sewing machine repair store.
4. Expect to do each section at least 3 times. Expect more than 3 in the case of the easiest part, the foot rest.
5. We only need one couch . . . ?

Potato Salad

Although common knowledge in my family, the rest of the world might not know that I have an extreme distaste for potato salad. Was there ever a girl who looked upon hot weather with such trepidation as I, knowing that as soon as the grill was fired up the potato salad season was also upon us. More than once was I tempted as a child/teenager to destroy the boiled potatoes and eggs chilling in the refrigerator before they could be combined into the side dish I spent many a long lonely nights sharing the dinner table with.

But today marks the beginning of a new era in my life: I found a potato salad that I enjoy. I have included the recipe for all the other people who don't like potato salad in the world. I can only imagine that there are many of you.

Bacon Potato Salad
(Adapted from Simple & Delicious magazine, july/aug 2009)
serves 8
4 c. cubed red potatoes
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 t. minced garlic
2 bacon strips
2 T. minced fresh parsley (ours came from our garden)
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T. Parmesan cheese
2 T. ranch salad dressing
1 T. mustard
2 t. white vinegar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil; reduce heat and cook covered for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain.
Cook bacon strips in fry pan over medium heat. Remove, drain and crumble bacon. Add onion and garlic to 1 T. bacon grease and cook until tender.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onion, bacon and parsley. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over potato mixtures; toss to coat. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled.

Johnson Sister Campout 2009

The Johnson Sisters & Co. took Giant City State Park by storm last week! Tucked away in the hills & forests of southern Illinois, this unassuming little park had the honor of hosting the all the Johnson grandkids and their parents for 4 days of camping fun. You name it, we had it - bonfires, s'mores, scraped knees, thunderstorms, leaky tents, kickball, horse rides, one toad, two hikes, five+ tics, and nine cousins under age seven absolutely bursting with energy. Click on this link for the photo album or watch the slideshow below. And when you've finished, list your favorite moments from the campout in a comment. Enjoy!

Svenska Flaggans Dag (Swedish Flag Day)

A Happy Swedish Flag Day to everyone! Continuing with our blogging theme of saluting the homelands of our ancestors, yesterday, on June 6th we celebrated Sweden's National holiday, a.k.a. Swedish Flag Day.

So what happened on this day? In 1397, the Queen of Denmark formed a union between Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. It seems that Sweden was okay with this arrangement as long as it still made most of it's own decisions. In 1520 the King of Denmark tried to take more control of Sweden's affairs by sending in troops and ordering the death of all the nobles in Stockholm. Sweden fought back, kicked out the Danes, crowned it's own King, Gustav Vasa, on June 6th, 1523, and became in independent nation that we know today, 486 years later.

Where were Michelle's Swedish ancestors on this day? We're not sure, but the genealogy work done by Michelle's grandparents trace the Beckstrand line back to 1570 in Jönköping, Sweden (located southwest of the capital Stockholm, at the southern tip of Lake Vattern). And that's only 50 years after Gustav Vasa was crowned king on the first Swedish Flag Day.

As Michelle is a hearty 34.375% (11/32nds) Swedish, we decided to celebrate with Swedish Meatballs. We then called on Grandma and Grandpa Johnson for a good Swedish dessert and they recommended fruit soup: 1. Boil dried fruit 2. Add a little bit of sugar 3. Add quick setting tapioca 4. Top with cream or canned milk.

Helen decided to wear her new princess dress to celebrate.