2008 the year of babies, marriages,ceremonies. .....

2008 came in with a much awaited bang when our grandson Abram Barry was born on the 17th of January (which was the coldest stretch of 2008). Abram was born to our youngest daughter Angie and her husband Barry, what a joy Abram has been to their lives and ours. On July 7th our almost fire cracker, made an appearance when little Drexel Truman was born - he quickly became Oliver Truman which is a name that suits him well. Oliver was born to our oldest son Brian and his wife Michelle, what happiness Oliver has brought to their lives and ours. Later in July we celebrated the marriage of our son Bill and his lovely bride Rachel whom we found out in October are expecting a baby in June. We watched with much pride and happiness as our daughter-in-law Rachel received her RN license and it was with great pride and joy that we watched Angie get hooded with her masters in Family and Marriage Therapy! We have celebrated 15 birthdays in 2008 and in 2009 we will celebrate 16. Our family continues to grow and so do the joys of being a grandparent. The grandkids love their grandpa Bill (could it be because he is just the biggest push-over ever?) Grandma enjoys watching as all their lives unfold. It was simply amazing to listen to our granddaugher McKenzie sing at Bill and Rachel's wedding. It is always fun to go to Aubrey's orchestra concerts (she is very musically talented)and to hear her sing with the choir and this year we can also hear our nephew Zach who is also in the A.L. Highschool Choir. Each grandchild is so special and brings much joy! What a year we have had! We wish you many good blessings for 2009!

Blankets made with love by Grandma Rita

I made a warm winter blanket for McKenzie and Madison this Christmas. Madi has the latest craze "High School Musical" and it is a tied blanket. McKenzie's is the peace sign with the reverse side being striped with a pillow to match. The girls loved getting their blankets!

Abram discovers the pots and pans at Grandma & Grandpa's

Abram had fun with the pots and pans, we even threw a few cooking utensils in the mix. He made lots of noise to let us know he was having fun!

More snow and cold weather

On Saturday our family was supposed to have shared a Christmas celebration at Brian, Michelle and Oliver's (they go to Michelle's family for Christmas) and it was cancelled due to the snow and cold weather. Since Brian and Michelle were not able to come to Bill and Rachel's wedding this would have been the first time we have all been together since Angie's wedding. We did get a very cute picture of Oliver though in the mail on Saturday with his santa hat on and that cheered us up a little. Looks like it will be another couple of weeks before we can see him again. Christmas decorations came out on Saturday and we are looking forward to going to church with Angie, Barry, Abram and Bill, Kenzie and Madi on Christmas Eve and to seeing Amy & kids and Chris on Christmas day. I think we are in for a long, cold winter!

It's another snow day here in Albert Lea

White Christmas, Winter Wonder Land! Frosty the Snowman! Anyone of these doesn't begin to say it all. It is another snow day here in Albert Lea. We had over 5 inches of snow last night and it is still snowing. I only got stuck twice coming to work - but I did make it in. Main roads were plowed but not the residential streets. I imagine there were a lot of Yahoo's going on in households here in Albert Lea this morning due to kids getting an extra day of their winter holiday. More snow headed our way tomorrow!

The windows are coming when?

Last night we finally made the dreaded call to the window installation business since they of course did not call us on Monday as they promised. Yes, you guessed it windows not coming until December 29th. Looks like tonight will be spent getting the tree up. Let the fun begin!

Children's ALMC Christmas Party

This weekend was the annual ALMC Children's Christmas Party at Health Reach. It is an afternoon of crafts, frosting cookies, playing games, doing hand prints, visiting with Santa and picture taking. Our EMPAC committee starts about July preparing for this special party, selecting crafts, cutting squares for the hand prints and ordering supplies as well as a special gift to be put in the santa bags for each child. It takes quite a bit of planning and Friday afternoon was spent getting all the crafts ready, the supplies set up and the goody bags put together. On Saturday I picked up my nephew Brayden and he came to help and have fun. He was a great help and enjoyed hisself too. Brayden worked at the Ice Pond, the Candy Cane walk and helped with the set up and clean up. He was always asking what needed to be done next. He was fun to have with and all my co-workers thanked him for helping and asked him to please come next year! He told them "for sure" he would. It was great to see kids having a good time and really enjoying the party. We had over 300 people there! I only wish Bill would have still been around because the hospital's sound system pieces are lost (guess the Telecom staff took the sound system to Crecendo's and never got the parts back) and I had to page with the telephone when I called out the #'s for santa pictures and you could barely hear the page so the only time I could page was in between the Candy Cane walk music. So, needless to say I was a little bit frustrated by the end of the afternoon. Always a little bit of excitement to add to things!
And no phone call as to when window installation will happen either so tonight the tree's going up and the outside decorations too.

Christmas is almost here and no decorations up yet!

December 12th and not a phone call on when the window installation will happen. I did put the Nativity scene up in it's usual place last night. As I unwrapped each special piece I began to think about what Christmas means; to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and a time to thank the Lord for what he has done for us, the special blessing of children and grandchildren and how each one is unique in their own special way. The joy of brothers and sisters and their families. The goodness of parents. The spirit of Christmas is in my heart, the shining eyes of the little ones singing winter songs. The pouring out of Christmas spirit in the teens as they sing the ever popular Christmas carols of the past. The ringing of the Salvation Army bells, the lights, Christmas movies, the sweet aroma of sugar cookies, waiting to be frosted by grandkids, the holiday food and most of all the cheer and good wishes that go round this time of year. Yes, Christmas is a special time of year! Who needs decorations anyway?

Christmas is coming!

December 8th! Yikes! The Christmas season is here and I do not have a Christmas decoration up - neither in the house or outside. I haven't even put up the Nativity scene! We are anxiously awaiting new windows and when they will be put in remains a mystery (they are supposed to be in today and they will be setting up an appointment to install, sure it will probably be the week of Christmas). A mystery I don't want to deal with. There is just something missing without all the bright lights and Christmas touches. Can you imagine? I can just hear the kids saying "REMEMBER, THE YEAR WHEN MOM WENT WITHOUT CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!"

The haircut

Do I really have to get a haircut?


Oh yes! It won't take me long to buzz your hair! says Ashley


Wow! Handsome dude!


Lookin Good!

My niece Ashley spent some time with me over the Thanksgiving holiday. I hadn’t seen her since last summer since she is student teaching in Appleton, Wisc. We had fun catching up and going through the black Friday ads. She picked up her brother Colton and he helped us look through the ads too. Caleb had been over earlier and he had put a check mark by each of the toys he wanted for Christmas so it was easy to make a list out for him. Ashley buzzed Colton’s hair, needless to say he was a little reluctant to get this done. Here are a few pix’s of the event.

Remembering the way it was

I usually lead a small group confirmation session at our church on Wednesday nights; this year my class was confirmed the end of October and the upcoming 9th grade classes only have 11 kids being confirmed so I decided to take some time off since the church did not need as many group leaders. I didn't realize how much I missed the kids until I subbed last night. It was fun to get back in with those teens and catch up on where their lives are going and what fast paced lives they live. We talked about the new movie which is out "The Boy in the Stripped Pajama's". I think this is a show we all should try and see. It is a different perspective on how prejudice, hatred and violence affect innocent people, particularly children, during wartime.

It was fun to hear the highs and lows in these kids lives (this is a time of sharing what has been good in their lives and what has not worked out so well since the last time they met). It is amazing to listen to how they have heart to carry on the word of God and to witness (in history this week they are discussing evolution versus creation). So, this morning I am reflecting on the joy of spending 2 hours with a roomful of teens.

Grandma and Grandpa are lovin the ultra sound pix

Proud parents Bill and Rachel had their first OB appointment today. We were able to view ultra sound pix of our new Olson grand baby today. What an amazing miracle this is. We are looking forward to this grand event sometime around June 19th.

Kailey Visits

Future danceline participant


Kailey love playing with the dollies, she found this cute pink hat in the doll clothes and had to try it on




Look at me

Kailey and I had fun coloring while she had juice and a snack

I had an unexpected visit with my niece Kailey last night, she is quite the talker and we stayed busy coloring, having a snack and playing with the babies (dolly's). We had a few giggles when we tried to take a picture of ourselves together. It was a fun night with the little chatterbox!

We tried to take our picture together and she really snickered at this one. She thought it was the funniest that we could take our own picture!

Vetrans' Day

I am honoring today my husband Bill and our son Bill, two proud American soldiers who fought for our country's freedom. God bless you both! God bless my nephew Josh who is in Afghanistan, may God's protection surround you!


Josh reinlisting in Afghanistan!

The Lefsa Makers

Darlene shows Jada how to roll out lefsa

Jada says "how does it look mom?


Do we get to eat some soon?


Darlene teaches Courtney how to roll out lefsa

Courtney and Kayla having fun rolling out lefsa

This weekend Darlene and Jada came to Albert Lea to make lefsa. Darlene had never made it before so I taught her the skill. She's pretty good at it too. Maybe, she will try it on her own next year. We really had a fun afternoon making lefsa. Jada loved rolling and eating! Colton, Courtney and Courtney's friend Kayla came over about 5:00 for supper. Darlene taught them both how to roll out the lefsa. We had a few good laughs while they learned!

My sister visits while the deer hunter hunts!

My sister and her daughter Jada are spending the weekend with us. Her husband Jay is deer hunting with his dad and cousins way up north. We are going to make lefsa, this is the 2nd time this year that I have made lefsa. The first time was with the pro's Angie and Barry last weekend. Darlene has never made lefsa so this will be her first time making it with me. (Hopefully we will be making lefsa one more time with Bill, Rachel and the girls). We invited Brandy to join us this weekend but she and Mike are spending some time alone this weekend. Yeah for them!

Lefsa ..............

YUMMM! Abram loves mom and dad's lefsa!

Angie rolling lefsa and Barry cooking

Angie's perfected the skill of rolling out lefsa!

It was a tradition when Angie was growing up to go over to Grandma and Grandpa Olson's to make lefsa for the holidays, she would watch carefully for what must have seemed to her a very long time and then Grandpa would let her roll one out. After Casey passed away it was a sad time and for a few years the lefsa was put on hold. Then I started making it again while Angie was in college and since she has gotten married we have renewed the tradition and we spent the better half of Saturday afternoon making lefsa. This is Barry's 3rd year of baking; he has quite mastered the skill. Abram got to have his first bite of lefsa and seemed to like it as much as his mom and dad. We spent the afternoon telling stories about grandpa and grandma Olson and grandpa Bill even rolled out some. It was fun to watch Abram eat his first bite of lefsa. He was lovin' it!! We plan to keep the tradition going and hope to see Abram rolling his first piece of lefsa soon...........

Halloween Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's

http://s495.photobucket.com/albums/rr313/rolson58/?action=view&current=235275a4.pbw

Halloween night was fun for the little ones. We even had a trick or treater dressed up like Sarah Palin. It was a beautiful night and a first in a long time was no coats, hats or mittens! Grandma and grandpa were really excited be able to see some of the grandkids in their costumes.

A rare moment..........

Last night I had a call from Madison. Bill has a great routine for the girls and they are both very busy with school, homework and activities so this doesn't happen often. When Bill was in Kosovo we had the pleasure of having the girls for overnights on the weekends while he was away. The weekends were filled with fun things to do, going to the library, going to church and "yes" even helping with homework. At bed time Kenzie, Madison and I would all take turns reading a book and then telling stories. McKenzie had the Madeline stories all but memorized. The best part for the girls though was telling stories and most times grandpa would chime in with his story of "Old Trusty". Last night, Madison asked for a story so I told her a story about a girl named Celina who wanted to dance hip hop and had to figure out what was more important dancing or school and all the possibilities that come with both. Needless to say Madison loved it! Because Celina realized her dream of becoming a dancer. I forgot how much fun it is to tell stories and how much I really enjoy them too.

Just any ordinary books? No Way!!! #8 is on the way!

The books with a very special meaning!

On Saturday, Bill presented us with a lovely gift bag and said "this is for you and dad". I proceeded to look through the bag and pulled out two books "Just Grandma and Me" and "Just Grandpa and Me"! Okay, so me with the knack for not getting the obvious was clueless. I asked Bill "Are these for Abram?" He said,"No, they are for you and Dad!". So, I said "Well, are they to read to the girls?" Bill repeated "No they are for you and dad!". So, Grandpa Bill and I are frantically paging through the books trying to find some meaning in the pages, when finally it dawns on me! "Hmmm could it possibly be? Yes! "A BABY!!". So, we all started laughing, hugging and congratulating each other. Bill and Rachel are expecting their baby sometime mid June. We are so happy for them and proud to be grandparents. Bill has quite a story of how Rachel told him about the baby and hopefully he will share it with others on his blog. We have quite a witty daughter-in-law and she makes things fun! We are looking forward to #8 and can't wait!

The Master's Graduate..........................

The Masters Graduate


The joy of success


It was with great pride and joy that we watched Angie get hooded this weekend with a masters in Family and Marriage Therapy!

I've been tagged..........

Here are the rules:
1.Post the rules on your blog
2.Write 6 random things about yourself
3.Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4.If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!
Okay, I'm just going to do it!
1. I am currently attending a great bible study on Monday nights. This bible study will strengthen my walk with Christ and is scripture based.
2. Looking forward to having a great weekend with Angie and with great pride watching her graduate with her masters!
3. I met a friend from high school last night (at of all places the funeral home)I hadn't seen this friend since high school graduation. We had an interesting conversation about classmates, class reunions and just catching up on the paths our lives had taken.
4. Weight Watchers is currently helping me to "take weight off" and keep it off. Bill and I plan to start going to Health Reach this winter to work out when we can't be outside. Yeah!!
5. Hot chocolate w/cinnamon is my favorite drink during the winter.
6. My greatest joy is my family! All I ever really wanted to be was a good mom, nurturing and caring for those around me. Once a mama, Always a mama!

I'm tagging Michelle, Carol, Nicole, Rose, Ashley and Carol. You guys who aren't bloggers can send your random thoughts in my comments!

The Women's Retreat, The Extreme Home Make Over

The women's retreat came and went with a blink of the eye at beautiful Camp Lebanon in Upsula, Minnesota where two hundred women gathered to meet with God. The weather was beautiful and it was nice to spend time with Angie. During our free time, Angie and I went for a pontoon ride and learned everything we ever wanted to know about Lake Cedar. We all had a few good laughs during the cake decorating class and tasted enough frosting to make us almost sick. Susie Larson author/speaker shared with us her enthusiasm,humor,and conviction for the Lord. She reminded us to trust God to carry the world on His shoulders, be humbly grateful for the call on our life and entrust others to Him as well.

The week before the retreat Carol and I spent a few days at my Aunt Carol's visiting, shopping and antiqueing. Angie came out a couple of times so we were able to spend some time with her and Abram. Abram is quite the baby and keeps everyone laughing. On Tuesday, we had a great visit with my sister-in-law Rose in Wilmar. We had lunch at the Blue Heron on the golf course, my aunt Carol rode with us and aunt Shirley met us there also.

The Extreme Makeover Home Edition was quite an experience for Albert Lea. An absolutely beautiful home was built for a family of 5 in six days. I was able to work on the home during one of the first days and watch all the footings, rerod, cement and walls being put up. It was very interesting to watch these first steps being done to this home. I am so glad to have been part of this!

Extreme Makeover Comes to Freeborn County

Extreme Makeover knocked on the Dirk and Susan DeVries family door this morning. They are a family with 3 children. They live just a few miles East of Albert Lea. I have been selected to work on Thursday night to help with building a new home for them. I will keep everyone updated as to the progress. They live in a very old farm house and it will be fun to watch the tearing down and rebuilding. There was a rally at CrossRoads church in Albert Lea this morning and many turned out to wish the family well. The family leaves for vacation today. Tearing down will start soon!

Woman's Retreat

Tomorrow we leave for our annual Woman's Retreat weekend at Camp Lebanon. It is in Upsala, Mn. a couple hours passed Minneapolis. Camp Lebanon is a Christian weekend filled with praise, worship and reflecting on the paths our lives are taking in walking with the Lord. There will be good food, games, some time on the water and walks in the golden autumn sunshine. The speakers are always inspiring and this year I am especially looking forward to the time that we will spend with Angie. This will be Angie's first time away from Abram. I am sure she will have great stories to tell of how the weekend went for her. More to follow after the weekend.............

It's all in the life of a family ................

On September 24th our daughter (Angie) and son-in-law (Barry) will
celebrate their 3rd wedding anniversary. Last night or I should say at 4:00 a.m. when both Bill and I couldn't sleep - which might be due to the fact that our "baby" is turning 31 on Monday - Bill and I were reflecting on the past 3 years. We have had 3 marriages, (2 weddings less than a month apart)and 3 babies and 3 baptisms/dedications. On September 25th we will observe our first year without my mother, hence the reflection of life for us. It is a blessing to watch our children grown, married and having their own children to raise. To see their values and ideals, their gift of having a heart with the Lord, the laughter and love that they are passing on. The passage of time goes so swiftly and it was good to take a minute to reflect on the blessings in our lives.

This weekend my sisters, Darlene and Brandy and I are going to go through mom's things which have been stored in the shed at my dad's. I am sure that we will have some happy moments sharing stories as we go through boxes of pictures and cards.
There will be some things to devide up and some things to go to the local Salvation Army. I look forward to spending this time with my sisters!

Afghanistan Deployment.........

Our nephew Josh was deployed on Thursday, he will be going to Afghanistan. We were able to share a few memories on Thursday night when he called us. He will be able to keep in touch with us by e-mail. We will miss him and will keep him in our prayers for a safe journey!

1st Day of School 2008-09 .........

This is the first day of school for all of our grandkids and I will be making the "How did your first day go" Did you like your teacher(s)? calls. It is fun to hear about their day and they usually have a great story to share. Here's to a great school year for them!

A Leap to Better Living...............

Practicality as most know is my long suit without a doubt. Things I do have to go through my mind list a)is it good for me b)is it life changing c)how is it going to affect others d)and finally what is it going to cost. Too many times I have let cost get in the way but this is one time I decided take the leap and just go for it. I joined Weight Watcher's. May not seem like much to some of you but other times when I thought about it "d" always ended up winning out. This time "a" was my #1 priority. I have been going to Weight Watcher's for 3 weeks now and am doing some serious evaluation of what I am eating and making a very conscience effort to eat better and exercise. What's funny is I could probably write a book on all I know about diet and exercise, but for today I am going to put into action steps I need to take to follow what I know and just "DO IT"! If anyone wants to share their battle with weight I welcome your comments.

Relay for Life................

August 8th I walked for Albert Lea's "Relay For Life". Brandy,Kailey and Brayden walked with us too. Relay For Life is a celebration of those who have survived cancer as well as a healing time for those of us who have lost a loved one due to cancer. It was a very memorable night with families and friends remembering loved ones and honoring those survivors. Making the lumanaries is a healing process in itself, as a lot of memories go into the making of them. My cousin Mary had given us a picture of mom with a red hat on, laughing. Brandy made up lumanary bags with this picture on them, it is such a fun picture to remember mom by. I made up two bags with a picture we had taken of mom at Christmas time and the other bag I made for the grand & greatgrand children with a humming bird on it with the words "We miss you grandma, you will always be in our hearts". Many of you will remember how much mom liked to watch the humming birds at the cabin and in her backyard. John brought back some of mom's things from the cabin and Brandy and I went through them last Monday night. There is joy and sadness in going through the things brought back. The joy is the story behind who had given her something and talking about how much she enjoyed saving things. On September 5th and 6th we will be going through the things we have stored at my dad and Carol's. Darlene, Brandy and I will be sorting through these things and Todd and I will be going through and organizing it during the week. I am sure there will be more story telling on these days too. For when all is said and done, our personnal legacy we leave behind is the stories and ideals our families pass on.

Shhhhh it's a .................

It sits alone in a quiet corner downstairs, I give it a fleeting glance every now and then thinking "yes I should" but I just don't have the time.... So, Wednesday I seem to have gotten the "itch" and Thursday night after work I found myself at JoAnne Fabrics looking for material and supplies. After supper I started the "project" now keep in mind I haven't used "Ziggy" for awhile (like since we sewed patches on Bill's Army uniform before he went to Kosovo 3 years ago). I pulled her out of the cabinet thinking she would need a complete overhaul, but everything seem to be just right! I then went and laid out the fabic - it felt good to have scissor in my hand again - when we made Abram's quilt, Angie did all the design and cutting and I did the sewing on my mom's old portable machine. A few crisp cuts later I was down sewing the "project". It is quite soothing to hear the hum of that old sewing machine and to be whipping up a "project" that I know someone will enjoy. So, what is it? Can't let you know until after Monday.

Why Women Cry by Anonymous

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry. Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said: "When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

The Fishermans Wife................

When your husband is gone on a fishing trip, here are five things the fisherman's wife enjoys:
1. Having alone time
2. Finishing a project without interruption
3. Having lunch & shopping with a friend and being gone the entire day!
4. Lazy Sunday afternoon curled up on the deck with a good book
5. Having a sandwich and calling it "dinner"

Grand Parents................

Nothing is more of a blessing than being able to watch your grandchildren. Bill and Rachel are honeymooning in Cost Rica. Grandpa and Grandma Olson are watching Kenzie and Madi and their two dogs Neela and Kita. It has been a busy, fun week and the girls will go home later today. We have played, swam, grilled, had a camp fire and stayed up late. We have taken dogs for walks, given them baths, brushed their teeth and have some very funny stories to tell the last couple of days.


Sleeping In:



Look dad I lost a tooth while you were gone!


Yummy!


Madi & Aunty Brandy


Are you sure the fire is supposed to smoke?


OOOOOH! Does that taste yummy!


Neela and Kita patiently(?)wait for grandpa to get out of the bathroom:


Madi helps Kita get her bath!


Madi, Neela and Kita after their bath!


Who says shaving cream is only for shaving? Having fun w/Megan and Ashley


Kailey, Kenzie, Madi & Brayden

The Wedding................

Bill and Rachel are married! July 19th at 3:00 was the big day. Wedding was fabulous! Bill and Rachel had a very special ceremony, it was very moving. At the reception and dance, fun was had by everyone! The newly weds are honeymooning in Costa Rica. Congrats to both of them and most happy wishes for a long life of love and friendship....

The newly weds view their montage:


Kenzie,Madison and Kailey pose for Grandma!


Angie and Abram - look at those smiles!


Kenzie, Madi, Angie & Abram - one more time now everyone smile!


Who says you need a tux to have fun with the bride?


Brayden says: Okay mom just show me what to do!

Cousins............................

Kenzie, how fast are you going? Look out mom and dad because it looks like Abram is going to love to drive fast!!


Can we play with him just a little bit longer?




Abram says "Hey Maddi, look over here at me not the camera!"



Abram says "so that's my new cousin Drexel? Hey, buddy when can we start playing?"