Baby Olson

We have news to share. Michael James Olson was born early Monday morning November 26, 2007 He was 7 pounds 3/4 oz. Grandma & Grandpa Olson came to visit on Tuesday and took a few pictures. Both Mom and Dad are doing OK. Catherine had an emergency C-Section, and she looks great!

The Christmas season is here.

Wishing you all the wonderful sights, smells and sounds of the season.

PUMPKIN SOUP W. GREEN CHILI SWIRL

I had this soup at a gathering and loved it. I will also post a Black Bean soup that was so incredibly good! I'll post that when I get it from my mom. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

PUMPKIN SOUP W. GREEN CHILI SWIRL

4-8 fresh or canned diced green chilies
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 15 oz can pumpkin (about 2 cups)
2 cups chicken broth (add more if soup is too thick)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder

Combine green chilies, sour cream, and cilantro in blender. Blend until smooth, set aside in refrigerator. In saucepan combine broth, pumpkin, water, and spices-mix thoroughly and bring to a low boil. Stir half of green chili mixture into pumpkin mixture. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Pour soup into bowls and top each bowl with a small spoonful of remaining green chili mixture and swirl with end of spoon. Serves 4.

Nursery & Family Room Photos

Nursery and Family Room photos!
http://jcolson.shutterfly.com/action/?a=0AcMWjVszbNmLCnA&notag=1 or www.jcolson.shutterfly.com if the first one doesn't work.

I thougth we would have most of the family room moved in this weekend but a friend needed help with his home and definetely took priority over moving.

We had a nice weekend here; I am a bit disappointed to have to be going to work tomorrow...

Catherine

Neither halloween nor babies

Hi!

Sorry, we (rather I) don't post very often here... we do it rather more often on our blog, so you should check that out too.

Looks like everyone else is doing pretty well. Rebecca is becoming a pottery making genius, Elizabeth looks all mature (the picture in the little dress), and Catherine and Joseph are working hard on their house... by the way, we're voting for the baby coming early so we can meet him/her next week. See if you can manage that, we'd appreciate it. :)

So, since we spent Halloween in class (I gave a three hour presentation) and avoiding frat boys on the way home, and since there are no babies here (except for the millions that seem to be constantly born to our friends), and since we are not doing any home improvement, I'm kind of at a loss for what to write! Well, we've been doing a lot of cooking, and studying. We're excited about a week off to relax and see many of you! We're arriving in ND sometime in the afternoon/evening next Tuesday.

So... cooking! Squash is in season, and I'm trying to do better at cooking with what is in season and local. Yay! Keith is getting sick of squash. But, here's our ridiculously huge zucchini that we brought home after church on Thanksgiving (since we live in Canada, we already celebrated Thanksgiving once, on October 8). We had grilled zucchini, soup, and zucchini bread... not to mention there's a bunch in the freezer for further zucchini bread. Pumpkin and butternut squash soup too! (See, I am a good little wife when I want to be. ;)

We've both been working really hard to learn biblical Greek (just Keith) and Hebrew (both of us), and I'm brainstorming and researching towards my Arts Thesis--an interdisciplinary performance-based project which will involve both music and theology.

I'm also WORKING. Imagine that. I'm teaching cello for inner-city kids one afternoon a week. I'm also the worship intern at my church, since one of our pastors is on maternity leave (I told you all my friends were having babies...) and since her husband is the other pastor, he wants time to be a father... so I'm doing some work, planning services and working with musicians. It's really fun, and I'm learning a lot.

That's it for now! Looking forward to our visit next week! :)

The Waiting Game

I really hoped to post photos of the nursery and family room but I wasn't able to stencil tonight. I started the other night and the paw prints looked messy, so I had to paint over them. I was wanted to try them again tonight but found I needed one more layer of paint to cover the old messy ones. I also wanted to pack the baby's hospital bag (and my own) but the furthest I got was folding a large load of baby clothes, if you can call it folding! How exactly do you fold an item of clothing that already starts out smaller than a folded adult piece of clothing?! One of the many things I will quickly learn...

My due date is 13 days away (almost 12 now) but things could happen at any time. Please say a prayer for a health baby! (And an easy birth for mama would be nice too! *wink*)

Assuming the baby hasn't arrived yet we will be moving into the basement this weekend! I will post photos as soon as possible.

Love ya-
Catherine

Nursery photo

Here is a hint of what things look like! I still have to add the puppy prints to the white border. The flooring is almost completely installed in the nursery.

I'm not sure where the cord is to my camera so this picture from my camera phone will have to do. I'll post more later this week!

The baby is due in two and a half weeks... every night I wonder if I'll get a full nights sleep... every morning I wonder what the day will bring!

Catherine

Visit to Becca

Rebecca was/is in a play "The Inspector General" and Tim & I went to see it this weekend. Sarah and Nathan and Elizabeth also showed up to surprise Rebecca. We got in a few photo shoots, especially Rebecca & Elizabeth with their Luther shirts. Elizabeth was great during the play. We hoped she would sleep, but she watched all the action with enthusiasm and sometimes would answer back to the performers with her little voice. She was definately conversing with them. After the play the actors enjoyed meeting their smallest, biggest fan. Sunday while we waited for the afternoon performance, Tim & I took a walk through one of the many parks in Decorah.

My Mom's Scary Halloween Message to the Family.

I think several family members have complained that I don't post enough messages on this blog I've created. My only excuse is when I post a message I only post what I think will be a classic and memorable moment to be passed on from generation to generation and throughout eternity on this Earth. So after a little playing around on my Mac I decided to post this newly created masterpiece on this blog and on the website www.youtube.com -- This posting was only made possible due to the help of my loving mother. Enjoy ... peace.

My Halloween! Thanks for the pics everyone!

Hi everyone!
Hey, Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!
I love the blog!
It's nice so nice to hear from everyone!
I'm going great. I went to a cornmaze with my friend LeAnn and we had a blast.
We made some jack-o-lanterns (see above).
School is going well.
I have added 3 new kids in the past month or so and so I keep busy.
Just tonight I put up my Christmas Village. -Yes, I have to start early. I have not put in lights for the village, but that will come later. I have really collected a lot of Christmas stuff over the years. WOW! I have to take a couple of days or weekends to get it all done. However, I do remember Thanksgiving! I have decorated my kitchen table for Thanksgiving and have scarecrows on my front porch.
So, have a great day everyone! Love ya ALL!
Kristyne

Challenge III

I dare you to challenge me again, Karen. Of course, I'm not geting any cleaning done! We visited Becca at Luther for parents weekend the end of September and were able to watch her make some pottery.

Challenge II

Since I remember that Catherine doesn't like her belly being the first picture on the blog, I'll have to put something else up so that Karen can't say that I never post. Tim is in ND (actually MN) rignt now helping Joseph with the basement and I'm supposed to be cleaning. Actually I have been and am on a break right now. Tim and I took a mini vacation through a small part of MN and stopped in Bemiji for a picnic--it was raining, so we picnic'd in the car. Here is Tim beside Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox

Challenge

OK big sister. Here sre some pictures of my fabulous grandchildren. Granted you have to use your imagination on how the second one looks, but since (s)he is mine, you know good looks are in the genes. I think Elizabeth looks like a pink gangsta in her shades. She doesn't like them because she is crying in the rest of the pictures. Elizabeth finally settled down in Mommy's arms at the end of Catherine's baby shower, and Elizabeth wondering in amazement about what that silver thing is that Grandma always has and how it makes bright flashes.

Krisyne

What could Kristyne find so intresting to take a picture of on Halloween...Gary. Yup,he is painting/staining the deck. It is almost done. Just one more small part to do yet.

Halloween & Christie

Happy Halloween & Happy Fall Everyone:

Thanks to everyone for posting, please encourage others to post too...

I love checking the Blog.

Well, OK, you are right. I do not blog so much either, but I've got my sister beat.

The challenge is on Ilene. We need more pics of Elizabeth and Tim. : - )

Here is a picture of Christie, she just got her fall trim and she was all decked out for Halloween.

Looks like she is thinking about some candy.

Sorry, no candy for Christie.

I asked, "How about a doggie treat!"

She said, 'OK", in her arf language

then took the treat and burried

it in the tomato patch.

Love to you all, Krandma