Nelson Sisters Celebrate the Older One

Yes siree, it's now her turn to get the theme treatment!  Along with a bouquet of flowers
brought right to her door.  (Those flowers had to bring a bit of cheer inside as outside it was a horrible, rainy, cold mess.)  Soon these two sisters would be drenched...see visual of our drippy selves.

The original celebration plan included a train ride to the city to
go to a restaurant that would go along with the 2017 birthday
theme.  That was scrapped to use car transportation only. Also
Baby Anderson was soon to arrive and the location had to be close
by.  We called this the new Plan B.

Let's cut to the chase: what is the theme for this year? I know you want to know. 
Simply put, it's Simple Joys. Plan A was to go to Joy's Noodles & Rice. It's a Thai
restaurant on Broadway.  But with the nasty weather and a need to find a related-to-theme restaurant,
close by I was stumped.  I decided to instead think of a restaurant that would bring joy to mind, and that became a no-brainer:  Tre Kronor on Foster Avenue.  We have shared so many happy occasions there: graduations, Christmas, family gatherings.  The food is always great and the ambience is cozy and comfortable.  Simple. We would have breakfast there.

And her cake would be an oozy, gooey, warm cinnamon roll.  And look!  With those swags hanging
from the ceiling, doesn't it already look like a party in progress? No matter that the rain was building up to a crescendo of wetness! Visual below.

We enjoyed a lovely meal and the restaurant wasn't too crowded. The gift basket was presented
right there and then.

Nothing like red and aqua colors to get the idea of joy across!  As well as pom poms, red and white striped string and funky tags on each gift.  Each one was given as a way of appreciating the simple things in life like mornings, sunsets, chocolate, words, etc.  Another visual, yes?

This is what the front of the tags look like and the numbers indicate the order in which the gifts
should be opened.  The tags are backed with old book pages cut to size.  Note:  oops on #9. Twice.
I may or may not have been on pain meds following hand surgery when I crafted the tags.

The red word strips have the Simple Joys to be celebrated. I used a Dymo device for this.
Examples of the gifts included:  Singing for this ceramic bird that can be hung from a tree branch in the garden:

Sunsets:

A photo book made from our recent Florida trip.

 

 

                                         

And here's a look at the whole collection unwrapped.

There's a lot to be said about celebrating the Simple Joys in everyday life.  There's a lot to be said about taking time to celebrate the advancement of years.  There's a lot that can be said about shared memories throughout the course of decades.  There's a lot that can be said about the joys of having siblings!

Plan B also included going to a movie afterwards. A movie in which a young woman has no siblings,
has been brought up by her father who loves to make clocks, is happiest when reading books, has no time for the brawny-but-no-brains buffoon, and ends up befriending a Beast who lives in an enchanted castle.  There's joy to be found in this place, too.

The Family Bash

Four dalmations, Cruella DeVille, Tigger and tiny tiger, a Nebraska corn husk, a cowboy, Elsa and Minnie all attended our annual family brunch at the City Nest.

They humor me so much and I thank them for that!

This year the brunch included mummified hot dogs (with raisin eyes).

And mini clementine "pumpkins" with other fruits to be dipped in a cream cheese-based dip.

We needed all the leaves in our table to seat this group.

It was one boisterous brunch! Bingo, an eyeball game (ping pong balls) and a two spooky stories next.

And then we got ready for a walk into Lincoln Square for a bit of Trick or Treating.

We lucked out with a really nice day!

The three oldest had a blast getting candy, and the two youngest had their first experiences 

with a bag and candy finding each other.

Wishing you the sweetness of this day however you celebrate today!

H. A. P. P  Y.    H. A. L. L. O. W. E. E. N.   

Seeing Stu Again (of interest to North Parkers)

Back in the early 1970s, I was a student at North Park College. (It's now North Park University.)

Arriving as a freshman, I thought I'd consider nursing as my major, but it rapidly became apparent that this was not a good option for me as dissection of little creatures turned my stomach!  Four weeks later, I realized that my first choice of teaching was the right choice after all. However, during my sophomore year - and taking my first art classes - I decided to add Art as a second major.

Two special friends were also art students, and here we are downtown on one of our museum class trips- to the left, Dave "Les" Carlson and on my right, Don "TB" Johnson. Our painting and print-making teacher was Stu Carlson.

Stu Carlson:

Sadly, Stu died in 1980 at the age of 42.

But right now, in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago, Stu lives on.  Twenty five of his paintings and art renderings are on exhibit at the Swedish American Museum now through November 27.

It was a very powerful, moving experience to see my professor/friend again in this way.  Peace to his memory.

Your instruction and inspiration made a difference in my own life path.

My Sister"s Birthday

Though her birthday has passed, it needs to be noted! Her Nelson Sister celebration occurred before her actual birthday (for reasons explained later). Many of you kind readers and friends have asked what her "theme " was this year:

It was based upon her Word-of-the-Year, Remember.

The gifts all had something to do with remembering - from silly things like a wristband key chain so keys would be remembered (ring a bell of familiarity for you,too?) to the poignant. In particular, three photo books filled with memories of our Nelson Sister Christmases, Nelson Sister birthdays  and our latest Nelson Sister road trip.

Yes, that is John Brorson holding a large korv sausage! (Christmas book.)

The road trip book to Florida starts off with us in the car. We had a lot of time in the car.

The birthday book has all our past "themes."

And to remember us singing at the top of our lungs at the Disney Frozen Sing-Along, she was gifted with Anna/Elsa word search and puzzle!

Our post-gift tradition is laying the loot all out for its own excessively-photographed session.

We go nuts.

Then, it's off to eat lunch.  What better place than Tre Kronor for remembering all the times we

have been there following our kids graduations and celebrations? Her seminary graduation?

Her "cake" was a warm, gooey cinnamon roll ---yum!

Then off to our third destination of remembrance: TJMaxx; our Mom got us started with this place

way back when.

Now for more Remember back story. My sister is going through a time of transition as her husband was diagnosed with cancer about two years ago. During the week of her actual birthday, they were at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota looking for some answers. There are a lot of questions, too.

But know that my sister is a strong woman of great faith and she remembers who really is in control.

Her word of the year is based upon Psalms 111:4-5.

An especially good reminder for the rest of us, too.

Blue

Seriously, who doesn't like the color blue??? I'm a big fan --- it's one of my favorite colors and 

I've liked it for a long time.  Probably started when I was a kid in Colorado looking up at those 

beautiful blue skies....see the upside-down sleeping rabbit?

My wedding China is blue: Tranquebar by Royal Copenhagen. (Upon registry at Sweden Shop, 

My mom questioned my choice and suggested something in avocado green instead.)

In a denim jacket or a chambray shirt is just fine with me!

Blue ice cream? Yes, please.

The bluebird of happiness? C'mon in!!

My alma mater home team wears blue (and gold).  Go Vikings!

All this being said, how is it possible to miss out on the biggest BLUE thing going on in the 

city of Chicago for the past 20 years???

We went last Saturday and it didn't disappoint. Not one little blue bit. Perfect as a getaway from the gray and blah right now in the month of February in Chicago.

(And, no, toilet paper is no longer a part of the show.)