Children – Valerie's Voice

Gingerbread Creations

My heritage is Norwegian, and I’m proud of it. 😉 I have relatives in Norway that I know personally. We’ve been together multiple times over the years, either us in Norway or them in Minnesota. We enjoy each other, and our common ancestry.

The train passes through a section of the gingerbread village.

That said, I have never been to the Norway House, a Norwegian cultural center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was remodeled in 2014. At that time they started a tradition that has its roots in Bergen, Norway; a beautiful Gingerbread Wonderland.

A large gingerbread barn with nice detail.

Using shredded wheat for the horses feed and hay bales was a clever idea.

I heard about Gingerbread Wonderland for the first time this Christmas season, 2025, so we went to the Norway House to check it out. There were creations of all kinds on display and open to the public, for a small entrance fee. We hesitantly paid and entered. Was it worth it?

Clever snowshoes, syrup buckets, campfires and a camper.

It felt like we were entering a fairyland. Some constructions were elaborate, and others not so much, but all were fun and amazing to see!

A torvtak, which translates to “turf roof” or “sod roof” hut.

It was interesting to see all the food items people thought up to use for the creations. My understanding is that all things gingerbread has to be edible.

At the beginning of the line they handed out a Treasure Hunt game, a sheet listing individual items to look for among the vast exhibit. It was a clever way to get people to look more closely at each design.

I like “the sweet tooth express train that stops at candy stores and grandma’s house.”

In the end you were rewarded with a candy cane if you found all the items. We did (with one hint).

Putting together the gingerbread manger scene in 2023.

I have always enjoyed creating gingerbread houses with our kids when they were little. We made gingerbread houses, and a gingerbread manger scene, usually every year when they were growing up. We were able to make houses and a manger with our grandchildren once or twice, and loved doing it. But, I never knew this gingerbread decorating was in my “genes”. HA

My second cousin’s wife, in Norway, has sent me photos of gingerbread creations she and her daughter have made…

Eiffel Tower made by Kari and her daughter, in 2020.

Their creations are not your ordinary, simple gingerbread houses. They are works of art.

Arc De Triomphe (France) made by Kari and her daughter Lisa, in 2024.

Both the Norway House and the designs of my cousin are wonderful pieces of art.

There were two model trains running on tracks throughout the village. That added a special touch. It was fun to watch them wind around, in and out of tunnels.

It was a delightful display enjoyed by both children and adults. And definitely worth the entrance fee.

Home sweet home, with a red truck in the driveway.

This may become an annual tradition.

Summertime

Yesterday was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, a time that marks the beginning of summer. Unfortunately, it rained the whole long day. Again.

A non-rainy day in summer, on Daggett Lake, Minnesota.

But here’s a fun children’s poem by Robert Louis Stevenson (published in 1915) to help celebrate summertime.

Bed In Summer

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer, quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?

Bike Rally

Our church held an interesting and fun event last weekend. The music director had the great idea of hosting a bicycle rally. This was an outreach event to our church neighbors… to help people get their bicycles into shape for the summer season.

There were a few bike stations set up…for minor repairs and pumping up tires as needed…there was a giveaway table, a raffle for bike helmets and bike locks. There was sunshine (although chilly at the beginning), and of course, there was music and food…donuts and coffee, hot dogs and water…all free…for all. O yes, and free t-shirts.

The raffle table, and overview of the lower parking lot at church.

Gary and I volunteered to help at the event. We envisioned lots of kids coming with their bikes. We were surprised, and enjoyed the fact, that many families came together, and many adults had their bikes serviced.

A station for decorating bikes. Kids had fun with this…including the old-fashioned playing card attached to the spoke to make your bike sound “cool”.

There was a good turn out, and steady…not everyone came at once. We were there for four hours and all of us volunteers could tell people were having a great time, as were we!

There were a couple obstacle courses set up in the front parking lot.

The bike rally was deemed successful. We were able to show love to our neighbors, and offer them something practical and fun.

It was most likely the beginning ofan annual event.

FMSC

Occasionally I go up to the cities to help feed children…by helping make food packets.

Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian organization that has been packing meals for hungry children all over the world, for many years…since 1987.

There is a small group from my church that helps at the Eagan facility about once a month, and I join them when it works. When you arrive, you gather with fellow volunteers from all over the area to listen to instructions. Next, after washing your hands, you don a hairnet and gloves and enter the packing facility. It is set up with different stations in an assembly line format, and you go to your assigned station.

The packing facility with several stations.

One station can accommodate up to seven people. It’s a well-run operation. Once people are in place, they turn on the music and we sometimes dance and sway to the music, as we work.

There are four ingredients to the meal; vitamin powder, dried vegetables, soy, and rice. Two people scoop up the ingredients into a funnel that dumps into the plastic bag. The bag is weighed and then sealed and put into a box. In one hour, five of us working together at one station, can fill 9-10 boxes, of 36 packets each.

At this one (of five per day) session, the volunteers packed 60 boxes.

It’s a wonderful, hands-on way of making a difference for children. The meals we packed at our last session were going to Nicaragua.

It is a great volunteer activity for all ages…starting at age 5. And, if you can’t stand for a long period of time, you can sit and apply labels to the plastic bags before they are filled.

If interested to learn more or volunteer, check it out here: FMSC.

An Assignment

I’ve posted some short essays from my writing sessions before. I’m amazed where writing prompts lead, and I’m often surprised. For this assignment, the question was: “What object in your home have you been surprised to love more and more over the years?”

It took a little while before something shimmered to the top for me. And then it did. It is a photo of my two boys running through a farm field when they were younger. I had to look up date the photo was taken. It was 1988, and the boys would have been 6 and 4. I framed this photo back then, and have had it hanging in my house since. A few years ago, I went up to St. Olaf’s print center and had another color copy (8”x10”) made of the original because the first picture I had in the frame started to fade over the years.

I have the photo hanging in a hallway and I see it often. To me it represents some of the best years of my life, when my two wonderful young sons were little boys, healthy and happy, and growing and loving. I’m nostalgic for those times, those hugs, those gone-by-too-fast days when we were all together. I’m so thankful for the memories we made together as a family, and for photos I have of those times.

This picture was taken on the family farm in Pennsylvania. The boys are full of energy, runny and healthy, carefree, and so happy together. I think that best describes their childhood.

The photo is precious and makes me smile, time after time, and has become a treasured belonging in my home.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. Psalm 133:1 (NASB)

Old School Cafe and the SPAM Museum

Antique, pull-down maps, chalk boards, pictures of George Washington and Abe Lincoln, and an aged, class photo decorate an old, country school building converted to a restaurant in Mantorville, Minnesota.

Front view of the Old School Cafe with bell tower.

The old school house is now the Old School Café, with good cooking, and a popular spot for town folks to eat. The portions were generous and the food was tasty and the ambiance was nostalgic and cheery.

Outside was also inviting. There were old wooden benches and a school desk on the wide, front porch. There was a bell tower with the bell intact and rope hanging from it. Sculptures of children were placed around the grounds…a lovely idea for a school house yard.

The children on the slide was my favorite sculpture.

Another sculpture of children at a drinking fountain.

There were many, pretty flower pots scattered throughout the yard. On one side of the café was a charming, old wooden house dated 1855, that looked occupied, and the other side of the cafe was a garden area. It was fun to look around, and a delightful way to start the day.

I love whimsey. This little troll was attached to the 1855 house outside wall.

An outdoor seating area along side the cafe, between the cafe and the old house.

There always seems to be a kitty cat hiding in gardens.

Our next stop was the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota.

A well-done sculpture of a farmer and two pigs, outside the SPAM Museum.

An interesting, fun (and free!) museum dedicated to the story of Hormel’s specific product SPAM. Hormel began in the late 1800’s but SPAM was created in 1936 and became popular in WWII when the military ordered lots of SPAM to provide for the armed forces overseas… because it was convenient, and the shelf life was lengthy.

A life-size figure, a screen projection, was lamenting how he felt he had an overabundance of SPAM while in the army.

Some in the military might say the government overused SPAM. But it continues to sell today and there are multiple flavors of SPAM, and it is sold in multiple countries all over the world.

An interesting story on how SPAM got its name.

Free samples of SPAM were offered. We tasted the hickory smoked version and it was very good.

Of course, there is a gift shop featuring all things “Spam”, including flip flops that spell out SPAM when you walk in the sand!

A parting shot…a stunning blossom in the gardens of the Old School Cafe.

Reading Time

Some people my age tell their fond memories of reading the afternoon away when they were children. I do not have those memories. However, I do have good childhood memories…we lived in a close neighborhood full of kids. After chores in the morning we’d go outside to play until lunch. After lunch we’d go outside and play until suppertime. After supper we’d go outside and play until dark. At least, that’s the gist of it. But back to reading…

I don’t remember when I first started to like to read but I am grateful for the people and teachers in my life who taught me to read. In elementary school I remember reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (or was it Tom Sawyer?) and also Trixie Belden mysteries.

Now I love to read, and I read daily, and have for most of my adult life. I continue to enjoy adventure stories, mysteries and biographies.

I also love children’s books. I loved reading books to my own two sons when they were young and now I enjoy reading to my grandchildren. All three of them like to be read to. (I have been known to read children’s books to adults too.)

When Zoey and Ezra were here for ten days we read multiple books multiple times. How is it they want to read the same story over and over and over again? It’s so fun!

It was a blessing to sit on the loveseat, between the two children snuggled in blankets while they were engaged in looking at the pictures as I read the story. I treasure those precious moments, and all moments when I can read books to any of my three grandchildren. I love the warmth and closeness, and bringing adventures and love to them one book at a time.

Oh What Fun…

…it is to attend a Family Orchestra Concert at St. Olaf College. The family friendly concerts are geared towards children and have become popular. We didn’t arrive early because we didn’t anticipate the crowd that completely filled the auditorium to overflowing. It was awesome to feel the enthusiasm in the room.

Before the family friendly concert there was time for children to touch and feel the instruments (what I’ve heard called “an instrument petting zoo”). Children can learn a bit about instruments and meet the musicians. From our seats it looked like there was wonderful interaction going on between the children and the college students.

When it was time for the concert to begin everyone quieted down and one could feel the excitement in the air as the music began. The selections were upbeat and fun!

The concert started off with the classic William Tell Overture and then a storyteller from Minnesota Public Radio (this is quality entertainment!) recited a story while the orchestra played “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” in the background.

Next the orchestra played a lovely piece from the movie Frozen.

There was a children’s conductor contest and the winner stood on the podium, by themselves, and conducted the students playing “Do Re Mi” from The Sound of Music.

We were introduced to a Northfield duo who love to create children’s music. The two professors sang two of their original songs: one called “Underwear Spaghetti” and the other “I Love To Sing.”

The finale was Chewbacca, a Star Wars character, who appeared on stage and conducted the orchestra for the Main Title from Star Wars. It was fun, and a great animated performance by Chewbacca.

Chewbacca directing the St. Olaf Orchestra. photo by TA

It looked like the concert was as pleasureable to the student participants and conductor as it was for the audience. Everyone, young and old alike, seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was a thoroughly delightful time. I wish my grandchildren could have been there.

We left the concert with our hearts full of joy.

Rosella

A dear friend of ours passed away a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, we were unable to attend her funeral.

In preparation for our grandchildren coming to stay with us for a few days we brought out toys and playthings, including a play tent.

The morning of our friend’s funeral our grandchildren asked to play with the tent, so we set it up for them and they were happily playing in it. And then our son asked, “Didn’t Rosella make that tent?”

Why, yes, she did!

I’m so glad he thought of that. How special that our grandkids were enjoying the same tent that dear Rosella gave to our own boys when they were young… and now happen to be playing in it the morning of her funeral. I think she was smiling from heaven.

Rest in Peace, Dear Rosella. You were very special to our family.

Happy Easter

Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed!

Mark 10:14 “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”