Charles Lester Melberg

Charles Lester Melberg FINALLY made his appearance to the world this past Tuesday sometime between 6 and 7 pm.

When he FINALLY arrived he weighted 9 pounds 2 ounces.
When he FINALLY came out, he was 22 inches long.
Welcome to the WORLD. We are all so glad to see you. Welcome to the WORLD, we are all so glad you are here.

Dad jetted to the hospital as soon as he got the call on Tuesday evening, after returning from our annual State Fair adventure. Dad ALMOST cancelled his State Fair trip with Marly and Dean, awaiting little Charlie's arrival.

The Thomberg's went to visit on Wednesday afternoon. I neglected to take a picture of the proud and happy parents, but I would like to tell you Rachel's hair was in perfect curls as usual, despite having been long over-due, and spending many, many hours being induced, and then laboring the day before.

Charles was our great grandfather's name.

Lester is Rachel's dad.

New little man is NOT so little, but he is a blessing from the tip of his dark hair to the bottom of his tiny toes.

Rachel, Brett and Charles are all doing well.

I am over the moon to be an auntie.

Dad is ecstatic to be a grandpa again.

Marly and Dean are excited about their cousin. Marly rarely has kisses for ANYBODY, but she suddenly has plenty for Charles. She loves to hold the baby.

Mark is funny. He is uncomfortable holding the baby, despite being super-duper, natural from the get-go, hands on daddy to tiny infant Marly and Dean.

State Fair 2011

As usual, we headed to the Great MN Get Together.
As usual we went on a week day and met my dad.
As usual, we kicked off the day with cheese curds from the food building. As usual, we headed through all the barns, starting with the Miracle of Birth Barn.
Dad showed the kids the milking parlor. Dad milked cows when he was a kid. He raised his college tuition this way.

As usual, the cow barn was my dad and my favorite. I like cows.

Dean being silly, and pretzel-legged at the cow statue.

This year we went in the butterfly house. We have never been inside before.

This year we got our Fair tickets for free. Last year we signed up for the Gophers Kids Study. They want you to return year after year, and they send you free tickets in the mail.

Although we saved $44 in tickets, we spent about $70 in food and drink.

This year we had to skip the Giant Slide because it was sprinkling when we went by.

This year the kids favorite ride on the Kiddy Midway was the Tilt-a-Whirl.

This year we left the stroller at home.

This year Dean complained he was too tired to walk about 10 feet from the exit gate as we were leaving.

This year Rachel and Brett were at the hospital while we embarked upon all the State Fair has to offer.

This year I texted Brett from time to time to find out about Rachel's labor progress.

This year we all had a WONDERFUL time. We always do.

Dean Favorite Food - Mini Donuts

Marly's Favorite Food - Cheese Curds

My Favorite Tried and True Food - Cheese Curds

My Favorite New Food - Deep Fried Cookie Dough on a stick.

Mark's Favorite Ride - The Tilt a Whirl with the kids.

Mark's Food he MUST have - The traditional, tried and true Pronto Pup.

People We Ran Into in 2011 - My former KSTP Co-Worker Margaret Hart who now works for the Ag Dept & Molly, Peter, Charlie and Owen deVries.

Things We Missed in 2011(besides the Giant Slide) - The SCSU booth in the Education Building and the Giant Bore. There was a sign indicating the giant bore had gone home. I think he died of a massive heart attack!

SEE YA NEXT YEAR...

Toren Family Gathering

Sunday (after our time with the Melberg's at Mitch's wedding) we continued west toward Bird Island for a Toren Family Gathering (my mom's side of the family) . The children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and GREAT, great grandchildren of Harry and Adeline (my grandparents) reunited at Gary and Karen Toren's farm (my aunt and uncle).

Karen and I discussed a family reunion at Easter this year. I did the invitations, Karen did the real work and hosted, and last Sunday it all came together. The kids spent the entire afternoon in the pool with their second and third cousins. The adults gathered under an old Ford Motors tent borrowed from Dave Plass, the neighbor.

Below is my Uncle Dick (my mom's oldest brother) with his youngest daughter Deanna.

We poured over old photo albums. (My mom's sister Toots on the far right, Dick's other daughter Deb in the middle, and Toot's daughter Kris on the left. Toot's real name is Lorraine!).

Old albums are a true treasure. I hope someday this blog can serve a similar purpose.

My cousin Deb's daughter Jaleenah.

My cousin Christopher Toren's girls - Maggie and Addie - with root beer floats.

We played lawn games. Here is my Uncle Gary and Kris's husband Rick.Mark with Ann Toren, my oldest cousin Rick's wife.

And of course plenty of visiting.

As a child, I saw my aunts, uncles and cousins often - every holiday and many birthdays. I don't think any of them lived more than 30 miles away (the farthest being Olivia, 2 towns away). That is how it works in the country. We often saw each other at my grandpa's house in Bird Island. The stories of the children and grandchild of Harry and Adeline so fun to tell and hear.

Now we are grown, large in numbers, spread further, and with families of our own.

My mom was one of five kids, on the farm. There are 12 grandchildren. There are soon to be 22 great-grand-children (Brett and Rachel's baby should be here soon.), and 3 great-great grandchildren. My mom and her brother Curt are the youngest, but they were the first to leave us.

My cousin Rob is the farthest from us. He lives in California with his family, but is currently serving in the military in Afghanistan.

Brett and Rachel didn't make it, because they didn't know if the baby might present itself. It hasn't.

My grandparents moved to town long before my birth. Uncle Gary and his son Christopher still farm the family land, although the home farm has been gone for many, many years.

To close, it was a wonderful day. I hope we do it again next year!

The Country Family Wedding

This weekend we had the pleasure of attending a Melberg family wedding. As you would guess, a large majority of my generation is married. They have kids themselves, and in the year's ahead, we will start to have graduations to attend.

This past weekend my Dad's youngest cousin's son, Mitch Melberg, got married. He is in his 20's, those ripe marrying years. I cannot say I have any sort of personal relationship with Mitch. I cannot say I watched him grow up. What I can tell you is, I am from a tight-knit, strong farm family. Getting married is an opportunity to rangle the relatives (distant and close), to gather, and to celebrate. It beats the alternative, which is funerals!

Mitch married a pretty girl named Miranda, and by all accounts they appeared very happy. I didn't get a photo. The truth is, as much as I wish the young couple well in their new life together... many guests are invited and come to celebrate the greater meaning of FAMILY - young and old, near and far, good and bad, the blessings and the hardships.

It is good to gather for the blessings. For those VERY FEW readers who are NOT of my family, I wish I had taken a picture of the venue, for historical purposes. The dinner and dance was hosted at the Lake Marion Ballroom. An old, pole barn like structure sitting on a country lake, with a gravel parking lot. This is your A-typical country wedding reception location. We ate a buffet of turkey and ham with mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and stuffing, served from giant white roasters. We sat at long banquet tables.

Again, all of this is your standard small town wedding fair. We don't comment on the venue, or the menu, or the decor, because it is much the same as the prior wedding. We talk about family, kids, and life. We catch up. We smile. Men discuss the crops. We talk about who is there, and who couldn't make it. We talk about how long it has been...We talk about how we don't see each other nearly often enough. We have a good time.

The Melberg's of my generation drink free keg beer from a plastic cup, or a rail drink from the bar. Our spouses hope we don't drink too much. Sometimes some of us do, and sometimes some of us don't. (There was that rental-tux-shoe-tap beer thing for too many weddings is a row....)The generation before me sit next to their sisters (Jan and Shirley), or brothers. The adult kids are at the next table. We reserve the table next to us for our closest cousin's (or something like that).

The little kids act goofy.

They create distractions before dinner. The generation before me comment about how much they have grown, and how time flies.

After dinner the second cousins form a posse, even though they only see each other a hand full of times a year. They run in. They run out. They play like wild indians. (Please forgive me for not being P.C... this is reflection, so it fits.)

The parent's of my generation (me) hope the older cousins of the next generation (Mikayla and Mariah) are helping to watch their kids, because the city cousin (me) wants time to catch up with the country cousins she wishes she could hang out with more.

Eventually you coax the little kids inside and get them on the dance floor.

When the little kids are tired and begin the MELT DOWN, somebody takes them home.

The Thomberg's actually headed to Aunt Jan and Uncle Sheldon's to stay over. The little kids rejoined their second cousin's and had a GRAND OLD TIME sleeping in a tent, where they were looked after by their older second cousins. Mark and I retired to a nice comfortable bed in the guest room!

To all my wonderful relatives, it was a delight to see you! The time is always too short!

To the generation before me, do you see history repeating itself?
I am sure this is like a mirror image of weddings I attended with my mom and dad, at Marly and Dean's age.

Thifting

I love thrifting. Thrift store items are sprinkled all over my house. I like spray painting. I scoure the aisles of Good Will and the Salvation Army with an eye for items that can benefit from a make-over. Thrifting is truly a hobby for me. You just never know what treasure you will find to transform.Above are some recent purchases.
Now let's go on a thrifting tour of our home!
Here is the tin (from the first photo) on my kitchen counter, with an Krylon Avacado face lift.
(p.s. - I am addicted to Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products.)

Here are some favorite thrifted kitchen and dining finds - all the milk glass AND the sterling silver tray!

(p.s. - I have an obsession with milk glass. It is a CHEAP obsession.)

I love the tray, and so does Mark. It cost $3.99, and was black with tarnish when I brought it home. Initially, I was going to spray paint it Satin Nickle, and add chalk board paint to the middle, hanging it for a kitchen message board. While everyone was napping one Sunday, I started polishing, and polishing. I purchased more product, and polished some more. When Mark woke up, I had a very pretty find, too special to cover with paint!

This porcelain basket is a fun kitchen table accessory - 'jazzing' if you will. It just needed a good scrubbing and some plastic fruit. At Christmas, it holds red and green glass bulbs.

The little white vase in the middle of the top Ikea shelf was $1.99. It's nothing special, but is a nice summer display addition. In case you are wondering... those are plastic Smurf figures from McDonald's Happy Meals on the lower right shelf. I am funny like that. I like to put things on display for the Twinners to notice later.

This tissue box in our bedroom is thrifted and spray painted with Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Here is my laundry tote around, also in Krylon Avocado - $3.99. It makes me happy to transport clean towels and undies up and down. And, when 'temporarily' gets parked in the living room or kitchen, it still looks cool.
Downstairs to the kids rooms - Krylon Ballerina Pink butterflies above the mirror, a milk glass lamp (from the first photo), and a mirrored jewelry tray (each with more pink spray).

(p.s. - I am searching for a smaller lamp shade. I had this one on hand.)

I bought two of these night stands above about two years ago. Dean's will become Krylon Almond. Marly's will be white. Dean's hardware will be Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Not pictured -

-Five picture frames with matting currently located in my trunk intended for a dino art collage to be placed above Dean-o's bed. The frames will most likely become Oil Rubbed Bronze with Almond matting.

-Four wooden chairs in our garage to go around a table in the downstairs family room, which cost $3.99 each. Perhaps I will spray each chair a different sprayed pop of color???

The most recent item I left behind -

-A retro green wicker truck with brass corner protectors for $9.99 that was in decent shape and might look great near the table downstairs, or in Dean's room. I might check back for it when I drive by next. If such a cool item hasn't been snatched up by a savvy thirfter, it was probably meant to be.

Perhaps we better not discuss what I spend on spray paint, for the smooth, even finish that results. I buy a can every time I get a 40% off coupon for Michael's Craft!

(p.s. - Tonight after supper you will most likely find me methodically moving around a blue tarp on our lawn, armed with a can a spray paint! Ready to "Jazz it Up!")

Our Weekend = Moving Day for Marly & Dean

We aren't to the "Jazzing it Up" stage of the Twinner's bedroom... BUT they OFFICIALLY moved downstairs on Saturday.
To get to this stage, I have been painting their closet doors (which are NOT yet complete and remain in the garage needing a second coat.)

Mark wrapped up the magenetic and chalkboard paint last week, and the walls earlier.

We started out with this on Thursday night, before the carpet came.

By Saturday at 11 am, I had their beds in their new home... but many tasks ahead.

Above - Dean's already owned white bedskirt getting a "tea bath" to better match his new dino bedspread.

We found a new lampshade for Dean, and he loves his dino Pottery Barn bedding.

Saturday afternoon we ran to Target, Home Depot and Ikea for our accessory search. $39 later, Marly had this Ikea light above in her new room!

Their original changing table from their room upstairs (and nursery before that), repurposed with the former bathroom mirror. And of course, thrifted and spray painted butterflies (which I bought months ago for 99 cents)!

The butterfly bed and "castle" tulling (as Marly calls it), courtesy of Nana and Papa.

*Still to do/Jazzing
- Window treatments for BOTH kids. We will be doing bamboo roman shades for Dean, and a double curain rod for Marly. (Notice the trashy sheets in the window reflected in Marly's mirror

- Put on the closet doors.

- Paint both nightstands, which I purchased from the Salvation Army many moons ago.

- Paint Dean's simple hand me down headboard from Carol an almond color with Krylon spray paint. (Marly's stayed white and is already in place.)

- Both kids have a little wooden table and chairs in their room. Mark came across the strudy children's furniture for FREE, but both need painting to match their room.

- Dean has a matching toybox that needs a make over. Marly's toybox was in their upstairs bedroom.

- Dean needs a fixture for his ceiling light. We are looking at repurposing a drum lamp shade... but haven't come across the right size/color yet. I do have one Walmart return to make.
- Marly needs a lamp shade for her thrifted milk glass lamp.
- Both kids need wall art.(which will include purchasing and painting thifft store frames).

- Thirfting and spray painting of random accessories.

Despite the long list of "jazzing" ahead, their first two nights in the lower level have been a success. Their beds both sit so they can see out their doors and view each other, but of course we can close both doors. So far, this seems to have combated some of the anxiety of the move and seperation. We also added a string of sensor night lights to illuminate the past upstairs.

Stay tuned for more to come. We won't talk about the upstairs mess of a 1/2 empty room yet.

What are we UP TO???

It's Friday, I lack photos... but wanted to remind even MYSELF what the Thomberg's have been up to.

-As we speak, a man from Home Depot is in our basement laying fresh carpet through out.

-Yesterday I set my own new Miracle Treat Day record for LEAST number of Blizzards consumed on one MTD. In it's 6 year history of MTD in North America, this is the first year I was a part of the general population participating in the event. I texted my former co-workers supportive messages, and Facebooked and Twittered about my sugary indulgences. I made an on line donation to Gillette promoted by the FOX 9 phone bank, my co-worker and I had a Blizzard at lunch, and we visited DQ as a family for dinner. I ran into a Gillette family at noon, and saw a DQ operator I knew at supper.... and beyond that, I watched the social media swirl around the event.

Here is our 2011 MTD photo...

Check out 2010

-I have been thrifting a bit here and there, and spray painting this and that odds and end decor items... for fun. There is a boat load of project I hope to do, or are waiting for me... but are nothing but dust collectors in my garage currently!

-Mark finished the chalk board paint in the kids' rooms and I am nearly done with the closet door transformation to white.

-Last weekend the kids and I headed to Lake Allie for the cousin's birthday's of Saxton and Wilson. I LOVE that we celebrate my cousin's kids birthdays. It is a GRAND excuse to gather as an extended family. At the lake, we ate and swam and went boating. The kids tubed and Dean got a jet ski ride with Grandpa. Dad, Brett, the Twinners and I headed home as the sun was setting. I didn't bring the camera.

-This weekend is rather event free. I think I see furniture movement up and down and all around ahead of us.

-I suspect pizza is in our future this evening with the Lyon's.

Stay Tuned and have a GREAT WEEKEND folks!