Spending time with my mom

I can credit my dad's purchase of a new truck for allowing me to get together with my mom for a few days of one-on-one time. Dad, Russ & Noah flew to Phoenix, AZ on Thursday evening, May 6th to pick up Dad's new rig and drive it back to ND, so Mom headed to Fergus Falls as soon as their flight left. It was a bonus that the timing worked out for some Mother/Daughter time over Mother's Day weekend. Thanks, Dad!

Friday morning we headed to Perham for some spa time, but first we armed ourselves with skinny caramel cappuccino's, raincoats and our purses.

BEFORE pic

Our appointment for pedicures at Sorella's got a little mixed up because they had us down for manicures instead. It looked like an epic disaster was going to unfold, but thankfully, they were able to shuffle the schedule and get us in for pedi's just 30 minutes later. Crisis averted and our nasty, chipped, crusty feet were ever so happy.

I loved that we could have our spa treatment at the same time. Vibrating, massage chairs and heated neck rolls were a plus.

This was Mom's 4th pedicure ever and she was a little nervous about it because her feet are so darn ticklish, but her nail technician was great.
I loved the seaweed wrap with the hot towels. So relaxing and my feet and legs felt baby smooth when all done. We had fun inventing a new line of OPI polish colors that could be farm themed. "Hay-stackin fun", "Open the Barn door red", "A Horse of a different Color", "Calf Scours", "Dusty dirt road". Don't you think a rural theme would be great fun??
Mom ended up with some fancy lookin' toes painted in "Meet Me on the Star Ferry."

I chose "A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find" along with some hand-painted daisies.

AFTER pic

A great improvement and our de-crusted feet felt smooth as a baby's bottom.

After the fear of smudging our newly painted toes was over, we headed to a very cute coffee shop called Gathering Grounds.
The weather was rain mixed with snow and rather depressing for May, but the atmosphere at the Gathering Grounds immediately perked us up. Couple that with homemade tomato basil soup and delicious veggie wrap sandwich and we were two very happy campers.

But add sharin' tiramisu for dessert... priceless!

We spent the rest of the afternoon putzing around and visiting while checking out the great shops in Perham. We were scored some deals at an antique shop. Mom found a gorgeous handmade quilt and I got a beautiful vase and a frame for a project.

Steve had a great supper for us when we got home. All 5 of us watched "Where the Wild Things Are" snuggled under mom's new quilt. It was a perfect end to a great Friday with my mom. And lucky me, we got to spend all day Saturday together too!

Got Music?

Band concert, Choir concert and piano recitals... it is definitely time for music in our house. This year both Abby and Angelique got a new piano teacher, Betty Bermel, and they have both done very well with her. Angelique finished her 2nd year and Abby has completed 5 years. Their Spring recital was held on April 30th.

Angelique played Somersaults by Vandall, Dance on a Moonbeam by Hidy and Music Box Dancer by Mills.
Angelique said she was really nervous, but she played all her pieces well. She has come such a long way in two years.
Abby's recital pieces were more complex and quite beautiful. She really does well with adding emotion to her music.

Abby played Bagatelle in G by Faber and Pachelbel Canon arr by Faber. Steve and I are very proud of their hard work. And we are happy that we only have to bug/nag them occasionally to practice, right girls?

Tuesday night (May 4th), Abby had her Spring Band concert. The theme for the evening was music from the movies. It was very entertaining because all of the tunes were recognizable.

Abby is always so difficult to see in the second row because of her lack of height (thanks to me).
She plays alto sax in the 7th grade band and also in the 7th and 8th grade honors band.

If we had one of those cool Flip video recorders, I could have embedded some of the music with this post. Unfortunately we don't, so I just snap a few pictures and have to call it good. I have to call out that Abby wore my black skirt and white shirt to the concert. She is officially borrowing my clothes. Before this, it was just my jewelry that she raided. Let the clothing wars begin!

Quiz time!

I realize that I haven't been so great on documenting and keeping up with activities going on in our household. So I thought I would have a little fun with some pictures and make a game out of catching up on our Lindgren-style Life. How many questions can you get right?



1. Who is this masked individual?


2. Where are Abby and Nixin headed to?

3. What store did Kippy get her new 24" bike from?

4. Where is this picture of Steve taken at & what is up with the hat?

5. What character did Abby play in the Night of the Wax Museum production put on by the 7th & 8th graders?
6. Can you correctly guess the number of miles Renae logged in her Mizuno's (running shoes) in the month of April?








Check your answers below:

1. Angelique (a.k.a. Kippy) Kippy was one of the girl scout detectives working to solve the crime of Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar at the lock-in held in March. After examining all the clues including a foot print and bite marks, it was discovered that Jan, one of the leaders, had stolen the cookie from the cookie jar.
2. Mayville, ND. On March 27th, Nixin and Abby were traveling buddies in Kristy's vehicle, while Noah & Kippy were my companions in a 4 vehicle caravan from Esko to Mayville. Russ drove the H-haul and Steve drove Russ' truck/trailer. We were excited to help Russ, Kristy, Nixin and Noah move back to God's country (North Dakota, of course). Lovin' the fact that they are less than 2 hours from Fergus Falls!
3. Walmart. It was a gorgeous Easter day and the family wanted to go for a bike ride. The only problem was that Kippy had outgrew her little bike, which meant some shopping needed to happen before we could hit the road. Steve & Kippy found this bike at Walmart and we took it out on its maiden voyage that afternoon.

4. Don Pablos, Fergus Falls. In a Lindgren family tradition, Steve celebrated his 41st birthday with his favorite girls and was serenaded with Happy Birthday in Spanish while wearing a sombrero. Steve shared his big ol' bowl of birthday fried ice cream with us... mmmmm!


5. Mary Read. The play was very funny and a good experience for Abby, even though they only got to perform it once.
6. 75 miles. The Fargo Half Marathon is less that 3 weeks away (May 22nd). I feel like I am better prepared than I was last year when I did it the first time. Praying for good weather (meaning no wind or rain/snow) and a better time. My time to beat is 2:01. I am shooting for 1:54 or better.

How did you do on the quiz?

Rescue Mission

I have thee different varieties of daffodils are blooming in my flower beds this week; however, the gale force winds and heavy rains were destroying them. These are a few that I rescued from the elements. I never realized how fragrant daffodils are. We are enjoying both their beauty and scent inside.
Still hoping the rain and wind can spare some of the tulips making their appearance as well. If not, I'll have to plan another rescue mission.

First track meet of the season

Abby went out for track two weeks ago and had her first Jr High meet in Detroit Lakes on Friday, April 23rd. It was a perfect track day, 70 degrees and no wind! It really took me back 20+ years ago to the days when it was me on the track field.... complete with the anxiety.

The second event for Abby was a relay. Abby ran the lead leg in the 4x100m and hadn't had much time to practice the all important hand-off to Kiana, so they worked on it before the race.
Then it was time for the real thing...
The 4 girls ran in this order: Abby, Kiana, Paige & Megan. They placed 6th overall.
Abby ran in the 100m and 200m dashes as well. It was a great first experience for Abby and I am so happy that I was able to be there. She already had another track meet on Monday, April 26th in Breckenridge. Steve and Grandma Rose went to the meet which really pleased Abby. Only two more meets to go and the brief season will be over. Looks like we have another runner in the family.

Flashback Friday

I found a photo from almost 11 years, when Steve & I were on a Caribbean cruise. It was June 1999 and I was wearing the now vintage red dress.

THEN....

NOW...

Kinda fun to do a little comparison between then and now. Steve looks so much the same! I like my hair & jewelry better in the now version. What do you think?

All dressed up.

And finally, someplace to go to! The occasion? The first annual OLV Steak & Wine Dinner fundraiser on Saturday, April 10th.

My tall, dark and handsome date...

A fancy up-do for me. And for those who are wondering... No, I didn't do this myself.

Anyone who has ever seen my regular hair, would never even ask such a silly question. I had to go to a professional to get my limp, straight hair to look good. Gayland, from the JCPenney Salon in Fargo created this in just under an hour. It would be even more dramatic if I would have taken a before picture, but trust me when I say it was my usual cr@p hair.

I recycled this dress from 1995 or 1996. I think I have only worn it twice, but haven't parted with it because I just love it. It was a bargain from Filene's Basement a bazillian years ago. Does that store even exist anymore? Anyway, the dress is now so old,I think it has earned the title of vintage.
Both girls were helping me with jewelry choices. So many opinions it really cracks me up. I think they were just happy that I wasn't wearing pajama pants or workout clothes for once.

The fundraiser event was fantastic! A lot of work went into transforming the school gym into an elegant environment. The food was scrumptious. Our table mates and great friends, David & Kelly, made the evening even more fun. We acquired several great live auction items and cheered on many others who were bidding. Social pressure makes everything more exciting!

And to top it off, we got to do some dancing. I sure do love a good jitterbug with my handsome partner! Oh, and I almost forgot... we can't say "we never win anything" anymore because we won a $100 raffle drawing at the end of the evening. Talk about icing-on-the-cake!