Once again the teens at New Life Fellowship, rural Hamar, will be serving a Valentine’s Day banquet for couples and single adults. It will take place on Saturday, February 13, at 6 p.m.
Call Karol Kapelle, 262-4446, with your choice of entree — prime rib or chicken breast. There will be fresh flowers and other festive effects.
The movie, No Greater Love, will be shown after the meal. If you loved Fireproof, you will enjoy this movie even more.
Three of the Dakota Prairie girls basketball team recently had the honor of having their Great Grandmas cheer them on. Shelby Gillett and Tory Engen of Tolna and Amy Rorvig of Mcville all had their proud and greatest fans at the last home game. Thank you Grandmas for cheering on the team!
I have a few required activities when it gets this frigid, freezing, frostbitey cold…
Crank the heat in the morning. My first stumbling, yawning steps from bed are made straight to Mr. Thermostat to turn that dial right up! I do turn it back down as I leave the house to help conserve, but getting me outta bed when it is 30 below “without” the windchill requires more heat!
Flannel Lined Jeans. This invention is the sliced bread version of North Dakota winter apparel! I picked up my most recent pair at Eddie Bauer on an after Christmas Sale. Yes! L.L. Bean carries them also per catalog mail-order. Say goodbye to bunchy, scrunchy, hike up, pull down long johns 
Lather on the chapstick. Not enough can be said about the healing qualities of lip balm during this dry, chapped season. And pass me the hand lotion. Double squirt please. I rely on Avon’s Moisture Therapy lotion. Give Bonnie Gillett a call to try some!
One other thing I do, when possible, during the cold snap, arctic blast season is make myself get out at least once a week to visit with friends and family. Nothing warms better than good conversation and a steaming cup of coffee.
Take care and Take precautions during these frozen times.
As I sit here at my kitchen table this morning reading the forecast on the Internet, I think it would be fun to have some sharing on what you do when the temperatures drop to this degree.
You know, this site is interactive. You can leave comments.
When the snow is deep, the winds kick up and the temperatures drop, my first thought is, “No problem, we have lots of food in the house”. And, you probably do, too. Rural people just do! We probably all have freezers and a stash of canned goods.
So, back to what do I do? My first thought is to make a big pot of soup, then I find a good book.
I am so spoiled as I never shovel snow (maybe I should start as I hear it is great exercise and I’m short of that). That’s probably why I don’t mind winter.
Did I say that I was so spoiled? Yes, I am.
We don’t have an attached garage; the car goes in the quonset across the yard. So, when I am going somewhere, Lyle warms up the car and brings it to the house for me.
Yes, I am so spoiled.
This afternoon I am meeting a lady in Jamestown as we are riding together for a meeting in Bismarck. Because of the forecasted low temps, my awesome husband is driving me to Jamestown so I don’t have to deal with a cold car when we come back to Jamestown tomorrow.
So, now it’s your turn. What do you do when the temperatures drop?
Just bagged the Chex Mix (a must for my girls and just realized that my step son who came home from Phoenix loves, it too), the Krum Kake are stored away in a hiding place along with the Truffles, Spritz, Yule Kage, Gum Drop Cookies, Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies and a few more other things that even I’ve forgotten about.
There are a few more gifts to wrap and I need to clean the bathroom one more time before the company hits tomorrow. (Dear Lord, please stop that storm that is in the forecast. We want everyone to be safe as they travel to their various destinations for this “special” holiday. Amen)
Let’s see what else …. the turkey is thawing in the fridge. I’m debating about whether or not we will put that in a brine for 24 hours. Has anyone done that? If so, will you leave a comment and tell me if you would ever do it again?
We missed ringing the Salvation Army bell this year; that’s been a tradition for a few years. It just didn’t work out on the schedule this year.
The cards from family and friends are coming in steadily; you gotta love ‘em. Each year we talk about quitting the tradition of sending cards, but, oh, when, they come in the mail, we are so glad that we are continuing.
Christmas Eve will find us eating lasagna this year — first time for that — usually it is an array of about 20 appetizers. No, we aren’t Italian, but we do love lots of foreign specialities.
Punch has been a family tradition on Christmas Eve after the gifts are opened, along with a plate of cookies, ever since I was a small child. I’ve done a little different twist on that, too, as I found a recipe for Strawberry Slush. Yummmm! It sounds so good; I wonder if anyone will notice if I start dipping into that a little early. Every cook needs to do a taste test, huh?
I can’t wait for that first hug from those grandsons; wish they were coming today. But, I’ll just keep real busy tomorrow and before I know it they will be pulling in the driveway.
Christmas — what a joyous holiday! Thank you, My Heavenly Father, for sending your Son to show us how to love. For without Jesus, there would be no love and we would have no reason for get excited about spending time with family and friends.
During busy December it’s hard to take in extra activities, but come long, slow January look forward to these events to alleviate the “after holidays quiet”-
Second Thursday, January 14th - Bingo at 2pm at the F&N Cafe in Tolna. Free coffee and dessert to follow.
Fourth Thursday, January 28th - Cards and Games at 2pm at the F&N Cafe in Tolna. Free coffee and dessert served afterwards.
These activities are brought to you by the Tolna Community Club in conjuction with the Horizon’s project through NDSU extension service. Everyone is welcome so please join us for an afternoon of fun and socializing.
The Beauty Builders Garden Club gathered together Saturday, December 12th at Shirley Lundeby’s home south of Tolna for their holiday exchange. 13 members were on hand to enjoy a potluck dinner and gift exchange. The Beauty Builders Garden Club would like to welcome any new members interested for the upcoming year. Club gatherings feature gardening tips and fun activities. Contact Virginia Becker for more information.
The Tolna Homemakers Christmas Party was held at Charlotte Hatlestad’s home in Tolna this past Monday evening. Members exchanged Christmas tree ornaments and shared a variety of awesome dishes. Consider becoming a member and join in monthly get togethers with informative lessons and conversation. Give Delores Clute a call for more details.
The Tolna Legion and Tolna Legion Auxiliary members enjoyed their annual holiday gathering on Wednesday, December 2nd. The sit-down supper of ham and twice baked potatoes with lots of extras was catered. Nellie Ward and Rainell Gronaas decorated the Tolna City Building beautifully for the evening. Many members attended and the evening was topped off with a fun-filled gift exchange.
Each member brought a gift to be randomly exchanged. But with a twist…a person could take the next “wrapped” gift or “steal” one that had already been opened, leaving that person to do the same. Many laughs resulted and one had to hope they’d be the last name drawn to get the pick of the gifts!
and Helps Save Lives!
The Tolna Legion Auxiliary sponsored a local blood drive yesterday, Tuesday, December 15th in Tolna. United Blood Services of Fargo pulled into town about noon and set up for the drive at American Lutheran Church. The drive was held from 2pm to 6pm and many local volunteers were on hand to donate. The Auxiliary and other organizations sponsor blood drives at least twice a year in Tolna. Please consider donating if you are able the next time United Blood Services comes to our community.
I didn’t get to the Craft Show at the Tolna School on Saturday until about 10:30 and most of the baked goods were nearly sold out. I did buy some of the caramels at the Bjorlie table and have decided that if I still want some for Christmas, I had better hide them. They are outstanding!
Here is Melissa Johnson Lee with her beautiful ironwork. She is a second-generation welder; these new heart-sharped shepherd hooks with the fancy basket hanging in the middle are truly a “work of art”.
Dealers for Pampered Chef, Melaleuca, Avon and Watkins were also on hand. They, too, had some great gift items.
Thanks for this opportunity to pick up some Christmas items. And, thanks, Melissa for the coffee, goodies and door prizes.
