You may be wondering what the heck my blog title is all about this week. Is a 17 Hour Man a good thing or a bad thing? In this case, it is a good thing. The man I am talking about is this special little guy pictured here and he took me 17 hours to carve. While attending Luther College I took a Scandinavian Woodcarving class as part of my (almost) minor in Scandinavian Studies. Honestly this class was my favorite one in undergrad. It was taught by none other than Harley Re

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Susi at the Vesterheim Easter Marketplace where I was introduced to her book Unni's Gift: A Journey of the Heart. I purchased the book shortly thereafter and read it a few weekends later. The story is sweet and tells the journey of a young girl, Unni, who is enjoying the simple life in the north country when her father dies unexpectedly. She then sets out on a journey to find what she has lost and learns a lot about herself along the w

I got lucky one day when a family friend called to see if I was interested in purchasing two Danish chairs that her sister had owned for many years. Her sister was moving into assisted living and didn't have room for them anymore. I said yes without even looking at them. She sold them to me for $50 total since there was damage to the chairs and the cushions were in need of replacement. I spent $50 on fabric and hired a woman from Limes Springs, IA to work with the cushions

Picture this, a beautiful day, dancing, delicious food, Nordic craft work, and conversation all around with folk music and a stunning waterfall in the background. Bringing cultures together in this unique celebration is the spirit of the Scandinavian Summer Fest. The day is a combination of both Norway Day and Svenskarnas Dag celebrating the heritage of Norwegian and Swedish Americans together. Dancing around a May Pole began mid morning and was a chance for spectators to jo

As a kid we spent the summer on the farm helping in the garden, shucking corn, or riding along with our dad to feed the cattle over at grandma's house. We'd ride our bikes up and down the half mile driveway and mow until the cows came home. There were so many things we could do while on summer vacation especially on the long days when the sun didn't go down until late. As a grown up those days are few and far between often filled with running errands, making dinner, cleanin

Yikes! Father's Day is coming up soon on Sunday, June 18th. Do you have your gift yet? If not, I have a perfect gift that your dad will surely love and I found it at Target! First up is the pilsner beer glass. How cute is this glass? Pick up only one so your dad can enjoy a beer in his own unique glass or buy more so the entire family can enjoy them too. Who doesn't want to drink a cold one with a little Nordic and local flair all rolled into one? This retails at Target f

I love, love, love The Nordic Kitchen cookbook that I got for Christmas this past year. It is packed full of a year of recipes inspired by Nordic culture and seasonal foods available in the area. I have been looking forward to spring and summer ever since I cracked this book open for the first time. So many of the recipes include my most cherished flavors such as fresh berries, greens, and rhubarb! Rhubarb is one of my favorites because it brings me back to growing up on t

This is my all time favorite cookie... EVER! Unfortunately I can't make them exactly the same way as my grandma Mary can so to be honest my grandma's kringle is my all time favorite cookie. I don't know a single person who can make their cookies as good as their grandmas. It is a high bar to match. This cookie is soft and light in flavor with a touch of sweetness. I can eat six or seven in one sitting without even thinking about it. In our family we typically enjoy this coo

For those of you wanting to get your party on in honor of Norway's independence day I thought I would share a few great ways to celebrate Syttende Mai this week! No reason to miss out on the celebration just because we live in the US! Decorah, IA - Vesterheim's Syttende Mai Event - Wednesday, May 17, 2017 My home town of Decorah houses a gem called the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. Each year the museum hosts a Syttende Mai event jam packed with lots of fun activitie

StartFragment This post is extra special to me because I not only used my Grandmother Lillian's recipe, but I also used my Great-Grandmother Dora Jacobson's (Lillian's mother) rosette irons that were passed to my mother Connie and then to me. In speaking with my mother, she isn't sure if they were originally owned by Dora or by Dora's mother (my Great-Great Grandmother). They are at least 50+ years old and when purchased they cost $1.25 which is shown in the photo below sinc