Top 10 of 2010

For us 2010 was a year of many changes. Although we reflect on both the blessings and challenges of this past year, we look forward to what the next year will bring, knowing we are continually being transformed along the way (Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 3:18). As Matt was kind enough to point out, the top 10 below are not necessarily in order of importance. 

1. Our Wedding – March 27

2. Jamaican Honeymoon

3. Matt’s Graduation (May)

4. Matt Landing a Job at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage (June)

5. Time with our Families and Friends

6. Weddings (We lost count, but at least 11 total)


7. Homeowners (October)

8. Iowa Reunion (November)

9. Road Trips (November) Matt and friends to North Carolina, Mom and me to Ohio

Cousinly love.

10. The Memories Made Along the Way

Bring on 2011!  Happy New Year everyone!

Paint Fumes & Christmas Tunes

We have been painting nonstop it seems. We go to work during the day and paint at night. It is a lot of work, but it will be completely worth it in the end!  We are so thankful that our parents were able to come and help us get started with our painting project(s) this past weekend. It was a lot of fun to select colors for our new home, and I'm finding that painting can be enjoyable.  If only it was the only thing we had going on, it would be much, much better! But hopefully soon, our social life will return! :)  The only downside of closing on a house in December - snow removal.  Ugh! I think it's time to invest in a snowplow... 

Because we have been so busy, we haven't been able to do as many Christmas activities this year. However, last night (after painting of course), I decided to surprise Matt.  I wrote a poem with clues, and he had to figure out where we were going.  The final destination - a house that had programmed their Christmas lights to music.  In high school, we used to do this very activity.  There were two neighboring houses that programmed their lights to music as well, so we would park our car and enjoy the lights and music together. If you haven't already, we would suggest going to some sort of light display... whether it's driving through neighborhoods or houses set to Christmas music.  Embrace these next few days as we prepare for the birth of the Savior - the true light of the world! 

Barno Family Lights
4102 88th Lane NE Circle Pines, MN

Winter Wonderland

In our opinion, if there's going to be snow, let it come by the foot (or feet even)!  For those of you who haven't heard, it was the worst blizzard in Mpls/St. Paul since Oct 1991, even causing the Metrodome roof to collapse.  Fortunately, this snowstorm wasn't a surprise, but it did make for a much-needed, relaxing weekend.

My weekend started at the grocery store Friday afternoon, where everyone was trying to stock up; it was insane!  The rest of the weekend included a few of our favorite things:  time with my dear husband, Christmas movies, good eats, warm drinks, and games.  It was like being in a snowglobe for the entire weekend (literally).  We loved the winter wonderland, and hope you did too! 

Dinner - Apple Almond Gorgonzala Salad and Pork

Friday night's dinner was delicious, so much so I thought I'd pass on the recipes.  Simple, fairly quick, and Matt even loved it! A glass of wine adds a nice touch too.

Salad
Spinach or Hearts of Romaine
Granny Smith Apples
Gorgonzala Cheese
Almonds
Craisins
Light Italian Vinagrette

Sauce for Pork (from Aunt Mimi)
1/2 cup port wine
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp butter
craisins
Heat and stir all ingredients in a saucepan until it is a thick, syrupy consistency.  Serve over pork. Enjoy!

Snowglobe Saturday

Matt tried to keep up with the snow.

Hot Ham & Cheese Dip

The snowdrift on the patio almost covered the birdfeeders.

The fenceposts were barely visible.

Christmasy street signs

Beautiful, winter wonderland

Matt & the tall snowbanks

Patiently waiting and watching for the next winter storm... -The Kramers

St. Nick's Day

We celebrate St. Nick’s Day. You may have not heard this holiday, but it really exists! The first time I mentioned it, I got some surprised looks and reactions from my Minnesota co-workers. They had never heard of it, and looked it up online to be sure I wasn’t making it up. To save you the time of looking it up, a brief history is summarized below.

St. Nick was known for secret gift-giving and became the model for Santa Class. The tradition of Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated in many European countries on December 6, with different countries celebrating in slightly different ways. St. Nick’s Day is not widely known or celebrated in the U.S. except by people with strong Catholic or European roots. It is established in many areas with strong German ancestry (including Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and St. Louis). However, this tradition has spread among the German, Polish, Belgian, and Dutch communities through Iowa and Wisconsin.

On the evening of December 5, children and adults put their shoes or stockings out and during the night, St. Nick visits and leaves treats and small gifts. St. Nick is accompanied by Black Pete, and if the children are naughty, Black Pete leaves coal in their stockings. As I mentioned earlier, different countries celebrate in different ways (I won’t elaborate here, but look it up if you’re curious). One of the German variations is the arrival of St. Nick and Black Pete in the evening while the family is awake. Black Pete (or multiple Black Pete’s) bang on the windows and the sides of the house and after a lot of commotion and noise, a bag is tossed in through the front door containing treats and small gifts.

This is an old tradition that my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and our ancestors have always celebrated due to our German heritage and Catholic roots. We have celebrated this holiday since I could remember. When my sister and I were younger, St. Nick would come quietly during the night and fill our stockings. As we got older, St. Nick and Black Pete would arrive while we were awake, and boy, would you know it! I have vivid childhood memories of my mom, sister, and me in the bathroom and all of a sudden our house was shaking from all the pounding and noise Black Pete made. Black Pete served as a warning to behave since Christmas was coming. I must mention we were all in the bathroom because we were waiting for their arrival and followed mom everywhere because we didn’t want to be left alone in case it happened. As I got older, St. Nick and Black Pete would still come, but I also had the opportunity to be the characters and go around to all of my little cousin’s houses, pounding on their windows and delivering their gifts or coal in some instances.  Another great memory is the first year Matthew was around to experience St. Nick and Black Pete. We were watching a Christmas movie at the time, and Matt was so shaken up and surprised, he almost fell off the couch and dived to the floor like we were being bombed.

Okay, now that you have read this, you probably think our family is crazy, but we are going to continue this tradition. How can you not when it’s been in the family forever and is fun?! If you celebrate it, I would love to hear about your family's tradition(s)!  If not, it may be something you want to include in your future family traditions. We would suggest and encourage it. Love, The Crazy Christmas-loving Kramers

no coal this year!

It is tradition for us to get a new ornament from St. Nick every year. 
This year's included this lovely and very appropriate ornament,
paying tribute to one of our favorite TV shows. 

New Traditions and Old

After fall, Christmas and the beginning of winter is our second most favorite time of the year. We absolutely love it! The fresh snow and the not-so bitter cold temperatures are a warm welcome to get anyone in the Christmasy mood - Christmas decorations, Christmas movies, Christmas music, candles, baking, shopping, and cuddling up on a cold winter’s evening in those sweatpants or flannel pajamas. I have had fun searching for stocking holders, tree-topper, tree skirt, and other decorating essentials for our first official “married” Christmas together.

Over the years, Matt and I have developed our own traditions together, but we figure, it’s never too late to include new traditions. In my family, we always had an artificial tree. In Matt’s family, they always went to the back 40 acres and cut down an evergreen. Well, one of our new traditions is getting a real Christmas tree so we journeyed up north to Wolycn Tree Farms in Cambridge the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was fun to see our good friend Steve who was working there too. We decided on a Frazier Fir since they don’t shed, and Matt actually found the tree we took home. When we got home, we decorated the tree to background Christmas music and the football game (muted of course). Some things will never change.  :)  We have collected an assortment of ornaments collected over the years so we have a lot of Classic Pooh, animal, and sports ornaments along with some antique bulbs that belonged to my great-grandma and the classic Pickle on the tree, thanks to our German ancestry. The Willow Tree Angel Nativity Scene was the final addition to our completed Christmas tree.

Stay tuned for the next blog – St. Nicholas Day, an old tradition of ours. I won’t say more now, but it may be something you want to incorporate in your future family traditions. Merry Christmas!

Our Big News!

We've been sitting on this news for about a month now, and I know what some of you are thinking... and no, we're not pregnant. :) Remember, how I mentioned that we fell in love with the first house we looked at?  Well, here it is folks, and it now has a sold sign in the yard.  Welcome to our new home as of December 15.  We look forward to hosting many ice-skating and kayaking parties in the future.  And I'm looking forward to making friends with the backyard river otters and planting a garden in the spring.  Now it's time to starting pouring over the paint samples and looking at light fixtures.  Let the house projects begin!      

classic Kramer handshake



Welcome to our home!



The living room window view.





The backyard

Dad's going to have to give me some gardening lessons...



Iowa Reunion

Along with some of our college friends, we road-tripped to Pocahontas, Iowa this past weekend to visit our good friend Peter.  It had been WAY too long since all of us had been together, and we had a fun weekend catching up and laughing a lot.  We learned about life on the farm (including driving the tractor and disc ripping the field), tested our paintball skills (and left with a few bruises to prove it), ate way more than we should have (thank you Donna for the delicious food), road around on the four wheeler, gator, and in some instances – semi trucks, enjoyed the peaceful countryside and the stars, went to church where everyone noticed we were out-of-towners, had a little friendly competition playing Ticket to Ride, Settlers, and card games, and made many memories along the way.  Thank you to Peter and his family for their hospitality and for welcoming us to their home for the weekend.  We are SO incredibly blessed by our friends and their fellowship – the encouragement, the serious “grown-up” talks, and the tears and laughs that come with our time together.  Here’s to our next reunion! 

Lost?  Yes, we missed our turn while we were focused on playing car games.
Thank you to the Blackberry for directing our way back.

Welcome to Pocahontas, Iowa!

Pete showing Matt how to drive the tractor.

The boys figured out how to drive the semi by themselves. 
It was a surprise when we saw them come around the corner. 
Thankfully they didn't hit anything, and Jeff didn't fall off.

Perfect paintballing terrain

An rustic barn. 

The paintballing crew

It was a blast, minus the bruises.  :)

The boys.

Peter, me, and the ram.

I love sheep!   

Seriously.  How cute is that? 

Hungry sheep

We left our hearts in Iowa.



Savings Tips

For those of you who know us well, we try to be good stewards of what we have been blessed with and creatively manage it in the meantime. Matt is always thinking of the next best invention or idea that is sure to be a success. He frequently quotes the book Millionaire by Thirty, and he keeps me on my toes with his different investment/entrepreneurial ideas. We wanted to pass along a few tips that have been beneficial for us in hopes that they will be helpful to you.

1. Budget, Budget, Budget! – Matt and I love budgeting. Matt is an Excel whiz, and we have quite the spreadsheet to manage our finances. He calls it Budget Software 1.2 (because there have been several editions). Call us frugal, but this actually works! Every month, we see where we went over or under in every category, and it reflects every single transaction (both purchases and deposits) because we record everything. It’s helpful to see what we are spending our money on too.

2. Give! – One of our investments is sponsoring a Haitian child through Compassion International for only $32/month. We received one of her letters this week, and it is always rewarding to know we are blessing others with all that we have been given. We have much to be thankful for!

3. Sales Ads – I rush to the mailbox on Saturday afternoons to see what the latest and greatest grocery deals are for the coming week to help plan our weekly menu. When grocery shopping, make a list and exercise self control to prevent unnecessary purchases. Also, there are special day sales around random holidays like Columbus Day or President’s Day. Who knew? Thank you Columbus! I bet he had no idea he would save us money when he discovered the New World.

4. Coupons – It is amazing how much you can save by clipping grocery store or manufacturer coupons. For those of us who don’t get the Sunday paper, manufacturer coupons can be found online too. Pair a manufacturer coupon with an already in-store sale, and you get a steal of a deal! There are coupons for EVERYTHING, literally!

5. Check your receipt – I am now in the habit of checking my receipt before I leave the store (thanks to my mother and husband). Honestly, there has been a mistake every time; either the quantity and/or sale prices are wrong on my purchases, or the coupons didn’t ring up correctly. A few days ago, I received $5.40 back on a $32 Target grocery trip, and it took 5 minutes of my time. Savings because I checked the receipt?! Yes, I think it’s worth it!

6. Reusable Bags – Matt doesn’t like this idea, but it is totally up my alley. Save 5 cents/bag, and it’s good for the environment. Sign me up! Helpful hint – leave the bags in your trunk so they are always there, and you can’t use the excuse, “I left them at home.”

7. Gas Card – We have a Roundy’s Card because we shop at Rainbow. Benefits: It’s free, and by purchasing food, it saves you cents/gallon gas. We rarely gas up for the advertised price. Our local BP has special deals too. Matt likes visiting on Monday mornings because he gets a free cup of coffee with gas purchase.

8. Twin Cities Gas Prices – Sign up online to get free texts to warn you when the gas prices are going to jump. When you are close to empty and learn that prices will be up 20 cents in a few hours because of wholesale prices rising, this is a fairly convenient text to receive. This website is also helpful in telling you which suburbs/stations have the cheapest gas each day.

9. Carpooling – Saves on gas, allows us to spend more time together each day, good for the environment, and better for our cars. I like to bike home from work too which is good exercise.

10. Random Sign-ups – Sign up for Redbox online to recieve a free promo code text on the first Monday of every month. The first Mondays of every month are now movie night in the comfort of our home… and for free! Hey, it saves us $1. One of my favorite places, Punch Pizza has some awesome marketing tactics too. They send free pizza deals out on random occasions (bring in an food donation, get a free pizza, or the Vikings lose to the Saints, but get your free pizza to keep your hopes up that they will someday win a Super Bowl – not that Matt and I needed our spirits boosted anymore than they already were at that point).  Did I forget to mention Birthday Clubs?  Everything from Noodles & Company, Caribou, Coldstone, and everything in between means free things on your birthday, but you need to sign-up in order to be eligible.

12. Craigslist – It’s amazing the deals to be found on Craigslist. If you come into our home, we have a lot of Craigslist purchases, but you would never know it unless we told you. One of our favorite finds is our Super Love Sac which was almost new and cost $150 (retail price is around $600).  Seriously - start searching!

13. Libraries – Not just books anymore, but loan DVDs and seasons of your favorite shows by just having a library card.  It's how we made it through the first five seasons of The Office in a short amount of time.  Helpful hint - reserve items online to save time and to be on the waiting list for certain items.

14. Participate in Market Research – A good way to earn a few extra bucks and have fun at the same time. I’ve been paid to see Transformers/take a survey and to discuss branding for Hard Ciders ($75 for an hour of my time). It’s totally the PR part of me that loves this stuff. Check out Fieldwork Minneapolis on Facebook for different opportunities.

Yes, I think my husband’s frugality has won me over, but I love it and love Him. Have fun saving and being creative all at the same time!

Celebration & Country Cooking

It’s been a busy week between work and house shopping. We have had a lot of late dinners and not a lot of free time so we have been looking forward to this weekend.

For those of you who haven’t heard, we fell in love with the first property we looked at but have continued looking around to make sure and to see what else is out there. We figure if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be, right? So needless to say, we have been comparing every property we see to the very first one we saw. Not a lot can surpass a quiet, waterfront, cul-de-sac location in the school district and community we love. When I heard there would be river otters in our backyard, I was sold. As Nancy would say, “You can change a lot about the house but not the location.” Matthew has loved the house shopping experience and the investment opportunities that come along with it, but in all honesty, it stresses me out, partly because I’m particular and partly because I love where we live now and am not ready to leave. It has been an adventure to say the least!

Last weekend was our Wisconsin weekend of the month, and we loved being at home and seeing our families and friends. The Knoll wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun. We love Stratford weddings! I wish I had some flashback pictures of the four of us at our high school homecoming and prom to post along with the most recent picture, but unfortunately they are all tucked away in scrapbooks. Oh the memories… with many more to be made in the future! Congratulations John and Jackie!

the Knolls and the Kramers

Papa & Grandma could have been the newlyweds on the dance floor;
they are adorable! 

Love you Mom & Dad

Clara!

Mom and me

Us with Uncle EJ

Our feet were sore from dancing!

Using the apples from the orchard, Grandma taught us to make and can homemade applesauce this weekend too. What a process, but totally worth the effort and healthier than the typical store-bought applesauce. And we now have applesauce for the winter. Yum! I treasure time with Grandma in the kitchen. It brings me back to my childhood.

The cooking crew!

Hard at work.

The visits are way too quick and not often enough, and it always takes us a couple of days to recover back to our normal life here. We love you all so much and missed you from the moment we left!