Hannukah has come and gone but we had a blast. Danielle came to visit us to help celebrate and we had a ittle Hannukah party on Saturday with her, Halldor, Sigga, Oli and Gudrun Anna. It was a lot of fun preparing levivot and Jacob made a delicious brisket - good good food. Plus the final event - sufganyot, they were SO good especially fresh out of the oil rolled in sugar. It was a great recipe, Martha Stweart actually - no don't turn your nose up, yummmm. Next year I will spring for the tip and pastry bag to ensure all are filled with raspberry jam, those were the best.
We actually prepared and ate more levivot this year than I personally ever had before. On Sunday we got to work on more to bring to leikskoli Monday for lunch. We rushed around getting them done before heading to the church for a singing performance. The next day we transported them to school, and our car stunk of them! We heated them up and, well, the teachers LOVED them:) It was very nice to be able to go and in share this with them. I brought the Hannukia as well and showed it to the teachers. Then the kids enjoyed their fish!
This month is JUST filled with lots of communal and fun activities as Christmas nears. Later in the week we went to the fortune tellers for story time. All the kids were sitting in the small, dimly lit room that had a traditional Icelandic Christmas tree- wood sticks, covered in a wreath with candled burning on the ends, beautiful, and of course there were homemade cookies! The next night after dinner we headed to the community hall for a cake buffet - man that was good. The women's organization puts it on every year to thank the community for their support. A boy read a story, the librarian a poem (I think) and then three men played some music and everyone sang. It was SO sweet.
At school each kid brought in an old shoe which was decorated, we have Zelia's now on the window. Every night leading up to Christmas one of the 13 Jolasveins comes and drops a little something. We have opted for fruit, although she tells everyone at school she is getting candy...clearly what the other kids are getting:)
This past weekend we headed to BLonduos to a jolahladbord with Olafia, Shiloh, Uma, and Roland and had a great time getting out and going out. The kids had fun playing and we enjoyed quite a feast. This tradition is actually Danish but has been adopted by Icelanders and I can see why. There is a HUGE buffet with smoked and grav salmon, reindeer pate, fish pate, salads of all sorts, hangikjot, ham, trout, salt fish, goose carpaccio, goose and vegetable soup, bread, sauces. Then the main meal was brown sugar potatoes (this time with cream, yummmm), lamb, pork and turkey. Then came dessert, there was skyre cake, white chocolate mouse and of course chocolate cake and coffee. Lovely.
Then on Monday we were busy making a turkey, stuffing and gravy for the holiday party for Jacob's office. We headed up to the summerhouse in the valley by the good blueberry picking. Everyone who works in the building was there, full of kids and adults preparing food and enjoying. Then there was a hub-bub outside when a Santa Claus came riding in on an ATV bringing clementines and ice cream:) Too funny. Moslty the kids payed upstairs making housese from all the mattresses!
Then last night we had an Indian pot-luck with the artists which was delicious, really fabulous. We had dropped Zelia off with Uma earlier and Jacob and I drove to Blonduos to meet the driver's Ed teacher for some quick studying before today's written test! You laugh, but it isn't easy, yes it is in English, but not well translated and the multiple choice questions can be any and all answers! 50% fail, ugh. Cross your fingers for us today.
On Thursday we will be heading to Reykjavik. On Friday morning Terri lands and Jacob has to get his shot and then we are off for an amazing weekend.....Hotel Ranga
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