More winter scenes

We certainly don't have to worry about a white Christmas around here.  After our recent snow the past two days, we were only 4 inches shy of a record for our annual snowfall.  And we're only a day into winter!!  These pictures are somewhat random.  Some were taken by Mike, some by me.  Some are from our camera, some from our phones.  Sometimes we just can't resist capturing the beauty.

 Old barn doors.

 It was unusual for the grain bins to have snowy caps like this.  Our snow usually comes down sideways in a blizzard, so it rarely sticks!

 Front yard full of drifts.

 I couldn't quite capture the layer of ice on the fence after our recent storm.  If you look closely, you can see it on the weed in the foreground.

 Early last week, I took Dane, Nora, and cousin Morgan out to the pasture to do a bit of sledding.  This was before our snow got real deep, so they could climb back up the hill themselves.

 We love this old toboggan.  All four of us can easily head down the hill at once!  You can't tell, but the kids were smiling really big for this picture!

 Dane felt fortunate to catch a little cuddle time with our old cat, Cali.  She is 13 1/2 years old, and she spends most of the days under our bed.  She only comes out when she can tell that the kids are asleep, so this was a bit of a special occasion!

We hope your holidays are happy and warm!

Frosty

I'm not a huge fan of cold weather, by any means.  But when you wake up in the morning and your place looks like this, what's to complain about?   The frost was so amazing this morning that I spent a half hour walking outside with my camera.  Then my fingers froze up, so I had to stop taking pictures.   Now we are enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon in our cozy house as big flakes of snow fall from the sky.

Hitting the slopes

We took advantage of nice new snow and mild weather to visit our local ski hill yesterday.  Mike and Dane had also gone for a few hours on Friday, so Dane had his ski legs back and was tearing up the slopes!  He has even mastered the chair lift by himself this year.  (I think he's finally tall enough to reach the seat!)

 Nora was happy to put on "her" pink skis again.  They are rentals, and she is so upset that we don't get to bring them home!

Welcome, winter...

I guess the blizzard saw the note on our door and thought this was a good place to spend a few days.  We have been having light snow and raging winds for the past 2 days.  The accumulation isn't so much, but we certainly have some dandy drifts in our yard from the winds up to 45 mph.

Dane and I made snowflakes while we kept warm inside yesterday.

Pretty birds braving the storm to get a bite to eat.

Even the weather can't stop us from playing outside.  Dane had a blast on his skis today while Daddy pulled him around the yard slowly.  We could hardly drag him inside!

She's in there somewhere!

Frosty pup.

Thanksgiving weekend

What a wonderful weekend!  We celebrated one year of living in Minnesota by staying right here at home.  Fortunately, everyone else came to visit us.  Over the course of the 4-day weekend we had 16 different guests in our home, but not all at once!  We also had a total of 7 dogs and 5 cats around at different times.  It was lively, to say the least.  These two little kittens that Mike's sister brought won everybody's hearts!

 The other main attraction during the weekend was the frozen slough by Paul and Sharla's place.  This is the same body of water seen in the sunset pictures just a few posts ago.  It has frozen solid, so it made a perfect recreational area.  The kids loved sledding behind the snowmobile.  The dogs got a good workout, too.  Here Mike pulls Zach, Ellie, and Dane.

 Grandpa loved to see his grandkids having so much fun!

 My parents and Ben and Jen came Saturday to play.  Here, Ben and Jen are riding the 4-wheeler while Mike pulls Dane and Grampy on the toboggan.

 Today, the ice was perfect for the skates that Hugh and Melodee found for the three oldest cousins.  (Paul and Sharla's pretty place in the background.)

 Dane's first time on skates.

 My fun on the ice came to an abrupt end yesterday when my lip became a cushion between my top teeth and a sled.  Four little stitches brought things back together nicely, but I don't know why everyone thinks that plump lips are so fabulous...

I should have taken pictures of our amazing Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, of all 6 cousins together, of the wonderful times our kids spent with both sets of grandparents, of Ben and Jen enjoying their "hay ride" out to the ice, of my cousin Carissa and her husband Ed who stopped by for a few hours... the list goes on.  Thankful for the wonderful memories that no photos could ever replace.

Uff Da! Krumkake!

Last Sunday, Mike and I came across this contraption in one of our farm buildings.  I wasn't exactly sure what it was right away.

It appeared to be some sort of griddle or iron, obviously made in Norway.

So I googled Norwegian pastry, and soon found out I had a krumkake griddle in my hands.  Further searching led me to some recipes and instructions for making krumkake.

So I started making a mess.

The final results of my first batch of krumkake.

Just in time for the holidays!

Since then, I have made another batch with my sister-in-law Thanksgiving morning.  We may attempt another batch today while my parents are here.  So thankful for the closeness of family even as we miss the dear friends we have made across the years and miles.

What a difference a week can make...

One week ago, we were playing outside without jackets.  This morning, there was not a trace of snow when we woke up.  By mid-morning, the snow had begun.  We went out to make some tracks this afternoon.  I got the kiddos all bundled up first and sent them outside.  By the time I got myself dressed warmly and walked outside, they had found their sleds and were waiting patiently for me.

 We braved the biting wind and walked down to the mailbox and back.  Well, maybe they were cold- I was plenty warm after pulling them!

 The creek is still running.

 Sledding in front of the barn.

 Dane was excited to see this untouched snow on the slide.

 Not for long!

 Some hot chocolate to warm up after we came in.