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.

Fall and kids...

...but no falling kids.

We are soaking up the last days of autumn before the cold hits for good.  We have seen a few snowflakes here and there recently.  Other parts of the state are blanketed in white already.

 View out the dining room window.  That barn you see was awarded the 2010 Barn of the Year by the Friends of Minnesota Barns organization this past weekend.  Hats off to my father-in-law and husband for all their preservation efforts over the years.  Further kudos to my hubby's skillful completion of the contest application.

 Still evenings make for beautiful reflections of the sunset and Paul and Sharla's farm.

If I had talent, I would put these two pictures together in a panorama.  But I don't, so pretend that the bottom picture is connected to the left border of the top picture (with quite a bit of overlap).  The distant grove of trees in the center of the bottom photo is our place.  This might give you a bit of perspective of the distance between our places if you have never been here.

Addendum:  In case you don't read the comments below, our kind friend Marshall took pity on me and my lack of effort/talent in merging the above photos.  Here is his rendering.  Thank you, Marshall!

The kids are a bit more eager for snow than their parents are.

 This is a great picture of Nora's personality right now.  She is wearing her princess skirt, which is a near daily occurrence, often over sweat pants.  She is sitting in front of the electric fireplace/heater in our kitchen, which is her favorite spot right now.  She likes to tell me that it's "nice and cozy."  She is listening to music from her little blue music box on top of the heater while dancing and watching herself in the glass.  She also has her dolly and her two "itty bitty" pigs (the specks on the floor) with her.

 Not making much progress on the potty training, but she likes to cross her legs while she sits there.

Riding bike outside today in just shirtsleeves.  These days are numbered...

 Their favorite bedtime story is this toy catalog that came in the mail the other day.  Dane has his heart set on a beautiful red toy barn!