Christmas Weekend

It was a little different for us for Christmas this year. We already pretty much don't have gifts for each other anymore which takes away some of the Holiday stress. But Grandma hasn't been feeling all that hot lately so on Christmas Eve she took a snooze...

...while Grandpa and I watched some music programs on Public TV. There was one from Norway that was really good! I love the "Hallelujah Chorus"!

Jill had to work all weekend but on Christmas morning she came out for breakfast and then slept there so she could have just a couple gifts in the afternoon and Christmas supper with the family.

Grandma and I did our holiday baking just in time doing our Thumbprints and Butterballs on the 25th!

Brian, Kate and Kate's sister, Melissa, came by on snowshoes. (Look at those icicles in the background!) Melissa, being from Hawaii, was getting well initiated to a Minnesota winter!

On the 26th, Grandma and I did a little more baking. We've been meaning to try some Chocolate Waffle cookies...recipe courtesy of Mindy's mom...and finally got it done!

Then Grandpa and I went out to clear some of the snow off the roof and there's just as much there as there is everywhere else! We did eventually find three of the vents that needed to be opened up but I think we need those rake extensions to get all the way up to the top!

Just before I was going to leave, the pileated woodpecker came in looking for a little lunch. He's such an impressive bird. In fact, it's my neighbor boys' favorite.

Once in awhile we see them around our place too.
I have to say, I still don't mind the cold. But I'm beginning to join that group of folks that don't like the snow. There's just too much of it this year and I never thought I'd hear myself say that. In spite of that, there are some almost magical scenes created in our winter wonderland. Not much color on these trees but they sure are pretty!

Ice Dams? Damn Ice!

The weather this winter has been all the talk. Now we've had the snowiest month ever and I believe it because in 20 years at this place we've never had issues like this. Along with just about everybody else we developed some pretty impressive ice dams. One of our neighbors already had interior damage.

So we paid somebody an arm and a leg to break them up and remove the snow from the roof.

I can pretty much guarantee that this situation isn't ever going to happen again because after watching how they did it we're going to go buy one of those bendy ladders and some more extensions for the roof rake to do it ourselves. Apparently, prevention is the key.

This is the mountain that ended up on the deck.I spent four hours today shoveling most of that and some other stuff close to the foundation because then my next issue is "what's going to happen in the Spring?!" This is coming out the back side of the garage.Oh, and on second thought, maybe we don't need that ladder. We'll just scale the snow banks!

Cate's Two!

A year ago Cate was hanging out pretty much at floor level.Now she's up and down and all around.We went to her birthday party last week where owls were the order of the day.Happy 2nd birthday, Cater!!

Holiday Visit

We visited the K2's last night and didn't even have to Photoshop Jon into the family picture we took.

All present and accounted for!

Visions Of Sugarplums?

What do you suppose these girls are dreaming of as they admire the cookies they decorated?

A Holiday Tradition

Well, we couldn't let the Christmas season go by without frosting a few cutouts. Last Friday we invited ourselves up to Jon and Mindy's to complete the task. There was 88 year old great grandpa (here with 3 1/2 year old Natalie) all the way down to 1 1/2 year old little Harvey.He was busy playing keep away with the sprinkles with Tricia. (Looks like she won this round!)

And when he wasn't playing games he was testing the product. Natalie was pretty thorough in her frosting and decorating. There actually is a cookie underneath all those cinnamon redhots!

When she got tired of doing our project she went about her other business and Jill caught these two little skeezicks looking for all the world like God's little angels.

A Mom And Her Kids

Aren't family pictures fun? (Say "yes", family!) Fortunately, most everyone will humour me when I ask for a pose.

I got some pretty good cooperation from Mindy and the kids on Thursday.

Now I should just Photoshop Jon into the mix!

Techie

Harvey will fit right in to this new generation. The other day when we spent the morning together if he wasn't talking to Grandma Jayne on the cellphone...

...he was texting one of his little buddies!

Cate's Colors

In honor of Cate's birthday party today see what she can do!

This is actually kind of an old clip but I haven't kept up on my blogging very well lately. Sounds like an opportunity for a New Year's resolution!

Who Lives Here?!

This being the season of Santa and his Elves you might think this is one of their houses. But it's our air conditioner after 15 or so inches of snow!

It took awhile to get everything cleared this morning and I might still be out there if my one neighbor hadn't help me clear my other neighbor's drive. Only two issues with our snowblower...when one of the chains came off it went through the propellers and I think that's what broke one of the shear pins. It's definitely a winter wonderland around here.

Our poor snowman appears to have only two sections but one is buried.

I don't think he's going to be doing any dancing with Frosty any time soon.

Even Trade?

I always take a granola bar to have for a snack when the girls have theirs around 10:00. But it doesn't matter what they're having, as soon as I pull it out of my bag that's the best looking thing. Claire tells me she'll share it with me! Cate likes to offer trades. Thursday it was her Tootsie Pop for my bar.

She ended up with the Pop and half my bar besides! Don't worry...I sneak some of their treats so I'm not suffering!

Try And Try Again!

Yesterday I took my tripod along to see if we could get a picture of the three of us to put in some of my Christmas cards. The girls had fun with it pushing buttons, watching the flashing light and running for their place. But it took quite a few tries. We either weren't looking...

...or I was telling them where to look...

...or a finger was up a nose!

But we finally got a good one. Thanks girls!!!

A Little Night On The Town

One of Jill's ex-coworkers, Sally from central Iowa, is in town for the weekend so we had dinner and a few drinks down at Dooley's Pub last night.

As we left the snow was just starting to fall. What a weekend to come north for a visit!! (By the way, I had an awesome Reuben sandwich...and the beer wasn't bad either!)

Holiday Extravaganza!

Usually we go to a Lorie Line Christmas show in a town other than our own. But those dates didn't work out this year so we went to the performance here on Thursday night.It was colorful... ...and fun.

There was one Elvis segment where they played "Blue Christmas"...

...and another part where Alvin and The Chipmunks made an appearance to play a song from Lorie's favorite Christmas album as a child.

Lorie had a couple new members in her Fab Five. I don't know how she always finds someone that can play the fiddle like this! This gal is only 22.


So now we've officially kicked off our Holiday season!

Headed Home

Jill's been on her way to or in Texas since last Friday helping her folks settle in there for the winter. Her flight back is on it's way...

...and so am I, to pick her up at the airport. Better get going or she'll beat me there!

Oak Aftermath

We had a tree service come a couple weeks ago and take down what was left of our big oak after the October winds...also an elm that just went dead this year that, I think, may have been helping to hold up this one arm of the oak. It was pretty much rotten in the middle and only hanging on by the shell of the trunk.

They got up pretty high to take the two trees down piece by piece.

For the most part he seemed to use this small chainsaw that he managed with one hand.
But for the bottom he had to get out the big dog!

I thought it'd be much more of a mess but the guy said "it shouldn't be too bad." Sometimes 'not too bad' to them means 'really awful' to the person that has to clean it up. But it really was pretty contained and not bad at all. Gramps came a few days later to help burn up the brush. He still knows how to get a good fire going!There'll be some wood stacking and cleanup in the Spring but for now it looks pretty good.