Since I my last update, there hasn't been anything crazy stellar going on. So - here's a numbered update:
1. Maddie's been a cooking phenom...
This is only a smidgen of what she has accomplished. This particular morning she tried "German Pancakes". She was incredibly frustrated because they didn't seem to be cooking the right way, but I thought they were yummy. A puff pastry type of thing almost. She outdid herself by also completely setting the table fancy (complete with chocolate chips and sprinkles...except Mike's plate because he hates sprinkles). It was accompanied by some scrambled eggs that had a special ingredient of cream cheese, I think. Again...I thought they were yummy but she was disappointed. She must be a good cook though...don't most cooks complain about their own cooking?
She's also tried crepes. While they were good as well, they were stuff with chocolate chips. We all enjoy a bit of chocolate now and again here, but even Jake (our choc-o-holic) agreed that it was a little too much chocolate. I believe she's currently looking for a better filling that will satisfy everyone.
2. Sweet for my Sweets
For Valentine's Day I had a little time in the afternoon and looked up giant cookie recipes. I surprised the kids with this when they got home. I had to leave it in the pan because it was too big for Mike and I had to spatula out without breaking it. However, do you know what happens to cookies that stay on the hot pan? They continue cooking. By the time the kids got home it was hard as a rock and we almost lost some teeth. Mike managed to break it up and stuff it in a plastic container with some bread (to make them soft again) and most of the cookie was salvaged.
3. This white stuff...
Driving through our neighborhood I giggle a little at the size of snow piles at the ends of driveways. It doesn't seem like we've had an inordinate amount of snow, but apparently we've done okay. The last couple weeks have seen a steady rise in snow levels, probably because it's finally warm enough for it TO snow! The kids actually got last Friday off for a legitimate snow day. Until that point, all the days off had been for cold temperatures. Maddie took on the driveway with the snowblower and did a pretty good job of things. She only backed into herself once or twice. Like mother, like daughter.
On the plus side - Boys State Hockey playoffs are in a couple weekends and that is when I have a mental cut-off for snow. We'll enjoy the beauty of snow on trees for a bit longer, but at least half of my family will be hoping spring is truly around the corner!
4. A last minute decision...
A couple Friday nights ago we were sitting around contemplating the weekend and we decided it to go skiing again. We almost headed back to Spirit Mountain in Duluth because we had such a good time there, but decided that the 10 degree warmth the "south" offered was better as well as not having to deal with a three hour drive. We headed to Afton Alps - a mere hour away and spent the day on the slopes. We really had a great time. The kids loved the terrain park and there were tons of different runs and lots of chair lifts to get you where you wanted to be. Hopefully we can get back there at least once more before the year ends. I'm very happy with our use of skis this year. It wasn't crazy - but we've gone on a couple nice day trips that have been great for us all!
There you have it. January and most of February in a nutshell.
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