What is wrong with this picture? :)
(*this is not my picture, I just like to illustrate my recipes and forgot to take one)
We are both excited also that a few more people are planning on coming to the group next week!Friday, we worked on projects around the house. We almost finished filing our documents in the filing cabinet now. I did some mending. Andrew did some reading. When it came time for dinner we decided to cook together. It was so much fun. We made Pollock fish with a coating that tasted like KFC. I had some and actually liked it (although that was probably due to the coating). I even tried my hand at tartar sauce. Andrew was the one that actually cooked the fish. It turned out wonderfully.
Saturday, we went to Willmar and found Andrew some running shoes with our $25 off any purchase. I also got my hair cut. Saturday evening was the official lighting of the Spicer Castle. We were planning on staying home due to the -20 degree weather but as I was doing the dishes and heard fireworks. We jumped in the car to head down to the shore but they ended before we got parked. We walked to the castle and watched kids of all ages slide down the giant slide. I tried to hover around the bon fire but it just didn't cut it so we headed home. 
Sunday, we got to church by 8:40. I read a little while as Andrew prepared for Sunday School. From 9:15-10:00 I practiced with the hand bell choir. From 10-10:20 we practiced with the choir. Church was from 10:30-11:30. We had a pot luck after a church meeting. I made a jello fruit salad and corn bread muffins. Then we were invited by Maggie, the music director, to play music with a "jam" group of fiddlers from 2-3:30 pm out at Sibley State Park. 
I played percussion: a frog, "spoons" (a single item carved from wood so you cannot drop them; pictured below) and egg shakers. Andrew played the guitar and his Celtic drum. 
This is a family of home schoolers that all play the violin around here. There are nine children (not all pictured here) and all are skilled violinists. 
I hope this shows you a little of life here.
Our "date" this week consisted of icy things. It was very cold but felt downright balmy compared to last week. We decided to get some exercise by skating around on the smooth little rink over by the Spicer school. They smooth the ice there and have a warm place to put on your skates. I am a bit weak ankled since the last time I went ice skating! Andrew brought his hockey stick and puck and played around a little.
We then headed over to the edge of Green Lake where it is a tradition to build an ice castle out of lake ice blocks. This is a picture from the local paper showing it being built.
And these are my pictures of my first castle experience!
In this picture, you can see the sun on the left and a sun dog on the right, but this particular day there were two sun dogs (as seen in prior photo).
I took this photo through my sunglasses to see if I could soften the glare.
I don't know if Jan, Alan or Andrew remember, but in Arizona, while on the Mission Trip in Jan. '04, we saw a rainbow type thing near the sun and we were trying to take pictures of it. I specifically remember Jan holding up her sunglasses to take the picture. Well, I believe that was also a type of sun dog. All it take is some ice crystals in the air, and the sunlight. It was January after all. Anyway, I thought this was cool so I thought I would share.
I am loving the sun, but the -29 without windchill is a killer. When it feels like -49 it is time for me to hibernate!
And here is what we have to look forward to! 
So you can imagine we are NOT going out walking much :) Warm wishes to you!
Hello all! I was paging through the latest "Simple & Delicious" magazine (which my mother-in-law got for me after the wedding; thanks Jan!) and I found this easy and tasty recipe (or so Andrew says...I don't eat eggs unless they are hard boiled). My only change was simply making most of them with out the egg yolk, and using turkey ham slices. A family in the church gave Andrew a bunch of Turkey products for his birthday; the wife works at Jennie O. Here is my own picture of how they turned out.
Eggs in Muffin Cups
For New Year's Eve, which we celebrated quietly at home, Alissa made these neat-o sandwiches of simple foccacia, pesto sauce, pepperoni, mozarella, and tomato (on mine). I highly commend them to you! Foccacia bread: $0.90, Roma tomato: $0.25, Pesto sauce: $0.75, Cheese: $0.40, Pepperoni: $0.60. This tasted like a coffee shop sandwich -- and for a bargain price! Add in a simple soup and you've got a meal. (Toasted at 400 F for five minutes.)
We then celebrated New Year Day with a haircut. As Alissa said of the event, "This ain't no hundred dollar haircut, but it maybe a hundred minute one!" (In honor of the estimable and fine, fine-haired John Edwards while visiting Dubuque.) It was, indeed, rather longer (with regard to time) than the norm, but there's a first time for everything, and, as Alissa says, "Would you prefer it slow or with big ole holes?"
After the haircut! In the interest of full disclosure, I got a mite bit antsy and decided to try my own hand at trimming around the ears, which resulted in a hair-do of StarTrekkian proportions. But, aside from that little self-inflicted foible, the hair-cut turned out great. 
And the hair-cut minus the Star-Trek profile:
