A Cold, Fun Walk

Last Friday night, there was nothing to do, so we decided to all go down for a walk at AND ON the lake! It was cold (0 degrees) but we stayed pretty warm.  The moon was out, so nice! We walked for a bit on the trail, then headed out onto the lake for a big circle from the bridge to the public landing at the park.  At the end, the snow was quite deep, so a good work out!

But this week, Dad and I bundled up to go walk on the regular lake trail, and we couldn't make it very far before we turned back.  We were literally freezing.  So we decided it was definitely not worth it!

My Trip to TX to Meet Lois!

Meeting Lois Evangeline!  9 days old.

 Because of the bitter cold (I think) my flight was greatly delayed, and instead of getting in to Dallas at 10 pm, I arrived at 4 am.  It was such fun to meet little Lois in the middle of the night when we got home!

 Some cute pictures I got over the next 10 days:

An outing for Lois...attending her first wedding!

Before...

Haircuts again! Ruth said that somehow they get saved for me.

...After!

Before...

...After!

Sun bathing

Blurry picture as I tried to catch her smile!

John holding Lois's Christmas stocking
which  I had just finished.

John making a spider web in the tree with tape.
It made perfect sense!

As you can probably tell, the weather in TX was very different than Minnesota.  It was mostly in the upper 60s and a couple days hit 70 degrees!  This particular day was so warm that John and Sam ended up playing barefoot outside. There were a couple of days that got pretty cool though.

 We headed out to Joe Pool Lake for a Huntley family photo. So we took a few more while there...

We ended up getting the family photo right on the GIAL campus!

Back home again!  Lois doing just fine with all the traveling around!

Presenting Lois her blanket on my last day there.

 Finally right before I left I got a picture with all three.  John, Sam, and Lois! 


It was such a wonderful time with the Huntley family!!

Coffee Times

One of my favorite gifts for Christmas was a gift card from Dad to Caribou.  Actually, the card itself was not my favorite, it was the poem that he wrote to go with it!

                                                Caribou Coffee
                                                          by
                                                Paul T. Molitor

                       Caribou Coffee
                       To keep you awake
                       Caribou Coffee
                       To give you a break

                       Caribou Coffee
                       For time with the Lord
                       Caribou Coffee
                       For luxury you can afford

                       Caribou Coffee 
                       Helps when you unravel
                       Caribou Coffee
                       Helps when you must travel

                       Caribou Coffee
                       To keep your mind clear
                       Caribou Coffee
                       To commune with those dear!

I have already had a few outings with those who are dear with my gift certificate.  Truly a very nice gift! (especially the poem!)
                                 
                                      

Timothy and I out for a coffee after work and errands

                      

Bringing in The New Year 2014!

This is always a very good and sober time for our family as we take a look at ourselves, and pray for God's guidance for change and direction. On New Year's Eve we who were still at home went to our New Year's Eve service at Straitgate.  The sermon was on our eternal goal and how important it is to keep our focus on the final goal to know how each day should be spent.  

After the service we had our church pot luck and fellowship.  Then we headed home for our traditional get-together.  More people came than I expected with the cold, and it was great fun! We played games until...of course...the banging of pots and pans and cheering in the New Year down the street at midnight!

And while we were celebrating at home, David and Kelsea were celebrating in Missouri (returning home to IL from SD) the anniversary of their engagement on New Year's Eve 2007!  They have celebrated at a Morton's Steak House each year to commemorate the original evening! We continue to be so very grateful that God brought them together!



Joseph's new job just over the Christmas break from school is driving for Northern Forest Products delivering lumber. Some pictures he took of his truck:

New Little Lois Evangeline!

Of all the highlights in December, this is the greatest...

The birth of little Lois!

Christmas 2013

Christmas was very fun.  It always is when we get together!

Christmas Eve brunch

Becca made these cinnamon rolls from Dan's
mother's recipe! They were a delight with our 
usual scrambled eggs and sausage.

That afternoon we attended the Christmas Eve service at Straitgate, which was very special.  From there, we all headed over to Bill and Amy Marshall's for our traditional celebration.  There is always lots of very delicious food and Christmas desserts before we sing and sing!  This year, Edie planned some really fun games to play before everyone gathered in the living room.

A Christmas trivia game being played.  

Look at this concentration!!  And guess who won it?  Kelsea!! 

Finally all were assembled for singing.

Gillian and Afton are always a delight to have around.  Here
they are with David and Kelsea.

A fuzzy picture of the other Molitor boys.

Singing...from the left Edie, Koren, Bernice, Dan, and Katrina.

Gerard, Jessica, Amanda, and Dan

We used our cell phones to call our other siblings at
an appointed time, and we all sang together.  It was great!!

When we came out into the night...there was TONS of snow and basically a pretty bad blizzard to drive home in.  David and Kelsea decided against traveling to South Dakota that night, and headed out Christmas morning from our house instead.

Th next day was Christmas Day.  It was a bright and pretty day, the snow having stopped during the night.

Grandpa and Charlotte on her first Christmas Day!

All who were here Christmas Day

Charlotte having fun with her present.  The amazing thing was that it was NOT the wrapping she was after as I expected.  Once she got sight of the colorful toy inside, that is what she was going for!

What to do first...

Can I bite through this?

Get this stuff out of the way!

Just about ready to play now!

John's gift to Dan.  Making him a loyal Minnesotan!

A beautiful bowl from Ruth

The boys had fun giving each other sweaters and shirts.
Joseph's shirt to John.....
                                                                                                          

And John's sweater to Daniel!

Esther got so many scarves!
 But she said she will use them all!

Esther posing her new finger-less gloves, and John helping her to
display one of her many scarves.

My first  silicone oven mitts from David and Kelsea. This
is something I'm excited about!

New gloves for Timo

A very practical gift for Dan for work!

And delicious fudge for all the guys sent from the Huntleys.  Believe me, they shared it!

A new pillow for all the unmarrieds.  Something they are always
pleased to get!

Esther is especially pleased with a much-needed warm
coat from Dad and Mom!

Well.......the next day, we girls got a REAL treat!  Joseph and Dan had scheduled as a gift for us on the day after Christmas our very first pedicures at a salon in downtown White Bear Lake.  

Rebecca and Esther went first, while I sat in the same room just visiting.

There was a hot soak, a scrub, the pedicure and lotion rub. Definitely very relaxing!  I'm sure we might have taken naps, except we had a lot to talk about! Until my turn, we talked a lot with the girls doing the work.  That was fun!

Rebecca choosing a nail color to end with.

This is the color Esther chose.

Finally, it was my turn.  I don't polish my nails, and I should have skipped that part since no one can even see them in the winter anyway.  But the rest of it was great!

We were glad for this fun experience together.  Pedicures certainly aren't something that would be on our list of something we would buy for ourselves!

The next day was a beautiful day to get out for a walk down by White Bear Lake with Paul and Esther.  When we got back, we wanted to take Charlotte for her first sled ride.

I also wanted a shot with the house as background
for Charlotte when she is older.

She liked her ride.

Grandpa showing Charlotte the snow better.

And she liked the snowball Grandpa made for her.

So glad that the Williams family could be here for some truly
beautiful Minnesota winter days!