Friday Fun: Minnesota Style, The First Snowfall of the Year

Winter has arrived in Minnesota! We had our first snowfall on Thanksgiving day and it left the world under a pristine blanket of white. I love the first snowfall. No matter how old I get, there will always be something magical about it. We watched the snow come down as we sat at the table enjoying our Thanksgiving feast.

This past week has been cold, in the teens and twenties, but I hear it's supposed to get warm again this weekend. On Sunday and Monday the forecast is predicting mid to upper forties, so the snow will disappear and there are no significant snowfalls in the near future. Here's hoping for a big dumping before Christmas and New Years!

I only took a few pictures, but I thought I'd share. I also included a couple of us picking out our Christmas Tree the next day, but it was so chilly, I didn't take many and I jumped back into the van as soon as we picked it out.

I hope the world is beautiful where you live!




Our backyard while it was snowing - we couldn't see
across the river



The next morning

What about you? Has it snowed where you live? Do you put up a Christmas Tree? Is it fresh or artificial?

Friday Fun: Minnesota Style, Taylors Falls, MN

I'm finally sharing my long-promised pictures of the beautiful Taylors Falls, Minnesota! I apologize, but life just kind of took over for a couple of weeks as I was on a deadline. This writing journey is definitely a learning experience and next time I have a deadline I'll be a little more prepared for it (I hope!).

A few weeks ago my husband and I took our daughters to Taylors Falls, Minnesota, which is in the southeastern portion of our state on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border on the St. Croix River. We went to see one of the oldest homes there, the Folsom House, built in the early 1850's when Minnesota was still a territory.

Here are the pictures we took of Taylors Falls. It is such an incredibly beautiful town and one we want to go back to over and over again.



The oldest standing public school house in Minnesota




The original jail




The Taylors Falls Queen Paddle Boat





My girls in Wisconsin :)




Looking at Wisconsin from Minnesota



The town is built into the river vally



The St. Croix River




The houses are so quaint



A lot of the original homes were built in the Greek Revival
style so popular in Minnesota in the 1850's & 1860's




A church built in 1861 and still being used

What about you? What town would you go back to over and over again?

Friday Fun: Minnesota Style, Folsom House

One of the things I love most about Minnesota is its diverse history. Last weekend Dave and I took our two girls to Taylors Falls, Minnesota. It's a little town on the Southeast border of Minnesota on the St. Croix River. This part of Minnesota is especially beautiful with the rocky bluffs, dipping river valleys and historic buildings.

We went to Taylors Falls to see the Folsom House, a historic home built in 1855 and owned today by the Minnesota Historical Society. My current story, Forgiveness Falls, is set in 1857 in Central Minnesota and I wanted to make sure that my historic details were accurate. We toured the home and I was able to ask lots of questions.

It was fun watching my girls be enthralled by the old home. They aren't strangers to historic sites (how could they be as my children?), but it was fun to watch them discover chamber pots, spittoons and coffin pianos.

It was a lot of fun spending the day in Taylors Falls (and St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, across the river) with the girls. My time with them, and the memories we made, were priceless. I'll share some incredible pictures of Taylors Falls next Friday, but today I want to share some from the Folsom House.



I'm amazed at the beauty and craftsmanship of a house

built in Minnesota Territory in 1855. There was very little

in Minnesota at that time and everything they used for

the house had to be sent from a great distance.







The main staircase was very wide. The tour guide couldn't
really explain why...



Mr. Folsom's Office. While we were there, they were
having a quilt show, so that's why you see quilts in
all the pictures.



Spittoon in Mr. Folsom's Office

 

Dining Room and my oldest daughter

 

The paint on this hutch was tinted blue with blueberries
and these are Mrs. Folsom's original dishes from 1855.

 

Mrs. Folsom's coffin piano - it was huge!

  

The "Men's" Parlor is in the front and the "Women's"
Parlor is in the back. I wish there weren't so many quilts
lying around! The furniture underneath was gorgeous.



Me in the Men's Parlor



Two connecting bedrooms, separated by a pocket door

Mrs. Folsom's Bed



Chamber Pot



My daughter thought we should take this potty chair
home for the twins :)



The back of the Folsom House

What about you? Have you been to a historic home lately? What is your favorite architectural period for homes?

Friday Fun: Minnesota Style, Fall Colors

"Nature gives to every season a beauty all its own." ~ Charles Dickens

It's no secret that I love Minnesota, but I must say that Autumn in Minnesota is one of my favorite times of the year. Actually, I don't know many people who live here who wouldn't say the same thing. The heat and humidity of Summer has dissipated, the frigid winds of Winter have not started to blow and the air is filled with the sounds of geese taking flight. I love to hear the rustling of the fallen leaves, see the bright blue sky like a canopy overhead and cuddle up in my favorite sweater. Ahh, Autumn. The only other time that rivals Autumn in Minnesota may be Spring, with Summer coming in a close second...

The Mississippi behind our house

Our front yard

Friday Fun: Minnesota Style, My Hometown

Summer is now behind us and Autumn is displaying glorious colors, but I haven't had my camera out to take photos, yet! I promise I'll do that this week and next Friday I'll have even more proof that Minnesota is one of the most beautiful states in the Union. :)

Two weeks ago, my hubby and I brought our kiddos out for Dairy Queen and then we drove around town through the rain. It was such a fun time - and it reminded me of some of my favorite memories from when I was a kid in the backseat of my parents' mini-van. When I was little I ordered a chocolate cone dipped in crunch, but when I was a little older I always had a M&M Blizzard. Now I get a cookie dough Blizzard with brownie chunks! Mmmm... Our Dairy Queen closes for the winter, so we're getting in all the treats we can handle before the snow flies. :)

Here are a couple of my photos from that outing.

What about you? What kind of treat do you get when you go to the Dairy Queen?