Holidays – Page 11 – M. Sullivan Photography

December 17, 2013December 17, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Daphne, Family, Holidays, Lake Superior, Landscapes, Photos, Weather

Long Cold Winter

It is still not officially winter per the calendar, but since we had the huge snow storm after Thanksgiving, the temperatures have either been below zero or single digits. We took our holiday card photo on a day with a high temperature of 3, wind chills below zero and snow flurries. I usually try to get several shots so that I know that we have the perfect photo. Not this time. Our remote shutter stopped working because the battery was too cold. I did make the kids stay outside for an extra minute or two after I took the camera off the tripod so that I could make sure to get a good shot of just the two of them.

Days and days of temperatures 25 degrees below average is getting old really fast. Rumor has it that there will be a day or two of 20 degree temperatures soon. In the meantime, here are some pictures from the cold “tundra” of northern Minnesota.

Here is a preview of our holiday card photos. Notice the white snow dots on our clothes and faces.

It was too cold for Daphne to join us for the family photo so I snapped a picture of her indoors where it was nice and toasty.

Out on Lake Superior, the evaporation of lake water created “sea smoke” in the subzero air.

It certainly makes for a cold work day for the people working on the ships coming into port.

What I want most for Christmas is to be able to enjoy all of our new snow without the unbearably cold temperatures. Are you listening Santa?

November 28, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Cooking, Family, Holidays, Photos

Thanksgiving Preparations

During our Thanksgiving preparations today, a package arrived by UPS. A beautiful cookbook was delivered to my door compliments of The Pioneer Woman. I found the perfect spot to display it on my coffee table.

I look forward to trying some of the recipes in the near future, but today I had to focus on Thanksgiving. Here are a few of the items that I prepared for our big day tomorrow.

I also prepped ingredients for stuffing, baked lemon bars, made chocolate chip cookie dough (a dessert request by Sebastian), put together a relish tray, made trail mix and finished cleaning the house. Tomorrow will start with baking the turkey, making mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, garden salad and setting the table.

Here is the floral centerpiece Mike picked out with a little help from our friend Amy who happened to be at the store.

And one random photo of the cribbage board we gave Mike for his birthday this past August. I still love looking at it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

October 29, 2013 M. Sullivan Photography Family, Holidays, Photos

Spooktacular

While Sebastian was away at a friend’s birthday party on Saturday, we took Sophia and one of her BFF’s to Glensheen’s Halloween Spooktacular. We went two years and were pleasantly surprised that they had changed things up a bit. We enjoyed touring the grounds after dark and viewing 1,000 carved pumpkins.

Here’s a description of the event:

Visitors will walk through the spooky Cottonwood cathedral, a torch-walk against the wrought iron fence to the West Gate where a mass of grinning pumpkins will greet you at the entrance of the mansion, lit for enchanted effect. Inside, witness a Pumpkin Seance contacting the spirits of old ghouls, Herman and Lily Munster and Morticia and Gomez Addams, artistically cut onto pumpkins. Then it’s down to the mansion’s winter garden to pick the winner of the pumpkin carving contest. Back outside, tour the Bridge of Sorrows where hundreds of pumpkins are fleeing in terror over the orangey/red waters.

Sophia and her friend found a number of favorite pumpkins – Frankenstein, mummy, owl and cat.

Glow sticks were for sale along the way.

The tour concluded with s’mores and a fire dancer.

We haven’t finished our own preparations for Halloween. We still have three pumpkins waiting to be carved. Here are the two that we carved at my Mom’s earlier this month.

Later this week we will have photos of Sophia dressed up as a fortune-teller and hopefully more carved pumpkins.