Taking out the dock

September is a busy month this year, so the annual dock removal and Nissedalen cleanup took place today. We had beautiful weather and had a lot of fun while working together.

Gnome Restoration – part 3

I brought home 5 more gnomes from Nissedalen to (hopefully) bring back to life.

These two solid concrete ones were in pretty rough shape. The boy, more so than the girl. In spite of his chipped nose, I think he still turned out pretty well.

And I love how the girl now has colorful flowers in her basket.

A clear coat sealed them up and they headed back to Nissedalen to be stored for the winter. I plan to work on the remaining three and the Nissedalen sign over the winter and return them in the spring.

Gnome restoration – part 2

Two more gnomes came home from Nissedalen last month. I finally had time to freshen up their paint over the last few days – while the girls were at school.

Now they just need a few coats of clear sealant and they will be ready to return to their home up north!

Full of fun

This girl is full of energy and fun every day. This collage captures just a snapshot of what I’m referring to.

May Day

It was a gorgeous day today – full of activities, family, and friends.

Shecklet #1 went north last night and has been working at Nissedalen – doing with manual labor. Grandma Patti has kept us in the loop by sending photos of their progress.

The girls had track meets this morning and did a great job! The weather was a million times better today than last week. It was so much fun seeing the encouragement the girls had for each other as well as the fans in the stands cheering for the kids as they ran towards the finish line.

After track, Shecklet #4 went to her Aunt Larissa’s for her birthday overnight. (The kids look forward to this opportunity every year!) One of their projects was a fairy garden 🧚‍♂️

Shecklets #3 and 2 hung out at home while Jake and I attended the First Communion mass of our goddaughter. It was so good to see her and her family! It had been about a year and a half since we last saw them in person.

On our way home, we picked up take-out from a local Mexican place. Delish! And so nice to not have to cook or clean up any dishes!

I had a nice call with one of my aunts this evening – we got caught up in life and tried to solve a few of the world’s problems in the process 😊

Today has been a great start to May!

Another cabin day

We spent the third consecutive Saturday at Nissedalen. This time we had friends join us from their weekend place. They came for dinner and water play. The kids were excited to have their friends to hang out with.

Shecklet #2 was able to spend the night with these friends at their camper near the river. Among the assortment of fun things he got to do some wakeboarding.

Nissedalen – Day 6 – 2020

We stayed an extra day so we could see one of Jake’s cousins who we haven’t seen since last fall. It was great to see her and meet the friends she is spending time with this week at Nissedalen.

After lunch, we took Jake’s grandma to visit Jake’s uncle, another cousin and her kids. We went on a pontoon ride, the kids swam and tubed, and we sat on the dock and chatted. It was another amazing day. I don’t think we could have asked for better weather than we have had this week.

Grandma Lois treated all of us to pizza before we loaded up our truck to head home. We are returning with sun-kissed cheeks and a week of fun memories 💕

Nissedalen – Day 5 – 2020

We had amazing weather all week. More tubing and skiing today. Shecklet #2 and our friend skied together, which was fun to watch!

After our friends headed for home – to recover from the week at the lake – we took the kids for dinner (A&W) and stopped at one of the local go-kart places. I predicted that Shecklet #2 would race the fastest and try to lap his siblings, Shecklet #3 would try to keep up with Shecklet #2, and Shecklet #1 would drive at his own pace, not affected by either #2 or #3. My prediction was correct. Shecklet #4 wasn’t interested in racing, so she gave the climbing wall a try.

Nissedalen – Day 4 – 2020

Storm after storm rolled through over the night. The sun came out and we enjoyed yet another fantastic day. Kids rode their bikes into town for candy and donuts, the moms did a little shopping (we now have matching sweatshirts :)) and Jake and I had a chance to go visit one of his uncle’s cabins on a different lake. We brought back DQ for everyone and had one last round of s’mores by the fire. (As if we needed MORE sugar. ha!)

Nissedalen – Day 3 – 2020

Stormy morning meant cool temps for a little while. The midday hours did not disappoint. We had hot and humid temps, so the crew hit the water again for tubing. No skiing today – the waves would have made it a challenge.

More storms rolled in shortly after dinner. Lots of rain, thunder, and lightning. Thankfully, no damage at Nissedalen.

Lake hair, don’t care. Having so much fun with this lady and her family!