For your first shot, I am seeing what could be two photographs. I find my eye is a little divided. I want to focus on the sun in the upper left and the white snow on the bottom simultaneously. If it were me, I would choose to take a little off the top to crop out the sun and take your horizon out of the center. Save it as a new photo. Then go back to the original and crop the snow out of the bottom up to about an inch from the lowest point on the log. On my screen, you have a nice light diagonal pointing from the sun to the house and the log helps frame the shot and keep the eye from running off the photograph. There is also the diagonal of the trees on the right hand side pointing in to the house. The second photograph might be stronger if you removed the pine needles at the top. I like the composition, so I wouldn't just crop them out. Overall it seems to lack a clear subject, to me, and the snow is quite blown out. Not a terrible photograph, but I like your first one better.
on the first one i agree with kblc. seeing that just up to the log could be interesting, and maybe taking the other one from the log could be interesting. but i don't know until i see them, they could also be quite boring. something about the bottom of the second one seems off to me. so naturally my eye is drawn there. can't quite tell what. (maybe contrast????:er
