Monday, December 31, 2012

Year End Projects

Documenting my projects helps me to remember what I made because sometimes my memory is less than I expect! Again I made more washcloths for others and enjoyed the process.
Lincoln's stocking was most certainly a labor of love but I think that I forgot to blog the project. This is his stocking to hang at my fireplace each year. It was great fun to fill it and watch him empty it with curiosity at Christmas. I plan to fill it for many years to come.
I have made many denim and flannel quilts but it has been several years. I put this one together for Dale's Christmas . I had the squares cut but did all of the sewing in a week. It looks very different now; all in one piece but no photograph!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Last of December

December was jam packed with so much joy and family. It was busy in a very good way. I am loving some of the Christmas traditions more and more, including Christmas cards. Above is a shot from a fun afternoon on Main Street that resulted in Ashley's Christmas card photo. Briana and I strolled around with hot coffee and then Ashley and Lincoln joined us with the camera. The photo below is an out-take from the day Ashley took my Christmas card photo.

And even Christmas didn't overshadow the celebration of Lincoln's first birthday. One more reason to love December and the joy that it brings.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

A Little More Christmas

Just a few more glimpses of a wonderful Christmas. Lincoln absolutely loved the worship music at church on Christmas eve. It was wonderful to be with him and Ashley in church and think back to last year when we snuggled a newborn. What a difference a year makes!

Cindy, is this the crop you suggested?
Here are a few more shots of December 23rd with the Nonnweilers. . . great fun again this year!
The party rotates between my three siblings homes in Mason City every year. This year Dan and Jill hosted and their garage was the place where everyone chose to hang out. It's a perfect place for a growing family. Mom and Dad now stay in Iowa for Christmas and that's great. Below is the big game...the women's part of the game. What a group, around a table and throwing dice for five dollar gifts. My Christmas tree is still twinkling in the corner. It's hard to say good-bye to Christmas this year.

Red Hats

I almost forgot how much I enjoy making hats, especially little hats! I made the skater hat (below) first and it was a bit of a challenge. The first one which is in the photograph was not a good fit so I tore it all apart and made some changes. The second one fits better but still needs work. Because I had more red yarn, I made the one photographed above and I like it better. Its a nice snug fit.

Friday, December 28, 2012

End of Christmas 2012


What a fun Christmas! Here are a few shots of our family celebration; the ones from the shared camera battery. Ashley took most. I took a few. The good ones are most likely hers; all fun memories from a wonderful day.

Christmas stockings are still one of my favorite parts of the celebration. OrangeTic Tacs have been a family tradition for decades and Lincoln got his first pack this year. He was so excited that he snagged Uncle Jay's so that he could tap them together. He doesn't eat Tic Tacs and fortunately he wasn't able to open them but loved the "shake, shake, shake."

We baked bread, made lasagna, opened gifts and played lots.
The helmet was a gift because he goes very fast on his birthday truck. He will need it!

The End

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Great Joy

This season of my life is filled with great joy and Christmas seems to amplify that joy. Although I posted my Christmas card on facebook I wanted to preserve the memory here too. Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Mason City Christmas

 Photographically speaking this Christmas was a bust. But speaking from my heart it has been wonderful and filled with loving family! I forgot to adjust my depth of field so only one person is in focus. I forgot to check the shutter speed often so most photos are blurry. BUT. . . most importantly it was so fantastic to spend time with family; eating, laughing and celebrating. I got to see almost everybody. Sadly Brecken was sick so we missed him and his mommy and daddy. I hope Cindy has some good photos to share with me. Thanks to Jill and Dan for hosting a wonderful Christmas celebration with room for everyone.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Cozy Christmas

Oh what fun! We had a wonderfully cozy family Christmas on Saturday. I didn't take lots of photos but I did have lots of fun. The kids came in the morning and left in the evening. I did not leave the house once all day long. It was a slow pace cozy day with plenty of time for relaxing and enjoying each other. It brings me so much happiness to see how much Lincoln enjoys family too.
I may post more photos later, but for now this shows a peek. I shared my camera battery with Ashley so there are lots of shots on her camera and I am sure that they are good ones too!!
A game of swords with stocking stuffers was great fun for Lincoln and Dale. Lots of simple joys for our cozy Christmas!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

All is Calm. . .

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care. . .
Everything is calm here this morning but that will change quickly. I am so excited! The kids are coming this morning and it will not be calm. It's our Christmas today and it will be very different this year. Last year we had a newborn baby boy snuggling in front of the fireplace. This year we have a big boy that moves fast and is very interested in the ornaments and nutcrackers. It will be different but I think Christmas is forever changed at our house. I still cannot sing Silent Night or Away in the Manger without tears. Christmas came to life a bit more with a newborn in the family. It's the start of the family holiday celebrations and I am ready!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Snow Day

 Today was a real snow day. . . stuck at home, cozy warm inside and a blizzard swirling outside. I enjoyed almost every bit of it. I was fortunate enough to be able to work from home with my Christmas tree, fire place  and Christmas music.
 I got up early and dug into the yeast. It was a perfect day to make bread. I have a couple of really nice neighbors and had enough flour to make two loaves of herb bread which I delivered warm wrapped in parchment paper to their front doors. It was truly the highlight of my day. They were all very grateful. Although I didn't get to eat any of the bread I did create an exceptionally good pot of potato soup which was perfect for a snow day.
 Before it was really daylight I opened the patio door to peek out at the damage. Because the windows were plastered with so much snow it was hard to see out. Of course the wind was so crazy strong that it was pretty hard to stick my head out the door for very long as it snowed into my kitchen.
 Although removing the snow was not my favorite part of the day it did bring a nice break from my "work at home" project. I am grateful for the machinery and Dale's generosity. The electric start saved me the annual tears and cursing that comes every winter at the first crank of the snow blower. This was a big improvement.
This drift on my patio took some work. I knocked it down with the snow shovel before I could tackle it with the snow thrower, but it's gone now. The driveway was one big drift, well about 75% of the driveway was a big drift. That's gone too. It's after 9 pm as I type this and the snow plow has not yet come down my street. There was a silver lining in that. I met a couple of neighbors when I went out to help push a car. I hope the plows come before I wake up in the morning. Surely they will leave me a nice mess at the end of my driveway!

Monday, December 17, 2012

Christmas is Coming

Before dawn this morning I was up wrapping Christmas gifts that I purchased over the weekend. Last night I knitted most of a little red hat and now I am about to settle in to finish the Christmas cards before I head out to buy stamps and finish my shopping. This is the fun part. Most of the work is done now I look forward to the upcoming family celebrations. I do love Christmas!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Saturday, December 15, 2012

My Book Boy

I love reading to Lincoln and I am thrilled that Lincoln is enjoying books also. All of these photos were taken last week. The Baby Animal book above belonged to Jay in 1981. Lincoln seems to enjoy the animal sounds as much as his uncle and mommy.
Lincoln and I went book shopping to celebrate his birthday and it was so much fun that I believe a tradition was born. He was so good and so respectful of the books. (Which means that he did not attempt to clear the shelves.) We found a good book and had a chance to read it together again on his birthday when I visited him. I love my time reading with Lincoln and look forward to hours of reading in the years to come! 

Twelve Days of Knitting

When Jay requested Christmas stockings for him and Briana to have at their home, I was thrilled. I wasn't sure about knitting on a deadline but I really wanted to have them finished so that they could hang them this year. I started with Jay's on a Sunday night, purchased the purple for Briana's stocking the following Saturday then gave the stockings to them the next Friday, yesterday! In twelve days I finished both stockings and enjoyed it so much. I was glad to make something that was requested. It was Jay's idea to add purple or pink to Briana's and I love the way it turned out. I am happy with the finished stockings and so happy to give them to Jay and Briana. I need to go buy some red yarn today. I have a request for a hat from Lincoln! No wonder I don't have my Christmas cards done!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Happy Birthday, Lincoln

 Happy First Birthday, Lincoln Jay!!
(Thanks for the photo, Ashley!)
 It's been so fun to celebrate Lincoln's birthday this week. Ashley and Travis threw at wonderful birthday party on Saturday but it was nice to spend some time with the birthday boy today too. I stopped over after work to play and we ended up at Godfather's Pizza just like the old days. Lincoln loved the pizza crust and the attention.
It's so fun to watch Lincoln growing and learning but its just as much fun to watch Ashley being a mommy. What a wonderful year it has been for all of us!

One Year Ago

A year ago today I physically felt my heart leave my chest and it has not completely returned. The physical joy that I felt at Lincoln's birth has not diminished. He still carries part of my heart. Celebrating with him this week and looking back at photos from last year still brings a tear to my eye and a swell of joy in my heart. This has been a most amazing year. Happy Birthday to my precious, Lincoln Jay!

Baking Day

The first Saturday in December was baking day at my house. Briana, Ashley and I decided to do lots of Christmas baking so there would be plenty of goodies for all of our Christmas gatherings. We started at 10 am and decided to work until we were no longer having fun. I had fun the entire time but we were all quite worn out by 4 pm. We made candy and cookies but we still have a few things left on our list to make before the holiday. We have containers filled for Briana to take to Nebraska and containers for our Christmas here and in Mason City. I hope this is an annual event, but I will wait till next year to ask. It was lots of work and lots of laughs too.