12-3-2015 Heartland Marimba Festival

With the snows falling outside,

DH & I attended a free Marimba Concert

at the Figge Art Museum.

It was FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12-2-2015 Gingerbread Houses

GD#1 informed me this morning 

that she wanted to make a gingerbread house!

So out came the graham crackers,

powdered sugar

and sprinkles!

I suspect she just wanted a sugar fix!

12-1-2015 Sweater Sleeves TAAT

I'm making a Norwegian Ski Sweater

for the GDs

using the leftover yarn from MY Ski Sweater.

I always make sleeves,

mittens, socks, etc.

two-at-a-time (TAAT)

instead of one, and then the other.

That way, they are both finished at the same time,

(no "second sock syndrome" for this chick!)

they have the same tension, 

the same number of rows,

the same increases and decreases, etc.

For some reason unbeknownst to me,

(was watching television and not paying attention?)

I casted on for only ONE sleeve,

and realized about half way up the arm

that I had forgotten to do the second one too!

So now I'm learning what it's like

to knit them one at a time.

I won't make this mistake again!

11-30-2015 Fractal Ice and Waves

Who would have thought

that muddy puddles

could become such beautiful

works of art?!?!

Saw these beautiful fractals and waves of ice

on this morning's walk...

11-29-2015 #thedoodler

Starting another KAL...

this is "The Doodler"

by Steven West.

He is an amazing knit designer

and this will be the first one of his patterns

that I have made!

Excited!

11-28-2015 Smiles

Our two youngest grand babies 'hugging'...

(he doesn't look too sure about all this hugging stuff!)

eating at the "kids' table"...

reading with Opa...

wearing Opa's glasses (upside down) playing at Opa's desk...

fun times at the kitchen table...

11-27-2015 Crafting

 My dear daughter always brings crafting projects

so all our grandchildren can make some new Christmas ornaments. 

This year they painted plaster ornaments and popsicle sticks...

wooden letters for their initials...

and pinecones...

11-26-2015 It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

After eating some Thanksgiving leftovers from noon 

for our evening dinner,

our four grandchildren decorated our small Christmas tree

with new shatterproof ornaments

(which our oldest granddaughter suggested we buy

and helped us pick out the 'right ones' to purchase)

"because we don't want da babies to bwake deez old ones

and get a cut on der fingahs!"

After the Christmas tree is all decorated,

(which doesn't take long since it is so small)

we take a pix of our four grandchildren,

and then papa brings out the Christmas presents to unwrap!

11-25-2015 Cooking Together

We received this wonderful cookbook

and Thanksgiving card

from my dear sister-in-law today.

Thank you soooooo much, my dear!

The GDs and I will enjoy 'reading' this book

and picking out things to cook and bake together.

They love putting on their aprons

and 'helping' Oma in the kitchen!

11-24-2015 Snowmen

 Our first snow of the winter

was very wet and heavy...

perfect for making snowmen 

with the GDs.

11-23-2015 Runzas

Mmmmm...

homemade Runzas!

By request from my dear son

who's coming to visit at Thanksgiving!

Wish he could smell the house right now.

11-22-2015 Scarf Weather!

13*F...and headed down to 8*F later tonight...Brrrr!!!!

Remember the "Sky Scarf" I started months ago?

(See post of April 8, 2015)

Here's what my sky scarf looks like

after 7 months of knitting one row/day!

Today I get to start a new color 

for yesterday's snow... Amber...

in keeping with the jewel tones.

Also, here is a look at my Green Bay Packers

scoreboard scarf KAL.

I don't have yesterday's win over the Vikings  knit up yet.

11-21-2015 First Snow of Winter

 The TV said we (Bettendorf) got 9"...

my ruler outside said 12"+...

Whew! 

I finished my Norwegian Ski Sweater

(and hat and mittens) 

just in time!

11-20-2015 GGN and 1898 Hat Finished!

My GGN (Global Gathering Norway) Norwegian Ski Sweater

(a 'dropped shoulder' design,

and my very first adult sweater!)

is finished and ready to wear before the first

snows of winter arrive this evening!

YAY!

I also finished the 1898 Seaman's Hat

for my son.

Hope he likes it!

Outside...

Inside...

11-19-2015 Gingerbread Men

GDs helping Oma make 

some gingerbread men

Christmas Cookies

for our Christmas family gathering.

11-18-2015 What Time Is It????

Left click on photo to enlarge it

and you can read the clocks.

11-17-2015 Haircuts

Why is it that haircuts make my GSs

look so much more grown up?

(Maybe because the ARE growing up!?!?!)

Here's GS#1 after his haircut this weekend...

And here are pix of GS#2

BEFORE haircut...

and AFTER haircut...

11-16-2015 Oasis

Yesterday,

DH & I attended a performance

by the "Oasis Saxophone Quartet"

and one of the four had all his music

on an iPad (see the music stand above?)

with Blue tooth foot peddles on the floor

which he used to "turn the pages" hands-free.

It scared the bejeezus out of me!!!

The other three musicians had the traditional 

paper hard-copies of their music.

It worked perfectly for him

throughout the performance

but had me on the edge of my seat

waiting for a mishap!

That being said,

if this group is ever performing near you,

GO HEAR THEM!