11-30-09 Prayer Shawl

Yesterday I finished knitting this prayer shawl.
It was my first attempt at knitting cables.
Today I blocked the edges using water.
Tomorrow I will deliver it...
along with my love and prayers knitted into the fabric.
I hope it will be a blessing to the recipients.

11-29-09 Holiday Craft Show

DH and I went to the holiday craft show and sale at the EXPO Center this morning after church. I must say, there are many talented crafters in our area!
I ended up buying a scarf (purple) from this weaver (below), and a few hair thingees.

11-28-09 Christmas Cards

I usually MAIL them on Thanksgiving Day...
not this year!
They are still sitting on the countertop
waiting for addresses and stamps...

11-27-09 QUELF

So, we played this fun new game over the Thanksgiving holiday,
thanks to my DD and SIL...
It was a riot! I absolutely loved it!
Thanks for bringing it when you came to visit!
I asked DH if we could buy one,
but he said "No. Who would we play it with?"
Good point.
Oh well (sigh)...

11-26-09 Slippers

I'm knitting slippers for someone special !!!
After searching my house from top to bottom for several hours, neither myself, my husband or my daughter could find the needlework book that has the pattern I wanted to use, so I just made up this pattern in my head!!! This is how much I got knitted today. Hope it fits!

11-26-09 Christmas Goose?

Now that we've got the Thanksgiving Turkey under our belts...
we've got these guys in our sites for Christmas!!!
(Just kidding!)

11-25-09 Tur-Duck-Hen

The Pumpkin Pies are in the fridge
The dinner rolls are baked and bagged
The Tur-Duck-Hen is in the oven roasting
The kids are on their way...
I'm so thankful for family and friends,
good health, food, shelter
and the freedom I enjoy
thanks to all our men and women
serving in the armed forces!!!

11-24-09 Home for the Holiday

The kids will be home for the Thanksgiving holiday
so I spent today baking
pumpkin pies
and home made dinner rolls

11-23-09 MS AM

Mississippi River Morning...

11-22-09 Still Waters

He leadeth me beside the still waters...
He restoreth my soul...

11-21-09 Trattoria Tiramisu

Good food
Good friends
Good times
Good memories

11-20-09 Nebulous

This image from the Hubble telescope
was the inspiration for my eye makeup today...

Just messin' with ya...

Here's the final look :-)

But I sure had fun playing in my makeup!

11-19-09 Out of the Blue

This yummy loaf of fresh, homemade pumpkin bread
just showed up at our front door!!!
Thanks Dionne and Shelly!
You brought some sunshine
on a cloudy day.
How sweet of you to think of us!

11-18-09 Slow but Sure

Today's progress on my new knitting project.
I've never done a pattern with cable stitch before
so I'm taking it slow but sure...
and so far, so good!!!
As with so many other things in life,
this is teaching me that working
slowly and steadily
with lots of perseverance
wins the race!

11-17-09 Card Club

There's a few extra tables in my kitchen today!
"Card Club" meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Each of the 12 members takes their turn hosting the group in their home once a year,
and tonight it is my turn to welcome the girls to my home for a night of cards (we play Progressive 500),
food, companionship and competition for a cash prize!
We all throw $1 into a pot, and top score wins $5 ,
second place wins $4 and third place wins $3.
No matter what our scores are at the end of the night,
we always feel like winners
because of the wonderful food and friendships.

11-16-09 New Project

Starting a new project tonight...
wish me luck...
it has cables!

11-15-09 Intricate

I gaze in fascination
and envy
at the intricate pattern
in my new hand-knit sweater
from Peru
(purchased at Sinsinawa yesterday)
and wonder if I will ever be able
to create anything so beautiful!!!

I also purchased an amazing book
about Prayer Shawls and their making.
I may never be able to knit so beautifully
as my new sweater
but I CAN bind prayers to the simple shawls
that I do create...
and thank God that my fingers are
willing and able.

11-14-09 Sinsinawa WI

Attended a weekend class at Sinsinawa Mound, WI today and was sad to see that they have demolished the "dormitory building" east of the main entrance. Altho the presenter was amazing and did a great job, I did not learn anything NEW or HELPFUL... I hate it when that happens! Makes me feel like I wasted my time and money. Oh well... nothing ventured, nothing gained.

11-13--09 Friday the 13th

Are you superstitious? I am!
So, I put the black cat outdoors all day... just in case!!!
(Just kidding!)


DH & I put up some Christmas lights on the house
for the first time in YEARS!!!

And we went to see "This Is It"
(the movie of Michael Jackson's final rehearsals for his "This Is It" tour.
It was amazing!

11-12-09 Footings

Pouring footings today...

How deep & where are MY footings/roots?

11-11-09 And so it begins...

in our backyard...
the last empty lot on the block
is getting a basement dug...
looks like a small hole
so it's probably a two story?
We will get to enjoy construction
noise and dirt for the next 100 days!
A shout out to all veterans and active duty:
"Thank you for your service!!!"

11-10-09 V

The aliens have landed!!! They are here in peace.
I watched the premiere of this new television show last Tuesday
and am looking forward to the next installment tonight!

11-9-09

Other than my morning jog,
here is the excitement of my day today...
a trip to SAMS.
I know someone who does not get out of the house much these days (jjee), so you can live vicariously through my pictures, and pretend you went shopping today. :-)

11-8-09 Shopping Michigan Ave.

A reflection of our hotel in the building across the street...
There was one floor above us (the windows with the white stonework around them)...
we stayed in room #1509... a coincidence???

We did some shopping on Michigan Ave. and at Oakbrook Mall
before heading back home to Iowa.
Downtown Chicago is all decorated for the Christmas holidays and desperately hoping people will spend their money!!! It will be interesting to see how this recession affects this holiday shopping season!

11-7-09 SOFA

Saturday, Nov. 7, DH & I drove to Chicago for the weekend.
We attended the SOFA (Sculpture Objects & Functional Art) Art Show on the Navy Pier, which was F A B U L O U S !!!!!!
Too bad they didn't allow cameras into the show
or I'd have some pix of the amazing artwork...
Instead, I just have some pix from walking around the pier
on a beautiful, 70*F day:

Lake Michigan...

some of the downtown Chicago skyline from Navy Pier...

Ferris Wheel on Navy Pier...

Crystal Garden on Navy Pier...

Shakespeare actors performing for shoppers...

After the SOFA art show, lunch, and window shopping on Navy Pier, we checked into our hotel, were treated to dinner at Joe's Seafood-Steak-Stone Crabs Restaurant by our dear son (thanks so much, kiddo!!!), then the three of us went to see the show "Jersey Boys," which was also F A N T A S T I C !!!!!

11-6-09 Busy as a Beaver

DH spotted this tree on our morning jaunt along the creek
and decided we needed to investigate it more closely...
here is what we saw on the front side, from the path:


Looks like Bucky's been busy on the backside!!!


Let the chips fall where they may...


Close-ups of Bucky's toothprints and the tree rings...

So, of course, we had to walk over to the creek to look for Bucky...

didn't see him, but saw his footprints!

We'll have to keep an eye out for Bucky the Beaver

(and falling trees!!!)

next time we pass this way!!!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

11-5-09 Oil & Water

don't mix...
but they sure make cool designs on the wet pavement!
This oil spot reminded me of a peacock feather...

11-4-09 Crabby

Crab apples, anyone?
They looked so pretty against the blue sky this morning...

11-3-09 Balls & Lights

DH & I bought new balls and lights
to decorate our little 3' tall Christmas tree...
just to change it up a bit...

11-2-09 Twilight Saga...

Had to make a trip to the library today...
just finished the 3rd book in the Twilight series, Eclipse...
and wanted to read the 4th and final book in the series, Breaking Dawn...
to see what happens to Bella, Edward and Jacob!!!

11-1-09 Barucha

My Halloween kitty...
had to smell my homemade chicken noodle soup cooking all afternoon while I made a batch to take to a sick neighbor...
she (the cat) is waiting for the chicken liver for dinner.