12-16-2015 Cat Pouncing

I'm a cat

pouncing on a bird

up on the ceiling!

12-15-2015 Central Standard

 DH & I

tried a newly opened restaurant

in Bettendorf

for lunch today.

A bit pricey, but everything was relish!
We give it a "two thumbs up" rating
and plan to return!!!

Interesting floor

and interior design!

Made me think of our friend Nick Bowers.

It offered typical "bar of food"

but with a chef-ish twist on each dish.

12-14-2015 Sweet Dreams

Grandsons sharing a yogurt snack

at the picnic table Opa made for them.

Looks like Grandson #2 is having sweet dreams

at the dinner table!

It's exhausting being a  one-year-old!

12-13-2015 Fabulous Fog!

Fabulous fog...

made for an interesting

drive to church this morning!

12-12-2015 Christmas Ornaments

Shhhh...

don't tell mommy and daddy

that we made them some Christmas decorations!

The salt dough ornaments that we baked the other day

are now all dry, so we got out the glitter paint

and gave them a good schmeer!

Then we decorated a Christmas tree.

Lovely!

Once they are all dry

the GDs will wrap them up and give them to 

mommy and daddy!

12-11-2015 GGN for Granddaughters is Finished!

Remember the GGN (Global Gathering Norway)

Norwegian Ski Sweater

that I knitted for myself?

Well, I had a bit of leftover yarns

so I decided to see if I had enough to make a small one to match

for the Granddaughters...

and finished it up this morning!

Woo-hoo!!!

I made it to fit (hopefully!) my oldest granddaughter.

When she saw it this morning

she immediately wanted to wear it!

(I was worried she wouldn't like it 

because it wasn't pink, her favorite color!)

She kept saying during the morning,

"Oma, we're twins!"

She wanted to wear it home at the end of the day

so I did not have time to block it (yet).

12-10-2015 Got Leftover Cranberries From Tahnksgiving?

We had some leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving

so I whipped up this recipe of

White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

1/3 c. flour

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1+1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. drid cranberries

1/2 c. white baking chips

Mix all together and bake at 375*F for 8-10 min.

Mmmmm.... enjoy!

12-9-2015 IZZY Doll Gets Some Friends

Just playing around with making more IZZY dolls

and experimenting with their eyes.

I think I like the  felted eyes in the center the best...

they seem to add some 'personality' to the doll.

What do you think?

12-8-2015 IZZY and Waltz

This is an "IZZY DOLL"

(a.k.a. "African Comfort Doll")

which I have seen featured in my knitting forums

every year around Christmas time.

These dolls are made and donated by knitters 

around the world

to different organizations and groups

(soldiers...policemen...doctors without borders...

Red Cross... etc.)

to give to children in difficult times...

I finally decided to give the pattern a try.

It took me about 2-3 hours to knit, seam, and stuff.

 This IZZY will stay with me for now

and keep my other Christmas knits company...

from left to right:

Elf on a Shelf, Snowman, Christmas Bear, Pookie, and IZZY.

Also, my dear daughter gifted me 

with a lovely new nail polish from Jamberry...

called "Waltz." I love it!

It is a perfect color for the holidays!

12-7-2015 Salt Dough Ornaments

SALT DOUGH RECIPE

In a medium bowl 

mix with your fingers:

1 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

1/2 c warm water

until it comes together into a ball.

Then knead the ball for a few minutes (2-3)

until it becomes smooth.

Next, roll it out 1/8-1/4" thickness,

cut shapes (we used cookie cutters)

and place on a non-greased cookie sheet

and bake 3 hours at 200*F.

After they have baked and cooled

you can paint/decorate them,

then spray them with varnish to seal.

Once GD#1 was done with the Salt Dough Ornaments,

she wasn't ready to leave the kitchen yet...

so we made Christmas bugs from play dough.

12-6-2015 Christmas Programs

'Tis the season for Christmas programs!

Yesterday afternoon we attended the festive music program

presented by Augustana College.

Today the Sunday School children

and my dear husband who plays "the Grandpa" 

rehearsed for their Christmas program in a few weeks.

And Next week,

the preschool where my GD#1 attends

will be presenting  their Christmas program.

She has informed me that she plays an instrument

but she doesn't know what it is called

but it is wood

and has balls in it

and you shake it.

12-5-2015 Angel Tree Gifts

Yesterday,

when the GDs arrived at our house,

the oldest noticed a shopping bag

on the kitchen countertop and asked,

"Oma, what's in der?"

I told her that there were Christmas presents in there

for a little 2 year old boy

from our "Angel Tree" at church...

IMMEDIATELY

she volunteered to help me wrap them

because "I make the most beautiful wrapping paper

in the whole world! It will make him happy too."

She spent the next hour decorating 8.5X11" papers

with crayons, stamps and stickers,

then we taped them all together to make wrapping paper

and she helped me wrap and tape the packages.

As we wrapped them, we talked about sharing

with others less fortunate.

:*)

12-4-2015 Opa's Picnic Table

My dear D-I-L

sent me these pix of the grandsons

(and a guest)

sitting at the picnic table

Opa made for them.

Makes us smile.

(And may I just say,

we have the BEST D-I-L ever!!!)

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...