Ice Skating

We had so much fun ice skating on Sunday!

Last year when Jay and Briana came to Des Moines and spent some time ice skating I stayed on the side lines with my camera. After having a broken arm and a frozen shoulder I just did not feel brave enough to skate but I told Jay that I would do it "next winter." Now was the time. Travis thought it sounded like fun and Ashley was game. Dale was anxious to go and his kids were interested enough to join us. We had varying degrees of experience. Some had never skated. It had been thirty-seven years since I had been on skates. Travis had played some hockey in college and as you can see in the photo, he did remember his moves!

Ashley and Dale did a good job of offering support as I set out on my skates. I was pretty nervous! I did stay close to the rail for my first lap or two then felt pretty confident. Jay took a couple of laps with me and Travis offered to do a "whip" thing but I was not that brave. I did fall once but it was just a gentle "graceful" fall to my knees. Ok, so I doubt that it looked very graceful but it didn't hurt at all.

Dale was comfortable and did very well. I know he wasn't as nervous as me. Patrick, Val and Eric manuvered the ice very well too. It's amazing that we all survived without injury since we really did not have much experience. I have to admit, I was thrilled that I wasn't sore the next day. It wasn't a tough work out but I am sure that I used some muscles in different ways than usual.

We got a little chilled and had plenty of time on our skates in about an hour. It felt like a good time to go when they brought out the zamboni to smooth the ice. It was also the perfect time for a late lunch at Qudoba. Ice skating did provide a good appetite for burritos. It was a very fun afternoon for all of us.

Family Christmas

After waiting patiently through bad weather and icy roads, we did have a wonderful family Christmas on Saturday and Sunday. After spending time just relaxing dinner became the activity for the evening. We all made our own pizzas with a variety of toppings to please different appetites.

It was fun to be crowded into the small kitchen and work together making a meal. Dale and his kids joined us later in the evening for games and Christmas treats. It was cozy and fun with lots of laughter and conversation.

Sunday morning was "Our Christmas." We have always made it our Christmas morning when we were able to get together regardless of the date on the calendar. I never want the gathering to create pressure for my kids or their schedules with other family gatherings.

We emptied stockings and opened gifts while eating cinnamon rolls and lounging in our comfy clothes. I didn't take many photos, but did get a few. Travis got a flying object with a remote from Jay. You can see it flying in front of the door jam in the photo. Boys never do outgrow toys!! Jay got me the equipment to use skype. With the little camera mounted on my laptop, I am getting a lesson in skype from Jay in the bottom photo. After the gifts and the playtime we showered and got dressed to head out for ice skating but that's another blog post with lots of photos!

It really was a wonderful Christmas with family and fun. I was thrilled that the roads cleared off enough for everyone to make it safely to me and back to their homes again. It was worth the wait!!

Christmas Eve

This is a photo from one of my first Christmas Eves. I thought about cropping the photo but decided that might detract from the "charm." My cousins and I do not seem thrilled about being stacked up on the couch at Grandma and Grandpa Wreghitt's farmhouse. I am the one in the pink dress with the bottle in my mouth. Some of my cousins still gather on Christmas Eve, but I do not get there very often. For many years I was with my in-laws on Christmas Eve then for years after that I was busy working at the church on that special evening. It's still a magical night for me even though I have not created a consistent tradition. This year if the weather cooperates I plan to go to a Christmas Eve worship service with a friend. (My kids are coming to celebrate the day after Christmas.) Family, gatherings, gifts and food are especially important this time year but it is most magical because of Jesus. The birth of the Christ child touches my heart and creates the value of this very special season.

December Twenty Third

In my family December 23rd is a real holiday. It is the day that we have celebrated Christmas for decades! When we were little Mom and Dad decided that we would celebrate at home on the 23rd of every December because we traveled to grandparents on the 24th and 25th. As adults my siblings and I chose to retain that tradition to allow for in-laws and other family activities. Every year we gather on the 23rd regardless of the day of the week. That family gathering became my children's favorite part of the holiday celebration. We all love it!

Due to ice, sleet, snow and rain I will miss the gathering this year. This is the first time I have missed in fifty years! I guess we have been lucky about the weather. I must be getting more wise or cautions at my age. I have driven on some awful roads over the years but really do not want to risk a crash or an evening in the ditch. I will miss seeing my family tonight but will make plans to see them when the weather is safer. I know that they will have fun with lots of food and laughter. We always have fun. As you can see this photo is from 1967. I think we were posing for our Christmas card. That's Dan and me in the back row with Cindy and Sandi in the front. The family has grown quite a bit since this photo. If the weather was good there would be twenty-three of us gathering in Mason City tonight. Merry Christmas, Nonnweilers!

Christmas Lights and Music

It seems like a quiet weekend before the flurry of Christmas. Since there is a snow storm forecasted for next week, the holiday may be very different than planned. But for now I am enjoying the season. Friday evening after a cozy oven dinner, Dale and I drove around looking at Christmas lights all over Des Moines. We saw some beautiful light displays downtown and in residential areas. Tonight I am looking forward to Tonic Sol-fa's Christmas concert. It's a men's a cappella group preforming at the Hoyt Sherman. Dale got tickets this week and I am so excited to listen to the music with him. I want to bake some cookies, color my hair and clean this weekend but it still feels like a quiet lull before the storm. I hope that the forecast changes so that we can travel safely celebrate Christmas with family as planned.

Christmas Preparations

It may be a tradition soon. This is the second year that Ashley and I have gotten together to work on Christmas preparations. It is a great excuse for me to spend a weekend with her and we actually do get lots done. Friday, after an eventful trip down, Ashley was ready to relax so we hung out, ate comfort food and rested up for our busy Saturday while I worked on Christmas cards.
I really love to wrap gifts and enjoy pretty packages under the tree. We spent quite a bit of time shopping then wrapping the gifts on Saturday. It was especially fun to put the gifts on the just completed tree skirt. Yes, I finished mine before Ashley arrived. Our 12 month goal was accomplished. We have new tree skirts and now we both have gifts to rest on the skirts.

It wouldn't feel like holiday preparation without time in the kitchen. After a full day of shopping and a fun lunch with Dale we came home to rest and work in the kitchen.
Saturday night we made these peanut butter/chocolate star cookies and sausage won ton stars. We nibbled on both for dinner and the rest are safely frozen for Christmas.

Sunday morning I made caramels and mixed up dough for chocolate mint cookies. The house smells so very caramel. . . yummy! We headed out to a few more stores before Ashley packed her car and headed back home. Now I get to cut and wrap caramels while I watch TV tonight. I just love the caramels. Wrapping each one in saran wrap can be quite tedious
but I think it's worth the effort and frustration. The frustration stems from the fact that the wrap clings to itself very well. Didn't somebody invent a wrap that does not cling to itself? I need to find some of that before next December. It has been a wonderful weekend and I feel quite blessed!

Looking Like Christmas

I have minimized my Christmas decorations over the years but still enjoy a few things. A fireplace with stockings and nutcrackers is a true sign of Christmas at my home. Sitting on the couch enjoying this snow day is a perfect time to appreciate the tree, lights and decorations. The drift that covered half of my patio this morning is now covering more than three fourths of the patio. I am glad to have gotten the entire day at home. Now I just need to finish the tree skirt so that I can start wrapping gifts.

Snow Day

It is a genuine snow day! We have almost 16 inches of snow on the ground already with high winds and blizzard conditions. Plows, buses and cabs have been called off the road. My boss called before 7 am to tell me to stay home. That's a REAL snow day! I cannot remember the last time that a blizzard like this really did shut things down. I am having memories of my fourteenth birthday, April 9, 1973 when a huge blizzard closed everything. I guess it's a good thing that I finally turned my furnace on last week. It's running lots now!

I have not left home today and probably will not leave until tomorrow. I didn't even go outside to photograph the snow. I just took the shots from the warmth of my home wearing my cozy robe. I made myself eggs and hash browns for breakfast and plan to make something yummy for later but I am not yet sure what that will be. I am doing some work from home, making calls and some computer work but I will also find time later to finish my quilted tree skirt, wrap some gifts and mix up some cookie dough. I will get things ready for my weekend with Ashley when we bake, shop, wrap and relax! (The photo on the right is my air conditioner with 24 hours of snow accumulation. The top photo is a drift filling my patio. It's all snow, no furniture under that drift.)

One Tree Skirt

Ashley and I finished one tree skirt over the weekend! Remember the tree skirt project? We bought the fabric last December planning to have two quilted tree skirts finished for Christmas '09. One down and one to go!

We cut little squares last winter and started sewing them together on the next visit. By summer we had both tops finished and the project got set aside. When I finished the huge knitting project, I pulled out the tree skirts again. I got batting and binding and did some pinning. When Ashley arrived we started doing some machine quilting.

This last photo is to show how very patient Travis was with the project. He was packing the car while we were still sewing on the binding. They left town a little later than planned but Ashley had a completed tree skirt in hand. We were not very particular. Actually we were pretty relaxed about the project. Sandi and Jill should not look very closely at our quilting but it will mostly be covered by gifts, right? I am very grateful that Ashley set aside her perfectionism in her early teens! It was good enough for us and we will enjoy the homemade imperfections in our new family heirlooms. Now I need to finish mine!