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!

Holiday Weekend

It was a wonderful holiday weekend! After our feast in Mason City, Jay and Briana followed Dale and me back to Des Moines. On Thursday night we went to a Bucs hockey game. It was Jay and Briana's first time to Buccaneer arena but it wasn't a great game. We dug out our old wooden Chinese Checker game and had lots of fun. I was the champion of the two, three and four person versions which was pretty fun. . . for me! I sent it home with Jay so he could practice with Briana. Since we aren't big shoppers, Jay, Briana and I enjoyed a very relaxing Friday morning at home. Dale joined us later for our favorite burritos and a stroll around around the Des Moines sculpture park.

Ashley and Travis arrived later on Friday. We made lasagna . . . three kinds of lasagna. One with no veggies, one with no meat and one big one with everything! We played Apples to Apples and an amazing game of Jega with a very tippy tall tower.

As you well know, food is a very important part of our gatherings. Since our vacation in September I was anxious to make pumpkin french toast for Travis. I was going to make waffles for Jay, but I still cannot find my waffle iron. Has anybody seen it? It turns out that we were all pretty happy with the french toast so that worked well. I am going to find that waffle iron. It's got to be somewhere! Jay and I even checked in the storage garage and couldn't find it. Fortunately it was not a waste of time since we stumbled upon the Chinese Checkers game.

Disc Golf Outting

It has been a fun holiday weekend with lots of activity, relaxation, food and people. As I upload photos, I realize that I have not planned or organized my blog ideas for the weekend. That's OK with me but this is my notice that it is not in chronological order.

Dale had suggested disc golf when all the kids were home for the holiday and it turned out to be a great idea. Nine of us hit the disc golf course close to my house while crock pots of chili simmered at home. When we got home, Ashley and I made cornbread. Dale made his spicy chili and I made my chili. It was not a competition but more of an exhibition. I must admit that Dale's crock pot was the empty one at the end of the day.


Disc golfing was so much fun! It is a very hilly course and I think we got a bit of a work out. I know that I did. Some had lots experience. Jay even had a bag full of discs. Others had never played disc golf before. We just had fun while enjoying each other and a beautiful sunny November afternoon. Although there were a few close calls only one person was hit directly with a flying disc. We played, we ate, then we relaxed. Some of us relaxed enough to fall asleep which was quite an accomplishment with nine people in one small living room. It was cozy, but I love having a house full of people.

Thanksgiving Feast

Thursday I got to share a Thanksgiving feast with my sisters and their families. Dale and I drove up to Mason City for the afternoon and met up with Jay and Briana there. We had a wonderful meal and lots of fun and laughter between cooking and dishes. Drew celebrated his birthday on Thanksgiving this year so we got some yummy blueberry pie too. I didn't take many photos and when I did get out the camera, I didn't take the time to try to take good shots. I just enjoyed the people and the food.

When I got home I wasn't surprised that I didn't have great photos for blogging, so I cropped and edited our annual sister pose. I just didn't want to ignore a major holiday that's always been one of my favorites.

Saturday at Drake

Dale and I had planned on a Drake football game on Saturday afternoon. Then we heard that the Drake men were playing basketball earlier that same afternoon. Drake offered admission to the football game with your basketball ticket. It sounded like a fun afternoon. Then on Wednesday a friend offered me their season tickets for that day because she would be out of town. It just kept getting better.

I loved watching the basketball. It's probably my favorite sport to watch. Drake men led all but the final minutes of the game. Sadly the football team lost too. It was a nice sunny day and the first half of the football game was quite pleasant but when the sun set it did get chilly. Drake was struggling and I was cold so we left before end of the game. That was plenty of time on a bleacher for one day!

Big Enough?

Hey, Ashley, is this big enough yet? I have really enjoyed making this for you, but I know that it has taken a very long time. I think it's about five feet by five feet. I have used 11 or 12 skeins of yarn but I do have more if you want it to be bigger. Let me know what you think. I will wait to bind it off until I hear from you. For now I will start working at weaving in all the loose edges. That will take me a while too.

Early November

If anyone has checked my blog lately they probably think that I have not been doing much. That's not the case but I have not taken many photos and I have not blogged. Dale and I went to a Drake women's basketball game a couple of weeks ago. Last weekend I went to a Drake men's basketball game with my girlfriend, Jennifer, a couple of her friends and her 11 year old son. It was fun to watch the Drake players start a new season but I think that the most fun was sharing the excitement with an 11 year old. He even caught a free t-shirt and got lots of high fives from the players.

Last Sunday my friend, Tammy called to tell me about an event that she thought I might enjoy. Dale was interested too so we headed out to a beautiful farm yard west of town to see an "Earthdog Test." It was a perfectly gorgeous November afternoon with a beautiful cornfield, a cool old barn and lots of dachshunds and terriers. We met dogs and dog-people while we spent time with Tammy and Sadie. The test itself takes place underground where the dogs work their way through tunnels to find the rat, which is protected in a cage. I guess these dogs are bred for that just like a herder is bred to herd. It was fun to learn and we were fortunate to meet a couple of women who were so gracious to teach us and share the day. I even got to hold a beautiful longhaired dachshund puppy. I didn't even know that I thought dachshunds could be cute! November has been very good so far.

Breakfast Options

Four years ago when my cholesterol levels elevated a bit from my previous excellent levels, I made some changes in my life. The changes paid off and my cholesterol improved again. One of the changes was breakfast. I learned to like oatmeal. At first I just tolerated it but then it did become a part of my routine and I ate oatmeal for breakfast 6-7 times a week. It was "real" oatmeal not the flavored sweetened packets. This summer I finally got very tired of my oatmeal and started eating cold cereal with milk again. I buy bananas and other fresh fruit and enjoy that in the cereal. Now that it's getting cold again, I may pull out my oatmeal and try to train my taste buds again. I have two huge containers of oatmeal so I better work on it!

It's Halloween

I did carve a jack-o-lantern but it still didn't feel much like Halloween. I don't get trick-or-treat kids at my home, so I have no excuse to buy bags of chocolate, no cute little ones or obnoxious teenagers at my door either. Actually I had grown weary of trick-or-treat especially when I was taking classes and trying to study in the evenings, but I do miss the chocolate. My poor pathetic jack-o-lantern got moldy inside thanks to the wet October. It started out as a good pumpkin, home grown by Dale and I did enjoy the carving and the glow on my patio. It's had a good life and I saved the seeds to plant in the spring.
Happy Halloween!

River Trip

Saturday turned out to be a sunny fall day so Dale and I decided that it would be a good day for a road trip. We had a couple of ideas but were not sure how far we would go. It was a good road trip and we ended up at the Mississippi River in the far southeast corner of Iowa. We had not been to this area together before so that means we found several county seats and Dale photographed the courthouses. We even visited the one county that has two courthouses, Lee County. That's the reason that there are 99 counties but 100 courthouses.

Burlington is the home of Snake Alley, known as the crookedest street in the world. It's on the list of 100 places in Iowa to visit, so we found it, walked on it, drove down it and photographed it from both ends.

On the way home we realized we were very close to another destination on our list of 100 places. It was dark when we drove through Columbus Junction but decided to check out their swinging bridge while we were there. The bridge is actually very cool and quite long. It's in a wooded residential area and there was some light so Dale and I braved the dark to walk on the bridge. It did sway lots as we intentionally moved side to side. We were out there in the dark, laughing and coughing since we have both recently had colds. When we got off the bridge and headed to the car, I realized that I had "sea legs" then felt dizzy! I felt fine on the bridge but felt queasy as we walked carefully to the car. I am glad that we took the time and ventured into the dark. It was a fun find. Maybe we will go back again in the daylight sometime.

Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin bread may be considered a family tradition for some of us. I think I first made pumpkin bread when I was a teenager and got the recipe from my mom. I made it for my kids. Jay and Ashley both liked it. It then became a Thanksgiving food at my house. My nieces and nephews seemed to look forward to it and I would have to make more loaves each year. When Jake was just a preschooler he asked if we could make "brown bread" together. I used to send an extra loaf home for Jeff after he got older because he liked it so much. I made the batter into mini muffins for Ashley when she was at ISU and I once mailed a loaf to Jay when he was at NIACC. On a cool fall day baking pumpkin bread makes the house smell great and makes me feel quite nostalgic.

Ledges State Park

Last Sunday Dale and I drove to Ledges State Park to enjoy October and fall foliage. The skies were grey and it was chilly, not the usual weather for our October outings. The leaves did have some vivid colors but there were also lots of green leaves falling to the ground after the freeze that weekend. The colors are not as brilliant this year but we still enjoyed out time in the park. I always love being in the woods and October is the best! We did not make it over to the Mississippi River this year but we will do that again soon.

Annual Convention Visit

Every fall I look forward to the Iowa architecture convention. I don't attend, but Ashley does and that means that I get to spend time with her during the work week. She came to Des Moines on Wednesday evening and left on Friday afternoon. We cooked together, hung out and relaxed after our work days. I got to look at some of her photography and she got to watch me knit. It seems silly but it is so fun to say good-night and good-morning. I loved picking her up at her conference and heading home from work together. It was a treat!

Chili Season

I do have a seasonal appetite for a few things and it is now officially chili season for me. Saturday after we got an inch of snow then sat though a chilly afternoon college football game, it was time for chili. I made sure that there would be leftovers for Sunday too. Several years ago my friend, Linda suggested baked potatoes as a good home for leftover chili and she was right! As the chili cooked on Saturday my mind was moving ahead to Sunday and leftover chili. I baked a couple of potatoes and diced some green onion and the pathetic little tiny tomatoes I got from my garden. Shredded cheese and sour cream added some extra calories and flavor. For me Sunday dinner was even better than the Saturday chili.

Autumn Color

I love taking an October road trip to enjoy Autumn color. We talked about going to the Mississippi River for the weekend but decided to stay closer to home because of the weather forecast. It was cloudy much of the weekend and we did get over an inch of snow on Saturday so it was probably a good choice to stay closer to home. Sunday we took a short trip to Ledges State Park and took our cameras. I will post more photos soon.

Drake Bulldogs Win

Saturday after the snow melted Dale and I decided to brave the cold at Drake Stadium. I took two blankets and wore my winter coat, mittens and scarf to watch the football game. It actually was quite comfortable even though it was about thirty-nine degrees. It was Drake homecoming and the Bulldogs won easily. Dale takes lots of photos and I borrowed his camera and big lens to take a few of my own. I like the action shot, especially the player who is faking on the right. I am often faked out in this situation and watch the wrong players until I realize that the football is moving the opposite direction. Oh well, I still enjoy a football game.

Fall Garden Clean-up

Three days before the first freeze and snowfall it was a sunny seventy degree afternoon. I decided that it would be a good time to do some garden clean up and enjoy the sunshine. I left work a little early, put on some jeans and started to pull up the flowers that were still blooming. I knew that they would freeze in a couple of days and it would be less fun to deal with wilted dead plants. I enjoyed the chore and all the colors so I got my camera out to play around with my manual settings. I think I may be getting better at it and I know that I am learning more about how it all works!

Our Fall Harvest

Dale picked these pumpkins in his yard on Friday night. This Spring I brought him a couple of packets of seeds. One filled with pumpkin seeds and the other was giant sunflowers. It was my contribution to his "sunken garden." It was a huge success. It was fun to watch the progress all summer. The growth brought back memories of growing these crops with Jay and Ashley when they were little. The harvest was always fun for show-and-tell. I remember Jay getting on a school bus with a sunflower, stem and all that was much taller than he was.
Dale got three giant sunflowers this summer that were well over six foot tall. There are more green pumpkins in the garden but these were ripe and ready to go. I look forward to carving jack-o-lanterns and roasting pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in the near future.