Champagne Corks

Be careful opening those champagne bottles this New Year's Eve. I just read an article that said corks come popping out of the bottle at around 50 mph. Yeah, fifty miles per hour. Be sure to point that bottle away from your eyes and then enjoy the bubbly.

The Dance

Merry Christmas

Waiting for Santa

Scout wearing Jo's Santa hat. This one has a jingle bell on it.

Forgotten Hat

This is a picture of Scout wearing a hat I had forgotten I had knitted. It was originally for Jo about four years ago.  When I saw the hat I had to go back and look in my book to see when I had made it. Of course since the grandkids are at no loss for hats it is no wonder I could not remember it.

Jo's Nativity

Knowing I love Nativity sets Jo made me this one a couple of years ago. She made it from one of the foamy craft sets you can get at Michaels. Love it.

Nativity 2

Continuing from yesterday here are a couple more nativity sets. Allison brought me this one from Spain when she went there for her Senior trip. I think one of the coolest things about this one is that one of the wise men is riding an elephant.

I bought this little Nativity when Allison and I went to Alaska. I got it at a store in downtown Anchorage. Notice the igloo with the eagle on top. Also there are the wolf, moose, and seal that replace the sheep, donkey and cow. I just thought it was too cute.

Nativity

I love Nativity sets. I have collected them for many years. This year Jo helped get them out and I let her put them where and how she wanted them. I debated how I wanted to post some of them, one a day till Christmas, all at once, I could not decide. Here are a few of them. The first was given to me by my mother-in-law. Notice the sheep are "upstairs". Jo thought that was where they belonged. In the past the donkey had to be there and it was interesting to see if he stayed there or if someone removed him to the lower level.

This Nativity came from Israel. It is made of Olive wood. It was a gift in 1983 from a co-worker who happened to be Muslim and who's mother still lived in Israel. Now these type may be found in some malls. Knowing mine had no camel Matthew found one and added it to the set.

This little Nativity is special. It was rescued from a garage sale. Matthew, who we called the "garage sale king" found it for me. I think he paid twenty-five cents.

Now from the traditional Nativity's to, well the modern, perhaps bizzare to some people. This is one of my favorite Nativity's. My SIL Jane gave me this. She found it in New Mexico. Mary, Joseph, and the Angel are all red chili peppers. Baby Jesus is a green chili pepper. It makes me smile. More tomorrow.

Reindeer Merry Go Round?

Yes that is Jo, Scout and Allison riding on the Reindeer Merry Go Round at Bass Pro. That had to be the cutest merry go round I have ever seen. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Happy Birthday TJ!

 Today is TJ's birthday. Instead of having a regular birthday cake we had two pumpkin rolls. If you have never had them they are heavenly. The cream cheese filling is absolutely wonderful. TJ was very kind and let Jo and Scout blow out the candles. Then Jo ate all the filling out of her piece. Scout on the other hand tried to put her whole piece in her mouth. Happy Birthday TJ! Love ya bunches!

Operation Gratitude 2

This is a continuation from yesterday about Operation Gratitude. Today I received an email from Operation Gratitude and included was a link to the fantastic interview with knitter Joan Mazzarelli. If you click on the blog link her interview is the second post down. Every time I watch it I am inspired. Check it out.  http://opgrat.wordpress.com/

Operation Gratitude

Today I was watching the news and saw a great story. Joan Mazzarelli is a 98 year old woman who knits scarves for Operation Gratitude. Operation Gratiude is an organization that sends gift boxes, handknit and crocheted scarves and hats, and care packages to our service men and women. This 98 year old woman stated that she knits scarves and has knit for service persons since World War II. She said she gets up and knits until lunch. After lunch she knits till dinner. She then stated that she knits sometimes till  2 in the morning. That is dedication. She said that she sometimes knits up to three scarves in one day. Being a knitter I understand the amount of time it takes to knit scarves and hats.  All of her knitting is then sent to Operation Gratitude. As our time in Iraq and Afghanistan has continued we still have many troops serving not just there but in many areas of the world. They are all deserving of our support and gratitude. They are the ones that enable us to do the things we can and want to do. Check out http://www.opgratitude.com/ . There are many ways to support our troops listed there, knitting and crocheting hats and scarves, sewing neck gaiters and bandana cool ties, collecting candy and Beanie Babies for soldiers to give to children, and donations for care packages to make the soldiers feel a little bit of home. If you are not involved in some other way think about contributing in one of these ways. As a mother of a soldier I know how important those care packages are to the soldiers. If we all do even a little then a lot is actually done. (Thanks to Operation Gratitude for the use of their banner)

RA and Heart Risks

I received and e-mail today from http://www.arthritistoday.org/. It was confirming another study done that found that Rheumatoid Arthritis is linked with heart attacks and strokes. Inflamation is a signature of RA, which is an autoimmune disease. This inflamation contributes to the build-up of plaque in the arteries. That is the bad news for those of us who battle this disease. The good news is that the study found that patients on anti-TNF including Remicade, Enbrel, Humira, Simponi, Cimzia had less thickening in their arteries. Prednisone caused more thickness but could be tempered if patients were also given a statin to lower cholesterol. Check out the full article at the website above. People with autoimmune diseases are at a higher risk for heart attack and strokes but everyone needs to check their cholesterol and their blood pressure on a consistant basis.

The Joy of Childhood

Comfy?

While putting up the Christmas tree at Nana and Blah Blah's Scout decided that the perfect place to sit was in Randee the dog's little bed.

Twins

No not really twins. I made me this shawl and then decided to make JE one also. Euroflax Linen yarn. Wonderfully fun to knit with.

Happy Birthday Drew!

            













Today is grandboy Drew's first birthday. What a cutie. Glad to see he enjoyed his cake. Happy Birthday Drew, Love ya bunches!!