Frozen Day 3, Crochet, and Nativities

So on we go. It is day 3 for frozen ice. No pictures because it looks exactly as it did yesterday. All this inside time has gotten several things done. I have knitted two hats, worked on some crocheted Christmas ornaments and continued working on the no name crocheted afghan. I do not like to sew and again have put off running the yarn threads from the little granny squares. I worked on them some yesterday but they are my project for today. This afghan is based off a project I found on Pinterest so I will give info on it later. I had no real plan on how this afghan would come out. I just had these colors of yarn and decided to decide about how they would fit together as I worked on it. I have three sides to sew in and then there will be more with the last row of granny's so I thought I had better get part of them done now.

And now to today's Nativities. I mentioned the one that was from Israel earlier in the week. Today all three also came from other places.

 

Matthew and Corteney brought me this little nativity from Vatican City when they took their trip to Italy. The case is a rosebud.

 

Allison brought me this nativity from Spain. I love that the wise men are on an elephant, a horse and a camel.

 

This nativity, while not from another country, came from far away too. I bought it in Anchorage, Alaska when Allison and I went there on a trip. I thought it was cute. with the wolf, seal and moose.

So off I go now to work in all those afghan ends. I have promised myself I would finish them today and unless I go blurry eyed I am not going to work on anything else till they are done.

Frozen

It was 17 when I got up this morning. I decided to go outside and see what it looked like. Of course I only ventured three steps off the covered walkway. This is what I found.

Solid ice. There is no powder or wetness. It is one solid sheet of ice. Even the lighter color on the right hand side is frozen ice.

 

I took those three steps just to very carefully feel the ice. It was like a skating rink, flat and solid. So here we sit. Fortunately we did not lose power (sadly may others have). The rest of the day will be for making stew and crocheting and knitting all day. To all my other North Texans, try to stay warm and by middle of this next week the ice should be all gone.

 

 

Welcome to Texas Weather

Wednesday this week it was sunny and warm with the temperature at 79 degrees. This is what we have this morning.

Frozen. 22 degrees.

 

 

I'd show you my little thermometer but it is under about 1/4" of solid ice. I tried to dust it off and it is solid frozen ice. This is not snow.

 

Look at the thickness of the ice on the roof. I love icicles. A fond memory of my childhood.

 

 

Solid ice. Since I do not have to go anywhere today I am enjoying staying in the warm house and crocheting. Just think 79 degrees and a day and a half later 22 degrees. Anyone remember those 105 degree days in the summer?

 

 

 

Nativity 2

I have several Nativity sets. Before the move two years ago I had more. I love collecting them. But due to downsizing it was time to pass on and share many of them. The ones I have now usually have special meaning to me as most were given to me not purchased by me.

These two are a couple of my favorites. But of course I will probably say that about every one that I post. The one on the left Matthew gave me. He bought it at a garage sale for 25 cents. I think he was maybe in junior high at the time. I had to re-glue baby Jesus back in, He kept falling out. In a way that sounds like it could be a study in itself. The one on the right Jo made me, well Allison made it with Jo's help. I think Jo was about two at the time.

On the left is a Nativity that Joseph gave me. I think he was in high school. The reason I give the approximate ages is that all my sweet kids are grown. So I love that I can look back and know how long I have had the sets. This one is a simple white with a touch of gold outlining a few areas. Beside this lovely Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus is one of my favorite sets. Yes, Mary, Joseph and the angel are red chili peppers. Baby Jesus is a green chili pepper. My sister-in-law, my grandchildren's Crazy Aunt Jane ( she calls her self this and so do we), gave me this one about twenty years ago. She was in New Mexico and said I needed it for my collection. Since then she has tried to find it again but to no avail. It truly is one of a kind.

Nativity

 

This is a Nativity that one of our friends brought us from Israel. It is carved out of olive wood. I have had it for so many years I cannot remember what year we got it. I think it was 1982 or 1983. The only piece that did not come with the set was the camel on the left hand side. Matthew gave it to me one year for Christmas. This is one of my most favorite Nativity sets.

A Different Kind of Christmas Tree

I saw this Christmas Tree in a post by Susan Murray on Facebook today. I have seen several of these "book Christmas trees" over the years and I love them.

Texas Weather

 

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook today. It is so true and we are actually expecting this kind of weather this week. Today's high is supposed to be 78 degrees. Friday's high, 35 degrees.