Family Visit

Mom and Dad drove over one weekend to visit. Here we are chatting in the living room, enjoying the fire and cup of coffee on a cold winter day.

More Practice

 It goes without saying...... I need more practice.

Started another dish cloth but it wasn't going so well, so I took it apart. The nice thing about crochet is that you can easily "un-do" little ooops. That's why the yarn looks curly in this one - had a "do over."

 This one looks different becuase I did a double crochet stitch instead of single.



Dish Cloth.... maybe?

Completed my first crochet project - a dish cloth. I know, it's not symmetrical, but it's my first attempt and I dont think it's too bad. Since I'm still learning, my fingers were a little sore after 2.5 hours, but I finished it. I like to think my Grandma Urata is having a good little chuckle over this one. I finally did it grams, I'm learning to crochet, though I'll never be as awesome as she was!

New Hobby

 Finally........ I've been wanting to learn how to crochet for YEARS, literally. I am so fortunate to have inherited my Grandmother's needles and a cool "how to" book. However, I learn a lot better if someone shows me. Here's the first couple rows......

 Making progress.........

 

 Had a blast with these two lovely ladies, Jasmine & Melanie. So lucky to have fun, smart and crafty colleagues.

We had a great time because we had the company of Arcee the corgi and.............

a crafting session would not be complete without some baked goodies.

Student Fun

Love my international students. Here's Amber (left) and Alexsandra, packing their left overs.  I took them to that new Thai restaurant I love and they liked it too - hey, it's not hard to beat the food in the residence hall cafeteria. Amber is from China and hopes to complete her degree in Accounting. Alexsandra is from Serbia, a Math major who is here for one year.

Loyal Friend

During the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I had some time to do a little touch-up painting around the house. My Pancho is such a loyal boy, he will follow me everywhere (except upstairs, he doesn't like stairs). When I'm working on my laptop he's at my feet, when I'm reading in a compfy chair, there he is. And of course, even when I'm painting. Had to make sure not to get paint on him.

More Pie

Got into the baking mood and decided to try an apple pie. I had used this recipe before and it turned out great, this time.......... let's just say the flavor was good but I didn't slice the apples thin enough so they were still crunchy. I was going to throw it out, but my trusty family members devoured it anyway.

Thankful for Dinner

After I took this pic I realized Pancho photo bombed it. He's so tall his head is right at table height.

We did not have Turkey, I roasted a boneless leg of lamb and it was mouth wateringly DELICIOUS.

..... plus you had to have the side of garlic mashed potato and gravy made from the lamb drippings.

Mom always said you had to have a veggie and according to Todd, you always have to have wine.

.....and this is how the Wellnitz pack rolls. We aren't just thankful, we BEG! I will not name those who drool.

Simple & Peaceful

We had a simple and peaceful Thanksgiving. I decided to make the traditional pumpkin pie because all the other food items were more non-traditional.

......and in the oven you go.

I think my Grandma Urata would have been proud of my effort. I remember watching her make pies when I was young - she made it look so easy. I used her filling recipe but added one special ingedient per Todd's mom. I forgot to sprinkle the spice on the top, but Todd said it tasted really good without it, so good, he didn't want whip cream on it either. Nailed it! There will certainly be a repeat perfomance, even if it's not a holiday.

New Good Eats

Eau Claire is a small place so when a new restaurant opens up, I like to try it, especially if it's like this new restaurant - Thai food. My colleague, friend, and partner in food adventures, Signe is always willing to give it a try.

 Egg rolls (super delicious and not just because it's fried), beef & shrimp stir fry and green curry. In the cute woven basket was steamed, purple, sticky rice - my fave!

Fire in the Sky

We were out one afternoon as the sun was setting early; walking Misty and Pancho through the nearby baseball park. The sky was beautiful - love these sunsets but you really have to take advantage of it because they don't last long.

Really?

My little girl is sometimes dramatic. Here she is paw on snout. It was too bad I didn't get this on video because she'd breathe in deeply and let out a big doggy sigh as if she were expressing the following: "Really, this is just too much. I work so hard at being cute and I just can't take it anymore."

Destination & Return

Finally arrived! This was a very cool Irish Pub with delicious food - I'd definitely go back. Yes, we know how to do meetings in Wisconsin (for the record, we ate but did not partake in the alcohol).

When I was a kid, the drive to someplace always felt longer than the drive home; possibly because you were excited to get there but not so excited to return home. 

Well, I was really looking forward to being home and kept checking the mile markers. Only a third of the way there..... just hoping to get home before it got dark. 

Oh Dear - a Dead Deer

Almost to my destination when I saw this common Wisconsin site.

 I don't think I could shoot another creature; I'd most definitely become a vegetarian, probably should anyway because the way our food is "produced" is not very humane either. I do have respect for people who can kill a creature for food. I guess I would if that was my only option because you'd have a very different level of respect for the animal who's life you took.

Road Trip

In early November I took a short day trip to attend a meeting on the outskirts of Madison, WI. It was a 6 hour round trip drive for a 4 hour meeting. I was hoping a colleague would join me so I'd have some company on the long drive but it wasn't meant to be. Got an early start and saw some beautiful sky.

Love the gradient of color in this one. No special effects, I have a cheap phone.

Still got to enjoy a last little bit of fall color.

Supplies

At the end of October, my co-worker told me our fave chocolates were on sale so I made sure to stock up before the sale ended. These chocolates are so delicious and well worth the higher price. I'm proud to say we still haven't eaten them all and I've shared them with others. Thank goodness for dark chocolate to help us through peak advising at work (in other words, this means my calendar is booked every half hour with a student from 8 am to 4 pm with a working lunch.

Winter Scenes

Many people don't look forward to winter, not me. Here are some beautiful winter scenes of our campus with the first, light snowfall a couple weeks ago. The infamous bridge, it's always colder on the bridge - but it's so pretty to look out at the river.

Looking north from the student center at our new plaza. The building at the left is where I work. The building to the right is our new Centennial Hall, under construction and slated to open for spring 2014 classes. Very excited because there will be an Einstein Bagel shop in it (yes, I do have my priorities straight). 



Dog Gone Fun

 Pancho, I just don't get it, I got the big bed for you 'cause you're the big dog.

Pancho knows who's top dog so he won't dare kick Misty off the big bed. He won't even move her stuffed animals so he can get his full body on the small bed. That's my Pancho boy - lovable and kind of goofy.

Catching Some Sun

Like her mom, Misty is a sun worshiper. When fall rolls around you have to take advantage of beautiful October days that are cool and sunny. And you must bring your toys with you.

If Misty could talk, she'd be saying......"oh how I love to sun myself, it feels so nice."

 Time for a nap or perhaps she's meditating.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! So fortunate to have a good life filled with loving family and friends. Thinking of you on this Holiday!

Raking Season

A lot of people think of October as the beginning of fall, kids look forward to Halloween..... I call it raking season. Our yard is HUGE and it takes a lot of work to keep it nice. These pictures just do not do it any justice, there were mounds and mounds of leaves and walnuts.

We have a black walnut tree and this year saw a bumper crop of walnuts. It was dangerous to be under the tree becuase walnuts were literally raining down. Of course, the squirrels love it, but Misty and Pancho go crazy over the squirrels.

 Up close, walnuts in different stages of decay. They are bigger than golf balls, have a wonderful citrus scent, but be careful, they stain your clothes and hands red. If walnuts weren't so difficult, time consuming and labor intensive to harvest, I could be eating my own walnuts instead of buying them at the store.

Halloween Bug

It was mid-October and the local car dealership decorated this VW like a spider. I thought it was pretty creative and went so well with the changing color of the leaves on the tree next to it.

Book Sale

The weekend I started feeling sick coincided with our annual book sale. A lot of individuals put in tons of time and effort into making it a success. The money we raise is offered as a scholarship to non-traditional, women seeking to make their lives better through education.

The children's book area with one of our lovely and talented UWEC students!

On th left, another UWEC student who helped with set-up and the amazing professor, Dr. Applegate. 

The Saga Continues

Wasn't feeling so great after breakfast so I decided to take a shower (hence the messy hair). And the wonderful nurse brought me a sprite because I felt like tossing breakfast. It's the simple things in life, a shower, soda..... oh, and some drugs that make life better. 

Then it was time for lunch - got the chicken special. The chicken was pretty good, but not the rest.

 I still put my game face on and nibled a bit.

 Not to worry, a visitor helped me with lunch.