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!