A bridal shower tomorrow

Our 3rd DS is getting married to a wonderful girl on March 1 in MN. We are thrilled! They will live on the farm and (future) 3rd DDIL will have laying hens, pigs, rabbits and possibly sheep at some point. She is a Veterinarian lab tech assistant and loves animals.

But, I digress.

Since the wedding is in MN and there are some people that can't get there, I was asked if there was going to be a shower here. I had thought about it but being a procrastinator I'd put off doing anything. I talked to 1st DDIL and she agreed that we should go ahead and do this!

A few days ago I made heart shaped sugar cookies.

Yea.  Just look at all those hummers.  I knew there was a reason I was reluctant to use my mom's recipe.  Now I remember why.  It makes tons and tons of cookies!

There will be some lots to send home with family.

I did some dipped in chocolate.  Of the two they are the yummiest! 

Today I'm cleaning house and making my share of the rest of the food.

Tomorrow is the day.  Wish me luck!

Oh yea...I almost forgot...Happy Valentine's Day too!!

On the knitting front

There is knitting happening/about to happen. 

DH gave me this sweet book for Christmas.  There were two patterns I immediately fell in love with and had to order the yarn right away.

All of the patterns in the book use Brown Sheep yarns.  This is what I got for the apron. 

Everyone asks what I'm going to do with an apron, and I say about the same as the shawls I knit.  Enjoy the knitting and then put it in the drawer.  I just love the idea of a knit apron!

This yarn is slated for the table runner.  And this won't just be knit and put in the drawer but actually used.  I have a dining room table just waiting for some pretty laciness. 

Strokkur is what I am currently knitting on.  The yarn is Patons Classic Wool. 

I haven't knit with this type of yoke construction so it'll be interesting when I get that far...

Yellow really isn't a very good color for me, so I'm changing out to plum instead.  Of course!

I just had to add another shot of Teddy.  The chair is new and guess who has been in it more than anyone else in the house?  Yea...you guessed right.  Teddy.

At least we ordered it to match whatever hair he leaves behind...

Merry Christmas

For everyone far and near, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!

May you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph , the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ child.

And if there is sorrow in your life and you can't endure all the holiday razzle dazzle, I give you a snuggle from Teddy.

And I wish you Happy Tuesday and Happy Wednesday instead.

Acer...not such an ace.

I knit Acer quickly.

But quickly done doesn't necessarily mean happy.

 

In my opinion, it's too big.  Wearable but big.  Sleeves are too wide.  Body too big around.  Maybe too long.

Going in I knew the neckline tended to be big and open and I used 2 sizes smaller needles and did a cable cast-on.  That seemed to help tighten things up a bit.

The sleeves would have been several inches to long if I had followed the pattern.  The sleeve directions might have worked for smaller diameter sleeves but not on these honking huge ones.

I'll always love Peace Fleece yarn but this batch had more knots than I've ever seen before.  And an exceptional amount of vegetable material too.  I was a little surprised.  I do love the color though and actually the pictures are pretty accurate in that respect.

The buttons are LaMode and were purchased in a rush while DH waited in the car.  I love the buttons.  I think they look good with the color.  Just about the only thing I do like about this sweater.

I'll wear it.  It even fits over a sweatshirt so if I'm freezing it'll be the sweater I reach for.  I'm just afraid I won't do that reaching very often.

Yup. It's nippy.

That's the temperature now.

It was colder this morning.

And so, of course, I decided it was time to shovel the snow from the storm a couple days ago. 

Boots, hat, mittens, warm coat.  Oh yeah, maybe I should grab my cell phone.

Thank goodness I did.  I couldn't get back in the house.  All the doors are locked and the digital one apparently doesn't like the cold either.  It wouldn't unlock.

I was stuck outside.

The closest neighbor had just driven away.  DH and 1st and 3rd DSs were at a meeting in another town 20+ miles away.

So I called 1st DDIL and she came and rescued me.  Thank goodness I brought my phone outside or I would have been walking a few blocks against the wind.

Next time I'll bring my keys out with me and not trust the door with the digital locking system!

Finally finished and in the mail actually.

So.

Here they are.

Started over a year ago.

Intended for LAST year's Christmas.

I'm sure 2nd DS thought he'd never see them.

But they are done and in the mail.  I checked tracking and they are within a day or two of delivery.  So with a bit of luck he'll have them before Thanksgiving. 

Thank goodness!

And here is the start on the 4th pair of Northman mittens.  This pair is for my sister.  She demanded requested them by LAST January.  Yea.  She didn't get them.  Maybe this January.  If she's lucky.  Or I'm lucky.  One or the other.

Sorry about the horrid picture.  They are charcoal grey and off white.  Not that you can tell by this.

This is what I really want to be knitting on.  Acer is the pattern and Peace Fleece is the yarn.  I don't even have a Ravelry page for it yet. 

It is getting close to the body being finished and then just the sleeves.  And finding buttons that I'm happy with...

And just because, here's Teddy. 

Smile Teddy!  You're on candid camera!

Harvest is done but here are the pictures.

This is both soybean and corn harvest. Let's look at soybeans first.

Soybeans rows but also there was a pilot making marks in the sky.

I love the long views from up in the combine.  You can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles.

The picture was taken from inside the combine so there is a very odd reflection in the center of this.  Someone was burning something big that day because that is what the huge cloud looking thing is...smoke.  Makes for a cool looking sunset though.

And on another day, here is corn harvest.  Nothing is more fun that watching the corn come into the hopper.  It fills up so fast!  Especially compared to small grain harvest.

Here is me trying to get another action shot of the corn flying into the header.  It is rather violent.  Almost vicious.  I need to do a video sometime.

Another long shot down the rows.

Corn that goes on forever.

Look Ma!  No hands!  We have a GPS system that is used in the spring when the crop is planted that you can access during harvest so you can use the auto steer and harvest with no hands.  Good only for long straight areas but as you can see above there is plenty of that!

Another couple sunset pictures with odd reflections.

And it was dark as I was driving away and I couldn't resist trying for one more picture.  Here the combine is approaching the grain cart to unload on the go.