O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

wie treu sind deine Blatter!

Du grunst nicht nur

zur Sommerzeit,

Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

wie treu sind deine Blatter!

My family tradition is to decorate the tree with my dad's East German ornaments. During his time in the Army, he spent quite a bit of time in Berlin, when the wall was still up separating East from West. He started collecting and bringing home these handcrafted wooden ornaments, and now the tree has to be ceiling height to fit them all on!

I have many childhood memories of my sister, brother, and I pulling the ornaments from their boxes and nest of tissue paper and laying them all out onto the coffee table to get them in order for donning the tree. My siblings and I also had a few favorites, especially the cage with a rabbit inside. The door actually opens and their is a tiny wooden rabbit that you can take out.

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Another personal favorite is the tree with all the presents underneath. I recall having to find a very sturdy branch to hang this one because of the weight.

And there are so many more! Nutcrackers and nordic skiers, trains and bedwarmers, stars and cottages, birds and angels. To me, this is Christmas.

My parents also have quite the nutcracker collection. I believe these are also East German, but not all of them. My mom and aunt have searched the country wide for specially stores that carry these, but they are hard to find. Although the 'cracker' put really moves, I can still hear my mom saying, "Careful with that!" whenever Megan, Derek, or I would start moving the jaw up and down.

My parent's new fireplace

My parents recently opted to rid of their real wood fireplace and put in a new gas fireplace. Last week when I went home to do some Christmas baking with my mom, Izzy and Hondo didn't stray to far from it's warmth!! They typically try to lounge in the sunniest of spots, so this doesn't suprise me at all. Here are a couple pics...

(and I'm still trying to figure out all the cool settings on my camera...)

Knit, purl, cable cross

After my knitting hobby take a 4 year hiatus through the end of undergrad into PT school, I've started up again, and almost in full force. I've been able to get faster and learn some new stitches, and can't seem to knit fast enough for all the projects I want to do. The website Ravelry has been a great source for projects, inventory keeping, and sharing of ideas. I've also found a very cute yarn boutique in town that has some beautiful, yet sometimes pricey, selections of yarn.

My current project is a scarf for my best friend. I started this project a while ago, and it is taking me a while to complete it. The time consuming aspect of this pattern is a cable cross without a cable needle every fourth stitch, every other row. Although the pattern is rather mindless, which is nice to sit and therapeutically wind the yarn around two needles after a rough day of work, the back stitching in the pattern doesn't add length to the project very quickly. But, it's turning out very nicely and I can't wait to get it done and give it to Renee!




A couple months ago I tagged along with my mom and some of her quilting compadres from Des Moines to some fabric shops in Omaha. Along I have done very little sewing and nearly no quilting in my life, I decided to make this bag for my knitting supplies. The fabric I found is so cute and I think they go together very well, if I do say so myself! I finished the bag, but not without the help of my mother and her diligent work trying to make the grommets fit over the inner canvas and layered fabric. So now the bag contains all of my needles, patterns, and knitting accessories; and with the leftover fabric, another side project was started. Post to follow upon completion....








Here is a little preview of the yarn for my next two projects. As soon as the scarf is complete, I have two projects in my queue to begin and get finished in the next two months. I love these colors!!

The Start of Christmas Baking and Goodies

On a cold Sunday afternoon in early December, I thought it time to begin the Christmas baking. My first project was chocolate cake balls, which did not disappoint. These little fudge pockets were easy to make and fun to share!

You bake a sheet cake, let it cool completely, then break it all up into a bowl and mix in one container of ready-made frosting. You can choose any flavor combination you want, I decided on chocolate chocolate this time. I've seen funfetti and red velvet, it's up to you. After you mix, chill in the fridge to set, then shape into bite-size balls. I let them set again in the fridge for a while before covering them in melted almond bark. I had to decorate each one right after dipping because the cold chocolate set the almond bark pretty quickly.

The second project to the day was salty caramel corn. I absolutely love the combo of salt and sweet, and this recipe hit the spot. After air popping the corn, I boiled the sugar syrup combo and poured it over the corn. The batch made so much that I had to separate it out into 3 9x13 pans. Stir to even the caramel, then bake in the oven for an hour, stirring again every 15 minutes. Very easy and very tasty!!

My Four-legged Friends

A brief highlight of Izzy and Hondo. Izzy, a beagle mix/runt, is our lazy, over-weight dog who always lets us know if we are a few minutes past dinner time. Hondo, a terrier mix, is our spry and energetic pup that is learning how to cuddle and loves to open area to run. He's fast! Without these two, my life just wouldn't be the same!

inspiration

After getting my camera, and that I'm finally learning how to really use it, I've been inspired to start another blog. I hope to capture moments of my life, or ingredients, that make up the meaningful parts to my life. Some of my inspiration for this blog comes from Pioneer Woman, a few friends, and Julie and Julia. I will post updates on knitting projects, photographs, cooking and baking, and whatever else I feel like that day. So now that I've got this started, hopefully I will be able to set aside the time to make regular posts!

Thanks for reading!