hello hello

Today, it is 15 degrees outside. There is a woodpecker on our roof, pecking at the ice. I can hear it loud and clear inside the house. I am knitting three different things intermittently. Uploading gobs of photos. Doing a lot of planning and pondering. I just want to buy a pad of graph paper so I can rough out a new set of knitting patterns. And then work on that for the next few months. I read and was inspired by Trond Anfinnsen's 1 Man + 2 Needles book. I would love to embark on a creative project like that. I have a few January goals but most of them are similar to years past ... drink more water, run every day, get in shape, blah. Boring. I'm looking forward to a little trip back home with my best little traveling companion. I've compiled a mile-long list of favorite songs from 2010 for my friend Laura's mix tape exchange. But I need to give them all a good listen to make sure everything flows. I'm admiring Bo's good taste in my new Lip watch that I got over the holidays. I like that he knows me well enough to pick out watches. Because that's a very personal thing. I would like a few hours to myself to just sit in a book store, drink coffee and look at books for as long as I want. I need to let my imagination run. And I have been wondering about this blog ... what am I doing here? Is it worth it?

this year, I'll ...

Learn to knit! (You know you want to.) Is learning a new skill or taking a crafty class on your list of resolutions? Because I'd say 2011 is your year.

Ephemera, one of the loveliest shops in Des Moines' East Village, just posted their new class schedule for January 2011. And once again they'll be offering a two-class beginner knitting session. (Check out Ephemera's class calendar here.)

You could join the likes of these awesome ladies and go out into the world as a full-fledged knitter. And purl-er.  ;)

I promise you can do it. Even if you're saying to yourself right now "I'm not crafty." Or "I'm not patient." Or "I could never do that." I swear, you really really can! You'll be so glad you did. Go here to find out more or sign up for class. Hope to see you there.

snow(board) day

When you get a winter day that's as sunny and warm as it was today – (36 degrees!) – it's kind of a shame to waste it by not going outside. So we ditched our other plans for the afternoon and decided to do a little low-key snowboarding and sledding with our little shredder.

(Yup ... she has a tiny Burton Chicklet.)

Usually, we're accustomed to watching Bo do all kinds of tricks and getting a ton of air... 

 ... but today he was teaching, pulling sleds and pushing me down the hill.  :)

And to all my friends who don't have any of this white stuff, I'll throw a little your way. Happy sunshine-y snow day.

Merry Christmas

 

Merry merry everything! I hope you're thoroughly enjoying this weekend and doing a bit of relaxing along with the hustle of the holidays. Thanks so much for stopping by this little place all year long. Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season.

xo – jen

jingle jams

Just in case you need some serious gift-wrapping music, here's my most favorite girl-rock Christmas track. The Donna's ... I'm in love. (Too bad I can't get this on iTunes.) Christmas is so close ... are you ready?

these are a few of my favorite things ...

 Pretty blue lights downtown on date night.

 Candy Cane Kisses.

Slumber parties for moms.

 Old ornaments from my Grandma's tree (on my tree.)

 Steaming hot coffee and warm woolen mittens.

 Little girls in pretty skirts and dresses.

 Winter Wonderlands.

 Fleur Patchwork Quilt (from UO's,) scored on sale.

 Pancake-making while wearing bunny slippers.

 Pretty cookies brought over by sweet neighbors.

Cozy Vans boots.

Snow days and sick days all cuddled up in blankets.

 Snow men in my front yard.

And snow men made of ice cream.

(These are a few of my favorite things ... how about you?)

visions of sugarplums

There's so much winter fun to be had this week ... so much work to get done, too, but we had a fun day yesterday. Making crafts and a snowman (or three) and this gingerbread house. I'm lucky to have such a patient and creative girl who loves to do this stuff as much as I do.

skate and destroy

I picked up a tiny pair of white ice skates at Goodwill two summers ago, and was pretty stoked to discover that they fit Lo this year. (She was excited that they looked like Lola's skates on Charlie and Lola.)  :)

We had family visiting from Chicago last month, and sticking to tradition, we headed downtown to skate at Brenton Plaza. 

Little Lo did so well for her first time! She didn't give up when she discovered she wasn't going to twirl around the rink on her first try. She was really brave and wanted to skate all day. All day. 

I had a lovely fat lip that day, and decided to stay off the ice, take pics and drink hot chocolate with my brother-in-law.  ;)

Pretty excited to see this gang again this week for the holidays; I do love to watch these cousins make new memories together each year. (What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?)

snow day

 Snow days in Iowa sometimes start off something like this.

But after a cup of coffee, some cartoons and a bowl of cereal, snow days end up progressing into something more like this.

It's a lot of hard work.

No matter what, snow days pretty much always end like this.  :)

hello weekend

One last post before the weekend to let you know that I have one last batch of oh-so-lovely cowls that are ready to ship (and perfect for gift-giving.) Most of the colors above are still available, and you'll get 15% off if you enter GIVEHANDKNITS at checkout (from today through December 22nd.) Find everything here. 

After weeks of long nights spent knitting and working, I'm gearing up for a busy weekend filled with gatherings, friends, food (ahem ... Bower's sea-salt caramels) and what's sure to be a killer sleepover. Yup, a sleepover. I really, really can't wait. Here's hoping you have an extra fun weekend, too.