pomp and circumstance

We had a quick but fun trip to Ames, IA, on Saturday to attend the graduation of my nephew, Spencer, from Iowa State University. It was fun to watch all the red and black robes march into the auditorium and then proceed with the ceremony. Afterward we had a good dinner together and we took numerous pictures, since it not only was a greatday for Spencer but for the rest of his family, too. Here are the proud parents and sister--

Turns out there are 16 cousins on both sides of Spencer's family, and he is the final of the 16 to graduate from college--wow!

This also was one of the few times that my parents have their 3 kids together--

That's me on the left, next to little sis, Jan, from San Francisco. On the right is brother Jarry, with mom and dad in the middle. Not a bad bunch, except it looks like Jan is growing a poinsettia on top of her head!

I am counting down the days till Christmas, we have a bunch of fun things to look forward to! I went out this morning for my one and only shopping excursion to the mall, and got in and out without any problems. Got everything on my list plus a few more surprises! Spent the rest of the day wrapping and admiring our Christmas decor with snowflakes coming down outside. It's hard to choose favorites, but these are some of the ornaments that I especially like--

I made our stockings a few years ago from a Thimbleberries pattern (now out of print) and I was able to find the directions and enough similar fabrics to make a matching one for Ben this year. I even uncovered some of the same fabrics that I used in the first 4 stockings! Well aged!

The next picture has me a little worried--this is son, Dan's, pickup out in Mammoth Lakes, CA. The worry is that he won't get it shoveled out in time to get on his flight home on Thursday!

They have had many feet of snow in December, it just keeps piling deeper and deeper. They report that it is the snowiest December on their records, which is what they are saying about MN right now, too! Although our snow bonanza is peanuts compared to the mountains, it still causes some problems for folks around here. And makes the snowmobilers and snow removal companies happy! Once again, we have proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder--lots of snow can mean lots of fun, a boost in income, a hassle and a mess!