Wine about it

On Monday, Brian and I went to a wine tasting where we sampled nine different red wines. A couple of years ago, he and I took a recreational class at Wichita State to learn about wine. I guess you could say that we like to continue our pursuit of higher education!

We saw our friends Travis and Teresa, who had a couple of extra seats next to them. It was a fun surprise to join friends there.























My favorite was the 2003 Rutherford Ranch Reserve Napa Cabernet, from which I detected aromas of clove, oak and cinnamon. It was excellent, with vanilla overtones. And I'm pleased that my gold medal went to a $39 bottle of wine even though we tasted two $59 varieties. My silver medal went to the 2005 Susanna Balbo Reserve Malbec, Mendoza Argentina. It had good fruits (flavors of black cherry and toasty vanilla) and sells for $28 a bottle. Cheers!

Snow dogs

Too bad there's no fun to be had on a snowy Saturday morning ...

It's snowing!

With snow falling and accumulating outside as I type, it's difficult to believe it was 75 degrees on Tuesday.

After work, Brian and I joined my family for Thanksgiving leftovers and another poker night. Kurtis looks a bit annoyed in this photo, but he was giddy soon after: He took the table for the second consecutive night. The jury's still out on whether we'll invite him back for Thanksgiving next year ...









Brian and Amanda worked on their poker faces so that they can school Kurtis on a future rematch, TBA.









Amanda and Kurtis are heading home early tomorrow morning to get back in time for work. Travel safely, you two! We had a great visit, but it won't make me stop missing you like crazy!

Turkey Day photography

Thanksgiving Day at my parents' house just wouldn't be the same without Pie Dough Nummies, a little cinnamon-sugar concoction my grandmother made up decades ago to put leftover homemade pie dough to good use. Mom and I used an entire batch of pie dough just for these "leftover" treats. Mmm.

The meal was delicious. Brian and I contributed sweet potato maple puree, which we topped with pecans.

Mom ruled in the kitchen, and Amanda's catering stint in college came in handy when it was time to set the table and arrange the buffet.









After the meal, the boys (including Dad and Kurtis, pictured here) caught up on the game ...

... until they fell asleep:









Ryan & Jen, who ate dinner at his dad's house, joined our group for a matinee of "Fred Claus" (funny movie, but nothing to write home about). Then it was back to Mom & Dad's for pie and poker:

Mom's cats, Libby & Lucy, were pretty social.









And, later in the day, Dakota and Lilly even were able to enjoy a special turkey dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

My favorite quilt I've made reminds me of fall and Thanksgiving because it has so many colors, patterns and textures. To me, it symbolizes the depth and beauty of life's experiences, for which I am truly grateful.

I spent a few hours Wednesday helping with United Methodist Open Door's Thanksgiving distribution, and I met so many people who don't have much. But many were gracious and kind. I chatted with anyone willing to talk as they came and left. "You look like you have your work cut out for you in the kitchen," I told one woman, who collected several sacks of groceries. "Oh, honey," she said, "I do. But it's just such a blessing." What meaningful perspective that exchange gave me for what we celebrate today.

May today's holiday find you with a life filled with rich gifts. And, perhaps more importantly, may you be able to piece them together to create something beautiful. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!


"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends."
— Nancie J. Carmody

Turkey time

Brian and I bundled up and headed out into Wednesday's brisk weather to rake and mulch the leaves our silver maple trees have dropped on our lawn this week. We entertained ourselves by watching Lilly find her Kong toy when we buried it in a pile. (If you're in the market for a leaf vac, by the way, I'd recommend Toro's. Our new one worked impressively well.)



Speaking of yard work, we noticed some strange happenings in our bulb garden this afternoon ...







Next it was off to my parents' house to see Amanda & Kurtis, who are in town for Thanksgiving. (Yay!) Jen & Ryan joined us for dinner, too. We admired Mom's fall decorations and spent some time preparing the Thanksgiving pies. On the menu: pumpkin, apple, No-Bake Oreo and my favorite, pecan.

Fall, football & fur balls

Think they can sense the big game coming up Saturday? I wonder if I should tell them that it's not polite to sport gold in a Crimson & Blue household ...

I won!

My co-worker and fellow KU grad Annie and I attended a KU alumni luncheon today at the Marriott, where we heard Bill Self speak. He was very funny. My favorite thing he said was that Sasha Kahn looks like Screech from the old TV show "Saved by the Bell." He also said that it's kinda cool to be flying below the radar considering how well KU football is doing.

They had a drawing for a basketball autographed by the KU men's team. Lucky me, look what I brought home:


I'm keeping my fingers crossed that things go as well for Self's team as they have for Mangino's! Unfortunately, Self admitted that his team isn't as good right now as it was at this time last year. Good luck, boys! The season officially starts Wednesday.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

Aldersgate hosted its annual chili cookoff tonight to raise money for GraceMed Health Clinic, which provides health care to those in need. As much as I hate to admit it, the "Nebraska chili" with steak was probably my favorite.

Afterward, Brian and I helped the youth group decorate their rooms in the church. Brian got a little carried away with the trimmings ...


Not surprising, there were far more girls than guys, so we were very efficient with our time:












The guys, however, won the creativity prize by figuring out a way to display the too-tall artificial tree. And, yes, Brian adorned it with ping pong paddles when we determined that the tree needed more pieces of flair:


Earlier in the day, my mother-in-law, Mom and I met for lunch and then saw "Quilters" at Wichita Center for the Arts. Great show. We had a lot of fun.

Next on the menu: Tiger

Brian and I were in Lawrence this weekend to witness KU's win over Iowa State, historic because it's the first time Jayhawk football has ever held a 11-0 record. Woo-hoo! That'll make Saturday's game even more fun to watch. Random coincidence: My brother-in-law's friend's boss from Iowa is a big Iowa State fan. So she and her husband Chris drove down to Lawrence from the game and joined our tailgating party. Turns out Chris and I attended first and second grade together at Lewis & Clark Elementary School in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Our class had about 16 students in it. And we remembered each other. Weird, huh?

The Cyclones had an impressive marching band that put KU's to shame. ISU played music from "Pirates of the Caribbean" and formed this cool ship shape. One Hawk fan yelled out, "We're going to sink that ship!"


Lots of KU fans were wearing hilarious shirts. Brian and I agreed that this one is our favorite:

Cirque Du Meow

Meow Meow's current extracurricular activity is pacing the wooden railing that borders the steps to our basement. The soundtrack to this Acrobat Cat show would be "Tootsee Roll" a la 69 Boyz:

To the left, to the left!


To the right, to the right!

Patriotic project ... times two

During the October meeting of the Prairie Quilt Guild, I was the lucky recipient of a fat quarter of patriotic fabric. Or maybe that's unlucky. Because with the prize came the challenge to make a quilt block that I would in turn donate to the Quilts of Valor Foundation, which makes quilts for wounded American veterans.

A year or so ago, I had started working on a patriotic quilt and then lost interest in it and stopped. (This is called a UFO, or unfinished object.) But those blocks that I never sewed into a quilt were the same size as the ones the guild is collecting for the veterans. So, at Tuesday's guild meeting, I donated seven of my previously made blocks in addition to the challenge block pictured above.


I was feeling very pleased with my donation and relieved that I had fulfilled my duty when it came time to do the November challenge drawing. And they drew my name again. Out of more than a hundred members' names. Guess it's time to get out my rotary cutter and spend some more quality time with my favorite Singer.

Bizarre coincidence and extra work aside, it's really a neat project. I spent a couple of hours on Veteran's Day earlier this week working on my block. And I consider my donations in honor of my relatives who are vets, specifically my late grandfather, who crossed the Pacific on a Liberty Ship in WWII; my uncle, a Korean war medic; and my late cousin, a Marine who served two tours in Iraq before he was killed in a car accident last year.