Friday, December 14, 2012

Counting Down

Good Morning!  It's Friday!  This morning I slouched and slumped around in my jammies because I had nowhere to go.  It's an at home kind of day.  This kind of day makes me happy.  Since I'm thinking of happy things, it will be easy to post Friday Fave Fives which is hosted every week by Susanne.

1.  It rained this week.  Two Days.  Here in Southern California, rain is an EVENT because we don't get much of it.  Fortunately, this week's precipitation was not the typical torrential blast from the heavens.  It was more like garden hose misting rain.  I won't bore you with a photo of the rain.  We've all seen rain, right?


2.  Christmas break has begun for me.  Three weeks.  Let the celebrations begin!


3.  The last week of class before Christmas is always fun.  Returning students always know that I am going to assign one short paragraph for the three week break.  They are required to write a thank you note to someone for a gift they receive for Christmas or Hanukkah.  I've told you before how much fun my students are.  Collectively, we wrote a sample thank you note which always makes me laugh--really? a pink and blue polka dotted scarf?  a bow and arrow to play Hunger Games?


4.  My students are generous.  Goodies such as Reindeer Mix, See's Chocolates, homemade granola, vegan cookies and Starbucks gift cards were presented.  They know me!   They also know that if I assign them a thank you note to write, I must do what I say.  They know I will be writing them a thank you note and using the EXACT same format and style I assign to them.  Actually, I enjoy it and have fun with it.

5.  HOWEVER.  All those sweet yummies sit in my kitchen, calling to me day and night, morning and afternoon.  Eat Me.  Eat Me.  To counter the calorie overload, I decided to join friends on facebook in making healthy choices at Christmas.  No, I'm not giving away the cookies and candy.  I'm adding more exercise into my day.  So--for every cookie, candy, goodie I consume, I am doing twenty jumping jacks.  No, I'm not going to tell how many jumping jacks I've already logged this week.

The photos are of the Christmas stockings I have knitted for every adult member of the family.  They each chose colors and motifs to make their stocking personal.  The grandkids's stockings are next and will hopefully be finished by Christmas morning in time to be stuffed with little pressies.

A bonus: evidently, you can't have too many pictures of cute quail.





And now we are Counting Down the Days until Christmas!  One more Fave Five, ten more days!

16 comments:

busybusybeejay said...

I wish I could send you some of our rain.The land is saturated.It has rained all day today.We have just had four days of really cold weather -8 degrees overnight and not getting above freezing during the day.It has looked beautiful with hoar frost on everything(see a photo of a spider's web on my blog)but today it is back to rain,rain,rain!!

Bethany said...

I would love to see how happy your family will be to see their stockings! You always amaze me with your knitting. It would take me all year to knit just one of those!!! (And it would be distorted too.) You should mix up that exercising or you will hate jumping jacks after the holidays!! ;)

ellen b. said...

Oh thank you for the photos of the cute quail! love them. I also love your personalized knitted stockings...fabulous!

Gracie Saylor said...

Happy School Break!!! Your beautiful knitting inspires me to get on with my projects. Today my 3 and 5 year old grand girls and I poked cloves into an orange. So nice and spicy:) xx from Gracie

Gattina said...

Your Christmas stockings are gorgeous ! I bought them. I can't knit and have no patience for that. In my part of the world we have more rain then sunshine, so honnestly rain pictures is not a problem for me, lol !

Anonymous said...

Hello,

I found your blog last month and have just finished reading all seven years (and boy, are my eyes tired)!

Thank you for all the wonderful pictures and especially for reminding me through your FFFs to be ever grateful.

Looking forward to following you at an easier pace in the coming year.

~skye

Willow said...

Hello, Skye. Welcome to Willow's Cottage. I'm pleased that you have enjoyed reading. Wow-you persevered through almost 1,000 posts. I'm impressed. I agree that thanksgiving and gratitude are important to focus on every day and every week.

Susanne said...

I love those stockings!

Three weeks off. Sigh. That is so wonderful. Enjoy every minute of it. I've got 10 days coming starting on the 22nd. It seems to go so fast.

You know I love the quail pictures. :v)

Marg said...

Some love the quaii and some love the knitting. I love your Christmas designs.. Beautiful and I love every new knit product that I made even though I undo ir three or four times. Just finished a bootie. My daughter has name written on them. Enjoy your three week break and I love your new header.

Aqeela said...

I love the stockings! I would love to try and knit my own socks some day, one of these days i will learn!
Aqeela xx

Tracy said...

I'm not sure which is more cute... seeing all those wonderful knit stockings, or the quails!! The Christmas stockings are AMAZING, Willow... beautiful work. You knit them all THIS season?! We had a LOT of snow here this past weekend. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Happy Days ((HUGS))

elizabeth said...

What extra pretty stockings!
You are so talented Willow!
Wishing you and yours a very peaceful and blessed Christmas.

susan said...

Hurray you had photos with this post. Sure was nice to see them esp since the stockings are so lovely. Too bad you couldn't host an online knitting class. Sounds like you'd have at least 2 students. lol

How great that you teach your students about writing thank you notes. That sure is a lost art. This year I sent a thank you to a 30 yo for helping us at church. Later she thanked me with tears in her eyes saying she'd never received a thank you note before. She liked how it felt so vowed to write some of her own.

ENjoy your break, Willow.

Annette Whipple said...

Students are such a blessing! I love hearing how you speak of them!

The stockings are awesomely lovely. (How is that for bad grammar!?)

Have a great Christmas break!!

nikkipolani said...

I'm very very late this week. Well, better late comments than no comments, right? How lovely to be days into your Christmas break with lovely memories of generous and smart students :-)

Marg said...

I should have your mailing address...but cannot find it...
Please send it to me...Thanks.