my little cottage

peace and beauty

2010-01-20T17:27:00.005-05:00

On a day when there seems more bad news than good, more sadness than joy, I wish you all Love, Peace, and Beauty. I'll be back.

links

2009-05-14T19:32:00.001-04:00

Hi again...and whatever happened to my link list? I guess I misplaced it? If you want to be linked here, please let me know!

june

2009-05-07T14:02:00.004-04:00

Hello out there...here I am, tinkering with my blog again. It's been a long time and I'm a little rusty. But it's nice to be here.

Bear with me. There is a lot to catch up on, about 9 months worth of news. And I know you have yours too (I still read it, actually.) But I'm not going in to my news just yet. First I just want to get back in the water and swim around a bit.

I will tell you one thing. Next month my family is going to be reunited at the Little Cottage. Yes, that's right, we're going home! I can't wait. And do you want to see what will be waiting for me when I get there?

Well, do you remember this?

Looking forward to posts to come. Thanks for stopping by, and I'll be back again soon.

going on hiatus

2008-09-07T21:05:00.004-04:00

So much to say...but so little to type. I think about my blog from time to time these days. Not all the time, not even very often, actually. You probably picked up on that.

There's quite a bit going on with settling our life in our new location, and it's much more involved than telling you (showing you) where we live and how the new cottage looks.

I've enjoyed keeping my blog for many reasons, one of which is that writing about my life sometimes helps organize my thoughts. It's strange, but I sometimes notice that it takes me typing or talking out loud about something before I understand how I feel about it myself.

But before I can organize my thoughts at all and wrap my head around this new life that we've launched, I need to simply live without capturing it - yet. So, although I will continue to be here, I won't be posting for awhile.

In the meantime, I'll be checking in on you. Hope you're having a nice start to your autumn season, and that the cool night air gives you a great night's sleep.

from my inbox

2008-08-28T16:16:00.003-04:00

This made me laugh...I wanted to share.

Summary of My Last Year on the Computer

***I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about poison in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.

***Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

***I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

***I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

***I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

***I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

***I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

***Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

***Because of your concern, I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

***I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl into my backseat when I'm pumping gas.

***I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.

***I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

***And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face,disfiguring me for life.

***I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be nicked with a needle infected with AIDS.

***I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

***I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

***I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

***I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan .

***I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

***Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites me.

***And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

***I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

***If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...Have a wonderful day....

***Oh, by the way.....A South American scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their email with their hand on the mouse. Don't bother taking it off now; it's too late.

a new chapter

2008-08-27T18:39:00.003-04:00

I think I must have left you with a little bit of a cliff-hanger ending there, what with me saying we were off to move, then no word from me for a few days. Visions of the moving truck careening off the highway may have entered your mind. Not so, not so! We arrived here safe and sound as planned, ready to start our new life.

The first few days after we got here was acclimating ourselves to our new environment, unpacking, getting the kids adjusted to their new surroundings. It's an adjustment, but so far, so good.

School started Monday. I know it's only been a few days, but, what a change.

After only 3 days my son seems to be happy - maybe happier - than I've seen him in school ever before. This is a little boy who has been attending fairly rigorous programs for 3 years now, so he knows school. Monday morning when I walked him into his classroom his teachers were right there, calling him by name, bending down to look him straight in the eye, gently directing him. They told him that they were excited to see him, and that they were happy he was there. I found myself walking out with such different feelings from my previous departures on the first day. Instead of wondering if he was in good hands, I just knew he was. It was a very liberating feeling. When I walked out I was thinking about other things - the day ahead, my schedule for the week, errands I needed to run. And except for a few fleeting thoughts about him during the day, my mind wasn't consumed by him/school/him/school/him/school. For once.

Son #2 is also adjusting, but it could take him longer to get used to things. He cried when I left on the first day and told me the second day was "worse than the day before". I don't know what to think about this just yet, but I suspect that part of his reaction is normal feedback for a 3-almost-4 year-old not used to school, dealing with a move and not knowing anyone around him.

More to report later, but in the meantime, thanks for checking on me and us. We are doing fine and I'll hopefully find my camera cord soon so I can download pictures to share.

thinking of you

2008-08-17T22:00:00.004-04:00

GOOD LUCK AT SCHOOL, HANNAH!!

movin' right along

2008-08-12T21:40:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is my big move day, so this is just a quick hello. We are up to our ears in boxes, friends! When I arrive at my destination and settle in a bit I'll fill you in on what's been happening.

In the meantime, please check out Mary's blog. She has posted pictures of the lovely work she did on my mom's shelf. Remember my mom's shelf? Mary stopped by this week.... Wait until you see what she did with it!!

good intentions

2008-08-07T12:11:00.002-04:00

Time is flying by this week as I prepare for our move. Yesterday was a day spent in the city, seeing a friend for lunch, going to an appointment, meeting a former colleague for coffee. More goodbyes in the series of goodbyes that have been happening lately.

Today I am feeling more inspired than ever to get serious (finally) about my packing up and discarding. Is it too late to host a mini garage sale this weekend? I mean, mini - as in 4 hours or less? No it is not. There's a website devoted to sales in my areas. I just set up an account with the site and now I'm trying to decide if I should do Saturday 8-12 or Sunday 12-5.

So, I'm all organized (at least in my mind) and down to business - finally! But of course it's easy to let my mind wander from time to time. I'm thinking about our vacation all the time, playing that game, what was I doing at this time last week?

Today it is easy to know exactly what I was doing. Gearing up for team volleyball! There were 12 adults and 15 children in our house, so plenty of people were willing to play. Oh, to be back there right now!

we've been away

2008-08-05T15:52:00.002-04:00

...and frankly, I wish we were still away. Being away is a great thing, is it not? When you come home your mind says, Ah yes. Back to the real world.

Your real world may or may not include packing up your things, renting a truck, and moving out of state next week. But mine does.

I will do my best to capture our moving moments over the next several days. This blog could use a little spicing up, me thinks.

Take care, everybody, and hope you are enjoying August. :)

a knight to remember

2008-07-17T21:23:00.015-04:00

Last night my husband and I attended the Chicago premiere of The Dark Knight. It was held at Chicago's Navy Pier - the Imax Theatre - and about 400 people were in attendance. We saw a few famous faces, including Gary Oldman and Sir Michael Caine:

It was a great night for a couple of reasons. First, the premiere itself was so much fun. Being on the red carpet, meeting who's who amongst the Batman crowd, seeing the Chicago skyline on a beautiful - albeit hot - night. It was thrilling.

But it was special for us for another reason. Navy Pier is where we became engaged many moons ago. And today is our 9th wedding anniversary. Last night was the kickoff to our celebration. :)

Before the screening, the Chicago Film Festival presented an achievement award to director Christopher Nolan. He took a moment to speak about his appreciation for Chicago's beautiful architecture. According to him, it was the perfect backdrop in which to create Gotham City. After he spoke, we watched the movie - and if you are a fan, you will LOVE it. We both agreed - it is very dark, very sinister - and oh so good. Go see it!

After the film there was an elegant dinner at the Crystal Gardens. As luck would have it, we had a chance opportunity to meet and briefly speak with the director (before he became surrounded by Warner Brothers' suits.) He couldn't have been more gracious. Today I said to my husband, "we should have asked him for a picture." But maybe it was better that we didn't...we can simply remember the conversation in our minds.

Later, as we were enjoying our food we stopped by to visit the Batmobile (pictures are a little dark...but what do you expect, it's the batmobile!)

We also saw the Bat - hmm - I'm not sure what the right name for this is. The batbike? The batcycle? The batmotorcycle? Whatever it is, it is very cool. Both the bike and the batmobile were surrounded by guys with cameras. All night!

At the end of the night there were fireworks to watch out on the patio. It was a beautiful night, and that seemed like a fitting end. The special night - the fabulous knight - and us.

bunny letter opener

2008-07-15T01:00:00.000-04:00

Your kids might get a kick out of this one - mine did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZBHZT3a-FA

service call

2008-07-14T14:37:00.005-04:00

We have a service call today with the air conditioner repair man. Long time readers of my blog may recall that we bought a new AC (and furnace...and hot water heater) in December of '06. This past winter, the furnace broke down on what felt like the coldest day of the year (fortunately, it was fixed easily - and the service and parts were both covered under warranty.)

Today is supposed to be 84 degrees, but it looks like tomorrow is the kickoff to a string of days 90 degrees+. Too bad the AC is not working. But, like the furnace last year, it's going to be a relatively easy fix, and again, the repair/replacement part & service are covered under warranty. As far as I'm concerned, these repairs just go to show that life is indeed uncertain, and the only thing you can expect is the unexpected. Even if you go high-end with the appliances you buy. They still break when they shouldn't.

Our repair man is Jerry. He didn't know that when he showed up here today that he'd have an apprentice, waiting patiently to be told what to do:
An apprentice who, in this photo, is trying to casually add his own tools to the stash of tools and equipment Jerry keeps in the truck.

An apprentice who is 3, and so he loses interest in things easily, and moves on to the next thing that catches his attention. The tools? Toss 'em aside. It's time to focus on something else, which in this case happens to be a soccer ball outside.

Jerry will be here another couple of hours, then we'll head out the door - maybe to the pool - to cool off while our house is doing the same.

Hope you're staying cool, too, and enjoying this beautiful day.

Friday Fill-Ins

2008-07-11T11:00:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Tommie for the inspiration for this...and to Janet for creating it.

* * *

1. Oh, I can't wait until I have made significant progress in growing my hair (never gonna happen).

2. A big bowl of fresh cut strawberries is the first thing I see when I open my refrigerator.

3. I never leave home without my ???. Sometimes I leave the house with nothing and just start walking. I suppose then that I should say, 'comfortable shoes'.

4. If I were a condiment, I would be mustard because I like its color (the bright kind, not the honey mustard kind.)

5. Bad driving is really high up on my list of pet peeves.

6. The last thing I thought of before I went to bed was an upcoming family vacation.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to cooking out in the backyard with my family, tomorrow my plans include a day at the salon (highlights, no cut) and Sunday, I want to go to the pool with my husband and kids.

the rest of the weekend

2008-07-08T12:21:00.015-04:00

My mini report the other day was pretty lame. So here's the rest of the weekend, but keep in mind my earlier disclaimer...I didn't take many photos in spite of good intentions. Never seem to!

* * *
SATURDAY

Saturday night was Ribfest. No pictures from that night, but you don't want to see a picture of me eating ribs anyway. Our entertainment that night was Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. They were great! The crowd loved her, especially when she played this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3T_xeoGES8

We couldn't help but sing along. It was contagious.

* * *

SUNDAY

Sunday morning we got up early and had a quick breakfast, then got the kids in the shower and headed out the door to meet up with our friends for lunch. The boys rode their bikes to the train station, which isn't far away to us but is to them. It took them about 20 minutes to make it there, but they did so well. They were highly motivated - so excited to ride the train.

The train was packed, but we found a car with extra room for the bikes and even found a seat. There were a lot of extra riders on Sunday heading down to the Taste of Chicago.

The littlest guy brought his own silver train on board to recreate the scene of us riding. Both boys were on the lookout for train crossing signs and crossing gates. They loved seeing the cars waiting at the intersections as our train sped by.

Our stop lead us straight to our friends' house, but on the way we stopped at the park down the block from them to let the kids play a bit.

And, unfortunately, this is where the time sped up so much that I neglected to take any more photos and totally missed Brig and Dan's house. We got there, had a lovely lunch and visited a bit before having to head off again on our bikes to make it back to their train station to wait for our ride home. I did take this picture of our group walking back to the station, just so you can see the gorgeous neighborhood where we were.

By the time we got to the station, waited for the train, rode it home, and rode the bikes back to our house we had been gone a total of 5 hours. Crazy! It was still hot and sunny, so we did a quick change and got the kids into their suits before heading off to the pool for an hour to cool down. When they climbed into bed that night they were little zombies.

* * *

MONDAY

Remember how I wrote the other day that "it's not all peaches and cream around here"? Here's an example that illustrates my point. Yesterday morning I woke up, stripped the beds, and took all the sheets and towels from the bathrooms down to the laundry room in our basement to wash them. When I started up the washer, I forgot to take a rag out of our stationary tub that I had tossed in there the other day. Our washer empties into this tub as it drains, and as you would expect, if there's anything in the tub that blocks the drain, the tub fills up and overflows. When the tub overflows, the water runs down the sides of the tub, covers the laundry room, and seeps into the carpet in the adjoining playroom (this has happened more than once in the 5 years that we have lived here.) So yesterday when I went down to change the laundry, I realized that there was a small flood in our basement - and that it was my fault.

Quick as can be I raced upstairs, dialed a place in town that rents equipment by the day, hustled my son into the car, drove to the place in the rain, rented a vacuum cleaner that picks up water from carpet, somehow managed to get the thing home, get it out of my car, drag it down the basement, and vacuum the carpet for the next hour.

Here's a picture of the vacuum cleaner. Big (and heavy) enough to pick up even the worst of what your stationary tub can throw at 'cha.

So, I don't really want to talk any more about the basement water experience, because chances are, you have had water in your basement, too, or some other unexpected problem in your house. And you know that, for as awful as it is to have to deal with it, it's a little more awful listening to/reading about someone else dealing with it. So let's get back to happier themes.

* * *

MONDAY P.M. (a shower does wonders)

My husband had a birthday yesterday, 07/07. What a lucky birthday! He is a wonderful guy who is living a wonderful life. I was happy to help him celebrate it. Our sitter arrived at 7 p.m. and we headed out on the town for dinner together, but not before pausing to pose for a picture together (we continue to work on our New Year's resolution):

This is where we went to dinner...and treated ourselves to the best of the best. No regrets...

* * *

FINAL THOUGHTS

Before I go, here's something else to show you. Later this summer there is an auction in town to benefit the United Way. The auction is for painted sculptures, which they have been auctioning off for the past several year. This year's sculpture theme is a "garden party" - benches, birdbaths, little garden creatures are the art. Well, I've been eyeing one of the sculptures and last night I couldn't help but take a picture so you can see why I like it so much.

Here's the front:

And the back:

The auction is September 12th. I am wondering just what this will go for...

tiny report

2008-07-06T21:00:00.004-04:00

We've been having a great weekend and I thought I'd pop in with just a couple of pictures of it (so far.) My picture taking has been sporadic, but I don't have any regrets. You know how it is...sometimes even with the best intentions you can't capture the moment with anything but your own eyes and your own mind.

Here are a couple of photos from the cookout on the 4th at my in-laws' home. They recently had a new patio put in, complete with a little waterfall and fresh train track. Remember my father in-law's love of trains...well, this is a beautiful extension. Needless to say, the boys loved it!
It is very relaxing being back there, listening to the water and hearing the train go by. We stayed until dusk before heading off to see the fireworks. The kids were excited for the show, but it was still hard for them to leave the trains.

At one point the inside trains were running as well as the outside trains. The boys were in heaven. It was about that time that I heard my sister in-law Maureen say, everyone should have a grandfather like this. And I thought, you know what? She is right.

* * *
There is more to report from our weekend, but I am out of creative juice tonight. I hope your weekend was a great one.

weekend 'o plans

2008-07-03T16:07:00.003-04:00

Hello there!

We are very much looking forward to the 4th of July over here in the Little Cottage. Mother Nature is cooperating by giving us what looks to be a *perfect* forecast for the holiday and the remainder of the weekend. Let me tell you, I am so appreciative, because I know not everyone is having that kind of luck. Boo hoo to rain clouds that threaten to cancel fireworks and parades! Hopefully you will be spared where you live, too.

We really do have some great plans this weekend, and because it's so rare that we have plans - plural - I thought I'd share them with you.

Tomorrow we are meeting my husband's family for a breakfast & swim party at his parents' pool. Tomorrow during the afternoon I might pop in to work at the store where I am still employed, as they are short staffed and looking for help...and willing to pay time-and-a-half (woo hoo!) Tomorrow afternoon is a cookout over at my in-laws', with fireworks afterwards in the park down the street from my house.

Saturday we have a swim birthday party for the boys in the morning, then a cookout/gathering at a friend's house in the afternoon. Saturday night we've been invited to join some friends here, and they have sponsor tent tickets for us, which means free ribs, free beer, and PRIVATE BATHROOMS. Never been to this event, and we have a babysitter, so I'm excited. Our friends who invited us get the sponsor tent tickets every year and tell me, this is the way to go. Sounds good to me!

Sunday our little family will board the train and head to see our friends in their new suburban home (it's a cottage...get ready because I'm hoping to take pictures and get the ok to share them with you.) They have invited us for lunch, and we're excited to see them and catch up a bit.

And Monday, although technically the weekend is over, we have our own little celebration planned: my husband is having a birthday, and our sitter arrives at 7:00 so we can trot off to dinner by ourselves.

It's a nice mix of plans - plans with the kids, plans sans kids...terrific weather, too.

Now don't go thinking that it's all peaches and cream around here, but today it feels that way and I can't help but want to write about it. I'll be back after the weekend to post some pictures from our excursions.

I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing holiday!

first tooth!

2008-06-27T09:54:00.003-04:00

The big news around here is that my son's tooth fell out yesterday. In the middle of the afternoon - pop! - out it came. We don't really know exactly how it happened, but from what he told us through his tears, we understood that the tooth coming out was a little scary. He said it was in his mouth, and then it went down to his tummy. Gulp!

So here's the note he left the Tooth Fairy last night (we wrote, he dictated).

Dear Tooth Fairy,

Surprise!!! My tooth was loose and it fell into my tummy! And then I cried! But then I felt happy!

He signed it with a picture of himself, and on the other side he drew a picture of a big tooth with a big hole at the bottom.

It was pretty exciting around here last night, talking about the Tooth Fairy visiting us during the night. In the meantime, my younger son kept saying he had lost a tooth, too, but we finally convinced him that all his teeth are still in his mouth.

This morning there was another burst of excitement, as we looked in the pillow to see what the Tooth Fairy had brought. Something for the piggy bank, that's for sure!

What a day.

m-w

2008-06-25T11:04:00.003-04:00

By the way, how did you like me using the word 'dearth' down there in that post? - what a winner of a word. After I typed it I had doubts about its spelling, so I hopped over to one of my favorite sites, Merriam Webster Online! Ol' m-w.com is highly recommended for quick spell checks, thorough definitions, and of course the handy-dandy thesaurus.

dry cleaning follow up

2008-06-25T10:59:00.002-04:00

Thanks for the comments from my post the other day about the dry cleaner losing my jacket. What to do, what to do. Your comments show a variety of potential ways I could handle the missing piece, and I still haven't decided exactly what to do. There is a dearth of raincoats in the stores these days, but I suppose given enough motivation I could find a comparable piece and give my cleaner the ticket. More to come.

such a gift

2008-06-24T20:59:00.003-04:00

The weekend with my college roommates was great. There they are up there with me, just before we went out Friday night. Friday was a night here in town, Saturday was a night in Chicago. It was a lot of laughs, a lot of laughs, and just a general feeling of comfort that comes with being with people who know you inside and out, backwards and forwards, younger and now, older. The friends in life who came before everything else did - the husbands, the kids (between us there are 8), the career - they know you like no one else, n'est-ce pas?

Such a blessing to have friends like that. Such a gift!

dry cleaning dilemma

2008-06-18T18:05:00.002-04:00

I have a dilemma and I'm hoping you kind blog readers will help me figure out what to do.

My dry cleaner has lost one of my items. The item is my raincoat, which I bought about 7 years ago before a trip abroad with my husband. It was not the priciest at the time, but it was/is a nice coat in my favorite color, sky blue. I have no recollection for how much I paid for it. The coat is in very good, if not excellent, condition. I really only wear it when it rains, and really only in the spring. So it hasn't had that much use. Not like a regular, every day winter coat would, for example.

Here's my problem. The dry cleaner says they don't have it and they will most likely never find it. They want to compensate me for the loss. How do I come up with a fair price? There has to be a middle ground between the price of what the coat is worth now and how much it would cost for me to buy a new one.

I would very much appreciate your ideas. Thank you!

washington hall

2008-06-17T22:54:00.004-04:00

I am a proud graduate of Ohio University (the hot link there will take you to OU's website, specifically the virtual tour page. When you get a moment, I highly encourage you to take a look at one of the most beautiful college campuses in this country. Start on the "College Green" and go from there.)

When I was at OU I made a lot of friends. If you have read my blog for any amount of time you probably have an idea of what I'm like in real life. I like to meet and get to know people, hopefully my actions show that I like to meet and know a variety of people. The same was true when I was an undergraduate. When it came to meeting other people, I had plenty of opportunity and outlets in which to do it. There were a lot of student activities that I was involved in, and I branched out a bit. You know, a little of this, a little of that. I'm still the same way and still live the same kind of life. Which is why I tend to overbook myself sometimes, but now I'm going off on a tangent that doesn't have much to do with this post.

What does have to do with this post is the building situated in the picture at the top: Washington Hall. The building where I spent my freshman year and where I met my closest college friends. There are 7 of us in the group. Back at school we totally immersed ourselves in the goings-on at OU and between the pack of us, probably knew most of the undergraduate student population at school. Yet throughout our 4 years, and more telling, beyond, we never made closer friends than the ones we lived down the hall from in Washington.

Two of my special friends are coming to visit me this weekend, and I can't wait. Neither Lisa nor Betsy has ever seen my suburban town - the last time they saw my home my husband and I still lived in the city. Both of them live far away from me (and from each other), but we try to get together as often as we can, maybe every 6 months or so.

I will be busy making the Little Cottage look its best over the next couple of days, before my friends arrive. The forecast looks good and we have planned some special outings. It seems like we are destined to have a wonderful time, as we always have since our baby days back in the freshman dorm.

have a seat

2008-06-16T21:30:00.003-04:00

Please - if you live near me, buy this. I'd like to come over and sit on it.

Too.darn.cute. Can be found here.

random thoughts

2008-06-12T15:08:00.004-04:00

I have discovered a new favorite lunch: quesadillas. A fellow kindergarten mom told me how she makes them for her kids. Soft flour tortillas, in the frying pan (under med-low heat) with no cooking oil or even cooking spray. Sprinkle a little shredded cheese inside and flip back and forth until cheese is melted. Tortillas stay soft if you turn them often enough. This has turned out to be a great lunch for my kids. It's yummy, easy to eat, not messy, and completely portable. I think I like them more than my kids do.

* * *

A new blog has me addicted: http://jcrewaficionada.blogspot.com/ You may have seen it already or have noticed that I listed it with my other links on the left a few weeks ago. It is for the serious j.crew connoisseur and I must admit, it's a wonderful link when you are supposed to be working but you want to procrastinate a little longer.

* * *

Last night was neighborhood bunco. Denise was hosting, and I had never been to her house before, so I was especially motivated to go. She is a decorator and specializes in window treatments. I was looking carefully at her windows as she gave us a tour of her lovely home. Nicole, my friend with the new baby, stopped by with her small bundle to say hello. She lives across the street, so it was easy for her to do...but still. We were so impressed that she showed up, after giving birth 4 days earlier. Everyone took turns holding the baby and we shared baby stories the rest of the night. Of course we didn't even play.

* * *

Standing under the street lights with my friends last night after the evening was over - we were out there talking for an hour - I kept thinking, I am so back. As in, summer is here, the air feels soft on my skin, it is such an alive time of year. You've all heard enough complaining by me over the past year+ about weather I despise. How about hearing for once that I am totally in my element now? I love, love, love, love, love how I feel in the summer. I have finally hit my stride again.

* * *

Speaking of stride, yes there I am up there, stretching after a jog. My stretching partner usually joins me every time I come back. I never say that I am a runner. If you saw me out you'd know - I am a jogger. Pant, pant, jog, jog. It has to be about 60 degrees out for me to say it's perfect for jogging outside.

* * *

I really do live in a little cottage. It is 1200 square feet, + our back porch which I think adds another 200 sq feet or so. Which makes me wonder this: if it's so small, why is it that I have a hard time finding the time to clean it?

* * *

I do not like receiving emails about politics, religion, or any combination of the two. It's occurred to me that people do not seem to think twice about forwarding on to me an email about these subjects. It seems to me that they think that I either: a) agree with their point of view (which is supported in the message of the email); or b) do not agree with them but should agree with them and this email states their point of view in a way that is friendly/joking/well written/inoffensive. It doesn't matter, I don't care. Whether you vote Republican or Democrat, whether you believe in the war in Iraq or are completely against it, whether you are for or against prayer in schools, for or against same sex marriage, I'd rather not hear about it from a message in my inbox. Let's wait until we are together, and you can ask me my opinion and I can ask you yours.

s curve

2008-06-11T12:18:00.002-04:00

Hi. I'm at my desk this morning, desperate to finish a project but distracted enough to check my email (and blog) regularly. Have noticed that I have a terrible tendancy for slouching while sitting here. It is so hard to sit up straight all the time, but I'm going to try today to keep at it.

have a great one!

HEMA page

2008-06-10T16:07:00.001-04:00

http://producten.hema.nl/

Forwarded to me by my dad (Hi Dad.) Give it a moment to load.

6 unimportant things

2008-06-08T22:49:00.004-04:00

Hello! Long time no write. Happy June!

I hope things are well with you. Are you happy that summer is here? Me too. Is it hot where you live? Same here. School all done? Yep, and summer school begins tomorrow. Have you been spending time at the pool? You bet!

I am sitting at my computer after having been away for a week. I am supposed to be working but I can't seem to get in the mode. So thank you to Millie for a tag:

6 unimportant things for me to share with you:

1. Today I went on the Custom Home Tour going on in my area. There were 20 custom built homes featured - all homes built from teardowns, all new, all for sale, ranging in price from $1MM - $3MM. My friend and I toured 17 before we called it a day.

2. Of the 17 homes we saw, there was one that I loved. A couple more were pretty good. The rest were not for me. One was dreadful.

3. I decided that the reason that I didn't like most of the homes that I saw is because they are just too much. Not too expensive - though they are pricey - I mean, Just Too Much. Too ornate, too formal, too over the top, too custom. It is as if the builders are falling over themselves to create something that has never been seen before. It's hard to imagine a family living in space like that. Certainly it's hard to imagine small people feeling comfortable there.

4. There was another home that I saw today and loved. For sale (open house) but not on the tour. Same price range though. But...different. Beautiful, inviting, and although large it was intimate. I could totally see a (my) family fitting in there very well.

5. Switching gears a little bit here. After the tour my friend and I went to the hospital to see our friend Nicole, who just had a baby girl yesterday.

6. The baby is beautiful! And, what a lucky birthday: 6/7/08. I would think that with a birthday like that, she is destined to lead a charmed life. Don't you?

* * *
I'm back this a.m. (Monday). I posted this last night and then realized....I think #s 5 & 6 are not unimportant things. They are important things!

pool party success

2008-05-28T23:09:00.005-04:00

The pool party was a success. The kids loved being in the water, even though they had huge goosebumps and trembling lips. The temperature reached about 63. Not so bad for a pool party in Chicago in May. It could have easily been 98; it could have been 48.

I brought a dessert that was a huge hit with both the small and big people. Originally given to me as a recipe with the title "crunch bar", I see that it is also listed as "pine bark" if you are thumbing through a Paula Deen dessert cookbook. People love this one, and it travels sooo easy. I highly recommend it for the next event in which you need to bring a sweet but you just don't have time to bake cookies.

Crunch Bar/Pine Bark

35 saltine crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 6.5 oz. package semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400. Line a 15x 10x 1-inch jelly roll pan with tin foil. Lightly spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Place saltine crackers, salty side up, in prepared pan. In a saucepan, boil butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in almond. Pour over crackers and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from oven; top with chocolate chips. Spread chocolate evenly over crackers as it begins to melt. Cool in fridge.

* * *

YUM YUM!

Soooo rich and delicious. I break the mold into bite-sized pieces and transport in a tupperware tub. Travels great. Tastes almost like a chocolate turtle...you will love it and people will be amazed by your talent! Enjoy!! xox

ready to swim

2008-05-27T17:47:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is the last day of my son's kindergarten year. It's not so hard to believe, though the year has gone fast. We've had our ups and downs this year. Mostly ups, but a good share of downs. And you know our plans for next year. Truth be told, I've been looking forward to the end of the year for awhile now.

I haven't been writing much lately but I am still here, and I read your blogs every day. We are getting ready to jump into a major cyclone that will spin us out of our life here and (hopefully) safely deposit us on the other side. However that will be, whenever that will be - I can't say. But over the next couple of months, our plans will crystallize somewhat.

So I might not be writing all that often...then again, maybe I will. Whichever way it goes, I'll check in with you and let you know how we are doing.

In the meantime, after school tomorrow there is a swim party at a fellow kindergartner's house. But did you know that it's currently 48 degrees in Chicago? Let's hope a warm-up is headed our way. You know kids, though...they will tell us it's not cold at all!

aren't we all?

2008-05-25T22:54:00.004-04:00

From my inbox tonight - a message from a friend in the neighborhood to all of us living nearby:

Hi All!

Okay, so the the dirty little secret you may not know about me is that I am a totally obsessive Sex and the City fan who is anxiously awaiting the movie. I know most of you probably have to work, but are there any there any other SATC groupies who would like to join me for the Fri premiere at 10:15 AM? (I'll buy you a cosmo at lunch afterwards.)

Cheers!

* * *

Seriously! This girl is not alone. Aren't we all obsessed SATC fans (is there any other kind?) Bummer I can't join her Friday. Hope she buys her ticket soon...before the show sells out!

dinner club

2008-05-18T16:30:00.009-04:00

Saturday night was our turn to host our neighborhood dinner club. Dinner club is a big group around here, with 12 couples participating. We rotate who hosts as well as who goes each month, so that in reality the most people you could have during any given month is just half the group, 6 couples. This is our second year doing it and it's been a lot of fun. The women around here get together for bunco and also book club, but we don't see the guys on a regular basis. Dinner club has been a great way for them to meet each other.

My husband and I love to entertain, though we don't do it all that often. Our last turn hosting dinner club was last fall, when we had our tailgating party. We ended up inviting a lot of 'extra' people that night who we knew from our area but not necessarily our neighborhood, and ended up with a huge group. It was a lot of fun - a lot of work, but really worth it.

Given that we had such fun last time, it was kind of funny what happened this year when we saw that our month to host was coming up. My husband and I were so ho-hum about it! We dutifully chose a Saturday that would work and talked about what we should cook, but we didn't feel nearly as excited about it as we did last time, even though we love the group. I think there's just been so much going on with us over the last couple of months - talking about setting up our new life elsewhere, planning a move, dealing with the uncertainties of both the near and far future - the last thing we could focus on was on was having a party.

But then something wonderful happened. Of the couples we invited, only 3 (including us) could make it Saturday night. One couple was busy with an event for their church. One couple was having a family birthday party for their 4 year-old twins. One couple had a daughter come down with chicken pox. So what was left was just a party of 6. A small, intimate group that could fit perfectly at my dining table:

I guess a smaller group is what we had secretly been wanting. It was easy to plan something small and sweet, we could deal with that. And with cold/cloudy days lingering, I thought Saturday's menu could naturally focus on comfort food v. food that says wow. I even mentioned that to the group, when in an email last week I said the theme for the night would be "comfort food in a comfortable place". My favorite pasta dish, salad, bread, dessert. Add some wine and a tasty appetizer, and voila! Dinner is served.

It was a lovely evening, if I do say so myself. We sat on our porch for drinks & appetizers, then came in for dinner & dessert. We ended the evening back on the porch, listening to the rain on the roof and our favorite itunes selections. Just what my husband and I wanted, apparently. And maybe what we needed, too?

Today I am feeling quiet, as you do the day after. No matter how small the party, there is something to be said for that work you do...it's always more than you think it's going to be. A little nap, a little chocolate, a little diet coke...I'll be good as new again.

tooth lessons

2008-05-15T16:28:00.004-04:00

Mommy to Son: Are you getting a loose tooth?

Son: Yes.

Mommy: Really?! Can I see it?

Son: Yes.

(Mommy touches lower front tooth. Small, very small wiggle.)

Mommy: WOW! I felt that! Your first loose tooth!

Son: (smiling)

Mommy: Of course you know what this means! The Tooth Fairy will be visiting you.

Son: (eyebrow raise. tentative smile)

Mommy: Do you know what the Tooth Fairy will bring you?

Son: Yes.

Mommy: What?

Son: A new tooth!

* * *

pbs tonight

2008-05-13T17:04:00.002-04:00

Have you read this?
Oh my gosh, I first read it about 10 years ago and loved it - I just thought it was such a gripping story. Right after I read it there was an IMAX film about the disaster on Everest, it was showing here at the Museum of Science and Industry. Like the book, I thought it was mesmorizing. And I loved having the visual to support what I had only been able to imagine in my head while reading the book. Perhaps you saw it, too.

Right now our book club is reading this book, so I have a renewed interest in this subject. There isn't an IMAX movie out now, but one of our book clubbers did find this show, starting tonight on pbs. Check your local listings if you're interested. I am looking forward to tuning in!

my home office

2008-05-13T01:01:00.000-04:00

...will maybe look like this one day. Until then, there's inspiration to be found at Chic Shack. Check it out!

daddy's helper

2008-05-09T00:25:00.004-04:00

My son mowed the lawn about 7 times yesterday. And I think if it's dry tomorrow he'll be out there again. And where's his mower, when it's not in use?

As he told me,

"I like parking my mower right next to Daddy's mower, because I LOVE HIM SO MUCH."

sweet wheels

2008-05-05T16:23:00.007-04:00

So what do you know about Felt bikes? I saw this particular one at a store today near my house. Isn't it so cute...it would make you want to give up the car keys for good and become a full-time bicyclist. I would need extra space in our garage just to park it. I wouldn't want anything to touch it!
Soooo darn cute. Even better in person. If you have one of these or know anything about them, I would love to hear from you!

baby shower today

2008-05-04T09:18:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zC-LA4q_x4

I'll be back with pictures. :)

ta-da!

2008-05-02T14:24:00.002-04:00

Remember this? Well, take a look at what came back yesterday!

Of course this means that my real life and blog friend Mary stopped by. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's always a treat when Mary stops by! And yesterday was no exception. My mirror looks beautiful in the picture, but it is even better in person. I am thrilled and amazed, once again, by Mary's wonderful work.

I hope all of you are doing well and ready for the weekend. Any special plans? Today is a special day for my husband and me. 10 years ago on this day is when he proposed. 10 years, my goodness time goes so fast, doesn't it? He always gets me flowers to mark the occasion. The first time he did this is when we were both working, and he sent flowers to my office. There was a woman I worked with (older, single) and she asked what the flowers were for. I distinctly remember her laughing (hand over mouth, incredulous, looking at me as if to say, what a young, naive girl) when I told her why he had sent me flowers. I think she even said something like, 'well that goes to show that you haven't been married very long' - or something mean like that. So, I don't keep in touch with that woman (no surprise) but I wish I could tell her right now that she was wrong to laugh, and that I still get flowers. Every year!

Happy Friday!

retail therapy

2008-04-29T10:16:00.001-04:00

Hello again. I take it you are really interested in knowing about my shopping last weekend since you've come back. Well...let's get to it!

First item to share, a new Kate Spade purse:
So perfect for spring & summer! Admittedly, it looked a little better on my arm on Saturday as I was cruising around Charlotte with my sunglasses on. Back home it looks like I'm plain out of my head, since yesterday it was raining/snowing and everyone is wearing goosedown coats again. But when the mercury climbs a bit higher, together me & the new bag will hit our stride out amongst the sandal-wearing crowd in the Midwest.

* * *

Next up, a new dress (j.crew):

ah...more white, the essence of summer! And you know how I feel about summer. I spied this dress online several weeks ago and just had to try it in person. Voila, it is mine! They say you know you are already in trouble once you step into the dressing room. It was me v. the dress in there. Once it was zipped up I looked in the mirror and saw soft breezes, warm sand, & blue ocean. Next thing I knew they were ringing me up at the counter. There was no way I could resist.

* * *

The purse and my dress are the biggest highlights. Other prizes include a hot pink Lilly polo dress, which I was lucky to find on special. I can't find a picture of that. But I did find a picture of these wild shorts:

Also from j.crew. I think they look like men's swim trunks. Cute, no? I ordered them via the red phone in store...a new experience for me....shows you what a serious shopping mood I was in...totally nuts by then. I'm hoping that their arrival later this week will coincide with the sun popping out. And staying out for good!

absolutely fabulous

2008-04-28T08:05:00.000-04:00

Short, sweet, and totally fabulous! How better to describe my weekend away?

Loved seeing Lisa and George and the kids, loved the shopping (the ginormous bag was packed full), loved being away, loved Charlotte.

And it was such a treat, such a huge treat, to finally meet my sweet blog friend homedaisy - in person.

ah!!

She and Lisa and I had dinner together Thursday night, and Friday we saw her beautiful home. We met Jennifer! We met her Mr.! We saw the gorgeous new kitchen and remodel work. And we sat on her wonderful wrap-around porch, sipping our beverages and talking shop - blog shop - until the wee hours. It was a fantastic night, comfortable and fun. It felt as though I was with old friends. New old friends. So so strange, this blog world of ours, isn't it?

I'll be back to tell you more. Yes, more! Shopping highlights to come.

ginormous

2008-04-23T23:38:00.002-04:00

ginormous

One entry found.

ginormous

Main Entry: gi·nor·mous

Pronunciation: \jī-ˈnȯr-məs\

Function: adjective

Etymology: gigantic + enormous

Date: circa 1948

:extremely large : humongous

:a word my husband *hates*

:the only way to describe the suitcase I'm bringing on a 2 day trip

:(to Charlotte, to see my sister in-law.)

:we are going *shopping*

:I mean, SHOPPING.

:We have been planning this for a long time (months)

:and so there's no way I'm bringing the overhead bin bag

:no matter how silly it seems

:for only 2 days.

tuesday update

2008-04-22T14:00:00.004-04:00

I like that title. Have you visited Tommie? She keeps a nice blog.

So anyway, here we are, Tuesday already. The emails continue from our realtor, showing us new and updated listings. I think we get about 4-5 emails each day. I don't mind getting them, in fact I like the way things work. You can see a house and see the changes to its listing in real time! - or something close to it. The picture above comes from a house with an interesting listing. It may be too small for us, it's hard to tell without seeing it in person. But we still have plenty of time for house browsing, and I'm probably getting too far ahead by even thinking about it.

I've been busy since Sunday working on my assignments that came out of last week's meeting. Burning the midnight oil does not come naturally to me, I am a morning person. So sending in my work to be reviewed this morning gave me a sense of relief for two reasons. I got the work done, and I can go to bed early tonight.

My son is upstairs right now having quiet time. His afternoon nap kind of fell by the wayside over the past couple of months. But now and then he still needs it. I was inspired to call this new exercise quiet time after reading Sara's blog. Giving a new name to an old practice did the trick in terms of getting him interested. Thank goodness for that! We have about an hour before we make our way to kindergarten for afternoon pick up. Maybe I'll partake in quiet time, too.

home again

2008-04-18T23:54:00.001-04:00

This isn't my laundry room; it's one I found while browsing online. It is cute, though, isn't it? I do love painted floors. And those little shutters on the window there...very cute. Such a neat and tidy laundry area! Just looking at it makes me feel more inspired to tackle the growing mound of laundry waiting for me in the hamper upstairs. Then again, I think I can wait a bit longer on that.

My overnight trip was great. There & back, quick as can be, just as planned. And I did return home with more work to do, so I'm pleased. The funny thing about freelance work is, it could all disappear tomorrow. The client could pull the project, the funding would disappear, I'd go back to being just me instead of the me who moonlights as a career girl. But that's Ok. The trip was good, and that's all I need to think about right now.

Tonight's post will conclude my listing of lows and highs of the day. With a new week starting, I should think about something else to do. I've liked having a theme, so I'll give it some thought over the weekend. In the meantime, these lists are lows and highs from today as well as yesterday:

lows
-actually, I can't think of any

highs
-yesterday's heels were a hit
-the work was interesting
-quality sleep
-traveling safe
-happy reunions at school and home
-pizza on the porch, all 4 of us together tonight

* * *
Have a great weekend!

trip tomorrow

2008-04-16T21:12:00.002-04:00

I have a business trip tomorrow, and I'm really excited about it.

My freelance work doesn't get the respect it deserves. From me, that is. I never really seek it out, I always wait for it to come along and find me. And when it does, I'm delighted! So, why don't I try harder to make it a real, on-going (as in all the time) thing? I could get business cards printed up. I could stop relying on my reputation alone to elicit new jobs. I could go out and hustle up new business with phone calls and visits and follow up emails. Well...all in good time. I keep saying I'm going to do it, and who knows, one day I just might.

In the meantime, the work has been very good lately, and I have an overnight trip tomorrow to visit a client that I used to work for back when I was a full-timer. And I am traveling with people who I used to work with. One of the guys was my boss a really long time ago. So it's a reunion of sorts.

We have a big meeting in the morning and afternoon, then dinner out tomorrow night. Then back on Friday before anyone is home from school. And I will hopefully be returning with more work to do. Neat and tidy, eh? You can see why I'm excited.

Anyway, since I won't be blogging tomorrow, I'm going to do a very good list tonight of my lows and highs of the day.

Lows
-not sleeping well
-not at all, actually. hmph.
-feeling grumpy because of it
-running out of ideas for dinner (help?)
-realizing that I have a sunburn ring around my neck from yesterday's t-shirt
-feelings of anxiousness over situations beyond my control
-worst of all, remembering this later than I would have liked

Highs
-$39.99 + an additional 25% off in store
- last year's sandals made their 2008 debut
- a new blouse and heels to wear tomorrow (heels! what am I thinking)
- best of all, homedaisy is free next week when I'll be visiting Charlotte

* * *
I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday night and a great Thursday.

cubs home opener

2008-04-15T21:58:00.001-04:00

No, not those cubs. My cubs! My husband put up the trampoline again last week, and it's made a world of difference around here, getting the cubs outside for some serious exercise. They are laughing and playing (and tackling) without realizing how tired they're getting or how much fresh air they're taking in. I love it! And it makes me so happy to see them outside at last. Today was a real treat - even warm enough to go barefoot. happy day!

I enjoyed my lists from yesterday so much that I'm continuing it again tonight. Maybe if I'm really good I can do this all week. All day long I've been making mental checklists of what I'd include for highs and lows of the day. It's a good way to take stock of things and appreciate the small gifts.

So anyway...drumroll...here's my lists for today:

HIGHS

- Baby Katie is home

- my new blog design, thanks to The Shabbee Chick!

- even more sun and more warmth (see pix above)

- walking downtown with my son

- eating our packed lunch on a bench, watching construction machines

- visiting the library

- walking to kindergarten to pick up big bro

- the three of us walking home together

- stopping to watch trains in the open field

- trampoline action for the cubs (and me)

- dinner on the porch (for only the second time this year)

LOWS

Getting a tad sentimental during the walk home, thinking of how nice our life is here, how we're able to walk everywhere (school, shops, library, restaurants, train), my husband works 5 minutes away, our friends are all over our neighborhood, we love our Little Cottage. We will be sad to say goodbye...

Gee, maybe I should flip the highs and lows list? What a bummer to end on a low note! Wait, I know. I'll add a P.S.

P.S. Last night we all slept great, and I'm thinking tonight we all will again. Fresh air and all...

have a great night! xo

highs and lows

2008-04-14T19:17:00.004-04:00

Doing well over here in the Little Cottage today, despite it being Monday and blah blah start of the week. Actually, I never really have a problem with Monday itself, it's just the responsibility that comes with it. Anyway, in my attempt to be a more consistent blogger, I'm gathering together a list of good and bad for today. So let's review...

today's highs
- Baby Mimi is home
- sunny skies and warm temps: spring is here!
- a quick jog outside
- clean car: vaccum inside, wash outside
- (even better?) car wash costs a mere $3 and vaccum is free
- somehow avoiding eating my new favorite cereal, Cookie Crisp, for breakfast
- playing play dough with my son and making him laugh
- paying the bills (job done)
- changing the sheets, cleaning the sheets & putting the sheets away
- a call from a potential new employer for freelance work
- 2 calls from 2 special friends

today's lows
- garage door repairman visit (don't ask)
- forgetting that last little thing on my grocery list so I gotta go back out later
- eating too much candy from last night's gift bag at work
- one of my sons flushed his sock down the toilet
- it's 6:30 and I am just about to take a shower

I hope you had a great start to your week!

what I learned

2008-04-09T07:45:00.002-04:00

Logical thinking aside, I'm still on the lookout for a new house when we move to our new city. My realtor there is fueling the fire, because she has me on an automatic update alert so I can view new properties as they come on the market. That's what I've asked her to do...and it really is fun being in the buyer position (or at least, the fantasy buyer position.)

I've given some thought to how things went when we were touring around last week, looking at neighborhoods, considering suburbs, looking at houses. And what I've learned is that I am who I am, there is no changing me. Better to realize that now than to keep going on a wild goose chase.

What I like in a house: old, charming, character. Mature trees. Pretty streets with houses that are just as pretty as the one I'm in. Newer homes on newer streets just don't hold the same appeal to me, much as I love the space in the new kitchens & baths, and especially new closets and mud rooms.

When I think about it, it makes perfect sense that I like what I do. When I was growing up, my parents kept us in the same city but moved us around a bit. Every house was old, or older. One was downright ancient (built in 1817.)

My grandparents lived in the same city and both sets lived in older homes. My dad's parents lived in a home that was a cavernous maze of bedrooms upstairs. The downstairs was just as unique, as was the property it sat on.

When my husband and I got married, we looked for an apartment in Chicago that we could call our own. We found the perfect one in the middle of Lakeview. It was old: transom windows above the doors, a little wood-burning stove, magnificent old windows, 12-foot ceilings. It was drafty and the wood floors were slightly slanted, but I loved it. After we moved out it was razed for new construction, and though we've been down the street since, I couldn't even tell you what the new place looks like, except to say that it looks just like the new one next to it.

Something else I've learned about myself when it comes to finding our next home is that I can't compromise. It's just not enough for me to like it. I must love it. My house is too much of a source of pride for me, too integral a part of myself. It's an expression of me. I have be in love with that expression. It was the same for the city apartment and the Little Cottage here. Both I have loved. Both I will remember and cherish the time I spent in them for the rest of my life.

how was your day, dear?

2008-04-08T08:06:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but I spent a lot of money yesterday. Is that tacky to say? Sorry, but there's no other way to describe it. Fortunately, I didn't buy anything of the frivolous variety. No sirree. No UPS truck deliveries to feel guilty about, or stuffed shopping bags to tote upstairs. Nope. I was thinking in a much more, ahem, practical way (this is just how I felt when we bought our new furnace, air conditioner, and water heater in December '06.)

First thing yesterday morning we had a visit from U.S. Waterproofing. Time for a sump pump to be installed in the basement of the Little Cottage! This is about the best picture I could manage of that exercise. I will say this much: the crew was quick, clean, and courteous. They were here about 4 hours.

Next up, dishwasher repair. This is actually visit #2 of the same dishwasher repair project. It seems that our heater/dryer inside died last month. So we had a new part ordered during visit #1, and yesterday was installation day (visit #2.)

Ka-ching, Ka-ching, Ka-ching!

Now, let's look at the silver lining:

April showers bring May flowers.

How very true. Good thing we'll be prepared for this year's April activity with our new sump pump to pump out any extra showers that are tempted to fill up our window wells. Why, just looking at the forecast for later tonight/tomorrow - we could be drenched. But our basement will be dry.

A dry plate saves time. Another truism! I will enjoy emptying the dishwasher again and not having to pause to wipe off water droplets on our plates, dishes, and silverware. That will surely save us extra minutes in the morning, when we're all playing Beat the Clock.

All in all, these are good things to have happen. Especially on a Monday, wouldn't you say?

major development

2008-04-06T22:49:00.003-04:00

We are home again. And wow, what a week! Based on the posts I was writing last week, you may have expected to drop by today and see something written about a contingency offer, or moving dates, or some other silly nonsense like that (maybe not so silly, but still.)

Well, I'll tell you. All last week we thought and we thought and we thought some more. About our move, and where to live, and selling our house, and buying another one (maybe even buying that one.) And somewhere toward the end of the week something just wasn't clicking with us. No, not about the house, more about the overall situation of moving, and what is required for us to move successfully. We had to back up a bit and take a closer look at the facts we had in front of us.

The thing is, right now there is no certainty in this whole plan, except that our son will be starting school in the fall ('08). As I mentioned before, the job situation is up in the air. Our house (present location) situation is up in the air (not on market.) So, why try to put the cart before the horse?

The conclusion we've made is, let's get the horse back before the cart. Yes, school begins in 5 months. That gives us 5 months to firm up everything (job) first. The house(s) will follow. Until the job is set, we can't sell ours and we can't buy another. And yes, this may seem a bit obvious now, but there are a lot of details about a potential job change that I'm not sharing. So it's fair to say that we could have pursued what we were thinking about last week in terms of selling right away.

In the meantime, that house I like so much has been on the market for about 5 months already. What are the chances that it will stick around another 5 months (or longer) for me? Hmmm. Don't answer that.

Well, I may have to let this one go, and that's ok. I will remember it, and all the pictures we took of it fondly. For instance, the picture above is a shot of the doorbell, located above one of the doorways in the kitchen. A-door-able. Of course, in my mind I had already moved in before we actually heard it, and when my husband rang it for me I just about fell over. Talk about old fashioned! Just icing on the cake.

SoBo Style

2008-04-04T09:37:00.002-04:00

A new friend that I've met through my blog directed me towards this store. It was such a great recommendation that I'm passing it on. There are all sorts of cottagey treasures to be found here.

By the way, are you familiar with Amy Butler fabric, used on the bench pictured above? I wasn't before seeing it. I love it!

Cottage lovers, check it out! You won't be disappointed.

guilty pleasure

2008-04-02T22:07:00.005-04:00

Here watching Center Stage. Have you seen this movie? I always seem to catch it when I turn on Oxygen. It is, oh let's see - sappy, a little goofy, cheesy, not great acting - but I admit it, I am a sucker every time. I saw this years ago in the theater - yes, the theater. It was the $1 theater, but still. It's fascinating to watch professional dancers, and kind of fun to think you're getting the back story on what it would be like to live in their world. If you have a little girl - maybe a young preteen, I think she would love it. It's innocent.

And, how about the last dance, the performance by Jody & co. - dancing to the Michael Jackson song? That's entertainment, baby!

intriguing

2008-04-01T21:43:00.002-04:00

Hi, still looking over here in the new city. This house is one I've seen online only but am hoping to get my feet into within the next few days. Intriguing, no?

What a web of choices we are facing over here, in terms of this suburb over that suburb, & this community over that community, & commuting, & jobs, & access to amenities. Oh, and we can't even buy a house until we sell ours, so why are we going through the torture now? Everything on the market here could change by then. Still, asking a lot of questions this week - given the homes that are available right now - is helping us sort through what's important and what's not.

I still love option #1 from Sunday (if you were sitting here with me I'd tell you about potential furniture placement.) And I will keep you posted on what happens with that one, as well as all the others as we journey along in our decision. I sure hope you've got a comfortable chair to settle into. This is going to be a long show!

browsing

2008-03-30T21:54:00.004-04:00

It is spring break. And we are in our "new" city, looking around at different suburbs where we may want to live. It is fun and exciting...but also a little exhausting, too. There are so many ways to go, different areas in which to live, various scenarios...my mind starts spinning by the end of the day.

Yesterday we saw about a thousand homes, and I didn't like any of them. I thought, what's wrong with me? Have I lost sight of what I like/what I don't? Nothing was quite right. Some were good, some were ok, almost everything was in that blah middle ground. As in, it could work if it had to. Maybe I could learn to love it.

Then, today. Today!

This morning we stopped in at an open house and my whole perspective changed. We saw a gem. And I am in Love! I feel just as I did when we found our little cottage 5 years ago. I am remembering how it feels to swoon over walls, windows, rooms, and doors. Ahhh!

We are going back tomorrow. Oh.my.gosh. There it is up there. It's even better in person. You would love it, too. Yes, you cottage lovers, you would love it.

I wonder if I will like it as much then. I can't imagine why not. I was ready to sign my life away today. It is so ME!!

genius

2008-03-25T21:15:00.002-04:00

That was my score on this test. Give it a shot.

http://www.cramersweeney.com/smartmarketing.html

Easter flowers

2008-03-24T19:57:00.004-04:00

Flowers from my mom and dad. Look at the little birdie...how sweet! Hope you had a nice Easter holiday. We sure did.

300!

2008-03-21T15:01:00.003-04:00

This is my 300th post. 300! Wow! That seems like a lot. Especially because my posting has been a little sparse as of late. Well now, what better way to celebrate the big 300 than to show you the large pile of mulch that was sitting on my driveway yesterday?

Good thing this was yesterday. It took my husband several hours to spread it around our garden beds, walkway areas, and trees. But the sun was out and shining and he had no trouble working until late at night.

The reason for spiffy-ing up so early in spring? I'll tell you:

WE'RE MOVING.

Yes, Moving! The Little Cottage is going up on the sale block, hopefully to be snatched up by another cottage lover. We are putting it on the market in a little less than 3 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed that we find an enthusiastic buyer who loves its charm as much as we do.

The reason for our move? I can tell you that, too.

We have applied and been accepted into the school that we were looking at for my son. It is out of state, so off we go. We don't have anything else set up at this point - house, job - everything is up in the air. But our hearts tell us this is the right move for our son (and us) right now. We're feeling bold and confident, no matter the uncertainty of the situation. But you know how it is with your heart. When you listen carefully, it always leads you in the right direction.

I will be back shortly to show you, or at least talk about, some of our plans and the changes we're making around here before we are For Sale.

Until then, have a wonderful day, and a delightful holiday!

don't look now

2008-03-12T16:02:00.002-04:00

...but I think spring is coming. Really!

from the Tribune's editorial page today:

This will come as no surprise to the weather-weary multitudes around here. But since Dec.1 Chicago has gone no longer than two days without snow, sleet, slush, hail, rain or some unspeakable mix of the above. This little winter nugget was reported in Tuesday's Tribune by WGN-TV's Tom Skilling. But Tom's sorry trend could end this week. No cause to break out the Coppertone, but still. This wet winter also has been cold. It has been gray -- among the cloudiest winters ever. Snowfall thus far -- and isn't that a menacing phrase? -- totals 53 inches. Since the start of the year, snow has fallen on 46 days, the most in any year since 1975.The winter of 2007-2008 has been a character-builder, and it's not over. We can't officially peel winter's icy grip from our region for another two weeks, with the arrival of the vernal equinox March 20. Not that winters here pay much attention to such niceties as calendars, equinoxes or other imperatives. Even then, the nastiness may continue. Snow, cold and gloom don't usually respect their cue to exit in Chicago.
But we know change is coming -- and not just because daylight-saving time arrived Sunday. Step outside. There's a softness in the air that would have been unimaginable a week ago. The sky is ... not always gray. And there's not a drop of anything falling from it -- for the moment.

* * *

Thank you for sending thoughts of spring our way. Keep 'em coming!

birthday

2008-03-11T12:05:00.006-04:00

I'm flexible. I was thinking that these could be a great birthday present for me. Perhaps birthday 2008, 2009, 2010, or even 2011. Being patient is not a problem. If it's unlikely that this is going to happen in the next 3-4 years, I'll start making plans for another garage sale, or some serious selling on ebay.

Of course I'm talking about the whole set. Here are the earrings and bracelet.

Should I be talking about something less shallow and materialistic? Yes? Well, Ok. Next time.

happy birthday, my darling

2008-03-07T01:01:00.001-05:00

My little boy is becoming not so little. Today he celebrates his 6th birthday. 6! I can't believe it. Now he needs two hands to count up all the fingers in his age. It's hard to believe. I know he is still a little boy...but he barely fits on my lap anymore. He's going from being a small boy to a medium boy. Oh boy.

6 years ago we weren't sure if this day would be his birthday. Late in my pregnancy I developed preeclampsia, and my doctor prescribed bed rest. I was at 37 weeks and she wanted to induce me. Over the phone she told me to be prepared to go the hospital directly after my next appointment with her (her office is across the street from the hospital.) She said, pack your bags.

My husband and I were excited. The morning of March 7th we drove down to Northwestern. On our way we noticed the license plate on a car slightly ahead of us on the freeway. It said, DUEDATE. We thought, Oh my gosh! Maybe it's a sign!

A little while later I was just drifting off to sleep when my husband nudged me. There was another car in front of us (actually it had cut in right in front of us.) This license plate said, BOBBIE. We looked at each other with wide eyes. It was thrilling.

We didn't know the sex of our baby, but we had names picked out, and Bobby was our boy name. Still...the license plate was a little tricky. Did the spelling of that name mean we were actually having a girl? or was it another sign - a not so subtle sign - that our little boy was on his way home to us?

Well, you know the answer, and today is the day to celebrate that wonderful arrival. Our little cherub. Our Sweet Boy. We simply couldn't love him more.

Happy Birthday, my darling boy!

please come soon

2008-03-05T08:56:00.000-05:00

Late last week my friend Betsy called me up. She said, I just put up my 'March' Kate Libby picture, and it's so cheerful! I couldn't remember what the picture for March looked like, but when it was time to change the calendar I got mine out and saw that she was right. Here it is:

On Saturday I had groceries to buy and added some daisies to my cart. You know they are my favorite. I don't know why, but they are not at the neighborhood store very often. But maybe since winter is on its way out they'll be easier to get from now on. See, here they are, looking sweet and cheerful:

On Sunday I read an email from my sister in-law, Lisa, telling me about the dinner party she had hosted at her house over the weekend. She had pictures to share as well. The dinner table looks so festive and colorful. Between the tablecloth and the beautiful flowers in the center, it just shouts, spring!

But, alas, pictures and flowers aside, I look out the window and more importantly, look at the forecast, and there's no sign of spring. Yet.

But we remain ever hopeful...with each new 7-day forecast from Tom Skilling...that warmer temperatures will be on their way soon....that heavy coats and mittens can be returned for the foreseeable future to the coat closet...that I will need sunglasses one of these days.

so proud

2008-03-04T13:52:00.003-05:00

My youngest son...what an imagination. Well, you might know - if you are either at this stage or you remember how it was when your kids were this small (3). Last night he was flinging around his sock, using it as a lasso. He was throwing it around every room. But look where it ended up!
There must be a rough patch on the wall there, but I can't find it now.

He thought this was hysterical. He was so proud. Of course we had to get the camera out.

tough day for the family roadster

2008-03-03T23:06:00.002-05:00

Have you been fighting those terrible potholes that always erupt after a harsh winter? Well, I hope what you encounter isn't nearly as bad as this! What you're looking at is actually a sinkhole that appeared today after a water-main break on a city street in Chicago. It swallowed a minivan. Poor little minivan.

Just had to share the picture. Here's a link to the article.

Brigid's wedding

2008-02-29T17:00:00.001-05:00

Poor little neglected blog...where oh where is your writer? Oh, here she is! Finally! Ready to do a recap on Brigid and Dan's lovely nuptials.

First, I just took this picture...it's a little grouping of some favors from the wedding. The invitation (wrapped in the pink bow) was beautiful. If you click to enlarge you will probably be able to make out the large letters that spelled out the bride and groom's names. The large print - wonderful! To the right of the invite is a program for the whole weekend that came in the large white box and was waiting for guests at the hotel. The program included an overview of Friday/Saturday/Sunday, and had suggested dining/entertaining/shopping options for the out of towners. It should be noted that the box contained other delightful treats - a sampling of famous Chicago popcorn, home baked treats done by the bride herself, little dove chocolates, Chicago's favorite gum. To the right of the program is the actual church program...also very pretty in its pink cover. Note the monogram on everything....well, let me just say that every detail throughout the whole event was included, and this was one.

Before proceeding with pictures, a disclaimer: I wish I had more/better pictures from the day. We tried to capture everything, but once I got home I realized how much we had missed with the camera. That happens with weddings, right? You are so taken with every detail it's easy to miss recording them.

Anyway, let's begin with this shot of the wreaths on the doors of the church, which is located in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.

A view from inside, at the back of the church.

Up front and taking in the scenery. For those of you unfamiliar with St. Mike's, it is very big, and as you can see, very beautiful.

Here comes the bride! My husband tells me that I bumped his elbow (I was on his right) as he was taking this photo. Too bad, I think I prevented you from seeing the bride's father. Can you see Brig's dress? It was strapless and quite beautiful with lace detail. The bridesmaids wore strapless black gowns that buttoned up the back, just like Brig's. They all wore pearls, as she did.

This shaded shot shows Brig and Dan exchanging their vows. The priest marrying them was Dan's uncle, who came in from Africa for the event. He had a comfortable and sincere presence. The happy couple was relaxed and seemed to enjoy themselves while up on the altar.

On their way out, joined as "Mr. and Mrs." for the first time.

The reception! Please, you must look at the site for the Union League Club. It is fantastic. Cocktails were at 6 p.m. followed by a dinner reception at 7:30. Outside the cocktail room we all stopped to take in the Monet hanging on the wall (that was fun.) Inside we enjoyed a sampling of fine spirits, with this cute menu to guide our bar choices.*

*note the historical fun fact included under "something blue". You didn't really think they call Chicago the Windy City because of the weather, did you? No, of course you didn't.

Voila! The towering wedding cake. The reception room was dark...it was late, the walls are a dark navy, the lighting was dim....okay, enough with the disclaimers. I just hope you can see it all.

At each table, a towering bowl of roses in the softest pink/cream, and green hydrangeas underneath. No concerns about flowers blocking the view as we sat at our round table. It was dramatic and very fitting of the occasion. Gotta say it again - just gorgeous!

There's me and my guy. We are doing well with our New Year's resolution, no?

The big band...they were great. They played EVERYTHING and had 3 female singers with cordless mikes that would swing and sway to the music. A favorite moment is when they played songs from the years when Brig and Dan were born. They also played "Livin' On a Prayer" - quite the surprise. My request was played, it was the second to the last song. Who doesn't love "Dancing Queen"?

This is a shot from when Brig and Dan made their appearance formally. Do they look happy or what? They sure enjoyed themselves!

Another attempt at capturing the beautiful flowers.

Brig and Dan's first song. I am not sure but believe it was "Lovely Lady".

They had a ball out there.

He did a little jig...or was it a jog? out there as she danced along. At the end he dipped her, too. Very sweet and romantic.

All in all, a wonderful time was had by everyone. I have more 'people' pictures, but I don't know...it doesn't seem quite right to put them out here without asking for permission first. Brig and Dan hosted us Sunday morning for brunch, and that's when I got the okay for my blog from her.

And, aren't you glad I did! It was a beautiful day, a beautiful night, and lots of fun for me to share it with you.

details to come

2008-02-27T16:41:00.004-05:00

Thank you to everyone who wrote in with their comments, or should I say, VOTES, on my last post. I had no idea there was such a range of opinions about legwear!

It must be stated that before seeing last week's Oprah show that brought my attention to the going bare option, I had been planning to wear very sheer black hosiery with my comfortable (yet chic) black velvet heels.

But, the more I thought about it, the more I became intrigued by the idea of bare legs. And then several of you, I believe Jilly was the first, suggested the idea of a spray tan to combat the white leg dilemma. So that's what I decided to do. Spray tan! There's a first for everything, isn't there?

Friday evening was my appointment and I chose the lightest shade possible. And the result was just what I was hoping to achieve. As the girl at the salon said, I looked just different enough that people might have wondered what the difference was, but it certainly didn't look like I had just gotten home from a trip to Jamaica. I do believe I had a glow.

So, anyway, I'll be back next time with a proper recap of the wedding. But the picture at the top is a little tease. These beautiful flowers were the centerpiece of each table at Brig & Dan's reception. Imagine this at the top of a beautiful candelabra, surrounded by towering tapers. Can you see it in your mind? It was gorgeous!!

More next time, but thank you again for speaking up last time. It was extremely helpful!

legwear advice needed

2008-02-20T16:46:00.001-05:00

Remember Brig? Her wedding is Saturday, and we can't wait. This is the dress that I'm wearing. I found it a few weeks ago and was so pleased to snatch it up for a mere $69. I mean, come on! $69!

But, I've got a question for you.

Earlier today I was watching Oprah's show about shlumpadinkas. Did you see it? Did you see Lloyd Boston's fashion tips & advice at the end (and how about those no-iron shirts from Brooks Brothers)? Ok, did you hear what he said about hoisery...you don't need it except for conservative office environments, it's better to use some bronzing cream and/or glimmer-shimmer on the legs and go bare for an evening event.

So my question is...bare? Really?

It's about 100 degrees below zero in Chicago this week, and I am of Irish descent. I'm going to need an entire bottle of glimmer-shimmer-brozing-magic for these pale legs. What do you think?

Advice, ladies. Advice!

(also, what is glimmer-shimmer-bronzer? Is that just another way of saying self-tanner?

Help!

is this your kitchen?

2008-02-19T23:25:00.005-05:00

Is this your house?
I saw it online a few weeks ago and my husband found it today, and if it is yours, I must tell you that I love it. LOVE it! I would move right in tomorrow.

Can you save it for me?

Hello there...and welcome back to my blog. I must explain that I've been away only because I haven't had much to say. You saw the last post, written in a moment of angst. I finally had to delete it because it was bringing me down. But I have not nor will I forget your supportive comments. Thank you, thank you for those.

Not saying much leads me to believe that I'm happy making this forum about my house, and a bit about me, and of course my neighbors and friends, and how could I forget my hair and all the memes...but probably not about my son. I will mention him from time to time, as I have in the past. He is a part of me and a huge part of my heart, so you will still see him on the screen and in my words. Over time maybe I'll tell you what's going on with us right now. But maybe not until we've reached the other side and I know how this uncertain time is going to settle down. On the other hand, maybe not. I hope you'll stay with me, regardless. Knowing you as I do, I'm sure you will.

I'm glad I have an outlet here that is a happy place for me to go, and quite frankly, a light & breezy place to go. Right now that's all I can promise it will be.

So anyway, this house...what a beauty! I know I have only showed you one picture. But trust me, it's a winner.

thawing out

2008-02-11T09:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's scare with the broken heater was - thankfully - very short lived. Longtime readers may remember that our furnace was installed about a year ago (what a Christmas present! For as long as I live, I'm sure I'll never get another that will compete with its scale.) So the tech came and installed a new part while we made a speedy exit. Our poor house warmed up quickly, and we were able to come back a couple of hours later with no problem.

But overall it's been a tough few days for the house. We've been having some trouble with the paneling above our mantel over the past several months, and the recent bitter cold seemed to make the problem worse. Just when we thought a panel or two was going to split completely, Rick the handyman got us on his schedule. He came over early Saturday morning and started ripping out the old wall, and installed a new one in its place:

And...ugh, what a mess! But it had to be done, of course. Rick is coming back today to sand and paint us back to a pretty yellow backdrop.

Between the house and what's going on with my son these days, I'm feeling a bit strung out (is that even possible, since I'm not a drug user?) My youngest and I are heading to the gym today. There is a great pilates class on Monday mornings and I intend to be there. Time to recharge a little bit.

Have a great day, ladies!

stay warm!

2008-02-10T10:48:00.001-05:00

I'm posting from up my son's room, the sunniest one in the house. We woke up this morning with cold noses. I said to my husband, did you turn the heat off? no! He did not! aah! It is broken! The thermometer says 49 degrees in here.

Friends, today's high is -1. Currently it is -2. We have just had the heat tech arrive. As soon as things are squared away with him, we're outta here!

hello

2008-02-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

Hello! Long time, no write. Where have I been? I've been here.

Well, actually, I haven't been here all week. My husband and I took the kids late last week to visit the school that we are looking at for our oldest son (more on that later.) We got back around midnight on Monday night. So I've been here all week, just being quiet.

The way I see it, if I had posted about our snowstorm this week, me shoveling (husband was traveling), my son not sleeping and therefore me not sleeping, or just my general boo-hoo feelings (I have diagnosed myself as a sufferer of this) you may have been hard pressed to check back in with me.

But, hubby returned last night and, as always, the world has righted itself again. I've heard many people describe their special person this way, and it's true for me, too: he's my rock. My knight in shining armor. I just can't function right when he's not around. If he had a job where he traveled all the time, I don't know what I would do. We have so much going on here with our son, and I need him every day to help me make sense of it all. He makes me laugh, he keeps me sane, he keeps me going. Also, he is so kind, so sweet, so sensitive. Oh, I could talk your ear off about how good he is to me. I'll wrap it up for now, but just know that I'm happy he's back.

So, on a lighter note, here are some pictures that describe what's been going on in the Little Cottage this week. First of all, Mary stopped by. Mary, Mary! It's a great day when Mary is here. She came by to pick up this piece:
...which actually belongs to my mom. After seeing and hearing so much about Mary's work, my mom has become interested in joining the Mary fan club and having a piece painted by Mary for her very own. Let this serve as the official "before" photo, because you know I'll be back in a few weeks with some great after shots.

Of course I couldn't let Mary walk out the door without giving her something of my own as well. This mirror has been hanging above our mantel, and its time has come. So Mary will be working her magic on it, too.

Another highlight of the week: baking with Big Pink. We love her! The boys have even started to call her by name. Last night while they were eating I started mixing up cookie batter and they became so interested that they came into the kitchen and helped me finish the job. I didn't take a photo, but I had them sitting in their barstools over by the counter so they could peer into the bowl and see how things were mixing. They were thrilled to see the transformation. Little guys! I need to foster this interest in the kitchen so that maybe one day they'll take an interest in making dinner. You never know.

Today I have lunch plans with a neighbor who has become a very good friend, but unfortunately one who I don't see as often as I would like. We are treating ourselves to some time alone and I can't wait.

I hope you have a very nice weekend, and I promise to be back soon. Ta ta!

snow day!

2008-02-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

It started snowing yesterday afternoon and ended around 9 a.m. this morning. From the various reports, it seems we got somewhere between 10-12 inches.

This morning the school district called with a prerecorded message around 5:45 a.m., letting us know that school would be cancelled for the day. When my husband got dressed and headed outside to fire up the snowblower, it was like a party outside. All the men on the street were out there in their gear, doing the same thing.

I thought maybe the kids would be too small to appreciate school being cancelled...but lo and behold, my oldest shouted "no school today!" as he was coming down the stairs for breakfast.

Even though it already was a fun day, I thought they both deserved an extra treat. So for lunch I made them their favorite: macaroni & cheese (of course) and hotdogs. And today was a first, they actually helped me make it!

Hope you have a great weekend...happy February!

not long now

2008-01-29T16:17:00.000-05:00

We're closing in on the end of January. How about that!

Today it is mild here - very mild - almost spring-like. The snow has melted and all the kids at school were dying to play in the mud. A preview of life in March-April...and it will be here before we know it.

I saw a woman I know at school when we were waiting to pick up the kids. Her son is in the same kindergarten class as mine. She is Irish, has lived here just a handful of years, and is going to Ireland this weekend for a family reunion. She said this weather reminds her so much of home. She said her mom said to her on the phone this morning, 'you better pack warm clothes to wear for your trip'. And we think this is balmy! We just laughed.

So anyway...enough talk about the weather.

These days I'm short on news, but everything is fine. Tonight is an open-house at school to celebrate the 100th day of the year. We are going over to see my son's artwork and look at all the festive things that the students have put together for us.

And did you see that cute tea cup and saucer up there? My youngest made this at his little kids day out program yesterday. Every week they do such creative crafts, but I think this one is my favorite. It even goes with the house!

Hope you have a great day, and that the sun comes your way soon.

sarah & abraham

2008-01-24T02:28:00.000-05:00

Have you visited this shop yet? Well, you really should. Sara is a fellow chicago-area mom, and friend. Her business is just getting going, and I just know it's going to take off.

P.S. don't forget to visit her blog!

to fill the time

2008-01-23T04:51:00.000-05:00

It's my usual middle-of-the-night activity over here, listening to my son toss and turn in bed. I'm unable to go back to sleep until he does, sooo...

Saw this over at Kellie's and wanted to play along.

4 jobs I have had

Hmm...a little tricky because I think I've answered a question like this before, so let's see if I can come up with something original.

Banana Republic. My timing on this job was good. I was in grad school, ready to enter the workforce but no $ for work clothes. Enter BR with their 50% off discount. hooray! I think I still have my Banana black suit in the closet upstairs. I wore it to all of my first interviews.

Waitress. A few different places in high school, and college, and grad school. This is such a tough job, and I always thought it was stressful. Waiters & waitresses certainly earn every dollar that comes their way. Tip well, folks! (that is, if the service is good.)

Receptionist. Again, at a few different places. One post was working at the alumni office back in college. There it is in the picture above. As you can see, the office is in an older historical home that's been converted into office space. Very pretty on the inside and out. All the bigwigs worked upstairs in these beautifully converted bedrooms. My space was downstairs, right inside the foyer. There was a lovely view outside the window next to my desk. I had this job when I was a senior, and I remember many mornings looking outside, wondering where I would be the following year.

Women's shelter volunteer. No pay of course, but technically still a job. This was another chapter from college. I went through a training program to be a person who answers the telephone hotline number at the shelter. Most of the time the phone would not ring, but I remember a couple of times it did. There were a lot of students who volunteered in this position. I think we would volunteer in 2-hour increments. You would bring a book and sit at a little desk and wait for the phone to ring. If it rang, you had to talk to whomever was calling and try to get as much information you could from the caller, letting her know that she would be safe to come in. Then you had to fill out a little report on the call. I must admit that most of my shifts there I would secretly pray that the phone wouldn't ring, because I was worried about saying the right thing.

4 movies I would watch over and over again

Legally Blonde

When Harry Met Sally

Chariots of Fire

Out of Africa

4 places I have lived

Athens, Ohio

Mackinac Island, Michigan

London, England

Chicago, Illinois

4 people I email daily

This is tough. How about 'people I email often'? These are the regulars.

my sister in-law

my husband

various members of my family

4 favorite things to eat

homemade chocolate chip cookies

homegrown tomatoes

fried chicken

seasonal fruit...grapes, apples, peaches, plums...yum.. oh, summer.

4 places I would rather be

up in bed

on my porch with a good book on a warm evening

at the pool with my husband and kids (the outdoor pool)

at a great summer party with my husband and our friends

4 things I look forward to this year

(only 4? Come on!)

meeting my cousin's new baby girl twins

making a decision about school for our son

Brig's wedding in February

my next trip to the hairdresser...ooh la la...highlights

a trip to the Outer Banks with my family & extended family in August

Sex and the City hitting theaters in late spring

eating with my family out on our porch again

wearing sandals and shorts

a possible trip to Charlotte in April

getting a new bathing suit

letting my hair air dry every day

seeing the plants and flowers come back

hosting a baby shower for my neighbor who is pregnant with her first child

resuming daily jogs outdoors (too much of a wimp these days)

going to the park with my kids

spending time outside with my husband

driving around with the windows down

jumping on the trampoline with my kids

watching the fireworks in the park on the 4th

college football games in the fall with my husband

4 people I will tag

How about just 1...

Preppy Rider (bring it back, PR!)

warding off winter blahs

2008-01-22T14:37:00.000-05:00

If you've been reading along here for any length of time, then you probably know that I love summer. Love summer! And I don't like winter. Don't like it one bit!

So, living with me in January isn't the greatest. Especially when you live outside of Chicago and you get snow and ice regularly. Like, this morning. Another 5 inches! sigh. Try as I might to remain my usual happy and optimistic self, these winter days have a way of wearing me down a bit.

But if you're a real sweetheart of a guy, you'll do what you can to bring some sunshine and warmth my way. For instance, on the way home from an appointment with your son, the two of you will stop and pick up some flowers for me:

ta da!

No, winter's not my favorite, but I do have my ways of keeping the winter blahs at bay. Mostly they involve eating (good thing I now have the big pink mixer. We're calling her Big Pink for short.) I have a couple of recipes to help get through these cold days and nights. Back on New Year's Eve, my sister in-law made a very tasty white bean chili & cornbread combo for a small group of us, and it is divine. I made the same dinner this past weekend, to rave reviews inside the LC. So, although I don't have a picture, I will pass this on (trust me, you don't need the picture...these recipes are winners!)

White Bean Chili
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 C water
1 t salt
2 t ground cumin
1 bayleaf
1/2 t pepper
1-2 t oregano
5 15-oz cans great northern beans, drained & divided
1 14 1/2-oz can chicken broth
1 16-oz pkg. frozen shoepeg white corn
2 4.5-oz cans chopped green chilis
3 T lime juice
garnish with cilantro if desired and shredded monteray jack cheese for top

Saute chopped onion in hot oil in a large dutch oven over med-high heat 7 minutes; add garlic and saute 2-3 minutes. Stir in chicken and cook, stirring constantly until chicken is lightly browned. Stir in water and next 5 ingredients; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Place 2 cans of beans in blender; add the chicken broth and process until smooth. Stir in bean puree, remaining beans, corn and chilies into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in lime juice just before serving. Top with cilantro and shredded cheese.

* * *
Next recipe: moist and 'out of this world' (as my mother said) cornbread:

Cornbread
1 stick of butter, softened
2 jiffy corn bread mix
1 can cream corn
1 egg beaten
1 pint sour cream

Mix together and pour into lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

* * *
Last recipe: Charlie's chocolate cake

This was my grandmother's recipe, my mom's mom. We had dinner club this past Saturday night and I had to bring a dessert, and this is what I brought. I hadn't made it in years...and was so pleasantly surprised at what a hit it was at the party. It is not too heavy and just chocolate enough. Even my husband had seconds, and you know how healthy he is. Here's what it looked like on Saturday:

And here's the recipe:
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
1 C sour cream
4 eggs
1 t vanilla
6 oz pkg chocolate chips
1/3 C vegetable oil
3/4 C double cream (don't whip)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips; stir in chocolate chips after beating. Pour into well-buttered bundt pan. Bake 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle cake with a little powdered sugar while still warm.

Delicious! You won't be disappointed. As you saw from the picture, we made it a birthday cake Saturday night. One of our friends was turning 30 "again". And, do you know what we also did? Why, we had our picture taken! So far my New Year's resolution is still going strong.

bon appetit!

Keep warm!

Only 10 more days of January!!

10% off at naturallycurly.com

2008-01-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your nice messages on my last post. I will be getting back to those heavier issues soon. In the meantime, here's something a little lighter and more joyful. This message popped up in my inbox this morning. If you're a curlyhead, enjoy the savings!

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Jan. 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."
-- "I Have a Dream," August 28, 1963

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to forge the common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together to address important community issues. In honor of his goal and on this day of remembrance, we're offering our customers 10 percent off* all CurlMart purchases. Type in the promotion code "MLK08."

tonight's outing

2008-01-16T23:56:00.000-05:00

MAGNIFICENT!

* * * *!

fwd: five for fighting

2008-01-15T22:38:00.000-05:00

From my inbox this morning...

I am sure some of you have seen this, but if it is true and donations are made then a reminder is always a good thing...

The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating $0.49 to Autism Speaks each time this video is viewed. The funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214

Your smile counts. The more smiles you share, the more we donate. Join in!**

...and even more trains

2008-01-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

This will be my last post on trains. At least for now.

Last night my husband and I had plans to go out - dinner, movie, a little shopping - it was going to be a great night. But our youngest son just couldn't kick the bug that's been bothering him over the last few days. So instead of going out, we took the kids to my in-law's for a little while.

No matter how bad you're feeling, a little train action can perk you up. Especially when you're 3.

Here's my father in-law's home office, where he's built a train track that runs around the perimeter of the room:
He turned the trains on about 2 minutes after we arrived. Per the requests of our train guys.

Here the train is about to enter a tunnel...

...that my father in-law built. The little markers on the tunnel show the family line. The line begins in the towns where my father in-law and mother in-law grew up. The following stops show where they lived after they got married and where their children were born.

The kids love seeing the trains come through the tunnel.

I'm too short to get them up here, but their daddy can lift them up (although I think it's getting a little harder each time!)

We didn't stay here too long, and got the kids home quickly to get to bed early. But our littlest boy is still feeling sick today, so it looks like another day of rest is on the agenda. Thankfully he's the only one sick so far. And hopefully he'll be feeling better soon.

cookie time

2008-01-12T16:20:00.001-05:00

Word has it that our new neighbors have moved in. Remember them? I was pretty good at keeping you updated on their construction progress, then autumn came, holidays rolled around, and I got distracted. Well, to bring you up to speed, here's their house today, Saturday, January 12th:

Do you remember how things used to look? It was about a year ago that I told you the old house would be coming down. Now that it's down and the new one is up & finished, it's time to tour! Of course we'll give them a few weeks to get settled, but curious minds want to know what it looks like inside. I know I'm not alone. My husband will shake his head when he reads this, but all the women around here (including moi) have been anxiously awaiting an invitation to tour the new place. As you know, we have met the couple (v. nice) when they came to our tailgate party in the fall, and they did say something at one point about a house tour...and well, you just can't forget a casual remark like that, even if it was made after a couple of beers!

I think the reason everyone around here is so curious is that...well, this couple is just like us. In the midst of tear down craziness - big, very expensive homes with all the amenities and no backyards being built throughout our neighborhood - this new home is not crazy. The woman lived here with her family when she was in high school, than bought the older (and deteriorating - she said) home from her parents a few years ago. When she met her husband, they made the decision to stay here and build a new home, one that would be big enough for them to raise a family in and stay here for good. So - good for them! But my question is, what does that buy you in this market? What kind of construction do you get from big-time builders when you are small-time?

Like I said, curious minds want to know. Because you never know what your own situation will be some day.

Anyway, to welcome the new couple to the neighborhood (I guess I am welcoming them back to the neighborhood), I made them cookies this afternoon. We'll see how far cookies go in securing me an invite. Oh heck, you know I'm just happy they're here at last.

more trains

2008-01-10T11:08:00.000-05:00

Saturday we visited the Chicago Botanic Garden to check out the winter train exhibit.
Trains were running throughout mini scenes of Chicago. All the structures and buildings were built from plants, braches, twigs, moss - everything from nature. It was spectacular!

Of course my two little engineers thoroughly enjoyed being up close & personal with the many trains, trams, and trolleys that wound their way throughout the different tracks.

And it's nice to look back on a fun day like that when we are faced with today: feeling sick and staying put on the couch.

As my son said to me this morning, "maybe we should kiss and snuggle all day today". I think that's a good idea.

wearing flip flops

2008-01-07T16:39:00.000-05:00

Today I'm wearing a short sleeve t-shirt and jeans. And flip flops. Soooo nice for January, let me tell you! I know that many of you are enjoying this (temporary) warm up right now. What a welcome way to usher in January. The snow and cold will return - and soon - but for now, let's just enjoy this balmy weather and feel the air on our skin. Hooray!

Today was my son's first day back at school. Boo hoo...you know I like having him around. But when I picked him up he was all smiles and his notebook says he had a good day, so good for him. I mentioned previously that he has been struggling in school. I will fill you in on that soon.

Saturday night my husband and I went to a party. This couple, friends from way back, has a holiday party each year. This year they were a little late because they have just finished their house renovation project. Literally just finished - days ago! They live in a split level home and they added a new half story to the top, which is now their master bedroom & bath, and they added on to their main living space by bumping the house out back a bit to add a big family room. The result was/is terrific.

One thing that caught my eye during the party was that they had all these great pictures of themselves, their kids, their friends and family flashing up on their new tv above the fireplace. Apple tv, I had never heard of it until a couple of weeks ago and now I'm seeing it in person. Very impressive! But even more impressive was the fact that there were so many pictures of just this couple: on vacation, in their backyard, out to dinner. I said to my husband, 'we don't do that any more'. It seems like every picture we have is our kids, there are no pictures of us, certainly none of us together. I told him that this is my New Year's resolution - to get us together more. Pictures, dates, you name it. It will be easy to start with pictures. We can snap pictures of the kids any time (and we do) but much more challenging to get a few of us.

We decided to start on the resolution right then and there and my husband flipped open his phone to take this:Hey, it's a start!

backtracking

2008-01-05T16:33:00.000-05:00

So here we are on Christmas Eve. I wanted to show you my husband's parents' house, which is close to where we live. We went to dinner with them (and their friends and their friends' families) for Christmas Eve, then came back to their house for dessert. It was a lovely way to end the night.

This is their house, all decked out for Christmas. Look closely and you'll notice that they have a train track erected around the tree in front. This is just for Christmas. My father in-law loves trains. He has passed that love down to a few of his grandchildren, including my sons. The Christmas train ("Santa's Fe") runs along on the track when the decorations go up. Although it was a freezing night, my sons chose to stay out here and watch the train for as long as possible (with their daddy and grandfather.)

Here's a closer view of one train admirer, as well as the track and train.

Admirer #2. Did I mention it was a freezing night? I was too much of a wimp to stay outside for long. My husband snapped all of these pictures.

My father in-law has trains on the inside of his house as well. We didn't take a picture that night, but inside his office in the house he has built train track that runs along the perimeter of the room, suspended from the ceiling. There's even a tunnel that's a part of the scene, too. Some day I'll have to go back and snap that for you. For now, I can show you a shot of the tree that was running (where else?) under the Christmas tree. My boys were in heaven. In fact, we stayed over here until about 11 p.m. The boys are 5 and 3 years old. But as long as the trains were moving, eyes were wide open!

Let's move on from the trains to house decor. This is the dining room. A few years ago my in-laws redecorated their house, almost the entire first floor and a guest bathroom upstairs. I don't have any "before" photos. But you can probably tell that the change was beautifully done.

The area rug in this room that you see above inspired the hand painted border. Just beautiful!

More hand painting was done on the banister in the foyer. If I had my druthers, I would love to have this done on the banister that is in the upstairs of my own home. It is so, so pretty.

The same artist who painted the banner and banister also painted these lovely blooms in the foyer, which travel up the stairway. I know these pictures are nice, but you really should see them in person!

This is a picture of the living room. That's me sitting over there beyond the tree in the family room. Not one of my better poses, but you know, it's not about me. It's about this gorgeous house!

Aah, Christmastime. I told my mother in-law that I was ready to check in for the night. She did a wonderful job with her decorations. This was the first Christmas that she and my father in-law spent here, post decorating project. For the last few years they have traveled down to Charlotte to be with my sister in-law and her family. I think they both enjoyed seeing their "new" home filled with all of their old Christmas treasures. By the way, that's me again in the plaid pants. I am speaking to my son, who is standing in front of my mother in-law (far left) and her friend.

Voila! The kitchen. The most dramatic change here was that everything was gutted and the footprint of the entire room was changed. Picture dark, hanging cabinetry, small preparation space & eating area, and you get the idea. It turned out great.

This view gives you a better idea of how the kitchen now flows into the family room. There used to be a little half wall between the rooms.

That's all the photos I have from our time at my in-law's. Now we are home, and milk & cookies are waiting for Santa. We all opened our Christmas Eve gift, which was new jammies for everyone.

One more shot of the tree. Now that it's down, I miss it.

On Christmas, my husband and I each gave each other ornaments. This was a surprise to both of us. The Chicago marquee is from me to him:

And this beauty is from him to me:

I mentioned that I made pancakes Christmas morning. What I didn't mention was that I tried making them with pancake molds that I had purchased at Williams-Sonoma. I had a really hard time doing this! In my first attempt I was using them wrong, they were upside down on the griddle. The second attempt wasn't much better. By this time my sons were getting very hungry. Then it occurred to me that we still cut up all of their food for them before they begin eating...so the shapes probably would have been lost on them anyway. Oh well, A for effort and all that. If you want a set of pancake molds, let me know and they are yours.

Next post: post Christmas!

my present

2008-01-04T16:19:00.001-05:00

I asked for and (oh so kindly) received a big pink mixer for Christmas. That Santa! He came through for me again. I loved it so much that after opening, I immediately made pancakes for everyone here on Christmas morning. The mixer will have a nice long run here in the LC, I'm sure.

And doesn't it fit in so well? As you can imagine, storage around here is rather limited. So this guy will have a permanent spot out on my counter - err, cart. Right next to the stove, where concoctions requiring mixing action will be assembled.

I took this picture with a gift my husband received this year from my parents, a new camera! We needed one so badly. We've been photographing everything since then. My husband took a lot of pictures on Christmas Eve at his parents' house...and I'm going to post those later so you can see them. I know, I know, Christmas is over. But who gets tired of pictures?

sweater weather

2008-01-03T23:37:00.000-05:00

Hello, and Happy 2008 from the Little Cottage!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. From the looks of your blogs, it certainly looks like you did. What a treat it has been to visit you and spy upon your trees, your tables, your mantles, your delighted childrens' faces on Christmas morning! Oh, I do love blogland, don't you?

Things are good on this end. Thank you for your nice comments in December. I am back and feeling renewed. Ready to take on the challenges and enjoy the perks of this new year. New year, new attitude, new sense of determination. And optimism!

The picture above is a little bit of a trick. It is from 2 weeks ago. Right now we actually have more snow on the ground than this, probably about 4 inches. It is very pretty around here but very--brr brrr---chilly. Those of you living in the land of sunshine and gentle warm winds, I envy you!

Well, that's it for now. I will pop back soon for more of an update. Just wanted to say hi for now. Hi!!!

early holiday break

2007-12-12T17:07:00.000-05:00

It's been a rough couple of days inside the Little Cottage, and so I am taking an early holiday break and closing up blogshop until January. My uncle died suddenly of a heart attack Monday afternoon. My oldest son is struggling a bit in school. I am feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

It's time to slow down, breathe a bit, and just be with my family.

I hope that you and yours have a delightful, healthy, happy, and wonderful holiday. I look forward to reading about your adventures, Santa's generosity, and the stories that unfold over the next couple of weeks.

Blessings to you all.

Merry Christmas!

what a week

2007-12-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

This has been a fun week, but I must admit I'm exhausted!

The book club meeting went off without a hitch on Wednesday night. Everyone brought their 3 dozen cookies and I've been working on my stash steadily since then. Fortunately, I did not have 22 guests, I had 16. So everyone got a seat. A real seat. Oh, and we did our book exchange, too. I got "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Piccoult. Anxious to read this one, have never read anything by this author before but have always heard good things.

Tuesday and Thursday evenings this week I was working. Did I tell you that I got a job at a nearby clothing store in town? Well, I did. I've been there about a month. I mostly work evenings, from about 5:30-8:30. It's working out very well, and the job is easy-breezy. There's something about clocking in and clocking out that is so refreshing. When you leave the building, you don't give the work a second thought. Oh, and there's the discount, too. Nice!

Tonight is my husband's office party. Tomorrow night a neighbor is hosting a party down the street. They have a small house, like us, and when I ran into the hostess this past week she told me they were expecting 52 people. yowsers! We don't know yet if we'll make it to that one, still figuring out babysitting details. But it's fun to have the option...isn't it? Next weekend we have nothing, no parties at all! Maybe by then the break will be nice.

I hope you have a great weekend, see you next week, or sooner!

about 5 inches

2007-12-05T08:24:00.000-05:00

The snow started yesterday evening around 5 p.m. and continued through the night. No school closings today, by the time morning came the streets had been pretty much cleared. The newspaper says we may get more snow tomorrow night. It feels so festive and pretty - the first snowfall, that is. I think everyone's outdoor Christmas decorations look better with snow. Don't you?

Knowing this was coming, yesterday my youngest and I headed to Target to get new snow boots for my oldest. And some new snow pants. When he gets home from school later today we'll be out there. He LOVES the snow! As long as I have enough time to get ready for my book club guests tonight, I'll be happy to be out there with them both.

scenes from a shower

2007-12-03T19:48:00.000-05:00

Sunday's shower was a raging success. Yes, the skies had opened up and we got our fair share of sleet/slush/snow - your basic ugly winter mix. But that was mostly Saturday. On Sunday it poured rain - but at least no one had to wear snow boots! I remembered to take a few pictures, it seems like I always forget when people come over, but this time I didn't.

Here's one right before the guests came over.
The bride-to-be Brigid in a beautiful cream/gold dress and sweater. Looking calm and relaxed and ready to assume the spotlight, which she did graciously.

Co-host Kelly is wearing the cute little black number. She brought a tasty chicken/pasta/tomato dish. It was her own concoction, and I must say, very delicious.

The beverage/dessert table. I got the cupcake cake last year for my son's 5th birthday and have been getting them for each party since. There's no "make mine a small piece" when everyone has a cupcake to eat. And let's face it, who turns down a cupcake!? This one was half vanilla & half chocolate. Yum Yum.

I was sorry that I didn't take a picture of the buffet before we got started. But here we are in an eating action scene. Fresh fruit, Kelly's concoction, and then a platter of muffins/breads to choose from.

I must say that Brig has the nicest friends. She is a nice person herself, so it's no surprise. But these are fun, interesting women, who know how to relax and have a good time. It will be one big party on February 23rd!

Presents galore!! (this photo is a little fuzzy...I'm sorry about that. Looks like I need a new camera pretty soon!)

Me and Brig. I loved hosting the party in her honor. She deserves every happiness in the world!

two showers and a cookie exchange

2007-12-01T08:54:00.000-05:00

I borrowed this punch bowl from my mom and brought it back with me after our Thanksgiving trip. It was my dad's mom's...isn't it something? There are 16 glass punch cups that go with it.

Well, guess what, I have need for those 16 punch cups!

Tomorrow I'm hosting a bridal shower for my dear friend. There are going to be 16 guests (totally random how this worked out...but it's perfect, wouldn't you say?) So I'm making up a champagne punch that packs a punch! Three bottles of champagne, a fifth of gin, gingerale, tonic water, lemonade - you get the idea.

I'm awfully excited about the shower. But there's another shower - this one from the sky. We're expecting sleet & snow tonight. I guess it must be a lot, because my husband was just telling me that United has already cancelled flights for today, in anticipation of this bad weather (which hasn't even arrived yet??)

So,

Two showers...let's hope one doesn't wreak havoc on the other. Please keep your fingers crossed for me and my guests!

Ok, then next week - use #2 for the punch bowl - I'm hosting our December book club meeting. I'm very excited about this. Our last meeting of the year involves a cookie exchange as well as a book exchange. I mean, we wrap up a gently used book from our own shelves and bring it to exchange. We draw numbers and pick books that way. It's very bookish and nerdy, wouldn't you say? But oh so perfect for a book club!

We're also discussing my book selection, which is my favorite book of all time, Marjorie Morningstar. I know some people laugh at this book and its old-fashioned ways. Some others see it as a book that got more recognition than it deserved for its time (it made the cover of Time when it was first published). Me, I simply love the story. I first read it when I was 18 and I've read it half a dozen times since. And I love it every time.

So...book club is Wednesday night. Oh, did I mention there are about 22 people in our book club? There was 14 of us when I hosted last time. I hope I can come up with 22 chairs. A few people have told me they don't need a chair, they will gladly sit on the floor. I didn't have the heart to tell them that the Little Cottage doesn't even have space for 22 bottoms. I'm sure that we'll figure it all out when the time comes.

Chicago slang

2007-11-29T13:36:00.000-05:00

This came through on an email this morning. Sorry I don't have original material...will be back soon!

CHICAGO SLANG
1. Grachki (grach'-key): Chicagoese for 'garage key' as in, 'Yo, Theresa, waja do wit da grachki? How my supposta cut da grass if I don't git intada grach?'

2. Sammich: Chicagoese for sandwich. When made with sausage, it's a sassage sammich; when made with shredded beef, it's an Italian Beef sammich, a local delicacy consisting of piles of spicy meat in a perilously soggy bun.

3. Da: This article is a key part of Chicago speech, as in 'Da Bears' or 'Da Mare' -- the latter denoting Richard M. Daley, or Richie, as he's often called.

4. Jewels: Not family heirlooms or a tender body region, but a popular name for one of the region's dominant grocery store chains. 'I'm goin' to the Jewels to pick up some sassage.'

5. Field's: Marshall Field, a prominent Chicago department store. Also Carson Pirie Scott, another major department store chain, is simply called ' Carson 's.'

6. Tree: The number between two and four. 'We were lucky dat we only got tree inches of snow da udder night.'

7. Over by dere: Translates to 'over by there,' a way of emphasizing a site presumed familiar to the listener. As in, 'I got the sassage at the Jewels down on Kedzie, over by dere.'

8. Kaminski Park : The mispronounced name of the ballpark where the Chicago White Sox (da Sox) play baseball. Comiskey Park was renamed U.S. Cellular Field (da Cell)

9. Frunchroom: As in, 'Get outta da frunchroom wit dose muddy shoes.' It's not the 'parlor.' It's not the 'living room.' In the land of the bungalow, it's the 'frunchroom,' a named derived, linguists believe, from 'front room.'

10. Use: Not the verb, but the plural pronoun 'you!' 'Where use goin'?'

11. Downtown: Anywhere near The Lake, south of The Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo) and north of Soldier Field.

12. The Lake : Lake Michigan . (What other lake is there?) It's often used by local weathermen, 'cooler by The Lake.'

14. Braht: Short for Bratwurst. 'Gimme a braht wit kraut.'

15. Goes: Past or present tense of the verb 'say.' For example, 'Den he goes, 'I like this place'!'

16. Guys: Used when addressing two or more people, regardless of each individual's gender.

17. Pop: A soft drink. Don't say 'soda' in this town. 'Do ya wanna canna pop?'

18. Sliders: Nickname for hamburgers from White Castle , a popular Midwestern burger chain. 'Dose sliders I had last night gave me da runs.'

19. The Taste: The Taste of Chicago Festival, a huge extravaganza in Grant Park featuring samples of Chicagoland cuisine which takes place each year around the Fourth of July holiday.

20. 'Jeetyet?': Translates to, 'Did you eat yet?'

21. Winter and Construction: Punch line to the joke, 'What are the two seasons in Chicago ?'

22. Cuppa Too-Tree: is Chicagoese for 'a couple, two, three' which really means 'a few.' For example, 'Hey Mike, dere any beerz left in da cooler over by dere?' 'Yeh, a cuppa too-tree.'

23. 588-2300: Everyone in Chicago knows this commercial jingle and the carpet company you'll get if you call that number -- Empire!

24. Junk Dror: You will usually find the 'junk drawer' in the kitchen filled to the brim with miscellaneous, but very important, junk.

25. Southern Illinois : Anything south of I-80. This is where Smothers' is from....

26. Expressways: The Interstates in the immediate Chicagoland area are usually known just by their 'name' and not their Interstate number: the Dan Ryan ('da Ryan'), the Stevenson, the Kennedy (da 'Kennedy'), the Eisenhower (da 'Ike'), and the Edens (just 'Edens' but Da Edens' is acceptable).

27. Gym Shoes: The rest of the country may refer to them as sneakers or running shoes but Chicagoans will always call them gym shoes!

This is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about Chicago...

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you live in Chicago .

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Chicago .

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Chicago .

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you live in Chicago . AUGIE!!!!

If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of I-80 for the weekend, you live in Chicago .

If you measure distance in hours, you live in Chicago ..

If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again, you live in Chicago .

If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Chicago .

If you carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you live in Chicago .

If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Chicago .

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80 and everybody is passing you, you live in Chicago .

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Chicago ..

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction, you live in Chicago .

If you have more miles on your snow blower than your car, you live in Chicago .

If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly', you live in Chicago ..

If you actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all your Chicago friends & others, you live or have lived in Chicago.

things so far

2007-11-26T23:35:00.000-05:00

Not quite finished with Christmas decorating yet, though I did finish my tree last night. Here's my new tree topper. I've been looking for something for the last couple of years. This gem was less than $15 - and it wasn't from Target! The store that I found it in had it tucked down into a corner behind some shelves. What is it with tree toppers? You don't see them featured often...and when they are, their price is $$. For example, I absolutely loved a glass one that I saw here the other day. But it was over $100. For a tree topper - no!

In other decorating news, my husband just returned from Home Depot with a big box of blue lights for outside. Oops. He thought he was buying white. Typical Christmas, wouldn't you say? One step forward, one step back (no, not two.) Or maybe it's more appropriate to say - one trip out, one trip back. And back again until you get it right...

Good night!

ornaments

2007-11-25T21:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight I am decorating our Christmas tree. These are the new ornaments I have for it this year. I bought some of these last year after Christmas. The little blue star I saw this past week in a stationery shop near my parents' house. The old fashioned looking one with the two little boys I found a few weeks ago in Geneva. The little boys reminded me of my own.

With each new year comes a new ornament...or two or three... I've been collecting them since I was a child. Of course I didn't start collecting them myself, my parents and grandparents did that for me. They would give new ornaments each year to my brothers and I, and now that we're grown we have our own collections going back to way back when...it's a nice tradition. When I said the other day that my decor is going in a new direction this year, that unless I love it it's not coming out of the box...well, that doesn't apply to what's on the tree. On the contrary! It just wouldn't be Christmas if I wasn't using the same ornaments today that I proudly hung up when I was 10.

When I'm all decorated around here, I'll snap some pictures. So far things are looking good...if I do say so myself!

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-22T21:06:00.001-05:00

One of our guests tonight was my dad's Aunt Elaine, his father's youngest sister, who is 83. She is a Roman Catholic nun, of the Sisters of Notre Dame order. She's had significant leadership responsibilities within the order, including a 10 year assignment in Rome immediately following Vatican II. She has traveled extensively in her post and has friends all over the world. Tonight she brought mementos from her most recent excursion abroad, which was a trip to Ireland to visit her older brother Dave and his wife, Mae (my dad's aunt and uncle.)

Elaine is a great guest, as you can imagine. She is not one to sit quietly, but rather holds all of our attention with her fascinating stories and descriptions of life far away from home. She is intelligent, witty, and sharp. She is also very thoughtful. Tonight she brought with her a Thanksgiving prayer that she wrote for us to read as a group before we ate our feast. I would like to share it with you.

Thanksgiving 2007

Whereas: The first settlers to arrive on our land, December 4, 1619, at the Berkeley Plantation on the James River, made it a Day of Thanksgiving to God according to their charter, and observed it annually thereafter, and

Whereas: Governor William Bradford arranged an early autumn harvest festival in 1621 for the Pilgrim colonists, to give thanks to God for the progress they had made and invited Indians to join them, and

Whereas: President George Washington issued a proclamation in 1789 naming November 26th a national day of thanksgiving to God to be observed in all the states, and

Whereas: President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 with the intent of uniting the nation, four months after the end of the Civil War proclaimed the last Thursday of November as the annual national day of Thanksgiving to God, and

Whereas: Americans continue this observance and gather each year in their homes and churches with family, friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give thanks to God for the freedoms we have and the many blessings we enjoy, and

Whereas: Thanksgiving Day is now a time not only to gather in a spirit of gratitude with family, friends, and neighbors, but also to take the opportunity to serve others and share our blessings with the poor, and

Whereas: We express our deep appreciation for the sacrifices our honorable men and women in uniform are making as they work to advance the cause for freedom. We keep them in our thoughts and pray for their safe return home, and

Whereas: [my grandparents] were married 65 years ago on Thanksgiving Day in 1942, at Holy Name Church. We pause to honor their memory with deep gratitude for all they bequeathed to us, and

Whereas: [my parents] have graciously invited us to come together in their beautiful home to celebrate the blessedness of Thanksgiving Day, 2007, we thank them and we pray

God, our Father, on this national day of giving thanks to you, we are deeply
grateful for the inspiration of the brave founders of our country and the valiant
men and women who fought and died for freedom and unity. We thank you for
the beauty of our land, the abundance of our natural resources and harvests
and the inheritance of being a generous and compassionate people. Grace our
table with Your Presence. Bless us and bless our food. Grant that after our
earthly journeys, we may all be reunited again around the Heavenly Table of
your Eternal Banquet. We ask through Christ our Lord and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

When we were finished eating - coffee and dessert long since finished - there was a knock at the door. Sister Theresa had come to pick up Elaine for the return trip. Sister Theresa, we learned, is the head of the order in the United States. But Elaine said her real claim to fame is her beautiful singing voice. Once we heard that, my mom and dad asked her if she'd like to sing for us...and do you know? She said she would be delighted. So we sat down in my parents' living room, all 15 of us (actually 16, since one of my dad's brothers stopped by to say hi), and she sang "Amazing Grace" - a cappella. It was beautiful and moving, and the perfect way to end our gathering.

happy turkey day

2007-11-21T19:54:00.000-05:00

Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house - we are here! And tomorrow there will be 15 of us gathered 'round. Do you recognize the pilgrim pair from above...they made the trip with me as a little token of our appreciation for being the guest on the big feast day.

We've been here a few days and have stayed quite busy. On Sunday we did this:
...which was really fun and festive. I'd never decorated a gingerbread house before, but now that I have done it, I think I want to do it every year!

Before I left home I took this picture. Thanksgiving is so sweet, isn't it? It's my favorite. How can you beat its simplicity and the sincerity of the message. There's just no overdoing it.

I hope your holiday is a very good one, spent with the people you care about most. Looking forward to catching up with you after the week is through.

Happy Thanksgiving!

new look

2007-11-15T14:13:00.000-05:00

I did a little Christmas shopping earlier this week and found this cute holiday pair. I thought they looked like 'me'. So here they are, waiting to take their place when all the decorations go up. I'm looking forward to taking my holiday look in a new direction this year. I'm not putting out the same things I've put out every year...I've found that some of those things I don't even like, I just put them out because I've always put them out. This year I'm going to be really strict about it. If I don't love it, it stays in the box. I'm excited...in a way that I haven't been about Christmas decorating in a while. I can't wait to see where I end up.

starbucks

2007-11-13T22:29:00.000-05:00

Anyone seen those adorable pale blue paper Christmas trees on display at Starbucks?

I was in one yesterday and fell instantly in love...and then picked it up to see no price on the bottom. What, just holiday decor? Not for sale? waaaa!!!

A nice guy behind the counter told me I might be able to pick one or two up after Christmas if I get there early.

so...

I'll be on a mission. December 26th. You'll know where to find me...at first light...in Starbucks...waiting in line with an empty shopping bag...ready to take my goodies home. Hopefully!

monday morning musings

2007-11-12T11:13:00.000-05:00

* I'm on a new job. It started yesterday and ends tomorrow. A 3 day job - how can you beat it. This one has me driving around all over Chicagoland, along with a videographer. We are interviewing women in their homes. The interviews are 90 minutes each.

* The interviews are not close together. So yesterday as I'm driving along (88E, 55N, 294W, 90W, 94E, 290E, 290W, 55S, 355S) I got to thinking about how I used to get so nervous about driving around Chicago. The first few years that I lived here I didn't have a car and I became accustomed to always being the passenger, never the driver. And when I started to drive it was like, WOW! Sweaty hands and increased heart rate navigating the heavy traffic on the always busy expressways around here. Thankfully that phase is long gone. I'm a pro now.

*One of the women we met yesterday had a lot of pets. 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 1 cockatoo named Iggy. Iggy was sitting at the top of a curtain rod when we walked in the door. As soon as the interview got started he flew down and landed on the woman's shoulder. He stayed there for the rest of the time. The woman had to keep petting him, otherwise he would squawk. She said he rules the roost, and even chases the dogs around. Her boyfriend put a video of it here.

*On my way home I turned on the radio and caught the last half of The Cure's recorded concert on XRT. I love the Cure! Wait...a few songs later...I love a lot of songs by the Cure! I think 5 songs! Maybe 6! Does this make me a fan? What if I don't like the rest of the songs? What if I really don't like them? To become a collector of something - jewelry, pottery, handbags - it takes 3 pieces. 3 pieces is what qualifies as a collection. But what about music? What's the qualification for being a fan of a band? Would 5 songs do?

Mary's gift

2007-11-09T16:36:00.000-05:00

My mom stopped by this week for a short visit this week, and her timing couldn't have been better. For Christmas this year she had my much admired friend Mary paint a table and wall mirror for me. And Mary dropped the pieces off this week. I am so excited to share them with you.

First, the wall mirror, which I had requested that Mary paint with a black & white check border. Quite sharp looking, wouldn't you agree? (sorry about the blurriness of my photo... I was hurrying to get the daylight and my rushing around is reflected in the blurry edges of the picture.)

A close up shot so you can see Mary's attention to detail. I wish I would have taken a 'before' picture. The wood on the mirror was dark and shiny. It was not bad...but this is so much better. I don't know how Mary keeps such a steady hand to paint all of those little squares. I had an opportunity to watch her once, and it really is amazing. She just steadies herself, and then - paint paint paint - out come the little checks from the end of her paint brush. What a gift she has for creating beautiful art!

Next, the round table - the 'fish table'. Previously this was a dark wood piece as well. I have it stationed in a nook at the top of my stairs and since the sun was starting to set, I picked it up and brought it into my bedroom for you to see in the sunlight. Can you see all the detail? Please click to enlarge - it's worth it!

The table's base...more defined now with the gold running vertically down the pedestal. The blue and yellow check was inspired by one of my favorite pieces...this is how they look on the inside of my butter dish. And they look so friendly and right at home on this beautiful table.

A close up of the blue & yellow going around the edge. Can you tell in the photo...the wood is uneven between the top and bottom row. Don't you think what Mary did looks fantastic!

I actually stole this last shot from Mary's own blog. She did a better job of photographing the table in its entirety. I think it looks very pretty in her home as well.

Thank you for sharing in my joy by looking at these pictures. You know me and you know my obsession. So you can imagine that I am in seventh heaven right now!

Have a great weekend!

sorting through stories

2007-11-02T07:53:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I did something that I've been meaning to do for weeks - no, months - I started sorting through the kids' clothes, figuring out what should be saved, donated, or sold on ebay. I've saved everything - EVERYTHING - going all the way back to 0-3 months. I have bins going up to 4T, and soon it will be time to buy one for the 5T items. Our storage space is pretty good, but there comes a time when you realize that your stuff is getting to be too much. Do you know what I mean?

The first bin that I opened was 0-3 months. And, as soon as the lid came off - voila! - I was transported back in time. There's my little one, tiny and precious and sleeping most of the day, in his little onesie, his soft cotton 'bag'. I can see him in the bassinet in our room, snuggled up and cozy. I see little fists, barely popping out of the sleeves. I see his tiny feet, legs, arms, hands. I swear I can even smell his soft, newborn skin. All the little outfits have such strong memories associated with them. I remember them - new, freshly washed and hanging in the closet, waiting for the baby's arrival. I remember them piling up in the clothes hamper, because we'd go through 2-3 outfits each day those first few weeks. Each memory is so vivid, so sharp. Thinking about it all makes me happy, but a little sad, too. Can I go back for one day? No? How about one hour? I'd take 5 minutes if you'd give it to me.

I decided that this bin was too much. I closed it up and looked for a different one.

Here we are - 18 months. Definitely toddler clothes. These didn't have to be changed as often, but they took their fair share of abuse, what with all the walking and crawling and climbing and toddling and exploring inside and outside. Wait a minute, some of these outfits are too recent to be here. What about this one - this one piece Polo rugby/longall? Didn't we just give this to Thomas for Christmas last year? Oh, wait. That was 2 years ago. How about this little jacket - there it is in the picture above. This is darling and in great condition. This could easily sell. But...gosh, it's cute. I remember my mom and I looking at it together in the store near her house. I remember when it was so big on Bobby that I had to roll the sleeves up three or four times before I'd see his dimpled fingers appear. I remember Thomas posing in it on the sidewalk in front of our house.

Hmmm. The 18 month bin is just as tricky to maneuver through as the newborn bin. Maybe harder, actually, because there are little voices are connected to these clothes. Tiny little voices saying, Mommy? Mawk an cheez? Mommy? Go for wok?

Ok. Well. Hmm. Enough of that. I closed this one, too.

You can see that I struggled a bit. After dipping into these 2 bins I decided to call it a day. Where did I end up? Well, so far I've decided to save everything and donate nothing. Actually, I did take a few pictures for ebay. I wonder if I'll get the nerve to follow through.

my little cottage

peace and beauty

links

june

going on hiatus

from my inbox

a new chapter

thinking of you

movin' right along

good intentions

we've been away

a knight to remember

bunny letter opener

service call

Friday Fill-Ins

the rest of the weekend

tiny report

weekend 'o plans

first tooth!

m-w

dry cleaning follow up

such a gift

dry cleaning dilemma

washington hall

have a seat

random thoughts

s curve

HEMA page

6 unimportant things

pool party success

ready to swim

aren't we all?

dinner club

tooth lessons

pbs tonight

my home office

daddy's helper

sweet wheels

baby shower today

ta-da!

retail therapy

absolutely fabulous

*ginormous*

tuesday update

home again

trip tomorrow

cubs home opener

highs and lows

what I learned

how was your day, dear?

major development

SoBo Style

guilty pleasure

intriguing

browsing

genius

Easter flowers

300!

don't look now

birthday

happy birthday, my darling

please come soon

so proud

tough day for the family roadster

Brigid's wedding

details to come

legwear advice needed

is this your kitchen?

thawing out

stay warm!

hello

snow day!

not long now

sarah & abraham

to fill the time

warding off winter blahs

10% off at naturallycurly.com

tonight's outing

fwd: five for fighting

...and even more trains

ginormous