A new recipe

Found out about this easy macaroon recipe from Mark Lipinski's podcast. All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk & a bag of coconut. I added the drizzling of chocolate to add to the sweetness. They were awesome!

The countdown to Christmas begins with cookies!

The girls needed a treat to take to Young Life, & these were faster, easier & more fun than baking, especially because they had to leave in 2 hours. They were delicious & everyone didn't believe that they made these!

WXRT Party!

Fun night, Free tickets, Free CD with Fun Friend, Maureen!

Anti Black Friday Crafting

Instead of shopping the day after Thanksgiving, I'm participating in Anti Black Friday for the past few years by making a few little things. Gift card holder/wallet, fabric flower, coaster & some cleaning wipes. Mick & I did go to a store, but it was a thrift store & we brought 3 bags of donations, got 25% off our purchase which was around $8. It was a very good day!

Happy Birthday, Karli!

Swirled cupcakes that I made for her "friends" party. All her friends took pictures of these cause they thought they were so cute!

Just finished carving!

I can't let Halloween go by without carving a pumpkin! 

The girls don't really care anymore (teenagers!), but I do.

My Dainty October Mums

My neighbor gave me some of these a couple summers ago. I love that they bloom later & last into November & are such a delicate fresh look before the cold weather arrives.

Cooking with the power out.

 A van took out a main pole 1 block away. Planning to use the microwave to heat up dinner, the menu changed to soup made on the stove with candlelight. Thank goodness I have gas burners!
Of course, the power went back on after we were done eating!

Summer's officially over for us!

 No more screenhouse! :( 

The winds were picking up today & the top was flapping wildly! Karli helped me take it off, fold it up & put it away til next May. I love having dinner with the girls in it. It makes for a relaxing dinner whenever we're outside.

Road Trip with the Books & Bordeaux Book Club

Pretty clear picture from I-55 heading to the Skyway.

A perfect Fall day! Unfortunately, it didn't stay this way for our first B&B getaway. Due to the time of the year, only 4 of us could leave our families to fend for themselves for a well deserved weekend away to Saugatuck, MI.

This was our cute rental located 2 blocks from town. It was very clean, modern & roomy. The gas fireplace turned on with a flip of a switch & warmed us up quickly after walking in the rain all day Saturday.

That's an artists paint palette before Saugatuck. There were many galleries & shops selling local artists works. That's what kept us busy walking in the rain all day.

It was a fun time to go to see all the towns decorations for the Fall Fest that was supposed to take place that weekend but was a little dampened by the rain. We all wondered why the squirrels didn't bother any of these gourds & pumpkins because at home, our squirrels ruin them the minute you put them outside!

We drove around to see the dunes & Oval Beach which apparently is on the list of best beaches. All the colors with the sand was something I've never seen together before. The beach opposite this was really beautiful even with the mist of the rain & gray skies.

It was a weekend of lots of good food, lots of good conversation & lots of good walking, even if it was in the rain! It was nice to get away & enjoy the scenery. I think we're all now a little more prepared to embrace Fall & the coming holidays and all that comes with them. Thanks for a nice weekend, ladies!

Last look before they go on a long trip!

This is the Art Challenge I made for fellow guild member Kate based on the painting, "Party Trees", that she loves, shown in upper right corner

This is the one made for me by fellow guild member Reneau based on the picture of the Chicago Theater hanging in my living room & a piece of 70's floral fabric I picked up at the Allstate Arena flea market that I love!
They are going to be part of an exhibit to travel around the US withThe Original Sewing & Quilt Expo as The Chicago Modern Quilt Guild. How cool is that?!!!
I wanted to hang this in my livingroom but that'll have to wait about a year! Thanks to member Sara H & her professional connections to the show, this is all possible! Thanks Sara!

The Changing of the Guards

Accepting the end of Summer with the changing of the wreath on the front door to Fall.
Indian corn, scarecrows & fall leaves. The summers keep going by faster! This year was VERY hot & dry. I wonder what kind of winter it will bring.

Last Minute Book Club Hostess Gift

This month's book was The Paris Wife. Inspiration always comes at the last minute for what to bring  the host. The usual is flowers in a jelly jar with something from the books theme added or I make a candle lantern from a jar & decoupage something pertaining to the book for the candle to glow through. I was bored with these & wanted to do something new. I made a fabric corner bookmark like these a while ago that was too bulky & didn't have the charm on it. I really like the way these turned out & will definitely be making more. Pretty quick to make, too. And both co-hosts loved them!

New Bag

When the girls were born, my sister would gift us a zoo pass every year. One year, she gave me a small pouch purse to keep my camera & the zoo pass in. Many years later, I still have the bag but wanted to make a larger one of the same style since I liked it so much. This was my first attempt & it turned out great! I just need to tweak a few things.

First Day of School for my Little Girls!

August 15th! Too early! It's still summer!

Although, I will admit that getting back to a schedule will be a good thing, even though I hate schedules.


Freshmen started at 8 am.

Juniors started at 10am so she went to her friends house first.

Where did the time go?! They were just in middle school together!

How do they grow so fast right before our eyes?

The first day of school is always a hard one for me. Mostly because its the end of summer and I feel like I lose them til next summer & they'll be another year older. Next summer I will have a 15 & 17 year old. That means possibly working & driving teens that definitely won't have time for Mom. It all came so fast but I'm glad I was home with them all these years!







CMQG WIP

This is my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Art Challenge "work in progress".
We all chose a work of art, a piece of fabric and swapped bags with another guild member. I am working on a mini quilt based on a painting called "Party Trees" by Ellen Thomson for Kate C.
Here's the art, then my interpretation so far, subject to change in the next few days since its due back to the owner next Sunday.

I plan on adding a few sketchy chairs & outlining the shapes with thread drawing/painting. The heart needs to be wonkified so its not so cutesy looking. I will probably bind it with the fabric she gave me since I didn't use too much of it. I hope Kate likes it. I'm also excited to see what my partner made for me!

Maxwell Street Market (with Vogue Fabrics as a bonus)!!!

      Every summer I like to visit the Allstate Arena flea market just to roam the aisles to find unique items, but the Maxwell Street Market is a place that’s been on my list every year for a very long time!

So finally the stars were in alignment, nothing on the calendar, Jeff was around, Karli wanted to go too (to find a nice pair of sunglasses for cheap), & it wasn’t too hot or raining!

We found parking fairly close & walked with the excitement of being outside, in the sun, with the city as our backdrop, to a place we haven’t been before. The heat this summer has kept me inside way too long.

I was a little disappointed at the lack diversity in vendors considering we are in Chicago. Besides the usual Chinese & Mexican booths of sunglasses, purses, jewelry, electronics & produce, I was hoping to browse thru a little more garage sale crap! You know the fun to look at tchotchke kinds of things!

But as we walked further into the food vendor section the excitement came back. All the fresh Mexican food stands! So we picked one with a long line where they were making fresh tortillas & had a big menu in English & Spanish.

Karli had a plain quesadilla & a coke in a glass bottle, I had a pumpkin flower quesadilla with a tamarind flavor Juaritos soda, & Jeff had a carne asada (steak) taco. It was like a 2 hour lunch vacation to Mexico. Before heading back to the car, I just had to have a giant fresh hot churro with vanilla crème, nothing like those skinny greasy things you see at carnivals or fairs. Karli had a mango Italian ice that she said was delicious.  I can’t wait to come back again for an Acapulco style pina colada.  After reading some reviews on the Maxwell St Market on yelp, I completely agree now with all the ones that said it’s a great place to come for the exercise, fresh air, mingling and the food!

Now, for the bonus!

Vogue Fabrics  623 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago

I never would’ve made a separate trip here since I haven’t sewn any clothing for quite a long time. But walking in here made me want to run down the aisles grabbing rolls of fabric & yell out how many yards I needed like on Project Runway when they’re in Mood Fabrics! This was just one of the 3 storefronts.

Anyone need any buttons?

I walked out spending only $1.90+tax on a piece of muslin! But if the street parking meter was less, I could’ve bought some pretty stuff!

Overall, this was a very good day! And I wouldn’t mind coming here for lunch every Sunday!  <3

Finally nice enough to go outside!

Working on the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Art Challenge. It's too nice to work inside so I'm out in the screenhouse. I'm so glad we have one!

Just walked out of the office!

Look... no braces for Mickaela! At 16, I still want to pinch those cheeks!

Heat Wave!

I've never seen my thermometer hit this high!

Graduation Gift

                                    
Started at the CMQG spring retreat & finished on 8th grade graduation day, the green & purple quilt for Karli is quilted, bound, washed & dried with only a little bit coming undone. Using the "2 for one" circle block pattern (http://allpeoplequilt.com/projects-ideas/throws-wall-hangings/circles-squares_1.html), you use both the positive & negative of the circles you cut out. I had collected the fabric piece by piece over the last couple years wanting to make her a quilt with her favorite colors. Couldn't find a pattern I really liked, this one was fun, quick & easy. Now, to fix all the spots coming undone!
I hope you love it forever, Karli! <3

Early blooming iris due to mild winter

Early blooming iris due to mild winter

Random Rejuvenation

Mickaela loves these shoes but they're getting really worn. On their way out the back door, this can of spray paint jumped in the way & said, "Wait! I can help!" Used to spray the mini pumpkins for Terry's 25th anniversary, it was never put away, so I thought, what have I got to lose?! They're almost as good as new if you don't look too close! See, there's always a good reason for not putting things away after you use them!

CMQG retreat @ Siena Center Racine Wisconsin

CMQG retreat @ Siena Center Racine Wisconsin. Before heading home, just had to see the lakefront since it was hidden by fog for the 2 days before. Too bad we couldn't quilt down here!