A visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory is a good thing to do on a wintery weekend. It feels like a mini trip to Florida. I looked back at the trips we’ve taken to the conservatory – lots of fun days. There was a big hail storm three years ago and they are still replacing…

I made a dress for Claire out of the old curtain fabric from our Switzerland apartment. I channeled Maria from the Sound of Music.  And I added an old apron that I bought at an antique store. It’s sheer pink – I sewed it right on at the waist line. Here she is (fingers crossed)…

I must have some color to cheer me up at this time of year. I love to see the flowers with a backdrop of snow out the window. Don’t you think their colors look different in the stark January light. I always think of my dad-in-law when I see cyclamen. He showed me what a…

We got to do our first outdoor ice skating of the season on Sunday.  Mom gave me these old metal sledders and skaters for Christmas. I made a little scene for them inside my cloche and painted snowflakes on the glass.  We are enjoying winter.

This retro looking label is so pleasing to me. Maybe I’ll buy 60 jars and do an Andy Warhol-esq art intallation in my living room. You know, now that the Christmas decorations are coming down I’ll need something snappy to fill that space… or not.

Claire is suddenly SO into all these fantasy characters! Princess, sparkle, wands, evil forces, fancy dresses, long pink hair, spells, castles, kitty families. I try to play with her but it makes me yawn and the time drags by slowly. What’s the trick to getting into the play world of a four year old without…

Trees can give hugs too: We finally have some real winter weather this week and I’m happy to see it. I was up early doing a little shoveling – the snow was cold, cold, cold and it fell off my shovel like sugar. And now we are having a frigid, blue sky, bright day. It’s my…

Here are a few of my favorite photos from our last few days of 2014.  Here we are celebrating New Year’s Eve. We made lots of finger food for dinner and watched the sound of music. Claire fell asleep. Welcome – 2015!

We’ve never spent Christmas Day at our home – but it’s OK because we have our own little tradition called Swiss Christmas. We look forward to Raclette and presents from under our tree. And then of course we have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to celebrate at Grandma’s houses. What is more fun than showering…

Why is it that knickknacks and trinkets are somehow more acceptable at Christmas time? I usually like to keep things relatively simple, but at the holidays I want to surround myself with all things sparkley, cute, sentimental and even kitschy. I think I’m not alone. This year I collected some tiny Christmas baubles and ornaments and…