I'm trying to manage my itch to get outside. I keep dreaming about being in my garden and being in the warmth. Watching British gardening shows does NOT help because those lucky ducks are already out in their green blooming gardens this time of year. So while I endure the ugliest time of year I can do some small projects inside the house.
I got some Restore-A-Finish and gave my Habitant chair some attention. Look at the difference in the before and after pictures below! I should have given this poor chair some love a long time ago.
I rubbed a little wax on and then moved on to my sweet little Swiss stool.
I got this stool cheap at a Swiss Brocki and I love it. The only thing I would love more is an old Swiss chair. I never realized, until today, that the carvings on each side of the stool are different.
Anyway, I gave the stool a little Bee's Wax Polish and I think it's happier now. It currently holds all my hand quilting tools.
Back to trying to finish my quilt while gazing out the window and waiting for spring…
We watched Finding Dory over the weekend so now when I sit and sew I have that song stuck in my head.
Hey Mr Grump Gills
You know what you gotta do when life gets you down?
Just keep sewing
Just keep sewing
Just keep sewing sewing sewing
What do we do we sew, sew, sew
OH HO HO How I love to sew
When you WAAAAAANNTTT to sew you want to sew
I have finally finished my bedroom curtains. When we bought the house there were sheer curtains on most of the upstairs windows. I wanted to refresh the room and I wanted something that would block out some of the winter cold. The curved top on our windows is charming but it makes curtains difficult. A cafe type curtain is fine for privacy but it won't block out light or cold. So I had to do gathered curtains on a curved rod. I used a canvas and lined them with heavy flannel and I put a ruffle at the top. The last part of the job was figuring out some tie backs. I ended up using key fob hardware and cotton webbing for the tie backs. The style is so different from what I used to gravitate to but I think they work for our house. And I'm really happy with their functionality.
I love to look at this old photo – hard to believe it's the same room!
I went for a walk at the Chicago Botanic Garden today. It was all sunshine and muddy puddles (Peppa Pig weather). The cold winter has broken and spring is in the air.
I kept looking up and admiring the shapes of branches and the colors of branches against the blue blue sky. And I saw lots of buds – so nice to see signs of spring.
Maybe I got a little carried away.
Bea turned 14 over the weekend. We had a brunch and presents in the morning and cake after dinner and then the next day we went to the Shedd Aquarium with Mabel and her family.
Bea has become a devoted chocolate lover – especially dark chocolate. I made Grandma Dice's chocolate cake recipe with a chocolate frosting on top and caramel frosting between the layers. And Bea topped her serving with chocolate ice cream. Oooooh so rich!
The aquarium just reopened to visitors a few weeks ago. I'm so glad we could go out and do something special. Visiting the aquarium now, with Bea and all her new fish knowledge was a totally different experience. She was definitely in her happy place.
Bea has registered for her freshman year classes and she is very excited about her biology class. We're all hoping school will be more normal next year so she can really dive into the things she's interested in. I say it every year, but it's hard to believe that she has grown up so fast.
Lately, most times when I take shower, a fish drawing slowly emerges on the glass shower door as it gets steamed up. I know Bea has been thinking of fish while she showers and she draws them with her finger. So as I shower I smile and think of my girl.
He's in the kitchen making dinner. He makes all the weekend dinners.
How nice.
We've had so much snow this winter. I'm loving how it transforms our world.
Soon it's going to get above freezing and I'm going to miss the snow.
We finally took a trip to Michigan over the weekend. Brian had not seen his mom since Christmas 2019! Since Grandma C. is fully vaccinated we felt pretty safe giving her a big hug.
We fit a lot into our quick trip. My sister sure knows how to show us a fun time in her winter wonderland backyard.
Catching snowflakes on their faces.
Later Jennifer made a delicious chocolate cake and we celebrated the three February birthdays.
Bea snuck in and blew out all the candles in a split second before the other birthday girls got a chance.
Here's the view at mom's house the next morning. So pretty!
I forgot to take any photos at Grandma C.'s. I guess we were too busy just chilling and having good conversations around the table.
We just got home from visiting the Grandmas but first a few photos from another uneventful week.
A trip to a new grocery store constitutes a date night for Brian and I right now. It's a new-to-us store full of European products. So many sausages and preserved fish and pickles! Fun!
I worked on my bedroom curtains. I still need to hem them and order some hold-back hardware but I'm happy. They will keep out some of the cold since they are lined with a very thick flannel.
We had old wiring replaced on our main floor – what a big job!
After the electricians were done I gave my floor and my baseboards a good cleaning.
Here are the ice lanterns I made. Too bad they are covered with snow now.
We went ice skating.
And I made Valentine's Day cookies.
Now it's snowing – we had around seven inches during the day and they say we may get ten more overnight. School is closed tomorrow but the kids still have to do online school. What a bummer – I wish they would just give the poor kids a proper snow day.
Laowai 