Fresh air

via ... How sweet is this print?!

B and I both had the stomach flu last week. lovelyyyyy. But the crappiness was rewarded with a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Do you feel lonely on solo adventures [movies, etc] ? I kinda love them sometimes. He wanted to work on art projects and a personal to-do list. I went to the beach and got some fresh air. Drove around my old neighborhood in the city... bought a necklace for myself with a gift certificate... went to the beach + had a picnic + talked to an old childhood friend... dropped by the Paper Source - love LOVE that store... grabbed some coffee for the drive home. It was awesome.

Possibilities

I went to bed later than I wanted and didn't wake up rested. I hate that feeling. It is bitterly cold today and not the kind of day where you enjoy public transportation. Work is tremendously busy. I like my work. A lot. Feeling needed is a wonderful feeling to be graced with and most of the time I feel blessed (but sometimes I feel overwhelmed).

I got to work a little early this morning and grabbed some hot coffee before delving into emails. I saw him there, all bundled up in his warmest clothes, selling StreetWise and trying to make some meaningful conversation outside the coffee shop. I fished out a dollar before heading back outside. The magazine was two dollars. I immediately fished for another dollar... while he offered to hold my coffee. He.Offered.To.Hold.My.Coffee. I felt like a complete snob. He was amazed that I took the time to get out my wallet in the cold. I told him it was too cold for him to be out here. He excitedly said he was going to be featured in next week's magazine. How great, I said. Then we smiled and went our separate ways.

I thought about that exchange all morning and happened to come upon this quote...

Each day comes to me with both hands full of possibilities, and in its brief course I discern all the verities and realities of my existence; the bliss of growth, the glory of action, the spirit of beauty. ~Helen Keller

The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The spirit of beauty.

I think I was supposed to be right there at that moment in time. It was humbling to say the least. I needed that... more than the coffee.

The Groundhog Day Blizzard

Abandoned vehicles litter northbound Lake Shore Drive on Wednesday morning. (E. Jason Wambsgans, Chicago Tribune / February 2, 2011)

It's been an interesting week where all conversation has largely been about the BLIZZARD OF 2011. I've never seen so many adults giddy for a snow day. And what a wild storm it was- high winds, snow, thunder & lightning! Chicago got pounded and today we woke up to Arctic cold & a migraine (for me at least. grrr). The snow is soooo bright. Luckily, I have an understanding boss and I'm working from home again today.

B & I participated in the neighborhood block party yesterday aka digging out our vehicles. It was a group project - hooray for nice neighbors!

This car was behind our Jeep. No one ever came out to dig it out & today it is a big block of ice.

If you take the time to clear out a spot, you must be sure to mark "dibs." Typical in the city. And you must abide by the chair rule (or orange cone, inflatable sled, etc) or people will be REALLY annoyed. Rightly so, eh? We haven't left our space yet. B took the train to work.

In keeping with the winter theme, we're going to the Shedd Aquarium on Saturday for a Penguin Encounter (Christmas gift from my folks).

Year Beginning.

Bookends.
A wake this evening.
A baptism on Sunday.
Epiphany pageant tomorrow.
Hellooooo 2011.



In the past I've made some lofty goals in January. This year, I'll try for these four ... with perhaps a few surprises in-between.

1. Take a vacation. One that doesn't stretch for one long weekend. Or sleeping on a friend's air mattress. It's been awhile. And we deserve it.
2. Go to more concerts. We both love music + live in the city. No kids yet. Make it happen.
3. Read more classic literature. I picked up a Charles Dickens novel at the library this week after being captivated by the BBC mini-series, "Bleak House." Oh.So.Good. Watch the trailer here.
4. Live with less. Declutter our apartment. Take inventory. Donate.

Number five was to find more meaningful employment... but I can check that one off the list. My consultant position recently developed into a staff position. Hooray!

Ready. Set. Go.

{mini goals clockboard}

Year End

Hello. Again.

Logged for my own personal memory. Ten things from Twenty-Ten...

(1) L started a new job last summer as a consultant ... (that was my last blog post. life continued. blogging stopped. not what i intended)
(2) B researched Rudolf II, hyenas, programming languages, logic gates, He-Man, ICBMs, typography, druids and Scottish Blackface sheep ... (among other odd hobbies, interests + random searches)
(3) We both turned thirty ... (new decade. geez, that sounds old. but not really)
(4) L explored Columbus, Ohio while B attended the Origins Game Fair. He pitched a board game design. She roamed around Short North and German Village... (happy birthday to brad)



(5) Visited the New Glarus Brewing Company in Wisconsin ... (excellent road trip suggestion)
(6) Toured the Grosse Point Lighthouse, along the Lake Michigan shore ... (falafel for lunch. happy birthday to leanne)
(7) L volunteered at the community workday at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Madison, WI. Helped restore the monastery's 95 acres of native prairie and wetlands ... (personal retreat one day/ work day the next. monasteries are quiet. duh. but really, really quiet. the fall colors were just about to pop. nice hiking paths)
(8) B participated in Octocon 6 & 7 in Chicago - approximately 44 hours of board gaming ... (insane. but oh.so.fun)
(9) Went to a couple summer concerts at Millennium Park in downtown Chicago ... (like this one)



(10) Became Friend-Aunt-and-Uncle MANY times over ... (2010: Year of the Baby)



post-edit: (11) Celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary ... (Budos Band concert) xoxo

New {professional} adventure!

I'm starting a new job next week! Though I went in yesterday to get my feet wet before the director left on a business trip. The organization is a great combination for me: architecture/historic preservation, community development and interfaith relations. So excited.

{San Francisco No. 18}

Matisse, The Beatles and Coco Chanel

I very much enjoy roaming the Art Institute of Chicago by myself. We have a membership pass and whenever I'm in the area, I try to squeeze in time to wander around the museum- even if it's just for 20 minutes. I don't mind the company but I'm also quite content exploring on my own. I like to people watch and overhear conversations. After an appointment on Friday, I wandered over to the museum to check out the Matisse exhibit.

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Our neighborhood church organized a "Beatles Mass" last night. I'd say it had a rather progressive theme: Celebrate peace and love - ancient Christian tradition with a Sixties spin :) Big turnout...

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When Brad and I were still dating, we saw "A Hard Day's Night" at this dumpy movie theater in Old Town. They had two movies playing that weekend: The Beatles & "Requiem for a Dream." Both films ended @ the same time. Half the movie goers were giddy and chatty... the other half looked pretty depressed.

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I rented "Coco Before Chanel" last night. It was a bit of a departure from The Beatles... haha. I liked it, didn't love it. There were two Chanel movies that came out about the same time. Rent this one- the French one. Audrey Tautou {Amelie!} stars as Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

Visitors to your own city

A few weekends ago, a college buddy came up to the city. Michelle's been to Chicago numerous times so we didn't feel inclined to entertain her with touristy sites- though I did come up with a few ideas. She wanted to check out this garden shop in the city so we ventured in that direction. Falafel for lunch turned into oatmeal milkshakes and Costa Rican Casado. Sprout had these adorable little succulent plants*. I am apparently rather clueless to the current interest in succulents; my friend filled me in. The shop was close to Salvage One- this GIANT loft space of salvaged materials, architectural wonders, furniture, etc. We roamed around the space just before getting kicked out for a wedding reception. As we made our way back to our neighborhood, we randomly drove up a street in Ukrainian Village where Michelle used to house sit. We parked and wandered over to a little bakery for coffee and snacks (though I took a pass since they didn't have any gluten-free treats). One of the things I love about this city is its neighborhoods. We spent the better part of a Saturday exploring a part of the city we don't often venture to.

*I found three little succulent plants at the local organic plant sale organized by the park district. Now I'm intrigued.

{Baby Toes Succulent Hanging Terrarium}

{Succulent Living Wreath}

Main Street

Last week, I made around 30 cold calls to designated Main Street communities in the vicinity of Chicago. Main Street, I should clarify, is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

" The Main Street Four-Point Approach® is a community-driven, comprehensive strategy used to revitalize downtown and neighborhood business districts throughout the United States. It is a common-sense way to address the variety of issues and problems that challenge traditional business districts. "

I spent hours on the National Trust website, Googling community locations and creating an Excel doc of communities, names of directors and telephone numbers. I went down the list and just started calling. I spoke to directors about Main Street, their specific program and inquired about employment opportunities. I spent Earth Day on the phone- not exactly the most 'green' of activities. I didn't come away with a job offer but I did receive information one can only acquire from speaking directly to "the source." Conversation was fruitful and some directors passed along additional networking contacts. All the directors I spoke with are scrambling for funds. Today I read a story how the State Main Street program is on the endangered list, according to Landmarks Illinois.
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Is your community attempting to revitalize its downtown? Historic buildings? Neighborhoods? Or have things completely stalled due to the economy?

If progress is coming, is the city involved? Or are these more grassroots endeavors?

Are you involved with your local neighborhood and/or business associations?

What do you like about where you live? What do you dislike? Do you drive everywhere or do you use alternative modes of transportation [walking, biking, public transit]?

What do you see as your community's assets?

---> All responses will remain in the comments section. I'm not passing along remarks to any sort of survey. This is just for personal reflection and informal conversation.
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image: "town" ~ screenprinted fabric in leaf green on oatmeal cotton.

garden club

{vintage photographs via abby try again}

I met up with an old friend from architecture school in downtown Chicago last week. The weather was brilliant. Jenn and I reconnected on Facebook and hadn't seen each other in person for years. I was a little nervous about the meetup- mainly because of the lapse of time. Would it be awkward?

We met at the train station and walked + talked our way to the Art Institute of Chicago. Conversation was easy. The museum didn't open for 45 minutes so we sat in the Lurie Garden for well over an hour and talked some more. We rediscovered our common interests + learned that our husbands are both equally obsessed with board games :) Jenn recently resigned from her job. I'm looking for gainful employment. We swapped networking contacts in the sunshine.

We did eventually walk around The Modern Wing* for a little while. And then grabbed some lunch, sat in another garden space... before parting ways.

Relationships matter.

*{I bought a membership via Groupon last summer- great deal!}

Local Food Festival

Forgetting that the St. Patrick's Day parade was on Saturday, I took the train downtown surrounded by colorful parade attendees. I skipped out on the traditional dyeing of the Chicago River (bright green!) and took a bus over to the University of IL @ Chicago. It was a green gathering- of a different shade.

FamilyFarmed.org organized a three-day expo. Thursday and Friday were marketed towards sustainable businesses, farms and not-for-profit organizations. I met up with a church acquaintance for Saturday's Local Food Festival. The exhibition hall was just the right amount of space to nibble on countless samples, talk to farmers, gather information, etc. without feeling completely overwhelmed.
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One of the main attractions on Saturday was to meet farmers and sign-up for a CSA share ~ Community Supported Agriculture. {I also learned about an apple tree share, a goat cheese share and a manure share!} Neither of us signed-up for a share because we've already made a commitment with an IL farmer. "Our farmer," Farmer Vicki, spoke at a workshop on Friday entitled Rockstar Farmers. She's such a great person, very inspiring. Brad and I are sharing a three-season sharebox, with a friend, where we'll receive fresh local produce from April to December. Since eliminating wheat from my diet, I've been very diligent about meal planning each week. I can't just pick up the phone and order a pizza :) The CSA box is a wonderful menu guide and makes grocery shopping considerably easier.

Adult Games: 101 Sure Ways To Liven A Party Or A Quiet Night At Home Alone!

I ventured over to the vintage bazaar with a friend on Saturday and we were both amazed by the crowd. It was held at the historic Dank Haus- the German American Cultural Center in Chicago. The bazaar was like the vintage side of Etsy- a lot of clothing, shoes, jewelry and home furnishings.

I found a Fire-King glassware piece, an 8" bowl. I got it for a steal because the young man selling it just blurted out a super cheap price. lucky find!
{I collect the orange glassware}

My other find was this book: "Adult Games: 101 Sure Ways To Liven A Party Or A Quiet Night At Home Alone!" It's a Dell purse book from 1963 :)


pg 23- Waist Guessing ~ "This proposition will get the crowd actively participating. Arrange a four-foot length of rope or a thick chord in a circle on the floor, its ends just crossing at the closure. Ask each, in turn, to watch the circle closely while you diminish it (by pulling on the crossed ends). He must call "Stop" when he thinks it's the size of his waist. Hold it at that size and put the loop around him- and see his amazement! For even the most ardent waistline-watchers nearly always guess comically over-size."

Wow, what a p-a-r-t-y!

The inside back cover is an advertisement for other Dell purse books.
Here are a few...
~Month-by-Month to Motherhood
~Exercise to a New Figure
~Eye Make Up
~Becoming a Woman
~The Jacqueline Touch
~75 Hair Styles (1963 edition)
~Coins
~Mixing and Serving Drinks
~Teenagers' Hairdos (2nd edition)
~Training and Caring for Cats
~Training and Caring for Dogs
~Explaining Life to a Child
~House Plants

possibilities

"It is difficult to trust that the pool of possibilities is bottomless, that one can keep diving in and finding more."
~Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation.

{fine art photograph: Feels Like July}


Still life ~
.. winter sunlight
.. tulips from Trader Joe's
.. Fire-King glassware
.. temporary plush computer chair
(waiting on my order from Overstock.com)
.. job searching station

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Brad and I had dinner with two college friends last night. We've both been anxious about stable employment. I know we aren't alone on this topic. It was so refreshing to talk about professional development; more specifically our dreams and aspirations with people similar to ourselves. We are blessed with some really creative and insightful friends.
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I'm going to check out The Vintage Bazaar tomorrow. It's advertised to be a modern pop-up flea market ! Seems like a cool event to beat cabin fever :)

{finds} from The Renegade Holiday Fair

I braved the cold & the crowds last December and checked out
The Renegade Holiday Fair in Chicago. The show had some incredible handmade goods.

I bought my mother a cool grey fabric brooch though I couldn't locate them in Kelly Ventura's Etsy shop. But I love her ruched jersey scarf!



I bought 5 woodcut prints (one for me, four gifts) from All Things Grow ~ shop here. This print is in my dining room.

Warm holiday greetings... Merry Christmas.
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And here's a sweet recitation of Luke chapter 2.

merry, merry

On Saturday, I ventured downtown and had lunch with an old friend. Joslyn and I met in first grade. We met at the Chicago Cultural Center- easily one of my favorite buildings in the city. An all-city youth ensemble played live jazz music for an hour. Later that evening, Brad and I walked down the street to a church gathering. Potluck.. games... white elephant exchange... roaring fire. You know, typical winter festivities in the Midwest. :) Last night, we had some family come down to the city for Thai food and the Redmoon Theater's Winter Pageant. {Brad and I attended another Redmoon production over the summer.} The Winter Pageant was very entertaining- quite odd!- but a lot of fun.

"Redmoon Theater creates theatrical spectacles that transform streets, stages, and architectural landmarks into places of public celebration utilizing an original language capable of speaking across cultural, ethnic, and generational boundaries."

Treats

Weird find: American Science & Surplus shop. The mission: Christmas gifts for the nephews. What a bizarre place- it was a mix-match of an army surplus store, an old hardware shop, the Dollar Tree and a Goodwill. Hmm.

{1904 German Postcard; St Nicholas Center} Collection}

Last Sunday, our little neighborhood church added a twist to the traditional Lessons and Carols. We celebrated the Feast of St. Nicholas. Our pastor wrote a special service with readings from Scripture, newspapers and poems mixed with hymns and anthems, to tell the story of St. Nicholas. We learned the origins of gifts in stockings and gifts down the chimney. Parishioners {young & old} were invited to leave their shoes by the church door. By the end of the program, chocolates, nuts and clementines *appeared* in our shoes. The evening concluded with a festive dinner.

I went on a solo 'L' ride & checked out The Renegade Holiday Fair this afternoon. I listened to my favorite Christmas album en route & modeled my new upcycled cashmere mittens {thank you Rebekah!}. Adding to the festive mood, I put up our Little Fake Christmas Tree last night. Working against the festive mood, we watched No Country for Old Men afterwards. Hmmm.
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The indie fair was unbelievably crowded but I prevailed and found some beautiful Christmas gifts. I have a tight budget and a small list of recipients this season; so I wasn't too overwhelmed. It was 1-part Christmas shopping and 1-part gallery opening. :) Just about every artist had an Etsy shop.
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A few pieces I admired...

--Screenprinted posters {... and a musician I like!}:
--Handmade dolls... and their photobooth antics:

--Homemade snowflake soap {scented with vanilla and sugar}:
--Animal Track ID Memory Game Set:
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I bought myself a birch wood picture holder. I will mention a few other finds later this month { ... after gifts are opened}.

'Tis the season

fyi... The Renegade Holiday Fair is this coming Saturday + Sunday.

I found this Etsy print via a search on "architecture" and "home." Apparently a search on "hedges" would have sufficed. :) It doesn't really capture late autumn in the Midwest {Thanksgiving!}, but her style reminds me of Edward Hopper a bit. I love the way he painted realistic urban and rural landscapes... a slice of Americana. Simple scenes. A year or two ago, I went to the Art Institute of Chicago's joint exhibition of the works of Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer. Beautiful pieces. My father is a watercolor painter and I encouraged him to see Homer's work in particular.
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Did you have a nice Thanksgiving??? My in-laws hosted about 30+ people for dinner, my parents included. I ate wwaayy too much. A small group of us ventured outdoors for a hike, letterbox adventure and to burn off some calories. In one year's time, we've lost an Uncle & gained two adorable babies to the family. Happy and sad reflections. I learned a lot about Bainbridge Island as we have family that semi-recently relocated to the Seattle area. A road trip is in order! Board games were played- several in fact. All in all, it was a relaxing holiday and we've spent the last two days zoning out at home. Such is life.
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Oh, I tried out this pumpkin bread recipe and just added wheat-free flour instead. I used real pumpkin purée because I had two CSA pumpkins staring at me in the kitchen. :) It made the bread making process a little longer, but it was really tasty.