I walked to Lake Michigan today. As you get closer to the lake the houses grow bigger.
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SUNSHINE
Sometimes, especially at this time of year, a little sunshine can make all the difference.
SEWING AND KNITTING
I've been doing quite a bit of sewing and knitting lately.
My sweater is getting close to being finished. One sleeve is complete - yay!
I mended another sweater hole. This time one of Brian's sweaters.
And I made a dress. This is a new pattern and a new pattern company for me. After making three test bodices I am mostly happy with the fit. The pattern is called the Upton dress and it's extensive. It comes with several sleeve, bodice and skirt options so in theory you could make 350 different variations. And it has pockets! I chose a princess seam bodice with a v-neck and a pleated skirt. I used a pale pink fabric - Essex yarn dyed linen cotton blend from Robert Kaufman. Maybe I will wear this dress to the welcome dinner at the wedding Brian and I are going to. Needs to be dressed up a little somehow... we'll see.
Uhg - I should brush my hair and learn to take better photos.
AND NOW SHE IS 15!
Bea turned 15 yesterday. We celebrated the day before by going to an escape room with good friends. She also started her drivers ed course on her birthday. It's going to be a big year!
Birthday doughnuts - she likes Boston Cream best.
Bea requested Black forest cake - I used Grandma Dice's chocolate cake recipe and layered it with cherry jam and whipped cream.
Happy Birthday love!
IT'S BIRTHDAY SEASON
My sister turned 50 last week. I'm lucky to have my big sister - someone who I share so many opinions and experiences and inclinations with. She is much more talented than me. She can make French macarons, walk on her hands, raise honey bees, sew fancy dresses, do math, boil maple syrup, sail a boat and do a 1000 piece puzzle really quickly. And on top of all that she juggles her job while being the best mom. She doesn't like to sing, she hates the feeling of wooden popsicle sticks, she's anti snowman decorations at Christmastime and she dislikes celery. Other than that she's the perfect sister.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER!
VALENTINES DAY HIJACK
Happy Valentines Day Kathy
We love you! <3
GARDEN STRUCTURES
I took a quick walk at the Chicago Botanic Garden this week. Things are pretty blah this time of year but I did enjoy the plants. The structure of the plants stood out against the snow almost like black and white sketches.
The only bit of color was from the dogwood or willow stems. Bright yellow, red and orange lines reaching out of the ground. My photos don't show the colors as vivid as they are in person.
I'm looking forward to the day when I see a little snowdrop poking out of the snow or a hellebore nodding it's head.
... soon.
THIS WEEK
This week Brian went to Germany for work. Almost like old times except he was a little anxious about passing his covid tests and he feels out of practice with the whole travel routine. Well thankfully he passed his covid test and he was allowed back in the US. I picked him up from the airport yesterday. He had a good trip.
With Brian gone for the week (and not needing the basement for working out) I was able to tackle a project. The utility side of our basement needed a refresh. Its floor paint has been peeling for a long time - it looked horrible and the little bits of peeled paint were getting tracked all around the house. Yuck.
So I scraped and cleaned and primed and then I rolled on a fresh coat of paint. And while it's still a scary basement, it looks much better. Also, I have to say - rolling paint on a floor is really fun. How can I get a job where I just roll roll roll paint onto floors?
Here's the finished floor.
Also this week the Olympics started. Bea and Claire and I made some pretzels and watched the opening ceremony. Making pretzels with my girls has always been a fun little treat but I was struck with how different it is now. Years ago it felt like a huge process - helping them with each step and showing their little hands how to shape the dough. It used to feel like a a big long undertaking, but now we crank those pretzels out super quick and easy. I guess I have them well-trained.
They humored me with a photo.