Category Archives: Everyday

A Sweet Reprieve

A lucky girl was I this past weekend. My nephew got married . . . in Naples, Florida! I went from this sunrise at O’Hare Airport (Chicago skyline 18 miles away in the background) on Friday morning . . .

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. . . to this sunset on a Naples beach Friday night.

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It was pretty chilly (sweater weather) when we arrived, but compared to the temperature we left behind I was not complaining one bit. By the time we left on Sunday it felt like beach weather. 😮

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The wedding reception was held at The Naples Beach Hotel. Before the reception we had hors d’oeuvres on the lawn, which was right next to the beach. Yes, the view was amazing! We had a view of the Gulf of Mexico during the indoor reception, too, but I must admit I didn’t notice; the reception was that much fun. We stayed until the very end; all the guests that were still around sent the bride and groom off through a pathway of glittering sparklers.

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We didn’t spend much time in the hotel room, but this was the view we had.

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This was early Sunday morning on the beach; it was still cool.

We arrived back home on Sunday night. Weather delayed our flight so I didn’t get to bed until after 1:00 am on Monday morning. Yesterday was a day of recovering from all of the excitement, and catching up on lost sleep. (At my age, it takes extra time.)

Another week of holiday break with my college student, then everyone is back to work.

FYI, we’ve warmed up here in northern Illinois. I got a brisk walk in yesterday, and will get another one in today. The temperature is already above freezing and the sun is shining. Yay!

Have a wonderful day, my friends. ❤

Are You Staying Warm?

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I am . . . as long as I am staying inside. It’s still very cold here in northern Illinois, but it has warmed up a bitty bit from the negative minus twenty-something wind chills. I still haven’t been able to get outside for a walk though—same old story as last time. Oh well… maybe soon, I hope.

I forgot to wish you all a very happy 2018, so Happy New Year!!! I hope it’s a great year for everyone; we all need one of those.

Have you noticed the moon lately? One night we watched the full moon rise in the east and the next morning saw it setting in the west at daybreak. For some reason it seemed quite wonderful to me; I’ve never noticed it before like that.

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The sunset that evening was pretty ~~noteworthy~~ pictureworthy too!

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I am still knitting socks. This is my third sock… and it’s not a mere test sock; it will have a mate. This one got finished yesterday—it fits my daughter, and the second sock was started today. Yay. This was made from Susan B. Anderson’s Crafty class, “My First Toe-Up Socks”. I used Knit Picks Stroll Tweed Sock yarn in Garnet Heather. I am still perfecting the fit for the next pair. I think the size large would fit my daughter even better with the foot about a 1/4″ longer. These fit me perfectly though, so this will be my pattern when I get to knitting a pair for me. 🙂

My Little Darlings have been calling to me. I think they want new sweater coats with cute li’l pockets for their tiny snow people to snuggle in. Here are Gina and Lucy wearing sweater coats from last winter. They really do look toasty warm, don’t they? I need to get my needles busy.

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Stay warm everyone! If you are already in a warm climate, sending a few positive degrees my way would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! ❤

Have a great weekend, my friends!

It’s Been a Co-o-o-ld Holiday Week

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Oh boy, is it ever cold! I miss going out for my daily walk so much! I think my soul is suffering from the lack of fresh air and sunshine, but it’s just been way, way too cold. This morning might be the worst yet—a minus 20 windchill! And, I know some of you are lots worse off than that. *sigh*

Anyway, we’ve been hibernating and keeping busy inside with puzzles, games, crafty projects, cooking, eating, eating, eating (too much).

On Christmas Eve, I received an order of yarn for some “human makes” and a set of Hiyahiya interchangeable circular knitting needles. My yarn and needle stash is all geared towards dolly makes (skinny yarn and skinny needles), so I took the plunge and ordered an entire set of larger needles and enough yarn for at least 6 human-sized projects.

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Hiyahiya Sharps are my new favorite needles. They ARE sharp and make it so much easier to execute K2togs, SSKs, and for knitting lace. I’ve been using the 8-inch sharp steel DPNs for quite a few months now for my doll knitting and do not want to go back to my other basic tipped needles. The 8-inch DPNs seem to be the perfect length for all of my dolly items.

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My set of interchangeables was a bit pricey, but if I purchased the needles separately I’d easily spend more than this. And, I am enjoying knitting with them so much.

My daughter wanted a super bulky and cabled headband to keep her ears warm while walking to her classes. I found the perfect pattern while perusing Ravelry. Within one day I completed it! Seriously, who knew knitting for humans could go so quickly. I used 2 strands of Knit Picks bulky Swish merino, so soft. The pattern is from Posh Patterns and is simply called the Cable Knit Headband.

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On Thursday, my daughter wanted to make some delicate beaded necklaces. I showed her how to work with decorative bead cord which has the flexible needle integrated into one end, bead tips to hide the knots, and my jewelry tools to add jump rings and clasps. She had so much fun—she made 5 necklaces. It makes my heart sing to see her make things. ❤

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Here are a few more photos from the Pabst Mansion when we visited last week. In case you missed those posts and would like to see the other photos you can find them here and here.

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The conservatory is a smallish room that faces south and east. It was chilly the night we visited, but I cannot help but think about how COLD it is in here today! On warmer days, though, what a wonderful place to enjoy breakfast.

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The walls and floor and all tiled with very old looking ceramic tiles. I think the designer decorated it for Christmas very prettily.

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The phone room is so tiny and cozy. It’s located on the first floor off of the staircase area. There is a door to close for those private conversations they must have had.

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I haven’t been doing any dolly creating this week, and I really haven’t spent any time at all in my sewing room. I’ll go in to get something and that’s the extent of it. We all need a break from “work”, don’t we?

So, that’s some of the recent news from COLD Illinois. I hope you, too, are staying warm if you are in the frigid zone.

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, and for your support all through 2017, my friends.

❤ ❤ ❤

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