Hello friends!  And Happy Solstice!  It’s the shortest day of the year.  I think I read there are only 9 hours of daylight today.  We have some sunshine and warmer than normal temperatures happening now.  I think everyone in the US does too?  It’s not very Christmas-y, but so much easier to travel for everyone who is visiting family and friends.

We’ve had lots of cloudy days this fall, but once in awhile sunsets like these happen.

All you knitters and crocheters understand this ornament, don’t you?  We laugh about often at a local craft group I attend.  It’s a problem for most of us in the group.  I don’t really count when I am knitting, but definitely when I am crocheting.

We attended the Twilight Tour at the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last night.  We had previously attended in 2017 and enjoyed it very much.  Photos from the three posts in 2017 can be found here, here, and here.  This year the rooms were decorated by different designers, so they looked a little different which was nice.

The smaller photos will enlarge if you click on them.

Mrs. Pabst’s Parlor

The Music Room

Musician’s Nook

View from the Music Room into the Dining Room

Dining Room

Beautiful ornaments on the dining room trees

Servant’s Dining Room

Servant’s Dining Room

Butler’s Pantry

Cooling Porch

Now upstairs… second and third floors…

Emma’s Bedroom (the youngest daughter)

Elsbeth’s Bedroom (first grandchild and only child raised in this house)

Mrs. Pabst’s Sitting Room

Mrs. Pabst’s Sitting Room

Second floor landing with stairs up to third floor

Up to the third floor…

The Library

The library has been taken over by teddy bears–my favorite room in the house this year.

There are two guest rooms on the third floor.  The larger one, the primary guest room, also has a sitting room.  The two sons’ bedroom is also on the third floor, but was closed this evening.

Primary Guest Room

Secondary Guest Room

We enjoyed our Twilight Tour very much again this year.  This Pabst Mansion is a treasure and I am thankful to all those who helped to save it from becoming a parking lot!!!

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me.

What are you up to this weekend?

❤

Merry Christmas Eve to all who celebrate Christmas!  I am sitting here writing to you from cozy and Christmasy northern Illinois.  I have a fire in the fireplace, the Christmas tree is lit, and the finest powdered sugar snow is falling outside.  It’s only been snowing for a short time; the grass is still bare, but the rooftops and paved surfaces are frosted white.

Today I have more photos to show you from our Twilight Tour at the Pabst Mansion.

I wish I was able to capture the entire vertical space of the grand staircase.  It is quite impressive to say the least.  It rises up 3 stories with a landing and multiple turns between each floor.  So, you go up about 8 stairs, turn right and go up some more stairs, then you reach a rectangular landing with doors that open to the outside along the left and a little balcony that oversees the foyer on the right, after walking along the landing you then turn and go up the last 8 or so stairs to get to the next floor.  At the very top of the staircase is a huge stained glass skylight that opens for ventilation on warm days.

The photo below was taken on the main floor looking up to the first two sets of stairs.

The photo below is taken standing on the first balcony and looking down to the foyer.

This was taken on the third floor, standing on that floor’s foyer.  You can see the doors or windows that open to the outside for warm weather ventilation.

And another from the third floor.

Today I’d also like to show you Elsbeth’s room.  She is the granddaughter whom Captain and Mrs. Pabst adopted.  Elsbeth had a huge bedroom on the second floor.  It faced the front of the house, and must have been a sunny room having southern and western facing windows.

Elsbeth’s portrait hangs above the fireplace.  She is the only child to be raised in the mansion.  This room is still going through renovation.

Elsbeth’s bathroom still has the original marble sink and tile.  Off the bathroom is a little dressing room with another gorgeous windowsill and built in closet.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Pabst Mansion tour of the Grand Staircase and Elsbeth’s Bedroom.  I still have lots more to show you, but…

I’ll say goodbye for today.  I know we all probably still have lots to do for Christmas.

Sending you a Christmas Eve blessing for everything wonderful on this magical day.

❤