Happy New Year

Have a Happy & Safe New Year!!

Merry Christmas

Ive been making trips to and from Chicago for the last month or so, needless to say , it hasnt allowed me much time to work on projects or my blog...but the good news is I think things are finally winding down.
I really enjoy Chicago, but since I'm not used to the fast pace of things on a daily basis it just wears me out.

On our last trip, we got to see the CTA all decked out for Christmas...." The Santa Express". It was decorated inside and out. We wanted to ride on it,but we actually only got to see it in passing since it only runs till 5pm. So, it is now on my list for next year.

When we were finally done with our "to do " list we decided to walk around and see what we could find for supper before heading home again.There are tons of places to chose from that were close by our location. It doesnt sound like a big deal does it? No, I didnt think so either, until I got out there and froze to the bone!! Let me just say Im from Illinois and used to cold harsh winters and bundling up to stay warm, but this was brutal!
We stopped at a cafe just to warm up. I also took a photo of their beautiful upside down Christmas tree, but must have still been shaking from the cold because it ended up to be just a big blur of lights.  The rest of the photos turned out some what descent so those are the ones Ive shared.

I wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday Season. Merry Christmas!! I look forward to
 getting things back to normal and sharing more projects.

ng

Art..An Explosion of Color

made by my daughter, Kelsey.

I'm not even sure what category of art this would fall into. so I'm not even going to try to name it. I love how it turned out though.....the bursts of color and random design are so fun! Just had to share it!

A Three Day Weekend....

My daughter has been wanting us to come up for a visit, so late Friday night my son and I hopped in the car and drove up to Chicago to see her. I thought it was mostly going to be time to hang out, but once we got there my kids had other plans. I swear they walked me from one end of Chicago to the other! Ok, besides that I was some what spoiled while I was there. After walking me every where during the day, we got to enjoy the hot tub on the rooftop of her building. Not only that, but she grilled us a special supper that we also ate out on the rooftop.(We ate out while we were there too, but I think her supper was even better than some of the restaurants we went to that cost a small fortune! She's a wonderful cook!) The view was fabulous! You could see the Chicago skyline from there...and all the buildings lit up at night. A lot of them had special pink lights on in honor of breast cancer awareness, and the marathon that took place this weekend.

Most of the pictures above are just snap shots taken while we walked through the city. My kids got into a photo taking contest...LOL , ya the bland ones are probably mine!

Chicago Loopy Yarns Knit Shop

Yes, I tortured my children by making them take me to a knit shop! We had a long walk and a short ride on the "L" to get there, but there was no way I was skipping it this trip. Needless to say, they waited outside and found some where to sit and have a soda while I took my time, but they were good sports about it if you don't count the eye rolls ...hahaha.

Chicago Millennium Park

Since we had an open afternoon my daughter asked if there was any where we wanted to go while visiting...
we've been to Chicago many times, but have never made it to see "The Bean" yet. Our visit ended up being one of those unexpected heart warming good times, it was just fun! We laughed till we cried and I'm sure we got the stink eye from some of the people around us, but it was worth it! We enjoyed taking pictures and just goofing around while taking in the all the great scenery.

Breakfast at Elly's

Last but not least, we had breakfast at Elly's. This is one of my daughter's favorite places, so she took us there before we had to head back home.They had every thing here .... and I finally got to try a Dutch Baby Pancake! I have no idea how to make one myself, but I think one on special occasions here and there is enough. Yummmm!!

Culinary Arts at The Dragon Cafe'

My son is taking Culinary Arts for one of his classes...and the school has a restaurant," The Dragon Cafe & The Hot Spot Bakery",  that serves lunch and is open to the public. So, a few of us got together and decided to go check it out. I was hoping to get some pictures behind the scenes in the kitchen, but we finished our meal right before the afternoon rush started arriving, so maybe next time.
Today's menu was an Italian themed meal chosen by my son and his Culinary Arts partner....

Today's Menu:
* Bread sticks with parmesan-butter
* Spinach salad with raspberry vinaigrette
* Warm Apple Twisted shrimp & pasta
* Chocolate Italian cookies

I have to say lunch was amazing!! The bread was fresh and warm, really liked the subtle parmesan flavor. The vinaigrette was on the sweet side which complimented the spinach salad (loved it). The shrimp and pasta was along the lines of shrimp scampi. This was actually my first time having shrimp and pasta together. Usually I'm being picky and it's either one or the other, but I have to say that it surprised me and was really good. The Italian cookie~ hummm, how do you describe a chocolate cookie?...Yummm!! I think it was the perfect finish to a nice meal! ( Ok, the cookie was my favorite. Can't help but love sweets!)

Thanks for lunch guys, you all can cook for me any time...hint hint =)