Moo

So I stumbled upon this site the other day when brainstorming and I'm super excited to have a reason to visit it again - in thinking about wedding invitation bits and pieces.

Besides the custom stuff you can have printed there these are so cute. I sorta wish I had a reason to hand out a card with a cooking motif but maybe someday, right?

MiniCards $19.99
Buy this on MOO.com

Seriously cute video

Now, this is a super sweet video, kids.

Let's let out a collective "AWWWWWWW"

Speaking of Anniversaries...

I saw this video for the 50th Anniversary of the Olympus Pen. It's a pretty cool video since it took so much work to produce but I wish the song was better. Maybe it's my mood but it seemed too contrived and bogus...like I wanted it to get me and make me get misty-eyed yet all I kept thinking was, "I bet they had someone write this song specifically for the already produced video and they're trying to use the words 'and down below' perfectly for every time they go underground/underwater, etc. which irritates me!"

Oh well, we can't all be perfect.

Happy Friday!

Here's a link to the video.

Happy Anniversary!

Tuesday was my Mom and Dad's 47th wedding anniversary!

Look at how cute they look on their afternoon date to the Jewel Box and to Amighetti's on The Hill.

Love you!

Wedding!

I've been working on things for our wedding. Everyone is getting their save the date cards now so we're now on to bigger and better planning! Invitations! Food! Decor! Outfits!

Subsequently, the blog has suffered. Honestly, wasn't the blog suffering before? Am I right, people? Heh heh.

As for now, I'll leave you but I'll keep you posted on the wedding planning more often!

Merry Christmas

This December has been brutal for Chicago. In fact, Ryan saw today that it's the snowiest December since 1871. I not-so-secretly love snow but man, this is trying my patience. We wanted to leave town today but a snow storm has delayed us. Thankfully for you, I have time to post a Merry Christmas blog.

To everyone out there in the blogosphere, I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and that you take the time to spend a few slow moments with your family to remember in the hustle and bustle.

Here are a few photos from around town...the huddled pigeons (instead of people) under the heat lamps at the train stop, the numerous packages on snowy doorsteps today and a snowman that was so cold this week he was really just made of ice.

See you all soon!

XO,
Kim

Grade school woes

So, I don't often think about grade school. I mean, I guess I do sometimes when I'm at my parents' house but that's about it. A few days ago I was suddenly contacted by a former classmate of mine who had been trying to find me on the internet. My class is having a 20 year reunion this summer and he was trying to find everyone for the list.

At first I felt kind of happy about it like, "Oh, won't that be nice. Everyone will have fun stories and it'll just be great" but now I'm starting to realize that I didn't really like grade school all that much. In fact, now that I'm on this email list and I'm getting a constant barrage of emails from people yucking it up, re-living the good times, talking about recent times they've all hung out together...I'm just realizing that all the memories...and all the insecurities are flooding back in for me. Was I a total bully in grade school? Was I funny? Did people think I was better looking than I thought I was? Do people have good memories of me? I have no idea and, frankly, I'm a little scared to hear.

I'm not 10 years old anymore but man, it's it interesting how those feelings are still so strong?

I know I don't talk all that deep on my blog mostly because I'm not usually a blabber about personal stuff to the world but something about it just made me want to write it down. It's just interesting how I just realized how much that whole period of my life affected me...good and bad...but how that formed such a huge part of who I am. People are still affected by what their parents did, their classmates, their teachers. We're all shaped by our experiences in our lifetime and we just can't shake that.

I can only hope that my role in the life of my step sons, nieces and nephews will be one that they will look back on fondly and, hopefully, helps shape them into happy people.

Cat Cookie

Several weeks ago at the DIY Trunk Show we got Ralphie a catnip-filled cat toy in the shape of a fortune cookie made by my pals Mary Ellen and Tyler of MELTY (they don't seem to have a website that I can find). Ralph loved it so much that within a few hours it already looked like this photo and by 48 hours it was nearly obliterated.

I managed to snap a photo before he disassembled it.

Just saw Obama!

I went downstairs to get a coffee at Hobin's (also known as Au Bon Pain) when Sarah and I noticed the calm on the street outside and a man stopped still just looking up the street. Since Sarah has seen Obama 4 times now her perceptive Obama-dar (a new form of radar) was alerting us to head outside immediately. We noticed all of Michigan Ave stopped dead and people were all stopping on the street waiting with eager frozen faces. And then he came on our little one way street so close to us...so exciting...in his SUV and on the phone with all the other SUVs behind him . I waved my little hand and did a little jig. Too bad I didn't have my camera!

Update on Janet!

Hey everybody! I got an email from Janet this morning letting me know they were going to induce her at 6am this morning since little baby Dorothy seems like she could be 9 1/2 pounds in there! Apparently she's not live-blogging this whole thing! Jeesh! (juuuust kidding)

Big secret project!

I'm sorry I keep spacing out and not blogging! Don't you just hate it? You check in here like everyday, every other day, every HOUR and I got nuthin! Arg!

I've been busy! I just finished up a big project for Christmas and I'm hopefully going to finally give my full effort to another Christmas present for my niece and then I really wanted to make my yummy minty chocolate balls (what did I call them last year? mint oreo truffles?).

So, anyways, I'm saying I'm sorry. I really do have a lot of photos I keep needing to show you. I'll try to get some up tonight!

XOXO,
Kim
P.S. This photo isn't mine. I think someone forwarded it to me a few years ago but I love it and just had to post it!

End of the train

After a very long commute to work this morning with unexplained train stoppings and delays, I wound up being the only person on the last train car between the last stop and mine. I sheepishly looked around the train a few times and realized it was true, then grabbed my camera and headed toward the back window in the door. I didn't have much time but I snapped a few photos of the snow-covered rails as evidence of our first real snow of the season.

Goodbye

Unfortunately, I feel like I've had to say a lot of goodbyes on my blog since starting it but this one...it took me over a month to write.

Goodbye Grandma.

From my earliest memories I thought you were the bee's knees. I savored every ounce of food you made from your famous cream puffs to your orange chiffon cake. I snickered at your declaration that you hated chicken and fish. I laughed just hearing you burst into a cackle. I liked hearing you fall asleep in my bed when you came to visit while I slept on the trundle. I clung to you on Halloween when the house in our neighborhood was too scary (and while you did more of that aforementioned cackling). I proudly announced you were my Grandma while the other kids at the Halloween party were screaming when "Dracula's Daughter" entered the room. I secretly cheered when you said "crap" in front of my mother and she scowled.

I love how joyful you were - how everyone in the room was happier that you were in it.

You were the matriarch.
You were Grandma and I would not be who I am today without your wonderful influence.

I love you.

Unsinkable

I can't even begin to tell you how emotional the last three weeks have been for me. Moving was bad enough but then the call about Grandma was overwhelming.

The best news to report is that Grandma is amazingly doing much better!! I can't even explain it myself. She was near death last Monday but we all prayed she'd make it until Tuesday when I got in to see her. Tuesday morning when my mom arrived the doctor said, "I think we have a little miracle here." Grandma was sitting up, jabbering about fish frys and spaghetti and winking at us again. Wednesday through Friday was another slow decline which led us to a hard realization - we had to honor her living will that said no feeding tubes even though she was unable to swallow herself. We moved her out to the nursing home my cousin works in with the idea that it would be hospice care. Even in those moments Friday when this healer came in to pray over her, my Grandma, who hadn't spoken much all day or made much sense, told my mom to sit down and relax.

Saturday morning we arrived heavy-hearted but soon saw my Grandma perk up, make jokes, more winking, I love yous and the planning of her 90th birthday party on October 17th.

When I left on Sunday I was completely unsure of what was going to happen but since then she's been eating ice cream and now being wheeled out into the dining room to hang out! Every day is another miracle with her and I'm just so thankful that I had the time to spend with her for that week while she was in the hospital. I hope that our love, adoration and making her laugh (as well as her making us laugh too!) helped inspire her to make it through this rough patch and on to more fun times ahead.

Thank you all so much for praying for her. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm totally in love with my Grandma and credit her for passing down some of the best genes I have! I'm in awe of her strength and her love.

Here's a photo I snapped of her on Sunday before I left. She had just gotten that little Dracula (her favorite man) from her friend and she was delighted! She'd kill me though if she saw this - she doesn't have her teeth in!

Grandma

Hi everyone,

Sorry I've been absent. I moved last weekend and then flew out Tuesday to be in St. Louis all week at my Grandmother's side. Things are not looking good for her right now. Please keep my lovely Bernice in your prayers.

Love,
Kim