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.