The Lindahl News

Butterfly Whisperers

2012-02-13T18:01:00.006-06:00

Apparently the two of us have something that makes butterflies happy.

Something that makes them slow down from the all the fluttering.

Maybe we smell good? Maybe we are sweet like nectar?

Or maybe we are just old and not running around in their sanctuary like the younger ones is more like it!

Whatever.

We like being able to give respite to a butterfly now and then.

This weekend found us out and about at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

with Miss E. We had a wonderful time.

I love the modern art that butterflies give us on their gossamer wings.

Thumb's UP for this Performer (And his Blog,too.)

2012-02-08T19:34:00.005-06:00

See this man with Miss E? He the one. The only. Mr. Jim Gill!

He's a child-development specialist, singin', banjo pickin' wonder! And Ellie loves his music, especially Alabama, Mississippi. So when I heard he was giving a 'concert' nearby (sponsored by the Vernon Area library at Stevenson High School), I knew E. and I had to go see him.

She clapped, bounced, stamped, circled, tapped, watched, listened and

was beside herself when he actually performed Alabama, Mississippi just for her

personal pleasure.

For you out there in blogland, might I highly recommend going to your local library to grab one of his CD's and sharing it

with a little loved one in your life? Or ordering online?

You might wish to check out his blog link below as well.

http://jimgillswordsonplay.blogspot.com/

Not only are his music games delightful for the young ones, but his words/thoughts/observations about early learning hit a bulls eye with this MeMo!

Apron Art

2012-02-03T14:36:00.005-06:00

Hearing that an art exhibit by Women's Journeys in Fiber presenting

"Aprons: Myth & Fantasy" meant only one thing:

I had to go!

Not only did I have to get there, but I had the treat of being taken by my adventurous friend, Marti.

We drove to Kenosha, Wisconsin yesterday to the

Anderson Arts Center right along the shoreline of

a very beautiful, frozen Lake Michigan coast.

The show included quilts by several talented quilters,

a 3D gallery of The Three (Dis)Graces: Poverty, Neglect & Indifference and works on display by Central High School (Kenosha) students all set inside a glorious older mansion formally inhabited by the Simmons (as in mattress) family and now turned into an art gallery.

Might I highly recommend this show currently on display through March 25, 2012? It's that good!

As much as we enjoyed the quilts, our favorites were the

30 aprons on display and the stories behind their creation by their makers. Whimsical, nostalgic, poignant, sad, clever, creative, innovative....the list goes on.

These women are true artists in my way of thinking.

Let the pictures speak for themselves:

I loved seeing an apron that Marie Antoinette might have worn shouldst she ever appear in a kitchen.

Seeing a rendition of a combined Julie & Julia apron tickled me due to my former

Copycat Challenge in which I sewed my way through a whole book of projects.

Reading about a Granddaughter's memories of summers spent with her Grandma

at a Wisconsin lake cabin and interpreted into an apron tugged at my heartstrings.

Seeing a woman's work who is an expert gardener (and seamstress) and lover of flowers translated into a gorgeous apron was a feast for the eyes of one who has had enough of winter, mild as it might be presently.

I just might have to think about making a "statement" apron myself one of these days!

(Thanks, dear Marti, for a wonderful day!!)

Drumroll, Please: 2012 Theme Recap

2012-01-28T20:10:00.008-06:00

When the Nelson Sisters get together to celebrate a birthday - my turn this time - you know there's bound to be quite a bit of merriment, adventure and fun! This time, one of us ended up getting kissed by a random man in a restaurant (our waiter, in fact) and one of us ended up walking into the men's restroom by accident.

(I am not telling you any more than this regarding this.)

Above: a gift from Emily's mom pretty much captured the two of us as peas in two pods toting my Pink behind us which I had to publish with this post. Thank you, Laurie!!! But, I digress.

We took the train into Chicago and our first stop was to the movie theatre to see a 10:20 AM pre matinee of THE ARTIST.

That's the earliest we'd ever gone to a theatre and it was a surprise to see how many others had this early bird idea.

This movie is good!

Seeing as we do theme gifts, I was really wondering how the movie fit into the overall plan.

Then, Diann suggested I take this picture below as my next clue for the guessing the theme. Apparently we were going to the building behind the Wrigley Building for lunch. Because I don't want weird comments, I am not going to write down the name here, but will give you the clue that "The Donald" started it and it rhymes with "bump."

And read the next sign if you still haven't a clue: This restaurant was amazing! Not over-the-top-glitzy as you might expect, but contemporary and cozy on the 16th floor with a spectacular view from our by-the-window seats.

The food was delicious and beautifully presented.

Our waiter, Geoffrey, was most accommodating and even sang "Happy Birthday" to me in French.

My chocolate birthday confection was personalized!

After dining in the restaurant named "Sixteen" we headed back to her place to uncover that the theme title for 2012 was....

STORIES!

Diann had gone through Dad's old slides and included stories from my life growing up that I might not have known about. Stories about houses we lived in, trips we took, toys I had,

fashions I wore. Stories. Sweet stories, funny stories, tug-your-heartstrings kind of stories.

Including the picture of my first little suitcase - incidentally pink - with an elephant on it and which my father rescued from a Colorado mountain stream when I was a girl about 5 years old.

Plus the story of my Grandma Ethel's grocery store china with a pitcher found on EBay so that I have a daily reminder of that ancestor. Grandma baked the best orange-glazed rolls and took us to swim at an indoor pool nearby.

Perhaps you are wondering how the movie The Artist and the restaurant (Sixteen) fit into the theme?

Diann found pictures of me in the slide boxes from when I was 16 myself. Sitting at the beach with a green swimsuit on, sitting on a tree stump while taking a break from a mountain hike...these really brought up memories of the me from long ago.

She also recalled that, at an early age, I showed signs of being a budding artist with all the pictures I drew for her, and again on my college graduation day as I received my diploma with an Art Major to boot.

I received an album full of pictures and stories that will forever fill my heart with the person I was becoming the person I am some five decades later.

I am blessed beyond belief.

Thanks, sis, for being there my whole life through! You've been the best theme of all times!

A "Bad" Zippy Project

2012-01-23T10:42:00.010-06:00

Back in November, nephew Jackson (age 7) visited us and, knowing that I like to sew, drew me a picture of "Bad" SpongeBob with the request that I make a custom one for him. After he made his drawing, we discussed the color scheme and details. Because it was the holiday season, Jackson had to wait a bit for the fruition of his design to be turned into reality.

Now that "Bad" is done and the recipient has taken ownership, I can publish the pictures of this fun project!

I used felted wool from shrunken sweaters to complete this project. Both machine and hand-sewing were employed.

"Bad" has a removable hat.

The socks were made from actual socks that were cut to size.

And, due to this being my year of zip, I put a zipper down the back of "Bad"

with an inserted pillow that can be removed and the inside can be used as a secret storage place

for Jackson's treasures.

I hope the two pals have a long, happy relationship

together!

Our Little Miss Turns Two!

2012-01-17T09:07:00.004-06:00

Today is Ellie's second birthday!

We had so much fun at her party and here you see her personality in full force: she was wearing pink wings found in a dress-up closet, a yellow apron given as a gift along with a peach tutu skirt given (by us) as a gift. All on top of her birthday party outfit. A pink boa-wrapped headband was also a part of her self-adorned ensemble, but ditched somewhere along the way.

She apparently is following along with her MeMo's love for parties!!

These past two years as Grandparents have been sweeter than honey.

Grandparenthood is everything and more than you can imagine.

To those of our friends who have reached this milestone, you know exactly what I'm talking about. To those who anticipate it someday, it is well worth the wait!

We know we are blessed and we are truly grateful!

H A P P Y

S E C O N D

B I R T H D A Y

to you,

dear Ellie!

With love, Papa and MeMo

Our Kitchen Got a Unibrow!

2012-01-14T13:44:00.004-06:00

Before

New Year = New Look for the kitchen! We did a simple update after the leaky "throne" upstairs decided to drip down below to the kitchen ceiling and soffit. And why not add a little zip to the small, galley kitchen in the repair process?

It's very nice to have a handy-man husband. He replaced the toilet, patched the kitchen ceiling and soffit and then he got a surprise from me: Yes, I really wanted a "unibrow" in orangey red for our newly refreshed soffit. That was a bit out of his comfort zone.

But, he's quite a good sport, thank goodness!

After

Here's the new look. It makes me happy.

Resolution Word for 2012

2012-01-01T19:03:00.006-06:00

First of all, here's to a Very Happy New Year for all readers of this blog! Thank you for checking in on this little spot every now and then - I do so appreciate your companionship and comments along the way! Now that the holidays are past, and the new year is here it is time to reveal my Resolution Word for 2012.

I have been pondering this word for some time now.

Instead of coming up with a list of things to try to accomplish in the year ahead, I choose one word to inspire my thoughts and actions to make me a hopefully better "being" as the year unfolds. The word of last year was Turnover and it was meant to turn(me)over with my eating and exercising habits. Throughout the course of the year, this inspired me to lose over 20 pounds, so I'd say the word was a powerful one! (And a true challenge, to boot.)

Being one who likes to create things with my hands, I knew that my word had to include a reminder to stitch, sew and seam. It's been a long, dry spell for making garments requiring buttonholes and zippers, and I now have a very special little girl in my life to serve as my model.

Another definition of my word includes being active and involved as I zip through daily activities and keep up to motivation to sty fit and healthy.

Still a third definition involves an action of closed lips. Remember as a kid when your teacher or Mom made an action of index finger and thumb touching and silently made a pass across the lips as if signalling, "Zip it up?" That's a goal for me to achieve as I might be thinking unkind thoughts to keep them to myself.

Without further ado, my word for 2012 is zip.

That's right. ZIP!

And I might even make some zipper flower pins along the way! I do have quite a few colorful zippers in my stash...

Have you thought or your own Resolution Word yet? I'd love to hear about it.

Pink Suitcase Chronicles # 46: Christmas in MN

2011-12-28T21:01:00.007-06:00

Pink was not only filled with clothes for the festive Christmas celebration in Minnesota but also a very happy Miss E.! Twenty six people gathered together for a Lindahl Christmas and she was the youngest family member in attendance. Though twenty four of us stayed in a hotel, we sure made the most of our time together. Wes' brother, Paul, had baked bread "just like Mom used to make" and had also made raspberry "neurotic" jam (thus named because of the hard work it took to pick all those wild raspberries while at the family cabin and then going crazy when it was eaten up so quickly). This was our first treat as we gathered together in the hotel.

Miss E. tried on this dress to wear to the Christmas Eve dinner, but it was only worn for minutes as it appeared to bother her. Luckily I managed to get a picture of her in it as I bought it for her.

Santa made an appearance at our Christmas Eve gathering!

He passed out fleece jammies to the younger members. Apparently the jammies can double as head warmers.

With so many people, we couldn't exactly fit into Wes' parents apartment. Fortunately, we borrowed the fellowship area of the meeting room and set up 4 tables. Bedsheets may or may not have been used for the tablecloths.

Here the beloved Grandparents pose with their 10 "Grands" and the two spouses that have been added to the family.

The only "Great" was asleep by this point.

See the cute sweater Miss E. is wearing once she wakes up the next morning?

Years ago Grandma made it for grand-daughter Samantha, and now it has been handed down to the youngest family member! So sweet.

Before our Christmas Day dinner, we had a little "beverage tasting" party. Fun-oh!

Now for the Christmas Day feast. It was impressive, to say the least.

Following our dinner, we played WHITE ELEPHANT Bingo and the much-desired tattoo sleeve

finally ended up in Sam's possession.

The last activity we shared that night was a slide show of old family pictures.

Early the next morning, the family started their home journeys. It was a weekend that passed so quickly, but the memories we made together will long be remembered and savored.

I hope you are remembering your Christmas with a smile on your face and love in your heart, too!

N. O. E. L.

2011-12-22T20:17:00.002-06:00

It has been one busy Christmas season in these parts! As a blogger, I have not known where to begin lately, so I thought I would just wish you well with a happy N.O.E.L. greeting update. I hope this has been a happy holiday season for you and yours!

N is for all those notes we hear this time of year that are old favorites as well as new hits. I love Handel's Messiah, Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols, and anything sung by children. (Do you consider Justin Beiber to be in that category? I admit to liking his new Mistletoe song.) We have been to many concerts and pageants thus far. A favorite memory was of young Otto at church whose animated antics reminded me very much of son John's years ago.

O is for opening cards and letters and getting updates of family and friends events and activities near and far. Many of our loved ones have added to their families this year with new marriages as well as births of little ones. Congratulations! E is for eating. Too much, I might add! Those holiday baked goods are doing me in and must be eaten in moderation. As if! L is for loved ones. We have had our first ever E.L.V.E.S. Holiday bash with my sister and her family. We had an early Christmas with our immediate seven. We entertained Wes' staff with a buffet at our condo. Carol and Mark came over for brunch. My co-workers celebrated together at Kim's. Wes had a "Guys" night with the Rholls. We had a smorgasbord and party at my sister's place where party-goers produced 66 pounds of korv sausage. Diann and I have exchanged our themed Christmas gifts. During this very busy, happy time I want to pause to remember those who are not having such a joyous Noel. Peace to Sandi and her family as they face their first Christmas without her Father. Healing to Cooper as he recovers from a bike accident. Comfort to Loren who faces his first Christmas without Rita. We remember Mom and Dad who would have been 90 this year. We think of those with broken family units. We pray for those long for offspring to love. In this Christmas season, may you feel surrounded by the greatest Love of all: the love of a Father for His Son who was born to be a King. EMMANUEL

A Very Young Lucia

2011-12-13T07:55:00.010-06:00

Today is December 13 and is St. Lucia Day!

Were you greeted early this morning by a young girl carrying a lantern and a tray of Lucia buns and a cup of coffee? Was she wearing a crown of burning candles and a long white dress with a sash of red?

Not me/us either.

However, we have potential of that in future years with the way young Miss E took to the whole Lucia pageantry thing. On Saturday, we took her to the Sankta Lucia Pageant at North Park University.

She was mesmerized by the Pepperkaksgubbarna dancing and throwing candy to the audience. She loved the singing of carols. But what she wanted to see most was Lucia with the candles on her head.

Whenever we said the word Lucia Miss E. placed her hands on top her own head and said,

"Lucia! Candles! Head!"

She paid rapt attention and gave quite a bit of commentary as the pageant progressed and culminated with the appearance of Lucia. (Thanks for your patience, fellow audience surrounding us.)

When I asked E. to look at how Lucia holds her hands, palms together as if praying, E. copied the position herself. When the program was over, she led us to the stage, crawled up the steps and imitated Lucia's reverent pose.

We plan on handing this picture to her Swedish professor one day in the distant future and saying she has previous experience and should be next Lucia herself!

Happy Lucia Day one and all!

Quick! Before the kids are out of school!

2011-12-08T12:47:00.003-06:00

Go visit Santa!

Never ever would we think of depriving children the experience of visiting Santa - if that is their wish (or their parent's wish). Recently, the Nelson sisters just

had to visit Santa themselves after their annual lunch at Macy's in the famous

Walnut Room. You see, we never ever visited Santa as girls.

(There was no "Santa" in our parental home.)

While I visited with Santa a couple of years ago with my friend Carol,

Diann had never done this. It was time.

With no children in line, in fact no one even close by, Diann and I made the winding trip through the State Street Macy's "Santa Land" and were escorted to the throne room of a Jolly Santa. We declined the offer to sit in his lap.

We stated our Wish Requests (including World Peace)

and were on our merry way.

Now it's just a matter of waiting.

You're never too old...we asked Santa himself!

Advent Calendar: Second Generation

2011-12-01T09:11:00.005-06:00

Back in the mid 1980s, I spent a whopping $4.50 for Vogue pattern # 2794 and made two fabric Advent calendars (tucking one away for future use) for young Anne and John.

Each day, a felt ornament would be attached to a Christmas tree festooned with forest animals and birds. It was a competitive "sport" to see which kid could get the favorite ornament - and of course, there were ornaments that were more appealing to each child.

Ah, sibling rivalry!

Many, many years have passed since that Advent calendar was hanging in our home.

And now it has gone to a new home in which a little girl seems to be very happy about having it.

To all I wish a very happy Advent season!

Thanking Mr. Beavers (PSC* #45)

2011-11-28T16:30:00.007-06:00

With November nearly over, and Thanksgiving having come and gone, I just had to post something about gratitude. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and dear friends.

I have warm shelter, a full belly, an ample wardrobe, a library card -and job there I love - and a long, long list of people, places and things for which I am truly grateful!

How does this relate to Toronto and the Pink Suitcase Chronicles, one might ask?

Here is the connect: I was in Toronto last in my senior year of high school on a choir trip.

And dear Mr. Beavers, Mr. Cecil Beavers - if we are getting personal here, was the choir director.

Mr. Beavers was one of those teachers that I will remember for my whole life. Somehow he managed to convey that singing is important and singing difficult choral pieces by the master composers has lasting appeal. Especially when the choir members are teenagers who have much on their minds other than choral music!

One of my favorite pieces was Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols and, to this day, it just isn't Christmas until that piece is played.

Mr. Beavers also introduced us to Handel's Messiah. To this day, I can't sing this piece without remembering we had our choir auditions as to who could go on the trip to Toronto based upon their performance doing the long measures in For Unto Us a Child is Born.

Thank you, Mr Beavers! You made a huge difference in my life. I wish I knew how your life progressed once we parted in 1973. I hope you have a song in your heart still. I know I do!

Toronto Highlights (PSC* #45)

2011-11-23T15:18:00.006-06:00

Here it is: my favourite Toronto destination. I walked through the city to get to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts to attend the live ballet of Romeo and Juliet. Apparently it was the "hot ticket" destination for many others as well. Once at the theatre to pick up a ticket on site, I was told at the Box Office window that there was standing room only for $12.00 or box seats starting at $125.00 and up. Gasp! Luckily, I overheard the woman at the next ticket window trying to turn in her sick husband's ticket, and managed to buy it from her. The ballet was magical and certainly the highlight of the trip. Another highlight was seeing the "flying buttresses" of the St. James Cathedral. As an Art History student in college, I always had dreamed about seeing flying buttresses. Check this off the Bucket List!

Another venue I enjoyed was the St. Lawrence Market on Front Street. It reminded me very much of the Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington.

However, no flying fish to watch out for --- or fishermen flailing fish forward fastly. The meats and fish were under control, thank-you-very-much. Here I enjoyed people watching and dining casually amongst the locals. Fresh-prepared crepes were just right.

Toronto is a study in old and new construction. In the foreground is a building that is part of the old Distillery. In the background you can see a new condo building being constructed. Toronto has quite an interesting skyline. Kind of a cross between Seattle, Chicago and London.

Definitely worth a visit!

Pink Suitcase Chronicles #45 - Spell Check

2011-11-19T18:17:00.009-06:00

Pink very much enjoyed "crossing the border" into the country north of ours! We have just returned from a trip to Toronto, Canada. It is most interesting to note the dual language of French and English, with an emphasis on the British English. As one who likes to spell, especially in word game play, it was delightful to take note of these indicators that we were travelers away from our home turf.

Note: theatre vs. theater at the bottom of the sign and yes, I very much want to see this movie!

Don't you just love that it is called a laneway?

Hmmm...what does this gap mean?

We stayed rather near to this CN Tower.

Stay tuned for more favourite memories of our trip, c'est vous plait?

Remembering Dad Post-Veteran's Day

2011-11-13T15:34:00.006-06:00

I realize it is a couple of days past Veteran's Day, but I wanted to remember my Dad and his brothers who served during World War II. (As did Wes' father, Elder.) When my cousin Marty posted this picture of his dad, Les (far right), Dad (center) and Ken (far left), it triggered a lot of memories. Unfortunately, Dad died before I was able to talk with him about his experiences.

However, Wes and Dad had many conversations and from these I learned that my Dad was

a flight engineer on B24 bombers and he made it through 44 missions in the South Pacific.

The older I get, the more I realize how little thought I have given to those who serve(d) our country and I apologize for that. Thinking of those young men (and women) so far from home fighting so hard with death a part of everyday life makes me profoundly grateful they did what they did for the rest of those back home. In the case of my father, his widowed mother saw 5 of her sons in the war - I cannot fathom that. All five returned home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There is currently a book on the Best Seller list that I would highly recommend reading it as a way to get inside the whole experience of war; World War II specifically.

Laura Hillenbrand wrote UNBROKEN about airman, Louis Zamperini, and his capture by

the Japanese in May 0f 1943 and becoming a POW for a long time. Because of his diary and excellent memory it is a story with few gaps and holes - and is hauntingly realistic.

Louis told of his bombing flights, and it became so

much more real to me because of my Dad being on those 44 bombing missions. I could picture Dad with his buddies and how they, too, painted and personalized their aircraft with women and

fearsome characters. I pictured him in the Mess Hall, getting letters from loved ones back home - especially from one certain Vera back in Kansas whom he proposed to via mail and married when he came home. I pictured Dad longing for his Mom and how he worried about her well-being and finances from so far away. I pictured him dreaming about returning back home alive and well.

Thanks to all who served. It mattered.

No Call. Not Yet :(

2011-11-06T18:57:00.006-06:00

What a lovely way to spend a bit of Saturday morning: at a quilt show at the Chicago Botanic Garden! Though I took a lot of pictures, the most notable picture is of the quilt below:

With a close-up view of the applique detail here:

This was the raffle quilt made by members of the IQI (Illinois Quilters Inc.) Guild

that I bought many raffle tickets to win...I am anxiously awaiting the phone call telling me I won, but it hasn't happened. Not yet!

I'd really, really like to win this quilt.

In the meantime, I'd like to show you some of my favorite pieces from the show. The one, above,

was made from the contents of a junk drawer and knitted. Read about the artist below.

Unfortunately, I don't think I can purchase this quilt at that price.

Or the next one, either. Here is a close-up of it.

See the candy wrappers?

This quilter must have some stash of candy wrappers behind her couch!

I loved reading about the story behind the making of this quilt. She was very clever to use

her own Girl Scout uniform, badges and sash in its construction.

I loved the name she chose for this quilt.

Once again, I am so impressed by the creativity of quilters. Well done, IQI gals!

Please, please, please call me soon...I'm right next to my phone and I promise to take very, very good care of the quilt you painstakingly created.

Halloween Heirs

2011-10-31T12:57:00.009-05:00

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

The King and Queen have requested the presence of heirs to a Halloween Brunch

at the City Nest!Little Fairy is especially welcomed. As are her parents and Aunt and Uncle. The Menu:

Pumpkin French Toast

Devilled eggs with olive spiders

(served ala eyeballs)

Apple slices with cream cheese dipping sauce

And, of course, holiday cookies!

Once the food is served, the Royals invite their heirs to partake in games and merriment.

Stickers are handed out by the Little Fairy.

The Royals are pleased to present their Official Portrait of the day.

Happy Halloween to One and All!

Barbie/Project Runway Finale "Fashion Week"

2011-10-26T14:51:00.007-05:00

This is it...63 pieces of clothing or accessories and the challenge is OVER for me! Last week, the finalists were asked to come up with a 10 piece collection to show at Fashion Week. Tim Gunn visited each designer at his/her home to discuss the collection and the inspirations they had in designing these "looks."

As for my inspiration, it was a no-brainer. Of course, I HAD to design a wedding dress for Barbie and outfits for the entire wedding party. My dream as a young girl was to have a wedding dress for Barbie, but alas, all she ever wore was her striped black and white bathing suit. Plus, if I recall correctly, the wedding dress at that time cost a whopping $5.00. This amount was insurmountable for me, and no one else shared my enthusiasm for procuring an outfit for a

missile-breasted girl like Barbie in my household!

(Speaking of those two missiles, I am well aware of the issues surrounding her body image for young girls. I chose to treat her like a favorite toy, and leave her measurements out of the equation --- seriously, how could I ever have completed this Project Runway challenge with a doll such as Cabbage Patch or Polly Pocket?)

So here she is in her wedding finery. She did follow the traditional ritual of

Something Old,

Something New,

Something Borrowed,

Something Blue.

The old is the wedding dress fabric itself taken from a yellowed fabric lining remnant saved by a relative from her wedding in the 1950s.

The new is the dress itself.

The borrowed is the "tiara" piece on the veil which is part of a set of clip-on earrings that once belonged to my grandmother.

The blue is hidden away under her gown: panties. A true lady would never reveal these in a public place such as this blog.

Here's a close-up of the veil. The netting is from a remnant piece which was used to make Anne's wedding veil five years ago. This fit into my self-imposed rule of only using "stash" I had on hand here at home, clothing items found in thrift stores or anything from Dollar Tree.

Barbie's bouquet also fit into my rule. I found a small bundle of these ivory flowers at a thrift store for twenty five cents. When pulled apart, the flowers were enough in number to adorn the entire wedding party!

You might also notice the silver ribbon used to wrap all the flower stems was leftover from Anne and Jed's wedding invitations.

Next up: Ken. Malibu Vintage Ken. I had to buy him because I do not like the current Ken available in the stores - his hair looks like a very bad furry toupee to me. Underneath that jacket, a gray pleated cummerbund encircles Ken's waist. You might wish to note here that Ken is the sole male in this wedding party. That's fine by me: a tuxedo is a pain to sew when the fabric is so slippery. The bowtie in gray was fussy to sew as well.

And now we come to the other femme fatale in this wedding party: The Mother. Ken's mother or Barbie's Mother is up to you; she's a force to reckon with. I bought this Barbie at Tuesday Morning for a good price - she is a "Collector's Edition" from 1969. I love her dimensional eyelashes, her bobbed hair and her painted fingernails!

Her dress was made from a thrift store top, bangles included on the hem of the top. The silver shoes were spray painted.

For Mother, I made a wristlet corsage. Check out her manicured nails.

Bridesmaid #1 is Blonde Barbie.

Bridesmaid #2 is Midge. Still very much pregnant, and yes, this dress is from a previous challenge. I chopped up a gray silk shirt of mine for this, and with the remaining remnants, the rest of the bridal party outfits were constructed.

And now we get to Skipper. I apologize for the fuzziness of this photo. You can't very well tell that her hair has a blue streak in it. Again, modern times apparently mean that she has to have streaked hair to entice the buyer. That's me, and I apologize for the commercial succumbing I

fell into - I just had to have Skipper represented in this wedding party.

Of all the dresses that I sewed in this challenge, this is my favorite dress.

Little Chelsea is next in the wedding party line-up. She wears an ecru, dropped-waist dress accented with a silver-and-pearl embellishment. For this look, I took lace yardage and basted it flat to an interfacing lining, then gathered the lace to make the ruffle flounce at the bottom of the dress.

Finally, we get to "Little Cupcake" who is the tiniest member of the wedding party.

She wears a circular dress with flat lace yardage gathered in a circular pattern. She looks like she's edible, doesn't she?

She does double duty as the Ring Bearer. Check out her little pillow with the two lovebirds and ribbons tied around the rings.

Finally, the Wedding Party gathers to have a group-shot picture taken.

And with this photograph, the Project Runway contest is over for me. If you count the "looks" for this last challenge, you will note there are 8 looks, not 10 as requested. I just felt I was done. Done done. Barbie-d out I guess. It happens. Life happens.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog about the challenge I took on several weeks ago.

If you feel so inclined, I would enjoy hearing from you about which challenge you liked the best. Thanks for sticking with me and your words of encouragement along the way!

Barbie/Project Runway #12

2011-10-19T19:47:00.001-05:00

Please scroll down past the THE KNOT IS TIED post for the latest entry!

Thanks!

The Knot is Tied!

2011-10-18T08:07:00.006-05:00

The siblings are reunited, The cousins are (mostly) gathered,

The bridesmaids are readied,

The church is beautified,

The singer and pianist are warmed up,

The cousins are anticipating,

The flower girls are petal-ing,

The couple is married!

Then, off to the reception.

The guests are seated,

The grandfather takes his granddaughter for a whirl

around the dance floor.

The wedding has happened; the Knot is tied.

Congratulations, Ryan and Emily!!

Barbie/Project Runway #12

2011-10-17T22:21:00.014-05:00

Episode #12 found the 5 remaining designers on a ferry bound for Governor's Island to "New York City's Playground for the Arts." Here they were encouraged to take inspiration from sculpture, architecture and the landscape. Seeing as I am not able to take a flight to NYC and ferry to Governor's Island at this point in time, I decided to use the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park as my challenge inspiration. This is a 2 mile stretch of sculptures running along McCormick Avenue; easy to walk or bike along a path. Please forgive me as I can list neither the artist's name nor title of their pieces - Wes and I biked this and I had no pencil and paper on hand; forget the memory thing!

Here my three "inspiration" pieces; yes, this was another collection challenge in which the designers created three "looks" but were helped by recently eliminated contestants. You

might want to note that the common element in all the outfits is sweater knit. These I felted myself from thrift store sweaters.

#1 A three-tiered birthday cake

#2 Part 1 of a three part sculpture: C is for Cheese

#3 A hodge-podge of interstate and highway signs

Let's begin!

Let's start with Look #1. Obviously, this gown is meant to be worn for a Barbie Birthday Bash! Inspired by the tiered cake sculpture, I created only one tier of birthday confection, but it packs a punch with its streamers on the lower tier. The sculpture colors were far too pastel and unassuming for Barbie, so she went with the pop of pinks, purples and oranges.

Here's a close-up of the party streamers. Not shown: balloons, tooting horns, and diamonds from Ken in brightly wrapped packages.

Take a look at Look #2 next. Remember the C is for Cheese sculpture? I decided to translate that into a gray sweater dress for Barbie with grommets in yellow and white to represent the holes in Swiss cheese. The gray represents the sneaky little mouse who would like to take a nibble at that cheese. Sorry, TG, for the literal translation of this "look." I just could not help myself!

Meaning I just had to make a Cheesehead hat for Barbie.

Finally, here is Look #3: Barbie's "Car" Coat and traveling pants is based upon the inspiration of the road signs sculpture. Look closely and you can see a road-traveling Miss printed on the pants. The tire wheels are studded with rhinestones.

Of course, Barbie has a very chic suitcase to take with her on her road trips...this one is in shiny gold with a diamond studded closure. (My thanks go out to Debbie C. for this accessory gift - it's actually a mirrored compact.)

This brings us to the Project Runway Season Nine Finale! I'll have to get crackin' on the Fashion Week Runway Show...wish me luck!

Barbie/Project Runway #11

2011-10-12T13:54:00.011-05:00

"This is for the Birds" was the challenge theme for Project Runway episode #11. The remaining six designers were paired against each other and then randomly assigned a bird to serve as the inspiration for their outfit: a cockatoo, Amazon parrot, raven and owl were the birds presented. Seeing as no one was assigned the owl, this became my inspiration. The "look" was supposed to be a high fashion garment with a budget of $300.00.

Before sitting down to create the inspiration outfit, I drew upon some ideas and facts I know about the owl and this is what I came up with:

Owls are associated with wisdom and learning.

Owls are known for being carnivorous.

Owls have beautiful feathers.

Owls are not showy birds as some of the other fine-feathered ones are.

With that in mind, I present Brunette Barbie in her owl-inspired garment! She wears a modest dress with a tasteful hemline.

The back of the dress comes to a "v" in the neckline to represent the very special nocturnal hunter the owl is - swooping down on its prey with its precision in swift, efficient killing. The red piping accent represents the blood of the owl's prey. The dress fabric is printed text, not actually legible, but certainly giving one the impression of wisdom in reading and learning.

The fur jacket separate can add an element of the "wild" animal that the

owl is in a color palette similar to the owl's own feathers.

Here's a view of the two piece ensemble.

Of course Brunette Barbie needs to have a feathered fascinator atop her head in homage to a certain HRH Kate who was recently married. Did you know that the tippy little hats are really called fascinators? I made this one with a vintage button and a bright red feather. Don't you think my Brunette actually looks a little like Kate?

At this point, I should confess that unlike the designers on the show, I DID NOT make another outfit as they did - only to be told they wouldn't be showing two outfits after all. My bad, but it felt so, so good to not play completely by the rules this time!

Sweet Shower

2011-10-10T08:34:00.006-05:00

Seeing expectant parents is one of life's sweetest things. They are entering a new journey, knowing that their lives are certainly going to be changed. Who will the baby look like, what will he be like, how will his delivery go, how will the nights go...the list is long.

One thing is certain, though: life will never be the same as pre-baby.

However, I know one thing myself: Drew and Laura's baby is one lucky little fella

to be getting them as parents. And he's going to have two sets of special grandparents and

family members.

Here are his Grandmas with his Mom.

Here is his Dad with our Anne - they have known each other their whole lives. No doubt Ellie will love to get her hands on this new baby boy as her cousin-by-proxy.

The Rholl brothers are going to be great Uncles for this baby

boy who must grow up to be a Patriots fan!

Bedtime reading for the baby will include books that everyone brought to the shower

as well as a handmade book with greetings of love from the shower guests.

And, hopefully, the little fella enjoyed a piece of delicious Hungry Caterpillar

cake (from Mariano's) indirectly "fed" by his mama. Oooooh, was it good!

Both Grandmas provided baby with sentimental clothing pieces:

Carol with sweater, hat, wool rompers and Hawaiian shorts and shirt that Drew wore as a little guy, and Nancy with a hand-knit "Hungry Caterpillar" sweater.

We eagerly await your birth, sweet baby, and wish you well in your last weeks of

confinement in your cozy, dark cocoon.

Barbie/Project Runway #10

2011-10-05T13:57:00.008-05:00

Episode #10 was right up my alley! Why? Because the challenge was to make one - and then two - 70s inspired garments. My sister was my fashion role model during this decade. She was in college and I was in high school. School breaks came and she'd come home to New Jersey. On one of those breaks she came home with pierced ears, and sure enough, before she went back to school my ears were pierced (by her), too! The parents were not pleased.

Diann was "it" to me! To this day I can remember many of her outfits, colors and styles. I'd like to thank her here publicly for her extreme patience with me...surely I must have been a bother at times.

Following the show, I called Sis up to ask her if she could remember two dresses I had in mind.

Bless her heart, she sorted through her photos and slides and sent me these two pictures.

The one with her husband (on right) was dress #1 in a perfect blue color for her. Note that she is wearing one very fashionable wig here; she also had a "fall" that added length to her hair. Dress #2 was a floaty, peasant style dress and she wore it as she and her new husband shared a fondue meal in their first apartment.

Keeping both dresses in mind, I knew a vintage print in blue was needed for the Project Runway challenge #1. Once again, I headed to the thrift store and found this top.

If you take a closer look, you might notice the mini belt detail on the bodice front. This would be for the Project Runway challenge dress #2...a dress for the younger sister (me). Here we see the sisters in their 70s inspired ensembles. Older sister wears a sheer maxi dress with an aqua strapless dress/slip underneath. Younger sister is hip in her brown mini dress with a turtleneck and wide, groovy belt. (I confess I had a dress much like this myself back in the day - check out the top picture. How I would've loved yellow go-go boots to wear with my dress!)

There you have it. Two sisters wearing two 70s dresses, and yet another

multiple garment week.

(And now for a personal note...do any of you have an older-make Skipper I could buy? I refuse to buy the current one with a bright pinkish purple streak in her hair. Unfortunately, my Mom disposed of my original Barbie and Skipper in their striped swimsuits, and I need a Skipper for the upcoming Fashion Week finale.)

Closing Up (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #44)

2011-10-03T10:21:00.008-05:00

It had to happen: the realization that summer is indeed over. We headed Up North this past weekend to close up the family cabin for the season. This is such a bittersweet time for me...I love all that summer brings with swimming in a lake, seeing kids drawn to the waterfront like a bug to light, needing no jackets, wearing flip-flops, going for boat rides, toasting marshmallows in the fire to make s'mores, and certainly saying never mind to the clock.

However, we have learned to make the cabin closing time a special welcome-to-fall time by choosing to go when the colors are close to peaking. We toast to autumn by going to the DQ in Pulaski, Wisconsin and sharing a Pumpkin Pie Blizzard. We put on our walking shoes and hike the six miles

around the lake, sometimes right along the shoreline, and sometimes through the leaf canopy woods on the gravel road.

And this year, a young buck stared back at us right from the front yard area of our cabin as if to welcome us, too. Do you spot him there through the trees?

We woke up Saturday morning to a gorgeous lake view - colors reflecting on the water surface with an ethereal fog layer in some areas.

Soon the fog lifted and the water surface was clear as glass. Now it's time for our walk.

Look down and colorful leaves await the shuffle of our feet -

and, looking up, the treetops sing out a colorful song.

Gone are those who throw rocks into the water for sport, like our Ellie.

But these rocks look like a stretch of islands and fairy cliffs.

Are we ready for fall splendor? "Yes!" is the resounding answer.

Bring it on. But with a few warm days sprinkled in, okay?

Barbie/Project Runway #9

2011-09-28T13:50:00.008-05:00

Who knew when I took on this Project Runway challenge that I would design outfits for a rock band? Certainly NOT me! In Episode #9, the designers met up with the Canadian band called The Sheepdogs. Once again, the designers were divided into two teams of four people. And, once again, my brain and sewing machine would be whirring to complete the assignment in a week's time.

Each band member had an interview with the PR designer. Let's start with Ewan first. He's the lead singer of the band - the front man, so to speak. I thought it was very important for him to lead the pack of fellow Sheepdogs by wearing a sheared sheep hair (Sherpa) vest. No designers had this thought...what's with that?

(My thanks go out to Ken. He was the actual body presence for the band members' bodies.

I taped their faces right over his face. Kind of mean of me, but he was a good sport about it.)

Now let's take a look at band member Ryan. He wanted to have a look that was Western influenced. So, I sewed him a denim/chambray shirt with trim detail on one side. This trim was leftover from my very own Western look in high school when I sewed the trim down the side of my own hip hugger jeans - ee ha! I gave Ryan cargo pants so that he could store his guitar picks there between sets.

Sam, the drummer, wanted a look that had brown in it - he likes brown. He also requested a caftan-type shirt. (If you saw the TV show, you know the two designers who designed for Sam had pretty unattractive results.) Because he's the drummer, he got a top with a zipper. You never know when another rhythm "instrument" sound is going to be needed. ZZZZZZZZZZipppppp!

Finally, we come to band member Leot. He, when interviewed, had the funkiest style request: red pants. Let's talk funky! For him, I chose a special maroon red python pleather print that I found at the thrift store in jacket form marked down to $1.40. These pants are true rocker pants. For the top, I chose to do some color blocking and embroidery.

Just for fun, I am adding the next pictures for closer details of the band outfits:

Ryan's Western trim,

Sam's caftan zipper and trim,

The brown shoes I stitched for all,

and Leot's python snakeskin pants.

This is the entire collection. I will be upfront with you that I

cheated just a bit with making one pair of jeans for Sam and Ewan to share,

and Ryan and Ewan share the same shirt. Please cut me some slack (get it?)

because there is only me in this team challenge.

R O C K ON!

ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #43)

2011-09-25T20:02:00.007-05:00

We have just returned home from a very art-filled weekend! Here you can see all of us - including Pink - reading the maps and newspaper articles describing the ArtPrize venues, artists and details before we set out to explore the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

A few years back, a philanthropist in the area decided to offer big cash rewards to artists from around the world to enter this art contest to compete for large sums of cash prizes. The winners were to be voted upon by the people visiting the show.

The show uses city buildings, restaurants,parks, bridges, museums, churches, etc. to display the works of art. This contest has attracted more and more artists each year, and people are coming to the city from all over as well.

There are now some 1500 pieces of artwork on display from now

until October 9, 2011.

Wes and I were "hosted" by our dear friends, Marny and Tracy.

The art pieces were tiny (think a Mona Lisa jigsaw puzzle with some 80 pieces that could fit inside an Altoid box) to large (think in terms of a waterfall/fountain containing life-sized wood-carved grizzly bears). Think wood, glass, metal, steel, fibers, photographs, mosaics, clay, paper,

frying pans, glue, filaments, resin, plastic. You name it, basically, and there was an art piece featuring it!

This eye was a project two brothers created together by taking daily photographs for two years

and making a mosaic that had a picture within their pictures.

Here we see scaffolding with a sculpture. We were surprised to find the guy on the left was a real man who gave us a 'thumb's up' gesture as we checked him out!

Do you see Barbie in the shark composition?

These yellow sunflowers covered a large expanse of grass by the Gerald Ford Presidential Library. The flowers are all made out of recycled water bottles. Marny and I had a mini tutorial on the process by the artist herself.

This large sculpture dog was called "Rusty" and was made out of recycled metal parts.

I predict right here right now that this will be one of the Top 10 winners.

I was happy to see that a quilt was accepted into the competition at ArtPrize.

Imelda would have been happy, too.

If you feel that you are caught up in details at work, this wooden sculpture man can

certainly relate to your pain. Perhaps he's a modern-day Jonah.

How fun is it to be in Grand Rapids and see our very own CTA Brown Line? We take the Kimball train quite often - and never even noticed it is made out of duct tape! The artist did, however. This piece is close to actual size of a train, so we are talking a lot of duct tape here!

I hope you can get just a little idea of the big enjoyment we had this weekend. Let's hear it for

Marny and Tracy

and

A r t P r i z e!

Barbie/Project Runway #8

2011-09-20T14:31:00.010-05:00

The premise of Episode #8 on Project Runway was to bring real men in and have them confer with the designers to create a custom outfit for their wife or girlfriend. The men have real-life women with real-life bodies. So, I "brought" in a Mattel man whose name just happens to be Allan Sherwood and we sat down for a nice little chat. Does that name sound a little familiar to you, by the way? He's the husband of Midge -Barbie's best friend since 1963. Midge and Allan are expectant, married parents as shown by the ring on Midge's left hand. This is the transcript from the interview:

DL: Well, hello Allan!

AS: Hello back.

DL: My, you look fit, trim and tan! You have been in Malibu with Barbie and Ken, haven't you?

AS: Why, yes. Yes. We had such fun in the Dream House.

DL: Are you looking for me to design a cute little bikini for Midge?

AS: Er, no. Midge has a little secret. I must spill the beans to tell you there is a bun in Midge's oven!

DL: Why, congratulations, Allan! You must be thrilled. AS: Why, yes we are, indeed.

DL: So, you want me to design....

AS: ...a beautiful maternity dress. Dove grey to tie in to my nickname for my little DoveBoat.

DL: Grey it is, then!

AS: And Midge just loves silk worms.

DL: Curious, but sweet observation, Allan. Which means, of course, that the dress must be made out of silk. The finest silk.

AS: Yes, spare no expense! And do NOT make it long and frumpy. You know Midge has shapely legs!

DL: Noted: short hemline. How about sleeves?

AS: Only cap sleeves, please. Her arms are quite chiseled, you know.

DL: Again noted. Any other specifications?

AS: Yes! Please make the dress one that can fit her again once the baby bump is gone. Er, ah, the baby has arrived!

DL: Okay, Allan. I'm on it!

. Following the birth of little Nikki, Midge can wrap the tie from front to back. (Just a side note here, I made the dress out of silk shirt that was already in the donate Bag.)

Now I know you, dear reader, are wondering about the pregnant Midge doll I acquired for this challenge. She is the property of my friend, Marti.

And I also know you would like a visual of how this pregnancy works? Midge has a magnetized half-shell bump.

Inside is a curled up baby with a diaper already in place - so convenient!

Thank goodness, I made the yellow polka dot bikini last week so that I can show these non-censured pictures on my blog!

Wouldn't it be nice if we could have our babies this way? All we'd need to do was take the eggshell thingy off and voila --- a sweet baby arrives with diapers already in place!

Then, we could go home from the hospital in our little bikini, just like Midge shown below and go back to life on the beach! No more waiting 30 years to get back to our pre-pregnancy weight with a belly that looks like a thermal blanket!

This is obviously a fantasy.

Barbie/Project Runway #7

2011-09-14T16:52:00.008-05:00

About 1 minute into the Episode #7, I knew I was going to have a challenge....and a lot of sewing.

The remaining 10 designers were put into two teams to create 5 "looks" PLUS design their own fabrics playing a major role in the outfits, PLUS make a video for the background of the runway show. Seeing as I am a team of one, I can fudge on the rules just a little bit, right? So, I decided to make five looks, make my own fabric, and forgo the video part - more on that later.

To make the fabric, the designers had a computer for designing, and then that design was sent away to be printed. Me? I used my home computer, then printed out the fabric myself, also at home. I knew I wanted some kind of polka dots for my design, so I went to the WEBDINGS font, chose the #8 key, and selected size 40 pt.

Then, I selected three different cotton fabrics: white, teal and yellow. I cut freezer paper to 8 1/2 by 11 inches (the size of paper that fits in my printer), cut the fabric slightly smaller than this and then ironed it to the freezer paper. Into the printer it went!

To the left, you can see the computer screen with the dotted pattern which actually reminds me of those reinforcement circles you put over the holes on notebook paper to prevent ripping. To the right, you can see the printed fabrics.

After hearing that teal was supposed to be one of the "must have" colors this season, I knew that my collection needed to include this color. Yellow was chosen as I wanted to include an itsy bitsy, teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini for Barbie, and thought that teal and yellow make for a pleasing combination. To this I would add white and black.

Here's Barbie in Outfit #1: a bikini with a couple of beachy props, thanks to a loan from my friend, Marti.

Outfit #2 is an ensemble in black, white and yellow. Note the teal shoes. Barbie can wear this happy little outfit when she goes out for ice cream with her sister. She'll bring the dish for sherbet and the root beer float glass. Cheers!

Outfit #3 is a classic shirt dress. Just slip one of these on and Barbie can go anywhere in style. With that fair skin, she'd better take her sun hat along. Do you get a vibe that Barbie is channeling Anne of Green Gables in this dress?

Black beads are used for the buttons on Barbie's dress. Hidden snaps secure the dress so that Barbie is demure, of course, with no surprise reveals.

Speaking of revealing, this next dress, Outfit #4 shows a bit of skin. The darts in the bodice make for a bit of "pointy-ness" ala Marilyn Monroe.

I added a little flower to the sundress strap. It was looped elastic.

Finally, in Outfit #5, I made a gown with a ruffled va-va-va-voom scarf, again with Marilyn in mind. It was fun to posture Barbie in a pose similar to the one in the background picture.

Now, about those backgrounds in the photos. This is my rendition of the videos the designers were supposed to create. I used books which related to the outfit themes. I placed the open book into a decorative plate holder, then stood Barbie up in the foreground. Just in case you were wanting an outfit recap, here you can see the individual pieces of the entire collection:

And now for a word with the Project Runway people:

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE

Take a break from the team projects - they're doing me in!!!!

Thank you.

A Boating We Will Go (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #42)

2011-09-12T10:29:00.008-05:00

When we were invited to go for a weekend visit to Wes' sister and her family's place in the Detroit area, we knew we had to give it a try. You see, they have a boat. And Wes is a lover of boats and water. Plus summer is waning, and this was the last chance to

s-t-r-e-t-c-h out summer just a little bit more. Not to mention that his sister is really, really nice, as is her husband and family of three kids! Can I just mention we also really lucked out with unexpectedly good, summer-like weather? The forecast was wrong. Thankfully, wrong!

The boat came with her own name:

"Thought He Was Kidding"

and the new owners are thinking she is well named and will keep her as such.

Here we see Captain Jeff and his First (and only) Mate, Renee.

Once out on Lake St. Clair, we discovered we needed to boat over to Brownie's for lunch.

Wes was offered the chance to drive the boat, and readily accepted the invitation...I loved seeing him smile the entire time he manned the "ship."

I never realized one could take a boat into Detroit. Here we pass through bridge #1.

To the right of the bridge, we see Detroit. Not shown on the left side,

the Canadian city of Windsor.

Party boat with city skyline behind. We saw many wedding parties being photographed along this stretch of the waterway. We waved and shouted to each other.

Here's bridge #2 which we also passed under. Then it was back to the marina to dock and part with the lake. We had such a great time...thanks Renee, Jeff and family! Nothing like the combination of being out on the water in a boat with people we love. Good times!

Barbie/Project Runway #6

2011-09-07T16:15:00.007-05:00

Episode #6 of Project Runway "THE ART OF THE MATTER" was probably my favorite challenge thus far. Why? Because it was inspired by young art students from the Harlem School of the Arts working side-by-side with the designers. Together they created a painting, and then the designers were challenged to create an avant garde outfit inspired by this painting with some of Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum directives such as:

"Step up and out - it's avant garde."

"This is not a Red Carpet challenge, but an avant garde challenge."

"You will need a lot of yardage."

"Go weird or go home."

"Think Lady Gaga."

"This should turn your head and make you wonder what's going on."

"Think fur, feathers and bright."

What I'm thinking while hearing all these directives is that Barbie, if she could talk, would say:

"I want sequins."

"Beads? Yes, please!"

And, pretty please, could it be pink?"

"Flowers for me, thank you very much."

Meanwhile, where am I going to find a child's painting as my inspiration? Then, it dawns on me that son John painted a flower way back in elementary school. I love its colors and overall feel. It's shown above, and now serves as my inspiration.

Next: figure out the fabric. Luckily, I have recently been to IKEA and bought a yard of something that has on the selvage edge "Design: Malin Akerblom 2010."

Now, what to make that has that avant garde look. I think Barbie needs an arty cape with a dress, an a-line dress with a raised bodice in which the sequins and beads can be showcased.

Machine embroidered flowers with raw edges will be additional elements of ornamentation.

And here we see Barbie modeling the finished ensemble. With no care whatsoever that she is wearing white shoes past Labor Day.

Hair detail with a hand-crafted flower with a pink sequin as flower center. Make-up as usual. No stylist needed here as this look is as permanent as a tattoo.

Please note the welt pocket detail. This was cause of maybe a not-so-nice verbiage rant because I didn't do it right the first time and had to start all over again. And maybe the second time as well. Note the multi-shaped sequins in gold in the flower center. Barbie does love sparkle, you know!

Once the cape is removed, you can see the dress.

Here's bodice close-up.

The back of the cape also has some bling.

As you can see, I am just making the deadline of finishing the outfit before the Thursday

self-imposed time limit. I call this look

Barbie's Cape-ricorn Ensemble.

Labor Day with the Queen

2011-09-05T19:59:00.003-05:00

Did you ever have a day where you woke up and thought, "Hmm...we should go to a place that will take us out of the ordinary. A place where we could maybe catch a glimpse of a queen, see strolling minstrels, watch as brave men ride horses and joust, see women with flowers in their hair, and be entertained by sword fighters, tightrope walkers and jugglers of fire?" Well, we did. Just across the Wisconsin border is such a place and it is called the

Bristol Renaissance Faire. That's how we spent our holiday today and it was simply delightful fun.

We heard songs of yore, watched as a daring young man tossed about sticks of fire,

learned gallant behavior traits from Dirk and Guido,

cheered on our favorite knight in the joust (he won!),

ate Cornish pasties,

and finally, yes finally, saw the Queen pass by on her horse of white.

We followed her to her court outside the castle and listened as minstrels

sang songs for her listening pleasure,

And then watched as she ate lunch as she greeted her Loyal Subjects. Us!

It was a jolly good day.

A day of saying good-bye to summer. A very good summer, indeed.

Barbie/Project Runway #5

2011-08-30T08:07:00.013-05:00

Episode number 5 of Project Runway found the designers given the challenge of creating outfits to wear with Heidi Klum's New Balance sneakers. Teams of three designers were formed and they had to put together three separate "looks" with these stipulations:

1. Denim or suede - or both - must be used in every outfit designed. It need not be the prevalent fabric, but still must be present.

2. All pieces should work together as a collection.

3. $300.00 budget for the designers.

4. Finally, the "Make something cool!" directive from Ms. Klum herself.

Of all the crazy things, I was inspired by this fashion bra at Dollar Tree! It had the whimsical, colorful star pattern including the color turquoise as well as that "pop" of hot pink I was looking for. It would work well with the denim and shoes. After all, my client was none other than Barbie herself this time!!

(My biggest issue was coming up with sneaker-like shoes for Barbie. I had to go out to buy an I CAN BE...A BABYSITTER BARBIE just for her shoes. Apparently, Barbie even wears high heels to be a dentist, a veterinarian and any other occupation.)

Outfit #1, left, is a three piece active-wear ensemble featuring a zippered hoodie (lined in denim), a color-blocked raglan t shirt with embroidery details and capri pants.

Outfit #2, center, is a one piece denim jumpsuit cut on the bias with

additional bias-stitching side detail panels on the flared leg pants.

Outfit #3, right, is also a three piece ensemble with wrapped skirt (made from the back of the fashion bra and four snaps) and kicky denim vest.

Here we see Barbie showing off the embroidery detail on the color-block t shirt. She especially likes the shirt because of the tiny crown stitched on it - do you see it? I made the shirt from a golf logo sample pack given me several years ago.

Barbie's belt on outfit #2 is actually the front fashion bra closure with a little of the bra still attached. Shown here: the vest close-up from outfit #3 Can you see how a bra back would wrap around Barbie's body to make a skirt"? The front closure from the bra is multi purposed - here it is turned around to make a teeny top for Barbie.

For obvious reasons,

I am calling this the Give Barbie

"Support"

Sports Collection.

Barbie/Project Runway #4

2011-08-22T19:46:00.011-05:00

When I realized Project Runway episode #4 was going to have designers designing for a client who "knows a lot about fashion" I gulped - and gulped even more when that person turned out to be judge Nina Garcia. She has a no-nonsense approach to fashion: classic, yet fresh silhouettes with streamlining, clean, no-print tendencies. Whimsical? Never!

(Whimsical seems to be my middle name.)

She gave directives such as: (see me furiously writing these down as she dictates)

"I don't want boring."

"No pleats. Muted tones."

"I don't want a runway all in gray."

"I don't like mousy"

"I need punch." (Not the liquid reference, of course.)

"I like the combination of hard and soft."

"I hate cowls."

"Don't make it too short."

"I don't like plunging necklines."

Keeping all these requirements in mind for my "client" I headed out to find fabric. Seeing as there is no MOOD fabric store in my city neighborhood, I went to the closest place to look for fabrics - the Village Discount thrift store. Rows and rows of pre-worn garments called out for an audition, but nothing appealed to me until I found this halter top. It was olive green in color with little gold dots in linear formation. The lining could be used as well, because I decided to make a fully lined wrap dress for my client.

Here's my finished outfit for Barbie/Nina. Please note that I styled her hair just as Nina wears hers - long and straight. I made the belt out of flat beads and the buckle is a flat "black pearl" disc. The wrap dress closures are also beads of "black pearl" and echo the hues in the dotted circles of the dress fabric.

Here you can see the side closure of the wrap dress.

There's a hint of a peek-a-boo pleat on the dress side as well with a view of the coordinating lining fabric. Kind of alluring, yet tasteful. Not too much leg, but just enough.

This is what the wrap dress looks like without a Barbie body in it. The hem was cut directly from the halter, so it is nicely rolled and finished. If you look closely, you can see the bead buttons and the little loops that join the sides together.

Barbie...er Nina, can wear this to work and transition to an evening function by simply changing the handbag to a clutch, and adding dangling earrings to her lobes. I would like to call this look

Barbie Wraps Up Yet Another Exciting Day in Glamourland on a Shoestring Budget

Barbie/Project Runway #3

2011-08-16T15:42:00.008-05:00

When the #3 Project Runway episode was called "Go Big or Go Home" I wondered what on earth I was getting myself into with this self-imposed challenge! Never did I surmise that I would have to create an outfit for a Barbie wearing stilts --- or in her case chopsticks! Aside from having to create for a stilt-walker, stipulations were also to create an outfit that was "Paris Couture" but not circus looking for a "real woman." Really? A budget for the designers was set at $500.00 and they had to work in pairs. My budget is zero and I am working as a singleton. However, I have saved a very classy scarf with a Picasso print and this would be the inspiration for Barbie's dress. (Scarf shown on left.)

I cut the scarf down the center diagonally. The long ends of the scarf were gathered and placed around the skirt top, leaving two points hanging toward the skirt bottom. These two points were wrapped around the "stilt" chopsticks for Barbie as shown below. To these red chopsticks I slipped on a pair of Barbie's shoes. Note that there is a little black snap here that will later come in handy when Barbie's skirt is bustled.

Barbie's dress bodice is one shouldered, and is made of a tiny scrap of wine-colored moire taffeta. A fancy button is added to bling up the outfit on the lower right side of the dress bodice.

To better illustrate the scarf aspect of the construction, I grabbed Barbie and made her show her profile.

Here we can see Barbie with the dress all bustled up, so she can wear it to parties where there are no stilt walkers. Which means most parties she attends, right? I understand Ken is a real klutz on stilts himself.

This look is called the Just-Say-No-to-Stilts Barbie.

(As of this project, I am all caught up with the current season of Project Runway.)

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

2011-08-14T20:52:00.006-05:00

Such a glorious day in Chicagoland today! Wes and I decided to go to see the lovely flowers at the Botanic Garden and noticed the Kite Festival sign as we entered the garden. (Did you ever read the book THE KITE RUNNER? If so, you might remember the difficulty of flying these colorful kites, and I was thrilled to be able to witness something I had only read about before firsthand.)

What a lovely sight to see these masters-of-the-craft of kite flying! They flew their kites in teams. Music accompanied their choreographed actions. It was simply beautiful.

Three kites like airborne angelfish.

How could we not purchase a kite and go fly it with our little Miss E today? Answer: We couldn't! Our kite is the pink one right on top the dragon wings kite...Wes is flying it.

Wes practiced on the field with the others following the kite performance.

Then into the car we tumbled, kite in hand, to find Ellie waiting with her Mom right in front of their home.

With her Mommy being the most energetic runner of all, we cheered her on saying, "Go, Mommy, Go!" Ellie quickly learned the word kite

and giggled and laughed out loud at the whole experience.

My, but it is fun to be kite-flying grandparents!!!

Barbie/Project Runway #2

2011-08-12T09:55:00.008-05:00

Episode #2 of Project Runway had an interesting challenge: to make a garment from pet store items and was called "My Pet Project." Off I went to Dollar Tree to their pet supply aisle. Though limited by the inventory, there was still a selection from which to choose: rubber chew toys, rawhide bones, collars, leashes, squeakers, frisbees, toys to catch and throw. (But no hard neck cones or "tinkle" pads as used in the show.)

My choices were the red, white and blue dog rope toy and the smallest dog collar I could find. Two dollars spent and I was set!

I knew I could use a muslin underlay for my outfit, which really helped. Here's what I did.

First I cut the rope into shorter lengths. I untwisted the three colors and put aside the red cords - only navy and ecru will be used for the outfit. Though quite tedious, I pulled the thicker cords apart to make stripes over the muslin base.

Once the stripes were placed, I secured them by sewing machine stitching to the muslin base in a scribblish sort of way.

Next the pattern piece was placed over this and cut out. I did this for front and back bodice pieces as well as the skirt. This is going to be a dress.

Voila! Here is the finished dress and the dog collar was chopped off to make a stylish belt to go with the outfit. (The dress, to me, looks like it's a zebra print. )

It goes without saying that Barbie has one tiny waist, so with the leftover collar, I styled a sassy ponytail band.

This look I am calling "Zebra Barbie Goes on a Zoo Walk with Killer Stilettos."

(It won't be a very long walk.)

Coming: #3 in which Barbie must wear stilts. Really?

Barbie + Project Runway = My Kind of Fun (#1)

2011-08-11T13:55:00.009-05:00

Three things have inspired me lately:

1. A new season of Project Runway (Thursday nights) currently underway.

2. The exciting "find" of vintage Barbie patterns at St. Vincent's

for 25 cents each. I bought each and every one.

3. The purchase of two Barbie dolls, also at St. Vinnie's, at $2.00 each. I bought the only two that actually had non-chopped hair.Before going any further here, I should explain the premise of Project Runway to those of you who might not be followers. Heidi Klum is the host, Tim Gunn is the designer's mentor, and a panel of three judges presides over the weekly competition. Budding designers are given a weekly challenge to create a fashion outfit or ensemble using certain given items, themes or such. The first week - actually two weeks ago today - designers were awakened by Tim Gunn in the wee hours of the morning and told to not change out of their pajamas, and grab a sheet and out they went to their designing studio in New Your City!

Once there, the designers were told their outfit could use only the fabrics from their own p.j.'s and the sheet. They were allowed to use trims or dyes provided and then they were off to stitch a garment for a provided model, later to walk down a runway and be judged by the panel. One designer would be sent home. The next week, a new challenge is issued and so it goes until there is only one designer - the winner - left!

I decided to follow along with the show designers and do the challenges for Barbie. I'll follow the rules as they do, but here's the good news: I CAN NOT BE ELIMINATED! Since my blonde Barbie is the model for this week's challenge (keep in mind I'm two weeks behind schedule due to summer), I had to pretend the outfit to the left was her

pajamas. The "sheet" to the right I altered by tie-dyeing with Sharpee markers and spraying with rubbing alcohol to allow the markers to "bleed" and run.

Sometimes the designers are asked exactly who will be wearing the outfit and for what function, so I have decided to call this ensemble "Barbie Goes Barefoot in Central Park Feeling Groovy."Her hair is braided with a long, side braid and she's carefree as can be!

Her tunic is trimmed with braided vintage lace. As are her bell-bottom pants. The p.j fabric can be found in her jaunty neck scarf as well as a little peek from the bodice of the tunic for modesty sake. I cut off only the sleeves of her p.j. top so that she also has the option to wear the sleeveless top underneath the tunic for that popular layered look. And, how could a tunic NOT have bell sleeves as well when Barbie is feeling so, so groovy?

There you have it: the week #1 challenge. Done. Seeing as I have some catching up to do, come back again real soon to see how Barbie looks in an outfit made from pet supplies for week #2!

Cabin Coziness (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #41)

2011-08-07T17:12:00.007-05:00

Seems like Pink had just been put away from that fun party, when she was once again pulled out for yet another trip! Good thing she was born to travel, right?

Cozy is certainly the word to describe this time - we were 25 people (and 2 dogs) in a cabin that is roughly the size of a two-car garage! Yes, some of us slept at a motel in town, others RV camped or borrowed lodging from our peninsula neighbors. But, for the most part we were at the cabin for meals and merriment. We lucked out with wonderful weather, meaning we were outside most of the time.

Just a couple of pictures just wouldn't capture the "event' so I decided to try making a little slide show. Enjoy!

What a Party!!!!!! (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #40)

2011-08-01T09:52:00.013-05:00

When my sis and her husband were invited to a very BIG birthday party in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and he couldn't go I got to be her "stand in" date! And what an amazing party this turned out to be. We loaded up Pink (and her Blue) in the trunk and off we went. Due to privacy of the birthday individual, I won't mention his name, but here you can see his house (mansion) and the lovely party invitation. The theme of the party was

MUSIC IN THE AIR.

In usual "sister style" we had both brought nearly the same dresses (black) to wear to the party with shawl wraps the same color (cream) as well - luckily I had also packed another choice to wear so we didn't look like twins at the party...but here you can see our shoe choices we selected beforehand. Isn't it uncanny that we can shop separately and still come to choose clothes nearly identical? (However, you can still easily distinguish who's who based upon one who tans and one who doesn't.)

Here we are enjoying our specialty blue beverages that were very very delicious. And here with are with "Elton John" in his younger life. "Wolfgang" was in an especially happy mood. No REQUIEM feelings for him tonight, that's for sure!

As one who enjoys a barbershop quartet.

these four certainly sang harmoniously.

(It's the house in the background that is miniature-sized, not the singers.)

"Tina" and "Cher" were looking groovy.

"Lady Gaga" was outrageous as usual.

But enough talk about famous people...let's eat!

Tents and tables were set up all over the grounds of the mansion. Each area featured "picnic" food which far surpassed any picnic I've ever attended! Flowers in each area were spectacular.

The food - oh the food.

At dusk,we entered a specially-created concert pavilion for a night of music by Chicago music newcomers and legends. Ever hear of the MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET? They were the headline entertainers and they gave an a.m.a.z.i.n.g concert.

Can you feel the magic in the air?

Following the concert, the crowd sang "Happy Birthday " to our host. He's the one in white in the middle of this picture.

By now it is about 11:00 PM and we are escorted to the waterfront for fireworks

and desserts in this tent.

Again, a.m.a.z.i.n.g. And the first "pie bar" I've ever encountered.

See those horizontal lights in the background? They were boats in the lake enjoying the

fireworks from the other side - hello, Darilyn!

All too soon the party was over. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, to be sure. Now I know just a little bit what it would like to be royalty. Perfect for a night. However, the glass slipper still fits this working girl just as fine today when I am back in "real life."

Hey, Hey, It's a Monkey

2011-07-27T18:28:00.013-05:00

Think about it. The Monkees have a lot in common with the monkey. Both were/are entertaining. Both were/are known for their antics. Both were/are brown-haired. Both draw crowds. Both get older. But only the Davy, Peter and Mickey Monkees are touring this summer - and I missed them in Chicago when they were here. Back in the day, I was a huge Monkees fan! My babysitting money went towards purchase of their singles, and when enough was saved, I bought some of their albums.

As far as which Monkee was my favorite, I had two: Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith. I liked Peter because he was a total cute goofball, and I liked Mike because he seemed so much more mature than the other Monkees. He had confidence to wear a green hat. Davy was everybody's favorite due to his keen wardrobe, British accent and prowess wearing knotted scarves around his neck.

Mickey was cute and animated, but he just didn't float my boat.

My parents weren't thrilled about my choice to follow this group, and I had to sneak to watch their afternoon TV show. I believe they called this show "trash."

Well, that was all decades ago, but with the resurgence of their current touring (3 out of 4, no Mike), I wanted to stitch something as a tribute to their important part in my adolescent growth. What better to make than a SOCK monkey? (It helped that I cleaned my sewing closet and found the red-heeled socks I had purchased to make for the kids, yet never did it before they left home.)

Here I goofed. I made the legs out of the part that was supposed to be the head.But, no worries.I worked it out another way.

Here we see Mr. Monkey with no appendages, one ear and no eyes.

And here he is all completed. But missing something! Now's the part done as my tribute to Mike. Michael. Look closely at the picture and note that Wes wore a belt just like theirs when I met him.

And that Mike is wearing his signature green hat.

So Mr. Monkey got a green hat.

Plus a Fez hat to mark the silliness of Peter.

They just don't make 'em like the Monkees anymore...do they?

As for you, dear reader, did you have a favorite Monkee, and if so, who?

Note to Sandi - we're waaaay overdue for our Monkee stroll down the halls of RHS, no?

Snapshots of Celebration

2011-07-25T13:50:00.005-05:00

Colorful gerbera daisies Clever seating chart

Groomsmen with the new Mrs.

The other "moms" from the library

Table Seven

Awaiting the wedding party at the reception

MOB and FOB making an unconventional entrance

to the reception

FOB reading an essay the bride wrote in elementary school about love. The first observation:

"Love is...disgusting." (Guess you changed your mind, huh, Liz?)

The speeches and toasts - clink!

Dinner menu

Custom pasta bar

And a cake that was 0h-so-delicious!

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. J! All the best to you as you begin your married life journey!

Magnificent (Mile) Marilyn

2011-07-18T11:36:00.011-05:00

See her? Right there in the middle of the picture? She's dressed in white and attracting viewers just as she did in 1955 after coming out of a Manhattan movie theatre in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH co-starring with Tom Ewell. Yes, it's Marilyn Monroe. This time, she is a 26 foot sculpture by Seward Johnson. On Friday, she was unveiled at Pioneer Court just north of the Michigan Avenue bridge on the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago. And I knew I had to drag Wes along with me to see her. Apparently many others had the same idea! Yes, she does show some fancy under-garments. Modest by today's standards, thank goodness, but I still felt a little embarrassment looking up there. She brings a smile to your face as you see hers. Just like a real girl, her pedicure is showing a little wear and tear from all the traffic. In my estimations, one toe is about the size of a woman's foot, if not longer.

Loyal blog readers and co-workers might remember that in 2007 I "channeled" Marilyn for the Ms. Millennium pageant and won. (Go to the http://www.iluvsnacks.blogspot.com/

December 20, 2007 for a refresher.) And head on downtown for a glimpse of this most intriguing sculpture. Art for art's sake, anyone?

Call Me MeMo

2011-07-15T08:33:00.005-05:00

Grandma, Gramma, G-Ma, Yaya. Nanna, Grandmama. Grandmother. Granny, Grammy, Gaga. Mimi, Mormor, Meemaw. What would Ellie decide to call me?

I knew I was not a fan of "Grandma." I knew Anne was not a fan of "Yaya."

The Swedish "Mormor" would be okay, but if you are a language purist, you would know that the name would work for Anne's children as I am truly Mother's Mother. But, John's children? They would need to call me "Farmor" (father's mother) and confusion might occur as one grandmother has two different names to her grandchildren. For me, this just doesn't seem quite right. Add in the Morfar (mother's father)) and the Farfar (father's father) and the poor grandchild has four grandparent names to remember!

So, the dilemma - the drama - of it all was weighing itself in my heart. What's in a name? Plenty!

I can now report that, happily - the situation has resolved itself. Ellie came up with her very own name for me, and I love it. She calls me MeMo which rhymes with the word "Nemo" as in that Disney fish who goes searching for his father after becoming too tired of the routine. Just like someone else I know.

As for Wes, she has come up with "Papa" and he is thrilled with her choice as well.

Question: What names did you use for your grandparents, or what names are your children calling their grandparents?

Combined Ages of These Pirates: 168 Years! (PSC #39)

2011-07-13T14:35:00.009-05:00

Shiver me timbers, maties, and stand clear of these birthday pirates! And be warned: this Pirate Baby will steal your heart as well as your loot! Take special note of the two retired pirates in the middle in the teal and red bandanas.

Pirates like cupcakes.

And especially liked the cold cash and jewels found in these boxes.

Happy Birthday to John, Jed, Kari, Anne and Wes who celebrated their birthdays together (five birthdays in three-and-a-half week time span) and were thrown the annual party at the White Stag restaurant near Rhinelander, Wisconsin. As usual, they humored the hostess by wearing silly costumes and being surrounded by table decorations quite tacky in nature. They should have made her walk the plank for this one.

Care to make a guess on the ages of the birthday celebrants that add up (combined) to 168 years? There could be a booty reward for a correct guess!

Chillin' in the North Woods (But Bring the Bug Spray!) Pink Suitcase Chronicles #39

2011-07-10T21:05:00.008-05:00

Poor Pink. She was barely home for less than two weeks when whisk she was once again pulled from the nice, quiet closet to be packed up for yet another trip! This time she went to the North Woods in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the annual 5-way family birthday party...more on that later. All seven of our immediate family were in attendance, plus Wes' parents. Having Ellie cooling off with us was a true delight. We certainly did beat the heat that was going on back home, but there was a price to pay - and the price came in the six-legged variety known for its ability to extract blood from animals and humans. Ah yes, the mosquito. Very annoying and ever-present, but we sprayed and tried not to fixate.

Cooling off in the new (to us) boat was such fun. The former Captain, once again, ruled supreme in the seat on the right of this photograph. It wasn't long until he slid into the seat on the left to

cruise the waters on the lake.

The usual chilly early July water was warmer than usual.

We all found ourselves enticed by its clear, refreshing power.

Twenty eight years ago, the little girl on the dock was Anne, and the mother in the raft with outstretched arms was me. It is oh-so-sweet to be watching the younger generation carry on what was started by Wes' parents, then us. Life is good.

And Wes and I even made the rounds on the "tube" behind the boat - just for old (geezers) time sake!

Here's to you keeping c-o-o-l during these hot, hot days. Perhaps this post has helped you just a wee bit. As for those mosquitoes, we hope they have no interest in crossing the state line.

Here's the Scoop (PSC* #38)

2011-06-29T06:33:00.007-05:00

***WARNING*** Reading this post will most likely cause you to head to the freezer compartment of your refrigerator or head out to the nearest ice cream vendor's place near you! If you choose any of the flavors listed below, you are joining the millions who have selected their personal favorites with their pocketbooks, wallets and spoons. Well? How did you do? Is your pesonal favorite on the Top Ten list? The last leg of our journey to the New England states took us to Waterbury, Vermont. Think of this as the cherry (Garcia) on the top of our travel sundae! You see, Waterbury is the home of the Ben and Jerry's ice cream TOUR CENTRAL, and we knew we had to fork (spoon?) over the $3.00 fee to tour the factory and get the flavor-of-the-day sample. Before we could taste, we saw the tank room where the milk is stored in a huge vat. Then, on to the assembly room where flavors, swirls, and add-ins are combined and cartoned. Finally we arrived at the ultimate destination: the FlavoRoom where we received our heavenly ice cream in a small paper cup.

Today's flavor? Delicious LATE NIGHT SNACK which has creamy vanilla ice cream, a salted caramel swirl and little pieces of chocolate-covered potato chips. Certainly scoopalicious!

Needless to say, we left Ben and Jerry's in an elevated, udderly enlightened state.

"The Hills are Alive With the Sound of Music" (PSC* #38)

2011-06-28T06:46:00.007-05:00

Once in Vermont, Penny suggested we make a trip to Stowe to check out the Von Trapp Family Lodge and Resort. I jumped at the chance! (If you know our family, you know that we have been known to break into songs from the musical Sound of Music at oddly random times, like on the dock of our cabin at sunset or on a couch on Thanksgiving night.) Recently, there have been on-site tours offered to talk about the family Von Trapp. Our guide told us the differences between the movie and real life. We were promised, at the end of the tour, to meet an actual family member. See the lodge building in the background? It is actually a rebuilt lodge as a fire consumed the original lodge.

As a tour group, we went into this area marked Private. Inside were the graves of Maria and the Baron, as well as several of their children. The couple had three more children together after the original seven. Most are now deceased.

This is the view one can see from the Lodge. It truly does remind you of their beloved homeland Austria.

All around the Lodge are pictures of the Von Trapps. I especially enjoyed this one that was used to promote their singing tours once they had left their country and starting singing tours in ours.

Closing the tour, we were given the opportunity to meet Sam Von Trapp - the grandson of Maria and the Baron and the son of Johannes. Maria was pregnant with Johannes, her final child, as she came to America. Sam is energetic, engaging, personable and now taking over the reins as

the Resort is expanding. He certainly charmed me!

Seriously, if you ever get to this area and are a fan of the singing Von Trapps, you must go to this beautiful place....your heart will be blessed, and you'll sing once more!

Our Day of Determination in Acadia National Park (PSC* #38)

2011-06-26T13:56:00.005-05:00

Being so close to Acadia National Park while in Maine meant we had to pay a visit there --- even if the forecast called for a basically miserable day. After all, we had our umbrellas and waterproof slickers! Sand Beach was the first stop we made. I took time to "write" a special anniversary message to my sweetie, then we walked on.

It was low tide. We saw a couple of people walk into the forest at the end of the beach, so we tucked ourselves into the woods and found ourselves on some sort of trail, not really marked as to which trail it was, but we noted the painted blue strips on tree trunks and rocks so followed these markings to wherever.

Here I'd like to comment that hiking on rocky paths while holding an umbrella is not easily managed...especially as we are in the plodding turtles vs. sprite gazelles age group.

However, the scenic aspect of the hike was paying off with breath-taking views and sounds of the crashing sea below us.

When we finally found the summit of the hike marked by this carved sign, we figured out that we had hiked the Great Head trail. Surely this seemed like a hike that was more than 145 feet in elevation! It had taken us over an hour to get here. None-the-less the plodding turtles were perfectly pleased with pleasure to have made it to this pinnacle.

Back in the (warm, dry) car, we visited the Thunder Hole. No Beehive climb today; we passed by that trail today. Maybe next time?

We also could have chosen the 7.4 mile hike to Cadillac Mountain. The guidebook said the hike was strenuous and required 4.75 hours to walk to the 1,530 feet elevation. Instead, we drove to the summit.

As we drove up the mountain, the rain pounded down and visibility was greatly decreased. Still quite beautiful in its own way... ...but, just to be sure we'd really made it to the top and couldn't see anything, I took a picture of this t shirt as proof we were there!

In some ways, the highlight of the trip was stopping by the Jordan House to take a warm break from the rainy temp's in the low fifties. Here we enjoyed the world famous fresh-baked popovers with real butter and homemade strawberry jam served with hot tomato basil bisque soup.

(We strayed from our TURNOVER meal plan and it was worth every bite and spoonful.)

This outing was one we'll always remember, in spite of the cool, wet weather. We Americans are so fortunate to have these National Parks and we must visit them and tell others to visit them. As the Parks are our national treasures we must keep them up and running for the sake of our children, grandchildren and future generations!

Where Everybody Knows Your Name (PSC* #38)

2011-06-23T09:00:00.012-05:00

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got

Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go - where everybody knows your name

And they're always glad you came

You wanna be where you can see - our troubles are all the same

You wanna be where everybody knows your name, people are all the same

You wanna be where everybody knows your name.

(The song was written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo. The Cheers TV show lasted 11 seasons on NBC from 1982 - 1993.) And we were there! The old gang was busy elsewhere, but we did manage to find Norm. The Cheers Bar (Bull and Finch) is located in the Beacon Hill area of Boston. After the end of our very full day of sight-seeing with Carol and Mark, we wanted to end up here. The guys had to get what was the liquid menu highlight, and Carol and I chose instead the oh-so-good Boston Cream Pie.

This was simply one of the most delightful times we had on our trip - and a great way to end a fabulous day in Bean Town! (C'mon---Boston Cream Pie in BOSTON?) Cheers to Cheers!

Lobster, Anyone? (PSC* #38)

2011-06-21T08:14:00.003-05:00

One can't possibly go to Maine and not notice all the lobster hoopla. The red creatures pop up on restaurant rooftops, in signs by the seacoast and even "dressed" as greeters in public places!

Just to give you some background on this hardy crustacean, I thought I'd take some facts from the Oh Ranger! Your Complete Guide to the Parks: Acadia pamphlet we picked up at a Visitor Center: 1. Two hundred years ago, the lobster was used to feed prison inmates who complained about its taste. The lobsters were so plentiful, they were easily gathered at low tide. Settlers also used lobster as fertilizer. You can see here that the lobster was considered lowly - certainly no longer the case! 2. Today lobster fishing requires hard work. Lobstermen (women?) catch their prey using box-shaped wire traps, which they drop overboard and mark with brightly painted buoys (their distinctive color combinations are registered with the state). It takes 7 years for a lobster to reach its legal catch size. The average weight of a lobster is 1.5 pounds, but some as large as 40 pounds have been reported. 3. When living, lobsters are deep green or gray - and rarely a dark shade of blue. When cooked, they turn bright red. To eat a cooked lobster, you need a nutcracker. Twist off the front claws, crack them open and remove the meat. Break off the tail from the body and use a fork to push the meat out. To get at the eight remaining spindly legs, suck the meat out. Some people enjoy the liver (tomalley), but most don't. This being said, we knew we'd have to try eating the popular lobster roll being offered at most roadside venues.

It was recommended we try Red's Eats in Wiscassett, Maine. (And also another place we never found - sorry, Ken and Adrienne.) Reportedly, this place has long, long lines in the summer season which we fortunately avoided.

Whenever you can't find the price of lobster listed, prepare for paying plenty. We learned this.

Ka-ching, ka-ching. This meal of one lobster roll and one order of friend mushrooms set us back over $20.00. The lobster was $16.50 for one roll! Good thing we like to share. Later, though, we overheard some people talk about this place and their generous 1.5 servings, so perhaps it was a deal after all?

The verdict? I like lobster best in its natural habitat under the water - alive. It was too rubbery in texture for me, with a taste that wasn't appealing enough to ask for more. Wes polished off the rest of the sandwich. We're glad we tried the experience, though. Lobster, anyone?

Pink Suitcase Chronicles #38 - Visiting New England

2011-06-19T15:31:00.006-05:00

Stated simply: We have just returned home from a 9 day trip to Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The simple pleasures of the trip: Seeing special friends, walking in sand, climbing rocks (slowly and carefully), eating a lot of good food, being near mountains and water and hanging out together 24/7. Highlight #1: Being with the Rholls in Maine.

Highlight #2: Seeing the sights in Boston with Carol and Mark. (More on that in a future post). Do you recognize this stately Boston building?

Highlight #3: Visiting these New England states at this time of year brings a purple/lavender/white/pink reward --- lupines. We saw them everywhere!

Highlight #4: This was the first time we have lodged in an inn on a bay. Penobscot Bay is the second largest bay in the US; the largest bay is Chesapeake Bay. The country breakfast each morning certainly started the day off right.

Highlight #5: Hiking a bit in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, we discovered that gnats bite just as annoyingly as those mosquitoes we encounter at our cabin in Michigan. Those nasty little bugs now fly with a bit of our matter within their systems. I'm assuming this is more a highlight for them than it was for us.

Highlight#6: The last leg of our trip was spent in Vermont with Penny and Lorenzo as our hosts. Their garage was most impressive with its five pairs of snowshoes, bicycles and kayak. Gone are the days of boring landscapes from when they shared our hometown in the Midwest!

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As of this post, I'm not quite sure exactly how to proceed with documenting our trip highlights.

But I know I feel compelled to do so as far as some of the cuisine we consumed (think red with pinchers), the famous people and creatures we met, the visit to Acadia National Park and how we ended one of our full days with a trip to a place where "everyone knows your name." Come on back, ya hear?

Walking Tour Surprise

2011-06-07T09:24:00.004-05:00

A few weeks before our anniversary, we were given a Save the Date card by our kids telling us to keep the morning of June 4th open and wear walking shoes. It was so much fun to wonder what was going to happen!

Once we had all gathered (Anne, Jed, Ellie, John and Kari) we were handed this sweet little flip-top album with a map of where we'd walk and "Reflective Questions" we'd discuss as we were walking. I think I might have screamed with excitement as one who loves this sort of adventure! We ended up walking to the North Park University campus where Wes and I began our courtship and love story. We saw our dorms, the Hanson Hall classroom where we met in Music 101, the Carlson Tower outdoor patio where we shared our first kiss, remembered the old library where we met to study (and my GPA was elevated because Wes was a serious student and if I wanted to see him, I had to go there myself) and remembered times spent on the mid-campus "Hump."

Then, we left the campus to walk to North Park Covenant Church where we were married. The building was unlocked and we had the sanctuary to ourselves as we relived the walk down and back the aisle. Photos were taken with the former bride and groom looking every bit as happy as on that day 35 years ago.

We ended up our walking tour by going past Wes' old house on Sawyer and our first apartment right across the street from his boyhood home. Memories were shared with the kids about my shoe heel breaking as we snuck our way up the back staircase following the wedding and our landlord coming out to see what the commotion was and finding us in our wedding attire - he was quite surprised!

Back together at our City Nest, we were treated to a delicious lunch and gifts. Even Ellie made a card for us:

Another part of our surprise was getting a stack of index cards listing events that occurred each year of our married life with pictures on the back of the cards. Not only was the stack thicker than one would expect, but also physical evidence of the beauty and blessings we have shared in all these years together.

To our kids - you completely blew us away with your thoughtfulness. We thank you for everything from the bottom of our hearts!!!! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Book Jacket Recycling

2011-06-02T11:26:00.015-05:00

"No! Wait! We can use these somehow, sometime! Please don't get rid of them just yet!" That was my repeated outcry every time any of my co-workers at the library wanted to get rid of the book jackets we seemed to be collecting/stockpiling for the past several years as new books came in and the covers were removed before circulating.

Once the newly renovated library was complete, the Children's Storytime room ended up with two very large, very uninspiring white boards. Not good! Being one who likes to undertake projects, I remembered all those wonderfully illustrated book jackets in the storage bins. I love these colorful covers (yes, based on these I can say you can judge some books by their covers) and I proposed a "Book Jacket Mosaic" artwork plan. Using large pieces of plywood and a very handy "Jack of all trades" building engineer, Gary, we devised a way to hang the plywood panels over one of the white boards. The plywood needed to be primed. Then I laid out the book jacket pieces patchwork style to fit the plywood. Using a Mod Podge matte medium, I applied a coat first to the plywood and then attached each book jacket cover one at a time, using a wallpaper seam roller to secure fully to the wood surface. Once this was dry, I applied two coats of Mod Podge (one horizontal and one vertical) with drying between coats.

Here you can see book jack mural as a whole. Forgive the blurriness.

Above, you can see the book jacket mosaic in three overlapping segments. It measures about 12 feet in length and 4 feet in height. Care to guess how many book covers were used? (Insert number here______________. Answer given at the bottom of this post.) There were times when I was working on this project that I thought I was constructing the world's largest decoupage piece and the Guinness Book of World Records people should be here.

The good news about this project? It featured recycling! It will offer our young patrons excitement in discovery of favorite books shown, bright colors, and exposure to books they might have missed. It's art!

The bad news on this project? There are at least four more big bins full of unused book jackets and I am certain I will have to dispense of them at long last ---- do you, dear reader, want to help out by reusing these in your choice of project? CALL ME or RESPOND in the comment section here and they are yours! It would be fun to see what you could come up with using a book jacket as inspiration!

Answer: 108

Unknown and Known

2011-05-29T09:03:00.009-05:00

When we started out our married journey 35 years ago on 5/29/76, we certainly didn't know what was ahead. We didn't know where our careers would take us - and how we would manage to pay the rent and bills. We didn't know the size our family would grow to be and how the joys of parenthood would far surpass our expectations. We would know heartbreak in getting our family started as well.

We didn't know we would be able to travel the world as much as we have, yet find the most satisfaction in having "home" be wherever we could be together.

We didn't know my father would pass away before our kids really got to know him. We were blessed to get to see my mother live until the age of 86, and see her grandchildren reach adulthood. We have been able to see Wes' parents continue their life journey to this day. We didn't know how the lives of our siblings would turn out - the marriages (and unfortunately the divorces) and nieces and nephews we would welcome.

We didn't know that, in addition to Anne and John, we would add Jed and Kari to our family.

And Ellie!

We did know at the time of our wedding that we were surrounded in love by family and friends.

Dear to us, you are, and we thank you for being on this journey with us!

M & M Get Married in Michigan (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #37)

2011-05-23T14:22:00.007-05:00

Ah, wedding season is upon us! And I love it. Why? Simply because weddings celebrate love, family ties, friendships, young and

old(er) people together, pretty females in special dresses, handsome males in suits and ties - and happiness bubbles over like no other time in life aside from the birth of a child. I am a huge fan of happy!

Our family (minus little Miss E.) celebrated the wedding of Mike G. and his beautiful bride, Meghan N. together in Michigan this past weekend. Mike is John's long, long time friend from elementary school and Anne has been like a pseudo big sister to Mike; Wes and I consider Mike to be a part of our family, too.

How I remember the antics (and mischief) these two could get into together in the past - the volcano "explosions" in the kitchen while I was busy ironing upstairs, the time I looked out the window to see both boys standing on top of our shed, the forts they built from curbside refuge, the sleepovers where I feared to see the "morning after" effects. Many years later, it was Mike that made John tell us about John's blind date with Kari and their budding romance. These memories came flooding back to us as we watched Mike making his vows to Meghan, and both of us were rather teary and choked up. We love this guy.

It wasn't all that long ago that Mike gave the toast at John and Kari's wedding and that teared us up as well. We know we have been blessed to have Mike in our lives, and now Meghan will be blessed as well to have him as her husband.

I loved the colors - and style - of the bridesmaids dresses. Perfect for a spring wedding.

May is a special month for wedding memories for us, too. Soon we'll celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. Once we got to the reception venue (let's talk about charming here, it was in an old classic theatre ballroom) the eating and celebrating continued. After Meghan danced a bit with her father, all fathers were invited to share in the dance with their daughters.

Meaning that after Mike danced with his mother, Penny, all mother's were invited to dance with their sons. Here we are.

Seeing my four dance together certainly warranted yet another camera pull-out!

Though, I am not quite sure that one in this picture was excited to see the camera pulled out yet again --- I apologize.

Wishing you a very long and happy marriage, Meghan and Mike. Thanks for including us in your special day!

With All the Trimmings

2011-05-17T13:11:00.010-05:00

Somehow I have ended up with yards, yards, and more yards of vintage trimmings from the past: rick rack, bias binding, piping, loop braid, soutache braid, and seam binding tape. Not one to throw away such goodies, I am determined to use them in my craft-making as much as possible. My latest book obsession is WEE WONDERFULS by Hillary Lang and these trim-using projects were taken from her book.

Project #1: Wooden spoon puppets of Hansel and Gretel. The cream mini rick rack was used to trim out his hat and outfit, and her dress bodice.

For some reason the pair remind me of an ethnic American Gothic couple.

Project #2: Storybook Girl. She can be Little Red Riding Hood or Goldilocks. Her hair is made from yards of polyester foldover braid opened up and stitched down. The cape trim is red bias binding trim and her inner dress uses bias binding trim and foldover looped binding.

( Note the close-up of the poly braid hair.)

Project #3 Haus Sweet Haus: finally, I show you a little cottage that features brown bias binding hand-stitched to create a Tudor look for the little little gnomes I found at the thrift store.

By now, you might have noticed the large wooden dollhouse as a backdrop for the photographed trim-using projects. This is one of my best thrift store scores ever! It is going to have a complete makeover eventually for fun at Gramma's house. It's architecture is Cape Cod with 2 dormers, shutters on the windows, and much potential and the purchase price? A steal at $10.00 including furniture!

Sometimes I think it could be a crime to have this much fun at my age!

Let's Whip Up Some "Besotted" Clotted Cream (Royal Wedding)

2011-05-05T08:32:00.007-05:00

At our tea party, I knew we needed a very special menu to celebrate the Royal nuptials. Much thought was put into planning this menu with its selections that personally related to the life and times of Will and Kate. For example in the menu STARTERS I made Prince Phillip's Squash Soup as the grandfather of the groom (Phillip) had been out playing the game of squash when Prince Charles was being born. I roasted the butternut squash and then used a recipe to make the soup. Yes, I made up the name of the soup; don't look for it in any cookbook! In the presentation, I piped sour cream to look like "C" for Catherine and "W" for Will, but I need to perfect those skills as you can see below.

Following the soup and Jolly Good Champagne course, the SCONES selections were served. A chocolate chip scone, which I called Will's Request "I Love Chocolate" scones due to his desire to have the Groom's cake of chocolate biscuits. The plain scones were called Kate's Plain "Tired of Waiting" scones due to their exceedingly lengthy courtship. The scones were served with Queen Mum's Orange Marmalade and clotted cream, sometimes known as Devonshire cream. Due to the nature of Charles and Camilla's relationship, I called the clotted cream Charles and Camilla's "Besotted Clotted" Cream. Lucky you - I am going to give you a recipe for the delicious dollops you can spread on your own scones:

CHARLES AND CAMILLA'S "BESOTTED CLOTTED" CREAM

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer until stiff. Refrigerate until ready to use. Best when prepared and served on the same day. Makes 1 to 1 1/2 cups.

There were four kinds of TEA SANDWICHES served: Uncle Gary's "Turkey" Sandwiches served on Raisin "Nut" Bread (google him to find out the turkey and nut connection), Upper Crust Cucumber Sandwiches, Pippa's Perfectly Petite Poultry Popovers (chicken cream puffs), and Old Goat Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches. I choose to not elaborate publicly as to why I named these sandwiches accordingly.

Finally, we arrived at the culinary destination of DESSERTS. A very typical British tea cake is the Victorian Sponge Sandwich which is neither sandwichy or cakey. It has layers of lemon curd and raspberry jam.

Most assuredly tea and coffee was served with this cake. After having spent much time polishing my Mom's silver tea service set, I may or may not have poured the hot beverages from these spouts. I'm counting on "What happens at Lady Debra's tea parties, stays at Lady Debra's tea party" confidentiality.

There, you have it, dear readers. I believe that, as of this post, I have worked through the

Royal Wedding memories cranial file. But, there be more brewing...I don't quite want to close the chapter on this happy time quite yet. We'll see.

Let's Discuss Royal HATitude

2011-05-03T08:28:00.018-05:00

Watching the Royal Wedding guests as they made their way into Westminster Abbey was a sight to behold as they waved and held on to their hats. Oh, those magnificent hats! One might even elect to click on this link here to find what many considered to be the best and worst 18 hats of the "parade" at http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/amazing-hats-at-the-royal-wedding.com

Pictured above left to right, we see Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, and Zara Philips, daughter of Princess Ann and soon to become a bride herself as she marries on July 30 of this year. Not shown here, but quite worth noting were the two hats worn by sisters Princess Beatrice with the blush rose-coloured oversized Seussical bow and the teal Peter Pan-ish fascinator dipping on the forehead of Princess Eugenie. Perhaps they selected their hats in the dark while sailing on an ocean of waves which scrambled their gray matter? The bride's Mum, Carole Middleton, wore a most becoming hat in dove gray/blue.

I also enjoyed the peachy hat worn by Princess Victoria of Sweden.

Which brings me next to the Royal channeling my sister and I did when planning our Royal Tea Party outfits. She dressed, surely, to look like the Queen herself. She had jewelry, pins, a chest sash, a huge ring from the Royal vaults and her modest day tiara which was eventually traded in for the much less modest tiara worn by Lady Elizabeth.

I, on the other hand, looked far more like the beloved Queen Mum. My two piece ensemble featured a jacket and dress and was Vintage Design. Several strands of pearls hung around my neck. I, too, wore a veiled aqua hat. My hair was curled, sprayed and impenetrable. Gloves, most certainly!

Not wanting my party guests to feel the sting of having to purchase a hat (did you realise those concoctions worn at the wedding were hundreds, if not thousands of dollars?) I supplied them with hats from my vintage collection which featured mostly floral and pastel selections. Thanks to Ellie's draped high chair and a spare mirror from the storage vault (known as the basement) a hat-trying-on stage was created. Here the sister guests tried on this and that to find just the right "look" for the party.

Shown below, Lady Elizabeth and her sister, Lady Martha Jean. Lady E flew in to the area from California just to be a participant in the televised wedding viewing and festivities. Most impressive.

We were our own paparazzi with cameras. We were in jolly good form, I might add. Here are the three Ladies - Lady Diann, Lady Elizabeth and Lady Martha Jean now ready to sit down to the Royal Tea Party about to commence in the dining room. Lady Diann looks none the worse for wear after having had her sister, Lady Debra, accidentally poke the hat pin into her scalp just moments before this picture was taken. Ah, the price one pays for dressing like a Royal with HATitude!

Let's Talk About THE Dress (Royal Wedding)

2011-05-02T09:22:00.008-05:00

Here we are in all our early wedding morning glory! My sister came to sleep over at my house, so we could set our alarms for 2:50 AM and watch all the pre-wedding excitement on the telly. The discussion came up before the bride's dress was revealed and I told Diann I thought the dress would be figure-fitting and have long sleeves in lace. While we waited for the bride to come out of the hotel, we enjoyed the BBC television coverage of the wedding guests arriving at Westminster Abbey. (I was in heaven seeing all the hats and fascinators being worn...not a big fan of the Sarah/Andrew daughter's concoctions.) Please excuse the quality of the following pictures - they were taken right from the television screen. Here we see Catherine getting out of the car - and yes it does look like she was wearing a dress much like the one I had imagined! I thought Pippa's dress was a stunner as well.

Perfect, perfect, perfect.

I loved how Catherine looked so composed, relaxed and happy. Someone must have had the talk with her about stopping to take in the moment. She also had the sweetest wave to her adoring watchers.

The train of the dress was just the right length. (While composing this blog, I have heard that Facebook has already 72,000 fans of Pippa's posterior. Lucky gal.)

Here we see the bride with her veil over her face; I loved the non-froofyness of it with the tiara.

Look out how the dress emphasizes her tiny waist. And, didn't you just love the way Will held her hand here and as they walked in the recessional down the long aisle once pronounced husband and wife?

At first, I thought it was Will wearing the blue military garb in the car that the brothers took to the wedding. Harry's is certainly fancier than the red outfit Will wore, but Will 's coat cuffs were most assuredly more impressive.

Coming out of the Cathedral to the awaiting horse-drawn carriage was yet another high point of the wedding celebration. They make quite a smashing couple, don't you think?

Recap: I loved her wedding dress! But it wasn't just the dress, it was the way Kate carried herself in it. She looked - and acted - every inch a Princess as I would expect a Princess to look and present herself on her wedding day.

Let's Start By Setting the Table (Royal Wedding Tea Party)

2011-05-01T14:09:00.005-05:00

When entertaining guests for any party, the first plan I come up with is how the table should be set. It's not often I entertain with royalty in mind as a REAL Prince marries his Princess bride! Of course, the engagement ring* of Catherine Middleton with its sapphire gem and the blue of the Union Jack flag had everything to do with the Royal Wedding Tea Party decor. I used a navy blue tablecloth and placed wide white ribbon (leftover from the pew bows at Anne and Jed's wedding) and narrower red ribbon on top with a "+" and an "x" pattern to replicate the British flag. The special china given to me through my in-laws from their friend, Flora, came out in its gold-and-white splendour. This china was Flora's wedding china from the early 1900s. Only four place settings remain and hand-washing is imperative to keep the gold from washing away. To keep regal, I used silver plate chargers underneath the china to better match the tiered plate holder and silverware.

Menus for the tea party were composed and printed. Vellum paper with fancy script listed the menu items and will be further described in a future post.

Treat bags in blue satin and trimmed with silver sequins were attached with ribbon to the chair back for each guest. Inside the bag? Paper dolls of Wills and Kate with three gown alternatives, a box filled with embellishments for the dresses such as diamond stickers, silk flowers, and sparkly brads. Vellum paper tied with silver ribbon suggested to the guests that they dress the Royals any "Blimey" way they chose. Also inside: a silver notebook with a jeweled crown as the cover with a pen include to use for jotting down observations and memories of the special occasion.

Just before sitting down, the sun shown down on the tablescape and I had to take a picture to capture the Camelot shining moment.

Around the tiered plate stand I wrapped a mini bunting of the Union Jack flags. The top of the cake stand has a special crown given to me by a friend several years ago. Look closely and you can see a solar-powered Queen Elizabeth waving her hand to the guests (in a peach-coloured dress), beckoning them to come to the table and celebrate the newlyweds Catherine and William. *Yes, I now own my very own copycat engagement ring. Let me tell you the story about how I acquired this ring sometime!

COMING SOON: The menu items, the Ladies and what they wore and anything else that I have been obsessing...er, ah thinking about concerning the April 29th nuptials!

Easter Dress Guidelines

2011-04-25T15:33:00.005-05:00

How I loved being able to shop for Miss E's Easter dress! Her momma has great taste in dressing the little one and I try to follow her guidelines when picking out an outfit. I owe her that much after making her wear a bowl haircut most of her first five years, and choosing her outfits based upon Peter Pan collars, smocking and saccharin sweet pastel prints in the early 8os. Guideline #1: Modern prints and sassy colors, please.

Guideline #2: Polka dots are a plus.

Guideline #3: Spinners are winners. (The twirl factor in a dress is most important- even if you can't quite twirl yet.)

Guideline #4: Let the momma pick the shoes to get the fit just right.

Guideline #5: If it is cold outside, select a cardigan to go along with the dress.

We had such a lovely Easter with our family, and especially enjoyed the very fashionable Miss E. go about the yard in search of eggs for her basket.

Hope you had a lovely Easter as well!

Fair Warning

2011-04-21T07:01:00.006-05:00

The warning is this:

If you look deep into my eyes this following week, instead of the normal blue iris, you might actually see the blue of the Union Jack flag gazing back at you.

Yes, I'm one of those who is eagerly awaiting the upcoming nuptials of

Will and Kate.

In fact, so much so, that I am hosting an intimate little tea party for four - including myself

to review all the splendour (this spelling is intentional) post wedding.

My dear sister, as well as a friend and her dear sister will be the guests. Here is a peak at the invitation:

My sweet husband is sure they are going to come after me with the copyright infringement of the invitation. And certainly one must notice that my sister is a "Lady."

The invitation goes on to mention details such as the

When and Where of the party. As well as the request to

Wear Proper Attire and Hats Being Provided.

Meanwhile, the menu is being planned and decor attended to.

There's also the planning of just the perfect outfit to wear fit for Royalty.

In fact, Wes mentioned this morning that he just saw a televised picture of Queen Elizabeth's 85th birthday frock and mine is quite close in appearance. Fancy that.

So, there you have it as to why I might seem a bit distracted this coming week.

Fair warning as my mind is simply swimming with all the details

one must attend to in the planning of a Royal Wedding viewing and Tea Party!

(Here you might wish to hear the humming of the tune God Save the Queen as this post fades out.)

Aisle Be Seeing You

2011-04-14T10:52:00.005-05:00

Now that Miss E is a walker, she explores where she wants to go instead of us taking her where we want to go. After being her exploring companion at the library this week, I would like to report that she likes aisles - coming and going - and occasionally grabbing a book or DVD along the way. She is also quite enamored with the fish in the large aquarium at the library. Her lips can now form fish "lips" with the cheeks sucked in and the lips puckered and moving as fish do. Library patrons were amused with her enthusiasm and jabbering away to the tank inhabitants.

Miss E also likes hanging out at the caterpillar table and doing puzzles. She surprised me with her skillz.

Here she poses with one of our favorite librarians, Ms. Colleen. She had selected a book just for Miss E about an elephant who shares the same name.

What fun it is to have these Mondays with MorMor!

Sidetracked Looking for the Lucia Candle Crown

2011-04-07T09:31:00.006-05:00

Because I had promised the use of my St. Lucia crown of candles, I had to deliver with that promise. Years ago, this crown was purchased in Sweden and tucked away in my sewing supplies/quilt closet. The truth of the matter was that it was buried in that closet. And that closet had taken on a life of its own with fabrics, zippers, buttons, old quilt squares, batting, stuffing and unfinished projects. Not a pretty picture, to be sure!

The first shelf I approached with burrowing hands revealed no crown, as did the second. I knew this meant only one thing: I had to empty all the shelves and this was going to be a big undertaking. No time to grab the camera for a before picture! However, hours and hours later, I decided this experience warranted an after picture. The closet is a bi-fold mirrored one in the sewing room and hard to capture in its closed-door state. Might I point out that the flower artwork in the background was painted by John when he was in elementary school?

Here is the opened door view of the reorganized contents.

And a closer-up view of the buttons in happy company with other notions.

The first burning question is now, "Deb, did you ever find the Lucia crown?" and the resounding answer is, "Yes!!" The seconding smoldering question is, "Deb, what on earth do you need a Lucia crown for in the middle of April?" The answer: because one of the district principals will help out our library Summer Reading Club promotion of the One World, Many Stories theme by wearing it on her/his head as a representative of the Swedish culture experience at our library this summer. Mission accomplished - with a clean closet as a result!

The Chocolate Birthday

2011-03-30T16:25:00.007-05:00

Has a year really passed since we were celebrating her birthday with the Nancy Drew/Sleuthing theme? Yes, it certainly has! Thanks to my friend Carol and her two daughters who took a walking tour in downtown Chicago as chocolate tasters this past January, I knew this would be my sister's birthday theme for 2011. We always do themes, you know. First, the gifts. Do you know how fun it is to shop for gifts with chocolate in mind? I assure you it is quite pleasurable. Each gift was wrapped in either chocolate brown or marzipan pink paper. Cupcake tags were made to give a one verb clue such as "write" for notecards (above), "soothe" for chocolate brown spa bootees or "sniff" for chocolate chip scented tealight candles.

The ribbons on the gifts were actually hand-punched scallops on wrapping paper using a Martha Stewart punch. Here the birthday girl poses with all her loot. Now, it's time to head to the train station to go downtown for the tour....all aboard?

Seriously. Chocolate is one of the finest tastes known to humankind. And my sister is one of the finest sisters in the world. So, merge the two and it is sure to be a memorable recipe for celebrating Sis's 2011 birthday!

We took one of the options offered by Chicago Chocolate Tours starting in the State Street Macy's this past Monday. (Check it out at

http://www.chicagochocolatetours.com/ ). We had treats from 6 different chocolate shops as we walked in the loop area for about 2 1/2 hours on a very chilly day. It was bliss. Pure chocolate bliss.

It is Monday now and the real deal day of Diann's birthday. Please join me in wishing her the

most delicious year ever! Love ya, Sis!

Mindful Schmindful

2011-03-25T08:40:00.006-05:00

Perhaps you may recall my 2010 word of the year was Mindful. As in mindful where I put my keys, papers, receipts and such. Oh, how I had such high hopes for tapping that part of my brain where memory was reigning supreme. Regretfully, that dream remains rather cloudy to this day. Let's fast forward to yesterday when I know I left the house with my glasses on.

The only stop I made was to the library.

I know I left the library with my glasses gone. Twice - yes, twice, I went back to look for them. A mass email was sent to all staff employees to be on the lookout for my glasses. No one has yet called; I am assuming the glasses are really gone or lost. I am hoping that someone placed my glasses in their glasses case, and will discover that the pair perched on their nose will blur vision enough to realize, "Yipes, these are not my glasses!" and bring said pair back to the library to be reunited with their rightful owner, me. After all, this happened to my own Mom just a few years back! She was in her skilled care nursing facility at the time and her vision was really blurry. More blurry than usual, in fact, which called for a visit to the eye doctor.

My sister took her there, when - lo and behold - the doctor said that my Mom wasn't wearing her own glasses, but someone else's. Oh dear! What to do?

Mom went to dinner back in her nursing home. She talked to her table mates about her experience at the doctor's office. When she said she couldn't see out of her glasses, a table mate piped up, "I can't see either!" and they realized they had each other's glasses. They switched glasses with each other and both proclaimed with glee, "I can see! I can see!" Then they figured out that they had gotten the glasses mixed up when at the beauty shop a few days earlier. Much giggling ensued. (Mom was quite a giggler.)

Therefore, I am urging you, dear readers, that if your eyes are more blurry than usual, please check to make sure you are wearing the right glasses - not mine - and all will once again be clear and crisp (vision-wise) with the world! This is certainly my fault to be without my glasses. I know I wasn't mindful when I set them down somewhere in the first place. Mindful Schmindful.

Delight in DeLiterature in DeKalb

2011-03-17T10:27:00.003-05:00

About one week ago, I was fortunate to be able to attend the 31st Annual Children's Literature Conference in DeKalb, IL on the campus of NIU. The conference started off with the announcement of two awards: the Caudill 2011 winner and the Monarch 2011 winner The Monarch winner, pictured above, is a hoot of a book for those who enjoy picture books. Kids won't realize just how much learning is going on while laughing their way through the antics of dust bunnies - yes, dust bunnies - in the course of this book. Grandmas laugh their way through the book also! The Caudill winner is a book you may have heard about: the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Most assuredly, this book appeals to older kids due to the content being a bit disturbing and controversial. This is a book often requested at our library, and is difficult to keep on the shelves.

Keynote speakers included Laurie Halse Anderson, Susan Prineas, Thom Barthelmess (great book reviewer of 32 books in under one hour), Mac Barnett and (drumroll, please) Jon Scieszka. I also attended a break-out session featuring 5 local Illinois authors: Sallie Wolf, Barbara Rosenstock, Marianne Malone, Andrea Beaty and Cheryl Bardoe. They are pictured above.

Jon Scieszka (tan jacket, above) presented an absolutely hilarious lecture with matching family photographs of his five brothers mostly wearing the same plaid suit jacket in their school pictures. I laughed so hard my gut hurt. These pictures - and more - can be found in his book

Knucklehead. Mac Barnett was his sidekick and side-splitting as well.

If you saw the recent blog post where Wes snapped a picture of me with Rahm Emanuel in the background, you know I like to be photographed with "celebrities" but am a bit shy to approach them directly...here I am with Jon Scieszka.

I love books, and going to conferences where they are celebrated!

Pink Suitcase Chronicles #36 - Celebrating Two Birthdays

2011-03-15T09:02:00.005-05:00

What better reason to dust off Pink and head north and west to Minneapolis to visit Wes' parents? Because they are both celebrants of milestone birthdays ending with a 5! (In all fairness to Elder, he is not quite there --- he married an older woman by 37 days.) We tried to be there smack dab between their special days. In the picture above, you can see Pink resting on their den bookcase, home to woodcarvings, plates and collected treasures through their travels.

Our first celebration consisted of going to a rockin' jazz and gospel concert presented by North Park University students at Plymouth Covenant Church. Here we met up with their niece's daughter, Kyla Lindberg.

Following the concert we ate at Doolittle's and the food was fabulous. Especially when we threw our current food consumption plan out the window!

Elder and Muriel were surprised by the "Mudslide" birthday treat at the end of the meal. Yum!

The next day (thanks for the new favorite Norweigian sweater, Renee and Jeff), we had a little party for them in their apartment and served up the cake and candles. One of their friends played the pump organ while we belted out the "Happy Birthday" song, and I happily report that seniors are still loving their non-decaffeinated coffee before bedtime as well. More pictures of this birthday party can be found on my Facebook page, shouldst you decide you want to friend me.

We are so blessed to have these special parents, grandparents and great-grandparents in our lives and we wish them all the best as they go forward in the upcoming year! We love you!

Joining Up on the "G" Word

2011-03-06T14:26:00.006-06:00

Finally, I succumbed to the Groupon mass coupon world! And so glad to have done so as it allowed us to purchase a family membership at a reduced rate for entry to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for a whole year!

We had Miss Ellie for the day on Saturday and took her there, especially to see her reaction to the live butterflies in the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven.

Here you can see Ellie walking with her Grandpa...no she is not totally ambulatory these days, but it is soon coming.

Once she saw the fluttering butterflies, she dropped to her crawling mode and took off! They are quicker, however, than she is so they were safe from her touch and reach. Here is the attempt to get a "group" shot as we left the exhibit - thanks to the mirror by the exit door to see if the little flutterers were hitching a ride out of their haven.

Most of the types of butterflies shown on this chart were spotted. However, no birds were. Surely they have other better places to be than in the city of Chicago in the month of March.

Ellie kept trying to reach for the preserved butterflies behind this glass window.

This museum has more places to explore as Ellie gets a little older. Again, we are loving seeing the world of wonder through the freshness of our Grand-daughter's eyes. We can become young once again ourselves by watching her reactions to life on this earth. It's a pretty wonderful place.

The Lindahl News

Butterfly Whisperers

Thumb's UP for this Performer (And his Blog,too.)

Apron Art

Drumroll, Please: 2012 Theme Recap

A "Bad" Zippy Project

Our Little Miss Turns Two!

Our Kitchen Got a Unibrow!

Resolution Word for 2012

Pink Suitcase Chronicles # 46: Christmas in MN

N. O. E. L.

A Very Young Lucia

Quick! Before the kids are out of school!

Advent Calendar: Second Generation

Thanking Mr. Beavers (P*S*C* #45)

Toronto Highlights (P*S*C* #45)

Pink Suitcase Chronicles #45 - Spell Check

Remembering Dad Post-Veteran's Day

No Call. Not Yet :(

Halloween Heirs

Barbie/Project Runway Finale "Fashion Week"

Barbie/Project Runway #12

The Knot is Tied!

Barbie/Project Runway #12

Barbie/Project Runway #11

Sweet Shower

Barbie/Project Runway #10

Closing Up (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #44)

Barbie/Project Runway #9

ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #43)

Barbie/Project Runway #8

Barbie/Project Runway #7

A Boating We Will Go (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #42)

Barbie/Project Runway #6

Labor Day with the Queen

Barbie/Project Runway #5

Barbie/Project Runway #4

Barbie/Project Runway #3

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Barbie/Project Runway #2

Barbie + Project Runway = My Kind of Fun (#1)

Cabin Coziness (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #41)

What a Party!!!!!! (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #40)

Hey, Hey, It's a Monkey

Snapshots of Celebration

Magnificent (Mile) Marilyn

Call Me MeMo

Combined Ages of These Pirates: 168 Years! (*P*S*C* #39)

Chillin' in the North Woods (But Bring the Bug Spray!) Pink Suitcase Chronicles #39

Here's the Scoop (P*S*C* #38)

"The Hills are Alive With the Sound of Music" (P*S*C* #38)

Our Day of Determination in Acadia National Park (P*S*C* #38)

Where Everybody Knows Your Name (P*S*C* #38)

Lobster, Anyone? (P*S*C* #38)

Pink Suitcase Chronicles #38 - Visiting New England

Walking Tour Surprise

Book Jacket Recycling

Unknown and Known

M & M Get Married in Michigan (Pink Suitcase Chronicles #37)

With All the Trimmings

Let's Whip Up Some "Besotted" Clotted Cream (Royal Wedding)

Let's Discuss Royal HATitude

Let's Talk About THE Dress (Royal Wedding)

Let's Start By Setting the Table (Royal Wedding Tea Party)

Easter Dress Guidelines

Fair Warning

Aisle Be Seeing You

Sidetracked Looking for the Lucia Candle Crown

The Chocolate Birthday

Mindful Schmindful

Delight in DeLiterature in DeKalb

Pink Suitcase Chronicles #36 - Celebrating Two Birthdays

Joining Up on the "G" Word

Thanking Mr. Beavers (PSC* #45)

Toronto Highlights (PSC* #45)

Combined Ages of These Pirates: 168 Years! (PSC #39)

Here's the Scoop (PSC* #38)

"The Hills are Alive With the Sound of Music" (PSC* #38)

Our Day of Determination in Acadia National Park (PSC* #38)

Where Everybody Knows Your Name (PSC* #38)

Lobster, Anyone? (PSC* #38)