My cousin Kim has apparently been playing in the kitchen again.
This time baking a pie… her very first Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie.
Made with her mom’s homegrown rhubarb and her own garden-fresh strawberries.
And making it look even more appetizing on one of my stamped celadon platters!!!

From Kim on Facebook…
First time making strawberry rhubarb pie. 🍓   Mom’s rhubarb; my strawberries !

Last night was a fun night with my sister Jen, brother-in-law Scott and niece Taylor.
It was Taylor’s VERY FIRST CONCERT!!! So exciting for her… and fun for me to see!
The concert was at the Gennessee Theater in Waukegan. Beautiful little theater… not so good with the kerning on their marquee!!!

For those who may not know of them, Straight No Chaser is a fun accapella group singing a wide range of songs. Many of which I had to try REALLY hard not to sing outloud with. Tried… not always successful…

Click here for the song that made them “famous”… “The Twelve Days Of Christmas.”
Click here for their hysterical “Broadway Medley.”
Click here for their version of “It’s All About The Bass.”
Click here for their “Lady Gaga Medley.”
Click here for their version of “Sittin’ On The Dock & Proud Mary.”

Here’s a shot of the audience the group took from onstage. Their idea was that they would post it on their Facebook page, and then you “Tag” yourself on your page to spread the word… and with that, this is their marketing plan!!! I love that they’re using Social Media as their plan. A grassroots plan… spread the word. They were also the very first concert that I’ve had tell the audience at the very beginning that they WANTED you to take pictures & videos during the show!!! More videos.. more photos… more “free marketing” for them!!!

And if you look close, there we are… third from the left, second from the back, behind the tall guy, next to the big woman singing with her hands up, beside the lady in red, around the corner from the family of four… behind a COUPLE THOUSAND other concert goers!!! So?… do you see us?!!! Ha.

Such a fun weekend decorating eggs with my cousins this weekend.
We dipped, we dyed, we decorated. Some were masterpieces…
while others were great memory makers!

Look what was waiting at my front door when I got home… a yummy care package from my favorite Girl Scout up in Minnesota!!! Let’s “hope” this is enough cookies to curb my cravings. Thank you Caroline!!!

Today was a fun day at the studio. After a hectic holiday, it was great to get back in the mud again. And today, my parents brought my niece Taylor into the City for a day at the studio. She’s been there a few times before, but this was her first day working on the wheel. I gave her the choice… hand-building or wheel-throwing?! Never afraid to get dirty… she chose to spin fast with wet sloppy clay.

We started out with the basics. A demo of wedging, followed by a step-by-step tutorial on the wheel. With quite a few mentions of how “frustrating” this is going to be. And that my adults take a 10-week class to learn, and she’s got just a few hours. My Mom bowed out of the fun, but Taylor and my Dad stepped up & hopped onto their wheels.

As always, centering is the hardest part to learn. Both were struggling. See?… not so easy.
I was just happy that they were both keeping at it… and Taylor was still smiling!
Already wearing clay in all the cutest places!!!

More centering. More throwing. More goofing up. More splattering.
More wedging. More centering. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Whoops…

A few hours later, Taylor was still focused. Eyes on the prize.
She wouldn’t give up… as my Dad was quickly reaching the end of his adventure.

Still smiling… and still making some sweet pots.

At the end of the day, they both had the “fun” of cleaning up their workspace. They cleaned their wheels, tools, buckets, splash pans AND the wedging tables too!!! It’s all part of the process, right???

And I was left with a couple ware boards of pieces to finish up for them…
and a sheet of instructions as to how she wants her pieces glazed!!!

Another great day at the studio… and hopefully another great memory for Taylor!!!

After a couple weeks of making holiday magic at Navy Pier, Winter WonderFest opened tonight for invited guests. It’s a beautiful, indoor holiday “escape” form the elements with festive fun for kids of all ages.

My sister Jen brought my niece Taylor down for the Opening Party, as well as my friend Kristin who brought her two kids AJ & Lizzie. It was fun to show off our holiday designs and play with the kids. The rides were all open and we had a great time. Taylor started out slow… a little overwhelmed by all of the people, lights and sparkle. But once we got her on the classic Tilt-A-Whirl, she was in!!! Wanting to do nothing more than the Tilt-A-Whirl over & over again. Her Mom went once… dizzy… queasy… and that was MORE than enough for her!

On a following Mom-free trip to the Tilt-A-Whirl, Taylor went no-ands!!!

So I of course thought it would be great to catch the laughter, crying & excitement in a video in my iPhone. So I clicked on the phone app, set it to Video and shot away… Not realizing until after the ride that with all of the bouncing & spinning, it must have slipped over to Panorama. And this is what I got… spliced up, but still pretty funny!!!

At one point, AJ decided that he wanted to go on Zero Gravity. A large spinning, tilting, stand-up, stick-to-the-wall kind of ride. His mom Kristin said “no way” for her… but that didn’t stop AJ and I from going on it together. He looked a little trepidatious at first, but loved it once he had made a few revolutions!

After a few rounds on the Tilt-A-Whirl,  Jen & Taylor slowed it down (for Mom’s dizzy benefit) on the Ferris Wheel.

AJ on the other hand wanted to go rock climbing instead of the Ferris Wheel. So while “the girls” were riding the wheel, AJ went rock climbing and made it pretty close to the top!

All three kids had a great time… that is until the party ended, and the fun came to a screaching halt. So glad that our months of preparing & weeks of decorating for Winter WonderFest are done. And that the kids and their Moms could come down to join me for the Opening Party. Yep, them and hundreds of other festive party-goers!!!

Winter WonderFest is now open on Chicago’s Navy Pier through January 11th, 2015.
Click here for more information.

Last weekend at my Holiday Home Show, my cousin’s wife Anna brought their three kids all the way down from Minneapolis for a weekend visit, and a trip to my place! My cousin Kim came along with the Minnesota Foursome for some quality family time. Anna has been “threatening” to come for many years… and finally made it in to the city while her husband (my cousin Michael) was out-of-town for business. Thanks Anna for sharing your photos!

Bundled up outside my place like good Minnesotans… Christopher, Mitchell & Caroline.

Upstairs with cousin Kim…

They also loved my back porch and playing in my back courtyard area.
Not quite so pretty once all of the plants die-back for the Winter, huh?!

Which includes a “tilting” totem pole that needs to be straightened in the Spring…
and my Capt. America PEZ Dispenser sculpture that will be looking for a new home soon.

In the category of “Things To Be Thankful For” today…
my niece Taylor is definitely in that category. She did a school project,
and apparently I’ve made quite the impression!

To quote little Taylor… HILARIOUS!!!

I also had a wonderful visit today with cousin Kim and my Minnesota Cousins who made the trip for their FIRST EVER Holiday Home Show!!!

So much fun… plus, they “almost” made it home with my big Captain America Pez Dispenser sculpture until Mom put the kibosh on it. FYI – He’s still looking for a good home!

C’mon… could he BE any cuter?
And could he have found a better “backdrop” to play in front of. He might just be the new poster child for my ClayQuilts.

Raylan is the son of my cousin Kim’s boyfriend Don’s daughter Erykah.
A bit confusing, but adorable nonetheless.