Last night in my pottery class we had some sweet treats again! One of my students made these AMAZING cupcakes as a “test run” for a Halloween Party next week. She was being so hard on herself as she hated how the chocolate ganache & white piping didn’t drag together with a toothpick to form cute spiderweb designs as planned. However… they were full of ooey-gooey chocolatey yumminess! And it didn’t hurt any that there was a hidden marshmallow frosting center inside!!! She hated them so much that she asked me not to mention her name in connection with said cupcakes?! Okay… but her name starts with a P… and rhymes with Riya! HA!!!

The forest is growing!!! Last night before class, I threw a few more Christmas trees… as there are only 61 days until Christmas!!! These now need to be trimmed, decorated, dried, fired, glazed & fired again before they’re ready to go!!! But only 24 days until my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW… I can’t believe the holidays are coming so quickly!!!

Beautifully colored Fall ivy leaves with a bit of sunshine streaming through.

With a threat of overnight frost killing off her flowers, looks like Rosene made herself a cute little arrangement of homegrown flowers in one of my stamped & soda-fired vases! Just trying to keep her summer flowers goin’ a bit longer…

Another early start for another beautiful sunrise bike ride. Some people have asked “what time I start to ride”… and it kinda depends on the season & when the actual sunrise is… as the “pretty part” where the colors all change is about a half hour before the sun actual crests the horizon. Currently, because the sunrise is so late… I’m heading out when it is still pitch black about 5:45am. As you can see the dark skyline shots that were taken this morning just past my turn-around point about 10 miles in. Then I pedal towards home hoping to catch the “actual” sunrise before I get there. I’m one of the few people who actually look forward to the Fall time change… as it effectively gives me another hour in my morning before I need to head-off to work! More time to play along the lake & enjoy the sunrise!!! Sure, it’s early… but look at this!!!

Well, it looks like “Birthday Week” may have continued into “Birthday Two-Weeks”?! Tonight in my pottery class, one of my students Laury brought in “belated” birthday sweets… homemade OREO Rice Krispie Treats! While another student Katie found some imported mini-OREOs as a belated gift! Thanks you two… I have the BEST students ever!!!

Looks like the start of another beautiful Fall day. Sure, lots of leaves fell over the weekend… but we still have plenty of green leaves waiting to change! Should be another beautiful week for Fall color-watching!

This may have been the “perfect” Fall colors weekend here in Chicago. Which was reason enough for me to head out for a hike in the woods yesterday. It started out nice & sunny, but all too soon the clouds moved in late afternoon. Gray skies… but still beautiful Fall colors!

With a pile of clouds along the horizon, today started with some early morning drama… some colorful cloud-play… a chill in the air… and then the sun went back behind the clouds. The colors may have dissipated, but it made an appearance again when it finally made it “over” the clouds!

With a pile of low-flying clouds on the horizon this morning, it took awhile for the sun to work its way through. But it was well worth it!