These two days of frozen tundra weather in Chicago have sure been a workout for our “vintage” heating system. I mean, I love the old radiators in my condo… but this on & off thing… there’s got to be a better way. Thankfully, we’ve added a few more segments of “ON” to get us through the cold snap! It doesn’t usually look this crazy!!! HA!!!

Celebrating a little TEXTURE TUESDAY with a quick-pick of Rosene’s platter… with more than a few stamped impressions! Pretty enough… but always prettier with a big chocolate cake on top!!! Just sayin’… hint, hint…

So while we’re all frozen in & curled up on the sofa for the day… I might just have to re-watch THE TRAITORS!!! Yes, it’s that good!!! Season Two just started… and I’M ALL IN!!!

When I first started “streaming” not all that long ago… I binged through THE TRAITORS season one pretty quickly & loved it!!! Followed immediately by binging “The Traitors UK”… and then right into “The Traitors Australia.” I just couldn’t stop. Addicted!!! And now the first three episodes have dropped for Season Two of the American version… with twenty-one of our “favorite” Reality TV stars as competitors!!! Including my all-time favorite player from Survivor… and plenty of crazy Housewives!!! So much fun… so funny!!!

Woke up this morning to some VERY frosty windows!!! Whew baby it’s cold outside!!! The actual temperature is below zero… but the “real feel” temperature is about 30-degrees COLDER!!! Thinking it’s a good day to hunker down at home and try to get some things done. You know, all that “busy work” you wish you had more time for?… fingers crossed.

While in Pontiac yesterday, right there on historic Route 66… I also took some time to visit the War Museum. Complete with hundreds of uniforms from all of the historic wars around the world. Most came with photos & stories of the actual soldier who wore the uniform… with plenty of QR Codes to click on for more information on each uniform throughout the exhibit.

“If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that’s the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66. Well it winds from Chicago to LA.
More than two thousand miles all the way.”

A mural map in Pontiac, Illinois… right there on historic Route 66.

With a couple hours between wedding & reception yesterday, I had some time to “explore” the town of Pontiac and their beautiful murals… located right there on the original Route 66… “The Mother Road.”

Yesterday was chilly & windy… perfect for a drive down to Central Illinois for a wedding in Pontiac! Had to watch the weather forecast though… as the strong, gusty winds & freezing sub-zero temperatures were on their way!!! Love this old weathered barn… and seeing it evolve over the years since I drove down that way for college back in the day!

It’s been a snowy week in Chicago at “The Friendly Confines”!

Last night was the kick-off of “season six” of the GREAT LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class! So exciting, as this is my favorite class to teach every year during the Winter session of classes. We started with each student throwing their own version of their “perfect” dinner plate… with some of them making their first plate EVER!!!

Once they finished the first plate, they were then challenged to make a second plate to MATCH!!! They had a great time followed by some good discussions & critiques.

And oh, but wait there’s more... their “homework” is to now decorate two plates to make their “matching” set solely with SLIP TRAILING!!! Again, a technique several of them have never tried before… more to come next week!