After too many years when it “went out of fad”… and a couple years of pandemic… it felt great to get back to a class again this morning! I remembered most of the steps, but didn’t remember it being quite that tough?! Oh, what a couple years can do…

Who knew this was a thing?…
well, today is NATIONAL ONE CENT DAY!!!
Apparently this has been a national holiday for quite awhile?!!!

So in case you were wondering…What does Benjamin Franklin, the phrase “mind your business,” April 1st, and National Once Cent Day all have in common? The answer is the penny, which we recognize on NATIONAL ONE CENT DAY.

The United States first issued a one-cent coin produced by a private mint in 1787. Benjamin Franklin designed it. On one side, it read “Mind Your Business” and the other “We Are One.” This coin was made of 100% copper was larger than today’s penny and came to be known as the Fugio cent.
It wasn’t until 1792 that the United States Mint was first created.

The first coins struck by the newly established mint were called Chain cents, or Flowing Hair Chain Cents by collectors today. On one side of the was coin a circle of 13 links of chain representing the 13 colonies. On the reverse was an image of a woman with flowing hair, otherwise known as Liberty.

The one-cent coin was reduced in size in the 1850s to make the currency more economical and easier to handle. In 1856, the mint produced the Flying Eagle cent with a wreath on the reverse side.

This coin was soon replaced with the Indian Head cent in 1859, which quickly became popular and remained in circulation for decades.
Today’s one-cent coin is made of copper and zinc and has borne the image of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909.

From 1959 to 2008, the reverse featured the Lincoln Memorial. Four different reverse designs in 2009 honored Lincoln’s 200th birthday depicting various scenes from his lifetime, and a new, permanent reverse – the Union Shield – was introduced in 2010.

More color… more red… more flower pots!!!
Can’t wait to see what happens to these after soda-firing?!

No foolin’… it’s April 1st and I woke up to a thin layer of SNOW!!!
This ain’t no time for a picnic?!

So have you seen the new breed of Zebras they just got at the Zoo???…
I wonder if this is how Lions visualize the Zebras?!

Feeling a little ROUGE inspired… and painting some RED accents on these pots tonight for my next soda firing!!!

While the inside of the Nederlander Theater was painted with red light for MOULIN ROUGE, the lobby architecture is equally impressive. Our friendly usher Nancy told us some history about this statuesque & landmarked theater that was built back in 1926. This place is so incredible… even more lavish & over-the-top at every turn. The sure don’t make ’em like they used to!!!

“Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista”…
Another fun night of musical theater last night. Long-awaited…
as MOULIN ROUGE was one of the biggest shows around when the world shut down about two years ago… just as it was about to arrive in Chicago! When we all did our best to survive the craziness of a worldwide pandemic. So again, it felt GREAT to be back in a theater with a live cast performing on stage.

So let’s talk about the elephant in the room… sure, we had to show proof of vaccine & stay masked the whole time… but I’m still loving it. And yes, the show was well worth the wait!!! Oh yeah, and there REALLY is a big elephant in the room!!!

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”… thank you Lady Marmalade!!!

Enjoying a little TEXTURE TUESDAY today with this beautiful & fiery glass mosaic!

Another day… another national holiday to celebrate… and who am I to question why?! Today was NATIONAL SOMETHING ON A STICK DAY!!! So of course I had to celebrate with a couple yummy “s’mores on a stick” from MAURIES SUGAR SHOPPE in Eureka, Illinois! As recommended… a mere 8 seconds in the microwave makes them all gooey & marshmallowy!!! Thanks for making my holiday yummier Keith & Julie!