Toaster Turns 16

I find myself trying to gather the right words to explain my joy in being able to post this trip/event. 

 On September 19, 2014, LP (a.k.a. Toaster) turned 16 years old! 

Let me just explain a bit here....

Way back when....LP's parents moved next door to us.  I was 16 years old hoping we would get some new neighbors with a 16 yr old boy in their family, but I got something better...a family of 2 about to become a family of 3.  LP's mom was just about to have her, and once she did, I was right there ready to babysit.  From the first time I met her, this beautiful baby and I connected.  Throughout the years we spent many weekends together...making crafts, playing outside, creating inside jokes, and hanging out.  It never occurred to me when I first met this baby at the sweet age of 3 weeks old, that 16 years later our friendship would become what it is today.  I am blessed to have had the privilege of watching this baby become this wonderful, thoughtful, and independent young woman. (give me a tissue!)

So, that's the story about LP and me.  Now I bring you to my birthday gift to this little lady.  I wanted to do something special, but didn't know what to do.  I did remember that LP had never been to Chicago. That was it! We were on our way to Chicago for her birthday celebration!

We finally made it there, checked into the Allerton and started our adventure. 

First stop, obviously Tiffany's & Co. It was a stones throw away from our hotel. We walked around most of the afternoon and decided to go have dinner at Rosebuds. Even though LP's actual birthday was a few weeks away, we decided it was her birthday the entire weekend.  

Celebration dessert #1 

Something I want to note before you see all the fun stuff we did.  If you ever go to Chicago, and plan on doing all the touristy things, GET A CityPass.  It was worth it for us, $99 and we were able to use most of the passes.  The best part, you get to pass through the lines....score!

We started using our CityPass with our first stop at the SkyDeck.

 

Scariest view ever

Finish off with some fun at the gift shop

Afterwards we did some walking around town. LP wanted to get as many amazing shots with her stellar camera as possible

The Bean

Neither of us are really sure how this happened, but somehow we ended up in the Art Institute of Chicago.  Well I know how it happened, we were so hot we had to get into the AC.  It was a nice break and we found some Jackson Pollock posters in the giftshop

Then we were off to the Aquarium.  One other thing to note, if you are planning on going to the Shedd Aquarium on Labor Day weekend, expect to wait 4 hours in line.  BUT if you have a CityPass, you skip that;)

Tasty treat

Jellies

Shark tank

View outside of the Shedd

Once we got back to our hotel room from our 1st full adventure day, we did not leave.  Tired cookies, we stayed in, watched TV and ordered room service

On Sunday, we made it to mass at Holy Name Cathedral. This is one of the most magnificent churches I have been to thus far.

Next we had the most amazing brunch ever, and I can't even remember the name of the place.  It was delicious though.

Next we shopped

Last up, we took a carriage ride through the city.  It was a long wait but totally worth it.  We had a great time and it was a wonderful way to end the trip.

This probably was one of the best weekends I have ever had. So grateful to have spent it with this lovely lady!

Pete Graduates!

Its been a long time coming, many stressful days/nights and a ton of hard work...but my brother is now a college graduate!  We are all so proud of him!  Here are some pictures from the day:

Pretty Seats

I asked what I could do for my in-laws for their anniversary last year, and the response was nothing.  But contrary to the response, I knew that their picnic benches needed some cushions, so I found some lovely fabric at Joann's. I wasn't too fond of the the piping, so I took this as a great opportunity to work on my piping skills.  I found a great tutorial on SewMamaSew (which is a site I almost always reference when learning new skills) I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of the lines I created to make a continuous piece of bias tape, so here are is what I started with:

Bias tape and piping

 Shipping the bias tape and piping through the machine.  Make sure when you are making your cuts that the fabric will completely cover your piping.  Note, I did not, thus I had to make another lovely trip to the store and get smaller piping. Oooppsie.

There are a few steps that were missed in between making the piping and putting the cushions together. But really the technique I struggled with is the piping, so I wanted to show how easy it really was with the help of the tutorial. It gives the cushion (and really any pillow) that unique embellishment making it pop with color.

I promise I will start doing a better job of documenting these projects in the future.  Below are the snaps of the finished product.  I made them reversible and added some ties.  Hopefully once the city of Detroit thaws out, we will get to use these puppies outside.

Home Improvements

Not only do I love to sew, but I love to paint, draw, color (that's for you mom), craft, fix things, build things...basically anything that can get that side of my brain energized.

Around May we decided we needed to make some home improvements to the condo.  Mostly because the energy/gas bills were a little ridiculous (in my opinion)  Here is where we netted out:

Thermostat - Old vs. New

 New Locks and Door Handle - Old vs. New

 New Garage Drywall

Garage Shelving

 Bench (and Grace)

 We also added in a closet system but silly me forgot to take photos before I stuffed it with clothes.  Next up a lovely sewing project...

Catch Up on 2014

Its been a while since I blogged about anything. As I find myself buried in several projects at the moment, next few blog posts are dedicated to the last year of my Crafts/Projects/Life.