ESCAPING CABIN FEVER & SOME DECORATING

Hi everyone!  I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend.  We have been in a deep freeze here but a little warm up is on the horizon, thank goodness.  And finally, finally, we got some snow on Friday.  I read that Chicago had set a record of 331 consecutive days without a snowfall.  It didn't amount to much and now today we are having just the twinges of what the weather people call an ice storm.  Little frozen pellets of rain are coming down...not too heavily, thankfully, my girls are working today and I don't like them driving in anything nasty. 

This was my street Friday morning.  I was quite a sight standing out there with my parka over my jammies which were shoved in my boots.  What I do to provide you with visual entertainment!  I hoped to make the most of my day though.  Emily and I met with the lady who manages events at the country club where we are having her wedding shower in March.  It's a very nice place, it reminds me of a ski lodge with pitched ceilings and beams.  Floor to ceiling windows look out at the green.  I've been there before for a few parties, The Husband's nephew did much of the woodwork and carpentry in the clubhouse.  When I mentioned this to the lady and she recognized the name, she gave us the room for 60% off!  Apparently this nephew of ours did her kitchen, too, and she just loves him to death!  YES!  The only glitch in this meeting was when we were discussing the lunch entrees (which had already been decided on) and Emily piped up and said, "I think I'd rather have a brunch."  I thought I was going to fall off my chair.  The menu clearly marked the price packages and the brunch was several more dollars per person, upping the total cost by a few hundred dollars.  Emily's eyes were dancing and the lady/manager's eyes were gleaming.  I did one of those, "We'll get back to you" numbers and we left.  I nearly spanked her in the parking lot.  And I can assure you, we are NOT having a brunch!

I mentioned in my last post that my nieces were in town, they live in southern Indiana, just over the river from Louisville.  It's been years since I've seen them so we made plans for lunch.  Abby had school so it was just Emily and I. Thursday came with the temps in the single digits.  We planned on a place near their hotel in downtown Chicago.  This is a picture of Lake Shore Drive that day with chilly Lake Michigan in the background.  I had on a sweater, a heavy coat with a hood, a scarf, warm boots and gloves.  Emily wore a silk shirt under a thin (flimsy) coat and had on flats with her jeans, no socks.  I gave her fair warning and after walking one of the four blocks, her teeth were chattering and I gave her everything I had on except my purse!

Here we are at the Grand Lux Cafe.  That is Mindy in the red sweater and Katy behind me.  We had a great time and it was such a treat to be out and about.  I even did my nails!

This was the dessert we shared, I can't remember the name of it but it was chocolate cake, a brownie, ice cream, whipped cream and hot fudge poured over all of it.  It was insanely delicious!

Now on to a little decorating news.  This chair is in my living room, you've probably seen it in pictures before.  There is another matching one by the fireplace.  The springs broke on one of them and it was covered under my warranty.  My big problem was that the fabric tore on both chairs (as you can see in this picture) and that wasn't covered.  So when I'm having the springs repaired, I am having both of them recovered.  They are like a dusty rose with a bit of green in those stripes you see there.

This is the sofa in the same room (Hi, Milo!).  I thought I might try to pull out some of the blue you see in the floral with some cream colored fabric with a light blue ticking stripe.  I think that will be pretty and give the room a more simplified look.  The wall that the fireplace is on is painted a light moss green and I have an area rug in that same mossy color (hate it!), but the walls are being painted next month and I think I am going to go back with the big, thick cream colored rug I had from Orvis a few years ago.  The store where we bought the furniture is actually the store where Emily is a designer/salesperson, although we bought this years and years ago.  I am popping in on Monday morning to look at the samples.  I'll get some pictures to share.  I'm really excited.  This is so going to update my living room!

Well, it's still ice pelleting outside.  We had a quiet weekend...never went to Cedarburg.  The Husband wanted to go to the annual Outdoor & Recreational Show and he did, with his brother.  Seems the fishing boat he found on Craigslist last summer is much too small for our big lake, he nearly capsized a few times and never told me.  So he's looking at heavier, bigger boats and will try to get one on Craigslist again.  I had a bad feeling about that boat, but he truly enjoyed his down time out there fishing so I'm all for him finding another.

  The Husband wasn't feeling well when he got home and I thought maybe he exerted himself.  We had a simple dinner and then laid in bed reading the Sunday paper together, lights out at 10:00.  Today he is weak, tired and aching.  He took a nap in the late morning, I found him in bed with his bathrobe over his clothes and under about four quilts.  Emily made him eggs and toast for breakfast which he didn't touch.  We had soup for lunch and he did eat that.  He is back in bed now.  The house felt so drafty, for some reason we never ordered a load of firewood in the fall.  So I ran out to the store before I started writing my post and bought some of those Duraflame logs and made a fire.  They work quite well.  I have a roast cooking in the oven and I'm going to start boiling some potatoes when I'm finished here.  

Another busy week ahead...a dermatology appointment for the chronic rash on my legs, stopping to pick out that fabric after, a hair appointment, and the dogs yearly check up with the vet.  And then next weekend is my birthday!  Yay!  Another year older and hopefully wiser!  See you soon! :)