COMINGS & GOINGS

I'm a little remiss in wishing all of you a happy Valentine's Day.  I hope it was just the way you wished it to be and that you were snuggling with your loved one(s), whether at home or at a movie or a restaurant.  More on that for me later.

I really, really want to thank all of you, how kind you are.  I was so touched and I am so simply amazed (and I shouldn't be after all these years of blogging!) by the love, compassion and spirit of my fellow bloggers after I posted about the birth of my first grandchild.   These congratulatory wishes were passed on to Kevin and Mary Clare and so appreciated.  :)

 

We visited once Elsie came home on Saturday.  I thought I would share a few pics of the nursery Mary Clare worked so very hard on...a very simple but sweet decor.  The room is done in soft pink and cream with some teal blue accents.  

I think this sign that Emily had made as a gift says so much.

This little angel slept the entire time we visited.  So wonderful to just look at her and eat up how perfect she is, and to spend time with the parents as they relaxed and recuperated.  MC went through 16 hours of labor.  She needs a lot of rest...I think they were just happy to be home and settled and I think Elsie is going to be a very good baby as far as fussiness (fingers crossed). 

As much as I want to say that life has left off leaving me all warm and fuzzy, I said hello to one little angel and I feel I am saying goodbye to another.  Que the drama!  My youngest daughter Abigail signed on for the apartment with her three lifelong friends.  They move this coming weekend.  I went with Abby for the final "walk through" yesterday.  Lest you forget...my heart is aching over her leaving...my baby and all the worries I have for her well being (and my emotional state of mind!) When my two sons left home, and they sometimes came back for various reasons, I was so sure they could take care of themselves.  Emily left when she got married and lives just 5 minutes away, surrounded by family (for God's sake...Papa lives next door!). 

But this girl is moving to the Northside (we are on the Southside) of Chicago.  For reference...downtown Chicago is central  We are perhaps 40 minutes apart.  

On the way to her apartment yesterday, I took a few snaps of Lake Shore Drive.  No editing or filters at all.  I think it's beautiful, if not frigid looking.

Abby in front of her apartment building.

Homes across the street.  This is an up and coming area of Chicago that has a lot of young people and couples moving in.  She is just a few houses down from a main street that boasts lots of shops, restaurants and just about all you need in a good neighborhood.

The apartment is actually a "coach house" located behind another home...this is the house that is right off the street.  Many doctors from the University of Chicago Hospital lived in this area quite awhile ago, the homes are now over one hundred years old, including the building Abby and her friends are in.  The coach houses that are now being rehabbed for rental are located behind the large homes, and were built for the servants and their families.  Many of these

have been rehabbed and that's the case with the building Abby is moving into.  

There are so many beautiful architectural details but I don't want to do a "home tour".  I want to capture the spirit of the day for these four girls.  Here are Abby and Meg measuring for their TV.  My son Jeff has donated one he had from his last apartment.  The girls have a living room, dining room, kitchen and 4 bedrooms.  And one bath.  Ha!  Lots of luck gals!

Abby's room is actually in the loft area...she has beautiful light, slanted ceilings and a wall full of built-ins where she can store clothes. etc., and on top, a space to display pictures and treasures.  Here she is measuring for curtains.  These girls have great plans for a homey and yet personal look.  

Abby asked if I would go with her to Marshall's last Friday night to find a comforter and a few essentials.  It was a little different for us..this is something I do with my daughter Emily quite a lot...not so much Abigail. Abby is a pro at shopping for clothes, shoes, etc., but home decor?  We separated, as Emily and I always do, but every few minutes I would hear Abby's  little voice call, "Mom?  Where are you, Mom?"  And she wanted my thoughts. 

I couldn't help but fall into the excitement of these girls.  They are going to have a great experience.  Finally seeing where Abby is going to live made me feel much better about her moving out.  Well, not so much the moving out part...but where she is moving  to!

Friends forever...Megan, Nora, Abby and Shannon.  We had a champagne toast!

Back-tracking...Valentine's Day.  I have heard so much about couples not doing anything special for this romantic day anymore, and yeah, I have often felt that it is for the younger crowd.  I can't imagine us holding hands across a table and counting the minutes until we get get home!  I've tried to make it a bit special by having a little spread of appetizers in the evening...a little champagne.  Something to set it off from any other day of the year.   We all know restaurants are booked, and this year, the big day being on Saturday...oh my...get a table at restaurant...no way!!

I succeeded though at making reservations at a restaurant in downtown Chicago after researching and reading many reviews (as I always do).   I simply decided we needed to change up the routine.  Surprisingly, The Husband  loved the idea!

We had a great time, from a pre-dinner drink at the bar, to a wonderful dinner that surprisingly didn't cost an arm and a leg.  The decor was awesome.  I was so proud of myself for making the plans...The Husband would have been content with ordering a pizza at home, yet responded positively to the whole evening!!  God love him!   At 9 degrees and heavy winds,,,we were troopers!

On to good things.  Shoes.  I have to change the subject lest you think I am no longer  the Blondie you know.  Are these not the bomb? 

   I will hopefully find a place to wear them soon.  

I was in Pier 1 today, I was buying this and that for Abby's new home and without any plans...found myself in the making of an Easter basket for my new little one.  The salesperson doing my ringing up was very pleasant but not the talkative type.  As she did her thing I started to tell her about my newborn granddaughter, and my baby daughter leaving  within a week,  How everything I was buying was for them.  She did a lot of of "Hmmm, that's wonderful."  She was busy I know.  But still, I whipped out my phone and shared a picture of Elsie and then one of Abby.  "These are my babies."  I said, yet she had little to say.  It didn't matter, I still  felt the tears coming.  I guess that's life.  At least my life right now.  :)

Jane xx