Carbs

We didn't make any plans for the holiday weekend because we thought we were going to be taking care of our dog. So on a whim we decided to take my mom into Jefferson park today. She grew up very near there and it's where they shopped, hungout and went to movies. The taste of Polonia was going on and it was basically all about eating and drinking. We were there at noon when it was 90 degrees so none of that really appealed to us but it was nice to walk around and take it all in. c.

Plan B

Well she didn't have the operation yesterday because a blood test reveled an infection. That's got to be cleared up before the rest can get done. She was so releived to be home and pretty exhausted from it all. Poor doggie. c.

Our best friend

Our sweet and wonderful dog is going in for an operation today. She's got a ligament tear in her knee and they are going to put a synthetic one in. We can't wait to have her back home with us. c.

Clippings

I received a pretty bouquet of flowers as a thank you gift recently. They never last as long as you would like and I have such a hard time parting with them. Today I clipped some of the buds that were still good and laid them out in the center of our dining room table. I got to thinking that buds arranged all the way down a table like a runner would make a really pretty center piece. Nice and low so you can talk over it. I don't have much occasions for this but I'm going to have to try and do it someday. c.

Falling too soon

Well the days are beautiful but the signs of fall are all around us now. It seems way too soon. We're not ready yet.

Helicopter seeds make a nice magic wand. Leaves fading from green to red. A spider that wasn't home until we put him there.

Did you know that you have to accessorize for walks? c.

Melons and cheezborgers

The fruit of choice around here is melon. Even our dog likes it.

Driving along today I saw this sign being hauled by a truck. Billy Goat Tavern is a Chicago greasy spoon made famous by a Saturday Night live sketch in the 70's. Cheezborger! Cheezborger! It was funny to see it driving next to me on the highway. c.

Sun bear

Here are a few other highlights from our fun trip to the zoo.

This sun bear is nocturnal so he was so, so sleepy. He was doing that nod off and jerk the head thing. We loved him!

We also saw three lazy lions sleeping on rocks c.

My holiday card

Well that was easy. Thanks to my new polar bear obsession I'm ahead of schedule. So if you're on my list (what list?!) you'll be getting one of these. I'm not totally sure about this yet but I'm going to use my polar bear drawing for a free pattern. I'll have that up once I figure out what it's going to be. c.

Lovely Lee the polar bear

It was hot and it was humid. A nice day to be a polar bear for sure.

Lee the polar bear was as interested to watch us as we were to watch him. Little g. asked over and over to touch the animals. She does not know yet that we can't actually do that.

Apparently the foot of a polar bear is about half the size of little g.

Even more family

A special week for little g. She's got her "Big Grannie" (big because she's tall) here visiting. It's been a year since she's seen her and I wasn't sure if she would remember. I don't think she did but she took to her immediately. I think children have a 6th sense with family.

"Cupla" teddy comes with us everyplace we go lately. Lindsay might recognize him! c.

Family

It was so nice having my nephew Sean here. He was really sweet and very patient with his little cousin.

Just before he left we asked him if there was any last minute thing he wanted to do. He wondered if there was any quintessential American food (Sean lives in London) he should try. Rather than subject him to hot dogs and apple pie we went out for some Cold Stone Creamery. Probably just as unhealthy but a whole lot more fun. c.

Thud, thud, thud

That's the sound of me kicking myself! We had a wonderful day on Saturday with my nephew at the air and water show in Chicago. So what did I do? I forgot my camera at home !*@#! Even just typing that sentence got my blood pressure up. All the stuff I could have shot, the amazing people, the jets, the buildings, the sightseers, the protesters, our spaced out waitress, the beautiful lake, the craziness and intensity of it all. I'm so mad at myself!

I stumbled on something that's cheered me up though. I just found out about the latest thing in trippy kids programs. Yo! Gabba Gabba on Nick Jr. is totally out there and fun to watch. I seriously think this clip of crying veggies was made just for us. Little g. has watched it about 10 times this mornning. c.

Happy food

It's nice to have your breakfast smiling back at you. I can actually get her to try new things if I present it like a face and then make up a story about it.

An egg inspired card. c.

Some Friday favorites

A pretty yellow vase from this far away place.

A special push toy.

It's going to be a sunny action packed weekend with a visit from a nephew and trips to the city! c.

Two tutus

I made two tutus last night. One for little g. and one for her friend. They are so easy and fun to make I think I'll make a few more for some other little girls. Dress up clothes are very popular with the 2 year-old crowd. I just folded 4 yards of tulle in half, made a pocket along the uncut edge and fished ribbon through to tie. c.

Mixed Media

Our deck gets a lot of use for messy craft projects. I'm going to miss the outside time once it gets too cold. We should have a few more months of decent weather around here but we can feel that cold stuff looming in the distance. Most casual conversations end with some comment about it. It must be some sort of universal mental prepping we do.

I like to lay out all kinds of stuff for little g. to use. We usually end up with something pretty colorful. Just look how much concentration is required to learn how to use the scissors properly. c.

Natural flora

Little g. brought me these prairie flowers back from her walk. Where we live if you leave your land alone you will eventually end up with a prairie. We have a pretty path near our house that has lots of natural prairie flowers.

A prairie inspired card. c.

New stuff

Been very busy with invitations lately and some play date cards too. All of these and some fun new items will be on the new Mia Zucca website which we are currently redesigning. c.

Bubble trouble

Little g. developed a cold over the weekend that brought everything to a screeching halt. We were able to sit outside on the deck on Sunday for some much needed fresh air and a little bubble blowing. c.

Pareidolia chitchat

I notice these two random bits of paint in our half finished garage all the time. Today they are having a conversation.

In our loft downtown we used to have some plaster on a brick wall that had a dog's face on it. A few other people pointed it out to us so I know I'm not totally crazy.

Don't forget to stop and look at what your eating or you might just bite into a Pope Tart. c.

Felt bug

We have a lot of birthdays to celebrate in August. This is a gift for one of those birthdays. It's a wonderful pin by an artist that I think is so incredibly talented and unique.

That's me

A picture of a girl looking at a picture of herself (a little blurry still). We've had a long day. No nap (that happens a lot lately), a play date, and an afternoon at the pool. A nice day for little g. Missing all these naps is bad for me because I've got to do all my client work at night and in the wee hours of the morning, yikes. c.

Wanderlust

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

I remember when this hit the morning tv shows and the viral email circuit a while back. My first impression was that this was some dork doing a dorky dance but as I watched it and saw all the incredible places he's been I was really wishing I could experience all of it. Maybe I could crisscross the globe doing that Elaine dance.

Found the link via this site which I love because she's very clever at recycling and repurposing. c.

Here a moo, there a moo

Went to a little farm with our nice neighbors. We saw lots of animals and some silly plastic ones two. Took little g. on her first train ride and she loved it.

Today there will be a total eclipse of the sun but you won't see it unless you live in China or Greenland but you can go here to watch it online. c.