Magnolia Bakery

We discovered a fun new place when we were downtown on Friday: Magnolia Bakery. Apparently it's from New York, but this is what the Chicago location looks like. It's a really cute little place with fantastic cupcakes (kind of expensive, but fun for a special treat).

France Luxe Hair Barrettes

When I was downtown on Friday it was snowing and windy. My hair was a disaster, but I was not prepared! So I popped in Nordstrom Rack and bought a France Luxe barrette. Aren't these lovely? I got an oval one and a star-shaped one. Don't you love the Scottie dogs?

Pretty Potholder

My sister Sara sent me one of her famous potholders for my birthday. It is lovely. And it has mylar batting so I could actually use it (if I wanted to...). Thanks, Sara!

Friday Featured Etsy Seller: Five Sisters

I just bought some beads from a fellow Anne who operates the Etsy shop Five Sisters. It's a fun coincidence because my family has five sisters. Her beads are lovely - perhaps I'll have to order these next...

Thursday Tunes: Standing on the Moon/Halcyon Days

For my birthday last Friday we went to see Bruce Hornsby in a solo show. It was incredible. As an encore number, he did the Grateful Dead's Standing on the Moon combined with his Halcyon Days. So beautiful. Go here for the lyrics to Halcyon Days.

ASL Pewter

On our way home from the orchid show, we stopped in Louisiana (Missouri), and visited ASL Pewter. I bought a cookie stamp from them before, and this time I got this snowflake ornament. It is very intricate and rather heavy. It is fascinating to visit their foundry.

Gardenia!

When we went to the orchid show they were having a big sale in the gift shop. So, Tony bought me a gardenia! It is so beautiful and fills our home with a heavenly scent. I hope I won't kill it!

Tangerine Lavender Honey Hot Chocolate

King Cafe in the 900 Shops on Michigan Avenue has tangerine lavender honey hot chocolate. Yes. It is delicious - it kind of tastes like a chocolate orange. A nice treat for a cold day!

Friday Featured Etsy Seller: Dutch Recycling

Susan Lambeck from Breda runs the Etsy shop Dutch Recycling. It is just what it says - she makes things from recycled materials. I love these paper flags. So festive.

Thursday Text: The Hobbit

In advance of the movie coming out, my book club is reading The Hobbit. I tried to read it once before and just could not do it. This time I'm liking it so far. Have you read it?

Orchid Show

It's that time of year again - the orchid show at the Missouri Botanical Garden! We drove down to St. Louis on Friday night, attended the show Saturday morning, and then drove back. It was a quick trip, but the show is always worth it. It's a beautiful mid-winter tradition.

Gianna Rose Orchid and Honeysuckle Soap

I recently ordered this soap from Caswell-Massey when it was on sale. Gianna Rose Atelier soaps are always so beautiful, and this one smells fantastic.

Hammond's Candies

The last time we were flying through Denver, we found a great Hammond's Candies kiosk. They have the cutest candy ever. And it tastes good, too!

Friday Featured Art: Joseph Alleman - new works

Montgomery-Lee Fine Art is having a two-man show with new works by Joseph Alleman and Jared Sanders. Here's some of Joe's new work. Spectacular, as always.

Thursday Text: Peter Rabbit

Today's text is art and text in one. Don't you love Beatrix Potter? Now you can get an illustrated version of Peter Rabbit on your Kindle. So cute.

Cute AND Modest

I was browsing the Church web site the other day and came across the Dress and Grooming Guidelines for Sister Missionaries. I love that they emphasize clothing that is attractive, colorful, and conservative. These are some cute examples of jackets for missionaries. (Now if they'd just tell us where they did their shopping!)

Yogurt Making

We got an automatic yogurt maker from Williams-Sonoma for Christmas. I tried it out last week, and it was a lot of fun! It just uses milk and yogurt starter, and then you can mix things in afterward. Yum!

Uludag Gazoz

I know this looks like a really weird word, but it's actually a kind of soda. Uludag Gazoz is from Turkey. We found some at the Middle East Bakery & Grocery in Chicago. It's kind of a fruity Sprite. Yum!

Friday Featured Art: Sampler

I made it to the Fabric of a New Nation exhibit at the Art Institute last Saturday! It was fantastic. There were bedspreads, quilts, and samplers. I really liked this one by Nancy Vredenburgh.

Thursday Tunes: Carmina Burana

We attended a magnificent performance at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra last Saturday night. Maestro Ricardo Muti conducted Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. It was fabulous. Here's Andre Rieu's version of "O Fortuna":

Our True Identity

I've been asked to teach the young women's lesson this Sunday (yikes!). In studying for the lesson, I came across this video. It's really great.