Falling Back

Did you fall back an hour today? I was a good little girl and turned my alarm clock back an hour when I went to bed and woke up to discover that the thing had turned itself back an hour of it's own accord...so was an hour late. Good thing it's Sunday! Also, a little creeped out by an alarm clock that thinks for itself. I'm going to have to keep my eye on it. Just to make sure it doesn't try anything. Maybe I should turn it to face the wall...

...it's staring. right. at. me.

We're all gonna die.

...

Right! So! It's fall now, which is making me ridiculously happy. The air is crisp, the dead leaves smell amazing, and I'm bundled up in scarves and hats.  I even love the rainy days that happen so often this season. Which is good because I was outside on a particularly rainy and windy day a few weeks back for the annual Chicago Open House. It's my favorite weekend of the year!! Sad. But so true.

On the Saturday Miss Moshka and I started off at the History Museum where we got to tour the behind the scenes preparations for their upcoming fashion exhibit. I almost died it was so amazing, there were raptures. I calmed down a little over brunch but the next stop, the James-Charnley House, just set me off again as it was designed by my Architecture Boyfriend and some lowly draftsman you might of heard of, Frank Lloyd Wright. I didn't get any good shots of it as we were huddled under umbrellas and the wind was nasty (see evidence below)

But! I did snag a shot of the highlight of the tour:

I know! The Charnleys and I used the same brand of marmalade!!! I texted that photo to Miss Linda I was so excited.

After Moshka brought me out of my swoon we scuttled past more lovely old rich men mansions to this one, the Madlener House, Richard E. Schmidt and Hugh M. G. Garden's 1901's prairie style house. 

A gorgeous facade with lovely windows and huge rooms. Here you can see Miss Moshka demonstrating the scale. She's about 5'4"...

Once we finished daydreaming of living there we tore ourselves away and headed home to our (much much smaller and less grand) homes.

But we did find this gem of a finial on the way to the train. Mini swoon.

The rest of the day I spent curled up with a cup of tea, eating open faced sandwiches, and watching the Swedish TV Wallander on Netflix. 

Sunday was a bit cheerier outside, more sunlight less gross rain.  And Miss Ashley and I gorged ourselves on gorgeousness in the Prairie District of the South Loop.

This is the Clarke house, the oldest domestic structure in the city, built in 1836. At the time Chicago was not even incorporated so it truly represented James McConkey's quote that the Greek Revival style was "a dream of order and balance and proportion set down in a rude wilderness".

Set in a little park with a garden on either side, it reminded me of Monticello and Montpelier, a period of time that is so hard to find in this city that was decimated by the fire.

There was a circle of hand sculptures dedicated to Jane Addams who was a great lady, and did much for the people of the city.

Ashley and I popped into a few more homes, this one, the Kieth House, had lovely floors. Made me think of quilts.

We also toured the servants wing of the Glessner House, which was basically like being on the Downton Abbey set, and I think I want to live there. But alas the tour was so quick and crowded I have no photographs!

But I did take copious photographs of this snuggle bug! I love this dog. And she loves me!

And luckily for all of us Dottie dog enjoys eating fancy pies and watching Foyle's War as much as Ashley and I.

Did you have a happy Halloween? Any tricks? Or treats?

I opted for the 'treat' and went all out and make a mini-feast for the mini-Harry Potter marathon Miss H and I did to celebrate Halloween.

Her sister, M, joined in the fun and got her hair curled as a bonus.

Baked brie was also a bonus. We took it down in seconds. It was a little scary...but there was enough to go round so it didn't turn violent and we were sluggish as we were already full of chicken pot pie, and pumpkin bread, and handpies, and pumpkin pastries, and more mulled cider than you could shake a stick at. I might have gotten a little too excited in the kitchen but it was such fun to spend the weekend Pottering, and it was nice to celebrate a new season. Bye bye summer!

H had me over for dinner on Halloween eve, she made a delicious pumpkin cream sauce to go on penne and I had fun MacGuyver-ing the pumpkin puree can open with a hammer and screwdriver as she doesn't have a can opener (yet). It was scrumptious!

And incredibly, I've now found a place that makes an apple pie as good as Miss Linda's! Hoosier Mama, I'm impressed!

But I refused to share my slice with Finn, so he was NOT impressed. Silly cat, pies are for kids!

And the next day I got to glue feathers on this guy. It may not be the real Big Bird, but it's close enough for me. Fingers crossed he's not an endangered species after Tuesday!

Well, I'm off to read up on my state representatives before going to bed, thanks daylight savings day for that extra hour!!

Come home to me

This little bear asked me to come home last month and so I did...

My dad picked me up at o'dark-thirty in downtown Columbus and we drove through the rolling fields covered in morning dew and fog to the little house on the hill.

Sir Toby says "Meow" which means "feed me." in Cat.

And up at the top of the house is a little room.

It was my room for many years, I loved being perched high up in the trees in my aery. During a storm I could easily pretend it was a lighthouse or a boat with the sea of waving trees and rain coming down the skylights in ripples.

My Mom is the sweetest. She always spoils me rotten when I come home, as if she thinks she has to bribe me to visit! I haven't read the book yet but the carafe is smiling at me from my bedside table and the nesting dolls are clustered on my window sill.

I stared at the sheep for a while when I was falling asleep. I wonder if she did that on purpose?

Miss Linda's creative space is at the back of the room. I like knowing where all the different pieces came from, what their past life was even though they all look perfect together now. My old vanity. The white lamp that was in the living room. A mustard crock she bought just to use as a jar which was so big I think it took us about a year to use up all the mustard...

Lots of still life. 

One of my favorite things is to be gently awoken by the clinking of measuring cups and spoons. It means Miss Linda is baking. This time it was her apple pie, which has remained unchanged my whole life and I still have yet to eat a better one.

We moved to Ohio when I was a wee three year old and my parents were a bit culture shocked when it came to midwestern style pizza. The initial excitement of moving into a house down the block from a pizza parlor was quickly killed before they even bit into a slice. Because the slice was not a slice. It was a rectangle. And the crust was thin and hard. And the sauce too much like tomato paste. And the toppings were...sad. I distinctly remember being taken to every single pizza joint in a 20 mile radius searching for good pizza as a kid. 

Eventually I think they gave up and had to make their own and so started the traditional Friday night pizza and movie. Miss Linda would get the pizza crust started while Dr Karl took D-Mon and I to the library where we got to pick out one film each. Then we came home, topped the pizza, and spent the rest of the night munching slices, slurping cherry sodas, and watching kids movies.  

So by now Dr. Karl has perfected his pizza switcheroo technique, first shimmying the pie onto the the stone to cook, then using spatulas to slide the done pie back onto the chopping board.

Now every once in a while I'm lucky enough to be home on a night the P-Units decide to make pizza. This one was an ode to The Best Pizza I Have Ever Eaten (Pizza Polermo, NYC), a white pizza of soft mozzarella, caramelized onions and eggplant slices that was topped with arugula once it came out of the oven. The second pizza was tomato sauce, mozzarella, caramelized onions, red peppers, and roasted plum tomatoes.  We ate it while watching Date Night.

There may be no more weekly pizza and movie night as the kids are 'all grown up' but D and I make sure to act like monkeys kids anyways. Just to make up for it.

However, there are few things that make you realize just how grown up you are then getting together with girls you've known over half your life.  We may live far and wide, be doing things we couldn't even imagine in high school, but however far we go, or what we're busy with, there are some things we will always come home for.  Three years ago it was for Lizbeth and Mr. Paul's wedding, and this time it was to celebrate their Belly Bean!

The Bean has one month to go before we all get to meet it, but it is now tricked out in blankets, books, toys, diapers and all sorts of momma/baby things that I don't understand.  It was so wonderful to see all the different people from Lizbeth's life coming together, sharing our love for her and excitement for the future.

Miss Amy and her mother were amazing hosts, and she may look all grown up now...

...but Amy's still Amy! And no. She didn't actually elbow a preggers lady. But she IS totally unnerved by the whole situation which is hilarious. That girl would rather go mudding or roll around with a dog than hold a baby. Still, I'm betting $200 Monopoly dollars that when it's Lizbeth's baby she'll feel a little differently.

Or she'll just pass it to her Mom.

Hmm.

Anyways, I'm over the moon with glee to meet this little person. I'm determined to be the best Fairy Godmother I can be! Is it November yet??!!

I had a lot of lovely memories to think over on my way back North. It was good to go home and touch base with that part of my life as things are still not settled up here. But I still had that rush of joy when the skyline came into sight though, which tells me I'm exactly where I should be. I took a taxi back to my apartment and the wind whipped through my hair as we raced up Lakeshore Drive, the late summer sun shining off the water. I love this city.

I cracked open the pot of raspberry and peach jam that Amy made as shower favors to have on my toast this morning and it make me smile.  I called Lizbeth today and we ate lunch at the same time. I've been holding onto that trip, helping me through the rough days, which have been few but they happen just the same.

I'm embracing the fresh slate that is Fall, it's the right time for new beginnings and challenges. Taking comfort in the extra layers, the first scarf Miss Linda knit me snug around my neck, curled up under a blanket drinking tea, and crunching through the fallen leaves. I'm mindful not to waste this gift of time that I've been given, sitting still, reading books and baking bread. Making up my own little routine on how to live this new life and listening to what's in my head and my heart.

I was walking through Lincoln Square the other day, killing time before meeting friends, it was a gorgeous fall evening and I loved seeing all the lights and amber leaves but I couldn't shake off the lost and delicate feeling I'd been carrying around with me all day. I walked past the bookstore and impulsively ducked inside.  I drifted towards the food books, running my finger along the spines feeling more and more like I was actually looking for something but not knowing what it was. Until I saw it,  Luisa Weiss's My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes). I had no business buying a book, I wasn't supposed to be buying a book, but I opened it on the chapter titled 'Leap and the Net will Appear' which had a recipe for pizza and I knew it would be coming home with me anyways.

I know her as the lady who told me of the Best Brownies in the World through her blog The Wednesday Chef and now her book came to me just when I needed it, a story about life and being brave and food. I've been reading it all week, under my covers in bed or in the sunlight from the bus windows on the way to part time jobs, it made me cry a few times, and really hungry, but when I finished the book last night after a bad day I felt comforted knowing that this is all just part of life and there are things like omelette confiture to help you through.

Life Off the Grid: In Which I Eat a 'Doormat'

Much like Jess in Season 2 of The New Girl my first days of living "off the grid" (after I decided to leave my bed) were full of freakish domestic activity. I organized and crossed things off lists and scrubbed things to a shine and baked bread and did laundry.

However, by week two or so I officially 'freelancing' and my life is now a bit...unpredictable. And I haven't been able to do laundry since.

So far I've been a stitcher for a production of The Magic Flute at the Chicago Opera Theater (with Miss Moshka! A pleasant surprise!), working on some shirts for my Auntie M, selling things at Renegade, steaming gowns and dressing for a fashion show at a bridal expo, I might be working part-time for a custom linens company soon, and now on Tuesdays and Thursdays I do repairs and alterations at a halloween style costume rental company.

Yeah.

I've literally made a 'Go Bag' like I'm a BAU agent in Criminal Minds. It's a little ridiculous but I'm enjoying it. The last gig, the fashion show, was a hoot as some of the dresses were absolutely massive! Massive!

Poor Miss W is being eaten by tulle.

When there were several of these monsters in a row (with a hoop skirt underneath!) they had to go on and off over the head instead of being stepped into which meant me prepping them like this, ready to be heaved over the models head, which is ridiculous looking. Speaking of ridiculous...

Here's that 'Bam Bam Rubble's Quinceanera' dress I know you've been searching for (modeled by my girl Amber!).

And don't worry. It also comes in pink.

And in case that wasn't enough ridiculousness here's me and Miss W after our models forced Quinceanera dresses on us. You're welcome.

When I'm not running around the city playing with dresses I've managed to have some cheap/free good fun with friends.

Lincoln Square's Apple Fest with Miss Ashley where we searched in vain for caramel apples and were finally forced to make a pilgrimage to the nearby Jewel. WE WOULD NOT ADMIT DEFEAT.  And oh, FYI Ashley, that candy store down my street is making caramel apples. Get over here ASAP.

I spent a work free afternoon "slip covering" my poor sad oven mitt in the most adorable quilting square in the world. Pink and red floral AND blue and white gingham??? Shut yer face.  Even better? I have others, equally cute, to cover my oven pad.

Also cute, there was a Lady H in my apt for a sleepover weekend. Look at that head bow! Adorable. We spent a lovely Sunday morning zoned out watching Foyle's War in a pancake coma.

For dinner we had Miss Linda's Honey Curry Chicken with sauteed kale. Yet another convert, I'm gifting her the recipe (and the one for the best brownies of all time) as a housewarming present.

Miss Eyre, her roomie Bobbi Pins, and I are scheming up crafty things to perhaps make money on or at least have fun making together with help from her kitty Viska and her sometimes gross yet lovable Ewok dog Chompers who is ready for fall in his sweater.

I tried to get photos of her other dog, Cider, but she's always moving! Oh well, next time?

One nice thing about being "fun-emplyed" is that I could go to the Art Institute's free day today.  They used to be free and open late on Thursdays but they changed it a few years ago and I'm still upset about it.  I used to go on little "dates" where I'd go downtown after work and wander around the AIC for an hour or so then slowly make my way up the Mag Mile which was all lit up in the falling night before picking up some take-out as a treat and getting on a train to head back north. If "fun-employment" continues I'm definitely going to start that again! Other than visiting my favorite pieces the exhibit I especially went to see was on on Frank Lloyd Wright's Japanese print collection. It wasn't as large as I had hoped but it was fascinating to see photos of when it was originally done back in the day (I am sooo not fancy enough to wear a big hat when I go to the museum) and it introduced me to a new idol, Marion Mahony Griffin who you can read more about here.

Image Source: https://historyrat.wordpress.com/tag/marion-mahony-griffin/

The renderings of hers they had in the exhibit were incredible but hard to photograph, this is the closest I can find on the web, she really took Japanese composition and style and ran with it to a delightful place that mixed architecture and art. It was a lovely afternoon and I came home to a dinner of this:

Hello Midwestern comfort food, the classic tuna noodle casserole. I spent a dreary wet day outside with Miss Moshka thrift store hopping the other day and the whole way home I fantasized about tuna noodle casserole. I'm not entirely sure how this happened as I honestly can't even remember ever eating it before. Maybe I had some at a friends house? Or college? Or in my head? But definitely not in Miss Linda's house! I told her what I was making and she was both amused and a bit concerned. Dishes like this are so fascinating and exotic to me as we never ate them at home being far too Midwest-y and full of things like Campbells cream of mushroom soup. I'd bet hard money a can of that stuff has never made it past Miss Linda's doorway since she started buying her own groceries. I had green bean casserole for the first time when Miss Moshka made it for Thanksgiving in 2008. And yes. I remember the exact date. What is it about these casseroles that are so comforting?? I don't know, this lady has some interesting points. But the bottom line is I've made tuna casserole, condensed soup and all, twice in the past month. Who am I???

Also comforting are paillason which translated is 'doormat', the French version of latkes which I watched Monsieur Pepin make on the Create channel the other day and was so amused by the name I decided it was a good way to use up a lone potato I had. Very tasty and soothing but mine refused to brown up as nicely as his which annoyed me greatly.

Stupid doormat.

The End.