Instead of blogging, I've been.......

......seeing the Sights.  The Chicago sights, that is.

We do love our botanical gardens.  Remember previous visits here and here?

Today we went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

Ginger is officially a toddler now.  No stroller can contain her.

Eleanor fancies herself a leader, of course.  Map in hand, ready for kindergarten I dare say.

This is my little piece of heaven.  Watching happy girls play.

And looking at flowers through their eyes.

I mean, what's cooler than a spiderweb with water droplets on it?

Okay, maybe a fountain in the middle of a lake.

And Zinnias.

And the way they grow their cherry trees!  Too cool!  

So....all this to say that I got through phases--do you?  I'll go through a few weeks of so much creating that I have a backlog of blog posts.  And then I have weeks where I can't motivate.  I just don't feel like it.  Then I read all of these blogs and they are constantly creating and I think to myself, don't they have these days like I do?  Don't they just feel like sitting on the couch watching Rio with their kids?  (Which, incidentally, is exactly what I'm doing as I type.)

Anyway, next week we're headed east for a big family event and after that, I think I'll get my mojo back.  Because after that......SCHOOL STARTS.  And then, that means I really live in Chicago.  I'm not just on a permanent vacation.

Mimi & Pops are coming! Mimi & Pops are coming!

I'm makin' beds, doin' laundry, holding a teething,snotty baby and overall just getting ready for our next round of visitors!

So.....I'm a bit behind on my creating.  But, Mimi likes to create so I know we're bound to create something while she is here.  I have a few items on the docket so let's take a poll: What do you think I should do with Mimi while she is here?

Hot Fun in the Summer Time part 2

Flannery took the big girls to check out the Navy Pier, but seeing as it's 90+ degrees outside, I stayed home with the littles. I sent them outside to play and they quickly figured out what they wanted to do. Plastic bowls, wooden spoons, grass and leaves plus the hose made for a fun morning.

stirring, stirring

ginger b.

investigating Aunt Courtenay and camera

excuse me, i have to go back to stirring

maeve and ML concocting together

love the hot summer days that

are lazy and fun

Scenes From My Walk

So I traveled all the way from Philly to Chicago to visit Flannery and her family, plus my husband's 4 sisters. Took a total of 12.5 hours and one overnight with my 3 girls. Sounds awful to be the only driver (stuck in the car with 3 children who usually fight while running errands around town) but it's not as bad as it sounds and was actual quite pleasant. As soon as we got to her cute little neighborhood in Chi Town, I wanted to stretch my legs and explore! The only problemo was that I left one essential piece of equipment in PA. My running bra. So, yup, it was def a walk and NOT a run.

And I must say, while my usual jaunts around my hometown are much more 'country' with horses and such, there are definitely many beautiful sights in this urban area.

So here we go...

chicken wire! i love chicken wire anyway... the shape and the daintyness of it, but hello?!!? in a city? lined up against a white picket fence? so cute. i love that someone took the time to add this. i wonder if it serves a purpose~ there were no chickens in the immediate area!~ or just for prettyness? i may have to add this to my own picket fence.

City cottages

with tiny lots

and porches.

funky garden art

great old signs

and Chicago style pizza

of course!

rows and rows of houses

these appear to be new

construction

but built to blend in to the neighborhood

city sidewalks

Old Irving Park Neighborhood

funky and creepy wig store

love the old sign

The Irving Hotel

would love to have seen it back in the day

all lit up

Wow. Free office job, huh?

shabby old fence

i love looking at these homes

and have made this walk

several times

it's been nice to take a walk

and find the beauty

in the city streets.

Arghh!!!!! Watch out for the Plush Monsters!

My Eleanor is taking an art/sewing class at this super cool place here in Chi called LillStreet.  We love, we love, we love.  This class she is taking is focused on 'plush monsters.' What's with the whole Ugly Doll thing anyway?  

So obviously, this is not a tutorial.  Think of it more as an inspiration on what you could do with your kiddos and stuff you probably already have in your craft closet.  

When Eleanor arrives at class every week, the teacher has a basket full of felt shapes already sewn, leaving a small gap to create a pocket.  The kids stuff the shapes and then they staple or hand sew them closed.  After that, they adorn these cute guys!  

This is Mary Larkin--Eleanor gifted her the purple guy.  She was quite pleased.

This guy here is "Pillowhead." 

This is his friend "Sweetie Bone."

My personal fave.

From L to R: Featherhead, Hula Lady, and Button.

This pair here is Feather Lady Love and One Eye Love.

(Mom, one of his eyes fell off but don't laugh, k?)

The guy with the big black fuzz ball is Daddy Garland (??) and his little baby Rosie.

Not sure why daddy has a namesake plush monster, but I keep telling Gar to take it as a compliment.

Here she is setting our photoshoot.

Eleanor wanted me to tell y'all that "LillStreet is fun.  It's the best thing ever in the whole wide world!"  That's quite an endorsement.  Now don't you think these monsters would be great on a rainy day this summer?!

Some new inspiration

With a move to a new city, comes new exploration.  It's one of the things I love most about moving.  I mean, not that I like moving, but well, living in a new city is always exciting.  Since we arrived in Chicago last weekend, the girls and I have hit the ground running.  We begin most days with some unpacking and then follow it up with some fun.  This past week's highlight was the Garfield Park Conservatory, a FREE indoor greenhouse.

We were blown away by the flowers.

The spectacular colors..

August on the Cape comes early...

Look at this yellow.

This koi pond with glass sculptures was so peaceful and serene. 

And of course, I can't forget to show off our new house.  

You know how sometimes a decision feels like fate, 

like you were meant to go a certain way?  

Our decision to move to Chicago was only solidified by the 

PEONY bush in our new backyard.

I can.not wait for it to bloom.

And the purple azaleas aren't bad either.

And here she is, our first rental as a married couple.  

(Tee hee, we are lovin' non-home ownership.)

Comes with a cute pint-sized bench, too.  

Poifect for three little pint sized ladies.

Look for more posts on exploring Chi-town.  I'm looking for new creative inspiration and it begins with a digital photography class in June.  Will keep you posted!