A little who for you (well for me really)

So I was looking through some of my favorite blogs the other day and happened upon an older post of owls on Softies Central. You'll see that I didn't vary from the original look too much, though I did add a base layer of felt so that my little guy could stand. For his first photo shoot I put him in front of the birdhouse that my boyfriend bought for me to paint (he's supporting my crafting, isn't he the best?). I don't know if owls usually like like birdhouses but my little guy took to it very well.

"Chicago is my kind of town"

Despite being laid off recently I had previously made plans with a friend to head up to the Windy City last weekend. After reviewing the situation (and my finances), I decided that it made more sense to go since airfare, hotel and tickets had already been paid for. I would only have to limit my spending. Sorry Chicago, no shopping for me this time :-(

I was so glad I went. My first trip to Chicago will certainly not be my last. The city was amazing. It has all my favorite things about New York without the crowds, or smog, which is a perk for me.

Friday night I arrived and found the weather was in my favor. No snow, no ice, just cold, and I can deal with cold. We went to a wonderful Italian restaurant for dinner and then went and to the top of the Hancock Building(the Signature Room)for dessert. The view was amazing and I would suggest this to anyone visiting Chicago for the first time, or anytime really.

Saturday we found one great deal after another. The magazine Real Simple was handing out eye shadow at the Walgreens. H&M was handing out $10 off coupons. And best of all the museums were free. Free February was being sponsored by Target at all the museums in the city. Knowing we would only have time for one we picked the Art Institute and were thrilled to spend Saturday gazing at all the beautiful works of art.

Some of the highlights:
Thorne Miniature Room
So fun! I want to make miniature room of my own. While I don't quite believe it's what Virginia Woolf had in mind when she suggest that every woman should have a "room of one's own", I don't think she would protest either.

Improvisations: Picture Books by Chris Raschka
Wonderful dummy books and prints that highlight the innovative genius of this creative illustrator.

Finally we capped the night off with a trip to the theater to go and see Wicked. I have seen dozens of musicals and that is why I feel confident telling you this is the best musical I've ever seen. Make a point to go and see it when it travels to your town. Get the soundtrack, but understand while it is wonderful it doesn't even come close.


I had an incredible time learning more about the city of Chicago and will be back again soon. I'm just glad that I missed the 9 inches of snow I heard they got at the start of the week.

Starting out...

On Friday, February 15 I was officially laid off. I look at it as a blessing and not a curse. I worked in outside sales for a number of years and I was looking for a change of pace anyway. I plan on becoming a teacher. (A secret dream of mine for years). So I am in the process of testing for certification, examining school systems and determining which grade level (middle or high) will be the right place for me.

Here's the part where I mention that I want to teach English. I graduated from University of Florida with a B.A. in English but do not fancy myself a stickler for the rules, I'm more a lit person. I say this because I am looking at this blog as a place to write without worrying about rules. If my grammar is not perfect I don't want a comment about it. If I mix up my there, their, they're or hear and here, no big deal. At least it isn't for me. I hope it isn't for you.

Anyway, I thought that it would be fun (now that I have more free time) to finally begin blogging. It will be nice to look back after I have been hired and have started teaching and see how far I have come. There are so many blogs out there that make me smile, I hope that one day this will make someone smile. My boyfriend just asked me "what's your blog about?". I explained to him it's a kaleidoscope of different ideas: crafting, life, love, my quest to teach, etc. So I guess that's it for now. Thanks for journeying with me! :-)