Amy Artisan

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Category: Family (page 8 of 16)

Celebration Weekend

July 10, 2008 / / 5 Comments

While Artisan Dad isn’t a July 4th Birthday, his early July birthday means that our July 4th celebrations quickly morph into birthday celebrations. This year was no different – ok, it may have been a bit different because this year Artisan Dad’s birthday was even bigger…but I get ahead of myself.

I flew home to the Ville early on the 4th – the plane was very empty – so having the row to myself meant plenty of sock knitting progress. By about 10:30 AM we were leaving the airport. “On the way” back home we stopped at a ‘new to us’ organic farm in the Ville, Two Doves Farm. (Mom has joked about being jealous of my weekly farmer’s market excursions so I searched out an option for her.) We quickly filled a bag with all sorts of delicious produce that was worked into meals throughout the weekend (Big tomatoes, the cutest cherry tomatoes, beets, garlic, potatoes, blackberries – yum!).

Mom & Dad needed to get a new grill for the deck – so Dad & I picked one up before lunchtime on Friday. I was then in charge of the grill menus throughout the weekend. So to break in the grill for our July 4th dinner, I turned to a favorite CA cut of meat (the tri tip) & grilled veggies.

 

Monday…Dad’s Birthday…This year it was a “big” birthday and also marked another event – Dad was retiring after 27 1/2 years with his company (& 13 years in the Air Force). Since Dad was there to take pictures as Rebecca & I left for kindergarten all those years ago, it was only appropriate that I got up to see him off to his last day of work (& snap a picture).

The end of a routine…every morning Mom stands on the garage steps as Dad leaves…
they blow each other a kiss & flash the “I Love You” sign.
I’m glad that I captured this image of his last day!

After a few hours, Dad had turned in all his paperwork, his security badge & parking permit and was back home. Because of the security at the building, he now couldn’t go back to work if he tried. 🙂 The rest of Dad’s birthday was family time – a bit of outlet shopping, another grilled meal. The evening ended with Dad’s favorite chocolate cake.

 

As is always the case when I’m home in the Ville, it was quickly time to return to Chicago Tuesday afternoon. In addition to celebrating Dad, the weekend was filled with lots of other fun – dinner with a college roommate (I hadn’t seen Kelly since I was finishing up my Chattanooga assignment – umm, Oct. 2006); shopping; lots of knitting (to be shared in future posts) & just hanging out with the family.

What’s next for Dad? In short, anything & everything he wants to do. Dad has always enjoyed gardening – I think he’ll be spending more time with his hands in the dirt. As I’ve mentioned before, he is very artistic – maybe more art projects are on the horizon. He’s always had a way with words – so I’ve set up a blog for him to get writing in a new medium (hint…hint!). He & Mom will hopefully be taking more day trips and road trips.

Initially it may feel more like vacation that Dad isn’t going to work every day. He has definitely earned the right to enjoy this time. Even though I don’t live as close to the folks anymore, my routine has already changed because of his retirement – I will no longer be sending an email to the “Dad – work” email address everyday or dialing “Dad-work” on my cell phone for my early morning commutes.

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C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S   D A D ! ! !
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Back to the Beach…

July 1, 2008 / / 5 Comments

…another summer weekend, time for the annual Kansas Sisters Weekend over in Harbor Country.  Rebecca flew in from Atlanta last week and late Friday afternoon, we picked up Jen & Kristy and pointed the car east – towards our escape. While the trip is a ritual, each time we visit we mix & match from our “menu” of favorite items, add some new items to the mix and end up with another lovely experience.

Beach Morning

Our time away was a bit shorter this year so some “standards” of previous trips were passed by this year – all the more reason to go back again soon. On Saturday morning we picked up coffee and scones for breakfast, packed up our beach bags & walked a few minutes from our inn to the beach. It was a beautiful morning to enjoy the view, read a good book, catch up with one another.

Beach Morning

Saturday afternoon our priority was to sit and knit with Kim & baby Max at the always charming Sit & Knit, A Yarn Cafe. Baby Max charmed us all. Rebecca & I continued our tradition of picking up “matching” yarns as souvenirs – this year it is sock yarn. Hmm, how is it that the non-knitter ends up with yarn souvenirs on these trips? 🙂 Throughout the weekend I made great progress on the latest sock on my needles. We didn’t do as much shopping as we have in years past; however, we still stopped at a few of our favorite shops as well as “discovered” a few new ones. And there was no shortage of delicious dining and drink options.

Beach Morning

Sunday morning it was rainy as we packed up the car to head back to the city. After breakfast and picking up some produce at the farmer’s market it was time to point the car west & come back to Chicago. As the rain gave way to sun and beautiful skies, DJ Becca Bec in the back seat kept us going with quite the eclectic lineup of tunes on the iPod.

Until the next time, this quick clip of the beach on Saturday morning will serve as a reminder of another wonderful weekend to celebrate sisters.

A Weekend for Joy(ce)

May 18, 2008 / / 10 Comments

I have several things I want to blog about, including getting up to date with my ABCs (err, H & I) but for now I’m jumping straight to J.

 

J is for JOYCE (aka Artisan Mom)

I remember when I was learning to read I made the connection that within my Mom’s name was Joy. Even at a young age I knew how appropriate that was – Mom has always brought joy to everything that she does.

This weekend she had a ‘big’ birthday. It was made even better because the whole Artisan Family was together here in Chicago to celebrate Mom. It has been several years since the four of us were all together here in Chicago – most of our family celebrations have been home in the ‘Ville. This weekend we were greatful for some wonderful respite care for Grandma that allowed for a Chicago birthday celebration for Mom.

Given the state of air travel these days, unfortunately it wasn’t that much of a surprise that their flight was about 3 hours late arriving on Thursday evening – it was almost midnight when we got to my house, so our planned Thai takeout dinner would end up being Friday lunch. The Chicago weather was perfect spring – sunny, blue skies, and lots of green grass & trees accented with lilacs and other spring blooms. We didn’t have many plans for the weekend – we just gave Mom some “dress code guidelines” for Friday & Saturday reservations. We did a little bit of shopping, a little bit of driving, a little bit of relaxing with books & a favorite musical on DVD, and a lot of just enjoying being together. On Friday evening we had reservations for dinner at A Mano – it was fun to order several things off the menu & share amongst us all; of course we saved room to enjoy their delicious gelato for dessert.

Our “big” surprise was Saturday afternoon – all Mom knew was that we had 4:30 PM reservations & we were dressing up a bit more. As we headed downtown, Mom was just glad that we were all together & didn’t seem to have a clue where we were going. It wasn’t until we turned the corner and pulled up in front of The Peninsula Chicago that Mom realized we were going to enjoy afternoon tea at my favorite tea spot. As we enjoyed all of the delicious treats on the menu we recalled the lovely afternoon tea we enjoyed in Bermuda 9 years ago this month. This “quick pic” at the end of the afternoon definitely captures the fun of the weekend.

And to celebrate a milestone birthday for a Mom who has done so much for so many I had a secret knit on the needles in the last month: “A Hug for Mom” – a simple shawl using yarn that I picked up last summer.

The Details – Pattern: Simple Yet Effective Shawl; Yarn: Brooks Farm Yarn Limited Edition III a wool and silk blend in a medium/steel blue, 2 skeins; Needles; Size 10; Modifications: Since Mom’s birthday is the 17th I had the garter stitch section at 17 ridges; the edge of the shawl had 2 stitches & then the yarn over to increase.   When I bought this yarn last summer I had a specific pattern in mind; however, as I started with the yarn and pattern it was obvious that they weren’t a match – same with the 2nd pattern. Truly, the third time was a charm by going with a simple pattern that I had knit before – the simple stitches allowed the yarn to really come to life.

The weekend trip may have been quick; however, it was wonderful to celebrate the JOY that is Mom!

With a Cherry (Blossom) on Top!

April 11, 2008 / / 8 Comments

As I knit Rebecca’s “Cherry Blossom Neckwarmer” in January, I had no idea that I would see cherry blossoms this spring. This past weekend Jen & I went to Washington DC for a girl’s weekend and enjoyed the National Cherry Blossom Festival. While our feet may be tired from all the walking that we did, our memories are filled with fun and lots of delicate pink blossoms everywhere we looked. An early morning flight on Friday put us in DC during the morning rush hour. By 9:30 we were at our hotel & were pleasantly surprised to find that we could actually check into our room instead of storing our bags for the day. Even with a “last minute” decision to go to DC during a popular tourist time we were able to snag a great hotel/room – I cashed in some of the points I earned from my time in Chattanooga in 2006 & so we had free lodging. The forecasts for the weekend contained many raindrops; however, even though we had our umbrellas with us at all times we never had to use them. Our goals for the weekend were simple: Cherry Blossoms, National Monuments, Many Museums, Panda Sightings & More Fun!

Cherry Blossoms – Cherry blossoms were everywhere. As soon as we left the airport to head into DC we had our first glimpse of pink & were enthralled by their delicate beauty the whole weekend. The subtle shades of pink seemed to glow from within. It was also amazing to see how the aged & gnarly tree trunks could give way to such delicate blossoms.

National Monuments – The walk around the tidal basin yielded many monumental views.  By the time we headed back to the hotel in the afternoon, we had seen the Jefferson Memorial…walked through the enduring legacy of FDR at the FDR Memorial…recalled the service of our grandfathers at the World War II Memorial…walked on patrol at the Korean War Veterans Memorial…stood in awe at the Lincoln Memorial…and took in the somber stillness and starkness of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Many Museums – Saturday morning we headed towards the National Mall and the museums. The line for the National Archives was well over 90 minutes to get in – that will have to be another trip. We explored the National Gallery of Art…enjoyed the gorgeous exhibit of women’s dress at the National Museum of the American Indian…went to the National Air and Space Museum…where we also saw a few treasures from the National Museum of American History.

Panda Sightings –  Our goal for Sunday before returning home was to see the pandas at the National Zoo. Both Jen & I have memories of school projects involving pandas – she won a speech contest in 8th grade with a speech on pandas; in 4th grade I selected the panda as the mammal I would research for my first research paper and pandas have been a favorite animal ever since. As we walked up to the panda yard, Tian Tian was just waking from a nap and seemed to be walking right towards us as he came to the watering hole for a drink. He then provided us with a great show of “typical panda behavior” by sitting upright and munching on bamboo for quite a while.

More Fun – Other fun highlights of the weekend…the convenience of using the DC Circulator to move around from the hotel to and from Georgetown and the National Mall…popping into a cute boutique near the hotel to pick up some charming cherry blossom notecards…picking up yarns at Stitch DC to remind us of the weekend…delicious appetizers and meals on Friday and Saturday…sublime gelato at Dolcezza…taking a break from being tourists to return to our Kansas roots and enjoy an evening of knitting while watching the Kansas Jayhawks in the Final Four. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Before we knew it, we were en route to the airport preparing to return to Chicago. As a cab carried us back into the city from O’Hare we reflected on how much fun, history and beauty we were able to cram into a few days away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

We’ll Have Fun, Fun, Fun…

March 30, 2008 / / 7 Comments

Many things come to mind for the letter F – family, friends, faith, flowers, and more. My trip to Dallas last weekend to celebrate Easter with Miss Butterfly and Miss Doodlebug encompassed many of these things. The overarching theme of my trip was yet another F…

F is for FUN

Easter Egg Fun

March has been a pretty busy week at work and so several days with the girls was just what I needed to break free of the winter blahs that have gripped me so often in these recent months.  I arrived after the girls were asleep on Wed. evening but from the time they crept into my room on Thursday morning until I left on Monday we indeed had fun, fun, fun!

Dallas Blooms

F is for Flowers – Another beautiful spring day to enjoy the Dallas Blooms at the Dallas Arboretum. The tulips were at their peak and the late afternoon sunshine made for some great photo opportunities. As we were taking pictures of the girls, whenever we would tell them “Say Cheese” Miss Doodlebug would reply “I already said cheese” which yielded some funny faces. This year’s Dallas Blooms theme was Star of Texas – it was fun to see Texas icons interpreted in flowers & grasses.

F is for Feelin’ the Sun – After the winter that we’ve had in Chicago, it was wonderful to soak in the sun. Sunscreen was needed to avoid burning but it was great to have the sunglasses on and just be outside in the sun. There were plenty of opportunities for that. Many fun times were spent in the backyard pushing the girls on their swings or at the park.

F is for Friends– While it is always great to spend the time with Miss Butterfly and Miss Doodlebug it is also such a treat to hang out with Maya. After the girls were in bed we managed to catch up on a couple of movies from our queues – we finally saw Once & the soundtrack has stayed with us ever since. On Friday evening we left the girls with their favorite babysitter and enjoyed some fun out & about – a bit of shopping, another excellent meal at Zanders House and then lattes & dessert at Cafe Obzeet. Saturday while the girls had afternoon rest time we enjoyed manicure time out on the patio while soaking in the sun.

Easter Girls

F is for Faith– Easter Sunday morning was a whirl of activity. After the thrill of opening Easter baskets,  watching a bit of an Easter basket DVD and cracking the glitter eggs & having hard boiled eggs with breakfast, we enjoyed a lovely Easter service at church. The service was topped off with a sing-along of the Hallelujah chorus.  Throughout the weekend, when the girls would pick out stories for me to read they included several tellings of the Easter story which can yield lots of questions when you are 4 & 2.

Easter Kids

F is for Family – Even though I wasn’t with my family for the holiday, I was still a part of a family celebration. Easter dinner was at Maya’s parents house. It was the same group that gathered for Easter when I was there in 2006 so it was fun to see them all again. Everyone contributed to the dinner spread – I was on for one of my appetizers, the Mushroom Caviar was definitely a hit. The ‘big kids’ had a great time hiding the Easter eggs in the backyard while I kept the little kids distracted with reading several stories. The little kids loved the Easter egg hunt, the eggs with the coins inside were definitely the ones to find. Everyone had fun cracking confetti eggs on each other’s heads later in the afternoon.

The rest of the weekend was filled with all sorts of fun things that were perfect for recharging from the winter – lots of “read us a story M’Amy” story times; Miss Butterfly loved having me tell stories about when she was a baby here in Chicago (“and then what…and then what…”); making a feast with the playdough in the Easter basket; ice cream cones at the local ice cream shop and just all the fun that it is to be little girls.

(more pictures here)

Even “f is for flight delay” on both sides of the trip didn’t diminish the fun that was had. I had knitting in my bag but didn’t knit a single stitch at the airports or on the trip – but I did enjoy reading a couple of good books.

As spring continues to fight it’s way into Chicago (really, did we need to see snow again this week?) the fun moments of last weekend keep me looking forward to the arrival of the spring and summer and all the fun that will be had in the coming months.

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