Congratulatory Potholder

This is my congratulations color scheme for Lynda -- I still need to add a tassel in honor of her passing a big test that gave her a bunch more letters after her name, the meaning of which is still up for debate. They are impressive nonetheless .


The finished and suitable-for-framing potholder. Hopefully the tassel won't become a fire hazard.

Lyla's here! We took her to try out the new bench that Lenore and I donated to Library Springs (one of the Township Open Space sites). The deer were also interested in this new addition to their environment.





Potholders were used most recently with two experimental Irish soda breads in the bread machine. It wasn't bad, but the baked-in-the oven kind made with Linda Stawinoga's recipe is better (not that we're hinting or anything, Linda).

Birthday Outing

We took Sabine to Geneva for her birthday outing, which included lunch at the Little Traveler, ice cream, and a large Jelly Belly purchase. Sabine also posed by a smart car, which cousin Ute has in Berlin.

Smooth Moves!

I haven't had a chance to resize all of my pictures from the weekend, but in the spirit of food (there was a lot of eating that went on -- we went to a new Thai restaurant, plus a new breakfast/lunch place called Burnt Toast, which I thought didn't sound all that promising at first blush, but it wasn't bad) here is Lenore's very delicious Grits Bread (made from real live grits) and an experiment in Rosemary Shortbread. I know, sounds strange, but I thought they were really good. Lenore, not so much. I'll have to post the recipe so you can decide for your own selves. No potholders were harmed in the making of these treats. Lastly, check out this very entertaining little clip of a dancing toddler from YouTube. It's a good giggle for a Monday.


Coming soon...Sabine's outing and more (maybe).

No Potholder Needed

We went out for sushi recently at one of our favorite Japanese restaurants. We refer to it as "that K place in Algonquin," or "not Bistro Wasabi, the other one" because nobody can remember the name or how to say it. The photo above is Nina's dragon.


The orders for Roland, Gary and me all came on one platter. Mine included salmon, eel, veggies and probably tuna. Amy had one of the specialties of the house...I think it had "fire" in the name and came highly recommended by Gary, our "go to" guy with all sushi questions that evening and who ordered three different dishes, not that I was counting, but this is the same guy who very innocently shared his amazement over how much *I* eat. Yes, I still remember. (And it was pretty funny...and kind of true!)


Here's Julie's salmon, which is also excellent there.

Lenore is not into epicurean adventure even when her taste buds are behaving (and should probably steer clear of raw anything right now), so she had Chicken, which looked really good too.


I like this sculpture made of CDs.

Political Victory!

We're are still trying to confirm official results, but Kane County election postings appear to indicate that Lenore won her race for Library Trustee! Yay Lenore! See the numbers here.

Lenore was up against two incumbents and long-time residents, so it's an impressive victory considering she just moved here. I think the "more porn!" platform really helped. At least that's the word on the street.

Lenore's going to drive the new library bookmobile.

Latvia Still Hasn't Called...

So this is my attempt at making Ingrid a Latvian flag potholder. I left a message with Latvia letting them know they'll need to change their flag just a smidgen if they want to be represented accurately in a potholder. Still waiting for the president to call back. I'm sure she's busy.

I made it with my vintage e-bay potholder loops, so there's some wonky fading, but it's the closest red I could find (I even did a google search). Think of it as a flag that's been around the block a few times.

Lenore picked these colors from the vintage collection, and I love it! I told her she couldn't take ownership 'til I documented the finished potholder.


Here's a montage of all the vintage ones so far. The loops are thinner, but I think the colors are kind of fun.

A Tragic Development

Eggstra HUGE apologies to Lynda, whose Easter Egg entry was not retrieved until today! It's totally my fault for not checking my other e-mail, and I'm so very sorry it was overlooked, especially since it's so bejeweled and incorporates the fabulous pink car from me and Lenore. Lynda, please send me your color scheme preference so I can make you a special Perky Potholder prize for:

The ABFAB Award
To Lynda Rock for her Pearl and Confetti entry. It's simply STUNNING!!