We're back... Chicago

We made it back safe and sound from our trip to Chicago.  Ikea is an amazing store.  Great deals, huge selection, well organized, and clean.  I really enjoyed Chicago and there is so much to do and see.  Since this was such a short trip and we spent one entire day at Ikea we didn’t have time to do much site seeing though.  Helpful tip…  If you want to visit Shedd Aquarium pre-purchase your tickets.   We didn’t and when we got there it was a TWO hour line just to get tickets.  Oh, well.  Just gives me a good excuse to go back.   We had Chicago style pizza at Lou Malnati’s.  The “Lou” pizza was my favorite.   It was so good.  Since we missed Shedd’s we decided to visit the Chicago Field Museum instead.  Here are some pictures of Mikey entertaining us at the Museum.

Red.... I Heart Faces Photo Challenge

This is my entry for I Heart Faces Weekly Photo Contest.  The theme this week is Red in honor of  Go Red for Women.

This is my sweet nephew, Chase, at this 2nd Birthday Party.  He had just taken a huge bite of ice cream.  The result was his first ever Brain Freeze.  I don't think he really grasped what had happened. 

His favorite colors are Red & Blue because they are the same colors as Thomas the Train, of course....

Check out the other Red entries at

Happy Valentine's Day

Chicago

One week from today I will be heading to Chicago with these lovely two ladies.

Heather is my best, best friend ever.  I consider her my sister.  We have been friends since I was 20.  In just a few short years we will have been friends more years of my life than we have not been friends.  Our first encounter involved bleaching ceiling tiles because I was too poor to buy new ones.   J  I will never forget that.  She probably thought I was insane.  We’ve seen boyfriends come and go.  I was the maid of honor in her wedding.  We’ve been roommates and travel partners in crime.   Heather is Ky's Mom and my goddaughter.   Being her godmother is probably the most proud thing I could say about myself.  Ky is growing up to be such a wonderful young lady.  It’s an honor for me to just to be such a special person in her life.  Like her mother Ky is a beautiful soul.  She is caring, sassy, fun and lovely.   I don’t want her to grow up but at the same time I can’t wait to see what life brings her. 

Enough with the mush…  I started this entry to write about our trip to Chicago. Guess I got a little off track.  J  I am so excited about this trip.  Our only purpose is to visit IKEA.  But I do hope we get to do some site seeing too.  I am already making my list for IKEA; Storage for pantry, rugs, photo frames.  Heather has been talking about some Swedish fish thingies.  I have no idea what that’s about but I guess I will find out in 7 days!

Will it ever go away?

I am so sick of this cold.  Yesterday I popped over to Dixie Mama’s blog.  She was looking for a Superhero to kick a cold’s ass.  That’s what I want a Superhero Cold Killer.  What does it take to feel better?  Nothing has worked for me.  I’ve tried Vitamin C, OTC meds, hot baths, and a humidifier.  What’s that saying, feed a cold, starve the flu?  Let me tell you, that’s a lie.  

Babies, This is not how you do it....

Our goof ball Katahdin, Obama, got her head stuck in this bucket.  I'm sure she was just trying to show her babies what not to do when trying to get food out of the bucket.

There are three lambs in this picture.  The one closest to Obama was only born about two hours before this picture was taken.  Her mom, Biden is still in the shelter with the other baby.  It's amazing how resilient and what fast growers they are.  Not to mention absolutely adorable. 

Cleaning an Iron Skillet

I found the best way to clean an iron skillet is boiling water.  It's simple, quick, and so easy.  Fill the skillet 1/2 way with water and bring to boil.  Let boil for a few minutes, all the crusties will start to float to the top.  Carefully take the skillet to the sink and rinse with warm water.  Pat dry and your done.  Your pan is ready for the next delicious meal.

Up to our necks in snow.....

The Blizzard of 2011

There was an official blizzard in Missouri yesterday.  And, no not the kind you buy at Diary Queen.  Until yesterday, I liked snow.  After being trapped in the house for almost 48 hours I'm officially over my love of snow; over, finished, done.  I'm going to buy tickets to Miami.  It was 78 in Miami today by the way.
Never again will you hear me say, "I'll take ice over snow any day."    Pour some salt on ice and it melts.  This white crap will be here till Easter.