Tag Archives: favorite things

The crafting to-do list

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The little one is chowing down on Easter jelly beans, and he’s very content right now, so I’m taking this opportunity to empty my head of some projects that I want to finish.  Maybe I’ll even finish them before April 30?  I stumbled onto this website, http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/, and I liked her Spring to Finish idea!

So, what do I want to finish?  Maybe the better question is, what can I realistically finish by April 30.  Can I include the Easter napkins?  I made 18 cute, Easter-Spring themed napkins for the tablesetting.  Will have to update with pictures.

1. Wine cork bulletin board – in progress

2. Baby burp cloths – 1-boy, 2-girls

3. Finish 1st stage prep for the big T-shirt quilt (I think I have 9 t’s left to interface)

I think this is do-able.  We’ll see.

An Old Toy About to Get Fixed

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Pinball anyone? This past Saturday morning, the Tiu family pinball machine was picked up for long time needed service. Eastman did all the legwork and found someone local who repairs and services these machines. Rich Huff, Midwest Pinball, was really nice and incredibly knowledgeable!

Apparently, it isn’t too difficult to find replacement parts for this generation of Bally pinball machines, a number of games use the same board set. Hopefully there wasn’t too much leaking of any old batteries inside the game, either. I believe Rich told me that there were less than 1000 of these machines made (I want to say 800-900, but I can’t remember). Because of its trucking theme, you’d find these primarily at rest stops, truck stops, bars… and a few of them made their way off route. Like to my husband’s Algonquin home in the 1980’s.

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Look, actual rolling numbers… not digital display! I’m diggin’ the short shorts on the waitress, too. A little reminiscent of Daisy Duke? This is the pinball machine head, and I didn’t take a picture of the back, but it’s all taped together. I love how Rich reacted. He said something to the affect of, “Oh, that’ll need some work…” It probably would fall apart if we took the tape off. No locks. That will all get repaired, too.

The whole repair will probably take at least 2-3 weeks. Come on over when it’s back!

Home questions…

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So, if you frequently read the Chicago Tribune homes section on Sunday, you’ll find these interviews of designers, celebrities, or whomever the editors are interested in at the time. I get a kick out of them, personally.

What item in your home shouts “Julie Tiu lives here!” That might have to be some of the architectural elements in the home, like the newel posts at the staircase which I love, or the front door. But then, maybe it’s the crazy artsy mess in the basement.

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One thing on your nightstand: A Midwest Living magazine

One thing you have in your house from your childhood: I have lots of things, let’s face it, I’m sort of a pack rat. But, I’m glad to have my Little Golden Books from when I was 6, and now Abby and Ollie can read and enjoy them.

Three things we’d find under your bed: Dust, plastic storage with some of Abby’s drawings, plastic storage with seasonal clothing.

Most high-tech gadget or appliance in your home: Maybe the iMac?

If you had to save one “thing” from your home, what would it be? That’s a terrible thought! Might be the external hard drive with our recent family pictures.

What’s the biggest collection in your home? We have some nice art pieces: pottery, glass, framed art.

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What reading material would we find in your bathroom? Who reads in the bathroom?

Most embarrassing thing in your home that you hide when guests come over: I usually move the clothes pile (that sits on a chair in our bedroom) into the closet.

If we came unexpectedly, would we find your bed made-or not made? That would depend, but today, it’s made.

Best furniture bargain you ever got: That would have to be the buffet in our dining room. It was part of a larger dining set I bought at an estate sale. (See: http://tinybungalow.blogspot.com/2008/07/another-friends-home.html)

Biggest surprise we’d find in your closet: I still have my denim (handmade) jacket from when I was 12.

Do you hang the toilet paper over the front or down the back? Over the front.

What CD would we find in your player (or artist on your iPod) right now? I don’t actually own an iPod, it’s Eastman’s. In the car I have ABBA – Disc 3 from the box set. (Yeah, I’m not ashamed to say it!)

Where do you feel most creative in your home? Calmest? Creative – anywhere. Calmest – lounging on the couch, which usually doesn’t happen for very long.

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sugar spice and everything nice

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Spent a lot of the day watching the Inauguration coverage. I have to say, I do enjoy all the orchestration, the performances, the weird trivia (I learned about the President’s limousine), the tv cameras following every move down to what they’re eating for lunch (which by the way sounded very intriguing… venison, shellfish… fancy!). I don’t know, I guess it’s voyeurism at its best. I did feel proud today to be living in the land of the free, home of the brave. There aren’t that many places where there is such peaceful transitions of power. At least it seems like that.

I also spent a very small amount of time reorganizing our spice rack. I don’t know why I bother. The little one will be in it again as soon as I turn my back. I just let him. There isn’t too much in there he can harm or can harm him, really. He’s out of the “put-everything-in-my-mouth” phase and has been for a while. I tease that maybe he’ll be the kid with the fine palate. He pulls out the small spice rack, and takes the little bottles and puts them on the floor. Then he says, “Mom! See!” and runs away. That’s about all he does.

Our spices bottles used to have that McCormick red plastic cover, then I started buying the fancier McCormick’s spices. We still have bottles (empty) from the no-name brand from our wedding registry, but some are now housing fresh spices, like the ones you see here from one of my favorite places, The Spice House. I can’t believe how nearby it is, and how long it actually took us to visit the location in Evanston. Abby can’t stand it, poor thing. She smells the place 1-1/2 blocks away when we’re walking. And, Ollie, he’s a little “klepto” thinking he’s shopping while he takes the little bottles and puts them in the stroller bag. People, if you find yourself in Evanston, and like cooking, go here. I always want to cook more when I visit, and I want to try new recipes.

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Our friends, Jeff and Tricia, gave us a baker’s gift set from here at least 4 years ago, and it was only two summers ago that I actually stepped into the storefront. We’re loving the Mexican spice collection given by my sister-in-law and her fiance.

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Look! I think it’s original “dot matrix” printed labels. Classic. We keep refilling these bottles.

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Here’ another favorite that Eastman brought home from a cooking class at Viking Cooking School in Glenview. This is muy delicioso!

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Okay, here’s our growing collection of yummy teas from TeaLula, our local tea shop. I LOVE the selections here. So many to choose from. You’ll find Ollie and myself there some mornings just hanging out with the owners, Sheila and Fred. I was considering making my own chai spice blend, but thought, 1) I already have green tea chai flavored, and 2) I should just buy some from The Spice House where they’ve already figured out a nice mix.

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