Food on sticks and other deep fried pleasures.

This weekends adventures were plenty, but they culminated in a trip to the Wisconsin State Fair!
One of the many joys of living in the Chicago area is access to the beautiful state of Wisconsin. In fact it takes us less time to drive to the border than it does to drive into the city...go figure.

The adventure begins...

Before ya know it...Wisconsin you betcha!

I will say the parking situation was a bit frustrating, but we survived and made our way to land of deep friend everything. This is the fourth state fair I have been to and I believe the smallest, but it was busy and people were friendly.

True story.

The food adventure began with deep fried green olives on a stick. They taste exactly how you imagine they would. My sodium level jumped at least 200 points within minutes.

Of course they come with ranch...

No, we didn't try it.

They choices in culinary delights seemed endless...

There was an entire cream puff factory in here and satellite selling stations throughout the grounds.

We did learn that one MUST HAVE is the Original Cream Puff. A tradition at the state fair for years. There is an entire building dedicated to the sugary creations and the website said last year over 500,000 were sold. They are so popular there is drive up service so you can just grab your dozen and go...of course we had to try them.

Being from Ohio I have had the Schmidt Cream Puff which I appreciate. These were different. Same type of puff pastry, but the filling was a healthy (probably not) dose of real whipped cream. There is no delicate way of eating these...just dive in.

They are so confident in their ability to bring on an episode or possibly a heart attack all the boxes list the number to the on site ambulance service. The Wisconsin people are so thoughtful or maybe they have learned from experience.

One unforeseen, but welcome treat was the passion and dedication Wisconsinites have for their beer. It was everywhere. Standing at a crossroad we realized each corner had a different establishment dedicated to beer. My favorite was the Rhubarb IPA from local brewer Mob Craft. I only wish it had been more rhubarby...Mark did have an unfortunate encounter with a beer called Little Sister. He says she is nasty. Different strokes for different folks...

Lastly we sought out the holy grail of true Wisconsin foods...the Fried Cheese Curd. We found them in all their golden fried gooey glory. Yes, they were well worth the drive and parking fiasco and the nasty little sister. Behold their beauty!

The Sacred Curd.

We had a really great day and met some really fun people in our time at the Wisconsin State Fair...We saw a draft horse pull and met a mule and watched a disc dog demonstration. We also saw dock diving dogs and Mark had a Wisconsin brat with sauerkraut (he says it was really good) and I had a wonderful ear of sweet corn. We also took advantage of the photo ops presented to us...

I have no idea what this was...

Velociraptors like cream puffs too!

Who has a head as big as this cutout? Seriously!

I will leave you with a mystery science has yet to explain...

On the walk back to the car we saw in the middle of a crazy busy street a pair of baby shoes. How? Does? This? Happen?

At least this is a matched set.

Thank you Wisconsin State Fair for a glorious Sunday!

I have a thing for ugly lamps. A love and makeover story.

I totally have a thing for ugly lamps. I don't know why. Don't judge me.

One of my more recent acquisitions was from - okay try to stay with me on this one - a former neighbor's (kind of) ex husband's deceased father. The family had one of those junk cleaning companies coming over so we went and pillaged anything that was remaining that we wanted. We got some good stuff: an ancient, but built to last dehumidifier; a snowblower; a lawnmower; some crazy cool salt and pepper shakers; a beautiful old camera; an East German coffee carafe set; a mini picnic table set; a lamp that looks like a lantern (which is a future project) probably stuff I am completely forgetting about...and this beauty...

Gorgeous isn't she?

A closer look at the coloring...yes it is olive green (with black speckles) and black. And don't get me started on the shade, but that has a happy ending too!

I may have mentioned before...the people at my local home improvement store might just think I am responsible for half the graffiti in the city with the amount of spray paint I buy.

Outside with this lamp for her new look...

I debated what color to paint her. I want it to be shiny and bright so I bought both a glossy white and a silver.
Silver won.

Spray paint is my fav because I am such an instant gratification woman. In a matter of minutes I had a whole new lamp with a whole new much classier look. This lamp turned out so gorgeous!!!

Now the shade had to be dealt with too. You couldn't put the hideous monstrosity back on this now shiny lamp.

Besides my addiction to spray paint, I also have developed a small collection of the sample size paints. My last trip to the store I wasn't sure if I wanted a yellow (you can see it on the cardboard in the above picture) or a dark purple. I was painting another lamp shade in out guest bedroom and those two colors matched the bedspread...the guest room has the yellow shade.

Left over was a gorgeous purple called fashionista! Bring it on...

Here is an actual before picture...I always forget to take before pictures. I get so excite about the project all documentation flies out the window.

I used a foam paintbrush and went to town...

It was amazing how much paint this bad boy soaked up, but remember it is probably a 40 year old lamp shade,

The shade turned out so much better than I could have ever imagined...the whole project actually. The lamp went from ick to awesome.

Here it is finished in the garage (waiting for the shade to dry).

And here it is back in the house...

What a difference.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!

After looking at it for a few days I asked myself - aka the internet - if you can paint the inside of a shade. This one was still that old yellowy dingy color.

Guess what???

Of course you can. I was going to brush on a metallic craft paint, but would need to go to the store, so I used most of the rest of the silver spray paint. 

It is really hard to take pictures of the inside of a lamp shade...

The beginning.

I did need to touch up the edges with the purple paint, but it is pretty awesome.

It looks like a frying pan...a cool silver frying pan.

Back in the house. It is really tough to get a good picture with it lit.

It is really amazing how much the silver helps to reflect the light. Before the silver the purple absorbed quite a bit of the light.

SO happy with how it turned out!

So the moral of the story is I learned quite few things with this project...

• Painting a lamp can completely transform a room
• YES, you can paint a lampshade
• YES, you can paint the inside of a lampshade
• YES I am sure I will be doing this again...I have a lampshade I covered (very poorly) in fabric and I see a pain job it the near future. I just need to check on my pain supplies first...

Transformations...a guide to paint. Yes, I have issues.

My name is Maureen and I have a problem...with spray paint...and interior paint (not actually applying it to walls though) and curtains, and ugly lamps, but that is another post.

So a friend that will remain nameless introduced me to something called chalk paint. No, not like chalkboard paint. This paint has calcium carbonate, crushed chalk, in it (or a few other options if you choose to make it yourself...which I did). Some of the big box home improvement store are now starting to carry there own brand which you can tint in house or if you are live in an area that has a store that carries the original Annie Sloan chalk paint, brushes and wax you can go that route too. I have not used the original Annie Sloan, but opted to make my own to see if I liked it.
Enter Pinterest.

I used a basic recipe that is latex paint, plaster of paris, and water and for the wax I used Minwax floor wax in the dark finish.
I used a basic paintbrush for the paint and a round craft brush for the wax.

My first project was a nightstand that I had as a child in the 70s and 80s...you know the one the off white with the gold trim. I am horrible at before pictures because I am always in a hurry to get going and then I am all like duh...and take a half-assed pic of whatever I haven't yet painted.
For example:

The drawer sans hardware...pre paint.

The top of the nightstand.

The thing I love most about chalk paint is how little prep work you actually need to do. You can TSP it with some water, but I just used a damp rag with water to get off the cobwebs and top layer of yuck.

I mixed my paint and went to town. This stuff dries super fast and just sticks right on.

In progress.

I did two coats of paint. Next you distress the piece if you want to give it the antique shabby chic kind of look if you want. There are no rules to this...grab some sand paper and go to town on the areas where the piece would normally show wear...like the edges. Do as little or as much there is no right or wrong here.

Waxed.

Brush off your dust and wax on...wax off. On this first piece I forgot to get extra fine steel wool to take off any excess wax, but it turned out fine.If it got goopey I wiped it down with a soft cloth.

This piece has the Minwax dark wax on it which I love. I did one coat and let it dry for about 30 minutes then went back and added a second. I let the piece sure overnight and polished it up in the morning.

Here is it with the hardware replaced and waxed.

Gratuitous frontal shot.

I love how this turned out and for a first go it turned out pretty well! 

A few things to remember:

Once you wax it is almost impossible to unwax a piece.

You have options other than wax to seal the piece (will be discussed later) which can be more forgiving if you want to make a change in the future.

The wax could use touched up in the future and may require maintenance. It can also melt in extreme temperatures, so just be aware.

Next up...old door transformed into a headboard.

Making tiny BIG!

So I have always enjoyed tinkering...with food, with painting furniture, with taking pictures, with all sorts of things. Many times I start, and I don't always finish or practice enough to be more than just proficient. I blame it on the fact that I love trying new things and you never know what you might love until you try!!!! AmIRight????

So lately my obsession (other than painting every piece of furniture I can get my hands on) has been snapping pictures. We have a starter Nikon digital and a few lens to play with, but lately it has been all about the macro lens...it is so amazing focusing on a small part of something or something small and making it the focus of the picture that has had me snapping pictures of everything...especially bugs and plants and occasionally plants with bugs.

I will soon put up a post on some of my furniture make overs...but today I want to share a few pictures I have taken recently.

A newly hatched Cicada

Same guy...just hanging on.

Succulents

Hens and chicks covered in morning dew.

Fern.

A cicada opening its wings.

My blue cicada

Making more cicadas...

Yep.

Honeysuckle I believe...

Hosta flowers.

Clematis.

Rose.

Hosta flowers.

More hens...

more hens...

An ant in a trumpet flower.

Same ant, same trumpet flower.

A surprise alium...

Now I figure out what to do with my new hobby...

Newness & Oldness

A new city, a new start and a hell of a lot of stuff that needs to be sorted through.
We are mostly settled in the new house - even though you would never know if you looked in the office or the garage...

Chicago has brought its challenges and its rewards.

Moving is hard. Physically, mentally and emotionally.

The physical part is mostly over apart from the boxes in the garage.
The mental part has calmed down now that we have a place to call home, income and are meeting neighbors and making friends.
The emotional part fluxes. You miss the familiar. Friends. Food. Knowing where the hell you are going when you get in the car to go to the grocery store. We also lost our dear sweet Sydney not long after moving here. It was sudden and unexpected and I still expect to see her furry ass running up to me with a toy...

But, overall, it has been a welcome and happy transition I feel.

The food. I swear we could eat at a different  restaurant for every meal every single day for the next three years and still not venture further than two miles from the house. Oh and the food is amazing. I have had my first actual real ramen experience and the pizza...you have heard of it, but until you actually experience it you just can't understand.  I may need to start my own Chicago Food blog lol. It IS that amazing.

More soon I have to work on the house clean up...we are having a guest!

I am afraid to succeed.

Three days in and still standing tall.
Some days you have break throughs some good some just eye opening. Today I had one that was eye opening.
There are so many people that are afraid to fail...I think I lean toward the afraid to succeed. I am smart and talented. I know this. Not because I got a trophy with every try. I lost. I got mad. I got over it.
Now I find that I am terrified to succeed.
How is that possible? How do I undermine myself...why?

How do I get past this?

I am changing my self talk. I am going to take time for me. I am going to exercise and have a cocktail when I need. I am going to become Stewart Smalley and tell myself gosh darn it people like me (of course it won't be that proper). I am going to go in and do my job. I am good at what I do. I am here for a reason. I CAN do this.

Breathe in. Breathe out.
Hold your head up and damnit woman you got this.

Three things I am grateful for today:
- The beautiful clouds and the brilliant sunset.
- Falling asleep to amazing thunderstorms.
- Saving worms.

A fresh start.

A long time gone and a brand new start...

Today I came back to Chicago. For good. I am here. A new city, state, and time zone. 

Tomorrow starts a new job, new title, a new adventure. 

I am terrified. I am excited. I am ready.

I am saying all these things to get ready, to prepare, to psyche myself up. I got this. 

It is hard to leave a place you know. Where comfort surrounds you and ease of knowing is everywhere. 

Change is hard. Change is scary. Change is necessary.

The next two weeks are going to be crazy. We finish packing one house. Move to a new one. Both start new jobs. Become renters and landlords. 

Tonight I will meditate and look back  Breathe deep. 

Tomorrow...we go forward.

Chicago is now home.

GO CUBS!