Beauty and Peace at The Morton Arboretum

One of my newest favorite places is the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.  A place that we visited on field trips as a child but I had never been back to until recently.  It is about 45 minutes east of DeKalb but so worth the drive!  

 I purchased a yearly pass for the hubby and I.  50 dollars per person which is a deal if you plan on going daily, weekly, or even monthly because a single day's entry fee is $12.  We've been going weekly and have already saved money by having the membership card. 

 The Arboretum is so large that it will likely take us years to see it all.  But we've been having fun picking different spots to explore each time we go. 

Things were pretty frosty Friday morning but the sun was shining and there was some great Fall color still to be seen.

 If I remember correctly, this is a Miyabe Maple.  Isn't she pretty?

 Even the Arboretum carts look pretty with their red color against the brilliant yellow.

Happy November!

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classic cars

I have a crush on vintage cars and trucks.  Mostly the 40s thru the 60s.  It's been a great summer for spotting them. Seems like every weekend while out rummaging I run across 3 or 4 of them.  Sometimes I'm quick enough with my iphone to get a good snapshot.

Here are 4 of my recent favorites from my instagram stream.

My husband and I have a vintage 68 Mercedes that we keep stored waiting for the day that we have the time to fully restore it.  It sure will be fun to take it out when its spiffed up.

Hope your summer is going well.  Mine is flying by crazy fast and the next few weeks will be filled with receiving all of the goodies I ordered at gift shows and spending time with visiting friends.  I'm sad that July is over.  August always feels like summer is ending soon.  I'm like a little kid and wish that summer vacation could last forever.  sigh.

Do you instagram??  We are @moxiedekalb.  Hope you'll follow us as we share photos from our daily life and roadtrips.


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hello tiny glimpse of spring

It's been a long winter here in the Midwest.  I've been thinking Spring was going to be missed altogether this year.  Despite having some snow flurries yesterday, the sun did peek out today and the buds on the branches are coming to life.  I took advantage of the sun, while still wearing my winter coat and scarf, to take some photos of the budding branches.  

 I hope the sun was shining where you were today.  

The sun also made it more fun to take some photos.  My photos of late have been as gray as the skies and I love them to have more warmth and happy colors.  

 Have a happy week ....

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Camp girl

 Dad was a teacher and every summer for most of my childhood the family would get loaded into the wagon (at this time there were 6 of us kids) and we'd head out to Wyoming making stops in the Dakotas and various other states along the way. Then we'd camp for a good 6 weeks straight. No hotels and not even fancy campgrounds. If I had a nickel for every time we had to do our "business" in a hole in the ground I'd have a dollar fifty! The fanciest we got was a weekly trip to the local laundromat to wash everyones duffel bag of clothes. I can truthfully say that as a kid I kind of hated these summers. I couldn't stand, dirt, pooping in the woods, excessive heat or cold, bugs, leeches, ticks (experienced all of these often) and I had so many allergies that I spent a great deal of time with itchy eyes and a scratchy body. I was the kid that dreamt of summers at home with my friends at the park district pool. I was kind of an anomaly within my family. The rest of my siblings loved roughing it. As an adult I've grown to have a much greater appreciation for the outdoors. But I do it my way now. No camping and no real roughing it. More like walks on the beach, nature hikes for photography, country drives, small town antiquing and stays in Lakeside houses with comfy beds and a nice hot shower.

The above photo is one that my dad gave me recently in the form of a slide. My husband surprised me by sending off a bunch of the slides to a place he found online (scanflurry.com) that makes them into photos on a disc.  You then  print as many photos as you like. They did a great job and it was not very expensive. 

I love that in this photo my siblings and I have a slight "help we're stuck in a commune" look about us. Especially Courtney in the yellow and Lara in the white. My brother Sean has a funny choke-hold on Courtney. And the way he has his arms around us you can see he is taking his role of brother/dude very seriously. Also hysterical is the full size playpen set up behind us, with the youngest at the time Adam inside of it. And my mom is behind us not facing the camera. She was probably thinking "I don't have time for photos.... I've got to make dinner for 8 people over a camp fire"

 That is 9 year old me tip toeing around the car to take a peek at a real bear sitting on the side of the road in Yellowstone National Park vicinity. Photo taken by my dad and given to me recently. I remembered the event but had no idea it had been documented on film. This was circa 1976.

Here is another one of the photos (slides) my dad gave me. This one dates to the early 70s as I think I look to be about 4 or 5 and was born in 67. Do you dig my striped pants. I did! I vividly remember this pop up van we had for a year or two as the WHOLE family crammed in there for sleeping and I'll never forget the night we were all awakened by a bear digging around our campsite looking for food. I think I remember it even coming right up to the van although maybe that is my little kid imagination at play. But it really was digging around our site. I had a hard time sleeping after that night. I did feel fear about a giant grizzly claw ripping thru the van and getting me.  If the fear of ticks and leeches didn't cement my feelings of despair about camping the fear of being bear dinner sealed the deal.  

It's been fun seeing the slides turned into photos and we've now framed the three shown here and since we liked how they turned out we are sending in another stack of slides to be converted.  Looking at these images makes me realize that I may not have loved camping and all that it entailed but spending all of that time with my family is part of what made me me and I really wouldn't trade that for anything. 

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anthropomorphic

I love finding happy things to take photos of on my daily walks.  This funny basketball hoop smiles at me and I smile back.  

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Van Buren State Park --- Michigan

Dear State Park,

Thanks for the good times.

Love, Megan

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Out my windows

I peek out my front window and I see a snow covered weeping cherry tree.  Bob and I purchased a pair of these at the Kane County Flea about 17 years ago.  I thought they looked like umbrellas ( I have a weird fascination for umbrellas) and my hubby loves anything tree or plant related so he was totally onboard with the purchase.   I remember that the trees were $115 each.  We could have gotten a lot of funnel cakes and corn dogs for that $230 but instead we now have these diminutive quirky trees in our yard that we've been told to let grow long to the  ground (by a landscaper) yet my guy always trims them up into umbrellas because it makes me happy. 

Last saturday as we drove off to have my birthday breakfast I spotted this cool old truck in the lane besides us.  I excitedly whipped out the iphone and tried to get a good snapshot.  There was a bit of ... speed up, slow down, go faster, no, no, you're going too fast, hurry the other car is getting in my way, darn my sideview mirror won't get out of my way, ok perfect I think I got it.  Probably sounds like we were a menace to the road but I can assure you my husband is an excellent driver.  How do I know, because he tells me he is all the time.  

I always enjoy the view from my home office window.  Our house is in an old historic neighborhood and the majestic towering pines that surround it are most likely older than our house which was built in 1898. My office is tiny but it doesn't really feel that way.  It feels cozy and has two windows which let the light and the view flood in.  My office is in what was once the maid's room.  It is right next to the servant's staircase.  I serve myself to a treat when I fly down the back stairs and land in the kitchen.  

This view is out of our bedroom.  You can't see it now but there is a gorgeous old house right across the street.  I love living in an old neighborhood.  I find it comforting to be around things that have a history.  I've just always been drawn to old stuff.  If only the walls could talk.  I'd love to listen to what they'd have to say. 

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39 again

I wish that I could just have stayed put right at 39 years old but no, time does keep marching on.  Saturday I turned 46 but I can honestly say I don't feel a day over 45!  I like a pretty low key birthday.  I'm definitely not into birthday parties or fancy dinners so this year as always I went out for breakfast (my favorite meal to eat out) with my sweet mister and then headed off to some estate sales and vintage shops.  The vintage pickins were not too good but the breakfast was yummy and the company divine.

I must have been a somewhat good girl this year because I was lavished with gifts from my beloved friends and family in a manner fit for a queen.

I received:

• a homemade, totally from scratch white cake with white frosting that was so delicious it made my stomach and my heart sing
• a fresh fig candle that smells of a lovely greenhouse.  smelling it is making me dream even more of spring
• super cute storage containers to keep my vintage buttons in.  my sister called them button bins and then I promptly shortened that to butt bins.  she set me up for that one ... what can I say, I'm pretty immature.  
• a hand carved stamp from India that was purchased by a friend in India and came with the tales of seeing similar stamps in use to create fabric
• a batch of the world's most delicious homemade red sauce that is prized in our house and hoarded until we make a batch of lasagna or some other delicious dinner
• a gift certificate to Townhouse Books cafe ... this is a favorite lunch getaway spot for me and husband.
• a hysterical and operatic singing of happy birthday via a phone message from minnesota ... an award winning performance that will linger in my mind for months!
• the cutest tote bag featuring a fit and flare illustration reminiscent of a Dior couture dress
• a scrump-dilly-ishous cheese souffle and corn pudding straight from the oven of the world's sweetest and kindest woman
• the funniest stuffed animal ground hog and ground hog's day book.  I laughed so hard I almost cried when I unpacked the stuffed animal from the shipping box.  It was so unexpected yet so appropriate for a girl who get's to share a birthday with the ground hog.
• the new Willie Nelson cd .... so fabulous!
• handmade bookmarks, itunes cards, a butcher shop gift card 
• a hand delivered piece of the world's most delicious tiramisu from La Dolce Vita in Lemont.  

After this embarrassment of riches I could only think and feel one thing.  I'm NOT worthy.  It's hard to feel worthy of the love and affection I receive on a daily basis from my friends and family.  I only hope and I literally pray that I can be half as good to them as they are to me.  My family and friends are the truest gift in my life.  Not only did they make my birthday great, but they make every day great. Pin It

hello old friends

Um, it's been a long time since I've blogged.  The holiday season blew thru Moxie like a confetti filled whirlwind.  It's pretty much the same thing every year.  It starts out with the set up in October and then moves into November which is busy but manageable.  We make it thru our two big parties and still keep on ticking and then December 15th or somewhere thereabouts arrives and I don't know what the heck happens. It's a combination of the shop being REALLY busy (thank you!!) and our own personal lives needing massive attention to try to get all of our own family shopping, baking, wrapping done and you mix in working schedules that are ill-advised at best and wham..... weeks go by with no time for blogging.  Or maybe there was time, but in my case there was no energy left at 10 pm to do it! I wanted to do it.  I told myself I would do it.  And yet, it did not happen.  I'll try to forgive myself for not accomplishing the task but it won't be easy as I'm famous for my die trying personality. (also ill-advised).

Here is a super simple summary of what happened over the last few weeks ....

• team moxie gift bagged their booties off
• lots of fun happened with cute and sweet customers
• re-decorated the shop daily to keep it looking good
• noticed that our downtown is really hopping lately ... more shops than ever before!
• managed to get all of my own gifts procured and wrapped in time.
• hosted Christmas Day at my house without any cooking disasters ... yes!
• snuck away for a 4 day New Year's retreat with mr. moxie to rest and rejuvenate before heading off to multiple back-to-back gift shows
• non-stop planning, dreaming, and imagining in order to start out 2013 in the best possible way!

I am currently sitting amongst stacks of my inventories thinking about the past year and making plans for the new one.  One thing never changes and that is the gratitude I feel for my family, friends, staff and customers.  You each make this possible.  I couldn't imagine doing any of it on my own.  I really have the best support team in the world.  Thank  you, thank you, thank you!!

A little photo I took while on my winter retreat.  I enjoy serenity and quiet as much as I love the color, lights and whimsy of the holiday season.  It is nice to rest the mind and body after such a crazy three month retail period.  Good for my soul too.  There is nothing like a quiet walk in the woods with my dearest to just breathe and think and listen to the wind thru the pines.  It was just what I needed.  And now, the gift shows are almost here and I'll be heading off to far and wide to procure what I love and hope you all will too.  Wish me luck!  And wish me loads of energy too .... those gift shows are grueling!  And you thought shopping was all pure fun .... oh no, when you shop with Mr. Moxie, you shop till you drop (literally).  But he carries all the catalogs and after 12 years I've finally convinced him it's ok to stop and eat lunch.  Especially after I told him how a hangry wife (hungry + angry) is not a happy wife and as we ALL know, happy wife = happy life!!!!!!

I hope you all had a lovely holiday season and wish you all a healthy and happy New Year! Pin It

Turkey Day Redemption

 I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner next week and it is only the second time I've had the opportunity in the 22 years I've been married.  The first time was not a success.  No one but me said that but I did the actual cliche of not calculating the proper cooking time for the bird and we were all salivating next to the oven for two hours past it's scheduled done time.  

This year I'm determined to do it right.  I've even ordered a fresh Ho-Ka turkey so there is no mishap with thawing out the Butterball.  I'm looking forward to righting my wrong and I'm glad the opportunity to host has fallen upon me once again.  My sister Lara is making the dressing for me and will guide me patiently thru the homemade gravy process so I feel like this year's meal might be a success.  It will be a smaller group this year as member's of my big family keep moving far away at an alarming rate (waaaaaaahhhhhh)!  On the bright side, smaller group equals a little less pressure that an angry mob is going to turn on me for not feeding them in a timely manner.  

 My family has traditionally had a dressing made of what I'd call the standard pepperidge farm bread mix and never a cornbread dressing.  I'm thinking of making an extra batch and trying out a cornbread mix too.  It sounds good to me.... I love regular cornbread.  Any feelings out there on cornbread dressing??

What are your plans for Thanksgiving??  And, do you have any turkey tips for me??  Happy Thursday everyone ... Turkey day it's only a week away.  I'd better get that grocery list going now! Pin It

Snowflake Pyrex and Hedgehogs

I'm up early today baking cookies for our big Holiday Open House this weekend.  The house is empty and quiet.  No music or tv.  Just the sound of the mixer and my early morning random thoughts.  I like this time of day.  The husband has left already for his long commute to work and the neighborhood is quiet.  A perfect time to bake cookies (and to make a quick blog post).  Lots and lots of cookies.  Today I'm baking the Swedish Butterballs that I learned to make with my grandma Mimi.  She has long ago passed but my happy memories of baking with her as a young girl will always be with me.

I don't have any perfectly styled photos of a gorgeous looking plate of cookies to show you in this post as my cookies and kitchen aren't meant for photo ops.  Actually my kitchen looks like a flour barrel exploded in it and I think there are several random cookie dough plops stuck to the floor right now.  Not to mention the dirty bowls in the sink and the empty sugar and flour bags on the counter.  Let's just say no one is going to see this show on cable tv anytime soon.

So instead, I posted some photos of the shop.  I hope you all have a wonderful week!  Oh and if you are local I'd love to invite you to our Holiday Open House.  It is Sat Nov 17th 10 to 5 and Sun Nov 18th 10 to 4. Pin It

sweet vintage painting and a dreamer

I'm a dreamer.  I cannot stop my imagination from doing a merry whirl around my brain at almost any given time.  I've been accused on more than one occasion by people I love that it seems like I'm not paying attention when they are talking to me and I have felt really badly about this.  I try extra hard to listen to my loved ones and stay present in the moment because I care very much about what they have to say but I will admit that my mind drifts off into the enchanted world of possibilities, make-believe and romantic wanderlust very very easily.  This proclivity towards drifting off into a dream like state can be dangerous or at the very least problematic.  Heck, I'm the girl who drove into the outskirts of Chicago because I got on the highway going the wrong way which in and of itself isn't that terrible but then continued on for a half an hour going the wrong way and was not "shook" (is that even a word?) out of my highway hypnosis until I saw the Sears tower off in the not that far distance.  I wish I could say that these type of things didn't happen but I'd be lying. 

Take for instance this vintage painting.  It was found this summer at an estate sale I was shopping at with my sweet husband.  All he wanted to know was did I think I wanted to buy it.  Like, was the price right for re--selling and would it be fun for the shop.  Simple enough thought process.  But as I'm standing in front of it at the sale probably not answering my husband's questions I'm thinking that I wonder where this sweet church is located and is Laura Ingalls Wilder a member and did people arrive in a horse driven sleigh to get there on this magical snowy morning.  Is there a woman inside wearing an ivory coat with a little shoulder cape attached and is her winter hat trimmed in fluffy white fur.  What would it be like to go to this church as opposed to any other more modern church.  Do they sing beautiful hymns and most importantly do they host a rockin church bizarre rummage sale annually because you know I love those!  

It's a good thing my husband loves me and even more importantly gets me.  He will nudge me out of my vintage dreaming stupors to keep things moving along but he never chastises me in any way for taking the imaginative journeys in the first place.  

I hid this gorgeous vintage painting away all summer long in anticipation of using it in one of our holiday windows and I'm so happy I did.  It looks so happy amongst our other snowy white finds.  If you are near to the shop please take a peek into the west window and see the painting.  Maybe it will take you on a journey too. 

Is there anyone else out there who suffers from my sweet affliction?  I'd love to hear about it if you do.  

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Karen Elson - The Ghost Who Walks

One of the things I love most in life is music. My itunes list reveals to me that I like alternative and singer songwriter genre the most followed closely by country. Hardly a pop song on my very long download list. I am fond of making mixed cds for my husband to "enjoy" on his hour long drive to work every day. Just my way of a romantic gesture. I specifically pick songs that have secret or not so secret messages in them in the hopes that he'll subconsciously pick up on them. Honestly, I don't think he really gets that I'm doing it because he's never mentioned how he really appreciated my (deeply buried in the lyrics of random song A, B, or C) messages or love or adoration.

I've also tried handing him one of my cds and telling him that I've specifically dedicated one song to him in my mind and then checked to see if he got which one I was referring to. His answer is usually something like this.... Was it number one?, number two?, number three? Jeez! Can't you even guess out of order I think to myself!! Oh well, so I'm a huge dumb romantic and my super loyal and kind husband isn't. You take what you can get.

I now usually just make a mixed cd for him without the super secret messages of my undying love for him because I've realized that they will remain super secret unless I say them directly to him and not while he's watching sports.

It was odd though when I made him a cd this summer and casually asked him which song was his favorite and he emphatically answered "The Ghost Who Walks" by Karen Elson. Really, I thought. Hmmmm that was one to ponder as the song is about a guy who drives his girl to the lake, lays her down, and takes a knife and plunged it in deep. Yeah, that one threw me for a loop. You can't get my sweet and heartfelt messages of love in the songs but you're all over the murder down by the lake. Take a listen to this seasonally appropriate song. And then tell me if you think I should be afraid to visit the lake at night! Pin It

chasing squirrels

I try to take a walk or two every day. I picked up this book called the Mayo Clinic on back pain at a church rummage sale and the main thing I took away from it was the statement ... walking is the best thing you can do to prevent/manage back pain. A simple statement. But for whatever reason, after reading dozens upon dozens of books about stretching, yoga, living with pain, etc. etc, that is the statement that has made the most impact on me. I've lived with chronic back pain since taking a bad fall in my early 20s and it has gotten worse with time. The last couple of years it became so bad that I had weeks where I couldn't move without assistance.

It took me forever to finally reach a point where I've accepted the fact that my back isn't going to stop hurting but it can become much more user friendly if I do two things. Walk and stretch. Duh ... right?? Well I did those things before but not religiously and without fail. Now for the last year I do, and guess what?? Back pain is not at all gone but it is so much less and when I feel the signs of a doozy back pain starting I stretch and walk even more and knock on wood, I haven't had one of my "can't walk for weeks" attacks since I began this routine a year and a half ago. Of course everyone's situation and backs are unique so this isn't medical advice it's just my personal experience.

I won't walk at night alone but if I take a daytime walk I like to bring along my camera to keep me company. I often wonder if the neighbors see me chasing after squirrels to get a good photo and think "there's that weird walker/squirrel chaser again." I don't listen to music because I'm afraid to wear earbuds while walking. I'm not an overly fearful person but the idea of not hearing someone come up from behind kind of spooks me. So that leaves visual stimulation for me. I know some of you would be totally fine with silence and nature but I'm just not one of those people.... not yet anyway. I like to look for fun things to take pictures of to keep my mind and imagination stimulated. I'll work on the just being zen in the future!

I'm not a good photographer but think that the more shots I take, the better chance I'll have to learn something eventually. And it's fun. On my list of things I'd love to do in the future is take a photography class. Who knows maybe in 2013 I'll do it. Here are a few of the snaps I took on my walk the other day.

I have a thing for squirrels. I could watch them for hours. They are so active and animated. I'll probably be one of those old ladies that sits in her chair with her crippled back and watches the squirrels for hours outside of her big picture window. I'll have a youngster put out healthy squirrel treats to attract them to my patio.

As I tiptoe around the property lines of my neighbors looking for pretty branches to photograph I wonder if they see me thru their windows. If they do, what do they think??

Of course you know that to get this shot I had to get down on my knees and then hunch down even further. Like some crazy stretch I do at home, only this time with camera in hand, in public, and in front of some random strangers house. Do you think that stops me .... uhhh no.

The cutest pink tree you ever did see. Just seeing if you're paying attention! But I wish this tree really were pink because that would make my walk REALLY exciting.

This is a good example of why I need a good macro lens. Hello Santa... are you listening?? Tried to capture the bee .... not so good, but at least I didn't get stung so considering this one a success.

This scenario went like this ... I ask husband if he can help me with project. He says what is it. I say just come outside. He sighs with a smile on his face and just shakes his head and obliges. I then lead him to a pile of leaves and say please grab some of these and throw them in the air. He says, why does this not surprise me. I smile and say ... just do it. He does it and I spastically try to get under them and get my camera to fire at the same time. I just had to see if I could get a good action shot of leaves falling. It didn't turn out that great but it sure was fun getting the husband to do it like 6 or 7 times.

So if you live near me and you see me doing some crazy stuff in front of your house, don't call the cops, I'm basically harmless. Pin It