it's been quite a year! lots of high points, and low points.
-we bought a condo in chicago! in april 2015. it's the first home peter and i have ever bought, after about 17 years together. we had moved ceaselessly throughout the last decade and a half, and after coming to chicago in 2011, we decided to finally put down permanent roots. we picked a winner: we have the bottom two floors of a brand new 3-unit building, with lots of space for our little family, space for visitors, and even a nice little white and bright studio for yours truly, tucked away in the basement. it's right smack in the city, on a fairly quiet street, accessible to and minutes from pretty much everything, and close to work for peter, and school for poppy. it even has a cute park about 5 minutes away, a perfect place to play and enjoy the weather, when it's pleasant. it's my urban oasis, and i am so happy with the choice we made. let's ignore the fact that it's still in the process of being decorated...oy, that takes a while, doesn't it? i hope to get the house more shaped up as we ease into 2016. i promise photos when i get off my can and get around to getting things to fruition!
-my little girl turned seven, and i turned 40. what the WHAT?? i am still trying to wrap my brain around that number. where does the time go??
-my dad, paul, passed away in mid-october, after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer. his loss is still fresh for myself, and my whole family. i can hardly believe he is gone, though i was there with my mom and brothers when he passed.
dad was one of my life-long inspirations and a fantastic role model: a hard worker, an honest man with strong values. he was also a fantastic chef and extremely stylish person with a penchant for bright color and bold, yet classic clothing, in the preppy, ivy-league vein. my love of color, my utter fearlessness with it, is but one of the traits i inherited from my father. he showed me how it was DONE. before he died, we had a short conversation on the phone (before i was able to go down to florida to be with him and the rest of my family in his last days), and he told me he loved me and that i was a "creative treasure." i'll treasure those words forever, and of course, mourn his loss forever as well. a piece of my heart is now gone, and a hole remains. rest in peace, dad.
-on a happier note: i managed to get a bunch of quilts finished this year! so even with all the upheavals (moves, dad's passing), i managed to find time to be creative. it's been quite a balm for my soul, really, through it all. i'll post images of this years' efforts in the weeks to come....stay tuned!