Alex & I

(photo by alex - Top picture:Healy & Millet  Dome Ceiling at the Chicago Cultural Center)


Monday morning, Alex & I took the South Shore into Chicago. the train was PACKED! Standing room only ....


Once on the ground, we walked to the Art Institute & adopted dots!!! He selected a dk blue & black dot --- I have a green one. We went up to see the Caravaggio painting on loan -- walked thru the Impressionism Galleries. Then, went thru the photo collage exhibit and Arts & Crafts exhibit.

Headed to the Christkindle market and Alex purchased a carved bird & some wooden puzzles.

It was totally cold!!! We ended up at Starbucks to warm up & wait for the train home. We had a nice seat on the double decker car. Once home, Alex wanted me to take him shopping --- so, picked up Nick & went to the Game Store. Those game people speak a different language!!!

Sacred Spain

Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World
by Ronda Kasl (Editor), Jaime Cuadriello, Javier Portus, William A. Christian Jr., Luisa Elena Alcala

We enjoyed this exhibit so much. (DH & I went to Indianapolis last Friday)

& then I found a good deal at the
Barnes and Noble web site with free shipping,
member price, additional 20% off coupon, ...
for the exhibition catalog.

Merry Christmas to ME : )

Delighted it arrived yesterday!

thx Peg!

Pkg arrived from my sister!

2009 Book List

Finished Reading:
Matthew Pearl: The Last Dickens (audio book) Excellent!
Matthew Pearl: The Dante Club Don't miss it!
T C Boyle: The Inner Circle
Matthew Pearl: The Poe Shadow (audiobook from sale rack - Barnes & Noble)
Elizabeth Strout: Olive Kitteridge (I luv short stories!)
Wendy Holden: Simply Divine(totally enjoyed this book)
Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows: The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (Audio Book)
David Wroblewski: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (Audio Book)
Ursula Doyle: Love Letters of Great Men
James Patterson + Gabrielle Charbonnet: Sundays at Tiffany's
James Patterson: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas(re-read)
Nicholas Sparks: The Lucky One
Nicholas Sparks: Nights in Rodanthe
Janet Evanovich: Plum Spooky
Janet Evanovich: Grand Finale
Janet Evanovich: Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Alice Hoffman: The Drowning Season
Alice Hoffman: Blackbird House -- This was really interesting to read!
Junot Diaz: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Maggie Sefton: Knit One, Kill Two
Maggie Sefton: Needled to Death
Maggie Sefton: A Deadly Yarn
Maggie Sefton: A Killer Stitch
Maggie Sefton: Dyer Consequences
Maggie Sefton: Fleece Navidad
Maggie Sefton: Dropped Dead Stitch
Susan Elizabeth Phillips: What I Did For Love (Chick Lit) Audiobook
Maeve Binchy: Heart & Soul
Debbie Macomber: A Cedar Cove Christmas
Jim Harrison: The English Major (blek!)
Jennifer Chiaverini: The Lost Quilter
Wm. Paul Young: The Shack
Kristin Hannah: True Colors
Kristin Hannah: Firefly Lane (awful book, True Colors much better read)
F. Scott Fitzgerald: Curious Case of Benjamin Button & other short stories
E Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
Sparkle Hayter: What's A Girl Gotta Do (book one - Robin Hudson series)
Sparkle Hayter: Nice Girls Finish Last (2nd book in Robin Hudson series)
Sparkle Hayter: Revenge of the Cootie Girls (3rd book in Robin Hudson series)
Meg Cabot: Queen of Babble
Elizabeth Berg: The Art of Mending (audio book)
Elizabeth Berg: Home Safe
Lisa See: Shanghai Girls (audio book from library)
Spencer Quinn: Dog On It
Cassandra King: Queen of Broken Hearts
Anita Brookner: Leaving Home
Anita Shreve: A Wedding In December
Anita Shreve: Testimony; A Novel
Dan Brown: Lost Symbol
Stieg Larsson: Girl w/Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson: Girl Who Played w/Fire
Jamie Ford: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Kate Jacobs: Knit the Season

I didn't realize

on sale NOW

Knit the Season
Kate Jacobs

on The New York Times Extended Bestseller List (for hardcover fiction) at #20