Jim and I moved back to the Chicagoland area from Norfolk, Virginia in the summer of 1991, just a couple of months before an amazing new mall opened for business. Gurnee Mills was its name, and we were so excited about it. The two shopping centers closest to our house were sorely lacking in many areas and the possibilities this new thing had in store were thrilling to think about. Our home in Kenosha, Wisconsin was only about twenty minutes away from Gurnee so we made frequent visits to the mall. When D was a toddler, we went to Gurnee Mills on Halloween for trick-or-treating. There were always things going…
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Create Your Taste At McDonald’s!
If you’ve been reading Suburban Scrawl for a while, you may recall that I have a special place in my heart for the McDonald’s brand. My first job was at McDonald’s and for two years I worked at the brand new location just steps away from my high school, with many of my friends. We had a BLAST. One of the benefits of working there was the food, obviously. Break time was easy because the food was RIGHT THERE. I have always loved the traditional menu but back then we would create our own custom creations, too, to mix things up. We would make sloppy joes with chopped up burger…
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And The Winners Are…
I just posted a video of J doing the drawing for the year of Netflix and the $75 Target gift card, which were won by Kizz R. and Ruth, respectively. You can check out the video on Facebook HERE. Thanks to everyone who entered; I wish I could send you all something, other than hugs…which are on the way for sure. Happy Friday!
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Shoreline Sightseeing Giveaway!
One of my very favorite things to do in the city (and usually the first thing I do with out-of-town visitors) is an architecture tour of the Chicago River. I have enjoyed lots of them, on boats run by several different companies, and I learn new things about Chicago every time I go, which is about three times every season. (I know; hardcore!) When Shoreline Sightseeing contacted me last month and asked if I’d like to join them on an architecture river tour in honor of their 2014 season kicking off, I screamed, “YES PLEASE!” even though the conversation was through email. I was THAT excited. (Disclosure: I received complimentary…
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I’m Giving Away Wine Charms, Just In Time For The Holidays!
You know how you have the entire family over and you want to make sure nobody drinks from your glass of wine so you pull out the box of those clunky wine charms with the rings on them but then you get annoyed because they clink around and make too much noise and also you want to use your new stemless glasses that your sister-in-law brought you as a hostess gift and you realize that your old wine charms won’t work because there’s nothing to hang them around? I have just the solution for that kind of problem. I received an email a few months back from a local woman…
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Get Some Pampering On Black Friday From Macy’s and Chevrolet!
Many of you have big, big plans for Black Friday, trying to find some great holiday season deals. You might even be heading out to visit stores that open at midnight on Friday! If you’re anywhere near a Macy’s in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or Boston, make sure you stop there first, and look for the hospitality stations which are co-sponsored by Macy’s and Chevrolet! “Chevrolet wants to acknowledge those who devote their time and energy to making the holiday season memorable for families and friends,” said Phil Caruso, national promotions manager for Chevrolet. “We’re excited to spend the holidays with an American icon like Macy’s.” 2013 Chevrolet Malibu…
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Princess and Knight Training at Medieval Times: A Giveaway, Too!
With all of the things my family has ever done in the Chicago area, believe it or not we’ve never been to Medieval Times. Correction: We HAD never been to Medieval Times until just weeks ago. The Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament has always been on our to-do list, and why not? Horses! Battles! Colorful characters! Jousting! Eating food without utensils! My family was invited to check out the show as well as the Princess Training (we just watched, of course, having not brought a young girl with us, though I tweeted at the time that I probably could have taught the course…) and so we headed to the castle.…