I’m a pretty busy person, to put it mildly. If you’re a regular reader, you know this already. If you’re new (welcome!), just know that I don’t have idle time very often because I am always running in five or six different directions simultaneously, while juggling. It’s not often that I can just hang out, just for fun. Although events (planning and attending) are a big part of my life these days and I immensely enjoy seeing friends old and new at huge, noisy gatherings, the experience of a non-stop-laughing hang-out session with a friend or two has become almost totally foreign to me. Yesterday I was reminded how much…
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A Cheesy Visit To The Mars Cheese Castle In Kenosha, Wisconsin
Since this is a week in which so many are traveling, I thought it would be fun to tell you about a very famous tourist attraction that is just over the Illinois/Wisconsin border, off the stretch of Interstate 94 between Chicagoland and Milwaukee. It’s the Mars Cheese Castle. The “Mars Cheese Castle” has been there for more than forty-five years. The owners recently built an actual “castle” just west of the land on which the original building stood. Regardless (and even though it’s not *right* on the border but actually about eight-ish miles north of it), when you see that sign you know for sure you’re in Wisconsin. The mouse,…
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Chicagoland Food Swap Debuts December 4!
You are probably sick of food, being just a few days removed from Thanksgiving and all (unfortunately I have never had that problem, being sick of food), but I have a pretty exciting food event to share with those of you who live in the Chicago area. My friends Emily and Vanessa, along with a couple of other ladies, have created the Chicagoland Food Swap, which will be happening once each month at various locations all around Chicagoland and makes its debut next Saturday, December 4. The Chicagoland Food Swap brings together those who share an appreciation for making/baking/growing their own food and involves swapping jams, canned goods, cookies, eggs,…
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How I Got My Hands On Some Schweddy Balls: A True Story
Ever since the news came out that Ben & Jerry’s was producing Schweddy Balls (inspired by this, one of the best SNL skits ever), I knew I had to find it locally. But where to find Schweddy Balls in the Chicago area? I was stumped for a while, because our grocery stores (and drug stores, and convenience stores…yes, I’ve been checking!) haven’t started stocking it yet. Finally, duh: I decided to do a web search to see if we have any Ben & Jerry’s locations in my area. I already knew that there is a location downtown at Navy Pier, but was hoping I’d find one in the western suburbs.…
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It’s What’s For Breakfast.
We get up pretty early in this house, due to having a high schooler in the family. Usually the alarms go off around 5:30 a.m., and everyone shuffles around showering, brushing teeth, and doing all of those other things required to get out of the house. J leaves by 6:30 every day. Having a sixteen-year-old means, in this house anyway, that we don’t have to dress him or make his lunch or supervise his every move to make sure he gets out the door on time: he’s very good at doing that himself. It’s for that reason that on occasion, Jim and I will “sleep in” until 6:00. Today was…