• Best Thing Ever,  Favorite Things,  Friends,  Fun in Chicago,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  Music,  Pretty Pictures

    Pitbull In Pictures

    August 29, 2014

    On Wednesday I had the extreme pleasure of, along with my friend Samantha, being an audience member at the taping of the season premiere episode of Steve Harvey’s daytime talk show. Steve is great and all (and in fact I found lots of his small talk between takes to be very inspiring), but the “extreme pleasure” part can be credited to the presence of his guest, Pitbull. Pitbull is currently one of my very favorite entertainers. His music makes me very, very happy. His music also makes me dance, even if I’m sitting down. Sofa dancing? Totally. Car dancing? Yes, please. When I’m standing up? Look out. For real. You…

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  • Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  I've Got Mad Skillz

    If These Walls Could Talk

    August 19, 2014

    We’ve lived in this house for nearly fourteen years. Our family room, where we collectively spend the most time (hence the name) is home to an awesome and comfortable sectional couch, a bookshelf, a mission-style recliner, a chest full of quilts, and the television with all of the accessories that go along with it. We “finished” this room back in 2005, right before D became a Bar Mitzvah. “Finished” isn’t really the best way to describe it, though. It has felt decidedly unfinished to me for a long time. It’s the walls. The wall color is great. We painted it a light taupe a while back. I see too much…

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  • Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  I've Got Mad Skillz

    Happy Friday!

    August 15, 2014

    Indeed, it is. Sidenote: I absolutely know that just prior to 5:00 p.m. on a Friday is perhaps the absolute worst time to publish a blog post if you want people to notice and maybe even read it, but I’m throwing caution to the wind and just doing it. I’ve been trying to build back up to posting four to five times each week and I think the “posting” part is more important to me at the moment than the “having it read by actual people” part. (That said, big sloppy kisses to you if you’re reading this.) I have to say that I have felt an internal change over…

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  • Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Food,  Friends,  Fun in Chicago,  I've Got Mad Skillz

    The Purple Pig In Pictures

    July 14, 2014

    Last night, Jim and I drove into the city to meet up with someone I became friends with in eighth grade (C), and his wife (K). We’ve kept in touch all these years and faithfully send holiday cards to each other every December, but we haven’t actually gotten together in twelve years. Or thirteen. We couldn’t figure it out. I was thrilled when C messaged me a few weeks ago to tell me that they would be in town for a wedding and would love to see us, and that’s how we ended up at The Purple Pig on Michigan Avenue last night. We had a great time. I hadn’t…

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  • I've Got Mad Skillz

    It’s A Process.

    June 18, 2014

    In my newfound* quest to try and change up my work routine so that I can achieve some work/life balance, I’ve had a really productive week. And by “productive”, I mean “sort of successful according to my newly-created standards”. I didn’t open my laptop all weekend, instead only using my phone or iPad sporadically to hit social media–but not any work (blogging included, and truth be told I’m kicking myself a little for that one right now.). Instead, I did things like: ~nap ~visit with D, who came to see us for lunch on Saturday ~make dinner with Jim (instead of one of us cooking while the other one does…

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  • Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  Favorite Things,  Fun in Chicago,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Pretty Pictures

    Listen To Your Mother Chicago 2014: Wow, That Was Quick!

    May 12, 2014

    It’s been a full week (eight days, actually!) since the show, and I can’t even believe THAT, let alone the fact that the 2014 season, our THIRD season in Chicago, flew by faster than a…what is one of those cute southern sayings? These last two weeks, in fact, have flown by faster than a…never mind. I can’t think of anything. QUICKLY. They went by QUICKLY. In the last two weeks Tracey and I drove to Milwaukee to see that show, we put on our own show, we drove to Valparaiso to see the NWIndiana show, and yesterday I drove up to Madison, where it all began five years ago, to…

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  • I've Got Mad Skillz

    Beautiful and Enchanted

    April 1, 2014

    One of the things I loved most about this house when we bought it in December 2000 was the screened-in back porch. The following summer we spiffed it up a little bit with some pretty little flower lights that gave the porch an enchanted quality at night, some Adirondack chairs that a friend found for me at a rummage sale, and a coffee table that Jim and I made completely from scrap wood and Mexican tiles we had laying around in the garage. (I love that table!) Over the years, my mom made a couple of pillows for us and my mother-in-law picked up some pillows and knick knacks for…

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  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  Too Funny To Ignore

    I Really Love Love.

    March 8, 2014

    I am one of those people who uses the word “love” very freely. If you know me personally—or let’s face it, even just on Facebook—you might think I overuse the word. “I love this song.” “I love cookies.” Regardless of what others think, specifically those who believe that the word should not be dropped at the slightest little thing and instead saved for truly important things and people, I’m fine with how I am. I know in my head the true hierarchy of people and things that are the recipients of my feelings. Obviously I love my kids way more than I love steak. (Which says a lot because I…

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  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  Music

    Let The Music Play

    February 10, 2014

    About four years ago I had to write up a “musical resume” for The Music Mamas site: Sadly, Melisa was musically stunted as a small child by the presence of too much television. Listening to music was not something she did for fun but rather out of necessity, riding in the back of her parents’ VW Bug in the early- to mid-1970′s singing along to songs like “Delta Dawn”, “(You’re) Having My Baby” and “Afternoon Delight” (not necessarily in that order). She was given a Sony Walkman in December 1981, along with the Olivia Newton John “Physical” cassette, and no other tapes to speak of. It is for this very…

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  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  Random Thoughts,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    The Power Of Positive Thinking

    January 29, 2014

    Yesterday I drove to the Dailey Method studio to take class and as I got out of the car I put my gloves on and secured my hat and scarf to make sure I was protected from the sub-zero temperatures. I squeezed my keys in my right hand a couple of times—a habit that has kept me from locking myself out of my car for as long as I can remember—and then quickly shoved them into the pocket of my jacket as I walked. I heard something fall to the sidewalk and realized that the keyring that has an easy release, the one that makes it easy for me to…

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