• Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Fun in Chicago,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz,  Too Funny To Ignore

    There Are Many Ways To Define Love; As It Turns Out, Way More Than I Knew About.

    March 14, 2009

    Just a quick post for you Saturday blog readers; I’m attempting to get my kitchen totally spotless today (Imagine that!), INCLUDING getting the kitchen desk cleared of the clutter. I’ll let you know if I’m successful; keep your fingers crossed for me. (I also realize that I haven’t commented back to you all on the last four or so posts: Busy week! I’m getting to it, hopefully this weekend if you want to keep checking back!) We’re also having Julesie join us for dinner and a Fab Five Game Night. Good times! Anyway, you may remember this post about my total sadness and anger about the Sears Tower being known…

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  • Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Family Fun,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz,  Shameless Promotion

    This Post Is Brought To You By The Letter R.

    February 9, 2009

    I was reading one of my favorite blogs when I discovered what *might* be a meme. I’m not sure, though. I actually volunteered for it and will not tag anyone at the end of this post either. Therefore, you yourselves can decide if it is a true meme. Basically, you get a random letter of the alphabet assigned to you, and you write about ten things that start with that letter, things that you just adore. After I finished reading the post over at Eternally Huckdoll (LOVE her.), I left a comment basically saying, “Yeah, gimme a letter!” Huckdoll gave me “R”. I was really excited, because I thought, “I…

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  • My Sister Has Mad Skillz

    I Love My Sister.

    February 6, 2009

    I’ve been having some health issues lately and told Julesie all my woes last night in an extended phone conference. Today I arrived home from work and discovered this on the kitchen counter: And yes, that’s my CLEAN kitchen in the background. She let herself in, cleaned my family room and kitchen (and I’m 99.9% sure she used the Swiffer on my wood floors), and then left me these flowers with a note and orange juice from Trader Joes. I was a bawling mess. I love her. That is all.

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  • Family Fun,  Food,  Fun in Chicago,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    Frozen Birthday Fun in the Windy City

    January 18, 2009

    Jim’s birthday on Friday was one for the books. Poor guy had to spend the morning home, waiting for a tow truck (I happen to know lots about that, having had my car towed 4 times between late September and November…) because his truck sprung a fuel line leak. The -50 degree windchill didn’t help matters. But at least he got to wait for the tow at home, while I taught class and took the boys, who were off from school, on a birthday errand. In the evening, we went to dinner at Lou Malnati’s for Chicago deep dish pizza. YUM-O. Although the downtown area of our particular suburb has…

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  • Family Fun,  Jew Stuff,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz,  UGH.

    Eight Crazy Posts! (#8) (Finally!) (Whew!)

    December 28, 2008

    In this, the last of eight crazy posts, I have a few reflections on and memories of Hanukkah 2008 that I’d like to share. Last Sunday: First night of Hanukkah. Awesome night; had to dust off the cellphone rules (and adjust them a bit) because the thirteen-year-old was getting a cellphone for Hanukkah! If you did not read my first post in March about cellphone rules for your kid, it’s a must-read. Click here! It was quite exciting and I took video, but because we used the actual video camera (instead of the “video feature” on my regular digital camera), it can only be burned to DVD and not uploaded…

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  • Blessings,  Family Fun,  Friends,  I'm Apparently Old.,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz

    I Was Surprised To Be Surprised

    October 23, 2008

    Thank God I actually journalled in the scrapbook I made to commemorate my 30th birthday, almost–choke–ten long years ago. I have not yet finished the journalling in my kids’ scrapbooks (the ones I’ve started anyway, through toddlerhood…I’ll NEVER catch up until I’m too old to remember absolutely none of the details), but I can tell you everything about my 30th birthday party! Here we go… The Conspirators: Kate, Jim, JulesieThe Plan: Jim and Julesie had an idea: “Let’s throw a surprise party!” They started making plans around Labor Day, and brought Kate into the mix. Kate became the decoy: she called me on the morning of November 6 (my actual…

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  • Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  I'm Apparently Old.,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz

    Go Shawty, It’s Your Birthday…

    October 8, 2008

    Today is a real milestone kind of day. Thirty-five years ago on this very day, a person was born. This person was not just *any* average kind of person: she is really something special. I was going to say that on this day, I feel really old. But I won’t say that first because that makes it more about me. Then again, she’s used to that. So I will say it. I feel really old. My “kid” sister is celebrating 35 years today! How the hell did that happen, and where did the time go? If you know me at all, you know that I love lists. I’m gonna give…

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  • Fun in Chicago,  Music,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz

    Rollin’ Down The Tollway

    October 7, 2008

    Though my Monday was indeed better than my Saturday, it didn’t come without some intensely stressful moments. (I should just accept it: that’s how I roll.) I had, as you know, a few things going on. There was the issue with my car. There was the issue with getting a rental car. There was the issue of the Tina Turner concert, which is a wrong way to put it because on the worst of days, a Tina Turner concert is not an issue. If you need to read the background on how it came about that I was going to see Tina, you can read that here. I drove Jim’s…

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  • Family Fun,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz

    Oh, Leaf Me Alone! (That’s What My Dad Would Say, Anyway!)

    September 25, 2008

    My girl Andie at Sweet.Southern.Spirited. posted recently about how fall is her favorite season, and she wanted to see some colorful fall photos. Fall is coincidentally MY favorite season (okay, there was a 1 in 4 chance of that happening, right?) too, and I thought I’d do an almost-wordless-Fall post. My sister Julesie took these photos in the fall of 2005. (EDITED: Andie is actively looking for fabulous fall photos! If you want to share yours with someone who would love to look at them, e-mail her at sweetsouthernspirited (at) cox (dot) net. She thanks you in advance!)

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  • Family Fun,  Food,  My Sister Has Mad Skillz

    Bucking Tradition…’Cause That’s How We Roll.

    September 7, 2008

    You know the drill: click on this for your Official Post Background Music: After one of the most overwhelming weeks in recent history (with no sense of anything letting up in the near future), I decided that I was going to write my freakin’ post about Labor Day Weekend, Part 2…because if I wait too long, it’ll be Thanksgiving or something. So, enjoy. And if you’re hungry, I apologize in advance, for this post is about the Fab Five Pizza Festival! (In case you’re a newbie here at the Scrawl, the Fab Five is made up of Jim, me, the 16-year-old, the 13-year-old, and my sister, who we call Julie…

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