London Calling

Birthday Boy

London

’s friend Sam is celebrating his second birthday this weekend.  His mom has asked that we not bring a gift and has stocked the house with treats for the kids and grown-up drinks for the parents.  But I still feel that we can’t go to a party empty handed and I’m at a loss for ideas.

• A book – small and always welcome
• A gift certificate for a local store
• Clothes – a cute hat or something unusual
• A donation in his name – maybe adopt an animal at the zoo?

Weekend Warrior

So I bought this unfinished alder kitchen table that I want to work on this weekend.  I’m thinking about distressing it – which I’ve never done before and sounds like fun just wacking away at a hammer on furniture.  Then I’ll condition it – because alder is a soft wood – stain and protect with a polyurethane.

I work for a company that makes wood finishing products, so I’ve done a few projects and learned a lot about the process.  Nonetheless, staining is still a little intimidating.  I’ll cross my fingers and review my notes.

Justifying the dress

I found a dress and fell in love. I’m afraid to try it on – afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from buying it. Money is tight this holiday season because London was admitted to a Montessori school that he’s been on a waitlist for since last March. Yeah, it’s pretty sad when a preschool tuition breaks the budget. But honestly, his tuition is three times the cost of my tuition for my freshman year of college. (This makes me feel like that $50 a month we deposit in his college fund isn’t going to be enough to pay for his first semester.)

So back to the dress. I found it on the way to pick up a lunch time burrito on a work-from-home day. Plein Aire is a cute little shop just a few blocks from our home. Most of the clothes are too pricey for me, so I don’t know why I stopped. And now I wish that I hadn’t.

There were a lot of “bubble” designs which are a great cover for my two-year-old muffin top. What I have yet to understand is how so many stores carry sleeveless clothes in the winter in Chicago. Honestly, I left the house today with long johns on under my skirt so that I could get to the office without getting frostbite. So back to the dress. It’s black and has ¾ sleeves and is crocheted over a black slip. Very pretty and could be worn until late spring if the weather stays cool. But it’s at least double my comfort level for a dress ticket price. So, I’ll wear the same sparkly shirt with a black skirt and be perfectly comfortable.

Christmas time is here ….

Oh dear.  Yes, Christmas approaches and I’m up to my eyeballs in work and a messy house.  Not only have I just started writing my shopping list, but I bought a small unfinished table for our kitchen that I plan on finishing before my in-laws arrive on the 21^st. This weekend will be busy!

But tonight I’m meeting some folks from our ad agency downtown for dinner.  I just love

Michigan Avenue

in December.  It’s just beautiful with all of the holiday decorations.  And my biggest challenge on my train ride into work today is trying to narrow down our restaurant options because there are so many good choices:

Topolabambo – Supper yummy Mexican from Rick Bayless

Harry Caray’s – A Chicago tradition

Heaven on Seven – Gluttony New Orleans style

Bandara – A mix of food with a view of

Michigan Avenue

Gino’s East – Because it’s a living legend

These are just a few of the choices narrowed by budget and location.  If we had unlimited funds, I’d recommend NoMi in the Park Hyatt which has a fantastic view of

Water Tower Place

.   Yumma, yumma!