Posts Tagged ‘fun’
Checking out the Local Taste Fest
What is summer without a local carnival or food fest? We might not be at the swimming pool at lot, but tasting food… you’ll find us! We paced ourselves this time and went during lunch on two separate days. It was so nice not stuffing ourselves to oblivion, but I’m sorry we didn’t have a chance to taste everything. One day it rained, and vendors weren’t quite ready for the lunch crowd, but otherwise, it seemed like a successful “Taste”.
The Matcha Latte from TeaLula was great relief from the heat. It was like tasting green tea ice cream, melted. Mmmm… And, the Ryne Palmer (a.k.a. Arnold Palmer beverage) can’t be beat: fresh lemonade and fresh brewed tea. Uncle Dan’s, a new place in town, served up cheese pizza and cinnamon bread among other things. Both were tasty, but they ran out of calzones… bummer. I really wanted to try J.D. Kadd’s Smokehouse pulled pork sandwich. Since I’ve stopped working in the south suburbs, I haven’t found a sandwich that compares to the BBQ places near my old office. This one was nicely seasoned, not too salty, generous portions. One of our favorites was the Cajun Shrimp wrapped with bacon & remoulade sauce from Barbara at All on the Road. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, and the sauce had a nice kick. I’m such a sucker for cajun food.
Last year we tried the stuffed mushrooms from Cafe Zalute and were happy they were there again. The junk yard dawg fries at Dawg House Grill were a hit with our kids and us. What’s not to like: cheddar cheese, sour cream and bacon. Lastly, we had a nice portion of Salsaccia (Italian Sausage wrapped in a potato crust) from The 3 Olives. Never had this before, and while it was delicious, it was slightly salty for me. Can’t wait until next year.
Tags: eating out, fun, restaurants, Taste of Park Ridge
Tea and Birthday
The husband did a great job… totally surprised. Friends, family, great food, great tea. This is what happens when you have your daughter and her friend dress you up at a tea shop for your birthday. 36… it doesn’t look too bad. We’ve come a long way.
Tags: birthday, eating out, fun, living, TeaLula
Brunch
Brunch. I love breakfast food any time of the day. Breakfast for lunch. It’s all about eggs,
and rolls,
and friends making their own yogurt parfaits,
and little ones getting bored with grown-ups talking,
and then heading outside to walk off the calories.
“Mom, can I take some pictures?” This is one of her shots. I’m so proud.
The Craft Social
It might be intimidating to some to go all by yourself, not knowing anyone except for maybe through blogging, to a gathering of over 100 women (and one man) to craft for two hours.
It was FABULOUS! Really, it was. This pic was at the beginning of the evening. Attendees either brought a donation or food, and a craft project to do on her own. There were also crafting stations where you could learn how to do a new project: duct tape wallets, decoupage bowls, paper-decorated clothespins, poloroid slide transfers, beading, and other various crafts.
I brought a cross-stitch project to work on, but really, I socialized, made a magnetic bookmark, little paper adornments and a pom-pom flower.
Meeting so many talented people and watching them create these beautiful pieces, made me want to try more things! Hello to Toni at the refreshment area, Margaret, who was working on her applique, Kathy, who writes Merriment Design, Cindy, an event planner and crafter, Alexandra, who brought a scrumptious tart, Debbie and Rosemary, the stampin’ up ladies, Tripp Hudgins, the nicest husband and only man in the group (so enjoyed talking about paper and ink), Beth Engelman, blogger/writer, and Jess Jones, the social coordinator and blogger.
I can’t wait for the next one!
Tags: crafting, favorite things, Friends and Family, fun, paper, recycled, websites
Giveaway at “Just Spotted” and “Swanky Paper”
I joined a blog directory after my brother asked, “Have you joined any blog directories?” I’m learning, I’m learning…
Anyhow, after joining Blogcatalog, I’ve found even MORE people like me addicted to lifestyle blogs, crafting, family creativeness, etc. The world is so full of awesome, creative, artistic, life-loving people!
Like this one: http://www.just-spotted.com/2009/05/swanky-paper-giveaway.html
Check out their giveaway! You just might win!
Teacher Appreciation Gift idea
Last week was National Teacher Appreciation Week. I’m one of the room parents, so I went out and bought a simple flowering plant (kids are studying plants next week) and printed up this card.
The little faces were stamped with my pinky and ring finger. Used washable markers to color them up. My stamp pads are stored right now since I haven’t been stamping too much lately, and I didn’t feel like dragging them out.
Just a cute, simple, heartfelt card. You can find poems all over the web, but this one was from here.
Hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day!
