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i love this little guy

- I miss waking up to his pitter patter each morning.
- I love how everything was a game of hide and seek and when he came out of hiding to scare us, he thought he was so clever and would laugh with his arms flailing around.
- I love how his large eyes instantly disappeared when he laughed [which was all the time]
- I love how tissues and mini magnets fascinated him
- I love how he always wanted to share whatever he ate with us and the zebra and horse.

I love you, my sweet little E!

taking it out on piglet

I know that the swine flu is serious business, but I got such a kick out of this picture that my sister found and sent me! Looks like Eeyore need to do a better job of covering his mouth. Hope you are staying healthy!

[I apologize for the lack of posts these days… life has been just a little chaotic! Hopefully after this upcoming weekend, I’ll get back to some regular posts!]

friends + cupcakes

An old friend from college is in town and we got together for a very early dinner + dessert. We just happened to stop by Phoebe’s Cupcakes and I have to say that this is my FAVORITE cupcake place now! Imagine the density of pound cake and the fluffiness of whip cream plus unusual but familiar flavors. We had just eaten dinner but devoured these in no time! I think my favorite was the Salted Caramel: left.

Their menu: it’s pretty reasonable considering most cupcakes I’ve seen lately are around $3 or more. Plus the cater for parties/events/weddings!

Can you see how barren their display case is? Go early! I talked to one of their employees and she said that they usually run out before the day is over.
 

Phoebe’s Cupcakes is located at 3327 N Broadway Ave, Chicago in Lakeview.

dwell studio books

I had to stop by Babies R Us tonight for a last minute gift. [I’m finally figuring out my way around the store… seriously, a map like Ikea would be very helpful!] I think I walked up and down each aisle and just couldn’t find anything so I went with the usual books – Good Night Moon and Brown Bear Brown Bear. Believe it or not, they were sold out of the Very Hungry Caterpillar!

But a little further down, I found these books by Dwell Studio! They make such great products from baby to home products! I think I liked them because they are soft and not your typical kid books with primary colors.

ps… It took me a while to hunt down these images but remembered that they were published by Blue Apple Books. What a cute website!

festive pumpkins

I’m researching some different ways of carving pumpkins other than the traditional silly/scary faces for a party on Saturday.

I’ve always had my eye on this one… it’s so pretty and more fall-like than halloween-ish. The trick is to make a hole on the bottom so that the top looks untouched! [such a smart idea, contributors of MS!]

I also like these funny faces out of butternut squash… tempting because I can make some soup or porridge with the insides! Plus, it’s a bit more traditional.

Love the simplicity of these… perfect for a fall shower, party or even as table numbers! Just swap the letters out for numbers.

I do love this one though… it’s so cute and clever!
 

I think I know which one I’ll go with… will post after this weekend. Now… on to research dessert options. I have 2 in mind but may want something a bit more festive!

1,2,3 – Martha Stewart & 4 – Better Homes and Gardens

pass it on

Linda & Harriett will send you a notecard if you agree to send the card along to someone else… It’s a sweet gesture in honor of her late mother who sounds like the sweetest woman that everyone should have in their life!

Stop here to see all of the details! I think I’ll pass mine along to a dear friend that I haven’t talked to in a while… I feel a bit inspired to send out ‘just because’ cards to a bunch of friends and family!

[image courtesy of Linda & Harriett]

look ma, I can sew!

I finally pulled out my sewing machine and got a few lessons from my mom. It all came back to me as she talked me through each step. Pretty simple! Immediately, I knew what I wanted to sew… it’s been the #1 item on my list for a long time: a tissue holder. I know, nothing spectacular, but I’ve wanted one for quite a while. And it comes handy with the winter weather taunting me these days. Of course, I made it a bit more complicated and added a strip of patches in the middle!

Don’t look too closely, the stitching is not straight and well, it’s a little lop-sided too. haha… but I made it! After I practice sewing straight a bit more, I’m going to make a bag… these skirts for friends’ little girls… some little envelopes… and more. Can’t wait!

linner/light snack

I don’t know what’s wrong with me these days but my appetite is ferocious. My stomach starts growling every 2-3 hours but don’t have the strong desire to cook that often! kekeke…

These seem to hit the spot a lot these days! I can’t even give a recipe because they are frozen dumplings. BUT, the bag says to place them in a frying pan with 2 ounces of water on medium heat for 5 minutes. Once the water evaporates, you continue to fry each side for a couple of minutes until it’s nice and crispy. No need to add any oil! Now that the weather is getting chilly, I think I’ll have to make some of my own from scratch.

broadway paper

I stopped by Milwaukee the other day and knew I had to make a pit stop at Broadway Paper. It’s such a cute store with lots of paper goods! I only wish I had my camera at the time because the area, the Historic Third Ward, is so charming. I have to go back again!

[image courtesy of Broadway Paper]

baking + games

We had to eat some dessert with the apples… so we made some apple pie + apple crisp.

There’s a whole lot of sugar that goes into apple pies!

The filling for the apple crisp. Next time, we’ll have to go easy on the nutmeg.

 

A piece of apple pie + apple crisp a la mode.
 

We passed the time while waiting for the apple desserts by playing cut throat uno… it gets pretty intense when we play. Every man for himself!

I forget what this game was called but it was pretty hilarious! There’s 3 rounds You write down a person’s name on each slip of paper: can be famous or not… as long as someone else in the group knows their name. In between each round, you throw the slips of paper back into the bowl and re-use them. So it’s really important to pay attention to each name!

• Round 1: use any words to describe the person on the slip of paper…
• Round 2: use only ONE to describe the person
• Round 3: act out the person

Food and laughter… just what the doctor ordered!