I’m so happy! The farmers markets are back in Chicago! This weekend, Chris took Vivian and Mack while I enjoyed some much needed quiet time at home with Evie.  The three of them brought home a bounty of fresh romaine lettuce, asparagus and a good bundle of rhubarb.  I used three rhubarb stalks to bake […]

What a busy weekend! My husband’s MBA program celebrated its 5 year reunion, and ALL of our good friends returned to Chicago for the weekend. When he started the program right after we got married, I had no idea I was about to meet some of the best friends of my life in the wives […]

We hosted a birthday party for Mack and Vivian the other night.  It was a large crowd, so I wasn’t able to serve an entirely homemade meal. But, I supplemented pizza delivery with a homemade chopped salad and some simple appetizers.  Perhaps the most popular dish was homemade beer cheese. The men in the family […]

Evie didn’t have school yesterday, so I scheduled a playdate at our house. Her friend has a brother Mack’s age who came over, too, and all four kids had a blast all afternoon.  The mom and I actually had a real conversation (a rarity!) because the kids were so busy playing.  Seemed like the perfect […]

I feel so lucky to be a part of a very large extended family.  My mom has seven siblings and my dad has six, and so I have lots of cousins near and far.  The other night we got together with my grandparents for dinner, and on their way to the restaurant they bumped into […]

This morning Mack was the first person in our house to wake up. At 6:09 am. Sigh. However, I quickly realized that I should seize his early rise as an opportunity to spend some special time with him.  The other night Evie stayed up late and I really treasured that time with her; Mack getting […]

To celebrate Evie’s birthday, we took her and some of her adorable little friends to see the movie “Brave.”  She loves anything princess (something I had to get used to), so going to the movie was a real thrill for her. For the past six weeks, whenever a bus passed us with a “Brave” poster […]

Yesterday while Mack napped and Chris worked on his computer, Evie and I ran some errands around our neighborhood.  One of the best things about living in the middle of a big city is that everything we could possibly need is within a 10 minute walk of our home.  Evie and I picked up some […]

Baking is always a bit challenging for me.  It is such an exact science, and if one measurement is even a little bit off the whole recipe can flop.  This seems to be especially true with homemade bread.  So, when I read about Average Joe Bread Kit in my college alumni magazine I was immediately […]

I’m feeling a little under the weather today.  Despite getting plenty of sleep last night, I am exhausted. And, I have no appetite so I haven’t eaten much today.  I suspect a day-long bout of nausea is due to this pregnancy, too.  So, after trying quite ridiculously and unsuccessfully to get my husband to leave […]