Drawing with Ballpoint Pens

That's right -- can you believe it? These pieces were made by Shane McAdams with ball point pens. His newer works seem to be more mixed media, but it's these that I'm totally intrigued by. (via design for mankind)

Giving Thanks Again

After my sister and her family left, we had one final gathering to attend -- Friend's Thanksgiving at the Elsmo's. We absolutely could not wait. I'm sure you've figured out that we have an amazing group of people we hang out. For some reason, it's seems like forever since we've all gotten together as a group (life is just busy!), and to say that it was nice is an understatement. It was a great time. Delicious food. Relaxing afternoon. Great conversation. The perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Dim Sum

As a finale to our awesome time with Christie, Tim, J & M, we took them on their first ever visit to Chinatown for a dim sum breakfast at Three Happiness. I know it was definitely a unique experience for them, but my sister said it's something she'd love to do again, so I'm taking that as a good sign. Thanks for coming down to visit us guys! We can't wait to do it again.

A Night Out

After relaxing a bit at home, we left the kids at home (it's the great thing about having a nephew that is 14 and a niece that is 12), met up with The Frigs, and went to Mado. I'm glad we went, but none of us left feeling blown away, which was kind of a bummer. We had:

- Duck Pot Pie, Pumpernickel, Caraway, Chocolate
- Hamachi with Jalalpeno Jelly and Grapefruit Foam
- Scallops, Cocoa Butter, Turnip, Breakfast Radish
- Brussels Sprouts, Almond, Shallot, Guanciale
- Beets, Greens, Stems, Hot, Cold
- Citrus, Walnut, Cuttlefish, Chorizo
- Gnocchi, Sage, Brown Butter, Lemon, Ricotta
- Farrotto, Butternut Squash, Parmesan
- Halibut, Pistachio, Cucumber, Garlic, Pernod
- Wagyu with Vanilla Fennel and Foie Gras Mousse

We did love that it was B.Y.O.B. though. After wards, we had the brilliant idea of going to Big Star for margaritas. Wowsa! They were delicious and knocked our socks off (except for Chris who wisely declined when he stepped up to become the designated driver). Then we had even a more brilliant idea to come home and drink more wine. But let me tell you -- what a fun night.

Christkindlmarket Chicago

The past several years, my sister and her family have been visiting us for a weekend over the holidays. We always make a point of going to the Christkindlmarket. It's crowded and crazy, but it's fun. We had some bratwurst mit kraut, potato pancakes, Glühwein and beer. The boys got to pick out the annual ornaments -- H chose blueberries and C got mushrooms. Then we walked past the Marshall Fields Macy's windows (which were not as spectacular as in the past), stumbled upon the Puppet Bike, and fought the crowds on Michigan Ave. before coming home.

The Tree is Up

As soon as we got home, we went to pick up our Christmas tree. I really do prefer going to cut our own tree, but frankly, we just don't have time this year. So we went to the Sandhill Christmas Tree lot in Oak Park. We call it the million dollar tree place -- they are not cheap. But honestly, this is the third year we've bought our tree from them, and they are by far, the best we've ever gotten. H & C even got to help saw off the branches. And I'm happy to report, our halls are decked and our house smells great.

Thanksgiving in Wisconsin

We just got back from a couple wonderful (but chilly) days in Wisconsin. Thanksgiving was very laid back this year. My dad completely took on the Thanksgiving dinner duty, and it turned out absolutely fantastic. (I brought a pumpkin pie and homemade milk liquor.) Dinner tasted delicious, and I think we all were just relishing in the time we were spending together and enjoying each others company. Just the way it should be.

Turkeys

We are heading North to spend Thanksgiving in Wisconsin, and looking very much forward to it. The boys had a short, easy week, filled with field trips and Thanksgiving projects. Here's two different turkeys by C. I particularly love the Dracula turkey on top, and his "I am thankful for" piece ... "a chicken." Happy Thanksgiving!

Another Beautiful House :: The Apprentice Store

"A ruined and disparate collection of Listed stone buildings nestled into a valley just outside Bath has been transformed into a modern family home. A ribbon like circulation route knits the buildings together leading you through a sequence of delightful spaces. Original features were sensitively restored and modern insertions expressly separated from the existing structure."

Pretty great, right? Project by threefold architects. (via Dezeen)

First Field Trip

I picked C up from his after-school program looking like this. He had a little bit of fun at the face paint station at the zoo today. Normally, he's not really a face paint kind of guy. In fact, I'm not sure he's ever let me put face paint on him. I guess you can tell had "a really great day" on his first kindergarten field trip.

Bear Cave by C

Cute, cute, cute! And today BOTH boys had field trips. H went to the Adler Planetarium, and C went to the Brookfield Zoo to see the bears. It's a muggy, rainy day here in Chicago -- but I'm sure the boys still had fun.

Exploring Chicago

I have lived in Chicago nearly 18 years. But I find, that sometimes when you live somewhere, you often don't do the things that people actually come to the city you live in to do. The "touristy" things. Don't you agree? We decided to take a little trip into the city today to check a couple things off our Chicago tourist list. None of these are anything I've done while I've lived here. We took the "L" (ok, that I do everyday...) and walked to Ed Debevic's for lunch. Then we took a taxi to the Sears Willis Tower and went to the top. It was a clear day, and the views were amazing. Even though I had to bribe C with overpriced silly bands at the top so he would smile for some pictures, I'm so glad we did it. Before coming home, we walked over to the Chicago French Market and Block 37. It's fair to say, we are all pretty beat. But what a great day it turned out to be.