Chicago Dining

My Winter BOW weekend was sandwiched on either side by time in Chicago. This allowed for several fun dining experiences.

Thursday evening we walked in the snow to a neighborhood eatery called Piazza Bella. Wonderful Italian food!! Thursday lunch was at Chipotle. I wish we had that chain in my neck of the woods.

Today we started off with breakfast at a fun diner called the Wishbone, known for its "southern reconstruction cooking". I had the best spinach & feta cheese omelet. Yum! The highlight at lunch was "saganaki", a flaming cheese appetizer in Greek Town at a place called Costas. Tonight we had personalized stir-fry at the Flat Top Grill, another place I could really get addicted to.

The picture here (which I hope posts since I haven't tried adding a photo to a mobile entry before) is of the Shedd Aquarium where we spent the morning.

Sorry, no Oprah sightings on this trip. Maybe next time.

Winter Weekend

As I type this I'm in Wisconsin travelling south on I-39.

What a fantastic weekend I just had!! I've been at another of the BOW (Becoming an Outdoors Woman) events, this one a winter workshop.

I'll save the details for when I get home. Until then, I have a day or two to enjoy myself in Chicago.

Presidents' Day

Today is "Presidents' Day". I can remember a time when we acknowledged Lincoln and Washington separately. Now they're lumped together (along with all the others, I presume).

NBC news had a story last night about the latest ranking of the U.S. presidents. Lincoln came out on top with Washington second. One of my devotion guides for today also gave Lincoln that honor, making mention of Washington only as the "father of our country".

I've put a poll in the sidebar questioning your choice for the greatest American president. Please take a moment to register your vote. If you select "other", please leave a comment saying who and why.

Valentine's Day 2009

Isn’t this a beautiful azalea plant that my husband gave me in celebration of the day? It will definitely get planted in the front yard away from the tiny terrors who are wreaking havoc on everything in the back. Actually, they aren’t so tiny anymore. They went for their last round of puppy shots yesterday and each now weighs more than twenty pounds!

Last fall one of my book-loving friends recommended a new series to me. The “Sookie Stackhouse” books (Southern Vampire Series), on which HBO’s True Blood is based, take place in a small fictional town in northern Louisiana. They’re filled with references to places and things that are totally familiar to me making them all the more fun to read! I got the boxed set of the first seven books for Christmas. I was going to make myself wait until the eighth book came out in paperback to purchase it, but when I found out the author, Charlaine Harris, was having a book signing in her hometown today… well, I couldn’t resist. Only 30 some-odd miles from my house, it was worth the trip to get a signed copy. I was going to post a picture of us together, but I had such a dippy look on my face I cropped myself out. So, you’ll just have to use your imagination to picture me next to Ms. Harris in this photo!

What is Your Valentine's Day Personality?

Sorry... another blogthing quiz.

Your Valentine's Day Personality is Practical

As far as you're concerned, Valentine's Day is simply a commercial holiday. You don't place any real meaning on it. You don't think it deserves too much celebration. For you, Valentine's Day is just the day you avoid restaurants and candy stores. If you love someone, you already show it. You don't need to go all out for a silly holiday to prove your love.

What's Your Valentine's Day Personality?

ATVs

My local newspaper recently ran an advertisement sponsored by the Arkansas Children’s Hospital warning about the dangers of ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles).

I hate ATVs, better known in these parts as “4-wheelers”. Don’t get me wrong… used correctly they are wonderful tools. We have owned several over the past twenty or more years and they are ideal for hunting purposes and various chores around the pasture. In fact, I guess to say I hate them is really not correct. What I hate is seeing them used improperly. Unfortunately, living in a rural area this happens far too often.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been caught behind a kid zooming down the road on an ATV. Here’s the scenario: I’m driving down a narrow county road when I come up behind a 4-wheeler with two preteens riding down the middle. The ATV is too large for them, so they look awkward riding it. Add to that neither is wearing a helmet, appropriate clothing on their legs or feet and they’re clipping along at least 45 mph or better (speed limit is 35). One or both repeatedly whip their head around to see how close I am before finally finding a spot they can veer (and I mean veer!) off the road to let me pass. Now, what’s wrong with that? Well, there are legal age restrictions on operating ATVs, they aren’t designed for passengers, and they aren’t supposed to be ridden on public roads. That’s just naming a few things. If you want to know more about ATV safety, ACH has a good set of guidelines here.

What Kind of Communicator Are You?

I'll let those who know me decide if this fits or not.

You Communicate Passionately

You speak from the heart. You can't separate your feelings from what you're saying, even in a professional context. You tend to speak dramatically, with lots of passion and emotion. It's easy for you to get swept up in what you're saying. You like to connect with people early on so that you can personalize what you are saying to them. When you converse, you try to find common ground and harmony. Even if you disagree with someone, you try to emphasize where you agree.

What Kind of Communicator Are You?

Mobile Blogging

There are times when you want to post a blog entry, but you're nowhere near a computer. That's where "mobile blogging" comes in.

I like trying new things (well, some new things...) so here is my first attempt to blog from my cellphone.

What to do?

Housebreaking efforts have gone downhill. After several days of “accidents”, I started having serious thoughts of making the puppies into outside dogs. *sigh* However, that would create problems in itself. Where would I keep them? If I put them in the backyard they will try to come in every time I let Esther and Betty out and they aren’t old enough to run loose with Bella, Hope & Harry.

I’m afraid what I earlier thought was progress was nothing more than them having me trained. I’m good about praising them when I see them go outside, but I need to pay closer attention and do more scolding when I catch them going in the house. I guess they’re still young… only about 12-14 weeks old. I just don’t remember having this much trouble training a dog in the past. (Well, except for Betty, maybe.)

There are positive moments. Both of their boxes were dry when I got up this morning. Of course I got them up (instead of the other way around) since I had my alarm set for church, but it was still a pleasant surprise.

Stay tuned. I’m sure there’ll be plenty more ups and downs.

Mabel really likes Betty. You can almost imagine her thoughts as she plots her attack! Poor unsuspecting Beagle!

Alice took a much needed break under the Gardenia bush after playing hard all morning.

It's been a month

For the past couple of weeks it has seemed like for every step forward we’ve taken two steps back. With that in mind, I hesitate to say that we are now settling into a comfortable routine. The puppies are growing by leaps and bounds! My daughter really noticed the difference when she was home this week. Housebreaking has advanced to the point that we’re willing to allow them into other parts of the house under close supervision. Probably a mistake, but we’ve also been allowing them on the furniture in the living room…. a habit Betty and Esther (and JJ) had to break when we bought new sofas a number of years ago.

Right now the most pressing matter is Alice’s inability to “hold it” all night. She appears to be a bit ADHD, so I don’t know if she just has trouble sleeping soundly or what. Mabel doesn’t seem to have any problem with it. Other than that, it’s just the usual ups and downs of dealing with inquisitive, chewing, often naughty puppies!

Alice looks more like a German Shepherd now than a Rottie.

Still haven't determined the predominant breed in Mabel.

Trouble looking for somewhere to happen!

A new bed in the living room for Betty & Esther.