Why I Oughta...

9 bucks for 3 cans?  Seems cheap to me.  They are stamped D.O.P but are they really from San Marzano?

Last week, I posted a photo and description of the Suncast Wood and Resin Playset from our local Costco in Oak Brook Illinois and commented that I was pleased that we purchased the Cedar Summit version last year because I preferred the looks of all-wood version over this year's edition that has a lot of plastic panels and elements.  I was surprised that Costco eliminated the Cedar Summit folks in favor of Suncast - it seemed odd to me that they'd take out a nice (seemingly) higher-end product and replace it with something that I perceived as being lower-end with increased pricing. A few days later, I received a nice note from the folks at Cedar Summit that set me straight and provided some good news for Costco Playset/Swingset shoppers around the country.  They, indeed, are selling this year's Cedar Summit edition and it is called the " Mountainview Resort '.  He also laid out the facts: The Suncast plastic/wood playset is ONLY available in the Midwest an

Guess who runs an award-winning event design firm in Chicago ?  That's right, my dear wife Nat now does with her Chicago event design and planning firm   Pemberley Events ! Last week, it was announced that her team won the "Inspired Creations" contest at IndieWed.  I'm so very proud of her and all the effort she put into it.  I went to IndieWed to help her team break down their booth earlier this year and even though I don't have a lot of sense of style/fashion/what have you, it was plain to see that Nat's team put the most thought and effort into the contest and deserved to win. If you're looking for event planning and design ,   wedding planning and design in Chicago , or even just a Chicago Wedding Planner , you can't go wrong with Pemberley Events .

The mold for my Easter Bunny Faux Chocolate craft project arrived via the USPS a few days ago.  He's about 11" tall which is about the same as the ones I made last year.  Here's last year's version of the Faux Chocolate Bunny craft project . I made four of them last year with Durham's Water Putty and gave three of them away.  Hopefully, I'll find time to make at least four of them again this year to start what I'll call a 'collection'. Now that I have the mold, it is just a matter of buying enough Water Putty and paint!

On Saturday, we went to Angelo Caputo's up in Addison for some various items including the Chellino Scamorza Cheese that I use in our pizza making.  Unfortunately, Caputo's was all sold out.  Weird.  But, I didn't want to give up, so Nat pulled out her phone and found this place:  Amici's Italian Deli and Fruit Market in Westmont.  We called them and asked if they carried Chellino Scamorza?  Sure enough, they have a lot of it they said. When we arrived, I immediately went to the refridgeration case and saw these beauties. A whole dollar cheaper than Caputo's at $5.99. We found a few other items to pick up, but didn't give the store a real good once-over.  It appears to be a solid Italian deli with the majority of the customers milling around in the back by the deli counter.  Lots of cuts of meat, lots of sliceable meats.  We'll give it a shot for lunch one day soon.

There's a few new houses going up in Elmhurst and as we drive through the neighborhood, it has been fun to watch them come together.  One of them - which is across York Street from us - has been going up fast.  Nat noticed that they had put up their siding and had chosen vertical red siding for the garage - making it look just like a red barn in their backyard.  The photo I took above is from the alley in back. Pretty stinkin' cute, eh?  I'd love a barn in my backyard, wouldn't you?

As I was driving across the railroad tracks this weekend I saw the signs had gone up on the new School of Rock building right on First Street.   Technically, the address is 105 N. Maple Street , but the building's signage is all facing the more public First Street side.    Either way, it is just a block or two from the main core of Downtown Elmhurst, so I consider this a welcome addition. From their site , School of Rock (cute name, btw) is clearly aimed at kids so that means that plenty of moms and dads will be dropping their kids off with an hour to burn.  This is exactly the type of business that we should be luring to the Downtown.    There likely isn't going to be a ton of retail sales (maybe some?  Like guitar strings or drum sticks and what not), so it won't be material to the city's revenues, but like an office that has employees that go out to lunch, the benefits are tangential. As for the building, I think I remember it being home to a contractor ( Hanse

Over the weekend, we hit up the Oak Brook Costco and came across this behemoth.  This is the Suncast Wood and Resin Playcenter - Costco Part #588674.  It is priced at $1299.99 (see the bottom photo for pricing details). This is the 2012 version of the VERY popular Costco backyard playground/playset series.  Last year, they featured the Cedar Summit Panorama - which we brought home.  This year, they've gone with the Suncast Wood and Resin Playcenter which has many of the same features as years pasts. ***Update on 2/28/12 - If you are looking for the Cedar Summit Mountainview Resort Playset you can find the details here .  Turns out Costco is indeed selling a Cedar Summit swingset, but just not in Texas or the Midwest.  *** The 2012 Suncast structure is made up of both wood and a lot of plastic parts - unlike the Cedar Summit.  There are certainly plastic elements in the Cedar Summit version, but they're mostly highlight/enhancement pieces like window frames.  The Sunca

Since I posted on the (unfortunately) early emerging French Pussy Willow plant last week, I've been keeping a close eye on it to make sure things don't take a turn for the worse.  When I was out there yesterday, I noticed that some sort of critter had decided to hack away at a few of the branches and there were 6 or 7 of them laying on the ground with gnaw marks on them.  Maybe a rabbit?   Not sure. I picked 'em up, brought 'em in and decided to hop on the ole' series of tubes to see if it was possible to get them to root in a glass of water.  Sure enough.   It sounds very easy .  Just trim them up, drop them in the glass and wait.  A few weeks from now, we should have some cuttings that we can give away for others to enjoy the pussy willow in their own backyards.

This morning, we packed into the car and went wandering out for some doughnuts.  After a not-so-great experience at Dunkin' Donuts a few weeks back, we wanted to go local so we went down to Elmhurst's Julianne's Bakery.  But, what did we find?  The place is closed and has been shut down due to a fire.  Bummer. When we got home (BTW, we found a bakery in Villa Park on St. Charles that was pretty good), I looked around to see what happened with Julianne's.  Turns out, the fire that took the place out occurred LAST OCTOBER.   Almost six months ago . Guess we don't get out for donuts often enough.