Why I Oughta...

An entire bucket of golf balls in a single flush.  That's what I'm talking about! This is the Eljer Titan 4 toilet that I bought to put in the basement bathroom.  The tile guy is coming on Thursday, so once the walls get painted this weekend, we'll be able to trim the toilet and get down to business.  Literally.

For the past 3 or 4 years, we've gone to a Vintage Christmas Fair that is part of the Randolph Street  Market/Chicago Antique Fair and takes place in November right ahead of Thanksgiving.  In years past we've always come away with an item or two of Christmas decor/decorations and this year was no different.  We bought 3 vintage items:  2 Santas and a new tree-topper Angel. The Santas have a neat texture on them where the trim is on his suit and while they are both different Santas (and likely makers) the texture binds them together.  Here's a close up of the Big Guy on the left. He's cute, eh?  Oh...what's that?  His neck wobbles?  Like a bobblehead Santa from the 50's?  Yep. And his sack is going to be used by us as a candy dish!  He already has candy canes in there.   But does his head have any 'action' left it in?  You bet it does.

No offense to Dr. Carlson, but I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed.  Over a year ago, I wrote about this beautiful storefront and the opportunity it held .  Instead of more retail - which Downtown Elmhurst desperately needs, we get another dentist.  It appears that Dr. Carlson runs a very professional operation - based solely on the awnings - so I wish him well.  And, I suppose that his practice will create some foot traffic, but there are only so many ground-floor openings on Addison Street and those need to be used for retail or restaurants.  Offices *should* be upstairs on second floors.

After months of waiting, our very own Bleeding Heart Bakery opened in Downtown Elmhurst a few weeks back.  Last week, we went out on a family outing and scored some sweet treats - and sampled a lot of what they offer including cakeballs, brownies, and cupcakes.  Their case was jammed full of treats so I'm VERY hopeful that they'll be supported by our Elmhurst community.  Nat and I decided that we're going to make a very conscious choice to try to get there often during the first few months to help ensure that they succeed.

I recognized that it is a hard word to spell, but a quick search will turn up the proper spelling: giardiniera .  This sign is up in the Polk-a-dot Drive-in in Braidwood, Illinois - which is where we dine post-Christmas Tree cutting each year.  I learned the lesson (to not order the beef here) the hard way a few years ago.  Ever since, I've gone with a dog, minus the ketchup.  (Yes...they dress their dogs in ketchup + all the other Chicago-style fixings.  Strange.)

Nat picked out a flooring that claims to do a better job than *most* other laminate wood floors do against moisture.  I was a bit skeptical, so I took the sample home and stuck it on the counter.  And poured water on top of it.  And then stuck a glass on top to try to make a 'ring'.  I came back 8 hours later and the water was still pooled up and the floor stood up to the challenge without any warping/flaking/damage. Now...I'm not sure if the samples are different than the real thing, but if they are the same, then we should be in good shape with the floors.  They're being installed next week (hopefully).  The material is a special order, so it takes a few days for it to arrive in, then it needs 48 hours of 'acclimation' to the conditions present in our house.  Then...gets installed in just one day.  The walls will (hopefully) be painted already by then, so the place will start to fell a lot more finished once the floor goes in.

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the mandatory viewing of The Last Waltz film in our house.  There's no better way to wake up and enjoy the day than by watching these guys celebrate the big day.  I'm guessing that as The Babe grows up a bit more, I'll be arm-wrestling her for control of the remote as she'll want to watch the parade.  But until then...I rule the roost on Turkey Day. Happy Thanksgiving! 2010 post 2007 post 2005 post 2004 post