my heart is full

Is it too early to be posting photos of Christmas decor?

 I think yes, but the local nursery had a wine tasting event on Friday night and the entire place was decorated for Christmas already. I'm not at all in the mood for anything Christmas yet, but I have to admit, the decor was lovely. 

We were gone from early in the morning 'til late at night on Saturday. We met my cousin and a mutual friend at the last farmer's market of the season. Under blue and sunny skies, we walked around talking and laughing, drinking coffee; shared a handmade red mole tamale; sampled cheese, salsas, vinegars and honey; talked to vendors; and admired the bounty of beautiful produce. We came home with leeks, fennel, purple carrots, daikon radishes, fingerling potatoes, fresh parsley, aged balsamic vinegar and a block of gouda cheese. I somehow forgot to pick up some of those gorgeous peppers. We then hit up a couple of antique stores, a few artsy stores, then sat and had tea at Starbucks to rest our tired feet. 

On to fabulous Thai food in Chicago, then walked up and down Broadway taking in the sights and sounds of the city on a beautiful autumn evening. While walking, I spied a Stan's Donuts. I had heard of the place, so curiosity got the best of me. Stepping into the store, I was actually more enamored by the display of KitchenAid mixers than the donuts. ;-) We picked up a few donuts to bring home...and let's put it this way: It's a good thing we don't live close to a Stan's Donuts. That was the most delicious donut I've ever had. And this is coming from someone who's normally not a donut person.

Last stop of the day: Wrigley Field. To say that Brian is still riding a high from the Cubs World Series win is an understatement. It was the day after the Cubs rally (which drew a record five million people!), and the city was still unbelievably crowded. Throngs of people were still gathered at intersections surrounding Wrigley. I didn't dare get out of the car. I took photos out the passenger side window. We drove up and down streets for what seemed liked ages, looking for a parking spot. We finally found a spot on a side street and I stayed in the car while Brian went and took his photos.

Sunday was another sunny, warm day...we have been so lucky! All the neighbors were outside raking, leaf blowing and gutter cleaning; pausing once in awhile to talk to one another. Brian and I ended the evening by taking a walk in the dark, walking hand in hand around the neighborhood until we finally came full circle back at home.

a full weekend

 Good Monday morning, friends! I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Brian and I usually go out to dinner on Friday nights, but we decided to break out

of our little box this time and try something different. When I got an email

from a garden nursery and flower shop saying that they were hosting a wine tasting,

  I thought that'd be a fun thing to do on a Friday night. Especially since it was free!

There were wines from Washington, Spain, France, and Italy. Snacks were set out

in various places, too. Their indoor shop and greenhouses were all decked out

for Christmas. We stayed long enough just to sample some wines and food and walk

around admiring all the decor, but then we left. It was very crowded - hundreds of people -

which becomes a bit overwhelming for introverts like us.

I saw a tree like this last year at Pottery Barn - decorated with woodland

creatures. 

 

On Saturday, we took a day trip to Evanston. You've heard me talk about this town

before ~ it's the town Brian grew up in, right by Chicago. We love to explore the unique

shops, try new restaurants, and take a walk down by the lake (Lake Michigan). This time

we didn't go down to the lake due to lack of time - plus, it was quite cold! We ate lunch

at a Thai restaurant called Zoba. I had Pad Thai - which was OK. I've had much better.

Brian had the Crazy Noodles with shrimp, beef, and chicken. We ate with forks. Neither

one of us know how to use chopsticks. Tim learned when he was a kid and is still good

at using them. He's tried to teach me, but I still can't get the hang of it.

We were walking around trying to determine where to go next and I pulled out my

phone and used Yelp to find "nearby places". I clicked on shopping and a bookstore

came up. You don't have to ask me twice whether I want to go to a bookstore! All we

had to do was follow the footprints down an alley. 

 Turn a corner and there's Bookends and Beginnings. This is a "new" store ~ they took

 over what used to be Bookman's Alley. Bookman's Alley was an Evanston presence for 

over 33 years. The owner was 85 years old and closed the store due to his age, health,

and competition from online stores. Interestingly enough, the owner and this bookstore

made a presence in Audrey Niffenegger's book, The Time Traveler's Wife. You can 

read the story here  if you're interested.

 

I love these old buildings that are bookstores: shelves filled floor to ceiling with books...

and long aisles with scattered Oriental rugs.

This is where I spent most of my time: in the cookbook section. I was excited to find

that they had a lot of used cookbooks (at good prices) mixed in with the new. I found

out through the owner that a local man whose wife had recently passed away, donated

her cookbook collection (over 600 cookbooks!) to this store. Part of the proceeds are

being donated to a local music program for children.

 

Brian found the local and Chicago section and settled right in...

 Of course, our trip to Evanston wouldn't be complete without a visit to my favorite

vintage store, Secret Treasures.  I found only one little treasure - which is fine since

I'm cutting down at bringing more "stuff" into my home.

 

This was my found treasure ~ a vintage nut grinder that still works!

 

 Another favorite store to browse in - Stumble and Relish.

 Even the little storefront is so inviting. This store is owned and operated

by a mother and daughter team. They have lots of unique gifts and beautiful

hand-crafted jewelry made by local artists.

Our last stop was Thee Fish Bowl pet shop to perhaps find a unique cat

toy for our kitties. The best part about going into this little store was being

able to see and pet the free-roaming animals. This is Will. He was so sweet.

I kneeled on the floor and petted and loved on him for awhile.

 

I don't know the name of this kitty, but I thought it was so beautiful, especially

with its golden eyes.

 

And this is Betty - the 70 lb. turtle from Africa. I'm kind of afraid of turtles, so I 

didn't touch her.

 

The weekend continued Sunday with my father-in-law and two of my sisters-in-law coming

to our house for a visit and us all going out for a meal. Father-in-law is in his early 80's and

 isn't doing too well, physically and mentally. I believe he has the beginning stages of

 dementia - and he knows it. So he wanted to talk to us about a few things before he

completely loses his memory. It's too bad he doesn't write some of these things down.

Well, that wraps up my weekend. Hope you found some time to have a little fun, too.