Category Archives: Fun for Couples

Day 27: Andersonville Adventure

After a short shift at work, I decided I wanted to enjoy the gorgeous weather by wandering around one of my favorite Chicago neighborhoods, Andersonville. My husband and I moseyed down Clark (around Foster), checked out a few new shops and wondered over where to eat.

Our first stop was at a new dog store and groomers called Jameson loves Danger where we looked for a sweater and/or witch costume for Elphie. Among their selection, which was mostly for smaller dogs, was mobster, shark and beer wench but no witch. The sweaters also looked too small, but we did end up buying her a thunder shirt (for her separation and doorbell anxiety) and some cheese flavored treats.

Next we popped in to a farm fresh grocery called Urban Orchard. We were looking for some food and had already struck out at Ann Sather (who knew they closed at 4 on Sunday?). Their chalkboard claimed they had a cafe but it was not really what I expected. Nothing prepared to order, just some pre-boxed food. They did have some great looking pumpkins though!

Then, we admired some reclaimed wood furniture outside of an antique-y store. A barn wood table caught my eye, so gorgeous but $300 and not really big enough to replace our current table.

By this point, we were pretty hungry so decided on our old stand by, Lady Gregory’s. Named after an Irish author, Lady G’s is a total pub with delicious food. Over dinner, we had a shared fantasy about moving to a farmhouse near the lake in Michigan, eating at that barn table every night and living out of our vegetable garden. I would cook fresh every day, bake bread, can vegetables and make jam and pies. He would work in the nearest big city and BBQ and brew beer on the weekends. We’d have kids, dogs and a fireplace and basically always look like we stepped out of the J Crew catalogue.

After we’d had our fill of deviled eggs and dreams, we planned to stop by the furniture place to admire the table one more time but the shop was closed up and the table moved back inside, so we decided to end our Andersonville adventure there. I wish I had a picture of this table! But you will have to settle for this one of me admiring the local fall decor.

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Day 26: Hocus Pocus

I had planned to go out for a drink after a two-show day at work. But, as is wont to happen, I was extremely tired when I got home and not interested in going anywhere. The plan was for my husband and I to go meet one of his friends in from L.A. so he just went without me and I decided to watch a Halloween movie from my childhood: Hocus Pocus.

This 1993 classic stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, three witches who were hung during the Salem witch trials when they were discovered sucking the life out of children to remain young themselves. However upon their death, they vowed to return and seek their revenge upon Salem when a virgin lights the candle in their old house, which is, in the present, a museum. The candle gets lit by a California cool guy new to Salem trying to impress the pretty girl. The sisters come back and are perplexed by modern life, things like the city bus, television and Halloween costumes. Meanwhile, with the help of a 300 year old talking cat (he is really a boy who tried to rescue his sister from the witches) California guy, his little sister and pretty girl fight to get rid of the sisters once and for all.

What I like about watching movies from childhood is that I can both remember how the movie made me feel when I first watched it (terrified) and how it makes me feel now (silly, delighted). I can also appreciate some of the elements in a whole new way. For example, Winifred’s (Bette Midler) Emperor-like ability to manipulate people with lightning that shoots out of her hands, the cat/boy getting totally flattened by a bus and then re-inflating, er, coming back to life, and the rousing musical number that leaves all the parents totally incapable of helping in this crisis (I Put a Spell on You).

Whether its Hocus Pocus or some other gem, I highly recommend revisiting a favorite childhood movie if only to laugh in wonder at how you could fall for such childish foolishness. And then maybe do it again.

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Day 25: Home Baked

Sometimes, after a long week, all you need is a warm chocolate chip cookie. Normally I like to bake cookies from scratch but I don’t always have the luxury of time. Tonight, store bought dough (all natural) did so much better than expected.

Out of the oven, they were gooey in the middle but nice and crunchy around the edges. Topped it off with nice tall glass of ice cold milk and Project Runway. Ah. Life is good.

And using store bought dough allowed us to make just enough for two people and save the rest for another night.

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Day 23: Holidays are coming?

On the list if things that bring me joy, you will find the Holidays very near the top. I love that time of year from Thanksgiving to the New Year. All the baking (eating), decorating, football, first snows, presents and general sense of cheer and love. In October, I start to get the itch but usually suppress it. Let’s be clear, I do not condone putting out Christmas decor before Thanksgiving. Maybe that is why I went for the glass pumpkin and pumpkin candles at Foursided the other day.

Looking through all the photos from the shoot this morning, I got an idea. Design a holiday card! (Ok maybe I had this idea when I originally requested the time slot for pictures. And maybe I withheld that information from my husband to ensure he would be on board. Because maybe I was having major regrets about our decision not to send cards last year. Not that he’s a grinch or anything. He just doesn’t totally understand why I love the Holidays so much). So for the holiday cards we will definitely be sending this year, why not make it personal? I love getting family photo cards, especially from my friends with kids. What better for my husband and I than a family photo with our dog?

And I do enjoy a good photo project (really iPhoto makes it so easy) so I picked a layout, incorporated the perfect picture and chose some words of cheer for the message. All I have to do now is order the appropriate amount. A little bit of holiday joy this morning to tide me over until the real celebrating begins.