Sherry's Movie Night

Sherry hosted a Girl's Movie Night. Her home was so beautiful and comfortable - it was a relaxing, fun evening - thank you, Sherry!

Happy Birthday, Linda!

Royce joined us for a short time to give the blessing before we ate.

Santa Clause 3 had us laughing and put me in the Christmas mood! It's so nice to spend time with friends.

Addendum: Field's Special Sandwich Recipe

I asked "Mr. Google" about the Field's Special Sandwich and found a recipe!

The Walnut Room. Marshall Field's Special Sandwich. Some things cannot be improved upon. In the 1970s I learned to make "Field's Specials" at a part-time job in the kitchen of Field's Old Orchard store, Skokie, Ill. These "sandwiches" are in fact mountainous, delightful salads. Two or three outside corporate owners later, the Special doesn't appear on any Field's menu (although the Walnut Room will make them on request)--but here is the step-by-step way to make it at home. I've also included my personal recipe for Thousand Island dressing. FYI: This is fantastic use of after-Thanksgiving turkey.

One fresh, crispy head iceberg lettuce
Three to five thin slices of freshly roasted turkey breast (white meat only), room temperature
Three-fourths cup thousand island dressing (recipe to follow)
One thin slice of aged Swiss cheese
One fresh slice of Jewish or other mild (but flavorful) rye bread
One to two teaspoons butter, softened
Two slices of your favorite bacon
Slice of hard-boiled egg
Slice of tomato
Olive and parsley garnish

Butter rye bread and place on a large cold serving plate. Cover bread with Swiss cheese slice, followed by one or two slices of turkey. Take a nice large outer lettuce leaf from the head of iceberg and set aside. Slice the iceberg lettuce in a few large sections and arrange a section on top of the turkey and Swiss cheese. Cover the open-face "sandwich" with big lettuce leaf. Top with several slices of turkey. Pour a very ample amount of dressing over the lettuce, allowing it to puddle slightly all around the plate. Place a slice of bacon and an olive on either side of sandwich mound. Place tomato slice and egg slice atop mound with parsley sprig. Serve immediately.

The Tradition Continues....

When I was a little girl, my mom started taking me to Marshall Field's at Christmas to see the Great Tree and have lunch at The Walnut Room. We would dress up and go "downtown" to the wonderful store on State Street in Chicago. The white tablecloths, dark paneling, it all felt so urban and grow-up. The servers were all older women, dressed in black. They would give you a slip of paper and a pencil. You would write down your own order and give it to them. We would often get Fields Special. A weird concoction. The bottom was a piece of pumpernickel bread, then turkey, bacon slices, a half a head of iceberg lettuce and then the whole thing was drenched in thousand island dressing. I've never had anything like it anywhere else. The ornaments on the great tree were all handmade. Marshall Field's had employees that whose sole occupation was to make the ornaments and decorate the tree. I'd get a kiddy cocktail - with a cherry! - and we'd order Frango mint pie for dessert.

Many details have changed - not necessarily better or worse, just different - but the memories created are the same. It's now Macy's instead of Marshall Fields. The servers are now a diverse group. You no longer write down your menu choices. And now it's me taking my daughter for lunch "under" the great tree. This year’s 45-foot-tall tree featured iconic ornaments from Great Trees of the past along with toys from Santa’s workshop, red bows and tinsel and thousands of lights. There is a fairy princess sprinkling fairy dust and asking for your holiday wish. We saw her but she didn't make her way to our table - which was okay, Maya was a bit overwhelmed by it all. Her favorite part of the meal - perhaps even the whole day - was the snowman ice cream dessert. He had a cherry for a hat, a marshallow for a head and twizler arms.

While we were eating dessert, my phone rang. It was Santa !! He wanted to know if Maya would come down to the 5th floor and see him so that he could give her something to take home for Daddy. Previous to this 30 second phone call, Maya wanted NOTHING to do with Santa. She would say, "Mommy, I don't want to see Santa, I'm a bit too shy." Well, the phone call changed everything! It was like magic. (Thanks, Mare!) Maya jumped up and down, "Let's go see Santa, let's go see Santa, NOW". So, off we went.

Unfortunately, there was only one Santa (wink, wink) so the wait to see Santa was horrid. I think it was about an hour an a half, even though there were only about a dozen people ahead of us. Maya lost a bit of her enthusiasm. Then when we got in the room with Santa, she did pretty well, she sat next to him (without me) and even told him she wanted toys for Christmas. The photographer snapped a picture - uh, oh - no memory card in his camera. By the time he came back, Maya was crying, hiding her head in my shoulder and refusing to have anything to do with Santa. So I sat next to him with her on my lap. Grandma promised Maya a lollipop if she'd look up and we got a picture. Not the best picture by a long shot, but we got a picture. Take a look - it's actually pretty funny when you know that Maya was just crying her eyes out, Grandma had almost fainted a few minutes earlier, I'm just trying to get one dang picture and Santa - well, Santa looks worse than all of us! I'm not sure what Santa's issues were, but the man is not photogenic! LOL! I've decided that the whole "picture with Santa" thing was invented by a cruel, cruel, greedy marketing guy with no kids.

In true Grandma-Mommy-Maya adventure tradition, we had lots of fun. As girls are supposed to do, we giggled at adversity. As girls are supposed to be, we were troopers! Even though Maya did say a few times, "I don't want to be a trooper." As girls are supposed to do, we didn't jump ahead of others in line, because we are good sports. Even though Maya did say a few times, "Waiting is hard. I don't want to be a good sport." LOL!

Back on the train and home to lamby, who Maya had wanted to leave in the car, but of course, decided later that might not have been the best plan.

All in all, as it always is with Grandma, we had a BIG fun "Girl's Vanenture Day" !


Waiting for the train at Dune Park station and looking for all the animals in the display.

Waiting for the train....it's coming! It's coming!
Looking at the zebra's in the FAO Schwarz toy department.

...and the unicorns.

Teasing Grandma with Charlotte, the spider.

Playing on the "Big Piano"

In the Walnut Room, in front of the Great Tree

Eating the Snowman dessert

Waiting and watching for Santa

Ahhh......THE picture. I feel like a Cubs fan - just wait until NEXT year.

Freebies and great deals

If you are watching your pennies these days, like I am, check out blogs! There are some really great ones out there with advice and contests.

One is dealseekingmom.com - check it out :)

Sunday

Painting at Grandma's house......

The Westchester Township History Museum hosted a "Victorian Christmas Party" at the Brown Mansion. The home was built in 1885. It has stained glass windows, hand-carved woodwork, and is restored beautifully. We went on a tour of the home, saw the vintage Christmas ornaments and decorations. An ornament collector had brought antique feather trees. Maya enjoyed the ornament workshop and made mouse, snowman, snowflake and bird ornaments. Before leaving we sampled the treats - cookies, candy canes and cream puffs.

Goofy, goofy, goofy

Well, in the middle of a snow storm, in the middle of the night (5:30 am), Mom and I drove to Michigan City for........ FREE CHOCOLATE AND BAG. Yes, we are crazy. We have this silliest thing going. Carson's occasionally offers something free - candle, candy - and a chance to win a gift card to the first X number of people that come to the store. It all started years and years ago, when the State Street Carson's gave away Godiva bars. I won a $25 gift card and got a candy bar. A woman waiting in line with me, said, "let's go to the other doors and try again" and the insanity began. State Street had ummmm, eight-some doors. That store is closed now :( and Mom and I will head out to Michigan City - three doors plus the mall entrance if they're giving them away. It's like a crazy-silly game. Even Wayne went with us once! Well, today, Mom got three bags, I got five (don't even ask). We didn't win a gift card, but we had lots of fun.

Then Mom went home, turned around and came back to go to the Winter European Market. We took Maya this time (she's too young for the Carson's silliness). She had so much fun and I was able to introduce her to my artist friend MaryAnn Pals. Mom and I told Maya that we were going to a "craft show". Well, Maya does "crafts" or "craft-time" at home, so when we got there, she wanted to make something :) Thankfully there was a vendor with inexpensive, put together yourself jewelry - our craft! Maya also had a chance to play a harp!

Then we took off for Kmart - they had double coupons today, I know, I know, I'm nuts.

A stop at Cappo's for a late lunch and some fish-watching and our shopping day was complete.

Whew! :)

Girl's Night

I can't believe I forgot to take a picture!

I went out tonight with Janet, Sherry, Myra, Annie, and Linda to the Valparaiso Holiday Celebration and then out to dinner.

Big fun, good friends!

Games and Gelato

Playing basketball....

Where does she learn this stuff?

Skeet-ball...... Nice form!

Okay, where DOES she learn this stuff?

Seeing the train and the gingerbread houses.....

Gelato time!

Showing how big your tummy gets after LOTS of gelato!

Today, we went on a mini-adventure day, and daddy came too! The highlights were skeet-ball, basketball, and gelato.

Shoe Shopping Fun

Grandma took us shoe shopping! We went to Lighthouse Place and Stride Rite. Maya was very, very patient when Grandma and I also wanted to do a little shopping. We did prompt her a bit, though, when we went into Coldwater Creek - talking her into walking around the store and quite loudly asking, "Where's the Creek?" A bit reminiscent of that older lady who said, "Where's the beef?" Maya got lots of laughs and enjoyed herself quite a bit, my little actress. Then she was rewarded with a ride on her warthog buddy.

Helping Chart

Responsibility......chores..... I decided to try to start Maya on having a chore or job at home. She's at the age where she LOVES to help, so I started a "Helping Chart". Even though the alliteration of "Chore Chart" was tempting, somehow there is drudgery associated with the word "Chore". I wish we had more kids, so I could put Maya and other kids on the chart, BUT since that is not to be, I had to put us, LOL. Wayne's helping job is to water the Christmas tree, mine is to vacuum and Maya's is to help unload the dishwasher. Everytime we do our helping job, we get a star and when we have so many stars (haven't decided yet), we can go to the store and choose a treat.

Flower Cart

One of Chesterton's florist shops, moved to a new, larger location. They're grand opening was fun - yummy treats for the eyes and mouth :)

Thank you, Cousin Pat!

Cousin Pat did some catching up! Thank you, that was SO sweet of you !!!

Finding a Christmas Tree

The day after Thanksgiving, I got up for the Black Friday sales at 3:30 am......crazy, I know. I'm a bargain hunter. I was very careful this year since we're trying to recover from the recent market downturns. I made a list before I left and pretty much stuck to the list. Everytime I got into the car after a store, I wrote down what I bought and how much I spent, to make sure it was something needed and a bargain. I've been checking sales prices since then, and so far, so good. I've become a very brave "returner". If I find something on sale somewhere else and I haven't opened the box yet - back it goes! Or, if I buy something that later I decide I didn't need - back it goes! No matter how small, no matter how cranky the sales clerk. I will say, though, I look forward to a day when I can return to carefree money-wasting (a little bit anyway), LOL. Someday, my reign as the "the queen of free stuff and coupons" will be over :)

THEN, after shopping, BIG FUN at the tree farm. We headed out for Guse Tree Farm in Wanatah. What a nice, nice, place. With happy, nice, employees. We had a great afternoon. Wayne drove the truck right up to the tree, the saw was sharp - awesome! Then we went for some free hot chocolate, a horse drawn wagon ride. Very fun!