Special Olympics Rubber Duck Derby

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Ryan’s buddy is on the board of the Special Olympics in Chicago so when he reached out to us about the Rubber Ducky Derby, we were so in.  For $25 we bought a “quack pack”- 6 ducks that would be dropped off Columbus Street bridge along with a few thousand others and “race” to the finish line near the Michigan Avenue bridge.

It was quite a to do–when I went to the river at 1pm to watch the “race”, a few tonssss of people were already there!

Half of the bridge was raised, a dump truck drove to the edge of the side that was still down and the ducks splashed down!

All money went to benefit the Special Olympics of Illinois and I was so touched by how many people were out to watched these ducks bob their way down the Chicago river.  Such an amazing cause to support on such a beautiful day!

For more info on the Special Olympics and how to support, click here.

Summering 2: Watermelon-Feta Salad

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2 things.

1) That watermelon that I cabbed home with?  It took me 20 minutes to cut the damn thing!  It was huge!

2) It eventually became this Watermelon-Feta salad- woo!

The sweet-savory combo was unexpectedly delish and refreshing.  It’s crazy easy too- simply cut up chunks of watermelon, 1/2 cup feta cheese, a healthy handful of chopped basil and finish by sprinkling a little bit of balsamic vinegar over the top.  Let it sit for about 30 minutes and the balsamic will mix with the natural sugars from the watermelon, creating the lightest, tastiest dressing ever.

Did I mention that I don’t want summer to end?

(I’m a bad blogger and forgot to take a pic of the salad- photo credit via)

Summering: Grilled Pizza

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Last night was a night for friendship, a night for food, a night to hang on to every last ounce of summer left- a little summer soiree, if you will.

I got the idea to do make-your-own-grilled-pizza from Hollywood Housewife and she was spot on!

I could NOT be more pleased with how well this turned out.  Everyone chose their own toppings (the spread included artichokes, sundried tomatoes, pepper, onion, chicken sausage, arugula, basil, mushrooms and mozzarella), we took the elevator down to the sundeck, threw them on the grill and drank wine until they were done.

How To: Grab a piece of naan (FYI: naan from Whole Foods is round and perfect for little pizza crusts AND comes in whole wheat and garlic flavor), brush on a coat of EVOO, top with whatever you want and put it on the grill for around 8 minutes or until everything melts.

It was great because everyone got to eat what they wanted and an interactive component to a dinner party was a fun way to mix it up/make things less formal.  Perfect for our girls night.

Oh and the Strawberry Summer Cake didn’t hurt either:

Summer…please don’t end.

(Big thanks to Shauna for turning me on to both HHW and Smitten Kitchen– you are an amazing resource for entertaining!)

If a Watermelon Could Talk…

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If this watermelon could talk, I am pretty sure it would be screaming “SUMMERTIME!!!!”.

Right?!

I knew picking the biggest one in the pile at Whole Foods was a good idea…the cab driver who made 7 bucks off the deal probably agrees too (walking home with groceries AND a huge orb of fruit is not doable).  But seriously- this is one gorgeous watermelon.

Stay tuned for what it turns in to…

Elvis is Alive!

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Well, I don’t know if he’s really alive but Fleet Feet has a 5k that is “more fun than a honeymoon in Vegas” (their words, not mine).

I impluse signed up for the Elvis is Alive 5k strictly because I think it is going to be hilarious.  When I tweeted this, Fleet Feet responded by asking if I was going to dress up.  Dress up?!?  Don’t tease a girl with the opportunity to play into a theme but dressing up for an Elvis-inspired road race?  I have no idea where I would even start.

Suggestions welcome.

Registration is still open, btw- sign up and be a part of the hunka-hunka burnin’ run here.

Book Suggestions?

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I just finished Erik Larson’s Devil in the White City (I learned so much about Chicago architecture…and murder.  So creepy.) and am in need of a new great read.

What are you reading right now that I absolutely must pick up?  I would love to know your favorite summer (and non-summer) reads!

Below DITWC are some of the books that have kept me up late at night in the past several years.  I definitely recommend all of them!

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist.

Because Babies Need Directions Too

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I have a friend who is a few weeks away from her due date and I was really starting to get worried about how her baby boy was going to get around town without getting lost.  Thank goodness I was reading Chicago Home and Garden magazine and came across this quilt that doubles as a map!  Now, Chicago babies can study a map of our fair city while snuggling up to this quilt in between naps.

Problem solved.

Seriously though- what a cute gift idea!