where the onion grows

Recently, I discovered that you can grow an onion from an onion. This is a typical red onion that was bought in a grocery story. I also learned that, left to its own vices, the onion will start to sprout, using the bulb as its food source. I decided to do a little science experiment. I planted the sprouting bulb to see what would happen. The once albino green leaves from the lack of sunlight are now a deep forest green and growing quite nicely. I am not sure what will become of the rogue onion just yet. We will wait to see how well it does.

tommy turns 2

the birthday boy

the little kids hanging out before cake and presents.

the big kids hanging out before cake and presents.

hyde park's got art

We headed to the south side to go to Chicago's oldest juried Art Fair in Hyde Park, the 61st Annual 57th Street Art Fair. The streets were lined with white, tented booths that were filled with artist's work from all over the states. The booths showcased the art pieces in a variety of medias - Paintings, pottery, silver jewelry, photography, oils, bronze sculptures, and hardwood music boxes. It made even the not so musically inclined seem inclined, which made me inclined to buy one. I settled for a business card with the website on it.

Some of the artists did not heed Tom Skilling's warnings of storms and lost a few delicate pieces in the strong gusts of wind. It wasn't the wind, but the sudden downpour that caught us off-guard on our dash back to the car. We were held captive by the storm in the courtyard of Frank Lloyd Wright's quintessential prairie style home, the Robie House. After a few minutes, we meandered into the gift shop to wait out the onslaught of rain. Seeing that there was not going to be a break in the rain anytime soon, we broke down and purchased ponchos. With all of the Frank Lloyd Wright patterns printed on all types of materials - glass, tile, metal, paper, I half expected the ponchos to have a prairie style pattern printed on it. No such luck. It was just a clear garbage bag with a hood, but the plastic case the poncho was packaged in did have a Frank Lloyd Wright sticker on it.

wedding bling

I wondered how much the average blessed event would or should cost. One source stated $55,110 for a wedding in Chicago, IL. A few lines below this statement, there was another statement. It was a disclaimer stating that 82% of the weddings cost less. I am in the same boat as the 82% and not the crack pot who wrote that ridiculous disclaimer. No offense to those wanting the blingy-est of weddings, but that's not my cup of tea.

A few, more reputable, sources in the wedding industry gave an average of $19,000 - $25,000. Now, after comparing it to the $55k average, this seemed to be a great bargain. I thought to myself, 'I just saved $25k.' Then, after thinking about it, I realized that the 'bargain' wedding is still a jeep wrangler, or the amount you would spend on fueling up your small suv.

Is there a point to these average numbers? Not really. No one can really tell you how much it is going to cost. However, there is hope. It's what I like to call math. As a starting point, the overall budget can be broken down into general categories. It helps to give you an idea of where the money is spent. It's not all that fun when you see the real numbers, so let's keep it old school upbeat. In the immortal words of MC Hammer, let's. . .'break it down . . .'

• Reception: 50% (Site fees; rentals; caterer; beverages; cake)
• Ceremony Site: 2% (Location; officiant; marriage license)
• Wedding Attire: 8% (Gown; accessories; groom’s attire)
• Photography/Videography: 10%
• Flowers: 10% (Bouquets; boutonnieres; décor)
• Entertainment/Music: 4% (Ceremony; cocktail hour; reception)
• Stationery: 3% (Invitations; programs; thank-you notes)
• Wedding Rings: 2%
• Transportation: 3%
• Gifts: 3% (Attendant gifts; favors)
• Tax/Tips: 5%

Death Cab for Cutie at Millenium Park

Tuesday night, the sky threatened to rain all night, but only succeeded in creating a foggy, yet dramatic, back drop for the Pritzker Pavilion in Millenium Park. The seats of the Pavilion were filled and the lawn was overflowing with fans who were here to see for Death Cab for Cutie play the sold-out show.

While we did not have rock star seats, we were able to hear the rock stars from our seats. The lawn acoustics were enhanced by the open steel structure overhead that was decked out with speakers. The pavilion structure was also equipped with lights to help kick out people at the end of the evening. Oddly enough, the only thing not on the pavilion structure were pigeons. All in all, it was a perfect evening filled with good music and good company.

go cubs go

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we set out to see the Cubs play the Rockies with the infamous Pekkarinen clan on their annual family outing. As always, a good time was had by all. Except for the first base empire who left early due to a hamstring injury. Regardless of the calamity, the Cubs came through with a 5-4 win over the Rockies. The win gives the Cubs the best record in baseball going into June, similar to their season in 1908 when they won the World Series. Best record or not, any time the Cubs win, it always feels like they just won the World Series. For more pictures, click on the scoreboard.

Dempster on the mound

Urban Farmer - Part II

Just in case you were wondering how the urban farming was progressing . . . The herbs are still growing.

Sweet Italian Basil

Columbine Harlequin Mix

Thyme

For the love of the cubs

For a true cubs fan, nothing will stop them from watching the game. Last Tuesday night, the fans were bundled up like snowman to keep warm for the wicked wind that whipped through the stands at Wrigley. A few sought refuge in the bathroom for warmth. And we all know that seeking refuge in a bathroom is dire and must mean love.

Last Thursday night was no different. An anonymous cub fan battled it out with a steel pole in order to watch the game. This die-hard cub fan was seated 1 foot clear of the pole with 3 open seats to his left and 6 open seats behind him. Why wouldn't he move? Cubby Love.

Take a closer look at the photo and you may spot the Prior jersey in front of him. Prior is gone. Cut your losses, remove the letters and keep the jersey. Now that would be Cubby love.

While watching the game, some nut bag of a vendor would walk by and scream, 'PEANUTS!@?!' with a hair-raising scream that was absolute murder the ear drums. There was no love from him.

There was a little bit of chaos on the field as well. Luckily an old friend, Ron Santo, sang the 7th inning stretch and Kerry Wood closed in the top of the ninth to make things right again in Wrigleyville. Cubs beat the Rockies 8-4.

wedding ettitude

One thing that I have noticed about planning a wedding reception is that there is a distinct wedding attitude and etiquette that people tend to follow. I like to call it the wedding ettitude.

The wedding industry tends to put on an ever-joyous disposition along an oh so gentle demeanor. They also have an up-charge for wedding services. This is a possible reason for their ever-joyous ettitude and kid/ white satin glove treatment.

Then I thought about it some more. It could also be out of fear of what may happen if the bride is mistreated. You might be singing a different tune. Instead of 'Here comes the bride,' it could be Talking Heads, 'Psycho Killer.' For those out of the reality show loop. Bridezilla is similar to the comic hero, David Banner, when things spiral out of control, her face turns colors and busts out of her normal self and into a Hulkified, tattered state of emotions. Not a pretty sight, but it is pretty entertaining on reality tv.

Maybe that is just the way the industry has evolved and what we come to expect. After all, it would be odd if a used car sales man treated you like a wedding consultant. Likewise, it would be odd if a wedding consultant treated you like a used car sales man.

Architecting for kids

The budding architects of the Sycamore trails 6th grade gained some hands on experience with basic model building and designed new training facilities for alternative Olympic sports. Being green designers, each design incorporated a renewable energy source and a recycled or reclaimed material. Take a look at their designs . . .

Kangaroo Boxing in Australia. The kangaroos are inside the big box. The fenced in yard has barbed wire to keep the kangaroos in, but allows for the delivery truck to move circulate in and out of the property. If you are in Australia, you can sit in the bleachers and watch the kangaroos train.

Gazelle Track & field in the Sahara Desert. The food and training buildings, which are made of sand, use both solar and wind power. The gazelles use block training to strengthen their legs located at the far end of the facility.

Bulldog Shot Put and Power Lifting in Stonehenge. This solar powered building reclaimed the existing rocks at Stonehenge to form it's new wall. The facility includes a weight lifting area to strengthen the bulldog's jaw muscles and shot put area for the dog to practice.

Elephant Rollerblading in Timbuktu. This facility used solar powered elevator, and a mixture of wind and biomass energy to power the facility. The pygmy elephants use the elevator to get to the second and third levels. Can you find the emergency pole from the tower?

Alligator Wrestling in the Everglades. This facility used the tattered remains from the hurricane disasters to build a new facility. The outdoor wrestling arena has high fence to keep the alligators in and people out. Can you see the solar panels on the roof of the building?

memorial day weekend means bbq

Certain holidays trigger certain things. For example, think about Christmas. At Christmas, you can count on decorated pine trees, cranky shoppers and a present or two. On the country's birthday, you can usually find various patriotic things in red, white and blue along with a decent fireworks show somewhere nearby. On Sweetest day, well, you can count me out. However, I am all for Memorial day because that usually means a nice b&b - beer and bbq.

To support my holiday theory, we went to a bbq hosted by Toni and Henry. This was not just any bbq. It was a birthday / gaming / memorial day bbq for all ages. It was all ages because she had both the younger Wii and the more mature PS3 set up for gaming.

Since maturity was irrevelant in this case, the apartment was divided up between the two clicks - PS3 rockers in the front and the Wii jocks in the back. That's what happens when you have a decent paying job, no kids and credit - lots of toys.

It's a lot of work being a tree hugger

It's spring and that means it is time to plant. This year we're planting trees and bulbs.


Step One. Buy a tree. What type of tree should I buy . . . deciduous, coniferous, ornamental - oh my. Simply put - deciduous have shade in the summer and leaves to rake in the fall. Coniferous are ever green. Ornamental trees are pretty and typically smaller deciduous trees that are colorful or flowering. Check out Chicago Botanic Garden for trees that grow best in the Midwest.

The cost of tree is typically priced by the tree's caliper - or diameter of the trunk. Similar to people, the older the tree, the larger the diameter. The larger trees are also more expensive the tree.

Step Two. Save the receipt. Most places will give you a one-year warranty to replace the tree. This is a good thing. If our steps are a little off the the tree doesn't survive the winter, we get to do it all over again, but the nursery's dime. Don't get too excited, it is still your sweat equity to return & replace the tree.

Step Three. Dig a hole. The hole is typically twice as big as the b&b, or ball and burlap. This the part that contains the tree's root ball. In my case, have Chris dig the hole and Zoe watch.

Step Four. Plant & water. Prep the hole with good planting soil and time-release fertilizer at the bottom of the hole. Remove the burlap and roll the tree gently into the hole and fill with planting soil. Cover with mulch to hold in moisture. Water generously.

Step Five. Wait to see what happens.

sit-down for dinner

Being urban adventurers, we decided to try out a new restaurant. The outside looked interesting. The facade was some sort of peculiar, yet creative, mesh of a castle and an irish pub. The inside was just as the facade represented - kind of castle-like and kind of odd. In this case, you could judge a book by its cover.

The host showed us to a table in the middle of the entry. We were at the table, so naturally, we went to sit down. The unnatural part is that neither of us were able to pull the chair out to sit down. I was very confused, but very determined to be smarter than the chair. This was not the little Parisian bistro table that you pull out to sit down. It was a big, wooden table with equally big, wooden chairs. When you pulled out the chair, it either got entangled with the table leg or hit the other people seated at the next table over. In order to sit, you had to perform the dukes of hazard slide through the window maneuver. It was the weirdest thing. At that very moment, I came up with a new rule. If you can't sit down at the table, you probably shouldn't eat there. An odd rule for an odd place.

Shortly after that, we ended up at another place, Red Star and sat in a booth. The food was decent and the beers were large.

Friday Night, Pitbull Fight Night

The search for a venue goes on

Originally we were thinking an outdoor reception would be fun. There were a few places that we looked into, but they just weren't the right fit.

One of the first places we found was on the lakefront. It was beautiful and serene. Unfortunately, there weren't any tables or chairs and it had limited amenities. It seemed better suited for a picnic than a reception. I realize we could have rented tables and chairs and the lot, but that seemed like a lot of work, and I am just not that kind of bride.

The second place we looked at had a gorgeous outdoor garden enclosed by vine covered brick arcade and planters overflowing with flowers scattered about the courtyard. The venue was stacked with amenities including a newly built, indoor, air-conditioned vestibule as part of the package. You might ask, how could you go wrong? Well, I'll tell you. They had very specific hours of operation and outdoor rules. In specific, two too many rules. Not only did the music have to be pre-approved, but the outdoor area had to be closed earlier than minor's curfew on a school night. As I said earlier, too many rules. So the search goes on.