Our schools are on break this week, yet we are here, in town, not vacationing …. that’s okay, though, because spring is bursting out all over. Yesterday it was a record high 79 degrees.
On Saturday, we drove out to Geneva, IL, to run a few errands and visit this week’s bakery, Moveable Feast. Some of you may know it as the spot that makes “Oprah’s Favorite Things” Deeply Fudgey Brownies. I know it as the spot that makes “fruit salad that will change your life”, along with myriad yumminess in their prepared food and baked goods cases. We ate lunch outside on their patio (pictured above) and drank in the spring dampness while enjoying a turkey, cheese, and apple sandwich. To eat later, I bought a red white and blue salad that was out of this world good! (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pecans, goat cheese + lettuce drizzled with a fruity poppyseed vinaigrette) I also bought some adorable decorated cookies and some of the aforementioned fruit salad: I’m always up for stuff that will change my life! Check out Moveable Feast online for menus and shopping.
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Spring has definitely arrived in Chicago! It rained (and hailed) on and off all day yesterda. The air smells and feels like spring, which is a very good thing. More rain is on the way today, but I’m still going to try to get in a run outside.
So much is happening today. For instance, if you’re in NYC, it’s Tap Project day. For $1, you can purchase a glass of tap water when dining out, and the proceeds will help provide safe drinking water to children around the world through UNICEF. Today is also World Water Day, with events around the country.
Tonight is the premiere of This American Life – the tv show – on Showtime. Tell me about it if you catch it, please!
Today at noon (cdt), Jennifer Murphy updates her site with spring goodies. She’ll also be appearing on Martha’s show on April 2.
And in the purely trivial/egocentric, I’m hoping to find Vogue, Domino, and perhaps Allure at the nesstand today.
Have you noticed my current obsession with handbags? (see photo above) I am thinking about adding a new one to my collection. Can’t decide ….
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Figments, in Providence, RI, seems to have an amazing selection of merchandise – I say “seems” only because I’ve never been. Grace at Design*Sponge featured a gorgeous sofa they have (it’s now sold) and so I clicked over to see what else was new at the website. I found the greatest feature – what’s in her bag – featuring the contents of a purse, artfully laid out and photographed with notes. I adore the latest entry, as Christina’s bag is so elegant! Kind of like bottle reduction applied to one’s handbag. Check it out here. I love this concept so much that I still have a tearsheet from the October 1999 issue of Vogue discussing French artist Nathalie Lecroc’s sketches of handbag contents (see scanned photo above). It was to eventually become a published anthology, and I still hope that eventually, it happens. In addition, there’s Kate Spade’s book, Contents, a collection of photos of handbags and their contents. No matter – I love them all! I’m looking forward to seeing the next handbag feature at Figments.
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Indoor soccer ended on Saturday, and the spring outdoor season doesn’t begin until April 2 at the earliest, so I have some extra time on my hands. My Monday ritual of carpools, magazines, and podcasts has been set aside for a couple of weeks. Thankfully, I caught Friday’s “This American Life” broadcast on the radio, and I loved it – especially Ira Glass’ segment about television (who knew he was a fan of the OC?). As iTunes only offers the current show as a free podcast, I urge you to download it and listen. And if you’re a Showtime subscriber, the television version of TAL premieres on the 22nd. I saw one segment, about Chance the bull, and really enjoyed it, but the radio show is sublime.
the photo above is of our birch tree against the blue march sky.
This weekend felt very long – possibly because it started with a 5 am alarm on Saturday for my son’s two soccer games – hello, venti coffee at Starbucks! Also, I watched the longest (and worst) movie in recent memory: The Holiday. That movie could have used some serious editing. Two hours and 15 minutes of predictability. Consider yourselves warned. On Sunday, it was bonus day: a great article about Ina Garten in the NYTimes (with online bonus of an interview and a recipe for cheddar corn chowder). Then, at noon, the new camera! I ended up buying the D40, and so far, am very happy with it. I’m slowly learning all of the ins and outs: I’m sure there’s much more information buried in the manual, and I will get to it, but Sunday was devoted to charging the battery and then taking it out for a test-ride. I promise not to get bogged down with floral close-ups, but for today, here’s a willow bud – they’ve changed so much in the past week.
It’s also Bakery Monday, and today’s Daily Candy/Los Angeles entry features some that sounds like a lot of fun: Gourmandise Desserts will come to your house and teach a baking/pastry class. How great would that be? I’d be hard pressed to choose between Dinner Party Favorites, Decorated Cookies (I’m a sucker for royal icing), or Breakfast Treats. Alas, I live in Chicago, but that won’t stop me from visiting the website, and bookmarking it “just in case”. Have a great Monday!
