Category: Food

Weekend Recap (09/28-09/29)

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Saturday (09/28) we had planned to go out to St. Charles to visit a few birding spots but the weather decided to ruin those plans so instead we took advantage of a T-Mobile Tuesday offer and got free food from Tropical Smoothie Cafe for breakfast. We got a mocha madness smoothie (free), acai bowl (free), and the cali breakfast flatbread (paid), all of which we split and enjoyed.

Their food is really good but I wish they had smaller sized smoothies which cost less than $8+. The one size smoothies are huge and I would order from them more if they were half the size and price.

Later that afternoon when the rain let up we stopped at the library on the way to our town’s Harvest Fest. This fest is rather small without much to do for adults, but we knew the Girl Scouts would have a bake sale booth. I was really looking forward to some zucchini bread but they didn’t have any this year; I guess I’ll have to make my own soon. We picked up a few items including some really yummy “monster” cookies that were a mixture of oats, peanut butter, and chocolate.

Sunday (09/29) we went on a bird walk at Danada Forest Preserve with the DuPage Birding Club. We weren’t seeing many migrating birds so our guide, Robert (who looked a lot like Hal Sparks), decided to cut the walk short and said we were welcome to follow him over to the nearby Hidden Lake Forest Preserve where people had spotted a Sage Thrasher, a bird that should not be in this area at all, not even during migration. Its territory is in the western states, so people had been flocking to the area to get a chance to see it. I had heard about it prior to Robert bringing it up, but figured there was no way I’d know where to look, so hadn’t intended on trying to find it. But knowing he had coordinates from eBird (which I still can’t seem to figure out), I was excited to take a look.

When we got there we all ended up in the wrong parking lot (on the left instead of the right) but one of the guys in our group got in touch with Robert to find out where he was and we walked over toward the other parking lot. Sure enough, there was a group of people gathered staring at a bush near a bridge where the bird had been spotted. Then to my amazement it came out so we could all get a very good look at it. It was almost as if it knew it was a celebrity and was coming out to greet its fans, and we were the Paparazzi! I got so many good photos I’m still working on them, but I’ve included this one.

After that excitement we headed to the arboretum for a quick look around. It had starting misting out, though, so we headed over to Lisle Community Park to check out this year’s Barkapalooza. Wow, there were so many dogs there between the rescue organizations and people bringing their pets.

The sponsor, West Suburban Humane Society, had a huge bake sale where we got some really yummy treats.

Note: We tried almost everything and it was all so good, especially the rice krispie treat which was my favorite. The only one I didn’t love was the cranberry bread.

We really love Barkapalooza – it’s where I got one of my favorite photos with Wookie in 2018 – so it was disappointing that it was raining more and ruining our ability to hang out longer.

On the way home we stopped at Trader Joes.

We’ve always loved TJs but prior to rejoining the arboretum wouldn’t go there often, but now that it’s on the way home we’ve been stopping quite frequently. The granola is something we picked up last time we were there and I fell in love with it and wanted to get more before it was gone. I’m pretty sure it’s seasonal. We also got the fish nuggets a week or two ago and tried them on Saturday. I was pleasantly surprised how good they were (I’m not really a lover of fish) so we had to get more. They’re a quick meal made in the air fryer.

When we got home Sofi Tukker was still live streaming on Twitch so we turned that on while we ate lunch and beyond. I want to say they streamed two hours, possibly longer. The more I listen to their new album, the more I love it. Even though we have Spotify, I plan to buy the album on CD as well which I always do for my favorite bands.

The chickadees also came by to visit the feeder briefly, so it was an awesome afternoon!

Weekend Recap (09/07-09/08)

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Saturday (09/07) began with grocery shopping at Meijer followed by picking up breakfast from a new local bakery. We did not care for how they treated us at the bakery, nor their prices, and their lack of transparency by not listing any prices at all. That being said, I did enjoy their nutella stuffed donut and that was only $2.

I’d like to try the pistachio one possibly, if we decide to give them any future business.

After breakfast we headed to K’s house to have a puppy party! She was watching her brother’s and parents’ dog(s) while they were at an event and I was so happy to spend time with them both because they are so friendly & adorable! Her friend J joined us in the afternoon which made the day even better. Good friends and dogs, what more could you ask for?

Sunday (09/08) we went to Morton Arboretum for their Tails on the Trails event which happens twice a year.

We got there early to look for migrating birds first, but didn’t have much luck spotting any previously unseen birds, although we did see a rare bird – a black-billed cuckoo.

It was foggy out when we first arrived so I got a few cool photos of that before it burned off.

It was bittersweet seeing all the lovely dogs, as always. Someday I will be bringing a dog to these events, hopefully by the next large dog event in May next year.

Labor Day Weekend – September Dates

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Sunday (09/01) we shopped for groceries in the early morning followed by attending Septemberfest in Schauburg. It’s one of our favorite fests because it’s huge. They have more craft booths than any other fest around, plus a huge tent with tables and chairs to enjoy your food out of the sun. And did I mention how many bathrooms are available, along with hand-washing stations? Whomever plans this fest does a phenomenal job!

We parked on the southeast side of the fest just a few blocks away, but they offer free shuttle buses from three different area schools so those are a great alternative if you’re arriving later in the day when all the neighborhood parking is gone.

First we perused the craft booths since it was early (10:30) and the food booths weren’t yet open (11 am is their opening time). Once we did make our way to the food area, we decided to try a Polish plate ($12) from KD Market.

It included polish sausage, sauerkraut, a cabbage roll, a pork pierogi & a potato pierogi with onions cooked in butter. Everything was delicious!

After the food we ended up near the stage where different school bands were performing and listened to them for awhile before checking out the pond on the premises where ducks and resident swans live.

We also got an elote “bowl” from the Melting Pot’s booth but it wasn’t a bowl, more like a very small Baskin Robbins sized cup and it wasn’t very good either. Will be avoiding that in the future!

By that point we had been there a good two hours which is a long time for us so we were tired. I would like to check out the BINGO tent next year, though.

Monday (09/02) we went to the Wood Dale Reservoir which is where our guided bird walk was supposed to be on Friday. Even though it was listed as being at Salt Creek Marsh in Itasca, they really met on the other end which is the reservoir in the adjacent town.

We saw a lot of aquatic birds, as well as the big metal ones (aka planes) since O’Hare isn’t far and apparently the reservoir is below one of their landing paths.

Afterwards we grabbed some breakfast from a local Mexican place which ironically we had gone to exactly a year ago to the day.

I also wanted to try a new drink from Dunkin (almond spice iced coffee), which was not good. I don’t know why I keep trying the iced coffees at Dunkin – they always disappoint. Joe got a Nutty Pumpkin hot coffee and that was good, so I guess we should stick to the hot coffees there.

After breakfast Joe decided to wash our cars while I cleaned up the front door area, switched out the seasonal decor out front, then did some gardening out back.

This is the cute sunflower metal garden stake I found recently at Dollar Tree.

I bought a few so I can put them in back in mid-September.

We were both pretty tired after all that so we made hot dogs for lunch and relaxed the rest of the day.

August Recap

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08/04 (Sun) – We attended Carol Stream’s annual charity dog show. I was disappointed that our vet and former groomer didn’t have booths this year as it would have been nice to see them. We watched a few events but it was quite hot out without much shade so we didn’t last longer than about an hour.

That evening at 11:30 pm I was in bed when I heard what I thought was hooting. I thought I was hearing things since I’ve never heard an owl in the summer before, but sure enough, it turned out to be a Great Horned Owl in the pine tree behind our house. I sure hope it makes this area part of its territory and has babies.

08/07 (Wed) – I started feeling frustrated with the guy who was temporarily staying with our neighbor in order to attend said neighbor’s son’s wedding. In fact, he got married on the 3rd but the guy was still there. The problem – he would sit out on their patio all day smoking, effectively ruining my ability to relax out on my own patio because the smoke smell is disgusting. He’d be in and out all day long. Just when I though it was safe to go out there, he’d be back lighting up another cigarette.

One day I was already out there and had to leave when he lit up. I feel like if you see someone sitting that close you should go somewhere else to smoke, but I guess not everyone thinks about or cares how their actions affect others.

08/09 (Fri) – I noticed a distinct size difference between the cherry tomatoes growing on the plant in the planter (left) vs the cherry tomato plant we planted in the ground (right).

The in ground plant is smaller and took longer to produce tomatoes, but they’re much larger. They’re both the same exact plant too. Very interesting.

08/10-08/11 – Weekend recap

08/12 (Mon) – Joe replaced all 4 dampening straps in our washing machine. This is the second time this year they’ve needed to be replaced and the frequency is only increasing. I told him we need to bite the bullet and get a new one – the current one is 14 years old now.

08/13 (Tue) – I made Mexican cornbread casserole for the first time since spring of 2019. My weird health issues began one night after eating some leftovers of the dish so I couldn’t stomach making it again for years. Luckily I was able to eat it with no ill effects.

We found some unique canned coffees at Dollar Tree, like this Twinkie flavored one, that are actually really good (although it just tastes like vanilla, not a twinkie) and have some respectable ingredients which was surprising.

We also tried a Snickers flavored one which actually does taste like a Snickers. I’d buy them again.

08/14 (Wed) – I finally set up the RAID system on the NAS Joe bought last month and tested it by transferring over some files. It’s going to be a big project to get everything on there but luckily I started a spreadsheet a few months ago to track where certain files are stored and backed up, plus I cleaned up a lot of folders on my hard drives as well as Google Drive and Dropbox, so it could be worse. I think I will relegate that project to late fall when it’s too cold to be going outside much.

08/16 (Fri) – After much research and frustration, I ordered a new GE washing machine from ABT. I didn’t want another GE appliance, but they were the only top-loading machine (front loaders don’t work in our space) that could comfortably fit in the space we have and still offer the features I wanted (most notably, being able to choose the water height instead of relying strictly on auto-sensing). Most manufacturers have increased the physical size of their machines while keeping the capacity inside the same. They also have made them so tall that most don’t clear the wall cabinets when you open the door, so GE was our only option. That being said, it’s actually bigger inside than our old machine and has a lot more features, but didn’t break the bank ($500 after price match, Rakuten rebate, and manufacturer rebate), so hopefully it lives at least as long as the last one. I considered a Speed Queen but the price was more than double and the capacity was actually smaller than what we had so that killed that idea.

08/17-08/18 – Weekend recap

08/20 (Tue) – My friend C came over and we were able to enjoy the patio without any smokers (that guy finally went home) or landscapers (who lately just show up on any random day they please instead of the days they are supposed to be here) interfering. The hummingbirds were quite active, putting on a show of quarreling and even buzzing around us in curiosity. The weather was perfect too! I just feel awful that my friend is having a lot of cognitive issues. She’s in her late seventies and has been having severe memory issues to the point where she had to stop driving, so her husband drove her to my house and we drove her back home later once Joe got off work. She forgets what she’s saying mid sentence and gets understandably frustrated. It’s scary to witness because the same thing happens to me and I’m like 31 years younger than she!

08/21 (Wed) – At the end of July I ordered $300 worth of swimwear from Kohl’s because they barely carry anything in store. Out of the nine things I ordered, two worked out – a pair of swim shorts and a top that looks like a sports bra – which will replace my swim skirt that annoyingly floats up and my bikini top that was murdering my neck having to tie it tight enough to keep things in place. Now I have to return $220 worth of the rejects to the store and I’m not looking forward to it. I would much rather try things on in store and walk out with only what I need. Crazy concept, I know!

08/22 (Thu) – As soon as Joe got home from work we headed to the grand opening of the new Bibibop.

Luckily at 4:20 pm the line wasn’t too long. Outside there was a booth with a Plinko type game with prizes; I won a bubble pop fidget bracelet/keychain. Once we got to the front of the line outside, we each got scratchers and won a free cookie and a drink and then were ushered inside. They were also giving away free Bibibop for a year, which two people won while we were there, but we weren’t so lucky.

Everyone was really nice and the whole event was very well organized. I was impressed! You could tell they were prepared, and we only waited about a half hour total.

08/24-08/25 – Weekend recap

08/30-08/31 – Labor Day Weekend recap

Labor Day Weekend – August Dates

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Friday (08/30) we were signed up for a guided bird walk at Salt Creek Marsh in Itasca but woke up to rain. We decided to skip the walk, grab some food and coffee, and head to the arboretum instead (where ironically it didn’t rain any more). We saw a monarch butterfly caterpillar in one of the gardens, amongst other things.

Ironically enough, it was on the same day several years ago that we last saw one.

Afterwards we stopped at Trader Joe’s where we picked up some new stuff to try.

Today (Sat 08/31) we hit up the Batavia Farmer’s Market after I read they welcome dogs, and we weren’t disappointed by all the cute dogs we saw. Joe had coffee & I enjoyed a yummy passionfruit peach iced tea while we shared two pastries (which truthfully weren’t that good).

After the market we went to a forest preserve looking for migrating birds but there hardly any birds at all; even the resident barn swallows were MIA. Did see a new species of butterfly, though – Hackberry Emperor.

Afterwards we stopped at Old Time Pottery where I found this lovely butterfly garden statue that reminds me of Heimlich from A Bug’s Life. It was marked 75% off so instead of $15 it was only $3.75.

It has a solar panel on the back and the wings glow green at night if you turn it on. I’ve been leaving it off since we don’t often sit outside after dark (due to mosquitos) so why waste the battery?