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?

Weekend Recap (08/24-08/25)

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Saturday (08/24) morning we headed to Wheaton to check out their French market shortly after it opened.

There were so many booths – vendors selling fresh-brewed coffee, soaps, jewelry, pet items, fresh fruit and veggies, baked goods, and flowers, many many flowers. They weren’t cheap either, but so many people were walking around with bouquets.

There were also a decent amount of dogs. We saw the cutest Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. I could see how a place like that would be a good place to socialize a dog with all the noises, smells, and people.

We had eaten homemade breakfast burritos beforehand so we wouldn’t be tempted by all the goods, but then quickly regretted that decision. There was a tea booth in particular I’d like to try, as well as a booth selling mini breakfast pizzas which looked yummy.

We did get a very moist cranberry scone that we ate a little of while people watching. I forgot to get a photo before we dug in though.

After the market and a quick trip to Home Depot we chilled at home for a bit before heading back out to a local trailer & RV business that was throwing an open house, complete with free BBQ.

Joe teased me for wanting to go, but changed his tune after we were given what in my opinion is the best pulled pork sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. The meat was so juicy, tender, and flavorful, and they were really generous with the portion. The BBQ sauce was delicious as well, and I’m super picky when it comes to that sort of thing.

I ended up asking one of the guys handing out the food where it came from and was told one of the employees there owns a BBQ catering business and fired up his smoker at midnight to prepare. The place is called Pasatiempo Barbecue and I’m considering buying some food and that BBQ sauce from the site.

I was impressed by how much food and little gifts this place was giving to people and yet not applying any sales tactics on a single person. They left such a good impression that if we were ever in the market for an RV they’d be the first place that would come to mind.

With our bellies full of delicious BBQ, we went home and changed into our swim suits and headed to the pool.

We got a whole 15 minutes of the pool to ourselves before people started arriving, but it didn’t get overly crowded, so we spent almost two hours there. Most of that time was actually in the pool either swimming, or chatting with this one girl who used to live in the neighborhood and comes back frequently to watch her parents’ home when they vacation in Greece where they are from. She’s super nice and has a black lab that Wookie used to tolerate.

There was also this guy in the pool we didn’t recognize who was eavesdropping in on our conversation about the pulled pork sandwiches. He ended up leaving so he could go get some!

I’m not sure I entirely love the swim shorts I recently bought from Kohl’s, as I hadn’t considered how much they move around in the water, but I love the top piece! It’s like a sports bra which is much better than the bikini top I used to wear that would pull at my neck. As for the bottoms, I would have been happier with a bike short type bottom instead, I think.

After the pool we once again chilled at home for a bit before heading back out to the Festival of Arts at Lake Ellyn in Glen Ellyn. We browsed all the artwork and handmade items and ended up getting some toasted marshmallow gelato that we shared on a bench by the lake.

Despite the warm temps it felt nice in the shade.

Before leaving I bought a cute mushroom and snail figurine.

After the festival we grabbed some Baskin Robbins since there was a BOGO deal though T-Mobile.

I had checked their prices online earlier in the day so was shocked that the in-store price was much higher. Website said a double scoop was $5 but in store they charged $7.50. WTH? (I later learned I had been looking at the wrong location online and the one we chose to visit is just more expensive regardless of how you order).

After picking up our ice cream we also grabbed dinner from Taco Bell since I had a reward in my account. Healthy eating this day, as you can see!

Sunday (08/25) was all about errands. Grocery shopping in the early morning followed by some retail shopping at Kohl’s and TJ Maxx. I honestly don’t know how people can shop all day because it’s just exhausting!