brunchy brunch.

while my mom was in town briefly in october (more to come on this later), we had a lovely brunch with my aunt and uncle, Kathy and Chuck. they left it to me to choose a place and i decided to yelp something and find a new place i hadn't been before. 

i choose the flower flat on addison - it had gotten great reviews. so i decided to go with it!

the front (or back) of the menu showing the front of the restaurant

so you can't read it, but this is the menu. lots of yummy breakfast and lunch choices.

my aunt kathy

my momma

chuck and moi

it was a super cute restaurant full of whimsy and fun. and sadly, not crowded at all... perhaps it was just the time we were there and they hadn't hit their peak yet. but the food was delicious and the space homey. i really liked it! above is their book exchange... leave a book, take a book!

looking at the street from our table... pretty stained glass in the windows.

more fun decorations

it seemed like it must have been a flower shop previously... or perhaps that's just what they want you to think!

table settings... fun glassware. yummy juice.

they have handmade cards for sale too

i loved the framing of this: a brief bit about the restaurant.

pumpkin cookies

i actually baked a few weeks ago (yes, weeks ago now)! and the cookies were tasty! and easy! i'm quite proud of myself... maybe there is hope yet!

ps can i just say i love the red knobs on my stove? and my back splash tiles? i mean love. is that normal?!

and now for the recipe:

Prep:

10 mins

Cooking:

18 mins

Level:

Easy

Cooling:

15 mins

Yields:

36 cookies

 

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle Glaze over cookies.

FOR GLAZE:
COMBINE 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl until smooth.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Glaze (recipe follows)

tcw.

i'm famous! well, kinda. and only if you happen to read tcw ... which is a magazine here and stands for today's chicago woman. http://www.tcwmag.com/

check us out: autumn, me and erika at the lighthouse for the blind flair fashion event.

first bulls game.

after a long round of interviewing (with 8 separate folks!) last thursday, i got to go to my first bulls game at the united center on nov 8th. my friend, stephanie, is a big big fan of the bulls and she has access through her bosses for tickets in a penthouse suite. up to 20 people are allowed in each suite and so we picked a game and the group all got to go cheer on the bulls vs okc thunder. unfortunately for the bulls, they lost... but it was super close!

view from our suite: suite 56 (i think)

team warm up time

stephanie and me

our group of ladies minus a few not pictured: erika, jamie, beth, autumn, andrea, andrea, stephanie, me, lynn, megan, and lisa

some more of us: front row: lisa, andrea, autumn, beth, haley. back row: me, erika, stephanie, and jamie

i love these girls! andrea, andrea, autumn, me, and stephanie

kinda loving the colors and the view of the court. i'll be honest, i didn't watch a ton of the game, but i did have a blast! the suites were really nice, but i'll be honest... not sure penthouse has the best views... it's on the highest level - 8.

gotta loved the dessert cart that gets wheeled around!

decisions! decisions! they all looked delicious.

beth and me.

so meaningful.

gals, i neglected to do any posts on some of the most generous, loving, and meaningful things that you all did for me when my dad was sick and when he passed. and this post is not going to begin to do this gesture justice... but it's about time i tried...

on the day before dad's funeral (i think it was the evening before, maybe the day of?) the doorbell rang about a hundred times. beautiful flowers and plants were delivered... but nothing as special and as meaningful as this particular bouquet. i was in another room at the time and someone (probably mom's friend pat) let me know that the delivery was for me. i came in to the room and saw this gorgeous bouquet with tags attached to each flower...

The camera doesn't even begin to catch how pretty the ivory with a touch of pink and the purple baby's breath-esque flowers were. see all those white cards? 

turns out that each and every rose had a white card attached to it - and a note from a friend. a claremont friend. and while i didn't know until later, it was the amazing sarah lyman who put together this incredibly thoughtful and meaningful gift. 

yeah, don't mind my look - it became rather typical... the sloppy, not dressed or showered, hair piled on head, no make up look... but i'm pretty sure that as i read each and every note they brought tears to my eyes. i'm sure i cried. i cried a lot in those days. heck i still do. in any case, i have no idea where sarah got such an amazing idea, but i will always remember it.

amazing!

 

 

and while i can't name everyone now who included a note and gave me such an amazing gift, i did save each and every note and will forever keep them with the various cards and notes and things related to my dad in a memory box. thank you every one who was a part of such a special special gift!!! thank you for reassuring me and showing me your love and support.