4-Day Weekend

It was a busy one for sure. In addition to Thanksgiving dinner with Jon's family (no, I did not take any pictures... bad, bad me!) we also had 3 other fun-filled days in Chicago. On Black Friday, we ate at Greek Islands (YUM!) and then braved the manic crowds at the American Girl Place. OMG, was it crazy!!! I had promised Sophie that she could get her first AG doll on her 6th birthday, so... since her b-day is next week, I had to pay up now or hear her whine non-stop until we dragged our sorry butts back up to Chicago.


Up there at the top is a picture of Sophie, Sydney and I in front of the AG store (that white-haired woman behind us that looks like she wants to cast an evil spell on us with her death stare is NOT related to us. LOL!)

Here, on the left, my girls pose in font of the store with my brother-in-law's fiancée, Alicia.

Sophie had a great time picking out her doll, although at times she seemed a bit overwhelmed by the options (and the large crowds). She found her "Just Like Me" doll (sans the freckles) and picked out a couple of extra outfits. Here she is posing with her new doll, who she named "Sophia."



The following morning, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting two of my favorite boutique ladies... Ash, from in.full.bloom, and Judy, from willarie. We had coffee and chatted for a while at this quaint little coffee shop in Schaumburg and then Ash had to leave for a long road trip back to her home town of Memphis, TN.

Judy, Patty & Ash at Caribou Coffee, 11/24/07

Judy and I drove to Vogue Fabrics in Evanston and spent a couple of hours browsing over there. I picked up a few things that I hope to use in the coming weeks. :) Time sure does fly when you are having fun! Our stomachs started to growl and we realized it was near 12:30 pm so we headed for a bite to eat and then back home. It was a blast gong fabric shopping with one of my favorite eBay/Etsy designers!!! Thanks, Judy! Hope we can do it again soon. :)



That afternoon we embarked on a short road trip to a tree farm in the North-West part of Illinois where my brother-in-law, Sean and his fiancée, Alicia, picked out a fresh tree and actually chopped it down themselves!!! Here they are, sawing the trunk of their new Christmas tree. Back in the cabin, Sydney got to meet Lumberjack Santa and tell him what she wanted for X-Mas... "Barbie Car" she said in her sweet little voice as he nodded and said "Uh-huh" with his nasty tobacco breath! LOL! Sophie refused to go anywhere near him... smart girl! ;)



On Sunday, Sophie & Sydney took a cooking class for kids at The Chopping Block. They absolutely LOVED this activity and I would strongly recommend it for any kid who loves to help out in the kitchen, like mine do. They got to make crackers, chicken & rice soup and finally decorate sugar cookies with icing & sprinkles (their favorite part!).





After a hearty lunch at a nearby German restaurant and a quick trip to IKEA, we headed home, late Sunday afternoon. It was a great 4-day weekend!