Merry Christmas to All!

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Eat, drink and be merry! May the joy of the season be with you and your families. May you have a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Giving

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It's the season of giving! I've done my share of shopping for others. And who am I kidding, for myself! It's often easy to get caught up in the rush and the madness and forget about those less fortunate. The cold. The hungry. The lonely.

I wish I would have done more. I wish I would have volunteered time and not just money. I wish I would have remembered to adopt a family for Christmas. But I have to remember, it all counts. It all helps.

If you're still looking to do a good holiday deed, may I suggest a few options, because well, I did them!

Purchase a "checkbook" from Found to help their mission to save the lives. This fundraiser is only $30 and includes a checkbook full of coupons for Chicago businesses. My fur baby's daycare is affiliated with this wonderful organization.

Make a donation to the St. Vincent DePaul Seton Food Pantry. We just made a contribution in memory of my husband's friend's father who passed away two days ago. The family asked for this in lieu of flowers. It's a much better use of funds and benefits others.

Donate the spare change jingling in your pocket to the Salvation Army. You know they're ringing bells everywhere!

Whatever you do, please do something. We can always do more, right? I know I can. And should!

Dinner at Bar TOMA

 
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to dine at Tony Mantuano's newest spot Bar Toma. I have to admit, I was nervous when I got out of my cab close to 7pm on a Saturday night. With the hordes of shoppers milling about the street, I thought there was no way we would ever get seated. But we did. And within about 15 minutes! Woot. Woot.

Bar Toma features over 20 varieties of pizza, a mozzarella bar, gelato, an espresso bar, small plates of cheeses, apps and more and wines! Oh the wines! We were in the mood for white and our server recommended the 2010 Costamolino, Argiolas, Sardegna.

The place has a great neighborhood, casual vibe for being located among the hustle and bustle of Michigan Avenue. The service was great. And then there's the food.

Let me preface this by saying that the three others in my group only wanted pizza. It's what they are known for, but man, oh man, I wanted some of the small bar plates to start! I just need to go back. Soon. And try everything I didn't get to this weekend.

We started with the Bar Toma salad. Radicchio, arugula, carrots, celery, fennel, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, Toma cheese, capers, Volpaia Chianti vinegar. Do ever notice that when you order a salad in a restaurant, it just tastes lighter and fresher and way better than something you make at home? The Bar Toma was no exception. I could have seriously eaten the entire plate had I not been saving room for pizza!

The crust is thin, light and so very scummy. I love me some pizza and I have a big healthy appetite. I could have eaten an entire pizza on my own. Oh wait, I pretty much did. We had three varieties.

 
Margherita. Mozzarella, tomato, basil. Who doesn't love a good margherita?


Power. Spinach, garlic, mozzarella, pecorino Romano. I love spinach on pizza, and you can't get fresher than this. I had a piece, of course, but I was saving myself for something oh, meatier. And I only got one vote. So my choice?

Pork Belly Meatball. This was my baby. So stinkin' good. I had dreams about it that night. I can't wait to have it again.

The four of us also shared a Pizzelle Nutella dessert that included a huge mound of gelato. Awesome! The gelato was so creamy and flavorful that I ended up taking two flavors to go. For my husband, of course. No, I didn't eat another one the next day. Not me. (Liar!) 

I want to go back. Sooner than later. I want to try so many other things. I want to have espresso. If anyone needs a date for Bar Toma, I'm your gal! 

*All photos from the Bar Toma website because my cell phone pictures didn't do the food any justice.

Christmas Card

Christmas cards have all been sent. Now, it's my turn to share it with all of you. Can you believe Christmas is right around the corner?! Apologies for the low resolution. It's the proof. But that's okay. You get the idea who the center of attention is in our home. (Like you didn't already know.) Peace and joy to you!

*Card from Minted.

Catching up

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It's Sunday monring. I'm savoring a cup of coffee and snuggling on the couch with the pup. The hubs left for the Bears game hours ago. Enjoying the quiet. Time to catch up since I've been a bit MIA lately.

Someone asked the other day if I ended up finding boots. I did. At DSW, no less. Coconuts Becky boots. Cute and comfy.

Had dinner at Bar TOMA this weekend.  A full recap to come. So good!

Lots of boxes staring at me asking to be wrapped. However there's also a pile of magazines waiting to be read. Which will win out?

Christina over at Christina's Pop Life bestowed me with the Liebster, which means favorite or dearest, Award. Thank you for being so kind. And consider it passed along to all of you lovely bloggers.

How about that snow we finally had? Yeah, I loved it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Be Nice

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Giggle. Giggle. During this time of holiday madness, it's important to remember one is not the center of the universe. One is not the only person trying to do it all. One is not the end all be all. So, be nice. Be courteous. Be kind. Be respectful. Or face the wrath of moi.

Chicago Christmas Traditions

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We just need some snow! I know everyone complains about the snow and the cold, but in all honesty, I love it! Just look how gorgeous the historic Water Tower looks surrounded by snow and lights!

I'm in pretty good shape with holiday preparations. Just need to find something for the bro-in-law still. This weekend, I hope to make some holiday goodies (for gifts, of course!) like this Whiskey, Caramel, Marshmallow and Bacon Bark. You had me at whiskey. For reals.

Let's not stop there! I'd still like to squeeze in a ZooLights visit at Lincoln Park Zoo, walk to Christkindlmarket (probably during lunch one day!) in Daley Plaza and maybe even get all nostalgic about my childhood with a trip to MSI for the Christmas Around the World exhibit. I'd love to make these part of our seasonal traditions. (We've actually gone to ZooLights for the past three years, I think!)

Who's in? And what do you still hope to do this holiday season?

My Model

Hi! Remember me? Yeah, I'm swamped. So much to do. Not enough time. That means, not enough time for blogging, fo sho! Instead, I leave you with some photos of my little model. He's a professional. Ha!

All photos of my Finley-poo taken by John Caruso.

Doggy Daycare

Finley started daycare today. I'm sure he's having the time of his life. (And he'll be nice and tired when he comes home tonight.)

Daycare has a puppycam. I can't access it from my office. (Boo! Stupid security!) The hubs can though, and sent me a couple of screen shots. My captions are what I'd like to think is going on in Finley's head.

I don't know what all of these other dogs are doing, but I'm sticking by this lady.

I bet she has treats!

 

Okay, maybe I'll get distracted by this ball or this other dog's butt, but it's only because the treat lady looks busy right now.

His final thought? Mommy and daddy, who?

It's the Busiest Time of the Year!

I was singing the title of this post to the tune of It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! I've been a bit MIA lately. This is a really busy time. I mean, we've all got holiday shopping and planning to do, but I'm also in the midst of writing my marketing plans for 2012, so it doesn't allow for a lot of free time. And when I do have some extra time, I'm doing this!

Decorating the tree!

Loving the pup!

Spending time with the girls!

We enjoyed wine at my place, followed by a delicious Italian dinner at my neighborhood gem, Fiorentino's. It's always so hard to get everyone together, so Saturday night was wonderful. One of our group even made it back for a surprise visit from Charlotte. So much fun.

My company party was also this past weekend. On Friday we headed over to The Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier and then enjoyed some extra beverages at D4.

For those of you who asked, I shared my Spotify Christmas playlist on Twitter. It's 5 hours long. (Yes, I know, I'm totally normal.) I didn't put it in any order. But if you love Christmas tunes, it definitely gets you through the workday! Also, last year's mix is here. If you have any must-haves I didn't include, please share!

Lots of work to do. Happy Monday!