So that's what they mean when they say "quilted"

I just don't even know what to say, except, every time I enter the bathroom at our church here in Hyde Park, this is what I see.  And so I'm finally sharing it with you.  (Yes, this is now the second time I've taken a picture in a bathroom.)

Marvel at its beauty, friends.

And without further ado, I bring you "Quilted Midwestern"

(Not to be picky or anything, but for some reason it annoys me that it's out of order.  I'm just saying.  Unless the person between square one and two used a lot of...well...you know...)

Friday Round-Up

Praise the Lord, it's Friday! Here's what happened this week.

1. I somehow pushed the cork of our wine bottle INTO the bottle, instead of pulling it out. What can I say? I can do amazing things. I also sprayed red wine all over my white shirt in the process. Awesome!!

2. I drank 20 full glasses of water at work over the course of the week.

3. It snowed. Again.

4. It was butt cold. Again.

5. I finally got a new pair of jeans that look halfway decent.

6. I learned who invented the stoplight. (Thank you, Breakthrough youth Black History Month celebration!)

7. I made an awesome PowerPoint.

8. I successfully kept myself from mindlessly watching TV. We did watch Lost, but that's not mindless. AND, Lost (and new episodes of The Office) are part of our Lenten agreement with God.

9. I purchased our tickets to DC for Easter.

10. I arrived EARLY to work 3 days.

11. I almost ran out of gas twice.

12. I brought my lunch to work 4 out of 5 days. And the other day doesn't count because we were celebrating all the February birthdays.

13. I added 30 people on my LinkedIn profile in an office competition. And I would just like to say that what should matter is how many you have, not how many you can acquire in two weeks. I'm just saying.

14. I did the "2:30 Candy Dance" around the office. Don't ask. It's sorta scary. And there might be children watching.

15. Umm...probably lots of other stuff but those are the standouts.

Ok, so when I list it out like that, it doesn't really amount to much, does it? But hey, it's the small victories, right? RIGHT?!

Have a great weekend!

An Open Letter to Target

Dear Target,

Let me say this up front. I love you. (This is not to say that I don't have a problem with some of the things you do, but...well...I'm working through it.)

Now let's be honest. If I'm looking for quality, or something that will last me more than, say, a year- give or take a few months- I'll turn to my other loves (Banana Republic, Nordstrom's, local boutiques) to get the job done. And if I want jewelry that I will literally wear forever, I'll probably try and convince M to buy me something from Tiffany's again. And if I need a staple pair of shoes that I'll wear at least 4 times a week, Kate Spade is my girl (ok, so this has only happened once, if you don't count the adorable KS wallet my sister got me for Christmas. But still, a girl can dream, right?)

But I love you. I love that I bought the wreath on our door (the one that's been hanging there since September) from you for $19. I love that I can buy three new pairs of pants (because my other ones don't fit and I don't want to invest in really nice pants until I'm at my goal weight) on our current budget and not hyperventilate. I love that toilet paper is so cheap, but I don't have to buy 14,589 rolls like I would at Costco (I've got bigger issues with Costco anyways). I love that you make cute lingerie for lingerie showers, and cute baby things for baby showers and cute birthday cards for birthday parties...and everything in between.

But.

Seriously?

Your entire shoe section yesterday was sandals. Flip flops. Open-toed heels.

Really?

You realize that I live in Chicago now, right? CHICAGO. Where it hasn't been above 35 in about two months. CHICAGO. Where it's odd if there's not at least some snow on the ground from November through March. CHICAGO. Where it won't be time for sandals until, well, probably June. All I wanted was a cute pair of boots (since I left my last ones in a hotel in Atlanta). In February. When people are still wearing boots. And will be for another two months. Is that too much to ask? I know, I know, you roll stuff out in your stores nationwide. But last time I looked it ain't real balmy around most of the country right now. I'm just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong. I'll continue to love you. I'll continue to buy cute clothes from you (oooh, and maybe bathing suits in a few months!) and I'll still buy your toilet paper and laundry detergent and makeup brushes. And I'll still turn to you for cheap wrapping paper, cute cards and other gifts. But. You let a girl down, Target. And I think you deserve to know.

And since I know you're probably feeling horrible about all this, I can send you my address for some "we're sorry" gift cards. It's the least you can do, right? I couldn't agree more.

Love,

Hyde Park Heroes

Did I mention I know* Meryl Streep?

Last year for my birthday, M and I traveled with our good friends Katie and Dave to New York City. (Sidenote: have I told you how much I miss being able to get on a bus and go to NYC? Seriously. If I tried that from here it would 1. cost a bajillion dollars and 2. take a bajillion hours to get there.)

If I could recreate that weekend every time I go to NYC I would. Why? Well I'll tell you why. First off, it was New York fashion week and WE were there. Not guests inside, mind you. But there, all the same. The list of famous people we saw is too long to list, though I will mention Heidi Klum (who is beautiful, but looked a little orange) and Whitney Port and that horrid Olivia girl. I felt like a 13 year old all over again, taking pictures of famous people! Not that I really did that when I was 13, but, whatever.

And then...my uncle also happened to be in the city and told us about this phenomenal jazz venue in Harlem. And by venue, I mean woman's living room. Every Sunday, Ms. Eliot opens her Harlem apartment up to anyone and everyone to come and experience some of the world's best jazz. She serves hot wings and kool-aid, and charges a great "zero" for entrance. If you love jazz, you must go to Ms. Eliot's living room before you die. Nearly all great jazz musicians have played there at one time or another.

And in case those two experiences weren't enough, we had reservations that evening at Babbo down in the West Village.

Sound familiar? It's Mario Batali's restaurant. I love him! Even his orange Crocs, which I normally hate. But seriously, that man can pull them off. (Note, I saw him a few weeks later and, sure enough, he had them on. In early March. In New York.)

When we walked in, I checked in with the hostess for our 9:30 reservations, and then just sort of stared off into space while we waited. You know how it can sometimes appear that you're staring at someone, but you're actually not seeing them? That's how I was...just sort of looking, but not seeing. Until. My eyes started to focus on the object I had been looking at. (Focus. Focus.) Hey...that looks like... (focus)....hey, whoever it is is looking back at me and smiling (focus)...HOLY CRAP THAT'S MERYL STREEP LOOKING AT ME AND SMILING!! Of course, as any woman would do, I immediately whisper as quietly as possible, "KATIE! THAT'S MERYL STREEP." (I'm really classy like that.)

My obvious next thought is, So if Meryl Streep is here, who else is? Why look, there's Maggie Gyllenhaal with a big group of friends. And Rachel Zoe, back in the corner with her husband. And, what's that Dave and M? Meryl Streep is with JIM FROM THE OFFICE? Holy crap. We're like in the pantheon of actors and actresses I like. (And stylists.)

So that's how I know Meryl Streep. *Granted, she doesn't know my name, but we made a connection, you know? I could just feel it.

Oh, and the food was the most amazing food I have ever eaten and it was one of my best birthdays ever.

In fact, it was all so great that I returned to NYC a few weeks later and went to Babbo again with my friends New York Meg and New York Nancy (and DC Mandy), for Meg's birthday.

And ran into Luke Wilson.

But that's another story.

J. Crew Jenna: Who are you and why should I want your picks?

So additional pounds (I’m workin’ on it!) have certainly retired a lot of my clothing, but I still like to think I’ve got some style, and I certainly have a husband who has a good style eye (I’m not kidding). While the woman of yesteryear who spent lots and lots of money on clothes has all but vanished (those Kate Spade shoes were majorly on sale!!) I still receive clothing emails from J. Crew, Banana Republic, Nordstrom’s and Daily Candy (looking for great deals on winter clothing for Chicago, of course).

So today I opened my latest J. Crew email and was accosted by something called “Jenna’s Picks.” Jenna Bush? (I thought J Crew was all about the Obamas these days). Jenna Jameson? (If you don’t know who that is do NOT google her. Seriously. Trash. I'm not linking to anything of her!) Jenna Elfman? (anyone remember her?)

After a little googling of my own, I figured out that “J. Crew Jenna” (hereafter called “JJ”) is the Creative Director of J. Crew, and has been doing this “Jenna’s Favorites” thing for a while now (how am I just now picking up on this?) Hmm. Ok, that’s nice. She’s probably got a good handle on what’s cool, chic and in style right now. But let me get this straight. JJ, who is a top employee at J. Crew, is picking out her favorite J. Crew pieces and emailing them around to J. Crew followers, so they’ll go into their local J. Crew so they can get their J. Crew on. Umm, am I supposed to believe that JJ is an unbiased observer? Or that she “just happened” to choose that $100 alligator turquoise blue belt over the other turquoise blue (what can I say, J. Crew loves the color) belt that’s on sale for $19.99? And that the SAME strapless patchwork madras dress they’ve been hawking the last 5 years is still cool? I guess “preppy” never goes out of style. And that I REALLY need to buy these eleven new pieces every season (don’t forget “resort”, “late spring” and “Indian Summer” collections!) to stay in style? How come she didn’t pick everything? Shouldn’t she love it all as the Creative Director? True, the email does link nicely to the whole kit and kaboodle on the website. I have to say, though, it sort of weirds me out that J. Crew Customer Relations is based out of Lynchburg, VA. I’m thinking Jerry Falwell would probably not have approved of this season’s short shorts. I'm just sayin'.

So thank, Jenna, for your picks. No doubt you know your stuff. But I think I’ll be looking for a chic “no frills”- as you describe it- white dress that costs a little bit less than $115, and a cute new satin clutch that comes in at less than $150. It IS an essential for the “sort of spring but sometimes cold and sometimes hot” season. Thanks for reminding me.