In Case You're Wondering - I Moved to Wordpress

Hello! If you are looking for my latest Bright-Yellow posts, I have moved to Wordpress and you can read about all of my adventures (and opinions) by clicking here.
Thanks!

Hodge Podge Topped with Blueberries

Today's post is sort of a hodge podge of information.

First, a while ago, I posted about Good Day Extra, which has a daily offer (M-F) for Chicagoans. It looks like Good Day Extra has moved and can now be found here. I wondered why they stopped with the fantastic offers after June 17. After a little googling, I found the new location. They probably should have put that info on the old page but now you know!

Second, I'm making the transition to getting on bright-yellow.com. Apparently, I need to move from Blogger to Wordpress first (according to my "help desk" aka my brother who told me this is easiest). Yesterday I made that move and I think you can now sign up for Bright-Yellow email alerts from Feedburner (look at the top of the box on the right). So, after today, I will only post on the Wordpress site, which you can find by clicking here. I know it's not yellow - again, that's where I need some assistance from the "help desk".

Finally, today's Bright-Yellow item of the day... I came across the North American Blueberry Council site (there really is a council or association for everything!). The site has a lot of industry information but it also has a list of where you can pick your own blueberries! What a fun activity! For those who don't have a farm listed nearby, just pick some blueberries up at the local farmers market and make some of the yummy recipes listed on the site! Blueberry awesomeness!

Don't forget - send me your favorite summer wines and cheeses so that we can all enjoy them this season.

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow!

Some Summer Cheese for your Wine

I'm not reaching too far to come up with today's post - it's what we enjoyed last night. Jeff & I have friends in from out of town (with more coming) to enjoy some Cubs games. Two friends, Deb and Donna, arrived last night and since Deb lives near a fantastic farmers market in Michigan, she brought a bounty of fresh fruits and veggies (and home made bread from her friend Alice) for us to enjoy. Jeff and I stopped by Sam's Wine to pick up some cheeses and wine to accompany the spread.

We selected our wine after attending a sauvignon blanc tasting at Sam's a couple of weeks ago. After the tasting (and subsequent recovery), I declared Saint Clair Vicar's Choice by favorite of the night (Jeff loved it, too). If you enjoy a fruity sauvignon blanc with a lot of juicy flavor, you're sure to enjoy this wine, too!

As for the cheese, we simply guessed. We bought a tasty cheddar and a jack with chives from the cheese case. The only pre-packaged cheese, though, was the hit of the evening. We easily polished off the Moondarra honey pistachio cheese on the home made french bread - YUM! Jeff & I randomly chose the honey pistachio flavor but now I'm excited to try some of the other flavors, like fig and walnut (I don't like figs but my mom makes a yummy cheese spread with figs so I guess I like them with cheese!) and mango and melon, that Sam's carries. BTW - for the out of towners - you can order both the wine and the cheese from Sam's Wines - just click here for the Sam's site.

Now that we're in full-on summer, consider the Saint Clair Vicar's Choice and the Moondarra honey pistachio cheese for your next outdoor picnic or rooftop gathering.

Now I want to hear from you - what are your favorite summer wines and cheeses? Add them to the comments section and I'll post them all together next week!

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow!

Calling Both Clutterbugs and Neatniks...

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this site/blog, but I think you should stumble upon it, too! Whether you are a clutterbug or a neatnik, Unclutterer is for you. The editor and writers of Unclutterer describe it best: "Unclutterer features tips, organization strategies, product reviews, reader questions and more. We’re not a personal productivity blog or a site about interior design, but we still hope we can help you in those areas. Getting uncluttered and organized can be the first step to more efficiently tackling your projects and realizing a better-looking space." I'm choosing to unclutter my brain by using their words rather than re-invent the description!

A guest blogger wrote today's post about uncluttering for travel. A few days ago (July 6 - just scroll down the page a bit), Unclutterer posted 10 Uncluttering Things to Do Everyday - and these are super easy-peasy things we can all easily take on in an effort to make our life (and brains) a lot less cluttered! And, unlike dumb old blogspot here, the RSS feed at Unclutterer actually works so you can sign up for updates from Unclutterer! Hmmm... that my clutter up your email box but maybe in a good way!

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow.

Enjoy Free Outdoor Cinema

Thanks to those who made comments on last weeks' posts. Pam sent a great link to an Explore Chicago page that has locals posting their photo explorations of Chicago. Check out Life by the Lake by Eric Allix Roger - GREAT photos! This is a great page to check out as some of you make the adjustment back to the working world after the long weekend! The other comment came from Brad who suggested that you check out Rainbow Cone at 92nd and Western if you make it down to the 19th ward. I love Rainbow Cone at Taste of Chicago so I may have to make a return visit to the 19th ward for that!

Speaking of the Taste of Chicago, now that it's over, it's time to prepare for the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival! I love this series - just bring some food, drinks and chairs and enjoy movies under the starts. Sometimes it can get a little noisy but you're really there for the atmosphere anyway! This year's series features a lot of old classics like Sunset Boulevard (the opening film next week on July 14) and and Psycho. For a complete schedule just click here.

If you're not interested in heading all the way downtown, don't forget the Movies in the Park series that takes place all over Chicago. Tonight you can see Little Shop of Horrors in Lincoln Park or head south and see Iron Man in Tilton Park. Again, you just have to bring some food, drinks and chairs - easy peasy! For the list of upcoming Movies in the Park, just click here. BTW, Ferris Bueller is in Lincoln Park next week (the 14th) which may be where you'll find me - I love that movie!

Whether you're in Chicago or not, every town celebrates summer with tons of free outdoor activities. Visit your Park District or City Web sites to see what your town has in store for you! And, if you have any suggestions, be sure to add them to the comments section for everyone to enjoy!

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow!

Hit the Trails (and19th Ward Photos are Up)

I was going to write about the Mega Bus today because Jeff & I took it to Milwaukee for Summerfest yesterday. But, since Jeff & I agreed that we faced many public transportation issues yesterday, I think I'll wait and give Mega Bus one more chance before I write (or don't write) about it.

So, instead, here is REI's Passport to Adventure. The program is geared toward families and getting folks outside playing together. However, even for those of us without kids, the site has many listings for outdoor adventure across the country - no matter what age you are! For example, in Chicago, the site not only lists places such as the Chicago Botanic Garden but also the Skokie Lagoons which I have never visited, but now I plan to check them out! Another great site for hiking trails is American Trails which not only lists hiking trails but also mountain biking, horseback riding and easy walks.

For those who are curious, I have added the photos from my visit to the 19th Ward. Just scroll down below. I'm not sure which ward or wards I'm going to visit next week, but I'll definitely post photos and remarks about my visits!

Have a great Fourth of July Bright-Yellow friends!

Kiddo Travel & My Visit to the 19th Ward

This is an early morning post because Jeff & I are heading to Summerfest in Milwaukee (embracing the travel theme, I guess) for the day. Trying to find the upside of unemployment...

Today's travel tip comes from my friend, Kerry, who is a mom to an adorable little boy. I have to rely on the moms for the family travel and fun tips! This one, though, is good even if you don't have kids but want to be a kid at heart. The site Go City Kids gives parents (and non-parents) suggestions for things to do when visiting a new city or even your own city! The link above takes you to the Chicago page so that you can see how a city page is laid out. To visit a different city, here is the link to the general page. Go City Kids highlights upcoming activities like festivals and museum exhibitions as well as restaurants and classes. What I really like is that Go City Kids also gives an age range for each location - very important to parents. In fact, you can even search for places based on age (great for those with the pre-teens!). When I perused the site, I found that Go City Kids had a diverse selection of places and nice details for parents (and non-parents!). Check it out.

50 Wards by 50 Alderman: Day One
Yesterday I began my 50 Wards adventure. As I said earlier, I emailed all 50 Alderman to ask for their suggestions for where to visit in each ward. So far, only about 10 Alderman have replied but that is enough to start the adventure!

My first ward visit was to the 19th Ward which is down in Beverly (for a detailed map, click here). Alderman Virginia Rugai oversees this ward and she provided me with a fun and beautiful tour of her ward. Jeff and I began our tour with lunch at Top Notch Burgers (after an "interesting" drive to the 19th ward - I have now seen the end of the red line...) which looks like a typical diner but has super yummy burgers and super nice servers! I had a turkey burger that was delicious but Jeff's beef burger was the the winner (although I'm not sure I'm up to eating a whole beef burger yet). If you're heading to Beverly, a stop at Top Notch is worth the trip. Alderman Rugai's also recommended Cafe 103 for lunch which we considered but we saw that Top Notch had been on Check Please and got great reviews.



After some fuel (and finding a police three-wheeler on the sidewalk by our car - only in the 19th ward?), we hit the rest of the tour. The 19th ward has absolutely beautiful homes along Longwood Drive as well as historic bungalows on Walter Burley Griffin Place (many designed by Walter Burley Griffin who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright - do you think Frank made Walt use three names, too?). Since rain could arrive at any moment, we made the houses a drive by and headed to the Irish castle!


Yes, there is an Irish Castle at 103rd & Longwood (now it's a Unitarian Church)! While there, we met a caretaker who told us the brief history of the castle. The castle was built by an Irish immigrant who wanted to impress his girlfriend and persuade her to marry him. She did marry him and they lived in the castle for many years. After that, another family lived there and then the castle became a school. While it was a school, a young girl who was boarding there died on pneumonia and now haunts the castle! The caretaker told us that he knows a man who was raised in the house after it was a school (after the school, it again became a private home and then the church that it is now), and he has seen the ghost and so has the man we met!

If you have not been to the 19th ward, it's worth the trip. I'd go back on a sunny day so that I could enjoy the beautiful walk on Longwood and I'd definitely hit Top Notch Burgers again!

We have to hit the road so I'll add the photos tomorrow!