Aripos  Argentinian restaurant in Oak Park has the most delicious Empanadas I’ve ever had. Great afternoon snack while shopping or on the way home from the train!

Han 202 in Bridgeview. Incredible food and value! $25 prix fixe for imaginative and wonderful full meal. Huge selection of entrees and Tomato-Mango Sorbet for dessert. Plus it’s BYOB, the service is delightful, decor is pretty – a real find. Just south of Chinatown, a bit north of White Sox Park. Even better for us value-seekers, go online for coupons.

Fifty Best Cheeses. If you’re a turophile like me (that means Lover of Cheese and sounds a bit classier than “Cheesehead” if you don’t live in Wisconsin) you’ll drool over this web article. Then run to your closest Murray’s, Whole Foods, Marion Street Cheese Shop or wherever you buy your Camembert. And don’t forget the wine!

Wendy’s Perfect Pair Combos. Darn decent salads plus a cup of chili, a baked potato, a burger, Frostie, etc. all for only $4.99. And did I mention that the handsome red-haired guy in the commercials is the nephew of a good friend? And a very good actor! But I’d buy these deals, even if Matt wasn’t so compelling! (Ok, he’s always being cut off by the girl!)

Kendall College student-run dining room is the farthest thing from a college cafeteria! Open for lunch and dinner, students shop the farmers’ markets for the freshest ingredients and bring inspired dishes to your table. Plus it’s fun to chat with the student/servers, many of them new to the restaurant scene. Look for their special themed dinners for a real treat and great value. On Halsted near Chicago Ave.in Chicago.

Target’s refrigerated cookie dough Great varieties, like Snickerdoodles and Oatmeal/Cranberry/Walnut, that you just break apart and bake.  YUM!

Alsatian Chicken Salad at Winberie’s in Oak Park with poached apples, blue cheese and candied walnuts. Sit outdoors and watch Oak Park go by – trucks, buses and all.

Park Grill in Millennium Park, Chicago. Consistently good food with one of the most pleasant views in town! Love the mix of business people, lunching friends and tourists who come for a great burger, lovely fish or healthy salad.

Endamame Just saute frozen, shelled beans in a fry pan with a little olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and just a hint of cayenne until beans are warm. Then eat as a snack or on salads. These little “soybeans” are a great source of protein, not very fattening and yummy!

Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwiches. Only 2 WW points cause they’re low in calories but high in fiber. And are SO filling and delicious! Mint with Chocolate cookies are my faves.

Edy’s Frozen Fruit Snack Bars If you’re watching weight, calories, fat…whatever, nothing’s more satisfying than these little guys! Great flavors, 50 calories, just the right size and not ridiculously expensive (vs. Skinny Cow or WW) – 24 for $7.99.

Bananas at Trader Joe’s What else can you buy for less than a quarter?

Grilled Calamari at Caffe deLuca in Forest Park, IL With arugula, a little olive oil and crispy flatbread. And a glass of wine. What a fine dinner!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 8:14 am and is filed under resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary Promise Circles – Monday, March 12, 7:12 p.m. (19:12 military time). Were you a Girl Scout or Brownie? Find a promise circle in your community and bring back that feeling of being part of the biggest movement for girls in our century. Watch for an app to help find a location. You’ll join Girl Scouts of all ages in saying the Promise, singing “Make New Friends” and doing the “friendship squeeze” that girls have done for 100 years. Find your old friends or bring some new ones!www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org

Wright Plus Annual Oak Park Housewalk – June, 2012. Great Frank Lloyd Wright houses PLUS some other beauties all within 3 easy-walking blocks. Tickets are going fast – $85 for members; $100 for others.

Tags: conference

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 4:04 pm and is filed under resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

TAKE IT FROM THE TOP!

Clairol Root Touch-Up Kit I have been an apostle since these were first introduced! Easy and quick to use, this little color kit can keep you going for a month or two between expensive salon touch-ups. I figure Clairol’s saved me at least $2,000 in the last few years! (Though I DO get behind in my People magazines….)

Bangs Yes, they do make you look younger. Will I go crazy growing them out? TBD!

FACE IT!

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Have you found that as you’ve gotten older, you rely more on foundation to even out your complexion? You don’t want a cake-y look or anything that “collects” in your fine wrinkles. So start with a Primer. Yes, I thought it was just another product to sell aging Boomer women, hungry for anything that helps. But this really works to smooth out the texture of your skin so your foundation goes on smoother. Plus it keeps your make-up looking fresh longer into the day. Try it at Sephora or other cosmetic counters before you buy.

Lauren Hutton Good Stuff A friend turned me on to this cosmetics line created specifically for “women with more of life’s experience” and it’s pretty cool. She’s packaged all you need in unique “face discs” so you can shlep all your cosmetics in one flat pack instead of a batch of bottles, etc. Her make-up is light, less color saturated and truly designed to flatter our faces. And it’s not at all expensive.

UNDERNEATH IT ALL

Flexees Maidenform’s version of Spanx offer camis and tanks that help restore your long-lost waist and flat tummy! Best part is they’re long enough (like to the bottom of your fanny) that they don’t creep up and suddenly add inches to your waist! Surprisingly cool for summer, I wear them under all my fitted t’s.

“Age Defying Lift” Yes! You’ll find it on many new bras including Vanity Fair and Soma (the intimates arm of Chico’s). Basically they’re padded cups. I certainly didn’t expect to see the day when I’d be shopping for padded cups, but they look great and bring the “girls” back up in the range where they’re supposed to be ( midway between your shoulders and your elbows).

Spanx Today’s girdle! But at least we don’t need to worry about garters holding up stockings any more. Whatever you want to hold in, push up or push in, Sara Blakely has a Spanx solution. And they’re so much more comfortable than the olden days!

GREAT FEET

Flex-Tastic Gel Toe Relaxers These are the goofy things you’ve seen in catalogs that you put between your toes to spread them out. Sort of like what they use for pedicures but much more drastic! And the darn things are pretty cool. They’re inspired by yoga and the benefits of stretching. They bring back flexibility and stability in your feet and help straighten out problem toes. I got mine at Target for about $7. Worth it!

Finn Comfort Expensive but truly the most comfortable shoes ever. And some of them aren’t too ugly. www.finncomfort.com

Naturalizer I’m a long time fan, but was delighted when the Chicago Tribune rated their heels more comfortable than many others. Try them. We’re too young to give up the occasional stylish heel.

Merrell Great affordable outdoor and casual shoes that began in the Green Mountains of Vermont.

Orthotics Go to a runners’ shoe store and get your feet measured. Or a shoe store that specializes in great fit. (In Chicago it’s Waxberg’s Walk Shoppe in Niles.)

Special Needs for Special Women – Wigs, post-surgery bras & prostheses

Second Act.  One of the toughest parts of aging is how cancer hurts our sisters and ourselves. Here is a very welcoming resource for help. Second Act is the only accredited post-cancer surgery boutique in downtown Chicago that provides bras, wigs and advice to women living with cancer. Talk to Pattie Sheehan at her shop in Flourish Studios or go online.

Tags: bras, cosmetics, hair color, image, resources, shoes, style, wigs

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:29 pm and is filed under resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

CLOTHING ALTERATIONS

From Julie Judd:

Joe’s Tailor Shop (Yorktown Convenience Center)     630-495-4477

Perl Tailor Shop (OakBrook Professional Building)   630-573-8550

EXTRA HANDS & WHEELS

For the holidays or when you just need help, call on 3rdcoastconcierge and have Bridget do what you don’t have time to do. For Chicago and western suburbs

Tags: clothes, image, resources, style

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:24 pm and is filed under resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Tags: books, identity, resources

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:19 pm and is filed under resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.