• Best Thing Ever,  Friends,  Fun in Chicago,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  Jew Stuff,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    I Laugh Because She Thinks *I* Did *HER* A Favor.

    Last night I was online (surprise, surprise) and happened to check my Tweetdeck to see what all of my Twitter friends were up to. I noticed this, from my friend Jen: I decided to respond with a sincere offer: As usual, Jen’s response to my response was devoid of any emotion whatsoever: Actually, I was getting ready to go out to dinner with Jim and the boys, but I told Jen I was very serious about the offer to help and I would be happy to stop by her house for a while after my TDM class this morning. We had a series of Direct Messages which included her asking…

  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    We See The Finish Line!

    Even though we had planned on renovating our master bathroom at some point this year, we ended up starting in July because the pipes behind our tub suddenly sprang a leak that dripped into the downstairs bathroom. Nothing like a kick in the pants administered by old plumbing. After getting the tub replaced by a professional, we put the rest of the room on hold for a while due to a busy summer, and then we got back into gear at the beginning of October. I have been to Home Depot more times in the last six weeks than I can count, and Jim and I don’t take free time…

  • Friends,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Spreading the Bloggie Love,  Too Funny To Ignore,  Travels,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    Flat Sue Goes To #BlogHer12!

    I have attended the BlogHer conference four times now: Chicago ’09, New York ’10, San Diego ’11, and, just this past weekend, New York ’12. When I tell non-blogging friends about these weekends away, I get a goofy grin on my face and say things like, “These have been some of the best weekends of my adult life.” It’s totally true. Say what you want about any online presence you might have; it’s when you connect IN PERSON with friends–old and new–that really solidifies relationships. Sue from As Cape Cod Turns was my roommate for the first three years, and was unable to make it to New York this year…

  • Family Fun,  How To,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    How To Get Started On A DIY Bathroom Renovation In Thirty Easy Steps

    One of the pros of being a fan of DIY is that you can save lots of money. Another pro is that there is a sense of pride and ownership in what you’re doing: it’s a little like sweat equity (Okay, it’s a lot like sweat equity because it IS sweat equity.). One of the cons is that a DIY bathroom renovation can take lots longer than if you hire a professional. We recently got started on our mostly-DIY bathroom renovation and if you were thinking about doing one in your house, here’s how to get started…in thirty easy steps. 1. Buy a house with which you are completely in…

  • Friends,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    A Post-Conference Conversation

    The #BBSummit12 conference is over and short of some WiFi problems on the hotel’s end, I think it went really well. I will probably do some sort of mini-recap of my favorite moments at the conference, but for now here is a recap of what happened when I went upstairs to the hotel room I was sharing with Liz in between #BBSummit12 and the after party*. *I let myself into the room. Liz has already freshened up.* Liz: “Hi! You’re done! Yay!” *hugs me* Me: “I know! Yay!” Liz: “it went well!” Me: “You think?” Liz: “Yes! Of course!” *I start to get teary-eyed* Me: “I’m very emotional right now!”…

  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  Jim Has Mad Skillz,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    Mr. and Mrs. DIY

    Even though we love to DIY (or would that be DIO*?) around here, we haven’t done much to our house for about four years. There are a couple of good reasons for that: budget and burnout. The burnout happened because we were going gangbusters on home improvements for a few years and then, after being forced to have our foundation repaired because our house was literally cracking up**, we repaired the giant cracks in the walls, repainted half the house, installed crown mouldings and baseboards in the living room and dining room, had our brand-new family room carpeting (which we put in right shortly before we got the foundation repair…

  • Confessions,  Friends,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    Reveal Day!

    YOU GUYS. Something interesting happened on Friday. Besides Jen coming over to happily renovate my garden, that is. Are you sitting down? I helped her (well, as much as she would let me), and I HAD FUN. I know. I can’t believe it either. I was ready to live-blog the heck out of Friday. I was looking forward to Jen’s visit but not the gardening part. The level of complaining I had assumed I’d reach would have been epic. It would have made great material. My post would have been titled “The Angry Gardener.” Alas, I tweeted a few times and just…went with it. Although I am not suddenly going…

  • Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    WWTBD

    So I have this little side project called “Listen To Your Mother”. It’s not something I would ever want to handle by myself, and in fact, I am not. I just want to take a moment today to express some gratitude for my partner and co-producer, Tracey. Tracey and I knew each other before we joined forces (Wonder Twin powers, activate!) on LTYM, but only socially. As in, I had seen her dance like Elaine from “Seinfeld” and it’s one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever observed. As you can imagine, co-producing a behemoth such as LTYM requires more than just dancing. Even though I knew that Tracey was…

  • Amazing People,  Friends,  Fun in Chicago,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    Like A Horse And Carriage.

    I had the most spectacular day. I had various appointments in the city (now, doesn’t that sound important?) and needed a sidekick, so I called upon my hilarious, awesome friend Margaret. I met Margaret all the way back in February of this year when I took her Chicago Pedway tour (her tour company is called Chicago Elevated, and it ROCKS.), and we became fast friends. Margaret and I made our way around the city, talking non-stop. The weather was PERFECT. We had a great time, we both learned a few things, and the day flew by. (Uh, for me, anyway.) Our lunch was one of my favorite parts of the…

  • Fun in Chicago,  I'm Apparently Old.,  We Are An Awesome Couple

    Party Like A Rock Star

    Jim and I headed to the city yesterday for an overnighter. We had few concrete plans except to stand next to the Chicago River this morning at 10:00 and watch the annual “Dyeing of the Chicago River” for St. Patrick’s Day. (more on that in the next post). The two of us had all Friday evening to paint the town red, raise the roof, and cause a general ruckus. We were very, very excited to let loose in the city and looked forward to a wild night. Here’s our actual timeline: 5:42 p.m. Arrived in Chicago at Union Station. Hailed a cab for transport to hotel. 5:55 p.m. Still in…