Summertime...

Today's the stuff that summer is made of - right up there with lemonade stands and fireflies. The weather was hot but not humid, and the sun was shining brightly.

All errands were eschewed for a day out in the sun. Jeremy, Jack and I took Jossie to her first concert - a kid's show at one of my favorite places, Ravinia, an outdoor concert venue. It was a mid-morning show, so we packed some banana bread for a snack and the greatest picnic blanket ever.  We sat in the shade of a tree, boogied a little and let Jossie stretch out.

After the concert, we went to another favorite - the Chicago Botanic Garden for a visit with our friends. I've tried to shy away from making every visit with friends about food lately, so I thought the Garden would be a good start. But we were, of course, all hungry for lunch when we go there and ended up having a lovely long lunch in the Garden's cafe - with some wine and beer - before even setting foot on the grounds. 

If you live in Chicago and have kids, here's a little tip I learned from a friend: You can borrow an explorer's bag from the info desk, complete with binoculars, microscope lens and tree and bird identification manuals. Jack had a ball with his geeked-out backpack when we finally hit the Garden's grounds.

(Jeremy thinks Jack was channeling his inner-Floridian senior citizen with his hat, too-large t-shirt and binoculars around his neck...)

We've been to the Garden about - oh a thousand times - but never seem to hit the English walled gardens, one of our friends' favorite. It was nice to discover a new place. And how could you not have fun with these two?

It's 10:30 p.m. now - I have two brown-haired babies who are completely and utterly sacked out in their crib and bed. It's always nice to be tired because of the sun and fresh air...I will be re-reading this post again in January or February!

Speaking of sweet

I love to bake. My mom and sisters love to bake. My sister Laura and I are baking a blueberry crumb cake for Sunday morning breakfast right now as I type this. Rather than disdain bakeries, our baking skills make us appreciate bakeries even more. With Jack’s birthday days away, I thought I would share my favorites (in no particular order):

1. Wild Flour Bakery, Rocky River, Ohio – My mom, sisters and I were first introduced to this bakery for its roasted red pepper dip; we stayed for the baked goods. Jack’s Cleveland birthday cake is from this bakery; visit the decorator’s blog to see a picture of Jack’s musical note/guitar birthday cake (disclaimer: my mom typically makes all birthday cakes for our family’s birthdays; it just happened this week she’s recovering from a cold and I asked her if I could order a cake instead to keep things easy).
2. Sweet Mandy B’s, Chicago – cupcakes….big, sloppy buttercream-slathered cupcakes; need I say more? Jack’s Chicago birthday cake will be coming from here.
3. Lovely, Chicago – Creative pastries with lots of good savory foods for breakfast and lunch. This is my favorite place to sit.
4. Bittersweet, Chicago – A little more reserved but very beautiful desserts.
5. Tag’s Bakery, Evanston, Ill. – I heard a rumor once that Charlie Trotter thought Tag’s cookies were the best in Chicago. Those little buttery treats certainly top my list. And the little old ladies in their aprons who are behind the counter make me happy.
6. Floriole, Chicago – A vendor at Green City Market, they are committed to using only local ingredients. Beautiful creations!