obama for kids

we thought it was kind of funny when we stumbled upon “Barack”, a children’s book, when we were shopping at Target. even better was the obama meets spidey comic book at our local (self-titled “obama headquarters”) Walgreens.

les moules frites

after watching an episode about moules frites on the food network, we developed a serious craving for some. googling led us to find “Hopleaf”, which makes belgian specialties, including moules frites! two pounds of moules frites with a mayonnaise aioli we also tried the grilled duck reuben sandwich (slow-roasted pekin duck with cranberry cream cheese, read more »

car trouble

it’s a good thing we renewed our AAA membership this year because with the cold weather, our old car battery kept dying, which was getting really annoying. we finally got around to getting a brand new battery… only to have it die a week later eventhough nothing was left on! ofcourse we got worried about read more »

fasching

last week we went to a ‘fasching’ party hosted by one of joe’s professors. fasching is a german festival or carnival… and dressing up is a requirement. scrounging around the closets and basement eventually inspired ‘the UPS man and his Package’ pretty lighting from the party:

Art

snow sculpting

we discovered an ice sculpture exhibition in downtown that we decided to check out. here are a few examples… “spirit horse”, “einstein”, and “the obamanable snowman”, which was sculpted by high school students.

happy valentine’s day

we opted for a quiet day at home with dinner, flowers and a big strawberry shortcake.

superbowl XLIII

although i’m not a football fan myself, it’s definitely a lot of fun watching with other true football followers. this year was my third superbowl, and we were rooting for the pittsburgh steelers since our friend shawna was a diehard fan. it was actually a very entertaining game including a 100 yard interception return touchdown read more »

static

the cold and dry air has been the perfect recipe for a lot of static shocks. it’s causing us to develop a pavlovian response to things like turning off the light switch or taking off a sweater or poking each other. i actually saw a blue spark from a big zap when my finger touched read more »

we are frigid

i flew back to chicago last night, to a friendly -13 degree fahrenheit (-25 celsius) plus windchill. unfortunately the car wouldn’t start because of the cold, and so joe came to get me via bus and train. you know it’s cold when… …the sauce packet from the instant noodles packet is solid. …wearing gloves and read more »

hot pot fun & friends

our gracious hosts, kimu, angie and boo, before a steaming hot pot. we got to open christmas crackers which had a christmas hat inside. here is auntie sherwin, in baby heaven. boys being boys. group pic. it was a happy night, seeing our friends with their growing families.