The Perfect Tank

While, I am sure you are all anxious for my finding, let's start this blog by talking about the cami.

The camisole is, I believe, the female equivalent of a man's white undershirt. (At this point I should warn the men in my life, you may not enjoy the detailed review of the cami.) More importantly, when you are a large chested lady (like myself), it's a necessity for deep-v necklines or lighter sweaters.

But the cami is not designed for those who are curvy. It has a tiny straps, which barely cover my grandma-like bra straps. "But they have a built in bra?" my small-chested friends comment to themselves. Silly ladies, that shelf bra doesn't hold up anything substantial. In fact, the shelf bra is more trouble than it's worth. It only pulls the camisole down, showing off everything one is trying to cover up.

And so, I have been on the hunt for a tank made of the smooth cami-like fabric, but with the coverage of a good ole' fashioned tank top.

Today, I found it! After an entire summer of searching, I found a collection of exactly what I wanted at Target... of course. It's the best $7.99 I've spent in a long time.

Leaving town

Tonight I am packing for my final NY trip of the year. I enjoy the tradeshows, and I am very lucky to work with a group of people I enjoy spending nine, 12-hour days with; but we are all feeling a little overwhelmed with this trip.

Not only is there a lot going on IN the office (for those of you who don't know we are launching Dunder Mifflin Infinity and I'm on the party planning committee), but there's a lot coming up all over the place.

My manager, and tradeshow compatriot, is getting married the weekend after the show. Yeah, she's got balls (slash crazy). This not only means she is leaving me a little early this show (which, in case she reads this and feels guilty, SHE SHOULD), but she is also leaving me in charge for the two weeks following the show during her honeymoon.

Our darling second cousin (though, I still think Aunt Annie sounds the best) is due the first week of the month. This, of course, means I will be preparing ample meals upon my return, so I can barter for baby time. (note: please no baby until August 22. Then, go for it!)

We close on our house in late September and still have finalized paint colors. What do you think... Nantucket Fog or Blue Arrow for the guest room?

And, I want to take a nap.

Photo montage

Do you ever have a moment when you realize how awesome your childhood was? Or how scary your parents really looked in the 80s? Or, how much money people wasted on developing film?

I had such an evening. In preparation for our big move, I suggested that we organize the basement and get rid of as much as possible. The hubs wanted to start by scanning in all of our family photos. As anyone who has gone through a parent's things can tell you, parents take a lot of photographs. We have boxes and boxes. Tonight we decided to tackle one box. That small box took us over an hour to flip through (at a really fast pace).

Overwhelmingly, the verdict was things that seemed important, are not. For instance, for three years in a row we went to Disney Land at Christmas. Each year, someone (possibly the small child who begged for the camera) decided it was imperative to take a photo (usually blurry) of every single float in the holiday parade. That's approximately eight rolls of blurry floats so precious that they have survived five moves and two decades.

Another example of something we experienced was the notion that you should send those relatives you do not frequently see entire rolls. Here's a picture of your cousin picking up an Easter egg in 1991. Here's another. Another.

We have decided to tackle a different box each night until we are threw then all. Eventually, we will have them all scanned in and available on DVD. Something for all family and friends to look forward to.

Busy

I want to put an apology out into the void to whomever I owe one to. I realize I have been difficult (if not impossible) to contact lately, but life seems a little chaotic.

Take this week, for instance:

Saturday - We (hubby, bro-in-law and I) moved Mike's cousin from the South Side to the top floor of a four-story walk up. While the entire family is thrilled to trade in hardcore gang bangers for the more gentrified gang bangers of her new neighborhood, we were not thrilled about the lack-of-elevator situation.

Sunday - While moving said cousin, our window regulator broke. Apparently a common problem in VW's, this meant we had to park our car on the city streets with the driver's side window down (a.k.a., stuck in the door). This also meant that Sunday was dedicated to, once again, thanking Baby Jesus for my brother-in-law who (with the help of my amazing husband) spent the better part of the day disassembling the car door and fixing the problem.

Monday - Bright and early, I am off to the airport. Exit on to 294 is closed. Alternate route is at a stand still because of crossing gate failure. Run into airport. Plane is delayed 145 minutes (for no good reason!). No movie... ON A FLIGHT TO SAN FRANCISCO! Spend the evening schmoozing.

Tuesday - Bright and early, back to (different) airport. Fly home and actually land a little early, which is very good because I need to rush to the dentist. They quickly numbed my face and insert my permanent crown. I went home, made dinner, and then had to drug myself because of residual tooth pain. But, of course, I cannot sleep because I managed to get jet lag in one day.

Wednesday - Off we go to the house inspection first thing in the morning. The good news is that there were not any problems we didn't expect and we liked (and trusted) the inspector. (Call for referral.) Then I was off to work - driving because it was so late. Someone want to explain how there is still rush hour traffic at noon on Wednesday?! I worked really late to make up for going in early and ended the day with another restless night.

Thursday - This is today. It's my Friday, because I took tomorrow off. That's a good thing because it was a rough day. It involved slamming my knee (which is now under frozen peas) into the corner of a tradeshow crate and then stabbing myself with a staple (finger now in band-aid). The hubby is running late, which is ok because it means I get to talk to all of you for a few minutes, and I got him to pick up dinner on his way home. (thanks!)

So, call me if you need me, but don't be mad if I forget to answer. And, have a great weekend!

It's a steal!

Our offer was accepted! That means - baring any unforeseen inspection finds - we will be moving into our new home this fall.

The picture above is the front of our new abode. Remember, I like a good project - so there is much to be done. (Starting with that hideous awning.)

Sparing everyone the pain that follows the announcement of housing costs in the greater Chicago area, I will say that we got a bargain. It has been on the market for over a year, but we are getting it for $119,000 less than the original asking price. (That's more than my mom's house sold for people!)

And, I call that a steal!

Now I have to get back to amassing paperwork for the bank.

House Hunting

My hubby and I have officially started looking for our first home. Like many of our friends we have found that buying a home in the Chicagoland area to be nearly impossible. Fairly, we are looking in some of the more affluent suburbs. But when coming up with 20% equals the same amount my mom's house sold for (even for a modest starter home) you can see how this can be hard to swallow.

With some money saved and a market that begs for first time homeowners, we decided that when our lease is up this October we would take the plunge. While this is an exciting first step for us, it is scary.

Two weeks ago we started by looking at four houses. One struck our fancy. While nearly every surface was painted with a faux finish (my guess is either high school art teacher or Trading Spaces superfan), it's nothing a little elbow grease can't fix. Today we had appointments to look at 16 houses, 14 made the cut, 4 made the shortlist (including the one from last week), and hopefully one will be our new home.

This lovely number has undergone something of a transformation over the last 18 months - beautiful yard, two car garage, three bedrooms, two bathrooms (master suite!!!), finished basement. And, while it still needs it's fair share of help, we're excited!

While the mortgage crisis means there are some great deals. It also means that buying this home is tricky. Some bank loaned the current owners more money than they can handle, and they have since defaulted. (While I am sad for this large family to lose their adorable home. I would like to buy that home for my someday family.) Not only does this mean getting bank approval for a short sale, it also means that - even in this market - we are already trying to outbid another offer.

My dad is coming up on Tuesday to give the structure a once over. Once blessed, I promise to fill everyone in with more details, but for now, keep your fingers crossed and you may get to visit us in our very own home later this year.

Fro Yo or Fro No?

I used to love The Hills. Then Heidi got botox and Audrina got back together with Justin Bobby, and I just couldn't do it anymore. Unfortunately, I am ashamed to say that the show did have a lasting impact. When I was in New York back in January, we stumbled upon a Pinkberry. I just had to stop... I mean, Hello?! Lauren loves it!

I love Pinkberry. I love it so much that I ended up getting it every night we were in New York in January, and then every night we were in New York in May.

Before you think, Wow, Ann is a fat ass!, you should know a couple of things about Pinkberry. It is crazy good for you. It's just yogurt and some flavorings (I think honey, lime and vanilla - but I'm still messing around with my homemade version). A small original has 70 calories. You can tack on toppings such as cookie dough and fruity pebbles, but I stick with strawberries. In case I have built this up, I should say that it's an acquired taste. It doesn't taste like ice cream. It tastes like plain (and slightly sweetened) yogurt. So, if you have a hankerin' for Ben & Jerry's, go get some; this won't cut it.

But with my visits to New York few and far between, I am on a mission to find something pinkberry-like in Chicago. I am not the only one. It seems all of my Windy City friends who have tried it on vacation, are also obsessed. So, here it is Chicago. After much online research and many tasty trips, I invite you to go get your fix!

Yogen Fruz

When I excitedly approached at Woodfield Mall last weekend and asked, "Is this Pinkberry-esque?" The pimply teenager behind the counter answered, "Now that's not a nice question. It's much better." I knew I was warm. So far, this is the closest to Pinkberry I have found. The same cups, toppings, taste, calories, etc. The only downside - there are two locations near Chicago and they are both malls (Woodfield Mall and Orland Park Shopping Center). But if you have to go to the Lego Store and Build-A-Bear (yes, I did both in one day), find a directory and get you some yogen fruz!

Starfruit

I haven't been to this location, but my coworker pointed it out to me. The online reviews make it sound basically the same as all of the others. But the website apprears to have been made by some one dropping acid or a 13-year-old girl.

Berry Chill

Berry Chill is the Chicago working (wo)man's answer to delicious Pinkberry in Chicago. There is currently one location at State and Ontario - which is perfect for tourists that don't want to cover there fingers in Garrett's cheese powder (please don't shun me, Chicago) on their way to American Girl Place. But... they are opening two additional locations. One is in smack in the middle of the Loop - at 132 N. LaSalle. The other is going to be in the Ogilvie Transportation Center. Oh, commuter bliss!

A warning about Berry Chill. While it has the fat properties of air - 20 calories and 0 grams of fat for an original - it is straight yogurt. So, if you don't like the ice cream knock-offs, you really won't like this one. Also, the cups really bother me. They are shallow, and my strawberries kept ending up on the table.

Red Mango

Red Mango is my local Pinkberry. Do we see a naming theme? Anyone want to open a fro yo shop... Fushia Kiwi? Coral Papaya? This one has two very exciting locations. One in Evanston - Yay for Annie!!! - and one in Naperville. For my dear Pinkberry-loving friend of the North burbs... come see me... I'll take you out for some Fro, Yo!

And, for goodness sake, could someone get my hubby excited! I so badly want to make daily trips to the new Red Mango that just opened in Evanston; but, alas, he is not a fan!