text: Work by makeup artist Taisia Shuyskaya demonstrating Beauty Makeup. Contribute by adding the credits of the photographer,
  Rah rah rah, we're fans of The City! Share your love of the Golden Gate and all things San Francisco with this beautiful felt pennant~
  Posted by mo in Addison's Disease and tagged with Chicago, Fat Tuesday, Paczki, Pepto Bismol, Poles in Chicago, Polish traditions February 23, 2012
  A PACZKI is a deep-fried piece of dough shaped into a flattened sphere and filled with cheese or other sweet filling. Lemon, strawberry, prune, vanilla custard, chocolate custard, peach…oh the fillings go on and on!!! Then the Pączki are covered with powdered sugar, icing, or just rolled in sugar or bits of dried orange zest.
  In the large Polish community of Chicago, Pączki Day is celebrated annually by immigrants and locals alike. Chicago celebrates the festival of Fat Tuesday by eating these yummy donut-like treats.
  Chicago has the largest population of Poles in the U.S., second only to Warsaw. The Poles have introduced us to a cuisine that is loved by all Chicagoans. The small city I live in (pop 14,000) has two polish bakeries, two Polish delis, a small grocery store plus a large grocery store mostly dedicated to European patrons in the area.
  So, Fat Tuesday is a day to stuff yourself silly until you are nauseous. Generally everyone buys these gastrointestinal bombs by the dozens, in this house we cut them in half so we can sample more of the decadent fillings. Then……you drink Pepto Bismol.
  There is nothing better that going into a delicious smelling bakery on Fat Tuesday and smiling at the Ladies who talk to you in Polish…all you do is point and they box them up!
  Art Nerd Invasion Presents: George Hearts Maria Opening: September 1st, 2012 On September 1st, Art Nerd Invasion and Lori Zimmer present “George Hearts Maria,” a Victorian pop-up plucked out of history and taking root in Helium Cowboy’s summer group show. … Continue reading →
  The irony is that, at the moment I decided to start blogging more thoroughly for you, I got glomped with such a hellwave of work that I never leave the house. Still I’m going to try. Not least so I … Continue reading →
  I don't know about you, but my kiddos are still a little on the young side to be staying up to watch the ball drop in Times Square. And if I'm truly honest with myself, I don't want to try it. My kids are not the best sleepers. No matter what time they go to bed at night, they're up the same time every morning....and that's usually about 5:30 am. 7 am is sleeping in...and that happens very rarely. SO, staying up to watch the ball drop would result in very cranky children for a day or two. But that doesn't mean that we can't still have fun!
  When my oldest was about 3 years old I started to have an early celebration with the kids. I searched YouTube for the ball drop from the year before, made fun snacks, popped open the sparkling apple juice, and we settled in front of the laptop to ring in the new year! Now that my oldest is more aware of what year it is, she realizes that the ball drop we're watching is from last year. But, with a promise to record the ball drop and watch it the next morning, she is still content with our New Years Eve traditions...and in bed by 8!