Lonely Planet Asks: Where Would You Go For the Food? #ChicagoTravel

Lonely Planet recently asked its readers, "If you could travel to any city for the food, where would you go?"


I wasn't too surprised with the responses, because they mirrored my own, but there were a couple cities or countries in there that did leave me wondering.  Being from the city of Chicago is really a great way to eat your way around the world, if you will, because the international community that has settled here brought their authentic cuisine with them.  

Plan Your Next Shopping Trip With Malls Info

I don't know how or why it happens, but whenever we travel chances are good that we end up in a shopping mall. I think I have been stopped and shopped all the malls in the DFW area over the year-- but that might have more to do with the need to get in out of the heat-- and I wish I knew about Malls Info sooner so I could have skipped a few and stuck to the better ones. 

Handcrafted Jewelry from Jody Coyote Earrings

Jody Coyote Earrings are new to me, but it is a look that I am definitely attracted to because it shows a special type of workmanship and individuality.  For women that love handmade jewelry Jody Coyote is worth checking out for the variety of metals, techniques and unique designs. 

More Tees, Please: Crazy Dog T-Shirts

You all know how much I love shopping for tees, so I was super excited when Crazy Dog T-Shirts contacted me about trying out and reviewing their tees.  There are so many funny shirts that it was super hard to choose just one, but I saw one that I knew my youngest brother would love......

Savings.com, Another Great Coupon Site!

I don't think that I have made a single online purchase without first finding a coupon or promotional code to use. The Savings.com coupon website is another place I can go to now to find what I need to save myself some money, which makes me happy-- just like the site's slogan says!

Wellie Buddies!

Spring is coming. That means puddles. And puddles mean Wellies!  

Now, I am about ninety percent positive that we are going to get another good dumping of the white stuff up here-- we always do. But, till then I get to stomp around in the hot pink Wellies I bought for that trip to the Costa Rican rain forest. 

Though it did occur to me that while I have at least (ha!) two pairs of every other type of shoe in my closet, I only have one pair of Wellies. Those poor Wellies NEED a buddy!

Coats by Via Spiga
Boots by Hunter

Zorro and I are ready to play in all the puddles :)

Oh, and just for the record, Hunter donates a portion of sales from their new line of Wellies to charity so be sure to check them out first!

Casey Heynes Response to Bullies A Rally Cry or a Warning?

I am sure all of you have seen the viral video of Casey Heynes fending off school bullies and then taking matters into his own hands. Compared to some of the violent stuff we see, it is not that bad, but that doesn't mean that it's easy to watch.

I was watching the Today show this morning and the caption, "Viral Video a Rallying Cry for Bully Victims"(or something similar) feels all wrong to me. Honestly, there are very few people that can watch the video and say they did not feel a slight tinge of satisfaction.  At the same time, we all know that responding to violence with violence is not the answer either. 

USL Breves: Things I Love This Week!

For all those things I am currently in love with, obsessing over, and don't have much to say about other than how much I love it!

Cacahuates Garapinados Fail

I have been thumbing through the copy of My Sweet Chicago that Missy brought home from the library last week, and decided to try making cacahuates garapinados first. The recipe only called for a few ingredients and sounded super easy, but it turned out not to be easy at all. 

Bella Maria Boutique: Luxury Italian Shopping At Home!

Every time spring comes around I get a big travel itch, and nine times out of ten it is motivated by a desire to shop. The internet has really changed the way I shop over the years, which is why I was super excited to find Bella Maria Boutique-- an online boutique stocked with fine Italian leather goods! 

March Madness Giveaway Hop on USL

There is a March Madness Giveaway Blog Hop happening in the blogosphere and Unus Sed Leona is joining in the fun!  I have a dedicated giveaway just for this event, and more to be posted this week! 

Full Skirts Compliments of Topshop

I love everything about full skirts.  Remember that von Trapp family? I love Leisl's skirts!

With warm weather moving in, I am on the lookout for skirts from all my favorite shops.  Topshop is at the top of my list, of course, and I found tons of pretty, flirty skirts that I could twirl, sway and skip down the street in.  

Mini Skirts by Topshop
Skirts by Annie Greenabelle

Happy Shopping!

Offers, Deals & Steals! 3/13/11

Every week I come across tons of great offers, deals and steals and while I also tell myself I should share them, I don't always remember to. So I decided to start a weekly post and add to it as I found things that folks might be interested.  

These are just a few offers, deals and steals for you to browse through:

Excuse Me While I Enter a Mexican Candy Coma!

Growing up I had no interest in candy store treats like the rest of my friends. Blow Pops, Airheads and Jawbreakers were fine, but they had nothing on my Mexican candy favorites. I grew up with Tamarindo, cacahuates garapinados, cajeta, camotitos poblanos and so much more!

Dulce, anyone?

Fashion Blog Spotlight: TrendQueen

I love finding and following fashion blogs because there is always something new to me-- be it a designer, a look or a new way to wear a new trend. Recently I came across, TrendQueen.com, this great fashion blog covering everything from seasonal trends to wedding trends to new fashion trends by designers and even makeup trends! 

Everybody Do the Samba!

Normally I would tell you to do the ChaCha, but this week has been all about the Samba. There is only one more day left to celebrate Carnaval, and since the twins don't really know how to samba-- though they will dance to samba music-- I decided it was time to teach them!

When it comes to dancing I am all about just doing, I hear the music and I just move to it. When it comes to learning a specific dance, with specific steps, I can just follow right along without needed anyone to give me direction and then do my thing from there. 

Offers, Deals & Steals! 3/6/11

Every week I come across tons of great offers, deals and steals and while I also tell myself I should share them, I don't always remember to. So I decided to start a weekly post and add to it as I found things that folks might be interested.  

These are just a few offers, deals and steals for you to browse through:

More Tees, Please: Supergoodtees

Every time I shop for tees I start off thinking I am going to have to design and make my own tees to find exactly what I want. But then I find a site like Supergoodtees and talk myself down. 

The Ultimate Chocolate Kit for Little Chocolate Lovers

Like most kids and teens, the twins love making things and trying everything out for themselves.  So when I saw, The Ultimate Chocolate Kit at my local Borders, I knew I had to grab it for the girls. 

Cute chocolate kit for little chocolate lovers!

Visiting the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago #FamilyTravel

The Shedd from where we were in line, 20 minutes into a 2 hr wait!

I have spent more hours in the John G. Shedd Aquarium, Shedd for short, than I can count.  My latest visit however, was the first time I racked up hours waiting in line though, 2 hours to be exact.  Had we known how long we would be standing out in the cold, we probably would have found something else to do, but thanks to a friendly crowd, corporate sponsorships and a whole lot of optimism we stuck it out. 

Terry Bicycle Win & Bike Wear Shopping!

Late last week I found out that I won a Terry Symmetry bicycle from Terry Bicycles, The Original Women's Bicycling Company! The contest was held on Facebook, well, at least the info was posted their FB page and that was how I found out about it. 

I am super excited and can't wait for it to arrive. After all, I am always talking about all the excellent choices for bike riding both in the city and around the burbs. 

And seeing as how I always use every excuse I can to do a little shopping, or looking in this case, I decided to shop for some "I have this cool new bike" gear:)

Tees by Topshop
Sandals by Manolo Blahnik