[I apologize for the lack of posts these days… life has been just a little chaotic! Hopefully after this upcoming weekend, I’ll get back to some regular posts!]

Their menu: it’s pretty reasonable considering most cupcakes I’ve seen lately are around $3 or more. Plus the cater for parties/events/weddings!

Can you see how barren their display case is? Go early! I talked to one of their employees and she said that they usually run out before the day is over.
 

Phoebe’s Cupcakes is located at 3327 N Broadway Ave, Chicago in Lakeview.

But a little further down, I found these books by Dwell Studio! They make such great products from baby to home products! I think I liked them because they are soft and not your typical kid books with primary colors.

ps… It took me a while to hunt down these images but remembered that they were published by Blue Apple Books. What a cute website!

I’ve always had my eye on this one… it’s so pretty and more fall-like than halloween-ish. The trick is to make a hole on the bottom so that the top looks untouched! [such a smart idea, contributors of MS!]

I also like these funny faces out of butternut squash… tempting because I can make some soup or porridge with the insides! Plus, it’s a bit more traditional.

Love the simplicity of these… perfect for a fall shower, party or even as table numbers! Just swap the letters out for numbers.

I do love this one though… it’s so cute and clever!
 

I think I know which one I’ll go with… will post after this weekend. Now… on to research dessert options. I have 2 in mind but may want something a bit more festive!

1,2,3 – Martha Stewart & 4 – Better Homes and Gardens

Stop here to see all of the details! I think I’ll pass mine along to a dear friend that I haven’t talked to in a while… I feel a bit inspired to send out ‘just because’ cards to a bunch of friends and family!

[image courtesy of Linda & Harriett]

Don’t look too closely, the stitching is not straight and well, it’s a little lop-sided too. haha… but I made it! After I practice sewing straight a bit more, I’m going to make a bag… these skirts for friends’ little girls… some little envelopes… and more. Can’t wait!

These seem to hit the spot a lot these days! I can’t even give a recipe because they are frozen dumplings. BUT, the bag says to place them in a frying pan with 2 ounces of water on medium heat for 5 minutes. Once the water evaporates, you continue to fry each side for a couple of minutes until it’s nice and crispy. No need to add any oil! Now that the weather is getting chilly, I think I’ll have to make some of my own from scratch.

[image courtesy of Broadway Paper]

There’s a whole lot of sugar that goes into apple pies!

The filling for the apple crisp. Next time, we’ll have to go easy on the nutmeg.

A piece of apple pie + apple crisp a la mode.
 

We passed the time while waiting for the apple desserts by playing cut throat uno… it gets pretty intense when we play. Every man for himself!

I forget what this game was called but it was pretty hilarious! There’s 3 rounds You write down a person’s name on each slip of paper: can be famous or not… as long as someone else in the group knows their name. In between each round, you throw the slips of paper back into the bowl and re-use them. So it’s really important to pay attention to each name!

• Round 1: use any words to describe the person on the slip of paper…
• Round 2: use only ONE to describe the person
• Round 3: act out the person

Food and laughter… just what the doctor ordered!

Started off the day with breakfast at Cracker Barrel… turns out there’s one about 20 minutes from me… oh this brings back memories from college days! I had the Old Timer’s Breakfast: grits, bacon, eggs, + hash brown casserole.
 

Everyone gets biscuits + gravy…
 

We also ordered a few sides of pancakes… there’s just something about the maple syrup there that makes the pancakes even better. [I forgot to take a picture though, but they were as large as a plate!]

Then we headed over to a local apple orchard. At this point, it felt more like a forest preserve.

Conjoined apples… there was a whole tree of these mutated apples.

The bees were ferocious and found a nice little home in this apple.

The day was perfect… the rain held off until we made it back to our friend’s place.

On the way out, we saw these pumpkins… there were the oddest ones I’ve ever seen!