Hello, Sunday.

The weekend, the weekend. How fast those 48 hours of joy fly by. It really is so sad.

Yesterday I played my first competitive tennis match since N’SYNC topped the charts and let’s just say I choked. I choked so hard, and because of that we went from being up a set to losing it in a tie breaker. I hate losing, especially when we could have won. Note to self: work on mental toughness.

Silver lining about my above flop is that I have a day more to play with, and I might head over to the local street fest and get me some Greek food.  Yes, I think I will.

I hope yours was relaxing and not too hot.  If it was, I hope you found adequate cold beverages.

Damn, this week.  THIS WEEK. So much damn drama and you know I can’t stop watching and reading all the things about it?  I hate myself for it a lot.  Earning myself grey hairs and wrinkles, no doubt.  Let’s see what else was out there for the reading:

My poor Crawley freaked out about the move, and while Mom helped me out so much, I probably could have done better. Got a furry friend that you have to move?  Here are some good tips, at least I thought.

I’d know that silhouette anywhere, Mary Poppins!

If we could all agree to stop pressuring women, no matter how old they are, into baby-making, the truth is that the world be a much better place — for me, at least.  God bless my wonderful mother who makes no such comments but with my besties and I heading towards 36 and up…it’s a regular part of conversations these days. Especially since so many of us are still unattached.

Related a little, okay not really, but smiling baby gorilla!

Reading the Harry Potter books actually may make you a better person. Well, I’m not sure about that, but it sure has made my life better multiple-fold.  No exaggeration.

America made me a feminist.  An interesting perspective, from abroad.

#MyWorstSummerJob. I can’t say I had one, but these definitely made me LOL.

March against Muslims. WHY ARE PEOPLE THE WORST???

And then children remind us that people can also be the best.

One day you’re in, and the next, you’re out.  You are what you post on social, kiddos.

Having a summer picnic? Here’s a pretty fancy pants menu, but it’s totally doable!

And finally, say hi to Steve.

Have a great week!

Hello, Sunday.

Terror, terror everywhere. Can it just stop already? Maybe if we all send all our prayers (if you’re into that) and good thoughts up to the power(s) that be to make it all stop?

Besides intentionally avoiding all the news (because let’s not ruin every day), I spent much of the weekend catching up with old friends, and that just makes for some of the most enjoyable times, don’t you agree? Other than that, too much food sits in my fridge right now, just begging to be shared with you all, so get excited for what’s coming.

Well, here’s what came this week, for better or worse. Let’s take a look.

The best silver lining of the US withdrawing from Paris is perhaps that’s it bringing many of us together, spurring all of us to do our part to right a very big wrong.  It starts with one.  Exhibit A.

Do you have basically the same “uniform” that you wear everyday? Well, good on you- it’ll make you more successful, apparently.

Dutch prisons are closing because the country is so safe, they’re running out of criminals. Gee, wouldn’t that be a nice problem to have??

Top places to visit? I’ve got some work to do.

What if we re-drew the state lines? Here’s one way we could do it. Food for thought.

Good luck, Angela Merkel.  I stand behind you.

Me talk pretty (badly) sometimes.  This linguist nailed down the most misused words in the English language, and I can’t really think of an occasion where I’ve used them incorrectly. Score one for me! How’d you do?

Are you a baker? Do you have questions? Joy has answers.

While we might not exactly be flying around like Superman any time soon, there are some of you out there that do in fact have superpowers, and they affect how you live your life, and you may not even know it!

Portugal is a great destination for foodies, and I can’t disagree one lick!

And finally, one of my friends has a super cute series on her blog and she asked me to participate! Ever wonder what I carry around in my purse? Here’s a peek!

That’s all my brain can take right now.

Have a good week!

Written after some ginger hummus, whilst being out Defying Gravity, on repeat.

Hello, Sunday.

I hope that your grill is fired up and ice cream ready to churn (mine is…two kinds.  I have a problem).  It’s Sunday, and I’ve got no where to go and no reason to get out of my jammies and  it’s such a nice and rare feeling and I’m embracing the heck out of it.

Thank you to all who have served our country for making this Jammie Day possible. 

The news continues to suck and bring out the worst feels. I wish I could do better, but here is this week’s internet’s best.

Remember when the Cubs won the World Series?  Well, this speech brought back all the special feels. Congratulations to all the graduates!

People are leaving Chicago (myself included), and it’s kinda sad.

Our incomparable nation. This is why we’re great America! Let’s try and rise up to it again because we are so much better than we are right now.

Related:  Stupid lawsuits are…well, stupid.  Let’s not be quite so litigious.

What is happiness, really? Well, that one word really does embody so much. A whole glossary.

Sorry about another Beauty and the Beast comment, but here’s some behind the scenes of the transformation of Dan Stevens to Beast. Pretty cool, IMO.

If cultural appropriation is a thing, then I guess I should shut down this blog. I think food and sharing recipes and stories, is one thing that makes the world a smaller, friendlier place.  And adapting and creating recipes for oneself is just another form of creative expression.  Why is this suddenly a bad thing?  Enter thoughts below, please.

Teachers really are so many times the unsung heroes of a person’s success, so it’s awful when some take the privilege they’ve been handed to do bad things.  Texas teachers give one child mock award of “most likely to become a terrorist.”  How is this even funny in this day and age??

What exactly does it mean to “be a man“?  Well, it’s really not all that great. 

Science, ya’ll. Does anyone agree with the looming decision to pull out of The Paris Agreement?  This is what that really means. Brace yourselves, and move inland.

Oh, and I’m sorry to do this but I’m participating in Chicago Cares’ one-day serve-a-thon where we’ll renovate schools, maintain community green spaces, serve meals to seniors and more.  If you feel so inclined to support me in my endeavors, thanks!

That’s all I’ve got. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!