Jamie Janosz

On this night before Thanksgiving, I thought I would take a moment to remember all of the many things for which I am thankful. And I am....SO thankful. When I was little, Thanksgiving was a flurry of turkey and mashed potatoes, stressed out female relatives slaving in the kitchen, endless piles of dirty dishes, turkey wishbones, football on the tv, wax pilgrim and Indian candles, crunchy piles of fall leaves, and long car drives to the Quad Cities where my grandparents lived. This year, our Thanksgiving will be simple. We are going out to dinner, so I have plenty of time to write, and pause, and just say thank you for all the blessings of my life: for afternoon walks with my husband on the new nature trail just blocks from our home. for unexpected vintage treasures, like the two yards of tiki fabric I found at the thrift store today. for my daughter, who is fifteen, sweet and smart, and has not yet tormented me with teenage angst. for a job that I love - teach...

When I was in middle school, in the 1970s, my mom used to give me Toni permanents. They came in a box just like this and inside was a pamphlet that displayed photos of different hairdos. All of these, it promised could be magically achieved if you rolled your hair a certain way. I would take the pamphlet to my orange-flowered bedroom with its amazing orange, avocado green and gold shag carpeting and carefully study the photos of the pretty models. My favorite, I remember, was a lady with gently waving curls and a flower tucked behind one ear - very Hawaiian chic. In my mind, I imagined that I was that woman - a flower in my hair - the hit of Wolcott Junior High School. My mom would lay out all of the necessary supplies and carefully wind each bit of my thick dark brown hair around the spindly pastel colored rollers. Then, she'd squirt each roller with a noxious smelling liquid that would make my head feel icy cold. And, then, we'd wait. And wait some more. The b...

The media often gets a bad rap. They are accused of setting bad examples, pushing boundaries and showcasing infidelity. And, it’s true. Watching shows like The Bachelor or Desperate Housewives probably isn’t the best advice for those who are seeking a permanent and stable relationship. But, I have seen good examples of love and marriage on television. As I look at my own marriage of 20 years, I can see how some television and movie examples often ring true and highlight the best (and worst) aspects of love. 1) The dashing hero doesn't often make the best husband . In Gone with the Wind , Scarlett seems destined to be with Rhett Butler. He is strong, outspoken, impetuous, and pops randomly in and out of her life. While they have lots of sizzle, their marriage is a disaster. Contrast the Butlers with the more ho-hum relationship of Ashleigh and Melanie. Boring? Maybe. Stable? Definitely. Ashleigh and Melanie are loving and devoted to one another in a quiet, consistent ...

Happy Halloween! This weekend, at the last minute, my husband and I decided to visit the Willowbrook Ballroom. They were having a Halloween Swing Dance with full orchestra. I love the Willowbrook, in Willow Springs, Illinois, with its enormous wooden dance floor and hundreds of tables, so always a place to sit. It opened in 1921, and I think people have been dancing and dining there every since. At these events, they have swing dance lessons for the first hour, and then a band and dj for the rest. Such a lovely night... We enjoyed snapping a few pics of our favorite costumes. Milt was the Invisible Man (from the H.G. Wells novel and then the late 1930s film adaptation) and I was an old-timey Cigarette Girl (with candy sticks of course). The nice part of our costumes was that we were able to wear our vintage. I am wearing the first vintage dress that I ever bought - a red embroidered dress (that I shortened) from the 1940s. I also have 1940s dance shoes on and vintage rhi...

If you have never watched Gilmore Girls or Bunheads , television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, then this post is not for you. Actually, you must go directly to your television and watch an episode or two or three...you are missing out on one of life's treats. I adore both of these shows for their fast-talking, witty, wacky, and memorable characters - in fact, I love them so much that I sometimes dream of what it would be like to actually live in Stars Hollow or Paradise. Life is simpler there, more charming, less chaotic, friendlier...I could walk to work! It occurred to me that the reason I love Amy's depiction of small-town life is that she is portraying a beautiful image of "community." For most of us the word "community" has lost its charm. Some of our towns have "community centers" where they hold zumba classes or computer skills for seniors. We like to land on the "community chest" in Monopoloy, although it ...

Milt and I have been married for 20 years now, but all it takes is a weekend away - just the two of us - for us to remember why we love being together. This past Friday, we escaped to our favorite spot - Door County, WI - for a little r&r and uninterrupted conversations. No commuting to Chicago, no helping my daughter with Geometry homework that I can no longer remember how to do, no letting the dog out and in, no deciphering shopping lists from my mother-in-law... It was just the two of us - just the way it all started. I love the fall - and it is definitely fall in Wisconsin - pumpkins everywhere. I loved the opalescent pink pumpkins outside a little boutique. Plus, these little animal ones were adorable. Friday boasted crisp beautiful weather, so we roamed through the orchards and gift shops, snagged some fudge, and even took in a classic Wisconsin fish boil. Here, we did a little self-portrait as we watched the sunset. Ahhh...the romance is still alive ...

    Erik Larson's The Devil in thie White City , transports you back to a Chicago that I barely recognize. It is dirty, dangerous, unplanned, risky...He explores two stories, the construction of the turn-of-the-century World's Fair and the murderous spree of a man named Holmes.   For me, the story of the fair was fascinating - not so much for the serial killer aspect, but for its careful detailing of the challenge that building an amazing World's Fair presented to these early Chicagoans. It changed the way I walk down Michigan Ave. on my daily commute. Suddenly, I stop to notice each historical plaque - recognizing the names of the architects who havecome to life for me in the pages of this book.   I also learned some great trivia about Chicago. Did you know that:   The Ferris Wheel was invented specifically for the Chicago World's Fair by an architect named Ferris who was trying to beat the Paris Fair that presented the Eiffel Tow...