And Now Heeeeeeere's Oprah...

OK, so I didn't actually see Oprah, but I did hold her size 10 Malono Blahnik high heel shoe in my hand. But more on that later.

The day began with Mara plugging in her hair crimping iron. I had tried to use it a couple of days before, but my results were less like Mara's flowing curls and more like Harry from "Dumb and Dumber". However, the girls wanted to give it a try and they ended up with less like the lions they were trying to portray and more like a Texas beauty pageant contestants.

The lions in action...
Momma being attacked by the lions. Please note our dramatic poses. Mara and I had recently watched "America's Next Top Model" and we took a page out of Tyra's book for our instructions...

Mara has lived in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park for the past couple of years. Clark Street is just around the corner from her apartment and home to all the shops and restaurants. We decided we needed another Pasta Bowl fix (we had already been there the night we stepped off the plane). The Pasta Bowl is Mara's "Cheers"...the cooks love her (seriously...one of the cooks loves her) and the waitstaff knows her by her favorite dish. I, too, love The Pasta Bowl. I have been there every time I have visited and my mouth waters for it all year long. It is the perfect combination of cheap, homemade, delish, and not at all healthy. What more could you ask for...

Our plates of utter bliss...

And now to the Pocket Puppy store. This is an entire store that sells tiny dogs (not stuffed dogs...real living, breathing dogs) and all the accessories you could ever need for your tiny dog. There are purses to carry your dog in, sweaters to wrap your dog in, shoes to pop on their tiny feet, organic treats to fill their bellies, collars to sparkle their necks, coats to keep out the cold, and on and on and on. The cutest part about the Pocket Puppy store is the puppies. Little tiny dogs all yippy and skippy and just wanting to be held. And hold we did. The girls sooooooo wanted to take home this squirmy little creature. Wouldn't that be fun?? A tiny little dog for Lobo and Ringo to snack on. A tiny little dog for Pansey to scratch. Let's do it...oh wait...pocket puppies cost between $1,350 and $1,900!!! Say what????? At that point I was a little afraid wiggle worm would flip out of my hands, crash to the floor, and I would be forced to pay for him. Oh would I have explainin' to do to Jason. As we left, there was still much whining for the puppy and I tried to reiterate that we don't own $2,000 dogs...we own free dogs from farms and free dogs found in ditches...END OF STORY!!!

Oh the Austrian bakery. Can you say heaven on a plate? The most gorgeous cakes I have ever seen were on display in the window. The girls especially loved the princess cake. Mara figured the cakes cost about as much as a pocket puppy. Maybe we'll buy a cake, because if something is going to get eaten it might as well be by me and not Lobo.

And now onto Molly's Cupcakes. Molly's is a cute little cupcake shop with all different kinds of fabulous cupcakes. There are two very kid friendly things about Molly's...you can build your own cupcake and the bar stools are actually swings. Such fun...

Lena and Annika both chose red velvet cake, chocolate frosting, gummy worms, and heart sprinkles. Not my personal favorite, but to each their own...

Enjoying the worm. OMG...I just had a flash of my future and it involved Lena, spring break, and the worm at the bottom of the tequila bottle. Uff da...

Lena enjoying the chocolate frosting. Annika was at the shop too...she was in her own little world of swinging and devouring the frosting off the top of the cake (girl after my own heart)...

When we were all done Lena was still eating. I told her it was time to go and she very urgently shoved about half of her cupcake in her mouth. Apparently she didn't see the to-go box I was holding...

And now to the moment you have all been waiting for...OPRAH!!! I had been wanting to go to the Oprah store (since I will probably never be able to get tickets to the actual show) for over a year now. I read about it in a magazine and the most intriguing part for me was Oprah's Closet. I read about a room that has clothes that are from her actual closet. Items she has worn being sold at a discount and all money goes to her charity. I had to see it for myself. This was my American Girl Doll moment. I was giddy with excitement. Apparently the girls did not share my excitement because the night before when they were up out of bed for the umpteenth time, I threatened that if they didn't go to sleep "right now" we would not go to the Oprah Store. Lena laughed and Annika said, "Good!". However, my excitement could not be squelched.

The closest I may ever get to the actual show...

Upon entering the biggest souvenir shop I have ever seen one quickly realizes that everything is Oprah. Pajamas, workout gear, towels, plates, t-shirts, cups, key chains, sweaters, dishes, books, bags, wallets, and on and on and on. Each item adorned with her signature "O". Which is fine unless you don't want to look like a crazy groupie at the gym or have your guests eating off plates with "O"s all over them. There was a selection of beautiful cashmere sweaters and wraps without the "O", but they were a bit spendy. Oh yeah, the "O" also stands for overpriced. There was also a selection of items from Africa that didn't have the "O". But what about the closet you ask? As you make your way to the back of the store you come upon it. Now I was thinking it was going to be a HUGE room filled with clothes. We are talking Oprah here...she should have a ginormous closet, right? Well, apparently, Oprah has the same size closet as the one I had in my dorm room, because it was really just a fancied up wall. However, it did contain three pairs of shoes (which I held in my hand and they had been worn by someone because the bottoms were scuffed) and maybe ten outfits ranging from sizes 8-14. I especially loved a cute black dress and Mara loved a really beautiful skirt, but at $250+ a pop, we went on our merry way. All in all it was a fun experience and neat to see what all the hub bub was about.

The photo op chair. They brought over a chair from the studio for all the fans to plop down in and get their picture taken. Perhaps Oprah's very own hiney has graced the leathers. Or better yet Brad Pitt's...

Four little Oprah fans. Ok...one big Oprah fan, one I-could-take-her-or-leave-her Oprah fan, and two kids along for the ride...

The time had come to move out of Aunt Mary's apartment and into Mara's dad's friend's furnished basement. Crystal and her family were gracious enough to house us for the next three nights. They have a beautiful four level home in a very pretty Lincoln Park neighborhood. I especially liked experiencing both types of city living...

Saturday night was Earth Hour (remember when you turned off all your lights and electronics Saturday night between 8:30pm-9:30pm?). The entire house participated (until the girls got too nervous without their night light and we had to cheat and plug it in). However, Mara and I ponied up and even lasted an extra 30 minutes.

Our lights out survival kit included wine, cribbage, a candle, and chocolate...

On the next episode of "Windy City Wonders" the Chicago explorers wake up to 3 inches of snow. Strollers come with chains, right? Stay tuned...