Here, there, and everywhere, blowing around with the wild November winds! Of note:

A Persian-style Saturday lunch with Mary Pappas and Kathie Radcliffe, at Shiraz Fire Roasted Cuisine. Always fabulous to giggle and gossip with Mary and Kathie, especially while sipping hot tea from tall cups and eating fluffy saffron rice with beef/lamb skewers and fragrant stews. No belly dancer (she only shakes it on Friday and Saturday nights), but a belly full o' tasties, with a side of belly-shakin' laughs (and I'll quit with that now, belly-up).

A wild-n-crazy trip to JoAnn Fabrics, of all places, to buy supplies for Nathan's FACS class. Who knew that a fabric store could be so, so, so, PACKED?! (Uh, obviously not me.) Look out for aggressive ladies who sew, sheesh! I had to come home and make spaghetti to recover...

Date Night dinner with John at 112 Eatery. Good, but not great, which is noteworthy given that it's, you know, 112 Eatery. Nothing horrible, just not...fabulous. Except for the boned, pressed chicken, served with lots of fresh lemon and parsley. That is one delicious dish, and it was its usual crispy, juicy, flavorful self.

Tuesday Morning Coffee with Suz and...Cooper! The Maven couldn't make it, but The Coopster could (shown here in various snuggle-bunnies with his cat, Co, aka the snuggliest cat EVAR; I've been itching for a reason to post these insanely cute pics), and he acquired a new word in the process: "Susie!" Yay for Susie!

And speaking of Susie...a hootin' Holiday Open House, hosted by my neighbor (and co-Badger) Lindsay Polyak and her sister-in-law Kristi Hykes! At Kristi's gorgeous home, at which Silpada Susie was a vendor, along with a few other lovely ladies and their wares, including my neighbor Jen Baxter. Lindsay baked piles of decadent goodies (she's an amazing baker), including her dipped ginger snaps, as well as lemon bars and several versions of chocolate-caramel-deadly-little-mothers. Goooood stuff.

Nathan's first basketball game, which his team won in over-time, very exciting! We celebrated by doing... nothing, it was a school night and everyone was wiped (and I was at above-said party). Nathan did homework, and I think had cereal for dinner, poor soul. (Although it was his choice - John offered his specialty, nuked hot dogs, but Nathan took a pass...) We'll get back on track tonight with a traditional pot roast I actually made yesterday (cooking ahead a bit). I think I'll serve Nathan his as a sandwich, he's had a hankering for a roast beef sandwich lately.

Or not. We'll see where the wind blows us...