a quick meal and some shopping picks...

definitely one of my favorite meals during this hot summer

sliced avocado, Havarti cheese, a sprinkle of sea salt and freshly chopped basil on whole wheat bread

served with fresh cucumber slices

if you have multi-grain bread or a sourdough, this dish is even better

this meal I will sorely miss in just a very short time

all this time shuffling around the house preparing for school and the activities that follow the ending of the summer such as filling up the cellar with the preserved goodness from the garden, makes these quick and satisfying meals essential

but truth be told...I cannot wait to simmer a pot of soup and slow roast a chicken 

(besides, I am losing my touch around the kitchen without all the daily cooking!  it's been raw foods or grilled meals....I think my family is ready for it too)

many of the women I know are purging the unused and unloved items within their homes' cracks and crevices...dusting off things that they don't use and donating them to charities

such as I am

there are so many things I do not use, or really like, that we have taken in from friends or purchased ourselves, and I think this time of year is so exciting because there are so many wonderful sales out there

my advice: buy what you really like

see what's out there

help support those local businesses

original art at the art shows........that antique dresser from a local shop........

whatever your tastes are, here are my picks for this weekend:

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Room 363

(one of the most talented display artists I know owns this shop)

if you live around Chicago, then you are familiar with Naperville

a new shop, called Room363 is opening the doors this weekend for the very first time

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and if traveling (or living) West, A Ruffled Nest in Sycamore is open this weekend too

(I would definitely recommend trying to get here at 5pm Friday...she sells out quickly)

I will be there before 5 :)   I have my eye on a neat old dresser

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In DeKalb:

 a ribbon cutting ceremony at

 Carter's Cottage 

(Christie carries Annie Sloan Chalk Paint...and even has a new classroom for this very purpose...I have used that paint and love it!!!)

looks like this avocado/Havarti meal will be my 'go to' sustenance for a quick meal before heading off to shop

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peace + blessings,