Author: Jessica L Gardner
-
The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line®: The saving grace for every Thanksgiving chef
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Self, I sure do wish there was a 1-800 number I could call that’s staffed by experts and who could answer all my turkey cooking questions”? The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line® is the answer to your prayers. Since 1981, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line®, open only in November and December, has…
-
Full Moon Restaurant: Where everyone receives a free Thanksgiving dinner
Do you dine at the Full Moon Restaurant? I first discovered the Full Moon as a first year student at Lake Forest College in 1989 when an upperclassman friend introduced me to this wonderful 24-hour truck stop just north of campus. Since that time, the Full Moon has been my second favorite restaurant. Second only…
-
Hospital Waiting Room Etiquette 101
Two days ago my mom had gastric bypass surgery and I spent nine hours sitting in the hospital’s waiting room. Spending any time in a hospital waiting room while a loved one is in surgery is stressful at best and life altering when things don’t go as hoped. Everyone in the waiting room is on…
-
Story time with Brad Meltzer
When was the last time someone read you a bedtime story, complete with sound effects, jokes, and the story’s backstory? I’m guessing you were under 10 and that was probably a very long time ago. Do you remember how much you anticipated the story each night, even if you made your parents read the same…
-
Happy birthday Dave!
Happy birthday to Dave, the greatest brother in the world! I love being your big sister and having you as my best friend. Please join me wishing Dave a very happy birthday in the comments. Want to know more about Dave? Check out these posts: Dad, can I have herpes?, April 2009 Happy birthday Dave!,…
-
Like every Friday night of my childhood, I hung out with Sue Ellen Ewing, um, Linda Gray
If you’re a Gen Xer, you grew up on a Friday night of Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, and Falcon Crest, even if it was against your parents’ wishes or explicit instructions. I was lucky. My parents would often go out on Friday evenings, ironically to church group functions, leaving Dave and me with a babysitter…
-
My childhood walked out the door at our garage sale
As I discussed earlier this week, my mom and I recently held a garage sale. It was fairly successful, but a bit difficult in ways that previous garage sales haven’t been. Prior garage sales have been about getting rid of excess items. With this sale, however, my mom, brother, and I decided to purge items…
-
What happened to my BFF Mary?
When we moved to Arlington Heights from Ft. Myers, Florida, in 1975, one of the biggest perks was that our block was filled with kids my age. There was Kenny and Judy next door; Kerrie and her younger brother across the street; Amy and her 3 siblings on the corner; Greg across the street; a…
-
10 tips for a successful garage sale
This past weekend, my mom and I held a garage sale at her home. I’ve held many garage sales in my life and really enjoy doing so because I strongly prefer to see things repurposed and reused rather than ending up in a landfill. My mom’s neighbors are always amazed at the success of my…
-
September 11 Gratitude and Memories
We all remember where we were on September 11 and I’m no exception. I’ve written about my experiences of September 11th twice – in 2009 and 2011 – and you can click on those links and read my story. While there are many things I wish to forget about September 11th and the wars that we entered as…
Jessica L Gardner 