Author: Jessica L Gardner
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Top 10 reasons why being in the audience for The Late Show with David Letterman rocked
In 1996, David Letterman left the comforts of the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York City and went on the road, hosting The Late Show from four cities in four weeks. Stops included Washington, D.C. on November 8, 1996 and Chicago on November 15th. His Washington, D.C. show took place just three days after the…
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Cooking with LMS: Healthy homemade Cheez-Its
Raise your hand if you enjoy Cheez-Its. You know, the little orange crackers made of cheese. Okay, put your hands down. I see that it would have been easier to ask who doesn’t like them. Last week I was having some friends over for a John Hughes’ Film Festival (more on that later) and wanted…
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Seven things I know about writing
Two of my ChicagoNow buddies, Nina writer of You Know Neen, and Michael writer of Mysteries of Life, recently tagged me in a meme going around the ChicagoNow writers on Facebook. I decided that rather than share my pearls of wisdom with just my Facebook friends, the entire world could benefit from my knowledge about…
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Do you read your EOBs (Explanation of Benefits)?
EOBs or Explanation of Benefits are the notifications from your medical insurance company that clutter up your snail mail or email box letting you know how much your insurance company paid, what you owe, and what the medical provider is not allowed to bill you for. Based entirely upon my non-scientific research, most people don’t…
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What are your family traditions?
My dad is the second of five children born to Giff and Peggy Gardner – Giff, John (my dad), Jeff, Kathy, and Ray. When we moved to Chicago from Ft. Myers, Florida in 1975, the entire extended family lived in the Chicago Area and we got together regularly. I have vivid memories of family dinners…
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Quick survey: I’m starting a business, would love your opinion, and you could win a prize
Just as the title says, I’m starting my own business and your opinions are very important to the process. Will you help me out by taking the quick survey? Longtime readers of Little Merry Sunshine will recall that 2014 was filled with its share of medical issues. The good news is that I’m healthy now,…
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Beth Prystowsky uses Multiple Sclerosis to spread compassion throughout the world
This is the first in a series of interviews with Little Merry Sunshine readers, LMS Reader Stories. If you’d like to be interviewed for this series, please read this post and send me an email. This past Sunday, I had the honor of sitting down and chatting with Beth Prystowsky, fellow ChicagoNow blogger and author…
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Mortgage savings for you or a way for the bank to make money?
Three and one-half years ago I purchased my first home. I bought a modest condo in Lake County and took out a mortgage that was 48% of what I’d pre-qualified for. I put down 20% of the purchase price, which was 70% of the asking price. Ya, I’m a kick-ass negotiator, when backed by the…
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What’s your story? I want to know and share it
Everyone has a story to tell and everyone’s story is unique and intriguing. It’s about what makes us who we are and what makes us tick. By reading Little Merry Sunshine, you get peeks into my story, who I am, and what I value. Actually, you learn quite a bit about me (sometimes maybe a…
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Welcome back, Spring!
Dear Spring, I have missed you more than you’ll ever know. It’s not that Winter was so awful, well, not in Chicago, anyway; East coasters have a different perspective. It’s just that Winter just seemed to drag on. Winter brought cold, snow, endless grey days, frozen Lake Michigan, and too few hours of light each…
Jessica L Gardner 