On Friday night my husband Luke and I decided to try a new restaurant that recently opened in Gurnee called Risotto's. We have heard good things about it and wanted to see for ourselves.
When we walked in we immediately like the atmosphere. There is a nice lighted bar with some seating as soon as you enter followed by a big open seating area. I also noticed that the restaurant smelled wonderful...great sign!
We were seated right away and took to deciding what to order. We started out the baked clams as an appetizer. These were very good, I was surprised that we got 6 or 7 good sized clams, however, we had no problem finishing them all. We also started digging into the fresh warm bread dipped in olive oil and parmesan cheese, one of my favorites.
For our entrees, we were having trouble deciding between a pasta and chicken or veal. We decided to order one of each and share both. We got the lemon veal and the gnocchi stuffed with ricotta and spinach. Both came with soup or salad so before the meals came out I got a nice salad and Luke tried their minestrone soup.

The entrees came out shortly after with extra plates so we could share. The lemon veal was served with some pasta with marinara sauce on the side. The veal was really tender and truly delicious. The gnocchi was also very good, more of a unique dish with it being stuffed with the ricotta and spinach with a nice vodka type sauce. By the end of our meals, we were truly full...that is, until the waitress decided to list off the deserts. We suddenly realized we could fit in a little more!

We decided on a canoli for dessert with coffee. To be honest I'm not usually a big fan of canoli, however, Like loves it so I figured I'd go along. For not being a big fan, I ate half of it with no problem and really like it and Luke loved it as well.

We really enjoyed our night out and both agreed we would definitely return to Risotto's again. Our waitress was great and we really did enjoy the atmosphere and food.

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With all of the snow we have had lately, I sure hope you have been able to enjoy some of it! It sometimes feels like all we do is shovel, the plow goes by your driveway and you have to shovel right away again.

Well we decided to go sledding on Saturday instead of worrying about the driveway! With multiple hills to choose from in Lake County, we decided to go to Lakewood Sled Hill on Fairfield, just south of Rt 176 in Wauconda. As we turned to drive south on Fairfield, the glow of flood lights directed us to the parking lot.


This was my daughter’s first trip sledding so we thought we would start out “slow”. We walked to a hill next to the skating rink. We didn’t see any sled marks, only footsteps and pretty deep ones at that!


We throw the bright orange $5 plastic disc from Wal-Mart down and have Maggie sit on it. The tears and shrieks came! Let’s try laying on it instead…no luck. OK, for now, why don’t we take a walk around and look at what fun others are having!


We walked across the skating rink and met a family that had been playing for hours. That’s a great hat dad! Can’t you just “see” the fun they have had? It shows up in their snow-covered outerwear and rosy cheeks. People, young and old were skating back and forth and a few were even doing some pretty advanced spins.


On to the sled hill! The flood lights made the evening sky seem like it was noon. There were even lights all the way down the hill and on the path back up. You could see every bump each of the sleds would hit on the way down the hill.


You could hear the “Weeeeeeee” from children in the distance and the clapping from friends and family at the top of the hill. What a blast!


We watched for quite some time. And then…Maggie wanted to go down the big hill! We decided that since she is all of about 33” tall, we would try the side versus the main hill. SHE LOVED IT!


We had so much fun and there is much, much, more snow for Chicago – so come and join us the next time. I bet we hear you yell, “Weeeeeeee” too!

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The idea of going to Hawthorn Shopping Center the day after Christmas was a bit daunting. However, I negotiated with my husband and only brought one of our two children eliminating the need for the double stroller and the mayhem that ensues from using the behemoth piece of equipment.

My seven month old, Trent, and I embarked on our adventure at eight o'clock. In my pre-children days, I would be one of those crazy people going to Target at 6am. So, I was preparing to encounter swarms of people. I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up to Macy's and found a parking spot close to the entrance on my first try. In the six years that I have lived in Lake County and shopped at the mall, that has never happened. I thought that this was a fluke but it was just the beginning of my luck.

Once I made it inside, I found Macy's to be quite manageable. Not only were there phenomenal sales, the store was busy but not crowded. There were few enough people that it was easy to discern who the employees were.

As we ventured out into the main part of the mall, there was little to indicate that it was the second busiest shopping day of the year. We went to a variety of stores not just looking for good deals but for investigative purposes of seeing what the mall was truly like on December 26th. Aside from a toddler (thankfully not my own) having a melt down in one of the stores, we did not encounter one disgruntled patron in the whole place.

Although the economy may have been indicative of the small crowds and the fact that it was before noon, I fully intend on returning to Hawthorn for prime time shopping in the future.

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Welcome to the wonderful world of dogs. Our beloved pets that dictate our every move around them. I would like to touch upon the variety of dog parks around the Lake County region. These parks are designed specifically with your dog in mind. These wonderful parks provide the space and security for your dog to exercise OFF leash. These parks are 100% fenced in either by nature or of manmade origin. They allow your dog to socialize, play, swim, and have a darn good time. The parks provide peace of mind while your pet romps and stomps their way into a social gathering of their own kind. They also allow their human owners to socialize too. The breed diversity at the parks is as unique as their owners. You will find your pet sleeping like a baby when you get home from a day at the dog park.

If you are interested in spending time at one of the dog parks of Lake County, you will need a daily permit, which can be purchased at any dog park for $5 for lake county residents. Non-residents will have to pay $10 a day. Yearly permits are also available. The self-pay stations are located in the parking lot of each exercise area.

Be aware of the posted signs as you enter the parks. The park rangers are always close at hand and add an extra feeling of security while at the park. Make sure you use your mutt mitts and always pick up after your pet. There is a $75 fine for not picking up. There is also a detailed list of do's and don'ts for added security.

The first park I will address is Independence Grove in Libertyville. This 30-acre area is located on Milwaukee Avenue (Route21) one-half mile north of Buckley Road (Route 137) The park is fenced on three sides and the fourth fence is made up of the mighty Des Plaines River. There is always some sort of wildlife along the river.

The second park is in Wauconda. This park is the Big Daddy of them all. It is 68-acres of entirely fenced large open meadows and training enclosures. It also has a comfort station with water fountain.This park is located on Fairfield Road just north of Route 176.

The third and my personal favorite is Duck Farm in Lindenhurst. I have become a regular here as many have. It is very secure with many familiar faces. This park is located on Grand Avenue (Route 132) just east of Route 83. This park has a comfort station and drinking fountain also. This is a 48 acre play ground for your pet.

The fourth park is Prairie Wolf, in Lake Forest. It is a fenced 44-acre site, located on the east side of Waukegan Road (Route 43), south of Old Mill Road and north of Half Day Road (Route 22). The park has large fields, a swimming pond, trails, drinking fountain and training enclosures. Great place for all our water loving dogs.

Remember, before entering the park, read the rules, pay the permit, pick up after your pet, and make new friends.

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