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My cousin recently got married and she used Artlynn Photography to have her pictures done. I have nothing but good things to say about this place!
At the wedding and the reception the...
My cousin recently got married and she used Artlynn Photography to have her pictures done. I have nothing but good things to say about this place!
At the wedding and the reception the photographer was very easy going and did a great job of taking pictures and getting everyone involved. He listened to requests, asked opinions and made unique suggestions for pictures.
But one of the very best things about this studio is that they then load the entire album online for all of the relatives and friends to see and order from. This is a very unique concept and allows everyone to have an opportunity to see the pictures.
For anyone who has ever gotten married you know how difficult it is to make sure you get the photo album proofs to everyone to see and order before the ordering deadline. With this online feature, everyone has a chance to view the album.
As we left the reception the photographer handed out personalized business cards with the website on them and the user name and ID we would need to log in with a date the pictures would be available.
The pictures themselves turned out beautifully and the ordering process was easy.
I highly recommend Artlynn not only for this unique feature, but the overall great job that they did!
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Think Party City is just for Halloween and birthday parties? Think again.
Since we send out over 50 X-Mas cards a year, I need to find a place with great deals. Party City is just that...
Think Party City is just for Halloween and birthday parties? Think again.
Since we send out over 50 X-Mas cards a year, I need to find a place with great deals. Party City is just that place!
They have cards that are 75% off and they are nice cards too. Most discount stores have good priced cards, but they look cheap. Not here!
At Party City you can choose from 100's of styles of cards for every celebration of this time of year. Whether you want religious cards, funny cards, seasonal cards or something in between, Party City has it!
They also have the lowest prices around. I have not been able to find this nice of cards for this low of a price anywhere else.
They also have a nice website that allows you to see the local flyer for their area, find a store near you or browse their products. You can find it at:
www.partycity.com
If you are like me and need to send a lot of cards out, but cannot afford to pay a premium price, than Party City is for you!
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I don't subscribe to premium channels on cable and rarely go to the movies, so I am usually at my local Blockbuster every Saturday renting a couple of movies.
They have a large selection to...
I don't subscribe to premium channels on cable and rarely go to the movies, so I am usually at my local Blockbuster every Saturday renting a couple of movies.
They have a large selection to choose from in both new and older movies. They're kids selection is also one of the largest I have ever seen and luckily for us they still carry some of them in VHS format. Seeing as all my son has in his room is a VCR.
I also like that the people there are willing to drop what they are doing to help you at a moments notice. It never seems as if you are bothering them. They will also search the 2 drop boxes for me to see if an out-of-stock movie has come in recently.
Another friendly thing that they do at every Blockbuster is to greet you as soon as you come in he door with a Hello and a smile on their face.
The prices are reasonable and if you are late returning an item, no problem, you get an extra 7 days past the due date to do so!
My son loves their wide collection of X-Box rentals as well. No other video store has so many to choose from.
Blockbuster is by far my favorite rental place.
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One of my favorite national chains would have to be Panera Bread. I tend to eat there at least twice a month.
They have so many different items to choose from that you could never get bored! From...
One of my favorite national chains would have to be Panera Bread. I tend to eat there at least twice a month.
They have so many different items to choose from that you could never get bored! From sandwiches made on fresh baked bread, to homemade soups, delicious desserts, crispy individual pizzas, fresh salads and more.
And of course you cannot leave without buying fresh bread for home!
I usually buy their "You Pick Two" special every time. This special allows you to get two of either a half sandwich, soup or salad for only $5.99. My usual choice is half of a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich on Ciabatta bread. It comes on Tomato Basil Bread regularly but they always let me substitute and then my other half is the Classic Cafe salad. The dressing with this salad is a balsamic vinaigrette and it is out of this world!
Then in the cold months I also get a bowl of their Vegetarian Garden Vegetable soup. This soup is so packed with veggies you would think that they had a garden in the kitchen! And unlike many canned soups, you can taste the veggies in this soup. My hubby loves their French Onion soup in the bread bowl.
Then you get a choice of sides with the You Pick Two, either a french baguette, apple or chips.
Or course no meal would be complete without one of their delicious desserts which they have on display in the restaurant. There are so many to choose from but my son always gravitates towards the double chocolate cake.
If you are in the mood for web-surfing, their locations also provide WIFI access.
It is a great place with fresh food and one I go to often.
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My son absolutely loves the ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery in Oak Lawn. He likes it much better than Baskin Robbins and so do I. Not only does it have more relaxing interior to eat your ice cream...
My son absolutely loves the ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery in Oak Lawn. He likes it much better than Baskin Robbins and so do I. Not only does it have more relaxing interior to eat your ice cream in, but the atmosphere is welcoming and so are the employees.
After careful deliberation of which ice cream scoops he will try this time and believe me there are many to choose from, my son will then take on the "difficult" task of toppings. From nuts to whipped cream and everything in between it is a battle to get as many in as possible for him. There has to be M&M's of course and don't forget the Oreo chunks.
All this aside, the best part for him and for my husband and I is at the very beginning where the employees will offer us a small taste of any ice cream we choose. We may have a difficult time getting our son to eat new foods, but Cold Stone Creamery makes it easy when it come to new ice cream flavors.
They have many original creations to choose from or you can create your own. They also offer gallons to take home as well as ice cream cakes, shakes, smoothies and more.
You can also go to their website to sign-up for free ice cream on your birthday or just to find a location near you:
http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/index.html
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Leona's is a restaurant unlike any other. The menu is an amazing read and the options are limitless!
Their food is extremely healthy and most of it is homemade there on site.
Being Vegan, my...
Leona's is a restaurant unlike any other. The menu is an amazing read and the options are limitless!
Their food is extremely healthy and most of it is homemade there on site.
Being Vegan, my options are sometimes limited in what I can eat and where I can go, at Leona's there are very many things that I can choose from.
Their Vegan burger is the best that I have ever tasted and it is homemade there.
My son and husband who are not Vegan love their food as well.
It is a but higher priced, but for the amount of food and the quality of that food, the price is more than reasonable.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant is friendly and welcoming.
I also like that they have take-out service too. Nothing better than having a quality meal at home that you do not have to cook!
What first got our attention to this great place was an advertisement we received in the mail. They are very witty and cute and offer special discounts as well.
This is one of my family's favorite restaurants because there is something for everyone and it all taste great!
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Joe & Frank's has some of the best food around. It is a neighborhood meat, deli, bakery and grocery store in one.
Family owned and neighborhood run you cannot beat the selection and...
Joe & Frank's has some of the best food around. It is a neighborhood meat, deli, bakery and grocery store in one.
Family owned and neighborhood run you cannot beat the selection and service.
From the homemade Polish bakery section there are more things to choose than you could ever want. I often get lost here trying to decide what to buy.
They also have fresh baked breads and many Polish items that you cannot find elsewhere.
But there sausage is unbelievable! Just like the old time butcher shops with quality and great price.
This is a wonderful store to shop and walking in you can feel the family atmosphere.
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So I am not sure what happened to Panda Hut. Maybe they got a new chef?
I use to order from here at least every other week if not every week and I would always get a large Szechwan Vegetable....
So I am not sure what happened to Panda Hut. Maybe they got a new chef?
I use to order from here at least every other week if not every week and I would always get a large Szechwan Vegetable. Though it is only suppose to have broccoli, peapods, water chestnuts and mushrooms, they put in green peppers too. So I asked for it without them.
The sauce is incredible, the portions are huge and the service and lady who runs the place is wonderful! I would call for a pick-up, get in my car and five minutes later walk out with my order. The prices were also very reasonable!!!
All of a sudden for the last month and a half, the sauce is not that great, they do not have enough sauce in the container and now there is over half a container of celery with hardly any of the above listed veggies.
Last Friday there were no mushrooms at all and only 2 peapods! And it did not taste all that great. I ended up throwing almost all of the order and just ate the broccoli.
Now you may ask why I kept going there for over a month when it has been terrible. Well I had hoped that it would get better again, but I guess not.
I am terribly disappointed because this was a great place for take-out Chinese. But as of last Friday, they have officially lost my business.
I gave it two stars instead of one because the lady that runs the place is still very nice. So she deserves a star all of her own.
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While at Navy Pier on Monday we strolled the boardwalk and ran across Popcorn Palace. This place has more flavors of popcorn then I have ever seen!
The best part is that they let you sample the...
While at Navy Pier on Monday we strolled the boardwalk and ran across Popcorn Palace. This place has more flavors of popcorn then I have ever seen!
The best part is that they let you sample the popcorn before you buy it. And we had fun doing that!
My son liked the looks of the Rainbow flavored because of the colors. But we tasted it and decided against it. It is flavored as cherry, grape, lemon, tangerine and apple and we just did not think those flavors went well with popcorn.
We ended up buying a small order of Chocolate Fudge Brownie and it was to die for! I have never tasted anything like it before!
My friend and her son got the Cheese Ranch flavored and despite the name, it was pretty good!
They also have a large selection of Jelly Belly flavors there as well.
This would be a nice place for gifts too as they have all sorts of different popcorn containers that you can get as well.
It was a little pricey, but once you taste the popcorn you'll know it was worth it!
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On Monday a friend of mine, her son and my son went to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. We had a blast!
I haven't been there is a couple of years and I forgot how fun it could be. So did my...
On Monday a friend of mine, her son and my son went to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. We had a blast!
I haven't been there is a couple of years and I forgot how fun it could be. So did my son!
The nice thing about the museum is even though many exhibits stay the same, many do change.
This time they are featuring Alice In Wonderland complete with a visit from Alice herself!
But the boys favorite part was the Waterways exhibit. There you can create a real waterway and build dams to show the different ways water will flow. Then you put a plastic boat at the top and watch it go!
They also have a pipe system in this part with water flowing through the tubes and the kids can connect different tubes to run the water. All kids are supplied raincoats and believe me they need them!
Another neat exhibit was the dinosaur place. There kids can become archaeologists and unearth dinosaur bones.
They have plenty of attractions for the little ones too. Almost every exhibit has a baby section where the younger kids can play too.
There are many other exhibits, but I don't want to ruin them for you.
It was not very expensive, $8 a person and well worth it! Especially since we got over 3 hours of uninterrupted fun for the boys!
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