Placement of Pretty Things

The McDonald’s Glasses

by Robin Turnipseed March 16, 2023

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! For many, this is merely a holiday to race through before the ushering in of the real star, the Easter Bunny. However, being born and partially raised in Chicago, my childhood memories are peppered with tremendous amounts of fanfare where St. Patty is concerned. From the parades in different nooks and crannies around the city to the dyeing of The Chicago River in my hometown, the day must be embraced and not simply rushed through.

One of my favorite childhood traditions was pleading with my parents to take me to Mcdonald’s for a Shamrock Shake. The Shamrock Shake, initially developed by Hal Rosen, a McDonald’s franchise owner out of Connecticut, debuted in 1967. He took the vanilla milkshake, a staple item on the menu, added a few drops of minty green syrup, and created a novelty item that found instant success when it launched in 1970 in select locations nationwide. I try to have at least one each season, and seeing that most places begin serving them towards the end of February, there usually is enough time to indulge more than once.

March 16, 2023 0 comment

Featured Small Pretties

The Concert Tickets

by Robin Turnipseed March 6, 2023

I have been on a Motown kick lately. I thank my mother for this. Growing up, I spent many a summer morning with open windows and the radio playing. She introduced me to all the greats: The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, and The Jackson 5. She turned up the volume as I sang into dust wands and danced around the kitchen, all in the name of “helping” her clean the house. These moments were light and fun and transformed into core memories that resurface each time the opening bassline of “My Girl” begins.

That is the beauty of music. It is the ultimate influencer, impacting our moods and feelings, what we choose to watch and purchase, and the tempo at which we shop or eat. For me, it even plays a factor in how I exercise. Many of my weekend mornings consist of sitting on my Echelon stationary bike, searching through each instructor’s music choices, and determining which will win the next hour of my life. Quite often, Jama Oliver’s perfectly curated playlists are the ones that keep me returning to her one-hour endurance rides.

March 6, 2023 0 comment

Decor Featured Small Pretties

Katy’s Vintage Toy Collection

by Robin Turnipseed February 2, 2023

We all remember our first friends. Those friends who appear in your earliest memories and photo albums. For many, those friends came in the form of a cousin, a kid from camp, or maybe even a sibling. We went camping with these friends, made friendship bracelets with them, and trusted them with all the secrets our little tender hearts carried. These early friendships are foundational, often imprinting on us and serving as building blocks for how we construct future relationships. For a lucky few, these friends may still live close by. For the rest of us, whose lives have moved us to different parts of the country, we rely on social media, which is how I reconnected with one of my first friends, Katy.

February 2, 2023 0 comment