Five for Friday - Dixie's Tupperware Party, Radio Shangri-La, Granny Smiths, Boukman Eksperyens and Macy's Flower Show

I'm a sucker for direct-marketing parties. So I was thrilled to be invited this week to attend a TUPPERWARE party. My mom and I attended none other than Dixie's Tupperware Party last night, at the Royal George Theater, and got not only many laughs out of it, but also some great Tupperware pieces. Dixie left her children back in Alabama and is taking Chicago by storm with her old-fashioned Tupperware parties. She certainly has come up with some great alternative uses for many of the pieces. Remember what Dixie always says: Tupperware ain't just bowls, and they are guaranteed. For life! Dixie even related the story of Brownie Wise, the legendary founder of direct marketing parties. I appreciated Dixie's voice and spirit - thanks, Dixie, for reminding me to always greet the day with a smile. Need some Tupperware of your own? Head over to Dixie's website, and click on "Buy stuff, Hookers." I ordered Pupa the Dora the Explorer Meal and Snack Set, the famed Shape-O toy, and a set of colorful sippy cups. Don't miss Dixie's Tupperware party, now playing at the Royal George Theater, until May 18th. Buy your tickets here.

I just read Radio Shangri-La, by Lisa Napoli. Reading is my escape - I'm always reading two or three books simultaneously - and this book took me to Bhutan, a nation of which I knew very little. Ms. Napoli took a leave of absence from her job in LA  and moved to the tiny Himalayan kingdom to help get the national radio station on its best feet. Rumoured to be "the happiest kingdom on Earth", Bhutan leads Ms. Napoli to discover her own road to happiness. Find it at your local library, or read and excerpt and buy it here.

This week, our organic fruit and veggie purveyors delivered us, among other things, an abundance of green apples. Seriously, I have 20+ green apples on my hands. I'm planning on making Ina Garten's Tatin and this Granny Smith slaw from Family Fun. Having our fruits and veggies delivered is a good thing, because it forces me to vary our diet and come up with more veggie-based meals, which means more vitamins, fiber and minerals for all of us. Our family relies less on take-out and restaurant meals, because I won't let all those good fruits and veggies go to waste.

Tomorrow night, my husband and I are going to see Boukman Eksperyens, a 10-piece Haitian ensemble that I adore, at Northwestern's Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Tickets still available here.

I'm also looking forward to the Macy's Flower Show, which opens this weekend. This picture of Baby Chiara, taken last May, reminds me how little she was when the spring flowers were blooming last year, and how much she's grown. 





***special thanks to Broadway in Chicago, for providing me with tickets to see Dixie's Tupperware Party, as well as @readitforward for the review copy of Radio ShangriLa