Logan's Roadhouse Breaks Ground in Marion

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Site prep work began last week on two commercial projects on Marion's west side, a $650,000 Logan's Roadhouse at 1201 Halfway Rd, and a new One Stop Smoke Shop & Liquor Shop at 2701 W. DeYoung at the site of the former Amoco service station torn down last spring.

Logan's Roadhouse purchased the 1.65 acre site of the old Wolohan Lumber building last month.

Both Logan's and the One Stop establishments took out building permits in March.

The other commercial projects taking out permits in March included a $2.7 million nursing home addition at 3116 Williamson County Parkway, a $450,000 building for Five Brothers Lawn & Tractor at 1300 E. Main Street and a $135,000 production building for Timberline Fisheries at 201 Timberline Road.

Although there wasn't much to see today, this week marks the official start of construction on the new redo of Exit 54, the Interstate 57/Illinois Route 13 single point interchange.

Comfort Inn Opens, Logan's Roadhouse Sets Date

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Marion's latest hotel Comfort Inn opened its doors to guests last month on July 20.

It's located at 2403 Black Diamond Drive behind Sao's Asian Bistro and McAlister's Deli on Morgan Avenue.

Although it sits back off the highway more than most of its competitors, its four stories overshadow the restaurants in front of it and so is visible even from the Illinois Route 13/Halfway Road intersection.

The new hotel has 64 rooms. It takes the place of the former Comfort Inn off of Exit 53. That is now a Quality Inn. Both brands are part of the Choice Hotels International family.

It's the second new hotel to open in Marion this year. A new Holiday Inn Express opened in May.

Down the street and round the bend construction work on Logan's Roadhouse is almost complete. The new restaurant is set to open Sept. 17, according to a sign out front.

The eatery will seat 180 guests which is a smaller model for the brand. In comparison O'Charley's in Marion sits 320.

It may be like Chili's in Carbondale which opened with a smaller venue and almost immediately added on to the facility.

Meanwhile work on the new Panera Bread store shows that it was almost in the dry when I took this photo last week. It should be fully enclosed by the time Hurricane Isaac's rains mark an official end of the drought this weekend.

It's located around the corner again from Logan's Roadhouse on the frontage road along Route 13 in between Drury Inn and America's Best Inns. Panera broke ground for the restaurant last month.

There are still at least two major chain restaurants looking at Marion not counting whatever is looking at the Millennium Development site - Boulder Creek at Marion. One of them is seriously looking at the land immediately north of Logan's. It's been listed as pending on the multiple listing service since earlier this year.

E'town River Restaurant Expands

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The famed E'town River Restaurant in E'town (that's Elizabethtown for those who like to spell out long names) has doubled its capacity with a new floating addition.

News Three reporter Stephanie Tyrpak of WSIL-TV has the story from earlier this month. With the new addition owner Patrick Joyner can now offer another 44 seats and has had to add two additional employees.

The restaurant, which floats on the Ohio River is located just across the street from the River Rose Inn and just down the street from the historic Rose Hotel, both on the Ohio River Scenic Byway.

Walt's Pizza Expands in Marion

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Marion's hometown pizza shrine Walt's Pizza is adding another topping to its eatery with a new delivery and carry-out center on the south side of their existing building.

Since 1977 owner Walter Nieds has sold more than 2 million pizzas from his store on South Court Street. The new addition will free up space in the kitchen and replace the somewhat cramped carry-out entrance in the front of the building.

Nieds applied for the building permit on Aug. 7 and construction began shortly thereafter.

The move is part of a larger trend of new eateries opening and older establishments expanding or renovating in town. The new ones being Logan's Roadhouse and Panera Break and those renovating over the last few years including McDonalds (new replacement building on Court, remodeled building at I-57) and Taco Bell.

And there's both additional restaurants looking at Marion as well as more remodeling/replacement of old buildings by existing ones.

Old West End Sees New Growth

Nieds' project at his location is also part of a developing trend of new investment along Court Street that's seen more than a million dollars of new construction underway or planned within about a five-block stretch of the highway, which besides the carryout facility includes a new Family Dollar store at the site of the old demolished Hardee's building, and a new office building for Clarida & Ziegler Engineering on North Court.

Around the corner on West Main Street the city continues planning work for a new multi-million dollar recreation and aquatics center at the old hospital site. The area is mostly all part of the recent Hub Tax Incrementing Financing District established by the city.

While most of the attention in Marion is directed to the area by the interstate traffic counts there in the heart of the city are 13,400 vehicles for Main Street west of Court (but that's 2006 figures), and 11,000 vehicles on the first couple of blocks of South Court and 12,500 vehicles on North Court, both as of 2011.

The creek that runs around and under the intersection of Court and Main was once named West End Creek as that was the western limits of development in Marion in the mid to late 19th Century.

Construction Picks Up

The $180,000 restaurant addition is part of nearly $1.8 million in projects permitted by the city this month. Other major projects include the $500,000 building for a new Family Dollar store at the corner of West Main and Court Streets, and an $850,000 addition to be built onto Heartland Christian Church at 900 E. Boyton St.

Construction over the summer started out slow in Marion with just three building permits in June, but has been picking up. If last year's $3.9 million expansion of Heartland Medical Center is taken out of consideration, then totals for this May through August are above last year's.

May saw $1,286,000 in projects this year compared with $800,000 last year. June saw $983,000 in projects compared with just $268,550 last year. July was down with only $1,148,500 this year compared to $4,514,000 last year, but that includes the 2011 hospital project, and August totals as of yesterday were $1,795,000 compared with $1,223,500 last year.

In other business Monday the city council decided it was time to rename Circuit City Road in the Robert L. Butler Industrial Park now that the bankrupt company's former warehouse has sold to new owners. Presumably the road is deservingly named for Glenn Clarida, the city's long-time engineer and only surviving member of the city's mid 20th Century-era planning commission other than the mayor himself who was appointed to the commission before being elected mayor in 1963.

If not, then it's named for the mayor's father-in-law, J. H. Clarida, who served as the city's mayor during the riotous Prohibition Era of the 1920s. I'm going with the former rather than the latter.

Developers Outline Plans for Marion's West Side

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View Larger Map

I've been out of town and missed the news, but the Marion City Council moved forward on plans last week for a new 74-acre commercial office, retail and restaurant space development on the south side of Illinois Route 13 generally between Skyline Drive and the Burlington-Northern Railroad.

The site is owned by two locally-owned LLCs, Celeste Linha LLC and Cerrado LLC. Marion businessmen Ron Osman and Jim Reichert own the first one, and Osman is the principal investor in the second, according to an article in the Southern Illinoisan.

The largest tract south of Illinois Route 13 immediately west of Sam's Club has long shown disinterest in developing their property, at best only wanting to lease rather than sell. That has left the next tract across from Toys R' Us in a position of being unable to develop due to lack of access roads to Walton Way and Skyline Drive.

Now that IDOT is building the frontage road between those two roads and extending Marathon Drive south from the mall property to the new road, this property will have access. Owned by Phil Campbell, formerly of the old Campbell's Harley-Davidson dealership, now Black Diamond, he's been wanting to see this land developed ever since the Illinois Centre mall opened. Now he can.

The next tract to the west was the north end of the old Saluki National Golf Course fiasco from the early 1980s that sent the developer to jail. Many of the bodies of water visible in the satellite view date to the golf course. This is part of the 74 acres included in the redevelopment and I believe this is the Celeste Linha LLC property.

The fourth tract sits at the corner of Route 13 and Skyline and includes a large 35,000 sq. ft. building that Osman (Cerrado LLC) will tear down as part of the redevelopment. The building has been offices for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, a department store in the 1970s and was originally build as a furniture store in 1966 for Beiderman's Furniture, a national chain.

The St. Louis chain entered the Marion market in 1962 when it bought the Williams Furniture Store at 307-09 N. Market St., which had been in business for seven years. Today that location is the home of Bennie's Italian Foods.

Beiderman began work on the Skyline Drive location in 1966, in what was then an isolated commercial cluster at the intersection halfway between the interstate and Illinois Route 148. Lawrence Wohlwend had already been active in developing Westernaire Plaza at the intersection which included his Chrysler dealership where the current one remains. The new Beiderman store opened March 12, 1967. At the time it was one of the chain's 38 stores in the Midwest and one of 87 stores nationwide.

The city annexed the land the following month on April 5. The chain went under in 1974. A Valu-Store took its place and open in October 1976.

An effort earlier this decade at a new residential development on micro-sized lots drew the wrath of neighbors to the south and never materialized.

The Southern's story mentions that the city has agreed with taking out the railroad spur that crosses the old golf course property and will reimburse developers for a number of infrastructure costs with 75 percent of the city's 1 percent sales tax collected in the area.

The story did not mention any TIF monies being used, but the land, at least the Beiderman building is part of a TIF district. Demolition of the building, site preparation, and the construction of roads and utilities are all reimbursable expenses under TIFs.

Osman said the development has already been more than 20 years in the making, time which he's spent acquiring property and various tracts of land.

"It's kind of like giving birth to an elephant, it takes a long time," Osman said. "And it's still a long way from being done."

Work on the frontage road should be completed by the end of the year. Work will begin sometime on the new Illinois Route 13 overpass over Marathon Drive and the Burlington-Northern Railroad, despite the clear lack of enthusiasm for the project by anybody in City Hall, at the mall or just about anywhere else.

Let's Have a PinyPon Party!

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First off, what is PinyPon?  I had never heard of them until recently.  Come to find out that the PinyPon brand was popular in the 80's and 90's. As an 80s-90s child myself, I'm super surprised I hadn't heard of them, and a little bit sad because they are so fun!  They are a little different these days than their past forms, because of course over the years tastes change and things need to be updated and modernized.  In 2009, PinyPon creator FAMOSA relaunched the brand with all new PinyPon dolls and accessories!  The dolls focus on fashion and pets, and there is an apartment and caravan that are very popular with the young crowd.
 Dolls of all kind help children to develop social skills, they can entertain children individually, but are also fantastic and even more fun when you get together with other children.  PinyPon dolls especially since their bodies, hair, clothing, and accessories are all interchangeable, so children can mix and match, swap and share, and create their own little PinyPon fashions and stories.  I love that there are also boy dolls and fashions so these are not just for girls. Just a note though, that PinyPon toys are especially designed and manufactured for boys and girls who are 4 years or older. Their use is not recommended for younger boys and girls, since they contain small parts that could be swallowed. I was recently able to host a PinyPon party!  I lovvve parties.  Any excuse for one is fine by me, so I was more than thrilled when FAMOSA and BSM Media teamed up and sent me some really fun supplies, like two PinyPon Caravans, and twelve PinyPon dolls!  Not only that, but they included Nenuco dolls as well.  Looks like childhood fun in the making!  Bright, fun PinyPon Caravans.  Adorable and sweet Nenuco dolls.  To start the party off right, we cut these cards and had a Scavenger hunt that lead the kids to their special PinyPon dolls!  This was so much fun!  Awesome coupon swag for the guests!    Checking out the Caravan.  The kiddos finding PinyPon dolls.  Found one!  The hair comes off so you can change styles, and I love that the heads are hollow because it's a great place to keep the tiny little snap on accessories.  Breaking out the Caravan.  My only complaint is that some of the doors come off during play and can be difficult for the kids to put back on (and some were even tricky for me!).  We all LOVED the working shower for some water play though!!  Such fun little accessories!  Play Time!  Some Justin Bieber got invited for a ride in the Caravan?  Teehee!  Ooooh, just her style!  Nenuco doll needed to go potty!  ;)  Taking good care of "Baby Bella!"  PinyPon dolls going for a boat ride.  Looks like somebody thinks these dolls are great!  So cute!   As you can see, we had a lot fun mixing and matching and creating fun styles and the kids had a blast playing with the dolls and the Caravans.  We decorated our own cupcakes and just had some good old fashioned FUN!  I think I know some kiddos who might be putting PinyPon on their holiday wish lists this year! Thanks PinyPon for a great party experience! If you'd like more information or just to show your support for PinyPon and Nenuco, be sure to follow these Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as check out the websites (where you might be able to find special coupons and savings as well!). Facebook.com/PinyponUSA
Facebook.com/NenucoUSA
Twitter.com/PinyponUSA
Twitter.com/NenucoUSA
www.Pinypon.com
www.NenucoFamosa.com




*I received one or more of the products mentioned above for the purposes of this review through the above mentioned company or representing PR agency. In the event of a giveaway, the prize is shipped by the sponsor and I hold no responsibility. Thank you for reading!

Logan's Roadhouse Breaks Ground in Marion

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Site prep work began last week on two commercial projects on Marion's west side, a $650,000 Logan's Roadhouse at 1201 Halfway Rd, and a new One Stop Smoke Shop & Liquor Shop at 2701 W. DeYoung at the site of the former Amoco service station torn down last spring.

Logan's Roadhouse purchased the 1.65 acre site of the old Wolohan Lumber building last month.

Both Logan's and the One Stop establishments took out building permits in March.

The other commercial projects taking out permits in March included a $2.7 million nursing home addition at 3116 Williamson County Parkway, a $450,000 building for Five Brothers Lawn & Tractor at 1300 E. Main Street and a $135,000 production building for Timberline Fisheries at 201 Timberline Road.

Although there wasn't much to see today, this week marks the official start of construction on the new redo of Exit 54, the Interstate 57/Illinois Route 13 single point interchange.

Comfort Inn Opens, Logan's Roadhouse Sets Date

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Marion's latest hotel Comfort Inn opened its doors to guests last month on July 20.

It's located at 2403 Black Diamond Drive behind Sao's Asian Bistro and McAlister's Deli on Morgan Avenue.

Although it sits back off the highway more than most of its competitors, its four stories overshadow the restaurants in front of it and so is visible even from the Illinois Route 13/Halfway Road intersection.

The new hotel has 64 rooms. It takes the place of the former Comfort Inn off of Exit 53. That is now a Quality Inn. Both brands are part of the Choice Hotels International family.

It's the second new hotel to open in Marion this year. A new Holiday Inn Express opened in May.

Down the street and round the bend construction work on Logan's Roadhouse is almost complete. The new restaurant is set to open Sept. 17, according to a sign out front.

The eatery will seat 180 guests which is a smaller model for the brand. In comparison O'Charley's in Marion sits 320.

It may be like Chili's in Carbondale which opened with a smaller venue and almost immediately added on to the facility.

Meanwhile work on the new Panera Bread store shows that it was almost in the dry when I took this photo last week. It should be fully enclosed by the time Hurricane Isaac's rains mark an official end of the drought this weekend.

It's located around the corner again from Logan's Roadhouse on the frontage road along Route 13 in between Drury Inn and America's Best Inns. Panera broke ground for the restaurant last month.

There are still at least two major chain restaurants looking at Marion not counting whatever is looking at the Millennium Development site - Boulder Creek at Marion. One of them is seriously looking at the land immediately north of Logan's. It's been listed as pending on the multiple listing service since earlier this year.

Walt's Pizza Expands in Marion

To contact us Click HERE
Marion's hometown pizza shrine Walt's Pizza is adding another topping to its eatery with a new delivery and carry-out center on the south side of their existing building.

Since 1977 owner Walter Nieds has sold more than 2 million pizzas from his store on South Court Street. The new addition will free up space in the kitchen and replace the somewhat cramped carry-out entrance in the front of the building.

Nieds applied for the building permit on Aug. 7 and construction began shortly thereafter.

The move is part of a larger trend of new eateries opening and older establishments expanding or renovating in town. The new ones being Logan's Roadhouse and Panera Break and those renovating over the last few years including McDonalds (new replacement building on Court, remodeled building at I-57) and Taco Bell.

And there's both additional restaurants looking at Marion as well as more remodeling/replacement of old buildings by existing ones.

Old West End Sees New Growth

Nieds' project at his location is also part of a developing trend of new investment along Court Street that's seen more than a million dollars of new construction underway or planned within about a five-block stretch of the highway, which besides the carryout facility includes a new Family Dollar store at the site of the old demolished Hardee's building, and a new office building for Clarida & Ziegler Engineering on North Court.

Around the corner on West Main Street the city continues planning work for a new multi-million dollar recreation and aquatics center at the old hospital site. The area is mostly all part of the recent Hub Tax Incrementing Financing District established by the city.

While most of the attention in Marion is directed to the area by the interstate traffic counts there in the heart of the city are 13,400 vehicles for Main Street west of Court (but that's 2006 figures), and 11,000 vehicles on the first couple of blocks of South Court and 12,500 vehicles on North Court, both as of 2011.

The creek that runs around and under the intersection of Court and Main was once named West End Creek as that was the western limits of development in Marion in the mid to late 19th Century.

Construction Picks Up

The $180,000 restaurant addition is part of nearly $1.8 million in projects permitted by the city this month. Other major projects include the $500,000 building for a new Family Dollar store at the corner of West Main and Court Streets, and an $850,000 addition to be built onto Heartland Christian Church at 900 E. Boyton St.

Construction over the summer started out slow in Marion with just three building permits in June, but has been picking up. If last year's $3.9 million expansion of Heartland Medical Center is taken out of consideration, then totals for this May through August are above last year's.

May saw $1,286,000 in projects this year compared with $800,000 last year. June saw $983,000 in projects compared with just $268,550 last year. July was down with only $1,148,500 this year compared to $4,514,000 last year, but that includes the 2011 hospital project, and August totals as of yesterday were $1,795,000 compared with $1,223,500 last year.

In other business Monday the city council decided it was time to rename Circuit City Road in the Robert L. Butler Industrial Park now that the bankrupt company's former warehouse has sold to new owners. Presumably the road is deservingly named for Glenn Clarida, the city's long-time engineer and only surviving member of the city's mid 20th Century-era planning commission other than the mayor himself who was appointed to the commission before being elected mayor in 1963.

If not, then it's named for the mayor's father-in-law, J. H. Clarida, who served as the city's mayor during the riotous Prohibition Era of the 1920s. I'm going with the former rather than the latter.

Developers Outline Plans for Marion's West Side

To contact us Click HERE

View Larger Map

I've been out of town and missed the news, but the Marion City Council moved forward on plans last week for a new 74-acre commercial office, retail and restaurant space development on the south side of Illinois Route 13 generally between Skyline Drive and the Burlington-Northern Railroad.

The site is owned by two locally-owned LLCs, Celeste Linha LLC and Cerrado LLC. Marion businessmen Ron Osman and Jim Reichert own the first one, and Osman is the principal investor in the second, according to an article in the Southern Illinoisan.

The largest tract south of Illinois Route 13 immediately west of Sam's Club has long shown disinterest in developing their property, at best only wanting to lease rather than sell. That has left the next tract across from Toys R' Us in a position of being unable to develop due to lack of access roads to Walton Way and Skyline Drive.

Now that IDOT is building the frontage road between those two roads and extending Marathon Drive south from the mall property to the new road, this property will have access. Owned by Phil Campbell, formerly of the old Campbell's Harley-Davidson dealership, now Black Diamond, he's been wanting to see this land developed ever since the Illinois Centre mall opened. Now he can.

The next tract to the west was the north end of the old Saluki National Golf Course fiasco from the early 1980s that sent the developer to jail. Many of the bodies of water visible in the satellite view date to the golf course. This is part of the 74 acres included in the redevelopment and I believe this is the Celeste Linha LLC property.

The fourth tract sits at the corner of Route 13 and Skyline and includes a large 35,000 sq. ft. building that Osman (Cerrado LLC) will tear down as part of the redevelopment. The building has been offices for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, a department store in the 1970s and was originally build as a furniture store in 1966 for Beiderman's Furniture, a national chain.

The St. Louis chain entered the Marion market in 1962 when it bought the Williams Furniture Store at 307-09 N. Market St., which had been in business for seven years. Today that location is the home of Bennie's Italian Foods.

Beiderman began work on the Skyline Drive location in 1966, in what was then an isolated commercial cluster at the intersection halfway between the interstate and Illinois Route 148. Lawrence Wohlwend had already been active in developing Westernaire Plaza at the intersection which included his Chrysler dealership where the current one remains. The new Beiderman store opened March 12, 1967. At the time it was one of the chain's 38 stores in the Midwest and one of 87 stores nationwide.

The city annexed the land the following month on April 5. The chain went under in 1974. A Valu-Store took its place and open in October 1976.

An effort earlier this decade at a new residential development on micro-sized lots drew the wrath of neighbors to the south and never materialized.

The Southern's story mentions that the city has agreed with taking out the railroad spur that crosses the old golf course property and will reimburse developers for a number of infrastructure costs with 75 percent of the city's 1 percent sales tax collected in the area.

The story did not mention any TIF monies being used, but the land, at least the Beiderman building is part of a TIF district. Demolition of the building, site preparation, and the construction of roads and utilities are all reimbursable expenses under TIFs.

Osman said the development has already been more than 20 years in the making, time which he's spent acquiring property and various tracts of land.

"It's kind of like giving birth to an elephant, it takes a long time," Osman said. "And it's still a long way from being done."

Work on the frontage road should be completed by the end of the year. Work will begin sometime on the new Illinois Route 13 overpass over Marathon Drive and the Burlington-Northern Railroad, despite the clear lack of enthusiasm for the project by anybody in City Hall, at the mall or just about anywhere else.

Developers Outline Plans for Marion's West Side

To contact us Click HERE

View Larger Map

I've been out of town and missed the news, but the Marion City Council moved forward on plans last week for a new 74-acre commercial office, retail and restaurant space development on the south side of Illinois Route 13 generally between Skyline Drive and the Burlington-Northern Railroad.

The site is owned by two locally-owned LLCs, Celeste Linha LLC and Cerrado LLC. Marion businessmen Ron Osman and Jim Reichert own the first one, and Osman is the principal investor in the second, according to an article in the Southern Illinoisan.

The largest tract south of Illinois Route 13 immediately west of Sam's Club has long shown disinterest in developing their property, at best only wanting to lease rather than sell. That has left the next tract across from Toys R' Us in a position of being unable to develop due to lack of access roads to Walton Way and Skyline Drive.

Now that IDOT is building the frontage road between those two roads and extending Marathon Drive south from the mall property to the new road, this property will have access. Owned by Phil Campbell, formerly of the old Campbell's Harley-Davidson dealership, now Black Diamond, he's been wanting to see this land developed ever since the Illinois Centre mall opened. Now he can.

The next tract to the west was the north end of the old Saluki National Golf Course fiasco from the early 1980s that sent the developer to jail. Many of the bodies of water visible in the satellite view date to the golf course. This is part of the 74 acres included in the redevelopment and I believe this is the Celeste Linha LLC property.

The fourth tract sits at the corner of Route 13 and Skyline and includes a large 35,000 sq. ft. building that Osman (Cerrado LLC) will tear down as part of the redevelopment. The building has been offices for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, a department store in the 1970s and was originally build as a furniture store in 1966 for Beiderman's Furniture, a national chain.

The St. Louis chain entered the Marion market in 1962 when it bought the Williams Furniture Store at 307-09 N. Market St., which had been in business for seven years. Today that location is the home of Bennie's Italian Foods.

Beiderman began work on the Skyline Drive location in 1966, in what was then an isolated commercial cluster at the intersection halfway between the interstate and Illinois Route 148. Lawrence Wohlwend had already been active in developing Westernaire Plaza at the intersection which included his Chrysler dealership where the current one remains. The new Beiderman store opened March 12, 1967. At the time it was one of the chain's 38 stores in the Midwest and one of 87 stores nationwide.

The city annexed the land the following month on April 5. The chain went under in 1974. A Valu-Store took its place and open in October 1976.

An effort earlier this decade at a new residential development on micro-sized lots drew the wrath of neighbors to the south and never materialized.

The Southern's story mentions that the city has agreed with taking out the railroad spur that crosses the old golf course property and will reimburse developers for a number of infrastructure costs with 75 percent of the city's 1 percent sales tax collected in the area.

The story did not mention any TIF monies being used, but the land, at least the Beiderman building is part of a TIF district. Demolition of the building, site preparation, and the construction of roads and utilities are all reimbursable expenses under TIFs.

Osman said the development has already been more than 20 years in the making, time which he's spent acquiring property and various tracts of land.

"It's kind of like giving birth to an elephant, it takes a long time," Osman said. "And it's still a long way from being done."

Work on the frontage road should be completed by the end of the year. Work will begin sometime on the new Illinois Route 13 overpass over Marathon Drive and the Burlington-Northern Railroad, despite the clear lack of enthusiasm for the project by anybody in City Hall, at the mall or just about anywhere else.

KMart's Big Layaway Giveaway

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This is a sponsored post, I am a Kmart Layaway blogger, though all opinions are my own.

I love to shop, and I have found some awesome deals at Kmart.  My absolute favorite is their toy clearance.  My mom lives a few minutes away from a Kmart, within walking distance actually, and she usually lets me know when they have their toys marked down.  I like to pick them up here and there throughout the year so that I'm ready for birthdays and holiday gifts.  I have scored some really great deals just by keeping an eye out. 

I love that they offer free layaway.  I know some other stores offer layaway for the holidays (Walmart comes to mind right now), but I feel better about using Kmart's layaway, since they always offer it.  I know they know what they're doing, and I don't have to shop within a window that the store sets for me.  I can shop when I want.  It's great for larger items too.  If I'm browsing and happent o see some "big" that I would like for our home, I can always put it on layaway.  I considered a kitchen table and chairs earlier this year before I ended up purchasing used and refinishing it.  I wanted a round table, black, pedestal table, but our local Kmart didn't have one in stock.  My plan was to put it on layaway.  I think I may end up purchasing some patio furniture before next Summer rolls around, and that can be expensive, so layway is awesome for that too.  I know a lot of people who do their Christmas and holiday shopping early and put it all on layaway so by Christmas, they're done and it's a lot less stressful. 

Right now, actually, it started on September 9th, you can even win your layaway for free with Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway!  Every week, through 11/17/12,  there is one layaway giveaway per store.  Way to kick off the season of giving, Kmart!  I might have to do some shopping this weekend...  :o) 

I was actually just browsing patio sets online.  Which do you like best?

 

Such great prices!!

Kidorable's Pumpkin Contest!

To contact us Click HERE

Pumpkins Come and Pumpkins Go, but A Jack-O-Lantern steals the show!

Carve, Chisel, or Draw your best pumpkin.

One lucky fan will win a full Kidorable ensemble of their choice.
 
Its easy - just email a picture of a child you love with the pumpkin they carved to contest@kidorable.com. Whoever gets the most votes wins.

Kidorable will receive entries from October 15 through Wednesday, October 31. Then voting will continue through November 7 at noon (cst) when they will announce the winner.

One entry per household. If multiple entries are submitted, only the first will be posted.

My kids are going to LOVE this!  How fun!!






*I may have received one or more of the products mentioned above for the purposes of this review through the above mentioned company or representing PR agency. In the event of a giveaway, the prize is shipped by the sponsor and I hold no responsibility. Thank you for reading!

Cool Men's Fragrances for Fall - w/ Giveaway!

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Let us introduce you to some the latest fragrances for men by GUESS, adidas, Playboy and Nautica.  GUESS Seductive Homme Blue is an elegant oriental scent that simply oozes sex appeal. Reminiscent of a cool and invigorating ocean breeze, this woodsy fragrance fuses the laid-back feel of summer with the exhilarating vibe of fall. 
This fragrances features notes of citrus caviar, blue coral aqua space, cardamom, geranium, and black pepper create a magnetic, seductive, attraction. The base is composed of cashmere wood, moss and Rippled Sand accord.  My husband and I both thought it was quite lovely and perfect for the cool weather.

 Price: 1.7 oz – $49.00 Availability: Fine department stores, GUESS retail stores and GUESS.com
  adidas Deodorant Body Sprays help you keep up with your active lifestyle even as the seasons change. Available in three captivating new scents, these body sprays deliver powerful, refreshing results with every spritz.
We had a pleasure of sampling Ice Dive.  This features a fresh, ozonic fragrance with notes of citrus, greens and amber.  The Deodorant Body Spray is supposed to last for 24 hours.  Cool Tech technology, with an extra cooling sensation upon application, is developed with athletes for maximum performance.   I find the fragrance to be incredibly strong upon first applying.  It's almost overwhelming, but as it settles, it's quite nice.  Crisp and clean.  You can't be the price and this is great for your gym bag, or perhaps would make a nice addition to a teenager boy's stocking for the holidays!


Price: $3.47Availability: Walmart

 Playboy VIP for Him captures the undeniable charisma and magnetism of the modern man. With fresh top notes of bergamot and delicious accents of white chocolate and rich sandalwood, Playboy VIP for Him is the perfect, seductive accessory for fall.  Irresistibly charming and stylish, the Playboy VIP is always in the right place at the right time. Playboy VIP For Him fragrance is the perfect expression of his modern masculine style and charismatic personality. A fragrance as unconventional and addictive as the VIP who wears it!
Featuring top notes of rhubarb, bergamot, and rhum, heart notes of apple, watery accord, and lavender, and base notes of white chocolate, tonka bean, and sandalwood.  I sense a sweet vanilla as well.  This fragrance is sophisticated and seductive.  Don't judge a book by it's cover on this one.  I almost did.  I was expecting cheap and a fragrance that would leave me gasping for fresh air.  Not at all the case with this one!  I could not have been more wrong.  While the price is relatively inexpensive, the sweet fragrance is delightful.
 

Price: 1.7 fl oz – $15.67 Availability: Drugstores nationwide


Nautica Aqua Rush is a blend of spicy, crisp, woodsy notes that are perfect for the refreshing fall season. Bold, masculine and powerful, Aqua Rush embodies what it means to be a man who lives life to the fullest.
 This energetic scent opens with a brisk note of Sea Breeze accord and splashed with Yuzu and a twist of spicy-sweet Coriander. It's infused with watermint, Clary Sage Absolute and Violet Leaves. The Scent is anchored by a teak wood base for a fresh scent that will accentuate your masculine spirit.  You will also note the scents of amberwood and watermusks. 
By far, this was my favorite of the four scents I sampled.  My husband emphatically agrees (though I'm sure he would agree with me either way as if he wears what I like, I'm more likely to snuggle up extra close, hehe!)  It is fresh, clean, reminds me of the sea, and is just delightful.  The kind of scent where you just want to bury your face into your husband's sweater on a cool evening and just breathe in his scent.  It's soothing and yet energizing. … Mor) 
We enjoyed this one so much, we've asked to be able to share it with one of you!  Keep reading!


Price: 3.4 fl oz – $65Availability: Macy’s department stores and other fine retailers nationwide
Enter to win a 1.7 oz bottle of Nautica's Aqua Rush!

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*I received one or more of the products mentioned above for the purposes of this review through the above mentioned company or representing PR agency. In the event of a giveaway, the prize is shipped by the sponsor and I hold no responsibility. Thank you for reading!