10" Specialty Cake from Madame Gateau Bakery - BID TO BEAT $60

Cake has been used throughout history for celebrating birthdays and starting revolutions. A 10" cake from Madame Gateau Cake Shoppe (serves 25) will be the perfect finale for any occasion. Using only the highest quality ingredients and with flavor combinations like, white chocolate cake with eggnog mousse, white chocolate ganache, and buttercream icing, and dark chocolate truffle cake with a caramel cream filling, and bittersweet chocolate ganache, these cakes are more than just a pretty face.


Bid high and indulge! ** Winner can choose from cake design similar to those seen above, with choice of fillings and flavors, and gumpaste or fondant decorations. Cake must be picked up in Bensenville.

Value - $100

American Flag Flown Over the Capitol - BID TO BEAT $100

In the immortal words of Frances Scott Key, "Oh! say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." Get a piece of American history for yourself, or that difficult-to-buy-for person in your life. Congressman Peter Roskam will have a flag flown over the Capitol on the date you request. The winning bidder can specify the date on which the flag is flown and can ask that the flag be flown in honour of an occasion of the bidder's choice. Flags are frequently flown in memory of loved ones, perhaps on their birthday or anniversary, or in honor of an individual or group that is special to the person requesting the flag. The flag will be accompanied by a certificate stating that the flag was flown over the US Capitol at the request of Congressman Roskam and noting the person or group in whose memory or honor the flag was flown. afterward giving you the flag, along with a certificate honouring your special occasion. Bid high and own a significant emblem of the land you love!

Value - Priceless

5 Nights in Sister Bay, WI - BID TO BEAT $850

To one who has been long in city pent,
'Tis very sweet to look into the fair
And open face of heaven, - to breathe a prayer
Full in the smile of the blue firmament.
~John Keats, Sonnet XIV

If you've been pounding through the concrete jungle for too long, then take this chance to escape to Sister Bay, Wisconsin for 5 nights. This A-frame cabin cozy and immaculate, and is nestled on 2 acres of forestland. It has a kid friendly zip line, a fire pit, and much space for exploration. With two bedrooms, plus a pull-out sofa bed in the family room, it can sleep 6 comfortably/7 snuggly. There is a screened in porch perfect for enjoying the peace and quiet. It has a small, but functional kitchen, and one bathroom. The cabin is just a 3 minute drive to the beach and downtown Sister Bay, which has restaurants, coffee spots, and water activities (boating, canoeing, etc.).

Bid high and reconnect with some people you love, in a place you'll love.
**Must be used within one year**

Value - $600

7 Night Stay at "Bella Vista" - Cape Coral, FL - BID TO BEAT $700

Chicago weather getting you down? Then head south to a brand new four bedroom home in Southwest Cape Coral, a Gulf Coast town in the sunshine, famous for being on water. In fact almost every street is on water and Cape Coral has a larger amount of canals and waterways than the City of Venice in Italy. With water being such a focal part of the community, Cape Coral is a very popular choice with fishermen and boaters alike. Bella Vista is situated on one of the many popular gulf access canals that the Cape is famous for, the canals are teeming with fish such as snook and even the most novice of anglers should enjoy some success.

BELLA VISTA is nearly 2400 sq. feet of luxury all professionally decorated and stocked for families...tons of pool toys; a dozen beach towels; 4 beach chairs and beach toys; video games for the kiddos and whatever else would make your stay easier (let us know and we will accommodate for anything within reason)!

Bid now on a 7-Night stay at this amazing private rental home June 2011-December 2011 (excluding the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year's Eve). **You can check availability and see more photos and info by clicking here. **

Bid high - your tan, and refreshed spirit, will thank you!

Value - $700 - $1,200

1 Week Stay at Pufall's Pond (Northern Wisconsin) - BID TO BEAT $350

Rat race getting you down? Escape to Pufall's Pond, in northern Wisconsin, for 1 week.

Pufall's Pond is at the very top of Wisconsin. It's 6 miles from Lake Superior and 15 miles west of Ironwood, MI - Hurley, WI. It takes about 7 1/2 hrs to get there but is a simple drive of mostly 4 lane roads. From the pond there is relatively convenient access to Lake Superior beaches and Saxon Harbor, many waterfalls, the Porcupine Mountains, UP downhill and cross-country ski areas, and Bayfield National Shoreline and Apostle Islands. The pond itself is about 4 acres of wildlife, a couple boats for paddling, and beautiful scenery. There's no phone, iffy cell phone service and no internet or TV. The a-frame home has 3 small bedrooms plus a loft, two bathrooms with showers, laundry alcove, and basement with ping pong table! It's simple and nice but not perfect :). That's Pufall in case you're wondering. Want another opinion? Mention Pufall’s Pond to Jennifer Spacek.

Availability:
Week of July 17-24 (arrive Sunday evening, leave Saturday eve. or Sunday morning)
two weeks in August: 14-20 and 21-27.
Fall and Winter are not scheduled yet, except for the weeks before and after New Year's, so the winner can make suggestions. Both are glorious times up there, especially winter: cross-country and downhill skiing, snowmobiling, snow, snow, snow!

Bid high, because while cell-phone service is iffy, peace, quiet and re-connecting with loved ones is guaranteed.

Value - Priceless

7 Nights in Green Lake, WI - BID TO BEAT $150

Take a break from the mundane and get away for a quick trip with that special someone. Relax and enjoy the beautiful lake view in this cozy boat house. This is for 7 nights in a cozy boat house on beautiful Green Lake. The boat house is perfect for couples, or a best-friend get-away, with its studio set-up. The gentle sloping lot with its shallow water front affords swimming, boating, water skiing, sailing and fishing. Or relax on the lakeside patio with a barbecue pit for s'mores. You will be just a stone's throw from the Green Lake Conference Center and nearby Ripon has outstanding restaurants, shopping, and world class golfing. See more information about the property by clicking here. **You are bidding on the boat house only** Bid high and hold onto the relaxed atmosphere of summer for just a little while longer.

**Valid anytime September 2011**

Value - $490

Oil Painting - BID TO BEAT $55

Are your walls shamefully bare? Maybe you're stuck in the decorating style "dormitory chic"? It's time to grow up with some real art! You are bidding on a beautiful oil painting featuring a street in Paris, by the artist, Caroline Burnett, an artist from the late 19th - early 20th centuries.

Similar art by Burnett sells between $250 - $800

Dimensions: 28.5" x 32.5"

Bid high - your eyes will thank you!

Value - Priceless

Custom Celebration Cake - Cakes by Carolyn - BID TO BEAT$66

Make your next celebration a piece of cake, and wow your guests, with One Custom Celebration Cake (serves at least 12) from Cakes by Carolyn. You choose the theme and flavor (includes ice cream cakes), and Carolyn creates a masterpiece! See photos below for examples of her work~


Bid high, because birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake. **Subject to Carolyn's availability. Pickup is in south Wheaton. Valid August 2011 - August 2012**

Value - $100

Chicago Bulls - Pennant Signed by the Entire 2010-2011 Team - BID TO BEAT $50

The Chicago Bulls had the best regular season record in the NBA, this year's MVP, and the coach of the year. You can have your very own a team pennant signed by all the players. Rose, Noah, Boozer, Deng, Gibson.

The future only looks brighter for these guys, but fan memorabilia just doesn't get any better than this!

Value - Priceless

Writing Evaluation and Instruction from Carol Muzzy - BID TO BEAT $30

Are your child's essays missing a plot? Can't seem to move past "nice" as a descriptor? Allow Carol Muzzy, a veteran home-schooling mom, to assess and make some suggestions for improvement in your student's writing. You are bidding on up to two writing evaluation/tutoring sessions. Bid high - how else will you get a best-selling novel dedication?

Value - Priceless

Three 6-week old Bantam Chicks - BID TO BEAT $20

"Regard it as just as desirable to build a chicken house as to build a cathedral.” - Frank Lloyd Wright
You probably don't have room in your backyard for a cathedral, but surely you have room for a 3-bird coop. Bid high on these Three 6-Week Old Bantam Chicks (2 Hens and One Rooster). These adorable peepers were hatched May 6 and are ready for a new home - yours! The best part of chickens as pets? Eggs Benedict. Or save them for a white elephant gift this Christmas. Included with chicks is:

bag of feed and bag of bedding

cage

feeding container
**These chicks reside in W. Chicago and will need to be picked up by winner**

Value - Priceless

First Dibs on Gabi's Field Trips in 2011-2012 - BID TO BEAT $35

Going, going, gone! Were you constantly trying to sign up for really amazing field trips this year, only to be denied? Avoid disappointment this year by bidding on first refusal on any field trip Gabi offers during the 2011 - 2012 school year. Gabi Reczek will call you first before opening up her fabulous field trips on The Vine. Last year's field trips included Naperville Astronomers, Waubonsie Valley Planetarium, a National Weather Center, Vulcan Quarry, and the Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art. Bid high, so you'll never hear, "Sorry, the trip is full", again.
Value - Priceless

Behind the Scenes Tour at Play Mechanix, Inc. - BID TO BEAT $25

Come get an exciting, behind-the-scenes look at how arcade video games are made at the Glen Ellyn based company, Play Mechanix Inc. Play Mechanix Inc. is well-known for its hit games including the Big Buck Hunter series, Terminator Salvation, Deal or No Deal, and Wheel of Fortune. Your visit will include a tour around the office with an opportunity to speak to current artists, programmers and game testers. Find out how a game is made from beginning to end production. A pizza party will be included with a chance to play an assortment of arcade games.

This event will be held on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 4pm. There are 8 spots available. Each bid is for one (1) spot. ** "BID TO BEAT" will remain hidden until 8 bids are taken, then the lowest bid will show up as the "BID TO BEAT" **

Bid high - your little gamer won't want to miss this!

Value - Priceless

Day with a Veterinarian - BID TO BEAT $55

Can't tear your child away from Animal Planet? Has your house turned into a menagerie of strays? Explore that passion for furry and feathered friends spending a morning with one of the doctors at Warrenville Grove Animal Hospital (3s481 Batavia Road, Warrenville). Your child will have a chance to observing surgery or office appointments, and talk about college, vet school and life as a vet. To be arranged on a mutually agreeable morning Fall of 2011. **Due to the nature of the work being observed, this item is only available to students age 12 and up**

Bid high - you don't want to miss this opportunity to encourage your little Dr. Dolittle!

Value - Priceless

Day with a Dentist

Is your son always peering into other people's mouths? Do you hear your daughter telling her dolls, "This won't hurt a bit"? Then this is just for you! You are bidding on a Day with a Dentist. Your child will spend a morning with Dr. Ernest Monaco in his Darien office, observing appointments and talking about college, dental school and life as a dentist. To be arranged on a mutually agreeable morning in Fall of 2011 or Spring of 2012. Bid high - and remember to floss!

Value - Priceless

"The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction" - signed by the author - BID TO BEAT - $15

Do the books you read go in one eye, and out the other? Are you just not (gasp!) making time for reading, period? Then stop and smell the freshly printed pages of this hardcover copy of, "The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction", signed by author Alan Jacobs.

"A vigorous and friendly exhortation to get back into the kind of reading that made you a reader in the first place." --Library Journal

"A passionate call to indulge one's readerly passions in the pursuit of centeredness and growth, this book just might change the way you think about reading." --Brendan Driscoll, Booklist

Bid high and feel good about lounging in bed, with a book, all day.

Value - Priceless

Quartz Crystal Cluster - BID TO BEAT $10

This is not your Mama's crystal... it's a quartz cluster!
Straight from the Crystal Earth Rock Shop this quartz crystal cluster was mined at Jim Coleman Mine or Miller Mountain in Mount Ida, Arkansas.
A quartz crystal begins with a seed of one silicon atom and two oxygen atoms. With the right amount of heat and pressure this seed starts to grow by replicating itself in a network of structure, known as a crystal lattice. Over time a piece of pure transparent quartz crystal is formed. In its natural state the crystal is angular in shape, always with six sides, tapering at the end to a point or termination. The tapered sides are known as facets or faces. One of these facets or faces will be larger than the others and is referred to as the main facet or face. A cluster is a group of crystals that are physically attached to each other on a matrix or floating free. The crystals can be single or double terminated or combinations of both.

Science and beauty - together at last!

Value - $45

Burp Cloths for Baby Boys - BID TO BEAT $10

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it. Clean up after your little man (while it's still cute) with this set of two burp cloths, seen below. They are cozy flannel, backed by absorbent terry cloth and measure a generous 18"x7".

Bid high - this is perfect for your little rock-star!

Value - $12

Burp Cloths for Baby Girls - BID TO BEAT $10

Sugar and spice, and everything nice - that's what little girls are made of. Welcome the new little princess in your life with a charming set of two burp cloths, seen below. They are cozy flannel, backed by absorbent terry cloth and measure a generous 18"x7".

Bid high, because while baby girls are sweet, their spit up on your shoulder really isn't.

Value - $12

"Skating Around the Law" Group Set - BID TO BEAT$15

Roller-skating. Mystery. Intrigue. Doesn't sound like your last homeschool field trip? Win a signed copy of local author debut novel "Skating Around The Law." Enjoy meeting Rebecca Robbins- a high-powered executive in Chicago, who suddenly finds herself solving a murder case while trying to sell her recently deceased mother's roller rink. It's the first book in a series, so don't resist falling hard for the characters within... they will be back with more hilarious, heart-warming hijinks this fall!

The author has generously included a themed t-shirt and necklace, so you can look the part the next time you couples skate!

Bid high - you don't want to be caught without something to read this summer!

Value - Priceless