Weekend Recap

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Hello, everybody!  Here we go with another week.  Hopefully Wednesday comes fast because my baby has left me for work yet again.  Stevie and I shall do tons of snuggling together while bumming it up on the couch.  Or maybe we'll be awesome and go for long walks and be social.  Although the last time he was out of town we did go to a bar and she did sneak behind the bar and bark at the bartender after she barked at guys on the patio and then she escaped through the back door and ran down the street with me chasing her like a crazy person.  Maybe we shouldn't let that happen again.  Where was I again? Oh yes, the weekend.  It was a good one, folks. Some highlights include ::

• The Campaign - we had free tickets so we figured a comedy would be the best way to spend them.  It was funny but I'm not going to tell you all to go rush out and see it.  It is definitely Netflix worthy and you will definitely laugh.  I'm also sure that whenever you see pugs you will think of this movie.  
• Douglass Loop Farmers Market - we traveled down to the Highlands to get our farmers market fix.  It's not quite as easy for us to go to one here as it was in Chicago.  I mean, we just walked two blocks and voila - the Logan Square Farmers Market and all its glory was right there!  This one may not have been as big as the LS one, or as many people or as much variety, but it still made me happy and we still made it home with flowers and beets (we have no shortage on tomatoes this year!).  
• Tom + Chee - this is a new grilled cheese restaurant in town that is all the rage.  We were so close to getting food from the taco truck but when I realized I was planning to eat the same meal for lunch and dinner we opted to hightail it over to grilled cheese heaven.  It was pretty great but considering the fact that grilled cheese is my vegetarian staple I was a little disappointed with the lack of options for myself.  It was a meaty grilled cheese paradise, much to my chagrin.  But still delish - and cheap!
• We painted our stairwell! What a task.  We used this color again and it really brightened it up a lot.  It was so much of a task that we honestly only did one coat.  It could probably benefit another coat but if you saw how tall this stairwell was and how hard it was for my 6'4" husband to reach you'd opt to not paint another coat as well :)
• Captain's Quarters - what a strange place this is.  Going to this restaurant was like being on vacation in Florida mixed with a weekend at Kentucky Lake.  Insert a 1992 high school reunion, a one man cover band and people walking around in suits, bikinis and resort wear and you can easily fool yourself into believing that you've left Louisville and gone on a very weird vacation.  On the Ohio river, no less.  But hey, the weather was nice and a rich old sleazy man with very bad jokes bought my husband a tequila shot and a beer!
• After a Sunday brunch at home featuring biscuits and gravy, we got productive and did our chores.  But then I took advantage of the sunny Sunday afternoon and baked this and made the whole house smell heavenly!

Apparently this Monday is all about really super long sentences (see above).  How were your weekends? Thanks for all the good vibes you sent Anna-Maria's way, that lady is now a DOCTOR!  Holy guacamole, congrats, my friend!  

Here's to a wonderful week ahead, my friends.  Remember...wake up and be awesome.

Thursday Loves

Have I confessed my love for this dress to you yet?  Because it's a pretty big obsession.  With that necklace especially, all I can do is swoon.  Over and over! Via

Drawing inspiration for our thrift store purchase last summer - a mid-century era console that needs some updating.  It has off white colored fabric panels along the front that need to be replaced with something.  More on this later, with pictures, I promise. Via

 

I sure do love the looks of this leather pouch from Coriumi,  It's a fun and colorful print, looks well made and you can be sure you likely won't run into someone with the same pouch.

We have finally eaten the entirety of my first batch of homemade popsicles.  Am I the only one who has a hard time spelling p-o-p-s-i-c-l-e the right way? I always want to put a c after that p and that doesn't make any sense at all!  I'm searching for the best-sounding most delicious-looking popsicle I can find.  Any recipes or ideas for me?  I'm thinking of the boozy route this time, so that my husband will help me eat them all ;)  Via

Last night we watched The Artist.  This scene is tied as my favorite (the other being when the dog saved his life from the fire).  I have to admit, the movie bored me in the beginning but I thoroughly enjoyed the second half.  I can understand why it received best picture.  Have you seen it?  Via

Weekend Recap

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The ole weekend recap.  I can honestly say, it was another good weekend.  But really, when are weekends not that good?  It was a lovely fall weekend in Kentucky, with friends and family and a little bit of Johnny Depp.  Just the way I like it.  Some highlights include ::

• Hang time at Z-Bar - 'twas lovely to be in the company of a lovely lady
• Family lunch - I think it's still so strange (but in a good way) to just be able to go to these things now without a lot of travel.  We celebrated the mister's stepbrother's birthday with good food, followed by a trip to the casino (which I did not join in on).  The mister won $250! 
• Since it was such a gorgeous and sunny day, I opted to not spend it inside a dingy casino with no windows, full of cigarettes.  I don't like to gamble anyway, so the sister-in-law and I went and popped some bubbly and hung out backyard style.  
• Since the mister won $250, he treated me to a lovely tapas dinner at North End Cafe.  From the ginger mojito to the rosemary and olive oil sauteed shrimp, it was a delicious and tasty meal.  
• We went back home, drank some Chimay and enjoyed a lovely evening at home (and some Charlie Day on SNL)
• Sunday was another lovely day so we woke up and went on a 2 mile hike around Anchorage.  It is seriously so pretty this time of year.
• After a relaxing afternoon, we went and saw The Rum Diary at the last matinee showing.  After all, if your mister randomly wins $250, you celebrate by doing things you don't normally do (especially when you've been on a spending freeze).  The movie was pretty funny and Johnny Depp was enjoyable as always.  You don't necessarily need to see this in theaters but if you're itching to go to the movies like I was, this is a good pick.  
• We ended the weekend with some Dr. Mario and beers and yes, it ruled.

How were your weekends? Wonderful, I hope.  Here's to a great week ahead!

Weekend Recap

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This print couldn't be more apt for me .  The weekend was a good one, but it was one of those where I really proved that I'm not perfect.  But don't worry, I'm still pretty awesome.  You like how vague I am?  Some highlights of the weekend include ::

• A night out with friends
• Scoring a sweet mattress at an even sweeter price (thank you, liquidation) for our guest bedroom 
• Clean windows so we can stare at the snow this winter
• Paranormal Activity 2 - we're going to see the 3rd one this Friday!
• Homemade biscuits + veggie gravy
• Painted kitchen! 
• Catching up on Project Runway (I can't believe some of the things that have happened and I'm so excited for the finale next week)
• Chillaxin'

I'm looking forward to the week ahead.  I have tons of apples to use for baking (yay!), Paranormal Activity 3 to see with a birthday girl and Chicago visitors next weekend!  What are you up to this weekend? And how were your weekends?

Be sure to check back in tomorrow for a very special post.  Here's a hint - look to the top of my sponsors :)

Weekend Recap

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What a beautiful fall weekend.  The weather was absolute perfection and my days were filled with wonderful fall things.  Some highlights include ::

• Wrong turn turning out to be a beautiful tree-lined drive through a new-to-me part of town, windows down and music up.  Love.
• Pizza + movie date.  We ordered in and watched An American Werewolf in London.
• More beautiful fall weather enjoyment
• Fox Hollow Farms fall festival - the drive down Sleepy Hollow was totally worth it.  What a gorgeous strip of land a few miles away.  
• Pumpkin gelato.  Much to our surprise, we were able to treat ourselves to a few scoops of the best use of pumpkin I have ever tasted.  Here's how to make your own.
• Roadside pumpkins!
• We now have a cemetery in our front yard, full of spiderwebs and a skeleton poking through!
• Fish tacos for dinner followed by pecan waffles for brunch
• Patio beers
• Long walks
• Quiet Sunday nights at home :)

How were your weekends? Most excellent, I hope.  This week is a short one for us because Wednesday afternoon we're hitting the road for a ridiculously long journey to see my family.  I'm so excited to see them all, to enjoy Halloween a bit early and to see my favorite 9-year-old play some football. 

Here's to a great week ahead!

Weekend Recap + A Winner!

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The weekends fly by so fast, and I know I can only chalk it up to having fun.  The weather was incredible, we caught up on our sleep and thoroughly enjoyed the early days of fall (yeah, yeah, fall doesn't start until a few days from now but it feels like fall).  Some highlights include ::

• Family hangin'.  Despite the current difficulties drivers are facing between Kentucky and Indiana, we made it and it was worth it.  Chili, baggo, beer.  Repeat.
• Loungin'
• DRIVE-IN!!!  It was every bit as awesomely nostalgic as I had hoped.  We saw Contagion - I've been thinking of it non-stop and thoroughly washing my hands.  We also stayed for Horrible Bosses, which was hilarious (seriously, why would you not stay around for the double feature?!).  We set up camp, wrapped up in blankets and pigged out on candy.  Perfection.
• Pajama Sunday, oh yes.  
• Family hangin'.  Again, despite current difficulties drivers are facing between Kentucky and Indiana, we made it and it was worth it.  Halibut, birthday cake, wine.  Repeat.  Not really with that repeat...

So what did you guys get up to this weekend?  Something fun I hope.  And did you watch the Emmy's?  

Lastly...

We have a winner!  Random.org selected #50, Cathy from Fiscally Chic - congratulations! Thanks for playing, everyone! And a HUGE thanks again to Chelsea of a lovely, little shop. You are the sweetest!

Weekend Recap

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I'm in denial that today is Monday, because I do NOT want the weekend to be over.  I do not want this evening to come and I would really prefer to just skip right over Tuesday and Wednesday.  The mister a.k.a. the handybadge is leaving for another business trip - right in the midst of some serious home improvement.  You see, we spent all weekend doing that kind of stuff and it was awesome.  We had fun, we're giddy with the results and now we can't wait for next weekend so we can do some more!  Some highlights include ::

• Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - The movie was good, but I'm not gonna lie - it was not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.  I had only seen one preview so I didn't really know what to expect, which usually works in my favor.  But I expected to be scared a LOT and I was only scared a little.  Plus, I'm not so much a Katie Holmes fan...but I'd recommend seeing it at some point
• Saturday morning homemade brunch - featuring mimosas, french toast with real maple syrup and fresh blueberries
• Lowes - we found a new location with copious amounts of plants and garden/outdoor awesomeness, resulting in ideas out the wazoo!
• Laying stone and rocks as an entrance to our backyard - before, the backyard was bordered by a bunch of holly bushes which left no easy entrance. We would have to drag the mower kind of far just to get to the grass so we ended up removing two holly bushes (I mean seriously, there are at least 15) and clearing out a nice section to lay stone.  We bought stone for 71 cents a piece along with marble rock for filler and got to work.  It looks lovely and has the potential for being bigger and better after we build a fence.
• The Adjustment Bureau - after all that hard work we settled in for another movie.  This wasn't my favorite by any means but it was pretty perfect for the mood I was in.  Have you seen it?
• Coffee table - we ventured to hang out with family and use their power tools so the handybadge could get to work on our coffee table.  I'm proud to say it's put together and looks beautiful! It's only missing the cosmetic touches but it's pretty much everything I have wanted for SO LONG! And, it was super cheap.  Yay!

See? A great, productive weekend.  We've hit our stride with the projects that need done and it feels good.  If only he didn't have to leave town...

How were your weekends?  I'm so happy Irene wasn't as severe as predicted but so many still felt her wrath.  I hope wherever you are/were you stayed safe and she didn't unleash on you.  

Weekend Recap

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We're back to Monday again, aren't we.  Well that's okay I guess because it only puts us that much closer to a lot of things coming up that I'm excited about.  The weekend was good despite the weather.  We did a lot of relaxing and staying indoors.  Some highlights include ::

• Delicious food all weekend long
• Lots of sleep
• Lots of staying in our pajamas until the afternoon
• Bridesmaids the movie!  It was really funny and definitely worth using our soon-to-expire Fandango tickets.  I love going to a Saturday matinee (apparently so does the rest of the city, but that could be due to the weather) and gorging on nachos and candy.  Don't judge.
• Euchre
• House business - not really a highlight but the productiveness felt pretty good
• Last but certainly not least - Da Bulls!  Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer - they all gave quite the performance over the Heat last night.  It was simply incredible to see them defeat the Heat 103-82.  Take that, LeBron.

How were your weekends? Splendid I hope!  Here's to a good week full of sunshine and (hopefully) climbing temps!

Thursday randoms

How adorable is this chevron dress from Etsy shop SewnNatural?  It might be one of the most adorable thing for little girls that I've seen in a long time!

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Stylist Caroline Sieber spotted at Paris Fashion Week looking absolutely gorgeous.

Lusting after this Tribal Dance Maxi Dress by Nasty Gal.

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I saw this movie last night on a whim with some good friends.  It was ah-may-zing.  Definitely terrifying, but in all the right ways.  Plus, the art director really had it going on.

I'm rather smitten with the "happy hot dog" dessert trays by Naked Decor.

This wall may be in a nursery, but it's calling my name.  I love those bright colors and might have to rush out to get some red and yellow paint to decorate around my turquoise mirror!  Via Stella and Henry

Meryl + Kramer vs Kramer

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The other night, we watched Kramer vs Kramer.  Now, all I can think about is not only how beautiful Meryl is but the roles she chose to play in her early days of acting.  Her role as Joanna Kramer in this film is not a likeable character, but she did such an excellent job of making me not like her, of making the audience feel her pain but also pain for her husband and son.  Even though her time on screen was short, she did everything an actress could do  to suck you into their lives, to her unhappiness.   It was magical.  The emotions I was left with after the film are hard to describe.  But I do know that I was impressed and can honestly say I understand why it won so many Oscars.  I get chills when I think about the opening of the film - of how intense and sad it was between her and her son (who, by the way, knew how to tug at our heartstrings).  

Have you seen this film?  What is your favorite role that Meryl has played?  Do you have any recommendations for other films like this to watch?

Weekend recap

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This weekend was really quite lovely.  Despite the winter blues (which are about to worsen by a lot, considering we're going to be pounded by a "potentially life-threatening" blizzard tomorrow) we got out and about and enjoyed ourselves.  Some highlights include ::

• Friday night dinner + drinks with BK at Rootstock where we sat at the bar and had help in choosing the best bottles of Greek and Spanish wine.  Not to mention all the help picking out food.  What an incredible menu - and I'm a vegetarian!
• A post dinner + drinks couple of games of Euchre with the Hinshaws.   Always delightful! And I can't believe how soon we'll all get to meet Peanut!!!
• A Saturday afternoon trip to Home Depot to cut and purchase some pieces of wood to try and recreate this.  Afterall, we do have a mirror about that size unframed...
• Saturday evening dinner + nerd games with the Chwaliszs.  Gin-soaked raisins are the best thing to bring out during winter nights like that.  
• A Sunday afternoon date which included brunch at a very cheap diner in River East (all the cool places were jam-packed), 2 attempts to go see The King's Speech (the 1st attempt put us in the very, very front which was waaaaaay too close to the screen - literally half of the screen was blacked out for me we were that close, so we high-tailed on outta there and exchanged our tickets for the next showing).  We had the best seat in the house for the 4:30 showing and absolutely loved every. single. minute.  Please go see if it you get the chance.  It's an incredibly superb film that definitely deserves the Oscar.

Blue Valentine

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I was lucky enough to see Blue Valentine last week - have you seen it?  Michelle Williams really summed it up well in her interview with Marie Claire ::

"...it's a film about what it's like to grow up in that kind of atmosphere of tension and decay...being forever in this pre-trembling of a house that falls....I think of Blue Valentine as a cautionary tale - what happens when you stop paying attention to the reasons you loved each other in the first place, when you let the devil that's in the details eat away at the love."

I honestly couldn't agree more.  It stuck with me for so long after I saw it.  I was sucked into their relationship and felt that I was going through it along with them.  Luckily I was snapped out of it once I left the theater, realizing that my relationship is nothing like that and thanking my lucky stars.  But I am still going over it in my head and I'm liking it more and more as the days go by.

If you've seen it, please discuss it with me! I saw it by myself and have not had the chance to talk about it with anyone else!

Oh Mia oh my!

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Last night we finally got around to watching the Netflix movie that we've had at home for nearly two months.  Shame, isn't it?  Why we waited is beyond me because Rosemary's Baby is an excellent film.  We were going to just put it on for the sake of playing it, he was going to do work and I was going to knit away.  But it was too good for distractions and we both watched it intently.  

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One thing I kept personally noticing throughout the movie was Rosemary's (Mia Farrow) appearance.  In the beginning of the film, she donned adorable dresses and sandals and had cute blonde hair.  When things started to heat up, she chopped her hair and as her skin grew paler her wardrobe grew darker.  This is one movie where fashion played an important role (at least in my opinion).  

As I was watching last night, in the back of my mind I kept thinking, "I wonder if Design Sponge did a living in post on this movie?"  They sure did, much to my delight ::

I'm so glad they included that charm necklace above!

Everything about this movie is done so well.  From their fantastic apartment in New York City which you see transform, to her lovely outfits, hair, cute voice, etc., my eyes were glued to the tube!

Do you love this movie too?  

* We've had this movie since before Halloween, when I was on my scary movie kick.  I'm now on a Christmas-feel-good-happy movie kick so this one kind of came out of left field, but that didn't matter.

Little Shop of Horrors

This my friends, is one of the many reasons why I'm terrified of the dentist.  Okay, not really.  But it doesn't help.



Last night, the mister was hard at work so I looked up to see what Netflix had to offer for instant entertainment.  Lo and behold, an 80s classic was queued up ::

Little Shop of Horrors!

{feed me!}

{suddenly seymour}

{eeks}

I watched the movie while snuggled up in bed with a hot cup of herbal tea.  It was bliss.  Pure bliss.

Hold On You

I saw Crazy Heart the other night and can't seem to get enough of this song.  Jeff Bridges was pretty amazing in the movie.  Have you seen it?  All I want to do now is go to a dive bar where some good country music is playing and have many a beer.

The Kids Are All Right

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Have any of you seen this movie?  This is what I ventured off to watch yesterday.  It took my 'meh' mood and lifted it up a bit, even though the story itself was really dramatic and depressing.

What I really loved about the film is the setting.  It takes place in the suburbs of Southern California.  Mark Ruffalo's character, Paul (who, btw is pretty freaking attractive in the film. I've always been a little partial to him but in this film in particular, woah) is a restaurant owner who gardens and provides the produce for his super trendy restaurant that happens to have a pretty amazing outdoor seating area.  It's pretty much everything I wish I had...

Anyway, overall, the movie is good.  There are a lot of things left unanswered, which really bothers me about movies.  Things need to come around full circle you know?  So many side plots were developed and then just left unfinished about half way through the film.  Drives me crazy!  There was a lot of redeeming qualities to this movie though and I definitely recommend it.  I also highly recommend going to the movies alone at some point.  I'm happy I ended up treating myself to it!

Shutter Island

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So we finally got around to watching this last night.  Both of us really, thoroughly enjoyed it.  I remember when it came out, there were so many mixed reactions that I sort of lost my huge interest in going to see it.  Alas, we decided to wait for it on dvd/Netflix.  It was worth the wait.  Have you seen it?  I don't want to give anything away but it was such a mind trip (literally) that I can't stop thinking about it.  Since we had waited so long to watch it, I kind of forgot what the premise of the film even was and I didn't bother to read the description on the Netflix envelope as I wanted to go into it blindly.  The acting is great - Leo honestly chooses such compelling roles/films.  Michelle Williams did a great job with her character as well.  So many questions left to answer...if you saw it, what did you think??

Girl Crush

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So, Penelope here is my all time favorite girl crush.  I love her in every movie (I think, I'm sure there's a few doozies out there) in every role.  She is drop dead gorgeous and the woman has some seriously great style.  What's not to love?!

We watched Broken Embraces this weekend.  It was intense.  And beautiful.  I love Pedro Almodóvar films, so very much. 

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She was so damned good in it.  So good.  The story was tragic in so many ways, and this picture right here kind of leaves me a little unsettled.  Have you seen it? 

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I particularly loved this scene on the beach.  In fact, it's left me dreaming of frolicking on the beach in Spain with an adorable sun hat and beach tote.  Oh Penelope...

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Rachel Getting Married

Anne Hathaway is wonderful in this movie.  Have any of you seen it?  It is SO INTENSE.

Anne plays Kym, an addict who's been clean for 9 months and is released from rehab to visit home and attend her sister Rachel's wedding.  Everything from their past gets spit out over most of the movie as relationships tense up and the drama unfolds.  

Maybe it's just my wedding fever, but I found the first half of the movie (all taking place at the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner) to be very endearing and entertaining even with all the drama.

As the movie progresses you start to learn pain and suffering not only experienced by Kym but by the rest of her family as well.  

To take a quote from Newsweek: "Kym is a major pain in the ass, and Hathaway's raw, spiky performance makes no attempt to ingratiate.  Yet she makes Kym's inner torment so palpable you can't help but feel for her, however insufferable she may be.  It's a terrific performance."

It really is.  And can every single one of my friends show off their wonderful talents at our wedding?  Please? That would be great, thanks!

* Photos via here, here and here

Casablanca

We watched this movie last night.  I had never seen it before.  I have gone nearly 27 years without seeing Casablanca...how did that happen?  Well, now that I've finally heard "Here's looking at you, kid" in it's original context, I feel complete.  Thumbs up!

* Photo via boston.com