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.

Weekend Recap

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Good morning, everyone!  We're back to reality after a blissful weekend and I'm already counting down the days until my work week is over.  Christmas is SO soon and we leave for our trip to Kansas on Wednesday! Yowza's.  This weekend was excellent and I'm really in the Christmas spirit big time.  Some highlights include ::

• Holiday music + baking whoopie pies and "chicken" buffalo dip
• Holiday party! The potluck was a success and we merrily partied the night away 
• Cozy Saturday in our pj's
• Dinner at the Village Anchor - it was incredibly cozy inside and quaint on the outside, it was decorated for Christmas and the fire was lit.  
• Yahtzee in front of the fireplace.  Even Gus hung out in the box...
• Sunday fun day - friends/family came over for dinner and we all watched Home Alone.  Sunday's are really pretty great when spent like that
• A new dresser! The mister's grandpa made us a beautiful walnut dresser and it was dropped off as an early Christmas present.  It smells so wonderful and looks absolutely stunning.  I'm in love!

How were your weekends? Festive and warming, I hope.  Here's to a lovely week, my friends!

Cynthia Rowley's Guide to Chicago

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If you're a subscriber to Refinery 29, then you're already in the know about some really great stuff.  But did you know they recently launched a Chicago edition?  In addition to their N.Y.C. and L.A. staff, they've set up shop here in the Windy City and the daily emails have been so far so good great.  From lists ranging from the best boutique sales to prix fixe meals at restaurants, R29 is keeping Chicago cool in ways the weather can't.

Which leads me to this ::

Chicago native and designer Cynthia Rowley gave R29 Chicago the scoop about her favorite spots in Chicago.  I must say, it's pretty exciting to know we have so much in common - maybe we Chicago bloggers might even run into her some day at one of her picks!  Okay, well maybe in the summer time anyway.

So where does Cynthia Rowley love to go in Chicago and what are my thoughts on these spots?

• Yolk on Wells.  Funny, because this is where we tried to go on Sunday before our movie date.  The last time we dined there, we were seated after a very brief wait but this time, the wait was absurd.  It is pretty good for brunch so it makes sense that the rest of the city would want to indulge.   As a side note, we realized after we ate at a run-down diner that there was yet another Yolk location that was even closer to the movie theater.  If only we had known!
• The Violet Hour for cocktails.  The Violet Hour is pretty cool, but it's not a place I'm itching to go back to any time soon.  I've been a couple of times and each time has been a pain.  Waiting to get in is annoying, especially when you see that you're only waiting for the sake of waiting - not because at capacity or anything.  The last time we were there, the mister ordered some silver tequila straight up (he's weird, this place is known for their cocktails, not their liquor straight up but I think that's his thing, to do stuff like that to make me go 'huh?') and the waitress came by and poured a bunch of water in his glass without realizing it was tequila.  I still laugh about that.  He got a free drink for that one.
• Naha for fine dining.  At first, I thought I had never been here but then I realized my memory failed me.  We went here last spring and enjoyed a very lovely meal on a rainy week night.  The food was great, especially the vegetarian dishes they served me from off the menu.
• The Goddess and the Grocer for dessert/to-go meals.  I've never had dessert from here but I have been there for lunch.  They've got an excellent selection of sandwiches and salads (especially if you eat meat) but this probably isn't news to you.
• She loves to shop in the Bucktown neighborhood in which her boutique is located - stores like Marc by Marc Jacobs and Scoop, to name a few.  
• Millenium Park for leisure trips - when I first moved here, I would spend a lot of my time between classes at Columbia College exploring downtown.  I really liked to go to MP and eat my lunch/read a book and take it all in.  It's so beautiful down there.
• Schubas and Park West for music.  I love that Cynthia Rowley is a fan of Schubas and seeing bands play music.  Schubas is a great venue and I've had a lot of really good times there.  Before I moved here, my bff and I were up here looking for an apartment and we went to see a random show there.  We had a LOT of drinks because the bartender just decided to give me free beers all night.  Kind of creepy, but I was appreciative.  I've only been to Park West once when I went with my buddy Daniel to see Feist.  I quite enjoyed the show and the atmosphere and would love to go back.

So there you have it.   Cynthia's takes on this snowy city.  If you're a Chicagoan or have visited, what are some of your favorite spots?  I'd love to hear.

PS - Cynthia has a blog!

A Single Man

On Saturday night, Badger & I had some us time and went out for some delicious dinner and a movie.  It was a really great night.  Our dinner was delicious and romantic and the movie was beautiful albeit sad. 

We had dinner at Le Creperie, which was fantastic.  I love crepes, I love frommage and I love wine.  I had a little bit of it all!  We even had a dessert crepe (we never get dessert) with flan and caramel sauce.  Oh my was it good.  The restaurant itself was so charming and adorable and gave me the strong desire to visit France and eat nothing but crepes for the rest of my life. 

After dinner we went to Landmark to watch A Single Man.  Let me just say, from the moment the film began, I was in love.  Tom Ford proved to me that all fashion directors should also direct films.

It was so beautifully filmed, with glamour galore.  I love films set in the 60s, and this movie did an excellent job of glamourizing cigarettes and liquor.  But aside from that, the story was beautiful, moving, touching, you name it.  The ending is still with me and all of the small details really made the movie.  I highly recommend seeing this movie as soon as you can. 

All of the actors were outstanding.  The house Colin Firth's character lived in is seriously my dream house.  Aah, I want to rewatch it right now....

(photos via le creperie, just jared)