My Latest Obsessions

The Fam and the Stanley Cup = Pretty Sweet! 

Our George giving a thumbs up to His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.

Summer is officially half way over. It took us awhile to get in to the swing of our summer routine yet soon it will be time for the kiddos to head back to school. And wow, this year MMC will be heading to 2nd Grade and CMC will be in 4th Grade. And Georgie starts his first official year of pre-school. Time flies. I vividly remember 3 years ago (next Tuesday to be exact = GMC's bday) moving back into our house (after several months of renovations). 

This past Monday we had an opportunity to get our picture taken w/ the Stanley Cup. The kids were ecstatic. Very COOL! I had NO idea how old the cup is until I did a little research. We were lucky to be a part of the summer of celebration w/ the Cup. Each player and staff member gets 24 hours w/ the cup. Love that! 

I must admit that I'm pretty into all the Royal Baby Madness. Call it a Royal Crush if you will. Come on now, I was totally up at 4:30 am the day that Princess Catherine and Prince William got married. I loved it all. I knew that the name George was in the running for the Royal Baby boy. It was fun to tell Georgie the news (see pic above). And what a name = George Alexander Louis. Love it. Speaking of my crush on the Royal Couple I appreciated Joanna Goddard's post on Princess Kate. I love her too. I too was pleasantly surprised by the fact that she very gracefully walked out of the hospital proudly displaying her "I just had a baby" belly. She didn't hide it. Cheers, Kate! Well done. And she looked stunning none the less. What a class act. She is so relateable (so much that I think my Georgie and her George would get along just fine on a playdate)! 

We're off to pick up our own Cate this weekend. She has been up at the Lake w/ her grandparents and an aunt/uncle and cousins since this past Tuesday. This little break couldn't have come at a better time for her and Margaret. Margaret had horse camp all week and the time apart has been great for the two of them. Everyone needs a little time apart, right?! We are excited to see Cate this weekend and hear about her little "vacation" and Margaret is SUPER anxious to tell her all about her horse "Sam." And of course GMC wants to dish about the the Royal Prince being named George! 

Have a FABULOUS weekend! XO - D2

Some of my latest faves: 

• LOVE the Jenny Packham dress that Princess Catherine wore out of the hospital. Do you think she had a pink one ready in case she had a girl? I wonder. However, she was channeling her late mother in law - see pic. And wowser = the "Kate Effect" = the Aden + Anais blankets are sold out. Georgie still carries around the same exact bird one that Prince George was swaddled w/ on his way home from the hospital. 
• Very pretty art deco notebooks. Love these! 
• We had some dear friends over Wednesday evening for dinner. Menu = 3 ingredient pulled pork (w/ pretzel buns = YUMMY), finely chopped coleslaw, Ina Garten's fresh corn salad, and watermelon feta cucumber salad (combo of sweet + salty = awesome). I tried the night before to make this Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Cake, however, for some reason the heavy cream and mascarpone cheese did not stiffen up. Plan B worked out just fine. The next morning I went out and bought some vanilla bean ice cream and used the cookies (8 dozen mind you!) and made ice cream sandwiches out of them. The sandwiches were AWESOME (mostly due to the fact that the cookies were so yummy). I bought Almond Joy Coconut homemade Cookies from the gourmet section at Jewel. A friend passed along the tip that they sold them. Quite good! So, if you are in the hood PLEASE stop by and pick up an ice cream sandwich (as we have plenty in the freezer)! PLEASE! 
• These DIY glitter vases are very cute. 
• I vacillate between being a morning person and a night owl. However, my problem always seems to be that I am both (leaving one quite exhausted all the time). I thought this was an interesting article on the One Thing These Crazy Successful People Do Every Morning. 
• PFC and I went and saw the movie Before Midnight last Saturday evening. It was tough but we crammed in both Before Sunrise and Before Sunset before seeing the 3rd film in the Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy trilogy. Nuts to think that these movies span from 1995 to 2013. Very interesting. Loved ALL 3 of the movies. The writing is excellent and the dialogue between Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) is so real. I enjoyed seeing the progression of a couple. I thought the films were creative and original and quite different from standard hollywood flicks. And it was interesting to learn about the inspiration for the movies - the real couple behind Before Sunrise. 
• I adore this getaway dress. So pretty! 
• Next Thursday = Opening of the Fashion Outlets of Chicago. FUN! Who doesn't love a good deal?! 
• The Day I Stopped Saying Hurry Up = a great read that makes you think. Another good read = How I Learned to Disconnect to Connect. I'm very guilty of both of these things. For sure. Right before school started last year we headed to Kinnikinnick Farm and did just that = DISCONNECTED. It was AH-MAZING. We're excited to head there again. 
• Who doesn't want a sophisticated yet welcoming home?! 

My Latest Obsessions

C + M's entry in the tennis club's Baking Contest for the 4th = Rice Krispies Treat Sparklers!

Taking advantage of National Slurpee Day = 7.11

The kiddos at the Brookfield Zoo a few weeks ago

Happy Friday! I absolutely LOVE this weather (= low humidity, 70s, and sunny = very San Diego-esque). The weather has been so up and down lately so we're going to thoroughly enjoy the amazing weather while it lasts. We had an awesome long weekend for the 4th of July. We stayed local and the 5 of us enjoyed some much needed family time. It was super nice to have a long weekend to just hang together. My sister and her husband and little guy Graham came out here for the 4th and we walked over to the tennis club for a yummy lunch, some lawn and pool games, and swimming. That morning Peter and I played in the husband/wife tennis tournament and we decided that we want to play together more often. And all of us were really into watching Wimbledon this year and we were thrilled that Murray won! We were routing for him and Britain. The gals entered the baking contest at the tennis club on the 4th and made their version of these Rice Krispies Treat Sparklers. They turned out super cute and the gals were quite pleased w/ themselves.

Peter and I were even able to sneak in a date night over the long weekend. We saw The Heat w/ Melissa McCarthy (hilarious!) and Sandra Bullock. They were a great combo together. Super funny flick. And then we walked down the street to Marion Street Cheese Market for a yummy dinner (love that place). It never disappoints. Speaking of movies I'm very tempted to watch Before Sunset and Before Sunrise so that I am prepped for the sequel Before Midnight. Everyone can use a little more Ethan Hawke in their life, right?! It is getting great reviews.

Have a FABULOUS weekend! XO - D2

Some of my latest faves:

• I LOVE Graeter's Ice Cream. Divine. LOVE IT. My favorite flavor = Black Raspberry Chip. AH-MAZING. I will never forget when my first boss had some sent in for my birthday (before Graeter's went national). I stumbled across this recipe for Almond Florentine and Black Raspberry Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches a few years ago and it has now become one of my go to desserts to make. However, I use Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip Ice Cream (which you can now find at your local grocery store) and Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Almond Lacey Cookies (divine in and of themselves!). I've already made two batches of them this summer. YUM! Speaking of ice cream sandwiches, these Easy Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches look super yummy (and simple too). Perfect! 
• I was eyeing the Jeni's Ice Cream display at Marion Street Cheese Market the other day. I've sent Jeni's ice cream as gifts but have yet to try it myself. Salty Caramel is calling my name! I may wait and try out a scoop of her ice cream once the Chicago location opens! Exciting. 
• We've been running out of ideas for super quick dinners. The kids are SUPER starving when we get home from swim team practice and I'm always scrambling to throw something together. I pulled out the trusty slow-cooker the other day and made one of our old go to dinners = 3 Ingredient Pulled Pork (w/ some pretzel buns and sides of course!). Tomorrow I'm making this slow-cooker Salsa Chicken for the kiddos. It has received rave reviews so we shall see!  
• A few recipes on my summer to try list = Kale Salad w/ Cherries and Pecans, the Best Guacamole you'll ever have, Kale Chips, Roasted Summer Chickpea Salad and this Farro Salad. And Cate LOVES peaches so I told her that we would try this Slab Pie by Martha Stewart soon. 
• The gals keep asking when we are going back to Kinnikinnick Farm. It is one of their ALL time favorite trips we have taken together as a family. We are heading there over Labor Day weekend this year. I stumbled upon this post on Feather Down Farms. Kinnikinnick Farm is a host to a Feather Down Farm experience. I also want to head to Lincoln Park one of these upcoming Wednesdays w/ the kiddos to check out the Green City Market. Kinnikinnick Farm sells some of its produce there. And it would be fun to see a chef demonstration - Stephanie Izard of the Girl & the Goat will be there on the 31st = FUN!    
• Check out these fun photo backdrops for a party. Love them! The balloon wall is super cute! 
• We've been chatting a lot lately in our household about manners and what is the appropriate thing to say to someone. I've been referencing this American Girl book quite a bit - as of course they absorb more of what we are saying when it comes from someone else. And here are some Modern Manners for Real Life. 
• Hello Love = LOVE this little painting in a salvaged frame. Super cute. 
• My mom JuJu and Grandpa T live in Prescott, AZ. It was a super sad day when the Granite Mountain Hotshots passed away while fighting the Yarnell Hill fire that ignited south of Prescott. This article gives a more personal look in to the lives of these brave men. 
• These coral wedding invitations are gorgeous. I love how beautiful the white ink looks on the kraft paper.  
• We were at a dinner party a few weekends ago and the hostess had two of these Barrel to Bottle Votive holders out on her outdoor table. They created such a pretty ambiance. They would make a great gift. 
• Mounds Bar Popsicles = need I say more!? I always sneak a Mounds Bar or two (or 3) out of the kids Halloween stash every year. Love them! And don't these Peanut Butter & Pretzel Bars look amazing?! The pretzel on top makes them!  
• Interesting article on 8 foods that we eat in the US yet are banned in other countries = YIKES! 
• For those of you w/ little American Girl fans in your household = the new American Girl Doll movie Saige will be on NBC tomorrow (7/13) at 7 pm CST. Our DVR is set!  
• Awesome = 4 out of the 8 candidates for the 2013 astronaut  class are women!