My Latest Obsessions

GMC chilling

Happy Friday! Fall has officially arrived. LOVE IT! Love all the changing leaves on the trees and I LOVE mums! They are so pretty. My mom JuJu and youngest sister Carrie arrived last night. The kiddos and I took a trip to the airport to pick them up. We LOVE having them in town. Last night we stayed up late talking.

Today we are going to check out the new fashion outlets in Rosemont and tonight we are just going to chill. We are excited to check out Junior Master Chef as my cousin's little girl Molly is in it! PFC is off this weekend on a guys fishing trip. And I think we'll head to my sister Stephie and Sean's new pad this weekend.

Oh, and Sunday I'll be excited to hunker down w/ PFC and watch the season premiere of Homeland!!! Wahoo. And I DVRed the season premiere of Parenthood that debuted last pm. Cannot wait to watch that one either!

Have a FABULOUS weekend! XO - D2

Some of my latest faves:

• Trend watch = colonial revival. They featured the windsor chair. My youngest sister Carrie and her partner created what they call the Wrong Chair. Pretty cool. Their work will be at Volume Gallery in Chicago starting November 16th. Very cool! And better yet that means Carrie will be in town again SOON! 
• Coffee drinks explained = PERFECT! I've always been a huge latte fan w/ skim milk. That is usually my go to coffee drink when I order one out. However, when I studied abroad in Bath I was turned on to Cafe Au Laits. 
• Losing is Good Too = for sure. I'm a huge fan of the "suck it up cupcake" saying. I can hear my mom JuJu now! 
• Everyone can use a good  chocolate cake recipe. YUMMY! 
• Good ole Denido (Denison University) will preserve a landmark = Granville Inn. Great move, Denison. 
• This has been my go to birthday gift for friends of MMC = Color a Bag. 
• "#Hastag" w/ Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake = #fabulous! 
• Every once in awhile I'll bust out a braid in my hair. Here is a pretty fishtail braid. 
• This salty sweet trifle looks AH-MAZING. 
• I LOVE these salad plates - from Shanna Murray for West Elm. Very cute. And here is her Pie Recipe tea towel. And speaking of West Elm, I LOVE their collaboration w/ Baggu. These Baggu Dipped Totes are super cute. I would love a gold dipped monogrammed one! JuJu would love these Dapper Animal Plates! So fun.  
• I put together my Steve Alan wishlist. It was kind of fun to put it together. You should too! If I win I'm getting the following items: Claire Vivier Messenger Tote, Rachel Comey Mars Boots, and these Super Skinny jeans. Fingers crossed. 
• I LOVE calligraphy. Beautiful ink to paper = FAB! Elizabeth Hardink's calligraphy is gorgeous. 
• My best cost per wear buy the last few months = Women's Denim Western shirt. I wear it ALL the time. Check out all the ways you can wear a denim shirt. 
• I was checking out some of Minted's new holiday cards. Stumbled upon the following cards. We'll use these names for the times that PFC and I want to change it up = Annie and Daniel, Julia and Brian, and John and Ella. 
• Some great clutches. Very unique. Check out the lookbook. Love this clutch. 
• Adore these plates done in collaboration w/ Karen Ford. So pretty. 
• I love yellow. How fun would it be to have this sunny yellow window sill in your house?! We used various shades of yellow throughout our house (hawthorne yellow in the guest room, waterbury cream throughout our entryway and leading up the staircase, concord ivory in the family room and kitchen (one of my faves!). All of these colors are part of the historical colors from benjamin moore. 
• Oh, and lastly, I LOVED our dinner at RPM last weekend. We tried the following items: imported Burrata w/ grilled peaches and honey, cremini mushroom wood fired pizza, stuffed squash blossoms, shredded brussels sprouts w/ avocados, and mama depandi's bucanti pomodoro. 

My Latest Obsession

Lunch w/ GMC

Hello, Scott Eastman. Nice to meet ya. 

Happy Friday! We are finally getting the hang of our fall/school routine. Finally. We had all 3 open houses this week for the kiddos.

Tonight I'm heading to RPM Italian (Bill and Giuliana Rancic's restaurant) w/ some girlfriends. I'm super excited as this restaurant has been on my list for some time now. Their dinner menu looks awesome and I'm already eyeing Mama Depandi's Bucanti Pomodoro. And then Saturday night we are heading to the tennis club for the big new member show - always a good time! And Sunday I get to see a dear friend of mine from college. We used to live together in DC. Love her. I cannot wait to catch up w/ her.

Some of my latest faves:

• This 3 minute film has been circulating the web. It is pretty great. 
• I've often wondered about the difference between salted and unsalted butter. I try to pay attention to recipes that call for one over the other. A little butter 101 for you. 
• Check out these adorable upcycled and repurposed clothing and accessories that use Pendleton wool. So cute! 
• I was at a friend's house the other morning and remembered my LOVE of Trader Joe's chocolate croissants. LOVE them. 
• I was brought back to our honeymoon (part 1 and part 2) when I stumbled upon these two articles: Best of The Old School Carribean; Rosewood Little Dix Bay and #1 US News and World Report resorts - Cap Juluca. Loved them both! I would give anything to go back!!!! Two winters ago we were lucky enough to escape to Anguilla for a long weekend. Love it there! 
• PFC and I love watching movies. Here are some movies to watch this fall. 
• I have yet to hit up the new Jeni's Ice Cream shop in Chicago yet. Here are some words w/ Jeni. 
• A scientific guide to saying no. This is one I must reread again! 
• How cool is this 2-person sleeping bag! LOVE it. 
• Some fun and cute favor ideas. The repackaged candy favors = easy! 
• I adore this sweet little vintage ring. So delicate. 
• PFC and I stopped by Mancini's again last Saturday after dinner. I had to have some more of their amazing dark chocolate sorbet. I dream about it. Really I do. Maybe I'll try to make some myself. 
• David Beckham looks oh so handsome holding his youngest daughter Harper at Fashion Week. 
• GMC is OBSESSED w/ play dough. Everywhere we go he asks if they will have play dough. This week we made some more homemade play dough (lasts longer than the store bought kind!). This recipe is EASY.  
• I adore slow cooker recipes. This sweet potato and raisin chicken tagine looks amazing. 
• This Hudson Valley home is quite charming. Love it. You can book The Saint James for a weekend! 
• Fall weather means darker nail colors. Fun! Nail trends for Fall 2013! My go to color always seems to be Smokin' Hot by Essie. Love it! 
• Okay, PFC and I are totally obsessed w/ Homeland. However, who isn't?! We're watching an episode a night (so that we are good to go come Season 3). 10 reasons why we love Homeland! And I kinda dig Damian Lewis too. Funny to think he is British as his american accent is flawless. 
• This crack pie looks DIVINE! Yummy! And if you don't want to try and make it why not have it delivered! 
• Pretty sweet oval wire bulb cage pendant. Love that it is vintage. 
• Nice article remembering Anne Smedinghoff who passed away last spring in Afghanistan. 
• Sorry Ryan Goslin, I've got a new crush = Scott Eastwood. Smokin! Love this pic of him. Town & Country's Top Bachelors.  My top pics = Adam Scott and Scott Eastwood. And of course, George Clooney. And I'll leave you w/ some more pics of Mr. Eastwood. 

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! It has been an unbelievably HOT week here in Chicago. It is finally cooling down a bit. While I LOVE summer I'm looking forward to fall like temps. I love all the things that come w/ fall = layers, apple picking, extra blankets, boots, etc.

I tapped in to my creative/artistic side this week and painted a fall picture. Loved it. We had Vino Van Gogh come to the tennis club and we set up a ladies night out. It was super fun!

Tonight we are going to chill and catch up on some more Homeland episodes. The countdown is on for Season 3!!! And tomorrow evening we have a party downtown and then Peter and I are heading to Caro Mio for a dinner date. FUN!

Have a FABULOUS weekend!

XO - D2

Some of my latest faves:

• I was in the mood to bake something the other day. I stumbled upon this SUPER easy and yummy blueberry and peach cobbler from Jenny Steffens. It turned out FAB and was super tasty. 
• BHLDN was not around when I was planning our wedding. I love checking out the site from time to time. Beautiful stuff. LOVE this dress. 
• This is pretty great = funny someecard. 
• Here is the full look book for 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target. Some cute pieces. 
• I LOVE calendars. Every year PFC gets me this letterpress one from Linda & Harriett. Here is a great list of the best 2014 calendars. 
• I've totally been in to Mumford & Sons lately. Love them. Here is a great little spoof they did. 
• I really dig Justin Timberlake. Here's a look at the enduring, multigenerational appeal of JT. 
• Looking for a little gift for a friend? Check out these Postcards w/ a Graphic Pop. Very fun. 
• Rosalind Wiseman wrote Queen Bees and Wannabees years ago (that inspired the movie Mean Girls). She just recently came out w/ a boy version = Masterminds and Wingmans. 
• I had some of these amazing chocolate chip cookies this week. I had to find the recipe. They were divine! 
• I LOVE this loft pendant lamp. Very cool. 
• I appreciated reading this post on how to read a recipe. Great (and simple) advice. 
• Totally love this Pointe Bell skirt. So cute. 
• Hooray = Jeni's opened an ice cream shop in Chicago. Awesome! 
• How fun would it be to make an You are Special plate?! Love this. And I love the tradition behind it. 
• Chefs and their Bucket list restaurants. Kind of fun! 
• I like these suede chukka boots for PFC. 
• I loved watching both the U.S. Open finals over this past weekend. Awesome! Nadal inspires awe after his victory. 
• Cheerfulness. PFC always exudes cheerfulness. All the time. That is what I love about him. Choosing cheerfulness. 
• PFC and I try to get in some dinner dates every couple of weeks. We love hanging out at the sushi bar at House of Sushi and then we head to Mancini's for gelato. And last week I had their dark chocolate sorbet. I still dream about it. John Kass loves it too! 

My Latest Obsessions

Kinnikinnick Farm - Caledonia, IL

PFC starting up the fire for some morning coffee

Farmer Dave taking the kids around the farm for morning chores

We had the BEST time this past weekend at Kinnikinnick Farm in Caledonia, IL. This year we filled all 5 tents with friends. It was a total blast! The kids had the best time running around with one another and the adults had blast too = PERFECT! Even Martha Stewart LOVES it. We already booked all 5 tents again for Labor Day weekend next year! Wahoo!

PFC and I saw Book of Mormon last evening. LOVED it. Absolutely hilarious. So freaking funny. It has been getting rave reviews. Go see it before they leave Chicago.

And tonight I get to see a dear college friend of mine. We are meeting for dinner at the Carriage House.
The dinner menu looks FAB! Yummy.

Some of my latest faves...

• Check out these cute little teepees. Adorable! 
• Cute and simple flats. And I'm still digging the Rachel Comey Mars booties. LOVE. 
• Cute and CHEAP tunic dress. Perfect for fall. 
• I enjoyed reading Andre Agassi's book, Open. I grew up w/ him. He was at his prime when we lived in Cincinnati and watched him at the ATP. 12 things about Andre Agassi. 
• 12 things successful women do differently. Interesting article about Ladies Who Power Lunch. Totally makes me want to hit ABC Kitchen for lunch one day in NYC. 
• Chicago's best restaurants via Zagat. 
• I LOVE naps. Love them. The Perfect Nap: Sleeping is a Mix of Art and Science. 
• 22 celebrities when they were young. Check out Martha Stewart - kind of a hottie. And George Clooney at age 15. Hilarious! And Clint Eastwood = so handsome. 
• LOVE this ankle length lace dress from H&M. Very cute. 
• I may head to the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago on Sunday. A few fun finds from vendors that will be there = robin egg blue enamel necklace, nina leather flap bag, oval dish, triangle necklace, two tone tea towels, origami heart toppers, recycled bottled drinking glasses, latch bracelet (LOVE!), do the dishes tomorrow tea towel (LOVE!), folk art letterpress coasters, small matter necklace (LOVE!), thanks, dude thank you notes, cosmic bangles (very cool!), set of skinny bangles (love love love), and these janelle skinny bangle set (great colors). 
• 30 books everyone should read before their 30th birthday. I just read a great book = The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty. LOVED it. Read it in two days. I highly recommend it! I started The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Very good so far. 
• This chicken skillet lasagna looks great and very kid friendly! 
• 30 easy ideas for every room in your house. I LOVE the bold red door and the robin's egg blue. 
• Interesting article on how happiness changes w/ age. 
• Fans are not happy w/ the casting for 'Fifty Shades' movie. I agree. 
• Another reason to love Target = they introduced a GMO free food line.
• 10 best workout songs to get you motivated.  
• Oh, and I have been using this great new app = A Beautiful Mess. I absolutely love it. You'll notice the writing and text in the pics above. I combine that app w/ Instagram. LOVE. And I just recently took all of our summer photos (that I instagramed) and made a Summer of 2013 book via Blurb. Fun! 
• Moms, When are you going to Learn = well said.