My Latest Obsessions

Georgie checking out his new bike (22 months)

Happy Friday! Wow, what a LONG week. Week 2 of Summer Break. It is taking all of us a bit of time to recalibrate to our new schedule. It is pretty funny watching other parents and kids walk around in a bit of a daze the last week or so adjusting to new schedules and logistics (as spring sports/activities/school come to an end and summer activities pick up). While I LOVE the summer and appreciate all that comes with it (the pool, the weather, playing tennis outside, heading to the Lake, just BEING outside, etc.) logistically the summer can be a bit challenging at times especially when you have kids of different ages running around. So, here's to Week 1 and 2! I admit it = I'm pretty exhausted (but LOVING this weather)!

We just said goodbye to JuJu and Grandpa T and my Dad and youngest sister Carrie. They were all in town for our nephew Graham's baptism last Sunday. It was so much fun having everyone here. We hope to see all of them soon! I wish they all lived closer.

I LOVE the personalized bookmarks that we put together for all 4 Grandpas and PFC for Father's Day. One of my super creative friends did something similar last year for Father's Day and I made a mental note to try it this year. So, last Monday we headed to A&A Studios in Oak Park and used their vintage photobooth to take the pics. It was pretty hilarious to listen to the girls talk about the pictures namely because the photobooth was not digital (and you cannot delete any outtakes) - and we had to wait 2.5 minutes (imagine that!) for each strip to come out.  All in all it was a fun little field trip minus GMC trying to pick up every vintage camera in the store and he kept wanting to press the "go" button in the booth (which led to a strip of him alone in there - where he was actually posing for the camera vs the group shots where he wanted to jump out of C and M's arms).  I had the girls decorate a strip of paper with Happy Father's Day and the date and their signatures to put on the back of the bookmarks and we then had them laminated. We then picked out books for everyone to go w/ the cute bookmarks. Fun project!

Our Father's day bookmarks

GMC goofing off and pressing the button

Some of my latest faves:

• Fun dip dyed chopsticks = perfect idea for a summer gathering (order some take out and you are all set)! LOVE this idea. 
• Cute rope bun to keep you cool on a warm summer day! 
• We have been using our Zoku quite a bit in the afternoons before heading to swim team practice. The girls LOVE making pomegranate limeade pops (courtesy of Trader Joe's pomegranate limeade beverage) w/ slices of strawberries or bananas. I want to try these watermelon-jalapeno ice pops. They look YUMMY! 
• I've been looking for SUPER SUPER EASY dinner recipes that are quick. The girls are starving after swim team practice and want dinner ASAP. The other day we tried one that the girls and George have always loved = 3 ingredient pulled pork. SUPER easy and it was ready for us the moment we walked in the door = PERFECT! The root beer makes the pork super tender. 
• Enjoyed Joanna Goddard's post on "What annoys you about your significant other." LOVED her husband Alex's comment. He is very wise! 
• Adorable golden linen bowed shoes = sweet little heels. 
• Found a fun new Etsy shop to add to my favorites = bookhou at home. 
• I finished 50 Shades of Grey. Now on to book 2. 15 Actors Who Could Play Christian Grey. Quite the list! Hilarious = Ellen Degeneres reading 50 Shades of Grey. Too funny! 
• LOVE these handpainted Taika Flats. LOVE them. Some notes on how they are made!

Have a FABULOUS weekend and enjoy Father's Day!

My Latest Obsessions

Silhouette of Miss Cate (made at a Paper Source class)

Happy Friday! And Happy LONG weekend - wahoo! May is whizzing by us and we have already been to the pool a few times due to this lovely warm weather - LOVE IT! Last week I made the above silhouette of Miss Cate at a Paper Source class. I opted for the black & white paisley paper for the background. It was SUPER fun and I now just need to find some time to make one of Georgie and Margaret as well. I think we decided that we'll hang them in the kids bathroom (which will look great up against the twig stripe wallpaper in soft chartreuse).

My Latest Obsessions

Cate's First Communion

Happy Friday! I've heard a few folks lately say that May is the new December - and I have to agree. We have the frenzied four week onslaught of May Madness (end of the school year craziness, spring sports, year-end parties, First Communions/Graduations/Mother's Day, and then gearing up for the various summer activities).

We had CMC's First Communion this past Sunday. Miss Cate looked so beautiful. It made me think back to when I met her 4 years ago this spring (and wow, she has grown up so much). She wore my youngest sister Carrie's First Communion dress (made by my maternal grandmother). So meaningful. We had a family celebration back at our house for Miss Cate and her cousin. She and her cousin were First Communicants together during the same mass which made for a doubly enjoyable day!

And now we are approaching Mother's Day weekend!! Being a mom myself I have an entirely new level of respect for my own Mom. So, Happy Mother's Day, JuJu (and we are all in countdown mode to see her in a few weeks - hooray)!  The gals and Georgie have been working on their items to include in our Mother's Day packages for all 4 grandmothers. This year we used pics from Easter and made these adorable Accordion Brag Books from Pinhole Press. They turned out super cute! And this past Monday was the 6th year anniversary of the passing of C + M's angel Mom.  I think of her often and she is always with me.

Wishing all of the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day! CHEERS to one of the toughest yet most rewarding jobs out there! I've posted this before, but I must do so again as it is really FAB = a P&G commercial re: Moms and the London 2012 Olympics. Hoping that all of you have fun plans for the weekend. As part of my Mother's Day weekend I'm hanging out w/ my sister Stephie tomorrow morning for some much needed sister time. We are getting mani/pedis and then hitting some of our faves = Anthro and Lululemon (excited as I have some gift cards to spend!).  And we'll end w/ some chats over lunch. And then on Mother's Day all of us are heading to Bleeding Heart Bakery and Cafe in West Town for brunch. YUMMY! And best of all PFC is taking the kiddos out of the house early Sunday morning so I can sleep in (= a pure luxury)!

Some of my latest faves:

• LOVING these adorable Stamped Party Cups = such a fun and easy way to brighten up some plain white cups. 
• Target launched The Shops earlier in the week. The items from The Candy Store are very cute and look YUMMY. I did buy some of the square lollipops - as I was totally sucked in by the pretty packaging. I mean, how can you turn down a lollipop w/ Necco Wafers in them?! Here's what you can buy in the original SF The Candy Store. Cute gummy butterflies!  And then how about these adorable Nautical Pink Toe Cap flats from The Webster (for Target)!? Very cute. 
• GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS = a friend of mine's wedding invitations - featured on the lovely Oh So Beautiful Paper. And since we are in bridal mode - check out this brilliant and thoughtful and clever Bride Kit DIY. Oh, and how fantastic (for all those paper lovers out there - myself included) are these paper wedding toppers?! LOVE them. And here are some great wedding etsy finds. 
• I stumbled upon this hedgehog wrapping paper = simply adorable. OMG, so love this paper! It reminds me of the hedgehog letterpress coasters and notes we put in our wedding goody bags for out of town guests. Oh, and I LOVE these letterpress owl coasters. These would make such a cute hostess gift. LOVE THEM! I may need to buy some to have on hand.
• We have a stash of quart sized ball mason jars (leftovers from our Cowboy Cookie Mixes) so we pulled them out to fill w/ flowers for CMC's First Communion party to scatter around the house. I love the look of small vases with uneven and loose floral arrangements. Trader Joe's always has such great flowers (and cheap too) - so we bought lots of bunches of various flowers and filled the jars. So pretty. And in doing so I discovered a new fave flower = Ranunculus (here are some ideas for arrangements using my new fave flower). And so timely was Goop's post on Flower Arranging by Vase. 
• A friend of mine recently made some really lovely terrariums. Here is a DIY Terrariums with Terrain for inspiration. Wouldn't it be fun to take a workshop at Terrain?! 
• YUMMY and fun looking rainbow cookies = MUST try. 
• Next week I'm taking this silhouette making class with a friend. I want to do one of each of our kiddos. How fun! 
• How cute are these stylish french made ballet flats (for kiddos)?! LOVE. 

Have a wonderful weekend! The sun is shining here in Chicago (thank goodness as it has been RAINY for quite some time). And Happy Mother's Day (again) for all the mothers out there. 

My Latest Obsessions

Cate and the Oscar Meier Wienermobile

Happy Friday! The above picture cracks me up. Cate and I were spending some mom/daughter time together and running errands and the like last Saturday and low and behold we looked over and saw the iconic Oscar Meier Wienermobile. WE HAD TO STOP AND TAKE A PIC! Come on now, how often does one see the Wienermobile?! Cate was definitely amused by the large "hot dog" on wheels and it got me wondering how long the mobile had been around. How fun, this wienermobile crashed a wedding last year! Too funny. And how do you become an official "hotdogger" driver?! 

Happy Earth Week! I have to confess I'm not the most green person out there. While I do my best to recycle and the like I LOVE me some zip lock bags. We tried out some reusable pouches this week to use in lieu of zip lock bags (for CMC's lunch). While they are reusable and super cute (btw!) I think I'm going to be using zip lock bags for awhile longer (mostly because CMC kept leaving them at school - defeating the whole purpose of REUSING them the next day!). Baby steps! 

We have a casual fundraiser tonight for C + M's school and then tomorrow PFC's sisters/I are taking out his Mom for a GIRLS dinner to celebrate her upcoming bday. 

Some of my latest faves: 

• Some breakfast items - reinvented - by the lovely Gwenyth Paltrow's Dr. Frank Lipman. 
• Lovely resources for some business cards and stationery. Again, while I LOVE all things techilicious, I'm still a huge paper girl at heart. There is something to be said for a beautiful card that is tangible. I'll always be tactile and by nature I'm a visual learner. It took me FOREVER to switch from a paper calendar to an online calendar! 
• LOVE these rolling storage crates. LOVE LOVE LOVE. 
• Mother's Day is around the corner. Speaking of Mother's Day, P&G's "Thank you, Mom" campaign is pretty amazing (and touching). LOVE IT. Really love the soundtrack too! The gals and GMC's 4 grandmothers are getting these really cute and fun brag books by Pinhole Press. We filled them w/ pics from Easter weekend. 
• I have yet to hit up the Dose Market, but if I go I'm going to take some advice from this post on 6 Things you Must Try at Dose Market. Hmmm, the next one is on Mother's Day - maybe I'll put that request on my list of things TO DO that day! 
• What GORGEOUS clothes for your little ones = Odile. Their 1st annual spring flea market sale = April 28 - 29th. What a chic little trench coat! 
• Last Saturday evening PFC/I came home to some YUMMY banana cake balls (made by the sitter and the kiddos). Ummm, they were DELICIOUS (and the sitter said they were SUPER EASY)! They have been a hit with everyone all week long. Yummy! And btw, our dinner that evening at Balena Chicago was FAB. Loved everything. We will be back! Highly recommend it. 
• I totally dig my gold metallic TOMS. How fun is this TOMS shoe makeover?! Very creative and clever.
• Kate Spade + Malia Mills = adorable swim collection.  

Have a FAB weekend! It is supposed to be rainy and chilly here. Maybe I'll catch a moment to start my next book = The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal. Maybe not though. I'm calling these days the "George" factor! He is all over the place! His latest fave word = "YES." It is TOO CUTE. The girls will sit there and ask him a million questions to see what he says YES and NO to = pretty entertaining! 

My Latest Obsessions

Easter Sunday (C + M + GMC)

Happy Friday! It has been awhile since my last post. I feel as though this spring is flying by and before we know it summer will be here - YAHOO! LOVE SUMMER = flip flops on a daily basis!

We were away the week before last for C + M's spring break. This is our 2nd roadtrip as a family. Last summer we visited my Mom and Travis in Montana and had a blast making the roadtrip part of our adventure. The majority of this past trip was spent in Williamsburg, VA visiting my Dad and then we spent two nights in DC. We loved seeing colonial Williamsburg and a highlight for me was to listen and chat with Martha Washington (via historic interpreter Lee Ann Rose) in an intimate setting. We were able to see some good friends and my cousin in the DC area - which was a blast! And we stopped briefly at The Madeira School (in McLean, VA) on our way back home where I worked for 2 years before I moved to Chicago. The gals thought it was so COOL that I worked at a school where you could board your horse! Altogether, it was a fabulous time, even counting all the "are we there yet?" questions from the little ladies in the biddy back!

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter and a nice Passover. Easter was so much fun this year - as all three of the kiddos are at such fun ages and the gals LOVED watching Georgie participate in egg hunting! I made the mistake of telling the gals that I heard that the Easter Bunny this year was trying to be a little healthier and not fill baskets with all things candy related. Ummm, oops, that opened up a huge can of worms. LOTS of questions. "So, who told you this?" and "Where did you read this, and who interviewed the Easter Bunny for the article you are talking about." OOPS! At the end of the day they were THRILLED with their baskets - even though they were filled with things like kid toothpaste w/ a bunny on the front and squeezable applesauce!

On Saturday, PFC/I are having dinner w/ my sister and her husband. SUPER excited to catch up with them. We are checking out the new Balena Chicago (by the guys from Boka Restaurant Group and The Bristol). I'm pumped as The Bristol is one of our FAVES for sure!

Some of my latest faves:

• I LOVE this post on table manners from A Cup of Jo. The illustrations (by Gemma Correll) are ADORABLE. Too funny, as I was showing CMC the "b and d" signs you make with your thumb and forefinger on Easter Sunday (when she was setting the kid table). These Place Setting Placemats have really helped the gals learn the proper way to set a table. Love them and they are FUN for the kids to color. I appreciate that JuJu (my mom) was a huge stickler for table manners. Love you MOMBO!
• I LOVE clutches! They are fun, easy, versatile and can add such a fun punch of color or texture to any outfit. Cute Copperhead clutch. So heart this Nixie Clutch. LOVE this Clare Vivier Foldover clutch (love it in PINK).  Here's a pretty one w/ a bit of edginess. 
• I've discovered my new go to baby gift = Zutano baby booties. My sister SWEARS by them. She was given a pair for her little guy and he wears them in lieu of socks everyday (and they actually stay ON)! FAB.
• So, my last book for book club was The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski. There were mixed feelings about the book in general, yet it prompted quite a great discussion within our group about one's own list of things to do. Each of us was asked to come up with a list of items that we wanted to do within the next year and within our lifetime. I have to say, actually putting items down as such (in written word) really make those items more real (and something to aspire to "check off" per se). I'm happy to report that I'm halfway there to already completing one of the items on my list = go on a vacation with just the 5 of us (where we can get away from it all - visit no one in particular - reconnect as a family unit and spend quality time together - and organically allow the trip to pan out as it may). And ironically enough, a good friend had just passed along this fantastic looking place not too far from here that fits the bill = Kinnikinnick Farm in Caledonia, IL where we'll stay in one of their farm tents. Check out The Haycation article in Country Living Mag on the place. Even Martha gives it a thumbs up! 
• Okay, and the above note leads me to another blog that I stumbled upon that I just LOVE = roam and home. I see that this blogger has been to a place that PFC TOTALLY enjoyed taking my mom to last time she was in town = Textile Discount Warehouse. How about it, JuJu?! Talk about rows and rows of fabric...! Oh, I loved reading through some of the posts in roam and home - she and her husband lead such a glamorous and adventurous life! Love it! 
• What an interesting combo = bag made with walnut and canvas = Buster Bag. And I love giving a little shout out to good ole Cincinnati = about the Brush Factory. 
• Oh, and much to the gals dismay we didn't get to take a peek into Sasha and Malia's bedrooms at the White House. They were hilarious when we stood in front of the gates and stared at The White House. It was as though they were expecting to see the Obama's dog Bo running around on the Lawn! However, now we can check out some rooms in the White House due to the Google Art Project - WAY cool! 
• A lovely friend of mine forwarded me this very neat website = O'verlays website. Check out these amazing before/after pics.  
• Oh, and lastly, I ordered Georgie's cute Easter bowtie from Etsy seller Baby by Stevie Handmade. She was FAB to work w/. Speaking of Etsy, we bought my sister a great Ipad case from the lovely Sidney Ann of Seattle. Highly recommend her site! I instantly developed quite a girl crush on Sidney Ann!

Have an AWESOME weekend! XO 

My Latest Obsessions

LOVING this old school vintage ball mason jar - St. Paddy's Day style

Happy Friday! I CANNOT believe that February is over and we have moved into March = NUTS! And this weekend we SPRING ahead an hour. There were several years in a row when I happened to be flying home the Sunday of Daylight Savings and I will never forget all those panicked looks of "OMG, shoot, that means my flight already LEFT, AHHH."

Lots going on this weekend! We have our local St. Patty's Day parade on Saturday and then on Sunday, Chicago's South Side Irish parade is back in action - and all of the fun parties surrounding the parades! CMC has some prep for First Communion this Saturday. Speaking of First Communion we think that she is going to wear a dress that was handmade by my maternal grandmother. I love that idea = a dress with meaning. Below is a pic of my youngest sister wearing the dress! So sweet.

Some of my latest faves:

• We have been blessed with some SPRINGesque like weather as of late. And yes, I've busted out the flip flops. I don't do socks unless I'm in workout mode so when flip flop weather semi-approaches I get VERY excited! Speaking of spring - here are some lovely and pretty spring things. I'm totally digging this one shoulder maxi dress. And how to wear those spring florals that we are seeing pop up.
• I HEART my iPad. LOVE it. We have an amazing relationship. And of course, just when you get used to your iPad 2 a new one rolls out = thoughts on the iPad 3.
• There is just something about Jenna Lyons that I love. I FOREVER wondered who J.Crew was refering to when they mentioned "Jenna this, Jenna that," but now I'm in the loop. Good ole Jenna. 12 things Jenna cannot live w/o.
• Speaking of someone who oozes that cool factor, my youngest sister always seems to have just enough of that hip factor that I never can seem to truly pull off. I blame it on the fact that I live in Chicago and that she lives in NYC. For instance, I can TOTALLY see her in some of these little Dolce Vita Drew Lace Ups. I wouldn't know how to wear them (yet see them and think they are adorable)!
• Favorite exchange of the week involved me trying to explain to MMC the filler word "like" (granted I always say "do as I say and not as I do" - as I'm right there w/ her in terms of my own over usage of the filler word "like"). We were having a conversation and I was trying to point out the filler word "like" and how we should think of other words to use. We went on with our convo and then she looked up at me and said, "You don't understand, we are supposed to use the word 'like.' It is one of my POPCORN words." Okay, I admit it, by that point in the conversation I was distracted and was on to something else. I then turned to her again when I mentally jumped back into our convo and I gave her a look that said "you just used the filler word 'like' 10x in one sentence." She gave me that look (that I cannot fully put into words but if you know her well enough you know EXACTLY what I mean) and she said again, "Um, Mom, LIKE is a popcorn word." OHHHH, those darn popcorn words. Right on. Okay. Time to explain the difference between her sight/popcorn words and "like" as a filler word LATER. I decided to save it for another time, another day. It was clearly time to pull out my Sorry We're Closed Eye Mask. I would only buy this mask if I could truly wear it and have it mean something! Are we ever officially closed?!
• We're heading to Williamsburg, VA in a few weeks for spring break to visit my Dad and his lovely friend. CMC has been prepping for our trip by reading some of the books about Felicity. She is one of the historical American Girl dolls from Colonial Williamsburg. The gals are super excited to see Williamsburg through the eyes of Miss Felicity! It will be awesome.
• And PS - I changed a setting on my blog which hopefully makes it easier to comment w/i a post. Try it as I would LOVE to hear from you!

My Latest Obsessions

M + C gearing up for a day of skiing and GMC just chilling

GMC chilling w/Daddy

Happy Friday! WOW, I am all out of sorts schedule wise due to the long weekend. We were literally gone for less than 30 hours last Sunday/Monday to ski and hit the waterpark. However, you would have thought we were gone for a WEEK! So, it was a very pleasant surprise when I woke up this morning to the kiddos doing the HAPPY DANCE (= FRIDAY)!

We get to dress up tomorrow evening for an event (= FANCY FUN) and then Sunday we get to wear whatever we want and watch everyone all dressed up at the Oscars (even better, right?)! I LOVE watching the Oscars - not sure what I enjoy more = seeing who wins best picture OR my favorite part altogether = checking out what everyone is wearing! Okay, so I answered my own question!

Some of my latest faves:

• TOTALLY digging this long asymmetric skirt. Great color too.
• OMG, how ADORABLE is this tweed jacket for a little gal?! LOVE. Oh, and I always seem to be drawn to birds somehow = maybe even more adorable than the tweed jacket - bird print dress for a little gal.
• Cool little vintage treasure trove in Chicago. And the gal behind this apartment has a blog = my little apartment. And here we have some French Farmhouse Style in PA. Love it! And she is the gal behind Miss Mustard Seed.
• I am a firm believer in authenticity. I can appreciate blogger A Cup of Jo's mother's thoughts on this topic. And here is one of her Motherhood Monday posts that I thought was so courageously written - real and heartfelt. We are all human. Bravo. And personally I never truly understood the ups and downs of nursing until I experienced it myself. I can now look back (over a year ago) and clearly see that I experienced some of the complexities that can occur during the weaning process. Definitely real stuff. Oh, motherhood...the good, the bad, the reality!
• 1stdibs article on the gals behind Serena & Lily = very interesting. Cool to see how the two have partnered and come together to create what we ultimately know as Serena & Lily.
• Okay, so I've stumbled upon another FAVE etsy site = sidney ann. FABULOUS. LOVE. Totally dig the gold envelope clutch. Gold tote bag = FAB. LOVE this zipper pouch w/vintage fabric. Sidney Ann's blog = such fun finds!
• OMG = LOVE this vintage handkerchief letterpress calendar. AMAZING. You can reserve one here.  I'm a little bit nutty when it comes to the calendar so I love having pretty ones around. And I love that little C appreciates the concept of calendars too. It makes me laugh seeing her get so giddy when she lists out different dates. I GET it. Calendars to me = comforting. 

And lastly, one of GMC's new things to do when sitting at the island eating = patting the stool next to him (meaning - set your booty there Mom or Dad or C or M). It is so endearing. His little face lights up if you sit there w/him while he eats (for some reason it is not the same to him when you are standing across from him). Very cute.