My Latest Obsessions

Hanging out w/ the goat at Kinnikinnick Farm in Caledonia, IL

Making pizzas = yummy!

CMC hanging w/ the chickens!

Getting ready for chores w/ Farmer Dave

Pistol Pete whipping up some yummy pancakes!

A little apple picking at Edwards Orchard

A dad + his oldest daughter

LOVE honey crisp apples! 

Happy Friday!  I cannot believe that we're more than halfway through October. How did this happen?! And I heard on the radio that there are 60 something days until Christmas = yikes! We're in Halloween mode around here. George is going to be Darth Vader (however, we seem to have lost the mask already). That is what happens when you buy a costume at the end of August! And MMC wants to be cheese (yes, stinky cheese!). And CMC is still undecided! Here is a halloween post from 2 years ago - they are getting so BIG! 

This weekend we have a few family parties to attend and hopefully CMC will finalize her halloween costume. And we'll be on a hunt for the Darth Vader mask. G$ casually mentioned he also would like to be a robot - love this classic homemade robot costume! 

The pics above are from our trip to Kinnikinnick Farm a few weekends ago. We had a blast! We love heading up to the farm - always a great time and the kids look forward to it every year. Here are some posts from years past at the farm (2012 visit, 2013 visit, and last year's visit). 

Have a great weekend! XO - D2

Some of my latest faves: 

• We've had some winners lately in our house dinner wise = Hooray! We're adding the following dinners into the rotation = Baked Chicken Parmesan, Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup, Macaroni Casserole and Turkey Sausage and Tomato. Some recipes I want to try = Winter Squash Medley, Pumpkin Brownies, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Squash with dried Cranberries and Dijon Vinaigrette and these Lemon Blueberry muffins. 
• Very interesting topic = The Lost Art of Conversation. 
• Wahoo = #25 on this list of best suburbs to live in = where I grew up! Go Wyoming, OH! This reminds me of our weekend trip a few summers ago to show the kids where I grew up. 
• Awesome partnership = Paperless Post + Rifle Paper Co. In love! How cute is this e-invitation for a halloween party? Or this Save the Date? 
• How to pose better in photos = great advice! 
• Check out this awesome cabinet hardware. LOVING the brass hardware. 
• 12 habits of people with homes that are always clean. 
• I definitely want to see Sarah Silverman's new movie, I Smile Back. Appreciate Sarah Silverman's openness on her own struggles w/ depression in this interview. 
• Something to keep in mind when putting together holiday cards = how to make your last name plural. 
• This weekend I hope to put together our summer photo album = 40% off shuttlerfly through Sunday. 
• MMC and I are on a hunt for a halloween craft for her Indian Princess meeting this upcoming week. We are thinking of these easy paper straw halloween necklaces. Cute! And the girls who are older can come up w/ more complicated patterns/designs and the younger girls can go w/ simpler ones like these. And how cute are these halloween straws?! However, MMC is more excited o make these Halloween Witch Hat cookies for the group! 
• How cute is this shirtdress?! Love it. What a great little swing coat. These black slanted zip sneakers are a fun take on all the sneakers out there. 
• One of my favorite homes of ours growing up was an old english tudor. Check out this gorgeous renovated english tudor in Utah. 
• This is awesome = Friday Night Meatballs: How to Change your Life with Pasta! How fun would it be to start something like this on Friday evenings?! Great idea! 
• Okay, the first few episodes of Homeland and The Affair have been awesome! Speaking of The Affair, check out Dominic West's london home. 
• I started Malcolm Cadwell's book, The Outliers a few days ago = very interesting. 
• One of my favorite crackers from Trader Joe's = the raisin rosemary crisps. Here is a copycat version of them. 
• I've been following this OP native's blog on raising her daughter (while she herself has ALS) and have found her to be super inspirational = Mom with ALS: My Disease will my Daughter Stronger. 

My Latest Obsessions

1st stop on our roadtrip to Montana = Sioux Falls, SD

Drove through Sturgis (happened to be the 75th Anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally)

Getting ready to hit up Wall Drug

G$'s 1st pair of cowboy boots (now a tradition = the girls bought their
1st pair of cowgirls boots at the same place = Wall Drug!)

Chilling at Proud Cut Saloon in Cody, WY (waiting to hit the Rodeo!)

Dinner in Cody, WY. First time for everyone = Rocky Mountain Oysters! 

Rodeo in Cody, WY

Waiting patiently for Old Faithful

Our final destination for several nights = Ennis, MT

CMC sending up a note on her kite

View from the front porch of the cabin

Beautiful view from JuJu and Grandpa T's cabin in Ennis, MT

A little fishing in Ennis, MT

G$ posing w/ Grandpa T = G's 1st catch = a gorgeous rainbow trout

G$'s 1st catch EVER (and last catch of the afternoon) =
24 1/2 inch Rainbow Trout

Devil's Tower in WY (think it's time to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind again!)

Norris Hot Springs (great little spot between Ennis and Bozeman, MT)

Awesome salad from Norris Hot Springs

A boy and his daddy hanging out on the Madison River

Something about that big sky...good for the soul

Goodbye Cabin...until next time

Happy Friday! It's been awhile since my last post (wow, since the middle of July!). Summer has officially come to an end and fall is definitely here. School has started and all 3 of the kiddos are settling in nicely at 3 different schools. We're all in our groove. Our roadtrip out to Montana in the middle of August was the perfect way to be together as a family before the hustle and bustle of another school year. The 5 of us rarely have opportunities to hang out together minus the usual distractions so it was really great to unwind and decompress in such a beautiful part of the country. And huge bonus = we also got to catch up w/ my mom JuJu and Grandpa T once we reached our final destination of Ennis, MT. We're already talking about another trip out there next summer!

We're heading out later today to Kinnikinnick Farm which is one of our favorite places to go as a family with friends. We fell in love with the Farm a few years ago and have been going back for a weekend in the summer/early fall ever since. Check out our first visit there. This will be our first time there when there is a chill in the air = bringing lots of layers! I've been dreaming of the pizzas on the outdoor wood burning oven. Can't wait!

And then Sunday after we return I get to see my youngest sister and JuJu who are in town. And JuJu will be here all next week = HOORAY!

XO - D2

Some of my latest faves:

• Before I forget I want to be sure I jot down some notes from our trip this summer. Some highlights from our road trip to Montana include the following: Carr Valley Cheese stop (little stop on our way in Mauston, WI) - best aged cheddar EVER; Wall Drug in SD (for the free ice water of course!); dinner at Deadwood Social Club (cool little spot); took a pic in front of Saloon #10 (where Wild Bill was shot); great little breakfast at Deadwood Mountain Grand w/ relatives; awesome dinner at Proud Cut Saloon just before hitting the Cody Stampede Rodeo (this is where the kids learned about Rocky Mountain Oysters!). Our final destination for 5 nights was Ennis, MT. Our backdrop couldn't have been more perfect = beautiful open skies and gorgeous views. We took a quick trip to Norris Hot Springs to experience the "Water of the Gods" for a day and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Definitely a cool little Montana experience. 
• I'm tempted to head to the Lake Theatre in OP on 10/6 to check out the documentary Iris. Six Lessons in chic from the Iris Apfel documentary. 
• Some recipes I want to try: best chocolate cupcakes, slow cooker beef stroganoff, charred balsamic broccoli, eggs pizzaaiola and pasta with chicken sausage and broccoli. I made this   crockpot minestrone soup the other day and it was a winner. We added tennis racquet pasta = fun! And this baked ziti is now in our rotation. 
• Interesting articles: The Pros and Cons of Travel Sports and 3 Steps that Transform Sibling Conflict into Sibling Camaraderie. 
• I just started Broken Grace by E.C. Diskin. The 5 Big Fall Books. 
• Such a good question = What do you do for your 'me' time? Personally, I hit up a daily method class, play tennis or read. 
• A song for women addicted to inappropriate activewear = OMG, ummm, guilty! 
• My youngest sister is in town this weekend to kick off the Chicago Architecture Biennial. She and her business partner (of Norman Kelley) are one of the participants of the Biennial chosen from across the world. The two of them are mentioned in this New York times article on Experiencing Architecture Through 'Hippie Modernism' and Retrospectives - as it relates to the Chicago Biennial. So proud of her! 
• And I'm totally pumped = The Affair (season 2) starts this Sunday. They are adding in 2 more perspectives. Should be interesting! And I DVRed Chicago PD which started this Wednesday as I was an extra in a scene earlier this week. It was a blast! 
• Ralph Lauren is stepping down as CEO. 
• How I Decluttered my House = something I think about ALL the time. I like the idea of picking 1 day a week to devote (whether it be 30 minutes or several hours) to decluttering bit by bit.