My Latest Obsession

C + M at their piano recital (can't get over how grown up they are looking these days!)

My little helper (making our annual Carr Christmas Cookie jars)

Off to the Nutcracker 

Happy Friday! This was one of my favorite days as a kid = the last day of school before holiday break = parties in your classroom and holiday concerts! This morning I had CMC's holiday party at school and soon GMC and I are off to MMC's school for her holiday concert. Can't wait. It's been a week of cookies, parties, and concerts!

Tonight we are stuffing our holiday cards. I ordered them so early this year and they have been sitting in the box ever since. I love getting holiday cards in the mail! So fun. Tomorrow the girls are off to ski for the day and I'm hoping to use that time to organize some of their Christmas gifts. Tomorrow night PFC and I are heading to dinner w/ some dear friends we have not seen in a LONG time. I'm excited to check out Charlatan for dinner. After dinner we are heading to my sister and her husband's house for a holiday party. Festive!

I'm SUPER excited on Sunday to head to the Music Box Theatre to see It's a Wonderful Life. I imagine that we'll be making this a Christmas tradition. Our favorite lines from the movie =
Little Mary: Is this the ear you can't hear on? Little Mary: George Bailey, I'll love you til the day I die. What is your favorite holiday movie?

Last Christmas we headed to my mom's in AZ. We had such a wonderful time. This year we are staying put and my dad is coming out to visit. We are excited to hang w/ Big G!

Have a wonderful weekend! XO - d2

Some of my latest faves...

• Kate Middleton lost her mind when she met Jenna Lyons. Cute. 
• Good read = lasting relationships rely on 2 traits. 
• Check out Tom Cruise's mansion in the mountains. Pretty fabulous! 
• 2 great gift ideas under $30 = Zoku ice cream maker and these cute wrist warmers. We got both C + M one of the ice cream makers. They love the original quick pop maker. We use it all the time. 
• Might have to splurge on these low fat chocolate chip cookies! 
• This year we are hosting Christmas Eve. My dad will be in town. I've been thinking about our dinner menu. Beef tenderloin is going to be our main dish. I'm thinking of cooking it this way = slow-roasted. I'm thinking of making these individual chocolate molten cakes for dessert. They look awesome! You can make the batter up to a few days in advance = perfect! For sides I'm thinking about these balsamic roasted brussels sprouts and these truffled mashed potatoes. Here's some inspiration for a Christmas dinner table. 
• Ralph Lauren is opening up a restaurant in NYC. Exciting! I love RL in Chicago. 
• 10 habits of polite people. 
• Are you visiting out of town family/friends over the holidays? If so, this would be the perfect gift to send them when you leave = build your own sundae kit. 
• Christmas breakfast = dutch baby pancakes with apples = yes, please! 
• Cute holiday card = be merry reindeer. 
• We're making PFC a 2015 calendar from Artifact Uprising. They have such cool stuff. 
• Animal House style sweatshirt for your kiddo. Pretty funny. 
• 30 movies to watch w/ your family. 
• I was w/ some of my girlfriends last night for our annual gift exchange. This game was a popular gift = Cards Against Humanity. Have you played it? I haven't played it yet but heard it is a riot. Read about the 8 high school friends who created the game. Pretty cool! 
• We've been making our own holiday version of these Cowgirl Cookie Jars for the holidays. We pass them out to neighbors, friends, family and teachers. GMC is my #1 helper on these. My mom makes poppy seed loaves for friends and neighbors. The cookie jars are our version of her homemade gift. But wouldn't these coca-cola and hot chocolate gift boxes be fun to make? 

My Latest Obsessions

Disneyland

Good ole Mickey ears!

Hendry's Beach - Santa Barbara

JuJu w/ her 3 pups

Fave = In N Out burger

Hanging at the beach! 

Happy Friday! Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had an awesome time at Disneyland and then Santa Barbara. Let's just say it was difficult to come back to cloudy and cold Chicago! Here's the video of us surprising the kids w/ Disneyland. They had NO idea we were making a pit stop there on our way to Santa Barbara.

On our trip I made a mental checklist of all the things I'm thankful for. And I've gotta say that I love our community (the little village/town that I moved to several years ago - to be w/ PFC and the girls). Over the years we've seen several friends go through various things (loss, sickness, etc.) and this town totally comes together in support. It is pretty amazing. Right now we are praying and sending positive thoughts to a dear friend of ours.

Cheers to the weekend ahead. XO - d2

Some of my latest faves...

• I think we can all now add Santa Barbara to our list of favorite places. We all loved it. PFC and I snuck out for a lovely dinner at The Lark. We waited for our table next door at Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant. I had the best glass of  Elderflower Soda (this is what I had = amazing). So good! After dinner we headed up to San Ysidro Ranch for coffee and dessert. It has been on my list for awhile. Gorgeous grounds. We had the best piece of chocolate cake with caramel. Divine! Fun fact = John and Jackie Kennedy honeymooned there. 
• PFC's birthday was last Friday. My mom and I picked up a cake at Andersen's bakery on State Street in Santa Barbara. We all said that it was one of the best cakes (the georgine) we've ever had! Worth every last calorie. A few folks even went back to the bakery the next day and picked up some extra slices! 
• I finished two books over vacation = One Plus One by JoJo Moyes and the memoir Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Loved Wild! Reese Witherspoon is playing Cheryl in the movie. Excited to check it out. I just started the book, The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. 100 notable books of 2014. 
• I read through Oprah's favorites on the plane ride home. Love these boots that were on her list. Of course they are sold out = touched by Oprah! 
• I think I'm going to try these butternut squash lasagna rolls this weekend! 
• Baby it's cold outside. America's best winter drives. 
• I love holiday movies. One of my favorite holiday movies = Love Actually. Favorite scene = Hugh Grant's dancing scene. LOVE it! What is your favorite holiday movie? Here is the holiday TV calendar. We booked tickets to see It's a Wonderful Life at the Music Box theater. It just might become a family tradition of ours! 
• What a cool job = head of creative at Farrow & Ball. 
• This chocolate peanut butter fudge looks ah-mazing! Yummy! 
• We had the most delicious brussels sprouts over Thanksgiving. Best ever = brussels sprout hash with caramelized shallots. I'm in total brussels sprouts mode and I want to try this recipe (raw shredded brussels sprouts with lemon and oil). 
• Some great gift guides = something for their home, cards, gift tags and gift wrap, gifts for your best friend, Love this reindeer mistletoe card. 
• LOVE farmhouses. 
• Hilarious = Prince Harry on his nude pictures. He just makes me smile! And his confession at the end is super cute. Who knew! 
• This hot chocolate mix looks super yummy! Would be perfect for the evenings we watch Homeland or The Affair. And fun fact = one of my favorite Homeland actors is engaged.  

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! One week to go before we leave for Santa Barbara! We are super excited to head out of town especially as we see the temps drop around here. We had to dig out our hats and gloves this week. Ugh! I pulled out my favorite fleece lined handwarmers. Love them! Tonight we are staying in and some of our favorite peeps are coming over for dinner and bringing their little ones. I'm picking up dough so that the kids can make their own pizzas and I'm making this spicy asian noodle dish that is always a hit with adults. And it has a little heat to it = awesome.

Saturday evening I'm heading out to dinner at Nellcote w/ some of my girlfriends. A dear college friend is in town. Looking forward to catching up w/ her. Our plan is to head to Soho House after dinner. Pumped to check it out! Have you been yet?

Have a fabulous weekend. XO - d2
Note: Above pics taken by the talented Alma Veliky. 

Some of my latest faves...

• I love soup when it gets colder. This chicken-orzo soup is on my list! 
• I replicated a kale salad I had at a restaurant last winter. The other day when I saw some kale at the grocery story I was reminded of how much I LOVED that salad. I made it this week. So good = kale salad w/ quinoa, cranberries and toasted almonds. So yummy! 
• Awhile ago I said goodbye to diet soda in an effort to up my water intake. These flavored waters look awesome. 
• I bought these slim jogger pants the other day at Target. Perfect weekend loungers! They are more flattering than sweat pants. Here are some ways to wear joggers.
• We're all busy, right? The disease of being busy. 
• I try to stay away from peanut butter cups (especially during halloween!). But don't these homemade peanut butter cups look ah-mazing?! Yum. 
• Savannah is on my list of cities to visit at some point. Here's a great travel guide of Savannah that I've bookmarked for the future. 
• Thanksgiving is around the CORNER! We are so excited to be heading to Santa Barbara to celebrate the holiday w/ my family. I don't think that pie making is on my task list for Thanksgiving but here are 5 common mistakes to avoid when making a pie. And 6 secrets to the perfect pie crust. And cheers to the best pies in America. 
• Great necklace! 
• 2015 Michelin stars for Chicago restaurants. 
• Very cool DIY = gold leaf ikea hack. 
• Another dinner hit w/ PFC and the kiddos = Skinnytaste's baked chicken parmesan. This one will definitely be going into the rotation. 
• This is always an interesting conversation = extroverts raising an introvert. Are you an extrovert or introvert? 
•  This paraplegic vet dancing w/ his wife at his wedding had me in tears. Beautiful moment. 
• The weather has officially turned CHILLY. Time to hit up a cozy restaurant for a date night. I second Nightwood. Love that place and I LOVE their downstairs space (wine cellar) = super cozy.  
• A cute metallic sweater to wear to that holiday party you have coming up. Here's a similar one here. Festive and fun. And both of them are on sale = score! 
• The gals picked out some cute holiday dresses to wear this season. M picked out this one (of course = sparkles) and C opted for this one. My personal fave = this cute lace red one. 
• The perfect holiday treat to send to your dear friend = chocolate truffle with peppermint ice cream sandwich. YUMMY! The holiday ice cream sandwich collection looks fantabulous! 
• The kids don't watch tv during the week but we made a special concession so that we could watch Master Chef Jr. on Tuesday evenings. The kids now want to make a chocolate cream pie like the kids on the show. Fun. We'll try this recipe at some point. 
• And 10 grocery store items you should never buy. 

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday and Happy November! Fall is officially in full swing. Halloween was a bit chilly this year and we even saw a few snowflakes! The kids still enjoyed themselves and came home w/ overflowing bags of candy.

Tonight we are chilling. Maybe PFC and I will catch up on a few more episodes of Showtime's, The Affair. We're on episode 2. And then tomorrow night we have PFC's grade school reunion. Fun!

And the countdown is on until we depart for CA for the week of Thanksgiving! Exciting.

Some of my latest faves...

• I finished 2 other books = American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. Both of them were excellent books.  
• Big dinner winner w/ the kiddos a few weeks ago = Baked Ravioli Casserole. Easy to make too! 
• Anna Wintour remembers Oscar de la Renta. 
• Benefits of meditation. 
• I've always wanted a Barbour waxed coat. Here's a similar one for a fraction of the price. 
• When I had more time on my hands I used to enjoy making envelopes. Here are some cute ones! 
• Fun gold clutch! 
• Now that Halloween is behind us I'm in Thanksgiving mode (one of my favorite holidays!). This year we are heading to Santa Barbara (w/ a surprise pit stop in Anaheim to hit up Disneyland) for Thanksgiving w/ my side of the family. Should be a blast (and warmer weather = a plus). We've already been exchanging emails re: the menu. I've committed to making these yummy mashed potatoes and this insanely good Brussels Sprouts Hash (huge hit last year). And the mashed potatoes can be made a day or two in advance = score! Tips for setting a wheat harvest table for thanksgiving. And I too am a huge fan of place cards! 
• LOVE this lace dress w/ 3/4 sleeves. So pretty. 
• Are you the Default Parent? 
• Target collaborated w/ Faribault Woolen Mill company for some great items! They would make great gifts. 
• I really dig the whole idea behind Everlane. Love their new infinity scarves. They would make great gifts for sisters, moms, girlfriends. I just bought the chunky sleeveless sweater in black. Some thoughts from their designer. 
• Gorgeous temporary tattoos = Tattly + Rifle Paper Co. Wouldn't this be a cute print for a little girls room. And I LOVE this wallpaper. And I love this wallpaper for a little boys room - maybe just one wall. 
• So very true. 
• I really want to see the movie, The Theory of Everything. Sounds fascinating. Might be the perfect movie for our next date night! 
• PFC is a HUGE fan of mac and cheese. Every once in awhile he makes Martha Stewart's mac and cheese = ah-mazing! But this jalapeno and broccoli mac and cheese looks pretty yummy too. 
• I've been on a hunt for a good water bottle for awhile. I just got this one from Lifefactory. I LOVE it! 

My Latest Obsessions

Yummy breakfast at Bouchon

Add caption

Took this pic for Georgie

Happy Friday! Halloween is around the corner and PFC/I need to get going on our costume! The kids officially finished picking out their costumes last evening = a witch, a zombie and a transformer. Tonight we are off to Cate's school for a family fun fest and then tomorrow night I have a dinner at Ada Street. Excited to check it out! And I'm more excited to hang w/ some people I haven't seen in awhile.

Have a fabulous weekend. XO - d2

Some of my latest faves...

• PFC and I had a blast in Vegas last weekend! It was nice to spend some one on one time without the kids. They were in good hands with JuJu and Grandpa T! We LOVED our dinner at Mesa Grill. Amazing. We want to replicate the pork tenderloin. We had a great breakfast at Bouchon. I had the croque madame and it was excellent! And then on Sunday we went to this amazing bagel spot (recommendation per our waiter from Mesa Grill) = Bagel Cafe. Best bagels EVER! 
• 10 books you must read if you loved Gone Girl. 
• Cute ghost lollipop bouquet! 
• The night before we left for Vegas I made this chopped greek chicken salad for dinner w/ JuJu and Grandpa T. It was a hit! I made this chicken noodle soup casserole this past week and it was a big hit w/ the kids = adding it to the rotation! 
• 100 non-toy gift items = LOVE! PFC/I always do these types of things for one another and we should start doing more of them for the kids! 
• Kind of funny = Martha Stewart's blatant mocking of Gwenyth Paltrow. 
• Cute booties. 10 way to wear ankle boots. My sisters have the Rachel Comey Mars Classic booties = super fab. 
• A better way to introduce your friends at parties = perfect for upcoming holiday parties! 
• LOVE farmhouse style. 
• Slim jogger pants = look comfy and cute! Cute hooded wool coat. 
• PFC loves shortbread. Looks like we might need to make this = vanilla bean shortbread! 
• Yummy = salted caramel rice crispy treats! 
• Family dinners and the Do You Know scales. 
• I finished the book, Orphan Train = great read. 
• I have some catching up to do this weekend of Parenthood. I cannot believe it is the last season. 

My Latest Obsessions

Apple Picking at Jonamac Orchard

Happy Friday! Peter and I are off to Vegas shortly (super early AM flight) for a wedding. We're pumped to get a few days away in warm weather = the perfect way to regroup. My mom and stepdad flew in to watch the kiddos. The kids are excited to hang w/ JuJu and Grandpa T. There were talks about ice cream trips to Peterson's!

Good luck to all of you who are running in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday! I know some folks running and I'm anxious to hear how they'll do. Fingers crossed for perfect running weather. Nuts to think that almost 10 years ago I ran the Chicago Marathon (and I haven't run a day since then!).

Cheers to a great long weekend ahead!

XO - d2

Some of my latest faves:

• PFC and I are having dinner just the two of us tonight in Vegas. We debated for awhile where to make reservations. We finally settled on Mesa Grill. We debated on the following ones = Scarpetta,  Carne Vino, Estiatario Milos, We arrive SUPER early this morning and are going to head to Bouchon for breakfast! All this Vegas talk reminds me of my girls trip to Vegas this past spring w/ my college gals. 
• I've been on a reading frenzy lately. I've finished the following books over the last few weeks: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, The Vacationers by Emma Straub, and The One and Only by Emily Griffin. I picked up a few more books yesterday at the library = Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, The Heiress by Sara Shepard, American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld and Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. 
• Did anyone watch the premiere of Homeland last Sunday?! Interesting! 
• After Sunday's day of apple picking we came home with LOTS of apples. We made this yummy caramel apple pie = insanely delicious (especially w/ some vanilla bean ice cream). And a few days ago I made some homemade applesauce = a first. We all LOVED it. And doesn't this chai-spiced slow cooker applesauce look yummy?!  
• So, we tried the following new recipes for dinner t= baked broccoli mac and cheese and Rachel's Special Lasagna. I want to try this baked ravioli dish. I think the kids would love it! 
• I heard Carrie Goldman speak the other day at Margaret's school. She was fabulous. Here is the post that kicked off her career on bullying. 
• PFC and I need to come up w/ some costumes for a halloween party in the coming weeks. Any suggestions?! Last year we went as Johnny and Baby from Dirty Dancing. How cute is this butterfly? 
• How awesome do these sesame salt pretzels look?! Yum! Or this pie = sinful. 
• PFC and I saw Gone Girl this past weekend. It was awesome! I typically don't like seeing movies of books I have read (as usually the book is much better). Gone Girl was excellent. Very well cast. Til death do us part. 
• An interesting article on homework. And getting your kids to eat (or at least try everything). 
• Lessons from Farmers = blurb about Kinnikinnick Farm. 
• Love this tote. It would look great monogrammed. Loving this poncho! 
• Interesting article = Being a Stay at Home Parent is a Luxury...for your Spouse. Interesting perspective (and one that I think about for sure). I've always thought of it that way. 

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! Fall is one of my favorite seasons in Chicago. Love! We had our annual fall pics of the kids taken a few weeks ago by the talented and lovely Alma Veliky. I use the pics to make photo books for all 4 sets of grandparents. It's now become a tradition. And we always get a a book for ourselves as it is so much fun to look back through the book over the years!

We're hoping to go apple picking this Sunday as a family. I made this apple pie a few years ago (after an apple picking trip) and I think we are due for another one. The caramel is what makes it super yummy!

Have a wonderful weekend! XO - d2

Some of my latest faves...

• I'm SO excited to watch the season premiere of Parenthood. I CANNOT believe that this is going to be the final season. A sneak peek of Max not wanting to go to his new school. I didn't get a chance to watch it last evening as I was out to dinner w/ some of my sister in laws - so it is on the agenda for tonight! How was it?! And Homeland season 4 starts SOON = October 5th! 
• I'm trying to make a new recipe a week so that we can add more dinners to our rotation. Last week's turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes was a HUGE success. The turkey meatloaf was inspired by reading Jenny Rosenstrach's book, Dinner: A Love Story. Here are Jenny's Top 10 Fall Favorites. Sunday evening I made Skinnytaste's Chicken Divan and the kids approved. My mom used to make this growing up. This week I made Chicken Enchiladas = yummy (but I need to bring the kick factor down a notch for the kids!). I also made these PB2 flourless chocolate brownies. I had never worked w/ PB2 before = interesting for sure. 
• I want to try this casual side braid! 
• This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip bread w/ greek yogurt looks awesome! Ok, but don't these Pumpkin Ice Cream Snickerdoodle sandwiches look AH-MAZING?! 
• I love this = how to graciously say NO to anyone. 
• I love hot chocolate. When it starts to get colder out I have a cup of cocoa some nights when the kiddos are in bed. Doesn't this look like fun?! 
• TOMS is partnering up w/ Target on a limited edition line for the holidays = exciting! 
• This tasseled maxi dress looks super cozy! And I love this moto cardigan! 
• I loved Glennon Melton's post on How We Live a Life That's Hard and Good. Family routines come in many shapes and sizes and there are ebbs and flows to that as well. 
• 10 best vacation spots within driving distance of Chicago. I've been to many of them = gorgeous and better yet = close by! 
• I cannot believe that Halloween is around the corner! Don't these halloween witch hat cookies look super yummy (and easy to make)?! 
• So, we are heading to Santa Barbara for Thanksgiving to meet up w/ my side of the family and we decided to surprise the kiddos w/ a few days at Disneyland on the front end of the trip. So pumped! The kids are excited to be heading to CA for Thanksgiving - they will be in for quite a surprise when we pull up to Disneyland! I haven't been to Disneyland in AGES. Have you? And I booked a dinner reservation at The Lark for one of the nights we'll be in Santa Barbara. I'm hoping that Peter and I can sneak off for a dinner together one evening. 
• This shredded brussels sprouts salad looks awesome!  
• I don't like moths in the least but how cute is this DIY moth costume?! Love it! 
• Have you seen the Lincoln commercial w/ Matthew McConaughey? I was a little confused by it. Ellen Degeneres = hilarious = she inserted herself in the commercial. 
• I'm excited to see the movie Gone Girl. I couldn't put the book down! Local folks should go see it via Music Box Theatre. Afterwards there is a Q & A w/ Gillian Flynn. No Job, No Money nd Now, No Wife. These local Chicago writers are kicking booty. I just finished Traitor's Wife by Allison Pataki. Excellent book (especially if you enjoy historical fiction). The book is due to hit theaters at some point. I had the pleasure of seeing Barbara Rinella last week performing a book dramatization on Traitor's Wife. She has a great list of book recommendations - check it out. Next book on my list = Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. 
• It doesn't look like I'm going to make it to Hot Doug's before he closes down his shop. The 10 Types of People Waiting in Line at Hot Doug's.