Cream colored ponies & crisp rhubarb strudels...

My parents and sisters are coming to visit Chicago!

2012-01-26T15:03:00.000-06:00

Yay, my parents and sisters are on a plane coming to visit for a long weekend! I can't wait to show them our favorite places like the Doughnut Vault,

Source: refinery29.com via Emily on Pinterest

Source: chicago.grubstreet.com via Emily on Pinterest

walking through Lincoln Park and posing next to the bean!

Scenes from a snowy Chicago

2012-01-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

As I write this, all the snow has washed away after a huge thunder and lighting storm last night.

On Friday, the snow started falling at 10am and didn't stop until evening. My carpool buddy and I left work early at 2pm and it took over 3 hours to drive 13 miles home. I decided to walk the last mile and a half home.By 8 or 9pm, over 5 inches of snow had fallen in the city.

The view from our balcony on Saturday morning was like a winter wonderland. We even had snow on the covered deck.

Saturday afternoon, a friend and I went to a jewelry and wine party in the South Loop. The snow covered views were pretty amazing in Downtown too.How are you faring in the snow?

My 800th post and winter update

2012-01-19T10:39:00.000-06:00

Just when I was starting to get jealous of the snow in Pacific Northwest and my sister's snow fort. We get another winter storm watch warning!

Winter Storm Watch

from Fri, 6am until Sat, 12am CST

3-5 in of snow over the next 36 hours

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow

Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Mostly Cloudy	Snow
16°F	17°	9°	23°
Feels Like: 1°	High	Low	High
Past 24-hr Snow: 0.2 in (est.) Past 24-hr Precip: 0.01 in (est.)	Snowfall: 0 in Chance of Snow: 20%	Snowfall: 0 in Chance of Snow: 20%	Snowfall: 3-5 in 3 to 5 inches of snow expected Chance of Snow: 90%
Wind: From NW at 16mph gusting to 21mph	Wind: NW at 15 mph	Wind: N at 9 mph	Wind: ESE at 9 mph

Why is there more snow in Seattle than Chicago?

2012-01-17T22:39:00.000-06:00

On Saturday night, we enjoyed Indian food and dancing in Lakeview. My cousin, Katy, and I unintentionally wore the same print from J. Crew!We danced at a place called Berlin's that had an abominable snowman behind the bar!This weekend, there was still 3-4 inches of snow in Chicago, but last night, it poured and all the snow was gone this morning. We saw flurries all day but nothing accumulated. Today, I got a text from my sister in Washington, a few hours North of Seattle, and she has 16 inches of snow! Soot, her cat, loves it. This is so bizarre! [Weather.com reports, "While rare, snow is not unheard of in Seattle.' 'The Emerald City sees much less snowfall (5.9 inches) each season than many other major cities in the northern tier of country, including Chicago and New York City."]

Mr. F and I had a date night at mk tonight! We celebrated his bonus with a bottle of Cayuse Impulsivo. We nibbled on gravlox as we ordered appetizers of octopus and butternut squash ravioli. Mr. F ordered the venison with black mushrooms and corn grits. I had the veal porterhouse with oyster mushrooms and sugar snap peas!For dessert we had the mucho chocolate! It was the perfect finish to a lovely dinner date. We were pleasantly surprised when they gave us guava jelly and guava brownies before we left! Mr. F and I can't wait to go back and try the tasting menu!

Mouse Pad

2012-01-17T15:23:00.001-06:00

  Mouse Pad

Quick and easy: Christmas photo card creation at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

My awesome Friday the 13th

2012-01-14T17:01:00.000-06:00

Friday the 13th was full of fun.The snow was enchanting on my morning walk to meet my car pool buddy!Fortunately the roads were clear and dry too! The plows were supremely efficient, which is so surprising to me, coming from Seattle.

It was a co-worker's birthday yesterday, so I jumped some snow drifts to get to the bakery across the street from my work! (It must have been entertaining to see me bundled up and holding a huge cake box dodging huge snow piles crossing the street!)We got a passionfruit mousse cake, topped with whipped cream and blueberries. It was delicious and totally worth my morning snow hurdles.

In the late afternoon, my best Chicago girlfriend, called me at work to ask me to be a bridesmaid! I'm really looking forward to her wedding. Mr. F and I hang out with the newly engaged couple almost every weekend and are so happy for them.

My company holiday party was also last night and the theme was "Hollywood Baby" at Cooper's Hawk Winery in Arlington Heights! My car pool buddy won second place and I won third place in the movie quotes trivia game. I also won one of the raffle prizes! (My prizes ended up being two wine club memberships to Cooper's Hawk winery, so I got to take home two bottles of wine!)There was fun dancing!I had a great time swing dancing with one of the docs.It was also a fantastic way to celebrate being done with the FDA audit at work!

This weekend, we're going to celebrate a friend's 29th birthday with Indian food and more dancing! Mr. F and I went to Lincoln Park for lunch. We went to Burger Bar and had these delectable gourmet burgers. I had the the High Hog, a BBQ pork burger with ham and bacon on top with white cheddar cheese and apple slaw.Mr. F got the Smokehouse burger that has a topping of brisket, white cheddar and country slaw. We both got truffle fries!

After a quick trip to Costco, we came home to this beautiful view!By the way, it's only one month until my birthday!!

Happy Weekend!

I'm going to be a bridesmaid this Fall!!

2012-01-14T15:55:00.000-06:00

I just got asked to be a bridesmaid on Friday!!!!!!! I love wedding planning so this news, totally, made my day.

The bride got engaged on Sunday, so themes, colors and the venue have not been formalized yet. Here are some of the dresses I could imagine would work with the current ideas being thrown around:

J.Crew's Adrienne dress in silk taffeta (not in this color, perhaps the Pacific blue or a purple)

Source: jcrew.com via Emily on Pinterest

Anthropologie's Bursting Sweetshade

Source: anthropologie.com via Emily on Pinterest

I love BHLDN's Couplet dress and actually just bought because there was a 40% off all sale items! I also had a $50 gift gift card, so the dress ended up being only $26 with shipping!!

Source: bhldn.com via Emily on Pinterest

The bride to be loves J.Crew and Anthropologie, so I can't wait to see what the bridesmaids get to wear. I'm also very excited to go wedding dress shopping with her!!

Congrats to our best friends in Chicago!!

It's snowing in Chicago, heavily!

2012-01-12T17:02:00.000-06:00

It started snowing at 10 am this morning and nearly an inch of snow per hour has fallen since then. My carpool buddy and I were lucky enough to leave work at 1pm to avoid terrible commute traffic. This is the first big snow of the season so traffic apparently gets pretty crazy.

This is my beautiful, snow covered walk home.

It's normally only 5 blocks from where I'm dropped off, but I took a little detour to pick up some things for a friend who just got engaged!!!!First, I went to Paper Source, where I found Christmas cards and ornaments for 50% off. I also purchased some lovely vintage Valentine cards and some bride-to-be sticky notes. I may have also purchased a few bridal magazines.Four blocks from my house, I sent a text of this Jenny Yoo window display to my newly engaged friend and asked her if she'd like to visit this store soon! And then the real beauty hit me:My street is majestic in white. I couldn't stop taking pictures, even with the wind blowing snow in my face.The kitties were so happy that I got home early. They're both curled up on either side of me, as I blog.

This is the view from my window.

In an hour, I'm going to meet the bride-to-be at J.Crew to look at dresses and then have dinner. Mr. F gets back from his business trip later this evening too! I hope O'Hare doesn't delay him with all this snow. Fortunately, his flight is on time soooooo far!

Happy January everyone!

I finally saw the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the Swedish version)!

2012-01-10T22:29:00.000-06:00

Tonight, Mr. F was out of town so I FINALLY watched the Swedish version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". [He's not a fan of the trilogy like I am!] The movie took all of the best parts of the book and limited the boring parts, which made it even more amazing.

WARNING: I told my Mom that this was one of my favorite books and she read it, thinking she might enjoy it too. I should have warned her that this book would not be something she'd like, at all. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is very graphic and disturbing and I initially put it down after the first 100 pages. I continued reading it only after a friend urged me to read more about Lisbeth's story. Now, I love the trilogy because of her childhood and who Lisbeth becomes.

Source: impawards.com via Denise on Pinterest

Noomi Rapace is fascinating and intensely compelling, as Lisbeth Salander. I can't wait to see her in the new Sherlock Holmes movie, where I'm sure she plays a completely different character. Lisbeth's dragon tattoo is really intense and way bigger than I pictured when I read the book. It's probably also because the British version of the book, (which was the version I read), has a smaller dragon tattoo too.

Source: google.com via Jae on Pinterest

It's amazing to watch Lisbeth's transformation from a gothic, introverted creature to an intelligent, misunderstood and strange beauty. I didn't really understand how beautiful she was when I read the book. She's intriguing and powerful. I do think it's interesting that the movie chose to have Lisbeth given Mikael the Wennerstrom information instead of Henrik Vanger.

I cannot wait to see the American version of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" with Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. Hopefully, my cousin Katy, will see it with me soon!

Source: Uploaded by user via Amber on Pinterest

Our weekend foodie adventures

2012-01-08T22:20:00.000-06:00

We went to brunch at Orange on Saturday!I love getting frushii and the pancake flights at Orange. We also had fresh pressed grapefruit juice! It was super foamy and delicious too. Bananas and Plantains were the special pancake flight this week! My favorite was the banana cupcake, featured in the lower right hand corner of the plate with pecans.

They were all so delicious.The sunset on Saturday was pretty too. I absolutely love our view.Later Saturday night we went to the Farmhouse for dinner with Mr. F's cousin and Sammy.

Source: chicagobestrestaurants.info via Emily on Pinterest

We had cheese curds, mussels with sopressata, delicious grass-fed burgers, and fig bread pudding. There's a huge local beer selection too. We had an amazing experience and can't wait to go back!

Source: youreallyshouldbeeatingthis.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

After dinner, we had our friends come over to play Rockband! We had a great time singing the night away. Today, we were lazy and read all day. Mr. F made a delicious scramble with sopressata and green onions for brunch. We also got delicious Thai takeout for dinner! Now we're watching Footloose!

Source: Uploaded by user via Jasmine on Pinterest

It makes me want to dance more!

Source: imdb.com via Emily on Pinterest

We did interrupt the movie when we got a call from the in-laws and another call from a friend. We just heard the most exciting news! I promise to share it in the next few days, but I'm soo happy!!

TGIF and the Four Hour Body

2012-01-06T07:36:00.000-06:00

Good morning! There's a beautiful sunrise this morning in Chicago!

Wow, it was only a four day work week, but Mr. F and I are super tired just the same. The flu is going around, so I hope we don't get it.

We're trying to be more diligent with the Four Hour Body diet suggestions since the holidays. Well, at least Mr F. is strictly following the diet.
Five rules for cutting body fat: 1. Avoid "white" carbohydrates 2. Eat the same few meals over and over again [thankfully, Mr. F is an awesome cook and we have great leftovers]3. Don't drink calories 4. Don't eat fruit 5. Take one day off per week [yay for Saturdays!]
I'm a carb monster and eat unhealthy items at work. (When Dunkin Donuts are brought to work, how do you say no? Plus, when I do say I'm not hungry, my boss says I need the calories!) I am proud to say that I've worked out three times in the last four days, with kettlebells swings, turkish getups, lots of abdominal and other back/chest exercises.

We're also following the sleep suggestions in the Four Hour Body:
How to Fall Asleep Faster: * Focus on getting to sleep * 67ºF to 70ºF is the best room temperature to fall asleep [check!]* Eat a large fat-and protein-dominated meal 3 hours before bedtime [check!]* Use low light in the bedroom * Take a cold bath an hour before bed [Mr. F does this, I can't handle it]* Use a humidifier to generate cool mist [check!] I'm not sure if we're utilizing these tips to the fullest, but when we do, we do get a great night's sleep!

P.S. I love Saturdays.

Cute horse and pup video

2012-01-04T21:51:00.000-06:00

I had to share this cute video of a French Bulldog and Mounted Police horse. Enjoy!

Rent the Runway vs. J.Crew

2012-01-03T16:24:00.000-06:00

My work holiday party is next Friday. Yes, we're celebrating it in the New Year instead of at Christmas time. I think it's time I use Rent the Runway. I've been meaning rent a dress since I signed up in November 2009. I've always come up with an excuse, like wear something I already have, or buy a dress, instead.

Here's what I'm thinking of so far and I need your help. What should I choose?

HALSTON HERITAGE

Confetti Dot Dress

Rental $85 Retail $595

Source: renttherunway.com via Emily on Pinterest

KATE SPADE NEW YORK

Mademoiselle Dress

Source: renttherunway.com via Emily on Pinterest

Or should I wear my J.Crew's Silk chiffon Sophia dress, hanging in the closet? I have this same dress but with tiny white polka dots.

Source: jcrew.com via Emily on Pinterest

New Year's Weekend!

2012-01-03T09:44:00.001-06:00

As I walked home in the rain on Friday night, I was enchanted to see two white horse carriages go by me.

Saturday night, we had my BFF from high school, Mr. F's cousin and his girlfriend come over for dinner. Chef Mr.F made cilantro shrimp appetizers, veal chops, and baked potato coins for our New Year's Eve dinner. I made the Pioneer Woman's Christmas Rum cake with hibiscus rum as the glaze! We enjoyed it so much, I forgot to get pictures of the final product before we started eating it! After dinner and several champagne toasts, we went to a bar in Lakeview at Sammy's request. Here are some pictures from Friar Tuck's:

On New Year's Day, we had brunch at the place called, Brunch. We stayed up too late the night before, so we decided to watch Arrested Development for most of the afternoon.

Source: stuffwhitepeoplelike.com via Emily on Pinterest

Chef Mr. F made brisket for dinner!It was the perfect comfort food after a weekend of indulgence.

When we woke up Monday morning, there was snow on the ground!! The kitties wanted us to stay inside with them all day, but Andy Mac and I decided to brave the elements.

It was 26 degrees outside with a significant wind chill. We walked all around the Near North Side and our cheeks were freezing!Most of the snow is gone this morning, but it was 12 degrees out with a wind chill that made it 3 degrees!

Thanks for visiting, Andy Mac!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Top 11 moments of 2011

2012-01-01T23:21:00.001-06:00

11. Guell Park in Barcelona

10. Tapas at Quimet et Quimet in Barcelona

9. Grabbing the last Cayuse at Wine Discount Center, also the last God Only Knows at Compass Wines

8. Moving to Chicago for Mr. F's job and having him get a promotion in less than a year

7. Getting 4 interviews in Chicago, in February.

6. Getting a job before moving to Chicago!

5. Visiting FIGGINS in Walla Walla, Washington and tasting their inaugural 2008 Red Blend in their vineyard!

4. Swimming in Lake Michigan, this summer, in 70-90 degree weather!

3. Vacationing with our friends in Cabo.

2. Visiting Montjuic in Barcelona.

1. Our three year wedding anniversary!

My 2011 in review

2011-12-31T10:12:00.000-06:00

January: This time last year we were in Maui, on vacation! We celebrated New Year's Eve at David Paul's Island Grill and had the most amazing Ahi! The day after New Year's, we watched the sunrise from Haleakala. We also planned a Cabo San Lucas trip with our college besties.

February: We saw the Harry Potter exhibit, celebrated my birthday, Mr. F's birthday, my Mother's birthday, my Grandfather's birthday and my Uncle's birthday! In the middle of the month, we flew from Seattle to Chicago to look for a new home! I had four interviews in two days!

March: We went to Cabo with the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Beav! We spent a lot of time in the infinity pool, and an amazing time in the sun with lots of sunscreen!

We drove across the country from Seattle to Chicago! We stopped in Boise, ID, Boulder, CO and St. Louis, MO on the way! We love our new view.

April: We discovered more of our neighborhood and the Loop area! The kitties love the new apartment too![Lyra on a rainy weekend.]

We met my cousin's cousin and her boyfriend for drinks at the Wit! They've really introduced us to Chicago with block parties, new friends and El rides!We celebrated Easter in St. Louis.We went to the St. Louis Botanical Gardens.I also met a few Chicago bloggers in April at the Anthroholic Afternoon at Anthropologie!

May: It was very rainy and full of thunderstorms in May, so it was hard to take (as many) pictures!

Over Memorial Day weekend we rode the ferris wheel at Navy Pier!

June: We went to the Division Street Fest with my cousin's cousin and our new French friend!

The next day, we went to the Eastside Millenium Park Art Fest and later walked through Millennium Park. We loved the Lurie Gardens! We went to Barcelona for a conference and stayed for a few extra days!We loved all the Gaudi, cava, and walking everywhere!We also made it to the Taste of Chicago and had Rainbow cones!

July:We had a fabulous Fourth at the beach with friends and a swim in Lake Michigan!We also walked around Waverly Island and saw fairies!We had a fun summer BBQ at my cousin's cousin's house too! At the end of July, we drove to Crystal Lake, Michigan for a long weekend! We loved swimming every day!

August:Lily Thomas looked cute. We ran many loops through Lincoln Park.We explored more neighborhoods in Chicago on foot and by El.We also had our three year wedding anniversary! It was a very muggy month. We had dim sum in Chinatown with friends!

September: We had a foodie and an oyster filled month in both Chicago and Seattle! I took a few ballet classes and we got a lot of running in. Our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Beav, surprised everyone and made it official at city hall. We went back to Seattle for a vacation and a reunion and it was strange. Everyone has moved on, grown up, began balding, in grad school, or got married and started having babies......None the less, we had an amazing time with Mr. and Mrs. Beav. Returning to Seattle also made us realize how much we love our new lives in Chicago!

October: We had a wonderful first fall in Chicago. We ran more in Lincoln Park and we went to the Chicago Botanic Garden and hosted a fun Harry Potter Halloween Party!

November: I went to Tampa for a conference. We celebrated Thanksgiving in St. Louis with Mr. F's family! Mr. F also got a promotion and we celebrated at graham elliott. We can't wait to go back there!

December: I did not realize how big of deal Christmas is, until I moved to Chicago. Christmas music plays everywhere starting the day after Christmas. Everyone has lights up. It's pretty amazing. We really enjoyed the Christmas Mart in the Loop with friends, too. I loved see the Joffrey Ballet's the Nutcracker. We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas in St. Louis. We brought our kitties with us and so did Mr. F's sister. There were four cats and a dog all under one roof and they seemed to get along pretty well! Mr. F's sister just got engaged! I miss my family but I Skyped them during the opening of presents and it was just like I was there!

Have a wonderful 2012!

The Eve of the Eve of New Year's Eve

2011-12-29T22:00:00.000-06:00

Work was annoying (to say the least) today, so to get my mind off of it, Mr. F took me out to dinner at Erie Cafe! Source: flickr.com via Emily on Pinterest

I had an delectable breaded veal pork chop and we got tiramisu for dessert!

Now we're watching the awesome movie, Colombiana. Luc Besson wrote the screenplay.

Source: imdb.com via Emily on Pinterest

Mr. F and I love "Leon: The Professional", Source: movies.netflix.com via Karen on Pinterest

"The Fifth Element" Source: google.com via Heather on Pinterest

and "La Femme Nikita", also written by Luc Besson.

I'm really looking forward to a long weekend and sleeping in! What are you doing for New Year's Eve?

Planning for New Year's Eve

2011-12-28T15:57:00.000-06:00

I'm really looking forward to New Year's Eve. My best friend since middle school is coming to visit!This is us, last Christmas, in 2010.
As soon as she gets here, there will be lots of laughing,

Source: prettystuff.tumblr.com via Emily on Pinterest

and dressing up for the evening!

Source: wherethesidewalkbegins.blogspot.com via Sunny on Pinterest

Andy Mac and I met in the 5th and 6th grade. We used to drink a lot of Dr. Pepper and gossip about boys.

Source: darrellmankin.org via Rhonda on Pinterest

(I do not have any scanned in photos from those years, but I'm not too sad, because those were the years of frizzy hair, glasses and braces!)

Source: weheartit.com via Maureen on Pinterest

I remember when Andy Mac helped me get my first email address and taught me how to use AOL instant messaging in middle school! She used to dream of becoming a pilot. (And she actually became one!) I wanted to be everything from a veterinarian, a doctor, and/or a fashion model. We also played Junior Varsity Volleyball and Softball together in high school. Check out these pictures, circa 2000 and 2001. Can you find us?
Here's Andy Mac, at Mr. F's and my first apartment in 2005, with our guy friends from college.In 2006, Andy Mac lived in Honolulu. Of course, I visited! Since then, she's lived in D.C., Boston, Youngstown, NY, Del Rio, TX, Little Rock, AK, briefly in Spokane, WA, and now she's moving back to upstate New York. I've been a punk and only visited her in Hawaii and D.C.. Andy Mac spoke at my wedding in 2008.Most recently, I saw her when she was driving across the country from Youngstown to Seattle. Of course, she stopped over in Chicago for a night!Hopefully,we can meet between Youngstown and Chicago this summer, perhaps in Michigan!

Merry Christmas from St. Louis

2011-12-25T00:30:00.000-06:00

We drove to St. Louis on Friday, with a car filled with presents and two cats. Lily Thomas was ready to co-pilot. Mr. F's family and I went to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the Monet exhibit, that afternoon.

Today, we met up with some of Mr. F's high school buddies before celebrating Christmas Eve at his Aunt's house. We all loved the paper crowns that we found in our poppers!We had an amazing turkey and pork roast dinner with our cousins.

Merry Christmas!

My Random Christmas Mix

2011-12-22T08:46:00.000-06:00

Please enjoy my Christmas mix!

Source: lunaandchloeweddings.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Jack Johnson
All I Want for Christmas Is You (SuperFestive!) by Justin Bieber & Mariah Carey
A Great Big Sled (feat. Toni Halliday) by The Killers, (RED) Christmas - EP
Little Saint Nick by She & Him, A Very She & Him Christmas

Source: amazon.com via Emily on Pinterest

My Only Wish by Jessica Simpson
Christmases When You Were Mine by Taylor Swift
Winter Song by Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
Christmas Lights by Coldplay
Parade of the Wooden Soldiers by Arthur Fiedler & Boston Pops Orchestra, A Christmas Festival
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of Judy Garland
Dance Of The Sugarplum Fairy by Performed By The Appollonia Symphony Orchestra, The Nutcracker Suite
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! by Bing Crosby
White Christmas by Louis Armstrong
The Christmas Waltz by She & Him, A Very She & Him Christmas
Men of Snow by Ingrid Michaelson, Everybody
Waltz Of The Snowflakes by Performed By The Appollonia Symphony Orchestra, The Nutcracker Suite
20 Years Of Snow by Regina Spektor, Begin To Hope
Holiday (iTunes Session) by Vampire Weekend
Frosty the Snowman by Fiona Apple, Winter Songs

Source: amazon.com via Emily on Pinterest

Dance Of The Flowers by Performed By The Appollonia Symphony Orchestra, The Nutcracker Suite

Source: google.co.uk via Emily on Pinterest

The Nutcracker, tomorrow night!

2011-12-19T21:52:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to see the Joffrey Ballet's Nutcracker tomorrow night!!

Today I read on the Chicagoist website that, the Nutcracker debuted on Dec. 18, 1892 at The Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. "The Joffrey Ballet’s Nutcracker first premiered in Chicago in 1996, and is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary at The Auditorium Theater with 20 performances from Dec. 9 till Dec. 27. 118 young dancers from Chicago and beyond join the Joffrey company onstage. Apart from the young dancers, young vocalists from The Barrington Children’s Choir, The British School of Chicago Choir, The Lake Bluff Middle School Choir, The Pro Musica Youth Chorus, and The Providence-St. Mel School Choir perform the choral parts from the magical Snow Scene. In addition, The Chicago Sinfonietta provides the live accompaniment of the classic Tchaikovsky score."

TGIF

2011-12-16T22:22:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited that it's Friday! I'm ready to sleep in, catch up on my blogging and to finish reading "A Feast of Crows".

Mr. F and I are also super psyched that we're going to see the Muppets with our buddies on Sunday. We have discounted tickets too!

Source: imdb.com via Emily on Pinterest

I'm really looking forward to Christmas in St. Louis and almost all the presents are wrapped in preparation. I've sent off presents to Seattle earlier this week and they should all be arriving soon!

I just found out that my parents and sisters are coming to visit Chicago in January!!!! I cannot wait to show them our fabulous new apartment and city. Mr. F and I plan on taking them for deep dish pizza immediately! I can't wait to play tourist with them. We also will go ice skating in Millenium Park.

Source: culturemob.com via Emily on Pinterest

Do you all have any other suggestions? The Shedd Aquarium?

Date Night: Nacional 27

2011-12-13T22:21:00.000-06:00

Mr. F and I went to Nacional 27 for a date night tonight!

First, we had the empanadas for appetizers!

Source: google.com via Emily on Pinterest

[My photo vs the professional photo.] Are you hungry?

Source: flickr.com via Emily on Pinterest

We loved the dance floor/dining room!

Source: flickr.com via Emily on Pinterest

We had skirt steak for two, with rice and beans, roasted corn and red and green peppers!

For dessert, we had the amazing Grand Mariner Chocolate Cake with strawberries.

We enjoyed our dinner so much that we'd love to go back for the salsa lessons on Thursday! They also have a New Years Eve event that could be fun too!

Our Christmas filled weekend!

2011-12-12T22:07:00.000-06:00

This weekend we went to the Christmas Mart in the Loop! We ordered Bluwein and got ceramic boots with the hot mulled wine!It was about 26 degrees on Saturday night but we didn't mind perusing the ornament shops with friends in the cold.

We saw tiny wooden bears holding cats, many different Nutcrackers, and even dragons!

We had to get a group photo in front of the giant Christmas tree too!

Earlier on Saturday, we found a new fake Christmas tree at Home Depot! It has multicolored LED lights too! Mr. F and I had so much fun putting up our favorite ornaments. We have our cake toppers on display, as well as our new Chicago ornament. We also enjoyed listening to Christmas music and trying a crisp vintage Riesling as we put up the ornaments!

On Sunday, we drove out to the West suburbs and went grocery shopping with Mr. F's aunt, before a pilates lesson and a birthday dinner for Mr. F's cousin! We loved going to Standard Market. It was like an old-fashioned, big, more open Whole Foods. We especially enjoyed more space in the aisles and huge wooden beams! There were tons of samples too. I even found a few extra stocking stuffers for my family in Seattle!

I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks before Christmas! My cousin and I are going for mani/pedis on Wednesday, this weekend we're having dinner with Mr. F's Aunt and Uncle again, next week the girls and I are going to see the Joffrey Ballet's Nutcracker, and then we're doing a gift exchange with friends, before driving to St. Louis for a long Christmas weekend!

Source: joffrey.org via Emily on Pinterest

MERRY CHRISTMAS and to all, a GOOD NIGHT!

Gingerbread houses!!

2011-12-07T16:27:00.000-06:00

We have a gingerbread house contest ongoing at work. I think my team is going to win, especially with all our neat details.I mean, how cute is this chocolate ball, Milk Dud, Twizzler, peppermint, Tootsie Roll cat?!

Our team was really creative and went all out! The only rule in the contest is use edible ingredients. We used a gingerbread house kit, but added a second story and tower with gingerbread graham crackers. We painted the house with Grinch green icing but then covered the majority of it with bread sticks. We painted the door and shutters red with icing. We made a wreath out of Fruit Roll-up, a peppermint, and red chocolate balls. The windows were made of blue taffy!We made a pond with melted blue gumballs, marshmallow snow, a reindeer out of Tootsie Rolls, and frost with eyes made out of mini marshmallows!We circled the chimney with Twizzlers and made trees out of ice cream cones with frosting! It was such a fun work bonding event!
Here are some Gingerbread Houses examples that gave us ideas.

Here's one of our competitors. They may, or may not, have used non-edible items...... Here are the other competitors from other departments.

Happy Holidays!