happy father’s day!

well i had hopes of making ryan a dad for father’s day, but no such luck. ryan did get lucky and still got the present i had prepared, just in case.

an adorable personalized cubs onsie (purchased from little ones baby boutique on etsy. tip: definitely size up.) as well as a tour of wrigley field – when henry’s here later this summer. i couldn’t believe it, since ryan’s a big fan, but this is henry’s first cubs gear.

we had a wonderful day (not in labor, ugh) with my parents, brother and our dogs. we  soaked up the sun at the dog beach, lounging, snacking and playing frisbee (and i enjoyed the requisite ice cream), followed by a delicious bbq at our place.

even though it wasn’t my day, it was a great one. i loved being able to spend it with my favorite dad – my dad. the only way it would have been better is if henry was here.  i can’t wait to see what a great dad ryan will be though, and next year we will really be celebrating him, too.

hope you had a great weekend!

{justine}

weekend recap {cool stuff}

hello. how was your weekend? i had lots of girl time and did some out-of-ordinary and ordinary things, all much enjoyed. my iphone documented my activities.

friday night was…book club! we had delicious food, great conversation and stuffed some ‘stockings’ with goodies for soldiers overseas.

bowie the book club mascot in his christmas sweater

saturday my friend holly invited me to “the ultimate french pastry experience” at the french pastry school and it. was. awesome. what a unique, fun experience. first we got a tour of the school and saw amazing cakes, sugar and chocolate work – in real life, as opposed to on the food network. then we got fresh croissants (my first since i was in france 12 years ago) and had national pastry champions demonstrate how to make various desserts, like delicate tuile and grand marnier salted caramel inside a chocolate shell. and the best part was we got to try them. again, it was like the food network come to life. it was well worth having to set my alarm on a saturday.

{tuile forming}

we also got a goody bag! it was filled with fresh baked bread, muffins, biscotti (i think?), candies and caramelized hazelnut, dark chocolate and fleur de sel spread (!).

afterwards we headed to the one of a kind show. it’s in my work building, so i’ve been to it a few times, and it never disappoints. i usually spend the most money in the food section, and this year was no exception. there were so many talented artists there, and it was hard to not buy everything in sight. if i were to buy an original piece of art, i would save my pennies for lisa swerling’s glass cathedrals. so clever and super unique. seriously, check them out (though they’re even better in person)…and then buy me one, mkay?

{via}

{loved these shirts so much i picked up the illinois one. and put it on when i got home.}

{i will also take the stump painted silver, if you’re feeling generous}

{one of my food purchases. amazing.}

{i always buy this cheese. so good.}

{lunch of my fresh baked bread topped with the chocolate spread and cheese curds. well balanced.}

that night we enjoyed delicious food at frasca with friends and rented crazy stupid love (rent it).

sunday i finally got some christmas tasks done: shopping, wrapping and addressing cards.

and now it’s monday. but i do have a four day week only, due to having to use up vacation time. i don’t mind

hope you have a great week.

{justine}

weekend recap {beach and a baby}

(i like alliteration, can you tell yet?)

well hello. i hope you are doing well and you had a great weekend. i sure did enjoy a nice 3 1/2 day weekend of leisure  myself. while i didn’t have columbus day off for a holiday, i did use 1 1/2 vacation days on friday afternoon and monday, since i have some to spare before the end of the year. let’s face it, soon it’s going to be brutally cold, and lately it’s been p.e.r.f.e.c.t. outside, so i took advantage.

warning: there are a lots of pics in this post. i had two very cute subjects!

i can’t for the life of me tell you what i did for the free friday afternoon i had, but i do know that friday night we enjoyed a delicious dinner at one of our new favorite places, las tablas.

saturday i gave myself quite the glitzy, unique manicure (using clear nail polish and glitter for the ring finger).

{glitter nail polish never has enough glitter. this? this is glitter}

then we took a quick drive on lake shore drive to the dog beach (montrose beach) where we enjoyed the ridiculous temps.

later that afternoon we met up at a bar to watch the illinois and mizzou games, and followed up our late lunch there with an early dinner in little italy to support our friend anna, who ran the chicago marathon and raised money (over $2k – wow!) for the american brain tumor association in memory of my father-in-law (she finished, which is so amazing. it blows my mind how people can run a marathon. such dedication! i can’t even bring myself to run a mile…)

sunday i tried to make a dent in my next book club book, the historian. 4 days in i have only made to about page 100, and there’s over 600 pages. book club is in less than 2 weeks, so the math does not add up to me finishing it. i will give it the ol’ college try though.

thanksgiving, our deadline for finishing the table we want to build, is fast approaching so we headed to the rebuilding exchange, to shop their wood supply. they had quite a bit old growth and reclaimed wood, and we’ll be back when we’re ready to buy.

of course i spent some time in the kitchen, and i made the easiest pumpkin muffins/cupcakes ever with brown sugar cream cheese frosting (i was going to include the recipe now, but this post is quite long, so stayed tuned in the next day or so).

{i devoured it. shame.}

our friends brooke and john welcomed their son jack thomas on thursday night. monday we went over for a visit and oh. my. goodness. is he so precious, so tiny and so, so perfect.

i love him. *sigh*.

i wish this perfect weather we’re having and the weekend could never end, but such is life. i will take what i can get.

have a great week.

{justine}

weekend recap {anniversary & a concert}

this past weekend was a really great one (i know, i always say that. but this was really really was).

saturday we hit the beach to take advantage of the gorgeous weather. it wasn’t beach weather per se, but it was nice to be outdoors. that night we checked out the new top shop store and spent the gift cards we spent a saturday stuffing into bags, and then headed to our old ‘hood to celebrate our anniversary with dinner at mexique (it was tasty, but not enough that we would go back with all the other restaurant options there are).

{special occasions = ordering dessert. creme brulee is my favorite!}

sunday we packed two coolers of food and beer, a table, four chairs, seven bottles of wine and a bag and had an amazing time at ravinia with my parents, listening to the tunes of big head todd and the monsters and john hiatt. the weather was perfection, the music was great, the food was aplenty and the wine was flowing. ravinia is such a great time and highly recommended if you’ve never been!

{ryan made us a ravinia table. he’s got skillz}

{keeping it classy with wine in a solo cup, with ice}

{we finally finished the last of our wine bought on a trip to napa last year}

i took monday off work (i planned ahead for my hangover, thank goodness) and spent the day going out to breakfast, hitting up montrose beach (beck loved it) and spraypainting (though i need another can and it’s not sold in the city. ugh).

the best part of three day weekends? only four days of work until the next one!

how was your weekend?

{justine}