Sweats in Disguise

I love sweats in disguise as fashion pieces! Glam up a sweatshirt with a funky zipper detail: I'm in! Fleece dress: slip it on me. Reverse hemmed sweatpants: born to live in 'em! I am really just a hoody wearing hayseed at heart, so bring on the glorified sweats!

my new favorite sweatshirt

Stem Doman Sleeve Hoody

pretty sure i will be living in this

Pebble dress by

Beebop and Wally NYC

pair it with my old navy sock slippers and i'm n for the night

J. Crew sequin sweatshirt

can't seem to locate it but last seen on the factory weekend sale

Left Field NYC

from 2007 lookbook (i know, so sad, not sure if still available)

Left Field NYC

(again, 2007 lookbook)

I've been had a pair of Left Field sweatpants for ten years and they are still my very favorite sweats

they use the best vintage sweatshirt fabric and Left Field is hard to find, so if you EVER see this logo, scoop it up and RUN!

Speaking of disguises...I was in several this weekend. One of a 20something wannabe dance party girl...one of a hotel bar mimosa sipping LADY...one of a spa going, white robe wearing lounger... I think the dance party girl disguise may have been my favorite though. As another dance party guy said to his friend, "just because they are married doesn't mean that they can't DANCE!" Muchas gracias girlfriends!

As I sit here struggling to get my son to sign 31 Valentine's (as requested by his teachers)

I thought I'd share our playdough creation from the blizzard week.

Hope your Valentine's Day is filled with something sweet (preferably chocolate)!

Black Cherry Kool-Aid Playdough

1 packet Kool-Aid

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

Add 3 tbsp vegetable oil & 

1 cup boiling water

Weekend!

I am a big believer in weekends away every once in awhile.  Not that I want to be away from my kids (well..) it's just that I need that time to rejuvenate and it makes me a better mom in the end.  And as much as I know this to be true, the guilt inevitably creeps up on me at some point...even if it only shows its face for a moment, it is there.  So, I am leaving all mom guilt on this blog today and walking away....

Girls weekend!!!  A few girls coming in from out of town and a few of us here, we are staying downtown for the weekend.  My husband can't quite understand why I want to stay at a hotel only a mile away, but, as I told him, I will be a million miles away in my head.  That's what a girls weekend can do for you...take you away...to the past, to the future, to the spa, and to rejuvenate long lasting friendships.  So, it's valentine's day weekend with my lovely besties!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

JamesHotel Chicago

Surprise finds....

I bet you can't guess where these are from?

Or maybe you are drooling over the catalogue like I was...

It WAS rather shocking when I saw the new catalogue. 

Good inspiration for Spring looks....

LL BEAN Signature

Take Me Out...

Take me out to the ballgame...take me out to the crowd....take me out! 

Just kidding ...not really...just kidding.  I like sports, I really do.  My favorites:  tennis and college football. 

The list this week is:  LIST SPORTS TEAMS YOU'VE SEEN PLAY

(remember I am participating in Listography 2011 with these lovely besties Torrie, Danielle, Emily).

Let's talk about what comes to mind...playing hooky from work and drinking beers in the sun at a Cubs game (good thought).  Freezing at a Bears game (not so good thought).  Tailgating at a Notre Dame game (great thought-this is where i meant my husband).  Watching the Chicago Bulls (no thought).  Watching the Chicago Blackhawks (again, no thought really, head tilt, nope, can't think of one)...Watching the Mets play when I lived in NY (ok, getting back to good thoughts...only because of location and company)...Watching Tiger Woods -not really a team though... (oh, poor Elin, but can we talk about all of her amazing sunglasses?)...Let's see, what else..can I change the subject?  CAN I CHANGE THE SUBJECT to my two new perfect presents that my husband picked out for my birthday?

#1

#2
Designer:  Alicia Ann

He did good, right?  I happened to give him a little teeny hint by telling him that this boutique is having a huge moving sale....

And my Birthday dinner that I made for myself...homemade Alfredo sauce..which is super easy and delicious.

Oh, and my Birthday breakfast...macaroons from LOVELY Bakery... my favorite.

I've already posted about them here!

And my new favorite mug....filled to the top with hot coffee.

Are you sick of my Birthday yet?  

Shouldn't it be BirthWEEK anyway...

xo

It's my birthday and I'll eat cake if I want to...

You know how sometimes you get in a rut, realize you are in a rut, and make grand plans to get back to doing all the things on the list, whatever list that may be.  Like my list often includes things like, putting Shea Butter on my neck every night, drinking 8 glasses of water a day, getting those photos organized...you know, the usual things you put on a NEW YEAR'S Resolution list.  Well, a close friend and I often celebrate several New Year's throughout one year and usually Birthdays are one of them.  So, it's my birthday and I am going to eat cake, celebrate with my awesome kids, have a glass of wine, and put Shea Butter on my neck tonight...and TOMORROW, tomorrow will be New Year's for me.  Back to keeping those resolutions....

p.s.  I realized this week via Twitter that I share a Birthday with one hilarious girl...her blog makes me laugh/cry.

il dolce far niente

il dolce far niente

(the sweetness of doing nothing)

I tried to watch Eat Pray Love on Saturday night (husband was out of town and I couldn't wait to sprawl out on the couch and watch a girlie movie).  I say TRIED because it was painfully boring, completely unentertaining, and I fell asleep midway through Bali during a bore of a conversation with the Texan.  However, I did fall sleep with two positives running through my mind... One was the incredible, beautiful scenery and appetizing close-ups food shots - I work on a lot of food commercials, I can appreciate the art of capturing food preparation at its most mouth watering moments.  Oh, and the yummy red wine toasts shots that seemed to be scene changers were also very lovely.

The second positive was the scene in the Roman barber shop.  The Italian older brother or friend of Julia (can't even think of the name of the woman in EPL) was defining an italian phrase 

il dolce far niente 

that translates to "the art of doing nothing" and how Italians are able to just enjoy for enjoyments sake.  He went on to say that Americans always think they have to work to deserve this simple enjoyment and are always stressed out from the pressure of constantly having to be productive.  What a wonderful phrase...and because I am one quarter Italiono, I believe that I too can master the art of il dolce far niente...if I put my mind to it, put down my phone, and leave my computer closed once in awhile.   And I think that mastering this art may (most definitely) is going to be added to my 2011 resolutions...and if it includes italian food and wine once in awhile - just to get me in the "nothing" mood, even better.

A few more shots of my Italian trip 2005... 

Cozy Wozy

Two summers ago, at the Renegade Craft Fair, I picked up this super cozy hat.  Even though it was 80 degrees at the time, I was still able to appreciate the warmth that this hat generated.   Fast forward two years to the Blizzard of 2011 and this hat has a been a savior and even warmer than I could've imagined.  I have chosen it over my North Face hat these past two days and that says it all!

Who:  Squast by Les

What:  Local designer; great construction and fabrics

Where:  Chicago; can be found at a plethora of craft/design fairs and hosts her own open door studio night at least once a month

In real life....

Happy Friday everyone!  

It's been one blizzard of a week!

Blizzard Night Dinner

Pesto Linguini is a favorite meal in this house.  Although, it's always good, I always find that something is a little off.  Like too little garlic, or this could've used a little more pepper, and so on and maybe, this is because I get lazy and DON'T FOLLOW A RECIPE.  On Tuesday night, the night of The Big Storm, we enjoyed the best Pesto yet and perhaps it was because I FOLLOWED A RECIPE to the tee.  Maybe cooking is a science?!

We topped the Linguini with some amazing Gran Panada (we call it gran modonna) cheese from a cheese wheel.  I just produced a cheese job and brought home some beautiful leftovers from the set.

The kids each had two platefuls.  The husband and I enjoyed a great, el cheapo bottle of wine (made from organic grape,s by the by) from TJ's, which I talked about here.  

And dessert:  Cannolis from TJ's...which were pretty good.

My 4yr old ended dinner with this joke:

Mr. C: Knock Knock

Us:  Who's there

Mr. C:  Cannoli

Us:  Cannoli who?

Mr. C:  Canolli Buy Some More

A successful dinner that distracted the kids from the hollowing winds banging at our back door.  

two spoonfuls left from a 16oz pkg

And, a few photos from the blizzard....

Mr. C's latest creation...

One more photo (i know, i am being a bragging mother here).  But this came home in the school bag yesterday.  He takes half credit as he painted it with his bestie, Gabi.

My little Monet

Participating in Listography 2011 with these lovely ladies (Torrie, Danielle, Emily) and today's list:  Your Favorite Artists!  Now, this may be a bit predictable, cliche, whatever, but my favorite artists live not in the 19th century or Momartre, but under my own little roof.

Featuring Mr. C (4yr old artist specializing in photography and dabbling in painting and collages)

My favorite strollercam photo 2010

From the Chicago Architectural Cruise Boat

Carseat Cam

    

StrollerCam at The Market 2010

Bracing ourselves for the historic storm...

First of all, I was born into a time that I could handle, in other words, I don't think I would've been able to handle shoveling snow out of my window (or opening) in the 1800s.  But even though we live in an urban area, with a grocery store two blocks away, we have been stocking up as if our horses won't be able to make it into town.  We've been to the store three times (twice on Sunday and once yesterday).  The Chicago Tribune had all these tips for surviving the storm and someone commented - in the comments section - that the worst thing that could happen is your cable goes out and you are forced to socialize with your family, Noooooo.  I got a good laugh from this one.  But, all in seriousness, I am weirdly looking forward to a few days stranded in our house with the kids.   I see some playdough making, cookie baking and lots of crafts in our future.  And I may just tell the kids that "our cable went out" anyway, just to keep the creativity flowing.  I think I'll keep the internet though :)

image via Art Nest

Are you going to be affected by the storm?  What are your plans?

Tuesday Tunics

A ton of snow is predicted in Chicago and I am dreaming of warmer places.  Honestly, I am not a lover of the sun and do my best to avoid it., but that doesn't mean that I don't want to be on the beach and sailing on the lake.  Therefore, I am always on the look out for good cover-ups.  Lately, I've been seeing some amazing tunics that just may be my ticket to take my style factor up a notch.  The bee keeper suit just ain't going to cut it this summer!

Tolani Ginger Tunic

J. Crew Lemlem Grace Tunic

Joie Joie A La Page Paisley Parsons Coverup Tunic

Blowfish Boots

I have been loving the outfits that Sydney has been wearing in her recent blog posts on, The Daybook.

Love her feminine, yet casual style.

Love these Blowfish boots that I spied her rocking in several posts.  Especially love the price!  $69.  

Love being introduced to new brands.

Love that she is wearing Gap Kids jeans in the photo below.  

Remember the awesome sweater I found at Crew Cuts!  She is inspiring me to shop the kids section again (I am not too proud, maybe just a little too big :)

Love the photos and posts on her love.

What started out as a post on these simple boots, turned into a bit more.

Keep em coming, Syd.  Can I call you Syd?

Blowfish shoes

courtesy of  The Daybook

Thanks for sharing....