CALVIN TRAN

Clothes that come with directions intrigue me! Maybe it's the idea of getting a 2 for 1 deal that I like, but clothes that can be worn several ways are just smart. Several years ago I stumbled upon Calvin Tran's brick and mortar shop on Halsted Street in NY. I was looking for something to wear to my husband's holiday work party(I may have been newly pregnant, I can't remember) and was not having any luck. I got lucky at Calvin Tran. I walked out with several pieces that all came with instructions: A sleeveless wool shirt that could be worn three ways. A skirt that doubled as a tunic and/or wrap. All beautiful pieces and very well made. I just wore the skirt to an event the other night and I am still in love.

My tivo automatically recorded the Fashion Show this season and I didn't think I would watch it. But one night, while searching for some mindless television, I decided to watch the first epi. Ok, The Fashion Show tries really hard to be like Project Runway, but Bravo, you gave that up and nothing can replace PR. However, I was surprised to see Calvin Tran participating in the competition. More than that, I was surprised at his behavior. I couldn't get beyond the first epi, and I've heard that he gets better, and I don't know if this we deter me from entering his store on Halsted again, but I did think about it.

A couple images from his Winter collection

GRANDMA'S COFFEE CAKE

My 94 yr old Grandmother is my idol! My mother made her coffee cake recipe over Thanksgiving and it was DElish!

The kids couldn't resist helping.

Grandma’s Coffee Cake

Topping:
1 c brn sugar
4T flour
4 tsp cinnamon
4T melted butter
1c chopped nuts


Sift together:

3 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1.5 C sugar

Cut into this: ½ C shortening until fine as cornmeal

To the flour mix add: 2 beaten eggs, 1C milk, 2tsp vanilla

Beat until dough is smooth

Pour ½ of dough into greased 9 x13 pan.

Sprinkle ½ topping. Pour rest of dough. Then topping

Cover with wax paper and put in fridge.

Bake 375 25-30 minutes

My husband thought for sure that I had sabotaged our computer (like I threw it against the tile floor or something) to get a new one. I assured him that my mac md would be able to fix it (why I was so confident, I don't know because I know jack about fixing computers). My husband also thought that I had let a piece of plastic go down the kitchen drain, thus clogging it, thus requiring a call to the plumber. He also claimed that this was going to be a $500 fix. So, this plus $1200 for a new computer = about $1700.

This was my text to my husband today:

Sink fixed: 95 dollars

Computer fixed: 125 dollars

Texting my husband that I told you so: PRICELESS

Renegade Holiday Fair

Planning my Renegade Holiday Fair gameplan now. The day to go, what kind of latte I will have in hand, when I will meet up with Meg, etc. Looking forward to it.

http://www.renegadecraft.com/holiday-chicago

Down goes Frazier

Ok, so I fell asleep the other night with the laptop on the bed...several hours later, my two year old crawled into my bed for a bit and did her usual 360 take over, during which the laptop hit the floor. That macbook has survived many falls, but this one did it in. Apparently, it has lost its airport hardware (not software), meaning, it broke! And just as I write this I am realizing that I could actually connect it via hardwire (what a concept), but that would entail me sitting in the playroom corner for awhile...and I am kind of associating that with a naughty corner...bad computer owner.

I plugged in my old laptop, which I see I haven't used since 2008. It's a good backup, but slow as molasses.

So, off to the genius bar I go. And hopefully, I will be back tomorrow with regular posts!

Rosy Rosy

I am lucky...I don't have to cook, host, or stress about Thanksgiving! There will come a time (perhaps when I actually have a dining room table) when I will (maybe) put my bare hands inside of a turkey. I take that back, I will probably be wearing gloves. Grimacing as I write this and at the thought of it, my appreciation for my mother rises once again. The last time being a few weeks ago when my four year old had the stomach flu and I was cleaning IT out of the couch and carpet. How did she do it with three children? I started to calculate in my head how many times we must've had the stomach flu in the 18yr living at home x three kids...that got too complicated.

Anyway, I have offered to bring wine and HELP in the kitchen. But I think my mother would rather just except the wine offer and leave it at that. So, wine it is, and hopefully I can find a perfect hostess gift.

I am liking these Rosy Rings candles...may have to stock up on a few. They are a little country but we are leaving the city after all...and sometimes a little country is ok.

OUTINGS

I love when I find a perfect combination family outing that's easy (and fun for the adults too). Like when I discovered that when you go to the indoor Green City Market inside the Nature Museum, the kids can then go into the museum at no charge. PERFECT winter outing and I get my market fix in too.

Saturday, we ended up at the new Mac store on North Avenue and then checked out the Burger Bar for lunch. The lovely spirited hostess led us to a booth (away from the door, she said it was too drafty for the kids there - DING - that was my first hint that this place caters to the shorties). Before we were even sitting down our waiter was standing there with two kids cups in hand (2nd DING)! Then, the hostess returned with two chalkboards and chalk for the kids. HELLO!

To top it off, the burgers were great, service was fast, and atmosphere fun! And for extra entertainment, there was a little loose rock on the exposed brick wall next to our booth, so I removed it from the hole and found a little secret note under it that read, "check the other loose rock." So we did, and found another secret note, "Hooray for curiosity." My 4yr old signed the note and returned it under the rock....hoping to find it next time!

In Chicago? Mark your calendar....

Renegade Holiday Fair
December 4 + 5
Pulaski Field House

What's on the agenda for this weekend? Preschool carnival, maybe indoor Green City Market (my fav) and getting ready for the holiday.

Happy Friday everyone!

Rosebud The lip slip by Sara Happ
It's time to get out the humidifiers and stock up on my favorite lipbalms (one for the bag, one for the nightstand, one for the car...) And yummy shea butter.....good for everything and all natural.

Now Foods Shea Butter

Beach Combing

A favorite activity with the kids is spreading out all of our beach treasures that we found and examining each one. We sort them by beach glass, crinoids, and rocks. It's a good "classification" lesson for them and fun to remember our time on the beach. We were blessed with a lovely gift of a 70 degree day last week so I loaded the kids and drove over to Duneland Beach (on the border of Indiana and Michigan). We spent the afternoon looking for rocks, beach glass, digging in the sand, and playing soccer. The kids were able to dig their toes in the sand and enjoy the sun. It was a lovely November gift. xo

99cents

I go through phases with different products. They can be staples and "must haves" for awhile, then I run out or move on to the next goodie and forget about the once treasured item. This is what happened with my tin of Nivea until the pretty blue container caught my eye in a bin by the checkout at Ulta. Best rescue creme to keep in your bag. This little 99 cent tin of happiness can be used as an eye brightener (mix with a little tinted moisturizer for the utimate brightness), cuticle creme, hand moisturizer...you name it.

Baby it's cold outside

Quoddy doube-ring boots in suede
Must these be more than my daughter's monthly preschool tuition? Granted, she only goes one day a week, but still, the guilt....the guilt.

So, I challenged myself to find some comparable alternatives for a more reasonable price. When I search Zappos, I sorted by price starting with the least expensive. When I saw that suede boots started out below $60, I took the challenge further by trying to find pairs under $100. Here is what I came up with:

None quite match the perfection of the beloved pair from J. Crew, but none quite match the price either (long "i" pronunciation, thank you very much).

BREAKFAST BARS

I am a little obsessed with Nigella's Nigella Express cookbook. I have been reading it daily since I got it last week. I tried my first recipe last night and have been munching on them all morning.







RECIPE:

1 14fl oz can condensed milk
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mixed seed (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower) -i used one full cup pumpkin bc that's what i had. i imagine that sesame would add a really nice flavor
1 cup unsalted natural peanuts

Warm milk in saucepan
Combine all dry ingredients
Fold in milk with dry ingredients

**Here is where I had a bit of a problem, you must fold in milk and make sure that it is evenly distributed...it seems that parts of mine were too dry making it crumble and impossible to keep together as a bar***

Spread mixture into 9 x 13 greased pan

Bake for 1hr at 250 degrees

***Important: wait 15 minutes after removing from oven and cut into squares. I fell asleep last night after only cutting one little square to sleep eat before returning to bed. I should've cut it all at the time because this morning it was really hard to cut...athought it coud be because of earier issue stated above :)***


This isn't breaking any copyright rules is it?

Three Ingredient

!COOKIES!

When I browse through cookbooks, I tend to stop on the pages with recipes with the fewest ingredients. I can't help it. Fewer words screams EASY to me and that's what I am always on the hunt for: FAST and EASY recipes. So, when I came across this recipe on Ohdeedoh.com, I bookmarked it for a lazy day....which happened to be Sunday morning.
We used peanut butter and I don't know why anyone would use any other peanut butter cookie recipe again. This recipe made delicious COOKIES!

INGREDIENTS: 1 egg, 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup brown sugar

Only thing I would change for next time would be to DOUBLE the batch!

ENJOY!

Started a post on my Saturday night with the girls but that will have to wait. xo

Kid-Friendly

These words are music to my ears...working on list of our favorite kid-friendly restaurants! But must tend to my sick child first and will have to pick this up over the weekend! When I was sick as a child, my mom used to stick a little minature bell by my bed so that I could ring it if I needed her. Hope I am as good as her.





Stay well! Happy Friday!

Black & White

We had a photo session with the kids in September and we finally had a chance to meet with the photographer last night. Wow! We got some amazing pictures - all black and white and all film. Nothing beats doing it old school! Julie Chenevert (the photographer) custom mats every photo with beautiful 100% cotton mats and they are just stunning.

The outdoor photo session was smooth and easy. It didn't hurt that Julie's assistant, Johnny, could do Donald Duck impressions. My daughter had a big rush on him and still talks about him.

Can't wait to share some photos....if we can ever decide on our order!

Keepin it hot!

This is how my morning usually goes.
Wake up and for a brief moment I realize kids are still asleep so here comes my biggest dilemma: Do I continue sleeping OR Do I sneak into the kitchen for a nice hot cup of coffee and internet surfing in the peace and quiet? If I choose coffee, I usually get to the pouring part and someone wakes up. So, it goes like this. Pour coffee (get someone a milk sippy). Pour cream (change a diaper). Put cream away (get a snack, find Curious George on Tivo, make someone a bowl of cereal) And finally, I get back to taking a sip of my coffee and it's bordering cold and I LIKE TO DRINK IT HOT! (microwave it for 15 seconds, oops, that's not enough, put in again for 15 more). Microwave beeps continually for the next 20 minutes until a little person asks, "what's that noise?" Oh, my coffee, REHEAT, REPEAT.

AND THAT'S why i am LOVING this mug and lid combo from West Elm.

HAPPY ELECTION DAY!

Exercising my right to vote and my right to break my golden rule and wear leggings as pants. No better time than my 7am voting session...and nothing like voting with a mug of hot coffee in hand.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

Loving

Do I have to love the most expensive pair of boots in Garnet Hill?

Fun 'n Flirty

EmersonMade
This new line REALLY goes along with my new goal to dress fun 'n flirty....for next Spring.

How can this belt (above) be sold out aready...obsessed.