pumpking pickin’

Posted on October 9, 2015 by tandem in love

we were ready to hit the pumpkin patch. we needed pumpkins for our house to start our festive decorating and i was sooo ready to decorate! fall and october were calling my name!

we picked a pumpkin farm that wasn’t too far away from us. we wanted it to be a fun but quick trip, just spend a couple hours doing some fun activities and then head home to relax for the rest of the day.

it was perfect weather to be outside. not too warm and not too cold. a few layers of clothes and we were set. olive and i decided to twin with matching cowboy boots! when we arrived, she insisted on walking but she wanted to hold my hand. i find it so cute and funny, only because months ago, she would never hold my hand. oh, no. she would grunt and scream if i tried. it made me a little sad only because i wanted to hold her hand and she would always reject the attempt at affection. but now she is much more keen on the idea but the only problem with that is that she is two feet tall. hahaha. so, holding her hand gives me a back ache! ahhhaha! you ask and you shall receive, non?!

[she insisted that i hold her hand but it was so awkward because she is still so little…i had to walk hunched over for a bit. eep]

once we walked inside, she was completely smitten! she loved all the pumpkins and craziness that was going on! well, first things first, we decided to go through a haystack maze…um, not my cup of tea! the tunnel of swirling lights would totally make me sick and dizzy, so i literally closed my eyes and walk forward. haha! it’s a good thing i didn’t fall down walking in the dark with my eyes closed as well!

after the maze, we saw a bumble bee ride and knew olive would love something like that. so grace and olive waited in line to get their turn. she was soooo stinkin’ cute riding around and smiling ear to ear! she looooooved seeing all the live animals, she would get so excited and i would teach her the animal names and i loved that she would repeat everything. watching her learn and grow is just the best feeling and such a great gift! although, seeing all the animals caged in up in little bitty cages made me sad. such a bummer to see them in such small capacities with no real room to run around.

[matching cowboy boots]

[my love]

[picking out pumpkins]

[the dizzy haystack maze]

[she loves rides]

[checking out the bunnies]

after we saw bunnies, turkeys, llamas, and more…grace really wanted to eat corn, so we hopped on over to the food joint and bought a few ears. while hc and grace chowed down on some delicious corn, olive entertained herself with the rocks and dirt and was being the cutest little girl where all the strangers were smitten with her.

after a mini snack break, we sat down in the stands for a pig race. it was crazy. there were three races in total and i felt like it went on forever. the actual races were short but the mc droned on and on! plus, with us sitting in the front row with olive, she was constantly wiggling around. she kept running up to the fence {us knowing she probably shouldn’t be near the fence} and we kept calling her to sit back down. thank goodness she was listening but we must have done that a half dozen times, at least!

the last pig race was hilarious…oh my gawd! they were the biggest, fattest pigs i ever did see!!! they were soooooo slow and charming. yes. they were so cute, big, and adorable. olive was so distracted by the audience noise that she missed the first two pig races. ha! she did not miss the last one! she ran up to the fence {and by then, i gave up trying to call her back} and was totally mesmerized by the pigs!

[ohmy! the huge piggies racing!]

after the pig races, we decided to pick out the pumpkins we wanted! we perused and perused and we all finally picked out the ones we liked! grace and olive had a great time playing around the pumpkin patch. everything is so novel to this little one so watching her awe and excitement is just amazing. while we were picking out pumpkins, hc was waiting in line for some funnel cake! it was in big demand, so the line was a bit long but always oh so worth it! when hc made it back with two plates of goodness, we sat our tushies down on the floor and devoured our funnel cake.

[sisterly love]

[looking over and double checking our selection of pumpkins]

[funnel cake anyone?]

it was a perfect day at the pumpkin farm. we had such a great time…it’s so fall to do fun stuff like this! the sights, the colors, the smells, the food…it just makes you so excited for the season! olive had a blast and so did we! cheers to the start of a great fall season.

xoxo

a quiet afternoon

Posted on October 7, 2015 by tandem in love

i apparently forgot i had this post sitting in my files…oops! better late than never! sooo….

i had plans to go to the renegade craft fair in wicker park. we had lived right in the area for years and it was on division every year, so there was no question i needed to go. i love checking out all the small shops, listening to their stories, and seeing all their love go into the products that they make!

on the agenda was a quick visit to andrea’s place. she had a really tight schedule that day, so i decided to traipse on over to her place before i spent some time at the craft fair. she lives just right off division, a few footsteps away from the fair. i love walking. i do. i love walking e v e r y w h e r e. it’s the best thing. i love walking along the street, admiring all the shops, soaking in the rays, and people watching along the way. living in the city, it was my favorite thing to do. just walk. i didn’t need a purpose or a destination. i just needed to get out and soak in the craziness of the city.

[i love walking]

[loving the beautiful annabelle]

[precious babe]

[haha! annabelle’s expression is like “whaaaaaa?!”]

[i love this goofy pic of us because it looks like annabelle and i have the same surprised un-ready face going on. haha!]

after spending an hour or so at andrea’s and getting cheeky with her little babe annabelle, i headed back down the street to the fair! my number purpose was to find earth cadets and purchase some pillows. it was a bit overwhelming, because there were sooooooooo many vendors {hundreds!} and i was worried i would be looking for hours just to find her shop. lo and behold, it was literally the fifth shop i ran into! sweet! i looked around but i couldn’t find the pillows i wanted to buy. i asked a random women standing there and krissy {the shop owner} was actually ringing up a customer when she said, “did you contact me on instatgram?” why, yes, yes i did! we chitchatted a bit and talked about the product, what she did, where, how, etc. it was great getting to know her for a bit. she didn’t have the pillows on hand but she offered me a great deal and i was sold. i can’t wait to get the pillows onto our new chairs! yayyyyyyyy!

[random snap. i obviously had my camera on and i accidentally snapped this pic of me walking. i kind of like it.]

[earth cadet onesies]

[i could not take a pic of this adorable doggie! sooooo cute!]

[seriously the best craft fair around. the best.]

[i love our city]

[my old stomping ground and our favorite gelato place]

after i purchased the pillows, i walked around and soaked in all the greatness. so many cute shops from all over the country. i loved all the goodness, met so many great people, and found so many wonderful products. i looooooove renegade! it was such a great afternoon.

xoxo

sunday family night

Posted on October 5, 2015 by tandem in love

a quiet, calm get together. it was a cloudy, semi-warm day and we were getting ready to host the fam over for dinner. when football season starts, the hubs loves to pull out the slow cooker and whip together some super delicious meals for sunday afternoon football games.

on the menu: roasted garlic pulled pot roast sandwiches on brioche, buttery mashed potatoes, seasoned roasted brussels sprouts, quinoa salad, and homemade apple pie! yum, right? hc prepped the ingredients and threw what he needed into the slow cooker. we did random errands throughout the day and near game time, we started finishing up the food and we started the pie.

my family came on over and we just hung out, the kids played, we conversed in the kitchen while hc and i were prepping dinner. it was a low key, relaxing affair. of course, the bears were losing {boo!} but we had a win win situation at our abode withe delicious meal and plenty of libations to go around.

olive and her cousins were having a great time. reagan is such a sweetheart with his little cousin. he dotes on her, takes care of her, watches over her, and entertains her. he is such a great ‘big brother’. i love watching them interact. olive is getting bigger where she can really interact with them and play along. it’s so darling to see them in action.

[brown sugar slow cooked pulled pot roast for sandwiches]

[getting game ready]

[best thing everrrrrr…we love roasted garlic]

[we also had buttery mashed potatoes…so good!]

the food was a hit. my mom gave hc the thumbs up! that’s a great thing since my mom is such an amazing cook herself! hc was quite pleased with himself that he received a stamp of approval. it was fantastic having my family over for a low key relaxing sunday night dinner.

xoxo

apple pickin’

Posted on October 1, 2015 by tandem in love

yay! apple picking is our fall ritual. ok, so we have only done it a few years in a row but hey…it’s become one! it was a sunny, warm day. i had already planned our outfits, regardless of the temps, but i was kind of questioning my tenacity when we stepped outside. it was going to be a hot one! flannels and warm temps don’t really go hand in hand! eep!

well. no matter. we were committed and so we moved forward. we packed ourselves into the car for a quick ride on over to kuiper’s orchard. they had two separate areas for apple picking and pumpkins. i am so used to going to an apple orchard that has pumpkins, so i thought it was different that they were separate.

[ready to go apple picking!]

[my sanity in a cup]

[braids, buffalo, and boots]

[riding dirty]

[twinsies]

[“mom, look!”]

we met up with our family and explored just a bit. first thing on the agenda was eating! we were soooo hangry. hahaha! we traipsed inside to the restaurant. olive was a riot! she was such a hit everywhere she walked. especially coming into this eating establishment. she had her sunnies on and was walking around like a boss! hahaha! we ordered hot dogs and burgers and waited patiently our our food to be served. in the meantime, olive gulped down chocolate milk and got sassy with everyone.

[stomping around like she owns the place]

[drinking chocolate milk in style]

[family time]

[simple please. just mustard]

[nom nom nom, hot dog]

[selfie]

[she’s such a doll]

after noshing on our meals, we headed on over to the apple orchard to go picking! ugh, it was hot standing in the sun and the line was sooooooo long! no matter, we did it. it was finally our turn and when the john deere tractor pulled up, we were so relieved and excited. we packed ourselves in and off to the orchard we went! olive looooved the ‘hay’ ride, when we reached our destination she didn’t want to get off the cart. too cute.

we were greeted by a worker and given directions and advice. once that was done, we were off on our own. olive insisted on walking and anyone who has a toddler who insists on walking knows how slooooooooow they can move. oy vey. we were ten minutes behind everyone! we finally arrived at the ripe trees and started picking some golden delicious apples to take home.

olive did such a great job! she was a pro apple picker! daddy helped and she had a great time picking. it was too stinkin’ cute. i remember last year, she was 9.5 months old and all we did was carry her around. so, it was pretty cool to see her in action and picking apples herself!

[sunshine selfie]

[the sweetest pic. this makes my heart melt…the love for these two]

[twist and pull olive!]

[my precious babe]

[she did well! get it girl!]

[typical pic of the kids. baaahahaha!]

[olive and auntie kim]

[my sweet, darling, loving parents]

[really?!!!! she’s sooooooo cute!]

after apple picking, we perused the shop and purchased a few goodies. we never go home without some apple cider donuts!!!! yum! we bought apple bread, donuts, and brought home our tasty apples so we can bake some apple pie!

it was a wonderful successful day of apple picking. we had a great time with the family and can’t wait to do it again next year! woot!

xoxo

oh summer {or more like happy fall!}

Posted on September 23, 2015 by tandem in love

it was such a beautiful day. such a gorgeous, sunny, warm, perfect day in september. as the days become shorter and cooler, i revel in rare days like these when the temperature and weather is just right. plus, this was literally the last days of summer…’cause today is the first day of fall!

i met dana at our favorite place {southport grocery} and we brunched alfresco. the sun was so intense, i loved it. we caught up on life’s current happenings. there is always so much going on with dana {lately} due to the fact that she is getting married next year and there is always something super exciting happening.

i definitely remember that time in our lives when we were engaged. it was so much fun, exhilarating, and joyous. there were always such positive vibes coming our way. we loved the parties, the people, the attention, the love that went along with being engaged!

anyhoo, we enjoyed our meal and banter while we basked in the sun. after brunch, dana needed to complete a few errands and per usual, we did them together. we headed on over to papersource to peruse a few gift items and in typical fashion, i purchased waaaayyyyy too many cards. i absolutely love stocking up on cards. birthday cards, christmas cards, wedding cards, thank you cards…you name it, i stock it. if you ever need a card, just stop on by. haha!

[mmmmm, refreshing iced coffee]

[hi dana…you’re the best]

[my usual, the southern]

a last minute thought i had was to get our nails done! sweet! dana was game and so i made some last minute appointments at a nail salon i have been to. the nail bar that i frequented often was actually on southport. the lovely place was bought out to put in bigger retailers {boo!} and the techs relocated to different locations. i found out my tech had relocated to a shop just down the street, so that is now the nail place i go to but getting an appointment with her is always a tough task!

well, she was booked that day, so i had to, unfortunately, go with someone else and let me tell you! this nail tech was alright. she was a little rough and that was no bueno. in the end, my tootsies were done and i was a happy camper. dana and i managed to pick out the same nail color {without knowing}. if you know dana and i by now, we tend to show up in similar outfits, so picking out the same nail colors was a given! ha!

[give me some color]

[selfie at the nail salon]

[we chose pinks. my pedi and her mani and some bling]

after a relaxing time at the nail salon, we headed out to a bookstore where dana needed to do an errand. we perused the wonderful items on the shelves. my favorite section was the kid’s book area. i loved reading as a child and i hope the same for olive. kids books nowadays are so cute, cool, and chic. yes, they are! dana gifted olive with the cutest book ever too! i must say, this girl knows a good, perfect, hit the nail on the head kind of gift to give. she is always on point.

[boys town chicago]

after several wonderful hours together, we parted ways. dana walked home and i headed back to go see my beautiful babe. it was a lovely, serene, relaxing day together. a much needed time to spend with my dear friend.

xoxo

railroad date

Posted on September 21, 2015 by tandem in love

hc took the morning off and we decided to go on a date at the train station. the all aboard diner that is! we were a bit turned around on where it was, only because gps took us somewhere it wasn’t! we were a mile away from the actual restaurant and it ended up being closer to home than what we thought! damn you gps.

anyhoozle, the restaurant looked eerily quiet. we pulled up and realized it wasn’t open until 11, so we decided to traipse around the toy store next door. eleven finally neared it’s head and we proceeded to walk our way to the restaurant. it was already bustling!

immediately olive knew where she was. she beelined for this little horsey ride and jumped on! boy oh boy was it a challenged once we got inside. olive’s head grew little horns and she instantly became fussy and difficult. she wanted to play, she didn’t want to eat when our food came, and she was huffing and puffing all over her chair. now here’s me…uh huh. nope. not gonna fly little missy. so i asked her to eat. she said no. i said if she doesn’t eat, we were leaving. she said no. i grabbed the little babes and promptly walked her outside. she cried and cried. we sat outside where there were tables and chairs and she screamed for dada. “where’s dada? where’s dada?”. she knocked on the glass window and cried for her dada.

i continued to negotiate. she continued to disagree. i finally got her to somewhat shake her head and we walked back inside. instantly she started screaming and pointed to the railroad tracks. she wanted to get down and play. nope. back up in my arms and outside we went again. she was crying and i told her if she ate her food, she could play all she wants but she needed to eat. finally, finally she agreed. hc came outside to ‘rescue’ her and she verbally said yes that she would eat her food.

she happily scarfed down her lunch {no fussing no complaints}, i was super happy with her, and i always keep my word. as soon as she finished her food, i told her she was good and gave her a smooch. she happily climbed down from her chair and ran towards the train set and was a happy camper!

[here we go!]

[hanging out at the toy store before we head to the restaurant]

[selfie time]

[we loved watching the train go round and round]

[olive chewing on some cheese curds]

[she’s finally eating her lunch]

[olive mesmerized by the train set]

now, it’s such a novel idea for kids, this restaurant but would i come here again anytime soon? maybe not. probably when she is just a wee bit older and understand a little bit better what this whole place is about. i know through her cute big brown eyes it’s just a big play house but eating her food is in order! or maybe olive will eat a meal before we bring her and we can enjoy our lunch while she happily plays…we’ll see. i am sure i will be blogging about it the next time we go {if ever!}. hahaha!

xoxo

stop being so crabby

Posted on September 18, 2015 by tandem in love

sunday funday consisted of trying out a new restaurant and sweet treats to top it off.

my sisters were interested in trying this new restaurant called crab and spice. we all gathered there and were then led to our table in the back. it was brand spanking new and they didn’t have a liquor license yet! i definitely can say it was clean. we sat down and perused the menu. i let my sisters do the ordering, they are more keen on the seafood picks and i am always along for the ride.

they ordered the shrimp, crawfish, and snow crab. we had a few yummy sides of corn, potatoes, and rice. i was partial to the shrimp. it was the best dish on the table. it unpeeled it all, mixed it with my rice, and had a hearty, spicy, tasty meal. olive ate some of the shrimp and rice but mostly noshed on the french fries that my nephews had ordered!

we were absolutely amused because our server {tyler??} was obvs new and very inexperienced. the poor guy. he had no clue. he was so nice but just did.not.get.it. he forgot our drinks twice. he couldn’t answer our questions. he was sooo confused when we ordered. he didn’t tell us what they were out of, so we were bombing every time we wanted something. when it was time to pay, we asked him to put the cash towards the check and then split the bill in two. he had NO idea how to split the check on two credit cards, even though we did our best to simplify it for him! oh boy.

[she kept saying “baawooon! baawoooon!”]

[getting ready to get their crab on]

[crabtastic]

[the boys, ready to eat]

[cheers to plastic bibs]

[i love my crabby girl]

[shrimp, crab, crawfish, rice oh my!]

[nobody puts baby in a corner!]

after we finished up dinner, we all drove over to downtown downers grove and everyone got some sort of sweet treat at every day’s a sundae! we have been going to this place since we were kids! it was such a beautiful night. just perfect. we sat outside and ate our ice cream. the kids ran around and screamed. olive was absolutely fascinated by the train. every time a train rolled by, olive would wave and say ‘bye train! bye train!’ and blow it kisses. so adorbs.

[classic dg]

[mmmmm, which one?!]

[best smile everrrrrr]

[refreshing sweet treats]

[throwing kisses at the train]

[“bye twain! bye twain!’]

it was such a fun, low key evening. we had a great time hanging out with the fam. evenings like these on warm summer nights are what i am going to miss! oh summer, your visits are way too short. please stay a little longer.

xoxo

anniversary fare

Posted on September 17, 2015 by tandem in love

it was our fourth anniversary and we wanted to do something fun and special. hc had made reservations for us at the girl and the goat. we were so excited! i have eaten there before but it was a long time ago and could not wait to go again.

as we drove in closer to the where the restaurant is located, halsted was bustling. it was packed and patrons were spilling out of all the establishments down the street. i love that about the city. it’s always so busy and interesting. hc valet’d the car and we traipsed inside the restaurant, ready to eat!

it was jam packed inside, people in the waiting area, people at the bar, and every seat taken inside the restaurant. we checked in and the hostess told us we had the best seat in the house. ooooohhhhh! how intriguing. they led us towards the kitchen and there was a lone table right on the kitchen counter! it was so cute. it was off to the side, we were not sitting next to anyone, and it was soooo cool to watch the cooks in the kitchen churn out delicious dish after delicious dish.

[our amazing table! we were secluded, right by the kitchen, and had the best view!]

[the very cool bar]

our server was gary. he was laid back, helpful, and fantastic at what he does. we were ready to indulge. we started off with tasty libations {cab for me and some sort of hard liquor for hc} and small bites. the bread and oysters were delicious. a perfect beginning to our meal. everything was soooo savory.

we ordered the cauliflower, beet salad, hamachi, scallops, and the crisp braised pork shank…all small bites that packed a flavorful punch. all the plates were so yummy! we were served one plate after another and our bellies started to get so full! a few glasses of wine later, we were giddy, happy, and having a blast.

i really enjoyed my evening out with my hubby charming. it was so fun to talk, spend this time together, and just catch up. every day life can be so monotonous and you tend to find yourselves talking about the same things over and over again. it’s always so refreshing to just talk, one on one, about fun stuff, ask questions we never ask, and discover something new about your partner.

[cheers to four years!]

[i really love the goat character everywhere]

[our table at the kitchen…the only table like that in the restaurant!]

[rye // zucchini tzatziki. pickled corn relish]

[food spam]

[soooooo good // bacon sprinkled oysters]

[not without a selfie]

[hamachi crudo // crisp pork belly. chili aioli. caperberries]

[these were sooooo good]

the night was too short but after three hours of eating and drinking {eep!}, we were ready to go! we sadly left the restaurant but we were very excited to come home to our wide awake daughter. we absolutely loved our time out but nothing is sweeter than coming home to your precious, smiling babe.

xoxo

august snapshots

Posted on September 14, 2015 by tandem in love

ok, that just flew by and passed me up. i was sitting at home, thoughts passing through my head when i realized that i didn’t even think about doing an august recap! not one snippet of thought. i am usually preplanning, pre-thinking, pre-doing anything to get ahead and be prepared. it’s in my nature. then all of sudden – bam! it’s mid-september and i was like whaaaaaaa??!!

it had birthday{s}, parties, fun, family time, lunches, brunches, and vegas baby! it was the first month of the summer were it didn’t rain every.day. ok, it rained sometimes but our summer was seriously plagued by constant rain! it was consistently warm and mostly sunny…a recipe for success.

we were so excited to have gone to vegas. we love going every year and this year was no different. we always have the best time vacationing with our dear friends matt and johann. we love the heat, the shopping, and the pool time the m o s t!

[don’t let this pic fool you! every time is said “bedtime”, she would turn her head to the side and pretend she was sleeping. as if that would delay me putting her down. haha!]

[hi baby olive]

[c’mere my cute baby]

[chicago beer]

[pout, pout, pout away little one!]

[pool time!]

[dana and scott’s engagement party]

[always on the go]

[sweet face]

[such a cool babe]

[so happy]

[wedding shenanigans]

[happy birthday b!]

[black and white]

[happy birthday kim!]

[mmmmmm chocolate]

[vegas!]

[big foot]

[playtime]

[cousin love]

[cubs themed birthday party!]

well that was our august in rewind. we had the best time this past month. i really do love my life. i say that because i count our blessings every day. i am grateful for our health. i am grateful for my family. i am grateful for God. i am grateful for my hc. i am grateful for our precious little olive. the simple things in life are truly the best.

cheers to a fabulous september!

xoxo

a lovely hello

Posted on September 4, 2015 by tandem in love

i always enjoy my time with olivia. i must say that i am blessed in life to know such good people. but they always say, surround yourself with people who are positive, people who support you, people who love you. so, we did.

the day started out hot and humid. i honestly didn’t mind it, only because it had been so cool the days prior and i definitely don’t want summer weather to end just yet. i love the sun on my legs and being able to enjoy being outside and it’s not chilly or freezing {yet}. we have plenty of time for that kind of weather! so, welcome warm weather, welcome back after a week of hiatus!

i picked up miss olivia and she suggested going to tokio pub, a japanese restaurant. i was sold. i love japenese food! it was quiet and cool inside. there weren’t too many patrons and olive was being cute and shy. she had definitely reached an age where she gets super silly and wild. like any toddler. she’s become loud, crazy, and rambunctious. but in typical olive fashion, she becomes quiet and shy with anyone she’s not totally familiar with. so she was being a bit sheepish with miss olivia but took right away to the crayons and doodle sheet the server brought by!

[crayanles won’t roll off the table. hahaha]

[my sweetheart getting creative]

we perused the menu and both wanted some udon soup. yes, it’s blazing hot outside and we order a hot, big, hearty bowl of soup. hehehe. our food was served and it was delicious. olive enjoyed her chicken fingers and fries. i was quite surprised by this little cute. she didn’t really want any of her fries. whaaaaaa? was this my daughter?! she was so into eating the chicken fingers! that was totally fine by me!

olivia and i had a great time catching up. i love hanging out with her and she loves hanging out with olive! after a long lunch, it was time for her to get back and i was a bit sad. i’ve said it many times before but hours and hours can pass hanging out with her and feels like a blink of an eye!

[pretty cool decor]

it was fantastic hanging out with olivia on this beautiful summer day. happy friyay everyone! muwah!

xoxo

tandem in love

{life is truly beautiful and it should be celebrated + shared.}

Category Archives: c’est la vie

pumpking pickin’

a quiet afternoon

sunday family night

apple pickin’

oh summer {or more like happy fall!}

railroad date

stop being so crabby

anniversary fare

august snapshots

a lovely hello