the other day, after a very long day, i was driving back home to chicago. it was such a beautiful evening! it was warm outside, a perfect night to hang outside! i called dear dana back and we chit chatted for a bit. she was telling me how she was packing for a short get away to new haven and some other news dans sa vie.
i told her we had to grab dinner! how could we not eat al fresco tonight?! it was too lovely an evening to not eat outside! so, there i was, driving by dana’s and picking her up. we headed to southport and decided to go to any restaurant that had open seating outside.
[refreshing!]
we ended up at crosby’s kitchen. burgers and beers it was. well, dana got the turkey burger and i just did the cow. the fries were so yummy, i was a little greedy and annoyed that there wasn’t more on my plate {hungry hungry hippo}! i so i had to eat dana’s fries as well {hehehe}.
we chilled and just soaked in the warm night. we people watched, we cooed over doggies walking by, we counted how many girls had on maxi dresses, and what fashion faux pas’ we spotted.
it was a quick get together but so worth it! it was my first meal al fresco for the year and the start of many more to come!
this past saturday, we participated in service day at st. clement!
it was an all day event that turned out amazing!
we started out by heading out to st. clement, by 10:30 am. team captains were required to get there early so we could greet all our volunteers. we walked inside and found our sign and assigned pew. we waited, patiently, for all our teammates to arrive. one by one, we greeted everyone. it was great to chat and get to know one another before we started our prayer service.
fr. ken started our short prayer service and reinforced our thoughts for the day. how important it is to pray, serve, and give, st. clement’s mission statement.
after that, we headed on our way over to bishop conway residency. we piled ourselves into two cars, jaimie {who so graciously volunteered} was our second driver. the traffic down fullerton was obnoxious {as to be expected!}.
what felt like forever later, we finally arrived at our destination. we walked in and jaimie, kelly, and jen were already waiting for us. we received a cute little wooden box {painted and decorated} as a gift from the residences, which was so nice!
we headed downstairs and i found aixa, the head cook, and introduced myself to her. we needed to eat lunch, so she showed us a room we could sit down in and eat. after, lunch we headed back into the kitchen to start working! aixa had us clean up. we cleared plates, glasses, food. some of us did the dishes, a few swept and mopped. the boys took out garbage. we set the tables for dinner. we prepped food for later. after all the clean up and prep, we then played games with any of the residences in the game room.
there was uno, dominos, and rummy going on! kelly and i joined a group playing rummy. we watched, we learned, we asked a lot of questions. our group was so funny. especially robert and linda. oh, did they love to bicker! linda felt robert made up his own rules and robert was always eagle eyeing everyone to make sure they weren’t cheating! bernadette seemed to be sleeping the whole time {although she wasn’t and was funny and kind}. charlie was a serious player with a knack of not enunciating any of his words and rosita, who i sat next to as well, was so stinkin’ sweet! she constantly smiled at me and always included me in everything.
after several rounds, robert asked if i wanted to play. i was still confused because it seemed like they made rules up as they went! but i was biddable, so i agreed and here i went with my first game of rummy! it was great, rosita helped me out a lot. time really flew by and before we knew it, we had to leave and head back to st. clement for the 5 pm mass. it was sad to go, we had so much fun!
we then went upstairs and had our time for reflection. i led the prayer and provoked our thoughts. how did we feel? how did we see the lord’s goodness in today’s events? i quivered a bit while reading, it got a little emotional for me! as we left, the officer in the front handed out little handmade thank you cards from the residences! it was so cute!
our trip back was quicker and we got there with plenty of parking left {smallest parking lot for a really big parish!}. we all sat together for mass and the group volunteered me to walk in the procession! ha, no one wanted to, so of course, they said, ‘you’re the team captain, you do it!”. so i went to the vestibule, grabbed our sign {each sign had the location of the place we volunteered at} and waited for the procession into the church to start. all the little kids, who participated in service day, went first {they planted their ‘fans’ into the pots around the alter} and i led the group of sign holders into the procession.
after the wonderful mass, that was led by fr. manny, we heading into the school for dinner {beer, wine, pop, pizza, pasta, bread, salad, + dessert}! it was so great to mingle, see everyone, and really revel in the day’s activities.
[cinco de mayo decor]
[sweeping and mopping! kelly..rich..tammy..jen]
[allison + jaimie doing the dishes]
[allison, eric, + jen playing dominos]
[bridget + jaimie playing uno with perl // she was sassy!]
[kelly watching the rummy game // linda is to the left and bernadette to her right]
[rummy]
[handmade thank you cards from the residences]
[dinner at the school]
[rich + i are dead center, three rows down from the top!]
it was such a wonderful day. it was so fulfilling, fun, happy, joyous, and a very humbling time. the biggest service day to date, 400+ participated this year!
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1thessalonians 5:18
what a wonderful start to may! warm weather, sunshine, and a day off! woooo! i love all the flowers blooming and the warm sunshine on my skin. so fantastic.
it's time for dining al fresco.
it's time to get in some cubs games.
it's time for some long walks.
it's time for open windows and breezy winds
to flow through the home.
i love, love, love not having a million layers on!
anyhoo, happy may y’all! i hope it’s a good month for all my lovies!
my last night {boo}, for awhile, with the wonderful miss olivia. it was a last minute gathering that turned out so perfect {yay!}. we discussed, at our last dinner, about going to the tasting room, a favorite of mine and caitlin’s. o has never been there, so we thought it would be fun to go there this past week. we left it in the air on whether or not we would go and everything fell into place for us to have dinner together!
the weather was great and the parking was easy. we got there and soon after, caitlin, claire, and kelly joined us.
we started with a few bottles of wine…um, it was half price night {score!}. we ordered the spanish platter, a baked brie plate, and the madeira mushrooms to start. it was all so delicious! i loved all the flavors. the nibbling. the tasting. the trying of new flavors.
we conversed, drank, ate, and giggled. it was a really fun time. after experimenting and devouring our ordered samplings, we decided we wanted more! we then ordered the truffle bruschetta {oh em gee!}, and more samples of cheeses. the bruschetta was soooooo delicious! it was like eating little bites of heaven!
[cabs + shirah’s // me + o // the menu // the amaze bruschetta]
after several hours there, we finally parted ways. it was sooo bittersweet. this truly was the last time i would see miss olivia for at least a few months. we said our goodbyes to the girls and we hopped into her car. she drove me home, as per our mantra…we sat in the car and talked for another good, solid hour! it was a good and sad conversation. a colloquy that had to be had.
i will miss you immensely, i will miss our hours long lunches/dinner, i will miss your animated stories, i will miss your presence, i will miss your hugs, and i hope that you return home soon.
i was able to celebrate olivia’s birthday the other night! it was bittersweet due to the fact that she is moving away to the sunshine state {insert sad face}. it was one of my last nights with her here in chicago for awhile…until she comes back or until i visit!
it was the freakiest weather when i left my place! snowflakes the size of quarters were falling down and the wind was so strong {hello, it’s almost may}! i was in disbelief! i was walking to the restaurant…darn it! i was going to be drenched in wet snow! as i sashayed my way down the street, i was dreading the very short walk. then, as i crossed a street, barely three blocks into my parade, the snow literally stopped. quite an enigma. i mean, one moment it was heavily snowing and the next second…nothing was in the air!!!! what an anomaly to experience! it was like i stepped into another dimension! phew! i was glad it stopped…saved me from looking like a drowned rat when i arrived at the restaurant!
it was a full house. we were packed in like sardines. we started with apps and a bottle of wine. our server was quite interesting…he brought the bottle of wine over for me to taste, poured the girls each a glass {mind you, it was the messiest pour i had ever seen at a restaurant!}, and then never poured my glass! hello?! i prefer a fuller glass of wine! not just a tasting! hmph.
we ate our food and relished in each other’s company on this typical, crazy chicago weather night. our server did know it was olivia’s birthday but we were taken by surprise when he came out with a sparkler lit tiramisu cake! i was so surprised that i forgot to snap a picture of the lovely o {shucks!}.
[caitlin, o, + moi]
[happy birthday!]
[here’s a photo of the ‘cake’ i never took .. looks pretty similar 😉 ]
anyhoo, it was a fun, cozy night to celebrate the ever youthful liv. i hope your day is full of love, happiness, and fun! happy beurffday girl!
how can you live greener? here are some ideas to start with!
buy vintage..use cloth rags versus paper towels..recycle everything..don’t waste food..use water filters..go paperless..buy an electric car..turn off lights..unplug electrics not in use..take your own bags to the grocery store..donate your clothes..garden..support local produce..use less energy
birthdays galore!!! it’s a busy month, this april o’ mine!
carol + famille flew in from florida {on vacay} to chicago, to host mackenzie’s first birthday party! it was, conventionally for them, a whirlwind weekend! after throwing her birthday fete, they then flew back home to seattle! bananas!
carol and i partnered, cross country, and commenced our crafty craziness together! we sent supplies to one another, we collaborated on ideas, we text, we emailed, and telephoned each other until all our creative ideas were complete! we were so excited upon the finish of all our decor! it was going to be so cute!
my day started early, as i debated on which mass to attend this past sunday…if i went to the 8am mass, i would have the rest of the day after the party. if i went to the 7pm mass…i could sleep in…hmmm, decisions, decisions. i actually went to the 8am mass! gasp! it definitely turned out for the better!
i was on a mission to get macarons after mass. i heard that floriole was a great place for delicious macarons! perfect, it was in lincoln park and a few minutes from church. i pulled up and ran inside, i looked at their case and noticed there were no macarons! what?! i asked the employee behind the counter and he said no macarons today {what the?!}. anyhoo, i needed breakfast so i ordered a pelligrino and a blueberry croissant. um, it was so stinkin’ good!!!!!
so, there i went to alliance bakery to pick up some macarons, i know they always have fresh ones! two dozen macarons later, i was on my merry way to lake forest!
carol and i scurried around to decorate and set up. ted cleaned up mackenzie and put her in the cutest birthday outfit! an hour later, we were set, and the first guests started to arrive! yay!
it was so splendid to see everyone and convene for such a happy event {and loud…thirty people and kids couldn’t get any louder!!}! all the kiddos were super happy {pizza and cake! no arguments there!} and all the grown kiddos had plenty of grub and drinks in hand. it was a success!
[purty sign carol made for the front door]
[cute birthday girl // look at that pout!]
[favors + bunting]
[birthday banner]
[me + carol]
[bunting .. kiddy treats .. lanterns]
[birthday smash cake!]
[macarons]
[cupcakes + flags]
[delicious dessert table]
[guest sign in book // inside a cute children’s book // i was quite proud of my rhyme]
[jaime + me]
[jaime, mackenzie .. look at that smile!, + pam]
[kisses]
[me + marina]
[birthday present time!]
[already a fashionista!]
[i’m ready for some sunshine]
[cake time!]
[toooooooo cute!]
[oh my]
[the beautiful family .. minus travis]
such a grand ole time with johnson’s! thank you to ted’s parents for hosting us at their beautiful house! thank you to carol + ted for a wonderful party. we will miss you guys. here’s my usual mantra for you both….MOVE BACK TO CHICAGO!
you can always be creative with favor bags! endless amounts of ideas + materials to be able to make such fun, adorable gift packages! there are so many ways to create the cutest little packaging for those fun, yummy give aways for your guests! it’s all very simple!
first, it starts with what you will be giving as a favor, once that is settled, you’ll want to tie in the theme of the party. for my hubby charming’s birthday, i wanted to incorporate the minor gold theme within the decor.
since it was his birthday, i decided to give away candies ‘born’ within his birth decade. for the packaging, i chose muslin bags. i bought them in bulk…it saves money and you will probably find another use for them in the future!
i purchased the gold ink and chevron stamp from papersource {use a piece of scrap paper as the base sheet so you don’t stain your table or counter when stamping}. i hand stamped each favor bag front and back {let it dry for a minute before stamping the other side}.
i purchased grey paper tags from a shop on etsy. with my stamp from papersource, i used a white based ink pad and stamped the word on one side. i took a white gel ink pen and traced over the letters to reinforce the color. on the opposite side, i wrote a little inscription explaining the favors. i then tied a tag to each favor bag and filled it with the goodies!
voila! cute little bags for the parrrtaaayyy!
[muslin bag .. ink pen .. stamps .. gold + white ink pad .. grey paper tag]
[stamp chevron pad with the gold ink]
[hand stamp both sides]
[ta-da! gold chevron]
[use the white ink pad to stamp the grey tag]
[trace over the letters with a white gel ink pen]
[tie the tag to the muslin strings .. if you want, you can write an inscription on the other side]
[fill the bag with candies or any goodies you prefer! i accented the bag with a festive button in honor of hc]
on this beautiful tax day, many years ago, my lovely hc was born! yay! one of the best days in the history of the earth.
happy day to my hc who is my best friend, my confidant, my ultimate love. he is the most caring, patient, loving, most understanding human being alive. we are like ying and yang. a match made in heaven.
i love him to bits and i am so lucky to have found him…or did he find me? or did technology find us?!
anyhoo, happy birthday to the most loving husband alive. you. are. simply. the. best. muwah!!!!
tonight was his fabulous night to party like he is 4-0! well, almost! his birthday is on monday but we were ready to get festive! i was so excited to have this day finally come into fruition! after months of planning + creating, it was a complete welcome to have it all come together this very night!
it was a very relaxing day to start. hc dropped me off at st. clement for my meeting {as a team captain for our upcoming service day!}, after a short informative meeting on our upcoming duties, hc met up with me, again, and we walked to a favorite after mass brunch restaurant, frances!
we went home and relaxed {time well spent before we parrrrtayyyyyyed!}. i actually got ready for the night and hubby charming and i went on a little errand run! balloons, cake, decorate, oh my! we picked up a few goodies {hubby charming was not allowed to peep at the cake!} and he dropped me off at the party destination to get ready whilst he went home to get all gussied up himself!
there i was, cake in hand, balloons in hand, and ready to decorate. i’m sure the patrons inside the bar were eyeing me all funny…who’s this girl who came in with this party package in hand?! hehehe.
away i went, commencing all the details to add to the festive mood for the night. i was super excited and on track. then, in came our first guests of the night and away we goooo!
[the beginning of the end]
[menu + favors]
[the delicious meal]
[party favors]
[tassels + 4-0 balloons]
[laughter]
[kt + me]
[buttons celebrating hc]
[matt, johann, + travis]
[ken + pete]
[thuy, lan, + kim]
[sistas]
[kt + kar]
[posse // dan, pete, kim, + terry]
[wild things // o, dana, kt, matt, johann, + kar]
[don’t make faces you don’t want me to post! ha! heart you O}
[thuy, lan, leyla, + charlie]
[beautiful people // chaz, courtney, janice, + johnny]
[this was the riot table // ruth, dave, ken, pete, carrie, jody, + lisa]
[pabst beer cake!!!]
[happy birthday hc!]
[everyone loved the fondant beer can!]
[enjoying our beer]
[hc + kt comparing their height! yes, kt is a tall skinny lady!]
[token]
[getting creative]
[what’s left of the big 4-0]
there you have it! although the pictures definitely don’t encompass all the joy, laughter, silliness, deliciousness, happiness, fun, energy, and love that we experienced tonight!!! it was the best time ever with friends + family, and hubby charming was as happy as a kid in a candy store. he was so ecstatic!
thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate hc’s birthday!!!! we are all so very thankful for each and every single one of you!
