sometimes you just crave some home cooking. when it comes to my mom’s cooking, it is hands down the best! it was on my agenda to come home to visit mes parents but i was super excited to find out my mom was cooking bun rieu!!! i love, love bun rieu!
it’s chock full of flavor. my mom sautéed the tomatoes {it’s hidden in her homemade broth…they were flavorful but i piled too much stuff on top of the noodles to see it in my bowl!}, she makes her own shrimp paste, it’s mixed with thick rice noodles, tofu, crab meatballs made from scratch, i added in shredded cabbage, sliced green onions, fish sauce, sriracha, red pepper flakes…oh em gee!
i couldn’t wait to eat. it is so amazingly delicious!
ahhhh, staycations. you just need them once in awhile, right?!! get some relaxation time in. get some stuff done. catch up on some sleep. i love going places {who doesn’t?!} but time at home is always nice {although a nice tan would be a bonus right about now}.
i was excited to meet up with dana the other day. we both had that day where errands ruled over us like an iron fist. getting stuff done was priority but our end goal was to meet up for dinner. success!
after i drove all over chicago {it was one of those days where i put off getting the little stuff done + that little stuff ended up like a treasure hunt around the city!}. i finally headed home to get some more stuff done, like crafty fun stuff! yay!
dana was finally on her way to my part of town. we decided to meet at a new taco place called takito. i was stoked to try this place, it just opened near the end of march. very cool interior, cozy and warm. it was interesting to have the bar completely open…no table or slab separating the patrons and bartenders.
[perusing some future deliciousness]
we were seated and started to peruse the menu. the waiter told us how they served their food, everything is to share, all their items are made from scratch…seasonal, fresh local ingredients. we started with the avocado pine nut puree with the house made corn flatbread. it was delicious and different. a very smooth texture that mixed well with the hearty, sweet flatbread.
[bar]
we then ordered the beef barbacoa {queso fresco, tamarind, chayote, + chile pequin} and grilled brunkow cheese {morita salsa, chayote, kale, peanuts, + date chutney} tacos with a side of roasted cauliflower {pickle squash pepian, fresh mozzarella, + pumpkin seeds}. all so delish! the only thing i cannot consume is cilantro…yes, cilantro. i have the most open palate, really i do, i will eat anything buuuutttt no cilantro!!!!! we contemplated ordering more {bigger tastebuds than tummy space!} but kaboshed that idea quickly after eating because we were soooooo stuffed!
[beef barbacoa]
after dinner, we strolled back to my place and had a girly movie night all snuggled up on the couch! romantic wedding movie, after romantic wedding movie we watched! pepper in some ice cream eating and i’d call that a good night!
today was the first day i was able to actually enjoy the warmer weather! it was great to be able to be outside without a jacket, the sun shining on your skin, your car window rolled down, the wind blowing in your hair without actually freezing your skin {woo wee}!
i was so happy to be walking down the city streets, basking in the sunlight as i listened to some great tunes. not rushing from store to store to get out of the cold {phew!}.
people just seem to be in a better mood. lighter on their feet. smiles on their faces. ahhhhh. i can’t wait for more consistent warm weather. this is when the city really comes to life. chicago in the summertime is just thebest.
i love eating al fresco, listening to the hum of the city, people watching {who doesn’t love people watching?!}. i love all the festivals that happen every weekend. i love sitting on the front step and just chilling. i love getting gelato, with hubby charming, at our local shop and walking home while eating it. honestly, my most favorite thing is traipsing around our neighborhood with my hubby…it doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we are outside enjoying the weather and having fun together. that’s what i love most about living in the city. there is always something to do!
yikes! i’m just so excited for spring + summer! a little taste of warm weather makes me want to bite off a chunk of it, more than i can chew! nom nom nom.
i hope everyone is enjoying the warm temps just as much as i am! get out and go walking! watch the flowers bloom, listen to the birds sing, and soak in some sunshine! vitamin d is good for you!
matt sent out a message to us, many moons ago, about his sister and brother-in-law coming into town {they live in vegas!}. he wanted to gather all of us {a group of us who, obviously, know them} together for dinner. that day finally came the other night!
i rushed home to find myself having no time to get ready {bummer!}. so off we went to one of matt + johann’s favorite restaurants, bread and wine. a super cozy and cutsey place on the inside.
it was great to meet up, again, with liz + josh! they just had a baby girl, stella!!! doesn’t liz look fab?! they are such a gregarious and jovial couple. it’s quite entertaining to hang out with them {throw matt into the mix and it’s just explosive!}.
we were the first to show up {and we thought we were running behind!} and slowly, one by one, everyone trickled in and the party really started! it was nice to have the corner table and area by ourselves, we were able to mingle and catch up with everyone there before we were seated for dinner. we reconnected with old friends and met some new faces! one big bummer of the evening? johann was traveling and couldn’t be there that night {insert sad face}. we missed him!
there were plenty of libations flowing, plenty of colloquial exchanges, and lots of laughter in the air. after many drink demands, we finally ordered our food. hubby charming and i started with the herb fries with a garlic malt aioli dipping sauce and the bay scallop crudo. our main entrees? pour moi…the coriander crusted tofu with eggplant, braised green kimchi, and chili broth. for hubby charming? the corned beef shanked ravioli. yum. the finishing touch? mud pie ~ nutella custard, ‘nilla wafer pudding, & hazelnut nougat!!
it was a very joyous time all together. who can beat fabulous conversations, food, and drinks?! winning combo, non?!
i definitely slept too much today. is twelve hours too much? lol. anyhoo, i got up and proceeded to get ready to meet kt for our movie date. i walked over to prasino for our lunch destination. we sat by the window, all cozy and warm, and started our chat fest to catch up on all of life’s crazy offerings. as usual, we had to decide on our meal choices before we continued to talk or else we would never get an order in!
after lunch, i coerced kt into doing a little grocery shopping before our movie time! i needed to pick up a few things because it was that time of the month again, making sack lunches for the homeless! we hit our local jewel and accomplished what i needed to do and wanted to do early because, honestly, i just knew i didn’t want to go later in the evening. no way. dunzo.
once we got back to my place, we settled in to watch the hobbit {i’m a huge lord of the rings fan as well}! yes! we are such fans! i loved, loved the book as a kid. i read it over and over during my sixth grade summer. it was so exciting to watch the movie and relive the imaginary moments i had as a child; to be able to recite the lines from the book, too. as the movie went on, i couldn’t wait for bilbo and the crew to get to the misty mountains! well, all of a sudden the movie ended! argh! nooooo! i have to wait to see the other half?! bummer! but i was quite content to have seen it with my buddy kt! it was awesome!
afterwards, we just hung out and talked. it was quite a chill day. it was marvelous to relax and take it easy with my ‘leg’. 😉
it was a whirlwind week! gosh, it went by so fast! i was so happy hubby charming was home {yay!}. i was excited it was almost easter. i was glad it was holy week. it was a whole lotta church this week {whoa}!
not much else going on this past week but going to mass every night. the easter vigil was a beautiful service and it is always so exciting to see people baptized or confirmed into the catholic religion.
our easter sunday was filled with a lot of eating + traveling. first on our agenda, picking up miss grace. we traveled up north, got the little lady, and traveled back down south to meet my family for brunch.
the brunch was delicious! we ate at the reel club. a brunch buffet filled with a variety and copious amounts of eats {what it should be like, right?!}. from endless amounts of seafood, kids food, breakfast, lunch, and yummy desserts choices {the chocolate mousse cups were divine!}. i personally chose a menage of breakfast treats. the croissants were delish! so buttery and flaky! who can pass up bacon and flavorful breakfast potatoes?! not moi!
after a fun filled time {crazy nephew antics included!}, we headed back to kim + terry’s for some more family time and photos. after a quick hang out, lots of gifts for grace {holy easter baskets! lucky gal!}, we embarked on our next adventure ~ to hubby charming’s parent’s house we went!
we met up with the fam as they were enjoying their brunch meal. we sat, we chatted, we nibbled, we hung out. it was relaxing and calm. it was great to catch up with hubby charming’s side of the family. grace played with daniel, aj, jake and she ate a lot of candy {oh boy}, there was no monitoring of that! it was a free for all {hey, it’s the holiday for the kiddo}. after much imbibing + noshing, the family soon trickled out one by one.
as everyone dissipated, aunt wendy really wanted to play farkle. yes, that wasn’t a misspelling, you read that correctly…it’s called farkle. i’m sooo not a game player. it’s not because i don’t have fun, it’s because i just don’t like learning how to play, amongst other reasons {hehe}. lazy, non? anyhoo, aunt wendy assured me that it was easy, and yes it was! i was completely amused and had a lot of fun!
soon, it was just the four of us; me, rich, dick and jane {grace’s step-dad so graciously picked her up from grandma’s, phew! one less road traveled for us!}. we chit chatted until the early evening and finally hit the road to our journey back home…a long, traffic filled journey {ugh!}.
all in all, it was a marvelous day! a day filled with family, laughter, fun, yummy eats, tons of candy, and lots of love. i hope everyone’s easter was just as great!
[flowers from daddy // basket by us // hat by grace]
[soeurs]
[bros]
[opening frenzy]
[r’s clown hair]
[leather sperry’s + b’s chubby feet]
[silly b // he kept asking everyone “can you see me?!”]
hubby charming came home the other night after being gone for a really, really, really long time! yikes {no bueno}.
well, i’m very excited to have him home for holy week! to get festive, we dyed easter eggs! it was a cozy night in, pj’s and messy hair required! of course, i’m speedy like water and hubby charming is slow as ice dying our easter eggs. i wish i had made the dye more potent {next time}! we tried ombre, one color, double color, and added spiffy decorations to our eggs {well, mostly hc…he got a little more creative that me!}.
it was a lovely relaxing night in and i couldn’t have asked for anything more!
comb yer hair!
easter egg flair
i love decorative bowls
rainbow o fun
hubby charming at work
patience
working so diligently on dyeing my eggs
pretty watercolor paper towels
ta da!
my favorite ceramic ‘carton’ from anthropologie
i hope y’all are doing something fun + festive for this easter! i’ve got baskets made, eggs dyed, + family time planned. it’s going to be a good one!
yes, our wedding day has come and gone but that does not mean my love for the loveliest day ever dissipates! i love all things weddings {really, i do!}. i only wish everyone could experience such a euphoric day as we had experienced!
the moment you become engaged, your mind races with ideas {yikes!}…what colors will you choose? who will be your bridesmaids? what will your dress look like? when will the date be? which photographer will you hire {kate headley, of course}?!
once you settle on the big question…the date! your brain starts to brew a slew of ideas. what kind of save the dates will you choose? you definitely want to set the tone of your wedding with your save the dates. it doesn’t have to be all encompassing or completely idyllic of your wedding theme {your ideas will evolve so much, what you originally thought you were going to do or have will probably change 10x!}. it just has to represent the both of you in the moment. no more, no less. make it fun, make it quirky, make it unique!
here are some fun, lovely save the date ideas…
[decoder // ruffledblog]
[scratch off // ohsobeautifulpaper]
[tea towel // weddingchicks]
[canvas on an easel // bklynbride]
[trinket box // my favorite // michiemay ~ etsy]
[pencil us in // blueenvelope ~ etsy]
[viewmaster // melangerie ~ etsy]
[hankies // weddingchicks]
[paperdolls // happinessisblog]
aren’t these ideas just adorbs?! it makes me want to get married all over again {hee}! it’s not just for weddings either! transfer these great concepts to your party invites and voila! snazzy invitations for your guests!
i love how wedding styles have evolved so much; that it’s more about you and your fiancé’s style than so much about the tradition you should carry. the old school stuff that might not really suit you or really mean that much to you and your partner. don’t get me wrong! i love a clean, classic, all american traditional wedding. but adding your own twists and quirks can make it really stand out and truly represent the both of you! that’s what it’s really about, right?!
today is the first day of arguments in the supreme court around equality for all. sounds strange, doesn’t it? that we have to debate equality for all. the subject? prop 8 and DOMA.
i {and i’m sure many of you} are personally affected by this highly debated, heated topic. i believe in equality for all. my friends and family, who are gay, deserve the right to be seen in the eyes of our government as equal people in marriage. this fight is passionate for me. this subject holds dear to my heart. we need to open up our eyes to understand that human rights, human dignity must be given to everyone. where there is life, there is God, and we must respect every being in our midst.
it baffles me that we still live in a world where something like this is still in debate. you would think this mindset {equal rights} would be more ubiquitous. i have seen progress, albeit, slow progress during my life span. i have seen more and more people opening up their minds and their hearts to this very subject. i have seen more and more people become comfortable with the gay and lesbian community. i have witnessed more and more celebrities affirm their sexual orientation to uphold and support this very fight we are in. i have experienced gay couples in stronger relationships or marriages than my straight friends. gay or straight, my friends and my family are the most amazing people in my life. they add joy + love to my life; they are all unique individuals but never less than one another. never will any upstanding citizen be less than another.
millions of people corroborating on this idea of marriage equality cannot be wrong. i only hope that the decisions made will only propel our nation’s progress, not impede it.
sunny weather. cozy pj’s. hubby charming. chicago. flowers. christmas. family. fuzzy socks. my nephews. white cake. color. our wedding video. kittens and puppies. tagalongs. our wedding photos. comfy pillows. warm blankets. macarons. sassy shoes. gelato. candles. long hair. mail. haribo gummy bears + peaches. sleep. sleeping in. our wedding day. new york. pictures. grace. my ‘pink’ pillow. lipstick. art. friends. starbucks. holidays. glitter. delicious food. reef flip flops. crafting. paper. paris. love. pool time. birthdays. new years. clean bathrooms. st. clement. decorating. warmth. summer afternoon walks. shopping. a good read. toes in sand. breakfast. balloons.
speaking of balloons. i love balloons {who doesn’t?!}. a fete isn’t complete unless you have balloons. yes, i know they are not environmentally safe {boo}. yes, there’s the concern about the helium ‘shortage’ {what?!}. but yeessss, they are fun and festive! my favorite, favorite style of balloons are geronimo! these balloons just scream parrrtaayyyyy. i love gold balloons, colored balloons, clear balloons {add confetti!}, number balloons, balloons inside balloons, tasseled balloons, big balloons, bunches of balloons…ya get it?!
[neutrals // bhldn]
[fun brights // weddings.miham]
[geronimo + macaron fete]
[bunches o smiles // geronimo]
[the photo that inspired my diy first anniversary photo shoot balloon! // bklynbrideonline]
[festive fall decor // apartmenttherapy]
doesn’t it just put you in a good mood?!
i love tassel-y, ribbon-y, shin-y, sparkle-y, colorfull-y styled balloons! they make kids smile. they add pizzaz to any party. they make me do a little dance {whoop, whoop!}.
who knows, you might just catch me, one day, walking down the street with balloons in my hand! i’ll just smile and wave to passerby’s on the streets to share my love and happiness with strangers. it’ll be like giving free hugs without touching anyone {lol}.
it’s quite a farfetched tangent {silly, i know}. one can only dream of sharing the love, right?
