Be Thankful (Part 1)

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This time of year, it is important to count our blessings and remember that, no matter what, each day is a gift! I am so blessed to have such wonderful family, close friends and a magnificent life in the city. I look around and I am thankful every day. It may be cliche to say that everything happens for a reason, but I truly believe that it does. I am so thankful for the many days that brought me to where I am now and I am pre-thankful for the days to come. Enjoy the festivities with your loved ones and know that I am thankful for you reading this, too!

xoxo

Home Improvement

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Last weekend, my mom came to the big city to help me put the final decorative touches on my room/apartment. If you think two fashionistas don’t make a handy man, think again! A trip to the hardware store and one badass level later, we had quite the masterpiece. Plain walls – RIP :)

Let there be light!

Lamp: World Market $15 (pick your own shade)

Frames: TJ Maxx $4.99-6.99

Side table: Target $89.99

Nightcap

Canvas & DKNY Bedding: Bed Bath and Beyond

Bed: Dania Furniture

“Save your money, dress better

and catch a better husband.”

Canvas: Marshall’s $14.99

Hangers: Marshall’s $9.99/pack

Storage Solutions

Hat boxes: eBay $12 each

Photo boxes: Meijer $10 each

A fun way to store beauty, craft and tech supplies!

Nostalgia

Frames: Bed Bath and Beyond, DIY $49.99 for 7

Kit includes patterns for fool proof hanging!

TIP: Google “Walgreen’s photo coupons” and save BIG! I’ve saved over 50% of all of my photo purchases in the last 6 months!

With Love and Sprinkles

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I am so happy to say that one of my good friends & fellow Chicago gal, Gill, has finally begun her own baking blog! She makes a ton of sinful, wonderful, melt-in-your-mouth creations – of which my favorite has to be chocolate chip cookies with red velvet cake in the center. Yup, I said it.

Anyway, you can find her new blog here: With Love and Sprinkles  and see the magic for yourself! Recently, she made homemade Twix bars. It really doesn’t get much better than that. The girl is genius! Love you, Gill! Welcome to the blogging world <3

“A great many things can be resolved with kindness, even more with laughter,

but there are some things that just require cake.“

 

Sealed With A Kiss

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One of my favorite things in this world is lip gloss. I used to beg my Nana to let me wear her lipstick when I was little just so I could feel a little bit more beautiful, even though I had no other makeup on. These days, it seems like lip gloss is pouring out of every drawer I own, begging me to wear it and I just can’t say no! I’ve actually gotten comments about how frequently I gloss-up :) (sorry I’m not sorry?) Anyway, I was stumbling the internet one day and found this cute little lipstick guide – what to wear on which occasions – and thought I’d share my favorites for said occasions!

First Date: Buxom Lips, Tempest $14 at bareMinerals

Lip plumper warning – it’s very tingly!!

Job Interview: Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush, Oatstanding $7

Tastes good too!

Meeting the parents: NYX, Nude Pink or La La $5.99 at Ulta

Night out dancing: NYX, Plush Red $5.99 at Ulta

*my current night-out favorite! (mix with a pale gloss to lighten)

Important meeting:  Benefit Cosmetics, Hey Sailor – benefitcosmetics.com

Matte finish – add a light or clear gloss for shine

Grocery store: Too Faced Glamour Gloss, Peek-a-Boo $19 toofaced.com

Lip plumping and shimmery – my all-around favorite

Wedding guest/dinner party: NYX, Dolly Pink $5.99 at Ulta

A bit more intense than the article suggets, but a gorgeous and fun shade!

From the Mouths of Babes

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I stumbled upon this website that had quotes about love -

all from kids under the age of 10.

Read ‘em and weep:

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.

Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.

Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of theirs.

Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.

Love is when you kiss all the time, then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and talk more.

Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.

and… my personal favorite:

Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.

100 Reasons to Smile

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My very first quote book was a gift given to me by my Aunt Vicky back in 2006 and it was titled “Seize the Moment, An Inspirational Journal.” I’d been gifted so many journals before, but this one began my love affair with quotes and, eventually, little wonders. I was flipping through Seize the Moment last night and I found several pages outlining “100 reasons to smile.” Even though I didn’t call them it at the time, they’re definitely the little wonders that still keep me going to this day. I’m not going to list all 100, but here are the ones who are still nearest and dearest to my heart today:

#1 Star gazing

#11 Peanut butter and chocolate

#14 Theme Parties

#17 Design

#22 Chicago

#34 Long, hot showers

#35 The smell of cinnamon rolls

#37 Waking up to your best friend[s]

#45 “I love you”

#50 Quotes

#59 Back scratches

#62 Laying out

#84 Ice skating

#93 Musicals

#97 Swingsets

Five Pearls of Wisdom

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After going through my quote books for one of my girlfriends tonight, I found several gems of inspiration to share this week. Tomorrow’s post will be much longer, but these “pearls of wisdom” brought a huge smile to my face. Sometimes, you just need to lay it out like it is. Enjoy :)

Money can’t buy happiness, but somehow it is much more comfortable crying in a porsche than on a bike

Forgive your enemy,

but remember his name

Help a man when he is in trouble and he will remember you when he is in trouble again.

Many people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them.

Alcohol doesn’t solve any problems, but neither does milk

Hostess with the Mostess

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Hosting friends for the weekend is always a treat, but not everyone is up on the logistics. Sometimes it’s hard to find sleeping space for everyone, feed everyone, find parking or have everyone be ok with a billion people invading your home. With a little bit of preparation, it’s a snap! You only need to master 4 main areas to have a weekend visit become a simple (and inexpensive!) success:

1. Accommodations

If you don’t have a pull-out couch or futon, it’s definitely worth it to invest in an air mattress. We were lucky enough to inherit one in recent history that inflates and deflates practically on command. And it can sleep up to three :) Providing blankets wouldn’t hurt, either!

2. Food

It’s not completely necessary to cook every meal for everyone, but you can definitely reduce the expense of a weekend visit (bar tabs – yuck!) by investing in easy, filling meals that can accommodate 4 or more people – depending on your party size. My weapons of choice are a simple pasta with chicken, veggies on the side and for breakfast, pancakes and eggs are a quick fix for everyone! Total cost is less than $15 for all of the ingredients needed!

3. Parking Passes

Being in a big city poses the question of parking. In Chicago, all you have to do is go to the Alderman in your area and you can get 15 parking passes for $8. Anywhere else, you should definitely research the best option so that you have a concrete plan for when your guests arrive. Nothing is worse than spending 30 minutes trying to find a safe spot!

4. Basic Necessities/Toiletries

Traveling to someone’s apartment/house/condo for the weekend is hard enough when you have to bring several outfits and shoes and bags that may or may not be useful to you later, etc., let alone when you have to add towels, beauty basics, toiletries etc. to the mix. I like to keep spare towels around for my guests, obviously the standard paper products, hair appliances (blow dryer, flat iron, curling iron, etc.), spare blankets and a few common cleaning supplies wouldn’t hurt either. Spills happen! And these are all things you can definitely use even when you don’t have guests around.

It might seem like a lot – but I promise it’s not! It’s super easy and it makes everyone feel comfortable and at home. If you’re hosting, why not go all out? The clean up isn’t bad, either :)

Blue Star Bistro

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Since moving to Chicago, I joined a ton of area email lists to get tips and leads on places to shop, eat, explore, etc. One day, Blue Star Bistro came across my email with a deal for two appetizers, two wine flights and two desserts. I saved it for a special occasion and when my roommate moved in, we decided to go to celebrate her birthday. A $12 cab ride later, we arrived at the adorably cozy wine bar. It was a Monday, so we had the place practically to ourselves.

Preceding our visit, we tweeted BSB about coming in and we were told to mention our tweet when we finally made it there. Although we were apprehensive to mention it at first, it turned out that our waitress was the face behind their twitter and the guy behind the bar was the manager! How lucky are we? We enjoyed our deal of a dinner with two appetizers that I couldn’t get a picture of because they were SO good! I would highly recommend the Croquettes as an appetizer – it’s like a mozzarella stick rolled into a ball with goat cheese instead. Bad description? Top it off with a sweet blueberry sauce. YUM!

We had the choice of two wine flights – we chose the ever-popular Latin Lover wine flight and now I can’t remember the name of the other! We were smart enough to write down the names of the individual wines, though:

From the top left: Selecto Falagnino Negroamaro, Cantina Gini Chianti and Colterenzio Pinot Grigio

From the bottom left: Torresella Nero d’avola Sicily, Ramos Adriano Pinto Portugal and Dos Fincas cabernet/merlot Argentina

As if that weren’t enough, we took full advantage of the graham cracker crusted Nutella dessert – complete with marshmallow and raspberry sauce. To. Die. For:

We can’t stop talking about the amazing food, wine and people we experienced at Blue Star – we are definitely rounding up all of our friends for our next visit.  Can’t wait to make it a “regular spot” – and I will definitely have to take my mom when she comes next week (hint hint!)