Everyday Stuff

Emergency Train Money Fund.

This pot of gold has saved me from countless commuting mishaps. Because some mornings I suck at having a train ticket. Thank you, pot of unwanted change. You’re the best.

Air freshner.

Sometimes I cook fish. And brussel sprouts. This is clearly a tasty, yet smelly affair. These yellow lovelies keep it smelling more like Easter morning and less like Easter leftovers. Thanks, kitchen flowers. You’re #1.

Waiting patiently.

This is like having a present under the tree, except for you already know what is inside. At least you are pretty sure you know. It is surely just the thing you wanted. The wait to open it is almost as fun as having it. Almost.

These are EVERYWHERE.

I am positive that if the apocalypse came tomorrow, I could build either a really nice fort/barricade or a decent bonfire for cooking/warmth from all the law textbooks in the house. We will be safe and sound. No worries. Until that day, they will continue to be strewn about, serving as little reminders that the school year has started again. Justin is in his last year (ahem…the 22nd year) of his schooling. Woot!

This is probably what would happen to my face if I had to read one of the previously mentioned text books.

This is the drunken fruit guard. He is clearly wasted, and he keeps the fruit safe. That is all I have to say about that.

Lavender on the porch.

My mom-in-law Donna gave me a bunch of Lavender to take home with me from Colorado. It thinks Chicago is pretty swell and likes it’s vintage bowl that used to be my grandma Edna’s.

Pillow

This pretty fractal-like embroidered pillow sits on the couch all day looking good. It’s other hobbies are being shed on by stupid furry cats and being abused by silly humans that might want to actually lay on it. It is rather new to the house and doesn’t know that it’s job description includes more than just “being ridiculously good looking.” Get over yourself, pillow.

Nom nom nom.

This towel knows what’s up. It is good looking AND useful. Doesn’t mind getting the job done, and still looks cute at the end of the day. Well played, squirrel kitchen towel.

Butt Print

This chair is the best. It is evidently popular and well butt-imprinted.

Weekly Pictures of Happiness?

So I have clearly been slacking, but regularly scheduled DPH will return tomorrow. My brain has been all mushy the last couple weeks, but has started to gel again. Things are good. Here are some WPH instead.

Norp and her dad.

Last year, our landlord tore down ALL the ivy that was growing on the front of the house. This made me really sad for awhile, but I noticed it is growing back as strong as ever! (Insert "thus is life" metaphor here)

Peaches at the Chicago Farmstand. It is like an indoor local farmer's market on Randolph street. It's not as great as a visit to the real farmer's market, but it is always there and pretty nifty, neat, and swell.

Local! Not shipped from South America! Not covered in poison!

Purple bottles at a new home store in Andersonville called Brimfield.

Brimfield's library of blanketry.

The vintage tartan bag made me swoon. Makes me want crispy fall weather. I might even haul out the breadmaker.

Taste of Heaven's steel cut oatmeal with peach compote and granola.

French onion soup.

This Pertains to My Interests

This image has nothing to do with the brunch you are about to receive, but I took it on Saturday night on my date with Justin. It is the closest thing we get to "big sky" in our hood. Don't laugh at me if you are from Colorado.

So this weekend, my brother, his friends, and his ridiculously nice camera came for a visit. You might ask,”Was he apartment hunting because he is moving here shortly?” No such luck. Yet. But I feel like we are making strides in the right direction.

Most of the trip was a series of mishaps and getting caught in the rain, but at least brunch didn’t let us down. Six of us trudged up to northern Andersonville, or “Wisconsin” as Justin would say, and waited for about 6 hours in 90 degree heat/steam before being seated. We were eventually lead to a table on the patio directly in the sun, in the same heat that we just waited in for 27 hours. On the bright side, a constant stream of condensation from our water glasses dripped on our legs, and Amber guzzled an iced coffee the size of her torso.

Sounds great, right? Well when the food arrived, all was forgiven. Just look at it!

Summer peach & almond bostock french toast: Two thick slices of homemade almond crusted brioche french toast, layered with warm syrah poached summer peaches and vanilla creme anglaise.

Let's just see that again.

I am telling you, I am more of a savory breakfast person, but this is one of the best things I have ever eaten before noon. I wish I could send this through your computer screen so you could taste it.

Casey's keylime and apricot brioche french toast: Three thick slices of french toast layered with homemade lime curd and fresh apricot.

The awesome thing about having a six person brunch is getting to try all the other dishes that you were pondering on the menu. I had blackberry blisscakes, mango & sour cherry blisscakes, huevos borrachos, and my good friends–home fries.

We signed our bill just as the storm hit the patio, we congratulated each other on our perfect timing, then we ran/waddled to our buses and declared brunch a victory.

If you would like to try these delightful dishes, and you live within 10 hours of Chicago, go to M Henry on Clark. You will not be disappointed.

The Ah-ha Moment

So I was playing around with the camera, and realized that I am a TOTAL IDIOT. I just learned that I can easily adjust the intensity of the flash so that everything is not blown out. I can’t tell you how excited I am to have figured this out. But at the same time I feel the ache of a thousand photos that could have turned out if I had only known this simple function existed.

I have hated using the flash up until this point, and only did so as a last resort. Now I feel like Flash is my super hero sidekick that exists to make all photos taken indoors a million times better. Life changing!

Although an “ah-ha” moment can give me a healthy rush of feel-good adrenaline, it is always accompanied by a stabbing pang of “oh DUH.” And usually I can’t help but think of how many hours had been previously wasted trying to solve a particular problem. Especially when the solution seems so painfully obvious or simple. This happened to me about a million and one times while learning design software. I can still remember the day that I learned about the “align” tool in Illustrator. Or “find>change” in InDesign. Or how to mask in Photoshop. Life was better after learning these tools, but ohhhh the hours spent in the computer lab before this knowledge…painful.

Ah-ha moments are not restricted to technology of course. I have had them during a creative brainstorm at work, while figuring out how to navigate a new city, cooking a new recipe, and falling in love with Justin.

I guess the moral of the story is to “be cool and stay in school.” If I ever stop learning just because I am not officially enrolled in a class, then I am officially old. Although it can be a humbling process, I am convinced that ah-ha moments are the fountain of youth. I want to have them throughout the rest of my life.

Here are my first photos with my new knowledge applied:

Rescued by the Park

I was at a very low point yesterday at work. The last week and a half has not been very kind to me. So, when I saw a window for escape I took it. No wallet, no purse, just a camera and my security pass to get back in the building.

Have you ever fallen off a raft in ferocious whitewater rapids? And been sucked under by the current and then beaten repeatedly on sharp rocks? Then you surface and gasp the most precious breathes of air you have ever breathed? And you realize you are alive and will live happily ever after? (Me neither, but I have seen it on TV). The second I stepped out of the office, and into “fresh” Chicago air, I felt like everything was going to be fine.

I went to Millennium Park to see what the late summer gardens look like. I haven’t really been over there since spring, because I must be an idiot or something. It turned out to be one of the best lunches (sans food) that I have ever had. I felt like a normal person again after just one hour of wandering around.

As I was about to head back to the office, I heard the most beautiful sound. The symphony was rehearsing in the Pritzker Pavilion during lunch! What?!? I should have known about this. I hadn’t heard the acoustics of the Pavilion before; it was so good that I almost cried. Free lunchtime concerts in the park: $0. Not running from my job screaming and crying: Priceless.

Really Sappy

Totally mushy.

Completely gaga.

If you can get a small garbage can, that would be great. A toilet would do fine as well. I would highly advise that, because I’m quite sure that you will gag/barf if you continue reading.

So, we are approaching our third wedding anniversary this Labor Day weekend. I can’t say that every single day of marriage has been hearts and rainbows, because that is impossible. If anyone claims that, they are liars or actors. BUT, I can say that most days, I feel like we are the luckiest people this side of the Mississippi.

When we met, we were both very different than we are today. It is obvious that you and your partner will change and grow over the course of a longterm relationship. As we change, we meet up again in the middle and decide that we still sorta-kinda like each other. A lot. This is a strange thing to me. The two people in this marriage today are far different from the two people that met 6.25 years ago, yet it still works. And it feels like it is getting better.

I am sorry, this is reeeeaaalllly mushy. Are you dry heaving?

I hope that as we get older, and become new versions of ourselves over and over again, that we still continue to re-bond as a couple. We are doing pretty well so far. And I just can’t get enough Justin right now.

Like I said, I just feel lucky.

Do not barf in the lucky penny wishing pool.

Good Combinations

Some things just go well together. Wine and sun. Friends and a table for four. Tough questions and thoughtful advice. Green beans and tempura. Cheese and anything. Peaches and tomatoes. New beginnings and old alliances. This week I am thankful for my friends. I love them more than cheese. And that is all I have to say for today.

Grown Up

I feel like such a big girl every time I replace something I bought at IKEA. A couple of years ago, nearly EVERYTHING I owned was purchased from the Swedish wonderland of affordable do-it-yourself home goods. Which is just fine and dandy for a few years, but then your furniture starts to explode or dissolve. They should put expiration dates on all the boxes (oh dear me the BOXES…) so that you know the approximate date of when you will have to completely refurnish your home, due to utter failure of the couch/rug/dresser you just bought.

Everything looks so nice at first. Your apt is stunning! It helps that you are totally high from getting SUCH A GOOD DEAL! Look at how many rooms you furnished! Say, you are smart and good looking. And you have excellent taste in pillow covers!

What is that cracking noise? Oh god…the dresser. It has literally exploded. Fantastic. Great.

Is that a tumble weed? What the hell is all this white fluffy crap? OH…the rug. Awesome. I love how it sheds worse than a cat and also seems to be a lint remover/dirt trap for the world. It used to be so pretty. So fluffy, so clean. What smells like wet cat?

So I am pleased to be cheating on IKEA with West Elm. I love them very much, although their shipping is usually pretty expensive and sometimes slow. But when my mom mentioned a free shipping event last weekend I jumped at the chance to get a decent living room rug. It is perfect! And the Dyson is not interested in ingesting it! Woot!

Yay rug! This is a bit blurry, but you get the idea. Note that the table is an IKEA purchase...and so is the lamp. I love them dearly and apologize if anything I have said here offended them.

Porp tested. Feline approved.

Does Porpus look skinnier to you?

P.S. I quit drinking caffeine last week. It was a rough couple of days, but I am so happy that I did. I can sleep through the night! No early morning wake-up-and-worry sessions. No mid-day crashes. And my skin is better. I am now taking tea suggestions if you have any.

Reason #4,582 That My Brother Should Move to Chicago

There are thousands of reasons why my brother should move to Chicago. The “Movies in the Park” is one of them. Who doesn’t love a free movie in a lake-side park with food, friends, and a gorgeous skyline?

Jordan, what are you doing? Why aren’t you in these photos? Stop being lame.

Look, Ryan saved you a seat!

The girl on the right needs a patty-cake partner

Did you see the weird fog creep into the Loop during sunset, making things all dreamy? No? Stop being lame.

What is Amber looking at? Not you.

She even passed the delicious olives to you, and with no one to grab them, they made a terrible mess on the picnic blanket. Horrible olive fail.

Olive fail #2?!?! Why, Jordan? Why??

Heaven in a Crock Pot

Let’s talk about meat for a second.

I grew up on a mainly vegetarian house. My mom has been a vegetarian off and on for a good part of her life. My brother as well.  I was a vegetarian myself for a couple years. This was all fine and good and fairly easy, even as a fifth grader. That is until the summer camp vegetarian options presented themselves to me. I almost starved on lunches and dinners of iceberg lettuce with ranch dressing, until chicken fingers came to my rescue. I didn’t want to pass out at the campfire during a rousing rendition of “Give me gas in my Ford, keep me truckin’ for the Lord…” The second verse of that song actually has the line “Give me cheese on my cheeto, God is neato, neato, NEATO.” I am not making this up. I miss camp.

Anyway, I would be perfectly happy to be a vegetarian again, but it would make meals extremely difficult to plan. Justin likes meat, and I really don’t feel like making us separate dishes every night.

Maybe it is the weather, but I have a very low meat tolerance lately. I can’t seem to eat more than a couple ounces of the stuff without being totally full or turned off by the meal. Sometimes the smell of it turns me off. I will often negotiate a trade with my sweet meat-eating husband, and will end up with a heaping double order of brussel sprouts. I feel like I am the winner in this trade; I’m as happy as the kid in the cafeteria that traded her carrots for a Snack Pack.

So if you have any vegetarian entree ideas, that would satisfy a meat loving man as well, send them my way. I need help.

This all being said, my friend Casey bought 4 lbs of pork butt for a roof deck party she hosted on Sunday. Then she called around to ask people if she could BORROW A CROCK POT…people thought she had been kidnapped and that “crock pot” was some sort of code meant to secretly indicate her distress. It wasn’t possible that she really wanted one. The thing is, she doesn’t really cook. So when she announced that she was not catering the BBQ, but making it from scratch, we were all dumbfounded. But also curious.

Even with her lack of cooking experience, and my meat issues, I have to say that she knocked this one out of the park. I think she said that she cooked the pork for 13 hours total. It was good. Add a pickle, it was amazing. Casey better be cooking from now on. She can’t use excuses anymore. Because we know the truth.

Bravo! I am not sure this can look pretty in a picture, but I assure you it was divine.

Oh no he didn't...

Neato, neato, neato.

Photo credit: Mr. Boley.

Oh, goodness. Punk Marie is really a sucker for the Sutter Home. She is clearly a classy lady.