Lovely Mallory Square

The best place to catch a sunset....

and a quirky entertainment...

and delicious drinks!

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Via

This year I'm incredibly thankful FOR:

My dog, Ozzie, who always snuggles.

Series Recordings on my DVR so I never miss a show.

Pumpkin flavored anything.

My lovely parents and brother.

Belly-aching laughs with my friends.

Celebrating Thanksgiving with those I love while on a vacation. 2 for 1!

Enjoy your time with friends and family!

Be Thankful.

ABC's

I saw this idea on another blog this weekend and thought it was cute. So here goes:

A. Are you a PC or a Mac: Mac all the way.



B. Best current show on TV: Parenthood

C. Chore you hate: Putting laundry away. Ugh.

D. Dessert?: Tiramisu or Cupcakes

E. Essential "start the day" item: Alarm clock. Seriously. And I love me a tall, soy, sugar-free, cinnamon dolce latte from Starbucks.

F. Favorite color, month and beverage: Blue, October, Dr. Pepper (And yes, I could have written down 30 more things)



G. Go-to gift for others: Hmm, everyone I know loves a Starbucks card. But I also like to give Bliss, Kiehl's or Philosophy gifts.

H. Height: 5'7.5"

I. Interesting Fact About You: I was born with a head full of black hair but had blonde roots. Weird, huh?

J. Job: Attorney

K. Kids: Now? Zero. Future? Maybe 2?

L. Last Trip You Took: Copper Mountain in August.

M. Musician: Too Hard! Ray LaMontagne, David Gray, Coldplay, Adele, Sara Bareilles, Katy Perry... the list goes on and on.

N. Nickname: Erbear, Er, E.

O. Oprah or Ellen?: Ellen! So Hilarious!!

P. Pets: The love of my life, Ozzie

Q. Quote: "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future" JFK

R. Righty or Lefty?: Righty

S. Siblings: 1 brother, B.

T. TV Shows: Get ready...Parenthood, Dexter, The Big Bang Theory, RH of Atlanta & Beverly Hills, The Good Wife, Bones, Fringe, Vampire Diaries, Glee, Giuliana & Bill. My DVR works overtime. And I'm always behind on shows.

U. Underwear: Calvin Klein or Hanky Panky

V. Veggie: Green Beans or Asparagus

W. Wallet: Marc by Marc Jacobs



X. X-rays you've had: Wrist, Collarbone...both broken!

Y. Yahoo or Google?: Search on Google, News Stories on Yahoo

Z. Zipper or Button fly?: Zipper. Button flies take too long!

Feel free to share your ABC's!!

F-R-I-D-A-Y

TGIF!

After my first week on the new job I can honestly say I'm tired. I've been enjoying my time off post-bar exam and now I'm heading to work and my days seem to slip away.

I totally understand why everybody's working for the weekend :)

Hope each of you has a fabulous weekend!

Mine will include:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Don't hate.

A goodbye party for my dear friends who are moving to London Town :(

Sleep.

Via

Weekend Roundup

Friday my friend K and I went out for some Italian style pizza and bubbles. We went to town on a Florentine pizza and some Veuve and had a great night out. Too bad we started with Pinot Noir and were home by 10:30 ahh the joys of getting older :) And being a lush.



Saturday we went to a cooking expo which was kind of a bust and then shopped. I actually started my Christmas shopping. Go me! Then we saw Morning Glory which I thought was both funny and cute. Love Harrison Ford!

Casual Outfit from Friday during the day...

Jacket: Blogged about it here.
Sweater: Ann Taylor Loft
Jeans: Joe's 'Muse'
Flats: Cole Haan Air Ballet Flats. Similar ones here.

Surprised my niece with these adorable Ugg boots. I love how tiny they are. And thew style name is 'Erin' therefore I had to buy them :) Because, you know, a 6 month old will totally remember her first Ugg boots. Right? haha

So cute and tiny!

What did your weekend entail?!

Brunch Drinks

I love a good brunch. And more importantly the drinks!

First. The Ultimate. The Mimosa.




via

You really can't mess this one up. Buy some champagne. No need for Cristal, just a nice bubbly. Or sparkling wine.

Pour the champagne in first. Top with the same amount of chilled orange juice. Enjoy!

I like to use white wine glasses for a bigger mimosa ;) Also, if you don't like OJ just have a glass of bubbles and drop frozen raspberries or strawberries in the bottom of the glass. Yum.

Secondly. The Meal in a Glass. The Bloody Mary.






So tasty. So filling. Endless possibilities!

You'll need:
-Good Vodka
-Bloody Mary Mix (I use Mrs. T's or you can make your own)
-Celery
-Limes
-Pepperjack Cheese
-Cheddar Cheese
-Sausage
-Skewers

-Rinse, clean & chop celery
-Wedge Limes. Cut lime in the middle on the "flesh" so it can sit on the rim of the glass.
-Cut cheeses & sausage into small cubes.
-Skewer cheeses & sausage, alternating flavors.

THE BLOODY DETAILS.
-ICE, ICE, ICE FIRST! KEY!
-Vodka over the ice. (I don't use shot glasses, I count)
-Top with Bloody mix.
-Squirt in lime.
-Stir with celery.
-Place skewer in drink. Makes for a tasty treat!

You might want to have Tabasco, Worcestershire Sauce, and pepper on hand for those who like it spicy! You can put anything in a bloody. I swear. Bacon. Okra. Pickles. Olives. Whatever!

Refreshing. Simple. Cucumber Water.



This water is not only refreshing, it's pretty to look at too!

What you'll need:
-Bottled water/Filtered water/good water/whatever you want
-Cucumber

-Thinly slice cucumbers
-Drop in bottle (use a pitcher, carafe, an old reused bottle)
-Put cold water on top of cucumbers.

The cucumber will give the water a light, refreshing flavor. Enjoy :)

Do you have any favorite Brunch drinks?!

Looking For an Easy Read??

Last January I took a cruise with my best friend from college, K. We're both huge bookworms and went through a dozen books. K always finds the light, easy reads we both love to fly through. It was on this trip that she introduced me to Nora Robert's Bride Quartet Series. I immediately loved it and bought book 2 in the airport.

The story line follows 4 childhood friends who run a wedding planning company out of one of the character's New Haven estate. It's an incredibly light read. So if you're looking for a deep, thought-provoking novel...put this down. But the friendship, romance, and details make it a fun and quick ride. I highly recommend it!

The series starts with Vision in White.

Then Bed of Roses.

Onto Savor The Moment

And Finally ends with Happy Ever After (Of course it does!!)

Who doesn't like a good, light read?

Saving Face

I'm a total product junkie. There I said it. Admitting you have a problem is the first step. I wanted to share my problem with you too...I know some of you have a problem like me :)

Here are my go-to facial products:

I recently got a facial and was told I should use a toner after cleansing. I took the aesthetician's advice and bought Aveda's Green Science Replenishing Toner. After 10 days of using it, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. It has a great smell and really feels like it's shrinking my pores and closing them off to dirt, etc. I bought the travel size which was $14.50 compared to the $39 for the larger size. When I'm done with this, I'll definitely buy the large one!



Anyone looking for a light, gel-like moisturizer that will work overtime should try Clinique's 'Moisture Surge' Extended Thirst Relief. It's the lightest moisturizer and it is so good at what it does! I use this nightly.


With cold weather and sharp winds coming our way, it's more important than ever to keep your lips soft and smooth. I have used countless lip exfoliators but Philosophy's is my favorite. It's sweet and simple. Put it on your lips. Smush (very proper terminology here) them back and forth. Rinse. Baby soft lips ;) I'm a big fan of Philosophy and swear by their Purity face wash. I mix it up between the cream cleanser and the foaming cleanser.



For traveling I like to bring Pond's Cleansing Cloths with me. I just saw Philosophy makes Purity cleansing cloths. Although Pond's are quite cheaper....If it ain't broke, don't fix it :)

For my day moisturizer, I use MAC's Studio Moisture Fix SPF 15. I use this under my make-up and like that it has SPF in it. However, I just saw they make one with SPF 50 in it and I'm thinking I've got to go try that now....but I'm worried it might be more primer, less moisturizer. Anybody have it?? Details, please!

What are your favorite face products?

Weekend of Celebrations!

Whew, that extra hour came and went and I still need more time! Time to recover, that is. This weekend was full of shenanigans!

We celebrated my snazzy license...

Terrible picture but you get the point.

...and a celebration isn't complete without delicious chocolate cake! Mmm. We stopped by a favorite of mine in the South Loop: Gioco.

Then Saturday night it was time to party for my cousin J's 30th birthday.

Or as we so lovingly called it, The Dirty Thirty.

My whole family came to Moonshine for dinner and laughs. The youngins then headed out for the night throughout Wicker Park and the West Loop. It was a long night. You know...we crashed a different 30th birthday and joined in on the limbo and danced in the middle of the group. Just a normal, quiet night. Riiight.

I, being the ever so responsible one, left early. At 3:30am. WHAAAT? Yeah. MMM-HMM. That, my friends, is what I like to call a PLD (Poor Life Decision). The rest of the gang made it home at 5:30 (or so I'm told) I guess the Dirty 30 brings out the crazy in all of us! Here was my outfit of the night:

Walls of mirrors :)

Black Blazer from Anthropologie. (this baby gets so much use!)
Top w/ built in necklace from Collective Concepts (looks like this)
Skinny Jeans from Old Navy (and honestly my fave, from last fall)
Intyce Boots from Steven. The ones everybody seems to have.
H&M Red Crossbody bag that I love even more since it was a whopping $19.


I recommend the Palmer House Hilton for anyone coming in to Chicago for the night or weekend. The hotel is very 1920's Chicago glamour and really is something. Potter's Lounge has good drinks and was a relaxing start to our fun filled night. Plus, PHH has tons of mirrors everywhere for my random self shots...haha

How amazing are these door knobs?! So intricate!


The Lobby area of the hotel. So glam :)

Hope you had a fabulous weekend and got the most of your extra 60 minutes!! Did you do anything fun?!

Cozy Sweater Weather

It's finally here! The cold chill that makes you want to wrap up in wool, cotton, and cashmere!

Today I wore this soft wrap cardigan with jeggings and couldn't have been more comfortable. It's long, and the cotton is incredibly soft & cozy. I also love fair isle patterns :) Plus it was so cheap. We're talking $39 for a sweater, holla!

Close-up of the print. More stripes. muahaha!

Sweater: Fire LA, Jeggings: Old Navy-Rockstar Style, Shoes: Metallic Tory Burch Flats (can't see but blogged about them earlier...people told me some secrets and they're finally broken in!!)

What are your go-to sweater styles for the Fall/Winter? I'm a sucker for anything that wraps and/or has a belt. The softer the better!

Happy FRIDAY! Have a fabulous weekend!!

Today's the Day

I'm off to McCormick Place for my Admission Ceremony to the Bar of Illinois.

I got these jazzy tickets in the mail and it's time to go! It's finally official and I couldn't be more relieved!

Thanks to everyone who helped me over the past three years, especially during the hellish summer of bar prep. It's finally ALL DONE!!

Nostalgia

"Nostalgia literally means the pain from an old wound. It’s a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone."

Mad Men

My trip to Iowa City was incredibly nostalgic. Driving up Dubuque Street and seeing my old apartment. Walking to tailgate & going to Kinnick. Hitting our old stomping grounds like Brother's. Browsing stores like Dulcinea, Catherine's and Akar. Eating at Quinton's. Sunday morning Chai Tea and paper at Java House. It goes on and on...

Nostalgia is hard. It's difficult to explain. I'm happy for where I am today, but I miss the days of college life. Or even my life a year ago. But memories are great and pictures are a fabulous way to remember what once was. I always find that certain songs bring me right back to a specific night or experience.

Here are some snapshots of my weekend down memory lane...

Apartment at Fairchild & Dubuque.

Love the beginning of the games! Our seats were awesome too!

Dulcinea is such an adorable boutique

Way too many carbs at Quinton's! Baked potato soup & the smoke stack. Yum!

Java House always has interesting local art hanging.

Mmm soy chai, berry muffin & the Sunday papers.

And last but not least....Halloween in a college town. Where students think less is more. It's not.

What are you nostalgic for?

Just a Quick Change

I have a lot of jewelry that I still own but never wear. Whether I don't like the style, the fit, or I'm just not feeling it, I hardly get rid of my pieces.

While cleaning out my jewelry the other day I came across this necklace that I haven't worn since I was a junior in college. I don't like the way it lays but I love the beads...I knew I had to revamp it somehow.

So I changed it up. I've made jewelry before so I had all the wire, clamps, etc. If you don't know how to make jewelry, I promise you it's not too difficult. Head to your local Michael's or bead store and I'm sure they'll give you some insider tips :) Google helps too!

I wanted to show you the before and after so you'll know that you don't always have to ditch your jewelry or throw it in the back of the drawer...you just have to restyle it!

Necklace

Sloppy picture, but you get the idea.

I still have a ton of leftover beads so now I just have to figure out what to do with them!

Have you ever taken something old and put new life into it? Do you make jewelry? Or restyle your old clothes? Do share!!