Travel: Chicago, Day 1

As I shared in this post, my mom, sister & I have started a tradition of annual girl’s trips.  Last year we visited New York City & this year we wandered through the streets of Chicago for a long weekend.

Three days was the perfect amount of time in the windy city & we easily checked everything off our to do list.

Friday morning we woke up at the butt-crack of dawn.  No really, we did – 2:15 AM, to hop on the Amtrak out of Milwaukee headed to Chicago.  Upon arrival, we were able to check into our hotel & we were early enough to still catch the hotel breakfast.  Score!

FYI -- If you’re looking for a hotel in downtown Chicago, I highly recommend the Embassy Suites on North Columbus.  It's centrally located, just a couple blocks from all the major attractions (Navy Pier, Michigan Ave, Millennium Park, etc.).  Their continental breakfast includes made-to-order omelets, hash browns, pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs & the whole nine yards.  Additionally, they have a complimentary cocktail hour in the evening.  Moreover, the Concierge was wonderful in getting us tickets to our architectural cruise & priority seating at a local restaurant – more on that later!

So after we grabbed a bite to eat, we navigated the streets to Millennium Park – home of the coveted Cloud Gate, better known as “The Bean”.

It was a bit of a rainy day, but we lucked out... the fact that it was rainy meant that there weren't so many people at The Bean!

The sun came out for a bit, so we took our obligatory pictures, and then headed over to Navy Pier.

We might not have taken the friendliest walking route, but had we not, we would not have walked through this wonderful residential garden area...

Nor would we have been able to snap these pics…

Two steps into the shops at Navy Pier and it started to DOWN POUR.  Again, counting our blessing that we could shop indoors while it rained outside.  It rained for awhile, so we had a little snack & rested our feet.



























'




























































After Navy Pier, we did some shopping on Michigan Ave, and got to enjoy all the shops that little Northeast Wisconsin does not have to offer ... Charming Charlie's, Anthropologie, Zara, Crate & Barrel, etc.

I was basically in heaven, even if I couldn't afford anything in the shops that lined Michigan Ave.  It's still fun to look!

After our arms were full with packages, we walked back to our hotel & freshened up for dinner at RPM Italian (thanks to Erin for this post).

image from my Instagram

We had made reservations about 2 weeks prior & although we were not fortunate enough to spot Giuliana or Bill, we did enjoy some of the best moscato I’ve ever tasted & we had a lovely dinner.  You best bet I will be trying to recreate the zucchini fritti appetizer we had, too.  YUM!!!

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel & called it an early night.

Stay tuned for a recap of Day 2!

Create: vintage mason jar decor

One of my most favorite things to decorate with are vintage Ball mason jars.

I recently picked up an antique metal jar canner at my most favorite shop in all the land, The Vintage Garden.

Instantly, I knew that it would be the most perfect piece to display some of my vintage canning jars.

I have such a weakness for vintage Ball canning jars & I've accumulated quite a few over the years, mostly from my grandma, but a few from antique stores as well.

I cut some fresh flowers from our garden, and I think they look lovely (though they kind of scream spring/summer, and it's basically fall, but oh well).

This could be used as a centerpiece on a table, it could sit nicely on a book shelf, or would look great on a coffee table.

Right now, it's sitting in my kitchen atop a lovely, vintage Cosco fold out step stool high chair (also from my grandma).

How would you style this piece in your home?

--------------------------------------------

Linking up at:

Elizabeth & Co | Adventures of Mel | Thrifty Decor Chick

Make: fruit & yogurt popsicles

I realize that I'm a day late & a dollar short with this, being that summer is nearing it's end & today is the first day of September (what?!), but these are too yummy not to share.  And they can be enjoyed year round, even though they taste best on a hot summer day.

Earlier this summer we purchased this homemade popsicle mold & I had grand plans of making all sorts of concoctions. 

As per usual, life happened & the popsicle mold got pushed to the back of the cupboard.  It wasn't until recently that I remembered we bought this, and I needed to put it to use. 

I used ingredients that we already had in the fridge -- yogurt, strawberries, & kiwis.  Nothing fancy, but frozen yogurt with mixed fruit doesn't need much else to make it delicious.

All you need to do is plop some yogurt in, followed by some fruit, then some more yogurt & then some more fruit.  Let it freeze for an hour or longer, and whhh-laa!

Super tasty & easy homemade popsicles!  Plus, they're a healthy alternative to regular ice cream.  I plan on trying a Nutella/fudge mixture for our next batch... those likely won't be as healthy :)

Have you made homemade popsicles?  What is your favorite blend?

Upcoming Travel: Girl’s Weekend in Chicago!

Last December, my mom, sister & I spent a long weekend in New York City.  This was the first time that we all traveled together, out of state.

It was magical – the entire city was decorated for Christmas; holiday spirit filled the air & us small-town Wisconsin girls had a blast, squeezing in every major “must see thing” to do in NYC on our list.

We vowed to make these Girl’s Trips an annual thing.

This year, we have decided to spend our Second Annual Girl’s Weekend, in Chicago.  We are leaving in a couple weeks, and I’d love to know what else we should put on our list.  So far, our agenda looks like this:

+ Architectural River Cruise

+ Sky Deck @ The Willis Tower

+ Millennium Park: Crown Fountain & Cloud Gate (better known as "The Bean”)

+ Navy Pier

+ Magnificent Mile shopping

+ Improv show??

What are we missing?  Any must-see things we should do, see, or eat while in the windy city?

I’d love your input! 

P.S. -- You best believe I will be taking my selfie stick along.  Zac will be so proud.

Happy Sunday.

How to harvest & store onions -- something that we will need to brush up on very soon as our garden is exploding with onions!

Kelle did a Back to School theme party, and it turned out adorable, per usual :)

Reasons to use a slow cooker overnight vs. all day while your at work.

Does anyone have an orchard rack?  I'm thinking about putting one one my wish list to store said onions & other garden veggies.  Or maybe this kitchen cart organizer -- it's cheaper & basically the same thing? Or is this hanging apparatus better?  Ahhh, the possibilities.

Frozen strawberry peach sangria -- sign me up!