February 2012
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The Man & The Meal
Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter
He’s back at it again, kids. Working his way through the kitchen like RuPal down a runway…making everyone else look bad. A darling shared this recipe after having prepared it herself and I was anxious to try it because, hello, butter.
It worked perfectly for yesterday’s Ash Wednesday dinner because it’s meat-free, but...
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At Last...
My yoga class has come along. My tight-hipped days are over and I think I’ve done just about all I can do of this song. Wow. Pardon the delirium. I’m wading through another work day after a bout with insomnia. They don’t happen too often but when they do I know it’s best not to fight it, so I cracked the window for some fresh air and ended up hungry for hash browns....
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Nostalgia
We moved to Chicago for any number of reasons or, really, for no reason at all. We didn’t have to. We weren’t relocated, forced or wooed by anything other than adventure. Life in Jacksonville was a wonderful experience. It was exhilarating, lively, busy and friend-filled at its best. It was exhausting, hectic and couple-time-free at its most difficult.
Neither of us would trade...
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Snapshot Sunday: '#febphotoaday' Catch-Up Edition
The past week was gladly spent welcoming my father-in-law to Chicago, bidding our Grace Face farewell, gladly accepting Napa gratitude offerings from my parents, celebrating a day dedicated to true love, working (for the four-day weekend), touring our fair, new city and enjoying life in the unseasonably-warm Midwest.
February 14: Heart
My father-in-law has a big ol’ one. HEART, weirdos....
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Random Thought Thursday
1. Of all the options for alarms on the iPhone, the crickets are the POOREST CHOICE. They’re infuriating. And if you use them for too long and find yourself at your parents’ remotely located lake house, on a cool, cool summer night, sleeping with the windows open, you will think it’s time to wake up for work no fewer than 10 times.
2. Sometimes I’ll remember something that...
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I admit it. I took the easy way out yesterday in letting everyone else be super poetic about “true love.” I’m glad I did, though, because it made me happier than I expected it to. I hope you enjoyed their adorable “text bites” about what amour means to them even half as much as I did. However, with the sad exception of the pizza part, I had great success with the...
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When asked to sum up “true love” in the nutshell of a text message, here is what my ever-entertaining, always poignant friends had to say….
Some were simple…
- Jess (& Brooks)
And simply beautiful…
- Jeremy
Sometimes it’s unspoken…
- Stefani (& Jonathan)
And always intuitive…
- Natalie (& Aaron)
It’s never-ending support…
- Ashley...
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DO This, NOT That...Volume V-Day!
You don’t have to be single to think Valentine’s Day is silly. Honestly, I’ve only had a few truly single Singles’ Awareness Days (NOT proudly) and I still think it’s an overrated way to make everyone a little annoyed with their relationship status. However, not being one to ever turn down a reason to celebrate, here are a few options for tomorrow that don’t...
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Don't Talk About It, BE About It
(Photos and adorable creativity ℅ Miss Katie)
I recently described Pinterest the following way “Pinterest: Making you feel badly about your self, your creativity and your skills as a homemaker since 2011.” I’m obviously as addicted as the next girl (or guy - seriously, tons of straight dudes on Pinterest) to virtually-dreaming about all of the projects I will never make...
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Happy Hour Heroines: I see your Cherry Lime... →
If you’d like to see two girls named Allison exploring their respective new cities then this is the blog for you!
happyhourheroines:
And raise you a Booty Collins (second from the left).
Should you find yourself in the Windy City with a would-be (or current) paramour then there’s no better place than Tavernita. See, what ha’ happened wuz, I so enjoyed the lauded libation that I decided...
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The One About My Mother-in-Law
Today would have been my mother-in-law’s 58th birthday. It hardly seems possible that 2 years have passed since Karen died. I say “died,” because my husband hates it when people say “passed away.” I suppose it would be appropriate to say that we “lost” her because we absolutely are missing out on the joie de vivre that this little lady possessed, but we...
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The One That's a Recipe
I’d been threatening this for a while and am finally following through. My husband is a fantastic cook. Without a true background in the kitchen, he’s evolved from someone who could barely boil water to someone who will surprise me with innovation I could never muster! And until I can figure out how to give him his own cooking show (he needs to not spill so much first), here is our...
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The Importance of Growing Up in Indiana
Pictured above: my parents’ “front yard.”
The drive from Chicago to my hometown starts routinely enough - the Southside gives way to Gary and the industrial surroundings lull you into highway hypnosis. But after we made it through Gary, always a relief, I began to notice nothing. Literally, nothingness for miles. And I was, again, reminded of my perpetual love/hate relationship...
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January 2012
21 posts
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DO This, NOT That...Volume 2!
I bet y’all thought y’all was off the hook with the DO This, NOT That challenges, didn’t ya? Wrong. I was so impressed and encouraged by my friends’ efforts - way to go Jess, Squish, Amber and Holly! - that I decided to do another installment and encourage you to share your successes and/or attempts with me.
1. DO take one recipe, DIY or ensemble you pinned on Pinterest...
Things That Stop Being Cute When You’re 25 and...
Alternately Titled: Things That Were Never Cute, But Are Even Worse When You’re a Fucking Grown-Up
1. Being late. I get it. You live by your own, super important schedule, but don’t disrespect my life and valuable time just because you’re lazy. It’s not cute, it’s insanely selfish and impolite.
2. Acronyms. FTLOG, UYW, YM.* For the love of God, use your words, you morons. The corporate world has...
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The One About What Makes it Not Work All the Time
I’ve been skirting the edges of the blogosphere (Should I even be using that word? It’s gross.) for a while now, perusing everything from fashion and lifestyle blogs to more personal accounts of peoples’ day-to-day lives. What I’ve learned is that: 1. Personal blogs are full of #whitepeopleproblems and reiterations of obsessions with the same pop culture. 2....
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Obviously...
I stumbled upon this article as I logged on to my LinkedIn account so that they’d stop sending harassing emails about dirty old club owners who wanted to “connect with me,” and it really resonated. Instead of just saying “no” to drugs and liquor (I was a D.A.R.E. role model), how about I politely decline things that I don’t have time or just don’t want to...
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Art: the MCA's & Mine | A Little Zazzle Do Ya!
One of the reasons we moved to a bigger city is to be continually surrounded by the creativity and electric artistry these metropolises afford, so we couldn’t turn down a free evening at the Museum of Contemporary Art, recurring each Tuesday for Illinois residents. Good thing I got this ID thing, eh?
He and I are both waaaaaay more well-versed in the musical art forms so we were open to...
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“For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don’t enjoy getting up and...”
– Andy Rooney
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Making it Work in the Windy City
“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” I try very hard to live a life of balance, knowing that sometimes I will do/buy/eat all of everything and other times I should cut back. This also describes my Internet presence, or lack thereof, this weekend. Sometimes you just need to chill out and there is no better time for that than when your sister and brother-in-law come to town....
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"It was super simple…"
…said this girl. Which, normally, I would roll my eyes with a smile on my face because she is just so damn perfect and lovable and everything that’s good. But you know what? She was right! J-Boo and I set out for a few ingredients and only got sidetracked for one beer. Yes, you should be impressed. You would also be impressed incredibly disgusted by the amount I was able to put away of this...
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Illinois Licenses: An Itinerary
1. Take the Brown Line two stops to Washington/Wells and walk into the deep, dark, hallowed halls of the County Clerk Office.
2. Wait in line, well before the 8 a.m. opening, and realize that you have all necessary documents EXCEPT existing Florida license. Restrain yourself from inputting fist to face of any kind. (After all, you may want two licenses for your terrorist extracurricular...
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The Details
Blink 182 sang about ‘em, so did Jason Mraz. And while some schmuck has made a killing on a bathroom reader about not sweating the small stuff, it’s those little things that make all the difference. Like ol’ Jacky said:
Be in love with your life. Every detail of it. -Kerouac
A few of today’s details for ya:
1. Ordering this print for our home. Why the cuss not? We so foxy....
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DO This, NOT That
Here are five things that I think you should do this week. Not next week. This week. Some are easy and might already be part of your daily routine, but others are easily forgotten. And how about this? I will also do them and we’ll all check in next Sunday to see how it goes.
1. DO Make Dinner at Home, NOT Order Out Again
Don’t get me wrong, I hate cooking, and the boy does most of...
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Poured one out for my homies in Jax today...
When I, without skipping a beat, said the following to our black server:
“Haters gon’ hate.”
She called me homey which I think is a good sign, right?