Friday Favorites.

We had a fun week!  Can't wait to head back to Wichita on Monday for a few days...it's been almost 10 months since I've been back - way too long!

1.  Picnic in the park.  Tim has been a frequent visitor to the Oak Park library and he thought it would be fun to pack up the picnic basket and spend some time on the lawn surrounding the library.  There are many schools nearby and one decided to have recess while we were there - it was so fun watching the kids running around like crazy, not worrying about grass stains and sweat...those were the good ol' days, right?  It was a beautiful day, about 65 and sunny - which is toasty for this time of the year in Chicago...

After our picnic we stopped by Crumbs Bakery for a cupcake.

 2.  A video of Diego.  Tim and I have a partially fenced in grassy area behind our apartment that we occasionally take the dogs to and let them run around.  Diego is usually pretty entertaining, so one day Tim decided to get him on film and make a short video.

3.  Ben & Jerry's Blueberry Vanilla Graham Greek Frozen Yogurt.  To. Die. For.

Friday Favorites.

Back from my blogging hiatus.  I survived finals and I'm so excited to have a few weeks off from class!

1.  Elmhurst Olive Oil Company.  I had some free Living Social (think Groupon if you're not familiar with it) bucks a few months ago that I had to spend before they expired.  I came across a deal for this place and thought I'd check it out since it's just down the street from my hair salon in Elmhurst.  At my first visit I picked up a bottle of lemon-infused olive oil and a bottle of chipotle sea salt.  However, I had to go back after one of my girlfriends introduced me to their strawberry balsamic vinegar...mixed with the lemon olive oil it makes the most delicious salad dressing!  Especially if that salad has goat cheese...

2.  The Hunger Games.  A few weeks ago when Molly was in town we saw the movie and instantly I knew I'd be reading the books over my break.  I checked out our library to see if the trilogy was available, but of course there were multiple holds on the books.  I found a good deal on Amazon and before I knew it I had them in my hot little hands.  I just finished the final book about an hour ago - it only took me 3 days (Tim wants to know how I read so fast)...  Such a great story and I can't wait for the other movies to come out...of course I'll be waiting a few years, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait!

3.  Knot ring.  The lovely Mr. Marvin surprised me with this a few weeks ago.  With a kind hint from a girlfriend who saw I had pinned it to my Pinterest page, he so kindly gifted it to me.  Such a thoughtful guy he is!

Wellness Wednesday.

I figured I could squeeze this one in quickly.  Watch the video below.  Music as medicine...

There's no synthetic medication that has such power!  Happy Wednesday!

Weekend with Molly.

My fabulous, beautiful, amazing friend came to visit this weekend.  We had a wonderful weekend full of shopping, eating and afternoon cocktails on patios. 

We started off Friday evening at a fun Mexican restaurant, New Rebozo.  They had the most delicious guacamole with mango and strawberries.  The chef, Paco, was quite the entertainer and his favorite phrase while describing the food was, "Oh my God!" in every octave you can think of.  We were too stuffed for dessert but he insisted we try his chocolate jalapeno ice cream...at first bite it just seems like nice, chocolate ice cream...but then the spicy jalapeno hits you right in the back of the throat!  Apparently it has to do with frozen jalapeno juice not having any flavor until it heats up in your mouth.  I could only handle one bite, it was pretty spicy!

Chef Paco...OMG!!!

 Saturday morning we had a yummy breakfast and shopped our way up Madison St. near our place.  We stopped by Yearbook to show Molly the amazing 1920s multi-sport KU trophy.  We also picked up about every sweet treat we could find...(Grumpy Lady Bakery + another small chocolate shop = brownies, lemon curd layer cake, dark-chocolate sea salted caramels...)

Saturday afternoon we hopped on the train and went down to the city for more afternoon fun.

Should have bought these jeans.  I think it was meant to be.

Shopping break.  Bloody Mary, vino, flat bread pizza and caprese + sunshine = the perfect afternoon!

Last night we had a late dinner at SeaDog, our favorite sushi place.  It's BYOB and we shared 2 great bottles of chardonnay. 

Today we had a late morning latte on the patio before catching a matinee.  We saw The Hunger Games...super intense movie, but really entertaining.  I'm definitely going to read the books!

It was such a fabulous weekend and I can't wait until Molly comes to visit again, hopefully next time with her fun boyfriend...(hint hint Isaac!)

P.S.  With finals starting this week, Wellness Wednesday and Friday Favorites will have to be put on the back-burner for about two weeks...