Friday, August 31, 2012

A Yummy Mistake... and Happy Weekend!

Yesterday afternoon I decided I wanted to make snickerdoodle cookies. I have never made snickerdoodles and I'm not sure why I even thought of them! But gooey, cinnamon cookies... yes please! I had most of the ingredients that the recipe called for, except for cream of tartar. So I googled again and found a recipe that didn't call for my missing ingredient! I'm not the best at following directions... I tend to skip a step or something and then regret it when I read that it is important to cream the butter and sugar first. Well this is what happened whilst making the cookies... I really just started dumping all of the ingredients in the bowl and then realized there was a certain order of operations to achieve delicious cookies :/ I also didn't want to wait for my butter to reach room temperature, so I stuck it in the microwave for a few seconds... a few seconds too long unfortunately so it was almost melted a bit too soft. I really wasn't off to a great start with these cookies! Then the real problem occurred when I realized I had halved all of the ingredients except for the eggs. So I had two eggs thrown in the bowl before realizing I only needed one. These cookies were turning into a disaster! I went ahead and mixed the ingredients but found that it was going to be impossible to shape the dough into cookie balls... I had more of a cake like batter. So cake it would be! I poured the batter in a greased 8x9 cake pan, sprinkled the cinnamon sugar on top, and swirled it all together. So I meant to make snickerdoodle cookies... but I ended up making snickerdoodle-ish coffee cake!
It actually turned out pretty yummy! It was even better a few minutes ago with a cup of coffee ;) Z said it tasted like the yummiest thickest cinnamon toast, ha. I guess I'll have to try snickerdoodles again... and actually follow the recipe next time!
On another note, we are really glad it's almost the weekend around here. We're also pretty excited to watch some football tomorrow!! The doorman from Alabama has a Bama t-shirt and hat set out on the front desk today, ha! Gotta love a little roll tide so far from home ;) Have a great weekend friends!


Thursday, August 30, 2012

DIY Project Finished {well, close enough}

We have been talking about our need for curtains since moving into our condo... Z really wanted curtains because of the intense afternoon sun that we get. I agreed that curtains would help eliminate the awful glare and all, but there were a few hurdles to the curtain solution. First, our living area has a whole wall of windows... floor to ceiling... that span almost the entire wall. That meant we were looking for curtains to cover 16 ft x 10 ft. Both impossible to find and incredibly expensive! Second, I kind of liked the look of no curtains. I love the view and the light and I really just didn't want to pay a fortune to cover that up! Well when I got back from staying with my parents, Z had thought up his own solution for the intense afternoon sun...
He had the air mattress blown up and propped in front of the windows, ha! I didn't really want curtains, but I really didn't want an air mattress propped against our windows. So I decided to come up with a solution {not involving an air mattress} to our curtain dilemma. My mom had told me about an idea to use painter's drop cloths for curtains. I googled it and found lots of examples of this very same idea. It seemed like the perfect solution... I could make them myself, make them the size that I needed, and it was very affordable! I knew that I would have to add fabric at the bottom to make the curtains long enough so I found examples of this as well. I headed out to pick up the supplies I needed for my diy drop cloth curtains with fabric... I bought 2 6x9 drop cloths at Home Depot for around $10 each! I also bought clip on curtain rings at Home Depot. I bought fabric that was 50% off at JoAnns to add to the bottom of my curtains. And I already had steam-a-seam to use for the edges...
Clip on curtain rings
Drop cloth ready to be made into curtains
The fabric I found half off at JoAnns! I'm still not sure that the color was right, but oh well!
First I washed and dried my drop cloths. Thankfully they came with already finished edges. I cut my fabric in half to give me two pieces, 6 ft wide and about 2 ft long. I went ahead and used the steam-a-seam to finish the top and bottom edges of my fabric. {I just followed the directions on the package, super simple} Then I pinned the fabric pieces to the bottom of each drop cloth {I measured and all so that they would be the same ;)} I really wanted to use my awesome sewing machine... but I never have before and I didn't think this was a good practice project! So hand stitching it was... this part about drove me mad!! I used an extra sturdy thread and a needle and attached the fabric to the drop cloth by hand...
Don't look at the stitching too closely... it is not perfect by any means! But it worked. Last I used steam a seam to finish the sides of my fabric. I didn't really get any pictures of the process, but there are plenty of step by step instructions that you can google for this diy project. Here are the pictures of the {almost} finished product...
First the before...
And now...
I'm not 100% sure that I love how yellow the fabric looks :/

We are still working on the curtain rod... It was going to cost another small fortune to buy a curtain rod that was 16+ feet long. So I found another diy solution to use electrical conduit from Home Depot for about $1.50 per 10 feet! We had to purchase a 10 foot piece and a 7 foot piece and a connector to be able to span the entire window with a little extra on each side. Z attached hooks to both sides of the windows to hold the rod. But once we put the curtains up, we realized that the rod was flexing big time. So now we have to figure out a middle support for the rod :/ Oh well. I am really excited to see the completely finished project once we have the rod fully supported!!



Tuesday, August 28, 2012

An Update and a DIY Project in the Making

Well I think Z is finally feeling better. He felt pretty crummy all weekend, even after a doctor's visit and antibiotics :/ Yesterday we went back to the doc for him to get a shot so hopefully he's over being sick!! We had a very relaxing weekend considering he wasn't feeling well and I had been gone for a week and a half. It was so nice just to hang out at home with him! We did venture out on Sunday, but the weather was drizzly/rainy so we didn't stay out long. But anyways... not a whole lot going on here this week. Z has made some pretty big strides with his business so that is exciting! Also, I tried my hand at a little diy project. I don't want to share any pics until I'm finished {so close!!}, but this has turned into an all day affair. Z helped me get some of the supplies last night, and I'm really excited to share the before and after pictures soon ;)

Friday, August 24, 2012

Back in the Windy City!

Well we're back from our little trip to Alabama! Z actually got back late Sunday, and I stayed until yesterday to spend some time with my parents. I loved having a few extra days with them!! Poor Z has been sick since he got back, and I wasn't even here to take care of him :/ he survived though and even managed to clean the apartment before I got back! Sweetest husband ever ;) Z met me at the airport last night when I finally arrived. I ended up missing my connecting flight out of Atlanta so my arrival was a bit later than originally planned. Flying alone is not on my favorites list! But anyways, it feels good to be back home {although I keep calling Alabama home, so I think I'm just confused at this point, ha!} with my sweet hubby! And we're already looking forward to another visit to watch Z's brother play football soon!
Everything about our trip was great but so busy!! Almost immediately after we arrived in Alabama, Z left town for the bachelor trip. I got to spend the day with some of my besties from the school I taught at the past few years. Two of my sweet friends have new babies and I was in love from minute one! I hardly spent a second without a sweet baby in my arms ;) We even went by the school so I could see everyone's classrooms. It was so much fun, but it did make me sad that I won't be there this year :/ The rest of the trip was filled with wedding stuff, family time, and seeing old friends! It really was such a fun time, and it went by way too fast!
I wish I had more pictures of our trip. I knew this would happen. I'm just not that great at snapping photos and then I always regret it later. But here are a few we ended up with between my camera and Z's phone...
Waiting for our plane!
The bridal party at the bridesmaids' luncheon
Love!
Enjoying time with sweet friends
My beautiful mom!
And my awesome brother... thought he was going to catch my hair on fire between the sparkler and all of the hairspray!
Such a great time with friends after the wedding!
Unfortunately, that's all I have! I didn't even get a picture of the bride and groom! Or any at the rehearsal dinner. Boo! Oh well. Everything was perfect and we're super excited for the new Mr. and Mrs.!!
I'm missing my family big time today but glad to be home with Z! Hope you have a wonderful weekend friends!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Leaving on a Jet Plane... and Happy Anniversary

First of all, happy anniversary to my wonderful parents!! Thank you for always showing us an example of what love looks like! Love you both!!!
The other big news for today is we are headed home!!! As soon as Z gets off, we're hopping on a train to catch a plane to sweet home Alabama :) We're super excited to see everyone and celebrate with our friends at all of their wedding festivities! And truth be told, we're pretty excited to eat some Taco Casa and El Rincon too ;) I probably won't be blogging much for the next week or so. But I'll be sure to have lots of pictures when I get back. And now I have to go wash clothes, clean house, pack... Can.not.wait!!!


Monday, August 13, 2012

Weekend Review

Well it seems like the weekends go by way too fast! But at least this is a short work week for Z... we're headed home tomorrow afternoon!!! Two of our best friends are getting married Saturday... So excited to be going home and so so excited to celebrate with them ;)
Anyways, our weekend pretty much consisted of walking and eating, ha! We walked to dinner Friday night at Maggiano's, walked to dessert afterwards at XOCO {ohmiword, yummiest churros ever!}, walked to Starbucks Saturday, walked to Starbucks again Sunday, walked to Snarfs for milkshakes... see what I mean? A lot of walking and eating ;) Fun story though, we decided to take a long walk Saturday to explore Chicago and enjoy the amazing weather. We came to a street that was blocked and realized they were shooting some kind of action movie! We tried to figure out what movie it was, or any info about it, but it was all top secret. We walked around the entire block, but no luck. It was still pretty exciting though!
The other thing we did  this weekend was Z's haircut ;) He was a bit overdue and considering the wedding this weekend, he needed a cut! Z hates getting his haircut. He says he has never had a cut he liked, so he has resorted to cutting his own hair. And he does a really good job too! Take a look...

Yeah, I like the clean cut after look ;) 
Have a great week friends!!



Saturday, August 11, 2012

Another Birthday Wish!


Happy Birthday!!!
To my {B's} brother!!!!
Yep, this pretty much sums up my bro ;)

Wish we were there to celebrate with ya. Also wish I could send a piece of Buca di Bepo cake or a Sprinkles cupcake your way ;) But, We will definitely celebrate next week with some El Rincon! Hope you have a fabulous birthday and many, many more! Love you!!!
love,
Z&B

Friday, August 10, 2012

This Weather=Can't Wait for Fall!

Well it is in the seventies here for the second day in a row!! I'm not sure if Chicago is aware that is still August?! But we are loving.this.weather!!!
This cooler weather also makes me ready for fall ;) {although I think I should soak up every warm day that we have before the brutal winter gets here!} I really love everything about fall... pumpkins, football, scarves, everything. I especially love fall clothes... so, here are just a few looks I am LOVING for fall!
pinterest

WONSER
aldo

Gap
 
And Gap again ;)
Yep, that pretty much sums it up. Stripes, scarves, boots, repeat. Ha! For now I'm going to put away my fall wish list because I'm not really quite ready for fall... almost though! But I definitely plan to enjoy this crazy awesome weather while it lasts! {And I might wear a scarf today, just saying ;)}
 

Thursday, August 9, 2012

More Lessons from the Windy City

We are still figuring out this whole living in a huge city thing. For the most part, our day to day feels very much like it did back home. But there are still a few things that are just, well, different. Here are a few {not very fun} lessons I had to learn this week... let's just say it hasn't been the best week since moving to the Windy City :/
-Do not use the dry cleaners downstairs for alterations... ugh I learned this lesson the hard way... like the really hard way. I took my bridesmaid dress {for a wedding in less than 2 weeks no less} down to have it hemmed. It was just a bit long. Seems like a simple fix right? I picked it up yesterday and to my horror it was sooo short. Like I had to order a new dress short. Thank goodness our dresses are from JCrew so I will be able to get a new dress in by Monday. But that was a very frustrating and very expensive lesson to learn :/ They did refund my money for the alterations. But that hardly put a dent in the new $275 dress that I had to order. Hard lesson to learn indeed.
-Do go to the urgent care physician on Michigan Avenue. Unlike back home, doc-in-the-boxes are not on every corner here. So when I needed to go in for a quick visit to get some antibiotics, I was at a loss for where to go. Z researched online for me and found an urgent care facility on Michigan Avenue. They were pretty quick, super nice, and there was no co-pay! Overall, a pretty good experience for a doctor's visit. {If there is such a thing}
-Do not drive/park if you have to visit the doctor on Michigan Avenue. The office was about 2 miles from our apartment, so Z just drove me over there. We parked in a public parking deck and knew that the rate was a bit high. But what were we gonna do? By the time we were finished with the doctor, our parking fee was $31! I guess that cancelled out the no co-pay :/
-When you're sick, "homesick" takes on a whole new meaning. But this just made me all the more thankful for my amazing hubby. Z always takes good care of me. But he really steps it up even more when I'm not feeling too great. He dropped work and drove me all over the city to take me to the doctor and get my prescription filled. I really do have the best husband ever ;) {On that same note, Z was also very understanding about the whole new bridesmaid's dress thing... thankgoodness!}
So there you go. A few more lessons {albeit hard to learn} from the Windy City. We're counting down the days til we head back to Alabama for our friends' wedding! Can't wait to see our families and friends!!!

**Updated** I should have added this when I first wrote this post... even though it hasn't been the best week ever, I feel so blessed and so thankful to be here. This is such an amazing opportunity, not only for Z's business, but also for us to have the experience of living in such an awesome city! One thing that Z and I say a lot to help us remember how blessed we are or how not so bad our "bad days" are or how we really don't need this and that is "KIA" {kids in Africa}. So I'm saying that right now to close this post... KIA... we are so blessed!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Love List

Since yesterday's post was kind of a downer, I thought I'd be a bit more upbeat and talk about all of the things that I'm loving right now!

+I L.O.V.E. my new diy pocket t-shirt!!
Thanks to my sweet cousin's blog post at This and That, I was inspired to try my own pocket tee... and I love it them! {I couldn't stop at just one ;)}

They really were super simple to make and the possibilities are endless... I feel another Target and JoAnns trip in my near future ;)



+I also love.love.love the fun card/surprise I got in the mail from a sweet friend... isn't this the cutest idea?!
There were actually 5 hair-bands... the fifth one happens to be in my hair ;)


+I am loving my new coffee mug from Target... I think my coffee taste better in a cute mug! ;)


+I love how the Lord always meets me right where I am... I found a devotional book that I bought years ago and never read... I started reading it last week and realized there couldn't be a better time for it than right now. Such a blessing!



+I love all of the friends and family that we have gotten to see here recently!!
Who is going to be our next visitor?!?!


+I LOVE that a week from today we will be flying home for our friends' wedding!! Can.not.wait!



+I am really loving the weather forecast for the rest of this week here in Chi-Town... the high for Thursday and Friday is in the seventies!! Haven't seen that kind of weather during August in a long time ever!



+And last but not least,  I'm so.in.love with this guy right here...




Monday, August 6, 2012

The Teaching Blues

Well it is that time of year for all things back to school. And I have to say it feels so weird not to be in a tizzy right about now trying to get a classroom ready! Like really weird. I loved teaching back home... loved my kinders and then my firsties... loved the school I taught at... loved, loved, loved the girls I taught with! But I haven't felt compelled to jump into a teaching job here. I knew I wanted some time just to adjust to the move... and I couldn't imagine having to scramble to get a new classroom ready right away. So now I have the teaching blues! Ha ;) I can't even go to Target without feeling like I should fill my cart with dollar items for my non-existent classroom! I told Z that I know all of this points to the fact that I will definitely teach again soon. Maybe here, maybe not. But at some point for sure. Until then, here are a few teaching blog ideas that I'm loving right now...

Mailbox Math-
                                   mathlit5
This is from one of my favorite  teaching blogs, The First Grade Parade. I love Cara's idea of combining literature and math with her mailbox math idea. So cute! Click the link for more info...

A Book Ambulance from Step Into Second Grade...
Such a great idea for the poor books in a firstie classroom... no matter how much you talk about taking care of the books, pages are going to be torn!

Gold Tag Behavior System from A Teeny Tiny Teacher
                                                       

I loved my clip chart behavior system last year, but I think the gold tags would also be a really successful way to manage behavior in the classroom!

Fabulous in First's Cooking up Morning Fun is a great way to keep the kiddos working during morning work time or when they finish seatwork, etc. {Sorry no pic! Check out the link though.}

These football players and cheerleaders are super cute from Doodle Bugs Teaching. They would make an adorable bulletin board or door decor!
homecoming

And I'm in love with this classroom over at Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits...
                              
How cute is that rug! I think this classroom would be perfect for older grades too. She talks about how she wanted her room to feel "homey", and it does for sure! So cute!!

Well this was probably not a very interesting post to most... but I just had to put some of these school ideas somewhere, ha! On another note, we have had guests staying with us for the past week or so! So fun for sure! I haven't posted a menu in a while because we have been eating out A LOT since we've had family and friends in town. But this week, it's back to home cooking ;) Here's a quick line up for what's on the menu for this week...
Monday- blackened chicken, yellow rice, steamed vegetables
Tuesday- upside down pizza {my mom's recipe- more on that later!}
Wednesday- shrimp pasta and asparagus
Thursday- grilled chicken sliders and roasted potatoes
Friday- ???

Have a great week!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Easy as 1-2-3!

The other day while browsing on Pinterest, I came across a recipe that took my back to my childhood- peanut butter cookies... yummy! I remember my mom used to make these specific cookies when I was little. They were a good go to when we didn't have a whole lot of baking ingredients oh hand but we wanted something sweet and homemade ;) I even remember making them a few times. So, when I saw them pinned on pinterest, I knew I had to make them again! Z loves some peanut butter... so I was pretty sure he would not object ;)
Here is the recipe... 

1 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
{I mean seriously... it does not get any easier than that! Easy as 1, 2, 3!}
You just preheat the oven to 350 and mix the ingredients together until combined. I used a tablespoon to scoop out dough and rolled the scoops into a ball. Then I rolled the cookie dough in sugar and placed on a baking sheet. I used a fork to flatten the dough and make a cute little zig-zag pattern! Then you just bake them for about 10 minutes.


I love this recipe because I almost always have those three ingredients on hand! Plus, they were a big hit with Z ;) Best served with a big glass of milk!! Enjoy!