What We've Learned {So Far}

So living in Chicago is quite a bit different than living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama... well at least in some ways. For example...
-Driving... -when we moved here, I swore I would never drive. Well guess what- I drove yesterday {just down the road a bit to a shopping center, but still!}! Driving is a bit tricky, but in certain areas it feels just like you're driving in T-town. But, parking... now that's tricky everywhere!
-Speaking of parking... don't try to drive to the beach... you will not be able to park... we had to walk about a mile from our car to the beach... next time we will take a cab,a bus, walk... not drive! And don't drive if you want to go out to dinner... you have to pay to park at all of the restaurants if they even have parking!
-The beach... the beaches here are pretty different than what we were used to. The sand is dark and coarse. The water is cold! But it is pretty cool to have the beautiful Lake Michigan in front of you and the Chicago skyline behind you!!

from Z's iphone

-Mexican restaurants... not so much like the ones back home. Or maybe we just haven't found the right one. But so far, the "Mexican" is more like "Tex-Mex" here. No white queso dip... they all serve chili-con-queso {yellow cheese! :/}. And while the food is good, it is pretty pricey! Boy we are missing some El Rincon!
-Wal-Mart... so much nicer here! The closest one to us is a Wal-Mart Express. It is small but clean and has a good selection... no parking though ;)
I can't really think of anything else off the top of my head... and I was going to post a Wordless Wednesday picture collage, but I still can't find my camera cord. Oh well... Hopefully I'll find it SoOn!

Birthday Wishes

Happy Birthday! 

To two very special people!

Z's younger brother Harry...

 And Z's Mimi...

 We're sad that we can't be there to celebrate with y'all... but we hope you both have a wonderful day!! We love you both!!

 

love,

z & B

Weekend Review & Meal Planning Monday

Well we had a great weekend... hope you all did as well! I was going to post some pictures of our weekend fun, but I cannot find the cord to connect my camera to the computer :/ I guess it got lost somewhere in the move?! Or [more likely] it is still in one of the unpacked boxes! Oh well... we did enjoy our weekend though. We had brunch Saturday morning at one of our favs {Yolk}... did a little bit of shopping at Nordstrom Rack... watched the entire 5th season of Big Bang Theory {it was raining outside, ha}... went to Park Community Church {less than a block from our apartment, such a blessing!}... checked out one of the beaches on Lake Michigan {and learned parking is impossible in chicago!}... found Kilwins and had some delicious ice cream... tried a new Mexican restaurant {Uncle Julios Hacienda}... and did some grocery shopping at our local Dominicks... pretty low-key and relaxing!
So, moving on... I thought I would start planning out our weekly menus and sharing a few of the recipes on the list! So on the menu for this week...

-Monday- balsamic grilled chicken {just chicken marinated in balsamic dressing and then grilled... easy but so yum!}
-Tuesday- spinach and sausage pizza pockets {see recipe below}
-Wednesday- cream cheese chicken enchiladas
-Thursday-  shrimp scampi
-Friday- try a new restaurant! {no cooking today!!}
-Saturday- grilled steaks {that's all Z... sorry no recipe!}

I'm sure I'll have to go back to the grocery store a bazillion times, but it looks like a week of yummy eats!!

And here's the recipe for the spinach and sausage pockets... I cannot for the life of me remember where I got this recipe... and I usually just wing it ;) so measurements are not exact!
-1 lb of sausage {I'm going to try turkey sausage this time}
-about 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
-about 1/2 cup or so of tomato sauce, divided {I use Prego garden vegetable}
-3 oz of fresh baby spinach
-1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese {or more!}
-2 cans of crescent rolls
{I usually half this recipe for just the two of us}
Preheat oven to 350. Brown the sausage over med-high heat. Drain off the excess grease. Add the spinach until wilted. Remove from heat. Add the ricotta cheese to the mixture as well as half of the tomato sauce. Set aside. Unroll the crescent rolls. Divide into rectangles {you should get 4 equal rectangles. I usually cut these in half to have 8 equal squares}. Put a small amount of tomato sauce on each square.  Top with a good amount of the sausage mixture and then a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Fold the crescent over the filling and press along the edges to seal. Bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. This recipe is really easy and delicious... one of Z's favorites!!

Love List

Right now I'm loving....

-Only 2 more weeks until my family comes for a visit {and counting}!!

Can't wait to see you guys!!!

 

-putting my hair in a top-knot {quick, easy, cute!}

Shown here by KendiEveryday. Visit her blog for a tutorial on the perfect sock/bun top knot!

-my Longchamp tote... perfect for a day exploring the city!

from Nordstrom

-the view from our apartment

seriously might be my favorite part!

-nordstrom rack just a few blocks away... love.that.place!

-the shopping center down the road... Crate & Barrel, ZGallerie, World Market, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, all in one place... crazy!

[Dear Home Stores... My apartment will thank you... My wallet and husband, not so much ;)]

-the $2 water taxi I can take from our apartment to Michigan Avenue!!

$2!! Such a great deal {a regular taxi cost more like $10 to Michigan Avenue}

-the doorman at our apartment that played basketball for Bama back in the day... he says "Roll Tide" every time he see us, HA! :)

-that today is Friday... that means a whole weekend just me and Z!! Can.not.wait!!!

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!!

Clothed in Strength and Dignity

I have been doing a study on the Proverbs 31 woman. You know... "a wife of noble character... worth far more than rubies...a woman who fears the Lord". There are so many traits that this woman had that are worth striving for. She was strong, an eager worker, creative, a profitable business woman, praiseworthy, and so much more. I have really enjoyed studying this passage. And with each lesson I have found myself wondering how or if I display these qualities in my own life. Obviously, I have found plenty of room to grow in each area displayed by this gem of a woman. And then I came to verse 25... and the room to grow became exponential...

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come."

"Laughing at the days to come" isn't exactly my specialty... in fact I typically panic dwell on try to control worry about the days to come. {even when it comes to the little things... like what I'm going to wear to the grocery store, ha!} Especially lately... between thinking about moving to Chicago, trying to find just the right apartment, leaving the job I loved, leaving friends and family and the comforts of a town we knew, moving to a huge city, etc., laughing at the days to come hasn't been easy. And I would definitely say I have not been "clothed in strength and dignity". More like clothed in worry and uncertainty. So needless to say, I have some work to do with the whole laughing at the days to come and being clothed in strength and dignity thing. I am learning it does no good to worry or dwell on what is to come... this life is not my own to start with! So I still have a long ways to go, but letting go and letting God has proved to make life quite a bit less stressful and quite a bit more joyful. And maybe if I quit dwelling on the worries I have,  I can work on a few of those other desirable qualities displayed by the Proverbs 31 woman. I'm pretty sure I should start with putting my fear in the Lord instead of the unknown. Praise God for the beautiful picture painted in Proverbs 31 and for the outline given for how to become a woman of noble character!

Wordless Wednesday

      1-red velvet waffles from Waffles     2-Z on the river walk     3-our first night living in ChiTown         4-Z and his mom in front of the bean     5-B and Z with Z's dad and brother going on a river boat     6-B at the JohnHancock building    7-B and Z at the bean    8-Sprinkles cupcakes

Home Sweet Home

Before moving to Chicago, Z and I lived with his grandmother... [we miss you Mimi!!!] for a year. When the opportunity for us to live there was presented, it didn't seem like the most ideal situation for a newlywed couple. But Z was working hard on his new business as well as finishing up school, so adding a full time job to the mix was just not going to work. And my teaching job, that I loved so much, just wasn't bringing in the dough. So we packed up all of our new wedding gifts, furniture, etc. and moved in with his grandmother... And we loved it! It was a blessing beyond what we ever could have imagined. I will always look back on our year at Mimi's with the best memories!! {Thanks Mimi! We will never be able to express the depth of our gratitude!!!}
But as much as we enjoyed our year with her, and as grateful as we are for the blessing of living there and the memories we made, we are thankful to be back in a home of our own!! And I, for one, am pretty excited about decorating our home sweet home!
First... the master bedroom... We decided we wanted a new bed for our master bedroom, so I have been searching for just the right one. Here are some beds and bedrooms that I love!

I love the design of this bed... but I'm thinking I want gray...

LOVE!

I really love everything about this room design...

and I REALLY love this!

We ordered a mattress set... still looking for the perfect bed [at the perfect price ;)]! As soon as we pick a bed, we can choose our bedding! Here are a few ideas I like...

How cute is the monogramming on this bedding?! Yours, mine and ours!

I love a stark white bedroom. Z not so much. Probably won't go with this one ;)

I really like this look...

We also need want new bedside tables! I love the mirrored side tables. I think they add such a romantic look to the room. And while we're at it, I wouldn't mind a new rug to round out the look, ha! Here are a few other items on my want list for our master bedroom right now...

Both of these mirrored tables are from Pier One

love.this.rug.

 Well, since this ended up being kind of a lengthy post, I guess the rest of the house will have to wait! I'll keep you posted on which bed, bedding, and additional pieces we choose. And as soon as we get it all put together, I'll be sure to post pics!!