Our Little Elf

All Bundled Up

and off to the grocery store with daddy.  Yep, it's that cold here!

Holiday Cheer

Our weekend has been full of holiday cheer. 

Starting with Friday.  It was the Winter Sing at M's school.  This concert was just for the kindergarteners and I was truly blown away.  I don't consider myself an overly emotional gal (crying that is...except when pregnant of course).   But I admit I was one of those sappy mom's holding back tears.  And, that's OK:-)   To my surprise none of the kids had stage freight.  As a matter of fact, M seemed to really enjoy the stage...ham, like her dad!  They sang Who Am I (it was a turkey), Hanukkah Time, The Snow Man, Lunita (a Hispanic lullaby) and We Wish You a Happy Holiday...... and each class recited a poem...wow.  The concert was for 45 minutes and I was hoping for 45 more!

We have also been doing our Christmas cookie baking this weekend (and when I say "we", I mean "me').  Elbow deep in dough listening to Christmas music.  I just LOVE all of the oldies when it comes to the holidays. Doesn't really get any better than this.

(Oh, and M had her first sleepover last night.  I was shockingly not a mess --probably because she was next door!  Actually, Chris was more reluctant than I.  I felt a little nervous when we went to bed since M wasn't in her bed and I couldn't give her my nightly kiss.  Sad, yet an awesome big deal.  And, we didn't even receive a phone call.  In fact, I had to call the next morning asking her to come home!)

Rainbow Bear by M

A Feast for the Senses

Last night Chris and I met some of our dear friends—Rob and Kara—at Marion Street Cheese Market (MSCM) for a Cheese, Please event. I’ve just got to say that this was so much fun!!!! And, MSCM did a fantastic job hosting this event! There were 17 tables, 35 vendors, 100 different wines, beers, spirits, cocktails, tapenades, cheeses, charcuteries, caramels, toffees, preserves, coffees, chutney, and truffles, plus some delicious appetizers prepared by Executive Chef Leonard Hollander. My favorite tasting item of the night was the wild boar salami and a creamy goat cheese (I tried this cheese at the end of the night so unfortunately I can’t remember its name. I will find out though and post for all of you cheese lovers!!). There were too many wine finds to mention here.  However, the surprise of the night for me was that I actually enjoyed a beer---Sophie, a Belgium white. I tried my best to like the whiskey, but it’s just not for me.


And to top off this awesome night, we met Alpana Singh, a Master Sommelier (the youngest ever) and the host of Check, Please. She gave a talk on pairings of cheese and wine/beer and autographed her new book, Alpana Pours.

This was a really fun way to experience new drinks and foods and to hang out with friends who get into that sort of thing! Thanks, Rob and Kara.  Freddy’s next……

Sums up the night perfectly!

A Santa Reflection

M at the same age as ARose.....

Kids Holiday Party

Today was my work's holiday party for the kids.  Each  year it's so much fun for the kids (and exhausting but fun for the parents).  This year was no different.  ARose really got into the spirit.  She was a bundle of energy having a new-found independence that was really cool to see.  We literally couldn't keep up with her running, then crawling, then rolling.....it was hilarious.  And, M could hardly contain herself before meeting Santa.  She was a little shy as usual but I think she helped out her lil' sis. 



Pre-Santa's lap



Classic!!



Termini

Termini. How I love thee. Cannolis, almond cookies, pignolis, biscotti, torrone, amaretti….. My waist is expanding just thinking about these delights! Actually, it's expanding because I'm eating some of these bad boys as I type....just took a bite....here's another!  Yum.

Termini is a family owned and operated pastry shop which originated in South Philly in 1921 by two brothers from Southern Italy. It has been passed down from generation to generation using family recipes that have not changed since its inception. It’s a Christmas tradition in South Philly. Ask anyone from South Philly and I guarantee you they know of Termini. I’ll even go out on a limb and say that this place invokes a certain amount of nostalgia for them as well.

Chris’ roots are grounded in South Philly. When he was growing up (and even more so with his parents) this area was primarily made up of Italian Americans. There are loads of wonderful attributes found in Italian Americans. One of which is taking their food and the traditions that follow very seriously. I’m not a South Philly girl so obviously for me it’s not the same. However, I have inherited this nostalgia by marriage and have fully embraced it. The embracing didn't take long. I remember one of my first Christmas’ with the Frigs and the excitement by the entire family because they received a little package of Termini’s cookies in the mail. The first time I visited Philly with Chris, meeting his Mom Mom for the first time and getting a true taste of South Philly and Termini’s. It was easy to fall in love with all of that. So, now that I’m thinking about it, I guess for me the nostalgia is discovering Chris’ heritage and remembering Mom Mom.

ARose's first Termini experience....she was more interested in the top than the cookies though!

Elf

It's that time of year and Elf on the Shelf made his appearance a couple of nights ago.  Is it just me or is he a little creepy looking--in a cute kind of way? 

Mudroom: Grand Reveal

BEFORE

AFTER

I LOVE THIS ROOM!!! Is it wrong to love a room so much?


My need for having things neat and in their place has changed A LOT since meeting Chris and having kids. I’ve evolved for the better I will admit….having learned to accept a certain amount of mess in my life and not sweat the small stuff (well, just a little sweating…it’s in my DNA after all!). That said, I really couldn’t bear the thought of that jacket/shoe pile-o-crap at the back door any more. I know, if this is the worst thing in my life I’m doing OK. It drove me crazy every Winter. We’ve done a lot of house improvements over the years and this project always got pushed to the end. But this was the year!!!!! I threw a lot at Chris with these built-ins. To say he rose to the challenge is an understatement. I really don’t know how he did it. But he did…with a smile (mostly) I will add. He says this was harder than his work in the basement. But, even he agrees, his efforts were well worth the pay off.

I’m lucky in many, many respects. One of those being having a husband who is darn handy around the house. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving--A repeat

Last night we were invited to the Elsmo's for another round of giving thanks.  As usual, delicious food and great times.  We really are extremely fortunate to have such awesome people in our lives!! Thanks guys.

I didn't do a good job with this picture but look closely at these candles...these are homemade candles using canned goods--which were not used in the making of our turkey dinner or any dinner for that matter. Too cute!!

Finally....A Date Night

With the Pettit's--WITHOUT the kids!!  I think this is only our second time ever to have a night out alone with these guys without the kids.  Sad, I know!!   Ang's sister and her husband were in town Saturday night so they joined us which was just perfect.  The food at Mado didn't live up to my expectations (in fact, none of our group's expectations).  It was just OK in my opinion.  I think we all left feeling like we liked the direction but they just missed the mark in execution.  Regardless, we still had a blast.  A really great night with really great friends!  (And, I'm not even going to talk about the wild, kick $#@ magaritas at Big Star.  Let's just say I'm feeling better today!) 

The Horn of Plenty

Symbolizing prosperity, abundance and good fortune.  And, we are fortunate enough to have them all!  This is the first year that M really understood what it means to be thankful (I think Charlie Brown helped her out....).   We all agreed that we were thankful Mommy has a job! 

Happy Thanksgiving.  Wishing you prosperity, abundance and good fortune!

Zebra

On Monday M had her first field trip.  It was to the Brookfield Zoo.  At school she's been learning about bears so while at the zoo that they did extra bear related stuff.  Naturally that day she drew this Zebra (not a bear, right!)  I love it!!  She's even naming her drawings now.  It's hard to see on this photo...notice the backwards "Z".  So cute!

Girl and The Goat

  

Where to celebrate our anniversary? That is the question that I was thinking about 2 months ago. We aren’t one of those couples that like to go to the same restaurant every year for our wedding anniversary (not that there is anything wrong with that—at all). It’s just that Chris and I love experiencing new flavors at new (to us) restaurants. For our first year, Chris surprised me with a dinner at Kiki’s Bistro. I say surprised because we were operating on only one income, we had massive student loans, and I was incurring even more student loans so eating out generally meant scoping out the various restaurant/bar specials, always going BYOB and always splitting an appetizer and entre. So this was a splurge for us. We still scope out specials and we absolutely love BYOB’s but things have changed a little since then. We can each now order our own entre ---although we still split it!

This year, I didn’t really have to put much thought in the restaurant. Girl and the Goat was the obvious choice for us. (Good thing I thought about the restaurant early because it took us this long to get reservations for 5:15 on a SUNDAY.) We watched and rooted for our hometown favorite –Chef Stephanie Izard—while she was on Top Chef and were eager to give her food a taste. From the minute I stepped foot in the restaurant I had a good feeling. The look was kind of eclectic with a modern, industry feel to it. Very understated and simple. And, most importantly, the food lived up the hype and our expectations. The food is definitely the focus. Every dish we had was incredible!! My only criticism is the over priced drinks. $15 for a glass wine or caraffe of French Press coffee is steep in my opinion.

Our Dinner:

•  roasted cauliflower . pickled peppers . pine nuts . mint*
• hiramasa crudo. crisp pork belly. aji aioli. Caperberries
• goat, pork and veal sugo . pappardelle . rosemary . cape goose berries
• wood oven roasted pig face . sunny side egg . tamarind . cilantro . potato stix
• lamb sausage stuffed calamari . sweet garlic . sweetbread crisp . currant saor
• squish, squash bread with quince and oil

 *The star of the night…surprising, huh!  YUM!

The Boogers

OK, I'm not being disgusting.  It's the name of the kid's rock band!  Really! 

We took the kids to see The Boogers yesterday.  M was a little shy at first but, man, when this girl lets her hair down she knows how to have a good time on the dance floor.  She was even doing hand stand kicks.  Yeah, you heard me.  Hand stand kicks.  I don't know where that came from but it was awesome (and, no kids were hurt during this dance time).  Her strange dance reminded me of a girl who for some unknown reason decided it would be a good idea to do the worm dance at our wedding so I have to admit I am a wee bit worried.   Worries aside, she had a blast dancing and we had a blast watching her (and listening to the band....they were fun!).  Even ARose got into the groove..dancing on my lap!

Check out this rocker hairdo that she got at the concert. Cool, huh!

Eleven Years

And counting my blessings!  I know it is such a cliche but really ....where does the time go?  It seems like just yesterday that I moved to Atlanta after undergrad and the nephew of my aunt's good friend (and neighbor) offered to show me around the big city to help me adjust to the move.  How thoughtful of him, right!  11 wonderful, fun-filled, exciting years...and 2 kiddos later.  Happy Anniversary my love! 

Mudroom, almost there....

What's Missing?

After weeks of wiggling, it finally happened while eating sausage pizza Saturday night!  She turned into a crazy kid (in a good kind of way) for the rest of the night.  She put herself to bed without any fuss at all...imagine that:-)  The tooth fairy was kind to her---a whole dollar.  I know the tooth fairy has been more generous to some of her other friends, but oh well.  She'll survive, right! She was excited to purchase a journal at the dollar store.  She is going to author a book while her best buddies are going to illustrate it....that's her goal!

Fall Leaves

I was greeted with these lovely leaves tonight as I entered the door.  Mia picked them especially for me on her walk home from school. Awwww, I have the sweetest little girl!

Museum and a Date

Science and Industry Museum with the kiddos during the day yesterday, date with my hubby at night.  It was a fun-filled, exhausting day for sure.  M was able to take her two best buddies to the museum so she was in heaven.

Chris and I then tried Revolution Brewery in Logan Square.  It was a cool place.  The bar was really nice.  I loved the light fixtures (can you tell?  I have a weird fixation with light fixtures.).  The beer selection seemed nice (but I'm not a beer drinker so I can't really comment on that).  Chris tried four of their house beers and really liked them all except for the bourbon barrel beer one which kicked his tail.  We had heard that the wait was really bad....and it was!  We were told 45 to an hour wait.   It ended up being double that.  The food was good, but in my view doesn't really compare with the other gastropubs around town.  If I were comparing it to a typical bar, I'd say the food was great.  Hail to the mussels though.....the best and plumpest I've ever had. 

Happy Halloween

Garden Goodness

Doesn't this just scream Fall? 

Have I mentioned before that I love gardens.  Our garden this year was an absolute winner for us.  Each year we are getting better and better at figuring out what grows well here in this climate and where to situate the plants, etc.  It's not perfect yet.   But we are on our way.  One item that we know we are adding next year is garlic.  We are told that you simply plant garlic bulbs in the fall before the frost.  We will see what it does.    The garden ended up being somewhat of a community garden that we gave to friends and neighbors since we produced more than we could keep up with.  The garden may be gone now but we will have plenty of goodies from our garden for months to come.  This is just one example!!  Yum!

Halloween School Parties

Yesterday was our first Halloween at Irving. Our first parade around the building. Even Arose joined in on the festivities by walking around the block. Our first classroom party. My first lunchroom duty during M's lunch time period. We then rounded out the day with Arose's party at Big Mike and Ms Alice's. Each year we are treated to witches brew by Ms Alice---which is (secretly) my favorite! We had a great time and we all crashed from the sugar high before our normal bedtimes! Fun day!!

Irving

Big Mike and Ms Alice