Searching for Sugar Man

What are you up to this weekend? I think husband and I are going to check out this movie (doesn't it look great?) and maybe get sushi, and we're having dinner with some good friends. It's supposed to be around 70 degrees tomorrow, so get out and enjoy it!

Whatever you're doing, I hope you have fun! xo

IKEA trip

This weekend Bob is running a marathon near Chicago and our return trip will take us right by one of my favorite stores - IKEA. Of course, I'm very excited to see my man do his thing on that 26.1-mile course, but I'm also very excited for our IKEA trip. In preparation for all the goodies to be had - namely nursery gear, curtains, and rugs - we are clearing out the car so we can squeeze every last possible thing in.

I love walking around IKEA as if it's my own home,

Indy weekend

This weekend my honey whisked me away for a birthday (and anniversary) weekend in Indianapolis. We stayed at a charming little B&B (recommended by some friends) in the Mass Ave. arts district just north of downtown. We ate, we drank, we walked and shopped and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Check out the fun weekend we had...

Big Grove Tavern

This weekend, my main squeeze and I checked out the newly opened Big Grove Tavern. It's the latest restaurant to open in our neck of the woods and I was dying to check it out. We were not disappointed.

We began with The Tavern Infusion cocktail (deliciously refreshing!), and the complimentary popcorn (a mix of kettle, salty and something else yummy). We ordered Tater Tots to start, which were served with apple purée and crème fraîche. Crunchy, sweet, salty and delicious.

Next we shared the Spring Chopped Salad. The beets and the orange were the real highlights. The sherry vinaigrette was a simple finish to this wonderful salad. 

For the main course, we went for the meat. Bob had the House Made Pork Sausage with caraway spätzle that was so good.

I opted for the Bistro Filet that was paired with kohlrabi gratin. (Just earlier that day we were at the farmer's market and I was eying the kohlrabi wondering what they tasted like.) Frankly, paired with horseradish butter, I don't think there was anyway they could have gone wrong.

Last, but in no way least, we splurged on Sweet Potato Waffles for dessert. Whoa, were those great! The vanilla ice cream, the server told us, was made with olive oil and sea salt. It melted just perfectly over the waffles and the whiskey caramel drizzle. Mmmm...

After that extraordinarily indulgent dinner we went home and passed out. It was terrific. Just my kind of night.

I hope you had a fabulous weekend! 

Derby weekend

Will you be watching the Kentucky Derby this weekend? I would love to go sometime. The big hats, the seersucker, the mint juleps... sounds like so much fun! I've been to Keeneland before, which was great fun. But the Derby, now that's the real deal. The horses' names are probably my favorite part. Went The Day Well is my favorite this year. Although I have a rule of never wagering my own money, I do love the excitement around the races.

In fact, when I went to Keeneland with my friend Gina and her brother Mike, we met a horse trainer form California. Mike kept trying to make me ask him which horse to bet on. I was too embarrassed to ask, but when I saw him later that day he said in passing, "Boy, XYZ horse sure looks good today." I told Mike and he immediately put money down on that horse and, sure enough, he won. Pretty nuts.

Anyway, this weekend we will be doing some more celebrating of my wonderful mother-in-law* and her entry into a new decade, strutting our pups around Hessel Park for the CCHS Mutt Strutt, getting ready for a baby shower that I'm co-hosting (stay tuned for all of the fun things that I'm putting together for this "Little Man" event - from sweet treats to fun design items to tasty snacks), watching the Derby with our friends, and trying to squeeze in some more living room renovating.

* My fabulous mother-in-law turned 60 on Wednesday. She is quite a character, that one. She's charming, smart, caring, energetic, zany, young at heart, giving, and most of all, loved.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!
xo

Off and running

A little cuteness for your weekend...
It's been quite a busy week. I've been up to my eyeballs in web training classes all week long. I've learned a ton, but am definitely ready to take a break from staring at a computer screen.

This is a big weekend. I am running the Illinois Marathon with my "daddy daughter" relay team. Despite having done absolutely no training whatsoever, I'm pretty pumped for the race. Me, Craig, Tom, and Emily are going to tear it up. :) Then the fun part... celebrating! Hopefully the rain holds off for the race - mainly for Bob's sake while running the full marathon, but also for our friends' cookout afterward. And, to top off the weekend, Sunday I'll be doing my first maternity shoot. Yay!

I hope you have a swell weekend, too!

p.s. Like my new header?

p.p.s. In case you haven't seen them yet, check out my beautiful nieces in our recent photo shoot. Aren't they gorgeous?

cuteness via

Weekend art and more

How cute are these kids? Last night we had a refreshingly restful night with these tuckered out pups. Whew!

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Tonight Bob and I are meeting up with our lovely friends Seth and Justine for a little Boneyard Festival art and a delicious meal. For the second year in a row I have a piece on display for the CUDO ABCU typography exhibit taking place this year at indi go artist co-op in downtown Champaign. This year I've created a photographic capital 'K'. (You might remember my 'L' from last year.) It will be a great night!

And, to get your weekend started, check out this funny video of our sweet Kia who is a bit of a snorer. Turn up the volume for the full effect.

p.s. please consider donating to CCHS.

Lovely weekend

Today I find myself singing "yay weekend!" in my head every hour or so. Not because it's been a bad week, but because I'm so looking forward to a weekend at home after being gone for so long. The weather is warm, the flowers are blooming, and it's just great.

This weekend I'm looking forward to finally uploading my Ireland photos, doing some yard work, hanging pictures around the house, swapping my winter wardrobe for my summer wardrobe (one of my favorite things to do all year), riding bikes, and hanging out with friends. I hope you have a lovely weekend and stay tuned for Ireland photos on Monday.

xox,

Sunday breakfast

Sunday morning breakfast making with husband is one of my most loved activities of the entire weekend. Sigh...

Sewing Saturday

This weekend I'm making curtains.  Hopefully, that is... if I can figure out how to work my mother's Sears Kenmore sewing machine.  So far I'm not having luck.  But, I did buy this beautiful fabric...

... that looks something like this... and I plan to use it to make a faux-headboard for my bedroom.  The two windows in the room provide great light, but also prevent me from positioning the bed anywhere that isn't in front of a door or window.  So, I'm going to make a giant curtain to do double duty - cover one of the windows and serve as a sort of headboard.  I think it will look great once I'm done.  I just have to figure out how to get the darn machine threaded and working. :)

I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing weekend!

Weekend ready

Do you have big plans this weekend?  My week has been incredibly busy at work (i.e. stressful) so I'm very ready for the weekend.  I will be happily working on my latest engagement photos and on our new house.  Bob and I have had plans to tailgate with some friends for over a month now, so we'll be having some fun with that tomorrow, too.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

photo from here