love is in the air

this is one of my favorite shorts I have seen in awhile and quite fitting for this valentine's day <3

for all you last-minute lovebirds...

Valentine's Day sneak up on you??

Have no fear, a few ideas for some last minute ideas for your sweetie :)

Super simple coffee mug that you can personalize any way you'd like! Perhaps a favorite love poem, lyrics from "your song", or you can go with the witty route like this one on mint

Salted dark chocolate popcorn...yes please! This is sure to satisfy any sweet tooths and would be fun to snack on while watching your favorite rom-com ;) It's valentine's day-you have to!

No better time to say "cheers" with your main squeeze (or maybe your main-squeeze to be!), so why not have a special valentine cocktail? I like the sound of this Pomegranate-Champagne punch...

A delicious dinner is never a bad thing in my book for valentine's day, but you can always go the extra mile and try making something special at home! Smitten Kitchen is one of my favorite spots to find cooking inspiration and I think this gnocchi looks pretty darn good! Whip this up with some garlic bread, a salad and a nice bottle o' vino and I'd say your set!

MOST importantly though (even more than getting flowers or chocolates)...just be with the one you love...friends, family, your partner...and remember how lucky we all are to not have to go it alone.

xo

back from chicago

I had such a nice time in Chicago this past weekend-so glad that I made this impromptu trip happen because I really was in need of some quality time with some of my favorite people.

The weather was really mild on Saturday, so after breakfast at Southport Grocery and a stop at my favorite hair salon for a quick trim, most of the day was spent enjoying the sun and a lil bit of crafting too.

Saturday was pretty low-key (we are clearly getting older!) and Sunday we rounded up a few more people and headed to the Bongo Room for brunch (totally worth the wait-minus the overpriced coffee...and overpriced milk) before I had to catch my bus back to Milwaukee.

Sigh...I miss everyone already!

thanks jules for the group shot :)

currently 1.0

Okay, so perhaps one of my new year's/birthday resolutions should be to bring more focus to this lil' blog of mine...yep, that might be a swell idea.
I think sometimes when you start out on a "venture" like this, it seems like you shouldn't have a problem sitting yourself down at the computer to do a bit of writing. But unfortunately, when most of my work week is spent at the computer, I just need to take a break! Although, this time I will blame my absence from the love type thing world due to my lack of computer charger (shout out to my brother for dropping it off!) 

Anyways! Here's what's been happening here in my time and place....

Watching:

Downton Abbey...have you hopped on the bandwagon? I love the characters and seeing the both the stories of the staff and Crowley family. I am finally all caught up and looking forward to see what will happen next :)

Listening to...

Tegan & Sara | Heartthrob...I became a huge fan of the Canadian sister (twins!) duo when I was in college and still love their music! If you are familiar with their past music, then you might have even noticed that where "love type thing" came from :) It's probably partly nostalgic, but I am really excited for their new album AND I am finallllyyy going to get to seem them in concert in March, hooray! 

Loving...

All spring-related fashion! I know, we've still got a ways to go here in the midwest before dresses can be worn without leggings and boots are traded in for sandals, but doesn't mean I can't look! (dress, sandals, top)

Excited for...

Chicago! I'm making a (impromptu) visit to one of my favorite cities this weekend to see some of my favorite people...doesn't get much better than that! (chi town print found here!)



thinking warm thoughts!

Okay people, it is FAreeezing here (again) and as I stood waiting for my bus this morning, I decided that I am over this winter season. My brother pointed out that we really haven't had that long of a winter, but with wind chills of -21, winter could have only been one week long and I would have been ready for spring time.
SO what to do with the winter blues? Daydream of warmer places of course!

Lucky for me, I was able to spend a few weeks last winter in Guatemala and Belize with my sister and I thought with the chilling temperatures outside I would take a few minutes to reminisce AND give you a few highlights of the trip...should you ever find yourself in that part of the world :)

One of our favorites spots in Guatemala was definitely the city of Antigua...we (to the chagrin of our parents) stayed at a local hostel, Jungle Party, which was cheap and surprisingly tame. The city is, to put it simply, charming. Cobblestone roads throughout the city center, dozens of cafes, and the most gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains (and volcanoes-we hiked up Pacaya!).

We also took a coffee tour through a non-profit called, As Green as it Gets, which was highly educational and really gave you some perception of how hard the local coffee farmers work to create their product. 

The last highlight I will leave you with, because it is exactly where I would looove to be right at this very moment, was the day trip we took to Monterrico to spend some time on the beach! Monterrico is about three hours away from Antigua and even apparently is a "hot spot" on the weekends. We happened to get there during the week, so it all seemed pretty quiet (and peaceful). We also didn't mind having the beach to ourselves :) 

Ah yes, already feeling warmer....hope you are too! 

all curled up with a good book!

  

I just started reading Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and I have hardly been able to put it down! Have you heard of it? Oh man...I don't want to give away anything, but if you like stories with lots of twists and keeps you guessing on who really is the "villian", then this is the book for you!

While the novel starts out with the main characters (Nick and Amy) celebrating their five-year anniversary, it becomes clear very quickly that the love that was once unquestionable, has certainly changed. And then Amy disappears, taken from their home. The books goes back and forth between Nick and Amy recalling moments of their relationship throughout the years, all while Amy's mysterious (and troubling!) disappearance is being investigated. Okay, I've probably said too much already!  

I'm only about halfway through, but I cannot wait to get home tonight and keep on reading/feeling anxious about what might happen next!

Anyone else reading a great book? Feel free to share :)

have a cozy weekend!

Well, we made it through one of the chilliest weeks I have experienced in a long time and I am looking forward to a bit of  R & R this weekend! I am hoping to get to the movies-Ry & I are debating between seeing Silver Lining Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty...working on some apartment projects and hopefully finding some furniture (sitting on the floor is only "fun" for so long)...doing some exploring around the new neighborhood...and making it to the gym-part of my goals for 2013 :)

What will you be diving into this weekend? Whatever it may be-hope you are staying warm and with the ones you love and if you're stuck inside, here are a few links from around the web...

I've got my eye on these wedges-if only they weren't out of stock!

Good reads for the twenty-something crowd...

If you're craving brussels sprouts this recipe looks delicious!

Some funny moments with Aziz Ansari on Parks and Rec 

An interesting article on "living large in small houses"...

Cute idea for sprucing up a table in your house (definitely doing this!)

Carbonara mac n' cheese? Yes please!

Intrigued by Elle Fanning's upcoming movie!

This kid, is awesome.

cheers!