A DAY IN THE LIFE.....HOLIDAY REVIEW

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it but I grew up in Chicago....Lincoln Park to be exact....so when I go back to visit my parents it is like going home....I spent the longest time there! When we go home for the holidays the Macy's windows on State Street were on the agenda this year (since the time before that we were snowed in...ok ok that's probably a smidge dramatic BUT I don't do snow driving). 

My DREAM job is to be a visual merchandiser for Macy's State Street...so I definitely appreciate all the holiday splendor! 

Look at the GORGEOUS architecture!! 

The Marshall Fields Clock - a CHICAGO ICON

Hard to see in this picture - it's a gilded deer with the antlers dripping in pearls and beads - I may replicate something like this next year!! That's the thing - I SEE INSPIRATION every where I go!!

I've never noticed this clock INSIDE Macy's

The infamous tree in the Walnut Room

 I've been to Macy's downtown several times BUT never noticed the ceilings - look at the incredible work...it looks like the ceiling of a church....the craftsmanship of days gone by is so inspiring. The ceiling is Tiffany Glass made up of 1.6 million pieces of glass. This took 18 months to complete and designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany - largest Tiffany glass piece.

This year my mom went with us and it was neat to see and hear her expressions...she couldn't believe it was 8 floors. When we originally drove down there Friday (and it was a zoo, couldn't find parking, the driving made her crazy - and she was the passenger BUT the minute we stepped inside Macy's she says "I could do this..."). Macy's AKA Marshall Fields to us Chicagoans is MAGICAL....

The kids look like naturals!!! 

FOODIE FRIDAY....Mom's Lasagna and Homemade Garlic Bread

My mom is old skool - she makes batches of sauce at once and freezes them....its a twist on my great aunt's sauce with a few additions of my moms and very different from mine. My daughter and I like my moms sauce - my son not so much (there are mushrooms, pieces of garlic and pork). She sent me home with a few packages of her sauce and I had a hankering for lasagna...My daughters boyfriend came over and my guy came by impromptu so it was a perfect family dinner. 

I was excited to use my vintage pyrex baking dish....

 Even though the box says no pre-boiling of the noodles, I still like to pre-cook them....

 I put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan to prevent the first layer from sticking....add a layer of noodles, sauce and grated italian cheese blend (I also like to add ricotta BUT my grocer was out). Continue to layer until your pan is full or your noodles are gone.

I baked low at 320 for 20 minutes to melt the cheese and then turned up to 360 to get that golden crispy crust....

We are a waste not family....italian beef sammies for Christmas dinner left us with 2 long loaves of bread (dad likes to BUY a lot of bread - just in case) SO I turned that left over bread into homemade garlic bread....slathered melted butter on the bread, shook on some garlic powder and himalayan sea salt and baked until golden brown.

What do YOU put in your lasagna?

THRIFTY TUESDAY

I have an affinity for collecting THINGS!! And it's funny, when I'm thrifting I seem to choose items that go together...not intentionally, but probably self consciously. When you collect what you love, it all works together. Take my table setting below for example, 95% of what you see is thrifted...and that other 5% the items were less than $5.00. 

This year I wanted a black and white buffalo check theme (harder to find than you might think...the place I had the most success was Homegoods)

 Runner - Thrifted last year AFTER seeing Love the Coopers....I adore Diane Keatons style and thought I could use this as a sash (I never did that BUT thankfully I held onto it)
Placemats - Thrifted last month @ Salvation Army
Chargers - Michaels - June 2016 - they were clearanced to 70% off so I think I paid around $9.00 for 12
**** THAT IS THE BIGGEST TIP I CAN GIVE YOU - BUY OFF SEASON***
(it does mean you have to store it and remember WHERE you put it BUT it saves SO much money)
Plates - Picked up at various thrifts over the years - when you do white it can always be mixed and matched
My entire Centerpiece is various thrifted finds....I had planned to only do black and white BUT my kitchen theme is a candy colored christmas SO I added the pops of green and LOVED it. This year I layered, layered and when I thought I was done - added another layer!!

These gold glitter coasters were .75 for a pack of 12 at walmart a couple years ago after New YEars Eve...I picked them up because they were gold and GLITTER!!! The 6 pack of napkin rings were $2.00 at Marshalls and as I mentioned the place mats were thrifted and .69 / each

I'd LOVE to see your table decor for the holidays!!! Getting inspiration from fellow bloggers is always fun!! Leave me a comment with your link so I can see how you decorate!

THANKFUL TUESDAY...

I KNOW it's not just me...every year people get Christmas crazed earlier and earlier! (I mean I do get the prepping BUT putting up the tree? Don't hate blog world BUT that's too early). I seem to have misplaced my bins of Turkey tureens and candle holders BUT that isn't stopping this momma from remembering to be #thankful. These are the Thanksgiving touches that can be spotted around my home this season...

I am digging navy and orange together!! And the texture of terracotta....

I added a real pumpkin stem to the faux...

 Picked these Devonshire Johnson Bros plates up at the thrift over the summer knowing how PERFECT they'd be come Thanksgiving season!

Which are displayed in my hutch....I had a difficult time getting a picture of this area....

Did you decorate for Thanksgiving this year? Taking a poll....what color theme are you going with this Christmas season? I've always done the fun funky turquoise, lime green and pink....this year I am thinking something a lil more sophisticated....maybe gold, black and leopard?

A DAY IN THE LIFE....

.....Snapshots via my iphone from the past FEW weeks....

Sweet baby kitten

and her sister....

While Trick R' Treating in Chicago people went ALL OUT for the Cubs (how about that World Series WIN?!?!?)

The Skullydog was wearing a Cubs jersey and carrying the "W" flag

The kids and their pets!!!

If you've been following me on instagram you know I'm trying to get fit!! Drinking a gallon of water a day is H A R D!!!

Have you tried the NEW Carmelized Banana Chocolate oatmeal from @Starbucks?!?! It is DEVINE!!!

While in the city visiting my peeps we decided to food prep! (see yesterdays post for the 6 P's)

We are having the MOST AMAZING fall here in the Midwest! This pic was from Rock Cut State Park this past Sunday...sunny and 66!

While visiting my chica's I was reminded how much I LOVE scrapping....so I came home and went thru my stuff and realized I have a BRAND NEW Smashbook (good thing since I have been informed they are no longer in business - WHAT?!?!?!).

This is a PERFECT example of WHY I don't clean!!! I was wiping down my crystal glasses and apparently with mighty force! It broke in my hand!

I KNOW I want some Cubbies gear to commemorate the BIG WIN...this zip up jacket is the WINNER so far!

Walked a mile the other day....not much but a START 

What have YOU been up to?!?! 

FOODIE FRIDAY....HEALTHY EATS Food Prep

Have you heard of the 6Ps? Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. SO TRUE!!! Especially when trying to get fit. It's SO IMPORTANT to have the healthy foods on hand to AVOID temptation. BUT this requires planning and preparation! 

Here's the labor of love form my last shopping trip. (this took all of an hour and a half BECAUSE my pantry and fridge were bare AND I believe in looking for the best deals....if you notice there are several orange labels - these are items that need to be frozen or consumed in the next couple days / weeks). 

@justbarechicken is my FAVORITE chicken...it's expensive (but as the old adage reads "you get what you pay for". If you are a smart shopper and price compare between ads you can save some money. These packages of chicken were from my local grocer (small chain) and on sale for $4.88/pack. At Meijer they were retailing for $5.99....so sometimes it pays to shop small.

From the above items I made the below meals...Italian chicken with zucchini and rice, stuffed peppers and rice, chili and egg quiche cups for breakfasts on the go. These meals had many of the same ingredients (peppers, corn, rice, turkey and beef) so it was easy to prepare DELISH preservative free meals with just a lil creativity between the meals.

Do YOU have a go-to healthy meal that you prep for the week? I'd LOVE to hear about it and gove it a try!!

MANI MONDAY.....Neutrals and GLITTER

Once a week I do my nails and toes....I believe it's important to keep up with that kinda girly stuff!!

This weeks mani is a neutral nail with a glitter tip (and a hint of yellow mixed in with the glitter)

I like to mix different elements when I do my mani's (last week I did some faux nails with my own) This week the entire mani is faux and FAST!!! I kinda heart the glue on nails (and since I change my nails er'week there is barely an outgrowth).

This picture (clutching my night time lifeline to binge watch Netflix) is showcasing how the nails look upon applying them straight outta the package (notice the last 3 are uber long....to make them appear more "natural" I file them down to my nails length (as you can see on the pointer finger)

Here is another picture demonstrating the difference in lengths

Sometimes you just NEED a #caramelfrappuccino from @starbucks! HAPPY M ONDAY!!!

A DAY IN THE LIFE....

.....Pics via my iphone for the past week....

Have you guys tried these?!?!? They are the PERFECT salty snack BUT low sodium....

 Showed y'all my Halloween mani....

Last Monday I cooked my tail off doing meal prep for the week and made the Chicken (what we got) Pie

Getting it on like a #girlboss does

Speaking of girl boss....went to my shop space and did a lil re-arranging 

and put the orange and halloween front and center! 

Studied my a$$ off....

Working on #HEALTHY meals and snacks! It's easy to eat this when it looks so pretty!! Presentation is KEY!!!

Tried something new....saged my home....it was time to rid the house of negative stagnant energies....

Got the kitties all ready for Halloween!!

Kids and I had the Fappula Frappuccino at @starbucks....a holiday tradition BUT def not my beverage of choice....

Another Halloween pic of cute kittens