find joy in everything

“For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are that you’re not going to be very happy. If someone bases his happiness or unhappiness on major events like a great new job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.”

— Andy Rooney

it's the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year!

Given that I spent more than one night last week playing "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Mariah Carey's version, naturally) on repeat while I pinned ribbon-laden garlands, pears & twigs & plastic toys covered in silver & gold glitter, and bow-covered holiday party outfits, it should come as no surprise that I am enchanted by all things Christmas.

From the decked-out lobby at my office building, a simple festive mantle at The Grafton, bright orbs (and lit up trees outside) Sushi House, to my roommate's tree that has begun our apartment's transformation into Santa's workshop, I am delighted to that the Holiday Season is in full swing in my life.

this weekend.

This weekend consisted of most of the components for a perfect weekend (the only thing it was lacking was a brunch date but I remedied this with a healthy scramble I whipped up this morning!). I started out my weekend on Friday by celebrating a friend's birthday at Moe's Cantina and Benchmark. 

On Saturday, I tried my hand at improvising a cozy yet healthy soup for the chilly fall weather (black bean + just ripe avocados + salsa), ate tapas at La Tasca, and sampled my first pumpkin beer while listening to possibly the most painful suburban cover band. My company was fantastic, though, and it made for a perfect Saturday night.

Today, to continue my vow to keep my weekends more productive and less lethargic, I've cleaned my bathroom, started laundryfest 2012, and have plans to organize my jewelry and hang up some prints of Evanston, where my parents first lived when they moved to Illinois, that I salvaged from their closet. 

What did you do this weekend? Feel free to share here, or link me to your instagram/blog to give me a peak!

chinatown in the fall

The Nine Dragon Wall. Mango with mango jelly at Chi Cafe. Blue & white dragonflies. Red ginkgo and a seafoam tower.

Gummy sushi display. Manicured boulevard. Yellow ginkgo. Sweet beef and onions.

Lost & found. Walking to lunch. Mother & daughter. Bill investigates our haul from Aji Ichiban. 

A few weeks ago my mom and I headed out to Chintatown in Chicago. We ate sweet beef at Chi Cafe, shopped for blue and white dishes and teapots, jelly candy, and paper lanterns, and ate frozen yogurt under bright yellow ginkgo trees. The weather was perfect for a Sunday afternoon autumn excursion: crisp, bright, and clear. I can't wait until our next neighborhood adventure.

tuesday

I was off work yesterday, spending the day in and out of a continuous nap and HGTV marathon, full of aches and coughs and sniffles and the never-ending question of would they love it or list it? My return to work brought a lot of instances that tested my patience and had me feeling like it was going to take weeks of coming in early and staying late to catch up. 

After an hour of over-time, I came home with a stiff neck and a need for a little inspiration. I'm not big on ~*~inspirational quotes~*~ because I find they can very quickly border on cliche ("Live, laugh, love," anyone?). However, after I headed to my Words to Live By board on my pinterest for a little wisdom and found the above quote that I pinned a few weeks back, I'm ready to take on hump-day with a new purpose and drive for excellence. 

What words inspire you?

not so ship shape

In my experience with lifestyle blogs, you see lots of photos of artfully organized rooms. Disheveled piles of battered buoys grouped together on a reclaimed-driftwood coffee table. Vintage children's books filed in rainbow order. Neatly-folded cashmere throws on an Navajo ladder in an airy loft. Those images are all inspirational, but does anyone's home look like that all the time?

I agree that blogs are an escape, and often where we want to show off the beautiful meal we just prepared, but not the dirty dishes it took to make it.

I'll admit, I aspire to make my living room look like a modern nautical retreat and my bedroom to look like orderly and vintage but unfortunately I haven't learned the habits to constant cleanliness... yet. My mornings start in a rush and end with me coming home with all the intentions to clean and organize and color code... and I usually end up starting a load of laundry, camping out in front of an On Demand marathon of Criminal Minds, and leaving it for tomorrow.

So here is my room in all its daily, messy glory. This entry is an attempt to hold myself accountable. I'm determined to put up photos of an after as soon as possible, and to get a list of habits together that will keep it looking ship shape, everyday.

What do you do to keep your living space as neat (and dare I say, as pin-worthy) as possible?

cheerio

My name is Christine, and I've been a Windy City girl my whole life. I've laughed at The Second City, ridden the ferris wheel at Navy Pier, eaten Garrett Popcorn, and swam in Lake Michigan. I've loved, laughed, and grown in this city. I've lived here for all of my 25 years, and my curiosity about all the secret brunch spots and neighborhood gardens never wanes.

This is my outlet to showcase things I love, but not all will be Chicago-centric. The things you will find in my little patch of the net include but are not limited to: pictures of neighborhood animals wearing embarrassing coats, tips for organizing jewelry, where to find the best Bloody Mary on the North side, photos of my daily life, thoughts that keep me going, youtube links of 90's slow jams (which goes hand in hand with memories of awkward first dances in middle school... #holler), awesome Happy Hour locations, things I'm lusting after, things I'm looking forward to, the location of the perfect place to people watch on a Sunday morning, and the top five things I'm loving about each week.

I'm hardly an expert. Just a girl living in a constant Windy City State of Mind.