Celebrate Spring Event

After picking up some fresh flowers today for our newly remodeled kitchen, I found this in my email inbox. I am so tempted to do this, considering my flowers look a little out of whack.


Celebrate Spring!

Flower Arranging Pastry Class
Saturday, April 25
(312) 324 4000

Allow Sofitel's resident floral designer, Colin Collette, to walk you through the methods and techniques that consistently help him create the renowned arrangements that adorn the hotel's lobby.

After a delectable lunch in Le Bar, the afternoon will include a hands-on experience with Executive Pastry Chef Suzanne Imaz as you learn how to create pastries that thrill the taste buds. She will demonstrate how to create her famous chocolate ginger soufflé with lemongrass ice cream.

10:00 am Flower Arranging Class with Colin Collette
11:30 am Prix fixe lunch
1:00 pm Pastry class with Executive Pastry Chef Suzanne Imaz

$60 per guest
Participation limited to the first 25 guests
Price includes a glass of wine, soft drink, coffee, or tea
(excluding tax and gratuity)

Etsy Find of the Week

(Le Papier Studio)

I have caught myself while on etsy, specifically doing a search for Chicago artists. And it is amazing how many awesome folks we have out there. I am in love with Le Papier Studio. I would love for her to do a silhouette print from one of our wedding photos. She also has some beautiful custom stationary. How cute are these gerber daisies. She has some great listings on etsy, but also a wonderful blog!

(Le Papier Studio)

My Beloved Peonies

(source)

I am ready for spring and I am ready for peonies. Don't they just brighten your day when you have these sitting in a room?

Back in the Swing of Things..

(Crate and Barrel)

I am so sorry, blog. I have completely neglected you. But it has been a crazy time. My job is a kick in the rear, always has been and always will. I know, I know. I am so happy to have a job right now.

Oh in other news - we should make President Obama so proud as we definitely have been doing our part for the economy. We decided this month to redo our whole kitchen with our tax check. New cabinets and new countertops. Oh and here is the other really cool thing - my husband did it all himself. I don't want to jinx it, but the countertops are coming in tomorrow (hopefully). The one issue - it was suppose to be a two-week project that unfortunately, turned into a six-week project. The issue was not that my husband fell behind it was that our countertops were delayed for delivery, so it has been so much fun fixing dinner on nothing but a slab of plywood.

This has made me go crazy in anticipating a brand, new beautiful kitchen. I think I am also yearning for spring to get here, because I find myself heading straight to all the beautiful, bright colors at Crate and Barrel. I do love these plates.

Etsy Find of the Week

(Etsy)

I love these because they are so simple. Check out the designer here.

Bargain Books

If you know someone who is planning a wedding, RUN to Borders and check out the bargin books. I found this one - Style Your Dream Wedding by Susie Coelho. Usually is runs for $50 bucks, but at Borders it was $5.00. Never do I see wedding planning books on sale. And what I loved about this one is that it had beautiful, stunning photos,, but also broke down the wedding planning process. It even had these special features (a CD of wedding songs, a color palette booklet to help in what your style is, and a ton of other nifty extras). I am so miffed that I did not have this sucker a year ago when planning my wedding!! I am picking up a couple as engagement gifts...

Random Thoughts...

I actually am quite happy for all the new brides-to-be, but there was a little sting of jealously when I saw Tina's post.

I realized I needed to work on my new year's resolutions so I used my Kitchenaid Mixer this weekend and made inauguration cupcakes. I then realized I pretty much cancelled out another resolution which was to eat better....

Any who - it was the first time I used it and I probably did not need to register for one. But I had it in my head that if Martha Stewart ever showed up at my door, she would see I was part of the "club" when she saw my bright red artisan mixer in my nicely coordinated kitchen.

In other news- six months ago, it was Google Reader...now I have a new addiction - facebook. I can't stop reading my friend's status updates. I need help.

Frozen Gramwiches

I know...seriously two posts in a day? It is a new year, my friends.

So I have decided that this crap about a diet needs to go out the window and I just need to eat better and exercise more. As much as I contemplated staying in bed for another hour today, I ended up running for three miles instead. And it felt good.

One thing I have noticed is just my love for sweets. I cannot not have them. So I ended up finding this recipe from The Biggest Loser cookbook. Oh I am in love with Frozen Gramwiches...

Frozen Grahmwiches

2 whole low-fat graham crackers1/4 cup light or fat-free frozen whipped topping (any flavor)

Break each graham cracker in half to get four halves. Spread two of the halves evenly with the whipped topping. Top with the remaining cracker halves to make sandwiches. Transfer to an airtight plastic container. Cover tightly and place in the freezer. Freeze for at least 2 hours or up to 1 month. Serve frozen.

Makes 1 serving

Per serving: 150 calories, 2 g protein, 28 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 polyunsaturated fat, 0 monounsaturated fat, 0 cholesterol.

Getting Back my Mojo...

I seriously have been in a fog for the last seven months. I think work has kicked my rear over the last couple months. I have been overwhelmed trying to pay off anything wedding debt related, while also trying to save for a new place but heck with this economy, we might be stuck in his bachelor "Old School" house for a while.. Ugh...but don't get me wrong. I am quite happy as a newlywed, I just can't seem to play catch up with all my real life issues. And I think my blog has shown this the most, because I can't seem to find much inspiration or if I do - it does not last. Ok, so instead of writing this crazy post - I am heading to Arizona for some R&R...and wine. Lots of wine. Happy 2009 - I am hoping this blog and myself - gets its mojo back!

In other news, my husband received the DVD box set of The Office Season 1-4. Seriously, why had I not watched this? It is the best show ever.

Etsy Find of The Week

Things have been a little hectic and I am heading out to Arizona soon, but thought these would be perfect for the seasoned traveler from Jet Set Paper .

Horrible Night

Lets not even talk about last night. We had our Chicago Bloggers happy hour downtown last night. Part of the excitement for me? Of course seeing all the Chicago bloggers, but also we were going to do a $20 dollar gift bag exchange. I knew that traffic would be a mess because the weather was a mess. But I decided screw it, I am heading downtown. Why - because I was so excited to give away my gift bag. Yeah - in all honesty, this is what married life has become - I get excited over giving gifts. Well...in this whole mess - I left my cell phone at my office. I had no way of contacting Tina or Tara. And now I feel horrible, because from the sounds of it - everyone bailed except Tina (who was waiting for me). I ended up sitting in traffic for hours. I decided that I was going to have to just head home and email folks the next day. It was not until I saw Tina's email this morning that I realized "No!! No one made it." Tina, I am so sorry.

So why was I all excited over my gift bag? Because it was a sampler of some of the great Chicago sellers on etsy! This was perfect for our Chicago Bloggers and perfect for anyone trying to find a cool gift for the holidays. The other cool part about it was that it supports Chicago Style Crafters which is a group that is trying to reach a monetary goal that will aid them in securing space for a handmade, locally produced market here in Chicago.

So what was inside of the gift bag?

- "Chicago Snow" scented Soy Wax tealight, Reversible resin Pendant and 10% Off Coupon (Retail Value= $16) Something Beautiful - Chicago Postcard set & 10% off Coupon (Retail $10)Erin Donnelly

- Chicago Stamp Pendant (Retail Value= $10)Foxglove Accessories

- Recycled Wool Broaches (Retail Value= $4)Big City Fuzz

- Chicago map Journal (Retail Value= $5)Donovan Beeson

- The Space Saver Tab Ornament (Retail Value= $10)Circa Ceramics

- Chicago Recycled Bottle Cap Magnet (Retail Value= $5)Cranky Pickle

- "The City of The Snow" greeting card (Retail Value= $5) Molly Cranch

- 20% off Coupon Thank You Enjoy

- 10% off Coupon Kathyy's Krafts-

- 10% off Coupon (comes with an adorable handmade envelope) made by Jill Hannah

See, why I was excited and then so bummed that Blogger Happy Hour did not happen? Please, please go visit them on etsy and pick up yours here. You will not be disappointed.

Holiday Gift

Yikes, it has been a month since I last posted, but the job has taken all my creative juices lately. And - I also have discovered facebook and a new iphone. So please be patient.

One thing I am quite proud of is my holiday grab bag gift. It is awesome and I will definitely tell you more later after I have given it out to the lucky person.

Recipe No. 2 - Three Cheese Chicken

This is another Weightwatchers recipe, and it is delicious. A little time consuming, so it went against my easy prep recipes only, but well worth. I wish I had taken some pictures, but unfortunately did not (I guess a rookie mistake).

Three-Cheese Chicken
Ingredients
- Two cans of Fat Free Cream of Mushroom (or you can do cream of chicken)
- 1 pound of Chicken (cooked and cubed)
- 2 cups of cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup of Reduced Fat Parmesan cheese
- One tub of Fat Free Cottage Cheese
- Lasagna noodles
- 2 Tablespoons of Basil
- One Onion (chopped)
- two cans (12 oz) of mushrooms

1. In saucepan combine: 2 cans of soup, onion, chicken, cooked mushrooms, basil, and cottage cheese and cook.
2. cook the noodles (will need about six total)
3. spray and line the bottom of casserole dish with noodles
4. put a layer of the saucepan mixture (1/2 the mixture) over the noodles and then put anothe layer of noodles.
5. add most of your parmesan cheese and chedder cheese into saucepan mixture
6. pour remainder over noodles.
7. bake for 45 minutes at 375 covered. uncover when almost done and put remainder of parm and cheese on top and cook uncovered.

New Newlywed sites

I am thrilled that several of the former brides are continuing to blog!

With This Nest
That Wife

And oh yes, two of my favorite gals - Ami and Rebekah - have started a new blog about...well everything!

I am sure there are others - but I am little behind on my google reader...like 878 posts behind..

The Beginner Cook

I look back and realize that as a child I was very lucky. Very lucky that my mother was always willing to cook and clean for us (and never really heard her complain)...all of this while she also had a full-time job. Seriously?

Times have changed a bit and especially in my household. Yes, there is still newlywed bliss, but I also just don't believe that it should be only my job to cook and clean. Not when I am sitting in nice rush hour traffic for five days a week. I at least have a husband who is willing to go 50-50 on household cleaning duties. We actually talked about this early on - I hate washing dishes, so he does the dishes. He hates doing laundry, so I do the laundry. All of this works, except for the cooking. In my single days, I kept it pretty simple, because I was only eating for myself. When I registered, my friends giggled at the thought of buying me a blender (until I explained the need for magaritas) or a mixer (well, this one was more for looks - the red Kitchenaid mixer). However, over the last year, I have become more and more of a fan of cooking. I love trying out new recipes - but they have to be easy...like beginner easy.

So hopefully, I will post a couple recipes here a week and tell you how they went. Please keep in mind - the majority of them are Weight Watchers or low fat. And please, feel free to pass along any of your recipes as well!

First up - Again beginner here and the key here is that it is quick.

Mexican Chicken

1 pkg Taco seasoning (Taco Bell is best)

4 (4 oz) chicken breasts
1 cup salsa

1/4 cup non-fat sour cream

Put chicken & taco seasoning in plastic bag; shake and coat well. Place in sprayed (nonstick cooking spray) casserole dish. Bake 30 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Top with salsa about 5 minutes before done, then top with sour cream.

This is a weightwatchers recipe - so it is four points for one chicken breast.

Shh...Impulse Buy

(Etsy)

Despite telling my husband that we need to cut back spending, I could not help myself and bought this necklace off Etsy today. Seriously - It was calling out to me. I love the designer's style and I love that she has her own blog.

Etsy of the Week

So you don't want to spend too much on artwork...I totally understand. So what about this idea from My Tree House Treasures? Custom cut vinyl lettering is a fun way to add personality to any room in your home and they are so reasonably priced! Here are some of my favs...and she even does custom orders!

Love for Letter Your Legacy

Letter Your Legacy)

Six months later, we are still receiving wedding gifts - But I love it! Last week, I was sent a gift from a good friend of ours. She must have heard me complaining of our lack of art for our house, because she sent me something from Letter Your Legacy. I had seen their stuff on another website, but actually forgot about them. OMG. It is gorgeous and I am so excited to hang it. I wish I could post it here, but then you would know our last name, so I posted some from their website.

P.O.S.H

(P.O.S.H)

It was right before I moved to Chicago that my mother found some cool shops in my new neighborhood, one of them became her favorite - P.O.S.H. They have since moved into a bigger shop on State - but it is still one of the coolest stores and still a must visit when my mother comes to town! I also love that they always seem to find neat vintage stuff from Chicago.

I ended up buying these cups and absolutely adore them.

They have seriously the coolest vintage dinnerware - look at these!

I get tired of framed pictures so bought this to spice up our photos.

I'm Back...

So for the last five months, I was done with the wedding planning, and on to newlywed bliss. But did not know what to do with my old blog - Chitown Bride. At first I thought maybe I was done with writing, but then realized - I couldn't just stop blogging. So here is my new blog - Chitown Wife (I know --how original!). No fears - if you want to relive anything from my wedding day (peacocks anyone?) - I will keep the other blog around (but probably no new posts).

This blog is definitely keeping with a theme of design, food and anything else I want to write about! So enjoy!