morning walk

This is Humboldt park in Bay View. When I have time I try to tag along with Lulu the dog and the husband on their morning walk. The leaves are almost at their peak and the park looks gorgeous.

Fall, I've missed you.

Dinner and a Movie: Indie, Spaghetti and Cocktails

While I love going out and seeing what's new and exciting in Milwaukee, I also love making dinner and watching a movie in my pj's. My friend Melissa is on the same page. So last Friday was GNO in my living room with the both of us looking up recipes on Pinterest, cooking, and watching Your Sister's Sister.

The movie was great. It's about two half-sisters and the guy that gets between them - a little awkward, a little funny, and a lot of layers. I had actually watched it the night before but talked it up so much that we watched it again. I remember hearing about the movie on NPR - the acting was very organic, often unscripted. Speaking of movies......the Milwaukee Film Fest is going on and I'm determined (even with working 10-12hr days) to get my butt over there to see the documentary Ethel.

Anyways, onto the food. Our spaghetti with tomatoes, black olives, garlic, and feta cheese recipe was from Food & Wine here. Our Honey Badger cocktails were champagne and St. Germain Cocktails with honey syrup from the blog Design Love Fest. Find the recipe here. These were freakin' delicious. So perfect for fall.

A Milwaukee Home Tour

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this home tour of Milwaukeeans Scott Johnson and Maureen Post featured on the blog, Home Again (follow the link for more photos HERE). It's a nice change of pace to see a home that is actually lived in and is unique to the couple living there. I'm getting tired of flipping through the pages of Decor and House Beautiful, myself. So I"m excited to see a project/blog right in my own backyard. Three cheers for their awesome home tours! And maybe someday (when I actually pick up all the laundry baskets in my living room) my home might look blogworthy, too.

The window seat

I've been running on all four cylinders for the last couple weeks (hence the light postings). Clinicals for graduate school have started. Work hours were extended. And we just got back from Salt Lake City for a family wedding. And an allergy-induced sinus cold is in full swing. This blog has always been my outlet for the harried nature of my real life. Posting about shoes and pretty pictures was a good balance. Well, I've started doing that same thing in my real life. We got on the plane back home and I was so, very, tired - not many things are pretty about 5:30am. But looking out the window at the mountains, the clouds and enjoying the beautiful view was a nice way to put some balance back into my life.

Red sky at night

We were driving home last night from my parents' house up north when we saw this scene building from the west. A heavy downpour had just ended and the sun was just beginning to set. The exact combinations of light and moisture in the air had created what looked like a yellowy-red firestorm. It was crazy. And a little scary.

So, like any normal person, I went home and googled it. I then found this: an old folklore used to predict the weather, "Red sky at night, sailors' delight. Red sky at morning, sailors' take warning". It was right, it did not rain today. There was a whole scientific explanation here from the Library of Congress, but it kind of ruined the majestic beauty of it all. Sometimes it's nice just to look out the window and be amazed by something bigger than yourself.

Home Tour

The home and garden section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel can be a little lackluster, but I was pleasantly surprised when this home tour popped up in last Sunday's paper. This colonial house in Whitefish Bay, just a couple miles north of Milwaukee, is home to an interior decorator and magazine editor who undeniably have great taste. Check out some of the rooms. For more photos, see the full JSonline article, here.

photos: Ernie Mastroianni, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In Progress: Backyard Renovation

01. plant labels 02. dining set 03. plates 04. lanterns 05. charcoal bucket 06. planter 07. sunglasses

The backyard is finished! The sod has rooted nicely and we have even had a few people over for cookouts. Some minor additions remain such as setting up the living space (the lower patio) and getting some outdoor dining materials for the dining area (the upper patio). I've been eyeing up the Aplarro outdoor furniture at IKEA. I've always wanted a chaise - despite not having a pool. And our four person round table is just a tad too small. But all in all, it's looking pretty good. And can I just say - It's so nice to have 'real' grass. I never thought it would be that big of a deal, but it feels like stepping onto a golf course.

3 Things from the Weekend

1. Our backyard renovation is nearing completion. The sod is almost ready to walk on. Luckily there was plenty of rain and an overly ambitious husband to make sure it got plenty of water.

2. I planted our vegetable garden over the weekend and planted some small shrubs and ornamental grass, too. After learning our lesson with garden box no. 1, I left plenty-o-space between seedings and did not plant a single cucumber. Those things take on a horrifying life of their own, to the point where I think the plant in 'Little Shop of Horrors' must have been a cucumber.

3. I was able to catch up on some leisurely reading. How? Spring Semester ended last week!! I read the latest quarterly of Wilder, a gardening and lifestyle magazine I had on my desk since February. It's a beautiful magazine.

Let there be sight.....

It was about time I got new glasses. My old ones were from High School circa my Lisa Loeb stage and I was wearing my contacts dry. But where was I going to find stylish glasses to accommodate my whopping -8.25 prescription? I need a walking stick just to find my bed at night. So I checked out some of the online retailers like bonlook, lookmatic, and Warby Parker. After an at home trial run, I picked the Fitz style from Warby Parker. And my eyes are now experiencing a welcome break from studying, blogging, and researching. Although I still need a little help finding my bed sometimes; I can see the pile of laundry on the floor now.

Good thing I had my coffee today

I brewed up a pot of Valentine Coffee this morning to charge me up for a marathon of errands that included clothes shopping, hair-doing, event-going, and dinner-eating. I picked up a pound of the Papau New Guinea blend while at Groppi's last week; because a) they're a small, local coffee roaster and I love me some local. and b) I liked the packaging; I'm a patsy for anything pretty. And the verdict is: nice! I love Alterra, but secretly water it down because of my caffeine sensitivity. My mind wants dark, strong, bold coffee but my body says too much. I get the crazy shakes after two cups. Alternatively, the Papau blend is milder, but still full-bodied. So no shakes here.

Inside Neko Case's Home

I about flipped when I saw these home tour photos of Neko Case's Vermont home in the pages of Country Living. When it comes to artists I get insanely excited about, Neko tops the list. And I found these photos to be quite inspiring. See, I've been trying to pull off a mix of antique (my parents run an antique flea market) meets rock and roll (my husband is in the music business) with basic modern elements as a decor for our house. I found a working balance but nothing I'm wowed with. After seeing Neko's house, I finally get what I'm trying to do. Cue the lightbulb.

Happy Weekend

The first firepit of the year. Dreams really do come true.

Downtown Dining Week has started. A whole list of restaurants participate and offer a three course meal at $20 (some are $30). So it's a great way to get out and sample some new restaurants. I'm headed out to Tulip, a turkish and mediterranean restaurant in the third ward tonight.

Decorating: a kitchen nook

via elle decor


via apartment therapy


via apartment therapy


via good housekeeping


via decorpad

When we first moved into our house, I HATED the 80's pine kitchen nook/built in that came with the house. I had originally planned to haul the ugly thing to the curb on move in day, but my husband was very attached to this 80's monstrosity. Over the past three years, I may, just may have accepted this thing into our home. But now, I think it needs some pillows and maybe a new table. The old can go in the basement and live. Hey, it's better than the curb.


our... ahem, "lovely" nook

Turning up the heat.

We turned our heat on for the first time last tonight. The temps are dropping into the 30's at night, so we'll soon be putting up plastic wrap over our upstairs windows. Our heating costs skyrocket in the winter (because our house is 120 years old and very big). The new roof we had put on last week should help, but the less I can turn up the heat, the better (hence, the chintzy window wrap). So I'm on the lookout for ways to conserve heat.....and this is one cute way to do it.......

Monsieur Doxie from Midwest Needles

How Lulu the dog spends her weekend

.....mostly sleeping. She got tired from playing with her toys then fell asleep. If you're wondering why I usually post pictures of my dog sleeping, that's because she sleeps like 18hrs. a day. F'reals.

I got up today and took a trip to the South Shore Farmers market, stopped too get some coffee and the new People magazine so I could go home and read all about Elin Woods and what's gonna happen to Tiger. Important stuff, people. Had brunch and Centraal and bought a sectional sofa. Productivity!

Have you heard that new Cee Lo Green song yet? It's my weekend jam. I heard it on NPR last week (yes, NPR).

Red, White, and Blue Brunch

Happy 4th everyone! The weather in Milwaukee is hot and muggy but the sky is clear, so bring on the fireworks. We're passing the afternoon by grilling out and having some Red, White, and Blue Ribbon beer.

This morning I made (a pretty easy) brunch with a "red, white, and blue" theme: Baby green salad with strawberries, blue cheese, and raspberry balsamic vinegar; Mixed berry muffins (a modified recipe from Barefoot Contessa; Watermelon; Bacon and country sausage. Did you guys make any "red, white, and blue" recipes today, too? Do tell.

Cheap Thrills: Backyard produce

Our backyard garden is packed with all sorts of stuff! The lettuce is really good, and it only cost a quarter for all those seeds we planted. The jalepenos and tomatoes are on their way, but aren't quite ready yet. Can't wait to use all that mint for Mojitos this summer! I don't know why I was paying for $4 for herbs at the grocery store, when they're so easy to grow. Silly me.

Matt Vs. Kitchen: Chipotle Steak Tacos

Matt made a Chipotle sauce made of Jalepenos, Mango-Pomegranate Barbecue sauce from Cherith Valley Gardens, some roma tomatoes, then simmered it on the stove for about 10 minutes. After the steak was done cooking, he added the sauce, then we added a bunch of vegetables to our tacos (including lettuce from OUR garden!), and we were done. So good. I'm getting hungry again just talking about it.

Olive Oil Dish soap dispenser

Two bridal showers down! The theme for my shower yesterday was "Doing the Dishes". So, I got a lot of cute tea towels, pretty dish soaps, and money for a new GE Cafe Dishwasher! One of the most creative things I got was this olive oil dispenser to be used for dish soap!! I love great ideas like that!

*Thanks Jane and Tamarah :)

A rainy afternoon at home

I was hoping to go to Bradford beach this week, pack a picnic, my Kindle, and sunscreen, but the weather has not been cooperating. So instead, I planned a rainy day afternoon for myself complete with a cheesy movie and comfort food. I would really like to find a pair of hot pink flip flops to wear around the house. That would really seal the deal.