O, Christmas Tree.

This year we got our Christmas tree relatively early (if I'm remembering correctly we got our tree only a few days before Christmas last year...), but I'm so happy that we did!  Each year my excitement and anticipation for Christmas grows exponentially, and this year I really had to steel myself to wait to completely immerse myself in everything Christmas until after Thanksgiving.  I made it.  Barely.  

Picking out a tree from a city parking lot sure is different than what I grew up doing.  I remember my Dad would take us out to the woods every year, and we'd walk and walk and walk until we found a tree we all liked (usually a 30 footer...no point in cutting down all the little trees!).  Then he'd climb to the tippy tippy top and lop off the top, and that would be our Christmas tree.  It was also so dreamy to walk through the glittery snow on those freezing cold days...

I love our mini tree.  So perfect and charming.  And, obviously, Evangeline's a big fan.  

Snowy Sunday.

Yesterday was Evangeline's first snow!  So exciting!  (She is quite pleased about it, can't you tell?) It was a super cold day out, so after Mass we went downtown and spend the rest of our Sunday at the Field Museum (unfortunately, our timing heading down was not ideal--we were stuck in the rush of thousands of Bears fans going out for the game!).  I'd never been before, and it had been forever since Alex had gone, so it was super fun for both of us to just wander around.  It's huge!  I cannot wait to take Evangeline there when she's a little older and able to appreciate all the cool stuff.  

We really loved the Animals of Africa section; there are so many creatures in the world that you have no idea even exist, but each one is necessary in its own right and perfectly suited to thrive and play its own part in its respective environment.  It's really incredible to think about.  We learned about these monkeys, called Gibbons, who mate for life (unlike most monkeys).  The mates (sometimes along with their babies!) sing songs together in the tree-tops to mark their territory--the songs can be heard up to a mile around.  I just think that is so cool.  

Our most favourite section was Ancient Egypt.  It's unreal to see these papyrus scrolls, sarcophagi, and tomb hieroglyphics that have lasted thousands of years.

I love the beautiful white atrium--and of course, seeing a T-Rex skeleton is pretty neat...

This photo doesn't quite capture how freezing it was last night.  I know we're probably in for a long winter again, but there is something so invigorating about these first truly cold days that I just can't complain about just yet...Happy Sunday!

P.S.  Alex helped me last night to FINALLY figure out how to make my photos line up right against each other (something I've been trying to learn for the last six months...).  From now on hopefully my photo arrangement won't be so confused and annoying.  Thanks, Al. 

Long Weekend.

It's midnight as I sit down to write this, and I still hear Evangeline fitfully wriggling in our bedroom.  This is the latest she's ever ever gone to sleep.  As soon as she entered this world she initiated an eerily strict sleeping schedule which involved being asleep by ten, awake by eight, and only one groggy awakening in the middle of the night.  I sure am one lucky momma.  And one super spoiled momma at that, complaining that her little one went to bed a whole two hours later than usual.  Wah.

Hah! Yikes.

Alex is having some much loved cozy time with Sleepy Little Lady now, giving me the opportunity to sit down to this little blog and type out a few words...Let's see.

This past long weekend was busy for us (love those long weekends).  We spent Saturday making tamales (literally an all day affair), doing laundry, cleaning the apartment, catching up on all those things that we had put off for the past few weeks, and, most exciting of all, Alex began building a frame for my Nolli map of Rome.  Hurrah!  Even thinking about the costliness of getting something that huge professionally framed hurt our heads a little, but then I found this great tutorial on how to build your own frame.  It probably would have been a day project had he had the tools...but little Chicago apartments don't really accommodate miter saws.  But, as I have mentioned, Alex is invincible, and so decided to start building one anyways.

We took advantage of possibly one of the last warm, sunny Sundays, and took the train to the Botanic Gardens.  The fall flowers and foliage are at their peak: the deep reds, purples, oranges, and yellows astounded us with their vibrancy.  I'll never get tired of these Northern Autumns.  They fill me with awe every time.

On Monday we rearranged the apartment.  Yes, again.  I refused to hang anything on the walls until couches and bookshelves were in their proper and final places, and finally, after about a month of hemming and hawing, I finally grew sick enough of my own indecision and the stacks of art and mirrors lying about.  Hanging art and moving furniture always helps me to feel as though I've been extraordinarily productive and much more organized and deliberate than I normally feel.  Cheers to that!

Because it's boring to post without a picture, here's one of us at the Botanic Gardens.  A year ago, we were standing in that exact same spot, only Little One was a biiiiiit tinier!  What a difference a year makes...Thank you, God, for this wonderful family of mine!

New Home.

We moved into our new apartment just days before we left for Maine.  It was a whirlwind of insanity. When you move you realize just how much stuff you have.  Yikes.  It was so terrifying just seeing everything half in and half out of boxes stacked up the walls.  Luckily, unpacking takes half the amount of time as packing does (we were packing through the entire month of August!  Something I've learned since having a baby: things now take three times as long as they used to pre-baby), and we're finally settled in to this lovely little apartment.  Everything has it's proper place and apartment living is back to normal.  The only thing we haven't done yet is put the art up on the walls...someone needs to come and give us a third opinion.

Evangeline gives it her stamp of approval.

I really do love our new place.  It's delightfully cozy, without feeling cramped.  Bright, freshly painted walls and white trim really make it seem very airy and a lot more spacious.  I'm very surprised that all our furniture fits, given that our new home is probably half, maybe two-thirds, the size of our old one.  But I suppose we never really had an inordinate much furniture anyways (we still are the proud owners of only two chairs).  The only troublesome aspect of the move was a brief, sweaty struggle with our box spring.  It wouldn't fit up the front stairwell.  It wouldn't fit up the back stairwell.  One beaten up box spring. One distressed and frustrated wife at the thought of sleeping on a mattress on the floor.  Luckily, I have an incredible, intelligent, stubborn husband.  If it won't fit up the stairwell, by golly it'll come in through the window.  And it did.  Somehow.  Note: we live on the third floor.  I'll never forget Al half leaning out of the third story window pulling our queen size box frame inside.  Terrifying.  But problem solved. 

Though the overall apartment size is smaller, we got an upgrade on kitchen counter space!  I'm so especially grateful for this aspect!  It really is a lifesaver.  Hopefully I'll have some pictures of the place all set up sometime soon. 

I'm have grand plans of getting a rug, some more chairs, a small kitchen table for casual breakfasts, and a smaller, round dining room table (the one we have doesn't really fit--that weird oblong shape).

I love these Industrial French cafe chairs.  Kitchen?

Love this rug. via French Connection

Luckily, getting a cheaper place we didn't have to sacrifice on location.  I love the neighborhood that we live in now.  Just a 5-10 minute walk west from our apartment is the most charming little area, with a stone piazza and fountain and plenty of wonderful shops and restaurants (including a bookstore that serves wine...what?!).  It's always full of families ("fleets of strollers" as my friend Mary says) and has such a fun, European vibe.  Big fan.  

Sister Sister.

One of the highlights of my summer was having my sister, Tessa, visit in mid-August.  It was so lovely to see her--I definitely miss our days at college when she was only a few hundred yards away.  It was her first time meeting Evangeline in real life (skype doesn't count), so that made it extra fun of course.

We spent the week of her visit showing her some of our favorite places around the city, such as Eataly, the Art Institute, and the Botanic Gardens.  (The Magritte Exhibit at the Art Institute is incredible.  We were all transfixed!  Including Evangeline!)  We also went to Greektown.  Tessa had been there before (she spent a summer working at Metro), but this was a first for Alex and me.  A friend had recommended that we eat at a restaurant called Greek Islands, and I'm so happy we did, because the food was excellent; who knew that a stuffed tomato could be one of the best things I've ever eaten!?

Please come back soon, Tessa!

 

Deliciousness, provided by Eataly.

Baby with Bread, 2014.

 

Rachmaninov and A Thought.

Last weekend we went to Millennium Park to hear Rachmaninov and drink champagne.  They were playing Symphony No. 2, which is one of my absolute favourites.  I really can't say how much I enjoy these concerts in the park.  They're just dreamy on summer nights.  We had the perfect picnic dinner of cheese (Brie and this delectable truffle cheese from Trader Joe's), fruit, smoked trout, and crackers.  It was so lovely to get out and feel like we were on a date--something that doesn't exactly happen these days.  I realized how much I really need that "one-on-one" time with Alex (though it's not exactly one-on-one with a super cute third wheel!), especially now that Evangeline is here.  I really love love love having a baby.  Evangeline is such a joy!  And I feel like we've been eased into new-parenthood as well as possible by the kindness of family and friends, and the blessing of having a very good baby.  But something that I've been realizing more and more is that at the end of the day I'm just aching to do 'grown-up' things: go on a date, have a conversation with someone, make a nice dinner, be alone and still for just a few minutes, read a book or sew something.  It's so funny how you just take those things--the simplest things--for granted, and it's kind of scary when you realize those little luxuries don't come easily anymore, and that, though you're never alone, you feel somewhat lonely.  But that's enough of that.  For now, cheers to these cool summer nights and my lovely little family!

Mastering the Art of French Baking, among other things.

Since Evangeline has not yet decided that being born is a good idea, I've been keeping myself occupied with other things...such as obsessively cleaning the apartment, whitening our sheets with natural non-bleach whitening techniques, reorganizing the pantry, and covering furniture scratches with this blessed concoction.  I actually really enjoy these sorts of productive activities--they give my life some semblance of order, which, these days, I feel has been tremendously lacking.  

// Fun Things To Do (Even with a Belly of Monstrous Size) //

40 weeks.

Get nails did.  

I snagged a sweet groupon which got me a manicure/pedicure with lavender paraffin wax (which was just heavenly).

I've never been good about caring for my feet, but I think I may start seeing as when the lady who did my toes saw mine she sighed and remarked, "I can see you haven't gotten this done in a very long time..." 

Go to Millennium Park for free outdoor concerts.  

Alex and I went to their first concert on Wednesday evening and I was so happy we went (he'd been so excited about it).  The highlight of the concert was Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2, and it was phenomenal.

Master the Art of French Baking.  

I made this chocolate almond cake courtesy of Julia Child, which, let's just say, is sinfully delicious.  

(Recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

Ingredients

For the cake:
• 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons rum or coffee
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (132 grams) + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
• 3 large eggs, separated
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup (35 grams) almond flour/meal
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup (57 grams) cake flour, sifted
For the icing:
• 4 ounces (113 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 tablespoons rum or coffee
• 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Slivered almonds, for garnish

Instructions

To make the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Combine the chopped chocolate and coffee or run in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir as the chocolate melts and remove from heat as soon as it's smooth. Set aside to cool.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until pale and creamy. Add the 3 egg yolks and beat until thick. Add the cooled melted chocolate. Stir in the almond extract and almond meal/flour and mix until just combined.
4. In a separate bowl and with a whisk attachment, whip the 3 egg whites and salt on high speed until foamy. Slowly add the tablespoon of sugar and whip to stiff peaks.
5. Add 1/4 of the whipped egg whites to the batter and fold gently until combined. Add and fold in the remaining whites in 3 additions, alternating with the sifted cake flour. Fold only until the streaks of egg whites disappear, do not overmix.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles when the pan is bumped, about 25 minutes.
7. Let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to remove cake from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the icing:
8. Combine the chopped chocolate and coffee or run in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir as the chocolate melts and remove from heat as soon as it's smooth.
9. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time and use a whisk to beat it into the chocolate. Whisk until smooth.
10. Let the icing cool to a spreadable consistency, stirring it every 5 minutes or so. It should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
11. Spoon the icing on top of the cooled cake and spread it to cover. Garnish with slivered almonds.  

Saturday Snapshot.

These days we've been trying to keep busy to distract from the fact that, no, Evangeline has not yet decided to be born.  I've been awfully impatient.  The waiting game has been made worse because we definitely thought she might be born last weekend...an exciting day which turned out to be merely 5+ hours of false labor.  No fun, sir, no fun.  

So we spent Saturday on Lake Michigan, reading The Moviegoer, and luxuriating in our still pre-baby lives.  Very lovely.  I cannot complain! 

More on Doughnuts...

...we just can't seem to get enough of them.

This past weekend, Alex and I tested out Dinkel's Bakery (within walking distance from our apartment!), a little Lakeview treasure which has been open since 1922.  A full on bakery, they have far more than just doughnuts, which definitely complicated our decision making somewhat...in the end we ordered a raspberry "kolacky," a maple bacon doughnut, and a regular old old-fashioned.  Mm. A+.  The maple bacon was divine--better than Glazed and Infused's (which definitely skimped on the bacon a little...).  The old-fashioned was lighter than both those from the Doughnut Vault and Firecakes (as I've mentioned, I'm a sucker for super dense doughnuts), but it was less sweet than it's competitors, which I enjoyed.  And the kolacky...well, it's hard to go wrong with a fruit filled pastry. Yum yum.

Ambiance-wise, it doesn't have the same "cool kid" appeal as the downtown doughnut shops, with its pink signs and fondant-covered cakes in the window.  However, the delicious doughnuts and nice sunny outdoor seating definitely will be bringing us back.

Lately.

It was a little odd when I went to my most recent midwife appointment and they said, "well, if you're not in labour by then, we'll see you again in a week!"  

What? 

No...

Yes.  

Hearing something like that for the first time was so strange.  To think that we could actually have Evangeline any day now!  While most of the thoughts that run through my head when I think about this fact are focused on sweet Evangeline and how excited I am to meet her, there are assuredly quite self-centered thoughts which lurk behind the good ones.  I'm just very ready to not be so physically uncomfortable when I sleep, or walk, or stand up, or bend over...or even sit for goodness sake!  I'd really like to begin to fit into my old clothes again.  I'd very much like to stop constantly talking about being pregnant.  I'd also very much like to stop being asked constantly about being pregnant.  

Wah, wah, wah.  

Anyways, on to some more interesting things.

Alex and I are still reading The Moviegoer, which continues to delight with it's mottled yet loveable characters.  I really should start reading The Book Thief so that I can finish it in time for Balboa, but I just haven't found the time yet. 

//

My sister-in-law, Sara, threw me and Evangeline the most lovely Baby Shower (I wish I had pictures to prove it, but you'll just have to take my word for it).  Eve made out like a bandit that night.  I'm pretty sure her wardrobe is bigger and more fabulous than mine is at this point.  A few of our favourite things: 

This little Gap lobster romper.  

I can't even handle thinking about it on her at the beach!

Blueberries for Sal, which remains one of my favourite children's books.  

The illustrations are perfectly charming (as is the story), and I love the fact that it's set in Maine.

Teething beads (thanks, Jessica!).  I'm so excited to use these.  I'll look so hip. 

//

Fact: Alex and I both really like Alexander Calder.  (You know, the guy that made hundreds of kinetic sculptures--which, interestingly, Duchamp dubbed "mobiles"--and built the Flamingo in Downtown Chicago?)

Calder, Flamingo, 1973.

We really want to build a Calder-esque mobile for Evangeline.  I really like this one: 

I love how it looks like leaves...but it's also perfect, because high contrast colours 

(black and white) are especially stimulating and helpful in visual development.  

I really don't think it would be that difficult to create one yourself, as long as you get the equilibrium right.  He used wire and sheet metal, but I bet you could use wire and thin wooden slabs if you couldn't get the sheet metal...  (Technically, you can buy one here for a hefty price, but it would just be way cooler to make your own.)

//

How to tell if you're in a Jane Austen novel.

I found this ludicrously hilarious. 

//

The Millennium Park concerts are beginning again!  Hurrah!  I'm so excited for The Planets, which is being performed on July 12.  I was always a huge fan of Holst, but he is so much more meaningful now, because the theme from Jupiter was our wedding march.

The march begins around 2:55 if you care to know...

As well as being free and outdoors (and byob--awesome!), these concerts have numerous showing times throughout the week.  Babies, champagne, and music on summer evenings are exactly my cup of tea.

Walker Percy in Lincoln Park.

We visited Lincoln Park on Saturday, enjoying the chance to finally spend as much time as we want outside in this perfect weather!  Chicago is so lovely this time of year.  Though sometimes I feel the amount of rain we've been getting borders on preposterous, the lush green grass and foliage definitely make me grateful for the precipitation.   

Alex brought his juggling clubs with him.  He's "so rusty," but I was delighted to watch him and was definitely impressed, especially since he hasn't picked them up since last summer.  I can just imagine how thrilled Evangeline will be by his juggling skill...Along with the clubs we brought a picnic and The Moviegoer (by Walker Percy), which we've been reading aloud together.  It's wonderful.  This is the first Percy novel I've read, and I'm transfixed by his style and story.  The writing is simple, yet elegant, acutely rendering 1950's New Orleans and the shallow, yet fantastically deluded narrator-protagonist.  I will waive further thoughts and speculations until finished with the book. 

"What is the nature of the search? you ask. Really it is very simple; at least for a fellow like me. So simple that it is easily overlooked. The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life." -- Walker Percy, The Moviegoer

Jubilate Deo!

Our first married Easter (!!) was so lovely.  Having gone to Easter Vigil Mass, we spent the morning at brunch with some dear friends (which featured caviar deviled eggs and St. Germain....oh my!).  Later on we went to have dinner with Brian and Sara, and Sara's family, which was truly wonderful (I always regret not taking pictures at these beautiful family gatherings).  It was such a blessing to be able to spend this special time with family and friends.  I rejoice to think that Easter lasts for another 48 days (plenty of time to make all the special desserts I was drooling over during Lent...)!  Vere resurrexit!

The Simmons.

32 weeks!

Elderflower-Champagne cocktail. 

Natural dyed Easter eggs sneaking in the wheat grass...

Firecakes.

Alex and I are huge doughnut fans, so much so that we've made it an objective to visit every artisanal doughnut shop in Chicago (you say "impossible," I say "easy").  A few weeks ago we tried out Firecakes.  And I'm still dreaming about those doughnuts.

I love the shop itself.  It's not so small as the Doughnut Vault, but still only has a little counter and no seating--fine by me!  Outdoor doughnuts are the best doughnuts.  (They apparently serve fresh blood-orange juice which sounds just lovely with a sweet doughnut.)

We ordered the basics, an Old Fashioned Buttermilk and a Classic Jelly, because if they can't get those right, I refuse to trust them. The Old Fashioned was lovely, sweet (perhaps a little too sweet for me), and crispy on the outside; perfectly soft on the inside.  They somehow achieved a light and fluffy doughnut without forfeiting any of that delicious denseness that makes me adore the Old Fashioned.  The highlight of the Jelly was the jelly: thick and sweet, but a little tart, with actual berries.  So so delicious.  

I'm already looking forward to our next visit there.  To try next time: Pistachio Old Fashioned and the Meyers Lemon.