Three for St. Patrick's Day Weekend

another year has come and gone... now it's time for the sea of green to hit chicago once again! we'll kick it all off with the green river dyeing on saturday morning, a wee bit of guinness, jameson and of course green eggs and bloody marys! to top it off, we'll hit up a few of the many irish bars that line the streets of our great city (butch mcguire's, the kerryman, fado... just to name a few!). here are three of our picks for the weekend, whether you're entertaining or hitting the town... we have something for everyone. slainte!



k's pick - irish grilled cheese

for the past few years, we've hosted a st. patty's day party. you've got to know that after
the breakfast stratas and hash browns disappear, you're going to need a round two. this is the
perfect afternoon snack to satisfy your guests. it's absolutely delish and goes great with a guinness! plus, it's super easy to whip up! check out the recipe here.

s's pick - lucky charm cupcakes

i am making these sweet festive treats to continue
the celebration of c's birthday...

c's pick - butch mcguires

as my dad says i have a hollow leg when it comes to drinking. a true irish gal! when i got home from living in rome for 5 months... my first stop? butches. it's been open for over 50 years and holds not only memories for us three, but also for our parents! you surely can find me here tomorrow for st. pats and really any weekend of the year;)

xx,

k, s, & c

(photos via food network / spoonful of flour / butch mcguires)

Audrey

in honor of c's birthday, there is no better tribute to make than one to audrey hepburn. here are 13 of our favorite audrey quotes to celebrate this very special 13th day of march!

1. "if i’m honest i have to tell you i still read fairy tales and i like them best of all."

2. "why change? everyone has his own style. when you have found it, you should stick to it."

3. "i was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it."

4. "the best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

5. "let's face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me."

6. "i believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls."

7. "nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'i'm possible'!"

8. "i love people who make me laugh. i honestly think it's the thing i like most, to laugh. it cures a multitude of ills. it's probably the most important thing in a person."

9. "i have to be alone very often. i'd be quite happy if i spent from saturday night until monday morning alone in my apartment. that's how i refuel."

10. "remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm."

11. "for beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."

12. "i never thought i'd land in pictures with a face like mine."

13. "pick the day. enjoy it - to the hilt. the day as it comes. people as they come... the past, i think, has helped me appreciate the present - and i don't want to spoil any of it by fretting about the future." 

happy birthday c! you too are a beautiful lady of iconic style, charisma, and class. we love you!

xx,
k, s, & sb

(picture via pinterest)

Cookie, shots?

we will take three please! we're wishing we were in nyc this friday when these cookie shots are officially launched. chocolate chip cookie organic milk shots? mmm, yes. these shots will retail for $3 each and dominique ansel bakery is working on having 8 for $25 to be able to take home. the organic milk is made in upstate new york at swede farm and cold-infused with vanilla beans for 24 hours. can someone in chicago work on getting these here?!

message to all our loved ones in nyc: get your hands on these shots. bottoms up!

xx,
k, s, & c

(picture via grubstreet)

ciao! ciao!

JUST when we thought we couldn't fall any more in amore with kate spade- they strike yet again and in a big, BIG way. the sp/su '14 kate spade campaign was captured in one of our favorite destinations, capri. it was love at first tagline, "there can only be things to love in a country shaped like a shoe." we know sjp would have an appreciation for that lil' gem of a tagline too.

besides the obvious of these amazing campaign photos above... as you can all probably guess, we are head over heels for everything in the collection! including this and this (ahem, looks like c!)... oh and this dress screams spring to us.

thank you ks for bringing the magic of italy to us through this campaign. tutto bene!

baci e abbraci,
k, s, & c

(pictures via kate spade)

Three for Brunch

k's pick - summer house

i was here for dinner last weekend and absolutely fell in love. how could you
not adore a california-inspired menu, complete with a "vitamin d room"?
reservation for brunch this sunday, check! peach bellini, please.

s's pick - frasca

per my gf's rec, kd says it is her all time favorite brunch spot...

italian style bloody mary's? when are we going?

c's pick - three aces

the italian countryside meets the american farmhouse... va bene!

xx,

k, s, & c

(pictures via / dining chicago / summer house / three aces)

"Ah-ha" Moments

there are moments in life when you question whether you have made the right decision or are in the right place...you have been there, right?? but then there are times when you know that you are exactly where you are meant to be for all the right reasons. the skinny buddha calls these "ah-ha" moments...

while in dc this last weekend, i had an "ah-ha" moment. 

when i lived there, i would go for long runs on the mall and always stop at the steps behind the lincoln memorial to stair climb. i found it to be just the right therapy to get my mind off of my crazy life working on the hill and allowed me to escape the political bubble (even if just for a little while). it was my "me" time to work through life and whatever was on my mind. 

so here i was doing that same run, climbing those same stairs and it felt completely different. rather than feeling angst...i felt completely energized and a sense of excitement for what's next? at the time, it was running back to georgetown for brunch with my amazing gfs but in the bigger picture, it was the excitement of all of the possibilities. a little voice in my head was saying, "you know you are on the right track when you are uninterested in looking back..."

so with that said, i wanted to share bits of an email from a friend this morning, another "ah-ha" moment: people come and go in your life, some are not forever, things change but incredible "forever" friends like sw are unconditional reminders of what life is all about. thank you sw for sharing the "ah-ha" today. 

xx,

s

Subject: Something that made me smile tonight...

OK. so i started going back and reading through some of the she told you so posts i missed and i came across this little gem from skinny buddha. it truly made me smile, almost brought a tear to my eye. 

the journey sb talks about is so real and honest... for me it struck a note tonight because i've gotten to play and watch some of the journey and transitions of sb's own little s ... and this weekend, it was really amazing to see your smiles, hear you talk about your epiphanies and the up's and down's with a little perspective...even if one only knew you from the tiny snap-shot this weekend when you jumped up on the table at town hall to announce with arms wide open, "you're getting married!," it wouldn't take them long to understand that you always bring a lot of love, countless hours filled with laughter, a little glam, some spunk and you always go the extra mile, or 700 in this case...

so somehow i got caught up rambling on and on in this email, but what i set out to say, ever so succinctly...you got a lot from sb and share similar priorities--- putting family and friends first and trying always to see the beauty in the small things. maybe that's why i liked this so much... 

love you s. glad you made it back to chiberia safely! 

until next time, 

sw

p.s. you have me talking in initials!

#STYS

(picture via s's iphone)

He Told You So: My Music Evolution

much like our new she told you so series (ahem, meet denise), we are rolling out a new he told you so series... these features will give you a glimpse into the male's psyche. and who doesn't want that glimpse? we'll be featuring men of all ages so get yourself excited. i know we are! without further ado... our first #htys guest feature:

name: duh - cougar or AC

age: 31
where are you from? dc by way of nashville and rochester

single/attached... at the hip, when i'm not traveling

chicago is… my concubine

what is on your bucket list... travel the world in anthony bourdain's pocket

what do you drink? beer and wine, darker the better

favorite book... periodical man myself, no books

what 3 famous people would you invite to dinner? danny tanner, uncle jesse katsopolis and uncle joey gladstone

ideal date... wine tasting to pig roast to country music concert

on a sunday morning, you can find me... hangin' with schmoopie, snuggling or spinning

on a saturday night, you can find me... out and about

what's the best advice you have ever received? chew your food slowly (I still need to learn how to do that)

if i could do it again, what would 30 year old me tell 18 year old me about women and relationships? don't get invested in one too quickly, you really won't know what you want until that one day in the future when it just clicks...and chicks don't dig pleated pants.

love is... when you're lying in a hotel bed, right before you go to sleep, and you automatically turn to your side to snuggle a pillow that your mind says is her but isn't.

my music evolution...

i’m a strong believer that you can tell a lot about where a man’s at in a relationship by knowing what he’s listening to. you’ll never confuse me with a country boy, but i am a gentleman and a country music fan (these do exist in the north) and this is where the story begins and will end. i’ve made my share of mistakes, in fact telling one ex-girlfriend that dierks bentley’s “lot of leavin’ left to do” (no more lyrics required to understand) was my anthem.  not very cool, immature….i know this now.

funny enough, it’s a different story. i’m a different story. four to five days a week on the road will put it in perspective. i absolutely cannot wait, seriously I have dreams about this, to blast an email farewell to my colleagues with nothing but a single line, maybe 20 characters in all – no words just a little youtube link that says everything more perfectly than i could ever express myself. never has my favorite country song, courtesy of gary allan, resonated so clearly as it does now…

There's a plane flyin' outta here tonight

Destination New Orleans

Boss man says my big promotion's on the line

He says that's right where I need to be

lately i've been on the road more than i've been home

all this leavin' her alone is killin' me

and holdin' her right now has got me thinkin' more and more

this is right where I need to be

there were plenty of other favorite songs in between that i could rattle off over a couple glasses of bourbon or beer,  but know that this is where i’m at and i’ve never known myself better. i’d like to speak for all men out there, maybe i can’t; but, i’m sure as hell over the next few years that as the music evolves, so will i. i think other men will too.

best,
AC #htys

(picture via s's iphone)